In both localities, he had found plenty of potential converts in the indigenous human populations. But here on Zenobia, populated by a race of sentient saurians, the King's message appeared to be falling on barren ground.

Rev had turned to some of his favorite texts for inspiration. Elder Aaron's personal memoir, Anyplace Is Paradise, had reinforced Rev's belief that the King was present everywhere, and Bishop Scott E. Moore's Gonna Be Cool affirmed that true believers would survive even the heat death of the universe. But, as always, the deepest meanings came from the King's own words-above all, the soulful admonition, "Don't be cruel." Rev's heart went flippity-flop every time he heard the King pronounce that sentiment. The words had lost absolutely none of their power as they'd come down the centuries. And yet, to his puzzlement, the Zenobians seemed deaf to all that. In fact, they seemed completely uninterested in anything the King had said or done.

He drummed his fingers, staring out the window of the small office he occupied in the administrative wing of Omega Company's Zenobia headquarters module. Out on the parade ground, Flight Leftenant Qual and two of his fellow Zenobians were making adjustments to some piece of equipment they'd brought along when they'd come to the Legion camp. The lizard like sophonts who had invited the Legion to this planet were every bit as intelligent as humans, or any of the other races that had become part of the Alliance. They showed as much imagination, as much curiosity about the universe they inhabited, as other species. Why, then, weren't they interested in the King's message?

There was only one way to find out; Rev realized. He rose to his feet, with a sigh at the stiffness in his legs; Not for the first time,-he reminded himself that he'd been neglecting his exercise program. There wasn't any excuse for that-not with a fully equipped gym right around the comer from his office, and the best instructors available, completely paid for by the Space Legion-or, more precisely, by Captain Jester. The King wouldn't have wanted one of his followers to let himself go... not when it was so easy to stay in shape.