The Elysium Enigma
Eric Eve
active npc built-in hints cheese complex NPC conversation cover art IF Competition 2006 IFComp Game multiple endings on Jay Is Games parser science fiction TADS TADS 3 walkthrough Xyzzy Awards 2006 XYZZY Best Game XYZZY Best Individual NPC
It was meant to be a routine visit on behalf of the imperial government, just to remind the settlers that the Empire hadn't forgotten them, and if you stick rigidly to the letter of your orders and refuse to use either your eyes or your initiative that's all it'll be. But with an interstellar war brewing in the background, you'd be wise not to take anything for granted.
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"What do you know about this place?" you ask her.

"Only what I've heard, sir," she replies, "I've never been here before. It does have quite an odd reputation, though, as I'm sure you know. Something went horribly wrong in the past, but no-one wants to talk about it. And now the natives refuse to use any technology that's much more advanced than the wheel."
You ask the pilot about the natives
As you start your question the pilot lets out a wide yawn.
You ask the pilot about the mission
"So, sublieutenant, what do you think about..." you begin.

"Perhaps we should discuss that some other time, sir," the pilot suggests, "right now you have a job to do."
You ask the pilot about the meeting
"About meetings..." you begin.

"What about meetings, sir?" she replies warily.

"Well..." you start, but something in her manner makes you trail off as you realize your question wasn't all that important after all.
Inventory
You are carrying nothing, and are wearing a purple belt and a white uniform. The purple belt contains a drik. Your left pocket contains an ID card. Your right pocket contains a crumpled piece of paper.
You read the paper
(first taking the crumpled piece of paper from your right pocket) After the standard preamble, it goes on:

"I'm sorry to dump this on you, but the Federation crisis means that we've had to pull all but skeleton resources out of this sector, and you're the nearest Legion officer to hand. As a result, we need you to include Elysium in your rounds. It's a sensitive planet - probably one of the most sensitive settlements in the Empire - but provided you go straight in and straight out and stick strictly to these orders you shouldn't have any problems.

The purpose of your visit is simply to remind the local leadership that they are still part of the Empire and that we are still keeping tabs on them; quite literally, you're just there to 'show the flag'. To do this you'll need to make your way to the Legion office in what passes for the settlement's capital, and, once there, hoist the imperial flag above the building to show the local Elders that you're open for business. One or more of them should then come to call on you within the hour. When they do, be as diplomatic and courteous as possible, but otherwise keep the conversation to a minimum. Inform them in the simplest possible terms of the nature of the Federation crisis, emphasising that the Empire will continue to guard them from intrusion. Ask them if they have anything they want to raise with you. Almost certainly they won't, apart from their standard grumbles about imperial interference. Say as little as possible in reply beyond promising to pass their comments on. Once you have completed this conversation get out of there as quickly as you can.

The most important thing to understand about the Elysians is that they have made a religion of technophobia. Their idea of a paradisal society is a pre-industrial society, so try not to flaunt any technology you bring with you; the less the settlers see of any thirtieth-century technology, the better you'll get on with them.

Finally, I cannot stress too strongly that you should on no account get involved in any of the internal affairs of Elysium, and that you should if at all possible avoid any contact with any of the settlers apart from the Elders who come to meet you. Terrible mistakes have been made on Elysium in the past, and any problems that come up in the present must be left to officers with a deep understanding of the situation there, which does not include you. So, get in, keep the chat nice and short, and get straight out again.

I look forward to receiving your report in due course.
Subtribune G.F. Booker (C/O Sect PP12, ISL)
13-Sep-2980.

[Auth Code: ISL-GF-PPn342]"

(If you'd prefer not to be notified about score changes in the future, type NOTIFY OFF.)
You ask the pilot about flag
"Where do you suppose I'll find this imperial flag I'm meant to be hoisting?" you wonder.

"It'll be in the Legion building somewhere, sir," she assures you, "I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding it."
You examine the iD
(first taking your ID card from your left pocket)
Your ID card is a rectangle of white data-plastic about two centimetres wide by four long. It bears a small photograph of you and identifies you as Praefect Andrew Holt of the Imperial Sovereign Legion.
You put the ithe d in the left pocket
Done.
You look at the uniform
(your uniform)
Your uniform comprises a white tunic and matching white trousers. On the left breast of the tunic is emblazoned a purple eagle, and though you can't see them without the aid of a mirror, you know that there's a purple patch on each collar, bearing your insignia of rank. Below your belt the tunic has a pair of pockets. Your left pocket contains an ID card.
You examine the belt
It's a standard issue Sovereign Legion uniform belt, with a gold belt buckle at the front. It contains a drik.
You examine the drik
You have no idea where the name "drik" came from; so far as you know that's what it's been called for centuries. The drik is a multipurpose device that's issued to all Legion officers as standard. Despite the natives' dislike of modern technology, this is one item you're not prepared to go without - it was drummed into you at the Legion Training School that a Legion Officer's drik is an integral part of his uniform, never to be lost or surrendered under any circumstances.

The drik is vaguely dagger-shaped, with a black handle, on which are four small coloured studs, and a slightly longer "blade", a flat plastimetal strip that is not actually sharp enough to cut anything.

The drik has one further function in addition to that provided by its four studs: although you're unlikely to encounter much strange technology on Elysium, if you do encounter something you're suspicious of, pointing your drik at it may reveal something about its function.

"I hope this isn't going to take too long, sir," the pilot remarks, "The sooner we're out of here the happier I shall be!"
You examine the studs
There are four small studs round the base of the handle: one red, one yellow, one green, and one blue.
You ask her about the drik'
(the pilot)
"Sublieutenant, I've been meaning to ask you about..." you begin.

"Beg pardon, sir, but I thought we were both anxious to get out of here, sir," she interrupts you, "So can we talk about that on the way back to the ship once you've finished here?"

"Okay," you nod.
You exit shuttle
(first standing up)
"Goodbye, sir," the pilot calls after you.

You clamber out of the shuttle.

You step out of the shuttle and feel the soil of Elysium pressing against your boots. It feels good to be back on the surface of a planet once more, and at first glance this planet looks welcoming enough. The early autumn air is comfortably warm, and smells fresh, if a little earthy, while the grass underfoot looks springy and green. But what really strikes you is how quiet it is.

Looking around, you speculate that your shuttle has just landed in what was originally an impact crater. To the west the ground rises quite sharply - more sharply than you care to climb - but there seems to be a usable trail running north and south, and from what the pilot said, it's the southern one you want.

Your shuttle rests in the middle of the hollow.
You examine the red stud
The red stud is quite plain.
Continue
The drik goes dark.
You ask the pilot about the crisis
"So, what do you make of this Federation business, sublieutenant?" you ask her, "Will it be war do you think?"

"I don't know, sir." she replies, "But if it is, at least we're well out of it here!"
You ask pilot about the Elysium
"Do you know anything else about Elysium, sublieutenant?" you ask.

"I thought the Sovereign Legion was meant to be the experts on that kind of thing, sir," she replies pertly.
Bye
"Over and out," you say.

"Over and out, sir," she confirms, just before the comms link goes dead.
You go south
You leave the hollow and follow the dirt track down a ridge onto level ground, where it runs on south between untended fields towards the forest. This area looks like it may have been farmland once, but now the fields are reverting to wilderness, and even the track is starting to become overgrown. As you pause to take stock of your surroundings, you wonder why the land has been allowed to go to waste.
You look at the fields
The fields on either side of the track are so overgrown as to be impenetrable. They look as if they may once have been valuable arable land, but now they are rapidly reverting to wilderness.
Go south
You set off down the track and after a few minutes' walk you find yourself deep in the heart of the forest.

You stop to look round and try to reassure yourself that you're still on the path the pilot told you about. You can't see any side trails (though there may be the odd gap in the trees through which you could leave the main path) so it's hard to see how you could have gone wrong; and yet it doesn't quite feel right - but perhaps that's just because you find it so disconcerting being forced to walk through a forest for a routine meeting with local officialdom.

Although the path has been straight enough so far, a short way ahead it starts to twist.
You follow path
Which way do you want to go: north or south?
You go south
The path twists and turns through the trees, but broadly continues south.

The track becomes straighter and wider here as the trees become sparser. They are now so widely spaced that you could easily wander among them to east and west, and since they continue to thin out to the south you surmise that you must be coming to the edge of the forest.

While you are taking stock of your surroundings, you hear a sudden rustling in the undergrowth. Your heart misses a beat as you see a figure emerge from the trees and walk rapidly towards you. Under the dirt and the tattered rags you recognize it as a young woman, and you wonder if this is how all the settlers live.

"Excuse me!" she cries, as she hurries up to you, "You're an offworlder, aren't you? From the Empire?"

(You could say yes, or ask her who she is.)
Yes
"Yes, that's right," you nod, "Why, is there a problem?"

"Can't you see for yourself?" she demands, "As you can see, my clothes are falling to rags, and I'm starving! I'm an outcast - no one from round here will help me, and I daren't be caught stealing. But you're an offworlder - so maybe - please, can you try to find me some new clothes and something to eat?"

(You could say yes or no, refuse politely, offer to get help, or ask her about food or clothes.)
You refuse politely
"Look, I'd like to help, but I really can't," you tell her, "I have my orders you see - I'm not even meant to be talking with you, let alone getting involved. Besides, I won't be here more than an hour or so."

"Oh, but it won't take you more than an hour or two to find me something," she assures you, "The town isn't far away, and I'm sure you can find something for me there."
You ask her about her
"So, who are you?" you ask.

"I'm Leela," she tells you.
Topics
You could ask her about herself, the town, or Elysium.
You ask her about the exile
"So, what can you tell me about... " you begin.

"Well," she interrupts, "I think you should tell me something about yourself before you ask me anything else."
You ask her about the food
"Where am I meant to get food from?" you ask.

"Like I said, the town's the best bet," she reminds you.
You ask her about the town
"What will I find in the town?" you wonder.

"Not much," she shrugs, "No one actually lives there; it's just for meetings and markets. But that means things get stored there, so you should be able to find me some food and clothes, without anyone there to stop you."
You ask her about the Elysium
"What can you tell me about this world?" you ask her.

"Well, it's the only world I know, so I wouldn't know what to compare it with," she begins, a little hesitantly.
You examine the woman
She's a young woman of about twenty standard Earth years of age.
She's smeared in dirt and her long dark hair flops lank and limp over her shoulders. She looks like she might be quite pretty if she had a good wash, but right now she's a mess.

Leela is wearing some smelly rags.
You ask Leela why she was cast out
The story doesn't understand that command. Please use ASK ACTOR ABOUT TOPIC (or just A TOPIC).
You ask her about the outcast
"What happened to you? Why are you wandering around half-naked in the forest?" you want to know.

"I asked too many questions," she replied, "the Elders don't like you asking too many questions, so when I asked one too many they decided I wasn't fit for Elysian society - so now I'm an outcast."
You ask her about the questions
"What sort of questions did you ask that upset the Elders so much?" you wonder.

"Oh, all sorts," she replies, "Why there are so many restrictions, why they're so scared of change, why our ancestors came here, what happened between Elysium and the Empire, why we've stayed such a small community, why I can't choose my own husband... you name it, I've probably asked it!"
Go north
"No, no!" Leela stops you, "You need to go into town to find me some new clothes and something to eat! The town isn't that way, it's that way!" she points to the south.
Go south
Leela waves to you, then turns and walks away, deeper into the forest.

Emerging from the forest you catch sight of the pathetic cluster of buildings at the foot of the slope, and realize that this must be the town where you're meant to be meeting with the Elders; on any other world it wouldn't even rate as a hamlet. The centre of the town lies straight down the slope to the south. Beyond the western edge of the hillside you catch a glimpse of the river that flows on past the town, while at your back is the forest.

Obvious exits: North, South, West, Northwest
You examine the buildings
The collection of buildings spread out below is apparently the nearest approximation to a town anywhere on the planet, though on any other world it would hardly even rate as a hamlet.
You examine the river
The river flows down from the forest and runs along the western edge of the town, before disappearing across the distant fields to the south.
Go south
You walk down the slope into the centre of the town.

The centre of Elysium's sole town looks no more impressive than it did from a distance. The main street, running east-west, is simply the baked mud space between buildings you could count on your fingers.
The track you've just walked down continues south between a neat white building (to the east) and a large barn (to the west). Across the street from the barn is an enclosed area that has the look of a primitive market, while opposite the single-storey white building a large wooden hall has shed most of its red paint. Overall this place is more like your idea of some frontier trading post than a planetary capital, and it seems totally deserted.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West, Northwest
You put the drik in pocket
Which pocket do you mean, your right pocket, or your left pocket?
Right
(first taking the drik from the purple belt)
It would fit better in your belt.
You examine the white building
It's a small, square, single-storey flat-roofed building, with a flagpole jutting up from the roof.
Go east
The north side of the street is occupied by a large wooden hall. On the south side is a neat single-storey white building (directly south) next to a two-storey green house (to the southeast). The street continues eastwards but quickly peters out into a narrow farmtrack as it leaves the town, while to the west it runs back towards the town centre.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West, Southeast
You go south
(first trying to open the purple door)
The purple door seems to be locked.
You look at the purple door
Affixed to the purple door is a neatly hand-painted sign, under which is a small vertical slot. It's closed.
You examine the sign
The sign reads "Imperial Sovereign Legion Office, Elysium" in neat gold lettering.

The sign reads "Imperial Sovereign Legion Office, Elysium" in neat gold lettering.
Examine slot
The small vertical slot is about two centimetres long.
You put the ithe d in the slot
(first taking your ID card from your left pocket)
A sharp click from the door indicates that it has just unlocked itself.
Go south
(first opening the purple door, then taking your ID card)

You look round the clean, white office with a flood of relief, feeling that you are at last back in civilization. Everything here looks clean and neat and Legion-fashion. A large white desk, with a standard built-in console, rests under the great golden eagle mounted on the east wall. Behind the desk sits a comfortable mock-leather chair, while a pair of smaller chairs, one red, the other white, are positioned in front of the desk, presumably for the benefit of visitors. The main door is next to the window overlooking the street to the north, while a staircase runs up against the south wall to a hatch in the ceiling. A second door is set in the east wall, to the left of the eagle, while a large portrait of the Emperor hangs opposite.

Obvious exits: North, East, Up
You examine the eagle
(the large golden eagle)
It's a large heraldic eagle, of the same pattern as the one on your tunic, that represents the might of the Empire and the authority of the Aquila dynasty who rule it.
You close the main door
The door closes with a sharp click, indicating that it has relocked itself.
You look at the hatch
It's a square hatch, set in the ceiling. It's closed. It's currently locked.
Unlock hatc
The word "hatc" is not necessary in this story.

(If this was an accidental misspelling, you can correct it by typing OOPS followed by the corrected word now. Any time the story points out an unknown word, you can correct a misspelling using OOPS as your next command.)
Unlock hatch
Unlocked.
You go upwards
(first opening the hatch)

Although the roof is not that high up, it affords you a reasonably good view over the town. A low parapet runs round the edge of the roof, at one end of which is a tall white flagpole with a white locker at its base. At the far end is an array of solar panels, while in between a narrow staircase leads back down through an open hatch.

Obvious exits: Down
Go down
This office is the about the only place on Elysium that resembles your idea of civilization. A large white desk, with a standard built-in console, rests under the great golden eagle mounted on the east wall. Behind the desk sits a comfortable mock-leather chair, while a pair of smaller chairs, one red, the other white, are positioned in front of the desk, presumably for the benefit of visitors. The main door is next to the window overlooking the street to the north, while a staircase runs up against the south wall to a hatch in the ceiling. A second door is set in the east wall, to the left of the eagle, while a large portrait of the Emperor hangs opposite.

Obvious exits: North, East, Up
You look at the desk
The desk is the familiar model you've seen in many Legion offices, with a built-in console and a single shallow drawer.
You look at the console
It's a standard model console, with a 50 cm screen and a datatab slot. On an ordinary world it would be connected to the planet-wide datanet, but you doubt that such a thing exists on Elysium.
Examine slot
It's about 8mm long.
You examine portrait
The portrait provides evidence that even on this insignificant world someone is taking regular care of the Legion office, since it's a portrait of Charles V, who ascended the throne only a few months ago. He's a man of about thirty, trying to look formal despite the twinkle in his eye, dressed in the traditional gold-trimmed purple cloak and golden laurel-wreath crown of his office.
You open the drawer
Opening the drawer reveals a purple datatab and a pair of safety pins.
Point drik at eagle
Which eagle do you mean, the eagle on your tunic, or the eagle on the wall?
Wall
Okay, you point the drik at the large golden eagle.
Point drik at console
A stream of coloured dots runs along the blade of the drik and disappears into the handle; but this is just what you'd expect for the console.
You point the drik at yourself
Okay, you point the drik at yourself.
Point drik at slot
Okay, you point the drik at the portrait of the Emperor.

Okay, you point the drik at the slot.
Point drik at datatab
Okay, you point the drik at the purple datatab.
You take all from the drawer
purple datatab: Taken.
pair of safety pins: Taken.
You close the drawer
Closed.
You put the drik in the belt
Done.
You put the datatab in the console
The screen displays: "Please enter your Authorization Code: "
You enter Code
(on the console)
You need to enter the actual code, not the words "code".
You read the iD
Your ID card is a rectangle of white data-plastic about two centimetres wide by four long. It bears a small photograph of you and identifies you as Praefect Andrew Holt of the Imperial Sovereign Legion.
You read the paper
Your ID card is a rectangle of white data-plastic about two centimetres wide by four long. It bears a small photograph of you and identifies you as Praefect Andrew Holt of the Imperial Sovereign Legion.

(first taking the crumpled piece of paper from your right pocket) After the standard preamble, it goes on:

"I'm sorry to dump this on you, but the Federation crisis means that we've had to pull all but skeleton resources out of this sector, and you're the nearest Legion officer to hand. As a result, we need you to include Elysium in your rounds. It's a sensitive planet - probably one of the most sensitive settlements in the Empire - but provided you go straight in and straight out and stick strictly to these orders you shouldn't have any problems.

The purpose of your visit is simply to remind the local leadership that they are still part of the Empire and that we are still keeping tabs on them; quite literally, you're just there to 'show the flag'. To do this you'll need to make your way to the Legion office in what passes for the settlement's capital, and, once there, hoist the imperial flag above the building to show the local Elders that you're open for business. One or more of them should then come to call on you within the hour. When they do, be as diplomatic and courteous as possible, but otherwise keep the conversation to a minimum. Inform them in the simplest possible terms of the nature of the Federation crisis, emphasising that the Empire will continue to guard them from intrusion. Ask them if they have anything they want to raise with you. Almost certainly they won't, apart from their standard grumbles about imperial interference. Say as little as possible in reply beyond promising to pass their comments on. Once you have completed this conversation get out of there as quickly as you can.

The most important thing to understand about the Elysians is that they have made a religion of technophobia. Their idea of a paradisal society is a pre-industrial society, so try not to flaunt any technology you bring with you; the less the settlers see of any thirtieth-century technology, the better you'll get on with them.

Finally, I cannot stress too strongly that you should on no account get involved in any of the internal affairs of Elysium, and that you should if at all possible avoid any contact with any of the settlers apart from the Elders who come to meet you. Terrible mistakes have been made on Elysium in the past, and any problems that come up in the present must be left to officers with a deep understanding of the situation there, which does not include you. So, get in, keep the chat nice and short, and get straight out again.

I look forward to receiving your report in due course.
Subtribune G.F. Booker (C/O Sect PP12, ISL)
13-Sep-2980.

[Auth Code: ISL-GF-PPn342]"
You enter isl-GF-ppn342
(on the console)
The screen displays: "Authorization Code Correct! Access permitted.
"

The console screen displays a recent report on the status of Elysium.

The summary page tells you that the current population of the planet is a mere 11,345 (as of the latest count, last year), and that Elysium has the lowest GDP per head of any planet of the Empire by a very long way. The population apparently peaked at around fifteen thousand about a century ago and has been declining slowly ever since (there's a link to a lengthy social-scientific analysis of this, but you're content with the summary, which suggests that the society has simply become too stagnant). The prognosis is that within a century or two Elysian society will have become non-viable and the Empire will be able (and obliged) to move in with a fresh bunch of settlers and make something of the world (though this is not to be communicated to any of the current inhabitants) but in the meanwhile, the Elysians are to be left alone to decay as they wish, since there must be no repetition of past tragedies (there's a link to a file explaining this in more detail, but it turns out you don't have the security clearance to read it). The summary ends with an instruction to all imperial personnel operating on Elysium to keep contact and interference to the bare minimum required to monitor the status of Elysian society and ensure no outside interference.
You take the datatab
As you remove the purple datatab, the console screen goes blank.
You put the datatab in the drawer
(first opening the drawer)
Done.
You search eagle
(the purple eagle)
There's nothing unusual in the purple eagle.
You leave
(first opening the street door)

The north side of the street is occupied by a large wooden hall. On the south side is a neat single-storey white building (directly south) next to a two-storey green house (to the southeast). The street continues eastwards but quickly peters out into a narrow farmtrack as it leaves the town, while to the west it runs back towards the town centre.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West, Southeast
You go to the south-east
(first trying to open the green door)
The green door seems to be locked.
Go east
(first opening the east door)

This small bedroom is presumably provided in case a visiting Legion officer needs to stay overnight, but there's not much here apart from a single bed hard against the wall, a small wardrobe, and a small chest of drawers. There's a door to the west back into the office, and a tiny bathroom to the south.

Obvious exits: South, West
You open the wardrobe
Inside the wardrobe is a small domestic robot.
You examine the robot
You see nothing unusual under the chest of drawers.

It's one of those small cylindrical jobs, basic but robust.
Presumably it carries out the routine maintenance and cleaning in this building. There's a yellow sticker attached to it. It's currently plugged into the wall, charging.
You look under the wardrobe
You see nothing unusual under the wardrobe.

It strikes you that you should really hurry up and get that flag hoisted over the Legion Building, like your orders said.
You read the sticker
The sticker reads, "Last maintenance check 14-Mar-80: Fixed glitch in laundry program." Under the notation is a Harcourt Research Logo.
Examine logo
The logo depicts a pair of spaceships orbiting a sun in a manner that resembles a pair of electrons orbiting an atomic nucleus. The intention is presumably to convey that Harcourt Research's technological competence encompasses all scales.
You open the drawers
bottom drawer: Opening the bottom drawer reveals a plain white sheet.

top drawer: Opening the top drawer reveals a duvet.

middle drawer: Opening the middle drawer reveals a fluffy pink towel.
You take the sheet
Taken. Moving the plain white sheet reveals an imperial flag underneath.
You examine the flag
Taken.

You know that the imperial flag depicts a large golden eagle on a purple background, though it's a little difficult to tell that while it's folded.
Unfold flag
You unfold the imperial flag.
You examine the flag
The imperial flag depicts a large golden eagle on a purple background.
You fold it
You fold the imperial flag.
Go west
This office is the about the only place on Elysium that resembles your idea of civilization. A large white desk, with a standard built-in console, rests under the great golden eagle mounted on the east wall. Behind the desk sits a comfortable mock-leather chair, while a pair of smaller chairs, one red, the other white, are positioned in front of the desk, presumably for the benefit of visitors. The main door is next to the window overlooking the street to the north, while a staircase runs up against the south wall to a hatch in the ceiling. A second door is set in the east wall, to the left of the eagle, while a large portrait of the Emperor hangs opposite.

Obvious exits: North, East, Up
You go upward
Although the roof is not that high up, it affords you a reasonably good view over the town. A low parapet runs round the edge of the roof, at one end of which is a tall white flagpole with a white locker at its base. At the far end is an array of solar panels, while in between a narrow staircase leads back down through an open hatch.

