Spiritual Diplomacy

The figure that is apparently Gol'br'in emerges cautiously through the bead curtain into the room. He definitely looks like someone who has lived the greater part of his life in very strange company...if in any company at all.

Seeing him, Kiel'i immediately turns partly away so as not to make eye contact. Bina, however, eyes the mystic warily.

"I suppose I should thank you for your kind help," says Kiel'i flatly.

"You know I didn't help much," retorts Gol'br'in. "How long has Mountain-Eye known about me?"

Kiel'i assumes a prayer stance and then, in Per'anai's voice, replies, "You can't hide yourself as well as your master did. And besides, they call me 'Mountain-Eye' for a reason."

"But you never tried to stop me!"

"And hurt our own cause?" Kiel'i opens eyes which are glowing blue and faces the mystic squarely. "I'm under no obligation to stop you. Even if what you do disgusts me, I still know that it's for the best. For now."

"Fair enough." Gol'br'in bows Hergoth style. "For what it's worth, you've earned my respect."

Kiel'i returns the bow. Then the blue glow fades from her eyes. In her own voice, she says, "I must return now."

"Stay just a little longer," entreats Gol'br'in, stepping closer. "I know you're just as curious as I am. Allow me to do this one thing." He reaches into a pocket and pulls out a stick that has symbols carved on it. "I know you don't approve, but I have no power without this."

"What're you going to do?" demands Bina edgily.

"Just a little test," he replies, holding the stick up sideways in both hands so they can look at it. "I promise no one will be harmed."

Bina throws a bitter glance at Gemma, who says drowsily, "It's alright, Dear Sister. It's my energy to give."

Bina turns back to Gol'br'in and says, "You could at least let her bathe!"

"Of course!" replies Gol'br'in pleasantly. He holds up the stick, and the tip of it starts to glow. "Now, if you'll just put yourselves at ease..." He inclines the stick toward Mon'Fargret, and the glow flickers a bit. "Hmm. This one is aware but has no mastery. Good. That does explain some things." Next he angles the wand toward Lirassa.

"Point that thing somewhere else!" she spits in Yangae.

"You have a device in you that protects you," replies Gol'br'in in that language. "Very good." Next he moves toward Ham, who assumes a threatening stance. The wand changes color. "Sensitive," says Gol'br'in. Then he moves past the Fasion and points the wand at Dabid. Again the color changes. "Sensitive." Ignoring Betham, he moves toward Pru, who backs up to avoid him. The color changes. "Sensitive." He then moves past Widjgleeby and Granite Spear and proceeds straight to Nekshi. "Sensitive."

Not waiting for the mystic, Mey'Luskar actually approaches him. "What about me?"

Gol'br'in pauses, studying her. Then he angles the wand. It doesn't change color, but the glow suddenly increases in intensity. Gol'br'in jumps back as if shocked, his mouth dropping open. The glow decreases again, but not to its original level. Puzzled, Gol'br'in starts to probe around with it, slowly moving backward as he does so. Finally he stops, gestures puzzlement, and lowers the wand. "I can't find the edge. Your spirit..." He glances back at Kiel'i.

"Yes," replies the priestess. "It reaches out in all directions without a clear border."

"What does that mean?" asks Mey'Luskar. Her expression changes. "I was...I was helping you, wasn't I? Just like I helped Bina heal Gemma...?"

No one answers. Gol'br'in, Kiel'i, and Bina just eye her silently. Then Gol'br'in says, "I would very much like to find out about your parents."

"Her father is a mystery," says Kiel'i quickly. "Her mother is a scientist. There's nothing more to tell."

Once again the mystic and the two priestesses study Mey'Luskar quietly while she fidgets and glances around. Then Gemma says, "Hey! What about him?" She points at Zeton.

Gol'br'in approaches Zeton and angles the wand. There is no reaction. "You're immune!" he says, furrowing his brows. "Strange. But you're not really Hergoth...obviously. Either you have some kind of special ability I don't know about, or your kind is not one of the children of the Ancients. That's very interesting...and very good!" He glances at Kiel'i. "Okay, that's enough. I have what I came for."

The priestess acknowledges him with a nod. Then she turns to address to party. Bowing properly, she says, "May the Entity smile on all of you in this dark hour!" Then she gives Bina a last look before vanishing in a swirl of light.

"Now," says Gol'br'in. "You want to get to the Eye of Tann through the tunnels, right? There are some things I need to give you first."

Mystic Rhythms

Lirassa grabs Mon'Fargret's first aid kit and sets to work on his shoulder.

"I can't do anything about that bone," she says, "but you'll be able to travel."

Ham mutters something in Biton as he has a look at Dabid. Clicking his tongue with annoyance, he seals the stump of the severed leg with celluplasts from his own first aid kit.

Meanwhile, Widjgleeby pokes around the various bits of the Yoti's body (and casually snacks on at least one of them).

Granite Spear bursts through the bead curtain ready to fight, but then she is left looking in bewilderment at the floating cursor point.

"Flaming trickster!" yells Betham at the cursor point angrily. "What kind of sick game are you playing? Show yourself!"

"Show myself?" replies the voice lazily. "Why would I want to do that? I mean...I have a badge-less cop and a brooch-less priestess here, and either one of you'd tear me apart in a second! And if you didn't, there are a lot of very angry people with you. Verrrrry angry..."

"Well, of COURSE we're angry!" Betham shoots back glancing quickly at the others. "It's bad enough that you've turned this old mansion into a stinking cesspool of...drugs and...and..."

There is an annoyed sigh. "See? You're jumping to conclusions! You always jump to conclusions! Anyone with a badge or a brooch...even in past tense. Blinded by rules, rules, rules! You have no idea what's going on, or how much we've suffered to keep you people safe!"

"S-safe?" Betham stammers, clenching his fists. He glares down at Dabid and Mon'Fargret.

