1 Episode One: Fury
Part Two: Death From Above
Antimorph Flagship, Anubis, twelve hours after the "assignment."
RIPPER
Aleks came back to the ship, flying one of the fighters right in and acting like nothing had happened.
Who cared. He had a job-and so did I. My job was to aid my master, David Taggart, in his revenge against the dogs who had enslaved and tried to kill him.
Speaking of which, I should probably go to see him soon, help plot our next course of action.
I entered David's chamber, in the Visser's quarters, and gave my suggestions.
Knock knock.
"Who is it?"
"It's Ripper."
"What do you want?"
"I have ideas."
A pause.
"Come in."
I opened the door, and it slid open with a loud hiss.
David sat in a chair, smoking a cigarette and drinking a bottle of Jack Daniels.
"I know how we can hurt the dogs, hurt 'em hard. So hard they won't be getting' back up again."
David looked at me dubiously. "How can we do that? There are still Animorphs out there. They are priority."
I smiled, "Yeah, but they have friends. Lots of friends. Why don't we take them out?"
"This is true, the Animorphs have many allies. The Hork-Bajir, the Chee, more… but we can't possibly…"
He trailed off. He got the idea.
"Ripper, are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting?"
"Yeah. Let's kill 'em. Kill all the Carvers. Go to their valley and roast 'em like dogs."
He stood up, dropping his cigarette on the ground. His bottle of alcohol breaking on the floor.
"We will do it, but keep it a secret. Don't tell anyone, except Aleks. He will help us. But make damn sure that LaRouche, Skorre and Sara don't find anything out. I don't think they would go along with it."
"Will do, boss."
I left the chamber, happy with my accomplishments.
DAVID
We would do it. We would blast the Hork-Bajir valley from the face of the earth. It is likely that the Animorphs would call on them for aid, and the Yeerks could not be allowed to re-possess almost two thousand Hork-Bajir.
They would be exterminated.
Skorre would never go along with it. He wouldn't see his people enslaved, or exterminated. LaRouche neither. I doubt Sara would help…
Still, there was a way. Skorre would help if he thought they were infested. If the thought that the Yeerks had the valley… he would do whatever I would tell him to do.
I approached him as he sat in the armory with Aleks and LaRouche, mulling over some AK-47 assault rifles. Aleks was explaining how to clean them.
"OK, they hold 40 rounds each, you need to make sure the shaft is loaded, click the gauge in…no, LaRouche! Not like that! You probably just fuckin' ruined it, you dumb little shithead! You cant just ram the cartridge in there, how dumb are you? You think David pulls these things out of his ASS?! He had to rip 'em off a gunshop with me, before we found Ripper! Stupid little son of a…"
He cut off when I entered the room.
"Hey Dave," Said LaRouche nonchalantly.
"We have a meeting. Ten minutes, on the bridge. Things have gone from bad to worse."
Ten minutes later, the six of us where seated in various locations of the bridge, LaRouche keeping us on check ask we flew around the arctic circle, oblivious to any radar.
"So what's this bad news?" Asked Sara.
"The bad news is that the free Hork-Bajir have been found by the Yeerks."
Everyone except Aleks and Ripper gasped. I think that maybe Ripper had told him, but then again, why would this hardened mercenary give a damn about them anyway?
"I think that its no secret that the Yeerks are planning a major ground war. By engaging the cops the other night and losing two Bug Fighters, they seem to be getting very aggressive, and what better way to fight then if you have a large group of warriors already on the ground? They may even be building Yeerk pools under the valley. Those Hork-Bajir are lost, and we can't allow those soldiers to be let loose. There are almost two thousand of them, and they could easily take most of 'Jersey to the Yeerk side."
The crew was stunned.
"My people…,my people wouldn't give up without a fight…they would have fought well…" mused Skorre, absently.
He looked at me with eyes, older than they should be, "What do we do, David?"
"Complete sterilization. Destroy the valley, and everything that moves."
