Alexander approached the pod bay, moving silently and walking slowly. There was so much to remember and now he had no time to absorb anything new. But like all the scouts he was eager to begin their mission. Within the hour he would be on Earth and facing ... he wasn't sure.

His hands patted the belt of his pants for the communicator clipped in its case. He had been assured that it looked just like the ones many humans used. Another pat at the lining of his suit coat where the disruptor rod was fastened in its sheath, he hoped he would never have to use it on another living creature.

The bay was full of technicians preparing the transporter. Alexander could hear the generators whining, building up for the charge that would send him and his team blasting across the miles to the target planet.

The last holo he had seen that morning was about the planet itself. There was one image in particular that held his attention. The blue and white orb of the planet as seen from its moon, the image identified as coming from a manned spacecraft the humans had managed to put in orbit there.

It took courage and intelligence to accomplish such a task; the humans were stepping up their interest in other planets. And what if they had managed to conquer the light years between their species, would they have been surprised at what they found out in deep space?

The Prime system was one of many spread out across the universe that held intelligent life. Alexander didn't want to think of how many more there had once been before his people started ... cultivating the herds. That was the term the leaders used when discussing how well a particular system was populating itself. Culling the herd was the next step.

But Earth would have no chance for further exploration; humans would cease to exist as their protein was siphoned off and shipped to the Prime. Except for a few of each species that would be kept as a novelty and left behind when they were done. Maybe in the future a sufficient population would arise and humans would once again rule on their own planet.

A buzzer went off in the transport bay and several technicians approached to escort him to his pod. Alexander looked at a large holo screen sitting beside the control panel. The solar system they were about to invade was displayed, and there closer to the sun a red flashing marker ... Earth.

Alexander was sealed in the pod and carried over to the chamber's mouth by a robot conveyance machine. Clamps locked down the pod's exterior with a clunk and he looked up at the readout panel beside his head. All systems were functional, he was ready.

"FirstCon leader says good hunting," the com box spoke.

"Hail Prime," Alexander responded.

The pod moved forward, sliding down the rails and then he felt a little queasy as he began to disassemble in the ion stream. It was a short jump, there was no need for artificial stasis this time and he almost immediately felt the buzzing as his body reassembled itself.

His eyes swept the panel, green lights everywhere. He was done ... but wait ... there were two red signals on the panel as well. The life signals from the rest of the team indicated that two of the transponders had failed. Alexander closed his eyes and shuddered, two of the team were gone, vaporized into nothingness.

Human space travel had left a lot of junk floating in orbit around the planet, which had been of some concern. The FirstCon technical crews had tried to map all that debris, but from such an extreme range it was almost useless. Warriors died during transport, it had happened before. At least it would have been a quick and painless death.

Alexander toggled the latches and pushed open the hatch, steam arising from the internal pressure. And then he saw them around him ... they were magnificent. Trees ... trees like he had only dreamed of seeing. The forest surrounded him, huge ... ominous and unfamiliar. He looked down as he stepped onto the foreign soil.

His feet sank gently, the ground covered with a thick mat of decaying leaves. And then he stood still in amazement. All around him, close to the ground, was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen ... flowers. Small yellow blooms poked up through the forest clutter. Alexander knelt down and sniffed, entranced by the perfume they emitted.

There was a sudden beeping sound and Alexander jumped to his feet. He had to get away from the pod; the timer was warning him. He scrambled away from the unit and looked around. The forest was silent, no signs of life around him. A stillness that seemed unnatural ... where was all the wildlife?

Alexander saw a jumble of rocks off to one side and he started moving towards them. The beeping sound sped up and he moved faster, putting some distance between himself and the ... a whoosh of air struck his back as the pod vaporized, eliminating the only evidence of his arrival.

After the dust and leaves settled he looked around once again for signs of surveillance. No, nothing ... his arrival had gone unseen. And suddenly he felt the surrounding silence grip his heart with fear. He was alone on a strange planet.

Sitting on the highest point of the rock pile he looked through the trees ... it was a wonder of green ... and the smell, yes, the smell was amazing here. The atmosphere was higher in oxygen than Second Prime, the green plant growth pouring out the life giving gasses. Despite the conditioning he felt light headed as his blood stream adjusted and absorbed the new mixture.

Suddenly a flying object swept through his line of sight ... a bird. And then Alexander began to notice the life that existed all around him. Birds swooped through the tree limbs, small furry creatures climbed on the exterior of the trees ... oh, that was a squirrel. The holos had presented him with their names, but he had not been prepared for the abundance of these creatures.

