GESB: Operation Time-Cops

[Myitt]

"Then why do you continue to serve them, knowing the Empire will attempt to destroy humans, destroy everything humans are, just as easily whether you ignore that fact or not?" Hadrin demands.  "And if you retain your knowledge of your host, can you honestly convince us that you won't try and track her down?"

<You just don't get it,> says Tara, fuming.  <The Empire isn't Tamora's home, it's Tamora's ****ing prison!>

[Terenia]

"The Empire is not perfect," Zorish growls, "but no government is. By playing into the hands of the Vissers above me I can eventually change the tide of the Empire. I can bend it to my will. We are Yeerks! We need hosts, but why do we need to destroy entire worlds in the process? We revel in the beauty of alien planets and then obliterate them. I am not against the infestation of Earth. I am against the destruction of Earth. Humanity is better off our servants than bits of molecular waste, floating through space."

<If Tamora desired freedom,> Zorish hisses to Tara, <I would have made her free. I have the power, I could have hidden her away on some moon, far from the Empire, and she could have been free. She wants to be with the Emprie, and she wants to be with me.>

[Chad32]

<Trying to change things from the inside.> Claxter said. <As soon as you are caught, though, you will be killed. The Yeerks have a strict policy, and those that stray the slightest bit are destroyed. Though I don't know if it would be easier for a Yeerk to work from the inside or the outside.>

[Myitt]

"Do you really suffer from that much hubris, Sub-Visser?" Hadrin says coldly.  "You're a pawn of a creature who will order you to exact open war!  Unless you decide your allegiance is greater to Visser One, or to the humans themselves, then you cannot save the humans by taking their way of life away from them.  You're a hypocrite, Sub-Visser.  You want the humans to be free, but you work for those who will destroy them, and your pride is so great that you think you'll stop them.  They'll destroy you, Zorish."

<Right, hidden her on some moon, alone with nothing but space rocks,> Tara says mockingly.  <Would you listen to yourself?  If you won't listen to him, then listen to me!  You know Myitt once felt not too differently from how you feel.  She had the opportunity for power and influence, but in the end it was still the same endless circle of destruction.  They would have killed her, too, and for what?  For what, Zorish?  Because she didn't want to kid herself anymore.  The Empire was going to destroy what she cared for, and her hosts, her friends.  If they weren't killed outright, then everything they knew and loved would be destroyed.  You will destroy Earth, whether it's a blackened cinder or an acid wasteland or not.>

[Terenia]

Zorish's fists clench so hard that Tara's fingernails dig into her palms, drawing blood. He looks from Hadrin to Claxter and, finding no pity in either of their expressions, lets loose what could only be interpreted as a snarl, feral and dangerous, like a caged animal.

"What would you have me do, then?" He shouts, "Are the only two paths in this war the Empire or the rebellion? You," he looks pointedly at Hadrin, "seek to gut the Empire. You work from within and sell our secrets to our enemies, entrusting that they," he jerks his head towards Claxter, "will offer you more choice than the Empire, when in reality they would have you forced back into the pools of our Homeworld!"

Zorish pauses to catch his breath and notices that the whimpering from the medbay has fallen silent. Tamora has, evidently, overheard his shouting and is listening in. He wonders if she has yet realized that it is he and not Myitt speaking through Tara's mouth.

"I promised Tamora that I would do everything within my abilities to minimize damage on Earth," he says in a low, dangerous voice, "I did not say I would free the humans. I do not care for the freedom of the humans, and neither does Tamora. But what is the point of destroying an entire world when the same goal can be achieved without shooting a single Dracon? I am not asking you to agree with me, I am asking you to understand. Without Tamora in my life I would have gladly blown Earth into atoms. I would boil the oceans and burn the forests. It is to the advantage of your cause to prevent me from returning to that mindset."

[Chad32]

<I suppose you have a point. For whatever reason, interaction with Humans seems to bring out a better side in Yeerks. Prince Ossanlin is good friends with a Yeerk that has a Human host, and Hadrin doesn't seem too put off by us either. Perhaps it is their greater intellectual and emotional capacity compared to Hork-Bajir and Taxxons.>

He looked to his Prince with both stalk eyes. <Perhaps her idea should be considered, my Prince.>

[Myitt]

<Ah!  Quit it, will you?> Tara yelps at the distant pain, her muscles tensed in Zorish's fury.

"I entrust that we can offer ourselves more choice than the Empire, Zorish," Hadrin snaps back. "There are so many of our people who want another way than going back to the homeworld, or this endless, endless war!"

