Chapter One

“This is the resistance.” I had never heard more pride in Prince Jake’s voice. I know I had never been more proud of him. Clearly, the Andalite officer on the other end of our interplanetary connection was not similarly impressed.

Rachel snorted. Jake shot a look at her before speaking. “Look,” he said, “we don’t have much time here. This transmission could be tracked. And we have a lot to talk about. First, the Anati world situation, it’s a trap. The Yeerks have constructed huge Dracon cannon sites on all the moons. Your fleet goes there, it’s obliterated.”

There was a moment of silence. An understandable delay, given the enormous distance over which we were transmitting and the primitiveness of our transmitting device.

But I suspected the silence meant something else.

<We know of your situation on Earth, human.> The voice belonged to another Andalite. Its tone suggested an officer superior to the one with whom Jake had just spoken.

“Yes,” Jake began, “but things have changed. We—” “Rude,” Marco mumbled. “Let a guy finish a sentence.”

The voice went on, cold and imperious. An Andalite’s voice. <And we must consider the possibility that you would lie to us in an effort to become our top priority.>

“What the…?” Cassie grabbed Rachel’s arm, motioned for her to be silent.

“Look,” Jake said, controlled anger making his voice tense. “We’ve got the information on good authority. And you have no reason to suspect us of doubledealing.”

“Yes, he does.” Marco again. “We’re puny, backward humans. Not great, honorable Andalites.” Jake nodded and I stepped forward, closer to the still unperfected device. Since coming to this faraway planet, I have spoken to my people on several occasions. Once, via adjustments I made to a primitive human radio telescope. Adjustments that allowed me to break into Zero-space. Once, on an Andalite ship commanded by the traitor, Samilin-Corrath-Gahar. On two other occasions, I have conversed with Andalites who had also come to Earth. But this—this was different. Everything was different. The war was escalating. The Andalites, my people, had to listen to us. They had to be made to listen.

Tobias said. Tobias—my shorm, a nothlit. Our lookout.

What came next I had not expected. Later, I wondered why, with my varied experience of Andalite character, I had not entertained the possibility of my own people’s suspicion and neglect.

<The high command will consider your words,> the officer replied. <The brother of War Prince Elfangor always deserves to be heard. However…in our opinion, and given his record to date, it is also possible that Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill has confused his loyalties.>

But it was too late to protest. Tobias. “Everybody, morph! Go, go, go!” Our transmission had gone on too long. The Yeerks were now coming in for the capture. Or the kill. I should have paid more attention to the time. TSSEEEWWW! “Ax!” Jake shouted. “I said, run! Grab the transponder and haul butt!” Tobias shouted. TSSEEEWWW! TSSEEEWWW! The sand around us turned to glass under the awful heat and pressure of Dracon fire the midnight surf boiled and coughed up dead sea life.

And in the long, coarse beach grass, under cover of the dim crescent moon, Rachel, Cassie, Marco, and Jake rapidly morphed to their standard bird-of-prey morphs.

For the usual security reasons they could not be identified by the Yeerks as human. In Marco’s case, he could not be identified by the Yeerks as alive. Rachel flapped massive bald eagle wings in the cool night air and struggled off the ground. Cassie and Marco, each gone osprey, followed. Jake yelled. A peregrine falcon rose into the night. TSSEEEWWW! TSSEEEWWW! I tucked the transponder to my chest, bent as low as I could and still be stable, and ran. In the direction of the dunes, not the parking lot… Over the damp sand two policemen came slipping and sliding, handheld Dracon beams aimed—at me. “Andalite scum! Halt!” “Tsseeer!” “Aaargh!” One human-Controller down, raked across the eyes by a red-tailed hawk. And before the other could blink… Fwap! I lifted my tail over my shoulder and hit him with the flat of the blade. He was definitely down. And out.