The afternoon suns drenched the village in a golden hue as Koenig, Bergman, and Dana returned in the moonbuggy. Its engine emitted a rough rumble until they came to a stop at the edge of the village. As they dismounted, Dana scanned her surroundings with a mix of trepidation and longing. Koenig noticed an Eagle had landed on the outskirts of the settlement. He squinted, perplexed by its presence.

As they moved through crowds of townsfolk and into the village center, Paul Morrow and David Kano came into view. Security guards Tony Allan and Pierce Quinton stood on their flanks. Koenig's normally stoic expression sharpened into a frown.

"What are you doing here?" Koenig's voice carried an edge. "I ordered Irving at the helm. And why aren't you searching for Fraser?"

Morrow looked directly at Koenig, his own expression resolute. "I know we need to find Bill," he admitted, his voice firm with a quiet intensity that matched his commander's glare. "But there's something we need to face—Operation Exodus can't wait any longer. We must start implementing the protocols within an hour."

Koenig clenched his jaw, a muscle ticking in his cheek. "Our man is missing, Paul." The words were terse, each one clipped short.

"I know that, commander," Morrow responded evenly. "But our first priority is the survival of everyone on Alpha. We must start Exodus now."

Kano stood beside Morrow, his tense posture suggested support for Paul's message.

Bergman took in both sides of the argument and said, "Paul, it's best if we discuss this in private."

Villagers paused in their daily tasks to watch the unfolding confrontation. Koenig fixed an intense stare on Morrow for a long moment before nodding rigidly. A step back, perhaps. "I understand your concern, but now is not the time to have this argument."

"Then when is the time, commander? After the moon is out of range? When we have no chance of evacuating? How many more tests must be done?"

Koenig noted the gathering villagers and said, "This isn't the place for this."

"No? Then where? Behind closed doors? You and the professor, maybe Doctor Russell? I sat in Main Mission and read over the data. Then I came here, and I saw for myself. Food that grows easily. A stable environment rich with natural resources. This is more than a chance for a real life. This is paradise."

Koenig snapped. "At what price?"

He seemed ready to explain, but Chief Anansi pushed through the gathering crowd and injected himself into the argument, bellowing, "Your commander is afraid of losing his power! He is purposely delaying his decision so that you will miss this opportunity, and you will live under his thumb on your traveling moon forever."

Koenig waved his hand, first at Anansi, then at Paul. "Now that's not true! There's more here than meets the eye."

Morrow didn't listen. "Give the order, commander. Give the order to start Operation Exodus." He paused, licked his lips, and added, "Or I will."

Professor Bergman tried: "Paul, listen, you don't have all the facts."

"Anyone can see that we should live here!"

Koenig blared, "It's what we don't see that scares me!"

Chief Anansi argued, "He will say anything to stay in power! Questions… questions without end until the time has passed!"

Koenig raised his voice above the others. "Questions, Anansi. Questions you are afraid to answer! Where are your graves? Where do you bury your dead? Can you answer? Or can't you?"

Anansi was shocked to silence. Paul, meanwhile, was thrown off balance. The fire in his insurrection calmed for the moment.

A low chatter carried through the crowd. A hint of surprise. A hint of anger.

"You don't tend crops, chief! None of you do. No seeds, no planting. So where does your food come from? Who gives it to you, chief?"

Anansi felt confident in his reply. "It is bounty from Yomi! A world like no other; a world of plenty!"

"Tell me, chief. Tell us. What does it cost you?"

That chatter in the crowd grew louder. A sound like angry bees in an invaded nest, and the Alphans were the ones who might get stung.

"Does it matter?" Anansi asked, his attention focused on Paul, the would-be rebel. He pointed at Koenig like a witness fingering the guilty at trial. "He is a dictator! Afraid to surrender his control over your lives. He would cast doubt upon that which your eyes can plainly see. So tell me, Alphans, what do you see? Paradise!"

The fire returned to Paul's eyes. He said, "We follow you, commander. Loyal to the last on Alpha. But we're not on Alpha right now. We're here, in a place that may be perfect for us."

Koenig's tone modulated. "So you will make the decision now, Paul? For everyone? For all of us?"

Morrow considered, narrowed his eyes, and raised his commlock.

