Just because I had been to the Iskoort world before didn't mean that I knew my way around. Not by a long shot. Luckily, Jake and I had a friend who did.
His name was Guide. Actually, it was something longer, but we just called him Guide. Last time we were on the Iskoort world, he showed us around. And we made him a very rich Iskoort.
Finding Guide would be a problem, though. To us, every Iskoort looked the same. ((Which one's Guide?)) Jake wondered in our heads.
((Look for the Iskoort rolling in huge piles of Iskoort dough,)) Marco suggested. ((What do you think he'll charge us for help this time? We already gave him our memories, our hair, and Erek's hologram thingy.))
Erek was an old friend of ours. He is from a race of androids called the Chee. Their own planet was destroyed by the Howlers so they came to live on earth. They've passed as humans for millennia using sophisticated holograph technology. Erek came to help us save the Iskoort from the Howlers.
((Just remember our rule when dealing with Iskoort,)) Jake said. ((No body parts.))
((I have an idea how to find him,)) I said. ((Remember how everything on this planet is organized into guilds? There's got to be an information guild or something like that. They'd tell us where Guide is.))
((For a price,)) Marco added. ((Maybe they'd accept an autograph…))
((I don't think the Iskoort have heard of you,)) Jake told him. ((Let's find someone and then hash out a deal.))
((Your wish is my command,)) Marco said. Then I heard him shout, ((Hey, Iskoort! I'm looking for a guy named Guide. Anyone got any info?))
Thought-speak can be used in one of two ways. It can be addressed to a small group of people or an individual. Or it can be broadcast to everyone within range. Marco was shouting at the top of his "lungs."
For the most part, the Iskoort ignored him. They themselves communicated in thought-speech. There saw nothing strange about hearing it yelled at them.
Or course, a few of them came towards us. Probably part of the welcoming guild or something. They spoke to us. ((We are Iskoort of the Gossip, News, and Speculation guild. You seek information about an Iskoort formerly called Guide? We can help you. All we ask is your memories.))
((No deal. We all know how valuable Howler memories are,)) Marco said privately. ((Don't give them away for this.))
"No," Jake told them using his Howler voice. "Tell me or I'll give you my claw." Howlers are about as large as a tall man. They are bowlegged and walk with a swinging gait. Their eyes are a weirdly beautiful blue. They are also faster than your eye can see and able to regenerate lost limbs. Their skin is red and black. On the backs of their hands are steel claws that they can extend or retract. Basically, picture the love-child of Darth Maul and Wolverine.
((There is no need to be hostile,)) the Iskoort whined. ((I am sure we can make a deal of some kind. There is always something to be had. Perhaps one of your friend's fins?))
"No fins," I said. "What if I gave you my DNA?"
((I would prefer the Howler's DNA,)) the Iskoort commented. ((Perhaps I could have him?))
"Not him. There are too many Howlers in the world as it is. Take my DNA or we'll find someone who will."
((But what could I do with your DNA?)) he asked.
"Drink it, sell it, clone it, I don't care. Take it or leave it."
((You trade seems acceptable,)) the Iskoort decided quickly. ((I will show you to the one formerly known as Guide.))
After he collected my DNA, the Iskoort began to lead us to Guide. He started by leading us to a flight of stairs. Jake stopped him before he reached them. "No stairs. You have elevators. Use them."
The Iskoort was about to protest. Then he caught sight of Jake's very sharp claws and thought better of it. The elevators made the trip a lot easier.
The elevator went down for a long time. It seemed like an eternity with the Iskoort asking for more body parts every thirty seconds.
At one point, Jake very calmly shoved his claws into the wall of the elevator and used them to carve out a small circular hole. He scratched a message on it and handed it to the Iskoort. The message was two words: you're next. The Iskoort probably did not read English, but he understood it well enough.
The elevator eventually stopped at one of the bottommost levels of the Iskoort world. ((This is the level where the individual formerly known as Guide lives,)) the Iskoort told us. ((I cannot help you any further. It is very strange for visitors to come this far down. I wish you luck.)) He turned and rode the elevator away, glad to be rid of the Howler and his fishy companion.
((Not exactly where we expected to find Guide, is it?)) Jake said.
((I'll say,)) Marco agreed. ((I smell so much biological waste that this fly might as well be in heaven.))