Obvious exits: Down
You examine the panels
The array of four solar panels at the east end of the roof is arranged to catch as much sunlight as possible during the course of the day. You suspect that they convert the sun's energy into electricity using photovoltaic cells, and that the power is then stored in batteries. These panels wouldn't give enough power for continuous use all the year round, but they probably generate enough for the few days a year on which this building is actually used.
Point drik at panels
(first taking the drik from the purple belt)
Okay, you point the drik at the solar panels.
You press the green
The drik lights up.
Point drik at panels
Okay, you point the drik at the solar panels.
You press the green
The drik goes dark.
Fuck
The word "fuck" is not necessary in this story. Using obscenities may
You open the locker
make you feel better, but it won't progress the game!

Opening the locker reveals a white pillowcase.
You examine the pillowcase
It's just an ordinary plain pillowcase of the sort used to put pillows in. It's freshly laundered and neatly folded.
You unfold it
(first taking the white pillowcase)
You unfold the white pillowcase.
You put it on head
You can't manipulate it in any way; it's simply part of your ID card.
You wear the sheet
The white pillowcase contains a tiny black object.

You wrap the sheet round yourself like a toga, but the style doesn't go with your uniform, and in any case the sheet quickly slips off again.
You fold the sheet
You fold the plain white sheet.
You examine the object
You almost missed it, it's so tiny. It's round and black and smaller than a pea, and could easily be mistaken for an innocuous piece of dirt. But it also looks suspiciously artificial.
You get the object
Taken.
Point drik at object
(first taking the drik from the purple belt)
The drik blade flashes red and emits a little beep, indicating that you have discovered a listening device. The next question is where the receiver is; given the limited range of such a tiny listening device it can't be too far away from where the bug was planted - somewhere else in the town perhaps.
Break device
It's tougher than it looks.
You go to the east
This small bedroom is presumably provided in case a visiting Legion officer needs to stay overnight, but there's not much here apart from a single bed hard against the wall, a small wardrobe, and a small chest of drawers. There's a door to the west back into the office, and a tiny bathroom to the south.

The middle drawer contains a fluffy pink towel. The top drawer contains a duvet.

Inside the wardrobe is a small domestic robot.

Obvious exits: South, West
You fly flag
You pop your head into the bathroom, and note that it neatly contains all the essential facilities in the minimum of space, but since you don't want to wash or relieve yourself right now, there's nothing here you need, so you return to the bedroom.

You need to attach the flag to something before hoisting it.
You throw the device
What do you want to throw it at?
Town
The town is too far away.
Go west
This is the centre of the town, such as it is. The main street, if it can be called a street, runs east and west from here, crossing a track that runs north and south. To the northwest is a market area, opposite a large barn on the south side of the street, while to the east the street runs between a small white building (on its south side) and a large wooden hall (on its north).

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West, Northwest
You go to the west
The muddy street from the centre of the town to the east ends at a ramshackle wooden bridge that has unfortunately fallen into a terminal state of disrepair, leaving no other means of crossing the river. A large wooden barn stands immediately to the south, next to a pair of tumbledown shacks, while on the north side of the street is a rough enclosed area that looks like it's probably some sort of market. Behind the market the land climbs up towards the distant forest.

Obvious exits: North, South, East
Point drik at device
(first taking the drik from the purple belt)
The drik blade flashes red and emits a little beep, indicating that you have discovered a listening device. The next question is where the receiver is; given the limited range of such a tiny listening device it can't be too far away from where the bug was planted - somewhere else in the town perhaps.

The blue stud on your drik starts flashing, indicating that someone is trying to contact you; to accept the call, press the blue stud.
No
Nothing obvious happens.
No
"No, I haven't come across any Elders yet," you tell her.

"You have hoisted the flag, haven't you, sir?" she asks.
No
"No I haven't got round to it yet," you admit.

"Don't you think you should be making it your top priority, sir?" she asks.
No
"No, I have other things I need to look into first," you tell her.

"Well, if you say so, sir," she replies dubiously, "but if I were in your place I wouldn't delay too long in carrying out my orders!"
You put the bug in the river
You don't want to put the tiny black bug in the river; you might never be able to recover it.
Oops drik
Although you probably could swallow it whole, that might not be a very good idea.

You can only use OOPS to correct a misspelling immediately after the story points out a word it doesn't know.
Bug
There's no point trying to shoot that; you can't stun a tiny black bug.
Point drik at barn
The drik lights up.

Okay, you point the drik at the barn.
Point drik at shack
Okay, you point the drik at the tumbledown shacks.
You drop the bug
Dropped.

The drik light goes out to conserve power.
You go east
This is the centre of the town, such as it is. The main street, if it can be called a street, runs east and west from here, crossing a track that runs north and south. To the northwest is a market area, opposite a large barn on the south side of the street, while to the east the street runs between a small white building (on its south side) and a large wooden hall (on its north).

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West, Northwest
You ask pilot about Harcourt
"What do you think of Harcourt Research, sublieutenant?" you ask.

"From what point of view, sir?" she asks, "They make a lot of decent products, but as a corporation they stink, as I'm sure I have no need to tell you! I mean, Senator Harcourt has been arrested for treason!"
You ask pilot about the Senator
"What was that, sir?" she asks, "I'm afraid I didn't quite copy."
You ask pilot about Harcourt
"As you say, sublieutenant, Senator Harcourt's been arrested for treason," you muse, "Among other things, his Federation links are under the microscope. I wonder - his massive multiplanetary conglomerate had a reputation for swallowing things even before the good Senator got himself arrested; could Harcourt Research have had designs on Elysium?"

"I hardly see how, sir," Sublieutenant Soolin protests, "Anywhere that offered fewer prospects for a hi-tech company like Harcourt Research would be impossible to imagine!"
You ask the pilot about Harcourt
"Obviously Harcourt Research wouldn't find much of a market on Elysium, and obviously they wouldn't find much use for native labour either, but apart from the tiny area of cultivated land, there's a whole unexploited world out there," you point out, "Could it have something they want? Some valuable raw material perhaps?"

"With respect, sir, aren't you extrapolating rather wildly beyond the evidence?" Sublieutenant Soolin points out.
You ask the pilot about the evidence
Her reply is lost in a burst of static.
Bye
"Over and out," you say.

"Over and out, sir," she confirms, just before the comms link goes dead.
Go west
The muddy street from the centre of the town to the east ends at a ramshackle wooden bridge that has unfortunately fallen into a terminal state of disrepair, leaving no other means of crossing the river. A large wooden barn stands immediately to the south, next to a pair of tumbledown shacks, while on the north side of the street is a rough enclosed area that looks like it's probably some sort of market. Behind the market the land climbs up towards the distant forest.

You see a tiny black bug here.

Obvious exits: North, South, East
You go south
(first trying to open the barn door)
The barn door seems to be locked.
You look at the barn
It's the largest building at this end of the town, perhaps some nine or ten metres high; it's basically a plain wooden structure with its gable end presented to the street. Since it's just across the street from the market area, you surmise that it's probably used to store produce for the market.
You examine the barn door
It's just a big barn door. It's closed.
You examine the gable
It's the largest building at this end of the town, perhaps some nine or ten metres high; it's basically a plain wooden structure with its gable end presented to the street.
You kick the barn door
It seems singularly impervious to your attack,
Go north
This fenced-in area of a few dozen square metres looks like it might be used for a market, both from the rubbish that's been left lying around, and the impress in the muddy ground of what might be stalls or tables. A small shed stands near the centre of the area, with a trestle table off to one side. Gaps in the fence allow egress to the south and southeast, as well as north along the bank of the river.

On the trestle table are a carrot and a parsnip.

A large black dog is sniffing around, scavenging for food.

Obvious exits: North, South, Southeast, In The dog charges up to you and starts snapping at your heels.
You take the food
parsnip: The dog growls at you so fiercely as your hand approaches the parsnip that you decide you'd better leave it alone.

carrot: The dog growls at you so fiercely as your hand approaches the carrot that you decide you'd better leave it alone.
You examine the dog
It's an ugly black mongrel with fierce-looking teeth. He's scavenging for food.

The dog sniffs round the table.
You examine shed
The small wooden shed might be for storage, or it might be some sort of stall. Either way it's a crude wooden structure with a plain wooden door.

The dog leaps up on the table and snatches the parsnip. Then it drops back down and starts chewing it.
Stun dog
(with the drik)
(first taking the drik from the purple belt)
The dog lets out a startled whine, then topples over with legs splaying. His legs give a final couple of twitches, and then he lies still.
You take the food
Taken.
Inventory
You are carrying an ID card, a pair of safety pins, a crumpled piece of paper, a plain white sheet, an imperial flag, a white pillowcase, a drik, and a carrot. You're wearing a purple belt and a white uniform.
You open the shed
Opened.
You go inside
Two people standing inside this tiny hut would be cramped; three would be excessively intimate. It is almost completely bare apart from a small hook fixed to the west wall.

A folded piece of cloth lies on the floor of the hut.

A fishing rod is leaning against the wall.

On the small hook is a small iron key.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.

Obvious exits: Out
Oops drik
Done.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
Smell
There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You look at the hook
For some reason the small hook has a very sharp point. On the small hook is a small iron key.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You take the key
Taken.
You move the sheet
Moving the plain white sheet has no effect.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You take sheet
You are already carrying the plain white sheet.
Describe the surroundings
Two people standing inside this tiny hut would be cramped; three would be excessively intimate. It is almost completely bare apart from a small hook fixed to the west wall.

A folded piece of cloth lies on the floor of the hut.

A fishing rod is leaning against the wall.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.

Obvious exits: Out
You examine the cloth
It's little more than a strip of folded grey cloth. It would be quite useless for clothing.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
Unfold cloth
You unfold the piece of cloth. Inside the cloth you find a small wedge of cheese.
You look at the cheese
It's a deep yellow colour, and is a hard cheese, like some kind of cheddar. It smells quite strong, but by no means unappetizing.
You examine the rod
It's quite crude, comprising a long wooden pole with a line attached.
You fold the cloth
You fold the piece of cloth.
You check your inventory
You are carrying an ID card, a pair of safety pins, a crumpled piece of paper, a plain white sheet, an imperial flag, a white pillowcase, a carrot, a small iron key, and a piece of cloth. You're wearing a purple belt and a white uniform. The purple belt contains a drik.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
Carrot in pillowcase
piece of cloth: Done.
carrot: Done.
Go outside
This fenced-in area of a few dozen square metres looks like it might be used for a market, both from the rubbish that's been left lying around, and the impress in the muddy ground of what might be stalls or tables. A small shed stands near the centre of the area, with a trestle table off to one side. Gaps in the fence allow egress to the south and southeast, as well as north along the bank of the river.

The dog is lying unconscious on the ground.

Obvious exits: North, South, Southeast, In
You search it
You find a little worm wriggling among the scraps.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You go south
(first opening the barn door)

Inside the Barn (in the dark)
Hardly any light finds its way in here, apart the little that leaks in through the doorway to the north, so you can discern little except vague shapes in the large dark space.

Obvious exits: North

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You examine it
It's just a rough old brown sack, but it is quite large.
You look in it
The old brown sack contains an apple.
You examine the shutter
It's just a plain wooden shutter, mounted on the east wall. It's closed.
You open it
Opened.
You look at the shutter
It's just a plain wooden shutter, mounted on the east wall. It's open.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
Look around
This vast barn looks like it might be used as storage space for the market opposite. A ladder leads up to a high platform at the south end. On the east wall is a large shutter.

Obvious exits: North, Up
Go up
You start to climb the ladder, but as you're about half way up, a rung gives way beneath you; you fall onto the next one down and that breaks too, and then you tumble back down to the ground, bringing the bottom half of the ladder with you as it crumbles into a heap of fragments.
You look at the platform
The platform is a raised area at the southern end of the barn's interior; it's about four metres off the floor, so from down here you can't really see what's on it.
You jump
You jump a little, and land back where you started.

The blue stud on your drik starts flashing, indicating that someone is trying to contact you; to accept the call, press the blue stud.
Thank her
"Thank you, sublieutenant, that's useful," you reply. "I'll follow it up."

"We only aim to serve, sir," she replies pertly.
Bye
"Over and out," you say.

"Over and out, sir," she confirms, just before the comms link goes dead.
You climb the shutter
That is not something you can climb.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You examine the ladder
It's a plain wooden ladder running vertically up to the platform. It looks a little rough, and a closer examination suggests it may also be a little rotten.
You fly
What do you want to fly?
You go north
The muddy street from the centre of the town to the east ends at a ramshackle wooden bridge that has unfortunately fallen into a terminal state of disrepair, leaving no other means of crossing the river. A large wooden barn stands immediately to the south, next to a pair of tumbledown shacks, while on the north side of the street is a rough enclosed area that looks like it's probably some sort of market. Behind the market the land climbs up towards the distant forest.

You see a tiny black bug here.

Obvious exits: North, South, East
Go north
This fenced-in area of a few dozen square metres looks like it might be used for a market, both from the rubbish that's been left lying around, and the impress in the muddy ground of what might be stalls or tables. A small shed stands near the centre of the area, with a trestle table off to one side. Gaps in the fence allow egress to the south and southeast, as well as north along the bank of the river.

The dog is lying unconscious on the ground.

Obvious exits: North, South, Southeast, In
You go inside
Two people standing inside this tiny hut would be cramped; three would be excessively intimate. It is almost completely bare apart from a small hook fixed to the west wall.

A fishing rod is leaning against the wall.

Obvious exits: Out
You take the hook
The hook is screwed firmly to the wall of the booth.
Unscrew hook
You unscrew the hook from the wall of the hut and take it.
You tie the line to hook
You attach the hook to the line.
Fish
What do you want to fish in?
Platform
(with the fishing rod)
You can't reach it from here.
Bait hook with worm
Done.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
Fish
(fishing in the river)
(with the fishing rod)
What good luck! After a few minutes you get a bite and manage to land a small trout.
You examine the trout
You're not all that familiar with freshly-caught fish; the only trout you have encountered before have been the cooked variety, served up in restaurants and officers' messes, but from what you recall of the trout you've eaten, you think this fish is probably a trout. It looks a decent enough specimen, anyway.
Point drik at trout
(first taking the drik from the purple belt)
Okay, you point the drik at the small trout.
You look at the platform
The platform is a raised area at the southern end of the barn's interior; it's about four metres off the floor, so from down here you can't really see what's on it.
You climb the ladder
From the trestle table you step onto one of the upper rungs of the ladder and haul yourself up onto the platform.

The loft is little more than a storage platform running the width of the barn, about three metres deep, in the space under the rafters. At the eastern end of the platform a large wooden box is fixed to the wall, next to a pile of hay in the corner.

A black cat is lying on top of the box.

Obvious exits: Down

The cat lets out a plaintive meeow.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You give the trout to the cat
(first taking the small trout from the old brown sack)
The cat snatches the trout from your grasp and leaps onto the floor.
You open the box
Opening the large wooden box reveals a lettuce, a piece of ham, a small loaf of bread, and two tomatoes.
You put all from the box into the sack
lettuce:
(first taking the lettuce)
Done.

piece of ham:
(first taking the piece of ham)
Done.

small loaf of bread:
(first taking the small loaf of bread)
Done.

tomato:
(first taking the tomato)
Done.

tomato:
(first taking the tomato)
Done.
You examine the hay
The hay is all piled up in the corner.
You search the hay
Under the pile of hay is a pear.
You move the hay
Attempting to move it would just cause a mess.
You get the pear
Taken.
You look at it
It's green and pear-shaped.
You look around
The loft is little more than a storage platform running the width of the barn, about three metres deep, in the space under the rafters. At the eastern end of the platform a large wooden box is fixed to the wall, next to a pile of hay in the corner.

The cat is sitting happily chewing at the fish.

Obvious exits: Down
You examine the rafters
The rafters are simply wooden beams running east to west above your head. The southernmost one looks a little misshapen.
You examine the south rafter
There's a lump near the east end of the southernmost rafter.
You examine the lump
It's roughly cube-shaped but it's hard to make out without better light.
Point drik at lump
(first taking the drik from the purple belt)
In the direct light of the drik you can see that the lump is actually a black cube placed on the rafter.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You examine cube
All you can see from here is that it's a black cube.
You take the cube
The small black cube is out of reach.

The drik light goes out to conserve power.
You take the cube
The small black cube is out of reach.
You stand on the box
You're already standing on the large wooden box.
You jump
You carefully choose a spot between the rafters so as not to risk bumping your head, and then jump. As your head comes level with the rafters, you catch a brief glimpse of a lump on the southernmost one, but you fall back down to the floor before you can get a decent look at it.
You check what you're carrying
You are carrying an ID card, a pair of safety pins, a crumpled piece of paper, a plain white sheet, an imperial flag, a white pillowcase (which contains a piece of cloth and a carrot), a small iron key, an old brown sack (which contains an apple, a lettuce, a piece of ham, a small loaf of bread, two tomatoes, and a pear), a fishing rod, and a drik. You're wearing a purple belt and a white uniform.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You hit the cube with the rod
It's too light to make an effective weapon.
You throw the ham at the rod
(first taking the piece of ham from the old brown sack)
The piece of ham hits the fishing rod without any obvious effect, and falls onto the large wooden box.
You throw the ham at cube
(first taking the piece of ham from the old brown sack)
The piece of ham strikes the small black cube and both piece of ham and small black cube fall to the floor.
You get the ham
Taken.
You look at the cube
The small black cube looks like it's made of some kind of shiny plastic, and seems featureless apart from the small slot in the side. Whatever it is, it looks more like the product of offworld technology than something that belongs on Elysium.
You eat the cube
It's obviously inedible.
You tell the pilot about the cube
"I found a small black cube in the barn in town," you tell her, "It looks far too advanced for Elysian technology."

"Try testing it with your drik, sir," she suggests.
Point drik at cube
The drik blade emits a short series of rapid amber flashes, confirming your suspicions: the cube is some sort of receiving device.
You tell the pilot about the cube
"That black cube I told you about," you tell her, "I've tested it with my drik and it turns out it's some sort of receiving device."

"Great galloping galazies, sir!" she exclaims, "And if someone's planted a receiving device in the town, where's the transmitter?"
You tell the pilot about bug
"I'm still concerned about this bug I found," you remark.

"You have every right to be, sir," she agrees, "Bugging a Sovereign Legion building is a very serious matter."
Inventory
You are carrying an ID card, a pair of safety pins, a crumpled piece of paper, a plain white sheet, an imperial flag, a white pillowcase (which contains a piece of cloth and a carrot), a small iron key, an old brown sack (which contains an apple, a lettuce, a small loaf of bread, two tomatoes, and a pear), a fishing rod, a drik, a piece of ham, and a small black cube. You're wearing a purple belt and a white uniform.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
Unfold cloth
(first taking the piece of cloth from the white pillowcase)
You unfold the piece of cloth. Inside the cloth you find a small wedge of cheese.
You look at the cheese
It's a deep yellow colour, and is a hard cheese, like some kind of cheddar. It smells quite strong, but by no means unappetizing.
You taste the cheese
It tastes quite strong - possibly a little overripe.
Go downwards
(off the large wooden box)
Okay, you're no longer on the large wooden box.
Go down
This vast barn looks like it might be used as storage space for the market opposite. A ladder leads up to a high platform at the south end. On the east wall is a large shutter.

The trestle table is positioned next to the ladder.

Obvious exits: North, Up
You go north
The muddy street from the centre of the town to the east ends at a ramshackle wooden bridge that has unfortunately fallen into a terminal state of disrepair, leaving no other means of crossing the river. A large wooden barn stands immediately to the south, next to a pair of tumbledown shacks, while on the north side of the street is a rough enclosed area that looks like it's probably some sort of market. Behind the market the land climbs up towards the distant forest.

You see a tiny black bug here.

Obvious exits: North, South, East
Point drik at bug
The drik blade flashes red and emits a little beep, indicating that you have discovered a listening device.
Inventory
You are carrying an ID card, a pair of safety pins, a crumpled piece of paper, a plain white sheet, an imperial flag, a white pillowcase (which contains a carrot), a small iron key, an old brown sack (which contains an apple, a lettuce, a small loaf of bread, two tomatoes, and a pear), a fishing rod, a piece of ham, a small black cube, a piece of cloth, and a tiny black bug. You're wearing a purple belt and a white uniform. The purple belt contains a drik.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You put the carrot in the sack
(first taking the carrot from the white pillowcase)
Done.
You go north
This fenced-in area of a few dozen square metres looks like it might be used for a market, both from the rubbish that's been left lying around, and the impress in the muddy ground of what might be stalls or tables. A small shed stands near the centre of the area. Gaps in the fence allow egress to the south and southeast, as well as north along the bank of the river.

The dog is lying unconscious on the ground.

Obvious exits: North, South, Southeast, In
Go north
You walk north along the river bank, but at no point do you see anywhere the river could readily be crossed. You continue north up the slope until you come to the edge of the forest, which quickly becomes too dense for you to make any further progress, so at that point you turn round and retrace your steps.
You check what you're carrying
You are carrying an ID card, a pair of safety pins, a crumpled piece of paper, a plain white sheet, an imperial flag, a white pillowcase, a small iron key, an old brown sack (which contains an apple, a lettuce, a small loaf of bread, two tomatoes, a pear, a carrot, a piece of cloth, and a piece of ham), a fishing rod, a small black cube, and a tiny black bug. You're wearing a purple belt and a white uniform.
The purple belt contains a drik.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
Go south
(first unlocking the purple door, then opening it)

This office is the about the only place on Elysium that resembles your idea of civilization. A large white desk, with a standard built-in console, rests under the great golden eagle mounted on the east wall. Behind the desk sits a comfortable mock-leather chair, while a pair of smaller chairs, one red, the other white, are positioned in front of the desk, presumably for the benefit of visitors. The main door is next to the window overlooking the street to the north, while a staircase runs up against the south wall to a hatch in the ceiling. A second door is set in the east wall, to the left of the eagle, while a large portrait of the Emperor hangs opposite.

Obvious exits: North, East, Up
You go upward
Although the roof is not that high up, it affords you a reasonably good view over the town. A low parapet runs round the edge of the roof, at one end of which is a tall white flagpole with a white locker at its base. At the far end is an array of solar panels, while in between a narrow staircase leads back down through an open hatch.

Obvious exits: Down
DROP SACK, CUBE, BUG
old brown sack: Dropped.
small black cube: Dropped.
tiny black bug: Dropped.
You put the flag on the pole
(first unfolding the imperial flag)
Done.
You raise flag
You hoist the flag to the top of the pole, where it flutters gamely in the breeze.
Go down
This office is the about the only place on Elysium that resembles your idea of civilization. A large white desk, with a standard built-in console, rests under the great golden eagle mounted on the east wall. Behind the desk sits a comfortable mock-leather chair, while a pair of smaller chairs, one red, the other white, are positioned in front of the desk, presumably for the benefit of visitors. The main door is next to the window overlooking the street to the north, while a staircase runs up against the south wall to a hatch in the ceiling. A second door is set in the east wall, to the left of the eagle, while a large portrait of the Emperor hangs opposite.

Obvious exits: North, East, Up
Go upwards
(first opening the hatch)

Although the roof is not that high up, it affords you a reasonably good view over the town. A low parapet runs round the edge of the roof, at one end of which is a tall white flagpole with a white locker at its base and a flag flying from its top. At the far end is an array of solar panels, while in between a narrow staircase leads back down through an open hatch.

You see an old brown sack (which contains an apple, a lettuce, a small loaf of bread, two tomatoes, a pear, a carrot, a piece of cloth, and a piece of ham), a small black cube, and a tiny black bug here.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.

Obvious exits: Down
You take the bug
Taken.

An old man enters the town centre from the south.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You put the bug in right pocket
Done.

