Mhalir is very tense. His instincts are screaming that something is WRONG. Everything about Matirin's body language and manner is alarming. 

(Why isn't Leareth here...) 

There's nothing to be done but go along with it, though. For better or worse, he does trust Matirin. 

<Be careful> he tells Cayaldwin, pointlessly, and extricates himself from his head, hoping Leareth is planning to get back soon; he's not enthused about being out of touch in a fishbowl for hours with no updates on whatever's going on. 

He is raised to someone's head only a few minutes later.

Huh. That's sort of confusing. He can tell immediately that it's not Leareth, it's an Andalite ear - he can't tell yet if it's Cayaldwin but presumably not - he slips in...

It is not Cayaldwin, it's Arran. He is also very tense; Matirin promised it'd be only for an hour and that it's necessary and that the Yeerk is helpless but he hates hates hates hates hates this.

The plan, Matirin told him ten minutes ago, is for him, wearing his Thoughtsensing amulet, to get on the shuttle for Saturn as soon as Leareth gets back and is informed that one is needed urgently. As soon as the Gate is down they'll have someone morphed-with-Gifts to force the Yeerk out. And in the meantime it won't be able to do anything. Just yell. He should, of course, ignore it. 

What. 

What's happening. 

Mhalir doesn't panic, at least not in the first few seconds. Panicking won't help. 

<Is the plan to take me to the Andalite homeworld and kill me> he asks, flatly. 

It is probably not to take him to the Andalite homeworld and throw him a party.

<You realize that Leareth will break with the Andalites over this. He has said as much.> He's still not panicking but he's very, very, very scared. 

And do what? Let Yeerks enslave the galaxy after all? He doesn't really seem the type. Anyway the Andalites have Gifts themselves, now. Arran doesn't exactly follow why the change of plans - since he was told this ten minutes ago - but he's confident his superiors are not stupid. Leareth might murder him personally about it, maybe, but who wouldn't give their life to see Visser Three destroyed.

Mhalir could argue more but he's pretty sure at this point that it's futile. 

- he has to get control, even if just for a second, he needs to convey to Leareth that something is wrong - just long enough for Leareth to be suspicious, wonder what's going on, remove the Thoughtsensing amulet...

Mhalir tries, desperately, to wrestle for control of the Andalite body - he can't - anything, if he can just make him walk wrong, Leareth will notice that, he knows normal Andalite body language - just make him twitch somehow - but he can't – 

He's going to die. He's going to die and Leareth is going to keep his word, and take the side that didn't backstab the people who surrendered to them, and - it won't all be for nothing, the surrender, what he's given up on behalf of all his people, for a chance at a better, less pointlessly stupidly wasteful ending to this - but it won't be a quick clean victory, there'll be so much bloodshed, he HATES it - 

Somehow the part that hurts the most, the sharpest grief in that moment, is for Leareth's friendship with Matirin. Leareth, who has so few friends, so few people he trusts at all, much less people he considers his equal; he's been in Leareth's head, he knows the warmth and closeness he feels toward Matirin, suspects it's more loadbearing right now than even Leareth realizes, and he's going to lose that in the worst possible way... 

(He's confused, something doesn't add up, but the confusion is a faint background note behind the rising panic–)

- scaredscaredscaredscaredscared - 

Mhalir flails for control for long, pointless seconds, but Leareth's magic - that was supposed to build trust, to make it possible to be allies, it's so maddeningly ironic - holds him as surely as steel chains. 

He settles for screaming at the Andalite in thought, not even words, just as loud a distraction as he can manage, maybe if he can get him to stumble, or just seem off if Leareth speaks to him... 

The Thoughtsensing amulet isn't a real one, the Andalite can't tell the difference, and Leareth is in Andalite-with-Gifts morph and reading his thoughts. Both of their thoughts. The soldier Matirin picked for this duty is playing his part well, he thinks, with distant respect. 

<He is panicking and trying very hard to override the compulsion> Leareth tells Matirin. <Without success. He - also tried negotiating, for longer than I expected he would.> Pause. <I think this is enough.> 

He nods, briskly. <You should tell him - I think it'd take me much longer to be reassuring ->

Leareth starts demorphing immediately. :Can you tell Arran to give Mhalir back when I ask. I do not want to have to argue:

And seconds later he's rounding the corner, nearly running into Arran. :Give me Mhalir, please: 

<Thank you> he says to Arran. <We are done now. Give Mhalir to Leareth when he asks>

...What? 

And then Leareth is there, Leareth is asking. Hope, flaring, almost more painful than the terror. Confusion - Mhalir doesn't understand how he knows, how his voice and manner are so certain, he hasn't succeeded at communicating anything - maybe Leareth builds a backdoor into his Thoughtsensing amulets... 

He starts trying to leave the Andalite's head. He hasn't actually tried doing this with an uncooperative host and while under compulsions and he desperately hopes it works - god, he was an idiot, that should have been the first thing he tried...

Arran is delighted about not-a-Yeerk-in-his-head and confused but - when confused you follow orders. Especially when there are Yeerks involved and everybody's information state is itself an important strategic variable. 

He leans his head sideways and makes a very miserable face.

Mhalir slips out, losing touch with the Andalite's senses but he knows Leareth is right there to catch him - shit, if it is Leareth, anyone could have morphed him, but - what else is he supposed to do? He has none of the power here, right now. 

Leareth catches Mhalir, doesn't flinch or grimace at all at his sliminess. (He's so small, so fragile, and Leareth's Thoughtsensing can still pick up on his terror and confusion and paranoia with no sense of where to point it.) He holds the Yeerk to his ear. 

:Mhalir, I am so sorry. You are safe, I swear: And he holds all of it up in his mind, Alloran's definitely-biased but understandable concerns, his idea of testing it, tossing the considerations back and forth with Matirin - his snippy comment about not being willing to sacrifice Mhalir just to smooth over politics... 

He draws in all of it, almost instantaneously; he's a Yeerk, that's what Yeerks do. 

It takes a lot longer than that for his mind to stop screaming and actually process it. 

:I am so sorry. I knew it would be awful, just - I judged it would strengthen our ability to ally with Matirin, which we need very badly, and I know you are strong enough to cope with it: 

In that moment, Mhalir isn't feeling at all sure that he's strong enough to cope with it. He feels like the ground under his feet is gone and he's still falling.

<I - understand -> he manages, eventually.

:If it helps you feel safer, you can stay in my head as long as you wish: Leareth takes a deep breath. :...I will even remove the compulsions and let you use my body, if that would help: 

<I think it would. Thank you.> Presumably Leareth will keep the ability to override, but being able to make Leareth's hand move will be reassuring, he thinks. 

He wants Cayaldwin, but he doesn't know what Cayaldwin knows about what just happened, and he's absolutely going to full-on panic again if he has to be in someone's head with no ability to do anything or communicate. 

:I am loosening the compulsions so he can use my body and my Mindspeech, though I can still override: Leareth tells Matirin. :He is very panicky right now and I think it will help: 

<I understand. Should I come and speak with him?>

:Yes, I think so: