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. ***