Chapter 15
{There's the observatory,} I announced.
It had been an uneventful flight, although a little long. It was currently 5:30 p.m, so most humans had left for the day. That left us an hour to make the call, and an hour to fly back and meet up with Erek.
Plenty of time.
{The lights seem to mostly be off inside,} said Marco.
{We'll fly a complete circle around the outside, and if it's safe we'll go inside,} commanded Prince Jake.
Two minutes later, we had concluded it was relatively safe.
{Marco, stay in osprey morph and fly overwatch. Ax, you and I are going in.}
{Yes, Prince Jake.}
Prince Jake and I flew in and demorphed. The place was empty. Prince Jake went into his tiger morph.
{Ready?} he asked.
{Ready,} I confirmed.
I walked over to the controls of the telescope and got to work. I had done this before, so it wasn't very hard.
However, I would have to maintain perfect concentration to keep the transmission stable.
{Andalite home…} I ordered the computer. {Andalite home.}
A few seconds later, a face appeared.
{Who is this?} an Andalite demanded.
{This is Aristh Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill. I am…}
{Aximili!} the other Andalite exclaimed. {Are you aware that everyone thinks you are dead?}
{No. Why does everyone believe I am dead?} I wondered.
{You were last seen at the battle of Leera. There was a huge explosion. We searched for your body for days, but found nothing. You were presumed dead.}
{Yes, I was there,} I confirmed. {But seconds before the explosion, I disappeared and reappeared on Earth.}
{How?} the other Andalite asked, confused.
{I am not certain. However, I believe it was the result of an undocumented morphing phenomenon resulting from a ship passing close by my excess mass being stored in Zero-space.}
Now the other Andalite looked even more confused. I didn't blame him.
The Andalite turned to address someone off the screen. Then he turned back to me.
{Aximili, someone would like to speak to you.}
The face on the computer screen vanished, before being replaced by another face. This face, I recognized.
{Commander Galuit!} I exclaimed in surprise.
{Aximili!} he said. Galuit smiled at me with his eyes. {I am very glad to see you alive and well.}
{Same for you, Sir.}
{What is the purpose of your transmission?} he asked.
{I am here to report on the state of Earth. Additionally, I would like to speak with my family if possible.}
Commander Galuit gestured to an Andalite I couldn't see.
{Your family is being summoned,} Galuit said. {In the meantime, what can you tell me about Earth?}
{The first thing I would like to report is that Visser Three…is dead.} I said.
Galuit turned all four of his eyes to face me.
{Are you certain?} he asked skeptically.
{Very,} I answered.
{Did you kill him yourself?}
{No, Sir,} I answered. {One of the humans I fight alongside with. One of the humans who you met on Leera.}
{Ah,} he answered. {That human has done a great deed for the Andalites, as well as for all free people who fight the Yeerks.}
{Indeed,} I agreed.
{Anything else of interest on Earth?}
I racked my brain. What could help my people?
{The Yeerks have been experimenting with technology,} I answered. {They have successfully managed to clone the extinct species of Venber, and attempted to create an anti-morphing ray. However, we destroyed it before we could find out if it worked or not.}
{Interesting,} Galuit commented.
{Additionally, there is a colony of freed Hork-Bajir who reside on Earth.} I added.
That got his complete attention. {A colony of free Hork-Bajir?}
Commander Galuit asked several questions regarding the free Hork-Bajir. I told him the size of the colony, the approximate date it formed, and about Toby, the Hork-Bajir seer. Galuit asked if they had any ships or weapons.
{They do not,} I answered. {However, they have assisted us many times on missions, and have been influential in our fight against the Yeerks.}
{Very well,} Galuit said. {I take it that the Earth-based free Hork-Bajir are not involved with the situation on the Hork-Bajir homeworld?}
{Not directly,} I responded. {However, not long ago, an Arn landed on Earth to collect DNA from the free Hork-Bajir, and used it to…}
{An Arn?} Galuit interrupted. {But they were thought to be extinct!}
{That's what I thought, too,} I said. {But apparently we were mistaken.}
{Apparently so,} Galuit agreed. He turned as someone addressed him. {Aximili, your mother has been contacted and is ready to speak with you. I will transfer the transmission. However, after you are done speaking with her, my science officer would like to talk to you, if you don't mind.}
{Not at all,} I said. {Thank you again, Sir.}
{Of course. Oh wait, one more thing. After you were presumed dead, you were posthumously promoted to the rank of Warrior. Obviously, you are not dead, but the promotion remains in effect. Good luck with your future battles against the Yeerks, Warrior Aximili.}
I felt my legs tremble. {Thank you Sir.}
Galuit smiled at me once more, before disappearing, his face replaced by my mother's face.
