Chess
By Liaranne
Disclaimer: Almost every character in this story belongs to K. A. Applegate. The reflections on the characters are my own, though probably influenced by some of the stuff I've read recently. This story is also partly based on another story by Loony Lovegood called Playing Pieces. So no one sue me, I'm just another broke teen.
Story summary: A higher being looks at the games of the Ellimist and Crayak and reflects on them. Well, one of them at least. WARNING: Some things may be possible taken as in a religious sense and/or contain religious references. Just so you know.
Short note: After Anonymous-Cat reviewed, I looked back on this story and decided to edit it a tad, not to much, but a tad, and re-post it. Reviewer responses are at the end. The editing is mainly for clarity. I must say this; I really, really liked reading it. I haven't read it in awhile, and it was a bit of a shock that I wrote something so good! And I picture the being who's POV this is from as feminine, just so you know.
***
I looked down upon the lower beings, as I did once in a while. Particularly, I looked upon the two beings who had gained so much power, only to end up in a near stalemate. Stalemate, I like that word. It was inspired, was it not, of that human in their dark ages to come up with it? The game she played was very interesting as well. My problem is I can rarely find a decent opponent.
The two beings, however, now they had their own game. The two had their own, if unusual, version of chess. One side moved a piece, and then the other side moved theirs. Sometimes taking a millennia to slowly move, sometimes playing their sub games in a fury that was over in milliseconds. Of course, they had rules. Everything has to have rules. Even when these beings were allowed their powers of manipulation, there were some things they could not change. But they could often move the pieces to their wills. The difficulty was in letting the pieces make their own choices, as these were not inanimate objects.
The one called the Ellimist realized this well. He used it to his advantage whenever possible, in his current game especially. The chess games of the Crayak and Ellimist are not like normal chess. They are not two dimensional, not even three dimensional. Their abundant pieces may slip back and forth in time and space, if that is where they wish to move them. They also may have more than one game going on at the same time, all on the same game board, all intertwined, the win of one meaning the loss of another, or vice versa. Numerous pieces can mean multiple pawns, kings, queens, and other pieces. A multitude of anchors, warriors, underdogs, et cetera.
Another effect is that they do not just play with mindless pieces. They most often play with conscious beings, who may make their own decisions, not knowing what the effect may be. It is a dance that would be almost impossible for any beings lower than the two players to comprehend, and even they may not comprehend it to its fullest.
I turned my mind to study the pieces of a portion of the game that had previously captured my attention. Of course I knew they had been playing for the planet, but did they realize the stakes they were playing for? I shook off the thought and studied the main pieces in this battle that I had little control over. The tiny, seemingly inconsequential speck of a planet they were fighting over. The place was a true jewel of the universe. I took a careful study of these pieces that I already knew so well, I saw the lines even the players could not see, swirling from these pieces throughout all known dimensions.
These pieces were just a small portion of the game, but a vital one. They had all their different strengths and weaknesses, thoughts and dreams. They were a motley group filled with different personalities, even different species. But their was something that unified them, something that held them together in their quest. They shared the same dream, the same hope, the hope that they would some day live in peace. The hope that their peoples would be free. Purest form, oh, purest dream, the elusive, captive, infinitesimal, gigantic emotion of hope. Hope for the future was the thing that bonded their spirits to the game, to each other.
I knew the pieces; I had always known the pieces. The Player had chosen these pieces with good reason. I knew what these pieces were, and that naming them as chess pieces would be an immensely difficult thing to do. I relished the slight challenge.
***
The first piece I came to was a young boy, talking to a friend via a telephone. A comedian, yet serious individual, he was filled with sorrow by the capture of his mother. A plotter, he knew how to make a plan to achieve the desired ends. He was alone in the world except for his friends, his father, and the feelings that burned inside of him. He had a step-mother too, but she would never take the place of his real mother. I could feel his guilt about not telling his father his real mother was still alive. I knew the time for that would come soon, so I passed this bishop and moved onto the next piece.
