As The Sun Rises.....

Charmed Life

___________________________

I want you
I need you
But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you
Now don't be sad
Don't be sad
'Cause two outta three ain't bad.

___________________________

My name is Carter.
Oh, Gods, that sounded so cliche'd. And this story is not a cliché. How should I start this?
My name is-
Sometimes I wish-
Once upon a time-
It was the best of times, it was the-
This is a waste of time.
Brother, you know my life. I've told you so many times before. Everything.
Well, almost everything… but…. Why do you have to know so much about me?
Why do you need this stupid recorded account?
Well, I'll tell it anyway. But you owe me, Mien.

Carter Miene.

It's a strange name, isn't it? But I rather like it.
I lived with my "charges" in a forest on the planet called Earth.
I also lived with my father.
Aximili.
My humanoid form has black hair, hairless body, silver eyes and no fingernails.
My "father" has blue fur, a tail, four legs and no mouth.
He was also old enough to be my brother.
My mother left me before I was truly born. She died for a being -who didn't love her
and who she didn't love- because her instincts told her to.
I hate her. So does my father, I found out; the only ones who ever truly cared
were my dead uncle and his mate.
I still remember Xana. The last time I saw her were through Aximili's eyes;
she was diving into the Yeerk Pool, wreathed in flame. All for nothing.
She left me with an unwilling father. He didn't know how his mind had merged with Xana's;
he had no idea. Ax didn't want me, and he made that clear.
I don't care, actually. I never did; I had my job, guarding Ax and Tobias.
Okay, so that's a lie. I cared like hell when I was little, but as everyone knows, love hurts.
I stopped myself aging when I had grown my body to 20. Tobias was supposed to be older;
but how can you really tell when you're a nothlit?
People tell me I look like my mother. Then people tell me I'm clever,
like my father. At this point, I break their fingers.
The humans beat back the Yeerks- with our help. The Council sends us off, like we're
some kind of trained team, to where the fighting is the worst. I can't tell whether they
really admire our fighting ability or want to get rid of us.
For the first part of my life, the war still raged on this planet.
I was a naïve child, sharing Aximili's mind, who honestly believed the
sun rose and set in his eyes…..

Like Mother, I slept. But then I heard a strange cry to me, saying,
<Are you there?>
I woke up quickly, consumed all information given, and had my
first talk with my would-be father.
Hello.
This quite startled the mind I loved. <He- hello.> The mind then asked cautiously,
<You're Xana's daughter, aren't you?>
What was a daughter again? Oh. Child. I tried to think. I'm you- child. Xana's child.
<You're not my daughter.>
I stubbornly shook my head. Mother told me. You're my father.
<But I- well, uh, I never exactly->
Your minds- what was the word? -reacted. You're my father, I said again proudly.
The mind was silent.
What happened to Xana? I asked. She'd gone away. When would she be back?
<She's dead.>
It came back in a flash. The fire….
There began my fear of fire. I hated it with a passion from then on.
I began to heave childish sobs.
<I'm sorry,> Aximili said.
My sobs died down.
<Can you… move out of my head? Just like Xan- your mother?>
I moved around. I was a bit like a wiggly tooth- I had to pull to get away.
When I finally moved out, it was freezing! I quickly searched for my source, Ax's mind.
Cold, I said.
He had nothing to say to that.
I went back to sleep.

The Ellimist, bless his bitter little heart, met me. He really, really wanted to
keep me alive for some stupid reason. The Guardians were a wasted project! Why keep one alive,
to suffer the same fate as the first? He saw some perverted reason to. I didn't like him at all.
Finally, he asked, DO YOU SWEAR TO PROTECT UNTIL YOU NO LONGER CAN?
Who? I asked.
He gave me two pictures. One was a bird; the other was my father.
Okay, I said. Stupidly. Did I even know what I was getting to? I'm not a Guardian. I'm a slave.
He showed me another picture. It was of a girl, about 15 or 16. I remembered her. Mother.
NO, the Ellimist said. YOU.
Don't want to leave, I said stubbornly. Cold.
YOU WILL LEAVE- EVENTUALLY.
He left me again.

