Prologue
Cassie
My name is Cassie. I'm 27 years old. I know I said I knew I was never going to see Jake again but that didn't mean I wasn't distraught when they told me he had died, along with almost everyone else. I couldn't bear it. I broke up with Ronnie. I still went to work and did my best but my best wasn't really enough anymore. I almost quit my job but the only survivor of the Rachel stopped me from doing it. Tobias. His life was now even worse that mine.
Tobias is really old in hawk years. Too old to hunt. I have to supply him with mice and rats and other small mammals. I don't know what happens if the body is too old to live but the real being should still be alive. I really hope that something better than just plain old death happens. I really, really hope. But I also fear for him.
I think he might have to become a different kind of nothlit to survive. I don't know if he can handle that. If he morphs a different hawk he'd just die in a couple more years. I don't know what he'll do when the time comes.
I keep trying to think of ways that the others might have survived. Nothing has come to mind. But one day Tobias figured something out. Something I had overlooked. Something that wouldn't mean they survived. No. Something that could make them not have died, though. Yes. That would be it. I know I said I knew that I would never see Jake ever again. And I won't. Not in this timeline anyway...
Chapter 1
Tobias
My name is Tobias. I am a hawk. A hawk with the mind of a human. An old hawk with the mind of a human. I was on board the Rachel with Jake, Marco, Santorelli, Jeanne, and Menderash. Everyone here but me is a human. Menderash was an Andalite but now he is a human nothlit. Jake had just told us to run the ship right into the Blade Ship.
We all just stared in disbelief. Marco looked like he was trying to restrain himself from saying something.
"Are you INSANE!" Marco blurted out.
"No. I'm not. And I'm serious. Ram the Blade Ship. You said you wanted me to trust my instincts and make some crazy, reckless decision. I'm just doing what you wanted me to do." Jake replied.
"Forget what I said! Who ever listens to me! I was insane for telling you that!" Marco practically screamed.
Jake just smiled. Why he was smiling I didn't know.
Santorelli went over to the control panel and set it up. We'd be colliding with the Blade Ship in one hour. It takes a while to recharge. For a few minutes we remained silent. Then Jake called me over to one end of the ship.
"Listen Tobias. I know you are still angry at me for what I had Rachel do, and you should be. I guess I was just, I dunno, a little desprit to win the war. It was our last chance. And hey, you're not the only one who lost someone they really cared about. I know I'm the one who told her to do that. I guess I figured that she'd be able to get herself out. Or maybe I just wasn't thinking that far ahead. I don't really know. But I won't make excuses for my actions. I did it and I am sorry that I did. You don't have to forgive me. I just reallly wanted to get that out of my system before we ram the ship."
I was very shocked. I guess he thought I hated him. I guess I thought I hated him. But somehow, in all of these days, I just was unable to get any true hatred towards him. I had already began to forgive him. <I, um, I...> I struggled to find the right words.<Man, this is harder than I thought it would be. I guess I do forgive you. I think I might have for a long time. I thought I hated you, but when you came and saw me I just couldn't conjure up any hate, none. I'm still upset but somehow, someway, I don't hate you.>
Jake looked like he felt a little better. Then, Marco came over.
"Uh, Jake?" Marco said.
"Yeah?"
"I don't mean to interupt the heart-to-heart thing here but why are we commiting suicide exactly?"
"Well, you see. It's not complete suicide. Because of what I'm about to do right now." And with that he grabbed me by the talons and stuffed me in some weird looking box in the corner.
That's when I figured out why he was smiling.