The Hork-Bajir Chronicles

  Every muscle in his body went limp instantly. He fell back, unable to move his legs.

  I leaped at the other Hork-Bajir, but he was backing away, turning, running.

  "Carger, you coward!" the crippled Hork-Bajir cried.

  I stared at my wrist blade. It dripped with blood.

  «Gedds!» Aldrea yelled.

  I followed the direction of her main eyes. Two loping, strange, small monsters were approaching. They held small machines in their hands.

  «We have to run!» Aldrea said.

  "Run?" I was still staring stupidly at my own blades.

  The Hork-Bajir at my feet groaned. His arms moved weakly. His legs moved not at all.

  Aldrea bent her upper body to bring her face very close to the wounded Hork-Bajir. «Whatever your name is, Yeerk, go tell your masters: First your

  79 treason destroyed my father, and then you murdered him and my entire family. But you will not have this planet. We are the Andalites, you parasite worm. And we'll see you all dead. You and your entire filthy race. Tell your masters that»

  The two creatures Aldrea called Gedds were rushing forward now, raising the small machines in their hands.

  «The daughter of Seerow will show you the other side of the Andalite characters Aldrea said to the crippled Hork-Bajir.

  Then Aldrea and I ran.

  80

  ALDREA

  My family was dead. I was the only Andalite within many millions of miles. I had no way of communicating with my people. The Yeerks had come to the Hork-Bajir world, and only Dak and I knew.

  I'd known that the Hork-Bajir were peaceable. I'd had no idea before this that they simply did not understand the very concept of fighting.

  They were among the fiercest-looking, most physically awesome, sentient species in the galaxy. They were walking weapons. Deadly from head to foot. But they didn't know it. They didn't know what it meant.

  They were perfect targets for the Yeerks.

  We ran, easily losing the Gedds. We kept moving, always downhill, not knowing if we ran from real pursuers or merely from phantoms. I tried to figure out what to do. But my mind would not let go of the picture of shredders reducing all I cared about to fused, glowing slag.

  81 "Tell me about these Yeerks," Dak asked me, panting.

  That much I could do. «They are a parasitic species. They are able to live on their own in something called a Yeerk pool. But they prefer life inside the body and brain of other species.»

  "How is this possible?"

  «The Yeerks are as they have evolved. They are parasites by nature. Evolution has equipped them to do this. On their own world they infest a species called Gedds. You saw some Gedds back there. My father was the first Andalite to make real contact with them.»

  Dak looked surprised. "You have lived among these Yeerks?"

  «Yes. We ... my father and mother were sent to study them. And to learn if we could make allies of them. Or to learn if we had any reason to fear them.»

  Dak nodded. "This is what your parents did here, too. Am I correct? They were sent to study us."

  «Yes. But there was a difference. We knew the Yeerks to be highly ?» I stopped myself.

  Dak waited for a moment. Then he finished my sentence for me. "You knew the Yeerks to be highly intelligent. Unlike Hork-Bajir. You were interested in them for their intelligence. And you feared them for the same reason."

  82 «Yesr Dak. It was their intelligence that interested us.»

  " It is why your father and mother had no real interest in us. We are a stupid species."

  He sounded bitter. Not at me. Not at Andalites. But at his own people. Like he was ashamed of them.

  «lntelligence isn't everythingr» I said. «My father is ... was . . . brilliant. But the Yeerks tricked my father. He taught them about the world beyond their planet. He taught them about written language, about the very concept of manipulating matter, toolmaking, sight, art, everything. He trusted them. He thought they were grateful. He thought they would be content»

  "Your father made a mistake," Dak said. "The Yeerks were content. But by showing them all they did not have, they began to want more. They wanted to be like you. Like Andalites."

  I turned my stalk eyes to stare at Dak as he trotted beside me. How did he cut so quickly to the heart of the problem? How could he guess how the Yeerks felt?

  Of course. Because he felt the same way. He, too, was jealous of what we Andalites had. Jealous of our power, our knowledge, our intelligence.

  «The Yeerks slaughtered most of the Andalites with my father,» I said. «They stole Andalite ships.

