Difficult thoughts weigh on the mind of David Ash. The strange device now seems permanently attached to his head. Though he has tried in vain to remove it, the thin alien creation seems impossibly strong and immovable. A flood of conflicting viewpoints nags at David, as he desperately tries to resign his unprecedented situation.

Why has this happened to me? I've tried to live a careful life, avoiding temptations that have dragged others down, including some of my friends. Now, I don't know what to expect. I have no way of knowing what these aliens want, or what their motives are. How do I know they won't try to turn me into some sort of monster? Even if they are telling the truth, if this thing is as capable as they say it is, how can I possibly shoulder the burden of my entire race, all of humanity? True, I have spent years studying the martial arts, and, I think, I have achieved a good deal of mental discipline, but this all seems too much. How can anyone be expected to endure a life of selfless devotion in the midst of an attack from a supposed alien race that we really have not learned anything about? At least Trilan could have showed us some pictures of what the Tarx look like. He certainly didn't seem to be very thorough in his explanation. What am I supposed to do with this Kivon anyway? A little training would have been nice. Anything! Hopefully, he wants me to learn through the course of time. That is, if he was even being straight with me--with any of us.