14 How the Phantom was sent away
- - -
Estrid dropped the vial she was carrying when the floor jerked away beneath her. She stumbled, but even in her surprise remembered to get clear of the falling vial and its contents so it did not fall on her skin.
The liquid fell to the floor and sizzled, letting off a purple smoke that quickly spread over the room, together with its unpleasant smell.
Estrid held her breath and pressed the cleansing button without panicking from the accident. Dropping chemicals was no longer as horrible as it had been the first few times; as long as she did not get hurt, and could clear up the mess, it was no problem. Things like that had happened before. But it was lucky this solution was not of any importance; just something she had brewed up for her own amusement. There was little else to do while the arisths were in class.
A mechanical voice spoke; «Warning; air cleansing.»
The air in the room began swirling down a small shaft that opened in the floor. The purple smoke spiralled down with it. Estrid felt the whoosh as new, clean air replaced it. With a mental sigh, she began breathing again.
It was only then she realized that the ship's strange lurching should bother her. The Daybreak had gravity compensators better than any Dome ships, and even on a Dome ship such a sudden jolt would be cause for alarm.
She made sure the lab was in order and then hurriedly left it to find out what was going on.
When she reached one of the main corridors she found that the ship was in chaos. Andalites were running wildly in all and any directions, the clatter of hooves almost drowning out the disorganized shouts and the orders boomed out in thought-speech. Those shouts were either not heard or simply ignored, and those orders were far from being followed. No-one Estrid asked seemed to have any clue what was happening.
She gave up trying to squeeze her way past the masses and took to shoving and pushing her way along like everyone else. But the method was not as successful for her as for the bigger, stronger warriors that surrounded her, and she found herself being pushed more than actually pushing.
Somehow she made it to the arisths' quarters, but found them deserted; of course, they had lessons. A sudden impulse made her dash into her own room and grab her sac of things. The ship shuddered again and she stumbled towards a wall. She was afraid now, maybe more because she had not clue what was happening than because of the ship's strange behaviour, but wherever it originated her fear made her speed up.
She galloped through the corridors aimlessly, and every time the ship shook she sped up again.
Why did not Captain Kandion send any messages out to his crew? He had to know there was something wrong. Why did he not inform the crew what was happening?
A big fighter pilot slammed into her at top speed and they both fell in a tumble of hooves and tails. He got up first and continued without a word of excuse; normally, a long, complicated apology would have followed.
Estrid pulled herself up, relieved to find that she was still in one piece, and suddenly knew where to go; the bridge. Of course.
She hurried to a shaft that rose to the bridge. But the shaft felt unsteady; not the normal, secure ascent. She felt like it would give way any moment and let her fall. As she stepped out on the bridge, all she felt was relief.
If the ship was in chaos, the bridge was worse. A lot of the consoles were dark, not working as they should, and stressed pilots and tense warriors crowded around the few that remained.
Estrid had not even taken half of it in before she happened to look out the windows.
Andalite fighters everywhere. But around them, simply everywhere around them; small, black arrowhead fighters, chasing them. Destroying them.
Kelbrid. A quick count told her they were much more numerous; thought the count was unnecessary. The outcome was already clear.
Further out there was the darkened hull of a Dome ship. But it reminded her of the images of the Starshine; it was far beyond repair. When she thought of how it might look on the inside, what might be found there, of how the Starshine had looked, she felt sick. She firmly pushed aside the little voice that added; "and the same will come to the Daybreak…"
«They hid inside that ship,» a voice said softly. «Inside the docking stations. They built up to a massive structure, launched a few attacks and then split up, too quickly for us to respond.»
Estrid found that the Captain was standing right next to her. She had had all four eyes aimed forwards. Now she turned her main eyes towards Kandion. «What is happening?»
Kandion laughed ruefully. «We are among those eight of ten ships that will not return, scientist Estrid,» he said. «Or, as your friend aristh Larynia would put it; the fun has begun.»
«How can this be happening?» Estrid asked, disbelieving. «How can…»
«They knocked out communications,» Kandion said. «Even in-ship networks, so I cannot tell my crew what to do. They damaged our manoeuvrability, the main gravity compensators… most in-ship systems. They are hunting down our fighters, one by one, and even if I would like to send one away to find help, I cannot, because communications are down and the Kelbrid have formed a net around us to prevent anyone from escaping.»
He sighed heavily, but his face was still as strict and as coldly solid as ever before. «Our own weapons… what can they do? There is no main target to aim at. We cannot take them out one by one; too many, and our shredders are already on backup power sources. The parts of our computer that work at all are confused; it is not designed for fighting this enemy.»
«The distress beacon?»
