Last battle

After many efforts, we finally managed to sneak into Visser-One's meeting room. Even with the help of the criminals from the slums, discreetly boarding the fleet bound for Earth had been an achievement. But sneaking into the Visser's meeting room was nothing short of a miracle, given the numerous devices meant to protect him from potential spies. Since our escape (which we barely survived thanks to the camouflage capabilities of a permalite ship's escape pod), Visser-One had become paranoid that other enemies with morphing technology might reach him (to spy on or kill him).

However, if we wanted to develop a plan with any chance of preventing the invasion, we absolutely needed information. We continued to move forward blindly when we very distinctly heard the voice of Visser-One:

This is where his strange choice to build only one orbital defense cannon near the planet's North Pole made sense. Normally, this cannon would have been incapable of posing any threat to an Andalite fleet. But Visser-12 planned to reveal to the Andalite the location of the Earth invasion HQ. He relied on the Andalites' arrogance to make them believe they had obtained the information solely through their own skills. Thus, detecting no significant defense apart from an isolated cannon in the middle of Alaska, the Andalites would rush towards the HQ, congratulating themselves on their enemy's apparent incompetence, unaware that they were signing their own downfall. A single cannon is incapable of causing any harm to a ship at the edge of its range, as by the time it is ready to fire, the ship would have already landed. But here, the Andalite ships would position themselves directly in front of the cannon's line of sight, which would have been exceptionally aimed in advance at this region of the sky. As soon as the cannon began firing, Esplin9466's fleet would emerge from its hiding place on the other side of the moon and attack the Andalite fleet head-on. By letting Esplin9466 decide their objective and thus their trajectory, the Andalites would have handed him victory.

In summary, in the event of an attack on Earth by the Andalites, Visser-12 planned to hide behind its allies to shoot down the Andalite ships with the power of its battle-ax ship and its single orbital cannon. A plan as brilliant as it is vicious. Definitely worthy of the late Visser-12.

Your tongue slipped. You meant to say Esplin9466. Replied Visser-One in a harsh voice.

It is true that you obtained his demotion posthumously.

visser-4, I have chosen you to assist me because I recognize your competence. But I must point out that your excessive loyalty to a dead person is disturbing.

If there is one thing the Yeerks do not have in excess, it is loyalty. If we spent as much time fighting the Andalites as we do fighting among ourselves, we would have won this war a long time ago, replied Visser Four calmly.

I am aware of it and it is to put an end to this deplorable situation that I resolved to take power a long time ago. Once I return, crowned with glory from this expedition, I fully intend to restore some order in the empire. Visser-one flared up.

I want to believe in you, Visser-one, but to achieve this goal, you will need as much strength as diplomacy. The respect owed to the dead costs nothing and can pay off greatly. The struggles between vissers are not only based on the thirst for power but also on decades of enmity born from these rivalries. You cannot expect your subordinates to make the effort to set aside their differences if you refrain from setting a good example.

As usual, your words are as annoying as they are wise. I will think about it. Now let's refocus on the subject of this meeting. That cockroach Jerra456 had minions spread throughout the empire. Despite our successive purges, I'm sure he still has a few who must have conveyed our invasion plan to him, replied Visser-One, calm again.

It must be said that you did not try to be discreet.

It is necessary that those who doubt the empire know that we will crush the center of the rebellion, Visser-one assured irritably.

We still need to crush them. If you had waited just one more week, as I asked you, we would have gathered a sufficient fleet to ensure victory. With the little strength we have, our chances of defeat are not negligible.

I have waited long enough. The emotion caused by the emperor's death is already beginning to dissipate. We cannot eternally fuel our propaganda with images of mourning and funeral ceremonies. To establish my power, I need a quick victory. In any case, even if we had one more year, I doubt the Andalites would have allowed us to assemble much more strength. Their assaults are becoming increasingly intense.

This time, it is your words that contain a certain wisdom. Knowing you, I imagine that you have a plan to ensure our victory, despite our very slight numerical advantage, conceded Visser-4.

