It was certain battle on some level would come in mass the next day and Trip had called the men of his family to a spiritual gathering in preparation.  Many of them had gathered in the vineyards of E Den between orchard and woods.  Alix would remain in Eden, of course but Alix had always gone his own way in these matters.  Kier and Irais would remain in Hellas with the rest of the team assigned there but those in Midway had joined Sinai, like those in Cydonia and Hempshire securing and locking down their stations.  And so Zetjan, Dewin, Deric, Avitan, Andronic, Theodoric, Etan and Kieran were all back in Sinai for the gathering.

      Six other men besides Trip had already been in Sinai with him, and now fifteen men were in the vineyard, dressed in ceremonial kilts of white and bright paint of plant dyes, blood and Martian soil, their hair loose but for love locks constantly worn.  They circled about the smoky fire, played their musical instruments or danced.  They drank blood and wine and smoked from pipes passed about. 

      And then by will they caused the flames to rise and leaves to skirl.  They giddily wrestled to see who proved themselves stronger and shouted encouragement to the weaker members of the group.  They showed off their weapons and armor that would be used in battle, talked about the rightness of  deaths that came as result of protecting life and the pointlessness of using violence to change ideology or sway masses. 

      When it got later they meditated silently, perhaps on spirit quests.  Each man gathered up his courage and steeled himself for battle.

      And then Trepidation, father of them all called a stop.  "We are ready.  Go to your beds.  We will rise early, and we must be prepared to defend our home with force, to dominate, capture and if necessary kill our opponents."

      The group spread out, returning to their beds for the night on foot.  When Trip saw the younger men were leaving he walked slowly to his house, the Redstone he had not stayed in since the beginning of war preparations, since Mara had left Sinai.  It was his home, he wanted to be there, to see his things, to sleep where Mara had slept. 

      The house was dark, abandoned, by force of will Trip caused music to play and candles to light.  He climbed the stairs to his bedroom, with the flash of his handmade lighter lit cigarette and then dry cone of incense.  Vanilla, hint of opium, smells that made him think of Mara: things fresh and sweet and reminiscent of home yet always a bit exotic. 

      Trip stood before the mirror above the chest of drawers, looked at his reflection.  He wasn't sure he liked himself, the tangled unwashed blonde hair dirtied with grease and streaks of red henna, the ancient scars on arm and face, maroon smears of blood on forehead and cheeks, the cold rings piercing his nipples, the very gauntness of his flesh and the look in his eyes. 

      Why bother?

      The room was cold for a moment and then a hallucinatory vision in the mirror: Mara standing just behind him, slowly removing clothes.  He would have sensed her.  But it was possible Mara was blocking all minds from hers.  Possible she had brought the aircraft to Sinai and was here now. 

      She moved, snaked a dark arm about Trip's belly.  She was real.  A thought: don't speak, I know. 

      Trip fell, felt Mara's skin move about him, pressed his lips to her belly and then his cheek.  She brushed his hair with her long delicate fingers.  Trip reached up, felt the rings he had crafted and placed on her hands.  Mouth to fingers.  Teeth to wrist.  Lips to lips. 

      She lay on the rug she had latched together thread by thread, neck stretched out beneath Trepidation, said nothing, looked at nothing, thought only that they needed to not be apart.  And so for a while they were one, one penetrating the other with flesh and bony fangs and with thought and the other receiving all welcomely, even urgently.

      When they parted Mara sat and smiled.  With gesture led her beloved to their small washroom.  Mara washed his body, washed his hair and dried his skin.  She combed his hair and trimmed his beard.  A kiss and she led him to the bed.  There she laid out the weapons and armor he would need, the devices that would assist him in defending their home and the clothing to be worn under it.  When she was done Mara sat at Trip's back and put his hair in neat braids.  That done, Trip clean and perfectly groomed Mara massaged the muscles of Trip's back, neck and arms, saw him lay down and sleep.

      Only when she had done all this did Mara allow herself to sleep.

                      ?                ?                ?

