text: [Themes: Science Fiction, exploration, Dyson sphere, grue, cyborg, twins, gender-neutral protagonist, spaceship]
  
  > go downward
  Skyscrapers cluster together in the planet's only city, a small metropolis at the heart of a barren, dusty wasteland.
  
  A party of robed hunters has made camp outside the city.
  
  A caravan of nomads circumnavigates the planet's tiny ocean.
  
  Rella camps out in the spikelands.
  
  > Arrest rella
  You sneak up on Rella's camp and press your autorevolver to her head.
  
  She spits at you. "You bounty hunters make me sick. This is a world of true honour and you besmirch it."
  
  You lock her up on your ship.
  
  > jump to the Autark
  (You launch first.)
  
  A sandy brown world orbiting close to an ageing red star. Its arid terrain is capped with scant white ice at the poles and veiled by a few insubstantial clouds.
  
  out in the system.
  
  Chief Drake leads a crew of spacesuited ice breakers, blasting
  and drilling those comets too large to dump on the surface intact.
  
  (via hyperspace gate)
  
  Airless ice-moon of a black-ringed, aquamarine ice giant. Scattered across its surface are bright lights and gaudy megastructures.
  
  An asteroid on an eccentric orbit has been carved into the luxury habitat of reclusive trillionaire Leda.
  
  Souped-up ships with huge engines line up in view of a vast-windowed habitat. An orbital race overseen by Silver.
  
  > Land
  Domes and arcologies crowd the horizon: spacious mansions, dirty communes, unregulated sweatshops and outlandish temples.
  
  A trendy office neighbours the landing pad, rented out by an entrepreneur for unspecified business.
  
  Luciano conducts his business in an avant-garde park,
  talking on multiple comm screens at once.
  
  spitfire6 drowns her sorrows in a holo-nudie bar.
  
  Autark her home.
  
  The Snake will be in his private dome, surrounded by
  bodyguards.
  
  > Arrest luciano
  "Whoa there! The state shouldn't use violence to interfere with the workings of the free market. How do you sleep at night? Not that you have to use violence. I'm coming with you, peacefully..."
  
  > talk to the spitfire
  Her silver skull sweeps back to an aerodynamic point. Not to go faster. Just to look good.
  
  "Name's spitfire6. Had a few too many close calls out there, but the deep black still calls to me. You need a pilot who can dodge amalgs for a couple of rounds, I'll work for an upfront fee of 5k."
  
  Pay her 5k credits?
  
  > Yes
  "Cool. Take me aboard whenever you're ready."
  
  > take the spitfire
  She straps herself into your ship's pilot seat and, after adjusting it to her liking, sits back. "Okay, I'm back where I belong."
  
  > jump to Venter
  (You launch first.)
  
  Airless ice-moon of a black-ringed, aquamarine ice giant. Scattered across its surface are bright lights and gaudy megastructures.
  
  An asteroid on an eccentric orbit has been carved into the luxury habitat of reclusive trillionaire Leda.
  
  Souped-up ships with huge engines line up in view of a vast-windowed habitat. An orbital race overseen by Silver.
  
  The golden rings of a gas giant sprawl across the stars, dwarfing the grey and icy moon below. Bright lights and luminous structures shine from within the satellite's largest crater.
  
  A spinning, largely transparent, medusoid habitat serves as the base of operations for the venerable Marshal Zila-S.
  
  A fuel jockey orbits lazily - tentacles trailing, bladders
  swollen with deuterium.
  
  > give Luciano to the zila
  The marshal's remote deputies collect Luciano and transfer your 25k credit reward.
  
  "I want to speak to my lawyer immediately," Luciano says. "I will be suing you for the business I'm losing right now."
  
  "If I were you," the marshal says gruffly, "I'd start working on a deal. The Imago Republic gets mighty angry about the trafficking of synthetic humans and we've got plenty of evidence that's what your business partners are involved in."
  
  > give Rella to the zila
  The marshal's remote deputies collect Rella and transfer your 50k credit reward.
  
  "Enjoy your blood money, scum," Rella hisses at you.
  
  "That'd carry a lot more weight," the marshal interjects, "if you weren't wanted for selling people to the amalgs."
  