I almost lost the connection, but I managed to hold on.
{Hi, Mom,} I managed.
{Aximili!} my mother exclaimed. {I can't believe it! We were told you had died on Leera!}
{I'm okay, Mom.} I said.
{And now they're saying you killed Visser Three! You're a big hero, Aximili.}
I blushed. {I didn't kill Visser Three, Mom. One of the humans did.}
{Oh. Well, to me, you're still a hero, Aximili.} my mother said.
I looked at my mother. It had been so long since I'd seen her. She had creases around her eyes, and her fur had grown more tan, signs of aging. Behind her I could see the familiar grass of my family's scoop.
{I've missed you,} I said. {I miss home. I miss the taste of our grass.}
{I've missed you too, Aximili,} my mother smiled. {Congratulations on being promoted to Warrior.}
{Thanks, Mom.}
There was an awkward pause.
{So, how is Earth?} she asked.
{There are definitely positives,} I said. I spun a stalk eye to look at Prince Jake. {But our home is better.}
{There are rumors that after the war is over, Earth will be a popular tourist location,} Mom said. {I have seen pictures of Earth, it looks beautiful.}
{It is beautiful,} I confirmed. {But it can be dangerous, too. There are several deadly Earth animals.}
{Earth is a fascinating planet,} she said. {I have studied it extensively. It has the most species of any known planet in the galaxy.}
{Some species are better off unstudied,} I said, thinking of my terrifying experience in ant morph. {Mother, I wish I had more time, but I must be leaving soon. And Commander Galuit's science officer wishes to speak to me before I do.}
{Oh really, what for?} my mom asked.
{I believe he wishes to ask questions about my morphing phenomenon,} I said. {It is the reason why I was on Leera in the first place.}
{Interesting,} Mom said. {Did you know I worked with Escafil during the creation of the morphing cube?}
{Really?} I asked, shocked. {I did not know that.}
{Well, I was a secretary in the same building as him,} Mom clarified. {I did not do any work on the cube itself.}
{Ah,} I said. Then, a thought occurred to me. {Mother, do you know what happens to someone's excess mass that is stored in Zero-space if someone becomes a Nothlit?}
{No,} she admitted. {I am not a scientist. However, I do know one thing. The morphing power was created on accident.}
{What?!} I gasped. {How?}
Mom looked around carefully, I assume making sure nobody was within listening range.
Mom lowered her voice to a whisper. {Escafil's goal when creating the morphing cube was to send a creature's mind into Zero-space temporarily. But he was unsuccessful. The mind of the creature being acquired only went into Zero-space for about ten seconds. Escafil wanted this effect to last much longer.}
{The acquisition trance!} I exclaimed.
{Exactly,} my mother confirmed. {The acquisition trance, now considered to be a side effect of morphing, is the original intended effect. It wasn't until several years later that Escafil realized that instead of sending another creature's mind into Zero-space, he could send his own body.}
{But why would Escafil want to put another creature in a trance?} I asked.
My mother lowered her stalk eyes to the ground. {Escafil…he was a serial rapist.}
No.
I took a step backwards. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. Escafil was seen as a genius among Andalites, the Andalite version of Einstein. He was seen as a hero, a pioneer.
And he was a serial rapist.
I almost dropped the connection, but barely, just barely, I maintained it.
And then, an even worse thought emerged from the darkest corner of my mind.
{Mom, how do you know all this?} I wondered. {Were you…} My voice trailed off, unable to finish the question.
{No,} she said firmly, knowing what I was thinking. {But one of my best friends was. Another secretary, who worked at the desk next to me. That…incident…is actually why I quit. I thought I might be next.}
{Did you contact law enforcement?} I asked.
She smiled a sad smile with her eyes. {I did. Anonymously. But, just as the authorities were closing in, Escafil discovered the true power of the blue box. He discovered he could morph. And he passed it off as if it was the original intention of the Escafil device. And then: he sold the box to the Andalite government, in exchange for a full pardon of his despicable crimes.}
{So, is he…still out there?} I wondered. {Is Escafil still doing…what he did?}
{No,} my mother answered. And then she smiled again. This time, it was a real smile. {Escafil was killed. By the daughter of one of his victims.}
{Good riddance,} I said.
{Agreed,} my mother said. {Why did you ask about the excess mass from Nothlits?}
I decided to tell Mom everything, including that I had morphed a Yeerk. I described killing the human police officers on the highway. I told her of infesting Visser Three, and seeing his memories. I told her what happened when the Visser's two hour time limit elapsed, and seeing the gruesome sight of the graveyard of decaying Andalites in Zero-space. I even told her how the experience had affected me, how I hadn't slept much last night due to the nightmares, and how eating, an activity that I used to enjoy, now brought back painful memories of my brother getting devoured.
