text: [Themes: Science Fiction, conversation]
  
  > 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
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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
  
  > take the robot
  The robot is too bulky.
  
  > take the sticker
  The sticker seems to be too well stuck to the robot.
  
  > 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.
  
  > look in the slot
  Which slot do you mean, the black cube slot, or the console slot?
  
  > remove belt
  You've no reason to take it off; it's part of your uniform.
  
  > examine the buckle
  The gold buckle is embossed with an imperial eagle and the letters I S L.
  
  > enter the isl
  You're already in the sovereign legion office.
  
  > 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.
  
  > look at the cloak
  A purple cloak is draped over the shoulders of the man in the portrait.
  
  > look at the crown
  The imperial crown in the portrait was clearly modelled on that of ancient Romans.
  
  > 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.
  
  > examine the bed
  The single bed is set hard against the wall. It's nothing special but it looks comfortable enough.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > examine the east wall
  The bed is against the east wall.
  
  > examine the south wall
  Through the south wall is the way into the bathroom.
  
  > examine the toilet
  That's in the bathroom.
  
  > 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.
  
  > ask Soolin about herself
  "Is everything okay back there, sublieutenant?" you ask.
  
  "No change, sir; all's well here," she reports.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > ask Soolin about the crisis
  You seem to have exhausted that topic for now.
  
  You can smell the cheese.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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!"
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > tell Soolin about the town
  "The town is practically deserted!" you complain.
  
  "I wonder what that says about their society, sir," she muses.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > take the mallet and the rags
  mallet: Taken.
  smelly rags: Taken.
  
  > open cabinet
  The rubble prevents you getting at the cabinet to open it.
  
  > 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.
  
  > examine the cabinet
  Most of it is buried under the rubble, but the parts you can make out are painted blue. It's closed.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > hit the light with the mallet
  The light fitting is out of reach.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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?"
  
  > 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
  
  > 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?"