[Animorphs: Resurrection, Dreams and Memories]

[Estelore]

Members of the Resurrection game can use this thread for flashbacks, dreams, diary/journal entries, visions, and pre-game character development and interaction with NPCs. They may also use it to posts the characters' thoughts about each other in a much more detailed manner than can be done in-game. Have at it!
Post Merged: January 07, 2011, 12:40:26 AM<Prince G->
A single dark green stalk-eye trained itself on the gangly female child standing in the entrance to Garin's scoop.

<Name and business.>

<Arhareli-Winwall-Ajaht, reporting for training, sir.>

<Estrid's niece.>

<Yessir, her great-niece.>

<That wasn't a question. Your grandfather sent you here because I'm the only trainer on-planet who accepts female students. He knows I haven't taught since Estrid left, and that was over eighteen cycles ago.>

<Then I should leave...?> Arhareli's eyes all turned to the ground, and her tail drooped dejectedly.

FWAPP!!! <Ahhh!?>  Garin's tail cracked the air next to her ear, making her jump straight up half her height.

<Pay attention. I never told you to leave, and I never said I would not take a new student. Here is how this works: whatever I tell you to do, you do it. No questions, no hesitation, no pause-and-think-about-it. I say jump, you->

<Ask how high?>

<No. You just jump.I say block, you->

<Block.>

<I say duck, you->

<Hit the ground.>

<You're learning. Duck.>

THUD. FWAPP!!!
Arhareli sprawled on the grass a split-second before the flat of Garin's blade swept an arc through the place her head used to occupy.

<Block.>

FWAPPFWAPPtssshhh

Reli's tail lurched over her head in time barely to stop the downward strike he made.

<We need to work on your blocking strength, but you're faster than you look. That's good. Roll.> FWAPP!
Reli levered her tail against his and rolled hard to her other flank and onto her feet, Garin's blade stabbing the ground where she had just lain.

<Jump.> FWAPP!
Reli sprang into the air, her hooves clearing the place her head had been, so that Garin's blade skimmed under her hooves harmlessly.

<Good enough for now, but be aware that I was striking at one quarter the maximum speed of an untrained adult male Andalite. Trained males move faster than you can think, and trained females faster still. You jump well; we will get you to half again that height before your first competition.>

<What days and times do you want me to meet you for training, sir?>

<Come here every second day at third moonrise, sharp. You are to run the entire distance. Make enough time for yourself so that if you pass out or break a hoof on the way, you can still get here in time. If you arrive early, you are to practice jumping, and that will be your early-arrival task until you can clear my scoop without a running start. Furthermore, I will not provide you with water while you are here, so you will need to fill a water vessel to the brim and bring it with you. You are to suspend it at the base of your blade and support it as you run. If you have spilled it all by the time you arrive, you will have to wait until you get home after training to drink anything. I strongly suggest hydrating yourself heavily the night before training, and that you spend the days between training sessions on stretching your muscles so they do not lock up during practice. If I strike at you, and you do not dodge or parry the strike, you will get hit. Accept this reality, because it will happen to you constantly once training begins. Is all this clear?>

<Yessir.>

<Very well. Go home today and rest, and do your stretches tomorrow. The day after, be here at third moonrise.>

<Yessir.> Reli reached for her comm unit to call her brother for a pick-up.

<What are you doing?>

<...I am preparing to run the whole way home?>

<I thought so. Well met, Arhareli-Winwall-Ajaht.> His eyes softened, almost but not quite a smile.

<Well met, sir.>

Garin watched her sprint away, until the horizon obscured her.

This one won't be a waste of my time. Estrid, I owe your brother a thank-you.


----------------

[BaronConall]

The noise...
It's maddening.
It's all I can do to travel as far from any major city as possible.

Leerans are supposed to be used to hearing the thoughts of those around us. The constant cacophony of thoughts racing through our minds. But I can't.  I just want to get away from it! It doesn't help my cause that I was also born Ke sensitive. In addition to the sounds of the thoughts of those around me, there are images, too. The presence of their emotions and personalities in my mind being translated and interpreted as some sort of flaming aura. Wherever I go, whoever I look at, their thoughts are so ever-prevalent, the sight of their auras so constant that the result is both deafening and blinding at the the same time.
I can't help but to confuse their thoughts with mine. Their feeling as mine. If they are angry, so am I. Their thoughts of loved ones are misinterpreted as mine, to the point where I'm not entirely sure who I am.

Am I me? Or am I the collective presence of all their thoughts and feelings? Something created and given form from their own collective minds? This is the one thought that repeats in my head, everyday. When I have the time and solitude to recognise which thoughts are my own.

I took to reading. Hoarding large quantities of data transference devices. Uploading and memorizing large quantities of information in the latest Education Assistance Implant. I worked towards it for months, working in the far depths of the oceans of Leera, herding the schools of Py-te fish, the staple food of all Leeran diets.
Those other Leerans around me, the ones who came close enough to 'hear' me thought me damaged. Disturbed. But I worked on, eventually receiving the implant nearly a year later. The information distracted me. Drowned out everything else around me. I started with Leeran data first. Culture, history, theorised evolution, biology, medicine, everything.

When I finished, I though I would surely go mad again. The distraction was gone. The sound was back. My parents, regardless of how little time I spent in their presence in an attempt to gain some peace in my own dwelling, worried for me. They questioned whether I needed to be contained or re-introduced to Leeran life through memory erasure and a Restart of Personality. An extreme measure in any culture, reserved only for the mentally disturbed.

