Slans are evolved humans, named after their alleged creator, Samuel Lann. They have the psychic abilities to read minds and are super-intelligent. They possess near limitless stamina, "nerves of steel", and superior strength and speed. When Slans are ill or seriously injured, they go into a healing trance automatically. There are two kinds of Slans. One has tendrils and can read the minds of ordinary humans and telepathically communicate with other Slans. The tendrils are golden in colour, making it easy to spot a slan. These Slans are hunted to near extinction. The other type of Slan is tendrilless. They are still super intelligent but do not have psychic capabilities, only the ability to hide their thoughts from the first type of Slan. Kier Gray is the leader of the human society and promises to exterminate the Slans. As the novel begins, Jommy Cross (a telepathic Slan of the first type) is brought with his mother to the capital, Centropolis. They are both discovered, and Jommy''s mother is killed. Jommy is only nine years old and manages to escape. Jommy Cross is not only the heir to the brilliant inventions of his father, but he represents the last hope of his race to save it from genocide. Because of the importance of his mission, he is opposed by various enemies. Jommy seeks to destroy Kier and in confronting him discovers an astonishing secret: Kier Gray is also a Slan.

Slan

In 2115, existence of telepathy has been proven. The resulting media frenzy, panic, violence, and bloodshed lead to the creation of the Metasensory Regulation Authority, the precursor of the Psi Corps, largely due to the efforts of Lee Crawford, an Earth Alliance senator. Much effort is put into establishing the events that had triggered appearance of the telepaths. Crawford''s closest aid and successor, Kevin Vacit, continues the search and establishes an ambiguous relationships with the rogue telepaths who refuse to join the tightly regulated Corps. Kevin Vacit is a telepath prodigy who masks his abilities from the Corps and Crawford. Earth Gov has ruled that the director of PSI Corps can not be a telepath and Vacit is able to hide his ability from the PSI Corps tests. A relationship with his bodyguard leads to the birth of his daughter Fiona, who Vacit hides with the Telepath Underground. Fiona does not know who her father is and so she fights to bring down PSI Corps along with other Underground leaders. Fiona is captured by the PSI Corps and undergoes reeducation at the telepath concentration camp where she meets Stephen Walters. With the aid of Stephen she escapes the camp and rejoins the underground. Unknown to Fiona is the fact that Stephen is actually a PSI Corps special operative sent by her father (Vacit) to break her out of the camp. Fiona marries Matthew Dexter, a man she met while inside the telepath concentration camp and gives birth to a baby boy who she names Steven. During this period, Steven Walters defects to the Telepath Underground for real, cutting all remaining ties with Psi Corps. Vacit and Ms Alexander (his aide) travel to Venus investigating the reports of a ship found on the surface. Leaving their ship and venturing alone into the atmosphere of Venus, the pair encounter a Vorlon who tells them about the coming of the Shadows and why telepaths were created among the younger races. The Vorlon leaves a telepathic command in the mind of Ms Alexander for her or her descendant to come to the Vorlon homeworld when the time is right. Lyta Alexander, her granddaughter, carries this embedded command. On the return to Earth, Kevin changes his plans about assisting the underground after realising that the only way they can be ready for the Shadows is if the PSI Corps can control the evolution of telepaths on earth and to reproduce the best of the best who will be needed to defeat the coming of the Shadows. Vacit''s daughter Fiona and her husband Matthew are killed in a PSI Corps attack on their home base and their child is given to Stephen to look after. Stephen gives the child to a girl to look after while he goes back to assist Fiona and Mathew. After he realises that they have both been killed he returns to where he left the girl but she and the baby are gone. Baby Steven is picked up by PSI cops and adopted by the Corps. Little Stee is given a new name by his Grandfather, the now director of PSI Corps Kevin Vacit. The book ends with the reveal that the new name given to Stevie Dexter is Alfred Bester. ru:Тёмное происхождение: Рождение Пси-Корпуса

