The Tour

Posted on Sat May 16th, 2026 @ 3:16pm by Commander Alex Flynn & Calithra-Esmarill-Tiranas
Edited on on Sat May 16th, 2026 @ 3:21pm

1,040 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Shifting Shapes [4-5]
Location: Delta Dock, Calithra's Temporary Quarters
Timeline: MD03 - 1145 Hours

Alex appeared without appointment at Calithra's quarters around midday, having seen she was still there. She hit the chime and waited with a smile.

Cali answered the door in human form. "Commander. Hello. Can I help you?" She had already had one guest this morning, she was surprised to have another, but glad for it.

"Hi. You busy? I just thought I'd drop in and see how you were adjusting." Alex asked, waiting where she was, not knowing yet how Cali felt about guests. She wasn't easy to read.

"I am not busy, no. Please come in." Cali said, moving out of the way of the door. "I am adjusting well. Commander T'Zor visited me again this morning. I have fewer questions now. She gives good answers."

"She does at that. One of the many reasons we made her science chief. How are you finding your quarters?" Alex asked.

"The bipedal furniture was not so convenient. I have no problem spending my time awake using it but I can only sleep in my native form. Fortunately your people got me a bigger bed." Cali told the executive officer. "Now I have all I need, but..."

"What but? I'm here to make sure there are no buts." Alex said encouragingly.

"There is room enough here for a family, but I need space. Outside space. Where I can run and feel the wind. The weather. My people do not do well inside for long periods. Even the outer spaces of this dock are good, the promenades and walkways, but the limits are like a nagging presence to me." Cali admitted.

"Oh, sure. I think I know exactly what you need. Want to go for a walk? I promise you'll like where we're going. Eventually, if not at first." Alex said with a glint in her eye.

"I do." Cali said after considering it for a moment, nodding. "Should I remain in this form?"

"Only if you want to. You're free to be yourself. Some people might stare a bit less than politely, but they'll get over it." Alex affirmed.

Cali suddenly shifted back into her native Andalite body. "Then I will remain as I am."

Soon they were on the way to the holodeck, Alex checked the display and found that several were free. She entered a few commands, and one of the sets of doors opened for them, revealing a vast highland plain in the late afternoon. Alex took the first few steps inside.

"Yaolin." Cali swore to herself, astounded to see this great grassy plan ahead of her. Without warning, she galloped suddenly off at top speed.

She lost track of time quickly, the cool wet air of this place was invigorating. She steered up a nearby hill with a small lake in its middle. From the top she could see distant rivers and rolling fields. How could this be? She knew of holograms that could conceal identities, but everything she could see in the distance seemed to be there when she arrived. She could feel the grass beneath her feet, even as she ingested it she could feel it being consumed.

From behind, a hovercruiser ferrying Commander Flynn caught up to Cali, the motorbike-like hovercraft delivered her at great speed, she also felt a certain amount of invigoration riding one again, even if it was only the holodeck. "Pretty, no?"

"Where are we? Surely this place cannot exist here." Cali asked.

"Well, no. This is all holographic. Its a computer simulation projected in front of and around you to make it seem real. It'll keep going forever if you want it to. But eventually you'll hit the ocean. Or England. Neither particularly pleasant." Alex cautioned.

"This is Earth?" Cali asked.

"Yeah. Scotland. The Highlands, specifically. Nice spot, if you own lots of jumpers."

"It is beautiful."

"Oh it's that alright. But there's plenty more where that came from. If you like fields, you should see the bonegrass seas of Kronos, or the great plains of Cait in autumn. Want to check them out?"

"Perhaps another time, thank you Commander. I like this place. I wish to explore it. May I... stay here, for a while? It nourishes me to be in even this artificial outside." Cali asked.

"Of course. Unless someone else books it, it's yours for as long as you need. Just don't get too hooked on it. People can get addicted to these things. We don't let people live in them for that reason, but if you like it, we can probably look at getting you your own holographic backyard for your quarters, once you're somewhere permanent. It'd only hold two or three more people if you wanted to show it off, but it's not bad for something you don't have to leave home for." Alex suggested.

Calithra let her tail swish in a wild arc mimicking the powerful breeze. She seemed as though she was collecting her thoughts on something. "I felt that life here would be tolerable in your small comfortable rooms. Though I spent much of it sleeping, the time since I arrived yesterday was not unpleasant. Still I noticed the smallness of these spaces. I feared it would be stifling, and I could grow to resent it. To know this is here, and all this wild space can be traversed as I will it, it comforts me. It makes me think I could learn to be home here. Thank you, Commander."

"That's what I'm here for." Alex said with a smile. "But go on, have yourself a good time. If you need anything or want to leave, just ask the computer for an arch or an exit. Oh, and remember if you keep getting hungry, there's no nutritional value in anything you eat here."

"I will. And I will remember this kindness." Cali said, before bolting off at top speed in another direction.

Alex smiled to see her go, looking a little more alive than before, even though she was obviously doing her best to hide it. She took in a deep breath of home, and started up the cruiser once more. She lit herself a smoke as she set a course for Eilean Donan Castle, jetting off there faster than was wise.

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