Thank you so much for reviewing everybody!!! (As pathetic as this sounds, I've increased my e-mail checking to three and four times a day, just to see if I've gotten any more reviews).
answering your questions/comments:
SimplySara: I'm glad that you liked the last chapter. I thought Marco's humor was more Marcoish too. (Which kinda annoys me, that right when I think I've figured out how to write him, I'm shifting characters...and I don't know if we're going to hear much from Marco in a while...maybe I'll add a part specially for him).
Also w/your stories, I totally cannot believe that you needed a boost to keep writing them! Honest, you're such a good writer! You put the rest of us to shame!!
DID: Happy Birthday! Hope you got lots of presents! (one time everyone forgot mine and that really sucked! of course I didn't remind anyone, but since when should you have to remind your family about your birthday, for cryin out loud?)
anyways, yeah I felt sorry for Jake too. But when I started outlining Jake's chapter I really wanted something to use to symbolize the parting. So I tried to think of something for that, and that's how it ended up being the Purple Heart.
Also, I added a whole page in the beginning of this chapter to try and explain what happened to the Yeerks and how the war ended and such. Do you think its confusing? If it is, I'll go back and fix it.
Rachel9466: Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you caught the symbolism and no it isn't anything really too deep. (I really hate it in English classes when they're like: "no, you just don't get it." I mean, if its symbolism or a metaphor or something, what's the point of making it so deep that no one gets it? isn't the whole point of that stuff to make the reader understand things better? that's what I thought at least)
I'm Tobias obsessed too, but I don't know how much of him I can get into this story. I'll try though. But my main POV's (outlined at least) are: Rachel, Jake, Ax, Cassie, The One, the Yeerk in this chapter.... and I'm thinking about some others. Not sure yet.
OH! Since you're writing a Yeerk story (I read it and you really know your Yeerk-stuff) can you tell me if the characters here seem-uh-Yeerkish enough?
Dr. Billy Bobby Bob: I'm glad you're liking this and that you caught the "old Jake" flashes. I'm going to write the One's POV in the next chapter. I promise! cringes, don't hate for changing me mind here I just thought that if I put it from the Yeerk's POV first, that it'd be a bit more suspenseful.
weetzybat: the symbolism that I meant was that Grandpa G. was a leader, then Jake, and now Ax, and by passing the purple heart to Ax, Ax is now dah leader. (I bet you over-analyzed, huh? Nope, I'm not tricksy enough to make it even semi-deep).
So I'm wondering, you said you insert your personal voice into your characters and no one notices... which character are you then? (I'm hoping its not Trentil...that would be just a tad scary!)
oh, and that's funny about your sister's shelf! I'm the sister w/the Animorphs shelf in my family. My other sisters only read 1/4 and 1/2 way through the series, so I never got to talk to them about the end.
SammyT: I'm glad that you're liking this! Thanks so much for RR! (And I meant reading and reviewing, not resting and recovering BTW...although, I bet you already got that, huh? suddenly feels very stupid okay, I'm walking over here now. Leave me alone! )
shortmastaj: Thanks for reading and reviewing my story! I REALLY REALLY appreciate it! : ) As far as all the stuff you mentioned, I've already got the story pretty well planned out, but I'll try and include Erek if you want.
RaspberryGirl: gosh looking at your name combined w/your e-mail address is really making me hungry! (Or maybe it's the fact that I haven't had lunch yet? Naaaah!)
I'm glad you liked the presents part. I spent the entire week trying to think of something that each character could give Ax that would still be IC for them. As far as watching Passions, I kinda do. Kinda meaning that when I worked over the summer, it was on during my lunch break, so I'd semi-watch it. But I don't really know much about it besides the obvious stuff.
Oh, and I'm glad you like the history part. I was laughing at my friend about writing this b/c I don't want to mess anything up really bad, so I've got a pile of Animorphs books, plus a dictionary, and a thesaurus all stacked by the computer. It looks like I'm writing a research paper!
jullzz: How do you say your name? (I mean does it rhyme with anything?)
I'm glad that you like this story and thanks sooooo soooooo soooo much for reviewing! As far as writing a Tobias chapter after Rachel returns...uhm...Rachel won't return (at least to Tobias) for a while, but when I get there I'll try and write one from his POV. (I'm still trying to decide whether or not I want to write from Tobias's perspective, mainly b/c then I'd feel obligated to write from Marco's too...otherwise the only Animorph we'd never hear from would be Marco...which is kinda mean b/c I luv Marco!)
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Disclaimer: I don't own Animorphs.
My claimer: I own Redan and the Phalanx!
(Couldn't help myself, all this "I don't own anything" business is starting to lower my self-esteem. SO I added this column to make myself feel better!)
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The Blade Ship:
My name is Efflit One-Three-One-Eight of the Sulp Niar Pool.
I am also called Visser One.
Yes, Visser One. After the stupidity of the previous visser cost us the Yeerk Empire, I became top Visser.
