Day 8 – late afternoon
I woke up in a room provided for me at the Cindre Imperial Base. The timepiece on the wall said it was five point two hours past Solar Zenith, which means I was asleep for three Draque hours (however long they are). It was still the same day on Gianna Draquen as when I landed, but who knows if it's still the same day back on Earth. I've lost track of what day it would be. I suppose I could ask Ayla, but that would just make me homesick.
Funny, I've considered Proteus to be my home, yet it doesn't feel completely like home unless we're on Terra Firma.
If I just go by the definition of a "day" from wherever I was, it had been eight days since I left Terra Firma. Eight days since the last time I was nearly stabbed to death. I hoped the Animorphs hadn't gotten into any trouble without me.
Bone and Babylon were asleep in the room with me. They were offered their own rooms, but wanted to stay in my room. I had just nearly died and they wanted to keep vigil. It was unsettlingly nice of them.
It reminded me of Cassie. How caring she was. I've always been so insistent that no one cares about me, but in actuality, many do. Tobias, Aximili, Cassie.
Melissa.
Now Bone and Bablyon. It wasn't in my nature to trust others so completely, yet . . . .
I let them stay. Babylon slept in his usual hork-bajir tripod position. The Dayang officers brought bags of a blue-green substance that was a lot like hay for Bone to sleep on. I actually wanted to keep an eye on Bone. He may have permanently damaged his morphing power, ostensibly becoming a nothlit in his own body. When we met up with Dr. Orbin, he suggested we not try to have Bone morph for at least two hours. No point in rushing it, I supposed.
Bone and Babylon also both got language implants. I wondered how much that would help or hinder Babylon's trouble with languages. I found out that the language implants were made of organic metal, which is why it stayed with me in morph.
I left my quarters with Bone and Babylon still asleep. I was surprised to find Chydla waiting for me.
"$Sir David, I hope you are rested. Captain Hollin has requested your attendance for a briefing when you are able.$" Chydla informed me.
"$I'm able.$" I replied in Galard. I turned to a Dayang soldier who was guarding my quarters. "$When my cohorts rise inform them of my location.$"
"Boingy Boingy!" He said, which is actually a Draque phrase that means roughly 'Aye Aye!'.
Chydla led me through the hallways of the Cindre Imperial Base into a large room with Captain Hollin, Dr. Orbin, and four Dayang officers I didn't recognize. All six dayangs plus Chydla laid their lower bodies on cushions situated around an oval table with Hollin at one long end. This was the Dayang equivalent of sitting. I sat my butt down on the cushion at the other long end of the oval.
Hollin pointed all four tips of his tentacles on the table surface, signifying the start of the briefing.
"$Sir David Hunting, on behalf of the Sovereign Entity of Gianna Draquen, let me start by apologizing for the disastrous welcome you received upon your arrival to my planet.$"
"It's all right, Hollin." I started. "Morphing powers and sociopaths are not a pleasant party mix. It's nice to see you again, Dr. Orbin. Officer Chydla. Other officers." I hoped I wouldn't have to sit through too much Dayang ceremonial bullshit.
"$Then let's cut to key issues.$" Hollin said as he pushed a button on a small device he was holding.
When he pushed the button, the surface of the table shimmered, and directly in front of me were six images of dayang faces, the faces of the Terrormorphs. There were also images of three andalite faces. Lastly, there was an image of my face!
The table surface was apparently some sort of touch-computer screen. I was able to touch the images and read a report on each of the Terrormorphs. The reports even appeared in English to me, but as I looked over at the others, Draque to everyone else. Hollin was prepared.
I fought the temptation to read what the Dayangs had written about me and decided to focus my attention on the andalites involved. I learned that the kidnapped Andalite ambassador was a female named Panhar-Inarsa-Compan. Her attendant and fellow hostage was a female named Winnit-Leekai-Hatoil. The other attendant that was arrested for wandering in a restricted area was a male named Meklor-Spager-Fandeleon.
There was also a timeline report detailing each Terrormorph sighting and attack.
"$This is what we know, people. We have a lot to figure out. Now that we have our own morphing warrior at our aid, we can get to neutralizing these fractures, and once again restore our home to peace for the pursuit of wyrphat'd.$" Hollin concluded.
"$I must say,$" started an older, brown-haired dayang, "$why are we not addressing the fact that because of a serious blunder by a scientist in your command, Hollin, this alien has gotten his yellow-haired hands on our precious encryption technology? This is by far the biggest breach in Government Security in the history of our people.$"
A few of the officers slid their upper bodies all the way back along their lower bodies at the surprising force of this accusation. Dr. Orbin however, slid all the way forward as his compound eye glowed bright. "$You see HERE, SUMDAC!$" Dr. Orbin shouted at the officer, calling him by name.
But Hollin shushed them by slamming his main fists onto the table.
"$I did not ask Sir David to come here to face a tribunal.$" Hollin said. "$He is here to help us against the real threat. David Hunting is a loyal person who regards our people as well as his own. His exploits in saving us from the treacherous Visser Three are in the report, Sumdac.$"
"$Here's what I see in the report: This creature is from a base grade planet, yet he has managed to steal superior technology and use it to his own ends. Our encryption technology, andalite morphing, and what appears to be a modified yeerk warship!$" Sumdac ranted. "$A primitive alien possessing some of the most powerful technologies in the galaxy? This is a disaster. These humans are a mad race. We've all heard the stories of human refugees of the Yeerk Empire. They either end up as pirates with some free specie or suicidal saboteurs, and this 'loyal' Sir David Hunting is a prime example. I don't think our government should have anything to do with this gangster.$"
"'Gangster'?" I repeated. "You make me sound like Al Capone. You think we humans are all the same. Well, let me tell you, Sumdac. We humans are nothing if not varied.