LaROUCHE
We flew ourselves out, over the valley, and I set the ship to hang over it in a fixed position. Below, I could see hundreds of Hork-Bajr mulling about, eating bark, climbing tree's, and walking around.
In the bay below, Aleks and Ripper were in the fighters, getting ready for launch.
"De-Cloak."
I cut power to the cloaking generator. Suddenly, hundreds of Hork-Bajir were running for the edges of the valley. Scared shitless.
"Skorre, LaRouche, open fire. Deploy fighters."
"David, why would infested Hork-Bajir run for cover? And why aren't they firing back? Something is fishy about this." I said.
"Do I have to draw a picture for you, LaRouche? Open fire! Kill them! Kill them all!"
He had spirals of madness in his eyes, gleeful for a kill.
I reluctantly pressed the bay doors button, and two Bug Fighters flew out the bottom of our ship.
Aleks and Ripper began firing on the valley floor, picking off helpless Hork-Bajir. I looked to the monitors showing Skorre and David firing the heavy Dracon cannons, David seeming to have more fun than ever before, Skorre looking sad. I too, was picking off targets, reluctantly, firing the frontal beams. Sara was helping to drop small scale concussion missiles on the ground, knocking out hundreds of them.
Suddenly, Rippers' fighter began moving too close to the ground, and a Hork- Bajir was impaled on one of the Dracon cannons.
What a terrible way to die.
Less than five moments later, we could scarcely pick off one target on the ground.
We had defeated two thousand defenceless creatures, while we sat comfortably in our ships, picking them off like mice.
Controllers or not, I was disgusted with myself. I think Skorre and Sara felt the same way.
"Get back to the ship, guys. We're finished here."
Aleks and Ripper landed back in the bay, joining me on the bridge soon after.
"Did you see how we roasted 'em? Got 'em good, we did. Got 'em like little bitches. Cooked them alive in Dracon fire. A good way for a dog to die." Said Ripper passionately.
"Good job, guys. We fought well." Said Aleks.
"Alright, I'll take us into orbit." I said.
"Very well."
All of a sudden, a face filled the monitor.
The face of Rachel Berenson.
"Holy shit!" Said David.
"No fuckin' way!" Said Aleks.
"Oh, yes way, Aleksander Stantford. I have aquired this body, and recently been promoted to the rank of Sub-Visser four, quite a ways up from Sub- Visser 962, I believe."
"So, Yeerk. What is your name?" Asked Skorre, standing tall on his feet, blades ready for trouble.
The Yeerk laughed. "My name is Efflit 1318 of the Sulp Niar pool, spawn of Crunaw 823, Under-Visser fourteen, and Lietenant to Visser Six, Illim 5599, Lieutenant to the prestigious-"
"Shut up, Yeerk. We didn't ask o know that much," Spat Sara, "a Yeerk is a Yeerk."
How true! We are all Yeerks, though some are better off than others.
A new face filled the screen. The face of the Andalite, Aximili.
"You!" spat David.
No need to ask my name, Taggart. We have met before. I am Nodnarb 395, Captain of the Yeerk pool ship above this planet. I was once Sub-Visser 171. I am now Sub-Visser 8.
"Hey! Why is an Andalite controller lower ranking than a human controller, even if it can morph? And you had a lower rank before, and were a pool ship captain! What gives?" I asked.
Foolish human. I opted for the Andalite body in lieu of higher promotion. Sub-Visser four was Lieutenant to Visser three, second in command of the invasion. Though my rank and positon was higher, he had superiority over I.
Makes sense.
Sub Visser four took over.
"We tracked your Dracon flashes over this valley. Over a dozen Bug Fighters are on their way to apprehend you. Surrender now. You cannot escape."
"Like shit we can't," Said David, "You want us? Come and get us."
He seized the controls from my hand and punched in a maximum burn, rocketing us across the planet with more than a dozen Bug Fighters in close pursuit.
