Chapter 3
When I awoke, Jeanne was standing over me.
"Now is not the time to be sleeping on the job, Captain."
I took her outstretched hand and pulled myself to my feet. I now had a splitting headache and a swelling bump. From where I'd hit the console, no doubt. Twice.
"There's an alien captain who wishes to speak with us. You, in particular. And he's a Kelbrid captain," Menderash informed me.
Well, that was some news, as even the Andalites had had no direct knowledge of the Kelbrids. And now, one was facing us with unmistakable impatience.
I was somewhat dizzy. No matter. I leaned slightly on the Captain's chair as I faced the screen. With a slightly cocked head, the bird-like alien studied me, and I him.
"Their ship is called the Moonraiser, or something," Jeanne said softly to me.
Maybe I should've felt happy to be alive. Grateful, no, but relieved, definitely. All I could feel right then was anger. Frustration. Crayak and the Yeerks! They'd been so close. They were gonna be history. Those creeps. I bet they'd been watching the whole time, too.
The captain stood erect. The robed figure stood erect. He had leathery-looking, almost iridescent green wings folded at his sides, as well as multijointed arms with long claw tipped fingers on thick, swollen looking hands. His angular head had two main eyes, more or less where humanoid eyes would be, but iridescent, like swirling jewels. The lack of any pupil was disconcerting. Below each eye was a pit, for some undetectable purpose. On the sides of his head flat ears swiveled. His wide, beak-like mouth consisted of two parts, the top hard, hooked tip. Below that was a blackish, curved and flexible lip, to speak with.
Or rather, to squeak with. Thankfully, the computer translated the rough Intergalactic into English.
"Squak guuns galaharg kelbrshidok..."
"My greeting as a son of a Kelbrid to a son of a human. I wish you success in the lifelong journey for feathers on your tail."
I swear the alien bowed.
"Hargeg..." The computer translation sped up as Menderash fiddled with it.
"Are you truly Captain Jake of the Earth vessel, the Rachel?"
I stated calmly that indeed, that was true, though I worried about how they'd known that and whether it was enough cause to blow us up right then and there. Even through the computer translation, he sounded ticked off enough. If it was enough, then this Kelbrid would have a fight on his hands.
"After being informed of your presence, as Captain of the Num Starfleet, I bring you greeting, warning, and a message. Greeting I have given, warning I give now, and the message is to come." The Kelbrid tilted his head at me and said, "Do not cross us and there will be no reason for us to destroy your simple vessel. For some, treaties are no sooner made than broken. Beware." The captain gave his crew an order in the painfully high-pitched squawks of Kelbridian.
Marco whispered to me, "Their ship is like the size of twenty of us, about as big as an Andalite Dome ship, weapons on the ready. Menderash says they are somewhat shorter range than Dracon cannon, but twice as powerful. Or more." Well. Then if we had to, we'd go down fighting, then, wouldn't we.
"What about the Blade ship?" I asked him.
This time it was Menderash who answered. "It is frozen in space, as we now are. I have not been able to detect any signs of a force field yet."
"And he won't. It feels like the Ellimist to me," Tobias said.
"Naw, not his style. Wouldn't he've shown up by now?" Marco was interupted by the computer's translation of the captain's next speech.
For what seemed forever, the captain' s harsh voice droned while the computer painstakingly translated..."I do not know your race, but if they are anything like the incomprehensible child passenger that I have had to lug all the way out here, well outside of our normal trade route, then it is a wonder that you tailless things ever organized well enough to build a profitable society, much less a primitive spacecraft as the one you are currently operating."
Menderash grumbled something under his breath. It was probably a good thing I couldn't hear it.
"As we speak, a shuttlecraft is preparing to take I, two members of my crew, and this human girl for two deliveries. The message she has been keeping secret as rudely as the elborakant , and your Q-papers, which I am sure you don't have. Of course, I must remind you ignorant rodents that in order to receive your pass papers, you must submit to a routine search."
