The Liberation Chronicles

by L'Angel

The continuation to The After-Earth Chronicles. The Animorphs must try and liberate Earth.

4. Part Four: The Message

The Liberation Chronicles #4: The Message

Dedication: As always, for "J."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just a couple things.

Okay, first of all, some of you might notice that this "installment" is shorter than the others. The reason is that it was originally much, much longer. But I realized that it was getting too long, so I broke it up into two stories. The second part should be along very shortly, but it was just too long with it together. So if it seems short and a little cut off at the end, well . . . it's because it is. Sorry, I'll hurry up with #5.

And my second note is my usual thanks to my wonderful, patient, talented editors, Kat and (she's baaaaack, folks!) Tobiasrulz. And if you people have not yet read Tobiasrulz's new series "Simultaneous Battles," for heaven's sake, read it now. Honestly, it is so good.

Anyhow, thanks for reading, and (since I'm posting this the day before Thanksgiving) have a great Turkey Day.

Chapter One – Visser Forty-One

After all these years of bloodshed, the Yeerks have the audacity to offer us peace? the Andalite asked incredulously. I stood in the center of the cave, feeling the weight of their stares. One Andalite gaze, six human, one Hork-Bajir, and one android. Most skeptical, some accusing. I involuntarily rubbed the back of my host's neck.

"No," I answered. "I do."

"I thought you said you carried a message from the majority of the Yeerk empire," the human I recognized from Jordan's memories as Cassie said softly. She put her hand on the Andalite's shoulder. He only shifted position and continued to glare at me.

"Yes," I said. "But there are complications . . . is there anywhere else we may talk?"

"Our ship," the tall, brown-haired man said . . . Jordan's cousin. Jake.

A Yeerk has never been allowed in an Andalite ship! the Andalite said angrily.

"She's offering peace, Ax!" my host's sister, Rachel, replied.

And you are foolish enough to believe her?

"She speaks the truth, Ax," Erek, the android, suddenly said. "Listen to her."

The Andalite calmed only slightly. Fine, he said. But I warn you, Visser. If you are dishonest with us, you will die a slow, painful death by Kandrona starvation.

"As if I didn't know that?" I returned, just as coldly.

The humans led Toby, Erek, and myself to their ship. The Andalite, Ax (Undoubtedly short for something. Andalites have long, complicated names that reflect their natural arrogance.), followed behind me, tail quivering and ready. Would he kill my host? I wasn't sure. And I wasn't about to experiment.

She's married! Jordan gasped to me as we walked.

How can you tell? I asked. Then, Ah. Never mind, I see the ring.

I wonder who her husband is . . . not the Andalite, Jordan said thoughtfully. Definitely not Jake . . . gross . . . Marco or the blond?

Let's get this over with, I said. After we tell them everything, you and Rachel can have all the sisterly-bonding time you want.

Thanks, she said, truly grateful. After a moment she added, I hope you realize you've got your work cut out for you.

No kidding. The Andalite made that loud and clear.

Can you blame him? I was silent. In Earth years, how long have the Yeerks and Andalites been at war? she asked.

Over forty years, I said, knowing she could feel my shame.

That's a long time, she said needlessly. Do you think forty years of death will be forgiven because you, a low-ranked Visser, says, "I'm sorry"?

I have to try!

And I'm not telling you not to. Just be prepared. And understand.

I sighed mentally. Even if we are able to make peace, I don't think Andalites and Yeerks will ever understand each other. Maybe humans and Yeerks. But Andalites are too self-righteous.

As long as Esplin 9466 is in charge, there'll be no understanding. And definitely no peace, Jordan said tiredly.

In that, my human friend, you have a point. The Emperor must die.

I hate it when you talk about murder so carelessly.

Carelessly!? I replied hotly. You think I like killing? I don't. But when millions of human, Andalite, Hork-Bajir and, yes, Yeerk lives are at stake, I don't hold to human moralizing.

She was silent. Then she said in a low voice, What about Edriss 562?

Shut up, human, I replied harshly.

Does your conscience bother you, Visser? my host asked smugly.

I had to kill her!

Did you?

Shut up!

And she did, for a time, because we had reached the ship. "The Elfangor," Erek said, reading the name on the side of the ship.

I tried unsuccessfully to stifle a derisive snort. The Andalite turned on me. "Do not insult the memory of my brother," he snapped. I glared at him silently.

Jake opened the hatch and led us inside. Erek gazed around in appreciation. "Andalite science has advanced greatly. I would say you are now only a few centuries behind where my creators were."

"Gee. Thanks," Marco said sarcastically.

Erek smiled. "I meant it as a genuine compliment. The last I saw of Andalite technology, you were a full millennium behind."