The old man goes to the east end of the town.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
Go downward
This office is the about the only place on Elysium that resembles your idea of civilization. A large white desk, with a standard built-in console, rests under the great golden eagle mounted on the east wall. Behind the desk sits a comfortable mock-leather chair, while a pair of smaller chairs, one red, the other white, are positioned in front of the desk, presumably for the benefit of visitors. The main door is next to the window overlooking the street to the north, while a staircase runs up against the south wall to a hatch in the ceiling. A second door is set in the east wall, to the left of the eagle, while a large portrait of the Emperor hangs opposite.

The old man is standing out in the street.

Obvious exits: North, East, Up

The old man enters the Sovereign Legion Office. "I'm Petroc, Chief Elder of Elysium," the old man introduces himself, "I saw your flag flying, so I came - but you look even greener than the last one they sent. So what have you come to bother about us this time?"
You ask him about planet
"This is just one of our regular visits to check up on how things are going here," you tell him, "So, how are things going here? Any problems?"

"The harvest is not plentiful, children are not respectful to their parents, and parents do not produce enough children to make our numbers increase," he shrugs, "Nothing changes."
You tell him about Empire
"Let me tell you about the Empire," you say.

"If you must," he sighs.
You tell him about Empire
You start to tell him about the Empire, but he interrupts you with an abrupt wave of the hand. "Some other time, maybe," he says.
You examine man
Which man do you mean, the portrait of the Emperor, or Petroc?
Petroc
He's a slightly-stooped old man with a weatherbeaten face, grizzled grey hair, and a straggly beard. He's standing here talking with you.

Petroc is wearing a floppy hat.
You examine the hat
It's brown in colour and battered almost shapeless.
You ask him about himself
(Petroc)
"Did you say you're the Chief Elder?" you ask.

"I sure did," he affirms, "but that just makes me the first among equals - the Chairman of the Council of Elders, I'm not some petty emperor."
You ask him about the bridge
"I see the bridge at the west end of town has fallen into terminal disrepair," you remark, "Can't you people even maintain a bridge?"

"You are right," he sighs, "I have been trying to get agreement from my fellow Elders to act on that for some time now, but always there seem to be other priorities."
You ask him about the green house
"What's that green house for?" you ask.

"The Wheatsheaf, you mean?" Petroc replies, scratching his head, "It's the best inn in town - hell, it's the only inn in town. Too bad it's closed."
You tell Elder about Federation
"How often do people come to meetings in this town?" you ask.

"The Elders meet here once a month. Once a year there's a Great Gathering when anyone can come," he replies, "Otherwise, it's just as and when."

"I've been instructed to tell you something about the Federation crisis," you explain, "Ever since Relda, tension between the Empire and the Federation has been growing, and now there's a real risk of war. I'm instructed to inform you that, in the event of hostilities, the Empire will continue to protect Elysium from outside interference as it has always done, even though much of our attention will of necessity be diverted to, ah, other matters."

"Empire or Federation, what difference does it make to us?" Petroc shrugs; but then his curiosity gets the better of him, "Who or what was Relda? And why is your mighty Empire so worried about this Federation?"
You tell Petroc about Relda
"It was what happened on Relda that revealed the real nature of the Federation," you explain, "Relda was one of the Federation's wealthier worlds - it may still be, for all we know. It used to be self-governing, but the Federation took more and more power away from the planetary government, and bought up more and more of the planet's assets. Then, a few years ago, the Reldans elected a new Planetary Council on a platform of wresting control of their world back from the Federation. The Federation responded by blowing up the Council and blaming it on terrorists; then they took over the planetary government themselves. Relda went from being a member-world to being a subject-world, a pattern that's been repeated all over the Federation."

"That is where riches and greed and human ambition always lead," Petroc opines, "to injustice and oppression. That is why we have forsworn all such things here."
You tell Petroc about Federation
"The Paranian Federation has grown nearly as strong as the Empire - it too now numbers more than sixty worlds over a comparable volume of space," you explain, "Over the last two decades or so they've become more and more of a tyranny - as events on Relda showed - and they're also becoming more and more aggressive, looking for new worlds to conquer. We can't stand by and just watch this happen, so sooner or later we seem bound to clash. In any case, there's every danger they'll try to attack us!"

"That's what your 'progress' and 'technology' does for you," Petroc grunts, "Our ancestors were right to turn their backs on all that rubbish!"
You tell Petroc about the bug
"I found this planted in a pillowcase in the Legion office," you say, "Know anything about it?"

"Planted in a pillowcase, you say?" he chortles, "Any fool knows it won't grow if you plant it there!"
You tell Petroc about the bug
"This is a listening device; someone's trying to bug the Legion office." you tell him.

"Bug, you say? Well, if there's bugs in your office you ought to clean it more often," he replies.
You tell Petroc about the bug
"This device was being used to spy on the Empire," you insist, a little pompously, "Do you have any idea who might be responsible?"

"Spy? Call that a spy? Looks more like a withered pea to me!" he replies. "But I suppose you're going to tell me it's one of them techno-thingies. Well, I don't know about such stuff, and I don't want to know about it!"
You ask Petroc about Harcourt
"I think we should discuss Harcourt Research," you suggest.

"Do you now?" he retorts, "I should have thought we both had better things to do!"
You ask Petroc about the barn
Petroc appears baffled by your question.
You tell Petroc about the cube
You know better than to offend Petroc by discussing modern technology with him; he probably doesn't understand it and even if he does he certainly won't admit it.
You ask Petroc about previous
Petroc drowns your question in a fit of coughing.
You ask Petroc about Elysium
"Is there anything you need to report, any outside interference or anything like that?" you enquire.

"The only outside interference comes from your empire," Petroc grunts. But then he relents to the extent of adding, "You haven't been talking with old Jeb, have you? You don't want to take any notice of anything he says - he's full of addle-witted fool-guff."
You ask Petroc about Jeb
"Who or what is old Jeb?" you wonder.

"Oh, he's just the old fool who owns the farm just across the river." Petroc tells you, "He's not such a bad fellow, but he's so full of bumble-rot. He says he saw something last week - or was it the week before? He's such a muddle-wit he probably doesn't even know himself!"
You ask him about Leela
"I met a young woman called Leela in the forest on the way here," you inform him, "She says she's an outcast - that you elders cast her out."

"I know of no Leela," he tells you stiffly, "And we do not cast people out. We take care of our own on Elysium."
Keep going
"Leela's a young woman with long dark hair, about twenty standard Earth years or so old, I'd say," you remark, "Do you not know of such a woman?"

"Your description would match any of a score of young women I know," Petroc complains, "But none of them have been 'cast out'. We do not do such things."
You continue
"Leela is half-starved and half-naked, and says none of you will feed her or clothe her," you tell him.

"That is nonsense; if any young woman was in such a plight, any of our people would give her food and clothing," Petroc replies.

"But she says you have forbidden it!" you protest.

"That is a lie!" he declares fiercely, "We would never do such a thing!"
Keep going
"Leela told me you cast her out because she was asking too many questions," you say.

"The young always ask too many questions," he opines, "that is there way. But we do not expel them for it; we simply try to teach them."

"Teach them what?" you ask suspiciously.

"The answers to those questions that may be answered, and the futility of asking questions that may not." he replies.
Continue
"So you don't know anything about the young woman I met in the forest?" you ask.

"That is right - I do not," he affirms, "Indeed, I can't believe you met anyone like that - or if you did, she must have been spinning you some right old tale!"
Continue
You've exhausted that topic for now. Petroc is clearly sceptical of what Leela told you, and even of her existence.
You ask him about Jeb
"What exactly did this old Jeb character think he saw?" you ask.

"Something in the sky," Petroc grunts, "at the dead of night, he says. He went out to check on a mare that was in foal, and says he saw something blotting out some stars. Sounds to me like it was just a passing cloud if it was anything at all, but the old fool swears blind it was more like something floating down from heaven. I ask you - he'll be saying it was the second coming next!"
You ask him about Jeb
"What else did Jeb say about this object he saw at night?" you want to know.

"Well - he reckons what it was came down a little way to the north of his farm. That would make it to the northwest of here, somewhere across the river running through the forest. But that's just crazy nonsense, of course - there aint nothing there but trees and grass!"
You ask him about Jeb
"This thing that old Jeb says came down to the northwest, what could it have been?" you wonder.

"Hell, I don't suppose it was anything," Petroc replies scornfully, "Like I said, he probably just saw a cloud after having a mite too much to drink. I wouldn't have mentioned it at all except to warn you not to take no notice of it. Old Jeb is such an addle-wit I'd not set much store by anything he said."
You ask him about Jeb
"So you haven't checked old Jeb's story out?" you ask.

"Of course not," Petroc snaps, "No one else has mentioned anything strange, and I've better things to do than waste my time checking on drunken ghost stories - and so, I imagine, have you!"
You ask him about the the bridge
"So what are you going to do about that ruined bridge?" you ask.

"As I said, I'm trying to get my fellow Elders to agree on a repair plan," he reminds you, a little irritably.
You ask him about the bridge
He's already told you he's trying to get his fellow Elders to agree on a repair plan; there's no need to irritate him by going on about it.
You ask him about the technology
"Your aversion to technology - is it some kind of religion?" you ask.

"Not quite that, though no doubt it helps us be more in tune with life in a religious kind of way," he replies, "Our ancestors, the people who first settled this world, saw what technology did to people and figured that it just wasn't good for folks to live like that. The hankering for ever better technology was just the hankering to own more, to get what you want right away without waiting for it, and to get ahead of everyone else - in a word, plain, naked greed. Your technology doesn't make folks any happier, it just makes them nastier, and blind to the really important things in life."
You ask him about the tech
Petroc ponders your question for a moment, then shakes his head.
You ask him about the technology
"Surely you don't think technology is all bad," you protest, "I can't believe you don't use any. Surely you must at least use ploughs in your farming, ovens to cook, looms for weaving cloth and that sort of thing."

"To be sure," Petroc allows, "But we try to keep it as simple and basic as possible. Of course we have the means of providing ourselves with food, clothing and shelter, but beyond such basic necessities, nothing more is needful."
You ask him about the technology
"Don't you find life very hard and dull, denying yourselves all modern luxuries and modern technology?" you wonder.

"You forget, none of us have ever known such things, so we can't miss 'em," he smiles gently, "we have what we have and we're content with that. We don't starve or freeze, but more to the point we don't kill each other for greed or fight wars with ever more terrible weapons.
We don't clamber over each other in some crazy race to prove who's best, who's cleverest, who's greediest and powerfulest. And as for life being dull - no, we're too busy to find life dull. Besides, in the long winter evenings there's always the tale-telling and music-making and dancing and feasting. At least we make our own entertainment - the stories passed down from our ancestors tell of human zombies on your technological worlds staring at moving pictures on screens all day long - what kind of entertainment is that? And what kind of life? Well, you may think our life hard by your soft standards, but to me it seems the only kind of life worth living. If you don't believe me, join us and find out for yourself - how about it?"

(You could say yes, say no, ask him about the planet, old Jeb, the river, himself, the council of elders, meetings, market-days, the old tales, the town, the Empire, technology, the green house, or repairs, tell him about the Federation, or Relda, or ask him for clothing.)
Yes
You consider Petroc's offer for a moment, and then decide it's really rather attractive. You only joined the Sovereign Legion because it's a tradition in your family, and, if you're honest with yourself, you realize that both service in the Legion and life in the Empire is all a weariness - especially with the prospect of war looming. Perhaps what you really need is a fresh start away from all the complexities of life in the modern Moltinoran Empire.

So, looking Petroc straight in the eye, you smile and reply, "Yes, in fact I was hoping you'd offer. If you'll have me I'd like to join you."

Petroc nods his approval, "You are wiser than you look - and yes, you are welcome. Come, let me lead you to your new life."

So you follow Petroc back to his farm, and the first thing you do is swap your smart Legion uniform for a crude peasant smock. Then you spend the rest of your life learning to become a competent and contended farm labourer. In time you marry a pretty farm girl, have two fine sons and a pretty daughter, and neither the Empire nor the Federation ever bothers you again.
You ask him about the market days
"How often is there a market-day in town?" you ask.

"About every ten days or so," he replies, "Less in winter, of course."
You ask him about the market days
"Do many people come when there's a market-day?" you wonder.

"Depends what you mean by 'many'," he grunts. "There don't seem to be as many coming as when I was a youngster, if that's what you mean, but there's still enough."
You ask him about the market days
"What sort of things are traded here in the market?" you enquire.

"Farm produce, mainly," he tells you, "A few pots and pans and the like. Nothing fancy, mind."
You ask him about the market days
"Do you use money in your markets, or barter?" you ask.

"Money?" he asks, with a look of repulsion appropriate to the mention of some particularly disgusting vice, "We don't use money on Elysium. So I suppose it must be what you call 'barter'".
You ask him about the market days
"Does the market here meet everyone's needs?" you wonder.

"I don't hear anyone complaining about it," he replies.
You ask him about the market days
There's really no more to say about markets. He's told you that there's a market-day in town about every ten days or so, though less frequently in winter. The markets use barter, not money, and trade mainly in farm produce and basic utensils. Fewer people come to the markets than in Petroc's youth, but in his opinion the markets still meet everyone's needs.
You ask him about the the green house
"Why is the inn closed?" you wonder.

"Dry rot, wet rot, stairs getting too rickety," he shrugs, "Anyway, it's too unsafe for folks to use till it's been repaired."
You ask him about the the green house
"When's the Wheatsheaf likely to open again?" you wonder.

"This year, next year, sometime, never," he replies vaguely, "It seems to be harder and harder to get anyone to do repairs these days."
You ask him about the the green house
You've plainly exhausted this topic: the Wheatsheaf is the town's only inn, but it's closed since it's badly in need of repairs which no one seems willing to carry out.
You ask him for clothing
"The young woman I told you about needs some new clothes, where might I find some?" you enquire.

"Do I look the sort of man who carries a spare set of women's clothes around?" he snorts, "Women make their own clothes on this world - you won't find them growing on trees!"
You ask him about the the river
"How do I get across the river?" you ask.

"You're the one with all the clever technology - a mere river can't be a problem for you!" Petroc replies sniffily.
You ask him about the the planet
"So there's nothing else you need to tell me?" you ask.

"Nothing," he insists, "We are quite capable of ordering our affairs without your help."
You ask him about himself
"I trust I find you in good health?" you enquire politely.

"I have nothing to complain of in that regard," he shrugs.
You ask him about himself
"Is there anything the Empire can do for you?" you ask.

"Yes - you can leave us alone," he grunts.
You ask him about himself
You seem to have exhausted that topic. You've ascertained that Petroc is the Chief Elder, that he's in good health, and that he'd much rather the Empire left his people alone.
You ask him about the repairs
"Why is it so difficult to get any repairs done round here?" you want to know.

"Because no one cares any more," Petroc replies, his shoulders stooping dejectedly, "Not about the town, anyway. These days it seems anyone with the necessary skills is too busy fixing up his own farm."
You ask him about the repairs
"Are you saying that you can't get any repairs done in this town?" you ask.

Petroc lets out a heavy sigh. "It seems to be getting pretty much that way," he admits.
You ask him about the old tales
"What sort of old tales do you tell at your Great Gathering?" you ask.

"Oh, all sorts," he replies, "Why our ancestors left your corrupt society to come here, how they built this place, how we survived harsh winters and dry summers - and then there are all the cautionary tales, stories of how greed and pointless 'technological improvements' always lead to misery and impoverishment."
You ask him about the old tales
"What other stories do you tell?" you want to know.

"Now look here, youngster," he replies, "you don't have time to listen to our tales, and I don't have time to tell them right now."
You ask him about the old tales
He's already indicated that he can't be bothered to tell you the old tales. So far as you can tell from what he said, they appear to act as legitimation for Elysium's backwardness.
You ask him about Jeb
"Is there anything else you can tell me about old Jeb?" you ask.

"No, not really" he replies, "I mean, he's a decent enough farmer and all that, and he don't generally create any trouble, but he is such an addlepated old fool. Like I said, you don't want to take any notice of him."
You ask him about the meetings
"So you don't have that many meetings here," you surmise.

"We have enough," he shrugs.
You ask him about the meetings
He's already told you that the Elders meet in town once a month and that there's a Great Gathering once a year. That seems to be about as much as he's prepared to say on the topic.
You ask him about the Council
"How many Elders are there?" you ask.

"Twelve," he tells you, "We each take responsibility for one district, but once a month we come together to discuss matters of common concern."
You ask him about the Council
"What do the Elders do?" you inquire, "What is your function?"

"To guide our people and preserve our ancestral ways," he replies, "In particular we preserve the memory of the worlds we left behind, the greed and oppression and misery that goes with 'technology' and 'progress', so that each generation can be taught what we have escaped and why we must preserve our simple way of living."
You ask him about the Council
"Do the Elders have a judicial function?" you wonder.

"We settle disputes, if that's what you mean," he nods, "And we discipline anyone who must be disciplined - but you must understand that there is very little crime on Elysium; our simple lifestyle simply doesn't give rise to the greed and envy that drives so much of the evildoing in your advanced technological 'civilization'." He looks at you for a moment then asks, with a little smile, "Perhaps you would like to escape your oppressive lifetyle and join us?"

(You could say yes, say no, tell him about the Federation, or Relda, ask him about the town, the Empire, technology, or repairs, or ask him for clothing.)
No
"No," you smile, "I think not."

"I thought not," he replies.
You ask him about the repairs
"Would you like some help with the repairs needed here?" you offer, "I'm sure we could send a team of people to fix things up nicely for you."

"No!" he replies fiercely, "We don't want any more of your imperial interference on this world than we can help!"
You ask him about the town
"Why is this town so deserted?" you ask him.

"Because it's not a market-day or meeting-day," he tells you.
You ask him about the town
"Does no one live in this town permanently?" you wonder.

"Nah," he shakes his head, "What would be the point? Folks have got too much to do in their own places without loafing around here."
You ask him about the town
"Was this town always so - unoccupied?" you enquire, avoiding the word "run-down" just in time.

"There used to be a few folks who stayed here more or less permanently, back in the old days," he replies, "but those days have gone, and now we just use the place for markets and meetings."
You ask him about the town
You've already pursued the topic of the town as far as you tactfully can. It's obviously in decline, since people no longer live there and only come for markets and meetings.
You ask him about the technology
"What about medical technology?" you ask, "Surely you people get sick? Things must be pretty grim for you without the benefits of modern medicine!"

"You folks are always coming out with that tired old argument," Petroc chuckles, "But from what the ancestors say about your world, it seems to me that it's your technology that causes half your illnesses in the first place. You folks just don't get enough fresh air and exercise, let alone good, healthy, natural food. That's why you need all that fancy technological medicine. There's nothing a healthy lifestyle and the right herb can't cure here well enough - till a man's reached his allotted span."
You ask him about the technology
"So you really think your people are happy living the way they do, without all the benefits of modern technology?" you ask incredulously.

"I don't think it; I know it," he assures you. "If you don't believe me, you're mighty welcome to join us and find out for yourself; you look young enough not to have have been totally corrupted by technological ways yet. So how about it, youngster?"

(You could say yes, say no, tell him about the Federation, or Relda, ask him about the Empire, technology, or repairs, or ask him for clothing.)
No
"No," you smile, "I think not."

"I thought not," he replies.
You ask Petroc about the herbs
"I fail to see the relevance of that question," he complains.
You ask him about Federation
"What do you think about the Federation?" you ask.

"Nothing I can be bothered to discuss with you right now!" he grunts.
You ask him about Relda
"I'd be interested in your views on Relda," you tell him.

"Then you'll just have to be disappointed, since I have no interest in indulging your idle curiosity," he replies.
You ask him about the repairs
"So it's a real problem getting any repairs done here," you surmise.

"You could say that," he concurs.
You ask him about the repairs
There's no need to rub it in: it's obviously difficult to get anything repaired round here, and equally obvious that Petroc doesn't want your help.
You ask him about Federation
"Tell me about the Federation," you say.

"Aargh, don't waste my time, I've got better things to do than talk about that!" he snorts.
You ask him about Empire
"Tell me, Petroc," you ask, "How do your people actually feel about the Empire?"

"My people?" he echoes, "Why, for the most part they hardly think about it at all. It's not relevant to their lives - and that's the way we like it."
You ask him about Empire
"What do you feel about the Empire, Petroc," you want to know.

"The more it leaves us alone the better I like it," he replies, "Or rather, the less I dislike it. No good ever came of the Empire meddling in our affairs."
You ask him about Empire
"But don't you realize that your settlement was set up in imperial space, and that you only exist because we allow you to, and because we protect you from outside interference?" you ask.

"I may only be an Elder of a people who no doubt seem very backward to you, young man, but I'm totally ignorant of such matters," he replies gruffly, "Our ancestors were a peaceful group of settlers minding our own business when your ancestors came along and claimed we were on your land, as the strong always bully the weak. And as for 'protecting' us - go search the forest and see for yourself what your imperial 'protection' is worth."
You ask him about the forest
"So what will I find in the forest?" you ask.

"Go and see for yourself," he growls in reply.
Goodbye
"Well, I think that's about it, then; I needn't detain you any longer," you say.

"You've already detained me quite long enough," Petroc concurs gruffy, "So I shall bid you good day."

Petroc leaves through the street door.
Street door
The door closes with a sharp click, indicating that it has relocked itself.

Petroc goes inside the large wooden hall.
You open the drawer
Opening the drawer reveals a purple datatab.
You look at it
It's a small square of purple plastic or polymer, about 7mm to a side. By some kind of molecular wizardry, the precise technical details of which escape you, it's capable of holding several terabytes of data.
You put the datatab in the slot
The screen displays: "Please enter your Authorization Code: "
You enter isl-GF-ppn342
(on the console)
The screen displays: "Authorization Code Correct! Access permitted.
"

The console screen displays a recent report on the status of Elysium.

The summary page tells you that the current population of the planet is a mere 11,345 (as of the latest count, last year), and that Elysium has the lowest GDP per head of any planet of the Empire by a very long way. The population apparently peaked at around fifteen thousand about a century ago and has been declining slowly ever since (there's a link to a lengthy social-scientific analysis of this, but you're content with the summary, which suggests that the society has simply become too stagnant). The prognosis is that within a century or two Elysian society will have become non-viable and the Empire will be able (and obliged) to move in with a fresh bunch of settlers and make something of the world (though this is not to be communicated to any of the current inhabitants) but in the meanwhile, the Elysians are to be left alone to decay as they wish, since there must be no repetition of past tragedies (there's a link to a file explaining this in more detail, but it turns out you don't have the security clearance to read it). The summary ends with an instruction to all imperial personnel operating on Elysium to keep contact and interference to the bare minimum required to monitor the status of Elysian society and ensure no outside interference.
You enter the report
(on the console)
This doesn't achieve much.
You look up Elders on the computer
The screen displays a link to that information, but when you try to access it you find you don't have the necessary security clearance to read it.

There doesn't seem to be any link to that from the report you're viewing.
You tell Soolin about Jeb
"I'm not sure how much credence I should give to the Elder's report of what the old farmer thought he saw, but maybe I should see if I can find out any more," you say.

"Whatever you think, sir," she agrees.
You check your inventory
You are carrying an ID card, a pair of safety pins, a crumpled piece of paper, a plain white sheet, a white pillowcase, a small iron key, and a fishing rod. You're wearing a purple belt and a white uniform. The purple belt contains a drik. Your right pocket contains a tiny black bug.
Go up
(first opening the hatch)

Although the roof is not that high up, it affords you a reasonably good view over the town. A low parapet runs round the edge of the roof, at one end of which is a tall white flagpole with a white locker at its base and a flag flying from its top. At the far end is an array of solar panels, while in between a narrow staircase leads back down through an open hatch.

You see an old brown sack (which contains an apple, a lettuce, a small loaf of bread, two tomatoes, a pear, a carrot, a piece of cloth, and a piece of ham) and a small black cube here.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.

Obvious exits: Down
You look at the cube
old brown sack: Taken.
small black cube: Taken.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.

