Author's Note: Thanks again sooo much for the great reviews! I check the reviews probably three times a day, and that's nothing to laugh at with my schedule. I probably should spend a little less time writing this fic, but a bunch of you seem to be enjoying it, so if anything I'll speed up the process. Special thanks to (sorry if I misspell you or leave you out – I'm not online at the time) : Silverhawk, SouthrnBelle, LilMidgett…and that's all I can remember right this sec. I'll be sure to get the rest of ya with the next chapter. Anyway, thanks again and enjoy. And keep leaving those reviews! Peace. Out.

Chapter 9

Jake

Yeah, I felt horribly self-conscious in my little spur-of-the-moment, Brad Pitt in Troy, leather battle armor. It was something Rachel should be wearing, not me. As a matter of fact, she'd probably talk Cassie into making her one if it was received well here on Xylen. Of course, it'd be as stylish as it was functional, and of course Rachel would look terrific in it.

Sure, I was nervous. I knew I'd crammed all the knowledge I could about the Taruffs in the time provided. But, like when you sit down to take a big test, I couldn't help but feel like I could have learned a little more and probably would forget something important.

Of course, I had no idea what to even say to these people. I had learned enough of their small language to get by, but I was supposed to be a diplomat. I had nothing eloquent planned to say, and even if I did, I probably wasn't fluent enough to actually say it.

Even though all of these pleasant thoughts were running through my head as I stepped onto the planet's surface, I decided right away that I liked the Taruffs, despite the fact that five minutes earlier, two of them tried to kill us.

The roar of the crowd almost deafened me as I stepped off the ramp and tried to keep my footing in the loose, black sand. People were throwing colored paper everywhere and going crazy to touch us, like we were a boy band or something. I grinned and started waving, not even realizing they probably wouldn't have any idea what it meant. A chant had picked up somewhere in the crowd, and it sounded like, "Da Ku'ne," their words for 'beloved stranger' or 'adored visitor.'

I remembered Toby and looked behind me. Ax had taken up position behind her and looked ready to grab her if she faltered. Her eyes looked a little dopey and her breathing seemed shallow, but she gave me a nod. We began walking toward the parliament-looking stone structure, and I studied the Taruffs as I went.

Some of them were positively massive, dwarfing even Toby. Most, however, stood a good two heads shorter than these select few and were less intimidating. Their muscles were sleeker, more like a swimmer or runner than a bodybuilder. Some wore sleeveless robes, but most wore only loincloths attatched to golden, decorative belts that encircled their narrow waists. I thought I could pick out the women as slimmer, a lighter shade of gray that almost seemed blue, and the difference in the hair.

The hair was probably the most human thing about them, and even that was strange to me. It looked more like black tentacles, or dreadlocks, like Marco had noted. In the males, the strands were thicker with fat stone beads strung throughout. The women had very thin strands of 'hair' with just a couple small beads, or none at all.

All of the Taruffs, male or female, large or small, adult or child, had in their posession a stunning amount of blades. Most were slung into sheaths at their waists, but some were across the back and even their chests. The huge males I'd seen earlier often leaned on positively massive swords, like they were mere canes. All the chanting and cheering quieted down to a dull roar as three figures emerged from the building in front of us and waited for us on the stairs.

I swallowed hard as we approached. Soon, we were close enough for me to recognize the middle figure – Amni'bel, the princess of the large nation we had landed on. Beside her were two bodyguards. I was a little surprised her honor guard didn't consist of the huge Taruffs I'd seen, but it made sense. Amni'bel would prefer to have people around her more her size, so they wouldn't distract from her. We climbed the stairs and stopped right in front of her, and I led a bow I believed to be appropriate.

"Mish on tafa gah," I started hesitantly.

The queen waved her hand dismissively and shook her head, sending the hundreds of intricate beads in her hair flying. "You may dispense with that. I speak perfect human," she said in heavily accented but understandable English. It was strange to hear at all, and the fact that the sounds came from the vibrating skin of her throat made it weirder.

I covered my shock and narrowed my eyes. "How is it that you speak 'human?'" I asked.

She ignored my question. "Are you the one who shot down the first Hulta fighter?"

I wasn't sure what to say. I wanted to demand that she answer my question about speaking English. I wanted to ask her why it mattered who shot down the fighter. Instead, I said, "No."

She turned to Ax and Toby and repeated her question. They both answered in the negative. She lifted a veil that had been around her neck to her face and turned her back on us. Ax looked at me questioningly. I shrugged.

The guard on her left tapped his wicked-looking wrist blades together. "The queen forgive your ignorance," he said in halting English. "She only talk to pilot and one who shoot from big ship."

I saw Ax's main eyes go big and I knew what he was thinking – 'Rachel and Marco?!' I had to stall. This was not going as planned at all.

