I am the Ellimist.
I have existed since before the first star in the cosmos was born - the Great Creation, as we call it. I was a sentient being - I have been for eons - and yet I had not yet fully mastered the use of my power.
This alone took me nearly six millennia, but I believe that it was time well spent. You see, I have developed one main trait that is truly important when dealing with universal affairs - patience.
I have existed - as I am today, that is - since before this universe's first sentient lifeforms wrote sagas about their various deities. I existed long before these same lifeforms wrote their own histories - of course, some are much more accurate than others - and even before they discovered how to harness fire.
I exist as an observer, silently keeping watch over every planet in the universe that supports any sort of life. I am there to watch, to observe - and, most importantly, to protect.
This is the way it has been for countless eons, and the way it shall be for countless more.
For eons, I have watched the rest of the universe change, and the sentient races arise.
Thanks to millennia of practice, I am also able to change space-time, anywhere from slightly to drastically, and to change the destinies of individuals, cities, nations, entire planets, races, and even entire galaxies, if I am so inclined.
Perhaps even entire realities - I have not even considered trying such a thing… yet.
My policy is usually non-interference, but there are times when that is not an option.
But so far, in interfering with the destiny of this galaxy's numerous sentient races, I have done something horrible: I have given him the ability to interfere as well. Like he has done throughout the history of the universe.
He is called Crayak - the enemy of all that is good in the universe.
He is the culmination of everything evil in this universe, in all of this reality.
Crayak seems to have a fascination for a particular planet, one that I have watched for more than half of my life - several billion years.
Long ago, while I was still reasonably young, I happened upon a small backwater planet orbiting a star that most species called Sol. This relatively small star - which was only a small yellow star at this time, almost halfway through its life - was developing a small system of planets. I could tell that Sol was an important system, and should be observed carefully.
I was correct.
The third planet from this star was positioned at just the right distance from Sol to allow for something wonderful, something that is rather unique in this part of the galaxy - life.
This positioning occurred when a small planetoid slammed into the small blue-and-white planet just a billion years after it finally cooled, and began to develop. This small planetoid broke into a ring of debris orbiting the planet. Over a long time, it became a small moon.
I remember laughing aloud, realizing what had happened - the planet would now spin on its axis at just the right speed, and at just the right angle. This moon would also keep the planet's gravitational field in check, as well as its rotation.
I could tell that Sol 3 was going to be an important planet. Seemingly out of nowhere, life grew, and quickly.
Over time, the planet's one large land mass developed. A huge race of creatures emerged - giant reptiles of every size and shape, destined to rule for half a billion years.
Then the Mercora and the Nesk came - two rival alien races. The Mercora were farmers, cultivating a crop that grew perfectly in this planet's virgin soil - something now called 'broccoli.' The Nesk were a militant species, a race of colonists who wished to add this planet to their empire.
But fate intervened.
A meteor just six miles wide changed the fate of an entire system forever - destroying not only the two alien factions utterly, but the reptiles as well.
I was curious, but I knew that the purpose would be revealed in due time.
Then came the humans.
The planet was given a new name by its inhabitants - Earth. Eventually, the other planets were given names for ancient human deities - by the humans themselves, of course. Strange how the deities vanished - their existence was disproved - but their names lived on.
They were given names in honor of the ancient Greek gods - even though the Romans worshipped them as well, these scientists preferred the Greek way of thinking. However, the planets were given the Romans' names for their deities.
Sol 1 - a quick-moving rocky plant - was called Mercury, after a wing-footed messenger god, the fastest being in existence. It got its name from the fact that a year on Mercury was less than two Earth months long.
Sol 2 - a deadly planet with a beautiful atmosphere - was called Venus, after an ancient god of love, because of its beauty.
Sol 4 - a rocky red planet, whose inhabitants had been forced to abandon it shortly before the Nesk and Mercora came - because of its blood-red color, was named for a god of war, called Mars.
The largest - Sol 6 - (Sol 5 had never completely formed, so it exists as it has for millennia, as a belt of asteroids between Sol 4 and Sol 6) was a large gaseous cloud, and was named Jupiter, for an ancient king of the gods. This was because of its size.
Saturn - Sol 7 - was named for the first god-king, or so the ancient humans thought.
Sol 8's human name - Uranus - the only planet to rotate on a horizontal axis - cannot really be traced, its origins forgotten.
Neptune - Sol 9 - was named for a god of the sea, since its flowing blue gaseous surface reminded onlookers of Earth's oceans.
The planet called Pluto - Sol 10 (sometimes closer than Sol 9, as its orbit is a different shape) - was named for the ruler of the underworld, as it was a dark, cold, barren planet where nothing could ever hope to live.
These humans have always struck me as strange. Yet they are so fascinating. I have marveled at their ingenuity, their perseverance, and at their compassion. Particularly their adaptability - this enables them to travel anywhere from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains.
They are still a primitive race - compared to most races, such as the Andalites - but their technology has advanced more quickly than any other race in the galaxy.
My enemy, Crayak first observed the humans just a short distance into their history. The Roman Empire had arisen, sweeping across the continent soon to be called Europe, killing or enslaving all who stood in their path, and ultimately absorbing them.
Much like Crayak eventually planned to do to the entire cosmos.
This interested him.
The humans have fought more wars - more than five thousand total - than any other species in the universe.