Marco looked around, "That guy must have mice for imaginary friends. I don't see any here, unless he means Bird-Boy's breakfast."
I frowned at the smug alien face. This didn't feel right, not at all.
Santorelli said quietly, "They search us, find something against their rules, and they seize the Rachel. And I think we somehow misplaced our copy of their rulebook. Oh, wait, I know now- we don't own one because we're not supposed to be here, remember?"
"Man, oh man. They're gonna know who built this ship, I can just feel it!" Marco muttered.
Tobias said in private thought-speak, taking no chances that the Kelbrid might hear, Well, maybe not. After all, they don't know the difference between big monkeys and big mice, maybe they'll overlook a few things.
A few things? I sincerely prayed that when the Andalites had secretly modified The Rachel, they had left no traces...What to do, what on Earth could we do? There had to be a way out of this.
"Oh, yeah?" Marco answered. "Big difference. Big monkeys have big brains. Big rodents have big teeth. Which one do you think could outfit a big hip ship like this with a big Z-space engine?"
"Hey, whoa there, hold it. They've been cleared already, just check! Mrs. Grivled, could you tell them what I'm saying? I'd really appreciate it." The kid! At the moment, I could care less who she was. She spoke English. Yelled it, rather.
A stout Kelbrid female was standing near the captain. She looked as different from the males as fish from sharks. She didn't seem to have any tail at all. Her feathers were so drab it might as well have been made of mud. Her face looked chiseled, like it was stone carved or something. And her clothes might have been fine at one time, but were now patched, drab, and well worn. The one major distinction was that she had this sort of crest of feathers that towered over her head in a sort of crown. But where was the girl I had heard?
"This," the captain told us, "is Grivled, a specialist in Empire-Walker relations."
"Marco," I whispered, "remind me to wonder what the heck a Walker is."
"No need. It's a little doohickey that helps people like you walk around."
OK, so maybe I was holding onto the instrument panel for dear life. A little dizziness, I can handle. Ticked off aliens wanting to search my ship, no way.
Marco pointed to the screen, "Is that a girl they're bringing forward or did someone mash a tomato and pass it off as human?"
A human girl, maybe fourteen years old, was muttering at the officers hauling her toward the captain, "Hey, I can walk too, you know." The captain hissed some sort of threat at his officers, who shrank back. She composed herself, and smiled at me with just her mouth. Her eyes betrayed her worry and nervousness in a face splotched with bruises. She was lanky, and slouched uncomfortably, as she stood well over a head taller than the captain. "I suppose now I must introduce you to our passenger, Jessie, a Walker."
"I've told you, most humans are NOT Walkers. And I certainly don't claim to be one!"
The Walkers again.
Heedless of the interruption, the Kelbrid captain went on, "Be most assured that she has been well taken care of by my crewmen, under my gentle guidance." Gentle, my foot. Somehow, I doubted it.
"A most disagreeable undertaking, as we are nothing but one of the best and most respected trading vessels in the esteemed Kelbrid merchant fleet. We do not deal in transferring people, of any race, from one place to another miserable place. The fact that this human creature has been allowed thesis far is proof of my unusual generosity I have among my people. However, the most pressing matter now is, have you a license to be in this quadrant? Who has given you clearance here?"
"Won't any of you LISTEN to me? Of course they've got clearance! Check your records, they're in there. They have A Sub-1 status."
"Nonsense. A Sub-1? Like cheese to trees. Now, don't get impatient with me, unless you've forgotten already..."
My head was swimming.
"Somehow, I could have just seen this coming." Marco said. "The instant featherhead here showed up, I knew we were in T-R-O-U-B-L-E," he sang in a country twang.
Uh, Marco? Tobias said, You can leave the singing to the experts, you know. Toby Keith and John Michael Montgomery have had a whole lot more practice. And frankly, you could use a bit of that. Preferably somewhere far, far away from my meadow.
Sergeant Santorelli said, "Tobias, I've never been to your meadow, but I'd say this is as far from it as we can get."
