Chapter Seven

According to Erica's timetable, we had almost 5 days before the next One ship piece hit. We were determined to celebrate our victory over the latest crashed ship.

We returned to the clone dome, which was now slightly better furnished, as we had found some tables and chairs inside the storage portion.

When we got back, Erica was waiting for us outside. She informed us that repairs on the Pemalite ship were going slower than she anticipated. The Pemalites had built it to last, and the repair matrix was incredible, but even the Pemalites had not anticipated the ship being ripped in half.

We showed her the storage bay, and she flipped out over the box of crystals.

"These are Pemalite Crystals!" she squealed upon seeing the box.

"That sounds familiar," Jason said.

"One of the Animorphs earliest missions," Erica said. "Was to retrieve a Pemalite Crystal that had fallen into the hands of the Yeerks. In the Animorphs official war diaries, they omitted all reference to the Chee, but they did call the crystal by its proper name. Only stating that it had been created by a now-extinct race."

"So what are they?" I asked.

"The most advanced computer processor in the galaxy," Erica said. "Just one of these could run every ship in the entire Andalite fleet."

Menderash scoffed in Thought-Speech, and Erica smiled.

"It's true," she said. "They could even reprogram a Chee. Remove the nonviolence function."

"Will you?" I asked, curiously.

"No," Erica said. "It would be a trauma that I really wouldn't be equipped to deal with. Chee are built to be pacifistic for a reason."

"But I haven't seen so many Pemalite Crystals in one place since before the Howler attack," she continued. "Most were destroyed when the Pemalites were…Pemalite technology is a rare find…And you have a whole box of the most powerful processor they made."

(That is interesting,) Menderash commented. (It might indicate that whoever built this place, extracted the technology from the Pemalite base we came here to find.)

"I could probably use these to repair that computer in the clone-room," Erica said, scooping up a handful.

"Go for it," Jason said.

We returned to the campsite and casually sat around the fire, grilling up a small dinosaur that Jason had caught with George and Martha this morning.

"Starting to get a little scraggly there," I commented to Jason, reaching up with my hand and brushing the stubble that was forming on his face.

"Give me a break," he said. "I haven't shaved since the Pemalite ship…No holographic razor."

He frowned, glancing at me.

"No offense, Emily," He said. "But how are your legs still smooth? You haven't been able to shave either."

"I haven't shaved my legs since we started morphing," I admitted. "I just sort of…My mental image of myself has shaved legs, so, my legs are shaved when I demorph."

"What?" Jason said, frowning. "That's…Not how it works? You can't alter your hair length when you morph…"

"That IS one of the non-genetic factors that the Morphing technology scans for when acquiring," Menderash commented. "Fat content, hair length, things that are more affected by natural development, than DNA itself…However…It's possible that Emily is an Estreen."

"Uh," I said. "No way. I've tried to make my morphs look pretty, and it doesn't work."

"There is more than one type of Estreen," Menderash said. "Morph dancers who create beauty from their morphing process, they are the most famous…But some Estreens can morph with greater speed than ordinary morphers. And some…Some are capable of making cosmetic changes to their morphs, or natural forms."

"Cosmetic changes?" I asked.

"Anything that is not part of the DNA factor," Menderash said. "You can't change your hair or eye color. That's DNA. But…In theory, you could change the fat content of your morphs. Or hair length, as I believe you have been subconsciously doing with your legs."

"Finger nails?" I asked, looking at my hands.

"Yes," Menderash said. "Human fingernail length is a non-genetic factor."

"Age?" I asked, suddenly.

"No," Menderash said. "Age is not strictly speaking a genetic factor, but the length of a creature's chromosomes are determined by its age, which is what the morphing technology factors in. A morph doesn't age when not in use."

"I'm gonna try something," I said, and focused my mind on my Deinonychus morph.

I quietly assumed the morph while the others watched with interest. Then, I focused on becoming human again…But this time, with a cute short hairstyle that I'd seen in a magazine. Typically, my hair was shoulder-length…But now, I was imagining it as only being neck length.

Sure enough, as my human form finished reappearing, I reached up and felt my hair…Which was now neck-length instead of shoulder length.

"That is so cool," I said. "I never need a haircut again."

"Where is the extra hair length?" Jason asked, frowning.

"It is now among the excess mass floating freely in Zero-Space," Menderash said casually.