About half a year passed before I got bored. I have neither Xana's endless loyalty
for her charge or my father's 'patience'.
Ax had been in a fight, and he got hurt. I loved him, that was for sure; I was always terrified
that he would go away, die, like my errant mother. Since I remembered a lot about Mother,
I broke off from Ax and went to her cave. There, I shifted my body.
Being alive is funny. You can feel everything, everything touches you. You may not notice
air particles on your skin, but I did.
I picked up something familiar-looking. An old, torn, trenchcoat. I smiled and put it on.
A fluttering of wings behind me. <Xana?!> a voice asked incredulously.
I fell over with a bump. I hadn't gotten my walking very good.
<Xana, I thought you were dead! Why didn't you come back? We were all worried sick!
And then Ax says that your child is living in his head, and we think he's nuts and->
'I'm not Xana,' I said, lisping slightly as I moved my tongue around the words.
<Very funny.>
'I'm her daughter. Ax is my father.'
The hawk stared at me. He felt familiar. 'You're Tob… toby…… Tobia…'
<Tobias.> There was a pause. <Did you say that Ax was your father? Aximili?>
'Yeah.' I scratched my head, enjoying the sensation it brought.
<You're my cousin.>
'I am? That's nice.' I was genuinely pleased, not bothering to ask myself
why a hawk would be related to a humanoid.
'So, what's your name?'
That one stumped me. I wasn't very good at thinking, so far. 'Uh…. Mother
called me 'Miene'. Is that my name?'
 The hawk flew up onto my shoulder.
Another bird flew into the room! I waggled my hands at it, trying to drive it off.
<Tobias?> it began. <Why are you- Xana?!>
I stood ready to attack this bird. Was it going to fight? I was ready! I had
been ready my whole life!
<This is a friend,> Tobias said to me quickly. Then to the newcomer,

The bird looked at me with bright eyes. <This isn't…. Xana.>
<No.>
I could see the other bird's sadness. Marco? I racked my brains.
Mother's friend. She had liked Marco.
'Marco,' I said.
<Who are you?>
<She's Xana's daughter.>
<Daughter?!> The bird began to change. Almost like it was trying to climb
out of a feather cape, a human appeared.
I smiled. 'Hello,' I said.
'You've been living in Ax's head, haven't you?' he demanded. Then his face took on a funny
smile. 'I cannot believe I am saying that.'
'Yes. He's my father.'
'You're a parasite,' he stated.
I was confused. 'No, I'm a Guardian.' Mother had always thought of us as Guardians.
'What's her name?' Marco asked Tobias.
<She said something about 'Miene', but she's not sure.>
'We're going to have to take her back to the barn,' Marco said. 'The others are going to flip!'
<How're we going to get her there? She can't exactly morph kestrel, Marco.>
'Parasite, how about moving into my head?' Marco said in a vaguely wheedling tone.
<Marco! She's only a kid!>
Marco raised an eyebrow and pointed at me. 'You're calling that thing a kid?'
<She's a kid in her mind, Marco. Even if she doesn't… uh…. Resemble one.>
'You want me to go into your mind?' I asked doubtfully.
<No. Go into mine.>
I turned to mist and went to my cousin's mind. We flew.
Hello, cousin, I said.
<Do me a favour?>
Sure.
<Don't call me 'Cousin' in front of the others. Ax- sure. No-one else.>
I felt his apprehension at telling the others he was related to my father, so I said, Okay.
Then, since I was very young and tired, I fell asleep.

