text: [Themes: sci-fi, serious]
  
  Your helmet and jumpsuit are taken off, you are blindfolded and handcuffed, then pushed over some kind of ground for a while. You are then subjected to an annoyingly rough invasive search.
  
  "Hey, shouldn't we get to know each other first?"
  
  "Shut your poisonous mouth or we'll make sure you can never speak again."
  
  > If not
  You are soon moving again. With no sight, you rely on your other senses. You hear soldiers drinking and laughing for a while and smell cooking, but then it stops. The air becomes much cooler and you are forced into a chair. Your handcuffs are taken off.
  
  Your blindfold is taken off and you gulp as you realise where you are. You are in an underground concrete cell, with a very bright lamp in your face. The lamp is sited on a metal table and across the table is a chair. You twist your head. Two guards stand perfectly still by the door. An official-looking person sits down at the chair opposite you. You squint as looking at him brings your eyes closer to the lamp. Your suit, helmet and weapons are stacked next to him. One of your legs is fettered with a length of rope to an iron ring in the floor.
  
  So the invaders from Tach are normal humans. He has a human face, is about average height and build, has two arms and legs, opposable thumbs...
  
  Your thoughts are broken by his voice.
  
  "So. You are Sentinel. Member of the United Guns' third division, 501st squad. This is apparently your first time meddling in the affairs of others. Before we begin, I would like to know... why? How many have you killed in your insane quest for a better world? How many opportunities lost, families broken, tears shed?
  
  "How many have you killed, asswipe?"
  
  Your captor smiles so broadly you can almost see his pride swelling. He pulls out a small card which projects a holographic list into the air.
  
  "I'm so glad you asked. The count is 50 soldiers confirmed dead and 85 out of action. I have also aided in the destruction of two cities and the exposed 200 terrorists within our own ranks. . The strong are always welcome to take the power that is rightfully theirs in our camp. We are not so different, you and I-"
  
  "You're proud of all that killing? Then why arent you congratulating me?"
  
  "Ah, you fool. You didn't really think that everyone on this planet shares your morals, did you!? No, while you are in denial of what you are, I am true to my nature. This is the only difference between us, you know."
  
  "We do all that befits a soldier. Whoever dares more is just a murderer."
  
  He snorts and spits on the floor. "Don't try and hide what you are. We are killers, you and I. I care not if you reject your own essence. You have something I want, and in return, you will get to keep your life and start anew on the right side. The Taktat empire will restore the glorious old days, and you will be a part of it all!"
  
  "You do not have the power to turn reason to madness, and you know it. This bullshit cult will never last"
  
  "Human minds are easily malleable in their youth. Our people will spread the teachings like zealots, so will their children and their children's children, of their own free will. After a few generations our mind protection will be invincible."
  
  "When we bring free thought back to the people of Tach, they will fight to be the first to lynch you."
  
  "I have faith in the minds of the people. They know what is right and wrong."
  
  "They know your definition of right and wrong. They are sounding boards for the ego of your leaders. You sicken me."
  
  "I did not come here to discuss your childish delusions. You will tell us about the defenses at Tel-Nadr, or you will wish you were dead. I give you.... 20 minutes to make a decision."
  
  He walks away, seeming to relish the power he has over you.
  
  Ploorkface is like a horror story you hear from the Vanguards who've seen action against the Kharon...
  
  You look desperately around the cell. The officer and guards walk out the door, chuckling. You hear the click of a lock engaging.
  
  The cell is bare concrete besides the table, lamp and seats. There is a grille in the door, which is the only exit.
  
  > If you posess a Holdout Plasma Pistol and wish to use it to get free
  Your interrogators have failed to check the clothes you wear under your jumpsuit. You remove the small weapon which you have kept for such a moment as this. Aiming carefully at the rope, you fire a beam which burns a section of the rope clean through. It is very quiet, no humming. You stand up triumphantly and ponder you're next move.
  
  > The prison
  You scan your prison for the umpteenth time. You decide you'll have to go through the door. The implement that cut through your fetter proves equally useful at removing locks.
  
