Then darkness enveloped
the land,
For a child was born
to carry ahead the prophecy,
his name is Aximilli.
The
year was 2120 and humans were ruling the universe. Humans had thousands
of colonies all over the cosmos, it was a known fact that Humans were the
finest, anywhere. Power, to humans, was not something new.
On
the ancient Andalite home world two human archaeologists, Jael Peters and
Len Robins III were scavenging for clues to what happened to the extinct
Andalite race. There were myths about what made the Andalites disappear,
such as that a great plague has set over the planet and had made all the
Andalites go mad.
But
of course, there were the more realistic sounding ones, rumor had it, the
first human empress had started war against the Andalites and had won,
lives and much more. Only, that 'myth' contradicted the assumption everyone
had that humans had ruled the universe forever.
Jael,
herself, was particularly interested in the fate of the ancient race the
Andalites. Jael thought of herself as one of the remaining retards in a
world of intellects. This was reflected in her interest in things other
than technology, such as art, history and art history. She knew she wasn't
a retard as such, but when compared to the techno-obssesors, as
she put it, she was the ultimate retard. As she and Len searched for anything
that could lead them to the truth, Len found something.
He
adjusted his breathing facilities for the dangerous barren land to communicate,
"Jael! I've found something!"
"What?"
"I've
found something!"
"I
heard you the first time. What have you found?"
"I
don't know. Just come over here!"
Jael
bounced over to Len with her anti-gravity equipment. Len lifted the big
gray object, "It looks like a capsule of some sort."
"Capsule?
Containing what?"
"I
don't know. I'm just the guy you dragged along here to make it look like
you were actually working."
"Just
open it."
Len
pushed and pulled, but nothing happened, "Man, you'd have to be really
tough to open this thing."
"Let
me try."
"I
don't mean to sound sexist or anything but did you just hear what I just
said?"
Jael
ignored that remark and grabbed it from him, "Watch out, it's really
heavy!" Len yelled a second too late. BANG! The capsule fell to the
dusty ground. "Oh man!" Jael yelled. She bent down to search for it, "Switch
on the flashlight!"
"I
think ... I think I've found it, switch on the flashlight, dammit!"
"I
love it when you get snappy, rrrrrr!" Len clicked on the flashlight.
"Yup,
I've found it." Jael stared at the capsule, now split in half, "It broke
open!"
Len
stared down at it, "Check what's in it!"
"You
do it, you are the guy here!"
Len
laughed, "What happened to your feminist stuff?"
"Just
check it, will you?"
Len
bent down and bulled out a large old looking tablet, "It's a tablet of
some sort. It's got some words inscripted in it."
"I
may be female but Im not blind," Jael snapped. "What does it say?"
"It's
in Galard."
"You
don't know Galard?"
"What
do I look like, some super psycho-"
"Yeah,
yeah, yeah. We'll go back home and get a translator. Come on."
Jael
and Len hopped over to the space ship and stepped in, "Computer."
"Hello,
hello, hello!"
"We're
going to Earth."
"You
don't say," The computer replied slyly, "Coordinates?"
"54:29."
"Off
to Earth you go!" The ships engines started, and the ship began to rise
into the atmosphere.
"Don't
you just love the computer?" Len asked.
Jael
smiled, "Not quite as much as you do, Len."
Jael
and Len's trip to the Space-Port in northern Boston in the new Pangea continent
from the Andalite Home world took approximately ten minutes. Due to the
heavy traffic entering Earth's atmosphere, of course.
Earth
did change a lot from what it was back in 2001, technology was ruling everyone
and religious people were even dubbed as rebels. There was even a Christian
Anti-IT group. The planet it's self had changed, Geographical Scientists
had managed to combine all the continents to make one large continent.
They named it it's original name, Pangea.
Jael
stepped out of the ship's door frame muttering to herself about the sluggish
travel forms. "Come on, Len. Let's go to the city, we need to find a translator."
"Yeah."
Jael
and Len jumped on a hover craft that took one to the city center. About
three minutes later they were stepping off the ship into the city center
market. This was one of the things that had remained the same, a market
for alien tourists and other Earth inhabitants who just wanted to shop-shop-shop
human style. That's one thing that didn't change, Humans talent to make
money.
Len
and Jael headed towards the a small kiosk labeled 'Johnny Joe's Translations
- Any type!' Obviously, 'Johnny' wasn't a Johnny at all, 'Johnny' was an
alien from one of the neighboring solar systems that knew how to make dough.
"Hello,
hello, hello!" Johnny said to Len and Jael as they entered the kiosk. "The
name's Johnny, and I'll give you any ANY translations! Galard, Spanish,
Anything!"