"Why will she only talk to them?" I demanded.

The guard canted his head. "You look like warrior. You are not. Other two are warrior. Queen is warrior too. They talk, make nice," he said, and then acted as if saying that much had tired him out.

Ax spoke and I gritted my teeth. (This is Prince Jake. He is a great warrior among his people.) I could have slapped him. We were still in the shoving match stage; now was not the time to bring that up, because they'd want proof.

Amni'bel turned around, but did not drop her veil. "And you? Are you also a warrior?" she asked, studying his tail blade almost enviously.

Ax raised himself up. (Of course I am a warrior,) he said haughtily. (After repelling the Yeerks from Earth, I fought breifly in the Ketaris campaign and went -)

"Good," she interrupted. "You will not mind demonstrating your skills, then. Yama, give 'Prince Jake' a demonstration of what it is to be a Taruff kertian." The guard who had remained silent stepped forward.

"Please give the human and I room to engage," he said politely to Ax and Toby. I was pretty scared, but I knew the challenge had been delivered and I couldn't back down. I nodded to them, and Toby immediately went down about ten steps. Ax raised his tail and looked ready to argue the point, but I gave him a look and he reluctantly joined Toby. Yama drew a long, narrow sword from a scabbard at his side and a dagger from his bandolier. I drew my sword for the first time and marveled at how light it was. Yama looked to Amni'bel, who lowered her veil.

"First blood will be sufficient, I think," she said. "I do not wish for the newcomer to be killed his first five minutes on our planet, even though it may be what he deserves. Begin."

Yama swung his sword in a backhanded slash towards me with his dagger right behind it in a similar slash. I took both strikes on the edge of my own sword and instinctively pushed. It put me up against the body of this alien. I smelled it's strange sweat, and decided to hell with honor and dignity. I drove my right elbow into the side of his head, hoping to stun him. To my surprise, the skin split easily and spurted dark orange blood onto my pristine body armor. I stepped back and raised my sword to strike, expecting a swift retaliation from the wounded Taruff, but Amni'bel barked, "Enough!" She looked me up and down as if seeing me for the first time. "The Prophet was right. You are a barbaric fighter, but competent enough. I hope more of the Taruff ways rub off on you than the other way around."

The second guard, with his curved, forward-raking wrist blades, stepped forward and let a loud growl escape him. "Princess, allow me to show this alien how to use blade," he said, gesturing fiercely at Ax. The princess looked at me as if she expected me to protest. I smiled at her and nodded. I wasn't even very good with a sword, and I had bested a royal guard. Ax would easily carve this guy up. I didn't exactly want that to happen…but either way, we had to earn their trust somehow.

Amni'bel gestured to Ax. "Are you ready?" Ax snapped his tail in response.

The guard bellowed and leaped – I mean, he really leaped. He looked like a cricket firing his powerful legs and caught Ax by surprise. Ax managed to block the overheaded hack aimed for his head, but the left wrist blade caught him across the arm. The guard spun, his hair flying in all directions, and Ax was able to block three quick jabs aimed for his chest. He went of the offensive, driving the alien down about four or five steps, and caught him across the back in a long, horizontal sweep of his tail. It would have laid him open from kidney to kidney, but at the last second Ax turned his tail blade so that it just swept him tumbling down the stairs head over heels. Ax, holding his injured arm, turned to the queen and said, (If that will be all, your majesty, maybe we could talk instead of playing with your guards.)

I hissed, but I really couldn't disapprove, mainly because I agreed. This was ridiculous. We were here to talk, not fight. The princess let a loud, stuttering noise escape her which could only be a laugh, and the crowd cheered. "Yes, we have much to discuss. It seems the Prophet was wrong about you. He told me you would not fight, yet you did."

I sheathed my sword. "Who is this Prophet?"

She beckoned, and her beaten guards were replaced by two new ones. She led the way into the massive stone structure and said, "I will explain all I can. Then, perhaps, you will tell me why you are here."

Ax, still angry, clopped up the stairs after her without a word. Toby looked at me questioningly, and I shrugged. I had no clue as to where we were going, but at least we were making progress. As we passed by the gargantuan stone pillars into the building, Ax faltered. (Prince Jake, look,) he said, gesturing with his stalk eyes at a pillar perhaps fifty yards away. I caught a glimpse of what he'd seen and almost broke into a run towards it. Only my years of seeing unexpected things kept me from panicking or letting on that I'd seen.

"That looked almost like a human," I whispered to Ax, speaking of the shadowy figure I'd seen slinking in the shadows of the pillars.

(Yes, Prince Jake. It did look exactly like a human,) he confirmed. I gave a mental shrug and took the lead. Whatever the hell was going on in this place, I was pretty sure we were about to find out what it was.