Babylon 5: Dark Genesis - The Birth of the Psi Corps

Bern Thorkellson, a young Erling man living on Rabady Island has stolen a horse belonging to the island''s governor, who has died. Attempting to find a way to flee the island, Bern seeks the assistance of the local Volur seer, who offers to make him invisible if he has sex with her. The seer''s trickery is revealed by a young acolyte who assists Bern to escape from Rabady. Elsewhere, in Cyngael, a Jaddite priest named Ceinon discovers Alun ap Owyn and his older brother Dai, two Princes of Cadyr, about to carry out a cattle raid at Brynnfell, the house of Brynn ap Hywll, a renowned fighter and leader of another Cyngael province. The princes are persuaded by Ceinon to forget the raid and to accompany him to Brynn''s house, where Dai ap Owyn becomes strongly attracted to Brynn''s daughter Rhiannon who in turn is enamoured of Alun. In an attack by Erling raiders, Dai is killed and his soul is taken by a fairy to the fairy queen, and even wtinessed by Alun who begins a relationship with one of the faeries. Among the Erlings who participated in the attack is Bern''s father, Thorkell Einarsson, who alone is spared among the Erling captives, and becomes a retainer in Brynn''s household. Bern Thorkellson himself travels to Jormsvik, a fortress for elite Erling mercenaries with some parallels to the Viking Jomsvikings of Jomsborg, with the intent of seeking admittance to the ranks of the mercenaries, which is traditionally done by way of defeating another Erling from the fortress in single combat. On his arrival at Jormsvik Bern narrowly escapes being killed even before he can issue his challenge, but is hidden by a prostitute, Thira, who lives in the settlement outside the walls of the fortress. Defeating a Jormsvik captain, Bern is accepted as a member of the mercenaries and joins a raiding part heading from Vinmark to Anglcyn under the patronage of Ivarr Ragnarsson. Ivarr''s famed grandfather was killed by Brynn ap Hywll and is hoping to avenge his grandfather''s death and he persuades the Jormsvik Erlings to participate in the venture by falsely assuring them that Anglcyn''s defences remain vulnerable. Anglcyn is ruled by Aeldred, who in his youth saved the kingdom from Erling conquest. Equally interested in the broader aspects of nation-building, Aeldred has begun to collect manuscripts and foster scholarship. One of the scholars he wishes to attract to his court is Ceinon, who is unwilling to give up his role as leader of the Jaddite faith among the Cyngael. Although he is a great hero to his people and endeavours to be a good Jaddite, Aeldred suffers from periodic debilitating fevers and spiritual confusion as he had encounters with the half-world of faeries in his youth, and cannot reconcile his knowledge of the faerie-world with the tenets of his acknowledged religion. Aeldred and his wife have four children: Aldred''s heir, Aethelbert; two daughters Judit and Kendra; and a younger son, Gareth. The Erlings attack Anglcyn, killing one of Aeldred''s lifelong friends, but are defeated by Aeldred''s fyrd, or army. Bern and Thorkell have a brief reunion, but Bern rejoins the Erlings who set sail for the land of the Cyngael, to attack Brynfell, kill Brynn ap Hwyll and regain the sword of Ivarr Ragnarsson''s grandfather, although Ivarr himself is killed. Alun determines to warn Brynn and his family, deciding to seek a way through the enormous spirit wood that separates the Anglcyn settlements from the lands of the Cyngael in the west. The forest is a place of great dread for Cyngael, Anglcyn and Erling alike. On this journey Alun is joined by Thorkell, and then by Aethelbert. The ancient god creature that dwells in the forest suffers the three men to pass through after Thorkell pledges that they will kill nothing on their journey. In the wood Alun meets the faerie he first met the night of his brother Dai''s death and persuades her to travel to Brynfell to warn Brynn of the approaching Erlings. It is decided to determine the conflict between the Erlings and the Cyngael by a contest of single combat. Thorkell who offers himself as the champion of the Cyngael, is slain; but while Brynn suspects Thorkell of having sacrificed himself he honours the wager and allows the Erlings to depart. After the combat Alun uses the sword of Ivarr''s grandfather to kill the souls of mortals that had been taken as the faerie-queen''s lovers and later discarded, including the soul of his own brother Dai. With the discovery of the psychic link between himself and Kendra, Alun''s own relationship with the faerie is ended.