The small black cube looks like it's made of some kind of shiny plastic, and seems featureless apart from the small slot in the side. Your drik tells you that it is in fact some kind of receiver.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You look in the slot
The small slot contains a black datatab.
You get the black datatab
Taken.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You examine it
It's a small square of black plastic or polymer, about 7mm to a side. By some kind of molecular wizardry, the precise technical details of which escape you, it's capable of holding several terabytes of data.
Go downwards
This office is the about the only place on Elysium that resembles your idea of civilization. A large white desk, with a standard built-in console, rests under the great golden eagle mounted on the east wall. Behind the desk sits a comfortable mock-leather chair, while a pair of smaller chairs, one red, the other white, are positioned in front of the desk, presumably for the benefit of visitors. The main door is next to the window overlooking the street to the north, while a staircase runs up against the south wall to a hatch in the ceiling. A second door is set in the east wall, to the left of the eagle, while a large portrait of the Emperor hangs opposite.

Obvious exits: North, East, Up

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You take the purple datatab
As you remove the purple datatab, the console screen goes blank.
You take the black datatab
You are already carrying the black datatab.
You put the black datatab in the slot
(the slot)
The screen displays: "Enter Password: "
You enter Harcourt
(on the console)
The console beeps and displays:

"ACCESS DENIED

Enter Password: "

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You enter isl-GF-ppn342
(on the console)
The console beeps and displays:

"ACCESS DENIED

Enter Password: "
You look under the chair
Which chair do you mean, the red chair, the comfortable mock-leather chair, or the white chair?
Red
You see nothing unusual under the red chair.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You look at the cube
The small black cube looks like it's made of some kind of shiny plastic, and seems featureless apart from the small slot in the side. Your drik tells you that it is in fact some kind of receiver.
Point drik at black datatab
(first taking the drik from the purple belt)
Okay, you point the drik at the black datatab.
You go up
Although the roof is not that high up, it affords you a reasonably good view over the town. A low parapet runs round the edge of the roof, at one end of which is a tall white flagpole with a white locker at its base and a flag flying from its top. At the far end is an array of solar panels, while in between a narrow staircase leads back down through an open hatch.

Obvious exits: Down
You take the flag
The imperial flag is too far away.
Lower flag
You lower the flag to the base of the pole.
You take flag
(first detaching the imperial flag from the rope)
Taken.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You take the pole
You are already carrying the fishing rod.
You examine the inn
It's a two-storey wooden house in apparently quite good repair. A sign hangs above the door.
You examine the sign
It's too far away to make out any detail.
You enter the inn
The large green house is too far away.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You examine the parapet
The parapet running round the edge of the roof is only about a metre high, and so would not provide much of a barrier to someone determined to jump off or clumsy enough to fall over. In common with the rest of the building it's covered in white plaster. A close examination of the parapet reveals what looks like a fresh scratch.
You examine the scratch
It's a short vertical scratch on the inside near the top, as though someone had recently dragged a sharp object up the plaster.
Climb sign
The weatherbeaten hanging sign is too far away.
You unscrew the pole
Which pole do you mean, the flagpole, or the fishing rod?
You examine the sign
The weatherbeaten sign is decorated with a faded picture of a sheaf of wheat.
You examine the ground
The street, such as it is, is little more than a beaten earth path between the buildings.
You examine the hall
It's the largest building at the east end of the town, but only on Elysium would it look at all impressive. It has something of the look of a run-down village hall, or a primitive parish church without a spire. At some point in its history it was painted red, but the paintwork has long since grown shabby and faded.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
Go north
This seems to be a meeting hall of some sort, with rows of plain wooden benches facing a crude stage at the northern end. It's unclear whether this place is intended for religious or secular purposes; quite possibly it does duty for both. The overall effect is decidedly gloomy, even though a fair amount of sunlight steals in through the unglazed windows and the open doorway to the south.

Petroc is pacing up and down on the stage.

Obvious exits: South

Petroc turns away from you.
You ask Petroc about the hall
"Hello again!" you say.

"Oh, it's you," he grunts.

"What's the hall used for?" you wonder.

"Meetings, mainly," he replies laconically.
You look at windows
They're just unglazed rectangles high up in the walls, serving to let the light in but hardly to exclude cold draughts.
You look at the benches
The long wooden benches are about as basic as they can get, little more than planks on legs.
You examine the stage
A raised area a couple of metres deep occupies the northern end of the hall.

Petroc is standing on the stage.
You sit on the bench
Okay, you're now sitting on the benches.

Petroc resumes pacing around the stage.
You stand
Okay, you're now standing.

Petroc clasps his hands together and peers out over the hall.
You ask Petroc about the stage
"Pardon my bothering you, but I just wondered whether I might have another word," you say.

"If you must," he sighs.

Petroc drowns your question in a fit of coughing.
You go to the south
Petroc resumes pacing around the stage.

The north side of the street is occupied by a large wooden hall. On the south side is a neat single-storey white building (directly south) next to a two-storey green house (to the southeast). The street continues eastwards but quickly peters out into a narrow farmtrack as it leaves the town, while to the west it runs back towards the town centre.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West, Southeast
You go east
You set off down the narrow farm track for a few hundred metres, until you see what you take to be a distant farmhouse some way further off to the east. Then you pause, remembering your orders tell you to leave the settlers alone (apart from the Elders you've come to meet), so after a few moments' hesitation you turn round and come back.
Go south
You walk a dozen metres or so down the path to the south, but find it quickly reaches the edge of town and heads out over farmland. Remembering that you're meant to be avoiding contact with all settlers apart from the Elders, you decide to turn round and retrace your steps.
You go north
The grassy hillside slopes gently down towards the small town below, which is surrounded by farmland and bordered by a river to the west. The centre of the town lies straight down the slope to the south. Just up the slope to the north is the edge of the forest, which can also be entered to the northwest.

Obvious exits: North, South, West, Northwest
You go north
The main north-south track runs wide and straight here. The trees are more widely spaced, so that you could easily wander among them on either side of the main track. To the south they become sparser still, indicating that the edge of the forest lies that way.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West
Go east
You wander off among the trees to the east of the path, but find little of interest beyond more trees. Rather than wasting time in this part of the forest you return to the main path.
Go west
Dappled light plays through the sparsely spaced trees that thin out even more towards the southeast, where the forest ends. In principle you could walk in any direction amongst these autumnal trees, but one direction looks much the same as any other, so you could all too easily get lost, except that you know that the way back to the main path is to the east.

Obvious exits: East, Southeast

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
Go north
Alien foliage clogs the ground between the trees that crowd around you on every side. The main trail heads straight off to the north and snakes through the trees to the south. You can't see any side trails as such, but there may be the odd gap in the trees through which you could pass.

Obvious exits: North, South
You go to the north
The dirt track runs a short way north up to a ridge, just beyond which lies the hollow where your shuttle landed; to the south the track disappears into a sizeable forest. There are fields either side of the track, but they look overgrown and untended.

Obvious exits: North, South
Go south
You set off down the track and after a few minutes' walk you find yourself deep in the heart of the forest.

Alien foliage clogs the ground between the trees that crowd around you on every side. The main trail heads straight off to the north and snakes through the trees to the south. You can't see any side trails as such, but there may be the odd gap in the trees through which you could pass.

Obvious exits: North, South
Go south
The path twists and turns through the trees, but broadly continues south.

The main north-south track runs wide and straight here. The trees are more widely spaced, so that you could easily wander among them on either side of the main track. To the south they become sparser still, indicating that the edge of the forest lies that way.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West
Go west
Dappled light plays through the sparsely spaced trees that thin out even more towards the southeast, where the forest ends. In principle you could walk in any direction amongst these autumnal trees, but one direction looks much the same as any other, so you could all too easily get lost, except that you know that the way back to the main path is to the east.

Obvious exits: East, Southeast
You search trees
Well, they certainly have plenty of leaves.
You listen
It is not quite silent here; there are quiet forest sounds all around, maybe the rustling caused by small animals you cannot see, or the play of wind in the leaves. But though not silent, it is certainly quiet.
You climb the tree
You're not sure you can; tree-climbing wasn't a skill they taught you at the Legion Training School, and it feels beneath your dignity to attempt it now.
You ask Soolin about the forest
"It would take too long to explain, sir," she replies, "Let's talk about it later."
You tell Soolin about the black datatab
"I found a black datatab in the black cube I found in the barn." you tell her.

"If you can find out what's on it, you may be able to work out who's behind all this, sir," she suggests.

"My thought entirely, sublieutenant," you agree.
You search the forest
(the autumnal trees)
Well, they certainly have plenty of leaves.
You go to the south
You walk down the slope into the centre of the town.

This is the centre of the town, such as it is. The main street, if it can be called a street, runs east and west from here, crossing a track that runs north and south. To the northwest is a market area, opposite a large barn on the south side of the street, while to the east the street runs between a small white building (on its south side) and a large wooden hall (on its north).

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West, Northwest
You go to the west
The muddy street from the centre of the town to the east ends at a ramshackle wooden bridge that has unfortunately fallen into a terminal state of disrepair, leaving no other means of crossing the river. A large wooden barn stands immediately to the south, next to a pair of tumbledown shacks, while on the north side of the street is a rough enclosed area that looks like it's probably some sort of market. Behind the market the land climbs up towards the distant forest.

Obvious exits: North, South, East
You examine the dog
It's an ugly black mongrel with fierce-looking teeth. It is lying on the ground. It's unconscious.
You take the dog
The dog is far too large for you to pick up and carry around with you.
You give the ham to the dog
(first taking the piece of ham from the old brown sack)
The dog will be out cold for hours.
You kick the dog
It's probably best to let sleeping dogs lie.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You look at the bridge
The bridge looks ruined beyond any hope of repair; it's now little more than a collection of rotting beams slowly tumbling into the river.
Go north
You walk back up over the ridge, and descend into the hollow on the far side.

This grassy hollow, about thirty metres across, looks like it might once have been an impact crater. A steep slope rises just to the west, while a trail of sorts leads north and south.

Your shuttle rests in the middle of the hollow.

Obvious exits: North, South, In

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You go inside
The inside of the shuttle is not exactly spacious; there's room for the pilot and three passengers, one beside the pilot and two behind. The seats are comfortable enough, but otherwise it's all pretty basic. There's not much in front of you except the forward window; the pilot has a bank of instruments.

Sublieutenant Soolin is sitting in the pilot seat.

Obvious exits: Out

As you clamber into the flyer you sit yourself down on the front passenger seat, next to the pilot.

"Hello, sir!" Sublieutenant Soolin greets you, "Does this mean you're all done and ready to leave?"
No
"No, not yet," you reply, "I still have things to do here."

"Very well," she sighs.
You ask her about the river
"What do you reckon about the river, sublieutenant?" you enquire.

In reply she frowns, as if she doesn't quite see the point of your question.
Go south
The dirt track runs a short way north up to a ridge, just beyond which lies the hollow where your shuttle landed; to the south the track disappears into a sizeable forest. There are fields either side of the track, but they look overgrown and untended.

Obvious exits: North, South
Go south
You set off down the track and after a few minutes' walk you find yourself deep in the heart of the forest.

Alien foliage clogs the ground between the trees that crowd around you on every side. The main trail heads straight off to the north and snakes through the trees to the south. You can't see any side trails as such, but there may be the odd gap in the trees through which you could pass.

Obvious exits: North, South
You go north
You walk back up over the ridge, and descend into the hollow on the far side.

This grassy hollow, about thirty metres across, looks like it might once have been an impact crater. A steep slope rises just to the west, while a trail of sorts leads north and south.

Your shuttle rests in the middle of the hollow.

Obvious exits: North, South, In
You close the door
(the street door)
The door closes with a sharp click, indicating that it has relocked itself.
You go to the east
This small bedroom is presumably provided in case a visiting Legion officer needs to stay overnight, but there's not much here apart from a single bed hard against the wall, a small wardrobe, and a small chest of drawers. There's a door to the west back into the office, and a tiny bathroom to the south.

The middle drawer contains a fluffy pink towel. The top drawer contains a duvet.

Inside the wardrobe is a small domestic robot.

Obvious exits: South, West
You look at the robot
It's one of those small cylindrical jobs, basic but robust.
Presumably it carries out the routine maintenance and cleaning in this building. There's a yellow sticker attached to it. It's currently plugged into the wall, charging.
You unplug the robot
You'd better not do that while the robot is still charging.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You look at the sticker
The sticker reads, "Last maintenance check 14-Mar-80: Fixed glitch in laundry program." Under the notation is a Harcourt Research Logo.
You take the robot
(first putting your ID card in your left pocket to make room, putting the crumpled piece of paper in your right pocket to make room, putting the plain white sheet in the old brown sack to make room, putting the fishing rod in the old brown sack to make room, putting the small black cube in the old brown sack to make room, then putting the old brown sack in the white pillowcase to make room)
The robot is too bulky.
Examine logo
The logo depicts a pair of spaceships orbiting a sun in a manner that resembles a pair of electrons orbiting an atomic nucleus. The intention is presumably to convey that Harcourt Research's technological competence encompasses all scales.
You enter the barn
(first entering the west end of the town)

The muddy street from the centre of the town to the east ends at a ramshackle wooden bridge that has unfortunately fallen into a terminal state of disrepair, leaving no other means of crossing the river. A large wooden barn stands immediately to the south, next to a pair of tumbledown shacks, while on the north side of the street is a rough enclosed area that looks like it's probably some sort of market. Behind the market the land climbs up towards the distant forest.

Obvious exits: North, South, East

This vast barn looks like it might be used as storage space for the market opposite. A ladder leads up to a high platform at the south end. On the east wall is a large shutter.

The trestle table is positioned next to the ladder.

Obvious exits: North, Up
You look at the shutter
It's just a plain wooden shutter, mounted on the east wall. It's open.
You examine table
It's a long wooden table, probably used by market traders selling their produce.
You look at the shacks
They're both small, single-storey wooden buildings. They may once have constituted rudimentary homes for people staying in the town, but they look long-since abandoned.
You go to the north
This fenced-in area of a few dozen square metres looks like it might be used for a market, both from the rubbish that's been left lying around, and the impress in the muddy ground of what might be stalls or tables. A small shed stands near the centre of the area. Gaps in the fence allow egress to the south and southeast, as well as north along the bank of the river.

The trestle table stands in the middle of the road.

The dog is lying unconscious on the ground.

Obvious exits: North, South, Southeast, In
Go north
You walk north along the river bank, but at no point do you see anywhere the river could readily be crossed. You continue north up the slope until you come to the edge of the forest, which quickly becomes too dense for you to make any further progress, so at that point you turn round and retrace your steps.
You examine river
The river flows southwards along the west side of the market area.
Go south
The muddy street from the centre of the town to the east ends at a ramshackle wooden bridge that has unfortunately fallen into a terminal state of disrepair, leaving no other means of crossing the river. A large wooden barn stands immediately to the south, next to a pair of tumbledown shacks, while on the north side of the street is a rough enclosed area that looks like it's probably some sort of market. Behind the market the land climbs up towards the distant forest.

The trestle table stands in the middle of the road.

Obvious exits: North, South, East
You examine the shed
The small wooden shed might be for storage, or it might be some sort of stall. Either way it's a crude wooden structure with a plain wooden door.
Yell
You scream as loud as you can.
You go south
The muddy street from the centre of the town to the east ends at a ramshackle wooden bridge that has unfortunately fallen into a terminal state of disrepair, leaving no other means of crossing the river. A large wooden barn stands immediately to the south, next to a pair of tumbledown shacks, while on the north side of the street is a rough enclosed area that looks like it's probably some sort of market. Behind the market the land climbs up towards the distant forest.

Obvious exits: North, South, East

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You go southwest
You take a few hesitant steps in that direction, but since you can discern no clear path, you decide to go no further.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
Yell
You scream as loud as you can.
Point drik at trees
Okay, you point the drik at the autumnal trees.
Stun trees
There's no point trying to shoot those; you can't stun some autumnal trees.
You enter the hall
(first entering the east end of the town)

The north side of the street is occupied by a large wooden hall. On the south side is a neat single-storey white building (directly south) next to a two-storey green house (to the southeast). The street continues eastwards but quickly peters out into a narrow farmtrack as it leaves the town, while to the west it runs back towards the town centre.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West, Southeast

This seems to be a meeting hall of some sort, with rows of plain wooden benches facing a crude stage at the northern end. It's unclear whether this place is intended for religious or secular purposes; quite possibly it does duty for both. The overall effect is decidedly gloomy, even though a fair amount of sunlight steals in through the unglazed windows and the open doorway to the south.

Petroc is pacing up and down on the stage.

Obvious exits: South
You look at benches
The long wooden benches are about as basic as they can get, little more than planks on legs.

Petroc clasps his hands together and peers out over the hall.
You put the bug under the bench
You can't put anything under those.

Petroc clumps noisily across the stage.
You look at the stage
A raised area a couple of metres deep occupies the northern end of the hall.

Petroc is standing on the stage.

Petroc pretends to ignore you.
You stand on the stage
Okay, you're now standing on the stage.

Petroc clears his throat.
You jump
It would be undignified, unseemly and undiplomatic to start jumping around in front of Petroc.
You remove the uniform
You see no reason to start stripping off here, quite apart from the fact that your uniform shows that you bear the Emperor's authority, which is what you are here to represent.

Petroc mutters something to himself.
You go outside
(out of the stage)
Okay, you're no longer on the stage.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You go outside
The north side of the street is occupied by a large wooden hall. On the south side is a neat single-storey white building (directly south) next to a two-storey green house (to the southeast). The street continues eastwards but quickly peters out into a narrow farmtrack as it leaves the town, while to the west it runs back towards the town centre.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West, Southeast
You enter barn
(first entering the west end of the town)

The muddy street from the centre of the town to the east ends at a ramshackle wooden bridge that has unfortunately fallen into a terminal state of disrepair, leaving no other means of crossing the river. A large wooden barn stands immediately to the south, next to a pair of tumbledown shacks, while on the north side of the street is a rough enclosed area that looks like it's probably some sort of market. Behind the market the land climbs up towards the distant forest.

Obvious exits: North, South, East

This vast barn looks like it might be used as storage space for the market opposite. A ladder leads up to a high platform at the south end. On the east wall is a large shutter.

Obvious exits: North, Up
Go north
The muddy street from the centre of the town to the east ends at a ramshackle wooden bridge that has unfortunately fallen into a terminal state of disrepair, leaving no other means of crossing the river. A large wooden barn stands immediately to the south, next to a pair of tumbledown shacks, while on the north side of the street is a rough enclosed area that looks like it's probably some sort of market. Behind the market the land climbs up towards the distant forest.

Obvious exits: North, South, East
Go up
(first standing on the trestle table)
From the trestle table you step onto one of the upper rungs of the ladder and haul yourself up onto the platform.

The loft is little more than a storage platform running the width of the barn, about three metres deep, in the space under the rafters. At the eastern end of the platform a large wooden box is fixed to the wall, next to a pile of hay in the corner.

The cat is sitting happily chewing at the fish.

Obvious exits: Down
Examine box
It's a large wooden box with a heavy wooden lid. It's open.
You look at the cat
It's a large cat, black all over. It is sitting on the floor. It's happily feasting on a trout.
You examine the rafters
The rafters are simply wooden beams running east to west above your head.
Inventory
You are carrying a pair of safety pins, a white pillowcase (which contains an old brown sack (which contains an apple, a lettuce, a small loaf of bread, two tomatoes, a pear, a carrot, a piece of cloth, a piece of ham, a plain white sheet, a fishing rod, and a small black cube)), a small iron key, a purple datatab, and a drik. You're wearing a purple belt and a white uniform. Your left pocket contains an ID card. Your right pocket contains a tiny black bug and a crumpled piece of paper.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
You open cloth
(first taking the piece of cloth from the old brown sack)
You open the piece of cloth. Inside the cloth you find a small wedge of cheese.
You look around
The loft is little more than a storage platform running the width of the barn, about three metres deep, in the space under the rafters. At the eastern end of the platform a large wooden box is fixed to the wall, next to a pile of hay in the corner.

The cat is sitting happily chewing at the fish.

Obvious exits: Down
You check your inventory
You are carrying a pair of safety pins, a white pillowcase (which contains an old brown sack (which contains an apple, a lettuce, a small loaf of bread, two tomatoes, a pear, a carrot, a piece of ham, a plain white sheet, a fishing rod, and a small black cube)), a small iron key, a purple datatab, a drik, and a piece of cloth (which contains a small wedge of cheese). You're wearing a purple belt and a white uniform. Your left pocket contains an ID card. Your right pocket contains a tiny black bug and a crumpled piece of paper.

You can smell the cheese.
You put the bug on the rafter
The southernmost rafter is out of reach.
You wear the sheet
(first taking the plain white sheet from the old brown sack)
You wrap the sheet round yourself like a toga, but the style doesn't go with your uniform, and in any case the sheet quickly slips off again.
You examine the southernmost rafter
It looks much the same as all the others.
You attach the pins to the sheet
You can't attach that to the plain white sheet.

You can't attach that to the plain white sheet.
You go to the southeast
This is the centre of the town, such as it is. The main street, if it can be called a street, runs east and west from here, crossing a track that runs north and south. To the northwest is a market area, opposite a large barn on the south side of the street, while to the east the street runs between a small white building (on its south side) and a large wooden hall (on its north).

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West, Northwest

You can smell the cheese.
You open cloth
The piece of cloth is already unfolded.
You go to the south
You walk down the slope into the centre of the town.

This is the centre of the town, such as it is. The main street, if it can be called a street, runs east and west from here, crossing a track that runs north and south. To the northwest is a market area, opposite a large barn on the south side of the street, while to the east the street runs between a small white building (on its south side) and a large wooden hall (on its north).

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West, Northwest
Go east
The north side of the street is occupied by a large wooden hall. On the south side is a neat single-storey white building (directly south) next to a two-storey green house (to the southeast). The street continues eastwards but quickly peters out into a narrow farmtrack as it leaves the town, while to the west it runs back towards the town centre.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West, Southeast
You go south
(first taking your ID card from your left pocket, unlocking the purple door, then opening it)

This office is the about the only place on Elysium that resembles your idea of civilization. A large white desk, with a standard built-in console, rests under the great golden eagle mounted on the east wall. Behind the desk sits a comfortable mock-leather chair, while a pair of smaller chairs, one red, the other white, are positioned in front of the desk, presumably for the benefit of visitors. The main door is next to the window overlooking the street to the north, while a staircase runs up against the south wall to a hatch in the ceiling. A second door is set in the east wall, to the left of the eagle, while a large portrait of the Emperor hangs opposite.

Obvious exits: North, East, Up
You examine the duvet
It's a good thick duvet, and looks like it should keep its user snug and warm; its cover is patterned but predominantly purple.
You examine the towel
It looks like one of those super-absorbent towels that gets a soaking person completely dry in under a minute. It also looks fresh and new.
You go to the north
The north side of the street is occupied by a large wooden hall. On the south side is a neat single-storey white building (directly south) next to a two-storey green house (to the southeast). The street continues eastwards but quickly peters out into a narrow farmtrack as it leaves the town, while to the west it runs back towards the town centre.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West, Southeast

You can smell the cheese.
Go north
This seems to be a meeting hall of some sort, with rows of plain wooden benches facing a crude stage at the northern end. It's unclear whether this place is intended for religious or secular purposes; quite possibly it does duty for both. The overall effect is decidedly gloomy, even though a fair amount of sunlight steals in through the unglazed windows and the open doorway to the south.

Petroc is pacing up and down on the stage.

Obvious exits: South

Petroc gestures with his right hand, as if practising a dramatic performance in front of an imaginary audience.
Stun Petroc
You don't go round shooting people for no good reason.