"What do you think?" I asked, spinning around.

"Very chic," Erica said.

"I like your hair longer," Jason said. "I think it looks better. Not that you don't look good now."

I tried to hide my disappointment…But you know what…I might be in love with Jason, and he might be my best friend…But a girl's hair is her identity. I could do with it whatever I wanted, and I didn't care what Jason thought about it.

"Can the hair Estreen-Thing be taught?" Jason asked. "I'd definitely like to ditch shaving if I could."

"You look like you have already," I teased.

"Har, har," Jason responded.

"Emily might be able to teach you, or at least explain how she does it," Menderash said. "But you will never be able to pick up on it as well as she does. It is a talent unique to her…Well, her and Estreens like her."

"I can project a razor for you to use," Erica said. "I'll have to be in proximity, though. Pretty sure there's an advanced 3D printer in the dome though…Constructing the cloning chamber tubes. If I fix the computer, I might be able to print you a razor."

"Whatever's clever," Jason said.

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With the discovery of the blankets and more mattresses in the storage dome, Jason, Menderash, and I no longer needed to share a bed. Which was good, because it was already awkward enough.

However, I couldn't sleep. So, while Jason and Menderash snoozed, I slipped outside to look at the stars.

Jurassic Planet's sky was half-filled by a gorgeous wall of orange, yellow, and blue. A nebula that I was told was less than a light-year away. It also had two moons, each about half the size of earth's moon. One was always full, the other went through phases like Earth's moon, but at a faster rate, being full every three nights. It was a beautiful sky. So very alien…But familiar nonetheless.

Muk-Luk stood nearby, casually tending the fire.

"Guess Kelbrid don't sleep?" I asked.

"On the contrary," He said. "We close our blossoms and rest our conscious minds in the evening, just as you humans do. I simply found my mind too distracted to rest."

"Yeah," I said. "Me too."

The sounds of several dinosaurs could be heard making calls in the distance. I wondered vaguely if it was a mating call, or a territorial dispute, or any number of things. I could morph them…But the dinosaurs were still very mysterious to me.

"The last two One ships will crash into the desert beneath the plateau," I commented. "We can't create forest fires there."

"We will have to tap that aquifer," he said. "When we run out of water in the current aquifer."

"Did you just say that we'll cross that bridge when we come to it?" I asked.

"I suppose that that is the human metaphor of equivalent value," he said. "But I prefer the Kelbrid one."

"What's your world like?" I asked.

"It is very beautiful," he said. "Lots of fertile soil, running water, and meat to consume."

"Right…" I said.

"We have built major cities where the swamps used to be," he commented. "And Terrestrial Kelbrid do not use the same travel machines that the Starlords do. Their travel machines are lighter, and have a clear dome on top, to collect moisture and sunlight. Starlord Kelbrid must wear these meat-shaped armor, so as to not alarm alien life. There are solar panels on the interior, so I can gather nutrients and photosynthesize…But I prefer natural sunlight. It 'tastes' better."

"I'm sorry that you guys feel like you have to hide who you are," I commented.

"Perhaps one day," he said. "It will no longer be necessary."

"I hope so," I said. "Where are you guys?"

"You cannot see Keblia's star from here," He said. "The nebula blocks it from view."

"How do you even see?" I wondered. "You don't have eyes."

"I have sense receptors," he huffed in annoyance. "How do you see?"

"My eyes pick up visual stimuli," I said. "My ears audio stimuli, and my nose olfactory stimuli."

"Ah," he said. "But those are limited, are they not? If you only receive visual stimuli through your eyes…Doesn't that mean that you can only observe things that your eyes are pointed at?"

"Yeah," I said. "That's pretty much how eyes work."

"That is bizarre," Muk-Luk said. "I cannot fathom that…Being unable to 'see' everything around me."

"You and the Andalites have that in common," I said. "We're not so different, you know. Everyone's just trying to get by and understand one another in this crazy galaxy."

"Not the One," Muk-Luk said. "It only desires one thing…The consumption and absorption of all life. It wants to be the only living thing in existence."

"Yeah," I said. "Well, the One is a butthead."

"I do not understand that term," Muk-Luk commented.

I considered explaining it, but decided that it would probably be better if I didn't.

"I'm going to go to sleep now," I said. "We've got five days to prep the next crash site for the One. We shouldn't waste them."