"Oh."

The others led us into what was apparently the living area of their ship, a small human kitchen with a room containing a sofa and armchairs adjoined. "Take a seat," Jake said to those of us able to sit. The Andalite stood by my chair in a blatant gesture of distrust. "What's going on?" Jake asked.

I took a deep breath. Tell them everything, Jordan said meaningfully. I did not respond.

"There has been a blood coup in the Yeerk government," I began. "Twelve members of the Council of Thirteen have been assassinated."

They stared at me. "Assassinated?" Cassie gasped. "By whom?"

"By the only remaining member of the Council," I replied. "Emperor Esplin 9466. Perhaps you know him better as Visser Three."

"Visser Three?" Marco repeated in shock. "Emperor?"

I nodded. "Dictator." I sighed. "Somehow, he discovered I was the one driving the peace movement on Earth. I'd been in contact with one of the other Counselors – perhaps that is how he found out. He did not know before the deaths, because . . ." I stopped.

Tell them! Jordan commanded.

"Because I was ordered to kill one of them," I finished, staring at the wall beyond Rachel's head. "Edriss 562. Another one of your old friends, I believe. During your time on Earth, she held the position of Visser One. As a Council member, she put herself in charge of Earth and all things pertaining to humans. When the . . . Emperor conceived his lunatic plan, Edriss 562 was here on Earth. I was the next highest-ranking Yeerk, and therefore the one ordered to carry out the assassination."

"Did you do it?" the blond man asked, speaking for first time. I didn't know his name – Jordan had no memories of him.

I nodded. "I had to," I said. "If I hadn't, I would have been the one killed. And the peace movement would have died out for lack of a leader."

Coward, Jordan muttered.

"Coward," her sister echoed. "Don't give us that crap. We didn't survive this long by being stupid. What's going to happen to your movement now that Visser Three's in charge?" I didn't answer. "Didn't think of that, did you?"

I swallowed, because my host body's throat was uncomfortably dry. "Anyhow, he somehow found out I was leading the peace movement and sent an order to Earth for me to be executed. I have enough highly-placed allies that I was warned in time and went into hiding. But that was only going to be good for three days.

"I'd been in touch with Erek before. I'd seen the Chee . . . skeletons. And I'd also seen a better way." I nodded toward Erek, indicating he should take over. I was sick of telling the story.

"As you know, we are able to sustain a Yeerk in our heads by generating our own Kandrona rays," Erek said. "The visser realized that if that technology could be copied, the Yeerks could take android hosts and set their organic hosts free. She saw it as a better alternative to enslaving other species."

"What? Visser Three didn't agree with you?" Marco asked scathingly.

"No. He wanted to take over the galaxy, regardless of how many hosts we truly needed. The other Council members opposed him. That's why they died."

"In any case," Erek continued, "she contacted me again. Said that she needed help."

And you agreed to trust a Yeerk? that dapsen Andalite said.

"As I said, I knew her. She also knew about the Hork-Bajir colony. She could have turned us in any time and received promotion to Visser One. But she didn't. And like she said – without her, the movement was dead. So we took her in."

"That was two months ago," I said quietly. "Every three days, I leave Jordan and enter Erek for a more than adequate dose of Kandrona rays." I shook my head. "It's such a waste. The solution to everyone's problems is there. But because of one evil, power hungry son of a bitch millions of all species will continue to die." I closed my eyes, hating myself.

And what, Yeerk, do you expect us to do?

I opened my eyes and stood up. I faced that arrogant Andalite and stared him straight in his main eyes. "Kill Esplin 9466," I replied. "Kill the Emperor. You are Elfangor's brother, are you not? Honor-bound to murder him. So do it. Do what you have failed to do. Kill him."

Chapter Two – Ax

Visser Forty-one, Erek, and Toby left soon after. We told them we needed to think about the information, and discuss its implications. I felt discussion was unnecessary.

I do not trust her, I declared the moment they had left. We have seen no indication that other Yeerks share this Visser's sentiment. And if the movement is so fragile that the death of one person could destroy it, it may not survive even if the Emperor is dead.

"Funny, I thought you'd leap at the chance to get your hands on the Abomination," Tobias remarked.

There is no one in all the galaxy more eager to see that monster dead than I, I replied. But I do not feel it is wise to act on information given to us by Visser Forty-one.

"You don't like her because she's a Yeerk," Cassie said bluntly. "Well, let me remind you that you'd be dead if it weren't for Aftran. Don't you owe her this?"

One Yeerk, I replied. I owe my life to one member of that parasitic species.

"What about her cause?" Cassie asked plaintively.

This does not matter, I answered, brushing her questions aside. Even if we were to forge a separate peace with this Yeerk, my own government and people would not be as forgiving.