«We have punched it down. As of yet, there is no reply. It is possibly out of order.»
«That is not supposed to happen!»
Kandion waved a hand over the chaos on the bridge. «Neither is this.»
Estrid scraped a worried hoof on the floor, and shifted her weight anxiously. «Anything I can do?»
Kandion looked pained when he responded. Pained, and bitter; perhaps considering himself to have failed in some matter. «Yes. Make sure you are dead before the Kelbrid board us. Because that, scientist, will not be pleasant.»
- - -
"There it is," Rachel said.
"How do you know that?" Jeanne wondered. "You can't see anything. I don't know how the Hawk works, but as far as I understand it, there's nothing to tell you what's around us."
Rachel smiled. "Give me your hand."
Jeanne, puzzled, stood up and walked the three steps across the fighter to where Rachel stood at the controls. She held out her hand, but remembered that Rachel was blind and could not see it. She placed it in Rachel's own outstretched hand instead.
Rachel lifted it and placed it, palm down, on a gleaming black pad. A black pad where Rachel had held her hand throughout the entire trip.
Jeanne felt a creeping sensation in her palm, like a soft tickle. Only a few moments later did she notice what had changed. An entirely different world had opened to her. She could "feel" the space around the fighter. She only had to think left, and what was to her left was suddenly as clear as if she had seen it. It was "visible"; or "felt".
Straight ahead was a planet. It was not especially large, but it had two large moons and the sun – far to her right and she could still sense the heat coming from it – was enormous.
Rachel lifted her hand away. "Now do you understand?" She did not ask as if she wanted an answer, and Jeanne had no time to give one before she had begun speaking in Kelbrid to the other fighters across the communications channel. Then she reverted to English and explained; "It is a simple radar, but instead of putting it on a screen the information goes straight into your mind."
They scanned the area carefully before even moving closer to the planet. The three fighters made sure nothing was anywhere near their landing spot – circling it again and again – before, finally, landing.
Although not just swooping down casually. They danced around in a tight circle, just above the clouds that hid the surface, before lowering themselves in a formation that made them land on their back ends, with their sides touching, front points fitted in to each other – perfectly balanced – to form a three-sided pyramid.
The floor of the Hawk was by then leaning heavily, and both Jeanne and Tom were more or less leaning against the back wall.
Rachel found her way to the door without any problems. At a short command and gesture, Tom followed her when she leapt out. Jeanne walked – or climbed, depending on how you saw it – with some difficulty to the same door and jumped out. It was a respectable jump; a meter and a half over the back ends of the two linked fighters, and at least as far down to the ground.
The others began coming out as well. Tobias flew down to Rachel's shoulder; he had been up in the sky, scanning the area.
«The air is better here,» he reported. «Not as thin.»
"Just stay below the clouds," Rachel advised. "We don't want anyone to know we're here."
«Who's here to see us?»
"And, by the way, why all the precautions?" Marco muttered grumpily. "We've been cooped up in a fighter for about fourteen hours. But when that's finally done, we spend another hour zooming around in circles. Sira'aki tried to explain it, but her English isn't the best, you know, and we don't understand Kelbrid."
«She said 'tamni',» Tobias chipped in.
Rachel nodded. She had sent Tom away – or maybe just given him some free time because she did not need him – and was now finding her way with her hands and some hints from Tobias. "She had good reason."
"Tamni," Jake repeated, forehead in wrinkles. "Doesn't that mean 'Touched'?"
"Bingo," Rachel said. "We take precautions because we don't want them to know we're here. They know we use this spot now and then, but if they don't catch us at it they leave us alone. It's not worth the trouble to have someone hanging around waiting for us.
"This, as any other habitable planet in this quadrant of space, belongs to the Kelbrid. They call it Le'egarna. It's a small Touched colony."
With no kii-raja there to help her and no eyes of her own, Rachel couldn't see the alarmed expressions of the humans around her – except for Marco and Jake and Tobias, who were more or less used to alarming situations. But she did hear Santorelli's murmur; "A Touched colony?"
"Don't worry." She smiled. "They don't come to this island – often. They don't need it because the ground here is useless for farming, and it's not like they need the space, as they own about every planet in this quadrant of space."
"So it's safe," Menderash concluded.
"Safe enough."
Jeanne looked around. They had landed in some sort of forest; the trees were tall, but not very thick, and not that densely located. Their bark was a soft shade of grey, and smooth as satin. There were no branches on the lower half, but a complicated network higher up which gave the tree the shape and appearance of a giant mushroom. The leaves varied from gleaming white to deepest black – for some reason – and the grey-green clouds further above were barely visible.
