*SONG* “Will You Be There (In the Morning)” by Heart
(Please listen to the song first.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiQozsyh4-8

The tranquility of their shielded world somehow
Felt like an abyss sometimes…
Perhaps it was that Technicolor scientific
Wonder of the blackhole that held Tellus in suspension,
Who knows…All that Apollo knew was that this
Was his first eager assignment…Yes, a professional
Position, but still it offered the best reward ever…

A ticket out of that surreal paradise world where
Everyone was too happy all the time…
He didn’t even care that the job put him in one
Of the most dangerous areas of space, some
Small blue planet at the edges of neutral territory
Along a very heavily travelled trade route…
He studied one of his data cards he scanned
For the name of the planet that would become his new
Post…his new ‘home’…Then there it was, Earth.
Where did that name come from exactly?
He would discover soon enough…

Before long the transport was docking at the ship…
The Lion Men guards moved to assist with
His bags, but Apollo was too proud to
Allow for that…He hadn’t packed much to bring with
Him anyway, he
Was sure to acquire more interesting things at his
New post regardless.
Apollo stood, grabbed all two of his simple small
Bags then immediately marched through the doors
Onto the ship…He set the bags down
Just inside the door…And as the Lion Men guard
Began to follow him, he stopped, turned and held
Out his hand and told them, “There’s no need for
You to follow me further. You’ve brought me to my destination,
Now you may go. Thank you.”
It was true what he said, so they pleasantly
Followed his orders and left. Then Apollo was left
Free to study and learn his new surroundings…
He already knew his two other team members
Were already here…The ship had been posted there
Following the last cataclysm…an over abundance
Of new life had exploded on the planet of all
Shapes, sizes and nature…It had happened
Too quickly, suspiciously…And the volume of
Life coupled with the abundance of resources in its
Present territory and influence of the Dark Empire
Could only mean one thing…The planet was
Being prepared for farming…Thus the council
Voted that a Watcher’s ship immediately be posted
To study any and every detail of goings on with
This new planet…

Apollo was too eager to waste time inspecting
The ship, instead he went straight for the
Bridge to begin his work; at that point he was
Well programmed for protocol.
On the bridge he met his two very predictable looking
Teammates…Both were blonde in the same
Blue uniforms and no doubt the same bloodline as
Many of the Danu on Tellus…But their attitudes
Were surprising.

“Why hello,” the first officer, to the right, with curly
Dark blond shoulder length hair and this strangely
Cocky handsome, sharp face. “You must be
Our final third, our new wise leader! Our
New superior officer! The great and legendary Apollo!
Why it is so nice to meet you, sir. May I
Be permitted to introduce my humble self…
I am but the meager 2nd seat, Observer of
Lesser beasts and things…I am Zinn.”

Apollo’s eyes went wide at the introduction. He
Had not expected that attitude at all. Obviously
This young man was posted here for his
Proverbial personality and not his skills.
“Greetings Zinn.”

And then Zinn jumped to his feet and
Stood center of the room and gestured to
The left, to the quiet young blond man
Seated at the end very humbly… “And
This is our resident naturalist, Camlo.
He is very wise but short on words, so
I would advise you to speak carefully
To him so as not to waste his time. He
Does not like to be disturbed.”

Camlo grimaced at the wordy introduction;
Zinn never ceased to get on his nerves. “Hello,
Apollo.”

“It’s good to meet you, Camlo.” Apollo said…
First impressions made, this was going to
Be a very interesting trio…The assignment
Would certainly never be quiet. But it was
Nothing Apollo couldn’t handle.

“May I show you to your seat, sir?” Zinn
Asked, eager to fill the air with noise.

Apollo entered the room and took the higher
Held, captain’s seat…which was reserved for the
Chief task. “I believe I know where I sit,
Thank you.”

“Why of course you do, sir.” Zinn answered.
“Your job is the most important after all, we
Would be so lost without you. No one else
Could do what you do…That’s why we are
But your humble assistants.”