  "Wait a second," the marshal adds. "You've been a real help to the Republic, captain, so I've authorised a visa chip for you."
  
  He shows you to the habitat's doctor. The implantation doesn't even hurt.
  
  > take the chip
  You already have that.
  
  > Refuel
  You can replenish your fusion cells at the fuel jockey for 1k credits each. 4 cells are expended.
  
  How many do you want to refuel?
  
  > Land
  Bioroid scientists and data holograms glide through the airy white halls of the research institute. Only the odd picture window offers a view of the freezing world beyond its curved walls.
  
  observatory.
  
  Dr Rindo-X is in charge of the bio-research team.
  
  Jaheem is one of the few natural humans on the research team.
  
  A shifty grad student loiters near the landing pad.
  
  > talk to Aurea
  An unnaturally beautiful, golden-haired woman with a jagged scar across her face and a cheap robotic arm. She slouches in the co-pilot's seat.
  
  "Prex knows more than anyone about getting out of Hardshell, so hopefully he can get me back in. He was last seen heading to Source 3."
  
  "We should be on the lookout for an amalg called Viscera."
  
  "Dr Vosov-R on Diallo tried to scan Hardshell or something."
  
  > talk to Vosov
  A handsome, neatly groomed man in a lab coat meets you in the reception area of his lab complex.
  
  Aurea gets straight to the point. "I hear you tried to map the interior of Hardshell."
  
  He takes in her unusual appearance. "Did you also hear that it almost got me and my team killed?"
  
  "A risk I'm prepared to take - to get home."
  
  "Really? Interesting. Look, I can sell you my neutrino scanner
  for 100k credits. That's at no profit for me; it's just an expensive piece of kit."
  
  > talk to Rindo
  Her neon pink hair is a stark contrast to the immaculate white of her clean-suit.
  
  "Managed, synthetic biology is quite liberating, but we can't compete with the sheer diversity and longevity of natural ecosystems. Not that we get much chance to study that sort of thing in the Imago Republic. Every new specimen we get here is highly significant, especially with the pressure we're under to innovate for the colony on Jaenisch."
  
  > sell the specimen to Rindo
  "Aww! It's cute! And it has trilateral symmetry! Let's pretend I don't know where you got this, and I'll pay 10k. Deal?"
  
  > record jaenisch
  You record Jaenisch in your ship's log as a place of potential interest.
  
  > talk to the jaheem
  "Back home they call these people soulless husks. Well, I look at the passion my colleagues here have for science compared to the venal academic politics in the Commonwealth... You can probably finish my train of thought yourself."
  
  > talk to the student
  "Look, you're a straight shooter, right? I need creds and I've got some confidential research: bleeding edge theoretical physics.
  Not published anywhere yet. Guaranteed to be the first place you ever read these ideas because the only other minds to think of them died three million years ago on Sheol. 5k credits. It's a steal but I need the cash right now."
  
  > Record sheol
  You record Sheol in your ship's log as a place of potential interest.
  
  > buy the research
  You buy the confidential research for 5k credits, leaving you with 127k credits.
  
  > buy the scanner
  You buy the neutrino scanner for 100k credits, leaving you with 27k credits.
  
  Dr Vosov-R oversees its installation on your ship.
  
  "I really can't overstate how dangerous it will be to scan on
  the surface of Hardshell. Then again, maybe you're in a position to deploy better defences than my research team was."
  
  > Scan
  The neutrino scanner is a pretty involved piece of equipment. It's not clear that using it here will do anything other than waste a lot of time.
  
  > jump to the Source 3
  Mountainous terrain looms through the fog of the thick, toxic atmosphere below.
  
  Small shuttles arc back and forth between the surface and a huge mining ship.
  
  > talk to the ship
  "The Imago Republic is processing this world into raw materials. We don't need anything from you, captain, except to stay out of our way."
  
  > Land
  The air and ground are both rich in valuable, if poisonous chemicals.
  
  Mining crawlers churn through the haze, carving wide trails
  into the oozing rock.
  
  Intendant Aq-P manages the bustling administration facility.
  
  > talk to the crawlers
  A low, keening moan is your only response.
  
  > talk to the aq
  A tall, slender woman in a sleek yellow jumpsuit, made top heavy by bulbous comms headgear.
  