It is to find one that I had you come. But let me finish explaining the situation to you. So Jera456 and Thevenin789 probably know we are coming and approximately when we will be there. Our chances of surprising them are therefore slim. But the reverse is also true. I know Jera456 and he has no military skills. And I doubt that a competent officer of the empire would have agreed to help this childish rebellion. As for this Thevenin789, his service record is impressive, but he is just a simple soldier. The fact that he was never able to rise in the hierarchy or that I had never heard of him before he took the head of this Yeerk Republic of Helios shows that he has no strategic sense. It is therefore very likely that they will resume Visser-12's plan without asking any questions. We can therefore predict their reactions and the disposition of their forces. Visser-One explained with visible excitement.

If it's true, then we have already won this conflict. I propose to ...

But screw- was interrupted by a shrill alarm.

What does this mean Visser-One? Asked Visser-Four.

Nothing, it's just a signal indicating that a biological scan is about to be launched and that I need to evacuate my guests.

Is it really necessary? We were in the middle of a discussion.

Yes, we cannot take the risk of being spied on by morphers. And you should leave quickly if you don't want to end up charred.

It's pure and simple paranoia, complained Visser-4.

But I didn't hear Visser-one's response. As soon as the alarm sounded, we fled to the area of the ship where the slaves' cages were piled up while their Yeerks fed in the ship's pool. The other Animorphs resumed their place among the human slaves, while I resumed mine among the Hork-Bajir guards. The more I worked with them, the more I felt like I was regressing. Here I was again, a pool guard in the body of a host who hated me. I stopped my digressions and focused on my task: making sure no one noticed there were 5 slaves who were never used as hosts. I had nothing to fear from the other slaves. Most had been reduced to a zombie state long ago, and the others simply cried or wept continuously during their rare hours of freedom. My concern was the other guards.

Only 5 more days to hold on, I told myself to muster some courage. But only 5 more days until what? Until we could witness the invasion of the earth and the death of everyone we loved. What I had heard in that meeting room had depressed me. David might have been right. Maybe we had no chance. What had gotten into me to give in to Tom's encouragements? I should never have embarked on this path. Well, now it was too late, and our only chance was to see it through to the end.

oOoOoOo

The days had passed and we had finally emerged from zero space. A frenetic activity then seized the ship, which had been lethargic until then. The Yeerks all emerged from the pool to join their designated hosts and prepare for battle. I didn't dare express it out loud for fear of offending my human companions, but this atmosphere of excitement where everyone was panicking in a seemingly totally anarchic way brought up old memories of the few Yeerks I had been close to (mainly the other members of my clutch).

When I had mentioned those moments with them, my human friends looked at me with pity, and Marco commented that I had had a terrible life. And in a way, they were right. But despite everything, I cherished those memories and reliving them brought me an irrepressible joy tinged with nostalgia. However, I doubt they would have tolerated me expressing any form of joy upon seeing Visser-One's army preparing to invade Earth. Anyway, once the rare joyful moments of my life finished flashing before my eyes, I felt the same horror as they did. Now, all the people I cared about were on Earth. Humans would never consider me as one of their own, but I cared about them more than most Yeerks. We absolutely had to thwart Visser-One's plans.

Unfortunately, it was going to be difficult. Despite all our efforts, we hadn't had any other opportunities to spy on the ship's officers, let alone Visser-one. The drastic security measures taken by Visser-one (despite the discontent it would cause among her troops) had borne fruit. We knew nothing of her plan. However, we could no longer wait. We had therefore agreed that as soon as the ship exited zero space, we would take advantage of the confusion that always accompanied entry into an enemy system to infiltrate the reactor room. Once inside, we would wait for the ship to engage in combat with the Jera456 fleet to destroy it and thus give it a considerable advantage. This time, it was a completely suicidal plan. After such an act, there was little chance that we would manage to escape unscathed. Nevertheless, despite their young age, they impressed me by accepting this probable sacrifice with resignation. Many Yeerks would not have been capable of such determination.

We reached our goal without major difficulty (except for the two guards occupying human hosts that we had to dispose of using the nearest airlock). We hid in a now-deserted break room located right next to the reactors. It was normally intended for the many technicians and engineers who took turns pampering the antimatter reactors. But for the next few hours, they would all be at their posts, ready to intervene. During a battle, it was not uncommon for theReactors are pushed beyond their limits. The break room contained a small porthole from which we could observe Jupiter and its moons. Humans were really lucky. They did not realize how splendid their system was. If it survived the war, their system would become a top tourist destination for all species in the galaxy. I thought about the advantages the Yeerk Republic of Helios could gain by properly exploiting its natural wonders. Tom was right. In a very short time, Jera456 had managed to turn me into a real politician.