Apollo curled his lip…Now he knew he had
A reputation…That his training had imbedded
Within him patience that he never knew he had…
That by far most on Tellus were to say the
Least…tame…quiet…boring…but this Zinn,
How he had never heard of him? Was he raised
In the Paladium with the animals and he
Never knew? “Zinn, are you always this
Way?”

“Whatever do you mean, sir?” Zinn asked. “Have
I said something inappropriate?”

Apollo made himself comfortable in his chair
Without meeting eyes with him. “This performance
Of yours? Is this your natural behavior
Or do you merely strut and make a fool of
Yourself on purpose to play mind games on
Everyone you meet?”

Camlo laughed quietly to himself.

Zinn smiled. “I’ve heard about you, the wild
Boy of school.” He crossed his arms. “I merely
Wanted to greet the legend as he should
Be greeted.”

“You think I am some wit-less fool?” Apollo
Asked. “Let me save you a lot of time…
You’ve already spoken volumes of who you are
Just now…To do that so fast…gives me, a
Whole lot of time and power when you should have
Kept it calm and polite. Actions speak as
Loud as words…Do you honestly think you will
Surprise me from now on, ever?”

Zinn just smiled, nodded and bowed. “We are
To be together here a long time…Everything
Becomes a game after a while…it helps to keep
The mind…alive.”

“Ah.” Apollo said, finally looking at him. “So
You like showing off. I see now why you are
Posted here.”

“Grant me a score,” Zinn laughed, “It won’t
Be boring.”

Apollo laughed. “True, I will grant you that…
With you here, Zinn…I am sure it will be
Entertaining…Now if you will allow me to review
The state of this planet…”

Zinn went to his side to watch Apollo’s reactions.
“Ah, to see what your thoughts are…Forgive
Me, I cannot resist.”

Apollo started reviewing the data on the
Armrest…The continents… “I don’t understand?
I thought this planet was undergoing some form
Of reconstruction? New life?”

“More or less.” Zinn said. “Life is evolving fast.
Plant and animal life…is insane.”

“What are these…things?” Apollo asked,
Reviewing the same data over and over. “The life forms,
The key components of these ecosystems…They are
All reptilian?”

“Monstrous, aren’t they?” Zinn laughed. “The
Size and variety…The behavior patterns…The
Violence is at an epic scale…Nothing is
Small here…”

“Yes I see, but…” Apollo scowled. “What are
These things? These bipedal life forms? We’re only
Supposed to study planets with advanced civilizations
Or rapidly developing civilizations…There are
No life forms capable of that here? Only these
Strange…bipedal creatures?”

“Yes I know.” Zinn smiled.

“But they should be of some reptoid species…”
Apollo scowled. “These bipeds…These aren’t
Natural…The DNA sequences are too strange…
They were made? A Sirian-reptilian hybrid?
What, to create some new form of biped…
Simian? Primate? That’s what the computer
Calls it…There’s no functional evolving advanced
Brain here…it’s all too corrupt…Why would
They post Watchers here for such a crudely
Created experiment?”

Zinn only smiled. “Someone obviously knows
Something that we do not.”

Apollo kept studying the readings. Everything
His eyes told him was ridiculous. “Look
At this! Ages of empty years with this monstrous
Animal life…Then all of a sudden a new
Genetic element is introduced and bipeds suddenly
Pop out of nowhere? Why push the limits of
Size this way? It makes no sense!”

“Not unless you study the effects of such
Gigantic life forms on the planet itself long term.”
Zinn suggested.

“What?” Apollo asked.
But before he could receive an answer there
Was an alarm…All three of them immediately
Found themselves studying the
Same signal at their stations.

“It’s a ship.” Zinn said first.

“It’s positioning itself over one of the lusher
Continents…” Camlo then said. “It’s scanning for
Resources…Very efficiently too, I might add.”

“Can you see what they are looking for
Already?” Zinn asked.

