Disclaimer: I do not own Animorphs (obviously) nor the original Andalite Chronicles, they are the property of K.A. Applegate. I do own characters: Lerinna-Semitur-Arronae, Toreador, Mara, Garand, etc. NOT the original Animorphs or other previously mentioned characters such as Menderash-Postill-Fastill. Thank you.


Prologue

My name is Lerinna-Semitur-Arronae. First born of Alloran and Jahar, an only child as far as I know. Yes, my father is the Alloran. War Prince Alloran-Semitur-Corass, first and hopefully last Andalite to be infested by a Yeerk.

Yeerk, an alien word. A parasitic alien species that can enter through your ear and take over your mind and body, make you a slave. In my opinion, all Yeerks were evil. After what one Yeerk, Esplin 9466, had done to me.

Esplin 9466 is—or was—Alloran's slave master. Alloran, my father. Esplin, my tormentor. Circles within circles.

Let me tell you who I used to be. I used to be quite spirited, I loved to laugh at little things; small, inconsequential things that made me smile. I never knew my father. I loved to run and leap and play. I loved to stand quietly in the middle of the night when the moons were dark and watch the bright twinkling stars, so far away. Even the taunting I took from others my age didn't bother me. They taunted me for being the daughter of a disgraced Prince by the name of Alloran. But that's all he was to me, a name. I once caught a glimpse of a holo-picture, which I assumed was him. My mother was looking at it but when she saw me she hid it from sight.

I could always tell when she was thinking of him. She would gaze into space, looking at something only she could see and she wouldn't hear me when I spoke to her. When she was like this I always tried to cheer her up by spinning a cloud overhead or some other bit of simple art. Then she would smile because she knew I could do better and I would do it again and she would direct me. She always said I had a talent for cloud art.

I loved the clouds. I loved shaping and turning them into an imagined design instead of the customary patterns they taught us in school. No, my clouds always stood out from the rest even if I tried to make them conform to a certain pattern. I had also, after much convincing, become a student at the academy and an aristh, hoping to make something of myself since females were usually discouraged from joining the military. The reason was, though I was a particularly exceptional cloud artist, I had always felt the need to take action, though after a while my training became more of a hobby.

That was me; a content, ignored, spirited, artistic, aristh Andalite girl. But the war with the Yeerks was intensifying. And after the report of the hero, Prince Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul had been killed I really started to become afraid, afraid for my mother and my home. I tried to tell myself off, saying I was foolish a bunch of slugs could defeat our superior military. But I knew better. I grew more restless with each passing day. Finally I could bear it no longer. I felt I needed to do something, anything. I had to get off my home world, I didn't know why, only that I had to. I anxiously awaited my assignment to a Dome ship. Waited as my fellow arisths were assigned until I was the only one left. Then the day came.

I was assigned to the Dome ship BladeSwift and continued my training with a seasoned war veteran. I remember my excitement at going into deep space for the first time. In my spare time I worked on an invention that I hoped would one day be widely used. I was the only female aboard, and a child at that, and most of my shipmates ignored me. I didn't care, I was finally sure of my calling, I would help them win this war.

I was a fool.

The first time we attacked a Yeerk outpost we were surprised by a Yeerk Visser's Blade ship. We were hopelessly outnumbered, bug fighters to Andalite fighter ships as well as a Pool ship. As far as I knew everyone aboard was killed. Everyone except me.

Why me? I didn't know. I only knew that I had survived. When our ship was struck I was the only Andalite in the dome part of the ship. A hole had been punched into the clear dome by the Blade ship's dracon cannon, the shields had been all but destroyed. I passed out from lack of air and awoke imprisoned on the Blade ship. Esplin's—now Visser One—Blade ship. Esplin controlling the living body of my father. I would have turned my tail blade on myself then, to ensure I would not remain a prisoner as I had been trained, only it was locked up in a sheath.

He tried to have me infested then. But for my little invention I certainly would have been. The Yeerk trying to enter my ear was met with an electric shock strong enough to kill it. What I had fashioned were two tiny electric circuits—energy conductors—which I had earlier placed just inside my ears. They conducted and contained a certain amount of electricity from my own body until an outside body came into contact and it released a strong shock, which was enough to knock an Andalite senseless. I know because I accidentally did just that when testing it.

Visser One was not pleased and demanded I tell him what he wished to know or suffer the consequences. But I faithfully remained silent, I would never betray my people, no matter the outcome. I admit that I was terrified, completely terrified of what he would do to me. But I never said a single thought-speak word. Perhaps if I had it would have gone better for me or maybe the end result would not have been altered. The key was that after everything I went through I did not desert to the enemy. To this day I am proud of my choice, for I was but a child at the time.

I remained on the Blade ship, as prisoner. A mere object for inflicting pain. Now here I was, and I would not be leaving anytime soon.