The Will Of Landreau




With apologies to Star Trek, The Bridge Over the River Qui,

The Moody Blues, and especially J.R.R Tolkien.

(Haradian Runes)

Being The Story Of How One Amy Brigand Anderson Led The People Of Harad Into
Battle Against The Plenetors And Saved Them All from Slavery and death

(English Translation)

Being the Story of One Amy Brigand Anderson

And How She led the People of Harad in battle Against the Plenetors, thereby
Saving Them from Slavery and Death

And You can fly, faster than light if You want to

High as a kite if You want to

Speeding through the Universe

Thinking is the best way to travel !

Copyright 1968, Moody Blues and Deram records.

Table Of Contents

Chpt1: A Rude Awakening

Chpt2: Beauty....and a Beast

Chpt3: Decisions, Decisions

Chpt4: The Great Council

Chpt5: Calm before the Storm

Chpt6: The Battle of Plenetor Field

Chpt7: Misfortunes of War

Chpt8: Final Confrontation

Chpt9: The Will of Landreau

Prologue

This tale has been passed down from generation to generation. It is so old no
one can say just when these events occurred. But that they did occur no one
can question. The Landscape still bears the scars and memorials from that epic
period of Harad's history. It was first written down by one Thorgom Ker
Udenham of the forest people, a participant in the events in question. He
claimed to have interviewed A.B.A. herself extensively, and this narrative
often takes the first person from her point of view.

Miss Anderson's legacy is not merely some scrawling on Papyrus, however. Until
this very day, her presence is felt occasionally, both asleep and awake, by
the decedents of Strom Nog Curiun.

This edition translated from the original runes by:

Martin Guerre

Harad Year 21517

Earth Year 2907

Chapter 1: A Rude Awakening

Amy sat up sweating and looked quickly around her room. Seeing nothing out of
the ordinary, she glanced at her clock-6: 00AM. The alarm would be going off
any minute. She shut it off and climbed slowly out of bed, as if expecting
something to happen. When nothing did, she shook her head and went to change
into her work out clothes. " What's the matter Amy?" asked Lita near the end
of their workout. "Your hearts obviously not in this, to say nothing of your
mind. If you're not careful, you're going to drop that gravitron bar of yours
right through the floor." "Your right Lita, I am distracted," said Amy in
disgust as she shut the Bar off and put it away. "I can't keep my mind on
anything today."

Amy sat dejectedly on a bench. She suddenly looked up at her roommate: "Lita,
have you noticed anything different, felt anything strange these last two
days?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"It started two nights ago. I had a dream I was somewhere far away, VERY far
away. It was beautiful but strange. Not like Earth or Jade. Or like anywhere
else I've ever been, for that matter. I wasn't alone but whoever, or whatever
else was there wouldn't show itself. I wandered around for hours without
seeing anything, but the whole time I could feel eyes on me, scrutinizing my
every move. When I woke up, I forgot about it, but as the day went on, the
feeling of being watched returned. Last night it was worse. I dreamed I was
fighting off all kinds of monsters and weird warriors, and I didn't even have
my magic powers." Amy smiled for the first time in over a day "Fortunately, I
still had my muscles." She raised her arms and slowly brought them up into a
double biceps pose. They were so thick she could only raise her forearms to an
75-degree angle before their popeye sized muscles collided with her expanding
biceps. Their blunt peaks rose several inches above her head, their  belly'
exploding outward, muscle upon muscle. Her triceps, the size and shape of
footballs, likewise expanded downward. Lita whistled and said: " Good grief
Amy, you're still growing! How big do you want to get!"

"I'm tempted to say there's no such thing as too big" Said Amy with a laugh,
relaxing her arms, "But I don't know, really. I guess when I can't move
anymore!"

Her good humor restored, Amy and Lita finished their workout.

It didn't last, though. As the day wore on, the feeling of being watched,
scrutinized, analyzed, returned. Lita claimed she didn't feel it, and by the
time Amy went to bed she was starting to wonder if she was losing her mind.

There were no dreams that night. Amy woke feeling refreshed and relieved.
Relieved that is, until she looked around. She wasn't in her room. She was in
some kind of laboratory. There were several robots of different sizes and
shapes moving about. Lights blinked, there was a faint hum. The air smelled
strange, though not unpleasant. Machines with a vague hospital feel about them
sported readouts in a language unknown to her. She was on an operating table.
As she swung her legs slowly over the side, several probes disengaged and fell
to the floor. She stood up and noticed she wasn't wearing her nightgown. She
was dressed in a jumpsuit of sorts that started just below the knee. The
material was soft and flexible. Her arms were exposed, her considerable
cleavage was not. Sewn in pads over her thumb sized nipples struggled to
contain them. Her feet were shod with something like a cross between sneakers
and slippers. She narrowed her eyes in the dim light and turned her head
slowly around. She was the only person in the room.

"Welcome, Amy Brigand Anderson," said a melodic, male voice behind her. Amy
whirled around and confronted a smiling, bald, middle-aged man in a black robe
type getup standing several feet away.

"Who are you and what is this place" said Amy evenly, but with poorly
concealed anger.

"I am Landreau," said the man pleasantly, "as to where you are, that will all
be explained in due time."

Amy grabbed the nearest machine off the floor and hurled it at the smiling
figure. It sailed right through him and crashed against the far wall,
shattering into a million pieces.

"A hologram, I thought so," said Amy. "That explains your sudden appearance.
Now how about explaining what this is all about, before I get really mad and
start tearing this place apart. I don't like being like being kidnapped, and I
don't like talking to holograms that look like Uncle Fester!"

"You were not kidnapped, strictly speaking, Miss Anderson." Said the ghostly
image. If you calm down, I will try to explain the reason for your being
here."

"I don't intend to stay much longer." Amy said, closing her eyes.
Concentrating as hard as she could, she recited a teleportation spell. Nothing
happened. She tried a simple flying spell. Nada. She tried three more spells,
just to see if any magic at all would work. No.

"Your magic does not work in this galaxy", said  Landreau' with a sigh. Then
he smiled again "But fortunately, you still have your muscles" he said,
expertly mimicking her voice.

Amy could feel her blood boiling "So it was you spying on me, you invaded my
dreams, made me do tricks for you....."

"Please Miss Anderson" said the hologram, raising his hand to cut her off.
"You make it sound so base, so perverted. I am not one of the men of your
planet, sneaking peaks at your bosom, fantasizing of being spanked by you. My
purpose is far more noble. Won't you please hear me out. It's not as if you
have anywhere to go at this point."

"You have 5 minutes," said Amy suspiciously, "and then I'll do as I see fit,
weather I have anywhere to go or not." She plopped herself back down on the
table she woke up on, tried to cross her arms over her chest, got flustered
when she remembered that it was impossible to do that, and glared at the
smiling fat man, who was obviously amused at her discomfort.

The smile faded, however, as he began to speak: "This laboratory is deep under
the tallest mountain on this planet....." "Does this planet have a name?" Amy
interrupted. "The people who live here refer to it as  Harad', an ancient
word meaning  peaceful home'. The entire mountain is hollow, it is my home.
It is also the last place were any sort of science is practiced. Things on the
surface are more...primitive."

"Can we cut to the chase, Landreau, or whoever you are? My meters running."

"1,000 of your years ago the people of this planet were a mighty and proud
race. A little too proud. Squabbles over prestige, possession of new
technologies, and good old fashioned greed led to civil war which nearly
destroyed everything. Fortunately, some enlightened individuals say a way out.
With the help of the latest and greatest computer technology, coupled with
advanced research into biomechanical stimulation, order was restored. An order
that has lasted for almost 1,000 years, an order brought about by myself, an
order that is now ending", he said with a touch of sadness. "That's were you
come in."

"Wait a minute, you're 1,000 years old? You don't look a day over 500."

"The humor of your kind is lost on me, Miss Anderson",was the reply, "but to
answer your question, the person named Landreau, my creator, died 12 years, 1
month and 14 days after I came online."

"Came online? You're just a computer?"

The figure stiffened noticeably. "Just a computer? I am a synergy of man and
machine. All the knowledge of Landreau and many of his associates was
incorporated into me. I have controlled the affairs of all the people of this
planet for 10 centuries, without their even knowing it. Can computers on your
world do that?"

"Some people think they are", said Amy. "But if you're doing such a bang-up
job, why do you need me?"

Landreau's face fell. "Because I am imperfect. I have vast knowledge, but lack
wisdom. I can move mountains, but not men's hearts. I endure, but I have no
courage."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"The years of chaos were ended through mass conditioning. Conditioning brought
about by stimulating the brain precisely with sound waves. Fear, jealousy, and
bigotry were suppressed. Over time, they were bred out of the species through
genetic manipulation. Once men no longer felt compelled to dominate one
another, they lost their desire for technology. Simplicity became the goal
sought by all. People returned to the environment. Once great cities were
abandoned. The thirst for knowledge faded. A race of technicians turned to
farming and animal husbandry. People sought enlightenment through prayer and
meditation. All was serene."

"Sounds like paradise", Amy said sarcastically.

"It was....,is!, or so I thought. Conflict of any kind, be it between man and
himself, or man and his environment, was gradually eliminated. But as the
passions that drove men to dominate one another were eliminated, so too were
the creative drives that lead to all great accomplishments. My people have
ceased to strive to achieve anything of value. Their noble philosophies of
eons ago have been replaced by simple pragmatism. I became desperate to find a
way to bring about a resurgence in their culture before they reverted to some
kind of benign barbarism. After years of failure on my own, I sought the help
of others. Beings not of this world. I searched hundreds of planets in
countless galaxies for someone who could lead my people out of their mental
and emotional stupor. Finally, just when I began to despair, those that I
thought had the answer came to me. Our world was discovered by beings from a
planet one hundred light years away. I welcomed them enthusiastically. They
call themselves the Plenetors. It was not the first time we had visitors, but
it was the first time anyone had shown any interest in our world beyond mere
intellectual curiosity. It did not take me long however, to divine their true
intentions. To colonize this planet and conquer my people. They left,
promising to return to  save' our world, but they mean to enslave it. I
became frantic. I searched desperately for someone who could prevent this from
happening. Finally, I found you. That is why you are here. You are brave,
strong, and, I sense, possess leadership qualities to both save my people from
conquest, and lead them to a new era of prosperity."

"You have got to be kidding", Amy replied incredulously. "Even if I believed
your story, which I don't, I'm not spending the rest of my life fighting
aliens while trying to make a whole race of people into something they don't
even want to be."

"If you refuse to help, It means the end of our race."

Amy stood up. "This is a big universe, and lots of really bad things happen
that I have no control over. I can't save everyone, and I don't want to. You
got them into this mess, you can get them out of it. If you are so smart you
can travel anywhere in the universe, I'm sure you can devise weapons to stop
these invaders."

"My programming prevents me engaging in any sort of violence or aggressive
behavior, my creators were afraid I might install myself as a dictator."

"It seems to me that's exactly what you wound up doing anyway"

"Please Miss Anderson, there is no time to argue over semantics. The Plenetor
ships, despite all my efforts to delay them, will arrive in less than 6 of
your months"

"The answer is no. I want to go home. Either send me back yourself, or I'll do
whatever I have to do to get there, and I won't be held responsible for what
happens." To illustrate her point, she reached down and grasped the
examination table. With almost no effort, she pulled it off the floor. Dozens
of metal bolts snapped in two. She then held it above her head and squeezed it
until it was the size of a grapefruit, the metal groaning in protest. She
tossed it up into the air a couple of times like a baseball before firing it
against the wall. It flattened into a pancake and fell, taking some small
pieces of the wall with it. Amy put her hands on her wide hips and glared at
the hologram: "Well?'

Landreau sighed. "Miss Anderson, you still do not understand. Harad is your
home. You have never been anywhere else."

"What are you talking about Landreau?!!"

"When I said I searched many galaxies, I did not do it in the physical sense.
That would have taken an eternity. I did it temporally......"

"Oh, and just how did you manage that?" Despite her anger (and growing fear),
the physicist in Amy was curious.

Landreau smiled briefly, "The science involved is far beyond your
understanding, let us just say  Thinking is the best way to travel'." He went
on quickly, before Amy could interrupt him again: "Being a wave phenomenon, I
was able to penetrate your mind, influence your dreams, watch your every move,
asleep or awake. I knew you were the one I was looking for. But you were more
than a trillion light years away. How could I possibly bring you here, when I
wasn't even there myself in any physical sense? The answer was I could not. So
I did the next best thing. I measured and recorded your entire physical makeup
and DNA structure. I then had my robots recreate it here in this lab. You were
 grown' in a physiocyberatic chamber. You thought you were waking from a good
nights sleep when you sat up on the table you just crushed, but the  real'
Amy Brigand Anderson, the original one, woke up from that sleep more than 6 of
your months ago. She has not been bothered by me since, and has forgotten
about it by now, I am sure. She is a young women in her early twenties. You,
for all practical purposes, are 5 minutes old."

Amy was speechless for several seconds as her mind worked on this revelation.
Then she clenched her fists, her face reddening with rage: "You sick bastard!"
she spat, "I'm out of here!" With that, she turned on her heels and strode to
the rooms only door. Seeing no handle, she picked up a heavy filing cabinet
and broke it down with a thunderous crash. Striding into a dimly lit hall, she
shouted: "Landreau, better show me the way out of here before I get really
angry!" Immediately, lights embedded in the floor winked on. She followed them
down one corridor after another until the hall ended at an elevator. She got
in and waited. After a pause, the door slid shut and the car ascended. After a
short time, it sighed to a stop and the door opened. She walked out into
another hall that ended at another door. When it opened, she put her hand over
her mouth, stunned speechless again.

It was beauty that had taken her breath away. Spread out before her was a
meadow that sloped down for about 1/4 mile, ending at the edge of a forest.
The lush green sod was dotted with brilliantly colored flowers. Several small
animals that resembled a cross between a deer and a chipmunk paused from their
grazing to look up at her curiously before moving slowly, gracefully off. A
shrill cry caused her to look up. Circling in an azure blue sky punctuated
with streaked cirrus clouds, a large bird, shaped like an eagle but colored
like a peacock drifted on the cool breeze. Amy guessed the temperature at
about 75 degrees Fahrenheit, the humidity low. Pleasant smells of fragrant
flowers and hardwoods wafted over her. She started to walk. She began to hope
it was just another dream, and soon she would wake up in her room to the buzz
of her alarm clock, but not yet, not before she had a chance to explore. The
turf was springy under her feet. Even if she wasn't so strong, she knew she
could walk all day on it. Speaking of strong, she felt subtly different. Even
more powerful than usual. She raised an arm and examined it. She was stunned.
The muscles in her arm were bigger, MUCH bigger! with her arm straight and
relaxed her bicep was the size of a bowling ball! Her triceps and forearms
were likewise enlarged. She raised the other arm and did a double biceps pose.
She could only raise them about 65 degrees before her bulging forearms
collided with her colossal biceps, which soared over her head a good 10
inches! "WOW!" Thought Amy, "How did that happen!" She looked down at her
chest. Her breasts weren't any bigger (though still HUGE, of course), but they
protruded further out because the muscles underneath had grown. She examined
her legs, yup they were larger also. The rest of her figure she couldn't see,
but she did not doubt every muscle in her body was larger. "Mmmm....., I
almost wish this wasn't a dream, I like this." She said aloud.

"I'm glad you're pleased." Came Landreau's voice from behind her.

"How did you do this to me Landreau?"

"A subtle, but affective alteration of your DNA structure", was the reply.

"Anymore surprises for me today, or is spiriting me across the universe and
manipulating my body it?"

He ignored her: "I came out here to give you these, you will find them
useful." A small robot rolled up to her and extended a telescopic arm. It
clutched a long coat and a pair of binoculars. "The temperature will drop
about 15 degrees tonight and I don't want you catching a cold. There is much
to see beyond these woods, so the binoculars should come in handy."

"Your concern for my well being would be flattering if you weren't a
computerized Doctor Frankenstein."

"Don't expect me to feel sorry for you, Amy Brigand Anderson." Landreau said
sternly, appearing in front of her. "You exist whereas before you did not.
Life is the greatest gift of all, and I gave it to you. I also granted your
secret desire and made you even bigger and stronger than you were before. You
are six of your  inches' taller, your muscle mass has been increased 20%, and
you are nearly twice as strong as you were before. You are on one of the most
beautiful planets God ever created, and have been assigned the most noble
quest you will ever undertake. You should be grateful."

"It's nice to hear you acknowledge God, Landreau", Amy replied, her voice
dripping with sarcasm, "You sure talk and act like you think you're him.
Gratitude? I HATE YOU!, now leave me alone, I have to think!" She grabbed the
coat and binoculars and walked into the Forrest.

Landreau followed her, floating above the ground like a ghost. "I am not God,
but I will do anything to save my people! For one thousand years, The Will of
Landreau has reigned supreme, and that's not going to change now!"

"There's a first time for everything Landreau." Amy said mockingly with out
slowing down. He stopped following her and shook his head as her shapely
behind disappeared around a bend in the path.

Chapter 2: Beauty..... and a Beast

After a while, Amy stopped and put on the coat. Not because she was cold, but
she wanted her hands free to touch the beautiful plants and stately trees that
lined the path on both sides. She slipped the binoculars into a pocket and
reached down to pick a flower. It had a dozen cobalt blue petals surrounding
an orange pistil. She brought it up to her face and inhaled deeply. The smell
was unlike anything on Earth. It was both sweet and tart, like a cola with
lemon, perhaps. It reminded her of the sweet shop near her home when she was a
child. It brought back wonderful memories, memories of a world she would never
see again, a world in fact, she had never visited, but was her home, if
Landreau was to be believed. She dropped the flower and began to cry. Sobs
racked her enormous body as tears streaked down her beautiful face. What could
she do? What should she believe? Was she really some test tube creation of a
monstrous scientist dead some thousand years? The thought of it was too much
to bear. She started to run, still crying hysterically, her sobs echoing
through the woods. She ran on and on, speeding up until the trees went by in a
blur. She stopped paying attention to were she was going, and suddenly she was
splashing through a deepening stream. She fell face down in the cold, clear
water. The shock brought her out of her hysteria with a gasp. She struggled to
the far bank and hauled herself up onto a flat, smooth stone, panting and
shivering. "I'd better get out of these wet things before I catch pneumonia",
she thought, and peeled. She walked on a while, naked and shivering, her teeth
chattering, looking for a sunny spot to dry her clothes. At last she came upon
a small pond where the trees thinned out. She put her clothes on a rock that
had been warmed by the sun, and reached up her muscular arms to dry herself
off. That's when she noticed there were 2 suns in the sky. Shading her eyes,
she could see a yellow star, and behind it and off to it's left, a smaller,
orange one.

"God, that's beautiful", she thought "Landreau was right, this world sure is
amazing so far." She stood a long time with her eyes closed, drinking up the
suns rays. When she was nearly dry, she realized she was thirsty, and very
hungry. "Well, getting a drink may not be a problem, if the water in this pool
isn't stagnant." It wasn't. The pond was fed by a spring, and it's water was
as clear as glass. She stood over it, looking down at her reflection. She felt
a shiver of thrill run through her as she examined her incredible physic. Her
6 foot 6 inch frame was packed with muscle. Her wide shoulders made her look
like she was wearing football pads. Her tremendous lats hung below them like
chandeliers. Her broad back sloped down rapidly to a pinched waist that seemed
ridiculously small compared to the rest of her. Her shapely legs felt strong
enough to support a sky scraper. She turned her head and smiled at her large,
heart shaped ass. "Well, the view from  behinds' almost as interesting as it
is from the front", she chuckled, turning to examine her bosom. She'd never
know how big her pectorals were, covered as they were by her massive breasts.
Supported by the rigid muscle wall of her chest, they bulged outwards over a
foot, nearly perfect orbs topped by thick nipples a full grown man would have
to open wide to swallow. She flexed each muscle group in turn, admiring
herself shamelessly. She was the perfect picture of muscular, feminine beauty.
"Well, Landreau was right about that too, I do want to look like this, to be
as strong as I am now" she thought to herself as she bent to drink. "Let's see
how strong I am." She stood up and looked around. A huge tree had fallen
recently just a short distance away. It was at least a 30 meters tall, and 3
thick. She strode over to it and, getting a good grip, lifted it as easily as
if it were a six pack of soda. Pushing herself up onto her tiptoes she then
brought the tree down with such force it sank deep into the ground, standing
up straighter than it had before it fell. The earth shook as if by an
earthquake. Birds screeched and took off, animals ran in terror. She wiped the
dirt from her hands with a smile, feeling better about things, and went to
look for something to eat.

There was nothing nearby, so she sat next to her clothes to think and wait for
them to dry. She fought off her returning depression over her situation. "I
won't know if Landreau is lying until I get more information, so I have to put
that aside and concentrate on the here and now", she told herself. "First, I
have to get something to eat, then I need to explore more and see if He's
telling the truth about there being people here. After that, I have to prepare
myself for another talk with Landreau, only I need to come up with some sort a
way force him to tell me the truth!" She began to feel sleepy, sitting in the
sun. "Oh well, a little nap won't hurt, I suppose", she thought. She lay down
on her back (sleeping on your stomach isn't easy when you have firm breasts
bigger than volleyballs), still naked, and pushed some moss under her head.
"No more dreams please" she thought as she drifted off.

The 2 suns were low in the sky when her eyes opened. The sound of a twig
snapping nearby had woken her. She lay still, not giving away the fact she was
awake, while she pondered her next move. Something was approaching from her
left. She guessed whatever it was had crept to about 4 meters away, then
paused, probably to examine her. Despite the fact she could be in mortal
danger, Amy had to suppress a giggle. "I must be quite a sight, lying here on
my back, naked, my boobs sticking up in the air", she thought as she watched
them rise and fall with each breath from her powerful lungs. Her visitor crept
closer, and Amy knew she had to do something, or she might become some wild
animals meal. Tensing her muscles, she launched herself into the air. Landing
on her feet, she assumed a fighting stance in the blink of an eye, facing her
 opponent'. She was totally unprepared for what she saw.

It was a man! Or more likely, a boy, she couldn't be sure. He was about five
feet tall, and dressed in a tunic of green and brown. It looked homemade, with
no buttons, laced together with cord. The light was starting to get dim, so
she couldn't see precisely, but he was either wearing a woven cap, or had
thick hair cropped very close. He had on leggings that also seemed homespun,
with a cord for a belt. His knee high boots lacked a visible sole and laced up
with sinew. He was very slender, he couldn't have weighed more than a hundred
pounds. A long knife, probably made from animal bone, hung on his narrow hip.
He carried a staff of wood in his left hand. All in all, he reminded Amy of
one of Robin Hood's  merry men'. Except for his face. No one who walked in
Sherwood Forrest had ever looked like him. Not that he was ugly, far from it.
She had never seen such a face. His complexion was smooth, his skin lightly
tanned. There was no mustache or beard. His lips were thin, his mouth, smaller
than hers. The nose was likewise smaller and set a little higher on the face.
His eyebrows were also thin and black. His eyes, however, were what held her
enraptured. Larger than hers, they resembled a Lions more than a humans. The
corneas were a bright yellow, and seemed to glow with a faint luminescence.
The pupils were large, black, and were flecked with silver sparkles. His
countenance spoke to her in a way words never could. She sensed his youth, his
immaturity, and yet, there was something deep behind those fascinating eyes,
something she felt compelled to understand.

