The Final Frontier

by The Steel Angel

After being away from the Earth for many years, the lone Animorph returns. But how can a handful of freedom fighters take back a Yeerk controlled planet?

2. Shocking Discovery

 The Final Frontier

 by Wickedclowns101

Chapter One
Shocking Discovery

Ten seconds until reemergence into normal space. > a thought speak voice boomed from the engine room. A man sitting in a large chair in the helm nodded.
"Thank you, Garon. Metsha? Be ready with the defensive shields." The man said.
Of course, Prince Jake. > Metsha said, and readied the shield generator. The captain turned his head.
"Angelica, are the shredders armed?" he asked. A human woman with long reddish hair and emerald green eyes turned to face him.
"Eighty percent, Jake." Angelica said. Jake nodded, and spoke again.
"Ashley, divert power away from the normal space engines and into the weapon system, after reemergence into normal space." Jake said.
Another woman, this one with blond hair that fell just above her shoulders and piercing blue eyes turned back to Jake, and smiled.
"Sure thing, sweetheart." She said. Jake's face turned crimson.
"Big baby," Angelica muttered.
"What, is the big strong, captain embarrassed to admit that he's married?" Ashley mocked.
"Tell me why I married you again?" Jake asked, rubbing his temples.
"Because you love me, of course. And if I'd said no, you would have drank yourself to death." Ashley said.
"Oh yeah," Jake said, smiling.
Reemerging into normal space approximately one hundred thousand miles from the planet... Mars. > Garon announced. Jake fell silent, and stared out of the transparent window as the pure whiteness of Z-space changed to the blackness of normal space, dotted with tiny white stars.
"Is that Mars?" Ashley asked, pointing out of the window, to the left.
"Sure is." Jake said. Ashley didn't respond. She just stared out of the window.
"Ashley? You have a job to do." Angelica said. Ashley seemed to snap out of a trance.
"Thanks, Angel. Diverting power from the backup engines," Ashley commented.
"Shredder power at one hundred percent." Angelica said.
"Any Yeerk scouters?" Jake asked.
None showing on our radar, Prince Jake. > the tactical officer, Tarroth, said.
"Good. Lower the deflectors and raise the stealth shields." Jake said.
Yes, Prince Jake. > Garon said.
"Jake? Why exactly are we coming back to this star system?" Angelica asked.
"Why? Because this is our home, Angelica. We're taking back the earth." Jake said, his eyes beaming.
"Are you insane?" Ashley asked.
"You sound just like Marco." Jake said with a laugh, then immediately fell silent, remembering Marco. He still remembered the last moment he had with Marco, right before the battle…

"Hey Jake, you wanna hit the arcade?" Marco asked. Jake raised an eyebrow.
"Arcade? Why?" Jake asked.
"Because we haven't in such a long time. We need to be normal sometimes. We can't fight the Yeerks twenty four seven." Marco said.
"Well, I guess I could go for some Sleazetroll…" Jake said.
"You always die at the SleazeTroll, Jake." Marco said.
"Oh shut up." Jake said, messing up Marco's hair.
"Hey hey hey! Don't mess with the locks!" Marco yelled, covering up his hair. Jake shook his head, laughing.