Yes, I blame Esplin-Nine-Four-Double-Six for the destruction of the Yeerk Empire. How that arrogant fool every attained the position of Visser One, I cannot fathom. His only qualification was his Andalite host body. Other than that he was not particularly brilliant, a good strategist, or even a passing warrior. This became especially evident during his time on Earth. For three years, he invested countless Controllers and Yeerk resources trying to secretly subdue the planet. However, a resistance composed of a small group of human youths that could turn into bunny rabbits somehow managed to foil his efforts.
When the human subjection evolved into a public war, the Yeerk Empire was assured a swift and uncontested victory.
But what would this victory mean?
With the conquest of Earth under his belt, Visser One was sure to be promoted to the Council of Thirteen. He would become even more powerful.
More pompous.
More dictatorial.
A handful of Yeerks, including the host brother of Jake the Animorph, realized this fact and sought to overthrow Visser One.
But how?
Then it happened. Tom captured an Escafil device. Tom, myself, and a few other trusted conspirators became morph-capable. We now had the same power as that fool Esplin.
Under Tom's leadership, we formed a pact with the Animorphs that would overthrow Visser One. In exchange for security codes to the Pool Ship, we were given a free escape with the Blade Ship.
Of course we lied. But so did they.
In the last moments of the battle, the Animorphs defeated Visser One on the Pool Ship. On the Blade Ship we turned to fire on the Esplin's now defenseless Pool Ship.
But that didn't happen. Jake, the Animorph leader, had planted an Animorph on our ship. The girl, Rachel, managed to kill our leader, Tom, before we could kill her.
A hundred Controllers and myself, plus a Yeerk Pool of almost seven hundred narrowly escaped on the Blade Ship. In Tom's absence, I was named Visser One.
I was sitting in the Captain's Quarters of the Blade Ship, staring wearily out the window.
If only we could find another Class Five Race, I thought frustrated. We had almost seven hundred Yeerks without host bodies.
The problem was the rarity of the Class Five races, combined with the all too real Andalite/Human threat. We were constantly on the move, sure that our enemies were tracking us.
(And they will find you.) My host taunted. (They will kill you.)
(Shut up Regan.) I commanded the human.
(You know what I say is true.) He replied derisively.
It was all too true.
We were too few. Only a hundred Controllers. Only one ship.
When our enemies did find us, our defeat was assured.
(I will restore the Yeerk Empire to its glory.) I stated to the scornful host. (I will lead the Yeerk conquest, and none shall stop us. We shall return to Earth victorious, and force your ape-like planet to its knees!)
Regan laughed. (Get off your soapbox, Efflit.)
(You do not believe me? ) I demanded.
Regan laughed harder.
I would show him!
I quickly flipped through the host's memories.
Ah, here it was.
Regan paled as I played the memory, laughing at it like it was a cheap cartoon.
(Not so good with the ladies, were you Regan? ) I taunted. (What with those flattering one-liners and your stunning boyish charm, it's no wonder!)
A soft beeping noise interrupted my thoughts. "Visser?" A voice asked cautiously.
"Yes!" I snapped at the invasion of my solitude. My underlings know that they are not to bother the Visser when he is in the Captain's Quarters.
"Come!" I all but snarled.
The door to my quarters slid smoothly open, revealing a menacing Hork Bajir shape.
"What do you want sub-visser 15?" I demanded immediately.
Although the Hork Bajir eyed me warily, I still observed the glinting in his eyes. Something had happened. Something big.
"Visser you are needed on the bridge." He replied. His eyes flashed in excitement. "We've found something."
I surveyed the Hork Bajir perplexed. "You found something, sub-visser? Could you be more–ah–specific?"
The bladed creature clumsily shook his head. "No, you must see it for yourself."
The way the Yeerk carried himself, I knew that whatever the "something" was, it was significant.
I stood up and followed the sub-visser out of my quarters.
"Visser on bridge," Someone announced as I strode purposefully onto the main deck.
With a quick glance, I surveyed the bridge crew. The excitement I'd seen in the eyes of the sub-visser was evident throughout the others. I could almost smell their anticipation at my arrival.
Something was happening.
Something big.
"Report?" I asked finally.
Visser Two, my second in command approached me, arms outstretched. "Brother Yeerk, savor this day, for it is the beginning of the New Yeerk Empire!"
"Save the formalities Turin Two-Four-Zero-One." I said flatly. "I was dragged from my private chambers, I want to know why."
Visser Two nodded his human head in agreement. "Put it on the main view-screen." He instructed another Controller.
My human eyes fixed onto the view-screen and what I saw caused me to exhale so quickly, I felt as if I'd been punched in the stomach.
A ship.
The largest ship I'd ever seen.
It was shaped in a starburst pattern. Asymmetrical. It looked like someone had glued twenty waffle cones together. But twenty different colored, waffle cones, of twenty different lengths.
