A/N: I know, it took me some time to get it in writing, my brain isn't being very cooperative...
Andre: It _is_ a peculiar fic –as expected of my fics- and your memory isn't short, I DO need to work on all those other fics...but *sigh* some people have gone lazy...
Green Eyed Girl: Potential fav material? Can i just say five words? = "you have GOOD taste girl!" *cheers* okay, i think i'll work on this fic. *grins meekly*
Phoenix: *sighs in relief* wow, u finally stopped nagging me to finish all my other fics *cringes* nooo, it starts again! *gags in horror*
Myst: Salv doesn't have to mess up to make a fool of himself; the Andalites are already convinced that he is a fool. hehehehe. This chapter doesnt have Salv talking much in class, but he'll get a hang of it by next class...he's a little shy u see...
Myitt: yeah, we'll get that, not now though...its after I do my little figuring...(see note at the end of chapter, anyone who wants to contribute ideas can do so....I am sooooo stumped)
Alikat: *wonders who Dali is...*
The War Goddess
Chapter Three
Elymphia had led me away from Detrax. David had disappeared, and Kat was no where in sight.
Then she told me the "upsetting news".
"What? We have to go back?" I was confused. "I don't understand, why?"
Elymphia shook her head, I do not know why. My father told me today, they say that a group of humans have overpowered two Andalites and stole an orbiting Yeerk ship. Its all very confusing but he assured me that it is only a delay and nothing more, we might have to wait a few days before we could go anywhere.
"Oh," I said. "So...so what are you going to do?"
Prepare myself for my classes. Elymphia sighed, I do not like this one bit. Oh, and by the way, you're going to be meeting my students today.
"I am?" I asked, puzzled, "How? I mean...if they're on the Andalite home world and we're...we're here...."
Elymphia laughed loudly, she put a hand around my arm and said, human humor really is a fascinating thing, my first year students my have a difficulty in grasping the idea, but oh well. One must not obsess over every little difficulty one meets while teaching...but I must admit, this will be a challenge.
I stared, "no, um, seriously...how?"
Elymphia stopped laughing, how what?
"How am I going to meet them?"
Elymphia looked puzzled, well, I would have to introduce you to the class, I would be there do not worry.
I shook my head. "I really don't get it. We're going to the Andalite home world today? I thought you said your father told you where weren't moving anywhere."
Elymphia laughed loudly enough to get the attention of Detrax and some other Andalite who where talking quietly to each other, they both turned their talk eyes in our direction. We aren't going anywhere, and my students aren't coming to me. Besides, it takes a lot more than a day to reach the home world. I've already conducted four classes. Its a virtual class. They would be there, but not physically. I assumed you already knew that part.
Detrax rolled his eyes Andalite style –by moving his stalk eyes- and turned back to the Andalite he was talking to. I realized that I've seen him talk to that Andalite before. I grinned. It was the Andalite girl. One of the technicians. I guess he fancied her or something.
What's funny? Elymphia asked noticing my grin. She looked at Detrax.
"He talks to that girl a lot. Doesn't he?" I asked her.
I do not know, she said, I do not make it my habit to spy on my students. He might be asking her about my class. He informed me he could not attend the first few classes as my class clashed with another of his classes. He does have to catch up on the work he missed though. He would be joining us tomorrow.
I arched an eyebrow. "Your students?" I looked at Detrax. And then at the other girl.
Yes they are part of my class. Elymphia said, I am not their usual teacher, they would only be with us for the first part of the year.
"Oh." I noticed that Detrax had finished talking to the girl and was walking away. I left Elymphia and raced after him. He saw me coming and made no attempt to slow down. In the end, I caught up with him.
What do you want? He snapped. I guess he noticed me staring.
"I'm your teacher and you never told me?" I decided to go for the direct approach.
You are not my teacher. Detrax snapped immediately, You are merely the subject of this class. We will be studying you. You don't have to teach us anything.
"Elymphia says otherwise," I said with a snicker, I just remembered something Elymphia told me. "I have the power to flunk you."
No you do not. Maybe it was me, but his comment seemed just a little bit lame.
"Do too, she said, and I quote; "Salvador, at the end of the first part of the year, you would be testing the students, and you will tell me how well they answered your questions" doesn't that mean anything to you? Doesn't it infer; test?"
Detrax stared. We always have tests. But not like this.
He actually looked disturbed.
I grinned, "go ahead and ask your teacher," I smirked, "do that in all your free time."
This was gonna be great. Just great.
*** *** ***
It turns out the 'teacher' is a professor. And just as I had guessed; Andalites don't sit on hard wooden chairs behind wooden tables. They stand, and not that it was visible to me, but, they were each facing a computer.
Now class, Elymphia was saying, I did tell you that you would be meeting my assistant today. And here he is. As you might see, he is not Andalite, he is human.