Wake up, I heard for the second time in my life. A gentle prodding. Come on.
Tobias?
Yes. You can come on out now.
Without thinking, I went out of his head and reverted to human.
Everyone immediately turned their heads.
<Oops,> Tobias remarked.
'At least I thought of this,' Marco grumbled. Still looking away, he threw
me the trenchcoat he must have carried back.
'Thank you,' I said softly. I slipped it on.
They turned around again.
'My God,' said the one I recognized as Cassie. 'She looks…. Just like her.'
I didn't care about what they were saying. Aximili was there.
'Hello, father,' I said to him, smiling.
Marco began to laugh.
Aximili gracefully approached me. He looked me over, warily. <You really do look like Xana.>
'Of course,' I said, averting my eyes from his gaze. It unsettled me.
'What's your name?' Jake asked me.
<She doesn't have one, Prince Jake.> Although his stalk eyes were looking at Jake,
his main eyes were focused on me.
 Tobias said hesitantly. <Used to be mine.>
'What name?' asked Rachel.
<Carter.>
'What kind of name is Carter?'
<My last name.> Tobias sounded wistful. 
No, I don't feel bad about giving Tobias' name. Nothing can hurt him any more.
Nor can anything happen to the others, so I can call them Tobias Carter or
Rachel Burnett or anything I want.
'Carter.' I liked it. 'I'm Carter.' I turned to Ax. 'Do I take your last names or Mother's?'
I heard Marco snort.
<You're not an Andalite.>
'I'm half Andalite.'
<No, you are not. For you to be half Andalite would mean->
'I mean in here,' I said, touching where my heart should be.
Aximili looked at me. <That has yet to be proven.>
I felt his slight discontent at this, and for the first time in my life, I felt unhappy.
Wasn't I truly Andalite, inside? Did I have to prove myself to my father?

I've listened to my mother's rabbiting on. Unlike her short, action-filled life, there were
great periods in my time where nothing happened. Except thoughts.
There are always thoughts.
I heard Aximili's every day, and they weren't always nice for me.
Ax still thought of me as a stranger, a parasite. He didn't want me that much, but he
felt like he owed me something. Me, the hybrid.
He referred to me as that in his innermost thoughts. Not Carter, or Carter Miene.
Or even Xana's daughter. I wished, I wished more than anything else in the whole
wide world, that he would call me daughter or love. But I hadn't grown up with
Aximili, as Mother had with Elfangor- why should he grant me Elfangor's unconditional
love towards his Guardian?
This is the excuse I made for him. It was a pathetic, pathetic one; but I had to tell myself he loved me.

Yes, we beat back the Yeerks. The Andalites and humans united, blah, blah, blah.
Aximili and I were taken before the Andalites
I wasn't all that interested. I was tired, and trying to sleep in Ax's head.
I only caught snatches of the conversation.
<…..technology to….. primitive…. Law…..>

<Lied……in front of People and Court…….>
<Council…..Lirem->
<Council->
<Dead?>
With that last incredulous word, I woke up,
<Go back to sleep,> he hissed to me. He encouraged me to be lazy over the years,
because then I wasn't in his way so much.
No, father. What's going on?
<They're blaming me. They may…. They may arrest me and strip me of my warrior status.>
Father had become a warrior, defending Earth, by Lirem's wishes. But now Lirem
seemed to be dead, when the Yeerks infiltrated the homeworld. He had taken his own life.
<Child,> Ax said to me. It was his only name for me that carried slight affection.

Do you think I'm a traitor, Father? I said with contempt. I wasn't the
oblivious child anymore. I'm not going to leave you, and they're not going to take you away!
I was wide awake now. The voice continued, and it said the words
we had feared. <We renounce our award of Warrior, Isthill. You will now stay
on this world forever, and the humans will go back to Earth and never fight again.>
<No! Our family's name- now that Elfangor is dead, I am->
<Elfangor's name can rot for all I care.> The voice chilled me.
<He broke our law, and because of him, my wife and child are dead. Dead!
He created Visser Three, and mated with your humans. You are a misguided fool,
but Elfangor should have been shot.>
With every word, I got angrier. I looked through his eyes. An Andalite, not much
older than Elfangor had been, was standing there. He looked upon two guards next to him.
<Cover his tail.>
<What?> Aximili both said as one. This was the greatest shame, to sheath one's
tail and make it useless. No, no, no! This wasn't supposed to happen!
<Councilor Darellon, please reconsider!> Aximili said, spooked. The two Andalites approached, one carrying the dreaded piece of Ramonite.
Would I let my father have this put upon him, upon me? I wasn't that heartless.
I left Aximili warily, and reverted to human. I was able to revert with a simple white shift on now. Don't ask me how. There isn't exactly a Guardian biology book anywhere.
'You'll do no such thing,' I said imperiously.
One of the Guards stared at me like I was made of electricity. <What->
<What is that, Aximili?> the Councilor asked dangerously, <and why is it infesting you?>
I clenched my fists.
<Carter, no!> Aximili said. His tail flicked on my shoulder, the blunt side, a warning.
'You'll not be subjected to this!' I protested.

