0
GATEWAY - Complete story (1600/1600 pts.)
-----------------------------------------
by Avi, Machness@surfree.net.il
>open drawer
You open the drawer and discover a book.
The message light on the PV commset is blinking.
>take all
debit card: Taken.
[Your score has just gone up by 2.]
book: Taken.
[Your score has just gone up by 3.]
The message light on the PV commset is blinking.
>read book
The book is a hardcover volume entitled, "Everything We Know
About the Heechee." You open the book and look at the first
page. It is blank. You quickly turn to the second page, the
third page, and the fourth page. All are blank. You thumb
through 196 more blank pages. On the last page is a note
written in pencil: "Forgive me the little joke. The Corporation
instructs proctors to give our new fish a standard issue
DataMan personal information system. I give all my new
initiates this book instead - if you take it to the Corporation
office on Level Dog, the receptionist there will give you the
real thing. Regards, Thom Seldridge."
The message light on the PV commset is blinking.
>put card in slot
You insert your debit card into the slot.
*** Type: 1,N,N,0,0 ***
You take your debit card from the slot.
>e
You leave the barracks that is your temporary home, walk along
a narrow alley for a few moments, and reach the center of
Heecheetown.
Heecheetown
Heecheetown is a huge spindle shaped cave in the center of
Gateway station. Empty when the Heechee left, Heecheetown is
now full of ugly Corporation pre-fab buildings. The barracks
that house your quarters are in a small alley to the west. To
the northwest is the Corporation Administrative Section
building. The Blue Hell bar and casino lie to the east.
Corridors lead north and south.
>n
Corridor D4
This is one of the many corridors that wind their way through
the occupied portions of Gateway. These man-made hallways are
nested inside the original tunnels that were dug by the Heechee
when they created the station. Through the metal mesh walls of
the angular passageway you can see the outlines of ducts,
pipes, and wires. A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and
down to Level Tanya) is on the right side of the passageway.
The corridor ends in open entrances to the north and south.
>n
Central Park
You are in the station's hydroponics complex, known to Gateway
inhabitants as Central Park. Large rectangular hydroponics
units filled with plants rise from the deck in several places
like miniature skyscrapers. Fruit trees grow in dense patches
near the east wall. The air is humid and smells of fruit,
fertilizer, and freshly turned earth. In front of you is a
mysterious machine that looks like an overgrown air
conditioner. To your left is a plastic hydroponics planter
tray.
In the planter tray you see a rose.
>take rose
You take the rose from the planter tray.
[Your score has just gone up by 2.]
>flip lever
You pull the shut-off lever down to the OFF position. The
whisper of the feeding systems dies away with a gurgle.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>wait
Time passes...
An old man in a maintenance uniform appears and nods in
greeting. He removes some tools from his tool box and sets them
on the floor, then hands you the tool box and says, "Here, make
yourself useful. Hold this for me." He sets to work on the
machine.
The old man picks up a metal key and opens the access panel
with it. Without looking at you he hands you the key and says,
"Here. Put this in the tool box." He examines the machine.
"This has been a piss poor week. Somebody keeps shutting this
system down as a practical joke. Well, it ain't funny."
>wait
Time passes...
The old man picks up the screwdriver and begins poking at the
machine with it. "If this system stayed shut down for more than
an hour, there might be real trouble. Plants would start dying
right and left, there would be hell to pay. This station relies
on the vegetation here for air recycling and food."
>wait
Time passes...
The old man removes a component from the machine, squints at
it, and then replaces it. He turns to look at you. "Say, you
remind me of someone. Rolf Becker. You look just like him. He
was a young prospector, started shipping out back in '92. He
was a lucky sonofabitch, scored on every mission, made a
bazillion dollars." The old man points the screwdriver at you.
"Lucky until his last mission, of course."
>wait
Time passes...
The old man hands you the screwdriver. "Here. Put this in the
tool box." He continues with his story, "Anyway, Becker's first
mission, he comes out of Tau space in orbit around an icy
planet about three AUs out from an M class star. He scans and
finds a concentration of Heechee metal seventy feet under
frozen methane ice. What a pisser, huh?"
>put screwdriver in toolbox
You put the screwdriver in the tool box.
The old man takes the wrench and resumes tinkering with the
machine. "Well, Becker was not to be deterred. He used the
chemical rockets on his ship to blast a crater in the ice and
discovered the remains of a Heechee supply dump. Corporation
gave him a cool million for that find."
>wait
Time passes...
The old man pounds on something inside the machine with the
wrench. "Becker scored big on his second mission as well. This
time it was a science bonus for taking film of a rare
astronomical event: A planet with a moon being ripped apart by
gravitational stress and turned into a ring. Corporation
scientists went crazy when they saw the tapes from the
recorders. Board gave him a half million for the data."
>wait
Time passes...
The old man hands you the wrench and says, "Here. Put this in
the tool box. Soon after Becker came back from his second trip,
he made the biggest score of all. Becker married Adriana
Lafore, the sweet lookin' daughter of a Corporation big shot.
She was a babe." The old man whistles appreciatively.
>put wrench in toolbox
You put the wrench in the tool box.
The old man picks up the pliers and starts to wrestle with a
pipe fitting inside the machine. "Becker should have stopped
there, but he didn't. He had to push his luck, had to ship out
one more time. Well, he didn't come back."
>wait
Time passes...
The old man scowls as he works. "Damn gears are starting to
get stripped from so many re-starts. I don't know who keeps
doing this, but I'm going to catch him eventually. If you
weren't new around here, I might suspect you. This has been
going on for weeks, though."
>wait
Time passes...
The old man hands you the pliers and says, "Here. Put these in
the tool box." He wipes his hands on his pants and leans on the
machine. "I'll tell you, my friend, this station ain't what it
seems. Lately I've seen some pretty strange stuff. There's a
Corporation scientist who works in the AI labs up in the
restricted sector." The old man looks around and then puts his
face inches from yours. "You may not believe this, but I seen
him walk through walls."
>put pliers in toolbox
You put the pliers in the tool box.
The old man chuckles and shrugs his shoulders. "Almost every
night after midnight this guy goes up to Level Babe and
disappears. I had a supply tech move a shipping crate up there
so I could watch him. He appeared right after midnight, slinked
into the corridor where it ends in a Heechee metal wall, and
poof! he disappeared."
>wait
Time passes...
"I don't know where he went. He reappeared a few minutes
later, walks out of a solid metal wall. Strangest thing I ever
saw."
>wait
Time passes...
The old man punches you lightly in the arm. "Well, I gotta go.
I wouldn't trade places with you in a million years, but I do
wish you good luck and good hunting."
The old man takes one last look and says, "Well, that ought to
hold it for now." He closes the access panel, which latches
shut automatically, and pushes the shut-off lever back to the
ON position. The whispering of the feeding systems begins
again. He nods his head, then takes his tool box. He shuffles
away.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>s
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>s
Heecheetown
>nw
Corporation Office Lobby
The lobby of the Corporation Administrative Section is one of
the only aesthetically pleasing places on Gateway. Well-placed
lights and plants make the room seem bright and open, a welcome
contrast to the claustrophobic grays and blues of the rest of
the space station. Stairs climb up to the second floor, and a
glass door leads west. The metal door leading back into
Heecheetown square lies to the southeast.
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a magazine and a vase.
In the vase you see a dead rose.
>give rose to receptionist
The receptionist disposes of the old rose and puts the new one
in the vase. She gives you a big smile. "Thanks. You're sweet.
But I'm not going out with you, if that was what you were
thinking. Why don't you take this magazine? It'll keep you
company in Tau space." She hands you the magazine.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>read magazine
You flip to the cover story and begin reading: "One year before
famed prospector Rolf Becker embarked on his ill-fated final
mission, he married Adriana Lafore, daughter of Corporation VP
Edwin Lafore. The marriage was in trouble within six months,
when Adriana announced that she was bored with Rolf. Since
Becker's disappearance, however, Adriana has gone through a
profound change. 'I had a lot of growing up to do after Rolf
left,' said Adriana to IP. 'I realize now what I had in him.'
Adriana continues to live on Gateway, and her offer of
$1,000,000 for information or action leading to Becker's safe
return still stands." The article continues for several more
pages, but seems to contain nothing else of interest.
>give book to receptionist
You hand the book to the receptionist. She looks at the first
few pages, laughs, and puts the book away in a drawer. From
another drawer she pulls out a small portable computer. "This
is the DataMan that you were supposed to get when you arrived,"
she says as she hands it to you. "I think you'll find it a tad
more interesting!"
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>turn on dataman
*** Type: 1,1,0,2,0,3,0,4,0,5,0,6,0,7,0,8,0,9,0,0 ***
*** Type: 2,1,0,2,0,3,0,4,0,5,0,6,0,7,0,8,0,9,0,0 ***
*** Type: 3,0,0 ***
>up
VR Terminal
The room is small and cramped. Even so, it is partitioned into
two distinct areas by a low plexishield. On one side of the
shield is an uncomfortable looking couch that has a gold padded
ring placed about neck level. Set into the side of the couch is
a simple control board, above which is a sign and a small
display screen. On the other side of the shield is a tiny desk
and a chair. A frustrated looking technician sits on the chair,
reading a newsletter. Stairs lead back down to the offices
below.
On the desk you see a VR manual.
The tech looks up at you.
The tech dives back behind the newsletter, suddenly oblivious
to you.
>sit
You're now on the couch.
>wear collar
You snap open the collar's spring clasp and settle into it. The
pads around your neck keep you from moving your head, and the
collar itself seems a little tight: all in all, a very
unpleasant experience.
>press button
You press the button. The couch starts to hum with power and
the collar begins to glow a dark blue.
Everything around you fades to a milky white. Then a picture
begins to form...
Grains of yellow fall from nowhere and spread out until they
form a sandy beach. Blues appear in ragged streaks above, and
then they melt together to become an azure sky. An ocean
appears, then an outdoor bar. You look down and discover you're
wearing swimming trunks and lounging on a beach chair. A
cheerful bartender pops into existence. He puts a drink on the
bar and looks at you expectantly.
"Hello, friend! Welcome to Virtual Beach. I'm Sam, your
bartender, and I exist solely to serve you. This reality is
intended for relaxation, so feel free to lounge around and, if
you're in the mood, partake of my specialty drink. I'll leave
one here on the bar for you."
>take drink
[Getting out of the beach chair first.]
You take the frosted glass from the beach bar.
>give drink to bartender
The bartender thankfully accepts the proffered drink. "Let me
get one for you, too." He waves the drink by the scanner and
another frosted glass filled with foamy liquid appears on the
bar.
"Heads up!" He raises the glass in salute, and downs it in one
swig. "Man, that was great. Totally unreal." He thinks about his
statement for a second and says with a smile, "Yeah, I guess
that's about right."
He throws the empty glass behind the bar, but it hits the
counter instead and falls to the ground. "Woah," he says,
grinning. "I must be making those drinks stronger than I
thought." He picks up the glass and tosses it out of sight
behind the bar.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>take drink
You take the frosted glass from the beach bar.
The bartender straightens his shirt and looks over at you,
perhaps awaiting an order.
>give drink to bartender
The bartender thankfully accepts the proffered drink. "Let me
get one for you, too." He waves the drink by the scanner and
another frosted glass filled with foamy liquid appears on the
bar.
"It does get mighty hot working back here; you're mighty nice
to take an interest." He empties the glass almost faster than
his previous drink. "Ahhh, hits the spot."
The bartender attempts to drop the glass over his back and kick
the glass behind the bar. He misses completely, and looks a
little sheepish as he picks it up and carefully puts the empty
glass away.
The bartender leans against the counter and watches the sea,
sighing.
>take drink
You take the frosted glass from the beach bar.
The bartender takes off a sandal and shakes the sand out of it.
>give drink to bartender
The bartender thankfully accepts the proffered drink. "Let me
get one for you, too." He waves the drink by the scanner and
another frosted glass filled with foamy liquid appears on the
bar.
"I was hoping you'd offer!" He sucks down the drink like a man
dying of thirst. "Mmmmm...I make 'em GOOD, don't I? I mean 'it',
I mean,... you know." His gaze starts to get unfocused as he
pushes the empty glass slowly behind the bar, very carefully
placing it in the correct spot. When he succeeds, he looks up at
you and grins in triumph.
>take drink
You take the frosted glass from the beach bar.
>give drink to bartender
The bartender shakily accepts the proffered drink. "Lemme gesha
'nother one, buddy."
As he waves the drink in front of the scanner, his unsteady
hands slip, causing the drink to pause in front of the beam.
Immediately, three drinks appear on the bar counter.
"Whoooopsie. Now I've dunnit. Ah well, I guesh I might s'well
clean 'em up." He downs the drink in his hand, eliminates the
empty, and does the same for two of the glasses on the bar
kindly leaving one of them for you. The end result is one very
happy, if somewhat bleary, bartender.
>take drink
You take the frosted glass from the beach bar.
The bartender eyes your drink with something more than
professional curiosity.
>give drink to bartender
The bartender shakily accepts the proffered drink. "Lemme gesha
'nother one, buddy."
He looks at the drink warily, as if it's going to snap his head
off. In one smooth motion, he tilts the glass to his mouth and
drains it. After a second of internal checking, he smiles,
seemingly pleased with the outcome of the drink. Then he burps
once and falls onto the bar, unconscious.
The bartender sings something very softly in his sleep. You
can't quite make it out, but it seems to involve somebody named
Debbie.
>take drink
You take the frosted glass from the beach bar.
Suddenly you notice that your swimsuit has changed color.
>put drink in scanner
You set the glass right on top of the scanner. It cuts through
the pulsing beam and a drink immediately appears on the bar. As
the beam continues to strike the glass, more drinks appear on
the bar's surface. They start piling up, spilling their frothy
liquid over the sand. The pile reaches higher and higher, the
drinks coming faster and faster, until the heap of glasses
seems to push back the boundaries of the reality. Something
snaps, and the veil of virtuality falls down like a torn
curtain.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
The hues and colors of the virtual world swirl in a soft cloud
and drift away. Soon you are back in the real world, but
after-images of the alternate reality linger in the back of
your mind.
The tech looks at you with renewed respect. He flips over the
promised golden pin, which lands nearby. "Not bad, for a
rookie. You just might have some VR hacking potential."
>open collar
You unsnap the catch and slip out of the collar.
>take pin
[Getting off the couch first.]
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
You take the membership pin.
>down
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
>se
Heecheetown
>n
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>down
You step into the dropshaft and are whisked down to Level
Tanya.
Corridor T6
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Dog) is on the east side of
the passageway. The corridor continues to the north and south.
A door leads west.
>n
Corridor T5
The corridor ends in a bulkhead to the north. An armored door
to the west is guarded by a bored looking European Space Navy
Military Policeman (ESN/MP) who is staring at nothing. The
corridor continues to the south.
You see a guard here.
>w
[Opening the armory door first.]
Armory
This is where the on-board military forces that "protect"
Gateway store their weapons. Sealed cases running the length of
the room hide an arsenal of American, European, Brazilian, and
Japanese laser and projectile weaponry. Red and yellow signs
outline procedures for handling and storing guns, grenades,
lasers, rocket launchers, and other lethal devices. Above a low
storage cabinet you see a vent cover.
You see a storage cabinet here.
On the storage cabinet you see a gun.
>take gun
You take the gun from the surface of the cabinet.
>open vent
You open the vent cover with the key. Inside the vent is a
small button.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>press button
You push the button. It begins blinking.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>wait
Time passes...
A spider-like robot scrambles into the air duct.
>put gun in box
You put the gun in the robot's waste container.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>e
Corridor T5
You see a guard here.
>s
Corridor T6
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Dog) is on the east side of
the passageway. The corridor continues to the north and south.
A door leads west.
>w
Room T20
This is one of the common access conference rooms that are
used for instruction classes, briefings, and other Corporation
business. Inside the room is a conference table, chairs, and a
viewscreen. The table and chairs look well used and are made of
institution green thermoplastic. The rest of the room lacks any
personality at all - the walls and ceiling are made of dull
green milica tiles. The only other feature is a vent in the
ceiling over the conference table. A door leads east.
>open vent
You open the vent cover with the key. Inside the vent is a
small button.
>press button
You push the button. It begins blinking.
>wait
Time passes...
A spider-like robot scrambles into the air duct. In the
robot's waste box you see a gun.
>take gun
You take the gun from the robot's waste container.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>close vent
You close the vent cover, which latches shut automatically.
>wait 2 hours
Time passes...
The conference room fills with would-be prospectors, most of
whom you recognize from the long flight from Earth. Almost
everybody looks a little lost, homesick, and frightened. A
middle-aged Hispanic man shuffles into the conference room and
heads for the front of the room. He is dressed in a Corporation
science staff uniform.
Do you want to continue waiting? > Y
A few stragglers run down the corridor and rush into the
conference room.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>e
Corridor T6
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Dog) is on the east side of
the passageway. The corridor continues to the north and south.
A door leads west.
>up
You step into the dropshaft and are whisked up to Level Dog.
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>s
Heecheetown
>e
Blue Hell Bar
The Blue Hell is a rough and tumble bar inside a large pre-fab
structure in Heecheetown. The counter is located near the
entrance, across from a raised dance floor on the far side.
Prospectors, off-duty Navy crewmen, and Corporation employees
sit in groups and converse in a multi-lingual babble. The
casino lies to the east. Heecheetown is to the west.
You see an empty seat here.
>sit
You sit in the empty bar seat.
>wait 5 hours
Time passes...
Thom Seldridge strides into the bar, looks around, and spots
you. He walks over to the counter and sits down on one of the
bar seats, giving you a quick smile as he takes out his debit
card, inserts it into the counter slot, and orders two drinks
from the order panel. "Hey, new fish! Good to see you!" he says
with somewhat forced enthusiasm.
Do you want to continue waiting? > Y
The famous Gateway robotic bartender trundles over to where
you are sitting. It extends a tray bearing two full glasses.
Thom immediately takes his drink from the tray and raises it to
his lips. He tosses back a third of the contents. "Damn, that
is good!" he says with real feeling in his voice.
Do you want to continue waiting? > Y
"This is where everybody hangs out. There is a casino with
some pretty good action next door. You ought to check out the
roulette wheel - they use a very dense, oversize ball because
of the low-gee environment. It's kinda cool."
The robotic bartender bobs up and down and makes an insistent
chirping sound. It wants you to take your drink.
Do you want to continue waiting? > N
>drink
[I assume you mean drink your drink.]
The robot bartender emits a happy "cheep" as you take the
drink.
You gulp down your Heecheetown Special. Your eyes bulge out,
the little hairs on your neck stand up, and your stomach is
coated with a wave of cold fire. You put the empty glass on the
counter, your head spinning. You barely notice as the glass is
whisked away by the robot bartender.
Thom grins at you. "Excellent drink, hey?"
"You find all kinds of people on Gateway. Prospectors from
over forty countries, plus the usual assortment of space
squids, er, navy personnel off the sentinel cruisers. Most
folks are American, European, Japanese, and Brazilian, as you'd
expect with those countries owning the Corporation, hey."
>wait
Time passes...
"You'll spend most of your time on Gateway on two levels: Dog
and Tanya. We are on Dog now. Tanya is where the entrances to
the ship hangars are located. It also houses work spaces,
conference rooms, and the military armory."
The robotic bartender trundles away.
>wait
Time passes...
Thom finishes his drink and tosses the empty glass in the
general direction of the robot bartender.
>wait
Time passes...
Thom looks at you expectantly.
>buy tom a drink
You insert the debit card into the slot in the bar counter. The
bar computer hums and the order panel lights up with a menu of
exotic cocktail selections. You order a drink for Thom
Seldridge. He nods in appreciation. The bar computer
acknowledges your order with a series of musical tones and
spits out your debit card.
>wait
Time passes...
Thom hums a few bars of a song popular on Earth several months
ago.
>wait
Time passes...
Thom rubs his hands in anticipation as he follows the
movements of the robotic bartender with his eyes.
The famous Gateway robotic bartender trundles over to where
you are sitting. It extends a tray bearing a full glass. Thom
reaches for his new drink and gulps down half of it before you
can even blink.
>wait
Time passes...
"I'll tell you some things you ought to know. Some things that
the brochures on Earth conveniently don't mention. First, you
got to realize that not all prospectors are created equal.
There are two kinds of prospectors on Gateway: The suicide
squad and the green badges."
The robotic bartender trundles away.
>wait
Time passes...
"You and me, we're on the suicide squad. We come off the Earth
transports like cattle, we learn how to push the "go" button on
the Heechee starships, and we ship out. The odds aren't too
good, new fish. We die like flies. It's common for a ship to
pop out of Tau space inside the core of a star, next to a black
hole or a neutron star, or in orbit around some hell planet
that'll kill you before you can even land on its surface. We're
expendable and don't mean diddly to the Corporation. One of us
doesn't come back, well, it's no big thing."
>wait
Time passes...
"Now the green badges, they're different. Officially, they are
part of the Orion Program. That means that they're on the
Corporation's A-team, a select group of prospectors who have
supposedly proven themselves and earned a place in the Program.
They get to go to briefings held by the Corporation Science
Section, where special primo course codes are handed out by
Corporation eggheads."
>wait
Time passes...
"If you haven't figured it out by now, you can tell who they
are because the Corporation gives them green badges. Suicide
squad gets blue badges. It's not like the Orion Program is a
secret. In fact, the Corporation advertises the program as if
it were some kind of prize available to everybody who does
great and wonderful things."
>wait
Time passes...
"I know better. The only way to sign up for the Orion Program
is to be sponsored by your Corporation rep, and don't think
that the process is easy. My rep won't even talk to me." Thom
pauses and rubs his chin. "Hmmmm, let's see, who is your rep?"
he wonders aloud. "Neilson! Terri Neilson."
>wait
Time passes...
"She's actually pretty cool, almost a regular guy. She even
comes into the Blue Hell for a drink on some nights. You might
actually have a chance of getting one of those green badges if
she goes easy on you."
>wait
Time passes...
"Tell you what, new fish. I'll give you my copy of a memo that
came out a while back on the Orion Program. Give it to Terri
when you see her next. She might back you for the program."
Thom fumbles around inside his jacket and pulls out a crumpled
piece of paper and a pen. He writes something on the bottom of
the sheet of paper, puts the pen back in his jacket, and hands
the paper to you.
>wait
Time passes...
Thom finishes his drink, looks around, and then tosses the
empty glass behind the counter. "Terri usually shows up around
22:00 when she comes here. You might want to hang around or
just come back later."
>wait
Time passes...
Thom flashes you a wan smile, his face showing regret, hope,
and envy all at the same time.
>buy tom a drink
You insert the debit card into the slot in the bar counter. The
bar computer hums and the order panel lights up with a menu of
exotic cocktail selections. You order a drink for Thom
Seldridge. He nods in appreciation and smiles at you with
genuine friendliness for the first time since you met him. He
sits back in his seat, looking like he might be thinking about
enjoying himself. The bar computer acknowledges your order with
a series of musical tones and spits out your debit card.
>wait
Time passes...
Thom hums a few bars of a song popular on Earth several months
ago.
>wait
Time passes...
Thom rubs his hands in anticipation as he follows the
movements of the robotic bartender with his eyes.
The famous Gateway robotic bartender trundles over to where
you are sitting. It extends a tray bearing a full glass. Thom
takes his new drink, grins at you, and says "Bottoms up!" He
gives you a comic salute, then takes a long drink.
>wait
Time passes...
"You're not a bad sort, new fish. I'll let you in on some
rumors that have been making the rounds. Seems that folks are
hooked on the idea that the Heechee left something important on
Gateway that hasn't been brought to light yet. Besides the
ships, I mean."
The robotic bartender trundles away.
>wait
Time passes...
"When NASA first explored this station, they found it picked
clean except for the ship hangars. Really weird. This great
huge artifact, obviously an important facility, and yet almost
completely empty."
>wait
Time passes...
"When the Corporation pukes took over the station, they put
their best coneheads on the problem. They searched high and
low, even took some of the station apart. They didn't find
squat."
>wait
Time passes...
"People are saying that the coneheads didn't look in the right
places, that there is something mighty interesting on this
station that nobody has found yet. Personally, I think it's a
load of horse hockey. I can't believe that the coneheads missed
something important while they were exploring, cataloging, and
then rebuilding Earth's great new hope."
>wait
Time passes...
"Anyway, that's the hot tip for the month. Listen, I've gotta
get going. Tell you what, new fish, I'll leave you with a
Gateway legend. I know he's here tonight, after all, he's here
every night. I'll try and find him. Hang tight for a minute."
Thom gets up and vanishes into the crowd.
>wait
Time passes...
Thom reappears with a tall, dark man in tow, "New fish, this
is Nubar Kamalian. He's kind of a fixture in this place. If
you're real lucky, Nubar will tell you more about life on
Gateway. I have to go. I'll leave you guys to talk. It's been a
pleasure, new fish." Thom leaves. Nubar Kamalian sits down next
to you and nods in your direction.
>wait
Time passes...
Nubar stares at you. "How 'bout a drink, new fish?"
>buy nubar a drink
You insert the debit card into the slot in the bar counter. The
bar computer hums and the order panel lights up with a menu of
exotic cocktail selections. You order a drink for Nubar Kamalian.
The bar computer acknowledges your order with a series of
musical tones and spits out your debit card.
>wait
Time passes...
"So, how ya doin'? Welcome to Gateway. You made a megamistake,
shelling out over two hundred grand to come to this miserable,
godforsaken place."
>wait
Time passes...
"I'm still kicking myself for shipping out here. The
chickenfat Corporation sure rooked me good, feeding me all that
bunco back in East Texas. I was suckered in all the way. Put my
life savings into a one way ticket to this hellhole."
The famous Gateway robotic bartender trundles over to where
you are sitting. It extends a tray bearing a full glass. Nubar
takes his drink and nods gratefully at you.
>wait
Time passes...
"I've been out five times, nearly killed twice. I landed on
one Diedre-class planet, fought my way through a bunch of
things that looked like giant cockroaches, and recovered a box
of these disks." Nubar holds up his medallion. "All for a lousy
fifty kay. The Corporation thinks these things are the
worthless by-product of some Heechee industrial process. I
don't believe that for a second! Look at the precision, the
workmanship! But you can't fight the Corporation. Goes to show
you, new fish, that you're in a world of hurt out here."
The robotic bartender trundles away.
>wait
Time passes...
"You can't win. Especially with the Corporation geeks giving
preference to those Orion bozos. That really pisses me off.
We're the cannon fodder for the Corporation. They get us to
hang out our rear ends and do all the sweating and slaving,
then they feed everything they learn from us to their
fair-haired boys with the green badges. This place is just
UNfair, my friend. You sure screwed up coming here."
>wait
Time passes...
"Well, what can you do. You're here. I'll stop complaining. In
fact, I'll make you a generous offer: If you can beat me at the
trivia game in the Casino, I'll give you this genu-ine Heechee
medallion." Nubar holds up the medallion again. Rainbow
patterns dance on the surface of the disk. "I challenge all the
new fish to a game. Breaks up the routine." He leads you to the
casino.
[You get off your seat first.]
Casino
The casino is surprisingly well equipped, given the cost of
shipping any kind of mass from Earth. There are slot machines,
blackjack tables, and a low-gee roulette table. Near the
entrance is a tired looking "Old Earth Trivia" game. The bar
lies to the west. A heavy oak door is to the east.
Nubar plays the game and earns a score of seven points. He
turns to you and says, "Your turn."
>play trivia
*** Type: 3,3,2,4,1,1,3,2,4,3,4 ***
Nubar says, "Congratulations, new fish." He hands over the
medallion, then grins as he pulls another out of his pocket.
"Got hundreds of these things," he says wickedly. "The Corp
goons never took 'em away 'cause they think they're worthless."
He hangs the medallion around his neck. "Perhaps I will see you
again, my friend." Nubar disappears.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>w
Blue Hell Bar
You see an empty seat here.
>w
Heecheetown
>s
Corridor D6
The corridor opens up onto Heecheetown to the north and the
Gateway Museum to the south.
>s
Gateway Museum
The Gateway Museum contains examples of alien artifacts that
prospectors have discovered in the years since the exploration
program was started. The exhibits consist of things that
Heechee hands (tentacles? claws?) have made and touched that
come from unimaginable places incredibly far away. You notice a
black pedestal and a chrome display stand that are prominently
situated in the middle of the room.
On the stand you see a Heechee device.
On the pedestal you see a tuning fork.
>put medallion in depression
You insert the disk into the depression. As it drops into
place, the device begins to hum and the air above the disk
shimmers.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>take fork
You take the tuning fork from the pedestal.
The room is filled with the sound of an obnoxious klaxon, and
a synthesized voice states, "Warning. These exhibits are
protected by an optical pattern-recognition system. Replace
artifact immediately, or you will be placed under arrest."
>put fork in device
As you place the tuning fork into the device, an image of it
appears, floating above the disk.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
The room is filled with the sound of an obnoxious klaxon, and
a synthesized voice states, "Replace artifact immediately, or
you will be placed under arrest."
>take hologram
As you remove the disk from the depression, the device ceases
its humming and the shimmering in the air vanishes. The image of
the tuning fork remains floating above the disk.
The room is filled with the sound of an obnoxious klaxon, and
a synthesized voice states, "Replace artifact immediately, or
you will be placed under arrest."
>put hologram on pedestal
You put the hologram on the pedestal.
The klaxon stops and the voice states, "Alarm canceled. Thank
you for your cooperation."
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>take fork
You take the tuning fork from the Heechee device.
>n
Corridor D6
>n
Heecheetown
>e
Blue Hell Bar
You see an empty seat here.
>sit
You sit in the empty bar seat.
>read memo
The memo is written on Corporation letterhead and dated April
23, 2102. The paper is crumpled and creased. The memo reads as
follows:
TO: All Limited Partners
FROM: Corporate Science Section
SUBJECT: Orion Special Exploration Initiative
As most of you already know, Gateway Enterprises has begun a
classified research program officially designated the Orion
Special Exploration Initiative and informally known as the
Orion Program. Limited partners with exceptional qualifications
are invited to apply to designated Gateway Enterprises
representatives for admittance to the program. Those accepted
by the Director of Gateway Exploration Programs will be
provided with access to research data that may increase the
probability of encountering commercially useful Heechee
technology during prospecting missions."
Scrawled at the bottom in spidery handwriting is the following:
"New fish: Show this to Terri Neilson - she sometimes hangs out
at Blue Hell Bar, around 22:00"
>wait 70
[I assume you mean 70 minutes.]
Time passes...
An attractive blond woman makes her way over to the bar and
sits down in an empty seat next to you. She is wearing a
Corporation uniform, and looks sleek, confident, and used to
getting her way. She orders a drink and turns to look at you,
tossing back her hair in a practiced motion. "Do I know you?
You look familiar." Suddenly recognition dawns in her eyes,
followed quickly by a look of disinterest. "Oh, I know where I
saw your face. Your file. You're one of my new fish. I'm Terri
Neilson, Deputy Director, Exploration Program Section."
Do you want to continue waiting? > N
>ask terri about orion
She looks sharply at you, her earlier lack of interest gone
completely. Her eyes turn suddenly to ice, and you shiver as
she seems to stare right into you. It's as if she's making some
kind of final judgement about you on the spot. You try not to
fidget. Finally, after a long silence, some warmth creeps back
into her face. The corners of her mouth pull slightly upward.
"So, new fish. You are interested in the Orion Program."
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>wait
Time passes...
The famous Gateway robotic bartender trundles over to where
you are sitting. It extends a tray bearing a full glass. Terri
raises her right eyebrow and reaches over to pick up her drink.
She studies the glass, smiles, and then takes a sip.
"The Orion Program, otherwise known as the Orion Special
Exploration Initiative, is one of the most promising research
efforts currently under way on this station. An exclusive group
of limited partners has been given a chance to work with the
Corporation Science Section to exploit the first real
breakthrough in understanding the Heechee ship guidance
systems."
>wait
Time passes...
"I have sponsored only twenty-five prospectors for
participation in the Orion Program since I was promoted to
deputy director. To give you some idea of how few that is,
consider this: I have been responsible for more than three
hundred prospectors at one time or another over the last two
years!"
The robotic bartender trundles away.
>wait
Time passes...
Terri shakes her head. "I don't know, new fish. I look at you
and I don't have much to go on. If you want to join the team,
you're going to have to do something pretty damn special. I'll
tell you what my criteria were for sponsoring the last few
Orion prospectors: At least two completed missions and one
completely unique discovery."
>wait
Time passes...
"What that means for you, new fish, is two trips out and an
entry in your DataMan logbook that shows you brought back
something that nobody else has found. That's a pretty tall
order. Now I'm going to break a Corporation regulation and give
you my direct PV number."
>wait
Time passes...
Terri writes a number on a cocktail napkin and hands it to
you. "A number of years ago I used to be a prospector, much
like you. Then the Corporation recruited me to be a transport
pilot. I made the Earth-L5 run, then I ferried supplies to and
from Gateway, Venus, and the two Delta stations in orbit around
Mercury."
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>read napkin
Scrawled on the napkin is the number '##-####.'
*** Write down the phone number ***
"I flew the Rockwell/MBB medium range shuttles that the
Corporation uses for most of its resupply missions. Those
suckers are huge - five hundred feet long, a hundred feet in
diameter, even bigger than the transport you came out on."
>wait
Time passes...
"The Corporation pays well and promotes fast when they see
results. I produce results. You'll have a future if you can
produce results, too. Remember - two completed missions and a
legit Heechee find. Call me when you think you've earned a
green badge."
>w
[You get off your seat first.]
Heecheetown
>w
You leave Heecheetown, heading west towards the barracks that
you call home. After a brief walk you find yourself back in
your quarters.
Your Quarters
Your room is a spartan cubicle furnished with a desk, a chair,
a wall locker, and a fold-down bed. The only decorative touches
are a sickly looking plant sitting next to the desk and a
lonely picture of Earth adorning the far wall. A PV commset is
set into the south wall. Above the PV is a vent. To the east is
a door that leads outside.
>wait 3 hours
Time passes...
You start to feel sleepy.
Do you want to continue waiting? > N
>sleep
You curl up on your bed and fall asleep. You wake several hours
later.
Your Quarters
Your room is a spartan cubicle furnished with a desk, a chair,
a wall locker, and a fold-down bed. The only decorative touches
are a sickly looking plant sitting next to the desk and a
lonely picture of Earth adorning the far wall. A PV commset is
set into the south wall. Above the PV is a vent. To the east is
a door that leads outside.
You see a DataMan, a magazine, a maintenance key, a debit card,
a membership pin, a gun, a memo, a tuning fork and a napkin
here.
>take all
DataMan: [You get off the bed first.]
Taken.
magazine: Taken.
maintenance key: Taken.
debit card: Taken.
membership pin: Taken.
gun: Taken.
memo: Taken.
tuning fork: Taken.
napkin: Taken.
>e
You leave the barracks that is your temporary home, walk along
a narrow alley for a few moments, and reach the center of
Heecheetown.
Heecheetown
>n
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>down
You step into the dropshaft and are whisked down to Level
Tanya.
Corridor T6
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Dog) is on the east side of
the passageway. The corridor continues to the north and south.
A door leads west.
>s
Corridor T7
The corridor continues to the north and south. A doorway leads
west.
>s
Hangar Entrance
The corridor opens up into a large room dominated by a
thermoplastic counter and a closed gate. The gate bars access
to the busy ship hangars on Level Tanya. Behind the gate to the
south you can see the landing gear for one of the ships in the
distance. The hangar spaces seem to hum with activity.
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
You show your badge to the agent. She nods and escorts you
through the gate and into the hangar area. She stops near a
computer terminal on a wall and studies the display. "Found a
prepped ship for you," she says to you after a moment. "I'll
walk you over, help you program the parasitic computer with
your assigned codes, and you're on your way." She begins
walking away and you follow her into the vast hangar bays.
You follow the agent past several large ships tucked into
their berths in the hangar spaces. Men and equipment bustle
around you, working on the Heechee ships. The agent finally
stops in front of one of the ships and gestures grandly. "This
is it. Now give me your badge and I'll program the on-board
computer." You hand her your badge and she clambers aboard the
ship.
A few minutes later she re-appears. "Okay, sport. Just press
the CODE button and you'll see the codes that the Corporation
has assigned to you. You're set to go. I'll leave you to it -
good luck and good hunting." She returns your badge and walks
away. You are left alone in the dock.
Dock
The ship hangars are partitioned into hundreds of individual
docks. This is one of the docks, a berth that serves as "home"
for a Heechee starship. The ship itself towers over your head,
a collection of angular and curved lines that is both awkward
and strangely graceful at the same time. The ship is perched on
long landing gear struts. A ladder leads up into the hatch. The
dock exit is to the north.
>up
Ship Cabin
There is barely enough room for you to move inside the cabin
which was clearly not designed for humans. You see an open
hatch on the floor, a seat, and the ship's small control panel.
There is a Heechee transit coil beside the panel. Various other
pieces of equipment cover the walls of the cabin.
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go ***
Your ship emerges into normal space dangerously close to a
mammoth black hole. Panic-stricken, you jab the "Return" button
and flee to the safety of Tau space, narrowly avoiding the
destruction of your ship by the intense gravitational tides.
Your ship returns to the dock at Gateway, and you undergo
debriefing procedures.
You are awarded a mission bangle.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]
You are returned to the Hangar Entrance.
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go ***
Your ship returns to normal space near the shattered fragments
of a planet in orbit around a bright B class star. You can only
speculate about what caused the disintegration of the planet,
although the evidence suggests that it was blasted into pieces
by a collision with a massive asteroid or wandering moon. You
take some pictures and return to Gateway.Your ship returns to
the dock at Gateway, and you undergo debriefing procedures.
You are returned to the Hangar Entrance.
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go, Info, Land ***
The ship lands on the surface with a thump.
>wear suit
[Taking the spacesuit first.]
You put on the spacesuit.
>open hatch
[Getting off the cabin seat first.]
You open the cabin hatch and the pressurized air of the ship's
cabin is drawn out with a loud hiss.
>down
Blast Zone
Your ship is standing in the middle of a blast zone cleared by
its engines upon landing. A dark cliff rises from the ground
about five hundred meters or so to the north. The formation
looks somewhat like a mesa you might find in the desert
southwest of the United States. The cliff runs east to west. To
the south is a vast gray plain that extends as far as you can
see.
>n
Below Cave
You are standing at the base of the butte you spied from the
blast zone near the ship. Looking up, you spot a hole in the
bottom of the overhang, only about ten meters above your head.
The cliff runs east to west.
>w
Base of Cliff
You are standing at the base of a cliff thirty meters tall
that runs from east to west. To the west you can see what looks
like a rockslide that has piled up at the base of the cliff.
Your ship lies to the southeast.
>w
Rockslide
You are at the base of a pile of rocks and debris that seems
to be the result of a rockslide from the top of the cliff. The
jumbled boulders, rock fragments, and debris provide a route to
the top of the mesa. The cliff face continues to the east.
>n
You scramble up the rockslide to the top of the cliff, feeling
for handholds and footholds with an agility that surprises you.
You finally reach the top of the slide and clamber on to a
plateau.
Plateau
You are on the top of a flat circular rock formation thirty
meters above the gray plain and about a thousand meters in
diameter. You can survey the surface of the planet for
kilometers in all directions, but all you see is more dreary
gray dust. The edge of the cliff continues to the east. A
rockslide directly to the south provides a path to the base of
the cliff, but the footing looks treacherous.
>e
You walk along the top of the mesa.
Plateau
You are on the top of a flat circular rock formation thirty
meters above the gray plain and about a thousand meters in
diameter. You can survey the surface of the planet for
kilometers in all directions. Your ship is visible in the
distance to the southeast. The edge of the cliff continues to
the east and west.
>e
You walk along the top of the mesa.
Plateau
You are on the top of a flat circular rock formation thirty
meters above the gray plain and about a thousand meters in
diameter. You can survey the surface of the planet for
kilometers in all directions. Your ship lies directly to the
south below you. The edge of the cliff continues to the west.
You notice a large rock perched on the edge of the cliff to
the south. It is massive, about three meters in diameter, and
looks like it is delicately balanced on the edge of the cliff.
>push rock
You lean against the boulder and push with all your might. You
feel the rock begin to move, and then watch it tumble lazily
over the edge. It falls slowly at first, then gathers speed. A
few meters down, it strikes another boulder, which breaks loose
and starts a cascade of smaller rock fragments and debris. The
chain reaction continues until a sizeable fraction of the
overhang crashes into the dust at the base of the cliff. A huge
cloud of dust rises into the vacuum and then settles back to
the surface.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>w
You walk along the top of the mesa.
Plateau
>w
You walk along the top of the mesa.
Plateau
>s
You scramble down the rockslide.
Rockslide
>e
Base of Cliff
>e
Below Cave
You see a pile of rocks here.
>n
You scramble up the pile of rocks and climb through the hole in
the rock overhang.
Entry Chamber
You are inside a glowing blue chamber that looks very much
like the pictures you have seen of the Heechee tunnels on
Venus. The metal walls are covered with intricate patterns. A
hole in the floor of the chamber leads outside to the surface
of the planet.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
An irregular opening appears to the northeast.
After a few seconds it fades away, leaving a solid wall again.
>e
You leap towards the wall. Just as you think you are going to
collide with the glowing blue metal, a portal opens and you
sail through into a dark little passageway. You crawl along the
pretzel-like tunnel for a few moments, then emerge into a large
cavern.
Ovoid Room
You are in a small ovoid cavern, an egg shaped room that is
made entirely of blue Heechee metal. Ribs on the walls converge
to meet in the middle of the room, giving the place a strangely
organic feeling. Multiple tunnel entrances lie to the east,
southeast, south, southwest, and west.
You see a hexagonal metal box here.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>take box
You take the hexagonal metal box.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]
>s
You enter one of the tunnel entrances and walk through a
narrow, claustrophobic passageway until you reach a blank metal
wall. You wait a few moments until a portal appears, then
launch yourself through the irregular opening into the chamber
beyond. You land on your shoulder, roll once, and then stand
up.
Entry Chamber
An irregular opening appears to the northwest.
After a few seconds it fades away, leaving a solid wall again.
>s
You lower yourself through the opening in the floor and drop
onto the pile of rocks below. Landing heavily, you tumble down
to the base of the cliff.
Below Cave
You see a pile of rocks here.
>s
Blast Zone
>up
Ship Cabin
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: Orbit, Return ***
Your ship returns to the dock at Gateway, and you undergo
debriefing procedures.
You are awarded a $25,000 royalty advance for discovery of the
Heechee artifact.
Your spacesuit is cleaned and restowed in the ship.
The object you brought back from Dayan 7 is appropriated for
study by Corporation scientists.
You are returned to the Hangar Entrance.
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go ***
The ship's destination is a vantage point in interstellar space
that provides an excellent view of a large nebula. After taking
pictures and scientific readings for a few hours, you punch the
"Return" button and head for home.Your ship returns to the dock
at Gateway, and you undergo debriefing procedures.
You are returned to the Hangar Entrance.
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go ***
Your ship materializes in dead intergalactic space. You are
hanging outside the Milky Way, with a spectacular view of the
Andromeda galaxy. There are no stars within a hundred light
years of you. You take some scientific readings and then return
to Gateway.Your ship returns to the dock at Gateway, and you
undergo debriefing procedures.
You are returned to the Hangar Entrance.
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go ***
A sullen red giant dominates the viewscreen when you return to
normal space. This is a dying star in a dead planetary system.
The remnants of six worlds are either baked to cinders or
blasted into jagged pieces. You realize there is nothing to be
found here and return to Gateway.Your ship returns to the dock
at Gateway, and you undergo debriefing procedures.
You are returned to the Hangar Entrance.