Part Two: Death From Above
Antimorph Flagship, Anubis, twelve hours after the "assignment."
RIPPER
Aleks came back to the ship, flying one of the fighters right in and acting like nothing had happened.
Who cared. He had a job-and so did I. My job was to aid my master, David Taggart, in his revenge against the dogs who had enslaved and tried to kill him.
Speaking of which, I should probably go to see him soon, help plot our next course of action.
I entered David's chamber, in the Visser's quarters, and gave my suggestions.
Knock knock.
"Who is it?"
"It's Ripper."
"What do you want?"
"I have ideas."
A pause.
"Come in."
I opened the door, and it slid open with a loud hiss.
David sat in a chair, smoking a cigarette and drinking a bottle of Jack Daniels.
"I know how we can hurt the dogs, hurt 'em hard. So hard they won't be getting' back up again."
David looked at me dubiously. "How can we do that? There are still Animorphs out there. They are priority."
I smiled, "Yeah, but they have friends. Lots of friends. Why don't we take them out?"
"This is true, the Animorphs have many allies. The Hork-Bajir, the Chee, more… but we can't possibly…"
He trailed off. He got the idea.
"Ripper, are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting?"
"Yeah. Let's kill 'em. Kill all the Carvers. Go to their valley and roast 'em like dogs."
He stood up, dropping his cigarette on the ground. His bottle of alcohol breaking on the floor.
"We will do it, but keep it a secret. Don't tell anyone, except Aleks. He will help us. But make damn sure that LaRouche, Skorre and Sara don't find anything out. I don't think they would go along with it."
"Will do, boss."
I left the chamber, happy with my accomplishments.
DAVID
We would do it. We would blast the Hork-Bajir valley from the face of the earth. It is likely that the Animorphs would call on them for aid, and the Yeerks could not be allowed to re-possess almost two thousand Hork-Bajir.
They would be exterminated.
Skorre would never go along with it. He wouldn't see his people enslaved, or exterminated. LaRouche neither. I doubt Sara would help…
Still, there was a way. Skorre would help if he thought they were infested. If the thought that the Yeerks had the valley… he would do whatever I would tell him to do.
I approached him as he sat in the armory with Aleks and LaRouche, mulling over some AK-47 assault rifles. Aleks was explaining how to clean them.
"OK, they hold 40 rounds each, you need to make sure the shaft is loaded, click the gauge in…no, LaRouche! Not like that! You probably just fuckin' ruined it, you dumb little shithead! You cant just ram the cartridge in there, how dumb are you? You think David pulls these things out of his ASS?! He had to rip 'em off a gunshop with me, before we found Ripper! Stupid little son of a…"
He cut off when I entered the room.
"Hey Dave," Said LaRouche nonchalantly.
"We have a meeting. Ten minutes, on the bridge. Things have gone from bad to worse."
Ten minutes later, the six of us where seated in various locations of the bridge, LaRouche keeping us on check ask we flew around the arctic circle, oblivious to any radar.
"So what's this bad news?" Asked Sara.
"The bad news is that the free Hork-Bajir have been found by the Yeerks."
Everyone except Aleks and Ripper gasped. I think that maybe Ripper had told him, but then again, why would this hardened mercenary give a damn about them anyway?
"I think that its no secret that the Yeerks are planning a major ground war. By engaging the cops the other night and losing two Bug Fighters, they seem to be getting very aggressive, and what better way to fight then if you have a large group of warriors already on the ground? They may even be building Yeerk pools under the valley. Those Hork-Bajir are lost, and we can't allow those soldiers to be let loose. There are almost two thousand of them, and they could easily take most of 'Jersey to the Yeerk side."
The crew was stunned.
"My people…,my people wouldn't give up without a fight…they would have fought well…" mused Skorre, absently.
He looked at me with eyes, older than they should be, "What do we do, David?"
"Complete sterilization. Destroy the valley, and everything that moves."