These two facts are what made Crayak so interested in this planet. He began observing it from his own realm, even as I observed it from mine. We seldom spoke about it - we seldom speak at all - until I began something that I never should have - I interfered.
It was a lack of options, really. In the later years of the eighteenth human century of the so-called Common Era, a human general named George Washington was leading the fight for the independence of his people - the citizens of a group of thirteen colonies that had declared themselves a united country.
The war had been going badly, and Washington was ready to give up. He retired to a place called Valley Forge one cold December night, pondering surrender.
You see, I had seen the future of this fledgling nation - or glimpses of it - and I could not bear to let this future be destroyed.
And so I came to him.
I still remember that night, very well…
General George Washington is a kind, strong-willed man. True, he owns slaves, but he has never known any other kind of life.
He had fought for the British - the country that founded the colonies - long ago, against the French and their Native American allies. And now he is trying to fight against his former countrymen.
He is sure that there is no hope. The United States of America are losing badly, and the army needs a miracle to keep their spirits up. Washington, an eternal pessimist, is sure that the battle is over.
I am a failure, he thinks. I promised to lead this army to freedom,
and yet I have given them nothing more than hunger and misery in this cold
winter weather. Even I myself am beginning to succumb. He sighs. It is a
lost cause.
"Sometimes lost causes are the only causes worth fighting for, General," I say in English, the general's native tongue - that of most Americans, in fact, since it is the language of England, the nation that first set up the thirteen colonies.
The general turns, shocked.
I see him now, a young man of about thirty or so, with a dusted white wig - the British wore them, and old habits die hard, I suppose - and a strong face. He stands taller than most men of his time period - over six feet tall.
He has been toughened from years of battle, but this war - soon to be called the American Revolution - is taking its toll. He looks much older than he really is.
I have noticed that war ages beings more quickly than time ever could.
"Who are you?" he breathes. "Are you an angel?"
I smile. "Of a sort. I do answer to a… higher power."
Mulling this over, Washington smiles slightly. "So, has God sent us a miracle?"
I do not know how to reply to that. "I should not be here," I say simply. "It is against the 'rules of engagement', as you humans say. But I have no choice. I have seen the future of your country, General."
"England?" he wonders, snorting in disgust for his people's oppressor. "England is no more my country than any other in Europe, even France, our ally. The French hate the British just as much as we do, and yet they will not arrive for some time."
I suddenly remember that France - a nation that had developed a vendetta against England - is America's only ally in this war. Spain - another colonial power, whose own colonies will rebel in later years, to become the nations of Latin America - will enter later, closer to the end.
"The United States of America," I reply. "Your country."
He laughs bitterly. "America has no future," he sighs. "I have given my all for this war, and I have failed. I… I have yet to relay this to my men, but… I plan to meet the British general and surrender on the morrow." Another deep sigh. "It shall be a bitter Christmas."
I can see the sorrow in his eyes as he speaks - all the pain and suffering. It pains him greatly to have to make such a decision, but he does not see any other option.
Which is why I have come.
"I cannot allow that," I say. "You will win."
He looks me in my eyes, and I see the man inside - a true patriot. A hero. But he is still a man, who wishes to do what he believes is the best thing for his country, and his men. It is a trait that I admire most in humans.
"I will win?" he replies. "How do you know this?"
I smile. "I cannot tell you that."
He shrugs. "Well, then-"
"I will have to show you."
He raises an eyebrow. "What do you-"
And then… I show him. Everything.
I show him the British laying down the white flag at Yorktown. His inauguration as America's first president. His country's numerous wars. And then I show him something that I know will motivate him.
I show him the whole of America - all fifty states, as they are at the end of the twentieth century.
"Your country," I tell him, "will grow to be the most powerful on the planet. All peoples from all corners of the globe will come here someday, hoping to merely look upon her."
The Statue of Liberty appears - he recognizes the date on the statue's tablet as the date that the Declaration of Independence was first signed.
And then I show him his legacy.
A city called Washington - the capital, relocated from New York.
I show him a large obelisk stretching towards the sky. The Washington Monument.
He sees his face carved into a mountain - Mount Rushmore - alongside Thomas Jefferson, and two others he does not recognize.
Then it is over, and we are once again standing in his tent just outside Trenton, New Jersey.
I look at him. He is holding something in his hands - a 2002 one-dollar
bill, with his picture on the front. If that does not convince him, I
tell myself, nothing will.
"You will be called 'the father of your country', General. This country's capital city will be named for you, as well as a future state. You will be not just a hero, but also a legend. Your legacy will go on for centuries, and children will read of your exploits for the rest of human history!"
I smile, as the bill vanishes.
He looks at me. "Can the future be-"
"Changed? General, the future is only what you make of it. You have to keep fighting."
And then he smiles. "All right, then." He laughs. "How do I win? Not this war, but-"
"The first American victory?" I smile again. "Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that it is Christmas Eve. Cross the river just over yonder, late at night. The German soldiers - Hessians, as you call them - will all be asleep - it is Christmas, and they will believe that you will be celebrating it, too."
Washington - an expert strategist - immediately catches on. "They will have had too much eggnog," he laughs. "Trenton will be ours without our even firing a shot!"
I nod. "That is exactly what the history books will read two centuries from now."
He laughs. "Two centuries? Impossible!"
I laugh. "We shall see."
