How to escape an a'al kii-raja
Once Minalea had settled down to consider things, she realised that imprisonment was no different from what it usually was; very boring. There was nothing to do, and no-one to talk to. Correction; there was nothing to do except pace around her small cell – which, incidentally, was boring – or talk to herself – which, after a while, grew boring. She wanted Carali to wake up, and at one point she had considered kicking him. But catching sight of his face, she had pitied him and had decided not to.
After giving it enough thought – and there was little more to do than to give something thought – she concluded that aside from the boredom, the only thing that was truly bothering her was the fact that her hands and tail were shackled together, just behind her back. So she had been trapped by Touched, and thrown into some sort of hollow in one of the biggest trees she had ever seen, but for the moment the Touched were not bothering her, and neither was the tree. Thus, the chains were her first priority.
They at least kept her mind off thirst and hunger.
Carali, though alive, was so swollen over his face that he was barely recognizable, and since she had first taken note of the bruising she tried to avoid looking at it, wishing he would wake up so he could morph it away.
Then she could kick him in good conscience.
She had not seen any Kelbrid since they had dropped off Carali. But as soon as she began morphing, one appeared as if through magic, peering curiously into the cell. He saw what she was doing and leapt into the opening, starting forwards with his green pupils flashing angrily.
I'm not trying to escape, Minalea said quickly, reversing the morph and returning to fully Andalite. I just … don't like the chains.
One moment now, she warned herself sharply; that was probably not the best thing to say.
The Touched's horns quivered above his head. Then his ears leaned out from his head, and he strode up to Minalea, catching hold of her arm when she began to flinch away.
"Kyra'ar'e, mla'ari," he told her.
Be still, child, translated the chip in Minalea's head, and she stood still. The Touched began working to remove her shackles, and suddenly, she heard Ka'an's voice replayed in her head: "Kelbrid do not kill or torture children."
Relief washed over her. And with her hands and tail now free, she could barely believe her good fortune.
Thank you, she thanked the Touched, and curiosity made her ask; How… how did you knew we were… are… not adults?
He flicked his tail nonchalantly. "Otherwise those ka'ir-ya'aysh on Cava'ara would have killed you. Other Andalites are bigger. Heavier." His ears twitched away from his head as he continued; "And they are too proud to scream."
Minalea almost blushed, and then almost went pale with sudden fear, for she had just recognized this one for one who had been among those to capture her. Then, he had been followed by a terrifically terrifying silver beast.
Where is the… Minalea sent a thought-picture instead of daring a description that might insult him – or the beast.
"Kii-raja," he supplied. He walked over to the cell's entrance, and pointed down. Minalea peered in the same direction and caught sight of a previously empty ledge, which she had thought was too narrow to be of any use. Obviously there was a hidden hollow by that ledge, considering how the silver beast – glaring back up at her – seemed to stand mostly inside the tree.
So there had been guards, after all.
"She knows when you change shape," the Kelbrid warned. "She knows when you try to leave. Do not try."
He caught a branch with a horn and swung elegantly out of the cell, landing on another branch, heading back towards his kii-raja.
Wait! called Minalea. What will happen to us?
"We are to deliver you to the Yeerks, child," the Touched said, in what had to be described as a toneless voice. "By the orders of the Whole."
Minalea rocked back on her hocks and scrambled into the cell, which felt relatively safe. Now, she vividly heard the words of a forgotten teacher at the Academy; Yeerks do kill and torture even children, if you are fools enough to be caught.
Fool enough to be caught? she whispered to herself, glancing at the shackles the Kelbrid had dropped to the floor. Well, it's not something I planned.
Again she wished intently that Carali would wake up, and morph, so she could kick him (in good conscience) for not warning her to leave that Jijfku ship sooner. Naturally, it was all his fault.
Thoughts whirled through Jake's head as he ran back towards the Rachel.
Santorelli, infested?
Damn. Damn damn damn. Of all the things that could go wrong, it had to be an infestation…
He trusted his wolf nose to lead him – following his own and Marco's trail back the way they had come. While he ran, he tried to come up with some sort of plan, but his mind kept circling back around the same few phrases. Thus, when he reached the Rachel's clearing, his 'plan' still consisted of three words: "damn damn damn".
