Categories > Books > Animorphs > The Progression
DISCLAIMER: See Ch. 1.
A/N: Finally, we get to see something from the POV of my favorite major character: Ax! I have all the books narrated by him, and of them all, I think The Decision is my favorite one.
/CHALLENGE!!!/ There is a slightly altered reference to The Lord of the Rings and J.R.R. Tolkien in this chapter... can you find it? A special prize to the first person who does!
This chapter is dedicated to walkatdog, for being such a darn loyal and overall great reviewer! Also, be sure to check out his cool story, "An Unorthodox History"!
CHAPTER 6
Aximili
Finally, I saw what these Kelbrid looked like. I felt the need to go up and thank them once again for helping me and my friends, but I knew that now was not the time nor the place, so I would wait for later to do that.
I stood alongside my fellow Andalite officers, in an area near where ambassadors from different Earth countries sat. Jake and the other former Animorphs were in another small section of their own, which also included the Hork-Bajir seer, Toby Hamee (the namesake for my /shorm/, in case you haven't already guessed). Toby was sitting there on behalf of the Hork-Bajir colony on Earth (after the war, the American government had allowed her and the other free Hork-Bajir to settle in Yellowstone National Park).
After the incident with the /Intrepid/, and how I essentially violated some sort of unwritten protocol by leading the boarding party instead of staying on the bridge, I had been transferred to being in charge of fighter pilots. Actually, this was something of a blessing in disguise, since I had never really wanted to be the captain of a Dome ship, anyway; but when you are in the Andalite military and they assign you a position, you don't refuse it.
Actually, I had still wanted to be a fighter pilot, even after the Andalite defeat at Earth which took the life of my brother Elfangor and so many other noble warriors. I guess, in some sort of way, I still wanted to be a fighter pilot and prove myself to Elfangor, even if he was no longer alive to witness it for himself.
Of course, Elfangor's death had a serious impact on my family. On the surface, my parents went through the motions and acted as they should in Andalite society. Deep down, however, they were in such a deep state of mourning that they spent most of their time outside their jobs grieving for my brother and hoping that I wouldn't suffer the same fate as this far-off planet named Earth, which I was currently marooned on.
Personally, I think Earth only may have served as an unpleasant reminder of Elfangor's death and my own situation. As one such example, my mother, who was a scientist specializing in xenobiology, would happily study the unique life on any other planet except for Earth. (This in itself seemed a little out of place, since practically every single Andalite xenobiologist at that time would have pranced with happiness at the opportunity to study Earth's seemingly endless supply of life forms... although, come to think of it, plenty of them still do.) In fact, my parents actually turned down the opportunity to come visit me on Earth, hoping instead for me to come back home and be reunited with them on the home world.
The conversation I had with my parents when I first returned to my planet is one which I will probably never forget...
The portal opened, and I stepped off the transport ship and walked down the ramp. The home world which I had not seen for more than three years was beckoning me to return and be at home and at peace. The sun glowed overhead in the red and gold sky, and beyond the boundaries of the spaceport, large fields of colorful grasses stretched beyond the horizon. It seemed so familiar and yet so alien, both at the same time. Perhaps my duration on Earth affected more than I had previously thought it would.
A big crowd of Andalite citizens had gathered to welcome home their friends and family members. However, as I passed, I could hear much of their not-so-discrete thought-speech.
//
/[
//
//
//
I had dreamed of being a hero for so long... I just never imagined, even in my wildest dreams, that I would become one the way I did. But, as the human saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for."
I waited for the cargo to be unloaded, and once it was, I maneuvered my way through with an Andalite storage box filled with my few possessions which I had acquired during my time on Earth: My /World Almanac/, my picture of a cinnabon, my television set (what little use it would be here on the home world!), and various human computer devices which I had bought.
I took a transport to the general area where my scoop was, and made my way from there. I happily galloped back across the open fields to my family's scoop, which for the most part looked just as how I remembered it.
