Landing approach,"; a warrior called out.
Then ... Captain! Malfunction in the ground-approach guidance system!"; The captain looked perfectly calm. The T.o. swung his face toward the warrior who'd spoken.
What?!"; he roared.
Sir, the controls are frozen. I've been locked out. Attempting to override. Override failing!"; The T.o. leaped to the console. His fingers flew across the fields and resonators. I saw his concentration as he made the mind-link with the system.
Then, with absolute horror on his face, he turned to the captain. Captain! We are on approach to land behind Yeerk lines. We won't have a prayer!"; The captain walked calmly over to his T.o. And then ...
FWAPP!
The captain whipped his tail blade like lightning. The blade hit the T.o. at the base of his tail.
T.o. Hareli's tail fell to the deck and twitched. Every warrior on the bridge froze, staring at the impossible sight.
The captain drew his Shredder and fired.
TSEEEWW! TSEEEWW!
Warriors fell to the deck, stunned unconscious. The air crackled with heat.
Static electricity sizzled and danced in blue flame across bodies and equipment alike.
Only the bleeding, horrified T.o. was left conscious. A deliberate insult: He was no longer dangerous.
Ah, my good aristh,"; the captain said, holding the Shredder on me and taking the T.o.'s Shredder. don't want to take the chance of injuring you. Visser Four would be very upset if I injured the creatures who have been causing Visser Three such trouble on Earth. Vissers Three and Four are such close friends. Just remain calm. It will all be over in a moment. And you will all be ... guests ... of the Yeerk Empire.";
I stood there like my hooves had been nailed to the deck. It wasn't possible! An Andalite ship's captain a traitor?
Or was he a Controller?
No one moved. The computer guided the Ascalin down, down to sweep slowly forward, just a few hundred feet above the rocky ground. In seconds we'd be down.
T.o. Harelin was bleeding profusely from his severed tail. But I knew he would rather die than live without a tail.
The humans! It hit me like a Dracon beam blast. My human friends were back in the sick bay. The captain knew their secret. In a matter of seconds, so would the entire Yeerk Empire. The news would flash to Visser Three. There would be no going home for them. Ever.
And Earth, like Leera, would fall to the Yeerks.
Prince Jake! Tobias! Cassie!
Marco! Rachel!"; I cried in private thought-speak. If one of you can hear me, you must escape! The captain is--"; The captain is a dirtbag,"; Marco's thought-speak voice said, startlingly clear and close.
What? Where are you?"; Oh, gee, Ax, we decided not to just sit in our room with our hands folded like good little girls and boys,"; Rachel said. Sorry."; Ax, we are on the bridge,"; Prince Jake said. We saw what happened. Or saw as well as we can in these morphs."; Prince Jake, it is absolutely vital that Captain Samilin be stopped!"; We can't take him out,"; Cassie said.
We would demorph too slowly. But I happen to be on the captain, and I can definitely distract him."; The Ascalin was settling toward the ground.
Through the front viewport I saw row after row of Hork-Bajir, all with weapons drawn, totally surrounding the landing area.
Do it, Cassie,"; I said grimly.
Distract him and I will do the rest. We have just seconds!"; I stared, riveted, as a flea too small to be seen became a flea too large to be ignored. It grew on the captain's back, larger, larger, with twisting, morphing features.
What is--"; the captain yelled in surprise.
FWAPP!
I struck! My tail blade whipped forward, aimed for Samilin's neck.
He jerked back, dodged. My blade hit his upper right front leg a glancing blow. All around the room flies and cockroaches no one had noticed began to grow as my human friends demorphed.
But now the captain swept his Shredder toward me and I struck again.
FWAPP!
The weapon flew from his hand and skittered across the deck.
It was the captain and I, tail to tail. We faced each other, each quivering with energy and focus, each waiting for the opening that would allow us to swing the killing tail slash.
I flashed on the scene with Visser Three.
This was the second time I had gone tail to tail with an enemy. This time my foe would not escape.
TSEEEWWW!
T.o. Harelin! He had snatched up the fallen Shredder and fired. The captain sizzled, looked horrified, then disappeared.
Computer!"; the T.o. yelled.
Emergency override, switch controls to manual!"; WHAM!
Too late! The Ascalin hit the ground hard. I was thrown off my hooves. My human friends, all back in their own bodies now, went rolling and tumbling. Only the T.o. managed to stay on his feet.
Computer, emergency liftoff!"; Unable to comply,"; the disembodied voice said. There is severe main engine damage."; I saw Harelin rock back on his hooves at this news. Humans, remorph! The only way out of here is to be invisible. Aristh, you, too."; I'm not running away!"; all yes, you are, Aristh Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill. You and the humans will escape and get word of this evil to the commander. That is an order."; But--"; Do you know how to take an order?"; he roared.
all yes, sir."; Morph something small. I'll blow you out the emergency hatch. Get as far from the Ascalin as you can. You won't have much time. Do you hear me?"; I knew then what he was going to do. I knew he had no choice. He could not allow himself to be taken by the Yeerks. He could not allow any of the Andalites on board to be taken alive. And there was simply no way to escape this trap.
Prince Jake, we all have to morph small. Um ... um ... flies! Morph to flies, and fly up to the ceiling of the bridge.
There's an escape hatch."; I noticed Rachel looking at me with total disdain. Then she looked to Prince Jake.
"What do we do?"
"What he said," Prince Jake said. "Do it."
I focused my own mind on the fly morph.
I expected T.o. Harelin's face to reveal surprise or horror as I began to undergo the changes. After all, flies are pretty horrific even by Earth standards.
But the T.o. wasn't interested. He was staggering now from the loss of blood. And he was making an announcement that would be transmitted throughout the ship.
To all warriors and crew of the Ascalin.
This is the tactical officer. The captain is dead. We are surrounded. No chance of escape.
Nothing to do now but inflict the maximum damage on the Yeerks. In three minutes I will begin firing all ship's weapons. The Shredder flashback will cause the ship to explode."; He let this sink in for a moment.
Perform the ritual of death, my friends.
Thank you for your service to this ship. You die in the service of the People, defending freedom."; I was shrinking rapidly. The deck was rushing up toward me. Insect legs and insect antennae sprouted from me. But I was Andalite, at one with every Andalite on the ship.