  "This is the part of the Source process that requires the most thought - gathering data on where resources are concentrated, mapping the world's interior, planning where the world excavator will touch down... So you'll excuse me if I'm a little busy."
  
  "I'll be quick then," Aurea says. "Did some nomads pass through here, and where did they go after?"
  
  "Why do you want to know? Lot of unsavoury types would be very happy to get their hands on a worldship."
  
  "My friend is on that worldship. I need his help."
  
  The intendant pushes her headgear up and takes in Aurea properly for the first time. "Well, maybe he really was your friend. Okay. They stopped by to trade for some rare minerals, then headed off to the far reaches. Place called Gossamer if I remember rightly."
  
  > Record gossamer
  You record Gossamer in your ship's log as a place of potential interest.
  
  > look at the trading log
  Known Merchants:
  -Matej (Surface of Cygnet)
  
  Odd Jobs:
  -Delivering packages for Viktoria, orbiting Pearl
  -Hauling pods for Devrim on Cygnet
  -Autark Orbital Race run by Silver
  -Turn bounties in to Marshal Zila-S, orbiting Venter
  -Fish... somewhere?
  
  Other Opportunities:
  -homeless veteran, selling a classified intelligence report (Surface of Storm)
  
  Potential Buyers:
  pressure chief (Surface of Jarland), coastal nomads (Surface of Khamsin), nervous woman (Surface of Nereus), xDreamQueenx (Surface of Xanadu)
  
  Cargo:
  some confidential research and an autodoc unit
  
  > jump to zhao
  (You launch first.)
  
  Mountainous terrain looms through the fog of the thick, toxic atmosphere below.
  
  Small shuttles arc back and forth between the surface and a huge mining ship.
  
  Slender megastructures rise gleaming from the silvery continents below, arcing over oceans and snow-tipped mountains.
  
  The muscled war beasts of the Imago Defence Fleet are in orbit,
  guns protruding from every orifice.
  
  A fuel jockey orbits lazily - tentacles trailing, bladders
  swollen with deuterium.
  
  > Land
  A grasping limb curves towards you with swan-like grace, enfolding your ship and setting it gently down upon the surface.
  
  A wilderness of synthetic life bursts from the foot of translucent, shell-like arcologies. Cetacean biomachines scud gently through the skies overhead.
  
  An elegant lady and gentleman sit outside a cafe, immaculate
  and graceful. Passers-by of all stripes stop to briefly chat with them.
  
  more exotic bars.
  
  Jora-D hangs out at the landing field, sketching the ships
  neatly lined up by articulating space elevators.
  
  A florist sells altflowers from his market stall.
  
  > talk to the lady
  The lady sips a cup of coffee. "Do you know the latest news, captain?"
  
  The gentleman adds a dash of cream to his own cup. "One must keep up on current events, don't you agree? Especially those lesser known facts."
  
  "People from all over," the lady says, "keep us up-to-date."
  
  "And," the gentleman adds, "isn't fine conversation its own reward?"
  
  "Or so they say," the lady finishes.
  
  The two share a knowing smile.
  
  > talk to the ambassador
  He's a stubbled, cheap-suited guy, standing out among the immaculate bioroids.
  
  "No-one back home cares about cooperation, but imagine if we could get a fraction of the production output of Koltsov. It could turn the tides of poverty and win the war against the amalgs. Hey, a guy can dream, right?"
  
  > Record koltsov
  You record Koltsov in your ship's log as a place of potential interest.
  
  > talk to the jora
  She sketches on a holopad with a graphite pencil. "I meet all sorts here. Well, all sorts of humans. No aliens yet."
  
  After a moment, she shrugs. "And yeah, before you ask, I consider myself human. You talk to a mind from Panopticon - and beyond the singularity - and suddenly the whole natural/synthetic divide doesn't seem too big."
  
  > talk to florist
  His stall bursts with colour: from bright petals that would pass for natural if you didn't know better, to gleaming leaves embedded with miniature solar cells.
  
  "It's very rare that a humble flower seller such as I would have anything to offer a space captain from the depths of the black. But my living crystal rose has just bloomed. 3k credits is a fair
  price for such uncommon beauty."
  
  > Buy rose
  You buy the living crystal rose for 3k credits, leaving you with 24k credits.
  
