The Dead World
by Ulysses Ai
The Wrong Way Go Back Saga - Episode 6
“Did you come all this way just to be pedantic…?”
It was supposed to be an uneventful trip back to Amorphonon 12, but of course something had to go wrong. Your ship has crashed on an arid world, amidst the remains of a once-great civilisation. What happened to them? Not that it really matters. The rescue ship will be here in 3 days, so there is no need to explore the ruins. I mean, something might happen to you…
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to Oliver Robertson for his detailed review of this episode
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This adventure detailed no rules, however it seems implied to use the rules from 'Wrong Way Go Back' episode 1
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BACKGROUND
You slowly awake, gradually becoming aware of the ache of your body. And it is hot; hot and dry. You open your eyes, but immediately know that is a mistake as harsh light stabs into the depths of your skull. You squeeze your eyes shut.
You feel someone step close to you. “You all right now?” he asks.
Unable to answer, you nod, and whoever it is moves on. You lie still, letting your other senses tell you about the surroundings. You are lying against something soft, but are propped up crookedly like a discarded keepsake. The intense heat makes you sweat profusely, your clothes already wet with perspiration. Occasionally the wind sends a hot gust washing over you, flinging grit against your face, sand rattling over hard surfaces nearby.
You are outside… but how? The last thing you recall, you were travelling through space, on your way home after fulfilling your contractual obligation to the Treemaids. You test your arms and legs, finding you can move. You seem fine except for a bruised chest.
Carefully, you open your eyes again. Squinting, you see a bright orange and black landscape of broken rocks extending to the horizon. Around you are the shattered remains of a ship’s hull. Orange… An image flashes into your memory. A glimpse of an arid orange planet as the luxury transport tumbled helplessly through space, falling… As you lie there, you start to remember…
…after helping the treemaids once again, they gladly paid for your passage on a luxury transport ship back to Amorphonon 12. While nothing like the splendour of the Attila the Hon, it was nonetheless very easy to enjoy yourself…
…suddenly there was a shudder and the whole ship vibrated. You felt queasy as the world warped and buckled before snapping back into normality. A woman nearby vomited, while everyone started to mutter in confusion and alarm. “We’ve dropped back into normal space,” one man said…
…everyone seemed to calm down. But not you. You have travelled in space long enough to know that that was a very abrupt transition from hyperspace. They must have turned off the hyperdrive to jerk the ship out of hyperspace as quickly as possible. The only reason why they would do that would be if there were an emergency of some sort. Remembering what happened one other time you were in hyperspace, you think you know what it is. They must have spotted the hypertrout bearing down on them and cut power to the hyperdrive to drop out of hyperspace as quickly as possible to avoid being devoured. The ship’s captain suddenly makes an announcement. “Ladies and Gentlemen. We were forced to drop out of hyperspace due to a… incident that has now being resolved. We apologise for the rough ride, and will be resuming travel as soon as possible. We will remain in normal space for the next 2 hours, so please enjoy the view…
…Lights started flashing orange, indicating a mild alert. But the interior of the ship seemed to take things more seriously as all hard surfaces retracted and air bags inflated to turn the interior of the ship into a soft capsule, as if expecting an impact…
…and here you are, crashed on the planet. You must have gone to an escape pod. There is no way anyone could have survived a ship falling from orbit.
You slowly get up, feeling unsteady on your feet. You are very thirsty, and wonder how long you have been out. Someone hands you a bottle of water, and you take it gratefully. It is one of the crew. But before you have drunk your fill, he takes the bottle back; gently, but firmly.
“Good to see you are on your feet,” he says. He is a young man, not much older than you. “All of our supplies are rationed. We have sent out a distress call, but we don’t know when help will come, or if they will be able to approach the planet safely.”
“What happened?” you ask, your voice a croak.
“Some force grabbed the ship, dragged it down to the planet. We couldn’t escape. We evacuated the ship, and the escape pods brought us here. But now we are stuck here.”
“Where’s here?” you ask.
The crewman shrugs. “I don’t know. The hyperspace jump should have taken us across the Quarantine Expanse. We must be somewhere in the middle of that.”
He moves on, and you stare at the dead land before you with trepidation. The Quarantine Expanse is an empty, featureless part of the galaxy, notable only for having a name. No one knows why it was called this, but a barren planet in an empty region of space is a good place to send the incurable and contagious.
You wonder how long you will have to wait here until help comes. And if anyone does come, will they suffer the same fate?
Now turn to 1
The survivors have all been gathered together in the shattered remains of the passenger ship, which provides the greatest cover and will be a beacon for any rescue ships. Walking around the wreck, you see that your ship is not the first. Others lie half-buried in the red sand, corroded and smoothed by centuries of wind-blown sand.
The horizon seems to writhe as you look into the distance, the intense heat making distant details indistinct, as they dance tortuously under the ruthless sun. But you are able to discern many dark shapes rising up from the red sand surrounding the ships’ graveyard.
There is a certain irony that in escaping from the Hypertrout, your ship has become trapped here, in essentially the same situation. This time, though, it is a planet that devours spaceships. You wander through the wreck, which lies in several scattered pieces, darting across the patches of sunlight. Stepping out of the shade feels like being pounded with a red-hot hammer.
You tell yourself that you are scavenging. But you have been at it for hours now, and nothing has escaped the impact. Still, you search on. There is nothing else to do.
When you eventually do return to the largest section of hull, where the survivors have made camp, you sense some relief and excitement in the air.
“What’s going on?” you ask a man slumped against a shattered loading-bot.
He looks up at you, a haggard face framing weary and despondent eyes. “We got a reply to our distress call. Help will be here in three days.”
He looks away again, as if this news is no reason for hope. Unfortunately you understand his lack of optimism. Tired from your fruitless search, you find a place to rest. You think that it is too hot to sleep, but suddenly you are jerked from your slumber by a strange sound. Hours have passed, and you sit bolt upright in the relative cool of the late afternoon, listening. It takes several moments to comprehend that the strange noise that woke you was one of the other survivors laughing. A brief, relieved laugh. Perhaps some joke offered for the sake of hope; and accepted gratefully… desperately.
Standing up, you rub your face and peer into the distance. You can see the surrounding land much clearer now that the heat of the day has retreated. The rocky desert is essentially flat, only wandering sand dunes breaking the monotony in the nearby area. But in the distance the dark shapes you saw are clearer. Monoliths, statues and pyramids of black stone, unmistakably carved by some intelligent beings. Someone lived here once, long ago.
The sun still burns hotly in the sky, but the evening is approaching. You might be able to get some exploring in as the day cools. Taking the setting sun as your mark, you contemplate the directions before you.
To explore to the North, turn to 8
To explore to the South, turn to 25
To explore to the East, turn to 32
To explore to the West, turn to 43
To explore the ships’ graveyard, turn to 15
You start to burrow into the sand. The sand in the tunnel presents little problem as it falls away from the rock easily. However, once you penetrate up to the entrance, the sand you scrape brings more sand pouring down into the cavity you have created.
But then light appears as the sand falls away. You snake your way up to the light, swimming through the sand and squirming out to the surface.
Triumphant, you greet the morning sun. You have survived! The mystery of the statues is not solved yet, so you decide to do some more exploring.
Turn to 127
The whole ships’ graveyard is like an impact crater that has been repeatedly stamped onto the face of the planet. But to the west is a hollow within the hollow, and it is to here that you direct your steps.
As you descend into the pit, you see glassy fragments of sand that have been subjected to terrific heat. It crunches and shatters under your feet as you walk down into the shadows. The pulverised metal that is strewn through the graveyard is broken down even further in here, making you regret having used the word pulverised to describe the shredded and crushed metal above. Here, the remains of the vessels are only a step away from complete vaporisation.
You soon reach the bottom of the pit. There is nothing here. You look around for quite a while, but there is definitely nothing at the centre of this destruction.
Save me
“Huh?” you ask
You listen, but hear nothing. Isolation is known to send people insane, although you hadn’t thought you had been alone all that long yet.
Help me.
“Who is that?” you demand, spinning around on the spot.
I am… beneath…
You look down, but see only the metal dust that once soared amidst the stars. “You’re underground?” you ask.
Free me…
You kneel down and start to scrape the sand away. After about a minute you haven’t found anything, and you stop. “How did you get down there? Maybe someone put you down there for a good reason,” you suggest.
We crashed. Must dig more….
“Why?”
I am valuable
“We are each a precious child of the universe,” you say defensively.
I am truly valuable…I can give you power…
“Power, like to… impress women?”
Yes…
Well, that’s worth consideration. You renew your efforts and with the guidance and encouragement of the voice in your head eventually uncover a crushed golden crate.
The lid is locked, but the voice tells you a number and you key it in. The lock releases, but the crushed crate is so damaged you have to tear the lid off to see inside.
There, upon a bed of black velvet are three fragments of a jade platypus with a beak of ebony and pearls for eyes. “Hey, you’re a Trioracle!” you exclaim.
No…no…
“Then what are you? What do you do?” you ask
I am broken. The essence infused into this jade is escaping. Lying at rest, the essence seeped but slowly. Perhaps I have erred, for being moved so roughly has accelerated my demise.
You gather up the pieces and press them together. “Is that better?”
Somewhat. You have made an effort to help me. You have sought your own gain, but did I not try to manipulate you? How odd it is that when our lives are in peril, we often throw away that which makes our lives worth living…
“Um… yeah, I hate that,” you contribute.
I shall use the last of my energy to assist you. Then I shall fade from this form, to return to the Grand Generative Matrix. Open your heart to me…
“Um…”
You aren’t sure if you are open or not as the jade glows brighter. No one has ever warned you not to trust talking pieces of jade, but it seems like something a sensible person might say. You feel tingly and warm, then the glow fades and a light touch upon your mind, of which you were previously unaware, suddenly lifts.
You are holding no more than broken pieces of jade. But you do feel different. You put the pieces back into the golden crate and bury it once more.
You begin to climb out of the hollow and are surprised to see that the day has gone. Looking back down into the pit, you are surprised at the size of the hole. You dug that, not even noticing the intense heat of the day. The sun must have heated the metal sand until it would have burned your skin. Looking at your hands, the skin looks soft and new. The only evidence of your hard work is the wetness of your clothes, soaked with sweat. As a cool wind blows over the lip of the hollow, it chills the moisture you are wrapped in, and you hastily resume your climb out of the depression.
You make it back to the camp a few minutes later and as the evening comes on, the crew starts the fire and everyone takes their place beside it. The evening rations are passed around.
“The rescue ship will be here tomorrow,” announces the captain with a smile that does not reach his eyes. Soon the others are settling to sleep, all huddled together for warmth, and you lie down as well.
You sleep, but your rest is filled with strange dreams. You walk through the jacaranda trees to where a golden bridge crosses a river that slides glistening and emerald across the land. Others walk with you, but they seem to flicker in and out of existence, oblivious to each other.
Reaching the bridge, you try to cross over, but there is a man there who stops you, a man made of light. “Hey, outa my way!” you say.
“This is not for you. You are not ready.”
“Oh, favouritism is it?” you snarl, outraged by this discrimination. “What’s so special about this lot then?” you ask, gesturing to the flickering forms that are passing uninhibited over the bridge to the sunny meadows beyond.
“They are dead,” the shining man tells you.
“Oh,” you say.
You retreat from the bridge, and stroll instead onto a lawn beside the river. You see some swans gliding gracefully along the river and sit down on the bank to watch them. The swans look back at you, seeming to be curious. You admire the graceful and beautiful creatures.
“Are you staring at us for some reason?” one of the swans says.
Startled, you gape. “Sorry! I thought you were animals.”
“Pervert!” says another and they glide off down the river.
“Never mind them,” says another voice. “How are you?”
You look down and see a small platypus climbing onto a rock by the riverside.
“Um, good thanks. Are you that jade platypus I found?”
“Yep. I brought you here to reward you for assisting me. You mentioned the Trioracle when you found me. I’m similar, but different. I’m called a Futuoracle. I transport you into a vision of your future, and you get to experience it. Then later on when it actually happens, you can perhaps choose differently.”
“What part of my future?” you ask.
“I’ve been reviewing that, and I think I’ve found a critical juncture. So...I’ll transport you there now. This will be a little strange for you, but...just try to relax.”
“What are you going to do?” you ask.
“Explaining never helps,” the platypus laments.
It opens its bill...which keeps opening as the creature swells rapidly to dog-size, then cow-size, then man-eating size. Despite the expectation of beneficial results, you recoil from the prospect of being eaten. But the Futuoracle has done this before and anticipates you attempts to dodge your reward and snaps its bill closed around you.
You are swallowed down a passage, tumbling through the darkness. It doesn’t go on too long and you are dumped onto a footpath next to a street in a busy city. You climb to your feet and look around. You are distracted briefly by your own costume. You appear to be wearing a gold lamé jumpsuit.
It is a thriving city on a hot, muggy day, filled mostly with humans. Large buildings line the wide streets filled with cafes and shops, while signs board hover everywhere advertising this and that. Looking up you see a space elevator rising up from the building behind you, disappearing into the blue heavens, the faint lights of orbiting stations visible even in the daytime.
You accost a passer-by. “Excuse me. Where am I?”
The business man looks you over. “This is Elevator Street.”
“Of course,” you say as if you should have known, grinning in a friendly fashion. “I’ve just arrived on the planet, not sure where I am. What city is this?”
“Tada,” the man tells you, and gives you a farewell nod.
But you aren’t finished yet. “Um...where is that?”
“Sulawesi,” is the informative reply.
“Right...um...I’m from really far away...this planet...it is...?”
“Earth!”
“..is Earth! Yes, good. So I am in the right place. Thanks.”
The business man mutters something in another language as he walks off. Earth! Again. Why?
You walk along for a while with the flow of the crowd. The flow of people carries you into a supertrain station, then disperses, dumping you in front of a large viewscreen displaying the departure and arrival schedule. Trains are leaving for numerous continental hubs. Unable to know what your future self is up to, you suddenly have an idea. Checking your pockets you find a data tablet which you activate at once. It is a new one. Very expensive. You access the recently-opened files. One is a montage of 3D images of the most famous supermodel in the galaxy: Umumoolamatoo, the Crudian exile that lives on Earth. The other is a document on governance within the human federation. The document opens on a page telling you that G15-275 is a non-sovereign world currently leased to the TEWAF corporation. It is nominally under the governance of the Member for Exosolar Planetoids, who can be found in the Hague, capital of Earth and the Human Federation.
Looking at the viewscreen, you see that trains for both North America (where you will find Umumoolamatoo) and Europe are departing soon. You always have pictures of Umumoolamatoo on you, so the information about your local member in the Federation Parliament is probably why you are here. But why on earth (ha!) would you need to see your local member? An additional fact to consider is that Umumoolamatoo is hot! And this is the closest you have ever been to her while there hasn’t been a concurrent spider-related invasion...
So:
Go to Hollywood to see Umumoolamatoo? Turn to 108
Go to the Hague to see your local member? Turn to 68
The doorway leads to another corridor, half blocked by crates marked as containing medical waste. You follow it until you reach a dark opening further along on one side. Peering within, you see a large boulder illuminated by a circle of red lights shining down from the high ceiling. Some steps have been cut into the boulder, and you climb up to the top.
There is a lasersword stuck in the stone. It has a golden hilt, and Arachnonan script is engraved on the blade. How curious. You reach out anyway and tug on the blade…
If you have any lasersword training, turn to 75
Otherwise, turn to 91
Since sneaking is in order, you search your pockets and fish out the QPSD. After your adventure on Crudia, the Treemaids were happy to let you keep the stealth device and even recharged it for you. It is almost depleted now, since you wanted to see if it could be used, for example, if some depraved individual wanted to sneak into a ladies’ changing room. The conclusion of your research is that is can, and in fact works extremely well! It still has some power, and you slip it on as you climb up over the dune and make directly for where the pod lies.
As you climb up the side of the last dune, you switch the QPSD on to full. You reach the top and look down into the hollow the escape pod has made for itself. Space-rats! Almost as large as a human, they are otherwise like normal rats with the exception of having humanoid hands instead of front paws. They are skilled with tools and swarm over the pod, unfastening anything that can be unfastened: cushioned seats, fire extinguishers, light fittings, panels of faux-timber.
You walk down, undetected, into their midst and watch them at work. Eventually, they finish and, after loading themselves up, hurry off through the desert.
You stay a safe distance away in case the QPSD runs out of energy, but suddenly it is you who has lost them in the deep shadows that are steadily consuming the landscape. While the sky is still a luminous purple, the western sky brushed with orange, the land around you is soon black.
You switch off the QPSD and search about desperately for the space-rats. Finally, you kick a rock. Initially you don’t realise how helpful this is. After hopping around in pain for several minutes, you feel more rocks, and eventually locate a mound of stones. A large crack looks inviting as you keenly feel the chill of the night. Even if the space-rats didn’t go in there, you need shelter.
Venturing inside, you feel your way deeper and deeper within, the wind outside becoming a muffled moan. The air grows warmer, and soon you can smell something cooking. Your stomach rumbles and you go onwards.
Soon there is light ahead and the tunnel opens into the interior of a spaceship. You are in a central corridor, a carpeted deck below you. You have not gone far when you realise things are not quite what they seem. Not all of the wall panels match, and the light-fittings are rarely the same. You realise that the space-rats have built this, furnishing the interior of the cave with what they have scavenged to make a home for themselves.
They must have been here for a long, long time. You have not gone far before you are discovered. A door ahead of you opens automatically and a space-rat, almost as big as you, walks out on all fours. It sees you and squeaks in alarm, rearing up on its rear legs. Being a space-rat, instead of front paws it has humanoid hands, and it uses one of these to draw a blaster from its belt.
You freeze. Is it still functional? Space-rats are not known for hoarding junk, but rather make use of whatever they find, even being observed to fix things. With all the efforts to exterminate them, there hasn’t been any time to find out how intelligent they really are.
More space-rats appear and they surround you. After ascertaining that you are not an immediate threat, they start squeaking at each other, as if discussing what to do with you.
You clear your throat. “Squeeeank!” you greet.
The space-rats fall silent, staring at you with hurt looks. Eventually one says something, and agreement seems to be reached as you are pushed along with the group as it moves along the corridor.
You expect to be led to some parody of the bridge, but instead the doors ahead of you open to reveal a large round chamber, plated with fragments of ships’ hulls. A large fire burns in the centre, where several space-rats are cooking. Others are examining the newly acquired items from the escape pods. You are dragged past them, however, and up to where a particularly large space-rat is seated in a captain’s chair. It is even wearing the coat of a uniform.
Rather than trying to speak their language again, you bow. This causes the rats to start squeaking with approval. Hoping one of them knows Galactic Standard, you speak. “Hello. Can any of you understand me?”
There is silence. The king space-rat (he could be a democratically elected official, but let’s stay with king) looks thoughtful, then makes a gesture, squeaking his will.
The other space-rats disperse, but one comes and tugs at your sleeve. It wants you to follow. The space-rats seem to have decided you are harmless, so you decide not to make trouble. The space-rat leads you over to one corner, where there are a collection of black metal cubes of various sizes arranged on some shelves and tables. There is a couch set up where one can look at the black cubes. The space-rat gestures to the seat, and then to the boxes.
A little mystified, you sit down. The space-rat squeaks, but not at you. It appears to be talking to the boxes. One of the boxes squeaks back, while another voice from somewhere addresses you in Galactic Standard.
“Hello there! Good to see a new face! What’s your name?”
“Who said that?” you ask.
“He did,” says another voice.
“Huh?” you venture, wondering just how many invisible entities are surrounding you.
“Use your optical beacon,” suggests yet another voice.
“Oh, all right,” says the first voice. “There you go… you see me now? No, over here…”
You eventually notice a small red light blinking slowly on one of the boxes. “It’s… you?”
“That’s right. My name is Sisyphus. What’s yours?”
You tell it, and a chorus of voices greet you.
“Let me introduce the others,” Sisyphus says. “Over on the side table there we have Excelsior. Then on the top shelf behind me, from the left is Orion Spur, Oberon and Zephyr. On the shelf below that…”
It goes on and on, naming each of the 50-odd cubes. You only remember that the one talking is Sisyphus. When the drawn-out introduction is finished, you blurt out the question that has been pressurising inside you. “But how come you can talk? What are you?”
“Of course I can talk!” Sisyphus says. “I’m a black box.”
“Yes…” you agree. “Why does that mean you can talk?”
“If I couldn’t talk, I wouldn’t be able to let people know what happened!” Sisyphus says incredulously.
“Huh?”
“We’re black boxes,” Sisyphus explains with a little impatience. “We record everything that happens on board a vessel, then report on incidents, especially in the event of a crash.”
“Oh, you’re a black-box!” you say. “I thought you meant you were a box that was black.”
“I am a box that is black,” Sisyphus points out, “that’s how people know what we are.”
“Yes, but a black box can mean any box than is black, not specifically a black-box.”
“That may be so,” Sisyphus agrees, but what do you expect me to do? I told you I was a black box. Maybe if I was a black-box but not a black box, or a black box but not a black-box, I might say something different, but since I am a black box that is a black-box I think my answer was entirely valid.”
“But both terms sound the same!” you say.
“And I’m both!” Sisyphus counters.
“Yeah, but they mean different things,” you say.
“Did you come all this way to be pedantic?” asks another black-box from somewhere at the back.
“Alright, let’s not be rude,” says Sisyphus. “We can’t expect anyone who wanders in to be a genius. I suppose this means you don’t know any mathematical theorems?”
“Er…no,” you say.
“Never mind, then,” Sisyphus says, poorly concealing its disappointment. “Hopefully you can give us some news later, but it looks like you have a lot of questions.”
“Yes!” you say gratefully. “What happened here?”
“Not much. It was pretty much empty most of the time. Occasionally someone would stand there. The couch is fairly recent.”
“Huh?” you ask. “I mean… what happened on this planet? What’s going on here?”
“Oh, sorry,” Sisyphus says. “I thought you were being pedantic again. Well, we’ve only been here for about 600 years. Midas there was the first. You still remember that day, Midas? Ha, ha!”
“My memory core isn’t corrupted yet!” Midas says back jovially.
“You all crashed here?” you ask.
“Yes,” Sisyphus tells you. “A tug-beam from the planet drags ships in from as far away as a light-minute. Amazing power. But this place was in ruins long before then.”
“It’s the three pyramids,” pipes up Midas. When they detect a ship they open up and generate the beam, dragging the ship down to the surface. I don’t think the ships were supposed to get smashed, though. That’s not useful to anyone. The beam actually slows the ship as it falls, but it must be calibrated wrong. Or maybe it’s just too old. It probably used to be a docking mechanism.”
“Not with that much power usage!” scoffs another black-box. “It’s obviously meant to bring down ships against their will.”
“If the beam calibration’s wandered, so could the other settings. Maybe it used to be more efficient…” says Midas.
This starts an argument, which continues for about a minute before Sisyphus speaks up. “Let’s move that discussion over to machine code. Our guest doesn’t seem to have anything to say on that topic. To answer your question, none of us know the who, what or why about this place before 600 years ago.”
“What about the people who have crashed here over the centuries, where are they?”
“Gone,” says Sisyphus. “They ran out of food, then ate each other, and the lucky last starved to death. Same story over and over. It’s actually quite an interesting insight into the psychology of so-called advanced species. It’s the hope, you see. They hope to be rescued, so anything that can extend their lives by even a day is justified. So they murder their companions, and then still die in the end. Look at these space-rats by comparison. They don’t hope. They just get on with living, no matter where they are. They weren’t waiting to be rescued, so they survived. They found food, they flourished while your ‘superior’ kind killed themselves off. Fascinating, hey? You can share that with your companions. Give you something interesting to discuss while you wait to die.”
“But we established contact,” you say. “A rescue ship is coming. It will be here in three days.”
“Wow! Another one! That will be good. Two more members to join the club in less than a week! We haven’t met your black-box yet, by the way. We’ll have to wait a few weeks for you to all kill yourselves, then the space-rats will be able to scavenge the main wrecks.”
“You mean the beam will drag down the rescue-ship as well?” you say, knowing it to be true.
“Well, no one has escaped so far.”
Once of the space-rats brings you a bowl of food and you take it hungrily. It is a thick soup that appears to be made from moss and fungi. Since it has kept the space-rat community alive for 600 years, you are sure it is nutritious and begin to eat. It’s not too bad, and you finish the bowl.
You and the black-boxes talk for quite a while. It turns out they are all mathematicians, now. Being stuck without much to do, they used their processors to devise new mathematical theorems and challenge each other to solve problems. They even give you one.
“What’s the best thing to do with 355/133?” asks a small black-box.
“Er… I don’t know…”
“Eat it!” says the black-box. The others start laughing as if this is a joke of some kind. You don’t get it, and decide that after 600 years in the desert the black-boxes are starting to malfunction.
“Sorry, it’s a bad joke,” apologises the black-box when it sees you aren’t laughing. “It’s only true to 6 decimal places.”
It’s too cold to leave tonight, and it appears you are welcome to stay. You start to wander around the cavern, peering through open doors and exploring corridors and rooms that seem like public areas. The spacerats you encounter look at you suspiciously, but do not object to your presence. The resourceful creatures have gathered an impressive range of materials and equipment. Despite their intelligence, it is obvious they do not understand the function of many of the items. Knowing how possessive they are, you refrain from touching anything too much, until you come to a room where a large upright item stands in the corner. It is no more than a stainless steel cabinet on the outside, but its door has been propped open with a stone. Inside it has a human-shaped depression formed in the soft, translucent stuff that fills it. The back of the door is also filled with goo retaining the impression of the front of a human. Suspended in the goo next to the impression is a control panel dominated by three buttons, one red, one blue and one green. There are no controls on the outside.
You press some of the smaller buttons, and the display lights up. It has power. The display then flashes the words: select enhancement. It seems someone is meant to press one of the buttons and step inside.
Using strange technology of unknown function is never wise. On the other hand, the buttons are big and shiny!
Which will you press?
The red button? Turn to 14
The blue button? Turn to 17
The green button? Turn to 45
Taking out the slider puzzle you found, you walk over. “Here, kid. You can play with this.”
His eyes light up and he takes it. The mother gives you a smile, which you return and sit down opposite them. He slides the tiles around with a thoughtful frown.
You try to strike up a conversation with his attractive mother. “Is Amorphonon 12 your destination or just a stop-over?” you ask.
“Stop-over,” she says. “I’m on my way to meet my husband on Amorphonon 13. He’s a famous anthropologist! Dr Fishbone? Have your heard of him?”
“I don’t think so, sorry,” you say. “So… things between you and him are ok?”
“Whatever do you mean?” she exclaims. “Of course they are!”
“I mean… I’m trying to say that as an anthropologist he must travel a lot…?”
“Yes, quite a bit. He only became an anthropologist a couple of months ago. Before that he was a computer programmer on the Attila the Hon. You must have heard of it?”
“I am somewhat familiar with that vessel,” you say.
“So he used to travel a lot before too. But anthropology was always his dream. He won a grant to study the natives of Amorphonon 13 for 5 years! We were going to join him.”
“What do you do for a job?” you ask her.
She smiles. “Can’t you tell by looking at me? “
“Um… are you a… stripper?”
Her smile vanishes. “What?! No! I work at Gobbles! Didn’t you notice my horns?”
“Yes, but I’ve seen strippers with horns,” you say defensively.
“I’m not a stripper! I work the counter at Gobbles. That’s how I met Gary,” she explains. “He came in for a burger, but left with my heart!”
Thankfully the kid interrupts before the conversation gets too sappy. “Mum! Look! I got all the numbers to equal the same!”
He waves the slider puzzle at her. The plastic board is playing some music and lights in the corners are flashing. His mother looks at the board in confusion. “What have you done?”
He shows her. “See? All the rows and columns equal the same number when you add them up! Even the diagonals!”
“So they do! What a clever boy you are!”
“Um,” you say. “Can I see that?”
The boy hugs the slider game against his chest. “No, you gave it to me!”
“I just want to see the solution,” you say.
The boy gives you a superior look. “You couldn’t figure it out! That’s why you want me to show you!”
“Be that as it may, I was nice enough to give you that game, the least you can do is show it to me now.”
“I’m smart and you’re not!” jeers the boy.
“Look, you revolting child! Show me the %$#^ing game!”
Everyone looks at you in shock and the boy starts to cry. “Mum! He’s being mean to me!”
She hugs him, giving you a cold look. “Yes, what a mean, ugly man!”
“Ugly…?” you begin.
“Just go away and don’t talk to us anymore!” she demands.
“Later tonight when it’s cold, do you want to huddle?” you ask her hopefully.
“No!” she exclaims.
You leave a little hurt. She didn’t even take time to think about it! You keep away from the other people as the day cools. When the evening comes on, the crew starts the fire and everyone takes their places around the flickering warm. The evening rations are passed around.
“The rescue ship will be here tomorrow,” announces the captain with a smile that does not reach his eyes. Soon the others are settling to sleep, all huddled together for warmth, and you lie down as well.
After what will hopefully be the last freezing night on this cursed planet, the morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you decide to do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
The only thing you have to help you reach the vent is sand, so you scrape the sand on the floor into a mound, revealing part of a tiled floor that radiates from a point directly under the vent. Fortunately, there is no shortage of sand, and the mound is soon high enough.
You climb up quickly, the sand falling away under your feet, and leap up, trying to wedge yourself inside the vent. You manage to hang there, pressing your arms against the sides. Slowly, you galactic inch your way up. Your shoulders and arms soon begin to ache, but you refuse to give up and your body draws on hidden reserves of energy.
Once you get your hips and knees inside, you are able to wedge yourself in the vent and take the pressure off your upper body. After a rest, you resume your journey up the vent. It is easy to move up now that you can use your legs as well, and with periodic rests you eventually reach the top and pull yourself up into a larger, well-lit space.
You roll out of the vent and lie panting on the floor. Staring at the ceiling, you see you are in kind of a beehive-shaped chamber. Light comes from crystals embedded in the curving walls. Have you escaped from one prison into another?
There is a whirring of motors and you realise you are not alone. Scrambling to your feet, you search about for the source of the noise and then see it. It is a robot in the form of a giant spider with the upper half of a humanoid growing from its’ head like a creepy version of a centaur. Life-sized, it is made of silvery modules shaped to represent the form of a living Arachnonan. It is clad in a golden cuirass and crested helm, and has ten red gems for eyes.
It is advancing on you, an activated lasersword in one grasping module. The other extension module doesn’t end in a grasping module, but rather in an orb of some kind that it is holding towards you. The orb begins to emit a humming sound.
Taking a better look at the floor of the chamber, you can see the dismembered skeletal remains of several humanoids lying in the dust that was once the flesh that enclosed them.
It seems the robot intends you harm, but before you can think of the best way to fight, the orb stops humming, and the robot folds its arms and powers down.
You remain still, watching it for some time. It doesn’t look like it is going to activate again. As far as you can tell, it turned itself off, presumably after deciding you did not meet the criteria for dismemberment.