# # #

Eagle One soared above Yomi. Inside, Alan Carter worked the controls with a resolve that matched the tension carved in his face. Beside him, Sandra Benes hunched over a bank of instruments, concentrating on every image.

"We've covered this sector twice, Alan," Sandra said with frustration. "There's no sign of Fraser anywhere."

Carter didn't respond; he was entranced by the contours of the plush land below.

"Alan?"

"What? Yes, no sign of him."

Her eyed drooped, her face drawn.

"Hey, San, listen. Stop beating yourself up over this. It's not your fault."

"I'd like to think you are right."

"Hey, I'm always right. The way I figure it, he got lost and we're not finding him because there's so many trees, tall grass, and flowers down there that he's hidden. Once we get Exodus going, we'll get three hundred people down here looking for him. We'll find him real fast, if he doesn't turn up before then."

She seemed ready to respond, but the communications monitor on the dash snapped on. It was Paul Morrow.

"Eagle One. Alan. You and Sandra need to get down here straight away. To the village."

Sandra said, "But Paul, we still have not located Bill."

His eyes cast down for a quick second, but only for a quick second. "I know. We're suspending the search for now."

Alan cocked an eye. "Suspending the search? If anything, we need to start a ground search, Paul. The problem is all the brush down there."

"Listen Alan, I understand, but right now I need you and Sandra in the village. There are decisions to make; decisions that affect every Alphan. You need here as fast as you can."

Alan threw Sandra a look, and then answered, "Eagle One, coming in for a landing."

# # #

In the heart of the village, Koenig's voice rose above the rumble of the crowd, demanding answers for Sol and Bill Fraser. The air grew thick with tension, villagers' faces twisting into scowls. Their bodies pressed closer, an angry sea of emotion.

"What has become of the boy? And our pilot?" Koenig's gaze swept across the assembly, searching for any flicker of truth.

Anansi stepped forward, his star pendant gleaming menacingly in the afternoon light. "Commander, your focus on these trivial matters is unbecoming," he said, his voice smooth like oil. "It seems you're more concerned with maintaining your iron grip on power than embracing the gifts Yomi offers."

Koenig felt a prickle at the back of his neck, the unmistakable sensation of a situation spiraling beyond control. The villagers' eyes darted between him and Anansi, uncertainty playing across their faces.

"The safety of my people is no trivial matter," Koenig retorted, his staccato delivery underscoring each word's importance. "You talk of power? What power do these lies have over you? What power does the truth threaten? What power is hidden by your secrets?"

The crowd shifted uneasily. The undercurrent of fear seemed a living thing, feeding on their anxiety and threatening to drive them into a frenzy.

Anansi raised his hands. "We seek harmony here on Yomi," he said with feigned calmness. "And we offer this to your people, yet you selfishly reject it!"

Koenig recognized this dance–one step toward appeasement, two steps back into chaos. He wouldn't allow Anansi's words to warp reality; lives were at stake. The lives of his people.

Overhead, the whoosh of Eagle One's engines as it overflew the village toward a landing area in an adjacent field. For a moment, the shadow of the mechanical beast interrupted the confrontation. But only for a moment.

Koenig's voice cut through the growing din. "What happened to Sol? What happened to Bill Fraser?" His demand for answers was unyielding, a stark contrast to the evasive responses that had so far been offered.

Anansi's face contorted with rage as he shouted back, "Enough, Commander! Your incessant questions are an affront to our ways!"

The crowd roared in support, their anger reaching a fevered pitch that vibrated through the air. Koenig's heart pounded in his chest; he could sense the villagers' breaths on his neck, their collective fury a palpable force pressing in on him.

But then, as if the gods themselves had called for silence, a hush fell over the assembly. Dana stepped forward, her presence commanding attention. "They are one with Yomi," she declared solemnly.

A collective gasp escaped from the crowd, a sound that seemed to carry the weight of untold secrets.

"Such things are not to be spoken of," Anansi said.

The crowd agreed in a low growl; a pack of cornered animals with no retreat possible, leaving them only the option of attack.

But before tensions could erupt into violence, a distraction emerged from the direction of the field. Alan Carter and Sandra Benes appeared at the edge of the village, their arrival cutting through the thick atmosphere like a blade. Between them, they supported a wounded figure: Helena Russell.