And then he smiles again, looking at me. I can still see skepticism in his eyes, but I am sure that he knows that I mean no harm. I am merely guiding his country along the smoothest path possible.
"So," he says. "I am to become leader of this country."
"The people will want to make you king."
He bursts out laughing. "King? You'd think they'd have learned their lesson. Why would I want to be king? There has to be another form of government… After all, we have been running our day-to-day affairs involving a Congress. Perhaps…"
"A democracy?"
He smiles. "I like the sound of that."
"It comes from a Greek phrase - meaning 'rights and rule of the people.'"
"I like it - Samuel Adams suggested the same idea. I first met him at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia - when we signed the Declaration of Independence."
"Ah, yes, along with his brother John, and John Hancock."
Washington smiles. "Of course you'd know them."
"Countless others will come to know them in the future, General. They will also know you." I find myself grinning. "You have a great future before you, General. Do not worry. All will come out as it was meant to."
And so I vanish from sight, back into my own realm.
He blinks his eyes a few times. I know that he will never tell a soul, because he will not remember. All he will remember is that he has regained the urge to fight.
As I watch below, I see him grabbing a map from his desk, and grabbing a nearby corporal by the arm. "Corporal!" Washington shouts. "I need to see the other officers. I have an idea that just might work…"
And so America was truly born.
I smile.
But things did not go as I had hoped.
Crayak had joined the battle, beginning with inspiring the Americans to start a war in 1812, starting the second bloodiest war ever fought on American soil. The war came about because the British refused to treat America like a separate nation, taking prisoners from American ships, as well as ruling over Canada with an iron fist.
The result was merely a stalemate - neither side could truly claim victory, since England burned Washington, but America conquered Florida - and the War of 1812 would cause bitterness between the Americans and the British for years to come - up until World War One.
Crayak feared America, fearing that it would destroy any of his plans for world conquest under an evil empire.
And he was right in fearing this, since America would help to win the two bloodiest wars in history - both against a nation called Germany, although each war was fought for different reasons - and each war would be more brutal than the last.
The Americans show the most promise, but humanity itself is our main interest.
Humans. Such a strange race.
Crayak and I have both shown interest in them, above any other race in existence.
They are capable of such beautiful dreams… and such horrible nightmares. They have the ability to create, and the ability to destroy. They possess the ability to love unconditionally, and the ability to hate bitterly.
Humanity is a strange mix: They show aspects of both good and evil.
And so my eternal conflict with Crayak has always led here.
And so it leads here still.
I have noticed that space-time has become slightly unstable lately, centered on the emergence of one small group of humans - who are just now being born in America.
Such a fascinating nation, America - or the U.S.A, as the humans call it. It has been involved with more wars since its inception - or rather the drafting of its Declaration of Independence in the human year 1776 CE, just over two hundred solar cycles ago - than any other nation - or race, for that matter - in a similar time frame.
Fascinating.
And to think that I had a small part in building this nation.
America the Beautiful, someone once called it. It is a beautiful land, from the deserts to the swampland. It is such a diverse place.
Much like its people. People from nearly every other nation on Earth have wanted to come to America.
This is why I am so intrigued by it.
Crayak only sees the evil of its people. There are groups who hate others just because of what they believe or the color of their skin. Groups that kill other human beings because they are different. People who kill others for the sake of a nonexistent cause.
People who use terror to get what they want, thinking only of themselves and their cause, even groups whose cause became obsolete several decades - even more than a century before.
America… it is much like humanity itself. A nation of differences. Contradictions.
Perhaps that is why the battle began here.
And why it will someday end here.
Like I mentioned before, only recently have Crayak and I begun to interfere - just over two hundred solar cycles ago, as I mentioned earlier, during the days when a wise, honest planter-turned-general named George Washington was leader of this group of colonies. At the time, the nation-to-be was limited to only an eighth of its current size.
Very recently, the Yeerks came.
These Yeerks came only recently, by human standards - about five or six years ago, during a conflict between the Americans - along with an alliance of several other nations - and a nation called Iraq. The humans - or at least the Americans - called it 'Desert Storm.'.
An ambitious Yeerk, who would eventually be declared Visser One because she 'discovered' this planet, led the Yeerks to Earth. She saw the Americans as victors in the battle, so she said that the conquest would have to start with America.
She is a Yeerk who knows human nature more than any other - she was, after all, the first Yeerk to make a Controller out of a human being.
Without interference, this planet would have belonged to the Yeerks mere months ago.
But I interfered.
I gave Visser One reason to pity humanity. She - or rather Eva, her current host - has a human son on Earth, who is still free, and will become part of the resistance. Both Visser One and Eva will eventually know this, but that's where it stops. The resistance will be the main enemy of one particular Visser, one who Visser One hates bitterly.
Visser Three.
The Andalites call him the Abomination, as he is the only Andalite-Controller in the universe - and he does not wish a slow invasion. Personally, the Visser wishes all-out war, destroying major population centers, and herding the humans into infestation camps with cruel efficiency.
But Visser One is the only thing standing in his way - as I said before, they despise one another.
Visser One's knowledge of human nature - she has experienced human emotions for herself, and enjoyed it - is why she does not declare all-out war on the human race. That, and she knows that humanity will fight until Earth is a wasteland, until the last human being dies.
A human leader named Winston Churchill - in the year 1942 - expressed that his country would never surrender, and that it would fight its enemies until either the nation or its enemies ceased to exist.