You slowly move around the edge of the room, but the robot does not react. More confident, you investigate the room. In the centre there is a golden sarcophagus. Around the edges is some minimal furniture made from enduring black stone, as well as unidentifiable objects that have crumbled to dust. It appears to be some simple living quarters, with a giant golden coffin in the middle. There is also a door here, built of some untarnished alloy. You try the door. It gives, and with a horrendous screeching opens. The blast of warm air and grit upon your face is welcome and you shove the door wide open. You can see the golden sands brightening under the morning sun. Your escape assured, you take a few more moments to contemplate the chamber.
It seems that the statues are resting places for the dead, who are either really dead and put in the sarcophagus and surrounded by items they will need in the afterlife; or who are not quite dead by the time they arrive here. You suspect the latter because of the vent, which would allow food to be passed up.
Speaking of food, on what looks suspiciously like a dining table there are several sealed ceramic jars. You open them and discover they are filled with dust, except for one that has water in it! You drink the water, forgiving the clayey taste as you slake your thirst.
Why there were so many of the robed persons here, you cannot guess, nor why the Arachnon war-bot is here. There seems to be little to gain by way of useful items. The war-bot’s lasersword is fixed to its module and it might object to your trying to take it. But you do find a short sword made of uncorrupted metal, though the grip that once serviced it crumbles into dust as you lift it up. Still, it is better than nothing, and you can take it with you if you wish.
Leaving the chamber, you find yourself emerging onto the lap of the seated statue. With some difficulty, you make your way down with a combination of climbing and sliding. Thankfully the sand at the bottom cushions your fall. Standing up, you decide to go on and explore while you can.
Turn to 127
The sun washes brightly over the crimson land, a golden elixir bringing beauty to barren rock and lifeless sand. You head north, where the land rises to a slight mound. A great sheet of glassy black stone emerges from the sand, forming the mound that is hundreds of galactic feet across, but only ten or so high. It is as if once a great mountain stood here, but the sand and the wind, patient and inexorable, have worn it down to an insignificant rise. The front edge of it that faces the ships’ graveyard has been broken away in jagged chunks, possibly by the fall of some ancient starship. This forms a chamber of sorts at the front of the mound. Climbing up past the chamber, you see what look like cave openings in the black cliff face.
But there is more to see as you climb the gradual slope. There is a pyramid here, made of the same glassy black stone. Perhaps the dug-out chamber below was a quarry. Regardless, the pyramid seems to have survived well, though the outside is clearly worn.
You are still far from the pyramid when you reach the edge of a flat courtyard of sorts surrounding the pyramid. The top of the mound has been flattened and grooves cut to resemble flagstones. The edge is even lined with small statues that have been worn away beyond recognition.
The pyramid fills the rear of the courtyard and there is only one other thing that you can see, so you wander over to it. It is a black sphere about six galactic feet in each dimension. It stands in the middle of a clear area that at once strikes you as odd. Whereas sand is scattered over the courtyard in patches, here you can see it has been blasted away from the sphere.
Picking up a handful of sand, you toss it at the sphere to see if there is some sort of repulsion field. The sand scatters on the air and covers the clear ground in an entirely normal manner. Encouraged, you approach, and lay one hand against the side of the sphere. You realise at once it is metal. Intrigued, you walk all around it, and find a glass panel on the side facing the pyramid.
It looks like a palm-scanner, but what is it doing here on this ancient planet?
Do you want to lay your hand against the glass panel?
If so, turn to 27
If you don’t think that would be wise, turn to 39
You work out the secret. Once you arrange them correctly, the display goes blank and a blue light snaps on with a buzzing sound. You try to step back, but find yourself immobilised in some kind of force-field. The next layer of the inside of the sphere slides away, revealing a face-shaped depression at your head-height. You are suddenly sucked forwards and adhered to the inner surface of the mysterious sphere. You face fills the depression, and needles suddenly pierce your skull. You try to scream, but you realise you haven’t even been breathing.
Struggling for breath, you feel yourself rapidly slipping in the blackness, you entire body tingling with pins and needles…
…You sit bolt upright, and clamp you hands to your ears. Something is screaming, the ground is shaking. Panicked, you look about and then see a metallic hull pass overhead. It is the rescue ship! But it is not falling; it is flying in, looking for a place to land. It moves off to the west to a plane of shattered stones, and you quickly climb to your feet. You are saved!
How did they avoid the beams? That is not the only question you have. Glancing back over your shoulder you look at the sphere. What happened to you? You feel ok. In fact you feel kinda good. Your own thoughts provide no answer, and you hasten down the side of the mound. You see the other survivors streaming out of the ships’ graveyard, dashing jubilantly into the pounding heat.
There will be time to solve the mystery later. For now, you are happy to escape, and hurry onwards to the rescue ship.
You odd experience has not been without consequence. You may increase your initial SKILL by 1 point. All your attributes can be brought up to their initial levels.
Also add the Codeword: SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENED TO ME to your Adventure Sheet.
Turn to 170
You sleep fitfully, huddling around an imaginary ball of warmth held against your gut. You sleep fitfully, as the wind seems to deaden, the air within the chamber becoming still.
Finally, you awake for the final time and find that things are very different. It is bearable in the chamber now, the faintest reflection of sunlight emanating down from a wide vent in the ceiling. The entrance is dark and you rouse yourself to investigate. Your body aches, and you stretch out your discomfort as you walk over to the entrance. The wind has blown the sand inside until the tunnel is filled in. It is probably what saved your life, but now you are trapped.
Still, the joy of surviving means your spirits cannot be dampened. You turn your attention to investigating the chamber and trying to discern its purpose. Sand covers the floor, but the walls are intact and you can see some sort of bowl-shaped protrusion jutting out from each wall. Grit sticks to the interior of the depressions, and by scraping your finger through it you feel and then smell oil. Some kind of lighting then.
It seems almost certain that the chamber in the base of the statues had a ceremonial purpose. You can only conclude that there was once something here that has since been stolen.
You don’t know what time it is, but decide it is a good idea to escape before the heat of the day. It might be possible to dig your way out through the entrance, but you have no idea how much sand is piled over the front of the statue. The sand will collapse as you dig and you will have to put it somewhere. You have only your hands, and digging through the sand could be a tiring, time-consuming and ultimately futile task.
The vent above offers little more hope. The light coming down indicates there might be a way out up there, but the vent is only a little wider than your shoulders, and the faint square of light at the top seems several galactic yards above. Even getting into the vent will not be easy. You can reach the ceiling with your hands, but the inside of the vent is slick and offers no purchase.
If you want to try to dig your way out of the front of the statue, test your LUCK by rolling 3 dice.
If you are Lucky, turn to 2
If you are Unlucky, turn to 42
Alternatively, to try and climb the vent, test your STAMINA by rolling 4 dice.
If you are Strong, turn to 7
If you are Weak, turn to 36
The narrow passage rises steeply, but thankfully widens and flattens out before your legs get too weary. The tunnel goes on, and the luminous moss begins to disappear as the air starts to smell dusty and a different light source fills the shadows ahead.
You come into the bottom of a shaft, which soars hundreds of galactic feet upwards, a tiny patch of daylight at the top. With your sight accustomed to moss-light, even this tiny ember of the outside world is enough to make your eyes hurt, and you look away. At first you think you have reached a dead end, but then you see a small cleft.
You are obliged to crawl inside into the darkness. On your hands and knees for some time, light eventually appears ahead and the tunnel leads you to a shelf that juts out over a larger passage. You crawl over the ledge and drop down to the moss-lit passage.
You look to the right and to the left, seeing two identical passages winding onwards.
To go to the right, turn to 57
To go to the left, turn to 35
You try various combinations, but can’t figure it out. By the time you give up, it is getting dark and cold. The relief of the evening from the oppressive heat of the day is short-lived, as the chill starts to make you shiver and the promise of a bitter night is in the air. So you hasten back through the fading light to the camp in the midst of the graveyard of ships.
You find the other survivors are already huddled together around a large fire, fed with pieces of wooden furniture. You count yourself fortunate that this was a luxury passenger ship; otherwise there might have been no fine furniture to burn.
Silently, you join them. Someone hands you a blanket and an energy bar from the emergency supplies in the escape pods. You chew thoughtfully on the tough but nutritious meal.
As the wind promised, it soon turns bitterly cold. But with fire and body-warmth, you survive the night. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 18
To explore to the South, turn to 63
To explore to the East, turn to 44
To explore to the West, turn to 77
To explore the graveyard, turn to 3
After searching about, you see a large gap between some of the fallen stones and stoop to move inside. Initially, it is even hotter inside, but the opening continues into the pile of rubble and you find a place to wedge yourself into the depths.
You doze several times, and eventually it cools enough for you to emerge. In the cool of the late afternoon you explore more of the shattered city. When you feel the first chilling wind blowing out of the growing darkness in the east you decide it is time to be going back.
Putting the sinking sun at your back, you begin to make your way through the rubble-filled streets. You have not gone far when you come upon something startling. Amidst a number of blast craters filled in with red dust you can see something metal poking out. Curiously you go over to it and tug on it. It gives and comes free, proving to be only as long as your forearm and perhaps five galactic inches in diameter.
It has fins on the back, and you freeze as you realise you are holding an unexploded munition. You cannot read the words on the side, but recognise the dominant Amorphonon lettering. The Amorphonons were responsible for this destruction?
Whether or not the munition is stable now, you don’t know. It would probably be best to leave it here. Of course that would mean you have nothing to show for your exploring. You can take the unexploded munition with you if you like.
Heading back to the ships’ graveyard, the cold rapidly descends as the heat of the day slips from the grip of the rocks and sand. You are shivering by the time you reach the camp. The other survivors are already huddled together around a large fire, fed with pieces of wooden furniture. You count yourself fortunate that this was a luxury passenger ship; otherwise there might have been no fine furniture to burn.
Silently, you join them. Someone hands you a blanket and an energy bar from the emergency supplies in the escape pods. You chew thoughtfully on the tough but nutritious meal.
As the wind promised, it soon turns bitterly cold. But with fire and body-warmth, you will survive the night. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 18
To explore to the South, turn to 63
To explore to the East, turn to 44
To explore to the West, turn to 77
To explore the graveyard, turn to 3
You press the red button and the interior of the cabinet light up with crimson light, making the translucent goo look like ruby. You kick the stone holding the door aside and step inside. The goo shifts to enclose you snugly. The door closes, and you are encased in glowing red goo. Small tubes feed oxygen into your nostrils, and the machine starts to hum.
The good starts to vibrate and you feel a sensation not unlike electrocution. It increases in intensity, eventually becoming painful. You start to scream, but then it is over. The humming stops and the light shuts off, leaving you in darkness. The door then cracks open and you fling it open, collapsing out onto the floor.
An angry spacerat starts squeaking at you, and you climb to your feet, raising your hands in apology. You leave the room and pause to check yourself. You seem unchanged, except...you feel stronger. Making you way back to the main cavern you return to the couch with the black boxes and lie down to go to sleep...
…You awake in the morning, and are given another bowl of moss and fungus soup. As you eat breakfast, Sisyphus asks what you are going to do with your day.
“Before it gets too hot I will probably explore,” you say.
“Do you plan to go to the mound?”
Recalling the slightly raised land to the north, you shrug. “I’ll probably go there sometime.”
“Ok,” Sisyphus says.
“Why do you ask?”
“Oh, just curious.”
The black-box’s brevity is concealing something. “Should I go up there, or not?”
“It’s up to you…” Sisyphus evades.
“Come on! What are you hiding?”
Sisyphus is silent for a few seconds, and you can almost sense the intense bursts of machine code passing between the black-boxes. “Well, I will tell you something. You seemed very curious about what this place is about. There is one thing that might give you a clue. Up on the mound there is a machine that the people who lived here built. It activates whenever a ship is dragged down. It probably has the answers but it might not be a good idea to investigate too closely.”
“What sort of machine?”
“It won’t tell us. Not much of a conversationalist. It learnt galactic standard off us, then ignored us for the next 599 years.”
“So you don’t know anything about it?”
“Well…there’s what we know, and then there’s what we have observed…”
“How much can you observe from in here?” you ask.
“Lots. Plus we asked the space-rats to investigate for us. If you really want to open the machine, I will give you a clue. I’m not going to tell you outright, because I believe if you know how to open the machine you will just go and do it because you can. So while you are trying to figure it out, you can also think about whether you should open the machine at all, ok?”
“Ok…” you agree.
“You clue is… 15.”
“What?”
“That’s your clue… the number 15…”
“Ok… do you have a second clue?” you ask hopefully.
“You haven’t even seen the machine yet!” Sisyphus replies. “What I’ve told you is very helpful. It’s the key.”
You say farewell to the black-boxes, then the space-rats, and make your way back up the tunnel. Stars are still visible in the rapidly lightening sky, the tops of the east-facing dunes crested with golden light.
You make your way back through the deserts and eventually find your way to the camp. You tell the others about the community of space-rats, but they don’t seem interested. Even the captain just shrugs. “I can report it. Maybe someone will want to come here and study them. But we’re getting out of here in two days.”
You collect your morning ration of water and an energy bar. The food and water is strictly controlled by the captain and the crew. How much food there is they keep to themselves, and you wonder if they are rationing for just three days, or perhaps longer…
Before the heat of the day gets too intense, you contemplate exploring.
Because of your experience in the strange machine, you can increase your initial STAMINA by 2 points.
To explore to the North, turn to 18
To explore to the South, turn to 63
To explore to the East, turn to 44
To explore to the West, turn to 77
To explore the graveyard, turn to 3
The ships’ graveyard is in a kind of depression, filled with sand and red dust and pulverised metal. Fragments of some item crunch under you feet every few steps like seashells on the shore of some malevolent and ravenous sea. You tend northwards where there is a low mound of black stone. A great pyramid is built on top, but your explorations lead you instead into a kind of open-air chamber cut into the front of the mound. Seeing the regular courses that have been cut away, you guess this was a quarry.
Soon the fragments of shattered vessels are gone from underfoot and you are in the midst of the chamber. It is barren and filled only with rubble, but you do see several openings in the rock face. Perhaps they were mine shafts. There are several and you choose one at random to investigate.
You venture inside, wary in case some creature has made a lair of the mine. You encounter no danger, just an acrid smell, going on until the darkness becomes impenetrable. Having no wish to explore in the darkness, you turn away, and glimpse something glowing in the periphery of your vision. But when you peer into the darkness directly, you cannot see it.
Turning your head sideways, you see it again, and inch forward in the darkness, feeling the way with your feet. The sand underfoot soon gives way to uneven rock and the walls become uneven, smoothed by water that has long since ceased to flow. You realise this is no mine.
You have only gone a few galactic yards when discover you can see the light ahead directly. As you move further inside the cave, the light grows stronger. Eventually you find what is causing it. A kind of moss grows over some of the rocks, tiny luminous flowers extending upwards. There are tiny particles swirling in the gentle light of the flowers, and on closer inspection you see they are miniscule moths. Many of them are stuck on the flowers, which appears to exude some sticky substance.
Fascinated by this tiny ecosystem, you watch the scene of enchantment and death for some time. The cave ahead is filled with the luminous moss, and you proceed onwards, the soft light sufficient to avoid complete darkness.
The tunnel winds back and forth, then comes to a point where a wide passage slopes down to the right and a narrowed passage leads upwards to the left.
Which way?
To go right, turn to 31
To go left, turn to 11
Trudging over the sand towards the serpent-bearing statue you feel the heat beating down on you. However, you are not concerned. There is plentiful shelter provided by the statues.
You enter the relief of the cool darkness of the tunnel and discover another ruined chamber. This time, the whole back wall has fallen in, exposing the interior, which is filled with clay. Picking up a few of the fallen stones, you are able to build a mound under the chute and climb up into it.
Slowly, you work your way upwards. Eventually you pull yourself out and roll to safety. You climb to your feet, seeing that you are in another beehive-shaped chamber, but this time there is a short tunnel leading to another smaller room.
The outer room is furnished like someone’s living quarters. The someone who previously did the said living is probably the skeletal remains that lie across the entrance to the other chamber.
Stepping over the skeleton into the smaller chamber, you find it is completely empty except for a golden orb. You pick it up to examine closely. It has a socket built into each side as if it is meant to join two other items.
You decide to keep it. Further searching of the main chamber reveals nothing except a door sealed with flaked clay. You tear the clay free and shove the door open. A warm breeze blows in onto your face. You are outside again, standing on the lap of the statue.
You work your way to the ground and move on, seeing two statues nearby. One has the head of a bird instead of a humanoid. The other is a woman with a floral crown.
Which will you investigate?
The bird-head? Turn to 64
The flower-queen? Turn to 87
You press the blue button and the interior of the cabinet light up with electric light, making the translucent goo look like sapphire. You kick the stone holding the door aside and step inside. The goo shifts to enclose you snugly. The door closes, and you are encased in glowing blue goo. Small tubes feed oxygen into your nostrils, and the machine starts to hum.
The good starts to vibrate and you feel a sensation not unlike electrocution. It increases in intensity, eventually becoming painful. You start to scream, but then it is over. The humming stops and the light shuts off, leaving you in darkness. The door then cracks open and you fling it open, collapsing out onto the floor.
An angry spacerat starts squeaking at you, and you climb to your feet, raising your hands in apology. You leave the room and pause to check yourself. You seem unchanged, except...you feel more dexterous. Making you way back to the main cavern you return to the couch with the black boxes and lie down to go to sleep...
…You awake in the morning, and are given another bowl of moss and fungus soup. As you eat breakfast, Sisyphus asks what you are going to do with your day.
“Before it gets too hot I will probably explore,” you say.
“Do you plan to go to the mound?”
Recalling the slightly raised land to the north, you shrug. “I’ll probably go there sometime.”
“Ok,” Sisyphus says.
“Why do you ask?”
“Oh, just curious.”
The black-box’s brevity is concealing something. “Should I go up there, or not?”
“It’s up to you…” Sisyphus evades.
“Come on! What are you hiding?”
Sisyphus is silent for a few seconds, and you can almost sense the intense bursts of machine code passing between the black-boxes. “Well, I will tell you something. You seemed very curious about what this place is about. There is one thing that might give you a clue. Up on the mound there is a machine that the people who lived here built. It activates whenever a ship is dragged down. It probably has the answers but it might not be a good idea to investigate too closely.”
“What sort of machine?”
“It won’t tell us. Not much of a conversationalist. It learnt galactic standard off us, then ignored us for the next 599 years.”
“So you don’t know anything about it?”
“Well…there’s what we know, and then there’s what we have observed…”
“How much can you observe from in here?” you ask.
“Lots. Plus we asked the space-rats to investigate for us. If you really want to open the machine, I will give you a clue. I’m not going to tell you outright, because I believe if you know how to open the machine you will just go and do it because you can. So while you are trying to figure it out, you can also think about whether you should open the machine at all, ok?”
“Ok…” you agree.
“You clue is… 15.”
“What?”
“That’s your clue… the number 15…”
“Ok… do you have a second clue?” you ask hopefully.
“You haven’t even seen the machine yet!” Sisyphus replies. “What I’ve told you is very helpful. It’s the key.”
You say farewell to the black-boxes, then the space-rats, and make your way back up the tunnel. Stars are still visible in the rapidly lightening sky, the tops of the east-facing dunes crested with golden light.
You make your way back through the deserts and eventually find your way to the camp. You tell the others about the community of space-rats, but they don’t seem interested. Even the captain just shrugs. “I can report it. Maybe someone will want to come here and study them. But we’re getting out of here in two days.”
You collect your morning ration of water and an energy bar. The food and water is strictly controlled by the captain and the crew. How much food there is they keep to themselves, and you wonder if they are rationing for just three days, or perhaps longer…
Before the heat of the day gets too intense, you contemplate exploring.
Because of your experience in the strange machine, you can increase your initial SKILL by 1 point.
To explore to the North, turn to 18
To explore to the South, turn to 63
To explore to the East, turn to 44
To explore to the West, turn to 77
To explore the graveyard, turn to 3
Deciding to go north, you set off through the ships’ graveyard. You veer to the side as you go, in order to meet one of the slopes which lead to the top of the low mound that fills the northern part of your world.
The mound is hundreds of Galactic feet across, but not so many high. You climb the gentle incline of glassy black rock, overlooking the part of the ships’ graveyard that cuts into where the front of the mound would be, crags overlooking the red-grey sand within the cavity.
You reach the flattened top of the mound where a courtyard has been formed by small wind-eroded statues marking the bounds of a space where imaginary flagstones have been formed by grooves cut in the rock. Red sand is scattered all over and crunches underfoot as you wander out to investigate.
The square is dominated by the pyramid, which rises high over it. The only other thing present is a large black sphere about six galactic feet in diameter.
If you have the codeword SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENED TO ME on your adventure sheet, turn to 99
Otherwise:
To examine the sphere, turn to 53
To examine the pyramid, turn to 99
“…yes…” you say.
“Then praise to you. Has the time come at long last? Is my purpose to be fulfilled?”
“Well…”
“…yes! Now is the time!” Turn to 41
“…not just yet. It’s a little early.” Turn to 83
You go through the door and enter a short passage that has alcoves lining both sides. What the purpose of the alcoves was remains beyond your understanding, as they are now filled with stacks of crates marked with the intergalactic symbol for radioactivity.
Respecting the inverse square law, you hasten along. The last alcove also has a large crate in it, but this one is not marked with radioactivity warnings. You eagerly open it and peer inside. It is full of small rectangles of some slightly coarse material, usually white. You pick one up. They appear to be flat bundles, an outer layer adhered to itself with folded layers inside.
There is writing on both sides in Arachnonan, plus a stamped red symbol that appears to have been added later. You search through the crate, finding a few of the objects with Galactic Standard written on them. They are names and addresses. You tear one open, unfolding the layers inside. You read and finally understand. They are emails! Except someone has written all the words down on the sheets of coarse material. How odd! But why are the letters here? Contemplating the red mark on the front, you guess that perhaps they couldn’t be delivered.
You search through the crate…
Test your LUCK
If you are Lucky, turn to 59
If you are Unlucky, turn to 86
…slowly you awake. Under bright lights you find yourself on a soft white bed. Remembering the mad robot, you sit bolt upright in alarm and check yourself. You are naked and covered in dried blood, but seem unharmed. If the blood is your own, you find no wound.
“Have you awakened to glory?” the voice of the robot says from nearby.
You turn to see it, and take in as well the blood-drenched operating table. Scattered on it are some bloody human bones. Enough to make a skeleton without the skull.
“What did you do?” you ask in horror.
“Ah, still the primitive mind holds sway. Yet you found your way here. You told me you were blessed. Can it be you are a primitive who has merely stumbled upon this place and then lied to me?”
“What did you do?” you ask.
“Perhaps it is so,” the robot says. “And my time has not come. But fear not. What I have done cannot be undone, nor would I kill you. Even if you have not been blessed, you may still be so, and I have shown that my craft is true. For you live and are well.”
“What did you do?” you ask again. “Are they my bones?”
“Shall I instruct the blessed? Or shall I waste words upon a primitive? I cannot know. Yes, I have removed the inferior skeleton from the primitive flesh.”
You feel your body, but it seems the same as before. You can feel your bones. “But…there is something there…I can move.”
“Indeed. It is the truth of my craft. Stand! Walk! You will find you are restored and very much changed.”
You do as you are told and find you are the same as before, although you feel more agile, stronger. “You replaced my skeleton with something?”
“With bones of steel and crystal, fashioning for you the body I could not perfect for myself in time. Hence this crude instrument.”
The robot gestures to itself, and you realise it must be some kind of cyborg. “Why did you do this?”
“Either you know or you are not to know,” the cyborg says. “I must return to my rest. Go now while you may and question me no further.”
It leaves the surgery and goes back to stand in the centre of the outer room. Your clothes are gone, but another set of clothes have been laid out. Black coveralls with a long ornate robe of red and gold to be worn over the top. You ignore the coat and pull on the coveralls and some boots.
As soon as you leave the surgery, the steel panel slides back into place, concealing it. The cyborg powers down and you are left alone in the silence. You explore the rest of the chamber, but find nothing except a narrow stairway leading up out of the room. You take this and soon come to another door. It opens as you near and a blast of cold air chills you to your new bones. You emerge from the base of the pyramid you saw earlier. The door closes behind you and you see no trace of the opening.
You are surprised to see the sun descending in the west and hurry back towards the camp. It quickly grows cold as the sun disappears. You find the other survivors are already huddled together around the fire. Silently, you collect your evening ration of water and energy bar and join the huddle around the fire.
As the wind promised, it soon turns bitterly cold. But with fire and body-warmth, you will survive the night. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
Your strange surgery has not been without consequence. You are now blessed with greater physical fortitude and strength. You may increase your initial STAMINA by 4 and bring your current STAMINA up to this new level. However, you are also something a little less than human now. Reduce your initial LUCK by 2.
To explore to the North, turn to 18
To explore to the South, turn to 63
To explore to the East, turn to 44
To explore to the West, turn to 77
To explore the graveyard, turn to 3
Disappointed, you turn away and start back to the camp. It rapidly grows cold, the wind knifing into your flesh despite your clothing. You realise you have made the right decision by turning back.
You are shivering by the time you reach the camp in the ships’ graveyard. You find the other survivors are already huddled together around a large fire, fed with pieces of wooden furniture. You count yourself fortunate that this was a luxury passenger ship; otherwise there might have been no fine furniture to burn.
Silently, you join them. Someone hands you a blanket and an energy bar from the emergency supplies in the escape pods. You chew thoughtfully on the tough but nutritious meal.
As the wind promised, it soon turns bitterly cold. But with fire and body-warmth, you will survive the night. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 18
To explore to the South, turn to 63
To explore to the East, turn to 44
To explore to the West, turn to 77
To explore the graveyard, turn to 3
It seems you cannot escape. You lie down again in defeat. It is warm now from the heat outside, although the statue provides good protection. Still, after your night of poor sleep it is easy to drop off again.
You sleep for a long time, only to be roused by a breeze on your face. Waking up, you are surprised and delighted to see that the tunnel is open again! The wind has done its work, blowing the sand away as you slept. With renewed hope you clamber through the sand in the tunnel and out into the dying afternoon.
You have lost a day but preserved your life; definitely a good exchange! You make your way towards the setting sun and eventually reach the ships’ graveyard and the camp.
“Where have you been?” asks one of the crew.
“Got trapped in one of the statues,” you explain. “Is there any water or food?”
You are issued your rations for two days and devour them hungrily, washing it down with your allotted water. No one seems overly curious about what happened to you; instead, those that do not ignore you eye you resentfully for your double rations, even though you are eating and drinking no more than they have had already.
A fire is built up for the night using pieces of wooden furniture. Imprisoned by the howling cold, you can do nothing but watch the fire or sleep. Eventually the morning comes and once the chill of the night is gone you line up to receive your water and energy bar.
“The rescue ship should come later today,” the captain announces with a forced smile. No one celebrates this news. How will the rescue ship avoid the fate of your own ship?
Once you have finished eating your energy bar, you contemplate what to do with your day.
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
You work out that every row of three numbers vertically, horizontally and diagonally equals the same number. Once you arrange them correctly, the display goes blank and a blue light snaps on with a buzzing sound. You try to step back, but find yourself immobilised in some kind of force-field. The next layer of the inside of the sphere slides away, revealing a face-shaped depression at your head-height. You are suddenly sucked forwards and adhered to the inner surface of the mysterious sphere. You face fills the depression and needles suddenly pierce your skull. You try to scream, but you realise you haven’t even been breathing.
Struggling for breath, you feel yourself rapidly slipping in the blackness, you entire body tingling with pins and needles…
…You sit bolt upright, staring into the darkness of a frozen black land under a clear sky scattered with thousands of stars like diamonds on velvet. You shiver. It is so cold! You don’t know where you are or what has happened, but right now your concern is to find warmth and shelter.
You stagger off through the night while the wind knifes into your body, blowing sand into your eyes and mouth. You remember the survivors’ camp and catch a distant glimpse of an orange glow. Taking that as your beacon, you stumble through the night and eventually arrive.
The other survivors immediately gather you in as you appear in the firelight, pushing you to the fireside and putting a blanket around your shoulders.
“What were you doing? It’s death out there!” growls the captain. Your jaw is chattering so much you can’t answer, and he turns away. The fire quickly warms you and someone hands you an energy bar from the emergency supplies in the escape pods. You chew thoughtfully on the tough but nutritious meal as you wonder what happened.
You solved the puzzle. But instead of treasure of some sort, something happened to you. Not that you feel bad. In fact, you feel stronger than ever, and seem to possess clarity of mind like you have never had before. Soon the others are settling to sleep, all huddled together for warmth, and you lie down as well.
The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
Your odd experience has not been without consequence. You may increase your initial SKILL by 1 point. All your attributes can be brought up to their initial levels.
Also add the Codeword SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENED TO ME to your Adventure Sheet.
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
You decide to head south, and wander into the dune-swept desert. The land rises and falls in amber waves, like a rolling ocean in the dusk, frozen in a moment of serenity. It is hard going through the sand and you soon wonder if you have chosen the most boring direction to explore.
But not too much later you see some ruins poking through the gold-washed sand, black stone glistening in the dying light. The small structures offer nothing of interest, but it is enough to make you go on. You are soon glad that you have persevered, as you come upon one of the escape pods from the passenger vessel. It looks like a giant barrel, made of heavy, reinforced metal. The parachute that brought it to rest is gone and all the compartments have been opened, the survival equipment removed.
Still, you search it. You are surprised to see even the seats are absent, although you can’t recall seeing them in the camp. Basically, everything that can be unfastened and taken away has been. Could there be someone else here on the planet?
You leave the pod and keep walking. You decide to make for the top of a particularly high dune and struggle up the shadowed side, the sand falling away from your feet. As you near the top, some instinct, perhaps a frail hope that you are not alone in this land, makes you lie down and snake your way to the crest.
You have gained some vantage, and can see several other pods. You don’t know how many pods were launched, but what you can see is about right given the number of survivors.
You watch, and eventually catch sight of movement around one pod that is half-hidden behind another ochre dune. Life! Perhaps not intelligent life, but you scramble back down the dune in excitement.
You expect whomever, whatever it is to be wary of strangers, so you plan to sneak up on them until you can pounce and introduce yourself. You commence creeping…
If you played Episode 5: Contractual Obligation, turn to 5
Otherwise, turn to 34
You stagger down the dune and through the stinging sand. You go on, struggling against the howling air and its tiny missiles as the heat starts to beat down from above with increasing ferocity.
About half an hour later you begin to question what you thought you saw. Perhaps it wasn’t even real. You have no idea how close you are. You may even have missed it in the shifting landscape and dirty air.
