3 | Broadcast mind
[A memory of a transmission, imperfectly remembered, maybe, or maybe there is another explanation for why the image seems to waver and flicker. Those who have seen Ax's real body might recognize the speaker as a much older, much more imposing Andalite.]
< The people need heroes in this endless war. >
You begin to see where this is going, and yet, you cannot believe it. The leader of your people, head of the Council whose intentions you have never even questioned before, hinting strongly enough that you should lie that it might as well be an outright order (and yet, you realize, dimly and bitterly, still vaguely enough that he will be able to deny it later, how was I to know how a mere aristh would interpret my words?).
< So ... I ask you to think again. Was it truly Elfangor who gave this technology to the humans? >
And you lie, as you have been ordered and yet not ordered to; you have faith enough still, in this moment, to believe it must be the right thing to do, and you are stunned enough that you could not possibly put into words why it still feels wrong.
And, perhaps more importantly, you are aware enough of your own shortcomings, as you send this message over an illegally-modified human device, as your own most hopeless prediction about your career seems on the verge of coming true (he would never have been the warrior his brother was), that you think this might be the only thing you can do for your people. You can take the blame. You, who would never have been looked up to, can preserve the memory and reputation of someone who is.