      Before dawn, the bright star not yet above the Martian horizon the defensive shutters not yet open to allow daylight in, the inner tinted shutters not up.  And in every household the terminals gave the status of the advancing number of Earthen invaders.  A fleet of ten hovercars was on its way, could reach Sinai in hours.  One by one the doors flaps and curtains opened.  The women came from castle, cabin, cottage, villa, houses, tent and huts and converged on the low grasslands of B Den. 

      There were animals about.  They were always about and feeding in the early morning, the new buffalo roaming near antelope, gazelle, zebra, horse and so many wild cats and dogs.  Birds, monkeys, rodents and bugs filled the trees.  They would not bother the women.  Sadian had been among such animals since childhood, had felled lionesses barehanded.  The animals knew to avoid the creators of their grazing and hunting grounds. 

      Now the women gathered, some with children on their backs.  A few were missing, in other settlements.  There would be other coven meetings for them.  Now it was needed the women of Sinai hold a meeting of their coven before the battle.  When Mara reached the group she was greeted with warm embraces.  Unlike the men they were dressed in dark gowns and wore no decoration but the charms and amulets they had crafted.  The young women showed off their children.  Some warmed cereal over the fire they had built in the pit kept for burning. 

      They asked of each other: "Did you go to your men and ease them before battle?"  They all had.  Just as Mara had the other women had gone to their lovers and given them their love.  The men needed to see smiling faces and soft bodies, and then to rest.  In battle they wold not be too distracted but would recall what they were fighting for. 

      In battle the women were simply strong and fierce as they always were.

      They passed in a circle the chalice of blood and ate warm cereal and fresh fruit.  With incense, blood and sacrifice of small animals and crops they blessed their homes and their people, chanted blessings. 

      Blath spoke of the voice.  She told the women how Etan and she had discovered this power.  Blath was not sure if others could command this power, but they might try.  She asked her coven to pray for her, that she would use her new gift wisely. 

      Special blessings were given to the new children with them and then Mara asked that children and anyone who might be presently or later sick or injured be taken to Sadian's villa in C Den. 

      Before parting Rachael asked of the witches that they remember to stay alive most of all.  She suggested they stay with the partners they had been training with or with other partners and not to be alone during any battle.  Each must cover the terrain they were most familiar with and best suited to. 

      The witches went from the tall grasses to their various stations.

                      ?                ?                ?

      Confrontation moments away, the hover vehicles were just outside A Den and all within wondered if this would be the place they entered.  Might the invaders choose to break through at another point?  Hidden in the woods of A Den Trip saw within his mind the many battles of his young life: The robed Rowan that hunted his family across Europe until they came to standstill at the border to Gaul, The clashes between the Sacred Battalion and his tribe, the Goth and the armies of the Estates Liberte, In New Orleans, in Karachi, in Japan, and Goth the terrorist attacks on his family, the sounds of gunfire, smell of decaying corpses on a battlefield...

      Trip shuddered, tried to block out these thoughts.  He glanced down to the console fastened to his left forearm.  Motion detectors put about thirty figures moving through the tunnels just outside of A Den.  At this moment it all came down to whether or not the enemy's logic had them take the easy route inside or break through elsewhere because the easy way would likely be most guarded. 

      "They're opening the doors!" Dori hissed, himself concealed not two meters from Trip's position.  Athracht was also here in the woods.  The three of them would be the first to meet the enemy should they come through the doors here.  Lade and her two mates were near or within the castle.  Xmanda alone, but guarded by wolves was behind the cabin, not far from the frozen lake.

      The doors were forced open and as Trip heard the sound of buzzing alarm and creaking metal he quickly tapped at his console.  The alarms were silenced throughout the dens.  The overhead illumination all shut off.  And from the concealed speakers that sounded all emergency alarms and public announcements music came, grew louder by the second until as Trip looked up through the dark green foliage of evergreens in simulated high altitude winter and saw figures in armored suits of neon green and black Easterwine's recorded voice screeched the lyrics of one of the Weird sisters' compositions in mutated German dialect. 

      Trip climbed the tree at his back soundlessly, long green and brown colored coat camouflaging him within the woods.  He looked down, counted quickly their number: 41, and entered the digits on his keypad.  They seemed slightly disoriented by the music but as nearly as Trip could see were well equipped with optical enhancement devices and not effected at all by the dark or Trip's camouflage.  He ducked to one side quickly, singed by the flame thrown at him that went on to lit the surrounding trees on fire and tumbling to a lower branch managed to reach the handgun at his hip and fire automatic armor piercing rounds into the group below. 

