Hello all! Here is the new chapter - set in the present, and we're steaming on towards the conclusion (I hope!). Enjoy reading :D Also, I'm afraid I'm not sure there will be more past chapters - since Alloran has left and for Jahar her past has sort of ended. I might try one more to explain that better, but I'm not sure.

Chapter 25

The first question must be, does Visser Three expect an attempt on his life? Arbat asked. We were back on The Starwave, which we had hidden in a crater on the human moon. Barely a mile away was an American flag stuck proudly into the barren crust, marking where humans had so recently found their space wings. I thought back to our home planet, where trips to the moons were used as family days out. They still had a long way to come, this backwards race.

The Visser knows me extremely well, Alloran said, slightly awkwardly. I could hardly blame him for being uncomfortable about his relationship with the Visser – it was as if he had had some sort of sordid affair with a spy and inadvertently let slip important information. He couldn't help the fact that he had revealed himself so completely, but it was damaging none the less. He knows I can not rest whilst he still lives. His evil must be stopped.

This is not the mission we came to accomplish, I said softly, turning to the Arisths and my daughter. You younger ones have already run risks and have completed what you set out to do. I will not force any of you to come with us. Without seeming to realise it,Lortif glanced automatically at my son to see what his choice would be.

I will fight with my father, Farling said proudly.

And I with Farling, Lortif said promptly. Medrar gave his soft, lazy smile.

My glorious brother always accuses me of not being adventurous enough. I shall come with you.

Mother, Tirdellan began, but I already sensed what she was going to say and cut in.

Tirdellan, you are still grieving for Kipsing. In the interests of the safety of all of us I am going to bar you from this mission.

Thank you, she whispered back.

So we all go except for Tirdellan, who pilots the ship again, Alloran said. He smiled with his large green eyes. I thank you all for your assistance, friends.

How do we get near the Visser? Arbat asked. I turned to my mate.

You know all the details of the Blade Ship and Yeerk Pool. Can you think of a way in? Arbat didn't give Alloran a chance to answer though, cutting in.

He won't know how to get close, Jahar. Any weak points he would have noticed in either of those two places the Visser would have seen too, and would have dealt with accordingly. Alloran flushed slightly at his brother's uncharacteristically rude interruption, but gave a half shrug.

I believe you are correct, Arbat. Although I may still be of use, since I have extensive knowledge of the security arrangements guarding the Visser which I could share. That is, if I may be permitted to speak... Arbat twitched almost imperceptibly, but bowed his head and gestured for Alloran to continue. The two of them were like a pair of tuning forks, tingling with tension. It made me sad to see them this way when I had so many memories from half a lifetime ago of them galloping together under the skies at home, laughing and racing.

Before I came along.

I pushed the thoughts from my mind and focussed on what Alloran was saying.

The Blade Ship will be difficult to infiltrate. It is protected with multiple security codes and of course all docking Bug Fighters are scanned for the correct number of life forms. The Blade Ship almost never touches the ground – all required supplies are carried to it by transport ships which pass through a network of Gleet Biofilters when docking.

Are the Gleet Biofilters programmed to recognised generic species DNA or person-specific DNA? Tirdellan asked suddenly. Alloran swung around to confront the interruption and she quailed ever so slightly. In the military he would never have been interrupted, particularly not by a female. I just wondered, she continued, if it had to be a certain pilot docking the transport ships of if any human or Hork Bajir or Taxxon would do. Alloran relaxed his glare.

Do you know, I believe it only recognises the species? After all, there's such a turnaround of subordinates under the Visser that they'd be forever having to reprogramme the Biofilters if they only recognised person-specific DNA.

So if we hijack one of these transports we can fly it, as long as we were morphed into the correct species? Arbat asked. Alloran shrugged.

Well, in theory yes. They are four person ships, which is a difficulty as there are six of us. Also, they fly in pairs, which is another difficulty as we will not be easily able to hijack one ship without the second one noticing.

So we take both, I said, excitement creeping into my voice. Three of us in each ship, with one unconscious controller to balance the readings for the Gleet Biofilters.

It could possibly be done, Alloran said dubiously. The ships' flight time is recorded, though, and any major anomalies will raise alarms. It's usually around a forty seven minute flight and anything significantly longer would cause questions.

By 'significantly longer' what do you mean? Arbat quizzed. Alloran shrugged.

The Visser didn't bother himself with such small details, so I'm not really sure. I should imagine if a ship were anything more than fifteen minutes late questions would be asked.

So we move fast, I said. But it can be done?