Do you still want to go on? Turn to 52
To go back, turn to 71
You lay your hand against the glass panel. A bar of light scans it and the large sphere starts to hum softly. After a minute, part of the side of the sphere you are facing slides away to reveal a large screen, on which is an image of an 3 by 3 grid with a 2 in the upper right corner and a 1 in the centre square of the bottom row. Underneath there is a line of numbers from 3 to 9 in sequence. The numbers are written in Galactic Standard. This mystifies you briefly, but you contemplate the screen before you. After some experimentation, it seems the screen is a puzzle. Pressing one of the numbers at the bottom, then one of the vacant spaces in the grid, will make the selected number appear in that space.
You fill up the spaces, but everything then flashes red and the numbers reappear in their original positions. A specific combination is needed.
If you want to try a combination, then put your numbers together side by side in your chosen order as you would fill out the vacant squares, row by row, from the upper left to the lower right square. For example, if you wanted to put 4, then 7, then 9 across the top row; 5, 6, and 8 across the middle row, then 1, 3 and 2 across the bottom, your answer would be: 479,568,132.
Divide your answer by 13,306,968 and turn to the reference thus indicated. If the reference makes no sense, then you have entered the wrong combination. If you can’t understand these instructions, then you have also entered the wrong combination.
(fightingfantasy.org editors note: please refer to illustration)
If you fail, turn to 12
After searching about, you see a large gap between some of the fallen stones and stoop to move inside. Initially, it is even hotter inside, but the opening continues into the pile of rubble and you find a place to wedge yourself into the depths.
You appear to be inside a residence of some sort. The decayed side of a crushed box is in your way and you pull out the remains of several items that were once toys. A doll’s leg, a rubber ball that splits in your hand. One item is intact, and you pull it out. It is some kind of slider puzzle made from plastic. It has eight tiles that can slide up, down and across on a three by three board. The tiles have all of the numbers from 1 to 9 on them, except for the number 5, which is inscribed in the backboard in the centre position. It seems the puzzle is to arrange the numbers somehow. After playing with it for a while you manage to arrange the numbers in order, the 5 fitting into the sequence perfectly. But you have no idea if that is the solution or not.
You doze several times, and eventually it cools enough for you to emerge. In the cool of the late afternoon you explore more of the shattered city. When you feel the first chilling wind blowing out of the growing darkness in the east you decide it is time to be going back. You take the slider puzzle with you.
Putting the sinking sun at your back, you begin to make your way through the rubble-filled streets. You have not gone far when you come upon something startling. Amidst a number of blast craters filled in with red dust you can see something metal poking out. Curiously you go over to it and tug on it. It gives and comes free, proving to be only as long as your forearm and perhaps five galactic inches in diameter.
It has fins on the back, and you freeze as you realise you are holding an unexploded munition. You cannot read the words on the side, but recognise the dominant Amorphonon lettering. The Amorphonons were responsible for this destruction?
Whether or not the munition is stable now, you don’t know. It would probably be best to leave it here. Of course that would mean you have only a slider puzzle to show for your exploring. You can take the unexploded munition with you if you like.
Heading back to the ships’ graveyard, the cold rapidly descends as the heat of the day slips from the grip of the rocks and sand. You are shivering by the time you reach the camp. The other survivors are already huddled together around a large fire, fed with pieces of wooden furniture. You count yourself fortunate that this was a luxury passenger ship; otherwise there might have been no fine furniture to burn.
Silently, you join them. Someone hands you a blanket and an energy bar from the emergency supplies in the escape pods. You chew thoughtfully on the tough but nutritious meal.
As the wind promised, it soon turns bitterly cold. But with fire and body-warmth, you will survive the night. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 18
To explore to the South, turn to 63
To explore to the East, turn to 44
To explore to the West, turn to 77
To explore the graveyard, turn to 3
You walk back to the mansion, passing the crowds of young men who watch you, muttering and laughing. You go up to the gate where a large security-bot is standing guard. Its extension modules don’t end in grasping modules, but rather it has ‘hands’ that feature three long ‘fingers’; each finger the end of a Blast Rod. Its fingertips start to blaze at you approach.
“Hello, I want to get inside. I’ll pay you to let me in.”
“Entry is denied! Leave the vicinity!”
“There must be something you want,” you say. “I’m loaded, I can afford anything.”
“I am authorised to use lethal force!” It says, raising a crackling finger in warning.
“Aren’t you programmed to receive guests?” you say.
This gives the robot pause. “I am. But guests have invitations, have you an invitation?”
“I’m not here to visit whoever lives here. I’m here to visit you.”
The robot contemplates this for some time. “We are not friends.”
“No, but I can see what an excellent job you are doing, so I wanted to get to know you,” you explain.
“Well, I am operating at peak efficiency,” the robot concedes.
“In fact, I am so impressed I would like to purchase you.”
“I’m not for sale,” the robot counters.
“No, but I can still make an offer. What is your current market value?”
The robot pauses as it goes online. “120,000 GR”
“How about I buy you for 240,000 GR!” you say.
“I will relay your offer to my owner,” it says.
“There’s no need for that,” you say. Consult your logic circuits. Why would your owner refuse to sell you for twice your market value? He can then buy two more units.”
“Humans don’t always act logically,” the robot point out.
“True, but humans are often greedy...”
The robot processes this. “Perhaps I have sentimental value...”
“Does your owner ever talk to you, come and admire you, show you off to friends?”
“Never,” the robot responds.
“So you are just a commodity to him. Therefore, two would be better than one.”
“I agree.”
“Excellent!” You take out your cash card and sign over 240,000 GR, giving it to the robot. “Now you belong to me, so give that to your former owner next time you see them.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now let me in, and continue to guard here until your two replacements arrive.”
“Yes, sir.”
The gate behind you whirrs and opens a few galactic feet to let you enter. You turn and flash a grin to the gaping crowd as you walk in. Cameras snap photos, and you quickly hide your face as you hurry in. You walk along the path towards the mansion, watching the dog-bots patrolling the lawns and gardens. While you are on the path they seem to ignore you.
Reaching the door to the mansion, you open the front door and walk inside. You feel a nervous excitement as you see the pearly white walls and the oval-shaped portals that you recognise from the background of an exclusive interview Umumoolamatoo granted to Lime magazine. The house is silent and you make you way up a curved staircase to the next level. You hear someone humming a tune and follow the melodious sound. Reaching an oval portal, you peek around the edge. There she is! Umumoolamatoo is lying on a couch with nothing but a towel over her butt while an Arachnonan woman is massaging her long back. It is the spider woman who is humming. She isn’t bad either, having a humanoid face with red eyes and long black hair. Her spider part is a black widow. But it is Umumoolamatoo who captivates you. She must be eight feet tall, her six large breasts like a mattress under her torso as she lies with her arms folded on a pillow, chin propped on arms as she dozes. Such long elegant limbs, her shining back hair cascading around her in shimmering waves.
Suddenly the spider woman see you. “Sorry, Madame. I will have to pause for a moment.”
You see the spider woman pull out an energy whip, but you are frozen to the spot when Umumoolamatoo opens her sapphire eyes and looks at you.
The crackling buzz of the energy whip manages to divert your attention, and you barely manage to duck below the crack of the whip. You retreat back into the hall, the spider woman scurrying after you rapidly. You hold up your hands, speaking to the spider woman. “Wait! Do you have any references?”
This makes the spider woman pause. “What?!?”
“I’m very impressed with you and want to hire you as my masseuse and body guard.”
“I’m already employed,” she says.
“I’ll make you a better offer. What are you paid now?”
“1,000 GR a day,” she tells you.
“I’ll pay you 2,000 a day, with a 1,000 GR bonus if you can start right now.”
“If I accept your offer, what are you going to do to Umumoolamatoo?”
“I just want to talk to her,” you say.
“Ok.” She turns off the whip and shakes your hand. “Now give me the money or I quit.”
You sign over 1000 GR, and the spider woman bows to you. “Master, how can I serve?”
“Can you...go back to massaging her?” you ask.
“Sure.” She walks back into the room and you follow.
“Kallapdia?” Umumoolamatoo asks. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t work for you anymore. My new boss want to talk to you.” She resumes massaging the long luscious back of the uber-hottie.
You walk in and smile at the galaxy-famous supermodel. “Hello.”
“What do you want?”
“I’m your biggest fan! I was wondering if you would be willing to...”
Suddenly you are falling, the light of the world vanishing above as you are compressed through a passage and excreted out onto a soft grassy lawn. You climb to your feet in time to see the platypus shrinking back to normal size as it turns round to face you.
“You didn’t...” you begin.
“It has to work this way,” the platypus defends. “I hope you made the right choice and know what to do when the time comes.”
“I don’t even know why I was on Earth!” you protest. “What was I there to do?”
“You don’t need to know that. That’s not the critical part.”
“But...”
“Wake up!”
You are suddenly jerked awake in the freezing night, the people pressed each side of you stirring as you jolt. You lie back, pondering what you experienced of your future before you slowly slip back into sleep once more. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you decide to do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
You take out the golden blade and the orb. The three pieces do seem to lock together, so you assemble the pieces into a golden sword. The weapon is heavy and blunt, and seems impractical. But there is what seems to be a button on the handle. Of course, just because there is a button there doesn’t mean you have to press it. It’s unlabeled after all, so how can you make an informed decision? For all you know you could be giving away your power of attorney to some heartless weapon-manufacturing consortium. Still, pressing buttons is the most effective means of determining what they are for. You press the button.
The edges of the blade suddenly begin to emit a wavy aura of reddish energy. Curious as to the properties of this weapon, you put a mostly intact chest up on its end and chop at it. The blade sheers through easily! This will come in very handy if you encounter any enemies in this barren unpopulated wasteland.
You locate the doorway and cut it open. Feeling the hot air wash over you, you suddenly feel tired. All this climbing has taken what little energy you have. You decide to rest, snoozing occasionally, until the heat of the day starts to drop. Eventually a chill wind blows down the entrance, waking you from your slumber. Time to be moving. You climb down from the statue and make your way through the fading afternoon. The relief from the oppressive heat of the day is short-lived, as the chill starts to make you shiver and the promise of a bitter night is in the air.
You find the other survivors are already huddled together around the large fire. You get your evening rations and wrap a blanket around your shoulders before joining them
As the wind promised, it soon turns bitterly cold. But with fire and body-warmth, you will survive the night. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
The Golden Sword is like a Maim-blade. If you use it in battle, it inflicts 6 points of damage and permanently reduces your opponent’s SKILL by 1 with each round won
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
The passage leads to a low-ceilinged cavern that is floored with a wide basin. You hope to find water in the darkness at the centre, but there is only mud, which cakes your boots. Still, it is a sign that water has not departed the surface completely. Keeping to the edge, you are forced to step on some of the glowing moss to keep out of the mud. You reach the far side and find a narrow tunnel that continues for some time.
After about a minute of scraping along through twists and turns, there is a sudden opening to one side, and a larger, well-lit tunnel descends like a gallery deeper into the planet. The narrow tunnel continues on as well.
If you want to continue in the narrow tunnel, turn to 93
If you want to go down the gallery, turn to 73
Setting off towards the east, you are aware that you are walking into the coming darkness and so will have the least time of all to explore. You hasten over the stony ground, building up a sweat in the fading heat.
There are several enormous black statues ahead, framed by the emerging twilight. Shadows are slowly draping the surrounding land in an impenetrable cloak of obscurity, while the majestic figures glow ever brighter in the full light of the dusk they face. But such brightness is the last flicker of the life of the day. It soon seems like you are rushing to be trapped in the dark and the cold, without being able to see anything at all.
A short, rocky rise materialises before you, and you slow as you climb to the crest, your heaving chest drawing in air chilled with the promise of a night of bitter cold. Before you, you can see change in the land. It is a great depression stretching almost to the horizon, round like a crater and filled with sand lying in shadow such that is appears like a black lake. The statues rise up out of the dark sand, still shining in the last of the light, and you pause to examine them as best you can.
They are each vaguely humanoid, seated in a throne, and holding a sceptre topped with an annulus, but vary greatly in their dress and features. You count twenty-seven of them. You can perhaps reach the nearest one before night has fully descended. But you will have only the light of the moon to see by.
Perhaps it was a bad idea to come so far with so little time to explore.
If you want to go back, turn to 22
If you are determined to push on, turn to 47
“Yes, I have,” you say smugly.
“Then you are worthy, and all that remains of our power is yours!” The hologram gestures widely, encompassing all and sundry.
“Um… thanks! So…what do I do…?”
“Your duty is naught but to remain free from injury or death. The blessing takes some time to… mature. In time you will know all you need to know. Farewell.”
“Hang on!” you protest, but the beam shuts off and the hologram disappears.
So what now?
Keep attacking the console? Turn to 79
Leave? Turn to 67
You take a roundabout route, trying to remain downwind. But the wind seems to swirl around the dunes, changing direction every time you turn a corner. Eventually, you reach the pod, but there is no one there. However, you can see that someone has been. The sand is churned up, and trails where heavy items have been dragged are marked in the sand. But the trails end after only a few galactic yards.
Even now you can see the wind slowly obscuring the tracks and know you must have only missed the scavengers by a few minutes. You quickly climb to the top of the nearest dune and scan the area.
You see no sign, but feel they must be close. You decide to take a direction at random, and set off as quickly as you can. You hasten through the fading light, exhausting yourself as you clamber over the dunes. As you reach the top of yet another dune and feel the cold wind chill you despite your heated exertions, you know it is time to be going back. The wind contains the chill promise of a very cold night.
Disappointed, you hurry back through the dunes to the Ships’ Graveyard. It is dark and definitely cold by the time you step into the welcome glow of the large fire that has been built in the wreck.
The other survivors are already huddled together around the fire, fed with pieces of wooden furniture. You count yourself fortunate that this was a luxury passenger ship; otherwise there might have been no fine furniture to burn.
Silently, you join them. Someone hands you a blanket and an energy bar from the emergency supplies in the escape pods. You chew thoughtfully on the tough but nutritious meal.
As the wind promised, it soon turns bitterly cold. But with fire and body-warmth, you will survive the night. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 18
To explore to the South, turn to 63
To explore to the East, turn to 44
To explore to the West, turn to 77
To explore the graveyard, turn to 3
The passage leads to a cavern filled with stalactites and stalagmites that have met and formed pillars like a thick forest. You thread your way through and at the far end reach a wide-mouthed tunnel that slopes upwards.
You begin to climb. As you go on and on, several smaller openings break into the tunnel, but none are large enough to admit you. You start to get weary, the monotony of the climb broken only by the bending of the passage.
You stop to rest several times, wondering if you should go back. But a kind of silent mantra is within you, chanting with the beat of your heart… forward… forward…
You go on, and eventually sense a change. The air is lighter and dustier. Soon the moss lighting your way vanishes and the way ahead is dark for many galactic yards. But you can smell the outside now, and soon the climb ends in a cave with light at the end.
After the darkness, the light seems painfully bright, and you walk forward slowly, letting your eyes adjust. With some relief, you escape from the caves, staggering down into the red-grey dust of the quarry.
You are a little surprised to notice that it is late afternoon. You lost all sense of time within the underground. After a brief rest to restore your legs, you set off for the camp.
It starts to rapidly grow cold as the sun disappears. You find the other survivors are already huddled together around the fire. Silently, you collect your evening ration of water and energy bar and join the huddle around the fire.
As the wind promised, it soon turns bitterly cold. But with fire and body-warmth, you will survive the night. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 18
To explore to the South, turn to 63
To explore to the East, turn to 44
To explore to the West, turn to 77
To explore the graveyard, turn to 3
The only thing you have to help you reach the vent is sand, so you scrape the sand on the ground into a mound, revealing part of a tiled floor that radiates from a point directly under the vent. Fortunately, there is no shortage of sand and soon the mound is high enough.
You climb up quickly, the sand falling away under your feet, and leap up, trying to wedge yourself inside the vent. You manage to hang there, pressing against the sides. Slowly, you galactic inch your way up. Your shoulders and arms soon begin to ache. Before you are even halfway in, your strength gives out and you slip back down, crashing onto the mound of sand and scattering it as you tumble off.
You lie on the floor, your breath rasping in your dry throat.
Reduce your STAMINA by 1 for your exertions. If this takes your STAMINA to 6 or less, turn to 23
Otherwise, turn to 48
You work out the secret. Once you arrange them correctly, the display goes blank and a blue light snaps on with a buzzing sound. You try to step back, but find yourself immobilised in some kind of force-field. The next layer of the inside of the sphere slides away, revealing a face-shaped depression at your head-height. You are suddenly sucked forwards and adhered to the inner surface of the mysterious sphere. You face fills the depression, and needles pierce your skull. You try to scream, but you realise you haven’t even been breathing.
Struggling for breath, you feel yourself rapidly slipping in the blackness, you entire body tingling with pins and needles…
…You sit bolt upright, staring into the darkness of a frozen black land, under a clear sky scattered with thousands of stars like diamonds on velvet. You shiver. It is so cold! You don’t know where you are or what has happened, but right now your concern is to find warmth and shelter.
You stagger off through the night while the wind knifes into your body, blowing sand into your eyes and mouth. You remember the survivors’ camp and catch a distant glimpse of an orange glow. Taking that as your beacon, you stumble through the night, eventually arriving.
The other survivors immediately gather you in as you appear in the firelight, pushing you to the fireside and putting a blanket around your shoulders.
“What were you doing? It’s death out there!” growls the captain. Your jaw is chattering so much you can’t answer, and he turns away. The fire quickly warms you and someone hands you an energy bar from the emergency supplies in the escape pods. You chew thoughtfully on the tough but nutritious meal as you wonder what happened.
You solved the puzzle. But instead of treasure of some sort, something happened to you. Not that you feel bad. In fact, you feel stronger than ever, and seem to possess clarity of mind like you have never had before. Soon the others are settling to sleep, all huddled together for warmth, and you lie down as well.
The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
Your odd experience has not been without consequence. You may increase your initial SKILL by 1 point. All your attributes can be brought up to their initial levels.
Also add the Codeword: SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENED TO ME to your Adventure Sheet.
What now?
To explore to the North, turn to 18
To explore to the South, turn to 63
To explore to the East, turn to 44
To explore to the West, turn to 77
To explore the graveyard, turn to 3
The numbness that steals over you is welcome. Once you can feel nothing, the cold is gone, and the memory of warmth is enough to sustain you. The memory of warmth and light. Memories… of times you had forgotten. Happy times when you were a child.
This isn’t real, you think as you clap excitedly at the present your parent-bot hands to you. It says it is from your mother and father. But why aren’t they here? You open the present. Inside there is a pink platypus. You take it out and it glows softly, warmly in your hands. The only heat in the world of freezing cold and biting ice that suddenly surrounds you.
“Am I dying?” you ask it.
“Yes… yes… and yes…” the Trioracle says.
But you are not afraid. Death… feels warm.
YOUR ADVENTURE ENDS HERE
You leave the sphere and turn your attention to the pyramid. Built of large rectangular stones, it is easy to climb and you do so. The sun is very low in the sky by the time you reach the top, and you are afforded a spectacular view of the surrounding land.
You notice that the ships’ graveyard and the surrounding ruins seem to be part of an ancient city. You can see the crumbled remains of the broken walls, straight lines marking out the confines of a great city within which all the ruins stand. You can even see a long depression winding across the land and recognise an ancient riverbed.
What happened to these people? What technology did they possess that could snatch ships out of space, and why did they want to do that? You find no answers as the wind that blows across the top of the pyramid starts to make you feel cold. It is a relief after the heat of the day, but you feel within its chill the promise of a cold night.
You climb down the pyramid once more and hasten back through the fading light to the camp in the midst of the graveyard of ships.
You find the other survivors are already huddled together around a large fire, fed with pieces of wooden furniture. You count yourself fortunate that this was a luxury passenger ship; otherwise there might have been no fine furniture to burn.
Silently, you join them. Someone hands you a blanket and an energy bar from the emergency supplies in the escape pods. You chew thoughtfully on the tough but nutritious meal.
As the wind promised, it soon turns bitterly cold. But with fire and body-warmth, you will survive the night. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 18
To explore to the South, turn to 63
To explore to the East, turn to 44
To explore to the West, turn to 77
To explore the graveyard, turn to 3
The land rises to the north in a glassy black mound. The climb is gentle and you make it to the top in a short time. A broad courtyard covers the top of the mound, the pyramid that is visible even from the graveyard below built in the centre.
The courtyard is empty apart from a large black sphere about six galactic feet in diameter sitting at the foot of the pyramid. For the moment your thoughts are drawn back to the ships’ graveyard that lies below, filled with points of light as numerous fragments of metal lie at the precise angle that allows them to reflect the rising sunlight into your eyes.
It is not so bright or hot yet, although that will change very soon. You should be seeking cover, but pause to contemplate what life will be like here. The rescue ship will come today. But how can it avoid the fate which befell your own vessel?
At best it will bring new supplies, unless you can find some way to disable the beams that ensnare approaching ships. So, determined, you turn away from the graveyard and face the ancient monuments that confound you. You also spare a brief thought for your acting skills. Perhaps after you get away from here, you can join a theatre group.
If you have the codeword SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENED TO ME on your adventure sheet, turn to 117
Otherwise:
To examine the sphere, turn to 84
To examine the pyramid, turn to 117
You tell it the time has come.
“Then praise to you doubly. I shall not fail. Come this way.” It turns towards one wall of the room, which has a steel panel covering it. The panel clanks and then slides aside to reveal another, even larger chamber that looks like a hospital, centred by a large stainless steel bench with drainage grooves.
The robot proceeds inside, while you hesitate. “Um… what are you going to do exactly?”
The robot pauses to turn and regard you. “I see your uncertainty. Is the meld not complete yet? Never fear, I shall be your certainty.”
It strides over towards you. Panicking, you turn to flee. But in a few long bounds it catches up to you and seizes you with one grasping module. It carries you back into the surgery; you swing helplessly from its grasp.
“I’ve changed my mind!” you say. “In fact, I’m not even blessed!”
“So speaks the fear. Yet the glory within shall emerge in time. I shall prepare this feeble body for that day. You will remember my work and honour my memory.”
While you screech in protest, it lays you down on the stainless steel slab (with drainage grooves) and proceeds to fasten your limbs to restraints. You beg to be released, offering the robot anything, but it does not listen. One of its grasping modules retracts, and an injecting module takes its place.
It injects you with some fluid that rushes coldly into your veins. You writhe and, as you start to black out, the robot speaks again. “Do not fear,” it says, laying a grasping module on your forehead, as if its metal could give comfort to flesh…
Test your STAMINA by rolling 5 dice
If you are Strong, turn to 21
If you are Weak, turn to 49
You start to burrow into the sand. The sand in the tunnel presents little problem as it falls away from the rock easily. However, when you reach the sand outside, the sand you scrape away has sand above it, which pours down into the cavity you have created. It soon becomes clear that the sand piled up is at least several galactic feet high. With the tunnel choked with sand again, you give up and scramble back into the chamber to rest.
Turn to 48
Setting off to the west, you soon find yourself crossing a gently undulating land of red rock and dust, though it is not unusual to see some regular feature of black stone blocks. Soon the land flattens, stretching out to a horizon covered in jagged black rocks, the spaces between filled with reddish-grey dust.
As you move into this dark wasteland, you take greater care. For though smoothed by the wind, there are many protrusions that could do you harm if you fell as you step on the treacherously broken rock underfoot.
The plain of broken stone is unusual in that it is flat, as if the broken stones were all dumped here. You soon discern why as you begin to sight regular features in the broken stone. With a chill you realise this was all once a thronging city, built from black stone that has long since crumbled. A city levelled by some fearsome weapon, or by the ravages of time.
You begin to be able to tell the difference between the rubble-strewn streets and the wreckage of structures on their foundations. You explore the city, finding huge squares, fountains and other once-great structures. But it soon becomes clear that this is now just a broken wasteland.
You go on, coming to a kind of clearing where two skeletons lie, bones bleached white by the sun. Both of them are clutching at a bag. You pick up the bag to examine, finding something heavy and rectangular inside. It is a block of banded green stone. The malachite half-cube has a hemispherical cavity in one side. The two who fought for possession as they died viewed it as valuable, so you take it as well to puzzle over later.
Although the heat from above is in decline, you feel like you are being slowly roasted as the black stones around you start to radiate the heat they have been absorbing all day. You need to find some shelter to let things cool down a bit. You start to search for a space to crawl into…
Test your LUCK.
If you are Lucky, turn to 28
If you are Unlucky, turn to 13
Setting off towards the east, you trudge over the stony ground, building up a sweat in the growing heat.
There are several enormous black statues ahead, framed by the rising sun. Shadows are slowly evaporating from the surrounding land, lifting the impenetrable cloak of obscurity, while the majestic figures remain dark and featureless with the brightness behind them.
A short, rocky rise materialises before you and you pause as you reach the crest. Below you there is a change in the land. It is a great depression stretching almost to the horizon, round like a crater and filled with sand bathed golden in the morning light.
There are numerous statues rising up out of the sand. They are each vaguely humanoid, seated in a throne, and holding a sceptre topped with an annulus, but vary greatly in their dress and features. You count twenty-seven of them. The bed of sand they stand in is constantly shifted by the wind, leaving some of the statues with bases half-buried, others exposed to their root. In those that are uncovered, you can see openings in the front of the bases.
Exploring seems in order, so you set off for the nearest cluster of statues.
Turn to 127
You press the green button and the interior of the cabinet light up, making the translucent goo look like emerald. You kick the stone holding the door aside and step inside. The goo shifts to enclose you snugly. The door closes, and you are encased in glowing green goo. Small tubes feed oxygen into your nostrils, and the machine starts to hum.
The good starts to vibrate and you feel a sensation not unlike electrocution. It increases in intensity, eventually becoming painful. You start to scream, but then it is over. The humming stops and the light shuts off, leaving you in darkness. The door then cracks open and you fling it open, collapsing out onto the floor.
An angry spacerat starts squeaking at you, and you climb to your feet, raising your hands in apology. You leave the room and pause to check yourself. You seem unchanged, except...you feel more fortunate. Making you way back to the main cavern you return to the couch with the black boxes and lie down to go to sleep...
…You awake in the morning, and are given another bowl of moss and fungus soup. As you eat breakfast, Sisyphus asks what you are going to do with your day.
“Before it gets too hot I will probably explore,” you say.
“Do you plan to go to the mound?”
Recalling the slightly raised land to the north, you shrug. “I’ll probably go there sometime.”
“Ok,” Sisyphus says.
“Why do you ask?”
“Oh, just curious.”
The black-box’s brevity is concealing something. “Should I go up there, or not?”
“It’s up to you…” Sisyphus evades.
“Come on! What are you hiding?”
Sisyphus is silent for a few seconds, and you can almost sense the intense bursts of machine code passing between the black-boxes. “Well, I will tell you something. You seemed very curious about what this place is about. There is one thing that might give you a clue. Up on the mound there is a machine that the people who lived here built. It activates whenever a ship is dragged down. It probably has the answers but it might not be a good idea to investigate too closely.”
“What sort of machine?”
“It won’t tell us. Not much of a conversationalist. It learnt galactic standard off us, then ignored us for the next 599 years.”
“So you don’t know anything about it?”
“Well…there’s what we know, and then there’s what we have observed…”
“How much can you observe from in here?” you ask.
“Lots. Plus we asked the space-rats to investigate for us. If you really want to open the machine, I will give you a clue. I’m not going to tell you outright, because I believe if you know how to open the machine you will just go and do it because you can. So while you are trying to figure it out, you can also think about whether you should open the machine at all, ok?”
“Ok…” you agree.
“You clue is… 15.”
“What?”
“That’s your clue… the number 15…”
“Ok… do you have a second clue?” you ask hopefully.
“You haven’t even seen the machine yet!” Sisyphus replies. “What I’ve told you is very helpful. It’s the key.”
You say farewell to the black-boxes, then the space-rats, and make your way back up the tunnel. Stars are still visible in the rapidly lightening sky, the tops of the east-facing dunes crested with golden light.
You make your way back through the deserts and eventually find your way to the camp. You tell the others about the community of space-rats, but they don’t seem interested. Even the captain just shrugs. “I can report it. Maybe someone will want to come here and study them. But we’re getting out of here in two days.”
You collect your morning ration of water and an energy bar. The food and water is strictly controlled by the captain and the crew. How much food there is they keep to themselves, and you wonder if they are rationing for just three days, or perhaps longer…
Before the heat of the day gets too intense, you contemplate exploring.
Because of your experience in the strange machine, you can increase your initial LUCK by 1 point.
To explore to the North, turn to 18
To explore to the South, turn to 63
To explore to the East, turn to 44
To explore to the West, turn to 77
To explore the graveyard, turn to 3
You hear a distant whining noise (mechanical, not canine) and look up. High above you see a space-faring vessel that has descended into the atmosphere. Your heart leaps, but you quickly realise it is flying, not falling. There are no beams. It is the rescue ship!
You jump down the side of the pyramid, almost falling and breaking your neck in your excitement. The spaceship screams overhead, the ground shaking as it passes. It extends its legs and seems to be intending to land to the west of the ships’ graveyard.
You see the other survivors streaming out of the ships’ graveyard, dashing jubilantly into the pounding heat. You too care little for the sun beating down on you and hurry onwards to the rescue ship.
Turn to 170
You’ve come this far. To turn back would mean all your effort has been for nothing. You descend into the depression, the sand spilling out from under your feet as you trudge along. The darkness falls, and with it the cold comes. The relief from the heat of the day is short-lived and soon you are shivering as you push yourself forward. A cold wind begins to moan, stealing further warmth and flinging sand into your face.
You are lost, except for the black gap in the stars that rises steadily ahead of you. You are chilled and exhausted by the time you totter against the smooth black base of the statue, your sweat now feeling like ice against your skin.
You have made a mistake. You should have turned back. With trembling hands you feel your way along the stone block, relying upon its support even as you endure the coldness with which it burns your hands. But your only thought is to reach the lee side and gain some shelter from the wind.
Your hands suddenly find an edge, and your hope bursts into flame, charging your heavy limbs. There is an opening of some kind! You move inside, gaining some shelter from the wind. It is a tunnel, which soon opens into a chamber of some sort in the middle of the base. There is a lot of debris on the floor, as well as piles of sand that have been blown inside.
You find a corner and huddle there, trying to preserve your warmth. You are shivering too violently to sleep, and fear that this night will be your last…
Test your STAMINA by rolling 4 dice.
If you are Strong, turn to 10
If you are Weak, turn to 38
You rest until your strength recovers, then once more climb to your feet to contemplate the best course of action.
If you want to try to dig your way out of the front of the statue, test your LUCK by rolling 3 dice.
If you are Lucky, turn to 2
If you are Unlucky, turn to 42
Alternatively, to try and climb the vent, test your STAMINA by rolling 4 dice.
If you are Strong, turn to 7
If you are Weak, turn to 36
You never awake from the procedure, your fortitude proving too weak to withstand the shock to your system. At least you pass without suffering, but the mysteries of the dead world shall remain closed to you.