So, I swam. I swam away to the Fhr Isles, the least populated Isles on Leera, due to the scarcity of food. I took only the essentials in medical supplies and my Data Access pad. I spent nearly a year and a half teaching myself how to illegally access the Global Information Storage Grid. On Leera, all minds were open like a book. Anyone attempting to break the law was quickly discovered simply by encountering another Leeran. Crime was virtually impossible, resulting in lax security. Everyone already knew everything their neighbor knew. If someone was accessing the Grid, it was assumed that they were permitted to.
Food was not a problem, either. Food may have been scarce, but not scarce enough for a lone Leeran.

I spent a further two years learning. Accessing all data on all encountered species. I hoped it would take me decades to sort through it all, but I stopped immediately when randomly reading up on humans. I was accessing their music culture when I came across a particular collection of music by a group who proclaimed themselves to be the 'Queens of the Stone Age', an early period in human evolution. One such song was entitled 'The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret.'

I had, of course, heard of the concept before, but it was usually dismissed as something non-Leerans did because of a lack of psionic abilities. I do not know what it was that caught my attention, maybe it was the isolation getting to me, but I wanted to know if a Leeran could keep a secret. The definition alone caught my attention.
"Not known or seen, or not meant to be known or seen by others."

Of course I knew it was impossible for me to not know or see the thoughts and Ke of others, but what if I could hide my own? Would I be closer to establishing my own identity? The only Leeran who could keep a secret? I had to find out.
I dedicated every waking moment from that point forward for yet another year attempting to keep a secret in the best way I knew how; Making my thoughts synonymous with my speech and direction, instead of my intentions, memories or knowledge. I would gradually move closer and closer back towards Leeran civilisation in an attempt to test what I had learned. Sometimes I would forget myself, others it would seem I was shouting my intended thoughts in my own head, but eventually, after nearly a year, I felt I was ready.

I returned home to disbelieving and worried parents. Siblings had been spawned in my absence, my parents believing me truly gone or dead, but I felt no connection with them. I truly, for the first time, felt apart from all of them. Individual. Unique. I told my parents that I had left to realign my personality. To immerse myself amongst large numbers of Leerans in order to become adjusted out of guilt of their worry for me. Lies. All of it. Another alien concept. But they believed me! It was a revelation! As if I was altering my aura, showing the calm of blue instead of the greenish-red of discontent!

But it did not last for long. The strain was too much. Exhausting to keep up all day, everyday. I knew then that I truly had to leave, to a place where others could keep secrets, yet I would still be unique as the only Leeran capable of such a feat. I had to go to earth.

I used the same illegal tactics I had learned in solitude to gain passage to a Leeran earth-bound ship and, while the others slept, I left.

It was on that ship I met Tiberi. Just-exiled, his wound from his tail-blade being removed still hours fresh. He had been on Leera to plead his case on Kelbrid infiltration. To show that there was only truth in his mind and in his claims. He had failed.
I felt akin to him. My exile had been self-imposed, but I was exiled, just the same. I opened up to him. I told him some of my story. Not all, but some.

<And how are you planning to gain legal access to earth?> He asked me when I relayed my tale to him. <Humans are used to deceit and lying. Their security reflects it as such.>

I... I do not know... I replied. My efforts had been in vain. I knew without doubt that I would be sent back upon landing if what he said was true.

Tiberi just smiled at me with his eyes, <Maybe we can help each other, secretive Leeran. I know another Andalite on earth, similarly exiled. He is scheduled for incarceration by the years end, but he still knows his way around human technology like only an Andalite can.>

My eyes light up, Truly? How? What would you ask in return? By now I had become familiar with the human term 'quid pro quo'.

Tiberi continues to smile, <Help me. Help me prove my case as only a Leeran can. Help me establish a seat of prominence on earth and I will repay you with friendship, loyalty, shelter and the ability to become so human that you will never have to hear another thought or see another aura again. On one condition.>

Anything! I say. Never hear another thought again? Be rid of the incessant noise and be left with only me in my own head?! I would give anything for that.

<You never keep a secret from me.> Tiberi says to me, somehow still smiling in the face of all that has transpired for him.

Agreed! I say, immediately.

Tiberi's smile broadens. <So what is your name, Leeran?>

Nhad. I answer, honestly, But you can call me by my human name. Lee Ron Clandestine.

Tiberi laughs, heartily, <Clandestine, is it? I think we both may have a lot to learn about human naming habits, Nhad! Hahaha!>

I can't help but laugh with him.

[warren_bearclaw]