The Last Light of the Sun

The Prince Horace can be spoiled and, craving attention from his father, he frequently misbehaves; as a prince, no one may raise a hand against him. Therefore, his family provides him with a whipping boy, Jemmy, an orphaned boy who will be punished in the prince''s stead. Though he has learned to read, write and mathematics while living in the castle, Jemmy is beaten several times a day and longs for the freedom he had on the streets. When the prince decides to run away on a whim he demands that Jemmy act as his servant during his journey. While on the run, the boys are picked up by two notorious highwaymen, Hold-Your-Nose Billy and Cutwater, who hatch a scheme to ransom the prince. Jemmy talks them into believing that he is the prince, and sets into motion a plan of escape. The prince misunderstands Jemmy''s intentions and betrays him. Even so, the boys escape. They come across a girl searching for her lost dancing bear and she directs them to the river where they find a kind man with a wagon full of potatoes. The boys help the man get his wagon from the mud, and in return the potato man gives the boys, the girl, and the bear a lift to the fair, but they are soon intercepted by the highwaymen. Still believing Jemmy is the prince, and believing it to be a crime worse than murder to beat the prince, they beat Horace instead. The dancing bear scares the highwaymen away, and everyone arrives at the fair. The girl earns a few coins with her bear, the potato man boils the potatoes and sells them and the boys head down to the sewer to catch some rats. On their way, they hear some people talking about the missing prince. One woman makes a remark about how much worse things will be when the prince becomes king. The prince''s feelings are hurt very deeply, but he does not show his emotions. When the boys learn that the king has posted a reward for the whipping boy, they go into the sewers where they see the highwaymen. They trick the highwaymen into the most dangerous sewer, where rats attack them, the prince decides that he wants to finally to go home. When they return to the potato man, Horace reveals himself as a prince and suggests that the potato man collect the reward for the whipping boy. When the prince explains the entire escapade to the king, Jemmy is pardoned, and the two boys live in the palace as the best of friends.

The Whipping Boy

Martin Humphries is the head of the giant Humphries Space Systems and at his 100th birthday party announces a prize of ten billion dollars to anyone who can recover any remains of his eldest son Alex. Alex was killed two years previously on a mission to Venus. Van Humphries, Martin''s son and younger brother to Alex takes up the challenge despite, and because of, a mutual dislike between son and father. Van assembles a ship and crew and heads off to Venus, shadowed by the mysterious Lars Fuchs. Upon entering the Venusian atmosphere they find the clouds are alive with bacterial life which, unfortunately, takes a liking to the ship. The ship is soon in trouble as it is eaten away by the bacteria. Van''s more conservative ship is quickly eaten away by the bacteria, while Lars'' bulky ship manages to survive. Van is rescued by Lars Fuch''s ship but most of his crew are lost. Van finds Lars a brutal yet intelligent man who rules his ship with a rod of iron. The heat builds as they descend through the Venusian atmosphere. Lars has to deal with mutiny and they find out that Lars Fuchs is Van Humphries'' real father. At the end of the novel the intense heat, Lars'' and Van''s health and volcanic activity conspire to produce a climactic finale, in which a sulfur-based lifeform is revealed to exist on Venus. Alex''s remains are recovered and the money claimed.

Venus

This 48-page book begins with a two-page introduction. According to the adventure background provided, the plot involves the Blade of Fiery Might once wielded by the sultan of the efreet, which was destroyed and scattered across the planes. Imperagon, a half-duergar/half-dragon and ruler of the Iron Fortress of Zandikar on the plane of Acheron, has been reforging the sword using the trapped spirits of the greatest forgemasters of history as slave labor. Imperagon intends to wield the ancient blade at the head of a great army to conquer and build a kingdom on the Material Plane, with allies among the drow, the illithids, and fellow natives of the evil Outer Planes. The adventure begins when the player characters investigate events involving local craftsmen, following the trail of clues to the city of Rigus, which leads into the plane of Acheron. Once there, the characters encounter formian settlers from Mechanus, whose hive can serve as a base of operations while preparing an assault on the Iron Fortress. If successful in defeating the golems and steel predators that guard the fortress, the characters may breach its walls and destroy Imperagon''s works. The book contains four appendices. Appendix I contains the statistics for the non-player characters encountered throughout the adventure. Appendix II contains statistics for new monsters, including the axiomatic creatures template, the bladeling, and the steel predator. Appendix III contains statistics for two new spells and four new magic items (including the Blade of Fiery Might). Appendix IV contains statistics for four pregenerated player characters, recommended for use in case the players require extra player characters.