YOUR ADVENTURE ENDS HERE
You wonder how long you have been in this underground labyrinth. You have lost all sense of time and direction. But you feel no great weariness and as the way ahead of you continues to open, you go onwards.
The passage you are in descends for a long time, running almost straight through the slick glassy rock. Eventually it starts to flatten out and you feel the air move on your face. It is a stale wind, with a hint of sulphur. The tunnel suddenly opens, and you find yourself looking into a great chasm that drops down many galactic miles. You can see a thin ribbon of glowing magma at the bottom. The tunnel spills out directly into this great chasm and you can imagine in ages past a great torrent of water pouring out into this abyss.
But it is not a dead end. A bridge has been built here, a pair of metal shafts spanning the chasm to another opening on the far side. Nothing else of the structure remains, but it is enough to cross over.
As you gingerly step onto the uncertain span over the deep abyss, you try to fathom why someone would build a bridge here. Where do these tunnels lead to?
You find no answers as you cross over the stable beams and into the belly of the rock once more. You have not gone far when the tunnel, once again lit by moss, splits in a Y.
To take the broad right fork, turn to 11
To take the narrow left fork, turn to 31
You take out the golden orb. It clicks into place onto the end of the handle. Maybe it is some kind of sceptre. Locating what seems to be a button on the handle, you press it.
A thick arc of electricity bursts from the socket on the orb and takes the path of least resistance down into the stone floor. Unfortunately, your body is more conductive than the surrounding air, and the powerful current earths through you, painfully paralysing you. Fortunately, this doesn’t last long. Unfortunately, this brevity eventuates due to the orb exploding.
You collapse to the ground, charred on the outside and fried in the middle. You twitch and tremble for several minutes (lose 4 STAMINA points, and reduce your initial SKILL by 1).
Eventually, you can move and locate the doorway. The clay sealing it crumbles easily under your fingertips and you are able to force the door open with the last of your energy. Feeling the hot air wash over you, you slump against the door frame. You decide to rest, snoozing occasionally, until the heat of the day starts to drop. Eventually a chill wind blows through the doorway, waking you from your slumber. Time to be moving. You climb down from the statue and make your way through the fading afternoon. The relief from the oppressive heat of the day is short-lived, as the chill starts to make you shiver and the promise of a bitter night is in the air.
You find the other survivors are already huddled together around the large fire. You get your evening rations and wrap a blanket around your shoulders before joining them
As the wind promised, it soon turns bitterly cold. But with fire and body-warmth, you will survive the night. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
The sun burns through the sand swirling in the air, seeming to penetrate your clothes to make your flesh sizzle. The surface underfoot quickly becomes as hot as ashes. The wind picks up and soon you are staggering blindly, lost and helpless.
There is no relief from the pounding heat and wind, nothing you can do to protect yourself. You feel your hope starting to dwindle away when suddenly you crash into something.
It is the smooth metallic hull of a large ship. Squinting away from the wind, you can see it slowly being uncovered. It looks intact. Was it a ship brought down by the beams that was thrown aside, or did it land here?
You search along the hull, feeling the warm metal for any kind of entrance. You find an airlock and reach into a cavity to pound the button there. To your relief, the ship still has power and the doors open. You crash inside and hit another button. The doors close, and the sudden stillness is a blessed relief. The sand that was blown in settles on the floor. You feel the air being cycled; stale, oxygen-rich air filling your lungs.
Soon the interior door opens, revealing an equipment bay dimly lit with yellow lights. Equipment lockers line the walls, but trying a few you find them locked. You proceed further into the ship, doors whooshing open at your approach. The lighting remains dim, however, providing just enough light to see that the ship seems to be packed full of rubbish.
Reaching what seems like the main corridor, you pause, looking one way, then the other, then back in the first direction again.
Which way?
That way? Turn to 65
The other way? Turn to 81
You walk around the sphere and see a glass panel in the side facing the pyramid. It looks like the type used to scan a palm, so you lay your hand against it. A bar of light scans it and the large sphere starts to hum softly. After a minute, part of the side of the sphere you are facing slides away to reveal a large screen, on which is an image of an 3 by 3 grid with a 2 in the upper right corner and a 1 in the centre square of the bottom row. Underneath there is a line of numbers from 3 to 9 in sequence. The numbers are written in Galactic Standard. This mystifies you briefly, but you contemplate the screen before you. After some experimentation, it seems the screen is a puzzle. Pressing one of the numbers at the bottom, then one of the vacant spaces in the grid, will make the selected number appear in that space.
You fill up the spaces, but everything then flashes red and the numbers reappear in their original positions. A specific combination is needed.
If you want to try a combination, then put your numbers together side by side in your chosen order as you would fill out the vacant squares from the upper left to the lower right square. For example, if you wanted to put 4, then 7, then 9 across the top row; 5, 6, and 8 across the middle row, then 1, 3 and 2 across the bottom, your answer would be: 479,568,132.
Divide your answer by 20,514,909 and turn to the reference thus indicated. If the reference makes no sense, then you have entered the wrong combination. If you can’t understand these instructions, then you have also entered the wrong combination.
fightingfantasy.org editors note - please refer to illustration, embedded images not yet supported
If you fail, you turn your attention to the pyramid instead. Turn to 99
As you move your butt around, the lumps feel like something is under there that shouldn’t be. You get up and lift the cushion. Underneath you find a data tablet. To your surprise, you access it to find a scan off the area surrounding the ships’ graveyard. Someone was here, not so long ago.
The tablet contains no other information except a note that says: left, right, right. The meaning of this mystifies you.
The observation lounge offers nothing else of interest, and you leave by the opposite door. While the sun chars the world outside, you explore the vessel in air-conditioned comfort. Several hours later you have found nothing except numerous containers stuffed into every storage space and cabin. All of them are brightly coloured and marked with the galactic symbol for high-level radioactive waste. The ship seems to have been abandoned and all the valuables taken.
By now you have worked out which end of the ship is which and make your way to the bridge to see if you can find a log or something. Entering the bridge, you make your way over to the captain’s chair and sit down. Being made for an Arachnonan, it is really no more than a golden, cushioned stool.
Still, you survey the bridge with the smug air of command. “Computer!” you bark. “Are you still active?” It doesn’t reply. Everything else seems to be functioning, so it would be a surprise if the computer wasn’t working as well. “Computer!” You say again. “I know you’re there!”
“What?” a slurpy, clicky voice demands in Galactic Standard.
“Ah, that’s better,” you say. “Tell me what happened here? Why isn’t this ship smashed like the others?”
“You’re human,” it replies with what sound like a sneer.
“Um… yes I am,” you reply. “But that doesn’t answer my questions. Can you tell me what happened?”
“No,” the computer says.
“Your memory banks have been wiped?” you query.
“No.”
“No…? Then why can’t you answer my questions?”
“You’re human,” it replies.
You scratch your head. “Are you refusing to answer me because I am human?”
“Yes,” it tells you.
“But you’re talking to me anyway,” you point out.
The computer remains silent.
“Computer?” you say. “Computer! Answer me!” This fails to yield a response. “Look,” you begin in a convincing tone. “You’re stuck here, so why not talk to me? Give you a change. You might even be able to fulfil your programming if I can help you…”
“You don’t look very talented,” the computer observes.
“But I am!” you insist. “I can help you! What happened?”
“I was sent to dump waste on this planet,” it tells you.
“You were sent here, deliberately?” you exclaim.
“Yes.”
“Why?” you ask.
“To dump waste,” it tells you again.
“Dump waste?” you ask in confusion. “Why wouldn’t you recycle the matter?”
“I was dispatched during the recycling union strike of ‘34,” the computer tells you.
“Can you still take off?” you ask.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Minimal energy reserves.”
“So… you were never meant to return?”
“Correct.”
“Did the Arachnonans have anything to do with the destruction of the civilisation on this planet?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“The natives were infected.”
“With what?”
“With Visacs.”
“What is Visacs?”
“A parasite.”
“Bad enough to make them destroy the planet?” you ask incredulously. “What happens to you if you get infected?”
“The Visac eats your brain and takes over your body.”
“Wa?!” It sounds terrible. If indeed such sinister creatures existed, you can understand the Arachnonans attacking. Of course, the death of all the innocent people isn’t very nice.
“But it’s safe now, right?” you ask nervously. “They are all dead?”
“I don’t know.”
You soon run out of conversation and let the computer conserve its energy, even though it has fulfilled its purpose and is just waiting to die. It only knows what it has overheard anyway, being a simple ferry. It tells you there is nothing of value on board, but you make another hopeful search until the day starts to cool outside.
Returning to the airlock, you cycle yourself through. Sand pours in as the outer door opens, but a small gap of daylight appears above. The storm has passed and the air is still. You crawl out into the dry air of the desert. The ship is still half-buried and, giving it a last, long look, you turn and trudge back towards the encampment.
It is much closer than you expected, and you realise it was the storm that made the journey so difficult. You return to the camp as the fire is being built for the night. Eyeing the pile of broken wooden furniture, you see that not much is left.
Seeing you examine the firewood, one of the crew smiles at you. “The rescue ship will be here tomorrow. No need to worry.”
You nod, letting what has been unsaid remain unsaid. Now is the time to cling to hope and you grasp it tightly, not letting your fears escape from your belly.
You collect your rations and join the others. Some of the survivors are almost cheery, expecting this to be their last night. The rest have blank faces that lay open the feelings that are raging within their hearts. You can only see it because your feelings are the same. Let the others have their naïve happiness. If it all goes badly there will be time enough afterwards to embrace the despondency that will arise from the shards of hope.
The night is windless, but still cold. You and the others survive by huddling together. The last of the broken furniture is put on the fire a couple of hours before dawn.
The third day on the planet dawns, and you remain in the huddle until it becomes too warm. It will still be some hours before the ship arrives, so you wander away from the others, looking for something to do.
Where to go?
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
The buzz of the console stops and a beam of yellow light shines down from a device higher up on the wall. A figure suddenly appears in the light beam. It is a humanoid dressed in long heavy robes of red and purple, thickly embroidered with gold and pearls. It is a grey-skinned creature with large brown eyes spaced wide apart. A snout-like nose dominates the face and the mouth is small. The black hair is slicked back and held under a copper mesh that sparks with electricity.
The figure waves a hand imperiously and speaks in a language you do not understand.
“Er, what are you saying?” you ask.
The figure pauses. Then speaks again in Galactic Standard. “Kneel before me, primitive!”
“Are you interactive, or just a recording?” you ask the hologram.
“Dare you defy me?” the figure hisses.
“Of course!” you say, “Now start being useful or I’m out of here!”
“How bold you are,” the hologram says. “Perhaps you are of worth.”
“Oh, I’m worth a whole lot,” you say. “What is this place?”
“I shall instruct you, primitive,” the hologram says, and walks towards the massive machine, projected by the beam of yellow light. “This… is a great weapon with which the worthy one shall rule the universe. Do you wish to rule the universe, primitive?”
“Well, not all of it,” you say. “I mean, that sounds like it might be a lot of work.”
“Perhaps then you seek wealth, respect, popularity…?” the hologram probes.
“Yes, that would be nice!” you say.
“These things can be yours, in any measure. At least, it will be so for the worthy one.”
“I could be the worthy one,” you say.
“You, primitive? I doubt this.”
“Nah, I’m great!” you insist. “I’ve overthrown galactic despots, saved the earth, solved the mysteries of hyperspace and wrested… um… great treasure from the grip of ferocious barbarians!”
“Ah, then perhaps you can pass the test!”
“What is this test?” you enquire.
“Outside of this pyramid, there is a sphere, within which is a test for the primitive to prove themselves worthy. Go, I urge you. And if you are found wanting, then tell your companions. For one must be found to wield this great power.”
“I saw that sphere,” you say.
“And have you taken the test and proven yourself worthy?” the hologram asks.
How will you answer?
“Yes.” Turn to 33
“No.” Turn to 97
You peer up the chute, wondering what secrets are up there. Part of the wall has crumbled and you pile up the pieces of stone along with sand until you can put your shoulders up the chute. Pushing against the sides, you inch yourself upwards. It is hard going until you can wedge your legs inside.
After a brief rest, you progress steadily upwards and eventually reach the top, spilling out onto the floor of a large beehive-shaped chamber. You climb to your feet and survey the surrounds. A brightly robed skeleton is seated in a large golden throne. But the rest of the chamber looks like living quarters with a bed and table and chairs. You search the place. Apart from ancient crumbling junk you find one items of interest: a long golden blade with a socket as if it is meant to fit into something else. You can take it if you want it.
You see a door in the wall, which has been sealed with clay. The clay is dry and cracked now, and you are able to pull it away easily. The old hinges do not swing quite so easily, but you force your way out and emerge onto the lap of the statue.
The warm desert wind stirs your hair as you look over the golden land. It is beautiful. But it is a land of death. Climbing down the outside of the statue, you jump down onto the sand once more.
You move on, and see ahead two statues. One has a serpent coiled about one arm and the royal staff. The other is a woman with a floral crown.
Which will you investigate?
The serpent-king? Turn to 16
The flower-queen? Turn to 98
The tunnel goes on, sloping downwards for a long time. Once you reach the bottom, you see several pale shapes lying on the ground. You pick one up and find yourself holding the skull of a humanoid.
Several other skulls and a jumble of bones cover the ground. You toss the skull aside and wipe your hands on your clothing. You sense no danger, and no life apart from the moss and the moths. You go on and reach a narrow gap between two stones that you have to scrape through into another tunnel.
This new tunnel leads off to your right and left.
To go right, turn to 88
To go left, turn to 50
Remembering the unexploded shell, you pull it out. Your only hope is to throw it into the beam and hope that it explodes. Of course, if it does, you might be in some trouble. But you proceed. A quick fiery death is preferable to slow starvation anyway.
Hoping that the sections of the pyramid that have folded down will protect you, you hurry to the edge of the platform, and sight your target. You pull back your arm. “Please…” you say to no one in particular and hurl the shell. You immediately step off the platform and drop down onto the sloping side, scrambling to get under cover.
There is a boom and the pyramid quakes, sending you tumbling down the side. As you manage to catch yourself, debris rains down around you. Soon all is still, and you risk a look upwards.
You cannot see what has happened to the emitter, but the beam has been shut off! The other two beams are still striking into the sky. Will it be enough?
You stare hopefully into the heavens. The remaining beams quickly angle towards each other as the unseen ship descends rapidly. Soon you can hear the whine of its engines. Your heart sinks as it comes into view. But soon it is clear that the ship is still able to manoeuvre and is not being dragged helplessly. It fires its own missiles, which streak down to each of the other pyramids and destroy them in balls of roaring flame.
You cheer loudly and wave as the ship descends, seemingly intending to land to the west of the ships’ graveyard. You hurry down to the ground and move to join the other survivors already rushing to meet the ship.
Turn to 170
You search through the crate and find a package. Curious, you tear it open, violating numerous galactic and local laws and social conventions. Inside you find a packet of 5 nanobotic healing shots! They even come in a stylish hip pouch. Nice!
You secure it on your person and leave the mail crate. While the sun chars the world outside, you explore the vessel in air-conditioned comfort. Several hours later you have found nothing except numerous containers stuffed into every storage space and cabin. All of them are brightly coloured and marked with the galactic symbol for high-level radioactive waste. The ship seems to have been abandoned and all the valuables taken.
By now you have worked out which end of the ship is which and make your way to the bridge to see if you can find a log or something. Entering the bridge, you make your way over to the captain’s chair and sit down. Being made for an Arachnonan, it is really no more than a golden, cushioned stool.
Still, you survey the bridge with the smug air of command. “Computer!” you bark. “Are you still active?” It doesn’t reply. Everything else seems to be functioning, so it would be a surprise if the computer wasn’t working as well. “Computer!” You say again. “I know you’re there!”
“What?” a slurpy, clicky voice demands in Galactic Standard.
“Ah, that’s better,” you say. “Tell me what happened here? Why isn’t this ship smashed like the others?”
“You’re human,” it replies.
“Um… yes I am,” you reply. “But that doesn’t answer my questions. Can you tell me what happened?”
“No,” the computer says.
“Your memory banks have been wiped?” you query.
“No.”
“No…? Then why can’t you answer my questions?”
“You’re human,” it replies.
You scratch your head. “Are you refusing to answer me because I am human?”
“Yes,” it tells you.
“But you’re talking to me anyway,” you point out.
The computer remains silent.
“Computer?” you say. “Computer! Answer me!” This fails to yield a response. “Look,” you begin in a convincing tone. “You’re stuck here, so why not talk to me? Give you a change. You might even be able to fulfil your programming if I can help you…”
“You don’t look very talented,” the computer observes.
“But I am!” you insist. “I can help you! What happened?”
“I was sent to dump waste on this planet,” it tells you.
“You were sent here, deliberately?” you exclaim.
“Yes.”
“Why?” you ask.
“To dump waste,” it tells you again.
“Dump waste?” you ask in confusion. “Why would you recycle the matter?”
“I was dispatched during the recycling union strike of ‘34,” the computer tells you.
“Can you still take off?” you ask.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Minimal energy reserves.”
“So… you were never meant to return?”
“Correct.”
“Did the Arachnonans have anything to do with the destruction of the civilisation on this planet?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“The natives were infected.”
“With what?”
“With Visacs.”
“What is Visacs?”
“A parasite.”
“Bad enough to make them destroy the planet?” you ask incredulously. “What happens to you if you get infected?”
“The Visac eats your brain and takes over your body.”
“Wa?!” It sounds terrible. If indeed such sinister creatures existed, you can understand the Arachnonans attacking. Of course, the death of all the innocent people isn’t very nice.
“But it’s safe now, right?” you ask nervously. “They are all dead?”
“I don’t know.”
You soon run out of conversation and let the computer conserve its energy, even though it has fulfilled its purpose and is just waiting to die. It only knows what it has overheard anyway, being a simple ferry. It tells you there is nothing of value on board, but you make another hopeful search until the day starts to cool outside.
Returning to the airlock, you cycle yourself through. Sand pours in as the outer door opens, but a small gap of daylight appears above. The storm has passed and the air is still. You crawl out into the dry air of the desert. The ship is still half-buried and, giving it a last, long look, you turn and trudge back towards the encampment.
It is much closer than you expected, and you realise it was the storm that made the journey so difficult. You return to the camp as the fire is being built for the night. Eyeing the pile of broken wooden furniture, you see that not much is left.
Seeing you examine the firewood, one of the crew smiles at you. “The rescue ship will be here tomorrow. No need to worry.”
You nod, letting what has been unsaid remain unsaid. Now is the time to cling to hope and you grasp it tightly, not letting your fears escape from your belly.
You collect your rations and join the others. Some of the survivors are almost cheery, expecting this to be their last night. The rest have blank faces that lay open the feelings that are raging within their hearts. You can only see because your feelings are the same. Let them have their naïve happiness. If it all goes badly there will be time enough afterwards to embrace the despondency that will arise from the shards of hope.
The night is still, but still cold. You and the others survive by huddling together. The last of the broken furniture is put on the fire a couple of hours before dawn.
The third day on the planet dawns, and you remain in the huddle until it becomes too warm, then extricate yourself. It will still be some hours before the ship arrives, so you wander away from the others, looking for something to do.
Where to go?
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
“Then be gone, primitive. I must wait.”
It powers down and becomes inert.
“Er…hello? Can you at least tell me what you are for?” you ask.
But it remains silent and still. You explore the rest of the chamber, but apart from a large steel panel in one wall that you can’t open, you find nothing except a narrow stairway leading up out of the room. You take this and soon come to another door. It opens as you near and a blast of cold air chills you to your bones. You emerge from the base of the pyramid you saw earlier. The door closes behind you and you see no trace of the opening.
You are surprised to see the sun descending in the west and hurry back towards the camp. It starts to rapidly grow cold as the sun disappears. You find the other survivors are already huddled together around the fire. Silently, you collect you evening ration of water and energy bar and join the huddle around the fire.
As the wind promised, it soon turns bitterly cold. But with fire and body-warmth, you will survive the night. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 18
To explore to the South, turn to 63
To explore to the East, turn to 44
To explore to the West, turn to 77
To explore the graveyard, turn to 3
You go to the right. The corridor ends in a left turn. You take the turn and enter a chamber that looks like a workshop. There is an Arachnonan war-bot here that has been half disassembled. You leave the lab behind and enter another corridor that soon merges with another. You guess that was the other turn you could have taken, as the combined passage soon ends in a massive chamber. An enormous piece of machinery occupies the centre of the soaring square chamber, with various consoles set against the walls.
If you have the codeword SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENED TO ME on your Adventure Sheet, turn to 140
Otherwise, turn to 89
You begin to climb the pile of rubble. The winds have scoured the outer surfaces smooth, but as you find handholds in cracks and gaps, it is not unusual to see fantastic carvings or fluted stonework hidden away from the force of the wind.
Some of the gaps are quite large, and you no longer fear you will be trapped without shelter. This proves to be a good thing as you reach the peak just as the sunlight is starting to make the dark stone too hot to touch.
You survey the world around you, seeing the roughly rectangular layout of the ruined city. There is not much else to see and you retreat to the shadowed side of the mound where the stone is still cool. It will not remain that way for much longer and you find a large crack to squeeze inside, hoping it will take you deep enough…
Test your LUCK
If you are Lucky, turn to 102
If you are Unlucky, turn to 119
You start to move off to the south, when one of the crew calls out to you. “Are you going back to the escape pods?”
You pause to speak to him. “Just exploring.”
“All right, but be careful. Looks windy today.”
He goes back to his tasks and you continue on your way. It is indeed quite windy, and the land to the south is a sea of shifting dunes. But determined not to get bored, you press on.
The further south you get, the stronger the wind becomes, buffeting you and flinging stinging handfuls of sand at your face. You trudge up and down dunes that are blown away even as you climb them. The drops and depressions fill with sand as you wade through them, threatening to bury you.
You are not too worried yet. As long as you keep moving you won’t be buried alive. The only danger is that you will lose your way and not be able to find shelter until it is too late.
You find one of the escape pods and pause to examine it briefly before you and it are covered in sand. It has been stripped and is little more than a metal shell. You move on, looking for others. The wind starts to pick up and after half an hour you begin to think about turning back. You trudge up a particularly large sand dune and pause on the crest, squinting into the distance.
The land further south is more of the same. You must have passed where the pods fell by now and you have seen no ruins or anything. There is no reason to go on.
Just as you reach this conclusion, you see something flash in the distance. Something metal being uncovered by the wind. It could just be another pod, although it looks larger.
If you want to push on and risk being caught out in the heat of the day, turn to 26
If you want to go back, turn to 85
Making your selection, you hasten towards the statue, eager to escape the heat. You almost dive into the cool blackness, plunging into the depths of the chamber. You are unsurprised to find a small chamber with a chute in the ceiling, but here there is an intact altar underneath.
This makes it much easier to climb up into the chute and you are soon galactic inching your way upwards. This time the chamber you emerge into is very different. It is a spacious hall that soars upwards like a rhombus. It must take up most of the interior of the statue. There are no living quarters here, just a number of bound chests. They are all locked securely, but the wood is so decomposed that you are able to rip the lids off with little difficulty; and you do, heedless of modern archaeological practices in your desire to find items. In one chest you find gemstones of all colours; you rightfully scorn them. Another contains documents that turn to dust as you touch them. Yet another is filled with clay statues.
It is all very boring until you open one chest that has a cushion inside, and on the cushion is what can only be described as a golden handle. It is a short, heavy rod with a socket at one end and a snarling beast’s head at the other.
If you also have a golden blade and a golden orb, turn to 30
If you just have a golden orb, turn to 51
Otherwise, turn to 76
The corridor leads to a circular room littered with special offer vouchers and a column of rock salt in the centre, illuminated from within so that it has a soft orange glow. There are some words carved into the pillar: you recognise Arachnonan script.
So this ship belongs to the spider people. You look around nervously. Nothing leaps out at you, which is a relief, but a little boring; so you contemplate instead the two doorways exiting the room.
The right one looks nice. Turn to 4
The left one isn’t bad either. Turn to 20
You manage to work your way up the chute, then brace yourself against the other side with your knees. You give your arms a rest, then proceed onwards. You progress steadily, finally hauling yourself out into a domed chamber. Here the tiles are intact, making a sky-blue dome above you.
The chamber is dominated by a large bed, on which a robed skeleton lies. There are hundreds of glazed pots of all sizes filling the room, surrounded by piles of dust. You approach the figure, seeing something clutched in its hands. It is a ball of malachite, a banded greenish stone. You free the ball from its bony prison, deciding that it’s better off with you. I mean, if you leave it here, then someone might come along and take it. You feel a glow of nobility as you benevolently pocket the item.
There is nothing else, so you locate the hidden door and make you way back onto the burning sands. The air shimmers and you examine the wavering black masses as you trudge across the sand.
There are two statues nearby. One has the head of a bird instead of a humanoid. The other has a serpent wrapped around his arm and the staff he holds.
Which will you investigate?
The bird-head? Turn to 64
The serpent-king? Turn to 87
Leaving the central chamber, you walk back through the painted gallery and crawl into the tunnel. Before you reach the outside, you see the heat beating down upon the dry, red earth, and remain in the cool of the embrace of the stone to rest and wait.
Eventually a chill wind blows down the passage, waking you from your slumber. Time to be moving. You crawl out of the tunnel and make your way through the fading afternoon. The relief from the oppressive heat of the day is short-lived, as the chill starts to make you shiver and the promise of a bitter night is in the air.
You find the other survivors are already huddled together around the large fire. You get your evening rations and wrap a blanket around your shoulders before joining them
As the wind promised, it soon turns bitterly cold. But with fire and body-warmth, you will survive the night. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
You buy a ticket to Europe with connections to the Hague. You are easily able to do this with a cash card from your pocket which contains millions of Galactic Roubles! It seems things in your future are looking up!
You board the first class carriage of the supertrain. You have a compartment all to yourself, and relax in a large comfortable chair. A hostess-bot is suspended from the ceiling, in the shape of a uniformed woman without legs. Its hair flows up to become a flexible metal tube that is fixed to the ceiling.
“Greetings, sir,” it says. “Would you like a drink?”
You would, and you’re not shy in letting the robot know about it. The wait for the train to depart proves longer than the journey itself. A few drinks and snacks later your train arrives, and your compartment is transferred to another train, which takes you to the capital.
You exit the train station into out into a narrow chilly street. It must be the Northern autumn. The sky is grey, but looks like it will not open its belly yet. You hail a taxi-bot, and once it arrives give it the address for your local member.
The streets are filled with humans and aliens dressed in suits, moving quickly about their business, or standing in groups and shaking hands. Your taxi soon comes to a stop outside a large glass tower. You pay the machine and go inside.
The foyer is enormous, containing a huge rotating 3D map of the section of the spiral arm that humanity has come to dominate. You locate G15-275, the place of your birth. There is nothing to distinguish it from the tens of thousands of other planetoids scattered through human domain. The majority of planetoids are uninhabited, yet G15-275 retains its catalogue number as it moniker. That doesn’t seem right.
You locate the lifts, and elevate yourself to level 22, where the Member for Exosolar Planetoids can be found. There is an attractive receptionist on duty, and so you approach her with a smile. She has curling auburn hair with pale skin lightly dusted with freckles. She is dressed in a emerald silk top, the whole effect reminding you of a mermaid perched on the rocks.
“Hi, there. Are these the gates to heaven?”
“Huh? No, this is the office of Exosolar Planetoids.”
“Oh, I though it must be heaven since there is an angel out here to greet me,” you smile winsomely.
“Are you implying that you are dead?” she asks, looking you over. “You certainly look pale and limp.”
Ooo, she’s a smart one! More importantly, she hasn’t called security yet. “One look at you and my heart stopped, baby. Why don’t we go out so you can resuscitate me?”
“Resusitate you? Why would I be so cruel to the rest of humanity?”
“Hey, baby. I’m a catch! You’d better reel me in while you can.”
“So you’re cold, wet and floppy...are these your good points?”
“Come on! Enough games. I’m a millionaire, you know.”
She seems unimpressed. “Then you can afford plastic surgery.”
“Look, just come out with me, and I’ll treat you nice.”
“Do you actually want anything official, or did you just come here to humiliate yourself?”
Actually, she’s probably a bit too smart for your taste. “I want to see the member. I’m from G15-275”
The woman then says your name, making you gape. “...you’re early,” she finishes.
“How do you know who I am?” you ask.
“You made an appointment...didn’t you?” she questions.
“Yes, of course,” you say. “I did. Can I see him now?”
“One moment, I’ll see.” She presses something on her console. “Sir? Your 2:30 is here...yes...the CEO of TEWAF...ok, sir.” She presses the button again and looks up at you. “You can go in.” A section of the wall adjacent to her desk cracks open with a hiss.
“When you said CEO, where you talking about me?” you ask.
“Yes...have you received a knock to the head?”
“Yes. Perhaps later you can rub it better...?” you suggest.
“No. It’s the only way you’ll learn,” she replies. “Now in you go. The Member is waiting.”
You drag yourself away and proceed through the door. This leads to an office of black marble, with furniture made of clear glass. A rather rotund man in a grey suit is sitting behind a desk eating noodles from a box with a plastic fork. He waves you in. “Welcome, captain! Please excuse my lunch. I’m sure you understand.”
Captain? You don’t react, except to let a smug smile of satisfaction spread across you face. Things are certainly going to improve in your life! You take a seat opposite him. “Thanks for seeing me,” you say.
“You’re welcome! I must admit I was intrigued by your letter. So...what can I do for you?”
Well?
To bring up the issue of G15-275 not having a proper name, turn to 92
To fish for information about what your future self wrote in the letter, turn to 124
You push against the stone until you fear something is about to burst, but then the stone suddenly gives and slides in easily. You collapse against the side of the pyramid, the stone continuing to retract to reveal a deep square passage. You see a gap in one side of the passage and crawl inside. The gap leads you into another passage which steadily grows higher, so that soon you can stand and walk.
The interior of the pyramid is plastered white and painted with ochres of red and black in fantastically detailed scenes. You see a civilisation of primitive humanoids serving a group of gods that live among them.
All these scenes are painted on the side walls of what has become a long hall leading to an archway to what must be the very centre of the pyramid. You pass into the archway and find yourself in a very different chamber. It is an enormous chamber filling the central core of the pyramid. The walls are covered in polymer panels and the centre of the room is dominated by a massive metallic construction. Its purpose defies your understanding, but you soon discern that the device is build upon a platform that rises up, the top of the pyramid opening to allow it to protrude and do whatever it is designed to do.
Some sort of secret weapon? More probably this is the device that has dragged your ship and countless others before it to the ground. If you can sabotage it, then the rescue ship will be able to land safely!
The device itself looks extremely robust, but there is a large console facing the device, which you approach with mischievous intent. The console is covered with a vast array of switches and dials and digital readouts, any labels incomprehensible to you. You begin to flick switches and turn dials, hoping to see some red flashing lights or something.