  It was rather ridiculous. Even while they lived in a society where space flight is common, bio-genetics is used for entertainment, and holographic projection is standard media, Professor Ellis insisted on keeping a blackboard in his classroom. He was a little old-fashioned that way... regardless, he was a great teacher.
  “Thirty seconds,” he said, leaning back against his desk. The sound of chalk-writing was the only other sound. The two students raced against the clock, trying to be the first to complete their assignments. The equations they were expected to solve were even overwhelming for most humans who'd spent their lives in mathematics. Along with all manner of new Andalite technology, came new understanding as well. Marty was writing furiously, having a blast.
  “Time.” Prof. Ellis said. “Chalk down, return to your seats.” Marty Wells and the other student took their seats, and smiled at each other. He and Dakota Ewing had been friends for a long time. He was glad that Dakota decided to come to the same university. It was a challenge, and it was so much better with someone familiar. Their instructor turned to look at them with a smile of his own.
  “The winner of today's challenge is...” he gave a dramatic pause. The class groaned.  “Dakota. Congratulations. And might I add that you both show an impressive understanding of Z-Space coordinate field equations.” There was a gleam in his eye. Just then, the bell rang, or rather, the electronic signal for the end of the class period went off. At least that was more up-to-date. The group of twenty or so students quickly began filing out of the lecture hall, bunched in small groups, chatting amongst themselves.
  “Good game.” Marty said, holding out his hand. Dakota shook hands, shaking his head as well.
  “If that was a game, then you're crazy...” he said. “I don't know how we're supposed to get through next semester, though... I've heard horror stories of those classes.”
  “Don't worry, we'll get through it together,” Marty said confidently. The Advanced Technology Institute at the highly esteemed Galileo University was definitely a challenge, but that's why the duo had decided to apply there. Marty slung his bag over his shoulder as they headed out the door.
  “Mr. Wells, a word with you, please...” Professor Ellis said as they did. Marty sighed.
  “I'll catch up,” he said. He turned around and stood in front of his instructor's desk, which was cluttered with papers, knickknacks, and all sorts of other stray random items. He looked up and gave a puzzled expression. “Yes, Professor Ellis?”
  “You let him win, didn't you?” he said.
  “Those were some hard problems, sir. I got stuck while converting the dimensional vectors and - “
  “Marty...” he smiled slightly. He already knew.
  “Yeah, but just a little bit.” he couldn't help but smile as well. “You've got to admit though, he was doing really well.” His professor chuckled.
  “Yes, he certainly was. You two make a great team. I wish my other students would work together like you and Mr. Ewing do.”
  “It's nothing special sir, we're just good friends is all.”
  “That's just you being modest, son. Don't try to explain away your great mind boy. Now go on, I'm sure you've got other activities to attend to.”
  “Well thank you, sir.”  Marty said. “I've had good teachers.” He walks out of the room, and out of the building. This school was so much fun. “Dakota, wait up!” he said as he broke into a jog.

[Estelore]

From the Kelbrid Space journal of Arhareli-Winwall-Ajaht, written and saved on cranial implant with thought-speak interface:

We have been traveling in the Kelbrid "Dagger" class cruiser for Earth-time one hour and twenty-three minutes. I am in Kelbrid morph at the helm, as is the Pemalite Ehruf. On board with us are nine humans, two Leerans, one very unconscious Hork-Bajir, and one other Pemalite named Ayrow, who appears to be Ehruf's comrade.

We have enough water to fully quench us all for thirty Earth hours, or we could draw it out to three days if the humans and especially the Leerans are willing to suffer abominably before landing. The matter is moot, however, because Kage (the Hork-Bajir) and I will need vegetative food within the next forty hours, and the Leerans will probably need some form of aquatic food. I don't even know about the Pemalites' diets, but their jaws suggest they can metabolize meat well.

The humans at least are in decent standing for food; the Kelbrid were "kind" enough to leave us a large supply of raw, dubious meat, and if Marty can find a way to cook it, there will be a meal in it for all nine.
Marty is an interesting human; he clearly is more technologically savvy than the other humans, and he recognizes the necessary parts to assemble a basic beam weapon. I wonder if the others realize what an asset he really is to the team, logistically.

Fisher is starting to earn more of my respect; he works well with his three fireteam members. All four are capable in combat, although I dearly wish we had better weapons for them to use. For that matter, I miss my Shredder and the tools I had been carrying. If I had them with me now, Marty would have another one assembled even faster.

Shaun would do well to stay out of the way and listen more than he speaks, at least until we can resupply. Hungry humans tend toward irritability, and I do not know how well the others will tolerate him. He appears to have Reyna completely furious.

Reyna is something of an enigma to me. We have a kind of quiet mutual understanding in terms of how we interact with each other, and there is no longer any real grounds for animosity. Still, I think I may have frightened her of me in the very process of trying to protect her and the young ones. It didn't help that Chris lost control at such an inopportune moment...

Chris and Jim... why are they on this trip? I have nothing against them, just the opposite, I like them both. Which stresses even more, why are they on this trip? Maybe they are here to provide peer support for Shaun? I don't know, really, but at least they take instruction very well, and they have never been uncooperative with our efforts to survive all this.

The Pemalites... Ayrow never says what he means, and Ehruf just doesn't talk much. Obscure creatures.

Kage is a pleasant fellow, but I don't think he had combat in mind when he came here. We really need to cure him of that fainting habit he seems to be developing.

Mesa is another incredibly valuable member of the group, on par with Marty... but for different reasons. She keeps us balanced emotionally, restrains conflicts, scouts ahead for enemy thoughts... I really hope she doesn't get killed because of something stupid.

Lee... is Lee. I trust him implicitly, but I don't usually believe a word he says without evidence to agree with him. A Leeran that can lie to another Leeran is... a frightening creature indeed, when you need your chain of command to be rock-solid and unquestioned. I hope he makes up to the group quickly, or Fisher, Marty, or Sky-forbid-it Shaun will attempt to take control just to set things back into a semblance of order. As for me... leadership is not my concern, but getting these people home IS. I don't care how many of them I have to knock unconscious to do it, but as long as I have my blade and my breath, I am going to get them back to Earth.

I guess it's too much to ask or hope for, that I could get back to my own planet in time for the competition... it might even be too much to ask to get these people to their home alive.

Garin would tell me to stop brooding, stop thinking, and just persist in doing.
...or else he would just crack me upside the head.
Either way, I suppose he's as right as ever. Focus on the now, Reli. Get as far as today, and you might just see tomorrow.

Signing off.

[Horsefan1023 (Seal)]

Mesa-Teern staggered, exhausted through the woods.  The dim prick of other minds tickled at the back of her mind, but it was faint.  Blessed silence at last.