Petroc clasps his hands behind his back.
You drop cheese
(first taking the small wedge of cheese from the piece of cloth) Dropped.
You drop the cloth
Dropped.
Wait
Time passes...
Look around
The main north-south track runs wide and straight here. The trees are more widely spaced, so that you could easily wander among them on either side of the main track. To the south they become sparser still, indicating that the edge of the forest lies that way.

You see a piece of cloth (which contains a small wedge of cheese) here.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West
You examine the trees
Most of the trees round here seem to be deciduous; some are already starting to shed their leaves, on others the leaves are turning various shades of red and brown.
You examine the town
Immediately to the west is the large green building, almost abutting the roof. Across the street to the north is a large wooden hall; the street continues west between an enclosed market area to the northwest and the large barn immediately to the west.
You enter Building
Which building do you mean, the small white building, the barn, or the wooden hall?
Green
The large green house is too far away.
You enter the white
This office is the about the only place on Elysium that resembles your idea of civilization. A large white desk, with a standard built-in console, rests under the great golden eagle mounted on the east wall. Behind the desk sits a comfortable mock-leather chair, while a pair of smaller chairs, one red, the other white, are positioned in front of the desk, presumably for the benefit of visitors. The main door is next to the window overlooking the street to the north, while a staircase runs up against the south wall to a hatch in the ceiling. A second door is set in the east wall, to the left of the eagle, while a large portrait of the Emperor hangs opposite.

Obvious exits: North, East, Up

You can smell the cheese.
You examine the console
It's a standard model console, with a 50 cm screen and a datatab slot. On an ordinary world it would be connected to the planet-wide datanet, but you doubt that such a thing exists on Elysium. The screen displays: "Enter Password: "
Go east
This small bedroom is presumably provided in case a visiting Legion officer needs to stay overnight, but there's not much here apart from a single bed hard against the wall, a small wardrobe, and a small chest of drawers. There's a door to the west back into the office, and a tiny bathroom to the south.

The middle drawer contains a fluffy pink towel.

Inside the wardrobe is a small domestic robot.

Obvious exits: South, West
You take the robot
The robot is too bulky.
You take the sticker
The sticker seems to be too well stuck to the robot.
You look at the robot
It's one of those small cylindrical jobs, basic but robust.
Presumably it carries out the routine maintenance and cleaning in this building. There's a yellow sticker attached to it. It's currently plugged into the wall, charging.
You look in the slot
Which slot do you mean, the black cube slot, or the console slot?
You remove belt
You've no reason to take it off; it's part of your uniform.
You examine the buckle
The gold buckle is embossed with an imperial eagle and the letters I S L.
You enter the isl
You're already in the sovereign legion office.
You examine portrait
The portrait provides evidence that even on this insignificant world someone is taking regular care of the Legion office, since it's a portrait of Charles V, who ascended the throne only a few months ago. He's a man of about thirty, trying to look formal despite the twinkle in his eye, dressed in the traditional gold-trimmed purple cloak and golden laurel-wreath crown of his office.
You look at the cloak
A purple cloak is draped over the shoulders of the man in the portrait.
You look at the crown
The imperial crown in the portrait was clearly modelled on that of ancient Romans.
You go to the east
This small bedroom is presumably provided in case a visiting Legion officer needs to stay overnight, but there's not much here apart from a single bed hard against the wall, a small wardrobe, and a small chest of drawers. There's a door to the west back into the office, and a tiny bathroom to the south.

The middle drawer contains a fluffy pink towel.

Inside the wardrobe is a small domestic robot.

Obvious exits: South, West

You can smell the cheese.
You examine the bed
The single bed is set hard against the wall. It's nothing special but it looks comfortable enough.
You pull the bed
The single bed is too heavy.
West
On the west wall is a small fitted wardrobe, next to the door leading back into the office.
You look at the wardrobe
It's a fitted wardrobe, inset into the west wall. It's open.

Inside the wardrobe is a small domestic robot.
You examine the east wall
The bed is against the east wall.
You examine the south wall
Through the south wall is the way into the bathroom.
You examine the toilet
That's in the bathroom.
You examine the bug
It's round and black and smaller than a pea, and could easily be mistaken for an innocuous piece of dirt. But you now know that it's a state-of-the-art listening device sensitive enough to pick up any conversation held above a whisper at a range of at least ten metres.
You ask Soolin about herself
"Is everything okay back there, sublieutenant?" you ask.

"No change, sir; all's well here," she reports.
You ask Soolin about the crisis
"I don't think the Empire has faced a crisis this big in a quarter of a millenium," you remark.

"Since the Border War, you mean, sir?" she replies, "But the Federation is much more powerful than the Free World League ever was!"

"Quite," you agree grimly.
You ask Soolin about the crisis
"Do you reckon this Federation crisis will be over with quickly, sublieutenant?" you ask.

"I wish I could say I did, sir," she replies.
You ask Soolin about the crisis
You seem to have exhausted that topic for now.

You can smell the cheese.
You ask Soolin about League
"At least relations with the Free World League seem better at last," you remark.

"Thanks to the efforts of the Emperor, I understand, sir," she replies.

"That's right - and not least thanks to the efforts of the Emperor when he was still a serving Legion officer," you add proudly.
Topics
You could tell her about yourself, Leela, the robot, the town, the Elder, the receiving device, or the bug.
You tell Soolin about Leela
"I came across a young woman in the forest," you tell her, "she seems in a bad way. Apparently she's an outcast - the Elders have turned her out and left her to fend for herself. She asked me to find some food and clothing for her."

"Well, that's up to you, of course, sir," Sublieutenant Soolin replies, "But I didn't think you were sent here to play the Good Samaritan!"
You tell Soolin about Leela
"I'm still wondering what to do about that young woman I met," you say.

"That's your call, sir," Sublieutenant Soolin replies.
You tell Soolin about the robot
"I found a robot in the Legion Office building with a Harcourt Research maintenance sticker on it," you inform her, "I didn't know Harcourt Research Engineers visited this world!"

"I suppose if it's one of their robots, then one of their engineers would be the most logical person to maintain it, sir," she points out.

"True," you concede, "But they're hardly a company I'd trust on this particular world."

"Right now, they're hardy a company anyone would trust anywhere, sir!" she points out.
You tell Soolin about the robot
"I'm still wondering about that robot, and the idea of Harcourt Research on Elysium," you say.

"I doubt it's significant, sir," Sublieutenant Soolin replies, "One engineer making a routine maintenance visit hardly constitutes a corporate takeover!"
Topics
You could tell her about yourself, the town, the Elder, the receiving device, or the bug.
You tell Soolin about the bug
"I've just had another thought about that bug, sublieutenant," you tell her, "I found a scratch on the inside of the parapet running round the Legion Office roof. It looks as if it could have been made by some sort of grappling-hook. So someone could have scaled up onto the roof and planted the bug in the pillow-case, knowing they'd then be able to listen into any conversations taking place in the building whether the pillow-case was left in the flag locker or taken back down to the bedroom."

"I suppose that is a possibility, sir," she concurs.
You tell Soolin about the bug
"I'm still concerned about this bug I found," you remark.

"You have every right to be, sir," she agrees, "Bugging a Sovereign Legion building is a very serious matter."
You tell Soolin about the cube
"So, sublieutenant," you say, "I've found a bug in the Legion building and a receiving device in the barn. Someone's spying on us, that's for sure. I wonder if could be Harcourt Research."

"This is a serious matter, whoever it is, sir," she replies, "I imagine that means you'll need to poke around a bit more."
Topics
You could tell her about yourself, the town, or the Elder.
You tell Soolin about Elder
"I've now done all I need to do with their Elder," you tell her, "He didn't have anything interesting to say about Elysium and he didn't seem all that bothered by the Federation crisis."

"Did you expect anything different, sir?" she asks.

"Not really," you admit.
You tell Soolin about the town
"Well, I've now seen this town of theirs and I don't think much of it!" you tell her, "It's not even a decent hamlet!"

"You weren't exactly led to expect it would be like Romnova, sir," she replies, referring to the imperial capital.
You ask Soolin about the romnova
"Have you ever visited Romnova, sublieutenant?" you ask.

"I can't say I have, sir," she admits.

"You should some time," you tell her, "it's a great city."

"So I've heard, sir," she concurs.

You can smell the cheese.
Topics
You could tell her about yourself, or the town.
You tell Soolin about the town
"The town is practically deserted!" you complain.

"I wonder what that says about their society, sir," she muses.
You tell Soolin about the town
She already knows you're not that impressed with the town; there's really no more to say about it.
You tell Soolin about yourself
"Just checking in, sublieutenant," you tell her, "right now I'm in the sovereign legion office."

"Right you are, sir," she replies.
Topics
You could tell her about yourself.
You read the letter
The letters I S L (standing for Imperial Sovereign Legion) are embossed on your belt buckle in an arc above the eagle.
You examine foliage
Actually, you're not entirely sure how alien it is, that is whether it's indigenous to this planet or some imported (and possibly mutated) Earthish flora you're not familiar with. But then, botany never was your strong point. Whatever it is, the bluish-green stuff looks too thick to wade through.

You can smell the cheese.
You examine the gap
Apart from the main path, the only gap through the trees that looks passable here is the one directly to the west. It's pretty narrow, but you could just squeeze through it.
You go west
You squeeze through the gap, and then blunder around in the undergrowth for a while before hitting on another path.

You seem to have found your way onto a different path from the one you just left. For one thing it looks narrower, and for another it leads west and southeast from here. The trees also look different from the ones you saw before; there's a gap through them just to the east, through which you've just emerged.

Obvious exits: East, West, Southeast
Go west
It looks as if the forest is gradually encroaching on this clearing, with the line of trees advancing slowly but steadily towards its centre year by year. Right now, it's still quite large, with a clear path running out to the east, and another to the west. A closer examination reveals what looks like the rotting remains of several buildings, now heavily overgrown and scarcely jutting about ground level, apart from the remains of a white stone building, the walls of which are more or less still standing. This building stands just to the south, while the clearing continues a short way to the north.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West
Go south
The single room inside the building is open to the sky and mostly full of rubble. In the one corner that remains reasonably accessible, the southwest corner, a triangular light fitting remains near what would once have been the ceiling. The doorless exit lies to the north.

An old metal crate sits in the southwest corner.

A battered cabinet lies half-buried under the rubble in the northeast corner of the room.

Obvious exits: North
Examine crate
The large metal crate was once painted dark green, and some of the paint remains between the patches of rust. The dust on the floor round the crate looks as if it may have been recently disturbed. It's closed.
Open crate
Opening the metal crate reveals a mallet and some smelly rags.
You take the mallet and the rags
mallet: Taken.
smelly rags: Taken.
You open cabinet
The rubble prevents you getting at the cabinet to open it.
You move the rubble
There's far too much rubble to shift it all, and the pieces of rubble covering the cabinet are too large to move.
You examine the cabinet
Most of it is buried under the rubble, but the parts you can make out are painted blue. It's closed.
You examine the rubble
You smash the larger pieces of rubble covering the cabinet with the mallet.

The rubble looks like it mostly consists of fragments of the collapsed ceiling.
Smell rags
They smell of muck, sweat, and stale leaves.
You hit the rubble with the mallet
You have already broken as much of it as much of it as you need to.

You have already broken as much of it as much of it as you need to.

You can smell the cheese.
You take the light
Given the delapidated state of its surroundings, it is still surprising firmly fixed in place.
Southwest
A broken light fitting is fixed high up - too high up to reach - in the southwest corner of the room.

An old metal crate sits in the southwest corner.
You hit the light with the mallet
The light fitting is out of reach.
You stand on the crate
(first getting in the southwest corner, then closing the metal crate) When you stand on the crate you catch sight of something sitting on the light fitting.
You look at the sw corner
A broken light fitting is fixed high up - too high up to reach - in the southwest corner of the room. On the light fitting is a small silver key.

An old metal crate sits in the southwest corner.

You are standing on the metal crate.
Examine strip
Which strip do you mean, the piece of cloth, the narrow strip, the blade, or the small silver key?
Narrow
Although most of the floor is covered with rubble, a narrow strip running from the door to the southwest corner of the room is relatively rubble-free.
Go outside
(out of the metal crate)
Okay, you're no longer on the metal crate.
Go outside
(out of the southwest corner)
Okay, you're no longer in the southwest corner.
Leave
The trees that surround this large clearing seem to be gradually encroaching upon it, though it will be a century or two yet before they finally overwhelm it. For now, the overgrown remains of several buildings are still visible, with one solitary white stone building to the south still just about standing. The clearing continues to the north, while paths lead out to east and west.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West
You look at Leela
She's a young woman of about twenty standard Earth years of age. She is swimming in the river. So far as you can see she's completely naked.

Leela swims a little nearer.
You remove the uniform
You see no reason to start stripping off here, quite apart from the fact that your uniform shows that you bear the Emperor's authority, which is what you are here to represent.

Leela splashes herself.
You talk to Leela
Leela does not appear to hear you.

Leela gives a cheerful wave then ducks beneath the surface.
Go north
Just as you are about to go Leela swims to the bank and hauls herself out of the water, then stands before you naked, dripping and beaming.

"Haven't you ever seen a naked woman before?" she laughs, seeing the startled expression on your face, "It's perfectly natural, you know - don't tell me you sophisticated offworlders have a problem with nudity!" As you try not to blush, she continues, "But if it is a problem - well, I was so sure you would bring me some new clothes I threw the old ones away. And I then managed to make myself some soap out of guba-bark and peka-leaves, and I thought I'd give myself a good wash. So - you did bring me some food and clothes, didn't you?"
You give the sheet to Leela
Leela looks at the plain white sheet then says, "I'll need to dry off first before I can try wearing anything. I don't suppose you found anything I could dry myself with?"

Leela looks at the plain white sheet then says, "I'll need to dry off first before I can try wearing anything. I don't suppose you found anything I could dry myself with?"
Go east
Leela follows close behind you. You walk a short way down to the path and arrive back in the clearing.

The trees that surround this large clearing seem to be gradually encroaching upon it, though it will be a century or two yet before they finally overwhelm it. For now, the overgrown remains of several buildings are still visible, with one solitary white stone building to the south still just about standing. The clearing continues to the north, while paths lead out to east and west.

Leela enters the clearing with you.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West

"Look, offworlder, I'm not trying to get rid of you or anything," says Leela, "but I'm starving; is there any chance you could find me something to eat?"
Go east
Leela follows close behind you. You set off down the path to the east, and continue straight on until the point where it starts to bend.

A narrow path, rather faint to the southeast but becoming clearer to the west, bends through the trees at this point. It may also be possible to squeeze through the gap to the east.

Leela walks along the narrow path with you.

Obvious exits: East, West, Southeast
You go east
Leela follows close behind you.

Alien foliage clogs the ground between the trees that crowd around you on every side. The main trail heads straight off to the north and snakes through the trees to the south. You can't see any side trails as such, but apart from the main path, the only gap through the trees that looks passable here is the one directly to the west. It's pretty narrow, but you could just squeeze through it.

Leela enters the heart of the forest with you.

Obvious exits: North, South, West

"I feel nice and clean now," Leela remarks, "but I don't seem to be drying off as fast as I'd hoped. I don't suppose you've found anything I could dry myself with?"
You look at your surroundings
Alien foliage clogs the ground between the trees that crowd around you on every side. The main trail heads straight off to the north and snakes through the trees to the south. You can't see any side trails as such, but apart from the main path, the only gap through the trees that looks passable here is the one directly to the west. It's pretty narrow, but you could just squeeze through it.

Leela is standing naked in front of you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, West

"You haven't told me anything about yourself," Leela complains. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

(You could tell her about yourself, or ask why she wants to know.)
Go south
Leela follows close behind you. The path twists and turns through the trees, but broadly continues south.

The main north-south track runs wide and straight here. The trees are more widely spaced, so that you could easily wander among them on either side of the main track. To the south they become sparser still, indicating that the edge of the forest lies that way.

Leela reaches the edge of the forest with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West

"Tell me honestly," Leela says suddenly, "Do you find me attractive?"

(You could say yes or no, or equivocate.)
Yes
"Yes, I do, Leela," you tell her frankly, "In fact I think you're absolutely gorgeous!"

"Why, thank you, kind sir!" she beams, "That's good, because you're not so bad yourself!"
Kiss leela
She gives you a little kiss in return.
You examine Leela
She's a young woman of about twenty standard Earth years of age.
She's stark naked and dripping wet, but at least she looks a lot cleaner than before. She looks far from unattractive, but you're more struck by how lean and athletic her body looks.

Leela is carrying a tomato, a carrot, a lettuce, an apple, and a small wedge of cheese.
No
"Good God, no!" you cry disdainfully, "To me you're just a common farm-girl!"

"Oh, I suppose that means I'm not good enough for you!" she retorts bitterly.
You equivocate
Please select the saved position file to restore >
Restored.

The main north-south track runs wide and straight here. The trees are more widely spaced, so that you could easily wander among them on either side of the main track. To the south they become sparser still, indicating that the edge of the forest lies that way.

Leela is standing naked in front of you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West

"Well, I hardly know what to say," you mutter.

"How about a straight yes or no?" she suggests.
You go south
"I can't follow you into the town," says Leela, "I daren't be spotted there. I'll have to wait for you here." She stands still and gives you a little wave as you walk away. Leela blocks you path, "Hey! Don't try to walk away!" she protests, "I just asked you a question - do you find me attractive?"

"Hello, you're back!" Leela greets you.
Yes
"Yes, I do, Leela," you tell her frankly, "In fact I think you're absolutely gorgeous!"

"Why, thank you, kind sir!" she beams, "That's good, because you're not so bad yourself!"
Go south
"I can't follow you into the town," says Leela, "I daren't be spotted there. I'll have to wait for you here." She stands still and gives you a little wave as you walk away.

The grassy hillside slopes gently down towards the small town below, which is surrounded by farmland and bordered by a river to the west. The centre of the town lies straight down the slope to the south. Just up the slope to the north is the edge of the forest, which can also be entered to the northwest.

Obvious exits: North, South, West, Northwest
You go to the north
The main north-south track runs wide and straight here. The trees are more widely spaced, so that you could easily wander among them on either side of the main track. To the south they become sparser still, indicating that the edge of the forest lies that way.

Leela is walking towards you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West

"Hello, you're back!" Leela greets you.
You give the sheet to Leela
"I couldn't find any clothes, but I thought you might be able to make something out of this," you say, handing her the sheet.

She takes the sheet and tries folding it and wrapping it round her, but each time she walks a few places, the sheet slips off again.

"It's no good!" she laughs, "I can't make it stay on! But I'll keep it anyway - perhaps I can tear a hole it in and slip it over my head, or perhaps we can come up with a way to fasten it."

You can smell the cheese.
You give the sheet to Leela
Leela already has that.

"Now I'm dry I could really do with something to wear," Leela remarks.
You check your inventory
You are carrying a pair of safety pins, a white pillowcase (which contains an old brown sack (which contains a fishing rod and a small black cube)), a small iron key, a purple datatab, a drik, a tiny black bug, an ID card, a duvet, a piece of cloth, a mallet, some smelly rags, and a small silver key. You're wearing a purple belt and a white uniform. Your right pocket contains a crumpled piece of paper.

You can smell the cheese.
You give the pins to Leela
"Here, I thought you could use these to pin the sheet round you somehow," you suggest, handing her the safety pins.

After a couple of tries, Leela apparently works out how to operate the safety pins, then she folds the sheet and, with your help, manages to drape it round her and over one shoulder, pinning it together in a couple of places so that it stays in place. Finally she does a little twirl to demonstrate her success - and the sheet still remains in place.

"There, that's better!" she beams.
You look at Leela
She's a young woman of about twenty standard Earth years of age. Now that she's cleaned up and clothed in something better than filthy rags, she looks a lot better than when you first saw her. Indeed, she's a remarkably attractive young woman, with a beautifully formed oval face framed by a cascade of long dark hair.

Leela is carrying a tomato, a carrot, a lettuce, an apple, a small wedge of cheese, and a fluffy pink towel, and she's wearing a sheet.

"You have really been very good to me," Leela remarks, "You hardly know me, and you're obviously someone very important, and yet you've found the time to feed me and clothe me. I'm very grateful, of course, but it's such a long time since anyone's been kind to me, and I feel - I feel more than gratitude. But what can I possibly do for a great man like you in return?"

You can smell the cheese.

(You could offer to take her offworld, or ask her for a relationship.)
Offer to take her offworld
"I could do more for you," you point out, "I could take you with me, offworld, and find you a new home in the Empire. There doesn't seem to be much future for you here!"

"Could you?" she asks, her eyes lighting up, "How?"

"I have a shuttle waiting nearby - that's a kind of flying machine that can take us off this planet. Come with me and I'll show you."

"All right, then; whenever you're ready to leave, I'll come with you," she declares.
You ask Leela about Jeb
"Do you know anything about a fellow called old Jeb?" you ask.

"Isn't he the old fellow who lives over...?" she suggests.

"Over there, just across the river," you say.

"That's right," she affirms.
You ask her for a the relationship
"Leela, can you give me a relationship, please?" you ask.

"I'm not sure I care to!" she replies.
You ask her for a the relationship
"Well, I find you a very attractive woman," you admit, "and it's been some time since I... and I wondered if... well, perhaps we could..."

"Get better acquainted?" she suggests, "Yes, I should like that - I fancy you a lot too. Perhaps tonight we could - but in the meantime, is there anything else you want of me?'
Offer to take her offworld
"I could do more for you," you point out, "I could take you with me, offworld, and find you a new home in the Empire. There doesn't seem to be much future for you here!"

"Could you?" she asks, her eyes lighting up, "How?"

"I have a shuttle waiting nearby - that's a kind of flying machine that can take us off this planet. Come with me and I'll show you."

"All right, then; whenever you're ready to leave, I'll come with you," she declares.
You ask her about the river
"What can you tell me about the river"? you ask.

"Not much," she replies.
You go to the north
Leela follows close behind you.

Alien foliage clogs the ground between the trees that crowd around you on every side. The main trail heads straight off to the north and snakes through the trees to the south. You can't see any side trails as such, but apart from the main path, the only gap through the trees that looks passable here is the one directly to the west. It's pretty narrow, but you could just squeeze through it.

Leela enters the heart of the forest with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, West
Go west
Leela follows close behind you. You squeeze through the gap, and then blunder around in the undergrowth for a while before hitting on another path.

A narrow path, rather faint to the southeast but becoming clearer to the west, bends through the trees at this point. It may also be possible to squeeze through the gap to the east.

Leela walks along the narrow path with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: East, West, Southeast
Smell leela
You can smell the cheese.
Go west
Leela follows close behind you.

The trees that surround this large clearing seem to be gradually encroaching upon it, though it will be a century or two yet before they finally overwhelm it. For now, the overgrown remains of several buildings are still visible, with one solitary white stone building to the south still just about standing. The clearing continues to the north, while paths lead out to east and west.

Leela enters the clearing with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West
Go east
Leela follows close behind you. You walk a short way down to the path and arrive back in the clearing.

The trees that surround this large clearing seem to be gradually encroaching upon it, though it will be a century or two yet before they finally overwhelm it. For now, the overgrown remains of several buildings are still visible, with one solitary white stone building to the south still just about standing. The clearing continues to the north, while paths lead out to east and west.

Leela enters the clearing with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West
You go to the east
Leela follows close behind you. You set off down the path to the east, and continue straight on until the point where it starts to bend.

A narrow path, rather faint to the southeast but becoming clearer to the west, bends through the trees at this point. It may also be possible to squeeze through the gap to the east.

Leela walks along the narrow path with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: East, West, Southeast
You go to the south-east
Leela follows close behind you. You walk down the path some way until it finally peters out among more sparsely-spaced trees.

Dappled light plays through the sparsely spaced trees that thin out even more towards the southeast, where the forest ends. In principle you could walk in any direction amongst these autumnal trees, but one direction looks much the same as any other, so you could all too easily get lost, except that you know that the way back to the main path is to the east, and that there's another path to the northwest.