They gawked at each other for several seconds, searching each others faces
without moving a muscle. Amy became confident he meant her no harm and relaxed
her stance. The boy(?) relaxed also and allowed his gaze to roam over her
body, stopping to stare at her breasts. He jumped when Amy laughed and said
coyly: "Well what do you know, some things never change, even a billion light
years away." She brought her hands up to cover her nipples, feeling a little
self conscious. "You have me at a bit of a disadvantage, mind waiting a minute
while I put on my clothes?" She bent down to grab her jumpsuit. The sudden
movement spooked him, though, and he turned on his heel and ran off. "Hey,
wait!" Amy shouted, pulling on her things as fast as she could. She took off
after him in the gathering dusk.

Amy was a decent tracker, but the light was beginning to fade. Fortunately,
the young man was making no attempt to cover his tracks, and Amy, being
faster, caught up to him just as the woods gave way to a broad meadow. She
stopped and hid behind a tree, however, when she saw three others of his kind
standing up to greet him. Apparently, they had just killed a deer-like
creature, and where preparing it for travel when he stumbled up to them. He
paused to catch his breath before speaking to the them.

The sounds that came from his mouth were so sweet and musical, Amy could
almost believe she was living some sort of fairy tale. Fairly high pitched,
Amy could sense the fear and excitement in his voice, yet that did detract
from it's beauty. His gestures, though, were comical. First, he tried to tell
them how tall she was. Standing on his tiptoes with his arms outstretched, he
toppled over and was caught by one of his compatriots. Then he held out an arm
and, with his other hand, tried to describe the size of her biceps. Then he
pointed to his head ("Gee, with all the colors I've seen so far, why is blue
hair such a big deal" she thought). Finally, he held his hands a foot off of
his flat chest and made circular gestures, with his thumbs pointing out. Amy
was unable to suppress a laugh at his hilarious attempt to describe her bust
line.

Instantly, the four of them froze. Amy came out from behind the tree and
walked slowly toward them, smiling. She held her right hand out, palm up, in a
gesture she hoped they would interpret as friendly. "Please don't be afraid, I
mean you no harm." She stopped about 2 meters from the closest one of them and
assumed the most relaxed stance she could. The four of them continued to stare
at her, motionless. "My name is Amy", she said, pointing to herself. "Amy
Brigand Anderson......do you understand? Of course not, what a stupid
question. Look, I'm thirsty, starving, and lost. It's getting dark, couldn't
we go to were ever it is you all live and get to know each other, maybe over a
bowl of hot soup, mmm....?"

Slowly the four of them overcame their stupor and approached her cautiously.
They came within a few feet of her and stopped, apparently unsure of what to
do. Then they all started talking at once, weather to her or each other, she
wasn't sure. Now it was Amy's turn to be non-plussed. "Oh well", she thought,
"eventually, they're going to make up their minds to go home. Hopefully
they'll let me follow them."

But that's not what happened. There was a loud crash behind her, and the four
 Harad men' shrieked in what only could have been terror. Amy whirled around.
Advancing toward them in the gathering gloom was a monstrous beast, roaring
and waving it's arms. Amy wasn't sure exactly what it looked like in the dim
light, but it seemed to resemble a huge bear walking on its hind legs, a good
3 to 4 meters tall. It was covered in thick black fur, with huge claws plainly
visible even in the twilight. Its head was large, with a short, blunt snout.
Amy didn't doubt for a second that it's mouth was filled with sharp teeth.

The Haradians did not run. No doubt the beast was faster than they, especially
if, like a bear, it could drop down and gallop on four legs. Even if they
scattered, the creature was sure to catch one of them, caught out in the open
as they were. They brandished their long knives and closed ranks to defend
themselves. Amy was nearest to the beast, however, and her clothes were a
bright white, so it zeroed in on her. She looked around wildly for something
to use as a weapon, but the beast was on her before she could even think. Big
as it was though, it wasn't very quick, and Amy dropped and rolled as it
swiped at her with a huge paw. "If he hits me just once with those, I'm
history",she thought as she sprang to her feet and assumed her fighting
stance. "I don't want to kill it, but I'm not going to become it's dinner
either!" The beast charged again, and Amy sprang at it and delivered a flying
kick to it's midsection, not hard enough to kill it, she hoped, but enough to
knock it down.

She had miscalculated. The great creature was stunned for only a second as Amy
landed awkwardly and stumbled. She wasn't entirely accustomed to her enlarged
body, and she momentarily lost her balance. The beast would have killed her
for sure, if not for what happened next.

The four Haradians charged, yelling at the top of their lungs (she assumed).
Two of them had picked up rocks, which they hurled at it's head. The others
slashed at it with their knives. One rock missed completely, the other glanced
off the top of it's skull. One knife missed it's mark, the other opened a long
gash in the creatures side. Their heroism proved costly, however. The wounds
only served to enrage it, and with a backhand (thank goodness) swipe, it sent
two of it's attackers flying. One bounced back up to his feet, the other lay
still.

"That's it!" Amy shouted, "This has gone far enough!" She lowered her shoulder
and launched herself at the beast with all her might. She could hear its bones
splintering as it toppled over, Amy still on top of it. Before it had a chance
to recover, she grabbed it's head and twisted it so violently, the sound of
it's neck snapping echoed through the woods like a gunshot.

Amy stood up on the dead animals stomach and looked around. The three
remaining Harradians were crouched over their fallen comrade. Amy jumped down
and raced over to them. The wounded woodsman was still breathing, but an ugly
gash on his scalp was bleeding profusely, and he was clearly unconscious.
After one of them put some cloth on his head to staunch the bleeding, Amy
knelt down and gently picked him up. He seemed as light as a feather. We'd
better get him home quick, don't you think?" She said quietly. The others
looked at each other a moment, then silently walked off in single file, Amy
following.

Chapter 3: Decisions.......Decisions

It didn't take long to reach the Haradians village. About half way there, the
Forrester in front sprinted ahead, apparently to prepare for the care of his
wounded comrade. It was dark when they entered a compound of sorts. Three
torches on poles cast an inadequate light. It seemed as if everyone had turned
out to greet them. Amy guessed there were between 60 and 70 villagers all
together, men, women, children. There were about 16 homes, or cottages, she
couldn't see well enough to tell. A general mummer went up as they all stared
at Amy and her burden. It was easy to understand why. She towered over them
all by at least a foot, especially the women, who were as thin as fashion
models. Someone motioned to her which dwelling to go to. She had to stoop down
low to get in the door.

It was brighter inside. A fire roared on a stone hearth, the chimney appeared
to be made of clay. The walls were made of wood, roughly cut, but expertly
joined to the ceiling beams. The roof was thatched, the floor covered in
reeds, or rushes, maybe. There were several candles burning in clay holders.
The furniture was all made of wood, crudely fashioned, but sturdy looking. She
carried the wounded man to a bed that had been placed near the fire. Two women
were waiting, one held a cloth dripping with a fragrant oil, the other, a
blanket. She gently placed him on the mattress of grass, and the women went
silently to work. It all seemed so medieval, it was difficult to believe this
race had once been advanced. She left that cottage and was motioned to
another. Inside, she saw the other three foresters she had met in the woods,
talking with several men and women in low voices. They paused occasionally to
take a bite to eat off plates made of clay. There were goblets of clay also,
but no knives or forks she could see. Amy sat down on the floor and accepted a
plate of food gratefully. But could she eat it? She had no way of knowing how
her body would react to this alien diet. She was forced to do something she
didn't want, trust Landreau. She looked at the food. It was some kind of bread
spread with a thick paste of some sort. It smelled delicious. Gingerly, she
nibbled it. "Mmmm.....that's good" she said aloud, and devoured the rest. She
became aware they were all staring at her. "Err....could I have some more...
please?" She held out her plate, and a women took it over to a corner table
and refilled it. Amy thanked her and ate more slowly this time, savoring every
mouthful. It was gone much too quickly, but she was reluctant to ask for more,
she didn't want to seem like a pig ("Not that there are any here on this
planet"). She thought about the huge meals she ate on earth, how men would
stare at her ("If they're not staring at me for one reason, it's for some
other"). Her appetite had grown with her stature. For some reason, she
pictured herself entering a restaurant with an all you-could-eat buffet, and
the employees running for cover. She giggled. The women who had served her
food then offered her a goblet of drink. She sniffed it, but was unable to
discern what it was. Taking a sip, she was disappointed to discover it was
just water, though it did taste sweet. She gulped it slowly and put the goblet
down carefully. She turned her attention back to the conversation, but it was
already ending. The occupants of the cottage began preparing for sleep. Amy
stood up, but someone motioned her over to straw mattress that had been
prepared for her in a corner. She lay down, and a curtain was drawn to give
her some privacy. She lay on her back in the dark, thinking. She wasn't tired,
and her mind was racing with the days events. Suddenly she heard something
from the other side of the curtain. Rolling over, she pulled back a corner and
peaked into the room. In the dim light given off by the dying fire, Amy could
see the cottages inhabitants, 3 men, 2 women, and two children, sitting in a
circle holding hands and murmuring some kind of chant. Were they praying? Amy
listened intently. She had no idea what the words meant, but the feeling
emanating from their circle was unmistakable. It was love. Love for each
other, she was sure, but there was more, love for someone, or something else.
It couldn't be her, she was an unknown quantity. Landreau? She didn't want to
believe it was possible, but she had to admit it was. She rolled over and
tried to sleep, but it was a long time before her eyes closed.

She slept fitfully, with many strange dreams, and woke early. The cottage was
empty. She went outside and saw several people drawing water from a stone
well. They emptied the water in a trough nearby and washed their hands and
face. "That looks good" thought Amy, "I don't suppose they have any tooth
brushes around here." She walked over to the well and waited her turn. The
villagers more or less ignored her, the novelty of her presence having
temporarily worn off. Temporarily, because as soon as she removed her long
coat and started pulling the rope to raise the bucket, the stares at her
bulging arms resumed. But eventually, everyone resumed their chores, and Amy
was left alone. She washed up and rinsed her mouth, then took a long drink.
"I'm hungry, but I'm not going begging for food, it's time for a talk with Dr.
Frankenstein." She put her coat back on and walked back into the Forrest. When
she was out of earshot of the village (she assumed), she called out "Landreau,
show yourself, we have to talk!"

"I am here", came the reply, and there he was, standing in front of her. "You
had an interesting first day on Harad, Amy Brigand Anderson."

' Cut the pleasantries, Landreau, I m not interested.'

"Then what is it you want?"

"First off, how can I help these people if I can't even speak with them?"

"Then you agree to help?" Landreau couldn't conceal the eagerness in his
voice.

Amy shook her head: "I didn't say that, I need more information before I make
up my mind."

"Very well, follow me then." They walked in silence for some time before he
pointed to the ground. " There is a door under that rock, open it." She did,
and pulled out some clothes that resembled the villagers, and a small
electronic device with a cord to go around her neck. "I anticipated your
requests and had these brought here while you slept."

Amy changed clothes. The tunic was difficult to lace up, for obvious reasons.
"Landreau, I look like Raquel Welch in that movie  The Three Musketeers'!"
she fumed.

"Modesty had never been one of your personality traits before." Landreau
replied with a smirk. "There is a jacket there as well, if you feel self
conscious. Don't flex your arms though, or it will become as sleeveless as
your tunic."

"What's this gizmo?", she said with a scowl, pulling on the jacket.

"A translating device. Adjust the cord so it lies in close proximity to your
larynx. It will enable you to communicate with the people of Harad. And with
the Plenetors, for that matter."

"What, no weapons?"

"Miss Anderson", he replied patiently, "I cannot supply you with weapons to
kill any more than I can kill myself, my programming forbids it."

"I was testing you Landreau. I don't want to depend on the locals for food or
shelter, what can you do for me?' ' ' There are no poisonous plants or fungi
on this continent." Several images of plants appeared before her: "These are
all plentiful and nutritious, though hardly filling. You should avoid drinking
stagnant water, of course. There are several varieties of berries that can be
consumed or squeezed for their juice. Of course", (he said with obvious
distaste) " you could always supplement your diet with meat. The forests
abound with game both large and small, as you have already learned. As for
shelter, you will have to construct your own, if the hospitality of my people
does not suit you. Any cave you come across is likely to be inhabited by
animals similar to the one you killed yesterday."

"How many people live on this planet, and how similar are they?"

"All of the present population live on this continent, the others are
abandoned. Any physical dissimilarities should be considered insignificant.
They are all of the same mind in matters of importance. The population is:
5,522 men, 5,975 women, 1,901 adolescents, and 1,973 children and infants."

"That's not very many for a whole world."

"It has decreased by 50% every 100 years for the last millennium."

"Why?"

"Why don't you ask them yourself?"

She stood up. "I will, oh, and one more thing, just in case you were
wondering, I still hate you, even if you are just a machine."

When she returned to the village several hours later after scrounging up a
thoroughly unsatisfying breakfast, she was ignored once again. She wasn't
insulted, though. She was sure these people were probably just too busy to
bother with someone they couldn't speak to. She stood for a while, unsure of
what to do. Then a single, clear note sounded from some sort of musical
instrument, a lute, maybe. Everyone stopped what they were doing and headed
for the largest building in the village.

"A town hall meeting? How convenient, I think I'll join in." She switched on
her translating device and followed the crowd.

There was surprisingly little conversation in the room, just small talk,
really, until they noticed she had joined them. Then what she heard surprised
her. Instead of insults from women and lewdness from men, there was simply a
few admissions of surprise, and that was all. Amy felt it was unfair to
eavesdrop on them, however, so she announced quickly: "Men and women of Harad,
my name is Amy Brigand Anderson, and I desire to speak to your leader." She
felt stupid, it sounded like something out of a really bad science fiction
movie. There was a low murmur as they discussed their response. Then a man
stood up. "I am called Strom, and have been chosen to speak with you. How is
it we are able to communicate? You are not of this world."

Amy pointed to the translator at her throat: "This device allows me to. I
obtained it this morning, along with these clothes."

"Did Landreau give them to you?"

"You know Landreau?"

"Certainly, we communicate on a regular basis."

"Are you the leader of this village?"

"We have no leaders."

"Why?"

"Leadership implies power, power implies disunity."

" Is Landreau your leader ,then?"

" Landreau our leader?" Several of the villagers made a sound Amy interpreted
as a chuckle. "He is our most trusted servant."

"Did you know he's just a computer?" Amy regretted those words they moment she
said them. She was being spiteful, and that was beneath her, normally.
Besides, what right did she have damaging their relationship? But no one
expressed shock.

"A computer? No, he is much more than that. Less than a man, certainly, but
more than a simple automation. He is the progeny of our savior. The one who
delivered us from chaos and set us on the path we follow now. We owe him
much."

"What exactly is the path you're following now?"

"Why, unity, of course."

"Unity with who?"

"Not with who, with what, with everything."

"I don't understand."

"That is because you are not one of us."

"Can you teach me?"

"Perhaps, but first we would like to know more about you. Where do you come
from, and why are you here?"

"I come from a planet so far from here I can't even explain it to you in a way
you would understand. As to what I'm doing here, it was the will of Landreau
that brought me."

"Landreau?, but why?"

"He hasn't told you? He brought me here to save you."

"Save us, from whom?"

"From the Plenetors, and from yourselves."

"Now it is I who does not understand."

"The Plenetors are a race of aliens traveling here as we speak. They intend to
conquer this world and enslave it's people. At least that's what he told me."

"Do you doubt his word?"

"Yes, I do."

"Landreau would never lie." Strom said confidently. "He might be mistaken, but
he would never deliberately mislead you. Now why would he think we are
endangering ourselves?"

"He thinks you are degenerating culturally. He fears you are becoming
barbarians."

"Really.... that explains much. He has been behaving somewhat oddly for
several years. You are a warrior, then?"

"Yes, I am."

"And what are your intentions toward us?"

"I don't have any yet. I was brought here against my will. I don't believe
everything he tells me, in spite of your confidence in him. I have some
decisions to make."

"So do we, apparently. Will you please wait outside while we discuss this?"

Amy did as she was asked. She did not have long to wait. Strom appeared and
gave her a thin smile: "I have volunteered to be the liaison between you and
ourselves. There is still much to discuss. Messengers will be dispatched to
other villages. A much larger meeting will take place in the near future.
Meanwhile, I am to learn all I can about you, and teach you whatever I can
about us. In this way, informed decisions can made. Is this satisfactory?"

Amy smiled broadly: "Yes, it is."

"A cottage is being prepared for you, it is on the other side of the village,
shall we?" He gestured politely.

They started walking. "Penn told me you killed the Goramond with your bare
hands. Is this true?"

"Yes, it is."

"You must be very strong. Are you typical of your species?"

She laughed. "No, I'm considered exceptional on several worlds."

"How exceptional, I mean, exceptional how?"

Amy smiled. Things weren't so different on Harad after all. "Would you like to
see how exceptional?"

"If you wouldn't mind."

"Not at all." She took off her jacket. Strom's eyes widened at the sight of
her arms. Amy reached down with her right hand and picked him up as if he were
a pebble. She placed him on her left bicep and flexed. He rose up over 600cm
on a bulging mountain of muscle, nearly toppling off. He grabbed her wrist and
held on as she flexed several more times. She put him down and put on her
jacket. "Well, what do you think?"

"I'm glad no one saw you do that."

"But you didn't ask me to stop."

"No"

"Did you like it?"

"Well.....yes."

"Why did you volunteer to spend so much time with me, Strom?", Amy asked
coyly.

"I am considered to be very....adventurous by my people", came the reply.

"Also...."

"Yes?"

"May I be frank with you, Amy Brigand Anderson?"

"Please, call me Amy. And be as frank as you want."

"All right....Amy. Your appearance and behavior is both repulsive
and.....stimulating. We are not a passionate people. Passion impedes unity.
Yet we retain our primal instincts, if you grasp my meaning."

"Oh I  grasp' it all right. Tell me, what about me do you find repulsive?"

"You are so.....large."

"And what do you find.....stimulating?"

"You are so.....large. I do not mean to offend you, decorum is important to
our race."

"Oh that's all right Strom, I appreciate your honesty."

Strom stiffened: "The people of Harad do not lie. Lying, more than anything,
prevents unity."

"Don't get upset, I believe you. What don't you like about my behavior?"

"You are a warrior. Fighting is your way of life, is it not?"

"Fighting is, killing is not. I kill only when I have to."

"Our people do not abhor killing, it is part of the nature of things. Killing
may even promote unity, under certain circumstances. It is fighting we find
revolting."

"Your people fought the....Goramond."

"We value life as much as unity. Fighting for self preservation is also part
of the balance of nature."

"But the beast attacked me, they came to my aid."

Strom stopped and looked at her: "Really.....that was a personal decision on
their part. Something about you indicated to them saving your life was more
important than our injunction against fighting."

They had arrived at her cottage. Strom motioned her inside.

"Let me guess, you hate fighting because it impedes  unity'."

"Please do not mock our most sacred beliefs Amy Brigand Anderson. We are not a
primitive people, despite our simple lifestyle. We have evolved far beyond the
petty jealousies and continuous turmoil of our ancestors. For nine hundred
years, our entire race has dedicated itself to the noble pursuit of achieving
unity with the known universe, and advancing to the next, some feel final,
step in our evolution. You, on the other hand, revel in dominating and
defeating your opponents. You seek the opposite of unity. Who's behavior is
primitive, who here is the barbarian?"

Amy's face flushed crimson. "You're not being fair at all Strom. I stand up
for the weak against the strong. I fight for justice, for freedom....."

"Freedom achieved through violence can only be maintained by more violence.
Where does it end? Only when one side or the other has been exterminated. I
find you fascinating only because you appeal to my baser instincts. Our
ancestors would have admired you, as no doubt Landreau does!"

"Don't be a hypocrite Strom! What instinct is it that draws you to me, eh?

You men are all the same, no matter where I go in this universe! You're
ashamed to admit it, aren't you? It upsets your feelings of superiority,
doesn't it? Go ahead, say it! It's SEX! YOU WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH ME!!!"

"Animals have sex", Strom said evenly through gritted teeth, "we enjoy unity
through physical coupling. We do not engage in unrestrained copulation, as it
seems you do!"

"You're calling me a slut?!" Amy stood a moment in complete shock.

Suddenly, she burst into tears.

Now it was Strom's turn to be shocked. "I'm.....sorry Amy, I don't even know
why I said those things....I..."

"Oh, go away Strom!" Amy balled and threw herself onto the grass mattress that
had been placed near the hearth. "Don't say anything else, or you'll just make
it worse!"

But Strom didn't leave. He went over and bent down next to her. He stroked her
hair as she sobbed into her massive arms. After a minute, he began to chant.
Apparently, there were no words, so the translator did not work. She heard it
in his native speech. It was more beautiful than any music she had ever heard
on earth. It was hypnotic, soothing, it was.....love. Not erotic love. It was
sympathy, understanding, friendship. All the things that come before
meaningful physical love. She began just a little to understand what he meant
with all his talk of  unity'. She felt better, stopped crying, and sat up.
Strom pulled a piece of cloth from under his tunic and dried her tears.

"Tell me what's wrong, I want to know, I care", he said softly.

"No, I don't want to talk now", she whispered.

"Then what?"

She stood up and quickly pulled off her jacket and tunic. Strom's eyes grew so
wide, they threatened to swallow his face. "I want you to show me
unity.....through coupling." He went to the door and closed it.

"All right, I will." She pulled off her leggings and sat on the mattress to
watch him strip. She was thrilled (and relieved!) To see his anatomy was not
much different than an earthman's. He came slowly to her, then bent down and
pulled the translator off of her neck.

"You won't be needing this", he said softly...............

"Tell me about your world Amy", Strom said as they lay in each others arms.
She had put the translator back on so they could speak.

"I'm almost ashamed to, Strom."

"Is it that bad?"

"Compared to Harad, it is."

"Is no one there interested in unity?"

"Almost no one. Those things you said about me? That's what too many of us are
like."

"I had no right to speak to you like that Amy. My behavior was the antitheses
of unity. I am the one who should be ashamed. Tonight, I must confess to my
family. They will not be pleased."

"Why must you tell them?"