He saw the rhino – Santorelli, infested – positioned by the Rachel's hatch, nervously watching – more properly, smelling and hearing – the a'al kii-raja, which was trying to close the distance, but each time its attempts were foiled by beams of angry blue from the Hawk.
With some relief did Jake note that Rachel's small fighter was the only one still flying. The bugs which had brought the a'al kii-raja were now no more than so much smoking and burning rubble, in three neat piles on the ground. No Kelbrid fighters were within sight – which, then again, guaranteed nothing. Jake knew little about Kelbrid cloaking technology.
He kept among the trees, crouching down in the shelter of some bushes.
Rachel, Tobias, he called. There's a problem. We found Jeanne. She says Santorelli has been infested.
Then there's a problem, alright, Tobias muttered in reply not long after. For you forgot to figure out if Jeanne might be the infested one, didn't you?
Jake had a sudden wish to kick himself. Wolves were not adept kickers. Especially not at themselves. Instead, he scratched his ear with a back paw, until he realised how silly he looked, and stopped. Marco has an eye on her for now, but –
There's one way to figure it out, Tobias interrupted. We send down Tom. If there's a Yeerk, he'll know it.
Jake was about to nod, and reply in thought-speech, when Tobias suddenly added: Wait, no need. Rachel just asked Tom. Jeanne was right.
It took Jake a moment to put the pieces of the conversation together and figure out what Tobias meant. So Santorelli is infested?
Yes. According to Tom.
How much can we trust –
Jake, be glad you're not up here to see Rachel's expression – it's a killer. Don't say things like that. It could be bad for your health.
Thanks for the warning, said Jake, but quickly continued: Rachel, could you stun Santorelli with low power on that… blue… dracon or whatever –
Kata rajch, Tobias corrected – something he obviously repeated from Rachel's spoken speech.
Kataj, agreed Jake, and again it was probably for the best that he did not see his cousin's expression. Can you use it to knock him out?
And what are we supposed to do with an unconscious, infested rhino?
What are we supposed to do with a conscious, infested rhino?
There was a short pause. Then… Good point. Another pause. Lure the kii-raja off, and we'll take care of Santorelli and the ship. Come back in a little while.
Jake agreed, thinking it more of a plan than his "damn damn damn", and proceeded to catching the a'al kii-raja's attention. He did this by throwing his wolf head back and howling, and leapt out from the bushes.
He saw the kii-raja, until then intent on the Hawk and Santorelli, throw a golden glare his way. It turned back, snarling, to the rhino – but was hindered by a blue beam of kataj – properly, kata rajch – from Rachel's fighter. Considering this, it began Jake's way, and when no kataj pursued it, it made up its mind.
Jake spun around and sprinted in amongst the trees, just as Run! reached him from the Hawk. The kii-raja loped after, at an almost leisurely pace, but it still gained quickly on him. He was certain he could outlast the beast – nothing outlasted a wolf – but it was vividly clear that unless something slowed the kii-raja, it could out-speed him and he would suffer its teeth in mere moments. No matter that he was drawing on all the speed the wolf could summon.
And soon he caught a smell, and sight, which he had forgotten. A panther and a gorilla, heading towards him. The panther could neither outlast nor out-speed the kii-raja, and the gorilla did not have a chance to begin with.
He snatched the first idea that appeared. To the trees! he yelled. Overgrown kii-raja heading this way!
Overgrown, what do you mean – began Jeanne, but cut herself short with a: Oh. Oh! Big kii-raja. Jake, what exactly –
Did I say it was up for debate? demanded Jake sharply.
Jeanne sprung up into the nearest tree at once. Her claws gained no true hold, but sheer swiftness propellered her up to the lowest branches and from there she climbed easily.
Marco stayed on the ground.
Marco, up into the –
Shut up, Jake! Have you forgotten that you can't climb?! Marco snapped.
Jake silenced and sprinted toward the gorilla, realising his friend's plan. When Marco began up the tree, Jake was riding on his shoulder, and the kii-raja leaped and swiped almost playfully at their heels.