((This creature seems to have a fixation with excrement,)) Jeanne commented. I almost jumped. I had forgotten about her and Santorelli.
((Flies do about two things: fly and smell poop,)) Marco told her. ((You get used to it.))
We walked for half an hour or so before we came across our first Iskoort in this level. He informed us that he was a member of the Beggars Guild. He told us where to find Guide in exchange for part of one of my scales.
It didn't take long to find Guide after that. We were led to a small hut made out of scrap metal and some of those Lego-looking bricks. The door was unlocked so we let ourselves in.
An Iskoort was there. He looked like any other Iskoort to me except for one thing: his eyes were wide with terror when he saw Jake. ((Please,)) he whined, ((I'll have your money in a week. I promise. Just don't kill me.))
"I'm not here to kill you, Guide," Jake told him.
((Guide? I haven't been called Guide since…)) he trialed off. ((Are you a Howler?))
In response, Jake began to demorph. Marco and I followed. It took the three of us about thirty seconds to demorph. Jeanne and Santorelli were far behind. We had had a lot of practice. They were still rookies.
When our faces emerged, Guide threw himself down at Jake's feet. ((You have returned. I am saved. They won't kill me after all!))
Jake looked down at the weeping Iskoort. "You have some explaining to do."
Chapter 7
((It is a sad story,)) Guide began. The six of us were sitting in Guide's hut, Jeanne and Santorelli having finished their demorph.
((At first, everything went great. Your memories made me even wealthier than the android's hologram projector.)) The Iskoort had a way of copying someone's memories and playing them back like a DVD. It was one of their planet's main attractions. We had sold our memories to Guide to pay for some things we needed.
"If they were so good, what are you doing in the slums?" Marco asked.
((That's just the thing. They were too good. Everyone loved your story. The drama. The horror. The psychological and philosophical implications. But I was foolish about it. I released all of your memories at once.))
"How did that turn out?" Marco wondered.
((It made me a very rich Iskoort, I can tell you. I owned an entire market level by myself. I was in the running for Grand Guildmaster of the Merchant Iskoort. I was on top of the world!))
"The thing about that is, there's always someone to knock you down," I pointed out.
((Exactly. My opponent sabotaged me and my campaign. He had some foreigners burn down my market. But worse than that, he started a demand for more of your story.))
"What's so bad about that?" Santorelli asked. "Wouldn't that mean more Iskoort watching the memories you produced?"
((They didn't want the same old memories,)) Guide answered. ((They wanted new ones. I wouldn't have had a problem if I had kept some of the memories to myself, but everyone had already seen everything.))
"What happened then?" Jeanne asked.
((With my market gone, my only chance was in the memories. I used what I had left to hire experts to fabricate the ending of your story. ))
"But you got caught," Marco concluded.
((But I got caught,)) Guide agreed. ((When everyone found out about the fakes, my memory shows were boycotted. I lost everything. I was expelled from the Merchants guild. Only the Beggar's Guild would accept me.))
"Well, it seems like we can help," Jake told him. "The war with the Yeerks is over. We can sell you the rest of our story."
((That is very generous of you. But what is it that you want from me?)) His whine got higher in pitch. I think it was a nervous sound. ((Our last meeting was exciting, but also very nearly deadly for me. Is this something like that?))
"No. Nothing that will get you killed. Probably. Let's start with the basics. What can you tell us about the Kelbrid sector of the galaxy?" Jake asked.
((This part of the galaxy hasn't been called that in centuries. The Kelbrid were a race of warlike conquers whose power spanned the galaxy. They conquered planet after planet in a campaign for galactic conquest.))
"But…" Marco prompted.
((But their power grew so great that no one would stand against them. All of their foes submitted to them the instant they arrived. With no one left to fight, The Kelbrid turned to civil war.))
"I think I see where this goes. The Kelbrid destroyed themselves, didn't they?" Jake asked.
((Yes. Well…yes, yes they did.))
"What are you hiding?" I demanded. "What are you leaving out?"
((Nothing that I know of. Those are all the facts I know about the Kelbrid.))
"What do you know that isn't fact?" Marco asked.
