CHAPTER ONE

My name is Aliana-Ellimin-Darrath.

A long name, by human standards. But I am not human.

To be honest, it is difficult to tell you what I am.

I had always thought of myself as an Andalite. My parents were Andalites. I was born and raised on the Andalite world. But then I started having dreams, visions... Visions of a being called the Ellimist.

I am his descendant. How, I am not quite sure. But I know it to be fact. I also know that I am an anomaly. Typically, Andalites are not resistant to physical pain. But Dracon fire does not burn me. And, as Rachel knows, knives cannot penetrate my skin.

This strength has proven quite useful, especially in recent days. I am... was a morph dancer. An estreen, as some would say. But lately, I have considered myself to be a soldier. Or, more importantly, an Animorph.

Animorphs. That is what we call our team. Originally, the group consisted of five teenagers and one Andalite, Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill. But over time, those teenagers grew to strong adults. Now, they lead Tom, Malbin, and me on a quest for justice, a quest for peace...

That is what I tell myself, anyway. To be honest, their methods are not very peaceful. Sometimes, I feel as though more damage is being done than prevented.

Still, I know we have a job to do. I know this not only because of my dreams, but because I can feel it in my hearts.

I can feel it when I look into Tom's eyes. Eyes filled with conflict.

Eyes of hope. Hope for a new order. A new understanding and unity.

And eyes of sadness. Sadness for this war. Sadness for his father.

Prince Jake, Tom's father, forfeited his safety to buy us time. In tiger morph, he distracted the Hork-Bajir as our ship, the Rachel, took flight. In an effort to rescue him, it was decided that two of us should take the shuttle craft back to Earth's surface. Without argument, I was selected as the first candidate.

I wish I could say they chose me for reasons other than my invulnerability. Sadly, that is not the case. I am strong. I am brave. But so are the others. Such traits do not make me stick out in this group.

My comrades drew straws, a bizarre human ritual for making drastic decisions.

Tom, my... my teammate, was chosen to accompany me.

He was pleased. He strongly wished to rescue his father. But he was afraid, as was I.

Together, we entered the shuttle craft and began our trek across the desert. Behind us, the Rachel climbed skyward, eventually disappearing.

((I hope they will be all right,)) I said.

Tom nodded. "They will be. It's us I'm not so sure about."

All four of my eyes scanned the arid ground beneath us.

((I see no signs of your father.))

"There! Paw prints!" He pointed to the crest of a sand dune and took us down, closer to the surface.

"The prints stop... They just end. No human tracks after that. Not even Hork-Bajir."

((Perhaps the tracks have been covered to prevent his location from being discovered.))

"Yeah... As much as it sucks, you're probably right.. But we should keep looking."

I nodded. ((Of course.))

To tell the truth, I was glad to find no signs of Hork-Bajir. Tom and I both carried Shredders, but our craft held no outside cannons. If we were to meet enemy fire before disembarking...

It was not a happy thought. I shook it off.

For hours, we combed the desert, careful not to fly within a fifty mile radius of the Yen Faar pool.

"Okay, I give up," Tom said, breaking the silence. "This is bogus. If he's out here, we would've found him by now. If he was captured, he's probably back at the pool. We need to go in there and bail him out. Now."

I shook my head. ((No, Tom. I know how much you care for your father. But entering the pool would be too great a risk. We must remain safe. It is what your father would want...))

"If he's still alive," Tom snapped. A few moments later, he turned his gaze on me. "I'm.. I'm sorry, Aliana. I'm just.. I'm really scared, ya know? My dad is out there somewhere. He could be dead. Or worse..."

((Yes. I understand...))

The sun was setting. An eerie gray began to creep over the dunes.

"Okay... I hate to say this, but it's getting close to nightfall. I say we find somewhere safe to park the craft. There should be enough food in the emergency compartments to last us a few days. By then, the others will have contacted us. If we play this right, we'll have enough fuel to get back and dock. I don't want them to have to land and pick us up."

((Pardon my pessimism, Tom, but is anywhere really safe? The Yeerks own this planet now...))

He sighed. "I know. Let's just get as far away from slug civilization as we can. Right now, we're about seventy miles east from the pool. I say we go back another hundred, maybe two hundred miles. I doubt there's another pool that close to the Yen Faar."

I nodded. ((Yes, you are probably correct. The Yen Faar is a large enough pool to sustain the Yeerks in this area. A secondary pool would be unnecessary. However, we should remain careful. A Taxxon hive may be nearby.))

"Great... I hadn't thought about that."

Tom jerked the controls and took us further east, away from the setting sun.

For miles and miles, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. The Andalite world has its share of open spaces. But they are beautiful spaces filled with trees and grasses and various living species. Earth, however, was a barren wasteland. The sand stretched endlessly in all directions. Occasionally, it was littered with ancient human transports called cars, but there was mostly no debris to speak of. The Yeerks had truly wiped out all signs of life.

The moon rose, casting an odd glow.

((Tom! Tom...))

He turned, a concerned look on his face.

"What is it, Aliana?"

((This is it! This is the place from my dreams!))

"How can you tell? It looks the same as everything else we've seen..."

((Please, Tom. Set us down.))

He nodded and gently landed the craft.

"Thirteen percent fuel left. Barely enough. We really should've planned this better..."

He opened the hatch. Together, we walked across the sand.

I extended an arm, stopping him in his path. ((Wait. It is here.))

"What are you talking about, Aliana? I don't see anything."

I let my arm down. Then, without realizing it, I held his hand in mine.

((This is it, Tom. What the Ellimist was trying to show me. It's here.))

"Aliana... Please... What is here?"

I looked at him, smiling. ((The Time Matrix.))