8It seems our extruded ma.s.s was swept up in the wake of a pa.s.sing ship. Everyone is very surprised and excited. We have made a scientific breakthrough."; "Oh, good, I feel better already," Rachel said, using a tone humans call "sarcasm."
"So how do we get back?" Prince Jake asked.
8ationo one knows. The doctor and the other scientists on board are working on the theory. There may be a snapback effect. But they don"t know. And we are about to land on Leera. This is an a.s.sault ship, which means it carries a large number of surface attack craft. It is no longer a secret Yeerk invasion of Leera. It has become a major, open battle. They have four Pool ships in orbit and two Blade ships. Hundreds of Bug fighters. We have less than a third of their forces."; "So let me get this straight," Rachel said.
"Suddenly we"re a bazillion miles from home and we"re about to get dragged into a serious shooting war where the good guys are outnumbered three to one?"
8allyes,"; I said.
"Cool," Rachel said. "What can we do to help?"
"Oh, even for you, Rachel, that is just sick,"
Marco said.
8ally can do nothing,"; I said. 8I told you the kafit bird morph that Visser Three used is from my home planet. That means our side may be infiltrated by Yeerks or their allies.
We can"t trust your secret to anyone. If you do get back to Earth somehow, you won"t survive if the Yeerks find out who you are."; Ca.s.sie tilted her head and looked at me with a sad sort of smile. "If you get back to Earth? Meaning you won"t be going back with us?"
I wished I hadn"t used those words. My head was too full of problems and complications and every kind of emotion. I didn"t really want to think about being separated from my human friends.
Rachel looked disgruntled. "I have news for you, Ax. If there"s some Yeerk b.u.t.t-kicking being done today, I"m in on it."
8We have to follow the captain"s orders,"; I said.
"Says who?" Marco asked.
I was beginning to feel still more troubling emotions.
Something bordering on panic now. And, strangely enough, guilt. 8I am just a lowly aristh. Like a human cadet. I have to follow orders."; I looked pleadingly at Prince Jake. 8ally have to understand. You are no longer my prince, now that I am back among my own people."; They all looked at me. It wasn"t a nice look.
Prince Jake tried not to seem bothered. But although I am no expert on human facial expressions, I believe my statement did cause him concern.
8Maybe you need to think about who your people are now,"; Tobias said in a private whisper that no one else heard.
8I"m not you, Tobias. I"m not a nothlit. I"m not one species trapped in the body of another."; 8ationo. But I don"t think you"re just a lowly aristh anymore, either. And whether you like it or not, you"re one of us."; I didn"t answer him. He was wrong.
Instead I said, as gently as I could, 8The captain has ordered that until the situation is stable, you must all remain here. In this room.
Please do not attempt to move about the ship.";
CHAPTER 14.
The Ascalin raced, engines wide-open, toward planet Leera. I watched from the bridge. For some reason the captain had called me there and seemed to want to keep me close by.
Maybe he was worried about me being too close to the humans. I don"t know. I just know that an aristh doesn"t usually stay on the bridge.
It was small, as battle bridges go. None of the wide-open s.p.a.ces of a Dome ship bridge. There was good, hardy gra.s.s underfoot, though. And the latest in sensors and computers ringed the circular s.p.a.ce, watched by half a dozen intensely focused warriors.
It was an honor to be there. It was exciting.
So why did I keep picturing my human friends sitting in the little room off the sick bay?
A tall, holographic display shimmered in the middle of the room. It showed the planet and the ships in nearby s.p.a.ce. Yeerk ships in red, our ships in blue. There was a lot more red than blue.
By focusing my mind, I could see one of the new thought-speak displays. It transmits data directly to your brain. Very "cutting edge," as Marco would say.
I decided that I had no reason to feel guilty. I had been united with the humans when we were on Earth. That made sense. But now I was back among my own people. My true place was here.
On the thought-speak display I called up a detailed map of the situation on the ground.
Planet Leera was ninety-two percent covered by water. Eight percent land in a few scattered islands and one continent. The land battle would take place on the continent. Neither we nor the Yeerks had much capability underwater where the Leerans built their cities.
