The wind was blowing in off of Mons Olympus carrying with it a whiff of sulfur, which put a biting edge on the cold spring night in the city of Sandbartan. The stars shown brightly in the Martian night sky with the favorable constellations of the Fire and the Barge in ascendancy. A perfect time to hold the confirmation ceremonies that capped the completion of younger Senshi Mars’ training. Now, Rei, the granddaughter of the Heirophant of the Church of Fire was no longer a squire but a full Senshi in her own right.

The day had been full of solemn ceremonies and complex rituals. Speeches and prayers had been spoken from before dawn to well after dusk. The whole affair had demanded her full attention and concentration. Committing the prayers and chants to memory had taxed her mental abilities nearly to their limit and now she was exhausted. At last, after seeing the last guest off from the formal celebration, Rei had just about reached her quarters when a fire maiden stopped her in the hall. Rei recognized her; they’d sung prayers together before the signal had appeared on Rei’s forehead. Dazu treated her with almost awe now.

"No," Dazu said, "this way." With that, the fire maiden led Rei off down the hallway in the opposite direction. Rather than going to the Elder Senshi’s room, they went throughout the halls towards the kitchen. They deftly navigated the many corridors that Rei had had little exposure to given her breeding and station. The twisting and turning of the small rooms and stairways at this end of the palace soon had Rei disoriented. She knew that they were somewhere over the bakery but unsure of exactly where. At last, they arrived at a small storeroom where Dazu gave a small rap on the door.

"Enter," said Prichaia from within. At those words, Dazu bowed deferentially and retreated. Rei hesitated for a moment. Was this some final ritual she was to undergo? Everything she’d gone through today she’d had months to prepare for. Like her first a choir recital, she’d hit all the notes; excellence was something she expected from herself and others but with that came a dislike of the unexpected. What secret rituals must she go through now? Breathing a prayer for foresight from the Fire, she stepped inside hoping she’d be equal to the test.

The room was the opposite of what she’d expected; rather than some dark cell where penitence was to be served a rare glow globe of the Ancients illuminated the room with a warm, golden hue. The heat from the ovens in the bakery below made it all warm and cozy and the delightful smell of bread filled the air. A small window looked out over the canal in back of the temple complex and the reflections of Hero and Thisbie (the moons that the Terrans called Phobos and Diemos) danced on the waters.

The elder Mars sat on a stool from the kitchen next to a large, overturned vat - the kind used for pickling fish. An empty stool was on the opposite side of the vat, apparently for her. Elder Mars' two pet crows, were perched on the edge of the vat and picked now and then at two saucers of food set before them. The vat served as a table upon which a small feast was spread. The simple red and white checkered table cloth that covered the vat served only to heighten the exotic rarity of the delicacies from across the solar system that were spread upon it. Sweetmeats from Earth, dried fruits from Venus, salted spiny fish from Neptune, and on and on. Not only were there foods from all over but drink as well: Bottles and jars bearing the marks of wineries, brewers and distillers from Nemesis to Mercury were present in a riot of shapes and sizes. In the center of it all was a jug of good old Martian firewater.

Before today, Rei had only stolen a sip or two of the powerful drink but here was a whole jug of it! She was unsure how to react when her stomach answered for her with a low growl at the sight of the food. The Elder Mars giggled at that and said, "Please sit down. Eat and drink to your heart's desire. Tonight we continue another tradition: the sharing of the Great Truth." "Great Truth?" Rei had never heard of this in all her studies. It sounded important. Was it something she was supposed to know but was ignorant of? Rei hesitated. Prichaia lifted a small glass of firewater and downed it in a single gulp. Giving a sigh of contentment she said with a smile, "The ritual here is a little less formal, though."

It was probably best to act cautiously until she understood everything going on here. Rei sat down on the empty stool, filled a small rice bowl and picked a bit of Martian canal fish to go with it when she added, on impulse, a bit of Terran shredded sweet pork. Before she realized it, her rice was buried under a heap of exotic food from fourteen worlds. Rei smiled sheepishly but dug into the victuals hungrily. Prichaia nodded approvingly and filled a glass from the jug and set it before Rei.