  83 They escaped into space. Since then they have been looking for suitable host bodies.»

  "And now they have found them," Dak Hamee said darkly.

  «Yes.»

  "My people will be unable to stop them."

  «Maybe notr» I said eagerly. «You Hork-Bajir could be very dangerous, very powerful fighters, at least in close combat. One-on-one you could even challenge an Andalite warrior.»

  Dak laughed. "My people do not understand 'parasites.' They will never understand that these creatures will steal their bodies. They will listen to what we tell them, then they will go on with stripping bark and playing and caring for their children."

  «Maybe not. You are the seer. You were born to teach your people a new thing. Maybe you were born to teach your people to fight. Maybe your purpose is to teach Hork-Bajir to kill Yeerks.»

  "I hoped I had been chosen to show my people all the things your father tried to show the Yeerks. I wanted to teach them music. Writing. Art. I wanted to teach them to keep track of time, the passing of years. To make tools, to build. But your father gave those things to the Yeerks, and now we see the results. Maybe I was a fool to think that knowledge would make my people happy."

  «There will be time to think about all that after

  84 we find a way to annihilate the Yeerksr» I said. «We can save your people, if they will learn to fight! They don't have to be destroyed.»

  "Yes, they do," he said quietly. "Either they will learn to fight and hurt and kill, or they will learn to be slaves. Both will destroy them. Killers or slaves. They will be one or the other. Killers or slaves."

  I stopped and grabbed Dak Hamee's arm. I deliberately moved my fingers down to the blade at his elbow. It was almost as hard as an Andalite male's tail blade. And just as sharp.

  «lf the choice is between being a killer and being a slave, be a killer. You did it back there. It isn't so hard to learn.»

  "And that's what you want for me? To be a killer?"

  «lf necessary, yes!»

  Dak slowly removed my hand from his blade. He was careful not to cut me.

  I met his gaze. Hork-Bajir are not good at concealing their feelings. They've never tried to learn the art of lying. So I could see what was in Dak's mind and heart.

  "There is much I still have to learn about An-dalites," he said.

  I looked away. It is hard seeing disappointment in the eyes of someone you care for. And yet, his contempt for me changed nothing. He had no

  85 choice. His people had no choice. Would I help make them a race of killers in order to stop the Yeerks? Yes. A thousand times over, yes.

  The creatures who had murdered my family would pay. No matter what.

  TSEEEWWW!

  The tree trunk just inches to my left exploded! Splinters struck me, cut me. The concussion and light stunned me.

  But it was a handheld shredder, not one of the high-powered weapons from the fighters. I caught a glimpse of Gedds loping toward us, closing in from two sides.

  Somehow they had tracked us. And more had been brought down from the orbiting ships.

  They were above us uphill. The only way to run was downhill.

  «They've found us!» I cried. «Run!»

  We ran. We were faster than the Gedds, but I knew they would call in the fighters. And we could not outrun the fighters.

  TSEEEWWW! TSEEEWWW!
br />   "We must go to Father Deep," Dak said.

  «Can we survive down there?»

  "Can we survive here?"

  We raced down the valley, down and down toward the glowing, blue mist the Hork-Bajir called Father Deep.

  86

  ALDREA

  Down, down, always downhill. My leg muscles screamed in pain. I wanted to stop and morph into the chadoo. But there was no time. The Gedds were coming. And I could hear them talking on their communicators, trying to bring the fighters in for the kill.

  We were being saved by the topography of the planet. The Yeerk fighter pilots seemed confused. They didn't know whether they should position themselves above us or straight out from us. It was a problem an Andalite would have easily solved. But the Yeerks were still new to the entire world of sight. The trees, the sharp slope baffled them.

  But not for long.

  TSEEEEWWWW!

  A two-foot-wide hole burned straight through the trunk of a tree just ahead of us. The hole smoked but the tree trunk did not explode.

  TSEEEWWWW!

  87 A shredder beam ripped a trench in the ground beside us.

  Still we ran. A nightmare of terror. Pain in every cell of my body. Wounds oozing blood. Muscles desperate for rest.

  Down and down and down. And now through the trees I could catch glimpses of the glowing blue. Already the air was thicker.

