*SONG* “I Didn’t Want to Need You” by Heart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx5pBkfI-e0
The tide had turned, but at first
No one knew it…aside from the Watchers,
Especially Apollo, as he sat in the captain’s
Chair observing the data…watching the view
Screen…staring at the two ships…
The first…the Adam ship, which he had just
Visited…The slave ship full of blond men
Descendants of the conquered Sava…
And now, the newly arrived Eve ship…
The Eden vessel…with a crew full of women…
Slaves bred, like the men, for one special mission…
To seed planets with new life…
Apollo had come to Earth just in time to
Witness the epic about to unfold…as two long
Held, programmed slave ships were about to
Encounter one another…by choice…and soon
Shape the future of a world that would one day
Change the universe…
Apollo stared nervously, eagerly at the view
Screen…How would it happen? When? How
Had the Postulate known to send him…at
Just the right time?
This was destiny…not chance…
“What exactly is an Eve ship?” Camlo
Curiously asked as they watched the view screen.
“It is an Eden Vessel,” Zinn answered, “or rather
That’s how we call them…It’s main purpose
Is to seed planets with new life, micro-organisms
That will evolve into a thriving ecosystem…
They are Terra Farmers for the Empire…
Preparing dull worlds to become host planets
For experimental life to harvest.”
“There are not many of them,” Apollo added,
“But those that are…ships of females,
Women…”
“Are you going over there?” Zinn asked. “As
You did with the Adam ship?”
“No.” Apollo simply said.
“Why not?” Zinn asked. “You must be
Curious—“
“Because I know what’s there…” Apollo
Weakly answered. “That ship, is not like the
Adam Ship…of one slave race, the Sava…
The Eves on that ship are different…”
“How do you know this?” Zinn asked.
“Because I know that ship,” Apollo said with
Surprise as he leaned back in his chair. “I
Was privileged to study it earlier…By no accident
I now see…You see the Empire is rather…
Crude with their female slaves…They are…created
Differently…Those women are of complex design…
They are human, but are created from many
Worlds…fallen…hosted…They like to toy with their
Design, their nature…pushing the limits of their
DNA to make them viable breeders when
Recalled to their base star…Various races
Make up their DNA…The Draconian, the Pan,
The earlier Tribes of Dan…and Ruatha…
The Eves are made to be fierce…not
Like the male slaves…which makes this
Meeting…sensitive…”
“What are you saying?” Zinn asked confused…
“This is where we…watch,” Apollo said…
“And watch closely…”
The Adam Ship…
On the bridge, not long after Apollo’s departure…
The commander Adamman stared angrily at the
Screen…eyeing the Eve Ship carefully…
He had never seen one before…The computers on
The ship only informed them of what it was upon
Its arrival; the computers never volunteered information
Unless necessary…
Pre-programming in the Adam’s genetic core
Made them immediately cautious, fearful, even
Untrusting of women…
“What is IT doing here?” The bitter faced
Cain asked of the Eve ship. “This is not their
Space…We are not supposed to encounter
Terra Farmers…Besides the planet is set with
Life…No EVE vessel is required here…”
“They are here,” the commander said, “That’s all
That matters…Now what to do…”
Hollis was concerned… “Are we taking readings
Of what they are doing here?”
“We are unable to scan them,” the commander
Said with frustration, “They are an upgraded
Class vessel.”
There was a disconcerting silence…All the men
Seemed confused, disoriented…as if something in
Their core was conflicted…
Jansen studied the room, the faces…He was
Different than the others…unknown to him, his
Programming was unlike the rest…as some were…
“Are you going to initiate communications
With the Eves?”
There was shock all around the room…As
If Jansen’s suggestion was unthinkable?
“What is he doing here?” Cain asked. “Return
Him to quarters, Hollis, he does not belong here.”
“What did I say?” Jansen was confused. “You
Will of course contact them to ask—“
Hollis held his partner’s shoulder, “Let me take
You back to our quarters…”
“What? Why?”
The commander grew unsettled… “I want mission
Preps to be called immediately…start preparing
Dropships for mining the continent…Recall normal
Hours to active duty…I don’t want that Eve
Ship to interfere with our mission…We must incite
Emergency protocols…We must process fuel.”
“And if the Eve Ship interferes?” Cain asked.
“Fire on their vessel.” The commander ordered.
“Make it clear that this is our station…
No Eve Ship is required…The planet is
Ecologically active…”
“What?” Jansen was shocked. “You’re not
Even going to talk to them??”
“Get him out of here.” Cain demanded. “He is
Of science crews…have him report to ready
Dropships with his team…or he will be
Confined to quarters.”
“But sir—“ Jansen protested…
Hollis grabbed him by the shoulders and
Ushered him out of the bridge before further
Reprimand came from the commander or Cain…
He was scared for him…A deep sense of
Protection overtook his senses as he pulled him
Out until they could talk, whisper, at safe
Distance away…
“I don’t understand,” Jansen pleaded with him,
“You won’t request communication with the
Eve Ship? Why? They’re acting like they’re
Ready to fight rather than simply ask
What they’re doing here?”
Hollis tried to fight the feelings and programming
Conflicting his mind… “You have to understand…
Protocol…We don’t think this way…”
“Exactly.” Jansen snapped… “We don’t think.
We can’t think…Everything we do is pre-set
In our heads…it always has been…That Eve
Ship…there is something more—“
“You must stop thinking this way.”