"We found her," Carter said. "After we landed."

Helena was disheveled and limping, her face etched with pain and despair. Koenig's protective instincts surged as he moved toward them. His concern for his people—for her — outweighing the hostility that surrounded him.

"Helena… what happened?" John asked as he steadied her with an arm around her shoulders.

She leaned in to him and struggled to answer, but no words could form.

Professor Bergman looked at her and asked, "Benjamin?"

Tears swelled in her eyes and ran down her cheeks, weaving between the abrasions where low branches had cut at her face. Her answer came with a slow shake of her head.

Paul approached. His purpose now differed, his determination wavering.

"Dr. Russell. Who did this to you?"

Anansi attempted to circumvent an explanation: "She was lost in the woods, that is obvious. Alphans, you must make a choice." His commanding voice came with a hint of pleading. "You must join us now, or lose your chance forever."

Koenig faced him. "Is this the paradise you offer? Another person missing. Another person who has become one with Yomi!"

Anger returned to the crowd. He spoke words that must not—must never—be spoken. He asked questions that must never be answered.

"What does that mean?" Paul asked, his words and body language deluged with befuddlement. He had come to challenge the commander, but the sight of Dr. Russell wounded and frightened caused him to question everything he thought he knew about this planet, and everything he dared accuse John Koenig of.

Professor Bergman answered, "It means this world is not a paradise, Paul. Far from it, in fact. Our friends here, are hiding something horrible, and we should leave immediately."

Kano: "But what happened to Dr. Russell? What about Ben Vincent? Where is he?"

A roar through the crowd.

"Quiet!" It was Dana who tried to silence the protesters to support the Alphans, to little avail. "We must face the truth."

Anansi volleyed: "The truth is that Yomi provides for our needs! We are happy here!"

"Doctor Russel—Helena," Paul said. "What happened?"

She at last found the strength to speak. And as she did, the crowd at first listened, and then tried to drown out her words, and then moved to silence her.

Helena's voice was scarcely above a whisper, but commanded the attention of all within earshot.

"The ground... it opened up," she began, her voice quivering. "Ben was there one moment, and then... he wasn't."

Anansi's eyes narrowed, a shadow passing over his features. "Enough," he hissed, his warning directed at Helena with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine. But she continued, fueled by a mix of terror and the need to expose the truth.

"The soil, it was like nothing I've ever seen. It moved like it was alive," Helena said, her hands trembling as she gestured to illustrate her point. The villagers' faces twisted in anger at her words. Koenig's protective stance around Helena tightened.

Anansi stepped forward, his voice booming over the villager's discontent. "Silence her!" he commanded, but Koenig raised a hand.

"The truth will be heard!" Dana shouted in the chief's face. "It must be spoken! The ground is alive!"

Helena stumbled on, her hands held out, fingers wide as if sculpting a vision. "Feelers... vines… like… like sharp tentacles wrapped around him," she said, swallowing hard against the lump in her throat. "I tried to pull him free but... the ground… John… the ground swallowed him whole."

The villagers erupted into shouts and jeers, furious at Helena's blasphemy against Yomi. Anansi's voice rose above the cacophony as he pointed an accusing finger at Helena.

"You speak lies! Yomi provides life!" Anansi roared, his pendant glinting ominously as he moved with purpose toward Helena.

Koenig positioned himself between her and Anansi, his stance unyielding. "No more secrets," he declared. "We've lost two of our own to this planet you call Yomi." His voice resonated with a commander's authority and a friend's concern for those under his protection. "We lost two of our people to your monster!"

Helena shuddered at the memory of Ben Vincent's last moments—a healthy man rendered helpless by the predator beneath their feet. The revelation shook the Alphans to their core; this world was not as benevolent as it seemed. A truth the villagers did not want to face. A truth they wanted to silence, by any means. Confronting it meant facing the terror they lived with every day. Only willful ignorance kept them content.

They armed themselves with whatever lay at hand—clubs, stones, instruments of violence that transformed the once-peaceful villagers into a frenzied force of nature. And then they came for the newcomers. The ones who would shatter their illusions.

The Alphans retreated into a tight circle.

"Come on, mate," Carter seemed to welcome the fight. A release, perhaps, for the anger at having lost two friends. He readied his fists.