The friend he was on the telephone with, another piece in this game. An android, long a piece of the player called Ellimist. Currently in the guise of a teenage boy, he was talking about a situation that possessed the potential for a battle. Another fury of piece moving would come soon. This android, this boy, was a confusing piece to place. Strong and steady, with Time as less of an enemy than for most, he might almost be able to envision the importance of his battle. He was a rook, a rock and castle. A castle of alloys and computer wiring, a castle that could never do more harm than good, this is true, but a castle all the same, a castle of technological wonder that could think, question, learn, and even, after numerous millennia, truly die. But that would be a long and arduous journey away from this game.
The two friends were talking about another, albeit in a cautioned manner. I switched my main vision onto her, she who, while born on this planet, was from a different place, a forest in a valley that was hidden to most.
Born into a race of those alien to this world, she was the young leader of her people, very young, being barely two of this planets years old. A leader for her abilities amongst a people not generally given to deep thought. She too was a rock for her people, who were part of a sub-game within this portion of the game. She held their hopes, dreams, and future. She was also a warrior, fighting the enslavers of her people whenever she could. It saddened me to see this people again, a people I had once held dear for their unspoiled innocence. But corruption came to them, as it does to all things, and she ended up here, fighting a battle she alone would have little chance of winning. Yet allied with the other groups, her people made a difference. The other peoples would not survive in freedom without them. Her people were pawns for the most part. She, however, was a bishop.
Yes. A bishop. I turned the description over in my mind. A person her people can look to for guidance. A priest of sorts. Yes, the child was a bishop, a shepherd for her people. A shepherd aided by those who helped her be born free, aided by her namesake.
I turned to the one she was named for, the boy, the hawk, the son of an Andalite, the child who runs on the grass and soars through the sky. The warrior's son had grown up to be a most unusual individual. Well, it was no wonder, him being torn between hawk and human, and being the son of an alien. But still, he had grown up good in an environment full of negativity. A commendable feat by itself even set aside from everything else he has done. He was... an outcast. He was unique and important; moving in different patterns than most other beings. He was a knight, currently talking to his companion in a meadow.
The companion, the Andalite, the uncle, was another unique individual in this set of players. A confused cadet far from home, he constantly wondered about the future, his place among his people, and if he would ever return. He worried about his human friends, yet he was strong, with a hidden faith everything would someday resolve due to his Andalite optimism. He was an Andalite, a descendent of that optimistic race named by a Player. He was fast, powerful with liquid mobility, yet a solidified foundation of thought and reason. Knowledge also was in him, and wisdom, though it was deeper beneath the surface. This was another castle, one of fur and muscle and blade. One that was full of belief and grace and goodness. I saw the Andalite's thoughts on the subject of his conversation with his nephew, so I moved on to her.
This one... was a different type of person. She was aggressive yet kind, showing her younger sisters how to do summersaults and cartwheels on the lawn. She was mobile, flexible, a fighter. She was a person who would stand up for the weak as well as for herself. She had helped free a mistreated hawk, and also stopped a circus trainer from hurting his elephants. She often seemed incapable of compassion, yet still able to hold her values dear. She became ecstatic about a good sale at the mall. Looking into her future, I found her fate. In a way, it would be a fitting tribute for this chivalrous knight. I felt a brief moment of pity and regret for my inability to change the fate of this piece, so I moved on.
The last two I found together, cleaning out the stalls of a barn. They were discussing various topics. I could tell they were both very valuable pieces. Well, all I had seen so far were. The anomaly especially was essential. She was the key, the glue that held the group together, that kept them from turning into the enemy. But the boy also had some of those qualities. He was the leader, another sort of glue, a true son of Abraham and Jacob. She was gentler, compassionate, and less aggressive of a fighter. He was like his cousin, but with enough compassion and kindness to balance. These two balanced each other, each as valuable as the other. I smiled upon this king and queen and retracted myself from the mortal realms.
