{All systems are functioning flawlessly. Engine, weapons, and shields are all at awe-inspiring power levels. We are fully prepared for devestation.}

"Now that's what I call a status report," Marco said approvingly.

I stood on the bridge of the Helmacron ship. The crew had agreed to follow my orders unless I made an error or disagreed with their own captain. And, as their captain wasn't exactly the chatty type, that meant that I was in command of the ship. And, so help me, I was loving it.

"Launch the ship," I said with authority. "Take us down to the Yeerk pool."

"NEEP! NEEP! NEEP!" cheered the crew.

One right decision down. Five million to go.

While the Helmacrons bustled around, flipping switches and pushing buttons, I thought over the hurried, whispered advice the others had given as we approached the bridge.

{You must give general commands,} Mary Sue had urged. {Any specific misuse of a technical term could be your undoing. Just tell the crew what you want done, and let them do it.}

"Keep us near you," Jake said. "You're the captain, they'll obey you. Keep in control." He didn't specify whether he meant in control of them, or in control of myself. I knew he meant both.

"Don't get us killed," was Marco's advice.

Now, on the bridge, I glanced sideways at the dead captain next to me, with six rapiers sticking through her chest.

And I thought I was pressured to be perfect in school.

I watched the viewscreen as we shot above the trees. We were in the air, we were speeding towards the church where we would use the half-constructed Yeerk tunnel to break through to the pool. We were doing something. Suburbia shot beneath us. A kid on a bike passed just twenty feet below us and never looked up . A new Tahoe ran a red light. A cat pounced on some rodent in the grass. And then the church loomed up in front of us. It was one of those big brown buildings, with a stubby, angular steeple nosing the sky. The pilot of our ship had no trouble spotting the tunnel. It was surrounded by orange cones, "Men At Work," signs, and construction equipment. There were a few construction workers out on late shifts, not doing much of anything.

Then the viewscreen scanned them, and lit up the handguns at their side in neon orange.

"This is really obvious," Cassie said, surprised. "What's their cover story for this?"

{The church is supposed to be getting its sewage system repaired.}

"So the Yeerks are linking themselves with sewage? That's good," Marco commented offhand.

One of the Helmacrons turned. Stared at him. Blinked. Then started shrilling "SEET! SEET! SEET!"

We all looked at Mary Sue in bewilderment. She shrugged slightly. {I did not think it was that especially good of a joke, myself.}

"SEET! SEET! SEET!"

"You mean she's laughing?" Marco asked.

{Of course.}

Marco shook his head. "Aliens."

"SEET!"

We hovered above the guards. I looked at Jake.

'Gentle,' he mouthed.

Great, that was real helpful. "Mary Sue," I said. "Your suggestions on how to take these guys out?"

{Use the Helmacron Death Ray.}

I frowned. "Any less lethal options? I'd like to slip in quietly."

{We could shrink them.}

I grinned. A few seconds later, the guards were seriously not a problem. And I promised Cassie that we would restore them to their proper size when we got back out.

We plunged into the tunnel. It was a huge vertical shaft, for about forty feet straight down, covered with ladders, wires, and scaffolding. "What's all that?" I asked, pointing to the half-constructed . . . something . . . that clung to the side of the tunnel.

{I think it's a freight elevator,} Tobias said. {You know, one of those kinds they haul heavy machinery up and down.}

"Or thirty people at a time?" Cassie asked quietly.

Tobias looked at her. {Yes.}

Suddenly, the picture on the viewscreen stopped dead. Like a freeze frame of a movie. I guess we had reached the end of the tunnel.

The Helmacron pilot turned to face me. {Shall we utterly obliterate this paltry obstruction and force our way into the Yeerk pool?} she asked.

I looked at Jake. Subtly, he held his thumb and forefinger an inch apart.

"No. The Yeerks would like it if we finished their job early for them," I said. "If we blow up the wall, it will only help them. Carve a small hole, only big enough for our ship to go through."

The pilot blinked, then looked at the other Helmacrons. {It is wisdom,} she said, sounding astonished.

{From a human,} another said.

{A live human.}

They all three stared at me.

{I suggest you assert your dominance now,} Mary Sue said in private thoughtspeech.

I drew myself up to my full height - all one-fifteenth inch of me. "Of course it is! I am the captain! Proceed with your task!"

{Initiating the Dread Cannon of Sublime Decimation!} cried the weapons officer.

"Is that its real name?" Jake asked Mary Sue.

{Of course. The DCSD is a standard feature on all new Helmacron ships.}

A silly grin spread over my face. "I think I'm really beginning to like you Helmacrons."

The cannon was activated. Pulsing red energy shot from the ship. A hole the size of our ship appeared in the wall. We began moving forward. As we went, we picked up speed. The ground that the Yeerks were taking weeks to dig through melted like butter before our cannon. It felt really, really good to have the technological edge on them for once. We sped through our tunnel, the viewscreen brilliant red from the cannon's light. It only took us about ten seconds to break through.

Then we were above the Yeerk pool. It looked seriously big.

And right in front of us, about the size of Rhode Island, hovered a very angry hunter-seeker droid. It scanned us. Then its guns, bigger than our whole ship, locked on to us.