      Seconds only and Dori was firing timed laser blasts from his custom built rifle, on the ground.  The woods were consumed in flames, laser beams of deadly intensity and heat, smoke and bullets.   Trip felt something sting his leg, the left one, just shy of the shin.  He rolled to the ground, crawled crab-like toward the wall of the den, catching sight of Athracht launching volley of explosive tipped arrows, with one hand focusing her willpower to ensure each found their mark.  Lade screamed from the lower slopes to take focus from Dori who was being hunted through the woods with beams of laserlight. 

      Trip snatched a fallen branch from the ground and pulled himself to his feet as half the invading force swept through the woods in search of those who resisted them.  "Claudia, open nearest door," Trip groaned into the small microphone near his mouth.  He heard her reply through his headphones.

      "One point three meters down slope on rock face."

      Trip staggered down the loose soil and fallen needles toward a seeming outcropping of red stone.  He sensed the invaders at his back as he leapt for the far side of the rocks.  Trip tasted dirt, was too aware of the smell of smoke in the air and the sound of gunfire, of determined breaths.  He saw a trickling winter stream, a dead rabbit, cold human eyes.  "Schnell, Los! Ein Darkling!" 

      Trip shook his head.  There was no stream here.  There was a small hatchway open to the hollow interior of the constructed mountainside.  He was not on Earth, not facing these hateful hunters with a child's mind and body.  The flashback left him; Trip crawled through the opening, felt the cool resin flooring and constant mechanical hum. 

      The door shut automatically. 

      Trip activated the small light amid the devices fixed to his suit.  He limped toward the far side of the dim cold chamber.  "Claudia, flash warning to our people in A Den, activate emergency collars on all large animals.  I'm going to blow the air mixture to put out the fires in the woods."

      "Orders complied with.  I am programmed to warn you, blowing the mixed artificial atmosphere can be detrimental to people and animals.  Long exposure will harm flora."

      "I know," Trip said through his teeth.  His leg was killing him and he thought he had some superficial burns on his right shoulder.  He moved his hands quickly over the machinery in this concealed chamber.  If he opened the vents and let the atmosphere escape the fires could not burn.  The heaters and air compressors would still function.  The Pyramid and castle were strong enough to survive repeated changes in air pressure. 

      It was done.  Trip hoped enough animals survived.  Hoped a few of the enemy were disabled by the change.

                      ?                ?                ?

      Above ground Lade fixed her helmet in place just as the vents sucked the air from all about her.  She braced herself against the stone exterior of the castle until the pressure equalized.  About her goats lay unconscious, their collars injecting doses of medication that had rendered them comatose theoretically slowing their breathing until the machinery produced more oxygen.  The wolves and horses should be fine, had known to run to their shelters at the first warning sting and sounds from their collars, to the areas that could be enclosed and supplied first with breathable air from stores. 

      Lade climbed around the backside of the castle where it met the wall of the den in narrow stone staircase to allow passage around the building.  The large percentage of trespassers must have concluded their captive teammates were not in this section.  They were heading into the passageway between Dens, would be able to enter B Den. 

      Lade wanted to follow, felt a rage that told her to follow and hurt the intruders.  But she knew her duty was to remain.  More of their number might still enter from without and whether they did or not there was much to do here, to guard against retreat back through this Den but most of all to regroup with her own family stationed here and treat any who were injured. 

                      ?                ?                ?

      The High Road was down, anyone who wanted to get into C Den would, making the least amount of effort, have to attempt to swing from cordage attached above or else lower themselves as far as the highest pass of the spiraling road that wound toward the far side of the Den where it met the passage to C Den.  But Sadian had ordered Zetjan and Etan to secure a small platform in the top of the pyramid and from there keep intruders from securing cords.  The only way would be to go down, and with fire following them it was fairly sure the intruders would touch the ground.  And that meant crossing the tall grass whether they made for the road or the newer passage at ground level that led to the crop fields. 