His ears detected a distant sound, a clattering of metal and then a loud high moaning sound. He looked towards the sound and saw a line of movement in the distance ... wheeled conveyances all strung together ... yes, a train. This was a method of transporting humans and industrial goods ... how primitive.

How long did he have to wait? The method of contact should have been apparent to him once he arrived, but he had seen nothing. The Watcher was to have arranged some kind of transport for him, but he could detect no signs of a vehicle. Which way was he to go?

Up the hillside behind him Alexander heard another sound, as if something large was approaching, moving quickly through the trees. His hand reached for the disruptor rod under his coat. If this was some dangerous creature he would be prepared before it could attack him. But then the noise ceased and he stood up to see if he could spot the beast.

"Hail Prime," he heard faintly, the call echoing down the hillside.

"Over here," Alexander called back, making his way down the rocks and then up through the trees. He was soon standing on a hard surface of crushed stone and there in the distance was a conveyance, a car, and standing beside it was a human.

"Alexander?" the man said.

He wasn't expecting a human, but then he was prepared, the rod held firmly behind his back.

"Alexander, I am Evan Time. LAIT sent me to get you," the human said as he approached.

He knew Alexander's name, and he also had said other words that the boy recognized. LAIT was the watch station leader's earthly name, why had he not come himself?

"I was expecting LAIT," Alexander said, the man stopping as he spoke.

"I am the gatekeeper ... he asked me to come. It seems there was a problem and he sent me in his place. He said something about two of your people vanishing."

Alexander didn't know how much this human knew about his mission. The man might know he was from Prime, but he certainly would not have been told why they were here. This must be a human of the Family as they called themselves. He had been told to expect meeting a few of them during the surveillance period.

This Family, among all of them on the Earth, had been carefully selected. Their offspring genetically altered, cultivated for a single purpose. These humans had unknowingly been charged with maintaining the herd.

They had been bred for longevity and intelligence, traits chosen to keep their fellow beings in line and to assure the success of the breeding population. Their membership a secret, the Family had attained a place in the highest ranks of leadership and social service.

Early on these humans had been deemed a volatile species, often threatening self destruction. There were similar problems in other planetary systems, forcing the Ancient Ones to set up a system of minders. Nothing was more important than preserving the masses for later farming.

Alexander followed the man back to the car, watching as he opened the door and sat inside. The boy looked one last time at the trees and then got in the car.

"Strap yourself in," the man said, "you get punished if you don't wear a seatbelt in this state."

Alexander pulled the strap across his chest and snapped it in place. This machine must really be something fast if the occupants had to strap down like this, he thought. The man started the engine and drove carefully along the stone track.

"It will only take about an hour to drive you to the station, LAIT is looking forward to meeting you," the man said. "Can you tell me what your mission is?"

They had prepared a story to tell these people should it be needed. Theirs was a survey party, here to evaluate if the humans were ready for contact with another species. Then there would be technology sharing, increased contact and finally joint space missions. LAIT himself had been instrumental in crafting this fiction, assuring them this was the best possible lie. Alexander told the man this story as they drove out of the forest and onto a hard dark surfaced highway. Now there were more cars around them and Alexander tried to imagine Second Prime with highways instead of transport tubes. The humans seemed to move quickly and with purpose towards their destinations.

They drove past docile animals, cows he remembered, and then he saw his first dog. The creature was riding in a car beside them and it looked at him. The small beast didn't seem dangerous at all as it hung its head out of the window in the breeze. "Do you have a dog?" Alexander asked.

"Yup, two in fact," the man said. "I guess most folks have at least one, friendly little critters."

Alexander filed this away for future reference. He was amazed at the number of dwellings built up beside the highway.

"That's Charlottesville over in that direction," the man said as he pointed, "but we're headed west back into the hills."

This meant little, the information needed further clarification, but Alexander didn't want to ask. And then the guy asked a simple question. "Would you be hungry?"

Alexander had eaten simple rations the night before, never eating the day of a transition. And suddenly realized he was hungry. "Yes, I can eat."

"Then I'll stop and buy you some lunch, is a hamburger okay?"

"What kind of protein is this ... hamburger?" he asked.

"Hamburgers are made with beef ... cows," the man replied.

Yes, he remembered humans consumed mass amounts of cow protein, he could eat that and so he agreed. "Yes, I would like a hamburger."