"Because keeping secrets is nearly as bad as lying. It will weaken my unity
with them if I do not confess and seek their forgiveness. Fortunately", he
said with a smile, "I have one thing in my favor."

"What's that?"

"They will be pleased that I achieved unity with you so quickly."

"Really, you're not joking?"

"Not at all. In fact, many of us have wondered how we could achieve unity with
other species, given barriers of language and custom." He smiled again: "Now
we know."

"In that case", said Amy with a smirk, "why don't we practice interplanetary
communications some more, just to make sure it really works.

And this time, I'll keep the translator on, just so I can tell you how unified
I feel!"

Even though it was before midday, they fell asleep together afterwards, so
energetic and prolonged was their lovemaking. They awoke in the middle of the
afternoon.

"I imagine you must be as hungry as a Goramond, Amy," Strom said with a smile.
"Let me get dressed and get us some food."

"No, wait Strom, there is something I have to tell you."

"What's wrong? Why are you vexed, did our coupling offend you?"

"Offend me?, Oh Strom, I've never experienced anything so beautiful in all my
life."

"Then what?"

"You remember what you said about keeping secrets, how you had to confess? I
have something to confess to you."

"What is it Amy?"

She started to cry again, softly. Strom put her head on his shoulder and
stroked her hair. "Shhhhh, it's all right, tell me.

"I didn't come here from earth, I've never even been there. I didn't want to
believe it until now, but now I know it must be true. Landreau didn't bring me
here, he created me! In his lab! I'm not even a real person, just a copy, a
clone!"

Strom was so shocked, he couldn't say anything for a long time. He just held
Amy and stroked her while she sobbed. At last he said: "This changes nothing
between you and me, Amy. You are as real as anyone I have ever met. You are as
worthy as anyone as well. Don't ever think otherwise. I was wrong when I said
you appealed to my baser instincts. The opposite is true. The people of this
world have done you a grave injustice, one that can never be righted. We can
only offer you our sincerest apologies, and offer to help you in any way we
can. Landreau, on the other hand, has overstepped his bounds in a way that
must never happen again. He will be dealt with severely. Now set your mind at
ease Amy. No one will judge you as harshly as you have judged yourself. Let us
eat and rest while we can. I foresee dark days ahead. Our age of innocence has
ended. It is time for our people to emerge from the shadow of ignorance and
feel the harsh light of reality."

Chapter 4: The Great Council

It was a month before the meeting was held. The people of Harad were spread
thinly over a large area, and it took weeks for word to arrive at the remoter
villages.

Amy was not idle during that time, however. She had made up her mind to do
whatever she could to help them. She had always stood up for those that could
not do so themselves, if they were worthy of defense. The beauty of Harad and
it's people moved her deeply. If Landreau was correct in his assessment of the
Plenetors, that could mean only one thing, and she wanted to be ready. She
practiced her martial arts skills first thing after a light breakfast every
morning for an hour. Strom watched her, fascinated, but did not ask her to
train him. After practice came meditation to focus her mind and fight off her
fear and depression. After that came the other reason she wanted to save
Harad, Strom. Their lovemaking grew ever more intense and pleasurable as he
taught her things she would never would have imagined were possible. "This is
insane", she thought to herself one day as she watched him strip, "I'm falling
in love with an alien. A shrimp of a man barely five foot six." She giggled as
he pulled off his leggings. "Oh well, the men of Harad may be short, but
they're not small!"

After lunch, which was the largest meal of the day for the forest people,

Amy worked out. This presented a problem, as Landreau had ceased to answer her
(or anyone else's) summons. She finally hit upon an idea that was both
practical and functional. She built a shelter out of stone that anyone who
wished to could take refuge in. She found a canyon about 4km from the village
were there were many huge boulders. She would carry them to about 1km from the
village, were she had made a clearing by uprooting several dead trees (Strom
had insisted she not harm any live ones). She squared the stones by hitting
them against each other, as there were no tools of metal. There was no metal
at all, in fact. When she asked Strom about that, he explained that mining was
too detrimental to the environment, and that any implements or metal bits left
over from the cities of their ancestors were long used up. The cities
themselves were crumbled ruins, hardly worth visiting after 9 centuries of
decay. People who had some spare time (which was a rare commodity on Harad),
would often come to watch her work. They would stare, often with their mouths
gaping, as she lifted rocks weighing several tons, and slammed them down on a
wedge she had made to split them. The woods would echo with thunder as the
heavy stones were split, lifted, and dropped into place on top of one another.
They would murmur with admiration (and occasionally with revulsion) at the
sight of her enormous muscles bulging under the strain of her labors. They
would not help her (not that they really could), for they all thought it was a
waste of her time, but they would bring her food and drink out of politeness.
The hard work lifted her spirits. She was doing something, something they
wouldn't and couldn't. And she enjoyed showing off her strength to the people
of the village, especially to those who were envious or disgusted by it. One
day a young girl and her older brother brought her a plate of food and some
juice as she took a short break. The girl smiled and left to play, but the boy
stayed. He didn't want to be rude, but he couldn't help himself, he had to
stare. Amy was amused. She switched on her translator: "Hi there, what's your
name?"

"Delorme", he answered shyly. She put down her plate. "Do you enjoy watching
me work?" He nodded, blushing a little. She raised her left arm horizontally
so he could admire it: "Do you like big muscles Delorme?" Again he nodded. She
made a fist and slowly raised it. Her bicep shot up, several arteries pulsing
with blood from the heavy lifting plainly visible. The vertical head soared
ten inches above her hair. The lateral head bulged outwards toward him, larger
and harder than a bowling ball. The young man trembled at the sight of her
gigantic muscles. "You can touch them if you want", she said, smiling. The boy
reached out and placed his palm on her mountainous bicep. It was as hard as
the stone she was shaping. He could feel the blood pulsing through it like an
underground river. He muttered something unintelligible and drew back his
hand, his face flushed. Then he turned and ran back toward the village. Amy
looked up and saw 2 adults giving her strong looks of disapproval. "Oh oh",
she thought, "I think I'm in trouble."

She was. When she returned to the cottage she now shared with Strom, he was
waiting for her: "Amy, Delorme's mother just came to see me." "Yes?", she
replied, feigning innocence. "She was very upset. She claims that you
encouraged him to fondle you. Is this true?"

She turned crimson: "Yes it is Strom." She felt like a naughty schoolgirl that
had been caught playing  doctor' on the playground. He was plainly
exasperated. "Amy, what were you thinking? He's an adolescent. Is it the
custom on your world to stimulate boys like him the way you did?"

Amy bit her lip. "Strom, in case you forgot, this is my world too."

"Don't change the subject. How can you expect the people of the village to
accept you when you behave so outrageously?"

"Who says I want to be accepted by them?", she replied defiantly. "I'm sorry,
and I'll apologize to the boy's mother if that will help, but don't expect me
to think or act like you. It's never going to happen. I don't belong here! I
don't know where I belong!" She was on the verge of crying, but he came to her
and took her hand.

"It's all right Amy, don't cry. We forget sometimes how difficult it must be
for you. And it's not your fault. It's a terrible thing to be different, most
times, even for us. It must be twice as hard for you. I just ask that you
think before you act, all right?"

"Ok, I'll try", she said with a sniff. It was a comical sight. She towered
over him by over a foot. Her breasts were even with his face. On earth, anyone
who saw them together would assume he was her son, and here he was lecturing
her like a father.

He smiled: "That's good..... I have some free time", he said mischievously,
looking past the laces of her tunic, " would you like to achieve  unity'? It
will have to be quick."

"It's called  a quicky', and after this morning, I'm surprised you have the
strength!"

"Maybe this time I'll let you show me how much you've learned."

She pushed him onto his back and started removing his clothes: "You mean like
a  pop quiz', teacher?"

Amy finished the shelter 2 days before they were to leave for the council.

It was enormous- almost 60 meters long, about 20 meters wide, and 5 meters
tall (to discourage climbing onto the roof). Inside, 3 rows of massive pillars
supported the stone ceiling. She had also dug a well inside, using shovels
Strom had built for her, with stone blades and wooden handles. There were no
windows, but the uneven seems between the boulders allowed enough air and
light to pass through. The door proved to be a problem. It had to be easy
enough for a Haradian women to close, while still being impregnable to attack.
With Strom's help, she built a wooden winch to raise the door. By utilizing a
clever system of levers and pulleys, three healthy women could raise the � ton
door in about 10 minutes. To drop it into place, one had only to pull a lever
(and hope no one was in the way when it came down!). Amy, of course, could
lift it as easily as a grown man could lift a pen. Amy and Strom stood
surveying her handiwork: "Not bad for a physicist, eh Strom?"

"It looks like a tomb. I doubt my people would ever use it."

"They will if the Plenetors come."

"They would rather flee to the hills, I think."

"To be devoured by Goramond?, I don't think so. Besides, what about
earthquakes, hurricanes, don't you ever have bad weather?

"Landreau controls the weather. We never have natural disasters."

"This world would make a great vacation spot. To bad you're not interested in
money, you could make a killing on tourism!"

"Perish the thought!" Strom exclaimed, horrified.

The next day Amy and Strom had the afternoon off. "What would you like to do
Amy?", he asked, reaching for the laces of her tunic. She slapped his hand
away playfully. "Honestly Strom, you're worse than an Earthman. What ever
happened to  we are not a passionate people'?" "It's simple", he said with a
smile, "you have corrupted me into a Satyr." He reached for her again: "No
wait, Strom, let's talk first for a while, there's so much I don't
understand."

Disappointed, Strom withdrew his hand and sat down. "Ok, what do you want to
know?"

"You don't look much like Landreau. I thought he was an earthman."

"That's just adaptive evolution. Our eyes changed to see better in the dark,
since we don't utilize artificial light much. Our height and mouths diminished
in response to our diet."

"Well, I'm glad one part of your anatomy didn't diminish!" He smiled and
continued: "Our hair grew thicker to keep us warm. At the council you will see
that not all the people of this world appear the same. Different climes have
produced different results."

"Different how?"

"You'll see at the council, not that it matters much. In things that are
important, we all think the same, racism is unheard of since the great
enlightenment."

"When did that happen?

"Not overnight, it was gradual. We were so afraid of repeating the mistakes of
the past, we came together to search for a better way. The first great council
was held over 900 years ago in the very spot we are going to tomorrow. Certain
ground rules of conduct were established. They were had to adhere to at first,
but over time, they became our nature. A council is held each year so that
tribes or villages that are experiencing problems can seek guidance. In recent
times, however, the meetings have become more and more poorly attended. Hardly
anyone was there last year. Each group has become set in their own ways. As
long as we continue to strive together toward unity, who cares about the
details of everyday living? I only hope enough representatives attend this
meeting to form a unified plan of action."

"What do you mean by  ground rules'?"

"Aggression, by words or deeds, was outlawed. The penalty was the offending
tribe or village would be shunned completely. The eating of animal flesh would
be avoided, except if starvation was immanent."

"Why?"

"Medical research by the ancestors had shown that most diseases were either
caused or worsened by meat. Also, it is hard to achieve unity with an animal
species you hunt for food."

"But your people do hunt, I saw them in the woods that first night."

"Only aged or infirm animals are killed for their hides and bones, not for
food. They understand and except their fate on some level, we can sense it."

"The Goramond didn't seem to sense it."

"We desire unity with all creatures. Not all creatures desire unity with us.
Now what else would you like to know?"

She lay down and propped her head on her hand: "Tell me about unity."

He took a deep breath, as if to gather his thoughts. "There is a saying so
old, no one knows when it was first spoken:  No matter what you do during
your life, you come into it alone, and you leave the same way.' There is
another:  Every man is an island unto himself'."

"I've heard them both before on earth", she said.

"I'm not surprised. But the ancestors, having satisfied their baser desires
and achieving material equality for all, began a search for the ultimate
commodity: security. Material well being had not brought it to them. They had
pillaged the planets resources and wreaked havoc on the environment, only to
find themselves back at the beginning; afraid of the dark. Now do you
understand why we shun technology? It is a trap. Almost too late, they
realized the physical world would never provide them with peace of mind and
serenity of the soul. For the first time in the history of our world, the
people turned away from the scientists and engineers, and sought out the
priests and philosophers for the answer. The solution, they were told, was
simple. Simple, but not easy. A way must be found to break the physical
barriers that separate us from the each other and the rest of the living
universe. The problem was attacked on a variety of fronts. Some tried
meditation, others, experimentation with mind expanding drugs. But it was the
engineers, unfortunately, who claimed to have achieved the breakthrough. They
had a machine that could free one from the restraints of the body. The
announcement caused a sensation. A short cut to immortality had been found.
Everyone clamored for the opportunity to own or use such a machine. Squabbles
over control of this new technology were the spark that ignited a vicious
civil war. Long smoldering grudges erupted into flames of destruction. The
chaos lasted for years. Millions perished, entire nations, exterminated. For
once, though, technology proved to be our savior instead of our executioner.
Thomas Landreau, and the scientists working for him, brought about a temporary
respite through mass conditioning with sound waves. Once order was restored,
geneticists went to work isolating the genes that caused aggression.
Eventually, they were bred out of the species. We embarked on our quest anew.
But which direction should it take? Fortunately, we chose meditation. For 9
centuries, we have honed our skills. We have become a people who nurture the
environment, not abuse it. We seek in all things to connect with the physical
world, not isolate ourselves from it. Hence our minimalist existence. Most
importantly, we strive to achieve ever stronger emotional bonds with each
other. Finally, we meditate each day in groups, seeking to expand our
consciousness beyond our physical being. In some ways, we have succeeded
admirably. We live in peace with our selves and our world. We are free from
disease, envy, sloth, and other maladies of the body and mind. But our quest
remains unfulfilled, despite a near millennia of effort. We are still trapped
in our physical selves. We are born, exist, and die alone. We share our
thoughts and feelings, but not our essence, our souls, if you will. But we are
not discouraged. Once we have achieved true unity, all those who came before
us will be joined together. They will not have labored in vain. Such is our
existence. What do you think?"

But Amy was only half listening to the end of his monologue. She was deep in
thought. He waited patiently for her to speak: "Strom, what happened to the
machines, the ones that started the civil war?"

"Why, they were destroyed, along with everything else."

"Are you sure?"

"How can I be certain of something that happened a thousand years ago?

And why do you ask?"

"Because of something that Landreau said."

"You think Landreau has one of them? I don't see why. He understood the danger
they represented better than anyone."

"And yet, he traveled a trillion light years to my world, penetrated my mind,
manipulated my dreams. And he did it to countless other beings all over the
universe, in the space of a few months. How could he do that, Strom?"

"Why, I don't know, I'm a forester, not a physicist.

"Well I am a physicist, and I'm telling you it's impossible. When I asked him
about it, do you know what he said?  Thinking is the best way to travel'.

It all makes sense now. Landreau has one of those machines. And he's been
using it on you as well as me. For all this time. No wonder he thinks he's
God!"

There was a long silence. "Amy", Strom croaked in a horse whisper: "you must
tell no one, do you understand, no one. This is even worse news then the
Plenetors. If word gets out, it could be worse than the first time. All our
efforts. Almost a thousand years, could evaporate overnight. God help us.

That machine must be discovered and destroyed. Will you help me Amy, please!
PLEASE!"

She was shocked: "All right Strom, I'll help. I think I know where it is. No,
wait. He reads my mind like a book. He's probably making arrangements to move
it already. We'll force him to tell us were it is." She sat up and raised a
mighty arm. Her muscles exploded upward and outward as she flexed. She admired
herself a moment before looking at Strom. He was doing likewise. "I can be
very persuasive", she said huskily, pumping her bicep several times. The head
rose another 2 inches, and thick veins appeared on its surface. His breath
became heavy and uneven, his leggings uncomfortably tight. She then stood,
scooped him up like a puppy, and carried him over to their bed. She dropped
him on it and started to disrobe. He was practically drooling as she stripped.
"Well", she purred, "I see I've perked you  up'...."

They left at dawn the next morning. Amy, Strom, and Thorgom, a villager with
an interest in history, walked for 4 days to reach the meeting place. The
scenery was almost too beautiful to describe. It had taken a day and a half to
reach the edge of the forest. The trees and shrubs they saw along the way
resembled nothing Amy had seen on Earth. Many were brightly colored. Some were
as tall as giant redwoods, with great overhanging branches like some colossal
Weeping Willow. The animals they saw were unafraid of Strom and Thorgom, but
wary of her.

Beyond the forest the land grew less vegetated, and started to rise. At the
top of a high hill, Amy turned and trained the binoculars Landreau had given
her back the way they'd come. The forest was massive, tens of thousands of
acres. Panning around, she could see off to her left, in the distance, was an
ocean or great sea. Ahead, the land was hilly and rocky, with sparse clumps of
low bushes and stunted, gnarled trees. It was the only piece of unattractive
terrain she saw on Harad.

"What are these hills, Strom?"

It was Thorgom who answered: "They are the remains of a great city. At our
request, Landreau buried them hundreds of years ago. They were a painful
reminder of our past. See, nothing beautiful can grow here, the land is
poisoned, perhaps forever. Let us not talk of it anymore." Beyond the 
wasteland' was another range of hills, these naturally formed. They were
covered with wild grasses and an occasional stand of tall, slender ferns.
Herds of domesticated animals grazed here, tended by people who closely
resembled the foresters, but with darker skin and less exotic eyes. Their
reaction to Amy was predictable. Most tried to be polite, but some stared
openly at her huge arms (she'd removed her jacket) and bulging tunic. They
welcomed them all however, and invited them to dine and spend the night.

They lived in huts made from the tall ferns which grew in the area. Floors,
walls, thatched roofs, all made from the same plant. "They don't look very
permanent, Strom", Amy remarked as they were ushered into the largest one. It
was still too small to comfortably contain Amy's bulk, and presented a comical
sight. Her head nearly touched the ceiling, even in the middle of the room.
She was far to large for the table, and was obliged to sit cross legged on the
floor. It resembled a scene from  Gulliver's Travels'.

"The hill people are nomads", he replied. "They live in a different village
each season of the year. It is now late summer in this part of the world.
Soon, they will take their herds south, to allow the grasses to regrow for
next year."

Despite the fact they were shepherds, the hill people were vegetarians like
all Haradians. The cheese and milk they served, however, was a welcome respite
from the diet of the foresters. As usual, the meal was too small, despite the
fact she was the only one to have two servings. In the forest, she had hunted
occasionally. Eating meat always made her feel a little guilty, for she knew
the villagers were aware of what she was doing and were horrified.

But she had no choice. The breads, fruits, and fungi that were consumed by the
people of the woodlands simply did not contain enough calories and protein to
nourish her massive physic. So she would chase and kill one of the deer like
creatures they called Lemkes, cook it, and consume the entire animal on the
spot. When she would return to the village, even Strom would avoid her for a
short while. It made her depressed, sometimes angry. She knew she could never
spend the rest of her life on Harad. She was an alien, and only the locals
noble demeanor prevented them from despising her.

After their meal came prayers. The hill people retained organized religion.
Amy listened, fascinated, to the brief  service'. Then came the group
meditation. Thorgom and Strom participated, Amy went to bed......

She didn't sleep long, however. Several different kinds of loud cries came all
at once to the inhabitants of the small cabin. The first Amy recognized as an
alarm being sounded by the Hill People. She switched on her translator and
leaped to her feet, along with Strom and Thorgom. The second sound was an
animal one, no doubt the herd animals their shepherds called Nordals. It was
abject terror. The third sound made Amy's blood run cold and her flesh crawl.
It was a bloodthirsty howl, not unlike a wolf's, but far more sinister. She
grabbed her walking staff as the others fumbled for their knives. "Kraken!",
one of the women inhabitants of the cabin shouted to be heard above the din,
"they never come this far north!" She led the others through the door in a
rush.

Outside was pandemonium. Harad has no moon, and though there is more
starlight, it was two dark to see clearly. Hill people were running back and
forth, some carrying torches, which cast a surreal glow on the proceedings.

"This way!" Thorgom shouted, and the three of them sprinted toward the animal
enclosures.

It was chaos. The pens had been broken down, and Nordals were scattering in
every direction. Amy nearly tripped over the body of one. One of the hill
people, wounded, was trying to crawl away. He collapsed with a groan. Then Amy
saw the creature causing the panic and, for a second, was rooted in fear.

It was impossible to see it clearly in dark, of course, but that wasn't
necessary. The  Kraken' appeared to resemble a Saber Toothed Tiger. The size
of a rhinoceros, it stood on four powerful legs. It's enormous incisors were
plainly visible. It's head was gigantic, it looked like it could swallow a
Nordal whole. Two hill people with long spears were trying to keep it at bay.
It leaped at them. One of the spears pierced it's hide, but at an angle, and
not nearly deep enough. The great creature landed squarely on one of the
hapless spearmen, killing him instantly. The other pulled his dagger, but the
Kraken was too fast. With a backhand swipe of a forepaw, the poor fellow was
sent tumbling backward, his knife flying from his hand.

With as loud a shout as Amy's powerful lungs could produce, she ran at the
beast, raising her staff above her head. The Kraken turned to meet her charge.
She brought the staff down with all her might, hoping to crush the beasts
skull, but it ducked out of the way with surprising quickness. The staff
splintered into fragments against the ground, she was now unarmed. Amy threw
the remains of her staff aside and assumed her fighting stance. The great
beast lunged at her, paws flashing sharp claws. Amy dropped and rolled. It
turned and lunged again. Again Amy avoided it, and delivered a sharp kick to a
flank as it shot past. The blow did no damage, but the giant predator was more
wary now. The Kraken paused for a moment to size her up, this was no nomad of
the hills. Amy too, realized she was not facing some clumsy Goramond. This
animal resided at the top of the planet's food chain, not the Haradians.
Thorgom and Strom ran up beside her. "Here Amy!" Strom shouted, and thrust a
knife into her hand. "You take care of this one!"

"You mean there's another one?!", but the answer was obvious. Off to her
right, another bloodthirsty howl proceeded the anguished cries of the
Shepard's. "Alright, go, before the whole village is slaughtered!"

They ran off, leaving her to face the wounded Kraken alone.

Amy raised the knife threateningly to show the great beast she was armed and
advanced. She was hoping it would leap at her, leaving it's underbelly
exposed. But the Kraken was too clever for that. It paced around her, snarling
viciously, looking for an opening. Suddenly, it made up it's mind. It ran
directly at her, raising a paw as it drew near to maul her. Amy's knife
flashed, and the beast howled with rage and pain as a large slice of it's paw
fell to the ground. But it didn't retreat. It's momentum carried it forward,
and it slammed into her, knocking her off her feet. Amy fell onto her back,
right beside the Shepard that had been crushed to death just minutes before.
The Kraken leaped again to finish her off. Amy's hand closed on something
hard, the dead Haradian's spear! She pulled it up just as the huge body
descended. She didn't even have time to get out of the way. The spear head
pierced the monsters belly and the length of the shaft sank into it's body. It
collapsed on top of her with an anguished roar.

