((Okay, ignore the slight gap, and I decided to add some love to this book, enjoy!))
My Fighter got back to the states without any major problems. When we got back, it ws all bad news. Visser three had launched an attack on an American carrier battle group. ELF leadership and spies had concluded only one thing: An all out assault. We had contacted a scientist whose team had developed a z-space transponder, he had agreed to lend us some use to the device. Command was disgusted at the disastrous attack on the vissers bladeship. On the other hand, they where delighted to have a new member on the team. Alexia was used to consistent Russian cold, so when we landed in a Californian landing strip, she was more or less surprised. Apparently Russians fairy tales involve the knight and princess living happily ever after in the magical land called Hawaii.
Right.
Anyway, like I said. A scientific research group had discovered Zero-space, the andalites version Warp Drive. We had contacted him, and he had agreed to bring it to us. We were going to attempt at contact with andalites forces somewhere. For my excellent fighting, I was given the honor of being the first to contact them. There was also talk among command about going to DC, and telling the big cheese about our fight. I had gotten back in the nick of time, half-an hour before contact initiated. They practically grabbed us three out the fighter and hurried us into a truck. A swarm of mechanics and maintenance crew crowded over the plane and towed it off to some under ground hanger. Our truck started bouncing away to a remote beach.
Once we got there, they pulled out something that looked like an inside out radio on steroids. It was about the size of a ice box, with more wires than octopuses have tentacles sticking out of it. They gingerly placed it on the ground, and adjusted some wires. I heard a speaker and mike snap on, and a technician told me.
“Okay sir, you’re good to go. We’re online.” I steadied myself, and picked up the mike.
“Testing, one, two, three. This is The Earth Liberation Force, calling all andalites forces within range, can you hear us?” We waited. We waited for a minute. A minute of dread, hoping that someone, or something would hear, us, and we also hoped it would be friendly, whatever it was. Then, something came in.
<This is the Andalite dome ship Starleaf, You are broadcasting on a strict military channel. Identify yourself or the proper authorities will be notified.> I sighed in relief, as did everyone else.
“Andalite domeship, this is the earth Resistance movement, Earth Liberation Force, or ELF. We are communicating to you through a human devised z-space transponder.
<Ridiculous! Humans can not be that advanced! Andalites took three times as long!>
“We don’t have time for andalite ego, so listen up! This is the ELF; we are the major resistance on earth, besides a group of morph-capable warriors. We have been combating yeerk forces here for over ten years, now, an update on the yeerk forces. There is a bladeship of Visser one in orbit, also a pool ship. Recently, yeerk forces attacked a human battle group, and nearly initiated a human world war. Our agents and intelligence can conclude only one thing. An imminent open assault on the planet earth. The human planet is in need of andalite assistance, in open combat, yeerk soldiers will be destroyed by humans, but their space craft are devastating. They would be destroyed by sheer numbers, but the yeerks will send more. We need the fleet here immediately. You must understand, if earth falls, the yeerks have over five billion excellent host bodies. You will also fall. We need assistance, ASAP.”
<Well, if your report is valid, we will send help>
“It is valid! We need help now!”
“Sir, bug fighter pair incoming. We need to evac now.”
“Well andalite, we need to leave. Bug fighters inbound. We will try to contact you later. ELF, off.” I shut down the transponder and hauled it to the truck back. We jumped in, and punched it. We started burning rubber as we blasted away.
“Incoming!” A bug fighter moved into view, and fired. We yanked to the left, as the red beam glassed everything around it.
“Conner, in the box, get it!” I opened the large crate in the corner and looked in side. A stinger missile launcher.
“Oh yes.” I said, and licked my lips. I pulled it up on my shoulder, and took aim at a bug. I lined it up, and, fired!
SWIIIIISH! A missile flew off my shoulder and into the bug. It had a specialized armour piercing depleted uranium head, which punched through the shields, and exploded.
KA-BOOM! The bug exploded into fragments. On top of the truck, a guy manned a .70 cal chain gun.
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT! A cloud of depleted uranium slugs filled the air, overloaded bug shields, and diced through armour.
BOOM! It also exploded into a shower of liquid metal and burning debris. We cheered out a victory whoop, and headed home.