Like the Te Isle, she reminded herself.  She wasn't sure why she was talking instead of just thinking.  That was quiet.  And lonely.  And desolate.  And unforgiving... she trailed off.  Let's just say Earth has been one huge Kele-Zi for me, she informed a bird, who squawked and flew away at the intrusion to its mind.  And so Mesa was left alone again.

You came to Earth, she thought to herself.  You scraped together some Uta and left home.  And your father.  No mother.  Wexa is gone now... 

She shook off the thought.  Now was not a time to be brooding on the past.  She did, however, let herself remember the Te Isle.  The Cursed Isle, Ix-Me's Isle.  Ix-Me was the main enemy of Cha-Ma-Mib, the main Leeran god.  As a result, the Te Isle did not have a good reputation.  The least populated island except for the Fhr, the Te islands was one of the scenes of the battle on Leera in the Yeerk war.  The island was devastated and never grew back quite the same, full of undergrown dark plants.  The human equivalent of the island would be the Bermuda Triangle.  But it was Mesa's birthplace.  And, unfortunately, she was always linked to it.  She was somewhat of a freak--the Leeran who was born on the Te Isle. 

But we're past that, Mesa said resolutely as she slogged through the woods, the minds getting dimmer and dimmer.  I'm on Earth now.  Here to see the world.  And be accepted!  I will!  I will be accepted!  No matter how long it takes!  I will find a niche here!  I will!  And nobody will call me a freak, people will understand that it wasn't my fault!

Mesa broke off.  She hadn't realized she had been shouting, but now the woods were silent.  The animals, like the bird, were horrified at the sudden intrusion into their mind, and fled in confusion.  But wait...there was a faint gurgling sound.  Something was running through the woods...

Water!

Mesa put on an extra burst of speed (and it's a strange thing to see a Leeran run) and came to the most beautiful sight ever--a pool of water, big enough for one Leeran to live comfortably.  It was clean and pure, and deep, which was good.  Mesa hastily dove in, her bulky, unwieldy form becoming graceful as she swam deeper.  There were several fish swimming around, and upon tasting one, Mesa found it delicious.  Comparable to the Py-te fish, but...sweeter, almost.  But it was fish.

Mesa drank deeply of the clean water around her, tasting its purity, which was good, for Earth.  There was a river leading away from the pool.  She cautiously swam down it, keeping to the bottom lest any humans mistake her for some horrible creature--she had heard in some minds something about a Loch Ness monster.  She soon tasted the water getting saltier and saltier, and, as she rose above the water for a brief breath, saw an endless expanse of water ahead of her.  A beach!  Delightful.  She quickly swam out, enjoying the cool feeling of the currents tugging around her, the rushing sound in her ears, the cool feeling all around her.

The delighted Leeran would have laughed out loud, but she didn't want to scare the humans with a random psychic outburst.  Instead, she said privately to herself, After days and days of wandering through cities, with noise crashing everywhere, without being in a decent body of water for over a week...finally.  I think I'm home.

But even as she said it, Mesa knew that despite her difference, she truly belonged to Leera.

But then she got a message one day, from Tiberius Marx...

[Terenia]

"Ridiculous," an old woman was glaring at a holo-projector as though it had personally insulted her. Pale, wrinkled hands with deep purple protruding veins moved with an arthritic slowness, entering in a variety of commands. The five year old girl sitting on the floor in front of the elderly woman could not see what was being displayed, and after a few minutes her curiousity overcame her.

"What is it, Nana?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"Hmph," Nana tossed the holo-projector aside, and for a moment the girl's heart jumped into her throat, certain it would break, but the device landed softly and safely on one of the rooms unoccupied chairs. The girl felt a sudden urge to comfort her clearly distraught Nana. She unfolded her legs from beneath her and crawled onto the old, worn leather couch upon which she sat. She did not sit in her Nana's lap, but cuddled up under her right arm, looking up with large brown eyes that held as much concern as a five year old was capable of.

"Reyna," Nana said lovingly, her features smoothing into a smile. She squeezed her great-granddaughter into a side hug, but her nearsighted gaze remained on the discarded projector.

"Nana?" Reyna questioned.

"Reyna, how would you feel about not going to school tomorrow?" Nana asked after a lengthy pause.

"You mean like a vacation?" Eagerness spread through Reyna. She had never had a vacation before, although her classmates often spoke of them.

"A bit," Nana said. "I will have to speak to your mother, but when she sees what they are trying to teach -" she cuts off, overcome by a fit of asthmatic coughing. Reyna hugs her close until the fit subsides.

"What do you mean?" She asks when her Nana is quiet once more.

"Listen to me, Reyna," Nana shifted slightly, wincing as she did so. "I need you to pay attention, because I am going to tell you something very, very important." Reyna nodded, her eyes shining with curiosity. Nana sighed and went on.

"You know who you are, right sweetheart?"

"I'm Reyna," Reyna responded, her excitement clouded by confusion at the strange question.

"That's your name, yes. But you are more than a name, Reyna One Jackson. Do you understand?" Reyna shook her head, not understanding at all. Nana sighed and decided to take another approach.

"Do you know why your middle name is 'One'?" she asked.

"Because I'm the only kid in the family," Reyna supplied quickly, eager to answer correctly. "If I had a little brother or sister they'd be Two, then Three, then Four, then -"

"Right," Nana cut Reyna off before she could go on to the highest number she knew. "And do you know why we don't eat every three days?"

"Mommy says it's because we used to only eat once every three days, and if we didn't we'd die," Reyna's voice took on a slightly annoyed edge. Clearly she was not a fan of the fast that her Nana was referring to. "But no one else does it at school." she appeals, hoping maybe her Nana will offer some leniency on the tradition.

"That's because no one else is a Descendent."