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>n
Corridor T7
>n
Corridor T6
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Dog) is on the east side of
the passageway. The corridor continues to the north and south.
A door leads west.
>up
You step into the dropshaft and are whisked up to Level Dog.
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>s
Heecheetown
>w
You leave Heecheetown, heading west towards the barracks that
you call home. After a brief walk you find yourself back in
your quarters.
Your Quarters
>put card in slot
You insert your debit card into the slot.
*** Type: 6, the phone number,0,0 ***
You take your debit card from the slot.
>e
You leave the barracks that is your temporary home, walk along
a narrow alley for a few moments, and reach the center of
Heecheetown.
Heecheetown
>e
Blue Hell Bar
You see an empty seat here.
>sit
You sit in the empty bar seat.
>wait
Time passes...
Terri Neilson makes her way over to the bar and sits down next
to you. She nods in greeting.
>wait
Time passes...
Terri says, "Congratulations. You've demonstrated some skill
at prospecting, and you've met the criteria I've established as
the threshold for the Orion Program. You got results, and I
like that!" Terri gives you a big smile. "I am sponsoring you
for the Orion Program. This is a great honor and privilege, but
I think you deserve it."
>wait
Time passes...
Terri continues, "There are daily briefings at 0900 hours in
room T52, level Tanya. These are restricted to green badges
only. During these meetings you will be given information that
the Corporation has deemed worthy of special attention." She
smiles again. "You'll also get your badge coded with course
codes that have a very high probability of success!"
>wait
Time passes...
Terri trades you a green badge for your blue badge. "You've
earned this, my friend. Keep in mind that it isn't coded with
any destinations yet, so you really need to go to the next
green badge briefing. Remember: Nine in the morning, room T52.
Now go make the best of the opportunity. I expect great things
from you. Good luck and good hunting." She gets up and leaves
the bar.
[Your score has just gone up by 30.]
>w
[You get off your seat first.]
Heecheetown
>w
You leave Heecheetown, heading west towards the barracks that
you call home. After a brief walk you find yourself back in
your quarters.
Your Quarters
>wait 4 hours
Time passes...
You start to feel sleepy.
Do you want to continue waiting? > N
>sleep
You curl up on your bed and fall asleep. You wake several hours
later.
Your Quarters
Your room is a spartan cubicle furnished with a desk, a chair,
a wall locker, and a fold-down bed. The only decorative touches
are a sickly looking plant sitting next to the desk and a
lonely picture of Earth adorning the far wall. A PV commset is
set into the south wall. Above the PV is a vent. To the east is
a door that leads outside.
You see a DataMan, a magazine, a maintenance key, a membership
pin, a gun, a memo, a tuning fork, a napkin, a debit card and a
green badge here.
>take all
DataMan: [You get off the bed first.]
Taken.
magazine: Taken.
maintenance key: Taken.
membership pin: Taken.
gun: Taken.
memo: Taken.
tuning fork: Taken.
napkin: Taken.
debit card: Taken.
green badge: Taken.
>e
You leave the barracks that is your temporary home, walk along
a narrow alley for a few moments, and reach the center of
Heecheetown.
Heecheetown
>n
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>down
You step into the dropshaft and are whisked down to Level
Tanya.
Corridor T6
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Dog) is on the east side of
the passageway. The corridor continues to the north and south.
A door leads west.
>s
Corridor T7
>w
Room T52
This is one of the common access conference rooms that are
used for instruction classes, briefings, and other Corporation
business. Inside the room is a conference table, chairs, and a
viewscreen. The table and chairs look well used and are made of
tacky blue thermoplastic. The rest of the room lacks any
personality at all - the walls and ceiling are made of dull blue
milica tiles. The only other feature is a vent in the ceiling
over the conference table. A door leads east.
>wait 60
[I assume you mean 60 minutes.]
Time passes...
A security guard enters the room and approaches you. "We're
about to begin a special meeting for special Corporation flight
crew only. May I see your green badge?" You show him your green
badge. After examining it briefly, he nods and steps back out
to the corridor.
Five men and three women arrive in a group. They are all
wearing Corporation uniforms and green badges. They look like a
hard group, and there is no conversation as they file into the
room and sit down. Once seated, a number of the new arrivals
look at you with mild curiosity.
A few seconds later, a tall man dressed in a suit walks into
the room and takes his place at the head of the table.
Do you want to continue waiting? > Y
The executive puts a sleek leather briefcase on the table,
checks his watch, then nods curtly.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>e
Corridor T7
You see a guard here.
>s
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go, Info, Land ***
The howl of the chemical rockets builds to a crescendo as your
ship nears the surface. Just as the noise begins to seem
unbearable, you are thrown sideways as the landing gear make
contact with the ground. The howl dies away to a high-pitched
whine and then silence. You have landed.
>wear suit
You put on the spacesuit.
>open hatch
[Getting off the cabin seat first.]
You open the cabin hatch and the internal cabin pressure
equalizes with that of the atmosphere outside with a slight hiss.
>down
Landing Site
Your ship is standing in a patch of seared vegetation. Tall
green stalks surround you on all sides. There appears to be a
path through the bizarre plants to the east.
>e
Path
You are on a path through a dense forest of green stalks. To
the west you can see the outline of your ship. You can also see
that the alien flora thins considerably to the northeast and
south, while the path itself disappears into the forest to the
east.
>s
You pick your way through the green stalks, avoiding contact
with the strange plants. When you finally emerge from the
forest of pretzel-like trees, you find yourself on a pebbly
beach.
Lake Shore
You are standing on the shore of a large body of stagnant,
oily, purple liquid of some kind. Strange ferns are growing in
and around the lake. Thinning vegetation to the north allows
passage in that direction.
You see a pile of rocks here.
>wait
Time passes...
A six-legged salamander emerges from the lake. It is carrying
a shiny, round rock in its mouth. It looks at you for a moment
and then waddles over to the pile of rocks on the shore. It
drops the rock it is carrying on the top of the pile and then
spits a stream of red liquid on it. The liquid quickly
evaporates and the rock is fused into place. The salamander
lies down in front of the nest, appearing to rest.
>take salamander
The salamander struggles briefly, then goes limp in your hands.
You take the salamander.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>n
You retrace your steps through the green stalks back to the
path.
Path
>ne
You pick your way through the green stalks, avoiding contact
with the strange plants. You start to feel disoriented and a
little lost, but you finally break through the forest of
twisted trunks into a large open space.
Clearing
You are in the middle of a sizeable clearing. Directly to the
north is a large blue metal dome. The smooth blue metal of the
dome is unmarked except for a panel and a circular hole about a
meter and a half above the ground. On the west side of the
clearing is a large boulder. While the clearing is surrounded
by a forest of green stalks, the growth to the southwest and
south is thin enough to allow passage.
>w
Behind Boulder
You are crouched behind the large boulder on the west side of
the clearing. The boulder hides you from anyone or anything
that might venture into the clearing, but you can see the dome
and the clearing without hindrance.
>wait
Time passes...
Your helmet mikes pick up a mournful wailing sound from the
south. The sound builds in frequency and volume for a few
seconds, then dies away.
>wait
Time passes...
Your helmet mikes pick up a low, mournful wailing sound from
the south. The sound builds in frequency and volume for a few
seconds, then dies away.
>wait
Time passes...
A bizarre procession of aliens winds its way into the
clearing. The creatures look like huge bipedal frogs with
eyestalks, standing seven feet tall, green, with four arms.
They emerge one by one from the dense forest of green stalks to
the south. At the head of the procession is an especially large
creature with a ceremonial headdress of some kind. It seems to
be the leader of the group. Behind the chief is a single file
line of the creatures, all carrying spears.
The leader raises something to its mouth. The strange
instrument emits a low pitched blast of noise that sounds like
a drawn out, bubbling, quavering moan.
The aliens file off to the south, disappearing into the forest
of green stalks.
>e
Clearing
>se
You can't go that way.
>sw
You retrace your steps through the green stalks back to the
path.
Path
>s
You pick your way through the green stalks, avoiding contact
with the strange plants. When you finally emerge from the
forest of pretzel-like trees, you find yourself on a pebbly
beach.
Lake Shore
You see a pile of rocks here.
>wait
Time passes...
>wait
Time passes...
>wait
Time passes...
Your helmet mikes pick up a low, mournful wailing sound from
the north. The sound lasts only for a few seconds.
>wait
Time passes...
Your helmet mikes pick up a low, mournful wailing sound from
the north. The sound lasts only for a few seconds.
>n
You retrace your steps through the green stalks back to the
path.
Path
Your helmet mikes pick up a low pitched, bubbling moan from
the northeast. The sound seems to come from quite a distance
away and lasts only for a few seconds.
>e
The path gets wider as you travel along. It looks well used by
somebody or something.
Mutzer Village
You are in a primitive village, facing a cluster of thatch
huts. A hut to the southeast dominates the others - it is
larger, and it's decorated with a crudely crafted crest.
[Your score has just gone up by 2.]
>se
Chief's Hut
You are inside the chief's hut. On one side of the hut is a
large, crudely fashioned tank about three meters wide and two
meters tall. It is filled with purple liquid. The exit lies to
the northwest. An opening in the floor of the hut leads down
into a dark crawlspace.
>down
Under Big Hut
You are underneath the chief's hut in a very dark crawlspace.
You can see an opening in the underside of the hut that leads
up into the hut.
[Your score has just gone up by 2.]
>wait
Time passes...
The hut above you groans and creaks as something enters,
mutters to itself, and stomps around for a few moments. Then
you hear a sloshing sound and a deep contented sigh. Silence
follows.
>up
Chief's Hut
You see the outline of one of the creatures inside the tank.
Floating near the creature is a dim cylindrical shape.
>put salamander in tank
You drop the salamander into the tank. It makes a small splash
and swims happily around the surface for a few moments. Then
the salamander dives for the bottom of the tank, disappearing
with a playful flick of its tail.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>nw
Mutzer Village
A strange alien creature appears out of nowhere and blocks
your path. Eyes on long stalks regard you with a mixture of
curiosity and hostility. You and the alien stare at each other
for a few moments. The creature finally breaks the spell by
brandishing a crude but deadly trident spear with one of its
four arms. It begins moving towards you, waving the spear. You
retreat to the west as the creature advances. The awkward dance
continues all the way outside the village, where the alien
seems to lose enthusiasm and turns back.
Path
>s
You pick your way through the green stalks, avoiding contact
with the strange plants. When you finally emerge from the
forest of pretzel-like trees, you find yourself on a pebbly
beach.
Lake Shore
You see a pile of rocks here.
>wait
Time passes...
A six-legged salamander emerges from the plants on the east
side of the lake. It is carrying the metal cylinder in its
mouth. It looks at you for a moment and then waddles over to
the pile of rocks on the shore. It drops the metal cylinder
next to the rocks and wades into the lake.
>take cylinder
You take the metal cylinder.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>n
You retrace your steps through the green stalks back to the
path.
Path
>ne
You pick your way through the green stalks, avoiding contact
with the strange plants. You start to feel disoriented and a
little lost, but you finally break through the forest of
twisted trunks into a large open space.
Clearing
>n
Base of Dome
You are standing right next to the side of the metal dome.
Directly in front of you are the panel and the hole you spied
from the clearing.
>put cylinder in hole
You insert the key into the hole. The access panel slides open
to reveal a screen underneath.
*** Type: 4,4,3,2,5 ***
A portal opens in the side of the dome, and you step inside.
Inside Dome
The inside of the dome is dimly lit by the glowing blue
Heechee metal. A raised platform about two meters tall
dominates the room. On the platform you can see what looks like
a Heechee machine of some kind. Three strange crystalline
objects that look just like prayer fans are hanging two meters
above the floor in front of the platform. They are different
colors: One is red, one is blue, and the last is yellow.
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]
>take all
yellow prayer fan: Taken.
[Your score has just gone up by 2.]
blue prayer fan: Taken.
[Your score has just gone up by 2.]
red prayer fan: Taken.
[Your score has just gone up by 2.]
>up
You put your hands on the top of the platform and hoist one leg
up over the rim. Then you scramble like a spider up onto the
circular platform, pausing briefly to catch your breath when
you have finally rolled onto the surface.
Platform
You are on the top of the circular platform in the middle of
the dome. The floor is about two meters below you.
You see a Heechee machine here.
>put blue fan in red hole
You insert the blue prayer fan into the red slot on the top of
the Heechee machine. The purple light flares brilliantly. You
hear a mechanical click, followed by a whining sound, and then
the fan slowly descends into the machine until only a tiny
portion of it is visible.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>put yellow fan in blue hole
You insert the yellow prayer fan into the blue slot on the top
of the Heechee machine. The green light flares brilliantly. You
hear a mechanical click, followed by a whining sound, and then
the fan slowly descends into the machine until only a tiny
portion of it is visible.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>put red fan in yellow hole
You insert the red prayer fan into the yellow slot on the top of
the Heechee machine. The orange light flares brilliantly. You
hear a mechanical click, followed by a whining sound, and then
the fan slowly descends into the machine until only a tiny
portion of it is visible.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
The machine suddenly detaches itself from the platform,
levitates a few centimeters in the air, and begins spinning
around all of its axes. You pluck the machine out of the air.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]
>down
You jump down from the platform onto the dome floor.
Inside Dome
>s
Base of Dome
In the dome slot you see a metal cylinder.
>s
Clearing
>sw
You retrace your steps through the green stalks back to the
path.
Path
>w
Landing Site
>up
Ship Cabin
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: Orbit, Return ***
Your ship returns to the dock at Gateway, and you undergo
debriefing procedures.
You are awarded a $50,000 science bonus for discovery of a
proto-civilization.
You are awarded a $1.5 million royalty advance for discovering
the Heechee device.
Your spacesuit is cleaned and restowed in the ship.
You have spent the last six weeks since your return from the
Aleph 4 mission celebrating, relaxing, and recovering. You have
spent $35,000 of your new found wealth.
Your Quarters
The message light on the PV commset is blinking.
>put card in slot
You insert your debit card into the slot.
*** Type: 1,0,0 ***
You take your debit card from the slot.
>e
You leave the barracks that is your temporary home, walk along
a narrow alley for a few moments, and reach the center of
Heecheetown.
Heecheetown
>e
Blue Hell Bar
You see an empty seat here.
>e
Casino
>e
A nondescript man by the door glances at the golden membership
pin and nods you through. As soon as you are inside, he seems
to fade away.
Pedroza Lounge
This is the official lounge of the exclusive Pedroza Club,
otherwise known as the "Bangle Club". You are in a large room
outfitted with comfortable chairs, round coffee tables, elegant
looking bookcases, and impressive color paintings of planets
and starships. People are sitting and standing around the room,
conversing quietly. To the north is the Pedroza Club's "Tanning
Center," billed as a health facility but actually just a place
to get a deep space tan. A heavy oak door leads west.
You see a display case here.
In the display case you see a pamphlet.
As you enter the room, you notice a figure ducking through the
exit to the north.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>n
Tanning Room
A sign on the north wall states, "Gateway Tanning Center."
Below it are innumerable warnings and disclaimers dealing with
skin cancer. The room is not warm at all, but you can almost
feel your skin tanning under the ultra-violet rays emanating
from the tanning lamps set into the transparent walls. Four
couches extrude from alcoves in the east and west walls; one of
them is occupied by a man dressed in an expensive suit. An exit
on the south wall leads back to the Pedroza Lounge.
>sit
You're now on the couch.
The man on the couch begins to speak. "Although I am perhaps
the most powerful man on this station, few here recognize me. I
am the special assistant to the President of the Corporation,
and I am here on his direct orders."
>wait
Time passes...
"What you found on Aleph 4 is much more than a simple machine.
It is the single most important discovery since Macklin
stumbled upon Gateway itself, and it has revealed an impending
catastrophe of unimaginable proportions."
>wait
Time passes...
"After I leave this room, please go immediately to the
Corporation Administrative offices. Leonard Worden and the
Science Section Chief are waiting there to explain the
significance of the Aleph 4 discovery and to brief you on the
four-part mission for which you have been chosen."
>wait
Time passes...
"What they can't tell you - because they don't know - is that
each part of the mission carries a special completion bonus of
five million dollars, with another $25 million upon completion
of the entire job."
>wait
Time passes...
"I apologize for the cloak-and-dagger stuff, but a mission
bonus like this has never been authorized, and the President
wants to ensure word of it doesn't leak out."
>wait
Time passes...
"I wish you luck, my friend." The man on the couch gets to his
feet. "If news of this catastrophe becomes known on Earth,
there will be a massive-scale panic such as the planet has
never seen. I am relying on you to guard this secret carefully.
And remember - we never met."
He turns and walks out, leaving you speechless.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]
>s
[You get off the couch first.]
Pedroza Lounge
You see a display case here.
In the display case you see a pamphlet.
>w
[Opening the heavy oak door first.]
Casino
>w
Blue Hell Bar
You see an empty seat here.
>w
Heecheetown
>nw
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
The receptionist checks your badge and says, "Mr. Worden and
the Science Section Chief are waiting for you." She guides you
into the conference room.
Board Room
The conference room is one of the most elaborate media centers
you have ever seen. Display screens, buttons, and equipment of
unknown function surround an impressive conference table. The
table is ringed with comfortable looking chairs. A glass door
leads east.
You see Yung Seon Lee and Leonard Worden here.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>e
[Opening the board room door first.]
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
>se
Heecheetown
>n
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>down
You step into the dropshaft and are whisked down to Level
Tanya.
Corridor T6
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Dog) is on the east side of
the passageway. The corridor continues to the north and south.
A door leads west.
>s
Corridor T7
>s
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go, Info, Land ***
The ship descends quickly through the dense atmosphere. You
feel the sudden deceleration as the ship slows and makes a
gentle landing.
>wear suit
You put on the spacesuit.
>open hatch
[Getting off the cabin seat first.]
You open the cabin hatch and the internal cabin pressure
equalizes with that of the atmosphere outside with a slight hiss.
>down
Landing Pad
Your ship is positioned on a polished ceramic landing pad. The
circular pad is several hundred meters across, nearly covering
the ground in the walled area in which you are standing. Beside
the pad is a metallic disk about a meter wide that is flush
with the ground.
Searing waves of superheated air swirl around the landing pad.
Smoke and occasional flames emanate from cracks in the ground.
A single archway is built into the western wall enclosing the
pad.
The metal disk, just large enough to stand on, has a
diamond-shaped depression containing a cracked prism and a
square socket that has a bright cube plugged into it.
>w
You walk west across the pad, through a short corridor, and
arrive at a sparsely decorated residence.
Residence
This is a narrow cramped room. A bed of simple construction
occupies most of the room. A cabinet is built into one wall and
is surrounded by an elaborate multi-colored pattern. An ancient
cloak lies in a heap in one corner. The landing pad lies
outside to the east.
The cabinet has a transparent window that is closed at this
time. Within the cabinet you can see an oval depression and a
black pyramid. On your side of the window opening are several
white knobs, a diamond-shaped depression containing a clear
prism, and a square socket that has a dark cube plugged into it.
>take all
black pyramid: There's a thick plexiglass window between you
and the pyramid.
clear prism: You remove the clear prism from the diamond tray.
dark cube: You unplug the dark cube from the square socket.
>e
Landing Pad
>take prism
You remove the cracked prism from the diamond tray.
>put clear prism in tray
You carefully place the clear prism into the diamond-shaped
depression in the metal disk and you feel a slight vibration in
the ground beneath your feet.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]
>stand on plate
You step on the metal disk and the world around you fades to
black, leaving you in a dark empty space. A moment later, the
world fades back in and you find yourself on a metal disk
similar to the one you just stood on at the landing pad.
City Center, on the metal disk
You find yourself in the center of a large ceramic plaza
amidst a dense city center. Tall skyscrapers devoid of any
activity lie in ruin all around you. A long stairway leads up
and toward the east ending at a huge open archway. A metal disk
similar to the one you left in the landing pad is embedded in
the ground.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]
>e
[You get off the metal disk first.]
You climb the wide stairway and pass through the archway.
Temple Court
This courtyard appears to have been a religious shrine of some
sort. An archway on the western wall and a descending spiral
staircase on the northeastern wall are the only exits from the
temple. In the center of the shrine is a dais surrounded by a
colorful shimmering force field. Colorful murals cover the
walls.
Hundreds of small black luminescent insects are crawling along
the walls of the temple court.
>take bug
It takes you a while, but you are eventually successful in
capturing one of the luminous insects.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]
>w
City Center
You find yourself in the center of a large ceramic plaza
amidst a dense city center. Tall skyscrapers devoid of any
activity lie in ruin all around you. A long stairway leads up
and toward the east ending at a huge open archway. A metal disk
similar to the one you left in the landing pad is embedded in
the ground.
>stand on plate
You step on the metal disk and the world around you fades to
black, leaving you in a dark empty space. A moment later, the
world fades back in and you find yourself on a metal disk
similar to the one you just stood on at the city center.
Landing Pad, on the metal disk
>take all
bright cube: You unplug the bright cube from the socket.
clear prism: You remove the clear prism from the diamond tray.
>w
[You get off the metal disk first.]
You walk west across the pad, through a short corridor, and
arrive at a sparsely decorated residence.
Residence
>put clear prism in tray
You carefully place the clear prism into the diamond-shaped
depression in the cabinet.
>put bright cube in socket
You carefully plug the bright cube into the square socket on the
cabinet and the window retracts into the walls of the cabinet.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]
>put bug in depression
You place the squirming insect in the oval depression inside
the cabinet. The bug flickers for a moment and you hear a faint
click.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]
>take all
black pyramid: You carefully remove the black pyramid from the
cabinet. It's much heavier than it looked and has sharp pointy
edges.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]
clear prism: You remove the clear prism from the diamond tray
and the window slides back into position.
bright cube: You unplug the bright cube from the square socket.
>e
Landing Pad
>put bright cube in socket
You carefully plug the bright cube into the square socket on the
metal disk.
>put clear prism in tray
You carefully place the clear prism into the diamond-shaped
depression in the metal disk and you feel a slight vibration in
the ground beneath your feet.
>stand on plate
You step on the metal disk and the world around you fades to
black, leaving you in a dark empty space. A moment later, the
world fades back in and you find yourself on a metal disk
similar to the one you just stood on at the landing pad.
City Center, on the metal disk
>e
[You get off the metal disk first.]
You climb the wide stairway and pass through the archway.
Temple Court
Hundreds of small black luminescent insects are crawling along
the walls of the temple court.
>ne
Octagonal Room
You descend the circular stairway deep beneath the courtyard
and eventually arrive at a small octagonal chamber a few meters
wide. The southwestern wall of the room contains a spiral
staircase leading up to the temple court. The seven remaining
walls are decorated in elaborate mosaic designs, each dominated
by a different hue. Each colored wall has an archway on it.
Starting from the western wall and proceeding clockwise, the
mosaics' dominant hues are green, orange, yellow, blue, indigo,
red, and violet.
>se
You step through the red doorway and find yourself in another
multi-colored chamber.
Octagonal Room
The southwestern wall of the room is illuminated from behind,
providing a gentle white light. The seven remaining walls are
decorated in elaborate mosaic designs, each dominated by a
different hue. Each colored wall has an archway on it.
Starting from the western wall and proceeding clockwise, the
mosaics' dominant hues are yellow, red, green, violet, orange,
indigo, and blue.
>e
You step through the orange doorway and find yourself in
another multi-colored chamber.
Octagonal Room
The southwestern wall of the room is illuminated from behind,
providing a gentle white light. The seven remaining walls are
decorated in elaborate mosaic designs, each dominated by a
different hue. Each colored wall has an archway on it.
Starting from the western wall and proceeding clockwise, the
mosaics' dominant hues are orange, yellow, blue, indigo, red,
green, and violet.
>nw
You step through the yellow doorway and find yourself in
another multi-colored chamber.
Octagonal Room
The southwestern wall of the room is illuminated from behind,
providing a gentle white light. The seven remaining walls are
decorated in elaborate mosaic designs, each dominated by a
different hue. Each colored wall has an archway on it.
Starting from the western wall and proceeding clockwise, the
mosaics' dominant hues are indigo, violet, orange, red, blue,
yellow, and green.
>s
You step through the green doorway and find yourself in another
multi-colored chamber.
Octagonal Room
The southwestern wall of the room is illuminated from behind,
providing a gentle white light. The seven remaining walls are
decorated in elaborate mosaic designs, each dominated by a
different hue. Each colored wall has an archway on it.
Starting from the western wall and proceeding clockwise, the
mosaics' dominant hues are blue, orange, green, yellow, indigo,
violet, and red.
>w
You step through the blue doorway and find yourself in another
multi-colored chamber.
Octagonal Room
The southwestern wall of the room is illuminated from behind,
providing a gentle white light. The seven remaining walls are
decorated in elaborate mosaic designs, each dominated by a
different hue. Each colored wall has an archway on it.
Starting from the western wall and proceeding clockwise, the
mosaics' dominant hues are green, red, yellow, orange, blue,
indigo, and violet.
>se
You step through the indigo doorway and find yourself in
another multi-colored chamber.
Octagonal Room
The southwestern wall of the room is illuminated from behind,
providing a gentle white light. The seven remaining walls are
decorated in elaborate mosaic designs, each dominated by a
different hue. Each colored wall has an archway on it.
Starting from the western wall and proceeding clockwise, the
mosaics' dominant hues are red, indigo, violet, green, yellow,
blue, and orange.
>n
You step through the violet doorway and find yourself in
another multi-colored chamber.
Octagonal Room
The southwestern wall of the room is illuminated from behind,
providing a gentle white light. The seven remaining walls are
decorated in elaborate mosaic designs, each dominated by a
different hue. Each colored wall has an archway on it.
Starting from the western wall and proceeding clockwise, the
mosaics' dominant hues are red, orange, yellow, green, blue,
indigo, and violet. A large metal three-legged stand dominates
the center of the octagonal room.
[Your score has just gone up by 14.]
>put pyramid on stand
You put the black pyramid on the tripod stand in the
rainbow-colored chamber. The floor suddenly starts to vibrate
and the light from the southwestern wall dims slightly.
[Your score has just gone up by 19.]
>s
You quickly make your way back through the seven octagonal
rooms, arriving back at the temple courtyard.
Temple Court
Hundreds of small black luminescent insects are crawling along
the walls of the temple court.
>turn knob
You turn the power knob to the oval symbol and hear a low
buzzing coming from all around you.
>pull lever
You pull the deployment lever toward the blue dot and the
entire room begins to vibrate. You hear a deep rumbling far off
in the distance. It only lasts for a moment, and when the
vibration ceases, the deployment light starts to glow.
>press button
You press the activation button and a deafening high-pitched
squeal hammers at you from all sides.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]
>w
City Center
>stand on plate
You step on the metal disk and the world around you fades to
black, leaving you in a dark empty space. A moment later, the
world fades back in and you find yourself on a metal disk
similar to the one you just stood on at the city center.
Landing Pad, on the metal disk
>up
[You get off the metal disk first.]
Remembering Worden's instructions, you leave the cracked prism
and the dark cube on the ground before you enter the ship.
Ship Cabin
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: Orbit, Return ***
Your ship returns to the dock at Gateway, and you undergo
debriefing procedures.
You are awarded a $5,000,000 bonus for activating the shield
generator.
Your spacesuit is cleaned and restowed in the ship.
You are returned to the Hangar Entrance.
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go, Info, Land ***
A blast of fire from your rockets clears an opening in the
jungle below, and your ship settles down in the middle of the
clearing. Outside, you can see an unbroken wall of lush, dense
vegetation.
>wear suit
You put on the spacesuit.
>open hatch
[Getting off the cabin seat first.]
You open the cabin hatch and the internal cabin pressure
equalizes with that of the atmosphere outside with a slight hiss.
>down
Jungle Clearing
You step down into the still smouldering clearing. Tendrils of
smoke rise from the blasted tree stumps, and the ground below
your ship is covered with a layer of steaming ash. Overhead,
huge pterosaurs circle like vultures. There is no path into the
jungle, but over the treetops to the east you see a distant
tower.
At the edge of the clearing is a tall tree with broad leaves
and pod-like fruit. From the lush undergrowth beyond the tree
you hear a strange chittering sound.
>take pod
You pluck a pod from the tree. The chittering sound gets louder
for a moment, and then recedes.
[Your score has just gone up by 3.]
Several small shoots poke up through the ground at your feet.
>e
Anemone Thicket
You claw your way through the jungle. After a while, the dense
foliage gives way to a waving thicket of tall slender plants
that look like huge anemones. The tower is visible to the east,
but the anemones block your progress in that direction. To the
west lies the way back to your ship.
From the undergrowth you hear a strange chittering sound.
Suddenly the ground below your feet bursts open and a huge
worm crawls up your legs and winds itself around your torso. It
attaches a suckermouth to the back of your helmet and begins to
chew on your headgear.
>take worm
You succeed in wrenching the worm from your spacesuit, but it
wriggles out of your grasp and falls to the ground. It thrashes
around for a few moments and then starts to burrow into the
soil. Suddenly you hear a great whooshing of wings. A huge
pterosaur swoops down from the sky, grabs the worm in its
talons, and disappears over the horizon.
[Your score has just gone up by 4.]
Several small shoots poke up through the ground at your feet.
>wait
Time passes...
The small shoots are growing rapidly. They've begun to entwine
themselves around your knees.
Suddenly the anemones become very agitated and you hear
something crashing through the stalks in your direction.
Moments later, a giant spider emerges from the thicket and
starts eyeing you hungrily. The anemones are almost pulling
themselves up by their roots in order to avoid touching the
arachnid.
>shoot spider
You take careful aim at the tough shell that covers the small
body suspended between the spider's legs. The bolt strikes the
shell and cracks it. Enraged, the spider rears up and advances
towards you, exposing its soft underbelly.
The shoots are now up to your waist. They're beginning to
hamper your movement.
>shoot spider
You fire up into the exposed flesh of the spider's belly. The
monster screams in pain and one of its giant pincers reaches
out and wrenches the gun away from you. The gun disappears into
the spider's mouth and the beast's mandibles grind together.
Seconds later, the spider's head blows apart. The spider falls
to the ground, its limbs twitching. Black ichor drips onto the
ground from what remains of its head, forming a pool of sticky
liquid on the ground. The gun now lies in the middle of the
pool.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
The shoots have thickened considerably and are starting to
grow pseudopods. As the stalks wind themselves around your
chest and begin to squeeze, you suddenly realize that if you
don't escape now, you probably never will.
>w
Jungle Clearing
>e
Anemone Thicket
In the pool you see a gun.
Suddenly the ground below your feet bursts open and a huge
worm crawls up your legs and winds itself around your torso. It
attaches a suckermouth to the back of your helmet and begins to
chew on your headgear.
>take gun
You wade into the pool and some of the goo sticks to your
spacesuit. You try to wipe it off, but only succeed in smearing
on more. Soon your suit is covered in the stuff.
You pluck the gun from the gooey liquid.
Several small shoots poke up through the ground at your feet.
>e
You inch toward the anemones. They undulate toward you and then
detect the presence of the ichor and pull away. Pushing the
stalks aside a few at a time, you slowly make your way through
the thicket until you emerge on the edge of a large swamp.
Swamp
You are staring down onto the surface of a murky, steaming
swamp. The scummy crust is covered with a skin of grey algae
that is occasionally broken by a lazy bubble, as if the innards
of the planet were on a slow boil.
Man-sized plants ring the shore, and through the steam you can
see that many of them are infested with the same kind of worm
that keeps attacking you.
Every once in a while, an impossibly long tentacle breaks the
surface of the swamp and writhes towards the shore. It plucks a
worm from a plant and forces it below the surface to be devoured
by what must be a monster of unimaginable size.
The tower can be seen dimly to the east, and the anemone
thicket lies to the west.
From the undergrowth you hear a strange chittering sound.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>throw worm in swamp
You throw the nematode into the swamp and it thrashes around on
the surface for a few moments. Then suddenly a suckered
tentacle emerges from the depths and wraps itself around the
unfortunate creature. At the same moment, a huge pterosaur
descends out of nowhere, sinks its talons into the worm, and
tries to take off again.
As the pterosaur struggles to get airborne, another tentacle
emerges from the ooze and winds itself around the bird's leg.
The pterosaur's mighty wings succeed in pulling to the surface
an octopus larger than any monster you have ever seen. The two
engage in a titanic battle. The pterosaur repeatedly plunges
its razor beak into the body of the cephalopod, while the
octopus tries to ensnare the bird in its tentacles.
Finally the bird's beak pierces the brainpan of the octopus.
The monster gives a convulsive shudder and then releases its
grip on both the bird and the worm. The pterosaur slowly flies
away with its hard-won prey. Meanwhile, the dead octopus comes
to rest floating on the surface of the swamp, its tentacles
stretching from shore to shore.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
Several small shoots poke up through the ground at your feet.
>e
You dash along one tentacle, hop over the bloodied head, and
race along another tentacle to the opposite shore. You crash
through the undergrowth on the other side of the swamp and soon
come to a field of very odd looking plants.
Field
You are standing in a field of giant spikeball plants at the
edge of the jungle. The tower is just beyond the end of the
field to the east. Through the undergrowth to the west lies the
swamp.
The vegetation near the nearest spikeball plant is riddled
with thousands of tiny holes, and a small spike is imbedded in
the tree trunk next to you.
From the undergrowth you hear a strange chittering sound.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>drop pod
The pod falls to the ground and rolls over next to the
spikeball plant. A huge rat darts out of the jungle and
swallows the pod. But as the rodent turns to escape, it brushes
up against the spikeball and the plant explodes. Hundreds of
the tiny flechettes fly through the air and kill the rat
instantly.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
Several small shoots poke up through the ground at your feet.
>take rat
You hoist the rat up onto your shoulders.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
The small shoots are growing rapidly. They've begun to entwine
themselves around your knees.
The tongue comes slithering out of the stalk and feels around
on the ground for its prey. Finding nothing, it sadly retreats.
Slowly, a new spikeball regenerates on the top of the plant.
>take spike
You pull the spike out of the tree.
[Your score has just gone up by 3.]
The shoots are now up to your waist. They're beginning to
hamper your movement.
>e
Plaza
This is a stone plaza laid out at the foot of the tower. The
door to the tower is closed, but between you and it lies a very
large snake.
The snake uncoils itself and slithers towards you, stopping
only a few feet away. It fixes you with a cold reptilian stare
and starts to weave its head back and forth, trying to
hypnotize you prior to making its strike.
Suddenly the ground below your feet bursts open and a huge
worm crawls up your legs and winds itself around your torso. It
attaches a suckermouth to the back of your helmet and begins to
chew on your headgear.
>drop rat
You drop the rat on the ground near the snake. The reptile's
head darts out like lightning and he sinks his fangs into the
rodent. He unhinges his jaw and swallows the rat whole. The he
settles down to digest the meal and ignores you completely.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>open door
You open the door.
>e
Tower
You are in a large room in the base of the tower. In the
center of the room is the shield generator activation
mechanism.
A small pufferslug is sitting on top of the control panel.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>kill pufferslug with spike
As you reach towards the slug, it suddenly swells to 100 times
its normal size. In its enlarged form, you can't help noticing
it has beady eyes and very sharp fangs. The pufferslug watches
you warily prepared to defend itself if you make another
aggressive move.
>kill pufferslug with spike
You stick the spike into the slug and it explodes, splattering
gooey intestines all over the walls. Yuck. You hate its guts.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
The worm is chewing away steadily at your helmet.
>turn knob
You turn the power knob to the oval symbol and hear a low
buzzing coming from all around you.
>pull lever
You pull the deployment lever toward the blue dot and the
entire room begins to vibrate. You hear a deep rumbling far off
in the distance. It only lasts for a moment, and when the
vibration ceases, the deployment light starts to glow.
>press button
You press the activation button and a deafening high-pitched
squeal hammers at you from all sides.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]
>w
Plaza
>w
Field
>w
Swamp
>w
Anemone Thicket
>w
Jungle Clearing
>up
Remembering Worden's instructions, you leave the spike on the
ground before you enter the ship.
As you squeeze through the hatch, the worm is scraped off onto
the ground. A pterosaur swoops down and makes off with it.
Ship Cabin
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: Orbit, Return ***
Your ship returns to the dock at Gateway, and you undergo
debriefing procedures.
You are awarded a $5,000,000 bonus for activating the shield
generator.
Your spacesuit is cleaned and restowed in the ship.
You are returned to the Hangar Entrance.
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go, Info, Land ***
With a scrape and a thud, your ship touches down. The
high-pitched whine of its engines diminishes to a whisper and
is replaced by silence.
>open hatch
[Getting off the cabin seat first.]
You open the cabin hatch and the internal cabin pressure
equalizes with that of the atmosphere outside with a slight hiss.
>down
Southwestern Shore
Standing on the southwestern shore of a small oval pond, you
notice that your ship sits in the middle of a small blast area.
The scorch mark from its final descent trails off to the north.
The ship's hatch is open. Occasional ripples in the water
disturb the sun's reflection from the pond's surface. Paths
lead away from here to the east and north.
>e
Southern Shore
You're standing on the southern shore of the pond. Sunlight
gently reflects off the calm blue surface of the pond. A leaf
occasionally falls into the pond to the north and causes a
small ripple, distorting the sun's reflection.
Tall grasses and cattails grow near the edge of the peaceful
pond. Lilypads gently bob on its surface. A thick hedge
prohibits further movement toward the south.
The dirt path weaves from east to west through this location.
>e
Southeastern Shore
You're standing on the southeastern shore of the pond. Sun
light gently reflects off the calm blue surface of the pond. A
leaf occasionally falls into the pond to the northwest and
causes a small ripple, distorting the sun's reflection.
A tree provides a comfortable shade where you momentarily
pause, enjoying the silent place adorned with flowers and
bobbing lilypads. A thick hedge lies to the south and east.
The dirt path weaves from north to west through this location.
You see a large stone here.
>take stone
You take the large stone.
>n
Edge of the Forest
You are standing in the cool shade of some towering trees that
are beautiful, yet somehow disturbing. The path surrounding the
pond continues north and south from here, and it intersects
another path that winds into the wooded area to the east. The
tranquil pond lies to the west.
>e
Dark Forest
The interior of the forest is darker than you would have
imagined, given the brightness of the Dorman sun. In competing
for the sun's light, the trees have formed a canopy that is
nearly opaque. Vines gracefully hang beneath the canopy and
occasionally grow between trees. The forest floor is covered
with leaves, branches, and young seedlings.
A path stretches from west to east through the forest. A small
clearing is visible through a gap in the trees to the east.
You see a strong vine and a long branch here.
From your vantage point in the forest, you see a creature in a
clearing to the east. The beast is more horrible than anything
you've dreamt of in your worst nightmares. He stands upright,
but his similarity with the human form stops there. He is
covered with long matted hair from his enormous head to his
huge feet.
He roams back and forth across the clearing, occasionally
picking small red berries from shrubs in the clearing and
putting them in a crude wooden bowl.
[Your score has just gone up by 4.]
>take all
strong vine: With some effort, you rip the vine from the tree
to which it is loosely attached and carefully coil it to make
it easy to carry.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
long branch: Grabbing onto the end of the branch, you free it
from the underbrush.
[Your score has just gone up by 9.]
>wait
Time passes...
You feel slightly sleepy. This feels strange, given that
you've only been awake for ten minutes. Perhaps it is the
unusually short diurnal patterns of this planet.
>wait
Time passes...
Having picked the last of the red berries, the beast exits
into the tunnel entrance on the north side of the clearing.
>wait
Time passes...
The beast enters the forest clearing from a tunnel on the
northern side of the clearing. He pauses and howls for no
apparent reason.
>wait
Time passes...
The beast leaves the forest clearing, entering a cave on the
southeastern side of the clearing.
>e
Forest Clearing
You have arrived at a small clearing in the forest where the
path apparently ends. On the northern edge of the clearing is a
large entrance to a tunnel that disappears into the hillside.
To the southeast is a slightly smaller entrance to a large
cavern. Lots of footprints cover the ground.
>n
Tunnel Antechamber
The tunnel antechamber is a dimly lit room from which many
smaller tunnels lead off. Beams of light barely illuminate
parts of the room. Near the tunnel entrance is an improvised
small wooden bowl. Footprints cover the floor of the tunnel.
You see a wooden bowl here.
>take bowl
You take the wooden bowl.
[Your score has just gone up by 12.]
>s
Forest Clearing
>w
Dark Forest
Six minutes since his last appearance, the beast enters the
forest clearing from a cave entrance on the southeastern side
of the clearing. He plays with his hair and moans quietly.
>w
Edge of the Forest
>n
Northeastern Shore
You're standing on the northeastern shore of the pond. Sun
light gently reflects off the calm blue surface of the pond. A
leaf occasionally falls into the pond to the southwest and
causes a small ripple, distorting the sun's reflection.
A tree provides a comfortable shade where you momentarily
pause, enjoying the silent place adorned with flowers and
bobbing lilypads. A thick hedge lies to the north and east.
The dirt path weaves from west to south through this location.
>w
Northern Shore
You're standing on the northern shore of the pond. Sunlight
gently reflects off the calm blue surface of the pond. A leaf
occasionally falls into the pond to the south and causes a
small ripple, distorting the sun's reflection.
Tall grasses and cattails grow near the edge of the peaceful
pond. Lilypads gently bob on its surface. A thick hedge
prohibits further movement toward the north.
The dirt path weaves from west to east through this location.
You see a small stone here.
>put small stone in bowl
[Taking the small stone first.]
[Your score has just gone up by 6.]
You insert the small stone into the hole in the bottom of the
bowl. It seems to fit well.
>w
Northwestern Shore
You're standing on the northwestern shore of the pond. Sun
light gently reflects off the calm blue surface of the pond. A
leaf occasionally falls into the pond to the southeast and
causes a small ripple, distorting the sun's reflection.
Several bushes in this area are laden with ripe red berries.
Dozens of fallen berries litter the ground. Flowers adorn the
peaceful shore and a thick hedge prohibits movement to the
north and west.
The dirt path weaves from south to east through this location.
>put berry in bowl
Holding the bowl under the berries, you carefully pick a few of
them and let them drop into the bowl. In a few minutes, the
bowl is full.
[Your score has just gone up by 8.]
>e
Northern Shore
>e
Northeastern Shore
The last slice of the Dorman sun sinks below the horizon. It
will be pitch dark very soon. You now feel extremely tired,
though you've only been awake a few hours. Your body's need for
sleep must be accommodated.
>s
Edge of the Forest
>e
Dark Forest
Three minutes since his last appearance, the beast enters the
forest clearing from a tunnel on the northern side of the
clearing. He pauses and howls for no apparent reason.
>sleep
You slump to the ground, making a pillow of fallen leaves, and
drift off into a deep tranquil sleep...
[Your score has just gone up by 6.]
You awake as the sun's first light is cast upon the Dorman
landscape. You feel better rested now than you can ever recall.
>wait
Time passes...
The beast leaves the forest clearing, entering a tunnel on the
northern side of the clearing.
>wait
Time passes...
Two minutes since his last appearance, the beast enters the
forest clearing from a tunnel on the northern side of the
clearing. He stops and sniffs the air carefully, looking
momentarily in the direction of the forest.
>wait
Time passes...
The beast leaves the forest clearing, entering a cave on the
southeastern side of the clearing.
>e
Forest Clearing
>n
Tunnel Antechamber
>drop bowl
You carefully put the wooden bowl back on the floor of the
tunnel antechamber hoping to delay the beast with some food.
[Your score has just gone up by 17.]
>s
Forest Clearing
>w
Dark Forest
Six minutes since his last appearance, the beast enters the
forest clearing from a cave entrance on the southeastern side
of the clearing. He stops and sniffs the air carefully, looking
momentarily in the direction of the forest.
>wait
Time passes...
The beast leaves the forest clearing, entering a tunnel on the
northern side of the clearing.
