Our Summer Vacation...

[Unknown User]

Edward decided that whilst he was waiting in this yeerk free limbo, he would go down to the common room and watch full house. It seemed that full house was always on, as if by the power of some demonic force that was determined to drive willing hosts mad. Edward left the office and found the Commons, he went to the Cafeteria and got some food, sitting next to a Hork-bajir controller and a blond harried girl.

[Josh (J)]

Laurence scowled. <<You're happy only because of the power. That doesn't help me in any way,>> he added. <<I have to deal with this, trapped against my will, my daughter being chased, and my wife also trapped and possibly displaying emotions that she doesn't want to! And you're happy because of power.>>

[warren_bearclaw]

At the sight of Kildor, Brian was confronted with a burst of anger. A mental fog hid from him the fact that he was holding a grudge against Kildor for causing all of this. While it might be true that he actually had been of more help than of hindrance for Brian personally, that didn't change the fact that Kildor was guilty by association. He stayed in his tree, not even bothering to show Kildor where he was. <What did you want with me, slughead? I don't have all night.>

[Horsefan1023 (Seal)]

Kristen groaned.  She really couldn't focus!  But now that she actually had time...she had a feeling her life would be getting very busy soon.  She had to keep up her grades.  She continued crawling her way through the dreaded essay.

Finally, with one final pencil flourish, she finished.  Kristen smiled broadly, finally packing up her papers.  A tempting breeze drifted through the window.  She had so few morphs...and she couldn't just sit on her butt while everyone else was doing all the work!  She glanced towards her door.  Being an only child meant no siblings to bug her, but what about her parents?  She had already given them a scare by "forgetting to call," if they found her missing, they'd freak.  She sighed, resting her head against the glass of the window.  Maybe I could "go to bed early..."

[radgeek]

<<Who said I cared about you?>> Wintium said.  <<I am worried about Jo only because I want to catch her.  I worry about Sandresh because I don't trust her anymore.  But you mean nothing more to me than your body means to you, though I bet you hold it in higher esteem now.  But the higher up I am the better off you'll be treated.  Just don't become Princess tamper tantrum, like Ultor.  The Visser couldn't pay me to have him at a host now.>>

[Unknown User]

"Oh, Brian, there you are. I figured you would hold the one who saved your life and the lives of your comrades in higher esteem." Kildor reached into his pocket with his unbroken arm and pulled out a cigarette, he lit it and began to smoke. "In fact, the only reason I've even set up this little meeting of the minds is to benefit you. You are in more danger now than you've ever been in before, more danger than you were even at the farm. Not from me, I assure you, but from Our Glorious Visser."
   Kildor paused for a moment and paced, a habit he indulged in almost constantly. Maybe I've gone mad and the pacing is a product of my madness Kildor thought to himself. He turned to face Brian. "I don't know how much YOU know of the yeerk Hierarchy, but a Visser is the equivalent of the rank of a human General. The lower the number of the Visser, the higher rank. The leader of the Invasion of Earth is Visser 3, the only Andalite Controller, as I'm sure your pet parrot well knows."
  Kildor's eyes scanned the tree's searching for Tarry, he quickly found him, "Pitiful creatures, Andalites, so ruthless and sanctimonious. Look how quickly this one took charge of you human, and your friends. Manipulating you, using you. They are worse than The Empire and nearly as bad as humans."
  More pacing from Kildor, "Anyway, I've told you all of this because our glorious Visser will be coming to Texas tomorrow to reorganize the operation after the death of Kildor and most of his top people, he will have his techs search all the data files at the facility, just to see if Ultor was hiding anything from him."
Kildor gave a wicked grin, "we yeerks hate treachery more than even the andalites. When the Visser has the computers searched, he will find, on Ultor's personal computer, all the information he had on you before he took Jo as a host and died. While it isn't everything, the Visser will know that you are human and this will affect.... other groups active in opposing the yeerks, in a very negative way. Groups that we of the intelligence corps and Yeerk peace Movement know have the morphing power as you do. Groups that some people in Visser Three's immediate employ suspect are human, just like you. Thus your revelation as humans to the Visser could potentially be the most harmful thing that could happen to Anti-Empire forces. I need you to Break into the pool complex here in Texas and confront the Visser and his minions, this will give me time to destroy the entire data mainframe and save your sorry butts once again."

[Josh (J)]

<<I think all of you Yeerks have some problems,>> Laurence said matter-of-factly. <<Y'all seem to be either proud, or egotistical, or angry, or whatnot. It's a miracle that I haven't become like you yet.>> If he could have glared at Wintium, he would have.

[radgeek]

<<Ultor feared Visser three above anything else he thought of while controlling me,>> Jo said in privet thought-speak to the mophers.  <<Unlike Tarry he can morph and still has his Andalite tail.>>  I hit her then that it might hot mean anything to them.  <<An Andalite's tail has a sharp blade on the end and they can...>> she trailed of as a memory of the tails use went through her mind.
<<The other morphing group is in California.  Ultor was theorizing that they were humans.>>

<<Do you know anything about the pool?>> Olivia said.

