We all watched with dismay as Norenio stepped into the darkness, staring in dumbstruck silence as soft chokes and gurgles issued from the shadows.

I squinted into the recess, trying to see what was going on, but couldn't make anything out.

"I just don't understand," Pillow said. "Why would she want to do such a thing?"

I frowned. "You know how she idolizes Quana. She probably believes in those old fairy tales, too."

"You are wrong." Norenio stepped back out into the light, her eyes glowing green. "I have always been disappointed with life, and the God that made it. Free will was His worst invention. They say that the mistakes you make in this life are supposed to teach you something, how to become a better, more rounded individual, but that is softheaded nonsense. Mistakes are largely nothing more than objects of regret, existing only to add to the ever growing mountains of regret that one already has accumulated in this life."

"She once joined the Nezbolog," Zero growled.

I stared at him. "What the hell's the Nezbolog?"

"It's a cult. She loved it. The leader told her what to do, how to live, what job to take, even who to marry...I convinced her to leave the day before she could consummate her vows. I'm not sure she ever forgave me for that."

"She never said anything to you about it?" my wife asked.

"She thanked me," Zero said. "But I could see that look in her eyes. Those silences, those times she'd stare at nothing, as if she wanted to go back to them."

"The Nezbolog was under the control of a mortal Abreya, with selfish fleshly desires," Norenio said. "I am now under the control of the Aqsarki. The kingdom of heaven lay open before me, and all of you, if you accept it."

"You exchange one cult for another," Zero said. "You moan about mistakes, but you have made the greatest one of all."

"It is God's fault. He should have never granted us free will. I have sent it back to Him. May He choke on it."

"It is arrogant for a mortal like yourself to say such a thing," Pillow argued.

"The Aqsarki is not mortal, only this flesh is. God was a fool to give us free will, an instrument of His own downfall. I'm simply removing it from the equation. Doing Him a favor, so to speak."

"How do we know your will is the same as God's?" I asked my possessed friend.

My wife growled. "We don't. We could be surrendering our wills to a force that sins against God and man alike."

"This is the most moral choice a Christian can make," Norenio replied. "Free will has always been the villain, the source of competing religions, a force that makes us too cowardly to share the gospel, too sinful to believe."

"This is madness!" Matt said. "You're throwing away every freedom that makes life worth living!"

"Am I," she said in a skeptical tone. "Theologians have often stated that love is the thing valued so highly to allow for such evils, it is good for nothing but pain and sorrow. It offends God to the very core of His being, something that needs to be excised like a malignant tumor. Without free will, we would never doubt God's existence, the poor would always be fed, we would have no punishment for sin, ergo no death. Death, the punishment for sin, is already cast upon us, but the least we can do is surrender our wills, make amends...we would never be bored or resentful of serving God. No one would ever get offended at the message due to their own stubborn sinful hearts."

"We would be lifeless automatons!" Zero cried.

"Exactly what God wants! Why the threat of hell if this is not what He desires? If one gets punished with hell for acting under your own free will, what good is it to possess it?"

"God wants us to serve him out of love," Pillow said. "This would take all love out of the equation."

Norenio scowled at her. "I never understood the type of joy that causes one to spontaneously serve God without fear of judgment or punishment. I can only understand the fear. I served only out of duty." She smiled. "Now, at last, I know the joy. I am free...of myself. My free will is no more."

"What...are you going to do? Kill us?"

She laughed. "No. I learned much about your faith, and have something better in mind. I want each and every one of you to join the Aqsarki to usher in God's peaceful kingdom. Through Aqsarki the lion shall lie down with the lamb, the child shall put his hand in the adder's nest, the Tecrilru will play with the Vucrodox and not be harmed."

I wanted out of there, and fast, but I couldn't figure out any way to do that at the moment. The only thing I could do was delay the creatures with talk, which they seemed to be very good at. "Do you think so little about love?"

"What you define as love is animal instinct, nothing more. Reproduction. Child rearing. It's all selfish. It's the love of God that makes one forgive an enemy, and adopt the homeless stranger as family. This is true, pure love. I will show you this love, and you will accept it, or I will kill you. This is not about hate or prejudice or physical hunger. We just can't have you stand in the way of God's kingdom. No more mistakes, no more rebellion, no more sycophants. We will destroy our enemies with the righteous wrath shown by the Israelites against the Philistines.

