Here it is! Another chapter! Please enjoy…

Quillian: Thank you! They'll keep on rolling :)

Birdie num num: Well, I don't know whether I'd put it that way but yeah, okay, he is kinda stuck up. Please keep reviewing!

Irish Rage And Love: I know there wasn't much life, as you said, but I feel that if I'd just skipped into the action then people would feel sort of lost. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Kharina: Good to know you liked the chapter! Let's see if you catch this chapter.

The REAL Cheese Monkey: Yeeeah, I'm glad you noticed that. I deliberately made him sound that way because…well, I thought he should sound that way. Keep on reviewing.


Now, just as a matter of interest. Could when you guys review tell me of the character that you like the most? Don't worry it's not a trick question, I am just interested.

Chapter Twenty

Command Decisions

(Yeerks!)

BRReeeeTTTTeeeeeTTTTeeeeTTT! BRReeeeTTTTeeeeeTTTTeeeeTTT!

War-prince Jaham looked at me with all fours eyes wide as moons. (What do we do?) he asked sounding panicked.

(Launch fighters!) I snapped in open thought speak, already galloping towards the bridge. (Full battle alert! How many ships are there?)

WHUMMPH! The floor beneath me shook; all around warriors fell to the hard metal floor.

(What was that!) I bellowed. Again another shockwave ran through the ship. This time I was knocked down to my knees. For a second I must have lost consciousness because the next thing I knew War-prince Jaham and another warrior were hauling me to my hooves.

(We just lost our main shredder!) War-prince Jaham reported.

I yanked myself out of his grasp and entered the bridge. The T.O, Prince Kayless-Jollan-Trugrouth, stepped down from the raised centre of the bridge and immediately started reporting.

(We have completely lost our main shredder and received minor damage to one of our Z-space engines. I suggest that we - )

TSSEEEEEW! A dracon beam shot through black space. The bulkheads rattled and warriors fought to stay standing.

(We have now lost all Z-space capability!) a voice cried.

(What about fighters?) I asked urgently, bringing them up on screen. (How many do we have?)

(All,) War-prince Jaham answered. (They appear to be moving in a typical clean sweep. Wipe out the main enemy first then clean up the mess.)

Odd. Yeerks never usually did that; it was a typical Andalite manoeuvre, one that arisths are taught on their very first day of training.

What Yeerks normally did was simply launch Bug fighters to take out our fighters then once we had no defence the Blade ship would move in for the kill.

Suddenly the world stopped. The Blade ship. Where was it?

This is the deadly ship of the vissers resembling the head of a medieval battle-axe, though it was inspired by Hork-Bajir physiology.

They are about twenty times the size of a Bug fighter, and in fact carries two of them. It also has several dracon beam cannon on board.

(Where is the Blade ship?) Prince Kayless asked echoing my thoughts. (Bring up the Yeerk fleet! Find the lead ship!)

But that order was not needed, swooping in from below us a dark black shape loomed. A visser's blade ship. But whose?

(Sir! They are locking dracon cannons on us! We are dead in space!) I don't know who yelled that. All I could ear was a jumbled mass of cries and moans…why wouldn't they stop? Why? I couldn't think. Dead…no shredder….no Z-space….no escape.

Suddenly crystal light seemed to flood my mind. An idea so pure, so simple it nearly escaped me came to view.

(This is Captain Asculan calling all fighters! I want those of you under Prince Alsharon's command to lock shredders on to the Blade ships bridge-)

(But Captain, the Bug fighters,) A pilot started.

(I don't care about them!) I yelled. (Just do as I say and shut up! Now you go and fire on that ship. The rest of you into Z-space now. When I say come out and fire. Don't aim, just fire.)

Bug fighter is the informal name for small Yeerk fighters, named thus because they resemble insects – the Yeerks looked to insect physiology for their inspiration. It has manual thought-sensitive controls – touch them and think the command.

I heard no other interruptions from any of my crew. I felt a wave of pleasure as I saw half the fleet turn away from their battle with the smaller Yeerk ships and head straight towards the Blade ship.

TSEEW! They fired. A miss.

TSSSEEEW! Three gone, destroyed by a crimson dracon beam.

(Captain…) War-prince Jahar started.

(NOW!) I ordered.

WHOOOSH! In a flash of light the remainder of our fleet emerged from Z-space. Within seconds everything, Yeerk and Andalite, was bathed in blue light.

(They're running!) A warrior cried. (The Yeerks are running! We've won!)

Yes, we had won. At what cost? (How many have we lost?)

Prince Kayless lent over a consol and said (Fifty three dead. One hundred nine casualties. Sixty per cent by friendly fire.)

His voice sounded hollow, angry, and bitter.

I ignored his accusing look, (Call for help. Begin reapers.)

(What about the wounded?) War-prince Jaham asked.

I frowned and turned to show my disapproval of his forwardness, (Those you can be helped…help them. Those who can not…end their suffering.)

(I have heard that you did some very unorthodox manoeuvres out there Asculan,) Feyorn said, straining his thought speak voice to sound friendly.

He was aboard my ship no less than five hours after the battle. The noble StarSword had been kind enough to answer our distress calls and were helping us with repairs.

(Where were you during the battle Feyorn?) I asked struggling to sound just as friendly.

His stalk-eyes drooped and his shoulders sagged, (Finding you.)

That stopped me short. (What for? Weren't you supposed to be in the Graysha Nebula? I heard that some pebbles tried to eat your ship.)

Feyorn laughed, (Yes, well. Thankfully Aristh Elfangor warned us about the fact that the 'pebbles' were attracted to our energy emissions.)

(Elfangor? Captain Noorlin's son?) I asked.

(The very same, unfortunately he is lost. It is believed that he and the Jahar were sucked into a nearby black hole.)

The name Jahar. I knew that name. (Alloran's ship? Alloran is dead?)

Suddenly Feyorn dropped his tail right down to the floor, his arms dropped and hung limply by his side. His eyes looked into mine with such a sadness I had never experienced before or ever will again.

(No,) he whispered. (It is worse than that. Much worse…)

My fur now stood on end. I felt as if I was back on that ice planet, I did a thing that I thought Alloran would want. Joked. (What could be worse that being sucked into the biggest hoober tunnel ever imagined?)

Feyorn didn't even try to laugh, (Alloran…has been…taken.)

My ears pricked up and my eyes widened. Now in these times of war 'taken' could mean only one thing. (WHAT? Infested? How could you let that happen to our friend?)

Feyorn stepped backwards (He was simply meant to take a couple of aliens back to their homeworld. I never thought that - )

(You just didn't think! Get off of my ship, right now! RIGHT! NOW!) I could have killed Feyorn then. I truly could have.

Luckily for him however Breeyar decided to show up. He looked from me to Feyorn then back again. Both of us were quivering, tail blades raised. Who could win a fight? I couldn't aim as well as Feyorn but I was faster.

(Calm down,) Breeyar said. Though who that was directed at I couldn't tell.

(Calm down!) I shrieked. Yes shrieked. (Calm – down? At least I can calm down. Not like Alloran who thanks to him,) I pointed at Feyorn, (will never be able to do anything ever again!)

(It is my fault,) Feyorn said weakly, guilt unhidden in his thought speak 'voice'.

(OFF MY SHIP! NOW!)

These were the last things I ever said to Feyorn and Breeyar. I would regret these words later. Later I would think back and ask myself whether I had been too harsh, too quick to lay blame. But now I was just angry.

Just mad.

There you have it. A little shorter than the last chapter but a little more action passed. Please REVIEW!