***
Author's note: First of all, after Anonymous-Cat's review, I looked back on this and decided that I could make it a bit better. I changed a couple of things, one of the "pieces" and added the section on Hope at the beginning, some wordings and descriptive words, and Ax from a knight to a rook. Ax was the hardest to come up with originally, and I decided to change him. When I first looked back on this, I thought, Wow. I can't believe I wrote something this good. And it is good, and awesome. So I redid it a little and am reposting it, under the same name, of course.
A quick response to those who have reviewed so far (I included what they wrote, too, because I had to post this as a new story.):
Elfy 19 wrote: Oh. This is awesome! I like how you show each of the animorphs as this higher being sees them. Who is the higher being, anyways?
~Elfy19
Response: Thanks for the review! I'm not quite sure who the higher being is, she didn't tell me.
Chessrook44 wrote: Ah, yes... a view of the game from God's point of view... Unique...
Response: Sorry, this being isn't God. If she was God, she would be able to change Rachel's fate, and she states that she isn't able to do that. So, no, not God. Maybe an angel. I'm not sure.
Rachel9466 wrote: Loved it! I'm in a mood where I'm too lazy to review, and yet here I am. This was too good to pass up.
Response: Thank you very much! I get those moods sometimes, too.
Anonymous-Cat wrote: I loved this! pretty cool, seeing the game from God's point of view. Although He seems kind of distant from the characters. I think God is more loving than this, but the story was still good.
Response: Once again, sorry, not God. Not my version of Him, at least. The religious innuendos warning was more for the fact that she *could* be taken as God, and the Abraham and Jacob references when she was talking about Jake.
Thank you all!!!
So, after all that reading, all those long words, would you like an explaination? The little references, innuendos, what I mean by the pieces? If you do, just stop here and go hit the review button and say so, I may just type something up and post it as a chapter two.
By Liaranne
Disclaimer: Almost every character in this story belongs to K. A. Applegate. The reflections on the characters are my own, though probably influenced by some of the stuff I've read recently. This story is also partly based on another story by Loony Lovegood called Playing Pieces. So no one sue me, I'm just another broke teen.
Story summary: A higher being looks at the games of the Ellimist and Crayak and reflects on them. Well, one of them at least. WARNING: Some things may be possible taken as in a religious sense and/or contain religious references. Just so you know.
Short note: After Anonymous-Cat reviewed, I looked back on this story and decided to edit it a tad, not to much, but a tad, and re-post it. Reviewer responses are at the end. The editing is mainly for clarity. I must say this; I really, really liked reading it. I haven't read it in awhile, and it was a bit of a shock that I wrote something so good! And I picture the being who's POV this is from as feminine, just so you know.
***
I looked down upon the lower beings, as I did once in a while. Particularly, I looked upon the two beings who had gained so much power, only to end up in a near stalemate. Stalemate, I like that word. It was inspired, was it not, of that human in their dark ages to come up with it? The game she played was very interesting as well. My problem is I can rarely find a decent opponent.
The two beings, however, now they had their own game. The two had their own, if unusual, version of chess. One side moved a piece, and then the other side moved theirs. Sometimes taking a millennia to slowly move, sometimes playing their sub games in a fury that was over in milliseconds. Of course, they had rules. Everything has to have rules. Even when these beings were allowed their powers of manipulation, there were some things they could not change. But they could often move the pieces to their wills. The difficulty was in letting the pieces make their own choices, as these were not inanimate objects.
The one called the Ellimist realized this well. He used it to his advantage whenever possible, in his current game especially. The chess games of the Crayak and Ellimist are not like normal chess. They are not two dimensional, not even three dimensional. Their abundant pieces may slip back and forth in time and space, if that is where they wish to move them. They also may have more than one game going on at the same time, all on the same game board, all intertwined, the win of one meaning the loss of another, or vice versa. Numerous pieces can mean multiple pawns, kings, queens, and other pieces. A multitude of anchors, warriors, underdogs, et cetera.