Lord of the Iron Fortress

The novel, narrated in the first-person by 18-year-old Mary Katherine "Merricat" Blackwood, tells the story of the Blackwood family. Merricat, her elder sister Constance, and their ailing uncle Julian live in a large house on large grounds, in isolation from the nearby village. Constance has not left their home in six years, going no farther than her large garden. Uncle Julian, confined to a wheelchair, obsessively writes and re-writes notes for his memoirs, while Constance cares for him. Through Uncle Julian''s ramblings the events of the past are revealed, including what has happened to the remainder of the Blackwood family: six years ago both the Blackwood parents, an aunt (Julian''s wife), and a younger brother were murdered &mdash; poisoned with arsenic, mixed into the family sugar and sprinkled onto blackberries at dinner. Julian, though poisoned, survived; Constance, who did not put sugar on her berries, was arrested for and eventually acquitted of the crime. Merricat was not at dinner, having been sent to bed without dinner as punishment. The people of the village believe that Constance has gotten away with murder and the family is ostracized. The three remaining Blackwoods have grown accustomed to their isolation and lead a quiet, happy existence. Merricat is the family''s sole contact with the outside world, walking into the village twice a week and carrying home groceries and library books, where she is faced directly with the hostility of the villagers and often followed by groups of children, who taunt her. Merricat is protective of her sister and is a practitioner of sympathetic magic. She feels that a dangerous change is approaching; her response is to reassure herself of the various magical safeguards she has placed around their home, including a book nailed to a tree. After discovering that the book has fallen down, Merricat becomes convinced that danger is imminent. Before she can warn Constance, their estranged cousin, Charles, appears for a visit. Charles quickly befriends Constance, insinuating himself into her confidence. Charles is aware of Merricat''s hostility and is increasingly rude to her and impatient of Julian''s weaknesses. He makes many references to the money the sisters keep locked in their father''s safe, and is gradually wooing Constance, who begins to respond to his advances. Merricat perceives Charles as a threat, calling him a demon and a ghost, and tries various magical and otherwise disruptive means to drive him from the house. Uncle Julian is increasingly disgusted by Charles, and Constance is increasingly caught between the warring parties. One night before dinner Constance sends Merricat upstairs to wash her hands, and Merricat, in her anger against Charles, pushes Charles'' still-smoldering pipe into a wastebasket filled with newspapers. The pipe sets fire to the family home. The villagers arrive to put out the fire, but once it''s out, in a wave of long-repressed hatred for the Blackwoods, they begin throwing rocks at the windows, smashing them and surging into the house to destroy whatever they can, all the while chanting their children''s taunting rhyme. Merricat and Constance, driven outdoors, are encircled by some of the villagers who seem on the verge of attacking them, en masse. Merricat and Constance flee for safety into the woods. In the course of the fire, Julian dies of what is implied to be a heart attack, and Charles attempts to take the family safe. While Merricat and Constance shelter for the night under a tree Merricat has made into a hideaway, Constance confesses for the first time that she always knew Merricat poisoned the family. Merricat readily admits to the deed, saying that she put the poison in the sugar bowl because she knew Constance would not take sugar. Upon returning to their ruined home, Constance and Merricat proceed to salvage what is left of their belongings, close off those rooms too damaged to use, and start their lives anew in the little space left to them. The house, now without a roof, resembles a castle "turreted and open to the sky." The villagers, awakening at last to a sense of guilt, begin to leave food on their doorstep. Charles returns once to try to renew his acquaintance with Constance, but she now knows his real purpose is greed and ignores him. The two sisters choose to remain alone and unseen by the rest of the world.