The clouds covered what could be seen of the sky. The sun could not be seen; the surface of the entire planet was in constant shadow. Despite that enough light came through to tell that it was day. And to see.
The good news were, while they were unable to see up, no-one above could see down.
When she turned back towards the fighters a change had occurred. While the humans had been talking, two of the three Kelbrid had climbed nimbly up into the trees. They were busy slicing large branches off the trees, using their wrist blades, and throwing them down at the carefully structured pyramid of fighters.
Jeanne did not see the third Kelbrid, KEdi'ir, until he came out from inside the pyramid. He had dug a path in under one of the fighters, and was smiling broadly with his ears.
He came up and said a few words to Rachel, before climbing up the nearest tree, agile as a cat.
«You said the males have spiked tails,» Tobias recalled.
Rachel nodded.
«KEdi'ir doesn't have any spikes.»
"They haven't grown out yet," Rachel said, shrugging. "He's just a kid, still. Give him some time. But I'm hungry. How about dinner?"
Nobody could argue with that, so after they had dug around in their packs – that were inside the fighters – and brought out enough food and drink they sat down to eat. JaLa'an, Sira'aki, and KEdi'ir joined them as soon as they had finished camouflaging the fighters.
Tom reappeared about that time. He trotted silently up to where Rachel sat, pressed his nose to her arm and received a pat on the shoulder before he lay down by her side, staring hopefully at the food.
"Where's he been?" Jeanne asked.
"Hunting," Rachel replied. "He doesn't eat much for his size, but he needs a good meal now and then."
"He doesn't eat humans… does he?" Marco wondered, his voice muffled; his mouth was full of squirming pata'oki.
Rachel shrugged. "He hasn't taken any bites out of me – yet." She grinned.
Despite that assurance Marco cast a worried glance at the kii-raja. Jeanne, on the other hand, was watching the beast with curiosity.
She was finally brave enough to reach out to pet his head. Tom reacted quickly; at once, before anyone could even see him move, he was on his feet, turned towards her and… wondering what to do. He saw at once that Jeanne was no threat – at least not to him – but it was a new experience to be petted by anyone else that Rachel – Kelbrid didn't do petting.
Rachel received a thought-picture of it, accompanied with jumbled feelings of questioning confusion, but when she just calmly continued eating and did nothing about it her kii-raja decided to let it pass as well. He dropped back down to the ground, rested his head on his paws and allowed Jeanne – wearing a triumphant smile – to stroke his neck.
- - -
Kandion sighed heavily. The scientist did not respond to his statement. But she looked more worried that before. «I am sorry I allowed you to stay on my ship,» he said.
«I chose to stay.» Estrid's eyes were a little clouded, as she was deep in thought. «But Captain, I have an idea. A way to keep the Kelbrid from boarding –»
«There is another way,» Kandion interrupted, not really believing she could even begin to understand the defence of a ship. His ship. «I can get you and the arisths out. If you are still willing to leave.»
The ever-present Andalite pride in Estrid said 'no' firmly. But her fear was stronger than her pride, and she knew to be sensible – and knew what route held the greatest hope for survival. So she nodded.
Kandion made a gesture for her to follow and turned towards a drop shaft.
«Captain Kandion!» FO Thalus called, but with no trace of urgency in his voice. «We are releasing more fighters, but the Kelbrid are forcing an entry through the opened docking stations.»
«Then close the docking stations!» Kandion snapped.
«They force them open. They place their own fighters between the closing doors. It is plain suicide, but it works.»
«Seal them off from the inside.»
«Captain,» TO Ranmili said, hesitating. «All our remaining fighter pilots are in the docking stations. As well as a good quarter of our warriors. Sealing off the docking stations now would be condemning them all to meet the Kelbrid.»
«No choice,» Kandion said grimly. «The Kelbrid cannot be allowed to board the ship! Inform the warriors that they have ten seconds to withdraw; the pilots have the same to launch their fighters. Then seal the docking stations, and ten seconds later, the entire area. Every door and shaft on that level, do you hear me? And as many guards as possible outside each door!»
The Captain frowned, remembering that in-ship communications were out of order. The FO and TO were about to remind him of that when he gave them a short glance to tell them he knew, and raised his voice to call out over the bridge; «Anyone here who is fleet on their hooves?»
There were several volunteers.
«Pick one,» Kandion said. «Arrange him to bear word to the docking stations – give him thirty seconds to reach them, and the mentioned twenty for the warriors to get out. Take care of it, Thalus, because I cannot do everything myself.»
«Yes, Captain,» Thalus agreed, beckoning at a young warrior who had volunteered to step forwards.