If we were able to immobilise the crew without leaving any signs on the ships of a hijacking, then I suppose it is a possibility, he replied.

How about a stun ray? Medrar asked. The Yeerks use them all the time on small ships they come across in space. Will the transport ships have sufficient shielding to protect themselves?

They would, Alloran said. He suddenly smiled, a flash of gold in his vibrant eyes. But if they still use the same radio frequencies then I can perhaps persuade them to lower those shields.

And once we're on the Blade Ship in morph we track down the Visser together and plan accordingly, I finished. Thrills were leaping through me, at the thought that we were taking the final step towards the journey home. Soon we would be leaving this poor planet, this Earth forever. Leaving it to its fate, a voice whispered in my brain, but I pushed it away fiercely. Earth was not, and never had been, my responsibility. The human race could fend for itself until the fleet came.

We hovered, cloaked, ten miles up in the atmosphere, and watched as a car park below us cracked open and belched forth the two medium sized transport ships. They were cloaked and shielded to human radar and Andalite visual screens, but the supplies they carried included chemicals used in cleaning the Blade Ships engines which gave off a distinctive radiation, and we were able to track them using an X-Ray sounding. As soon as the ships were five miles off the ground, and the action was still shielded from eyes above by a thick layer of clouds on all sides, we uncloaked and moved in. Frantically Medrar's fingers skipped over a keyboard, and he sighed with relief a second later.

Hologram successfully projected. To the transport ships we would now appear on their viewing screens as a Yeerk Patrol ship.

Breathing hard, Alloran activated the ship's communications systems with his human hands, keying in the transmission frequency the Yeerks used, and then spoke in a clipped voice. "Transport ships B641 and D127 this is Patrol ship D594. Request confirmation of identity." The reply was instantaneous.

"This is transport ships B641 and B372. Ship D127 was decommissioned two days ago due to engine problems." The human voice was almost toneless, but then the speaker gave a cold snort. "Try keeping up to date, D594." Alloran flared his nostrils slightly, but it was clear he had not overly worried the controllers with his mistake.

"I request that you suspend momentum immediately and lower shields, B641 and B372," he said calmly. "We are picking up unusual readings on both of you – you may have contacted some human atmospheric contaminant."

"Negative, flight is not impaired and our own computers show no such readings," the reply came. Alloran ground his human teeth.

"Look, I don't care what your computers say. Ours are picking up readings, and I demand that you halt immediately and lower shields." Arbat, morph Hork Bajir now, he hissed. Without asking why Arbat immediately began the morph.

"Who is this?" the controller on the other end asked suspiciously. "On whose authority do you request a transport ship to halt?" Arbat, now fully Hork Bajir, lumbered towards the communications panel. I could hear a soft whispering, like rustling leaves, as Alloran used his quietest thought speak to tell his brother what to say.

"This is Sub Visser 18, of the Fulton Nar Pool. What idiot am I talking to?"

"Sub Visser! I had no idea you were patrolling today," the controller gasped. I could hear a touch of fear in his voice.

"Identify yourself, fool!" Arbat snarled.

"This is Nildin 629, Sub Visser," the controller oiled. "I will comply with your orders immediately."

"Good. Now power down, halt momentum and lower shields," Arbat growled. "We will run a swift sweep and then you can be on your way. Understood?"

"Yes Sub-Visser." Instantly the two transport ships uncloaked and we could see them on our viewing screens. A pair of large black pods – not particularly aerodynamic, but spacious and suited to carrying large cargoes over short distances. Tendrils of clouds trailed over the short stubby wings as the red glow of the rear engines dimmed and the ships slowed and halted. They hovered below us as we swept in like a predatory bird, Lortif at the controls. He brought us to a gentle halt three metres above the two waiting transport ships.

Activating Stun Ray, Medrar reported. On our viewing screens there was a blinding green flash of light, and then Medrar's fingers danced and he caught in our tractor beams both the now crewless ships as they dipped back towards the ground.

Moving in, Lortif reported. We slid down the length of our tractor beams, shortening the distance between us and the ships. We couldn't risk getting too close in case trace evidence of The Starwave somehow transferred itself to their hulls. Anything that could set off security checks on the transport ships had to be avoided. Lortif halted us about a metre above the ships and smiled weakly. That's the closest I dare get. Tirdellan stepped forwards and accepted the controls from him, and I reached out and touched my tail gently to hers.