Leela walks into the thinning forest with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: East, Northwest, Southeast
You go to the southeast
"I can't follow you into the town," says Leela, "I daren't be spotted there. I'll have to wait for you here." She stands still and gives you a little wave as you walk away.

The grassy hillside slopes gently down towards the small town below, which is surrounded by farmland and bordered by a river to the west. The centre of the town lies straight down the slope to the south. Just up the slope to the north is the edge of the forest, which can also be entered to the northwest.

Obvious exits: North, South, West, Northwest
You go north
This seems to be a meeting hall of some sort, with rows of plain wooden benches facing a crude stage at the northern end. It's unclear whether this place is intended for religious or secular purposes; quite possibly it does duty for both. The overall effect is decidedly gloomy, even though a fair amount of sunlight steals in through the unglazed windows and the open doorway to the south.

Petroc is pacing up and down on the stage.

Obvious exits: South
You ask Petroc about the silver key
"Excuse me," you say.

"Now what?" he snaps.

"I fail to see the relevance of that question," he complains.
You tell Petroc about Leela
You've exhausted that topic for now. Petroc is clearly sceptical of what Leela told you, and even of her existence.
Inventory
You are carrying a white pillowcase (which contains an old brown sack (which contains a fishing rod and a small black cube)), a small iron key, a purple datatab, a drik, a tiny black bug, an ID card, a duvet, a piece of cloth, a mallet, some smelly rags, and a small silver key. You're wearing a purple belt and a white uniform. Your right pocket contains a crumpled piece of paper.
You go to the south
Petroc resumes pacing around the stage.

The north side of the street is occupied by a large wooden hall. On the south side is a neat single-storey white building (directly south) next to a two-storey green house (to the southeast). The street continues eastwards but quickly peters out into a narrow farmtrack as it leaves the town, while to the west it runs back towards the town centre.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West, Southeast
Go northwest
Dappled light plays through the sparsely spaced trees that thin out even more towards the southeast, where the forest ends. In principle you could walk in any direction amongst these autumnal trees, but one direction looks much the same as any other, so you could all too easily get lost, except that you know that the way back to the main path is to the east, and that there's another path to the northwest.

Leela is walking towards you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: East, Northwest, Southeast

"Hello, you're back!" Leela greets you.
You show the silver key to Leela
"This looks like it could be the key to the trapdoor!" you tell her, "Strange that it should have been left so close by!"

"Try it, go on!" Leela urges you.

You can smell the cheese.
You ask Leela about the trapdoor
"Let's talk about something else," she suggests.

You can smell the cheese.
Go northwest
Leela follows close behind you. You wander through the trees a short way, and then manage to pick up the path.

A narrow path, rather faint to the southeast but becoming clearer to the west, bends through the trees at this point. It may also be possible to squeeze through the gap to the east.

Leela walks along the narrow path with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: East, West, Southeast
Go west
Leela follows close behind you.

The trees that surround this large clearing seem to be gradually encroaching upon it, though it will be a century or two yet before they finally overwhelm it. For now, the overgrown remains of several buildings are still visible, with one solitary white stone building to the south still just about standing. The clearing continues to the north, while paths lead out to east and west.

Leela enters the clearing with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West
Go south
Leela follows you inside.

The single room inside the building is open to the sky and mostly full of rubble. In the one corner that remains reasonably accessible, the southwest corner, a triangular light fitting remains near what would once have been the ceiling. The doorless exit lies to the north.

An old metal crate sits in the southwest corner.

A battered cabinet lies half-buried under the rubble in the northeast corner of the room.

Leela enters the building with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North
You move the crate
You move the metal crate aside, revealing a trapdoor beneath.

Leela walks over to the trapdoor, "Oh look!" she says, "There was a hatch under that crate all the time!" She tries to open the trapdoor, but without success, "It's no good," she says, "I can't budge it! I wonder what's down there!"
You unlock the trapdoor with the silver key
Unlocked.

You can smell the cheese.
Go downward
(first getting in the southwest corner, then opening the trapdoor)

"Oh! You've managed to open it!" Leela declares excitedly as the trapdoor swings open, "I wonder what's down there - let's take a look!"

Leela stands in the southwest corner.

Leela follows close behind you.

The light stealing in through the open trapdoor above reveals a steel ladder leading back up, but the rest of this space is shrouded in gloom.

There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.

Obvious exits: Up
Agree
"I suppose that's the most plausible explanation," you frown, "Though this is the first I'd heard of the Empire carrying out clandestine operations here."

"Obviously they don't tell you everything," she remarks, "As I understand it, the only people you imperial offworlders are ever meant to see here are the Elders; is that right?"

"Yes," you nod, "But how did you know that?"

"Because I never met anyone but an Elder who's ever spoken to an offworlder," she replies, "So that means the Elders get to control the way your people see this world, and what they think is going on here. Well, maybe it is just wishful thinking on my part, but I'd like to think that your people are not quite so easily duped. But because there seems to be some kind of understanding that the only people your people are meant to meet on this world are the Elders - no doubt to spare the rest of us from offworld 'corruption' - the only way you people are ever going to learn how things really are here is by sending people to watch us in secret. What do you think?"

You can smell the cheese.

(You could agree with her ideas, tell her that you suspect illegal settlers, blame Harcourt Research, or say you don't know.)
You blame Harcourt
"I'm wondering if it could be something to do with Harcourt Research," you tell her, "They're a rapacious outfit, and I know at least one of their people has been on this world recently. They might be interested in trying to suss this place out some more."

"Who or what are Harcourt Research, and why do you suspect them?" she wants to know.

(You could tell her about Harcourt Research, yourself, the town, Petroc, the small silver key, or the raft, say it's too complicated to explain, or ask her about herself, the elders, Elysium, her questions, the town, markets or meetings, old Jeb, the mallet, or the small silver key.)
You tell her about Harcourt
"Harcourt Research is the biggest commercial organization in the Empire," you explain, "It's a big company doing business over lots and lots of planets. Some people have been saying for a long time that it's grown too rich and powerful, especially as it's basically owned and controlled by one man, Charles Harcourt. Anyway Harcourt, the man, is now in a lot of trouble, but his company is still operating, at least for now. Some people say it's a bit ruthless in its pursuit of wealth and profits, so if it saw something here it thought it could use - well, it would be tempted to send someone to investigate, at least."

"I'm not sure I understood all of that," she admits, "But I think I get the general picture: there's this big group of people who think Elysium might have something they want, and you think they might have sent someone along to see if it's actually worth taking. Is that what you're saying?"

"More or less, Leela" you nod.

She frowns thoughtfully for a few moments, then remarks, "But if they did find something they wanted, they'd have to come back to get it, and if they had to come often the Empire would stop them, wouldn't it? I mean, offworlders aren't meant to come here that often, are they?"
Yes
"Yes; someone from the Sovereign Legion calls every four months or so," you tell her, "But no one else, of course. No one else is allowed to come here. That's the agreement we made with you."

"I see," she nods.
You examine the raft
The raft, which is currently deflated, is made of some dark green rubbery material. The only marking is a small label bearing the manufacturer's name. Attached to the raft are a small red handle and a small green handle.

Leela yawns and then stands up again. "Well, I can't lie around all day," she remarks, "Found anything else interesting down here?"

You can smell the cheese.
You examine the label
The label on the raft reads "Relda Raft Corp. - Mark IV Inflatable"
You look around
The cellar is about the same size as the room above, but in slightly better condition. The walls have suffered from centuries of damp, so that little of the original white paint shows through the dark mould and damp stains. The only things of any significance to have survived the ravages of the years are a tall metal cabinet in one corner and the ladder leading up to an open trapdoor in another.

A large mattress lies on the floor in the middle of the room.

You see a dark green knapsack here.

Leela is standing nearby.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: Up
You examine the knapsack
It looks reasonably new and of modern design. There are no obvious identifying marks but it looks like it could be either standard military issue or the sort of thing sold in camping shops anywhere round the known galaxy, though the lack of any trademark makes it seem unlikely that this is a consumer item. It's closed.
You open it
Opening the dark green knapsack reveals a ration pack, a small round mirror, and a small black comb.
You examine the mirror
It's just a small round hand-mirror, in which you can see your face. Its casing is made of a rather tasteless shade of orange plastic, and there's a serial number stamped on the back. A closer look at the casing reveals a narrow crack running round its rim, suggesting there may be some way to open it up.
You open the mirror
(first taking the small round mirror)
You open the mirror casing so that the back folds over to face the front at an angle of about 45 degrees.

You can smell the cheese.
You look in the mirror
You see your own reflection. How fetching.
You examine the serial number
The serial number stamped on the back of the mirror is "IOHop80Advx". As reflected in the mirror it reads "xvbA08qoHOI".
You look at pack
It's a small container labeled "Field Rations" It's closed.
You open it
Opening the ration pack reveals three food bars.
You look at the comb
It's just an ordinary small black comb; but a closer inspection reveals a couple of long dark hairs attached to it.
You look at the hairs
There's only a couple of them, and they're very fine, so it's difficult to be precise about their colour, but they're both fairly long.
You examine Leela
She's a young woman of about twenty standard Earth years of age. Now that she's cleaned up and clothed in something better than filthy rags, she looks a lot better than when you first saw her. Indeed, she's a remarkably attractive young woman, with a beautifully formed oval face framed by a cascade of long dark hair.

Leela is carrying a tomato, a carrot, a lettuce, an apple, a small wedge of cheese, and a fluffy pink towel, and she's wearing a sheet.
You take the knapsack
Taken.

You can smell the cheese.
You look under the mattress
The floor under the mattress looks much the same as it does in the rest of the room.
You examine the cabinet
It looks old and battered enough to be part of the original furnishings, although it's still basically sound. It's closed.
You open it
A plain black jumpsuit hangs in the cabinet.
You look at the jumpsuit
It's a plain black jumpsuit of a modern cut, rather too small for you and probably made for a woman. A closer inspection reveals that it has a single small pocket.
You look in the jumpsuit
(first opening the jumpsuit pocket)
The jumpsuit pocket contains an orange datatab.
You ask Leela about the jumpsuit
"And people say I ask too many questions," she replies.
You ask Leela about Leela
"How long will you be an outcast for, Leela?" you inquire.

"Goodness knows!" she replies, "This present bunch of Elders isn't in any hurry to take me back. Maybe once they've all dropped dead their replacements will be more forgiving - but I'm not counting on it."

You can smell the cheese.
You wear the jumpsuit
"Leela, I'd like you to wear the black jumpsuit," you tell her.

"I'm sure there are all sorts of things you'd like me to do, offworlder," she replies, "But not even an outcast farm-girl does everything she's asked to by a man she's only just met!"
You go up
Leela follows you up the ladder.

Inside the Stone Building (standing in the southwest corner)
The single room inside the building is open to the sky and mostly full of rubble. In the one corner that remains reasonably accessible, the southwest corner, a triangular light fitting remains near what would once have been the ceiling. The doorless exit lies to the north.

A battered cabinet lies half-buried under the rubble in the northeast corner of the room.

An old metal crate sits by the wall, next to the trapdoor in the corner.

Leela scrambles up through the trapdoor after you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, Down
You go north
(first getting out of the southwest corner)

Leela gets out of the southwest corner.

Leela follows close behind you.

The trees that surround this large clearing seem to be gradually encroaching upon it, though it will be a century or two yet before they finally overwhelm it. For now, the overgrown remains of several buildings are still visible, with one solitary white stone building to the south still just about standing. The clearing continues to the north, while paths lead out to east and west.

Leela enters the clearing with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West
Go southeast
Leela follows close behind you. You walk down the path some way until it finally peters out among more sparsely-spaced trees.

Dappled light plays through the sparsely spaced trees that thin out even more towards the southeast, where the forest ends. In principle you could walk in any direction amongst these autumnal trees, but one direction looks much the same as any other, so you could all too easily get lost, except that you know that the way back to the main path is to the east, and that there's another path to the northwest.

Leela walks into the thinning forest with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: East, Northwest, Southeast

The drik light goes out to conserve power.
You examine the mirror
It's just a small round hand-mirror, in which you can see your face. Its casing is made of a rather tasteless shade of orange plastic, and there's a serial number stamped on the back. The casing is currently open, so that the back is folded round to face the mirror.
You examine number
The serial number stamped on the back of the mirror is "IOHop80Advx". As reflected in the mirror it reads "xvbA08qoHOI".
You take the black datatab
As you remove the black datatab, the console screen goes blank.
You put the orange tab in the slot
(the slot)
The screen displays: "Enter Password: "
You enter the xvba08qohoi
(on the console)
The screen displays: "Correct!"

"My initial survey of the small inhabited district of Elysium indicates that this world could well serve our interests in the event of war with the Empire. The imperial authorities take a minimal interest in the inhabitants, and their allegiance to the Empire appears equally minimal. Moreover, the inhabitants are unbelievably primitive in their lifestyle, and have no significant military capacity. An invasion by a single company of our troops would suffice to conquer and hold this world. The inhabitants could be forced into slave labour (see below) and also used as hostages against any attempt by imperial forces to retake the world. Any slaughter of Elysians could then be represented as the consequence of a bungled imperial military operation - indications are that this would not be the Empire's first military blunder on Elysium.

Elysium has no industry beyond the bare minimum required to support their primitive farming methods. Nevertheless, its agricultural assets would be capable of sustaining a moderate-sized Federation force if placed under Federation management and equipped with modern machinery. Increased productivity would allow us to employ the surplus native labour thereby created in munitions factories to supply our forces; needless to say we should have to set up such factories ourselves, but the natives, though primitive, do not seem unduly stupid and could certainly be trained to work in such factories.

Such a scheme would enable us to sustain a sizeable fleet in the Elysium system indefinitely, apart from an imperial counter-attack. Holding an imperial world deep in imperial space may be of both strategic and propaganda value to us.

Whether the capture of Elysium would in fact be strategically worthwhile is beyond my brief to determine. My initial survey indicates that it would be tactically feasible.

Two further items of intelligence need to be determined before my investigation is complete, however:
(1) How often the Empire comes to check up on Elysium.
(2) In what strength the Empire comes to check up on Elysium.

Squadleader Anita Johnson, FFIS."
You tell Soolin about the orange datatab
"I found a datatab," you say, "in the pocket of a black jumpsuit I found in the basement of an old ruin in the forest."

"Do you know what's on it, sir?"

"Yes," you reply,"It's a report from a Federation agent working on Elysium, suggesting that it would be tactically feasible for the Federation to invade and use this planet as a base behind our lines in the event of war."

"Goodness!" Sublieutenant Soolin's voice declares.
You tell Soolin about the orange datatab
"The existence of this datatab shows that there must be a Federation spy operating on this planet, sublieutenant," you tell her.

"I appreciate that, sir." she replies, "Have you any idea who it might be?"
You tell Soolin about Anita
"I see, sir," she replies blandly.
Yes
"Yes - at least I have my suspicious, sublieutenant," you tell her, "but I'd like to make sure."

"Just as you say, sir," she replies.
Topics
You could tell her about yourself, the mallet, or the raft, or ask her about the Federation crisis.
You tell Soolin about the raft
"I found this raft in the basement of the ruined building in the forest," you tell her, "According to the label it was manufactured by the Reldan Raft Corporation!"

"That's very odd, sir," Sublieutenant Soolin opines, "Relda's a Federation world!"

"Quite so, sublieutenant," you concur.
You tell Soolin about the mallet
"I found a mallet in a ruined building in the forest," you tell her. "It looks like it's of offworld manufacture."

"That's odd," she replies, "It would be interesting to know where it came from; I don't suppose there's a manufacturer's name on it anywhere?"
You examine the mallet
The handle has a rubber grip to enable you to get a firm hold, while the head is wood tipped with steel.
You examine the grip
Which grip do you mean, the drik handle, or the mallet handle?
Mallet
The rubber grip is orange, and covers most of the handle. A closer inspection of the end of the handle shows the words "Made on Paran" inscribed there.
You tell Soolin about the mallet
"I've just taken another look at that mallet I found, the handle is stamped 'Made in Paran'!"

"That's very suspicious, sir," Sublieutenant Soolin replies, "especially with that Reldan-manufactured raft as well. That's two items of Federation manufacture you've found in the forest."

"Quite, sublieutenant," you agree.
You tell Soolin about the hair
"You have really nice-looking hair, sublieutenant," you tell her, "I bet it looks great when you let it down!"

"Don't you have anything better to discuss, sir?" she retorts, trying not to either look or sound too embarrassed.
Topics
You could tell her about yourself, or ask her about the Federation crisis.
You ask Soolin about the crisis
"I wonder if the Federation really would have tried to come here and take this place over," you muse.

"I think they're ruthless enough to try anything, sir," she replies.
Bye
"Over and out," you say.

"Over and out, sir," she confirms, just before the comms link goes dead.
You take the orange tab
As you remove the orange datatab, the console screen goes blank.
You put the black tab in the computer
The screen displays: "Enter Password: "
Full
In 976 moves, you have scored 16 of a possible 30 points. You could reach a winning ending with only 21 points. Your score consists of:
1 point for reading your orders
1 point for finding the bug
2 points for feeding the cat
2 points for finding the receiver
2 points for hoisting the imperial flag
1 point for finding the gap through the trees
1 point for satisfying Leela's hunger
1 point for giving Leela the towel to dry herself with
1 point for finding Leela something to wear
4 points for reading the orange datatab
You look at the raft
The raft, which is currently deflated, is made of some dark green rubbery material. The only marking is a small label bearing the manufacturer's name. Attached to the raft are a small red handle and a small green handle.
You examine the red handle
It's marked "Pull to deflate".
You examine the green handle
It's marked "Pull to inflate".
You go north
(first opening the street door)

The north side of the street is occupied by a large wooden hall. On the south side is a neat single-storey white building (directly south) next to a two-storey green house (to the southeast). The street continues eastwards but quickly peters out into a narrow farmtrack as it leaves the town, while to the west it runs back towards the town centre.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West, Southeast
Inflate raft
There's a hiss of rushing air as the raft inflates.
You put the raft in the river
The bank by the broken bridge is too steep for you to put raft into the river here; that is, you could put it into the river, but you wouldn't be able to hold onto it or get into it.
You go north
This fenced-in area of a few dozen square metres looks like it might be used for a market, both from the rubbish that's been left lying around, and the impress in the muddy ground of what might be stalls or tables. A small shed stands near the centre of the area. Gaps in the fence allow egress to the south and southeast, as well as north along the bank of the river.

The dog is lying unconscious on the ground.

Obvious exits: North, South, Southeast, In
You put the raft in river
The bank is still quite steep here; you manage to lower the inflated raft into the water, but then it slips out of your grasp and gets carried downstream.
Go south
The muddy street from the centre of the town to the east ends at a ramshackle wooden bridge that has unfortunately fallen into a terminal state of disrepair, leaving no other means of crossing the river. A large wooden barn stands immediately to the south, next to a pair of tumbledown shacks, while on the north side of the street is a rough enclosed area that looks like it's probably some sort of market. Behind the market the land climbs up towards the distant forest.

An inflated rubber raft floats in the middle of the river.

Obvious exits: North, South, East
You examine the raft
The raft, which is currently inflated, is made of some dark green rubbery material. The only marking is a small label bearing the manufacturer's name. Attached to the raft are a small red handle and a small green handle.
Fish
(fishing in the river)
(with the fishing rod)
(first taking the fishing rod from the old brown sack)
You don't catch anything; but then since your line isn't baited, maybe that's not so surprising.
Inventory
You are carrying a white pillowcase (which contains an old brown sack (which contains a fishing rod and a small black cube)), a small iron key, a purple datatab, a drik, a tiny black bug, an ID card, a duvet, a piece of cloth, a mallet, some smelly rags, a small silver key, a small round mirror, a dark green knapsack (which contains a ration pack (which contains three food bars) and a small black comb), and an orange datatab. You're wearing a purple belt and a white uniform. Your right pocket contains a crumpled piece of paper.
You throw the hook at raft
(first taking the small hook from the fishing line)
The small hook hits the inflated rubber raft without any obvious effect, and falls to the street.
You pull green
(the dark green knapsack)
Pulling the dark green knapsack has no effect.
You examine the rod
It's quite crude, comprising a long wooden pole with a line attached. A small hook is attached to the line.
You throw the rod at the raft
(first taking the fishing rod from the old brown sack)
The fishing rod hits the inflated rubber raft without any obvious effect, and falls to the street.
Go downward
(off the trestle table)
Okay, you're no longer on the trestle table.
You take orange
(the orange datatab)
Taken.

You can smell the cheese.
You open the mirror
(first taking the small round mirror from the dark green knapsack)
You open the mirror casing so that the back folds over to face the front at an angle of about 45 degrees.
You take the raft
You are already carrying the rubber raft.

You can smell the cheese.
You look around
The cellar is about the same size as the room above, but in slightly better condition. The walls have suffered from centuries of damp, so that little of the original white paint shows through the dark mould and damp stains. The only things of any significance to have survived the ravages of the years are a tall metal cabinet in one corner and the ladder leading up to an open trapdoor in another.

A plain black jumpsuit hangs in the cabinet.

A large mattress lies on the floor in the middle of the room.

Leela is standing nearby.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: Up
You move the cabinet
The tall metal cabinet is too heavy.
You go up
Leela follows you up the ladder.

Inside the Stone Building (standing in the southwest corner)
The single room inside the building is open to the sky and mostly full of rubble. In the one corner that remains reasonably accessible, the southwest corner, a triangular light fitting remains near what would once have been the ceiling. The doorless exit lies to the north.

A battered cabinet lies half-buried under the rubble in the northeast corner of the room.

An old metal crate sits by the wall, next to the trapdoor in the corner.

Leela scrambles up through the trapdoor after you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, Down
Stud
The drik goes dark.
Handle
(the rubber grip)
The rubber grip is orange, and covers most of the handle. A closer inspection of the end of the handle shows the words "Made on Paran" inscribed there.
You look at the raft
The raft, which is currently deflated, is made of some dark green rubbery material. The only marking is a small label bearing the manufacturer's name. Attached to the raft are a small red handle and a small green handle.
You tell Soolin about the mallet
"I found this mallet in a ruined building in the forest," you tell her, "the handle is stamped 'Made in Paran'!"

"That's very suspicious, sir," Sublieutenant Soolin replies, "what in seven score solar systems is a mallet made on the Federation capital doing on Elysium?"

"Quite, sublieutenant," you agree.
You tell Soolin about the raft
"I found this raft in the basement of the ruined building in the forest," you tell her, "According to the label it was manufactured by the Reldan Raft Corporation!"

"That's very odd, sir," Sublieutenant Soolin opines, "Relda's a Federation world; and what with that Paranian-made mallet you found, that makes two Federation-made artifacts left in that building!"

"Quite so, sublieutenant," you concur.
You ask Soolin about Federation
"I wonder if the Federation really would have tried to come here and take this place over," you muse.

"I think they're ruthless enough to try anything, sir," she replies.
You ask Soolin about the crisis
"You realize what that little discovery I made on that orange tab means, sublieutenant," you say.

"Yes, sir," she replies, "it means the Federation is thinking of going to war with us."
Topics
You could tell her about yourself, or the mallet, or ask her about the Federation crisis.
You ask Soolin about the mallet
"I found this mallet in a ruined building in the forest," you tell her, "the handle is stamped 'Made in Paran'!"

"That's very suspicious, sir," Sublieutenant Soolin replies, "especially with that Reldan-manufactured raft as well. That's two items of Federation manufacture you've found in the forest."

"Quite, sublieutenant," you agree.
You examine the rags
They're dirty, ragged and torn and look ready to fall to bits at any instant. They also look suspiciously like the rags Leela was wearing.
You examine the silver key
It looks like the key to a maglock; there are no teeth or grooves and the key data is presumably encoded in its plain metal strip. The key is obviously quite new.
You look at the cube
The small black cube looks like it's made of some kind of shiny plastic, and seems featureless apart from the small slot in the side. Your drik tells you that it is in fact some kind of receiver.
You point the drik at the silver key
Okay, you point the drik at the small silver key.
Go north
Leela follows close behind you.