“By the approach of the vessel, the continent
They chose…” Camlo said… “I would say
They’re looking for gold…specialized minerals
And gems…They’re looking for advanced fuel
Sources…That is no common ship…”

Apollo too was studying the vessel, but his
Eye for details far outmatched theirs…
His mind sought details the other two
Never looked for… “They’re humans…ALL
Men…That’s a slave ship…”

Zinn and Camlo quietly turned to listen
To Apollo’s analysis…

“They are descendants of the First Home…
Very pure blood…SAVA…I would say they
Were probably taken from the original Homeworld…
Blonds…Prime form…They are marked…
This is a life time vessel…Like we were
Taught about…Meant to be self sustaining…
For deep space operations…A mining ship…
They search and seek out the highest quality
Fuels…no doubt to periodically return to
Some base star…for the Empire…”

“All men?” Zinn asked. “A life vessel?
That means…”

“Yes Zinn,” Apollo said calmly, “It means
They are asexual or homosexually programmed…
No females…All new slaves born on this ship
Are most likely raised artificially…preselected,
Specially bred males…”

“Why are such slave ships male?” Camlo asked.

“Some are female.” Apollo answered. “The Empire
Does this to rest control…Single gender slave
Ships are more easily programmed…They are
Probably secretly being experimented on as well
Without them knowing it. Every detail of their life
Is monitored and recorded without them knowing it.
They can be raised any way imaginable
On a single gender slave ship…Tame, timid,
Brute strength…all behaviors can be studied…”
Apollo froze as his eyes fell on readings he
Could not believe…

“What is it?” Zinn asked.

Apollo hesitated to answer… “There are Lion
Men on that slave ship…”

“But I thought they were extinct outside
Of Tellus?” Camlo asked.

Apollo’s eyes were wide. “We may be looking
At one of the last slave ships…with Lion
Men…And the name of the ship…It’s an
Adam Ship.”

“Adam Ship?” Camlo asked.

“An all purpose mining ship.” Zinn informed
Him. “A slave ship specially tasked to mine
All precious fuel resources…My that is quite
An interesting arrival to match yours.” He
Said nodding to Apollo.

“There are no coincidences.” Apollo said with a
Low voice as he studied the readings. “Display the
Ship on the view screen.” At once the screen
Displayed the odd shaped, the elongated octagonal
Ship hovering over the planet. Apollo’s eyes greedily
Took in the details. “I have got to get over there
And see this for myself. I’ve heard of these ships
But never seen one.”

“You have only just arrived yourself?” Zinn
Laughed. “You wish to go over there, what for?
Delight in their particular entertainment?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Apollo snapped. “It’s the
Nature of the slave ship…And Lion Man? How
Do they still have them, and why?”

“Shouldn’t we report this to the Postulate?”
Camlo asked. “The Lion Men will want to know…”

Zinn laughed. “With their protocols? They won’t do
Anything. With Dorin in command, he will
Never let the Lion Men on Tellus know for he
Knows they would intervene immediately. There
Will be chaos! Anarchy!” Zinn paused with
Wicked delight. “Oh how I wish I could
Contact BR’Riel at the Paladium… There
Would be revolution! They will insist on an
Intervention at once!”

“In other words…We sit, watch and do nothing.”
Camlo replied quietly.

Zinn smiled sarcastically. “Exactly. That’s what
We do.”

“Well I’m taking one of the Astral Crystals,” Apollo
Said, “So I won’t be seen but I will be able to
Observe more closely.”

“You are seriously going over there?” Zinn laughed.

“I’m leaving now.” Apollo said, pointing his
Finger as he grabbed the Astral Crystal with his
Other hand… “Say nothing!”

The Adam Ship…
Born in deep space…at one of the Empire’s
Great star stations at the far side of the universe…
Was in fact a ship of men…Programmed slaves.
Descendants, survivors of the conquered Sava…
A handsome blond race of the Danu…
Most renown for their good looks and
Generous IQs…They were excellent multitaskers,
Good at many things…generally kind in nature,
But could be temperamental…They were not
Known for psychic abilities, however some children
Were born with such abilities; though rare…