Almost casually, the Elder Mars said, "One thing of great pride to all of us who hold the position of Senshi for Mars is that we were the first. By the might of the Fire, we, of all the Senshi, were the ones who led the way."

"Um," Rei grunted and said around a mouthful of fish, "Yet Venus is our leader by tradition. Why is that?"

Prichaia looked like she was going to say one thing but instead shortly, "Politics." She regained her relaxed demeanor and then asked, "Briefly, tell me what you know about the founding of the Silver Millennium?"

Rei swallowed and said by rote, "Serenity the first, a Moon Mage, reformed the Ancient's wonder of the Moon: The God Chamber into the Ginzuishou. She did so with the aid of Admiral Farr, the commander of the Slaver's human trade fleets, and the Heirophant of the Church of Fire.

The God Chamber could create whole universes within its confines. Serenity figured out a way to change it so it could affect things outside it. That's the way she created the Senshi. Lacking the means of carrying out such a plan, she contacted the Heirophant who arranged matters with Farr. The Admiral staged a rebellion to cover his movement of the God Chamber from the Moon to the Earth and then on to Mars by way of the Great Portal. After trying for three days she finally succeeded in changing the God Chamber into the Ginzuishou and then she created Senshi Mars. Senshi Mars then joined the battle and…"

As the Elder Mars spoke Rei felt her eyes drawn to the softly glowing globe. It was either the hypnotic light of the artifact, the fumes of the firewater or some engaging quality of Prichaia's voice but Rei felt seemed to be carried back to the time the Elder Mars described.

***

The chanting prayers of the Fire Maidens had taken on an edge of pleading almost desperate begging. "Fire, oh Fire," they prayed, "send us your guidance in our hour of need. Show us the way on this dangerous day." The Temple of Fire, the grand hall that housed the Wonder of the Ancients: The Fire was very crowded today. In addition to the Fire Maidens who offered devotions, there was an unlikely mix of three factions. From Mars was a heavy contingent of temple guards that were bolstered by the personal guard of the Heirophant. They were decked out in red armed with the famed Martian Pike and repeating crossbow. From Earth was a small contingent of sailors and Marines. The former of whom ferried an intermittent stream of artillery shells up a rope ladder to the roof of the temple and latter of whom sniped out the temple windows with their muskets. Finally, from the Moon was an odd assortment of mages, from diviners to psionicists, in varied and unconventional dress. They busied themselves as best mages could in this situation; that is, they stood about and fretted. Not to say that they would not like to have helped, they were either, a. faced with an enemy largely immune to their attacks or b. unable to influence the artifacts of the Ancients the same as any human.

Piles of incense ash lay in large heaps about the room having accumulated over the past several days with everyone too busy to clear away the detritus. Outside could be heard the sounds of battle over the raging sandstorm. What had started as a distant murmur had grown into a veritable din. The shouts of men and reports from cannons or rifles were ever louder as the Slaver forces tightened the noose around the Martian Capitol City of Sandbartan.

The Heirophant stood tall and regal in her ceremonial robes. The tall headdress and long sleeved gown were perfectly arranged even after overseeing the events of the past three days. Throughout it all, the leader of the Church of Fire and the Martian people had not allowed a hair to stray and thus spoil her image of immutable calm and purpose. This iron-will had been transmitted to her people and though they were afraid, they fought and worked with the same unbending demeanor as their leader.

The truth was she was desperately tired. Save for a catnap stolen during a lull in activity, she'd not rested since the army of Earth and the Moon mage had arrived. Not only had she seen to the final disposition of the precious burden they'd brought with them but had also approved her own general's plans for the defense of the city, arranged for the supply of the Earth army, and soothed the bruised egos caused by making the Martian forces subordinate to the Terrans.

The hardest part had been ordering the troops back from the grounded Slaver ships. The sandstorms made them unflyable but they contained many supplies that could have been put to good use in the defense of the city. They were in an indefensible position a mile from the city and the Terran general insisted that the forces be concentrated in the capitol. The Martian general had not agreed saying the Slaver guns could be used as a fort in their own right. In the end, he turned to the Heirophant who let the Terrans have their way. The ships were of little importance compared to the vision she'd had from the fire.