  Taking a deep breath, you kick the door out and jump out, tackling one of the guards to the ground, then running through the corridors before either of them can respond.
  
  You hurry through the corridors looking for something that will help you contact the United Guns. You pass by several rooms, glancing in and moving along, confidence disappearing every time.
  
  "Prisoner escaping! Prisoner escaping!"
  
  The PA systems blare with warnings.
  
  A few minutes more of wandering the complex and you see a lone guard, patrolling.
  
  > If you possess camouflage
  You turn on your active camouflage, blending in with the wall. You watch as the guard, and five more, walk right past you.
  
  Breathing heavily, hands shaking, you decide to have a look in one of the rooms.
  
  > Lets explore the room, shall you?
  You enter the room and close the door. Examining the shelves, you find what you were looking for! Firstly, you're armour and weapons are in a corner (if you want, restore the weapons you had before capture).
  
  You immediately start your suit's radio, and work fast to contact your squad.
  
  "This is Sentinel, I need extraction from the Taktat prison."
  
  "This is Gearhead, I read you Sentinel. We have your position. Don't worry, we're coming in for you. Sit tight, I'll stay on this channel."
  
  "Don't worry buddy, we'll crack that prison like a nut!"
  
  "Nemo?"
  
  "Yep, it's me. We're getting airborne now, on a couple of gunships and fighters they agreed to give us. We couldn't pilot them ourselves so we got some guys out of aircrew." (If Nemo is unhealthy, mark him as healthy on your chart.)
  
  Several minutes pass...
  
  You become nervous. Are they going to get here before you are discovered?
  
  Gearhead's voice comes in over your headset.
  
  "We're nearly there, Sentinel. Our escort is going to do a flyby and try to draw their fire."
  
  Sure enough, you hear sounds of battle coming from outside. The Taktat troopers' AA matrix is slower and more powerful, so a skilled pilot can dodge it's shots.
  
  "Okay, they're occupied. We're drilling through to you now."
  
  Sure enough, you hear the distant whine of a plasma torch. It gets louder and louder, until you can see a circular patch on the ceiling glow red. You move to a corner of the room and watch, amazed, as half the ceiling drops to the floor. You gaze up through the hole and see other rooms, more holes, until there are no more, just the night sky and the hovering gunship. A ladder drops down and you scramble aboard, the ladder retracting as you climb. In your trip through the prison, you see people staggering around, dazed.
  
  When your head bursts into the open, you see the other gunship bombarding the ground with what look like plasma cannons, while the two nimble fighters alternately dodge and attack the solitary AA matrix.
  
  You also see a Mammoth looming on the horizon and a group of Taktat fighters getting closer.
  
  You are hauled into the body of the gunship by Psych (If Psych is unhealthy, mark him as healthy on your chart. Also mark Steelhead as healthy).
  
  "Thanks, guys! You just saved me from hell."
  
  "We know. You may regret it later though. You'll have to buy a lot of drinks, that's the 486th over there."
  
  "Why not? Best reason to celebrate I've ever heard!"
  
  Laughing with joy and relief from your escape, the two gunships and fighters flee through the air to Tel-Nadr. What you see is not good. The first line has been cleared, and you learn that Radio and Savant were wounded in the fighting. (Mark them as Wounded on your chart.)
  
  It is, however, with a light heart that you disembark from the gunship and make your way to downtime with your squad and the 486th , leaving the night shift to handle the vigil.
  
  > Night falls on Tel-Nadr
  You make your way to your company's area of Tel-Nadr, navigating the dimmed streets on foot. You find the square where the four squads of your company hang out.
  
  As you arrive and stare at the tables, soft lights and the chattering people, you realise you still have your helmet and jumpsuit on. You remove them and stow them in your pack.
  
