Title: The Post-Animorphs Saga (I'm not apologizing for the title! I have become quite attached to it, actually.)

Author: weetzybat

Disclaimer: alright, I don't own Animorphs or Catch-22 or Cowboy Bebop. Just covering all bases...

Description: By this time, you should know the basic premise, right?

*A/N*: I meant to update this yesterday, but things came up...but here it is!

Igloo-yes, did allude to Animorphs reunion, but not sure how to do it without stupid Ellimist interference...might not happen, but ya never know...

Liaranne-she could be a descendent of cassie, except she's very pale...and right about the birdie!

DH-nonono! I meant three chappies total, not three more. God forbid! I know the wording is strange in the last chappy, but I don't know exactly how to reword it to make it sound good...and I updated the last chappy to not overplay Haieta/father relationship...hope it works

L.Emmist-yes, we finally say bye bye to earth...and not a moment too soon! Yossarian will definitely add to the dynamic...just you wait *grins*

Myst4-thanks for the website review...and chapter review...*hires bodyguards to protect her from kidnapping* hah! *only proves she has waaay too much money* oops, no really, I'm poor *shows that they are only cardboard cutouts* see? Very lifelike...and you are right, Trentil is not a psychopath *Trentil warns her that if she ruins his reputation...* gulp, uh, mystie? Forget I said anything...*looks over shoulder nervously*

Lady Ryuki-yes, I know who you are, and thanks for the review...kinda weird getting reviews from ppl you know...

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*~*~* Chapter 20...Yossarian did not tell the whole truth...

Even as I stumbled up the boarding ramp, I was demorphing. The Oberon was likely having a field day with the number of unidentified persons on board. Above my head, I saw the bird swooping into the ship ahead of me. Haieta.

"Prince Isacor!" came the cheerful computer voice. There was a note of elation in her voice, as though she was happy to see me, and I was reminded of the brain of my dog morph. I could barely contain my smile. "Security has been breached..." At once, I realized where we were, and what we were supposed to be doing.

Never mind that! We must lift off now!

"But all members of the crew are not present--" No, they were not, and never would be. I did not know how to explain it to her in a way that she would understand, so I did not try.

Oberon, your only orders are to get us off the ground. I suggest you follow them. Was I threatening my own ship, and so soon after our reunion? What would be next?

The Chee hologram of the building had disappeared, and from the bridge I could see above me the endless blue sky, and below me the surprised faces of the entire camp. The bird landed beside me, and began to twist and change shape. I had not witnessed the morphing process properly with my eyes open, the kind without the finesse of the estreens, and the sight was decidedly unsettling. Soon, a familiar figure emerged from the shifting mass, and soon Haieta was smiling excitedly in front of me. As we rose above the trees, those on the ground faded into a green and brown background.

Our progress was slow at first, until the Oberon seemed to realize what her purpose was, and soon she was gaining speed, testing abilities six month dormant. Yossarian was looking slightly sick.

"Is she always like this?"

What, human? Too much for you to handle? Trentil sneered before I could answer her. He was in a foul mood, a combination of the insult he'd received from Yossarian, and Haieta's flashy entrance.

"No, I just thought an Andalite vessel would be smoother than this." There was another jab, and I wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic or sincere. Haieta and Ran soon vacated the bridge to check on their respective stations, presumably to make sure nothing had been disturbed.

As we broke through the atmosphere, the Oberon informed me that there was a request for an open line of communication.

"Deny it."
Deny it. Both Yossarian and Trentil said it at the same time, then looked at each other, first in surprise, then distrust, and finally contempt.

Disregarding them completely, I gave the affirmative to the Oberon, and Erek's image flickered before me on the screen. I remembered that their only communication equipment was in a hidden bunker somewhere. Why were they still on Earth, and not coming after us in their own ships?

"Guess my little act of sabotage worked," Yossarian commented, not without a note of satisfaction. She must have noticed my worried expression, because next she said, "Don't worry; I just cut a few lines. Nothing drastic, but it will take about a week to find and fix them all." I closed my eyes wearily for a moment, then turned my attention back to Erek, who was speaking.

"--I cannot force you to return, but I must warn you that it is strictly against Andalite law to remove a prisoner from their confines." Prisoner?

We are no prisoners.

"Not you. Yossarian." The words hit me like a well-placed blow with the flat of a tail blade. He spoke in a rush now, "There was a reason she was discharged from the military. She--" Abruptly, his voice was silenced, his image purged from the screen, leaving a flat gray panel. My stalk eyes swiveled to see Ecks, connected to one of the bridge consoles. Yossarian stood beside him, arms folded aggressively.

"I think that's enough."

"Prince Isacor, there has been a disturbance in my program. I have lost the connection." The Oberon broke in about ten seconds too late.

Yes, I know. Trentil had raided our weapons store, and now had a new, fully functional weapons belt. As soon as he realized what was happening, he had drawn his shredder, and now had it trained on her head, but she kept her eyes on me. Why did you do that? I asked her.

"What I did in the past is none of your business." She said matter-of-factly.

If the crime you have committed makes you unfit to be part of this crew, then it is everyone's concern...

"Oh, don't give me that high and mighty Andalite bullshit! Like none of you have ever done anything you were ashamed of, something you never wanted anyone to know!" There was a stunned silence while we all stood there, wondering what our fellow crewmates had done in the past; reflecting on our own mistakes. Yossarian smiled humorlessly. "No, you have no right to judge me. And get that thing out of my face!" she yelled at Trentil, who glanced at me briefly before lowering his weapon. Satisfied that she would not be shot in the back, Yossarian turned on her heel, which I was certain would make her topple to the ground, and walked out.

If you let her go, it will break your code of Andalite honor, Trentil told me mockingly.

Everyone deserves a second chance. That was not strictly in our warrior code, and wasn't even a general Andalite sentiment. It was something I had learned on my own, without the help of the fleet regulations I swore by. This whole mission was a second chance for everyone: the Oberon, Trentil, me...

My anger at the Captain had faded to merely resentment. Perhaps it was the months among the brash, hot-headed Andalites (yes, Trentil is included in that description) that made me realize how dangerous an emotion it was. Anger could make you disgrace yourself; could make you insane...

Well, do not come to me when she strands us on the Taxxon homeworld, because I will just laugh. A joke. The Taxxon homeworld does not exist anymore, thanks to an intelligence mission gone wrong. Explosives can be tricky things.

Suddenly Yossarian reappeared in the doorway again, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Um, I would have stayed mad at you longer, but do we have a destination to head for? We can't hand around Earth forever, and I've downloaded all the star charts, so the universe is ours."

Yes, we have a destination. Trentil looked at me curiously; it was the first time he had heard this.

It all came back to my feelings towards the Captain. Though I no longer felt the burning but idle need to remove his head from his shoulders, it did not mean I would forgive him. I now knew that there was more to revenge than assassination or tailfighting duels.

In case you may have forgotten, we are still on a mission. What better way to throw my humiliation back in his face than to return triumphant, completing the very thing that should have killed us? Yossarian, set us on a course for the Yeerk homeworld.

Practice was over. Now we would be keeping score.

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*A/N*  Ta daaa! Earth is history! Moving to the next plotline...and also a little bit closer to the end...*sits in shock*

Oh, I have made a website dedicated to this story...it's on my bio page...and I think it's pretty good, so if you could visit it and give me advice...would be much appreciated...*hopeful look*

Review! Pweeeze ^_^