Had she not been as strong as she was, she would have been crushed. It weighed
over a thousand kilograms. She pushed the carcass off her and ran to help the
others, stopping to pick up her knife.

The other Kraken was wreaking havoc on the Hill Peoples village. One hut had
collapsed, another was on fire. In the light of the flames, Amy could see
several bodies on the ground. Only 8 people were left to fight the beast.
Strom, Thorgom, and 4 men and 2 women Shepard's. Two of them had torches,
apparently it was afraid of fire. They had the monstrous predator, even larger
than the first, surrounded, but made no attempt to attack it. When it
advanced, they would fall back, jabbing at it with their spears and knives,
waving the torches. Amy pulled off a large chunk of the burning hut and walked
past the ring of defenders to meet it, knife raised.

The Kraken was wary of Amy's huge torch, but in no mood to play games. It
maneuvered over to Amy's left, away from the torch, and charged.

Two spears flew through the air. One missed, the other buried itself in the
great creatures side. It ignored the pain and raised it's forepaw to smite
her.

Amy slashed at it but missed. The beast barreled into her and knocked her
over, landing on top of her. She could smell it's hot breath, incisors as big
as swords, as it's gaping mouth closed to within inches of her face. Her right
hand shot up and grabbed it's throat. It twisted out of her grip before she
could crush it's windpipe. She heaved it's nearly 2000 kg bulk off her as
easily as if it was a Cocker Spaniel and leaped to her feet, but the beast had
it's fill of fighting. With the spear protruding from it's side, it slunk off
into the darkness, bleeding from several wounds.

Amy dropped the knife and wiped her forehead. The others were already
attending to their fallen comrades. Old people and children, who had been
cowering in one of the huts, rushed out with blankets, water, and bandages.
Amy helped by carrying the wounded into one of the huts, now made up into a
makeshift hospital. Strom asked Thorgom to return to their village and bring
help. He nodded ascent and left after filling a water skin. An adolescent
likewise hurried to the nearest village of the Hill People. On Earth or Jade,
Amy could have helped heal the wounded, but the medicinal plants of Harad were
unknown to her. She volunteered to bury the dead. Strom offered to help.

The toll was terrible. 8 Hill People had been killed, 5 men and 3 women. Their
wounds were ghastly, two were missing limbs, and had apparently bled to death.
Another eight had been wounded, some seriously. They worked quickly without
speaking. Amy was no stranger to violence, but the carnage inflicted on these
gentle people moved her to silent tears. Strom was unable to maintain his
composure. His sobs grew as he dragged a young women over and gently laid her
to rest in the deep hole Amy had dug with the branch of a shrub. He removed a
piece of stone jewelry from her neck and placed it at the head of her grave so
her family would know where she was buried. He did likewise with the others,
then stood, shaking with grief as Amy filled in the holes.

They stood in silence for a long time, looking over their work, trying to make
sense of what had happened. Strom kept muttering: "I don't understand, they
never come this far north, they won't cross the Great River."

Finally, they went to see how the others were doing.

They avoided the hut being used as a hospital. In the only other one still
undamaged, they found several oldsters trying to calm the hysterical children,
most of whom had lost a parent, two were now orphans. Strom approached the
oldest looking male, who was cradling a young boy, rocking him gently and
stroking his hair. "Darvad", he whispered, "how could this happen?"

"Six weeks ago, my people noticed the great river was running very low near
our southern village", was the reply. " They traveled upstream until they
found the reason; a landslide had created a damn of sorts. Not enough to stop
the river, but in several places, it was shallow enough for animals to ford.
With great difficulty, we broke the damn, fearing our pastureland would flood.
We made note of the tracks on the far bank. Nordal, Lemke, and Travane, which
the Kraken hunt, but no Kraken prints. We should have been more vigilant.
Those two Kraken must have crossed in pursuit of the Travane. Even if they
caught and devoured them, they would soon grow hungry again, for there are no
large animals on the north side of the river, there isn't enough vegetation.
I'm sure they attacked our village out of desperation. In my whole life, this
has never happened before. They fear our fire, and respect our spears. If not
for your large friend, we all would have perished."

Strom stood up. "Amy, we have one more thing to do tonight, follow me."

They left the hut and returned to the spot were Amy had encountered the second
Kraken. He studied the ground a minute. "He went this way", he said shortly,
and started off into the darkness.

"Are you afraid he'll return?, he was wounded", Amy observed, walking beside
him. Strom didn't answer right away. At last he said: "No that's not why we
are following him."

"Then why?"

"He is wounded, yes. He is trapped on the wrong side of the river. There are
no animals large enough to feed him. It is a death sentence. We must find and
kill him, out of mercy, or he will slowly starve. No living creature should
have to experience that. It is not part of the nature of things."

"You know, just a week ago, I would have thought you were out of your mind for
saying that."

"Good, there is hope for you yet." Amy could not see his face in the dark, but
she detected the smile in his voice.

Dawn had come and gone when growling noises alerted them to the Kraken's
presence. Fortunately, they were upwind of the beast. They crept forward
carefully and peered over a sunken boulder.

It was dying. It lay on it's side, the now broken shaft of the spear sticking
up into the air. The ground around it was stained with blood. Amy could see
two knife wounds, one a puncture, the other a deep slash. She marveled at the
bravery of the Hill people, to get close enough to stab such a fearsome
animal. Even in it's death agony, it was a beautiful and terrifying creature.
Nearly five meters long, it probably stood two meters tall. It's short, thick
fur was the color of wheat. It's face, now twisted in pain, was handsome, in a
savage way. The eyes were enormous and bright, the snout broad and sleek. It's
huge incisors jutted down and curved inward like tusks turned backwards. It's
mouth was partly open, it's breath was rasping. Two rows of razor sharp teeth
were stained with blood. Whose? The Shepard's, or it's own? Maybe both. Amy
had never seen such a magnificent creature in all her life. It was easy to see
why Strom pitied it.

There was no need to be careful, it was too weak to attack them. They stood
and approached it. It heard them and growled meekly, but made no attempt to
get onto it's feet. They stopped about two meters from it.

"Amy, turn off your translator, please."

"Why?"

"Because this is between me and him, it's.....personal."

She did as he asked. He began to chant quietly. The Kraken looked at him
attentively, seemingly understanding him. After several minutes he stopped and
drew his knife. The beast made no attempt to stop him as he bent down and
stabbed it at the base of it's neck, severing the brain stem, killing it
instantly. It's face relaxed, it seemed to be sleeping with it's eyes open.
Strom cleaned his knife and spoke some more words. Then he turned and headed
back to the Hill peoples settlement.

Help had arrived by the time they returned. Strom had said nothing the whole
way. Amy sensed he was pondering something, he was over his grief. The damaged
huts were being repaired, as were the animal pens. Less than half the herd of
Nordals had been found, however. It would be a rough winter for the tribe,
with so many dead or injured, and the food supply diminished. Arrangements
were being made with the forest people to bring food and extra clothing. The
children made orphans would be adopted by distant relatives. The people of
Harad would survive because they cooperated in a way those on Earth seldom
did. They were well equipped to live in their primitive world, Amy thought to
herself. Not because they were strong, but because they were brave and true to
their ideals. They could survive anything. Anything but the Plenetors.

"We should go Thorgom," Strom said solemnly, surveying the busy scene. "We
don't want to be late for the Council." The other nodded. He had already
prepared their provisions. They set off in silence, each pondering their
troubles.

The rest of the trip to the council passed uneventfully. Amy hardly noticed
the scenery. They camped under the stars the following evening and arrived
just as the meeting began.

The meeting place was surprisingly simple. A natural amphitheater formed by a
bomb crater, with a rock overhang on one side that provided shade from the
afternoon sun. The soil had regenerated over the years and was covered with
soft turf.

Strom explained the format of the meeting as they climbed up the hill to their
seats. "In the center is the moderator, chosen at random. His name is Arthon,
one of the Mountain People. He visited my village once. He is a good choice,
his wisdom and clarity of thought is widely known. If you wish to speak, stand
up and wait for him to recognize you. Don't speak out of turn or you will be
ignored. There is no set agenda, so I don't know how this will all play out.
It would probably be best to let me speak before you. You go last, for the
greatest impact, OK?"

She nodded ascent. He looked around, clearly disappointed. "A little over half
the settlements have sent representatives. That's the most in years, but
hardly enough to form a consensus of opinion, let alone a plan of action."

He couldn't say more, however, because Arthon raised his hand to signal the
council was to begin. There were no formalities: "We all know why we are here.
What we have been told is fantastic, almost unbelievable. Let us now speak to
the one who can provide us with answers." He turned in the direction of
Landreau's mountain: "Landreau, come forth, we MUST speak with you!"

He appeared instantly several meters in front of Arthon. He appeared sullen,
like a misbehaved child waiting to be admonished by a parent. He said nothing.
Arthon looked him straight in the eye. "Do you know why we have summoned you?"

"Of course I do," he said curtly, "I see all, hear all, know all. Everyone
knows that."

Arthon ignored his rudeness. "Then what have you to say for yourself regarding
Miss Anderson......"

Landreau exploded: "Say for myself?! I am Landreau, I am not required to
justify my actions to you or anyone else!" He drew himself up to stand as tall
as was possible: " I am entrusted with the welfare of this entire planet and
all it's people. I do what I think is best, and am answerable to no one but my
own conscience. You have become little more than children......"

"SILENCE!!!" It was the only time Amy ever saw a Haradian lose his temper.
Landreau was stunned, and closed his mouth. Arthon's face was purple with
rage. "I don't know which is worse, you actions or your attitude, your pride,
your arrogance! Look at yourself! Have you no shame? Have you no memory?
You've become everything that destroyed our culture, and worse! What if Thomas
Landreau were here now. What would he say? What would he think? He would see
that his mission had failed. That the servant fancied himself the master. He
would disconnect you!"

Arthon's words struck Landreau like a fist. He seemed to shrink. He bowed his
head, saying nothing. Arthon struggled to regain his composure. There was a
suspenseful pause, not a soul there even dared breathe.

"Landreau", Arthon said at last. "Your behavior has been criminal, monstrous.
Your actions are not only reprehensible, but have endangered our very
existence. You are dangerous."

Landreau looked up at him with resignation. "Is this the end then? Am I to be
shut down?"

"Not yet. You have one more task to complete. Help us deal with the
Plenetors."

"What do you mean, you know I cannot fight....."

Arthon cut him off. "That's not what I meant. Help us understand them.
Fighting is the last thing we want."

A women stood up. Arthon recognized her with a nod.

"When will they get here?"

"In approximately 4 months, 18 days, and 3 hours" was Landreau's reply. Amy
smiled, what was  approximate' about that?

"What are they like?"

"Here is a holographic image, 3 times life size...."

The crowd gasped. The 3 dimensional picture that appeared before them seemed
vaguely familiar to Amy, but was totally foreign and repulsive to the
Haradians. It was impossible to tell if it was male or female. It's distant
ancestors might have been a large bird of prey. The small head lacked hair.
Small tufts of what looked like stunted feathers sprouted at random across a
bony skull. The pinched, pointy face narrowed to a sharp beak. There were no
teeth. The eyes were small, black, and lifeless, like a shark's. It stood
upright on two legs that resembled an Ostriches's. It appeared to be just a
little less than 2 meters tall. It's upper limbs might once have been wings.
Now they were long arms similar to a bats. There was an elbow and a hand, with
opposed  thumb' and three digits, all long and sharp. The torso was thin,
hidden by a bright blue tunic covered with bits of shiny metal. The large feet
were shod with slippers of some sort. "This is the expedition leader, who
calls himself  Uklock', as best I can translate." No one said anything for a
minute.

"How many are there?"

"There are three ships. The largest holds 3,000 colonists and 20 crew.
Scientists, engineers, agriculturists, etc. The 2 smaller are warships. They
each contain 100 warriors and 10 crew. In addition, one ship has the leader of
the expedition and his staff, another 10 males and ten females."

Thorgom stood up. Arthon pointed to him.

"Do you know what there plans are, exactly?"

"One warship will remain in orbit. It has long range weapons for destroying
targets from space. The other will land with the colonists. Once all
resistance to their hegemony has been crushed, the planets topography will be
surveyed. A suitable location for their first city will be determined. It will
be built with slave labor provided by yourselves. After that, more cities.
Your population will be forcibly increased to provide more labor. Once the
planets new infrastructure is completed, most of the native population will be
exterminated. A few of you will be kept as maintenance workers."

There was a stunned silence.

"Are you certain. Landreau?" Arthon's voice was now a little shaky.

"Yes. I have spent every moment of the last month exploring their ships,
listening to their conversations, reading their thoughts. They are utterly
without mercy or compassion. They believe all other cultures to be inferior to
their own. They exterminated 2 other sentient species to gain control of their
planet. They have conquered and colonized 2 others since then. Both smaller
and less hospitable than this one. They are very excited over the prospect of
ruling this world. It will be the largest and most beautiful in their empire."

There was a low murmur as the 40 or so men and women assembled there discussed
this shocking revelation. At last, Strom decided the moment was at hand and
stood. Arthon recognized him.

"We all heard Landreau's assessment of these invaders, for that is what they
are. We know he would never lie. Does anyone here think he is mistaken? They
come in vast numbers, armed, to a planet that they know contains no threat to
them. What else could their purpose be? Is it not now understandable that
Landreau did what he did?" He raised his hand for quite as a murmur of
disapproval came from the audience. "I am not condoning his tactics, just the
results. By....bringing someone to us who can deal with these predators, we
have options. Otherwise, we would be at the mercy of those who have none!"

A man on the opposite side of the amphitheater stood up. Arthon nodded to him.

"What options are you talking about, Strom of the Forest People?" Amy didn't
like his tone of voice. "Shall we ambush them like Kraken when they land?
Maybe we should engage them in open battle, our bone knives against there
weapons of mass destruction? Perhaps they'll agree to a roll of the dice,
winner take all?" A few in the crowd laughed briefly. Arthon looked at Strom,
who indicated he wanted to reply. "And what do you propose, Shelib of the
Shore People? When the Plenetors come to your village, is everyone going to
jump into the sea and swim for the deserted continent?" There was more
laughter. Shelib's face reddened. Without waiting to be recognized, he spat
out: "Better to flee than slaughtered like Lemke in the winter by Goramond.
Does anyone here believe we can fight them?!"

Amy stood up and said quietly "I do." A hushed silence descended on the
gathering. She had removed her jacket. They gaped at her, towering over them
like Godzilla surveying Tokyo.

"Ah yes, the Forest man's mate", Shelib sneered. "And just how are you going
to stop a horde of Armed Plenetors?"

"That's enough, Shelib", warned Arthon. He looked at Amy. "Well, Miss
Anderson?, I'm sure many of us would like to know the same thing."

Amy picked up her walking stick. It was as thick as Shelib's torso. She held
it out in front of her. She flicked her wrists and the staff snapped in two so
loudly the echoes rolled around the amphitheater. Then she bent down and
picked up the moss covered rock she had been sitting on. It was nearly a meter
long and half a meter thick. She raised her left arm and placed the small
boulder between her forearm and bicep. She then flexed. Her gigantic upper arm
swelled even larger and crushed the large stone. It crumbled nearly to dust
and fell to the ground in a thousand tiny pieces. She admired her handiwork a
moment as the crowd gasped in amazement. Then she looked up at Arthon, and
beyond him, Shelib. "Like that." She said simply.

"That was......impressive", Arthon stammered, "but against more than 3
thousand of them......"

"The Plenetors can be defeated. They have weapons and terror on their side. We
have numbers, courage, and Landreau on ours."

"Me?" Landreau sputtered. "But I can't, I won't, my programming....."

"Oh shut up Landreau, you sniveling pipsqueak. You'd be as useless in a fight
as a boulder to a baby! " Many in the assembly roared with laughter. Good,
that was what she wanted, to break the foul mood.

But Shelib wasn't giving up so easily. "That's all well and good for you, a
warrior to whom killing means nothing. But the people of Harad do not make
war. Freedom earned through violence can only be maintained by more violence!
We have learned from the mistakes of our ancestors. We do not fight!" There
was a murmur of approval from many in the crowd. But Amy wasn't fazed.

"You dishonor yourself and your people with your words, Shelib." She replied.
"When the Goramond attacked me, did the Forest people flee? When the Kraken
invaded the Hill Peoples village, did they kneel down and beg for mercy? No!
An adolescent women, barely more than a girl, plunged her knife into the
Kraken's hide before it tore her arm off and left her to die!" Some in the
crowd grew pale, a couple began to cry. "Why, because she had too, to protect
her village, her herd, her way of life. A girl! And you, a full grown man,
selected by your village to represent their views. You stand there and say we
should do nothing when everything everyone on this world has worked for a
thousand years to achieve is threatened. Is this the way of the Shore People?
To abandon your quest for unity? To become slaves to a cruel and barbarous
race? To be exterminated like Nordals fleeing the Kraken? No, it cannot be!
Anything worth having is worth fighting for. We can defeat them. How? Because
the people of Harad are brave, and because I am strong!" With that she threw
out her chest and flexed her arms into a double biceps pose. The over stressed
tunic split in 6 places at once. Her humongous physic emerged from the
shredded fabric. The silence was deafening as they gaped at her incredible
body. Strom threw her cloak over her shoulders as she lowered her arms and
glared at Shelib. Many of those assembled there turned to look at him, waiting
for his reply.

"I am not a coward", he said at last, "and mean no disrespect to the dead. I
just think it's foolish and against everything we believe in to start a war we
cannot win!" A few in the crowd nodded agreement, but many more shook their
heads.

"Believe what you will, Shelib. But I am willing and able to train anyone who
wishes to defend themselves and their people from these monsters. With
Landreau's help, we can plan a strategy for dealing with them. Maybe we don't
have to fight them at all, I don't know. We have the element of surprise. We
know or can learn everything about them, they know nothing about us. They've
never even seen me, and I'm quite an impressive sight when I want to be!"
Several in the crowd laughed, most of the rest smiled. "With a sufficient show
of force, we may be able to bluff them into going home. But we have to be
ready to fight, or we'll suffer the same fate every herd animal on Harad does
when confronted by a predator. I'm leaving for Strom's village immediately to
make preparations. I will return in 2 months. Anyone who thinks this world and
their way of life is worth saving should be here!" With that she turned on her
heel and strode off back the way they had come.

Chapter 5: Calm before the Storm

"That was an impressive speech Amy." Strom said when he and Thorgom had
finally caught up to her an hour later. "I especially liked the part when you
ruined you clothes. Most of the other men did too, I observed." Amy stopped
and glared at him. He and Thorgom tried to suppress smiles, but couldn't.
Finally, they all laughed. "We'd better laugh while we can," Thorgom observed,
"If you and Landreau are right, there isn't going to be much more of it for a
while."

"What took you two so long to catch up?"

"You mean what besides the fact we have to take three steps for every one of
yours?" Strom replied. They laughed again. "Well, for one thing, I had to get
some cloth to mend your tunic. For another, I made some arrangements to help
with your  preparations'.

"What arrangements?"

"Well, I made Landreau promise to appear immediately every time you summon him
from now on."

"Oh, he must have loved that."

"As much as I love cleaning my infant son's diapers," Thorgom replied.

They laughed a third time.

"I also talked with several people skilled in woodwork. It seems to me no
matter what, we cannot confront the Plenetors with only our charm and bone
knives. Daveed of the Hill People promised to start making spears. Whidle of
the Marsh Dwellers has agreed to produce bows and arrows."

Amy stopped again. "You mean some of the people on this planet know archery?
That's good. I hope lot's of these.....Marsh dwellers show up to join our
little army."

"That's unlikely." Thorgom replied. "The Marsh Dwellers are not numerous. Many
of their young adults leave their villages for more hospitable climes.
Nonetheless, I would say a single Marsh Dweller is worth a dozen Shore People
in a fight."

"Do not be too hard on the Shore People, Thorgom." Strom admonished.

They are the product of a benign environment, just as the Marsh dwellers are
the product of a hostile one."

"You're right of course", Thorgom agreed.

"If the marshes are so bad, why does anyone live there?" Amy wanted to know.

"Those who stay claim the marsh is the most beautiful part of Harad." Strom
replied. "Who are we to argue? The beauty of the marsh is real, but so are the
Dagorons."

"What's a Dagoron?"

"Dagorons are the reason The Marsh Dwellers practice archery. Children are
taught as soon as they can pull the string."

"Are they as bad as the Goramond?"

"Worse"

"What about Kraken"

"The skeleton of a Kraken was once found in the lair of a Dagoron that had
died of old age." Thorgom replied. "How the Kraken got into the Marsh, no one
can say. The fact that it never got out surprised no one."

"Good grief", Amy said with a smile, "I take back what I said about
vacationing here, Strom. So many tourists would wind up in some things
stomach, there would be no one left to pay the bill!"

They stopped at the Hill Peoples village on the way back. With the help of
some foresters, and even a couple of shore people, they were recovering
nicely. They stayed with them a week to help out. Amy built a large hall for
them, using boulders as a foundation, and the trunks of the gnarled trees from
the  dead hills' as walls. The roof was thatched with ferns. She treated the
shepherds to the same displays of amazing strength the foresters had 
enjoyed' when she built their stone shelter. She also discovered a bog at the
end of the their pastureland that contained a thick layer of peet. She showed
them how to use it as fuel.

After that they hurried home. Amy was gratified when all of the available men
and women of Strom's village agreed to  join up', some 15 men and 11 women.
She started preparing right away. First, if she was to be their  general' and
impress the Plenetors, she had to dress the part. After discussions with Strom
and Thorgom, they showed her where a tough, bamboo like plant grew. She used
it to fashion a suit of Samurai style body armor. She decorated the helmet
with the crest of  Arms Master' her teacher Julia used on Jade. Next she
carved an especially large and thick staff with Runes depicting fighting
spells. "Even if their magic doesn't work here, I feel more confident gripping
them", she thought to herself. Next, she chose 2 men and 1 women to be her 
Staff'. She chose Strom, of course. Also Thorgom, and most importantly, a
young women named Timarla. Timarla had married into the forest people, she was
originally from the mountains surrounding Landreau's laboratory. Her first
task was to recruit as many of her people as possible. She set off at once.
Thorgom likewise traveled to the other 5 villages in the great forest to
collect  volunteers'.

While all this was going on, Amy, Strom, and the others huddled with Landreau
to discuss strategy.

"You once told me you were delaying them, how?" she asked the ghostly image.

"By confusing their navigators. I changed the readouts of their instruments to
lead them off course."

"Then why don't you just send them back the way they came, to their home
world?"