Then the splendor of the celestial bodies gave way to a dark night stained with the whitish trails left by the Milky Way on its path. And after barely 3 hours, a tiny blue ball appeared and grew larger and larger until it filled a tenth of the visible space. And still no trace of Jera456's army. But what the hell was he doing? Had that coward fled after all? Then Visser-one's words resurfaced in my mind and I understood. I shouted that we needed to leave this ship urgently or find a communicator, but it was too late. A violent jolt shook the ship.

Through the porthole, I saw the entire fleet fire synchronously at the moon. The unthinkable happened: the moon disintegrated and turned into a vast field of asteroids of all sizes orbiting chaotically around the planet and smashing to pieces the Jera456 fleet, which had hidden behind it in the hope of surprising the Visser-one fleet when it charged at the HQ, hoping to take advantage of the lack of defense to win this war quickly. Jera456 had positioned its fleet where Visser-12 had planned to station, in case an Andalite invasion challenged its earthly stronghold.

I had only just understood that this was why we hadn't seen his fleet yet. I had then realized that Visser-One had anticipated this and planned to use it in some way to defeat jera456 and that he needed to be warned to change his plans or face annihilation. But I would never have anticipated such a disaster. The Animorphs joined me and watched in horror the disfigurement of the earthly sky as well as the annihilation of the Yeerk Republic fleet of Helios.

Then an image violently imposed itself in our mind. Visser-one looked down at us, standing in front of the large bay window of his chair, which offered an unobstructed view of the ongoing disaster. I understood that it was a telepathic transmission to all living beings on Earth and its nearby orbit.

Dear People of Earth. I am Visser-One: Supreme Commander of the Yeerk Empire's armies and First Consul of the Empire. And I have just crushed the forces of the Yeerk Republic of Helios. As you can all see by looking up at the sky, life on Earth will never be the same again. Those traitors, who claimed to be your saviors, broke off peace negotiations with the Empire in the worst possible way. They sent terrorists to commit unspeakable attacks at the heart of our glorious capital. Many of our innocent citizens, including the Yeerk Emperor himself, died as a result of their treachery. To put an end to this aggression and preserve the lives of my subjects, I had no choice but to urgently assemble a fleet and rush to Earth to kill the evil at its root. However, the insufficiency of the forces I was able to gather in such a short time and the treacherous strategy of those who claimed to be your saviors forced us to inflict irreversible damage to your magnificent system. Please believe that I deeply regret having to go this far and that I am aware that no excuse will ever redeem theThe wrong I have done to your species. The hosts who experienced the not-so-distant time when I led the Yeerk colony on Earth can confirm how attached I became to this planet and its inhabitants. They can also affirm that my respect was materialized by concrete actions such as focusing on the almost exclusive recruitment of voluntary hosts and imposing rules for the good treatment of even involuntary hosts. I want to reassure you that I am nothing like Visser-12. Even though I respected his military talents and unwavering loyalty to the empire, I could never accept his brutal methods. I did not come to Earth to invade you, but to put an end to the unjust attacks against my fellow citizens. However, after the terrible damage I was forced to cause, I cannot simply leave. Most of the debris from your moon will wisely remain in orbit and gradually form an asteroid belt. This change has already caused countless damages related to the alteration of water levels caused by the sudden disappearance of the tidal effect created by the moon. But I fear the worst is yet to come. A significant portion of this debris was propelled out of lunar orbit by the battles and is now heading towards Earth. Most will disintegrate in the atmosphere, but thousands of them are large enough to annihilate all life present on Earth's surface. And even the Yeerks do not have the capacity to intercept so many meteors in such a short time.

In any case, even though personally, I wish no harm to the Earth and the Earthlings, this is not the case for most Yeerk leaders. I think the accounts that the few hosts freed by the Yeerk Republic of Helios must have given you a fairly accurate idea of what awaits you in the absence of a Yeerk benevolent towards humans.