      And then they came, spotted first by the youthful Earthling, Etan and Zetjan.   Zetjan counted them quickly as they came in, was silent as he typed their reduced number into his personal console.  Etan nodded to him, agreeing that they had lost 11 of their number coming through A Den.  They pressed back into the tunnel momentarily, regrouping to decide how to cross.  And then hurriedly they came out and began to repel down the side of the cliffs.  A few fired upon the pyramid platform, backed against the inside of the pyramid attempting to cover the others.  But there were figures within the passage, firing bursts of laser.

      "It's my sister!" Zetjan said happily, crouched behind the thick metal shields they had as their meager defense.  "It's Xmanda.  The tech rooms.  She must have come through the machine rooms directly into the passageway."

      "Machine rooms?" Etan asked, turned away to fire his rifle down toward the cliffs. 

      "Yes, they are everywhere, inside the false mountains, behind the waterfall, under the ground, even if they had advanced reconnaissance they wouldn't know of all the passages.  Only us techs would know of them all, and probably Trip and the other elders who built them.  That's how the atmosphere of A Den was blown, from the machine rooms.  We control the weather with the machines."

      Etan nodded.  He peered around the shielding again.  Xmanda and two very large robots were at the entrance to the tunnel.  She waved to them.  "We should go down," Etan said.

      Zetjan agreed with a nod.  He had the grappling launcher, stood cautiously to aim the hook toward the edge of the cliffs.  Xmanda lifted the hook, secured it to a beam and signed: OK. 

      Etan slid down the sloping cord first landed on his hands and knees near one of the robots.  Each had large strong arm-like appendages and lasers mounted on their torso.   "construction droids," Xmanda said quickly.  She looked down the cliff side. 

      The Earthlings were busily repelling down toward the ground.  Perhaps they didn't realize the danger of the grasses.  Zetjan lived in B Den, knew the predatory animals that lived below.  "Sadian nearly doubled the population of large cats," Zetjan said as he also looked down.  "Had to fit the other large animals with electronic shields and the cats with stun collars so they wouldn't eat too many."

                      ?                ?                ?

      Sadian stood against the right forefoot of a large elephant.  She scanned the area with her eyes, snuffed the air.  "It is time, take your heard to the gate that leads to the crop fields, hurt those who try to enter who are not our friends as you would hurt those who sneak upon you to steal your calves or to follow to your graveyard."

      Sadian smiled as the large cow elephant nodded and lumbered away from her.  Nearby in the grasses Sadian's two youngest daughters crouched in wait surrounded by the lionesses of an entire pride.  The cats could be dangerous, but they knew Sadian and her daughters as they knew the members of their pride, as fellow golden female hunters.  Sadian's daughters had known these large sleek cats since they had been newborn cubs. 

      Now the intruders were on the ground, it seemed they headed for the large gate rather than the road.  All the better, for they would bypass C Den and the children and animals sheltered there. 

      Sadian watched carefully, listened for the disturbances in the sea of grass.  It was ridiculous how these humans seemed never to have visited wild grasslands or seen what Raptors in old movies could do.  The girls here were far more intelligent hunters than Raptors.  The last, the one who covered the rear, went down silently, tackled and gutted by a tiger.  Two more went down soon after, taken by stealthy lions. 

      Then the chase began.  Cheetah, lions, vampires, all camouflaged, fast and born huntresses.  Sadian ran through the grass at her top speed, passed Eleria and then Caith, hurdled a lioness and was growled at for trying to take all the prey for herself.  Sadian laughed to herself.  She wished Father had let them do this back on earth.  But Sadian had been so heavy with child when the humans had come into the Serengeti after them. 

      Now they were scattered, running every which way, and it was funny.  Sadian leapt, wrestled one of the trespassers to the ground, her toes in its male crotch her fingernails prying the helmet from the head.  And then weapon pressed aside with her knee Sadian sank her fangs into the human's neck and it convulsed under her, died. 

      Sadian wiped the excess of blood from her mouth, crouched down in the grass, scanning for motion as she lapped her forearm clean then dried the back of her hand in her hair.  There were more to kill. 

