Chapter 9

We removed several items from the bunker. Menderash, as I'd ordered, took the comms panel straight towards the ship. I looked for Ax's reaction and took note.

He watched with just a single stalk eye as the three of us took out enough equipment to utilize all six arms. ((There is no need for those items anymore,)) he spoke nonchalantly.

I stood beside the nearest tree to him. He was in a seated position on the portable bed, looking a little steadier after more water and a sampling of grass that we'd thought to bring with us. Judging by the relative easiness of everybody who'd remained up top, the interrogation had not yet begun. I was satisfied because I wanted to hear every answer myself. I was also happy to see that Marco had brought from the ship a type of alien Dictaphone to record whatever conversation we had. I asked him to repeat whatever Ax said, understanding that thought-speak may not get picked up.

With my suspicions held snugly to my chest, I started the interrogation.

"So, what happened?" I asked of him.

He turned his main eyes to me, the stalks still surveying the area as if searching for something hidden. ((I escaped The One," he began to explain. "Hosts aren't attached to the machine at all times. We would have to be fed and watered separately.))

"How does that work?" I said.

((We were removed from our cells… small cocoons that are attached to the system mainframe… and taken to a different facility under extreme supervision. It happened… once every few Earth days, if my recollection is clear. I'm so happy that you came. I thought they'd get me first. The Kelbrids are certainly not as accommodating as Humans, and their grass is not delicious.))

"How did you escape their supervision?" I pressed.

One of his stalk eyes suddenly found me to be more interesting than the adjacent trees. ((I made plans. With each visit to the feeding facility, I studied the surroundings. I thought I'd spotted an escape route and a member of the Kelbrid security team with a weakness. As any worthy warrior would do, I exploited the flaw of the adversary. I fought off my captors at the precise moment and escaped to where I knew I couldn't easily be found.))

It sounded reasonable, even if he'd skipped over the finer details. I knew Ax well enough to understand that such cunning would not be beyond him. "And you took a ship?"

((Yes, I did,)) he hummed coolly. ((That part, Icouldn'tplan ahead. I only knew that the escape route led away from the facility. I came into an alley deep inside of the Kelbrid base. They'd raised the alarm, so I knew that I had very little time.

((Fortunately, Prince Jake, I have gathered enough morphs over my time on Earth that such challenging scenarios become much easier! I morphed a small Earth bird just before they located me amongst the waste disposal units.))

"Both the best and worst kinda place to hide…" Marco commented quietly.

Ax continued. ((It didn't take me long to find a dock. The Kelbrid docks are big and enclosed, much like Earth hangars. There are many entrances, but only one that is safe to enter, even in morph.))

"Why?" I asked.

Ax looked a little embarrassed. ((Because of me, they know of the morphing ability. The One has seen all of my knowledge and all of my memories.)) He looked directly at Marco. ((I'm sorry to say that your collection ofHustlermagazines is well known amongst the Kelbrid military.))

"Geez…" Marco uttered. "Could be useful if we needed a distraction, though."

((Knowing about the morphing technology, they have implemented scanning devices that can identify foreign creatures that do not belong, like a Gleet Biofilter. Those devices have been built into entranceways associated with the buildings of military bases and personnel.

((I knew that the dock must have small ventilation units. Indeed, it had one hidden at the rear of the structure, and I entered through there. It was safe, and I was inside. Once I found the main port, I snuck into one of the transporters and proceeded to the bridge, where I counted on good luck to quickly gain a grasp on the ship's workings.))

"And you managed to fly from the base unscathed," I presumed.

((Not wholly unscathed,)) he responded. ((They didn't fire on me, but they followed closely. That is until they reached traffic at the atmosphere border.))

Santorelli chuckled. "You tellin' us that you ran some kinda alien red light?"

Ax nodded. ((That would be a suitable comparison. Only, it was more to do with restrictions on free exit from the planet. The Kelbrids weren't delayed by much, but it allowed me to leave their line of sight.))