'I am-' I started.
<She's my Guardian.> Father then said privately, <Don't make things worse by telling him who you are.>
Well, it was awfully nice of him to admit that I was his daughter to me, but I was rather put out that he didn't say it to this stupid fool named Darellon. Who cared if he knew? We were dead here anyway.
'He called you a fool, and Elfangor a traitor!' I protested again.
<And I was right.> This guy was asking for it. Both Aximili and I were full of anger.
<You can call me a fool,> Father said, <but you have made a grave mistake with my brother.>
<Put the tail-sheath on him,> Darellon ordered. <And stun that alien and bring it in for study. I'm sure it's a Yeerk, or some kind of parasite.> Darellon didn't feel sorry for the other, 'stupider' races. He hated them, and right then, especially mine. He was a scientist. How could he understand?
'NO!' I could see the guard lifting up his Shredder. I kicked it out of his hand, and he took a large chunk out of my foot. 'Ow,' I said, puzzled. It wasn't hurting that much. Hold on, there it came. 'Ahh!' I cried, my body aching for my half-foot
<Carter!> Aximili cracked his tail, and the other guard's hand with the gun was suddenly on the ground. I felt his shame and guilt for harming another Andalite, but there was more fear for me. That made me feel better.
I whacked the other guard to the other side of the room. Darellon must've called guards; I could hear them coming.
'Guards are coming,' I muttered. Then my father and I both looked desperately at Darellon.
<You will stand down this->
Ax put his tail to Darellon's throat. Darellon was a scientist; he had never been properly trained, so it was child's play for Father to restrain him. I picked up the sheath and shoved it on the angry Councilor.
'We need to get to that transport,' I hissed.
Guards ran into the room, shredders ready. I had a dumb idea. 'Freeze, or we'll kill him,' I announced smugly, forgetting the 'Stun' setting on the Shredders.
I could almost hear Ax's sigh. <What she means is, I'll kill him before you kill me.>
 Darellon announced grandly. 
'Thing? Hey, I'll have you know I'm half Andalite,' I announced, hurt.
He stared at me. So did some of the guards.
 Darellon said. For a moment, I thought he was going to release us. Then he said more. <Aximili is a traitor and that thing is insane. We should put it out of it's misery.>
I growled and hustled the Andalite along. The guards made way. How stupid! They could have stunned me and Ax before you could say 'Darellon's a dapsen.' But I think that in Darellon's heart he didn't want to be stunned. Shredders aren't good stunning weapons. You lie for about ten seconds, awake, partially fried and limbs not working.
<Carter, I believe you have…. What did Prince Jake say? Made this entire thing FUBAR.>
'You don't even know what it means,' I grumbled, turning the corridor.
<No, but Prince Jake seems to regard it as bad.>
I rolled my eyes.
<I'll have your name for this, Aximili!> Darellon said, fuming as we hustled him along.
<My name is already dragged through the mud.>
<You should be made to suffer like I have! You don't know what it is to have your wife and child murdered!>
I got a strange look on my face.
<No, Carter,> Aximili said immediately. <It's not the same.>
Darellon looked quickly from him to me. <Where are you going? Do you really think you'll get past planetary defense?>
'Maybe not, but we can hopefully sell all Andalite information to the Yeerks before we leave,' I said mildly.
Father gasped. <Carter, we wouldn't->
'I was joking, Father.'
<Father?!> Darellon again.
Aximili winced. His tone was sad rather than strangled. <Carter, I'll never be able to go back now,> he said privately.
'You really wanted to?'
<It's my home. My family.> His tone was so very, very sad.
I was about to ask, 'Aren't I your family?' but we had left the building, dragged Darellon with us and were entering the spaceport. The transport was in sight, and Marco was waiting, bored, around it.
'Carts? Ax?' he asked, warily. His eyes flicked from me to Darellon.
 Father said calmly. He was always so calm, back then.
Back then.
'I got that one,' Marco said. 'But why?'
'We'll tell you later,' I said. 'Bring Darellon aboard, Father?'
<You can't subject me to this treatment,> Darellon said lamely.
Marco grinned widely. 'Oh, of course we can. I think we better bring your Councilor aboard, Ax. We've got company.' He flicked his thumb to the side, and I saw a couple of guards run our way.
 Aximili said cautiously.
'you better drive it,' Marco said and rushed in.
'I'll drive,' I immediately said. Yes, I know how to pilot a ship. 'Father, you guard the Councilor.'
<Done, child.> I guess he felt a little guilty for being cold to me earlier.