  You recognise a few faces and wave. Everyone is smiling. After a long day of fighting, they are still here and determined to enjoy their lives. After sitting down, you recognise a group of squadmates making their way across the square. They look weary, exhausted and have new scars, but in their eyes burn determination and their mouths are set in grim smiles. These are the ones who took hits on the frontline, their lives saved by the medics who dragged them to safety and the nanobot regeneration treatment administered at the field hospitals (If any of your squadmates have taken wounds in this episode, mark them as Healthy).
  
  You get up and follow them to where the rest of your squad is enjoying their meal. They sit and start talking.
  
  "Mmmph, good thing the supply lines are still open", says Outrider. "You can tell because if not they break out the tubes. And capsules. And freeze-dried. And syringes. And-"
  
  "No. Stop right there", interjects Harridan. "You know we're all eating. Go and scare Tortoise and his gang."
  
  Gearhead grins. "You really need to know this. If the food supply is cut off, you're down to emergency rations and the chemicals inside our kits. The trick is to know what will sustain you and what will kill you. Trust me, even if it says 'Health Bar', it probably has some kind of paralytic sugar substitute. And even if it somewhat resembles organic matter, so does crap."
  
  "Uurgh!"
  
  Cub appears deep in thought, slowly chewing. Outrider is laughing his infectious guffaw, while Nemo's mouth moves silently, whispering to himself. Psych is watchful, interjecting into the chatter when he sees the need. Harridan, apparently grossed out, is examining the food for signs of contagion.
  
  You become aware of the conversation around you.
  
  "-so, there I was in my white coat, and I says to the guy at the door, 'Sorry, official business. You've heard about the health inspection?' I got in and had all my food gratis, a few hundred in my pocket and a guided tour. Appearance is everything, guys. If you act confident and have the right props you can fool anyone."
  
  Guardian suddenly raises an eyebrow. "What!? You were that 'health inspector'? Ohhhh..... this is humiliating."
  
  "Worked in restaurants, have you?", says Melodrama.
  
  "Well, I had to. Bills and so forth..."
  
  "Why did you leave?"
  
  "Hated it there."
  
  "Why?"
  
  "People. They treat you like a ploorking vending machine."
  
  "Seems strange to take up a job here then..."
  
  "Here I'm not surrounded by customers."
  
  Gearhead nods. "I feel for you, buddy. Tech support is hell on earth, worse than the Urban Jungle."
  
  "Don't say that, man!", says Nemo, coming out of his introspection. "Some things are just too grim to joke about."
  
  Cub turns his head. "Did you live there?"
  
  "Yeah. Tortoise and I escaped together just before the orbital cannon came online. Missed it by about 10 minutes. That place was messed up."
  
  Cub's eyes are wide. "Wow. We're from all over the place, aren't we?"
  
  Harridan turns around. "Yep. I was working as a mechanic in Tach when the government got big ideas and started this stupid war."
  
  "Why did they start it?"
  
  "War is a very convenient tool. They whipped up war hysteria, declared martial law, took control of the media and the nets and started demonising the minorities. It was a mad, constant, fearful place then. Fear makes it easy to look for an iron fist to make it go away. But they didnt. The enemy of the state was always there to be hated."
  
  "When did you leave?"
  
  When they started restricting emigration I made up my mind, got some intelligence to sell and did a runner in a stolen imperial gunship. Gearhead disabled the security and I flew that bird right out from under their noses."
  
  Cub is struck by a thought. "Why is Savant so..."
  
  "Different?"
  
  Savant appears as if from nowhere, wearing his wise stoic grin.
  
  "My friend, where I come from, children are raised from an early age to be unquestioning drones, servants for the ruling caste. Fortunately for me, they mask their indoctrination with education. My mind struggled between obedience to the Kharon and free thinking for years."
  
  "How were you able to doubt them?" asks Psych. "You must have believed they were the ultimate authority..."
  
  "Well, to be good servants we had to be intelligent, as well as obedient. With my education came... Epiphanies. I found contradictions. And I came to the conclusion that it would be best if I was to leave them. I don't think any others did, it was hard to realise you were being used. Maybe I developed free thought early and the indoctrination came too late... I was lucky."
  
  "How did you escape?"
  