Another effect is that they do not just play with mindless pieces. They most often play with conscious beings, who may make their own decisions, not knowing what the effect may be. It is a dance that would be almost impossible for any beings lower than the two players to comprehend, and even they may not comprehend it to its fullest.
I turned my mind to study the pieces of a portion of the game that had previously captured my attention. Of course I knew they had been playing for the planet, but did they realize the stakes they were playing for? I shook off the thought and studied the main pieces in this battle that I had little control over. The tiny, seemingly inconsequential speck of a planet they were fighting over. The place was a true jewel of the universe. I took a careful study of these pieces that I already knew so well, I saw the lines even the players could not see, swirling from these pieces throughout all known dimensions.
These pieces were just a small portion of the game, but a vital one. They had all their different strengths and weaknesses, thoughts and dreams. They were a motley group filled with different personalities, even different species. But their was something that unified them, something that held them together in their quest. They shared the same dream, the same hope, the hope that they would some day live in peace. The hope that their peoples would be free. Purest form, oh, purest dream, the elusive, captive, infinitesimal, gigantic emotion of hope. Hope for the future was the thing that bonded their spirits to the game, to each other.
I knew the pieces; I had always known the pieces. The Player had chosen these pieces with good reason. I knew what these pieces were, and that naming them as chess pieces would be an immensely difficult thing to do. I relished the slight challenge.
***
The first piece I came to was a young boy, talking to a friend via a telephone. A comedian, yet serious individual, he was filled with sorrow by the capture of his mother. A plotter, he knew how to make a plan to achieve the desired ends. He was alone in the world except for his friends, his father, and the feelings that burned inside of him. He had a step-mother too, but she would never take the place of his real mother. I could feel his guilt about not telling his father his real mother was still alive. I knew the time for that would come soon, so I passed this bishop and moved onto the next piece.
The friend he was on the telephone with, another piece in this game. An android, long a piece of the player called Ellimist. Currently in the guise of a teenage boy, he was talking about a situation that possessed the potential for a battle. Another fury of piece moving would come soon. This android, this boy, was a confusing piece to place. Strong and steady, with Time as less of an enemy than for most, he might almost be able to envision the importance of his battle. He was a rook, a rock and castle. A castle of alloys and computer wiring, a castle that could never do more harm than good, this is true, but a castle all the same, a castle of technological wonder that could think, question, learn, and even, after numerous millennia, truly die. But that would be a long and arduous journey away from this game.
The two friends were talking about another, albeit in a cautioned manner. I switched my main vision onto her, she who, while born on this planet, was from a different place, a forest in a valley that was hidden to most.
Born into a race of those alien to this world, she was the young leader of her people, very young, being barely two of this planets years old. A leader for her abilities amongst a people not generally given to deep thought. She too was a rock for her people, who were part of a sub-game within this portion of the game. She held their hopes, dreams, and future. She was also a warrior, fighting the enslavers of her people whenever she could. It saddened me to see this people again, a people I had once held dear for their unspoiled innocence. But corruption came to them, as it does to all things, and she ended up here, fighting a battle she alone would have little chance of winning. Yet allied with the other groups, her people made a difference. The other peoples would not survive in freedom without them. Her people were pawns for the most part. She, however, was a bishop.
Yes. A bishop. I turned the description over in my mind. A person her people can look to for guidance. A priest of sorts. Yes, the child was a bishop, a shepherd for her people. A shepherd aided by those who helped her be born free, aided by her namesake.
