I've been writing something that was going to be one thing, but turned into a multi-parter climax chapter.
Book One: Chapter Three - Part One
I was now deep within the heart of enemy territory. Inside Visser 25's office, which is in the largest and most heavily secured complex on the planet. I had been sent to find out more about the Visser, since little was actually known about him. Intelligence spoke of him becoming a Visser before the Yeerk/Andalite war began, and being a charismatic leader as well as a competent fighter. The office had various computer screens and papers on a large desk, and the Visser was talking from the desk to his Subvissers. I was listening to them while in lizard form under the desk.
"It's bad enough some juvenile Andalite spy is able to escape from one of our compounds right under our noses, but the next day those fools allow him to captuer a cargo ship!" One of the Subvissers fumed. He was pacing back and forth between the desk and the other Subvisser.
"Calm down Subvisser 6." Visser 25 said calmly. "We managed to kill a few spies, and maintained our hold in orbit. There are bound to be a few losses here and there, but for the most part we remain at an advantage."
"Don't tell me you actually tolerate such failure, sir. The fact that the Andalites were allowed to construct a ground base is irreprehensable." The other Subvisser said.
"Yes, Subvisser 7, it's important to remember that no one is perfect. Repeated faliures by the same people should not be overlooked, but you can't blow your top off at every mistake."
"I know exactly what should be done, to get rid of those hairballs." Subvisser 6 said. "We outnumber them by quite a bit. I will order both Pool Ships and all bugfighters to attack the Domeship. I will also have all ground forces swarm the enemy ground base and flood every hallway with Hork-Bajir controllers. It will be a massacre!"
"A massacre indeed. Our troops would also be mostly massacred, which is not something I'm going to approve!" Visser 25 said.
"All of the important people would be safe. The three of us, and some liutenants. Afterwards we'll just send for more troops and resume our duties as before." Subvisser 7 said.
"Look. A good leader is as loyal to his soldiers as they are to him. If I authorize something like this, no soldier assigned to me afterwards will ever trust me. I'm not here to slaughter the enemy. I'm here to try to end this war as quickly as possible, with the least amount of blood spilt. Now get out! Such an idiotic idea has put me in a foul mood."
The two Subvissers stormed out, and I crept out into the hallway after them. I felt it might be better to watch them for a bit than to watch the Visser. They were thinking dangerous thoughts.
"Anyone who tolerates failure is a failure himself!" Subvisser 6 shouted out of earshot of the Visser in the empty hallway.
"But what can we do? Without the Visser's consent, the troops won't take those kinds of orders.."
"Then I suppose the Visser will have to be removed from the equasion." Subvisser 6 said softly.
Subvisser 7 looked up and down the hallway. "Are you suggesting we...kill Visser 25?"
"I refuse to tolerate failure, and that also means following those who fail. Visser 25 is too soft to be a true leader. This war is far above any war a Yeerk has faced before. I will go to the lab and fix a little poison to put in the Visser's drink. You begin making the plans for the grand assault. Meet back at his office in half an hour."
***
Prince Mutaro had called me to the Dome in the morning. Foosal had already been sent out to help place the wepons on a couple of islands on the lake.
<Warrior Claxter, I have been talking to the captain and other important officials about Visser 25. It has been decided that we need more information about him to help us defeat him. I convinced them to let you take a mission to watch him, although there were other spies willing to do the job..
<May I ask why you picked me, sir?>
<You are young, and are largely unbiased and open mind compared to the older spies. You see there's watching someone, and then there's really watching someone and taking in everything objectively.>
<Yes sir.>
<The Visser is in the main headquarters on planet, in a heavily guarded installation. They are also on guard for spies trying to get in. Fortunately I have a plan, that involves the parasite I hold in my hand.>
I recoiled slightly as all four eyes focused in his closed right fist. He opened it, and I saw.....nothing. Certaintly not the kind of creature I feared would be clutched in his hand, that he may expect me to morph. Then I saw a few short hairs move on his hand, and a black dot appeared.
<Look closely, and you will notice a minute, bloodsucking bug in my palm.>
<Why did you say parasite before, instead of bug?>
<I wanted to see the expression on your face.>
Prince Mutaro had a mean side. <Is it possible to morph something so small?>
<Anything that has DNA can be morphed. I don't know if things this small have been morphed before, but you're going to try now.>
And so I did. I plucked the creature from my Prince's hand, and it crawled around on my short hairs before stopping. I aquired its DNA, and placed it in a container that Prince Mutaro held up. No sense in letting it loose to aggravate some hapless random Andalite.
As I started, the first thing to happen was shrinking. I shrank at such a rapid rate that I felt like I was falling. It was a bit like my lizard or bird morph, except it was even longer. I was smaller than a grain of sand when I finished my morph on a flat stone.
<I don't suspect the instincts are very difficult, are they?>
I could hear my Prince's voice. The insect's brain kicked in, but it wasn't in much of a hurry to get anywhere. It could sense light, blood, and vibration. It knew something warm blooded was near, and it wanted closer. I could climb to the incredible heights of the top of a grass blade to await something to brush past. I could patiently wait there for the chance to fill my belly up with blood.