>e
Forest Clearing
>se
Cave Entrance
Little light is provided by the forest clearing to the
northwest. A small opening to the north catches your attention.
You also see many footprints covering the ground here.
>n
Crystal Cave
Given the meager light coming from the cave entrance, you have
trouble making out much in this room. In the little light there
is, you can clearly see an outcropping of some sort on the cave
wall high above you. Some areas high on the walls are covered
with dried mud that seems to have been thrown on in handfuls.
The mud splatters seem concentrated in the area around the
outcropping. The mud has flaked away in some spots, and beneath
it you can barely make out several shards of sparkling
material. A thin beam of light emanating from the cave ceiling
dimly illuminates the cave. Paths lead off in many directions.
>hit shard with branch
Standing on your toes, you carefully extend the branch up toward
the mud-spattered outcropping. You manage to wedge the end of
the branch under it and, with a slight push, dislodge a
fragment, which falls to the ground.
[Your score has just gone up by 12.]
>take shard
You take the mud-encrusted shard.
[Your score has just gone up by 11.]
>s
Cave Entrance
The horrible beast limps into the cave entrance from the forest
clearing, grunting to himself.
As he enters the cave entrance, the beast's attention is
immediately drawn to you. You freeze, hoping that his attention
will be diverted elsewhere. As he cautiously approaches, a
glint from the glassy surface of the shard you are holding
crosses his face. He stops dead in his tracks for a moment and
then resumes walking toward you.
His grunting gets louder as he seems to become agitated. He
grabs you by your left arm and slams you head first into the
cave wall.
>sw
You can't go that way.
The beast again pulls you into the air by your arm and slams
you against the wall. Realizing you don't stand much of a
chance with this creature, you jump to your feet and easily
dodge his next attack. Running at breakneck speed, you exit the
cave entrance and continue sprinting until you reach the
relative safety of the pond.
Edge of the Forest
>w
Pond
As you wade into the cool clear water, the mud-encrusted shard
slips from your hand into the pond and disappears from sight.
Your blue coverall is now sopping wet. Your boots are now
water-logged.
You bob up and down in the cool water and notice a pronounced
glint on the pond floor.
>dive
Holding your breath, you dive to the bottom of the pond and find
a sparkling crystal. You reclaim it and resurface immediately.
The cleaned shard sparkles with a brilliance you wouldn't have
guessed was possible. Sunlight striking it is reflected off its
many facets in a nearly blinding cacophony of light which seems
at once soothing and frightening.
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]
>e
Edge of the Forest
>e
Dark Forest
>e
Forest Clearing
>wait
Time passes...
The horrible beast limps into the clearing from the cave
entrance, grunting to himself.
As he enters the clearing, the beast's attention is
immediately drawn to you. He immediately becomes transfixed by
the light reflecting off the many facets of the crystal and
stands motionless, staring intently at the crystal shard.
>tie beast with vine
You uncoil the vine, wrap one end around the beast's neck, and
tie a strong knot. You hold the other end of the vine in your
right hand.
[Your score has just gone up by 16.]
>w
Dark Forest
You lead the beast to the dark forest. He pauses for a minute
and scratches the fur on his massive chest, twisting around in
a position that looks anything but comfortable.
>w
Edge of the Forest
You lead the beast to the edge of the forest. He looks
momentarily confused, tilting his head back and forth. The
seizure passes. For a moment the beast looks agitated at the
sight of the pond, but he soon resumes his staring contest with
the crystal, groaning with pleasure as he studies its many
glistening facets.
>n
Northeastern Shore
You lead the beast to the northeastern shore. He gnaws on his
right thumb and hums dissonantly to himself.
>w
Northern Shore
You lead the beast to the northern shore. He looks up,
examines you briefly, and gives you a careful sniff. Then he
looks back with keen interest at the crystal.
The blue coverall has finally dried off.
>w
Northwestern Shore
You lead the beast to the northwestern shore. He looks up,
examines you briefly, and gives you a careful sniff. Then he
looks back with keen interest at the crystal.
You feel slightly sleepy. This feels strange, given that
you've only been awake for twenty nine minutes. Perhaps it is
the unusually short diurnal patterns of this planet.
>s
Western Shore
Looking east, you see a substantial dike between you and the
tranquil pond. Water is flowing across the dike, between
flourishing stands of flowers. A black scar trails away from
the dike toward your landing site to the south and. A lightly
worn path exits this area to the north and south while a thick
hedge prohibits movement to the west. You could easily climb
onto the dike to the east.
You see a huge boulder here.
You lead the beast to the western shore. He looks up, examines
you briefly, and gives you a careful sniff. Then he looks back
with keen interest at the crystal.
>e
Dike
Standing on top of the dike and looking west, you are afforded
a panoramic view of a far off mountain range. To your west lies
a large boulder, apparently dislodged from the dike when your
ship landed. A racing torrent of water is running through a
large gap in the completely damaged dike beneath your feet. You
can enter the pond behind you or climb back down to the western
shore.
There is only enough room for you on top of the dike. You let
go of the vine and the hairy beast hovers on the western shore,
dumbfounded by the play of light off the surface of the crystal
shard.
[Your score has just gone up by 14.]
>throw crystal to pond
You throw the crystal into the pond. It hits with a "Plop", and
then disappears below the surface. For a few long moments, the
beast stares at the spot where the crystal sank. Then he
suddenly snaps out of his trance and gets a murderous gleam in
his eye.
He sees you standing on the dike and seems to burst with
anger. He bends over and picks up the huge boulder. Then he
tosses it at you as if it were a toy. The boulder arches into
the air toward you.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>e
Pond
As you enter the cool water, you hear the crash of the boulder
hitting the dike. Looking back, you see it settle snugly into
the gap, repairing the damage done by your ship. The beast,
infuriated and scared, sprints around the edge of the pond and
runs bellowing into the forest. After a few moments, his
desperate cries fade in the distance.
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]
Shield Generator Control Room
The shield control room contains a variety of complex Heechee
equipment. A small control panel is positioned at waist level
on a metallic disk-shaped shelf. The shelf extends from a large
column that stretches from the floor to the ceiling.
There is small rectangular pool of water on the floor beside
you. You can use it to enter the pond.
>turn knob
You turn the power knob to the oval symbol and hear a low
buzzing coming from all around you.
>pull lever
You pull the deployment lever toward the blue dot and the
entire room begins to vibrate. You hear a deep rumbling far off
in the distance. It only lasts for a moment, and when the
vibration ceases, the deployment light starts to glow.
>press button
You press the activation button and a deafening high-pitched
squeal hammers at you from all sides.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]
>down
Pond
Proud of rescuing the strange alien race, you slowly tread
water, enjoying the peaceful scenery.
Your blue coverall is now sopping wet. Your boots are now
water-logged.
>sw
Southwestern Shore
>up
Remembering Worden's instructions, you leave the long branch and
the large stone on the ground before you enter the ship.
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: Orbit, Return ***
Your ship returns to the dock at Gateway, and you undergo
debriefing procedures.
You are awarded a $5,000,000 bonus for activating the shield
generator.
You are returned to the Hangar Entrance.
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go, Info, Land ***
Your ship levels off, pauses while the automated landing
systems evaluate the terrain, and suddenly makes contact with
the surface, nearly causing you to tumble from your seat.
>open hatch
[Getting off the cabin seat first.]
You open the cabin hatch and the internal cabin pressure
equalizes with that of the atmosphere outside with a slight hiss.
>down
Mountain Plateau
The plateau on which you've landed is surrounded by tall
spindly rock formations. Mountain trails lead down to the
northeast and west. There is a natural archway to the south
through which a ledge is visible. Your ship is here and the
cabin hatch is open.
>s
You squeeze through the small archway and emerge on an
outcropping that provides barely enough room to stand.
Vantage Point
The tiny rock outcropping on which you are now standing
provides an impressive view of the surrounding terrain. Your
precarious position on the outcropping causes your pulse to
quicken noticeably. You cling to the northern rock wall that
contains an archway through which you can see an area of level
ground on which your ship is situated.
A river winds through a deep chasm thousands of meters below
you. On the far shore you notice a metallic glint.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>n
Mountain Plateau
>w
Deep Shaft
Climbing down a steep circular cliff trail, less and less
sunlight reaches the depths to which you are descending. The
trail suddenly comes to a dead end.
Looking straight up you get a sense for the depth of the shaft
you've descended. A shallow pit has been carved out a few
centimeters below the surface.
You see a strange bush, a rusty pickaxe and a pit here.
>take pickaxe
You take the rusty pickaxe.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>e
Mountain Plateau
>ne
Halfway Point
Sprinting down the mountain trail at breakneck speed, you
arrive at a small level area about half of the way down the
mountain. The remainder of the descent looks like it's going to
be extremely easy.
The halfway point on the steep mountain trail gives you a
chance to scan the terrain of the valley below you to the
north. Gently rolling desert hills stretch north to more
verdant meadows and occasional stands of trees. One especially
large tree is visible far to the northwest.
The valley is bounded on the east by a deep chasm gouged over
the eons by a winding river. About a thousand meters below you
to the northeast you spot the wreckage of a small Heechee ship.
It looks like you might have some company. Trails lead away in
several directions.
There is a pile of rocks on the ground.
>look at pile
Upon closer inspection, you notice that the pile of rocks is
actually a crude cairn pointing southwestward from the halfway
point.
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
>nw
Mountain Trailhead
Exhilarated by your jog down the mountain, you turn around and
gaze with pride at the distance you've traveled in such a very
short time.
The mountain trail rises steeply to the southeast up the side
of the mountain. Other less traveled trails lead off toward the
north, west, and northwest.
An old man with a wiry beard looks like he's been waiting for
you at the trailhead. As you approach, the energetic codger
walks up to you and introduces himself.
"Howdy stranger. The name's Becker. Rolf Becker." The old man
extends his right arm toward you in greeting.
>shake hands
"Well met!", says Becker. "Maybe you're okay. I've sorta had my
fill of people and wasn't looking for company, but if you've
got a mind to hang around here, the least I can do is be a
friendly host." Becker pauses, studying you for a moment. "Let
me tell you a little about myself."
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
>wait
Time passes...
"I came here as a young and very successful pilot. By the time
I was thirty five, I'd flown just about every kind of ship and
mission imaginable. I was filthy rich and seemed to have a
special knack for finding Heechee stuff and coming back alive."
>wait
Time passes...
"When I crashed here and realized I probably wouldn't be making
it back home, I was overcome with despair. But after a while I
got over that and started filling my days with the work
necessary to keep me alive. I was damned lucky that this planet
has a breathable atmosphere, I'll tell you that."
>wait
Time passes...
"Anyway, I began cataloging all of the various plants and
animals around here and grew to love each and every one of them.
Yep, studying and caring for the creatures on this plateau has
given me a peace of mind I hadn't imagined possible during my
days as a hotshot pilot."
>wait
Time passes...
"Well," ponders Becker, "I guess that's the end of my story.
There's a lotta other stuff I could tell you about, but you
don't seem that interested. I've got some errands to run so
I'll be going now." As he wanders off, Becker turns to you and
says, "Come by my house sometime and we'll share some
conversation."
"By the way, take it slow across the bridge. I'd hate to have
my new guest fall to an untimely death." He laughs to himself
as he departs the mountain trailhead.
Out of the corner of an eye, you spy a small rodent scurrying
along the sandy desert. When you turn to inspect it more
closely, it freezes in anticipation of your next action.
>nw
Garden
Row upon row of potted plants are arranged here, in the
moderate shade of the tree above. Many varieties of flora are
being grown. One plant with long palm-shaped leaves gives off a
pleasing aroma. A metal pail catches your eye. A ceramic kiln
has been constructed beside the garden and is radiating extreme
heat. A handmade shovel is on the ground behind you.
A huge tree towers directly above you and a rope ladder hangs
down from a treehouse built in the tree's lower branches.
You see a table here.
>take all
metal pail: You take the metal pail from Becker's tidy garden
and dump the plant in it onto the ground.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
plant leaves: You pluck a few of the palm-shaped leaves from the
the plant.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
shovel: Taken.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>up
Tree House
You scramble up the ladder into the well-constructed tree
house. The interior of the makeshift fortress is extremely tidy
and spartan. A wooden desk with a single drawer occupies one
wall and huge windows provide a birds-eye view of the desert
valley.
You see an axe and a wooden desk here.
On the wooden desk you see a field notebook.
>open drawer
You open the drawer and discover some actuator calipers and an
actuator discharger.
>take all
axe: Taken.
field notebook: Taken.
actuator calipers: Taken.
actuator discharger: Taken.
>read notebook
You open the field notebook and read the first entry:
Date: February 21, 2088
Subj: S. canterlope humonga
Observed a four legged animal that strongly resembles a horse
grazing in a grassy area on top of the mountain plateau. It saw
me and ran away but was back in a few hours. I found a good
place to hide and observe him. I named them S. canterlope
humonga, because they canter like horses and are really big.
>read notebook
You turn to the next entry on page 2 of Becker's field notebook:
Date: March 3, 2088
Subj: S. phylangomorph mandibilia
I've been sighting these things on the plateau since I landed.
They range from about ten to twenty centimeters in length and
are about seven centimeters wide. There are thousands of them.
They're invertebrates of some kind but have many of the traits
of amphibians. Their bite is poisonous and hurts like hell. I've
been bitten a few times and the wounds take weeks to heal,
which is why I've named them phylangomorph mandibilia. Their
pincers are about ten times larger than their abdomen. They are
nearly impossible to catch, making them difficult to study.
>read notebook
The next several pages contain a comparative analysis of the
migratory behavior of gyranthymus swoopa. You stop flipping
pages at an interesting entry on page 18:
Date: July 9, 2088
Subj: S. gyranthymus swoopa
Since my arrival, I've had to deal with a huge variety of bird
that is quite prevalent. They strongly resemble pterodactyl
species from Earth textbooks I read as a child. The indigenous
species here are much smaller, though, and extremely
intelligent. I learned quite by accident that various
high-pitched tones elicit specific (and often strange) reactions
in them, perhaps relating to migratory or mating behaviors.
After experimenting with a few handmade whistles, I was able to
make one that causes them to sleep, another that causes them to
attack, and yet another that seems to pacify them.
A few months after I arrived, one aggressive one of these birds
made a nest beside the wreckage of my ship and wouldn't let me
get near it. I eventually was able to find the correct frequency
on a whistle to drive it away. Another one built a nest in the
pinnacles outside my house and yet another whistle was required
to appease it. The whistles don't seem to have the same effect
on each animal. Very strange, indeed. Anyway, I think the one
outside my house likes me. Its been there for a long time and
has periodically protected me from canterlopes that have
wandered into the cliffs. It swoops down from its perch and bars
the way across my rope bridge. But it just lets me pass right
on by.
I've sighted twenty four different subspecies of S. gyr. swoop.
in the vicinity of my home. Some are aggressive but most of
them make themselves scarce when they see me coming.
>read notebook
You turn to the next entry on page 19 of Becker's field
notebook:
Date: February 15, 2089
Subj: S. geraldo cassius
An aggressive species of cactus occurs sparsely throughout the
desert terrain of this planet. Standing over four meters tall,
an adult S. geraldo cassius possesses limbs of unimaginable
destructive power. Clearly as an evolved defense mechanism,
these organisms are able to propel their massive limbs at will
to the detriment of the casual observer. The slightest pressure
on the surface of one of the spine-covered limbs causes the
plant to swing its limbs wildly in the direction of the unwary
victim.
I was lucky enough to learn of these plants' behavior by
watching one impale a helpless injured jackalope that happened
to brush one of its arms. Needles from the arm of the S. geraldo
quickly skewered the animal, causing immediate death. Thank god
these plants do not possess mobility or the desert terrain
would be dominated by huge green barbed aggressors intent on
making pincushions out of all the creatures they encountered.
Although fierce and deadly, the plants do not seem to possess
any reasoning ability and I've often amused myself by throwing
things at them (from a safe distance). The arms wave violently
in all directions for a moment and soon resume their seemingly
harmless frozen pose.
>read notebook
The next several pages contain a study of feeding patterns of
desert invertebrates. You stop flipping pages at an interesting
entry on page 28:
Date: August 13, 2090
Subj: S. rodenta roadrunna
The fastest organism to inhabit this planet appears to be the
ubiquitous S. rodenta roadrunna. Sprinting at speeds exceeding
100 kilometers/hour, they are nearly impossible to catch. I have
been marginally successful at capturing a few injured specimens
for further study, although I always release them when I'm done
with my observations.
They run from 23 to 40 cm in length and resemble miniature
prairie dogs. Their incredible speed seems to be the result of
specialized leg muscles and aerodynamic body shape. They are
warm blooded and seem to bear their children live. Their
metabolism resembles that of earth rodents, their hearts beating
over three hundred times per minute. Perhaps resulting from the
extremely short nights on this planet, they seem to require
little or no sleep.
Analyses of their fecal deposits has led me to conclude that
they subsist largely on a diet of leafy plants and small
insects, of which there are hundreds of species in the local
habitat. They build subterranean tunnels just below the surface
of the desert in which they rest and rear their young. It is
quite amusing to see a tunnel being dug, a slight furrow rising
from the desert as it winds out of sight.
It is not at all uncommon to see a group of S. rodenta racing
at top speed across the desert terrain. Although disconcerting
at first, I have grown fond of their playful games, racing to
and fro amid the fragile ecosystem of my adopted home.
>read notebook
The next several pages contain an analysis of the chemical
composition of gyranthymus droppings. You stop flipping pages
at an interesting entry on page 34:
Date: December 24, 2091
Subj: S. gopheria robustus
Certainly the oddest of intelligent organisms on this planet is
S. gopheria robustus, similar in appearance to Earth dinosaurs,
but extremely small. Standing less than a foot tall, gopheria
are adept at negotiating the craggy cliff tops of the local
terrain. Living like bighorn sheep, they roam courageously atop
the rocky mountaintops, building nests and eating flora that
only occur naturally at extreme elevations.
S. gopheria, like S. rodenta roadrunna, are extremely mobile,
enabling them to evade their natural predators which are, at
this time, unknown to me. They possess an extremely small horn
embedded in their head which serves as a powerful deterrent to
the unwary aggressor. They communicate with each other through a
system of barking and whining that can be quite noisy and
annoying. When happy, the gopheria is a quiet and peaceful
species, desiring lots of food and sleep but little else.
S. gopheria seem to be extremely social, living in groups of
two to seven. I encountered a member of a gopheria 'clan' on a
recent hike in the mountains surrounding the mountain plateau
where I live. It seemed to be stranded on a particularly jagged
cliff top and its friends or family had abandoned it. Risking my
own life, I did manage to free the small creature and it
immediately befriended me, following close behind my heels all
the way back to my house. It insisted on sleeping on my mattress
until I fashioned one especially for it. It seems content to
lounge around my home day in and out, leaving only occasionally
to hunt for the mysterious plants it needs to survive.
As pets go, S. gopheria is certainly one of the gentlest and
most rewarding animals a human could befriend, attentive and
empathetic, and requiring little other than a soft bed.
>read notebook
The next several pages contain observations of the mating
rituals of gopheria robustus. You stop flipping pages at an
interesting entry on page 47:
Date: January 1, 2092
Subj: S. jubifruitus deliciosa
Tracking my adopted S. gopheria, I was able to finally
determine the exact species of plant it requires for
subsistence. S. jubifruitus deliciosa is a quite delicious and
sweet leafy plant that occurs naturally at extreme elevation in
the mountains surrounding my clifftop home. The leaves of S.
jubifruitus give off a pungent and sweet aroma and S. gopheria
seems to eat twice its weight in them every few days.
>read notebook
You turn to the next entry on page 48 of Becker's field
notebook:
Date: January 2, 2094
Subj: S. winnerpeller avia
Napping in a nearby meadow, I came across the strangest of
trees I've seen so far. These trees, which I've named S.
winnerpeller avia, produce seeds which occasionally take flight
like small helicopters, spinning around a few feet in the air.
They then settle back toward the ground. Perhaps this behavior
is a defense mechanism, protecting them from predators. Perhaps
the seeds re-orient themselves to areas where soil conditions
are better. These questions remained unanswered.
As far as I've been able to determine, the one S. winnerpeller
avia I've found is the only one on this entire plateau. It may
be the last of its kind and I treat it with special care,
watering it occasionally during times of drought.
>read notebook
The next several pages contain recordings of average ground
speeds of rodenta roadrunna. You stop flipping pages at an
interesting entry on page 78:
Date: October 5, 2097
Subj: S. mendobrillium violeta
This strange bush resembles a creosote but possesses leaves
shaped like flyswatters that attack small insects hovering
beside them. Apparently not carnivorous, the reason for this
evolved behavior is unclear. It is, however, quite amusing to
watch.
>read notebook
You turn to the next entry on page 79 of Becker's field
notebook:
Date: May 2, 2098
Subj: S. parroo vocallis
I first observed S. parroo vocallis early this year, hunting
for rodenta scurrying across on the desert floor. They resemble
parakeets and make an awful racket, screeching and squawking
constantly. They're extremely timid and avoid all contact with
me with one very strange exception. I discovered this quite by
accident when I was experimenting with some drums I manufactured
to enhance my life here with the joys of music. One day while I
was experimenting with abstract meterless rhythms, a parroo
landed less than a meter away from me and began squawking like
crazy. The moment I stopped playing, he flew away, but
immediately returned when I resumed my playing.
I'm not sure this is a trait shared by all S. parroo, but
whenever I start playing, one of them soon appears and lands on
the stand, squawking along with me until I'm done.
Perhaps S. parroo vocallis possesses an innate attraction to
certain percussive rhythms and is drawn to rhythmic sources
against its will. More study is required of this strange bird.
>read notebook
You've already read the entire notebook. Do you want to start
at the beginning again?
>down
Garden
You see a table here.
>se
Mountain Trailhead
Exhilarated by your jog down the mountain, you turn around and
gaze with pride at the distance you've traveled in such a very
short time.
>se
Halfway Point
Huffing and puffing from the long climb and in serious need of
a rest, you arrive at a small level area about half of the way
up the mountain. The remainder of the ascent looks like it's
going to be grueling.
There is a cairn on the ground.
>se
Crash Site
Confused by the many turns, climbs and descents of the
mountain trail, you arrive at the mountaintop crash site.
The remains of Becker's ship fill the flat area on this lower
mountain plateau. Various pieces of Heechee junk and
disassembled equipment litter the plateau. An apparently
abandoned nest occupies a rock formation on the opposite side
of the plateau. A large geraldo cactus is here and a path
climbs away to the northwest.
You see a venturi, a fuse cover, a bedistor, a terrain sensor,
a doppler antenna, a maintenance crib, an actuator chassis and
a geraldo cactus here.
On the maintenance crib you see some thyristor clips.
The actuator chassis has an actuator panel.
The actuator panel has some grommets.
On the geraldo cactus you see a wooden whistle.
[Your score has just gone up by 3.]
>open crib
You open the maintenance crib and discover a flange defuser and
a grommet wrench.
>take all
flange defuser: Taken.
grommet wrench: Taken.
wooden whistle: Taking the utmost care not to touch the cactus
itself, you untie the whistle from the geraldo cactus and wear
it around your neck.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]
>nw
Halfway Point
Huffing and puffing from the long climb and in serious need of
a rest, you arrive at a small level area about half of the way
up the mountain. The remainder of the ascent looks like it's
going to be grueling.
There is a cairn on the ground.
>nw
Mountain Trailhead
Exhilarated by your jog down the mountain, you turn around and
gaze with pride at the distance you've traveled in such a very
short time.
>n
Meadow
A small desolate meadow is home to a large winnerpeller tree.
One especially long branch extends out from the tree's trunk.
Dozens of seeds lie about the base of the tree.
On the other side of the chasm you notice something small and
glassy.
>n
Cliff Trailhead
Towering cliff formations surround the small level area here.
Trails lead off in several directions, generally upward toward
the northeast and downward to the southwest.
There is a pile of rocks on the ground.
>look at pile
Upon closer inspection, you notice that the pile of rocks is
actually a crude cairn pointing northeastward from the cliff
trailhead.
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
>ne
You scramble up the mountain trail to the northeast and, quite
breathless, come again to level ground far above the desert
valley.
Pinnacles
A rope bridge stretches southeastward across a chasm. It
connects to a doorway on the opposite side of the chasm. The
sound of rushing water in the river far below is barely
audible. A large nest is perched high on a formation nearby.
Other than the bridge, the only other apparent way out of here
is back down the steep trail to the southwest.
You see a coil of rope here.
The gyranthymus swoops down from a nest built into a pinnacle
above you and lands on the path between you and the rope
bridge.
>take rope
You take the coil of rope.
[Your score has just gone up by 6.]
>blow whistle
Putting the whistle to your mouth, you play a long shrill note
with the wooden whistle. The gyranthymus immediately takes to
the air and lands in the nest high above you.
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
>se
You make your way cautiously onto the rope bridge. It sways
dizzyingly as you slowly make the treacherous crossing.
Becker's House
Becker's house is a cavernous room built inside the top of a
rocky pinnacle. A large Heechee column extends from the ceiling
to the floor with a disk-shaped shelf extending from it at
waist level. There's a small control panel on the shelf,
covered by a small handmade mattress on which a gopheria is
sprawled. A small housing underneath the panel is open,
revealing a tray for a focal lens, a socket for a lens cover,
and a slot for an actuator cell.
Becker is lounging on a large mattress lying nearby on the
floor. Beside it is a personal log. A closed door is set into
one wall and a wooden stand occupies a corner beside a strange
blue machine.
Becker notices you coming in his front door and says, "So you
found it, did you? Come on in and have a look around."
The gopheria stands up on the small mat and sniffs the air,
looking pointedly in your direction.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>give magazine to man
"Thanks! I've been cast off from civilization for so long that
I'd be very interested in any news from home."
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
>ask about stand
"I use that in my musical pursuits. You aren't interested in
music, are you?"
>y
"Ah, music. I surely do miss it at times." Becker sits up
straight on the mattress and smiles broadly. I've made a few
musical instruments since I came here and I've been practicing
quite a bit. Do you play?"
>y
"You do! Wonderful. I've been lookin' forward to playin' with
other musicians. Do you want to play?"
>y
"Great," says Becker exuberantly.
Becker opens the wooden door and disappears for a minute. He
soon emerges holding two wooden drums with tops made from
animal hide. "The animals I skinned to make these drums were
long dead when I got to them. I figured I might as well put
them to good use. Music soothes my soul, as they say."
He places one of the drums in front of you and sits back down
on his mattress and begins to tap out an interesting beat.
"Join in whenever you want," says Becker.
>play drum
[Taking the drum first.]
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
You exercise your musical talents and join in the percussive
fray.
Becker and you continue banging away on his fine percussion
instruments.instruments.
>wait
Time passes...
Becker and you continue banging away on his fine percussion
instruments.instruments.
>wait
Time passes...
Becker and you continue banging away on his fine percussion
instruments.instruments.
>wait
Time passes...
Becker and you continue banging away on his fine percussion
instruments.instruments. A parroo flies in through the front
door of Rolf's house and takes a position on the wooden stand.
It immediately joins in, squawking approximately in time with
Becker's pounding.pounding.
>wait
Time passes...
Becker and you continue banging away on his fine percussion
instruments.instruments.
>wait
Time passes...
Becker and you continue banging away on his fine percussion
instruments.instruments.
>wait
Time passes...
Becker drums his way to a dramatic flourish and concludes. You
do an impressive solo finale as well. The parroo takes flight,
leaving Becker's house from the doorway it entered.
"That was a lot of fun," beams Becker. "You aren't half bad,
either. We'll have to play again sometime." He takes both of
the drums, returns them to the room behind the wooden door, and
securely fastens the door again.
>drop leaves
As the gopheria spots the jubifruitus leaves, it begins panting
and screeching vigorously. The gopheria leaps into the air and
snatches the pungent leaves from your hand. Now on the floor of
Becker's house, the creature begins rapidly consuming them.
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
>move small mat to ground
[Taking the small mat first.]
You drop the small mat on the floor beside the control panel and
the gopheria leaps onto it, and begins chirping pitifully.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>ask about lens
"Which one was that, the shiny sparkly thingy or the hmmm..."
Becker seems to have temporarily lost his place in the book of
life. In a moment he resumes. "I really don't remember much
about it. Sorry."
>ask about actuator
"There's a field actuator in most large Heechee machines. The
actuator has something to do with power generation. I learned
about them from some scientist on Gateway years ago and I don't
rightly remember much else about them. There's probably a
salvageable one in the wreckage of my ship."
>ask about lens cover
"If you got me something special from the mine, I might give it
to you."
>ask about mine
"That's the mine I explored in the mountains to the south. I
managed to pull a fair bit of vermaculite out of there."
>ask about ore
"I mined a fair bit of vermaculite from a shaft in the
mountains to the south. It turns out that vermaculite makes my
garden pots about a hundred times stronger than they are
without it. It took me forever to find some and, when I finally
did, I used it up real fast."
"If you manage to find me some of that purple stuff, I'll give
you the lens cover that I took from underneath that panel."
>nw
You make your way cautiously onto the rope bridge. It sways
dizzyingly as you slowly make the treacherous crossing.
Pinnacles
The gyranthymus cares for its young in the nest high above the
trail.
>sw
Cliff Trailhead
There is a cairn on the ground.
>s
Meadow
>tie rope to branch
Holding one end of the rope in one hand, you throw the other
end at the long limb. It arcs gracefully through the air and
over the limb, coming to rest nearby. Picking up the dangling
end, you tie a strong double half-hitch knot and pull it tight
against the limb.
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
A small yellow phylangomorph flits along the ground near you,
dancing sideways toward your feet.
>e
Taking a running jump, you swing on the rope out across the
deep chasm. Although you don't swing out far enough to land on
the opposite side of the chasm, you do manage to grab the small
glass object before you swing back.
After returning to the ground, you recognize it to be a small
Heechee focal lens.
[Your score has just gone up by 12.]
The phylangomorph flits away across the desert floor and
burrows beneath the soil and out of sight.
>sw
River Trailhead
You've reached a junction of several trails beside the chasm
to the west. The chasm is not quite as deep as it appeared from
the mountain plateau that you landed on. Looking back to the
east, the trail makes its way back to the mountain trailhead.
To the north and northeast lie the desert valley. A small trail
leads up and to the southwest, disappearing behind a rock
formation.
There is a pile of rocks on the ground.
You see a tiller here.
>take tiller
You take the tiller.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>look at pile
Upon closer inspection, you notice that the pile of rocks is
actually a crude cairn pointing southwestward from the river
trailhead.
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
>sw
River Overlook
This hike was much more difficult than it originally looked.
Sweaty and aching, you struggle to the cliff top overlook.
The view from the river overlook is a panoramic view of the
river chasm running from north to south slightly to the west of
the overlook. From here it is clear that the river turns
eastward toward the mountain plateau as it passes beneath you
and toward the south.
The ground is composed entirely of solid rock.
You see a mendobrillium here.
>dig rock
You swing the pickaxe hard at the rocky surface. You barely
scratch it, but you've made some progress. After a short while
you are so exhausted that you collapse from fatigue.
[Your score has just gone up by 12.]
>dig rock
You dig some more and get all sweaty and irritable.
>dig rock
You dig some more with the pickaxe, realizing how hard digging
rock with a pickaxe actually is. Approaching total exhaustion,
you discover a tiny vein of vermaculite.
>take ore
You take the vermaculite from the pit.
[Your score has just gone up by 12.]
>ne
River Trailhead
The hike down the river overlook trail is a breeze and you
soon arrive back at the trailhead.
There is a cairn on the ground.
>ne
Meadow
>n
Cliff Trailhead
There is a cairn on the ground.
>ne
You scramble up the mountain trail to the northeast and, quite
breathless, come again to level ground far above the desert
valley.
Pinnacles
The gyranthymus cares for its young in the nest high above the
trail.
>se
You make your way cautiously onto the rope bridge. It sways
dizzyingly as you slowly make the treacherous crossing.
Becker's House
You see a small mat here.
Becker is holding a magazine.
The gopheria whimpers quietly atop his mattress.
>ask about glint
"You must be talking about that metal strut you can see from
the plateau where you landed. I've been trying to get that darn
strut for years."
"I used to visit that overlook a lot in the old days but I
accidentally dropped the strut from there many years back. It
was very useful to me then as a walking stick and would now
serve well as a cane. I'm not getting any younger, y'know."
"I've got a plan to get it, but it'll require the two of us
working together. Are you willing to try helping me?" Becker
looks at you expectantly.
>y
"It's not going to be easy and it might not even work at all.
But without your help I'd never get it. Are you really gonna
help me?"
>y
"Great! I'm ready to begin when you are. The first thing we've
got to do is find my raft and tiller, and something for you to
bail water with."
Rolf Becker, the crunchy granola space dude, is poring over an
article entitled "Intensive Study of Japanese Language and
Customs".
>give tiller to rolf
"Thanks," Becker replies, taking the tiller. "I'll need this to
steer that old raft of mine."
Rolf Becker, a botanist and zoologist supreme, is poring over a
half-page hologram advertising United Motors' newest addition
for 2103: The Phalanx CR.
>nw
You make your way cautiously onto the rope bridge. It sways
dizzyingly as you slowly make the treacherous crossing.
Pinnacles
The gyranthymus cares for its young in the nest high above the
trail.
Favoring one leg, Becker follows you into the pinnacles.
Rolf Becker, the wrinkled old man, is poring over a consumer
review of Exoflex bodysuits, the "One piece, one gram clothing
substitute".
>sw
Cliff Trailhead
There is a cairn on the ground.
Hobbling while humming to himself, Becker follows you into the
cliff trailhead.
Rolf Becker, the way-cool earth daddy, is poring over a
half-page hologram advertising United Motors' newest addition
for 2103: The Phalanx CR.
>w
River Shore
The path ends as it approaches the shore of the river. The
river from east to west and then immediately turns southward
and out of view. You can hear the crash of white water in the
distance although it is fairly calm beside the shore.
A handmade wooden raft is pulled up on the shore.
Looking unsure of himself, Becker follows you into the river
shore.
Rolf Becker, the master carpenter, is poring over a recipe for
New Age Moo Goo Gai Pan.
>get on raft
You're now on the raft.
Rolf Becker, a botanist and zoologist supreme, is poring over a
recipe for New Age Moo Goo Gai Pan.
>tell rolf to get on raft
"Oh, yeah. Sure. We're ready to go." He steps gingerly onto the
raft. "This is sure going to be heaps of fun, sailor." Becker
climbs onto the raft, grinning widely.
>launch
With all your might, you push the rickety raft into the river.
River
The rapidly churning water all around you is a little alarming
but Becker seems to know what he's doing.
Becker is holding a magazine.
Becker adeptly steers the raft around the first bend and into
the rapids. The raft has already taken on a lot of water.
"Steady as she goes," shouts Becker over the din of the white
water.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]
>bail
You bail like crazy and manage to keep the rickety craft
afloat.
"Bail sailor," Becker shrieks at you. He really seems to be
enjoying this. The river proceeds due south beneath canyon walls
that continue to rise. You see a gyranthymus circling above you
just below the canyon rim. Getting your bearings, you recognize
the features of the river trailhead area.
>bail
You bail like crazy and manage to keep the rickety craft
afloat.
"Bail sailor," Becker shrieks at you. He really seems to be
enjoying this. The river begins a slow turn eastward and you
leave the white water behind. Becker whistles a sailing song of
some sort. The canyon walls are still getting steeper.
>bail
You bail like crazy and manage to keep the rickety craft
afloat.
"Bail sailor," Becker shrieks at you. He really seems to be
enjoying this. The river proceeds in a straight line in front of
you, heading due east. You must be approaching the shore where
you saw the metal strut.
>bail
You bail like crazy and manage to keep the rickety craft
afloat.
The river gets shallow here and the raft soon runs aground.
Picking it up you and Becker carry it north until the water
deepens again. Along the way, Becker leans down and picks up
his cane and smiles at you. "We're quite a team. Yes, indeed.
Quite a team." You put the raft back in the water, get in
position and resume your journey. You immediately reenter white
water and Becker yells out, "Bail, Ensign!"
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
>bail
You bail like crazy and manage to keep the rickety craft
afloat.
"Bail sailor," Becker shrieks at you. He really seems to be
enjoying this. The river turns sharply north and Becker
carefully compensates with his tiller. You've completely lost
your bearings now and wonder if you'll ever make it back.
"Pretty good raft. I really need to work on making it
watertight, though." Becker whistles another tune.
>bail
You bail like crazy and manage to keep the rickety craft
afloat.
You and Becker both spot the waterfall coming up ahead. You
look at him. He looks at you. Just in time, you both dive from
the raft and climb up safely onto level ground.
Becker looks with interest as his raft and tiller are thrown
over the waterfall and destroyed in the white water beneath the
fall. "Now that's what I call a decent field trip," says
Becker, beaming. "I got my cane back too." He holds out the
cane and twirls it artfully. "Been missing this sucker for
quite a while."
"I'll make me another raft in no time. Then we'll do it again.
I can't wait. Wasn't that fun, Ensign Bailer? Hee hee hee." He
starts climbing off toward the northwest.
Waterfall
You're standing beside the dramatic waterfall that terminated
your raft trip with Admiral Becker. There isn't any developed
trail here and the only possible exit is a steep climb to the
northwest. The river and waterfall prohibit movement in other
directions.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]
>nw
Crash Site
Confused by the many turns, climbs and descents of the
mountain trail, you arrive at the mountaintop crash site.
You see a venturi, a fuse cover, a bedistor, a terrain sensor,
a doppler antenna, a maintenance crib, an actuator chassis and
a geraldo cactus here.
On the maintenance crib you see some thyristor clips.
The actuator chassis has an actuator panel.
The actuator panel has some grommets.
Becker sprints ahead of you and out of sight.
>remove grommets with wrench
You spend a while getting used to operating the grommet wrench
and eventually succeed in removing all four grommets from the
actuator panel. You bend the panel on its hinges, revealing an
actuator cylinder.
>look at cylinder
The actuator cylinder is a foot long depression in the actuator
chassis. A small round cap is securely fastened to the cylinder.
>unscrew cap
With minor effort, you manage to unscrew the cap from the
actuator cylinder, revealing a field actuator.
>remove connector with defuser
You experiment with the flange defuser for a long while and
eventually figure out how to use it to defuse the flange
connector from its housing. You toss the connector onto the
ground.
Removing the connector reveals a green cube-shaped actuator
core within the canister.
>attach gray clip to tetrahedron anode
You attach the gray clip to the tetrahedron anode and hear a
pleasing click.
>attach blue clip to pyramid anode
You attach the blue clip to the pyramid anode and hear a
pleasing click.
>remove core with calipers
The actuator calipers are much easier to use than the wrench or
defuser and in a moment you have the calipers secured to the
core. You pull the core from the canister. Its top pops open to
reveal an actuator cell.
>take cell
You pick up the actuator cell.
[Your score has just gone up by 12.]
>nw
Halfway Point
Huffing and puffing from the long climb and in serious need of
a rest, you arrive at a small level area about half of the way
up the mountain. The remainder of the ascent looks like it's
going to be grueling.
There is a cairn on the ground.
>nw
Mountain Trailhead
Exhilarated by your jog down the mountain, you turn around and
gaze with pride at the distance you've traveled in such a very
short time.
>n
Meadow
>n
Cliff Trailhead
There is a cairn on the ground.
>ne
You scramble up the mountain trail to the northeast and, quite
breathless, come again to level ground far above the desert
valley.
Pinnacles
The gyranthymus cares for its young in the nest high above the
trail.
>se
You make your way cautiously onto the rope bridge. It sways
dizzyingly as you slowly make the treacherous crossing.
Becker's House
You see a small mat here.
Becker is holding a magazine.
The gopheria whimpers quietly atop his mattress.
>give ore to rolf
"Yep, this is more than enough to make hundreds of strong pots.
I'm gonna have to check this vermaculite out and make sure it's
real, but it'll only take me a few minutes. Meet me down by my
garden in a while and, if it's real, I'll give you this thingy
I promised you." He dashes out the door of his house toward the
garden.
>take private log
You take the personal log.
>read private log
You open the personal log and read the first entry:
April 3, 2087
"My ship was irrevocably damaged in landing on this desolate
and forbidding world. Food and water stores were lost. My leg is
injured but it looks like it will heal. I'm able to scout the
immediate area. Luckily, the water in the nearby river
surrounding this plateau is potable. Food is going to be a
bigger problem. It looks like I'm stranded. I should've quit
when I was ahead."
>read private log
You proceed to the next entry on page 2 of Becker's engrossing
personal log:
April 4, 2087
"There were animals rummaging outside the wreckage of my ship
last night. I didn't see them but there are animal tracks all
over the ground. If they'd been any more curious, they'd have
found me. I'll try to find a safer place to sleep tonight. Leg
is a little better but I'm getting hungry."
>read private log
You proceed to the next entry on page 3 of Becker's engrossing
personal log:
April 5, 2087
"Discovered a room atop a nearby cliff of apparent Heechee
construction. There's all sorts of electronic equipment in there
I don't recognize. I spent the night there last night. It's
quite a strenuous climb to the room and the condition of my leg,
which is improving, makes it even more difficult to reach. I'm
really hungry now, though I've found a few roots which seem to
be edible."
>read private log
You proceed to the next entry on page 4 of Becker's engrossing
personal log:
April 10, 2087
"The roots weren't enough. I remembered that most Heechee
machines contain actuator cells that can be used as weapons and
successfully removed one from one of the Heechee panels. I used
it to kill a horse-like creature I found grazing in a nearby
valley. Man, that cell went off like a miniature cannon! As I
was flaying the beast, I became so sick and disgusted that I
buried the creature's carcass just west of the trailhead leading
to my ship. I buried the actuator core with the beast so I
wouldn't be tempted into using it again. Roots will have to do
for now."
>read private log
The next 105 pages are a dissertation on the diurnal patterns of
various animals of this planet. You resume reading from page 109:
December 17, 2087
"Life here is actually getting quite bearable. I've found some
other edible plants and gotten pretty good at collecting enough
water to last several days at a time. My leg is almost
completely healed, so I'm only limping a little. The weather
here is pretty predictable, although a bit on the hot side
during the day. I haven't seen another of the horse-like
creatures since I murdered one many months ago. I miss Adriana.
A lot."
>read private log
The next 69 pages are a discussion of tidal and diurnal patterns
observable in local flora. You resume reading from page 178:
February 3, 2088
"I'm spending a lot of time looking for plants to eat. Most of
the stands of edible vegetation have been picked clean by now,
and I find myself going on longer and longer hikes to find
enough food to eat. I'm going to have to start growing my own,
so I've put a lot of energy into trying to make clay strong
enough to make pots out of. There's a vent from the planet's
interior west of the meadow that could be used to fire pots if
only I could come up with some good clay."
>read private log
You proceed to the next entry on page 179 of Becker's
engrossing personal log:
February 20, 2088
"I'm starting a separate journal, a field notebook of sorts for
cataloging the many plants and animals I've come to know on
this beautiful world. So, all entries relating to my botanical
and zoological research will be made in that book and I'll
reserve this log as my personal journal."
>read private log
The next 6 pages are a collection of poems and personal musings.
You resume reading from page 185:
June 1, 2088
"Success! I found a combination of minerals from which to make
decent clay. I mix mud from the nearby chasm's riverbed with a
purple ore I've mined from deep within the tall mountain south
of the meadow. I built a strong pickaxe from various pieces of
my ship that helps immeasurably with the mining. I covered the
hot vent with rocks and have fired a few strong pots so far.
Pretty soon I'll have a full-fledged garden. These activities
are keeping me quite busy and I'm really enjoying the challenge
of survival on this planet."