The Empire designed the Adam Ship to mine
For precious fuel sources…especially gold and
Diamonds…The ships were filled with the genetically
Bred slaves…slaves born artificially…using prime
Female host eggs…fertilized by finely
Selected males…to create healthy, fit, versatile
Slaves…
A human female was kept in suspended animation…
For egg harvesting…with ideal males kept the same
Way for semen fertilization…All slaves were born
In artificial chambers with accelerated growth
Rates…where they emerged at approximately
15 years old…for labor…

This Adam Ship was equipped with 10,000
Fully matured male slaves…of prime form,
Each pre-programmed with skills for appointed
Jobs…communications, technicians, mining skills,
Data acquisition and construction. Obedience
Was engrained at birth. Rebellious nature was
Strictly repressed…however nature always rebelled
Allowances…
And lastly…this Adam Ship, was the last
To retain Lion Men slaves…approximately 500…
They escaped the culling since the ship had been in
Deep space for so long…
It was on its last generation of artificially born life
Slaves…And somehow had escaped the Empire’s attention
Of any importance…
And Apollo was about to find out why…

Apollo materialized invisibly on the ship…and at once
Studied everything he saw…
There were men of good form everywhere…in tattered
Worn, re-used uniforms…
All were very well built, some more than others…
All were blond…
Their facial structures were similar, all could have
Been from some shared family bloodline; or a very
Limited parent host was used to make them.
Some had straight hair, others curly…
Some had blue eyes, others green or gold…
There were a number of older gray-blond haired
Men who seemed in charge of stations, more
Bossy…arrogant, louder and more dominant over
Others…
The youngest seemed to endure the most abuse,
Pushed around…dominated…They carried themselves
More weakly…
But the general population ranged in ages from
30-40ish looking…and displayed all types of
Personalities…from aggressive bullies to friendly
And gregarious…

Apollo sought the best way to understand the
Ship was by seeing the bridge…There he found
The Commander…A gray haired, well built and well aged
Man, who literally called himself by the ship’s name…
Commander Adamman. He was strong, cocky,
And scowled constantly. Barked orders. And
Wanted everything immediately.

He had 2 supporting officers…
Hollis, a well natured, good looking younger
Officer…who the Commander favored…
And Cain, who was bold, loud and a bully…
This was his 2nd officer…

Apollo positioned himself silently amongst them and
Watched…

“Have you found me the statistics of the planet yet?”
The Commander barked.

“The science teams report vast gold and diamond
Deposits below…ripe for humanity.” Hollis told
Him.

“Excellent.” The Commander smiled, folding his hands.

“Do we begin to drop ship crews?” Cain asked. “Or
Do we wait for further analysis of the environment?
They report hostile life forms.”

“How hostile?” The Commander questioned.

“We cannot get clear readings on dangers on the
Surface.” Hollis told him. “Although the climate
Is breathable…”

“I do want to know more about the life forms,” the
Commander said, “I want to know what we will be
Dealing with…How fast can you get the information?”

“I can inquire with Jansen?” Hollis asked.

“Another excuse to play with your partner?” Cain
Snapped; some jealousy there.

The Commander laughed. “Yes, of course. Go ask him.”
He smiled. “You are very lucky to have such a
Relationship…Go on, go ask him…”

At that Hollis left…a little too happily…some
Secret smile on his face…

Apollo noted, Hollis acted different than the others…
He was content…seriously content…like he held some secret.
He followed Hollis as he left the bridge for
The lower decks…

Apollo noted all sorts of things!
There were disgruntled, busy workers…
Men laughing and joking around…
Rooms where sex games went on so commonly it
Was done without a shock…or reprimand?
Some seemed to play around during work, while
Others were bullied into sexual acts…And yet
There were places where everything was
Serious business and messing around was tolerated.
Apollo saw no sense to any of it! How was
This ship functional?
He could not understand how these men managed
Work and sexual antics together and managed
To get anything done? It was like some strange
Zoo.