Another man - an American named Patrick Henry - once said, "Give me Liberty or give me death!"
These humans are such a courageous race - or perhaps foolhardy, I cannot say which. They fight so strongly for one cause: Freedom.
America was founded on this wonderful principle.
As one of the country's founders once said - in the Constitution, actually - that all people are entitled to "certain inalienable rights, including Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Wonderful words, and a wonderful dream.
But now it is much different.
War runs rampant around much of the planet, and most likely will for many years.
Once the war with the Yeerks is ended, that will change. One way or another, I will see to it that humanity realizes its true nature, and its true potential.
I swear it.
As I look down upon the planet that I have held dear for millennia, a voice booms behind me.
"Contemplating the humans again, I see." I suddenly hear that evil voice, one that seethes with evil, hate, and the desire to destroy all that is good in the universe.
He is my mortal enemy.
"Crayak."
His form… is little more than one large eye, more machine than lifeform. I cannot completely remember how he became this way, he and I have existed and fought each other for so long that we can remember very little of our origins. It is probably just as well.
Crayak is as twisted inside as out, evil personified. He has destroyed dozens of peaceful species - the Pemalites, for instance - that knew nothing of violence, one of the only races in existence that only knew peace. Now the Pemalites exist only on Earth - but not physically.
Their legacy still exists, mostly thanks to the exploits of their creations - no, not just creations, but friends - a race of androids called the Chee. The Chee grafted the last Pemalite souls into a species known to humans as 'wolves.'
From this union, a playful species that the humans call 'dogs,' was born.
It is another reason that Earth is so precious.
Crayak's Howlers destroyed the Pemalites - along with many other races. The Howlers are Crayak's creation - a race that destroys only because they believe it is a game.
But I have a plan to make these terrible creatures useless - it will culminate the next time Crayak and I start a dispute over the future of a race. I have already seen the future - the dispute will be over a race called the Iskoort.
I smile to myself.
Crayak stands - hovers, really - right next to me, staring out at the image of Earth. "You will never win, you know. Even with your so-called resistance to occur fifteen solar cycles from now, it is a lost cause."
I do not respond, except to quote a popular human saying that I have used many times before, "'Sometimes lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for.'" His presence makes my skin crawl, as the humans say - a very accurate description, actually - but I do my best to endure it.
"The battle will result in my inevitable triumph, you know that," he says, as if he is completely certain, which he usually is. Even if he is not always correct.
I have thwarted him before, and I will do so again, no matter what it takes.
"All your efforts," Crayak continues, "are only prolonging the inevitable."
I sigh silently. "I have seen the most likely future, Crayak, just as you have. And I have also observed the past, which you love to interfere in so much. Did you not learn from your mistakes? For instance, Adolph Hitler - your finest creation - killed thousands upon thousands, but he claimed one last victim at the end of the war: himself. He committed suicide. The Soviet Union stormed his empire's capital city, ending the reign of the most hated man in human history. On this planet, good triumphs more often than evil."
I do not add that he nearly eradicated an entire ethnic group in the process. This, however, brought about the rise of one of the most unlikely world powers in history - the tiny state of Israel., which in many ways became the third most powerful nation on Earth, despite its small size.
Good tends to triumph in the end.
"Not so much anymore, dear enemy," he replies, his one eye glowing with glee. "Your beloved humans are fighting in wars for the purpose of economy! For government! They are becoming corrupt, and you know it." He laughs, a terrible sound to my ears. "They are doomed. From the moment that your beloved John Kennedy refused to put his foot down on the Soviet Union holding missiles in Cuba, and from the moment of his death - which I am proud to say that I caused - evil has begun to grow much stronger. In the last few decades, hatred, greed, and corruption have swept across this planet like wildfire."
I do not add that any military action by Kennedy would most likely have brought about the end of his nation, as well as Russia and Cuba, and possibly the end of the human race. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a standoff.
Crayak continues, "Look upon the future for yourself! Especially starting in the human year 1997, the year before your beloved resistance! Children are killing each other! Children! They are killing for the sake of killing!"
I have seen it, indeed. Starting in the human year 1999, what I see both disgusts and frightens me. Jonesboro. Columbine High. This is terrible - one of the few things to bring tears to my eyes. Children destroying one another - it is any race's worst nightmare come true.
"Face it, old enemy," Crayak concludes, "this race is lost to you."
I can say nothing to this. I know that he is right. But the humans are known for one thing: adaptation. They have developed their technology more quickly than any other species in the galaxy. It has been said that they will soon overtake even the Andalites.
I smile slightly. The humans will change, and once again reveal their true nature. "You underestimate humans, Crayak. Humanity will not go quietly."
"Your foolish hopes of changing this race have always led to a hope-bringer's death. You brought into this world a man named Abraham Lincoln, into this America place, and you molded him until he would accomplish what you wanted him to accomplish." He laughs. "However, I did not have to work as hard. I simply found a man named Booth, and filled him with hatred for your Lincoln's ideals - mostly because Lincoln wanted to free the slaves, even if it was for the sake of victory."
I sigh. The American South produced some of the world's worst bigots. Up until the Nazi Party, at least.
"Thanks to a little alteration in space-time, the Ford Theater was left mostly unguarded. The wife of General Grant hated Lincoln's wife, so Grant and his guards did not attend. Lincoln was left unprotected. Booth is now forever known for only one thing: he shot your beloved Lincoln in the presence of his wife and children! He would die less than a day later."