>read private log
The next 13 pages are a treatise on the virtues of a solitary
life. You resume reading from page 198:
October 17, 2088
"Whenever I'm lonely
and tired from toil
I go to bed early
and dream dreams royale
-R. Becker"
>read private log
The next 9 pages are a collection of hand renderings of plants
and animals. You resume reading from page 207:
April 3, 2089
"Two years here and no sign of a rescue in the offing. Just as
well, I suppose. Lately I've got to thinking that my life as a
Gateway pilot was pretty empty. I was risking my life for wealth
and fame and, having gotten both, was completely unsatisfied.
On the other hand, since I've been "stranded" here, I've become
a happy person. It's quite a puzzle. I wonder what Adriana is
doing right now, if she's given up all hope that I'll return.
She's probably in the arms of some other foolish pilot at this
very moment."
>read private log
You proceed to the next entry on page 208 of Becker's
engrossing personal log:
April 18, 2089
"It looks like I've mined all of the purple ore that there was
and I've only made about forty pots. They'll have to do for now.
I'll continue mining for the ore at other sites but I'm not
optimistic. There's a kind of plant growing near the mine where
I found the ore that I haven't seen anywhere else. Perhaps if I
find another of those plants, there'll be ore nearby. Meanwhile,
I've begun growing plants in earnest and my field notebook is
becoming filled with data about indigenous plants and animals.
I've named this planet Adriana 1."
>read private log
The next 15 pages are a another collection of bad poetry. You
resume reading from page 223:
June 2, 2089
"Two suns
in the sky
Would be sad
if one would die
Sometimes miss home
but more often don't
I'll be gone soon enough
but things 'round here won't
-R. Becker"
>read private log
You proceed to the next entry on page 438 of Becker's
engrossing personal log:
July 15, 2098
"I'm an idiot. I accidentally dropped my walking stick off the
edge of the plateau overlook. It bounced off the canyon walls as
it fell and wound up in plain view beside the river at the
bottom of the chasm. I guess I'm going to be doing without it
from now on. Damn!"
>read private log
The next 4 pages are a yet another collection of bad poems and
personal musings. You resume reading from page 442:
January 1, 2100
"New years day, 2100. Big whoop."
>read private log
The next 8 pages are a failed attempt at mapping the Nemiran sky.
You resume reading from page 450:
December 8, 2100
"It came to me suddenly as I was rummaging around for recently
fallen timber near the river: A boat made from wood would allow
me to explore the chasm and retrieve my walking stick. I'm
beginning tomorrow. It should only take a few weeks to build it."
>read private log
The next 39 pages are a somewhat successful attempt at mapping
the Nemiran sky. You resume reading from page 489:
March 28, 2101
"Determined to retrieve my walking stick, which would make a
good general purpose cane, I built a raft and tiller from the
branches of fallen trees. My shipbuilding skill wasn't up to
snuff. The vessel isn't seaworthy. It takes on water too quickly
for me to steer and bail at the same time. Maybe I'll find some
naturally occurring resin to seal it with, but I haven't seen
anything like that yet. With this effort, my attempts at
exploring the chasm have also been brought to a halt."
>read private log
The rest of the journal is comprised mostly of bad poetry and
personal reflections of Becker upon his navel. Do you want to
start at the beginning again?
>nw
You make your way cautiously onto the rope bridge. It sways
dizzyingly as you slowly make the treacherous crossing.
Pinnacles
The gyranthymus cares for its young in the nest high above the
trail.
>sw
Cliff Trailhead
There is a cairn on the ground.
>sw
Garden
You see a table here.
Becker is holding a magazine.
"What took you so long," snickers Becker. "Anyways, here's the
lens cover I promised you, friend." He drops it in your open
palm. "I always keep my word." He starts back toward his house,
but turns back to add, "If I haven't told you already, leave my
gardening and pottery stuff alone."
[Your score has just gone up by 12.]
>ne
Cliff Trailhead
There is a cairn on the ground.
>ne
You scramble up the mountain trail to the northeast and, quite
breathless, come again to level ground far above the desert
valley.
Pinnacles
The gyranthymus cares for its young in the nest high above the
trail.
>se
You make your way cautiously onto the rope bridge. It sways
dizzyingly as you slowly make the treacherous crossing.
Becker's House
You see a small mat here.
Becker is holding a magazine.
The gopheria whimpers quietly atop his mattress.
>put lens in tray
Lying on your back, you manage to drop the lens back into its
original position within the lens housing.
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]
>put cell in tray
You easily replace the missing power source with the actuator
cell.
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]
>put lens cover in housing
Lying on your back, you manage to position the lens cover back
into its original position within the housing.
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]
>ask about wife
"I kind of miss that flaky lady." Becker smiles faintly.
"You're probably wondering if I'll be coming back to Gateway
with you, right?"
>yes
"I haven't decided yet, but here's my thoughts on it at this
point."
"You showed me the courtesy of greeting me properly, you
avoided killing the harmless gyranthymus, you haven't hurt Mr.
Pookie, although he wants his bed moved back, you managed to
get your precious lens without harming the winnerpeller tree,
you were ingenious in your disassembly of my ship's actuator,
you let me read your magazine, you helped me get this cane, and
you jammed with me."
"I think you're a good man, friend."
"I'm currently leaning toward coming back to Gateway with you,
friend.
>turn knob
You turn the power knob to the oval symbol and hear a low
buzzing coming from all around you.
>pull lever
You pull the deployment lever toward the blue dot and the
entire room begins to vibrate. You hear a deep rumbling far off
in the distance. It only lasts for a moment, and when the
vibration ceases, the deployment light starts to glow.
>press button
You press the activation button and a deafening high-pitched
squeal hammers at you from all sides.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]
>ask about wife
"I kind of miss that flaky lady." Becker smiles faintly.
"You're probably wondering if I'll be coming back to Gateway
with you, right?"
>y
"I haven't decided yet, but here's my thoughts on it at this
point."
"You showed me the courtesy of greeting me properly, you
avoided killing the harmless gyranthymus, you haven't hurt Mr.
Pookie, although he wants his bed moved back, you managed to
get your precious lens without harming the winnerpeller tree,
you were ingenious in your disassembly of my ship's actuator,
you let me read your magazine, you helped me get this cane, and
you jammed with me."
"So, to sum up, I guess my opinion of you is about the same as
before. You're a good man, friend."
"I'm currently leaning toward coming back to Gateway with you,
friend.
>nw
You make your way cautiously onto the rope bridge. It sways
dizzyingly as you slowly make the treacherous crossing.
Pinnacles
The gyranthymus cares for its young in the nest high above the
trail.
>sw
Cliff Trailhead
There is a cairn on the ground.
>s
Meadow
Out of the corner of an eye, you spy a rodenta scurrying along
the sandy desert. When you turn to inspect it more closely, it
freezes in anticipation of your next action.
>s
Mountain Trailhead
Exhilarated by your jog down the mountain, you turn around and
gaze with pride at the distance you've traveled in such a very
short time.
"It looks like you're getting ready to leave, friend. Well,
listen." Becker pauses, apparently collecting his thoughts.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking about you."
"You showed me the courtesy of greeting me properly, you
avoided killing the harmless gyranthymus, you haven't hurt Mr.
Pookie, although he wants his bed moved back, you managed to
get your precious lens without harming the winnerpeller tree,
you were ingenious in your disassembly of my ship's actuator,
you let me read your magazine, you helped me get this cane, and
you jammed with me."
"So, to sum up, I guess my opinion of you is about the same as
before. You're a good man, friend."
"I've decided to come back with you, if you'll have me. How
about it, friend?" Becker seems to waiting patiently for your
answer.
Rolf Becker, the master carpenter, is poring over reviews of
consumer virtual reality gear.
>y
"I'm ready to go when you are. Lead the way."
Rolf Becker, the distinguished poet laureate scholar, is
poring over a half-page hologram advertising United Motors'
newest addition for 2103: The Phalanx CR.
>se
Halfway Point
Huffing and puffing from the long climb and in serious need of
a rest, you arrive at a small level area about half of the way
up the mountain. The remainder of the ascent looks like it's
going to be grueling.
There is a cairn on the ground.
Looking confused, Becker follows you into the halfway point.
Rolf Becker, the master shipbuilder, is poring over a recipe
for New Age Moo Goo Gai Pan.
>sw
Mountain Plateau
Exhausted by the long climb and gasping for air, you lean
against your ship and catch your breath.
Hobbling while humming to himself, Becker follows you into the
mountain plateau.
Rolf Becker, the distinguished naturalist, is poring over a
diagram depicting various calisthenic positions.
>up
"Well, I guess this is it," says Becker, dejectedly. He looks
around slowly, takes a deep breath and prepares to enter the
ship.
Remembering Worden's instructions, you leave the actuator core,
the cylinder cap, the personal log, the actuator discharger,
the actuator calipers, the field notebook, the axe, the shovel,
the metal pail, the grommet wrench, the flange defuser, the
rusty pickaxe, and the wooden whistle on the ground before you
enter the ship.
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
Looking confused, Becker follows you into the ship cabin.
Rolf Becker, the way-cool earth daddy, is poring over a recipe
for New Age Moo Goo Gai Pan.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: Orbit, Return ***
Your ship returns to the dock at Gateway, and you undergo
debriefing procedures.
You are awarded a $5,000,000 bonus for activating the shield
generator.
You receive a $1,000,000 reward for the return of Rolf Becker.
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]
You are met immediately after your debriefing by a very
serious looking MP. He escorts you up to the conference room in
the Corporation offices on Level Dog. Leonard Worden and Yung
Seon Lee are waiting for you.
Board Room
You see Yung Seon Lee and Leonard Worden here.
>e
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
>se
Heecheetown
>n
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>up
You step into the dropshaft and are whisked up to Level Babe.
Corridor B5
A dropshaft (leading to Level Dog) is on the south side of the
passageway. The corridor continues to the east and west.
>w
Corridor B4
The corridor comes to a dead end before you, with the familiar
human construction giving way to the strange, almost melted
look of glowing blue Heechee metal. The Heechee metal wall is
uniform in appearance.
You see a crate here.
>get in crate
You hide inside the supply crate.
>wait 19 hours
Time passes...
A rat-like man scuttles into the corridor, looks around
carefully, and then pulls a glowing blue artifact from a jacket
pocket. He advances to the end of the corridor and examines the
Heechee metal wall for a moment. Then he glances suspiciously
at the crate you are hiding in, shakes his head, and turns his
back to you.
Do you want to continue waiting? > Y
Perry mutters to himself as he tinkers with something on the
wall at the end of the corridor. Perry hits the artifact he is
holding. You hear an amazingly pure tone that surges in volume
and then slowly dies away. Suddenly, a blister appears on the
wall behind Perry.
Do you want to continue waiting? > Y
Perry appears to insert the artifact into the blister, then
huddles close to the wall. He moves his arms, but you can't
make out what he is doing. A few seconds later a black portal
appears in the wall, and Perry steps through the portal and
disappears. The portal closes soon after Perry is gone. You
notice that, in his haste, Perry seems to have dropped a small
slip of paper.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
Do you want to continue waiting? > N
>get out
You get out of the crate.
>take paper
You take the slip of paper.
>read paper
The crumpled slip of paper has five digits scrawled on it: #####
*** write down the number that is written on the paper ***
>hit fork
You strike the tuning fork against your hand. It produces an
eerie humming tone.
A blister appears on the wall of Heechee metal.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>put fork in blister
You insert the tuning fork into the slot in the blister. You
hear a muted humming noise, and the tuning fork slowly recedes
into the slot. A keypad appears above the blister.
[Your score has just gone up by 3.]
*** Type in the number that was written on the paper ***
The keypad disappears and the tuning fork is ejected from the
slot. You retrieve it.
Suddenly a section of the wall before you disappears to reveal
a portal.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>w
As you step through the portal you hear a torrent of swear
words. Gordon Perry sprints past you into the corridor and
disappears.
Hidden Room
You are in a large room about the size of a high school
gymnasium. The room is empty except for a panel set into the
west wall. The portal through which you entered remains open to
the east.
You see a silver sphere here.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>take sphere
You take the silver sphere.
[Your score has just gone up by 50.]
>look at sphere
The silver sphere is about the size of a tennis ball and is
made of what appears to be a perfect reflective material. Upon
close inspection, you notice a small, almost undetectable gold
button set into the surface of the sphere.
>press button
When you press the button, the air above the sphere shimmers
and then darkens to a color seen only in the reaches of
interstellar space. A thousand fiery pin-pricks of light slowly
appear in the darkness. Then a network of colored lines spreads
between them, joining them in a graceful tracery. Some
unintelligible Heechee characters suspend themselves in the
air. You are looking at a holographic star map, a staggering
display of technology never before seen by human eyes. As you
gape in amazement, the projection begins to rotate slowly. The
hologram vanishes when you take your finger off the button.
>e
As you step through the portal, it vanishes behind you.
Corridor B4
You see a crate here.
>e
Corridor B5
A dropshaft (leading to Level Dog) is on the south side of the
passageway. The corridor continues to the east and west.
>down
You step into the dropshaft and are whisked down to Level Dog.
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>s
Heecheetown
>nw
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
The receptionist checks your badge and says, "Mr. Worden and
the Science Section Chief are waiting for you." She guides you
into the conference room.
Board Room
You see Yung Seon Lee and Leonard Worden here.
Worden looks up. "Have you found it?" You hand over the
sphere. The science chief disappears with it. Some time later
she returns looking very excited. "That was the object we
needed. We were able to determine the location of the Vertex."
She adds the course code to your badge.
Worden says, "Because of your success with your previous
missions, it has been decided that you must be the one to
travel to the Vertex and activate the final component of the
cloaking system." He pauses momentarily.
"One last thing. While it's important for you to begin as soon
as possible, the Board has demanded that you undergo a
psychological evaluation before you leave for this last
mission. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance,
it's not an unreasonable request. The VR terminal in this
building has the appropriate program. I'll alert the tech on
duty that you are going to show up. The program is named 'Deep
Psych'. Once you receive a 'stable' evaluation, you will be
authorized for flight status, and should then head out. Good
luck and Godspeed."
You are escorted out of the board room.
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>up
VR Terminal
On the desk you see a VR manual.
The tech gives you a sympathetic look. "I received the
authorization for you to enter Deep Psych. Now THAT'S a nasty
VR. I guess the higher-ups want to make sure you don't snap
under pressure. Let me snag the password for you while you lie
down on the couch."
>sit
You're now on the couch.
The tech picks up "NeoTech's Guide to Virtual Reality" and
opens the manual to the last page. He unclips the device on his
uniform, pushes a button, and it starts giving off a purple
glow. He holds the device above the manual and starts to read,
occasionally glancing up at the calendar.
The tech sees you watching and says, "This NeoTech entry
protection is a pain in the ass. The only thing inside this
reader is a cheap ultra-violet lamp. I took it apart once." He
grins. "Anyway, the password for today is 'damage'. Punch it up
on the keyboard on the side of the couch, and you're off."
>wear collar
You snap open the collar's spring clasp and settle into it. The
pads around your neck keep you from moving your head, and the
collar itself seems a little tight: all in all, a very
unpleasant experience.
>turn switch to deep
You move the switch from 'Beach' to 'Deep Psych'.
>type ######
*** Replace ###### with the password you were told ***
You carefully type "damage" on the keyboard. In response, you
hear a faint, tinny 'ping'.
>press power button
You press the button. The couch starts to hum with power and
the collar begins to glow a dark blue.
Everything around you fades to a milky white. Then a picture
begins to form...
Solid blocks of blacks and purples slowly resolve into the
rocky walls of a gloomy cave. A dark spot on the floor quickly
stretches out into a crack that runs the width of the cavern.
You suddenly realize that one end of a sturdy rope is tied
around your waist. To your horror, a demon suddenly appears on
the other side of the crack, and the other end of the rope
knots itself around him.
A huge door slowly forms in the wall behind the demon, and
then a red button pops into existence and hovers in the air
right in front of you.
>jump crack
You leap over the crack and land safely on the other side.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
The crack dividing the room opens with a shudder, and continues
to widen. The demon takes a tentative swipe at you. You dodge
easily and notice that his follow-through leaves him wide open
for a counter-attack.
>wait
Time passes...
The crack pulls back even further. The resulting chasm is now
about three feet across. The demon swings his axe again. You
duck, and the blade whistles by overhead. The momentum of the
swing pulls his arm to the side, and now his flank is totally
undefended.
>wait
Time passes...
The chasm opens to the width of about six feet. You can't see
any bottom to the widening pit. The demon raises the axe high
above his head, a look of pure hatred in his eyes. The action
leaves his torso vulnerable to an attack.
>wait
Time passes...
The chasm is now about nine feet across. Both you and the demon
are beginning to run out of space to stand on. The demon whips
the axe in a wild, back-handed attack. It misses by a country
mile. An attack upon the demon now could eliminate him.
>wait
Time passes...
The chasm continues to increase in size, crowding you back
against the far wall. It's now about twelve feet across. The
axe slips from the demon's hands in a rather frantic lunge. He
appears especially vulnerable at this moment.
>wait
Time passes...
The chasm widens. There's now only about five feet left between
you and the wall. The demon panics and starts clawing on the
huge door. His efforts are to no avail.
>pick up demon
You grab the demon, but in his frantic state he hardly seems to
notice. Instead of attacking you, he continues to claw against
the door. You hoist him over your head and he immediately
pushes the plank off its supports. The plank clatters to the
ground. The door swings open and, still carrying the demon, you
stride into the golden room beyond.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
The hues and colors of the virtual world swirl in a soft cloud
and drift away. Soon you are back in the real world, but
after-images of the alternate reality linger in the back of
your mind.
A message is flashing on the small screen above the couch.
The tech glances over to you from his alcove. "Way to go! Not
many people figure that thing out. Personally, I think the
program's kinda subjective. But anyway, I've alerted Worden to
your success.
"By the way, if this means you're shipping out, I might not
see you again. I'm going Earthside for the world-wide VR
conference." He smiles. "I'll be back in a couple of months.
Good luck on whatever you're off to."
>take off collar
You unsnap the catch and slip out of the collar.
>down
[You get off the couch first.]
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
You start to feel sleepy.
>se
Heecheetown
>n
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>down
You step into the dropshaft and are whisked down to Level
Tanya.
Corridor T6
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Dog) is on the east side of
the passageway. The corridor continues to the north and south.
A door leads west.
>s
Corridor T7
>s
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go ***
Your ship is suddenly rocked by the pull of powerful tractor
beams as it is forcibly drawn towards a satellite orbiting the
planet. Metallic clanging echoes through the ship as the
docking takes place. The controls of your ship go dead.
>open hatch
[Getting off the cabin seat first.]
You open the cabin hatch and the internal cabin pressure
equalizes with that of the atmosphere outside with a slight hiss.
>down
Satellite
The oxygen atmosphere and the blinking lights around the room
indicate that the Heechee satellite is still operational. The
thick windows look out over solar energy collectors, and in the
distance a planet hangs in the sky. The WatchTower is nowhere
to be seen.
The small chamber is packed with Heechee technology. There is
a engraved metal compartment in the north wall. It is closed,
and on its face you see a large button.
A heavy metal door is set in the east wall. It is closed.
>press button
The entire room hums to life. Lights everywhere flash and
cycle. Before a minute has passed, however, the chaos dies back
down. In the resulting quiet, the lone compartment on the north
wall pops open, revealing a silver globe and a metallic ring.
[Your score has just gone up by 50.]
>wear collar
[Taking the collar first.]
You open the clasp and slide the ring around your neck. The
result is not uncomfortable, and although the collar is snug
against your flesh, it does not confine or restrict you in any
way.
When you close the clasp, blue sparks start appearing on the
surface of the silvery globe. They bathe the room in an eerie
violet light.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>touch orb
Carefully, you lower your hands onto the silver surface of the
globe. Blue fire leaps from the points of contact, flowing up
your arms to the collar. The pinpricks of electricity make the
hair on your arms stand straight up.
The collar sparks and emits a high-pitched whine. An arc of
electricity fires across the globe's surface. You start to feel
a little sick and your vision becomes hazy, as if you were
squinting through a blue fog.
A disembodied mechanical voice says, "Greetings, visitor.
Welcome to the Guardian."
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
The blue fog clears and you slowly return to your accustomed
reality.
The large metal door to the east slowly slides open.
>e
Travel Pod
The walls are cylindrical and covered with Heechee symbols. A
large, plate window spans the upper half of the room, affording
a view of the exterior of the satellite and the planet beyond.
There is a thick door to the west, which hangs open.
The room is small and confining, and the only way you can fit
inside is to lie on your stomach with your face nearly pressed
into the north wall. The whole of this wall is a huge metal
iris, like the shutter of a camera. A pedal by your feet
protrudes from the south wall.
>press pedal
You hear a hissing sound as the thick metal door clangs shut. A
few seconds of silence pass and then the pod lurches forward.
The north wall dilates open, revealing a small alcove lined
with a strange black metal that you've never seen before. To
one side of the alcove is a globe, and to the other is a hatch.
>touch orb
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
With a great deal of apprehension, you lower your hands towards
the globe. Upon contact, red fire shoots up your arms. The pain
is a unique experience, worse than anything you've ever felt,
or even imagined. The agony becomes unbearable. Red flames
dance in your vision.
Just as the red haze threatens to overwhelm you, it
disappears. Everything becomes clear, and the pain subsides.
The hatch clicks and falls open.
You crawl towards the hatch, but instead of the expected wall
of metal, it seems to open on a conventional doorway. Beyond
the door you hear music and laughter! You shake your head, but
no trace of the headache or fogginess remains.
Suddenly a young woman appears at the hatch opening. She
smiles and says, "A new arrival! How wonderful!" She sees your
collar. "Oh, poor dear. Did the Heechee program put you through
a great deal of pain? Let me take that."
Before you can react, she reaches over and removes the collar
from your neck. "We all went through the same process. I'll
just add it to my collection." She drops the metal ring into a
box that contains at least fifty other collars just like it.
"We also can't have lethal weapons floating around. I'm afraid
I'll have to take your gun as well." With an apologetic shrug,
she gently lifts the gun away with two fingers, as if it were a
smelly sock.
"Now come with me, please." She reaches over and takes your
hand. As she guides you through the hatch, you are too shocked
and mystified to even think of resisting.
Ballroom
This room is immense. The vaulted ceiling rises almost out of
sight, and the towering windows that look out on the
star-filled galaxy create the illusion that the room never
ends. The scene is graced by an artificial waterfall that feeds
a large burbling stream, and a crystal bridge leads north
across the stream to a secluded bar.
Three large alcoves to the east, west, and south hold
amusement booths, each of which features a different game. The
center of the room is dominated by a large marble fountain
around which people are gathered in what appears to be a
spontaneous party. A serving robot wheels around serving exotic
treats to those who ask.
To the southeast you see a closed hatch. The room's decoration
is rounded out by a small potted plant. To the southeast, you
see a closed hatch.
The woman walks off into the crowd leaving you holding the
embossed gold card.
>w
The hostess follows you into the booth and says, "This is my
favorite game; I'd really like to see how you do here."
Guess Your Weight booth
From the large banner on the wall, it's clear that the game
here is to have your weight guessed. Behind the curved counter,
a robot barker shuffles back and forth, occasionally bumping
into things. The scale for the patrons has a readout with huge
numbers that would be visible from miles away. Next to the
scale is a sign.
The GameBot trundles up, peers in your direction through inch
thick, virtually opaque glasses, and says, "Ahh, a customer!"
He squints a bit more and asks, "Would Madam like to try her
luck? Just insert your card into the slot. Only five dollars a
guess!"
>put card in slot
The credit card disappears in the slot with a soft click.
"Thank you so much, Madam. It's people like you that make my
job the joy that it is. Now, let me see." The GameBot makes a
show of looking you over. "I'd have to say you weigh 389
pounds. Now, step on the scale and we'll see if you win!"
>stand on scale
You step onto the scale. The huge numbers on the display roll
for a few seconds, and finally come to stop at 163.
The GameBot sticks his face up to the display and squints at
it for a few moments. "Oh my!" he finally exclaims. "How could
I have been so far off? WE HAVE A WINNER!" Lights flash, sirens
wail, whistles shriek, and the small crowd around the booth
begins to applaud. "Madam, you are walking away with the twenty
dollar grand prize - minus the five dollar charge, of course.
The difference has been automatically added to your credit
line. Congratulations!" After he presses a small hidden button,
the gold card pops out of the slot. The GameBot grabs it and
presses it back into your palm.
>e
[You get off the scale first.]
The hostess follows you back into the ballroom.
Ballroom
>e
Ball Throw booth
Gaudy lights frame this booth like a movie marquee. Spinners
and brightly colored signs are everywhere, while still more
lights flash and whirl around the walls. The word that
instantly doesn't leap into your mind is 'subtle'.
On a shelf against the far wall are three pyramid formations
of six bottles each. Behind the counter, a GameBot wheels back
and forth barking, "Everyone's a Winner!" A sign and a slot are
set into a post behind the counter.
On the counter you see a ball.
The GameBot rolls up to you and exclaims, "Ho! Look what we
have here! You look like a man who enjoys a challenge. I'll bet
you could do this blindfolded. Just insert your card into the
friendly slot, and try your skill!"
>put card in slot
The credit card disappears in the slot with a soft click.
"A true gamesman you are, sir, ready to take up the challenge.
Well, I shan't delay you. Take this ball and toss it towards
yon bottles. Your skill and a bit of luck shall decide the
outcome." He hands you the ball with a formal gesture and waves
towards the shining pyramids.
>throw ball
You heave the ball in the general direction of the booth.
Suddenly it changes course in midair, and then makes a direct
hit on the collection of bottles. The pyramids fly apart; the
bottles drop to the floor.
"Amazing! Never have I seen such force, such accuracy!"
exclaims the GameBot. Amid the commotion of sirens, buzzers and
flashing signs, he adds, "I only wish I were programmed to give
you more than the $40 grand prize - minus the initial $5 charge
- but please take the credit and my congratulations!" The
GameBot produces your gold credit card and places it in your
palm.
>put card in slot
The credit card disappears in the slot with a soft click.
"A true gamesman you are, sir, ready to take up the challenge.
Well, I shan't delay you. Take this ball and toss it towards
yon bottles. Your skill and a bit of luck shall decide the
outcome." He hands you the ball with a formal gesture and waves
towards the shining pyramids.
>throw ball
You heave the ball in the general direction of the booth.
Suddenly it changes course in midair, and then makes a direct
hit on the collection of bottles. The pyramids fly apart; the
bottles drop to the floor.
"Amazing! Never have I seen such force, such accuracy!"
exclaims the GameBot. Amid the commotion of sirens, buzzers and
flashing signs, he adds, "I only wish I were programmed to give
you more than the $40 grand prize - minus the initial $5 charge
- but please take the credit and my congratulations!" The
GameBot produces your gold credit card and places it in your
palm.
>put card in slot
The credit card disappears in the slot with a soft click.
"A true gamesman you are, sir, ready to take up the challenge.
Well, I shan't delay you. Take this ball and toss it towards
yon bottles. Your skill and a bit of luck shall decide the
outcome." He hands you the ball with a formal gesture and waves
towards the shining pyramids.
>throw ball
You heave the ball in the general direction of the booth.
Suddenly it changes course in midair, and then makes a direct
hit on the collection of bottles. The pyramids fly apart; the
bottles drop to the floor.
"Amazing! Never have I seen such force, such accuracy!"
exclaims the GameBot. Amid the commotion of sirens, buzzers and
flashing signs, he adds, "I only wish I were programmed to give
you more than the $40 grand prize - minus the initial $5 charge
- but please take the credit and my congratulations!" The
GameBot produces your gold credit card and places it in your
palm.
>look at card
The card is made from plated gold, and has the word CREDIT
embossed on the front. Below that, the amount of debt or credit
accumulated is displayed. It currently reads one hundred and
twenty dollars.
>put card in slot
The credit card disappears in the slot with a soft click.
"A true gamesman you are, sir, ready to take up the challenge.
Well, I shan't delay you. Take this ball and toss it towards
yon bottles. Your skill and a bit of luck shall decide the
outcome." He hands you the ball with a formal gesture and waves
towards the shining pyramids.
>throw ball
You heave the ball in the general direction of the booth.
Suddenly it changes course in midair, and then makes a direct
hit on the collection of bottles. The pyramids fly apart; the
bottles drop to the floor.
"Amazing! Never have I seen such force, such accuracy!"
exclaims the GameBot. Amid the commotion of sirens, buzzers and
flashing signs, he adds, "I only wish I were programmed to give
you more than the $40 grand prize - minus the initial $5 charge
- but please take the credit and my congratulations!" The
GameBot produces your gold credit card and places it in your
palm.
>w
Ballroom
>s
A large crowd has gathered around this booth, making it
impossible to force your way through. Perhaps you should try
again later.
>wait
Time passes...
>s
You shoulder your way through the thinning crowd.
Wheel of Fortune booth
A large crowd gathers at this popular booth, which is
decorated with gaudy lights, streamers, and signs. The booth is
manned by a GameBot who seems to really enjoy his work. He
rolls back and forth in front of a large wheel that has nine
numbered sections on it. The counter in front of him also has
nine slots, one for every number on the wheel.
The GameBot barks, "Hurry, hurry. Place your bets on the Lucky
Wheel! $50 a bet, but worth every nickel. Play the most popular
game around.
"Step right up, my good man. $50 a pop might seem a little
steep for a $100 prize, but we're the most fun around and
nobody's got a bigger payoff! Try your luck!"
>put card in 1
You insert the card into the slot labeled one. It makes a soft
click and the number begins to glow. The card then pops back
out into your hand. The GameBot says, "Please hold on to your
card. If too many people bet, it gets a bit confusing when it
comes time to reclaim them."
The GameBot yells out, "Any other takers? Step right up, don't
be shy. Get your bets in now before the big wheel starts
a'spinnin'!"
>put card in 2
You insert the card into the slot labeled two. It makes a soft
click and the number begins to glow. The card then pops back
out into your hand.
The GameBot looks down at your second bet. If it were possible
for a permanently fixed smile to frown, you'd swear it was
happening. The GameBot gives you a pleading look and says, "You
realize you cannot win both of your bets. One of them must
lose..." The GameBot shakes his head violently and then turns
back to the big wheel.
A woman edges her way to the front and shyly inserts her card
into the seven slot. "I wish you luck." she whispers to you.
"All bets are in? Very good. No more, please. The wheel is
about to start turning!" The GameBot reaches up to the wheel's
controls with a definite sense of futility.
>wait
Time passes...
The huge wheel spins quickly. The GameBot and the crowd stare
at it anxiously. As it slows, the people around you appear
almost panic-stricken.
The wheel stops on number one, but then suddenly backtracks to
two. The crowd steps back, and the GameBot flattens himself
against the counter. He turns to stare at you. "You can't win,"
he says in front of the oscillating wheel. "That's impossible.
It doesn't follow the rules!"
The wheel moves faster and faster between the two numbers.
Screams erupt from the crowd as the world shakes. The maddened
GameBot lunges forward and falls on the counter. Everything
starts to become blurry, then reality suddenly shatters and you
are left in darkness.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]
Hydra lair
The heat of this room is almost unbearable. Piles of thick,
grey ash cover the rocky ground like a threadbare carpet.
Scattered flames dance around a porous rock ledge that drops
off into an inferno. From the depths of the flames rises a
nightmare vision - a writhing, multi-headed hydra. Pairs of
eyes dart back and forth, taking you in with a disturbing
sinister intelligence. A pair of blue portals indicate egress
to the north and south.
You see a rusty sword here.
After regaining your senses, you notice that most of what you
were carrying has disappeared, leaving you with only your
coverall.
>take sword
You take the rusty sword.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
One of the heads writhes forward and snaps at the air not a
foot in front of your face.
>s
Demon Gauntlet, on the cliff walkway
Two glowing blue portals stand at either end of an immense
cavern. Connecting them is a long precarious catwalk that rises
above a fiery abyss. The cavern walls are notched with narrow
cliffs, upon which are perched hordes of screaming demons who
wave pointed weapons at you and dare you to traverse their
dangerous gauntlet.
>s
You take a cautious step, inching along the cliff walkway.
One of the demons lobs a pointed rock at your head. You easily
duck, and it falls into the abyss below. The demon looks
disappointed and angrily looks around for more ammunition.
>s
You take another cautious step, inching along the cliff
walkway.
Stones and other unidentifiable objects fly uncomfortably
close to you from both sides of the cavern. Many of them cause
you to dodge and nearly lose your balance. Some of the demons,
frustrated with the misses, start to gather together a rope
net.
>s
You take another cautious step, inching along the cliff
walkway.
The demons heave a rope net at you. You try to dive out of the
way, but there's not enough room on the catwalk and the net
ensnares you.
>cut net with sword
You start to hack at the rope net with the sword. Some of the
ropes fall away, but quite a few remain.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
Some of the demons, seeing your plight, start to pool their
ammunition. One of them produces a makeshift sack, and the rest
load it up with stones, dead animals, and other items you don't
recognize.
>cut net with sword
The loosened net falls around your feet.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
The largest, meanest demon you've ever seen (although you
don't really have all that much experience with them) grabs the
sack, whirls it around his head, and releases it straight at
you.
Freed from the net, you take a swipe at the sack and knock it
onto the catwalk, spilling most of the garbage into a pile.
>take all
sack: Taken.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
rope net: Taken.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
Maddened, the demons begin hurling everything they can grab at
you. Some even pick up their neighbors and toss them in your
direction. The sheer quantity of missiles alerts you to the
danger of staying here much longer.
>n
You turn around, and take a hesitant step back the way you
came.
>n
You take another cautious step, inching along the cliff
walkway.
A rock strikes you on the side of the head, stunning you for
an instant. Blood trickles down your neck, and you feel a bit
woozy.
>n
You take another cautious step, inching along the cliff
walkway.
>n
You step off the perilous catwalk and into the glowing portal.
Hydra lair
>put ash in sack
You scoop a pile of ash into the sack.
Two heads start snapping back and forth, fighting over the
privilege of taking the first bite from you.
>n
Empty Chamber
This is a huge natural cavern, an eerie landscape of malformed
stalagmites and stalactites. In the Stygian gloom, you notice
that the point of a nearby stalagmite has broken off, leaving
behind a flat stump.
A nearby chuckle draws your attention, but you don't see
anything unusual.
>throw ash on shelf
With a flick of the wrist, you toss the sack onto the
stalagmite shelf. The ash billows out of the bag, obscuring the
shelf's surface. After a moment, it settles over the shelf in a
sparse, even layer.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>take sack
You take the sack from the stalagmite stump.
A disturbing giggle floats in the air around you.
>s
Hydra lair
>put ash in sack
You scoop a pile of ash into the sack.
Suddenly, one of the heads whips out at your legs. You leap
aside just in time.
>n
Empty Chamber
A screeching laughter, like the scraping of fingernails on
slate, echoes through the cavern. It bounces off the rocks and
walls, making it impossible to pin down the source.
>wait
Time passes...
Demonic laughter cuts through the cavern.
>wait
Time passes...
A sudden shove from behind knocks you headlong into a rock
outcropping. An irritating screech of laughter rings through
the cavern.
>wait
Time passes...
Demonic laughter cuts through the cavern.
>wait
Time passes...
You hear a ripping sound and look down to see that the leg of
your coverall has been slit cleanly to the ground. Laughter
explodes around you.
>wait
Time passes...
A disturbing giggle floats in the air around you.
>wait
Time passes...
A sharp blade slices through the fleshy part of your leg.
Blood trickles down your calf.
>wait
Time passes...
You hear a scuffle, but can't pin down where it's coming from
because of the echoes.
>wait
Time passes...
Something heavy slams down onto your foot. You reel, but catch
yourself on a stalagmite. Maniacal laughter fills the cavern.
>wait
Time passes...
A disturbing giggle floats in the air around you.
>wait
Time passes...
You hear a scuffle upon the stalagmite shelf, accompanied by a
giggle. Tiny footprints appear in the thin ash layer on the
shelf.
>throw sack on shelf
With a flick of the wrist, you toss the sack onto the
stalagmite shelf. The ash billows out of the bag, obscuring the
shelf's surface. As the cloud settles, it reveals a short,
skinny demon on the shelf, bent double in a fit of coughing. He
carries a wicked, sharp-bladed axe, and upon one of his hands
he wears a ring.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>throw net on demon
You hurl the net over the demon in the middle of a particularly
bad spasm of coughing. The net wraps around him tightly and
securely.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
The demon stops coughing, looks up at you with a growl, and
leaps for your throat. His movement is checked by the net,
however, which keeps you safe for the moment. He starts to
struggle with thick ropes, attempting to escape.
>take ring
While the demon is concentrating on the net, you slip the ring
from his hand. He immediately ceases his struggles and yells,
"Precious! My precious! Evil man is to give my precious back.
Now!" He holds the wicked blade threateningly in front of him.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>take sack
You take the sack from the stalagmite stump.
Suddenly, the demon gets an idea. He begins sawing at the net
with his nasty looking blade. Some of the ropes fall away, but
he still has a ways to go.
>n
Mirror Room
This chamber appears to be a temple of some sort, suffused
with an ancient evil that claws at your heart and leaves your
mouth dry. Silver mirrors are affixed to the walls, ceiling,
and floor. Hideous demonic statues have been carved into the
remaining rock in the corners; each is labeled with a single
name. Glowing portals are set into the north and south mirrors,
their light contributing to the chamber's eerie atmosphere.
>wait
Time passes...
The statue of Aeshma moves a little. Then the features begin
to reorient themselves, changing the demon's expression.
>put sack on aeshma
You place the rotting sack over Aeshma's mouth and hook it over
one of the many jagged edges of the statue's face.
The carved face of Aeshma animates in an obscene sneer. It
appears to take notice of the bag draped over its mouth with an
expression of disgust. It draws a great breath, and then blows
with such force that it seems the stone itself will crack. A
torrential flow of glowing dust shoots from its maw into the
sack, but the fabric holds together and you obtain quite of
collection of it.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>take sack
You take the sack from the statue's mouth.
>wear ring
You slide the golden ring onto your finger and find it a
perfect fit. As you admire it, your hand begins to fade from
view. Your arm follows, and soon your entire body has
disappeared. With a shock, you realize you are invisible.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>s
Demon Chamber
You see a demon here.
The demon is holding a wicked axe.
On the stalagmite stump you see a rope net and some footprints.
The demon wanders about the cavern, looking distracted and
angry. He keeps mumbling something about regaining his
'precious'. Periodically, he brushes ash from his body.
>s
Hydra lair
>throw dust on hydra
You heave the sack filled with magic dust at the hydra. One of
the heads snags it in midair and tears it open. The hydra waves
it back and forth, spilling the red dust over the other heads.
The berserker dust immediately does its work. Blind with rage,
the writhing heads search for a target upon which to vent their
blood-lust. Seeing no one in the room save themselves, they
begin to bite and snap at one another, wounding and in some
cases decapitating the heads around them.
[Your score has just gone up by 50.]
Suddenly, two new heads start appearing for every one that has
been destroyed. This only seems to enrage the existing heads
more, driving them into an even greater frenzy. Flashing teeth
and claws are everywhere as the hydra tears into itself,
growing by leaps and bounds as the carnage continues. Soon the
sheer mass of squirming heads fills the cavern and starts to
strain at the walls. The pressure of the infinite progression
builds and builds - until reality snaps.
In the distance you hear a wail of agony, and the scene
dissolves around you.
The false reality melts. The fiery cavern dissolves to reveal
the interior of the Heechee travel pod. The iris is retracted,
the globe dark and cracked, the hatch open. Beyond it, you can
see the expected wall of circuitry, including the circular
indentation the size and depth of the silver collar.
You place the collar snugly inside the depression. There is no
alarm or klaxon - nothing to indicate that you have completed
your mission, and yet it is done. You press the pedal, travel
back to the satellite, and re-board your ship for the return
flight to Gateway.
There, you are greeted as a hero. Your days are spent in
exhaustive debriefing sessions with Corporation scientists, and
your nights are spent in revelry at the Blue Hell bar. After a
week of this, you decide to schedule one final blow-out and
then return to Earth.
The party at the Blue Hell turns out to be a record bash
during which you consume far more alcohol than can possibly be
good for you. When the party ends, you wave a bleary goodbye to
the last of the stragglers and decide that this would be an
excellent time to rediscover your bed.
>w
Heecheetown
>w
You leave Heecheetown, heading west towards the barracks that
you call home. After a brief walk you find yourself back in
your quarters.
Your Quarters
>sleep
You curl up on your bed and fall asleep. You wake several hours
later.
Your Quarters
Your room is a spartan cubicle furnished with a desk, a chair,
a wall locker, and a fold-down bed. The only decorative touches
are a sickly looking plant sitting next to the desk and a
lonely picture of Earth adorning the far wall. A PV commset is
set into the south wall. Above the PV is a vent. To the east is
a door that leads outside.
You see a DataMan, a maintenance key, a membership pin, a memo,
a tuning fork, a napkin, a green badge, a debit card, a gun and
a slip of paper here.
The message light on the PV commset is blinking.
>take all
DataMan: [You get off the bed first.]
Taken.
maintenance key: Taken.
membership pin: Taken.
memo: Taken.
tuning fork: Taken.
napkin: Taken.
green badge: Taken.
debit card: Taken.
gun: Taken.
slip of paper: Taken.
The message light on the PV commset is blinking.
>put card in slot
You insert your debit card into the slot.
*** Type: 1,N,N,0,0 ***
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]
You take your debit card from the slot.
>e
You leave the barracks that is your temporary home, walk along
a narrow alley for a few moments, and reach the center of
Heecheetown.
Heecheetown
>nw
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
>up
VR Terminal
On the desk you see a VR manual.
>take manual
You take the VR manual from the desk.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>down
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
>se
Heecheetown
>e
Blue Hell Bar
You see an empty seat here.
>e
Casino
>e
A nondescript man by the door glances at the golden membership
pin and nods you through. As soon as you are inside, he seems
to fade away.
Pedroza Lounge
You see a display case here.
In the display case you see a pamphlet.
>n
Tanning Room
>read manual
It has a few sentences about each virtual reality program. The
section on 'Deep Psych' is printed in red. "Activate only by
prescription. Password lock-out is date dependent and uses the
following list:
1] spiral
2] vapor
3] hurtful
4] ghost
5] jalopy
6] saucy
7] jasmine
8] flaky
9] damage
10] powder
11] gushy
12] membrane
13] petty
14] larva
15] pauncy
16] rumpus
17] stilted
18] drowsy
19] fantail
20] bilge
21] manor
22] feud
23] infidel
24] herring
25] thong
26] gnash
27] handcuff
28] pebble
29] reclaim
30] homely
31] crouton
*** Write down the password for this day of the month ***
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>s
Pedroza Lounge
You see a display case here.
In the display case you see a pamphlet.
>w
Casino
>w
Blue Hell Bar
You see an empty seat here.
>w
Heecheetown
>nw
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
>up
VR Terminal
>sit
You're now on the couch.
>wear collar
You snap open the collar's spring clasp and settle into it. The
pads around your neck keep you from moving your head, and the
collar itself seems a little tight: all in all, a very
unpleasant experience.
>type #####
*** Replace the ##### with the correct password ***
You carefully type "gushy" on the keyboard. In response, you
hear a faint, tinny 'ping'.
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]
>press button
You press the button. The couch starts to hum with power and
the collar begins to glow a dark blue.
[Your score has just gone up by 100.]
Everything around you fades to a milky white. Then a picture
begins to form...
*** Total: 1600/1600 pts. ***
-----------------------------------------
by Avi, Machness@surfree.net.il
>open drawer
You open the drawer and discover a book.
The message light on the PV commset is blinking.
>take all
debit card: Taken.
[Your score has just gone up by 2.]
book: Taken.
[Your score has just gone up by 3.]