"Please. Join the Aqsarki now. We can make this world, this universe a peaceful, harmonious place. No killing, no theft, no selfish greed or poverty. Each will do their part to serve the whole. `They were together and had all things in common, and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need.'"

"And if we refuse this madness?" Zero challenged.

"Then you will die. If you're not part of the solution to the problem of evil, you're the cause. In fact, you are evil, and it will be a holy and righteous act to destroy you."

"I will never accept that thing into my mind!" Zero yelled.

Norenio slowly strode up to him, pressed her body against him, breathed on his neck, purred into his ear. "The Aqsarki have designs for every need you could possibly have, the production of host bodies being an important but pleasurable one."

Zero visibly swallowed.

"Yes..." she breathed. "I've seen how you've looked at me. Before I had the Aqsarki inside me, I so terribly feared your rejection that I refrained from confessing my feelings to you. We want the same thing. If you join the Aqsarki you shall have it. I shall share with you all this body has to offer."

Zero backed away, looking pale.

"Admit it. You loved Salda but you admired my youthful body."

The soldier's eyes were wide, face contorted in dismay. "It's true I have always longed for you, but your foolish act has destroyed everything about the female that I once loved."

Norenio laughed. "Is that a refusal?"

His expression grew cold. "Guep."

"Then you will die!" she screamed.

Three of the white toothy creatures sprang upon him, but Zero was prepared, shocking them with a stunner he had taken from the security station. The creatures fell to the floor, convulsing from the electrical current.

A few quick fires from his blaster, and the creatures were dead.

Norenio clenched her fists in anger. "It is foolish to kick against the goads."

"My goads are quite fine, thank you," came Zero's brusque reply.

"I am willing to forgive this insult to the Aqsarki, Zero, if you and your companions surrender now and join the Aqsarki."

"Never!" Pillow cried.

"What part of yok do you not understand!" Zero shouted.

"Wait," I said. "We don't need all this bloodshed."

"What?" my wife cried. "David, have you lost your mind?"

I gave her a look that was supposed to mean `I have a plan, just go with it and don't screw it up' but I doubted she understood. "Norenio is right. Free will is overrated. And if it means we can live, well...I guess it's okay."

I could tell by her expression and body language that she was about to cry. "I'm not going to stand here and let you surrender your identity to that thing!"

"Pillow, I'm your husband. I need you to trust me now, more than you've ever trusted me before. If you love me, if you want us all to survive, I need your trust. Can you trust me?"

"Yes," she whimpered, but her bottom lip trembled.

"Pillow, remember that old joke I told you about God and the penny?"

In case you never heard it, a man asks God, "Lord, what is a million dollars to you?" and God says, "A penny," so he asks, "And what is a million years to you?" to which God replies, "A second." When he asks for a penny, God tells him to wait a second.

I could only hope Norenio had never heard the joke, or understood the implications.

My wife frowned. "I..." Her eyes darted back and forth. "...No. I don't remember it. But I trust you. Whatever you decide to do, my husband, I will accept your decision, and join you in it."

"I am ready to join the Aqsarki," I said.

"I'm glad you have chosen to cooperate. Join me in the dark, and allow the Aqsarki into your mind."

"Tomorrow. I'll definitely do it," I said. "But not now."

"No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

"The fruit of the Holy Spirit is patience. If you have His Spirit, you must be patient, and wait. If this Aqsarki is truly of God, he, she or it will be patient and allow me a day to think about the implications of the decision. I must discuss this with my companions, you see. If we all decide that this is a good idea, we will all accept this...uh, blessing and surrender our free will, okay?"

"It's definitely not something you do, as humans say `on the spur of the moment,'" Zero agreed. I think he almost understood what I was driving at.

Norenio paused a long time in thought. I could see my companions were doing everything in their power not to fist pump in triumph.

At last the female said, "I accept your terms. I agree that patience is an important virtue of the Holy Spirit. I will grant you twenty four hours to make your decision, after which you will join or die."

I nodded. "Thank you. You have shown us the trait of mercy."

I gestured to the others. "C'mon. Let's go."

"Wait," Norenio said. "You cannot leave. You must stay in this cave until you make your decision."

I shook my head. "We wish to discuss this with Prince Nabal and Knocknaser. Please. Allow us this concession. If they agree with your argument, they will also join the Aqsarki, granting you even more power and influence."

She looked suspicious, but sighed and nodded. "Very well. You may go, but I will be accompanying you."

"It's only fair."

