Book 54-The Beginning Jake had sent me away with Tom. I understood. I approved. If Jake hadn't sent me, I'd have gone anyway. Still, though, I was scared. --Rachel The polar bear said, < You fight well, human. > Then he killed me with a single blow. --Rachel "Hey Ax-man. Is it true the Andalite home world is watching all this? Can I wave to them?" I waved like one of the idiots outside the Today show. "Hi, everyone! Howard Stern rules! Yaaaah!" Well, that stopped everyone and everything dead. --Marco "This is Jake. Jake Berenson. President of Earth." --Marco "Tobias, this is a big moment. Don't you think Rachel would want us to enjoy it as much as we can?" < I don't know. If she were alive I'd ask her. > --Cassie, Tobias < I never hoped to be free again. You freed me. I have done what I have done in my life. I am what I am, though I may have gained at least some wisdom through the years of enslavement to Visser One. Just the same, I will always be Alloran, the Butcher of the Hork-Bajir. Alloran, the only Andalite to be taken alive by the Yeerks. But, disgraced, even despised, for whatever I am worth, I am yours to command. > --Alloran < Thank the captain for me. I will carry out my duties to the best of my ability. My challenge is hereby withdrawn. > And at that moment, with that polite exchange of messages, the war against the Yeerks was over. --Ax, Jake Jake was on his way to becoming this icon, this national hero figure. He had that whole tragic-hero thing going on. People knew about him sending his cousin to take out his brother and they ate it up. I am not kidding when I say that some congressperson actually suggested carving his face onto Mount Rushmore. Nothing came of that, fortunately. --Marco Jake was the biggest hero the world had ever seen because he was a hero for all humans, not one nation. He had saved the lives and freedom of the entire human race. I mean, he could have snapped his fingers and had anything he wanted. The problem was, he didn't want anything. --Marco My life was divided into three parts: before, during, and after the war. And that middle section was so overwhelming, so big, so intense, it made the other two portions seem dim and dark and dull. --Jake "He doesn't hate you, Jake. He never did. His heart was broken, that's all. And you know, Tobias never had anyone. No one before Rachel. No mother, really, no father he could ever know. Rachel was the first and only person who ever loved Tobias." --Cassie I had seven cars. A butler named Wetherbee. (Actually, his name was McPherson, but I liked the sound of 'Wetherbee.') --Marco "Well, if it isn't Lobster Boy." < Hey, Jake. Remember this morph? > "Uh-huh. Some reason why you're morphing to lobster?" < Ummmmm...I dropped my keys down in the pool? I was going to go get them? > "Well, then it's a good thing you have the ability to turn into a lobster, because otherwise, what would you do? I mean, normal people, they drop their keys in the pool, they're just totally helpless. Those keys stay down there. Forever." ..."You seem perky, today. You want something to drink?" "What are you going to do, morph to cow and squeeze me out a glass of two percent?" "I take that as a no?" --Jake, Marco "Marco." "Yes, Jake." "If you wanted to chase women you could have stayed home." "Believe me, I wish I had. I had a good life. I had it all. They're going to have to cancel my show, do you realize that? But hey, without me who would take care of you and the winged wonder here?" "Marco, you were bored out of your mind." "Yes, I was." "If I hadn't asked you to come you'd have killed me." "Yes, Jake, I would." "But that's not going to change the fact that you'll be whining endlessly about the wonderful life you gave up, is it?" "I really doubt it." --Jake, Marco "I know! Perhaps I could introduce you to my cousin Michelle. She like short men. Even as short as you." "Ah. Beautiful and mean. I like you. Jake, when you get a minute could you help me pull this knife out of my chest?" --Jeanne, Marco < She's beautiful. She's beautiful and dangerous and exciting. > ..."She would love it. A scary, deadly, cool-looking Yeerk ship on a doomed, suicidal, crazy mission that no one can ever know about? She would love it." So it was that we went aboard the Rachel. --Tobias, Marco, Jake There was a dangerous smile on Jake's face. Rachel's smile. "Full emergency power to the engines. Ram the Blade ship." --Marco, Jake