"Your concerns are valid though, Sumdac," I continued, "but they're focused on the wrong person. Everything you're afraid that I am, is exactly what Gwarver will be if he gets off this rock. Then who will work with you? No one will ever trade with a Dayang again because everyone will think that dayangs are 'a mad race' and that 'they're all like Gwarver.' I understand you're upset over the leak in your encryption technology, but that's no reason to shut me out before I get a chance to help. I'm a friend, not a rival. Gwarver must be stopped. I'm here to help."
"$How?$" Sumdac asked, continuing to be difficult. At this point some of the other officers were curling their tentacles in wide coil shapes, the dayang equivalent of eye-rolling.
"$Gwarver can morph. Sir David can morph. This isn't advanced military strategy.$" said one of the officers.
"$It needs to be. Now, I remember what Captain Gwarver is like. He was captain of a major merchant starship. He can be extremely crafty and this was before he could turn into a belga vibrat. How are you going to figure out what he's planning when you don't even know the first thing about our culture?$"
"I admit I'm a bit at a loss for trying to understand how dayangs think," I began, somewhat snippily, "but it doesn't take an anthropologist to figure out that he's playing to your weaknesses. You're merchants, not warriors. None of you have ever tried to capture morph-capable creatures so you're all sitting around with your tentacles up your asses, or whatever orifice have you. Now, your weakness just happens to be my strength. So he may be a big, bad captain of a major merchant starship, but he's playing the morphing game now, and I've been playing a lot longer than him."
"$That's optimal when we finally face him in battle, but what about now? He's planning something, and we need to figure out what. What does he want? Where is he keeping the andalites? Why can't we hear any thought-speech cries? Why is he stealing spaceship parts?$" said an officer named Sciv.
"He's asking for a spaceship. He's stealing spaceship parts. Obviously he's building a spaceship." I rationalized.
Sumdac muttered something in Draque best translated as "Fucking retard."
"$You can't build a spaceship unless you have a hull. He couldn't possibly have a hull because we don't make them on the planet surface.$" Dr. Orbin explained gently.
"$Can't disrupt the wildlife canopy.$" said an officer named Egdew.
"$Anything added to the hull would have to be specific to that hull.$" said an officer named Rengaw. "$Stealing all spaceship parts without a hull is just . . . . . idiotic or crazy.$"
"I don't think Gwarver is either idiotic or crazy. At least not that crazy." I said. "Do you agree, Hollin?"
"$Yes. Neither stupid nor crazy.$" Hollin agreed.
"Sumdac?" I asked.
Sumdac's eyes glowed and his tentacles wavered in a manner my translator had a hard time interpreting. "$The alien's right. If Hollin is stealing these parts, he must have a hull in mind.$"
"$How could? How could he have a hull?$" cried Sciv in a frustrated tone.
"Think outside the box here, guys. Maybe he's adapting some other vehicle." I suggested.
"$Yes, like a rail-trucker.$" Sciv said sarcastically which got some laughs from the others.
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"$It's a children's story.$" Orbin explained. "$Drusig's Journey.$"
"$Once there was a grown point named Drusig who wanted to see the moons, so he built a spaceship out of an old rail-trucker.$" Egdew recited. "$And then he was ripped apart by the vacuum of space. That's not the actual story, but that's what would happen in real life.$"
"$Spaceships must be air-tight. The tiniest nick could kill you. It's not like a leaky float-sail on the ocean.$" Sciv explained.
"$Ocean?$" Chydla repeated. "$Beloqush!$"
"$Hose-pipe! See, I shout random stuff too.$" Sciv joked. "Rithinstufft!"
"$Knock it off, Sciv.$" Hollin commanded. "$What do you mean, Chydla?$"
"$Gwarver mentioned beloqush cleaning.$" Chydla reminded.
"$You mean like for a metal-island?$" Egdew asked.
"$Or a mukommer.$" Hollin said slowly as if this was huge moment of revelation.
I on the other hand was starting to get lost. I had no idea what the hell they were talking about. I mean, what the fuck's a mukommer?
"$Not even a torpis or a rupsa class mukommer is that air-tight.$" Rengaw negated.
"$What about the Deep Force Tablina-class Mukommers?" Chydla asked.
"Could someone explain things to the alien gangster, please?" I asked in frustration. I guess my translator only goes so far.
"$A mukommer is an underwater vehicle. A submersible.$" Chydla explained.
"$Could a Tablina class be used as a hull?$" Egdew asked.
"$He would need some kind engineering genius to figure it out.$" Rengaw started.
"$He has one.$" Hollin said, referring to, I think, Lebla Synda-300. "$Possibly two if our background check on Erko is accurate.$"
"$With the parts he already has and with full ballasts . . . . . $" Rengaw started, "$yeah, it could work. At least for a little while. He could escape Gianna Draquen's gravity without dying, but it couldn't go very far.$"
"It doesn't need to." I brought up. "He only needs to get as far as the Super-Atmo Station. Then he can steal a real ship."
"$All our Tablina-class mukommers were destroyed.$" Sciv said.
"$They were destroyed in an attack by Gwarver and his morphers. I was there.$" Egdew said.
"$Destroying your opponent's resources is a good tactic.$" Sumdac said.
"Stealing it for yourself is a better one." I countered.