"Jake, be realistic. Including the three of us, we're only a hundred and two strong. They have millions!" Ashley said.
"Ash, I fought them for three years on the front line. I know their weaknesses, and I know how to exploit them." Jake said.
"It's suicide!" Angelica yelled.
Prince Jake, I do believe that attempting a mission of this caliber does not look favorable on our side. > an Andalite named Matill said.
"Sherill!" Jake yelled. The hatch to the laboratory opened, and a female Andalite walked in.
Yes, Prince Jake? > she asked.
"Is the device ready?" Jake asked.
Of course, Prince Jake. > she said, and handed Jake a small blue box.
"Is that…?" Angelica asked, stunned.
"An Escafil Device? Yep." Jake said.
"But how?" Ashley asked.
"What do you think our scientists have been working on for the past three years?" Jake asked.
"We'll be morph-capable?" Angelica asked.
"That's the plan." Jake said, cradling the cube in his hands.
"Wow… we'll be Animorphs!" Ashley exclaimed.
"It's not all it's cracked up to be, hon." Jake said.
"Don't try to ruin this for me, Jake!" Ashley snapped. Jake rolled his eyes.
"Animals feel pain too, you know." Jake said.
"I'm not an idiot, Jake." Ashley said.
"Could have fooled me." Jake muttered.
"What was that?" Ashley demanded, grabbing Jake's shoulder, and squeezing.
"Nothing!! Nothing!! Now, each of you press your hand against one side of the cube." Jake said, and held out the cube. Ashley immediately pressed her palm against it.
Angelica was a little more tentative, but slowly pressed her own palm against the cube.
"Ready?" Jake asked. Both of them nodded, and a warm jolt ran through their bodies, like electricity, only strangely enjoyable. Jake felt the jolt as well. His mind flashed back to that night. He remembered Elfangor as if he had never left.
"Jake? Is that it?" Angelica asked.
"Yep. Now follow me. Garon? I'm leaving you in charge." Jake said.
Yes, Prince Jake. > Garon said, as the three humans boarded the elevator that would take them to the dome.
Half of the dome had been closed off since the ship left the Andalite homeworld, many years before. Only Jake knew why.
"Jake, why are you taking us here?" Angelica asked.
"Be quiet. Your place is to follow, not to question." Jake said sternly.
"Oh? And what place is that, hm? Is it because I'm a woman? That's it, isn't it? Well, I've got news for you, buddy. I'm not going to bow to your every whim just because you're some big strong man," Angelica said defensively.
"I meant your place, as in your rank. A team leader is lower than a captain. So you'll follow orders." Jake said.
"Forget it." Angelica said. Jake reached out, and grabbed a tuft of her red hair. He pulled her head next to his.
"Believe me, Angelica. When I'm in leader mode, I don't differentiate between men and women. If you were a man and did what you just did, I'd do the same thing." Jake said, and released her.
"I thought you said that you never wanted to lead." Angelica said, rubbing her head.
"If I don't, then who will?" Jake said, sighing.
"I love it when you get all dominant like this." Ashley said, squeezing Jake's hand. He blushed furiously. That was Ashley. She always knew how to lighten the tension. Angelica grinned.
"Oh really, Ash? What does he like to do?" Angelica asked.
"Sometimes he likes to play captain and cadet." Ashley said.
"ASHLEY!!!" Jake's face was red from both anger and embarrassment.
They stood in that same spot for the next five minutes, waiting for Angelica to stop laughing. She recovered just long enough to mock them both.
"Oh, captain… I've been such a bad girl…" she cried, and fell back to the ground, laughing.
"Are you done?" Jake asked after a few minutes. Angelica pulled herself to her feet, still giggling.
"Yeah…I'm fine now." She said shakily.
"Good. Then let's go." Jake said, opening the sealed part of the dome.
"Wow…" Ashley gasped, and for a good reason. The entire room was filled with Earth animals. Any animal that you could imagine.
"Why aren't they moving?" Angelica asked.
"Bio Stasis." Jake answered.
"Well, looks like we have our own personal Noah." Ashley commented.
"What did you expect? That I'd give you morphing power with nothing to morph?" Jake asked.
"We can morph anything here?" Ashley asked.
"Well, you'll need a few essentials. Roach, fly, transit, water transit, battle." Jake said.
"Can we pick any animal?" Angelica asked. Jake nodded.
"Well, I want power." Angelica ran over to the grizzlies.
"Rachel," Jake muttered. Ashley had approached a male lion.
"David," Jake growled.
"How do we acquire them?" Ashley asked. She had moved to a lioness instead. Jake took her hand, and pressed it against the soft fur of the lioness.
"Imagine the lioness in your mind. See yourself becoming the lioness." Jake instructed. Ashley and Angelica closed their eyes, and acquired their respective animals.
"Now what?" Angelica asked.
"Now you acquire the other animals, and we have morphing drills." Jake said, grinning.

(Three Weeks Later)