Hollis begged him, “If they hear you
Question orders again…They may see you
As violating conductive law…”
“I can’t help thinking…” Jansen whispered
Desperately, begging his partner to understand.
Hollis held him tightly by the shoulders. “Jansen,
Stop. Listen to me. Do you think I want to see
You get hurt? Judged? Or worse…reprocessed?
You know ship’s law…We do not question
Law…I’m begging you…PLEASE…Follow orders…
I know you have questions…”
“I can’t help feeling—“ Jansen pleaded…
“That’s just it,” Hollis begged in whispers,
“I know you feel…You’re different…You’re
Not like the others…That’s why I care about
You so much…Please…Please…Don’t question
The commander…or Cain…Please…follow
Orders right now.”
“But I only—“
Hollis shook him. “I won’t lose you. Do
You hear me? I won’t. Our lives…this ship…
I know we have restrictions…But Jansen,
Please for all I’ve said…told you…Please…for
Me…Follow orders right now…We can discuss
Anything you want…later…alone…But
With the ship…you must fall in line.”
Jansen saw the fear in Hollis’s face…He was
Truly scared for him…He had never seen him
So shaken before; Hollis was a rock… “Alright,
Alright…for you…I will do this.”
Hollis hugged him…tight… “Thank you. It
Won’t be so bad I promise…”
Deep inside Jansen could not help feeling torn
Apart…He sincerely felt bonded to Hollis…
But the Eve Ship…stirred something inside
Him…a curiosity…a conviction…one that
Fought all programming of what he now was
Recognizing as a brainwashed slavery…
The Adam Ship was conditioned…And for
The first time he sensed a deception to his life
That he wanted answers to…
Hollis held close to Jansen’s side, guarding him
Fiercely as led him to the lower decks
Where the dropships were held…Where he
Took the lead in assembling teams…putting
Jansen safely with their friends Jonath, the
Gentle giant, and Janeth, the witful brain…
There…they began preparing the dropships
For descent to the ground…6 ships
Would make the first drops…with standard
Crews of two dozen each…with ten Lion Men
Per ship…for labor, heavy duties and as
Mighty watchdogs to protect crew and
Scare off any hostile threats on the ground…
“Pause.” Ceres interrupted… “Wait…are
You honestly telling me that you really
Just sat by and watched this and did
Nothing?”
“Ceres…” Apollo, now Varence, recoiled… “This
Is my story…May I tell it please without
Your comments?”
“All this was happening and you just sat
And watched with Camlo and that pretentious
Zinn?” Ceres scowled.
“May I continue?” Varence requested…
“That is the stupidest thing I’ve heard yet…
I cannot believe you held this story all this
Time…and just sat there?” She said bitterly.
“Ceres!”
“Fine…” She whined… “Continue with your
Watcher’s tale…Oh but if I had arrived
Sooner!”
“Ceres!”
“Continue…Continue! Onward please…Spare
No details of your dutifully positioned eye-filled
Post…What words to tell…Watchman that
Did nothing…But if something awful happened
To that Hollis and Jansen, I really will
Slap you! Oh how it could have been simpler!
I can see the calamity building…How could
You just sit—“
“Ceres!”
“Go on then, I will say no more…Torment
My ears with it…Go on!”
On the lower decks Hollis dutifully
Managed the crew…selecting six teams as
The science crew readied all materials required…
Finally the guard began bringing the Lion Men
Down, in chains…rows of them…caged in
Each selected ship…The giant 9-10 foot tall
Massively built Lion Slave Men were collared
To their cell walls… growling bitterly in protest…
Silently, telepathically communicating amongst
Themselves the whole time…
The men had no idea of the Lion Men’s true abilities,
For they were not just muscled giants…but they
Were highly intelligent as well…in fact the only
Way they were possibly kept so feebly chained
Was by their own genetic slave programming
For obedience…Secretly however…They dreamed,
And plotted for chances of revolt…waiting
For the opportunity to organize a mutiny…
One that was about to chance itself due to
The arrival of the Eve Ship…
More was going on than any of the slaves on
The ships could know…
Hollis watched his partner Jansen closely,
Protectively…For as his feelings grew so did
A powerful nature within him to guard him,
Whatever it took; a nature which defied his
Own slave programming…
As the crew busied themselves with their orders…
Jansen, Jonath and Janeth prepped stations
On a dropship as its mining team geared themselves
For departure…Their Lion Men chained in the
Far cells…Hollis hovered closely monitoring
Communications with the bridge…The commander
Was eager to begin fuel processing…The Eve
Ship was making him nervous…
All the while…apart from the Adam Ship’s
Busy preparations…The Eve Ship was also
Busy…with other motives…
On the bridge of the Eve Ship…
The women…dark of skin, fair of beauty
With dark eyes and hair…worked like
Furious titans…very professional, highly
Intelligent multitaskers…on a ship more
Advanced than the Adam’s…The women
Were monitoring, scanning everything going
On aboard the Adam Ship…
Their commander, Eve Alana, was bold
And firm…almost expressionless…cold…despite
Her finely beautiful elegant features…
Her eyes were fixed like stone on the Adam
Ship as it appeared on their view screen…
Set ferociously by her own genetic
Programming she held no emotion for the
Men…She saw them as mindless obstacles…
Crude violators…The Eves were bred
To farm planets…raise and preserve life…
To nourish planets…The mining Adam
Ship was viewed as a threat to the planet…
One that must be neutralized so as not to
Drain resources for the planet’s ecosystem…
She awaited the call of her first officer
As they readied their tactical protocol…
Lilith, a tall olive-type skinned dark haired
Beauty…was her first officer…and was as
Cold natured as ice…almost robotic in nature