"Like I said," the voice goes on easily, "I had nothing to do with any of this. I'll even say I'm very, very sorry if it'll make you feel better. Look, I asked my people to...discourage you from coming in. No one was supposed to get hurt. I never wanted them to shoot at anybody, especially one of my own guests...and I certainly didn't know that one had a killer zombie implant! Now I have to wonder what they really wanted."

While this dialog is going on, Zeton steps through the bead curtain with Gemma in his arms.

"Ooh, I've only been up here a couple of times!" she coos happily. Then she wrinkles her nose. "I don't remember it being so messy!"

Come Into My Parlor...

Main Floor


Upper Floor


Lower Floor

Now that the truth of the situation is understood by everyone, Granite Spear proceeds through the inner door from the greeting/changing room and into the main chamber. Widjgleeby follows close behind, thankful that the doors and fixtures were clearly designed with Farbetts in mind. The Mon'Fargret/Ham/Lirassa group also moves on into the house.

A very embarrassed Dabid remains between the two groups, standing before a large, marble-lined staircase going up.

Betham, who is still out in the greeting/changing room, calls, "Stay alert! I can sense there are others in...UWAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!" The sound of him leaning heavily against one of the racks can be heard.

***

"Elder visions?" echoes Bina, looking at Gemma very intently. "What else did he say?"

Gemma seems distracted for a second or two. Then she looks at the disgraced priestess vacantly. "What? Who?"

"Gol'br'in," replies Bina patiently. "Did he ever say anything about...runes?"

"Runes?" echoes Gemma with puzzlement. Then she grins and gestures dismissal. "Oh, you mean those weird symbols he keeps drawing! Weird zone! He's on about that all the time! You mean you...wait..." She takes on a thoughtful look.

"It's just our group," says Bina. "They just linked up..." Her eyes suddenly go wide. "Flames of Goth!!!"

Mey'Luskar gasps and jumps. "What was that?"

"I think your cop friend found the one they're hiding," says Gemma nonchalantly.

At the Mansion

The party makes it to the side of the house without further incident (except for the fact that Dabid has run around the back side of the building and hasn't returned).

Zeton notes that there are nice, neat entrance and exit puncture wounds in Gemma's thigh and the tibia has been cleaved in twain. The projectile (or whatever it was) went through the limb like a red hot poker through a wax candle.

Lirassa insists her injury is "only a flesh wound", but she lets Ham have a look at it. Indeed, the projectile (or whatever it was) ripped a gouge in her thigh but doesn't seem to have hit anything vital (though there is more than a little blood). Ham puts a celluplast on it, and that's that.

Pru still seems rather freaked out over having had her arm healed completely by Bina. Her jacket sleeve has a nice hole on either side of it and is soaked with blood, but she is far more interested in the fact that there is no longer any trace of the injury.

Bina herself seems forlorn and pensive, rubbing her hands and looking anywhere except at anyone else.

Mey'Luskar, who was suddenly concerned for Bina at the end of the battle, moves away from the Hergoth without a word and starts looking about the side of the house. Betham follows a similar course but keeps his distance.

Nekshi finishes up her programming, still virtually oblivious to the fact that Granite Spear has half led, half dragged her along to the house.

Mon'Fargret is the last one to arrive at the house, popping a new power pack into his pistol as he continues to glance about warily.

Widjgleeby is standing at the top of the short stairway leading down to the door, her ultra-sensitive nostrils going.

The house itself has walls of a reddish-brown ceramic material. Its main section appears to be of a squarish layout with a tower on each corner. The bottom floor is half underground and, judging from the design of the windows and door, of a more utilitarian nature. The main floor sits on top of it about a meter and a half above the ground. The main section has one more floor above that. The lights of the veranda show that each of the corner towers has one more level above the main section terminating in a Hergoth-style spired dome. The central tower, also capped with a spired dome, has two floors above the main section.

A dim, flickering, reddish glow can be seen in one of the windows of the top floor of the central tower.

"Brrrrr!" says Mey'Luskar, shuddering and hugging herself. "This place gives me the creeps!"

Strange Welcoming

Gemma seems to have become distracted by both Mon'Fargret and Mey'Luskar, but at the sound of Granite Spear's talk box she snaps out of it.

"Um, right!" she says, shaking her head. "This way!"

"Aw, flamin' bro," moans the guy on the sofa. "I can't move my hands, bro!"

"Hands are overrated," retorts the guy by the light flatly.

Gemma leads the party back down the short hallway and out the door into the night. The rain seems to have stopped, but the glow of the city reflecting off the clouds shows they are still low and ugly. There is just enough light to see the road and the shadowy silhouettes of the trees. As the party moves along southward, Pru asks a question about the layout of the place, and Gemma (who apologizes for her poor Yangae and sticks to speaking Her-galad) explains that the road they are on follows a circle going around the plantation complex, with the house as its hub. If they were to continue around, they would come to the old chapel and its garden, which Gemma says (with clear pride) she has been tending. On the opposite side of the circle are a bunch of large greenhouses. The old warehouse (which Gemma doesn't seem to like) is on the northeastern edge.

The party comes to a T-intersection, where a road curves off to head through the trees toward the inside of the circle. Gemma turns onto it, explaining that the inner woods were the nut groves of the plantation, but they've gone a bit wild. Soon the party passes through the wall of trees, and the ominous, black bulk of the house can be seen standing on a low hill in the middle of the complex. Its shape seems squarish, but it has obviously Hergoth-style towers.

A dim, flickering light can be seen on the top floor of the central tower.

"This isn't good," says Bina. "We're not welcome here!"

"Of course you're not!" replies Gemma. "They think those Eye people or whatever are attacking! But it's okay! They know..."

"I don't like it either," says Betham. "Are you sure about this?"

"Am I sure?" rails Gemma. "Of course! I mean, they're kind of suspicious, but they're alright once you get to know them. Remember, these are my people!" She increases her pace, giggling and mumbling to herself.

(I need ALT checks from everybody.)


(Positions at the end of the second exchange of the second round of combat.)

Squatters

Bina heads to one of the doors on the ground floor, one that is obviously not the entrance to one of the flats. Stopping before it, she assumes a Hergoth formal greeting pose and intones a Song of Calling. The door opens a few seconds later, but only a crack.

