Chapter 6

--We are the Andalites,-- the creature told us. --My name is Captain Eramas-Corion-Jarvis. Commander of Operation 965. Captain of the Andalite fighter, the Siro. It was we who invented the morphing technology. My mission was to rescue you humans and return you to earth whilst recovering the Escafil Device stolen from us by the Skrit-Na.--

The six of us had morphed back into our human bodies - another strange experience to add to a growing number of strange experiences that day. We had finally made it to temporary safety, having sped through the remains of what we had now learnt was a space ship, owned by a race called the Skrit-Na. We had leapt over falled appliances, squeezed through holes in walls. Dodged laser beams and fallen through collapsing ceilings. And we had tripped over the bodies of alien races, and skidded on their blood. Huge, lizard like creatures, covered in horns and blades. Vast centipedes with gaping, bloody mouths, now lying in a pool of their own stinking green slime. I had tried not to look at the bodies, instead, just to concentrate on keeping the alien in sight, and make sure the four of us were not left behind – or killed.

We were now all congregated in a large, oval shaped room filled with advanced looking computer equipment. The walls were blacked with smoke and soot, and some of the equipment was letting off sparks. I hoped the things would explode in my face. I'd had enough of explosions for several lifetimes. Huge transparent, vertical tubes stood around the perimeter of the room, leading to some kind of air-lock in the ceiling. Hmm. Like I'm an expert on alien technology.

"Where are we?" asked the girl. "What is this place? Not just this room…this whole ship? That is what it is, innit? A spaceship?"

--That is correct,-- said the Andalite Eramas, speaking with a tone of voice and looking at the girl as if she was a young child. --A B6-Category Transporter belonging to a race called the Skrit-Na.--

"The what?"

--The Skirt-Na,-- repeated the Andalite. --I believe your race is familiar with them?--

I frowned. "Um, I don't think so. Humans aren't exactly masters of the intergalactic alien race encyclopaedia."

Eramas looked slightly surprised. --But I have seen portrayals of the mature phase of this species in your primitive intra-planetary broadcasts! The grey skin? The large eyes? A two-legged body not dissimilar to your own?--

Philip smirked. "Television. Greys. We don't know for sure – that is, apart from us – that the alleged existence of aliens is true. Any portrayals are more entertainment purposes only and any resemblance is purely coincidental."

"Good grief, Philip," said Ferdie. "You sound like a lawyer."

--Well, anyway,-- interrupted the alien, --whether you are familiar with this race or not, it remains the situation that we are currently on board one of their ships, and must find a means to escape before the Yeerks catch you.--

"How can we escape?" I had no idea what the situation was. My head was a jumbled mix of screams, cries – and turning into weird alien centaurs.

--If my knowledge of the Skrit-Na space technology is correct, I believe this is the main entrance hatch to the escape modules,-- said Eramas. --These cylinders dock with the modules, and can be assessed by means of a pass-code.-- The alien glanced at the huge tubes – which had a series of small screens on the wall behind them. --I can easily hack them,-- he added as an afterthought. --I shall be back in approximately seven standard minutes.-- With that, he trotted off to examine one of the screens.

"Well," said Ferdie. "This is all fabulously surreal. Anyone want to tell me what time the Mad Hatter is having tea?" He picked at his skirt-like garment – ripped and dirty, and frankly, not doing its job too well. He snorted. "I should be playing against Tidworth right now. Biggest game of the season and what am I doing? Sitting in an alien space-craft, and having fun turning into scorpion-tailed horses!"

I tried to restore some normality to the situation. "Ok, guys," I said. "We have no idea what we're doing here, but I suppose we can try and act slightly conventional and introduce ourselves properly?"

Ferdie stepped forward. I noticed he was quite tall and muscular. He had a mane of rather wild looking strawberry blonde hair, through which he kept brushing with his hand. His tanned cheeks were dusted with golden brown freckles. His teeth were remarkably clean and white as he smiled his mischievous smile. His green eyes twinkled cheekily as held out his hand. So not my type. Honestly.