"What
a long list." Len whispered into Jael's ear, "I don't like the looks of
this dude, he seems way too friendly."
Johnny
didn't hear that, or at least he didn't appear to, "And what translation
would you like, milady?" he asked Jael purposely paying no attention to
Len.
Jael
pulled the tablet out of her back-pack and put it on Johnny's brightly
colored table, "I need you to translate this into English. It's in Galard."
Johnny
took the tablet and looked at it evilly, "Nice ... very nice, where did
you get it? How much? Maybe you could sell it to me? Five hundred dollars?"
"We
don't want you to buy it. Just translate it," Len snapped.
"OK.,
OK. Just don't get all snappy with me, buster," Johnny replied, he scanned
the tablet the read aloud, "'A cheeseburger shall be born, do to my tummy
as his grandfather does. Tomato Sauce he shall have, love for my digestive
system shall destroy him. His name? Thanks A Million.' That's it. So pay
up."
Len
gave a loud snort, "Oh, please! You expect us to pay for that? Jael, let's
get out of here, this con man expects us to listen to that crap? Keep on
dreaming, brother."
Jael
and Len grabbed the tablet and left the kiosk with out paying and to their
own shock, Johnny didn't even bother to complain, but as soon as they left
he smiled inwardly and whispered silently, "His love for man shall destroy
him. His name? Aximilli."
Five minutes after Jael
had arrived at her home, her universal phone rang. "Computer? Answer the
phone." Jael ordered from her comfortably bubble bath.
"Hello?"
The voice from the other end of the universal phone said, "Miss Jael Peters?"
Jael
spoke up, "Yes. speaking."
"This
is Greta Frinloe from the government of Pangea department of Archaeology
and Information, we have to inform you about the fact that we can no longer
fund your research. I apologize. Goodnight."
"Wait!
You can't...!" Jael yelled frantically from her bathtub. But the phone
had already been hung up. She jumped out of the bathtub and slid on the
wet floor, "Ouch!" she yelled as she fell on her butt on the cold floor.
"Computer?"
"Yes,
Miss Peters?" The personal computer voice asked.
"Get
me ... no wait, forget it."
"So then this Greta woman
goes, 'We can no longer fund your research.. Sorry. Goodnight!'" Jael yelled
angrily at Len as they boarded a hover craft to head to their working quarters
the next morning.
"Uh-huh?"
Len asked, scanning the craft for two empty seats.
"That's
it."
"And
the problem with that is ... where?"
"Well
... I don't know! It's just the way she said it."
They
both sat down and the automatic seat belts swished on, "Maybe this is a
sign from the heavens."
The
ship computers voice piped up, "All seat belts on. Take off in three seconds
... three, two, one."
"A
sign from the heavens?" Jael gawked, "You? Religious?"
"Not
really ... no, just imaginative," Len replied, "What I'm saying is maybe,
just maybe, you weren't meant to find out what happened to the Andalites.
Maybe it's for the best."
Jael
laughed, "The day when Len Robins becomes religious is the day of the Armageddon."
"Archaeology
and Information, step off. Good day." The computer said.
"That's
us," Jael said as she stepped onto the pavement.
"I
just need to go get my ID card back, you know Raguel borrowed it to fool
the immigration people. I'll see you at work."
"OK.,
see you. Say hi to Raguel," Jael replied to a departing Len.
As
soon as Jael got inside the office building, she noticed the stares and
the expressions on peoples faces.
"What's up?" Jael asked one of her colleagues called Norah.
Norah
looked at Jael with an expression of ultimate pity, "We heard the news.
You should all know, we all love you here. You're one of the greatest people
I've ever met. You'll be such a loss to this place!" she said then gave
her a hug and walked away trying to hold back a sob.
Jael
had absolutely no inkling as to what was going on, she was about to ask
another other colleague when the manager of the archaeological department
called her into his office.
"Good
morning, Miss Peters," the manager said, "take a seat."
Jael
sat down uncomfortably, "Hello."
"We
have been informed that you have not had success with your research at
the Andalite home world, project 9818."
"The
government won't sponsor me anymore!" Jael yelped, hoping to save her butt
before being demoted to a very sucky position ... such as Assistant Archaeologist.
Like Len.
The
manager looked embarrassed for Jael, "Yes, we seem to have heard about
that. What Im trying to say is we will have to cease your employment at
this department. We are apologetic to your status, clear your desk and
depart from the department premises. Immediately."
"You
... you can't fire me! I've worked so hard ! I'm almost finished with the
research, please! I just need a sponsor!"
"Depart
from the premises immediately, Miss Peters."
