2 What the Andalites didn't know about the Kelbrid
- - -
RING.
Ronnie sat up with a jerk from the sudden sound. His head hit the roof of the small tent, but since it was made of cloth he didn't hurt himself.
RING.
He blinked, and turned to Cassie. She was sleeping, still, cuddled up in her sleeping bag, but her forehead was wrinkled. She had been up and working all day, and half the night. Been out hunting poachers. Exhausted, poor thing.
RING.
Poachers after the Hork-Bajir. Ronnie shuddered at the thought and grabbed after the mobile phone. He fumbled through the darkness in the tent until he found it. Must have kicked it away from its place while he slept. Who called at this hour? Must be important. Better be important.
RI –
"Ronnie. Hello?"
"This is the President," a familiar voice said. Familiar from TV and radio, not from the other end of your own phone. Ronnie was suddenly very aware of what he should say. His tongue suddenly felt clumsy. "I wish to speak to Cassie. The Animorph. Is she there?"
"Y-yes," Ronnie managed. He almost dropped the phone as he turned and shook Cassie to wake her.
"What?" she muttered as her eyes opened.
"It's the President," Ronnie whispered. "She wants to talk to you."
A sleep-drenched Cassie sighed, sat up, took the phone and vigorously rubbed her eyes with her free hand. "Cassie speaking," she said, not bothering about any more elaborate greetings. If the President wanted elaborateness, she had called the wrong person. And definitely at the wrong hour.
"Good," said the President. "Make sure no-one else hears this conversation."
"What's this about?" Cassie asked, grabbing a jacket and leaving the tent to sit outside in the cool air. Hork-Bajir were all around, some sitting guard but most sleeping. They waved at her when she came back, and she waved back with a short smile. 'No-one' probably didn't include them.
The President continued; "I am trying to find a friend of yours. Jake Berenson. He seems to be missing. Do you know where he is?"
"I don't," Cassie said truthfully.
"How about Marco?"
"If he's gone too, he's probably with Jake."
"Perfect," sighed the President heavily. "Then you are the only one left. Cassie, here's the deal. Earth was contacted by a new alien species, previously unknown to us. You Animorphs have more experience with aliens, so…"
"You want our advice? Our help."
"Something like that. Except, with Jake and Marco gone, it's only your help."
"I've got my hands full," Cassie objected. "Some moron is after the Hork-Bajir. We found one dead, skin and blades removed. Shot in the head. Toby is furious. The valley is in chaos."
"Poachers?" the President said, disgusted. "That's horrible! Can't be allowed. I'll get someone to handle that for you."
"These are my friends," Cassie explained. "I'm not leaving them in a tight spot. We've already got a gathering of guards and park rangers and security people. And I'm staying here myself until it's cleared up. Call the Andalites. They'll help you."
"We do not want to be any more trouble to the Andalites than necessary," the President said. "The Earth Council has… advised against it, to put it that way. They have a lot of influence now, as you know. If you cannot help, you must tell us how to reach your friends. Something tells me you know."
"I only know I won't be seeing them again," Cassie said sadly. "At least not Jake."
"How do you know that? You know where he is? What he's doing? It is a matter of the planet's safety, Cassie."
"I just know. I don't know where they are. And no, I couldn't tell you even if I knew. This is about the safety of the universe, so…"
"Exactly," said the President. "You see, our representative in the Earth Council asked us to find you Animorphs. He informed us that our planet was contacted by an unknown species who call themselves the Kelbrid…"
Cassie suddenly felt cold. "Kelbrid?" she echoed, throat dry. When the President confirmed it, she continued; "Do you know what they said?"
"I heard the conversation on tape, so I've got a pretty good idea. Basically, they warned us about them. They said that they had reasons to declare war on the Andalites, and for some reason they felt the need to tell us to keep out of it."
"Were they hostile?"
"You could call it that." The President hesitated. "Have you heard of these Kelbrid, Cassie? About their connection to the Andalites? And to us?"
"Yes," Cassie confirmed, pulling the jacket closer around her.
"Tell me."
Cassie sighed. There was no reason to keep quiet about it. "Contact the Andalites as soon as possible. There is a treaty between the Kelbrid and the Andalites. A we-don't-bother-you-and-you-don't-bother-us treaty. Perhaps that treaty is gone now. And I think the Yeerks might have a finger in it, too. Why would the Kelbrid otherwise worry about us? How would they even know about us?" Another sigh. "If only…"
"What?"