The awesome responsibility of knowing that her people were out there now dying for a vision that she'd had weighed heavily on her. What if she was wrong? No, the vision came from the Fire and it was never wrong. But what if her interpretation of what she'd seen been wrong? She suppressed a sigh lest she show any weakness now that her people needed her to be strong. If only her feet didn't hurt so much. She'd been on them for hours and they were killing her. She looked at the Wonder of the Ancients and willed herself to forget about her discomfort.

In the center of the Temple was the Fire of Mars: A ball of flame that hung in the air and consumed no fuel. Rarely was anything ever placed in the fire but this time the object within it was barely contained within its confines: a large, multi-faceted, spherical crystal roughly two and a half meters in diameter. It was the God Chamber, the Ancient Wonder of the Moon. The orange flame flowed over the outer surface of the chamber's surface further obscuring its contents but it was still possible to make out the form of a woman within. She stood with her arms outstretched as though she were reaching for something that was just beyond her grasp. It had been thus since it was brought here by the Terrans three days ago.

VOOM! There came a loud report from the temple roof but the Fire maidens' chant never wavered for a moment. By now, they had grown used to the occasional blast that at odd intervals. The temple that housed the fire, being the tallest building on the whole plain, as an excellent place from which to snipe. Up there, one of the captured Slaver rifled cannon that had been set up was being used with deadly effect on the enemy that besieged the city. Dust sifted down from the rafters as the shock from the recoil shook the whole temple. The mundane fires sputtered and popped.

"Hah! Got em!" a voice all too familiar to the Heirophant cheered, "That'll teach ya' to wear a headdress that can be seen for a mile ya' scaly bastard. Give me another shell lads. Heh! I gotta' say this for the damned lizards, they sure know how to make great guns." "I'm afraid that's the last of them, sir," another voice said. The first voice swore for about minute and then said, "all right boys, go report downstairs and see how you can help out. Tell General Tellar I'll be down in a while but there's not much an old salt like m'self can do to help him."

Moments later, three sailors scurried down a rope ladder that ran to the roof and were followed more slowly by a stocky black man wearing the uniform of a Slaver ship commander. Waving way attempts to help him he finally made it to the floor after almost falling twice. Sending the sailors away, he stuffed his unruly stock of wispy, gray hair back under his bejeweled helmet and straightened his tunic.

His uniform was the typical gray-green of those worn by humans in the Slaver fleet. Only a few adornments in silver denoted his rank. While the uniform was quite plain, the helmet was another matter. It was realistically carved like the head of a Slaver. The pointy, lizard face with its blue, opal eyes seemed to stare stupidly at the humans who had dared to rebel. As humans were not of The People (as the Slavers called themselves) they were not worthy of being addressed -even to give orders to. Only by addressing an "honorary Slaver" was it possible to direct the lower species that the Slavers dominated. Besides, humans were rather ugly to look at.

Farr had been one such faux Slaver. Through his steadfast execution of his owner's orders he had risen to command the entire fleet of human Slaver ships. By initiative and drive, he had earned great fortunes for his masters. They rewarded him greatly and he was well off (for a human) and would probably not even be fed into the life furnaces that drove the lizard ships across the void when he could no longer work.

That is, until he had betrayed that trust and raised an army against them. Now the he was the most wanted man in the Solar system by a race that understood violence only too well. Farr cared little for that. He hated the Slavers with every fiber of his being and only hoped he could kill more of the dumb lizards before his soul went to join his ancestors. For his whole life he had nursed this hate as he followed their orders so that his masters had prospered. He was even sure to twist the meaning of the really stupid ones so that his masters still prospered. To them, that made him a good animal.

They'd even given him the "honor" of being one of them. Honor, pah! Who would want to be part of a race that burned the souls of people to fuel their ships? No, he'd played the part of their willing pawn until the time was ripe to stab the knife in their scaly backs and twist. He'd even gone to the extent of defacing that damned helmet they'd given him with the inscription "Egg Eater." It lost a lot in the translation but he was basically declaring himself to be the worst kind of Slaver criminal. It was an insult he hurled at them and if things went as the Moon mage had said, it would be an insult on top of monumental injury.

