Chapter 8
"Incoming vessel, Prince Jake. I don't recognize the construction as anything witnessed in Andalite Space."
"Don't make any sudden course alterations," Jake replied from his position in the center of the bridge. "Warn of any changes in their direction. We need all fields down. Let's get morphing."
We had traveled for six days, following the vague and incalculable coordinates loosely translated from a stolen Mak document. It led us further and further into Kelbrid Space, but the increase in Space traffic over the last twenty-four hours was a promising sign. A light-brown globe was becoming apparent on the long-distance radar, and that was where most of the activity was growing denser.
Santorelli was quick to the ship-wide announcer that would alert Cassie and Marco, who were away in the sleeping quarters. "Mak time. Get off yer lazy asses. Prince Jake's orders!" he spoke with a deft combination of authority and informality. Menderash looked at him quizzically, still not caught up on the humor displayed, yet well in the knowledge that his habits had been part of it.
Jake started, and the rest of us followed. We were morphing Mak, the final step in assuming the full disguise as a Mak vessel in transit to the Kelbrid homeworld.
I watched Jeanne as we morphed. She caught my stare and returned a blank smile and a greeting wave of her fingers.
((Mendy,)) Jake said as his morph came to an end. ((Secure yourself in the storage. Keep in range.))
He stood and bowed his body in a distinctly Andalite manner, facing the three Mak that now occupied the bridge. "Yes, Prince Jake." Then he left the room, just as Marco and Cassie arrived, hobbling in half-morph.
((Activity?)) Cassie asked.
Jake replied, ((we're getting close to the planet. Looks like it's Kyritlyp. Lots of ships around now, so we need to be in full disguise.))
((Gotcha,)) Marco said as his Mak tail sprouted to finalize his change. ((Time for the Animorphs to become the Masters of Disguise.))
((These Kelbrid bastards won't suspect a thing!)) Santorelli called, before adding the worrying addendum, ((until they ask us to say somethin' and we stutter like a nun in a whore house.))
((Mendy has programmed in an automatic response to any comms we receive,)) Jake explained. ((We should be safe getting to the surface.))
((That's when the fun begins,)) Marco uttered.
Santorelli turned in his seat at the controls. ((You mean you haven't been havin' fun already?))
((Let's see,)) Marco responded, scratching at his Mak chin. ((It was this or a pool party with Jessica Alba… Yeah, it's gotta be this. Hands down.))
((Every time,)) Santorelli agreed.
((Maybe Jessica's on that ship,)) Cassie hummed, looking out to the foreign vessel that was crossing our path in the distance. ((You could do both.))
((You ever met Jessica Alba?)) Santorelli asked Marco.
((Yeah! I saw her on the set for The Sleeping Dictionary. I wasn't kidding about the pool party.))
Santorelli laughed, not entirely believing him. ((Marco, Marco, my man, she's outta your league!))
((Ha! You're kidding, right? I saw the look she gave me.))
((No offense, man,)) Santorelli grinned. ((But she wouldn't go for your scrawny ass.))
((Scrawny, huh?)) Marco huffed. ((You're talking to the monkey man, remember? Gorilla or Ox? I know where my money's going.))
((Yeah, 'cos I gave you a whoopin' back on Makroovi.))
((I had my back turned,)) Marco defended. ((That doesn't count!))
The exchange was halted abruptly by a deafening static noise that filled the bridge. The projector zapped up a distorted image between us all. Jake took three steps back to escape the channeled light, just in time for the image to clear up.
The upper body of a Kelbrid sprouted between us. The cat eyes scanned the bridge, inspecting us individually with a military thoroughness. The toxic tendrils that flowed from its head jiggled in rhythm with each little movement. We could hear the wet squelching of its toxin-ridden tentacles slapping against each other.
"Karrit raaghrum," it spoke.
Santorelli swiveled in his seat and pressed three buttons, which began the process of delivering the prepared message. ((Sendin' it through,)) he clarified to us privately.
The Kelbrid's head motioned downwards as the script was delivered. It took a few moments before he looked back up to us. "Rumaz karra nit. Ackpa nyuti-raah."
We had no idea what it meant, but the Kelbrid's calm and almost disinterested tone was enough of an indication that the message had done its job. He spoke another message, and then the projection shrank into a singular ball of light before vanishing completely.