As the first consul of the empire and in order to atone for my fault towards you, I officially propose that you become the new protector of humanity. Voluntarily agree to serve as a host for my yeerks for about ten of your years and I promise that our fleet will mobilize to evacuate your citizens as quickly as possible before the catastrophe. When you have completed your service, the earth will have become habitable again and you will be able to return to live there. However, when you see what the entire yeerk empire has to offer you and that the host experience is far less terrible than what the unfortunate experience you had with that brute Visser-12 might have led you to believe, you will probably agree to stay with us voluntarily, to continue enjoying the many benefits of the empire. As a host of the empire, you could live for centuries in perfect health, never know hunger again, and obtain the leisure currently reserved for the wealthiest. And once we have won our war against the andalites, life in the empire will also mean a life far from any war. I suspect that many humans will reject my offer. And I do not intend to force them in any way to accept it. As I said, I did not come to invade the earth. However, I will not let them prevent others from choosing to join us either. My fleet will remain in orbit awaiting your response and if it is unanimously refused by all the peoples of the earth, then I will leave without insisting further. However, I must warn you that if one of your peoples accepts my proposal, then I will not tolerate you standing in the way. Each people of the earth is free to choose its destiny and I will be uncompromising on this point. If you wish to die, that is your concern, but do not condemn others.

To conclude, I would like to have a final word for my many Yeerk compatriots. I fully understand that most of you had no choice but to serve the impostors after they seized the Kandrona generators. As you know, I am a Visser as understanding as I am merciful. On the condition that you immediately lay down your arms, you will be granted amnesty for all your crimes and you will be able to regain your place within the empire, without any demotion or penalty in the continuation of your career. And I will soon make an appointment with human leaders to negotiate a landing permit in order to evacuate you. However, rest assured that I will be uncompromising towards any Yeerk who refuses to lay down their arms. The Kandrona famine will seem a mild fate compared to what I have in store for them.

Then the communication abruptly stopped. We looked at each other. We were all startled.

Tell me it's a bad dream. Said Marco with an expression of terror that his burn-ravaged face made frightening.

Visser-One lies. He will never be able to offer such benefits to humans. Liberation after ten years of service. Even the Taxxons did not get such advantageous conditions. But many humans are likely to believe it. It is a duration just long enough to be credible as a requirement, without being completely unacceptable. I commented.

No kidding, we wouldn't have guessed. So, what do we do to stop it? Exclaimed Rachel.

We all looked at each other in silence.

You're not going to tell me that you're going to give up!? She snapped.

Of course not. But for now, I have no idea. We are alone against an entire invasion fleet, I remind you. If you have an idea, we're listening. Jack snapped.

She remained silent and he eventually said:

For now, transform into a Hork-Bajir and let's get out of here. Someone might come and ask what we're doing here.

Once in the corridors in thought, I hesitantly suggested:

I have an idea, but Tom wouldn't approve of it.

At this point, go ahead, what's your idea? asked Jack.

We could seize a shuttle and head to the orbital cannon. Then we could use it to destroy Visser-one's ship.

If we do that, the entire fleet will immediately fire on us.

Yes, but with luck, before dying, we could destroy Visser-One and his flagship. Earth would be doomed, but it would allow Visser-One's opponents to regain power. Or at worst, the different factions within the empire would fight to find a successor to Visser-One. That would ensure the Andalites win the war. Earth would be doomed, but the rest of the galaxy would be saved.

They debated in private for about ten minutes. When starting this mission, they had agreed to sacrifice their lives to save the earth. But now, I was asking them to sacrifice their species to save... To save what exactly? Hypothetically, to finally put an end to the conflict that has opposed the yeerks and the andalites for so many years. To help those who had tried to enslave them. Those who had subjected their loved ones to hell and forced them to become child soldiers. Those who would soon be responsible for the enslavement of humanity and perhaps its end.

We follow your plan. But not to help the Yeerks or the Andalites. We do it to prevent other species from suffering the same fate. And a little for you and Axe.

I remained silent, deeply moved.