      Sadian sensed her daughters either side of her.  They had an advantage over the hunting styles of the cats.  They knew how to hunt in teams.  Now Sadian stood, head and shoulders above the grass.  Slowly, somehow sensing her presence the armored figure turned.  Cautiously, as if facing an animal it met Sadian's stare and raised its weapon.  Sadian froze still, kept her eyes fixed and thought at it: You will die.  The moment he flexed muscles to squeeze the trigger the girls leapt from his sides and took him down. 

                      ?                ?                ?

      Rachael crouched down amid the cold tidepool rock and water, willed herself shadowy and invisible as the door between dens opened.  But in a moment she knew the figures were friendly and stood again, moved in an instant to their side.  Etan grinned at her trick.  He spoke immediately, wanting to report something, "It looks like almost all of their number will be contained in B Den, Sadian planned her strategy well.  But we suspect not all their number has entered the dens yet."

      Rachael nodded.  "I have not paid them much attention but there are more outside.  I suppose they wait for a sign of some kind."

      "Claudia's processor is busy, distracted if you will.  I need to access Thierry here in order to check out a theory," Zetjan said. 

      "Then go down into Sadian's lab quickly," Rachael said, "I will continue my watch."

      Zetjan nodded and at a run he Etan and Xmanda entered Sadian's house and were greeted by a small army of droids.  Zetjan paid them no mind, led the way through the hall and then to a stairwell behind concealed door. 

      Here, at the bottom of the stairs was a chamber that had the look of a dungeon though it was obviously kept sterile.  It was Sadian's laboratory.  Zetjan called to Thierry.  Instantly the hologram appeared, a young man with burgundy hair chained to the wall by chains shackled to his wrists. 

      "If you could just free me I will do whatever you want," Thierry's voice said.

      "She's locked him down," Zetjan said, not so affected as Etan by the strange image of a hologram seeming in archaic form of bondage.  "Thierry, what of the pick in your pants pocket?"

      "Ah, yes, thank you, I had forgotten that," Thierry said.  He appeared to wriggle out of his pants, search them with his feet and then in acrobatic move pass the pick from toes to bound fingers.  Quickly, expertly Thierry picked the lock.  He was free then, suddenly appearing in the center of the lab in entirely different outfit, pants and all in place.  "How may I serve you?"

      "We don't have much time.  There is a battle being fought here.  Claudia is occupied.  You must use you links to the systems throughout the dens to scan for activity just outside, on the surface."

      "Is that all?" Thierry laughed.  He appeared to think.  He stood, stroked his lapel.  "There are approximately twenty humanoid figures attempting to break through the shutters over the crop field."

      "Ah, that's their plan.  If they enter there they can set the entire field afire and they will have access to Den's C and F from there," Zetjan said.

      "The prisoners are in D Den," Xmanda said thoughtfully."

      "Let's go," Etan cried, "There's not much time.  Blath or Astoric may have a plan."

      "F Den is completely unprotected and it's crop fields have gone fallow," Thierry said.  "I will make sure Claudia gets this data so that she may reprioritize her tasks accordingly."

                      ?                ?                ?

      The warm steamy atmosphere of D Den remained as it usually did, the trees dripping and the water falling from hole in the den wall into the wide well before the river flowed the kilometer into E Den.  It was also noisy with wildlife, birds and monkeys in particular, upset without clear reason.  Astoric wiped sweat from his brow, unaccustomed to the heavy humidity.  Like him Blath was hot, but just seemed to deal more gracefully.  The others lived here all the time, were those that often complained of the cold in C Den and always in A Den. 

      Besides them the prisoners were here.  Six individuals that names and various ranks and titles had been taken from.  They were otherwise unharmed, though bound, seated inside the hillside house.  An alarm flashed on Astoric's small wrist monitor.  The doors above had been opened.  "It's us," someone called and in a moment telepathy let them all know they did not yet have to face the enemy.