Jake began demorphing at once. The trees would be easy enough to climb for a human. Marco deposited him on a branch and looked down at the kii-raja. The beast was pacing back and forth by the foot of the stem, watching them. When it smelled the air, its upper lip curled in a snarl. It leaped, straight into the air, and its knife-like claws swiped only a hand's width below them. They quickly retreated to a higher branch.
That's a big kii-raja, Jeanne said. I didn't know they came that big.
This one's sort of an exception, Marco told her. A great kii-raja, Rachel says. It can't be controlled, it's big, it's mean, and it doesn't like morphables.
Bad news for us.
Jake sat watching the beast, saying nothing.
What do you think? Marco asked him conversationally. Bird morphs?
"Not a completely wrong idea," Jake agreed, and focused on his peregrine falcon morph.
Marco began demorphing, but Jeanne kept her inscrutable panther face turned down towards the a'al kii-raja. Her tail swished in mild irritation below her, but otherwise she did not move.
Just as Marco felt his human vocal cords reappear, and Jake began sprouting feathers and shrinking, Jeanne spoke.
There's only one problem with taking to the trees, she said.
What?
Kii-rajas climb.
Captain Kandion aimed the shredder at a Kelbrid face and fired.
Remul, Karantir, with me, we hold them back, he ordered, his voice clear and calm in the midst of growing panic. The rest of you, retreat towards the bridge. Now!
He saw Remul and Karantir, the two most skilled at handling shredders, take places on either side on him and raising their weapons at once. The others had begun retreating. It seemed Prince Amunir was in charge: good. Amunir knew what to do.
Kandion scanned the narrow passage. He, Remul and Karantir were about fifty paces from where it joined a larger corridor that led to the bridge. The other end of the passage – also fifty paces away – was where it turned, and from there the Kelbrid were attempting to advance.
He knew the Kelbrid well enough by then to realise that after the first casualty, they grew cautious. They would not come around the turn until they considered it more or less safe. He, Remul and Karantir would be able to retreat safely to the larger corridor. Well past that, the trick lay in running – very quickly. Because the Kelbrid would storm out from behind that turn and be after them in half a moment's notice.
They were horribly fast, once they reached top speed. He and the others would be one fifth of the way to safety when the horned, green-eyed enemies would come out into the larger corridor. The Kelbrid could run that complete distance in the time it took the average Andalite to run the remaining four fifths. They would reach the door at approximately the same time.
Over the last week, Kandion had lost many good warriors because they simply had not been fast enough. He himself would be eternally thankful to the physical education teacher he had had at the Academy, so long ago. The teacher had been a bullying brute, but he had taught every student he had to be fleet of hoof.
Best to get started. Kandion felt the adrenaline seethe up inside him, and then welcomed that strange calm that settled over him whenever danger was near – the calm that allowed him to think straight in any circumstances, and had helped him reach the rank he currently held.
We back slowly, he instructed. When we reach the turn, we run. No looking back, no matter what happens. It shall be a close race.
Yes, Captain, responded two warriors' voices, both perfect examples of what the Academy proudly liked to refer to as the 'aristh calm'. The 'aristh apathy', if anyone asked Kandion, but no-one ever had.
Kandion took a deep breath, and motioned for them to start backing away. He kept last in the group; between his warriors and the Kelbrid. He heard as they reached the turn, spun on their back hooves and began running, their hooves beating against the floor.
The Kelbrid, too, had heard it. One set of green eyes looked past the turn, almost curious. Kandion shot him right between the eyes, and the Kelbrid fell to the floor without making a sound.
That would buy him a few precious moments. He turned and ran at once, powering his hooves beneath him and using his tail for balance as he rounded the turn.
At once he heard the Kelbrid following him, their claws clicking against the floor so much faster than the beats of his own hooves. They let out taunting shouts, and early calls of victory: by then, so long after first arriving on his precious Daybreak, they had probably figured out that he was the ship's Captain.
He heard the whip of horns and felt them snap through the air just behind him, making him speed up even more. He was just five leaps from the door to the bridge – which Remul and Karantir had already disappeared safely through – when one of those horns struck his flank. He stumbled to the side as his front leg went momentarily numb, and as he recovered his footing his stalks saw the Kelbrid all too close, more beside him than behind him, taunting him by letting their horns flick over his sides and arms almost gently – gently, except for the one that snapped the shredder right out of his hand.