She held no emotions for anything other
Than the Eve Ship…and was brilliant
In all her collectively bred programming…
She turned to her commander as all women
At their stations awaited orders…Their ship
Was heavily armed for all offensive and
Defensive purposes; all female slave ships were…
Then she gave the command coldly…
“Fire on the Adam Ship…”
All weapons stations immediately targeted
Selected areas…Then the atomic missiles fired…
The Adam Ship, equipped with weapons, though
Not as advanced as the Eves…never saw it
Coming…as their scanning capabilities were limited…
The first strikes of the missiles hit the bridge…
Then the engines…then finally the key targets…
The dropships, they were set to prevent the mining
At all costs…
The Adam Ship shook, took severe fast damage…
The commander responded with immediate weapons
Firing to retaliate…both defensively and offensively…
The battle had begun…
The missile strikes shook the ship so
Heavily…that it triggered safety systems…
Air lock defaults had been de-pressured…
Decks were sealed off…crew were locked in
Damaged areas…Fires, explosions quickly took
The lives of many Adams…first dozens, then
Hundreds…
There was no time, everything happened so
Suddenly, so fast without warning…
The dropships…safety systems submitted to
Default reactions…They were locked down…
Hollis panicked as he saw the air lock doors
Slam shut…Thick, heavily steeled doors with
Tiny view windows…He ignored the intercom
To the bridge and threw himself against the
Dropship door…furiously striking at keys to
Override systems…Jansen was locked inside…
With Jonath and Janeth and the drop team…
There was nothing he could do…
He shouted and beat at the door but could
Only watch as the next missile strike hit
Their ship…shaking it…There
Was smoke, flames, chemical fumes from
Interior walls…
Hollis watched as the men locked inside
The dropship were thrown back to the
Far wall, unprepared by the missile strike…
He saw Jansen slammed against the Lion Men’s
Cells, knocked out…Men scrambled for
Their safety harness seats…
Safety alarms sounded, flashing lights….
Then the dropship was released, ejected…
And began its descent to the planet…
Hollis screamed, cursed, shouted powerlessly
As he could only watch the dropship shrink
Away from sight…his partner was taken
Away…and his insides frothed in panic…
Then rage…as he raced to the bridge…
While the Adam Ship continued its artillery
Defense against the Eves…
In Hollis’s mind…it was war…
The dropship…the mining team was able
To secure themselves in their safety harnesses…
They were tough, strong men…though taken
By surprise they organized quickly.
Jonath and his friends were not used to
Such surprise…They had never seen ground
Duty before…Janeth scrambled weakly
For an available harness…While Jonath, tall,
Powerful and fiercely loyal in nature, sought
To save his hurt friend Jansen, who was out cold.
He grabbed his younger friend tight, held
Him close and firmly set the two of them
Together under one harness as the violent
Descent of the dropship shook them endlessly…
The ten caged Lion Men growled and roared
At the chaos…They sensed what was happening,
The attack…but did not sense the Eves yet…
They did, however, sense the opportunity coming…
For half an hour the dropship suffered the
Violent trip down…Further missile strikes from
The Eve Ship took out 3 other of the dropships
Unknowingly to them…The missiles were in fact
Targeting them intently…It was only by
Chance that any of the dropships made it
To the planet…
As the battle between the two ships
Continued in the space above the planet…
The dropships managed a very rough
Landing…One exploded on impact as one
Final missile followed it to the ground
Causing a massive explosion that created
A giant singed crater on the ground…
The two remaining dropships hit the ground
Closely, but intact…No lives were lost…
Shaken, awkward and confused…The men
Awaited communications from the Adam Ship
On how to proceed…There had been no easy
Landing…Were standard protocols in effect?
Were they to begin fuel processing—gold
Mining? Or were they to await other orders?
The mission had been seriously compromised…
Ships were lost…a battle was in effect in
Space with their main ship…What were
They to do? They were not free thinkers…
Everything was done by command…
Confused and enraged by their loss of mission
Standards…The men organized amongst
Themselves a hierarchy…a few dozen angry
Miners…a few science technicians…and
Twenty giant Lion Men laborers…The plan was
A mess…
Tomoron, a gritty big tough miner took the
Chief command as the oldest, and biggest
Bully…He ordered the men to set up a
Stationed camp…To prepare standard procedures
For mining…until communications could be
Set up with the parent ship with further orders…
They would wait and see what had happened
With the battle first…before doing anything…
Jonath took the lead for his team apart from
The brute miners…He was left with Janeth,
A few others from the other dropship and a
Seriously injured Jansen…
Janeth, with the most medical experience, examined
Jansen…he had a head wound, possible concussion
And a gash to his ribs from being slammed
Against the Lion Men’s cells…
“How bad is he?” Jonath asked worried…
“We need medical staff,” Janeth only said,
“There is only so much I can do with med
Kits…”
“Do your best, do it now,” Jonath ordered…
Like an upset older brother, he loved his friend
So much…for if not for Hollis…Jonath would
Have pursued him without end; there was a
Bond there…These friends expressed a protective
Loyalty unlike the rest of the crew…Especially
The miners, who were known brutes and
Savages…Larger and stronger, bred for
Tougher jobs, they were not known for
Kindness…and even worse for their personal
Games of entertainment.
