Encounter on the Great Plains

At present they seemed to be heading almost straight for her, though she thought that was probably no more than chance, as she doubted that they could have seen her yet. Her vision was very good now, and also it would be much easier to see a group of riders than one person on foot. She walked steadily towards them, hoping that they would not substantially change their course before they could see her, as if they did she might be unable to intercept them.

Some five minutes later she knew that they had seen her, as they started to fan out. They obviously wanted to find out who she was and what her business might be in their land, and did not want her to give them the slip. They would probably finish up completely surrounding her. At this point they probably thought that they were dealing with a human being; at such a distance they wouldn't be able to see that she was made of stone.

In another ten minutes, Astra was at the centre of a narrowing circle of about twenty riders. They could see what she was now, and she in turn could see the expressions on their faces: surprise on some, tension on others, outright fear on a few.

Writing a message was not possible; the grassy plain was unsuitable for that. So her initial communication would have to be telepathic. She wasn't sure that she could broadcast to a number of people simultaneously, so she focussed on the one that - from his slightly grander attire - she took to be their leader.

First she tried to project an image of herself as she had been when human, dressed in the style that was currently fashionable at the Aqualarian court. Even if the man had never seen a painting of her, she hoped that he would recognise the style of dress. Then she attempted to show herself as she was now. She had seen her reflection in the river, so had a good idea of how her head looked as well as her body. She made sure that in both cases she held exactly the same pose. Surely the man should get the message: that she was an Aqualarian noblewoman who had been transformed into the being that he now saw standing before him.

1. The man gets the message, as she finds out when she hears him speak to his fellows. Better yet, he recognises that she is Princess Astra.
2. The man gets the message, though without realising that she is Princess Astra.
3. The man does not get the message that she intended to convey.

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