I could see several Leeran cities, usually built within forty or fifty miles of the continent or one of the islands.
Whoever--Yeerk or Andalite--ended up controlling the continent would effectively control the planet.
8What do you think of the tactical situation, Aristh Aximili?"; the T.o. asked me.
It startled me. He sounded almost friendly.
8I"m not an expert on--"; 8I did not suppose you were,"; he snapped. 8I asked for an evaluation."; 8allyes, sir. The Yeerks are strong in orbit above the planet. I would say the odds favor them. But they don"t want the battle to take place up here. Even if they beat us, they might be too badly damaged to be able to invade and hold the continent below from Leeran counterattack."; 8I see. If they fear the Leerans on the surface, why take the risk of engaging us and the Leerans together on the surface?"; I was out of things to say. Of course, the T.o. was right! I must sound like an idiot.
The T.o. turned one stalk eye to look at me. 8Because, Aristh Aximili, the Yeerks understand that different species do not fight well together. We have one way of doing things. The Leerans a very different way. The Yeerks are united under one command; we and the Leerans are not."; I noticed the captain looking thoughtfully at me and at his T.o. He seemed displeased.
8There"s a lesson there, Aristh,"; the T.o. said. 8We Andalites are strongest when we fight alone."; 8allyes, sir."; I knew what he meant.
He was talking about the humans. And I really should just keep quiet. 8And yet, with all due respect, it was my human friends and I who destroyed the Yeerks" attempt to create a species of ocean-going shock troops for use here on Leera. If the Yeerks had succeeded in that plan, the situation here today would be impossible."; The T.o. looked angry. I didn"t regret having spoken up, but I was waiting for him to-- 8Dracon flashes!"; a warrior at a sensor station called out. 8We have Dracon flashes at the north end of the continent. Now Shredder flashes. The battle has begun."; An instant later, a holographic Andalite head appeared in midair before us.
8Force Commander Prince Galuit-Enilon-Esgarrouth,"; the T.o.
said. 8Attention!"; No one stood at attention except me. They all had things to do. You don"t actually stand at attention if you"re doing something.
In a calm thought-speak voice the holographic head said, 8The action has begun on the continent. There are heavy Yeerk forces.
Carry out plan seven four. To our Leeran allies: May your great G.o.d Cha-Ma-Mib smile on you this day. And to all Andalite warriors: The People expect that every warrior shall do his duty."; The Ascalin decelerated, slowing as it dropped into the thick, humid atmosphere of Leera.
8Sir, what is my battle station?"; I asked the T.o.
He laughed the grim laugh of a warrior going into battle. 8For the bold aristh who made all this possible? You"d better stick with me."; He and the captain exchanged a glance and a laugh. I didn"t know whether to be embarra.s.sed or proud. Mostly, I was just scared.
The continent loomed larger and larger. Most of it was lush and green, primarily jungle. Green like Earth"s forests and jungles, but with wide swaths of some brilliant yellow vegetation, too.
The northern end of the continent was less fertile, more barren, probably colder. It was in one valley there that the battle was underway.
8Visual,"; the captain ordered.
8Magnification optimum."; The hologram that had showed s.p.a.ce now switched to a startlingly real picture of the valley. I could see Yeerk forces, mostly Hork-Bajir with a reserve of Taxxons and a scattering of Gedds, dug in on high ground around the west rim of the valley. They had erected ma.s.sive force fields covering their back, thus forcing our forces and the Leerans to come at them head-on.
Our ground skimmers were racing across rock and through scattered trees, firing and being fired upon.
A force of Leerans was on foot, scrabbling over the rocks almost unprotected to a.s.sault the Yeerks.
8ally see why the Yeerks chose to fight here?"; Captain Samilin said. 8As the T.o. was saying, different species under different commands cannot function well together. You see? We waste our forces protecting the Leerans from being mowed down. And as a result, we are weak."; 8The Ascalin will turn that around,"; the T.o. said confidently.
8Landing approach,"; a warrior called out.
Then ... 8Captain! Malfunction in the ground-approach guidance system!"; The captain looked perfectly calm. The T.o. swung his face toward the warrior who"d spoken.
8What?!"; he roared.