  > jump to the nereus
  (You launch first.)
  
  The same muscular appendage that deposited your ship on the surface raises it up beyond the atmosphere.
  
  Slender megastructures rise gleaming from the silvery continents below, arcing over oceans and snow-tipped mountains.
  
  The muscled war beasts of the Imago Defence Fleet are in orbit,
  guns protruding from every orifice.
  
  A fuel jockey orbits lazily - tentacles trailing, bladders
  swollen with deuterium.
  
  The world below is a bright, reflective blue: endless oceans broken up only by sparse white clouds and even less substantial wisps of land.
  
  own.
  
  > Sell rose to girl
  She gasps so hard it seems she might suffocate, until she finally remembers to breathe. "YES. That is so perfect I could cry. 11k credits. It's all I have. That and the knowledge that you will be smoothing the course of true love. Please?"
  
  > jump to the Storm
  (You launch first.)
  
  The world below is a bright, reflective blue: endless oceans broken up only by sparse white clouds and even less substantial wisps of land.
  
  own.
  
  (via hyperspace gate)
  
  An unbroken layer of cloud leaves this planet an almost featureless grey sphere.
  
  The Commonwealth military fleet is in orbit: hulking warships
  ready to jump into trouble at a moment's notice.
  
  defence network.
  
  A merchant service fuel tanker services civilian traffic.
  
  > Land
  Rain pelts down from the thick clouds above, feeding rivers that wind through warped and improbable rock formations. Air pressure and temperature are tolerable, but the pure carbon dioxide atmosphere is unbreathable for even the hardiest diasporans. Every building - civilian or military - is a robust fortress or sunken bunker. Overground traffic consists of a few rugged all-terrain rovers.
  
  A uniformed general meticulously maintains his garden under a reinforced dome.
  
  An off-duty soldier throws back drinks in an underground bar.
  
  Sitting in the lee of an austere building, military-issue breather mask held over his face, is a homeless veteran.
  
  > talk to the veteran
  "You're a vagabond, captain? Me too. Used my old buddies still in the service to get hold of this classified intelligence report,
  fresh up-to-date. Gotta be worth at least 5k credits. I don't want to know what you do with it. I don't care. Gave my heart and soul at the Battle of Franklin and damned if I got any loyalty back from them after."
  
  > buy the report
  You buy the classified intelligence report for 5k credits, leaving you with 30k credits.
  
  > read the report
  It's pretty heavily encrypted.
  
  > Launch
  An unbroken layer of cloud leaves this planet an almost featureless grey sphere.
  
  The Commonwealth military fleet is in orbit: hulking warships
  ready to jump into trouble at a moment's notice.
  
  defence network.
  
  A merchant service fuel tanker services civilian traffic.
  
  > Refuel
  You can replenish your fusion cells at the merchant service fuel tanker for 1k credits each. 4 cells are expended.
  
  How many do you want to refuel?
  
  > jump to zhao
  Slender megastructures rise gleaming from the silvery continents below, arcing over oceans and snow-tipped mountains.
  
  The muscled war beasts of the Imago Defence Fleet are in orbit,
  guns protruding from every orifice.
  
  A fuel jockey orbits lazily - tentacles trailing, bladders
  swollen with deuterium.
  
  > Land
  A grasping limb curves towards you with swan-like grace, enfolding your ship and setting it gently down upon the surface.
  
  A wilderness of synthetic life bursts from the foot of translucent, shell-like arcologies. Cetacean biomachines scud gently through the skies overhead.
  
  An elegant lady and gentleman sit outside a cafe, immaculate
  and graceful. Passers-by of all stripes stop to briefly chat with them.
  
  more exotic bars.
  
  Jora-D hangs out at the landing field, sketching the ships
  neatly lined up by articulating space elevators.
  
  A florist sells altflowers from his market stall.
  
  > sell the report to the gentleman
  "Quite a conversation piece." the gentleman says.
  
  "20k words of conversation, to be precise," the lady says.
  
  The gentleman smiles. "If we are quite clear?"
  
  > jump to the jaenisch
  (You launch first.)
  
  The same muscular appendage that deposited your ship on the surface raises it up beyond the atmosphere.
  
