The Terran' sixth sense, long tuned by the harsh life and song-sensitive discipline of Tern, went off like red alarms and he turned in midnote from his singing in the canteen and bolted, following an invisible radr alarm through the long corridors aft. He stormed through the portal into the seed nursery and took the scene in with a swift glance -- the dark creature was inches from Mandy's terrified face, raising his hand toward her. THinking as fast as light itself the Terran leaped forward and through his beer directly into the monster's face, breaking his hypnotic spell on Mandy for just a moment. As she twisted out of his line of sight, freed from those horrible eyes, the dark creature turned in wrath toward the Terran, now out of ammunition. The Terran thought desparately. Songs-- he was an endless pit of songs -- but to give him any of the precious songs his peop,e had struggled so long to protect and preserve would be open treachery. A flash came to him and he turned directly toward the dark advancing creature, its evil paw held out. The Terran took a deep breath. He knew he had only one shot.....

STaring at the ceiling behind the creatures head so as not to be consumed in that bottomless gaze, he opened his mouth and sang with every ouonce of energy he could muster, while Mandy made her escape out the hatch and ran for help.

"V-O-O-O-L-A-A-A-A-A-A-R-R-R-R-EEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! OHHHHHHH OHHHHHHH! V-O-O-O-L-A-R-R-R-E!!! WOOAA WOOAA WOA WOAA!!!!! LA PLUME ES TANTE LA PLUME!! 'E COSI FAN TUTTI MON ONCLE!!! VO-O-O-O-OLARE!!! WOOOAHH WOAAAH!!!!!....."

He went on and on as the dark monster froze in a kind of evil catatonic fit, riveted in place by the combined, irresistible and opposing energies of his lust for songs and his natural sense of revulsion. On and on the Terran sang, though his lungs began to blister and his throat threatened to collapse within him, singing on and on, holding the enemy at bay by sheer force of will, praying for reinfoecements and not daring to miss a single bar. He sang the cursed elevator song over and over and over and over...he was feeling faint but he could not stop ..for Mandy...he had to keep going...maybe if he switched to that Old Bill Bowel Moon...he had to keep going--had to......had to....