Slowly Apollo understood…There was
Some kind of class system…The workers, who
Were professional…And the ones who hated their
Jobs, thus played around and bullied…
It was a very unsettling atmosphere…

Then it struck Apollo…it was the aspect
Of the single sex environment…
Rivalry…bullying…wit, wisdom, strength…
Friendships shaped things…
Special bonds were rare…

Finally Hollis arrived at the science deck…
Where he found his busy partner, Jansen…
In the arboretum…A very quiet, professional place…
All the men there were calm, behaved…pleasant…

But Hollis just stood there…quietly watching
Jansen, smiling…Jansen was very handsome…
Carried himself strong, but kind…he was different
Than the others…He would smile and everyone would
Smile…There was something different about him…
And it was very clear Hollis noticed it, admired it,
Respected it, valued it…and quietly and deeply
Loved it.

Apollo sensed it with fascination…Hollis was sincerely
In love with this man! In fact he felt it so strongly
That he never said it out loud, he was too afraid to.
He was too afraid that the animalistic pride of his
Peers would see it and descend upon it, and destroy
It.

Suddenly Jansen noticed Hollis standing there
With that secret smile on his face. “What are you
Doing here?”

“I told the Commander I could find out more
About the surface of the planet if I came here.”
Hollis answered…still smiling…

“I’m not working in that department today.” Jansen
Laughed… “Markan and Jasaph move us around…
Today I’m in the arboretum…lots of plants.” He
Laughed…but watched his partner. “What’s with you?
This smiling of yours…you’re always smiling lately.”

“I’m just happy.” Hollis only said.

“You’ve been this way ever since we started sharing
Quarters…” Jansen laughed… “Lots of the crew
Share quarters.”

“I know.” Hollis said.

“But what is it?” Jansen asked.

“I’m just happy.” Hollis said, slowly moving toward
Him. “And I just like being happy. I’ve never
Felt this way before…I don’t know what this
Feeling is but I like it.”

Jansen laughed as he plugged seedlings into flats for
Shelves beneath the artificial grow lights… “Shifts
Are nearly done for the day…Did you want to do
Something?”

“No.” Hollis just kept smiling.

Jansen laughed. “How are you going to get the information
For the Commander then?”

Hollis’s eyes looked down timidly. “I know.” He
Noticed others were watching…They were all friends
Of theirs, and they were all smiling…They all seemed
To know…what Hollis was afraid to say.

“Go find him his answers before you get in trouble.”
Jansen laughed… “I’ll see you at our quarters…
I will…I’ll be there.”

“Ok.” Hollis said as he turned to leave…then
Stopped…then turned back… “Jansen?”

“Yes?”

“I like you making me happy.” Hollis told him,
Then left…

Jansen laughed, shook his head and turned to
His co-workers and friends. “What’s gotten
Into him?”

The tall curly haired, broad built Jonath smiled
And laughed, lifted a tray of seedlings to a shelf
And said… “Oh I can’t imagine…”

But Apollo knew…even he had to admit, it
Made him smile too. There was something endearing
About this unique behavior…he hadn’t seen anything
Like it on the ship…in fact all the men seemed semi-
Distracted by a testosterone fog amidst their work…
Deeper emotions were rare…

Jansen turned to his friend Jonath for answers…
“I don’t understand, did I do something wrong?”

Jonath only laughed…he was a big soft-hearted man
Yet looked fierce… “You really have no idea?”

“No…”

Janeth, another friend and co-worker…wavy blond hair,
Well built, as they all were…came up to them laughing
And put his arm on Jansen’s shoulder. “Jansen…
My friend…you’re so pretty.” He laughed.

“Pretty?” Jansen scoffed.

“It’s that sweet handsome face of yours…” Jonath
Teased.

“What are you talking about?” Jansen demanded.

“Jansen…” Jonath said seriously… “Hollis…1st
Officer…one of the best known playboys of the ship…
The former bad boy…rebel…Haven’t you seen, haven’t
You noticed how he’s changed?”

“Huh? Changed how?” Jansen asked.

“He’s so well mannered…The man is even polite
To crew now!” Janeth laughed, as he shook his head.
“The effect you have on him…”

“What?”

Jonath looked at his friend kindly in the face…
“Jansen…Hollis…is in love…He loves you.
Don’t you see it? Everyone else does.”