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Brisingr begins as Eragon, Saphira, and Roran travel to Helgrind, the sanctuary of the Ra''zac. There they rescue Roran''s betrothed, Katrina, who was being held prisoner, and kill one of the Ra''zac. Saphira, Roran, and Katrina return to the Varden, while Eragon stays behind to kill the remaining Ra''zac. Once he returns to the Varden, Eragon discovers that Katrina is pregnant with Roran''s child and a wedding is arranged, which Eragon is to conduct. Just before it begins, a small force of enchanted troops attack alongside Murtagh and his dragon, Thorn. Elven spell-casters aid Eragon and Saphira and cause Murtagh and Thorn to flee, winning the battle. After the fight, Roran marries Katrina. The leader of the Varden, Nasuada, then orders Eragon to attend the election of the new dwarf king in the Beor Mountains. Once among the dwarves, Eragon is the target of a failed assassination, found to be the work of the dwarf clan Az Sweldn rak Anhûin, whom the dwarf Orik then forces into exile. Having earned the sympathies of the dwarves, Orik is elected the new king. After Orik''s coronation, Eragon and Saphira return to the elven capital Ellesméra to train. There, the elf Oromis and his dragon Glaedr reveal that Eragon''s deceased mentor, Brom, is Eragon''s father. Glaedr also reveals the source of Galbatorix''s power: Eldunarya, or heart of hearts. An Eldunarí allows the holder to communicate with or draw energy from the dragon it belongs to, even if the dragon is deceased. Galbatorix spent years collecting Eldunarya, and forcing the deceased dragons to channel their energy to him through their Eldunarya. After training, Eragon visits Rhunön, the elven blacksmith who forges swords for Riders. Rhunön, in a very indirect way, forges a sword for Eragon which he names "Brisingr." Before Eragon and Saphira depart for the Varden, Oromis says that the time has come for him and Glaedr to openly oppose the Empire in combat alongside the Queen of the Elves, Islanzadí. Thus, Glaedr gives his Eldunarí to Eragon and Saphira before they part. Meanwhile, Roran is sent on various missions as part of the military force of the Varden. One of the targets is a convoy of supply wagons guarded by enchanted soldiers. The unit suffers extreme casualties, and the commander is replaced after losing his hand. During a mission to attack a large enemy force which is raiding a village, plans made by the new commander almost cause the operation to fail, but Roran gives new orders and kills one hundred and ninety three enemy soldiers, leading the Varden to victory. Despite saving the mission, Roran is charged with insubordination and is flogged as a punishment. After the public whipping, Nasuada promotes Roran to commander and sends his unit on a mission. He leaves in command of a group of both men and Urgals to enforce the idea of men and Urgals working together. When an Urgal, Yarbog, challenges Roran for leadership of the unit, he wrestles the Urgal and forces him to submit. After returning to the Varden, his squad joins the siege of Feinster, a city in the Empire. As the siege begins, Eragon rescues the elf Arya and departs to find the leader of the city, but discover that three magicians are attempting to create a Shade. While racing to kill the magicians, Eragon has a vision through Glaedr''s Eldunarí showing Oromis and Murtagh fighting. In the midst of the fighting, Galbatorix possesses Murtagh and tries to lure Oromis to his side: when he fails, and after Oromis suffers a seizure, Galbatorix uses Murtagh to kill him and Glaedr is killed shortly after. After the vision, the magicians have managed to create the Shade Varaug, whom Arya kills with help from Eragon. After the successful siege, Nasuada tells Eragon the Varden''s plans for invading the Empire.