"By the time I located their fleet, they were more than halfway here. They
would not make it Back before they ran out of fuel. Their ships were modified
to increase cargo capacity for the colonists. Some fuel storage was
sacrificed. They never intend to return. After a set period of time, another
ship is to arrive here and bring back those Plenetors needed elsewhere, as
well as bringing more colonists. By that time, they expect to have their first
city completed. To delay them any more is to condemn them all to death. My
programming forbids that."

"Your concern for their welfare is heartwarming, Landreau," Amy said
sarcastically, "We'll all be sure to thank you while they're chopping off our
heads."

"Please Amy, stop castigating Landreau. He cannot help being what he is."

"You mean a failure? All right, I'll stop, don't look at me like that Strom.
You remind me of my mother. Landreau, can you arrange to have them run so low
on fuel that once they land, that can't take off again?"

"Certainly, that's nearly their predicament now."

"Can you refuel them?"

"That would takes weeks, if not months. I will start building the necessary
equipment immediately. Hopefully, the work will be completed by the time they
land. There will be considerable scarring of the landscape, Strom."

"I think in this case that's forgivable Landreau." He replied with a thin
smile.

"And can you figure out some way to make the warship they intended to orbit
the planet land also?"Amy asked.

"It shouldn't be difficult for me to fake a message to them from Uklock
instructing them to land, while at the same time blanking out normal ship to
ship communication."

"Good, now we're getting somewhere. Can you also make them all land where I
want them to?"

It won't be easy, but I think I can manage it. As long as it doesn't imperil
their lives," he added, "don't ask me to drop them in the middle of the
ocean."

"Oh perish the thought. Then we wouldn't have to fight them. Wouldn't be much
fun in that. Never mind, I know Strom. Just one more thing. Does your
programming allow you to neutralize their weapons?"

"Of course."

"Can you?"

"Yes, I have been studying their weapon systems. They are unprotected. They do
not expect organized resistance."

"What about their side arms?"

"Again, it will not be difficult. I was already planning to disable them."

"Can you do it on my signal, or will it take time?"

"Their shipboard weapons of mass destruction require some time, their side
arms, only a few seconds."

"Excellent! We have a chance after all. Ladies and gentlemen, our plan is
simple. We force the Plenetors to land in an open, desolate area. Our army
will be there to greet them. If they can be intimidated, we will refuel their
ships and send them back to where they came from. If they chose to fight, they
will have no weapons. Hopefully, we can defeat them badly enough in one battle
to force their capitulation. We then load the survivors onto a ship and
dispatch them home. Any questions?"

Strom sighed. " It's a good plan, but I'm worried. Too many  if's'. How easy
will it be to intimidate them, Landreau?"

"I sense that the Plenetors are vicious but not brave, Strom. They are
intensely proud, however. Surrender will be very difficult for them to accept.

Also, if they return to their planet as failures, certain death awaits them.
No, I do not think they will give up until their situation here is hopeless."

"And we dare not send them somewhere else. No planet should be subjected to
their cruelty", Amy added. "That means most, if not all of them, must die.
It's them or us." Everyone nodded soberly. Even Amy did not relish the thought
of what was to come. Defeating an enemy was exhilarating, exterminating one
was depressing at best.

After that, the training began. No physical conditioning was needed. The men
and women of Harad were all in excellent health. They were not particularly
strong, but there was no time for body building. Besides, being adept with
weapons and fighting as a cohesive unit was more important than the strength
of an individual. Amy wanted to determine what they could learn and how
quickly. The forest people (and later, the mountain folk Timarla brought back
with her) did not disappoint her. In just a month, they could jab and throw a
spear, shoot an arrow from small, short range bows, and grapple with a knife.
They learned to move in formation and were taught the importance of
psychological warfare. They practiced flanking maneuvers and how to break up a
charge. Amy knew they could never be true warriors, but they were decent
enough soldiers. A soldier does not need to be smart or strong, merely loyal
and well trained. The rest was up to her.

When it was time, the 220 men and women that made up the nucleus of Amy's
little army set out for the council meeting place to meet the rest of the
volunteers. She was justifiably proud of them. With only 6 weeks training,
they moved fluidly in precision formation. They were irregulars, to be sure.
They had no uniforms. All weapons looked (and were) homemade. But they would
be an effective fighting force.

Amy's spirits fell , however, when they reached the amphitheater and she saw
how few people had come. When she lined them up and counted them, they totaled
only 802 men and women. She did not let her disappointment show, however. She
gave them all an inspiring speech and began the task of setting up training
camp.

"I don't understand it Strom", she said that night in their tent. "Why did so
few come, don't they understand the danger they're in? 1,020 isn't enough to
make much of an impression on the Plenetors. It may not even be enough to
defeat them. I was hoping for 3 times as many."

"There are several reasons for the poor turnout, Amy", Strom replied, kneading
the muscles around her shoulders. It had become their nightly ritual. He would
massage her body with a fragrant oil his people used as an antibacterial, an
analgesic.....and an aphrodisiac. First her shoulders, then her back. Next the
legs. Then her buttocks and stomach. Finally......well, that's when the real
fun would begin.

"You have to look at it from our point of view, Amy," he continued. "The
Plenetors may or may not ever get here. They may or may not be as hostile as
Landreau says. Meanwhile, the work involved in day to day living still needs
to get done. If every able bodied young adult joined this army, who would be
left to bring in the harvest? To tend the herds? To fish? To care for the
elderly and children? The men and women you see here are all that can be
spared. As it is, there is much hardship ahead, no matter how our
confrontation with the Plenetors turns out. Also, some are just too scared. It
takes more courage to face an unknown enemy than a known one like a Goramond,
or even a Kraken. Some people just aren't that brave. But don't despair yet.
The marsh dwellers haven't arrived, nor the plainsmen from across the eastern
mountains. They should account for at least another hundred or so."

"That's still not enough Strom."

"Of course it is Amy. I have the utmost confidence in you. I'd fight them if
they were a million, as long as you were leading."

She turned around and kissed him. "That's sweet of you. You always know the
right thing to say. Sometimes I think the men of Harad must be the greatest
lovers in the universe."

"We try", he said with a thin smile.

"But enough of my troubles. Something's bothering you, Strom. What is it?"

His face clouded over. "It's nothing, really, just a dream I keep having...."

"Stop being so noble and tell me about it."

"All right." He sat down and crossed his legs. Amy, naked, was perched on a
wooden stool Strom had made for her. A very sturdy stool.

"For the last three nights, I've dreamed of our army battling.....them. So
much violence, so much bloodshed. It's sickening."

"War always is, Strom."

"When the fighting is over, The battle field is covered with the dead and
dying. I see you, scratched, bleeding, crying. But I don't see myself. Only
the people of my village. Mourning."

"I see......"

"I'm scared, Amy. I don't want to die. I love life. I love you. I don't want
it to.......end."

Amy stood and scooped him up like a doll. She clutched him against her chest,
his face disappearing between her huge breasts. "You're not dying Strom, at
least, not before I do. I'll kill them all myself with my bare hands before I
let that happen." She walked over and dropped him on their bed. She bent over
slightly to give him a better view and stroked her nipples. They lengthened
and grew fatter until they were the size of his fist. "Now", she purred,
"there's one, no, two more things I want you to massage....with your
mouth........"

Strom was right. Over the next 3 days, another 210 men and women filtered into
the camp, making 1230 all together. Still disappointed, and worried, Amy
squared her jaw and set to work.

They had just over 2 months before the Plenetors arrived. Amy now assumed the
dual roles of drill Sergeant and General. Each morning the whole camp was up
at dawn. After a quick breakfast, practice with weapons for two hours. Then
two hours of formation drills. Marching, advancing, retreating. Attacking.
Counterattacking. After lunch the  troops' had 3 hours free time (the hottest
part of the day). Then came hand to hand combat drills for two hours. After
dinner Amy gave speeches. Some were designed to encourage them. Some dealt
with strategy. Some were designed to reinforce her authority over them. About
half way through their training came a speech of a different sort.....

"Alright....listen up! Tonight I've asked Landreau to help me with a
presentation. We are going to learn some more about our adversary. In war,
knowledge is power. The more you know about the enemy, the easier to find and
exploit it's weaknesses. Landreau, are you ready?"

"Yes Amy." A large holographic image of the Plenetor's home world appeared.
There were many large cities. The buildings were not impressive by Earth
standards. At most 10 stories high, they sprawled outward from a central
palace seemingly at random.

"The Plenetors system of government is an oligarchy. That means a small group
of individuals, not necessarily related to each other, have absolute
authority. The titular head is chosen by committee and resides in the palace.

They have an organized religion. They worship many gods, each with an assigned
function. War, fertility, wealth, etc. They believe it is their divine right
to rule over any place or people they come in contact with. Cruelty is thought
of as strength. They practice many barbaric customs." The image shifted to a
different planet. It was less developed then the Plenetors home world. "This
planet was conquered by them forty of our years ago. This video was discovered
by Landreau in the data bank of Uklock's flagship. Observe."

There was a collective gasp. Several Plenetors, having just killed some of the
planets inhabitants, were busy cutting them open. They removed what must have
been their hearts, and proceeded to devour them. "They believe that by eating
the hearts of their enemies, they obtain their strength. This means that in
battle, if you are wounded, run, crawl, or fly if you have too. But do not
allow yourself to be taken prisoner. By the same token, we shall not take any
prisoners ourselves. If you engage a Plenetor, you kill him, period. No
Plenetor will ever engage in civilized conduct, wounded or not. It is my hope
that we shall defeat them in battle and confine the survivors to their ships.
If not, they will have to be wiped out. I know this behavior is abhorrent, but
it is necessary for the survival of you and all your families. It's them or
us. That is all." She turned and walked to her tent.

She was meditating when Strom entered 10 minutes later. "Amy you can't be
serious......"

"I'm  dead' serious Strom", she replied without opening her eyes.

"But it's barbaric......"

"I am a Barbarian", she interrupted him again. Getting up, she showed him her
helmet. "She that symbol? It's the crest of my Barbarian teacher. You think
it's easy for me to give these orders? I've never had to do this before. I've
always fought on my own, and have rarely had to kill anyone or anything. I've
been put in this position, I didn't volunteer. You want your culture to
survive? Your children to grow up in a world like the one you did? Then do as
I tell you, and stop thinking so much. The more a soldier thinks, the more
trouble he gets in! You don't like the way I run this army? Then go home and
hide under the covers! Maybe the Plenetors won't cut out your heart in front
of your family. Maybe they won't eat the village's children. Remember what you
told me the day we met? About the harsh light of reality? Well feel the burn,
Strom! For 900 hundred years your people have had everything their own way.
Now it's time to pay the piper! You want unity? peace? prosperity? Then close
your mouth, sharpen your knife, and get ready to rumble! I'm going to sleep!"
And with that, she threw herself down on their bed and turned her back to him.

He stood there a long time, looking down at her. Then he walked out to look
for Thorgom......

Chapter 6: The Battle of Plenetor Field

She woke up alone. "Is he just mad at me, or........" She went to look for
him. The camp was just beginning to stir. She noticed right away some of the
tents were missing. Two hundred of her volunteers, at least, had been unable
to reconcile themselves with what they had seen and heard the night before and
had left. She had expected that. It was part of the reason for the
presentation. She wanted to weed out those who couldn't stomach what was to
come. Cowardice was contagious. If some of the troops broke and ran when the
battle heated up, so might the rest.

He wasn't around. She saw Thorgom and waved him over. He appeared glum. "Strom
has gone home, he asked me to give you a message....."

"Not here, come to my tent." It didn't take long. Neither of them said a word
until she closed the tent flap. "Well?", she said apprehensively.

"He said he can't do what you ask. He won't become like...them. He'd rather
die. He went home to be with his family in case they came. He wanted you to
know it doesn't change the way he feels about you." He turned and left. She
stood rooted for some time, motionless. Finally, she shook herself free and
returned her mind to the business at hand. She pushed open the tent flap and
went outside.

As soon as breakfast was over, she ordered the troops assembled. While they
were eating, Amy had told Timarla she was making her second in command, to
replace Strom. The two of them strode up and down the line, Amy deep in
thought, Timarla waiting expectantly. Finally, Amy stopped and turned to
address her army:

"As you all know some of your compatriots are no longer with us. They left of
their own volition. Do not judge them too harshly, they are what they are. The
fate of this world now rests with us. If anyone believes we cannot defeat the
Plenetors, let him or her say so now." No one spoke. "Very well, we have much
to do, and little time to do it, I suggest we get started......"

Amy stood in her samurai armor straight and proud, gaze fixed ahead, as the 3
Plenetor ships descended slowly tword the dry plain of the continents southern
highlands. Her army was arrayed behind her. 5 rows, 180 men and women to a
row. Another row of 50 troops was anchored to each end of the first line at a
45 degree angle to protect against flanking maneuvers by the enemy. About 10
meters behind Amy stood Timarla and Thorgom. Timarla had become invaluable to
Amy over the last month. Amy sensed that in the young Haradian beat the heart
of a true warrior. Thorgom was less inspiring, but a good soldier. Amy had
divided her force into 3 parts, the largest being the archers. These 540 men
and women were the least strong and skilled. Amy gave command of them to
Timarla, for she excelled at inspiring and commanding them in their native
speech. Their equipment consisted of a scaled down longbow, a quiver of 20
arrows, and a long bone knife. They wore a thick animal hide vest over their
normal clothes, and a red armband for identification. The second group, 360
strong, were commanded by Thorgom. These were the pikemen. Stronger and more
capable, they required little in the way of instruction in battle. Their job
was simple; to protect the archers. They were equipped with a strong wooden
shield with leather straps, a wooden spear as tall as themselves, and a bone
knife. They wore a cap made of thick leather and a green armband.

The smallest group, numbering only 100, was commanded by Amy herself. These
were the skirmishers, now placed on the formations flanks. They consisted
mainly of Marsh Dwellers. These were the most skilled and determined of Amy's
troops, and the best armed. Their primary weapon was the longbow, but their's
was larger, with greater range and accuracy than the archers. They also
carried a Roman styled broadsword, with a hilt of wood and a blade of granite
edged with obsidian. Many also carried a bone dagger tucked in their extra
thick tunic. They wore a black armband. Amy held her staff in her right hand.
Strapped across her back was her sword, gigantic by Haradian standards. The
thick wooden hilt was richly carved with runes and brightly painted. The one
and one half meter long granite blade was wickedly curved and likewise carved
with runes and gargoyle like faces. It's razor sharp obsidian edge gleamed in
the sun. A formidable weapon on any planet, a dominating one here.

The Plenetor ships were descending tword an arid plain ringed by ancient, well
worn mountains. It was almost 100 kilometers to the nearest Haradian
settlement. There was no food or water nearby. A dozen old women skilled in
medicine waited several hundred meters behind the troops. Beside them was a
small hand pulled cart full of healing herbs, and a dozen of the home made
tents the Army of Harad biouvacted in.

Amy was proud of her little force, but doubt tugged at her mind. They were
outnumbered by more than three to one by the enemy. They had never been tested
in battle. She shook off the negativity before it could drain her resolve and
turned to address the ranks. The two rows of spear men held their weapon in
one hand and their shield in the other, touching the ground. Behind them, the
three rows of archers had unslung their bows and removed an arrow from their
quivers. They appeared nervous. The skirmishers stood at ease, exuding
confidence. Her voice boomed out over the flat, featureless landscape; "Men
and women of Harad, our time has come. This is the most important day in the
history of your culture, for it lives or dies here. Until now, you have faced
danger, but never evil. The Plenetors are just that. But there is no need to
fear them. They are numerous and strong, as evil often is, but they have no
courage. Courage, like life itself, comes only from the maker of all things.
You have it, they cannot and do not. Remember also that a  good' soldier is
not one who dies for the cause, but who lives, lives to fight another day. You
can live only by killing them, so do it! Kill them without mercy. Kill them
not because you want to, but because it is right to do so. I hope to see and
congratulate you all tomorrow, but if not, know that I am proud to be a
Haradian!"

She turned around as a tremendous cheer rose from all those assembled.

"Now I know what Joan of Arc must have felt like", she thought. Like most
soldiers before a battle, she felt a mixture of fear and anticipation. But
above all, she felt proud. Proud to be a Barbarian. Proud to be the Haradian's
leader. Proud because she knew all those who had trained and cared about her
would be proud. But most of all, she was proud of herself. Proud because she
had accepted this seemingly impossible challenge and had overcome every
obstacle to get to this moment. She now understood herself better than ever in
her life. Why she decided not to become a doctor. The months, no, years, of
training and sacrifice. She understood that real strength comes not just from
the body, but also the mind, the heart, the soul. To be in command of ones
destiny no matter what the situation. To be confident enough in yourself to
let your feelings show and not worry what anyone thought about them. To want,
but not need, someone to share your thoughts, your meals, your bed. Her
experiences on Harad had hardened her resolve and self esteem as much as her
body. She felt ready for anything.

The cheers died away slowly as the Plenetor ships touched ground, kicking up
great clouds of dust. They didn't impress Amy, but the Haradians were awed.
The two battle cruisers resembled  rocket ships'. Shaped like giant torpedoes
with fins, they stood about 80 meters tall. The colonist's transport looked
like the  flying saucer' from the movie Forbidden Planet. It was ovoid, with
a large  leg' protruding from the bottom. It was over 200 meters across and
at least twenty high. For a few minutes after they landed, nothing happened.
"They're sizing us up", Amy said confidently, "they don't know what to make of
us." " I could end this all right now", she thought to herself. "I could
charge those ships and destroy them with my bare hands before they even have a
chance to disembark. I'm strong enough." But she knew she couldn't. To kill
them all, soldiers and civilians, before they had a chance to surrender or
fight, wasn't the barbarian way. It was murder.

"Landreau, appear." She commanded. In a few seconds, he was at her side.
"What's going on inside those ships?"

"At this moment Uklock is screaming at Klendor, the commander of the battle
cruiser that was supposed to remain in orbit. Uklock is very upset that none
of the ships can take off again, now that I have forced them to land a
thousand kilometers from were he wanted them to."

"How did you mange that?"

"Very simple", he replied with a smile, "I changed the landing coordinates in
the their computers. By the time they realized they were off course, it was
too late. You can't go flitting around the atmosphere in a spaceship the size
of theirs. You'd burn up. Once you start descending, you can't stop."

"Are they aware of us?"

"They are now, they're scanning us. Mmm, it's seems they don't know quite what
to make of the whole situation. Uklock is very angry, however. Due to my
meddling, the mission is way behind schedule. His superiors back on his home
world have communicated their unhappiness with him. He suspects I had
something to do with it. They will not be pleasant to deal with. It is his
hope , however, that we can be made to surrender quickly, with minimal loss of
life, so his mission here can be accomplished ASAP."

"Good, that I can use to my advantage. Have you disabled the weapons on their
battle cruisers?"

"Yes, and they are unaware of it."

"OK, as soon as you sense anyone of them is going to go for their sidearm,
disable them all, got it?"

"Yes"

"Well, I hope they aren't going to make us wait much longer."

"You don't have to wait any longer, here they come."

He was right. Doors on all three ships opened. Ladders extended to the ground,
and the Plenetors began to disembark. Amy raised her binoculars and studied
them. It was easy to tell who the soldiers were. They wore uniforms of bright
red, blue, and gold. Some had bits of metal pinned to them. They all carried
side arms. Futuristic, formidable looking pistols. Blasters of some sort. Each
one of them was also armed with either a dagger or spear, for ceremonial
purposes, no doubt. Some of the spears had flags or ribbons attached to them.
They streamed gloriously in the breeze. They quickly formed ranks around the
flagship to await their leader. The civilians descending the huge transport
were unimpressively garbed in gray and brown. They were unarmed. The Plenetors
were clearly a militaristic society. Civilians were held in low esteem, and
were dressed accordingly. They too, formed ranks, well behind the soldiers.

Uklock was the last to descend. He wore a splendid uniform of silver with gold
braid on his narrow shoulders. His tunic sagged slightly under the weight of
his many Medals. He was the only one wearing leggings, red with white stripes.
They looked like barber's poles. The whole affect was comical, Amy laughed out
loud. Then she turned and made several hand signals to her troops. The archers
knocked their arrows and stood at semi-attention. The spear man carefully laid
their weapons on the ground in front of them. The front row kneeled. All
strapped on their shields and pulled the leather thongs tight. The skirmishers
knelt and also knocked an arrow to their huge longbows.

Uklock stepped onto the dusty soil of Harad and took a moment to compose
himself. Amy did not need to ask Landreau what he was thinking. He had to be
surprised, worried, and very pissed off. His staff lined up behind him, two
rows of ten, and then waited. Nothing happened. No one spoke or moved. Amy was
delighted. Uklock had hoped that she would come to him, making him look
superior. Instead, he was going to have to come and address her. After several
minutes, Uklock motioned some troops foward to flank his personal staff. Then,
with himself still at the forefront, they advanced, a hundred strong. Amy
stood rigid and proud, larger than life, and awaited them. Beside her was
Landreau. Three meters behind, Thorgom and Timarla.

The silence was deafening as the Plenetors approached. Amy was using breathing
techniques to stay relaxed. Landreau was clearly nervous. Thorgom shifted
uneasily from one foot to the other. Timarla Gripped the hilt of her sword so
tightly her knuckles turned white. She looked like a bobcat preparing to
spring.

The battle of wits (and wills) had begun. Uklock continued to advance tword
Amy. He was prepared to march his troops right over her. When the Plenetor
leader was less than 5 meters away, Amy raised her left hand and said loudly:
"That's close enough, Uklock!" The disdain in her voice so shocked the
Plenetors they stopped dead in their tracks. Uklock ignored her, however, and
continued to stride foward.

Amy raised her staff and pointed it at him, barring his way. He didn't stop
until it was touching his chest. "And who", he asked with a sneer, "are You?"
He was just as tall as her. Their eyes met and locked together. She remained
emotionless.

"My name is no concern of yours. All you need to know is I am the leader of
the army of Harad."

Uklock twitched noticeably. He was having trouble maintaining his composure,
which was exactly what Amy wanted. He took a step backward.

"The people of Harad", he hissed, "have no army."

Amy raised her staff high over her head. Immediately, all the archers raised
their bows, ready to fire.

"They do now." She said confidently. Behind Uklock, the Plenetor troops and
civilians began to mutter and shift nervously. But the expedition leader threw
back his head and cawed raucously, like a giant crow. He took another step
backward and turned to face his troops: "Bows and arrows!", he rasped between
caws, "they are going to fight us with bows and arrows!" Then suddenly, his
right claw flew to his holster. Amy detected a high pitched whine that hurt
her ears, though she didn't let it show. Many of the Plenetors, however,
clapped their claws over their skulls and screeched in pain. It lasted for
only a few seconds. As soon as it ended, Uklock spun around and pointed his
blaster at Amy.