Here the clearing is more overgrown than the main part of the clearing to the south, and among the undergrowth you can see a series of mounds.

Leela enters the north side of the clearing with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: South

"Something terrible happened here long ago," Leela shudders, "I can feel it. And just look at all those graves." she turns to you with a sombre look, "We heard stories..."
You check your inventory
You are carrying a white pillowcase (which contains an old brown sack (which contains a fishing rod and a small black cube)), a small iron key, a purple datatab, a tiny black bug, an ID card, a duvet, a piece of cloth, a mallet, some smelly rags, a small silver key, a rubber raft, a dark green knapsack (which contains a ration pack and a small black comb), a small round mirror, a black datatab, and an orange datatab. You're wearing a purple belt and a white uniform. The purple belt contains a drik. Your right pocket contains a crumpled piece of paper.

You can smell the cheese.
You look at the mounds
The mounds are remarkably regular, all just under two metres long and set out in straight rows. These rows seem to continue among the trees to the north, but there the ground has become too overgrown to allow close investigation. A closer inspection of the mounds suggests that they could well be old graves, and including those that are starting to be concealed by the ever-encroaching forest, there must be well over three dozen of them. On one of the graves you can just make out a weathered headstone. One or two of the others nearby look suspiciously bumpy.

You can smell the cheese.
Oops mounds
You find the rim of an old steel helmet poking out of the top of one of the mounds, and the end of a piece of wood jutting out of another.

"I hope you don't make a habit of digging up graves!" Leela remarks, "What did you find? Show me!"
You look at the headstone
The headstone is covered with dirt and moss, making it virtually impossible to read the faded lettering that was once incised on it.

You can smell the cheese.
You clean it
You wipe some of the dirt off the headstone, revealing most of the lettering beneath. The rather crude lettering reads:

b. 4th April 2687
d. 14th July 2722

R.I.P.

"Mark Villiers," Leela reads, "He's been here a long time. What do IPC and RIP mean?"

"Imperial Police Corps and Rest in Peace," you tell her.

"I wonder who he was and what he did to end up here, among all these other graves," she muses.

(You could ask her where she learned to read, tell her about yourself, the town, Petroc, the orange datatab, the small silver key, or the raft, or ask her about herself, the elders, Elysium, her questions, the stories, the town, markets or meetings, old Jeb, the mallet, or the small silver key.)
You ask Leela where she learned to read
"Just as a matter of interest, Leela, where did you learn to read?" you ask, a little suspiciously.

"My parents taught me," she replies, laughing, "I know Elysium must seem very backward to you, offworlder, but we're not so backward that we don't have reading and writing!"

You can smell the cheese.
You get the helmet
You manage to pull the helmet clear of the burial mound.
You get the wood
You manage to pull the broken piece of wood clear of the burial mound.
You look at wood
It looks like the left-hand half of a sign that's been broken near the middle. On it is some lettering that reads "IMPERIAL POL"

You can smell the cheese.
You look at the helmet
It's battered and rusty, and obviously old. It looks as if it was once green, and on the front you can just make out a very faded golden eagle. It looks like it might have been an Imperial Marines helmet, but it's certainly not the current pattern. If the helmet were in better condition, it would belong in a military museum.
You show the helmet to Leela
"Have a look at this," you say, handing her the helmet.

She takes it and looks at with evident distaste, before handing it back. "What do you think it is?" she asks.

"It's an Imperial Marines helmet, I reckon, but one of a very old pattern. It must be centuries old," you tell her, taking it back from her.

"So your soldiers were here," she remarks.
You show the wood to Leela
She looks at the broken sign, and reads, "Imperial Pol? Who's Pol?'

"Police, perhaps," you suggest.
You dig in the mounds
You don't fancy doing any more digging in the graves with your bare hands, and you're not sure you fancy digging up the graves any further in any case: you've probably discovered all there is to find near the surface, and you don't want to start digging up old human bones.

You can smell the cheese.
You look at your surroundings
Here the clearing is more overgrown than the main part of the clearing to the south, and among the undergrowth you can see a series of mounds.

Leela is standing nearby.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: South
You look at the undergrowth
The thick, tangled undergrowth looks horribly like the advanced guard of the inexorably encroaching forest. Amongst the undergrowth you see a series of mounds.
Point drik at mounds
(first taking the drik from the purple belt)
Okay, you point the drik at the mounds.
Point drik at helmet
Okay, you point the drik at the helmet.
You ask Leela for the cheese
"Leela, can you give me the small wedge of cheese, please?" you ask.

"I'm not sure I care to!" she replies.
You eat the cheese
(first taking the small wedge of cheese)
Leela won't let you have that.
Go south
Leela follows close behind you.

The trees that surround this large clearing seem to be gradually encroaching upon it, though it will be a century or two yet before they finally overwhelm it. For now, the overgrown remains of several buildings are still visible, with one solitary white stone building to the south still just about standing. The clearing continues to the north, while paths lead out to east and west.

Leela enters the clearing with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West
Examine remains
There's really very little left except some pieces of rotting timber forming the outlines of floor plans of two or three large buildings. Even these are largely overgrown with grass and weeds and moss, and you suspect that in a few more decades even these poor remains will have vanished from sight.
You look at the bridge
The bridge has long since vanished, perhaps having collapsed into the river a century or so past; a couple of rotting posts sticking out of the ground are all that remain to suggest that there was once a bridge here.
You take the posts
The posts are firmly embedded in the ground.
You go south
The trees and undergrowth along the bank make it impossible to go that way.
Go east
Leela follows close behind you. You walk a short way down to the path and arrive back in the clearing.

The trees that surround this large clearing seem to be gradually encroaching upon it, though it will be a century or two yet before they finally overwhelm it. For now, the overgrown remains of several buildings are still visible, with one solitary white stone building to the south still just about standing. The clearing continues to the north, while paths lead out to east and west.

Leela enters the clearing with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West
You go to the east
Leela follows close behind you. You set off down the path to the east, and continue straight on until the point where it starts to bend.

A narrow path, rather faint to the southeast but becoming clearer to the west, bends through the trees at this point. It may also be possible to squeeze through the gap to the east.

Leela walks along the narrow path with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: East, West, Southeast
You go to the north
Alien foliage clogs the ground between the trees that crowd around you on every side. The main trail heads straight off to the north and snakes through the trees to the south. You can't see any side trails as such, but apart from the main path, the only gap through the trees that looks passable here is the one directly to the west. It's pretty narrow, but you could just squeeze through it.

Obvious exits: North, South, West
Go west
You squeeze through the gap, and then blunder around in the undergrowth for a while before hitting on another path.

A narrow path, rather faint to the southeast but becoming clearer to the west, bends through the trees at this point. It may also be possible to squeeze through the gap to the east.

Obvious exits: East, West, Southeast
Go west
The trees that surround this large clearing seem to be gradually encroaching upon it, though it will be a century or two yet before they finally overwhelm it. For now, the overgrown remains of several buildings are still visible, with one solitary white stone building to the south still just about standing. The clearing continues to the north, while paths lead out to east and west.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West
You put the raft in the river
You lower the raft into the water.
You enter raft
You clamber aboard the raft. Okay, you're now sitting in the inflated rubber raft.
Paddle with wood
(paddling the inflated rubber raft)
You paddle the raft with the broken piece of wood over to the west bank of the river.

On the River (sitting in the inflated rubber raft)
You are sitting in an inflatable raft that's floating near the west bank of the river.

Obvious exits: East, West, Out
Go outside
(first standing up, then getting out of the inflated rubber raft)

There's a clear view up and down the river from here, and it seems you could walk some way along the bank to north and south, while an overgrown path disappears off through the trees to the west. A solitary wooden post sticking out of the ground is all that remains of what may once have been a bridge.

The river contains an inflated rubber raft.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West
You pull the red handle
There's a hiss of rushing air as the raft deflates.
You look at the post
It's a round post, about ten centimetres in diameter, broken off about half a metre from the ground.
You tell Soolin about the graves
"I've come across some old graves in a clearing in the forest," you say, "There must be dozens of them!" you say, "anyway, one of them still has a headstone. Apparently it's for some chap called Mark Villiers who was an IPC subcenturion back in the twenty-eighth century."

"Hang on a moment, sir," she replies. After a brief pause she continues, "I've just checked the on-board datastore. Apparently there was a Subcenturion Mark Villiers of the IPC who was stationed here from 2720. It says he died here in 2722."

"That matches the date on the tombstomb," you tell her.

"Then it's obviously the same chap." you say.
You tell Soolin about the graves
"Does your datastore say anything else about Villiers?" you ask.

"Just standard details of an unremarkable service record," she replies, "Plus, date of birth: 4th April 2687; planet of birth: Logya."

"Nothing about how or why he died?" you wonder.

"No, sir," she replies, "It's strangely silent about that. I wonder if it could be related to whatever it was that went so horribly wrong here way back when?"

"I was wondering that too," you say.
You examine bottle
It's a clear plastic bottle of the sort that would be quite unremarkable on any human-occupied world but here. According to the label it contains "Magiclean All-In-One Conditioning Shampoo and Body Cleanser (manufactured by Stellarchem, a Harcourt Research Company)". It contains a bright green liquid.
You tell Soolin about the bottle
"I found a bottle of Magiclean All-In-One Conditioning Shampoo and Body Cleanser just across the river, hidden under an old bridge-support," you tell her.

"It's a popular brand, sir," she remarks, "I use it myself. But if you found it by the river I'd guess that woman you met in the forest has been using it - in which case she can hardly be what she seems."

"That's what's worrying me," you confess, "I suppose there could be some other explanation - another strange woman visiting the forest."

"Soolin's razor, sir: strange women should not be multiplied beyond necessity," she replies pertly.
Look around
There's a clear view up and down the river from here, and it seems you could walk some way along the bank to north and south, while an overgrown path disappears off through the trees to the west.

Obvious exits: North, South, West
Go south
You walk downstream along the river bank for a couple of hundred metres or so until you reach a point where a stream joins the river from the west. Since this makes progress further south impossible, you are forced to turn round and come back.
You go north
You walk upstream by the river for a couple of hundred metres, but the ground becomes increasingly steep, until it reaches the point where you'd be climbing as much as walking. At that point you decide it probably isn't worth the effort, so you turn back.
Go west
You battle your way along the overgrown path for a dozen metres or so, then suddenly emerge into a field.

The path from the east emerges in an overgrown field bounded by forest to east and south, a stream to the west, and a slope rising to the north. The most striking feature, however, is the strange green structure half-hidden next to the trees to the south.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, In
You examine the structure
It's hard to make out exactly what it is, since it's covered by a dark green tarpaulin. Whatever it is it's about three metres long and stands about two metres high at its highest point. If this was your homeworld you'd guess it was a piece of farm machinery covered up to protect it from the elements, but you don't expect to find such things on Elysium. On the other hand it looks the wrong shape for a hayrick and a distinctly odd shape for a farm building.
Go south
You wander a short distance into the forest, but it quickly becomes apparent that you can't get very far in any direction. The stream that runs down the west side of the field bend round to the east through the forest to join the river a little south of where you crossed it, and thus bars progress further south, or in any other direction except back north into the field. After satisfying yourself that there is nothing of interest hidden among the trees, you accordingly retrace your steps.
You move the tarp
It's too firmly tied down.
You untie the tarp
You unfasten three of the ties from their spikes; that should be enough.
You move the tarp
It's rather unwieldy to manhandle by yourself; besides, if all you want to do is to see what's inside, you could just crawl through the gap underneath it.
You enter
You crawl under the tarpaulin.

Under the Tarpaulin (in the dark)
You can't see much, but you're aware that a large object is taking up most of the space here.

Obvious exits: Out
You examine the object
Although it's a large object, nearly three metres long, it's quite small for what it is - a single-person shuttle (i.e. a craft for conveying someone between an orbiting spaceship and the planetary surface). Apart from a cryptic sequence of tiny letters under the door, it is unmarked and painted black all over, suggesting a desire for stealth. You can't immediately identify the model, but you don't think it's an imperial one.
You look at the letters
(the tiny letters)
The letters stencilled under the shuttle door are almost too tiny to make out. By shining your drik directly at them you just manage to decipher them as AHAYWEH.
You unlock the ship with the silver key
The ship that brought you to Elysium is in orbit round the planet; you can't see it from here.
You examine the door
Like the rest of the shuttle, it's black, with a cryptic sequence of tiny letters stencilled just underneath.
You tell Soolin about the shuttle
"I'd say that black shuttle and that datatab together provide pretty conclusive evidence of Federation interference on this world," you remark.

"It certainly looks that way, sir," she agrees.
You tell Soolin about AHAYWEH
"I'll bear that in mind, sir," she promises.
Go outside
The path from the east emerges in an overgrown field bounded by forest to east and south, a stream to the west, and a slope rising to the north. The most striking feature, however, is the strange green structure half-hidden next to the trees to the south.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, In
You examine the stream
It's just over a couple of metres wide at this point and flowing quite fast. Upstream you can see it tumbling down a slope to the north, whereas a little way downstream it starts to bend round to the southeast.
Tie tarp
You refasten the tarpaulin to the spikes.
Go north
You walk up the slope, and pause to take in the view. Looking south you can see over part of the forest to what may be farmland beyond.
So far as you can tell there's more farmland lying in the distance to north and west, while just a little way over to the east the river cuts through the forest. You see no need to risk confrontation with the settlers by walking over their fields, so after spending a few more moments taking in the view, you walk back down the slope.
Go south
You wander a short distance into the forest, but it quickly becomes apparent that you can't get very far in any direction. The stream that runs down the west side of the field bend round to the east through the forest to join the river a little south of where you crossed it, and thus bars progress further south, or in any other direction except back north into the field. After satisfying yourself that there is nothing of interest hidden among the trees, you accordingly retrace your steps.
You pull the green handle
There's a hiss of rushing air as the raft inflates.
You put the raft in the stream
As you lower the raft into the stream, the current snatches it from your grasp and begans to carry it downstream. You race after it and just manage to retrieve it from the water before it disappears out of sight.
You pull the red handle
There's a hiss of rushing air as the raft deflates.
You tell Soolin about Jeb
"Presumably that black shuttle I just found was what the Elder told me the old farmer saw coming down out of the sky a couple of weeks back," you say.

"Presumably, sir," she agrees.
You tell Soolin about the mallet
"I found this mallet in a ruined building in the forest," you tell her, "the handle is stamped 'Made in Paran'!"

"That's very suspicious, sir," Sublieutenant Soolin replies, "especially with that Reldan-manufactured raft as well. That's two items of Federation manufacture you've found in the forest."

"Quite, sublieutenant," you agree.
You ask Soolin about the crisis
"Is the navy ready for war with the Federation, do you think?" you ask.

"Ready enough, sir," she replies, trying to sound brave, "We'll give a good account of ourselves, I'm sure of that."
Keep going
You both know the implications of what you found on the orange datatab: the Federation really is thinking of going to war with the Empire. But there's no point dwelling on it right now; it would be more constructive to finish what you came for.
Topics
You could tell her about yourself, or the mallet.
Enter
What do you want to enter?
Raft
You clamber aboard the raft. Okay, you're now sitting in the inflated rubber raft.
Go east
You paddle the raft with the broken piece of wood over to the east bank of the river.

On the River (sitting in the inflated rubber raft)
You are sitting in an inflatable raft that's floating near the east bank of the river.

Obvious exits: East, West, Out
Go east
You walk a short way down to the path and arrive back in the clearing.

The trees that surround this large clearing seem to be gradually encroaching upon it, though it will be a century or two yet before they finally overwhelm it. For now, the overgrown remains of several buildings are still visible, with one solitary white stone building to the south still just about standing. The clearing continues to the north, while paths lead out to east and west.

Leela is walking towards you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West

"Ah, there you are!" says Leela, "I wondered where you had got to!"
You kiss her
(Leela)
You kiss her fully on the lips, and she responds by wrapping her arms round your neck to give you a long passionate kiss in return.

You can smell the cheese.
You enter AHAYWEH
(on the console)
The screen displays: "Correct!"

The console plays back a clear recording of you talking with Sublieutenant Soolin, and with Petroc.
You tell Soolin about the black tab
"That clinches it, sublieutenant," you tell her, "The black tab I found has got a recording of me talking on it. Someone's definitely trying to listen in on us. And one more thing, the password for accessing the data on the black tab was on the black shuttle I found across the river."

"The plot thickens," Sublieutenant Soolin remarks.
You talk to Leela
"I'm still here, offworlder," Leela assures you.

You can smell the cheese.

(You could tell her about yourself, the town, Petroc, the strange green structure, the black shuttle, the orange datatab, the plastic bottle, the small silver key, or the raft, or ask her about herself, the elders, Elysium, her questions, the stories, the town, markets or meetings, old Jeb, the mallet, or the small silver key.)
Go south
Leela follows you inside.

The single room inside the building is open to the sky and mostly full of rubble. In the one corner that remains reasonably accessible, the southwest corner, a triangular light fitting remains near what would once have been the ceiling. The doorless exit lies to the north.

An old metal crate sits by the wall, next to the trapdoor in the corner.

A battered cabinet lies half-buried under the rubble in the northeast corner of the room.

Leela enters the building with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, Down
Examine crate
The large metal crate was once painted dark green, and some of the paint remains between the patches of rust. The dust on the floor round the crate looks as if it may have been recently disturbed. It's closed.

You can smell the cheese.
Open crate
Opened.
You examine trapdoor
It's about 0.8 metres square, and currently open. Although the trapdoor is as old and scuffed as the surrounding floor, the maglock fitted to it looks new.

You can smell the cheese.
You open the cabinet
The rubble prevents you getting at the cabinet to open it.

"I couldn't get it open, either," Leela tells you.
You open trapdoor
The trapdoor is already open.

You can smell the cheese.
You examine the key
Which key do you mean, the small iron key, or the small silver key?
Silver
It looks like the key to a maglock; there are no teeth or grooves and the key data is presumably encoded in its plain metal strip. The key is obviously quite new.
You tell Leela about orange
You could tell her about yourself, the maglock, the town, Petroc, the strange green structure, the black shuttle, the orange datatab, the plastic bottle, the small silver key, or the raft, or ask her about herself, the elders, Elysium, her questions, the stories, the town, markets or meetings, old Jeb, the mallet, or the small silver key.

"I've managed to read the orange datatab I found in the basement of the white building," you tell her.

"Really?" she asks, suddenly wary, "What did it tell you?"

You can smell the cheese.
You tell Leela  about Anita
"Is that right?" she asks.
You tell Leela about Federation
Leela listens attentively to your account of the Federation.

You can smell the cheese.
You tell Leela about the black datacube
She gives a puzzled frown.
You tell Leela about the shuttle
"I found a black shuttle across the river," you tell her, "I don't think it should be there - do you happen to know anything about it?"

Leela frowns, looks away for a moment, and repeatedly clenches and unclenches her fists, as if trying to resolve a quandry. Then at length she lets out a heavy sigh and turns back to you, her manner suddenly different, as if she has just grown older and taller.

"Okay," she admits, "There's no point in keeping up this pretence, is there? That's my shuttle you found, and I'm not an Elysian farm-girl, as I'm sure you realize by now. But it's not as bad as you think, really it's not. I'm not a - well, I'm an anthropologist from Earth." Before you can protest, she cuts you off with a gesture, saying, "Yes - I know - I have no business being here. But this is about the only place in the known galaxy where I can study such a primitive culture in the field. so - what happens now?"

(You could ask why she lied before, ask which university she's from, ask how long she's been here, say you don't believe her, or show her the orange datatab.)
You ask Leela why she lied before
"Why did you lie to me before?" you ask.

"Because I shouldn't be here, obviously," she shrugs, "I've been trying to learn about the natives by living like one of them, and I hoped I could get away with passing myself off as one, but obviously it didn't work. So, as I said: what happens now?"

(You could ask why she lied before, ask which university she's from, ask how long she's been here, say you don't believe her, or show her the orange datatab.)
You ask Leela which the university she's from
"So, you're an Earthish anthropologist," you say, "Which university are you from?"

"Cambridge," she replies, "Why, does it make a difference? So, what now? If I promise to be a good girl and go straight back there, will you let me go?"

(You could ask why she lied before, ask which university she's from, ask how long she's been here, say you don't believe her, show her the orange datatab, let her go, or arrest her.)
You show datatab to Leela
Which datatab do you mean, the purple datatab, the black datatab, or the orange datatab?
Orange
"So what's this, then?" you ask, showing the orange datatab, "I found it in the pocket of what is no doubt your jumpsuit."

Leela stares down at the tab for a moment, then nods, "Right," she agrees, "Obviously that is my jumpsuit, and obviously that is my datatab. Like I said, I'm an anthropologist; it contains my field notes. May I have it back please?"
You tell Leela about the spy
"I asked you if you'd let me have my datatab back," she reminds you, holding her hand out, "Will you give it to me, please?"
No
"Certainly not!" you reply, "I'm confiscating this as material evidence of your illegal activity on this planet."

She lays a gentle hand on your arm, and sets her face in an equally gentle pleading look, "Please," she begs, "I haven't made a copy, and if you don't give it back to me, all my work here will have been wasted. If I'm going to get into terrible trouble, at least don't let it be for nothing. You can give it back to me, can't you?"

You can smell the cheese.
You tell Leela about the bug
"I take it from your attempt to change the subject that that's a 'no' then," she sighs, "So what happens now?"

(You could ask why she lied before, ask which university she's from, ask how long she's been here, say you don't believe her, tell her about the orange datatab, let her go, or arrest her.)
You tell Leela i don'T believe you
The story doesn't understand that command. Please use ASK ACTOR ABOUT TOPIC (or just A TOPIC).

"The suspense is killing me," Leela complains, "Now that you know who I really am, what are you going to do about it?"
You tell Leela i don'T believe her
The story doesn't understand that command. Please use ASK ACTOR ABOUT TOPIC (or just A TOPIC).

"Look, I do know I'm the one in the wrong here, but it would be polite to answer my question," Leela insists, "What happens now?"
You say i don'T believe her
"I don't believe you," you say, "if you're an anthropologist on an illegal field trip, why in the galaxy did you accost me earlier on asking me to bring you food and clothing? Showing yourself to a Legion officer like that is the last thing anyone here illegally would do!"

"I didn't realize you were a Legion officer until it was too late," she replies, "I just saw a figure moving through the trees - once I realized my mistake I just had to improvise as best I could. Silly, really, I just dug myself into a deeper hole, didn't I? So, what are you going to do about it?"

(You could ask why she lied before, ask which university she's from, ask how long she's been here, say you don't believe her, tell her about the orange datatab, let her go, or arrest her.)
Arrest leela
"I'm sorry, Leela, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to place you under arrest," you tell her, "We both know you shouldn't be here, and my duty is plain: I have to take you in for questioning."

"Okay, I'll come quietly..." she assures you, spreading her hands in a gesture of surrender, and approaching as if to follow you back to your shuttle. Then, suddenly, she leaps at you, her hands clutching at your throat. "...after hell freezes over," she rasps, as her grip tightens on your windpipe.

Leela makes a grab for your throat but you manage to throw her off.

"Is that the best you can do? You're a dead man!" she sneers.
Stun leela
(with the drik)
(first taking the drik from the purple belt)
Leela stiffens, an expression of momentary astonishment on her face, then with a little moan she tumbles to the ground.
You tell Soolin about Leela
"Remember that young woman I told you about? I think she must be a Federation spy; she attacked me just now - I think she was trying to kill me - I suppose because she thinks I've found out too much. I shot her with my drik and she's out cold."

"Good heavens, sir!" cries Sublieutenant Soolin, "But why do you think she's a Federation spy?"

