By Eva Lacatena
Notes: Q: You still haven't told me what the prophets did to allow themselves to leave the Wormhole.
Nor will I until they get to Deep Space Nine.
Q: Just a hint! PLEASE? (begs)
Nope. Sorry Q.
Q: I'll get you for it, I'll turn you into a snail, or a frog! Or something slimy!
Oh please, I'm the authoress, if you turn me into a random slimy organism you'll never find out how the Prophets did what they did.
Q: GRRR! Right in the heart! Please? Pretty please? You can have anything in the world!
Gimme a gameboy and a copy of The Sacred Cards and I'll think about it.
Q: Okay, here! (gameboy and game appears)
Thanks! I'll think about it.
Q: Grrr! You tricked me!
Yes I did, be a good boy Q, the answer shall appear in time.
Chapter 2- CassieDeanna spread the comforter over the cot. The blanket made a sound like a sail unfurling. "There." She said as she twitched it into place and puffed the pillow. "That works. Now, a guest deserves an ice-cream sundae."
I chuckled. She had been fussing over me since we'd arrived, like a mother hen. Too much to do. But somehow I was comforted by it. It was better to be busy than to worry about getting home, or about the dangers that might lurk out there in the endless night. And I… well… part of me didn't want to go home. That part of me wanted to explore, to find out more about this dimension and it's people.
I sighed, flopping backwards on the couch nearby. Deanna came back from the replicator with a pair of hot fudge ice-cream sundaes. I sighed, taking a deep bite of mine. "So, what do you think so far?" Deanna asked.
"You mean about staying in this dimension?" I asked. "I don't mind. I faked my death back home anyway, so it's not like there's anybody expecting us to come back." I pointed out. "The one person I'm worried about is Feralae." I took a large bite of ice-cream, savoring the flavor. How long had it been since I'd had a sundae?
"How so?" Deanna asked.
I paused for a moment, taking my full mouth as an excuse to gather my thoughts. When I swallowed, I said. "Feralae's been worried about something, I can't tell what, but I know she's worried. She pretends to be miss tough-girl, but I know how vulnerable she can be. Her mother's death was proof of that."
"What happened then?"
"Nobody's sure exactly what went down, but Feralae got kidnapped by Visser One, who had infested her mother's body a looooooong time ago. It was just before the last battle. She, the Visser I mean, got into a fight with Feralae, a sword fight, and didn't survive. Feralae's mother Merika (who was also the Visser's host), died with her. When we found Feralae, she was curled up on the deck, cradling her mother's bloody body. Her sword had been abandoned a few feet away, and it was covered with blood, so we knew what had happened. For months after the battle Feralae moped around her family's ranch, not leaving her room, not writing, or sculpting, or drawing, or weaving, or any of the things that she usually did. One night I found her asleep on her mother's grave."
"It took about two months, but eventually she got up. When that happened, she had an almost manic energy. Feralae was charged up like an Energizer Battery and ready to keep going, and going, and going. She was the one who proposed the Alliance. The United Animorphs Alliance consisted of all the species who had been captured by the Yeerks, or had fought with us or against us. She even took up acting, working with the people on Marco's Television Show to make sets, costumes, etcetera. It was like she couldn't hold still. I was glad she was all right, but sometimes there was a shadow in her eyes. And I knew she hadn't totally gotten over her mother." I told the Councilor. "And today, I saw the same shadow, the same sadness. The Alliance wasn't just a way to bring peace to the galaxy. It was also a way for Feralae to prevent wars, so that no little girl would ever lose her mother again."
Deanna nodded. "It sounds like Feralae went through some kind of depression."
"You don't quite strike me as one to understate a topic." I said, scraping some of the hot fudge from the side of the now nearly empty bowl. I put the spoonful in my mouth, savoring the flavor of chocolate after so long an abstinence. "But yes, right on the button. We weren't sure what to do with her. Feralae loved the Earth. That's her, she loves every world and every people on it like they're family. I'm worried that Feralae, who loves the Earth she knew so much, might fall into that depression again."
"You place emphasis on the Earth as you know it. Would which Earth it was make a difference?" Deanna asked, arching an eyebrow.
"It might, but then again it might not. Like I said, it may not be that that's troubling her. It may just be that something major is on her mind." I finished the last bite of the sundae and set the dish on the coffee table. "I'll ask her about it in the morning." I said with a yawn.
"Right…" Deanna checked the clock. "It's late, and we've got a lot to do tomorrow."
I changed into the pair of pajamas that she'd given me and I fell right into bed.
About the middle of the night I woke to hear Feralae whimpering down our link. Momma, momma don't do it… mother… don't DON'T! AH!
Feralae… I whispered. Feralae are you awake?
Cassie?
Yeah it's me. What happened?
I… I dreamed about my mother again. Feralae said softly. I dreamed about how she… how she died…
You never gave me details about that.
Feralae sobbed. Just before… before she left, she told me that I had a heart big enough to love the Galaxy, and that I should use that heart to unite the worlds.
I felt my heart go out to her. I projected into her mind all the love and sympathy that I could muster. It's gonna be okay. I said softly. You're going to be alright. We can leave this all behind. We're starting over here on the Enterprise.
Feralae sighed in telepathy. Thanks Cassie, for loving me, for caring about me.
You don't even have to thank me. Goodnight Feralae my love.
Goodnight. And I felt her go to sleep. I lay back down on the cot, rolled over, and went to sleep.
I woke the next morning to smell breakfast. What the Hell? Then I remembered the day before. Oh yeah, I'm 14 again. At least I could still morph.
"Morning." Deanna said cheerfully as she carried two plates of pancakes over to the table. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I got run over by a truck. I'm not exactly a morning person." I yawned, apologizing. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes with a grunt. The pancakes were alright, for something made out of the thin air of a replicator. They didn't quite taste like Feralae's cooking though. Feralae doesn't cook well, but she does well enough.
"Considering what happened yesterday I'm surprised you're up this early."
Sure enough, I looked at the clock on the bedside table. Military time, great. Hadn't Marco said to subtract twelve? Right, the clock said 1800 hours. Didn't that mean 6 a.m.?
"I've got a couple of hours to go before my first appointment, so I figured that I could get you started on catching up on what you've missed." Deanna was busy tapping at a data pad. Finding what she wanted she set it aside and turned to the food.
Morning koibito. Feralae said cheerfully. If you want to talk I'm tagging along with Captain Picard. The captain's going to check on things on the bridge.
Uncle. See you around. I replied. I'm eating breakfast. Did you sleep well last night?
Relatively. I dreamed about… about mom again. Gods how how how can I let her go? During the war my mother meant everything to me! Feralae sighed. This is going to be harder than I thought.
It's going to be okay. Just you wait. I told her fervently. Besides, the next few days we're going to be so busy that you won't have time to miss her.
Yeah, you're right. See you around.
Deanna was watching me. Had she heard our conversation? "Something wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing." She smiled warmly. "Finish up those pancakes. You've got a history lesson waiting."