My name is Rtaia.
And I watched as the two sharks swam away at unbelievable speed.
From the other ship, came Anny's exited voice.
(Oh, what amazing fish! Look at how fast they move! I must catalogue the two species for future reference!) She cried, and I could just imagine her...
(Rtaia! Rtaia can you hear me!)
It was my friends. And they sounded worried.
(What is the matter?)
(Did you see Jade?)
(Why yes but...)
(Can you follow her? Maybe... maybe keep track of her?)
(No) I said flatly, feeling the human emotion called guilt envelop me. I knew I should go after her, but she had placed her trust in me not to.
But also, at that same moment I heard Anny's voice come through to me.
(Rtaia, I seem to be picking up a large ship about ten or so human 'miles' away from our current location) She sounded different. More... focused. But of course, she was a warrior as well as an explorer. And that I admired.
(How did you... my scanners are not picking up anything... oh, I understand. Your advanced technology) My flimsy human fingers raced across the keypad, and then I focused on the voice that was yelling at me. It was Amanda.
(What?! What do you mean you can't track her? You can see her can't you? So that means you've got to be able to track her...)
(It is not that, I... well, I must say we may or may not be having company very soon)
(How do you know?)
(Give me a moment, and please return to the fighter if you have finished) to Anny, I said (I must request you send me all of your data on this ship you have located)
(Of course) she said, and in seconds the data was transmitted to the fighter.
"Oh my..." I said in my human voice, checking and rechecking my calculations to be sure. And then, when there was no doubt in my mind, I contacted the others.
(Are you absolutely sure?) the human named Jake asked. Seconds later, I picked up a line of hammerhead sharks emerge from the dark cave with the ships scanners. And one of them was pushing along a large rectangular box.
(Yes. Do not doubt my abilities to correctly calculate...)
(He's not Rtaia. We're just worried about what this means) Amanda cut me off.
(We're coming back now anyway) Jake said as nine shark heads bobbed to the surface. Soon, they were all back to their normal bodies. Jake, Ithiell and Ax, as a human, joined me on the small fighter.
"How far away?" Jake asked as Ithiell joined me at the controls, and began to shut the hatch.
"Hey!" I turned back to see the human boy named Marco struggling to climb aboard. He had tossed the box aboard and his two friends were now helping him into the ship.
"I thought you were going to destroy the box?" I enquired, looking at them.
"We were, but we kind of had to destroy their weapons before we could get to them" Jake said sheepishly. At that moment, I saw his human friend looking at me strangely.
"Why didn't you go after David?" He asked.
"Marco, she was kind of preoccupied with..."
"No, I heard it in your voice. You could have followed, but you didn't. Why?"
"Because Jade specifically requested that I not do so" I said calmly.
"Ten minutes before they get here" Ithiell reported beside me.
"W-what?" Marco's face turned into what seemed to be horror, and his friend put a hand on his arm. But this was enough. I turned back to the console, slipping back to my Chanaiben form as I did so.
Ax appeared beside me, once again in his own form, to look over my shoulder. Ithiell shut the hatch, and I saw that Anny had done this as well. Together, the two ships rose into the sky.
"Cloak" Ithiell instructed, and I ran my hands over the panel. Seconds later, there was a shimmer, and I saw the other ship disappear also.
(How is Anny going to follow us if she cannot see us?) Ax asked me.
"I pre set co-ordinates in the ships computer for her in case the two ships were separated. Unfortunately I did not expect the Yeerks to be..."
"You're lying"
"I am not lying. Jade told me she had a... a plan" I said, trying to keep the worry from my voice.
"Oh yeah, and what kind of plan?"
"She did not say. But I do not doubt her abilities to handle a situation"
"And neither should you Marco" It was Jake's voice.
"Oh, so now you're siding with aliens? Well, why don't you just marry one of them?!"
"Jake is right. She knows what she's doing. She doesn't need a 'man' to come and save her every time she gets in trouble" Ithiell said a little harshly as he worked furiously beside me. Silence behind us.
"If she says she's got a plan, then that means she's got a plan" he added.
"I agree" I put in, watching as we began to move horizontally across the water, and I finally began to pick up the ship Anny's sensors had detected.
(It is heading towards us. It will intercept us in approximately thirty earth seconds) Ax said as he stood beside me.
Behind us, I heard Marco sigh.
"It's not Jade I'm worried about. It's David. Or did you forget how badly he whipped our butts the last time?"
"He... whipped our butts?" I was curious. I had heard of this human expression, but...
"Yeah, I know. But we got him in the end" Jake said darkly.
"He took four of us down in just one night. Or at least, he thought he did. And did you forget how you..."
"I remember Marco!" Jake snapped "Do you think I'd forget? Do you think I'd..."
"Ten seconds" I informed.
(Will they be able to detect us?)
"No. Unless we run into them" Ithiell tried to smile, but it soon faded as we saw the gigantic ship appear in front of us. And from the looks of it, it seemed like we'd barely miss it. Jake and Marco had finished their 'fight' as well.
We slowly passed under the gigantic ship, and Ithiell put a finger to his 'lips' to silence everyone. He was right to do it, I knew. One word from anyone, and we might be detected.
When we were past the gigantic ship, and out of range of it, I heard Ithiell sigh.
"Well, that was close" He said, looking back at the two human boys for a moment.
"We've got to find them. I know what Jade said, but I know one person can't take him on alone" Jake said staring right back at Ithiell.
He nodded "I know. Jade is... strong, but if David is as bad as you say he is, she might need all the help she can get"
"We must not forget the sword" I said "It must be destroyed"
"Oh, we won't forget that. It's just that right now someone's life hangs in the balance" Jake said to me.
"I suggest one from each team go" Ithiell said, turning back to the controls. I did as well.
"That's a good idea. I think..."
"I'll go" was Marco's response.
"All right" Jake sighed "Ithiell, do you have any suggestions for..."
"Yes. Let Amanda go. She may be closest to Jade, but I know she'll put her feelings aside for the mission"
"All right. Marco? Go osprey, and when you can thought-speak, get the message to Amanda? You two will start looking from the sky, since I know they must have reached the beach by now"
"Yeah, I know what to do"
"And I suggest you take tips from Amanda. Do not let..."
"I know. I know what happens..."
Ten minutes later, an osprey and a pigeon hawk flew away from us, with me wondering what it was Jade was planning.