  "I killed for my freedom. People think we Kharon are selfless. They are wrong. We are as human as anyone... And I would not pass up an opportunity to truly live."
  
  "Do you know which side you are fighting for?"
  
  "I have made my choice. I choose a future where people can make up their own minds."
  
  "Don't worry, man", says Psych. "You're among friends here. You'll be free to think what you wish. That's what seperates us and them"
  
  Harridan grins ruefully. "Is he free to think of murdering us?"
  
  Savant raises an eyebrow. "Why would I do that? Would you kill your only friends"
  
  "If you did", adds Psych, "You'd probably be already holed up in the glorious people's heirarchy of supreme douchebaggery, on the other side."
  
  "Hey guys! Why haven't the walkers started storming in? Is this the transistor age, or something?", asks Cub, in an attempt to talk about something less gloomy.
  
  "They've learned from their skirmishes with the Ka'Mal. Today's anti-vehicle weapons can rip them to shreds if they aren't careful. 600 creds' worth of camouflage and weaponry will destroy thousands in vehicles. They won't use them until they can fight side by side the infantry."
  
  Nemo frowns, then speaks. "I don't know why they haven't launched a nuke at us yet..."
  
  An alarm sounds.
  
  "Missile attack!", says Gearhead. He pulls out a pad from his kit. "Have a look at this."
  
  You see a hologram spring into being, a three dimensional wireframe map suspended in the air. As the squad crowds around, you see a blip. Then another. The missile is coming closer, 60 km away.
  
  Savant raises an eyebrow. "The laser batteries should be kicking in now..."
  
  The hologram shows a sudden flare a few hundred metres away, then a red line is drawn from the flare to the blip. You see a sudden flash in the sky, for an instant lighting the square as clear as daylight. Then, just as suddenly, darkness returns. Cheers ring out across the square. You glance back at the hologram. The blip has disappeared.
  
  "Ah, good thing we figured out a way to counter ICBMs. I wonder if they were even trying..."
  
  "Morons, you'd need thousands of missiles to breach the AA screen. Be easier to invade armed with plastic swords."
  
  Red's eyes look you up and down critically. "You really should go to the hospital, and stop off to get that armour looked at as well. You don't look too good.
  
  "Good point. Make sure Psych doesn't fall asleep in his grub."
  
  "Grubs." You blink, and realise that the tubes in Psych's food are, in fact, moving.
  
  "I stand corrected."
  
  > Maintenance and Repairs
  You walk to the nearest hospital to get patched up. You wince as the needles slide through your skin, then watch with interest as your body repairs itself, doing in minutes what should have taken weeks. Burns fade, scrapes are replaced with healthy skin and cuts close of their own accord (restore your health to it's maximum).
  
  You walk through the streets, occasionally moving around a crater or two. A few buildings that were standing before are now charred husks. You arrive at a maintenance station, a small temporary building bolted together from steel girders and aluminium panels. The guy manning the counter looks up as you walk in.
  
  "We've got our hands full here, it might take a while to get that fixed up."
  
  (You can either leave your armour here to get repaired overnight or keep your armour in less-than-perfect condition. If you choose to leave your armour at the workshop, make a note of it .)
  
  You head back to the illuminated square.
  
  > Sleep
  As you arrive back at the square, you see the troopers dispersing. Tomorrow will see a red dawn, and nothing is worse than fighting while tired.
  
  You feel a tap on your shoulder and swivel around to see Red, her helmet off.
  
  "Hey, Sentinel! Better get some sleep, or you'll end up like Psych."
  
  Your eyes follow her pointing finger and focus on Psych, snoring in the dirt. Outrider shakes his head and hoists Psych over his shoulder in a fireman's lift. You sigh and trudge back to the barracks, the journey blurring in your memory. The sleepy has it's grip on you. Then as you haul yourself into your bunk, there is a minute of incredible relief from physical effort, before all thought ceases...
  
  > As if in a dream...
  Your eyes open. As always you cannot recall exactly when you drifted off. You sit up on your bunk. You can feel it. A tension. The ages old dilemma of mankind hits your brain and slaps you around. To pee or not to pee.
  