Stay out of sight. We'll be in touch. I had given her a relatively obscure radio frequency to leave the communications centre running on earlier, and when we needed to we would contact her on that. The Arisths had already left the main cockpit, and now Alloran and Arbat, both back in their Andalite forms again, followed them. I touched Tirdellan's face in the gentlest goodbye kiss.

Good luck Mother, she whispered. I laughed.

This was your idea, Tirdellan. I'm hoping we won't need luck. She paled slightly, and I realised that without meaning to I had laid the blame squarely on her shoulders should anything go wrong. Feeling guilty I gave her a final smile and turned to follow the others.

In the belly of The Starwave we opened a hatch, so that down below us hung the transport ships, swaying slightly in the tractor beam's grip. Below them were thick clouds, looking deceptively solid. I was glad they were there, obscuring the ground. If I could have seen how far up we actually were I would never have been able to do what I did then. One by one we approached that gap. Alloran went first, the cold wind tearing at him, daring him to leap out and play with it.

It's a long way down if you miss, he said softly. I hope everyone has a morph which can fly, or you'll have a lot of time to wish you'd bothered to get one. Without glancing back he aimed and didn't so much jump out of the hatch as drop abruptly through it. Of course, one metre is only really a short drop to an Andalite, and he landed easily enough, absorbing the shock through his legs and finding his footing. He staggered slightly and I almost cried out. Be careful. The wind is very strong. It pushes you left, so compensate for that.

Arbat went next, leaping down and stumbling on the metal deck of the transport ship. Alloran reached out and grasped his hand and he righted himself. Once he was steady Arbat knelt down and reached down over the lip of the roof of the transport ship, searching for the keypad which controlled all the ship's hatches. Of course it wouldn't be on the roof – when were Yeerks ever expecting to be abseiling down onto their ships and entering them from above? Farling went next, landing easily, and then Arbat gave an exclamation of success and a hatch in the centre of the roof yawned open.

Tirdellan, alternate ships in the tractor beam, I ordered. We waited a minute, and then beneath us the ship that Alloran, Arbat and Farling were on slid to the right and the other one came to be positioned beneath us. I went first, followed by Medrar and Lortif. Medrar found the keypad to open our own roof hatch, and we dropped one at a time into the ship. The crew were all in the small main cockpit, four of them slumped over the floor. We acquired one of them each so as to be able to pass ourselves off easily to the controllers at the other end, and then after we had morphed and taken their clothing used Dracon beams to vaporize the ones we had acquired. The fourth controller remained on the floor, to provide us with the correct number of occupants for the Gleet Bio Filters. As I watched, the other ship disengaged itself from the tractor beam and started pulling away. Lortif opened communications with Tirdellan and she dropped us too. I reactivated the Transport ship's shields and autopilot and we drew away from The Starwave, following Alloran's ship.

Good luck, Tirdellan whispered over the com. The whole operation had taken ten minutes.

The rest of the flight passed swiftly enough. We rose up through the atmosphere, passing into space. Forty one minutes after we had left Tirdellan the axe-shaped Blade Ship hove into view on our visual screens, its darkness acting like a black hole and sucking the very life from us. A black void in space, blotting out our view of the stars as it slid between them and us. I felt my hearts beating hollowly, as if in a cold and empty chest.

Nasty thing, isn't it? I whispered to Medrar and Lortif.

It certainly does a good job at being intimidating, Lortif replied. I turned to Medrar, to find him crouched by the surviving controller, who was just reviving. The Yeerk blinked his host's eyes groggily.

"What happened?"

"Those idiots in the Patrol ship," Medrar sniffed. "You remember? Used the wrong scanning beams. You were knocked out." The controller nodded, accepting what Medrar said. And why shouldn't he have? As far as he was concerned, the three creatures standing in the cockpit with him were exactly the same as the ones he had set out on the journey with. He glanced at the viewing screen and his eyes widened.

"By the great pool, we're arriving! I must have been out for a time. Why didn't you rouse me?"

"We tried," I grunted. He didn't ask further questions, but stood and reached into a small locker at the back of the cockpit, extracting a small white box with a red cross on it. Under our curious eyes he opened it and extracted a small container, which he opened, removing a sheet of pills. He pressed out two of the pills and swallowed them, then turned to us. "Any of you got a headache like mine?"

They must be painkillers specially formulated for humans, I whispered, as we all shook our heads. The controller pointed at the screen.