Brisingr

In the book, Oppenheimer supports the theory that modern humans first emerged in Africa and that modern human behavior emerged in Africa prior to the Out of Africa migration. Oppenheimer writes that there was only one migration out of Africa that contributed to the peopling of the rest of the world. Oppenheimer believes that anatomically modern humans crossed the Red Sea from the Horn of Africa and followed the "southern coastal route" once in Asia. Thus Oppenheimer is opposed to the theory that there was another out of Africa migration using northern route along the Nile and into the Levant as suggested by Lahr and Foley 1994. The book also supports the theory that modern humans were in South Asia during the Toba Castrophe. Oppenheimer uses familiar names to describe genetic lineages. The biblical analogies of Adam and Eve are used to describe the Most recent common ancestors via mitochondrial DNA and the y-chromosome. Other male lineages are described as Cain, Abel and Seth. Mitochondrial DNA haplogroups are frequently described with female names from regions where the haplogroups are common. For example haplogroup M is named Manju as it is frequent in India, and Haplogroup N is named "Nasreen" as it is predominant in Arabia.

The Real Eve

Guardian in training Rosemarie "Rose" Hathaway and Moroi princess Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir are brought back to their school, St. Vladimir''s Academy, after running away two years previously. On returning, Guardian Dimitri Belikov, who was the leader of the team of guardians sent to retrieve the two, is assigned to be Lissa''s guardian. He offers to mentor Rose in her guardian training as he feels she has potential and with training can make up for the years she has lost. He also believes Rose can be an excellent guardian to Lissa due to the presence of a rare one-sided psychic bond to Lissa which allows her to know the latter''s emotions, thoughts, and whereabouts. Rose agrees, knowing this is the only way she will be allowed to remain, and on graduation be Lissa''s guardian. Though they soon fall into the academy life, they find that Lissa has lost her social standing among the other Moroi royals owing to her running away. They decide to keep company with Lissa''s "cousin" Natalie Dashkov, who is the daughter of sick and dying Victor Dashkov. On the very first day back they find that another Moroi student, Mia Rinaldi, who is dating Lissa''s ex-boyfriend Aaron, holds a grudge against Lissa (and by default Rose). Mia finds every opportunity to insult Lissa and is in turn insulted and threatened by Rose. Lissa finds a friend, Christian Ozera, much to the ire of the ever protective Rose. Christian''s parents had turned Strigoi (undead vampires) of their own will for immortality and had been killed by guardians. Rose mistrusts Christian because of his family history. It is also implied that she is jealous of Lissa''s interest in him. Rose, in turn, starts falling for Dimitri. Things start getting worse when Lissa finds dead animals in her room along with threatening letters. Lissa starts going into depression and engages in self mutilation. It is revealed that though she has not specialized in any elemental magic (Air, Water, Fire, and Earth), she has a miraculous ability to heal, which was witnessed by Rose and their teacher Ms. Karp two years back. Rose finds out that this gift is shared by Ms. Karp, who is then taken to a mental institution. They find out that Lissa has affinity for Spirit, that might just be dangerous for her and Rose. This incident along with her increasing depression was what had caused Rose to run away with Lissa. While attending Sunday service, Rose hears that the Moroi saint St. Vladimir could heal people, and suffered from some form of depression. Also, he was protected by his loyal companion the "shadow kissed" Anna with whom he shared a bond. On returning from a shopping trip with Lissa, Victor, and Natalie, Rose has an accident and on waking up deduces from what Dimitri tells her (that she had a miraculous recovery) that Lissa had healed her. She reaches into her bond and finds that Lissa is lying on the attic of the Church bleeding from self-inflicted cuts. Her reporting this incident causes a slight break in their friendship. Somehow discovering this, Mia insults Lissa, calling her unstable, causing Rose to punch Mia and break her nose. Detained by teachers and guardians, Rose is unable to follow Lissa; she reaches through her bond while confined to her room and finds that Lissa is being kidnapped by some guardians who assault Christian when he tries to save her. Rose tries to go and warn Dimitri and instead ends up nearly having sex with him. They stop when Dimitri unclasps a locket gifted by Victor from her neck and he manages to throw it away. It is later revealed that Victor had charmed the locket with a lust charm which causes people to act on already existing attraction, letting go of inhibitions. Through the bond Rose finds out that Victor is the one who kidnapped Lissa and plans to use her to heal his genetic disease. He reveals that Natalie was the one who left the animals in Lissa''s room to see her heal them after accidentally catching her doing so. He also reveals that Lissa had specialized in the rare fifth element Spirit, and that her bringing back Rose from the dead after the accident was what caused them to have a bond. Using Spirit is what was causing Lissa''s depression. Though Lissa heals Victor for the time being, the school guardians are able to reach the place and rescue her. On returning, Victor convinces Natalie to turn Strigoi by killing while feeding and gets her to break him free. She injures Rose who was visiting Victor, but is killed by Dimitri. Dimitri reveals that he too feels for Rose but cannot have a relationship with her because of their age difference and because he won''t be able to guard Lissa wholeheartedly if she is near him.

