he intake bars of
the mask. ALL RIGHT? It didn't taste just right, but the indicator on
his sleeve showed green: sufficient oxygen, negligible poison. He
felt restless. He crossed over the lip of the threshold, and descended
the perforated steps.

Footing immediately around the landing site was difficult, as he moved
out several paces to look back at the mountains unobstructed. The
rising sun had just cleared a high gap between them, and its shadow of
light crept slowly down their shoulders.

He felt emotion stir inside him. Like stark and stalwart horns they
rose to their impossible heights, almost vertical. Of what stone they
had been forged to so withstand the wind and weathering he could not
guess. Like jagged pillars that would not die. The warrior's heart
within him flamed.

Feeling some presence, he turned back to face the plain. Something was
moving toward him. Distance defied close description; but the shape of
the body and the nature of its movements did not at first imply
intelligence. But he knew better than to form such judgments. It
moved openly, tactlessly toward him. He felt no fear.

But as it drew steadily on, he felt the sudden shock of recognition.
This was no slow, cumbersome oddity. It was an insect, nearly five
feet long. Like but unlike a huge ant---it was flatter, more heavily
armored, with creased edges and corners, not unlike the rock. Crisp,
tight-folded wings. He turned back toward the ship, but there was
stayed by the will of whatever it was that came forward. He felt a
sudden shame at his desire to run, and whirled angrily to face it, the
long knife (the only weapon he carried) in his hand. With this action
the creature seemed pleased: it wholly released its grip on his mind.
It continued to come on.

Stopping finally some eight meters in front of him, it raised its upper
body and addressed him. He saw then the bright orange-yellow ring,
darkly filled, on the underside of its thorax. He heard words in his
mind, somehow in his native tongue.

"I am Simin. We must fight, you and I. I cannot let you live. For
this is our world, and it is not our way. But your death need not be
without honor. And if you fight well, it may be of greater worth than
you know."

For a moment the man stood disbelieving, incongruous. Then,

"You will have to take me first!" he cried, feeling yet again the fire
that was in him.

The drone gave way before him, moving to the mo