Sumdac pointed two of his tentacles at his compound eye, a gesture meaning roughly, 'you got that right.'
"$If Gwarver and his Terrormorphs are hiding in a Tablina-class mukommer, there isn't a vehicle on Gianna Draquen that can find them.$"
"What about an animal?" I asked.
"$I know a few, three-end-wise.$" Sciv said, though I wasn't sure what 'three-end-wise' meant, but I hoped it involved keeping my pants on.
"$The only other problem is the trespassing andalite we've arrested. What part does he play in this?$" Sumdac asked.
"I'll ask him." I confidently said.
"$Okay, people,$" Hollin began to sum up, "$we know our enemies are underwater, and they are attempting to build a spaceship out of a Tablina-class mukommer. Sciv, Rengaw, and Egdew, I want you to figure what more he needs and where he could get them. Orbin, find Farser Rowach-467 and ask him to compile a list of animals that are native to deep water and where Sir David could acquire them. Sumdac and Chydla, you will come with me and Sir David when he attempts to interrogate the andalite prisoner. This meeting is over. You are released to your orders.$"
"Boingy Boingy!" the officers said in unison. I suppressed a laugh.
As the various officers left the room I tried to make my way to Orbin, but Hollin got to me first. He wanted to go interrogate the prisoner, Meklor, right away, but after Chydla informed him that I had only woken up several minutes before the meeting and hadn't been 'regrouped' (which I think is some sort of mistranslation on my part), Hollin and Sumdac agreed to meet up later at six hours past solar zenith. Which means I had 0.2 hours to talk to Orbin, however the hell long that is. Thankfully they agreed that Chydla would 'have the honor' of escorting me (since I also didn't know where the holding cells were.)
I followed Orbin to his lab and I kept getting strange looks from all the dayangs. In his lab, Orbin had his assistant, one I had never met, call Farser as he talked to me. She mentioned something about a delivery as she tried not to look at me. Then her upper body slowly slid back as I walked in front of her, a form of recoil. She left the room and Orbin and I were alone.
This is what you wanted David. Feared and respected.
Orbin's lab looked a lot like what you'd think a lab would look like. Machines everywhere along the walls with a big empty table right in the middle. Except this table had a large brown box on it, about the size of a suitcase. The delivery Orbin's assistant mentioned I guess.
"$Excellent! It arrived.$" Orbin said inspecting some card that came with the box. "$Primary business action: I must give you your personal effects that we retrieved from the battle site.$"
"$Why is everyone in here looking at me funny?$" I asked.
Orbin paused as his ears (which looked like satellite dishes) began to wiggle. I'd never seen that expression before and my translator offered no explanation.
"$You speak Galard. Speech box?$" Orbin asked. His voice sounded weird, like he couldn't control his pitch.
"$No, I learned. Don't change the subject.$" I demanded.
"$They're kind of afraid of non-controlled humans.$" Orbin admitted. "$The media portrays your species as somewhat volatile in your natural state. The small number of free humans out there . . .$"
"What free humans?" I asked.
"$Some were abducted by Skrit Na, but most of the humans that make reportable news are former host bodies who have overpowered their yeerk parasites.$"
"I've never heard about this."
"$The andalites and the yeeks don't really want the civilized galaxy to know about the Yeerk Empire's victims who free themselves.$"
"Yeerks, I understand, but Andalites . . ?"
"$Well, they can't very be the galactic saviors if the galaxy can save itself.$" Orbin clarified. "$Anyways, most free humans end up living legally and morally questionable lives. Lives that are typically quite short.$"
"Son of a bitch." Was all I could say.
"$All matters, here are the personal effects: three shredder weapons, two dracon beam weapons, a complete set of dracon rifle components, a lockbox, fragments of what appear to be injectors of some sort, and a small, electrical device. Is this all?$"
"$Yes, all of it.$" I said, as I inspected the syringe fragments. One syringe piece was big enough that it held about a dime-size worth of the mysterious brown liquid that was so important to Babylon. "$Thank you for giving my crewmembers the translator implants.$"
"$No effort. I have idle time. I was supposed to be vacationing in Okubanaj. Beautiful beaches there, although Cindre has nice beaches too. Gwarver kind of cancelled my plans.$" Orbin said wearily. "$Why, do you need me to do something?$"
"$I need you to analyze the fluid in these 'injectors'. See if you can arrange for it to be synthesized.$"
"$What is it?$"
"$I honestly don't know, but it's important enough to my Hork-Bajir crewmember that he hid it from me. If it's innocent and important, I don't want him to be without it. If it's not, well we'll see.$"
"$David, is Sir Babylon trustworthy?$"
"$We'll see.$" I repeated as I opened up the lockbox and took out a Protimus-Bots dose. "$I have one other thing. These are called protimus-bots. I weaponized them to disrupt morphing. These will work when I capture the Terrormorphs, but they were designed to liquefy after twelve hours, so it's not a permanent solution. I am hoping you can up with one if I give you this sample. I just need your word you won't sell this. This is kind of like my 'encryption technology'.$"
Dr. Orbin took the vial of protimus-bots and stared at it, completely fascinated. "$For keeping our encryption technology to yourself and for helping stop the Terrormorphs, your secrets will be safe with me.$"
"$Good.$" I said as I gathered my stuff into a Dayang made satchel of some sort. Chydla came into the lab as I was doing that, signifying my need to leave. That's when I noticed that Babylon had appeared behind her.
"$Chydla, Orbin, can you give us some time in private please?$" I asked them. They left and Babylon and I were alone in the lab.