"Well, sublieutenant," you say, "First, finding the bug in the pillow-case, second finding the receiver in the barn, third the fact that her old clothes were in the crate when she said she had thrown them away, fourth finding the maglock key so close to the trapdoor, fifth the Reldan-made raft, sixth the mallet made on Paran, seventh what the report on the orange datatab said, eighth the bottle of shampoo/cleansing lotion I found hidden by the river, near where she was bathing, ninth the black shuttle parked in the field across the river, tenth the recording of my bugged conversations, and finally the new maglock on the trapdoor."

"A Federation spy on Elysium!" she declares, "Any chance you could get her aboard the shuttle? We should take her back for questioning."

You can smell the cheese.
You get Leela
You manage to lift the unconscious Leela up and hoist her over your shoulder.
You drop Leela
You lower Leela gently on to the floor.
You eat cheese
You eat the small wedge of cheese. It tastes quite strong - possibly a little overripe.
You look
The single room inside the building is open to the sky and mostly full of rubble. In the one corner that remains reasonably accessible, the southwest corner, a triangular light fitting remains near what would once have been the ceiling. The doorless exit lies to the north.

An old metal crate sits by the wall, next to the trapdoor in the corner.

A battered cabinet lies half-buried under the rubble in the northeast corner of the room.

You see a tomato, a carrot, a lettuce, an apple, and a fluffy pink towel here.

Obvious exits: North, Down
You go to the north
The trees that surround this large clearing seem to be gradually encroaching upon it, though it will be a century or two yet before they finally overwhelm it. For now, the overgrown remains of several buildings are still visible, with one solitary white stone building to the south still just about standing. The clearing continues to the north, while paths lead out to east and west.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West
You tell the pilot about Leela
"The young woman I shot is still unconscious," you say.

"If you zapped her with your drik she'll be out for hours, sir," Sublieutenant Soolin opines. "Perhaps you can carry her back aboard."
You go east
You set off down the path to the east, and continue straight on until the point where it starts to bend.

A narrow path, rather faint to the southeast but becoming clearer to the west, bends through the trees at this point. It may also be possible to squeeze through the gap to the east.

Obvious exits: East, West, Southeast
You go to the east
Alien foliage clogs the ground between the trees that crowd around you on every side. The main trail heads straight off to the north and snakes through the trees to the south. You can't see any side trails as such, but apart from the main path, the only gap through the trees that looks passable here is the one directly to the west. It's pretty narrow, but you could just squeeze through it.

Obvious exits: North, South, West
You go inside
The inside of the shuttle is not exactly spacious; there's room for the pilot and three passengers, one beside the pilot and two behind. The seats are comfortable enough, but otherwise it's all pretty basic. There's not much in front of you except the forward window; the pilot has a bank of instruments.

Sublieutenant Soolin is sitting in the pilot seat.

Obvious exits: Out Opening the passenger door, you first set Leela down on the rear seat.

As you clamber into the flyer you sit yourself down on the front passenger seat, next to the pilot.

"Hello, sir!" Sublieutenant Soolin greets you, "I see you've got that Federation spy aboard. Does this mean you're all done and ready to leave?"
Yes
"Yes, I'm all done here, let's go," you nod.

Sublieutenant Soolin turns to the controls and starts up the shuttle. Within seconds the argoms cut in and the shuttle lifts effortlessly up into the air. You glance down at the forest and the tiny town below for one last time, but they shrink rapidly out of sight as the shuttle speeds skywards towards the orbiting frigate.

Once she has put the shuttle on autopilot, Sublieutenant Soolin turns to you and says, glancing at the figure lying on the back seat, "I wonder if she'll talk, sir? I can't imagine it'll be too easy to persuade her to confess to being a spy!"

"No, I suppose you're right, sublieutenant," you agree, "she's a cunning little vixen and she'll use every trick in the galaxy to protest her innocence!"

For a moment, you wonder whether you'll ever see Elysium again, but then Sublieutenant Soolin starts chatting with you, and your thoughts turn to the more immediate future.
1
Some things you might try to improve your score next time:

1. Give Petroc an important warning.

2. Get Leela to incriminate herself even more thoroughly.

3. Make a more determined effort to find out what's in the cabinet in the ruined white building.

4. Find out what went so horribly wrong on Elysium all those centuries ago.

[The End]
2
The Elysium Enigma is set in the same universe as a series of novels I've been writing and re-writing for the last thirty years or so, and may well be for the next thirty, as my ideas change faster than my ability to produce something I'm satisfied with. This game does not directly intersect with the story-line of the novels, though it takes place at roughly the same time, and alludes to some of the same characters in passing. And like the protagonist of the Elysium Enigma, the protagonist of my permanently-in-progress novels has a career in the Imperial Sovereign Legion.

In this story universe the Moltinoran Empire came into being in the 25th century as a result of a Centauran initiative to gain Moltinoran support against an aggressive neighbour. By the thirtieth century the Empire has become the most powerful political grouping so far known to humankind. Although far from perfect, it is basically a benign institution, with huge constitutional safeguards limiting the power of the Emperor and guaranteeing a great degree of autonomy to member worlds; even a cranky failing settlement like Elysium is largely allowed to go its own way. By the late thirtieth century, however, the Empire has gained a rival almost equal in power, the (so-called) Free Trade Federation of Paran. Although originally benign in intent, the Federation has been growing steadily more sinister, sliding slowly but steadily into tyranny.

My series of novels follows the career of Simon Quiller, a young Legion officer (who later becomes something rather more than that) roughly speaking through the 2970s and on into the early 2980s, from the time that the truly sinister nature of the Federation starts to become clear (Simon Quiller is on Relda to witness the events Andrew Holt tells Petroc about), through a period of growing tension, until the situation erupts into open conflict, and the Empire is faced with the seemingly ghastly choice between fighting a war that could cost billions of lives or giving way to one of the nastiest tyrannies in human history.

In this universe, Earth (along with a few other worlds) lies between the Empire and the Federation and tries, futilely, to play the role of benevolent neutral, refusing to recognize the real threat of the Federation threat until it is too late. Unlike Andrew Holt, who was born of aristocratic stock in the heartlands of the Empire, Simon Quiller, the hero of my novels, was born on Earth of an Earthish mother and Moltinoran father, and starts out as something of an outsider in the Empire.

Of course, after the novels get re-written a few more times, some of that may change, not least the role of Senator Charles Harcourt, whom I invented as a villain a long while back, but the nature of whose villainy I have yet to master...

[The End]
Amusing

1. Improve your Score
2. Some Background to the Story

Select a topic number, or press 'p' for the previous menu or 'q' to quit:
Go north
This seems to be a meeting hall of some sort, with rows of plain wooden benches facing a crude stage at the northern end. It's unclear whether this place is intended for religious or secular purposes; quite possibly it does duty for both. The overall effect is decidedly gloomy, even though a fair amount of sunlight steals in through the unglazed windows and the open doorway to the south.

Petroc is pacing up and down on the stage.

Obvious exits: South Since you don't want one of the natives to see you talking over the drik you surreptitiously cut the connection.
You tell Petroc about Leela
You've exhausted that topic for now. Petroc is clearly sceptical of what Leela told you, and even of her existence.
You tell Petroc about Federation
"Pardon my bothering you, but I just wondered whether I might have another word," you say.

"If you must," he sighs.

"If the Federation were to come here, you'd soon realize how well the Empire has treated you," you point out.

"How well?" he cries, "Have you see what's in the forest? Look there and learn how well your Empire has treated us!"
You move the rubble
You manage to move the shattered pieces of rubble off the cabinet.

You can smell the cheese.
You open the cabinet
Opening the battered cabinet reveals a small book.

"Hey, well done, offworlder!" Leela declares, "What's in there?"

You can smell the cheese.
You get the book
"What have you got there?" Leela wants to know, as you pick up the diary "Do show me!"
You read the book
It appears to be the diary of one Subcenturion Mark Villiers, who served as the representative of the Imperial Police Corps on this planet in the early twenty-eighth century, about a quarter of a millenium ago, when Elysium was newly colonized. It seems that Villiers was posted here to enforce a modicum of imperial law and order on the new settlement, but that the settlers proved as difficult back then as they have done ever since.

As you flick over the pages you find a series of accounts of ongoing friction between the uncooperative Elders and the increasingly frustrated Villiers. Some of the other natives seemed to have been reasonable enough, and as Villiers's account progresses it becomes clear that he was becoming increasingly friendly with one young woman in particular, but the Elders were consistently obstructive, insisting that the maintenance of law on Elysium was their job and theirs alone, and no business of the Empire. Even when news of some petty crime did come Villiers's way, the Elders would frustrate every attempt the subcenturion made to investigate it.

On the last few pages the tone becomes even darker. Villiers apparently believed that someone - one of the settlers called Natasha with whom he had become quite friendly - had been murdered, and he was determined to bring the killer to justice. The Elders proved particularly intransigent, denying that any crime had taken place that they weren't perfectly capable of taking care of. It's clear from the diary that this made Villiers increasingly angry: if a murder had been committed it was clearly a matter for the imperial authorities, and all the settlers, Elders included, were duty-bound to co-operate.

On the final page, the entry for July 14 2722, the diary concludes with the words, "I am now morally certain that Natasha was murdered, and I now have a pretty good idea where to find her body and the proof I need to bring her killers to justice. Poor Natasha! Always too much of a free spirit for this narrow little planet, and now she's paid the ultimate price for her broad-mindedness and her enquiring mind. But I am determined to bring matters to a head, despite veiled threats from the Elders.

And now, I'm just off to follow up my latest lead; I'll fill in the details on my return."

But it seems Subcenturion Villiers never did return, for there his account ends.

You can smell the cheese.
You show book to Leela
Leela takes the diary off you, and reads through it with a deepening frown. "How sad!" she declares as she reaches the last page, "that poor Natasha - she sounds a bit like me, really - I wonder what the Elders did to her. And Mark Villiers, the person who wrote this, that's the man whose grave we just found, isn't it? So we know how he ended up. I wonder if he found justice for Natasha first."

She closes the diary and hands it back to you.
Go north
Leela follows you outside.

The trees that surround this large clearing seem to be gradually encroaching upon it, though it will be a century or two yet before they finally overwhelm it. For now, the overgrown remains of several buildings are still visible, with one solitary white stone building to the south still just about standing. The clearing continues to the north, while paths lead out to east and west.

Leela emerges from the stone building with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West
You go to the east
Leela follows close behind you. You set off down the path to the east, and continue straight on until the point where it starts to bend.

A narrow path, rather faint to the southeast but becoming clearer to the west, bends through the trees at this point. It may also be possible to squeeze through the gap to the east.

Leela walks along the narrow path with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: East, West, Southeast
Go east
Leela follows close behind you.

The main north-south track runs wide and straight here. The trees are more widely spaced, so that you could easily wander among them on either side of the main track. To the south they become sparser still, indicating that the edge of the forest lies that way.

Leela reaches the edge of the forest with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West
Go east
You wander off among the trees to the east of the path, but find little of interest beyond more trees. Rather than wasting time in this part of the forest you return to the main path.
You tell the pilot about the diary
"I've found a diary belonging to one Subcenturion Mark Villiers, who apparently served here a couple of centuries ago," you tell her, "It makes quite interesting reading."

"Then perhaps you could show it to me when you get back to the shuttle, sir," she suggests.
Go north
The main north-south track runs wide and straight here. The trees are more widely spaced, so that you could easily wander among them on either side of the main track. To the south they become sparser still, indicating that the edge of the forest lies that way.

Leela is walking towards you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West Since you don't want one of the natives to see you talking over the drik you surreptitiously cut the connection.

"Hello, you're back!" Leela greets you.
You go to the north
Leela follows close behind you.

Alien foliage clogs the ground between the trees that crowd around you on every side. The main trail heads straight off to the north and snakes through the trees to the south. You can't see any side trails as such, but apart from the main path, the only gap through the trees that looks passable here is the one directly to the west. It's pretty narrow, but you could just squeeze through it.

Leela enters the heart of the forest with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, West
You go north
Leela follows close behind you.

The dirt track runs a short way north up to a ridge, just beyond which lies the hollow where your shuttle landed; to the south the track disappears into a sizeable forest. There are fields either side of the track, but they look overgrown and untended.

Leela walks along the dirt track with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South
Go north
Leela follows close behind you. You walk back up over the ridge, and descend into the hollow on the far side.

This grassy hollow, about thirty metres across, looks like it might once have been an impact crater. A steep slope rises just to the west, while a trail of sorts leads north and south.

Your shuttle rests in the middle of the hollow.

Leela enters the hollow with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, In

Leela clutches at you in alarm at the sight of the white shuttle.
Enter
Leela clasps your hand, looking at you anxiously, "I don't think I can do this," she says, "That big machine scares me - and so does leaving this world - it's the only world I know!"

You can smell the cheese.
Bye
"Oh, you're going off in that flying-machine thing?" Leela asks dubiously, "Don't be long, offworlder! I'll wait for you here."

You can smell the cheese.
Bye
"You're not going anywhere without me, offworlder!" Leela tells you.
Go south
Leela follows close behind you. You set off down the track and after a few minutes' walk you find yourself deep in the heart of the forest.

Alien foliage clogs the ground between the trees that crowd around you on every side. The main trail heads straight off to the north and snakes through the trees to the south. You can't see any side trails as such, but apart from the main path, the only gap through the trees that looks passable here is the one directly to the west. It's pretty narrow, but you could just squeeze through it.

Leela enters the heart of the forest with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, West
You go south
Leela follows close behind you. The path twists and turns through the trees, but broadly continues south.

The main north-south track runs wide and straight here. The trees are more widely spaced, so that you could easily wander among them on either side of the main track. To the south they become sparser still, indicating that the edge of the forest lies that way.

Leela reaches the edge of the forest with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West
You go to the west
Leela follows close behind you.

Dappled light plays through the sparsely spaced trees that thin out even more towards the southeast, where the forest ends. In principle you could walk in any direction amongst these autumnal trees, but one direction looks much the same as any other, so you could all too easily get lost, except that you know that the way back to the main path is to the east, and that there's another path to the northwest.

Leela walks into the thinning forest with you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: East, Northwest, Southeast
You show the diary to Soolin
"Here, take a look at this," you say, handing her the diary.

She takes the diary and reads through it rapidly, slowing down as she reaches the end. Then she looks up at you with a worried frown as she hands it back. "I wonder what happened to Villiers after that?" she asks.
You tell Soolin about the grave
"None of the other graves seem to have been marked," you say.

"Perhaps none of the other markers survived, sir," she suggests.
You show the helmet to Soolin
Sublieutenant Soolin glances at the helmet without much interest.
You look at the helmet
It's battered and rusty, and obviously old. It looks as if it was once green, and on the front you can just make out a very faded golden eagle. It looks like it might have been an Imperial Marines helmet, but it's certainly not the current pattern. If the helmet were in better condition, it would belong in a military museum.
Go outside
(first standing up)
"Goodbye, sir," Sublieutenant Soolin calls after you.

You clamber out of the shuttle.

This grassy hollow, about thirty metres across, looks like it might once have been an impact crater. A steep slope rises just to the west, while a trail of sorts leads north and south.

Your shuttle rests in the middle of the hollow.

Obvious exits: North, South, In
Go south
You set off down the track and after a few minutes' walk you find yourself deep in the heart of the forest.

Alien foliage clogs the ground between the trees that crowd around you on every side. The main trail heads straight off to the north and snakes through the trees to the south. You can't see any side trails as such, but apart from the main path, the only gap through the trees that looks passable here is the one directly to the west. It's pretty narrow, but you could just squeeze through it.

Obvious exits: North, South, West
Go south
The path twists and turns through the trees, but broadly continues south.

The main north-south track runs wide and straight here. The trees are more widely spaced, so that you could easily wander among them on either side of the main track. To the south they become sparser still, indicating that the edge of the forest lies that way.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West
Go north
This seems to be a meeting hall of some sort, with rows of plain wooden benches facing a crude stage at the northern end. It's unclear whether this place is intended for religious or secular purposes; quite possibly it does duty for both. The overall effect is decidedly gloomy, even though a fair amount of sunlight steals in through the unglazed windows and the open doorway to the south.

Petroc is pacing up and down on the stage.

Obvious exits: South

Petroc reaches the end of the stage and turns round.
You show diary to Petroc
"Excuse me," you say.

"Now what?" he snaps.

"I found this diary in the forest; I thought you might find it interesting," you tell him.

Petroc hesitates for a moment, then takes the diary from you and reads it slowly. At length, he looks up at you again, and remarks, "If you're as clever as you think you are, you should be able guess the rest. This man Villiers poked his nose in where it wasn't welcome.
He came to a sticky end. Eventually your people sent someone else along to find out what had happened to him. My ancestors believed justice had been done, but yours didn't, so they sent a gang of warriors here. Things quickly got out of hand - some of our young men went along to the old town with sticks and stones to chase your warriors away, and your warriors retaliated with their weapons of terror. It was a massacre, a terrible bloody massacre, so terrible that even your ancestors were ashamed of it. Anyway, no one wanted the old town after that, it had too many bad memories for all of us, so we abandoned it, and rebuilt here - but still you wouldn't leave us alone." He pauses, and looks at you with something like pity as he hands the diary back to you, "So now you know - all your great empire has done for us."
Look around
This seems to be a meeting hall of some sort, with rows of plain wooden benches facing a crude stage at the northern end. It's unclear whether this place is intended for religious or secular purposes; quite possibly it does duty for both. The overall effect is decidedly gloomy, even though a fair amount of sunlight steals in through the unglazed windows and the open doorway to the south.

Petroc is standing on the stage.

Obvious exits: South
You go to the south
Petroc resumes pacing around the stage.

The north side of the street is occupied by a large wooden hall. On the south side is a neat single-storey white building (directly south) next to a two-storey green house (to the southeast). The street continues eastwards but quickly peters out into a narrow farmtrack as it leaves the town, while to the west it runs back towards the town centre.

Obvious exits: North, South, East, West, Southeast
Go north
This seems to be a meeting hall of some sort, with rows of plain wooden benches facing a crude stage at the northern end. It's unclear whether this place is intended for religious or secular purposes; quite possibly it does duty for both. The overall effect is decidedly gloomy, even though a fair amount of sunlight steals in through the unglazed windows and the open doorway to the south.

Petroc is pacing up and down on the stage.

Obvious exits: South

Petroc clasps his hands behind his back.
You go southeast
You walk down the path some way until it finally peters out among more sparsely-spaced trees.

Dappled light plays through the sparsely spaced trees that thin out even more towards the southeast, where the forest ends. In principle you could walk in any direction amongst these autumnal trees, but one direction looks much the same as any other, so you could all too easily get lost, except that you know that the way back to the main path is to the east, and that there's another path to the northwest.

Leela is walking towards you.

You can smell the cheese.

Obvious exits: East, Northwest, Southeast

"Hello, you're back!" Leela greets you.
You ask her about Federation
(Leela)
"What's your view on the Federation?" you enquire.

"I don't have a view on that," she replies, "How could I? I know virtually nothing about it!".

You can smell the cheese.
Topics
You could tell her about yourself, the town, Petroc, the strange green structure, the black shuttle, the orange datatab, the plastic bottle, the small silver key, the raft, or the white shuttle, or ask her about herself, the elders, Elysium, her questions, the stories, the town, markets or meetings, old Jeb, the mallet, or the small silver key.
You ask her about the the shuttle
"I found a black shuttle across the river," you tell her, "I don't think it should be there - do you happen to know anything about it?"

Leela frowns, looks away for a moment, and repeatedly clenches and unclenches her fists, as if trying to resolve a quandry. Then at length she lets out a heavy sigh and turns back to you, her manner suddenly different, as if she has just grown older and taller.

"Okay," she admits, "There's no point in keeping up this pretence, is there? That's my shuttle you found, and I'm not an Elysian farm-girl, as I'm sure you realize by now. But it's not as bad as you think, really it's not. I'm not a - well, I'm an anthropologist from Earth." Before you can protest, she cuts you off with a gesture, saying, "Yes - I know - I have no business being here. But this is about the only place in the known galaxy where I can study such a primitive culture in the field. so - what happens now?"

You can smell the cheese.

(You could ask why she lied before, ask which university she's from, ask how long she's been here, say you don't believe her, or show her the orange datatab.)
You ask Leela how long she's been here
"How long have you been here, Leela?" you want to know.

"Only a couple of weeks, praefect," she assures you, "Not long enough to do any harm to the natives, if that's what you're thinking. In any case, that's the first rule of any anthropologist working in the field - don't interfere with the indigenous society you're meant to be studying. So, does that mean I get off lightly? You could just let me go, couldn't you? So, how about it?"

(You could ask why she lied before, ask which university she's from, ask how long she's been here, say you don't believe her, show her the orange datatab, let her go, or arrest her.)
You ask her how long she's been here
"Are you sure you've only been here a couple of weeks?" you ask.

"Quite sure," she assures you.

You can smell the cheese.

(You could ask why she lied before, ask which university she's from, ask how long she's been here, say you don't believe her, show her the orange datatab, let her go, or arrest her.)
You show orange datatab to Leela
"So what's this, then?" you ask, showing the orange datatab, "I found it in the pocket of what is no doubt your jumpsuit."

Leela stares down at the tab for a moment, then nods, "Right," she agrees, "Obviously that is my jumpsuit, and obviously that is my datatab. Like I said, I'm an anthropologist; it contains my field notes. May I have it back please?"
You tell Leela about orange datatab
"I asked you if you'd let me have my datatab back," she reminds you, holding her hand out, "Will you give it to me, please?"

You can smell the cheese.
No
"Certainly not!" you reply, "I'm confiscating this as material evidence of your illegal activity on this planet."

She lays a gentle hand on your arm, and sets her face in an equally gentle pleading look, "Please," she begs, "I haven't made a copy, and if you don't give it back to me, all my work here will have been wasted. If I'm going to get into terrible trouble, at least don't let it be for nothing. You can give it back to me, can't you?"
No
"I'm afraid not," you reply, "It's my clear duty to hang on to it."

"Very well," she sighs, "So what happens now?"

(You could ask why she lied before, ask which university she's from, ask how long she's been here, say you don't believe her, tell her about the orange datatab, let her go, or arrest her.)
You tell her about orange datatab
"You say this datatab contains your field notes," you say, "and so it does - but they aren't the field notes of an anthropologist, they're the field notes of a Federation spy called called Anita Johnson."

"If you know that then you've obviously found a way to read them," she replies stonily, "in which case you know too much..."

Without further warning she leaps at you, her hands clasping for your throat.

Leela makes a grab for your throat but you manage to throw her off.

"Is that the best you can do? You're a dead man!" she sneers.
You let her go
"All right, Leela, you can go," you tell her, "Just as long as you pack up and go at once, and promise never to return."

"Oh, thank you!" she beams, "But are you sure? I can go, just like that? Really?"
Yes
"Yes, you can go," you nod, "You don't seem to have done any real harm here, and what the Empire is really concerned about is preventing any unauthorized settlers staying, so if you go now, we'll say no more about it."

"I'll go now," she nods, "And thanks, offworlder, you're a really decent guy." So saying, she smiles at you and gives you a little peck on the cheek.

You spend the next half hour or so helping her first to pack her belongings together and carry them back across the river to her shuttle, and then to dismantle and stow the tarpaulin. Finally, you bid her farewell, and stand watching to make sure she does actually board the black shuttle, before retreating across the field to get out of the way for its take off. The shuttle takes off a few seconds later, and you watch as it rises from the field, and then darts up into the sky faster than an eagle taking flight, until it is no more than a black dot you quickly lose sight of.

Since Leela took her inflatable raft with her, you summon Sublieutenant Soolin to come and collect you in your shuttle, which lands in the field only a minute or two later. Her astonished reaction at your clemency when you explain what's just happened does not bode well your superiors' reaction - or your future career.