A/N: I know. I know! I'm horrible. I should be ashamed. I should be thrown into the deepest, most fiery pits of hell. I had all summer to work, but I haven't posted since July. I have excuses, and I'll tell them to you, even though I know that they're bad. First of all, I think that my muse for this story has gone on a permanent vacation. To take his place, a new muse came along with ideas for my original novel (Both Sun and Moon). I have been working on that like a maniac, and I am working on the twentieth chapter. I stopped posting them, however, because I hope to get it published when I finish. And isn't it just so much easier to work on a story you have inspiration for than one you don't? However, I think that I may have a sketchy (very sketchy) idea of what I want to do now. Also, I just started my junior year. I have sooo much work to do, it's not even funny! Every time I turn around, I have another project, paper, or test to work on. On top of that, I have the PSATs coming up in a few more weeks. I also made a lead part in the play Dark of the Moon. I am now going to have practice for a good two and a half hours after school every day. You add that to my already existing extracurricular activities (Sci-Fi Club, Poetry Club, Literary Magazine, Bibliophiles Club, Bonsai Club, two different choirs, voice lessons, and pretty soon, I'll be volunteering at an animal shelter and taking gymnastics) and you have one VERY busy fanfic writer who has no time whatsoever for writing. It makes me sad. But I guess it's the life I've chosen… *sighs dramatically* lol. Anyway, the reason that I've finally started working on this is because so many of you have been screaming at me to get moving (for those of you who left the anonymous reviews, you really didn't have to leave them anonymous – I totally agree with you. I have been lazy, and I did need to get moving. You didn't need to leave the anonymous because you thought that I would be mad or whatever. I give you kudos for being nice enough to give me the pressure I needed to work.) and because last Wednesday (9/25) was my friend Shawna's birthday. She was one of my first fans. Now, two things about this trilogy: 1) I recently got my three hundredth review on The Carried!!!! Thank you so much!!!!! It means a whole lot to me!!!!! And, 2) September 2nd was the one-year anniversary since I had the idea for The Contact, wrote the first and second chapters, and posted them. Happy birthday to this trilogy! Yay! So yeah. This chapter is dedicated to Shawna, since it's kind of a belated birthday present, and all of my wonderful readers!
Chapter 5
The night had been uneventful, and after I woke up, I was happy to see that Marco and Sandra seemed to have made up. I thought that the little talk that I saw Rachel having with Sandra and Tobias having with Ax before I feel asleep might have been the reason.
The Murkra had continued to work on their ship throughout the night, though they were becoming increasingly annoyed by Guide's constant pleas to buy this or that part. Captain Miaker had told Jake not long ago that we would be able to leave in only a few hours.
All of us, the humans and Andalites, had amused ourselves by chatting in small groups or discussing our not-a-plan to fight Crayak. We did not even know where we would find him. Ax, with help from all the rest of us, had been filling Bavaritun in on who we were and what we wanted, as well as learning more about him and his culture.
Toby was the only one who had not been mingling with us like she would have on earth. She had spent all of her time with the Hork-Bajir, looking at their camp, talking with them, learning about how they lived on a Yeerk-free world. I had the creeping suspicion that something was going on with her.
Finally, Captain Miaker approached Jake, telling him that the ship was ready to leave as soon as everybody was set.
We gathered our group, bidding goodbye to the Hork-Bajir as we stepped onto the ship. Soon, all of us were aboard, except for one. Toby.
She stood by the ship with Indi and his group of Hork-Bajir. When it was her turn to come onto the ship, she stayed put.
All of us, the Animorphs, those of us who knew her the best, went to ask her what was going on. I had already suspected that something like this might happen.
"When I was here with you so many years ago," she told us in the guttural voice of the Hork-Bajir, "you and Grandmother Aldrea tricked me into going back to earth. My place was there, then. My people on Earth now have Jark, my son, to lead them. My people here have no seer. I can guide them until the day that they produce one of their own to show the new way." In her speech, she gave a rare display of emotion. She would miss her family and friends on earth, but they no longer needed her. Her new place was here.
Are you certain, Toby? Ax asked. After we leave, there will be no chance for you to return for a long time. Perhaps never.
"I took that chance when I left with Cassie," she said.
I nodded at her, giving what encouragement I could. I had shared a body with Toby's great-grandmother, and I felt that I understood her more because of that. She had wanted to stay before, to build the new civilization. However, she had been needed on Earth to fight the Yeerks. Now, the Yeerk threat was gone, and she had another chance to help her people in her homeland.