Jonath patted and stroked Jansen’s head as
Janeth and the science teams attempted a
Crude medical treatment of their injured
Friend…
As quietly the chained Lion Men, gray and
Gold in color, watched everything…
The Lion Men quickly sensed the strange
New world’s environment…They sensed the fresh
Air…The virgin world’s emptiness of Dark
Power; there was no advanced intelligence as
A threat…But they sensed great beasts abroad…
Monstrous animals…A land of reptilian
Concoctions…What we know as dinosaurs…
Still, it was a planet of chance…One fit
For a Lion Man to fight free…After years of
Oppressed slavery…They wanted to fight…
As the hours passed and twilight came…
A strange sensation for the men who knew
Only space and the nonstop dark hours of its
Clock for time…daylight and nightfall was
But some alien dimension experienced
Only by the miners on occasion…
The evening brought a restlessness to the men,
To the miners…whose darker nature sought
Play time to surpass boredom as they waited…
Jonath and the science team sensed the
Building tension…Trouble was brewing…The
Miners wanted something fun to do…
Tomoron strolled over to the science team
With his equally arrogant sidekick Jarek…
Both were massively built blond bullies…
With wicked eyes and an almost soul-less
Nature…
“Is that the first officer’s partner?”
Tomoron asked the science team…
Jonath was immediately defensive…but
Equally tall and strong to the miners. “Yes?”
“He is injured?” Tomoron laughed.
“Yes, he is…” Janeth replied confused. “We
Are taking care of him.”
“There’s no doctor here.” Tomoron laughed,
“How seriously is he hurt?”
Jonath did not like his tone. “What does
It matter to you?”
“He is the first officer’s partner…” Tomoron
Only repeated…
“Again, I say, so?” Jonath became angry.
“Step aside.” Tomoron told them…As the
Miners gathered…Their faces strangely
Devilish…
“What?” Jonath asked…The science team
Was shocked…
“We want to see what is so special about
The first officer’s pet.” Jarek laughed.
“He’s hurt…” Jonath defended angrily
Not liking what he was sensing at all…
Tomoron stood right in Jonath’s face… “Move
Science boy…You’re no match for me…”
He pushed his forefinger into his chest…
“You aren’t seriously suggesting what
I think you are?” Jonath shouted.
“What is wrong with you?” Janeth said
Desperately… “You can’t…he’s hurt…Why?”
“Are you giving me lessons now science
Boy?” Tomoron snapped…as the miners
Lined his back…
“What the hell is the matter with you?”
Jonath shouted… “You aren’t touching
Him!”
“Is that right?” Tomoron laughed…
“Rules change on the ground science boy.”
Jarek teased… “The strong survive…
The weak please the strong…We only want
To play with him a little…”
“But he’s injured!” Janeth could not believe
His ears…he had heard the stories of things
The miners did…but never expected…
“Move out of the way,” Tomoron ordered…
“Or you will all…entertain us…It’s either
We play with that one…he’s so pretty…ha ha…
Or you are all going to learn a few things
The hard way…”
“That’s not going to happen.” Jonath, strongly
Said, finding his own rage.
“Oh?” Tomoron teased wickedly…
“Try me.” Jonath pushed him…
A brawl ensued as Jonath found himself
In a wrestling match with Tomoron and
Two of the big miners…
The Lion Men growled low amongst themselves
Sensing the situation…Their leader, a broad built
Towering 10 foot gold Lion Man of highest character
Scowled at the scene…The grunting carnal
Cravings of these low life miners…fighting for
The desire to satisfy themselves by toying with
The weak injured one…The Dark Game of the
Empire was in them…and the Lion Men despised
It…They were not about to witness it…not
Now…not here…especially now that the rules
Had changed…Yes, it was time these little men
Learned a lesson…And time the Lion Men
Made their fist for freedom…
Jonath punched and fought the three miners
Hard, he was the only one of size that could
Have fought the men, and a boiling rage of
Protection fueled him; he would protect Jansen…
A hulk within him grew…
Tomoron encouraged more of the miners to
Join him, ganging up to fight Jonath…as
The shocked weaker science team cowered
Back by Jansen…
The tension grew…the fight became ugly…Jonath
Bloodied but fighting hard relentlessly…
And the Lion Men growled and glared at the men…
It was obscene…the sick drive and fight
In the miners…the pathetic withdrawal of the
Science team as no one stood to aid Jonath…
Jonath tumbled away for a moment, grabbed
A steel rod…a piece of wreckage from the crash
Landing and swung it at the miners… “You are
Not touching him!”
Tomoron, bruised but cocky had to bellow
Before them all, rousing his fellow miners…
But admitting respect for the tall science man,
“This one has some fight in him, I’ll give him
That…I would not have expected such a fight
From you weak drones of the science deck…
You like that pet of the first officer, do you?”
“He’s my friend.” Jonath snapped back…
“You can’t win against us.” Tomoron told him,
Breathing hard… “I’ll make you a deal…
Let us play with him for a little while…and
We’ll try to let him survive…”
Jonath fumed. “Not good enough, you rotten
Scum…I’ll say it again…You aren’t touching
Him!”
Tomoron wiped the sweat from his face… “Fine
Then…You want to play hard…You’ll all pay
For it.” He waved for all the miners to join the
Gang beating… “Come on, let’s see how much
Fight you have before we break you so we can
Play…We can make this as hard as you
Like…BOY.”
