My name is Elfangor.

I am an Andalite prince. And I am about to die. My fighter is damaged. I have crash-landed on the surface of the planet called Earth. I believe that my great Dome ship has been destroyed. I fear that my little brother Aximili is already dead.

We did not expect the Yeerks to be here in such force. We made a mistake. We underestimated the Yeerks. Not for the first time. We would have defeated their Pool ship and its fighters. But there was a Blade ship in orbit as well.

The Blade ship of Visser Three.

Two Yeerk Bug fighters are landing on either side of me now. The abomination Visser Three is here as well. I can feel him. I can sense his evil. I cannot defeat the visser in one-on-one combat. I am weak from my injuries. Too weak to morph. Too weak to fight.

This is my hirac delest — my final statement. I have formed the mental link to the thought-speak transponder in my fighter's computer. I will record ix

my memories before the Yeerks annihilate all trace to resist. The human race cannot fall to the Yeerks of me..

the way the Hork-Bajir race did.

If this message someday reaches the Andalite I have given the morphing power to five young world, I want the truth to be known. I am called a humans. Children, really. But sometimes children great warrior. A hero. But there is a great deal that can accomplish amazing things.

no Andalite knows about me. I have not lied, but I I have no choice but to hope. Because it was I have kept the truth a secret.

who created Visser Three. I who caused the abomiThis is not my first visit to Earth. I spent many nation. I cannot go peacefully to my death, knowyears on Earth . . . and yet, no time at all. ing that I created the creature who will enslave the I landed here now in this construction site behuman race. cause I was looking for a great weapon: the Time I came to this place, this empty construction site, Matrix. The existence of this weapon is also a secret. looking for the weapon I know is hidden here. But So many secrets in my life . . . mistakes. Things I there is no time now. No time .. .

should have done. All the strands of my strange life The visser is here. He is laughing at my weakseem to be coming together. It all seems inevitable ness. He is savoring his victory over me.

now. Of course my death would come on Earth. Of This is the hirac delest of Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamcourse the child would be here. Of course it would tul, Andalite prince. I open my mind in the ritual of be Visser Three who would take my life.

death. I open my mind and let all my memories —

I am too weak to locate the Time ship now. I will all my secrets — go to be recorded by the computer. die here. But I have left a legacy. Visser Three thinks This is not just a message to my own people. I he has won our long, private war. But I've left a little hope that someday humans will read it as well. Besurprise behind. cause humans are also my people. Loren . . . and I have given the morphing power to five human the boy I have just met, but not for the first youths.

t i m e . . .

I know that in doing this I have broken Andalite law. I know that this action will be condemned by all my people. But the Yeerks are here on Earth. Visser Three is here. The humans must be given a chance x

T w e n t y - o n e y e a r s b e f o r e The Yeerks were loose. Like some terrifying disease, they spread their evil from planet to planet. They took species after species. They crushed all resistance. Their spiderlike Pool ships roamed throughout the galaxy. Their armies of Taxxons and Hork-Bajir, all under the control of Yeerk slugs, rampaged —

killing, butchering, enslaving.

They were annihilating entire planets.

Only we Andalites stood against them. But we had been caught off-guard. Our mighty Dome

ships, each more than a match for anything the Yeerks had, were spread too thin. Our spies, even though they used top-secret Andalite morphing technology, were unable to penetrate Yeerk secrets. For five years our princes had fought the vissers of the Yeerk Empire. They said the war could go on for another fifty years . . . another hundred years. We were outnumbered. We had fought many

battles and lost too many of them. But arrogant as I was, I was confident that if only I could get into the sliced me up twenty different ways in less than a fight, I could make a difference.

second.

I, Elfangor, was going to become a great warrior, Maybe. Sometimes I thought I'd be faster and a prince, a hero.

better if it was a real battle, not just a lesson. I was I was posted as an aristh, a cadet, to the Dome sure if my life depended on it, I could win. ship StarSword. But so far, after six months in space In any case, Sofor was not my enemy. He was looking for an elusive Yeerk task force, I had not exmy teacher. actly proven myself to be a great hero.

<Watch my eyes, not my tail,› Sofor said. <My In fact, I had proven myself to be a clumsy, slowmain eyes, you nitwit, not my stalk eyes! Keep your witted, and quite possibly hopeless fool. At least, main eyes on mine, your stalk eyes on my tail.> according to my instructors.

I watched his main eyes, but it wasn't easy. His

<Aristh Elfangor! How many times do I have to left eye had a huge scar running right beneath it. I tell you: The killing blow should be as graceful as it tried to focus all my thoughts down to nothingness, is fast!> Sofor yelled his thought-speak loudly just like Sofor had taught me.

enough that half the ship probably heard him.