"Nothing. No use wishing for the impossible. Jake and Marco would be of much more use than I, here. Rachel would have been even better, she knows how the Yeerks think. On second thought, maybe you should contact Marco's mother, Eva. And, I'm going to say it again; call the Andalites. Explain about the Kelbrid. Don't ask them for anything, we don't want to seem helpless or inferior. Just offer our support."
"Why should we do that? These… Kelbrid. We have no scores to settle with them."
"Not yet," Cassie corrected. "But we do with the Yeerks. Think; if the Kelbrid and the Yeerks had some sort of connection, the Kelbrid would go after the Andalites. As they are doing, so it's basically confirmed. And we happen to be another top target on the Yeerk list. We don't want the Andalites destroyed, whether the Yeerks are in this or not, because that leaves our front gate unguarded."
"Good point."
"And you wondered where Jake and Marco were."
"You do know, after all," the President muttered.
"I have a pretty decent guess," Cassie admitted. "They're in Kelbrid space. Kelbrid territory. A friend of ours is there. As a prisoner."
"A Kelbrid prisoner?"
"No. Yeerk prisoner."
A short silence. Then; "Do you suspect a Kelbrid-Yeerk pact?"
"Yes. At least… an agreement. Another reason to call the Andalites – to warn them about that, too. And hurry."
"We will," the President promised. "I'll just call our representative in the Earth Council, and he'll see what they have to say and make sure things get done. Anything else?"
"Yeah. Hurry building that Z-space ship. I think we'll need it. Good luck."
"Thank you. Goodbye."
The President hung up, and Cassie pressed the off button on the mobile phone. She crept back into the tent.
"What was that about?" Ronnie asked, yawning, eyes half-closed, taking the phone and returning it to its place with one hand and arm, refusing to move anything else unless he had to.
"Just about saving the universe," Cassie replied. She grabbed her bag and began digging in it for something she could morph in. "Ronnie, I won't be able to sleep any more tonight, so I'm going to go flying. See if I can spot the poachers' camp. I'll be back by morning. But don't worry if I'm late. Keep an eye on the Hork-Bajir."
"Okay. Good luck." Ronnie nodded and closed his eyes to catch some extra sleep.
- - -
«Head of Council Lirem?» said a careful thought-speech voice.
Lirem-Arrepoth-Terrouss opened his main eyes and his pose straightened from the slackened pose of sleeping. He raised his tail and – raising them too – swivelled his stalks back to see who had come.
An Informer. The informers and messengers and spies and servants and a lot of other things of the War Council. They had no identity except "Informer", unless you counted a lot of fake ones, which allowed them to pass by anywhere almost unnoticed. This one was, at the moment, not the bravest of the bunch. His weight was moved uncertainly from hoof to hoof. He was nervous about having to wake the bad-tempered Head of Council.
Lirem decided not to be angry with him. Not much, at least, although he had a reputation to think about as well. But, he added as an afterthought; this better be important.
«Yes?»
The Informer shifted his weight again, tail flicking a bit to the side for balance. «We… we have… a declaration of war.»
Lirem was suddenly wide awake. During the three and a half years that had passed since the war with the Yeerks was won, the War Council had slowly and surely and quite openly been pushed out of its dominating role and back to playing an unimportant part in dull Andalite peace-time politics.
War. About time, Lirem thought.
He was a warrior to the bone, from stalks to hooves. War ran in his blood; he lived for it, grazed it like grass and breathed it like air. He had grown up with war, it was all he could and would do. He was by no means or measures a politician. If someone ever told him so he would honestly consider relieving them from the burden of their obviously useless heads.
«War, huh?» he said, turning and only at the last moment stopping himself from rubbing his hands. «With whom? Not the Yeerks, I hope.»
«Not the Yeerks,» the Informer confirmed.
«Then who?»
A short hesitation. But asking such a direct question was the same as a demanding a reply. «The Kelbrid.»
«WHAT?!» Lirem thundered, causing the Informer to back away a couple of good steps. Lirem muttered something to himself that no Andalite would ever say in public, and added, with what he hoped was a calmer voice; «Who broke the treaty? Who entered Kelbrid space?»
«You are aware of the Intrepid Situation,» the Informer said carefully.
«Of course,» snapped Lirem. «So it is the Yeerks and Prince Aximili? I seem to remember sending Prince Caysath to… deal with it.»
«You did,» the Informer said. «But perhaps it was too late…»
Lirem muttered something else that probably shouldn't be repeated and his tail twitched.
