He keeps an eye on the other vessel as he raises the yeerk to Nereus's ear.

The yeerk does the rest. He feels pain in his ear as it begins to make is way in, though it fades entirely after a few moments. It takes a few minutes for him to lose control. Everything about his body that Nereus can normally control, he finds that he no longer can.

He blinks, touching his face. This is his first human host, which is interesting. He (his Yeerk, he realizes, although the thoughts seem to be bleeding through) is mostly curious about whether his power will work.

His brain has structures human brains shouldn't, and is receiving incongruous signals - not from the Yeerk.

His brain is also the center of his power's function, the other end of a thin tether connecting it to this world.

The Yeerk has a brain. So does Nereus. The power works just fine on them both. Nereus - he hasn't been pushed much, at all.

The Yeerk, however, is not essential towards any sort of experimental program.

The Yeerk finds himself - his priorities - rather brusquely overwritten. (Nereus is the key, the only anchor in this world, Nereus needs to be listened to and protected - and the power, of course, should be eventually allowed as much access to this universe's technology as possible. Especially morph.)

<Nereus, it's a pleasure to meet you. May I use your mouth to speak Galard if necessary?>

Deaton observes him curiously. Whatever the Visser is doing is less potentially dangerous than this moment.

<Yeah,> he thinks back at the Yeerk, weirdly aware of the nitty gritty details of his power working. <What should I call you?>

<Marin 1255. We should maintain the semblance of respecting the empire until it's more useful to abandon it. My honest suspicion is that keeping me in your head as long as possible will serve you best.>

As he speaks, he begins to peer through Nereus' memories- pauses- and leaves them untouched.

<I could allow you some control over yourself with great difficulty on my part, if you were fighting me more than I think you're capable of. If it would be difficult for you to recover from yeerk control given that description, I should leave now.>

<I've never been Mastered, but - I think this's something I can endure. But I also think you're underestimating how hard I can fight if motivated.>

The empire ship begins to circle them.

It's a wide enough circle that he can try to evade them, for now. Not for long.

He isn't so sure. Most hosts can, given the wrong opportunity, do little more than spasm at a critical juncture. Nereus is impressive- the first spot of hope they've had in so long- but he isn't exceptional in that way, Marin suspects. Still. It shouldn't come to that.

<We should travel deeper. They're assuming that if there is a cloaked vessel here, it must be interested in the base. Go lower, further away from the base, and convince them they imagined the disturbance.>

He doesn't use Nereus' voice. Only if necessary to save them.

Nereus gives him that permission.

Together: "We need to get away from the base - deeper - and hide for a bit. They're assuming any cloaked vessels would be here for the base."

Deaton nods, and does as requested.

By the time the ship has begun firing, they've already sunk far enough to avoid it. The ship begins to descend, following them, but it's clear that it is already losing track of them.

"Your body has the usual limits for pressure, Nereus?"

"Yeah."

They wait, well above the depth at which he would begin to worry about a human's survival. Eventually, when the other ship seems to lose interest, they begin to rise once more. They approach the base.

He scans the water near the base, but sees no sign of the humans. Fled to demorph in relative safety, he hopes. Once again, they wait.

Finally, the hatch into the base opens again. A similar vessel comes out, this time accompanied by a taxxon swimming alongside it.

<Prepare for an infestation attempt. Hosts' brains can only contain one yeerk, so they'll be forced to use other means to control you. They may have replaced the yeerk in your taxxon, or have sent another taxxon; they would expect you not to recognize one.>

<My power might be able to grab them fast enough, though...>