"Is there something you need, Boss?" Babylon asked me.
"What is this?" I asked holding up a piece of the broken syringes.
Babylon's face noticeably went a little slack. "Um . . . medicine."
"For what?"
Babylon's eyes kept darting from the vials to me to the floor and back again. "Allergies." He finally said.
"'Allergies?'" I repeated, not believing a word. "What exactly are you allergic to?"
Babylon stammered, not saying anything.
"I mean, I find it strange that a genetically engineered being would have allergies. I know there were flaws in your design in particular, but allergies?"
Babylon didn't say anything and only looked at the floor, ashamed.
"Don't lie to me, Babylon. It's not your strong point." I said as I walked to him, looked up into his eyes and pushed him toward the wall. "Now tell me what it's for."
Babylon turned his eyes away from me. "I don't want to lie to you, Boss."
"Then tell the truth."
"I can't do that either."
"Why the fuck not?"
Babylon suddenly turned his eyes to me and in an accusing tone, "Am I not entitled to my privacy?"
"Privacy is one thing, Babylon. Secrets are another. I don't like secrets on my ship."
I was worried he was going to say something smartass like 'we're not on your ship,' but instead he said this.
"I may have my secrets, but I am 100 percent loyal to you. Isn't that enough?"
Karmatic bitch-slap number 2.
"It should be, Babylon. It really should be," I admitted, "but it isn't."
I gave Bone the satchel to carry as we left the lab. Orbin rushed back into the lab, muttering something about how good it was to be working. Weirdo.
"$The holding cells are located closer to the other end of the base. We'll be going outside and riding in a mini-craft.$" Chydla explained. "$It's a small, electronic vehicle . . .$"
"I trust you, Chydla." I said, not wanting to hear long explanation on things that aren't important. I started to speak Galard. "$I'm going to morph into a dayang now. We can avoid the weird looks that way.$"
"What about me?" Babylon asked.
"You? You're coming along. You'll just have to tolerate the looks." I said as I started my morph to dayang.
The last time I was with the dayangs, I acquired a frolis composite morph that was parts of Hollin, Orbin, Erko, and Picum. The result was a green-haired, male dayang of a moderately young adult age.
I completed my morph to dayang and spent a few seconds remembering to use all my appendages and get accustomed to the strange sensory input that is the dayang two simple eyes/one compound eye combination. With my morph completed, I could see that Chydla was very pretty, but held her tentacles in unflattering, almost masculine positions.
Chydla escorted Babylon and I through the Cindre base to what was presumably the outside.
((Babylon,)) I privately commanded, ((hand me the Palm Proteus.))
Babylon didn't seem to understand the reason behind my command, but he complied, discreetly handing me the small device.
The real reason I wanted to be in morph was to use thought-speech. I didn't want Babylon or any of the dayangs hearing what I was saying to Ayla. I used one of my tentacles to hold the Palm Proteus.
((Thought-speech mode. Ayla, online.)) I commanded.
A green pulsating light, Ayla's visual representation, appeared on the view screen of the Palm Proteus. ((Connection established.)) Ayla greeted. ((It's about time, David. How's it going?))
((You know, same old, same old.))
((That bad, huh?)) Ayla commented.
((I'd love to rip off Star Wars with you some more, but work before play. First off, Bone tried to acquire DNA from a morph. He did it again not twenty minutes later. I need you to calculate his odds of getting his morphing power back.))
((I'm accessing Andalite war-scientific journals now.)) After a while Ayla returned an answer. ((49 percent.))
((Damn.)) I cursed.
((Well it's almost fifty-fifty.)) Ayla offered. ((The good news is that it's an either/or situation. He'll either get his power back in full or not all. No ancillary anxieties about long-term damage to the morphing technology.))
((Alright, second thing: Babylon brought some very strange syringes with him of brown, frothy liquid. I need to know what they are. Have you observed any suspicious behavior from him?))
((Nothing involving syringes. If he prepared something like that, it was in his quarters where I don't watch.))
((You don't keep surveillance on the living quarters?))
((You told me not to.))
((I just meant mine.)) I grumbled. ((Arg. Okay, third thing: Gwarver was surprised The David Hunting Show didn't reach Gianna Draquen and said he saw it from a copy that was in the possession of the Andalite Ambassador. How did the Andalites see it, and why is Gwarver surprised the dayangs didn't?))
((By broadcasting on the Yeerk-net, we apparently left it opened to be filtered through several intergalactic info-nets which in turn, would trickle through to the planetary info-nets. Depending on the planet, it might have only reached the military nets or it might have permeated to the civilian level.))
((And the Dayangs should have been one of those nets. Why wasn't it?))
((I'm checking. It seems your signal was intercepted by an Andalite base near here and they broke the signal so that it would not be picked up by the planetary Gianna Draquen info-net. Several off-world dayang ships picked it up, but it'll be five months before one of them returns to the planet.))
((Why would the Andalites do that?))
((The Electorate feared the broadcast would alarm the dayangs to the point where they'd give total and exclusive support to the yeerks just to protect themselves from you. They sent a diplomat to try and get them to support the Andalites instead. Hmmmm, that's interesting.))
((What's interesting, Ayla?))
((We got a mole. It seems that one of the ambassador's attendants is an Echelon 3 Intelligence Agent in disguise.))
((Gee, I wonder who.))
We reached the outside, and Chydla led us to a small vehicle that looked a lot like a golf cart. Chydla stood and strapped into the driver's area as I strapped in next to her in the passenger side. Babylon rode on an adjustable seat of some sort in the back.
