BEYOND THE BALONEY FACTORY The crew of the Void Voyager traveled to a jungle that was like the Amazon. They found themselves in a small town that looked like a mission compound. There was a huge church-like structure in the center of the town where people were singing songs that sounded like gospel hymns. If they didn't know they were in another universe they could have sworn they were at a church service back on Earth.

They entered the building and after their portable translators adjusted to the language they began hearing a sermon that spoke of God and how to be saved. They stayed until the end of the service and saw three people go forward to be saved. They praised God and said several hearty amens.

After the service, the crew met with some officials at a church dinner and were told about the creatures that were in the jungle and also some of the tribes people that were at times as dangerous as the four legged creatures that inhabited the region.

The next day, the crew entered the jungle dressed in protective suits that were powered. Even Drozin wore one because he didn't want to encounter a giant spider like the one he had fought in the subway underneath the streets of New York City.

There were giant snakes that made anacondas look like garter snakes. Spiders and and ants that were as large as one's hand landed on the suits as they dropped from the trees. But when they came in contact with the energy fields they popped like little balloons.

Some of the plants attracted insects and fed upon them. When they touched some trees, they rippled with life crawling beneath the bark. They tried to touch some of the frogs, insects, and various little creatures. But their protective fields made the things scatter in fear.

There were giant cats in the trees. But they knew better than to pounce upon the people so they glared at them when they passed under them.

In the distance there was drumming upon what sounded like hollow logs. About a minute later a herd of huge hog-like creatures approached the crew members. Three of them were struck by arrows and tumbled upon the ground dead. Another minute later, some natives emerged from the jungle and began shooting arrows at the crew members. When the arrows bounced harmlessly off of the suits, the natives stopped firing on them and began yelling at the crew members to go away.

The crew members spent all day in the jungle and ended the day in the compound. They had dinner with the family of the leader of the village in a cafeteria next to the church. They were surprised that meat was served in the cafeteria along with vegetables and cracked open insects that had insides that looked like pudding. They were surprisingly delicious.

After saying grace, the man spoke to the crew members.

"Did you like your time out in the wild?"

Ivor said, "I'm sure glad we were wearing the suits. We could have died otherwise."

"Did you meet any oft the natives?"

Ramshief said, "We encountered a hunting party. They were hunting creatures like what we are eating. I thought your people were supposed to protect the animals of this planet."

"If they weren't culled they would overtake the area and crowd out many smaller creatures or eat them out of existence. Those creatures produce big litters every several months."

The captain of the ship said "On our home world we call them pigs. They taste just like pig meat. I wish we could send some carcasses up to our ship to feast on later."

"Go ahead. Like I said, they would overtake the area. If you want to send one carcass per person up to your ship, go ahead."

"Thanks," said the captain. "I just hope the natives don't think we're stealing their food from them."

"Actually, there is a farm near the main river in the region that raises the creatures to sell for food. You could stop by there and buy what you want."

"We'll do that," said the captain. "I need to ask you a question. Do you believe in Jesus Christ the one who died for our sins on a cross?"

"An angel told us about him and showed a movie about the Son of God decades ago. Every now and then a person we refer to as an angel comes to our town to share the gospel. We even have copies of the Bible. The people of this planet don't relate to what went on on your planet. But we all know there is life after death and there are places called Heaven and Hell. The death of Jesus on the cross and through his blood and putting our trust in him are we promised eternal life in Heaven. That is a truth in every universe. I trust you have been saved."

The captain said, "Most of us are from a place called Newgate, New York. No one is an atheist because we know where Heaven and Hell are located. We are all born-again Christians. We wouldn't travel into the unknown if we weren't assured of eternal life in Heaven if we happened to die out here."

The next day, the crew members traveled to the farm and bought five of the creatures that were dressed and ready for consumption. They were beamed up to cold storage in the ship next to the sides of beef.