"A Descendent..." Reyna has heard the word before, of course. She knows that it is the category that her parents must select on all official forms, right next to 'Caucasian', 'Hispanic', 'Andalite' and a variety of other options. She knows that it means her Nana did not always look as she does now.

"You know what that means?" Nana asked.

"It means that you were a Yeerk, once," Reyna said, proud to have paid attention in her history lesson. "But when the war ended you chose to turn into a human forever so that you wouldn't have to be bad anymore." She finds it hard to imagine her mild-mannered Nana ever being a bad guy. She is surprised, then, when her Nana's face grows stony, her dark eyes colder than Reyna ever remembers seeing them.

"I was never bad, Reyna," she says, struggling to keep her voice even, not wanting to scare the child. "This is why you need a vacation from school. They are going to tell you things that are wrong. They are going to lie to you. Do you know why?" Wordlessly, Reyna shook her head, confused by the sudden change that has come over her great-grandmother.

"They will lie because they need to protect themselves," Nana says. "They need people like you, young people who were not around for the war or for the battles that followed, to believe their version of the story. They want you to think I'm the bad guy. And they want you to forget where you came from."

"I don't..." Reyna trailed off, confusion evident on her face. She was scared by her Nana's words. They were so fierce and powerful - not at all like the old woman's usual conversations. This was a side of Nana she had never seen. At the same time, Reyna did not want to leave something that she could clearly sense was important. Maybe life changing.

"Reyna, promise me that you will not forget where you came from," Nana said, looking at Reyna with those burning eyes. "You are a Yeerk Descendent. You are not human. The moment you think that you are you will destroy us all. Then the bad guys will win. You understand?" Once again unable to find words, Reyna merely nods. Her Nana sighs with relief, all of the fire seeming to evaporate as she slouches into the couch.

"Good," she says in a croaky, tired voice. "Now go get your mother. I need to speak to her about your little vacation."

Relieved to be dismissed, Reyna crawled down from the couch and ran to find her mother. She was shaken by the events that had just transpired, but she was intrigued to find tha she was also excited. It was as though her Nana had sent some of that fire into Reyna. She wanted to know more. She wanted to find out what it was that made her great-grandmother speak with the passion of a much younger woman.

The next day Reyna stayed home from school. And they day after that. And the day after that. A week passed and Reyna realized that she would never be going back to the building that taught her lies.

A month after Reyna's homeschooling had begun her Nana passed away. She had never seen the woman looking more peaceful than the day before she was incinerated, returning to dust in the tradition of the Descendents.

[BaronConall]

"Lee, I need to speak with you."

Tiberi and I had been working non-stop for the past year. Everything had been happeneing quickly since our arrival. Within two weeks of landing, Tiberi had forged a work record, identity and background check. He was granted a high ranking position in GT&T and, within the next few months, would ideally be CEO, through his manipulation of communications technology and the constant purchase of stocks. As far as human technology had come, there was still plenty that Tiberi had to show them.

"Yesss, Tie-beeeer-eeee?" I replied. Tiberi was more driven than me and also more familiar with morphing, so had taken to human speech much easier. I was still playing with the sounds.

"I've been refining our plan," he told me, "The plan involving the ones who may be here."

Tiberi always purposely avoided referring to the Kelbrid or why we were here, in case anyone was listening. He also constantly had me demorph in private to perform a quick psychic sweep of the area. Especially if anyone had a meeting with Tiberi or if they entered his office or home. It was paranoid, yes, but it was also secure.

"When we find out where they are and who they're talking too, we're going to need to go to their own home, eventually," He says, "But with my... condition, it may be more prudent for you to make the trip with some outside help." He says, laying out a series of data pads before me. His 'condition' of course was that he was a nothlit. It had been his first sacrifice when he came to earth.

I look over the pages, reading names. Reyna One Jackson, Shaun Oran, Chris Larson, Arhareli-Winwall-Ajaht, Jim Thompson, Johnathan Fisher, Mesa-Teern, Kage Garesh.

"Who are they?" I ask, the distraction enough to take my mind off sounds.

"They're important, Lee. They're who will go with you, when the time comes."

"Why? What makes them important?"

"I'll explain that shortly, but right now, I need you to do something." He says, looking at me intently.

"What do you need?"

"Remember when we met? When I said you only need do one thing for me in return for my loyalty and friendship, among other things?"

"Of course."

"There is one more thing you must do for me, Lee."

I do not feel worried by Tiberi's request. I owe him everything. But he seems to be looking at me so intently.

"Anything, Tiberi. Us. Tiberius." I still need to remind myself to use his human name.

"In the beginning, you will need to keep secrets from these people. Even lie to them. To protect them at first. But in the end, you are going to need to be completely honest with them, Lee. As you are with me. Totally honest." he tells me, "They are going to look to you. For knowledge, information and direction in the same way you look to me. And they are going to need to trust you, Lee. Without their trust, you cannot help them, Lee. And, when the time comes, they either cannot or will not help you."

I look at Tiberi, taking in all he has told me. There are many facets to his plan that he has not told me yet. Not because he has kept them from me, but because I have not asked. I know that if he is asking this of me, it must be vital.

"I give you my word." I say to him, totally and truly honest.

"Good. Now I need you to change while I tell you this. We can never be too careful. First is Reyna One Jackson. She is..."

[Cobra (Gymn)]

Late one night Chris was reading a well-worn book, obviously one of his favorites. He enjoyed holobooks but there was nothing like a real book in his hands. It was a history of the Animorphs. He put the book down after his parents asked a few times. His was a normal family. He had two parents a sister and a dog. He also had a rat. Right now the rat was making a racket while knawing on her food. He loved his parents and wouldn't trade them for anything, but sometimes as he lay there on his bed he wished that something exciting would happen in his life. Little did he know that just the next day he would get a comm from GT&T that would send his life spiraling out of normalcy.