When he had his full military bearing back he strode over to the Heirophant and inquired of the Moon mage's progress with the manners honed in his captaincy of Slaver trade ships. "Isn't that bitch done yet?" He asked.

The Heirophant looked at the Admiral coolly and said, "Serenity is still within. That is all that can be said."

"I can see that," Farr said, "Isn't there any Martian hocus-pocus you can pull to try and speed her up a bit? Me men didn't expect to have to hold out for three whole days."

"Such things cannot be rushed," the Heirophant replied icily. Hocus-pocus indeed!

"Ah! Serves me right for asking a Martian for help," he complained to the air, "I get a chance to possibly nab the entire Slaver high hierarchy and just possibly ransoming Earth's freedom for it. Instead of just doing that, I make the mistake of asking you for advice. Silly me, I thought the Martians would'a jumped at the chance to help out. Instead I allow myself to get sidetracked into this crazy scheme. What have I got for me troubles? Half me men dead, all me ships gone, the chance of a hundred lifetimes slips away… all for the opportunity to barbecue one of the Ancients' accursed contraptions in another." At this point he made the sign to ward off the Ancient's eyes lest they hear his blasphemy.

The Heirophant answered this small rant by saying, "I saw failure in your first course of action, pure and simple. The signs are more favorable this way. Your vision of just a portion of humanity freed would not succeed for long."

"Huh," Farr grunted, "Don't get all holy on me. You and me are cut from the same cloth: we both cut deals for a better life for both our peoples and ourselves. You used the Fire for a Mars' Slaver Lord's benefit and I ran the human crews of the Slaver trade ships profitably."

"Not for my own enrichment, Terran," she said looking at the golden rings on Farr's fingers.

"Oh yea?" He and jerked a thumb at the Fire Maidens saying, "Yer daughter over there singin' hymns looks a might better fed than the average Martian. I wonder how thick the calluses on her hands are?"

The Heirophant hissed in annoyance, "This bickering gets us nowhere. You chose…" Suddenly, her eyes grew wide with surprise. Something was happening to the Fire.

Farr noticed the Heirophant's stare and looked over to see what she was gawking at. The Fire - it burned as soundlessly as before but now it was flaring brightly and the normal red-orange was tinged with blues, purples and greens. Tongues of flame shot twenty meters in the air and licked upwards at the stone roof above. The fire-maidens cried out in fear. What had been a safe distance from the placid flame was now perilously close to a raging inferno. Things that had never been alive: the metal bells, glass bowls and even the water contained in them were unaffected and remained as cool as the Martian air. However, the Fire singed things that were alive or once alive, like the wooden musical instruments or the people that played them. The heat blazed outward causing clothing to smolder and flesh to sear; prayer books burst into flame and the Fire Maidens fled in a panic. Only two people held their ground in the face of the Fire. Admiral Farr and the Heirophant shielded their faces from the heat and tried to find out what was happening. Peering through their fingers they could make out the God Chamber within the blazing Fire. The flames gripped the artifact like a giant's fist: seemingly seeking to crush the indestructible Wonder.

Astonishingly, it was doing just that. As they watched, the God Chamber began to slowly shrink within the fire. As the crystal chamber grew smaller and smaller, the blazing fire began to retreat as well. The two humans advanced as much as they dared as the fire retreated. Then, in a sudden rush, the Fire snapped back to its original proportions. Still somewhat blinded by the light, Farr and the Heirophant staggered forward to try and find out what had happened to the Moon mage. Squinting his eyes shut and then opening them wide, Farr could finally see her. The God Chamber was gone and robed form of Serenity lay still in the Middle of the Fire of Mars. She was burning!

Screaming like a madman, Farr rushed headlong at Serenity, heedless of the mystic heat that caused his clothing to burst into flame. Charging through the fire, he barely lost a step as he scooped the unconscious Serenity up in his arms and continued his rush. The momentum of his bulky form served to carry both he and Serenity to the far side in less than a second. Still, the Great Fire had ignited his and Serenity's clothing and both were fully engulfed in flames. He beat at the flames, trying to put them out.

