Let's Read Animorphs! The Whole Series! Ch-ch-ch-chaaanges

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GodFish: Oct 10, 2012; We're your first, last, and only line of defense. We live in secret. We exist in shadow.

And we dress in black.

Why would being in a coma stop a yeerk from controlling you like normal, aren't they already forcing brainwaves and stuff? Do yeerks lose control when you're asleep? Do they lucid dream, unable to control your body?

Why can't Ax just morph a fly, fly into the white house and then demorph, why do they need the secret service guy as a go between morph?

# ? Feb 23, 2021 08:47

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# ? Apr 25, 2024 14:16

Comrade Blyatlov: Aug 4, 2007; should have picked four fingers

I'm pretty sure HA3 is in an induced coma, with almost complete paralysis.

As for getting into the White House, it's probably one of the most secure buildings on Earth. You might get in, but getting to the President without getting wasted and/or President being very rapidly removed? Uncertain at best.

# ? Feb 23, 2021 08:52

nine-gear crow: Aug 10, 2013

GodFish posted:

Why would being in a coma stop a yeerk from controlling you like normal, aren't they already forcing brainwaves and stuff? Do yeerks lose control when you're asleep? Do they lucid dream, unable to control your body?

Why can't Ax just morph a fly, fly into the white house and then demorph, why do they need the secret service guy as a go between morph?

The Capture strongly implies that Yeerks are basically just locked in an immobilized body while the host is unconscious. Jake falls asleep at one point or another and Temrash doesn't try to do anything with his body in that time, but is clearly still conscious himself because he watches Jake's dreams and then shitposts about it after Jake wakes up. It seems to be a similar prospect to how a host dying also fries the Yeerk if they can't get out of the body or at least disconnect from the brain in time. Trying to exert control over a host while the host is unconscious is probably like trying to maneuver a car that's just lost its power steering--technically doable, but incredibly difficult and dangerous.

# ? Feb 23, 2021 08:55

GodFish: Oct 10, 2012; We're your first, last, and only line of defense. We live in secret. We exist in shadow.

And we dress in black.

drat being a yeerk really sucks lol

# ? Feb 23, 2021 08:58

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

GodFish posted:

Why would being in a coma stop a yeerk from controlling you like normal, aren't they already forcing brainwaves and stuff? Do yeerks lose control when you're asleep? Do they lucid dream, unable to control your body?

Why can't Ax just morph a fly, fly into the white house and then demorph, why do they need the secret service guy as a go between morph?

I think (though this is, like, "Harry has to go back to the Dursleys because of maaaaagic" reasoning - the actual answer is that it would disrupt the series) alerting the government would be a bold move that could trigger an all-out war. The Yeerks don't want an all-out war because while they'd eventually win, it would be devastating and kill hundreds of millions or maybe billions of potential hosts, and the Animorphs don't want that either for obvious reasons.

Although even as I write this I realise that this is basically exactly their plan here, so...?

# ? Feb 23, 2021 09:18

SirSamVimes: Jul 21, 2008; ~* Challenge *~

GodFish posted:

drat being a yeerk really sucks lol

And that is their entire motive for galactic conquest.

# ? Feb 23, 2021 10:02

Fuschia tude: Dec 26, 2004; THUNDERDOME LOSER 2019

Comrade Blyatlov posted:

I'm honestly wondering what Visser Three's standing orders re: bandits are.
Obviously he wants them gone, but I'm genuinely curious if he'd be satisfied knowing some idiot minion of his killed them, or whether he wants the glory for himself.

I'm guessing something like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSgrumHw-XA but with the boss replaced with Kylo Ren

# ? Feb 23, 2021 11:26

Pwnstar: Dec 9, 2007; Who wants some waffles?

If I was in a fight with the Andalite Bandits and actually killed one with witnesses around, I'd instantly steal a Bug Fighter warp to wherever Visser One is because otherwise I would definitely never be the head of a major coporation.

# ? Feb 23, 2021 16:21

Grammarchist: Jan 28, 2013

I'd probably just start loudly announcing how cool it was that Visser 3 killed the Andalite bandit.

"And then he turned himself into an Alligator. Called himself Vissergator. It was the coolest poo poo I ever saw."

# ? Feb 23, 2021 18:20

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Animorphs-Book 18:The Decision-Chapter 9

quote:

�What?�



A dozen weapons were leveled at me. From behind me, at that end of the hall I heard other human voices.

�What is going on around this place?�

�Is that a horse?�

�Look at the eyes on its head!�

�Where�s security?�

The leader of the Controllers made a snap decision. He hustled me out of the hallway and into the room where Hewlett Aldershot the Third was sleeping his comatose sleep.

The room was small. Too small for all the guards. There were only five of them now. Much better odds.

�You want to join us?� one of the Controllers asked dubiously. <Actually, no,> I said regretfully.

FWAPP!

I struck and the nearest guard leaped back, plowing into his men. I had about half a second before they�d recover and shoot.

FWAPP! CRASH!

I shattered the window with my tail blade.

<Here�s a trick I learned from Visser Three!> I yelled. I ran three steps, ducked my upper body, flattened my stalk eyes, tucked my legs, and flew through the shattered window. Down I fell!

<Yaaahhhh!>

Too far, way too far, but better than getting shot.

<The window�s open, Prince Jake!> I cried. <And the Controllers are ->

WHAM!

CRUNCH!

< - distracted.>

I landed in a bush that cushioned some of my fall but also tripped me. I rolled and tried to scramble up, but then realized, as ridiculous as it seemed, that I was trapped inside the prickly, clawing branches of the bush.

Blam! Blam! BlamBlamBlam!

The guards were firing from the window. Bullets tore the branches and slammed into the damp soil all around me.