My mother looked at me with sorrow in her eyes.
{I'm so sorry,} she said. {But Aximili, please promise me something. Promise me you'll never speak to another Andalite about this.}
{I promise, but why?} I inquired.
{You are suffering from trauma,} my mother explained. {A stressful experience brought on by seeing things no living creature should ever have to see.}
{I have never heard of such a thing,} I said.
{Of course you haven't,} Mom said bitterly. {Do you think it is a coincidence that not a single Andalite that returns from war is affected by it?}
{Maybe I'm just weak,} I said. {Maybe I'm just not good enough to…}
{No,} my mother interrupted forcefully. {You are not weak, Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill. You are strong. Stronger than you know.}
{Ax, we're almost out of time,} Prince Jake said. {We're going to be late to meet up with Erek.}
I checked my internal clock. Prince Jake was right. We would have to leave in five minutes to be on schedule. And Prince Jake was still in tiger morph. Where had the time gone? I definitely wouldn't have time to talk to the science officer now.
{Yes, Prince Jake,} I said. {Go ahead and demorph, I'll wrap it up.}
{Okay,} he said. {Marco, go ahead and demorph and remorph, we're leaving shortly.}
{Copy,} Marco responded from far away.
{I have to go soon, Mom,} I said. {I promise I won't mention my feelings to other Andalites, but please tell me: what happens to other Andalites who do?}
Mom smiled. {They are killed. You see, this war is getting more and more unpopular with the Andalite civilians. A large portion of the homeworld wants to pull all Andalites back home and let other creatures fend for themselves.}
{But the other creatures will be enslaved!} I exclaimed. {And if the Yeerks take Earth, they will have enough hosts to attack the Andalite homeworld!}
{Yes, I know. But many Andalites are sick of war, sick of fighting. And they don't care about the big picture. The Andalite military realizes this. So they hide the true horrors of war. They kill the ones crippled in battle, including those who suffer from mental health. Better for the Andalite people to think their friends and family died for freedom, than to let them see their loved ones return as shells of their former selves.}
I felt empty inside. What was I even fighting for?
"Ax, we have to go," Prince Jake said. He was fully human now. And there were tears dripping down his face. He had heard everything my mother had said. And he realized what would happen to me if I didn't keep my feelings hidden inside.
{I have to go Mom,} I said. {I'm going to morph, but I'll still be listening.}
I began to morph northern harrier, as Prince Jake began morphing into his peregrine falcon body.
{Aximili, I love you,} Mom said. {And I am so, so, so proud of you.}
{I love you too, Mom,} I said. Then another question occurred to me. {Is Dad there?}
Mom looked away. {Your father…} but she trailed off. She was looking up into the sky above our scoop. {A ship is about to land in our scoop!} she exclaimed.
{What? Ships can't land in private scoops!} I exclaimed.
{Forlay-Esgarrouth-Maheen,} a voice boomed.
My mother jumped.
The ship had landed. Four heavily armed Andalites emerged.
{What do you want?} my mom asked, panicked.
{You are under arrest for divulging classified information,} one of the Andalites said.
{What? No!} she said.
In unison, all four Andalites drew their shredders and pointed them at my mother.
{We can do this the easy way, or the hard way,} a different Andalite said.
{You can't use that conversation as evidence!} she insisted. {That was a private transmission!}
{We are the Andalite government. We can do whatever we want.}
{I want to see a lawyer,} my mom demanded.
{Too bad,} one of the Andalites said.
There must have been a private thought-speak command between the four Andalites, because all four of them fired their shredders in unison.
TTTTSSSAAAPPP!
My mother fell to the ground in a charred heap.
{Mom! MOM!} I cried.
One of the Andalites turned toward the computer in the scoop.
I was already almost morphed into harrier, so the Andalite wouldn't be able to recognize me.
But, then again, if they could spy on my mother's private transmissions, they would know who I was before they even landed.
And me screaming, 'Mom,' definitely hadn't helped, either.
The Andalite aimed his shredder at the computer and twisted a knob on the side of his weapon.
Quickly, I looked at my mother.
Use your harrier eyes, Aximili, I told myself.
Was my mother still alive?
A pulse, a rising of the chest, her breath blowing the grass, anything.
There! Movement!
Or was that the wind?
TTTTSSSAAAPPP!
The screen went black!
{MOM! MOM!}
Nothing.