I sat down at the controls. Then I looked at Marco funny. 'Marco, why us there a weapons system here?'
Marco smiled innocently. 'I made a few modifications.'
'That's a defense mechanism. It's not supposed to be fired by the pilots.'
'Really? I never knew.'
'Just shut up and get the others.' I began tapping the controls.
'Sir, yes sir.' Marco ran to the back.
<Transport, remain stationary. Repeat, stay put.>
I tapped a button and smiled sweetly, although I knew they wouldn't see it. 'Transport to Andalites, get fucked. Repeat: Get fucked.' I released the button.
'Score one for us,' Rachel said behind me, laughing.
'That wasn't very nice,' Jake said tiredly. We all felt a jolt as the transport lifted up.
'What were you people doing?' I asked tersely, running my hands over pads, lifting us up.
'That's a nice greeting when we haven't seen you in a year,' Jake said, waking up. 'We were asleep. At least, I was. The Andalites wouldn't come in here.'
I shrugged. 'It was awful nice of the Andalites to fly us here. But it wasn't very nice to plan to put Ax in jail.'
<What?> that was Tobias.
'I'll tell you later, Tobias. Just know that we've got the Councilor hostage and we're leaving the planet.' I was cheerful now. They wouldn't dare fire on us.
I heard Darellon's offended cries. <You'll not get away with this, Aximili! You will never come back to the homeworld!>
I sighed and prepared to enter maximum burn to get past the defense.
<Tower to transport. We will fire on you.>
'We've got your counselor,' I said sweetly, pushing on the pad. 'Also a lot of innocent humans. Awww. Are you really going to fire on us?'
'What if the answer's yes?' Jake muttered.
'Then we're screwed.' I exited the planet and stared at the huge guns orbiting the planet. Nothing.
I sighed and entered Z-Space.
'Another wonderful action from Carter,' I said, smiling. I burst into white, blank Z-Space and set it to autopilot.
I checked my foot. It was already starting to cover over with a long scab. If I reverted to mist, it'd grow back, but I couldn't be buggered. 'Not where the hell do we go?'
'Go into orbit,' Marco advised. 'We have to drop off that jerk in there.'
'Oh, I forgot.' We kept on circling the white blankness. I stood up.
Cassie hugged me. 'How are you, Carter?'
I blinked. I wasn't used to hugs. Xana had reveled in snuggling down in a mind and falling asleep. Whoopee. But I found I enjoyed contact- you never get any when you skulk inside someone's mind.
I hugged her back, uncertain. 'I'm fine. I'm always fine. How are you?'
Cassie sighed. 'I'm about to get a little fatter, but otherwise, I'm great.'
My eyes bugged out and I stared at her waistline. 'You're pregnant?…. Man! I should get out more.'
'When you're willing, I'm able,' Marco said, grinning.
'Verra funny,' I said.
'You're getting old, Marco.' Rachel said. Tobias was perched on her shoulder.
I wasn't really listening to their jibes. I was thinking about how much the Animorphs had changed and grown, and everything I had missed. Really, Ax wasn't nice keeping me in the dark.
Well, I suppose I had been asleep… But I had a right to know things like that.
I walked into the hold. Ax was there, with a limp Darellon on the floor.
 he explained to me and everyone else, who had trooped in.
 Father explained. <He was becoming a nuisance.>
'Like me,' I half-joked weakly.
<Unfortunately, I can't drug you, child,'> Ax joked.
Jake laughed,. 'That wasn't very nice, Ax.'
I put my hands on my hips. 'How rude!' But in my heart, I drooped. Ax didn't make jokes. There was some truth to that statement.
'Father, we'd better dump Darellon,' I said. 'The Andalites are liable to get nasty.'
Ax sighed. 
'Did you really expect to?' I shrugged. 'Well, we'll take him in the shuttle.
There's enough air in there to last a few days, and it won't even take hours. They'll be plenty for both of us.'
<You're not going,> Ax said firmly.
'Yes I am,' I said. 'Jake, c'mon. Tell him.'
'I am NOT going to get involved in this lovely family argument,' he said.
'Better start getting used to them,' Rachel murmured.
<Ax, I think Carter should go,> Tobias said in an odd voice.
<Why? She is too young. The Andalites may fire. It is for her own safety.>
'They won't fire when we've got Darellon.' How naive I was. Of COURSE they'd fire on us.
Even I'd fire on me if it meant getting rid of that bastard.
'What about afterwards?' Cassie asked. 'Ax is right. You'll put yourself in unnecessary danger.'
'I live for unnecessary danger. Life's so boring when you live inside someone's head.'
I began to pull Darellon over to the back of the ship. 'Well? Are you coming, Father?'
Ax sighed. <She does not appear to have any of my family's redeeming traits.>
<Xana was never like this,> Tobias said. <Have you got any family at all who was like her?>