Human weapons operate on a principle of exploding gases that drive a solid metal pellet along a tube. The tube acts to spin the bullet, thus improving accuracy. It�s no Yeerk Dracon beam, or Andalite Shredder, but it does a very good job of blowing large, messy holes in you.

I needed to get small. Small enough to get away!

I began to morph the mosquito.

<We�re in!> I heard Prince Jake say. <Ax, are you okay? We think we hear gunshots, but our hearing in these morphs is fuzzy.>

<You are correct: You are hearing gunfire,> I said tersely.

<Are you okay?> Tobias asked.

<Not really. But I hope to be soon.> If I live that long, I added silently.

I was shrinking rapidly, and now there were sirens wailing at a distance, coming closer.

�Police!� I heard a human voice cry from above. �We can�t get arrested.�

�If we let the Andalite escape we�ll get worse than arrested! Keep shooting!�

�I can�t see what I�m shooting at. The bushes. And it�s all in shadow.�

I was shrinking faster. Leaves that had seemed quite small now were as big as my face. Branches that were twisted and tiny were growing larger, larger. They no longer trapped me. I could have walked out of the bush, except for the fact that my legs were dwindling even faster than the rest of me.

Someday Andalite scientists will find a way to make the morphing technology totally predictable and logical. But for now it is often erratic, weird, and totally illogical. Especially when morphing bizarre Earth animals.

My hind legs had finished shrinking when they were still as big as an Earth cat�s legs. Then they began to reverse and grow again. My hind legs thinned, becoming mere sticks, but their length became ridiculous. Longer than the rest of me all together!
My front legs became somewhat shorter stick legs and a third pair grew from my arms.

I was no longer on all fours. I was on all sixes. I was standing on insect legs, yet most of my body was still Andalite. A very small Andalite, but far too large to move around on insect legs. My stalk eyes crawled forward across my head, down to a point just above my main eyes. They began to extrude. They grew like some horrible fast-sprouting tree. A long, bare stick that then sprouted new branches: short, stunted, twisted branches. Bulging round pods popped from my head at the base of these hairy sticks - these antennae - and began to move them around.

My main eyes were still functioning, but from the antennae I received a whole onslaught of new sensory input. Temperature! Wind direction! Sound waves from the rustling leaves, from the muddy, far-off voices, and sharp, disturbing sounds from the explosions of gunpowder and the impact thud of massive bullets all around me.

I was no longer worried much about the bullets. I was too small to hit except by the most amazingly unlucky shot. I was less than an inch long and getting smaller.

The dirt looked like a field strewn with boulders. The trunks of the bushes sprouting up from the ground were thicker and taller than any tree on Earth or my planet.

My nostril slits closed and began to twist and push outward. Two stubby, hairy palps appeared, and these immediately began feeding an entirely new set of data to my brain.

Smell! But not smell as an Andalite or human knows it. This was specific, targeted, directed smell. It wasn�t smell that waits passively for whatever comes along. The palps were searching the molecules of the breeze, sampling, looking �

Hungry.

Gossamer wings rose from the melting flesh on my back. My body pinched into three distinct segments: a tiny head, a muscular thorax, and a swollen, vast abdomen. Overlapping armored plates clanked down the bottom of my abdomen.

And yet, through all this, a tiny, shrunken version of my Andalite main eyes continued to function.

I wish they hadn�t. I wish I�d never had to see what happened next.

From my chin, from the place where a human would have had a mouth, it grew. A spear! A needle! Impossibly long. On the end were tiny, serrated teeth, almost like the teeth of a saw.

Inside the spear it was hollow. It was a straw. A tube for sucking blood.

A retractable sheath grew along with the spear. A sheath that would help keep the needle sharp.

Blood.

That was my goal. That was my hunger.

Blood!

I fired my gossamer wings and rose, unsteady and wild, upward, upward, to where my palps had located the scent they sought: the sweet scent of exhaled animal breath. The guidepost that pointed the way to food.

Well, Ax managed to get out and morph the mosquito. I did like the "Do you have a membership fee?" question.

Chapter 10

quote:

That�s when my eyes stopped working. I was blind for a few seconds as the morph completed. I shrank some more, and suddenly from my forehead popped two bulging compound eyes.

Through them I saw a vision of reality shattered into thousands of tiny pictures. Thousands of tiny pictures, each different from the next, each a fragment of distorted light and eerie colors and nightmarish swirls of energy.

I never lost control of the morph. I mean, I never forgot who I was, or what I was, as sometimes happens in a morph you�re doing for the first time.

So it wasn�t that I lost my mind. It was simply that the hunger of the mosquito was so great, so powerful, so totally clear and forceful, that I felt myself going along with it. Accepting it.

I was flying, and knowing who I was, and yet as the mosquito�s instincts cried, �Blood! Blood!�

I answered, �Yes! Yes!�

Mosquitoes do not fly with the speed and acrobatic genius of a fly. Or with the precision and power of a bird. They fly wildly, blown by chance breezes. The legs dangle long and drag at the air. The wings are underpowered. But the mosquito gets where it�s going.

It seems a harmless insect when you see it. But I have done some research. Mosquitoes transmit bacteria, viruses, and parasites. They carry the diseases encephalitis, yellow fever, and malaria.

Malaria alone kills two million humans each year. Mosquitoes are the greatest mass murderers on planet Earth.

<Ax! Ax! Talk to me,> Prince Jake called, and I realized suddenly that he�d been yelling for some time.

 I said. 

<Good,> he said. <Look, I know what you�re feeling right now. Don�t fight it. The hunger stops once you bite.>

<Follow the smell,> Cassie said. <That�s carbon dioxide your palps are smelling. It comes off animals, including humans. Go for it.>

I rose, hungry, to the open window. But there I was confused. There were many warm, carbon dioxide-emitting creatures.