8Sir, the controls are frozen. I"ve been locked out. Attempting to override. Override failing!"; The T.o. leaped to the console. His fingers flew across the fields and resonators. I saw his concentration as he made the mind-link with the system.
Then, with absolute horror on his face, he turned to the captain. 8Captain! We are on approach to land behind Yeerk lines. We won"t have a prayer!"; The captain walked calmly over to his T.o. And then ...
FWAPP!.
The captain whipped his tail blade like lightning. The blade hit the T.o. at the base of his tail.
T.o. Hareli"s tail fell to the deck and twitched. Every warrior on the bridge froze, staring at the impossible sight.
The captain drew his Shredder and fired.
TSEEEWW! TSEEEWW!.
Warriors fell to the deck, stunned unconscious. The air crackled with heat.
Static electricity sizzled and danced in blue flame across bodies and equipment alike.
Only the bleeding, horrified T.o. was left conscious. A deliberate insult: He was no longer dangerous.
8Ah, my good aristh,"; the captain said, holding the Shredder on me and taking the T.o."s Shredder. 8I don"t want to take the chance of injuring you. Visser Four would be very upset if I injured the creatures who have been causing Visser Three such trouble on Earth. Vissers Three and Four are such close friends. Just remain calm. It will all be over in a moment. And you will all be ... guests ... of the Yeerk Empire.";
CHAPTER 15.
I stood there like my hooves had been nailed to the deck. It wasn"t possible! An Andalite ship"s captain a traitor?
Or was he a Controller?
No one moved. The computer guided the Ascalin down, down to sweep slowly forward, just a few hundred feet above the rocky ground. In seconds we"d be down.
T.o. Harelin was bleeding profusely from his severed tail. But I knew he would rather die than live without a tail.
The humans! It hit me like a Dracon beam blast. My human friends were back in the sick bay. The captain knew their secret. In a matter of seconds, so would the entire Yeerk Empire. The news would flash to Visser Three. There would be no going home for them. Ever.
And Earth, like Leera, would fall to the Yeerks.
8Prince Jake! Tobias! Ca.s.sie!
Marco! Rachel!"; I cried in private thought-speak. 8If one of you can hear me, you must escape! The captain is--"; 8The captain is a dirtbag,"; Marco"s thought-speak voice said, startlingly clear and close.
8What? Where are you?"; 8Oh, gee, Ax, we decided not to just sit in our room with our hands folded like good little girls and boys,"; Rachel said. 8Sorry."; 8Ax, we are on the bridge,"; Prince Jake said. 8We saw what happened. Or saw as well as we can in these morphs."; 8Prince Jake, it is absolutely vital that Captain Samilin be stopped!"; 8We can"t take him out,"; Ca.s.sie said.
8We would demorph too slowly. But I happen to be on the captain, and I can definitely distract him."; The Ascalin was settling toward the ground.
Through the front viewport I saw row after row of Hork-Bajir, all with weapons drawn, totally surrounding the landing area.
8Do it, Ca.s.sie,"; I said grimly.
8Distract him and I will do the rest. We have just seconds!"; I stared, riveted, as a flea too small to be seen became a flea too large to be ignored. It grew on the captain"s back, larger, larger, with twisting, morphing features.
8What is--"; the captain yelled in surprise.
FWAPP!.
I struck! My tail blade whipped forward, aimed for Samilin"s neck.
He jerked back, dodged. My blade hit his upper right front leg a glancing blow. All around the room flies and c.o.c.kroaches no one had noticed began to grow as my human friends demorphed.
But now the captain swept his Shredder toward me and I struck again.
FWAPP!.
The weapon flew from his hand and skittered across the deck.
It was the captain and I, tail to tail. We faced each other, each quivering with energy and focus, each waiting for the opening that would allow us to swing the killing tail slash.
I flashed on the scene with Visser Three.
This was the second time I had gone tail to tail with an enemy. This time my foe would not escape.
TSEEEWWW!.
T.o. Harelin! He had s.n.a.t.c.hed up the fallen Shredder and fired. The captain sizzled, looked horrified, then disappeared.
8Computer!"; the T.o. yelled.