Marco glanced at me warily. He was just as unconvinced as I was by that portion of the story.

"Then what happened?" I asked.

((I wanted to get over the border,)) he said. ((But I couldn't decipher the Z-drive. I came to this moon, which was as far as I could go without being stranded in open space with inadequate supplies. I knew that the Kelbrids had still been following me, so I used the ship's radars to find this area, unloaded, and flew it far away to land. Then I walked back here.))

"Any signs of the Kelbrids since you leftKyritlyp?" I asked.

((I saw signs of activity in the atmosphere,)) he said thoughtfully. ((That was when I started to send messages on Andalite frequencies.))

That must have been why he looked so panicked during the transmission. Again, it was a portion of a story that often made a lot of sense, spewed amongst a list of conveniences and hard-to-believe scenarios.

Then Ax looked up to the sky and around the local area with his stalk eyes. ((Prince Jake, how far is the fleet? Are they hidden?))

"There's no fleet," I told him.

He looked baffled and uncertain. For a moment, he was lost for words. ((I don't understand… Why have they sent you?))

Marco answered quicker than I could, his eagerness possibly coming from bitterness. "They didn't. Everybody knows that it takes one Human to do the job of ten Andalites. We got tired of waiting for them to get their blue butts in gear."

((But…)) He looked around again as if he thought we were being facetious. ((Surely, they would attempt to save me.))

"Maybe they will," I said. "We don't know. What wedoknow is that we got here first."

Ax started to get up. His stance was still quite shaky, but he could stand upright and away from the makeshift bed. He bent his front end down in a courteous Andalite bow. It looked so much more dignified than when Humans tried the same. ((Prince Jake, I can't express how thankful I am.))

"Cut it, Ax-man," I said with a weak, forced chuckle. "You'd do the same for us."

((You always were my closest friends,)) he said, and it felt real. It hit me hard. I suddenly began to picture in my head all of those times where we'd bonded the most. In the mall… Cinnabon… At his scoop… and on the verge of death. Countless times.

"You thought we'd leave you out here?" I laughed. "We've been searching for you for, oh, at least a year."

"Closer to two now," Marco estimated. "Do you realize how far behind I'll be in knowing whos-who in the biz? I'll be more irrelevant than Dustin Diamond."

"Dude! Now I know who you remind me of!" Santorelli blurted out.

((Who is thisDustin Diamond?)) As requested.

"Screech," I sighed.

((Ah yes, the funny one from Saved by the Bell. His antics always amused me.))

Marco shook his head. "I've spent two years of my life trying to save somebody who found Screech funny…"

I brought us back on topic before the conversation could take a further tangent. "Things have been complicated. When we came out to save you, we took two Andalite ships. Well… Andalite-heldships."

((You stole them?!)) Ax said with shock.

"We knew that we wouldn't get permission. You were past theGrattBorder, so the Andalites wouldn't go. We took matters into our own hands, and now we are fugitives from the Andalite military."

That raised his suspicions. ((How did you get my transmission?))

"We were able to intercept it," I responded plainly.

He didn't buy it. ((The frequency I used to transmit is only known by the military.))

"Yeah," I said. "We know."

((I can only think of one way…)) he pondered. ((Menderash must have informed you. That… that's illegal!))

Marco replied, "Come on, Ax. Your brother did the same. Look how that turned out."

((Yes. Yes, that's right. However, it will not be seen as such a gracious act by the military.))

"Does it matter?" I reasoned. "You said it yourself: He's a disgrace. As far as the universe is concerned, he is no longer an Andalite. He's no more a criminal than we are."

((The military will want an explanation…)) Ax said cautiously.

"As far as they know, he's just Eddy Jameson, the bricklayer," I asserted. "And we found the radio transmission frequency ourselves. In the end, Ax, we don't care, so long as you're okay."

