Chapter 2
Without overtly staring, Darzul—known here and now as Mendoza’s shadow—studied the slender, purple-draped figure smoking with his boss. Instinctively, he felt the stranger was not female, yet the person did not seem to be totally male either. For now, Darzul was male, unequivocally male, although at home he could easily become female if he chose or if the need arose. When war or epidemic decimated more of one gender than the other, enough changed to balance the sexes and prevent extinction of the species. They all learned of this as children before the sharp gender differences emerged with puberty and thus were prepared to do whatever their rulers deemed necessary.
Home seemed very far away. He’d adapted to life on Earth and to the persona he now lived. The ruling council had d