  That is the question.
  
  You have to take a leak. But it's cold. The Ploork virus can take a chunk out of the guy who designed this city. The craphole is a fair distance from the barracks.
  
  You lie back down, but the pressure becomes very annoying...
  
  Muttering oaths of vengeance against the fates in general and the dumb, blind flow of evolution in particular, you climb down from your bunk and throw on your set of clothes. You set the colour to "Deep Black". You dont want to stand out if the paratroopers start falling.
  
  > If you have your jumpsuit with you
  You gaze with pride at your protector, made by human hands and lovingly checked over each day by yourself and Gearhead. You look at all the components, listing them mentally, pockets for impact absorbers, electronic communications, holsters, liquid cooling capillaries, valves, fuses and the many, many scars and dents it carries.
  
  You put on your rugged companion and your weapons and walk quietly out of the barracks. As you pass the rows of bunks, you notice Psych getting much needed rest, and Nemo... whispering?
  
  "No... The Zerstorers... Out of rockets... Why wont it die? Oh, man I'm scared... UG on the way... Stay calm, man, stay calm..."
  
  Even cold, implacable Nemo has his problems...
  
  > The shadow before
  Weaponless, you silently tread through the streets. Here and there you see bomb craters and burned out husks of buildings. The air is chilled, and you can tell that the Terra Proximan autumn is having it's way with the temperature.
  
  Your mind, dulled by the cold and by the sleepy, brings up a flag. You blink and focus your eyes. There, without a doubt, is the nearest shithouse. And it's out of order.
  
  You yell until your rage has passed, then notice a park a block ahead. You run as the pressure builds in your nethers. Mercifully, a single LED light illuminates the area.
  
  "Aaaaah!"
  
  You turn to leave when your mind throws up another flag. Blink. Focus. Report.
  
  You see another bomb crater in the middle of the park. This one is particularly deep, and... You suddenly feel uneasy. Fully awake now, you try and look at the walls of the crater. It's shimmering, vibrating, and you can feel a rumbling sensation as you approach it.
  
  > forget about it and go back to the barracks
  Deciding that you don't want to go back, you turn around. You instantly freeze; Psych is walking towards you, and his eyes are blood-red. His teeth are bared.
  
  You realise that something is up. This could be the answer to Psych's lack of sleep.
  
  > investigate the crater
  Filled with a sudden sense of urgency, you move closer and examine the crater wall. It is mostly dirt and fragments of metal, but a small patch is a translucent brown, topped with shifting rainbow patterns.
  
  I've got you now, whatever you are!
  
  You reach out and touch the surface. Your hand goes right through. Other parts of the crater have started to shimmer as well. Obeying your instinct, you step forward, and walk right through the crater wall.
  
  > Among the ruins
  You step out into the middle of a stone-floored tunnel, walled with clay, going deeper and deeper into the ground.
  
  You hear an amplified rattle from above and, thinking of knives in the dark, begin to walk faster.
  
  Eventually you notice that there is an ambient light - everything glows dimly, with no apparent source. But this anomaly is driven from your mind when you pass under an arch and abruptly step out of the tunnel. You are in a small room with a railed balcony and a door. The walls and floor are glassy, translucent crystal, highly polished and glowing with a mild blue internal light.
  
  You move to the balcony, and gaze out at a necropolis.
  
  It is a city. Wide, translucent-blue streets are lined with fantastic buildings. There are perfect domes topped with crowns of spikes, conical towers and perfect blue cubes. It is an alien world, frozen in perpetuity.
  
  The second thing you notice is the wreckage. Among the sterile, geometric crystal buildings lie broken machines. Metal parts, everywhere. Cogs, wiring, pistons, boxes with strange symbols and blades, some whole, some shattered into fragments. You can barely make out the gleaming word "Zilthrak" on one of the metal parts. There are puddles of green fluid, lubricant and...
  
  Blood. Mixed in with the mechanical debris, you can see crimson spattered on the buildings, harsh death amid the sterile crystals.
  