There was a cry from the twilight shadows
Of the jungle nearby…
All the men froze…at the strange animal
Sound…The Lion Men tensed as their sharp
Senses felt it…heard it…
The cries…The echoing of the eerie chirping—
Twisted whistling calls…
The men were being watched for some time…by
Creatures that lurked in packs in the thick
Greenery…Then a silence fell…The men
Looked about quickly…They had forgotten
About not being briefed on what life forms were
On the surface…
The trees swayed…The bushes, the grass moved
By things sliding unseen in a circle of the
Encampment…
The Lion Men, set apart from the men, stood
Tensed…ready to break their chains…
Then the wild wood exploded…with these
Gawky 6 foot tall lizard-like raptors
Leaping into the camp…covered with red hair-like
Feathers…gaping jaws with razor sharp teeth,
Reptilian red-wild hungry eyes…clawed, short
Armed hands…bird-like oval bodies and long
Tails…with powerful long legs and dagger-like
3 toed feet…The monsters appeared from
Every angle…from the shadows upon the
Men…
First upon the miners, the raptors leapt, jaws
Clamping, crushing on their shoulders, necks
And heads…Men fell everywhere screaming…
Sprays of blood filled the air…
The men scrambled…
Jonath immediately dove to cover Jansen,
Brandishing the steel rod to protect them…
A science team member shrieked as one
Of the raptors grabbed him by the neck and
Dragged him half-alive into the jungle…
The creatures began dragging many men off
This way…Tomoron and Jarek, and a few
Of the other large miners forged themselves
Into a circle to fight them off…
More men screamed as they were dragged off
By the creatures…
The science team quickly fell as victims…
Dragged away…until only Jonath, Jansen
And Janeth were left huddled together…
This happened in moments, in just over a minute…
The attack was so fast the men barely had time
To react…
Then the Lion Men exploded…Their own rage
Let loose…as they tore the chains and collars
Off their bodies, they were barely clothed in
Loin cloths then…The gold leader let out a
Mighty roar…as if to defy the attack by
Crying out loud his size, strength and might…
And as the raptors turned upon them and
The last men…in seconds the Lion Men leapt
Out upon the creatures…It was a sight to see…
A gray Lion Man jumped on one of the monsters,
Bit down on its neck and tore off its head…
Then another did the same…and another…
The raptors chirped and whined at the
Defensive assault as they fell dead left and
Right effortlessly to the Lion Men…
The Lion Men were born warriors…standing
9 to 10 feet tall there were few things that
Could match their muscle, mightily clawed hands,
Weight and strength…And a lifetime of
Work as heavy laborers made them even
Stronger opponents…
The whole scene completely turned in
Moments…as fast as the assault came…
Soon dozens of bodies covered the ground
Of the strange creatures…body parts
Scattered…heads, limbs, tails…torn off…
With Lion Men grinning with bloody jaws…oh how
Easy it was for them!
The last of the raptors fled into the jungle…
Then silence fell as the Lion Men stood tall, victorious
And free all about the encampment…
The handful of surviving miners cowered
Together…even they were terrified of the Lion Men…
The large golden leader of the Lion Men
Stood taller…proudly…and roared
Wild and angry at the finish to the
Fight…his men lowered their heads
Respectfully to him…eyeing him for direction…
What were they to do with these human
Men now?
Tomoron, his back pressed to Jarek…shouted
At the gold Lion Man…like a brainless idiot…
“You back down beasts…You are servants…
You don’t defy your masters!”
And the gold Lion Man’s eyes went wide…
Blaring…glaring…as he suddenly spoke broken
Inhuman growling words; they had NEVER
Heard the Lion Man speak before…EVER… “Masters?
You are slaves…as we all are…We are
NOT your pets…You human trash…”
Tomoron shook at the Lion Man’s animalistic
Speech… “You can talk?”
“Yes we can talk…FOOLS.” The gold Lion Man
Said… “Do you think we are stupid?”
He stepped up to Tomoron…this miner
Who he had seen before, watched for years…
He sensed the man’s perverse mind…
The arrogance…The selfishness…He held
No respect for such a…thing…For the Lion
Men were disgusted by those of such
Behavior…The rape games the miners
Played…The way they had abused the
Lion Men for years with the electric shock sticks
For teasing pleasure…That time had come
To an end… “So tell me…Tomoron,” he
Said, “How strong is the miner now?
Tell me what to do?”
Tomoron and his men shook with cold
Sweat… “How can you speak? Your men
Have never shown intelligence before…”
And the gold Lion Man growled at the
Bold stupid words of the miner…He tilted
His head…Reasoning spared but only
Seconds before he reacted…Then he stepped
Closer to the miner…A flash, a cold moment…
Then the gold Lion Man opened his jaws,
Took Tomoron’s head in his mouth easily…
Bit it off…and spat it out to the side…
A brief pause…no moment of doubt…
Then his fellow Lion men surrounded
The last of the miners…and did the same…
Quick open jaws…a brief bite…heads
Were snapped off…spat out…blood stains…
Headless bodies fell to the ground…
Then silence…
Jonath watched in awe and terror…as
The Lion Men then turned to the last
Three men…
But the gold Lion Man held out his hand for
His men to be still…as he approached Jonath…
Slowly… “You are not like the others…You
Protect your friend…”
“Yes,” Jonath weakly nodded…
The gold Lion Man looked upon Jansen…
And the rage in his expression fell to
Sympathy…pity… “Your friend…is
Different also…His heart is…kind…
You fought for him?”
