text: [Themes: Science Fiction, science fiction, conversation]
  
  > 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?"
  
  > 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."
  
  > tell him about Empire
  "Let me tell you about the Empire," you say.
  
  "If you must," he sighs.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > examine the hat
  It's brown in colour and battered almost shapeless.
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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?"
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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!"
  
  > 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!"
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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!"
  
  > 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!"
  
  > ask Petroc about the barn
  Petroc appears baffled by your question.
  
  > 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.
  
  > ask Petroc about previous
  Petroc drowns your question in a fit of coughing.
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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!"
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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!"
  
  > 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!"
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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!"
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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."
  
  > ask him about the tech
  Petroc ponders your question for a moment, then shakes his head.
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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'".
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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!"
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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.
  
  > ask him about himself
  "Is there anything the Empire can do for you?" you ask.
  
  "Yes - you can leave us alone," he grunts.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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."
  
  > ask him about the meetings
  "So you don't have that many meetings here," you surmise.
  
  "We have enough," he shrugs.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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!"
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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.
  
  > ask Petroc about the herbs
  "I fail to see the relevance of that question," he complains.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > ask him about the repairs
  "So it's a real problem getting any repairs done here," you surmise.
  
  "You could say that," he concurs.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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.
  
  > open the drawer
  Opening the drawer reveals a purple datatab.
  
  > 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.
  
  > put the datatab in the slot
  The screen displays: "Please enter your Authorization Code: "
  
  > 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.
  
  > enter the report
  (on the console)
  This doesn't achieve much.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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
  
  > 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.
  
  > look in the slot
  The small slot contains a black datatab.
  
  > get the black datatab
  Taken.
  
  There's a faint cheesy smell from somewhere.
  
  > 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.