«Head of Council, I came because the High Quarteer of the Kelbrid wishes to speak with you.»
«Very well,» Lirem grunted, straightening up with a face of arrogance and a sneer of superiority – maybe he had a touch of politician in him, after all – and turned to where the hologram would appear. «On screen.»
The hologram flashed and what probably was a Kelbrid face appeared. Lirem's main eyes narrowed. So that's what they looked like.
It was vaguely similar to an Andalite face. But instead of stalks, two long, agile, movable horns swept back from his skull. The air cracked as they whipped around; maybe a sign of anger. The ears could have been human, if they hadn't been pointy… pointing down, not upwards as on Andalites. And they, too, were movable, on very short stalks, that made the being look a bit silly. The eyes were thin lines, broken at the middle by a shining green pupil. There was no nose; instead the creature had a slit over each cheek that opened and closed as he breathed. The mouth was a mix between a Hork-Bajir's sharp beak and a human's softer lips. Lirem didn't pay that much attention to it; for obvious reasons he was generally uninterested in mouths.
"I am the High Quarteer," said the creature in a voice that fell between deep, harmonious, almost hypnotizing tones to the highest, sharpest notes that without much trouble could wake the dead. "I lead the mighty Kelbrid Empire under the guidance of the Whole. Fear me!"
«Do not be a fool,» Lirem replied. He didn't like this High Quarteer; if they had just declared war, then just as well. Fear him? When kafits did Z-space travel. «I am Lirem-Arrepoth-Terrouss, Head of the Andalite War Council. And we, High Quarteer of the Kelbrid, need to get one simple thing clear; I am not going to crawl and grovel before you. Unless I am mistaken, you will not crawl and grovel before me. Regrettable, but true. So let us ignore that part and move on, as any sensible species should. I will ask you directly; what is this about?»
"This is about the wishes of the Glorious Whole!" His green pupils shone maniacally and his voice went shrill again, almost making Lirem's ears hurt.
«Not about our treaty?»
"Your word is not even worthy of the dirt under my claws," the Quarteer snapped. "Your so-called 'treaty' even less. We know there was an Andalite ship with an entire Andalite crew in our territory. We know of your treacherous ways, Andalite! Fortunately, our kindly brothers the Yeerks hunted the ship down for us before it could harm us."
«Yeerk brothers?» Lirem said, barely concealing his surprise or the cold, calculating hate that swept over him.
"Our trusted allies, tired of being persecuted by you and your deceitful kind, took refuge in our territory, under our protection. We live as brothers, unified under the leadership of the Great Whole, the Glorious One!"
«The Yeerks are no-one's brothers,» Lirem warned.
"Hush, Andalite filth!" the Quarteer ordered, and Lirem's four eyes grew dark with rage. His tail twitched. And he hoped the High Quarteer could see that. He hoped that the High Quarteer could see it well. "They warned me about your disrespectful ways. You who call yourselves Andalites have violated our treaty, shown yourselves unworthy of our trust and friendship, and our obligation to our Yeerk friends is clear. Prepare to be annihilated!"
The connection was broken, leaving a very angry Head of Council to roar at nothing except the Informer, who kept at a respectful distance.
Lirem calmed himself with some difficulty. «Annihilated! Not as long as the last Andalite still can swing a tail.» He glared at the Informer. «You! Gather the Council. Inform the Electorate. We have a war to deal with! Annihilated, by my stalks. How dare they!!»
«Head of Council, may I suggest we begin with a rearmament of the Fleet?»
«Of course,» Lirem said. «Take care of it, immediately!»
The Informer fled as quickly as his legs could carry him. Another came in after him. «Head of Council,» he said. He looked about to follow his friend away, being nervous after seeing how he had fled. «The humans wish to speak with you.»
«Don't bother me with details. Take care of it or tell them it can wait,» Lirem snapped.
«I do not believe so, Head of Council,» the Informer pressed. «The Earth Council claims it is very important. They insist to speak with you directly.»
«It! Can! Wait!» Lirem said, one word at a time, in a voice that sounded like it came through gritted teeth.
«Head of Council, it is about the Kelbrid.»
Lirem's stalks glared at him. «Who told them about the Kelbrid?»
«No-one,» the Informer said. «Obviously it is as they claim; the Kelbrid contacted them.»
Lirem turned back towards where the screen would appear. «Well, why didn't you say so?» he snapped, making another not-that-successful attempt to calm down. «On screen. Now.»