We marched back down the tunnel, with our newly possessed friend and her army of small toothy creatures in tow.

Tanelle accompanied them, but she behaved as a mindless drone.

"I know you intend to leave the planet, but I cannot allow it until you accept the Aqsarki."

"I thought you wanted to spread Aqsarki to the galaxy," I said.

She frowned. "You're right. I will permit it."

"That was brilliant!" Pillow whispered in my ear when we gained distance from Norenio. "But what happens tomorrow?"

I glanced over my shoulder. "We let tomorrow worry about itself. Remember what I told you about Japanese businessmen, and our marriage?"

Pillow narrowed her eyes, then, for a split second, I saw a glimmer of a smirk appear on the corners of her mouth. It faded. "Maybe?"

I'd been reading a book on the history of Japan. When Pillow asked me about it, I mentioned a section regarding business tactics, how politicians liked to use stalling. They had the tactic down to a science.

"You're lucky I didn't know about this before you proposed to me," she had said. "We never would have married."

Now, as we applied this principle to the hive mind, my wife seemed to relax. I think she finally understood what I was trying to do.

Still, remembering the bodies she saw in the cave, broke down in tears again.

Matt put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. Your parents were nice people."

"None of us are going to be walking away from this with a smile on our face," Zero said. "With the exception of this stranger we've taken in."

Pillow kept crying. I took her in my arms and held her.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered. "It's hard."

I patted her on the back. "It's okay. Go ahead and cry. Don't let my stoic manliness rub off on you. Nennop's orders."

She chuckled a little. "Thank you."

"Join the Aqsarki," Norenio said. "And you will never need to cry again."

Pillow's smile vanished.

As we neared the research station, Norenio said, "There are other tunnels. I know of one that leads from here to a cavern directly underneath the spaceport."

"How convenient!" Zero said. "Is that how you murdered everyone in the building?"

"That was not my doing. That was the Zogmardu."

"Of course it was."

I spoke quickly to defuse the situation. "The prince and Kuqloz are waiting for us. We have to go to the research station."

"Surely you don't intend to take that beast into the ship with you!"

"She's one of the few family members I have left," Pillow said. "I'm not leaving without her. Plus she has an important alien lifeform in her body that needs to be studied."

"What about Kuqloz's boyfriend?" I asked.

Pillow frowned "I wouldn't know who he is or where he went. Their lovers are like cats."

The moment we entered the research station, Kuqloz started purring and nuzzling my wife. "Food girl! I worry much! I thought you go forever! Oh please never do that again! My heart break much!"

"Sorry, Kuqloz," she said, stroking her head.

When she saw Norenio, Tanelle and the white creatures approaching, she hissed and reared up, squawking in terror. "Killer! Killer! Bad predator! Send it away!"

I stared. "I thought you were part of the Aqsarki."

"They are Lizucro Aqsarki. Grunk do not like!"

Pillow fought to calm her pet down, Nabal stared at the larval creatures with concern. "Those are the things that are killing everyone! What is the meaning of this?"

"We ran into a little problem in that cave," I said.

"Did you at least find Attavzo?"

Pillow burst into tears.

"I take that as a yes."

Norenio touched Pillow's arm. "Join the Aqsarki and your tears will be a thing of the past."

My wife recoiled from her.

Prince Nabal stared at the Rusangian. "Are you all right, Norenio?"

She nodded. "I am now. But I once had a secret I refused to share with you. I had an abortion. I was afraid to mention it until now, but the Aqsarki knows, and once you join it, there will be no rejection."

"I'm saddened to hear that," I said. "But we wouldn't have stopped being your friend. Jesus forgives sins like that."

"I committed the sin of fornication. We broke up. The male is gone now."

I sighed. "You're forgiven. I wish you'd just told someone instead of doing this."

"What's wrong with her?" Nabal asked.

"She joined...a thing," I muttered. "Just like Tanelle."

"Please, Nabal," she said. "Join the Aqsarki. We will rid the universe of sin and evil, in a way that God has failed to do."

"Broken record," I muttered.

"Norenio," Nabal said. "You're not yourself."

"Actually, prince, I am more myself than I ever have been. I am happy."

"A...thing?" Nabal asked me. "Like a cult?"

"No, like that thing that got Quana."

He frowned.

Norenio crossed her arms as she gazed at me. "Would you confess your secret sins of your own free will? Or would you ask yourself `What would my friends think? What would Pillow think?'"

