The Alien by K. A. Applegate
Authors: K. A. Applegate
brother?>
âYour brother is dead,â Eslin snapped. âAnd so is the one creature in all the galaxy that I cared about. Her name was Derane Three-Four-Four. And do you know what they have in common, your brother and my Derane?â
Eslinâs human face twisted into an expression of rage. âThey were both killed by the same being.â
âAs I said, you and I have a lot in common, Andalite.â He struggled to gain control over his human face, but his jaw was twitching as he explained. âYou Andalite bandits did a lot of damage by destroying the Kandrona. There is widespread starvation. The most important Yeerks, those in vital positions, or those whom the Visser happens to favor, are being shuttled back and forth to the mother ship every three days. They get a minimal dose of Kandrona rays. Enough to keep them alive.â
I asked.
âNo, I expect the usual Andalite self-righteousness and hypocrisy from you,â Eslin spat. âAndalites. The meddlers of the galaxy.â
Eslin made a grim smile. âI knew youâd come. As soon as I saw the new software, I said to myself, âAha, not the usual clumsy human effort, this.â An Andalite corrected this software. An Andalite who wanted to use the radio telescope as a Z-Space transmitter. Iâve been waiting for you. I knew youâd come.â
I said. I felt like a fool. Of course the Yeerks would have one of their own people in a position at the observatory. It was obvious. I had been an idiot. An idiot!
âMy Derane . . . we came from the same pool. We went through training together. She and I . . . we had been together for a long time. We were very close. She understood me. But I had this important post at the observatory, while Derane was given a minor post. When you Andalite bandits destroyed the ground-based Kandrona, Visser Three moved quickly. He said everyone would survive. He said he had found a way. But he lied. Too many Yeerks, not enough Kandrona rays. It was simple division. So he shuttled so-called important Controllers up to the mother ship. And the rest . . .â
Eslin seemed to notice the bloody gashes on his arm for the first time. He touched them gingerly. âYou Andalites must love this planet. So many nasty species for you to morph.â
âShe was âexpendable,ââ Eslin said. Then he smiled. âIâve had some small revenge already. The Visserâs favorites are shuttled up to the mother ship every three days to feed. I sabotaged one of the shuttles. That threw off the feeding schedule. Now some of the Visserâs friends are starving and dying. Like my Derane died.â
Tobias said privately to me.
I asked him.
âAh. You want the point of the story. Yes, of course. The point. The point is this: Visser Three inhabits an Andalite body. And sometimes he feeds like an Andalite.â
Tobias asked me.
âHe feeds like an Andalite, almost alone. He has guards of course, but they stay back. He is vulnerable. Vulnerable. And I know the place where he feeds.â
âWhy?â He bared his human teeth in a grimace of rage. âBecause I want him
dead
. I want Visser Three dead! He killed my Derane. He killed the only one in the galaxy I have ever had feelings for.
He
did it. And I want him to pay with his life, the foul, half-Andalite scum. I want him DEAD!â
He calmed himself
âYour brother is dead,â Eslin snapped. âAnd so is the one creature in all the galaxy that I cared about. Her name was Derane Three-Four-Four. And do you know what they have in common, your brother and my Derane?â
Eslinâs human face twisted into an expression of rage. âThey were both killed by the same being.â
âAs I said, you and I have a lot in common, Andalite.â He struggled to gain control over his human face, but his jaw was twitching as he explained. âYou Andalite bandits did a lot of damage by destroying the Kandrona. There is widespread starvation. The most important Yeerks, those in vital positions, or those whom the Visser happens to favor, are being shuttled back and forth to the mother ship every three days. They get a minimal dose of Kandrona rays. Enough to keep them alive.â
âNo, I expect the usual Andalite self-righteousness and hypocrisy from you,â Eslin spat. âAndalites. The meddlers of the galaxy.â
Eslin made a grim smile. âI knew youâd come. As soon as I saw the new software, I said to myself, âAha, not the usual clumsy human effort, this.â An Andalite corrected this software. An Andalite who wanted to use the radio telescope as a Z-Space transmitter. Iâve been waiting for you. I knew youâd come.â
âMy Derane . . . we came from the same pool. We went through training together. She and I . . . we had been together for a long time. We were very close. She understood me. But I had this important post at the observatory, while Derane was given a minor post. When you Andalite bandits destroyed the ground-based Kandrona, Visser Three moved quickly. He said everyone would survive. He said he had found a way. But he lied. Too many Yeerks, not enough Kandrona rays. It was simple division. So he shuttled so-called important Controllers up to the mother ship. And the rest . . .â
Eslin seemed to notice the bloody gashes on his arm for the first time. He touched them gingerly. âYou Andalites must love this planet. So many nasty species for you to morph.â
âShe was âexpendable,ââ Eslin said. Then he smiled. âIâve had some small revenge already. The Visserâs favorites are shuttled up to the mother ship every three days to feed. I sabotaged one of the shuttles. That threw off the feeding schedule. Now some of the Visserâs friends are starving and dying. Like my Derane died.â
âAh. You want the point of the story. Yes, of course. The point. The point is this: Visser Three inhabits an Andalite body. And sometimes he feeds like an Andalite.â
âHe feeds like an Andalite, almost alone. He has guards of course, but they stay back. He is vulnerable. Vulnerable. And I know the place where he feeds.â
âWhy?â He bared his human teeth in a grimace of rage. âBecause I want him
dead
. I want Visser Three dead! He killed my Derane. He killed the only one in the galaxy I have ever had feelings for.
He
did it. And I want him to pay with his life, the foul, half-Andalite scum. I want him DEAD!â
He calmed himself
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