((Ayla, try to discern the identity of the mole.)) I commanded. ((Alert me when you do.))
((It'll take some time. Andalite databases are hard to get into, even with dayang encryption technology and sophisticated Pemalite computers.))
((Do what you can, Ayla. Signing off.)) I said as I handed the Palm Proteus back to Babylon who put it back in the satchel.
We were still driving to the holding cells so I decided to make small talk with Chydla. Ever since I met her I had noticed how drastically different she was to the other female dayangs I had met. Klika, Lebla, and a female named Andusyl who ate lunch with us when I was on the Rogin Gavic, were all very flirtatious and emotional. Chydla was none of these things.
"So what do you think of Farser?" I asked her in my own language.
"$Who? Farser?$" She asked (in Draque). "$Oh, Dr. Klika's nephew. He's a . . . good citizen.$" She talked about him as if he were a child, but she couldn't have been more than a few years older than him. Then again, I'm not entirely sure I can accurately judge ages among dayangs.
"I think he likes you."
"$Why would he dislike me?$" She continued in Draque.
"No, I mean he's attracted to you."
"Nanyo." She said, the draque equivalent to 'oh'. "$Sexually?$"
I laughed. "I'm not sure how much dayangs discern between the sexual and the romantic, but let's just be safe and say any and all of the above."
"$I am . . . . uh, I am not . . . . accessible.$" She stammered.
"I translated that last word as 'accessible'; is that what you said?" I asked with no answer. "Does that mean emotionally or do you lack girl parts?"
Babylon grunted a surprised noise as Chydla stopped the vehicle and faced me. Her face and tentacles gave away no emotion, but her compound eye glowed darker. "$This conversation is perverse!$"
"I'm sorry." I quickly said. "I'm an alien. I didn't realize." Which isn't entirely true, but I was curious if I could get away with that excuse. I heard Babylon groaning in the back, so he didn't seem to buy my answer.
But Chydla did and started the vehicle up again. "$Tapers have a wider shift of hormones than points. We are just as encouraged to join the worker-solider force as our male counterparts. We have a biological advantage to them as we are naturally harder workers and have better combat instincts and quicker reflexes, but our shifting hormones puts us at a natural disadvantage for leadership. Rarely is there a female worker-soldier with a rank higher than Unit Manager.$"
"Aren't you a Third Officer?"
"$That is considered an amazing feat not only for my gender, but my age as well. I'm actually the same age as the Terrormorphs Erko and Picum, if that gives you a good indicator. I was only able to do so by learning to control my hormones and thinking with my mind. As the dayang proverb goes 'the mesta gland is only in your back, while the brain runs through the whole body.'$"
"Ok." I replied. I noticed Babylon looking at Chydla strangely. I don't think he knew about that particular oddity of dayang anatomy.
"$The point being, is that I have spent much effort to have the Trader Federation think of me as worker-solider not a female worker-soldier. I cannot afford to indulge in mate-searching. The temptation is too great.$" Chydla concluded as she stopped the vehicle in front of a building. Her tentacles twisted in a gesture of discomfort. "$This was purely a scientific query, right? This is not data you are going to confer with others, yes?$"
"Your secret's safe with me, Chydla." I said warmly.
"Me too." Babylon added.
She relaxed a little bit. "$We are here, Sir David.$" she said as we unstrapped ourselves and walked toward the entrance to the building. Once we were inside, I demorphed.
Inside the building, it was cold and dank. At lot like a prison which is what it was. Chydla brought me to a room with a device I recognized as a Ramonite Box. Hollin, Sumdac, and four other dayangs were there. They were armed, so I figured they were guards. They all had black hair, which I found funny.
"$His name is Meklor-Spager-Fandeleon and he's a diplomatic servant.$" Hollin briefed me as I approached the Box. "$That's all he'll say. Now, as a rule, the Analite Electorate forbid diplomats from having the morphing power, but we didn't take any chances.$"
"$Good choice$." I said as I stood in front of the box. The box was silver like all Ramonite devices. It hovered in the air by ways I didn't immediately figure out. The four guards tightened their grip on their weapons.
"$Transparent.$" Hollin commanded.
The box became transparent and we all expected to see an andalite, but the box appeared empty.
"$What? He's escaped. Open the box, find out what happened.$"
"DO NOT OPEN THE BOX!!!!" I shouted quickly, I repeated it in Galard to make sure they understood me. "$Do not open the box!$"
I morphed into a Golden Eagle and fluttered to the top of the box. I looked into the box with eyes designed for looking through transparent material. With the Eagle's amazing vision I saw a very tiny bug.
Diplomats may be forbidden to have morphing power, but intelligence officers are encouraged to use it.
((You may fool these dayangs, but you do not fool me, warrior.)) I said to the bug. ((I'm going to make the box go opaque so you can preserve your delicate modesty, but in five minutes, I want to see four eyes, four hooves, fourteen fingers, and a bladed tail. Ok? Good.))
"$Opaque.$" Hollin commanded at my prompt.
I fluttered next to Hollin and demorphed.
"$The prisoner is morph-capable.$" Babylon said in Galard. I guess the transplant didn't change much.
"$I cannot believe the Andalite diplomacy would send morphers on a diplomatic mission.$" Hollin seethed.