She pressed her body close to mine, lips against my neck. "Would she still love you if she knew what you really felt about me?"

Swallowing, I said, "You assume too much."

Her fingers curled beneath my skirt. "Do I."

"Yes," I stammered.

"I've seen where your eyes travel. Even now, the tension, the discomfort, it's all because you lust after me. If you had the Aqsarki within you, there would be no struggle. You would either stay with your wife, or not."

She turned to face my wife. "His mind would not be considering other options as it is now. Your marriage would be unstained by wandering eyes, or impure thoughts...loving you would be his only choice. Is that not something good to be desired?"

"He chose me, over a planet full of human beings," Pillow said. "Above other Abreyas. That is a special thing I would never want taken away."

"Because it makes you feel special," Norenio argued. "Despite the fact your relationship is unnatural, that God Himself has made humans male and female for a reason, and David rightly should have chosen his Eve from his own species. What you have chosen is sin, for your own selfish desire. Your so-called `husband' has chosen an unnatural relationship over the natural. You know scripture condemns this."

"Scripture is silent about the subject of aliens," Pillow said. "It is not bestiality or homosexuality. There is no law against it."

"There should be. If you truly wish to please God, you can't let your personal lusts and rationalizations get in the way of what is commanded. Your husband needs to be with a human female. You know in your heart that is God's true design for him, not this fraud marriage, this abomination you cannot maintain without the use of devices! If you truly value the things of God, you will let this monkey go and join the Aqsarki, allow yourself to both seek spouses of the species God intended for you."

"I thought you'd make him loyal to me," Pillow said.

"If you were of Aqsarki, you would not be concerned about this. He would be forever faithful to the one God made to be his wife from the beginning of the world."

"What about me?" Matt said. "I'm human, and I have an Abreya wife. And an egg."

"You are not human any longer. This was part of God's good design. But Quana was taken from you because of your disobedience."

"It seems like you're splitting hairs. David was once like me."

She sighed in frustration. "This debate is needless. Take Aqsarki upon yourself and there will be no disagreements. `I would rather speak five intelligible words with my mind than ten thousand words in a tongue.'"

Nabal asked me, "What's the plan?"

"We have to get back to the ship. There's nothing for us here."

He frowned. "And you're going to take these things with you."

Norenio and Tanelle nodded at the same time.

"It's part of the package, unfortunately."

"I can get you to the spaceport safely," Norenio offered. "The enemy will not harm you."

Nabal didn't look thrilled. "And I'm just supposed to trust you. You must understand how I could be skeptical."

"I was skeptical too," I said. "But look at how the mouths of those things move when she speaks."

"I have complete control over them," Norenio said, Tanelle and her creatures perfectly illustrating my point.

"That's great," Nabal said. "But Quana has just taken off with my ship."

"What!" Matt cried.

"Matt. I think your mother-in-law is in danger."

"That's not all that's in danger!. That ship also contains my nennop and my egg!"

"Unfortunately, that's not the only piece of bad news. She also programmed your ship to fly on a collision course with the Olneqmo Range." He pointed out a window. "It just exploded on one of those mountains."

"Ponaiqiolo," Matt swore. "Tarru Ponai kai beptot."

We marched out across the quarry, unmolested by our deadly alien foes.

"You will be my emissary to earth," Norenio said as she walked beside me. "You will stop so many crimes, save countless lives, cure world hunger. No one will ever again ask the question, `How can a perfectly loving God permit evil to exist,' because it will not exist."

She took my hand, mouth close to my face, lips threatening to kiss me. "You will have a human wife, just as God intended. You will father many children, and usher in an age of peace. Aqsarki will reign absolute. The world will be an Eden."

"It sounds wonderful," I agreed. Kinda. "It's...definitely something to think about."

"But you will decide tomorrow."

"Yes," I stammered. "Tomorrow."

Thonwa flew down to join us. "They've taken your ship!"

"I am aware of this," said Nabal.

"They have also obliterated your other vehicle!"

"Yes, yes."

The bug creature waddled up to Kuqloz, petting her. "Oh you poor thing. What happened to you?"

"Blood of thing burn Kuqloz's eye, but I save Food Girl!" the bird looked proud.

"She's very loyal," Pillow said. "I'm not sure why she isn't in communication with the other creatures."

We saw more of the black beetle things approaching from the distance, but Norenio waved her hand dismissively when we pointed and murmured about it. "Fear not. The Lord is with you."

She pointed and her white things scampered in that direction.

