Second Defeat


(This is part ten in my series. Part nine is called "The Approaching", and the first part is "The Only Way Out")


Sara looked around her. The camp was in confusion. From where she stood, she could barely make out the army at the northwestern edge of camp. But she knew it was there. She knew, because the bug fighters in the air above it were firing wildly into camp.

A woman grabbed her arm.

"Where's my little boy?" she cried, tears streaming down her face. "Where's Sebastian? Where?!" She was one of the refugees; not a warrior. She was helpless.

Sara pulled loose. She couldn't help the woman find her son. She couldn't even help herself. The woman wailed and ran into the darkness.

Too late to do anything but fight bravely and hope to die, Sara thought bitterly. Hope to die instead of being captured.

Sara found to her surprise that she was perfectly calm. Clear in the head. Not the slightest bit afraid. The Yeerks had found them. They were going to lose this battle. But Sara, who always had been the one that worried for re-capture, wasn't afraid.

She was only afraid that the Yeerks would find the morphing cube. She had stuffed it into her pocket, and now she put her hand in as well and fingered at it. It was time to hide it again. Time to dig it down again. Like Cassie had done during the first defeat.

Cassie had dug it down. And Cassie was dead. Sara suddenly shivered as she saw her future. The only way for her if she was the one to hide it. But her calmness wasn't disturbed.

Then she realized another thing. She couldn't dig it down this time; the Yeerks would get lucky. Digging it down had worked once, in some unexplainable way, but it was too risky to try twice.

She needed to destroy it. She needed to destroy the galaxy's last morphing cube, since it could fall into Yeerk hands. Which would do damage beyond imagining.

Yes. Destroy it. Sara pulled out the morphing cube. Placed it on the ground. Drew a deep breath, perfectly calm. Released the dracon strapped to her leg. Set it to high power. Aimed.

Fired.



Jordan raised her dracon and fired again. A Taxxon burst, and without hesitation she blew another. And another. And another.

Frustrating. Too many. She could shoot as many as she liked; they would still be too many. She saw her outnumbered Hork-Bajir warriors fighting Hork-Bajir-Controllers to her left. The Controllers were winning. She saw a small squadron of morphables fighting Hork-Bajir-Controllers and morphable-Controllers to her right. The free warriors were helped by the snarling pack of dogs that roamed and guarded the camp. But there, too, the Controllers were winning.

"Fight till death," Jordan muttered, reminding herself of her personal motto. "Not till capture." And then she fired at another Taxxon, and added; "And if all else fails; die, don't get caught."

Never capture, a voice behind her agreed. It was the Andalite Prince, Seemron. A good saying. His hands and front were burned and bloody, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Then why aren't you fighting?" Jordan sneered. The two Andalites in her camp weren't among the officers. She listened to their advice at times because, despite the Andalites being terribly disgraced and mistrusted around the galaxy, they were still pretty bright.

Because Sara is dead.

The dracon fell out of Jordan's suddenly limp hand. She whimpered and sank down to her knees. She wanted to cry. But the tears refused to come. They never did.

She made a mistake, Seemron continued, offering his tail for her to lean on as she slowly stood up again. She wanted to… well, destroy the escafil device, I believe. But she set the dracon to high power, and the device, which is very sensitive, exploded in her face.

Jordan didn't manage to say anything. She straightened, blanking her face, aimed at a Taxxon, and fired. She missed the first shot. Aimed. Fired, hit a Taxxon which exploded. Aimed again.

Better dead then infested, Seemron reminded her.

"Yes." Fired.

And the escafil device is safe.

"Suppose so." Aimed. Fired.

Seemron bowed slightly towards her. I will go and arrange a similar fate for myself, he said. I will not be captured alive again. I wish you luck with the same. He turned.

Jordan looked up. "Prince Seemron?"

Seemron stopped. His stalk-eyes swiveled around to look at her. She had never used his title before. Yes?

"I…" Jordan hesitated. "Thank you."

Seemron nodded, and trotted away, towards the losing morphable squadron.

Jordan looked out over her army. Her resistance was about to be crushed. Her younger sister was dead. And all she could do was hope she wouldn't be caught alive.



