Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"The crystalit appears in his fighter each night, as if it werewatching on usWhat does it do? I've almost felt a connection to it. I'm Andalite after all, but how come I feel so connected to it?"

Crystals watch over their racesand tune into the thoughts of their races through the energy band that runs through every living creature. It is like—a great battery with a mindspreading its energy to all that would accept it.

------------------------------

And so we waited, for the mercenaries to do the job they promised. That night, I could not get a wink of sleep, and when I woke up, Rhazori would try and get me to go back to sleep. But thoughts of small slugs entering and leaving my brain kept me from dozing off.

Spalose, try and get some rest, when you do, I do.

The voice came out of nowhere, reverberating in my head, around the bends and curves of the insides of the fighter, and even in my mind. I jumped from my spot, looking around for whatever made the noise. I snapped my head over to Rhazori, who, in his digital gaze, looked at shocked as I was.

You heard it too, Rhazori? I stammered. Rhazori nodded, also looking around the fighter. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a small blue spot glistening, and floating in the air above one of the terminals.

Wh-wh-who are you? I managed to say, watching the ghastly blue orb grow a little more and increase in brightness. It moved over towards me slowly.

I am the one who watches over the Andalites every night, every day, every second, hearing their thoughts and feeling their pain. I am Andalite Psi, I am Dmitri. the orb spoke. The voice was calming, soothing, and brought my frightening shiver down to a dull tremor. I settled a little.

Youare you---

I am the Andalite's Psi crystal. I am your crystal, whom YOU'VE been chosen to guard. it said.

I was shocked. The crystal that contained the entire Andalite race's life energy was floating around in my fighter. I moved closer; and in that, felt my insides tingle. My mitochondria produce psi.

You're the—but if you're here, what is in the Temple on Ablia, distributing and anchoring the power? I asked, remembering what Tassax had told me in my first studies as a psionic guardian.

My physical essence remains in the temple, evenly distributing the power. While my mental essence is free to roam and watch over my people. I have existed this way for many millenia. But...unfortunately, I'm growing weaker every day. it replied.

Weaker? How are you becoming weaker? I asked it, rubbing my shoulder, a chilly breeze flowing off of the essence.

It almost beamed into a saddened tone. Because Andalites are dying, Spalose. This war is reducing your once brilliant people to nothing. You're on the verge of genocide!

Never had the thought occurred to me, that my people were on the brink of destroying themselves. I had never before considered that if the fighting continued, the Andalites could extinguish themselves into nothing. And that would kill Dmitri. Without him, we would die, and without us, he would die. It had to stop.

I can sense what you're thinking, and it is right, and I commend you. I'm glad you have learned of this. Life is precious, Spalose. Dmitri spoke into my mind as he disappeared into the night. And so I was alone in the fighter, Rhazori just sitting there in awe.

Let's get some sleep, buddy. That experience is what will change things around here. We can't let Dmitri die, and we can't let the Andalite race destroy itself.

I drifted off to sleep, graciously awaiting the morning when I would try and restore peace to the Andalite Empire.

Spalose drifted off to sleep, lying there, curled up, dreaming. Dreaming that I could no longer do. Sleep that I could no longer catch. All I was capable of was recording my memories into a computer bank. The terminal was full of my visions, my thoughts. Because of my limited space in the shell, and so few brain cells, without the computer hook-up, I was small and insignificant. The appearance of the Andalite Psi Crystal had stirred my thoughts a little, almost made me feel alive again, but in my mind' I knew I would never experience true life.

The terminal screen buzzed with an incoming message from Leepo. Apparently, new squads of his latest ships, the Psionic Bumers, were finally ready. Ready for what? I asked myself. Then it came, another message. I scanned over it three times.

"Priority One Distress Signal from Andalite Confederacy. The Yeerkish Empire has struck. We're losing terribly. Please send help. Anyone. Albia is under heavy attack. Send help. Anyone. Repeat, Priority One Distress Signal." And then it was over. I prepared to tell Spalose, knowing that the next few nights may be hardly a rest for him.