Chapter Two

It was about two days later and I was on my free hour. For some reason, I had decided to join the Sharing, a front organization for the Yeerks, on their little getaway in the mountains. It was beautiful country. The forest was wonderful and the lake was stunning. I wanted to change to my Malianith form and swim through the clear waters, but there were too many non-Controllers in the area.

So I contented myself to walk through the woods. I heard voices and at first dismissed them as a couple of kids that had broken off from the main group. Then I heard mention of 'Andalite bandits.' My head jerked up and I was instantly alert. Could they possibly be at the lake? Watching everything?

I knew I should just leave it alone, in case the Visser asked. Then again, he wasn't there and I didn't have to tell him everything I did on my free hour. That's why I snuck up on the three voices. I recognized one of them as Erek, a Controller. I didn't know the other boy or the girl. I was close enough to hear what they were saying, and, unfortunately, thinking. My telepathy was acting up, again.

The boy I didn't know was confused. Something about Erek being impossibly old, something about androids. I tried to block it. I didn't want to see into anyone's mind. But just like during my training session, I couldn't keep the thoughts out no matter how hard I tried. The boy was human, but he had memories of terrifying morphs. He had a memory of Elfangor.

Erek had memories that no boy his age should have. He remembered Egyptian pyrimads being built, Shakespearian plays being shown for the first time. He remembered a world full of life and fun, a world where no predators roamed. There was a strange quality to his memories, though. They were perfectly preserved, like videos. It was the same with the girl.

I couldn't take anymore. I rushed out of there as fast as I could. My hour was almost up, anyway, so I headed to the bug fighter that would take me back to the Pool ship. When I got there, I returned to the Visser's side, where I stayed for the rest of the day. While he slept, I went to my tank.

I didn't sleep. My telepathy was still on the fritz. I caught random bits of the Visser's dreams, mostly of battles he'd been in and the hosts he had had. Amid the bits were memories of my homeworld, how he laughed as he lead the invasion force.

There was one memory from that bit that caught my full attention. Ba'giroth was sprawled on the floor before the Visser, his body split open from neck to abdomen, his eyes lifeless. My breath caught in my throat and my eyes went wide. That had to be just a dream, a wish that he sorely wanted to fulfill. I wanted to believe that it was a dream, but there was a nagging voice in the back of my head. It would explain a lot, like why he never spoke to me, not even to curse me.

But there was only one way to be certain. I pushed up and out of the tank. By the time I pulled myself onto the floor, I was human. The Visser's stalk eyes opened for a brief moment, but I could see that it was a flash of memory that had caused it. I remained still, not even breathing, until his eyes closed again. He may have been sleeping, but I didn't want to give him a reason to wake up.

His eyes shut and I sighed in relief as I pushed myself to my feet. It was easy enough to reach the holding tank for Ba'giroth. I was the Visser's right hand, no one was going to stop me. I did expect some troubles when I reached the tank. It was under constant guard and I wasn't supposed to go in alone. I had tried it once, when I first made the deal, and had been locked in my tank for three weeks as punishment.

Thus my surprise when I arrived and there were no guards outside the door. I instantly went on alert. This wasn't right. I opened my mind to those around me, not that I really needed to. The only mind within two hundred yards was behind the door. I tried the door and it opened with ease. Now I knew something was wrong. Either that or I had somehow come to the wrong place. Every time I visited, the Visser made a big show of all of the security on the tank.

Inside, however, was the familiar room with the raised tank that held Ba'giroth. There was a Malianith in the tank, all right, but it wasn't Ba'giroth. There were similarities, to be certain, but it wasn't him. This stranger was sleeping, so I opened his mind and searched through it. With each thought I read, my anger grew.

Ba'giroth was dead, killed by the Visser. This Malianith before me was a cousin and had many of the same genetic traits as Ba'giroth, thus his ability to make himself look like my mentor. He was Haniro, yet he willingly did the Visser's bidding. After each time I visited, he laughed at me and my ignorance. I could see it all so clearly, now.

In exchange for his cooperation, the Visser gave him whatever he wanted: rare foods, rare weapons, even his choice of Malinaith females in the breeding program.

I felt sick. How could I let myself be fooled?

I wanted to kill the traitor. I could see it happening in my mind. I would sneak up on him, it would be easy. Just let my arm fin make a clean slice, where didn't matter. The poison would do the rest of the work. It would be quick, only thirty seconds, but the pain would make it seem like it lasted for hours.

I could feel the rush from the kill. I could… I could hear Ba'giroth telling me, (There is no honor in killing those who cannot defend themselves. The Haniro who does such a thing shames himself and his family. In the eyes of the Water Mother and Warrior Father, he has committed an atrocity that must be punished. Attacking the defensless is the best way to loose your soul.)

The Haniro in the tank would be defenseless against me. I couldn't go against everything I believed in. If I did that I would loose everything. I left the room and wandered about the ship, dazed and confused. I wanted to hurt something, anything, but none of the people on the ship were enough to take me on. Especially if they weren't expecting an attack. Defenseless against me. Safe from me.

Erek. I had to find Erek. He wouldn't be on the ship. I wasn't even sure when his next scheduled pool stop was. I sighed and went back to the Visser's quarters. He still slept soundly, so I quietly slipped back into my tank and returned to Malianith. I wouldn't attack him. He was defenseless when he slept.

Then I thought back to that afternoon. Erek had been talking to a human who could morph. If that were true, then it was likely that most, if not all, of the other 'Andalites' were actually humans. Erek could give them some information. I could give them more. I was always present at the Visser's meetings. I could give them all the information they needed. Spy on the Visser. It sounded fitting after two years of zero privacy. Besides, Ba'giroth had always taught me that the Water Mother works in mysterious ways. Perhaps this was what she had meant for me all along.