Rachel stood up, shaking. "It's Sara," she whispered, looking down at the scorched corpse. "Sara." She suddenly looked very small and vulnerable.

Tobias placed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her away, gently but firmly. "I'm sorry." He glanced around. They weren't safe there. Actually, he didn't know where they were safe. He knew that the camo-bug was hidden not far from camp. If they got to the camo-bug, they'd be able to escape.

But Tobias wasn't going to escape and leave Marco, Larynia, Jake and Ax. Or Jordan. If they found her. If she was alive.

The attack had come without warning. Suddenly, the Yeerks had stormed through the hologram, into camp, from the northwest. The northwest lookout was probably dead, although nobody knew. And nobody bothered worrying. There were more urgent troubles at hand.

"We need to find the others," Tobias said, one arm around the sobbing Rachel and both eyes looking around for dangers. "We need to find them and escape."

Rachel forced herself to stop sobbing and nodded grimly. "There's still the plan. Get the Time Matrix. Undo the first defeat. That would bring Sara back, as well."

"Yes," Tobias agreed. "The Time Matrix. It seems that's Earth's last hope, now. But we can't do it alone. We need Jake and Marco and Ax and Larynia. And Jordan, too."

"Jordan, if I know her, is at the front fighting," Rachel said with a weak smile. "She'll be fighting like mad. And she won't desert her camp. She told me that I should get the group together, escape in the camo-bug and go for the Time Matrix."

"Then let's find the others. Before it's too late."



Jake growled again, rushed forwards, and sank his tiger fangs into a Taxxon face. Then he stepped back, revolted by the taste.

Ax! he called. No answer, so he tried the others. Marco! Larynia! Tobias! Rachel!

Jake cursed his bad luck silently before going after another Taxxon. He was up at the front. In the middle of the fighting. Taxxons and Hork-Bajir were everywhere. Almost all of the Hork-Bajir were Controllers. In the dark, it was hard to tell them apart.

He didn't dare attack any of them before he was sure they weren't free… which meant he didn't attack any Hork-Bajir which didn't attack him. And even then, he wasn't sure. They might just be thinking he was a Yeerk.

He peered around him. Two Hork-Bajir closing in, fast. He made a quick decision to deal with them instead of avoid them, and as soon as they were near enough, he attacked the first one. A black panther struck down the other.

Thanks, Jordan, he said - automatically, remembered from the last war. That the words were that deeply rooted surprised him.

I needed to tell you something, Jordan replied in a empty voice. I need you to tell Rachel as well. Sara's dead.

Jake froze in the middle of a leap and almost got his front paws sliced off. He pulled back and realized he didn't have the opportunity to mourn now. He needed to fight now, or he'd die as well. Sara, dead, he repeated. He felt weak. How? When?

She destroyed the escafil device to keep it from the Yeerks. It blew up in her face.

Jake threw himself over another Hork-Bajir and ripped it's throat out, roaring. That escafil device was cursed! She didn't need to do that! She…

And why are you still here? Jordan snapped. Find Rachel and the others and leave!

You'll lose this battle, Jake growled. More Hork-Bajir were closing in. He leaped at one. But you can still escape it.

And leave my troops like a common coward? I fight, Jake. I fight with my army. I'm their commander. They trust me; they need me here. And if we're going down, we're going together; and we're not going peacefully.

I'll fight with you.

This is my war. Leave, Jake. Your war is in another time.

Jake avoided a blade and struck out with a tiger paw at an exposed belly. The Hork-Bajir bellowed in pain. He saw Jordan slashing wildly at a group of Taxxons. That distraction cost him a deep cut across his shoulder, and he yelped in surprise as he backed away. Then he leapt forwards again.

Find the others, Jordan said. Find them, leave, get the Time Matrix and undo the defeat. I don't care how. And I don't care if I lose today. Just get your butts back in time and kick some Yeerk as before they get to kick ours.

Don't get killed, he said softly, eyeing her.

Jordan laughed ruefully. Emptily. Rather dead then infested, cousin. Rather dead then infested.

Jake turned and abandoned the front lines. He saw Controllers come towards him, and turned to the left to avoid them. Then he turned again as they followed.