He would not reach the bridge in time. If he did, they would follow through.
They could not be allowed to reach the bridge.
Close the door! he thundered.
In his next leap, he turned sharply so that his back end thudded against the closed door, his tail sweeping out for balance. Still, his hooves skidded on the floor and he fell down, landing with his tail trapped beneath him. Five Kelbrid surrounded him, one directly in front of him. He would not have time to get back up.
The green pupils gleamed victoriously in the centre of black eyes as Kandion met his adversary's gaze. He saw his death in that green.
His thoughts went to Sayah, his wife, realising – with a bitter smile – that now she would be after Lerim's head. He sent out a thought-cry over the distance… but he realised it would not reach her, so he prayed and knew that she was aware of how much –
Hands grabbed his tail and arms and he felt himself yanked backwards. The door closed with a metallic bang, now in front of him, severing half a dozen Kelbrid horns in the process.
Close one, Captain, said Prince Amunir calmly as he and a warrior helped the Captain back up.
But Kandion shook off the help, stood up, and glared at those around him. Who?
Who what, Captain? asked Amunir.
Who opened the door? I ordered it closed!
Amunir straightened up to stand almost at attention, as if preparing for being scolded. I ordered it opened again, Captain.
Kandion felt his eyes narrowing as he looked at the Prince. Since when do you feel the need to thwart my orders, Prince Amunir? He emphasised the title in a way he knew sounded like a warning that he might remove it. That had always been an effective way to put people back in their places.
We could not leave you out there for them, Captain, Amunir said. This ship would not last long without you.
So instead you risk the bridge?
It is the duty of any warrior to look after his Captain.
And the duty of any Captain to look after his ship! Kandion bellowed. The close call had made him unnecessarily harsh, he realised, and he paced a few steps forwards to calm down. A warrior stumbled quickly out of his way with an alarmed expression. Kandion stopped, flicked his tail, and spoke softly to every remaining crewmember he had, now so few that all of them could gather on the bridge without making it look crowded: We have a… delicate situation here. We have no communications with anyone except the thought-speech we have amongst ourselves. We are blind as to what is occurring out in space, since they covered the windows to the bridge. The Kelbrid have advanced further into the ship than expected, and all too quickly. We still hold the bridge, and one main corridor. He glanced around. But that is all. And the bridge is, though easily defended, not inhabitable for this many Andalites for any longer periods of time. If we do not fancy letting half of us starve to save the other half, and that only for a short while, we will have to retake the Dome. And the Dome – as you all know – is in the other end of the ship.
Perhaps we should simply relocate there, Captain, TO Ranmili suggested. FO Thalus had been lost in the fighting; Kandion missed him. Nothing had ever unsettled Thalus, and therefore he would have been a great asset in an emergency such as this.
We still need to reach the Dome, to begin with, Kandion said.
The Dome is not easily defended, Captain, Amunir commented. There may be only a few entrances, but not one of them can be properly locked, except if we plan to disconnect it from the ship – which would mean someone needs to stay on the bridge to arrange that, if the computer will even oblige us, broken as it is. And we would be trapped, helpless, inside the Dome.
I am all too aware of those problems, Kandion snarled, turning to pace some more. Hunger made itself reminded in his belly as one of his stalks passed the grass near the wall; now, it was grazed down to its roots. He glanced around at the remains of his crew, thoughts spinning madly in his head as he grasped desperately for some sort of plan; some sort of idea.
Just as soon, he had dismissed them all as either impossible or overly optimistic. He cursed, spun around and paced in another direction. Suddenly he stopped, again – as so many times during the last week – wondering whether his ship, his beautiful Phantom, with the scientist and the arisths, had escaped safely. Again he came to the conclusion that it was most unlikely – and even more unlikely that they would be able to find some sort of help to bring back.
His ship – his beautiful Phantom, ruined. And the Daybreak would soon follow.
Damn those Kelbrid. Damn them right into the nearest black hole.