((There is a legend about the Kelbrid. It says that the Kelbrid originated millennia ago. As the story goes, the Kelbrid began as lowly creatures with no intelligence. But a being of great power gave them intellect. They became sentient. Because they were still base, animalistic creatures, they were driven by war and rage.
((This being led them as their master. They obeyed its commands and it led them to glory. Unexpectedly, one creature rose up against the Kelbrid to challenge their power.))
"Crayak," I said.
Everyone turned to stare at me. Jake and Marco opened their moths and Guide's whining reached a higher pitch than I could have ever thought possible. ((You have heard this story?)) he asked me.
"Parts of it, but go on," I told him.
((Yes, it the being who challenged the Kelbrid called himself Crayak. Many of the galaxy's races joined him. In the end, Crayak was banished from this sector of the galaxy forever.))
"What happened to the Kelbrid?" Jake asked.
((They were greatly weakened by the struggle with Crayak. They began to doubt the power of their maker. Although he had banished their enemy, he was unable to destroy Crayak. In the end, they forsook their creator. But when they left him, they were leaderless. The Kelbrid themselves were fools. Their remaining enemies easily defeated them.))
"I thought you said this hadn't been called the Kelbrid galaxy for centuries. But Crayak was exiled millions of years ago," Marco pointed out.
((I was getting to that,)) Guide whined. ((Several centuries ago, the Kelbrid reemerged. We do not know where they came from. But they were every bit as fierce and deadly as the original Kelbrid.))
"So they conquered everyone and then killed themselves," Santorelli finished.
((Yes. Mostly.))
"Mostly?" Jake asked.
((Travelers have been reporting Kelbrid sightings for the past few years. I have never thought anything of them. After all, if the Kelbrid return, they will simply destroy themselves again.))
"We need to know about another legend," I told Guide. "What can you tell us about a being called The One?"
Guide's whine rose to a pitch so high that the human ear could no longer hear it. "What is wrong?" Jeanne asked.
((We do not speak of The One,)) Guide answered.
"Guide, we already did," Marco told him. "The One was the being that controlled the Kelbrid. Now, what else do you know of him?"
((I can't tell you. It is too dangerous. It is forbidden. Not even the Beggar's guild would have me if I told. I would be cast out into the swamp. I would be exiled. It would be the death of me.))
"Guide, do you want our memories or not?" I demanded. "If you don't tell us everything you know about The One, we walk. End of story. You stay a beggar and end up in a pauper's grave. Or you can tell us what we want to know and get your life back. Your choice."
There is one thing you can always count on when dealing with Iskoort. When reason fails, you can always appeal to their overdeveloped sense of profit.
Chapter 8
Guide looked at Jake and Marco. ((Do the three newcomers know about the Isk and the Yoort?)) he asked.
"Three?" I asked. Then I remembered. Guide had only known me as a hawk. "Guide, it's me, Tobias. The hawk."
((Ah, Tobias. But who are these other two? Where are Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill, Rachel, and Cassie?))
"Cassie's back on earth. Rachel…you'll find out about that later. As for Ax, we can't say," Jake told him.
"Why not?" Marco asked. "I mean, the Andalites made a deal to stay out of Kelbrid space. But since the Kelbrid are gone there's no reason they can't be here." He turned to Guide. "Ax was kidnapped by the Yeerks and brought here. We found him, but The One was controlling his mind."
((That is a tragedy. And a fascinating story. Perhaps…))
"We're already selling you the memory," Marco said. "You don't need to swindle us."
((Sorry. Old habits are difficult to eliminate. Well, for the two of you who do not know, the Iskoort are not what they seem. They are composed of two parts. The Isk is the outer body and the Yoort is an inner self."
"Think Yeerk," Jake told Santorelli and Jeanne.
"But with an important upgrade," Marco added. "The Yoort created the Isk and evolved so that each needs the other."
"From parasitism to symbiosis," Jeanne said. "If the Yeerks knew about this…"
"We've been down that road," I told her. "The Ellimist told us that the Yeerks and Iskoort don't meet for another three thousand years or so."
"What does the whole Isk Yoort thing have to do with The One?" Marco asked.
((Iskoort legend…I am forbidden to speak of it, but I will make an exception in your case. Iskoort legend tells that the Yoort were brought to this planet by The One. We were separated from our homeworld by a catastrophe that we do not now remember.))
