We are drawing near the end of this rather sad fic. Here's another chapter towards that goal.

Quillian: Thanks for your review! ;) (I thought it'd be funny to include little Ax before he runs off to Earth and the sneaky cinnamon buns.)

GenesisDragon: It's brilliant to get your review! It's cool to find out you actually took the time to read all those chapters. (Or at least enough to get the basic story.) LOL. Hope to hear from you again!

Birdie num num: Exactly my point. How could Asculan be so cruel to his friends and not get told off? He needed to learn that if you tick someone off you'll pay for it.

Okay…next chapter… (It's another time hop.)

Chapter Twenty Five

Crossing the Line

Andalite date: 8593.4

Earth date: 1996

Power. Some say it's empty. Some say it's the most important thing anyone can ever have in this universe. I tend to agree more with the latter.

In the years I spent on the War-Council I had seen more battles than I had during the time I spent out in space on the TailStrike. Since then Lirem had replaced Captain Ellemar as Head of the Council, otherwise known as the Great Leader, many other war-princes and captain-princes had left or been forced out of the ranks of the War-Council.

Naturally the People and those fools on the Electorate knew none of this. As far as they were concerned the Electorate still was the main leading body of the Andalite People. I knew better, soon we – the Council – would have no need for the charade that was the Electorate. I sensed that day was growing nearer and I looked forwards to it. Most certainly.

I had managed through all the private wars and political games to retain my place on the Council. I even managed to grow in power. It was very easy to scare the careful politicians of the Council.

I will not say however that I enjoyed being on aforementioned Council, to the contrary I loathed it, I despised it. But, sacrifices must be made and if I had to endure the whining and moral complaining of a few fools to get what I wanted so be it.

Besides there was something to be said for having the power not only to control a ship but to be able to control the entire fleet. I made sure that Prince Kayless and War-Prince Elfangor got all the best posts and that Feyorn and his little shorm Breeyar were given only the dregs of our resources. Oh yes, power is so fun.

I allowed myself to give a brief smile at that thought. None of my various aids noticed however, they were much too interested in the reports coming from one of our outposts.

(Captain?) an aid looked at me, (You should see this.)

I raised a stalk to look at him.

(Sir,) he amended.

He handed me a pad and stood to the side, hands clasped firmly behind his back. I turned my attention to the pad. It took me over ten minuets to skim through the dreadful information it held. (Has the Great Leader seen this?)

Another aid nodded his stalks, (He sent it to us. He is calling together the Council to discuss this – loss.)

By the time he had finished his sentence I was already through the door and heading towards the main council chambers. By the time I arrived the rest of the princes and captains were already standing huddled in small groups discussing the news they had no doubt just received.

(Captain Asculan!) War-Prince Seygon called as he hurried towards me. (Did you hear? The fleet sent to Sector four, YS- seven, three, eight, five, three – three has been destroyed? What will we do?)

I looked down at him, (I only read the report briefly. How strong are the Yeerks in that sector?)

(Visser Three is leading them,) he answered as though that clarified everything.

I frowned, (Wasn't War-Prince Elfangor with the GalaxyTree? Did he survive?)

The old prince looked lost, (We don't know…we lost communications with the main fleet so we must assume that all ships were destroyed.)

I scuffed my hoof on the floor in annoyance, (Where is the Great Leader? Shouldn't we do something?)

As if hearing my words Lirem rushed into the chamber looking rushed and angry, obviously he had not been as close to the chambers as I had been.

(Report!) He snapped.

(We lost contact with the GalaxyTree seven hours ago. We can only assume all are dead,) a captain named Kaltor answered.

(The Electorate?) Lirem asked slowly regaining his composure.

I shook my head, (Thus far they don't know what has happened but eventually they will demand to know. I suggest that we tell them only what we must – that yes, we have lost the GalaxyTree but we are in no way giving up on the planet – what is its name?)

(Earth,) Jaham answered as he looked up from a display he had been watching.

Lirem nodded, (Prince Kaltor see to it that Captain Asculan's message is relayed to the Electorate. Now,) he surveyed the faces of the Council (what do we actually do about Earth?)

Silence. Then, (How important is Earth to the war effort?)

Jaham came to stand in the centre of the room, he looked at us each in turn and said, (Estimates say that Earth has one of the highest populations of any planet we have come across, if we know this most certainly the Yeerks do. It will be intolerable if the Yeerks take Earth.)

(Then we dispatch another ship,) I said.

Jaham looked at me, (We can't. We are engaged on to many fronts. We have no captains – or ships – to spare.)

Lirem seemed deep in thought, (What about the prototype ship? Couldn't we rush that?

(Yes,) a prince answered. (The problem is the Z-space engines. If we sent a ship now, right now, if would only arrive in three or four years. That's if we don't count the fact that the ships prototype engine could fail, or that the ship isn't ready or -)

(You can do it?) I cut him off.

(Yes.)

