#27 – Feral
LIrem-Arrepoth-Terrouss observed the communique between Elfangor's brother and his parents until the connection was severed. (What happened?) he asked sharply of the Halas-Corain lad…Ithileran, his name was. Lirem thought.
Ithileran accessed the communications readout. (The transmission was severed. On his end,) he clarified.
Lirem thought quickly, though there was much to think about. (Your first order is to place a call to Planetary Security. Have them send four officers to Elfangor's parents' homestead. Noorlin-Sirinial-Cooraf and Forlay-Esgarrouth-Maheen are to have no communication with anyone until further orders are issued.)
Lirem considered his next move while Ithileran followed his first order. He recounted the conversation he'd just had with young Aximili and tried to assert the positive and negatives associated with that conversation.
The negative: the Yeerks were at Earth in force. This had already been known, but the extent had not been. High Command had been afraid that sending in spies after the destruction of the GalaxyTree would only serve to hasten the Yeerks' infiltration – that it would scare them into hurrying. At the time, Lirem and the Council had agreed. Now, it looked as if the Yeerks had rushed into it, anyway.
Even worse, Elfangor had broken the law of Seerow's Kindness. He had given the morphing technology to humans. That was very bad news. But Lirem had already taken the first step to righting that wrong – he'd gotten Aximili to assume blame. In the unlikely event that the people ever found out that Seerow's Kindness had been broken on Earth, there would be a willing scapegoat.
The positive: there was some resistance to the Yeerks on Earth. There was something for them to think about. Aximili and his human friends would not be able to do anything to actually slow the Yeerks down – as a matter of fact, all they would be able to manage would be to get themselves killed – but it would be enough to convince the Yeerks that the bulk of the Andalite military had no interest in Earth. That was good. That was a very large part of the framework of Directive Nineteen.
(Sir? Planetary Security has received their orders and is carrying them out.) Ithileran looked stressed, and Lirem did not much blame him. He'd been privy to quite a bit of classified information, and he knew it.
(Good work. Now, delete the records of Aximili's communication, and then summon a transport bound for Council Headquarters,) Lirem ordered.
Ithileran accessed his communication panel and did as he was asked. When the records were gone, he called Transportation Control. (Please report: transport to Communications Array. Destination - Council Headquarters. Passengers – one.)
(Two passengers,) Lirem corrected absently. Ithileran's stalk eyes snapped up, and Lirem saw fear. (You're coming with me.)
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Head of Protocol, Yallsith, droned on. Lirem was barely listening from his position at the head of the panel. (…furthermore, you, Ithileran-Halas-Corain, swear to keep the proceedings herein confidential until declassified. Do you swear these things on your family's honor?)
(I do so swear,) Ithileran said.
Everyone on the council looked to Lirem. None of them had any clue why the emergency meeting had been called, or why the Assistant to the Head of Planetary Communications was being sworn in. Lirem leaned toward Ithileran slightly and spoke in his most serious voice. (Have no fear, Assistant Halas-Corain. You are here simply because you happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. After I tell the Council our story, they may have questions for you. They may not. The real reason you are here is to impart a sense of our…seriousness. You have been party to confidential material, and I must be absolutely certain you will keep said material confidential. Can you do that?)
Ithileran's right front hoof tried to tap nervously into the grass of the Council floor, but he managed to stop it almost immediately. (Yes sir, I can and will. I have sworn.)
Lirem relaxed; he believed the lad. (All is well, then.) Lirem went on to tell the story of Aximili's unauthorized communication in complete detail, including the steps Lirem had already taken toward covering it up. The mood in the room went from confused, to concerned, to anxious. When Lirem was finished, he looked again at Ithileran. (Have I left anything out, Assistant?)
Ithileran thought before replying, (No, Head Councilor. Your account was accurate.)
Lirem looked at his fellow councilors. (You know what has happened and what has been done about it. Now I ask: what else, if anything, should be done?)
Predictably, the Liason to High Command spoke up. (I move that Andalite Military High Command be informed of this development immediately.)
Silence followed. No one seconded the motion, and Lirem breathed a silent sigh of relief. It was second nature for the Council to leave High Command out of the loop, but it was still a relief to see that they would do so again, and on a matter of such importance.
Councilor Reegan waited a respectful amount of time to let the first motion die before speaking. (I believe the only thing for us to discuss is young Aximili. What should we do about him?) she asked calmly.
Intiss suggested a stealth extraction which was voted down by two-thirds majority. The military would have to be involved in a mission like that, and the Council was still against involving them.
Reegan spoke again after the motion was voted down. (The question is this – can we afford to leave him there? His brother has already disregarded the Law of Seerow's Kindness. How likely is it that Aximili will do the same? In ten years, are we going to have two enemies? Yeerks and humans?)
(Assistant Halas-Corain, please leave the room,) Undaar commanded. Undaar, as the Council's Sergeant at Arms, had this right. Ithileran, looking glad to be excused, quickly exited.
When he was gone, Undaar looked around gravely. (This is nonsense. This whole discussion is nonsense. If we truly mean to go through with Directive Nineteen, it does not matter what goes on on Earth.)
Reegan, who had been Directive Nineteen's staunchest opponent, said calmly, (It is not. The Directive relies on the Yeerks completing their infiltration in the same manner as the Hork-Bajir Home World. If there is any chance Aximili disrupts that pattern, the Directive could fail. And if Directive Nineteen is tried and it fails, the Council will be no more.)
Undaar scratched the battle scar on his chest. (Have we not learned from the Hork-Bajir? Is it not time to bring the High Command into the fold and let the military go and fight for Earth?)
(We will not discuss Directive Nineteen again!) Lirem shouted, and everyone on the Council jumped. (Stage One is already in progress. We have decided that Earth is a reasonable price to pay to end the Yeerk threat, and we will not waste time rehashing the same arguments!) Lirem made eye contact with every one of his fellow councilors before continuing. (In my opinion, Aristh Aximili will go against my orders. He will help the humans fight in any way he can, including breaking Seerow's Kindness. In my opinion, he has gone feral already. The question is this – will that be enough to disrupt Directive Nineteen? Because if that is a possibility, I move to send an assassination team for Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill now. If it does not seem possible that he can disrupt the directive, then I move to classify the matter and move on.) He waited.
Undaar was the first to speak. (I second the move to classify Aximili's file. I further move to inform his parents that the interruption in his communication was caused by his death.)
Lirem saw the brilliance in that suggestion immediately. (Second Councilor Undaar's motion. I call a vote on both motions as one.)
A chorus of (I so vote yes) filled the Council's chamber. And with it, the fate of Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill and Earth was decided.
By the Andalite High Council, at least.