My parents were grazing outside when my father spotted me coming with one of his stalk eyes.
After carefully setting the storage container aside, I trotted up to them. I greeted both my parents as I should have, and after which, we talked in more relaxed tones. I told them how, yes, I helped in our victory at Leera, and how I helped with the destruction of the Yeerk Empire at Earth. (Part of me didn't want to consider the events at Earth to be an Andalite victory, because of how close they came to putting it under "Quarantine.")
I think my parents were just as proud of me as they were of Elfangor (and even then, parents of any species shouldn't have to play favorites with their offspring), because of how bravely and valiantly I fought to help save not just one, but /two alien races, possibly more. By the time I had finished telling them of my greater accomplishments, they praised me with their accolades on how I had done my duty and had made them proud./
my father said in a more serious tone,
my mother asked with something akin to awe in her voice.
//
my father said, presenting me with the disc which held my brother's final statement.
I listened to it, shocked and entranced. Hours later, when it was all done, I could stand there, stunned as I looked at the record of my brother's /hirac delest/. So many things Elfangor did not tell me... then again, part of me couldn't blame him for omitting certain details of his adventures.
I finally said, albeit lamely, and for a better choice of words.
//
Both my parents acted strangely, as though trying to come up with some sort of excuse. When none was forthcoming, I tried to change the subject.
//
//
Father yelled suddenly, causing both my mother and I to jump a clear meter off the ground.
After a moment of shocked silence, I quietly said,
In an instant, my father went from being pumped-up and primed for an argument to looking downright embarrassed.
I felt a small headache coming on, and then I excused myself.
The meaning was clear to me: My parents were almost /afraid /of going to Earth, lest they be reminded of Elfangor's death.
Additionally, they would have loved to meet their only grandchild, but they were almost afraid that Elfangor's running-away and settling down to start a human family could be seen as dishonorable and shameful. They had their own unique ideals, but were afraid of suffering those from everyone else in Andalite society.
Later, when I had returned to my family's scoop, unspoken apologies and forgiveness were exchanged. From there, my family did its best to continue on peacefully.
Presently, as the human ambassadors continued to exchange questions and answers with the Kelbrid Ambassador Saventi, my mind thought back to the hearing which took place a few days after my return, which nearly resulted in my professional suicide...
My parents and I took a transport to the War Council building, where I would tell of certain exploits on Earth... especially those that pertained to other Andalites.
I have seen various examples of human architecture, including those places designed for judicial affairs, and this place reminded of hardly any such examples. In fact, with its rounded walls, domed roof and hole in the center which allowed sunlight and rain to come through, it reminded me of the famous human structure known as the Pantheon.
Both the prosecutor and myself stood in a patch of the grassy floor, which when combined with the sunlight streaming in from overheard, made the scene look almost symbolic, in a way. The whole purpose of this session was just to get some facts straightened out.
The session started, and I answered the basic question of who I was, and what I had done. In order to make things easier, I volunteered to show my memories. I showed the memory of how I survived the destruction of the Dome ship, and how I first met those humans who had been given the power to morph by my brother Elfangor.
My memory then jumped to when I had unintentionally enabled the work of Marco's father to make the leap to using z-space technology. I showed how I programmed the satellite dish to contact the Andalite home world... how I told Head of Council Lirem of the situation on Earth, and how he told me to take the blame for it... how the Yeerk named Eslin 359 confronted me with his offer to do away with Visser Three for good... how the assassination attempt failed and I talked briefly with a Yeerk-less Alloran... how I explained the concept of /Seerow's Kindess to the Animorphs... how I contacted the home world one last time before I disabled it for good.../
Lirem shouted, terminating the memory dump. He was obviously furious.
//
I yelled as loud as I could, now absolutely enraged on my friends' behalf.
//
I could tell what Lirem /really /meant: He wanted some leverage over the human race in order to make sure Andalites stayed more powerful. That arrogant liar!
