The Finality:
My name is Jake. Jake Berenson. Same old, same old. The truth is that I've lost count of how many times I've began with that line. If there was more time I'd once more go into detail about the war with the Yeerks and our sort of helpers the Andalites. But there is no more time.
As we neared the blade ship for what I'm sure will be the final confrontation, and I give my last order, its hard not to go back in my thoughts and remember it all. I wouldn't know if you know the experience, but when you are so near death, and you know its inevitable, time seems to slow down and you just think back on your life. So as I yelled "ram the blade ship" and the Rachel hurtled towards what would certainly be our deaths, my mind stopped focusing on the here and now.
I remembered better times. Not necessarily good times, but better. When all the Animorphs were together and alive. Sure, we were still all fighting the Yeerks, but it was before it all went to hell. Now we are totally split apart. My cousin Rachel, dead from one of my own orders as leader of the Animorphs, Cassie, back on earth making a life of herself with that Ronnie Chambers guy, and our Andalite friend Aximili-Esgarrouth-Istthill, who was worse than dead. All that's left of the original group is on this ship and soon would also be no more of. Its me, my best friend Marco, and Tobias who probably only came so that he wouldn't have to live with himself any more without Rachel. But that's not fare of me to say about Tobias. Ax was his best friend, (or as the Andalites would say, his shorm). He was also his uncle, (another story).
As speed began to get normal to me once more, and the blade ship grew larger and larger, and with the unnerving ever changing faces of the creature which called itself The One dead ahead, time stopped. Not my mind going through a trip down memory lain this time. I suddenly found myself outside the Rachel. I had no need to breathe and neither was I falling. Then he appeared... The minute I saw the ships freeze, and everything went unnaturally still, I knew it was him. "Come to say good-bye, Ellimist?" I asked. He was in the form of a boy a few years younger than me, but his eyes were the same as ever. No matter what appearance he took, The Ellimist's eyes were always wise and all knowing. He was a being from the very dawn of time, before earth and a lot of the galaxy had even been created. If there was ever a God, it was The Ellimist. His eyes were filled with sorrow as he spoke. "Indeed, it is your time." "The rules of my game with Crayak wouldn't allow me to save the lives of you and the rest."
I raged then. At the unfairness of it all. After the war that took Rachel and my brother Tom, there could still be no rest for the remnants of the Animorphs. And I raged at how The Ellimist could just talk about his damn game with Crayak and its rules while we were all going to die. Me, Marco, Tobias, Jeanne, Santorelli and the rest were going to die. But what did that matter to The ellimist? We were just another group of Homo Sapiens to him, and he wouldn't break his rules with Crayak no matter what happened. He's gone around the rules before, but no matter. At the end of the day he was right, it was my time. The anger left me, and in my heart was only exceptence. If I must die, then let it be with friends at my side. And let it be at one last and greatest attempt to save the world. "No need for holding back," The Ellimist said. "Aximili will not survive his fusion to The One." "I wish you luck Jake Berenson. And remember, not even the future is set in stone." With those last words he was gone. Time returned to normal and I was back in the Rachel. Faster and faster we sped at the blade ship. I let a smile cross my lips. It almost reminded me a lot of my cousin as I raised my voice once more and shouted the order loud and clear. "RAM THE BLADE SHIP!"