text: [Themes: sci-fi, serious, war]
  
  You examine the coins in more detail, and a sense of certainty overcomes you. You know this place exists. You can feel it in your heart. You have to find it, but you refuse to have this Elojin lead you. For all you know he could still be trying to trick you somehow. You decide to passively gain information out of him and hope he gives away his knowledge accidentally.
  
  "Well I suppose we could check it out...but how far is it? I don't want to be dragging my team halfway across the planet. It's dangerous enough just staying in one place." You say in a non-prying manner.
  "Oh you needn't worry about that. Its not that far, it's just to the east, there's a native village near it, and a river too." Calmly assures.
  "That was easier than I expected. Thank you." You say and pull a pistol and shoot the Elojin.
  Before finishing him off, he speaks.
  "You idiot...you'll never find it...without me..."
  "Wrong my spotty friend, you given us a vital clue, we can just follow the river to the east until it leads us there. You thought I was going to let you actually lead us?"
  
  Sergeant Alyssa comes running in and sees the Elojin dead on the ground.
  
  "Sir! We made sure he didn't have any weapons!"
  "Relax Sergeant, he didn't attack me, I just found him to be no longer useful. Gather up the team, we're heading out."
  
  You and Alyssa leave the tent while she calls everyone to gather around. She has such a strong commanding presence. You never realized how alluring that was.
  
  "Alright team, thanks to our recently departed spotty friend, he has provided us with the location of a genuine Xont structure. Yes, the mythical Xont, but I have proof that it exists and the directions! Besides we were put on here to explore this forsaken planet anyway, so we might as well check it out. Who's with me?"
  
  Your team looks a little unsure, but they trust you. Alyssa looks stoic as usual, but a slight twinge of apprehensiveness crosses her face, but you'll make her see that this was a good idea. LaFleur looks craven, but typically is too scared to voice his opinion. Finally you hear the voice of dissention.
  
  "Captain, how can we trust what that alien scum told you? The Elojin are notorious liars!"
  "Ah, but I have proof!" you hold up the coins. "See the Elojin thought he was going to trick us and use us but instead I have taken the advantage! We won't be sharing this find with anyone, but us!"
  Salo gives you a suspicious look. He doesn't mind that you wasted the Elojin, but he's a little disturbed by this new found excitement.
  
  "Very well, I suppose our duty to the Empire is to explore this planet, but I fail to see how the archaic ruins of some alien civilization which may not exist will benefit it."
  
  You dismiss Salo's xenophobia, and get ready to leave. The Lizards have been overhearing parts of your conversation, and have also gotten agitated every time the word "Xont" was mentioned. They don't attack, but it's obvious that you've worn out your welcome.
  
  You and your team leave for the jungle, after some time later, you reach a river. You make camp for the night, telling everyone that it'll be faster to actually travel on the river, so tomorrow a raft of sorts is going to be made. There's certainly no shortage of trees. After assigning some people for watch duty, you ponder your next move.
  
  > visit Alyssa's tent
  You feel a desire within you that you've had for too long. You must act upon it, and to hell with the Empire's "policy" of getting involved with members of your own team. You enter Alyssa's tent.
  
  She immediately awakens fully armed for combat, until she realizes it's you, at which point she relaxes.
  
  "Sir, what's wrong? Is there something you need my assistance with?" she asks.
  "Oh yes...but right now I want to know, do you believe that you were meant for something greater?"
  "I don't understand."
  
  You touch her hand, its pleasingly cool to the touch in this unbearable heat.
  
  "I'm saying you...like me, were meant for something more grand. I feel it. We were brought together through destiny, and then finally here to achieve it at last. Serving the Empire was just a means to an end."
  
  "Sir, you're acting strangely." Alyssa says, giving a funny look at you touching her hand, she doesn't remove it though. It's a sign, a sign that you're right.
  
  "You don't need to call me sir, you..."
  
  Suddenly you hear firing, and a member of your team barges in the tent.
  
  "Sir, we're under attack! It's the Lizards!"
  
  You and Alyssa quickly rush out to the battle which is already in progress. You fight like you never have before; nothing is going to get in the way of you and your destiny!
  
