One thing about spending nights in a desert is the high possibility of illumination. Because of the lack of clouds, heavenly bodies would be able to give the terrain a strange kind of twilight, it was as if the darkness had never fell. In the case of the desert moon, its own gas giant gave it sufficient light to the point that artificial illumination didn't seem necessary.

The Black Widow walked along the deserted streets of the ancient city, analyzing and marveling at its construction. Not since her meeting with a mysterious old man deep in the desert several days before had she felt a sort of spirit embed itself into her body. It was almost as if the will of the planet itself had manifested into her consciousness. The feeling was both strange and exhilarating, as if a kind of inner-peace had at last circulated into the depths of her soul. The turmoil that had plagued her in the past was no more.

A sharp prick on the sole of her left boot made Natasha instantly stop and look down. Something glinted on the cobbled stones and it looked like a small metal figurine of some sort, half buried in the dusty street. Picking it up, the Black Widow looked at it, closely using the slight illumination of the gas giant above her. The small object fit into the palm of her hand and was a sort of humanoid figurine made of either bronze or iron. It looked like a winged demon of some sort. Having dragonfly-like wings at its back, the humanoid form was emaciated, with a most hideous face that resembled a cross between a human being and a bulldog. It must have been some sort of either a demon or god that the Babylonians either worshipped or made charms against. A small hole on the top of its head meant that it was worn like a necklace of some sort. But was it worn as a protection or that of a curse, she wondered.

"Amazing, isn't it?" A soft, feminine voice came from behind, startling her somewhat.

As Natasha turned around, she noticed that Professor Smythe's wife, Constance, had also been walking around the antiquated streets. The Black Widow must have been too absorbed in her own thoughts not to notice her.

"I'm sorry if I startled you." Dr. Constance Smythe said as she stared out into the twilight, across the dead city. "I like to take walks by myself here at night, especially when the gas giant's illumination is at its peak."

"Quite alright, Dr. Smythe." Natasha replied. "This place is captivating."

"Please forgive my husband." Dr. Smythe said, her white hair fluttering in the slight evening breeze. "He is a bit of a romantic, you see. He is an avid believer in peace and bitterly resents the presence of soldiers, irregardless of their cause."

"I understand him."

"Yes, he is a simple man. All he wishes is to be left alone with his relics in peace."

"I guess everyone wishes to be ultimately left alone." Natasha said. "Even soldiers wish that. What about you? What do you think of our presence here?"

"Believe it or not, Captain." Constance Smythe smiled as she continued to stare out into the quiet, dusty streets. "I too am a believer in the Star League. It is the one thing that could unite us all in peace."

"Peace, the one thing everyone wishes for but it seems that we are cursed forever to be in war." Natasha mused.

"Is that what you believe, Captain? Is that why you are a soldier? Do you accept the inevitability of war as a part of human existence, just like the Clans?"

"To tell you the truth, I never cared much for politics." Natasha said. "Living and dying is all that matters to me."

"And so you would rather be the one to kill than be the one to be killed?" Constance Smythe said. "I envy your simplistic attitude."

"Soldiers just fight. As far as politics goes, I leave that up to the politicians." This was getting nowhere so Natasha decided to change the subject. "Is this an exact replica of the city of Babylon?"

Dr. Constance Smythe's eyes lit up. The Black Widow had brought up a subject that she was a bona-fide expert in. "Almost to the T. With a few, very significant exceptions."

"Such as?"

"The original Babylon in Terra was built in between two rivers in Mesopotamia. The Euphrates was in fact diverted so that it could flow into the city. This particular replica was built on a stone plateau; there are no rivers on this planet."

"So its not an exact copy then?"

"No. Another strange deviation is that while the original Babylon had open sewers that ran waste into the river, this particular city has got massive sewer systems built underground, practically hewn into the hard rock. The building materials here are also much stronger, the Babylon in Terra used mostly dried mud bricks but it seems that most of the construction used in this particular city was solid rock." Dr. Smythe was clearly on a roll, having been given a chance to explain her life's work. "Why the builders of this city even bothered to create a massive sewage system on a waterless desert moon is a mystery to us."

"Amazing. Have you dated this city as to when it was built?" Natasha asked.

"This is the most remarkable part of all." Constance Smythe exclaimed. "We were able to carbon date the city to about 2000 B.C. That means that it was built at exactly the same time as its identical city in ancient Terra."

Natasha was startled. "Isn't that impossible?"

"We thought so too." The old archaeologist said. "But we confirmed it."

"Any theories about this remarkable revelation?"

"My dear, we may have stumbled upon the greatest mystery as far as the origins of humanity is concerned." Dr. Smythe said. "Now do you know why we are so reluctant to help you and thereby putting this city into harm's way? The fundamental answers to mankind's origins may well lie here. Imagine a city that is as old as from our supposed birthplace, here on a desolate moon? We have barely been able to scratch the surface of this enigma."

Natasha was clearly piqued now. "Have you found traces of the builders?"

"No. That is another great mystery we have yet to uncover. We have found no human remains whatsoever here." Dr. Smythe said. "It almost seems like the gods fashioned this city and then forgot to put people in it."

"This is just incredible." Natasha could barely believe what she heard as she played with the figurine in her palm. "I thought that throughout my travels I have seen it all. I guess I am now humbled."