"Wait
a minute, don't I need a six months warning?"
"Not
in these circumstances, no. You are making a loss to the department, and
therefore the government and therefore humanity."
"Well
that's great isn't it?"
"Then he said, 'Depart
from the premises now.'" Jael said as she downed another beer. Alcoholic
beverages had been banned along with sexual activity. Humans were now produced
artificially. Test-tube babies were the in thing. Jael was in one of the
illegal bars, right then she absolutely did not care whether she was caught
by the law and thrown in a cell with her grand mother that minute.
Len
was with Jael, but not drinking, "Maybe you shouldn't drink so many."
"Oh,
please, Len! I've lost my job, I can't do what I love to do! Why the hell
should I care?"
"Because
you sound like a cliche TV character."
Jael
ignored that she just grabbed her glass, stood up on her wobbly legs, wrapped
her arms around Len's neck and pressed her lips against his, but he pushed
her away, "Jael! What're you doing?"
"You
know, I loved you from the very minute I met you, you were so human. I
don't know, does that make sense? I want us to leave this trashy planet
and go get married!"
"You're
just intoxicated. I'm taking you to your living quarters." Len said and
paid the barman who was trying to hide a chuckle.
As
Len was half dragging half carrying the staggering Jael to her home he
said, "You know, my grandmother can read Galard. Maybe she could translate
the tablet." He waited for her answer. But he realized she was asleep.
Len's eyes snapped open,
"Oh. My. God." He said slowly. "What have I done?" He turned around and
saw the crumpled sheets. He moved them away, and there lay a sleeping Jael.
Naked. Slowly, Len remembered what happened the night before. The passion.
The love. The warmth...
"Don't
think that! Sexual intercourse is a crime!" he yelled. But somehow, he
knew he didn't believe that.
Jael
heard Len's yells and woke up, she sat up in bed, "You know I did mean
it." Len was too shocked to reply. "I did mean it." she repeated.
Len
also sat up in the bed, "Mean what?"
"I
love you, Len." Jael said silently, "I've always loved you. I always will."
Len
smiled, "Even if it's illegal?"
"Yup.
Even if it's illegal. Man! I've got a splitting headache! I am so never
getting drunk again."
"That's
what all the addicts say."
Jael
aimed a playful punch at him but he dodged. For the very first time in
a long time, humans were truly happy with their state of power.
"Did
I mention, my grandmother can speak Galard."
"What?"
Jael asked, then her eyes widened, "You really think we should continue
the research? No ...wait! Ohmygawd, you're naked!"
An hour later, Jael and
Len were boarding a hover craft towards the part of town where Len's grandmother
lived. The part of town was called RedVille a very seedy part of town designed
for the elderly citizens.
Jael
met Len's grandmother for the very first time that day, her first impression
was that she was one of those religious rebels, but she soon warmed up
to her. She was very eerie, but still she had something about her that
made her mysteriously charming. In her day, Earth was what it used to be,
sexual and entertainment activities were legal. Those laws were only developed
around the beginning of that century with Jael's generation. So most people
were developed naturally.
"Hmmm..."
Len's grandmother said as she scanned the tablet, "This is old, isn't it?"
"Yes.
Do you know what it means?" Jael asked impatiently, if Len's grandmother
- or Ruby as she had insisted she call her - offered her one more stone
cookie she would strangle herself.
"Well,
it says - according to my not-so-accurate Galard -, 'Prophecies verse
48 to 56: A child shall be born, do to us as his father does. Traitor he
shall be, love for man shall destroy him. His name is ...'" She stalled,
"Well, I don't know what the last word means. It's not in Galard."
"It's
not?" Len asked, trying to make any decent excuse to leave and not have
to eat any more stone cookies, "well, that was a pretty decent translation.
Well thanks for the stone cookies, grandmom. We have to go."
"No
wait ... I think it says ... Azimill?"
"Azimill?"
Jael repeated, "that's weird. I bet I've heard that somewhere before."
"Yeah,
me too," Len said, "Thank. You. Grandma Ruby. We REALLY have to go!"
"You know I still think
I've heard the name Azimill before," Jael said to Len wonderingly as they
sat in the hover craft heading towards her living quarters, "What was the
line that that translator used?" she asked no one.
"Are
you talking to me?" Len asked her blankly.
"I'm
trying to remember what the name that the translator dude said the cheeseburger's
name was..."
"It
was 'Thanks A Million.'"
"Thanks
a million ... Azimill ... Thanks-A-Mill. Azamill. Anksamillion? Axamillion
... no wait! Aximilli! Maybe the name was Aximilli!" Jael yelled, achieving
a few stares from fellow passengers.
"So?"