Find the others. Find the Time Matrix. Go back in time and change things. Don't let Earth fall. Don't let Cassie be killed. Don't let this second defeat ever happen. Don't let Sara die.

But first, shake off those Controllers!



Marco ran faster, his eyes darting around. He was in mid-morph from gorilla, and the fastest he could run wasn't very fast. But he'd been badly wounded by a dracon beam and had to demorph.

Larynia! he cried. She'd been there, somewhere. Maybe closer to the front. Maybe taking part in the fighting.

Marco stumbled as his arms shortened and he was forced to run only on half-human legs. He fell, landed in the dirt, but pulled himself up and continued.

He was alone. And alone was a bad idea. He knew he should find the others. Join the group. But closest to heart was finding Larynia. Finding her before she was hurt.

"Larynia!"

Marco was glad when the demorphing was finished. He didn't worry about being defenseless in human form without any weapons. He had other things to worry about.

Then he saw two people he recognized. Tobias and Rachel. Maybe they knew were Larynia was.

He ran up to them.

"Marco, good!" Rachel exclaimed, lowering the dracon she had raised. "We've been looking for you."

He didn't let that distract him. "Have you seen Larynia?"

"No…" Tobias began. Marco didn't hear whatever he said after that.

Marco turned. She must be closer to the battle. At the front. It was dangerous there. She might get hurt. He wouldn't let her get hurt.

Marco sprinted away, towards the fighting.

"No! Marco! You'll get caught!" Rachel cried. "Tobias, stop him!"

But Marco didn't listen. And he had already disappeared into the darkness. Tobias and Rachel hurried after.

"I liked him better when he was all-go for watching his own skin!" Rachel growled.

Tobias stopped. There was no sight of Marco. "Where did he go?"



Larynia glanced at her cousin.

The camo-bug, she suggested. They might be there.

Do you know where it is? Ax asked.

No. Tobias hid it somewhere outside camp.

Then it won't do us any good.

Larynia swiveled her stalk-eyes to look behind her. Taxxons, she announced calmly. A dozen.

Revolting creatures, aren't they? Ax said, turning to face them.

Yes, Larynia said, also turning. Very ugly.

The two of them easily defeated the Taxxons, and then hurried away from the scene and the stench which always lay over dead Taxxons. Where haven't we looked? Ax said.

In the middle of the battle, Larynia said. But they will probably be looking for us as well. The question is where.

We still need to go after the Time Matrix, Ax agreed. Which means we need to survive this, keep free, and do so together.

The two of them decided to go closer to the battle anyway, to keep an eye open. Ax suggested that he could morph an owl and keep an eye from the sky, but Larynia pointed out that the Yeerk bug fighters shot anything in the air.

They neared the battle. All of a sudden, watching their backs became much more important then finding anyone else.

Hork-Bajir-Controllers cried out when they saw the Andalites. Most of their efforts went from defeating the refugees to capturing the two Andalites. Most Andalites were Yeerk hosts. But that didn't mean that Yeerks were less pleased to capture them.

Larynia! Behind you!

Larynia spun a stalk-eye around, FWAPPED her tail in an arch and brought it down on a Hork-Bajir face. She ripped it across his eyes. Experience had taught her that her smaller female blade wasn't any good for digging deep into flesh or cutting entire arms or legs off. But she found other uses for it.

The Hork-Bajir cried out in pain. She let her blade sting his face again, and he roared as he turned to run, his hands clutching his face.

Aximili, this isn't a good idea, Larynia said. They focus on us too much for us to do any good here.

Ax agreed. They fought a way through the wall of Hork-Bajir-Controllers before it grew too thick and dashed away. And the Hork-Bajir weren't fast enough to catch two fleeing Andalites.

"Hey! Hey, AX!"

Ax stopped. He turned to his right. Tobias was running towards him, Rachel following.

Larynia stopped as well. Good, she sighed. Then she looked worried. Where's Marco? Ax glanced at her, so she immediately added; And Prince Jake?

"Marco ran away," Rachel hissed. "That idiot ran right into the Yeerk lines! In human morph and without any weapons except for his big mouth."

