They flew to the launch site in kafit morph. Due to the secretive and illegal nature of their mission, none of them had been permitted to return to their homes to gather anything. Sabion was greatly distressed by this fact. He could not imagine going anywhere without his hologram of Baradon-Nurmeon-Palloros or his own driftball equipment. But there was no chance to pop off and gather what he wanted. There was nothing to do but follow Alloran to the launch site.
The ship looked something like what two Dome ships might have if they had collided. At first glance, it was just a large bubble about twenty yards across. Through the transparent outer layer, Sabion could see an almost perfect replica of the homeworld's landscape. And, as he looked closer, he saw that it was divided into four quadrants, each one resembling a particular quadrant of the homeworld. Perhaps it had been designed to make a diverse group of Andalites feel at home. Or perhaps it had just been an artistic touch by Estrid or one of the other designers.
A large, rectangular shaft extended from the top and bottom of the bubble, and from the left and right. Mounted on the end of each shaft was a duel Shredder battery. Along the length of the shafts were engine nacelles. The design confused Sabion. Estrid, though, did him the courtesy of explaining before he could ask.
(Each of these shafts is divided into two levels,) she began. (Crew quarters, command deck, medical bay, and such are all in the shafts. The bubble serves as a feeding ground and observation deck and is also designed to ward off the effects of homesickness.)
Alloran snorted at that, giving a clear indication of what he felt about warriors with homesickness.
(Weapons,) Estrid continued, (are at the end of each shaft. We designed them with a full range of motion, so the ship should be able to defend itself from attack from any angle. Engines are on the sides of the shafts, which allow the ship to move in any direction at all. Sideways, up and down, even backwards, though none of those terms apply to this ship. Every direction is forwards.)
(Very sensibly designed,) Calnen noted.
(It's a giant bubble) Acario muttered. (Practical or not, it's not going to get the alien girls running to meet us.)
(What use does an Andalite have for alien females?) Sabion demanded haughtily.
(Alien males, if that's more your thing,) Acario responded. (And believe me, you'd be surprised what you'd do, stranded alone on some random world with only aliens for company. And hey, it's not like anyone would have to find out.)
Alludra shook her head. (Aliens, Acario? Are you really that desperate?)
(Without your emptiness, Alludra, I have to fill my own.)
For a moment, Sabion was shocked. Hadn't Acario called Alloran his uncle? That would have made him related to Alludra. She chuckled, though, giving Sabion the impression it had been a joke. Rather poor in taste, he thought.
(Have you had a medical screening recently, Acario?) Estrid asked. (Crangar knows what sort of diseases you could acquire that way and I would not want you spreading them around my ship.)
Alloran sighed. (I should have taken Jahar's suggestion and removed your ability to do that years ago.)
(The ship is entirely self sufficient,) Estrid continued. (It creates its own oxygen, recycles all water used on it, and utilizes the waste treatment system to fertilize the grass in the sphere.)
(That isn't something I wanted to think about,) Acario muttered.
Calnen flared his ears. (One who would mate with alien females is disgusted by simple agriculture?)
(Hey, if you like the idea of running through your own waste, that's your fetish. But me, I don't like the idea that I'm eating my own defecation. Or worse, Alloran's.)
(Enough!) Alloran said, cutting them off. (Fighters, Estrid?)
(Only one, War-Prince, stored in the Southern shaft,) Estrid responded. (If you would follow me inside, I will show you what the Counsel has issued us for this mission and show you all around the ship.)
A doorway opened in the shaft in front of them. As they walked inside, gravity shifted so that what had once been the wall of the shaft was now the floor. It was disorienting at first, but they all got the hang of it quickly. They followed Estrid to the command deck. There were a few objects on a table. Some of them Sabion recognized from his Academy days, but others were foreign to him.
One of these foreign objects appeared to be six leather loops, each with a small, blue diamond-shaped gem on one side. Estrid nodded to it. (We call that a cetsu.)
Sabion pulled his fingers through the rings, securing the cetsu on his left arm. He took a few test swings with it. The sapphires would probably hurt if they connected with a target. But Sabion was a Southern Andalite, and they, unlike the rest of their cousins, had strong arms. The weapon would be useless to the others. (It does not seem very...effective as a weapon.)