There was a long silence, during which I paced restlessly, Cassie chewed her fingernails, and Marco's knee twitched. Nervous habits.

"How would we do it anyway?" Marco finally asked.

"We'd have to go to the Yeerk home world," Rachel replied.

"You're kidding me, right?" Marco asked. "That is INSANE, even for you, Xena."

"Look," Prince Jake interrupted with a tired sigh. "We came here to find out information. We didn't set out to murder the Emperor of the Yeerk Empire. This is too big a decision to make now. Ax and Rachel, we need to contact the home world anyway. Let's do that now, and see what the response is. The rest of you . . . get some sleep." It was growing dark outside, though it was afternoon by the space-clock. We had endured a rather short night, however, and Tobias, Cassie, and Marco retired gratefully, while Prince Jake, Rachel, and I climbed the stairs to the main bridge to enter our report into long-range communicator.

"What should we put in?" Prince Jake asked.

Everything, of course, I replied. They need the intelligence.

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked. "Like you said, your people aren't going to be real open to peace. Maybe we should deal with this on our own."

I looked at her evenly. That would come dangerously close to treason.

She sighed. "Look, all I'm saying is that there isn't that much harm in leaving a few choice events out of this report . . . like the fact that we got this information from a Yeerk."

And just what would we say then?

"That this is what we've found out here on Earth. They didn't ask to know the names of our sources." I shook my head. She turned. "Jake, what do you think?"

"Rachel's right, Ax. I think we're going to be more clear-headed than the Andalite government on this."

Treason, I repeated angrily. I will not lie to my people.

He looked at me for a few moments, and finally nodded in reluctant agreement. He quickly wrote a summary of the situation and the information given to us by Visser Forty-one. At the end, he included a synopsis of the conversation and the Visser's suggestion to assassinate the Emperor. He hit the send button and sighed. "We should have a response by morning."

I nodded. Good night, Prince Jake, Rachel.

"'Night, Ax," Rachel replied with a yawn, already halfway down the stairwell.

"Good night, Ax. And don't call me 'prince.'"

Yes, Prince Jake. He laughed slightly, but continued to stare out the window as I trotted down the stairs to my quarters. I entered the access code to my rooms and waited for the door to slide open. I ran a hand across my eyes, feeling a familiar, dull throb grow behind them. I sighed inwardly and turned away from the door to my quarters, hoping Cassie was not yet asleep.

I tapped lightly on the door to the room she shared with Prince Jake. "Yes?" a groggy voice asked.

Cassie? I apologize for waking you, I replied.

"Hold on, Ax." A few moments later, the door slid open. "What's up?" she said.

I have a headache, I replied. Would it be possible for you to –

"Get you something from the infirmary? Sure, come on." She led me toward the sick bay.

I'm sorry for waking you, I said once more as we walked.

She shrugged. "No problem. I hadn't been asleep that long anyway." I followed her into the infirmary. "So are you okay? I've never known you to have a headache before."

I used to have them when I was younger, before I came to Earth, if I was especially concerned with something. I have not suffered from one in years, I replied. She shone a small light into my eyes.

"Beginnings of a migraine," she said in surprise. "What's bothering you?"

I sighed. I am worried about the implications of Visser Three becoming Emperor of the Yeerk Empire.

"So are the rest of us," Cassie replied, filling a syringe with a clear, amber fluid. "He's evil. It's scary to think of him in charge of such a big empire with no one to restrain him." Cassie had always had a talent for quiet understatement.

Yes, he is certainly evil. But he is also impulsive and violent. He does not consider the long term consequences of his actions. He may decide the best course of action would be to attack my planet overtly.

Her eyes widened. "A direct assault?"

I nodded. Our army is stronger than the Yeerks,' true. But we are spread thin. We would have to recall all our forces. It would be disastrous. I paused as she inserted the syringe into my arm. I felt a faint prick, and watched in morbid fascination as the liquid emptied into my veins. What would save Salia? That was what I was truly concerned with. If Visser Three . . . or, Emperor Esplin 9466 rather, chose to invade my world by force, thousands would die in the process. And if by some cruel twist of events he discovered my engagement to Salia, he would murder her. No, not murder her, I realized. Torture and infest her. My stomach turned uncomfortably as the ache in my head intensified. Whether the nausea was from the migraine or the mental images, I was not certain.

"How does this affect your decision?"

I tore my train of thought away from the horrible scenario my mind was building. I do not trust Visser Forty-one. We have no reason to believe that she will not betray us, that she will not warn Visser Three that we are coming. On the other hand, the implications of what she is saying are too severe to be ignored. I do not know what to decide.