<Your mind will never know when it is time to I stood facing him, trying to stand light and easy strike. Only your instinct can guide you,> he reon my four hooves, just like I was supposed to. At minded me.

the same time I had to think about where my Suddenly . . . FWAPPP!

weight was centered, and whether the tilt of my upI fired the muscles in my tail! The bladed tip per body signaled when I was going to strike, and cracked the air, it moved so fast. I could barely see whether the grass floor under my hooves was unmy own tail as it struck. even, and whether my hands were out of the way, The blade arched over my head toward Sofor's and about a million other things a warrior should face, and I thought, Hey, maybe old Sofar will end know for tail-fighting.

up with a new scar. If I landed a blow on Sofor, I'd Sofor was bigger than me. He was a full warrior, be a hero with every poor aristh who had ever sufwhile I was just a lowly aristh — a warrior-cadet. If fered under him.

this had been an actual battle, Sofor would have Then . . . SWOOP! FWAPP! FWAPP! FWAPP!

Sofor blocked my tail blade with his tail, turned it I shook my head. What was I doing, getting

aside, and in about a tenth of a second delivered smart with Sofor? What was the matter with me?

three lightning blows. One to each side of my head, Was I insane?

and a third that left his razor-sharp tail blade pressed

<I got this scar from my own teacher. He wasn't right up against my throat. The blows stopped just a as sweet and understanding as I am. He didn't like hair from cutting my skin.

uppity arisths.>

If Sofor so much as twitched, he could remove The old warrior laughed at his own wit, turned my head from my shoulders.

away, and went galloping off across the grass,

<Not bad, Aristh Elfangor,> Sofor said with a holding his tail as high as an Andalite half his age laugh. <Not bad at all. That strike of yours could alwould. most have hit me . . . if I were asleep!> I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I looked around He laughed again and pulled his tail away. <Rethe dome to see whether anyone else was watching member, don't think about it, do it. You're too Intelme be humiliated. The dome of a Dome ship is a cirlectual. You think too much. You should be a cular area about a third of a mile across. It is filled scientist, not a warrior. There's no time for thought with grass, trees, ground rushes, and flowers. There in a fight. There is only time for your training to join is a lake in the middle and a stream that runs around with your instinct.>

the circumference.

I muttered.

think you were running across any well-kept area I regretted the words the instant they were out on the home world. But when you look up, you see of my head.

that you are in space, protected only by a clear plasSofor turned his stalk eyes toward me. He had a tic bubble, a dome.

dangerous expression. <What did you say, Aristh?> I saw other warriors off running across the grass,

<Nothing . . . just . . . urn, nothing,> I stamfeeding and playing and practicing their skills. But mered. But I was staring at the scar below his eye none seemed to be watching me.

the whole time.

I replayed the fight with Sofor. How had he

<Ah, I see. You've noticed my little scar. Yes, known the exact second when I would strike? What quite a nasty cut. Know how I got it?>

had given me away?

What was the matter with me? Was I actually

<This is a Dome ship, not a play field,> I said. mad because Sofor was faster than me? Of course Arbron kicked lightly at the grass with one hoof he was a better fighter than me. He'd been in more in a gesture of contempt. Then he said the insult battles than I could imagine.

that went with the gesture. <Elfangor, when are you But it still made me angry. I didn't like people going to get your hooves back on the grass and out laughing at me. And I didn't like losing.

of the air?>

Through my stalk eyes I saw someone coming

<Some of us actually care about being better up behind me. He'd been hidden by a stand of fighters. The people need us. These are evil times.> trees. I recognized him immediately, of course: ArArbron laughed. <You don't fool me. You're not bron. We were the only two arisths.

some mighty prince or hero. You're just another Great. More bad news. I didn't really like Arbron scared, confused aristh on his first big deep-space much. He was very competitive with me. And still mission. And by the way, you shift weight to your he never seemed to take anything seriously. left hind leg when you get ready to strike. That's

<Well, hello, Elfangor,> he said. <Having fun how old Sofor knew.>

with the old Yeerk-killer?>

I was getting ready to say something really

<Hello, Aristh Arbron,> I said, so stiffly I sounded crushing to Arbron, but just then there came an like my own father. <I don't think it's very respectful announcement. It was a direct-beamed thoughtto refer to Sofor as the old Yeerk-killer. He is a full warspeak summons. rior, after all, and our personal combat instructor.>

<Arisths Elfangor and Arbron to the battle Now Arbron laughed at me. <Yeah, right, Elfanbridge.> gor. Like you're so respectful. Teach me to be as reI stared at Arbron. He stared at me. We were spectful as you, pleeeease.>

both frozen in place. Our argument was totally forHe laughed again, and I was starting to get even gotten because we were both busy being shocked angrier. It was bad enough having Sofor laugh at and horrified.

me. At least he outranked me. But Arbron was just a See, it was impossible. Neither of us had ever lowly aristh like me. Lowlier, because I had four been to the battle bridge. The battle bridge was days seniority over him.

where the captain was. And the captain of a Dome 6

ship is like one of the ancient gods. I mean, captains don't even look at arisths.

