That's only assuming that I don't quicken the pace any time soon, and don't run out of idea. Or don't veto some books, like I've done with some parodies (nearly 800!) -- I vetoed the one where Horse basically tells the RAFian version of Star Wars. . . . Perhaps I will quicken the pace again, once I get a more comfortable chair -- this one I'm sitting on now really hasn't much comfort.
CHAPTER SEVEN:
The Enceladian Andalbeest
"Sire, the dragosaurus was --"
"Don't finish that sentence, Bubbles," Rotiart snapped. "I'm well aware! But at least that slag-spoutin' saurian* got what she deserved."
"Her survival doesn't seem likely, according to the data received."
Rotiart waved this off, "Makes no nevermind to me. My magnum opus is nearly complete. . . ." Rotiart said, ending with an almost reverent tone when he gestured toward the largest tube that was steeped in darkness and shadows. "Just three little RAFians to do away with, minions."
Then he walked up to the computer interface, and spoke in a sharp, commanding tone, "Computer, is there Andalites alone? Mark-bearing Andalites?"
"Searching . . ." came the cool female voice.
He glanced ruefully at the spiky red "B" no emblazoned on his palm where the blue "R" of the Mark used to be.
"Located -- designate Noelle -- at the coordinates." the computer's voice said in a rather stilted way.
"Excellent, launch and send the Andalbeest toot sweet."
"Sire, I don't think that's how you say --" Bubbles began before Rotiart smacked him so hard that his head was left spinning literally.
"Don't you correct me, you mindless automaton."
***
Noelle was outside RAF, running, prancing through a field, grazing as Andalites are apt to do. She seemed fairly relaxed and more confident in her abilities than she may have been 25 years ago. But she did not come out this far from RAF unarmed -- she wasn't stupid. She carried a fully-charged Shredder, and she had her tail and her morphing. She was pretty confident that she could handle anything that came up. And, if she couldn't, she was in thought-speak range of her fellow RAFians.
So she continued to feed, and exercise -- there hadn't been any real incidents that happened to her knowledge . . . only because she didn't know the incidents with Parker and the technovore, Gaz and the cruxpalm, Blaze and the muklok, and Dino and the dragosaurus. She continued to graze in blissful ignorance of the danger that approached her with alarmingly rapidity.
It was the loud crash and thump that grabbed her attention. It came from the forest. She had her stalk eyes dutifully scanning her surroundings . . . she was horribly reminded of the Xenomorphic-Brood encounter years before. She suppressed a shutter. She watched as blacks smoke curled out of the edge of the forest. She narrowed her main eyes, squinting to see through the smoke. She did not call out to it -- experience told her that doing such would be a very stupid idea.
But then the colossal beast rushed out from the forest, standing on four large, spider-like legs, with smaller leg-like appendages extending from its abdomen. Its head was rather like that of a rhino, only with the horn being of bone, not keratin. It's mouth was horrendous enough to cause a Taxxon to faint from looking at it. It had a smooth, thick-looking back with a camel-like hump, which apparently was nothing but a mass of muscle. The skin was granite-gray and craggy-looking, almost like bark. It issued a bloodcurling roar rather like a high-pitched tyrannosaur roar with some bear in it.
Noelle felt something she hadn't felt in a long time. Terror. Mind-numbing terror. She tried to scream for help, but found that her thought-speak no longer worked! This creature must have some sort of biological thought-speak dampener built into it. She could not think how -- she's never seen a creature like this before now.
She whipped out her Shredder and fired it at the creature. It just warmed its skin! It did nothing, but annoy it! Noelle kept firing it until the charge was gone. Then she threw it, and it found itself inside the creatures mouth. The andalbeest just swallowed it with no worry or hesitation.
This is NOT good, Noelle thought to herself. And with the thought-speak dampeners, it's the only communication she could do.
It rushed her, but she sidestepped and struck it with her tailblade. It left a streak in the creature's side, but it did not bleed, it did not wince, it did not wail. The cut simply sealed itself in twice the time it would have taken Demos. Noelle blinked all four eyes in surprise and shock, realizing she couldn't do anything to this beast! She couldn't defeat it. She couldn't defeat it. No Andalite could!
. . . No
Andalite could, huh? Hmmm . . . Noelle concentrated on the picture of a polar bear, and waited for the changes to happen.
But they never did. The same thought-speak dampeners must have a morphing field dampener as well!
Well, this is just dandy! Just . . . peachy! Noelle thought savagely.
She tried to run away, but this creature was faster than her. She tried again with her tailblade, but the creature easily dodged, and slashed her with the surprisingly sharp legs, leaving several gashes in her side, and her right rear leg was now useless. The pain was intense. If she could only morph it away!! If she could only morph it away!!
She stumbled and fell on her side. She looked up with her left stalk eye and saw the beast looming over her. She tensed her body, preparing to feel the first bite -- but it never came. Noelle opened her eyes, all four of them, wondering whether the creature was enjoying torturing her when she saw it rear up and explosions rip its back. It didn't seem able to heal from burns like it could from cuts and slices.
"You chose one HECK of a dancing partner, Noelle," a voice said. She knew that voice. But she still couldn't speak, not that she didn't want to.
"What's with the silent treatment?" the same voice said, helping her right herself. It was Blue -- Blue had thrown exploding shurrikens that caused the beast intense pain to which it was unaccustomed. "Oh, hold on a minute, Big Ugly's not dead yet."
Blue withdrew is ninjabo, and began to hack the creature apart. . . . Apparently, the touch of admantium was like a branding iron to its skin. Within a few minutes (which included Blue using his favorite ninja trick of vanishing in a puff of smoke and leaving a log in his place), Blue had thoroughly taken care of the beast.
<Ah,> Noelle gasped in pain, relieved that she could thought-speak again. She did a quick human morph and back again. The pain vanished, and she was pleased. <Much better. And I can talk again.>
"What? You couldn't talk?"
<As best as I can figure, that creature had some sort of thought-speak dampeners, as well as morphing field dampeners.>
"That's possible?"
<Apparently so.>
"Well, this has to be told to the others," Blue said, and Noelle agreed, <Let's go.>
---
*Yet another Beast Wars reference.