"Well," Cassie said, "for what it's worth, you'll be able to sleep on it. With this stuff" – She indicated the empty syringe just before tossing it into the sterilizer – "you'll be out for hours. Wake up headache-free and no hangover." She patted my shoulder. "Look," she added. "I know how hard it is for you to trust Yeerks. But remember that Aftran saved your life. And keep in mind that Erek and Toby both seem to trust this Yeerk."

Thank you, Cassie. I appreciate the medicine and the advice.

"Anytime, Ax."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Cassie was correct. The next morning when I awoke, I felt no remnants of either the migraine or the pain-suppressant she had given me. Clear-headed and rested, I climbed the stairs to the bridge. Good morning, Prince Jake, I greeted him.

He looked at me with raised eyebrows. "Almost good afternoon. Feeling better? Cassie mentioned you had a bad headache."

Not very severe, actually. I feel quite well, thank you. Have we received a response from the home world?

He frowned, lines creasing his forehead. "No. And that worries me."

So, he harbors the concerns I do, I thought. You do not think the Emperor has launched his attack already? There has been no time for him to recall all the Yeerk forces he requires to take my world. Two months . . . even if the order to concentrate Yeerk efforts on the Andalite home world went out the very day he declared himself dictator, there would still not be sufficient time.

He shrugged. "Would it be the intelligent thing to do? No. The sane thing? Absolutely not. But . . ."

Since when has Esplin 9466 ever done anything intelligent or sane? I finished. Very true.

Prince Jake sighed. "If they don't answer within the next thirty-six hours, I think we should assume their resources are tied up elsewhere."

And decide for ourselves the best course of action? He nodded. Then we need to speak with Visser Forty-one further. If we are to take the risk of traveling to the Yeerk home world and attempting to assassinate the emperor, we need to be certain the risk is worth taking.

"How do you mean?"

The Visser claims that the majority of the Yeerk Empire wishes peace. I want to know that if Esplin 9466 dies, another Yeerk just as evil isn't going to take his place.

Prince Jake stared at me thoughtfully. "You're a lot more hesitant than I expected you to be, Ax."

As Visser Forty-one pointed out, I am honor bound to kill him. I am no fool. I know that I may very well die in the attempt. I do not want to have died in vain. I did not explain that three months ago I would have gone after Visser Three with little or no hesitation. The difference was that I now had someone I ached to return to, a purpose for living through this assignment. I would not hesitate in my duty, but neither did I want to undertake a needless suicide mission.

"You're not gonna die, Ax," Prince Jake replied. "There are ways we can do this . . ."

I turned all four of my eyes toward him. Ways to assassinate the most powerful, most protected Yeerk in all the galaxy without being killed in the process? In his own stronghold, nonetheless? I would very much like to hear these plans, my prince.

He didn't answer, and I knew my harsh tone had hurt him. But I did not want his pity and his false reassurances. "Another thirty-six hours," he finally said in a low voice, staring intently at the control panel. "Then we'll decide."

Yes. Fine, I replied shortly. I turned abruptly and left, feeling guilty and angry emotions warring within me. I was irrationally angry with Prince Jake. And I felt guilty for taking out frustration and fear on him when he was the source of none of it.

"Hey, Ax," I heard. I turned, breaking out of my gloomy reverie to find myself on the small expanse of Andalite grass in the lower portion of the ship. Cassie had just emerged from the infirmary, wiping her hands on a small rag. "Do you know where Jake is?"

The bridge, I replied curtly. She paused and tilted her head in a quizzical manner.

"What's wrong, Ax? Did you and Jake have an argument?" As usual, her perceptiveness caught me off guard.

Not exactly . . . it is difficult to explain.

She came over and put her hand on my arm. "You want to talk?"

Thank you, but I am afraid you would not understand.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. However, have you seen Tobias?

She looked surprised. "Yeah. I think he's in his room."

I'm sorry, Cassie. I –

"No problem, Ax. I understand."

Thank you. I turned away to look for Tobias. He was the only one who knew of my relationship with Salia – at least, openly knew – and therefore, might understand.

"Ax?" she called after me.

Yes?

"Whatever's wrong, I'm sure it'll be all right."

I gave her a small, uncertain smile with my eyes. I only wish I was as certain.

Tobias's door was half-open, and I knocked. Tobias? He looked up, startled, from the book he had been absorbed in.

"Oh, hey, Ax," he said, setting the book face down. "What's up?"

Where is Rachel?

He smiled slightly. "Talking to Jordan," he said. I nodded.

That is good. The Visser . . . ?

"Is getting her Kandrona rays from Erek."

Ah. I fell silent.

"Are you okay?"

Yes . . . no . . . I trailed off with a human shrug.