(You make me want to vomit with your hypocritical fine sentiments. Where was your nobility of soul when it came to protecting my parents?) David commented. For the first time, I felt anger towards him. He must have sensed it because he immediately fell silent.

oOoOoOo

At the beginning, we cautiously ventured into the ship's corridors (still in our Hork-Bajir form). But very quickly, we just charged as fast as possible. Most of the soldiers had abandoned their posts to celebrate this quick victory and toast to Visser One's health. Due to Visser One's recent paranoia crisis, little information about the battle plan had leaked, but everyone was aware of the fleet's small size and had expected a tough fight with many losses. Even in the event of success, few viewed the future optimistically. Everything had suddenly changed. The officers had tried to restore calm, but to no avail. In this chaos, it was pointless to take precautions. We easily stole a bug ship and after activating the cloaking system, we headed towards Alaska as fast as possible. We had no trouble spotting the site where the gigantic cannon, which the Animorphs had considered sabotaging not so long ago, was located.

An idea on how to take the structure. Jack asked after demorphing.

Take it by storm. Why? I am the president of the Yeerk Republic. I just need to order them to open for me.

Without wanting to offend you, they probably believe you're dead with the rest of the fleet. Anyway, after Visser-one's little speech, I'm not sure he's still loyal to you. Retorted Marco.

His words struck me like a punch. I glanced at the night sky, which with its ravaged moon now offered a most strange spectacle. I hadn't thought about it at the time, but Tom was probably alongside Jera456 on the axe-ship, to give the yeerks courage by making them believe their leader stood with them on the front line. I felt a violent pain that none of my many war wounds had managed to equal. Only the brutal death of my favorite littermate from the artillery fire ordered by Aximili's brother had shocked me similarly. Jack, who must have had similar emotions, held back his tears and refocused his thoughts on the issues at hand.

I will transform into a rhinoceros and smash the front door. Then with Tobias, I will create a diversion. As for you, transform into a cockroach and hang on to me. While we create chaos, you will enter the facility and rush to the control center. Once you have taken control, Rachel and Marco will ensure that no one enters while Thévenin uses the cannon to annihilate Visser-one. Any questions?

Yes, what is the meaning of life? What is the difference between being and non-being? Where do socks disappear to? Why didn't the Yeerks build their damn cannon in a warm place? Marco finished that neitherThe extreme cold, nor the disfigurement of his face, had not dissuaded him from trying to lighten the mood with his lame jokes.

No question. Perfect. Announced Jack, smiling at his best friend's reply. Then he took the form of a rhinoceros and charged at the weakly guarded armored door.

Try to limit the losses as much as possible. Until proven otherwise, they are on our side. I reminded them without having any illusions about the impact of my warning.

Having recently visited the facility thoroughly during its recent inauguration by the republic, I was perfectly familiar with the place, and Jack's diversion on the ground and Tobias's in the air were perfectly effective. In any case, the guards did not seem very combative. In any case, we had no trouble reaching the control room, then knocking out the Yeerks present and barricading ourselves in.

I then began to configure the cannon. During the long minutes needed for its realignment, I silently prayed for it to go faster (the guards wouldn't remain lethargic for very long). Then, after what seemed like an interminable time, the imposing Visser-one sphere ship was finally in the crosshairs. I thought that now Visser-one might very well have moved his fleet to no longer be within range of the planetary defenses installed by Visser-12. Perhaps he had taken the calculated risk of staying within firing range to show that he feared nothing. Or maybe there was something else. In turn, I had the unsettling premonition that all this had been far too easy. Had we fallen into a trap for the third time? A loud bang echoed against the door. I didn't have time to hesitate. I pressed the firing button with all my strength.

Immediately, the ground shook and an enormous noise almost pierced my eardrums. Is that why there were noise-canceling headphones hanging on the wall of the room? Humans are really fragile. In my former Hork-Bajir host, I barely flinched when cannons, even larger ones, fired while I stood beside them (or perhaps it was due to the particularly high density of Earth's atmosphere). In any case, I ignored the pain from David's body to visualize the result through the cannon's telescope and the few Yeerk surveillance satellites that hadn't been destroyed by lunar debris. The shot had bounced off the sphere ship's shields without seeming to cause them any damage. Apparently, the rumor greatly underestimated the power of the flagship's shields of Visser-One. Even an Andalite world ship would have faltered from such a direct hit. Before I could think about the next events, the main screen lit up.

By the emperor. What are you doing? I ordered you to keep a low profile and wait for my orders.