"How do you not remember?" Santorelli asked. "I would think a disaster that took away the homeworld of an entire race would be more memorable."
"What killed the dinosaurs?" Jeanne asked him. Santorelli shrugged and looked at Guide to continue.
"I did," I answered her. Jeanne cocked her head. "It's a long story."
((Within days, without our Kandrona sun, we were about to die. Then The One appeared. His power gave us life. It kept us alive. He showed us how to build Kandrona generators so that we could live.))
If you're reading this and you have no idea what Kandrona is, then I have to suggest that you go back and read about the Yeerks some more. It's a good story.
((The One guided our ship to this planet. Then…Then he gave us Kelbrid hosts.)) I was shocked. So were Jake, Jeanne, and Santorelli. But Marco was nodding like he expected this. What was he thinking?
((We were happy with the Kelbrid hosts. The One asked us to guide the hosts, to control them. We led them into battle and each time, the mind of the Yoort and the strength of the Kelbrid conquered.))
"So what went wrong? Trouble in paradise?" Marco asked.
((The One had us colonize the worlds that the Kelbrid conquered. We would enslave the minds of the inhabitant species and keep them docile. But there were too many species, too many minds, and not enough Yoorts. In time, all of the Kelbrid were Yoort-free. When the downfall of the Kelbrid came, the Yoort were attacked as well.))
"What happened then?" Jake asked.
((We were driven back off of the planets that we had conquered. In the end, we retreated here. A great council was held. It was decided that we would create symbiontes and set free all of the slaves.))
"And thus the Iskoort were born," Marco sighed.
((Yes. This planet was once a fortress of the Kelbrid. It was built here because of the many Z-space routes that converged near it. We tore down the walls, leaving only the supporting towers. We replaced the bare, lifeless floors with the colorful ones that we now have. We swore off war with other species forever. Our planet became a neutral meeting ground for different species. Eventually, due to Z-space routes and frequent trafficking, it became the hub of galactic commerce.))
Marco looked pale. With is hard for him to do. He's Hispanic, and he had done a lot of tanning in his life.
"What's wrong?" Jake asked him.
"Don't you see it?" He asked. "The connection? I get it now. I know why the Ellimist and Crayak care what happens to us. I know why Crayak saved us."
"Congratulations," came the Drode's voice. "We have a winner."
Chapter 9
The Drode appeared in Guide's hut. It was starting to get pretty cramped. Especially since no one wanted to get too close to him.
The Drode smiled at us. "The Iskoort are the key, you see. Crayak knew whom the Yoorts served. Naturally, he kept an eye on their cousins, the Yeerks.
"It was always Crayak's plan to use The One's own weapons against him. He bred the Howlers, a race of super warriors to match the Kelbrid. He sent them on hundreds of training missions to hone their skills. He gave them a collective memory so that they could defeat the Kelbrid.
"Crayak wanted to see the Yeerks engulf the whole of your sector of the galaxy. Then, he wanted to merge them with the Howlers. All would be ready for his invasion of The One's galaxy and this section of space."
"But something happened," Marco said. "The One's Kelbrid army collapsed and the Yoorts swore off war. The One had to change his plan."
"Yes, he did. My master did not know what The One would do next but he was not willing to take chances. He wanted his own army, and so he helped the Yeerks. But there was a complication in his plans."
"The Ellimist," I said. "The Ellimist fought against the Yeerks. He helped Elfangor and us."
"Indeed he did. So Crayak decided to tie up a loose end. He wanted to send the Howlers to destroy the Yoorts. But once again, the Ellimist interfered. He and you, his pets, saved the Yoorts. You aided The One."
"Did the Ellimist know about The One? Is he on his side?" I asked.
"Who can say? Crayak believes that he was simply meddling as always. But who knows?"
"What does that have to do with Prince Aximili?" Santorelli asked.
"I'm sure you can figure it out if you think hard enough," the Drode smiled.
Marco thought out loud. "The One lost the Yoorts to control his Kelbrid. His track record shows that he wants the Kelbrid to dominate the galaxy. Without the Yoort leadership, they consume themselves."
Jake continued. "The Yoorts are useless to him now because of their pacifism. So he needed a new species to control his Kelbrid soldiers."
I finished. "Then the Yeerks showed up. A species just like the Yoorts but with a major difference: a violent streak. Just the sort of creatures The One needs."
