Animorphs #55: The Prologue

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The Drode appeared in Guide's hut. It was starting to get pretty cramped. Especially since no one wanted to get too close to him.

The Drode smiled at us. "The Iskoort are the key, you see. Crayak knew whom the Yoorts served. Naturally, he kept an eye on their cousins, the Yeerks.

"It was always Crayak's plan to use The One's own weapons against him. He bred the Howlers, a race of super warriors to match the Kelbrid. He sent them on hundreds of training missions to hone their skills. He gave them a collective memory so that they could defeat the Kelbrid.

"Crayak wanted to see the Yeerks engulf the whole of your sector of the galaxy. Then, he wanted to merge them with the Howlers. All would be ready for his invasion of The One's galaxy and this section of space."

"But something happened," Marco said. "The One's Kelbrid army collapsed and the Yoorts swore off war. The One had to change his plan."

"Yes, he did. My master did not know what The One would do next but he was not willing to take chances. He wanted his own army, and so he helped the Yeerks. But there was a complication in his plans."

"The Ellimist," I said. "The Ellimist fought against the Yeerks. He helped Elfangor and us."

"Indeed he did. So Crayak decided to tie up a loose end. He wanted to send the Howlers to destroy the Yoorts. But once again, the Ellimist interfered. He and you, his pets, saved the Yoorts. You aided The One."

"Did the Ellimist know about The One? Is he on his side?" I asked.

"Who can say? Crayak believes that he was simply meddling as always. But who knows?"

"What does that have to do with Prince Aximili?" Santorelli asked.

"I'm sure you can figure it out if you think hard enough," the Drode smiled.

Marco thought out loud. "The One lost the Yoorts to control his Kelbrid. His track record shows that he wants the Kelbrid to dominate the galaxy. Without the Yoort leadership, they consume themselves."

Jake continued. "The Yoorts are useless to him now because of their pacifism. So he needed a new species to control his Kelbrid soldiers."

I finished. "Then the Yeerks showed up. A species just like the Yoorts but with a major difference: a violent streak. Just the sort of creatures The One needs."

"But what does he want with Prince Aximili?" Jeanne wondered.

"Bait," I answered. "When the Yeerks showed up, they probably told him everything. Including that we Animorphs had defeated them." Then, I realized what that meant. "So if The One was going to use the Yeerks, he would want us far away."

"So he draws us off the scent than by making us chase our old comrade into The One's own territory." Marco added.

"While The One moves into our own home and finishes off his old enemy Crayak," Jake finished.

"Wait," the Drode said. "That can't be right. No, I'm sure Crayak would have seen that ahead of time."

"Yeah?" Jake said. "Crayak's been wrong before. Look at the Yeerks. And the Howlers."

"Crayak slipped up," I said. "Guess he isn't so omniscient after all."

"My master has more than enough power to defeat The One now," the Drode said.

"Then why doesn't he do it?" Jake asked. "Because he can't. Face it: he's scared of getting beat again. That's why he's waited here for millennia. Why he didn't make a move earlier."

"Crayak fears nothing," the Drode insisted.

"Yeah?" I questioned. "Then why doesn't he just take out The One? Because he can't. But we can."

"You can?" the Drode laughed. "What could you do against a foe greater than my master?"

"We figured out his plan," I said. "And we know how to stop him."

"We do?" Santorelli asked."

"Yeah, we do," I said. "The One's showed us some major weaknesses. But Crayak's too afraid of him to see them. We aren't. At least, I'm not."

The Drode wasn't convinced. "The One was counting on you thinking this way. He wants you to run back to your own sector of the galaxy. Then he can remain unopposed here."

"Then why bait us into his home turf?" Marco demanded. "He either wants to finish us off here or he wanted to trick us into coming here so he can move around in our own world unopposed. With Crayak focused on this galaxy, The One has free reign back in ours."

"The Ellimist would oppose him," the Drode said.

"The Ellimist?" Jake said. "I thought the Ellimist was noting but a fool. A meddler."

"A fool with power," the Drode insisted. "Nearly as much power as my master has. The One would not dare challenge the two of them."

"Which is why he tricked you into coming here," Marco told him. "This whole section of the galaxy is a trap."

"But what would The One do in our galaxy?" Jake asked. "He doesn't have enough Yeerks or Kelbrid for a war."

"Crayak manufactured the Howlers. The One could do the same with the Kelbrid. As for the Yeerks, I know where he could get some," I said.

"Where?" Marco asked. "All the Yeerks are quarantined on their homeworld."

"Exactly," I said. "And who do you think is going to stand in his way if Ax decides to take a tour of the planet? No one knows that he's been taken. He could walk right in, collect some Yeerks, and walk out."

"But where would he get the hosts?" Jake asked. "The Hork-Bajir are free now and the Taxxons are either quarantined or morphed into snakes in the Amazon. And I just can't picture Ax walking away with a few hundred Gedds."

"The Kelbrid," I said. "I can't believe that a species could kill itself to the last member because of a civil war. There must be some Kelbrid left and I'm sure The One has them stashed away somewhere, ready to invade Crayak's new home. Probably kept them in his own galaxy, where they'd be safe."

"I will inform my master," the Drode said. "You had better be on your way back to your sector of the galaxy. The One is probably already on his way."