They rolled forward, a rising tide meaning to inundate their victims.

Clubs swung. Stones thrown.

The first of the mob who charged in met a kick to the chest from Paul Morrow. The second, a punch to the gut and an elbow to the back of the head from Carter.

Koenig heard Dana cry out above the bedlam as she was struck down by a wooden staff slammed into the side of her head. Her body crumpled, a pool of blood blossoming beneath her.

Arms grabbed hold of Sandra. She screamed. Morrow pulled the offender away, his fist connecting with the villager's jaw to the sound of a satisfying crack.

A tossed stone thumped Victor in the chest. Kano dodged the swing of a club. Koenig shielded Helena with his body and jabbed an attacker with a fist.

The villagers were not trained, and their peaceful—passive—life style meant they rarely knew the need for violence. One to one, they were no match for any of the Alphans whose combat skills had been learned in training so long ago, and honed while fighting for survival on the frontiers of space. But there were far too many villagers. Koenig knew the mob would rip them apart, given the chance.

So his hand went to his belt, drawing his stun gun. His thumb found the trigger, and he fired into the crowd. A stream of energy blasted out, and several of the rioters fell to the ground, unconscious.

Beside him, the two security guards followed suit, their stunners crackling as they provided cover for their comrades. Two more fell, then three.

The villagers recoiled from the laser fire, confusion marring their anger as they watched their numbers dwindle. Stones meant to be thrown were dropped, clubs meant to be swung discarded. The crowd retreated from the fray, dissuaded from murder for the moment, but not entirely defeated.

Anansi, witnessing the tide turn against him, fled. Koenig watched him go but felt no triumph—only a grim satisfaction at having survived… for now.

The commander's attention was drawn to Dana. He knelt beside her battered form, his hands hovering above her wounds, helpless to stop the life ebbing away. "I prefer this..." Dana's voice was a whisper, each word punctuated by pain. "Better this way than... taken by Yomi."

Her eyes locked onto Koenig's, and in them he saw not only pain but also relief—a soul unburdened from years of living under a shadow of fear. "Finally free," she breathed out with her last ounce of strength.

Koenig mourned quietly for the woman. She and the fire of spirituality her family had fanned for generations was, he believed, the only genuine hope these people could have had, if only she'd shared it with them. Now the altar in the old ship would be forgotten, its message unknown to the people for whom it might provide inspiration. Instead, they would remain captives in this place, finding happiness only in ignorance.

"John…" it was Helena, reaching to him. He took her in his arms. She clutched tight to his chest. As he comforted her, he studied his people. Sandra had been roughed up, but not bad. Morrow and Carter had exchanged blows with villagers but had suffered only a few bruises. Bergman had a muddy splotch on his chest where a stone had hit home, but he appeared to be only mildly dazed, not damaged. The guards and Kano had avoided wounds; their stunners had kept the tide at bay.

The professor said, "We should leave this place, John."

"We should," he answered. "But there's one more question to ask. One more answer the people of Beta 4 need to hear."

# # #

Commander John Koenig jogged into the meeting chamber in pursuit of Anansi, whom he found sitting encircled by the other elders. Paul Morrow and Alan Carter were steps behind him, lasers drawn. Dr. Helena Russell and Professor Victor Bergman entered the chamber moments later, their expressions a blend of urgency and disbelief.

Anansi rose from his seat, the crystal pendant at his neck catching the dim light. "Go, leave our world. You do not deserve paradise," he said, his voice devoid of its earlier warmth.

Morrow stepped forward, scowling. "With our weapons and technology," he said, calculating their advantage, "we can take control of the village and live on our terms."

Koenig's focus didn't waver from Anansi, though his words were for Paul. "Don't you understand? The food, the environment, the tranquility—it's not free; it is paid for in blood. For hundreds of years, the population of the village has not increased as it should because Anansi takes them; consumes them. This is the secret—the truth—that cannot be spoken. Sol isn't dead. Fraser… Vincent. They are one with Yomi. It sounds almost spiritual, but it's not. It's death. This planet—this living creature—eats them alive at its leisure. A grotesque symbiosis where you act like you're the gardeners, when, in fact... you are the harvest!"

