translated by DawningStar
There was a moment of familiar pain as the Yeerk pushed into my ear, then it faded. A Storyteller, are you?> came a slightly surprised voice, as she pried through my memories. Well, that's unusual. And you aren't nearly as hopeless as most of the hosts I've had recently. Even if you do have some strange ideas.>
My name is Cassandra,> I said politely. I'd never seen any reason to try to ignore a Yeerk, though that was what many hosts chose to do. Even if they did know everything I did, I could still talk. May I ask what yours is?>
I felt barely suppressed laughter through the barrier. You are a peculiar one, aren't you? I am Riae Four-Two-Nine, of the Iriem Palr Pool. Recently demoted for sympathizing with hosts,> she added. There was, oddly enough, no trace of bitterness in her voice or feel. I suppose I'd better be careful not to get attached to you. Somehow I get the feeling it would be all too easy, little strange one.>
I was starting to like this new assignment. Do you come here to feed often?> I asked hopefully.
No,> Riae said with what sounded like true regret, I'm afraid not. Not any more, at any rate. I've been assigned to Arrain Eram. You know, human Old New York.>
Isn't there a host rebellion there?>
What? Oh, right. Your former Yeerk was sent there,> Riae agreed, accessing the memories. Yes, there may be, but I'm sure it's pretty small. They all are. No one's put up a serious fight since we wiped out the Leerans. Except our fellow Yeerks, of course.>
Had that been a hint of humor? Damage done by enemies/Is small compared to this:/Attacks aimed by our own friends/Will very rarely miss.>
Now that was a definite laugh. I allowed myself a mental grin.
You're quite the poet, little oddity. But enough of this.> Riae had already stood and begun to walk back, past the guards and the cages. I've many things to get done. Watch if you like, but I really can't talk just now.>
I found that funny somehow. Apparently Riae was one of those rare Yeerks who accepted their hosts as equally sentient as themselves. For some reason the numbers of such Yeerks seemed to be growing recently. Tariss hadn't been bad, but she was ambitious, and that meant she had to keep up appearances. I'd understood. But Riae seemingly couldn't care less about her rank.
Oh, you aren't quite right about that,> Riae murmured. I didn't tell you my rank yet, did I? I happen to be Visser Thirty-seven, formerly Nine. Pleased to meet you.>
If I'd had control of myself, my mouth would have fallen open. A sympathetic Yeerk was rare enough, but one so high-placed was virtually unheard of.
I should have been ecstatically happy at my good fortune, but cold suspicion crept in. Why would you want me as a host, then? And why are you being so nice?>
Nice? Practical, rather. With what I expect to happen, I need your cooperation. And as to the first...well, it's easier to get rid of a human host than a Hork-Bajir or Andalite.>
I absorbed that. You think someone will try to kill you. One of the other high-ranked Yeerks.>
I knew you were a smart girl.>
I've been assigned to you because I'm expendable. A possible troublemaker. A Storyteller.>
Riae hesitated. I couldn't tell you about that. But it seems likely, yes.>
It wasn't unexpected. I know what happens to Storytellers.>
I felt that Riae wanted to ask me why I'd become one. But she didn't. Maybe she had already come across the answer. Or maybe she knew I wasn't entirely sure of it myself, and that what answers I had were illogical at best. She said only, I'm glad you have such strong feelings about it. It may make things easier.>
I settled into a quiet corner of my mind where I could watch without bothering her, and wondered what she had meant. And I felt no probes, no intrusions into my thoughts.
Riae was allowing me privacy.
"So this thing will let me breathe underwater?" Karen asked nervously. She wore something rather like the old human wetsuits, but made of a material far superior to mere rubber. On her face was an almost gummy substance, which let air through. A tiny communications device was embedded within it.
"Yes," the Chee assured her. Lourdes, she had told Karen to call her. "It will also protect you from the pressure, if we need to go very deep. A new thing. We 'borrowed' some of the technology from the Yeerks, just in case something like this was needed. There have been...strange goings-on underwater."
Curiously, Karen inquired, "Like what?"
Lourdes shrugged the shoulders of her holograph, a fairly young human woman. "Hard telling exactly. Nothing definite enough to pinpoint. But...something. We only knew Aftran was alive when she contacted the Chee watching the ship."
Karen nodded, reluctantly accepting that the Chee knew no more. "Let's go." Readjusting the strange device on her face, Karen couldn't help but take a deep breath before she plunged into the dark ocean waters that hardly reflected the starlight and past the scummy top layer.
Lourdes entered the water beside her, the android sinking quickly to the ocean floor. There was a faint crackle from the com unit. "She's met us off this way before," Karen heard. "I don't know how she knew, but Aftran's told us we should bring an old friend of hers here if she showed up. And she must have been talking about you."
Karen tentatively inhaled through the mask, found only air in her mouth, and let out a slight sigh of relief. "How long ago was that?"
"Not long. Three weeks."
It wasn't hard to follow Lourdes, Karen found, her outfit holding her at whatever depth she wanted to be while the footgear enabled her to swim rapidly. A few minutes passed in silence as they traveled through a dark, almost lifeless ocean. Algae survived, near the surface, and a very few fish that ate it, but there was little movement beyond that top layer.
And then--Karen gasped. They had emerged through a tingling barrier into an entirely different world.
There was still very little light, hardly enough to see by, but even what she could see was little short of a miracle. Large and small fish swam by in schools, seaweed and coral grew on the ocean floor, and delicate sea horses and other creatures she didn't recognize hid among them.
"How did you do this?" Karen asked incredulously.