[Myitt]

((Guys, I hate to bug you, but we were thinking of having our own Dreams/Memories spinoff for the GESB and I was wondering if you'd all mind if we nabbed the idea?  It's a great character development tool!))

[warren_bearclaw]

No problem, Myitt! At least, I assume that Estelore is fine with you using her idea.... there might be some royalties involved, but....

[Estelore]

Sorry to catch you so late; by all means, go for it!

[Myitt]

((Thanks guys! ))

[BaronConall]

Lee stood in the hut, eating and drinking like the rest, but he was in a daze.
He could hear what the elder was saying, he was taking in the exchanges around him, but he felt... Off

It had started as a slight sense of unease when he got off the ship, but it had grown more and more over time until it felt like he was surrounded by a Ke field of lethagia. He felt almost in a trance. There were voices, whispering to him. Speaking to him. Through him. Around him.

Blood.
Food.
Run.
Chase.
Capture.
Hold.
Kill.

This Ke... It was purely instinctual. Lee knew this instinct. He'd felt it before. Succumed to it.

Lee knew this instinct well...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The field before him was expansive with vibrant greens and browns. Africa, just after the rains. Lee had used Tiberi's personal shuttle to come here. It was the only place open enough. Secluded enough to attempt his first morph.

When Lee had seen it in the San Diego Zoo, he didn't know what to think. The creature was so... imposing. So predatory. So deadly. So... unlike Lee. It was perfect, an expression of opposites, everything Lee was not. No Ke, no telepathy, almost entirely land based.

Lee couldn't make out the planet the creature was from, merely the name.

'Stalker Hound'

It was from one of the more hostile worlds. Young and still forming, like something from earth's prehistory. The creature itself was know for it natural stealth abilities. Furless with a camoflage system not unlike a chameleon's. It's hide was scaly and thick, but it's legs were lean and highly muscular. It was like the unatural realisation of Crocodile and Wolf.
The Stalker Hound itself was known to track it's prey for weeks, it's highly evovled and efficient digestive system akin to a python's, allowing it to digest food gradually over a period of months. At top speed the massive creature was capable of running at 45 mph, slightly faster than the earth Wolf, it's speed hindered only by it's size.

The Hound was as tall as the earth Great Dane and nearly 6 feet long from head to tail. It's eyes were jet black and the snout of the creature was like that of a snake. And just like a snake, the Stalker Hound was capable of unhinging it's jaw for eating larger prey. A set of eight fangs, four in the upper jaw and four in the lower, carried a powerful neurotoxin, not designed to kill, but to paralyze. The Stalker Hound ate it's prey live. The Hound's jaws were powerful, too. The Stalker Hound had been recorded as being capable of ripping the door off a shuttle in an effort to reach the occupants.

Lee had chocen this as his first morph. Even now he was unsure of the reason fir the allure, but he had acquired it from a blood sample that he purchased from the Zoo's Warden under the guise of an errand for Tiberi.

So, there Lee stood, in the open plain. He focused on the Stalker.

The first change he noticed was his feet. He felt the muscles in his hind legs twist and tighten, less designed for swimming and jumping now as they were for running and pouncing. His tentacles interlaced and merged, changing in similar ways. Sharp, retactable claws sprouted from five new 'toes', three at the front of his fast forming 'paw', one at the back and one 'spur' slightly higher and on the outside of each leg. Each claw was like an external fang, each carrying the potent neurotoxin.
Lee's eyesight began to change next. Sharper and less murky, more and more vibrant. The infra-red spectrum opened up to him while at the same time his tongue became more slender, split and forked and his 'vision' took on a new aspect.

The flora and fauna around Lee was now not only identifiable by heat but also by the 'taste' their scent gave out. Lee could differentiate the arid plains from a hot Wilderbeast by simply 'tasting' the air.

A tail shot out behind Lee while his hide thickened and became more scaly, thick and powerful, a straffing swipe capable of breaking bones.

As the morph finished, the instincts hit Lee. Hard.

He tasted the air. He was hungry. There was a large concetration of carbon monoxide in the air, but not high enough to worry him. A gust of wind brought a stronger scent of the carbon monoxide, followed by smoke and... blood. Blood and cooking meat.

Lee was already running. Lost in the morph. The camp was four miles away. Lee reached the area in less than ten minutes, his scaled hide changing to match the colours passing him. He wasn't invisible, but he was hard to spot, lest you knew what to look for.
Lee watched from the distance. There was a fire and a grouping of dark prey around it. Some walked on their hind legs while others were seated on their haunches. There were three in all. Two female, one male.

They looked quick. Agile. Nimble. They looked challenging... Fun.

Silently Lee crept closer, his hide matching the greens and brown of the grass, the orange and reds of the setting sun. Lee crept closer and closer, barely 5 feet from the fire, hidden in the long grass, when one of the females looked up.

She looked into Lee's eyes and screamed.

The male saw Lee, reached long black and brown tube, what Lee would later realise to be a rifle, and started to swing the barrel to face Lee. Too slow. In a flash, Lee was on him. There was an audile snap as he knocked the man down, his full wieght snapping his collar bone, claws digging into his shoulder as he screamed in a mixture of terror and pain. Out of the corner of his vision, Lee saw one of the females run torwards and larege metallic box.

A shuffle of his hind legs and a swing of his tail sent the woman flying into the car she was fleeing towards. There was a wet thud, and sound like cereal being crushed in milkand the woman fell to the ground, limp, blood seeping from her ears.