As we got back, we evacuated the base. After burning two bugs, the yeerks would probably torch anything within a twenty mile radius. So we packed up and hauled ass to another fort thirty miles away. There was big moving going on right now, after attacking an aircraft carrier battle group and the hork-bajir colony, they yeerks were virtually on the brink of a full-scale assault. The best current defense was the animorphs and the ELF. They animorphs where only twenty or so strong, the ELF was two thousand five hundred strong internationally, and one thousand is North America. The largest concentration of yeerks, and Visser 1’s stomping grounds, we were about five hundred strong. Three hundred others were hauling ass to the town the poor animorphs lived. We were heading towards the main ELF head quarters, ten miles out of the town the animorphs lived in. We called it, ‘Slug town.’ Jax and Alexia were in a separate truck heading to the same place. Intelligence had said that the yeerks were going to assault that town soon, sooner if the rumors about the animorphs planning to blow up the yeerk pool. Also in recent developments, the governor of the area had given a national warning about the yeerk force.
Apparently the animorphs were busier than I thought.
So, as we arrived at the base and around midnight, there was quite a hustle and bustle. As I climbed out and hooked up with Alexia and Jax, I looked around. Quite impressive, there was four fighters landed, all modified like mine had been. I heard that six more where on the way. A couple of small artillery cannons and even a tank. A private ran out and interrupted my site seeing.
“Sir, the general wants to see you ASAP.” I nodded, and walked off toward the man building. I popped into the generals’ quarters, and sat down. The general was in charge of all ELF forces planet wide, he was about thirty years old, and the first person to start a resistance.
“Good to see you Conner, I’m sorry to hear about they failed assault on the bladeship. I was pleased to hear that two bugs are down and you killed twenty four Hork-****es in single combat. Mighty fine job. Any who, the geeks at Intel and some peace movement yeerks have told us that a massive attack is eminent. So, we have gathered the bulk of our forces to combat the bulk of theirs. Here’s what they’ve got.
Fifty bugs on the pool ship, two on the blade ship, and a couple others scattered around. Total is about sixty or so. They’ve got their blade ship and the pool ship, and a couple other minor ships. Fr ground forces, they’ve got over a thousand hork-bajir, and plenty of taxxons and gedds. But they are not any major concern. We’ve got six of our modified F-16’s, two tanks, a couple light artillery pieces, and eight hundred soldiers. We’re outnumbered and out gunned. But we are hoping that if the yeerks attack, the US army will assist us in sending them all to hell.” I gulped. So, we had virtually no chance, air support was virtually nil, and the yeerks had heavy air power. The tanks would be destroyed fast probably, and our only advantages were surprise, and hopeful US intervention. Otherwise, we were seriously screwed. As usual.
Me and Jax and Alexia had to share a room. Very awkward, especially for me and Alexia. Jax got ****y, and talked to her. It wasn’t pretty. She told me and Jax to have the beds; she would be on the floor. Jax told her,
“Aw, it’s ok Alexia. You can share bunk with me.” That was the last thing he saw for awhile.
I never knew a chick could hit so fast. Jax was down and out before anything could be said more. He woke up ten minutes later, after Alexia left to change. He rubbed a goose egg on his fore head, turned to me, and said.
“Wow pal, you sure won the lottery on her. You’ve got a keeper. I thought Russian babes where supposed to be very open to people, especially in bed.”
“We are, to people. Not little blood-thirsty parasites.” A voice from behind him came. Alexia was in night clothing, and holding a large, metal object. She continued.
“We just crush parasites underfoot.” She finished, glaring menacingly at Jax. Jax grinned, and slipped out of the room. Alexia sighed.
“I don’t know how you can stand him Conner. Well, he is cute. But not as cute as you, that scar on you cheek is really hot looking.” I swear, I turned beat red, and nearly fainted. Alexia locked the door, and turned to me.
“You busy tonight Conner? ‘Cause I’m free.” I could barely breath, feeling very awkward and clumsy all of a sudden. She put her arm around me, and started pulling me gently into the nearest bed.
“Conner, I want to tell you. I love you; I would want to spend the rest of my life with you, if we were going to survive the next day or so.” I managed to whisper.
“Thanks.” She layed me down, and pulled of her shirt, with nothing on underneath but underwear and a bra. She layed down beside me, and started to yank my shirt off. I backed up, protesting slightly.
“Whoa, Alexia. I love you too, but isn’t this the thing married folks do?”
“Conner, if we had time, I would marry you. But we are going to die tomorrow, probably in a hail of dracon fire. Conner, I’ve wanted to make love with you ever since we first kissed, but I know that is reserved best for marriage. But, I really don’t think that we will survive that long. I love you with all of my soul and heart, and I want to be as close to you as I can, do you want to do it as well?” I heard myself whisper,
“Yes.”
“Okay then. Let’s celebrate.” She said with a wild grin in her eye. She pulled off my shirt, started caressing me. She started kissing me, and then I started kissing her intensely. We both just layed on that bed, making out. She undid the rest of clothing, and I did likewise. She started groping all over me, as did I. We felt each other, and loved each other. And, well, magic happened.