Glancing down, Jake realised that Jeanne was correct. Kii-rajas did climb. Not with the grace and speed of a great cat, or the easy, powerful litheness that characterized their movements on ground, but with undeniable efficiency. He supposed it would be no match for a natural-born climber, as a Hork-Bajir or a Kelbrid, or a chimpanzee. Even a panther could feel moderately safe. But it was fast enough to endanger a gorilla – and, even more so, a human.
Is it just me, or is this bad? Marco wailed.
Jeanne, on the other hand, decided to have a bit of fun. With Jake only half-morphed to falcon and Marco still not fully human, it was her turn. She dropped to the lower branches so quickly it seemed she fell, and leapt right at the kii-raja's face.
Its four paws were busy holding it to the tree, and its only defence was its teeth. Jeanne landed, front paws first and back paws following, right on its eyes, centimetres from its opening mouth, and sprang away again before the teeth could capture one of her paws. The kii-raja was preoccupied with staying on its precarious, vertical perch as the panther pounced, and thus there was no real energy in its attempt to bite. It kept climbing, heading for a branch.
The nimble panther, so much more at home in a tree, pounced at its side just as it began moving up onto the branch. It overbalanced and almost fell, and Jeanne was out of its reach before it could retaliate. It growled in frustration, scrambling up onto the branch with barely half of the customary arrogant elegance. Jeanne flicked her tail and crouched on another branch, watching it. She was not as daring now that it was standing on all fours instead of clinging with all fours.
Jeanne, get out of its reach and morph bird, Jake ordered. Quickly!
Barely had the order reached Jeanne before a flurry of golden fur and knife-like claws did the same. The a'al kii-raja had closed the distance between them in a sudden leap, branch to branch. It landed easily, right at the panther, shoving Jeanne off her perch and into the open space below.
Panther instincts spun all four paws down beneath her, and the landing would have been simple enough if not for the kii-raja. It followed her down, leaping at the tree's massive stem, clinging for half a moment, and then dropping right down beside the panther.
Down to the forest floor went Jeanne, and following her came the teeth of the kii-raja, already aimed at her neck.
One snap of its jaws was all the beast needed.
The sharp teeth drew blood… but never closed about Jeanne's neck.
Tom had arrived, himself only a golden streak of movement, and the panther was spared as the a'al spun to meet Rachel's pet.
"Jeanne! Over here!" called Rachel's voice, from where she stood in the hatch of the Hawk. The small fighter was hovering not far away.
Jeanne turned and ran towards it, retreating into the safety of the fighter. Two birds – a falcon and an osprey – swooped down from the trees to join her.
Tobias? asked Jake.
"Back at the Rachel," Rachel replied. She scowled at nothing in particular, but it was clear that the scowl was meant for her cousin. "'To the trees', Jake? What were you thinking?"
I was thinking how nice it would be with a long nap, Jake confessed truthfully, glad his falcon face had only a limited array of emotions; fierce, and fiercer. So –
He stopped speaking when Rachel's face contorted and she drew in breath in a long hiss.
What? demanded Marco.
Rachel had gone pale, but fury flashed into her blind eyes at once. "That creature is hurting my Tom," she spat.
Within a moment she had resumed control of the fighter's helm and was firing in the direction of the two kii-rajas. With Tom busy backing away, trying desperately now to keep a distance, and the a'al a decent bit bigger, they were not difficult to tell apart despite their speed and their identical colouring.
"Tom!" Rachel shouted finally, after another frustrating near-miss. "Get in here!"
She let the Hawk hang dangerously low in the air. As soon as her kii-raja was safely inside, she reversed direction.
Not quickly enough. In the time it took for Rachel to register Tom's arrival and issue her commands to her fighter, the a'al kii-raja had sprung into the air and landed on the fighter's roof. Its claws screeched against the hull as it struggled to catch hold on the rapidly rising fighter. The screeching grew louder and suddenly stopped as those same claws did catch hold. The tip of the beast's tail swished ominously past the open hatch.
Canned food, Marco commented. Great. We're so canned food.
"Not yet," growled Rachel, making Tom bare his teeth in agreement. She spun the Hawk around, and skimmed past a tree, so closely that the tree's stem brushed off the a'al kii-raja. It plummeted downwards, with no hopes of catching itself before it hit the forest floor, and as far as those inside the Hawk could tell, it was already unconscious, possibly dead.
