The Invasion (11 page)

The Andalite didn’t answer. But I had the feeling maybe it had been more than eight.

The very last Andalite in this sector of space.
Yes, I’m afraid your Dome ship has been completely destroyed. Completely. I watched it burn as it fell into the atmosphere of this little world.

There will be others,
the Andalite prince said. The Visser took a step closer to the Andalite.
Yes, and when they come it will be too late. This world will be mine. My own contribution to the Yeerk Empire. Our greatest conquest. And then I’ll be Visser
One.
What do you want with these humans?> the Andalite asked.
You have your Taxxon allies. You have your Hork-Bajir slaves. And other slaves from other worlds. Why these people?

Because there are so many, and they are so weak,
Visser Three sneered.
Billions of bodies! And they have no idea what’s happening. With this many hosts we can spread throughout the universe, unstoppable! Billions of us. We’ll have to build a thousand new Yeerk pools just to raise Yeerks for half this number of bodies. Face it, Andalite, you have fought well and bravely. But you have lost.

Visser Three stepped right up to the Andalite. I could feel the Andalite’s fear, but rather than cower, he fought the pain of his wound and climbed to his feet. He knew he was going to die. He wanted to die on his feet, looking his enemy in the face.

But Visser Three was not done taunting his foe.
I promise you one thing, Prince Elfangor—when we
have this planet, with its rich harvest of bodies, we will move against the Andalite home world. I will personally hunt down your family. And I will personally oversee the placement of my most faithful lieutenants in their heads. I hope that they will resist, so I can hear their minds scream.