Excerpt

Reaching under the table, he flicked a switch. The surface of the table shimmered as the viewing screen came on. Kestral punched the control panel for Earth, then studied continents in the Northern Hemisphere.

"Europe? United States? Canada?" The choice was unanimous--United States.

He glanced up at his friends. "Who goes first?"

Durok shrugged. "Since you sat out the frolic earlier, we'll let you be the first to relieve your tension." He punched California. His finger flew over the control panel as he narrowed the search for a woman.

The lights of a city brightened the closer the focus. They were over the southern portion of this place, in the sparsely populated desert. Kestral followed the streets, the antiquated cars that zipped along their highways. Further, deeper still, Durok found an eating establishment and honed in.

"Her." He tapped the screen.

The tag on her uniform said, "Anne." Her golden brown hair was twisted behind her head in a loop. She smiled down at four men seated around a table as she served them food. A scene not unlike the one Kestral and his friends were in--except sex wasn't a free-for-all there.

"Scan her for fertility," Kestral said.

In seconds, the display flashed her information. She was ripe and clean.

"If you hurry, you can catch the next tube and be there in trans-light speed."

Kestral tossed down one last drink, then shoved away from the table. That Planet Skipper was as good as his.