Chapter 21 (Ax)

I was nearing the Hork-Bajir home world when I received a communication from the Andalite fleet. I opened my ship's two-way communication, the screen taking a moment or two to warm up before displaying the face of a familiar Andalite.

((We've received new intelligence,)) War-Prince Galuit, the commander of my mission, said. ((There is a Blade Ship above the Hork-Bajir home world which must be destroyed. It contains blueprints for mind-control devices that the Yeerks intend to use to re-create their empire of slavery.)) He paused for a moment or two to let the new information sink in, then added, ((They must be stopped at all costs, do you understand me?))

((Yes, sir,)) I answered with feigned calm, careful not to show any of the sudden fear I felt. ((Do we know exactly where this Blade Ship is?))

((No,)) Galuit admitted. ((You will have to find that out for yourself. And there is another thing. A second group on the planet has plans to attack and destroy the blueprints on the Yeerks' base itself. They have asked to coordinate their attacks with yours, in order that the attacks might provide a distraction.))

((Another group, sir?)) I asked, curious. ((Who?))

Galuit smiled with his eyes, and answered, ((Why, I believe they are old friends of yours. Jake Berenson and his team are down there.))

My hearts jumped. ((The Animorphs, you mean? But,)) I stuttered, ((they have retired from active duty, have they not?))

((It would seem that they felt they were needed,)) Galuit said. ((And perhaps they are right. Andalite involvement in this matter is forbidden, as you know. But the Animorphs, of course, do not answer to Andalite government. And, acting as a member of their unit, neither do you.))

((But,)) I said, still disbelieving, ((they have done enough, and more. They are still mere humans, after all. They are not meant for war. Not when there are others who can fight. They need to-))

((Tell it to them, not me,)) Galuit interrupted me gently. ((Your only duty is to find the Blade Ship, and then to wait for the signal from your former prince. That is all, Prince Aximili.))

((Yes, sir,)) I said again, and turned the communicator off.

I could barely think straight, my hearts were beating so fast. The Animorphs, back in the war? I felt excited to fight side-by-side once again with my former comrades, but I felt afraid for them, too.

Their first war had left them different, scarred. I had watched each of them change over the course of those three years. Humans were not born warriors, not the way Andalites were. That was a truth that I had seen first hand. Were they really doing the right thing by getting themselves involved again? Now, when the burden of war needed no longer fall upon their shoulders alone?

On the other hand, I realized that the new intelligence that Galuit had mentioned must have undoubtedly come from my human friends. And without that information, I would not have known what the Yeerks were doing, nor how to stop them.

They knew what they were doing, no doubt. The only question was, what would it do to them this time?

I shook myself out of my thoughts, and set myself to the task at hand. I scanned the area nearby for the characteristic shape of the Blade Ship, on the offhand chance that they had been careless enough to leave it uncloaked. I didn't expect to find it so easily, and, of course, I didn't.

My vessel, a Sstram grid-ship, was a fairly primitive design. Many of the controls were flawed and imperfect compared to Andalite ships, but I felt it would serve my purposes. The grid-ship was only slightly smaller than a Blade Ship, and its design consisted of interlocking plates in complex geometrical patterns. It was actually slightly asymetrical, with two cube-shaped extensions on its left side each equipped with small beam weapons, and a larger platform on the right that held a sizeable beam cannon. It could not match weapons with a Blade Ship, but as long as I carried the element of surprise, I surmised that I might be able to overcome that difficulty.

I awkwardly held the joysticks that were designed for the tentacle-like hands of a Sstram, and set the ship to skim the barren, dark grey surface of the Hork-Bajir planet. I scanned the air for the characteristic shimmer that might give away the presence of a cloaked ship. I cloaked my own ship in the meantime, not wanting to alert the Blade Ship to my presence.

It was a long and tedious search. A few times I thought I saw a shimmer, but it always turned out to be simply the movement of one of the lizards that lived on the barren rock beyond the Hork-Bajir valleys. And I could not even be certain that the first cloaked ship I encountered would be the Blade Ship.

Finally, I spotted it. To my chagrin, it was not even cloaked, but rather only hidden by virtue of its dark color against the black of space.

It made sense, I realized as I thought about it, as I wondered why the Yeerks might have left a Blade Ship out in the open. As obvious as a Blade Ship was, it had to remain clearly visible. So long as it remained uncloaked, the Yeerks might be able to excuse its presence with an innocent explanation. But if it had cloaked itself, and was then discovered, it would only appear much more suspicious.

It had been 'hiding in plain sight,' as the human saying goes.

I was still cloaked, but I didn't trust the cloaking devices on a Sstram ship to hide me from a Blade Ship's instruments. So I piloted my ship down to the crater-ridden surface of the Hork-Bajir planet, concealing it from the Blade Ship behind the lip of a small ravine that ran parallel to one of the Hork-Bajir valleys.

As I waited, I followed the Blade Ship's slow, steady, orbital movement, hiding in craters and valleys whenever the opportunity presented itself. And as I watched the Blade Ship, I noticed that it was ever so subtly different from the ship formerly belonging to Visser One. This Blade Ship had slightly smaller wings, a larger bridge, and a longer, curved stem that joined the two. Its curved shape and large bridge gave it a more snake-like appearance, so that, while it didn't appear as blatantly dangerous as Visser One's infamous vessel, it had a subtler, sinister presence of its own.

I shivered again, itching to do something, anything, and afraid that the Blade Ship would detect my presence. Or that it would cloak itself and I would lose it.

Finally, after a few hours, Jake's signal came.

His face appeared on the screen after a moment, and it was not the broken and hollow face of a human destroyed by war. His face was a mask of confidence. He was his former self once more, a leader, the same prince that I had followed for three years on earth, and his renewed strength of will shone through the miles between us through my screen.

Perhaps I was wrong about him, at least, I thought as I looked upon his hardened face. Perhaps Jake, my prince, truly was meant for war.

"It's time," he said simply to me, and the screen went dark.

Bonbon: Sorry, but I have a strict no-plot-spoiling policy. What's the point of writing a story at all if I'm going to give everything away? ;)

I can tell you, though, that yes, Rastorrin is an original character of mine. Haven't decided whether he's going to be important or not, though.