<<There was entrance in the barn but nothing about the poll its self.>>
<<You flatter yourself by thinking that you a human,>> Wintium spat.  <<Could ever be like us.>>

[warren_bearclaw]

Brian listened while Kildor went on. Several thoughts jumped at him during his little monologue: <<Yeah, right, you're my hero.>> ... <<More danger. Figures.>> ... <<Tarry isn't manipulating us. Is he? No, he's been helping us.>> ...

<So ...what?> he asked Kildor. <You want us to be your distraction while you wipe the computers? If you're in the 'intelligence corps' then what do you need us for?> Brian tried to think. What was he supposed to be learning here? Important Controllers... Yeerk Pool Entrances.... what information they have about them... how they can stop them. <There's only three of us, not counting Tarry. None of us have any experience here. We hardly made it out of the barn alive today. What do you expect us to be able to do? Cause some mischief and probably die while you get your work done? This doesn't sound like very good odds for us. We don't know what we're up against here.>

Sean listened in. He'd scurried undetected from his tree to a nearby bush. He really didn't know what to say, what kind of advice to give here. <<There are others like us? What are the chances of that? Tarry, are these friends of yours? Maybe we aren't as alone as we thought...>>

[donut]

<<I do not know.  We were not able to account for everyone after we crashed on your planet.  Some may have escaped and continued on the mission.>>

The thought that some of his people had survived sent Tarry's mind racing.  He had a difficult time focusing.  Could they be?  How could other humans be morph capable?  We only brought one Escafil device.  They have to be andalites.  Tarry had refused to let himself think that the unaccounted for andalites could have survived, but now it seemed that at least some of them had, and he could not let the opportunity to find out slip by. 

<Yeerk, what do know about the other group of andalites?>

Tarry knew this was dangerous. He was too close to this, but he had to know.

[Unknown User]

   Ignoring the grass eating fool for a moment, Kildor decided to respond to the equally revolting human. "Exactly human, though I suspect from what I saw at the barn that there are more than three of you. I cannot simply walk in and delete all the information on the mainframe, it is heavily guarded by the former sub-vissers most elite troops. Secondly, the mainframe is password protected to such a degree that it is entirely beyond my not inconsiderable technical skills. Whilst the foolish, arrogant, pitiful andalite that you tote around with you may be the icon for everything that I despise, the Andalites are considered the computer experts of the Galaxy, and that reputation has been well earned. I need your pet to come with me and help me hack The Empire's system."
   Kildor began pacing yet again, thinking as he did so. "As for your lack of combat experience, that doesn't concern me. The other group of morphers conducted a highly successful raid on the yeerk pool, at a time when we suspect they had no more experience than you have now. You can do it. I have... faith in you."
   Finally Kildor turned to answer Tarrade. "They are not Andalites, sorry to dash your hopes but every scrap of evidence suggest that they are human. Humans were seen running away from the construction sight were War-Prince Elfangor had landed his fighter, he was later eaten by Visser three. A day or to later, one of the men at the main operation arrested and took to the yeerk pool a human girl who he swore was morphing some form of animal. They are not Andalites, they are human. As human as the fools you now manipulate and use like pawns in chess."

[radgeek]

Olivia couldn't hear much that Kildor said because he wasn't using thought-speak but she heard his comment about being manipulated.  She didn't like people thinking that she could be manipulated.  But she followed Tarry's instructions and said nothing and kept flying like a normal bird.

<<I'm sorry Tarry,>> Jo said to Tarry only.  <<It looks like you're the last free Andalite on this planet.>>

[Horsefan1023 (Seal)]

After staring out the window for what felt like forever, Kristen made up her mind.  She headed downstairs.  Her mom was working at her computer, and her dad was watching TV nearby.  "Done with your summer reading?"  Mom asked.  Kristen nodded, getting herself a glass of water.  "The essay was a pain," she said, "but I got through it.  Not sure how I did, though."  Her mom smiled.  "The way your grades have been these past few years, I'm sure you did great."  Kristen felt that familiar feeling in her stomach, the warm fuzzies that she got when her parents complimented her.  But that fuzzy feeling quickly turned sour.  What if her parents were Controllers?  And there was a Yeerk behind that warm smile, tugging every muscle in her mom's face to make her compliment her daughter, while her mom...

Kristen shook off the morbid thoughts, forced a smile, and took a quick sip of water to excuse her from saying anything else.

[donut]

Tarry thought about that a moment. His people were dead. Elfangor had given humans the ability to morph and was dead.  That also means the Galaxy Tree had been destroyed.  They were to arrive shortly after Tarry's team to engage and destroy the yeerk fleet.  The andalite fleet would not be able to send another task group for at least an Earth year, longer if their reports of yeerk activity at Leera were accurate.  This changed everything.

Tarry snapped back into the moment.

<We are to be the fodder for the Sub-Visser's elite soldiers and Visser three's personal guard so that we can delete files that might not do us any good, based solely on your word?  Why?>

[Unknown User]

"Haven't I explained it thouroughly enough? If you do not do this, you will be found out by the visser and the effectiveness of Anti-Empire forces will be severely impaired. If you do not wish to preform the mission that is fine by me. It will take me longer to kill my enemies without you, but if you insist on virtually commiting suicide and dooming whatever form of resistance may be located in other states, then I can do it without you." Kildor turned to walk back to the van, "think about it, I'm leaving in five minutes."