      The twin brother and sister Xmanda and Zetjan came scurrying down the hillside with Etan Goth-Jewel behind them, treading more carefully.  "Has Thierry or Claudia told you?" Zetjan called before reaching the level strip of land before the water.  "There are about twenty of the earthlings outside breaking in through the crop field.  If any of them—"

      Astoric silenced the boy with a wave of his hand.  He glanced at his two strong daughters: Blath and Valor.  If they broke into the crop fields they might regroup with any who survived B Den, few as that may be as Sadian had been there.  Then they would have access to C or F Den. 

      Astoric addressed his comlink clearly, "Arthen."

      Her voice came over the link, "Astoric?  They are through the shutters, seem to be attaching some device to the glass, to keep the pressure stable I suppose."

      "I'm sending help.  Try to hold them off," Astoric said.  He looked over the group assembled with him.  "Valor, you and your family remain to guard the prisoners, if absolutely necessary let them go so you may escape to fight elsewhere.  Blath and I will take these others to the fields."

      Valor nodded, said nothing.  Blath touched Edil's hand, the hand of her son, as she moved to Astoric's side.  "If we go through DeSal we can get their more quickly," Zetjan said.

      Astoric winced.

      "Is something wrong?" Xmanda asked.

      "None of the humans have been able to access these areas?"

      "I don't think so," Zetjan said, "Not all of our people know their way around and access from section to section goes through so many small hatchways."

      Astoric gave a nod and then Zetjan led the way by hopping into the water.  The small group passed through the torrent of fresh cool water and into a tiny alcove that ended in a locked door.  Zetjan was able to open it and passed through into the desalination station.  As he had said not everyone worked with these hidden systems and Astoric and Blath were not very familiar with these passages though they knew of their existence. 

      Inside the cozy machine room Zetjan paused to get his bearings.  "I haven't worked here so much since the new crop field was built...I do know there are passages.  Trip knows them all better than I do now."

      "Follow the pipes," Xmanda suggested. 

      Zetjan nodded.  The central crop field was much newer construction and the desalination machinery had been entirely ripped out and expanded to send fresh water to the fields for irrigation, rather than have it trickle in after supplying the next three dens.  "Yes, here," Zetjan said.  A large collection of pipes ran slightly downward along the wall they faced and near the place they left the room there was a wall panel that looked as though it had been removed or could be now. 

      In fact the metal sheet pulled away cleanly and there was a passage through into another chamber.  "We can make it in a low crawl," Zetjan said. 

      One by one the five crawled through the narrow tunnel.  At the other end some distance away they came into a room in which they could stand and a large window offered a view of the entire crop field from about midway up it's wall.  Trip was there. 

      He glanced at them and then back out the window, weight half supported by a walking stick and left leg in makeshift splint.  "You made it through," Xmanda said happily.  She had seen him in the machine rooms of A Den but only for an instant, was not sure Trip had noticed her. 

      "They are coming through now," Trip said, "These are the controls of the irrigation system, the artificial sunlight lamps, the heaters...farmer droids atmospheric controls."

      "Much more user friendly that our usual machine room tech consoles," Zetjan commented and then he also looked through the thick plastic window.  A number of intruding figures were descending on cords from the slightly domed roof into the crop field where it was closest to C Den.   Arthen and Ovenia were positioned on two of the many metal catwalks that ran over the field and now Ovenia fired her rifle as Arthen attempted to cut the cords with throwing stars. 

      "If they get to the stairs and climb up into C Den it won't be good."

      "There's an army of droids," Etan offered.

      "Etan and I will go," Blath said quickly, "We'll use the voice."

      "If you can make it work," Trip said gravely but with expression that told the others he needed this of them. 

      "We can do it," Blath promised.

                      ?                ?                ?

      They retraced their steps back to D Den and then climbed up to the high ground and into the C Den passage.  Moments and then Etan and Blath were in C Den again, the air moist and fresh.  It relaxed them both, but still they were anxious, afraid to face their enemies.  Rachael read them at a distance, silently wished them luck. 

      There was a boat at the dock that could take them across to the newly built small dock where the small sea met the den wall and the staircase down into the crop fields.  It was Charon's ferry into the underworld.  Etan hesitated, looked down into the dark water.  Blath touched his hand and looking up Etan saw her intense stare, heard the voice, "you can do this, get in the boat."

      Etan shook his head.  "I can," Etan agreed momentarily forgetting his anxiety, "But if we use the boat it will be there for them.  I can swim it."