"Bina?" says a soft, feminine voice.

"Yes, Gemma," she replies gently. "It's me. It's alright!"

It's hard to see the figure that emerges in the dark, but she takes Bina's hands and says, "Thank the Entity! But what of...oh..."

"It's alright!" says Bina reassuringly. "Your friend isn't hurt. We had to stun him. He wouldn't stop shooting at us!"

Betham steps forward with the limp form of the shooter over his shoulder. "We need to get him inside," he says flatly.

Gemma's only reply is a few anxious-sounding breaths.

"It's alright!" insists Bina. "No one's here to harm you! In fact, we need your help!"

Gemma's psy senses can be vaguely felt probing about the party, and then focusing on the three Yangae. The pulse of fear she lets off is very tangible.

"They're not your enemies," says Bina. "My soul speaks for them."

Gemma lets out another nervous-sounding breath before she lets the party in.

Once inside, she turns on a pocket light and leads the party to a room in the very heart of the building. The air inside is stuffy and reeks of dust, mold, incense, spiced oil, and the acrid smell of unwashed bodies. Gemma says something, and a larger light within the room comes on. Then the party can see the room and her clearly.

Perhaps she was attractive before, but now her face looks worn and gaunt. Her sullen eyes don't look at all well. She is dressed in casual clothing that is rumpled and stained. Her hair is an unwashed, uncombed mess.

The youngish Hergoth man sitting next to the light doesn't look much better.

"You brought them all in?" he asks with dull annoyance as Betham and Zeton ease the stunned form onto a more or less usable sofa.

"I trust Bina," replies Gemma.

"It's not Bina I'm worried about," retorts the man, "or any other except those three." He nods in the direction of Pru, Mey'Luskar, and Mon'Fargret. "Remember? Gol'br'in said that now no Yangae can be trusted! None! Tur'as unders...well, I see he doesn't at the moment. Bugs on glass! So much for his precious gun! Now you've put us all in danger!"

Stepping forward irritably, Mey'Luskar pops off her contacts and shows her real eyes. "There!" she snaps in Her-galad. "Satisfied?"

Gemma reacts with surprise, but the man is totally unperturbed. "Very well," he says impassively. "What about the other two?"

Target, Target

All at once, Zeton jumps up from his position behind Betham and moves forward up the side of the road.

Betham lets out a shout as he walks his volley into the target...mainly because Zeton is moving right into his line of fire. Betham immediately terminates his barrage, but not before one of the pulses lightly grazes Zeton's shoulder.

(It kind of tickles but otherwise doesn't phase him.)

Up ahead, the maniacal shriek can be heard to end in a gurgle.

"Target nil," says Lirassa, lowering her pistol.

"I thought I got him," says Ham.

"Midbrain shock," says Betham as he moves out from cover. "He would've gone berserk. At this range, with this...mist...he probably won't be out long. We'd better move. Bina, how in the flow is your 'friend'?"

"It'll be alright," says Bina, though not quite as calmly as she'd have everyone believe.

"Right," says Betham. "They may have info we need. Let's disarm that guy and get indoors!" He immediately starts heading up the lane at a brisk trot.

(I'm going to assume that the party follows. It's still dark, but the end of the "tunnel" through the woods can be seen clearly...together with Betham's silhouette in it. Some members [especially Mey'Luskar, who refuses to run, and Dabid, who has to be coaxed out of his hiding place] slow things down. I'm going to assume Zeton follows Betham immediately. Is anyone else going to do so?)

Stand-down or Standoff?

(Map image clipped from plantation map I might show you someday...)

(For the record, the group passed through the main gate to the plantation and is still on the short [about 80m] road that cuts through the "forest wall" ringing the compound. The nearest building to the end of the road is the workers' apartments, and the shooter is hiding behind its corner. The party is currently taking cover in the trees at the edge of the "forest wall" about 30m away from the building.)

At Bina's request, Mon'Fargret keeps his aim but does not fire.

"I think you're right," says Lirassa, clicking on some kind of pistol. "It's just one sod. I got a mark. Should I toast him?"

"Someone in the building," says Bina hauntingly, her fingers on her temples. "She's afraid...so afraid...but maybe a friend..."

Another blast sears its way from the apartment, this time apparently aimed at Mon'Fargret's position. The shot is low. A baffle-effect plasma burst erupts from the pavement accompanied by an incoherent shout.

Incoming

Seeing that Betham doesn't seem to be too concerned and that there doesn't seem to be any real danger yet, Zeton quickly heads over to Betham.

"OK," he says, "whoever is here knows we are here and they aren't happy about it. It's too bad we can't emit thoughts of happiness and calm to reassure these folks we aren't here to bother them, eh?"

Zeton wipes some rain from his brow and nervously looks around into the shadows. "So, how do you recommend we approach and enter the worker flats?"

"Very carefully," replies Betham. "Trying to cut through the woods would be a very bad idea, what with all the blind baggage."

"Hey!" cries Mey'Luskar indignantly. "Who are you..."

"GET DOWN!!!!" yells Betham, giving Zeton a shove.

"NO!!!" screams Bina simultaneously as she tackles Mey'Luskar.

There is a sound like a nearby lightning strike. It is accompanied by a flash that leaves a short-lived, visible path of blue fire in the air as the very molecules of the mist are torn apart. One of the trees on the opposite side of the road erupts in flame from its trunk.

"Rakk!" barks Lirassa. "That was no laser designator!"

Someone at the Gate

The party continues to pick its way along the edge of the street next to the outer wall of the estate. The darkness and the obnoxious, misty rain are disorienting. So are the even more obnoxious weeds, overhanging branches, and occasional bit of litter.

"Wonderful city management," mutters Mey'Luskar bitterly as yet another vine catches her in the face.

"This place is way low on the list, lady," retorts Dabid. "They're still fixing up the ghettos, remember?"

Suddenly Widjgleeby halts, sniffing. "Someone there!" she hisses.