I was so stunned that I couldn't retort anything. Very quickly, without being able to stop it, tears welled up in my eyes. The screen was broadcasting the image of the new host, completely furious at Jera456 (I noted that he seemed very emaciated and sleep-deprived), with Tom in the background.

Thévenin! I knew you weren't dead. Exclaimed Tom, pushing Jera456 aside to move to the forefront.

Me too, I thought you were dead. How did you survive? I asked, overjoyed to know they were alive.

I'm going to tell Jack and Tobias to stop fighting. Marco said joyfully while opening the door.

It is rather us who should be asking you this question. And you still haven't told me what you were doing. Jera456 resumed after taking advantage of his host's strength to push Tom unceremoniously and regain control of the events.

We are trying to destroy Visser-One's flagship. I explained.

Idiot! Didn't you think that would draw the attention of his fleet to one of our only assets?

We thought everything was lost anyway.

By the empire! he shouted with visible despair.

But before he could continue, his anger turned to someone else, and he shouted without paying further attention to me:

Why is the fleet advancing? I haven't given any orders.

Immediately, the hologram of a human with a contemptuous look appeared in the center of the room where Jera456 was.

Sorry, cowardly lord. I thought the orders were to charge at Visser-one's fleet as soon as it began to enter the atmosphere. Or maybe you've found another excuse to postpone the fight?

Is it entering the atmosphere? But why?

No doubt to annihilate our brothers who had the courage to defy the Visser-One's flagship.

No matter, it's perfect. Well done, Beltra856. I knew I could count on you. Once everything is finished, you will have a medal.

The arrogant Yeerk cut off communication with a surprised look.

I do not understand what Visser-one is trying to prove by not destroying the cannon from orbit, but it's an opportunity. All ships, fire at will on the enemy fleet as soon as it descends below 700 ratchild in altitude, declared Jera456 after frantically pressing several buttons.

Then, he ignored me and ran off giving orders left and right. I turned my attention back to the image from the telescope of the cannon. The entire Republic fleet seemed to emerge from nowhere and began bombarding Visser-one's fleet, which was considerably weakened by its entry into the atmosphere. The axe-ship, in particular, with its ultra-powerful cannons, was causing impressive damage. Within minutes, half of Visser-one's fleet had been destroyed.

But very quickly the massacre changed direction. Visser-one's ships completed their atmospheric entry and positioned themselves behind Visser-one's ship, which did not seem in the least affected by all its shots and began to retaliate. The Republic fleet then concentrated all its fire on Visser-one's ship, whose shields were seriously faltering. But they still did not give way, and behind it, the rest of the fleet had reorganized and had begun to retaliate against the ships that no longer targeted them. In an emergency, I pounded the firing button of the orbital cannon. Its overpowering shot hit the flagship at the same time as the axe ship's, causing a gigantic explosion on the northern pole of the sphere ship. Visser-one's flagship was still standing, but its shields had fallen. And it was facing a fleet now larger than its own.

In a final attempt to turn the situation around, Visser-one's sphere-ship charged at the blade-ship. I heard Jera456 order the othersvessels to take care of the rest of the fleet. A duel then began between Visser-one's sphere ship and the axe ship of his former rival Visser-12 (where I guessed Tom and Jera456 were currently located). Slowly, the sphere ship approached the axe ship, which was content to fire repeatedly at it. With each shot, parts of the sphere ship disappeared. The ship had long since lost all airtightness, and it was a miracle it was still flying. But despite everything, it continued to head towards the axe ship and was about to collide with it (which, given the weakness of its defenses, would undoubtedly destroy it). When finally, answering my prayers, the cooling gauge of the cannon turned green: it was ready for another shot. Immediately, I fired for the third time and watched the sphere ship disintegrate, just a few meters before colliding with the axe ship. Jera456 didn't even take a minute to savor his victory and ordered the axe ship to assist the rest of the fleet.

With the help of these powerful ships, the battle was quickly over. The Earth was saved. No, better yet, the galaxy was saved. Not only were Visser-One and his fleet defeated, but the Yeerk Republic of Helios was still there. I had only recently become interested in political matters, but I knew that this meant the end of the empire and the beginning of an era of peace and freedom for the Yeerks.