Almost proudly, Lourdes replied, "The Chee preserve life. We blocked this area from discovery with forcefields and holograms from the ship, and we provide food and light and filter the water. The Yeerks will not occupy Earth forever, and when they leave...we'll be ready. The planet will recover."
And there must be other places, Karen thought, places in other parts of the world with different animals. I suppose I should have known we weren't the only ones who could resist the Yeerks. Because this is resisting them, even if it isn't violence or fighting. She grinned. "Even sooner than I could have hoped, Lourdes. This...this is magnificent."
"Thank you," the Chee acknowledged quietly. "We cannot fight, but we do what we can. Earth is, after all, our home as well."
"You have as much of a right to it as any human. More than some." Karen looked around, treading water. "Will Aftran be here soon?"
"She is here now."
Searching in mild surprise, Karen caught sight of the faint ripple in the holographic screen a moment before the humpback whale swam through. Karen?> came a hopeful thought-speak voice only barely recognizable as Aftran's. Are you there?>
"Aftran, here I am!" Karen called excitedly, then in belated remembrance, "Can you hear me? Lourdes, can she?"
I hear you,> Aftran said with faint amusement. The Chee provided me with a com unit. Karen, I'm so glad you're finally here!>
"How did you know I was coming? Were you told?"
Told by the one who never interferes,> she replied with dry humor, as you've probably guessed. Or not directly told, exactly. That might have been against the rules. And you? I knew you would be coming but not when--and you look awfully...young. Interference there, too?>
"Not directly," Karen echoed Aftran, "though I have my suspicions. I and a few other kids found the Time Matrix a long time ago. We didn't know what it was at first, of course, but we figured it out. We created a sort of universe of our own, and we've been rescuing hosts ever since."
There was an astonished silence for a moment, then Aftran said, You have been busy, then. I'll admit I expected you to be doing something, but that's incredible.>
"What have you been doing? How long were you waiting?"
I'm not sure,> Aftran admitted. Time doesn't seem to mean much down here. It's been quite a while, though.>
"I have so much to tell you," Karen said, her voice cracking. She'd never thought to see Aftran again. The Yeerk who had willingly returned her freedom...and that had led to the formation of the Village. And begun the peace movement, which led who knew where?
How many results had there been from Cassie's decision and near-sacrifice? Could anyone know? Karen had met the Animorph only briefly while she was in control of herself, but Aftran's transferred memories made it seem as though Karen had known Cassie all her life.
Lourdes discreetly moved away, leaving the two in what privacy could be managed.
Maybe I begin to see what you humans like so much about stories,> Riae remarked. From the first contact with humans, we Yeerks couldn't understand you and your stories. They seemed pointless, a waste of time. Lies we understood--we used those often enough--but not lies everyone knew were lies, or at least not true as we usually think of truth. Even my other human hosts didn't seem to understand it. Entertainment, they called it, but that wasn't all there was to it for them, even though they didn't seem to realize it.>
I listened, astonished. Tariss had never been this open with me, never thought of criticizing the Yeerks as Riae did. On the one hand, I was glad of it--Riae and I were fast becoming almost-friends, nearly the closest Yeerk and host can be. On the other...it seemed as though Riae no longer cared about the danger she was putting herself in, speaking to me.
It was almost as if Riae wanted someone to know how she felt. I'd heard of Yeerks confiding in their hosts occasionally, but usually only when the host was permanent or near-permanent. Often, the reason for the rumors was because the host had been reassigned and the Yeerk's secrets discovered. Talking like this was the act of a doomed Yeerk, marked for death. Which didn't bode well for either of us.
Unfortunately, you're probably right,> murmured Riae. There isn't much hope you or I will get out of this alive.>
We were on a Blade ship en route to Arrain Eram, piloted by elite Taxxons and Hork-Bajir. Even a dishonored, demoted Visser like Riate had a lot of privileges. But I had felt her half-reach for her Dracon beam any number of times. Even on board her own ship, Riae was nervous.
What are you doing?> I asked for the tenth time. You've talked about everything else, why won't you tell me what's planned in Old New York?>
A flash of intense fear passed through the mental wall that blocked her thoughts from me. I'm sorry, Cassandra,> Riae said sincerely. I can't. They know or suspect how I feel about the rest, but if something goes wrong before I complete my task...you're better not knowing.>
I sighed silently. The worst part was, she was right. Whatever she was doing, if anyone suspected her and forced a change of hosts, there would still be a chance of success so long as I didn't know. And besides that, they might let me live if I were just another ignorant host. Maybe. All right, I understand. I won't ask anymore.>
Thank you.> Riae felt uncertain in my mind, unsure. Her emotions had begun to leak through more strongly than ever. And she'd thanked me--me, a host!
There was a long hesitation. I could feel that Riae wanted to ask me something, but at the same time she didn't want to know the answer, or didn't want me to know that she was interested. I wasn't sure which was more unbelievable. A Yeerk never asked a host for information--there was no need. A thought would bring any memory to the surface.
But finally Riae said, I need to know something.>
What?> I asked curiously. Why couldn't she just take it, I didn't mean to say, but I knew she'd heard anyway.
Your memories wouldn't answer for you,> Riae replied to the unspoken question. I...I don't know if you can answer it. You'll think it a strange question, I'm afraid, coming from a Yeerk.>
That's all right. Go ahead.>
The pause stretched out for a moment, and finally Riae said in a rush, I want you to teach me to become a Storyteller.>
I'd thought I was ready for anything she could say. I was wrong. You want to what?>
I want to be a Storyteller,> she repeated more firmly.