The other woman screeched, flinging herself towards the fallen woman, shaking her frantically. Lee stepped away from the man who had since stopped screamin. His mouth hung open and his eyes stared wide at the sky, paralyzed from the venom. He would stay that way for the next six hours. Lee advanced on the lone woman while she wept, begged and pleaded to the other woman to get up, backing up against the car and cradling the womans head in her lap while she wept and glanced into Lee's eyes.

"Please. Please, please, please, please..." She kept repeating the word over and over and over, the Andalite-class translator ship in Lee's head still working despite his morph, translating the plea into word that Lee's Leeran mind could comprehend.

His sentience returned to him in a flash. Lee backed away from the woman in shock, surveying the scene that surrounded him. The man was still paralyzed, blood seeping from his shoulder, the venom doubling as a pain killer was his only relief. The woman in front of him had shut her eyes and was crying hysterically, uncontrollably, and the womanin her arms...

Even the sense of the Stalker Hound could see that her body heat was slowly ebbing away. The heat signature around her heart was dissipating the fastest. The cranial damage had been extreme.

Both the male and deceased female worematching circlets of metal on fingers on their hands. Lee was familiar with the custom. A husband an wife. Camping with a friend or relative.

"Mother, please, please, please..."

Or daughter.

Lee turned and ran from the horror in front of him. He ran into the night until even the Stalker Hound's body could run no more. And then when Lee stopped and he felt his sense reture, he started to demporph.

Lee demorphed and vowed to never morph the Stalker Hound again.

Ever.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


((OOC: Sorry. I know it was a little dark, but with most characters I make, I try to make them as real as I can. We all have that moment in our past that we regret more than anything. How can my characters be believable if it's not the same with them?))

[Gumby]

For Fisher it was just another day.

Another long, long, boring day.

Not that he totally resented being stationed on Harmony, the air was nice for one. Since it had only been colonized for around sixteen years or so it wasn’t exactly bustling with civilization. So as it was the air was completely free of the pollutants which clogged the atmosphere of many parts of Earth and that change was very nice.

He was stationed in the capital city, aptly named WeSurvived. The colony ship to land on this location had run afoul with engine problems and skidded into the dirt, breaking apart into pieces and killing half the colonists and crew, forcing the survivors to manage until the next transport from Earth arrived with aid.

Now it was a little city of ten thousand people, practically free of crime and poverty, for now at least. So it was definitely a nice place to live, though it didn’t exactly live up to Fisher’s idea of a glamorous and exhilarating life as a UNSN Marine.

He was stationed there along with a small garrison of thirty other marines, almost all of them raw to boot. So was Fisher, in fact the only form of combat experience he had ever had was when they shot a few carnivorous Leapers that got too close to the city.

There wasn’t exactly a strict schedule in place. Lieutenant Dawson made sure that regular patrols were completed and there where the mandatory drills and exercises, but in fact there was not much to do for the chunk of many days.

 So that’s why Fisher was laying on his cot, his cap over his eyes and his arms crossed behind his head. His knee was lazily propped up in the air by his angled leg. Now staring at a movie blazing before his eyes on the little holo-glasses perched on his nose, he listened to the movie with one ear, while his other ear was un-plugged and vigilantly listening for the sound of approaching footsteps. At least that’s what he thought.

One moment the flashy action sequences of Red Dawn was flashing before his eyes, in Fishers opinion Michael Fitch would have been better played by an actor like Carter Lake instead of Christopher Halsmen, but it was still a great movie none-the-less.

Anyway, one moment he was watching a not-so-well played Michael Fitch dodge bullets, the next moment blinding light was suddenly invading his vision from every direction and the familiar sound of gunfire was replaced by the regrettably familiar sound of Staff Sergeant Jay Miles.

“If you don’t get your rear end out of this bed I will personally strap it to a MAC round and Magnetically Accelerate you into high orbit!” Fisher bolted straight up, slamming his head on the underbelly of the bunk above him, forcing out a single loud profanity which could be heard all the way in the mess hall.

Rubbing his throbbing head, Fisher complained futilely.

“Aw come on sarge, there ain’t nothing to do here, why d’you gotta do this to me?” Miles was unimpressed.

“Because you are not being paid as much as you are to lay around watching movies!”

“Then what am I being payed for, dusting the shelves?”

“We’re supposed to be keeping the peace!” Miles was getting mad now, causing Fisher to snort indignantly.

“Well in that case mission accomplished Give everyone a medal and let’s go home!”

“Private! Get yourself out of that bunk and onto the guard tower or I will have your butt for dinner! Extra crispy! Now move!” He shouted the last word with such force that Fisher shrank into the mattress for a moment before sliding off and snapping a hasty salute.

“Sir yes sir! Your dinner sir!” Without another word the marine spun around, bent over, and pulled his pants down to moon his superior. Then he blew out the door, pulling his pants back up. The stunned noncom only took a moment to get himself together before sending a booming tirade of cheese curdling curses through the base after the uppity private.

Five minutes later, Fisher was leaning back at the guard tower, three hundred feet in the air with a broad look over the alien landscape. Not that Harmony looked that bad, in fact it was pretty similar to Earth. Broad green fields of long stringy plants that were like grass were dotted with bushes rising hundreds of feet into the air. Cutting through it and into the town was a long, winding river that poured down from the mountain range a dozen miles north.

Next to him was Private Donald, who was peering down the scope of a long-barreled sniper rifle with a malicious grin plastered to his face while he zeroed in on some hapless wildlife.

“Come on, that’s it, just a little to the left, there you go.” He chuckled crazily and licked his lips. “There we are baby, now you’re mine.” He exhaled slowly and squeezed the trigger with a resounding bang.