"What's going on?"

I am worried about dying.

Tobias looked slightly taken aback. "Well, that's natural. Does this have to do with you killing the Emperor?"

Yes . . . but you do not understand. I hesitated, searching for the words. Finally, I quoted, 'My life is not my own when the people have need of it.'

"That's part of the ritual before a warrior's death."

Yes. And as a warrior I should not hesitate to do this. I have a duty to assassinate Visser Th – the Emperor. He is the Abomination. If he continues to live, thousands will die. It is possible that he has already initiated a direct assault on my home world. In addition, there is the fact that he is my brother's murderer. There is no question as to what my decision should be.

"But?"

Salia.

"Oh. I see." I did not need to explain further.

We were silent for several minutes. Finally Tobias said, "I really don't know what to tell you, Ax."

I sighed. As I said, there is in reality no true choice. I simply wished to voice my concerns to someone. And . . . if something does happen to me . . . could you be certain that Salia knows I loved her?

"Of course. But look, you're not going to be doing this on your own. You'll have the five of us at your back, and maybe more if Visser Forty-one can arrange it. You might very well make it out alive."

Perhaps, I replied with poorly concealed skepticism.

"Ax . . . be careful," he added as I turned to leave. "You're my best friend. My shorm. I don't want to lose you."

Thank you, Tobias. I was suddenly reminded of another reason I must succeed in the assassination attempt: if I failed and died, the burden of avenging my brother's death – and my own – would fall to Tobias. I did not want to place that weight upon his shoulders.

"Hey, did we get a response from home yet?" he asked suddenly.

I turned in the doorway. No, I said simply. Prince Jake says we will wait another thirty-six hours. If there is no response by then, we shall assume the worst and decide for ourselves.

"The worst being a full scale attack at home?" I nodded. "The kids . . . Does Rachel know this?"

No, I said. I have not yet seen her today.

"I need to go find her then," Tobias said. "Hang in there, Ax."

I will, I answered. He hurried away to search for Rachel.

Alone in the corridor, I felt a stone settle slowly in the center of my stomach. If Visser Forty-one was telling the truth, there was a chance I could succeed, perhaps even survive the attempt to assassinate the Emperor. If she was lying or if she betrayed us, our lives were all forfeit. Tomorrow evening, we would decide whether or not we should venture to the Yeerk home world.

My life is not my own when my people have need of it.

Chapter Three – Rachel

Erek held his hand out and cupped it beneath my sister's ear. Visser Forty-one slid out, and Jordan looked at me, blinking her mind clear.

"Well," Erek said, glancing from my sister to me. "I'll see you two later. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about."

"Thanks, Erek," I said.

"No problem." He left, cradling the Yeerk's vulnerable form in his hands.

"She didn't really need to leave me, you know," Jordan said. "And she would have let me speak."

"I'm sorry. It's just . . . after so many years, it's hard to trust them – Yeerks, I mean."

She nodded. "Exactly how long have you been fighting them?"

"Oh . . . twelve years."

"Since you were thirteen?" I nodded. She led me over to sit on a fallen log. "Actually . . . that makes sense. I remember how moody you got right around then. I thought it was just teenagehood, or whatever. But this explains everything."

I sighed, and immediately regretted it as I coughed on the smoky, thick air. "It's best not to breathe too deep," she advised.

I cleared my throat one last time and said roughly, "I'm sorry for being a horrible sister."

"What? Rachel, under the circumstances you were a great sister. A little psycho at times, but gee, I mean you just fighting a secret war with aliens . . . whoa, that is so bad sci-fi."

"You know how many jokes we made about that?"

Jordan gave a short laugh. "I can imagine."

We were silent for a few moments. Then I whispered, "How did it happen?"

She knew what I meant. She shrugged. "I came home from school one day and there was a van parked out front. I walked in and they grabbed me. Next thing I knew, I was in the Yeerk pool, in a room just off the main cavern. There was a kind of Jacuzzi there. A miniature pool, of course. Marco's dad and stepmom were there, and so was Mom and Sara and Dad, and Jake's and Cassie's parents. Tom was there, too, but he was just standing off to the side, staring and pointing a Dracon beam at us – of course, I didn't know that's what it was at the time. None of us had a clue what was happening, but it just felt so wrong, somewhere deep down inside, we were all scared out of our minds. Then he came in."

"Visser Three," I muttered.

"Yup," she said in wavering voice. I glanced at her and realized she was wiping tears from her eyes. "Newly promoted and swaggering. He told us, in general terms, about how you guys had made his life hell for the past five years. Then he said he'd triumphed at last. You were all dead and he would personally oversee our infestation. And he did. One by one, we were all made Controllers. I got assigned a different Yeerk than Visser Forty-one. Probably one of Visser Three's pets."