Constance Smythe seemed to have noticed the glinting object. "What have you got there?"

"Just a figurine of some sort." Natasha handed it over to the older lady. "Do you know what it is?"

Dr. Smythe looked at it closely before handing it back to her. "Ah, this is Pazuzu."

"Pazuzu?"

"Pazuzu is the demon lord of the desolate winds. He brings starvation and pestilence in his wake." Dr. Smythe explained. "He was both feared and worshipped by the Babylonians. He was not altogether malevolent, pregnant women would wear his symbol as a charm to ward off other types of demons that could adversely affect childbirth. Some myths would sometimes tell stories of him manifesting himself as an emaciated old man who travels the desert wastes."

The words hit Natasha like a clap of thunder. The Black Widow stood speechless for a while.

"Something wrong, my dear?" Dr. Smythe asked.

"I-it's nothing." Natasha stammered as she was still in shock. Was the old man a hallucination as she thought before or was he real? Could she have been visited by a mythical demon in disguise?

"The Jews called the Babylonians Chaldeans." Dr. Smythe went on. "The biblical myths tell of them being crass, decadent and greedy but all organized religion has traces of Babylon in it. The temples were the center of daily life. The main gods of Babylon were Anu, god of heaven; Marduk, chief god of Babylon; Enlil, god of the air and Ishtar, the goddess of love and war. As you can see, the largest buildings in this city, other than the palace, are the temples. You seem to remind me of one these gods."

"Oh, really?" Natasha said. She hadn't yet fully recovered from the shock of Pazuzu's revelation.

"Oh yes, you remind me of Ishtar."

"The goddess of love and war?"

"The Babylonians considered her a goddess of great power and authority. Even the Greeks adopted aspects of her into their own religion; Ishtar's war-like aspect became that of Pallas Athena while her love and beauty intertwined into that of Aphrodite." Dr. Smythe said as she smiled at Natasha. "I can sense that you are a woman of incredible power. I can feel it."

"I'm just a human being." Natasha said. "As fallible as any other."

Dr. Smythe turned and faced back into the distance, there was sadness in her voice. "It would be a great tragedy if this city was destroyed. We could find so many answers as to who we are and where we may have come from. I was hoping that we could reveal the existence of this city at the next Star League Conference, perhaps it may even be the glue that will enable us to work together and finally live in peace."

"That's the rub, isn't it?" Natasha too stared out into the twilight walls and into the starry night. "The concept of peace seems so elusive to us all."

"I hate war." Dr. Smythe said. "It is nothing but pure evil."

"Von Clausewitz said that war is nothing more than 'an extension of politics by other means.'"

"War is insanity, a creature of evil that feeds upon itself, spitting out the carcass of its victims into a sea of blood." Dr. Constance Smythe said.

"So war to you is just about killing and destruction? When a caterpillar eats a radiant, golden flower so that it may one day become a beautiful winged butterfly, is that evil?"

"Animals don't make war. People do."

"There were studies made on higher primates in the late Twentieth Century which states that chimpanzees go on rampages to kill and even cannibalize their own kind; lions kill hyenas not for food but for sheer sport. Animals make war as well, Dr. Smythe." Natasha said.

"But we should be above this. We are not animals."

"Take away man's tools and he is nothing more than a hairless ape." Natasha continued to stare out into the heavens. "Take away the things that make him civilized and I assure you he will become a raging beast who will care for nothing but his own survival."

"You may have a point there, Captain." Dr. Smythe said. "But man has a soul and a mind to better himself. Animals accept what they are. We can make the world a better place."

"So the world will be a better place if we have no wars, then? Is that what peace to you is? A lack of war?"

"Peace is being able to wake up and see the sunrise; it is being able to feel the wind and share in the wonderment of all the things before you." Dr. Smythe mused. "It is about being able to share a little happiness with someone you love."

"I see." Natasha said. "Peace is about hope for a better day."

"That is one aspect of it, yes." Dr. Smythe smiled. "A thousand years ago, at the end of Terra's Second World War, an Allied military psychologist at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials once said that the true definition of evil was one's lack of empathy for their fellow human beings. War gives people an excuse to abandon their understanding for one another."

"War is controlled violence, for a specific purpose." Natasha said. "I don't know if you consider all soldiers as being part of an evil profession, Dr. Smythe, but what I can tell you is that I had a vision out there, in the desert. A voice said to me that sometimes one must fight in order to bring about a better world."

"I actually thought that all soldiers needed to be inherently evil." Dr. Smythe said as she continued to smile at her. "But I now feel that I may have misjudged you, my dear. You are a great warrior of light to ward away the upcoming darkness. Although I may still disagree with your methods, I understand the necessity of it now."

A voice from the street behind them spoke out. "Captain Kerensky?"

Natasha turned. "Yes, what is it?"

"I have been ordered to fetch you." It was the Amerigo's Navigator. "We have exposed a Capellan intelligence operative and she has in her possession something of great value that the Blakists want."

Dr. Constance Smythe and the Black Widow faced each other with identical, ironic looks in their eyes.

"Lead the way." Natasha said as she began to follow the DropShip's Navigator towards the Royal Palace.