'Hey! Are you going to get here, Father, or do I do this solo?'
<We need to get Darellon with the Andalites who come to pick him up. That means we need someone who can get out of there quickly without deaths.>
Ax looked from Tobias to me.

Ax shrugged, a very human movement. 
'You're letting me go alone?'
<Yes,> Ax said gravely. <Do you want to?>
Well, yes, I did want to. I needed a chance for a little excitement. Even though I had had some less than three hours ago, that was dead and gone. But he was letting me go! I could die! I wasn't very pleased with his fatherly anxiety.
Looking at my face, Ax added 
That made me feel a little better.
The shuttle was very small. Barely enough room for me, let alone me and Darellon.
<Take care,> Tobias said through communications. I opened the outer hatch and moved slowly through in the white silence.
I exited Z-Space and went hovering over the Andalite homeworld.

Maybe if I say it like a mantra, it will happen. I wish I hadn't left. I wish I hadn't left. I wish I hadn't left. It doesn't work. I've tried it. I wish I hadn't left. I wish I hadn't left. I wish I wasn't me.

I stared at the Andalite beside me. 'Got any apologies, Darellon? Are you having a nice ride?'
Silence.
'I supposed not. You're not a very nice person.'
I lazily ran my fingers over the small control pad. 'Hey, I seem to have picked up an Andalite head of Council. Does anyone want him? I don't.'
<Andalite Tower to shuttle: Prepare to rendezvous with our people. You will be taken into custody for the kidnapping of our esteemed->
'Whatever.'' But I smiled evilly. 'But take it in mind I'm only a little child. I'm only 7 years old.'

So I'd only lived for seven years! I develop fast!
Dear brother, if you ever call me 'little sister' I shall gut you. You are warned.