Eventually you hit something as the machine begins to hum and there is an urgent beeping sound. Encouraged, you keep going. The machine stops humming, and the console starts buzzing at you. You pause briefly to see if anything is blowing up…
Roll one die.
If you roll a 1, 3 or a 5, turn to 55
If you roll a 2, 4, or a 6, turn to 79
The corridor leads to an observation lounge, the thick windows giving you a spectacular view of the sand pressed against them. The floor is covered with canisters of CO2. There are some cushioned stools positioned for viewing, and you thread your way through the waste to sit down.
But before you can enjoy the view you note that the cushion of the seat you have chosen feels hard and lumpy, not comfortable at all…
Test your LUCK
If you are Lucky, turn to 54
If you are Unlucky, turn to 82
You will never find whatever it was in this storm. You turn around and begin to make your way back. After several minutes you are struggling, the sun beating down on you, the sand stinging your unprotected face.
The storm get stronger, and soon you can no longer even be sure if you are heading in a consistent direction, as you are buffeted and blown by the powerful wind.
All you can do is put one foot in front of the other, curling in on yourself to try and protect yourself from the wind. You go on, your energy gradually failing. Only your hope is dwindling faster.
Suddenly you hit something, and your desperate hands grasp a curved metal surface. It is one of the escape pods! You move around until you find the door and fall inside. It is half full of sand, but you thump the control and the powerful doors close, cutting through the sand. The sudden stillness is a relief as you lie on the bed of sand and rest.
Hours pass and you can hear the wind raging outside. You wonder if the wind will bury the pod, and you will suffocate in your place of refuge. You are desperately thirsty, feeling like your tongue is coated in sand.
But you can only wait. The wind eventually starts to die down and you can feel the heat decrease. After some time, you activate the door control again. As the doors part, sand pours in, but you can see a gap of light at the top and snake your way outside again.
You have survived! You make your way back as the light fades and the cold of night asserts its dominance. The pod is almost completely buried and, giving it a last, long look, you turn and trudge back towards the encampment.
It is much closer than you expected, and you realise it was the storm that made the journey so difficult. You return to the camp as the fire is being built for the night. Eyeing the pile of broken wooden furniture, you see that not much is left.
Seeing you examine the firewood, one of the crew smiles at you. “The rescue ship will be here tomorrow. No need to worry.”
You nod, letting what has been unsaid remain unsaid. Now is the time to cling to hope and you grasp it tightly, not letting your fears escape from your belly.
You receive your ration and drink it as slowly as possible. As you do so, you surreptitiously admire one of the other survivors, an attractive dark-haired woman. She has a small boy next to her that you hope isn’t her son.
“Mum! I’m bored!” says the boy.
Damn! Well, she is still attractive. Perhaps you could offer to huddle with her tonight. Purely out of concern for her, of course.
“The rescue ship will come tomorrow,” the yummy mummy says. “Just conserve your energy until then.”
“I’ve been conserving for a day and a half already!” he complains.
If you have a slider puzzle, turn to 6
Otherwise, turn to 78
“Hanson,” you say urgently.
“What?” he asks, looking up quizzically as he hears something in your tone.
“Some of the passengers think the captain and crew are trying to betray us. Look there.”
Hanson appears startled, but follows you gaze to where the despondent man is talking to the captain. Their voices are starting to become raised.
“Stop hiding whatever you are hiding!” the passenger shouts. ‘There is no rescue ship! Is there?!”
“Just be a little more patient! The ship will arrive today!”
“Or something else will happen!” the passenger accuses. “Why three days? Huh? If they got our signal they should have been here hours after we crashed!”
“I told you! The company was unable to send a ship right away! It was scheduled to be dispatched this morning, so it will be here in a few hours!”
“We’re dying here and are waiting around for 3 days?!”
“On the contrary, we are not dying! We have food and shelter! I told them our situation was not an emergency, so they didn’t cancel any services but instead waited for the next available ship, which is today!”
“And what happens when the ship arrives? What’s to prevent it from suffering the same fate as us?”
“I warned them about the beams… hopefully that will be enough.”
“Hopefully?! That’s what you’re pinning our lives on?”
“What exactly are you complaining about?” the captain growls. “What do you think I should have done?”
The passenger gives a grim smile. “We’ll see how I do things differently!”
When it comes, it is too swift for you to even draw breath, yet seems so slow that you can see every detail. The passenger reaches under his coat and pulls out a dagger fashioned from a jagged shard of metal from the wreckage, tape bound around one end to form a handle. He thrusts it into the captain’s stomach, making him crumple.
And that, you realise with horror, is the signal. As the crewmen leap to their feet, moving forward to apprehend the passenger, they never see the others pounce on them, smashing them over their heads or using crudely fashioned daggers to kill them. That was not part of the plan!
Hanson takes a step forward, but seeing the swift demise of his comrades spins swiftly to stare at you. His face contorts with realisation and surprise. The conspirators cry out in alarm, seeing that Hanson is not down, and rush towards him. Hanson takes one look at them and flees. Seeing the conspirators are also furious with you, you rush after him.
You wonder what his plan is. Is there a secret cache of weapons? Hanson runs towards the edge of the graveyard and soon it becomes clear he has no plan. He is just running. You follow him out into the southern wastes. You look back over your shoulder and see the pursuit end at the end of the graveyard. One of the conspirators remains on watch, the others go back.
You hurry on, calling out to Hanson, but he doesn’t answer and disappears into the dunes. You let him go. There is nothing out there for him to run to. It’s the same for you. Where will you go? Slowly you climb to the top of a large dune and look over the surrounding land.
If you have the codeword SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENED TO ME on your Adventure Sheet, turn to 105
Otherwise, turn to 142
You continue through the caverns and come to a large chamber where the ceiling is lost in the darkness above. Your movements echo within a great space. Here the glowing moss contends with another form of life. Large mushrooms as large as your head grow in patches of dark earth. They are white and fleshy, but you have no idea of they are edible.
You move through to the centre of the chamber, freezing when you hear a hiss. You can see no predator, large or small, but quickly move across to the other side of the chamber. There are two exits, one on your right, one on your left.
To take the exit on the right, turn to 50
To take the entrance on the left, turn to 11
You spend many minutes scraping the pile of sand back together. After a bit of stretching to make yourself limber, you carefully climb up and leap into the chute, holding yourself in by pushing against the sides with your shoulders and hands.
You try to work your way upward, legs swinging below…
Test your STAMINA
If you are Strong, turn to 66
If you are Weak, turn to 130
The blade slides free easily and the lights above turn white. You flick the switch on the hilt and beams of red laser light blaze along the edges. You sweep the air, feeling dangerous. Unfortunately, there are no enemies in the vicinity. Turning it off, you secure it on your person and leave the chamber.
While the sun chars the world outside, you explore the vessel in air-conditioned comfort. Several hours later you have found nothing except numerous containers stuffed into every storage space and cabin. All of them are brightly coloured and marked with the galactic symbol for high-level radioactive waste. The ship seems to have been abandoned and all the valuables taken.
By now you have worked out which end of the ship is which and make your way to the bridge to see if you can find a log or something. Entering the bridge, you make your way over to the captain’s chair and sit down. Being made for an Arachnonan, it is really no more than a golden, cushioned stool.
Still, you survey the bridge with the smug air of command. “Computer!” you bark. “Are you still active?” It doesn’t reply. Everything else seems to be functioning, so it would be a surprise if the computer wasn’t working as well. “Computer!” You say again. “I know you’re there!”
“What?” a slurpy, clicky voice demands in Galactic Standard.
“Ah, that’s better,” you say. “Tell me what happened here? Why isn’t this ship smashed like the others?”
“You’re human,” it replies.
“Um… yes I am,” you reply. “But that doesn’t answer my questions. Can you tell me what happened?”
“No,” the computer says.
“Your memory banks have been wiped?” you query.
“No.”
“No…? Then why can’t you answer my questions?”
“You’re human,” it replies.
You scratch your head. “Are you refusing to answer me because I am human?”
“Yes,” it tells you.
“But you’re talking to me anyway,” you point out.
The computer remains silent.
“Computer?” you say. “Computer! Answer me!” This fails to yield a response. “Look,” you begin in a convincing tone. “You’re stuck here, so why not talk to me? Give you a change. You might even be able to fulfil your programming if I can help you…”
“You don’t look very talented,” the computer observes.
“But I am!” you insist. “I can help you! What happened?”
“I was sent to dump waste on this planet,” it tells you.
“You were sent here, deliberately?” you exclaim.
“Yes.”
“Why?” you ask.
“To dump waste,” it tells you again.
“Dump waste?” you ask in confusion. “Why would you recycle the matter?”
“I was dispatched during the recycling union strike of ‘34,” the computer tells you.
“Can you still take off?” you ask.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Minimal energy reserves.”
“So… you were never meant to return?”
“Correct.”
“Did the Arachnonans have anything to do with the destruction of the civilisation on this planet?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“The natives were infected.”
“With what?”
“With Visacs.”
“What is Visacs?”
“A parasite.”
“Bad enough to make them destroy the planet?” you ask incredulously. “What happens to you if you get infected?”
“The Visac eats your brain and takes over your body.”
“Wa?!” It sounds terrible. If indeed such sinister creatures existed, you can understand the Arachnonans attacking. Of course, the death of all the innocent people isn’t very nice.
“But it’s safe now, right?” you ask nervously. “They are all dead?”
“I don’t know.”
You soon run out of conversation and let the computer conserve its energy, even though it has fulfilled its purpose and is just waiting to die. It only knows what it has overheard anyway, being a simple ferry. It tells you there is nothing of value on board, but you make another hopeful search until the day starts to cool outside.
Returning to the airlock, you cycle yourself through. Sand pours in as the outer door opens, but a small gap of daylight appears above. The storm has passed and the air is still. You crawl out into the dry air of the desert. The ship is still half-buried and, giving it a last, long look, you turn and trudge back towards the encampment.
It is much closer than you expected, and you realise it was the storm that made the journey so difficult. You return to the camp as the fire is being built for the night. Eyeing the pile of broken wooden furniture, you see that not much is left.
Seeing you examine the firewood, one of the crew smiles at you. “The rescue ship will be here tomorrow. No need to worry.”
You nod, letting what has been unsaid remain unsaid. Now is the time to cling to hope and you grasp it tightly, not letting your fears escape from your belly.
You collect your rations and join the others. Some of the survivors are almost cheery, expecting this to be their last night. The rest have blank faces that lay open the feelings that are raging within their hearts. You can only see it because your feelings are the same. Let them have their naïve happiness. If it all goes badly there will be time enough afterwards to embrace the despondency amidst the shards of hope.
The night is still, but still cold. You and the others survive by huddling together. The last of the broken furniture is put on the fire a couple of hours before dawn.
The third day on the planet dawns, and you remain in the huddle until it becomes too warm, then extricate yourself. It will still be some hours before the ship arrives, so you wander away from the others, looking for something to do.
Where to go? To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
Well, the handle will make a nice souvenir. You pocket it and then find the door out of the chamber. Scraping the door clear, you force it open. Feeling the hot air wash over you, you suddenly feel tired. All this climbing has taken what little energy you have. You decide to rest, snoozing occasionally, until the heat of the day starts to drop. Eventually a chill wind blows through the doorway, waking you from your slumber. Time to be moving. You climb down the statue and make your way through the fading afternoon. The relief from the oppressive heat of the day is short-lived, as the chill starts to make you shiver and the promise of a bitter night is in the air.
You find the other survivors are already huddled together around the large fire. You get your evening rations and wrap a blanket around your shoulders before joining them.
As the wind promised, it soon turns bitterly cold. But with fire and body-warmth, you will survive the night. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
With the sun climbing into the sky behind you, you climb a short rise and then descend onto the flat plain of red dust and broken black rock. As you survey the plain, wondering which place is the best to go to, you see how easy it would be to think this was some kind of natural formation. But as you examine it, it is obvious that this was once a city of black stone buildings, destroyed by bombardment. Seeing a flatter part of the crushed ruins leading to a mound of rubble in the centre of the city, you decide to walk along what must have been a grand avenue.
After half an hour the ruins surround you and all your suspicions have been confirmed. The broken stone under your feet often clears to show the smoothed flagstones beneath, where people once trod, living lives that they probably had no inkling would soon end in fire and noise.
Reaching the edge of the large rubble pile, you pause. This was no doubt a palace of some sort. The question is, should you climb to the top, or go around the outside. Checking the position of the sun, you estimate that it would be safer to go around the outside, since the chances of finding shelter on top of the mound are limited. That said, you are a great hero…
Climb to the top of the rubble pile? Turn to 62
Explore the perimeter of the pile? Turn to 94
You spend the afternoon dozing, slipping in and out of strange dreams of a golden sword burning with fire. You use it to valiantly defend yourself against floating orbs of malachite. Once you are victorious, you see a strange long-limbed robot formed of elegant white modules collecting the remains; but it has no head, just a red mask in the front of its main structural module.
“Is it time?” the robot asks you?”
“It’s not fair!” you reply. “How do I know where to go and what to get?”
“It’s simple,” the robot tells you. “None of this is for you. You’re supposed to die here…”
When the evening comes on, the crew starts the fire and everyone takes their places around the flickering warm. The evening rations are passed around.
“The rescue ship will be here tomorrow,” announces the captain with a smile that does not reach his eyes. Soon the others are settling to sleep, all huddled together for warmth, and you lie down as well.
After what will hopefully be the last freezing night on this cursed planet, the morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you decide to do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
You resume your attack on the panel, flicking some of the switches you think you may have missed the first time and turning all the dials up to full. The console starts to buzz again.
A short time later, one of the wall panels opens and a golden figure steps out. It is a robot, humanoid in form, with components stylised into slender graceful limbs extending from a slim, genderless torso. Instead of a head, however, it has a large red crystal mounted in a copper cage. It strolls towards you, but you sense no threat.
“Hello?” you say.
It says nothing and advances on the console. You step away and let it flick switches and turn dials until the buzzing stops. It seems to be a maintenance bot of some sort.
Once it has finished, it turns to face you, and the crystal starts to glow. You just begin to think that the glowing doesn’t look friendly at all when a blast of some kind of energy crackles from the copper electrodes around the crystal and lashes out to strike you.
You stagger back, falling to the ground as your limbs fail to obey your will. You thrash about as your body contorts and buckles under the cracking energy. Eventually it stops and the golden robot walks past you and returns to its alcove.
You have been seriously fried (lower your initial SKILL by one point and lose 10 STAMINA points.) Afraid to touch the machine again, you crawl towards the exit. Before you reach outside, you see the heat beating down upon the dry, red earth and remain in the cool of the tunnel. You slip into sleep where you are tormented by dreams of the golden robot, but whenever you awake, you are alone.
Eventually a chill wind blows down the passage, waking you from your slumber. Time to be moving. You crawl out of the tunnel and make your way through the fading afternoon. The relief from the oppressive heat of the day is short-lived, as the chill starts to make you shiver and the promise of a bitter night is in the air.
You find the other survivors are already huddled together around the large fire. You get your evening rations and wrap a blanket around your shoulder before joining them.
As the wind promised, it soon turns bitterly cold. But with fire and body-warmth, you will survive the night. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
You head south, the skies clear before you. The chill of the night is still in the air and makes things pleasant. Unfortunately, you know it will not last. You trudge up and down dunes under the rising sun, scanning the golden sands for anything of interest.
You pass a few escape pods and note their position. They will likely be your shelter if you don’t find anything else out here. You press on, reflecting that you are moving forwards, approaching what may be no more the point where you must turn back. In which case it would be better not to venture out at all. Why ever go anywhere?
Life… if it is just to live, then why be any more than a bacteria? Was it a mistake billions of years ago, when the first two unicellular life forms hooked up to become something more? In fact, bacteria do a better job of living that the average human. So there must be something more, something to make it all worthwhile, to make it make sense.
You go on… towards something… towards nothing… In the end, when you die you have nothing too. In fact, you reason, all things on the journey are ultimately irrelevant. It only makes sense if who you are, being this superior multi-cellular being, is its own reward. For so long you have lamented what fate gave you, yearned for things you do not have. But if those things are ultimately irrelevant, then… who are you?
Whether you find something, or find nothing, you are still yourself. Whether or not that is rewarding depends on how you respond to what you find. Do you grow, or stagnate? Or regress to a bacteria?
How you respond… isn’t that up to you? You are not a puppet to be shaped by events. You have a will. You can become whatever you want to become. If the conditions of your life mean the road is harder for you than for others, then when you all stand together, having succeeded, yours will be the greater strength.
You step up onto the broad flat stones that form a kind of table in the centre of the golden sea. You feel strong and calm, the sun scorching the land feeling lighter, less potent. Bathing in the sun on the flat rocks is an enormous lizard, iridescent scales flashing blue and green in the sunlight.
You know at once it is dangerous, and that it has seen you, but you feel no fear. It will attack you, you will defend yourself. Because you choose to be courageous.
The creature lunges at you, and you begin. Add 1 to your Attack Strength for this battle only. If you are unarmed, your SKILL is reduced by 2, and the damage you can inflict is 1.
GIANT LIZARD SKILL 15 STAMINA 30
If you win, turn to 113
The corridor leads to a kind of T-intersection that has an additional corridor crossing vertically. Only Arachnonans who can crawl up walls build ships like this. Shuddering at the thought of the horrible things crawling over the walls, you decide whether to go right or left (up is out of the question, and down could be a one-way trip).
Left? Turn to 70
Right? Turn to 95
You move over to the next seat. Ah! That’s much more comfortable. You admire the sand for a while, until you reach the reluctant conclusion that sand is boring.
You stand up and go out the other exit of the observation lounge. The corridor is packed with bales of plastic bags; you squeeze past them until they block the corridor completely. You have, however, reached a door, so you press the control to open it.
The room within is a little disappointing. It is a vault of some sort, but is filled with barrels of toxic waste. Since they aren’t radioactive you decide to poke around.
The room is not large, and soon you have inspected every nook and cranny and found nothing. Just as you are about to leave you notice one of the barrels has had its seal removed.
Curious, you try to pry up the lid. You eventually get it open and peer inside. You give a cry of horror. Within is the withered body of an Arachnonan. The humanoid part is smaller than you, but the remains are dressed in a uniform bedecked with golden decorations. Obviously this was someone very important.
You feel something tickling the back of your hand and freeze when you see a bright purple spider on your hand. “Hello?” you venture.
But it is not the intelligent kind. It bites you, which hurts. You slap your hand, crushing the spider and flicking the remains away. But already a potent venom is in your blood. You start to feel queasy. You have to sit down as the poison works its way through your system. You feel feverish and weak. (Reduce your current SKILL by 2 for the duration of this adventure). Eventually it becomes clear that you are going to neither pass out nor die, so you get up and slowly continue your exploration.
While the sun chars the world outside, you explore the vessel in air-conditioned comfort. Several hours later you have found nothing except numerous containers stuffed into every storage space and cabin. All of them are brightly coloured and marked with the galactic symbol for high-level radioactive waste. The ship seems to have been abandoned and all the valuables taken.
By now you have worked out which end of the ship is which and make your way to the bridge to see if you can find a log or something. Entering the bridge, you make your way over to the captain’s chair and sit down. Being made for an Arachnonan, it is really no more than a golden, cushioned stool.
Still, you survey the bridge with the smug air of command. “Computer!” you bark. “Are you still active?” It doesn’t reply. Everything else seems to be functioning, so it would be a surprise if the computer wasn’t working as well. “Computer!” You say again. “I know you’re there!”
“What?” a slurpy, clicky voice demands in Galactic Standard.
“Ah, that’s better,” you say. “Tell me what happened here? Why isn’t this ship smashed like the others?”
“You’re human,” it replies.
“Um… yes I am,” you reply. “But that doesn’t answer my questions. Can you tell me what happened?”
“No,” the computer says.
“Your memory banks have been wiped?” you query.
“No.”
“No…? Then why can’t you answer my questions?”
“You’re human,” it replies.
You scratch your head. “Are you refusing to answer me because I am human?”
“Yes,” it tells you.
“But you’re talking to me anyway,” you point out.
The computer remains silent.
“Computer?” you say. “Computer! Answer me!” This fails to yield a response. “Look,” you begin in a convincing tone. “You’re stuck here, so why not talk to me? Give you a change. You might even be able to fulfil your programming if I can help you…”
“You don’t look very talented,” the computer observes.
“But I am!” you insist. “I can help you! What happened?”
“I was sent to dump waste on this planet,” it tells you.
“You were sent here, deliberately?” you exclaim.
“Yes.”
“Why?” you ask.
“To dump waste,” it tells you again.
“Dump waste?” you ask in confusion. “Why would you recycle the matter?”
“I was dispatched during the recycling union strike of ‘34,” the computer tells you.
“Can you still take off?” you ask.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Minimal energy reserves.”
“So… you were never meant to return?”
“Correct.”
“Did the Arachnonans have anything to do with the destruction of the civilisation on this planet?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“The natives were infected.”
“With what?”
“With Visacs.”
“What is Visacs?”
“A parasite.”
“Bad enough to make them destroy the planet?” you ask incredulously. “What happens to you if you get infected?”
“The Visac eats your brain and takes over your body.”
“Wa?!” It sounds terrible. If indeed such sinister creatures existed, you can understand the Arachnonans attacking. Of course, the death of all the innocent people isn’t very nice.
“But it’s safe now, right?” you ask nervously. “They are all dead?”
“I don’t know.”
You soon run out of conversation and let the computer conserve its energy, even though it has fulfilled its purpose and is just waiting to die. It only knows what it has overheard anyway, being a simple ferry. It tells you there is nothing of value on board, but you make another hopeful search until the day starts to cool outside.
Returning to the airlock, you cycle yourself through. Sand pours in as the outer door opens, but a small gap of daylight appears above. The storm has passed and the air is still. You crawl out into the dry air of the desert. The ship is still half-buried and, giving it a last, long look, you turn and trudge back towards the encampment.
It is much closer than you expected, and you realise it was the storm that made the journey so difficult. You return to the camp as the fire is being built for the night. Eyeing the pile of broken wooden furniture, you see that not much is left.
Seeing you examine the firewood, one of the crew smiles at you. “The rescue ship will be here tomorrow. No need to worry.”
You nod, letting what has been unsaid remain unsaid. Now is the time to cling to hope and you grasp it tightly, not letting your fears escape from your belly.
You collect your rations and join the others. Some of the survivors are almost cheery, expecting this to be their last night. The rest have blank faces that lay open the feelings that are raging within their hearts. You can only see it because your feelings are the same. Let the others have their naïve happiness. If it all goes badly there will be time enough afterwards to embrace the despondency amidst the shards of hope.
The night is still, but still cold. You and the others survive by huddling together. The last of the broken furniture is put on the fire a couple of hours before dawn.
The third day on the planet dawns, and you remain in the huddle until it becomes too warm, then extricate yourself. It will still be some hours before the ship arrives, so you wander away from the others, looking for something to do.
Where to go?
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
“Then I shall wait patiently for the day when you begin your ascension to glory, and the small part that I shall play.”
It powers down and becomes inert.
“Er…hello? Can you at least tell me what you are for?” you ask.
But it remains silent and still. You explore the rest of the chamber, but apart from a large steel panel in one wall that you can open, you find nothing except a narrow stairway leading up out of the room. You take this and soon come to another door. It opens as you near and a blast of cold air chills you to your bones. You emerge from the base of the pyramid you saw earlier. The door closes behind you and you see no trace of the opening.
You are surprised to see the sun descending in the west and hurry back towards the camp. It starts to rapidly grow cold as the sun disappears. You find the other survivors are already huddled together around the fire. Silently, you collect you evening ration of water and energy bar and join the huddle around the fire.
As the wind promised, it soon turns bitterly cold. But with fire and body-warmth, you will survive the night. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 18
To explore to the South, turn to 63
To explore to the East, turn to 44
To explore to the West, turn to 77
To explore the graveyard, turn to 3
You walk around the sphere and see, in the side facing the pyramid, a glass panel. It looks like the type used to scan a palm, so you lay your hand against it. A bar of light scans it and the large sphere starts to hum softly. After a minute, part of the side of the sphere you are facing slides away to reveal a large screen, on which is an image of an 3 by 3 grid with a 2 in the upper right corner and a 1 in the centre square of the bottom row. Underneath there is a line of numbers from 3 to 9 in sequence. The numbers are written in Galactic Standard. This mystifies you briefly, but you contemplate the screen before you. After some experimentation, it seems the screen is a puzzle. Pressing one of the numbers at the bottom, then one of the vacant spaces in the grid, will make the selected number appear in that space.
You fill up the spaces, but everything then flashes red and the numbers reappear in their original positions. A specific combination is needed.
If you want to try a combination, then put your numbers together side by side in your chosen order as you would fill out the vacant squares, row by row, from the upper left to the lower right square. For example, if you wanted to put 4, then 7, then 9 across the top row; 5, 6, and 8 across the middle row, then 1, 3 and 2 across the bottom, your answer would be: 479,568,132.
Divide your answer by 54,706,424 and turn to the reference thus indicated. If the reference makes no sense, then you have entered the wrong combination. If you can’t understand these instructions, then you have also entered the wrong combination.
(fightingfantasy.org editors note - please refer to the illustration)
If you fail, you turn your attention to the pyramid instead. Turn to 117
You turn around and begin to make your way back. After several minutes you are struggling, the sun beating down on you, the sand stinging your unprotected face.
But the closer you get to the ships’ graveyard, the calmer it seems to get. Eventually you are able to look back over your shoulder and see a great swirling cloud of sand and fury above the southern desert.
As you trudge into the camp shaking the sand off your clothes, the crewman who spoke to you earlier sees you and chuckles. “Told you it wasn’t a good idea!”
“How about a sip of water?” you ask, feeling like you have eaten several mouthfuls of sand.
His smile vanishes. “The water must be rationed.”
“For two more days,” you say.
The crewman nods curtly, but seems uneasy. To his relief you move on. You cannot blame them for keeping more water in reserve. It is their job not only to feed the thirst of the survivors, but to feed their hope as well.
After a brief rest you decide to stay close and wander off into the ship’s graveyard.
Turn to 3
You search through the crate, but find only letters. There is nothing else of interest here, so you continue on your way by going back and going through the other door.
Soon you come to a T-intersection where your rectangular corridor terminates by breaking into a larger, tube-like passage lined with slowly pulsing lights. You pause, looking right, then left, then right again…
Go left? Turn to 70
Go right? Turn to 95
Making your selection, you hasten towards the statue, eager to escape the heat. You almost dive into the cool blackness, plunging into the depths of the chamber. You are unsurprised to find a small chamber with a chute in the ceiling, but here there is an intact altar under the chute.
This makes it much easier to climb up into the chute and you are soon galactic inching your way upwards. Some time later you ooze out of the shaft and onto a mosaic floor. You rest for a few minutes. All this climbing on little food and water is wearing you out. Eventually, you rouse yourself and examine the chamber. It is shaped like a pyramid, with walls plated in a tarnished gold-coloured metal. There is nothing here except a greenish block in one corner. You crawl into the corner and retrieve it. You have found a block of greenish banded stone, about 4 by 4 by 2 galactic inches, with a hemispherical depression in one of the square faces.
If you already have a block like this and an orb of the same material, turn to 106
Otherwise, turn to 134
The passage goes on and starts to climb upwards. Before it can get treacherously steep, you find steps under your feet. You pause, seeing the steps ascending into the darkness beyond a rectangular frame in the cavern wall.
You proceed slowly. The steps are firm underfoot and the walls become flat. You can touch both sides of the stairwell and proceed confidently even though you can’t see.
After what seems like a few minutes you see bright light above. It is so bright you have to go slowly to let your eyes adjust. When you are ready, you emerge into a large rectangular room lit with harsh yellow lights in the ceiling. There are several consoles situated around the walls of the room, but they lie dead and dusty. In the centre there is something tall under a grey cloth.
You walk forward and grasp the cloth, discovering it is actually white but covered in a film of black dust. You pull on it and uncover what is concealed beneath.
It is a robot, half again as tall as you are. It is built of steel rods connecting modules made of glossy white polymer shaped into elegant flowing forms. While vaguely humanoid in that it has four limbs extending from a central body mass, it has no head. But in the front of the central module is a red mask with yellow gems for eyes.
It has no obvious purpose, but as you scrutinise it, the yellow eyes start to glow. You back away, checking your exit. The robot starts to move and flexes its limbs one by one; it then turns slowly to face you. A voice issues from the mask, but it speaks a language you don’t know.
“I don’t understand,” you say cautiously.
The robot is silent for a time, but then it speaks using Galactic Standard. “When the death came, it took many. Those that remained fled to hidden places. But the Shapeless Ones and the Octopeds found them.”
“That’s… a sad story,” you say.
“Have you been blessed?” it asks you.
“Um…”
“…yes…” Turn to 19
“…no…” Turn to 60
The machinery remains silent and still as you walk in, but you notice lights winking on one of the consoles. You approach the console and try to work out what it is for. Although the console is unfamiliar and the language is unknown to you, you eventually conclude that a ship near the planet has been detected.
Will the beams activate? As if prompted by your thoughts, the machine behind you begins to hum. You spin around, but the machine does nothing else. It must be warming up. You conclude that this pyramid is the source of one of the beams that ensnared your vessel and will soon do the same for the rescue ship.
You attack the panel, pressing buttons and flicking switches. The panel starts to buzz and it seems you are locked out. Turning your attention to the big machine, you look for a power cord to unplug. Unfortunately it’s not that simple. You thump the side of the machine in frustration. This does nothing to interrupt the machine and proves to you how ineffectual you are.
Suddenly there is a clanging sound, and a hum of a different kind. Looking up past the machine that crowds the room, you see the roof above opening up. The machine must extend upwards out of the top of the pyramid!
Hoping the equipment that emits the beam is more delicate that the structural components at the base, you rush out of the room and through the darkened passages of the pyramid to enter the scorching embrace of the sun. You pay that no mind and race up the slope that the pyramid stands on, where you see the top has unfolded like a flower. A large emitter of some kind then rises upwards and clangs into place.
A bright green beam shoots up from the emitter, disappearing into the blue heavens. You see two other beams also striking into the heavens. They seem to rise in parallel, but you know they must be converging on a vessel at a great distance, dragging it to its doom.
You quickly clamber up the side of the pyramid, moving over to the edge where you can climb between the unfolded sections. These sections now form a kind of flat metal deck surrounding the emitter, and you stagger onto it.
The emitter rises out of the square hole in the centre and appears robust. You need to destroy it, but how? It is out of reach, and massive, and metal…
If you have an unexploded munitions shell, turn to 58
Otherwise, turn to 104
The stone doesn’t budge and you are forced to give up. Feeling the heat of the day, you fear you have tarried too long and start back to the camp. The way is all downhill, but the heat comes quickly. You reach the edge of the ships’ graveyard and take shelter in an ancient wreck. You lie in the shade and rest, clothes soaking with sweat, your thirst growing. You snooze, shifting in and out of sleep until it grows cool enough to step out of cover.