      "Think I can?" Blath asked.

      Momentary warm flirty feeling and being close to Etan Blath felt herself want him.  "I can make you," he said.

      Blath didn't fight this.  A nod and she listened to Etan speak: "You swim perfectly, just like Astoric, and he's very good.  Your arms are strong and will not tire.  You can take in deep breaths and exhale when you need to.  You can turn your head back and to your side to catch a breath, always pulling yourself through the water and your powerful legs kick to provide drive forward."

      Another nod.  Blath pulled off her suit.  If they needed the suits now they would need much more.  Etan saw the fatalistic logic and followed so that they wore their snug undergarments.  Blath dove into the sea and then Etan.  The water was cold, colder than the North sea perhaps and it was nearly a kilometer to the far dock.  Still they found it shortly, climbed into the cold air, shivering and exhilarated. 

      "This can't go on," Blath said, "We need to say something, but I don't know what is best."

      Etan gave a nod as he went to the door before them.  Through its small porthole style window he could see figures climbing.   "I've been thinking that the way our powers come to us is different.  You may never be able to not cause some fear and it certainly is impossible for me to completely turn off whatever makes me attractive.  I don't know if just canceling each other will accomplish much.  It will have to be like that game they call Good-Cop-Bad-Cop.  You will have to tell them negative things with the voice that make them want to leave you alone and I will have to tell them positive things that will make them want to be home on Earth."

      "Think you're ready?"

      "I'm afraid," Etan whispered, "I've never tried it on so many at once."

      Blath darted across Etan, nearly knocked him over.  She was reaching for the door controls.  She locked the door, at the same time opened a slot so that her voice would carry through.  "Stop," she said, "You don't want to come up here."

      Etan encouraged Blath to go on.  He was watching through the window while Blath was not. 

      "Those things you fear when all is dark are real and they are here.  No amount of light will destroy them or make them leave.  To face them is foolish and futile."

      Etan gave Blath a small kiss then spoke through the door, "Warm grass, billions of beautiful human faces, Mothers, summer, the sun on your skin, your toes in warm sand, your first love, your first car, candy, Christmas, your favorite sheets, the boy next door, The sky blue, violet as the sun sets..."

      "Here it is so cold," Blath said, "Cold, Dry, Barren, harsh.  To survive you work your fingers off to frostbite and hard labor.  There is no real-time communication to home.  There are Darkling here.  You wear the suit all the time, it's chaffing.  You saw your friend die today.  The kid from Arkansas was devoured by a lion."

      "You want to go back to Earth.  Earth is so beautiful, so desirable, thinking of being there you imagine the wind on your naked skin, like a kiss, the warm spray of water across your face from passing speedboat."

      "Mars is not for you, Mars is infested with those you hate and you can not destroy them or remove them."

      Etan reached for the panel beside the door.  He felt Blath's hand warn against it but Etan reached with his mind and knew others were coming up behind the humans and that he would not be harmed.  Etan opened the door. 

      Three Earthlings he saw clearly before him and more were behind those.  He forced a smile, leaned to one side, shoulder against the wall of the staircase.  "Give in," Etan purred, "You know you want to."

      "Give in?" one of the humans asked.

      "Surrender and you will not be harmed.  You can go back to Earth, it's so much nicer there. "

      Slowly it seemed the group was changing mood.  The best early positive sign was that they did not make violent moves. 

      "Only those who try to stay without respecting their neighbors have anything to fear," Blath called from beyond the doorway. 

      The others didn't depend too greatly on the power of the voice.  From C Den and B Den they came to collect the trespassers.  They led each by their arm across the high roads and into A Den.  There in the thin but life supporting air all the band of invading humans were gathered, even their injured and their dead, wrapped in cloth. 

      Trepidation climbed to the high Road, leaning heavily on his stick.  He turned then and addressed the crowd with biblical paraphrase: "Because you have done this you shall be banned from all the animals and from all the wild creatures.  Cursed is the ground because of you!  In toil shall you eat its yield all the days of your life.  By the sweat of your brow shall you have bread to eat, until you return to the ground from which you came."