(Then go!) Prince Seygon snapped.

I nodded my approval, (We need to arrange a crew as soon as possible. Which captains do we have at hand? We don't need one that will report to the Electorate. Remember that whatever we might need to do when we arrive at Earth they will not approve.)

Lirem looked at me followed closely by Jaham and then the rest of the Council. (What about…you?)

I laughed, (You must be joking! I haven't been on a ship for over ten years let alone commanded one!)

Lirem spoke to me privately, (You are one of the only few captains who will do what he must. Also…you are one of the only few who is -)

(Expendable?) I suggested.

(Easier to understand if you do do something the Electorate will not condone,) he finished.

I narrowed my eyes, (Earth could be lost by the time I arrive.)

(We will send others as the opportunities arise, now go! We will give you your orders as the time to arrival at Earth arises,) he said. (They can not have Earth. Either the inhabitants go free – or they die.)

---

I left the War-Council Headquarters shortly after the meeting. Lirem and Jaham agreed to allow me to choose my own officers on my crew. The F.O, T.O and so on.

I had already chosen War-Prince Kayless as my F.O. and Prince Offerean-Jibril-Castant as my T.O. he came highly recommended from his former captain.

The task at hand was weighing heavily on my mind. Even though it would take three years to arrive in Sector 4, YS-73853-3 things could very easily not have changed much or changed very drastically. I knew that whatever it came down to my orders would not be acceptable by the People.

Maybe some warriors survived, I thought hopefully knowing that it was highly unlikely, but still hoping.

(Captain! Please…wait!)

I swept my stalk-eye back to see a figure come running towards me. He looked to be around my age, perhaps older; as he drew near I saw that he did not have the body of a warrior. Rather he looked frail and tired.

(I know you,) I called to him as I stopped.

He trotted up to me and lowered his head, (My name is Hakan-Shamtel-Magne, we – met briefly at the Academy.)

I searched my memory as I tried to put a past to this stranger. (You're that vecol.)

He slowly inclined his head, (Captain Ellemar requests your company.)

(Ellemar?)

(Captain-Prince Ellemar,) he said. (He sent me to ask for you to come to his scoop. He would like to speak with you in private.)

I nodded and told him to show me the way. As we ran I noticed that he moved so well you could almost believe that he could see on all sides. Not like me, when I ran I knew I had a tendency to lean slightly to my left.

As we drew nearer and nearer to what the vecol assured me was Ellemar's scoop I became more and more agitated. I really did not have time for this! I should be at the prototype making sure preparations for departure were going smoothly.

There had better be a good reason for this, I thought to myself.

I felt like simply striking out at anything. My muscles tensed and my breathing quickened. I felt like I had an unstoppable energy inside me and I had to do something! NOW!

This feeling was new it me, I never understood it, not then and not now. All I knew was I suddenly felt like some terrible thing was drawing closer and closer and there was absolutely nothing I could do.

At long last just when I felt as if I would die with frustration we arrived at a beautiful scoop. Huge derrishoul trees circled a crystal lake forming what is known to grass-scape artists as a Hala-Enuf.

A burly looking Andalite stood at the shores of the lake drinking. He was very old and most of his fur was now more tan than blue. His hooves were very dull and his tail hung low, even through all this I recognised him, (Ellemar.)

He lifted his hoof from the water and ran to greet us. He nodded his head to me respectfully and smiled at the vecol. (You were quick Hakan. I didn't expect you to be able to find him so promptly. Good job.)

He reached his tail forwards to touch the vecol's. It was a very personal gesture for Andalites and naturally I was confused as to why an honoured captain would be so friendly with a vecol.

Ellemar seemed to sense my discomfort and said, (Hakan didn't you tell the Captain about how we know each other?)

The vecol looked embarrassed and shook his head. He gazed at the sky with a look on his face that showed he would clearly like to leave.

Ellemar seemed upset and looked at me, (Hakan thinks that if he tells anyone that I'm his father he will disgrace me.)

Ellemar's son was a vecol? The revelation was nearly enough to make me forget my agitation, nearly but it didn't. Instead of pressing the matter I said, (What do you want to ask me, Ellemar? I must be going.)

He nodded his head in understanding and said, (I still have contacts in the Council. I know about the fact that they are sending you to this Earth. You must not go. Let someone else go.)

(Why?) I snapped.

He shook his head; it was a very un-Andalite thing to do. (I know people like you Asculan, Eoptis was like you, you forget to look at right and wrong. You only care about winning. About killing. If you go who knows what you might do.)

Suddenly I had had enough, (I am sick to my hearts of people thinking they know me! Lirem thinks he knows me, you think you know me! But you don't. Just – just stop! I will do whatever I want. Only I know me, only I know what I do and don't think. Long ago I told you I would never do a thing for you and I keep to my word. I will do whatever I have to do, whether you or Lirem like it or not.)

Yes you've guessed it. That's the end of another chapter. Please REVIEW!