Splash! The Heirophant's daughter doused the two with the large bowl of holy water used in the prayer. Using the large sleeves of their ceremonial robes, she and the other fire maidens beat at the dying flames. Serenity started awake and threw off her burning mage's cloak and Farr wriggled out of his heavy long-coat. In less than a minute, they had put out the last vestiges of their trip through the Fire.

"Thank you, thank you all," Serenity said deliriously grateful.

"Save your thanks for someone who cares, " Farr snorted, "I did that to get an account out of you of what happened. You can toast in the Fire for all I care but I want answers. You promised a death spell for all the Slavers if I got you and the God Chamber to the Fire. Well, the damned Ancient's thing is gone and if I ain't getting' a bunch of dead Slavers, I'm gonna' be sure to take it out of your hide first."

"No," Serenity said, "the God Chamber is not gone; It is here, though changed."

"What… what do you mean?" The Heirophant asked.

"Here" Serenity said holding out her hand. Within her palm rested a glittering, multi-facetted gem that threw back the light in a silvery hue.

"That's it?" Farr snarled, "We risk life and limb, lose countless lives, let past the opportunity of a thousand lifetimes for that little bauble?" From that moment on he launched into a loud tirade against Serenity, the Heirophant, himself and fate in general. Back and forth he stomped, kicking over the charred remains of decorative, ceremonial screens and smashing anything not destroyed by the fire. Finally, this culminated with the Admiral beating his head against a pillar while cursing his fate, the Moon, Mars and women in general.

While he was thus engaged the Heirophant turned to Serenity and said, "This was unexpected."

"I'll say," Serenity said patting out a still smoldering spot on her dress, "I never thought that a Wonder of the Ancients could be damaged by anything, even another Wonder. Let alone… this." She rolled the gem back and forth in her hand causing it to scintillate in the firelight.

"No, I meant that you were unchanged," Said the holy woman, "The reason I presented your idea to the Admiral was because the Fire gave me a vision… a vision of a woman of fire."

"A woman on fire?" Serenity asked incredulously, "You knew I was going to be cooked and you let me get in there? I swear that's a lousy way to treat a guest. I mean…"

"No, not on fire, of fire," The Heirophant corrected, "Of the Ancient's Fire to be specific. I would much rather it be a Martian who was to be so blessed but if you were the chosen one, then so be it. I had hoped when the Fire surged that the moment was at hand and it was taking you into itself but, alas, you were unworthy."

"What?" Serenity gasped in disbelief, "I asked you about my plan to use the God Chamber with the Fire and you said it would…" she searched for the exact words the Heirophant had used, "'come to fruition.' I thought you Martians were bound to tell the truth."

"I did tell the truth," she answered, "I foresaw your plan coming into fruition with the One of the Fire. I just didn't tell you that it was not in the way you'd hoped for."

"You… you… lied to me! You knew I thought I use the Fire to reach beyond the Chamber's walls… so that I could use it to change the Slaver's nature for the better. Make them just a bit more compassionate… nicer and so that maybe we could all have lived in peace. And you..."

"WHAT?" Farr shouted. He'd acted like he was absorbed in his rage but he was actually following their conversation quite closely. He shouted accusingly at Serenity, "you said you'd be able eliminate the Slavers!"

"Pah!" Serenity scoffed, "get real, Farr. You may play dumb but you've read the texts. The God Chamber won't allow you to use it for evil. None of the Ancient's devices can. I said I'd eliminate the Slaver threat and that's what would have happened. Just not in the way you'd hoped for."

"You… you lied to me!" Farr shouted.

"Yeah, well…uh… well she lied to me," Serenity said pointing to the Heirophant and hoping to divert attention from herself.

"And my vision has betrayed me," said the Heirophant gazing mournfully at the silver crystal. She looked up at the other two, "It looks like fate has had the last laugh upon us all."