The elders clutched their ears as if Koenig's words were physical blows, their faces contorted in a mix of agony and denial. Anansi's eyes widened, his lips moving in silent protest, whispering accusations of blasphemy.

Paul, who had been ready to fight, lowered his laser gun, the implications of Koenig's revelation dawning on him. He glanced at the villagers, seeing them not as enemies but as potential victims of an unspeakable tradition.

"But not too many," Koenig explained. "There are enough birds, insects, and small animals to satiate its hunger. But the people? A delicacy?"

"Stop! Do not speak of this," the older woman begged.

"Wait a second, commander," Carter said as he tried to absorb the conversation. "Every day people die on Earth. Accidents. Disease. Fires and storms. The way I see it, a random chance of dying here isn't any different from what we faced before, and probably safer than on Alpha."

Koenig answered, "This isn't about fate or random chance. When Yomi takes someone, you're not the victim of bad luck or an accident. You are cattle, culled from the herd. The chosen victim led to slaughter. A person disappears today. Maybe not another one for a week or two. But don't worry, there's enough food and water to keep the crop growing on the farm. Large families mean more people for Yomi to choose from, but a lesser chance that it will be any single individual person. But it's not working, is it?" Koenig glared at the council. "And you know it. You try to have more children, but the beast just takes more. This planet has put a limit on your population."

Bergman said, "We thought there weren't any predators on this world. We were wrong. There is one; a big one. An entity surrounded by a shell of life on which it feeds. That's why our life form readings are so strong; the entire planet is alive." He scratched his chin. "And it provides for that ecosystem to thrive so that it, in turn, it can always feed. You don't have to worry about any other predators, because you're living in the mouth of the biggest predator of all. One that controls its livestock."

"Silence!"

"Blasphemy!"

"Leave us!"

Koenig told Carter, "That's why they want us here. Three hundred new souls and the many children we could rear added to the cattle ranch in one fell swoop. They think that would improve their chances. But I think you're mistaken, Anansi. I think Yomi would feed at a greater rate. Three taken in one day. I'm going to guess that is unprecedented."

"Enough!" Chief Anansi stood and faced Koenig head-on. "Yes, yes, that is the truth of our world. The price we pay. But that price is no different from any other animal across the cosmos. You're having trouble with the idea because you're accustomed to being the dominant species at the top of the food chain. We have accepted our role. Yes, we are lambs in a field, but lambs who want for nothing."

Koenig rebutted, "Until the butcher comes for you. I wonder, when one of your people is dragged beneath the ground, taken by Yomi for good nutrition, I wonder if in those last, horrible moments if they believe it is worth the price?"

"Do not speak of this," the elder woman repeated yet again, her head buried in her arms on the tabletop.

Commotion could be heard from beyond the canvas flap of the meeting hall entrance. Voices. Voices of the mob regrouped and coming again.

"John," Helena said. "What's the point of this? We need to leave."

He took her by the shoulders and agreed. "Yes, we need to leave. But there's one more secret. A secret that even the villagers don't know." He threw his eyes again at the elders, at Anansi, slipped free of Helena, and approached the table.

"Tell me something," Koenig asked. "Has an elder ever been taken to be one with Yomi?"

They fell silent, their eyes sharpened, like daggers, on the alien visitor who had come to disrupt their peace.

And then chaos came. First the sound of stun guns discharging, and then the guards, Sandra, and Kano, retreated into the meeting hall.

"They're coming again," Kano said. "They're not afraid of our weapons anymore. We stunned a hundred of them, but they won't stop."

Helena looked to John. In his eyes she did not see panic, but calm resolve.

"Cease fire," he told his people and directed them to the far side of the chamber, across the room from the entrance.

The mob of angry villagers stormed inside, shouting and barking at the newcomers.

Koenig climbed onto the table, cupped his hands, and shouted, "Listen to me! Listen! You must listen!"

Clubs stopped in mid swing, stones meant to be thrown paused, held in check by both his words and the threat of more laser fire.

"Listen!" He repeated.

Anansi and the council of elders looked to Koenig as if he was a far more dangerous animal than the monster with which they had lived for hundreds of years.

"You've been lied to! Deceived! You've lived here knowing that at any moment you could be the next to disappear! And you've accepted that because you believed the odds were even. Horrible, yes, but you accepted the chance of random fate. But you have been deceived. Has Yomi ever taken an elder?"