The one I was looking for was lying down. Lying still. I focused on the mosquito senses. I struggled to put together the sound waves from my antennae, the smell of carbon dioxide from my palps, and the shattered, lurid view through my compound eyes.

Huge, huge, vast beyond imagining, stretched my target. Hundreds of times my length, millions of times my weight, Hewlett Aldershot the Third lay prone, oozing attractive aromas.

I fluttered on gossamer wings and landed. I was on a rough, uneven surface. There were bumps and ridges of warm, pink flesh. Here and there, like lone trees scattered on a dry plain, hairs rose like curved spears from the flesh.

The flesh was alive. It moved slightly, causing me to rise and fall. The human was breathing. But more fascinating than the slow rise and fall of breath, was the Thump! Thump! Thump! of a drumbeat beneath my feet.

A pulse. The beating pulse of blood rushing through arteries and veins.

And then �

POP!

Pop isn't a good word. And the book is right. Mosquito-borne disease is very deadly.

# ? Feb 24, 2021 04:28

Tree Bucket: Apr 1, 2016; R.I.P.idura leucophrys

Some lucky Yeerk gets to recount "here's a trick I learned from Visser 3" during their debriefing, presumably to Visser 3.

# ? Feb 24, 2021 04:41

Shwoo: Jul 21, 2011

"And then he yelled "Here's a trick I learned from Visser Three" and ran away like a coward."

# ? Feb 24, 2021 04:45

GodFish: Oct 10, 2012; We're your first, last, and only line of defense. We live in secret. We exist in shadow.

And we dress in black.

freebooter posted:

I think (though this is, like, "Harry has to go back to the Dursleys because of maaaaagic" reasoning - the actual answer is that it would disrupt the series) alerting the government would be a bold move that could trigger an all-out war. The Yeerks don't want an all-out war because while they'd eventually win, it would be devastating and kill hundreds of millions or maybe billions of potential hosts, and the Animorphs don't want that either for obvious reasons.

Although even as I write this I realise that this is basically exactly their plan here, so...?

Yeah that's the thing, I can buy not wanting to expose the truth but most of the time they seem to forget that and try to expose the truth, like with the water supply ship from earlier, or this plan.

# ? Feb 24, 2021 08:04

feetnotes: Jan 29, 2008

To be honest, we�re already at a point in the series where the team keeping missions confined to the weekend while able to keep going to school, gymnastics practice, etc. as usual most of the time is beyond my suspension of disbelief to handle.

They�ve been introduced to dozens of nightmare alien creatures, been eviscerated, destroyed their homes in some cases, traveled to outer space, allied themselves with impossible invincible robots, discovered members of their family are enslaved by brain parasites, and met an elder god who transported them to a dystopian version of their future. There is no way Marco could force himself to still care about the outcome of a math test.

For all its strengths, it is still a children�s series. And as much as it does to try to subvert the �team of plucky teens� Saturday morning cartoon vibe, its still beholden to some wild swings in logic � like suddenly wanting to expose the invasion � to keep the episodic narrative chugging along.

# ? Feb 24, 2021 16:02

Pwnstar: Dec 9, 2007; Who wants some waffles?

If Marco stops going to school and Andalite bandit attacks start increasing on weekdays you know Chapman would be on that poo poo as long as he isn't busy not being undercover at all. Plus Jake will want to stop going also and then he'll get grounded and Tom will be suspicious etc etc.

Although another point in Visser Three's favour: any other Yeerk in charge and Human-Controllers would be coming forward "hey the fact that we only get attacked on weekends seems significant my dude"

# ? Feb 24, 2021 17:47

wizzardstaff: Apr 6, 2018; Zorch! Splat! Pow!

In my headcanon the Yeerks have observed this pattern of weekend attacks and use it as evidence that the Andalite bandits have all taken human morphs and work regular 9-5 jobs to blend in. So they're constantly raiding offices in search of Andalite warriors and finding only confused and terrified humans. Outside the Sharing this is their major source of recruitment, because once you barge into someone's office with a troop of Hork-Bajir you have to do something with the witnesses and you can't kill everyone.

Meanwhile in the alternate universe where this is actually true, instead of a YA book series it's a mockumentary TV show about five Andalite office drones and their clueless human manager.

# ? Feb 24, 2021 18:32

Bobulus: Jan 28, 2007

wizzardstaff posted:

Meanwhile in the alternate universe where this is actually true, instead of a YA book series it's a mockumentary TV show about five Andalite office drones and their clueless human manager.

I think it would go a little something... like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YPaD-S-lRo

(except with a blue deer instead of a xenomorph)

# ? Feb 24, 2021 18:54

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Pwnstar posted:

Although another point in Visser Three's favour: any other Yeerk in charge and Human-Controllers would be coming forward "hey the fact that we only get attacked on weekends seems significant my dude"

Any other Yeerk in charge, and the fact that only one of the Andalite bandits attacks as an Andalite while the rest do so in morphed form seems significant, given that Andalites don't morph to fight.

# ? Feb 24, 2021 19:26

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

feetnotes posted:

They�ve been introduced to dozens of nightmare alien creatures, been eviscerated, destroyed their homes in some cases, traveled to outer space, allied themselves with impossible invincible robots, discovered members of their family are enslaved by brain parasites, and met an elder god who transported them to a dystopian version of their future. There is no way Marco could force himself to still care about the outcome of a math test.

I think as the series goes on they do mention how their grades have plummeted because they just dgaf anymore. If you want to be really realistic about it, even witnessing the events of the first night in book one would have made their brains snap from reality and driven them to suicide or institutionalisation.

