Yes, I will answer every single question, no matter how simple.

~Phoenix and Jinako-Chan

As for how Scyeth is going to fit in all this…well, this chapter covers that. And as for straying away from Scyeth and company, that's simple, I have to build up the plot, so I'll have to write what's happening on Earth and what's happing in the Andalite home world…(oh and thanks for the feedback Jinako-Chan, I was actually considering taking out the last couple of lines, glad I kept them)

~Shona

He really isn't that young, he's as old as Ax was at the beginning of the series. Besides, its a well known Andalite tradition...don't baby sit the kids, send them to war instead!

~Lydia

Er, actually, they don't merge, what I meant was that the first chapter was intended for the fourth part. It no longer is. It's officially chapter one.

~morpherkidvb

Do i have to answer that? I swear everytime I read your reviews I keep on thinking you're talking to yourself...hmm...about the reviewing, I didn't think other people did what I do. I usually read the story and forget to review, then when I see the title I go 'oh, I didn't review!'

THE THIRD BROTHER

CHAPTER EIGHT

Conferencec Meeting

Prince Galuit watched the hologram projection gravely. This was not the first time that it was viewed on him; actually, this was the sixth time he saw it.

Galuit was taken completely by surprise when he found out that Aristh Aximili was alive. He and the rest of his soldiers had assumed he had died on the blast on Leera. But it appeared that he had lived for some time.

Is he dead now?

Galuit had taken a certain liking for the then young Andalite. Not just because he was Elfangor's brother but also because he had shown great courage and bravery. Sure, he did not always follow orders, but he had picked the right Prince to follow –alien or not.

And now he felt an amount of sorrow as he watched, after all, this was one of his soldiers, and it was always a pity if one of them died.

Though his hearts ached with sorrow and burned with anger, he stayed quite as the dozen or so Princes watched it for the first time.

He was asked to attend this meeting, and in it, they were to vote…to decide the fate of Earth. What would be done?

Half of the Princes believed that the Yeerks cannot duplicate Andalite morphing technology, a quarter was skeptical and the last quarter warned to be cautious.

But this was not what they were talking about right now. Galuit had been called right then so he could aid clear up the confusion that had resulted from the second half of the transmission.

I have met only four of these humans. I recall that they have said that they were six in total. They told me that two of their friends have disappeared previously –I believe that we are all informed of Aximili's scientific discovery- since no one had spoken so Galuit continued, I remember that the two that has disappeared were called Rachel and Tobias.

Is it possible that Aximili might have mistaken the Hork-Bajir for the one this Tobias had morphed, someone said, it was Prince Thamel, all Hork-Bajir look alike.

Maybe so, but if there had been a fight previously then the wound across the Hork-Bajir could have been inflected on the same creature. That is to say that the one called Tobias is the Hork-Bajir that we see now.

Why attack a comrade then? Another Prince asked, it was someone Galuit did not recognize, one of the newer Princes, it seemed that these days there were more of them.

Galuit had already formed his own speculation; the question was, what would be the point of laying it out for these Princes? It would never benefit the situation on Earth, it will only make matters worse, after all, if the counsel discovered that not only were the Yeerks attempting to duplicate their secret weapon –making them lose their edge in this war- but had actually acquired a second morph capable host…

No, not good at all, especially with the likes of Thamel and the newer Princes. They were all inexperienced, not really into the reality of war, they thought too much of what the people would think of them.

The military really was changing, Prince Galuit thought sadly, it troubled him that such people were able to reach such places. And the females were fighting too. Ha, what a nice image; the Andalite race -one of the most powerful races in this wing of the universe- needed their females to fight alongside them.

Galuit sighed mentally and decided not to confide to anyone about his personal speculation. What would be the point when the counsel was guaranteed to make a mess out of the whole situation?

Galuit knew that there were many mistakes made by the military, and it seemed that these days many more were happening. His dark thoughts lead to him to imagine a world completely controlled by parasites. He didn't dwell on it too long though; his optimism fooled him into believing that perhaps the Andalites would be able to pull it off.

Outnumbered and out gunned –no, logically, his brain told him that the Andalites were losing. The near fatal loss on Leera, and the traitorous captain who had sold out to the Yeerks…The desperate attempt to wipe the Yeerks using germ warfare on Earth…The Nine Sifter situation…it would have made Galuit cry out if he wasn't sitting at a conference meeting. He watched the newer Princes with special distaste. As he tuned out their thought speak voices his memories brought him back to his pain filled past. Daydreams that his wife would be waiting for him in their scoop, That his daughter would be standing beside her mother, smiling in that tender way of hers, and his sons…no…his family was dead, there was no point in picturing them alive. Galuit tried to shake away the memories.

The shouting started and the fools were arguing over some minor issue, they were no longer talking about Earth. If this meeting were set on a higher level with people in position of real power none of this would have happened.

Galuit sighed mentally as a Prince stormed out. The War-Princes were all turning blind eyes on the Princes. One of these days this would all change, Galuit thought, perhaps not now, but later. He watched as the Princes left the room. Grimly, he followed them out.

Later that day, Galuit finally made his mind up, he would select a small team who would be trained vigorously for a scout mission on Earth.

The reason they would have to be trained was because they would be inexperienced warriors, he needed minds that were not yet touched by the Andalite military thinking. He needed a team of Andalites –not necessarily Arisths- carefully picked to produce a good effective working team. He had already decided on three of its members.

Estrid-Corill-Darrath. The scientist who had been assigned to program a virus deadly to the Yeerks, she had already met the morph capable humans and Aximili himself, she was a little bit more familiar to Earth.

Scyeth-Coraff-Maheen. Aximili's younger brother. If it was the same family that raised Elfangor and Aximili then maybe the younger brother had qualities similar to those of his deceased siblings.

Yes, and the third had to be Ajeel-Corass-Estoni. Not only because he was a relative to Alloran but also because he had been the Andalite who discovered Elfangor's Hiric Delest. The one the council had stowed away hastily.

Three, he needed a team of no more than seven. The question was, who would all the others be?

He thought a little about it. Then decided that the best thing to do was to ask the three them-selves. He'd give them the choice of bringing one person with them. Galuit smiled to himself. A very good answer to a seriously hard question. Now all he had to do was talk to a few other War Princes, the ones who would understand. And then…well, his little group were to head to Earth as fast as possible.

You like the little surprise? none of you saw that comming. How's that for a spice up? Now Scyeth has to deal face-on with Ajeel. Not good.