Elfangor's Escafil Device

[mrlarry]

Ok, Elfangor has broken away from the Dome ship. He's in his little cruiser, doing battle with Visser Three. Why does he have an Escafil device with him? Surely it's not common practice to take the damn things in to outer space, let alone into battle.
I mean, there'd be no reason to have out near earth anyway. All the warriors on the dome ship would have the morphing ability already, and it's against the law to give the technology to aliens.
I'm aware that the whole story would fall apart if he didn't have it with him, but where's the logic behind it?

[ANna]

maybe it is common to bring stuff like that along? idk, never really thought about it. 

[ANItiger13]

Well, it probably wouldn't be common because of Seerow's Kindness and the whole everyone has morphing ability already. I hadn't ever thought about it, but you're right, it doesn't make sense.

[Essam 293]

Well the only reason I can think of Elfangor even carrying it is because of his War-Prince status. There can't be too many of them around, so maybe that rank earned him the right to carry his own Escafil Device and to train, and empower, anyone he saw fit.

[estrid]

huh, thats a good point. he really didn't have a reason to have it. could it be that he knew he would meet up with the humans, so he knew he should have it on board? since in the AC the ellimist shows him that he will meet up with the humans later. iono

[Essam 293]

Elfangor did know that Tobias and Ax would join up with other humans, but that still doesn't explain how he had enough time to prepare for it. From what I understood, after his deal with the Ellimist, Elfangor was immediately transported into his Andalite fleet against Visser Three to the night of the construction site.

The only explanation of the Escafil Device being in Elfangor's fighter at the time then be either a) the doing of the Ellimist or b) the rank theory, which I'm sticking with 

[Jax]

I always assumed he knew that he would need it (Thanks to the Ellimist, who would never interfere of course. )

[Essam 293]

Like I said above, I don't think he had the time to think about it. He seemed to have been immediately been transported into the war after talking with the Ellimist. If you re-read #1 The Invasion again, you'll even see that Elfangor didn't seem to have any sort of specific plan, other than looking out for himself by trying to find the Time Matrix in the Construction Site which he hid in Andalite Chronicles. He only thought up of the Escafil Device at the time as things played out when he realized he needed to give the Animorphs some sort of weapon to survive.

[Ecafil]

I always wondered what would happen if Elfangor didn't have an Escafil device with him at the time. He would probably tell the location of the Time Matrix to the Animorphs.

[OrcaMorph]

Elfangor did know that Tobias and Ax would join up with other humans, but that still doesn't explain how he had enough time to prepare for it. From what I understood, after his deal with the Ellimist, Elfangor was immediately transported into his Andalite fleet against Visser Three to the night of the construction site.
The only explanation of the Escafil Device being in Elfangor's fighter at the time then be either a) the doing of the Ellimist or b) the rank theory, which I'm sticking with 

No, no, that's what I used to think, but that's not what happens.  First of all, why would he transport Elfangor thirteen years into the future (because he took him away from before Tobias was born, but the construction site battle is thirteen years later.)  Besides, it was a different battle altogether.  He came back, announced himself as Aristh Elfangor, the andalites reacted with a 'WTF are you doing here?', and he saves the day by ramming the blade ship.  He beats the odds and survives, and then another Dome Ship, the GalaxyTree I think, exits zero space and rescues him.  Elfangor talks to some captain and spills his whole whacked out story (aside from the location of the Time Matrix).  He gets promoted to warrior and someone tells him that he'll be a prince in no time at all.

So, the Ellimist takes him to the battle he should have been in at that moment.

Now, as far as why Elfangor had an Escafil Device...I have always wondered about that too.  My theory.

Elfangor enters his fighter for that last battle above Earth.  As he's flying, he sees that there is an Escafil Device on his bridge (unbeknownst to him placed there by the ellimist).  He does a big WTF, but forgets ingores then and starts battling.  Fastforward to his desparate return to the construction site and meeting the kids.  He realizes Tobias is there, remembers his vision when he was with the ellimist, remembers the mysterious morphing cube, and puts two and two together.  So he sends Jake in to get it and you know the rest.

[ANna]

^^ makes sense.

[Essam 293]

So, the Ellimist takes him to the battle he should have been in at that moment.

Yeah, that's basically what I was saying also. Sorry for not being clear.

The Time Matrix was such a powerful weapon that the Ellimist couldn't simply change the events leading around it. So when the Ellimist approached Elfangor on Earth, the only thing he could do was transport Elfangor back with the Andalites to where he should've been at that current time (referring back to the Ellimist's speech of wars and battles being lost where they shouldn't have). The next part in Andalite Chronicles that we actually see Elfangor in actually shows that point, and well... you got the rest. All of it ends up with him being a hero and reaching to the point where he finally crash lands on the construction site looking for the Time Matrix.

Also, because of not being able to alter the past, Tobias still ended up being born (with Loren finding a new husband); Esplin still capturing Alloran to become Visser Three; and the Yeerk Invasion on Earth still carried on until Elfangor arrived with the Andalites to Earth.

*shrugs* Anyways, back to the actual part of why Elfangor had that Esfacil Device in the first place... there is no logical reason behind it. The rank of Elfangor allowing him to carry an Escafil Device with him is a plausible excuse. However, are we really to believe that the Andalites would let such a powerful weapon aboard a regular fighter ship? When the Yeerks got the Escafil Device at the end of the series, it was an incredibly big deal. So it doesn't seem likely that the Andalites would just hand it out to a fighter going into enemy territory. It seems like some sort of thing the Ellimist pulled unless the Andalites really did do something that stupid. 

[Duff]

I think that him knowing that he would meet up with the animorphs and know that they would have to fight seems a logical reason. He knew the morphing cube was the only real weapon he could give them so when he learned he was heading to earth he might have stolen one/borrowed one or w/e to be ready.

Or the obvious, its just a story reason but thats no fun lol

[Ellimist]

As suggested by Truth, I suspect that the Ellimist was behind this.

It's almost absurd that Elfangor carried the Escafil device everywhere he went.

BTW, I like OrcaMorph's theory :

Elfangor enters his fighter for that last battle above Earth.  As he's flying, he sees that there is an Escafil Device on his bridge (unbeknownst to him placed there by the ellimist).  He does a big WTF, but forgets ingores then and starts battling.  Fastforward to his desparate return to the construction site and meeting the kids.  He realizes Tobias is there, remembers his vision when he was with the ellimist, remembers the mysterious morphing cube, and puts two and two together.  So he sends Jake in to get it and you know the rest.

[Essam 293]

As suggested by Truth, I suspect that the Ellimist was behind this.

I find it hilarious that you're saying that. It's like you're talking in 3rd person.