"Good, there's a Wendy's right before we head north, I think they make the best kind," the man said.

"Ah, is there more than one establishment making hamburgers?"

"Yes sir ... well goodness, there must be thousands all across the country. Guess you could eat hamburgers at every meal your whole life. Of course they say this isn't the best diet, too much trans-fat."

Alexander thought about that, what was a diet? Warriors ate meat protein their whole lives without complaint. If this hamburger was acceptable to the humans then he ought to be able to consume it as well. What else did they eat here?

The gate keeper pulled into a car park and shut down the engine. "Shall we?"

Alexander followed the man into this odd dwelling and the smell of cooked protein immediately assaulted his nose. He studied the faces of the humans around him. After all it was his mission to assess their reaction to his appearance. No one seemed to take the slightest notice of him and he relaxed.

The people in the line ahead of them seemed to be quite ordinary. There were several Africans, a man of Spanish descent and a female with shocking blonde hair. He knew there were many races in this species; the holos had shown him faces of many colors and shapes. His own features were not too different from these and they seemed to accept him without question.

The man ordered for them both and they waited as the female server assembled this meal. She placed several wrapped items on a flat rectangular surface, along with two drinking cups. The man handed her several pieces of paper and she gave him back some coins.

Again, the man led the way into the seating area and then asked. "Do you like sweet drinks? They make a pretty good sweet tea."

"That will be fine," Alexander said, and the man took their cups towards a machine to fill them.

The hamburger seemed a curious concoction. Alexander watched the man unwrap his food and followed suit. And then he took his first bite of human fare. Nowhere in his training did anyone prepare him for the delight of eating human food. The hamburger was the best thing he had ever tasted and in less than two minutes it was consumed. The tea was a fine means of washing it all down and he finished the cup off much too soon.

"I figured you might be starving," the man said, pushing the final wrapped item towards him. "You start on that while I fetch us some more of that tea."

Alexander savored the second hamburger, eating slower and actually tasting the combination of ingredients. This was something he would remember for a long time, cows tasted delicious.

He stared out the window as the gatekeeper drove them further, noticing that the population was thinning out around them. The number of trees increased as the dwellings dwindled. It seemed that the humans lived in clusters much like they did on Second Prime. And that made him wonder if he would ever see his home again.

He missed Galen and what he had felt with the strong warrior beside him in the shelter. Alexander had never believed there was anything special about his life until Galen had said he was beautiful. Was it the hair he had grown to appear more human? He touched the long black strands, remembering Galen's fingers grasping his mane as he mounted and the flow of pleasures that quickly followed.

Maybe it was the adoration Galen saw in his eyes that brought them together? Alexander had noticed the joy in his eyes that following morning as he had washed. His face had beamed back from the still waters of the basin. Yes, he was happy, the golden flecks sparkling brightly in the deep hazel background of each iris. His body sang that morning with the joy of their love, it was a moment he would carry forever, even here on the coming battlefield.

But so far his assessment was clear, these people had no idea of what lay ahead. They seemed ill prepared to fight off an invader with superior weapons and fierce determination. The humans would fight but they lacked the spirit necessary to win. It was sad, they had so much potential.

Alexander closed his eyes and pushed away the emotion. He had momentarily felt such shame at perpetrating such horrible destruction on these creatures. He was sure their lives were just as important as those of the Prime, what gave him the right? Was there no arbitrator to stop this madness?

The hills soon rose around them and the gatekeeper smiled. "We're almost there," he said. "I'm sure LAIT will be happy to see you."

"You have been most generous with your time," Alexander said. "And I thank you for the hamburger. I will be sure to speak well of you to my superiors."

"Aw, shucks, you're most welcome."

The small gas station appeared and the man took a device out of his pocket and pressed a button. A doorway opened in the side of the building and he drove the car right on in. Alexander watched as the walls opened, revealing the tunnel into the hillside. The man drove along for a short time and they came to a cavernous space.

"This is where you get out," the man said. "Follow that yellow line and you'll see the hand plate on the wall. Well, I guess you know all the rest. I will see you later, glad to meet you."

"Yes, glad to meet you as well," Alexander said as he stepped from the car.

The gatekeeper turned the car around and drove back up the tunnel. Alexander looked down at the line and followed it towards the far wall. His eyes detected the glass plate and he smiled. His hand had barely touched the plate when a blue light flashed and the doorway opened before him. He stepped into the transport and his world went black.


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