GESB: Operation Time-Cops

[Chad32]

<Now this is just stupid.> Claxter said. <If you are really having so much trouble with this, I will kill Zorish. Or we could ask Aliciania to do it.> He said, moving forward to take Zorish out of Tara's hand. <what do you expect Zorish to say that he hasn't already said?>

[Terenia]

Zorish, sensing an orifice is near, uncurls his body and crawls for his life. As soon as he touches the hole his entire body almost seems to sigh with relief. Yes, it is an ear. Someone is allowing him to enter. He quickly releases the chemical that will numb his new host's ear and makes his way down what seems to be a well-traveled pathway. He has little trouble making his way into the clearly human brain and wraps himself around it with practiced skill.

<Tara,> Zorish says musingly, opening her memories of the last few moments that have passed since he left Tamora. <I had neglected to consider the host of that rebellious scourge. My, you two do have a cozy relationship, don't you?>

Zorish focuses Tara's eyes, looking first at Aliciana, on the floor, nursing a bottle of jaeger, then to Corliss, the foolish warrior he had duped earlier, and finally to Ossanlin, the leader of the show. He clears Tara's throat, working the jaw once or twice before he gets used to it's unique rhythm and speaks in Tara's voice.

"I see that this human here wants me to choose my execution," he says calmly. His gaze flickers as he takes note of Tamora's sobbing in the other room, but he quickly refocuses on Ossanlin, "I suppose that will help you moralize that you have done the right thing? If I offer myself to the Vanarx without your assistance? A willing walk to death denies you the responsibilities of a murderer."

((AN: Vanarx was the 'Yeerkbane' from #2, for those of you who don't remember. It eats Yeerks for dinner.))

[Myitt]

<Obviously it was my idea,> says Tara impatiently.  <Consider yourself lucky I've got a weakness for prisoners.>  But part of her is worried--no one had bound her hands and feet yet, as she'd hoped.

[Chad32]

Claxter hadn't quite gotten to Zorish before she rushed into Tara's ear. He kept his tail ready just in case he made any sudden movements.

<I would kill you quickly just to get this over with so we can move on to more important and interesting things.> He said. Now that Zorish had access to Tara's memories, he may realise they had been in contact with Terenia. He wondered how the Yeerk would react.

[Terenia]

"More important and interesting things?" Zorish repeats, ****ing Tara's head curiously, "My, don't you value sentient life, Andalite. I apologize if my imminent death is boring you."

Zorish pauses, taking a second to backtrack through Tara's memories. He keeps getting distracted by the insistent sniffling of Tamora in the med bay, which is apparently too loud for the girl to hear the conversation taking place. Zorish forces the sound from his mind temporarily as he goes over the past day or so of Tara's memories, searching for some explanation to his situation. When he finds it an eerie quietness settles about Tara's body as her muscles tense. When Zorish finally speaks Tara's voice is smooth, but succinct.

"So. This has nothing to do with me at all," Zorish says, "I merely happened to be in the wrong host at the wrong time and better for your purposes that I happen to be a Sub-Visser." Zorish shakes his head, almost in pity, "You fools do not have the faintest idea what you are doing, do you?"

[Chad32]

<Your fate has been decided by Myitt and Prince Ossanlin. Since they have decided you must die, then we might as well kill you. It is unfortunate, but that is the way it happened.>

<We know what we want to do. We don't know how to achieve it yet exactly, but we will achieve it. No Andalite will suffer needlessly for the self serving goals of a useless creature such as Terenia.>

[Terenia]

Zorish ****s his head and chuckles slightly, "Well I can hardly disagree with that imbecile's uselessness. I wonder, though. Why did you not simply kill her? That would have solved the problem well enough. Or is an Andalite life worth so much more than a Yeerk life that you can justify a trip across the galaxy?"