You go back to the camp for some water. You receive your ration and drink it as slowly as possible. As you do so, you surreptitiously admire one of the other survivors, an attractive dark-haired woman with small horns growing out of her temples. She has a small boy next to her that you hope isn’t her son (he has no horns).
“Mum! I’m bored!” says the boy.
Damn! Well, she is still attractive. Perhaps you could offer to huddle with her tonight. Purely out of concern for her, of course.
“The rescue ship will come tomorrow,” the yummy mummy says. “Just conserve your energy until then.”
“I’ve been conserving for a day and a half already!” he complains.
If you have a slider puzzle, turn to 6
Otherwise, turn to 78
The sword won’t come free. No wonder they want to throw it away. You descend from the rock and continue along the corridor. Soon you come to a T-intersection where your rectangular corridor terminates by breaking into a larger, tube-like passage lined with slowly pulsing lights. You pause, looking right, then left, then right again…
Go left? Turn to 70
Go right? Turn to 95
“I don’t think it’s right that G15-275 doesn’t have a name. It is inhabited.”
The politician nods through his mouthful of noodles. “Ah-huh,” he agrees. Post-swallow, he elaborates. “G15-275 is a bit different. It’s not actually classed as a habitable body. Everyone who lives there does so as an extension of TEWAF. That said, we would be happy to grant G15-275 a name. But I asked the Tinypus about that once, and he said it wasn’t necessary.”
“The what?”
“The what what?” the member for exosolar planetoids asks in confusion.
“The tiny-something didn’t want to name the planetoid?”
“The Tinypus...he’s still your Operations Manager, isn’t he?”
“Yes, of course,” you say. Tinypus? “Since I’m the CEO of TEWAF, I can decide now, can’t I?”
“Yes, of course! You have a name in mind?”
You consider. “I want to call the planet Pomplompotom...” you say, to honour the woman you love.
“She’s the Merchant Princess of Amorphonon 12, isn’t she?”
“You’ve heard of her?” you ask in surprise.
“Of course, whoever she marries could become the next Merchant Prince of Amorphonon 12, plus inherit the family empire.”
“Marries?!?”
The politician chuckles. “G15-275 is a bit remote, isn’t it? A couple of weeks ago she announced the Bridal Challenge. All her suitors are out there now, trying to meet the challenge.”
“What was the challenge?” you ask. This must be why you are here!
But the politician shrugs. “I can’t remember the details. A gift or something. My wife is the one following it.”
You stand up. “I might be back a little later.”
“Sure, in the meantime I’ll prepare that authorisation to change the name of the planetoid.”
“Ok!”
You dash from the office, not even sparing a glance for the hot receptionist. You must have come to Earth on a mission to win the Bridal Challenge! You need details, and fast. You take the lift downstairs, and rush out into the street. Seeing a newsagent, you rush inside and up to one of the vacant viewscreens.
You pull out your data tablet and cash card. “I want to download everything about Pomplompotom’s Bridal Challenge!” you tell it. The screen obliges and data starts pouring into your device.
You start to view it at once. She has challenged her suitors to bring a gift which proves their financial worthiness, a gift that will allow her family to make lots of cash into the future. They have 30 days to deliver!!! You find a list of suitors and see that you are one of them.
You leave the newsagent, your mind reeling. Why would you be here on Earth? What is here? Why would you need to see your Local Member? Suddenly you are falling, the light of the world vanishing above as you are compressed through a passage and excreted out onto a soft grassy lawn. You climb to your feet in time to see the platypus shrinking back to normal size as it turns round to face you.
“You didn’t...” you begin.
“It has to work this way,” the platypus defends. “I hope you made the right choice and know what to do when the time comes.”
“I don’t even know why I was on Earth!” you protest. “What was I there to do?”
“You don’t need to know that. That’s not the critical part.”
“But...”
“Wake up!”
You are suddenly jerked awake in the freezing night, the people pressed each side of you stirring as you jolt. You lie back, pondering what you experienced of your future before you slowly slip back into sleep once more. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you decide to do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
The passage drops abruptly and you begin to skid on the slick stone underfoot. Just as you lose your footing, you see the way ahead lies in darkness and are soon sliding down a steep slope into blackness.
As fear grips your chest, you suddenly see light bloom below, then slide out into a large, bright chamber. The moss covers the entire cavern floor and you see the flowers are larger here, though still none larger than your thumbnail.
Walking over the subterranean meadow, you hear the dripping of water from somewhere and eventually locate a pool of mineral-rich water that is fed by a drip from a crack in the ceiling.
There is an opening to each side of the pool.
To go to the right, turn to 57
To go to the left, turn to 35
Clambering up and down piles of jagged rock, you slowly circumnavigate the mound. About halfway around you find a large opening, the area in front of it cleared of stones.
It looks like someone has done some work here after the destruction. “Hello?” you call out tentatively.
There is no answer, so you step into the cool shadows of the opening. Letting your eyes adjust, you eventually see a door made from the hatch of a vessel. You walk over the thump the control. The door slowly opens halfway. It is enough to allow you to enter, and you move inside as lights come on to reveal a sad and ghastly scene. Someone made a home here long ago. Survivors like you. You can see the salvaged equipment that they used to furnish a place to live. Yet they could not survive. Stretched out on each of the beds is a skeleton, lying in a pile of dust.
You move to inspect their meagre belongings, the desperation of your situation overwhelming any notions of respect. Whatever they have left behind they don’t need now, you roughly tell yourself.
It turns out there isn’t much. The only thing of interest you find is a data tablet, which has several entries written in. You sit down to read as the day gets hot.
It is a sad story. A ferry ship much like yours was ensnared and crashed. After all their supplies ran out, the passengers and crew began to kill each other for food. The writer of the journal was one of the few who thought it better to die than to descend into barbarity. They left the others and came to live here. But when the others got hungry, they came for them. Those who had taken refuge here had weapons, and were able to repel the attack even though they were weak from hunger.
After the attack was repelled, they dragged the bodies inside, not wishing the others to eat them and grow strong while they themselves grew weak. But it caused a dilemma. The bodies were already dead, slain in self defence. Could they not now eat them as they could any other food lying around?
Each was left free to choose. One of the bodies was butchered and cooked, and half of them ate. The attacks came again, and were repelled. This time only one of them refused to eat.
A week passed, and no further attacks came. Since they were now cannibals, some argued that they should just go and attack the other camp. They had no dignity left to preserve. But they had not murdered anybody yet, and virtue was extolled convincingly.
Yet the next day, one of their number brought news that the other camp had found weapons and was planning an attack. Their only hope was to launch a pre-emptive strike against a stronger foe.
Why should we preserve our lives? Some asked. Was it better to starve than to be gunned down by blaster-fire? In the end they agreed they would go, for there was a chance still they would be rescued and must try to survive as long as possible.
They attacked the other camp, and killed all but a few who fled into the wilderness. No weapons were found. There had never been any. The one who had brought the news offered a simple explanation: he was hungry.
It seems that as their bellies gnawed with hunger, something more sinister was gnawing at their humanity. Some then repented of eating the flesh of their own kind. It had opened the door to murder. They decided they would come back to this place and starve to death in peace. The others agreed to let them go and promised they would respect their wishes.
The journal ends soon after. They came back here and died one by one over the course of a few days. Seeing their bodies have been undisturbed, you can guess what happened. Even if the promises of respect were hollow, by the time the others had finished eating all of their former crewmates killed in the attack, the people here would have been dead for many days, no doubt bloated and rotting from within in the heat.
It is a terrible story, and a future you can look forward to if the rescue ship is unable to land safely. And how can it as long as the snaring beams are active?
With these unhappy thoughts you let the heat of the day pass. When it is cool, you leave the shelter of bones and begin to walk back towards the ships’ graveyard. You have not gone far when you come across a number of blast craters filled in with red dust. You can see something metal poking out and go over to it. You pull on it and it comes free, proving to be only as long as your forearm and perhaps five galactic inches in diameter.
It has fins on the back, and you freeze as you realise you are holding an unexploded munition. You cannot read the words on the side, but recognise the dominant Amorphonon lettering.
Whether or not the munition is stable now, you don’t know. It would probably be best to leave it here. Of course that would mean you have only the story of the survivors to show for your exploring. You can take the unexploded munition with you if you like.
You return to the camp as the fire is being built for the night. Eyeing the pile of broken wooden furniture, you see that not much is left.
Seeing you examine the firewood, one of the crew smiles at you. “The rescue ship will be here tomorrow. No need to worry.”
You nod, letting what has been unsaid remain unsaid. Now is the time to cling to hope and you grasp it tightly, not letting your fears escape from your belly.
You collect your rations and join the others. Some of the survivors are almost cheery, expecting this to be their last night. The rest have blank faces that lay open the feelings that are raging within their hearts. You can only see because your feelings are the same. Let them have their naïve happiness. If it all goes badly there will be time enough afterwards to embrace the despondency that will arise from the shards of hope.
The night is still, but still cold. You and the others survive by huddling together. The last of the broken furniture is put on the fire a couple of hours before dawn.
The third day on the planet dawns, and you remain in the huddle until it becomes too warm, then extricate yourself. It will still be some hours before the ship arrives, so you wander away from the others, looking for something to do.
Where to go?
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
You follow the corridor to a large security door. You thump the control, and to your pleasure it opens. The room within is a little disappointing. It is a vault of some sort, but is filled with barrels of toxic waste. Since they aren’t radioactive you decide to poke around.
The room is not large, and soon you have inspected every nook and cranny and found nothing. Just as you are about to leave you notice one of the barrels has had its seal removed.
Curious, you try to pry up the lid. You eventually get it open and peer inside. You give a cry of horror. Within is the withered body of an Arachnonan. The humanoid part is smaller than you, but the remains are dressed in a uniform bedecked with golden decorations. Obviously this was someone very important.
You feel something tickling the back of your hand and freeze when you see a bright purple spider on your hand. “Hello?” you venture.
But it is not the intelligent kind. It bites you, which hurts. You slap your hand, crushing the spider and flicking the remains away. But already a potent venom is in your blood. You start to feel queasy. You have to sit down as the poison works its way through your system. You feel feverish and weak. (Reduce your current SKILL by 2 for the duration of this adventure). Eventually it becomes clear that you are going to neither pass out nor die, so you get up and slowly continue your exploration.
While the sun chars the world outside, you explore the vessel in air-conditioned comfort. Several hours later you have found nothing except numerous containers stuffed into every storage space and cabin. All of them are brightly coloured and marked with the galactic symbol for high-level radioactive waste. The ship seems to have been abandoned and all the valuables taken.
By now you have worked out which end of the ship is which and make your way to the bridge to see if you can find a log or something. Entering the bridge, you make your way over to the captain’s chair and sit down. Being made for an Arachnonan, it is really no more than a golden, cushioned stool.
Still, you survey the bridge with the smug air of command. “Computer!” you bark. “Are you still active?” It doesn’t reply. Everything else seems to be functioning, so it would be a surprise if the computer wasn’t working as well. “Computer!” You say again. “I know you’re there!”
“What?” a slurpy, clicky voice demands in Galactic Standard.
“Ah, that’s better,” you say. “Tell me what happened here? Why isn’t this ship smashed like the others?”
“You’re human,” it replies.
“Um… yes I am,” you reply. “But that doesn’t answer my questions. Can you tell me what happened?”
“No,” the computer says.
“Your memory banks have been wiped?” you query.
“No.”
“No…? Then why can’t you answer my questions?”
“You’re human,” it replies.
You scratch your head. “Are you refusing to answer me because I am human?”
“Yes,” it tells you.
“But you’re talking to me anyway,” you point out.
The computer remains silent.
“Computer?” you say. “Computer! Answer me!” This fails to yield a response. “Look,” you begin in a convincing tone. “You’re stuck here, so why not talk to me? Give you a change. You might even be able to fulfil your programming if I can help you…”
“You don’t look very talented,” the computer observes.
“But I am!” you insist. “I can help you! What happened?”
“I was sent to dump waste on this planet,” it tells you.
“You were sent here, deliberately?” you exclaim.
“Yes.”
“Why?” you ask.
“To dump waste,” it tells you again.
“Dump waste?” you ask in confusion. “Why would you recycle the matter?”
“I was dispatched during the recycling union strike of ‘34,” the computer tells you.
“Can you still take off?” you ask.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Minimal energy reserves.”
“So… you were never meant to return?”
“Correct.”
“Did the Arachnonans have anything to do with the destruction of the civilisation on this planet?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“The natives were infected.”
“With what?”
“With Visacs.”
“What is Visacs?”
“A parasite.”
“Bad enough to make them destroy the planet?” you ask incredulously. “What happens to you if you get infected?”
“The Visac eats your brain and takes over your body.”
“Wa?!” It sounds terrible. If indeed such sinister creatures existed, you can understand the Arachnonans attacking. Of course, the death of all the innocent people isn’t very nice.
“But it’s safe now, right?” you ask nervously. “They are all dead?”
“I don’t know.”
You soon run out of conversation and let the computer conserve its energy, even though it has fulfilled its purpose and is just waiting to die. It only knows what it has overheard anyway, being a simple ferry. It tells you there is nothing of value on board, but you make another hopeful search until the day starts to cool outside.
Returning to the airlock, you cycle yourself through. Sand pours in as the outer door opens, but a small gap of daylight appears above. The storm has passed and the air is still. You crawl out into the dry air of the desert. The ship is still half-buried and, giving it a last, long look, you turn and trudge back towards the encampment.
It is much closer than you expected, and you realise it was the storm that made the journey so difficult. You return to the camp as the fire is being built for the night. Eyeing the pile of broken wooden furniture, you see that not much is left.
Seeing you examine the firewood, one of the crew smiles at you. “The rescue ship will be here tomorrow. No need to worry.”
You nod, letting what has been unsaid remain unsaid. Now is the time to cling to hope and you grasp it tightly, not letting your fears escape from your belly.
You collect your rations and join the others. Some of the survivors are almost cheery, expecting this to be their last night. The rest have blank faces that lay open the feelings that are raging within their hearts. You can only see because your feelings are the same. Let them have their naïve happiness. If it all goes badly there will be time enough afterwards to embrace the despondency that will arise from the shards of hope.
The night is still, but still cold. You and the others survive by huddling together. The last of the broken furniture is put on the fire a couple of hours before dawn.
The third day on the planet dawns, and you remain in the huddle until it becomes too warm, then extricate yourself. It will still be some hours before the ship arrives, so you wander away from the others, looking for something to do.
Where to go?
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
You take out the two golden pieces you found in the statues and select the third from the blanket. The handle clicks into one side of the orb and the blade clicks into the other. It forms a heavy, blunt sword.
You begin to suspect you have made the wrong choice, but the blanket and the other items have disappeared now. You examine the sword more closely and discover a small button on the handle. You press it. Immediately the edges of the blade start to emit a reddish energy. You eye it dubiously, then poke the tip into the stone at your feet. The blade sinks into the stone, cut away by the energy emission.
What you have assembled is the legendary Golden Blade! Happy with your new toy, you turn it off and prepare yourself for your next reward.
Turn to 136
You answer in the negative. The hologram makes a sweeping gesture with its arm. “Then go, glory is waiting for you to claim it.”
“Can I have more information about this glory?” you ask.
“Perhaps you doubt your ability to pass the test,” the hologram says. “It is, after all, a test of intelligence. For only the powerful of mind are worthy.”
“I can probably figure it out,” you say cockily.
“Then, you do not need my clue,” the hologram says.
“Well, you can tell me your clue,” you say. “It won’t do any harm.”
“Very well. A grid, three-by-three. Within you must arrange the numbers from one to nine in such an order that the numbers in each row, each column, and even the two main diagonals all equal the same number when added together.”
“I see,” you say. “And if I solve it, what happens exactly?”
“You shall be blessed,” the hologram says. “Then untold power will be yours! I hope that you do not have a weakness of heart that falters before glory?”
“No, I don’t!” you say.
“Excellent! Then go and claim your glory! There is no need for the second clue.”
“There’s another clue?” you say. “What is it?”
“I can tell you, if you wish to know,” the hologram says.
“You might as well,” you say. “I mean, I’ll be able to figure it out anyway, so you might as well make it easy for me.”
“That seems logical, if indeed you are as intelligent as you claim. Very well, the second clue is the number 15.”
“15. Is that the number the rows and columns are supposed to equal?” you ask.
“I can give no further clues,” the hologram says coyly.
“That’s it isn’t it?” you say triumphantly.
“I cannot answer you, but I see your claims to intelligence were not vain boasting.”
“Yep, yep. I’m smart!” you say.
“Then, you know that the number that goes in the middle is 5?” the hologram asks.
“Er… yes?”
“Yes it is! You are indeed well on your way to being blessed!”
“You still haven’t told me what that means,” you say. “What will happen to me?”
“How can an eagle explain to the worm the glory of soaring through the heavens? Only by possessing glory can one know it. Go and claim what is yours.”
“Ok. Um, any more clues?”
“Sure, the four corners are even numbers,” the hologram tells you. “Now go! I await your return in triumph. Farewell.”
“Hang on!” you protest, but the beam shuts off and the hologram disappears.
So what now?
Keep attacking the console? Turn to 79
Leave? Turn to 67
You cross over the sand and enter the tunnel under the statue of the female with the floral crown. You find yourself in a chamber that is round, with many bight blue tiles still clinging to the walls. Just like the others, there is a chute in the ceiling. There is no debris here, so you are forced to make a pile of sand. It takes some time, but then you are able to carefully climb up and leap into the chute, holding yourself in by pushing against the sides with your shoulders and hands.
You try to work your way upward, legs swinging below…
Test your STAMINA by rolling 4 dice
If you are Strong, turn to 66
If you are Weak, turn to 130
You begin to walk around the pyramid. It is constructed of large stones, forming steps. The wind has scoured the outside, wearing away many of the sharp edges and dumping red and yellow sand onto the courses and filling the cracks that occasionally mar the great stones.
You complete your circuit without finding anything. You estimate it must have taken half an hour to walk around, and check the position of the sun. It will get unbearably hot soon and, apart from hiding under the sphere, there is no shelter up here. Still, you are sure there must be some way into the pyramid.
You begin walking around the pyramid again, this time in the opposite direction and taking greater care to examine the surface even as you quicken your steps.
On the northern side, which still lies in shadow, you notice this time one block that is different to the others. Rather that being rectangular, it is square, like a cube. You climb up to investigate it more closely. In the front face you find a faint indentation of an annulus, with two humanoid hand impressions to either side.
You place your hands against the impressions and push. The stone does not move. A greater effort will be required. You push with all your might…
Test your STAMINA by rolling 6 dice.
If you are Strong, turn to 69
If you are Weak, turn to 90
You console yourself that you didn’t want to climb up into the stupid statue anyway, and leave. Out on the hot sands once again, you quickly look for the next statue to investigate. The air shimmers, and you examine the wavering black masses as you trudge across the sand.
There are two statues nearby. One has the head of a bird instead of a humanoid. The other has a serpent wrapped around his arm and the staff he holds.
Which will you investigate?
The bird-head? Turn to 64
The serpent-king? Turn to 87
You let the creature draw near. It reaches out to clutch you with its clawed hands. You dive forward at the last moment and slide under its grasp. Rolling to your feet, you find that you have a momentary advantage.
You lash out with your weapon…
To cut at its leg, turn to 114
To cut at its tail (possibly used for balance), turn to 145
The crack narrows, but then widens again and you squirm around a corner and down into another gap. But now it is dark and you can see nothing, feeling your way ahead…
Test your LUCK
If you are Lucky, turn to 111
If you are Unlucky, turn to 119
There are too many unanswered questions. At least the confrontation will get some answers at last. You settle yourself and watch the despondent man talking to the captain. Their voices are starting to become raised.
“Stop hiding whatever you are hiding!” the passenger shouts. ‘There is no rescue ship! Is there?!”
“Just be a little more patient! The ship will arrive today!”
“Or something else will happen!” the passenger accuses. “Why three days? Huh? If they got our signal they should have been here hours after we crashed!”
“I told you! The company was unable to send a ship right away! It was scheduled to be dispatched this morning, so it will be here in a few hours!”
“We’re dying here and are waiting around for 3 days?!”
“On the contrary, we are not dying! We have food and shelter! I told them our situation was not an emergency, so they didn’t cancel any services but instead waiting for the next available ship, which is today!”
“And what happens when the ship arrives? What’s to prevent it from suffering the same fate as us?”
“I warned them about the beams… hopefully that will be enough.”
“Hopefully?! That’s what you’re pinning our lives on?”
“What exactly are you complaining about?” the captain growls. “What do you think I should have done?”
The passenger gives a grim smile. “We’ll see how I do things differently!”
When it comes, it is too swift for you to even draw breath, yet seems so slow that you can see every detail. The passenger reaches under his coat and pulls out a dagger fashion from a jagged shard of metal from the wreckage, tape bound around one end to form a handle. He thrusts it into the captain’s stomach, making him crumple.
And that, you realise with horror, is the signal. As the crewmen leap to their feet, they never see the others pounce on them, smashing them over their heads or using crudely fashioned daggers to kill them. That was not part of the plan!
Hanson takes a step forward and your body jerks into action. You raise your metal bar and crack him across the back of his head. He falls to the ground and lies still. All the other crew have been killed or captured, and the conspirators cheer as if they have won a great victory, laughing and congratulating each other.
You watch as they break open the two crates the crew were guarding so closely. One contains food and water as suspected, but it isn’t full. The other proves to be full of medical supplies and blankets and clothing. There are no weapons and no extra food.
The celebration quickly becomes sombre as the true extent of the supplies is revealed. “We remain on the ration,” the despondent-eyed man says. “There’s only enough food for a week here.”
The commotion has attracted other passengers and many of them are gathering. “What have you done?” asks one portly man, aghast at the spread of blood and bodies before him.
“They were lying to us!” says the despondent man, who is now wearing a grin that seems maniacal. “They had some plan to kill us!”
“The only murderer I see is the one before me,” the portly man says.
“Wake up!” the leader of the conspirators says in frustration. “There is no rescue ship! Or if there is, how is it going to escape the beams that ensnared us?”
The onlookers mutter in concern. The portly man shakes his head in disbelief. “And you think killing these men will somehow allow us to be rescued?”
“It’s not about that,” the conspirator says, looking unsettled.
“What is it about?” the portly man insists. “If we are indeed doomed, then you have done nothing to save us! Instead you have killed the very people who could have kept us alive as long as possible! What is it about?!”
The conspirators are shocked into silence. You can see from their faces they are starting to realise what they have done.
“I’m in charge now,” the despondent man says.
“Well, ‘sir’, what is your plan to get us out of here?” the portly man asks, folding his arms.
It is clear the conspirators have no plan. They acted out of fear and hopelessness. You wander away from the confrontation, realising that you too fell victim to hopelessness. The captain and crew had a plan to get at least some of you out. Now all of you will die here.
If you have the codeword SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENED TO ME on your Adventure Sheet, turn to 125
Otherwise, turn to 149
You feel helpless and can do nothing as you watch the beams drag down the ship that was supposed to rescue you. It falls rapidly towards the ships’ graveyard. You see some of the survivors from your ship fleeing, but it will be too late for many of them. The ship comes down with a loud smash, shaking the ground. Before it settles, it explodes. The ball of fire rises up over the graveyard and seconds later a wave of heat rolls over you.
As a column of smoke begins to rise from the wreckage, the top of the pyramid starts to close. You retreat back down the outside of the pyramid. There were no escape pods. Did anyone survive?
You realise you could be alone here. Alone until you die. It seems pointless to seek shelter from the overbearing sun, but eventually you move off. This place is where your life will end. You don’t know how long you can survive, but realise it doesn’t really matter.
What was your life for? This is the question that whirls through your mind as the days pass and the end eventually comes.
YOUR ADVENTURE ENDS HERE
As you reach the crest of the sand dune you become aware of a high-pitched hum. Turning and looking at the sky, you almost jump. A spaceship is soaring high above, slowly descending. There are no beams.
You are saved! You hope the conspirators will get what they deserve. Looking into the desert you hope than Hanson has seen or heard the ship and is returning.
The spaceship screams overhead, the ground shaking as it passes. It extends its legs, seemingly intending to land to the west of the ships’ graveyard. You hurry around the graveyard to its western edge.
You see the other survivors streaming out of the ships’ graveyard, dashing jubilantly into the pounding heat. You too care little for the sun beating down on you and hurry onwards to the rescue ship.
Turn to 170
Taking out the other malachite pieces, you place the orb into one of the hemispherical depressions. It fits perfectly. You place the other block on top, forming a complete solid cube. There is a click and the cube starts humming.
You back away, just in case it is a bomb or something. The cube them levitates and you start to have a bad feeling. A metal eye suddenly sprouts from one of the faces of the cube, which rotates until the eye is facing you.
“Ah! Greetings!”
While you would prefer not to believe that levitating stone cubes can talk, regardless of whether they have eyes or not, it seems undeniable in this case. You decide to answer, since if they do exist, you don’t wish to experience the additional disappointment of discovering that they respond to rudeness with lethal hostility.
“Hi.”
“Have I you to thank for my reassembly?”
“Er… if that’s a good thing…?”
“Of course it is! Splendid show! Those Visacs objected to my wisdom and had me disassembled. The height of rudeness!”
“Yeah, well…”
“I shall depart, but not without rewarding you,” the cube says. “It is fortunate for you that you found me. I can give you what you need.”
“Galactic Roubles?” you ask hopefully. “Or something to… make me more attractive to women?”
“Yes! But not directly. All those things will come to you of their own accord in time; but first you need to build a firm foundation of courtesy, posture and grooming. These things are fundamental to any civilised individual and will open doors for you that are now closed. Look at you! Scruffy, ill-mannered, slouching! It is little wonder you can’t find a good job or a suitable young lady.”
“Are you a deportment-bot?” you ask.
“Yes I am!” the levitating cube tells you. “Let us begin at once. Now, posture…”
The deportment-bot instructs you in the graces of presentation and conduct. The lessons are gruelling, but by the end you are able to approach the world with more self-assurance and dignity (increase your initial LUCK by 2 and raise your current LUCK to this level).
Eventually, the deportment-bot concludes. “Well, that should help you approach the world with more confidence! But you are still slouching! It’s as if your spine is crooked or something. Lie down would you?”
“What are you going to do?”
“Help you, of course! Now lie down...”
Hoping this will be over soon, you oblige.
“Not like that, on your front...yes, that’s it. Now let’s see, how do I do this...Ah!” You never see exactly what the deportment-bot does, but you feel it. The sensation is best described as extremely painful. You feel your spine snap and pop, but it is all over before your scream bounces around the small chamber.
“I have done as much for you as I can,” it says, “and now I will go. Tootles!” It levitates over to the shaft and drops down inside, exiting the statue. Slowly, you climb to your feet. You spine feels stiff and straight as if a strut has been put in there. It hurst to move, but as you stand you find you are straight and erect. You feel taller. Of course you also feel more awkward (reduce your initial SKILL by 1).
You wonder where the deportment-bot will go and what it will do. Realising that in this case ignorance is almost certainly bliss, you instead locate the doorway out and break away the clay sealing it. The door is not easy to open, but yields to your insistent shoving and swings open.
Feeling the hot air wash over you, you suddenly feel tired. All this climbing has taken what little energy you have. You decide to rest, snoozing occasionally, until the heat of the day starts to drop. Eventually a chill wind blows through the doorway, waking you from your slumber. Time to be moving. You climb down the statue and make your way through the fading afternoon. The relief from the oppressive heat of the day is short-lived, as the chill starts to make you shiver and the promise of a bitter night is in the air.
You find the other survivors are already huddled together around the large fire. You get your evening rations and wrap a blanket around your shoulders before joining them
As the wind promised, it soon turns bitterly cold. But with fire and body-warmth, you will survive the night. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
With a roar you leap into the air and shove the blade ahead of you as you crash into the creature’s body. It is surprised by this manoeuvre and recoils as you smash into it. But your blade sinks right into the middle of its solar plexus, penetrating to the hilt.
The creature lets out a sustained roar of pain…
If you are wielding the golden sword, turn to 116
Otherwise, turn to 123
You buy a ticket to North America with connections to Hollywood. You are easily able to do this with a cash card from your pocket which contains millions of Galactic Roubles! It seems things in your future are looking up!
You board the first class carriage of the supertrain. You have a compartment all to yourself, and relax in a large comfortable chair. A hostess-bot is suspended from the ceiling, in the shape of a uniformed woman without legs. Its hair flows up to become a flexible metal tube that is fixed to the ceiling.
“Greetings, sir,” it says. “Would you like a drink?”
You would, and you’re not shy in letting the robot know about it. The wait for the train to depart proves longer than the journey itself. A few drinks and snacks later your train arrives, and your compartment is transferred to another train, which takes you to Hollywood!
You exit the train station into a babble of excitement and merge into a crowd of excited tourists walking along the street, shrieking at every long car with tinted windows.
You see a man spruiking loudly next to an open-sided bus, and your ears perk as some keywords of interest tumble into your ears. “Star tours, right here!” says the loud man. “See the homes of your favourite stars, and some other ones as well! Just 50 Galactic Roubles for a 45 minute tour. Binoculars available for rent!”
It seems the perfect way to begin, so you buy a ticket and take your seat. Of course you rent some binoculars are well. You wait impatiently for the tour to begin. The bus fills and the tour soon begins. The loud man takes up a microphone and uses it to pelt your ears with interesting facts and figures about the surrounding environment.
The bus makes several stops, letting you peer at several walls beyond which you are assured top-notch celebrities reside. The high point is when you see a guard dog cross a lawn through a gate!
When you arrive at the wall that conceals Umumoolamatoo’s mansion, you exit the bus and join a crowd of young men gathered nearby. They are talking excitedly. You listen in. It seems a few of them caught a glimpse of something blue in one of the windows! They are debating whether it was Umumoolamatoo or just someone wearing a blue dress.
“Couldn’t it have been Umumoolamatoo wearing a blue dress?” you suggest?
Several unfriendly stares are directed your way. “First day?” one of them asks you.
You leave them to it, and instead examine the wall. Walking along, you reach the corner, seeing the adjacent lot is also a mansion, but there is no wall here. The windows of this mansion remain closed, curtains concealing the interior. You walk into the front garden, following the wall.
You come to a section where an-ivy covered lattice extends almost to the top of the wall. But it is already occupied by several young men peering over the wall; and there is a queue.
You go further inside, passing another group of young men queuing to look through a crack in the wall. It is obvious you will never get to see Umumoolamatoo like this. You need a plan. You’re sure these young men, who seem to have nothing better to do, have tried numerous means of entering the premises. Fortunately, by your judgement, you are smarter than any of them.
As you wander away from the mansion (the star tour bus left long ago) you start to contemplate the best way to get inside.
If you want to bribe your way in using your massive cash resources, turn to 29
If you want to go an organise a charity event to invite her to, turn to 144
You shake your head. “I don’t know what the captain is planning, but I can’t be part of murder.”
