Unlike I can correctly orient the thoughtspeak signs. w00t.

Cassie

The ride felt longer going than coming. I occupied my time by playing basketball.

Yes. Me, Cassie the farm girl, playing basketball. In zero gravity. Marco and I were on a team, as Ax was even worse than I was. At least, after we got over a rules discrepancy.

"So I put the ball in the hoop? Puh?"

"Yes, Ax-man, you put the ball in the hoop."

"This is too easy."

Jake laughed. "Really? Okay, game on!"

I picked up the ball and ran with it. Marco was shaking his head for no apparent reason, and Ax was demorphing.

"Human bodies might be better than Andalite's at playing basketball," Jake informed him.

>I'm not going to use an Andalite body.> All of a sudden Ax had six pairs of wings, and was swiping the ball out of my hands.

"Okay," said Marco. "Let's make this fair. Cassie, you're not allowed to travel,"

Jake interrupted. "That means picking up the ball and walking around with it."

"Oh. Thanks." I blushed.

"No problem," he smiled.

Marco continued. "And Ax, you're not allowed to morph a..."

>Kafit bird.> Ax demorphed.

The final scores of the games were something like Jake and Ax 29, Marco and Cassie 13. And it felt even worse than that. It was mostly one-on-one, while Ax and I studied the game. We learned important stuff, like you shouldn't pass to the players on the other team.

But basketball wasn't interesting all the time, so somehow I wound up sitting quietly with Jake. Neither of us talked for a while until out of the blue Jake said, "So, I guess that's it."

"What's what?"

"We'll go back to earth, and it'll be more of the same. I hate to say this, but I enjoyed...the fighting." He paused. "I don't want to be like that."

I took his hand. "You're a competitor. A winner. There's nothing wrong with wanting to compete."

But he shook his head. "I can't go back to that anymore. There's no place for me to do that. And you-you were the one that kept me sane through all of it. And I don't have it anymore, and so I don't get to be with you."

"Jake," I told him. "It doesn't matter whether or not you're saving the earth, I'm always willing to be with you."

"Oh, how touching," said Marco.

Jake, looking extremely annoyed, called out: "Uh...Prince Aximili? Can you torture Marco for a while?"

Ax sighed. "I am, technically, a prince. But we are peers. We fought together. You don't have to call me "Prince"."

Jake was lost for words for a moment before saying. "Okay. Sorry, Ax."

Once Marco was out of the way, Jake replied. "But not in the same way. There's Ronnie, for one thing."

"Jake," I said, "Ronnie is an awesome guy. He's dedicated to the Hork-Bajir, and he's in love with me."

"Yes," Jake said.

"And he's also incredibly thick. There's no way I'd seriously consider him for, well, something like that."

Jake felt anxious to change the subject. "How did you get on here? I told you not to come."

"It was Tobias's idea. He said it was better for me to come than him. So I acquired him and we switched places while that naming ceremony was going on."

"Ok."

There was a pause, and then I told him, "You're pretty good at basketball."

"Playing against Marco and you, yeah."

"No, I mean it. You're...gifted. You understand the game."

"How do you know?"

"I just do," I shrugged. "You should play more often when we get back."

He rolled his eyes. "Fat chance of that. I'll be too busy signing autographs."

"Well, okay. If there was ever a way that you didn't have to worry about the fame."

He nodded, and then grinned. "Plus, I'd be competing."

"Huh?"

"You said that basketball was like fighting the Yeerks. Well, if we were...together, back then, we could be together now. Maybe. Anyhow...I'm glad you came."

"Thanks. I'm glad too."