The party comes to a tense stop. There are a few ominous clicking sounds.

Ham pulls out his scanner and starts fiddling with it.

"They don't mean us any harm," says Bina. "I sense annoyance, but not hate. He's a Hergoth, and...I think he's expecting us!"

"Par'deth?" asks Pru almost eagerly.

"No," replies Bina. "It's Constable Betham. And he's alone."

Fast-Forwarding

(Heeding both the boredom of the players and his own frustration at the lack of activity, the Gamemaster pushes the "FF" button on the Vorpal Remote...)

A summary of the scenes as they blip past:

• There's a bit of conversation with the two women, Vliana and Kairi (the Besteeng). It turns out that they are the frontwomen of a pop band that has been fairly active, not only in Mul'ein, but throughout the region. Apparently they are based in Ekr'in, however. (That's why Nekshi interviewed them not so long ago.) Both are outgoing, but Vliana is clearly the friendlier of the two. It's clear that she and Bina have a deep rapport that goes back. It also appears that, though they're not personally acquainted with her, the two women know who Mey'Luskar is. Vliana seems to respect her, but Kairi doesn't try very hard to mask her contempt. They're both very well acquainted with Lirassa, too, and there seems to be both tension and mutual respect between them.
• During the talk, a little light can be seen to come on over Uskua's head, and she points out that the two musicians have a small bus they use for their band. Bina then hints to Vliana that the party is hoping to do something very important, but are having some problems squaring transportation. Kairi seems ambivalent, but Vliana offers to help immediately.
• The party remains at Wirg's long enough for everyone to finish. The three suspicious men leave during this time without incident. A couple more customers come in, but no one of any significance. By the time the party gets ready to leave, both Bina and Mey'Luskar are looking a bit red around the edges from wine and cocktails.
• It is early evening when the party gathers together to leave. As it is just a week before summer, it is still daylight outside, though it is cloudy. The fact of the heavy Peace Force presence in the area is mentioned. After some deliberation and maneuvering, Wirg has the party leave through the employee exit out into the back alley. There are a couple of unsavory-looking characters back there (probably drug pushers), but they high-tail it out of there at first glimpse of the party.
• The bus arrives. It's actually not a bus but rather an old military transport van that has been retooled. The rear is designed to hold gear, while there are seats for up to eight passengers in addition to the driver. There is more than enough room for everybody. Even better, the windows are all tinted. The driver, another Ehrlathagi woman, doesn't seem happy about the arrangement, but she does what she's told.
• It is decided to head out of Mul'ein, circle around, and enter the Bousin area from the north, preferably after it has gotten a bit darker. The musicians say they hope the party can come up with a plan during that time.

(Removes finger from "FF" button...)

So...what is the party's plan?

The Dynamic Duo

Zeton continues to poke around on the networks, but nothing of any value shows itself.

Bina and Mey'Luskar try to get Pru to try the monacta herself, but the stocky Tembo is as stubborn as she is outgoing.

The rain soon eases off as abruptly as it started. The middle-aged Besteeng woman immediately leaves without a word (except to Uskua when she pays).

The Ibitonian, Zentryl, and Endihec(?) continue to chat in very low tones, leaning rather closely together over their table. Both the Zentryl and the Endihec steal occasional suspicious glances at the party, but the Ibitonian seems utterly unconcerned.

After a little while, the door opens, and in comes a couple of new customers. It's a pair of women. One of them is obviously Ehrlathagi. The other is a white-skinned Sark-type human who is most likely Besteeng. Their dress suggests at least middle class. They are chatting with each other in Yangae (with noticeable accents).

Spying the party on the way in, both women say a quiet yet attractive greeting and then suddenly halt.

The Ehrlathagi woman puts her hands on her hips, cocks her head, and says, "Nekshi! How are you doing?"

"You weren't hoping to interview us again, were you?" asks the Besteeng, crossing her arms and throwing out a hip.

"You interviewed them?" asks Lirassa, jerking a thumb in the pair's direction.

"Hi, Lirassa!" says the Besteeng a little too sweetly.

They exchange a few quick lines in Brekka while the Ehrlathagi smiles and glances around the party. Then the Ehrlathagi's smile vanishes, and with a gasp she turns toward the table where Bina, Mey'Luskar, and Pru are sitting.

"Bina?" she says, taking a step forward with surprise in her eyes. "It is you, isn't it?"

Bina grins solemnly. "It's me." Then she bows Hergoth style and says in Her-Galad, "May She smile on you, Vliana!"

Vliana echoes the gesture and adds in Her-Galad, "Why are you here...dressed like that?"

Bina taps her chest. "I got kicked out!"

Vliana gasps and says something in Ehrkiss. Then she extends her hands. Bina hesitates before touching them. Then she sighs (with a noticable sob) and closes her eyes.

"Someone you know?" asks the Besteeng woman, moving closer with a puzzled look.

"Yes," says Vliana. "Bina! She's...she was...a priestess at Erweina. She's the best!"

At the mention of the word "priestess", the Besteeng woman stiffens and moves behind Vliana.

"Now I'm...just Bina," she says with a solemn grin.

Switching back to Yangae, Vliana asks, "So what's going on? It looks like you're geared up for a camping trip or something! Anything exciting?"

"That's what I'm hoping to find out!" retorts Pru, resting her chin on her elbow.

The Circle is Complaint

Uskua starts to head off to take care of Mon'Fargret's order, but she is stopped by Bina, who orders a glass of wine. Mey'Luskar teases her about it and then orders a cocktail.

"I think that'll do it for now," says La'Brissa with a sigh of satisfaction. She glances at her Bolgan companion and adds, "You can let your whiskers hang now. We're going."

The Bolgan thanks her hastily and hops out of her chair.

La'Brissa starts to put her tablet and art supplies away and then thinks better of it. Taking a cautious step toward Bina and Mey'Luskar, she asks modestly, "Do you want to see it?"

Mey'Luskar glances at Bina with horror.

"Only if it's finished," replies Bina with a grin. "You know!"