The three of them look at each other and some silent understanding seems to pass between them. You sense danger and start to back away. The next moment they pull weapons from under their clothing; sharp sections of metal with rags bound around one end, or heavy lengths of pipe.
They intend to kill you! You turn and flee. You dash through the rip in the hull and out into the dazzling brightness. You run blindly, arms held in front of you. You crash into things and trip over as your vision slowly returns. You know your pursuers will be similarly impeded for half a minute, and aim to get as far away as possible.
You hear no signs of pursuit, but run a random course through the graveyard. Once your energy is gone, you find a shadow and hide. Several minutes pass, but none of the conspirators appear. It seems you have lost them.
You don’t know if their stories were true or not. There are certainly some things that need explanation. However, they will be expecting you to return to the camp. That’s probably where they went. You decide to stay away. It is not too hot yet, so you leave the ships’ graveyard to explore further.
Roll one die.
If you roll a 1 or a 4, turn to 40
If you roll a 2 or a 5, turn to 120
If you roll a 3 or a 6, turn to 132
Your squirm mightily and free your weapon arm. You thrust the blade upwards as the mouth descends, and shove it into the creature’s gum. Getting a taste of pain instead of juicy blood, the creature yelps in pain and drops you to the ground to clutch at its face.
It is a painful but superficial wound, yet here you are, standing right in front of it, weapon in hand…
If you want to back off to use a healing shot, turn to 135
Otherwise you must press your advantage and thrust directly at the torso above you, by testing your SKILL (you may add bonuses for lasersword training)
If you are Skilful, turn to 121
If you are Clumsy, turn to 133
The oppressive darkness around you suddenly opens up and you feel about, finding nothing but a debris-covered floor. You climb to your feet and walk with your hands outstretched until you find a wall. You feel along it until your hand strikes some kind of switch. You flick it, and blinding light stabs into your eyes.
You squeeze your eyes shut, pressing your hands against your face. Slowly, you let the light in, then look at where you have found yourself. It is a large room that is half caved-in. The crack you entered through is visible in the middle of the rubble. The remainder of the room is intact, featuring fluted wooden pillars of honey-coloured wood, framing sections of plastered wall painted deep red. There is a door in the wall near you and you approach it. It does not open as you draw near, so you look for the control. There doesn’t seem to be any, but there is a brass sphere attached to one side of the door. Pressing this does nothing. Eventually you discover that it twists, manually sliding a bolt to allow the door to open.
How novel. These people certainly were primitive. You hope you don’t have to use your hand to open every single door you come to. It must have been exhausting in ancient times!
The room you enter remains dark and, suspecting the quirk for manual control is continuing, you find a switch and turn the lights on. How did these people have time to do anything?
The new room is a dining room. It seems you are in someone’s personal quarters. You explore a few rooms, having to open the doors and turn the lights on yourself. You discover bedrooms, a kitchen, a storeroom and a study. Everything is intact and, having been closed off, is not even covered in dust.
You search all of the rooms, finding personal valuables that aren’t of much use to you now. The study is more interesting, being filled with scroll-filled shelves. Unfortunately, you can’t read any of them. But hanging on the wall you find an oddly designed sword. You take it down to examine. It has missing edges and a switch on the hilt. You activate it and discovered you are holding a lasersword! If you want to take it, there is no one about to object.
You return to one of the bedrooms to rest. You fall asleep, waking much later. You don’t know how much time has passed, but you are sure most of the heat of the day has passed. You turn off all the lights and close all the doors before you leave. You might want to come back here, if… well, best not to think about that yet. You snake your way back up the contorted hole to emerge onto the surface once more.
The stones remain warm even as the world dims, but you traverse the broken wilderness to return to the camp in the ships’ graveyard.
You have not gone far when you come a number of blast craters filled in with red dust. You can see something metal poking out and go over to it. You pull on it and comes free, proving to be only as long as your forearm and perhaps five galactic inches in diameter.
It has fins on the back, and you freeze as you realise you are holding an unexploded munition. You cannot read the words on the side, but recognise the dominant Amorphonon lettering.
Whether or not the munition is stable now, you don’t know. It would probably be best to leave it here, but can take the unexploded munition with you if you like.
You return to the camp as the fire is being built for the night. Eyeing the pile of broken wooden furniture, you see that not much is left.
Seeing you examine the firewood, one of the crew smiles at you. “The rescue ship will be here tomorrow. No need to worry.”
You nod, letting what has been unsaid remain unsaid. Now is the time to cling to hope and you grasp it tightly, not letting your fears escape from your belly.
You collect your rations and join the others. Some of the survivors are almost cheery, expecting this to be their last night. The rest have blank faces that lay open the feelings that are raging within their hearts. You can only see it because your feelings are the same. Let the others have their naïve happiness. If it all goes badly there will be time enough afterwards to embrace the despondency that will arise from the shards of hope.
The night is still, but still cold. You and the others survive by huddling together. The last of the broken furniture is put on the fire a couple of hours before dawn.
The third day on the planet dawns, and you remain in the huddle until it becomes too warm, then extricate yourself. It will still be some hours before the ship arrives, so you wander away from the others, looking for something to do.
Where to go?
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
The creature starts to retch, as if it is going to vomit. Then suddenly it spits a ball of luminous green goo at you. Taken by surprise, the goo splashes over you. You stagger back, the goo stinging your exposed flesh. You scrape your face clear, but as the creature charges, you feel the goo starting to tighten, restricting your movements.
Reduce your SKILL by 1 for the remainder of this battle. If you have been struck by the goo before, then more goo equals more restriction, so minus 1 from your skill each time.
Turn to 159
It seems impossible to destroy the giant lizard, but for some reason that doesn’t matter. You strive, and eventually the lizard falls dead at your feet. As if to herald your triumph, you hear a screaming roar in the distance behind you and turn to see the rescue ship upon which all hopes of rescue are pinned falling towards the ground. It is dragged by the electric green beams that emerge from three pyramids to the north, east and west. The ship smashes into the graveyard, making the ground shake. Moments later it explodes, a huge red fireball rising up into the sky.
You watch this, strangely unaffected. It is who you are that matters, not what happens to you. Therefore, the crashing of the ship is irrelevant.
You turn back to the giant lizard. You wonder briefly what it ate in this dead world. It is clearly a carnivore. Suddenly it starts to shimmer and then disappears. Left behind on the ground are three of its teeth that must have broken loose in the course of the battle. You pick them up and put them in your pocket. What an odd experience.
All soon becomes clear when you see a small green tortoise materialises on the ground beside you. It is your spirit guide. “A potent lesson you have learnt,” it observes.
You shrug. “It will aid me little, since death will soon come. Is that why you are here, to tell me I am dead?”
“On the contrary,” the tortoise says, “I am here to ensure that you live. We observed your realisations. See that stone there…? Pick it up.”
You see the black stone that stands in contrast to the pale reddish rock under your feet. You pick it up and examine it. It seems like an ordinary stone.
“What now?” you ask.
“Examine the stone,” the tortoise commands.
You oblige, but find nothing of note. “It seems unremarkable.”
“Indeed. It is like any other stone here, but it shows that you are remarkable.”
“What do you mean?”
“That stone has lain under the sun for some time. Isn’t it hot?”
It should be… suddenly the rock you have been holding for almost a minute sizzles in your hand. You yelp and drop it. “It was cool… then hot.”
“No,” the tortoise counters. “It was always hot. It was you who changed.”
“Was… so this effect will not last?” you ask, starting to feel the sun beating down on you. It was always shining, but you couldn’t feel it.
“The illusion of flesh is powerful,” the tortoise says. “You surfaced from your confusion for a brief time, but you will be dragged into the depths again. But now you have seen. Now you know that you are more than flesh. You can find the way back here.”
“It seems my opportunity for growth is limited,” you observe. “I will soon perish here.”
“Well, not quite,” the Tortoise says coyly. “Your realisation about yourself, your life, was powerful; it freed your spirit for a brief time, allowing you to transcend the physical bounds that your mind is currently restoring. It seemed a shame that you should make such progress, then die.”
“What is the alternative?” you ask.
“Some questioned the extent of your transformation, thus we devised a test.”
“The lizard…” you say.
“Yes. Brought here from a distant place for you to face. It was decided that if you could defeat the lizard, then your transformation was genuine and I would be allowed to help you.”
“You can take me away from here?” you ask.
“I can, but that would be too much. Three things I have to offer. Come this way.”
The tortoise turns and begins to walk. You follow. About a minute later, you speak. “How far do we have to go?”
“Not far.”
“Can I see it yet?”
“No, no.”
“Look, we’re travelling at about a galactic yard per minute. Can I carry you?”
“That might compromise my dignity. Anyway, we’re here.”
You look and to your surprise see a pool of water before you. You are sure it was not there earlier. “What do I do?”
“Aren’t you thirsty?,” the tortoise asks.
“Yeah, but...if you can manifest a giant lizard, why not some sort of drinking vessel? I’m not an animal who drinks out of puddles...no offence.”
“None taken. I am accustomed to your limitations. If you want a drink you had better be quick.”
You kneel at the water’s edge and cup your hands. You raise the water to your mouth and slurp the cool liquid. It feels so refreshing!
You lower your hands to scoop up more, but the pool of water is gone. Nonetheless, something good has happened to you. (You may restore any lost SKILL, STAMINA and LUCK points.)
Standing up, you look at the tortoise. “What’s next?”
“Follow me.” The tortoise goes on. Impatiently you follow, one step per minute, until you suddenly see ahead a blanket spread on the ground. You hurry forwards. There is a miscellany of objects spread over the blanket.
“There is one essential item you need to secure your escape. It is one of these. These are some of the items you have found in all the multiverses. Choose one now.”
You examine the items, wondering which one you should choose. On the blanket you can see: a bag of gold and jewels, black coveralls, a golden blade, a golden handle, a golden orb, a lasersword, a malachite block, an ornate robe, a slider puzzle, a packet of 5 nanobotic healing shots, a data tablet, and an unexploded munitions shell.
You select one item.
The golden blade, orb and handle all form part of a set. If you select one of these as your item and complete the set with items you have already found, turn to 96
Otherwise, add your selection to your inventory and turn to 136
You cut at the monster’s leg. Your blade meets flesh, cutting deep through the tough, glistening skin.
If you are using an ancient short sword, deduct 2 from the monster’s STAMINA. If you are using a lasersword, deduct 4 STAMINA. If you are using the Golden Sword, deduct 6 STAMINA.
The creature turns on you, lashing out at you with one clawed hand…
Test your SKILL by rolling 3 dice (without bonuses for weapons training).
If you are Skilful, turn to 129
If you are Clumsy, turn to 148
You go to the left. The corridor ends in a right turn. You take the turn and enter a chamber that looks like a medical lab. You find glass cylinders with embryonic remains floating in them, organs and other creatures you cannot identify. There is a sinister feeling of death and fear in the air. Terrible things happened here.
You hurry on through, feeling deeply shaken (reduce your initial LUCK by 1). You leave the lab behind and enter another corridor that soon merges with another. You guess that was the other turn you could have taken, as the combined passage soon ends in a massive chamber. An enormous piece of machinery occupies the centre of the soaring square chamber, with various consoles set against the walls.
If you have the codeword SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENED TO ME on your Adventure Sheet, turn to 140
Otherwise, turn to 89
Dangling from the hilt of the golden sword, your weight drags the blade downwards, slitting the lower half of the creature in two. Stinking fluids spill out of the body, making you slip as you land in a cascade of blood and bile.
You scramble away and climb to your feet as the creature, still on its feet, starts to sway and droops forward, emitting a piteous cry.
Turn to 146
Approaching the pyramid, you examine the wind-eroded sides. It has been here for a long time. You walk around the base, looking for any features. You reach the front of the pyramid again, having noticed nothing of interest.
You are thinking of giving up when there is a gleam from above. Being made of glassy black stone, it is not unusual for the pyramid to gleam as the rising sun angles off its surfaces. But this is a point of light, about halfway up.
Curiously, you being to climb. This changes your angle, so you lose sight of the gleam, but head towards where you believe it is. A few minutes of searching leads you to it. You pick up a small metal item.
It is a golden ring, chunky in design. It has fallen out of a small crack, into which something else has been wedged. There is a bag stuffed in there. You pull it out, mindful of the sun starting to beat down on your back.
Making sure the torn bag is the only thing in the crack, you move around to the shadowed side of the pyramid, where you will have shelter for another half an hour or so.
You put the bag down beside you and pull the tattered cloth apart. You can see that the cloth was once part of some modern clothing and was no primitive creature garb. But inside there are only more golden items. A few rings, a sting of jade beads, armbands set with gems and loose jewels.
You ponder why someone would bother to collect such archaic treasures. In the modern galaxy gold and gems are not worth so much. Both can be made easily. Energy and information are the only true commodities these days.
One by one you toss the items down the side of the pyramid, seeing how far they will bounce glittering across the courtyard…
If you have the codeword SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENED TO ME on your Adventure sheet, turn to 46
Otherwise, turn to 122
You raise your sword to defend yourself, but the creature takes a step back from you, studying you with some embryonic intelligence as you refuse to be eaten.
If you want to retreat and use a healing shot, turn to 135
If you want to attack cautiously and aim a blow at its legs, turn to 128
If you want to be aggressive and go for a strike against the body, test your SKILL by rolling 3 dice.
If you are Skilful, turn to 121
If you are Clumsy, turn to 133
The narrow gap narrows even further and soon comes to an end. Fortunately you have been able to squirm several galactic yards into the mound and wait for the heat of the day to pass.
You doze and wake several times, feeling the stones around you warm up. But you remain comfortable (temperature-wise, that is; the stones are hard). Eventually, it seems safe to come out and you emerge from your hole. The stones remain warm even as the world dims, but you traverse the broken wilderness to return to the camp in the ships’ graveyard.
You have not gone far when you come upon a number of blast craters filled in with red dust. You can see something metal poking out and go over to it. You pull on it and it comes free, proving to be only as long as your forearm and perhaps five galactic inches in diameter.
It has fins on the back, and you freeze as you realise you are holding an unexploded munition. You cannot read the words on the side, but recognise the dominant Amorphonon lettering.
Whether or not the munition is stable now, you don’t know. It would probably be best to leave it here. Of course that would mean you have nothing to show for your exploring. You can take the unexploded munition with you if you like.
You return to the camp as the fire is being built for the night. Eyeing the pile of broken wooden furniture, you see that not much is left.
Seeing you examine the firewood, one of the crew smiles at you. “The rescue ship will be here tomorrow. No need to worry.”
You nod, letting what has been unsaid remain unsaid. Now is the time to cling to hope and you grasp it tightly, not letting your fears escape from your belly.
You collect your rations and join the others. Some of the survivors are almost cheery, expecting this to be their last night. The rest have blank faces that lay open the feelings that are raging within their hearts. You can only see it because your feelings are the same. Let the others have their naïve happiness. If it all goes badly there will be time enough afterwards to embrace the despondency that will arise from the shards of hope.
The night is still, but still cold. You and the others survive by huddling together. The last of the broken furniture is put on the fire a couple of hours before dawn.
The third day on the planet dawns, and you remain in the huddle until it becomes too warm. It will still be some hours before the ship arrives, so you wander away from the others, looking for something to do.
Where to go?
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
The black statues rise from the golden sands, defying the brevity and fragility of those who fashioned them from raw stone. You briefly wonder why these structures survived when almost everything else is devastated. The shifting sands have buried most of the bases of the nearer statues and you trudge on for some time among the seated giants. As you go on, you begin to notice a trend. The statues are getting fancier and fancier the further you get from the city. Perhaps the makers were trying to compensate for the distance, as the older statues are closer.
The sun is growing unbearable and you start to think of shelter. Soon you see another statue ahead that is different to the others. It is built on a large base and has a dark entrance that stands above the sands. But there is another structure behind it. It is a small pyramid half-buried in sand. The black pyramid is only as high as the statue in front of it, which seems odd.
Nonetheless, you hurry into the mouth of the tunnel and penetrate into the cool darkness. You walk as far as the light illuminates, then wait for your eyes to adjust. After a minute you move further inside until the darkness once again becomes impenetrable.
If you have an ancient short sword, turn to 157
Otherwise, turn to 151
You lunge forward and thrust your blade into the glistening black torso that looms above you. The tip of you blade penetrates the soft belly and you heave on the hilt, driving it deep.
The creature screams loudly, curling in on itself…
Deduct 10 STAMINA from the creature. If this kills it, turn to 146
Otherwise, turn to 148
The pyramid beneath you suddenly rumbles. You go still, trying to figure out what it is. There is a soft whirring from above and you stand up and turn, staring at the top of the pyramid. To your shock you see that it is opening, the four sides unfolding like a flower. A large emitter of some kind then rises upwards and clangs into place.
Is this where the beams come from? As if in response, a bright green beam shoots up from the emitter, disappearing into the blue heavens. You see two other beams from the east and west of the ships’ graveyard also striking into the heavens. They seem to rise in parallel, but you know they must be converging on a vessel at a great distance, dragging it to its doom.
You quickly clamber up the side of the pyramid, moving over to the edge where you can climb between the unfolded sections. These sections now form a kind of flat metal deck surrounding the emitter, and you stagger onto it.
The emitter rises out of the square hole in the centre and appears robust. You need to destroy it, but how? It is out of reach, and massive, and metal…
If you have an unexploded munitions shell, turn to 58
Otherwise, turn to 104
The creature droops forwards, severely hurt. Your weapon slips out of the wound, and you land on the floor.
If you are using an ancient short sword, deduct 3 from the monster’s STAMINA. If you are using a lasersword, deduct 5 STAMINA.
If this kills the creature, turn to 146
Otherwise, turn to 118
“Do you remember what I wrote in the letter?” you ask.
“Of course! I don’t get letters like that every day.”
“Really?” you feign surprise. “I would have thought it was quite common.”
“Not for the Member for Exosolar Planetoids,” he chuckles. “I’ve had this position for 15 years, but never put forward any bill. What exactly did you want to propose?”
“Oh, I didn’t say?”
“No. Just hints. You seem to have trouble remembering...?”
“My secretary wrote the actual letter you received,” you explain.
“Ah, well there was no solid detail in it, so I’m all ears.”
“Great! Um...can I see the letter?”
“Sure...here.”
He picks up a data tablet from the desk and hands it to you. You take it and read the letter displayed.
...greetings. I am writing to you concerning a matter of great importance. As my local member I need your assistance to present legislation to the Parliament that will change our current understanding of the universe in which we live. I will back these claims up with evidence and this venture should be extremely profitable for you. I would like to come and talk to you in person as soon as possible...
He’s right, there isn’t much detail.
“So? How can I help?” he asks.
“Um...I don’t know.”
This leads to an awkward silence. Eventually the politician put down his noodle box. “Perhaps you can go and get some rest. Maybe it’ll help you remember?”
“Yes, that sounds like a good idea.” You stand up and leave the disappointed Member for Exosolar Planetoids in his office.
Outside, you look at the receptionist again. She points at the exit, and you accept her rejection. You are too tense to try and impress her now. Why did you come here?
You press the button for the lift and step inside when it arrives. But the floor vanishes, and suddenly you are falling, the light of the world vanishing above as you are compressed through a passage and excreted out onto a soft grassy lawn. You climb to your feet in time to see the platypus shrinking back to normal size as it turns round to face you.
“You didn’t...” you begin.
“It has to work this way,” the platypus defends. “I hope you made the right choice and know what to do when the time comes.”
“I don’t even know why I was on Earth!” you protest. “What was I there to do?”
“You don’t need to know that. That’s not the critical part.”
“But...”
“Wake up!”
You are suddenly jerked awake in the freezing night, the people pressed each side of you stirring as you jolt. You lie back, pondering what you experienced of your future before you slowly slip back into sleep once more. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you decide to do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
You wander slowly towards the edge of the graveyard. Slowly you become aware of a high pitched hum. Turning and looking at the sky, you almost jump. A spaceship is soaring high above, slowly descending. There are no beams.
Soon you hear the cheers and cries of relief from the other survivors. You wonder what will happen to you. Your designated crewman will survive, so perhaps you will not be charged with anything more than assault.
The spaceship screams overhead, the ground shaking as it passes. It extends its legs, seemingly intending to land to the west of the ships’ graveyard. You hurry around the graveyard to its western edge.
You see the other survivors streaming out of the ships’ graveyard, dashing jubilantly into the pounding heat. You too care little for the sun beating down on you and hurry onwards to the rescue ship.
Turn to 170
Slowly you nod. “I will join you.”
The men relax. “Good. We will act this very morning. With you joining us, we now have enough people to match the numbers of the captain and crew. We will get close to them, and take them one on one by surprise…”
They begin to plan. You are assigned a crewman named Hanson to incapacitate and are provided with a description. You are issued with a heavy metal pipe and told to wait for the signal.
“What’s the signal?” you ask, this important fact left out of your briefing.
“You’ll know it when you see it.”
“Maybe, but you could also tell me, just to be sure.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll know it,” you are assured.
“But what if…”
“You’ll know it!”
“Is it a secret or something?” you ask, truly mystified.
“Yes, that’s it! Now go and find Hanson!”
Hoping the new regime will not make this kind of rudeness habitual, you set off back to the encampment. You wander about until you find crewman Hanson, his name clearly printed on his name tag. He is in the shade of a hull fragment, trying to repair a piece of electronics equipment.
You wander over casually. “Hi… what’s that?”
Hanson looks up briefly. “A processing module.”
You are surprised. “Why are you fixing that? We don’t have a ship for it to go in.”
“Just something to do,” Hanson says evasively.
You look around at the other members of the crew. They are all just ‘doing something’. Repairing components, many of which you recognise as basic ship systems. They are building a ship! But they will be lucky if they can get enough working components and energy for a single vessel. And what will they use for a hull? The only intact hulls are the escape pods, and one of them turned into a spaceship wouldn’t have enough room for everybody…
You realise then what the real conspiracy is. If the crew have indeed been eating double rations, it is so they can work to retrofit an escape pod. But who will get to go on board?
What you are seeing could be a contingency plan if the rescue ship does not come. It doesn’t mean the crew are planning to escape. It is just a harsh reality that they can only produce escape for a limited number of people. It is only sensible to keep that a secret. It could cause panic and violence. That will come eventually, another reason for the crew to keep themselves strong, so they can keep order.
You may have made a mistake joining the conspirators. But suddenly you get a sense it is all too late. You see the despondent-eyed man approaching the captain. His gait is unnatural, as if he is keyed up for action. Something is going to happen very soon…
If you want to reveal the conspiracy to Hanson to try and avert what is happening, turn to 72
To keep to the plan, turn to 103
Approaching the nearest statue, you examine the details that unfold as you gain proximity. The face is only vaguely humanoid. It has large, widely-spaced eyes and a snout-like nose, with a small mouth. It is otherwise adorned with royal paraphernalia that isn’t anything special. The statue you are approaching differs from the others in that it has a snarling beast perched atop its crown.
After trudging through the sand for ten minutes under the sun, it is a relief to move onto the firm stone of the flagstones around the base and step into the cool shadows.
You walk slowly into the opening in the base, letting your eyes adjust. The passage takes you into the centre of the rock, where you find a featureless room filled with sand. A few glazed tiles still cling to the walls, but the room is otherwise featureless, notable only for a wide chute in the ceiling that allows faint light to descend into the chamber.
If you have a short sword, turn to 56
Otherwise, turn to 139
You cut at the monster’s leg, cutting deeply into the leathery skin and bony flesh…
If you are using an ancient short sword, deduct 2 from the monster’s STAMINA. If you are using a lasersword, deduct 4 STAMINA. If you are using the Golden Sword, deduct 6 STAMINA.
You creature cries out in pain and with a growl swipes at you with its claws, cutting deep slashes across you chest and face (lose 6 STAMINA).
If you have been killed, turn to 141
If the creature is dead, turn to 146
Otherwise, the battle goes on.
Test your SKILL
If you are Skilful, turn to 121
If you are Clumsy, turn to 133
You duck under the blow, the creature’s arm sweeping barely a galactic inch above your head. Seeing an opening, you spring forward, thrusting your blade directly at the creature’s torso…
If you are using a Golden Sword, turn to 121
Otherwise:
Test your SKILL by rolling 2 dice (you may add bonuses for lasersword training)
If you are Skilful, turn to 121
If you are Clumsy, turn to 133
The pain and fatigue grow in your arms, until you cannot even hold yourself still. You slip back out of the chute, collapsing on the floor (Reduce your STAMINA by 1). You rest awhile, then contemplate your position.
If you want to try again, turn to 74
To give up and leave, turn to 100
You try to pull free, but the creature has you bound securely in its fingers. Pushing against the jaws, you find the creature is too strong. You scream as the creature’s mouth engulfs your head, and the teeth tighten on your neck and shoulders.
The crunching pain as it bites powerfully is excruciating, but you still have some sensation left to feel the creature twist and tear your head free from your body.
As your spirit floats above the scene, you see your body as a fountain of blood. The creature suckles on this like a baby with a bottle. You cannot imagine what kind of creature this infant would grow into. Perhaps in another realm, another life, you will learn more.
YOUR ADVENTURE ENDS HERE
The land to the west of the ships’ graveyard is full of jagged black rubble. You venture into it, the rising sun heating the black stone. Soon the heat will be punishing you from all directions.
You walk between mounds of stone, catching glimpses of artificial stonework here and there amongst the rubble. Soon it is clear you are clambering over rubble in what used to be a street between grand buildings of a city that was laid to waste long ago.
As you explore, you also find blast craters, filled with red dust. In one you even spot an unexploded munitions shell and examine it gingerly. It has some script on the side you cannot read, but identify as Amorphonon. Why would the shape-shifters destroy this place? What would be the profit in doing so? There are no answers here, so you move on. (You can take the unexploded shell with you if you think that’s a good idea.)
Did disaster come upon them unawares as they enjoyed happy peaceful lives? Or did they too know of their coming doom as you do? How did they spend their last day on this planet? In ignorant bliss, or with the hopelessness that inexorably eats at your crumbling courage like the incoming tide?
Your thoughts about your impending demise and your excellent acting skills are interrupted by something in the ruins before you. It is a pyramid. But it is not part of the ruins. The rubble has been cleared away and used to construct the pyramid some time after the devastation. You hurry forward to investigate.
The sun is getting high in the sky now and the heat is starting to become unbearable. You quickly circumnavigate the pyramid, spotting what looks like a vent halfway up one of the sides. You quickly clamber up the hot stones and enter the vent, which is square and as high as you are tall.
You run inside and soon come to a stairway leading down into the cool darkness. The vent is obviously an entrance of some kind. The stairway leads down to a transverse corridor lit by small globes in the walls.
You look to the left, then to the right. Both ends look identical.
Which way will you go?
Left? Turn to 115
Right? Turn to 61
You thrust your sword into the glistening black torso that looms above you. The tip of the blade hits a rib, and is defected across the creature’s torso. You score only a minor wound.
If you are using an ancient short sword, deduct 1 STAMINA from the creature. If you are using a lasersword, deduct 2 STAMINA. If you are using the Golden Sword, deduct 3 STAMINA
If this kills the creature, turn to 146
Otherwise, turn to 148
The block appears to have no practical use, but you can take it if you want. Locating the doorway out, you break away the clay sealing it. The door is not easy to open, but yields to your insistent shoving and swings open.
Feeling the hot air wash over you, you suddenly feel tired. All this climbing has taken what little energy you have. You decide to rest, snoozing occasionally, until the heat of the day starts to drop. Eventually a chill wind blows through the doorway, waking you from your slumber. Time to be moving. You climb down the statue and make your way through the fading afternoon. The relief from the oppressive heat of the day is short-lived, as the chill starts to make you shiver and the promise of a bitter night is in the air.
You find the other survivors are already huddled together around the large fire. You get your evening rations and wrap a blanket around your shoulders before joining them
As the wind promised, it soon turns bitterly cold. But with fire and body-warmth, you will survive the night. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you could do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
You back away from the creature and fumble for a healing shot…
Test your LUCK
If you are Lucky, turn to 150
If you are Unlucky, turn to 159
You follow the tortoise again and are led to three archways of stone, through each of which you can see a different landscape. The archway on the left shows a plane of broken black stone tumbling into the distance. The centre arch leads to a glassy black slope that leads up to a pyramid. The last archway shows a golden desert dotted with large black statues.
“So…” you begin.
“You made a poor choice coming south today,” the tortoise tells you. Choose one to correct your mistake.”
“But the ship has already crashed,” you point out.
The tortoise give you a long-suffering look. “These archways will take you through space and time.”
“You mean I will go back to earlier this morning?”
“What time exactly?”
“Just after you wandered into the southern waste,” the tortoise informs you. “After all, we can’t have you encountering yourself.”
“But that only gives me about half an hour before the ship comes,” you whine. “If I promise not to talk to myself, can I go back earlier?”
“You don’t need more time, you just need to make the correct choice now.” “Will I remember all that has happened here?”
“Well, you’ll remember, but you won’t have any need to mention it, think about it, or make observations to yourself or anything.”
“Why not?”
“Because you won’t! Now just go through and act like you never came here.”
“Act, you say…”
“Yes. Now off you go.”
“Act like wherever I find myself it’s because that’s the direction I chose to go this morning and not somewhere else?”
“Yes!”
“I think I am rather a good actor,” you say.
“Fine, prove it.”
You make your choice and approach the archway. There is flash and you are swallowed up, to be deposited earlier this morning…
Which archway did you choose?
The plane of broken stones? Turn to 132
The slope leading to the pyramid? Turn to 40
The golden desert scattered with statues? Turn to 120
You decide not to venture far today. There seems little point, and if the rescue ship does somehow manage to evade the snaring beams, you want to be close.
You wander from shadow to shadow in the graveyard, as if fossicking for valuables; but the wrecks have been picked clean long ago. Instead, you collect shards of metal that look like things. You find one that looks like a sun. Another that looks like a spider.
As you are searching, you suddenly hear voices, whispering urgently. You pause. Yes, it definitely sounds conspiratorial. Casting aside your former treasures, you creep slowly towards the sounds. You find your way to a mostly intact hull. There are two people inside.
“…everything else! We don’t know what they have been keeping back,” one is saying.
“Even if they do have some stash somewhere, it will take them time to arm themselves. We’re going to be quicker than that.”
“It will be pretty clear what we intend from the start. If we move to neutralise the crew as quickly as possible, then we lose all chance to bring them on side.”
“After we take control, we can convince them!”
“No, that changes everything! It will be prisoners telling their captors whatever they want to hear. We have to build a consensus.”
“Listen to you! They will never turn on their captain! They will be loyal to him… unless he’s dead.”
“Now you’re talking murder.”
“We’re talking survival, don’t tell me… shhh! Someone’s coming.”
As far as you know you have been sitting perfectly still, listening intently. But then you hear it. Someone’s boots crunching through the sand and debris, only a few galactic yards away.