You see, Abraham Lincoln was my finest creation at the time. He was a kind man with a good heart. A few of his morals were not entirely to my liking, but I could only do so much without direct interference.
He did, however, his nation a reason to fight for renewed unity - the destruction of slavery. Even though this was a noble cause, he only wished to give the army a new reason to fight. And he did so.
But just as iron is purified by the hottest fires, to become steel, the war's events changed Lincoln. Purified him, and made him a better man, and a better leader. After the war was over, he wanted to bring about change that would send America into a golden age, and most likely, humanity would follow. But Crayak had him killed.
It took America a century to bring about the change that would have taken one fifth, no, maybe a tenth that long under Lincoln… possibly even less. The country is still struggling to change.
"And then," Crayak continues gleefully, "your friend Franklin Roosevelt. A sad case. He was almost unable to walk, and yet he brought his nation into a war that..." He trails off.
I smile, realizing that he has just given me an argument of my own. "That destroyed your finest work. Hitler was a sad case, as well. He was a man who was obviously psychologically unstable from childhood, when he would have sadistic fantasies. You loved him like a son. I know that you had been working on him, but even you were over your head! He was completely unstable from before the First World War - from just before you found him, when he was barely a teenager, in fact - on until his suicide in the human year 1945."
Crayak is silent.
With nothing further to add, I simply laugh. "And you think I make pathetic choices."
"You do make pathetic choices."
Is that the best you can do? I wonder, smiling. "You made a bad mistake. For the Germans, it would prove fatal."
Crayak sighs briefly. It looks like I just might be winning.
"The Japanese were responsible for bringing America into the war," I continue, once again smiling to myself. "I hate to admit this, but they are this planet's most naturally prejudiced ethnic group, so they were perfect allies for Germany - they had the same goals. World conquest and so-called racial purity." Even though I loathe even the thought of this, my smile widens.
Crayak is at a loss for words - for once.
"But they let prior victories make them overconfident."
Crayak is silent. I am on a roll, as the humans say.
"All it took to turn the tide of the war," I continue, "was a quick bombing raid on Pearl Harbor - a small naval base on the Hawaiian Islands - that claimed many lives. The raid was supposed to be a warning to America - it seems that Japan felt that America was too close, since its acquisition of Hawaii. But it backfired - in spades, as they say!"
Crayak winces.
I remember that particular day - December 7, 1941 - 'A day that will live in infamy,' as Roosevelt put it.
"They enraged the Americans - and particularly Roosevelt, he went to the American Congress personally, to have them declare war on Japan, causing Germany to declare war on America! The Americans found that they had no choice but to enter the war on the side of Britain, Russia, and the Allies. Consequently destroying both Japan and Germany, crippling them for two decades." I laugh. "As for Japan - even though the tiny island nation has been westernized - the once-mighty nation is little more than America's lapdog these days."
Crayak tries to fire back, lamely at best. "Your Franklin Roosevelt died before he could end the war. His successor - a man called… Truman, was it? - brought nuclear weapons to use on this planet for the first time."
He has a point. I sigh. "And the last time."
"We shall see." He is gaining momentum again - a bad sign. "And then there was the other half of the twentieth century. Pathetic! Peaceful revolution? The ultimate oxymoron! Gandhi was no better than a Hork-Bajir! He was weaker than any other man I have ever seen, and it cost him dearly." Crayak chuckles. "It cost him his life, and the ability to bring his hopes to fruition."
Crayak does not realize - or maybe he doesn't want to - that Gandhi's methods, used my a man named Martin Luther King Jr., also won freedom and equality for the African-Americans, the so-called 'black race,' in America as well. "Gandhi's methods succeeded. India is still free."
He turns to me, grinning. "India will have nuclear weapons in fifteen solar cycles, and its people will equal one sixth of the planet's population. One billion people! The only nation with more people will be China - an entire fifth of humanity. And with a religion that will not let the people consume beef - a resource which is virtually unlimited in India - India is a nation that is willfully starving itself to death."
"But it is also the world's largest democracy."
"Democracy." He says it like a curse. "People governing themselves? What a ridiculous idea. People are corrupt as a whole, and you know it. Nations run by a monarchy or are under a totalitarian regime are prospering."
"But their people are dying, mostly in nations like Cuba. It is the only notable Communist country left, unless you count China, which is still struggling to become a world power. Its people - the people of both nations, actually - are constantly fleeing the country."
"But they have nowhere to go."
"They are still escaping. Eventually these Communist regimes will collapse, just like the Soviet Union… another of your favorites, I believe." I smile inwardly.
I know that communism isn't evil - despite many Americans' claim to the contrary. The original principles of communism were warped almost beyond recognition, thanks to people such as Lenin, Stalin, and Mao Zedong, to become what it is today.
China - one of the sole remaining Communist regimes - has outlasted the Soviet Union, and has improved upon the Communist form of government. It is a very prosperous nation, despite the fact that its government is one of the planet's most inhumane.
Castro's regime in Cuba has endured through seven American presidents. I know that he will outlast at least three more.
Crayak knows this, but his argument has been shot down.
"The old forms of government are dying," I continue. "Monarchy is dying out more quickly than any other. Even England - the oldest monarchy in this planet's history - has a monarch who is there for little more than ceremony, and the scrutiny of the world's media. England is essentially a republic. Monarchs have no power."