Ashley laid quiet in her bed. The only sounds that filled the room were the almost inaudible sounds of her and Jake's breathing. Jake rolled over, so they were face to face.
"Hey, stranger." Ashley whispered.
"Morning." Jake said softly, and kissed her. She kissed him back, smiling.
"More drills today?" she asked. He shook his head.
"No. Today, we rest." He said.
"Good. Maybe my muscles will have time to heal." She said, rubbing her shoulder.
"Want a massage?" Jake offered. She laid on her stomach, and pulled her shirt off, exposing her back.
"That sounds great." She said, closing her eyes. Jake straddled her waist, and started massaging her lower back.
"Feel great too," she whispered. The door exploded inward.
Prince Jake! > a large Andalite cried. It was Samaila. The MorningSun's chief battle commander. Ashley quickly pulled on her blouse, and sat up.
"What's up, Sam?" Jake asked.
Somehow, the yeerks have picked up on our engine sensors. They're launching planet side bug fighters as we speak! > Samaila said. The smile disappeared from Jake's face. He grabbed a microphone, and spoke.
"Man your fighters! Prepare for launch immediately!" Jake yelled, and slammed down the intercom.
"If those slugs want a fight, they'll get one. Let's go, Ash." Jake said.
"Right." Ashley said, and made her way to the docking bay, with Jake running along side her. She found her ship, and climbed aboard. She switched on the radio to the open channel.
"How many do we have?" Jake asked over the radio.
Five squadrons of one hundred cruisers. Most operating without a pilot, which are on auto attack mode. They can be controlled by the squadron leader. > Samaila said.
"Squad leaders check in." Jake ordered.
Green Team, clear. > The green team leader, Firrall, said.
Blue team, clear. > The blue team leader, Herratt, said.
Gold team, clear. > Samaila said.
"Sliver team, clear." Angelica said.
"Red team clear. Prepare for launch in ten seconds." Jake said. The ships computers began to count down.
Five… three… one… Launching in progress. >
The ground below the ships disappeared, propelling the ships into space.
"Separate into your corresponding teams. Gold and Silver team attack from behind. Blue from the left, Green from the right. Red team? We're attacking from the front." Jake said.
The fighters lined up with their respective color coded teams, which were indicated by the color plates attached to the dracon cannon on the ships.
"Garon, raise the stealth shield, and only charge the main shredder if I give the order." Jake said.
Yes, Prince Jake. > Garon said from aboard the dome ship.
"Shredders charged… let's rock and roll, guys." Jake slipped the weapon switches in his fighter, as the monitor flickered.
You are being Hailed. > The computer said.
"On screen." Jake said. The screen flickered to life, showing a human face.
"So, you're not dead." The controller said. Jake's blood ran cold. He knew this controller.
"Marco…" he whispered.
"He's inside this body somewhere, being quite troublesome right now, actually. But I am Visser One." He said.
"Tell me why I should care." Jake said coldly.
"Because I want the satisfaction of taunting you before my fighters annihilate you." Marco said.
"I don't think so, Yeerk." Jake said, and cut the connection. He saw the bug fighters approaching, dracon beams blaring.
"Raise your deflectors, and move out! Let's show these slugs what Omega class shredders can do!" Jake said, and pushed his fighter forward into the oncoming dracon field.
He took hold of his manual weapon controls, and waited until he had locked onto a bug fighter.
"See you in hell." Jake muttered, and squeezed the trigger. A pale blue beam lanced through space, before slicing into two Yeerk ships, like a shish kebob.
"Yeeeeeehhhhhaaaaa!!!" Jake screamed like an idiot teenager.
Red leader! Watch your tail! > Samaila said. Jake stopped celebrating, and went back to steering.
"I can't shake him!" Jake yelled frantically. All of a sudden, his pursuer was blown away by a shredder.
"How's that?" It was Ashley's voice.
"Way nice, Red two!" Jake commented.
Squadron leaders, I don't know if you can see this, but hundreds of bug fighters are pouring out of the atmosphere from the dark side. > Garon said.
"Copy that, Garon. Red on, Red two, get behind me. Weapons ready." Jake said. Two other ships pulled behind his.
Gold team, W formation. Left wing. Behind Red two. > Samaila said.
"Silver team, W formation. Right wing. Behind Red one." Angelica said.
Green team, give Gold team some cover. > Firrall said.
Same for you, Blue team. Cover Silver team. > Heratt said.
"Red team, form an arc around us all. It's time for the Blitzkrieg." Jake said.
We're in position, Red leader. > Samaila said.
"Maximum burn on my mark. Shoot anything that looks Yeerk. One more check in" Jake said.
Blue team ready. > Heratt.
"Silver team ready." Angelica.
Green team ready. > Firrall.
Gold team ready. > Samaila.
"Red team ready." Ashley.
Stealth shields ready. > Garon said.
It was all on Jake now. One word. One order. He had the power. Their very lives were hanging in the balance. But could he really give the order to send this many controllers, and maybe half of his crew to their deaths? How could he live with himself? He couldn't!
"Maximum burn. Now!!!" He punched up Maximum burn, and hurtled through space, with his army right along side of him, shredders blasting.
The yeerks didn't even know what hit them. All they saw was a wall of ships coming at them, and then nothing at all.
Jake saw his own ships blowing apart, including one of the red ships right next to him. He could only pray that it wasn't Ashley.
Prince Jake! We don't have enough time to pull up! we're going to hit the planet! > Samaila yelled.
"What?" Jake asked, waking up from a trance. He looked at his radar screen. They had entered the Earth's stratosphere.
"Shed all excess speed! Brace for impact! And god help us all!" Jake yelled, as they plummeted to Earth.

To Be Continued….