I began to sing to myself to pass the time. 'How muuuch is that Councilor in the wiiindoow?'
<Boarding in exactly 10 seconds.>
'…the one with the waaagaly tail? Hear that, Darellon? You're going home, boy.'
In a few seconds, I heard an almighty thud.
I strained to look up. A simple fighter. Probably with a scared aristh in it. How insulting.
The hatch of the shuttle drew open. An angry Andalite face looked down on me.
'Well? Are you going to take your Councilor or not?' I asked in a friendly way.
He blinked. 'They said a child was here.'
'Well, I am. Oldest people first.' I heaved Darellon up.
<You out first. >
'What? You don't want your own bastard back?> Even so, I let Darellon fall with a clunk and I jumped up.
The warrior winced. <The Councilor won't be pleased.>
'Screw the Councilor.'
The warrior looked at me. <Why did you kidnap him with the disgraced Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill?>
I shrugged. 'He was going to lock me away. I don't like people who attack my father.' I leant down and dragged Darellon up by his arms.
The young warrior's eyes widened. I could see he wanted to ask questions, but held his thoughts.
<Have you gotten that yarthak and the Councilor out yet?> a voice asked. Another warrior. An older one. He looked at me and Darellon, flat on the floor.
'Well, you've gotten Darellon,' I sad. 'But I've no idea what a yarthak is, and it you're referring to me, you don't have me.' I reverted to mist and slid through the bottom of the fighter.
I closed the hatch door, and quickly scooped my hatch off theirs.
<Fighter to shuttle, we have you in a missile lock! You will be destroyed if you do not turn around!>
I gunned all throttle. Now, this was a lovely plot. Them, in the ship that was so fast it made mine look like a dead weight. Oh dear.
I punched up to burn. White Z-Space echoed around me. No sign of the transport, so I curled up and waited. The fighter wouldn't follow. I would be too far away.

It turned out to be the most miserable night of my life.
I huddled in my shuttle, occasionally turning to mist to conserve air. Then, when I was about twenty minutes from carking it, I saw the transport.
'Where the hell have you been?' I asked hysterically, pushing on the pad.
Silence.
'Father?'
Still nothing. I began to get really worried.
'Aximi-'
<I'm here.> The voice came through. Not of my father. My father's voice always had a curious, light undertone to it. This voice….. so sad……
'What happened?'
More silence. Then , <Come aboard.>
I married my hatch to the ship and walked on.
The thing that hit me was the smell. Death. Death is a smell, an emotion, a feeling, a touch….
I began to run, run towards it. 'Father, father!'
I closed my eyes tightly. Sensing him, I simply barrelled into him, hugging the wet fur-
Wet fur.
I opened my eyes, looking at my hands, not daring to look at anything else. They were covered in blood. Then I looked at that face.

Note I say 'that'..

Father was covered in blood. And I mean covered. It came off on my hands, my shift, my face…
<We were caught by the yeerks,> the whisper came. I looked at his eyes. They were dark, as if a storm was brewing behind those eyes… <Death is better than being a slave. Death is better than being a slave.>
'Father-' I began, something welling up inside me deeper than emotion.
<Death is better than being a slave! Death is better than being a slave!> he shrieked. Then he fell, onto the gore, on his knees. The words were said in exactly the same inflection. My father was stark raving mad, at least right now.
I looked around. And began to scream.
Dead bodies were everywhere. Also sickly liquid, silver in colour, that looked like the stuff in the Yeerk pool. Three Hork-Bajir. Something that looked like a Taxxon but couldn't possibly be. More Hork-Bajir bodies shoved by the wall; Taxxons; even a Gedd; and some humans over-
Humans. All with their throats cut. Rachel; Jake; Marco; Cassie and a teenager, my beloved cousin. I wept, my heart finally broken. Some humans were next to them also, bodies slashed, but they weren't familiar. I didn't care. I would've killed hundreds of innocents, anyone, my own mother (Although she wasn't much) to get them back.
I lay on the floor, half-retching, screaming, biting my lip to keep myself from hearing those screams.
'Dead, dead!' I wailed brokenly.
<They're dead,> Father said, on the floor, trying to get up. He wobbled drunkenly and I got up to help him.
Ax's tail flicked me out the way. <They're dead,> he said again, coldly to me. 
I widened my eyes as he began to cry again. <Death is better than being a slave. Death is better->
Oh, no, my poor, sweet charges….
<than being->
I didn't do this. I didn't raise them to this just to let them die.
That was an echo from somewhere, no idea where…
I heard Father stagger behind me.
<a->
Father-
A rapid whip of a tail slicing the air.
<slave!>
_FATHER!_

_______________________

Go onto part 2, And As It Sets?

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