In seconds, the shadowy black things departed, and again we were alone.

Norenio locked eyes with Thonwa. "You also intend to join this one to Aqsarki?"

"Yes," I said. "Tomorrow."

"Now wait a kavorkin minute!" Thonwa cried. "What have you just volunteered me for!"

"I can't explain right now," I said. "But I just saved your life."

"I should have told him to fly away from here," Matt remarked to Nabal as we neared the spaceport. "I wasn't expecting this kind of opposition."

It wasn't hard to understand why Quana had taken Nabal's ship rather than mine. It was a top of the line model, whereas mine was used.

What I did find hard to understand was why it hadn't been sabotaged.

Due to her close friendship with the prince (he'd aided in the rescue of her human mother-in-law from an evil cult) Nabal and Quana trusted each other with their lives, which unfortunately included spaceship security codes as part of the deal. Quana, being a rather modern sort of gal, already knew how to pilot, so that ship was gone.

The creatures that attacked me a few hours before had broken through a bulkhead to get to me. We spent a good hour trying to reseal the thing. The result was pretty ugly looking, but we wouldn't depressurize in space.

I opened the cargo bay to let Kuqloz in, but she balked at the loading ramp. "Nuh-uh."

"Kuqloz," I groaned. "Do you want to protect Food Girl or not?"

"I do not like whooshy bumpy thing. Make Kuqloz sick. Scary sound and thing I see. Cannot fly, but Kuqloz float funny."

"We can't stay here, Kuqloz," Pillow said. "It's not safe. We have to go."

She pointed at the ghost town behind us. "Unless you want to stay with those...things..."

The bird shuddered.

"Not in that. Make Kuqloz fly you to safe place."

"No, Kuqloz. We need to go to stars."

"Kuqloz no wanna go to stars!"

"Food Girl is going," I said. "You can either go with us, or take your chances alone."

"Wooshy thing smell funny. Food Girl should not go."

"I'm going," Pillow insisted. "If you're not going to join us, you can get off the ramp and find a place to hide."

Kuqloz laid down on the boarding ramp, stubbornly refusing to budge.

With the exception of Norenio, Tanelle, and their drones, we all pushed and pulled on the great beast, but she didn't move an inch.

"Close the hatch," I said.

"It'll snap off her leg!" Pillow protested.

"Kuqloz isn't dumb. She'll move."

"I hope you're right. She's still a little-"

Zero stabbed the hatch closing button, and the ramp slowly groaned upwards, rolling the Grunk, fat back over big belly, and vice versa, into the cargo bay. We had to jump out of her path to avoid being crushed to death.

"Well," I gasped as I got up off the floor. "That was fun. What now?"

"Let's get to the bridge," Matt said. "We'll use the tracking system to locate my ship's signature."

"Why is it important for you to track this girl down?" Norenio asked.

"Because she's my wife!" Matt shouted. "That's why! Plus she's under the possession of..."

"A thing like me," Norenio finished.

"It is not the same," Kuqloz said. "You are Aqsarki. Zobaruc is of Zogmardu. Smell different. Talk different."

"But not act different." I could see the look on Zero's face. He was planning something.

"Lets, uh, focus on our foe of today, and worry about our foe of tomorrow, tomorrow."

Zero just narrowed his eyes.

We rushed to the cockpit, checking the sensors, but could not detect the ship Quana stole.

"Damn!" Nabal shouted, banging his fist on the console. "I should have known she'd disable the tracking device!"

"She's very good at escaping people," Matt agreed. "But I think we all know where she's going next."

"Yes," Nabal said through his teeth. "Possessing her family at the space hub would be too good an opportunity to pass up."

From the side, the Rosgewar station resembled a cluster of six bananas with their curving backs to each other, with a big donut holding them together around the middle.

Not literally bananas, of course, just gray office structures with life support units along the center column, and business and commerce stations around the outside. Orbs at the tapered points of the `bananas' provided spaces for ships to park, making the station look more like a big court jester hat, in some respects. I stared. "How many Abreyas are in there right now?"

"Roughly two hundred, including the military staff," said Zero.

Nabal leaned over the readouts. "We need to lock it down."

"Easier said than done. This station belongs to the Elomalb government. We have no jurisdiction."

"So Quana can infect a bunch of Abreyas and send them across the galaxy to infect more, and there's absolutely nothing we can do about it."

"That...appears to be the case."

Nabal swore in frustration.