Epicurius posted:

Any other Yeerk in charge, and the fact that only one of the Andalite bandits attacks as an Andalite while the rest do so in morphed form seems significant, given that Andalites don't morph to fight.

From memory Visser One does actually twig to this earlier than Visser Three.

# ? Feb 24, 2021 22:02

Comrade Blyatlov: Aug 4, 2007; should have picked four fingers

I keep saying it. If Visser One was in charge, the war would have been over before they even knew what happened.

# ? Feb 24, 2021 23:27

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Comrade Blyatlov posted:

I keep saying it. If Visser One was in charge, the war would have been over before they even knew what happened.

Visser One should be in charge of Earth, Visser Three should be in charge of Leera.

That being said, Visser One has their own weaknesses, as we'll see.

# ? Feb 25, 2021 00:42

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Animorphs-Book 18:The Decision-Chapter 11

quote:

There was a distinct popping sound and suddenly, instantly, I was no longer a mosquito tapping into a human�s vein.

I was in space. White, empty Zero-space!

<Whaa � ? What? Z-space?> I cried. Maybe not the most brilliant comment. But I was confused.

I kicked my legs instinctively. My Andalite legs. I was back in my own body. But there was nothing to kick against.

I felt no sensation of movement, no air was rushing over me. Already the lack of oxygen was beginning to cloud my brain. My eyes were going blind. My limbs were numb.

Zero-space! It was impossible. And yet here I was.

I looked around frantically. I turned my stalk eyes in every direction. I saw my own body, inside and out. An n-dimensional jigsaw puzzle, twisted so that I could see inside my own body.

And there, to one side of me, were four human bodies spread out in the same way-weird cross sections. I saw Prince Jake�s face, but also his beating heart and the muscle tissues of his legs and the inside of his brain. The same with the others. They were all writhing in agony.

And there was one bird, very still.

<Prince Jake! Tobias!> I cried. But of course they couldn�t answer. There was no air to carry their mouth-sounds. There was nothing, not even the few stray atoms and molecules that float free in regular space. There were no stars or planets. Nothing exists in Zero-space.

I happened to catch sight of a silvery, graceful creation, perhaps half a mile away. A ship! As with the bodies, I saw the inside and outside of the ship all in one picture. I could see distorted individuals inside, going about their duties.

But even mind-numb and gaping at a confused nightmare vision, I knew what sort of creatures they were. Andalites. It was an Andalite ship!

Its Zero-space engines burned brightly, but it was not moving away.

It hit me in a flash. I knew what had happened. As any Andalite knows, when you morph something much smaller than your own body, the excess mass is extruded into Zero-space. It hangs there, a wad of randomly arranged matter.

Or at least that was the theory. There was nothing random here. Because we were outside of normal three-dimensional space, I could see the insides of everything and everyone. But the bodies were still definitely human and Andalite bodies. They were not just random globs.

Once, some time ago, I explained to my human friends about excess mass being pushed into Zero-space. They asked whether some ship traveling through Zero-space might not hit these matter bubbles.

I�d laughed. After all, the odds were �

Well, obviously it now seemed the odds were pretty good.

Touche.

quote:

The Andalite ship had come too close and had pulled us into its magnetic field. It was now dragging us in its wake as it blasted through Zspace.

<Aboard the Andalite ship!> I cried with all the power I could still muster. <Andalite ship! Andalite ship! We�re trapped in your wake and dying. Help! Andalite ship, help!>

The energy it took to cry out sapped my remaining strength. There was no air. I could literally see my own lungs collapsing inside me. I could see my hearts frantically beating, trying to keep me alive.

But now the hearts were slowing � slowing.

<Andalite ship! Help! Help!> I cried. <Help �>

I can�t describe the pain of seeing my own fellow Andalites so close. The first Andalites I�d seen in so, so long.

But of course they couldn�t see me. Inside the ship they preserved normal three-dimensional space. The Andalites in the ship saw only bulkheads and decks about them.

And then I literally saw, as though I were standing outside myself, the last beats of my heart. I saw the blood flow in my brain slow and stop.

I knew I was going to die. I was going to die within sight of my own people.

Die �

My consciousness went dark.

And then suddenly, I wasn�t dead. I wasn�t spread out in multiple dimensions. I was in one piece, alive, and lying on my side on a shaped table that adjusted gently to hold my tail and legs comfortably.

<What?> I said, for no particular reason.

 an Andalite voice said. 

I turned my stalk eyes and there, standing beside me, were three Andalite warriors.

Hooray! Ax has been saved. Now he just has to deal with a bunch of suspcious Andalites who caught him floating in Z-Space with a bunch of humans....

Chapter 12

quote:

I said.

<Prince Elfangor�s little brother?> one of the Andalites blurted.

<Yes. I am Elfangor�s brother.> I sighed a little at that. I know it�s ridiculous, but as much as I loved and admired Elfangor, it did get annoying always being called �Elfangor�s little brother.�

They were three Andalite warriors. You could tell they were warriors by the way they carried themselves. By the way they managed to look totally straight and stiff, and yet had just a little bit of a casual slouch in their hind legs.

That, plus the fact that each had a military-issue Shredder weapon and extra power cells slung on a bandolier.

 the oldest of them said. <My tactical officer Hareli-Frodlin-Sirinial, and our ship�s physician, Doctor Coaldwin-Ashul-Tahaylik. Now what in yaolin are you doing drifting around in Zero-space with five aliens?>

<Did you save them? Are they safe? The aliens, I mean?>

Doctor Coaldwin answered. <Yes, they are quite well. But what unusual physiology! Four of them are clearly bipedal but lack any sort of tail. They walk on two legs and manage to do so without having a tail for balance. Quite fascinating. The remaining alien is evidently designed for flight and ->

<Yes, thank you, Doctor,> Captain Samilin interrupted. <The question for the aristh is what was he doing in Zero-space in the company of these � these fascinating aliens.>

I climbed to my feet. I felt shaky, but I couldn�t just lie there. <Captain, I was in morph. In a very small morph. Then I heard a popping sound and suddenly I was in Z-space.>

<What? You are the extruded mass from a low-mass morph? It�s impossible!> the doctor cried, his eyes bright with excitement. 