  The battle is short and in the end you are the victor, some of the Lizards have uncharacteristically surrendered. Something they don't often do. Perhaps this is another sign.
  
  > kill the Lizards
  Showing no mercy you decide to kill the Lizards. Nobody has any objections; they did attack you after all. Salo is certainly pleased.
  
  The next day your team begins building the rafts, there's a lot of grumbling and dissension as the work isn't pleasant. Salo reminds everyone of their duty to the Empire and all that rhetoric. You realize you're going to have to get rid of Salo eventually; his loyalty to the Empire is too strong, and he'll interfere with your plans. When you find the Xont technology, you'll use it and make a break from the corrupt Empire; perhaps you could even make a change in the galaxy...
  
  Eventually rafts are finally finished and you are anxious to be on your way. You make sure Alyssa is on your raft, you put LaFleur in charge of the other one. You don't know if you want Salo traveling so close to you though.
  
  > have Salo on your raft
  Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, you think. You decide its best if you keep an eye on Salo. Perhaps he'll even meet with an accident...
  
  During your journey you notice Alyssa has seemed a bit preoccupied, you go up to talk to her.
  
  "What's wrong?"
  "Oh nothing Captain."
  "As I said before you don't need to be so formal, you can call me by my name." you say and gently grasp her hand and embrace her. The cool sensation makes you forget how damn hot this planet is.
  
  While Alyssa is left speechless by you obvious continued attraction, Salo has been watching you and is very vocal on the matter.
  
  "Sir! You can't do this! You know Empire policy! And an alien on top of all of it? You're showing a blatant disregard for rules and regulations! Don't think I didn't see you a few days ago exiting this blue whore's tent! I can't let this continue!"
  "You're out of line Salo!"
  "No YOU'RE out of line! Maybe you outrank me, but I'm here to make sure this team doesn't fall to alien influences! And between your lust for this alien bitch and this quest to find this mythical..."
  
  Excellent! He's getting riled up, now to press the issue.
  
  "Salo, you're not in charge of anything. I'm giving the orders here! And I'm telling you that you WILL fall in line right now!"
  
  This sets Salo off, he goes for his pistol, but you anticipate this and grab your own and fire before he does. Your aim is dead on the mark, but Salo still manages to lunge at you, causing the both of you to fall into the water. Salo, in his death throws attempts to drown you by holding on to while you struggle for air. Your realize that your lungs filling with water isn't a pleasant experience, as you blackout.
  
  However your next experience is a lot better. Alyssa dives in to save you and you awaken on the raft with Alyssa breathing life into your body. A cold icy wave runs through it. You just wish you were in a better condition to appreciate it a lot more. As it is, you feel disorientated and a lot different. Your previous thoughts of leaving the Empire, finding the Xont ruins and all those other weird thoughts that suddenly filled your head are gone.
  
  "Is he okay?" LaFleur shouts.
  "Yes!" Alyssa shouts back to him.
  
  You suddenly get up, and tell everyone to abandon this quest. You don't want to get everyone killed trying to find something that might not exist anyway. Once again nobody has any objections. Everyone's always in favor of living. Alyssa seems to show a sign of relief. You eventually dock and make camp on land, during this time you notice the coins you had are gone, you ask around if anyone has seen them, but nobody has. You go into Alyssa's tent and ask her.
  
  "No Captain, I haven't maybe you lost them when you were underwater."
  "I guess, but I had them on me pretty securely, I still don't see how I could've lost them."
  "Oh well, what's done is done, don't worry about it."
  "Yeah, but even though we might not have found a Xont building, those coins could've still been proof that its here, maybe we could go back and I could dive in to try to find..."
  
  Alyssa looks into your eyes very seriously.
  
  "Captain...don't worry about it." She says and kisses you.
  
  What follows next makes you REALLY not worry about it.
  
  When the Empire ships finally arrive, a report about Salo's death is made out to be due to extreme heat fever. The Xont rumor isn't mentioned and Paradise is written off as a low priority. You and your team are sent on your next mission. Your relationship with Alyssa is kept secret of course, but you always wonder if you really lost those coins or Alyssa got rid of them when she rescued you.
  
  If she did, then she may have saved you in more ways than one.