It was a wild night.
A very, truly wild night.
The next morning, Alexia was still sleeping, curled up next to me. I got up, yawned, and threw on some clothes. And walked out into the hallway. Jax was by the door, waiting for me, a wry grin on his face.
“Well, had a fun night, oh-mighty-warrior?” I slapped him in the face, and he continued anyway.
“Don’t act like nothing happened, probably all the couples at the base did it too, so, how was she? Know any good positions? How did she feel?” I sighed, and turned to him.
“Jax, you’re right we did, it, I loved her, made love with her, she loves me. And I like you, but if you ask one more question, you will surely die.” He shut up after that and walked off. and walked over to the kitchen. I pulled out a bowl of corn flakes, and ate up. I went to my room, and woke up Alexia. She came to, looked around, and smiled.
“Oh, good morning. Sleep well?”
“Yes, you?”
“Good. Boss says that he heard some news from the animorphs. Something about subways, TNT, and the yeerk pool. Sounds promising.”
“Very, well, I’m going to eat, and go kill Jax.”
“Have a good day.”
“I will.” She got up, dressed, and strapped two knives on. She then walked out to get something to eat, possibly Jax’s meat. I sighed, and put on a belt. Shoved in a dracon beam, and my new longsword, and headed back out to check up on the boss. I was about halfway there, when I heard a rumbling, like a volcano. I turned to the direction of the noise, it was coming from the town. I saw smoke, and then a ball of fire blast into the sky. I muttered to myself.
“Well, the fights coming sooner than I thought.”
That afternoon, the entire base was a hustle and a bustle. Fighters were being armed, and guns cleaned and loaded. The word was out; we were preparing to attack this afternoon. Over the town, bug fighters glassed everything in site. Our best anti-air defense was two mounted gauss coil guns which launched depleted uranium and tungsten projectiles at two thousand feet per second, overloading shields and punching holes in armour. Anyway, the plan of assault was to send the tanks and artillery to the north end of the town, and draw their attention. The rest of us would assault the new yeerk pool being built. Like I said before, suicidal.
I went in to my room, and strapped on my battle armour. Efficient against low power dracon blasts and hork-bajir blades, nothing else. I holstered my twin pistols, picked some extra ammo, twin throwing dirks, (Long, long knives), and grabbed a shotgun. Auto loading of course. I filled it with twelve ten-gauge shells, tucked sixty more into a bandolier, and moved out.
As I boarded a truck and armed the gauss gun, I saw the six fighters break into three groups of two. They flew up, and gained altitude, and disappeared above the cloud cover. I saw the tanks and cannons move out to the north, and advanced on the city. The entire convoy that held everyone else, moved to the south and waited. There was a boom as tank rounds fired, and almost all the bugs split to attack the new threat. Four remained over the town. Six of ours fighters dived down from above, and fired. The Bugs exploded, and the F-16s’ vanished again. The tank crews and gun teams started running, and were vaporized by dracon beams. My teeth clenched, and I blessed those brave souls who gave their lives for earth. Our convoy moved forward at full speed, and reached the town limits. Half the mounted soldiers, including me, Jax, and Alexia, hopped off the hummer’s and started advancing on foot, ducking for cover among the ruins. The rest of the bugs turned and saw the convoy, and moved forward at top speed. The convoy broke up, and everyone else jumped off. There was twin thunder claps, and two bugs fell down flaming. The other fired, and five trucks detonated. But the troops where safe. We moved down streets and through yards quick, trying to reach the construction site where the yeerk troops where, so the yeerks wouldn’t fire due to fear of killing their own.
BLAM! Ten ELF members evaporated in a blinding flash of red light and heat. I ran quickly, not returning fire, lest I draw their attention. We dashed for ten minutes, and then we saw it. A huge hole, a explosion hole larger than the super bowl.
And filled with fighting animals and hork-bajir and taxxons. Apparently, the animorphs had attacked before we did. Then, the ELF charged in.
A hork-bajir rushed me, and was reduced to pulp by the shotgun blast. Another round automatically chambered, and I fired again. Two taxxons exploded into gore. Bullets and dracon beams burned and whistled through the air and found targets on both sides. Ahead, the bugs swarmed, not shooting due to the fact of hitting their own soldiers. Then, out of the cloud cover, something came.
Something big.
The pool ship.