The fifteen or so Andalites gaped at me. They were in the 'class room', a large empty room that according to Elymphia, was a holding room. The first class I witnessed was the one for the first years –aristh years, who knew there was a difference between 'ordinary Andalites' and those who want a carrier in the military? In that class, each Andalite stood no higher than my shoulder –ruling out the height their stalk eyes gave them. They were younger than Detrax. The equivalence of thirteen year old humans. This class was for the third years, and Detrax was a third year student. They were just a little bit older than me
His name is Salvador. He is a human male. He is about sixteen human years old. Elymphia paused, she looked down at the computer interface that stood in front of her. The computer interface was about waist level. Sort of like a table or a high bench. She touched the screen then looked up. Yes Gartally?
One of the 'virtual' Andalites straightened up a bit. And I honestly don't know how he did that, he was already standing so stiffly. Professor, how old would this human be in Andalite years?
Elymphia nodded, I could give you a numerical value for that question but I doubt you would learn much by it. Most of you here are sixteen Andalite years old. If you were living on Earth, you would be twenty seven years old. That does not make this human a child, -Detarx rolled his eye stalks at this, clearly disagreeing- Humans only live for forty five standard Andalite years, on their home-world, this would be sixty years. A healthy Andalite would average ninety Andalite years, if that Andalite had been living on Earth, he would be around a hundred and ninety years old. No human has lived for that long. Human records show that the healthiest of humans are able to live for around eighty Andalite years.
Elymphia paused again. Humans are fast learners, if any of you take Xeno-History and have covered human scientific advancements you will know that it took no more than 60 years for humans to achieve orbital flight after they have achieved aerial flight. I noticed that a few of her students shifted around and looked at each other, Detrax was giving Elymphia his undivided attention and the girl he spoke to in the dome, the technician, was gazing absentmindedly at my face, her eyes were sort of dazed, you know that zoned out expression you see on kids faces in school? Well, I saw that same look on her face though the expression was a bit more on the dreamy side, when she felt my eyes on her she snapped out of her daze and her stalk eyes swung to look at Elypmhia, her main eyes went to her computer interface, Elymphia had told the class to bring out a hologram of some sort of hologram.
It was a 3-D rotating hologram of two brains. A human brain, and you know how it looks like, grayish with lots of crevices. The interesting thing about the Andalite brain was that it was divided into four significant parts; a left side, a right side, a fore lobe and a center lobe lost somewhere in between. I heard Elymphia give a brief description of the human brain; color, size, divisions, weight.
The most interesting thing about the human brain –and what accounts for the human's odd disconnected behavior- is that the brain is split into two main parts; the left and right lobe. as she said this, all of her students stopped gazing stupidly at the rotating brains and stared at me, and boy, can Andalites stare. I wasn't exactly the stand in front of the class person at school. I could feel my face growing hot. I hoped they wouldn't notice.
Unlike Andalite brains, where the splitting is very minor. In human brains though, each separate lobe is a different brain, able to function entirely on its own.
It took me a few more moments to realize that most of the students were looking through me instead of at me. I almost laughed out. I didn't realize that Andalites could get bored of class just as us human kids do.
But their attention returned, even Detrax was looking at me with an interested look. But professor, Detrax interrupted, if they have two brains how can humans function normally?
Elymphia smiled, well Detrax, if one hears you they might think you never spent your time with a human before, you have spent some time with Salvador, tell us how you think the human brain functions.
Detrax suddenly looked more interested. There was this light in his eyes, I started to have a very, very bad feeling.
Well professor, Detrax said with his face straight, and with only honesty; I don't think his brain ever functions.
That got a few laughs and sniggers.
Elymphia looked mildly annoyed, come now, Detrax...that isn't an accurate evaluation.
Detrax just smirked and said, I'm sure quite a few number of people aboard this ship will agree with me.
I cast a look at Elymphia, she just waved away Detrax, we'll continue this discussion later on. As for next class, I want you to research the different human life stages and by using the information I have told you today; produce a chart that would allow readers to compare Andalite life stages to human life stages. Class dismissed.
All of a sudden, instead of having a dozen and so Andalites in one room there was three.
Elymphia was looking something up in the computer and Detrax had left to catch one of his classes. I noticed that the technician girl was still there, she was using one of the computers for something.
I stalked over to her and peered down the screen, just as i had suspected; she was playing a computer game.
"Having a break, huh?" I asked her.
We all must have those from time to time. She didn't look up but I noticed a smile in her eyes.
"So...what's your name?"
Yalleen. She said, this time she looked up, she smiled, and you are Salvador.
"Yeah, that's me."
She stopped playing.
Closed the computer.
Then she said, I've been trying to meet you for some time, Detrax isn't very fond of you so the whole 'meet the new alien' thing hasn't been working for me.
My heart missed a few beats, I haven't noticed it before, but her eyes were green. I had a thing for green eyes.
"You have?" I asked timidly.
*** *** ***
I know, not a lot of action happening, but I'm dragging out the peaceful scenes so that I could figure out the whole Kelbrid/Andalite/Yeerk thing and the 'what happened to The Rachel' dilemma. If i get the next part right people; we'll get a good fic. hehehehe.
Oh yeah, and while I'm busy doing all my figuring u people get busy and;
review
yeah, yeah, i know, nothing new...but i have to ask...