“Yes,” Jonath answered…inspite of all he
Saw…he still held his hand over Jansen
To protect him… “Please don’t kill him…”
The gold Lion Man’s eyes went soft…
Glazed…opened wide… “Of course I won’t
Jonath…he is a good man…”
Jonath was shocked, as was Janeth… “You
Know my name?”
The Lion Men laughed. “We know all of your names.”
Jonath was speechless! “But I don’t understand…
You never spoke before…You never…Why
Have you never talked before…They would have
Treated you differently!”
“Would they?” The gold Lion Man said. “Could
They? You do not even know what you are…
Man, Jonath man of the Adam Ship…
You are a slave…They made you this way…
They made us all…this way…But that
Time is over now…”
“What?” Jonath asked…Janeth could not
Speak at all he was so shocked…
The gold Lion Man looked around…sensing
The distance…The jungle…The animals…
“We must go now…we cannot stay here…
More creatures will come…We must find water…
And scout the land…to know where we
Are to be…”
“What?” Jonath asked.
The Lion Man grinned…The shock of the human
Amused him… “You may come with us…I
Suggest you do…or else your friend will not
Survive the creatures here…Come with us…You
Have my word…We will not harm you, Jonath…
Or Jansen, or you Janeth…”
Jonath looked to
Janeth…What could they say, or do? Their
Entire understanding had been shattered!
“Come, let us go…” The gold Lion Man
Said as his men organized into a pattern
Team…to move into the jungle…safely…
Guarding one another…He waited for Jonath
To answer him…
“Yes, we will come with you…” Jonath answered
Weakly…as he carefully picked up his unconscious
Friend…and nodded for Janeth
To follow…
Janeth grabbed the med kit, a bundle of
Supplies he could carry…and they followed
The Lion Men into the jungle…under the
Close watch of the gold leader…who held
To their side to watch them carefully…
And suddenly the humans had become pets…
As the Lion Men took the mighty role…as
Masters then…
The group went into the jungle of night…
Avoiding any and all dangers under the
Unmatchable watchful senses of the Lion
Men…
For they could sense any threat…by beast…
False footing of the ground…dangers in the trees…
Nothing could touch them or harm them…The Lion
Men, although only twenty in number…were
A formidable army…even a prehistoric
Jungle of dangers at every turn…was no threat for them.
Late in the night they came upon a
Stream of fresh water…where the Lion
Men rested…Some guarded the group in the
Trees and forest corners…while the others could
Rest…The three humans were the weakest…by far…
Collapsing to rest by the water…
Jonath held tight to Jansen, who had still not
Awoken; which concerned them…
Janeth continuously checked his wounds but
Could find no solutions… “He needs more help
Than we can give…” Janeth told them…
The gold Lion Man stayed close to the humans…
Showing more concern than expected… “He will live.”
He told them…sensing the man’s body…
“He is hurt…but he will live…he is
Resting…it is what his body insists he do…”
“How do you know this?” Jonath asked…
Wearily afraid for Jansen…
“I just know…” The gold Lion Man told them…
“I feel the life force in him…he is not
Finished…He will live…somehow…Trust me…”
Jonath eyed the great Lion Man with respect…
Wishing he could understand his strange
Words of faith and mysticism…But he knew
Only logic and programming of his own slave
Nature…Fear could not leave him…And the
Strong feelings for his friend only grew stronger
As he saw his wounded friend lay there
Too quietly on the ground…It scared him…
Jansen had not moved in so long…He wanted
To see his eyes open…He wanted to see his
Body move…hear his voice say…something…
But there was only silence…Jonath held his head,
Laid gently over Jansen…kissed him on the
Forehead…stroked his hair… “Please get
Well my friend…Please wake up…Please…”
The gold Lion Man watched this…and felt
Moved…The feelings he had so rarely ever
Seen…but so greatly admired…Then he too
Felt and shared the concern… “Faith Jonath…
Believe…”
But Jonath could only cry…He fought his
Feelings too…He loved his friend…so much…
And could not deny in part if completely that
He was glad Hollis was not there…That he had
Him for himself…for now…
“Feelings are a good thing.” The gold Lion
Man said… “Don’t fight them Jonath…Trust me…
Your friend will live…Love is a good thing, the right thing.”
But Jonath could only cry…and he cried hard…
The hours of night passed slowly…until dawn
Came to the strange new world…
And as the Lion Men yawned and gathered
In a circular group to their leader for their
Next step…There was a sudden surprise…
By stealth they could not see or hear, with
Soft careful footsteps…The men had never
Heard or sensed in their lives…this newness…
The forms appeared atop the hill across
The stream…of a team of women…
A scout team sent by the Eve Ship…
The Eves had taken them totally off guard…
The Lion Men, gray and gold, growled gentle
Roars as they hunched in a circle below the hill
Under the trees at the surprise…They should have
Sensed them…this team of women…but they
Hadn’t, why? Was it their softer movement…or
Some other strange quality they possessed…or
Perhaps a weakness to the female element they
Were yet unaware of…
She stood tall, statuesque…atop the hill, with a
Laser rifle held firm in her hands pointed at the
Strange beasts below…She had olive skin, long
Straight dark brown hair and eyes…But the softest
Features of grace and beauty…the elegant slender
Curves of her form…her doe-like eyes and long
Lashes…She was so beautiful, mesmerizingly so
That all the men froze at the sight of her…
She appeared so delicate yet stood strong like a
Titan with the rifle and stone-like expression…
“Do not move.” She commanded the man-things
Below…as her team lined her sides…
All looked so similar, the dark hair, eyes, the
Complexion of their skin…they were all beautiful…
But the leader was the most stunning of all…
They wore form fitting dark gray uniforms…
And appeared like some advanced army…
The leader eyed every one of the man-things
Carefully as she turned to her first of command
Beside her… “Are you taking readings? What
Are they? They don’t appear to be human…”
Nira, her first officer, slightly shorter but just as
Fair in beauty, held up her scanner to read
The man-things…as the army of women lined
The hill with rifles aimed deftly at every form…
“I don’t understand, Sara…” She said to her
Leader… “These readings…make no sense…”
“Why?” Sara asked…her voice was sweet,
But strong by command… “What does it say?”