//
A/N: Finally, we get to see something from the POV of my favorite major character: Ax! I have all the books narrated by him, and of them all, I think The Decision is my favorite one.
/CHALLENGE!!!/ There is a slightly altered reference to The Lord of the Rings and J.R.R. Tolkien in this chapter... can you find it? A special prize to the first person who does!
This chapter is dedicated to walkatdog, for being such a darn loyal and overall great reviewer! Also, be sure to check out his cool story, "An Unorthodox History"!
CHAPTER 6
Aximili
Finally, I saw what these Kelbrid looked like. I felt the need to go up and thank them once again for helping me and my friends, but I knew that now was not the time nor the place, so I would wait for later to do that.
I stood alongside my fellow Andalite officers, in an area near where ambassadors from different Earth countries sat. Jake and the other former Animorphs were in another small section of their own, which also included the Hork-Bajir seer, Toby Hamee (the namesake for my /shorm/, in case you haven't already guessed). Toby was sitting there on behalf of the Hork-Bajir colony on Earth (after the war, the American government had allowed her and the other free Hork-Bajir to settle in Yellowstone National Park).
After the incident with the /Intrepid/, and how I essentially violated some sort of unwritten protocol by leading the boarding party instead of staying on the bridge, I had been transferred to being in charge of fighter pilots. Actually, this was something of a blessing in disguise, since I had never really wanted to be the captain of a Dome ship, anyway; but when you are in the Andalite military and they assign you a position, you don't refuse it.
Actually, I had still wanted to be a fighter pilot, even after the Andalite defeat at Earth which took the life of my brother Elfangor and so many other noble warriors. I guess, in some sort of way, I still wanted to be a fighter pilot and prove myself to Elfangor, even if he was no longer alive to witness it for himself.
Of course, Elfangor's death had a serious impact on my family. On the surface, my parents went through the motions and acted as they should in Andalite society. Deep down, however, they were in such a deep state of mourning that they spent most of their time outside their jobs grieving for my brother and hoping that I wouldn't suffer the same fate as this far-off planet named Earth, which I was currently marooned on.
Personally, I think Earth only may have served as an unpleasant reminder of Elfangor's death and my own situation. As one such example, my mother, who was a scientist specializing in xenobiology, would happily study the unique life on any other planet except for Earth. (This in itself seemed a little out of place, since practically every single Andalite xenobiologist at that time would have pranced with happiness at the opportunity to study Earth's seemingly endless supply of life forms... although, come to think of it, plenty of them still do.) In fact, my parents actually turned down the opportunity to come visit me on Earth, hoping instead for me to come back home and be reunited with them on the home world.
The conversation I had with my parents when I first returned to my planet is one which I will probably never forget...
The portal opened, and I stepped off the transport ship and walked down the ramp. The home world which I had not seen for more than three years was beckoning me to return and be at home and at peace. The sun glowed overhead in the red and gold sky, and beyond the boundaries of the spaceport, large fields of colorful grasses stretched beyond the horizon. It seemed so familiar and yet so alien, both at the same time. Perhaps my duration on Earth affected more than I had previously thought it would.
A big crowd of Andalite citizens had gathered to welcome home their friends and family members. However, as I passed, I could hear much of their not-so-discrete thought-speech.
//
/[
//
//
//
I had dreamed of being a hero for so long... I just never imagined, even in my wildest dreams, that I would become one the way I did. But, as the human saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for."
I waited for the cargo to be unloaded, and once it was, I maneuvered my way through with an Andalite storage box filled with my few possessions which I had acquired during my time on Earth: My /World Almanac/, my picture of a cinnabon, my television set (what little use it would be here on the home world!), and various human computer devices which I had bought.
I took a transport to the general area where my scoop was, and made my way from there. I happily galloped back across the open fields to my family's scoop, which for the most part looked just as how I remembered it.