"But he didn't . . . torture you or anything?"

"Not physically. But the Yeerks assigned to us made sure we suffered. At least mine did. And Mom's. Our Yeerks had the same feeding cycle, so we'd see each other every three days. Then one day she wasn't there. I heard she'd been transferred to another planet."

"What about the others?"

"Sara I saw once in awhile. She wasn't much use to the Yeerks right away because she was only a kid. They used her as a training host for Yeerks who've never had one before. It wasn't bad, or so she said. When she got a little older, they gave her a minor Yeerk and sent her off somewhere. I don't know where."

"Dad?"

Jordan didn't answer. "Oh, God," I gasped quietly, covering my mouth with my hand. "How?"

"His Yeerk screwed up. There are so many humans. We're "expendable." So he never went to the trouble of killing the Yeerk without killing the host."

I swallowed. "I prayed so hard . . ."

"I know. Me too, Rach. Every night. The Yeerk used to make fun of me for it, mock me . . ." She put her arms around me and held me. I buried my face in her shoulder. "Thank God you're alive," she said through her tears. "And free."

I gave a shaky, trembling sigh. "We decided that years ago. Free or dead."

"It's not so bad, you know, if you get a good Yeerk."

"You're a slave, Jordan!"

"You think I don't know that? Of course I do. But what options do I have? None. And Visser Forty-one is the only hope of there ever being any other options. So I cooperate as much as I can."

"What about when she assassinated that Council member? Did you cooperate then?"

For a second I thought she was going to slap me. And I probably would have let her. It was a rotten thing for me to say. But she didn't slap me. She glared at me intensely for a moment, but then her eyes softened. "No. And I give her hell for it every chance I get. I have to live with her in my head, true. But it works the reverse way as well, to some extent."

I didn't say anything for awhile. Then I asked, "What about Jake's family? And Cassie's and Marco's?"

"Jake's dad and Tom were shipped out right away. His mom was my second-in-command – or the Visser's, actually. Now that I'm gone, she's probably promoted and in charge. Her Yeerk didn't share my Yeerk's peaceful sentiments. I think she would have carried out my execution and laughed the whole time." I shuddered at the thought of my little sister sharing my father's fate, and felt more hot tears in my eyes. I stopped them. There would be time enough later for tears and grieving.

"Cassie's mom is dead. She was killed in an accident when some wires in a new Kandrona got crossed and the thing blew. Her dad is the host body of Visser One, the Emperor's new right hand man, from what Visser Forty-one's been able to gather from the information brought in by her spies . . . and yes, we have a few. But not many, anymore. Marco's stepmom was transferred to the Hork-Bajir home world, I think. His dad I haven't seen since the day we became Contollers. By the way, your old friend Chapman's dead. He was one of the Council members assassinated on the Yeerk homeworld. Murdered by the Emperor's own tail blade."

There was a long silence. "God," I whispered. "Everyone . . ."

"I know," she said. "I was the lucky one." She hesitated. "What about you? What happened to you guys?"

I bit my lip. "After Visser Three found out who we were, we attacked the Yeerk pool one last time and took off. The Andalites rescued us just in time. We've been living with them ever since." Suddenly I felt the lump in my throat dissolve and the tears in my eyes spilled over. "I'm so sorry, Jordan. There were so many times I thought we should have stayed. We all felt so guilty for deserting you."

"Thought you should have gone down with the ship, so to speak?" I nodded. "Why?" she asked. "What good was there in doing that? It's sure as hell a good thing you didn't! Now we actually have a chance."

"We do, don't we? Have a chance, I mean?"

"Yup, we do . . . Xena."

I laughed. "How'd you find out about that?"

"Marco made a point of mentioning it this morning." She grinned at me. "I can see that about you."

I shook my head. "I – "

"Rachel!" Tobias's voice interrupted breathlessly from behind us, in the direction of the ship. Jordan and I both turned.

"Tobias?" I said questioningly.

He paused, catching his breath. "Jordan, can I talk to Rachel?"

"Sure. I gotta go find Erek anyway. See you later." She ran off, jogging through the forest in the opposite direction from where Tobias had come, toward the Hork-Bajir colony.

"She goes back voluntarily," Tobias remarked in amazement.

"Yeah, she does," I said. "She doesn't like it, but she knows it's the best option she's got." He sat next to me on the log. "What's wrong?"

He hesitated. Finally he said slowly, "There hasn't been any response from the home world."

I stared at him. "None at all?" He shook his head and I let out a long breath. "They should have gotten back to us by now, even if just to say, 'Do nothing until further notice.'"

