Aximili notices Buffy come up from behind with a stalk eye pointed in that direction; Andalites are almost impossible to sneak up on. He supposes it must have been an illusion created by the strange weather, because it seemed almost as if she'd floated down from the sky. She reminds him, with an almost physical pang, of his friend Rachel. She's older and significantly smaller in stature, but her face, her yellow hair, and her general bearing remind him of his fallen friend. He knows it is irrational, but the resemblance draws him to her instantly. He heard the other humans call her Buffy, which does not resemble any human name he has yet heard.

«Also, in all likelihood, liable to sudden collapse,» he adds to Buffy's assessment. He points his main eyes to the west, where the second tunnel is located, and points one stalk eye at Buffy and the other at the strange blue female. «The blue female and I have elected to use another tunnel to the west. If this is the entire expedition assembled here, will anyone else join our party?»