July 10, 2000 12:32 AM
TOBY
My name is Toby Hamee. My people call me a seer. According to the English Language, a seer is someone who can foretell the future. I can't see the future, but to my fellow Hork-Bajir, it must seem that way. Except to my parents. They know better. My father may not be very smart, but he is most assuredly wise, the wisdom you can only get by being out there in the world. I can only hope to be that wise someday, by living.
And living is what I'm doing now. Learning about the world. After my fellow Hork-Bajir taught me all they could, the Chee took it upon themselves to tutor me. I have been taught by many great Chee who have been seen much of the world. Sir Isaac Newton's assistant. A student of Aristotle. George Washington's maid.
As much as my fellow Hork-Bajir's simpleness can frustrate me, I take comfort in their simpleness when I realize that simple minds are poor breeding grounds for treachery. I am constantly reminded of this by my dealings with the humans.
The Animorphs. Human and Andalite minds are fertile grounds for treachery.
I had been invited to what my namesake, Tobias, called an "emergency war council". I had a feeling this had to do with David Hunting. This human can almost define "treachery" or "misguided nobility". I can see David Hunting's intentions are good, but there is an old human saying, "the road to Hell was paved by good intentions."
We were in the valley of my people. Tobias was here. Erek the Chee was here. Rachel, the animorph, had been here most of the day. I watched as two bats and a horned owl land on the ground and change shape.
Aximili, Marco, and Cassie.
"I want to go on record and say this is fucked up." Marco said. In moments of fear or frustration, humans will often resort to vulgarity. For all my intelligence, I still don't understand this.
>I realize this is 'fucked up', Marco, but necessary all the same.> Tobias retorted.
"You want to know what's fucked up? Why are you not wearing a shirt?" Rachel asked.
"Are you kidding me?" Marco responded as if Rachel was crazy. "It's ninety fucking degrees in the middle of the night. I'd take my skin off if I could."
>I, too, have reservations, Tobias.> Aximili stated. >It feels as if we are betraying Prince Jake.>
"To catch a traitor, you gotta become one." Marco said bitterly.
>We're not betraying Jake or David. Nor are we committing treason, however that term would apply to us.> Tobias responded. >We all decided if our suspicions were correct, the best course of action would be not to include Jake. Jake would take the safe way out in this situation. You know that.>
"Are our suspicions correct?" Cassie asked.
Tobias cocked his hawk head to Rachel. Rachel was seething, looking down at the ground.
"Yes. Everything we suspected is true." Rachel hissed. "I saw it for myself in cockatiel morph. He has a heavy relationship with Melissa Chapman. He has a cloaked ship. Too large to be a Bug Fighter, which means Blade Ship."
"More specifically, the Sea Blade." Marco deduced.
"That horrible weapon the Yeerks built for my mutated brethren?" I asked.
>Yes. David now has a powerful weapon, and enough cunning to do some serious damage with it. Our question is 'Do we trust David?' 'Do we know he won't do something horrible?'> Tobias explained.
"He's already done something horrible. He's let loose his perversions on a weak, misguided girl!" Rachel exploded. I knew why she was upset. This Melissa girl they spoke of was a friend of hers.
"I don't know that's a fair judgment of Melissa, Rachel, but David can be very charming and charismatic when he wants to, and he knows it." Cassie said.
"Do you think the relationship is a fake?" Marco asked.
"Meaning what?" Rachel accused.
"Meaning, does David really care about Melissa, or is he using her?"
"David gains no strategic value with a relationship with the girl. If anything, he's putting himself at risk." I pointed out.
"Not just himself, but all of us." Marco amended.
"I don't think even David knows how he feels about her. We all remember how love has not been kind to him in the past." Cassie added.
>Which brings up another point.> Tobias said. >Erek, tell them.>
"Sub-visser five hundred nine has been contacting David." Erek explained. "The transmissions are scrambled yet broadly cast. Then they disappear entirely. Which can only happen if somehow the signal is being masked such that we can't trace it."
"How can the Chee not trace a signal? Don't you have the top technology in the universe?" Rachel asked.
"My masters, the Pemalites, were technological geniuses, but cryptology was a limited field for them. They used it for games, not to hide secrets."
"During the brief time David resided in this valley, he had a computer that he seemed to talk to alot." I mentioned.
>Yes, the mysterious Ayla. I heard this name mentioned several times while we were living together.> Aximili added.
>We also know that David has had contact with an alien race called the Dayangs. We know this because he acquired and morphed one.> Tobias said.
"The Dayang race has the most sophisticated encryption technology in existence. Not even we Chee can crack it." Erek explained.
>It is ingenious in its simplicity. Our scientist have theorized it is based on a property of plintoharmonic physics which-->
"And . . . . . snooze!" Marco said. "Basically, we're fucked."
>We are not fucked, Marco. If anything, the Yeerks are fucked.> Tobias said.
"Along with perhaps half the galaxy!"
>The full capabilities of the Sea Blade is unknown. The computer program named Ayla, may or may not be based on the sentient Chee program. Either way its full capabilities are not known. His Dayang encryption is unfathomable.> Aximili summed up.
"Especially since it can be used both ways." Erek said. "He could conceivably use it to break any code in the galaxy. No electronic knowledge in the galaxy is safe from him. Including me. He could very well tap into my circuits via the Chee-net and witness everything that I'm witnessing. We also know he's visited the Pemalite Ship and helped himself to a few of our equipment."
"We experienced that first hand during our last trip to the Yeerk Pool." Rachel brought up.
"He implanted some kind of device. He now knows whenever someone enters, leaves, or moves the ship."
"That could be a security precaution against the Yeerks." Cassie suggested.
>Maybe. It is clear that David is a threat to all of his enemies.> Tobias said.
"But is David our enemy?" I asked. "He is genuinely interested in the well-being of my people."
"A possible army at his disposal." Marco suggested.
"As much as we respect David, my father would never agree to that. Only Jake could summon us so freely. In addition to all this, do not forget the secret project he's got planning on my home world."
>David likes his secrets. That may be something we can count on. There's nothing we can do about the Blade Ship or Ayla, but like I said, David likes his secrets. He's also kinda theatrical.> Tobias said.
"Of course." Cassie said. "He won't use any of his power full force until he's ready for it to be public."
"He likes to operate in the shadows, then unveils his master plan like he's releasing King Kong." Marco said.
"You would mention King Kong, Marco." Rachel joked. Later, Erek explained to me that King Kong was a story about a giant gorilla. Gorilla is Marco's main battle morph.
>I'm mainly concerned with two things: Melissa and Stephanie.> Tobias said.
"We can't tell Jake about Melissa. He'll insist she join us, and David will go ape-shit." Marco deduced.
"And encountering Stephanie again could tear him apart. Figuratively speaking." Cassie stated.
>Erek, I think we need you to leave.> Tobias said.
"I understand. Good luck." Erek said as he walked away.
"Through no fault of their own, we can't even trust the Chee anymore. This is ridiculous. Either David's an enemy and we fear him, or he isn't and we don't." Marco gripped.
"One should always have a healthy respect of their allies." I said. I think they understood my meaning. "Why am I here, Tobias? Out of all of us, I've had the least experience with David."
>I think David left you something.> Tobias accused.
"His old computer." I answered truthfully.
>Toby . . .> Tobias pressured.
"And a Bug Fighter." I admitted.
"He gave you a Bug Fighter?!" Marco exploded.
"For emergency purposes only." I said. "That is why I don't think David is of any harm to us."
>He remains a danger to himself. We must find out what he's planning. We have to find the Sea Blade.> Tobias said. >We need your ship, Toby.>