La'Brissa chuckles. "Right. 'Hr'vòyna-män.' (Incomplete state.) Got it."

"I hope I can see it when it's done," adds Bina.

"I hope I get a chance to show it to you!" replies La'Brissa as she folds up her drawing tablet.

"Well, I don't care so much about hr'vòyna-män," puts in the Besteeng woman. "Do you mind?"

Blushing (and failing to hide her discomfort), La'Brissa shows her the picture.

"Well, isn't that special?" comments the Besteeng woman. "I hope to see it hanging somewhere! Maybe even here!"

Bozz's little companion, who has been watching with intense curiosity, approaches. When La'Brissa slams the tablet shut warily, he bows in elaborate Yangae fashion and says in polite language, "If it pleases the lady, one wishes to see the work of art."

La'Brissa eyes him with disbelief and then shows him the picture with a (rather awkward-sounding) polite reply.

He studies it with furrowed brows. Then he hums dismissively and says, "There is...some ability, certainly, but I do not see why this would be special."

"No, you probably wouldn't," retorts the Besteeng woman with mock sweetness over La'Brissa's gasp. Pointing at the picture, she adds, "This one is with the Scarlet Revival. Perhaps you've heard of them?"

"Um, no," replies the newcomer. "I am familiar with the Scarlet Order, but..."

"Even redder!" replies the Besteeng woman with a wide smile.

The newcomer is dumbfounded. "But...then...why is she...?"

The Besteeng smiles even wider. "Now you begin to see!"

As she says this, the sky, which had been darkening much too quickly for the hour, loses its patience. Rain begins to pelt against the windows on one side of the building.

"Oh, roots and sod!" moans La'Brissa. "Why do the Herg...goth...um...?" She glances at Bina anxiously.

"The Yangae authority always kept the weather under control," observes Mey'Luskar, still chewing on her monacta. "Or so I'm told."

"But the weather is the breath of the planet," retorts Bina melodically. "Pray, let her live!"

The newcomer shifts his wary gaze between the picture and the actual pair. Then he says something in an unfamiliar language.

"You see?" clucks the Besteeng woman.

"There's more," says the Bolgan impatiently. She points a claw at Bina. "That one's a priestess!"

The newcomer's dark eyes widen to their limit.

Bina takes a mouthful of her food, taps on her unadorned chest, and says with difficulty, "No, I'm not!"

"She is!" whines the Bolgan. "I've seen her before! Lady, can we go now?"

"That's very interesting," retorts the newcomer in a low voice. He hands the tablet back to La'Brissa and slinks back to his group.

Just then the front door bangs open, and someone comes in in a flurry of soggy griping. Lirassa soon comes into view bearing her pack, a mass of soaked tresses, and a lot of ill will. Cursing in Brekka, she heads straight for Ham's table and plops herself wetly into a seat.

With a wail, the Bolgan immediately bolts out of the pub.

"So now she leaves me the bill," mutters La'Brissa between gestures of annoyance.

Steam Flash

Responding to Zeton's suggestion, Ham surreptitiously pulls out his scanner and starts to fiddle with it under the table.

Just as he's about to engage it, there is a loud, booming Yangae, "Oh, really?" from the direction of the three newcomers. The massive Zentryl stands and dusts off his arms dramatically, then turns and approaches the party. There is a wide smile on his face and fire in his eyes as he levels his gaze on Ham and crosses his arms.

"Ybandya!" he says with saccharine sweetness, leaning toward Ham. "Yany thok-mobar tu-roko tcok-jus-thok-ij tu-gar. Tu-margh-jakijny?"

(I'll e-mail El Tigrez the translation of the Biton.)

"That's right, Bozz," says the Atlan-type humanoid in Yangae with a very wimpy-sounding voice as he moves behind his much-larger companion. "He's up to something! What's he got under the table?"

Plant Goo

Things continue quietly if uneasily. Most of the party, having ordered lightly, get their food and drink fairly soon. Meanwhile, La'Brissa, having gotten another bapf, takes a sketchpad out of her bag, squints in the direction of Bina and Mey'Luskar, and starts scribbling away. (Bina grins modestly and tries not to move too much. Mey'Luskar huffs with irritation.) Her Bolgan companion continues to shift around edgily, even getting up and pacing a couple of times.

The two spacers finally finish up and get ready to leave. The Foldorian spacer gives the party a totally uninterested (or at least unreadably blank) glance as he gathers himself together. The orange and green alien scowls but avoids making any kind of eye contact.

Just at that moment, Uskua comes in with the two dishes of monacta for Bina and Mey'Luskar. Bina oohs with delight and then quickly reassumes her pose for La'Brissa's benefit. Mey'Luskar looks excited and worried at the same time.

The alien spacer perks up and takes note. "What in the world...?" he says in his nasally tongue, his aquiline nose wrinkling.

"Monacta," replies the Foldorian spacer indifferently. "Hergoth food. Are we going or not?"

"I know what monacta is, my friend," retorts the colorful alien. His angular face wrinkles. "How could I not? Rotten plant goo wrapped in leaves?" He makes a strange noise. "At least they say it's plant goo. Did that Bolgan really prepare it, or did he have his wench run over to the park and peel it off an old tree?"

"Watch it!" snarls Uskua.

"Hey!" says Mey'Luskar. "Don't knock it till you try it!"

"Very good!" offers Bina encouragingly.

The alien wrinkles his face and makes a strange noise again. Then he says to his companion, "Too bad you didn't do a better job of civilizing them." He glances at Mey'Luskar. "Now they're even corrupting your own!" With that, he turns to go...just as Zeton comes in. Almost colliding with the tall Lybolt, the alien looks him over and says, "Another victim, I see! Are you with that lot, too? And what's with all the packs? Are you going camping in the park?"

Throwing an almost apologetic glance at the party, the Foldorian spacer continues on his way to the counter. The alien turns to follow him.

Who Dropped In for Dinner

(Carried over from the last comment thread with a little Gamemaster Override. For the record, Wirg has already gone back into his kitchen.)