We are both silent for a time.
"Crayak," I say, "violent revolution is not always the answer. Gandhi's methods have worked so much more effectively than any violent revolution ever could. Take Dr. Martin Luther King - an absolutely wonderful man with wonderful ideas. He got his people justice in a country that hated them for their skin color and little else."
"Dr. King was shot and killed five years after Kennedy!"
"By a coward."
"He is still dead. 'I have a dream,' indeed!"
At least he is watching this planet's history, I think. Or at least he is listening. "His dream is coming true. People are becoming tolerant of each other. Eventually they will no longer despise that which is different."
"Perhaps… But they have grown more tolerant for evil."
"Perhaps as a whole. But there are always good people - good beings - wherever evil exists."
"We shall see about that."
After a long pause, he continues, "Eventually my Yeerks will have this planet. I should thank your friends the Andalites for helping get them off the ground." He cackles madly.
The Andalites. I wince. They are no friends of mine. They despise the handicapped, are unbelievably discriminatory, and they do not care about many other planets. The only reason that they would come to Earth is because there are so many humans that the Yeerks could conquer the universe.
But then, the humans were very much like the Andalites once. I do not mean that they were cold, cruel, and reclusive - actually, some countries were, once, but these nations tried to justify it, calling it 'isolationism'.
I mean that the humans - as a whole, at least - once shared the same prejudices towards handicapped people, different ethnic groups, and people with different beliefs… I suppose there are more parallels between the humans and the Andalites than I thought.
But then, there are groups of humans that still cling to this cold, corrupt, racist belief. If I had the authority, I would wipe them from space-time myself.
There is another reason that humankind is precious - the humans and the Andalites could learn so much from each other. If the humans could learn to consider themselves as one single race, as one species, and the Andalites could learn to put physical differences behind them…
The Yeerks would not stand a chance, and Crayak fears this.
The present situation is dire for the Andalites, however - they would rather destroy this beautiful planet than let it fall into Yeerk hands.
That will not happen. "The humans will not let themselves be conquered. On this planet, the more horrible the conqueror, the more terrible and total his defeat will be!"
Crayak laughs again, this time with glee. That sound always sickens me. "But... it would be glorious, wouldn't it? Watching all five billion of them - six billion by the end of this century - trying in vain to stop the Yeerks! Hah! It would be a massacre, on both sides, and the universe would be a more empty place."
I sigh. I know that he is somehow right.
I must do something.
I must.
But finally, I have an idea. A wonderful idea. An idea that will play to Crayak's ego so much that he will not be able to pass it up. I only hope that it will succeed.
As the humans say, here goes nothing.
I sigh deeply, and say, "Crayak, we have been fighting for as long as the spark of life has existed in this universe. Ever since the first living thing began its short life, we have been involved in a conflict that has destroyed entire races, entire planets." Trying to look as chagrined as I possibly can, I add, "It has been so long…"
"What are you saying?"
He is falling for it! "You see, Crayak… I grow weary of war."
Crayak grins. Or what passes for it since he has no lips. "So you plan on giving up?"
"No," I say quickly. "I will not give up willingly. You know me better than that."
He stares at me, curiosity showing in his eye. "Then what?"
So he is curious. Good. "One last battle, and the war will be over. No more waiting. No more twisting space-time to get what you want. We both grow weary of waiting for one side or the other to triumph."
"But I am winning."
I sigh. Tunnel vision. "No, old enemy, you are not. Just when it looks like you have won, something will come that will become so unstoppable that you will be forced back. It always happens. Bringers of hope are assassinated, killers of hope face justice. Hope-bringers who are assassinated are revered, and their cause becomes stronger. Lincoln and King's ideals gained strength only after their deaths."
Crayak sighs. "It appears that all of our conflicts end up at a stalemate."
"Indeed."
He turns to me. "So… what do you propose?"
I smile inwardly.
It is working. I almost cannot believe it. I know Crayak well enough to know that he will make rash choices.
I also know what he will choose to do.
Fool.
"One last fight," I say. "One last glorious battle. Two beings, both of the same species to ensure that neither side will have any sort of advantage. It will take place on a planet of your choice. I merely choose the time and the precise location. Each of us chooses one being."
Crayak looks tempted. I know that he will consider saying no, but in my heart I know him well enough…
"Any race?"
Yes!
"Any… neutral race," I say. "You may not choose the Yeerks or your Howlers, and I will not choose the Andalites." No big deal - as the humans say - since I do not particularly care for the Andalites these days. I never have - at least for the race as a whole. There are some exceptions - like Aldrea-Iskillion-Falan, daughter of Seerow. She was a great hero to the Andalites, as well as the Hork-Bajir
And then there is Elfangor-Sirenal-Shamtul. Not only will he be an important part of Earth's coming history, but his younger brother will play a very large part as well.
Like that of many humans before him, Elfangor's legacy will forever change Earth, and the universe as well.
Obviously Crayak does not consider this. He seems to think that by my actions involving Elfangor, I had adopted the Andalites, much as he had adopted the Yeerks.
He is a fool.
The Yeerks were always a race of parasites, but once, they were confined to their own planet, taking a race of primates called Gedds as their hosts.
After the fool Seerow felt pity for them and gave them Z-Space and space travel technology, they became a race of almost pure evil. Crayak made them like this.
