Andalite traitor.

Cannon recall

This mini-chapter takes place just after the end of volume 18. As a reminder, during this volume, the Animorphs accidentally find themselves teleported onto an Andalite worldship traveling towards the home planet of the Leerans (an advanced race so overpowered that the original author will forget their existence after this volume).

Axe is happy to return to his own kind but betrays his human friends to obey the orders of the ship's captain. However, the captain turns out to be a traitor wanting to deliver the ship (and its occupants) to the Yeerks. The Animorphs reconcile, kill the captain, blow up the ship, and find themselves in the middle of a battlefield where the Yeerk and Andalite armies are fighting. They narrowly escape death and then take part in a suicide mission that will offer victory to the Andalites.

Once the mission is successful, everything explodes and they are teleported back to Earth while 'America fuck yeah' plays (I may have slightly exaggerated the ending).

However, the most significant moment of this volume is not this battle. The most significant event is that at the end of this adventure, Axe decides that from now on, his loyalty to his human friends will come before his loyalty to his people and his superiors.

oOoOoOoOo

We were alone at home. Before the infestation, Tom would spend his Saturdays outside, but since I had told him that I would let him have control of his body at home, he had become extremely homebound. I found his behavior a bit childish, but I let it be. After all, I had given him my word that I would no longer force him to do anything on the weekend. And when he is convinced that I won't go back on my promise and he gets tired of constantly playing video games, maybe he will become more reasonable again. In the meantime, I was bored. This primitive computer called Megadrive produced an atrocious sound and the images that appeared on the screen made no sense.

I was therefore almost relieved when a seagull landed near the window and I heard in my head:

Is that what you were hiding from us the other day?

Too delighted to have an excuse to do it, I took control again, paused the game (I hesitated to stop this auditory torture machine without saving,but I knew that Tom would make a scene afterwards). Then I walked towards the window and said:

Precise?

"You knew there were traitors among the Andalites and you hid it from us, Yeerks," he said in an accusatory tone.

Tom, who did not hear Aximili's thought-speech in his head, protested, but I ignored him.

Because you, do you entrust me with all your little secrets perhaps?

We stared at each other for a few seconds, then he continued:

Why did they betray us? What did the Yeerks promise them in exchange? Who are the traitors?

Why would I tell you?

I thought you were on our side. Or is it just a twisted scheme?

I don't have to justify myself to a kid like you. And even less to an Andalite. Anyway, how do you expect me to know? Do you think Visser-12 is going to tell a grunt like me how he managed to convince an Andalite to give him the Earth's attack plans?

He seemed shocked.

"What are you talking about?" he asked me.

What are you talking about?

He seemed to understand that he had made a blunder.

JACK! What have you done again? I shouted in the big empty house.

Stop yeerk. Prince Jack must have good reasons for not telling you anything.

He'd better have one, for lying to me. I thought you had just gone to eat at the fast-food restaurant. He had the nerve to give me a fake receipt.

Prince Jack did not lie to you. We did indeed go to eat his wonderful cinnamon muffins.

When he said that, I could swear I saw drool coming out of the corner of his lips.

In short, I was talking about the Andalite who gave Visser-12 the flight plan of your world-ship, yours and your brother's. Thanks to that, his blade ship was able to take yours by surprise upon its arrival in lunar orbit. If it can reassure you, no one seriously considers that Andalites want the Yeerks to win. I can't know why this Andalite did that, but like all Yeerks, I suppose it's because the Andalite government wants the war to last as long as possible.

You're talking nonsense, Yeerk. Why would my government want that?

Because thanks to this conflict, the Andalites have become the unofficial leaders of the galaxy. Everyone who wants protection against the empire is forced to rally to them and obey them.

This is nonsense, our princes never (...)

Tell me how you would have reacted if I had told you there were traitors among the Andalites?

He remained silent for a moment.

I accept your third condition yeerk

What condition?

But he flew away without answering.

oOoOoOoOo

Author's note: If you want to understand for yourself what condition Axe is referring to, then do not read further. If you do not understand what he is talking about and puzzles annoy you, then:

Axe refers to the conditions Thévenin demands for his collaboration in the previous chapter. He promises to defend the Yeerk's right to live peacefully on Earth. Having no one to proofread for me, I don't know if it was explicit enough. In doubt, I prefer to give the solution.