  Slender megastructures rise gleaming from the silvery continents below, arcing over oceans and snow-tipped mountains.
  
  The muscled war beasts of the Imago Defence Fleet are in orbit,
  guns protruding from every orifice.
  
  A fuel jockey orbits lazily - tentacles trailing, bladders
  swollen with deuterium.
  
  One hemisphere of the planet below is formed of blue oceans and silvery landmasses, the other is a sand-blasted desert.
  
  A fuel jockey orbits lazily - tentacles trailing, bladders
  swollen with deuterium.
  
  > Land
  Spiral-shelled synthformers crawl across the landscape, scattering spores that sprout into solar-panelled altforests and biomechanical utilities. The few urban areas are a hodgepodge of improvisation and re-use.
  
  A blimp floats overhead, from which the construction
  shepherdess directs the planet's development.
  
  satellite dish.
  
  landing pad.
  
  > talk to the shepherdess
  Her long hair is gathered into a complex but practical knot of braids; her synthetic skin is weathered and aged.
  
  "Every shipment from Koltsov improves our ability to enrich lifeless planets. We don't have that drive to take over the Universe that our progenitors did - no offence - but having a few worlds under our belt will help to ensure our survival."
  
  > talk to the family
  Clad in practical outdoor clothes, each at various stages of mental maturity, one still showing the fresh sheen of the gestation tanks.
  
  "We wanted a more exciting life than on Zhao. We certainly got that, but it'd be nice to have a more permanent home."
  
  > talk to the girix
  His body bulges with a biologically impossible amount of muscle, but his eyes are calm and kind.
  
  "Some time ago we messed up the watercourse. Took some doing, but we sorted it out ourselves. Now this water desalination beast
  turns up, when we don't need it any more. Take it off my hands for 4k creds and you'll be doing me a favour."
  
  > buy the beast
  You buy the water desalination beast for 4k credits, leaving you with 42k credits.
  
  > P.
  Known Merchants:
  -Matej (Surface of Cygnet)
  
  Odd Jobs:
  -Delivering packages for Viktoria, orbiting Pearl
  -Hauling pods for Devrim on Cygnet
  -Autark Orbital Race run by Silver
  -Turn bounties in to Marshal Zila-S, orbiting Venter
  -Fish... somewhere?
  
  Other Opportunities:
  -None known
  
  Potential Buyers:
  pressure chief (Surface of Jarland), coastal nomads (Surface of Khamsin), frontier family (Surface of Jaenisch), xDreamQueenx (Surface of Xanadu)
  
  Cargo:
  a water desalination beast, some confidential research and an autodoc unit
  
  > jump to Khamsin
  (You launch first.)
  
  One hemisphere of the planet below is formed of blue oceans and silvery landmasses, the other is a sand-blasted desert.
  
  A fuel jockey orbits lazily - tentacles trailing, bladders
  swollen with deuterium.
  
  A sandy brown world orbiting close to an ageing red star. Its arid terrain is capped with scant white ice at the poles and veiled by a few insubstantial clouds.
  
  out in the system.
  
  Chief Drake leads a crew of spacesuited ice breakers, blasting
  and drilling those comets too large to dump on the surface intact.
  
  > Land
  Skyscrapers cluster together in the planet's only city, a small metropolis at the heart of a barren, dusty wasteland.
  
  A party of robed hunters has made camp outside the city.
  
  A caravan of nomads circumnavigates the planet's tiny ocean.
  
  > sell the beast to the nomads
  "This creature is strange. But so are we. If it will allow us to drink of the sea, as our ancestors did, we shall offer 13k credits. Do you commit to this exchange?"
  
  > talk to the nomads
  They walk on elongated, webbed feet and watch you through thickly lashed eyes.
  
  "The absurd beast you sold us mingles well with our pack animals. Through this strange addition we are closer to our ancestors and their ways."
  
  > talk to the hunters
  Protected from the harsh elements by billowing robes, they peer at you through tinted goggles. One of them steps forward to speak halting Nacrese.
  
  "We have sold all we have to sell. Soon we return to the hunt."
  
  > jump to Koltsov
  (You launch first.)
  
  A sandy brown world orbiting close to an ageing red star. Its arid terrain is capped with scant white ice at the poles and veiled by a few insubstantial clouds.
  
  out in the system.
  