My parents were grazing outside when my father spotted me coming with one of his stalk eyes.
After carefully setting the storage container aside, I trotted up to them. I greeted both my parents as I should have, and after which, we talked in more relaxed tones. I told them how, yes, I helped in our victory at Leera, and how I helped with the destruction of the Yeerk Empire at Earth. (Part of me didn't want to consider the events at Earth to be an Andalite victory, because of how close they came to putting it under "Quarantine.")
I think my parents were just as proud of me as they were of Elfangor (and even then, parents of any species shouldn't have to play favorites with their offspring), because of how bravely and valiantly I fought to help save not just one, but /two alien races, possibly more. By the time I had finished telling them of my greater accomplishments, they praised me with their accolades on how I had done my duty and had made them proud./
my father said in a more serious tone,
my mother asked with something akin to awe in her voice.
//
my father said, presenting me with the disc which held my brother's final statement.
I listened to it, shocked and entranced. Hours later, when it was all done, I could stand there, stunned as I looked at the record of my brother's /hirac delest/. So many things Elfangor did not tell me... then again, part of me couldn't blame him for omitting certain details of his adventures.
I finally said, albeit lamely, and for a better choice of words.
//
Both my parents acted strangely, as though trying to come up with some sort of excuse. When none was forthcoming, I tried to change the subject.
//
//
Father yelled suddenly, causing both my mother and I to jump a clear meter off the ground.
After a moment of shocked silence, I quietly said,
In an instant, my father went from being pumped-up and primed for an argument to looking downright embarrassed.
I felt a small headache coming on, and then I excused myself.
The meaning was clear to me: My parents were almost /afraid /of going to Earth, lest they be reminded of Elfangor's death.
Additionally, they would have loved to meet their only grandchild, but they were almost afraid that Elfangor's running-away and settling down to start a human family could be seen as dishonorable and shameful. They had their own unique ideals, but were afraid of suffering those from everyone else in Andalite society.
Later, when I had returned to my family's scoop, unspoken apologies and forgiveness were exchanged. From there, my family did its best to continue on peacefully.
Presently, as the human ambassadors continued to exchange questions and answers with the Kelbrid Ambassador Saventi, my mind thought back to the hearing which took place a few days after my return, which nearly resulted in my professional suicide...
My parents and I took a transport to the War Council building, where I would tell of certain exploits on Earth... especially those that pertained to other Andalites.
I have seen various examples of human architecture, including those places designed for judicial affairs, and this place reminded of hardly any such examples. In fact, with its rounded walls, domed roof and hole in the center which allowed sunlight and rain to come through, it reminded me of the famous human structure known as the Pantheon.
Both the prosecutor and myself stood in a patch of the grassy floor, which when combined with the sunlight streaming in from overheard, made the scene look almost symbolic, in a way. The whole purpose of this session was just to get some facts straightened out.
The session started, and I answered the basic question of who I was, and what I had done. In order to make things easier, I volunteered to show my memories. I showed the memory of how I survived the destruction of the Dome ship, and how I first met those humans who had been given the power to morph by my brother Elfangor.
My memory then jumped to when I had unintentionally enabled the work of Marco's father to make the leap to using z-space technology. I showed how I programmed the satellite dish to contact the Andalite home world... how I told Head of Council Lirem of the situation on Earth, and how he told me to take the blame for it... how the Yeerk named Eslin 359 confronted me with his offer to do away with Visser Three for good... how the assassination attempt failed and I talked briefly with a Yeerk-less Alloran... how I explained the concept of /Seerow's Kindess to the Animorphs... how I contacted the home world one last time before I disabled it for good.../
Lirem shouted, terminating the memory dump. He was obviously furious.
//
I yelled as loud as I could, now absolutely enraged on my friends' behalf.
//
I could tell what Lirem /really /meant: He wanted some leverage over the human race in order to make sure Andalites stayed more powerful. That arrogant liar!
//
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