"But what does he want with Prince Aximili?" Jeanne wondered.
"Bait," I answered. "When the Yeerks showed up, they probably told him everything. Including that we Animorphs had defeated them." Then, I realized what that meant. "So if The One was going to use the Yeerks, he would want us far away."
"So he draws us off the scent than by making us chase our old comrade into The One's own territory." Marco added.
"While The One moves into our own home and finishes off his old enemy Crayak," Jake finished.
"Wait," the Drode said. "That can't be right. No, I'm sure Crayak would have seen that ahead of time."
"Yeah?" Jake said. "Crayak's been wrong before. Look at the Yeerks. And the Howlers."
"Crayak slipped up," I said. "Guess he isn't so omniscient after all."
"My master has more than enough power to defeat The One now," the Drode said.
"Then why doesn't he do it?" Jake asked. "Because he can't. Face it: he's scared of getting beat again. That's why he's waited here for millennia. Why he didn't make a move earlier."
"Crayak fears nothing," the Drode insisted.
"Yeah?" I questioned. "Then why doesn't he just take out The One? Because he can't. But we can."
"You can?" the Drode laughed. "What could you do against a foe greater than my master?"
"We figured out his plan," I said. "And we know how to stop him."
"We do?" Santorelli asked."
"Yeah, we do," I said. "The One's showed us some major weaknesses. But Crayak's too afraid of him to see them. We aren't. At least, I'm not."
The Drode wasn't convinced. "The One was counting on you thinking this way. He wants you to run back to your own sector of the galaxy. Then he can remain unopposed here."
"Then why bait us into his home turf?" Marco demanded. "He either wants to finish us off here or he wanted to trick us into coming here so he can move around in our own world unopposed. With Crayak focused on this galaxy, The One has free reign back in ours."
"The Ellimist would oppose him," the Drode said.
"The Ellimist?" Jake said. "I thought the Ellimist was noting but a fool. A meddler."
"A fool with power," the Drode insisted. "Nearly as much power as my master has. The One would not dare challenge the two of them."
"Which is why he tricked you into coming here," Marco told him. "This whole section of the galaxy is a trap."
"But what would The One do in our galaxy?" Jake asked. "He doesn't have enough Yeerks or Kelbrid for a war."
"Crayak manufactured the Howlers. The One could do the same with the Kelbrid. As for the Yeerks, I know where he could get some," I said.
"Where?" Marco asked. "All the Yeerks are quarantined on their homeworld."
"Exactly," I said. "And who do you think is going to stand in his way if Ax decides to take a tour of the planet? No one knows that he's been taken. He could walk right in, collect some Yeerks, and walk out."
"But where would he get the hosts?" Jake asked. "The Hork-Bajir are free now and the Taxxons are either quarantined or morphed into snakes in the Amazon. And I just can't picture Ax walking away with a few hundred Gedds."
"The Kelbrid," I said. "I can't believe that a species could kill itself to the last member because of a civil war. There must be some Kelbrid left and I'm sure The One has them stashed away somewhere, ready to invade Crayak's new home. Probably kept them in his own galaxy, where they'd be safe."
"I will inform my master," the Drode said. "You had better be on your way back to your sector of the galaxy. The One is probably already on his way."
Chapter 10
We gave our memories to Guide and made it back to the ship without incident. Menderash was not pleased with what we had figured out. Of course, in true Andalite style, he kept quiet and did as he was told. Barely an hour after our visit with Guide, we were back in Z-space.
I thought I finally understood Crayak. He wanted to use our galaxy as a training ground for his Howlers. Or to find a species capable of taking on the Kelbrid. That was why he used one species against another. It wasn't about sadism or power. He wanted to see a galaxy dominated by a single species because that would be the race to handle The One.
But then the Ellimist arrived. The Ellimist wanted to put a stop to Crayak's plans, so the two of them ended up in their contest. Crayak was willing to wait patiently for the end of the conflict. But then something else happened.
I think The One was watching their battle. And maybe he was more far-seeing than either of them because he saw the future. He saw that the Yeerks would be defeated by us and flee to Kelbrid space. So he withdrew his surviving Kelbrid and waited.