"I apologize for the strangeness, Uskua," says Mon'Fargret to the anxious waitress just as she is finishing up and preparing to depart, "but if you recall, she wasn't the big talker back when that fellow shot the floor. Oddly, that fellow has an interesting story of his own that I won't go into here."

Uskua's only reply before she skitters off is an anguished look.

"Do tell!" calls someone using an unfamiliar language with a telepathic translator. It's someone of a strange, humanoid race unknown to most of the party (all the player characters not otherwise informed, anyway) who is sitting at a table with a Foldorian man. Both of them look like they are probably spacers. Turning his angular-faced gaze toward the party, the speaker rises from his chair and starts to approach slowly. "Your friends have certainly gone to enough trouble to attract everyone's attention! Why stop now? If you have an interesting story, then I'd be very much interested in hearing it! And if you don't care to talk about this 'fellow' who shoots floors, why not explain to me why the so-colorful waitress was so taken with that one?" He(?) turns abruptly, leveling his eyes on Bina. "Or why she looks so strangely familiar?"

Bina's brows lower. "Have we met?" she asks in a low voice.

"Obviously not," the spacer replies, "since I usually try to avoid Hergoth. But how could anyone arriving at the local aerospace port miss those two holographic priestesses that bow and intone that ridiculous greeting to all that pass through the gate?" His eyes narrow. "I thought so before, and now I'm certain. One of those charming holo-priestesses looks just like you...or would if you were wearing braids and a tiara!"

Several of the other customers in the cafe immediately stop what they were doing and take note.

"Or a brooch?" suggests Bina, tapping the spot on her chest that it would have occupied. "No brooch, no priestess."

"Brooches can be hidden," suggests the spacer. "But the witch powers of a Hergoth priestess? Not likely! So what's your game?"

"Look, do you want something?" hisses Mey'Luskar impatiently.

"Mainly just to sate my curiosity," replies the alien evenly. "But also to make something perfectly clear. If this is indeed a witch of the Temple here in disguise to spy on us, she'd do well to take her mind probes elsewhere!"

Some of the other customers immediately set down whatever they were holding and start gathering themselves together to leave. At one table, a Yangae woman (an artist and an acquaintance of some members of the party) starts trying to urge her companion, a female Bolgan, to leave, but the Bolgan won't budge.

An Afternoon at Wirg's, Take Two

Mon'Fargret, Ham, Nekshi, Granite Spear, and Widjgleeby file on into Wirg's just as a customer, a Hertressk-Yangae, is leaving. The man quickly steps aside to allow the Farbett passage, eying the group warily, and then continues out without a word. There is no one at the front. Sounds can be heard from the kitchen area; Wirg is probably busy in the back. As the group moves on into the dining area, Uskua can be seen hustling about as she takes care of things by herself. The place isn't really all that busy; it's certainly somewhat less crowded than it was yesterday. Still, Uskua has her hands full.

Seeing the party, the Ilfroi stops and heaves a sigh of relief. "Beyond, am I glad to see you!" she says. "Go ahead and sit wherever you like. I'll be with you in a minute!"

There are currently eight customers there. Two of them are sitting alone, while the others are in pairs. Some of them are familiar to members of the party, some aren't.

"Well, I'll be rockin' in the wind!" comes a familiar, gruff voice from the direction of the kitchen. "I was afraid that lot wouldn't be back!" Wirg comes toddling out, a ladle in his paw and the Bolgan equivalent of a smile on his snout. "And here you are here together! Just like when you left yesterday! What, were you looking for that trigger-happy git and his lodge-wench all this time?" He lets out a hearty, Bolgan guffaw. "Did you find 'em?"

Just then the front door can be heard banging open followed by a torrent of feminine complaining in Yangae. The voice is very familiar. Pretty much the entire clientele sits up and takes note.

Uskua sucks air through her teeth and hustles toward the front just as Wirg growls, "What...in...twelve..." There is some muttering, and then Uskua can be seen beckoning someone in anxiously, puzzlement written all over her striped, blue face.

Mey'Luskar comes in looking like she's about ready to start smashing things. Behind her comes Bina, who is calm but worried. Dabid stays way to the rear.

"Why...," growls Wirg as he turns around slowly, "in the twelve levels...are YOU here? What kind of gall...grr...why should I let you in?"

Mey'Luskar stops short and greets the Bolgan with wide eyes. "Well, I...uh..."

"I'll vouch for her," says Bina.

"Where's your lodger, lady?" Wirg goes on. He gestures toward the floor, where a chunk of sheeting covers the spot where Dusker shot it. "You know? The flop who did that? Where is he? Whose gonna pay for...huh?" His jaw drops lax for a moment. Then he shakes his head as if to clear it and stares at Bina. "What did you say?"

"I said I'll vouch for her. We'll take care of the damage."

Wirg approaches Bina, circling around Mey'Luskar as if she were radioactive, and gives the disgraced priestess a looking and sniffing over. Then he says, "You're Hergoth!" as if it were a profound discovery.

"Of course I am!" replies Bina with a shallow grin.

"B-but..." Wirg glances quizzically back at Mey'Luskar and then turns to Bina again. "She's...pure scarlet! She hates...I mean she...uh?" He looks at Mey'Luskar again.

"We forgive," replies Bina, "and reality smiles!"

Wirg looks at her, Mey'Luskar, and Uskua in turn before he gives up trying to figure it out and retires to his kitchen with a snort.

Uskua moves past the Bolgan and gestures for the newcomers to sit, changing the direction of her beckoning when she realizes they're moving to join the party. All along her troubled-looking eyes never leave Bina.

"We all look alike," says Bina in reply to the Ilfroi's thoughts.

Uskua gestures negative curtly before saying, "Let me know when you're ready to order." Then she quickly moves away.

Back to Where It All Started

The group watches as Lirassa leads Zeton to her cute, little car and then drives off in a hail of shrieking tires, once again only just missing the doors of the gate as it opens.

There is a chorus of sighs among the group, and then Ham says, "Now what?"