The humans have a saying: 'With great power comes great responsibility.' The Yeerks were not ready for either.
Many humans also say that power corrupts.
The Yeerks have become the embodiment of that idea. And so they used this new power to enslave several races, beginning with the Sstraam and the Mak. Then the Hork-Bajir.
And now - or so Crayak hopes - the humans.
But I slipped a wild card into Crayak's apparently stacked deck - a group of Yeerks that still embraced the old status of their race: a mutual advantage, or as the humans say, 'You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.'
The Yeerks had also lost something: their innocence. The Andalites now targeted them for not just defeat, but total eradication. The Andalites consider the Yeerks their greatest mistake, and want to destroy them, forever.
In a way, Crayak wins even if the Yeerks are destroyed, because the last traces of the Yeerks' good side will be destroyed as well.
Crayak is a sadist as well as a fool.
Because of this, I have learned to be cautious.
"A final battle, Crayak," I say, hoping to help his decision. "No more waiting, no more having to interfere in this planet's history…"
Crayak thinks about this. Then, without much hesitation, he slips a tentacle into my palm. "Deal."
As much as this disgusts me, I accept the odd handshake.
I try not to look like I know he's falling into my hands, but I know that there is a chance that he might succeed. Very slight, but he does not know this.
Fool.
Suddenly something turns our attention away from the conversation - or rather, away from the challenge.
In front of us, a small form speeds away from Earth. In space-time, you are able to see any place and time, past or present, without the need to adapt to a new atmosphere, gravity level, or weather conditions.
An Andalite fighter speeds away from Earth. I recognize it at once. This fighter belongs to Elfangor - the soon-to-be savior of the human race.
I smile to myself. Elfangor - who will be an Andalite War-Prince in a little less than ten cycles, the equal of a human general - will return to Earth is about fourteen solar cycles for the Time Matrix, hoping to prevent the human called Chapman from betraying his species, and revealing Earth to the Yeerks. I know that Visser One truly discovered the humans, revealing them to the Yeerk race - I erased the timeline that led to Chapman's betrayal, except for the more positive result of this timeline - but the damage was done.
Crayak had joined the war between the Andalites and the Yeerks.
Elfangor hopes to destroy this timeline as well, but he will never reach the Time Matrix.
Crayak would never let him.
But I have a plan. An 'ace-in-the-hole,' as the humans say.
Unbeknownst to any other creature in the galaxy, I have adjusted space-time so that Elfangor will meet five human youths at his landing spot, including his own human son - the positive result of Elfangor's meeting with Loren.
Elfangor already knows this - but he still hopes to recover the Time Matrix, even if doing do will mean his own demise.
The others: the son of Visser One's host body, a girl with an affinity for animals (who has other abilities as well), a boy whose brother is a human-Controller - this boy himself will have the potential to be a great leader - and his cousin, who will be a great warrior..
Why do I bring Elfangor's son into this? I feel that I have to make it up to Elfangor somehow. I know that he will not survive the inevitable encounter with Visser Three. So I will give him the chance to see his son one last time.
It does not matter in the run of things, even though Elfangor's young son will have a great affect on the battle.
With Elfangor's death, a legend will be born, and the Yeerks' days will become numbered.
Soon after, the days of the Yeerk Empire will be over.
I have not told Crayak of Elfangor's son - at least not his involvement in the resistance. He does not know yet. Crayak cannot look upon or tempt any being under my protection without my permission. This rule applies both ways - I may not watch the Yeerks, for instance.
Crayak is looking upon the beautiful blue, white, and green planet as well. "Humans."
I turn. "What?"
"Humans," he repeats. "The two champions. They will both be humans. Children."
Crayak knows about humans, and that children are easily swayed to his cause. It has happened before - apparently he believes that it will happen again.
However, over the millennia, I have noticed that children have more potential for good than for evil. I smile inwardly. If I had given myself the option, I would have chosen children myself.
But Crayak has seen the future. He has seen a world in which children gun each other down in cold blood, and bask in their newfound attention and fame - given to them by a bloodthirsty media..
But he has not seen how so many children have become good people while still children. He has not seen so many who have triumphed over adversity, or even abuse by parents or loved ones, to become wonderfully kind and caring adults.
Like I mentioned before, Crayak has what the humans call 'tunnel vision.' I think of it as Crayak's inability to see humankind for its true potential, its true nature.
I try to look reluctant to accept his choice - this will affect his ego
greatly - but inwardly I cannot believe that he is falling for it. Arrogant
fool.
"And it will take place on this planet," Crayak finishes.
I nod, trying to hide a grin.
Children. It is all too perfect.
After all, five human children and one young Andalite will change the course of a galaxy's fate. No, six human children, I correct myself, once my champion becomes involved.
"Done," I say.
Suddenly realizing something, I almost laugh. There will be roughly five billion humans on Earth at the beginning of the resistance. By the turn of the century - when everything changes forever - the planet's population will reach six billion. Soon after, six humans will fight for Earth.
To quote a popular motion picture from the human year 1999, 'Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony.'
I smile to myself.
"They will both be boys," Crayak continues, blinking rapidly. He does this when he is excited. "I have just the child in mind. He will not be born for a year, but he is perfect."
I remember that some very famous conflicts on this planet started between two boys. Crayak and I had nothing to do with it - we have only interfered in human history for the last two centuries.