"Ferdinand Horatio William Lawless," he announced proudly. "Call me Flawless".

"Right, er, Flawless," I said, wondering how he lived up to his nickname. "I'm Sam – Samantha Goddard. Call me, well, Sam." I smiled back. Good way to break the ice, if anything in that last hour hadn't done so already.

Philip nodded at me, and the rest of the group. "Philip Lawless. I'm Ferdie's older brother." Philip, despite being older than his brother, was slightly shorter, through not as muscular. His mouse-brown hair was shorter and neater than Ferdie's, in a sensible short-back-and-sides. He wasn't as tanned, nor as freckly as Ferdie, but his eyes were darker and deeper – more like the Andalite's. Both brothers stood tall and dignified, with a graceful stance that seemed to have been developed through years of good breeding, rather than as if they were trying to impress.

"I'm Ashima Mahakani," said the girl with the Cockney accent. "I like being called Asha". She tossed her black hair over her shoulder. She looked around fifteen, maybe a year younger than I was, although – looking at the numerous piercing holes in her ears, I guessed she probably liked to dress older than that.

"Cool", I said, looking at everyone. "Nice to meet you all!"

"I feel like I'm at a Fighting Fat session", muttered Asha.

"It's 'Fighting Fit'," corrected Ferdie. I smiled. It was nice to see we could at least have a laugh, considering what was going on around us. Nice, and normal.

"So here, we are, everyone together in an alien space craft," said Flawless Ferdie. "Four random Brits. We're like the entrants for Big Brother or something. Not that I watch it," he chortled.

"Does anyone remember what they were doing before all this happened?" I asked. "I can't think how we got here."

"Well, it wasn't by bus, alright," said Asha.

"The last thing I remember, I was at the kitchen –"

"And suddenly the tooth fairy appeared?" offered Ferdie. Philip gave him a sour look. I gave him a 'may I continue?' look.

"Yes, well, as I was saying, I was sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast, and waiting for my exam results to come through. They were due to have been posted out yesterday, so I should have got them this morning."

"How'd you think did?" asked Ferdie.

"Terrible. But, of course, I never got them. Because one second I'm sitting eating Cheerios, and the next second I'm waking up to an explosion five feet away, strapped to a table, wearing the latest from Gucci Reject, and being rescued by Mr. Spock."

"Pretty much what 'appened to me, babe', said Asha. "One minute I'm making a cup o' rosy for Mrs. 'Iggins, and the next I'm 'ere in Wonderland!

Ferdie tossed his shaggy reddish hair. "I was getting ready to go to a polo match – we were half-way through loading the horses".

"Polo?" I asked. These guys were getting posher by the minute.

"That's right. Rather looking forward to it, I was."

Philip spoke up. His voice was a little more natural than Ferdie's. "I was just driving along on the motorway from London. Been in the City for the week and was going up to see Ferd's match. I went to overtake a car – and suddenly I'm here! To be honest, I thought I had crashed or something and this was heaven.

"Gosh," I said. "We're probably not far from heaven, actually." I tried to make a joke, but something with what Philip had said didn't seem right. Too much information. Too chatty. I pondered for a moment, then let it pass.

"So basically, we were all living our lives, doing everyday things, and then suddenly, blink, we're on a spaceship," I said.

"No beam of light, no moondust, no X Files music. It would have been like nothing had happened," replied Philip.

"Expect of course we're on a spaceship."

"There is that."

So we were all in the same boat. None of us had been doing anything dodgy – like searching for UFOs or hanging around a government training facility when it happened. None of us were in any kind of position of authority. With the possible exception of Philip, we were all just kids. I began to feel a kind of kinship for this little group. Two strangers, two brothers, swept up in the middle of a strange battle on an unknown spaceship.