“And some are mighty jealous.” Janeth added.

“Loves me?” Jansen wondered… “But…how?
I don’t understand…we’re just…together…lots
Of the crew pair off…”

“I think you make a sweet couple, a handsome
Couple,” Jonath smiled, “Far, far better than
Many others…It’s just something you have together…
Furthermore…I admire it, respect it…envy it…
And I think…No, I know…you feel it too…
Because you’re not rude like so many others…You
Have a warm nature…Who wouldn’t love that?”

“Really?”

“Jansen…it’s a rare thing in this place.” Janeth
Agreed to it. “Treasure it. But my God, see it…
Go with it…This life we have will eat you alive…
Something like this…is the reason to live…so
Live my friend…live.”

Apollo watched as the men finished their duties
And their shifts ended for the day. He decided
He would follow this Jansen and Hollis for his
Notes…They were the only two he had seen of
Interest so far…First the Adam Ship…
No coincidence upon his arrival…and now
These two men…Hollis and Jansen…There
Was something significant about their roles here
He could feel it…Something was building…
And they were key players…

He followed Jansen through the halls, studied
Him…He did have a nice face, chiseled strong
Yet there was this glow of kindness, a gentleness
In his eyes…He was unique, even among
Those Apollo knew…Not weak or frail, kindly
Strong…and a smile that even made him smile…
Now as a man Apollo knew men…The silence,
The brooding, the wit and need to show off their
Intelligence, attributes…This Jansen was not like
That…He was an interesting subject to study for
Sure…In fact he didn’t seem to belong there,
On a slave ship at all…He would have fit
Better back on Tellus…

Jansen went to his quarters, as most did after
Their shifts…
Apollo noted the wild carnal activities that
Seemed common to the men on this ship…odd…
But Jansen went quietly into his quarters…
Where he undressed his uniform down to simple
Undershorts…then sat at a table grooming
Some potted plant…

Apollo hovered invisibly…studying, waiting…He
Still wondered on the whereabouts of the Lion Men
On the ship…Where were they? What purpose did
They serve? He tried sensing Jansen’s mind…
He saw images of the Lion Men…Gold and gray…
Yes, the man knew of them…The Lion Men
Were kept in caged dens on the lower decks…
They were brute workers…used on mining missions
For heavy labor…They also entertained the
Crew with bloodsport battle games…
Gladiator-like games held once a week
Where Lion Men were pitted against each
Other in fights…It was awful, bloody…

The Lion Men were also used as a form of
Capital punishment on the ship. Disobedient crew
Who broke laws were given to the Lion Men…
To play with…As a form of wild justice…if
The Lion Men saw the offender as bad…it
Could mean death…Or, it could mean nothing…
Some were spared, some were abused…and some
Were simply torn apart. The Lion Men were law…
The crew feared them…Jansen was scared
Of them…but also, he greatly admired them
And felt sorry for them…Yes, Jansen was a
Unique man on the Adam Ship for sure…

Then the door opened, and there was Hollis…
A quiet moment as entered the room
Then bolted the door…Hollis watched his partner
Sitting there at the table with the plant, in his
Shorts…He could only smile…

Jansen looked up…innocently, shook his head,
“You’re still smiling. What is it with your
Smiling all the time?”

Hollis removed his tattered over-worn officer’s
Jacket…hung it on the rack…went to the
Nourishment dispenser and requested a cold
Drink…He was choked for words. “So I’m
Smiling a lot…is that wrong?”

“You said I make you happy?”

Hollis took a drink and froze… “What?”
There was a long drawn out reply…

“What are you afraid to say?” Jansen asked
Curiously.

“Afraid?” Hollis looked everywhere about the room.

“You are.” Jansen said. “You are afraid to
Say something! Normally you talk and talk
About yourself.”

“I do?” Hollis had never realized before.
Suddenly he was becoming aware of many things…
Especially of how reckless he had been in the past…
And how absolutely lonely and miserable he had
Felt his whole life…

“Just tell me.” Jansen asked.

