Empire:
By Cyclone49
Chapter 1: Prologue
Drode
My name is Hizorach Likostin the 3rd, Appointed Entertainer of Lord Moriarckos Tanderan. Among people of my race, the Zantard, I was known as the Drode. It means wild card in the Zantardian language, and I guess that is what I am. I was the entertainer for the lord of our planet, Lord Tanderan. It was a prestigious job, and I was highly regarded within his kingdom. I was smart, funny, and, I guess, extremely evil. I had great plans, great, great plans. Plans that would allow me to seize the kingdom, become powerful beyond my imagination.
I never got a chance too though. War had ravaged our planet, and the two major kingdoms, Markosia and Vanderus, had been fighting for many decades over who should have been the major rulers of the planet. Lord Chesterk Paklinkern, the lord of Vanderus, had had enough of the war, and planted a high powered nuclear device near the center of the planet. I think you can guess what happened next.
But, that life was many, many millennia ago. For a length of time that I cannot even begin to guess, I have lived, if you can even call it living, in a realm where time and space has no meaning. In a world where you can see the past and the future all at once, and every single event in the universe is visible to those willing to look.
But, this story is not about me. This story is about one tiny little change, one tiny little vision, that changed the history of the universe. This story is about one little idea of mine, that put my master Crayak far ahead of that fool the Ellimist in the epic, never-ending game that they play.
Much had happened since those fools decided to plunge into the Blade Ship. They had not died, but their fate was worse than death. The One, a being who was now very close to becoming much like Master Crayak or the Ellimist, had absorbed them, absorbed every bit of their knowledge and being, along with many, many other species. In absorbing four of the six Animorphs, he had gained a knowledge that few people had. The knowledge of us. He knew who Crayak was. He knew who Ellimist was. He knew who I was. And he had a new goal in life. To become one of us.
The Yeerk Empire was in ruins. The few remaining Pool Ships were hunted down and destroyed by Andalites. The Mother Pool Ship, in which the Council of Thirteen resided, was captured shortly after and the Council was executed by Andalites. All that were left were about ten Blade Ships and about a hundred Bug Fighters, patrolling aimlessly around the universe. Humans had become a formidable force in the galaxy, and the galaxy was, well, a happy place. The Ellimist, meddling fool that he was, had gained the upper hand. But, I had a plan.
The Yeerks were, I guess, Crayak's pet species. He didn't create them, like the Howlers, but he did change their evolutionary cycle, with a couple of ideas from me. It was my idea to give these pitiful slugs the power to enter the heads of other species, and control them. And we had unleashed a force to be reckoned with. But it had all gone to waste, thanks to the Ellimist's foul Animorphs.
My plan was quite simple. I had actually got the idea from the Ellimist, when he helped those two Hork Bajir escape from the Yeerks. It involved one person, one insignificant being, receiving a vision. A command if you will. I told Master Crayak about it. He liked the idea. He liked it a lot. And then, it was time for the bargaining.
"Three simple words Ellimist," I said, "Three simple words. That's all we ask. And you can meddle in the Pogruk Nebula situation as much as you want."
WHAT THREE WORDS? he asked, AND WHO RECEIVES THIS VISION?
"That's not part of the deal Ellimist," I said, "Take it or leave it. There are some horrible things that could be done in the Pogruk Nebula," I studied his face as he considered the deal. I could see what he was thinking. He was wondering how big an impact three words could have. Wondering what a simple command could possibly do. And I knew he desperately wanted to change what happened in the Pogruk Nebula.
OKAY DRODE… he said, YOU HAVE YOUR DEAL.
"Excellent…" I said, and Crayak made his changes. I watched as the strands of time twisted and turned.