<What did we do?> Arbron asked anxiously.

I moaned, <but it must have been really out of line.>

<We're in trouble. We are in definite trouble,> Arbron said.

A Dome ship is built with the dome at one end and then, far away, far back, there are the three huge engines. Zero-space engines, and you probably know how powerful those are. Connecting the dome to the engines is a long, long shaft. Inside this shaft is the place where everyone has their quarters — their private areas.

For arisths, the quarters are tiny. I mean, extremely tiny. If you want to turn around you have to back out into the hallway. In my quarters I have holograms of my father and mother, of course. Plus a wish-flower representing the little brother I'll be getting in a few years. The Electorate has voted to allow more children to be born since we're in a war now. They say if the war goes on for long and there are lots of battle deaths, some families may even have three and four children.

Personally, I don't think it will come to that. And even having one sibling is bad enough. Now, in addition to the morning ritual and the evening ritual, I have to do the wish-flower ritual. And you have to 8

do the wish-flower ritual at the wish-flower, of storerooms and plasma conduits. Our hooves

course, which is in my tiny quarters. And you can clicked on the hard, rough-textured floor. A prince imagine how impossible that is!

stepped out of his quarters and I practically ran him My entire back half sticks out into the hallway down.

and people are jostling past while I'm chanting,

<Sorry!> I yelled. <We've been called to the bat<We welcome our hopes embodied, we welcome a tle bridge!>

new branch of the tree, we welcome . . .> So on The prince rolled his eyes and shook his head. and so on.

But he knew: When the captain calls, you don't It's not easy being an aristh. Naturally, warriors waste time.

and princes get bigger quarters. And of course the As we neared the battle bridge we saw more and captain has quarters so big he can practically play more people in the hall. We weren't the only ones driftball in there.

heading there. And then I started to notice some But the captain isn't usually in his quarters. He's fighter pilots moving off toward the fighter bays. usually on the battle bridge. That's where Arbron You can always tell a fighter pilot. There's a and I were heading, as fast as our hooves could swagger they have. It's almost like there's a special carry us down the long central shaft.

light that seems to shine on them.

<We're dead,> I said. <There's no way the capWhen I'm a full warrior I'm going to be a fighter tain calls us to the bridge unless we are in huge pilot.

trouble.>

<There's going to be a battle!> Arbron said.

<Maybe it's something good,> Arbron sug<Yeerks!> I said. <We're going to burn some gested. <Maybe he wants to tell us we're doing well Yeerks!> I hoped I sounded tough and fierce. in our studies.>

We barreled into the battle bridge just as the tac<Yeah. Right. Or maybe he wants our advice,> I tical officer; Prince Nescord, bellowed, <Where in a suggested sarcastically. <Captain Feyorn, the hero dark sun are those two arisths?>

of like a thousand space battles, probably wants the

<Right here, sir!> I said.

advice of a pair of arisths.>

<Here, sir!> Arbron echoed.

All the while we were running. Running past The tactical officer — the T.O. — looked at us the closed doors of various private quarters and like we might be a couple of pieces of dung stuck to 10

his hoof. Then he turned to the captain. <Captain, star. It was an average yellow star. I glanced up at the two arisths are here.>

the readout above the hologram. It showed that the Of course the captain already knew we were

star had nine planets, gas giants on the outer edge, there. They say Captain Feyorn can practically see smaller planets in tighter orbit. The sixth planet was through walls. He knows everything that goes on front and center in the display. It had a rather beauaboard his ship. tiful set of rings.

He stood in the center of the room, with the T.O.

<There he is,> Prince Breeyar said. He was very on his right and Prince Breeyar, commander of all calm, but you could tell he was a predator looking at fighter squadrons, on his left.

prey.

The room was circular, with bright monitors I searched the hologram of space for a clue. glowing and computer screens reeling off data. Then I saw it: a tiny, bright point that was moving Holographic monitors created images in midair, and against the background of the ringed planet. there were sound-speech info-tags and thoughtWas it a Yeerk ship?

speech computer warnings.

the captain Warriors working on the battle bridge often said.

used hand signals between themselves so that the

<Yes, Captain,> the T.O. agreed. <He's accelerthought-speak noise wouldn't become a jumble. ating. He'll be able to go to Zero-space in twenty At the front of the battle bridge was a large, minutes. Sensors show he came from the third holographic image showing the space around us. planet in this system.>

We were in normal space, not Zero-space, so the

<On-screen,> Captain Feyorn said.

background was black, filled with bright stars. Suddenly the hologram shifted and we were

<Magnify,> the T.O. said.

looking at a small planet with a single large moon. The hologram of space grew more detailed. SudThe planet was blue with swirls of white, and land denly it was as if actual stars, each as big as my fist, masses that were brown and green.

were hovering inside the battle bridge.