The message light on the PV commset is blinking.
>read book
The book is a hardcover volume entitled, "Everything We Know
About the Heechee." You open the book and look at the first
page. It is blank. You quickly turn to the second page, the
third page, and the fourth page. All are blank. You thumb
through 196 more blank pages. On the last page is a note
written in pencil: "Forgive me the little joke. The Corporation
instructs proctors to give our new fish a standard issue
DataMan personal information system. I give all my new
initiates this book instead - if you take it to the Corporation
office on Level Dog, the receptionist there will give you the
real thing. Regards, Thom Seldridge."
The message light on the PV commset is blinking.
>put card in slot
You insert your debit card into the slot.
*** Type: 1,N,N,0,0 ***
You take your debit card from the slot.
>e
You leave the barracks that is your temporary home, walk along
a narrow alley for a few moments, and reach the center of
Heecheetown.
Heecheetown
Heecheetown is a huge spindle shaped cave in the center of
Gateway station. Empty when the Heechee left, Heecheetown is
now full of ugly Corporation pre-fab buildings. The barracks
that house your quarters are in a small alley to the west. To
the northwest is the Corporation Administrative Section
building. The Blue Hell bar and casino lie to the east.
Corridors lead north and south.
>n
Corridor D4
This is one of the many corridors that wind their way through
the occupied portions of Gateway. These man-made hallways are
nested inside the original tunnels that were dug by the Heechee
when they created the station. Through the metal mesh walls of
the angular passageway you can see the outlines of ducts,
pipes, and wires. A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and
down to Level Tanya) is on the right side of the passageway.
The corridor ends in open entrances to the north and south.
>n
Central Park
You are in the station's hydroponics complex, known to Gateway
inhabitants as Central Park. Large rectangular hydroponics
units filled with plants rise from the deck in several places
like miniature skyscrapers. Fruit trees grow in dense patches
near the east wall. The air is humid and smells of fruit,
fertilizer, and freshly turned earth. In front of you is a
mysterious machine that looks like an overgrown air
conditioner. To your left is a plastic hydroponics planter
tray.
In the planter tray you see a rose.
>take rose
You take the rose from the planter tray.
[Your score has just gone up by 2.]
>flip lever
You pull the shut-off lever down to the OFF position. The
whisper of the feeding systems dies away with a gurgle.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>wait
Time passes...
An old man in a maintenance uniform appears and nods in
greeting. He removes some tools from his tool box and sets them
on the floor, then hands you the tool box and says, "Here, make
yourself useful. Hold this for me." He sets to work on the
machine.
The old man picks up a metal key and opens the access panel
with it. Without looking at you he hands you the key and says,
"Here. Put this in the tool box." He examines the machine.
"This has been a piss poor week. Somebody keeps shutting this
system down as a practical joke. Well, it ain't funny."
>wait
Time passes...
The old man picks up the screwdriver and begins poking at the
machine with it. "If this system stayed shut down for more than
an hour, there might be real trouble. Plants would start dying
right and left, there would be hell to pay. This station relies
on the vegetation here for air recycling and food."
>wait
Time passes...
The old man removes a component from the machine, squints at
it, and then replaces it. He turns to look at you. "Say, you
remind me of someone. Rolf Becker. You look just like him. He
was a young prospector, started shipping out back in '92. He
was a lucky sonofabitch, scored on every mission, made a
bazillion dollars." The old man points the screwdriver at you.
"Lucky until his last mission, of course."
>wait
Time passes...
The old man hands you the screwdriver. "Here. Put this in the
tool box." He continues with his story, "Anyway, Becker's first
mission, he comes out of Tau space in orbit around an icy
planet about three AUs out from an M class star. He scans and
finds a concentration of Heechee metal seventy feet under
frozen methane ice. What a pisser, huh?"
>put screwdriver in toolbox
You put the screwdriver in the tool box.
The old man takes the wrench and resumes tinkering with the
machine. "Well, Becker was not to be deterred. He used the
chemical rockets on his ship to blast a crater in the ice and
discovered the remains of a Heechee supply dump. Corporation
gave him a cool million for that find."
>wait
Time passes...
The old man pounds on something inside the machine with the
wrench. "Becker scored big on his second mission as well. This
time it was a science bonus for taking film of a rare
astronomical event: A planet with a moon being ripped apart by
gravitational stress and turned into a ring. Corporation
scientists went crazy when they saw the tapes from the
recorders. Board gave him a half million for the data."
>wait
Time passes...
The old man hands you the wrench and says, "Here. Put this in
the tool box. Soon after Becker came back from his second trip,
he made the biggest score of all. Becker married Adriana
Lafore, the sweet lookin' daughter of a Corporation big shot.
She was a babe." The old man whistles appreciatively.
>put wrench in toolbox
You put the wrench in the tool box.
The old man picks up the pliers and starts to wrestle with a
pipe fitting inside the machine. "Becker should have stopped
there, but he didn't. He had to push his luck, had to ship out
one more time. Well, he didn't come back."
>wait
Time passes...
The old man scowls as he works. "Damn gears are starting to
get stripped from so many re-starts. I don't know who keeps
doing this, but I'm going to catch him eventually. If you
weren't new around here, I might suspect you. This has been
going on for weeks, though."
>wait
Time passes...
The old man hands you the pliers and says, "Here. Put these in
the tool box." He wipes his hands on his pants and leans on the
machine. "I'll tell you, my friend, this station ain't what it
seems. Lately I've seen some pretty strange stuff. There's a
Corporation scientist who works in the AI labs up in the
restricted sector." The old man looks around and then puts his
face inches from yours. "You may not believe this, but I seen
him walk through walls."
>put pliers in toolbox
You put the pliers in the tool box.
The old man chuckles and shrugs his shoulders. "Almost every
night after midnight this guy goes up to Level Babe and
disappears. I had a supply tech move a shipping crate up there
so I could watch him. He appeared right after midnight, slinked
into the corridor where it ends in a Heechee metal wall, and
poof! he disappeared."
>wait
Time passes...
"I don't know where he went. He reappeared a few minutes
later, walks out of a solid metal wall. Strangest thing I ever
saw."
>wait
Time passes...
The old man punches you lightly in the arm. "Well, I gotta go.
I wouldn't trade places with you in a million years, but I do
wish you good luck and good hunting."
The old man takes one last look and says, "Well, that ought to
hold it for now." He closes the access panel, which latches
shut automatically, and pushes the shut-off lever back to the
ON position. The whispering of the feeding systems begins
again. He nods his head, then takes his tool box. He shuffles
away.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>s
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>s
Heecheetown
>nw
Corporation Office Lobby
The lobby of the Corporation Administrative Section is one of
the only aesthetically pleasing places on Gateway. Well-placed
lights and plants make the room seem bright and open, a welcome
contrast to the claustrophobic grays and blues of the rest of
the space station. Stairs climb up to the second floor, and a
glass door leads west. The metal door leading back into
Heecheetown square lies to the southeast.
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a magazine and a vase.
In the vase you see a dead rose.
>give rose to receptionist
The receptionist disposes of the old rose and puts the new one
in the vase. She gives you a big smile. "Thanks. You're sweet.
But I'm not going out with you, if that was what you were
thinking. Why don't you take this magazine? It'll keep you
company in Tau space." She hands you the magazine.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>read magazine
You flip to the cover story and begin reading: "One year before
famed prospector Rolf Becker embarked on his ill-fated final
mission, he married Adriana Lafore, daughter of Corporation VP
Edwin Lafore. The marriage was in trouble within six months,
when Adriana announced that she was bored with Rolf. Since
Becker's disappearance, however, Adriana has gone through a
profound change. 'I had a lot of growing up to do after Rolf
left,' said Adriana to IP. 'I realize now what I had in him.'
Adriana continues to live on Gateway, and her offer of
$1,000,000 for information or action leading to Becker's safe
return still stands." The article continues for several more
pages, but seems to contain nothing else of interest.
>give book to receptionist
You hand the book to the receptionist. She looks at the first
few pages, laughs, and puts the book away in a drawer. From
another drawer she pulls out a small portable computer. "This
is the DataMan that you were supposed to get when you arrived,"
she says as she hands it to you. "I think you'll find it a tad
more interesting!"
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>turn on dataman
*** Type: 1,1,0,2,0,3,0,4,0,5,0,6,0,7,0,8,0,9,0,0 ***
*** Type: 2,1,0,2,0,3,0,4,0,5,0,6,0,7,0,8,0,9,0,0 ***
*** Type: 3,0,0 ***
>up
VR Terminal
The room is small and cramped. Even so, it is partitioned into
two distinct areas by a low plexishield. On one side of the
shield is an uncomfortable looking couch that has a gold padded
ring placed about neck level. Set into the side of the couch is
a simple control board, above which is a sign and a small
display screen. On the other side of the shield is a tiny desk
and a chair. A frustrated looking technician sits on the chair,
reading a newsletter. Stairs lead back down to the offices
below.
On the desk you see a VR manual.
The tech looks up at you.
The tech dives back behind the newsletter, suddenly oblivious
to you.
>sit
You're now on the couch.
>wear collar
You snap open the collar's spring clasp and settle into it. The
pads around your neck keep you from moving your head, and the
collar itself seems a little tight: all in all, a very
unpleasant experience.
>press button
You press the button. The couch starts to hum with power and
the collar begins to glow a dark blue.
Everything around you fades to a milky white. Then a picture
begins to form...
Grains of yellow fall from nowhere and spread out until they
form a sandy beach. Blues appear in ragged streaks above, and
then they melt together to become an azure sky. An ocean
appears, then an outdoor bar. You look down and discover you're
wearing swimming trunks and lounging on a beach chair. A
cheerful bartender pops into existence. He puts a drink on the
bar and looks at you expectantly.
"Hello, friend! Welcome to Virtual Beach. I'm Sam, your
bartender, and I exist solely to serve you. This reality is
intended for relaxation, so feel free to lounge around and, if
you're in the mood, partake of my specialty drink. I'll leave
one here on the bar for you."
>take drink
[Getting out of the beach chair first.]
You take the frosted glass from the beach bar.
>give drink to bartender
The bartender thankfully accepts the proffered drink. "Let me
get one for you, too." He waves the drink by the scanner and
another frosted glass filled with foamy liquid appears on the
bar.
"Heads up!" He raises the glass in salute, and downs it in one
swig. "Man, that was great. Totally unreal." He thinks about his
statement for a second and says with a smile, "Yeah, I guess
that's about right."
He throws the empty glass behind the bar, but it hits the
counter instead and falls to the ground. "Woah," he says,
grinning. "I must be making those drinks stronger than I
thought." He picks up the glass and tosses it out of sight
behind the bar.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>take drink
You take the frosted glass from the beach bar.
The bartender straightens his shirt and looks over at you,
perhaps awaiting an order.
>give drink to bartender
The bartender thankfully accepts the proffered drink. "Let me
get one for you, too." He waves the drink by the scanner and
another frosted glass filled with foamy liquid appears on the
bar.
"It does get mighty hot working back here; you're mighty nice
to take an interest." He empties the glass almost faster than
his previous drink. "Ahhh, hits the spot."
The bartender attempts to drop the glass over his back and kick
the glass behind the bar. He misses completely, and looks a
little sheepish as he picks it up and carefully puts the empty
glass away.
The bartender leans against the counter and watches the sea,
sighing.
>take drink
You take the frosted glass from the beach bar.
The bartender takes off a sandal and shakes the sand out of it.
>give drink to bartender
The bartender thankfully accepts the proffered drink. "Let me
get one for you, too." He waves the drink by the scanner and
another frosted glass filled with foamy liquid appears on the
bar.
"I was hoping you'd offer!" He sucks down the drink like a man
dying of thirst. "Mmmmm...I make 'em GOOD, don't I? I mean 'it',
I mean,... you know." His gaze starts to get unfocused as he
pushes the empty glass slowly behind the bar, very carefully
placing it in the correct spot. When he succeeds, he looks up at
you and grins in triumph.
>take drink
You take the frosted glass from the beach bar.
>give drink to bartender
The bartender shakily accepts the proffered drink. "Lemme gesha
'nother one, buddy."
As he waves the drink in front of the scanner, his unsteady
hands slip, causing the drink to pause in front of the beam.
Immediately, three drinks appear on the bar counter.
"Whoooopsie. Now I've dunnit. Ah well, I guesh I might s'well
clean 'em up." He downs the drink in his hand, eliminates the
empty, and does the same for two of the glasses on the bar
kindly leaving one of them for you. The end result is one very
happy, if somewhat bleary, bartender.
>take drink
You take the frosted glass from the beach bar.
The bartender eyes your drink with something more than
professional curiosity.
>give drink to bartender
The bartender shakily accepts the proffered drink. "Lemme gesha
'nother one, buddy."
He looks at the drink warily, as if it's going to snap his head
off. In one smooth motion, he tilts the glass to his mouth and
drains it. After a second of internal checking, he smiles,
seemingly pleased with the outcome of the drink. Then he burps
once and falls onto the bar, unconscious.
The bartender sings something very softly in his sleep. You
can't quite make it out, but it seems to involve somebody named
Debbie.
>take drink
You take the frosted glass from the beach bar.
Suddenly you notice that your swimsuit has changed color.
>put drink in scanner
You set the glass right on top of the scanner. It cuts through
the pulsing beam and a drink immediately appears on the bar. As
the beam continues to strike the glass, more drinks appear on
the bar's surface. They start piling up, spilling their frothy
liquid over the sand. The pile reaches higher and higher, the
drinks coming faster and faster, until the heap of glasses
seems to push back the boundaries of the reality. Something
snaps, and the veil of virtuality falls down like a torn
curtain.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
The hues and colors of the virtual world swirl in a soft cloud
and drift away. Soon you are back in the real world, but
after-images of the alternate reality linger in the back of
your mind.
The tech looks at you with renewed respect. He flips over the
promised golden pin, which lands nearby. "Not bad, for a
rookie. You just might have some VR hacking potential."
>open collar
You unsnap the catch and slip out of the collar.
>take pin
[Getting off the couch first.]
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
You take the membership pin.
>down
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
>se
Heecheetown
>n
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>down
You step into the dropshaft and are whisked down to Level
Tanya.
Corridor T6
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Dog) is on the east side of
the passageway. The corridor continues to the north and south.
A door leads west.
>n
Corridor T5
The corridor ends in a bulkhead to the north. An armored door
to the west is guarded by a bored looking European Space Navy
Military Policeman (ESN/MP) who is staring at nothing. The
corridor continues to the south.
You see a guard here.
>w
[Opening the armory door first.]
Armory
This is where the on-board military forces that "protect"
Gateway store their weapons. Sealed cases running the length of
the room hide an arsenal of American, European, Brazilian, and
Japanese laser and projectile weaponry. Red and yellow signs
outline procedures for handling and storing guns, grenades,
lasers, rocket launchers, and other lethal devices. Above a low
storage cabinet you see a vent cover.
You see a storage cabinet here.
On the storage cabinet you see a gun.
>take gun
You take the gun from the surface of the cabinet.
>open vent
You open the vent cover with the key. Inside the vent is a
small button.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>press button
You push the button. It begins blinking.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>wait
Time passes...
A spider-like robot scrambles into the air duct.
>put gun in box
You put the gun in the robot's waste container.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>e
Corridor T5
You see a guard here.
>s
Corridor T6
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Dog) is on the east side of
the passageway. The corridor continues to the north and south.
A door leads west.
>w
Room T20
This is one of the common access conference rooms that are
used for instruction classes, briefings, and other Corporation
business. Inside the room is a conference table, chairs, and a
viewscreen. The table and chairs look well used and are made of
institution green thermoplastic. The rest of the room lacks any
personality at all - the walls and ceiling are made of dull
green milica tiles. The only other feature is a vent in the
ceiling over the conference table. A door leads east.
>open vent
You open the vent cover with the key. Inside the vent is a
small button.
>press button
You push the button. It begins blinking.
>wait
Time passes...
A spider-like robot scrambles into the air duct. In the
robot's waste box you see a gun.
>take gun
You take the gun from the robot's waste container.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>close vent
You close the vent cover, which latches shut automatically.
>wait 2 hours
Time passes...
The conference room fills with would-be prospectors, most of
whom you recognize from the long flight from Earth. Almost
everybody looks a little lost, homesick, and frightened. A
middle-aged Hispanic man shuffles into the conference room and
heads for the front of the room. He is dressed in a Corporation
science staff uniform.
Do you want to continue waiting? > Y
A few stragglers run down the corridor and rush into the
conference room.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>e
Corridor T6
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Dog) is on the east side of
the passageway. The corridor continues to the north and south.
A door leads west.
>up
You step into the dropshaft and are whisked up to Level Dog.
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>s
Heecheetown
>e
Blue Hell Bar
The Blue Hell is a rough and tumble bar inside a large pre-fab
structure in Heecheetown. The counter is located near the
entrance, across from a raised dance floor on the far side.
Prospectors, off-duty Navy crewmen, and Corporation employees
sit in groups and converse in a multi-lingual babble. The
casino lies to the east. Heecheetown is to the west.
You see an empty seat here.
>sit
You sit in the empty bar seat.
>wait 5 hours
Time passes...
Thom Seldridge strides into the bar, looks around, and spots
you. He walks over to the counter and sits down on one of the
bar seats, giving you a quick smile as he takes out his debit
card, inserts it into the counter slot, and orders two drinks
from the order panel. "Hey, new fish! Good to see you!" he says
with somewhat forced enthusiasm.
Do you want to continue waiting? > Y
The famous Gateway robotic bartender trundles over to where
you are sitting. It extends a tray bearing two full glasses.
Thom immediately takes his drink from the tray and raises it to
his lips. He tosses back a third of the contents. "Damn, that
is good!" he says with real feeling in his voice.
Do you want to continue waiting? > Y
"This is where everybody hangs out. There is a casino with
some pretty good action next door. You ought to check out the
roulette wheel - they use a very dense, oversize ball because
of the low-gee environment. It's kinda cool."
The robotic bartender bobs up and down and makes an insistent
chirping sound. It wants you to take your drink.
Do you want to continue waiting? > N
>drink
[I assume you mean drink your drink.]
The robot bartender emits a happy "cheep" as you take the
drink.
You gulp down your Heecheetown Special. Your eyes bulge out,
the little hairs on your neck stand up, and your stomach is
coated with a wave of cold fire. You put the empty glass on the
counter, your head spinning. You barely notice as the glass is
whisked away by the robot bartender.
Thom grins at you. "Excellent drink, hey?"
"You find all kinds of people on Gateway. Prospectors from
over forty countries, plus the usual assortment of space
squids, er, navy personnel off the sentinel cruisers. Most
folks are American, European, Japanese, and Brazilian, as you'd
expect with those countries owning the Corporation, hey."
>wait
Time passes...
"You'll spend most of your time on Gateway on two levels: Dog
and Tanya. We are on Dog now. Tanya is where the entrances to
the ship hangars are located. It also houses work spaces,
conference rooms, and the military armory."
The robotic bartender trundles away.
>wait
Time passes...
Thom finishes his drink and tosses the empty glass in the
general direction of the robot bartender.
>wait
Time passes...
Thom looks at you expectantly.
>buy tom a drink
You insert the debit card into the slot in the bar counter. The
bar computer hums and the order panel lights up with a menu of
exotic cocktail selections. You order a drink for Thom
Seldridge. He nods in appreciation. The bar computer
acknowledges your order with a series of musical tones and
spits out your debit card.
>wait
Time passes...
Thom hums a few bars of a song popular on Earth several months
ago.
>wait
Time passes...
Thom rubs his hands in anticipation as he follows the
movements of the robotic bartender with his eyes.
The famous Gateway robotic bartender trundles over to where
you are sitting. It extends a tray bearing a full glass. Thom
reaches for his new drink and gulps down half of it before you
can even blink.
>wait
Time passes...
"I'll tell you some things you ought to know. Some things that
the brochures on Earth conveniently don't mention. First, you
got to realize that not all prospectors are created equal.
There are two kinds of prospectors on Gateway: The suicide
squad and the green badges."
The robotic bartender trundles away.
>wait
Time passes...
"You and me, we're on the suicide squad. We come off the Earth
transports like cattle, we learn how to push the "go" button on
the Heechee starships, and we ship out. The odds aren't too
good, new fish. We die like flies. It's common for a ship to
pop out of Tau space inside the core of a star, next to a black
hole or a neutron star, or in orbit around some hell planet
that'll kill you before you can even land on its surface. We're
expendable and don't mean diddly to the Corporation. One of us
doesn't come back, well, it's no big thing."
>wait
Time passes...
"Now the green badges, they're different. Officially, they are
part of the Orion Program. That means that they're on the
Corporation's A-team, a select group of prospectors who have
supposedly proven themselves and earned a place in the Program.
They get to go to briefings held by the Corporation Science
Section, where special primo course codes are handed out by
Corporation eggheads."
>wait
Time passes...
"If you haven't figured it out by now, you can tell who they
are because the Corporation gives them green badges. Suicide
squad gets blue badges. It's not like the Orion Program is a
secret. In fact, the Corporation advertises the program as if
it were some kind of prize available to everybody who does
great and wonderful things."
>wait
Time passes...
"I know better. The only way to sign up for the Orion Program
is to be sponsored by your Corporation rep, and don't think
that the process is easy. My rep won't even talk to me." Thom
pauses and rubs his chin. "Hmmmm, let's see, who is your rep?"
he wonders aloud. "Neilson! Terri Neilson."
>wait
Time passes...
"She's actually pretty cool, almost a regular guy. She even
comes into the Blue Hell for a drink on some nights. You might
actually have a chance of getting one of those green badges if
she goes easy on you."
>wait
Time passes...
"Tell you what, new fish. I'll give you my copy of a memo that
came out a while back on the Orion Program. Give it to Terri
when you see her next. She might back you for the program."
Thom fumbles around inside his jacket and pulls out a crumpled
piece of paper and a pen. He writes something on the bottom of
the sheet of paper, puts the pen back in his jacket, and hands
the paper to you.
>wait
Time passes...
Thom finishes his drink, looks around, and then tosses the
empty glass behind the counter. "Terri usually shows up around
22:00 when she comes here. You might want to hang around or
just come back later."
>wait
Time passes...
Thom flashes you a wan smile, his face showing regret, hope,
and envy all at the same time.
>buy tom a drink
You insert the debit card into the slot in the bar counter. The
bar computer hums and the order panel lights up with a menu of
exotic cocktail selections. You order a drink for Thom
Seldridge. He nods in appreciation and smiles at you with
genuine friendliness for the first time since you met him. He
sits back in his seat, looking like he might be thinking about
enjoying himself. The bar computer acknowledges your order with
a series of musical tones and spits out your debit card.
>wait
Time passes...
Thom hums a few bars of a song popular on Earth several months
ago.
>wait
Time passes...
Thom rubs his hands in anticipation as he follows the
movements of the robotic bartender with his eyes.
The famous Gateway robotic bartender trundles over to where
you are sitting. It extends a tray bearing a full glass. Thom
takes his new drink, grins at you, and says "Bottoms up!" He
gives you a comic salute, then takes a long drink.
>wait
Time passes...
"You're not a bad sort, new fish. I'll let you in on some
rumors that have been making the rounds. Seems that folks are
hooked on the idea that the Heechee left something important on
Gateway that hasn't been brought to light yet. Besides the
ships, I mean."
The robotic bartender trundles away.
>wait
Time passes...
"When NASA first explored this station, they found it picked
clean except for the ship hangars. Really weird. This great
huge artifact, obviously an important facility, and yet almost
completely empty."
>wait
Time passes...
"When the Corporation pukes took over the station, they put
their best coneheads on the problem. They searched high and
low, even took some of the station apart. They didn't find
squat."
>wait
Time passes...
"People are saying that the coneheads didn't look in the right
places, that there is something mighty interesting on this
station that nobody has found yet. Personally, I think it's a
load of horse hockey. I can't believe that the coneheads missed
something important while they were exploring, cataloging, and
then rebuilding Earth's great new hope."
>wait
Time passes...
"Anyway, that's the hot tip for the month. Listen, I've gotta
get going. Tell you what, new fish, I'll leave you with a
Gateway legend. I know he's here tonight, after all, he's here
every night. I'll try and find him. Hang tight for a minute."
Thom gets up and vanishes into the crowd.
>wait
Time passes...
Thom reappears with a tall, dark man in tow, "New fish, this
is Nubar Kamalian. He's kind of a fixture in this place. If
you're real lucky, Nubar will tell you more about life on
Gateway. I have to go. I'll leave you guys to talk. It's been a
pleasure, new fish." Thom leaves. Nubar Kamalian sits down next
to you and nods in your direction.
>wait
Time passes...
Nubar stares at you. "How 'bout a drink, new fish?"
>buy nubar a drink
You insert the debit card into the slot in the bar counter. The
bar computer hums and the order panel lights up with a menu of
exotic cocktail selections. You order a drink for Nubar Kamalian.
The bar computer acknowledges your order with a series of
musical tones and spits out your debit card.
>wait
Time passes...
"So, how ya doin'? Welcome to Gateway. You made a megamistake,
shelling out over two hundred grand to come to this miserable,
godforsaken place."
>wait
Time passes...
"I'm still kicking myself for shipping out here. The
chickenfat Corporation sure rooked me good, feeding me all that
bunco back in East Texas. I was suckered in all the way. Put my
life savings into a one way ticket to this hellhole."
The famous Gateway robotic bartender trundles over to where
you are sitting. It extends a tray bearing a full glass. Nubar
takes his drink and nods gratefully at you.
>wait
Time passes...
"I've been out five times, nearly killed twice. I landed on
one Diedre-class planet, fought my way through a bunch of
things that looked like giant cockroaches, and recovered a box
of these disks." Nubar holds up his medallion. "All for a lousy
fifty kay. The Corporation thinks these things are the
worthless by-product of some Heechee industrial process. I
don't believe that for a second! Look at the precision, the
workmanship! But you can't fight the Corporation. Goes to show
you, new fish, that you're in a world of hurt out here."
The robotic bartender trundles away.
>wait
Time passes...
"You can't win. Especially with the Corporation geeks giving
preference to those Orion bozos. That really pisses me off.
We're the cannon fodder for the Corporation. They get us to
hang out our rear ends and do all the sweating and slaving,
then they feed everything they learn from us to their
fair-haired boys with the green badges. This place is just
UNfair, my friend. You sure screwed up coming here."
>wait
Time passes...
"Well, what can you do. You're here. I'll stop complaining. In
fact, I'll make you a generous offer: If you can beat me at the
trivia game in the Casino, I'll give you this genu-ine Heechee
medallion." Nubar holds up the medallion again. Rainbow
patterns dance on the surface of the disk. "I challenge all the
new fish to a game. Breaks up the routine." He leads you to the
casino.
[You get off your seat first.]
Casino
The casino is surprisingly well equipped, given the cost of
shipping any kind of mass from Earth. There are slot machines,
blackjack tables, and a low-gee roulette table. Near the
entrance is a tired looking "Old Earth Trivia" game. The bar
lies to the west. A heavy oak door is to the east.
Nubar plays the game and earns a score of seven points. He
turns to you and says, "Your turn."
>play trivia
*** Type: 3,3,2,4,1,1,3,2,4,3,4 ***
Nubar says, "Congratulations, new fish." He hands over the
medallion, then grins as he pulls another out of his pocket.
"Got hundreds of these things," he says wickedly. "The Corp
goons never took 'em away 'cause they think they're worthless."
He hangs the medallion around his neck. "Perhaps I will see you
again, my friend." Nubar disappears.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>w
Blue Hell Bar
You see an empty seat here.
>w
Heecheetown
>s
Corridor D6
The corridor opens up onto Heecheetown to the north and the
Gateway Museum to the south.
>s
Gateway Museum
The Gateway Museum contains examples of alien artifacts that
prospectors have discovered in the years since the exploration
program was started. The exhibits consist of things that
Heechee hands (tentacles? claws?) have made and touched that
come from unimaginable places incredibly far away. You notice a
black pedestal and a chrome display stand that are prominently
situated in the middle of the room.
On the stand you see a Heechee device.
On the pedestal you see a tuning fork.
>put medallion in depression
You insert the disk into the depression. As it drops into
place, the device begins to hum and the air above the disk
shimmers.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>take fork
You take the tuning fork from the pedestal.
The room is filled with the sound of an obnoxious klaxon, and
a synthesized voice states, "Warning. These exhibits are
protected by an optical pattern-recognition system. Replace
artifact immediately, or you will be placed under arrest."
>put fork in device
As you place the tuning fork into the device, an image of it
appears, floating above the disk.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
The room is filled with the sound of an obnoxious klaxon, and
a synthesized voice states, "Replace artifact immediately, or
you will be placed under arrest."
>take hologram
As you remove the disk from the depression, the device ceases
its humming and the shimmering in the air vanishes. The image of
the tuning fork remains floating above the disk.
The room is filled with the sound of an obnoxious klaxon, and
a synthesized voice states, "Replace artifact immediately, or
you will be placed under arrest."
>put hologram on pedestal
You put the hologram on the pedestal.
The klaxon stops and the voice states, "Alarm canceled. Thank
you for your cooperation."
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>take fork
You take the tuning fork from the Heechee device.
>n
Corridor D6
>n
Heecheetown
>e
Blue Hell Bar
You see an empty seat here.
>sit
You sit in the empty bar seat.
>read memo
The memo is written on Corporation letterhead and dated April
23, 2102. The paper is crumpled and creased. The memo reads as
follows:
TO: All Limited Partners
FROM: Corporate Science Section
SUBJECT: Orion Special Exploration Initiative
As most of you already know, Gateway Enterprises has begun a
classified research program officially designated the Orion
Special Exploration Initiative and informally known as the
Orion Program. Limited partners with exceptional qualifications
are invited to apply to designated Gateway Enterprises
representatives for admittance to the program. Those accepted
by the Director of Gateway Exploration Programs will be
provided with access to research data that may increase the
probability of encountering commercially useful Heechee
technology during prospecting missions."
Scrawled at the bottom in spidery handwriting is the following:
"New fish: Show this to Terri Neilson - she sometimes hangs out
at Blue Hell Bar, around 22:00"
>wait 70
[I assume you mean 70 minutes.]
Time passes...
An attractive blond woman makes her way over to the bar and
sits down in an empty seat next to you. She is wearing a
Corporation uniform, and looks sleek, confident, and used to
getting her way. She orders a drink and turns to look at you,
tossing back her hair in a practiced motion. "Do I know you?
You look familiar." Suddenly recognition dawns in her eyes,
followed quickly by a look of disinterest. "Oh, I know where I
saw your face. Your file. You're one of my new fish. I'm Terri
Neilson, Deputy Director, Exploration Program Section."
Do you want to continue waiting? > N
>ask terri about orion
She looks sharply at you, her earlier lack of interest gone
completely. Her eyes turn suddenly to ice, and you shiver as
she seems to stare right into you. It's as if she's making some
kind of final judgement about you on the spot. You try not to
fidget. Finally, after a long silence, some warmth creeps back
into her face. The corners of her mouth pull slightly upward.
"So, new fish. You are interested in the Orion Program."
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>wait
Time passes...
The famous Gateway robotic bartender trundles over to where
you are sitting. It extends a tray bearing a full glass. Terri
raises her right eyebrow and reaches over to pick up her drink.
She studies the glass, smiles, and then takes a sip.
"The Orion Program, otherwise known as the Orion Special
Exploration Initiative, is one of the most promising research
efforts currently under way on this station. An exclusive group
of limited partners has been given a chance to work with the
Corporation Science Section to exploit the first real
breakthrough in understanding the Heechee ship guidance
systems."
>wait
Time passes...
"I have sponsored only twenty-five prospectors for
participation in the Orion Program since I was promoted to
deputy director. To give you some idea of how few that is,
consider this: I have been responsible for more than three
hundred prospectors at one time or another over the last two
years!"
The robotic bartender trundles away.
>wait
Time passes...
Terri shakes her head. "I don't know, new fish. I look at you
and I don't have much to go on. If you want to join the team,
you're going to have to do something pretty damn special. I'll
tell you what my criteria were for sponsoring the last few
Orion prospectors: At least two completed missions and one
completely unique discovery."
>wait
Time passes...
"What that means for you, new fish, is two trips out and an
entry in your DataMan logbook that shows you brought back
something that nobody else has found. That's a pretty tall
order. Now I'm going to break a Corporation regulation and give
you my direct PV number."
>wait
Time passes...
Terri writes a number on a cocktail napkin and hands it to
you. "A number of years ago I used to be a prospector, much
like you. Then the Corporation recruited me to be a transport
pilot. I made the Earth-L5 run, then I ferried supplies to and
from Gateway, Venus, and the two Delta stations in orbit around
Mercury."
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>read napkin
Scrawled on the napkin is the number '##-####.'
*** Write down the phone number ***
"I flew the Rockwell/MBB medium range shuttles that the
Corporation uses for most of its resupply missions. Those
suckers are huge - five hundred feet long, a hundred feet in
diameter, even bigger than the transport you came out on."
>wait
Time passes...
"The Corporation pays well and promotes fast when they see
results. I produce results. You'll have a future if you can
produce results, too. Remember - two completed missions and a
legit Heechee find. Call me when you think you've earned a
green badge."
>w
[You get off your seat first.]
Heecheetown
>w
You leave Heecheetown, heading west towards the barracks that
you call home. After a brief walk you find yourself back in
your quarters.
Your Quarters
Your room is a spartan cubicle furnished with a desk, a chair,
a wall locker, and a fold-down bed. The only decorative touches
are a sickly looking plant sitting next to the desk and a
lonely picture of Earth adorning the far wall. A PV commset is
set into the south wall. Above the PV is a vent. To the east is
a door that leads outside.
>wait 3 hours
Time passes...
You start to feel sleepy.
Do you want to continue waiting? > N
>sleep
You curl up on your bed and fall asleep. You wake several hours
later.
Your Quarters
Your room is a spartan cubicle furnished with a desk, a chair,
a wall locker, and a fold-down bed. The only decorative touches
are a sickly looking plant sitting next to the desk and a
lonely picture of Earth adorning the far wall. A PV commset is
set into the south wall. Above the PV is a vent. To the east is
a door that leads outside.
You see a DataMan, a magazine, a maintenance key, a debit card,
a membership pin, a gun, a memo, a tuning fork and a napkin
here.
>take all
DataMan: [You get off the bed first.]
Taken.
magazine: Taken.
maintenance key: Taken.
debit card: Taken.
membership pin: Taken.
gun: Taken.
memo: Taken.
tuning fork: Taken.
napkin: Taken.
>e
You leave the barracks that is your temporary home, walk along
a narrow alley for a few moments, and reach the center of
Heecheetown.
Heecheetown
>n
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>down
You step into the dropshaft and are whisked down to Level
Tanya.
Corridor T6
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Dog) is on the east side of
the passageway. The corridor continues to the north and south.
A door leads west.
>s
Corridor T7
The corridor continues to the north and south. A doorway leads
west.
>s
Hangar Entrance
The corridor opens up into a large room dominated by a
thermoplastic counter and a closed gate. The gate bars access
to the busy ship hangars on Level Tanya. Behind the gate to the
south you can see the landing gear for one of the ships in the
distance. The hangar spaces seem to hum with activity.
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
You show your badge to the agent. She nods and escorts you
through the gate and into the hangar area. She stops near a
computer terminal on a wall and studies the display. "Found a
prepped ship for you," she says to you after a moment. "I'll
walk you over, help you program the parasitic computer with
your assigned codes, and you're on your way." She begins
walking away and you follow her into the vast hangar bays.
You follow the agent past several large ships tucked into
their berths in the hangar spaces. Men and equipment bustle
around you, working on the Heechee ships. The agent finally
stops in front of one of the ships and gestures grandly. "This
is it. Now give me your badge and I'll program the on-board
computer." You hand her your badge and she clambers aboard the
ship.
A few minutes later she re-appears. "Okay, sport. Just press
the CODE button and you'll see the codes that the Corporation
has assigned to you. You're set to go. I'll leave you to it -
good luck and good hunting." She returns your badge and walks
away. You are left alone in the dock.
Dock
The ship hangars are partitioned into hundreds of individual
docks. This is one of the docks, a berth that serves as "home"
for a Heechee starship. The ship itself towers over your head,
a collection of angular and curved lines that is both awkward
and strangely graceful at the same time. The ship is perched on
long landing gear struts. A ladder leads up into the hatch. The
dock exit is to the north.
>up
Ship Cabin
There is barely enough room for you to move inside the cabin
which was clearly not designed for humans. You see an open
hatch on the floor, a seat, and the ship's small control panel.
There is a Heechee transit coil beside the panel. Various other
pieces of equipment cover the walls of the cabin.
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go ***
Your ship emerges into normal space dangerously close to a
mammoth black hole. Panic-stricken, you jab the "Return" button
and flee to the safety of Tau space, narrowly avoiding the
destruction of your ship by the intense gravitational tides.
Your ship returns to the dock at Gateway, and you undergo
debriefing procedures.
You are awarded a mission bangle.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]
You are returned to the Hangar Entrance.
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go ***
Your ship returns to normal space near the shattered fragments
of a planet in orbit around a bright B class star. You can only
speculate about what caused the disintegration of the planet,
although the evidence suggests that it was blasted into pieces
by a collision with a massive asteroid or wandering moon. You
take some pictures and return to Gateway.Your ship returns to
the dock at Gateway, and you undergo debriefing procedures.
You are returned to the Hangar Entrance.
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go, Info, Land ***
The ship lands on the surface with a thump.
>wear suit
[Taking the spacesuit first.]
You put on the spacesuit.
>open hatch
[Getting off the cabin seat first.]
You open the cabin hatch and the pressurized air of the ship's
cabin is drawn out with a loud hiss.
>down
Blast Zone
Your ship is standing in the middle of a blast zone cleared by
its engines upon landing. A dark cliff rises from the ground
about five hundred meters or so to the north. The formation
looks somewhat like a mesa you might find in the desert
southwest of the United States. The cliff runs east to west. To
the south is a vast gray plain that extends as far as you can
see.
>n
Below Cave
You are standing at the base of the butte you spied from the
blast zone near the ship. Looking up, you spot a hole in the
bottom of the overhang, only about ten meters above your head.
The cliff runs east to west.
>w
Base of Cliff
You are standing at the base of a cliff thirty meters tall
that runs from east to west. To the west you can see what looks
like a rockslide that has piled up at the base of the cliff.
Your ship lies to the southeast.
>w
Rockslide
You are at the base of a pile of rocks and debris that seems
to be the result of a rockslide from the top of the cliff. The
jumbled boulders, rock fragments, and debris provide a route to
the top of the mesa. The cliff face continues to the east.
>n
You scramble up the rockslide to the top of the cliff, feeling
for handholds and footholds with an agility that surprises you.
You finally reach the top of the slide and clamber on to a
plateau.
Plateau
You are on the top of a flat circular rock formation thirty
meters above the gray plain and about a thousand meters in
diameter. You can survey the surface of the planet for
kilometers in all directions, but all you see is more dreary
gray dust. The edge of the cliff continues to the east. A
rockslide directly to the south provides a path to the base of
the cliff, but the footing looks treacherous.
>e
You walk along the top of the mesa.
Plateau
You are on the top of a flat circular rock formation thirty
meters above the gray plain and about a thousand meters in
diameter. You can survey the surface of the planet for
kilometers in all directions. Your ship is visible in the
distance to the southeast. The edge of the cliff continues to
the east and west.
>e
You walk along the top of the mesa.
Plateau
You are on the top of a flat circular rock formation thirty
meters above the gray plain and about a thousand meters in
diameter. You can survey the surface of the planet for
kilometers in all directions. Your ship lies directly to the
south below you. The edge of the cliff continues to the west.
You notice a large rock perched on the edge of the cliff to
the south. It is massive, about three meters in diameter, and
looks like it is delicately balanced on the edge of the cliff.
>push rock
You lean against the boulder and push with all your might. You
feel the rock begin to move, and then watch it tumble lazily
over the edge. It falls slowly at first, then gathers speed. A
few meters down, it strikes another boulder, which breaks loose
and starts a cascade of smaller rock fragments and debris. The
chain reaction continues until a sizeable fraction of the
overhang crashes into the dust at the base of the cliff. A huge
cloud of dust rises into the vacuum and then settles back to
the surface.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>w
You walk along the top of the mesa.
Plateau
>w
You walk along the top of the mesa.
Plateau
>s
You scramble down the rockslide.
Rockslide
>e
Base of Cliff
>e
Below Cave
You see a pile of rocks here.
>n
You scramble up the pile of rocks and climb through the hole in
the rock overhang.
Entry Chamber
You are inside a glowing blue chamber that looks very much
like the pictures you have seen of the Heechee tunnels on
Venus. The metal walls are covered with intricate patterns. A
hole in the floor of the chamber leads outside to the surface
of the planet.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
An irregular opening appears to the northeast.
After a few seconds it fades away, leaving a solid wall again.
>e
You leap towards the wall. Just as you think you are going to
collide with the glowing blue metal, a portal opens and you
sail through into a dark little passageway. You crawl along the
pretzel-like tunnel for a few moments, then emerge into a large
cavern.
Ovoid Room
You are in a small ovoid cavern, an egg shaped room that is
made entirely of blue Heechee metal. Ribs on the walls converge
to meet in the middle of the room, giving the place a strangely
organic feeling. Multiple tunnel entrances lie to the east,
southeast, south, southwest, and west.
You see a hexagonal metal box here.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>take box
You take the hexagonal metal box.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]
>s
You enter one of the tunnel entrances and walk through a
narrow, claustrophobic passageway until you reach a blank metal
wall. You wait a few moments until a portal appears, then
launch yourself through the irregular opening into the chamber
beyond. You land on your shoulder, roll once, and then stand
up.
Entry Chamber
An irregular opening appears to the northwest.
After a few seconds it fades away, leaving a solid wall again.
>s
You lower yourself through the opening in the floor and drop
onto the pile of rocks below. Landing heavily, you tumble down
to the base of the cliff.
Below Cave
You see a pile of rocks here.
>s
Blast Zone
>up
Ship Cabin
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: Orbit, Return ***
Your ship returns to the dock at Gateway, and you undergo
debriefing procedures.
You are awarded a $25,000 royalty advance for discovery of the
Heechee artifact.
Your spacesuit is cleaned and restowed in the ship.
The object you brought back from Dayan 7 is appropriated for
study by Corporation scientists.
You are returned to the Hangar Entrance.
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go ***
The ship's destination is a vantage point in interstellar space
that provides an excellent view of a large nebula. After taking
pictures and scientific readings for a few hours, you punch the
"Return" button and head for home.Your ship returns to the dock
at Gateway, and you undergo debriefing procedures.
You are returned to the Hangar Entrance.
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go ***
Your ship materializes in dead intergalactic space. You are
hanging outside the Milky Way, with a spectacular view of the
Andromeda galaxy. There are no stars within a hundred light
years of you. You take some scientific readings and then return
to Gateway.Your ship returns to the dock at Gateway, and you
undergo debriefing procedures.
You are returned to the Hangar Entrance.
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go ***
A sullen red giant dominates the viewscreen when you return to
normal space. This is a dying star in a dead planetary system.
The remnants of six worlds are either baked to cinders or
blasted into jagged pieces. You realize there is nothing to be
found here and return to Gateway.Your ship returns to the dock
at Gateway, and you undergo debriefing procedures.
You are returned to the Hangar Entrance.
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>n
Corridor T7
>n
Corridor T6
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Dog) is on the east side of
the passageway. The corridor continues to the north and south.
A door leads west.
>up
You step into the dropshaft and are whisked up to Level Dog.
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>s
Heecheetown
>w
You leave Heecheetown, heading west towards the barracks that
you call home. After a brief walk you find yourself back in
your quarters.