Fate, Serenity understood fate all too well, when she was a young girl it had laid its heavy hand upon her. One of the few virtues of the Slavers was their recognition of their own limitations. They knew that they were stupid and uninventive but were canny enough to seek those qualities out in those they controlled. From the Slave races they got their ships, armor, weapons, even their method of accounting. By doing so, they overcame their own shortcomings and extended their grasp over half the galaxy. The Slavers used whatever resource they found with ruthless efficiency, in Serenity they found a talent for planning. No, planning was not quite the right word, strategizing was closer.

It all started with some elementary mathematics tests and then progressed into game science and beyond. They rewarded her for her good marks and passed tests. For Serenity, it was easy, almost fun to outdo he classmates. When she reached the fifth tier of these tests she discovered what the goal of the whole exercise was. It was the God Chamber. The best of the best would use the Ancient Wonder for the Slaver’s benefit since the Ancient’s devices only worked for humans. They were inert even for other slave races. When she finally won, she screamed with joy. Of all the people in the galaxy, she was the chosen one.

Being the chosen one, however, was not an elevation at all. Her status and position made no difference. She was still a slave, still property. She ran her masters’ scenarios and gave them the most probable outcomes. For hours, sometimes days she weighed the factors, and vectors and "what ifs" steered her owners down the proper path to greatest profit. To do less would be foolish and court replacement, as there were hundreds who desired her position.

The position was one of the most demanding too. On a typical day a Slaver would present her with a problem she must solve. Say, a newly discovered world must be captured, what were the forces needed and where should they come from? She would have to do her very best for them or else they would not let her back into the God Chamber and that she greatly desired.

First, she would absorb all available information. Then, she’d ask for clarification if she noted that some important factor had been overlooked. As the Slavers lived up to their reputation of stupidity, she had to do that a lot. Finally, when all the groundwork had been laid, she’d enter the God Chamber and try to produce the best answer by simulating real life conditions.

Once within her only limitation was her need for sleep. All other sustenance was provided for. Indeed, it was very easy to forget about your body entirely. Otherwise she could remain inside indefinitely. The second she fell asleep, however, she was ejected. She usually completed the task long before then so those instances were rare. When she came out again, she had to recite the answer in the greatest detail before she forgot anything (and at this scale, tiny details made all the difference). She was then free to amuse herself: rest, eat and sleep until the next strategic problem was presented to her. Given the scope of the Slaver Empire, that was usually the next day.

It was the time in the chamber after the problem was solved that made the job bearable. Nothing could compare to intoxicating heights of godhood. Worlds, real worlds, were created and destroyed by her. She was the source and end. In the time she had to herself, Serenity worshipped in cathedrals of her own. This power was an intoxicating thing and Serenity began to drink deeply. More and more, she began to stay after "work" and dally with creation.

Her actions did not go unnoticed by her masters, though. Herd-master knew this pattern all too well. All Serenity's predecessors had gone through the same stages, dutiful exit, then lingering longer and longer within the Ancient Wonder, until they became self-absorbed to the point their Slaver predictions became worthless. When they were denied the use of the God Chamber as a result, they frequently killed themselves or became catatonic. It was too bad, too. Serenity was a good animal; she had the talent of listening and taking nothing for granted. Herd-master hoped that this talent could be propagated. After her last stint in the chamber where she was ejected completely unconscious, Herd-master took steps to see if that were possible. Serenity didn’t discover it until about three months after the fact when she threw up her breakfast.

She raged at Herd-master but he just shrugged. He warned her to take good care of herself so her child would be healthy. He'd even taken the step of adjusting her diet to make sure it contained everything she needed for healthy offspring. She asked the about the father and Herd-master again shrugged. He'd forgotten exactly who of her predecessors donated the sample but Herd-master assured her he was a healthy, intelligent specimen. Why, he was almost as good as Serenity at her task.

Property. She was nothing more than property to be used and disposed of when no longer useful despite the loftiness of her position. It was this indignity, the contrast between god and cattle, of day after day of stepping onto a pinnacle that no human could rise to and then being torn down to the depths that no human should be thrown that drove Serenity quite insane. She then began to spend more and more time in the Chamber. In there, they could not hurt her or her child. There, she was safe. As long as she stayed awake, she was in control. It was at the end of one such long session when Serenity’s mind started to wander. She wondered what it would be like if the Slavers were just a little nicer… and the God Chamber showed her.