"$I don't think the diplomacy knew about it.$" I said as I motioned for Babylon to hand me the Palm Proteus. I had Ayla show me the records on Andalite diplomatic personnel. "$I'm using my sentient computer program named Ayla to search through Andalite records. The Diplomacy believes they sent a young andalite named Meklor-Spager-Fandeleon on this mission, but the mysterious Sir Meklor has no other records. He isn't a real person.$"
"$Then who is he?$" Hollin asked. "$Is he working with Gwarver?$"
"$Gwarver introduced Lebla as the one who got the blue box from the Andalite Spy.$" Babylon remembered.
"$Does that mean stolen or received?$" Hollin asked.
"$I believe Meklor is a member of Andalite Intelligence. He isn't Apex level, but he isn't a rookie either. It wouldn't make sense for an Intelligence member to give the morphing power to any aliens, let alone criminals.$" I said.
"$What is his purpose here?$" Hollin asked.
"$Ayla is trying to find out his real name and mission, but our distance from the Andalite Home World and their level of security is retarding the process.$"
((Excuse me? Andalite Warrior?)) said a soft Andalite thought-speak voice. ((I have fully demorphed and wish to make recompense for my transgressions to the Diplomacy.))
"How well spoken and polite he is." Babylon commented in English.
"$Who is he really?$" I asked.
"$Let's just ask him.$" Babylon muttered.
"$Transparent.$" Hollin ordered. The box became transparent, revealing an adult, blue-haired, male Andalite. He had soft features in his face. In fact he looked a bit feminine. If it wasn't for his tail blade, I might mistake him for a female. He saw me and recoiled.
((David Hunting!)) cried a different thought-speech voice than before. This one was harsher.
"I've been recognized." I said in English. I figured I sounded more menacing when I wasn't trying to remember the correct way to speak a language I just learned a few months ago. "What's wrong with your thought-speech, Meklor? Did you eat some bad grass?"
((You! You are the monster we were sent to protect these people from!)) 'Meklor' said in the soft thought-speech voice we heard earlier. ((The Dayangs are a noble and hard-working race. They don't deserve to be terrorized by you, Human!))
"I did not come to terrorize them. The only thing terrorizing them is the mess you helped create. And please, the Andalite Electorate doesn't have any concern for the dayangs. You came to use me as a leverage point in hopes to get the Dayangs to totally support you as opposed to the Yeerks. At least, that is why the ambassador is here. Why are you here, spy?"
((I'm no spy. I am a diplomatic servant. My name is Meklor-Spager-Fandeleon.)) 'Meklor' meekly retorted.
Ayla beeped to let me know that she's ascertained Meklor's real name. I looked at the Palm Proteus as I spoke to the spy.
"We both know that isn't true. Is it, Hanerr?" I sneered his true name and the spy recoiled again. "That is your name, right? Echelon 3 Agent Hanerr-Manoz-Garfonil."
'Meklor' then started to change. Morphing? No . . . . I realized. He was demorphing.
The young adult andalite shifted into a slightly larger and a definitely more masculine andalite. I couldn't read Andalite ages well either, but I was pretty sure he was younger than Alloran and close to whatever age young 'Meklor' was supposed be.
((I don't know how you could have possibly found that information, but this only further proves that you are more dangerous than even we originally contemplated.)) said Hanerr. His thought-speak voice sounded identically to the harsh one we heard earlier. ((Whatever you are planning for the dayang people, we will stop you.))
"And you're supposed to be an intelligence officer. Captain Hollin Stershin-198 is my friend. I would never hurt him or his people." I smugly said.
((Does your friend know what you did to Visser Three?))
"$What's he talking about, David?$" Hollin asked.
"$Sir David.$" Babylon corrected in Galard.
"Hush, Babylon." I lightly chided as I tried to ignore the flattered feeling I got as Babylon insisted upon my title. Of course, he could have just been kissing my ass for lying to me. "The dangerous individual you told me about that the Ambassador spoke of? The one who conquered Andalite warriors, captured a Yeerk councilor, and tortured a yeerk visser."
"$Yes . . . $" Hollin said, anticipating what I was going to say next.
"That was me." I said.
Hollin didn't react much, but I could tell he wasn't surprised. The only thing I could pick up was . . . disappointment. And a little relief.
Sumdac on the other hand was cursing up a storm in Draque. He had the good sense to keep it mostly to himself.
((So, I guess I would not be here if it were it not for you. Yes, Sir David?)) Hanerr taunted. ((Whatever you claim I helped create, you must also blame on yourself.))
"I already do, Andalite. Why do you think I'm here? The difference between you and me is that I didn't do it on purpose."
((You think I did? You think I would break the law of Seerow's Kindness like your foolish aristh friend Aximili? That blasted female stole the Escafil device from me.))
"$How did that robotics lab assistant steal the device from you, spy?$" Hollin interrupted.
Hanerr didn't answer at first. ((I infiltrated her house to acquire a piece of her DNA. I was in the process of making a frolis composite dayang morph. Dayang consensus seems to find Lebla attractive, and infiltration is easier if you have an attractive body.))
"$Something Lebla swatted back at you, I gather.$" Sumdac chuckled.
Hanerr narrowed his main eyes in annoyance. ((Yes)) He admitted. ((I went to acquire her while she slept, but in my attempt, I woke her up. She was about to scream, so I made her promise to keep quiet if I showed her I wasn't a threat to her. She said she wanted to see some alien things. She said she was a former resident of some religious, backwater part of this planet and she's never seen aliens. She looked and acted so meek and childish. How was I supposed to know she was actually a scientist and a whore? I brought her and her pet crawbull to my quarters at the Imperial Castle.))
"So you brought the girl and an alien animal to your room? What kind of idiot are you?"