<I am still here, sir. This creature feels no fear, or anything strong at all.>
<Good. You may demorph as I tell you the plan. My War Prince is planning an attack on the main base to test its strength. There's a fair chance our forces won't get in, so if they don't we will use it as cover to sneak you in. You will ride one of my warriors into battle as that insect, and hitch a ride on a controller. When he returns to the base, you will get off and try to find Visser 25. You'll need your lizard for that, as I doubt the bug would be useful past the first point.>
<Yes sir.>
<There is one other thing. Once you are in, you will have no one to help you. You will have no safety line. Fasool will be away, and the odds of you fighting your way back out are very slim. There is a force field around the main hub of the compund, and a wall surrounding the hub and its separate buildings. You will need to be very careful, and not take any unnessecary risks.>
That made me nervous. I had had Fasool there with me for the last two missions. For the first time, we would truly be separated. I wondered if they had told him exactly what I was doing. I wondered if he should be told.
In another hour, I was riding in a vehicle with Prince Mutaro and another one of his Warriors who volunteered to be my carrier. I was nervous because I knew this was just the easy part. He was nervous because he'd be running out to face an army of Hork-Bajir warriors with his comrades. Just before we reached the desitnation I began morphing, and the clock started ticking. Prince Mutaro deposited me in the inside of the back of the Warrior's armor, and sent him out.
Vibration everywhere! It was enough to rattle just about anyone, but my insect was calm. He was in a warm, dark place, so he had little conscern for the apocalyptic earthquake he was feeling.
<We have engaged the Hork-Bajir!> The Warrior told me in private thought speak. It was go time, so to the bug's dissmay I left the warmth and darkness for the outside world. The Warrior was told to hit low, and aim for the enemy's legs. I jumped off and found an enemy crawling along the ground that surely had a gash on his leg. I crawled inside his armor, and told the Warrior I had landed.
The Warrior then told Prince Mutaro which Hork-Bajir not to shoot at or attack, then left to fight other opponents. The wounded enemy got back to the back lines and was patched up. I managed to jump off before he was sent out again, and hitched rides until I was finally on the other side of the force field. Later I found a place to demorph, and morph the lizard. Now the hard part began.
I found out that the main building is where the offices were, including Visser 25's. The other buildings were the laboratory, storage, barraks, mess hall, ect. I hid out there until the battle was over, and things settled down. It wasn't too long before the Visser returned and his top subordinates came to speak to him.
***
The two Subvissers separated down the hallway, leaving me very worried. They were going to poison Visser 25, and inact a plan that could destroy all of our forces and most of theirs. What was I to do? I had to warn the Visser. It would save his life, but he would be able to stop this plan. How could I warn him. Open thought speak was out of the question. He was still an enemy, even if I was trying to save him. Maybe I could send him a message to his computer anonymously.
I had a Hork-Bajir morph, but I needed one from someone that was supposed to be here. I raced outside to get to the barracks, where I would surely find sleeping Hork-Bajir. The forcefield was operating, but I waited for someone to pass through the doorway and went with them. In the barracks I found a dark area with sleeping controllers. Who should I morph? Someone who would stay asleep for a while, so there wouldn't be two of the same person walking around.
Just then, I had a thought. It was crazy, and I had no idea if it would work. Anything with DNA could be morphed, but was it possible to mix DNAs? It hadn't been done before, and I wished I had someone to consult. I was running out of time, though. I demorphed in a far corner, and crept very quietly to two Hork-Bajir in beds. I touched their blades, which had no nerve endings to feel anything with, and started. All it would take was one warrior to open his eyes, and I'd have twenty enemies on top of me in seconds.
That did it. I had now aquired two sets of Hork-Bajir DNA simultaneously. I then focused on the images of both Hork-Bajir. In that dimmly lighted room, my body began to change. When it was completed, I grabbed a uniform out of a nearby locker, and stepped out into the light.
It worked! I looked similar to the two warriors, and yet not the same. I had melded two elements seamlessly to create something that looked alike and different at the same time. Andalite artists had a word for this called Frolis, though it usually pertained to painting and such. Even so, I decided to call this move the Frolis maneuver.
There were a lot of Hork-Bajir walking around outside, so I strode purposefully back to the main building. The guard at the forcefield let me in, and I found an empty office. The computer was on, so I had little problem composing a message. I entitled it
Your life is in danger!. Below I warned him not to consume anything given to him without checking it for poison first. He had ten minutes to read that letter before the Subvissers returned.
I then went to find Subvisser 7, who was making plans to attack. I found out that the reason so many soldiers were moving around outside, is because they are making their way to a large meeting room in the back of the main building. I entered the meeting room to find a hundred soldiers in elite uniforms lined up before Subvisser 7.
"Soon we will be making a glorious final attack at the enemy! We will break them before they become strong! We will annihalate them en mass off the face of this planet and in orbit!"
He was giving a speech. Exciting everyone before the battle. I was tempted to shout out that most of the soldiers would die as well as the enemy, but I was afraid to draw attention to myself. I wondered what they were planning to do once Visser 25 was dead. Dispose of the body, then after the attack just maintain control over whatever is left? I wondered who these soldiers were more loyal to. The Visser, or the Subvissers? I noticed a control console behind the Subvisser. He was broadcasting the message to all other places, and possibly the Pool Ships. He just conveniently left out that Visser 25 was unaware of what was going on under his nose.