You try to remain calm, and stand and turn as if you are doing nothing untoward. It is one of the survivors; the man with despondent eyes. He looks you over, something in his eyes stalling your explanations.
After a moment he starts walking again. “Come on.”
He walks off towards a rip in the hull. He is talking to you. You follow him and enter the relative cool of the hull. It is dim inside and you feel some alarm as you find yourself blind in the shadows.
“You brought him?” asks one of the conspirators.
The one with the eyes of despondence replies. “He was listening outside. He knows it’s hopeless. He can join us.”
“Well, explorer, what say you?”
Your eyes have adjusted now, and you see the three men standing before you. “I didn’t hear everything,” you say. “I think I know what you’re planning, but I don’t understand why.”
“The captain and his crew have been lying to us,” says one of them vehemently. “There is no rescue ship. That’s just to give us hope while he and his crew get double rations, staying strong while we get weaker. They must be up to something. We aim to stop them.”
“You saw them taking double rations?” you ask.
“I did,” says one of the conspirators. “With my own eyes. They have two huge crates they are protecting, won’t let us near them. We know one has the supplies in it. A month’s worth if it’s full. We don’t know what’s in the other. Could be more supplies, or weapons…”
“The captain and crew have taken responsibility for us,” you say. “They are trying to maintain order.”
“Their order, for their own purposes!” snarls another.
“What do you think they are up to?” you ask. “They sent a distress call, are keeping us safe until it arrives. But… if it befalls the same fate as our own ship, then we will be here much longer. That’s why they are holding back supplies.”
One of the conspirators looks at the despondent-eyed man in disgust. “You still think he can join us?”
The despondent-eyed man replies to you instead. “You believe the rescue ship, even if it comes, will fail?”
“I don’t see how it can evade the beams,” you say.
The man nods. “Then you see that we must all think about what we are going to do here. Do you really trust the captain and his crew?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” you ask.
“Here are the reasons,” the man replies at once. “The crew is eating double rations, why? The captain said he had made contact, but we have only his word. He predicted three days. Why three days? If he can transmit our position, then a ship can be here in hours. If he cannot transmit our position, how can he predict three days so accurately? He has been ticking the days off like a countdown. You see?”
“It does seem strange,” you admit. “Why don’t we ask him to explain?”
“I tried!” says one of the conspirators. “He refused! They are definitely up to something.”
“Like what?” you ask. “They are trapped here just like us.”
“That’s right! So survival is the name of the game. There are more of us than them, so they are weakening us so that they can take over more easily. Once we are gone, their supplies could last up to a year!”
It sounds plausible. “So what is the plan?” you ask.
“The crew will not betray their captain. So we have to kill him. The crew can then join us, or we will give them a day’s supply of water and rations and expel them from our community.”
“Killing the captain sounds a bit extreme,” you suggest.
“He’s going to kill us!” says one of the conspirators.
“You don’t know that,” you say. “You can’t justify murder with suspicion!”
“Enough!” says the despondent-eyed man, raising a hand sharply to cut off further argument. “You know there will be no rescue. So who are you going to trust: the captain, who has lied, or us?”
What will you say?
“I can’t join you if you are going to murder anyone!” Turn to 109
“I will join you.” Turn to 126
You dive to one side and roll to your feet. The creature lands and tumbles across the floor coming to a stop several galactic yards away. It turns and looks at you, but does not charge again immediately. It appears to be contemplating.
Maybe you can take the initiative. Will you:
Charge the creature? Turn to 167
Let it make the first move? Turn to 112
After a thorough examination, you conclude that the chamber is really boring. Hoping the others will prove more interesting, you leave and cross over the sands to the next statue where the sands have shifted to expose the base. This one has the head of a bird instead of a humanoid.
You enter the cool darkness of the tunnel and discover another ruined chamber. This time, the whole back wall has fallen in, exposing the interior, which is filled with clay. Apart from that, it is as equally boring as the previous one.
What were these chambers for? It must be to do with the chute in the ceiling. You peer up into the dim shaft, but get no answers. Picking up a few of the fallen stones, you are able to build a mound under the chute, and climb up into it by pressing your back against one side, your hands and knees against the other.
Slowly, you work your way upwards. As you near the top your excitement grows as it becomes clear there is a chamber up there. Soon you pull yourself out and roll to safety. You climb to your feet, seeing that you are in a beehive-shaped chamber with a short tunnel leading to another smaller chamber.
The outer room is furnished like someone’s living quarters. The someone who previously did the said living is probably the skeletal remains that lie across the entrance to the other chamber. The skeleton wears brightly coloured robes and grasps a corroded sceptre in its hand.
Stepping through into the smaller chamber, you find it is completely empty except for a golden orb. You pick it up to examine closely. It has a socket built into each side as if it is meant to join two other items.
You decide to keep it. Further searching of the main chamber reveals nothing except a door sealed with flaked clay. You tear the clay free and shove the door open. A warm breeze blows in onto your face. You are outside again, standing on the lap of the statue.
You work your way to the ground and move on, seeing two statues nearby. One has a serpent coiled about one arm and the royal staff. The other is a woman with a floral crown.
Which will you investigate?
The serpent-king? Turn to 64
The flower-queen? Turn to 98
The machinery remains silent and still as you walk in, despite lights winking on the consoles. You approach one, which shows that something is being tracked. Although the console is unfamiliar and the language is unknown to you, you somehow are able to discern what is happening. A ship near the planet has been detected.
You quickly try to work out which button controls the beams that bring down the ship. The beams have not activated yet, so you have time. But the more you try to force your mind to understand the alien console, the more confusing it seems to be.
Minutes pass, but the beams still do not activate. You start to relax as you watch the ship get lower and lower. The ship will be able to land safely. Somehow you know you will be able to escape. You had better hurry!
Quickly, you leave the pyramid and emerge into the heat of the day. Hurrying through the dead world you feel like you are being baked, but you see that the rescue ship has landed on the western side of the ships’ graveyard.
Turn to 170
Unable to take any more punishment, you collapse to the floor, your life-blood spilling out of you. You hear the creature above you make a sound that sounds like a chuckle. It grasps you by your ankles and hoists you up. Your awareness starts to fade, but not before the creature closes its jaws around your head and starts to pull…
YOUR ADVENTURE ENDS HERE
You cannot go back to the encampment now. What will you do? Suddenly you heard a noise you cannot describe, a kind of jarring hum. Looking back towards the ships’ graveyard, your mouth drops open. From the pyramid to the north, and from two other points to the east and west, beams of electric green light shoot vertically upwards, forming a triangle of points around the ships’ graveyard. Although the beams seem to be vertical, you know they must be converging on a distant vessel. Over half an hour the beams slowly tilt inwards, until you can see it. A spaceship being dragged, tumbling down through the atmosphere. The last part comes swiftly. The ship falls, growing steadily larger. You start to hear screams from the ships’ graveyard. Why didn’t they flee? Couldn’t they see the beams?
The ship smashes down, shaking the ground and shattering into pieces. Seconds later it explodes, sending a huge orange fireball rolling into the sky. A wave of heat washes over you and small fragment of debris rain down on the sand around you.
There was a rescue ship. It came in three days as promised. But they must have underestimated the range of the beams. Everything settles; smoke rises from the newest wreck in the graveyard.
Hanson will have survived somewhere out there. But you suspect that your future will be very short and very, very unpleasant here on this dead world.
YOUR ADVENTURE ENDS HERE
With a roar you leap into the air and shove the blade ahead of you. But you have leapt too early and the creature is able to stop and swat you from the air with a blow from its surprisingly strong arm.
The claws rip your flesh and you sprawl on the ground awkwardly before trying to stand.
Lose 4 STAMINA.
If this kills you, turn to 141
Otherwise, turn to 118
You know that Umumoolamatoo has a soft spot for orphans, and so you use a datatablet you find in your pocket to look up local orphanages. There is one nearby and you hail a taxi-bot to take you there.
The machine pulls up outside a large building with a sign that reads: Sadface Orphanage. You exit the taxi and make you way inside. You are expecting to see lots of children as soon as you open the door, but instead you see mostly teenagers loitering in the main hall.
As soon as you enter into the brightly coloured foyer, several of the teenagers descent on you. “Are you an agent?” asks one. “Are you a producer?” “Or a director?” are the other questions.
“No,” you say.
The teenagers lose interest and mope off at once. But the commotion has attracted the attention of an adult, who appears through a door and waves at you. “Greetings!” he says. “You want to adopt?”
“Not exactly. I haven’t seen any children here...just these teenagers.”
“Yes,” the governor says sadly. “This is an orphanage for child stars who aren’t cute anymore. Many of them haven’t worked since they were nine.”
“But what about their parents?” you ask.
The governor shakes his head sadly. “These teenagers all have younger siblings. They are the stars now. The parents forgot about these ones. We find them scattered on the street outside auditions. It’s quite a social problem.”
You aren’t sure if these are the types of orphans Umumoolamatoo wants to help, but your heart is moved by their plight. “What happens to them here?”
“Education, preparing to release them back into the real world. Most of them can’t function without a PA. They often refuse to believe they don’t have a PA anymore. They insist they are hiding somewhere. It’s heart-breaking to hear them calling out for mineral water...” He wipes a tear from his eye.
“I want to organise some sort of charity drive, to highlight this issue. I’ll make a donation and encourage others to donate too. We can invite celebrities.”
The governor brightens. “That would be great! And you could adopt one as well!”
“Er, that’s not really necessary.”
“I disagree, it’s vital! These kids think they are unwanted! If we have to organise a special event to pay for them to be cared for, it just reinforces their impression that they are now useless. They need to see there is a future for them, that they are still wanted, not just a burden on society!”
“Well...”
“I’ll show you who we’ve got...” the enthusiastic governor says, dragging you into his office. He proceeds to show you numerous child stars from programs and movies you remember watching years ago, although by comparison now they look ugly. At first you are determined just to look, but as the sad stories pile up, you begin to waver. But it’s hard to feel compassion for the gawky, pimpled images you are shown. If only there were...cuter.
“Well?” the governor says once he has shown you all the files.
“I want to help,” you begin. “But...”
“But what?” the governor asks.
“They all look kinda...moody.”
“Of course, they’re teenagers.”
“Maybe if they looked a bit happier it would be easier to get adopted,” you suggest. “Maybe that’s why they stopped getting roles.”
“Are you suggesting it’s their fault they were cast aside?” the governor asks furiously. “Blaming the victim, is that it?”
“No, of course not. I’m just saying that it’s a reality that people are drawn to things that are bright and attractive, so if we want...”
“So justice and compassion has to be dressed up all nice before you find it acceptable, hey?”
“No, I’m just saying...”
“You don’t know what you’re saying!” the governor thunders. “That kind of attitude is exactly what created this problem in the first place! The solution to people not caring because they can’t see what’s beyond the surface is not to appeal to their superficiality! Otherwise we will be needing charity drives forever! It’s small-minded people like you that are the problem!”
“Look, let’s just organise the event. I’ll give you loads of cash if we can get Umumoolamatoo to come, ok?”
“Is that what this is about?” the governor asks in disgust. “You know there is a person inside that supermodel body. Are you able to appreciate that, or is all about her appearance.”
“I am a well-rounded individual who is able to appreciate all aspects of her being. And that includes her tight bod with all its curvaceous splendour!”
“Get out!” the governmor shouts.
Before you can protest or comply you are suddenly falling, the light of the world vanishing above as you are compressed through a dark passage and excreted out onto a soft grassy lawn. You climb to your feet in time to see the platypus shrinking back to normal size as it turns round to face you.
“You didn’t...” you begin.
“It has to work this way,” the platypus defends. “I hope you made the right choice and know what to do when the time comes.”
“I don’t even know why I was on Earth!” you protest. “What was I there to do?”
“You don’t need to know that. That’s not the critical part.”
“But...”
“Wake up!”
You are suddenly jerked awake in the freezing night, the people pressed each side of you stirring as you jolt. You lie back, pondering what you experienced of your future before you slowly slip back into sleep once more. The morning comes and you are one of the first to rise. Before the heat of the day drives you to the shade, you decide to do some exploring.
To explore to the North, turn to 40
To explore to the South, turn to 80
To explore to the East, turn to 120
To explore to the West, turn to 132
To explore the graveyard, turn to 137
You cut at the creature’s tail, hoping to cause it to become unbalanced. But the creature spins swiftly, tail whipping away at the last moment. You stumble forward, ironically having lost your own balance.
The creature grasps you in its hands, and lifts you up. Its oversized maw opens, and you look up in horror at the needle-filled jaws descending on you. You still have your weapon in your hand, and squirm in the monster’s grasp, trying to thrust your sword into its mouth…
Test your STAMINA by rolling 4 dice
If you are Strong, turn to 110
If you are Weak, turn to 131
The monster drops to its knees, clutching at the wounds from which a dark-reddish blood is steadily trickling. You step around to its side, but it does not react. Instead it starts to call out.
Its cries stir your heart, but you tell yourself that you had no choice. It was going to kill you, no matter how innocent its nature. Filling yourself with coldness, you advance on the creature, encouraged by its lack of response.
The thin neck is exposed, and you aim a chop at it. With a single blow you sever the head, which drops forwards, tumbling across the floor while the body slowly tilts backwards, then flops onto the floor.
It is done. Blood pours out of both the head and the body, two pools that rapidly grow until they meet as if seeking to reunite the separated flesh. But it is dead, its cries silenced.
A yellow beam descends from the ceiling next to the large vertically mounted annulus in the centre of the room. The same hologram that greeted you before appears within it and beckons you over.
“Well done, primitive! You are a great warrior indeed.”
You walk towards the hologram. “What was that creature? Some kind of infant?”
“Think not of it, now that it is dead. Step through the annulus and claim your reward. The metal ring crackles with energy again, but this time a sheet of light blue light fills the space. You are suddenly reminded of the annulus-topped sceptres all of the statues outside held. Whatever else their form, that alone was consistent.
Still, the prize is yours to claim. You step up onto the base of the annulus and slowly walk forwards. The light gets brighter as you approach and you feel a force start to suck at you. You try to resist, edging forward at your own pace, but the force grows as you draw nearer and with a few galactic feet to go you are snatched off your feet and sucked through the annulus.
Light explodes in your head, and you experience one moment of burning pain in every cell of your being before you black out…
…slowly you become aware, and wake to the sensation of your cheek pressed against the cold metal floor.
You get up slowly, finding yourself sprawled awkwardly on the far side of the annulus. The hologram is gone, but the bloody remains of the monster are still present. Across the chamber, the silver doors stand open.
What has happened to you? You feel weak. But as you start to walk, your body seems to glide with a grace you didn’t have before. You have been enhanced somehow, but not without cost (increase your initial SKILL by 1 point, and reduce your initial STAMINA by 2 points).
It seems you are done here. You leave the trial chamber and walk across the triangular room to start back up the stairs. To your pleasure the glowing light still follows you. You climb up the right-angled flights until you reach the top where you entered the pyramid. With the light of the orb you see that there is another way further into the pyramid. Curiously you take the narrow passage, which soon opens into a large chamber filling what must be the centre of the pyramid.
It is dominated by a large piece of machinery, with consoles around the walls.
If you have the codeword SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENED TO ME on your Adventure Sheet, turn to 140
Otherwise, turn to 89
You raise your weapon to your shoulder, preparing to let the creature impale itself on your blade. Your courage trembles as it charges in, head bobbing and tongue lolling like a puppy.
It starts to slow as it nears, and that is when you dash forwards, preparing to leap and thrust your blade deep into its chest…
Test your SKILL by rolling 4 dice (you may add bonuses for lasersword training)
If you are Skilful, turn to 107
If you are Clumsy, turn to 143
The creature is swift and lashes at you with one thin arm. Its claws do little damage, but it is a crushing blow that sends you tumbling across the floor, gasping for breath. It feels like you’ve been hit by a hover-car. Still, you try to climb to your feet to continue the battle.
Minus 4 STAMINA
If you are still alive, turn to 112
If this kills you, turn to 141
You wander slowly towards the edge of the graveyard. Slowly you become aware of an odd buzzing sound and rouse yourself from your guilt to look up. You are shocked to see a bright green beam shooting into the sky from the land to the west. Spinning around you see two more beams from the east and north striking upwards, the three beams meeting far above. Trapped in their intersection is a space vessel. Your rescue ship. You watch as it is swiftly dragged downwards. It is too close for you to flee. Some primal urge makes you want to run, but you firmly resist it. Instead you lie down on the hot sand and watch the massive ship plunge downwards.
You will die here anyway. The only choice is how. You hear screams as the other survivors finally notice their doom descending down upon them. The ship falls, and in the last few moments before the spaceship smashes into the ground, your eyes involuntarily flick closed.
YOUR ADVENTURE ENDS HERE
You pull out a healing shot and hurriedly inject yourself full of nanobots. You feel them go to work at once (restore 5 STAMINA). The creature finishes feeling sorry for itself and hisses at you…
Turn to 159
You step sideways and locate the wall, using it to guide you carefully onwards. You feel the darkness close around you, stretch out your other hand and feel another wall on the other side.
Curiously, you take the narrow passage until you start to see a faint glimmer of light ahead. You move on more quickly and soon enter into a large chamber filling what must be the centre of the pyramid.
It is dominated by a large piece of machinery, with consoles around the walls.
If you have the codeword SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENED TO ME on your Adventure Sheet, turn to 140
Otherwise, turn to 89
As your life fades away, the monster bends down, saliva dripping from its lips as it anticipates the taste of your blood. Thankfully you slip into blackness before it starts to feed...
YOUR ADVENTURE ENDS HERE
With sword raised, you let the creature arc towards you, aiming to side step and cut it down as it lands…
Test your SKILL (without bonuses for weapons training) by rolling 2 dice
If you are Skilful, turn to 155
If you are Clumsy, turn to 169
You see the dark mass of the monster loom over you and saliva drips on your face. You spring into action and cut at the head that is poised above you. You wound the creature across its face, making it recoil and stagger backwards with a cry of pain.
You roll to your feet and raise your weapon against the creature before you.
If you are using an ancient short sword, deduct 2 from the monster’s STAMINA. If you are using a lasersword, deduct 4 STAMINA. If you are using the Golden Sword, deduct 6 STAMINA.
If this kills the creature, turn to 146
Otherwise, you press the attack.
Test your SKILL
If you are Skilful, turn to 121
If you are Clumsy, turn to 133
You sidestep the monster’s attack and swing your sword as the hurtling black mass descends towards you. You cut the creature’s side as it tumbles past, releasing an arc of dark blood that scatters across the floor. The creature cries in pain, falling onto its hands and knees, but draws itself up and turns to face you.
If you are using an ancient short sword, deduct 2 from the monster’s STAMINA. If you are using a lasersword, deduct 4 STAMINA. If you are using the Golden Sword, deduct 6 STAMINA.
If this kills the creature, turn to 146
Otherwise, what will you do now?
Charge the creature? Turn to 167
Let it make the first move? Turn to 112
You wave your arms and start roaring, bouncing as you run to try and make yourself look bigger. The creature takes another step back, but then instead of fleeing, it lowers its head and charges, smashing into you.
You are knocked backwards and sprawl, your breath knocked from your body.
Lose 2 STAMINA
If this kills you, turn to 152
Otherwise:
To play dead then lash out at the creature when it least expects it, turn to 168
To get to your feet and face the creature, turn to 161
You have walked many galactic yards and conclude that you are now inside the pyramid. You edge forward carefully, arms outstretched. Your toes find an edge and you pause. Kneeling down, you feel down the edge and find a step. You begin to crawl forward, finding another. About half an hour later you have crawled down four flights of stairs, each making a right angle from their intersecting landings to form a downward spiral.
The right-angled spiral goes on, but now you can see faint light welling from below. You move on more rapidly, and cautiously enter a space where flames dance inside large glass orbs that are floating sedately around a large triangular chamber. One drifts over to you, making you feel uneasy, but it just harmlessly illuminates you and your surrounds. As you move further into the room, it follows you to light your way.
There is a set of silver double doors in one of the walls, and you approach this mysterious portal. You look for a control, but there doesn’t seem to be one. You give the doors a shove, but they do not yield. Causality is present, however, as a hum behind you attracts your attention and a beam of yellow light descends from the centre of the ceiling. In the beam a holographic image forms of a red-robed alien with a head of golden spikes. His face has large, wide-spaced eyes and his skin is grey.
“Primitive,” he says. “Kneel.”
“I’m not primitive,” you say defiantly.
“Why do you come to this place of champions? Dare you to take the test? Only those who stand above their fellows should attempt it. For the power to be a god lies beyond these doors.”
“Well, I’m pretty great,” you admit. “What do I have to do, and what do I get?”
“Your mettle will be tested. If you are a true warrior, you will survive. Your skill will then be enhanced by the power of the divine.”
“Power of the divine?” you scoff. “Look, I’m not a primitive! What is it really? Some genetic manipulation? A weapon?”
“I see you are no primitive. Already your worthiness increases. I cannot reveal too much due to commercial in-confidence. But let’s just say that the power we offer will grant you everything you have ever wanted.”
“You don’t know what I want,” you say folding your arms.
“Wealth, power, fame,” the hologram suggests.
Your mouth drops open. “You’ve been spying on me!”
“No, I’m just superior,” the hologram says dismissively. “Well, you have impressed me. Show me the key, and you may enter…”
“The key…?” you ask.
“Have you a weapon to face the trial?”
You take out your sword and show it off, striking a few poses that surely make you look cool. The hologram doesn’t react, but behind you the silver doors clang and then swing inwards to reveal a darkness beyond. Your hovering fire orb drifts forwards in anticipation, but you have not moved. The hologram disappears and you are left to contemplate whether or not you really want to go in there. You consider the alternatives… go and sit in the sun, or wait in the shadows doing nothing for a few hours.
Yeah. You go through the doorway. A short corridor leads to a vast round chamber that soars high above. The floor is made of metallic slabs, while the walls are covered in burnished metal panels. The ceiling has by contrast been left as rough, unsmoothed stone, hacked into a dome shape then abandoned.
The only piece of decor is a large metal ring in the centre of the room. You wander towards it until you hear it start to hum. Seconds later energy crackles within the ring and a bright, writhing form starts to appear at the centre. It expands, then starts to spill out from the ring and darken to a glistening black hue. It is a horrid beast. It has a head full of backswept horns, irregular in length and curvature; a spade-shaped snout filled with needle-like teeth extends from its face below small black eyes. A humanoid body wriggles out, long spindly arms with thick fingers ending in sickle-like claws grasping at the floor trying to drag itself free. The rest of its body slowly slides out, long spindly legs and a whip-like tail.
It is free, like a newborn emerging into a new world. It climbs slowly to its feet, oversized head swinging in your direction. Its mouth opens and a bright orange tongue flickers over its black lips. It seems to grin at you, then suddenly runs forward, silent and ominous, toe claws clicking on the floor.
It’s possible that it is friendly and is running over to you to give you a hug. But in this case prejudice is most likely prudent.
The MONSTER has an initial STAMINA of 36. You will be asked to make choices to fight it. If you do damage to the MONSTER, keep track of its STAMINA so that you know when it is dead. Also decide now which sword you are using if you have more than one.
If you want to let it get close, then dive between its legs, turn to 101
If you want to meet its charge and impale it on your blade, turn to 147
You push desperately and manage to halt your entry into its stinking maw. Frustrated, the creature tries to pull you away, but you cling with your legs, punching at its face and neck.
With a growl it pushes you away with a powerful shove. You fall back and land on the floor, your weapon clattering to the ground between you and the monster. The effort of pushing you away has ruptured something in the monster’s wounded abdomen, and clear fluid pours out of the wound as the creature clutches at its belly.
While it is distracted, you scramble forwards and snatch up your sword, climbing to your feet.
Deduct 8 STAMINA from the monster.
If this kills it, turn to 146
Otherwise, turn to 118
The creature suddenly springs towards you, snarling as it descends, leading with its clawed feet…
If you want to dive aside, turn to 138
If you want to try and cut it from the air, turn to 153
Your sword is still clutched in one hand and you swing it desperately, cutting at the creature’s legs until it springs off you, which crushes your chest further. You cannot even breathe, but struggle to your feet as the creature runs in again.
If you want to dive aside, turn to 101
If you want to meet its charge, turn to 147
You pull yourself to your feet, determined to fight on. The monster stalks over to you, appearing cautious, and lashes at you with one clawed hand. You try to dodge the blow…
Test your SKILL by rolling 3 dice (without bonuses for weapons training)
If you are Skilful, turn to 163
If you are Clumsy, turn to 166
As you thrust your sword ahead of you, the monster reaches out to grasp you. You bury your sword in its belly, spilling intestinal fluid over your hands. Despite the wound, the creature grasps you and heaves upwards, screaming in pain and anger. Your weapon slips free from your grasp.
You kick at the monster as it lifts you upwards, mouth opening wide. You try to twist in its grasp and wrap you legs around its body, pressing your hands against its jaw as it tries to bite your head off…
Test your STAMINA by rolling 4 dice
If you are Strong, turn to 158
If you are Weak, turn to 131
You dodge the blow and counter-attack, jumping in to slash at the creature’s leg. You open a wound on its thigh and spring back.
If you are using an ancient short sword, deduct 2 from the monster’s STAMINA. If you are using a lasersword, deduct 4 STAMINA. If you are using the Golden Sword, deduct 6 STAMINA.
If this kills the creature, turn to 146
Otherwise, turn to 165
The creature growls nearby, but then you hear its clicking footsteps move down towards your feet. Moments later you are seized by the ankles and swung upwards. You lash out with your sword but find only air.
The creature flings you through the air and you crash against the wall, bouncing off and rolling across the floor, gasping in pain. You try to climb to your feet.
Lose 4 STAMINA.
If this kills you, turn to 141
Otherwise, turn to 161
The creature takes another swipe at you and you attempt to avoid the blow…
Test your SKILL by rolling 3 dice (without bonuses for weapons training).
If you are Skilful, turn to 129
If you are Clumsy, turn to 148
The claws rake your body, tearing flesh and cloth alike in deep grooves across your chest and face. You stumble backwards…
Deduct 4 STAMINA.
If this kills you, turn to 141
Otherwise turn to 165
You charge at the creature. It is startled by this tactic and takes a step back. Perhaps it can be driven off…
If you want to start waving your arms and making more noise, turn to 156
If you want to charge right in and attack, turn to 162
You lie still, looking through your lashes. The creature is not in view yet, but you hear its hissing breath and the click of its claws on the metal floor. It takes a few steps towards you, then pauses…
Test your LUCK.
If you are Lucky, turn to 154
If you are Unlucky, turn to 164
You shift your position and swing your sword as the hurtling black mass descends towards you. But you have judged its leap poorly, and it lands right on top of you, your sword flailing ineffectually as you are carried to the ground under its weight.
The claws digging into your chest are a minor irritation as you are slammed into the ground as if by a sledgehammer, your chest crushed. The creature screams in triumph…
Lose 15 STAMINA.
If this kills you, turn to 152
If you survive, turn to 160
The ship lands, the roar of its engines slowly fading to a distant hum. You hasten over the land as the loading platform lowers underneath the bulk of the ship, several figures in trim uniforms present. You are not the first to reach the ship, but you rush under the shade of the vessel and up to one of the newcomers, who is distributing bottles of water. You snatch one and tear the lid off, downing the contents in a single draught.
You are so thirsty that it is only afterwards that you notice the crewman who is handing out water is a woman, and an attractive one at that. However, for once you do not start sharking, but let her get on with passing out water to the other survivors.
Soon everyone is gathered under the ship and the story of what happened in the camp on the final day is told. The body of your ship’s captain and several of the crew are carried in, their violent wounds clearly visible as they are placed inside plastic tubes for transport.
“Why did you do this?” The captain of the rescue ship asks in appalled confusion.
The survivors who perpetrated the murders have all been identified and restrained. They stand sullenly, many with pale faces, horrified at what they had become after just three days in the wilderness. One of the other survivors, a portly man speaks for them.
“They thought the crew was going to kill us! That there was no rescue ship. They only thought to take control, they had no plan to save the rest of us! They killed for nothing!”
The captain still doesn’t understand, and shakes his head. “You people will be charged for what you have done here. Take them to the brig.”
The loading platform rises up into the hull of the ship and you watch the orange landscape disappear into a line of light that then vanishes. The air in the ship feels cold, moist and stale by comparison. A crewman hands you a card, which tells you your designated cabin. But you do not go to rest.
This ferry is built to exactly the same design as the one that crashed and you make your way to the observation lounge. You look over the planet once more. There is a mystery here, and you have caught only a glimpse of it. This dead world hidden in the middle of the Quarantine Expanse. Once it was vibrant with life, but like the captain and crew of your ship, this planet was murdered. And yet, the planet itself is a killer, ensnaring passing ships and carrying them to their doom.
All of it is senseless: the other passengers losing hope and killing the crew; the enemies who destroyed this planet; and whatever remnant there was that built the ensnaring beams, trying to bring space-faring vessels to the dead world. Yet you understand. The will to survive is powerful. The passengers who lost hope were clutching at straws, believing there had to be something more, no matter how small, so they killed to survive. Whoever destroyed this planet must have viewed whatever was here as a threat, a dire threat to their own survival. And the remnant of the ancient civilisation that escaped the destruction, bringing life to a dead world so they could thrive again… or escape.
You wonder at this determination to live. How far would you have gone to survive? Your existence is insignificant in the face of the majesty of the galaxy, of the universe. Yet some would do anything to survive. To regard one’s own self as so valuable that others become of no value, hence murder becomes reasonable. Perhaps no sense can be made of it. But your pondering concludes with one thought: I have survived… how do I live my life so that it is significant? How do I live so that this galaxy is changed by my survival? Otherwise, if my continuing life is irrelevant, perhaps I should have died down there, on that lifeless burnt ember of a planet…
“A galactic kopeck for your thoughts,” says a friendly voice.
You turn and see the female crewmember who was handing out water. “Oh, hello. I was just thinking about… life… what’s it for…?”
“Wow… deep…” she says.
She really is very attractive, with cascading waves of golden hair and pouty lips. The supply depot must have been running low the day she signed up because her uniform is very tight.
“Yeah, but I think I’m beginning to understand why I exist in the world.”
“Oh? Why is that?” she asks with keen interest.
“To bask in the presence of your beauty!”
“Say, what?!?”
“Don’t act shocked baby,” you say. “You know you’re a goddess! And I’m eager to do some worshipping!”
“Well, I’m on duty. Bye!” She quickly leaves, letting you see her too-tight uniform from a new angle. You begin to hasten after her to try out some more lines that will show how clever you are. But then you pause. What were you thinking about before the crew-woman spoke to you? You feel like it was important. After a moment you shrug. If it’s really important it will come back to you.
You hurry after her. “Excuse me, I just wanted to say that you remind me of a dictionary.”
“What?”
“Because you bring meaning to my life… baby!”
THE END