Pheonix Feathers – Chapter 16
Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill stared at the Time Matrix. He was a war-prince. A war-prince! And he was scared of this thing? It was just a white sphere, albeit a huge, glowing one. He felt at once attracted and repealed by it. He longed to touch it. Not since Elfangor had any Andalite, truly any being, had so much power resting on his tail. But still, he shook with the thought. He was glad that there were no other Andalites on his tiny ship. What would they think, to see the great Aximili tremble, in the presence of a mere object? Still… he knew what it was. He knew what it could do. With this object, he could do anything. He could go back to the beginning, kill Seerow before he could perpetrate his Kindness. Stop the invasion of earth, and save his friends, save Rachel. Save family.
The Andalite home world had not been a happy place after the Yeerks were driven away from earth. No one had imagined how deep their penetration into the home planet had gone. With their defeat on earth, the Yeerks had decided to rage open war on the planet. Few ships had been nearby to help, so the Andalite people themselves, women and children included, had risen up to help in the fight. The Yeerks had been eradicated from the planet, but not until many Andalites, including Ax's own mother and father, had been killed. It was one of his greatest regrets that he was never able to go see them again after the war on earth was over.
But no. He could do nothing. He turned his eye stalks to the bow, looking out into space. His small ship orbited his home planet, it taking up most of his view. It loomed before him, two suns faintly visible over the horizon. It was nighttime where his scoop was. Aximili lived alone, when he was on the home world, which admittedly wasn't often. He was an officer, so most times he was on his assigned ship, the Starblade, though at the moment he was in a small fighter-ship on a special errand. But even when he was at home, he couldn't seem to relate much to other Andalites any longer. They seemed… ignorant. Pointless, almost. Not that he was a human sympathizer, no; he had seen humans at their worst at the end of the war. The only beings he felt truly close to were his old friends, the Animorphs. Tobias especially. He had not seen Tobias since he had left earth, and though he was able to speak to him at moments when his ship was stationed near earth, (as Shorms, their thought-speak range was much wider than the normal range, like Mertil and his Shorm.) but only choppily, and for moments at a time. Tobias didn't really want to have anything to do with anyone, it seemed. Ax understood, he believed. Tobias was a vecol, too. Physically he was unharmed, of course… but his heart was crippled. He had lost his soul-mate. It was something no Andalite could hope to understand, but Aximili prided himself on the human in him. Or, he had. Now…
The humans were becoming far too much of a threat. He had been right in his predictions, so long ago. Humans progressed much, much faster than Andalites, indeed faster than any other race Aximili had heard of. They were now well capable of Z-space travel, and had developed their own sort of Shredders. In a few decades they could easily overcome the Andalites in technology! And that was something the Andalites could not have. They certainly couldn't have the humans in possession of the Time Matrix. They had stolen it, something Ax had brailed for its immorality, though he had been promptly ignored. The humans could not know what it is they had found. And Aximili had been trusted with it. His chest swelled with pride at the thought, though it was really just a privlidge, still, of being Elfangor's little brother. He was to hold it until whatever the Captain's plan was went into action. It had been a drag to fly all the way out to the Andalite home world, when he would just have to go right back to earth when he was called, but it was suspicious enough, having a huge ship like the Starblade undeclared in earth's orbit, and even primitive human sensors would pick the Time Matrix's energy signal from light-years away. Aximili sighed, gazing down at the planet below him. It was going to be a long stay in his tiny vessel; he supposed he might as well get comfortable. He trotted over to the small patch of grass provided for him, pressing his hoof into it, his tail blade still poised rigidly above his head. He knew there was no danger on the ship, but it was incredibly difficult not to be on guard constantly when he was standing but feet away from the most powerful weapon ever created.
Suddenly, the Time Matrix let out a loud, high pitched squeal. Ax instantly clasped his weak hands over his ears. That noise… he had heard nothing like it, not since the Howlers, on the Iskroot planet, so long ago… he cautiously raised his stalk eyes, gazing at the sphere. It glowed a deep, unnatural red.
The noise stopped as quickly at it had begun. A pale, soft blue, spilled over the Time Matrix, driving the red away…And suddenly, Aximili knew. Something, something had been changed. Ellimist? Ellimist, is that you? He called out, softly. There was no reply.
War-Prince Aximili! You are needed on the surface! We request that you land immediately! A voice barked, out of no where. Ax jumped, span around, and had his tail blade an inch from the view-screen before he realized where it had come from.
Haha, The Andalite on the screen laughed. Been confined in that crate for too long, Savior of the Humans. Come on down here, absorb some grass with us, tell us about the thing you're carrying.
Ax stood at attention. Yes, Council Member Falon-Garbek-Tagoush. I will be on the planet shortly.
The view screen went blank, leaving Aximili alone, his main eyes on the home planet, guiding his small ship toward it, but his stalk eyes unable to tare themselves away from the Time Matrix, wondering…
Somewhere, the Ellimist smiled. That was unwise, Crayak. In a battle of pure will, I clearly prevail over you, you know that.
Yes, filthy Peace-Maker. Crayak spat.
But when the Ellimist departed, Crayak smiled, too.