<Yes, no doubt,> the captain interrupted again, sounding more testy. <But as fascinating as it is scientifically, I have a bigger question. We know how you came to be floating in Zero-space, Aristh Aximili, but how did these aliens arrive here, since only Andalites possess the morphing power?>

It was a direct question from a superior officer. A very superior officer. A ship�s captain is lord and master of his ship. An aristh is basically something a ship�s captain might scrape off his hoof.

Even though the captain�s tone was very accusatory, I had this sudden urge to start laughing. It was sheer relief. First, because my friends were well. But also because I was back among Andalites.

They looked like me. They spoke like me. They moved like me. I wanted to laugh and to be sad.

<Answer the captain�s question!> the tactical officer roared, speaking up for the first time. As the number two officer, tactical officers are the ship disciplinarians.

<Sorry, sir,> I said. <It�s just that I haven�t seen a fellow Andalite in a very long time. And I thought I might never � that I might be stuck on Earth for the rest of my life.>

The T.O.�s fierce expression softened. But not much.

The captain nodded and said, <Just give me your report, Aristh.> But he said it nicely.

<Yes, Captain. I have been marooned on Earth for approximately point seven standard Andalite years. I believe I am the only survivor following a battle between the Dome ship where I served and a Yeerk Pool ship. The Pool ship was assisted by a concealed Blade ship belonging to Visser Three.>

The T.O. made a sneering, disgusted sound.

<The Dome was separated prior to battle and � I was in the dome. It wasn�t by choice. I was ordered to the dome.> I felt foolish defending my actions. But I didn�t want it to look like I was some kind of coward. <Anyway, the dome fell from orbit and crashed in one of Earth�s oceans. I was down there underwater for several Earth weeks, until the humans came to rescue me.>

<The same humans who are now in sick bay?> the doctor asked.

<Yes.>

<They used some human diving craft?> the T.O. asked.

<No. They morphed into aquatic animals and rescued me.>

The captain showed no expression except a wary tightening around his main eyes. <They morphed. And where exactly did they acquire the ability to morph?>

This was going to be hard. Some time ago I had managed to make contact with the Andalite command. They had basically told me to take the blame for giving humans morphing ability. They didn�t want to blacken Elfangor�s reputation as a hero. Giving away morphing technology is a major crime. What should I say? Should I lie to the captain? It seemed impossible. But I had orders from much higher sources.



The captain just looked at me. 

My hearts skipped a few beats. <Sir?>

The T.O. sighed. <You young fool, if you gave the morphing power to the humans, how did they manage to already be in morph the first time you saw them? Obviously, they were already capable of morphing by the time they discovered you.>

What could I say? I hadn�t exactly had time to prepare a good story. I was supposed to be a mosquito a few billion miles away. Now I looked like a liar and an idiot. I said nothing, just tried to stand at attention.

<Doctor, thank you,> the captain said, dismissing the doctor. <Perhaps you�d like to go check on your �humans.� And see if you can�t analyze this Zero-space problem young Aximili has discovered.>

The doctor left. The captain leaned close. <Aristh Aximili, I�d like to know why you�re lying to me.>



<Unless what, you insignificant aristh!> the T.O. cried. <You are addressing a ship�s captain!>

I nodded. <Yes. I know.>

The T.O. started to yell again, but the captain cut him short with a raised hand.

<Aristh, have you at any time made contact with the home world during your time on Earth?>

<Yes, Captain,> I said, practically collapsing with relief. Captain Samilin got it. He understood.

<And were you given orders at that time?>

<Yes, Captain.>

He looked as if he might ask more, but he didn�t. He looked at me for a long time. Then in a much gentler voice he said, <What happened to Elfangor?>

<He was killed. By Visser Three. On the planet surface.>

The captain nodded. The T.O. looked shocked.

<Prince Elfangor did this?> the T.O. asked in an awed voice. <Prince Elfangor broke the law of Seerow�s Kindness?>

<That speculation will never leave this room,> the captain said harshly. <It was Aristh Aximili who foolishly gave the morphing power to the humans. But between us, I�ll say this. I served under Prince Elfangor. I was his T.O. at one time. And anytime Elfangor did something, it was for a good reason.> He looked right at me and said, <Elfangor was my friend as well as my prince. I�ll believe he broke the rules. I�ll never believe he did wrong.>

\

Aww. That's sweet. Also, I really like the doctor. Plus, Andalites!

# ? Feb 25, 2021 04:20

Grammarchist: Jan 28, 2013

Holy poo poo, these books go places at the drop of a hat.

# ? Feb 25, 2021 04:43

SirSamVimes: Jul 21, 2008; ~* Challenge *~

# ? Feb 25, 2021 04:46

nine-gear crow: Aug 10, 2013

Epicurius posted:

Visser One should be in charge of Earth, Visser Three should be in charge of Leera.

Visser One should be in charge of Earth, Visser Three should be in charge of a 7/11.

# ? Feb 25, 2021 05:22

WrightOfWay: Jul 24, 2010

Can you imagine Visser Three dealing with the 7/11 graveyard shift crowd?