Being slammed into a tree at that velocity had not agreed with the monster.
Rachel stopped her fighter and turned around again to fire at it, and make sure it was dead, when Tobias's cry reached them: Bug fighters! Rachel, get back here, quick!
Is Santorelli still outside the Rachel? Jake asked at once.
"Probably," muttered Rachel, preoccupied with carefully lining up the last shot.
Then hurry back, that thing is dead!
"Not for certain – not until it's a pile of smoking charcoal," Rachel countered, carefully – slowly – adjusting the aim, power, and intensity of the shot.
The kii-raja's dead, you've got two birds of prey telling you that, and Tobias needs our help now, Marco said quickly, knowing exactly how to convince Rachel to hurry. Tobias might be in trouble.
Rachel hesitated, bit her lip, and… and closed the hatch to the Hawk with a simple command. The next command sent the small fighter speeding back towards the Rachel.
For some reason, it was to Aralgo they came, when he was taking a stroll not far from the Phantom. Two Kelbrid, neither of whom he recognized, which at first made him wary, remembering what Ka'an had said about what the Kelbrid thought of Andalites. The second one was, moreover, followed by a large and dangerous-looking golden creature, and although it completely ignored Aralgo and only blithely followed its master, it made the young aristh nervous.
"You are leaving for Dina'amm," the first said, and it was more of a statement than a question.
Aralgo was not sure as to how he should reply. Yes… we are, he conceded finally.
The two Kelbrid exchanged a glance. "I am Pa'arik," said the one with the beast, which now was sitting just behind him, waiting for a command in the manner of a faithful servant. "This is A'akul." He gestured at his friend. Seeing Aralgo's stalks peering at the golden creature, he nodded down at it and added; "That is my kii-raja. He will not harm you unless you harm him."
The Andalite felt relieved.
"Or unless I tell him to harm you."
The relief quickly faded away, but there was no menace in Pa'arik's expression; only simple, blunt display of facts.
"We have information you Andalites might like to hear," A'akul said.
Aralgo composed his features, hiding the blank look. Information? he echoed.
"About the Touched," Pa'arik told him.
"Rachel the Animorph knows. We interrogated a prisoner, who told us."
"Which we would appreciate if you did not tell cer Ka'an about."
"He does not know, and should not know."
"But Rachel knows."
"And you Andalites should know, too, if you head for any place with Touched."
"Such as Dina'amm."
"It might save your lives."
Aralgo felt like they were speaking very quickly, even ending each other's sentences, but he knew that in reality they were both speaking slowly and clearly, and pausing politely before each switch of speaker. It was only his own confusion – and that feeling of being cornered – which made him think they were speaking too quickly. Also, his translating chip had not fully mastered the quirks of the Kelbrid language yet.
What might save our lives? he wondered.
"Among the Touched there is a resistance called Arnaha," Pa'arik explained. "They are against the One, and might side with you in a fight. Might. We do not know much about them. But if there is trouble, you should try to contact them."
How?
A'arik flicked his tail. "If we knew, we would tell you."
So how does this information help me? asked Aralgo, somewhat sharply.
Two sets of sharp white-pupilled eyes stared reproachfully at him, as if he had just said something distasteful.
"Information," said A'arik, his voice now shrill with acid, "is the one friend of the outnumbered, or the overpowered. Let us assure you, Andalite, that on Dina'amm you will experience both."
Both?
"Step into the rain and you will get wet," commented Pa'arik nonchalantly. "Good luck to you," he added then.
Without another word, both of them turned and walked away without looking back,
Aralgo blinked once, twice, even thrice, before shaking his head and gathering his stray thoughts into some form of order. There was something he should not tell Ka'an about, the kii-raja would not hurt him, if he stepped into rain he was likely to get wet, and good luck to him. Those seemed to have been the main points of the conversation.
Aralgo hoped he had not missed anything, and went to find Estrid. She would surely want to hear about this.
Of course, she would probably insist that the main point was the one concerning Arnaha.
Aralgo could forgive her for being so clear-headed. She was a scientist, after all.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Author's note:
Ka'ir-ya'aysh – white-eyes, slang for non-Touched
*blinks*
An update!
*dies of shock*