I had to block them out. That's it, just think. OK now, what to do? This was tricky. I could tell them about the Blade ship, but they'd been out here longer. If they had any agreement with these Kelbrid, then by admitting we were hunting them down would be suicide. I wasn't about to risk that, but I could also...
Before I could complete that thought, the girl caught my eye. She was frantically mouthing something. Then, it was like a burst of thought-speak had been shot into my brain. I swear that I felt it ricochet in there. Then there was a brief crackle, and a low, tense, Captain Orshethrik Milek. Say you were cleared by him. He's a big hotshot to these people. Again, Captain Orshethrik Milek. The girl carefully pronounced the last sentence. I felt kind of wobbly.
"Uh, Jake, would you mind explaining to me WHAT the HECK that was?!" Marco's whisper barely gave away how panicked he was.
"Jake, if that was thought-speak, how and when would she get access to a morphing cube?"
Could that be Ax? Tobias wondered. He sounded hopeful. I was doubtful there were just too many questions, too much to answer and so little to go on.
Instinctively, I decided to go for it. Whatever came of it, well, I'd just deal with. What else was left for us to do?
"Does Captain Milek ring any bells?"
The Kelbrid captain said, "The name is not unfamiliar. If you really have been cleared, then it will show up in our records program. I'm sure you will be in there, for Sir Milek clears few, but he takes care of those he does. We are checking the clearance records right now." he looked back at the crewmates still standing at attention behind him. " Aren't we, men, I said?" The entire alien crew jumped into action, apparently needing no more directions.
It was game over. He'd find nothing. While Captain Arsheeth turned to his crew, doling out more orders and threats of punishment, and leaving the still unidentified girl to grin at us shyly, I stepped out of view, making quiet preparations of my own. "The gig's up. Santorelli, shift as much power to the Dracon cannon as you can while maintaining scan function. Marco, get ready to spring weapons shield. Tobias, see if you can get translation to pick up on the Kelbrids outside the focal point. And Menderash, " I said. " If we have to run how far before we can enter Z-space?"
" At best, maybe a minute or two. From a standstill? After dodging the Blade ship, which I assume is still out there, and that prodigious Kelbrid carrier, maybe three to four of your minutes, maybe more. In any case, far too long."
"In other words," Marco said, "before we come anywhere close to getting the heck outta this messy situation, we'll be burned to a crisp, and deep-fried. Great, then the Kelbrids will can serve us up with the same terrific Z-space brand marshmallow sauce we'll be buried in. So you see, running will be a picnic. With us as the main course."
The Rachel buzzed into action. We soon heard the buzzing of voices from the Moonraiser, but little distinguishable. The computerized translator-voice kept beeping at us, saying things like, "well, for all the BLeEp-ing good it will do to UNTRANSLATABLE NAME to UNSTRANLATABLE VERB and quit BLeEp," Well, you get the point.
"I guess it's a relief that, if the computer doesn't know half the words, at least it knows which to edit out for us."
Then, for a second, all activity on the Moonraiser ceased. The next words spoken, (not by us, none of us dared even breathe) were in an unmistakable tone. The shriek of a sentence came over to us in an equally easily recognized phrase.
One that, for virgin eyes, I will not put down here.
And if I did, it would read something like this: "Holy &^%%!^@ $#*^."
Marco muttered, "OK, so I spoke too soon."
"Will you take a look at that!" said another Kelbrid officer. they all gathered around several computer stations.
"I believe they are looking at a report of some kind. " said Menderash.
"One with our names plastered all over it, no doubt, " Santorelli said. "I say we book some butt out of here."
Something told me wait. So instead of getting out of there then, like I itched to do, I stepped back to talk to the Kelbrid who stood waiting for me. He looked almost apologetic. I'm not sure though. How on earth do you tell what a giant bird of a mysterious alien species is feeling?
His first words were addressed to the girl. "Well, Jessie, don't just stand there. Introduce us all to these, these friends of yours."