Chapter 7

We had dwelled on his words for three days before he notified us on an upcoming call. He hadn't given too many details on his plan.

Actually, he didn't give us any details, apart from his assertion that we should explain ourselves to the Andalite military. So we were left to stew on that, and nerves were certainly starting to run high. Jake was mulling it over, so he was very quiet. Menderash was the most anxious of us all. He might have been seen as a traitor.

It almost seemed cruel for Caysath to leave us with that, but he was about to elaborate. We were gathered again, Cassie being the last to show up from some charity work she had been doing that morning. We retook our positions in the living room (which had been hard worked-on by five people with no jobs to go to) and Menderash placed the coin projector back in the centre. This time, when it lit up with the hologram of Caysath, it didn't seem so bright as the sunshine of mid-afternoon blazed through the curtain-less windows.

His posture and his jadedness hadn't changed, so it was difficult to predict what he had been up to. However, he saw the change in us, and after the usual hello's he brought it up.

"You all look very concerned." He hummed with such little empathy.

"You know why," Jake replied, having retaken his seat on a stool by the kitchen door. "You didn't really leave us with much."

"And I apologise again for that, my Human friend," He said. "As you know, I had just received some very important information and I was due for an evening meal with Commander Regrin."

"Sounds exciting!" I pronounced. "What was on the menu? Grass, grass and more grass?"

Menderash glanced at me warily. "Marco, you shouldn't talk to a Prince like that…"

Caysath didn't hear him. "Why, yes! The Fingrunnitgi grass was marvellous. And thank you for asking."

I bowed my head with an insincere smile. "My pleasure, Prince Caysath."

Menderash was baffled, but shook it off.

"Now," Caysath began. "Away from such tangential matters. Let us discuss your next steps."

"Yeah, let's do that." Jake agreed as the de facto spokesman for the group.

"I have taken the liberty of passing on the most vital information to those in high command. Information regarding the creation known as The One, the connection to the Kelbrids and their apparent alliance with the Yeerks. I have also informed command of the likelihood of Prince Aximili still being alive. I left out the name Kyritlyp."

We all sat in shock. Nobody expected that, and Jake's eyes darted around in an attempt to figure out exactly what Caysath had done. Even Menderash looked doubtful at the actions of his Prince.

"Excuse me?!" I blurted out.

"Wait," Santorelli said. "You told them about all that?"

Caysath looked around to us all with his main eyes, jumbled by our anger.

Jake added, "Caysath, why did you tell them the information? Even you knew that they would track the source of it."

Caysath had put on a defensive stance, his tail twitching even though it was useless over holographic communications. "Please explain to me why you are so upset by this. I have done this action without revealing your identities or locations."

"You may not have done," Jake sighed, head in his hands. "But how do they think you got that information?"

Surprisingly, Caysath smiled and his figure relaxed. "I see! You were worried that I had given them information without a faux source. Well, you have no need to worry. I have provided the information to them satisfactorily, without anything that could be tracked back to outside involvement."

Jeanne was just as interested as all of us. "Can we ask what you told them?"

"Certainly," Caysath granted. "Knowing that you received the information from the Visser, I organised for a surprise cell inspection. It is part of our agreement with the Humans that we allowed to inspect the cell for signs of mishandling. The inspectors were very surprised to hear the Visser telling some very unusual stories as his solitary cell brings him closer to madness…"

Jake nodded. "They would be surprised."

"Exactly," Caysath replied slyly. "So, Command is now under the suspicion that Prince Aximili has been taken by the Kelbrids, with intent to start a war. Now, you remember that I suggested coming out to the Andalite military? I suggested such because this is now the perfect time to do so."

"How so?" Jake pressed.

"We obviously would be averse to a war with an unknown enemy. If you offered your services to retrieve Prince Aximili in order to avoid a war, then the military may be willing to offer you the necessary equipment to travel into Kelbrid Space."

Caysath seemed happy with his solution, offering his hands to the room to receive the general feedback. What he got was pensive silence and a blank glare from Jake.

"I appreciate you trying to help, Caysath," Jake uttered quietly. "But you didn't check with us if we were okay for that information to be shared. We could have been found out."

"Rest assured, I felt very secure with this plan." Caysath defended.

"Yeah, but we'd prefer it if you spoke to us about it first." Jake argued.

"Very well…" Caysath relented. "Of course, you realise that even with this information, the military will refuse to enter Kelbrid Space under any condition?"

"Yeah, we know," I answered in Jake's place. "But that doesn't mean that we're just going to head on over to Andalite headquarters and say, yoohoo! Hey, it's the guys that stole your ships! Just wanted to ask if you had another we could take!"

Caysath left a stalk eye on me, not granting me the privilege of his main eyes. "I believe it may be your only option for getting Prince Aximili back into Andalite Space."

Jake nodded, but he clearly wasn't swayed. "It's an option, but there may be others yet."

"I cannot see one." Caysath bluntly replied.

Jake shrugged and stared expressionlessly at the Andalite Prince. "Then we'll have to keep thinking."

Caysath nodded. "Very well, but that is my advice to you: Appear to the Andalite military and explain your situation. If I know the Commanders – and I do – they will send you into Kelbrid Space to rescue Prince Aximili in order to avoid the breakout of war."

"Thanks for the suggestion, Caysath," Jake said. "We'll keep it in mind."

"Keep me informed, Jake." Caysath requested, before connection was cut, and Caysath's image zapped back into the projector unit, whose hum slowed to a stop.