If you were in Jake's shoes, would you have done it? (SPOILERS)

[Splintercell100]

The other day I was thinking about Jake's decision to send Rachel in to kill Tom. It was so sad to realize that after all those battles, near-death experiences, bursts of optimism, and impossible odds, Jake was never able to fulfill his initial reason of fighting the Yeerk Invasion: Saving his brother Tom. Jake pretty much knew that this was a suicide mission for Rachel. He also knew that he had signed Tom's death warrant. From a tactical standpoint, I believe he sent in Rachel to cause confusion so that he could use the Pool Ship to either destroy or incapacitate the Blade Ship so that it didn't make its way into Z-Space. On a more personal level, I think he just wanted Tom to finally be free from the yeerks. Ideally, Jake wanted to free him from the Yeerks by saving him but near the end, he realized he wasn't going to be able to Kandrona starve the yeerk (especially since Tom had morphing powers too). Therefore, Jake's only choice was to end his brother's suffering by killing him and the yeerk. Using Rachel is also a great blow because she is another member of his family. (Although throughout the whole series, I never once recall her ever having any sympathy for Tom, her cousin...but I chalked it up to her being blood thirsty.)

I don't have a brother but if my father was a controller and in Tom's shoes, and I was in Jake's shoes, I don't think I could have given the order to kill him. I especially probably could not have used another family member, no matter how appropriate they were for the job. Even though my decision would be impractical, I know that at least he would be alive and that someday, someway, no matter how improbable, I might finally be able to rescue him. However, if he is dead, then there would be no rescue per say. (I would still feel bad that his suffering would now have to continue all alone in a desolate part of the galaxy.)

The only thing I could think of would be to switch places with Rachel and travel with him aboard the bladeship and demorph and remorph every two hours till I saw an opening to take down the other yeerks.   

A really sad thing I noticed when rereading the series was that in an earlier book, Cassie told Jake not to worry and that someday they would save Tom. It was so sad knowing that that was a lie.

[Chad32]

If I was Jake I would know that something needed to be done about the Blade Ship. I would want to send someone, with some Auxilaries along for backup, to the ship. I would probably send Rachel, but not alone. I would tall her to make sure that Tom didn't become the next Eva, one way or another.

Basically I would do the final battle quite differently. Part of the reason Rachel died, though, is because Erek was leeching power from the weapons. I would either try to get him on board without blackmail, or at least keep a better eye on him. I would also try to employ the tractor beam.

So yes I would have done it, but I would have done it differently.

Oh and lastly, I'm not sure if Rachel would have been in the Blade Ship if Tom's Yeerk hadn't been assigned to it. Her mission was to follow Tom.

[A ghost you know]

"Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do."
I'd have sent in troops to take down the Yeerks in the Blade ship, including Tom if necessary. However, I'd have made two major changes to Jake's plan.
#1: Rachel wouldn't go alone. There would be a minimum of 5 Animorphs going in, probably more. Sure, that's more noticeable, but there's a much better chance of victory. At the very least, it would remove the possibility of it being a suicide mission.
#2: Tom wouldn't be killed unless necessary. Need to break an arm? Sure, go ahead. Need to knock him out? Sure, go ahead. Need to do some other unpleasant things? Sure, go ahead. Morphing would heal him after the battle.

Still, despite my disagreement with those two major parts of Jake's plan, I understand where he was coming from. He wanted Tom freed, period. "Free or dead" was the Hork-Bajir battle cry, one which the Animorphs may have even used on occasion. I'm sure, as Jake apparently was, that Tom would rather be dead than infested.
Rachel being Tom's cousin never entered Jake's calculations. He needed a strong warrior, somebody who could get the job done, and she was the best fit for the job. Had Tobias or Marco been a stronger warrior, he might have chosen them instead.

A really sad thing I noticed when rereading the series was that in an earlier book, Cassie told Jake not to worry and that someday they would save Tom. It was so sad knowing that that was a lie.

I don't think it was a lie; she really meant it. It just never worked out.

[Splintercell100]

Yeah, I didn't mean that Cassie was lying. I just meant that the whole comment turned out not be true in the end.

[JohnBlaze]

WAIT! So lets say Erek didn't weaken the weapons, wouldnt the Pool Ship have destroyed the Blade Ship killin everybody regardless?

[Chad32]

I think a shot to the engines would be more likely. Once the Blade Ship is stuck, communications can be made and Rachel could be spared. as well as the involuntary hosts and such.

[A ghost you know]

I think a shot to the engines would be more likely.

I agree. There's no way the Animorphs would have destroyed the Blade ship as long as there was even a remote chance of saving Rachel.

Once the Blade Ship is stuck, communications can be made and Rachel could be spared.

I don't really think so. The Yeerks stuck in the Blade ship would probably go after Rachel, just out of sheer desperation. The only effective "communication" that could save Rachel would be a load of Animorphs/troops getting into that Blade ship A.S.A.P. (although she could probably buy time by morphing something small, like a fly or flea. ****roach would be good, too)

[JohnBlaze]

That rescue mission should've been the very last book and could have been made epic as hell, lol

[Phoenix004]

Perhaps a little unrealistic, but yes that would have made one hell of an awesome rescue mission! Is anyone else picturing an epic Animorphs version of Die Hard?

Yes Jake's decision regarding sending Rachel after Tom appears to be incredibly harsh, but you have to consider how desperate Jake was after three years of fighting a war that seemed impossible to win. He'd seen terrible things, done things he wasn't proud of, witnessed his family taken by the Yeerks and his hometown destroyed.

Jake knew that what he did wasn't right, but it was necessary. He couldn't afford to let Tom's Yeerk escape, he couldn't let the Yeerks win, and he certainly couldn't let that evil alien slug continue to enslave his brother. Like it or not, Rachel was the only one for the job. None of the other Animorphs would have even let Jake give the order had they known, let alone go along with it. Only an Animorph could have got aboard the Blade Ship undetected. Well, a Chee could have too, but what would be the point? The Chee literally wouldn't have been able to help her, even if they were willing too after Jake had blackmailed Erek.

[JohnBlaze]

Not too unrealistic....I mean, the rescue mission Rachel did for Cassie was outta this world, but by that time in the series, nothing seemed unreal anymore (I sound like marco)