<Isolate the target and magnify,> the tactical of<There is a sentient species there. They have ficer said.

achieved orbital space flight and have landed Now the hologram showed just a slice of a single on their moon. Sensors show presence of nuclear 12

weapons. And we're picking up transmissions in they sometimes serve the Yeerks. So we board the various parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. All Skrit Na ship and check for any violations.> He said in all, probably a Level Six civilization. I would it perfectly. Like he had rehearsed.

recommend —>

Then he blew it. <And if they put up a fight, we The captain cut him off by raising one finger on put some tail into them!>

one hand. Then the captain turned his head and his The captain, the prince, the T.O., every warrior main eyes toward Arbron and me.

on the bridge, and I all stared at Arbron like he was He looked right at me. Right at me. I felt my insane. Which he obviously was. You don't say <put blood turn to sludge and my brain grind to a halt. some tail into them> to the captain! That's some<Tell me, Aristh, the situation: We have a Skrit thing you say in a schoolyard fight.

Na raider leaving a Level Six civilization. Twenty The captain looked at Prince Breeyar and the minutes till he's safe in Zero-space. What do you tactical officer. He shrugged.

do what the two arisths say, eh? The big one looks No, this wasn't happening. The captain really like he's ready to faint. And the other one thinks he's was asking my advice. Clearly I was dreaming. you, Breeyar.>

<What do I recommend?> I asked, feeling the That got a laugh from everyone on the bridge. knife-edge of panic. <Um ... um, dispatch fighters

<Launch fighters,> the captain said. <Oh, and on an intercept course?>

those Skrit Na ships are so cramped inside we'd bet<Is that a question or a statement?> the captain ter send along a couple of our people who can asked.

move around in there. Now. Who do we have that's I sucked in air and tried not to faint. <Dispatch small enough to fit inside a Skrit Na freighter?> fighters for an intercept. Send two on an intercept Suddenly, I realized that everyone on the battle course, and bring two up behind on a chase vector.> bridge was looking at me and Arbron. And then I re<And you,> the captain said, turning his awful alized we were both younger and smaller than anygaze on Arbron. <What do we do when we interone else. cept? And why?>

And that's when I almost did faint.

<The Skrit Na are smugglers and renegades. And The captain was going to send us into battle. 14

<This is great,> I said.

Arbron said.

I closed my main eyes, leaving only my stalk eyes open. I wanted to focus. I had been trained on fighters, of course. I was pretty good as a pilot. But still, I was going to be flying alongside Prince

<Okay, who takes the helm, and who takes Breeyar in his personal squadron. Everyone in the weapons?> Arbron asked.

squadron was a great fighter pilot. And Breeyar

I said could just about fly a fighter through a black hole coolly.

and back out again.

I could see that he wanted to argue. He wanted I deeply did not want anything to go wrong. The to fly the fighter, of course. But there was no chance thought of how humiliated I'd be if I missed a turn I was going to miss out on flying my first combat mission. No chance. And I did have seniority. or something was too awful to think about.

<Power up,> I told the ship's systems. <Prepare

<Okay,> Arbron said coldly. <You fly it. I'll shoot. for launch.>

Not that we'll be doing any shooting.>

You could feel the old fighter come alive. The The inside of a fighter is not exactly roomy. This monitors glowed. The floor hummed and vibrated was an older model, built for two, but it was still not up through my legs. I touched a screen with my finexactly big. gers and the viewport became transparent. We

<Figures they'd give us an old piece of junk could see directly out now, through an actual Model Fourteen to fly,> I said, staring at the controls window, not just a screen. Of course we were still in as if I'd never seen them before.

the fighter bay inside the Dome ship, so there wasn'

<Automatic launch sequence begins in ten secFor a second I forgot that this was my first offionds,> the prince called. <Simultaneous drop. Go to cial combat command. I shot a glance at Arbron, burn on my mark. Acceleration standard.> and the two of us almost burst out laughing.

<Weapons powered,> Arbron told me.

<Five seconds to launch,> the computer said. to match velocity with the other fighters. Something

<Please don't let me screw this up,> I prayed. I I should have done to start with.

thought I'd said it silently till I noticed Arbron nod<Hello, Elfangor! Hello-o. You forgot: These old ding in agreement.

Model Fourteens accelerate faster from a cold

<Two seconds,> the computer prompted. start,> Arbron pointed out.

<Hold on,> I said.

The next thing I heard in my mind was the