This chapter has been rewritten, so I hope you enjoy it more now! I used parentheses for thought speech in this one because for some reason it's not allowing the arrows.

Kaetila

(Aaaah!) I cried in thought speech as I frantically pushed buttons on the panels. I was hurtling down to Earth! If I didn't do something to slow this down soon I would be crash landing. Once again, this was looking like a nightmare that felt horribly real.

As I stopped for a moment and stared at the quickly approaching surface of the planet, I entertained the notion of just letting myself crash. But that would be selfish – I had to survive, at least to help the Andalite bandits.

WARNING! SEVERE DAMAGE! EARTH'S GRAVITATIONAL PULL BECOMING HAZARDOUS! The computer warned.

(I KNOW, YOU IDIOT COMPUTER!) I screamed, hysterically, my patience snapping. Why couldn't computers tell you useful things in emergencies rather than the obvious?

(Ohh... I groaned. What am I going to do?) I searched for a button that might release a parachute…anything to slow down the fighter. Then I realized it would probably be more sensible to just find something that would cushion my body if I did crash land, which was looking more likely by the second.

Meanwhile, my ship hurtled faster down to the planet. Flames came up around the ship. It was speeding up. We were in atmosphere!

WE ARE NOW IN ATMOSPHERE! The computer said dully. IMPACT MAY BE DEADLY DUE TO DESTRUCTION OF LANDING EQUIPMENT!

I watched as we zoomed down through puffy, white clouds.

(Oh. No.) I said, now staring, transfixed at the ground.

FWOOOSH! Flames engulfed the outside of the ship.

(Aaaaah!) I screamed as I was flung to the back wall. Ow! My back! I closed all four of my eyes, terrified, and began to repeat the ritual of death.

(I…I am the servant of my people.) It was a lie. I had only ever been the servant of myself. I continued anyway. (I am the servant of my prince, I am the servant of honor…) I stopped, realizing I didn't want to spend the final moments of my life lying to myself. I thought of the last Prince I had served, Prince Ylairn. I felt so much shame that I had panicked on him like some kind of child. Now I was alone, the last of the warriors of my ship.

All because I was a coward. And instead of dying a death of bravery like the others had, I would die a failure's death – the last alive simply because I hadn't fought well enough.

(No,) I said. (I…I am not a coward.) I opened all four of my eyes. I had tried. I had tried to fight, and now I would face my death.

The ship hurtled down, and down, and down, and

BOOOOM!

It hit the ground. I was thrown forward. I landed hard, on the panel, bouncing off and landing on the busted glass of my shield.

(Oh! Ahh!) I lay in pain. Glass pieces had cut into my back and my sides.

I slowly began to black out as I just lay there, in pain. I found it difficult to breathe, as I had hit the control panel with my chest, and it had knocked the wind out of me. I looked down with my eyestalks and saw my chest quickly turning purplish.

Had to get up...had to morph and demorph so I wouldn't... The Yeerks...they would come...they would find my ship and if I were still...

I woke later from the pain. It was early morning. My vision was still dazed and blurred though. I sucked in breath through my nose desperately and my chest was again pierced with agony as I breathed.

(Ah!)

That was when I saw the two Hork-Bajir standing over me. No...one...my vision was making doubles...

"Visser, I think I found one!" He pointed something at me - a Dracon beam. I nearly screamed but I was too weak.

HE now stood over me, looking down at me.

(Well well well..). Visser Three, the Yeerk warlord in control of Earth chuckled. (What have we here? Yes...I recognize you. Hmm...You're a little banged up. Here, why don't you come with me?)

(N-no...) I protested weakly, raising my right arm. I stared at it in shock.

It was covered in glass cuts and glass protruding from those cuts.

He chuckled again at my dazed expression of shock at them.

(Oh but I do not think you are in any condition to refuse.)

"Visser, her chest-"

(Yes, yes, I know,) his stalk eyes were looking at my chest. His main eyes were set on mine and he gave me a fake sweet smile. (Don't worry-) Then I couldn't hear much of what else he said. I was blacking out from pain again...And it was so hard to breathe suddenly.

(My my,) he was now saying to his subordinate. (We'll just take her back to the nice big Blade ship with us and get her all fixed up for her new master.) He laughed again.

(N-noo...) I sobbed, and fell back, exhausted, unconscious, as several Hork- Bajir grabbed my legs and began to drag me away...to the Blade ship.