  How many miles had we run? I was running at full speed, heedless of obstacle. Panic speed. Terror speed.

  Ahead of us, a knot of five or six scared Hork-Bajir. They huddled together, watching the sky, watching the shredder fire, grotesque faces made even more grotesque by fear.

  "It's Dak Hamee!" one cried. "Dak Hamee! Seer! What is happening?"

  "Run! Run away!" Dak cried.

  TSEEEWWWW!

  Shredders reduced two of the Hork-Bajir to vapor. A third was hit by the edge of the beam. He lived long enough to see that his legs, his body below the waist, was gone.

  "Run away! Tell everyone to hide!" Dak screamed. "I have to help them, show them!" he said to me.

  «lt's us the Yeerks want,» I said. «lf we stay with these people they'll be in greater danger.»

  88 Even as I said the words I knew I had lied. It wasn't us the Yeerks were chasing. It was me. All Hork-Bajir were the same to the Yeerks. It was the Andalite they wanted to kill.

  But Dak accepted my warning. He followed me down the hill, leaving behind the terrified Hork-Bajir.

  No time for guilt. I had to survive! Only I could reach my people and bring them to annihilate the Yeerks. Only I could ensure vengeance. What were a few scared Hork-Bajir compared to the need to kill the Yeerks?

  The air was thicker still. It was like breathing cold steam. But the extra oxygen renewed my strength.

  Suddenly, there it was below us. The trees were gone. The ground was open. Swirling, blue mist glowed dangerously.

  But right then my choice was not between a long and happy life on the one hand and death on the other.

  My choice was to live for a few minutes more or die right then. I chose to take the few minutes.

  I plunged into Father Deep.

  89

  DAK HAMOT

  We have many tales, we Hork-Bajir, of Father Deep. Father Deep and Mother Sky gave birth to us, their children. Mother Sky gives us air and light. Father Deep gives us soil and water. Both are necessary for the trees that sustain us.

  But Father Deep is also the place from which monsters come.

  No Hork-Bajir has ever entered Father Deep and lived to tell of it.

  Now we were entering the Deep. We had passed the zone of bright bushes and distorted flowers at the edge of the Deep. No trees grew here. But things still lived, even now, with the blue mist all around us, concealing us from our pursuers.

  «This atmosphere appears to be breathable,» Aldrea said. «l don't know the precise ratio of gases, of course, but I am able to breathe. And you, Dak?»

  "Yes. I can breathe." My voice sounded flat. It

  90 seemed to die in the air. As though the sounds could not possibly get from my mouth to Aldrea's ears.

  I was frightened. I knew we would die. But I also knew that it was better to die here in Father Deep than to be killed by the Yeerks.

  Father Deep was ours. Of our world. Of the Hork-Bajir. I would die like a Hork-Bajir.

  The world around us became a deeper blue. Light seemed to come from below us, glowing all around us. It was a blue fog. Thicker and thicker, till I could barely see Aldrea though she was only a few heights away.

  I waited for the monsters to leap out and seize me. My skin tingled, awaiting the deadly touch. But nothing came.

  «The temperature is rising as we descendr» Aldrea said.

  I realized I was walking on lush, thick grass. As we descended ever farther, the fog seemed to be thickening. Aldrea was no more than a blue shadow within blue mist.

  I'd heard nothing of our pursuers. Not a sound since we'd entered the Deep. Had they been frightened off?

  Beside me, a shape emerging. A monster?

  "Aldrea?" I said, my voice quavering.

  Closer, closer... a Gedd!

  TSEEEEWWW!

  91 A flash of light. Not the beam I'd seen before, but something like a ball of lightning.

  "Rrrr-aaarrrgghh!" the Gedd screamed.

  A touch on my arm.

  I leaped and spun around.

  «lt's me,» Aldrea said.

  "Rrr-aaarrr arrrgghh!" the Gedd cried.

  «This atmosphere is too dense for a shredderr» Aldrea said. «lt's a weapon designed for a vacuum, or at least for a decently clear atmosphere. He got flashback. Shredder energy absorbed by the atmosphere and reflected.»

  The Gedd continued screaming, but his voice was deadened by the mist as we went down, ever down, into the Deep.