Seven hundred yards away, a rabbit was reduced to soup.

Fisher shot the man a glance as he did a little dance of joy. The boredom had hit them all pretty hard, but Donald seemed to be losing it. Some of the guys were actually betting on how long before he snapped. Most of his free time was spent in the tower, using military-paid bullets to vaporized small furry life forms. Lieutenant Dawson didn’t mind, as long as he was practicing his shooting skills and keeping local varmint populations down.

“Donald you physco, what poor thing did you blast this time?”

“A rabbit.” He didn’t move, just kept peering down the sites and moving the gun slowly. Fisher rolled his eyes, there had been one or two complaints lodged by the townspeople, resulting in Donald being not allowed to shot dogs or cats. Fisher could now imagine some little girl crying when Bunny never showed up tonight. He was about to raise this issue when Donald shouted “Ah-ha!” and shot again.

The sniper made a little victory fist pump before leaving the rifle to jot something down. Peeking at the little yellow notebook, Fisher caught some of the writing. Eight hundred and fifty yards, nine hundred yards, seven hundred. Dang Donald might have been crazy but he was sure a crack shot.

Donald flipped his notebook closed and tucked the away the pen to look up at Fisher as if it was for the first time. Then with a shrug he went back to his rifle scope. “So Fisher, what about the spook?” Fisher was caught a bit by surprise, he looked at Donald with a startled expression.

“What?”

“You know, that slick little weasel in the OAA getup.” Oh yeah, that spook. Yesterday a reedy little man speaking slick bureaucratic BS had shown up identifying himself as being with the Office of Alien Affairs, the government unit which tended to all matters alien in humanities expanding little colonies.

It was kind of odd for an OAA guy to be on a place like Harmony, they spend most of their time snooping around on Earth for morphed Andalite convicts. Earth had become a bit of a refuge for them after the war and the UN was trying to improve its status with the Andalite Electorate and so it spent lots of resources tracking them down.

The OAA’s other big target was renegade Yeerks. There was a good deal of pockets of Yeerks left over after the Battle for Earth who were using portable Kandronas, usually taken from high-ranking Yeerks.

All-in-all, it was a bit weird for an OAA man to be over here. Fisher shrugged.

“Dunno, maybe he’s here to inspect the garrison or something?” Fisher flinched at how stupid that sounded, but Donald paid it no heed.

“Huh, that’d be something. Now I’ve been thinking about it, maybe he’s here looking for recruits or something, NGT candidates maybe?” If Fisher thought his idea was stupid, this took the cake. He laughed.

“Yeah, he comes all the way out here to recruit a bunch of green lame-ass rookies for a black ops team, maybe he’s looking for the source of eternal bacon while he’s at it!”

“ I dunno man, who knows with those guys? All that cloak-and-dagger stuff, maybe he’s here for-Gotcha!” He interrupted himself with a loud bang as he claimed yet more helpless fauna. Fisher sighed, to hell with this. He was getting something to eat. Leaving Donald to his fun, he crept out of the tower and headed down the stairs.

Chewing on a fat protein tablet, Fisher looked at the letter. It was marked ‘TOP SECRET EYES ONLY’ and had bureaucratic ooze smeared all over it. It was also marked ‘To the Attention of Private Jonathan L. Fisher.’

He had come down for some food, of course the supply ship was late and all they had was the capsulated crap that all tasted like compressed cardboard with just a hint of lemon. And so it had been that, with a grim face, Fisher had taken one of the capsules and wandered down to the mail room to check if anything had arrived. And to his utter and total surprise, something had. What was more, it was for him.

The last ship to come had been the OAA corvette carrying the spook. When Fisher had picked it up, the little weasel had slid seemingly from nowhere to shake his hand. With that smarmy slick grin of the politicians smeared on his face, he’d congratulated Fisher for no apparent reason.

“The UNSC would like to thank you for your services Private, keep up the excellent work.” Mentally rolling his eyes, Fisher grinned a BS grin back and shook his hand, all the while thinking: And now I’m supposed to vote for you, is that it?

Quick as he came the man was gone; to Fisher it seemed very much like a political thing, he wanted the support of soldiers everywhere so he could be voted chairman of something. Fisher was positive the little schmuck would work his way through the entire garrison, shakings hands and making them feel good.

Slicing open the envelope, Fisher slid out the letter and unfolded it. His eyes lazily skimmed the page for a split-second, and then widened in shock. As the letter unfolded, he grabbed the envelope and checked it again. Scarcely breathing, he shook out the small felt double bars of a corporal.

He had just been promoted, why he didn’t know. But if the spook wanted his vote he would get his vote no problem. He read on, flipping to the second page stapled on to it. It was a letter from someone he’d never met but had heard plenty about.

Stunned as he was, Corporal Fisher had no idea that this little piece of paper was going to change his life forever. The arrangements have been made. Your Lieutenant has already been informed of your departure. Pack your belongings and be at the Berenson Spaceport tomorrow morning at 0600. I look forward to meeting you Corporal. It was signed Tiberius Maximus, president of G&T.

Managing to swallow, the marine looked around nervously. Should he burn the letter or something? Eat it? Instead he just pocketed it and headed off nervously to pack his things. It was going to be a long trip.

[Saphire]

This looks like such an interesting fantasy.. - - I wish I'd been around sooner.

Looking for the origional link so's I can at least read some of it. ^^;

EDIT: Yeahhhhhhh i'm an idiot. ^^; Didn't figure it out earlier. heh. Sometimes you gotta' ask for help before you can realise the awnser's right in front'a ya.