(That is because it isn't a weapon,) Estrid answered. (Line up two of the crystals.) Sabion did so. They turned a paler blue in color and Sabion noticed the air shimmering a bit in a circular area in front of his fist. He lined up more of the crystals and the disk of shimmering air got larger until, when he lined up all six, it was as tall as he was.
Alloran moved suddenly. With is tail, he flipped a Shredder off of the table and into his hand. Then he fired at Sabion. The Warrior only had time to turn and bring his fist in front of him before the beam reached him. It struck the disk of shimmering air and the disk flared blue. Lines of electricity crackled across it. Then it disappeared again in the blink of an eye.
Alloran set the Shredder back on the table. (Energy shield. Clever, Estrid.)
(One of the wonderful things about the cetsu is that matter can go through but energy cannot,) Estrid explained.
(What's so wonderful about that?) Sabion demanded. (A Hork-bajir could still stick a blade in me.)
Calnen understood immediately. (You can stand behind your shield, put the nose of your Shredder through, and shoot at your enemies wile they are not able to shoot back. A great advantage.) He turned to Alloran. (And what if it hadn't been a shield?)
(Then Sabion would be taking a nap,) Alludra answered. (What toys do you have, Estrid?)
(Estrid,) Sabion began, (my hand feels as bit numb. Is that normal?)
Estrid bobbed her tail. (Most of the ordinance we've designed for this mission utilizes body heat. Using any of them extensively will cause numbness in certain areas. This next weapon is the same way.) She took what appeared to be a small, steel bracelet from the table. (Your tail, Warrior Sabion.)
Sabion lowered his tail. She snapped the bracelet around it. (It is thought activated,) she explained. (When activated, it will sheathe your tailblade in a deadly energy field. It would be like having a beam from a Shredder instead of a blade. Very useful for cutting through things, and an excellent advantage in a melee fight. Like the cetsu, if utilizes body heat, so using it too extensively will cause your tail to go numb. You should be sure not to overuse any of these weapons, as doing so will result in you drawing too much body heat and eventually freezing internally. During the testing of this one, I lost feeling in my tail two rotes.)
She picked something else up from the table. It appeared to be a green crystal about half the size of an Andalite palm. It was set in a thin steel hoop, around which was the same leather-like material of which the cetsu rings were made. (Your arm, Warrior.)
Sabion held out his arm and Estrid connected him to the weapon. It looped behind his elbow, with the crystal in his palm. It was a complex glove-like apparatus, the purpose of which eluded Sabion. (A Shredder,) Estrid explained once he was hooked up.
(Why is this so elaborate?) Sabion demanded.
(All of these weapons are designed to morph with you,) Estrid told him. (We learned that one is able to morph things that are form-fitting and, with some practice, some materials that are a bit looser. With some practice, you will be able to keep all of these weapons whenever you morph. So, for example, if you must morph to kafit bird to escape a situation, you will not have to abandon your arsenal to do so.)
(That would have saved me a bundle,) Acario muttered.
(Why body heat?) Alludra asked.
(It is the only power source we could be absolutely certain was obtainable in Kelbrid Space,) Estrid explained. (It is constantly accessible and quickly replenished. And safe.)
(If you ignore the possibility of killing yourself by overusing your weapons,) Calnen muttered. (Still,) he continued, pulling one of the Shredders onto his arm, (I suppose this is far better than the previous alternatives.)
Alloran began putting his equipment on, as did Alludra, Estrid, and Acario. (Everything looks good in a laboratory,) Alloran commented, activating the tail bracelet. A sheath of green energy, faintly transparent and crisscrossed with lines like lightning, enveloped his tailblade. (But how well does it hold up in combat?)
Estrid turned to Sabion. (Let us see. Care for some sparring, Warrior?)
Sabion looked around the room. They would not have him fight one of the females, of course. Calnen would not be a challenge. AlloranSabion knew that, sober, he could take the old War-Prince. The only unknown was Acario, the one who would most likely be chosen to fight him. Sabion smiled.
(Of course, Estrid. Who will I be fighting?) he turned all four eyes on Acario.
It was all Acario could do not to laugh when Estrid answered, (Me, of course.)