Jax moaned, “Oh ****,” and fired at a taxxon, killing it. Alexia was in the thick of the fight with three others, she was fighting with a dracon beam in one hand, and a long knife in the other. Me and Jax moved as a team, and cut down to aliens, and then another three. But Several ELF was dead as well. Cut down by alien energy and blades. I pumped another round into a hork-bajir and disintegrated it. Then, something knocked me to the ground, and pulled away my gun. A taxxon was holding on to me, and my gun was in its mouth. The butt disappeared and it raised it mouth over my head. I drew a dirk, and ran it through.
Skreeee-awwww! It shrieked as its guts spilled out. It fell down, and started eating itself. I looked in disgust, and turned around and vaped another alien. I drew my longsword and a pistol, and decapitated another hork-bajir, and shot a human controller. He fell, bleeding profusely. Then, pain.
“Augh!” I shrieked as a hork-bajir arm blade sliced my arm open. I staggered to the side, and faced him. He grinned his goblin nightmare grin, and lunged. I side stepped and cut. He fell. In two pieces. I looked at the cut. It had sliced through flesh and close to the bone. It had cut so fine, it was in-between arteries. Some minor bleeding only. I ignored it. There was a battle to fight.
Our soldiers banded together into packs, and moved around, firing and slashing. The enemy was falling, but so were we. Then, over the radio, a voice shouted.
“All forces, retreat into those tunnels ASAP!” I turned, cut down another alien, and charged into a tunnel close to me. Jax and Alexia followed. Another ran, but was leapt on by a Taxxon. Screaming in terror and agony, he went down. The Taxxon was on him, ripping and tearing. His screams silenced as the murderous worm bit his neck open. I shuddered, and shot the filthy snake. It screeched, fell down, and started eating its organs spilling out. That was the worst death anyone could face, death by Taxxon. Shark bites? Hork-bajir blades? Pah! No kind of agony compared to a taxxon gnawing on your leg. Like being stabbed with a thousand white hot needles, which then tear and rip your flesh and bone away. I kept on moving down the tunnel, and then, in front of me, a taxxon! I grabbed a knife, and a voice in my head said.
<Don’t shoot! Follow me to safety. Stay here and you shall surely die> I lowered my knife, and followed. What other choice was there?
“Conner, don’t be stupid!” I saw Jax hiss at me.
“It’s one Taxxon, let’s just go!” He sighed, and followed, Alexia behind him.
The taxxon led me to a cavern full of other Taxxons. Then, I saw a human.
Jake the animorph.
I walked over to him, and said.
“Well, well, Jake the yeerk killer. Captain Conner Herons, of the Earth Liberation Force, happy to make your acquaintance.”
“Hello, please, do not use the term, ‘yeerk killer.’”
“Fine, I won’t. Mind telling me about all these Taxxons?”
“They are the Taxxon resistance force, their leader is an andalite nothlit called Arbron.” I shuddered at the thought being stuck as a taxxon with that eternal hunger. I talked with Jake, and he gave me the full update. Of them destroying the pool, a deal with his controller brother, getting a military force to assist them, and the final preparation for the final attack on the pool ship. He talked to the general on the radio and convinced him to use the remaining five hundred ELF soldiers in a diversion attack. The military troops would attack one side, and us ELF would come out of the tunnels and create hell. I walked off, passed the word on to Jax an Alexia, and walked off to get some sleep, positive I would die tomorrow.
The next morning, I got up, geared up, and moved out with the rest of the ELF. We moved toward the entrance of the now heavily guarded tunnels, and hid out of site around corners. We waited for sounds of death the sound of people dying.
TSEEEEEWWWWW!
There, a dracon beam fired, and I tossed a grenade out the entrance.
BOOM! It exploded, shredding the guards. We poured out, and opened up on the yeerks. Our six jets attacked the bug fighters, and destroyed six and began engaging in lethal combat with them. The pool ship fired at the advancing infantry and auxiliary animorphs. I fired my guns, and slashed with my sword. Humans and aliens died that day, their charred and slashed corpses piled like firewood. I fought on, numb to the slaughter around me. All that I could think was about killing the enemy, about cutting them up, about revenge on the species that had caused humanity so much pain and grief.
Then, I saw Jax. He was screaming. But not in pain, he was screaming at something else. I looked were he was looking, and saw a Hork-bajir. In its claws, was a blonde, Miranda, one of the nicest soldiers you had ever met. She was bloodied and knocked out and the Hork-bajir was holding her in his claws grinning wickedly. With a shriek like that of a wounded animal, I saw Jax charge at the alien, a pistol in one hand and a machete in the other. But it was his eyes that terrified me, blood red. Like the veins had burst and had flooded the liquid into his eyes. But he screamed his throat raw and charged madly, cutting wildly. The hork-bajir looked at him with amusement, which turned into concern, and finally fear. Jax was ten feet from him, and ran out of bullets for his gun. Brandishing the machete in both hands, he screamed again and landed in front of the seven foot alien, and swung.