Then, when the Yeerks came, he used Ax as bait to lure us and Crayak away from our home. But why us? Was it just so that Crayak would be looking in the wrong galaxy? Or was it because he thought we could be a threat.
I started to wonder. If he could see that we would defeat the Yeerks, he had to see that we would figure out his plan. Which meant that he was ready for us. Which meant that he wanted us to come after him.
I ran to Jake's quarters. He and Marco were there, talking about something. "Jake," I said, "The One wants us to go after the Yeerk homeworld."
"Why?" Jake asked. "Marco and I were just thinking the same thing. What does he want from us?"
"I think he wants us there so that he can attack Earth," I said. "Think about it. Five humans and an Andalite defeated billions of Yeerks against all odds. Why wouldn't his fist move be to take care of the humans?"
"The One is smarter than Crayak and the Yeerks," Marco agreed. "He would know not to count out humans."
"The question is, what do we do?" I said. "He'll have to go and get more Yeerks eventually. But he'll also want to take out the humans quickly."
"We'll have to split up," Jake said. "Some of us go to warn the Andalites guarding the Yeerk homeworld about Ax. The others go to Earth and warn the world leaders what's happening."
"Who goes where?" I asked.
"The Andalites guarding the Yeerk homeworld will probably only believe Menderash and me," Jake said. "He and I will have to go there. I want Marco to come with us. If it turns into a battle with the Blade ship, or with The One's Kelbrid, I'll want him by my side."
"I'm not sure the world leaders will listen to me," I said. "Most of them forget about me pretty easily."
Jake nodded. "Yeah, they do. But I bet you'll be able to find Cassie pretty easily. They'll listen to her. Take Jeanne and Santorelli with you. They need a visit home. And get them some combat morphs. If we fail on the Yeerk world, they'll need them."
About five minutes later, I was sitting in my quarters, wishing I had some human furniture. My door slid open. It was Santorelli. "Hey, Tobias. Got a minute?" he asked.
"Sure," I said. "What is it?"
Santorelli was a big guy. Not too much over five and a half feet tall, but he was beefy. He used to be in the army and he looked the part of a battle-hardened marine. He was tan, with dark eyes and hair.
He sat down hard on the floor. When he looked at me, I didn't see a guy twice my age. He looked kind of like the kid I used to be. "I guess there isn't any reason to beat around the bush. I'm scared. I told Commander Jake and he told me to talk to you about it."
This was weird. I'm not the best guy to talk to about emotions. Jake knew that. I was no substitute for Cassie, at least. Jake was the closest thing we had to a sensitive guy. Maybe Jeanne was. I didn't know her.
"What are you scared of?" I asked at last.
"Honestly? I'm scared that we're going to get into another war with the Yeerks. I'm scared that what happened to you when you were kids is going to happen to me. But most of all, I'm scared that they'll put one of those slugs in my head again."
"You were a Controller?" I asked. I didn't know that. I hadn't exactly been outgoing with the new recruits.
"Yeah. For about two years. After Desert Storm, I retired from the regular army to work security at an air base called Zone 91. The Yeerks took me as part of their plan to find out what we had there. When that project fell through, I got transferred to Visser Six's security detail."
"You worked security for a Visser?"
"Yeah. I was a top army sniper. A skill that comes in handy when you're a bodyguard. Visser Six liked to have human bodyguards. It made us seem less threatening, which made us all the more dangerous."
"No doubt. But I can't help but wish you had been bad at your job."
He laughed. "It would have made my life a lot easier. I was finally freed when the Yeerks were defeated. It's funny. I joined Commander Jake's program for a chance to get payback. But now I'm terrified. I don't want to be a Controller again."
I was silent for a few moments. Santorelli said, "Look, I know you're not one of those touchy-feely guys. That's fine. I came here to ask you a favor."
"What?" I asked.
"If it looks like they're about to capture me, I want you to kill me." He said it calmly. Professionally.
"I promise," I said.
"The Commander said you would. The others, Jake, Marco, Jeanne, they'd try to save me. Maybe they'd succeed, I don't know. But I don't want to live another second with one of those things in me. You're the only one on this ship cold enough. Well, maybe Menderash."
"I'm sure he'll warm right up if you give him some sugar." Then, I got an idea. "Grab a bag of M&Ms and follow me. I'll show you something hilarious. We just need to find Menderash."