Abe had activated the shuttle's compact sensors upon entry into the massive cascade of roaring water. The system was simply an extension of the immensely powerful one aboard the New Hope and was electronically linked via strong microwaves.

The vast wall of water now engulfing them proved to be much thicker than previously calculated, probably due to the lighter pull of gravity. All sensors went wild when the sensitive nose of the shuttle penetrated the plummeting water! Tense moments passed slowly as Abe conveyed to his mate that the readings must be some rare form of distortion. He logically assumed that the initial analysis taken from the New Hope could not possibly have been as as far from the truth as it was.

The couple certainly was not emotionally prepared for the spectacular sight which assaulted their keen senses when the tinted canopy of the shuttle cleared the falls. Abe sensed Babe's blood pressure fall to the fainting point the first instant she jumped up from the sheer excitement of comprehension! Emotions shifted crazily from fear to ecstasy as he caught Babe in his strong arms before she collapsed to the shuttle deck. He cradled her gently, slowly easing her onto the hard metal floor. Propping her dainty feet above her head, Abe knew she would quickly regain consciousness as her blood pressure stabilized. Meanwhile, he monitored the excited sensors and marveled at the astounding panorama unfolding before them.

Abe deftly landed the shuttle on a breathtaking stretch of beach which sensors showed to be composed of pure, snow-white gypsum sand! The scene reminded him of the White Sands Missile Test Site back on Earth from where their vital mission had begun about a month prior.

A new wave of Earthly memories and scattered emotions surged through the depths of Abe's mind and physical body. The powerful energy vibrations produced by his intense feelings jolted Babe back to conscious reality. She slowly got to her feet and calmed her mate's new feelings of remorse for their homeland by touching his hand and flooding his inner being with her extraordinary powers of love and understanding.

Abe and Babe had just recently discovered their powers of override. Babe proved formidable in all aspects of feminine qualities, while Abe empowered the masculine traits of emotion. Each could mentally overpower the other in certain areas so long as they made physical contact. Genetics had bestowed upon Abe a much deeper quality of wisdom making it possible for him to effectively cancel her override should he sense an eminent danger oblivious to her. They held each other tenderly as Abe locked the sensors into record mode and anxiously awaited all new information concerning the exquisite environment surrounding them.

Luckily, the internal atmosphere promised to be extremely well-suited to support human, animal and plant life; almost exactly like Earth's, except with triple the oxygen content. Internal planetary life-form scans were also favorable, producing only plant forms and a limited number of harmless bacteria strains relative to decomposition.

Babe lovingly squeezed her mate's hand. By the grace of God, they had inadvertently stumbled onto an excellent new homeland ecosystem totally absent of any hostile life-forms and completely disease-free as well! The continuing scans also indicated a seemingly endless supply of life-sustaining fresh, clean water. As the sensors kept producing data, the interior of the moon was forced to expell even more of its precious, mysterious secrets.

The massive canopy structure was composed entirely of solid, clear and rose-colored quartz crystals, intermingled with numerous deposits of slowly dissolving sodium crystals, accounting for the high salinity of the exposed surface water. Even if the outside water had been pure, the surface could not have supported life as humans were accustomed to because of the extreme level of potentially deadly ultraviolet radiation stemming from the total absence of an ozone protection layer capping the thin external atmosphere, such as Earth had taken advantage of. Specialized, radiation-filtering climate suits would be necessary to explore the outer shell perimeter. Underneath it; however, the saltwater coupled with the prism effect of the quartz ceiling, effectively blocked ninety percent of the killer radiation while still allowing an abundance of diffused sunlight necessary for photosynthesis and oxygen production.

The computer calculated the shielding quartz canopy to average 100 meters above the interior terrain and to retain that value as far inland as the forward probes could detect. Abe and Babe speculated that the interior landscape gradually spiraled downward approaching the center of the moon.

A vast, diversified array of familiar minerals were present according to the next set of interior scans. Most of them were of equal-sided crystalline composition. The pair surmised that this moon, at one time, had simply "grown" as a conglomeration of various crystals before the evolution of any life-forms ever appeared. They also figured that the moon had been crushed between two huge celestial bodies later in its history, accounting for its seashell outward configuration and the cavernous fissure in which they now stood. The climatical probe confirmed the ambient temperature to be a constant 68 degrees Fahrenheit, compared to their previous surface average of a searing 122 degrees F.! Conditions seemed to be ideally suited for every form of life contained within the New Hope. A constant 6 mile/per/hour gentle breeze would require further investigation in order to determine its source.

Abe sensed that Babe harbored an overwhelming urge to vacate the confines of the shuttle and go merrily running barefoot down the sandy, white beach, but as much as he dearly would have loved to allow the carefree romp, he regrettably had to override her playful whims, impressing that they must return to the New Hope for provisions and to check on the many other assorted lives which would also share a part of the future here. She understood, smiled, and relayed back that the keen-sensed eagles and the gentle doves surely missed them by now. Abe programmed the necessary calculations for a smooth re-entry into churning falls, activated the main drive, and commenced on the relatively short journey back to the ship.

The definitive roar of the water pounding on the alloy hull drowned out the heavenly visions of their newly-discovered, paradise home. The young couple directed their attentions back to their responsibilities concerning the growing young embryos, the garden, the zoo, and the aquariums entrusted to them.

The happy couple perceived a faint, fractional dimming of the twilight when the outbound edge of the falls was penetrated. They realized that soon they would experience their first "night" when the lifeless planet intercepted the sunlight as their moon's orbit silently drifted around the reverse side. Abe and Babe were amused that the event would actually be a total eclipse rather than a night spawned by revolution of the moon itself. Further calculations indicated the darkness span to sustain itself for approximately 25% of the moon's complete orbit time around the massive planet.

Abe switched on the record mode of the main computer to facilitate an educational tape for later reference. He then locked the ship on auto-pilot, so he and Babe could witness the eclipse unburdened. Dazzling displays of refracted sunlight resembled blaze orange, deep purple and emerald green laser beams dancing on diamonds within the ceaseless motions of the liquid surface.

By the time the scientists arrived at the New Hope, the spectacular event had exhibited awesome latent beauty, bestowing a welcome sense of peace and tranquility throughout the entire ship. Although the zoo animals were unable to see the actual eclipse, they instinctively welcomed the relative calmness, and all were quiet aboard the great ship. "Night" had blanketed their new world with unique, majestic grace. Abe and Babe retired to their modest cabin for a period of soothing, romantic love-making before drifting lazily into a wonderfully deep, restful sleep.