Some of the most terrible conflicts have been initiated by a power greater than any other in this universe - or any universe, for that matter.
I realize suddenly that it makes sense that Crayak would choose two boys for a battle to decide humanity's fate. This battle's outcome would not take effect immediately, of course - after one side's victory, that side would need time to implement its will on Earth.
But these events could never be undone.
"Two young boys," Crayak says. He blinks again. "I have just the one in mind."
I nod. "Very well. Any human born between now and the human year 1990 will be fair game for us. But, only one child each."
"Very well then," he says. "One child." He blinks again. "Let's make this interesting - make them both from this America place you love so much."
My smile widens. "Done."
"There is a child to be born in the human city of Seattle that suits my purpose nicely." After a moment, he looks at me. "When will it take place?"
"The battle itself? The human year 2001, seventeen cycles from now. Not until the beginning of the twenty-first century… and the third millennium."
"That seems fitting," he replies. "Done."
"And it will take place in the area that Elfangor lived in with his mate, Loren." I point towards one side of the United States - the edge of a body of water called the Pacific Ocean. "Here."
Crayak hesitates. "This champion of yours… it cannot be Elfangor's human son, who will be born soon. I know of his existence. Somehow I sense that you have him in mind somehow."
"I do not."
He inspects me for a moment. He knows that I never lie, so he blinks again in satisfaction. "Very well. I merely sense that this must be more than coincidence."
I shake my head. "I am forbidden to lie. Now, it is done. The last battle will merely occur where Loren's son will grow up." And where the resistance will begin in fourteen solar cycles, I add silently.
The battle for Earth will end in the same area that it began in. I grin at the irony.
"Very well. The Yeerk invasion is already to be focused there. That is, for now." He laughs. I wish I could see what he is laughing about, but I cannot see the activities of the Yeerks. They are his children, not mine.
"The Yeerks will not be there for long," I say confidently.
"We shall see, old enemy, we shall see."
I pause for a moment to think. "Crayak, old enemy, we have not yet discussed the conditions of victory."
He nods. "Ah, yes. A victory for either side will not mean immediate results. The results will come more slowly."
I suspected as much. "What do you mean?"
He smiles. "Should my champion win, your little resistance on Earth will slowly die out - mostly thanks to my champion." Saying this, he grins sadistically - or at least what passes for it - which is the only way he knows how to grin. "The Yeerks will eventually dominate Earth, unless the Andalite fools come to try and stop them."
I nod, understanding now. "And should my champion win, the Yeerks will be weakened greatly, but… not entirely eliminated... so, my champion - perhaps with the help of the resistance - would have to do the deed himself?"
"Precisely."
I have to think about this for a moment. I know that either condition brings a chance that I might lose Earth… but somehow I know that with the right boy, the right life, the right people to raise him… the battle will be won in a decade. Probably much less.
So, I nod. "Done."
"Very well then. If you win, your champion will have to find a way to completely drive the Yeerks from Earth. If my champion wins, there will soon be no resistance - courtesy of my champion - and Earth will fall within a few years."
"That will not happen. I shall never let your Yeerks have this planet. Not so long as I am still able to do so."
Crayak once again does what passes for smiling, since - of course - he has no lips. "We shall see." He vanishes.
I turn my attention back to the blue, green, and white ball floating there in space.
Earth will never fall to the Yeerks.
I swear it.
"Yes..." I say, almost to myself. "We shall see, indeed."
At last.
My chosen has been born.
They have named him 'Kevin' - a name meaning 'gentle'.
All too fitting.
I smile to myself. Newborn human children have always amazed me. They are so innocent, small, and helpless. But this one will be under my protection.
He will come to no harm.
It has taken two years since the meeting with Crayak to find just the right parents, parents who will love this little boy so much that he will defend humanity with his heart and his soul.
I took careful care to pick two parents that were just right for each other. I saw no need to force my will on them, so I merely let them come in contact with each other. Success!
They fell in love, and married in 1986.
The two parents, Darryl and Jennifer, are perfect for my champion.
They will shape his young heart in ways I could never dream of. These two kind souls will nourish his young mind, so he will be intelligent, and wise beyond his years. They will help him to strengthen his young body, to make him into a fighter, a soldier. They will strengthen his soul, to the point where he will be impervious to evil.
I smile to myself. I will help out, but only once or twice as I see fit.
My plan in this boy's life is merely to watch over him, and guard him from Crayak and the Yeerks. I know in my heart that Crayak will try his best to make sure that my champion does not live long enough to face his own champion.
I now know Crayak's chosen to be a young boy named David - a boy whose future was very promising until Crayak began to coldly twist space-time in order to change David's heart.
I am glad to say that I have chosen a more 'hands-off approach.
I will to see to it that Kevin is not harmed.
A little over thirteen solar cycles from this day, I will make myself known to this boy.
In the human year 2000, the last year of their twentieth century, the battle with the Yeerks will be joined. This time, it will make this an even fight.
My young champion, with the help of the five human children who will call themselves 'Animorphs,' and Elfangor's younger brother, will change the tide of the war against the Yeerks, and the fate of billions.
The battle will soon be over. Or perhaps a new one will begin.
I do not know - the future is always in motion, and humans are the most unpredictable creatures that I have ever encountered.
It does not matter.
All I know for certain is one thing:
Crayak will not stand a chance…