Anansi had expected this accusation. He held his arms open and said, "We know the odds of any single individual being taken are low. There are only a handful of elders, so our being chosen is a mathematical improbability."

Koenig did not relent. He addressed the angry villagers: "Yomi does not devour the wood of the forest, or the stone of the mountain. It will not take that which it cannot consume."

None of the gathered wanted to speak so openly of their curse, but they listened. They heard.

"Look!" He reached down and grabbed Anansi by the collar and then took hold of his crystal pendant, nearly pulling it from his throat.

"This is not a symbol of your ancestors, or a badge of rank the colonists originally wore. It is filled with energy cells from your original colony ship."

"It is a symbol of our authority!" Anansi cried in desperation and told his people, "Go back to your homes, friends. The intruders will be leaving!"

Koenig's voice raised even higher: "Inside these crystals is a form of energy not native to this planet; energy that powered your space ship. Energy that Yomi cannot consume!"

Silence. Dead, horrible silence.

He spoke the conclusion the mob had already reached: "Yomi will never take an elder as long as they wear those pendants. The risk you take is not shared. Those in power live in peace, while you live in fear."

The crowd flowed forth like a tsunami, anger and betrayal fueling their actions. They swarmed the elders, hands reaching, fingers grasping for the symbols of deception hanging from the necks of their once-respected leaders. Anansi, eyes filled with fear, was buffeted by the tide of his own people, his feet barely touching the ground as he was swept away.

John Koenig watched for a moment, then commanded his comrades, "We're leaving—now!"

As they made their escape, he saw Anansi break free from the grasping hands of his accusers. He darted through an opening in the canvas wall and vanished into the village beyond. The elders weren't so fortunate; they were taken by the mob, their pendants ripped from their necks as if they were life preservers for a drowning people. And then the elders were beaten to death as penance for centuries of deception.

Koenig led his team through the winding paths between huts and overgrowth.

"Carter," Koenig ordered. "Take Eagle Two. Paul, Eagle Three. I'll pilot Eagle one."

The group splintered into thirds, Dr. Russell and Professor Bergman with Koenig.

They reached Eagle One in a clearing outside the village. Koenig aimed his commlock and the side door opened. He helped Helena up the entry stairs and then joined Bergman inside. As he moved to shut the door, a voice called.

Anansi's breath came in ragged gasps as he stumbled towards Eagle One. Fear clung to him, a tangible cloak that grew heavier with each step. Behind, the cacophony of the mob's outrage was a rising tide in pursuit of the master of lies. He would find no refuge on the planet. His secret no longer protection.

Koenig stood at the top of the entry stairs in the open door, his eyes narrowing as Anansi approached. The chief's desperation was clear in the way his hands reached out, pleading for salvation as he fell up the stairs. "Take me with you," Anansi begged. "We are the same, commander Koenig. Leaders who make difficult choices. I know you can understand this!"

Koenig's face twisted into a grimace of disgust. "You were ready to feed us to your beast," he spat.

Anansi clutched at Koenig's uniform, a condemned man seeking a stay of execution. "I did what I thought I must. For the good of my people," he cried out, seeking mercy in Koenig's hardened gaze.

Koenig studied the man before him; once a figure of authority and calm, now reduced to a craven shell. Then he looked to the edge of the village. Out came the mob, their prey in sight.

"I'll help you," Koenig declared after a tense pause. "I'll give you a chance to escape the lynch mob."

Gratitude flickered on Anansi's face, but it didn't last. With a swift motion, Koenig seized the crystal pendant from Anansi's neck, pulled it free, and hurled it into the throng of villagers who were closing in.

The horde changed course. Instead of hunting their disgraced chief, they clamored for the pendant; their anger redirected as they scrambled and fought amongst themselves for the one chance at protection against the butcher's block. The seven pendants that had been the property of the elders would now be the most sought prize on the planet. He wondered how many would die to possess one.

"Take me with you!"

Koenig gripped Anansi's collar and glowered, mere inches from his nose. "Now you're no longer chief. Now you're nothing more than another sheep. You can either do something about it, or keep living in fear. The choice is yours."

