The following story contains descriptions of gay sex between consenting males. If you are offended by such material, are below legal age or live in an area where such material is prohibited then please read no further.

Whilst some of the characters in this story do appear in real life, the author does not wish to imply that the sexual orientation of the real people matches that of their counterparts below - though who knows! This is a work of fiction and as such has never and will never (quite obviously) occur.

The author gives permission for the following story to be transmitted, stored or archived in any form provided it remains unchanged in any way and is properly attributed to the author.

'Good Morning, Adam.' McCray's cheerful greeting sounded anything but sincere. Though to Adam, McCray never sounded sincere, there was always that slightly mocking tone in his voice and the calculating look in his eyes.

The sixteen year old Asian boy just about managed to stifle a yawn. After the events of the previous afternoon and night he was exhausted. He'd tried to get a few hours sleep, but his earlier conversation with Paul was going round and round in his head. If it turned out as Adam suspected, that Dayle really was alive and was somehow being held captive by the FBI then the consequences didn't bear thinking about. It also meant that McCray was even more dangerous than any of them had previously suspected.

'Morning Mr. McCray. What have you got for me today?'

'Ah, today we have something special you should be able to help us with.' The man gave a grin that sent shivers down Adam's spine. 'I'll just make a quick call and then we'll go down to the cells.' He picked up the telephone and punched in a four digit number. There was a pause of a few seconds. 'This is McCray. Are you set up? Good. We're on our way down.' He replaced the handset. 'Right Adam, let's get down there and get started.'

'Captain, we've got a problem.'

'What is it Lizzy?' Captain Joshua Alexander looked up from the computer display where he was trying to make sense of this alien craft's weapons system, irritated by the interruption.

'There's a pitched battle going on directly in front of us. If we keep to our present course we'll be right in the middle of it.'

The captain hurried over to the main display console. A quick glance revealed the full story. Two craft were displayed on the screen, the bright flashes ample evidence of the ferocity of the battle that was taking place. The captain was about to order a change of course, avoiding the trouble, when he suddenly gave a gasp. One of the ships had turned, allowing a clear view of it's sleek profile. There was no mistaking it! Yes, there were differences, but the fact was inescapable. The ship on the screen had obviously been built by the same alien race that had built their own craft. These were the beings that the small band of humans had travelled across the galaxy to find.

'Hold course, but reduce speed. Let's see what happens.'

'Are you sure that's wise?' Commander Elizabeth Saunders glanced over her shoulder at the captain, a worried look on her face. 'We're still getting to grips with the controls of this ship, if either one of those decides to some after us things could get pretty hairy.'

'We have to take that chance Lizzie. Our mission is to find the Talmori and one of those ships is Talmorian. This is an excellent opportunity to make contact. Besides,' he gave a grin, 'I 'm sure if things do turn out nasty you'll be able to get us out of here. I didn't choose you as my pilot  for your charm and personaility.'