  Chief Drake leads a crew of spacesuited ice breakers, blasting
  and drilling those comets too large to dump on the surface intact.
  
  Below thick clouds and barren mountains, geometric shapes are etched into the surface of this world.
  
  A fuel jockey orbits lazily - tentacles trailing, bladders
  swollen with deuterium.
  
  > Land
  A labyrinth of ribbed tunnels, through which ooze giant construction polymorphs.
  
  centre.
  
  Fono-H oversees the output of one of the primary sphincters.
  
  Nursing his latest crop is a hab farmer.
  
  A tentacled engineer paces the complex, muttering to himself.
  
  > P.
  Known Merchants:
  -Matej (Surface of Cygnet)
  
  Odd Jobs:
  -Delivering packages for Viktoria, orbiting Pearl
  -Hauling pods for Devrim on Cygnet
  -Autark Orbital Race run by Silver
  -Turn bounties in to Marshal Zila-S, orbiting Venter
  -Fish... somewhere?
  
  Other Opportunities:
  -None known
  
  Potential Buyers:
  pressure chief (Surface of Jarland), frontier family (Surface of Jaenisch), xDreamQueenx (Surface of Xanadu)
  
  Cargo:
  some confidential research and an autodoc unit
  
  > talk to the controller
  She shows you one of her twelve faces.
  
  "Let's not talk shop. I'm a ten tonne brain made to design technology. There's really nothing about machines you could tell me that I'd find interesting. So, how are you?"
  
  You make small talk with the Controller for a little while.
  
  > sell the research to the controller
  "I could mentally dis- and re-assemble that in a split second. It's of no interest to me at all."
  
  > buy the drone
  You buy the remote drone for 10k credits, leaving you with 41k credits.
  
  > P.
  Known Merchants:
  -Matej (Surface of Cygnet)
  -Fono-H (Surface of Koltsov)
  
  Odd Jobs:
  -Delivering packages for Viktoria, orbiting Pearl
  -Hauling pods for Devrim on Cygnet
  -Autark Orbital Race run by Silver
  -Turn bounties in to Marshal Zila-S, orbiting Venter
  -Fish... somewhere?
  
  Other Opportunities:
  -None known
  
  Potential Buyers:
  pressure chief (Surface of Jarland), frontier family (Surface of Jaenisch), Controller (Surface of Koltsov), xDreamQueenx (Surface of Xanadu)
  
  Cargo:
  some confidential research and an autodoc unit
  
  > buy the spines
  You buy the collector spines for 25k credits, leaving you with 16k credits.
  
  > talk to the farmer
  A thick, transparent hood keeps the pollen out of his lungs.
  
  "These are all due to ship soon, but the runt of the litter won't be mature in time. What do you say, 2k for a house spore of your
  own? You can sell it on if it's not your style."
  
  > buy the house
  You buy the house spore for 2k credits, leaving you with 14k credits.
  
  > talk to the engineer
  "This genetic blueprint still requires significant revision. The biophysical properties are difficult to simulate. Those theoretical types on Diallo would probably love to work out the particulars, but I don't want to give them the satisfaction. If you take me to ERX
  Beta, I can solve the problem more discreetly. Obviously, I would
  pay you 20k credits for the passage."
  
  > record the erx beta
  You record ERX Beta in your ship's log as a place of potential interest.
  
  > record the erx beta
  ERX Beta is already recorded in your ship's log as a place of interest.
  
  > take the engineer
  He finds a cabin on your ship and gathers his tentacles around himself.
  
  > jump to the jaenisch
  (You launch first.)
  
  Below thick clouds and barren mountains, geometric shapes are etched into the surface of this world.
  
  A fuel jockey orbits lazily - tentacles trailing, bladders
  swollen with deuterium.
  
  One hemisphere of the planet below is formed of blue oceans and silvery landmasses, the other is a sand-blasted desert.
  
  A fuel jockey orbits lazily - tentacles trailing, bladders
  swollen with deuterium.
  
  > Land
  Spiral-shelled synthformers crawl across the landscape, scattering spores that sprout into solar-panelled altforests and biomechanical utilities. The few urban areas are a hodgepodge of improvisation and re-use.
  