Mon'Fargret looks at Widjgleeby thoughtfully, stroking his mustache, and then he says, "I think Widjgleeby just might fit in the back of the van. It'll be tight, though."

Widjgleeby snorts irritably and goes on looking out the window.

"The problem is where to put everyone else," Mon'Fargret goes on. "The van is for hauling stuff. It only has one bench seat plus two in the front. We can put four, maybe five of us plus the driver in there."

"There are exactly seven of us here in addition to Widjgleeby," points out Nekshi. "There is also a matter of anatomy. Assuming your vehicle was designed with Yangae and/or Hergoth in mind, Granite Spear would require at least half of the bench seat. As for the other half..." She lifts her gaze to Ham's tall, stocky frame. Then she reaches over and pats Dabid's paunch.

Dabid immediately swats her hand away and brushes his belly off as if it were soiled.

"You must see the problem here," adds Nekshi, cradling her assaulted limb. "Assuming no one is left behind or forced to rely on podiatric transportation..."

"'Podiatric'?" snaps Dabid indignantly. "That's not a word!"

"There is other car," rumbles Widjgleeby.

Nekshi's bushy eyebrows almost merge. "I beg to differ! The Yangae language does in fact allow for the use of classic Sarkish terms with proper declension! For example..."

"She's right, purple," says Mey'Luskar quickly.

"What?" rails Dabid. "Tell me, scarlet, would any civilized Yangae ever say, 'podiatric transportation'?"

"There is other car," repeats Widjgleeby.

"No," replies Mey'Luskar, "but if they had a proper education they'd understand what it meant."

Dabid makes a very interesting (and very caustic-sounding) noise.

"What did you say, Widjgleeby?" asks Bina very deliberately.

Widjgleeby points with four of her hands. "Other car!"

"Now that is improper Yangae," says Mey'Luskar.

Widjgleeby uses one of her remaining hands to make a very unfriendly Yangae gesture.

"Actually, that is also an inaccurate assessment," retorts Nekshi. "In the standard dialect of the Labor and Soil Tender castes it is both common and acceptable to make statements lacking one or more standard grammar cases."

Widjgleeby's remaining hand echoes the gesture.

"Widjgleeby," says Mey'Luskar, "I think you want to say, 'There is another car.'"

Widjgleeby says, "There is another car," in Her-Galad. Then she belches.

"This is important!" says Bina. Then she looks at Mon'Fargret.

"Yes," he says, "I do have another car. It's a little Tuzero."

"Oh, how cute!" coos Mey'Luskar. "Why don't you let me drive it? I'll carry Bina and...one more? Maybe purple, here? You can drive the van with the others!"

A Call from Uskua

Mon'Fargret quickly tells the terminal to kill the video input and then accepts the call. A holo display of Uskua appears in front of him, her blue, tiger-striped face etched with worry.

"Hello Uskua," he says. "Pardon the blank display, I haven't slept much since I saw you last."

Uskua sighs with relief. "Thank whatever's beyond that you're there. Sorry to call you like this. There was no answer at Nekshi's number, and I didn't know who else to turn to."

(This strikes Nekshi as odd; a call to her flat should have been automatically forwarded to her wrister.)

"It's Adulie," continues Uskua. "She didn't show up for work today. Wirg had me call her, but all I got was a message...a private message coded for me."

"What did the message say?" asks Mon'Fargret.

Uskua bites her lip and then replies, "She said...something about there being a 'major event' this morning, or something like that. Then there was something about Zeton maybe not being able to make it. Yes, she really did say that. You know Zeton? The guy who looks kind of like an oversized Hergoth? He was there at Wirg's yesterday, remember? Anyway...she said she was going to go and have a look herself, whatever that means." She sighs anxiously. "She told me to let him know if I found him. I don't have any idea how to do that. Can you tell him, or do you know someone who can?"

Right at about this time, Mey'Luskar suddenly gasps with surprise, releases Bina's hands as if they were hot, and bolts from the room. Bina remains where she is, calmly shifting her gaze to the floating image of Uskua.

The Tale is Pulled

(Massive Gamemaster Override...)

Mey'Luskar starts to leave but stops with a muffled yelp of surprise.

"Don't bother," says Bina darkly from the doorway. "I'm alright."

Her voice sounds a bit slurred.

Nekshi and Granite Spear both react with surprise.

"Where is your circlemate?" asks Nekshi, thoughtfully scratching a lobe. "In fact, where is your priest brooch? On that topic, I might also inquire as to what happened to your clothes!" She wrinkles her nose with disapproval. "Such unseemly, off-the-street Yangae attire would be expected on a self-made miscreant such as Mey'Luskar, but on a trained member of the Hergoth Priesthood...most odd!"

"They don't know," says Mey'Luskar apologetically.

"Why would they?" replies Bina. "They don't know any of it!"

"They probably won't believe any of it," adds Mey'Luskar, trying to inject a tiny not of humor. "I only know half of it, and it's still hard for me!"

Bina gives Nekshi and Granite Spear a forlorn look. "Not long after you two ran off, we got a call from Par'deth the Hero. He said he'd found and caught the ones that caused the...event. The ones that tried to abduct Par'ai." She draws a deep breath. "It was a worldly thing, so the Circle couldn't intervene. Kiel'i and I were...asked...to take the group there so they could help. We used the Gate. They were in an underground room. There were two of them. One was...um..."

"Dusker," puts in Mey'Luskar. "My EX-lodger. Just as I'd suspected all along."

Bina's face looks impassive, but she lets off a small reverse-empathic pulse. It contains both surprise and resentment. "They were under the influence of the Enemy," she goes on.

"Dusker isn't anymore," says Mon'Fargret, looking at Mey'Luskar.

"No," agrees Bina darkly, "he's not."

"He actually helped me," adds Zeton eagerly. "I was trying to upload all the data in their computer to a secure place. It was rigged. If Dusker hadn't given me the password...who knows what would've happened?"

"Were you successful in uploading the data?" asks Nekshi.