((She knew I wasn't Meklor; I had to protect my cover. I figured her insistence that she bring her pet was some childish attachment. I didn't realize she would know how to use the escafil device or even know what it was. She gave herself the power and she acquired and morphed me.))
"She hit you with your own tailblade, didn't she?" I asked.
Hanerr again did an andalite equivalent of a sneer with his eyes. ((She then acquired and morphed her pet. The two of them carried the box easily and I followed them, but then I was arrested.))
"$We found no crawbulls matching his description.$" Hollin added. "$But we did find a crawbull named Shuga registered to Lebla at an abandoned fuel station the Terrormorphs used to use as a base.$"
"Well, you fucked up, Hanerr. Your ambassador and fellow attendant are now prisoners of six morph-capable Dayangs who have chosen to use the technology for their own gain. If they get their way, they'll be a scourge on the known galaxy just as the yeerks are."
((And you.)) Hanerr adds.
"Don't lump me with them, fool. Because of you, this planet is under martial law. The health of my Hork-Bajir servant is in some kind of peril. I was nearly stabbed to death, and my other servant may never morph again!"
"'Ain't nothing gonna break my stride/ Nobody gonna slow me down/ Oh no. I gotta keep on movin''" sang a voice I recognized from outside the room. Bone's human morph.
Despite how hardcore I was trying to appear to Hanerr, I smiled and sighed a wonderful sigh of relief. Bone still had his powers. I knew it would have crushed him not being able to morph. And I was glad to hear him sing again. Even if it was a cheesy, horrible '80s song.
Bone in human morph burst into the room, still singing, "'Ain't nothing gonna break-a my stride/ I'm running and I won't touch ground/ Oh no. (Oh No) I gotta keep on moving.'"
"Okay, never mind that last part." I admitted to Hanerr.
Bone strutted up to us like he was auditioning for MTV: The Grind and stood next to me. "'We won't stop/Cause we can't stop.' Oh look!" He said. "An Andalite in a box."
((Your servant is another human?)) Hanerr accused.
((Not quite.)) Bone said in thought-speech as he made a fish-face with his human face.
Hanerr was taken aback by the thought-speech as Bone demorphed into his own cape buffalo body. After that, just to prove that the buffalo was his real body, he remorphed into a Hork-Bajir (Laet).
"Boogedy-Boogedy-Boo!" Bone shouted at Hanerr with Laet's voice as he made 'scary' hand movements.
((Felled Trees, what have you done, Hunting?)) Hanerr demanded.
"Sir David." Babylon corrected.
"I have come here to stop what you caused." I said by way of answer, but not really answering his question. "Your foolishness caused this problem. Now, I will fix it."
((The dayang bandits are my responsibility. I will handle it.)) Hanerr insisted.
I noticed Bone started to demorph back to his buffalo body.
"Don't worry, Hanerr. I can handle morph-capable warriors." I said.
((That is what I am afraid of.)) Hanerr muttered. ((It is andalite lives and andalite technology held captive. Excuse me if I do not trust a known terrorist to rescue my people.))
"Well, I had to be told secondhand by Aristh Aximili that the last Andalite Intelligence Agent I met tried to eliminate my species with a quantum virus. So you'll excuse me if I can't trust you, Agent."
((I know nothing of that, but I do know I will find a way out of this box and find you. I will outsmart these Dayangs. Then I'll come after you.))
((Hey, Hey, Hey!)) Bone said, sounding a little like Fat Albert. ((Can't we all just get along?))
"What?" I asked him.
Bone began to morph. I wasn't sure what. (('If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.'))
"Team-up?" I said.
((A partnership?)) Hanerr reiterated questioningly.
Bone was in mid-morph. I realized he was morphing the mini-Buffa-Titan, Toadie. ((What could it hurt?)) Bone asked.
((That could work,)) Hanerr started, ((if you and your allies submit to me as Prince.))
Babylon gave me a sideways glance and then gave Hanerr a very human-looking expression which could best be translated as "Bitch, please."
"I don't think so. We've already established we don't trust each other, but the Dayangs trust me. So if you want come along, it'll be on my terms. Liars make me nervous." I said as I glanced at Babylon.
Babylon looked at the ground in shame as he thought my comment was directed at him. I looked at the bag and then at him, and he was confused.
((Give him the Protimus-bots, dummy!)) Bone yelled privately at Babylon, realizing what I was planning.
Babylon shot Bone a look of annoyance and then gave me the lockbox. I unlocked it and pulled out one of nine syringes.
Hanerr saw the syringe. ((Is that what I think it is?))
"Well that depends; what do you think it is?" I answered snidely as I motioned to Hollin.
"$Arrest-tactic. Surround the cage. Side-arms calibrate to stun level.$" Hollin commanded as the four guards did as Hollin said. They surrounded the cage at each corner. "$Drop him.$"
The bottom of the cage disappeared and Hollin fell to the floor. The Dayangs advanced toward him, but Hanerr whipped his tail around and hit three of the guards with the flat of his blade, knocking them out. Sumdac and Chydla pulled out their guns, but Hollin kept them from firing.
"$He's resisting, Sir. Should I fire?$" asked the remaining gaurd as he slid the top of his body all the way back.
"No, I'll get him." Bone muttered in the low voice of his Mini-buffa-titan morph.
((Stay back, freak!)) Hanerr warned.
"'Wanna bumble with the bee, huh?'" Bone taunted, quoting what think was Lil' Kim.
Hanerr and Bone stared each other down. In a blur of motion, Hanerr struck. Before I could even yell a warning, the flat of Hanerr's tail blade came down on Bone's skull.