“We have all forms of life forms in our database…”
Nira said with wonder… “All specimens for
Terra-forming…reptiles…mammals…insects…
Land, sea…air life-animals…but these things…
They register as felines…lion rogues…But
No feline in our database walks on two legs? We
Have no record of feline-lion bipeds…Yet that is
What they are!”
“How is that possible?” Sara asked.
“I do not know.” Nira responded, confused…
Constantly re-checking her scanner… “But they
Are lions…Their DNA is so…pure…it’s almost
As if the specimens in our database are…
Corrupted…degenerated…And these here…are
True lions?”
“But we are supposed to be looking for men of
The Adam Ship…” Sara told her… “Are you
Saying these are Adams? These…are men?”
Nira stopped suddenly as she scanned the
Group below… “Wait…There are three humans
There…? Three men?”
Sara looked carefully below then saw that
The great Lion Men were concealing three
Human men… “I see them…I don’t
Understand…What are we looking at then?”
Nora, another officer, of similar features but
With darker skin stepped closer to Sara… “Does
It matter? Our orders by Lilith are to shoot
To kill all Adams on sight?”
Sara thought to herself…She wanted to know
What she was looking at…Something deep inside
Her was furiously storming with questions that
Hampered her concentration… “I need to know
What we are looking at…before we do anything…
For the sake of our records…We must analyze
This for the database first…”
“We should kill them first…” Nora said coldly…
“Then examine them…”
The Lion Men silently communicated
With one another below…then, in seconds
Withdrew into the jungle and vanished…
By some secret plan…Leaving only their
Great gold leader left with the three humans…
“Wait!” Sara shouted as the Lion Men
Vanished…but they were gone before the women
Could even aim or fire… “Where did they go?”
The Lion Men then regrouped…in various
Positions behind the army of women…and
Began knocking them down and stealing their
Weapons with a speed so fast they could not
Fight the attack…
Then only Sara and Nira were left
Standing…The Lion Men circling, closing
Upon them…Sara struggled to comprehend
The speed of what happened…Nervous, she
Held close to her officer Nira…who constantly
Scanned them… “What are they doing?” Sara
Asked…
Then the great gold Lion Man leader
Stood up straight and moved forward towards
The women… “Do not press us…female
Warriors…We seek only freedom.”
“He spoke!” Nira exclaimed in shock… “Did
You hear him speak?”
“Yes,” Sara said in shock too… “What are they?”
It was then that Jonath stepped up…
Finding his own courage, fueled by his
Fearful concern for Jansen; perhaps these
Women had the technology to help his
Friend… “They are Lion Men…They were
Slave laborers on our ship…They saved us…
They are not beasts…They are noble men…”
Sara studied the tall, curly haired, muscled
Human man…She had never seen such a
Form before…The sound of his voice…so deep…
Yet kind…struck a chord deep within her she
Could not ignore…She was utterly fascinated!
“You are…a man?”
“Yes…” Jonath said calmly…holding out
His hands in a surrendering plea filled gesture…
“Yes…And we are from the Adam Ship…
If you simply respect these Lion Men…
They will not harm you…”
The gold Lion Man leader growled, but seemed
Pleased with this…and allowed Jonath to
Speak for them… “Talk to her…”
Jonath moved closer up the hill carefully…
“Obviously…we, me and my friends here
Cannot harm you…But the Lion Men…”
He laughed a little… “Believe me when I say…
You do not want to see what they can do…”
Sara and Nira could see the sense in his
Words… “Why…Why would you speak to us
This way? Men are not known for their
Reason.”
Jonath laughed at her words…He could have
Said the same…for what he, his men, were
Taught to believe of women… “I am asking you…
Not for myself…But for my friend here…
Please…can you help us?”
The gold Lion Man nodded at Jonath’s plea…
He sensed the great fear he had for Jansen…
The emotion in his voice and reason…was
Compelling…There was love there…And that
Always caught the respect of the Lion Men…
“Help you?” Sara asked with a stern,
Confused look… “With what?”
“My friend here,” Jonath said desperately;
“He’s hurt…very badly…I’m scared for
Him…Please…Can you help him?”
Sara and Nira eyed each other…Then, under
The watchful eyes of the Lion Men moved down
The hill…to where Jansen lay on the ground…
Jonath gently gestured for them to look at
Him as Jonath backed away…
“What happened to him?” Sara asked as she
Studied the unconscious Jansen…
“He was hurt in the crash landing of our
Dropships,” Jonath explained with worry…
“When our ship fell under attack by
Yours…We were ejected too fast…He was
Slammed against supplies…He has internal
Injuries…He hasn’t woken in hours…I’m
Scared for him…”
Sara heard his shaky voice…Something inside
Her felt moved… “You care for him?”
