Commander Corwin walked them through the Command Center, where they finally saw some other Relicans, and Tierney got her first view of Earth from space. For some reason she'd never had a problem flying, as illogical as that seemed for someone petrified of heights. She always figured it was because the airplane was so similar to a regular room in a house -- an enclosed space that she could feel securely beneath her. She didn't dwell on the question too much, though, worried that if she did, her fear would inevitably encroach into this part of her life too. So now, watching her planet spin slowly below, she knew the fear that enveloped her wasn't from the great height, but from the unknown.

What do these people want? Why are they here?

These questions just kept spinning and racing around in her brain, preventing her from truly enjoying the spectacular sight before her.

The commander brought them all into a conference room, where he called up the President and other leaders who had remained on Earth. Even though they were no longer assembled as they had been for the earlier meeting, the Relicans were able to reach each person on their personal device and conference them in, so everyone could see the five humans on the Relican ship.

Those left behind had been understandably concerned about the abrupt departure, and it took more than a few minutes to calm their fears. Even Minister Zhou had to admit that they were indeed on a spaceship, and that the Relicans were indeed aliens. She still made it clear that she was withholding judgment on their true intentions, although it was safe to say that everyone else in the room was doing the same.

After the debacle in the free room, Tierney was determined to win back the ground she'd lost. As soon as they were done talking to those on Earth, and the conversation was opened up to the matters at hand, she asked, "Why are you doing this?"

Commander Corwin didn't even glance in her direction as he tapped his forearm and said, "This is why."

The room around them disappeared, and in the blink of an eye they were back on Earth. The sunlight was nearly blinding compared to the dark ship they had just been on, and Tierney shielded her eyes as she tried to understand what was happening. She was outside, along with everyone who had been in the conference room, on a quiet street lined with houses.

Except she wasn't. She was sitting -- she could still feel the chair beneath her. She could still smell the tangy metallic scent of the Relican ship, rather than the scene around her. But when she looked under her, there was nothing but air. The rest of their group was in the same position, all looking like they had been frozen mid-fall. The Vice President actually did fall, too disoriented by his surroundings to believe in the invisible chair beneath him.

"Where are we?" asked President Moroka calmly, using both hands to shade his eyes from the glaring sun. "This isn't Earth."

Not Earth?

Tierney gave up trying to figure out the whole chair/no chair situation and looked around again. Her eyes were still having trouble adjusting, and Tierney realized it wasn't just that she had come from the black of space. The sun was far brighter than she had ever known it to be. Cautiously she looked up as high past the horizon as she could, and saw that the entire sky was ablaze with yellow light.

"This is the planet Shoshu," said Commander Corwin.

"Where is everyone?" asked Caleb. For the first time since she'd known him, Tierney thought she heard a tremor of fear in his voice.

"They were relocated," said the commander.

She looked around the street. The houses were similar to those on Earth, but with no square corners, and covered with some sort of pale blue fuzzy material. Oval doors swung back and forth in the breeze, objects littered the grass around them, and despite how densely populated this area had been -- the rows of roofs extended almost as far as the eye could see -- there was not a sound other than the occasional squawk from the birds flying overhead.

"Enough with the parlor tricks," said Minister Zhou. "You still haven't answered the question. Why have you come to Earth?"

Commander Corwin's face was grave as he pointed to the sky. "That is your answer."

The sky was now glowing even brighter, although the light seemed to be gathering together, condensing around a focused point. Thunder, low and distant, began to rumble, filling Tierney with a terrible, sickening dread. She looked back to the ground and saw something reflecting the light. It looked like a hand mirror or... a picture frame.

Despite the warning voice that told her to ignore it, another voice demanded that she look. If this was what was supposedly going to happen to her planet, she needed to understand, she needed to see. She rose from her invisible chair.

"Miss Dawson?"

First Arrat's voice was kind, but firm. A warning.

Mesmerized by the glimmering object, Tierney said, "I just need to see," though she wasn't sure the Relican could hear her over the thunder. It was all around them now, an ominous roar as loud as if the sky were full of low-flying airplanes and helicopters, but there was nothing. There would never be anything here again.

The ground began to shake.

"You can't go far," shouted First Arrat.

Tierney bent over to pick up the glass frame, but her hand passed right through it, brushing against what felt like the hard iron floor of the Relican spaceship. "I just..."

First Arrat came up beside her. "It is illusion only," she said, giving Tierney a sympathetic look. "We remain in the conference room."

"Right." Tierney moved to the side so she could see the photograph inside the frame. Two proud parents stood with their four children, one of whom was so small it was still being cradled in the mother's arms. Their skin was blue, and they had four arms, but Tierney was again shocked by the striking resemblance this smiling alien family bore to humans.

"Enough!" cried Minister Zhou, her hands covering her ears.

"You must know, Minister," Commander Corwin bellowed over the almost deafening growl of the asteroid as it hurtled toward the planet. "This will be Earth. This is humanity's destiny if you remain."

The trembling of the earth beneath her feet became too violent, and Tierney tried to go back to her chair. But the light was everywhere now. She could hardly see her hand in front of her. First Arrat clutched her wrist and held her still.

"Your point has been made, Commander!" cried President Moroka, his voice barely piercing the booming thunder.

The sky turned an angry mix of oranges and reds, the asteroid setting this world ablaze. Even though she knew it wasn't real, Tierney couldn't help but cry out and shield her face as the fire rushed forward to envelop them.

The thunder stopped, although it continued to ring in Tierney's ears. Cautiously she opened her eyes. The other humans were all in similar poses, slowly recovering from the apocalyptic scene they had just experienced.

"After the asteroid struck," said the commander, his voice low and grim, "Shoshu was devastated by tsunamis, earthquakes, and landslides. The dirt that flew into the atmosphere upon impact became flaming missiles as it descended back to the planet, killing 80% of life on the surface."

He paused, and Tierney would have thought it was for dramatic effect if he didn't look so deadly serious. Before the commander could continue, Director Willoughby picked up the sober tale.

"Most of the dust and soot from impact remained in the atmosphere," he said, "blocking out all sunlight. Plants, and the surviving animals that depended on those plants, were wiped out as well."

Commander Corwin and First Arrat exchanged a confused look. "How do you know of Shoshu?" asked the commander.

With deep lines of worry spreading across his face, Director Willoughby said, "I don't know anything about Shoshu, but I know what happened to it."

It took a moment for Tierney to understand. The two Relicans, however, remained puzzled.

President Moroka explained. "The same thing happened to our planet, millions of years ago."

"And it took millions of years for our planet to recover," said Director Willoughby.

"Well at least there's a glimmer of hope."

Commander Corwin frowned at the Vice President's weak attempt at a joke. "The asteroid that collided with Shoshu was a class one: the lowest classification."

"Didn't you say the incoming asteroid is a class three? How high of a classification is that?" Tierney asked.

Once again the commander didn't look at her when she spoke, instead staring hard at the table. "The highest."

His words echoed through the silent chamber, and in Tierney's head. She didn't want to believe it. Part of her would have preferred these aliens to be like the ones in the movies -- slimy, tentacled, vile creatures with a single-minded goal of stripping Earth of its resources or enslaving its population. At least then they could fight back. But looking at these two Relicans, so similar to humans in their facial expressions and gestures, Tierney couldn't deny the truth. Humanity was facing extinction.