Of course, there's a reason Melissa named him Bonehead.
Bone didn't so much as flinch as the blade hit him. Hanerr on the other hand limply retracted his tail in obvious pain.
"If I wanted a kiss, I'd have called your mother." Bone continued to taunt.
((Insolent monster.)) Hanerr muttered. Suddenly, Hanerr struck again. This time he was going to give Bone the pointy end.
"BONE, watch out!" I yelled, but my warning was unnecessary. As fast as Hanerr swung his tail, Bone reacted. Bone caught Hanerr's tail right under the blade before it could reach its target.
"Denied! 'U can't touch this! Duh-nuh-nuh-nuh, Nuh Nuh Nuh-nuh.'" Bone said. Hanerr tried to pull his tail back, but Bone kept a death grip on it. "I offer friendship and partnership and what do you do? You try to take over." Bone grabbed Hanerr's tail with his other hand.
"That's just not nice." Bone continued as his massive humanoid hands squeezed Hanerr's tail. The pain must have been excruciating as Hanerr immediately fell to his deer-like knees. "Then we tell you that if you're a good boy and take your medicine you can come, but nooOOOOoooooo. You have to act like some two-years-old boy and throw a temper tantrum."
((I will not let your terrorist master control me!)) Hanerr vowed.
"It's that or the box." Bone bellowed.
((I think I know another way.)) Hanerr said.
"He's morphing!" Babylon yelled. Sure enough, Hanerr's legs were starting to turn black and his fur was starting to meld into something orange.
"I think you're crusin' for a brusin'." Bone taunted.
Then quite suddenly, Bone pulled on Hanerr's tail and started swinging him like he was a doll.
((AAAAAAAH! PUT ME DOWN!))
The three unconscious dayangs woke up to see a human-shaped buffalo swinging an andalite by its tail. Babylon, the dayangs, and I backed away from Bone and his spinning opponent. I didn't realize he was that strong.
Naturally, Bone was singing. "'You spin right round, baby right round/Like a record baby, right round round round.'"
"That's enough, Bone!" I told him. "Let him go."
"Please put your tray tables up and your seatbacks in full upright and locked position. We are coming in for a landing!" Bone said as he let go of Hanerr's tail and sent him flying into a wall.
When people hit walls, they don't stay there and slide down like in the cartoons. Hanerr hit that wall and immediately bounced off onto the floor where he slid a few inches, before stopping. His tail looked dislocated and started twitching. Hanerr's stalk eyes were closed, and the stalks were twitching. His main eyes were open but not focusing.
We approached Hanerr. I still had the syringe of protimus bots.
"$A dracon beam would have been just as effective.$" Chydla mentioned.
"But not nearly as fun!" Bone growled playfully.
"You're starting to scare me, Bone." Babylon muttered.
"Oh, Hanerr?" I teasingly prompted the abused andalite.
((I do not wish to board that oversized metal box, Mother!)) Hanerr said. ((I want to gather the flowers with you.))
"Oh yeah. He's gone." Bone said as he rubbed the arm he used to spin Hanerr around.
"Now, now, Hanerr. You wanted to help beat the Terrormorphs? Then you can help, but you lied to us. So I'm going to have put you on probation until you learn how to play nice with others." I said as I stuck the needle into his neck.
((Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooow!)) Hanerr lazily protested.
"What's wrong with your arm?" Babylon asked Bone who was still rubbing his arm.
"Dude was a little heavier than I thought." Bone admitted. ((Friggin 'Ow!'))
Before I could wonder where Bone learned the words 'dude' and 'friggin', I activated the protimus bots in Hanerr. I reversed his partial morph and trapped him in the form of a djabala.
((Huh? What? Why am I in djabala morph? I have not morphed this since my proficiency test.)) Hanerr said as the morph completed and his head was clear. ((No. Hunting, you monster, you've trapped me.))
"Relax, Hanerr. Once my computer has extrapolated your other morphs, I'll turn you into something more useful. The bots only last twelve hours so if you behave yourself, maybe I won't have to waste another dose on you."
((You are just as bad as a yeerk.))
"What's so bad about the yeerks, anyway? It's not their fault they're parasites." I said as Ayla informed me that extrapolation was finished. Babylon gave me a surprised look for my comment on the yeerks. "Let's see, thirteen morphs and a morph that's seventy-five percent done. That must be your unfinished Dayang composite. Of the thirteen morphs, seven of them are andalites. The other six, animals from across the galaxy, although at least one is from your home planet."
The extrapolation program Ayla designed was able to give crude renderings of the creatures based on their DNA. Besides the djabala, the other five morphs included a long red snake, a mostly furless thing with stalk eyes and antlers, a green snake with a dinosaur-ish head and seal flippers, the small bug we saw earlier, and some furry fuzzball thing with stubby arms and legs and six or eight bat-like wings.
I thought about asking Ayla to identify them, but I figured I was gonna see Farser soon anyway. Asking him would be easier than sending Ayla to the apparent pain in the metaphorical ass that is the Andalite info-cortex.
((What are you going to do with me?)) Hanerr asked.
I looked at the lackadaisical djabala that lay a few feet away. "We have a battle to prepare for. If you want to help, you'll learn to follow my lead. Or we can drag you, kicking and screaming. Either way, I'm not letting you out of my sight. So, Hanerr, are you going to behave yourself or does Bone have to carry you?"
((Both. This morph walks too damn slow.)) Hanerr muttered as Bone picked him up with his mini-buffa-titan arms. ((This is so undignified.))