Visser Three - History

History

Visser Three (who was promoted to Visser One status by the end of the series) was a Yeerk who was born as Esplin 9466 Primary. He had a twin named Esplin 9466 Lesser. Esplin was born along with his twin inside an artificially made Yeerk pool inside one of the spaceships that the Yeerks stole from the Andalites. These were the original Andalites stationed on the Yeerk homeworld (under the guidance of Prince Seerow). During his time in the spaceship, he began studying everything that he could find on the Andalite race, knowing that, as an Andalite expert, he would be so invaluable that he would be promoted and be given one of the limited number of host bodies. During the infestations that were made so as to train the Yeerks without host bodies on how to control their hosts, Esplin in his first infestation fell in love with the sense of sight—not possessed by Yeerks in their natural slug-like, significantly sensory-deprived, and helpless form—and thus desired a host body. Learning all he could about Andalites who he so admired while still without a host body, he fell in love with their body and their agile mind and became obsessed and driven to infest one. His caution and reasoning (which diminished as he became corrupted by power, especially when he became the first and only Visser with an Andalite body) were at that time not appreciated for their value. When the Yeerks first discovered the Hork-Bajir world, and sent off a squadron of fighters to destroy the place an Andalite family (ironically Prince Seerow's family, Seerow having been chastised for his kindness and naiveté and exiled to the Hork-Bajir homeworld), who were studying the Hork-Bajir. Esplin 9466, who is in the squadron, urged patience until the fourth Andalite (four Andalites were initially detected by the sensors of the spaceships) came into view, knowing from his studies that the Andalites are an exceptionally claustrophobic species who never stay inside structures unless they have to. His superiors ignore him and destroy the dwelling, leaving the only surviving Andalite, Aldrea, alive. This mistake would lead to a stubborn and ingrained resistance from Aldrea and her fellow Hork-Bajir allies. During his time in that homeworld, Esplin 9466 became Sub-Visser Seventeen, and was extremely career-minded, cunning and ruthless in relation to the average Yeerk—he aimed as highly as possible and ambitiously sought to infest the surviving Andalite; he had fallen in love with her. However, his attempts to infest her end in failure.

After the Hork-Bajir world, he was sent to the Taxxon world, where he was put in charge of a major space-port; at the time he had a Hork-Bajir host. Sometime between his time on the Hork-Bajir world and the events depicted in The Andalite Chronicles, Esplin 9466 is promoted to Sub-Visser Seven. During this journey, Elfangor defies his prince, Alloran-Semitur-Corrass, by refusing to kill roughly ten thousand helpless Yeerks. This sudden rebellion allows Esplin 9466 to infest Alloran; due to this victory and the information it gives the Yeerk Empire, he is promoted to Visser Thirty-Two. Elfangor, stricken with guilt, is horrified. However, the ship that Elfangor and Esplin 9466 are on has lost all power and is slowly drifting towards a black hole. Both work together to use the Time Matrix to escape. However, as the two of them (along with Loren) attempt to use the Matrix, it sends them to an invented universe created from their own minds, based on a combination of their memories of Earth, the Andalite homeworld and the Yeerk homeworld, which soon collapses shortly after Elfangor and Loren escape. Elfangor assumes that Esplin 9466 is dead, but the Ellimist later reveals that he is alive.

Later, Elfangor runs away from the Andalite-Yeerk war and settles on Earth via the Time Matrix, marrying Loren after becoming a human nothlit. However, he was eventually approached by the Ellimist and reluctantly agreed to restore the damaged timeline. Elfangor is transported back into a major battle, surprising the Andalite fleet with his sudden presence. He opens communications with Visser Thirty-Two and bravely rams his fighter into the bridge of the Blade Ship, turning certain defeat for the Andalite fleet into victory. The maneuver gives Andalite reinforcements enough time to rush in and prevents the Yeerks from winning the battle.

Sometime between the Time Matrix battle and the formation of the Animorphs, Esplin 9466, still using Alloran as his host body, is promoted to Visser Three. In the events of #1: The Invasion, the first Animorphs book, he confronts an injured Elfangor. He morphs and eats him, but Elfangor has already secretly given the morphing power to five youths: Jake, Marco, Tobias, Rachel, and Cassie. Although Elfangor was uncertain of his choice to break Seerow's Kindness, these five would eventually prove to be a major obstacle in Visser Three's attempt to infest Earth. Throughout the entire 54-book series, the five Animorphs repeatedly thwart Visser Three's plans. Visser Three believes that they are "Andalite bandits" who survived the destruction of the original Dome ship, and grows increasingly frustrated as the book series wears on. The Council of Thirteen becomes unhappy with his lack of progress in the war on Earth.

Visser Three also has a fierce political rivalry with Edriss 562, who is Visser One for the majority of the series; in particular, he flaunts his superiority over her due to his Andalite host body when compared to her human body, although Visser One feels that her host gave her excellent insight into human culture. In #5: The Predator, Visser One arranges to have the Animorphs released from Visser Three's captivity so that they could continue to hamper his attempts to conquer Earth. In #30, Marco (whose mother is Visser One's host body) uses their rivalry in an attempt to kill them both by apparently arranging to hand the free Hork-Bajir colony over to Visser One, but is unsuccessful. During the events of Visser, Visser One and Three are both on trial in the underground Yeerkpool for crimes that could result in the death of both. During the extensive trial, Visser Three creates a facade and releases some earth-based animals including a starving tiger and some bears into the trial, fights them skillfully to the ecstatic cheers of the Council Members who are enjoying the spectacle, and with Visser One tagging along by grabbing a weapon of a dead guard although extensively hampered by her damaged host body. Once the animals are killed, he tries to convince the Council of Thirteen that the animals were the "Andalite bandits" who apparently wanted to assassinate the two primary Vissers who were on trial on Earth. Visser One realizes that this is a trick and manages to contact the son of her host body, Marco. The Animorphs invade the trial, upsetting Visser Three's cover and uncovering his attempt to deceive the Council of Thirteen. After rescuing her, the Animorphs and a tearful Marco then decide to return the unconscious Visser One. Both Vissers are sentenced to death by Kandrona starvation, but the Council of Thirteen suspend both sentences. Instead, they order Visser Three to conquer Earth, and give Visser One the opportunity to conquer another planet.

By #45, Visser One (Edriss 562) has failed in her mission. The Council of Thirteen orders her execution, and Visser Three is promoted to Visser One. With his new-found power, Visser One decides for an all-out war on Earth, as opposed to the subtle infiltration that had been carried out up until this point. However, this is stopped by the Animorphs, who manage to capture the Pool Ship. Esplin 9466 is forced to abandon Alloran's body, and detained by the Animorphs as a prisoner of war, and subsequently handed over to the U.S. Government — although a few of the Animorphs wish to execute him extra-judicially. The Andalite military had failed to take the trophy prisoner from the victorious human guerrillas.

One year after the Yeerks are defeated, Esplin 9466 is put on trial in a special United Nations court, convicted of numerous counts war crimes and crimes against humanity and is sentenced to life in a specially constructed prison—as a hostless Yeerk, deprived of the sense of sight (the ultimate punishment for Visser Three).