Your Quarters
>put card in slot
You insert your debit card into the slot.
*** Type: 6, the phone number,0,0 ***
You take your debit card from the slot.
>e
You leave the barracks that is your temporary home, walk along
a narrow alley for a few moments, and reach the center of
Heecheetown.
Heecheetown
>e
Blue Hell Bar
You see an empty seat here.
>sit
You sit in the empty bar seat.
>wait
Time passes...
Terri Neilson makes her way over to the bar and sits down next
to you. She nods in greeting.
>wait
Time passes...
Terri says, "Congratulations. You've demonstrated some skill
at prospecting, and you've met the criteria I've established as
the threshold for the Orion Program. You got results, and I
like that!" Terri gives you a big smile. "I am sponsoring you
for the Orion Program. This is a great honor and privilege, but
I think you deserve it."
>wait
Time passes...
Terri continues, "There are daily briefings at 0900 hours in
room T52, level Tanya. These are restricted to green badges
only. During these meetings you will be given information that
the Corporation has deemed worthy of special attention." She
smiles again. "You'll also get your badge coded with course
codes that have a very high probability of success!"
>wait
Time passes...
Terri trades you a green badge for your blue badge. "You've
earned this, my friend. Keep in mind that it isn't coded with
any destinations yet, so you really need to go to the next
green badge briefing. Remember: Nine in the morning, room T52.
Now go make the best of the opportunity. I expect great things
from you. Good luck and good hunting." She gets up and leaves
the bar.
[Your score has just gone up by 30.]
>w
[You get off your seat first.]
Heecheetown
>w
You leave Heecheetown, heading west towards the barracks that
you call home. After a brief walk you find yourself back in
your quarters.
Your Quarters
>wait 4 hours
Time passes...
You start to feel sleepy.
Do you want to continue waiting? > N
>sleep
You curl up on your bed and fall asleep. You wake several hours
later.
Your Quarters
Your room is a spartan cubicle furnished with a desk, a chair,
a wall locker, and a fold-down bed. The only decorative touches
are a sickly looking plant sitting next to the desk and a
lonely picture of Earth adorning the far wall. A PV commset is
set into the south wall. Above the PV is a vent. To the east is
a door that leads outside.
You see a DataMan, a magazine, a maintenance key, a membership
pin, a gun, a memo, a tuning fork, a napkin, a debit card and a
green badge here.
>take all
DataMan: [You get off the bed first.]
Taken.
magazine: Taken.
maintenance key: Taken.
membership pin: Taken.
gun: Taken.
memo: Taken.
tuning fork: Taken.
napkin: Taken.
debit card: Taken.
green badge: Taken.
>e
You leave the barracks that is your temporary home, walk along
a narrow alley for a few moments, and reach the center of
Heecheetown.
Heecheetown
>n
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>down
You step into the dropshaft and are whisked down to Level
Tanya.
Corridor T6
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Dog) is on the east side of
the passageway. The corridor continues to the north and south.
A door leads west.
>s
Corridor T7
>w
Room T52
This is one of the common access conference rooms that are
used for instruction classes, briefings, and other Corporation
business. Inside the room is a conference table, chairs, and a
viewscreen. The table and chairs look well used and are made of
tacky blue thermoplastic. The rest of the room lacks any
personality at all - the walls and ceiling are made of dull blue
milica tiles. The only other feature is a vent in the ceiling
over the conference table. A door leads east.
>wait 60
[I assume you mean 60 minutes.]
Time passes...
A security guard enters the room and approaches you. "We're
about to begin a special meeting for special Corporation flight
crew only. May I see your green badge?" You show him your green
badge. After examining it briefly, he nods and steps back out
to the corridor.
Five men and three women arrive in a group. They are all
wearing Corporation uniforms and green badges. They look like a
hard group, and there is no conversation as they file into the
room and sit down. Once seated, a number of the new arrivals
look at you with mild curiosity.
A few seconds later, a tall man dressed in a suit walks into
the room and takes his place at the head of the table.
Do you want to continue waiting? > Y
The executive puts a sleek leather briefcase on the table,
checks his watch, then nods curtly.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>e
Corridor T7
You see a guard here.
>s
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go, Info, Land ***
The howl of the chemical rockets builds to a crescendo as your
ship nears the surface. Just as the noise begins to seem
unbearable, you are thrown sideways as the landing gear make
contact with the ground. The howl dies away to a high-pitched
whine and then silence. You have landed.
>wear suit
You put on the spacesuit.
>open hatch
[Getting off the cabin seat first.]
You open the cabin hatch and the internal cabin pressure
equalizes with that of the atmosphere outside with a slight hiss.
>down
Landing Site
Your ship is standing in a patch of seared vegetation. Tall
green stalks surround you on all sides. There appears to be a
path through the bizarre plants to the east.
>e
Path
You are on a path through a dense forest of green stalks. To
the west you can see the outline of your ship. You can also see
that the alien flora thins considerably to the northeast and
south, while the path itself disappears into the forest to the
east.
>s
You pick your way through the green stalks, avoiding contact
with the strange plants. When you finally emerge from the
forest of pretzel-like trees, you find yourself on a pebbly
beach.
Lake Shore
You are standing on the shore of a large body of stagnant,
oily, purple liquid of some kind. Strange ferns are growing in
and around the lake. Thinning vegetation to the north allows
passage in that direction.
You see a pile of rocks here.
>wait
Time passes...
A six-legged salamander emerges from the lake. It is carrying
a shiny, round rock in its mouth. It looks at you for a moment
and then waddles over to the pile of rocks on the shore. It
drops the rock it is carrying on the top of the pile and then
spits a stream of red liquid on it. The liquid quickly
evaporates and the rock is fused into place. The salamander
lies down in front of the nest, appearing to rest.
>take salamander
The salamander struggles briefly, then goes limp in your hands.
You take the salamander.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>n
You retrace your steps through the green stalks back to the
path.
Path
>ne
You pick your way through the green stalks, avoiding contact
with the strange plants. You start to feel disoriented and a
little lost, but you finally break through the forest of
twisted trunks into a large open space.
Clearing
You are in the middle of a sizeable clearing. Directly to the
north is a large blue metal dome. The smooth blue metal of the
dome is unmarked except for a panel and a circular hole about a
meter and a half above the ground. On the west side of the
clearing is a large boulder. While the clearing is surrounded
by a forest of green stalks, the growth to the southwest and
south is thin enough to allow passage.
>w
Behind Boulder
You are crouched behind the large boulder on the west side of
the clearing. The boulder hides you from anyone or anything
that might venture into the clearing, but you can see the dome
and the clearing without hindrance.
>wait
Time passes...
Your helmet mikes pick up a mournful wailing sound from the
south. The sound builds in frequency and volume for a few
seconds, then dies away.
>wait
Time passes...
Your helmet mikes pick up a low, mournful wailing sound from
the south. The sound builds in frequency and volume for a few
seconds, then dies away.
>wait
Time passes...
A bizarre procession of aliens winds its way into the
clearing. The creatures look like huge bipedal frogs with
eyestalks, standing seven feet tall, green, with four arms.
They emerge one by one from the dense forest of green stalks to
the south. At the head of the procession is an especially large
creature with a ceremonial headdress of some kind. It seems to
be the leader of the group. Behind the chief is a single file
line of the creatures, all carrying spears.
The leader raises something to its mouth. The strange
instrument emits a low pitched blast of noise that sounds like
a drawn out, bubbling, quavering moan.
The aliens file off to the south, disappearing into the forest
of green stalks.
>e
Clearing
>se
You can't go that way.
>sw
You retrace your steps through the green stalks back to the
path.
Path
>s
You pick your way through the green stalks, avoiding contact
with the strange plants. When you finally emerge from the
forest of pretzel-like trees, you find yourself on a pebbly
beach.
Lake Shore
You see a pile of rocks here.
>wait
Time passes...
>wait
Time passes...
>wait
Time passes...
Your helmet mikes pick up a low, mournful wailing sound from
the north. The sound lasts only for a few seconds.
>wait
Time passes...
Your helmet mikes pick up a low, mournful wailing sound from
the north. The sound lasts only for a few seconds.
>n
You retrace your steps through the green stalks back to the
path.
Path
Your helmet mikes pick up a low pitched, bubbling moan from
the northeast. The sound seems to come from quite a distance
away and lasts only for a few seconds.
>e
The path gets wider as you travel along. It looks well used by
somebody or something.
Mutzer Village
You are in a primitive village, facing a cluster of thatch
huts. A hut to the southeast dominates the others - it is
larger, and it's decorated with a crudely crafted crest.
[Your score has just gone up by 2.]
>se
Chief's Hut
You are inside the chief's hut. On one side of the hut is a
large, crudely fashioned tank about three meters wide and two
meters tall. It is filled with purple liquid. The exit lies to
the northwest. An opening in the floor of the hut leads down
into a dark crawlspace.
>down
Under Big Hut
You are underneath the chief's hut in a very dark crawlspace.
You can see an opening in the underside of the hut that leads
up into the hut.
[Your score has just gone up by 2.]
>wait
Time passes...
The hut above you groans and creaks as something enters,
mutters to itself, and stomps around for a few moments. Then
you hear a sloshing sound and a deep contented sigh. Silence
follows.
>up
Chief's Hut
You see the outline of one of the creatures inside the tank.
Floating near the creature is a dim cylindrical shape.
>put salamander in tank
You drop the salamander into the tank. It makes a small splash
and swims happily around the surface for a few moments. Then
the salamander dives for the bottom of the tank, disappearing
with a playful flick of its tail.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>nw
Mutzer Village
A strange alien creature appears out of nowhere and blocks
your path. Eyes on long stalks regard you with a mixture of
curiosity and hostility. You and the alien stare at each other
for a few moments. The creature finally breaks the spell by
brandishing a crude but deadly trident spear with one of its
four arms. It begins moving towards you, waving the spear. You
retreat to the west as the creature advances. The awkward dance
continues all the way outside the village, where the alien
seems to lose enthusiasm and turns back.
Path
>s
You pick your way through the green stalks, avoiding contact
with the strange plants. When you finally emerge from the
forest of pretzel-like trees, you find yourself on a pebbly
beach.
Lake Shore
You see a pile of rocks here.
>wait
Time passes...
A six-legged salamander emerges from the plants on the east
side of the lake. It is carrying the metal cylinder in its
mouth. It looks at you for a moment and then waddles over to
the pile of rocks on the shore. It drops the metal cylinder
next to the rocks and wades into the lake.
>take cylinder
You take the metal cylinder.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>n
You retrace your steps through the green stalks back to the
path.
Path
>ne
You pick your way through the green stalks, avoiding contact
with the strange plants. You start to feel disoriented and a
little lost, but you finally break through the forest of
twisted trunks into a large open space.
Clearing
>n
Base of Dome
You are standing right next to the side of the metal dome.
Directly in front of you are the panel and the hole you spied
from the clearing.
>put cylinder in hole
You insert the key into the hole. The access panel slides open
to reveal a screen underneath.
*** Type: 4,4,3,2,5 ***
A portal opens in the side of the dome, and you step inside.
Inside Dome
The inside of the dome is dimly lit by the glowing blue
Heechee metal. A raised platform about two meters tall
dominates the room. On the platform you can see what looks like
a Heechee machine of some kind. Three strange crystalline
objects that look just like prayer fans are hanging two meters
above the floor in front of the platform. They are different
colors: One is red, one is blue, and the last is yellow.
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]
>take all
yellow prayer fan: Taken.
[Your score has just gone up by 2.]
blue prayer fan: Taken.
[Your score has just gone up by 2.]
red prayer fan: Taken.
[Your score has just gone up by 2.]
>up
You put your hands on the top of the platform and hoist one leg
up over the rim. Then you scramble like a spider up onto the
circular platform, pausing briefly to catch your breath when
you have finally rolled onto the surface.
Platform
You are on the top of the circular platform in the middle of
the dome. The floor is about two meters below you.
You see a Heechee machine here.
>put blue fan in red hole
You insert the blue prayer fan into the red slot on the top of
the Heechee machine. The purple light flares brilliantly. You
hear a mechanical click, followed by a whining sound, and then
the fan slowly descends into the machine until only a tiny
portion of it is visible.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>put yellow fan in blue hole
You insert the yellow prayer fan into the blue slot on the top
of the Heechee machine. The green light flares brilliantly. You
hear a mechanical click, followed by a whining sound, and then
the fan slowly descends into the machine until only a tiny
portion of it is visible.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>put red fan in yellow hole
You insert the red prayer fan into the yellow slot on the top of
the Heechee machine. The orange light flares brilliantly. You
hear a mechanical click, followed by a whining sound, and then
the fan slowly descends into the machine until only a tiny
portion of it is visible.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
The machine suddenly detaches itself from the platform,
levitates a few centimeters in the air, and begins spinning
around all of its axes. You pluck the machine out of the air.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]
>down
You jump down from the platform onto the dome floor.
Inside Dome
>s
Base of Dome
In the dome slot you see a metal cylinder.
>s
Clearing
>sw
You retrace your steps through the green stalks back to the
path.
Path
>w
Landing Site
>up
Ship Cabin
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: Orbit, Return ***
Your ship returns to the dock at Gateway, and you undergo
debriefing procedures.
You are awarded a $50,000 science bonus for discovery of a
proto-civilization.
You are awarded a $1.5 million royalty advance for discovering
the Heechee device.
Your spacesuit is cleaned and restowed in the ship.
You have spent the last six weeks since your return from the
Aleph 4 mission celebrating, relaxing, and recovering. You have
spent $35,000 of your new found wealth.
Your Quarters
The message light on the PV commset is blinking.
>put card in slot
You insert your debit card into the slot.
*** Type: 1,0,0 ***
You take your debit card from the slot.
>e
You leave the barracks that is your temporary home, walk along
a narrow alley for a few moments, and reach the center of
Heecheetown.
Heecheetown
>e
Blue Hell Bar
You see an empty seat here.
>e
Casino
>e
A nondescript man by the door glances at the golden membership
pin and nods you through. As soon as you are inside, he seems
to fade away.
Pedroza Lounge
This is the official lounge of the exclusive Pedroza Club,
otherwise known as the "Bangle Club". You are in a large room
outfitted with comfortable chairs, round coffee tables, elegant
looking bookcases, and impressive color paintings of planets
and starships. People are sitting and standing around the room,
conversing quietly. To the north is the Pedroza Club's "Tanning
Center," billed as a health facility but actually just a place
to get a deep space tan. A heavy oak door leads west.
You see a display case here.
In the display case you see a pamphlet.
As you enter the room, you notice a figure ducking through the
exit to the north.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>n
Tanning Room
A sign on the north wall states, "Gateway Tanning Center."
Below it are innumerable warnings and disclaimers dealing with
skin cancer. The room is not warm at all, but you can almost
feel your skin tanning under the ultra-violet rays emanating
from the tanning lamps set into the transparent walls. Four
couches extrude from alcoves in the east and west walls; one of
them is occupied by a man dressed in an expensive suit. An exit
on the south wall leads back to the Pedroza Lounge.
>sit
You're now on the couch.
The man on the couch begins to speak. "Although I am perhaps
the most powerful man on this station, few here recognize me. I
am the special assistant to the President of the Corporation,
and I am here on his direct orders."
>wait
Time passes...
"What you found on Aleph 4 is much more than a simple machine.
It is the single most important discovery since Macklin
stumbled upon Gateway itself, and it has revealed an impending
catastrophe of unimaginable proportions."
>wait
Time passes...
"After I leave this room, please go immediately to the
Corporation Administrative offices. Leonard Worden and the
Science Section Chief are waiting there to explain the
significance of the Aleph 4 discovery and to brief you on the
four-part mission for which you have been chosen."
>wait
Time passes...
"What they can't tell you - because they don't know - is that
each part of the mission carries a special completion bonus of
five million dollars, with another $25 million upon completion
of the entire job."
>wait
Time passes...
"I apologize for the cloak-and-dagger stuff, but a mission
bonus like this has never been authorized, and the President
wants to ensure word of it doesn't leak out."
>wait
Time passes...
"I wish you luck, my friend." The man on the couch gets to his
feet. "If news of this catastrophe becomes known on Earth,
there will be a massive-scale panic such as the planet has
never seen. I am relying on you to guard this secret carefully.
And remember - we never met."
He turns and walks out, leaving you speechless.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]
>s
[You get off the couch first.]
Pedroza Lounge
You see a display case here.
In the display case you see a pamphlet.
>w
[Opening the heavy oak door first.]
Casino
>w
Blue Hell Bar
You see an empty seat here.
>w
Heecheetown
>nw
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
The receptionist checks your badge and says, "Mr. Worden and
the Science Section Chief are waiting for you." She guides you
into the conference room.
Board Room
The conference room is one of the most elaborate media centers
you have ever seen. Display screens, buttons, and equipment of
unknown function surround an impressive conference table. The
table is ringed with comfortable looking chairs. A glass door
leads east.
You see Yung Seon Lee and Leonard Worden here.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>e
[Opening the board room door first.]
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
>se
Heecheetown
>n
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>down
You step into the dropshaft and are whisked down to Level
Tanya.
Corridor T6
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Dog) is on the east side of
the passageway. The corridor continues to the north and south.
A door leads west.
>s
Corridor T7
>s
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go, Info, Land ***
The ship descends quickly through the dense atmosphere. You
feel the sudden deceleration as the ship slows and makes a
gentle landing.
>wear suit
You put on the spacesuit.
>open hatch
[Getting off the cabin seat first.]
You open the cabin hatch and the internal cabin pressure
equalizes with that of the atmosphere outside with a slight hiss.
>down
Landing Pad
Your ship is positioned on a polished ceramic landing pad. The
circular pad is several hundred meters across, nearly covering
the ground in the walled area in which you are standing. Beside
the pad is a metallic disk about a meter wide that is flush
with the ground.
Searing waves of superheated air swirl around the landing pad.
Smoke and occasional flames emanate from cracks in the ground.
A single archway is built into the western wall enclosing the
pad.
The metal disk, just large enough to stand on, has a
diamond-shaped depression containing a cracked prism and a
square socket that has a bright cube plugged into it.
>w
You walk west across the pad, through a short corridor, and
arrive at a sparsely decorated residence.
Residence
This is a narrow cramped room. A bed of simple construction
occupies most of the room. A cabinet is built into one wall and
is surrounded by an elaborate multi-colored pattern. An ancient
cloak lies in a heap in one corner. The landing pad lies
outside to the east.
The cabinet has a transparent window that is closed at this
time. Within the cabinet you can see an oval depression and a
black pyramid. On your side of the window opening are several
white knobs, a diamond-shaped depression containing a clear
prism, and a square socket that has a dark cube plugged into it.
>take all
black pyramid: There's a thick plexiglass window between you
and the pyramid.
clear prism: You remove the clear prism from the diamond tray.
dark cube: You unplug the dark cube from the square socket.
>e
Landing Pad
>take prism
You remove the cracked prism from the diamond tray.
>put clear prism in tray
You carefully place the clear prism into the diamond-shaped
depression in the metal disk and you feel a slight vibration in
the ground beneath your feet.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]
>stand on plate
You step on the metal disk and the world around you fades to
black, leaving you in a dark empty space. A moment later, the
world fades back in and you find yourself on a metal disk
similar to the one you just stood on at the landing pad.
City Center, on the metal disk
You find yourself in the center of a large ceramic plaza
amidst a dense city center. Tall skyscrapers devoid of any
activity lie in ruin all around you. A long stairway leads up
and toward the east ending at a huge open archway. A metal disk
similar to the one you left in the landing pad is embedded in
the ground.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]
>e
[You get off the metal disk first.]
You climb the wide stairway and pass through the archway.
Temple Court
This courtyard appears to have been a religious shrine of some
sort. An archway on the western wall and a descending spiral
staircase on the northeastern wall are the only exits from the
temple. In the center of the shrine is a dais surrounded by a
colorful shimmering force field. Colorful murals cover the
walls.
Hundreds of small black luminescent insects are crawling along
the walls of the temple court.
>take bug
It takes you a while, but you are eventually successful in
capturing one of the luminous insects.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]
>w
City Center
You find yourself in the center of a large ceramic plaza
amidst a dense city center. Tall skyscrapers devoid of any
activity lie in ruin all around you. A long stairway leads up
and toward the east ending at a huge open archway. A metal disk
similar to the one you left in the landing pad is embedded in
the ground.
>stand on plate
You step on the metal disk and the world around you fades to
black, leaving you in a dark empty space. A moment later, the
world fades back in and you find yourself on a metal disk
similar to the one you just stood on at the city center.
Landing Pad, on the metal disk
>take all
bright cube: You unplug the bright cube from the socket.
clear prism: You remove the clear prism from the diamond tray.
>w
[You get off the metal disk first.]
You walk west across the pad, through a short corridor, and
arrive at a sparsely decorated residence.
Residence
>put clear prism in tray
You carefully place the clear prism into the diamond-shaped
depression in the cabinet.
>put bright cube in socket
You carefully plug the bright cube into the square socket on the
cabinet and the window retracts into the walls of the cabinet.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]
>put bug in depression
You place the squirming insect in the oval depression inside
the cabinet. The bug flickers for a moment and you hear a faint
click.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]
>take all
black pyramid: You carefully remove the black pyramid from the
cabinet. It's much heavier than it looked and has sharp pointy
edges.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]
clear prism: You remove the clear prism from the diamond tray
and the window slides back into position.
bright cube: You unplug the bright cube from the square socket.
>e
Landing Pad
>put bright cube in socket
You carefully plug the bright cube into the square socket on the
metal disk.
>put clear prism in tray
You carefully place the clear prism into the diamond-shaped
depression in the metal disk and you feel a slight vibration in
the ground beneath your feet.
>stand on plate
You step on the metal disk and the world around you fades to
black, leaving you in a dark empty space. A moment later, the
world fades back in and you find yourself on a metal disk
similar to the one you just stood on at the landing pad.
City Center, on the metal disk
>e
[You get off the metal disk first.]
You climb the wide stairway and pass through the archway.
Temple Court
Hundreds of small black luminescent insects are crawling along
the walls of the temple court.
>ne
Octagonal Room
You descend the circular stairway deep beneath the courtyard
and eventually arrive at a small octagonal chamber a few meters
wide. The southwestern wall of the room contains a spiral
staircase leading up to the temple court. The seven remaining
walls are decorated in elaborate mosaic designs, each dominated
by a different hue. Each colored wall has an archway on it.
Starting from the western wall and proceeding clockwise, the
mosaics' dominant hues are green, orange, yellow, blue, indigo,
red, and violet.
>se
You step through the red doorway and find yourself in another
multi-colored chamber.
Octagonal Room
The southwestern wall of the room is illuminated from behind,
providing a gentle white light. The seven remaining walls are
decorated in elaborate mosaic designs, each dominated by a
different hue. Each colored wall has an archway on it.
Starting from the western wall and proceeding clockwise, the
mosaics' dominant hues are yellow, red, green, violet, orange,
indigo, and blue.
>e
You step through the orange doorway and find yourself in
another multi-colored chamber.
Octagonal Room
The southwestern wall of the room is illuminated from behind,
providing a gentle white light. The seven remaining walls are
decorated in elaborate mosaic designs, each dominated by a
different hue. Each colored wall has an archway on it.
Starting from the western wall and proceeding clockwise, the
mosaics' dominant hues are orange, yellow, blue, indigo, red,
green, and violet.
>nw
You step through the yellow doorway and find yourself in
another multi-colored chamber.
Octagonal Room
The southwestern wall of the room is illuminated from behind,
providing a gentle white light. The seven remaining walls are
decorated in elaborate mosaic designs, each dominated by a
different hue. Each colored wall has an archway on it.
Starting from the western wall and proceeding clockwise, the
mosaics' dominant hues are indigo, violet, orange, red, blue,
yellow, and green.
>s
You step through the green doorway and find yourself in another
multi-colored chamber.
Octagonal Room
The southwestern wall of the room is illuminated from behind,
providing a gentle white light. The seven remaining walls are
decorated in elaborate mosaic designs, each dominated by a
different hue. Each colored wall has an archway on it.
Starting from the western wall and proceeding clockwise, the
mosaics' dominant hues are blue, orange, green, yellow, indigo,
violet, and red.
>w
You step through the blue doorway and find yourself in another
multi-colored chamber.
Octagonal Room
The southwestern wall of the room is illuminated from behind,
providing a gentle white light. The seven remaining walls are
decorated in elaborate mosaic designs, each dominated by a
different hue. Each colored wall has an archway on it.
Starting from the western wall and proceeding clockwise, the
mosaics' dominant hues are green, red, yellow, orange, blue,
indigo, and violet.
>se
You step through the indigo doorway and find yourself in
another multi-colored chamber.
Octagonal Room
The southwestern wall of the room is illuminated from behind,
providing a gentle white light. The seven remaining walls are
decorated in elaborate mosaic designs, each dominated by a
different hue. Each colored wall has an archway on it.
Starting from the western wall and proceeding clockwise, the
mosaics' dominant hues are red, indigo, violet, green, yellow,
blue, and orange.
>n
You step through the violet doorway and find yourself in
another multi-colored chamber.
Octagonal Room
The southwestern wall of the room is illuminated from behind,
providing a gentle white light. The seven remaining walls are
decorated in elaborate mosaic designs, each dominated by a
different hue. Each colored wall has an archway on it.
Starting from the western wall and proceeding clockwise, the
mosaics' dominant hues are red, orange, yellow, green, blue,
indigo, and violet. A large metal three-legged stand dominates
the center of the octagonal room.
[Your score has just gone up by 14.]
>put pyramid on stand
You put the black pyramid on the tripod stand in the
rainbow-colored chamber. The floor suddenly starts to vibrate
and the light from the southwestern wall dims slightly.
[Your score has just gone up by 19.]
>s
You quickly make your way back through the seven octagonal
rooms, arriving back at the temple courtyard.
Temple Court
Hundreds of small black luminescent insects are crawling along
the walls of the temple court.
>turn knob
You turn the power knob to the oval symbol and hear a low
buzzing coming from all around you.
>pull lever
You pull the deployment lever toward the blue dot and the
entire room begins to vibrate. You hear a deep rumbling far off
in the distance. It only lasts for a moment, and when the
vibration ceases, the deployment light starts to glow.
>press button
You press the activation button and a deafening high-pitched
squeal hammers at you from all sides.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]
>w
City Center
>stand on plate
You step on the metal disk and the world around you fades to
black, leaving you in a dark empty space. A moment later, the
world fades back in and you find yourself on a metal disk
similar to the one you just stood on at the city center.
Landing Pad, on the metal disk
>up
[You get off the metal disk first.]
Remembering Worden's instructions, you leave the cracked prism
and the dark cube on the ground before you enter the ship.
Ship Cabin
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: Orbit, Return ***
Your ship returns to the dock at Gateway, and you undergo
debriefing procedures.
You are awarded a $5,000,000 bonus for activating the shield
generator.
Your spacesuit is cleaned and restowed in the ship.
You are returned to the Hangar Entrance.
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go, Info, Land ***
A blast of fire from your rockets clears an opening in the
jungle below, and your ship settles down in the middle of the
clearing. Outside, you can see an unbroken wall of lush, dense
vegetation.
>wear suit
You put on the spacesuit.
>open hatch
[Getting off the cabin seat first.]
You open the cabin hatch and the internal cabin pressure
equalizes with that of the atmosphere outside with a slight hiss.
>down
Jungle Clearing
You step down into the still smouldering clearing. Tendrils of
smoke rise from the blasted tree stumps, and the ground below
your ship is covered with a layer of steaming ash. Overhead,
huge pterosaurs circle like vultures. There is no path into the
jungle, but over the treetops to the east you see a distant
tower.
At the edge of the clearing is a tall tree with broad leaves
and pod-like fruit. From the lush undergrowth beyond the tree
you hear a strange chittering sound.
>take pod
You pluck a pod from the tree. The chittering sound gets louder
for a moment, and then recedes.
[Your score has just gone up by 3.]
Several small shoots poke up through the ground at your feet.
>e
Anemone Thicket
You claw your way through the jungle. After a while, the dense
foliage gives way to a waving thicket of tall slender plants
that look like huge anemones. The tower is visible to the east,
but the anemones block your progress in that direction. To the
west lies the way back to your ship.
From the undergrowth you hear a strange chittering sound.
Suddenly the ground below your feet bursts open and a huge
worm crawls up your legs and winds itself around your torso. It
attaches a suckermouth to the back of your helmet and begins to
chew on your headgear.
>take worm
You succeed in wrenching the worm from your spacesuit, but it
wriggles out of your grasp and falls to the ground. It thrashes
around for a few moments and then starts to burrow into the
soil. Suddenly you hear a great whooshing of wings. A huge
pterosaur swoops down from the sky, grabs the worm in its
talons, and disappears over the horizon.
[Your score has just gone up by 4.]
Several small shoots poke up through the ground at your feet.
>wait
Time passes...
The small shoots are growing rapidly. They've begun to entwine
themselves around your knees.
Suddenly the anemones become very agitated and you hear
something crashing through the stalks in your direction.
Moments later, a giant spider emerges from the thicket and
starts eyeing you hungrily. The anemones are almost pulling
themselves up by their roots in order to avoid touching the
arachnid.
>shoot spider
You take careful aim at the tough shell that covers the small
body suspended between the spider's legs. The bolt strikes the
shell and cracks it. Enraged, the spider rears up and advances
towards you, exposing its soft underbelly.
The shoots are now up to your waist. They're beginning to
hamper your movement.
>shoot spider
You fire up into the exposed flesh of the spider's belly. The
monster screams in pain and one of its giant pincers reaches
out and wrenches the gun away from you. The gun disappears into
the spider's mouth and the beast's mandibles grind together.
Seconds later, the spider's head blows apart. The spider falls
to the ground, its limbs twitching. Black ichor drips onto the
ground from what remains of its head, forming a pool of sticky
liquid on the ground. The gun now lies in the middle of the
pool.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
The shoots have thickened considerably and are starting to
grow pseudopods. As the stalks wind themselves around your
chest and begin to squeeze, you suddenly realize that if you
don't escape now, you probably never will.
>w
Jungle Clearing
>e
Anemone Thicket
In the pool you see a gun.
Suddenly the ground below your feet bursts open and a huge
worm crawls up your legs and winds itself around your torso. It
attaches a suckermouth to the back of your helmet and begins to
chew on your headgear.
>take gun
You wade into the pool and some of the goo sticks to your
spacesuit. You try to wipe it off, but only succeed in smearing
on more. Soon your suit is covered in the stuff.
You pluck the gun from the gooey liquid.
Several small shoots poke up through the ground at your feet.
>e
You inch toward the anemones. They undulate toward you and then
detect the presence of the ichor and pull away. Pushing the
stalks aside a few at a time, you slowly make your way through
the thicket until you emerge on the edge of a large swamp.
Swamp
You are staring down onto the surface of a murky, steaming
swamp. The scummy crust is covered with a skin of grey algae
that is occasionally broken by a lazy bubble, as if the innards
of the planet were on a slow boil.
Man-sized plants ring the shore, and through the steam you can
see that many of them are infested with the same kind of worm
that keeps attacking you.
Every once in a while, an impossibly long tentacle breaks the
surface of the swamp and writhes towards the shore. It plucks a
worm from a plant and forces it below the surface to be devoured
by what must be a monster of unimaginable size.
The tower can be seen dimly to the east, and the anemone
thicket lies to the west.
From the undergrowth you hear a strange chittering sound.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>throw worm in swamp
You throw the nematode into the swamp and it thrashes around on
the surface for a few moments. Then suddenly a suckered
tentacle emerges from the depths and wraps itself around the
unfortunate creature. At the same moment, a huge pterosaur
descends out of nowhere, sinks its talons into the worm, and
tries to take off again.
As the pterosaur struggles to get airborne, another tentacle
emerges from the ooze and winds itself around the bird's leg.
The pterosaur's mighty wings succeed in pulling to the surface
an octopus larger than any monster you have ever seen. The two
engage in a titanic battle. The pterosaur repeatedly plunges
its razor beak into the body of the cephalopod, while the
octopus tries to ensnare the bird in its tentacles.
Finally the bird's beak pierces the brainpan of the octopus.
The monster gives a convulsive shudder and then releases its
grip on both the bird and the worm. The pterosaur slowly flies
away with its hard-won prey. Meanwhile, the dead octopus comes
to rest floating on the surface of the swamp, its tentacles
stretching from shore to shore.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
Several small shoots poke up through the ground at your feet.
>e
You dash along one tentacle, hop over the bloodied head, and
race along another tentacle to the opposite shore. You crash
through the undergrowth on the other side of the swamp and soon
come to a field of very odd looking plants.
Field
You are standing in a field of giant spikeball plants at the
edge of the jungle. The tower is just beyond the end of the
field to the east. Through the undergrowth to the west lies the
swamp.
The vegetation near the nearest spikeball plant is riddled
with thousands of tiny holes, and a small spike is imbedded in
the tree trunk next to you.
From the undergrowth you hear a strange chittering sound.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>drop pod
The pod falls to the ground and rolls over next to the
spikeball plant. A huge rat darts out of the jungle and
swallows the pod. But as the rodent turns to escape, it brushes
up against the spikeball and the plant explodes. Hundreds of
the tiny flechettes fly through the air and kill the rat
instantly.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
Several small shoots poke up through the ground at your feet.
>take rat
You hoist the rat up onto your shoulders.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
The small shoots are growing rapidly. They've begun to entwine
themselves around your knees.
The tongue comes slithering out of the stalk and feels around
on the ground for its prey. Finding nothing, it sadly retreats.
Slowly, a new spikeball regenerates on the top of the plant.
>take spike
You pull the spike out of the tree.
[Your score has just gone up by 3.]
The shoots are now up to your waist. They're beginning to
hamper your movement.
>e
Plaza
This is a stone plaza laid out at the foot of the tower. The
door to the tower is closed, but between you and it lies a very
large snake.
The snake uncoils itself and slithers towards you, stopping
only a few feet away. It fixes you with a cold reptilian stare
and starts to weave its head back and forth, trying to
hypnotize you prior to making its strike.
Suddenly the ground below your feet bursts open and a huge
worm crawls up your legs and winds itself around your torso. It
attaches a suckermouth to the back of your helmet and begins to
chew on your headgear.
>drop rat
You drop the rat on the ground near the snake. The reptile's
head darts out like lightning and he sinks his fangs into the
rodent. He unhinges his jaw and swallows the rat whole. The he
settles down to digest the meal and ignores you completely.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>open door
You open the door.
>e
Tower
You are in a large room in the base of the tower. In the
center of the room is the shield generator activation
mechanism.
A small pufferslug is sitting on top of the control panel.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>kill pufferslug with spike
As you reach towards the slug, it suddenly swells to 100 times
its normal size. In its enlarged form, you can't help noticing
it has beady eyes and very sharp fangs. The pufferslug watches
you warily prepared to defend itself if you make another
aggressive move.
>kill pufferslug with spike
You stick the spike into the slug and it explodes, splattering
gooey intestines all over the walls. Yuck. You hate its guts.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
The worm is chewing away steadily at your helmet.
>turn knob
You turn the power knob to the oval symbol and hear a low
buzzing coming from all around you.
>pull lever
You pull the deployment lever toward the blue dot and the
entire room begins to vibrate. You hear a deep rumbling far off
in the distance. It only lasts for a moment, and when the
vibration ceases, the deployment light starts to glow.
>press button
You press the activation button and a deafening high-pitched
squeal hammers at you from all sides.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]
>w
Plaza
>w
Field
>w
Swamp
>w
Anemone Thicket
>w
Jungle Clearing
>up
Remembering Worden's instructions, you leave the spike on the
ground before you enter the ship.
As you squeeze through the hatch, the worm is scraped off onto
the ground. A pterosaur swoops down and makes off with it.
Ship Cabin
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: Orbit, Return ***
Your ship returns to the dock at Gateway, and you undergo
debriefing procedures.
You are awarded a $5,000,000 bonus for activating the shield
generator.
Your spacesuit is cleaned and restowed in the ship.
You are returned to the Hangar Entrance.
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go, Info, Land ***
With a scrape and a thud, your ship touches down. The
high-pitched whine of its engines diminishes to a whisper and
is replaced by silence.
>open hatch
[Getting off the cabin seat first.]
You open the cabin hatch and the internal cabin pressure
equalizes with that of the atmosphere outside with a slight hiss.
>down
Southwestern Shore
Standing on the southwestern shore of a small oval pond, you
notice that your ship sits in the middle of a small blast area.
The scorch mark from its final descent trails off to the north.
The ship's hatch is open. Occasional ripples in the water
disturb the sun's reflection from the pond's surface. Paths
lead away from here to the east and north.
>e
Southern Shore
You're standing on the southern shore of the pond. Sunlight
gently reflects off the calm blue surface of the pond. A leaf
occasionally falls into the pond to the north and causes a
small ripple, distorting the sun's reflection.
Tall grasses and cattails grow near the edge of the peaceful
pond. Lilypads gently bob on its surface. A thick hedge
prohibits further movement toward the south.
The dirt path weaves from east to west through this location.
>e
Southeastern Shore
You're standing on the southeastern shore of the pond. Sun
light gently reflects off the calm blue surface of the pond. A
leaf occasionally falls into the pond to the northwest and
causes a small ripple, distorting the sun's reflection.
A tree provides a comfortable shade where you momentarily
pause, enjoying the silent place adorned with flowers and
bobbing lilypads. A thick hedge lies to the south and east.
The dirt path weaves from north to west through this location.
You see a large stone here.
>take stone
You take the large stone.
>n
Edge of the Forest
You are standing in the cool shade of some towering trees that
are beautiful, yet somehow disturbing. The path surrounding the
pond continues north and south from here, and it intersects
another path that winds into the wooded area to the east. The
tranquil pond lies to the west.
>e
Dark Forest
The interior of the forest is darker than you would have
imagined, given the brightness of the Dorman sun. In competing
for the sun's light, the trees have formed a canopy that is
nearly opaque. Vines gracefully hang beneath the canopy and
occasionally grow between trees. The forest floor is covered
with leaves, branches, and young seedlings.
A path stretches from west to east through the forest. A small
clearing is visible through a gap in the trees to the east.
You see a strong vine and a long branch here.
From your vantage point in the forest, you see a creature in a
clearing to the east. The beast is more horrible than anything
you've dreamt of in your worst nightmares. He stands upright,
but his similarity with the human form stops there. He is
covered with long matted hair from his enormous head to his
huge feet.
He roams back and forth across the clearing, occasionally
picking small red berries from shrubs in the clearing and
putting them in a crude wooden bowl.
[Your score has just gone up by 4.]
>take all
strong vine: With some effort, you rip the vine from the tree
to which it is loosely attached and carefully coil it to make
it easy to carry.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
long branch: Grabbing onto the end of the branch, you free it
from the underbrush.
[Your score has just gone up by 9.]
>wait
Time passes...
You feel slightly sleepy. This feels strange, given that
you've only been awake for ten minutes. Perhaps it is the
unusually short diurnal patterns of this planet.
>wait
Time passes...
Having picked the last of the red berries, the beast exits
into the tunnel entrance on the north side of the clearing.
>wait
Time passes...
The beast enters the forest clearing from a tunnel on the
northern side of the clearing. He pauses and howls for no
apparent reason.
>wait
Time passes...
The beast leaves the forest clearing, entering a cave on the
southeastern side of the clearing.
>e
Forest Clearing
You have arrived at a small clearing in the forest where the
path apparently ends. On the northern edge of the clearing is a
large entrance to a tunnel that disappears into the hillside.
To the southeast is a slightly smaller entrance to a large
cavern. Lots of footprints cover the ground.
>n
Tunnel Antechamber
The tunnel antechamber is a dimly lit room from which many
smaller tunnels lead off. Beams of light barely illuminate
parts of the room. Near the tunnel entrance is an improvised
small wooden bowl. Footprints cover the floor of the tunnel.
You see a wooden bowl here.
>take bowl
You take the wooden bowl.
[Your score has just gone up by 12.]
>s
Forest Clearing
>w
Dark Forest
Six minutes since his last appearance, the beast enters the
forest clearing from a cave entrance on the southeastern side
of the clearing. He plays with his hair and moans quietly.
>w
Edge of the Forest
>n
Northeastern Shore
You're standing on the northeastern shore of the pond. Sun
light gently reflects off the calm blue surface of the pond. A
leaf occasionally falls into the pond to the southwest and
causes a small ripple, distorting the sun's reflection.
A tree provides a comfortable shade where you momentarily
pause, enjoying the silent place adorned with flowers and
bobbing lilypads. A thick hedge lies to the north and east.
The dirt path weaves from west to south through this location.
>w
Northern Shore
You're standing on the northern shore of the pond. Sunlight
gently reflects off the calm blue surface of the pond. A leaf
occasionally falls into the pond to the south and causes a
small ripple, distorting the sun's reflection.
Tall grasses and cattails grow near the edge of the peaceful
pond. Lilypads gently bob on its surface. A thick hedge
prohibits further movement toward the north.
The dirt path weaves from west to east through this location.
You see a small stone here.
>put small stone in bowl
[Taking the small stone first.]
[Your score has just gone up by 6.]
You insert the small stone into the hole in the bottom of the
bowl. It seems to fit well.
>w
Northwestern Shore
You're standing on the northwestern shore of the pond. Sun
light gently reflects off the calm blue surface of the pond. A
leaf occasionally falls into the pond to the southeast and
causes a small ripple, distorting the sun's reflection.
Several bushes in this area are laden with ripe red berries.
Dozens of fallen berries litter the ground. Flowers adorn the
peaceful shore and a thick hedge prohibits movement to the
north and west.
The dirt path weaves from south to east through this location.
>put berry in bowl
Holding the bowl under the berries, you carefully pick a few of
them and let them drop into the bowl. In a few minutes, the
bowl is full.
[Your score has just gone up by 8.]
>e
Northern Shore
>e
Northeastern Shore
The last slice of the Dorman sun sinks below the horizon. It
will be pitch dark very soon. You now feel extremely tired,
though you've only been awake a few hours. Your body's need for
sleep must be accommodated.
>s
Edge of the Forest
>e
Dark Forest
Three minutes since his last appearance, the beast enters the
forest clearing from a tunnel on the northern side of the
clearing. He pauses and howls for no apparent reason.
>sleep
You slump to the ground, making a pillow of fallen leaves, and
drift off into a deep tranquil sleep...
[Your score has just gone up by 6.]
You awake as the sun's first light is cast upon the Dorman
landscape. You feel better rested now than you can ever recall.
>wait
Time passes...
The beast leaves the forest clearing, entering a tunnel on the
northern side of the clearing.
>wait
Time passes...
Two minutes since his last appearance, the beast enters the
forest clearing from a tunnel on the northern side of the
clearing. He stops and sniffs the air carefully, looking
momentarily in the direction of the forest.
>wait
Time passes...
The beast leaves the forest clearing, entering a cave on the
southeastern side of the clearing.
>e
Forest Clearing
>n
Tunnel Antechamber
>drop bowl
You carefully put the wooden bowl back on the floor of the
tunnel antechamber hoping to delay the beast with some food.
[Your score has just gone up by 17.]
>s
Forest Clearing
>w
Dark Forest
Six minutes since his last appearance, the beast enters the
forest clearing from a cave entrance on the southeastern side
of the clearing. He stops and sniffs the air carefully, looking
momentarily in the direction of the forest.
>wait
Time passes...
The beast leaves the forest clearing, entering a tunnel on the
northern side of the clearing.
>e
Forest Clearing
>se
Cave Entrance
Little light is provided by the forest clearing to the
northwest. A small opening to the north catches your attention.
You also see many footprints covering the ground here.
>n
Crystal Cave
Given the meager light coming from the cave entrance, you have
trouble making out much in this room. In the little light there
is, you can clearly see an outcropping of some sort on the cave
wall high above you. Some areas high on the walls are covered
with dried mud that seems to have been thrown on in handfuls.