«Ranmili and Thalus, I leave you in charge. And do not dare lose my ship to those Kelbrid monsters – at least not before I have returned.»
«Yes, Captain,» Ranmili agreed, though he looked curious as to where his Captain was going.
But Kandion had already turned his back to the chaos on the bridge and was making his way to and into a dropshaft, Estrid right at his heels. He led her through the ship to the tactical simulation room, where he knew the arisths' lesson should have been. They had just gotten into the right corridor when Estrid pushed past him, reacting quicker to the scene than he had.
An aristh was on the floor, head bleeding, not moving. The others were standing around and above him, faces twisted from different levels of nausea to something probably supposed to look calm.
Estrid made her way past the group and calmly folded her legs to lay down next to the aristh. For a moment Kandion wondered if she was some sort of doctor; with the ease of experience she checked for pulse, breath, and looked over the wound, examining it with light fingertips and a light frown on her forehead. The other arisths were just as surprised, but she ignored them and began digging in her bag.
«What happened?»
«We don't know,» Larynia said. «We found him like this after the first shake. Trainer Sarjil left us with orders to take care of him. He had duties to attend to in the docking stations. We sent Minalea to the sickbay to get help, but we can't do anything until she returns.»
«We need to get him on his hooves again,» Kandion said. The arisths stared at him briefly, only then noticing his presence. There was a set of short, nervous stalk-bows. «Quickly. Scientist Estrid? You seem to know what to do.»
Estrid blushed from the hidden compliment. «My brother Ajaht is a tail-blade fighter. He has suffered a high number of injuries.» She pulled out a bottle from her bag, lifted up one of Aralgo's hooves and carefully let a drop of thick, yellow liquid drip down on it. The liquid disappeared into the hoof, being digested.
«What was that?» Carali asked suspiciously.
«A mix of chemicals. It will wake him up – it could make a dead log jump. Stand back.» She had taken a soft hold on Aralgo's head, and when he suddenly burst into motion they realised why. A spasm ran through his body, making it shake and shiver, but Estrid made sure his head did not get hurt any more than it already was.
«What the –» he began, but then his eyes snapped shut. «Oh, that hurts. Oh…»
«Of course it hurts,» Estrid agreed briskly, already back on her hooves. «I'd be more worried if it didn't hurt. You've got a crack in your skull, Aralgo. You're lucky, though; it could have been worse. Now get up.»
«Cracked skull?» Carali echoed, eyes widened as he stared at Estrid.
«Get up?» Aralgo complained, still with his eyes closed, bringing his hands up tentatively to feel his head.
«The Kelbrid will not wait,» Kandion snapped. «So neither can we. To your hooves, aristh, and that is an order!»
Aralgo managed up, with some help from Estrid, Olana and Carali. Just then Minalea appeared, carrying a medical box. She stared for a moment at the scene, until Larynia trotted up to her.
«Our Captain joined us, for some reason,» she said. «No questions asked; no explanations given. And Estrid took care of Aralgo.»
«To my quarters,» Kandion said. «The docking stations are all sealed, but not my docking station. You can use that one. Bring that medical box, aristh Minalea, you may still need it.»
«Why are we going there?» Olana asked, but the Captain gave no reply as he set off down a corridor.
The arisths and Estrid followed him in silence – except for occasional sobs from Aralgo, who was wobbling. The corridors were now deserted, and they reached the Captain's quarters without meeting a single Andalite.
Kandion pressed in the access code with nimble fingers and put his thumb on the DNA reader. But instead of the door opening, a red light flashed. «Access denied.»
Kandion frowned, repeated the process but again the red light flashed warning. «They must have locked it from the bridge,» he murmured, looking troubled.
«If I may try, Captain,» Olana offered, and stepped up. She punched in the code, the Captain pressed his thumb on the DNA reader, the red light flashed, and Olana hurriedly pressed another set of buttons, pushing Kandion's thumb against the reader again. Her fingers danced over the number pad a last time.
«There. Now try it,» she said.
Kandion did and the door opened dutifully. His eyebrows were raised as he glanced questioningly at the young aristh.
«That is a standard Karfar security model,» she explained. «Very simple design, but hard to overwrite. Unless you happen to know the emergency programming code – which I do.»
«Good for us,» Kandion replied. «Very good, aristh. Now we must continue.»
He led them through his very large quarters and down a dropshaft, into a dark, silent room; a room that from the loud echoes of each hoof-fall was very large.
«Lights on,» he ordered.
The lights flashed on obediently and the group found themselves in a docking station with a single ship. If any of them had ever been on Earth, and learned about the Earth animals, they would have compared the ship to a cobra.
