Dedicated to Kharina

Chapter 8

We underestimate the atmosphere a lot, I guess. Obviously, there's that whole not-being-able-to-breathe-without-it thing. But there's also the way the haze and stuff in it blocks out the sky. I'd looked up at the stars a lot as a kid, but I learned very quickly there's an unthinkable difference between the clearest country night on Earth and the dazzling view from space.

In the random sector we emerged in, a golden blur drifted out of view on the left of the Jara Hamee's screen, which compared to a Dome or Blade ship's wasn't even all that big. A brown planet with what looked like streaks of blood across it hung ominously below us. And the stars were blinding. I barely had time to take in the expansive nebulae before my eyes involuntarily snapped shut. Whatever Jake had warned me not to look at had nothing on that.

"Know any way to turn it off? Or at least dim it?" My acute hearing told me Jake was moving, but not far. Maybe turning his back?

((You're the one that has been…uh…working the ship so far.))

"Let's go bat," he suggested. "At least we won't be overwhelmed by the stars."

((Good idea.)) Although I hadn't used it in years, the bat morph was one of the easiest for me as it was so similar to my natural hawk body. Echolocation was a welcome relief from the unrelenting blaze outside.

((And…we still have no clue how to operate this thing.)) Jake flapped around awkwardly.

((Does it respond to thoughtspeak?))

((I'll try. Go to Z-space.))

No result.

((Well, where was Rruyshah when she was flying it?))

((Hate to sound like Marco, but "flying" is a bit of an overstatement. But I think she was over here…)) Jake fluttered towards a series of buttons. ((If one of us goes human and closes our eyes, then the other could tell us which way to fly?))

((Fly where?))

Before Jake could answer, the gravity of the nearby planet finished pulling us to it. I guess we'd been distracted earlier and hadn't noticed we were falling towards the strange surface. I adjusted my wings, trying to maintain stability. It was easier for me than for Jake, who slid to the back of the bridge before we (crash-) landed. ((Sorry about that.))

I demorphed. ((This isn't one of the planets Rruyshah thought the Blade ship could go to, is it?))

He did as well. "I don't think so. Didn't she say something about the sun exploding?"

((She might have.))

"Anyhow, should we try taking off again? I'm not sure if we'll be able to survive here."

((We got lucky on that last planet, and I think we're totaled.))

He rolled his eyes. "Great track record we've got. We should try and contact the others."

((Yeah, um…we don't know where the radio is, either.))

"All right…what morphs do we have that can survive on the most planets?"

((Well, Andalite for me, Hork-Bajir for both of us, uh…polar bear worked the last time around,))

"And Taxxon. And I have Leeran."

((I'd prefer not to go Taxxon again.)) At Jake's look I added, ((but preferences stopped mattering a long time ago.))

"I can go cockroach," he grinned. "They'll survive anything."

((Um, okay. If you want.))

He started to morph but then backed out. "You okay? You don't seem too optimistic about this."

((Do you? You just seem a little tense. Like you're trying too hard to be funny.))

"I don't know what I can do. You-" He clenched his teeth, not very angrily, but more like he was trying to keep them from chattering. "You think you know me. As a kid, an adult, I don't know. But I know you don't, because, look at me. I don't either."

((Jake, you're going to need to choose. Just because you've, um, whatever happened in Z-space, doesn't mean you're no longer the man that…))

"That isn't the kid." He was morphing cockroach again. ((That isn't the stupid idealist who thought he could win.))

I morphed human and strode over to the hatch. "Are you going to look around or just see if the morph can survive?"

((Just test: cockroach isn't the best for reconnaissance missions.))

I opened it up, and he crawled out onto the surface. It was an ugly color. We'd landed near one of what had appeared to be gigantic bloody streaks from space. Up-close, it looked like overlapping pieces of an alien substance.

Jake inched towards it. ((Looks okay. It's really dry and hot out here, but nothing fatal.))

"And obviously safe to breathe, as I haven't suffocated yet."

((Okay. So, do you want to come out?))

"Sure." I stepped down and closed the door.

He demorphed and stepped over. "Could we figure out how to lock this?"

"Think anyone's going to want to fly it away? Or be able to?"

We shared a quick laugh before I stopped to think about the last time I'd done so. Shaking my head, I demorphed, and immediately turned my head away from the ship. ((What is that?))

"You see something?"

((Hear it.)) It was an almost-familiar roar, one that was repulsive just to hear. The stereotypical two-year-old who bangs on pots and pans planning to be the next Beethoven couldn't make noise that bad if it tried. The notes went up and down as if something was trying to make a melody out of it, not understanding how torturous it was to be exposed to it.

"Well?"

((It's awful. Some…I'm not even going to describe it.))

Jake morphed falcon and flew above the ship. ((We might be able to see whatever's making it.)) I joined him, glad to be a few feet away from that. But my happiness was short-lived. ((Let's go closer, he continued. Assuming we can't leave the planet, we should check it out.))

I followed him reluctantly until I caught sight of the creature that was producing the sound. It was emanating from its mouth, which rivaled the shape, danger, and utter lack of musical quality of the Grand Canyon. I looked again at its mouth…

…its mouth…

In an effort to make the quickest possible turn, I wound up with my wings stretched completely vertically before speeding back to the ship. Jake, of course, caught up to me in his faster falcon morph. ((Tobias! What is it? What did you see?))

In a blur of memory, I lost sight of where I was going, overshot the ship, and took off into the air. There were no thermals for me to catch, so I just spiraled increasingly higher until all thought became impossible, and I surreally plummeted to the ground.