"That's what Ax and Jake said. They're worried about what this means."

"It means that they can't respond. A glitch in the system, maybe. Or it could have been intercepted."

"They didn't seem to think that was a likely possibility."

I closed my eyes. In a direct assault on a planet, the first thing you do is hit their communication centers as soon as you can find them. No information goes in, no information goes out. A planet isolated is a planet vulnerable. It's one of the first concepts taught to arisths during basic training.

And Yeerks, of course, are Andalite-taught, thanks to Prince Seerow.

"Sara," I whispered. "Oh my God."

"Rachel, we can't go crazy. There's nothing we can do right now except wait a little while longer. It's possible there's another reason."

"Tobias, I just found out my father's dead. My mother's stationed on some God-forsaken planet with a slug in her head. My little sister's in the same situation. And my other little sister just tromped off back to her Yeerk voluntarily! Don't tell me not to go crazy! After twelve years of this damn war, I've earned the right to go crazy!"

"Rachel, we've all earned that right, about a thousand times over, each and every one of us. Jake and Cassie and you and I are worried to death about our kids. Ax is scared out of his mind about facing the Emperor and trying to act like it doesn't bother him. Marco . . . well, Marco earned the right to go nuts a long time ago, when he held his mom as she died. But we can't, Rach. We need clear heads now."

I stood up, and wrung my hands in a very uncharacteristic gesture of anxiety. I was so cool, so calm, the definitive Andalite warrior – only human – all the time. But when it came to my daughter, I was a nervous wreck. "God, Tobias. What if they hit SD3 with something horrible, like a Quantum virus?"

He looked sick and I felt terrible for putting the idea in his head. But he pulled me into his arms and whispered, "C'mon, we can't think about that. Look, let's go back to the ship and check in with the others. I assume you have news for them?"

I did, in some cases anyhow. The questions about our family members that had burned in our minds for so long were finally answered. I nodded numbly, and he slipped his arm around my waist. Leaning my head on his shoulder, I allowed him to lead me back to The Elfangor.

Chapter Four – Salia

Be careful, Tom! I called distractedly. Julie, please make an effort to keep your brother out of mischief.

"Why?" she whined. "I'm not his keeper."

Yes, sweetheart, I know. But this biosummary is due tomorrow for Professor Terrin and if I do not turn it in, I will fail to pass that class.

"Professor Terrible, you mean," Sara said, with a peal of laughter from both she and Julie.

I hid a smile. Terrin was a dictator, and most likely worthy of the girls' name, but I could not show him any disrespect by agreeing with them.

However, there was no one to say I must stop them.

I turned back to the computer screen. Please, Julie, I added over my shoulder.

"Okay," she sighed. "Tommy, stay out of the mud!"

Sara wandered over and stared at the screen in front of me. "I thought hoobers had a classic C-3 genome," she remarked.

I smiled at her. We thought so as well, I replied. But it now appears as though they actually have a deviation in their 18^th chromosome that would put them in a genetic class of their own. Physically, of course, they are still classified as three-toed tree dwellers.

"The triarboles."

Very good!

"I'm top in bio at school."

I smiled at her, and she continued to peer intently at the screen. Julie reentered, leading Tom by the hand. Thank you, Julie, I said.

"Yup," she replied cheerfully. He sat down near my hooves and smiled at me. "I'm going out to pick some vegetables for dinner, 'kay, Salia?"

That is fine, Julie. Sara, why do you not join her? Together, they ran out toward the small garden just outside the scoop. I returned to my work, carefully avoiding Tom's small hands with my hooves.

Several minutes later, I turned away with a sigh. I am finally finished, Tom, I remarked, leaning over to lift him into my arms. Oh, you are becoming very heavy. Soon, I may not be able to carry you.

"Bah!" he replied. His verbal skills were still somewhat lacking, though he had managed "Sallee" a few nights ago. "Saywa" and "Joowee" had already been mastered in the month since his mother and father had left. His sister wanted him to know "Mama" and "Dada" for their return. "Doe meen!" he squealed in delight, pointing at a blank section of the scoop wall.

Yes, I agreed. Let us see what your sister and Sara are doing. Holding him, I wandered outside.

"Look, Salia!" Julie called excitedly. "The carrots are coming up!" Triumphantly, she held up a long, thin orange vegetable.

It looked very unappetizing, but I replied, That is wonderful, Julie.

"They're so hard to grow here," Sara said. "Daddy said the soil's not right."

Then congratulations are in order upon your success.

"Thanks." Sara grinned.