"Aldrea would be proud," I told her, trying to smile.
She met my gaze, her eyes steady. Her face broke into the fierce Hork-Bajir smile, though it was sad.
"Toby is different. Toby helps Hork-Bajir," Indi added.
Yes, Tobias said quietly. Toby helps the Hork-Bajir. You are lucky that she is going to stay with you.
"Tobias, tell my people on earth that I will miss them. Explain to them why I had to stay. Tell Jark… Tell Jark that I love him and that I will miss him. Tell him that I trust him to lead his people."
Tobias ruffled his feathers in affirmation.
I smiled sadly, wiping a tear from my eye. Jake took my hand and squeezed it.
May I buy your memories before we leave?
The rest of us ignored Guide.
Surprisingly, Rachel was the first to step forward and awkwardly hug Toby, carefully avoiding her blades so that she would not be sliced open. The rest of us followed, bidding a bittersweet goodbye to our long-time friend.
At last, when there was nothing more to say, all of the people leaving the Hork-Bajir homeworld stood in the door of the space ship. Toby stood outside, surrounded by her people.
Goodbye, Toby, Ax said. He smiled sadly with his stalk eyes, and then turned and walked inside the ship. The rest of us followed.
"Make sure that you don't get these Hork-Bajir into too much trouble!" Marco called, trying to lighten up the situation.
"I could say the same thing about you and everyone else on the ship," Toby replied. We all laughed. The doors closed, and Captain Miaker, Ax, Yahal, and Menderash started the engines. The ship rose slowly rose through the air.
The Hork-Bajir streamed from the ground and into the trees, racing up alongside us. Toby made it to the top of the tree she climbed just a few instants before we could not longer see her. The picture of all the free Hork-Bajir waving to us from the trees of their own world was beautiful. It was the last time we ever saw Toby.
I wiped another tear from my eye. Now was not a time for crying; Toby had freely chosen to stay. She was happy.
I turned away from the window and looked around the different cabins. We had another all-powerful being to defeat, somehow, and a long time before we got home.
"So, fearless leader, do we have any plan as to what we're going to do yet?" Marco asked.
"Do we even know what we're looking for?" Tom added.
Jake rubbed his forehead. "No. No, we don't, besides going to where the Garatrons landed their ship so we can use it."
Is that your answer to the first or second question? Tobias queried.
"Both."
"Crayak will be wherever violence and oppression is," Rachel offered. "So we just go there." One by one, we all looked at her.
The universe is large, Rachel, Yahal said.
"Yeah, well…"
"She may actually have a point," I said quietly.
"I always have a point."
"What do you mean, Cassie?" Jeanne asked.
"Why did Crayak feel that he had to send Drode to tell us that he was going to take over the universe now that The One was gone? Why not just do it? Crayak has never exactly liked us-"
"He hates our guts," Rachel interjected.
"I think that he may have just done that to rub salt into the wound. He's bitter. He isn't happy that Rachel and Jake resisted him, or that we ruined his Howlers, or that we defeated the Yeerks. He wants to hurt us."
"Meaning that…?" Sandra asked.
General Doubleday snapped his fingers. "He is going to go for the places that mean the most to us."
"And he loves destruction," I added. Realizing his possible motive scared me. If he really did want to do what I thought he might want to do, then we were all in serious trouble.
Ax, Menderash, and Yahal suddenly met my eyes. They realized what I meant.
"Humans are the only species known to us that war against each other to the extent that they do," said Menderash.
"You think that he might go after earth?" General Doubleday worried.
I bit my lip. "All that I'm saying is that he holds a grudge against us."
Furtive gazes passed all around.
Whatisearth? WhydoesCrayakhateitsomuch? Bavaritun questioned.
Jake sighed. "Earth is our planet. That is, the humans' planet," he corrected himself, gesturing at the humans in the group. "Because we are from there, Crayak does not like us, and because there is a lot of war there, we are afraid that he will go after it."
Oh. Isee.
We are now landing at the other end of the valley where the Garatron ship is, Yahal announced.
We landed in grim silence. Bavaritun got off the ship, followed by Yahal, Menderash, Tom, and Jeanne.
"We will go to earth, I guess," Jake shrugged. "I don't know where else we could go. Just stay close to us, and we'll stay in communication."
Everybody nodded, and we lifted into the air, soon followed by the Garatron ship. We were, hopefully, on our way home.