'Are you alright,' Maelgwn asked Tory, who seemed to have stopped breathing.

She let out a huge sigh of relief, realising the flight was over, when her seat harness suddenly retracted and startled her again.

Maelgwn laughed at this. 'You'll get used to it. Oh, speaking of scary surprises, this might be a good time to inform you both that Homo sapiens are not the only form of humans in existence.'

'What?' Tory frowned, not really getting his drift.

'Well, as we were fashioned from apes, other breeds of human have been fashioned from creatures who are better adapted to the different climates and terrains of other planets. Take Thais, for example, who was fashioned from a horse, a breed known as Homo gammurugu. You'll see what I mean.' He decided a picture was worth a thousands words. 'Just try not to stare. These people are my friends.'

'I'll try not to embarrass you too much.' Tory raised herself from her seat.

Maelgwn gave her a squeeze, not wanting her to get him wrong. 'That will never happen,' he told her. 'It's just that I have told everyone so much about you, my associates could seem a little overwhelming.'

'I understand.' She held his face a moment, thinking how handsome he was.

'A-hum!' Rose gave them a wave to get them moving.

25.

BODY PARTS.

When the hatch opened they were greeted by a stocky, round-faced lad with a great mane of long, curly auburn hair. 'Hey, boss.' He waved to Maelgwn, fleetingly admiring the females at his side. 'Good flight?'

'Not bad, thanks Remme,' Maelgwn answered, taking off his control module and handing it to the lad.

'The thrusters are still a bit sluggish, though.'

'Roger that, Commander.' He smiled broadly. 'I'll give 'em a service then, eh?' Remme watched Rose pass him by on her way out, and gave a low purring sound of approval.

It was not until Tory glanced over her shoulder at Remme that she noticed he was sporting a long, tan tail, with a furry tuft on the end that was twitching uncontrollably.

'Let me guess. Some sort of feline?' She whispered to Maelgwn once they were a safe distance away.

'Homo dullogu,' he enlightened her. 'Remme is very good natured, but his breed are often fairly short-tempered, especially the females.'

'I'll remember that,' Tory mumbled, her attention already diverted to a couple of men with huge brown and black wings. These two were fluttering around the top of another craft in the huge dock area, repairing it, presumably.

One of them, having spotted Maelgwn, came swooping over to address him, fluttering above them as he spoke. 'Greetings Dragon. Is this the little woman?'

'Yes, indeed it is. Tory, I'd like you to meet Leander.'

Maelgwn did the honours. 'Leander, this is Tory.'

'Very nice,' said Leander, 'for a hairless ape, you understand.' He winked at Maelgwn, then looked back to Tory. 'I'm delighted to make your acquaintance.' He bowed his head, one hand over his heart in sincerity.

'Likewise,' said Tory, quite sure that Leander had meant no offence by his comment. It seemed to be more of a private joke between Maelgwn and himself.

'And may I say you are very fine for a nearly featherless bird -'

'Falcon,' Maelgwn whispered on the quiet.

'Falcon ...' Tory was quick to correct her error.

'I'll bet you say that to all the Homo felemous,'

Leander flirted.

'Oy, Leander,' his friend yelled from the vessel they were preparing. 'Do you want to stop socialising and help me fix this damn accelerator?'

'Gotta go.' He gave them a wave and flew back to work.

The three of them exited the dock area through a door that vanished upon their approach. It led into a series of corridors, where they met others of all the differing races Tory was becoming aware of. Maelgwn seemed to know just about everybody in this sector of the space station, and was obviously well liked and respected. There was one other breed, however, that had distinct differences to the rest. Maelgwn advised that these people were of the Homo delphinus variety.

Bred from dolphins, they could be distinguished by their webbed feet and hands. They were extremely good natured and telepathic. Their skin was very smooth and had a bluish tinge about it. Naturally, they were excellent swimmers, and they had a blowhole on the crown of their heads, as dolphins did, for breathing underwater.

Maelgwn left Rose in the care of one of these people - Dylan. A personal servant to the Lord Marduk, Dylan had been sent to collect Rose and guide her to his Lord's Star Chamber.

The errand for his superior completed, Maelgwn's time was now his own. He turned to the stranger beside him, unsure of where to start with her. If he'd been able to calm himself, he might have been able to read Tory's thoughts. As it was, he was at the mercy of his instincts.

'So, what shall we do? I could show you around. Or if you're hungry, we could get something to eat.'

Tory looked down the wide, arched corridor that, consistent with everything else she'd seen, was a dark, moulded, metallic structure. There were long, clear sections inset along the walls, ceiling and floor that allowed a subtle light to illuminate the infrastructure.

'This is only the maintenance level of the ATEN,'

Maelgwn advised. 'The rest of her is far more spectacular.'

This was a tough call in Tory's opinion. Should she go exploring an advanced alien civilisation, or get laid for the first time in forty years? 'Mmm. It all sounds wonderful, but I think I'd like to see your place first.'