# ? Feb 25, 2021 05:26

Comrade Blyatlov: Aug 4, 2007; should have picked four fingers

nine-gear crow posted:

Visser One should be in charge of Earth, Visser Three should be in charge of a 7/11.

Visser Three is an excellent military leader. He's bloody hopeless at anything else.

# ? Feb 25, 2021 05:30

Shwoo: Jul 21, 2011

Visser Three's problem-solving skills start and end at "turn into a giant monster and eat the problem". His superiors must be even worse, since they apparently thought he was a good pick for a covert invasion.

Suddenly this book is Star Trek with blue centaurs. The Ellimist got bored with the current plot and moved them into a new one.

# ? Feb 25, 2021 05:35

Fuschia tude: Dec 26, 2004; THUNDERDOME LOSER 2019

This story is clearly a ripoff of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy :mad:

# ? Feb 25, 2021 08:55

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

I love how Ax's cover story is immediately, obviously a lie, but then he has the entirely fair defence of "man I was just a loving mosquito and then all of a sudden I wake up in Z Space and now I'm face to face with Andalites again after a year as a castaway." His lame cover story is honestly better than anything I could've come up with under the circumstances.

quote:

I�d laughed. After all, the odds were �

Well, obviously it now seemed the odds were pretty good.

I used to ride my bike home from school at full speed down a footpath on a steep hill with a bunch of driveways along it, and people always warned me not to because I might hit a car backing out a driveway, but I was fifteen years old and was like "pffftt what are the odds of that." Turns out if you do something every weekday for several years the odds are pretty good and one afternoon I smashed straight into a car and got knocked out and broke my arm, which was frankly getting off way lighter than I deserved.

# ? Feb 25, 2021 13:15

Bobulus: Jan 28, 2007

Well, seems like the mosquito plot has been abandoned, which is just as well, since it seemed like it wasn't very well thought out.

...once they drank the blood as mosquitos, how was Ax going to access that blood to Acquire it? He'd have to demorph first, right? Even if his stomach contents stuck around after demorphing, it seems unlikely that a drop of blood in his Andalite stomach-equivalent would be acquirable.

Unless mosquitoes have the ability to vomit? Or was one of them going to get intentionally partially squished and demorph before they died to recover the blood???

# ? Feb 25, 2021 14:41

feedmyleg: Dec 25, 2004

I just listened to a podcast where they mentioned that since blood's temperature is so hot, every time a mosquito sucks blood it also excretes blood onto itself so it can evaporate and help it cool down. So. There are ways.

# ? Feb 25, 2021 14:53

Strategic Tea: Sep 1, 2012

I thought Ax's lie was smart and deliberate - he's not allowed to tell them that there's something he isn't allowed to tell them.

So rather than get himself put in the brig for treason he gives them the worst cover story he can think of while winking furiously.

# ? Feb 25, 2021 15:27

Bobulus: Jan 28, 2007

...not to say this is a bad book or anything. Any weirdness with the mosquito plan can be attributed to their relative inexperience with trying to acquire a morph this way, not bad writing.

And this zero space accident twist is cool! I didn't read this far as a kid, so I only had a vague idea that the humans eventually met other Andalites, and I certainly didn't think it was this early in the series! I'm anticipating they're going to find out that Ax is a lot more mentally flexible and lot less formal than the adults of his society.

# ? Feb 25, 2021 15:31

Cythereal: Nov 8, 2009; I love the potoo,
and the potoo loves you.

Strategic Tea posted:

I thought Ax's lie was smart and deliberate - he's not allowed to tell them that there's something he isn't allowed to tell them.

So rather than get himself put in the brig for treason he gives them the worst cover story he can think of while winking furiously.

It's also the lie he was specifically ordered to give. And the captain's smart enough to understand what's going on without making Ax say anything else.

# ? Feb 25, 2021 17:19

Mazerunner: Apr 22, 2010; Good Hunter, what... what is this post?

Shwoo posted:

Visser Three's problem-solving skills start and end at "turn into a giant monster and eat the problem". His superiors must be even worse, since they apparently thought he was a good pick for a covert invasion.

he does have a good head for military operations and ambushes- defeating the andalite force at the series start, ambushing the animorphs in the Tobias book with the fuel ship, completely owned them in the time travel Jake one.

He's also had some plots that although they weren't successful were good ideas like scouring the forest in the Cassie/termite one or the morph hunter in the megamorphs.

He also respects the capabilities and dangers of morphs, although it almost seems to be to the point of paranoia (like it's a recurring Thing where they have to run or scramble because V3 freaked out about an animal existing, so he's for sure giving them problems although you have to wonder how many times he's flipped out and it wasn't them)

# ? Feb 25, 2021 18:03

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Right. Visser Three isn't stupid. He's just not particularly subtle. And even his non "kill the Animorph" plans aren't bad ones. He's good, for instance, at identifying pressure points and things, as can be seen with attempting to control both the governor who's going to run for President and the Deputy Director of the Secret Service. He is, however, a bully, paranoid, and willing to throw away Yeerk lives pretty much unnecessarily.

# ? Feb 25, 2021 18:13

e X: Feb 23, 2013; cool but crude

He�d probably be great at any open warfare shock-and-war strategy.

# ? Feb 25, 2021 18:17

Comrade Blyatlov: Aug 4, 2007; should have picked four fingers

e X posted:

He’d probably be great at any open warfare shock-and-war strategy.

He is. He very nearly wins it all.

# ? Feb 25, 2021 18:21

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Apr 25, 2024 14:16

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Animorphs-Book 18:The Decision-Chapter 13

quote:

�Hey, I have a question,� Marco said, raising his hand and waving it around in the air with a sense of urgency.

<What question?> I asked him.

