Review Responses:
Korean Pearl: Have I updated soon enough? Glad you enjoyed the part where he yells at the captain. Alloran will use his 'visser voice' again in this chapter (just not so loud!) Thanks for reviewing!
Dot the Distracted: At the moment I seem to be going through a phase of updating super- fast! It won't always be this way, but I try to update every week or so, unless I get writer's block or lots of homework! Glad you enjoyed it.
Sabriel: Alloran was freed towards the end of book #54, and that's about the last we hear of him apart from the odd sentence here and there. Thanks for your review!
Elwing: Yeah, I always felt sorry for Alloran too! I'm glad you enjoyed this fic so far, and I hope you continue to!
So, here goes…
I stepped out onto Andalite soil, and looked around. The spaceport looked different. It bore still a slight similarity to my memories, but it was different, although it took me a while to think how.
The Electorate building still stood proudly at the North end of the spaceport, although the building was a lot larger than I remembered. The Academy lay at the southward side of the spaceport, and the other universities and scientific buildings lay down either side, just like in my memories, surrounding the huge space where ships now lay in cradles.
The entire spaceport was larger and busier than it had been, but I'd expected that: after all, the main fleet was arriving back from the war. But then it hit me. There was far more security. Guards stood everywhere. There had always been a few guarding the Electorate and others scattered around, but now the place was teeming with them. Guards formed a square around us as we disembarked.
(Form an orderly queue and we will let you out one at a time,) a guard instructed.
I ended up queuing in front of Illim. "Is it just me, or is he about to say 'no Yeerks past this point,'" Illim wondered.
(What would be the point in that? You've come to tour the Andalite world, and how you're going to do that from the spaceport is a mystery to me. They're probably checking for unauthorised persons. Or smuggled weapons.)
(Name?) asked the guard.
(War- Prince Alloran- Semitur- Corass.)
He stepped back. (You may proceed.)
I waited behind for Illim.
(Name?)
"Illim 871 of the Sulp Niaar pool."
The guard looked at Illim as though he was a piece of muck on his hoof. (Tetron- Serenial- Maheen will accompany you.)
"Accompany me?"
(Orders are all Yeerks must be guarded at all times. Go, Yeerk.)
Illim came past the guard and was immediately flanked by an Andalite. He came to join me.
He looked incredibly annoyed. "I've just about had it up to here with your people. One more insult.."
(Silence, Yeerk,) the guard snapped.
"You're supposed to be guarding me, not ordering me around, Andalite."
(SILENCE!) Snapped the guard.
"No. I'm fed up with all this 'Yeerks must be guarded' and 'no Yeerks past this point'. It was the humans who won the war, not you."
(Illim did more to help the humans on Earth than all the Andalites in this spaceport put together, save Prince Aximili,) I added.
The guard turned to me. (That is treasonous talk, War- Prince Alloran.)
"How? There's no longer a war on."
(Do not be so insolent, Yeerk. The orders to guard all Yeerks come directly from Lirem- Arrepoth- Terrouss, head of the Council. If you want to go and argue it out with him, go ahead.)
"Just let me get a few witnesses, and then show me to him. I will."
I was shocked, but remembered that Illim did not know who Lirem was. (Leave Illim under my supervision, Tetron- Serenial- Maheen. I will supervise him.)
Tetron looked a little doubtful. (Go!) I snapped, again using my 'visser voice' although not quite to the extent I had used it on the bridge that morning.
Tetron quickly backed away. (Yes, War- Prince Alloran.)
( I would not advise arguing with Lirem, Illim. He's one of the most influential Andalites and he can be short- tempered and is inclined to punish people harshly.)
"Is he as bad as Visser 1? Current Visser 1."
(Good point,) I admitted. (But I still feel it would be unwise to draw his attention to you.)
"Don't you have family to meet, Alloran?"
(Yes, but..)
"Go. Tidwell can 'supervise me'."
(I don't think they'll be happy with a human…)
"Just go, Alloran."
I trotted to the exit from the spaceport. There, just outside the last building, were Jahar and my two children. I had not seen them for so long, so very long. My slow trot quickly sped up into a flat out gallop. I reached them, and Jahar threw herself into my arms. I rested my head on hers. There are no words that can convey what either of us felt in that moment. We drew apart, and I turned to face the rest of my family.
My son had grown into a strong warrior. He held his tail high and focused only his main eyes forwards, his stalk eyes scanning. I do not think I had previously felt so proud as I did in that moment.
I turned my eyes onto my daughter. I can only say she was beautiful. She bore every resemblance to her mother, her movements flowing and graceful.
(This is your father,) Jahar said, introducing me. I embraced both children.. well, they were no longer children. I sighed mentally. I had missed so much.
We then all galloped back towards the spaceport. I think my children were a little nervous to speak to me: after all, they didn't remember me. Jahar did most of the talking, filling me in on everything that I'd missed.
(Baras is now of Warrior rank. He excelled in aristh training at the Academy. Marili is studying adanced xeno- biology at the University of Scientific Studies.)
I was impressed with my daughter's progress. It was an advanced level of study (although not as advanced as studying at the University of Advanced Scientific Theory, where my brother Arbat used to teach, before he died).
(Are there humans back at the spaceport, father? They have interesting biology, I would like to ask them about it.)
(There will also be a few Hork- Bajir and Yeerks. Well, nothlit Yeerks. But don't expect the Hork- Bajir to know all that much about their biology.)
(Yeerks!) My son said in horror. (We fight the Yeerks! Why are we letting them onto our planet?)
(Because they are tourists, just like the humans and the Hork- Bajir. And we are no longer at war with the Yeerk Empire, thankfully.)
(But Yeerks…)
(Many of the Yeerks here have risked their lives trying to help the humans, betraying the rest of their species. I didn't see many Andalites helping: in fact, if I remember correctly, the fleet was planning to annihilate Earth to stop the Yeerks. So you just keep your thoughts to yourself.)
When we entered the spaceport, Illim was sat in a corner, obviously trying to blend into the background. He stood when he saw us approach.
I introduced them. My son looked disdainfully at Illim, but said nothing. I was worried; even my son was filled with the hatred that all my people seemed to bear. How was I going to fit back in whilst keeping my friendship with Illim intact?
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