It had its tail held proudly up over its body, split at the end to form twin shredder cannons. Its back end was long and perfectly formed, and the two graceful engines melted into it so you could not see where the engine ended and the ship itself began. At the front it widened and flattened out to form the main body, and the bridge, where it was more or less circular.
«This is my ship,» Kandion said, nearing a ship and placing a hand on its surface, almost affectionately. «The Phantom. My pride and joy. Still gleaming since you arisths cleaned it.»
Carali stirred slightly, casting a guilty glance at the ship. The ship had been anything but 'cleaned'.
«But now it is yours,» Kandion finished, his hand falling away.
«What do you mean, Captain?» Olana wondered, eyeing the elegant ship, but then swivelling her stalks toward the Captain.
«Can you fly this ship, aristh Olana?»
Minalea laughed. «Fly it? Give her ten minutes and she'll be able to build it.»
«Minalea!» Olana protested.
But Kandion only looked pleased. «Good. Take care of my ship, aristh Olana. I leave that to you. I am sure you can handle everything from here on, but I want to see you properly on the ship.»
«We still don't know what this is about, Captain,» Minalea reminded him.
But Larynia looked suspicious. «See us off? What, exactly, have you planned?»
«'What, exactly, have you planned, CAPTAIN,'» Kandion corrected. «I am making sure this war is brought out into the open. Your friend the scientist –» with a wry smile, he added; «and Aralgo, when he wakes up… they will know exactly what I am talking about. Also, I am making sure that my arisths do not get slaughtered.
«I do not make a habit of going on suicidal deep-space missions with youngsters in my crew. Warriors being killed I can understand, possibly even accept, but arisths? Not if I can prevent it.»
«He's giving us a way out,» Estrid clarified. One of Olana's stalks glanced at the older female, at the same time as she pulled worriedly at the other stalk – a habit of hers that looked very comical.
«Yes; a small chance, and too little time, but it is all I can do. Get on my ship, arisths and scientist, and escape this trap.»
«What of you, Captain?» Carali asked. He and Minalea were holding Aralgo up, and although Aralgo did his best to help their weak Andalite arms were visibly straining under the weight.
«I stay with my ship and my crew as any Captain must. Together we shall hold the Kelbrid out as long as possible. When you launch the Phantom, the Kelbrid will find yet another way in. I shall seal that route on my way back to the bridge. We will be besieged in our own ship, but the Daybreak has good doors and walls and with some luck we shall last months.»
«But…»
«GET ON THAT SHIP!» Kandion roared, in his best Captain-voice.
They followed the order almost automatically, and as quickly as they could. Aralgo needed help just to walk up the ramp; he was barely standing, and claimed things were beginning to darken around the edges.
But Larynia, being the last to enter the Phantom, stopped in the doorway and looked out at their Captain.
He certainly left an impression. He was standing alone, eyes shining with years of experience, wisdom and knowledge, tail and stalks proudly raised. Any fool who saw him at that moment could not doubt what he was; a warrior, from every hair to every bone. He had lived a warrior, and would die a warrior.
Many would call that sad. Then again, many had never met him. It was not sad; somehow, only fitting.
«Time to leave,» he said. «I wish you luck.»
«No,» Larynia replied, not the least bit concerned about the fact that she was knowingly ignoring her Captain's order. «I'm not fleeing like a common coward. I'm not leaving this ship until you give me a reason.»
«There is reason enough. You have your orders, aristh.»
«Orders based on sentimentality. We need a purpose. A goal. What are your orders, Captain? What are we to do?»
Kandion glared, but soon realised the youngster would not give in. And he did not have the time or energy to argue about it. He sighed; it was, after all, not hard to find a purpose to give them.
«Our communications are down,» he said. «Your orders, aristh, are to escape into Z-space, find another Andalite ship and tell them what has happened to us – and warn them of the same. Scientist Estrid has more information. And information of the Kelbrid needs to be spread. Tell them how the Kelbrid fight, aristh. Tell them how their fighters fly and function.»
«We don't know any of that!» Larynia protested.
The Captain smiled joylessly. «By the time you reach Z-space, you will know.»
Larynia did not answer that. She bowed her stalks, and closed the Phantom's door behind her as she entered the craft. Kandion turned and hurried away. He left the docking station, hearing the soft humming of his ship's engines as a shaft carried him upwards. Every door he passed he locked securely behind him, every shaft he disabled, every force field he turned on – all to keep the Kelbrid out.
He reached the bridge safely, to resume command over his doomed ship. But as he was too busy organizing the Daybreak's pitiful defence to do anything else, and almost all the ship's systems were malfunctioning, so he did not know if the Phantom escaped.
All he could do was hope for the best.