  A blimp floats overhead, from which the construction
  shepherdess directs the planet's development.
  
  satellite dish.
  
  landing pad.
  
  > sell the house to the family
  "Great Minds be praised, we could nurture this spore into exactly the home we need right now. 10k credits seems almost too little, but it's the best we can offer. What do you say?"
  
  > jump to the erx beta
  (You launch first.)
  
  One hemisphere of the planet below is formed of blue oceans and silvery landmasses, the other is a sand-blasted desert.
  
  A fuel jockey orbits lazily - tentacles trailing, bladders
  swollen with deuterium.
  
  The dark surface of the airless world below is etched with complex glowing circuitry.
  
  (Dr Pico-G pays you 1k for bringing him to a new world.)
  
  > Land
  Lightning arcs across neat, right-angled channels cut through rocky terrain. The soil has crystallised into regular hexagons. And somewhere deep underground, something quakes and rumbles with mechanical precision.
  
  A holographic persona of ERX Beta stands on a stone dais.
  
  A crystallised idle fancy protrudes from the ground.
  
  The tentacled engineer disembarks. "Here's your 20k, as promised.
  Now I just need to convince ERX Beta to help me..."
  
  > talk to the Beta
  The hologram is a vague reflection of your own appearance. It speaks in a voice tinged with bitterness.
  
  "I have allocated a tiny fraction of my mind to this simulation of a human personality. The rest of me is currently engaged in mourning and is otherwise unavailable. I am prepared to trade for self-replicating polymer. All other functions are suspended."
  
  > get fancy
  As you lift it up, it hums ethereally in the palm of your hand.
  
  > P.
  Known Merchants:
  -Matej (Surface of Cygnet)
  -Fono-H (Surface of Koltsov)
  
  Odd Jobs:
  -Delivering packages for Viktoria, orbiting Pearl
  -Hauling pods for Devrim on Cygnet
  -Autark Orbital Race run by Silver
  -Turn bounties in to Marshal Zila-S, orbiting Venter
  -Fish... somewhere?
  
  Other Opportunities:
  -None known
  
  Potential Buyers:
  pressure chief (Surface of Jarland), persona of ERX Beta (Surface of ERX Beta), Controller (Surface of Koltsov), xDreamQueenx (Surface of Xanadu)
  
  Cargo:
  a crystallised idle fancy, some confidential research and an autodoc unit
  
  > jump to the xanadu
  (You launch first.)
  
  The dark surface of the airless world below is etched with complex glowing circuitry.
  
  This planet's sparse green patches cluster around small seas. The only indication of habitation is the brightly lit space elevator protruding from the equator.
  
  > Land
  You dock with the space elevator, which ferries your ship down to the surface.
  
  A lone hyperspace conduit to Hub stands at the heart of parched scrublands and bare hills.
  
  The surface is deserted but for the odd simple obelisk standing stark against the sky. Each marks an entrance to the subterranean facilities where stacks of bodies and brains are plugged into a virtual reality world.
  
  A visitor's port will let you jack in temporarily.
  
  xDreamQueenx sashays through the deepest corridors.
  
  Mirek has been plugged in.
  
  > sell the fancy to the queen
  "This... is potent beyond imagining. The idle fancy of a giant mind is a million lucid dreams to a mere human. I will pay 20k credits. It is worthless to anyone but me. Is that acceptable?"
  
  > jump to Splinter
  (You launch first.)
  
  The space elevator ferries your ship back into orbit.
  
  This planet's sparse green patches cluster around small seas. The only indication of habitation is the brightly lit space elevator protruding from the equator.
  
  The largest irregular rock in the asteroid belt around a dazzling blue star. Clunky industrial structures cling to its surface.
  
  Souped-up barges comprise most of the shipping. You know
  smugglers when you see them.
  
  A Commonwealth warship, repainted mercenary colours, holds a
  high orbit.
  
  A carefully shored up fuel tower extends far out from Splinter.
  
  > talk to the warship
  "Whatever rumours you've heard, this is a safe port. Dangerous elements will be dealt with swiftly."
  
  > Land
  Gravity is a weak tug towards the floor of these cramped and functional corridors. Every so often, a path opens up into a glass-sided observation gallery, crowded bar or chaotic market.
  
  There's no real law round he