[Chad32]

<We decided that since Visser Three would surely kill Terenia's sister after Efaen was rescued, then we should rescue her sister first. Now that we have done that, we are returning. It's unfortunate that you have to be killed, and even more unfortunate that Tamora is so attached to you.>

[Terenia]

"And why in the galaxy would Visser Three kill a voluntary host such as Tamora?" Zorish asks. His tone is quickly devolving into frustration, "She is of no threat to him, no particular interest besides his infatuation with that dapsen sister of hers. If Terenia were to be killed Tamora would be only what she has always been, a willing volunteer under the Yeerk Empire. Beyond that, if he were to murder the host of a Sub-Visser it would not go unnoticed by the Council."

Zorish crosses his arms over Tara's body, looking at Claxter with unmasked contempt, "I can see from Tara's memories that you embarked on this mission believing that what you were doing was morally correct. What I cannot understand is how after everything that has occurred, you continue to think so. At least Myitt has shown some regret, some uncertainty. I suppose you Andalites truly are devoid of morality."

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

((Jessi...Corliss is Myitt's brother...Claxter is Chad's char's name...just thought I'd let u know.  :p  Corliss isn't on the ship currently.))

Ossanlin chuckles a bit at Zorish's comments.  <You may call my morality into question as much as you'd like, it does not bother me.  Morality has little place in war, much as that fact saddens me.  You might want to consider why I did not simply destroy Terenia.  I certainly had ample opportunity.  She was hostless for quite some time, and Efaen free.  The true reason for this trip is sitting in the crew deck.  He was a threat to the very fabric of reality.  You see, he had come across some information from the future as it were, and he was aiming to change the timeline completely.  It was simply convenient to recover Tamora at the same time.>

<The simple fact is that I did not destroy Terenia out of hand because I felt sorry for her.  She has been utterly demolished by every race she has had contact with, including my own.  I thought it was time she was shown a bit of sympathy, though I will admit that my true interest is the recovery of Efaen.  Terenia's heart's greatest desire was to see Tamora out of Visser 3's control.  That is what we will give her.  We will show Tamora Terenia's memories...what was done to her and why she didn't return to Earth.  What happens after that is in their hands.  Perhaps there will be a shining ray...a little hope that Tamora will agree to become Terenia's host...if not, so be it.  Terenia will no longer have a valid excuse for holding control of Efaen either way.>  Ossanlin trots closer to Tara.  <You have infested Tara to allow you a mode of communication.>  Ossanlin hefts the modified Dracon in his palm.  <If you would rather have your memory wiped and yourself shipped off to the nearest Imperial outpost, that is still an option.  There is also stasis.  Or death, both quick and relatively painless.  I would rather send you back to the Empire to be honest.  Any dissension within the Empire is bound to weaken it after all.>

Meanwhile Ossanlin commands the ship to answer only to his command codes just in case Zorish pulls a miraculous escape again.

[Chad32]

<I'm under the impression that Visser Three is a spiteful person that kills people for little reason all the time. Would he not kill Tamora or torture her just because Terenia escaped his grasp? I suppose you know him better than me, though.> Claxter said. He had practically forgotten about Sukohn. Yes, they had also come so he wouldn't be able to destroy the resistance on Earth.

[Terenia]

((gah, my bad. Too many darned names floating around. Fixed it. ))

"Given the choice," Zorish says coldly, "I will always choose life over death. You have made a grave mistake, though. Tamora will never reconcile with her sister, and I highly doubt Terenia will abandon her host. She has spent many years among the Yeerks and it is my understanding that she identifies with our kind more than any other." He shrugs then, "No matter. I can only hope the girl does something stupid and gets herself killed. She has been far more trouble than she is worth. However..." Zorish glances towards the medbay, "she deserves to know what is awaiting her at the end of this journey."

[Chad32]

<She will know soon enough. It shouldn't be too long before we reach normal space. Half a standard hour, give or take?>

[Terenia]

"And Sukohn?" Zorish presses, "If you are threatening me with death after doing nothing I cannot imagine what you have in store for the Yeerk who actually went so far as to change the space-time continuum to increase the Empire's advantage."

[Myitt]

"Make no mistake, sub-visser," says Hadrian coldly, speaking up. "You aren't the only prisoner of war, here.  Just the most unfortunate."  He can't help but add some ire into this last statement against his former faux-superior, whom Hadrian himself had only just betrayed.