I turned to the one she was named for, the boy, the hawk, the son of an Andalite, the child who runs on the grass and soars through the sky. The warrior's son had grown up to be a most unusual individual. Well, it was no wonder, him being torn between hawk and human, and being the son of an alien. But still, he had grown up good in an environment full of negativity. A commendable feat by itself even set aside from everything else he has done. He was... an outcast. He was unique and important; moving in different patterns than most other beings. He was a knight, currently talking to his companion in a meadow.
The companion, the Andalite, the uncle, was another unique individual in this set of players. A confused cadet far from home, he constantly wondered about the future, his place among his people, and if he would ever return. He worried about his human friends, yet he was strong, with a hidden faith everything would someday resolve due to his Andalite optimism. He was an Andalite, a descendent of that optimistic race named by a Player. He was fast, powerful with liquid mobility, yet a solidified foundation of thought and reason. Knowledge also was in him, and wisdom, though it was deeper beneath the surface. This was another castle, one of fur and muscle and blade. One that was full of belief and grace and goodness. I saw the Andalite's thoughts on the subject of his conversation with his nephew, so I moved on to her.
This one... was a different type of person. She was aggressive yet kind, showing her younger sisters how to do summersaults and cartwheels on the lawn. She was mobile, flexible, a fighter. She was a person who would stand up for the weak as well as for herself. She had helped free a mistreated hawk, and also stopped a circus trainer from hurting his elephants. She often seemed incapable of compassion, yet still able to hold her values dear. She became ecstatic about a good sale at the mall. Looking into her future, I found her fate. In a way, it would be a fitting tribute for this chivalrous knight. I felt a brief moment of pity and regret for my inability to change the fate of this piece, so I moved on.
The last two I found together, cleaning out the stalls of a barn. They were discussing various topics. I could tell they were both very valuable pieces. Well, all I had seen so far were. The anomaly especially was essential. She was the key, the glue that held the group together, that kept them from turning into the enemy. But the boy also had some of those qualities. He was the leader, another sort of glue, a true son of Abraham and Jacob. She was gentler, compassionate, and less aggressive of a fighter. He was like his cousin, but with enough compassion and kindness to balance. These two balanced each other, each as valuable as the other. I smiled upon this king and queen and retracted myself from the mortal realms.
***
Author's note: First of all, after Anonymous-Cat's review, I looked back on this and decided that I could make it a bit better. I changed a couple of things, one of the "pieces" and added the section on Hope at the beginning, some wordings and descriptive words, and Ax from a knight to a rook. Ax was the hardest to come up with originally, and I decided to change him. When I first looked back on this, I thought, Wow. I can't believe I wrote something this good. And it is good, and awesome. So I redid it a little and am reposting it, under the same name, of course.
A quick response to those who have reviewed so far (I included what they wrote, too, because I had to post this as a new story.):
Elfy 19 wrote: Oh. This is awesome! I like how you show each of the animorphs as this higher being sees them. Who is the higher being, anyways?
~Elfy19
Response: Thanks for the review! I'm not quite sure who the higher being is, she didn't tell me.
Chessrook44 wrote: Ah, yes... a view of the game from God's point of view... Unique...
Response: Sorry, this being isn't God. If she was God, she would be able to change Rachel's fate, and she states that she isn't able to do that. So, no, not God. Maybe an angel. I'm not sure.
Rachel9466 wrote: Loved it! I'm in a mood where I'm too lazy to review, and yet here I am. This was too good to pass up.
Response: Thank you very much! I get those moods sometimes, too.
Anonymous-Cat wrote: I loved this! pretty cool, seeing the game from God's point of view. Although He seems kind of distant from the characters. I think God is more loving than this, but the story was still good.
Response: Once again, sorry, not God. Not my version of Him, at least. The religious innuendos warning was more for the fact that she *could* be taken as God, and the Abraham and Jacob references when she was talking about Jake.
Thank you all!!!
So, after all that reading, all those long words, would you like an explaination? The little references, innuendos, what I mean by the pieces? If you do, just stop here and go hit the review button and say so, I may just type something up and post it as a chapter two.