He shoved the cowering man, sending him backwards to the ground at the base of the stairs, which retracted as Koenig sealed the door. A moment later, the Eagle's engines whined and retro rockets fired, launching the transport into the sky where it joined the other two ships on their return trip to Alpha.

Anansi watched them go… and then ran off, even though he knew there was nowhere to hide.

# # #

Commander John Koenig steadied the controls of Eagle One, the thrumming of the engines a stark contrast to the chaos they escaped. His eyes, though fixed on the black void ahead, were clouded by the weight of decisions made and the lives that had hung in the balance.

The comm screen flickered to life. Tanya's face appeared, her expression a mix of professionalism and underlying sadness. "Commander, preparations for Operation Exodus have been canceled."

Koenig let slip a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry it didn't work out," he said, his voice tinged with a fatigue that reached beyond physical exhaustion.

Tanya returned his sentiment with a sad smile that spoke volumes more than words could convey. The mission's failure wasn't merely about finding a new home—it was about kindled hope snuffed out like a candle in the wind.

"Eagle One," Tanya continued, her voice steady despite the disappointment they shared, "Computer has linked with your onboard navigation and will control the rest of the trip back. Enjoy the ride."

The commander acknowledged her by flashing a weak, fake smile, and relinquishing control to Alpha's mainframe. He leaned back in his seat as the Eagle continued its homeward path on autopilot. The cockpit was a sanctuary of solitude where he could reflect on the harrowing events on Beta 4.

Yomi had been a mirage—a tantalizing oasis that hid a deadly secret. They almost reached paradise, only to realize it was constructed on lies. And now, Koenig was left to ponder the lives of those they left behind and how close the Alphans came to being entangled in that same web.

He slid away from the control panel, stood, and stepped through the doors, their familiar hiss marking his passage from the cockpit into the passenger compartment.

Helena sat wrapped in a pale blue blanket that was of little help: the chill in her bones came not from the air temperature.

She glanced at him, her eyes reflecting a resilience that belied her recent ordeal. The smile she offered was weak, yet it held an unspoken promise of recovery—given time.

Victor looked up from his contemplative, inward gaze, his face etched with lines of concern and curiosity. He acknowledged the commander's presence with a nod.

John slid into a seat next to her. "Helena," he began, his voice subdued, as if he feared breaking her fragile calm.

She tilted her head, acknowledging him without words. Her hands clutched at the blanket, knuckles whitening momentarily before she forced herself to relax.

"You did everything you could back there," John reassured her. "Everyone did."

Helena's lips parted as if to speak, but no words came. Instead, she drew in a deep breath, her acceptance of the sentiment manifesting in the slow release of tension across her shoulders.

Victor leaned forward in his seat, folding his hands together. "John," he said. "Yomi was a lesson—a reminder that not all that glitters is gold."

His jaw clenched at Victor's words. He had felt it too—the allure of Yomi—and how swiftly it had turned to ash in their hands.

"We were seduced by an illusion," the commander admitted with a rueful shake of his head. "It won't happen again."

"But John," Victor said, pressing his thumb to his chin as he spoke. "There are many on Alpha who may disagree. They may think it a price worth paying. If they had been given the chance to vote on it, well, I don't know what they'd decide."

Helena added, "We've been sealed up in Alpha for so long that an ocean would seem hospitable, even if we were only doomed to drown in it."

"Helena, Victor, I know many of our people—maybe most—would willingly grasp at the chance to live on Yomi, despite the risk. We've seen how easy it is to turn a blind eye to uncomfortable truths in exchange for luxury; or easy lives. But this was about more than the three hundred souls living on Alpha today. When we do find a home, we will settle down, raise families, and build new lives that will be passed on to the next generation. If we had stayed on Yomi, we'd be sentencing our children to live in fear; to live on the back of a monster that could devour them at any moment."

Weariness overcame Helena. She leaned into John, her tired head resting on his shoulders.

"Oh, yes, I agree. It's for the best that it never came to that. But John," the professor pressed his lips and lowered his eyes. "They may hate you for it."

"I know, Victor. And I have to live with that burden, but at least it's a burden for me alone. Paradise has a price tag. And so does command."

The trio of Eagles flew through the black of space on their way back to Alpha. On their way home.

series created by

Gerry and Sylvia

Anderson