Zeton gives Mon'Fargret a wry look. "Just made it," he replies. "That's when the Peace Forcers showed up and said we were all under arrest."

"Not just any Peace Forcers," adds Bina bitterly. "It was Superintendent Br'am, chief of the Ekr'in District force."

Nekshi raises an eyebrow.

"I don't think I heard about this," observes Mey'Luskar. "Why would they arrest you when you had priestesses with you?"

"They...stunned Kiel'i...for no reason," says Bina, and she appears to swoon.

Mey'Luskar throws a confused look at Mon'Fargret.

"It was all wrong," says Mon'Fargret. "They were Hergoth, but...not. They even had Yangae militia backing them up. Night Guard."

Mey'Luskar looks like she's about to swoon, too. "I...I thought they came to fight the Peace Forcers..." She plops herself onto one of the couches.

Mon'Fargret gestures negative. "Not at first. The thing was, some of them were being controlled, and some weren't."

"Br'am and his partners were being controlled, too," moans Bina in a thin voice. Mey'Luskar tries to say something, but Bina cuts her off. "Yes, Hergoth are immune to the Rune. At least I think they are. I was told they were. I can't explain it." She sighs and slumps against the door frame. "I can't explain any of it..."

"Stay with me," says Mey'Luskar encouragingly.

"So Hergoth officials can be corrupted!" says Nekshi. "Interesting!" She switches on her wrister and starts tapping at it. "It is just as I suspected! So anyway, how did you manage your daring escape? Did Par'deth have to lay waste to the whole area, or was collateral damage kept to a reasonable minimum?"

"Par'deth was no help at all at first," replies Mon'Fargret with some disappointment.

"Don't be unfair!" protests Bina with sudden vehemence. "Br'am turned his Hero Oaths against him!"

Nekshi makes another cry of interest and starts tapping at her wrister again. "I'll quote you on that. It's all in the name of public knowledge. And national security. Hero Oaths...can be turned..."

"Betham was probably the real hero there," suggests Zeton.

"Yeah, but not just him," retorts Mon'Fargret. "Some of the Night Guard were really on our branch. Betham showed up and put the light on Br'am's ploy. Then Br'am and his team were given the axe from the top. That freed Par'deth."

"And Dauk and his friends helped you?" asks Mey'Luskar.

"Right," says Mon'Fargret. "It was Yangae against Yangae, Hergoth against Hergoth."

Granite Spear shudders with an unreadable emotion.

"It was us against It," corrects Bina. "And It came."

"I still don't really understand what happened," admits Mon'Fargret. "They tried to show a holo-image of something, I'm guessing the Rune, to control us. Dusker warned us just in time. We stopped it, but then it was like it was possessing different people...like it was moving from body to body among the controlled ones till it got to one it liked. Then..."

"I guess that's when Per'anai brought me there," says Mey'Luskar, recalling the memory with dread.

"Yes," says Bina. "It concentrated its power in one host. It was stronger, more dangerous, but it could also be defeated." She gives Mey'Luskar a very intent look.

Mey'Luskar blushes. "I told it to sod off..."

Zeton raises an eyebrow and grins. "And it did!" He chuckles. "The great Hero and all those priestesses couldn't quite beat it, but one Yangae curse..."

"She say sod off," adds Widjgleeby, "and it sod off good!" She grins, showing her fangs.

"Yeah," agrees Mon'Fargret. "It just went away. All the controlled ones were free."

"So is it gone?" asks Granite Spear.

All eyes turn to Bina, who hesitates before gesturing negative dejectedly.

Mey'Luskar clasps herself and shudders. "Something tells me we kicked it out, but it's still there, just outside, waiting for a chance to come back in. Its doorway is somewhere here in Mul'ein. And now it's angry."

An ominous silence falls over the room.

Then Granite Spear taps away at her talk box, and it says, "NDAU So what's the plan now?"

Two Go Out, Two Come In

Widjgleeby watches as Ham and Lirassa leave the compound and then turns her attention to the grounds. The garden in the middle looks to be in a bit of disrepair.

Too much green stuff, she thinks irritably. Nothing new there. She knows well that both Yangae and Hergoth have a weird obsession with the stuff. It's almost like a shared psychosis, or something like that. All that plant matter everywhere, mucking up perfectly good rocks! Ah, well; four-limbed creatures rarely make sense. To make matters worse, some of the green stuff would be considered valuable, or at least keepable, while others are treated like a disease. "Weeds," they called them. The Her-Galad word for it, "Kel'dae," at least has a nice, aggressive ring, especially with the shortened vowels and that weird glottal aspiration they put on the "l'" sound. It makes it clear that the unwanted plants are just that, unwanted. On the other hand, the Yangae word, "Ywani," sounds almost beautiful, as if even unwanted plants still had desirable qualities.

How ironic that the Hergoth tend to value nature while Yangae seem only too happy to build game courses and factories in it.

Definitely too much green stuff. The garden needs weeding. The trouble is that Widjgleeby isn't quite sure which are the weeds and which aren't. Mon'Fargret probably wouldn't be happy if she made a mistake. Still...maybe just the ones that don't look good...

Actually, NONE of them look good, but maybe...

Widjgleeby's musings (and attempted start at ornamental horticulture) are interrupted by the sound of a vehicle easing up the alley. No emission smell; obviously electromotors with an onboard non-combustive powerplant. Almost no sound, either. Either its "safety noise" generator is shut off or it doesn't have one. The faint wheeltrain sound suggests retractables. There is also a hint of the odor of recently-used repulsorjets.

A VTOL hybrid?

Widjgleeby immediately goes on her guard. She soon relaxes it, though. She can see the Peace Force logo through one of the one-way windowslits next to the gate. And there is no mistaking the smell of that pair!

Nekshi's attempt at singing a Hergoth Song of Calling is quickly interrupted by the Farbett opening the door so exuberantly she almost tears it off its hinges. Granite Spear then reminds Nekshi that Mon'Fargret is Foldorian, and Foldorians don't sing Hergoth greeting songs.