The mud splatters seem concentrated in the area around the
outcropping. The mud has flaked away in some spots, and beneath
it you can barely make out several shards of sparkling
material. A thin beam of light emanating from the cave ceiling
dimly illuminates the cave. Paths lead off in many directions.
>hit shard with branch
Standing on your toes, you carefully extend the branch up toward
the mud-spattered outcropping. You manage to wedge the end of
the branch under it and, with a slight push, dislodge a
fragment, which falls to the ground.
[Your score has just gone up by 12.]
>take shard
You take the mud-encrusted shard.
[Your score has just gone up by 11.]
>s
Cave Entrance
The horrible beast limps into the cave entrance from the forest
clearing, grunting to himself.
As he enters the cave entrance, the beast's attention is
immediately drawn to you. You freeze, hoping that his attention
will be diverted elsewhere. As he cautiously approaches, a
glint from the glassy surface of the shard you are holding
crosses his face. He stops dead in his tracks for a moment and
then resumes walking toward you.
His grunting gets louder as he seems to become agitated. He
grabs you by your left arm and slams you head first into the
cave wall.
>sw
You can't go that way.
The beast again pulls you into the air by your arm and slams
you against the wall. Realizing you don't stand much of a
chance with this creature, you jump to your feet and easily
dodge his next attack. Running at breakneck speed, you exit the
cave entrance and continue sprinting until you reach the
relative safety of the pond.
Edge of the Forest
>w
Pond
As you wade into the cool clear water, the mud-encrusted shard
slips from your hand into the pond and disappears from sight.
Your blue coverall is now sopping wet. Your boots are now
water-logged.
You bob up and down in the cool water and notice a pronounced
glint on the pond floor.
>dive
Holding your breath, you dive to the bottom of the pond and find
a sparkling crystal. You reclaim it and resurface immediately.
The cleaned shard sparkles with a brilliance you wouldn't have
guessed was possible. Sunlight striking it is reflected off its
many facets in a nearly blinding cacophony of light which seems
at once soothing and frightening.
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]
>e
Edge of the Forest
>e
Dark Forest
>e
Forest Clearing
>wait
Time passes...
The horrible beast limps into the clearing from the cave
entrance, grunting to himself.
As he enters the clearing, the beast's attention is
immediately drawn to you. He immediately becomes transfixed by
the light reflecting off the many facets of the crystal and
stands motionless, staring intently at the crystal shard.
>tie beast with vine
You uncoil the vine, wrap one end around the beast's neck, and
tie a strong knot. You hold the other end of the vine in your
right hand.
[Your score has just gone up by 16.]
>w
Dark Forest
You lead the beast to the dark forest. He pauses for a minute
and scratches the fur on his massive chest, twisting around in
a position that looks anything but comfortable.
>w
Edge of the Forest
You lead the beast to the edge of the forest. He looks
momentarily confused, tilting his head back and forth. The
seizure passes. For a moment the beast looks agitated at the
sight of the pond, but he soon resumes his staring contest with
the crystal, groaning with pleasure as he studies its many
glistening facets.
>n
Northeastern Shore
You lead the beast to the northeastern shore. He gnaws on his
right thumb and hums dissonantly to himself.
>w
Northern Shore
You lead the beast to the northern shore. He looks up,
examines you briefly, and gives you a careful sniff. Then he
looks back with keen interest at the crystal.
The blue coverall has finally dried off.
>w
Northwestern Shore
You lead the beast to the northwestern shore. He looks up,
examines you briefly, and gives you a careful sniff. Then he
looks back with keen interest at the crystal.
You feel slightly sleepy. This feels strange, given that
you've only been awake for twenty nine minutes. Perhaps it is
the unusually short diurnal patterns of this planet.
>s
Western Shore
Looking east, you see a substantial dike between you and the
tranquil pond. Water is flowing across the dike, between
flourishing stands of flowers. A black scar trails away from
the dike toward your landing site to the south and. A lightly
worn path exits this area to the north and south while a thick
hedge prohibits movement to the west. You could easily climb
onto the dike to the east.
You see a huge boulder here.
You lead the beast to the western shore. He looks up, examines
you briefly, and gives you a careful sniff. Then he looks back
with keen interest at the crystal.
>e
Dike
Standing on top of the dike and looking west, you are afforded
a panoramic view of a far off mountain range. To your west lies
a large boulder, apparently dislodged from the dike when your
ship landed. A racing torrent of water is running through a
large gap in the completely damaged dike beneath your feet. You
can enter the pond behind you or climb back down to the western
shore.
There is only enough room for you on top of the dike. You let
go of the vine and the hairy beast hovers on the western shore,
dumbfounded by the play of light off the surface of the crystal
shard.
[Your score has just gone up by 14.]
>throw crystal to pond
You throw the crystal into the pond. It hits with a "Plop", and
then disappears below the surface. For a few long moments, the
beast stares at the spot where the crystal sank. Then he
suddenly snaps out of his trance and gets a murderous gleam in
his eye.
He sees you standing on the dike and seems to burst with
anger. He bends over and picks up the huge boulder. Then he
tosses it at you as if it were a toy. The boulder arches into
the air toward you.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>e
Pond
As you enter the cool water, you hear the crash of the boulder
hitting the dike. Looking back, you see it settle snugly into
the gap, repairing the damage done by your ship. The beast,
infuriated and scared, sprints around the edge of the pond and
runs bellowing into the forest. After a few moments, his
desperate cries fade in the distance.
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]
Shield Generator Control Room
The shield control room contains a variety of complex Heechee
equipment. A small control panel is positioned at waist level
on a metallic disk-shaped shelf. The shelf extends from a large
column that stretches from the floor to the ceiling.
There is small rectangular pool of water on the floor beside
you. You can use it to enter the pond.
>turn knob
You turn the power knob to the oval symbol and hear a low
buzzing coming from all around you.
>pull lever
You pull the deployment lever toward the blue dot and the
entire room begins to vibrate. You hear a deep rumbling far off
in the distance. It only lasts for a moment, and when the
vibration ceases, the deployment light starts to glow.
>press button
You press the activation button and a deafening high-pitched
squeal hammers at you from all sides.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]
>down
Pond
Proud of rescuing the strange alien race, you slowly tread
water, enjoying the peaceful scenery.
Your blue coverall is now sopping wet. Your boots are now
water-logged.
>sw
Southwestern Shore
>up
Remembering Worden's instructions, you leave the long branch and
the large stone on the ground before you enter the ship.
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: Orbit, Return ***
Your ship returns to the dock at Gateway, and you undergo
debriefing procedures.
You are awarded a $5,000,000 bonus for activating the shield
generator.
You are returned to the Hangar Entrance.
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go, Info, Land ***
Your ship levels off, pauses while the automated landing
systems evaluate the terrain, and suddenly makes contact with
the surface, nearly causing you to tumble from your seat.
>open hatch
[Getting off the cabin seat first.]
You open the cabin hatch and the internal cabin pressure
equalizes with that of the atmosphere outside with a slight hiss.
>down
Mountain Plateau
The plateau on which you've landed is surrounded by tall
spindly rock formations. Mountain trails lead down to the
northeast and west. There is a natural archway to the south
through which a ledge is visible. Your ship is here and the
cabin hatch is open.
>s
You squeeze through the small archway and emerge on an
outcropping that provides barely enough room to stand.
Vantage Point
The tiny rock outcropping on which you are now standing
provides an impressive view of the surrounding terrain. Your
precarious position on the outcropping causes your pulse to
quicken noticeably. You cling to the northern rock wall that
contains an archway through which you can see an area of level
ground on which your ship is situated.
A river winds through a deep chasm thousands of meters below
you. On the far shore you notice a metallic glint.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>n
Mountain Plateau
>w
Deep Shaft
Climbing down a steep circular cliff trail, less and less
sunlight reaches the depths to which you are descending. The
trail suddenly comes to a dead end.
Looking straight up you get a sense for the depth of the shaft
you've descended. A shallow pit has been carved out a few
centimeters below the surface.
You see a strange bush, a rusty pickaxe and a pit here.
>take pickaxe
You take the rusty pickaxe.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>e
Mountain Plateau
>ne
Halfway Point
Sprinting down the mountain trail at breakneck speed, you
arrive at a small level area about half of the way down the
mountain. The remainder of the descent looks like it's going to
be extremely easy.
The halfway point on the steep mountain trail gives you a
chance to scan the terrain of the valley below you to the
north. Gently rolling desert hills stretch north to more
verdant meadows and occasional stands of trees. One especially
large tree is visible far to the northwest.
The valley is bounded on the east by a deep chasm gouged over
the eons by a winding river. About a thousand meters below you
to the northeast you spot the wreckage of a small Heechee ship.
It looks like you might have some company. Trails lead away in
several directions.
There is a pile of rocks on the ground.
>look at pile
Upon closer inspection, you notice that the pile of rocks is
actually a crude cairn pointing southwestward from the halfway
point.
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
>nw
Mountain Trailhead
Exhilarated by your jog down the mountain, you turn around and
gaze with pride at the distance you've traveled in such a very
short time.
The mountain trail rises steeply to the southeast up the side
of the mountain. Other less traveled trails lead off toward the
north, west, and northwest.
An old man with a wiry beard looks like he's been waiting for
you at the trailhead. As you approach, the energetic codger
walks up to you and introduces himself.
"Howdy stranger. The name's Becker. Rolf Becker." The old man
extends his right arm toward you in greeting.
>shake hands
"Well met!", says Becker. "Maybe you're okay. I've sorta had my
fill of people and wasn't looking for company, but if you've
got a mind to hang around here, the least I can do is be a
friendly host." Becker pauses, studying you for a moment. "Let
me tell you a little about myself."
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
>wait
Time passes...
"I came here as a young and very successful pilot. By the time
I was thirty five, I'd flown just about every kind of ship and
mission imaginable. I was filthy rich and seemed to have a
special knack for finding Heechee stuff and coming back alive."
>wait
Time passes...
"When I crashed here and realized I probably wouldn't be making
it back home, I was overcome with despair. But after a while I
got over that and started filling my days with the work
necessary to keep me alive. I was damned lucky that this planet
has a breathable atmosphere, I'll tell you that."
>wait
Time passes...
"Anyway, I began cataloging all of the various plants and
animals around here and grew to love each and every one of them.
Yep, studying and caring for the creatures on this plateau has
given me a peace of mind I hadn't imagined possible during my
days as a hotshot pilot."
>wait
Time passes...
"Well," ponders Becker, "I guess that's the end of my story.
There's a lotta other stuff I could tell you about, but you
don't seem that interested. I've got some errands to run so
I'll be going now." As he wanders off, Becker turns to you and
says, "Come by my house sometime and we'll share some
conversation."
"By the way, take it slow across the bridge. I'd hate to have
my new guest fall to an untimely death." He laughs to himself
as he departs the mountain trailhead.
Out of the corner of an eye, you spy a small rodent scurrying
along the sandy desert. When you turn to inspect it more
closely, it freezes in anticipation of your next action.
>nw
Garden
Row upon row of potted plants are arranged here, in the
moderate shade of the tree above. Many varieties of flora are
being grown. One plant with long palm-shaped leaves gives off a
pleasing aroma. A metal pail catches your eye. A ceramic kiln
has been constructed beside the garden and is radiating extreme
heat. A handmade shovel is on the ground behind you.
A huge tree towers directly above you and a rope ladder hangs
down from a treehouse built in the tree's lower branches.
You see a table here.
>take all
metal pail: You take the metal pail from Becker's tidy garden
and dump the plant in it onto the ground.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
plant leaves: You pluck a few of the palm-shaped leaves from the
the plant.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
shovel: Taken.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>up
Tree House
You scramble up the ladder into the well-constructed tree
house. The interior of the makeshift fortress is extremely tidy
and spartan. A wooden desk with a single drawer occupies one
wall and huge windows provide a birds-eye view of the desert
valley.
You see an axe and a wooden desk here.
On the wooden desk you see a field notebook.
>open drawer
You open the drawer and discover some actuator calipers and an
actuator discharger.
>take all
axe: Taken.
field notebook: Taken.
actuator calipers: Taken.
actuator discharger: Taken.
>read notebook
You open the field notebook and read the first entry:
Date: February 21, 2088
Subj: S. canterlope humonga
Observed a four legged animal that strongly resembles a horse
grazing in a grassy area on top of the mountain plateau. It saw
me and ran away but was back in a few hours. I found a good
place to hide and observe him. I named them S. canterlope
humonga, because they canter like horses and are really big.
>read notebook
You turn to the next entry on page 2 of Becker's field notebook:
Date: March 3, 2088
Subj: S. phylangomorph mandibilia
I've been sighting these things on the plateau since I landed.
They range from about ten to twenty centimeters in length and
are about seven centimeters wide. There are thousands of them.
They're invertebrates of some kind but have many of the traits
of amphibians. Their bite is poisonous and hurts like hell. I've
been bitten a few times and the wounds take weeks to heal,
which is why I've named them phylangomorph mandibilia. Their
pincers are about ten times larger than their abdomen. They are
nearly impossible to catch, making them difficult to study.
>read notebook
The next several pages contain a comparative analysis of the
migratory behavior of gyranthymus swoopa. You stop flipping
pages at an interesting entry on page 18:
Date: July 9, 2088
Subj: S. gyranthymus swoopa
Since my arrival, I've had to deal with a huge variety of bird
that is quite prevalent. They strongly resemble pterodactyl
species from Earth textbooks I read as a child. The indigenous
species here are much smaller, though, and extremely
intelligent. I learned quite by accident that various
high-pitched tones elicit specific (and often strange) reactions
in them, perhaps relating to migratory or mating behaviors.
After experimenting with a few handmade whistles, I was able to
make one that causes them to sleep, another that causes them to
attack, and yet another that seems to pacify them.
A few months after I arrived, one aggressive one of these birds
made a nest beside the wreckage of my ship and wouldn't let me
get near it. I eventually was able to find the correct frequency
on a whistle to drive it away. Another one built a nest in the
pinnacles outside my house and yet another whistle was required
to appease it. The whistles don't seem to have the same effect
on each animal. Very strange, indeed. Anyway, I think the one
outside my house likes me. Its been there for a long time and
has periodically protected me from canterlopes that have
wandered into the cliffs. It swoops down from its perch and bars
the way across my rope bridge. But it just lets me pass right
on by.
I've sighted twenty four different subspecies of S. gyr. swoop.
in the vicinity of my home. Some are aggressive but most of
them make themselves scarce when they see me coming.
>read notebook
You turn to the next entry on page 19 of Becker's field
notebook:
Date: February 15, 2089
Subj: S. geraldo cassius
An aggressive species of cactus occurs sparsely throughout the
desert terrain of this planet. Standing over four meters tall,
an adult S. geraldo cassius possesses limbs of unimaginable
destructive power. Clearly as an evolved defense mechanism,
these organisms are able to propel their massive limbs at will
to the detriment of the casual observer. The slightest pressure
on the surface of one of the spine-covered limbs causes the
plant to swing its limbs wildly in the direction of the unwary
victim.
I was lucky enough to learn of these plants' behavior by
watching one impale a helpless injured jackalope that happened
to brush one of its arms. Needles from the arm of the S. geraldo
quickly skewered the animal, causing immediate death. Thank god
these plants do not possess mobility or the desert terrain
would be dominated by huge green barbed aggressors intent on
making pincushions out of all the creatures they encountered.
Although fierce and deadly, the plants do not seem to possess
any reasoning ability and I've often amused myself by throwing
things at them (from a safe distance). The arms wave violently
in all directions for a moment and soon resume their seemingly
harmless frozen pose.
>read notebook
The next several pages contain a study of feeding patterns of
desert invertebrates. You stop flipping pages at an interesting
entry on page 28:
Date: August 13, 2090
Subj: S. rodenta roadrunna
The fastest organism to inhabit this planet appears to be the
ubiquitous S. rodenta roadrunna. Sprinting at speeds exceeding
100 kilometers/hour, they are nearly impossible to catch. I have
been marginally successful at capturing a few injured specimens
for further study, although I always release them when I'm done
with my observations.
They run from 23 to 40 cm in length and resemble miniature
prairie dogs. Their incredible speed seems to be the result of
specialized leg muscles and aerodynamic body shape. They are
warm blooded and seem to bear their children live. Their
metabolism resembles that of earth rodents, their hearts beating
over three hundred times per minute. Perhaps resulting from the
extremely short nights on this planet, they seem to require
little or no sleep.
Analyses of their fecal deposits has led me to conclude that
they subsist largely on a diet of leafy plants and small
insects, of which there are hundreds of species in the local
habitat. They build subterranean tunnels just below the surface
of the desert in which they rest and rear their young. It is
quite amusing to see a tunnel being dug, a slight furrow rising
from the desert as it winds out of sight.
It is not at all uncommon to see a group of S. rodenta racing
at top speed across the desert terrain. Although disconcerting
at first, I have grown fond of their playful games, racing to
and fro amid the fragile ecosystem of my adopted home.
>read notebook
The next several pages contain an analysis of the chemical
composition of gyranthymus droppings. You stop flipping pages
at an interesting entry on page 34:
Date: December 24, 2091
Subj: S. gopheria robustus
Certainly the oddest of intelligent organisms on this planet is
S. gopheria robustus, similar in appearance to Earth dinosaurs,
but extremely small. Standing less than a foot tall, gopheria
are adept at negotiating the craggy cliff tops of the local
terrain. Living like bighorn sheep, they roam courageously atop
the rocky mountaintops, building nests and eating flora that
only occur naturally at extreme elevations.
S. gopheria, like S. rodenta roadrunna, are extremely mobile,
enabling them to evade their natural predators which are, at
this time, unknown to me. They possess an extremely small horn
embedded in their head which serves as a powerful deterrent to
the unwary aggressor. They communicate with each other through a
system of barking and whining that can be quite noisy and
annoying. When happy, the gopheria is a quiet and peaceful
species, desiring lots of food and sleep but little else.
S. gopheria seem to be extremely social, living in groups of
two to seven. I encountered a member of a gopheria 'clan' on a
recent hike in the mountains surrounding the mountain plateau
where I live. It seemed to be stranded on a particularly jagged
cliff top and its friends or family had abandoned it. Risking my
own life, I did manage to free the small creature and it
immediately befriended me, following close behind my heels all
the way back to my house. It insisted on sleeping on my mattress
until I fashioned one especially for it. It seems content to
lounge around my home day in and out, leaving only occasionally
to hunt for the mysterious plants it needs to survive.
As pets go, S. gopheria is certainly one of the gentlest and
most rewarding animals a human could befriend, attentive and
empathetic, and requiring little other than a soft bed.
>read notebook
The next several pages contain observations of the mating
rituals of gopheria robustus. You stop flipping pages at an
interesting entry on page 47:
Date: January 1, 2092
Subj: S. jubifruitus deliciosa
Tracking my adopted S. gopheria, I was able to finally
determine the exact species of plant it requires for
subsistence. S. jubifruitus deliciosa is a quite delicious and
sweet leafy plant that occurs naturally at extreme elevation in
the mountains surrounding my clifftop home. The leaves of S.
jubifruitus give off a pungent and sweet aroma and S. gopheria
seems to eat twice its weight in them every few days.
>read notebook
You turn to the next entry on page 48 of Becker's field
notebook:
Date: January 2, 2094
Subj: S. winnerpeller avia
Napping in a nearby meadow, I came across the strangest of
trees I've seen so far. These trees, which I've named S.
winnerpeller avia, produce seeds which occasionally take flight
like small helicopters, spinning around a few feet in the air.
They then settle back toward the ground. Perhaps this behavior
is a defense mechanism, protecting them from predators. Perhaps
the seeds re-orient themselves to areas where soil conditions
are better. These questions remained unanswered.
As far as I've been able to determine, the one S. winnerpeller
avia I've found is the only one on this entire plateau. It may
be the last of its kind and I treat it with special care,
watering it occasionally during times of drought.
>read notebook
The next several pages contain recordings of average ground
speeds of rodenta roadrunna. You stop flipping pages at an
interesting entry on page 78:
Date: October 5, 2097
Subj: S. mendobrillium violeta
This strange bush resembles a creosote but possesses leaves
shaped like flyswatters that attack small insects hovering
beside them. Apparently not carnivorous, the reason for this
evolved behavior is unclear. It is, however, quite amusing to
watch.
>read notebook
You turn to the next entry on page 79 of Becker's field
notebook:
Date: May 2, 2098
Subj: S. parroo vocallis
I first observed S. parroo vocallis early this year, hunting
for rodenta scurrying across on the desert floor. They resemble
parakeets and make an awful racket, screeching and squawking
constantly. They're extremely timid and avoid all contact with
me with one very strange exception. I discovered this quite by
accident when I was experimenting with some drums I manufactured
to enhance my life here with the joys of music. One day while I
was experimenting with abstract meterless rhythms, a parroo
landed less than a meter away from me and began squawking like
crazy. The moment I stopped playing, he flew away, but
immediately returned when I resumed my playing.
I'm not sure this is a trait shared by all S. parroo, but
whenever I start playing, one of them soon appears and lands on
the stand, squawking along with me until I'm done.
Perhaps S. parroo vocallis possesses an innate attraction to
certain percussive rhythms and is drawn to rhythmic sources
against its will. More study is required of this strange bird.
>read notebook
You've already read the entire notebook. Do you want to start
at the beginning again?
>down
Garden
You see a table here.
>se
Mountain Trailhead
Exhilarated by your jog down the mountain, you turn around and
gaze with pride at the distance you've traveled in such a very
short time.
>se
Halfway Point
Huffing and puffing from the long climb and in serious need of
a rest, you arrive at a small level area about half of the way
up the mountain. The remainder of the ascent looks like it's
going to be grueling.
There is a cairn on the ground.
>se
Crash Site
Confused by the many turns, climbs and descents of the
mountain trail, you arrive at the mountaintop crash site.
The remains of Becker's ship fill the flat area on this lower
mountain plateau. Various pieces of Heechee junk and
disassembled equipment litter the plateau. An apparently
abandoned nest occupies a rock formation on the opposite side
of the plateau. A large geraldo cactus is here and a path
climbs away to the northwest.
You see a venturi, a fuse cover, a bedistor, a terrain sensor,
a doppler antenna, a maintenance crib, an actuator chassis and
a geraldo cactus here.
On the maintenance crib you see some thyristor clips.
The actuator chassis has an actuator panel.
The actuator panel has some grommets.
On the geraldo cactus you see a wooden whistle.
[Your score has just gone up by 3.]
>open crib
You open the maintenance crib and discover a flange defuser and
a grommet wrench.
>take all
flange defuser: Taken.
grommet wrench: Taken.
wooden whistle: Taking the utmost care not to touch the cactus
itself, you untie the whistle from the geraldo cactus and wear
it around your neck.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]
>nw
Halfway Point
Huffing and puffing from the long climb and in serious need of
a rest, you arrive at a small level area about half of the way
up the mountain. The remainder of the ascent looks like it's
going to be grueling.
There is a cairn on the ground.
>nw
Mountain Trailhead
Exhilarated by your jog down the mountain, you turn around and
gaze with pride at the distance you've traveled in such a very
short time.
>n
Meadow
A small desolate meadow is home to a large winnerpeller tree.
One especially long branch extends out from the tree's trunk.
Dozens of seeds lie about the base of the tree.
On the other side of the chasm you notice something small and
glassy.
>n
Cliff Trailhead
Towering cliff formations surround the small level area here.
Trails lead off in several directions, generally upward toward
the northeast and downward to the southwest.
There is a pile of rocks on the ground.
>look at pile
Upon closer inspection, you notice that the pile of rocks is
actually a crude cairn pointing northeastward from the cliff
trailhead.
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
>ne
You scramble up the mountain trail to the northeast and, quite
breathless, come again to level ground far above the desert
valley.
Pinnacles
A rope bridge stretches southeastward across a chasm. It
connects to a doorway on the opposite side of the chasm. The
sound of rushing water in the river far below is barely
audible. A large nest is perched high on a formation nearby.
Other than the bridge, the only other apparent way out of here
is back down the steep trail to the southwest.
You see a coil of rope here.
The gyranthymus swoops down from a nest built into a pinnacle
above you and lands on the path between you and the rope
bridge.
>take rope
You take the coil of rope.
[Your score has just gone up by 6.]
>blow whistle
Putting the whistle to your mouth, you play a long shrill note
with the wooden whistle. The gyranthymus immediately takes to
the air and lands in the nest high above you.
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
>se
You make your way cautiously onto the rope bridge. It sways
dizzyingly as you slowly make the treacherous crossing.
Becker's House
Becker's house is a cavernous room built inside the top of a
rocky pinnacle. A large Heechee column extends from the ceiling
to the floor with a disk-shaped shelf extending from it at
waist level. There's a small control panel on the shelf,
covered by a small handmade mattress on which a gopheria is
sprawled. A small housing underneath the panel is open,
revealing a tray for a focal lens, a socket for a lens cover,
and a slot for an actuator cell.
Becker is lounging on a large mattress lying nearby on the
floor. Beside it is a personal log. A closed door is set into
one wall and a wooden stand occupies a corner beside a strange
blue machine.
Becker notices you coming in his front door and says, "So you
found it, did you? Come on in and have a look around."
The gopheria stands up on the small mat and sniffs the air,
looking pointedly in your direction.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>give magazine to man
"Thanks! I've been cast off from civilization for so long that
I'd be very interested in any news from home."
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
>ask about stand
"I use that in my musical pursuits. You aren't interested in
music, are you?"
>y
"Ah, music. I surely do miss it at times." Becker sits up
straight on the mattress and smiles broadly. I've made a few
musical instruments since I came here and I've been practicing
quite a bit. Do you play?"
>y
"You do! Wonderful. I've been lookin' forward to playin' with
other musicians. Do you want to play?"
>y
"Great," says Becker exuberantly.
Becker opens the wooden door and disappears for a minute. He
soon emerges holding two wooden drums with tops made from
animal hide. "The animals I skinned to make these drums were
long dead when I got to them. I figured I might as well put
them to good use. Music soothes my soul, as they say."
He places one of the drums in front of you and sits back down
on his mattress and begins to tap out an interesting beat.
"Join in whenever you want," says Becker.
>play drum
[Taking the drum first.]
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
You exercise your musical talents and join in the percussive
fray.
Becker and you continue banging away on his fine percussion
instruments.instruments.
>wait
Time passes...
Becker and you continue banging away on his fine percussion
instruments.instruments.
>wait
Time passes...
Becker and you continue banging away on his fine percussion
instruments.instruments.
>wait
Time passes...
Becker and you continue banging away on his fine percussion
instruments.instruments. A parroo flies in through the front
door of Rolf's house and takes a position on the wooden stand.
It immediately joins in, squawking approximately in time with
Becker's pounding.pounding.
>wait
Time passes...
Becker and you continue banging away on his fine percussion
instruments.instruments.
>wait
Time passes...
Becker and you continue banging away on his fine percussion
instruments.instruments.
>wait
Time passes...
Becker drums his way to a dramatic flourish and concludes. You
do an impressive solo finale as well. The parroo takes flight,
leaving Becker's house from the doorway it entered.
"That was a lot of fun," beams Becker. "You aren't half bad,
either. We'll have to play again sometime." He takes both of
the drums, returns them to the room behind the wooden door, and
securely fastens the door again.
>drop leaves
As the gopheria spots the jubifruitus leaves, it begins panting
and screeching vigorously. The gopheria leaps into the air and
snatches the pungent leaves from your hand. Now on the floor of
Becker's house, the creature begins rapidly consuming them.
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
>move small mat to ground
[Taking the small mat first.]
You drop the small mat on the floor beside the control panel and
the gopheria leaps onto it, and begins chirping pitifully.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>ask about lens
"Which one was that, the shiny sparkly thingy or the hmmm..."
Becker seems to have temporarily lost his place in the book of
life. In a moment he resumes. "I really don't remember much
about it. Sorry."
>ask about actuator
"There's a field actuator in most large Heechee machines. The
actuator has something to do with power generation. I learned
about them from some scientist on Gateway years ago and I don't
rightly remember much else about them. There's probably a
salvageable one in the wreckage of my ship."
>ask about lens cover
"If you got me something special from the mine, I might give it
to you."
>ask about mine
"That's the mine I explored in the mountains to the south. I
managed to pull a fair bit of vermaculite out of there."
>ask about ore
"I mined a fair bit of vermaculite from a shaft in the
mountains to the south. It turns out that vermaculite makes my
garden pots about a hundred times stronger than they are
without it. It took me forever to find some and, when I finally
did, I used it up real fast."
"If you manage to find me some of that purple stuff, I'll give
you the lens cover that I took from underneath that panel."
>nw
You make your way cautiously onto the rope bridge. It sways
dizzyingly as you slowly make the treacherous crossing.
Pinnacles
The gyranthymus cares for its young in the nest high above the
trail.
>sw
Cliff Trailhead
There is a cairn on the ground.
>s
Meadow
>tie rope to branch
Holding one end of the rope in one hand, you throw the other
end at the long limb. It arcs gracefully through the air and
over the limb, coming to rest nearby. Picking up the dangling
end, you tie a strong double half-hitch knot and pull it tight
against the limb.
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
A small yellow phylangomorph flits along the ground near you,
dancing sideways toward your feet.
>e
Taking a running jump, you swing on the rope out across the
deep chasm. Although you don't swing out far enough to land on
the opposite side of the chasm, you do manage to grab the small
glass object before you swing back.
After returning to the ground, you recognize it to be a small
Heechee focal lens.
[Your score has just gone up by 12.]
The phylangomorph flits away across the desert floor and
burrows beneath the soil and out of sight.
>sw
River Trailhead
You've reached a junction of several trails beside the chasm
to the west. The chasm is not quite as deep as it appeared from
the mountain plateau that you landed on. Looking back to the
east, the trail makes its way back to the mountain trailhead.
To the north and northeast lie the desert valley. A small trail
leads up and to the southwest, disappearing behind a rock
formation.
There is a pile of rocks on the ground.
You see a tiller here.
>take tiller
You take the tiller.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>look at pile
Upon closer inspection, you notice that the pile of rocks is
actually a crude cairn pointing southwestward from the river
trailhead.
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
>sw
River Overlook
This hike was much more difficult than it originally looked.
Sweaty and aching, you struggle to the cliff top overlook.
The view from the river overlook is a panoramic view of the
river chasm running from north to south slightly to the west of
the overlook. From here it is clear that the river turns
eastward toward the mountain plateau as it passes beneath you
and toward the south.
The ground is composed entirely of solid rock.
You see a mendobrillium here.
>dig rock
You swing the pickaxe hard at the rocky surface. You barely
scratch it, but you've made some progress. After a short while
you are so exhausted that you collapse from fatigue.
[Your score has just gone up by 12.]
>dig rock
You dig some more and get all sweaty and irritable.
>dig rock
You dig some more with the pickaxe, realizing how hard digging
rock with a pickaxe actually is. Approaching total exhaustion,
you discover a tiny vein of vermaculite.
>take ore
You take the vermaculite from the pit.
[Your score has just gone up by 12.]
>ne
River Trailhead
The hike down the river overlook trail is a breeze and you
soon arrive back at the trailhead.
There is a cairn on the ground.
>ne
Meadow
>n
Cliff Trailhead
There is a cairn on the ground.
>ne
You scramble up the mountain trail to the northeast and, quite
breathless, come again to level ground far above the desert
valley.
Pinnacles
The gyranthymus cares for its young in the nest high above the
trail.
>se
You make your way cautiously onto the rope bridge. It sways
dizzyingly as you slowly make the treacherous crossing.
Becker's House
You see a small mat here.
Becker is holding a magazine.
The gopheria whimpers quietly atop his mattress.
>ask about glint
"You must be talking about that metal strut you can see from
the plateau where you landed. I've been trying to get that darn
strut for years."
"I used to visit that overlook a lot in the old days but I
accidentally dropped the strut from there many years back. It
was very useful to me then as a walking stick and would now
serve well as a cane. I'm not getting any younger, y'know."
"I've got a plan to get it, but it'll require the two of us
working together. Are you willing to try helping me?" Becker
looks at you expectantly.
>y
"It's not going to be easy and it might not even work at all.
But without your help I'd never get it. Are you really gonna
help me?"
>y
"Great! I'm ready to begin when you are. The first thing we've
got to do is find my raft and tiller, and something for you to
bail water with."
Rolf Becker, the crunchy granola space dude, is poring over an
article entitled "Intensive Study of Japanese Language and
Customs".
>give tiller to rolf
"Thanks," Becker replies, taking the tiller. "I'll need this to
steer that old raft of mine."
Rolf Becker, a botanist and zoologist supreme, is poring over a
half-page hologram advertising United Motors' newest addition
for 2103: The Phalanx CR.
>nw
You make your way cautiously onto the rope bridge. It sways
dizzyingly as you slowly make the treacherous crossing.
Pinnacles
The gyranthymus cares for its young in the nest high above the
trail.
Favoring one leg, Becker follows you into the pinnacles.
Rolf Becker, the wrinkled old man, is poring over a consumer
review of Exoflex bodysuits, the "One piece, one gram clothing
substitute".
>sw
Cliff Trailhead
There is a cairn on the ground.
Hobbling while humming to himself, Becker follows you into the
cliff trailhead.
Rolf Becker, the way-cool earth daddy, is poring over a
half-page hologram advertising United Motors' newest addition
for 2103: The Phalanx CR.
>w
River Shore
The path ends as it approaches the shore of the river. The
river from east to west and then immediately turns southward
and out of view. You can hear the crash of white water in the
distance although it is fairly calm beside the shore.
A handmade wooden raft is pulled up on the shore.
Looking unsure of himself, Becker follows you into the river
shore.
Rolf Becker, the master carpenter, is poring over a recipe for
New Age Moo Goo Gai Pan.
>get on raft
You're now on the raft.
Rolf Becker, a botanist and zoologist supreme, is poring over a
recipe for New Age Moo Goo Gai Pan.
>tell rolf to get on raft
"Oh, yeah. Sure. We're ready to go." He steps gingerly onto the
raft. "This is sure going to be heaps of fun, sailor." Becker
climbs onto the raft, grinning widely.
>launch
With all your might, you push the rickety raft into the river.
River
The rapidly churning water all around you is a little alarming
but Becker seems to know what he's doing.
Becker is holding a magazine.
Becker adeptly steers the raft around the first bend and into
the rapids. The raft has already taken on a lot of water.
"Steady as she goes," shouts Becker over the din of the white
water.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]
>bail
You bail like crazy and manage to keep the rickety craft
afloat.
"Bail sailor," Becker shrieks at you. He really seems to be
enjoying this. The river proceeds due south beneath canyon walls
that continue to rise. You see a gyranthymus circling above you
just below the canyon rim. Getting your bearings, you recognize
the features of the river trailhead area.
>bail
You bail like crazy and manage to keep the rickety craft
afloat.
"Bail sailor," Becker shrieks at you. He really seems to be
enjoying this. The river begins a slow turn eastward and you
leave the white water behind. Becker whistles a sailing song of
some sort. The canyon walls are still getting steeper.
>bail
You bail like crazy and manage to keep the rickety craft
afloat.
"Bail sailor," Becker shrieks at you. He really seems to be
enjoying this. The river proceeds in a straight line in front of
you, heading due east. You must be approaching the shore where
you saw the metal strut.
>bail
You bail like crazy and manage to keep the rickety craft
afloat.
The river gets shallow here and the raft soon runs aground.
Picking it up you and Becker carry it north until the water
deepens again. Along the way, Becker leans down and picks up
his cane and smiles at you. "We're quite a team. Yes, indeed.
Quite a team." You put the raft back in the water, get in
position and resume your journey. You immediately reenter white
water and Becker yells out, "Bail, Ensign!"
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
>bail
You bail like crazy and manage to keep the rickety craft
afloat.
"Bail sailor," Becker shrieks at you. He really seems to be
enjoying this. The river turns sharply north and Becker
carefully compensates with his tiller. You've completely lost
your bearings now and wonder if you'll ever make it back.
"Pretty good raft. I really need to work on making it
watertight, though." Becker whistles another tune.
>bail
You bail like crazy and manage to keep the rickety craft
afloat.
You and Becker both spot the waterfall coming up ahead. You
look at him. He looks at you. Just in time, you both dive from
the raft and climb up safely onto level ground.
Becker looks with interest as his raft and tiller are thrown
over the waterfall and destroyed in the white water beneath the
fall. "Now that's what I call a decent field trip," says
Becker, beaming. "I got my cane back too." He holds out the
cane and twirls it artfully. "Been missing this sucker for
quite a while."
"I'll make me another raft in no time. Then we'll do it again.
I can't wait. Wasn't that fun, Ensign Bailer? Hee hee hee." He
starts climbing off toward the northwest.
Waterfall
You're standing beside the dramatic waterfall that terminated
your raft trip with Admiral Becker. There isn't any developed
trail here and the only possible exit is a steep climb to the
northwest. The river and waterfall prohibit movement in other
directions.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]
>nw
Crash Site
Confused by the many turns, climbs and descents of the
mountain trail, you arrive at the mountaintop crash site.
You see a venturi, a fuse cover, a bedistor, a terrain sensor,
a doppler antenna, a maintenance crib, an actuator chassis and
a geraldo cactus here.
On the maintenance crib you see some thyristor clips.
The actuator chassis has an actuator panel.
The actuator panel has some grommets.
Becker sprints ahead of you and out of sight.
>remove grommets with wrench
You spend a while getting used to operating the grommet wrench
and eventually succeed in removing all four grommets from the
actuator panel. You bend the panel on its hinges, revealing an
actuator cylinder.
>look at cylinder
The actuator cylinder is a foot long depression in the actuator
chassis. A small round cap is securely fastened to the cylinder.
>unscrew cap
With minor effort, you manage to unscrew the cap from the
actuator cylinder, revealing a field actuator.
>remove connector with defuser
You experiment with the flange defuser for a long while and
eventually figure out how to use it to defuse the flange
connector from its housing. You toss the connector onto the
ground.
Removing the connector reveals a green cube-shaped actuator
core within the canister.
>attach gray clip to tetrahedron anode
You attach the gray clip to the tetrahedron anode and hear a
pleasing click.
>attach blue clip to pyramid anode
You attach the blue clip to the pyramid anode and hear a
pleasing click.
>remove core with calipers
The actuator calipers are much easier to use than the wrench or
defuser and in a moment you have the calipers secured to the
core. You pull the core from the canister. Its top pops open to
reveal an actuator cell.
>take cell
You pick up the actuator cell.
[Your score has just gone up by 12.]
>nw
Halfway Point
Huffing and puffing from the long climb and in serious need of
a rest, you arrive at a small level area about half of the way
up the mountain. The remainder of the ascent looks like it's
going to be grueling.
There is a cairn on the ground.
>nw
Mountain Trailhead
Exhilarated by your jog down the mountain, you turn around and
gaze with pride at the distance you've traveled in such a very
short time.
>n
Meadow
>n
Cliff Trailhead
There is a cairn on the ground.
>ne
You scramble up the mountain trail to the northeast and, quite
breathless, come again to level ground far above the desert
valley.
Pinnacles
The gyranthymus cares for its young in the nest high above the
trail.
>se
You make your way cautiously onto the rope bridge. It sways
dizzyingly as you slowly make the treacherous crossing.
Becker's House
You see a small mat here.
Becker is holding a magazine.
The gopheria whimpers quietly atop his mattress.
>give ore to rolf
"Yep, this is more than enough to make hundreds of strong pots.
I'm gonna have to check this vermaculite out and make sure it's
real, but it'll only take me a few minutes. Meet me down by my
garden in a while and, if it's real, I'll give you this thingy
I promised you." He dashes out the door of his house toward the
garden.
>take private log
You take the personal log.
>read private log
You open the personal log and read the first entry:
April 3, 2087
"My ship was irrevocably damaged in landing on this desolate
and forbidding world. Food and water stores were lost. My leg is
injured but it looks like it will heal. I'm able to scout the
immediate area. Luckily, the water in the nearby river
surrounding this plateau is potable. Food is going to be a
bigger problem. It looks like I'm stranded. I should've quit
when I was ahead."
>read private log
You proceed to the next entry on page 2 of Becker's engrossing
personal log:
April 4, 2087
"There were animals rummaging outside the wreckage of my ship
last night. I didn't see them but there are animal tracks all
over the ground. If they'd been any more curious, they'd have
found me. I'll try to find a safer place to sleep tonight. Leg
is a little better but I'm getting hungry."
>read private log
You proceed to the next entry on page 3 of Becker's engrossing
personal log:
April 5, 2087
"Discovered a room atop a nearby cliff of apparent Heechee
construction. There's all sorts of electronic equipment in there
I don't recognize. I spent the night there last night. It's
quite a strenuous climb to the room and the condition of my leg,
which is improving, makes it even more difficult to reach. I'm
really hungry now, though I've found a few roots which seem to
be edible."
>read private log
You proceed to the next entry on page 4 of Becker's engrossing
personal log:
April 10, 2087
"The roots weren't enough. I remembered that most Heechee
machines contain actuator cells that can be used as weapons and
successfully removed one from one of the Heechee panels. I used
it to kill a horse-like creature I found grazing in a nearby
valley. Man, that cell went off like a miniature cannon! As I
was flaying the beast, I became so sick and disgusted that I
buried the creature's carcass just west of the trailhead leading
to my ship. I buried the actuator core with the beast so I
wouldn't be tempted into using it again. Roots will have to do
for now."
>read private log
The next 105 pages are a dissertation on the diurnal patterns of
various animals of this planet. You resume reading from page 109:
December 17, 2087
"Life here is actually getting quite bearable. I've found some
other edible plants and gotten pretty good at collecting enough
water to last several days at a time. My leg is almost
completely healed, so I'm only limping a little. The weather
here is pretty predictable, although a bit on the hot side
during the day. I haven't seen another of the horse-like
creatures since I murdered one many months ago. I miss Adriana.
A lot."
>read private log
The next 69 pages are a discussion of tidal and diurnal patterns
observable in local flora. You resume reading from page 178:
February 3, 2088
"I'm spending a lot of time looking for plants to eat. Most of
the stands of edible vegetation have been picked clean by now,
and I find myself going on longer and longer hikes to find
enough food to eat. I'm going to have to start growing my own,
so I've put a lot of energy into trying to make clay strong
enough to make pots out of. There's a vent from the planet's
interior west of the meadow that could be used to fire pots if
only I could come up with some good clay."
>read private log
You proceed to the next entry on page 179 of Becker's
engrossing personal log:
February 20, 2088
"I'm starting a separate journal, a field notebook of sorts for
cataloging the many plants and animals I've come to know on
this beautiful world. So, all entries relating to my botanical
and zoological research will be made in that book and I'll
reserve this log as my personal journal."
>read private log
The next 6 pages are a collection of poems and personal musings.
You resume reading from page 185:
June 1, 2088
"Success! I found a combination of minerals from which to make
decent clay. I mix mud from the nearby chasm's riverbed with a
purple ore I've mined from deep within the tall mountain south
of the meadow. I built a strong pickaxe from various pieces of
my ship that helps immeasurably with the mining. I covered the
hot vent with rocks and have fired a few strong pots so far.
Pretty soon I'll have a full-fledged garden. These activities
are keeping me quite busy and I'm really enjoying the challenge
of survival on this planet."
>read private log
The next 13 pages are a treatise on the virtues of a solitary
life. You resume reading from page 198:
October 17, 2088
"Whenever I'm lonely
and tired from toil
I go to bed early
and dream dreams royale
-R. Becker"
>read private log
The next 9 pages are a collection of hand renderings of plants
and animals. You resume reading from page 207:
April 3, 2089
"Two years here and no sign of a rescue in the offing. Just as
well, I suppose. Lately I've got to thinking that my life as a
Gateway pilot was pretty empty. I was risking my life for wealth
and fame and, having gotten both, was completely unsatisfied.