Hollis turned to him…saw his face and suddenly
Felt absolutely powerless…weak…and terrified
Jansen would not say what he hoped he would.
“I…”

“Yes?”

“I want to keep feeling this way. I don’t
Want it to stop. I’ve never had it before. I’m,”
Hollis choked, “scared to lose it.”

Jansen squinted, shook his head. “Lose what?”

“You…” Hollis finally mumbled…His
Face to stone…his eyes like oceans that
Might suddenly open…

“Me?’ Jansen asked… “I make you
Feel THAT strongly?”

“Yes.” Hollis gave in, bowing his head…
Trapped, wanting to hide…afraid of what
Words might come…or not…He grabbed his
Face to hide his tears.

Then Jansen stood…went to Hollis…grabbed
Both his shoulders. “Look at me.” He waited
For Hollis to look. “I’m not going anywhere.
I’m with you. For as long as you want…I’m
With you…Always.”

“So if I say,” Hollis said with a shaky voice,
“So if I tell you that I love you…”

“Then I say,” Jansen said with a kinder,
Sincerely firm voice, “I love you too.” They laughed
And smiled. “There now why was that so hard?”

“There is nothing harder to say.” Hollis
Said as he hugged him tight. “Now I
Need to figure out a way to make this
Permanent.”

“You really want to make it permanent?”
Jansen asked.

“Yes, yes I really do.” Hollis confessed. “I really,
Really do.”

ALARMS sounded…A red light flashed
In the room…

“What is it?” Jansen asked as he watched
Hollis shake himself to wider senses.

“Something’s wrong.” Hollis said…They could
Hear the echoes of voices of the crew in panic…
In the halls…men were racing.

“All senior officers report to the bridge
Immediately.” The Commander’s voice ordered
Over the com system…

“Get dressed,” Hollis said, “Come with
Me…I have to get to the bridge.”

Apollo watched the two men uniform themselves
Then quietly depart for the main bridge…
There was chaos across the ship…men
Running…shouting…broken phrases…
Rumors were flying?
Apollo could not make out what the
Excitement was about…he had to know!

On the bridge, the chaos was worse.
Hollis and Jansen entered to greet the
Commander and 2nd officer Cain…Both
Held stern, confused faces…

“You brought your partner?” Cain snapped.
“How NICE.”

Hollis was fierce. “Issues Cain? Or is it lack of?”

The Commander slammed his fist down on
The strategy table in the center of the room.
“We have a situation.”

Hollis could only wonder, “That is?”

The Commander pointed to the view screen
Hovering over the center of the room…ALL
Eyes were locked upon it…
There were whispers…inaudible speculations…
Hollis and Jansen looked to the screen…

“What is that?” Hollis asked…

“A ship.” Cain hissed sarcastically…

“What kind of ship?” Hollis asked… “We’re
The only ones in this quadrant…”

“THAT…” The commander said… “Is an
EVE Ship!”
Silence followed…

Apollo stared at the screen…his mouth
Fell open…Now he knew…Everything was
Becoming clear now…An EVE Ship! Now
He knew why his arrival was timed so
Well on Earth…An empty world…Giant
Monsters? Ape men? HA!
First the Adam Ship…A ship of slaves…
Blond, handsome men of the Sava…
With the last labor lot of Lion Men as well!
And now this…An Eve Ship…
A ship of exotic beautiful women…another slave ship…
Two ships meeting by chance in deep space?
Both bred as single sex societies…never
Knowing what the other sex was like?
The Adams had never seen women before…
The Eves had never seen men before…
Yes, something was about to happen…
Something BIG…
He saw it coming…felt it…That planet
Was the magnet of an epic about to unfold…
Apollo grabbed his crystal and returned
To his own ship at once…

Zinn immediately greeted him… “Did
You see what just arrived?”

“Yes.” Apollo only answered.

“Well?” Zinn eagerly asked…

“Get ready,” Apollo said, “A show
Is about to begin…”

“Finally something interesting.” Zinn said.

“Interesting?” Apollo wondered. “The
Details to come…scare me.”

Valiant