�Where, where, where � WHERE ARE WE?�

<We are in the sick bay of the Andalite assault ship Ascalin.> I tried not to sound too happy about that fact. I knew my human friends would be devastated at learning they were marooned far from Earth.

�Ascalin? Isn�t Ascalin that new salad green?� Rachel wondered.

<We have just come out of Zero-space and are now moving at top space-normal speed toward planet Leera.>

�Leera? Where the psychic frogs are from?� Cassie said. �The creatures who the Yeerks were going to use those mutated sharks on?�

<Yes.> As we already knew, the Yeerks were having difficulties invading Leera in their usual style. The Leerans� psychic abilities make them able to detect the presence of a Yeerk in another Leeran�s head. The Yeerks were going to alter hammerhead sharks to make them suitable for Yeerk infestation, and then use those shark-Controllers as shock troops in the oceans of Leera.

�But we busted up that plan back on Earth,� Marco said impatiently. �I was there, remember? I know this part. What I meant was, how did we end up here? One minute I�m a mosquito, then bim, bam, boom I�m my cute, lovable self again, only I�m looking up at some Andalite who�s asking whether I ever had a tail! I almost peed myself. I thought he was Visser Three!�

<It seems our extruded mass was swept up in the wake of a passing ship. Everyone is very surprised and excited. We have made a scientific breakthrough.>

�Oh, good, I feel better already,� Rachel said, using a tone humans call �sarcasm.�

�So how do we get back?� Prince Jake asked.

<No one knows. The doctor and the other scientists on board are working on the theory. There may be a snapback effect. But they don�t know. And we are about to land on Leera. This is an assault ship, which means it carries a large number of surface attack craft. It is no longer a secret Yeerk invasion of Leera. It has become a major, open battle. They have four Pool ships in orbit and two Blade ships. Hundreds of Bug fighters. We have less than a third of their forces.>

�So let me get this straight,� Rachel said. �Suddenly we�re a bazillion miles from home and we�re about to get dragged into a serious shooting war where the good guys are outnumbered three to one?�

<Yes,> I said.

�Cool,� Rachel said. �What can we do to help?�

�Oh, even for you, Rachel, that is just sick,� Marco said.

<You can do nothing,> I said. <I told you the kafit bird morph that Visser Three used is from my home planet. That means our side may be infiltrated by Yeerks or their allies. We can�t trust your secret to anyone. If you do get back to Earth somehow, you won�t survive if the Yeerks find out who you are.>

Cassie tilted her head and looked at me with a sad sort of smile. �If you get back to Earth? Meaning you won�t be going back with us?�

Cassie gets nuance, Don't underestimate Miss Social Intelligence.

quote:

I wished I hadn�t used those words. My head was too full of problems and complications and every kind of emotion. I didn�t really want to think about being separated from my human friends.

Rachel looked disgruntled. �I have news for you, Ax. If there�s some Yeerk butt-kicking being done today, I�m in on it.�

<We have to follow the captain�s orders,> I said.

�Says who?� Marco asked.

I was beginning to feel still more troubling emotions. Something bordering on panic now. And, strangely enough, guilt. I looked pleadingly at Prince Jake. <You have to understand. You are no longer my prince, now that I am back among my own people.>

They all looked at me. It wasn�t a nice look.

Prince Jake tried not to seem bothered. But although I am no expert on human facial expressions, I believe my statement did cause him concern.

<Maybe you need to think about who your people are now,> Tobias said in a private whisper that no one else heard.

<I�m not you, Tobias. I�m not a nothlit. I�m not one species trapped in the body of another.>

<No. But I don�t think you�re just a lowly aristh anymore, either. And whether you like it or not, you�re one of us.>

I didn�t answer him. He was wrong. Instead I said, as gently as I could, <The captain has ordered that until the situation is stable, you must all remain here. In this room. Please do not attempt to move about the ship.>

I'm not so sure Tobias is wrong. More importantly, Ax isn't so sure that Tobias is wrong.

Chapter 14

quote:

The Ascalin raced, engines wide-open, toward planet Leera. I watched from the bridge. For some reason the captain had called me there and seemed to want to keep me close by.

Maybe he was worried about me being too close to the humans. I don�t know. I just know that an aristh doesn�t usually stay on the bridge.

It was small, as battle bridges go. None of the wide-open spaces of a Dome ship bridge. There was good, hardy grass underfoot, though. And the latest in sensors and computers ringed the circular space, watched by half a dozen intensely focused warriors.

It was an honor to be there. It was exciting. So why did I keep picturing my human friends sitting in the little room off the sick bay?

A tall, holographic display shimmered in the middle of the room. It showed the planet and the ships in nearby space. Yeerk ships in red, our ships in blue. There was a lot more red than blue.

By focusing my mind, I could see one of the new thought-speak displays. It transmits data directly to your brain. Very �cutting edge,� as Marco would say.

I decided that I had no reason to feel guilty. I had been united with the humans when we were on Earth. That made sense. But now I was back among my own people. My true place was here.

On the thought-speak display I called up a detailed map of the situation on the ground.

Planet Leera was ninety-two percent covered by water. Eight percent land in a few scattered islands and one continent. The land battle would take place on the continent. Neither we nor the Yeerks had much capability underwater where the Leerans built their cities.

I could see several Leeran cities, usually built within forty or fifty miles of the continent or one of the islands.

Whoever - Yeerk or Andalite - ended up controlling the continent would effectively control the planet.

<What do you think of the tactical situation, Aristh Aximili?> the T.O. asked me.

It startled me. He sounded almost friendly. <I�m not an expert on ->

 he snapped. 