"You big, stupid, bitch. It's too bad I won't have the pleasure of dissecting
you. But you need to be made an example of." He pulled the trigger. Nothing
happened, of course. Without even being ordered, dozens of Plenetor soldiers
pulled their sidearms and aimed. Same result. The noise they all heard was
Landreau neutralizing the power packs of their weapons. It took a few seconds
for the Plenetor leader to realize what had happened. He began to shake with
rage.

"Your weapons are useless, Uklock," Amy said calmly, as if discussing the
weather. "You are trapped here with no hope of getting your ships off the
ground. If you agree to surrender...."

"SURRENDER?, to YOU?!", he looked like he might explode. He took another 3
steps back until he was just in front of his staff and their support troops.
"KILL THEM!, He screamed, "KILL- THEM- ALL!"

Every Plenetor there, soldier, crewman, and civilian, rushed foward at once in
an unorganized mob. Amy's plan had worked perfectly. Without being told, every
archer fired at once. Over 600 arrows flew through the air and landed amongst
the charging mass of Plenetors. Over 400 fell to the ground. Those not killed
instantly were trampled to death. The archers hurriedly knocked another arrow
and fired again. The second volley was less effective, because the Plenetors
began to spread out and speed up, making them a more difficult target to hit.
Their physiology limited the strength of their arms, but their Ostrich like
legs were very powerful. They were fast runners. Still, another 200 fell dead
or dying as their enemies tried to reload for a third volley. Only about half
of them got off a shot, but, at nearly point blank range, accuracy wasn't a
problem. Another 300 of the  birdmen' bit the dust of Harad. Almost 1,000 of
the invaders were now dead, without a drop of blood of the Army of Harad being
shed.

That changed quickly, however. Like an ocean wave, the charging Plenetors
crashed into the shield wall of the pikemen. As Amy had taught them, they had
waited until the last second before raising their weapons, making it
impossible for the onrushing Plenetors to avoid them. They literally threw
themselves onto the spears. Another 300 were killed.

Their momentum bowled the entire shield wall over even as the death screams of
the impaled Plenetors filled the air. Now it was every man (and bird) for
himself. The archers pulled out their knives as the pikemen struggled to heave
dead bodies off their shields. The attackers had few weapons, but with their
sharp claws, beaks, and strong legs, they didn't need any. Not for hand to
hand combat. The battle had become a free-for-all. Hundreds of bodies sprawled
in every direction. Groups of two, three, or four combatants grappled and
slashed at each other with reckless abandon. Amy's skirmishers, seeing no one
was trying to outflank them, threw down their bows. Pulling their swords, they
charged into the fray, hacking and hewing.

Uklock and his staff had stepped backwards to allow the 80 troops protecting
them to charge Amy. Thorgom and Timarla reached her side just as she took a
step foward to meet her attackers. She had dropped her staff and drawn her
sword. The polished granite gleamed in the sun as several birdmen with spears
rushed foward to stab her. The stone blade whistled through the air and split
the Plenetors weapons on her forehand stroke. She whirled around and hewed off
their heads on the backhand. Never slowing down, she spun again, avoiding 2
Plenetors armed with daggers. They thrust foward into empty air and stabbed
each other. An agile soldier leaped onto her back and brought his dagger down
over her shoulder in a long arc to stab her in the stomach. She blocked his
thrust by throwing up an elbow, the momentum breaking his arm. As he screamed
in pain, she released her sword with her left hand. Reaching behind her back,
she threw him off and onto the ground so hard his body burst open like a sack
of groceries dropped in a supermarket parking lot, bloody entrails spewing in
every direction. In the same motion, she brought the sword around with her
right hand and cut 2 more attackers in half. They kept charging at her without
ever slowing down, and she kept cutting them to pieces. All Thorgom and
Timarla had to do was guard her flanks as Amy continued to hack and slash the
hapless Plenetors. She jumped 2 meters into the air to land behind several
attackers and lop their heads off with a single stroke. Suddenly, pain shot
through her back. She whirled around to see Uklock himself backing up before
disappearing into the horde of Plenetors charging foward. She reached behind
her back, but was unable to reach whatever had hit her as more birdmen closed
in on her. Timarla leaped past Amy, screaming at the top of her lungs, sword
singing through the hot air. She hewed the arm off one attacker and plunged
the length of the blade through the torso of another, where it stuck. A third
Plenetor tackled her, bowling her over and landing on top of her. He raised an
arm to cut her throat with his claws. Instead, he toppled over backwards, a
spear in his chest. Thorgom ran up and stabbed another attacker with his sword
as Timarla struggled to pull hers from the carcass of her attacker. Amy, who
had been busy killing 3 more birdmen, then joined them. They charged together,
but the elite guard had seen enough. They threw down their weapons and ran.
Uklock was no where to be seen. The three of them then turned to join the
melee behind them. Sliding her sword back into it's scabbard, Amy strode
foward and began pulling Plenetors off her troops. She would then fling them
down with such force, their bodies would literally explode against the hard
ground. The sight off this muscular giant of a women throwing them around like
rag dolls was too much for the remaining attackers, most of whom were
civilians. They began to run for their lives, at first just a few here and
there, but soon, the whole lot of them was fleeing. The rout was on.

Some of the archers picked up their bows and got off a final shot, but without
much success. Some of the skirmishers started to run after them, but soon gave
it up. The whole battle had taken 20 minutes.

Amy shouted the order to regroup and paused to remove her helmet. Timarla
walked up behind her. "Hold still a second", she commanded. She placed one
hand on Amy's back. With the other, she pulled a long knife out of her with a
jerk. Amy grunted in pain. A steady trickle of blood ran began to run down
Amy's back under her armor. As she turned, Timarla handed her the blade. "Make
a nice souvenir." She observed. Amy accepted the dagger and slid it under her
belt. "If I get the chance, I'll use it to cut off Uklock's head."

"Better take off that armor so we can see how bad you're wounded."

"No, not in front of the troops, it's bad for morale. Slip some cloth over the
cut, and then let's get this mess cleaned up." She told a skirmisher to go
fetch the  nurses' while Timarla tore a strip of cloth from her tunic and
patched Amy up. Amy saw that Thorgom was reorganizing the pikemen. "Better
tend to Your archers, Timarla." The other nodded ascent and hurried off. Amy
called out to her skirmishers. Only 50 ambled up to her. The rest were dead or
wounded too badly to walk. One, a female Marsh Dweller named Liestra, paused
to wipe the blood off the blade of her sword on the tunic of a dead Plenetor
warrior. Then she kicked the corpse. "You won't be eating any hearts on this
planet!" She intoned grimly. Amy smiled. Her army had performed as well as she
could possibly have hoped. The war wasn't over, but the odds had tipped in
their favor. "All right", she said, "the archers and pikers will help with the
wounded. We get the Plenetors. You know what to do." They nodded and walked
tword the enemy ships until they were past the battle ground. Then they turned
and drew their swords. Forming a line behind Amy, they moved foward tword
their fallen foes. Whenever one of them came to a Plenetor, they would prod
the body with their sword. If it moved or made a sound, it's head would get
chopped off. Only a very few did. They had fought savagely, even when wounded.
Most of the dead were covered with blood, not always their own. At the spot
where the pikemen had formed their shield wall, the dead were piled so thickly
it was impossible to see the ground. Broken weapons littered the landscape.
The air was thick with the smell of blood. The dusty ground was dotted with
puddles, drying rapidly in the hot sun.

Everyone was busy for the next several hours. After making sure all the
Plenetors were dead, Amy ordered them all thrown together in a huge pile, well
away from the battlefield. It was depressing work. The blood soaked bodies of
the dead Plenetors, often headless, had to be dragged or carried for half a
kilometer. She then ordered the pile set on fire. The stench was almost
unbearable. Luckily, the breeze was blowing away from the tents. Next came the
even more disheartening job of burying the slain soldiers of Harad. By this
time, all the wounded had been taken  to hospital'. Amy assigned 2 dozen
archers to help the nurses. Everyone else had burial detail.

The spirits of the Army of Harad, sky high just a few hours before, sagged
under the weight of their fallen comrades. The toll was terrible. Landreau
whispered the casualty list to Amy as she sat on a rock, her armor off, with
Timarla cleaning her knife wound. The wound was painful, Landreau's report,
much more so.

"250 archers killed, 122 wounded. I expect half of them will not recover.180
pikemen dead, 96 wounded. About one third of them critically. 35 skirmishers
dead, 15 wounded. I expect most of them to recover."

"What about the Plenetors?" She asked heavily.

"1,907 dead. 153 wounded. Most of those will also die, as they have no way to
tend to their wounds. Some more are sure to die of thirst."

"Where are they heading now?"

"I will see and return." He vanished.

"We have lost over half our army, Timarla," Amy said grimly. "We must leave
another 20 troops to help tend the wounded, and 20 more to go and bring back
aid from neighboring villages. My plan worked well. The Plenetor force is
decimated. Two thirds of them are dead or dying. They have few weapons, no
supplies, and are almost 2 days march from the nearest water and shelter.
Their moral is shattered. Yet, they remain a potent fighting force twice our
size. If they all stay together, we can track and ambush them at our leisure.
But Uklock knows that, so I suspect he will divide his forces. He also knows
he has failed his mission. If he is still alive when the relief ship comes, he
will be brought home in disgrace and executed. All he has left is revenge. He
will wreak as much destruction on this planet and it's people as he can for as
long as he can. We have won the battle, but the war is far from over."

Just then Thorgom approached. "Burial is complete." He said simply.

Amy stood up and asked Timarla to help her on with her armor. She winced in
pain as she raised her right arm to accept her staff from Thorgom. Then, with
her two officers in tow, she went to address her troops.

Chapter 7: Misfortunes Of War

She stood for a few seconds surveying her now much smaller army. They stood at
semi-attention, looking at her expectantly. Her gaze met that of an archer.
She nodded at him, and he did likewise. Finally, she spoke:

"Is there a member of the Hill People who can lead us in prayer?" A middle
aged pike man set down his spear and stepped foward. "Yes" he said simply. He
then turned slightly to face the rows of unmarked graves. He motioned everyone
to kneel. Amy lowered herself painfully, her back was beginning to throb. The
priest then began to chant. Again, the translator did not work, no real words
were being spoken. As the rest of the Haradians began to join in, however,
their meaning became obvious. They were communicating their feelings directly
to their God. At first it was sorrow, deep and raw. Then anger at their enemy.
Then frustration at their powerlessness to prevent the death of their
comrades. Finally, acceptance of the will of their creator. Amy was deeply
moved. People on earth seldom (and never on Jade, as far as she knew) used
prayer so effectively. By giving themselves up to the will of their God, the
people of Harad gained in emotional strength, in mental toughness. She learned
another valuable lesson. Strength does not always come from within.

Thirty minutes had passed before the priest stood up and resumed his place in
line. After everyone else had done the same, Amy asked Thorgom if wanted to
say anything. He nodded and stepped foward:

"From this day foward, the ground we stand on shall be known as Plenetor
Field, so that generations to come will remember our enemy." There was a
murmur of agreement. "I ask the people of the Northern Mountains to use their
skill in stone carving to fashion a suitable monument, so that all who come to
this place will understand our sacrifice." A young women archer stepped
foward. "It shall be done." She said simply. "I ask the Shore People", Thorgom
continued, "To compose a poem so that people may never forget what happened
here today." Another archer assured him it would happen. "And the people of
the great forest", he said finally, "will plant a tree here at this place of
death, a tree of life. We will water and feed it, so that all will remember
that life is stronger than death." He stepped back behind Amy, who looked over
at Timarla. She then stepped foward, her hand on the hilt of her sword, fire
in her eyes. "Almost 500 of our brothers and sisters lie beneath our feet."
She said grimly, then turned and pointed tword the hospital tents. "More are
dying there as we speak, listen , you can hear their groans. Despite all we
saw and heard, until this day, I could not believe such evil creatures could
exist in our universe. How could the creator allow it? Yet it is so. When
faced with failure of their mission to conquer us, did they parley? Did they
even think? They killed. They killed even when they knew they could not win.
They would have killed us all, if they were able. And to accomplish what?
Nothing of value, not even to themselves. They killed out of pride. Then they
retreated, and left their dead and wounded behind, not caring what would
happen to them. There is nothing left for them here. What can we expect from
them now? We all know the answer. We must hunt them down. Every day even one
of them lives, more of us will die. Our parents, our children. We cannot let
that happen." She stepped back behind Amy.

"Timarla is right." Amy said, after giving everyone a chance to weigh her
words. "I know your sorrow runs deep, as does mine. But we must not let our
feelings prevent us from doing what has to be done. We will rest and
reorganize for the rest of today. Tomorrow, at first light, we will pursue
them. What we will do when we find them depends on circumstances, but I will
not parley. We fight first. If they then want to surrender, so be it. Now get
something to eat, and then rest." The crowd dispersed and moved off to their
base camp some distance behind the makeshift hospital. Amy asked Thorgom and
Timarla to accompany her to her tent.

As they walked, Amy spied the soldier who had led them in prayer. Thorgom told
her his name was Boledar. Amy hailed him, and he approached.

"That was very moving Boledar, thank you."

"I sense surprise in your voice", he replied. "Don't the people of your world
pray?"

"Yes, but not as effectively as here."

"And what about you? Are you a believer?"

"Not really", she admitted.

Boledar reached out and placed his hand on Amy's left upper arm. Even relaxed,
her bicep bulged outward, as large and round as a bowling ball. It was as hard
as stone. "It's strange, don't you think, that someone who values strength so
much does not avail herself of the greatest power in the universe?" Amy
blushed slightly at his gentle rebuke. "I will pray for you", he said kindly,
and moved off. She didn't know what to say. She stood a moment, then continued
tword her tent.

Just then Landreau appeared. "Well", Amy said calmly, "Were are they, and what
are they doing?"

" They have begun to descend the mountains at the southeast corner of the
plateau", he replied.

"What kind of shape are they in?"

"13 of them have already died. 10 more will probably not survive the climb
down, judging from their vital signs."

"Where are they headed?"

"They know were the nearest water is, and are making for it. After they have
rested a little, Uklock intends to divide his forces to spread a reign of
terror across the whole continent. He knows his own fate is sealed, but he
also believes this world can still be conquered."

"Then it's up to us to prove him wrong. Keep following them, Landreau. Report
back to me if anything changes."

"All right", he said heavily, but turned before  leaving': "Miss Anderson?"

"Yes Landreau?"

"Must they all die?"

"Do you know a better way?"

He hung his head: "No".

"Then go, and stop thinking about your mission in terms of death. You're
trying to save your people, Landreau. It's my job to kill, because I am
intelligent and brave enough to do it wisely. You're not, so stop thinking
about things that are beyond your programming. Accept your limitations and
your purpose, or you won't be of any use to anyone."

"Yes Mam", he said humbly, without looking up, and disappeared.

Amy, Thorgom and Timarla sat in Amy's tent drinking fruit juice, each lost in
their own thoughts. Thorgom missed his wife and children. Amy missed Strom.
Timarla was glad her husband, one of Thorgom's pikemen, had survived the
battle unscathed. Now she was contemplating weather or not she needed another
weapon to go with her sword and knife. A slingshot maybe.... At last Amy broke
the silence.

"Well Thorgom, what do we do now?"

He scratched his head. "Since Uklock is going to divide his forces, we'll have
to do the same. Then we must pursue each group and ambush them whenever
possible."

"Do you agree, Timarla?"

"I say we try to outrun them to where ever they're headed, and attack them
while they're hungry and thirsty."

Amy shook her head. "No, that won't do. If we divide our forces, we'll be
attacking in such small numbers, we won't have a chance. And we could never
outrun them. They can cover much more ground in a day than us. We would have
to march day and night. We'd have no strength to fight when we caught up to
them."

"Then what can we do?" asked Thorgom, alarm in his voice.

" We have to delay them from dispersing until our army can catch up to them
and choose the battlefield, just like we did today. Only this time, I don't
think Landreau can help. He's starting to unravel, and we need him for
reconnaissance, among other things."

She stood up. "I can outrun them. And I'm strong enough to arrange for some
pretty tough obstacles. I'll leave at once. You two bring your forces at dawn
as fast as you can without wearing them out. I'll send my skirmishers on a
parallel route to intercept them if I fail, which I won't. Hopefully, I'll
knock a few of them off in the process."

"Amy", Timarla said gently, "You're wounded. Stay until morning, and we'll
leave together."

Amy shook her head: "There's no time."

"At least let me stitch it up and dress it again."

"All right", she replied grudgingly. The truth was, it hurt more than she was
willing to let on. Her back felt like it was on fire.

Thorgom left to see to his troops and Amy started pull of her tunic to have
her stab wound stitched. Timarla sucked in her breath, she had never seen Amy
topless. As Amy struggled with the tunic, Timarla moved to help her get it
over her head. Amy's huge breasts bounced up and down as the two women tugged.
Timarla had to exercise all her self restraint to not grab one and plaster her
face on it. She was surprised and a little embarrassed over her sexual
attraction to her female commander. Homosexuality was not forbidden, or even
frowned upon on Harad, but marital infidelity was, and her husband was
biouvacted less than a hundred meters away. Timarla allowed herself one last
hungry stare at Amy's enormous, heaving bosom, and then pulled the too tight
tunic off.

Amy grunted with pain as the tunic fell to the floor. Her face was flushed and
her hair, cut shorter than normal, was now disheveled. Timarla was unable to
avoid staring at Amy's gigantic torso. Her wide shoulders, thick neck, huge
breasts, and tree trunk arms pressed down on the twin rows of her bulging
abdominals. Amy towered over Timarla, dwarfing her into insignificance. She
was more than half a meter taller and 130kg heavier than her subordinate. She
let her have a good look, feeling mildly amused and a little aroused by
Timarla's obvious struggle with her emotions. Then she turned her back and sat
down on the stool Strom had made for her. Strom! How she missed him now. His
gentle touch in all the right places. His words of encouragement. His love.
She felt Timarla's hands on her broad back as she gently probed the dagger
wound. "It's pretty deep, Amy, I'd better stitch it up."

"All right, go ahead." Amy's mind started to wander as Timarla prepared. She
began to daydream , remembering times she'd spent with Strom. Going for walks
in the woods. Talking about their lives, past present, and what they hoped for
the future. Making love. Amy sorely missed the almost constant sex she'd
enjoyed with him. Nearly every day for almost 4 months they'd gone at it like
rabbits in heat. Amy's body had always provoked extreme reactions in people,
and sometimes it bothered her. But Strom's lust for her, and his ability to
satisfy her sexually, had made all the annoyance from other people fade.

She felt a painful prick, Timarla had started sewing her up. Neither of them
said anything while she worked. Timarla was hard pressed to keep her mind on
what she was doing. She kept glancing at the broad expanse of Amy's back ,
marveling at the thick muscles bulging in every direction. It looked like she
could support the wight of the whole world on them. Her hands seemed tiny as
they roamed over rock hard ridges and dipped into the deep valley's between
the muscle groups. Amy's Deltoids bunched up and out, as big as Timarla's
head. The huge trapezium beneath Amy's thick neck were thicker than Timarla's
waist. The tremendous Latisimus Dorsi, one of which was punctured by Uklock's
dagger dangerously close to the spine, were each as large as Timarla's entire
torso.

"Amy," Timarla said at last as she finished her work, "I think an infection is
starting to set in."

"So soon, how can that be?"

"The tip may have been poisoned. We don't know everything about them. They may
carry bacteria on their skin that's deadly to us."

"Or just to me, more likely. Landreau may have overlooked the differences
between Haradian and Human immune systems."

"I overlooked nothing." Landreau said, suddenly standing next to them. " I
believe Uklock may have spit on the knife before throwing it. Like many
animals, the mouth of a Plenetor swarms with bacteria."

Both women jumped "Landreau, next time knock!" Timarla scowled.

"Given my lack of a physical presence, I don't see how that's possible", he
said laconically.

"Landreau, do you have something to report?" Amy asked, fatigue creeping into
her voice.

"The Plenetor's have halted their march for the night on the slopes of the
mountains, for better concealment."

"But it won't be dark for another hour."

"They know they are not being pursued, and are comfortable with their ability
to outrun any Haradian trackers."

"Except me", Amy said, standing up. "Timarla, help me on with my clothes."

"She is quite right, Miss Anderson, you are, in fact, infected. You will
weaken as it spreads. Without medical attention, death is inevitable."

"As is the death of anyone they come across unless I pursue them. Not much of
a choice, Landreau."

"That is, of course, up to you. I will leave you now, as I have several
matters to attend to."

"Such as?"

"The mining of the northern wastes for plutonium to fuel the Plenetor ships.
Reporting the days events to Strom and other village leaders...."

"You talk to Strom?"

"Yes"

"How is he?"

"Physically, he is fine. Mentally, he is troubled. He misses you and fears for
both yours and his own safety."

"What can you do for me Landreau?"

"For your wounded body, or heart?"

"Either, I guess"

"Cauterize the stab wound, it will kill most of the infection. The only cure
for your other malady is to return to him."

"Great, just what I wanted to hear. All right, you can go."

As Landreau vanished, Amy stood up. "Timarla, help me on with my clothes."

They stood next to a small campfire. Amy had broken the blade of Uklock's
dagger in half, wrapped Timarla's hand in thick cloth, and stood patiently
while her second in command heated the blade over the burning peet. Her tunic
was pulled up just enough to expose her wound, which was beginning to look
ugly. Thorgom had a wet towel ready, along with some ointment made from a
medicinal plant.

"I'm ready", Timarla said grimly, standing up with the now glowing blade
smouldering in her heavily insulated hand. "So am I", Amy replied calmly.

Several soldiers had approached to watch as Timarla brought the blade close to
the wound. She paused...

"Do it", Amy said flatly.

Timarla brought the red hot blade down on Amy's back and held it there while
the big Barbarian shuddered and gasped in pain. The sound of her burning
flesh, coupled with the terrible smell drove off everyone but Thorgom. After a
good ten seconds, Timarla pulled the blade off and he quickly applied the wet
towel. Silent tears streamed down Amy's pretty face, and Timarla wiped them
away. After wetting the towel several more times, Amy told Strom she was all
right and to apply the ointment, which he did. Thorgom then examined the
wound. The cut had been seared shut, burning away the stitches. A huge scar
seemed to pulse over it. He and Timarla then wrapped a thick bandage around
Amy's midsection. They then helped her back to her tent and onto her mattress.
"I'm going to rest for an hour, then I'm going after them." She said firmly,
and closed her eyes. Timarla motioned for Thorgom to leave, which he did.

"Amy", Timarla said gently, "would you like me to rub you down.....the way
Strom used to?