Larynia pawed the ground like a worried horse. Her stalk-eyes darted back towards the fight, and the Hork-Bajir that were closing in.

"We don't know where Jake is," Tobias said. "But we can guess."

At the front, fighting, Ax said, and nodded. But Larynia and I are at the center of attention there. We won't be able to do any good. And we cannot stay here; Hork-Bajir are chasing us.

Rachel saw the coming Controllers, raised her dracon, and fired. One Hork-Bajir sizzled into nothingness. Rachel fired again, and another was sliced in half. That left half a dozen, all of them eager at the thought of an Andalite host.

"Go!" Rachel snapped. She aimed her dracon, and fired. "Go!"

Larynia and Ax began trotting away again. Tobias grabbed Rachel's arm and pulled her along, despite her trying to stay and shoot more.

When they were far away enough (and Rachel had managed to shoot enough Hork-Bajir for the rest to lose interest) they stopped to ponder their options.

"It's still us needing to go for the Time Matrix," Tobias said. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, looking down, rubbing his temples as he thought. "Whatever we do, we need the Time Matrix."

And then we need to get into that base, Ax added. We might have been able to do it by using Rachel and I to help, but by now the Yeerks will have figured out that we've escaped and those are just Chee filling in for us.

Or they will, once they infest the prisoners, Larynia said.

Tobias's head snapped up. "Who knows about the Time Matrix except us?"

"Only Jordan and Sara," Rachel said. She knew exactly what he was thinking. "And some of the Chee, but they can't be infested. And Sara's safe; she's dead."

Which presents another problem, Larynia said. If the Yeerks infest Jordan, they'll know. If they infest Prince Jake… or Marco - her voice grew slightly unsteady at that - they'll know.

We can't let that happen, Ax said simply.

Tobias sighed. "So first we need to make sure they're safe. Then we need to get to the Time Matrix. And to do any of the mentioned, we're back at the basics and need a way into the Visser's base."

Rachel, who was standing with her back towards the rest of them, was watching the battle from a distance in the light of the rising sun. It wasn't much of a battle any more. The Controllers were burning heaps of dead and leading the hundreds of helpless prisoners onboard transports.

Rachel wondered if Jordan was among the prisoners. If Marco was there. If Jake was there. She hoped they weren't, because then they would be on their way to infestation. She hoped they weren't, but there was no other place they could be.

All of a sudden she got a stroke of brilliance. Her lips curved into a thin smile. "I've got a way into Visser One's base."



Jake woke with a headache. He couldn't move. He could barely open his eyes. But he did, and blinked until his vision grew less blurry.

His arms were tied behind his back with force field rope. That made him give up any hopes of morphing his way out. He was lying half under another prisoner, and there were more all around him in a large heap, but he couldn't turn his head enough to see who they were.

He remembered what had happened. He'd been badly wounded in tiger morph, and crawled under the cover of a few bushes to demorph. Obviously, the bushes hadn't hidden him enough for him to be safe.

He sighed, and tried to turn his head to see more. He was in a Yeerk transport ship; a large one. He could guess where he was going. He knew he wouldn't like it. He could also guess that they didn't recognize him for who he was. Otherwise he'd have been secured better then just being tied up and left on the floor.

A few Taxxons scuttled around the room. Humans and Hork-Bajir were guarding. Actually, most of them laughing, pointing upwards. Jake forced his own aching head to turn for him to look in the same direction.

And was shocked at what he saw. A woman was dangling from the roof by her wrists in a force field rope. She was conscious, but blood was running down from her body and dripping from her feet to the floor right beside him. She was badly wounded, hanging limply from her swollen wrists, as if she was too tired to try easing the pain in her wrists.

The Hork-Bajir were laughing because they were throwing stones at her. They, and the group of human-Controllers.

Suddenly a stone hit on the chest. Her face dropped downwards. Her eyelids fluttered weakly. Her chest heaved as she gasped for air.

Jake gasped as well.

It was Jordan.


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Author's Note;
Okay. At least five reviews before the next part. How hard is it to type a few words, make up a name, and press a button? Not harder then reading this story. So why don't you? I don't care what you write as long as you write something...