"Aximilli,
Len! Aximilli, the member of that anti-Yeerk group from way-back-when.
I read about him in my history class back in elementary school!"
"You
did history in elementary school? Know wonder you're so weird!"
"I
just need to check my history-notes..." she said as she pulled out the
tablet from her back-pack to check for more clues. As soon as she touched
it, she had a flash back ... but not from her time ... a time very long
ago.
The Gone By I
Turn to stone,
lose my faith,
I'll be gone ...
before it happens
2001 (Our years)
Ax and Tobias were talking
near Tobias' meadow. They were both in their human morphs lest someone
found them. Ax had told Tobias he needed to talk to him about something
very important.
"So?"
Tobias said helpfully to Ax as the sat on some grass.
"What?"
"You
kind of implied you had something very important to tell me..."
"Oh,
yes. I need to tell you something that I have not ever told anyone in my
entire life ... it is a secret I have kept with me for a very long time."
"Oh
man now you're scaring me."
Ax
took a deep breath and started rambling, "When I was around four years
old - your years - I was told about my birth..."
"You
know, I always wondered how Andalites were born. Let alone the actual process
of creating the baby, you know what I mean!" Tobias laughed, then noticed
the expression on Ax's face, "Sorry, you were saying?"
"I
was told by an elder Andalite child who knew not to keep a secret. She
told me with uttermost satisfaction that there was a prophecy against my
head."
"A
prophecy against your head?"
"Yes.
This child told me that when I was born, the elderly prophets had told
my father that I was the prophesied child."
"Cool,
a prophecy ... all for you!"
"No
it is not that cool. I was apparently the bringer of darkness to the Andalite
race. I was apparently prophesied to be born at that exact time."
"Man,
that isn't cool at all. But what do you mean by bringer of darkness?"
"I
would kill off the Andalite race. As I was saying, the prophets approached
my father, they wanted to have me killed but my father objected and the
matter was forgotten. Atleast by my father, that is. After the other child
told me this, I approached my father and he was at first shocked that I
ask him such a thing. He told me not to believe in prophecies and religion.
But still..."
"Uh-huh?"
"I
don't know ... I always have this nagging feeling behind my brain as though
this prophecy could be true."
Tobias
nodded, "Hmmmm ... I didn't know Andalites were religious."
"They're
not. At least most of them, that is. We believe in technology and science
majorly. But there is still a small community of Andalites that still believe
there is a God somewhere."
"Freaky,"
Tobias said thoughtfully, "So what are you going to do?"
"Nothing,
I suppose. Did you know I am from the family of Seerow?"
"What?"
"Yes,
that is why I am prophesied to be the next kind one."
"Now
that's definitely freaky."
Jael blinked, "Oh ...
my ... god."
"What?"
Len asked.
"I
just found out the truth." She whispered.
Jael asked Len to assemble
a lot of people to hear what she had to say. And with Len's social skills,
she knew Len would assemble millions. He even managed to get a Solar Vision
(the equivalent to TV, but way cooler) channel to tape what she had to
say. It was all too easy, Len had said, he just told them that Jael knew
the truth about humanity.
When
all the people had arrived, Jael finally spoke up from her podium, "I Jael
Peters, Embryo 8348 number..." she stated her ID Number, "have found the
truth about humanity. As bad as this may sound, and as untrue humans are
and never were the rulers of the universe."
There
were gasps from the crowd who didn't want to hear anything negative about
their wonderful race.
"The
ancient race called the Andalites were more advanced and powerful than
we were and we stole their power." Now the gasps were even louder.
One
angry person spoke up, "And what proof do you have of this?"
Jael
explained to them everything - not the part about her and Len, of course!
- and soon everyone gradually began to believe her. They even began to
feel sorry for the Andalites. But sadly, they could do nothing about it.
So they began to slowly revert to the more comfortably way of life that
they had used in the past.
But
this was too much too late. A large shadow cast over the planet as everyone
began to leave the area. The shadow turned out to be a large - very - ship
that was slowly landing.
Hello, humans.> A voice said. Yes, you did hear that. My name is Errith-Akapn-Keffirlan,
I am an Andalite. Yes, an Andalite. Thought we were dead, huh? Well,
not quite. When your ancestors attacked our planet, a group of us escaped
to a neighboring planet to multiply and develop technology to come and
destroy you ... forever. Sadly, we don't know whether you will run off
to another planet and do the same to us. Yes. We're going to kill you.
All of you.> Slowly, the ship descended and descended crushing all bodies
that it landed on.
But,
there were more traitors and more prophecies. The cycle of Kindness. Seerow's
Kindness. Aximilli's Kindness.