She raised her eyebrows and awaited his reaction.

'Really?' Maelgwn suppressed his enthusiasm. 'It's a bit of a hike from here. But, I could will us there ... if you like?'

'Well, it does seem silly to walk all that way.' She played along, placing her hand in his.

Tory's eyes remained fixed on her lover's face. As the ethers of their passage departed, she inquired if Maelgwn lived alone.

'Yes I do, as it happens, because -'

A long and luscious kiss, that shocked Maelgwn slightly, interrupted his explanation. Still, he was only stunned that his aspirations were being fulfilled sooner than he'd hoped - or so he thought.

Tory let go of him just as abruptly as she'd taken hold. 'So, this is where you've been hanging out all this time?' She made polite conversation, as though her emotional outpouring had never taken place. She gazed about his chambers, seeing nothing of how aesthetically pleasing the design was, nor how amazing and functional the furnishings were. In her mind she was still hugged close to his body, reeling at his touch, his scent, his taste.

He took up her hand gently and tugged her back into his embrace. Maelgwn pressed her body to his, to let her know that she was not the only one who was eager. 'Time spent here is time spent missing you.'

'Not any more,' she smiled.

In that instant, the years of separation melted away and they allowed their long forbidden affection to flow freely and easily between each other.

'This is not how I planned it,' Maelgwn said, struggling to remove the skin-hugging jacket of his flight suit. Tory was making it twice as difficult for him as she caressed the smooth skin of his exposed torso with her fingers and her lips. 'I promised myself that I'd at least take you to dinner. You know, in a token stab at romance?'

'This is romantic,' she whispered, kissing his mouth to silence him.

Given leave, Maelgwn carried her over to his bed and laid her down. The lighting dimmed, and a haunting tune began to waft softly through the room.

Beneath her body his bed felt as soft as air itself, yet it cushioned their weight as they quickly dispensed with the remainder of their clothes. Tory laid back to welcome Maelgwn's naked body to hers. It was then she noticed that the bed-head was a huge circular window.

It curved over their heads following the shape of the external structure and gave views of the Earth, the Moon and the great expanse of space. She looked back at Maelgwn, who had not come upon her as expected.

All she could make out was a dark silhouette, standing quietly in the shadows beyond the bed. 'Am I raising your expectations, Commander?' she asked playfully, the subtle movements of her body urging him forth.

In Tory's beauteous form, bathed by the blue light of the moon, Maelgwn saw both his greatest desire and greatest fear unfolding. The latter he'd been sure he could deny, but now that it came down to it, the horror recollections were flooding back.

'Maelgwn?' Tory queried his restraint.

'You'll have to go easy on me. It's been awhile.'

Maelgwn bowed his head forward to smother his sudden feelings of hurt, guilt and loathing.

Though Tory could not see Maelgwn's expression underneath his long, straight hair, she sensed his dismay. She ignored her scattered emotions in an attempt to bethink the problem from him, but no images would come. Whatever it was that taunted him was being blocked out with all the might he could master. When he turned away from her, Tory knew there was something seriously wrong. He'd never been fearful, not like this. As she sat up, her mind turned to the one event that had happened during their separation that could have caused him so much damage.

'Do you want to tell me about Inanna, Maelgwn?' She nearly choked on the words, so afraid he was going to tell her that he was having an affair with that Goddess.

His hesitancy to answer was even more alarming, so Tory thought she'd best put them both out of their misery. 'Are you in love with her?'

'No,' he stated, surely. 'I despise her more than any creature I have ever encountered, for she is by far the most wretched.'

'What did she do?' Tory leaned towards him in a desperate attempt to reach him, but he drew away beyond her reach. 'To hate someone with such intensity, is -'

'A drain on my energy. I know!' Maelgwn pulled on a loose-fitting pair of trousers and seated himself in a large hanging chair that faced the bed. 'I've had all manner of spiritual tutors in my head trying to put straight what Inanna messed up in there, and the truth is, telling you is the only thing that promises to be of any help whatsoever.'

'I'm here to help.' Tory pulled one of the bed covers around herself and awarded him her full attention, at which time he became warier.

'Even now I am wondering if it is really you I'm addressing, Tory.' he stated in all seriousness. 'Even though I came and got you myself, Inanna could have got to you first.'

'She tried -' Tory began.

But Maelgwn raised a hand to prevent her from trying to convince him. 'Please, I just need you to listen.' Tory nodded for him to continue, and he did so without delay. He'd dreaded this conversation for so long that all he wanted now was to get it over and done with before his fears drove him insane.

So she listened, with mounting horror, to how Inanna had tested out the stolen prototype of the NERGUZ on Maelgwn. Using the power of suggestion that the module gave her over her captive, she had instructed Maelgwn to see her as his beloved wife. She'd raped him several times before her desire for him to love her in her own form brought the affair to a grinding halt. No amount of seduction or torment could sway his resolve once he'd learned of the deceit. This infuriated the Goddess; if he didn't love her, then she would to see to it that he loved no one. Inanna used Tory's image when torturing Maelgwn and, due to the number of mindlessly violent acts he'd witnessed her commit, the Goddess had done her best to tarnish the memory of his wife forever.

