My avian structure and low bone density made it possible for me to stay vertically suspended in the warm air,as I suspected. The creature I had acquired resembled a kafit, an animal on the Home World which can also fly. Though I was an andalite on a mission, I took the time to enjoy the freedom that this form forded me, and though morphing for pleasure was discouraged, I indeed took great pleasure in riding the currents, and since I had not reported to the military, or the Electorate in some time, i felt no guilt for doing so.
I had three options, find a Dome Ship, find the Time Matrix, or find Loren. The first was next to impossible, and if the yeerks or the humans had not yet discovered the Time Matrix, I doubt I'd find it either, though it was the least appealing choice, locating Loren seemed to be my best chance at getting anywhere while I still had my freedom, while I was still significant and could make a difference in this stupid universe. I didn't even know where to begin looking for Loren, and when a warrior finds himself at a dilemma he usually must draw on his skills or his experience, I am very skilled at tracking but I doubted that the ability to distinguish between male and female hoof prints would help here so I again took a moment to collect my thoughts and a single memory floated to the surface of what had become a cesspool of experiences in my mind:
(You're parasites, that is simply all there is too it.) I remarked.
I was a young warrior, a member of an elite team given the exciting task of exploring a new planet and serving as diplomats to it's inhabitants. It was just as honorable as it was boring, so to pass the time, I engaged in arguments with the locals.
"Forrsh tske funal tyyme, bbblotskepcis biffit." Errune 3661 rebutted with his crude Ged mouth. Thankfully the translator chip took over.
"For the final time, both species benefit."
(I fail to see any benefits in losing total control of your own actions.)
"You have to be able to consider more than one point of view, remember, you're dealing with a species unlike any you've ever encountered, you need a new... well, consider this; I've learned quite a bit from my Ged host, we share certain things in common, he, like myself, prefers things at a bit higher temperatures, but he is stuck with the temperature that this planet's suns and air currents dictate, unless he makes a fire. He can't make a fire. He lacks the mental capacity in the same way that I lack the arms, hands, and opposable thumbs, but with our abilities combine, we can make the fire, we live in luxury while our fellow geds, our fellow yeerks still fall victim to weather patterns."
(I'd freeze in the vacuum of space before 'living in luxury' while my actions were dictated by another, if that is teamwork I want no part of it, I don't care if it can match wits with an Elimist, no slug is ever taking my brain.)
"You don't have to be so crass."
(Maybe not, you'll have to forgive me, I'm a bit restless these days.)
"I am soon to identify with that feeling, I must feed on kadrona soon, which means parting with this magnificent body."
(Yes, I am to return you to your companions in our artificial kadrona pool, and in three days I shall retrieve you, the Electorate wishes you to report to them as a representative of your Council of Thirteen.)
Three days came and went and I awoke with a dilemma, I was to retrieve Errune 3661 but we had not established any kind of plan for doing so, we had not yet tagged individual yeerks, and I was still unable to tell one from the other, there would be no way for me to find him in a pool of thousands. Seeing no other option, I did something I hated, I contacting my superior.
(What seems to be the problem?) queried Prince Seerow, and I told him of my problem. (Calm down Alloran, you know where to find him.)
(What do you mean? There are hundreds of them, don't even play like you can tell one from another.)
(I can't, of course, not by their appearance anyway.)
Ah Seerow, Seerow was honest.
(Warrior Alloran, you've been assigned to this yeerk the past few weeks, what do you know about him.)
(With all due respect we spent most of our time together arguing, we weren't forging life long friendships like you and your assignments.) I quipped, it was disrespectful but I didn't have time respect.
(Sometimes mere exposure to someone tells you more than you know, now, think, where might you find him?)
(Hmm... come to think of it he did mention, more than once I believe, that he preferred his conditions slightly warmer than most yeerks... the generator! The generator at the back of the kadrona pool, it's probably warmer closer to the generator.)
Sure enough only a few of the thousands of yeerks gathered close to the generator, and through trial and error, we found my assignment in a matter of minutes.
Seerow was wise.
At the end of the day, I was debriefed on the escort of my assignment to report to the Electorate. All the formalities had been exchanged and I was about to exit the command center when I turned to Prince Seerow.
(The yeerk, my assignment, he described his clumsy ged host as 'magnificent'.) I said.
(Well to one in his position its probably quite the upgrade.) Seerow responded.
(That's just it, if the yeerks see geds as some sort of prized resource, then you can't tell me that they haven't already begun seeting their sights on our graceful andalite bodies.)
(Alloran, you've learned so much so very quickly, you're a great student and a tremendous warrior, but you've still yet to learn one thing, and that troubles me.)
(What might that be?)
(Trust.)
Seerow was an idiot. It was Seerow's Trust, Seerow's Kindness that opened the floodgates and started this horrendous war.
still though, he helped me find my assignment, sometimes we know more about someone than we remember, and perhaps I could again apply that lesson to help me find Loren. What did I know about her? Her name, not even her last name, her face, but I doubt I'd recognize it at this point, her family...
Her father, she had said her father was a soldier, a veteran of the Vietnam war if I remember correctly, quite a tragic war if my... the visser's education on earth held up. I also knew that veterans in this country along with their families received some degree of government assistance, though computers were a relatively new advancement, humans were not shy about using them for important things, and I had no doubt that information about this assistance program was stored on some sort of computer.
Amazing really, how fast humans went from developing the combustion engine to developing vast networks of computers, the advancement of user interface happened shockingly fast, perhaps they were given some sort of assistance?