Jake reported instantly. ((Mendy, we received a transmission. Kelbrid.))
Menderash spoke back, voice muffled by distance. ((The transmission will have come from the crossing vessel, Prince Jake. We should keep track of any course changes.))
Every set of eyes looked forward into the view of deep Kelbrid Space. The Kelbrid ship was coming closer, its more intimate details becoming visible. It was egg-shaped with a flattened underside and three large thrusters at the rear in a triangular formation. The entirety of the structure was artistically curved and gave off an unusual, gleaming shine as the light of the nearest sun landed on its surface. White lights in long strands ran down the ship's body, wavering, closing together to a point at the bow where a small opening resided.
It wasn't changing course. After minutes of careful observation, Jake concluded that we were clear to continue. Menderash, however, was to wait in storage for the rest of the journey to the Kelbrid homeworld. Marco and Santorelli took charge of navigating The Shadow, and we made a direct route for the planet that we approached.
The traffic grew denser as time went on, many of them of a similar design to the egg-shaped Kelbrid vessel. There were others, too, but only one that we recognized, and it was a Mak ship not too dissimilar to our own. It was heading to the planet, just like we were, and that lent us some security.
The planet was enormous and, like Makroovi, looked to be mostly covered in desert regions, but there was much more ocean. Menderash advised that we follow the sporadic flow of space traffic to what would likely be a substantial spaceport. We found a group of ships headed for the planet, and Marco - with the expertise of a man who'd spent most of his time playing video games - was able to bring us comfortably alongside them.
Jeanne took over from Santorelli and sat beside Marco at the controls. Even Marco acted differently around her in recent times, and he was noticeably perplexed when she became the self-appointed navigator.
((We should go here,)) she suggested, guiding a delicate finger over the short-distance radar between them. ((You see?))
((Uh… Not really,)) Marco replied.
Menderash, always ready to jump in even if he was hidden away in a distant storage closet, reinstated his opinion. ((I would advise remaining within the traffic line. It will likely lead us to a major Kelbrid city.))
Jeanne disagreed. ((You see these ships?)) She moved her finger up to the view of the encompassing planet and the intermittent line of vessels that we were following.
((Yeah…)) Marco said.
((Not Kelbrid ships!)) she chirped. Then, she moved her finger again to the left. There were three of the known Kelbrid egg-like ships, a little more spread than those within the traffic line. ((The Kelbrid ships are going over there.))
Menderash responded as Marco gazed at Jeanne with puzzlement. ((I would still advise following the largest volume of traffic.))
((We are looking for a military base, yes?)) Jeanne countered. ((There are no military ships going this way. Those Kelbrid ships have weaponry.))
We all narrowed our eyes to focus on the distant Kelbrid ships, wondering how she could possibly know. Cassie asked the question on everybody's mind. ((How do you know those have weapons?))
Jeanne was confident in her reply. ((You see the hole at the front? These are for weapons.))
Jake moved to stand behind her, making sure he got a view from her perspective. ((We don't know that.))
((Look!)) she insisted. Her hands moved to the right to work at a small computer screen. It brought up a zoomed image of the nearest of the Kelbrid egg-ships. With some trial-and-error, she increased the focus to the ship's front where the hole on the bow was located. Some of the more minor details became apparent, but they looked baffling and nonsensical to me and, as I saw on their faces, everybody else.
Jake needed to be sure. He raised his comms device and took a snapshot of the image. ((Sending you a picture of the Kelbrid ship's bow, Mendy. What does that look like to you?))
((Received, Prince Jake,)) Menderash replied. Then, after deliberation, he gave his answer. ((It has components similar to the Akkrid Droon system: a complicated pulse thruster most often used to break apart metal compounds using high-diversity electro-magnetic waves and disrupt communication signals. It's complex but an effective way to tackle multiple problems with one efficient solution.))
((Somebody got a dictionary?)) Santorelli quipped.
((Simplify, Mendy,)) Jake grumbled.
((It's highly advanced weaponry, Prince Jake. It is more than capable of ripping The Shadow to shreds in a matter of milliseconds.))
((So we will follow them now?)) Jeanne requested.
Marco replied, ((My head says no. My heart says no. My gut says no. But when have they ever been right before?))