When Maelgwn seemed finally out of words, Tory felt as though she'd been cursed; she had been! Now she understood why Maelgwn hadn't visited her more than once. The sight of her must have induced the most vivid memories of his harrowing ordeal. Tory swallowed back her tears, and slid off the bed to find her clothes.

'I knew she wasn't you, Tory, but still -'

'You couldn't have resisted her Maelgwn. I am well aware of how the NERGUZ works. Your entire being would have believed whatever she wanted you to believe. And now, without the module, you remember the truth of it, as if those decisions and thoughts had been your own.' It was a horrid form of torment. Tory paused from dressing, overcome by nausea and sadness.

After all this time apart, the Gods had found a way to destroy even this moment for them. 'I am only sorry that I am unable to be of any comfort to you, as Inanna has obviously made me your worst nightmare.'

'None of this is your fault.' Maelgwn came near to her, though he paused short of touching her.

'Still,' Tory smiled meekly, having noticed his attempt at contact and his overpowering reluctance to make it, 'I blame myself anyway, for entrusting our lives to outside forces for so long.'

As she pulled on her trousers and fastened her belt, Tory had that going-into-combat look about her, and that was a worry. 'Tory. Please, don't do anything rash.

Tell me what you're thinking. I really need to hear it.'

'I'm thinking ... that I want to hate that bitch for what she has done to us.' Tory pulled on one of her boots and, with a mixture of determination and frustration, laced it up. 'But I also know that hate will not take away the doubts she has forced upon you, nor will it change the crux of the problem. Which is,' her head shot up, and her eyes were bulging from her burst of clarity, 'Dumuzi. Yes!' She was suddenly excited, drawn into the scenario unfolding in her mind. 'Remove the prime motivation, and the rules of this game will change.'

Dumuzi's disappearance had taken place the last time the Nefilim were frequenting the Earth. She knew Inanna believed Dumuzi had been dismembered and hidden by Marduk. 'Find Dumuzi and Inanna can have her lover back. This would, in theory, give her nothing more to war about. Plus, we could establish my grandfather's innocence in regard to Dumuzi's murder.'

She looked back to Maelgwn to catch his response, and found him looking astounded, and quietly pleased.

'You asked me earlier why I needed to bide my time in this region of space before the arrival of Shamash's forces. It is because it has fallen to me to find Dumuzi and, as you say, prove the Lord Marduk's innocence.'

This was a stroke of luck by Tory's reckoning, as she wasn't going to have to con him into aiding her with the search. 'So Shamash has taken up his sister's cause, I assume, and is opposing my grandfather?'

'So he would like it to seem,' Maelgwn scoffed in frustration. 'In truth, it is Shamash who has the greatest motive for getting rid of Dumuzi. Before Inanna's marriage, Shamash had been his twin sister's regular lover and was most put out when she wed another.'

'I know,' she grinned, confident of gaining the upper hand. If she could endeavour to solve the bulk of the Nefilim's disputes, then perhaps the war at the prophesied Gathering might be avoided altogether.

Clearly, they needed Dumuzi as bargaining power and Tory did not expect that obtaining him would be easy.

Dumuzi's true attacker had kept his or her identity and the victim's location a secret for eons, and probably planned to keep it that way.

'I know what you're thinking, Tory, and I have to say I love you for it.' Maelgwn gripped hold of her hand and squeezed it tight.

'Well, it's clear that you will have trouble relaxing with me until this matter has been laid to rest and you know it cannot come back to haunt you.' She let go his hand to put on her other boot. 'I can see no point in sitting around here moping about it, so we may as well get on the case.'

Maelgwn watched as she finished preparing herself to depart, and her resolute manner was breaking his heart. She did not attempt to place blame, burst into hysterics, or begin plotting her revenge. Instead, she calmly went about doing whatever it took to right the situation; this was Tory, there was no doubt in his mind.

'You don't have to come with me,' she offered, noting Maelgwn hadn't budged. 'I can do this alone.'

'I vowed to myself that once we were reunited we would never be separated again.' Maelgwn gathered up his flight suit to get changed, and then paused to look at his wife. He was sorry now that he'd doubted and disappointed her. 'We don't have to leave right away.'

Though Tory noted that familiar glint in his eye, she knew that if she rushed him, it might disappear just as quickly. 'We have forever,' she smiled and shrugged, seeing this as a way to tease him out of his dilemma.

'Why rush?'

Half of Maelgwn appreciated her patience and understanding. The other half cursed that he'd denied himself the chance to love and trust her.

The ATEN, one-third the mass of Earth's moon, was one huge city. Long observation walkways connected the outer buildings to the inner structure.