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coming behind them. And over there, we have about two dozen
Andalite ships, also low down, and maybe a
hundred tough-looking Andalites on the ground.
I may be wrong, but I don't think the good
guys are gonna win this round.";
We should try and reach the Andalite forces,";
I said.
Why, so some other Andalite traitor can
rat us out?"; Rachel said harshly.
My tail blade was at her throat before I
knew it.
She stared at me with cool, blue human
eyes. "What's the matter, Ax? Does the
truth hurt? You blew us off so you could suck up
to Captain Creep back there. If we go and
find more Andalites, what happens? You tell us
to go sit in a corner and be nice while you start
yes, sir-+ and no, sir-+ the next
Andalite you see?"
I pulled my tail blade back,
horrified that I'd gotten so emotional. I
felt the anger drain away. Rachel was right.
I made a mistake trusting Captain
Samilin. I made a mistake dismissing all
of you. You have ... you have kept me alive and
befriended me for a long time. All I can say is
that none of you knows what it's like to be completely
cut off from your own people.";
One of us does,"; Tobias said
quietly.
All I can do is say I'm sorry. And
I will consider Jake my prince until he
says otherwise."; I turned to face Prince
Jake, focusing all my eyes on him. ally
are my prince until you, and only you, say
otherwise.";
For once he did not say, "Don't call
me prince."
Instead he said, "Fine. Now what I want
to know is this: Is there anyone on the Andalite
side we can be totally sure of?"
It was a hurtful question. I felt the last of my
pride melting away. The commander. If he were
a Yeerk spy, this entire battle would already be
lost.";
"It looks pretty lost to me," Marco said
bluntly.
Force Commander Prince
Galuit-Enilon-Esgarrouth lost his entire
family to a Yeerk raid on an Andalite
outpost. His entire family: wife and three
children. They died rather than be captured. Their
bodies were fed to the Taxxons. We can trust
Prince Galuit."; I sighed. And we
probably should trust ... no one else.";
It sounded simple: Reach the Andalite forces.
But it is a very dangerous thing, advancing toward a
lot of angry, very dangerous, very heavily armed,
very nervous warriors.
The automated defensive grid will fire
at anything in the air that comes too close,"; I
warned. Anything. If it is more than a few
feet above the ground the sensors will pick it up,
target it, and fire.";
"This ground is too rough to walk
over," Cassie said thoughtfully. "And it's
getting dark. We could try smaller birds. The
seagull morphs again. No, wait! Bats! Not
as fast, but very agile. And with echolocation we can
fly close to the ground even in the dark."
"To the bat morph, Robin!" Marco said, with
cheerfulness that seemed totally out of place.
"We morph, then we fly, hugging the ground the
whole way," Jake said. "Once behind Andalite
lines we try and figure out a way to reach this
Prince Galuit." He looked at me. "And
whatever happens, we stay out of this battle till
we reach Galuit. Understood?"
all yes, Prince Jake.";
Prince Jake looked at me with an
unsmiling mouth. Then he said, "Don't call
me prince," and formed a small smile with his mouth
parts.
all yes, Prince Jake,"; I said.
I had been in bat morph before, and after doing
mosquito and fly morphs it seems almost
normal. It has fur, for one thing. And I find
fur very comforting, even when it is dark brown and very
different from my own blue.
But bats are almost cripples on the ground.
Bat legs are stunted and clumsy, and their
front legs--or arms, whatever--are encumbered
by leathery wings. Being unable to run is disturbing for
any Andalite.
I focused on the bat, this strange creature
from a strange planet so far away. I shrank,
down and down as if I were falling. As if I
might fall into one of the thousands of bubbles in the
volcanic rock beneath me.
My front legs withered and left me almost
facedown on the rock. My tail blade
crinkled, like a burning leaf. The crinkling, withering
worked its way up my tail.
I couldn't help but picture the tactical
officer in those horrible moments after the captain had
struck and cut away his tail. I hadn't liked
T.o. Harelin. He seemed to me like too many
older officers: full of prejudices and
arrogance. But he had been a true Andalite.
He had died a hero.
Now my hind legs began to shrink, staying
perfectly symmetrical till they were quite
small. Then, at the last moment, tiny claws
replaced the hooves.
My arms moved back, rotating a
few degrees around my body. My fingers
elongated relative to the rest of the arm, which was
shrinking. Skin began to grow in loose,
gray-then-black folds. It hung down from my
arms as if I were wearing very loose human
clothing.