"Ah, we're coming up to the filters. Stupid waste of time." As we drew nearer to the dark Blade Ship I saw projecting from its surface a series of metal arches with blue lights glowing within their framework. They were large enough for a small ship to fly through and we were clearly aiming for them. Beyond them a hanger gaped in the side of the Blade Ship like a strangely bright wound. The autopilot took us behind Alloran's ship, flying through the arched filters, and taking us gently into the hanger. We touched down very lightly, and the controller started towards the door. He turned towards us as we stood, frozen slightly by nerves.

"You guys coming or not? I haven't fed for two and a half days, and I'm feeling wretchedly hungry."

"Yes of course," I replied, leading Lortif and Medrar with me. The controller gave us a weird look.

"You sure that beam didn't do something to you guys as well?" We all sort of shrugged in human gestures of ignorance as he opened the main hatch and we stepped out into the busy hanger. Taxxons were already approaching the ship and attaching pipes to its holding tanks, drawing off its cargo. Around us ten or so Bug Fighters were parked in their holding cradles, energy ropes slung under their bellies, pipes dangling from them like grotesque umbilical cords as they reloaded coolant and other liquids. As I watched, three humans stepped from the other Transport ship, carrying a fourth one in their arms. A human with a clipboard hurried over, and I heard him demanding what had happened. The unconscious Yeerk was laid on the ground, the clipboard fobbed off with some explanation. A small buggy came zipping across the hanger, weaving around Hork Bajir who had started unloading the solid cargo from the transport ships and placing it on hovering containers which would carry it around the Blade Ship. The unconscious controller was loaded into the buggy, and our friend the other controller jumped up with him, the hungry Yeerk cadging a lift towards the pool areas.

Trying to look inconspicuous I edged towards the other three.

"What did you say?"

"Control panel malfunction," one of the others said. "He was stunned by a random electric shock." He looked me up and down. "Jahar I presume?" I smiled thinly.

"Arbat." He laughed and nodded. What a pity, he teased privately. I was going to pretend to be Alloran.

Not the time, I hissed back, fighting a smile. We spent a minute identifying ourselves to each other, and then set off, following Alloran, across the hanger and to a corridor which opened off it. Alloran zigzagged down various corridors purposefully, knowing his way intimately around this metal maze. We trotted behind as he led us past Hork Bajir and humans, and Taxxons which slimed their way underfoot. Always I kept my eyes wide open for the human we had seen in the woods. If I closed my eyes for a second I could picture Visser Three's new host – a slim human female with black hair pulled back. I didn't know humanity well enough yet to know if she was beautiful or not, but she'd seemed whole and healthy, which I'm sure had been the Visser's main requirements when he chose his new host.

Alloran pulled an abrupt right and we dodged down a smaller passageway which ended in a closed doorway and a glowing control panel. Alloran's fingers danced over it, and then he laughed lightly.

"Brilliant. He's kept the same sequence for determining the passcodes. It would take an outsider days to crack it, but for me..." He jabbed some keys and the door swished open mechanically, revealing a small room containing banks of viewing monitors.

Security room, Alloran hissed in our minds. Two bored humans were lounging in front of the monitors and turned in surprise to greet the six of us.

"What do you want?" one of them demanded.

"This room," Alloran replied coldly. In an instant he and Arbat whipped out Dracon beams and stunned the controllers before they could protest. Behind us the security door slid shut again with a soft whine, giving a horrible claustrophobic sensation of being locked in. Alloran approached the monitors quickly, kicking the controllers out of their chairs and settling into one. To my surprise Medrar took the other, pulling the keyboard for the computers on the desk towards him.

"Can you ascertain if the Visser is actually onboard?" Alloran asked.

Or if this whole trip was a waste of time, Arbat sniggered in my mind.

Quiet! I hissed. I was too tense to deal with Arbat being gently rebellious.

"He's here!" Medrar said excitedly. "And he's working in his quarters!"

"Can you get me visuals?" Arbat demanded. Medrar tapped a few keys but Alloran raised a hand.

"Don't bother. The Visser doesn't have cameras in his inner sanctum. He won't have just anyone seeing what he's doing." It made sense.

"So, what's the plan, Hak Bajeesh?" Arbat asked, turning to me. I faltered. The dark room with its glowing screens was never made for six people and it was horribly oppressive. I had a strange sensation of drowning, as if the monitors were the bright surface miles above me.

"Can anyone just barge into the Visser's quarters?" I asked. Alloran thought and then smiled.

"Actually they can. The Visser relies on fear, not locks."

"So, say three or four Hork Bajir leapt into his quarters. With his human host it wouldn't be hard to disarm and secure him?"

"Not at all hard," Alloran said softly. "Nice plan, Jahar."