  Suddenly, I felt a tear in the mist, a breath of wind. For just a moment I could clearly see a pair of Gedds standing ahead of us! Their shredders were aimed. And now, looming up beside them, I saw the Hork-Bajir who had attacked us before. The one who had run away.

  "Don't fire those shredders, you fools," the Hork-Bajir ordered. "Can't you hear Arklan screaming?"

  «Two Gedds and you, Hork-Bajir-Controller, against the two of us?» Aldrea laughed. «Without your shredders, you don't have the guts.»

  The Hork-Bajir nodded. "The shredders will be

  92 safe enough up close." To the Gedds he said, "Wait till we are within five feet, then fire!"

  The three of them ran straight at us. Aldrea dodged left. I dodged right.

  WHUMPF!

  I slammed into something that cried out, "Rrrrrrr!"

  A Gedd! I was on the ground. The Gedd was beside me. Then, in a flash, the creature Aldrea had called a Hork-Bajir-Controller was standing over me. He drew his own shredder and pressed the end of it against my head.

  I could see the mad glee in his eyes. I could see his finger tightening on the trigger.

  And then . . .

  The Hork-Bajir was yanked straight up off the ground. Up into the air, as if he'd been launched by a bent branch. He flew up, then stopped.

  I saw the two massive, three-fingered hands of the Jubba-Jubba close around the Hork-Bajir's chest. I heard a cry. A roar. And the Hork-Bajir's body fell to the ground on top of me.

  A body with no head.

  "Aaaahhhh!" I cried in terror.

  The Gedd beside me rolled to his feet and began to run. A three-fingered hand reached down out of the mist and snatched the Gedd up.

  No part of the Gedd fell back to the ground. No

  93 part of his body, at least. The shredder clattered a few feet from me.

  In panic I got up on my hands and knees and crawled to the weapon. I grabbed it in my hands. My clumsy fingers fumbled with the unfamiliar device. My too-large fingers found the trigger. I aimed it upward.

  The three-fingered hand came down, down, down toward me.

  I aimed the shredder.

&n
bsp; FWAPP!

  It was too fast to see! The mist swirled, revealing where the lightning movement had come from.

  FWAPP! FWAPP!

  Aldrea's tail flashed again and again, and there came a roaring howl like nothing I had ever heard or imagined. A huge, three-fingered hand fell to the ground.

  Fell and lay there. Dead. Severed from the monster.

  The monster screamed in rage.

  «Get up! We must run!» Aldrea cried.

  I got up. I moved. I dropped the shredder, not wanting to hold it any more.

  The Jubba-Jubba monster did not follow. For the first time in history, a monster of Father Deep had been defeated.

  94

  ALDREA

  Dak looked at me like I was some sort of mythological deity. I had injured the monster. I guess no one had even done that before.

  But it had been a close thing. I hated to admit it, but a big, male Andalite warrior could have done it with a single tail strike. It took me three.

  And yet I had done it.

  I felt satisfaction, no more. My war was not against these monsters, as Dak called them. My war was with the Yeerks.

  "We should get away before more monsters come," Dak said.

  «No. By now the entire area back up there above the mist will be crawling with Yeerks. They can't afford to let me live. They can't let either of us live,» I added hastily. «They'll bring down all the Gedds they have, and all the Hork-Bajir, too, if they have more of them.»

  "Then we must stay within the Deep," Dak said

  95 grimly. "We must stay here in the realm of monsters, while my people are taken by these Yeerks."

  «Maybe your people will fight.»

  "No. They will be taken. They will be made into slaves of the Yeerks. They will not fight. I might have saved them. Instead I followed you, Aldrea."

  I didn't know if he was angry at me, or angry at himself. Both, I guessed. Would he leave me? No. He cared for me. We had more in common than he could ever have with any Hork-Bajir. It was too late for Dak: He knew that the stars were not flowers.

  And having learned so much, he still needed to learn more. He was hungry for it, for ideas, for knowledge, for skills. And only I could feed that hunger.

  No, he would stand by me, I was sure of that. He would hate himself for making that choice. But that didn't matter, not now. All that mattered now was destroying the Yeerks.