Amy opened her eyes and looked at Timarla in the fading light. Her junior
officer was smiling sweetly, a rarity. Amy wondered whose needs Timarla was
offering to satisfy. She stood up slowly, painfully. Timarla reached for Amy's
tunic, but she pushed her hand away. Amy then grabbed the front of her tunic
and ripped it off like it were tissue paper. Timarla trembled with awe and
lust as Amy's tremendous torso emerged from the shredded remains of her tunic.
Amy cast aside the ripped fabric and raised her gigantic arms to give Timarla
a good look. Timarla's breath was rasping as Amy picked her up like a doll and
dropped her on the mattress. Then she slowly lowered herself onto her,
Timarla's lithe figure disappearing beneath Amy's huge breasts and thick
arms....

Amy heard a distant voice that seemed to be calling to her, but it couldn't
penetrate the thick fog surrounding her. She sensed movement, too, but
everything was indistinct. She struggled for a while to fight her way through
it, but gave up eventually and allowed herself to sink back into the welcoming
oblivion that beckoned........

Amy woke with a jolt and sat bolt upright in bed. Her left arm was throbbing,
and she reached for it with her right reflexively, turning her head.

She jumped slightly with surprise. Looking a little like R2D2, one of
Landreau's small robots squatted beside her, a hypodermic clutched in it's
single hand. Apparently, it had just given her a shot.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Miss Anderson", a familiar voice
said.

"What the hell happened?", Amy asked, feeling a little woozy.

"You nearly died", Landreau replied. "Cauterizing the wound did not stop the
infection from spreading. While you were having sex with your
second-in-command, the bacteria attacked your nervous system. She became
alarmed when she couldn't wake you after several hours of deep sleep, and
called for me. It took my robot several more hours to arrive with the
necessary inoculations. It was just in time."

"What about the Plenetors?!" Amy nearly shouted.

" I warned the village they were approaching in time for them to evacuate.
When the Plenetors arrive in approximately 12 hours, they will find it
deserted. Thorgom and Timarla have taken the Army and are making for the next
most likely village for a Plenetor attack. Uklock has kept his forces
together. They now number 1,011, and have armed themselves with crude wooden
spears and clubs. Not very effective weapons, given their limited arm
strength. Uklock intends to go from village to village, destroying anything
made by the locals, and killing every Haradian they catch. No one is to be
spared, not man, women, or child. In this way, he hopes to win a war of
attrition and bring about your surrender. I suggested that all refugees make
for Strom's village, he has stocked the shelter you built, and is ready to
accommodate them."

"Then I'd better leave immediately, I have just enough time to get to that
deserted village before they do."

"You are not going anywhere, Miss Anderson. You require rest. Timarla has
assumed command of the Army of Harad, and left me with strict orders not to
allow you out of camp until you are well enough to fight."

"Just try and stop me Landreau!" Amy said savagely as she got to her feet. But
even as the words were leaving her mouth, she detected a strange odor. It
smelled sweet, but she immediately began to feel dizzy. She looked down. A
small port had opened on the top of the robot, it was gassing her! Before she
do anything to stop it, she was on her hands and knees. She reached for her
metal attacker, but it was too late, she was slipping back into
unconsciousness.

"I knew you would feel that way, Miss Anderson", Landreau said calmly, "but I
do have my orders....."

Timarla crept through the dense underbrush making almost no sound. She'd been
forced to leave her sword behind and felt vulnerable, armed only with her bone
dagger. She slithered over a large rock and waved briefly to Thorgom, who's
head she had just spied. He had been anxiously awaiting her return from
scouting out the grassy meadows beyond the forests edge. Using Amy's
binoculars, Timarla had seen the Plenetor advance scouts inspecting the meadow
for signs of recent activity. They had no way of knowing that The Haradian
Hill People had shown how the whole army could march four abreast, and make it
look like a single large animal had passed through instead of nearly 500 armed
men and women.

It had been almost a month since Amy had taken sick, forcing Timarla to take
command. There had been no battles during that time. The Army of Harad had
shadowed the larger enemy force, looking for an opportunity to ambush them.
Timarla and Thorgom had been forced to watch helplessly as the Plenetors
destroyed 4 villages, burned crops, and slaughtered livestock. Hundreds of
Haradians had been turned into refugees, sent to Strom's village by Landreau,
who came whenever he could to provide reconnaissance.

Timarla kept her head down for another 10 meters or so before standing up and
running the rest of the way through the forest to where Thorgom awaited her.
Accepting her sword gratefully, she whispered: "They don't suspect a thing,
they'll enter the forest any minute, we've got them!" It was the perfect trap.
This forest was much smaller but more dense than the one Strom and Thorgom
lived in. The Plenetors entering it would stick to the path or risk wearing
themselves out fighting through bushes and brambles. The whole Army of Harad
was strung out on both sides of the path, waiting to shower them with arrows
and spears from behind trees and hedgerows.

Everyone held their breath and waited. Within another minute, the croaking
sounds of the Plenetor language could be heard entering the forest.

Then the first of them came into view. They trotted along as if they hadn't a
care in the world. Something was wrong, there was only a hundred of them at
the most, where were the others? Timarla let them pass without giving the
signal to fire. Maybe these fools were sent along as bait to spring any traps,
with the main body to follow.

The last of the Plenetors passed by unmolested and disappeared around a bend
in the path. Where were the rest? Timarla and Thorgom looked at each other and
shrugged. He put down his spear and stepped from behind his tree.

He craned his neck and looked down the path, nothing. He scratched his head
and looked at Timarla, who had come out to join him. They both listened
carefully, not a sound. Timarla motioned the attack was off. Everyone stood
up, disappointed and worried.

Suddenly, there was a huge chorus of screeches and caws, and Plenetors came at
them from every direction. The bushwhackers had been bushwhacked! The
Haradians were caught completely off guard and fell back tword the path and
their leaders. A desperate struggle ensued. Outnumbered and taken by surprise,
the Army of Harad quickly found itself surrounded. Timarla wanted to shout out
a general retreat, but she couldn't. To leave any of her compatriots behind to
a fate worse than death was something she didn't have the heart to do (no pun
intended). They would stand, and die together. The Harradians managed to form
a defensive ring, archers standing shoulder to shoulder with pikemen and
skirmishers. Plenetors would get a running start and leap clear over it,
making them fight from within and without. Only the thick underbrush saved
Timarla's shrinking force from being quickly annihilated. It was difficult for
the birdmen to maneuver their long legs through the brambles, and they often
got their arms and sharp claws caught in vines and bushes. Never the less,
despite the fact that the Haradians were inflicting as many casualties as they
were receiving, the outcome was inevitable.

Uklock cawed with delight as he took charge of the original hundred Plenetors
who had walked past the Haradian ambush. How foolish his adversaries had been!
Plenetor eyesight was sharper than an eagles, their hearing better than a
dogs. They always knew were their enemy was. They had spotted Timarla the
moment she crawled from the forest to look for them. It was easy to guess what
they were up to, and to sneak up on them by going slowly through the brush
while those on the path made lots of noise to distract them. Now he would use
these hundred as a flying wedge to split their defensive ring and finish them
off. Maybe he could save his own life after all. He needed to conquer this
planet quickly, and get to work before the next wave of ships arrived. Then
his superiors might forgive his earlier failings.

The path was just wide enough for three to charge abreast. Uklock quickly
lined them up and urged them foward on the run. They sped up even more as they
turned a corner and spied their adversaries. Suddenly, a shadow fell over
them, something was blocking the sun. They looked up and screeched to a halt,
those in the back crashing into their compatriots in front of them. The sky
was falling! The sun was blotted out as something huge, dark, and terrible
descended on them. They started to scatter in every direction, but it was too
late. A few of them realized what is was a split second before being
obliterated, a gigantic boulder, 40 meters across. It crashed to earth and
squashed 80 of them like ants under a sneaker, smashing trees on both sides of
the path. The ground shook as if an earthquake had started. Dozens of
Plenetors and Haradians alike toppled over. A huge cloud of dust rose up, not
enough to blind them, but nearly everyone stopped fighting, coughing and
rubbing their eyes, the noise of the impact ringing in their ears.

A voice rang out, bellowing a scream of primal rage. Everyone turned to see
who or what had brought their battle to a halt. There, down the path, obscured
by the swirling dust, a single figure stood, hands on hips. It raised it's
arms and seemed to explode, it's mass increasing, growing in every direction
but up. It screamed again, then strode to the edge of the path. It reached out
and uprooted a large tree as easily as if it were picking a flower. Holding it
over it's head like a battle axe, it charged, bellowing in rage again.

Some of the Plenetors, overcome with terror, threw themselves on the ground
and covered their heads with their claws. Others began to run, pell- mell, in
every direction. The darkened figure brought the tree down on three of them
with an ear splitting crash, splintered wood flying in every direction. Now
even the Haradians were frightened, until a familiar voice shouted: "Don't let
them get away!" Then Amy emerged from the dust and foliage, her bamboo armor
splintered and scratched. She swung what was left of the tree around and
caught 2 Plenetors in the chest, crushing their bodies and sending them
flying. One hit a tree and burst open, the other disappeared into the
undergrowth.

The entire Plenetor force was panicked. They ran like frightened
schoolchildren, tripping over brambles and roots, screeching in fear. The Army
of Harad, or what was left of it, was rejuvenated. Yelling and laughing, they
pursued their foe and cut them down whenever and wherever they caught them.
The woods rang with sound of death. Finally, the last of the birdmen either
escaped or was killed. The entire engagement had lasted twenty minutes.
Hundreds lay dead and dying, their moans filling the air with a ghostly,
ghastly sound. The stomachs of the victors turned sour as they beheld the
carnage. Amy reached down and grabbed the only remaining invader alive by it's
long neck. "Please", it gurgled helplessly, it's voice coming through her
translator, "have mercy on me!" Amy squeezed hard, crushing it's throat and
snapping it's neck like a twig. "I did", she intoned grimly, casting the body
aside like an old sock, "I killed you instantly." She looked around angrily,
"Where's Timarla?!", she snapped. Landreau appeared at her side: "She's over
there", he said, pointing to a large circle of Haradians who stood with their
heads bowed. Amy walked over and shouldered her way between them.

Timarla's husband, a pikemen named Gar, knelt in the grim circle, holding the
body of his wife. His sobs shook the both of them, her long black hair swaying
gently, lifeless eyes looking up to heaven. Blood trickled from several stab
wounds and a long gash in her side. She still clutched a strip of cloth ripped
from a Plenetor tunic in her right hand. Her sword, blade broken, lay in the
dust beneath her. No one said a word.

Amy turned and walked away without saying anything. Spotting some of her
skirmishers, she ordered them to comb the woods for survivors. Archers and
pikemen were enlisted to care for the wounded. Amy herself strode into a small
clearing. She broke a large, leafy branch off a tree and started digging. In
just a few minutes, she had dug a huge hole, 30 meters long, 15 wide, and 3
deep. She cast the branch aside and went back to the battlefield. She ordered
a group of archers to place all the dead Haradians in the mass grave she had
dug. "What about the Plenetors?" someone asked. "Leave them", she said, "let
them do some good and feed the forest creatures." Nothing would eat them, she
was told, they were alien. "Then let them rot", she growled, "We're not
wasting any time on them. Let's attend to our wounded and prepare to move
out." She walked away. "Aren't you going to offer your condolences to Gar?"
Landreau asked her, popping up again.

"No", she said simply.

"Why not?"

"Because she brought this on herself. She was so anxious to lead the army, and
she got her wish. Too bad for her she learned too late  heavy is the head
that wears the crown'."

"That's heartless even for you, Miss Anderson, and besides that, it's a lie.
What happened today is YOUR fault, and you know it!"

"Look who's talking, mister this whole fiasco from day one is on me. And just
how do you figure this battle was my responsibility? I didn't start it, I
ended it!"

"It never would have happened if you hadn't been so stubborn! Instead of
scouting the Plenetors, I was forced to babysit you because you kept trying to
escape camp against orders! Timarla didn't want to command the Army. She was
in love with you, and wanted to protect you! She ordered me to make sure you
did not leave camp until you were well. I could barely leave for a minute
because you're so strong. I couldn't trust my robots to contain you. Then I
had to watch over you while you ran to catch up to the army. What do you think
she was feeling when the two of you were fucking each other silly that night?
That she couldn't wait to fight? She worshiped you, though I can't understand
why! She died protecting her people and you, she's a hero. You, on the other
hand, are acting like an over muscled barbarian bitch!"

Amy stopped walking and hung her head. "I deserved that," She said at last,
"and worse. I was so proud of myself a month ago. Now I feel helpless to save
these people. They deserve better than me."

"I'm starting to think you're right", came the reply, "but we've no time for
that now. They still need you. You're lot's of things. Don't add quitter."

Amy turned around and strode back to were Gar was about to place his wife in
the mass grave with her fallen comrades. "No," she said sharply, "wait Gar.
Timarla was my friend and second in command. She deserves a better sendoff."
She ordered several archers to help her construct a funeral bier while the
rest of the remaining army tended to the wounded and prepared to move out. Amy
made a huge pile of wood from the tree she uprooted, 5 meters square and 3
high. Timarla's body was carefully wrapped in several layers of cloth and laid
on top, her broken sword by her side. Everyone gathered around. Amy asked Gar
if he had anything he had to say, but he shook his head, too overcome with
grief to speak. Amy turned to the small crowd: "Here lies the body of the only
person of this world who understood what it meant to be a warrior. Not to love
fighting, or even enjoy it. But to understand and accept what ever
responsibilities and consequences circumstances thrust upon her. All of you
have shown bravery. But Timarla was more than just brave. She was strong.
Strong in her heart, were it counts most. I hope the people of this world will
understand some day what she understood, that love without strength cannot
survive, cannot thrive. You have been frustrated in your search for ultimate
unity because you lack strength, not wisdom or courage. You will only find it
in yourselves, so look inward, not out tword the cosmos! Pikemen and archers,
go home. Your work is done. Our enemies are scattered and dismayed. They
cannot survive on this world isolated from one another. Skirmishers will come
with me to find Uklock and determine his fate. Now let's say goodbye to
Harad's truest hero. A Viking funeral fit for a warrior!" With that she threw
a torch on the funeral bier, as did Gar and Thorgom. In 2 minutes the flames
were 7 meters high. A huge plume of black smoke rose up into the sky, dimming
the sunlight.

"That's an awfully big fire, Amy", Landreau said worriedly, appearing at her
side. "Aren't you afraid you'll set the Forrest off also?"

"I wanted them to see it on the misty mountains, her home."

"That's over 300 kilometers from here"

"Then we'll use more wood."

Chapter 8: Final Confrontation

"Curse this foul planet, and curse you, Smullock!" The shorter Plenetor spat
his words at his taller companion as they ate the small rodents they had
caught and cooked. They were deep in the marshlands, having fled the battle in
the forest a day and a half ago. Scratched, bruised, and bleeding, they had
half run, half limped ever since. Finally sure they were not being followed,
they had thrown themselves down and slept. They had awoke to find themselves
surrounded by a large variety of animals. They meat they ate tasted terrible,
but it was protein.

"Oh shut up Culcon, you sniveling weasel. We may not be comfortable here, but
at least we're safe from that monstrous, well, whatever it was. Gor, was it
strong! It pulled that tree out of the ground like it was picking flowers!"

"You ignorant savage!", snapped the other, "It was a female mammalian, didn't
you see the lumps on it's chest!"

"A female mammalian what? It's stronger than a thousand of our best warriors!"
Smullock was an engineer, and had little faith in the judgement of his
biologist companion. "Anyway, we shouldn't be shouting, we don't know what
manner of creature lives in this stinking mire."

"You're worrying over nothing, which is what you have in your thick head!
Large animals don't live in swamps."

"Oh, and why not?!"

"Because the ground is too soft, they would sink into the muck and disappear!
Look around you, there's nothing here bigger than a house pet!"

"Still," the other grumbled, standing up and brushing the scraps off his lap,
"it pays to careful. We'd better have a look around for someplace to make
camp. No telling how long we'll have to stay here."

"If you think I'm taking up housekeeping with you, you're even stupider than I
thought. If I settle down on this miserable world, it's going to be with a
female!"

"I've had enough of your insults!", Smullock growled, taking a menacing step
foward. The sound of a branch snapping behind him froze him in his tracks.
"What was that?!" He croaked in fear.

"What was what? You're afraid of your own shadow!" Culcon mumbled as he too
stood up. Then he looked past his motionless companion and jerked bolt
upright, turning to stone as the blood drained from his face. Standing calmly
behind the two Plenetors, it's lizard tongue flicking in and out, was the
denizen of the marshlands, the Dagoron. Looking very much like a super sized
Komodo Dragon, it squatted on four large feet, each of which had four widely
splayed webbed toes. Nearly 8 meters long and 3 meters high, it's head was as
big as a sofa, it's lower jaw over a meter in length. Several enormous, dagger
shaped teeth were visible in it's slightly open mouth. It eyed them
dispassionately, motionless except for the tongue which it had used to sniff
them out.

"Don't move a muscle Smullock", Culcon hissed, "or we're both breakfast." He
looked around without turning his head. A baseball sized stone lay at his
feet. With lightning speed that startled the huge lizard, he snatched it up
and hurled it at the Dagoron with all his might. "Run!", he screamed, "and
don't stop until your heart explodes!" But it was too late. The rock bounced
harmlessly off the tough hide of the swamp monster. It's head shot foward, and
Smullock disappeared down it's gaping maw. He didn't stay there for long,
though. With a wheeze, the Dagoron spit him back out, still alive, but with
half the bones in his body broken. The unfortunate Plenetor never knew what
hit him, however, for in the next instant, the great lizard stepped on him in
it's pursuit of Culcon. The biologist turned to run, but the soft ground of
the wetlands slowed his pace to little more than a trot. In 3 seconds the
Dagoron was on him. These strange creatures may not be tasty, but they weren't
welcome in it's swamp. It ran over him like a tank over a bicycle, the crushed
remains of his body pushed deep into the boggy ground, leaving no trace of his
brief stay on Harad.

"I was right", Amy commented as she looked down at the grisly remains of a
half eaten Plenetor, "they can't survive on this planet on their own. It won't
have them." They were a days march inside the edge the of the great forest she
thought of as home.

"It would appear so", said Thorgom, who had insisted on staying with her  to
the end'. "The Goramond must have been very hungry. It ate half of her before
deciding it didn't like the taste. Wherever we go, the animals kill them
before we have a chance to."

"Which is fine with me" said Amy. "I don't enjoy this game of cat-and-mouse.
I'm a warrior, not an exterminator."

"There can't be many of them left", he observed. "We've found almost twenty of
them like this."

"But Landreau can't say for sure were they all are, especially in this forest.
And we still haven't found Uklock. He won't be traveling alone, I'm sure."

"She hasn't been dead long, Amy, there may be more of them about."

"You're right." She turned to the eight skirmishers strung out behind them:
"Better have a look around. Stay in pairs, and don't allow yourselves to get
separated. Thorgom and I will continue heading west tword his village. Meet us
there." They nodded without speaking and split up in each of the four
directions.

" I'll consider the invasion ended when we get Uklock", Amy continued as she
and Thorgom trudged down the forest path, weighed down with full packs. Amy
also carried their tent. "Without leadership, the rest of the Plenetors will
succumb to this planet's hatred of them sooner or later. As long as no one
goes wandering off alone for a few months, we should all be safe enough."

An anguished scream off to their left less than ten minutes later made a
mockery of her prediction, however. Amy and Thorgom ran in the direction of
the sound, only to hear it repeated. Amy soon outdistanced her Haradian
companion, leaping over fallen logs with the grace of a gazelle despite the
bulk of her overdeveloped physic. A minute later she skidded to a halt in a
small clearing. Stunned disbelief turned to rage. The pair of skirmishers she
had sent in this direction lay dead at her feet, their throats cut, weapons
gone.

She was already burying them when Thorgom caught up to her, panting and
sweating. "Oh no!" he groaned, dropping to his knees, "Is this ever going to
end?"

"I told them to be careful!!" Amy muttered through clenched teeth as she
pushed the dirt over their shallow graves. "Landreau!" she bellowed as she
stood up, "Show your fat stupid carcass NOW!!!"

"There is no need to be so...Oh my, not again!" The ghostly image bent it's
head in sorrow. "I am an even worse failure than Arthon says I am."

"We'll take turns kicking each other later, Landreau. Find Uklock, NOW!"

"I can't be everywhere at once! They've become adept at concealing their
movements!"

"I don't care! Talk to the animals, use a Ouija Board, just find him!"

Landreau scowled and opened his mouth, then closed it and disappeared. Amy and
Thorgom scoured the area around the clearing for clues as to the direction the
Plenetors took. Finally Thorgom said "this way", pointing west. "Are you
sure?" She asked him, "Landreau is right, they cover their tracks well." "No
I'm not", he replied, "but we can't stand around here any longer." They set
off, stopping occasionally to examine the ground. After an hour, they came
upon a family of Lemke grazing peacefully in a small meadow, they had been
following the wrong tracks! "Now what do we do?" said Thorgom is despair,
throwing up his hands. "I guess we retrace our steps", Amy replied, "and hope
that no more of my skirmishers are dead." Just then Landreau appeared before
them, clearly agitated. "I've found Uklock. He has six warriors with him, and
he's only 2 kilometers from your village!"

"How far away are we?!" Amy asked him, on the brink of panic. "More than 8
kilometers", he replied, wringing his hands. It's almost two kilometers to the
nearest path, you'll never make it in time!"

"Warn Strom and the others in the village!"

"I already have, but almost everyone is out working. They have to be rounded
up before they go to the shelter!"

"Then stop them yourself!"

"I can't, I can't!", he wailed, crying like a baby, I want to, but my
programming....."

"Screw your programming you loser! You've been nothing but a burden to your
people for a thousand years! Now you have a chance to do something useful!"

But the ghostly image wasn't listening anymore. It started to flicker, like a
television picture whose signal is fading. Then it started breaking up. "I
can't...." they heard it say one more time, then he disappeared.

"Oh, SHIT!", now I've killed him too!" She began to run in what she knew to be
the general direction of her village, ignoring Thorgom's shouts.

He put his hands on his hips and sighed as two more skirmishers ran up. They
looked at him questioningly: "Should we follow her?" "No, we could never catch
up. Besides, there are armed Plenetors nearby. We must flush them out and
settle the score". The three of them moved off slowly and disappeared into the
woods.