Clothing is pliable fabric designed to cover [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl rafalstec.xlx.pl
coming behind them. And over there, we have about two dozen
Andalite ships, also low down, and maybe a
hundred tough-looking Andalites on the ground.
I may be wrong, but I don't think the good
guys are gonna win this round.";
We should try and reach the Andalite forces,";
I said.
Why, so some other Andalite traitor can
rat us out?"; Rachel said harshly.
My tail blade was at her throat before I
knew it.
She stared at me with cool, blue human
eyes. "What's the matter, Ax? Does the
truth hurt? You blew us off so you could suck up
to Captain Creep back there. If we go and
find more Andalites, what happens? You tell us
to go sit in a corner and be nice while you start
yes, sir-+ and no, sir-+ the next
Andalite you see?"
I pulled my tail blade back,
horrified that I'd gotten so emotional. I
felt the anger drain away. Rachel was right.
I made a mistake trusting Captain
Samilin. I made a mistake dismissing all
of you. You have ... you have kept me alive and
befriended me for a long time. All I can say is
that none of you knows what it's like to be completely
cut off from your own people.";
One of us does,"; Tobias said
quietly.
All I can do is say I'm sorry. And
I will consider Jake my prince until he
says otherwise."; I turned to face Prince
Jake, focusing all my eyes on him. ally
are my prince until you, and only you, say
otherwise.";
For once he did not say, "Don't call
me prince."
Instead he said, "Fine. Now what I want
to know is this: Is there anyone on the Andalite
side we can be totally sure of?"
It was a hurtful question. I felt the last of my
pride melting away. The commander. If he were
a Yeerk spy, this entire battle would already be
lost.";
"It looks pretty lost to me," Marco said
bluntly.
Force Commander Prince
Galuit-Enilon-Esgarrouth lost his entire
family to a Yeerk raid on an Andalite
outpost. His entire family: wife and three
children. They died rather than be captured. Their
bodies were fed to the Taxxons. We can trust
Prince Galuit."; I sighed. And we
probably should trust ... no one else.";
It sounded simple: Reach the Andalite forces.
But it is a very dangerous thing, advancing toward a
lot of angry, very dangerous, very heavily armed,
very nervous warriors.
The automated defensive grid will fire
at anything in the air that comes too close,"; I
warned. Anything. If it is more than a few
feet above the ground the sensors will pick it up,
target it, and fire.";
"This ground is too rough to walk
over," Cassie said thoughtfully. "And it's
getting dark. We could try smaller birds. The
seagull morphs again. No, wait! Bats! Not
as fast, but very agile. And with echolocation we can
fly close to the ground even in the dark."
"To the bat morph, Robin!" Marco said, with
cheerfulness that seemed totally out of place.
"We morph, then we fly, hugging the ground the
whole way," Jake said. "Once behind Andalite
lines we try and figure out a way to reach this
Prince Galuit." He looked at me. "And
whatever happens, we stay out of this battle till
we reach Galuit. Understood?"
all yes, Prince Jake.";
Prince Jake looked at me with an
unsmiling mouth. Then he said, "Don't call
me prince," and formed a small smile with his mouth
parts.
all yes, Prince Jake,"; I said.
I had been in bat morph before, and after doing
mosquito and fly morphs it seems almost
normal. It has fur, for one thing. And I find
fur very comforting, even when it is dark brown and very
different from my own blue.
But bats are almost cripples on the ground.
Bat legs are stunted and clumsy, and their
front legs--or arms, whatever--are encumbered
by leathery wings. Being unable to run is disturbing for
any Andalite.
I focused on the bat, this strange creature
from a strange planet so far away. I shrank,
down and down as if I were falling. As if I
might fall into one of the thousands of bubbles in the
volcanic rock beneath me.
My front legs withered and left me almost
facedown on the rock. My tail blade
crinkled, like a burning leaf. The crinkling, withering
worked its way up my tail.
I couldn't help but picture the tactical
officer in those horrible moments after the captain had
struck and cut away his tail. I hadn't liked
T.o. Harelin. He seemed to me like too many
older officers: full of prejudices and
arrogance. But he had been a true Andalite.
He had died a hero.
Now my hind legs began to shrink, staying
perfectly symmetrical till they were quite
small. Then, at the last moment, tiny claws
replaced the hooves.
My arms moved back, rotating a
few degrees around my body. My fingers
elongated relative to the rest of the arm, which was
shrinking. Skin began to grow in loose,
gray-then-black folds. It hung down from my
arms as if I were wearing very loose human
clothing.
Clothing is pliable fabric designed to cover [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]