What a wonderful world it would be. All that she required was some means of being a god outside the chamber and things would be all right. Yes, that was the thing. Become a god, and change the Slavers just a little. It wouldn't take much and everyone would be happy. She tried from inside the chamber but things were the same when she woke up. She asked the chamber how things might be altered on the outside and again it showed her … the Fire of Mars. Serendipity! There were representatives of the Church of Fire at her beck and call. They sent Serenity's plans to the Heirophant for confirmation in the Fire. It was then a simple matter to pass a note to one of the Martians who passed it up the line. An affirmative answer was soon in coming. Wonderful! What a beautiful world it would soon be. Too bad things didn't go quite as planned.

"So what happens now?" Demanded Farr.

"Well," Serenity began, "I think that maybe…"

Her reply was cut off by the staccato reports of rifles and cries from the solders posted on the walls outside. One ran in shouting, "The Slavers! They're coming! They're trying to fly in the storm! They're…"

The soldier's voices were drowned out by a series of loud booms and explosions as several of their warships were driven into the ground by the howling wind. Then, there came a deafening crash as part of the roof caved in and the armored ram of a Slaver ship pierced the roof of the temple. Sally ports in the nose of the ship opened and the massive forms of the Slavers leaped to the floor. Quick and fast they came at last, and more and more and more.

They were six legged reptiles the size of ponies and carried a combination halberd/musket in their front limbs. These they used with deadly effect on the Martian guards and Terran soldiers who tried to protect their charges. Bullets, fire bolts and psionic blasts had little effect on the heavily armored lizards who merely seemed to lean into the attacks the way a man will against a heavy rain. The Slavers avoided approaching the Fire too closely however as it's magic was powerful enough to burn them. Within minutes the only humans left alive were the three conspirators some non-combatant priests, functionaries and Fire-maidens. They were ringed on the outside by two-score Slaver soldiers with their backs against the Fire.

They had all fought to the best of their ability, but now they stood helpless. The Slavers raised their guns to fire but a shout of, "Stop," in the Slaver aborted the fusillade.

The voice called from the from the ram-ship and an old, highly decorated Slaver, descended from the prow. His neck fringe was festooned with gold and jewels and ostrich plumes. He shuffled forward and carefully studied the Heirophant, Serenity and Farr. He looked at a drawing he had in his hand then began conversing with the leader of the soldiers in their hissing, clicking language of theirs.

Of course, it was fate that made the Slaver guard choose the Heirophant's daughter. The Heirophant beat her fist on the guard's armored back as he picked the screaming young girl up and approached the Fire. He shoved the Heirophant down and said, "You wait your turn." He took several steps, drew back and threw the screaming girl into the Ancient's fire. As she entered the sphere, her hair caught fire and her robes burst into flames. The pain was unbearable and she vented it in a soul-wrenching scream that her mother echoed. Helplessly, Serenity watched and desperately wished that things were different. The silver crystal in her hand flared a brilliant white and made it so.

The flaming figure within the Fire changed in an instant, she was no longer on fire - she was of fire. She drew the streamers of red into herself and stood within the sphere unharmed. The Slavers were confused; this was not how burning humans usually acted. They lowered their muskets to fire but she unleashed upon them a bird of fire from her very soul. Unlike normal magic, this was a fire that charred and burned them. After cleansing the temple of Fire from their presence, she went forth and proceeded to cleanse the planet Mars itself.

***

Despite this exciting revelation, Rei yawned. It had been a long day and the knowledge that humanity had escaped bondage by accident and worn her out. "I certainly hope you don't have any other such surprises to spring on me," Rei said, "my world view has been drastically altered this evening." Prichaia chuckled and made a motion to the two crows that eyed her attentively. Intrigued, Rei watched as the two birds hopped to the center of the table and spun around three times. As they completed the third revolution, they changed from crows to tiny, fuku-clad fairy Senshi with a crow feather decorating each of their tiaras. Rei goggled at the sight and Prichaia said, "The night is still young."