Nira scanned Jansen with her device… “He is
Hurt badly…But I believe we can help him
Back at the ship…The trauma isn’t too severe
Yet…it should be reversible…”
“You can help him?” Jonath begged…
“Yes…” Nira said…shocked by his emotions…
“Yes I can.”
“I’m Jonath.” He told them, nearly in tears of
Relief… “His name is Jansen…and that one
There cowering away is Janeth…We are from the
Science team on our ship…we have never
Seen active duty before…Please help him…
I’ll do anything you ask…”
Sara and Nira were taken by complete
Surprise by Jonath’s behavior. He was so
Emotional…They had never seen such behavior
Before…The Eves were all always so calm…
Cool…collected…And now to see a man…
For the first time…with watery eyes making
A desperate plea for help…For his friend?
They were stunned…
“Let’s get him to the ship…” Sara said, “And
We will see what we can do…”
Jonath carefully picked Jansen up…and
Followed the women…Janeth meekly followed…
As the Lion Men ushered the entire group
In a line like masters then…as they proceeded
To the Eves scout vessel…
It was clear the Lion Men were in charge…
The gold leader held close to Jonath’s side…
As he found himself in quiet respect of this
Human…For once a Lion Man’s respect was
Earned, it was a bond of friendship that
Forged stronger than steel…
At the Eve scout vessel…Jonath brought
In his friend Jansen carefully to a room
At the center that served as a multipurpose
Examination station; more typically used
For base life forms, almost like a veterinarian’s
Office…
Sara and Nira served as the chief female
Officers as the rest of the women were reserved
Back under the watchful guard of the Lion Men
Where they would not be in the way or as a
Threat…
Only the great gold Lion Man leader remained
With the humans…watching everything they did,
As if to ensure honesty by the women to
Protect his human male friends…
Nira scanned Jansen again with their medical
Equipment…which was far superior to the
Adam Ship’s technology…She diagnosed him
Quickly then administered what could only
Be termed as a cellular regenerator over
Jansen’s wounds…
They all watched carefully…
The Lion Man growled gently…only slightly
Impressed…
Janath was fascinated with everything he
Saw…he was so obsessed with such things…
Jonath only remained fixated on Jansen’s
Face…watching for the slightest trace of
Movement…
“I’m Sara…” she said to him as she watched
Jonath with her own fascination, his emotions
Were so intriguing…
“Thank you Sara…”
“You really care for him?” She asked…as if
Stunned at the whole concept…
“Yes I do…” Jonath said… “More than you
Know…More than I want to.”
That was a peculiar answer…Sara blinked,
Her mind questioning everything…all that
She knew…all that she was bred to know
And believe…These feelings the men had…
Were they possible? She thought they were
Supposed to be so…cold…selfish…hostile…
So angry all the time…moody and short in
Control of their emotions…explosive even…
Not gentle…not concerned or worried?
Certainly not so overtaken by…love?
Then Sara found herself watching Nira…
Studying Jansen…his face…was so…sweet…
Even unconscious she could see there was a
Kindness to him…and so attractive…The more
She looked at him, the more it struck her…
Then she found herself staring…And her
Mood became soft…watchful…She studied his
Body…so different than she expected…He was
Lean…but built so solid…solid, no curves…
He appeared almost carved…chiseled…
And she kept staring and staring as
Jonath was…And she found herself
Eagerly awaiting to see Jansen move…
She became transfixed…even obsessed
With his features…as if something inside
Her had awoken and taken over her
Usually firmly controlled nature…
Then she found herself becoming emotional…
Her eyes became wide and glassy…
She wanted Jansen to wake up…NOW!
Then Nira was finishing with her regenerator…
“He should be fine now.” She said…
Jonath began to breathe hard…as he
Waited…watching Jansen carefully on the table…
Then…there was movement…Jansen began to
Blink…slowly…taking deeper, longer breaths…
He opened his eyes, turning his head…
There was Jonath… “Well hello there…sleepy head.”
Jansen weakly smiled. “What happened?”
“You were hurt bad.” Jonath told him…
Jansen looked around…his eyes became
Wide… “Where are we?”
“We’re on the ground…” Jonath said, tears
Of relief running down his face…
“What?!” Jansen exclaimed… “Why
Are you crying?” Then he saw the great
Lion Man standing behind Jonath… “Is that?”
“Yes.” Jonath laughed and cried.
“Why are you crying?” Jansen repeated, confused…
Then his eyes took in the foreign room…Where was
He? What was this place? Then he
Turned…and saw her standing there…
Her face…her eyes…That long dark hair…
This beautiful…woman? And all he could say
Was… “Hello…” And he smiled without thinking…
Then Sara was overtaken…his face…alive, so
Alive…awake…his voice…his smile…Then
She couldn’t control herself…and she
Smiled to him… “Hello…”
The moment had broken everything…
All basic programming…genetic brainwashing…
The connection had been made and
Would not be broken…
All from a simple smile…and a hello…
The Adams had forever changed the Eves…
And it would only grow and grow…
It was unstoppable…
Even bigger events were about to begin…
But for now…It was Jonath…and Jansen…
And Sara…that were about to change
Everything…
Valiant