Are you finally going to explain to me what's going on Jera456? I did see your fleet get annihilated.

Jera456 replied to me, beaming with joy (I hadn't felt him this happy in a very long time):

Did you really think I was going to implement Visser-12's odious plan? That I was going to use my own subordinates as a shield while using the capabilities of the blade ship to cover myself in glory? Of course not. I'm not that kind of yeerk. Instead, I tried to adapt Richac6487's plan: wait for the enemy to be weakened by atmospheric re-entry to strike. That's when the ches offered their help. They used their holographic technology to create a fake fleet where Visser-one had planned to hide his and to help us camouflage the real fleet. By the way, remind me to adopt a dog. No, dozens of dogs.

Basically from the start, you had the situation well in hand and we only got in your way. You were right from the beginning. We should have waited and trusted you. You are a much better leader than I am. You should take my place.

You're kidding, I hope. Did you see how that idiot, the sub-visser, treated me? You know how to command respect from the Yeerks. And if you hadn't brilliantly provoked Visser-One, he would have stayed in orbit. I wouldn't have been able to implement my plan. I would have had to let him conquer Earth or launch into a doomed assault. Without you, there wouldn't have been a victory.

Without me, there would have been no war.

You can't know that. Who's to say Visser-One wouldn't have found another excuse to invade Earth? Anyway, if you think I could do better, you're wrong. I remind you that I also approved this plan. And I'm pleased about it. Thanks to your intervention, Visser-One launched an invasion of Earth hastily and with a reduced fleet. If Visser-One hadn't wanted to exploit the opportunity you offered to the fullest, who knows if we would have been able to repel him. By the way, is it true that you killed the emperor?

Of course not. It's …

I suspected it! It's Visser-One, isn't it? And I bet that if a Yeerk infected your humans, it could prove that the republic is innocent. That would definitely discredit the pro-war camp.

Yes, but I doubt they will agree.

I accept. Said Jack.

I turned around hastily. Caught up in the events, I hadn't noticed his presence, nor that of the Yeerks from the base who were watching us, half respectful, half angry. I noticed that Jack was limping and being supported by Marco. Although upon closer inspection, it was more Jack who was supporting Marco. He had just witnessed his mother's death.

Aren't you feeling well? You forgot how it was last time. Tom immediately worried through the screen.

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. But if it's the only way for what's left of the Yeerk empire to finally leave us in peace, then I won't hesitate. I don't want to see death anymore. Never again.

The others volunteered to take his place, but he replied:

I am the leader. I am the one who ordered us to walk into the lion's den despite Catie's warnings. It's up to me to do it.

Perfect. Perfect. Jera456 congratulated himself without noticing the turmoil in which the prospect of seeing Jack get infected a second time (even temporarily) had plunged us. Thevenin789 hands over the cannon controls to the artillery officer and orders the communications officer to connect the cannon to the targeting system of my ship. We need to deal with this space debris as quickly as possible. By the way, I'll let you announce to the Yeerks that they will have to postpone the party and leave for at least 24 hours.

I thought the Earth was lost. That the Yeerks couldn't prevent the moon's debris from reaching the Earth. Cassie asked hopefully.

Normally, that would be the case. But as soon as Visser-One fired on the moon, the Ches began calculating the trajectory of each piece of debris and how to deflect them in order to minimize the number of pieces that will fall to Earth. If we follow their plan, they claim that only 5 pieces of debris will crash on Earth and the impact will cause at most an explosion comparable to twice the Hiroshima bomb. I will transmit to the humans the collision sites predicted by the Ches. If they start the evacuation now, there should be no casualties. Speaking of which, um, Thevenin789, I don't know how to tell you ...

Seeing his hesitant tone, I expected the worst.

Come on, spill the beans. Who died?

No one. At least not to my knowledge. It's just that one of the debris is going to fall on France. Well, not exactly. It's going to fall off the coast of a city called Lille and cause a gigantic tsunami there. The experts claim that the only way to avoid it would be to let a piece of debris crash on Tokyo.

Jera456, I beg you, take my place.

Not even in your dreams, my friend. As soon as all this is over, I'm resigning.

What! That's out of the question. Come back, you bastards. I screamed at the now black screen.

He had dared to hang up on me.