That must have touched him because he almost bowed a second time. ((You can't know how much I appreciate this.))

"Like I said, you'd do the same for us," I reiterated.

He rose to stand tall. The shaking in his legs was lessening. ((What is the plan? Will you be returning me to Earth? I admit that I miss it a lot, especially Hot Pockets.))

"We don't know yet," I acknowledged.

"Earth would be a safe bet," Marco suggested. "Ax can have all the hot pockets he wants, that way. Added bonus: No Andalites around to arrest us. But, you know… Priorities."

((I can make a transmission to Andal from Earth,)) Ax said. ((You could take me near an Andalite base. After that, you can trust me to keep your whereabouts safe. In fact, I could help to clear your name. Rescuing me would be considerable leverage.))

After what we did? Not likely… I didn't bring up my doubts, though.

"Sure thing, Ax," I said reassuringly. "Hey, any chance you know where you landed your ship?"

He stared at me blankly for a moment. ((My ship? I know vaguely which direction it's in…))

Helpful… "It might be worth checking it out. Could be useful."

((I don't believe so,)) he replied. ((If the Kelbrids aren't infesting it, then all it's good for is scrap and dust.))

"It's not operational?"

((It was barely operational when I first boarded it.))

Marco asked, "How far away is it?"

((Oh, about thirty Earth miles.))

"Ax," I said. "Any idea why the Kelbrids haven't found you yet? I mean… if your ship is only thirty miles away, and its radars found this underground bunker…"

Santorelli finished my stream of thought. "Those slimy bastards woulda been all over you ages ago."

Ax seemed to shrug it off. ((I can't know how their scouts operate. Perhaps they saw my ship and decided that I was better off dead on this lifeless moon.))

"Or maybe they delayed the party because they expected some extra guests…" Marco suggested, with loud, clear implications.

((They expected Andalites…))

It almost came as a surprise to me that Tobias was still there, still looming away to the side in his Hork-Bajir body. His tone was ghostlier than usual.

((Did the Kelbrids see you?)) Ax asked. ((Or you them?))

"We didn't see any ships," I replied. "And we're sure they wouldn't have seen us."

((We should leave before they have a chance to find us. Their technology is highly advanced. They could be watching us as we speak.))

My heart saiddefinitely.On the other hand, my brain knew that doing so would have been the height of stupidity. "We can't leave yet," I said. "There's a problem with the ship's portside engine. We're not leaving until it's fixed.

Ax surveyed the horizon of dust and dead trees, searching for signs of the vessel that wasn't truly in need of repair. ((What type of ship have you arrived with? Most ships are capable of operation with just one engine in working order.))

"Not any ship you're familiar with," I responded.

Everybody else had submitted to silence, just as I would have wanted. They knew that I was formulating a story to play along with, so they wouldn't risk placing a contradiction into the mix. I was happy that they all took the cues so well.

Ax replied, ((Is it not an Andalite ship?))

"It's an Ooguui ship," I told him.

For probably the first time, I was the one clearly more knowledgeable on an alien race than he was. He cocked his head with curiosity. ((Ooguui?))

"They came to Earth shortly after you disappeared. We were able to take one of their ships."

He asked hopefully, ((Can it work with just one engine?))

"No."

((Then I will do what I can to help mend it, Prince Jake. Might I see the ship?))

"Sure," I said. "Are you able to walk?"

((I am. Thank you for the water. I don't know how much longer I would have lasted without it.))

He started to walk but almost immediately stumbled. He lacked severely in energy, to the point where even morphing might leak away the last of it. "Easy there," I said. "Sarge."

"Roger, boss!" He eagerly jogged to Ax's side as a Human stabilizer and started to guide him in the direction of the ship, leaving the rest of us to follow cautiously behind.

Tobias was the only one able to speak privately, while Marco and I exchanged uncertain glances. His words were far blunter than ours would have been.

((It's not him.))