From all over the ship, a hundred thought-speak voices spoke the words of the ritual. I couldn't help but join them.
I am the servant of the People,"; I said. I should have bowed my head, but I no longer had a head that could bow. I am the servant of my prince."; All over the ship I knew my fellow Andalites were raising their stalk eyes upward.
I am the servant of honor,"; I said, and heard the echo of all those strong voices. My life is not my own, when the People have need of it.
My life is given for the People, for my prince, and for my honor."; I fired the fly's legs, started the wings beating, and flew up toward the escape hatch. I have never felt worse than I did at that moment.
So many would die. And I would live.
.Aristh?"; the T.o. said weakly.
all yes?"; Maybe I was wrong. Maybe different races can be stronger together. Go with your humans and prove me wrong."; The escape hatch blew open before I could answer. A powerful rush of escaping air launched me out into the Leeran dusk.
Jake ... Prince Jake,"; I said.
We must get as far away as we can."; We flew, rolling and tumbling through the air, riding the strong breeze wherever it took us. When the Ascalin blew itself up, we were safe from the blast. And safe, too, from the thought-speak cries of a hundred dying heroes.
Okay. Now what?"; Rachel said.
I didn't have an answer. I couldn't think.
I just kept turning it over and over in my mind: An Andalite ship's captain had turned traitor. It was impossible. Because the more I thought about it, the more I realized he could not have been a Controller.
The Ascalin had been in space for weeks.
In order for a Yeerk parasite to have lived in Captain Samilin's brain, it would have to have had Kandrona rays. There was no way for even the captain to conceal a portable Kandrona aboard the ship.
I said ... now what?"; Rachel repeated.
I don't know,"; I said.
Well, if you don't, who does?"; she demanded. What are we going to do? Fly around looking for the nearest Dumpster so we can see if there's a tasty pile of rotting fruit?
Come on, we need a plan."; I ... I ... I don't know what to do."; We need to find a way home,"; Marco said. Obviously, thanks to Captain Benedict Arnold back there, this whole war is going bad on us. I didn't think the almighty Andalites did things like that. I thought it was just us poor, dumb, primitive humans who'd sell out to the bad guys."; How about everyone getting off Ax's back?"; Tobias said.
all yeah, poor Ax,"; Rachel sneered.
He throws us over in a flash for his big deal captain who, oops, turns out to be a traitor."; Rachel, I don't think that's really fair,"; Cassie argued.
Fair? Fair?!"; Marco yelled.
If it wasn't for us totally ignoring Ax and his precious captain, Ax would be dead back there along with--"; I wish I were!"; I cried. I wish I were back there with them. I wish I had died with them."; I had not intended to say that. And I did not mean it. Not really. I wanted to live. I felt terrible about it, but I wanted to live.
Okay, everyone shut up,"; Prince Jake said at last. That was rough, what happened back there. A lot of good guys just died. Everyone is hyped up. So let's just chill."; He waited a few moments before going on.
Here's what we do. We keep flying till we're near the two-hour limit. We won't get far in these bodies, even with this breeze, but we want as much distance as we can get."; We flew in silence, seeing the strange planet through the distorted compound eyes of flies, hearing almost nothing, smelling things we could not identify. We were alone in silence with our thoughts.
And after a while I almost wished the yelling and accusations would start again.
It's a terrible thing, living when so many others have died. It's terrible because no matter what you do, a single thought keeps popping up in your head: I'm glad it wasn't me.
I was glad it wasn't me.
We landed amid a tumble of rocks that would hide us from view. We demorphed. From what I could recall of the display on board the Ascalin, we were in a no-person's land between the Yeerk and Andalite forces. The battle could sweep over us at any moment.
"Okay, I'm calm now," Rachel said as soon as she had emerged from the fly morph. "So now that I'm calm, same question: Now what?"
"What do you think about having Tobias take a look around?" Prince Jake asked me.
I don't know,"; I said.
Prince Jake looked at me with a narrowing of the eyes and pressing together of the lips. The expression is "annoyance," I believe.
"Tobias? Go up and take a quick look,"
Prince Jake said. Tobias flapped up from the ground. Prince Jake looked at me. "Now, listen up, Ax. I know you're feeling bad. For lots of reasons, probably. But you feeling bad doesn't let you off the hook."
What hook?"; "Look, we got Andalites shooting at Yeerks. We have no humans in this fight except for us. Maybe you're not the big expert, but you know more than we know. So snap out of it."
Tobias circled overhead and came quickly back down to land somewhat painfully on a point of rock. We have about a thousand heavily armed Hork-Bajir on one side, coming toward us fast. They're backed up by these kind of big, flat, oval ships flying maybe a quarter mile up and firing Dracon beams. Taxxons coming behind them. And over there, we have about two dozen Andalite ships, also low down, and maybe a hundred tough-looking Andalites on the ground.
I may be wrong, but I don't think the good guys are gonna win this round."; We should try and reach the Andalite forces,"; I said.
Why, so some other Andalite traitor can rat us out?"; Rachel said harshly.
My tail blade was at her throat before I knew it.
She stared at me with cool, blue human eyes. "What's the matter, Ax? Does the truth hurt? You blew us off so you could suck up to Captain Creep back there. If we go and find more Andalites, what happens? You tell us to go sit in a corner and be nice while you start yes, sir-+ and no, sir-+ the next Andalite you see?"
I pulled my tail blade back, horrified that I'd gotten so emotional. I felt the anger drain away. Rachel was right.
I made a mistake trusting Captain Samilin. I made a mistake dismissing all of you. You have ... you have kept me alive and befriended me for a long time. All I can say is that none of you knows what it's like to be completely cut off from your own people."; One of us does,"; Tobias said quietly.
All I can do is say I'm sorry. And I will consider Jake my prince until he says otherwise."; I turned to face Prince Jake, focusing all my eyes on him. ally are my prince until you, and only you, say otherwise."; For once he did not say, "Don't call me prince."
Instead he said, "Fine. Now what I want to know is this: Is there anyone on the Andalite side we can be totally sure of?"
It was a hurtful question. I felt the last of my pride melting away. The commander. If he were a Yeerk spy, this entire battle would already be lost."; "It looks pretty lost to me," Marco said bluntly.
Force Commander Prince Galuit-Enilon-Esgarrouth lost his entire family to a Yeerk raid on an Andalite outpost. His entire family: wife and three children. They died rather than be captured. Their bodies were fed to the Taxxons. We can trust Prince Galuit."; I sighed. And we probably should trust ... no one else."; It sounded simple: Reach the Andalite forces.