LaROUCHE
We flew ourselves out, over the valley, and I set the ship to hang over it in a fixed position. Below, I could see hundreds of Hork-Bajr mulling about, eating bark, climbing tree's, and walking around.
In the bay below, Aleks and Ripper were in the fighters, getting ready for launch.
"De-Cloak."
I cut power to the cloaking generator. Suddenly, hundreds of Hork-Bajir were running for the edges of the valley. Scared shitless.
"Skorre, LaRouche, open fire. Deploy fighters."
"David, why would infested Hork-Bajir run for cover? And why aren't they firing back? Something is fishy about this." I said.
"Do I have to draw a picture for you, LaRouche? Open fire! Kill them! Kill them all!"
He had spirals of madness in his eyes, gleeful for a kill.
I reluctantly pressed the bay doors button, and two Bug Fighters flew out the bottom of our ship.
Aleks and Ripper began firing on the valley floor, picking off helpless Hork-Bajir. I looked to the monitors showing Skorre and David firing the heavy Dracon cannons, David seeming to have more fun than ever before, Skorre looking sad. I too, was picking off targets, reluctantly, firing the frontal beams. Sara was helping to drop small scale concussion missiles on the ground, knocking out hundreds of them.
Suddenly, Rippers' fighter began moving too close to the ground, and a Hork- Bajir was impaled on one of the Dracon cannons.
What a terrible way to die.
Less than five moments later, we could scarcely pick off one target on the ground.
We had defeated two thousand defenceless creatures, while we sat comfortably in our ships, picking them off like mice.
Controllers or not, I was disgusted with myself. I think Skorre and Sara felt the same way.
"Get back to the ship, guys. We're finished here."
Aleks and Ripper landed back in the bay, joining me on the bridge soon after.
"Did you see how we roasted 'em? Got 'em good, we did. Got 'em like little bitches. Cooked them alive in Dracon fire. A good way for a dog to die." Said Ripper passionately.
"Good job, guys. We fought well." Said Aleks.
"Alright, I'll take us into orbit." I said.
"Very well."
All of a sudden, a face filled the monitor.
The face of Rachel Berenson.
"Holy shit!" Said David.
"No fuckin' way!" Said Aleks.
"Oh, yes way, Aleksander Stantford. I have aquired this body, and recently been promoted to the rank of Sub-Visser four, quite a ways up from Sub- Visser 962, I believe."
"So, Yeerk. What is your name?" Asked Skorre, standing tall on his feet, blades ready for trouble.
The Yeerk laughed. "My name is Efflit 1318 of the Sulp Niar pool, spawn of Crunaw 823, Under-Visser fourteen, and Lietenant to Visser Six, Illim 5599, Lieutenant to the prestigious-"
"Shut up, Yeerk. We didn't ask o know that much," Spat Sara, "a Yeerk is a Yeerk."
How true! We are all Yeerks, though some are better off than others.
A new face filled the screen. The face of the Andalite, Aximili.
"You!" spat David.
No need to ask my name, Taggart. We have met before. I am Nodnarb 395, Captain of the Yeerk pool ship above this planet. I was once Sub-Visser 171. I am now Sub-Visser 8.
"Hey! Why is an Andalite controller lower ranking than a human controller, even if it can morph? And you had a lower rank before, and were a pool ship captain! What gives?" I asked.
Foolish human. I opted for the Andalite body in lieu of higher promotion. Sub-Visser four was Lieutenant to Visser three, second in command of the invasion. Though my rank and positon was higher, he had superiority over I.
Makes sense.
Sub Visser four took over.
"We tracked your Dracon flashes over this valley. Over a dozen Bug Fighters are on their way to apprehend you. Surrender now. You cannot escape."
"Like shit we can't," Said David, "You want us? Come and get us."
He seized the controls from my hand and punched in a maximum burn, rocketing us across the planet with more than a dozen Bug Fighters in close pursuit.