But suddenly her smile faded, as the sun, which had been shining brightly overhead, was abruptly and completely blocked out. A long shadow fell over the ground and a loud shrieking sound filled the air, corresponding with a chill that ran up my spine from the very tip of my tail. Using all four of my eyes, I looked up to see a ship race by overhead, in the direction of SD3. The whining sound preceded it by miles, and afterward I heard it ringing in my ears long after it was gone from our sight. It was an ominous sound, one that somehow boded ill fortune. And the ship was an unnatural shape, unlike our beautiful, if very sterile, ships. The blur I glimpsed was twisted and dark.

"Salia, what was that?" Sara asked, removing her hands from where they had been grasping her ears. The had reappeared, but I shivered just the same.

I do not know, I replied, clutching Tom tighter in my arms. He had begun to cry, loudly. Come inside, though. We shall know soon enough if it is significant in any way.

I ushered them inside, feeling my hearts begin to pound. Why don't we turn on the long-range visual mass communicator? I suggested, forcing a light tone I did not feel. Why couldn't Aximili be home? I thought. However, I suddenly realized that if my fears were reality, Aximili was safer where he was.

Suddenly there was a rumbling sound and the ground shook, throwing me to my knees. I bent over Tom, shielding his body with my own. His frightened howls were sounding directly next to my ears, and yet they barely cut through the thunderous noise being emitted from . . . from where? The ground? The noise was everywhere, it seemed, making it impossible to discern the source.

Then, just as quickly as it had begun, the rumbling ceased. There was a terrible moment of silence.

And then, the silence was shattered by an explosion. A horrible roar filled my ears for what felt like minutes. I closed all four of my eyes and fully expected to never open them again.

But at last, the noise ceased. When my head had cleared, I stood up. Julie and Sara, I said. Take Tom and stay inside. Wordlessly, they obeyed, their eyes round and huge from fear. I walked outside, completely unsure of what I would find.

Nothing had changed in the immediate vicinity. The garden looked just as we had left it, with a few vegetables strewn about where they had been dropped when we fled inside. Everything had a look of peacefulness to it that felt incredibly wrong after what had just occurred. I looked toward the space dock, knowing that had to be where the noises had come from, but I could see nothing.

Then the alarm began shrieking. Thinking that if I lived through all this, I would most certainly be deaf, I ran back inside. "Salia!" Sara cried. "The alarm –"

I know, I said. I shut it off and turned the long range mass communicator on. There was only static. SD3 must have been destroyed.

But the alarm had confirmed my fears.

Looking terrified, Julie whispered, "The Yeerks."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The news came quickly after that, in an electronic mail report. All three space docks had indeed been hit and there were not known to be any survivors. The primitive explosives used had done their job well, but the Yeerks obviously did not want to kill any more Andalites than necessary – the more alive, the more hosts they would have. A nuclear weapon would have resulted in fall-out, killing everyone within miles.

According to the report, there was at least one Blade ship in orbit above our planet, most likely more. After seeing a visual of it, I realized that must have been what I had glimpsed earlier. Our fighters were doing their best, but Yeerk reinforcements were coming rapidly and we lacked the ability to recall our ships that were absent. Our only hope was that our warriors would realize what had happened when they could not communicate with the space docks and return home as quickly as possible. For now, we were all to avoid unnecessary travel. The Yeerks were engaged in space, and even with our lesser numbers it would still be a long, hard fight for them to get to the planet. The space docks had been destroyed only because we had been caught off guard. I suppose the people who composed the report meant for it to be comforting, but it helped me very little as I tried to cope with three hysterical children.

"I want Mommy!" Sara wept.

Tom wailed louder, burying his face in my shoulder. Shh, I said, attempting to soothe him. Sara, your mother and father are safer where they are.

"What if they try to come home?" Julie asked.

What do you mean?

"What if they try to come home and the Yeerks find them? Or what if they're in trouble and they can't call for help? Or what if –"

I think it does little good to imagine the worst scenarios at this point, I interrupted, because both girls were becoming more frightened by the moment – as was I. Your parents will be fine. The Yeerks do not know what they are getting into.

Julie suddenly gave me a trembling smile. "They're pretty stupid."

I smiled back, but inwardly I disagreed. The Yeerks were not stupid – if they were, we would have defeated them long ago. They technologically inferior perhaps, but they were more numerous as well, and, unlike us, able to call for reinforcements when needed.

There is nothing we can do, I said. So we may as well continue with our planned activities. Do you girls have assignments for school?

"Yes," Sara said.

"No," Julie said.

Sara gave Julie a reproachful look. "Yes," she finally admitted grudgingly.

All right then. The girls went about their schoolwork in spite of the distracting, distant whine of fighters. I gripped Tom's hand in mine, stared out the entrance of my scoop, and silently hoped for something that went against all Andalite philosophy – a miracle.

To be continued . . .