The blade hacked through flesh and bone, severing the arm. Then, quick as lightning, he swung, laying Jax’s arm open from thumb to shoulder. But that horrific wound didn’t stop him, and he swung again, and hacked halfway through the aliens’ leg, then pulled it out and swung again, tearing the mutilated limb off. The alien fell to the ground, and looked at him, terror in his eyes. I heard him hiss under his breath, voice heavy with hate and disgust.
“Die, you worthless, rotten on of a ****!” With that, he stabbed the hork-bajir through its heart. The creature stiffened, and collapsed. Jax pulled his weapon out, and spat on the corpse. He walked over to Miranda, and picked her up gently, and said.
“It’s ok babe, you’re safe.” He was going to say more, but than I saw movement. A human-controller aiming a dracon beam at Jax. I screamed.
“No!” Time seemed to slow down. I drew my throwing knife, and hurled it. As it cut through the air, I saw his finger tighten, and squeeze.
Tseeeeew! The spear of energy cut through the air, and hit Jax in his back. He fell without a sound. The knife hit the controller in his neck, killing him immediately. I ran over to Jax, and turned him over. There was a hole clean through him. He looked at me, eyes glazing, and smiled.
“Conner, you rascal. You let me do all your fighting for you.” I replied, nearly in tears.
“Come on Jax, let’s try to get you off this battlefield, the medics will fix you up.”
“Don’t talk stupid you ass-hole, nothing can fix this hole. I ain’t gonna last much longer. Then, I heard Mirandas voice.
“No Jaxen, please, don’t die! You have so much to live for, I’m here, please, I can’t watch you die like this, no, you will live!”
“No, I won’t doll. I’m dead almost. Now, please promise me one thing.”
“Anything.”
“Take care of the kid and that lunk over there.” He said, motioning to me. Then, he turned back to face me.
“Conner, I know we’ve had touch times, but we made it through, more or less. Now, I want you to make sure nothing, nothing! He said with fierceness.
“Nothing! Ever. Happens, to her.” He pointed to Miranda. I nodded, slowing a growing lump in my throat.
“Conner, please, just live for everything there is after this war. Live, and cherish every morning. We took things like life for granted back then. Never, ever, make that mistake again.” I nodded, tears spilling, and he coughed. He said in a fading voice.
“Conner, if there is an afterlife, if there is heaven or hell, I will meet you one day. So, until then. Good by-.” His voice died and he slumped down, pasty white a glazed expression in his eyes. I ignored the fighting around me; in fact, I didn’t realize that the fighting was over. All I looked at was Jax’s dead face, looking at the sky. I turned and saw Miranda, weeping. I started too, we both wept and wept. We wept until our eyes were red, then, we wept more. I finally stopped, and turned to Miranda.
“Miranda, what happened between you and Jax?” Swallowing her tears, she replied shakily.
“We fell in love, we made love, and we loved each other with all our hearts.”
“Why did Jax never tell me?” I had known Jax liked Miranda, but not that he went all the way.
“I don’t know. He just made me swear never to tell anyone.”
“Wait, Jax said to take care of the kid. What kid?”
“Well, our kid. I’m pregnant.” I just sat there in a stupor. Why Jax never told me about his intimate relationship, I’ll never know. But you know what? I don’t care. The war is over know, and I have Alexia. She was devastated over Jax’s death, and we both attended his funeral. That day, was the sadest day in human history, at least in my opinion.
Epilogue
Well, after the yeerks surrendered at earth. There was a lot of commotion, especially when the andalites landed. For a few days, life was hectic. I was national hero, along with the animorphs and the rest of the ELF. But five days later, I found some free time, and I heard the words I’d never thought I survive to hear.
“And I pronounce Husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Yep, I and Alexia got married. Miranda had twins, and moved in with us in our new castle-sized super house. Of course there was huge talk now of the future of earths military and future. The andalites gave us z-space engine technology, and humanity started construction of a space fleet. The new global military branch, the United Earth Stellar Control, or the UESC, was being rapidly formed. Within ten years, new stuff was happening. Talk about taking the fight to the yeerk fleet, and driving them back to their home-world. I was thrown in command, along with Alexia, of earth’s first Space war vessel. The honor of naming it was given to me. Instead of all the suggested names like, Discovery, Unity, or Liberty, I named it the perfect name, and Alexia agreed. So, Earth’s first war vessel went into orbit, commanded By Captain Conner Herons of the UESCS Jaxen.
To be continued in ELF: Next Generation.