On the other hand, since I've been "stranded" here, I've become
a happy person. It's quite a puzzle. I wonder what Adriana is
doing right now, if she's given up all hope that I'll return.
She's probably in the arms of some other foolish pilot at this
very moment."
>read private log
You proceed to the next entry on page 208 of Becker's
engrossing personal log:
April 18, 2089
"It looks like I've mined all of the purple ore that there was
and I've only made about forty pots. They'll have to do for now.
I'll continue mining for the ore at other sites but I'm not
optimistic. There's a kind of plant growing near the mine where
I found the ore that I haven't seen anywhere else. Perhaps if I
find another of those plants, there'll be ore nearby. Meanwhile,
I've begun growing plants in earnest and my field notebook is
becoming filled with data about indigenous plants and animals.
I've named this planet Adriana 1."
>read private log
The next 15 pages are a another collection of bad poetry. You
resume reading from page 223:
June 2, 2089
"Two suns
in the sky
Would be sad
if one would die
Sometimes miss home
but more often don't
I'll be gone soon enough
but things 'round here won't
-R. Becker"
>read private log
You proceed to the next entry on page 438 of Becker's
engrossing personal log:
July 15, 2098
"I'm an idiot. I accidentally dropped my walking stick off the
edge of the plateau overlook. It bounced off the canyon walls as
it fell and wound up in plain view beside the river at the
bottom of the chasm. I guess I'm going to be doing without it
from now on. Damn!"
>read private log
The next 4 pages are a yet another collection of bad poems and
personal musings. You resume reading from page 442:
January 1, 2100
"New years day, 2100. Big whoop."
>read private log
The next 8 pages are a failed attempt at mapping the Nemiran sky.
You resume reading from page 450:
December 8, 2100
"It came to me suddenly as I was rummaging around for recently
fallen timber near the river: A boat made from wood would allow
me to explore the chasm and retrieve my walking stick. I'm
beginning tomorrow. It should only take a few weeks to build it."
>read private log
The next 39 pages are a somewhat successful attempt at mapping
the Nemiran sky. You resume reading from page 489:
March 28, 2101
"Determined to retrieve my walking stick, which would make a
good general purpose cane, I built a raft and tiller from the
branches of fallen trees. My shipbuilding skill wasn't up to
snuff. The vessel isn't seaworthy. It takes on water too quickly
for me to steer and bail at the same time. Maybe I'll find some
naturally occurring resin to seal it with, but I haven't seen
anything like that yet. With this effort, my attempts at
exploring the chasm have also been brought to a halt."
>read private log
The rest of the journal is comprised mostly of bad poetry and
personal reflections of Becker upon his navel. Do you want to
start at the beginning again?
>nw
You make your way cautiously onto the rope bridge. It sways
dizzyingly as you slowly make the treacherous crossing.
Pinnacles
The gyranthymus cares for its young in the nest high above the
trail.
>sw
Cliff Trailhead
There is a cairn on the ground.
>sw
Garden
You see a table here.
Becker is holding a magazine.
"What took you so long," snickers Becker. "Anyways, here's the
lens cover I promised you, friend." He drops it in your open
palm. "I always keep my word." He starts back toward his house,
but turns back to add, "If I haven't told you already, leave my
gardening and pottery stuff alone."
[Your score has just gone up by 12.]
>ne
Cliff Trailhead
There is a cairn on the ground.
>ne
You scramble up the mountain trail to the northeast and, quite
breathless, come again to level ground far above the desert
valley.
Pinnacles
The gyranthymus cares for its young in the nest high above the
trail.
>se
You make your way cautiously onto the rope bridge. It sways
dizzyingly as you slowly make the treacherous crossing.
Becker's House
You see a small mat here.
Becker is holding a magazine.
The gopheria whimpers quietly atop his mattress.
>put lens in tray
Lying on your back, you manage to drop the lens back into its
original position within the lens housing.
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]
>put cell in tray
You easily replace the missing power source with the actuator
cell.
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]
>put lens cover in housing
Lying on your back, you manage to position the lens cover back
into its original position within the housing.
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]
>ask about wife
"I kind of miss that flaky lady." Becker smiles faintly.
"You're probably wondering if I'll be coming back to Gateway
with you, right?"
>yes
"I haven't decided yet, but here's my thoughts on it at this
point."
"You showed me the courtesy of greeting me properly, you
avoided killing the harmless gyranthymus, you haven't hurt Mr.
Pookie, although he wants his bed moved back, you managed to
get your precious lens without harming the winnerpeller tree,
you were ingenious in your disassembly of my ship's actuator,
you let me read your magazine, you helped me get this cane, and
you jammed with me."
"I think you're a good man, friend."
"I'm currently leaning toward coming back to Gateway with you,
friend.
>turn knob
You turn the power knob to the oval symbol and hear a low
buzzing coming from all around you.
>pull lever
You pull the deployment lever toward the blue dot and the
entire room begins to vibrate. You hear a deep rumbling far off
in the distance. It only lasts for a moment, and when the
vibration ceases, the deployment light starts to glow.
>press button
You press the activation button and a deafening high-pitched
squeal hammers at you from all sides.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]
>ask about wife
"I kind of miss that flaky lady." Becker smiles faintly.
"You're probably wondering if I'll be coming back to Gateway
with you, right?"
>y
"I haven't decided yet, but here's my thoughts on it at this
point."
"You showed me the courtesy of greeting me properly, you
avoided killing the harmless gyranthymus, you haven't hurt Mr.
Pookie, although he wants his bed moved back, you managed to
get your precious lens without harming the winnerpeller tree,
you were ingenious in your disassembly of my ship's actuator,
you let me read your magazine, you helped me get this cane, and
you jammed with me."
"So, to sum up, I guess my opinion of you is about the same as
before. You're a good man, friend."
"I'm currently leaning toward coming back to Gateway with you,
friend.
>nw
You make your way cautiously onto the rope bridge. It sways
dizzyingly as you slowly make the treacherous crossing.
Pinnacles
The gyranthymus cares for its young in the nest high above the
trail.
>sw
Cliff Trailhead
There is a cairn on the ground.
>s
Meadow
Out of the corner of an eye, you spy a rodenta scurrying along
the sandy desert. When you turn to inspect it more closely, it
freezes in anticipation of your next action.
>s
Mountain Trailhead
Exhilarated by your jog down the mountain, you turn around and
gaze with pride at the distance you've traveled in such a very
short time.
"It looks like you're getting ready to leave, friend. Well,
listen." Becker pauses, apparently collecting his thoughts.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking about you."
"You showed me the courtesy of greeting me properly, you
avoided killing the harmless gyranthymus, you haven't hurt Mr.
Pookie, although he wants his bed moved back, you managed to
get your precious lens without harming the winnerpeller tree,
you were ingenious in your disassembly of my ship's actuator,
you let me read your magazine, you helped me get this cane, and
you jammed with me."
"So, to sum up, I guess my opinion of you is about the same as
before. You're a good man, friend."
"I've decided to come back with you, if you'll have me. How
about it, friend?" Becker seems to waiting patiently for your
answer.
Rolf Becker, the master carpenter, is poring over reviews of
consumer virtual reality gear.
>y
"I'm ready to go when you are. Lead the way."
Rolf Becker, the distinguished poet laureate scholar, is
poring over a half-page hologram advertising United Motors'
newest addition for 2103: The Phalanx CR.
>se
Halfway Point
Huffing and puffing from the long climb and in serious need of
a rest, you arrive at a small level area about half of the way
up the mountain. The remainder of the ascent looks like it's
going to be grueling.
There is a cairn on the ground.
Looking confused, Becker follows you into the halfway point.
Rolf Becker, the master shipbuilder, is poring over a recipe
for New Age Moo Goo Gai Pan.
>sw
Mountain Plateau
Exhausted by the long climb and gasping for air, you lean
against your ship and catch your breath.
Hobbling while humming to himself, Becker follows you into the
mountain plateau.
Rolf Becker, the distinguished naturalist, is poring over a
diagram depicting various calisthenic positions.
>up
"Well, I guess this is it," says Becker, dejectedly. He looks
around slowly, takes a deep breath and prepares to enter the
ship.
Remembering Worden's instructions, you leave the actuator core,
the cylinder cap, the personal log, the actuator discharger,
the actuator calipers, the field notebook, the axe, the shovel,
the metal pail, the grommet wrench, the flange defuser, the
rusty pickaxe, and the wooden whistle on the ground before you
enter the ship.
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
Looking confused, Becker follows you into the ship cabin.
Rolf Becker, the way-cool earth daddy, is poring over a recipe
for New Age Moo Goo Gai Pan.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: Orbit, Return ***
Your ship returns to the dock at Gateway, and you undergo
debriefing procedures.
You are awarded a $5,000,000 bonus for activating the shield
generator.
You receive a $1,000,000 reward for the return of Rolf Becker.
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]
You are met immediately after your debriefing by a very
serious looking MP. He escorts you up to the conference room in
the Corporation offices on Level Dog. Leonard Worden and Yung
Seon Lee are waiting for you.
Board Room
You see Yung Seon Lee and Leonard Worden here.
>e
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
>se
Heecheetown
>n
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>up
You step into the dropshaft and are whisked up to Level Babe.
Corridor B5
A dropshaft (leading to Level Dog) is on the south side of the
passageway. The corridor continues to the east and west.
>w
Corridor B4
The corridor comes to a dead end before you, with the familiar
human construction giving way to the strange, almost melted
look of glowing blue Heechee metal. The Heechee metal wall is
uniform in appearance.
You see a crate here.
>get in crate
You hide inside the supply crate.
>wait 19 hours
Time passes...
A rat-like man scuttles into the corridor, looks around
carefully, and then pulls a glowing blue artifact from a jacket
pocket. He advances to the end of the corridor and examines the
Heechee metal wall for a moment. Then he glances suspiciously
at the crate you are hiding in, shakes his head, and turns his
back to you.
Do you want to continue waiting? > Y
Perry mutters to himself as he tinkers with something on the
wall at the end of the corridor. Perry hits the artifact he is
holding. You hear an amazingly pure tone that surges in volume
and then slowly dies away. Suddenly, a blister appears on the
wall behind Perry.
Do you want to continue waiting? > Y
Perry appears to insert the artifact into the blister, then
huddles close to the wall. He moves his arms, but you can't
make out what he is doing. A few seconds later a black portal
appears in the wall, and Perry steps through the portal and
disappears. The portal closes soon after Perry is gone. You
notice that, in his haste, Perry seems to have dropped a small
slip of paper.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
Do you want to continue waiting? > N
>get out
You get out of the crate.
>take paper
You take the slip of paper.
>read paper
The crumpled slip of paper has five digits scrawled on it: #####
*** write down the number that is written on the paper ***
>hit fork
You strike the tuning fork against your hand. It produces an
eerie humming tone.
A blister appears on the wall of Heechee metal.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>put fork in blister
You insert the tuning fork into the slot in the blister. You
hear a muted humming noise, and the tuning fork slowly recedes
into the slot. A keypad appears above the blister.
[Your score has just gone up by 3.]
*** Type in the number that was written on the paper ***
The keypad disappears and the tuning fork is ejected from the
slot. You retrieve it.
Suddenly a section of the wall before you disappears to reveal
a portal.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>w
As you step through the portal you hear a torrent of swear
words. Gordon Perry sprints past you into the corridor and
disappears.
Hidden Room
You are in a large room about the size of a high school
gymnasium. The room is empty except for a panel set into the
west wall. The portal through which you entered remains open to
the east.
You see a silver sphere here.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>take sphere
You take the silver sphere.
[Your score has just gone up by 50.]
>look at sphere
The silver sphere is about the size of a tennis ball and is
made of what appears to be a perfect reflective material. Upon
close inspection, you notice a small, almost undetectable gold
button set into the surface of the sphere.
>press button
When you press the button, the air above the sphere shimmers
and then darkens to a color seen only in the reaches of
interstellar space. A thousand fiery pin-pricks of light slowly
appear in the darkness. Then a network of colored lines spreads
between them, joining them in a graceful tracery. Some
unintelligible Heechee characters suspend themselves in the
air. You are looking at a holographic star map, a staggering
display of technology never before seen by human eyes. As you
gape in amazement, the projection begins to rotate slowly. The
hologram vanishes when you take your finger off the button.
>e
As you step through the portal, it vanishes behind you.
Corridor B4
You see a crate here.
>e
Corridor B5
A dropshaft (leading to Level Dog) is on the south side of the
passageway. The corridor continues to the east and west.
>down
You step into the dropshaft and are whisked down to Level Dog.
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>s
Heecheetown
>nw
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
The receptionist checks your badge and says, "Mr. Worden and
the Science Section Chief are waiting for you." She guides you
into the conference room.
Board Room
You see Yung Seon Lee and Leonard Worden here.
Worden looks up. "Have you found it?" You hand over the
sphere. The science chief disappears with it. Some time later
she returns looking very excited. "That was the object we
needed. We were able to determine the location of the Vertex."
She adds the course code to your badge.
Worden says, "Because of your success with your previous
missions, it has been decided that you must be the one to
travel to the Vertex and activate the final component of the
cloaking system." He pauses momentarily.
"One last thing. While it's important for you to begin as soon
as possible, the Board has demanded that you undergo a
psychological evaluation before you leave for this last
mission. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance,
it's not an unreasonable request. The VR terminal in this
building has the appropriate program. I'll alert the tech on
duty that you are going to show up. The program is named 'Deep
Psych'. Once you receive a 'stable' evaluation, you will be
authorized for flight status, and should then head out. Good
luck and Godspeed."
You are escorted out of the board room.
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>up
VR Terminal
On the desk you see a VR manual.
The tech gives you a sympathetic look. "I received the
authorization for you to enter Deep Psych. Now THAT'S a nasty
VR. I guess the higher-ups want to make sure you don't snap
under pressure. Let me snag the password for you while you lie
down on the couch."
>sit
You're now on the couch.
The tech picks up "NeoTech's Guide to Virtual Reality" and
opens the manual to the last page. He unclips the device on his
uniform, pushes a button, and it starts giving off a purple
glow. He holds the device above the manual and starts to read,
occasionally glancing up at the calendar.
The tech sees you watching and says, "This NeoTech entry
protection is a pain in the ass. The only thing inside this
reader is a cheap ultra-violet lamp. I took it apart once." He
grins. "Anyway, the password for today is 'damage'. Punch it up
on the keyboard on the side of the couch, and you're off."
>wear collar
You snap open the collar's spring clasp and settle into it. The
pads around your neck keep you from moving your head, and the
collar itself seems a little tight: all in all, a very
unpleasant experience.
>turn switch to deep
You move the switch from 'Beach' to 'Deep Psych'.
>type ######
*** Replace ###### with the password you were told ***
You carefully type "damage" on the keyboard. In response, you
hear a faint, tinny 'ping'.
>press power button
You press the button. The couch starts to hum with power and
the collar begins to glow a dark blue.
Everything around you fades to a milky white. Then a picture
begins to form...
Solid blocks of blacks and purples slowly resolve into the
rocky walls of a gloomy cave. A dark spot on the floor quickly
stretches out into a crack that runs the width of the cavern.
You suddenly realize that one end of a sturdy rope is tied
around your waist. To your horror, a demon suddenly appears on
the other side of the crack, and the other end of the rope
knots itself around him.
A huge door slowly forms in the wall behind the demon, and
then a red button pops into existence and hovers in the air
right in front of you.
>jump crack
You leap over the crack and land safely on the other side.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
The crack dividing the room opens with a shudder, and continues
to widen. The demon takes a tentative swipe at you. You dodge
easily and notice that his follow-through leaves him wide open
for a counter-attack.
>wait
Time passes...
The crack pulls back even further. The resulting chasm is now
about three feet across. The demon swings his axe again. You
duck, and the blade whistles by overhead. The momentum of the
swing pulls his arm to the side, and now his flank is totally
undefended.
>wait
Time passes...
The chasm opens to the width of about six feet. You can't see
any bottom to the widening pit. The demon raises the axe high
above his head, a look of pure hatred in his eyes. The action
leaves his torso vulnerable to an attack.
>wait
Time passes...
The chasm is now about nine feet across. Both you and the demon
are beginning to run out of space to stand on. The demon whips
the axe in a wild, back-handed attack. It misses by a country
mile. An attack upon the demon now could eliminate him.
>wait
Time passes...
The chasm continues to increase in size, crowding you back
against the far wall. It's now about twelve feet across. The
axe slips from the demon's hands in a rather frantic lunge. He
appears especially vulnerable at this moment.
>wait
Time passes...
The chasm widens. There's now only about five feet left between
you and the wall. The demon panics and starts clawing on the
huge door. His efforts are to no avail.
>pick up demon
You grab the demon, but in his frantic state he hardly seems to
notice. Instead of attacking you, he continues to claw against
the door. You hoist him over your head and he immediately
pushes the plank off its supports. The plank clatters to the
ground. The door swings open and, still carrying the demon, you
stride into the golden room beyond.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
The hues and colors of the virtual world swirl in a soft cloud
and drift away. Soon you are back in the real world, but
after-images of the alternate reality linger in the back of
your mind.
A message is flashing on the small screen above the couch.
The tech glances over to you from his alcove. "Way to go! Not
many people figure that thing out. Personally, I think the
program's kinda subjective. But anyway, I've alerted Worden to
your success.
"By the way, if this means you're shipping out, I might not
see you again. I'm going Earthside for the world-wide VR
conference." He smiles. "I'll be back in a couple of months.
Good luck on whatever you're off to."
>take off collar
You unsnap the catch and slip out of the collar.
>down
[You get off the couch first.]
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
You start to feel sleepy.
>se
Heecheetown
>n
Corridor D4
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Babe and down to Level Tanya)
is on the right side of the passageway. The corridor ends in
open entrances to the north and south.
>down
You step into the dropshaft and are whisked down to Level
Tanya.
Corridor T6
A dropshaft (leading up to Level Dog) is on the east side of
the passageway. The corridor continues to the north and south.
A door leads west.
>s
Corridor T7
>s
Hangar Entrance
You see an agent and a sentry here.
>s
The agent escorts you to a ship and programs it with your set
of course codes.
Dock
>up
Ship Cabin
You see a spacesuit here.
>sit
[Closing the hatch first.]
You sit on the cabin seat.
*** Press: The next code, Go ***
Your ship is suddenly rocked by the pull of powerful tractor
beams as it is forcibly drawn towards a satellite orbiting the
planet. Metallic clanging echoes through the ship as the
docking takes place. The controls of your ship go dead.
>open hatch
[Getting off the cabin seat first.]
You open the cabin hatch and the internal cabin pressure
equalizes with that of the atmosphere outside with a slight hiss.
>down
Satellite
The oxygen atmosphere and the blinking lights around the room
indicate that the Heechee satellite is still operational. The
thick windows look out over solar energy collectors, and in the
distance a planet hangs in the sky. The WatchTower is nowhere
to be seen.
The small chamber is packed with Heechee technology. There is
a engraved metal compartment in the north wall. It is closed,
and on its face you see a large button.
A heavy metal door is set in the east wall. It is closed.
>press button
The entire room hums to life. Lights everywhere flash and
cycle. Before a minute has passed, however, the chaos dies back
down. In the resulting quiet, the lone compartment on the north
wall pops open, revealing a silver globe and a metallic ring.
[Your score has just gone up by 50.]
>wear collar
[Taking the collar first.]
You open the clasp and slide the ring around your neck. The
result is not uncomfortable, and although the collar is snug
against your flesh, it does not confine or restrict you in any
way.
When you close the clasp, blue sparks start appearing on the
surface of the silvery globe. They bathe the room in an eerie
violet light.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>touch orb
Carefully, you lower your hands onto the silver surface of the
globe. Blue fire leaps from the points of contact, flowing up
your arms to the collar. The pinpricks of electricity make the
hair on your arms stand straight up.
The collar sparks and emits a high-pitched whine. An arc of
electricity fires across the globe's surface. You start to feel
a little sick and your vision becomes hazy, as if you were
squinting through a blue fog.
A disembodied mechanical voice says, "Greetings, visitor.
Welcome to the Guardian."
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
The blue fog clears and you slowly return to your accustomed
reality.
The large metal door to the east slowly slides open.
>e
Travel Pod
The walls are cylindrical and covered with Heechee symbols. A
large, plate window spans the upper half of the room, affording
a view of the exterior of the satellite and the planet beyond.
There is a thick door to the west, which hangs open.
The room is small and confining, and the only way you can fit
inside is to lie on your stomach with your face nearly pressed
into the north wall. The whole of this wall is a huge metal
iris, like the shutter of a camera. A pedal by your feet
protrudes from the south wall.
>press pedal
You hear a hissing sound as the thick metal door clangs shut. A
few seconds of silence pass and then the pod lurches forward.
The north wall dilates open, revealing a small alcove lined
with a strange black metal that you've never seen before. To
one side of the alcove is a globe, and to the other is a hatch.
>touch orb
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
With a great deal of apprehension, you lower your hands towards
the globe. Upon contact, red fire shoots up your arms. The pain
is a unique experience, worse than anything you've ever felt,
or even imagined. The agony becomes unbearable. Red flames
dance in your vision.
Just as the red haze threatens to overwhelm you, it
disappears. Everything becomes clear, and the pain subsides.
The hatch clicks and falls open.
You crawl towards the hatch, but instead of the expected wall
of metal, it seems to open on a conventional doorway. Beyond
the door you hear music and laughter! You shake your head, but
no trace of the headache or fogginess remains.
Suddenly a young woman appears at the hatch opening. She
smiles and says, "A new arrival! How wonderful!" She sees your
collar. "Oh, poor dear. Did the Heechee program put you through
a great deal of pain? Let me take that."
Before you can react, she reaches over and removes the collar
from your neck. "We all went through the same process. I'll
just add it to my collection." She drops the metal ring into a
box that contains at least fifty other collars just like it.
"We also can't have lethal weapons floating around. I'm afraid
I'll have to take your gun as well." With an apologetic shrug,
she gently lifts the gun away with two fingers, as if it were a
smelly sock.
"Now come with me, please." She reaches over and takes your
hand. As she guides you through the hatch, you are too shocked
and mystified to even think of resisting.
Ballroom
This room is immense. The vaulted ceiling rises almost out of
sight, and the towering windows that look out on the
star-filled galaxy create the illusion that the room never
ends. The scene is graced by an artificial waterfall that feeds
a large burbling stream, and a crystal bridge leads north
across the stream to a secluded bar.
Three large alcoves to the east, west, and south hold
amusement booths, each of which features a different game. The
center of the room is dominated by a large marble fountain
around which people are gathered in what appears to be a
spontaneous party. A serving robot wheels around serving exotic
treats to those who ask.
To the southeast you see a closed hatch. The room's decoration
is rounded out by a small potted plant. To the southeast, you
see a closed hatch.
The woman walks off into the crowd leaving you holding the
embossed gold card.
>w
The hostess follows you into the booth and says, "This is my
favorite game; I'd really like to see how you do here."
Guess Your Weight booth
From the large banner on the wall, it's clear that the game
here is to have your weight guessed. Behind the curved counter,
a robot barker shuffles back and forth, occasionally bumping
into things. The scale for the patrons has a readout with huge
numbers that would be visible from miles away. Next to the
scale is a sign.
The GameBot trundles up, peers in your direction through inch
thick, virtually opaque glasses, and says, "Ahh, a customer!"
He squints a bit more and asks, "Would Madam like to try her
luck? Just insert your card into the slot. Only five dollars a
guess!"
>put card in slot
The credit card disappears in the slot with a soft click.
"Thank you so much, Madam. It's people like you that make my
job the joy that it is. Now, let me see." The GameBot makes a
show of looking you over. "I'd have to say you weigh 389
pounds. Now, step on the scale and we'll see if you win!"
>stand on scale
You step onto the scale. The huge numbers on the display roll
for a few seconds, and finally come to stop at 163.
The GameBot sticks his face up to the display and squints at
it for a few moments. "Oh my!" he finally exclaims. "How could
I have been so far off? WE HAVE A WINNER!" Lights flash, sirens
wail, whistles shriek, and the small crowd around the booth
begins to applaud. "Madam, you are walking away with the twenty
dollar grand prize - minus the five dollar charge, of course.
The difference has been automatically added to your credit
line. Congratulations!" After he presses a small hidden button,
the gold card pops out of the slot. The GameBot grabs it and
presses it back into your palm.
>e
[You get off the scale first.]
The hostess follows you back into the ballroom.
Ballroom
>e
Ball Throw booth
Gaudy lights frame this booth like a movie marquee. Spinners
and brightly colored signs are everywhere, while still more
lights flash and whirl around the walls. The word that
instantly doesn't leap into your mind is 'subtle'.
On a shelf against the far wall are three pyramid formations
of six bottles each. Behind the counter, a GameBot wheels back
and forth barking, "Everyone's a Winner!" A sign and a slot are
set into a post behind the counter.
On the counter you see a ball.
The GameBot rolls up to you and exclaims, "Ho! Look what we
have here! You look like a man who enjoys a challenge. I'll bet
you could do this blindfolded. Just insert your card into the
friendly slot, and try your skill!"
>put card in slot
The credit card disappears in the slot with a soft click.
"A true gamesman you are, sir, ready to take up the challenge.
Well, I shan't delay you. Take this ball and toss it towards
yon bottles. Your skill and a bit of luck shall decide the
outcome." He hands you the ball with a formal gesture and waves
towards the shining pyramids.
>throw ball
You heave the ball in the general direction of the booth.
Suddenly it changes course in midair, and then makes a direct
hit on the collection of bottles. The pyramids fly apart; the
bottles drop to the floor.
"Amazing! Never have I seen such force, such accuracy!"
exclaims the GameBot. Amid the commotion of sirens, buzzers and
flashing signs, he adds, "I only wish I were programmed to give
you more than the $40 grand prize - minus the initial $5 charge
- but please take the credit and my congratulations!" The
GameBot produces your gold credit card and places it in your
palm.
>put card in slot
The credit card disappears in the slot with a soft click.
"A true gamesman you are, sir, ready to take up the challenge.
Well, I shan't delay you. Take this ball and toss it towards
yon bottles. Your skill and a bit of luck shall decide the
outcome." He hands you the ball with a formal gesture and waves
towards the shining pyramids.
>throw ball
You heave the ball in the general direction of the booth.
Suddenly it changes course in midair, and then makes a direct
hit on the collection of bottles. The pyramids fly apart; the
bottles drop to the floor.
"Amazing! Never have I seen such force, such accuracy!"
exclaims the GameBot. Amid the commotion of sirens, buzzers and
flashing signs, he adds, "I only wish I were programmed to give
you more than the $40 grand prize - minus the initial $5 charge
- but please take the credit and my congratulations!" The
GameBot produces your gold credit card and places it in your
palm.
>put card in slot
The credit card disappears in the slot with a soft click.
"A true gamesman you are, sir, ready to take up the challenge.
Well, I shan't delay you. Take this ball and toss it towards
yon bottles. Your skill and a bit of luck shall decide the
outcome." He hands you the ball with a formal gesture and waves
towards the shining pyramids.
>throw ball
You heave the ball in the general direction of the booth.
Suddenly it changes course in midair, and then makes a direct
hit on the collection of bottles. The pyramids fly apart; the
bottles drop to the floor.
"Amazing! Never have I seen such force, such accuracy!"
exclaims the GameBot. Amid the commotion of sirens, buzzers and
flashing signs, he adds, "I only wish I were programmed to give
you more than the $40 grand prize - minus the initial $5 charge
- but please take the credit and my congratulations!" The
GameBot produces your gold credit card and places it in your
palm.
>look at card
The card is made from plated gold, and has the word CREDIT
embossed on the front. Below that, the amount of debt or credit
accumulated is displayed. It currently reads one hundred and
twenty dollars.
>put card in slot
The credit card disappears in the slot with a soft click.
"A true gamesman you are, sir, ready to take up the challenge.
Well, I shan't delay you. Take this ball and toss it towards
yon bottles. Your skill and a bit of luck shall decide the
outcome." He hands you the ball with a formal gesture and waves
towards the shining pyramids.
>throw ball
You heave the ball in the general direction of the booth.
Suddenly it changes course in midair, and then makes a direct
hit on the collection of bottles. The pyramids fly apart; the
bottles drop to the floor.
"Amazing! Never have I seen such force, such accuracy!"
exclaims the GameBot. Amid the commotion of sirens, buzzers and
flashing signs, he adds, "I only wish I were programmed to give
you more than the $40 grand prize - minus the initial $5 charge
- but please take the credit and my congratulations!" The
GameBot produces your gold credit card and places it in your
palm.
>w
Ballroom
>s
A large crowd has gathered around this booth, making it
impossible to force your way through. Perhaps you should try
again later.
>wait
Time passes...
>s
You shoulder your way through the thinning crowd.
Wheel of Fortune booth
A large crowd gathers at this popular booth, which is
decorated with gaudy lights, streamers, and signs. The booth is
manned by a GameBot who seems to really enjoy his work. He
rolls back and forth in front of a large wheel that has nine
numbered sections on it. The counter in front of him also has
nine slots, one for every number on the wheel.
The GameBot barks, "Hurry, hurry. Place your bets on the Lucky
Wheel! $50 a bet, but worth every nickel. Play the most popular
game around.
"Step right up, my good man. $50 a pop might seem a little
steep for a $100 prize, but we're the most fun around and
nobody's got a bigger payoff! Try your luck!"
>put card in 1
You insert the card into the slot labeled one. It makes a soft
click and the number begins to glow. The card then pops back
out into your hand. The GameBot says, "Please hold on to your
card. If too many people bet, it gets a bit confusing when it
comes time to reclaim them."
The GameBot yells out, "Any other takers? Step right up, don't
be shy. Get your bets in now before the big wheel starts
a'spinnin'!"
>put card in 2
You insert the card into the slot labeled two. It makes a soft
click and the number begins to glow. The card then pops back
out into your hand.
The GameBot looks down at your second bet. If it were possible
for a permanently fixed smile to frown, you'd swear it was
happening. The GameBot gives you a pleading look and says, "You
realize you cannot win both of your bets. One of them must
lose..." The GameBot shakes his head violently and then turns
back to the big wheel.
A woman edges her way to the front and shyly inserts her card
into the seven slot. "I wish you luck." she whispers to you.
"All bets are in? Very good. No more, please. The wheel is
about to start turning!" The GameBot reaches up to the wheel's
controls with a definite sense of futility.
>wait
Time passes...
The huge wheel spins quickly. The GameBot and the crowd stare
at it anxiously. As it slows, the people around you appear
almost panic-stricken.
The wheel stops on number one, but then suddenly backtracks to
two. The crowd steps back, and the GameBot flattens himself
against the counter. He turns to stare at you. "You can't win,"
he says in front of the oscillating wheel. "That's impossible.
It doesn't follow the rules!"
The wheel moves faster and faster between the two numbers.
Screams erupt from the crowd as the world shakes. The maddened
GameBot lunges forward and falls on the counter. Everything
starts to become blurry, then reality suddenly shatters and you
are left in darkness.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]
Hydra lair
The heat of this room is almost unbearable. Piles of thick,
grey ash cover the rocky ground like a threadbare carpet.
Scattered flames dance around a porous rock ledge that drops
off into an inferno. From the depths of the flames rises a
nightmare vision - a writhing, multi-headed hydra. Pairs of
eyes dart back and forth, taking you in with a disturbing
sinister intelligence. A pair of blue portals indicate egress
to the north and south.
You see a rusty sword here.
After regaining your senses, you notice that most of what you
were carrying has disappeared, leaving you with only your
coverall.
>take sword
You take the rusty sword.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
One of the heads writhes forward and snaps at the air not a
foot in front of your face.
>s
Demon Gauntlet, on the cliff walkway
Two glowing blue portals stand at either end of an immense
cavern. Connecting them is a long precarious catwalk that rises
above a fiery abyss. The cavern walls are notched with narrow
cliffs, upon which are perched hordes of screaming demons who
wave pointed weapons at you and dare you to traverse their
dangerous gauntlet.
>s
You take a cautious step, inching along the cliff walkway.
One of the demons lobs a pointed rock at your head. You easily
duck, and it falls into the abyss below. The demon looks
disappointed and angrily looks around for more ammunition.
>s
You take another cautious step, inching along the cliff
walkway.
Stones and other unidentifiable objects fly uncomfortably
close to you from both sides of the cavern. Many of them cause
you to dodge and nearly lose your balance. Some of the demons,
frustrated with the misses, start to gather together a rope
net.
>s
You take another cautious step, inching along the cliff
walkway.
The demons heave a rope net at you. You try to dive out of the
way, but there's not enough room on the catwalk and the net
ensnares you.
>cut net with sword
You start to hack at the rope net with the sword. Some of the
ropes fall away, but quite a few remain.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
Some of the demons, seeing your plight, start to pool their
ammunition. One of them produces a makeshift sack, and the rest
load it up with stones, dead animals, and other items you don't
recognize.
>cut net with sword
The loosened net falls around your feet.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
The largest, meanest demon you've ever seen (although you
don't really have all that much experience with them) grabs the
sack, whirls it around his head, and releases it straight at
you.
Freed from the net, you take a swipe at the sack and knock it
onto the catwalk, spilling most of the garbage into a pile.
>take all
sack: Taken.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
rope net: Taken.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
Maddened, the demons begin hurling everything they can grab at
you. Some even pick up their neighbors and toss them in your
direction. The sheer quantity of missiles alerts you to the
danger of staying here much longer.
>n
You turn around, and take a hesitant step back the way you
came.
>n
You take another cautious step, inching along the cliff
walkway.
A rock strikes you on the side of the head, stunning you for
an instant. Blood trickles down your neck, and you feel a bit
woozy.
>n
You take another cautious step, inching along the cliff
walkway.
>n
You step off the perilous catwalk and into the glowing portal.
Hydra lair
>put ash in sack
You scoop a pile of ash into the sack.
Two heads start snapping back and forth, fighting over the
privilege of taking the first bite from you.
>n
Empty Chamber
This is a huge natural cavern, an eerie landscape of malformed
stalagmites and stalactites. In the Stygian gloom, you notice
that the point of a nearby stalagmite has broken off, leaving
behind a flat stump.
A nearby chuckle draws your attention, but you don't see
anything unusual.
>throw ash on shelf
With a flick of the wrist, you toss the sack onto the
stalagmite shelf. The ash billows out of the bag, obscuring the
shelf's surface. After a moment, it settles over the shelf in a
sparse, even layer.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]
>take sack
You take the sack from the stalagmite stump.
A disturbing giggle floats in the air around you.
>s
Hydra lair
>put ash in sack
You scoop a pile of ash into the sack.
Suddenly, one of the heads whips out at your legs. You leap
aside just in time.
>n
Empty Chamber
A screeching laughter, like the scraping of fingernails on
slate, echoes through the cavern. It bounces off the rocks and
walls, making it impossible to pin down the source.
>wait
Time passes...
Demonic laughter cuts through the cavern.
>wait
Time passes...
A sudden shove from behind knocks you headlong into a rock
outcropping. An irritating screech of laughter rings through
the cavern.
>wait
Time passes...
Demonic laughter cuts through the cavern.
>wait
Time passes...
You hear a ripping sound and look down to see that the leg of
your coverall has been slit cleanly to the ground. Laughter
explodes around you.
>wait
Time passes...
A disturbing giggle floats in the air around you.
>wait
Time passes...
A sharp blade slices through the fleshy part of your leg.
Blood trickles down your calf.
>wait
Time passes...
You hear a scuffle, but can't pin down where it's coming from
because of the echoes.
>wait
Time passes...
Something heavy slams down onto your foot. You reel, but catch
yourself on a stalagmite. Maniacal laughter fills the cavern.
>wait
Time passes...
A disturbing giggle floats in the air around you.
>wait
Time passes...
You hear a scuffle upon the stalagmite shelf, accompanied by a
giggle. Tiny footprints appear in the thin ash layer on the
shelf.
>throw sack on shelf
With a flick of the wrist, you toss the sack onto the
stalagmite shelf. The ash billows out of the bag, obscuring the
shelf's surface. As the cloud settles, it reveals a short,
skinny demon on the shelf, bent double in a fit of coughing. He
carries a wicked, sharp-bladed axe, and upon one of his hands
he wears a ring.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>throw net on demon
You hurl the net over the demon in the middle of a particularly
bad spasm of coughing. The net wraps around him tightly and
securely.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
The demon stops coughing, looks up at you with a growl, and
leaps for your throat. His movement is checked by the net,
however, which keeps you safe for the moment. He starts to
struggle with thick ropes, attempting to escape.
>take ring
While the demon is concentrating on the net, you slip the ring
from his hand. He immediately ceases his struggles and yells,
"Precious! My precious! Evil man is to give my precious back.
Now!" He holds the wicked blade threateningly in front of him.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>take sack
You take the sack from the stalagmite stump.
Suddenly, the demon gets an idea. He begins sawing at the net
with his nasty looking blade. Some of the ropes fall away, but
he still has a ways to go.
>n
Mirror Room
This chamber appears to be a temple of some sort, suffused
with an ancient evil that claws at your heart and leaves your
mouth dry. Silver mirrors are affixed to the walls, ceiling,
and floor. Hideous demonic statues have been carved into the
remaining rock in the corners; each is labeled with a single
name. Glowing portals are set into the north and south mirrors,
their light contributing to the chamber's eerie atmosphere.
>wait
Time passes...
The statue of Aeshma moves a little. Then the features begin
to reorient themselves, changing the demon's expression.
>put sack on aeshma
You place the rotting sack over Aeshma's mouth and hook it over
one of the many jagged edges of the statue's face.
The carved face of Aeshma animates in an obscene sneer. It
appears to take notice of the bag draped over its mouth with an
expression of disgust. It draws a great breath, and then blows
with such force that it seems the stone itself will crack. A
torrential flow of glowing dust shoots from its maw into the
sack, but the fabric holds together and you obtain quite of
collection of it.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>take sack
You take the sack from the statue's mouth.
>wear ring
You slide the golden ring onto your finger and find it a
perfect fit. As you admire it, your hand begins to fade from
view. Your arm follows, and soon your entire body has
disappeared. With a shock, you realize you are invisible.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]
>s
Demon Chamber
You see a demon here.
The demon is holding a wicked axe.
On the stalagmite stump you see a rope net and some footprints.
The demon wanders about the cavern, looking distracted and
angry. He keeps mumbling something about regaining his
'precious'. Periodically, he brushes ash from his body.
>s
Hydra lair
>throw dust on hydra
You heave the sack filled with magic dust at the hydra. One of
the heads snags it in midair and tears it open. The hydra waves
it back and forth, spilling the red dust over the other heads.
The berserker dust immediately does its work. Blind with rage,
the writhing heads search for a target upon which to vent their
blood-lust. Seeing no one in the room save themselves, they
begin to bite and snap at one another, wounding and in some
cases decapitating the heads around them.
[Your score has just gone up by 50.]
Suddenly, two new heads start appearing for every one that has
been destroyed. This only seems to enrage the existing heads
more, driving them into an even greater frenzy. Flashing teeth
and claws are everywhere as the hydra tears into itself,
growing by leaps and bounds as the carnage continues. Soon the
sheer mass of squirming heads fills the cavern and starts to
strain at the walls. The pressure of the infinite progression
builds and builds - until reality snaps.
In the distance you hear a wail of agony, and the scene
dissolves around you.
The false reality melts. The fiery cavern dissolves to reveal
the interior of the Heechee travel pod. The iris is retracted,
the globe dark and cracked, the hatch open. Beyond it, you can
see the expected wall of circuitry, including the circular
indentation the size and depth of the silver collar.
You place the collar snugly inside the depression. There is no
alarm or klaxon - nothing to indicate that you have completed
your mission, and yet it is done. You press the pedal, travel
back to the satellite, and re-board your ship for the return
flight to Gateway.
There, you are greeted as a hero. Your days are spent in
exhaustive debriefing sessions with Corporation scientists, and
your nights are spent in revelry at the Blue Hell bar. After a
week of this, you decide to schedule one final blow-out and
then return to Earth.
The party at the Blue Hell turns out to be a record bash
during which you consume far more alcohol than can possibly be
good for you. When the party ends, you wave a bleary goodbye to
the last of the stragglers and decide that this would be an
excellent time to rediscover your bed.
>w
Heecheetown
>w
You leave Heecheetown, heading west towards the barracks that
you call home. After a brief walk you find yourself back in
your quarters.
Your Quarters
>sleep
You curl up on your bed and fall asleep. You wake several hours
later.
Your Quarters
Your room is a spartan cubicle furnished with a desk, a chair,
a wall locker, and a fold-down bed. The only decorative touches
are a sickly looking plant sitting next to the desk and a
lonely picture of Earth adorning the far wall. A PV commset is
set into the south wall. Above the PV is a vent. To the east is
a door that leads outside.
You see a DataMan, a maintenance key, a membership pin, a memo,
a tuning fork, a napkin, a green badge, a debit card, a gun and
a slip of paper here.
The message light on the PV commset is blinking.
>take all
DataMan: [You get off the bed first.]
Taken.
maintenance key: Taken.
membership pin: Taken.
memo: Taken.
tuning fork: Taken.
napkin: Taken.
green badge: Taken.
debit card: Taken.
gun: Taken.
slip of paper: Taken.
The message light on the PV commset is blinking.
>put card in slot
You insert your debit card into the slot.
*** Type: 1,N,N,0,0 ***
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]
You take your debit card from the slot.
>e
You leave the barracks that is your temporary home, walk along
a narrow alley for a few moments, and reach the center of
Heecheetown.
Heecheetown
>nw
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
>up
VR Terminal
On the desk you see a VR manual.
>take manual
You take the VR manual from the desk.
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>down
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
>se
Heecheetown
>e
Blue Hell Bar
You see an empty seat here.
>e
Casino
>e
A nondescript man by the door glances at the golden membership
pin and nods you through. As soon as you are inside, he seems
to fade away.
Pedroza Lounge
You see a display case here.
In the display case you see a pamphlet.
>n
Tanning Room
>read manual
It has a few sentences about each virtual reality program. The
section on 'Deep Psych' is printed in red. "Activate only by
prescription. Password lock-out is date dependent and uses the
following list:
1] spiral
2] vapor
3] hurtful
4] ghost
5] jalopy
6] saucy
7] jasmine
8] flaky
9] damage
10] powder
11] gushy
12] membrane
13] petty
14] larva
15] pauncy
16] rumpus
17] stilted
18] drowsy
19] fantail
20] bilge
21] manor
22] feud
23] infidel
24] herring
25] thong
26] gnash
27] handcuff
28] pebble
29] reclaim
30] homely
31] crouton
*** Write down the password for this day of the month ***
[Your score has just gone up by 15.]
>s
Pedroza Lounge
You see a display case here.
In the display case you see a pamphlet.
>w
Casino
>w
Blue Hell Bar
You see an empty seat here.
>w
Heecheetown
>nw
Corporation Office Lobby
You see a desk and a receptionist here.
On the desk you see a vase.
In the vase you see a rose.
>up
VR Terminal
>sit
You're now on the couch.
>wear collar
You snap open the collar's spring clasp and settle into it. The
pads around your neck keep you from moving your head, and the
collar itself seems a little tight: all in all, a very
unpleasant experience.
>type #####
*** Replace the ##### with the correct password ***
You carefully type "gushy" on the keyboard. In response, you
hear a faint, tinny 'ping'.
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]
>press button
You press the button. The couch starts to hum with power and
the collar begins to glow a dark blue.
[Your score has just gone up by 100.]
Everything around you fades to a milky white. Then a picture
begins to form...
*** Total: 1600/1600 pts. ***