[Terenia]

"And in what universe do you think the Andalites will allow us those choices?" Zorish asks, "Even if you succeed in overthrowing the Empire, they will continue to regard our kind as a plague. You argue for the freedom of our hosts, but what of our freedom? The Andalites will use your little rebellion to gut the Empire and then turn on you." Zorish glances at Ossanlin, "Oh, maybe not all of the Andalites. Perhaps you have garnished a few true believers in your rebel cause, but as a whole the Andalite people will cry out for our blood!"

Zorish turns away, relaxing his muscles slightly and forcing his fists to unclench, "What does it matter, though? My fate in this war is, evidently, already sealed. My opinions are of no importance here. I voiced my requests, now I need only to know if they will be honored or not."

[Myitt]

<God, Zorish, you know we won't let anything hurt Tamora if we can help it,> Tara insists.  <As for what they can do about your memories I--> She stops, wanting to listen to Hadrin more clearly.

"We'll do the best we can, Zorish," says Hadrin firmly.  "We won't let Tamora fall into harm's way.  Perhaps we can leave you enough memories of Tamora to keep your convenient opinion of her people and her planet, but you know as well as I that it will be a risk."  His eyes narrow.  "Maybe you're right about the Andalites.  Most of them won't even give our resistance the chance to speak without acting rashly against our people.  Without more death and misunderstanding.  But if we have the support of some of our hosts, then I guarantee you there will be humans, Hork-Bajir and free Taxxons who would rally against the Andalites for attempting to destroy an ally."

[Terenia]

Zorish nods, as though what Hadrin has said satisfies him.

"And the war will rage on," he says with a wry, twisted smile.

[Myitt]

"Not if more Andalites like Ossanlin can help to convince them otherwise," Hadrin sneers back. "I can't predict the future, Zorish, but I'm not going to stop fighting because it is unknown."

<Goddamnit, give him what he wants, already!> Tara yells silently, addressing the people in front of her borrowed body.

[Terenia]

Zorish's sneer softens slightly as he reads Tara's thoughts. He ****s his head to one side, intrigued.

<Perhaps you should speak for me then. Clearly my own appeals are doing little. Not that I expected much,> Zorish hesitates for a moment. Relinquishing control while still within his host is not something he has ever done, not even with Tamora, but he thinks that perhaps, in this case, it may help his cause. He slowly backs away, allowing Tara to take control if she wishes, but prepared to seize it back if he must.

[Myitt]

Tara doesn't realize at first that she's back in control of her own body, and she nearly collapses back against the floor.

Catching herself with her hands sprawled behind her, she looks left and right, gasping, "Oh, Christ, I didn't expect that..."  She swallows and shakily brings herself to her sitting position again, wincing at the pain in her bloody palms. 

"Okay, it's Tara," she says, looking at each Andalite, and at Hadrin.  She casts a glance behind her, up at the little table where Myitt is swimming in the tub of sludge.  "Uh..." Tara sucks in a breath and looks back at the others.  "Look, you can't be sure it's me, yadda yadda, all that crap.  But hear me out, either way.  Zorish really cares for that chick in there.  I mean, as ****ed up as they both are, they care about each other.  Zorish wants to destroy human freedom, but he doesn't want to **** the whole planet over.  And he thinks he's the key to doing that."  She rolls her eyes.  "Whatever, let him dream for a while.  Let him have as much memory of Tamora as you can spare, but if there is a single iota of information left in his mind about the rebellion or the Mirage, we're all cooked.  So don't mess it up, alright?"  She sits back against her hands, not really caring that they're still bleeding lightly.  "Now can he get out of my head, please?"

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Ossanlin thinks for a moment, considering all that has transpired.  <An idea strikes me...there's always danger of a relapse, but we could accomplish our goals without separating these two.  We could allow Zorish to reinfest Tamora...yes I know we just went through alot to get them separated, but we could erase both Tamora's and Zorish's memories of the abduction and the trip to our destination.  We could sedate them both, then allow them to wake up somewhere unbiased...like one of the back rooms of the establishment.  Of course the meeting with Terenia would most likely not be pleasant, however we can still achieve the same ends.  We can make Zorish and Tamora watch Terenia's memories.  Obviously Zorish would not care about her memories, but Tamora would.  Then we can go from there.  You would still be there to protect Tamora, Zorish, and she would not see her sister as responsible for separating her from you.  It's imperfect and dangerous, but it might work, what do you all think?>

[Myitt]

"And this...danger of a relapse, it would involve Zorish recalling everything here, including your name and rank, your involvement with the rebellion, and the rebellion's location," Tara says, shaking her head.  "Right.  It's only a small risk."