It was huge. Bigger than the Blade ship, and the Pool Ship combined. At the Empire's peak, the entire Yeerk Fleet could have rested comfortably inside.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Visser Two asked, sharing my astonishment. "It's abandoned," He continued. "We scanned it, no life form-readings, minimal power readings." He paused. "The ship's temperature is estimated at 51 Banak."
51 Banak. Meaning that everything inside was frozen.
I inhaled a deep breath before speaking. "So you're saying that it's ours for the taking?"
Visser Two nodded.
"But where did it come from?" I asked in absolute confusion. I was in a daze.
Visser Two shook his head. "No idea. We ran the ship design through the Blade Ship computer, but it doesn't match any of the ships in the database." He paused. "If fact, the design doesn't even remotely resemble any of them. The metals of the hull alone," he exhaled. "At least ten of them we've never seen before."
"So you think it's from beyond the reachings zero-space?"
"I believe so." He replied. " We found traces of some carbon crystals on the hull, and after dating them..." He paused. "They're very old, to say the least."
"How old?"
"We can't tell. The carbon is so different from anything we've ever come across. So the conventional techniques are bound to error. But it's old. Very old."
I felt giddy. A ship, a ship larger than anything I'd ever seen.
And it was ours for the taking.
"Bring us in closer to the ship," I ordered one of the bridge crew.
He obeyed and we glided slowly towards the craft.
"My god," I murmured. The closer we came, the larger it looked.
We were a mere 20 perkits (A/N: a perkit is a Yeerk unit of measurement) from touching the hull.
It was an awesome sight.
"Visser!" A gruff Hork Bajir alerted me. "We are receiving a transmission."
A transmission? But how? The ship was unoccupied!
"Raise shields, power dracon cannons." I ordered. "As for the transmission, put it on the secondary viewing screen," I instructed. "But leave the ship's image on the main."
Whatever was happening, I needed to see the ship. If it attacked, we'd be ready.
The Hork-Bajir obeyed my directions, and I turned my attention to the secondary screen.
A five-limbed green creature returned my gaze.
"I am Efflit One-Three-One-Eight of the Sulp Niar Pool, Commander of this Vessel." I spoke in Galard, the universal space language. "Tell me your name."
The green creature ignored my instructions and gazed at me fretfully.
"Sena Redan Fin-Va." The creature murmured incoherently.
"I cannot understand you," I spoke this time in Yeerk. "I am Efflit-
But the creature continued speaking, paying no heed to me.
"Re lexa tron fin so tron Phalanx." His voice rose passionately. " Freta ed re! Ni supa bri ope, Trapli! Ni supa bri ope!"
It suddenly occurred to me that this creature did not listen because it was not real.
We were watching a recording.
My suspicion was confirmed as the green creature's figure was replaced with another image. My heart nearly stopped, and I heard my host whimpering in a distant corner of my mind as we felt the cruelty of the new image.
As we felt the hate.
The pure evilness of it.
The thing was huge, made of nothing and everything. Its form was indistinguishable, and the only features I could clearly make out where its large red eyes.
As I watched, thick bolts of blue light seemed to ripple through its form. The light grew brighter and brighter until it's image in the viewing screen glowed so brightly that I had to shield my eyes.
Then suddenly it was gone and the green creature was peering at us once again.
"Se fea ca One, tron Soulstealer. Se detru tron Phalanx." The green creature spoke once more. "Ni supa bri ope! Ca One detru! Detru! Detru! Ni supa bri ope!"
As suddenly as the transmission had started it stopped.
The bridge was silent for a moment, trying to understand what we'd just seen.
"I believe that recording was intended for another of the green creature's kind," I said finally. I stared thoughtfully at the main view-screen, at the huge alien ship. "Perhaps this message was to explain what happened to the ship. To explain to the others of its kind." The more I spoke, the more I was comforted by my own reason. "This ship is old and all that is left of it is arcane memories. We have nothing to fear from it."
I turned to my second in command. "Visser Two," I ordered him. "Prepare a boarding party of ten.. You will lead it."
Visser Two nodded.
"I will be in my Quarters," I addressed the bridge. "Contact me when you're ready to board."
I retired to the Captain's Quarters with a smile plastered across my host's face.
(Well that takes care of one of my problems, Regan) I gloated to my host. (Now we'll just have to see about finding more hosts.)
And for once, Regan was silent.
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wow! that was really long! I think that's the longest chapter I've written so far!
Ever!
and this is the longest story I've written ever too! (it really does help to outline the story).
anyways, now that you've read this could you please take a moment and answer these questions? (please review?)
Do the Yeerks seem Yeerkish enough? (they're a bit nicer than Visser Three ever was mainly b/c there's so few of them that the Visser's can't just kill their minions.) Did ya'll get that with the alien ship and everyzhing?
and please gimme your honest opinion. If the Yeerks stunk, I'll fix 'em
thanks sooooo soooooo soooo much for reading this! It makes me feel all special!
please review!
DH