Vampire Academy

The story opens up with the Doctor and Sam in the TARDIS doing some maintenance when they are collected by a ship which holds an escape pod containing Davros. A group of Thals arrive; they want Davros to alter their species so they will be better able to fight the Daleks. A force of Daleks then arrive and take the Doctor and Davros, along with other characters, to Skaro. Before landing on Skaro, the Doctor discovers that the coordinates he believed were Skaro''s were actually those of the planet Antalin. Since Davros''s return the Dalek Prime has met considerable resistance with a number of Davros loyalists forming. Initiating a final civil war on Skaro, the Dalek Prime has all the Davros loyalists revealed and exterminated. In the mean time he releases the Doctor to leave Skaro. The Doctor discovers a planted device on board the TARDIS which would allow the Daleks to survive in case the Dalek Prime failed. He jettisons it into the vortex. With his faction defeated, Davros is sentenced to death by matter dispersal. Prior to his downfall he had implanted a Spider Dalek as a spy amongst the Dalek Prime''s forces. Davros is placed in a disintegration chamber and his atoms dispersed. His fate is left open when his data is either erased from the disintegrator or transmatted across space to a safe location.

War of the Daleks

The story tells of a Sadaijin (high-ranking courtier) who has two similar-looking children by different mothers, a boy called Wakagimi and a girl called Himegimi, but their mannerisms are those of the opposite sex. The title, "Torikaebaya", literally means "If only I could exchange them!", an exasperated cry by the father. The Sadaijin plans to have them join religious orders, but the news of the talents of the "son" spreads to the court. The children go through the coming of age ceremonies for the opposite sex, and the Sadaijin presents his daughter as a man to the court, and his son as a woman. The man disguised as a woman, now known as the rank of Naishi no Kami (head of the ceremonies committee), becomes the sheltered princess''s confidante, whereas the woman disguised as a man becomes a Chūnagon (mid-ranking courtier). The siblings are worried that they will be exposed, and so Naishi no Kami is even shyer than most ladies of the court, and the Chūnagon more aloof than is seemly. Despite this, the Chūnagon has platonic affairs with the elder Yoshino princess and the Lady of the Reikeiden. Naishi no Kami is pursued by men — the Crown Prince falls in love with Naishi no Kami based on her reputation, and pursuing her relentlessly. The Chūnagon''s best friend, Saishō Chūjō, attempts to seduce Naishi no Kami for a period of two nights and a day. The daughter marries a woman, Shi no Kimi (Fourth Daughter). Saishō attempts to educate the Chūnagon''s wife that couples do more than hold hands and sleep next to each other all night. Naishi no Kami similarly avoids the pursuit of the Crown Prince. Saishō has an affair with Shi no Kimi, and then turns his attention to the Chūnagon, discovering in a grappling match the Chūnagon''s true sex. He then begins to court the Chūnagon in the usual manner, and insists that she return to being a woman. The Chūnagon becomes pregnant and hides herself away from the court. Naishi no Kami has sex with the princess, and she becomes pregnant. Naishi no Kami dresses as a man and searches for the Chūnagon, and after the Chūnagon gives birth, the siblings swap places. The tengu who cursed the siblings in their previous lives to not be content with the sex they were born with has since become a Buddhist — Willig''s translation mistakenly says that it''s the siblings'' father who has turned to the path. Because of the tengu''s conversion to Buddhism, as the siblings resolve to swap roles and dress in the clothes of their physical sex, they become content. The former Naishi no Kami marries the sheltered princess, the elder Yoshino princess, and "remains" married to Shi no Kimi. He attains the rank of Sadaijin. The Crown Prince, now Emperor, has sex with the former Chūnagon, and is dismayed to find she is not a virgin, but marries her anyway. Saishō never learns what became of the former Chūnagon, the princess barely notices the change in her female companion, and the siblings live happily ever after and have many children with their new spouses.

Over 8000 Takeaways For Your Brain!

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Slan

By A. E. van Vogt

Babylon 5: Dark Genesis - The Birth of the Psi Corps

By Gregory Keyes

The Last Light of the Sun

By Guy Gavriel Kay

The Whipping Boy

By Sid Fleischman

Venus

By Ben Bova

Lord of the Iron Fortress

No Author Listed

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

By Shirley Jackson

Brisingr

By Christopher Paolini

The Real Eve

By Stephen Oppenheimer

Vampire Academy

By Richelle Mead

War of the Daleks

By John Peel

Torikaebaya Monogatari

No Author Listed