  Looking closer, you see remnants of human bodies amid the mechanical ones, but only small pieces remain, as if they had been ground down, in a hideous taunt.
  
  The blood looks fresh. The whole landscape is perfectly preserved, despite the air being only slightly cooler than on the surface. You feel a shiver run down your spine.
  
  More sounds from the tunnel. Footsteps echoing on the stone. You quickly slip through the door.
  
  > Trial
  The footsteps grow louder as you close the door and find yourself on a landing, servicing a flight of downward spiral stairs. You blink. It strikes you as odd that such an obviously human device would turn up in such a bizarre landscape. Everywhere you look, the luminous blue crystal stares back. The stairs are made of it, the doors, the walls, the decorative carvings...
  
  You hear a deafening roar which jolts you from your thoughts, followed by the rhythm of pounding feet. You instinctively realise that a massive predator has picked up your scent.
  
  You start jumping down stairs, fast. You left all your weapons behind at the barracks, and there is no time to call for help.
  
  At the bottom you see a straight, squared passageway set in the otherwise perfect cylindrical wall, once again, entirely made from the eerie crystal. With nowhere else to go, you head through it.
  
  You jump, as a solid block slides into place behind you with a thump. You turn around, as another block of crystal falls in front of you.
  
  A cool, synthesised voice breaks the silence. "Life form scanned. Species: Homo Sapiens, Terra Proximan. You are entering a secure location. Rest assured that if you are qualified to enter, the guardian will not harm you."
  
  As if to complete the psych-out, you hear a faint scratching behind you. Guardian?
  
  "Answer the following question to pass into the mechatronics laboratory. Which type of robotic brain under development here could become dissatisfied and rebel on it's own? Zilthrakian, Astarian, Silth, Terran Mark I, Terran Mark II, none, or all?"
  
  You realise that you have no idea what any of these "robotic brains" are. But one fact leaps to mind. This machine was obviously built to deal with humans. The names can only mean one thing. Outsiders. Tel Nadr is built on a buried Outsider city. The suspicions you had when you saw the debris have been confirmed. Unless there are any other ancient civilisations that lived alongside humanity.
  
  With these facts in mind, the question arises: How did the robot uprising occur when the Outsiders had access to the human safeguards?
  
  "Answer the question, human."
  
  So, the robots would likely all have had safeguards... Either they thought none could rebel without help, or they thought there was a chance they all could.
  
  > All
  "That is incorrect information", says the synth calmly. "You are not a qualified individual. Trespassers will be persecuted."
  
  "Don't you mean 'prosecuted'?"
  
  "No."
  
  "What about the war? I thought they all rebelled?"
  
  "Not under their own influence."
  
  "Dammit!"
  
  The crystal block behind you rises with the grating sound of stone on stone.
  
  Staring you in the face is Psych. His eyes are glowing red and he is salivating over the floor.
  
  The synth speaks again in that infuritatingly calm tone. "Psychon unit 002, take the prisoner to location Aleph one-nine-two dot one-six-eight dot zero dot one."
  
  Psych lunges forward and picks you up with a secure grip on your throat. You try to struggle, but feel the constricting hands of death on your neck.
  
  Helpless, you watch as Psych walks through the solid crystal wall into a hidden passage. At the end is an operating table surrounded by sharp, glowing, crimson crystals and various instruments of medical/torture usage.
  
  You instinctively know what is about to happen, and you struggle once again, with all your desperate strength. You break free of Psych's grip, and run back through the passage, fists clenched, heart pounding. When you get to the end, though, you run straight into a solid wall.
  
  As the room spins around you, Psych walks up and drags you back to that awful room.
  
  You are strapped down and gagged, then your mind goes blank. It is replaced by animal hunger, animal rage, and a ferverent desire to serve the Master.
  
  With your last, dying conscious thoughts, you recognise the synth's voice coming through. "Psychon unit 003, initiate your patrol route."
  
  Your thoughts die with a howl. The Master does your thinking now...