Amy's heart was pounding as she sprinted through the forest, but not from
exertion. She remembered Strom's dream. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but it
had only been 4 months since she had last seen him. She was terrified at the
prospect of losing him. With Timarla dead, Strom was the only person left on
Harad who understood and cared about her. Without him, she might as well be a
castaway on a dessert island. She stopped being careful about where she was
going. She bowled over small trees and bushes that got in her way. She was
cutting a swath through the forest like a charging buffalo. At last she came
upon the path and really turned on the afterburners. Moving as fast as a
cheetah, she tore through the woods like a runaway freight train until she
reached The village. It was deserted. She checked a couple of houses. They had
been ransacked. A small fire still smouldered in one of them. She moved as
quickly as caution would allow tword the great stone shelter she had built.
She stopped occasionally to listen. About halfway to the shelter she heard
something. Peering from behind a bush, she saw a Haradian women, bruised and
bleeding, lying on her back near the body of a dead Plenetor warrior. Her
breath was rasping, she was in pain. Amy ran to her: "How badly are you hurt?"
The young women slowly opened her eyes. She recognized Amy and smiled. "I'll
live. We may not be strong, Miss Anderson, but the women of Harad are tough!"
She laughed weakly. "I never doubted it." Amy replied, forcing herself to
smile. Then she recognized the women, it was Theilia, Thorgom's wife!
"Theilia, what happened?" "Some of the women were returning to make sure there
was no one left in the village when three of them attacked us. We killed that
one over there. But I was stabbed, and two others were killed. The other women
fled. I played dead. They dragged off the two they killed, to......eat them I
think. Then there was shouting in that foul language of theirs, and they
disappeared." "But what about your son..." "He's safe in the shelter. Go to
them Amy, I'll be alright for a while"

"All right, I will." She stood up to go.

"Oh, and Amy?"

"Yes?"

"We begged them for mercy, and they laughed."

"Don't worry, they won't get a chance to beg when I catch up to them!"

Amy kicked off her shoes and half ran, half slithered through the thickets and
glades beside the path that led to the shelter. She knew how sharp the
Plenetors hearing was, and it was unusually quite in the forest.

At last she glided up to a boulder that stood at the edge of the clearing she
had made for the shelter and peered over. What she saw made her tremble with
fear.

A fight had taken place right in front of the door (which was now closed) to
the shelter. A dead Plenetor was sprawled on it's back with a short spear,
shaft broken in two, protruding from it's chest. Small bundles of supplies,
some torn open, were scattered about. The grass was trampled down flat in many
places. And there was a body, a body of a man, lying face down in the very
shadow of the doorway.

Amy was so filled with dread it took every ounce of willpower she possessed to
quietly cross the clearing and turn the body to see who it was. She gasped in
horror and promptly burst into tears.

It was Strom.

He had been stabbed several times. The expression on his face seemed puzzled,
as if he did not understand what was happening to him. His clothing was torn
and bloody, his knuckles bruised and scratched. He had put up a fight, that
was for sure.

Amy bent over him and sobbed hysterically. She didn't think it was possible to
feel such pain. Like many people, she believed that past a certain point, God
would have mercy on you and you would pass out. It was more than just missing
Strom, knowing she would never see him again. It was knowing that there was
now no one alive in the entire universe that had ever cared about her, ever
loved her. Ever. She was totally alone. The thought of it was too much to
bear. She almost felt suicidal. She was experiencing the exact opposite of
what it meant to be an Haradian. They were all connected to each other by
their culture and their love of their way of life, their love of each other.
She was now connected to nothing, no one.

Amy clutched Strom's lifeless body to her bosom and stood, still crying in
anguish. She walked over to the edge of the clearing and laid him tenderly in
the shade of a fragrant tree. Then she went back to the shelter. Forcing
herself to stop sobbing, she wiped her eyes and reached down to pull the door
up. Using one hand, she tugged at the 600 kilogram slab of stone. The huge
muscles in her arm bulged up and out to obscene proportions. She lifted the
door as easily as if it were made of plywood. It's rumbling shook the ground
as it ascended.

There were over a hundred men, women, and children in the shelter. They stood
silently, looking at her expectantly. That she was their leader was now
accepted by all. They had also heard her crying and understood why. They just
did not know what to do, if anything. Here was this giant of a women, strong
beyond measure, who slaughtered animals and enemies as easily as they fetched
water from a well. But they had nothing to give her in return, no way to calm
or soothe her in her hour of grief. Because she was not one of them. She was
as alien to them in her own way as the Plenetors. And just as frightening. The
Plenetors killed for gain. Why was Amy doing what she did for them? And what
if she changed her mind, now that her mate was dead and there was nothing for
her here now, just as it was for the Plenetors? They collectively held their
breath as they waited for her to do something.

Amy looked at them, sensed their fear of her, and hated them for it. "It's
going to be okay", she said gruffly. "You can return to your villages in an
hour. I'm going now to track down the last of them. Wait here for my return."
She lowered the door and set off down the path to find Uklock and end this
thing once and for all.

She didn't have to walk far. A little over a kilometer from the shelter,
Uklock and the three remaining Plenetor warriors had stopped to rest and have
a  snack'. Amy purposely avoided looking at what they were eating as she
stared at them through a thick bush. Looking around, she found two good sized
stones and picked them up. Then she calmly pushed the bush aside and strode
into the clearing.

The four birdmen had heard her immediately and jumped up, dropping their food.
Two of them recognized her and turned to run. Amy threw one stone as hard as
she could without a full windup and saw it pass through the Plenetors torso as
easily as if he was made of paper. The second stone, aimed even better,
literally knocked the head off of bird man number two. Uklock and the last
remaining warrior, realizing it was pointless to run, pulled their weapons and
moved apart from each other.

Amy calmly drew her sword and assumed her fighting stance. "I just want you to
know Uklock, that after I kill you and your lackey here, I'm going to take
your battle cruiser back to your home world with it's hold full of plutonium,
aim it at your capital city, then watch from the lifeboat as your planet gets
turned into radioactive dust!"

Uklock flinched, but said nothing. Instead, he made a brief gesture to his
compatriot. The other raised his long knife and charged. Uklock hefted his
short spear and threw at her from the opposite direction.

Amy deftly pivoted out of the way of the spear and turned to face her other
assailant. Her stone sword, nicked and battered, sung through the air as the
bird man's knife left his hand as he flung it at her. The knife shattered
against the stone blade. As the Plenetor leaped at her, she drove it through
his chest up to the hilt. Raising the sword above her head with the hapless
warrior still squirming and howling in pain, she turned again and tripped
Uklock, sending him sprawling, but unharmed. Taking 3 quick strides, she
jabbed the sword into a tree and left the screaming warrior to his death
agony. Uklock sprang to his feet and tried to run, but Amy was on him before
he got 10 meters. She grabbed him from behind and ducked under his sharp
claws. Slapping him hard several times in the face, he went limp in her hand.

Amy turned him around so they were face to face. "Before I squeeze the life
out of you Uklock, think about this. Not only have you failed your mission,
because you failed to kill me, I'm going to lay waste to your planet to make
sure you monsters never come back here. Your whole race will be extinct in a
year, and it's your fault!" He was starting to regain his senses, and he tried
to slash her again. She grabbed his arm and broke it. He was a tough old bird,
she had to grant him that. He yelped in pain, but quickly got himself back
under control. "Go to hell you bitch!" he spat out. "You first", Amy purred,
raising her free hand and putting Uklock's neck at the base of her forearm.
Trapped between the huge muscles of her arm, he squirmed like a fish out of
water. "And now, Uklock , a little demonstration of Girl Power!" She began to
flex. The enormous bicep rose, cutting off his air supply. "Did you say
something?" Amy asked innocently as he sputtered. Her upper arm continued to
swell. It was three times the size of his head, and still growing. Her
gigantic bicep grew until head literally disappeared behind it. He shook one
more time, then relaxed as his neck snapped with an audible crack under the
pressure of her car crusher muscles.

She tossed him aside like a candy wrapper. Noticing the silence, she looked
over to her sword. The warrior had finally succumbed. "Hate to leave you
hanging, but I've got things to do." She said nonchalantly to the dead
Plenetor as she walked off.

She strode back to the clearing and pulled the door to the shelter up again.
"It's over", she said simply and set off in the direction of Landreau's
mountain.

Amy stood at the door she had used to exit Landreau's home that first day on
Harad just 7 months before. It seemed like a lifetime. For her, for the
Haradians, even the Plenetors, though they did not know it yet. She felt
miserable. It was the beginning of the end of her time on Harad. She could not
stay where she was, yet she had no where to go. But go she must, as soon as
she could complete the refitting and refueling of the Plenetor spaceships that
Landreau had begun. And that meant getting into his lab and taking control of
his small army of robots. She would have to do it without his help. He did not
answer her repeated calls, and she was sure he was  dead'. The locals would
also be of no help. They had replaced the complex, technical written language
of their ancestors with simple runes hundreds of years ago.

The door had no handle. She decided to try to push it sideways instead of just
breaking it down. But which direction? She chose left-to-right and placed her
hands on the smooth metal. It slid aside immediately with a gentle sigh.
Surprised, and a little apprehensive, Amy entered. The hall lights came on,
and she found the elevator. She entered it and stared at the control panel.
The writing was totally undecipherable. "Oh well", she thought, "I'll have to
start at the bottom and work my way up until I can find the robots control
room." She pressed the bottommost button, and the elevator descended at a
leisurely pace for over a minute. "Great", she said aloud as she stepped out
into a small foyer, "there's probably dozens of levels to this place. It could
take weeks just to get started."

She made her way through the various rooms of the sub-basement and discovered
some surprising things. This level was just for storage, but there were some
real goodies. A garage held several small ATV's, both wheeled and gravity
neutralizing, as well as a much larger vehicle that could have passed for a
hovercraft amoured personnel carrier on earth. "No weapons, too bad.", she
thought. Another room held uniforms, field equipment, and tools. Still no
munitions.

The next level was even more surprising. it was full of heavy machinery like
you would see in a factory or power station. And there were robots at work.
Most were small, no more than a meter high, but one was taller than her, with
hydraulic arms and legs that looked quite strong. It was carrying something
large to the elevator. They all ignored her, even when she picked one up and
shook it gently. "Not very smart. They must be performing routine maintenance.
Controlled remotely, I'll bet." There was nothing else interesting, so she
moved up.

There were three more levels of machinery. One held a nuclear reactor. She was
beginning to feel frustrated as she stepped into the elevator again. The next
level held laboratories for research, a dozen of them. The fact that Amy was
unable to tell what they were even used for impressed her. The Haradians had
been far ahead of earth in many scientific fields at the time of their
destruction. The labs all looked like they had been unused for centuries,
except one. A robot was scurrying about cleaning and examining a myriad array
of consoles and other workstations that blinked and hummed continuously. But
it was the far wall that caught her attention and took her breath away. There
were 4 large tubes, each 4 meters tall in a row. They were filled with a
viscous, pale blue fluid. Dozens of wires and several pipes were attached to
both the top and bottom of each tube. There were several readouts brightly lit
at each tubes base. A single cord descended from the top of each into the
thick, bubbling liquid. But what fascinated and terrified Amy was that one of
the tubes was occupied....

She couldn't tell if it was a male or female, humumoid or alien. It looked,
well, incomplete. There were limbs, a torso, and a head, but no features, no
hair, no sex organs. It was a work in progress, she decided. It also meant
that this was the room were she had been...born. But who ordered this latest
creation? Landreau, before his  death'? Or was he still  alive'? Amy began
to feel sick. Sweating, she found a chair and sat down to think. She was in
Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory, and a new  monster' was in the works. What, if
anything, should she do?

The robot attendant noticed her and glided over. It studied her for several
seconds before reaching out with a small telescopic arm. Amy grabbed it and
twisted it off with a quick turn of her wrist. Unwilling to take any chances,
she then picked the robot up and smashed it against the floor. "There", she
thought, "that will upset the natural order of things around here. Let's see
who shows up now!" Feeling better, she walked over to the occupied tube and
studied it's occupant. Was it alive yet? She shuddered. Her shame and rage at
what she was came flooding back. She wanted to destroy the...thing, the lab,
the whole mountain. With her bare hands. But she didn't. She just stood there,
fascinated, horrified, depressed. Then she heard a door slide open and a
familiar voice ring out: "Ah!, the prodigal daughter has returned."

Chapter 9: The Will of Landreau

"You!", Amy snarled at the smiling figure who stood just inside the doorway.
She reached down and pulled one of the electronics consoles from its pedestal
with a resounding snap. Sparks showered over her as she held it over her head
and advanced menacingly tword him.

"No!, please!" Landreau knelt on the floor and put his arms over his head.

Amy paused. Something was wrong. Then she realized what it was. She dropped
the console and strode over to the huddling figure. She reached down and
grabbed him by the collar of his thick robe, he was real! She hoisted him up
as easily as if he were a comic book until they were eye to eye. "You", she
hissed, "have some explaining to do!" He opened his eyes and looked into her
angry face. "I'm so glad I'm not alone." he said earnestly. "What's that
supposed to mean?!", she retorted. ' Please believe me,' He said, "I'm not
some magician, or middle aged faker, I'm your...brother!"

Amy sat in a comfortable swivel chair in the main control room of Landreau's
Mountain (10 levels up from the labs) listening, with varying levels of
astonishment and suspicion, as (what should she call him?) he explained the
events of the last day. "When I called you my sister", he had begun while they
were still in the elevator, "I meant I was created in the same laboratory as
you."

"By whom?" She was not convinced.

"There is no record of that. But I assure you that the two of us are the only
organic entities on the premises. I surmise that I was being kept in an 
almost ready' state until I was needed. The demise of my electronic
doppleganger was most likely the event that triggered an automatic sequence
that brought me to life."

"So the Landreau that I knew is gone for sure?"

"Yes, I have been studying the computer records. His program self terminated
when he began to desire killing the Plenetors. A built in failsafe mechanism.
I began where he ended. I suppose, If you want me too, I could resurrect him."

"Not now, maybe not ever, I'm not sure. Let's get back to you. What was the
reasoning behind your being here?"

"An electronic version of Thomas Landreau was far more practical than an
organic one, which would have to be replaced every 70 or so of your years.
Apparently the ancestors felt compelled to manipulate the populace long after
their way of life faded into oblivion. Why I doubt I will ever know. When I
became conscious for the first time, I was alone except for some robots. I
knew nothing. I did have the memories of Thomas Landreau, but they ended
before the electronic version of myself began. I have spent all of my time at
the computer, learning what I can of the events of the last thousand years.
The Landreau that you knew was computer generated, so everything he did is
recorded. Except for his  thoughts'. Therefore, I am now familiar with the
situation here as far as what happened. Why it happened, I am less sure."

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you have the Plenetor ships land on that plateau? You could have
directed Landreau to send them to the bottom of a canyon, or a field
surrounded by thick woods. Then you could have picked them off with a minimum
of casualties."

"No, you really don't understand....Landreau. Oh hell, this is driving me
crazy. I'm calling you Thomas, whether you like it or not. I could have killed
all the Plenetors myself, before they ever disembarked. But that would have
accomplished nothing."

"Why not?"

"Because another fleet of Plenetor ships is on the way right now, and I have
no intention of staying here and spending the rest of my life killing the
enemies of a race of people I don't belong to!"

"The people of Harad have no enemies."

"Everyone has enemies, whether you are peaceful or not. And that is the whole
point here. The people of this planet had to learn that war is as much a part
of nature as any other kind of violence. All that crap about freedom obtained
through violence leading only to more violence! Freedom is freedom, period.
The worst thing about freedom is, sooner or later, someone is going to try
take it away from you, that's how valuable it is. I had to make war
acceptable, not enjoyable, or desirable, just a viable option to ensure the
survival of the species. God gives us all freedom of choice. We can choose to
survive by whatever means available, or succumb to evil. They learned it.
Learned it the only way that would overcome their conditioning. By suffering.
By killing, and being killed. That s why I had them engage in open battle. To
taste blood, and shed it. To learn they could survive anything, no matter how
horrible, if their existence was at stake. Without having to give up their
ideals. And they did learn it.'

She stood up. ' I m glad we had this little chat. Now I know what to do about
that second fleet of Plenetor ships.'

' Oh?, and what s that?'

' Nothing!'

' What?, why?, uh......how come?'

' Never mind about that now. I need you to help me find something.'

' What s that?'

' The machine.'

' What machine are talking about?'

She stood up and leaned over, dwarfing him into insignificance. ' Don t play
games with me, Thomas. The machine.'

' Oh, well, I don t know where it is...' He became alarmed when she began to
reach for him- ' ....but I m sure I can locate it eventually!'

' Then get started, I have business to attend to with the locals. And make
sure the refueling of the ships gets completed, too.' She left the control
room and took the elevator down to the garage. She commandeered the largest
ATV, no more walking for her. It took her a while to decipher the controls and
ascertain that it was indeed, fueled up. She called out to Thomas, who opened
the garage door for her, and she took off, the 4 meter long craft humming and
floating just above the ground.

Amy stood with her hands on hips, in full armor, in the middle of the same
amphitheater the great concil had been held just a few months before. This
time, however, every village had sent at least one representative. Amy had
personally visted each one and insisted on it. A twinge of regret suprised her
as she began her final speech to the people of the planet that was, and was
not, her home:

' Men and women of Harad, you are met here today to plan for the future of
your race. My time here is drawing to a close. You have treated me with honor,
and have proved yourselves both worthy and noble. But our paths now separate.
This beautiful world is my birthplace, but not my home. I am taking one of the
Plenetor battle cruisers and leaving for good....'

' But what of the second fleet of ships!' several members of the audience
interrupted her at once.

' That s not my problem. I have taught you all I can about defending
yourselves. Now it s up to you to decide what path you will take.' She raised
a hand to cut off their protests. ' I am not leaving you without options. I
have brought someone to help, just as Landreau did.' A murmur of astonishment
rippled through the crowd as the shadowy figure behind Amy stepped forward on
cue and pulled back his hood. ' It s Thomas Landreau!' She heard several of
them murmur. At last Arthon, the moderator of the previous council, stepped
forward and cleared his throat: ' Miss Anderson, what manner of sorcery is
this....'

' I didn t create or kidnap him' , she retorted, cutting him off. ' He was
already here, though for only one day before I met him. He can explain himself
if he chooses to. What s important now is that he is in possession of
technology that not only can protect you from more invasions by the Plenetors,
but increase the production of food, clothing, and shelter so that you will
not suffer this winter. It s up to you. You can modify your beliefs a little
to accept enough technology to survive, or you can succumb to the Plenetors or
the elements. Thomas is, I believe, smart enough, and you, Arthon, are wise
enough to ensure that a new era of prosperity can come to your people. And now
I am done talking. Goodbye!' With that she turned on her heel and strode back
to her ATV. She clambered aboard and disappeared over the crest of the hill.

Amy stood at the base of the ladder waiting patiently for Thomas. Rising above
her, the Plenetor battle cruiser gleamed in the afternoon sun. Everything had
been put aboard over the last 5 days by Thomas s robots. Food replicators. A
clothing mill. Several ATV s. A dozen of the Plenetors side arms (recharged).
A spacious cabin had been constructed to her specs. Even a hydroponics garden,
filled with beautiful native plants. And of course, the machine. It took up
nearly half the cargo hold, and was operational.

Thomas rode up in a small enclosed ground car and got out. ' Everything
ready?' , he asked with a touch of sadness.

' Why Thomas, are you sorry to see me go?' , she said, only half mockingly.

' Yes, I am more like you than them, or at least, the way they are now. They
have agreed to most of my suggestions, so we shall survive. The Plenetors are
in for some nasty surprises when they arrive. Still.....'

' Yes?' Amy asked coyly. She d guessed what was on his mind.

' They are not attractive to me in a physical sence, and....'

' And the thought of being in the ship with me, just the two of us, for no one
knows how long, fucking our brains out because there s nothing else to do.'

He cringed. ' That s a very crude, but accurate way to put it. You are a
remarkable physical specimen, Miss....Amy.'

' I considered the possibility myself Thomas. Abstinence has no appeal to me.
But you are needed here, whether you belong or not. So this is goodbye.'

' Wait, if you won t take me, there is someone else....'

' Who?!' Amy was puzzled, and a little annoyed.

' Me' said an all too familiar voice behind her.

She turned, and there was Landreau, hovering inches above the ground, just
like in  the good old days .

' Is this some kind of joke?!' she snapped at Thomas.

' No. Remember, Amy, I am a behavioral psychologist. You could go crazy with
no one to interact with. Landreau will not burden the life support systems,
and can perform many tasks too dangerous for organic life forms. He has no
memory of your previous relationship. he is the ideal traveling companion. The
computer that controls him is next to the machine in the hold. Take him with
you. It would be unwise not to, in my professional opinion.'

' You re right, I guess' , she replied thoughtfully. ' Thanks, Thomas, for
caring. But now I am leaving, before I do something stupid.'

' But where are you going?'

' For now, on an intercept course with the Plenetor fleet. I really do care
what happens to these people, so I m going to knock off as many of them as I
can in a surprise attack. On the way, I ll use the machine to visit all over
this galaxy to look for someplace promising.'

' A sensible plan' , he said with a nod. ' Though you will have to find a
better ship if you are going anyplace really far.'

They stared awkwardly at each other for a moment. Then, without another word,
she climbed the ladder and closed the hatch. Thomas sighed and got into his
car. He did not look back as it sped away, but sobbed quietly most of the way
home.

' Well' , Amy said nervously, staring at the machine, ' no point in waiting
any longer.' They were 2  days out from Harad.

' Your apprehension is normal, but the process is perfectly harmless, I assure
you.' , said Landreau confidently.

' Except for the fact it almost caused the extinction of your entire race!'

' Point well made. Shall we begin?'

' What do I do'

' The apparatus is similar in design to one of you earthly CAT scanners. You
lie on the couch, and are drawn inside. You are then enveloped in a stasis
field that gradually reduces the activity of you bodily functions to near
zero. At the same time, the electromagnetic field generated by your brain
activity is recorded and stored. It is then amplified over a trillion fold.
That is why the machine is coupled to the main drive, and why the engines must
be turned off. This gives it a high enough energy level to subvert the
time/space continuum. Elegant in it s simplicity, really.'

' Well' , she said apprehensively, climbing onto the couch, ' here goes
everything.'

' Do know where you will  go to first?' He asked as she slid silently into
the gaping maw of the huge machine

' Oh, absolutely.' She replied grimly as she disappeared.

Epilogue

Lita hummed along to a song playing on the radio as she finished setting the
table for breakfast. Plates piled high with pancakes, bacon, muffins, and
fruit beckoned invitingly as she called Amy down to eat. She was in a little
bit of a hurry. Lots of chores in the morning, if she was going to spend the
afternoon at the spa. She wanted to look her best that night. Bruce Wayne was
bringing a mystery man with him to make a foursome for some swank charity
ball. Lot s of celebrities. She called Amy again and sat down. She was eating
already when her housemate came in with a strange look on her face and sat
down slowly. She poured herself some juice and sipped it absently, staring
into space. Lita put down her fork: ' what s up with you? You look like a
zombie!'

Amy shook the cobwebs out of her head and put down her glass. ' Lita' , she
said thoughtfully, ' You will not believe the dream I had last night!'

The End?