<Yes, sir. The Yeerks are strong in orbit above the planet. I would say the odds favor them. But they don�t want the battle to take place up here. Even if they beat us, they might be too badly damaged to be able to invade and hold the continent below from Leeran counterattack.>



I was out of things to say. Of course, the T.O. was right! I must sound like an idiot.

The T.O. turned one stalk eye to look at me. <Because, Aristh Aximili, the Yeerks understand that different species do not fight well together. We have one way of doing things. The Leerans a very different way. The Yeerks are united under one command; we and the Leerans are not.>

I noticed the captain looking thoughtfully at me and at his T.O. He seemed displeased.

<There�s a lesson there, Aristh,> the T.O. said. <We Andalites are strongest when we fight alone.>

<Yes, sir.> I knew what he meant. He was talking about the humans. And I really should just keep quiet. <And yet, with all due respect, it was my human friends and I who destroyed the Yeerks� attempt to create a species of ocean-going shock troops for use here on Leera. If the Yeerks had succeeded in that plan, the situation here today would be impossible.>

Andalites are, in a lot of ways, an admirable people, but they are very much convinced of their own supremacy. And, both because this, and contributing to this, they don't deal with non-Andalites on anything like an equal footing. Something Ax learned from being on Earth, like Elfangor before him, and a few other Andalites we'll see who end up dealing with non-Andalites, is even though they're technologically more primitive, that doesn't mean they're naturally inferior and without value. And, I think you can read Ax's books in that light....that he's writing for other Andalites to try to convince them that humans have value (I accepted Jake as my prince! These humans put up a fight against the Yeerks! Humans invented books before computers! They have taste and have invented all sorts of wonderful things like cinnamon buns! They're brave! They're resilient! They have their own sense of honor!)

quote:

The T.O. looked angry. I didn�t regret having spoken up, but I was waiting for him to -

<Dracon flashes!> a warrior at a sensor station called out. <We have Dracon flashes at the north end of the continent. Now Shredder flashes. The battle has begun.>

An instant later, a holographic Andalite head appeared in midair before us.

<Force Commander Prince Galuit-Enilon-Esgarrouth,> the T.O. said. <Attention!>

No one stood at attention except me. They all had things to do. You don�t actually stand at attention if you�re doing something.

In a calm thought-speak voice the holographic head said, <The action has begun on the continent. There are heavy Yeerk forces. Carry out plan seven four. To our Leeran allies: May your great god Cha-Ma-Mib smile on you this day. And to all Andalite warriors: The People expect that every
warrior shall do his duty.>

The Ascalin decelerated, slowing as it dropped into the thick, humid atmosphere of Leera.

<Sir, what is my battle station?> I asked the T.O.

He laughed the grim laugh of a warrior going into battle. <For the bold aristh who made all this possible? You�d better stick with me.>
He and the captain exchanged a glance and a laugh. I didn�t know whether to be embarrassed or proud. Mostly, I was just scared.

The continent loomed larger and larger. Most of it was lush and green, primarily jungle. Green like Earth�s forests and jungles, but with wide swaths of some brilliant yellow vegetation, too.

The northern end of the continent was less fertile, more barren, probably colder. It was in one valley there that the battle was underway.
<Visual,> the captain ordered. <Magnification optimum.>

The hologram that had showed space now switched to a startlingly real picture of the valley. I could see Yeerk forces, mostly Hork-Bajir with a reserve of Taxxons and a scattering of Gedds, dug in on high ground around the west rim of the valley. They had erected massive force fields covering their back, thus forcing our forces and the Leerans to come at them head-on.

Our ground skimmers were racing across rock and through scattered trees, firing and being fired upon. A force of Leerans was on foot, scrabbling over the rocks almost unprotected to assault the Yeerks.

<You see why the Yeerks chose to fight here?> Captain Samilin said. <As the T.O. was saying, different species under different commands cannot function well together. You see? We waste our forces protecting the Leerans from being mowed down. And as a result, we are weak.>

<The Ascalin will turn that around,> the T.O. said confidently.

<Landing approach,> a warrior called out. Then � <Captain! Malfunction in the ground approach guidance system!>

The captain looked perfectly calm. The T.O. swung his face toward the warrior who�d spoken.

<What?!> he roared.

<Sir, the controls are frozen. I�ve been locked out. Attempting to override. Override failing!>

The T.O. leaped to the console. His fingers flew across the fields and resonators. I saw his concentration as he made the mind-link with the system.

Then, with absolute horror on his face, he turned to the captain. <Captain! We are on approach to land behind Yeerk lines. We won�t have a prayer!>

The captain walked calmly over to his T.O. And then �

FWAPP!

The captain whipped his tail blade like lightning. The blade hit the T.O. at the base of his tail.

T.O. Hareli�s tail fell to the deck and twitched. Every warrior on the bridge froze, staring at the impossible sight.

The captain drew his Shredder and fired.

TSEEEWW! TSEEEWW!

Warriors fell to the deck, stunned unconscious. The air crackled with heat. Static electricity sizzled and danced in blue flame across bodies and equipment alike.

Only the bleeding, horrified T.O. was left conscious. A deliberate insult: He was no longer dangerous.

<Ah, my good aristh,> the captain said, holding the Shredder on me and taking the T.O.�s Shredder. <I don�t want to take the chance of injuring you. Visser Four would be very upset if I injured the creatures who have been causing Visser Three such trouble on Earth. Vissers Three and Four are such close friends. Just remain calm. It will all be over in a moment. And you will all be � guests � of the Yeerk Empire.>

So, the ship will...not turn it around? This is bad.

Epicurius fucked around with this message at 04:38 on Feb 26, 2021

# ? Feb 26, 2021 04:35

The Something Awful Forums > Archives > Comedy Goldmine > Let's Read Animorphs! The Whole Series! Ch-ch-ch-chaaanges

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