Desert Encounter

It was agreed that this was their best chance, The moonlight glinting off the birds' silver bodies could be seen at some distance, though if they flew at full speed they would probably quickly fade from view. But at least they had provided the party with an initial direction in which to travel.

As they set off, the Thoabath considered his options. He assumed that he must have been sent to this reality by the mistress who had charged him to betray Astra and the Lady Andrea. Though he had pretended otherwise, he was unsure whether Astra 2 was really "his" Astra. He also did not know whether this Andrea was from his original world. But it did not matter too much. He would happily betray this Andrea and all three Astras. That was surely what was required of him, and he could do no more. To achieve that, he would probably have to kill Fred 1 at some point, but he felt that should pose no problem, as he could catch him unawares. None of them suspected him. It was very convenient that he could ascribe the bandage on his hand that disguised his brand to Vincent's doing. As for how he should betray the women, he had not yet decided. He could simply strangle them all while they slept, the next time that he was on watch. But though that would constitute a betrayal, it would be less than satisfying. For proud women such as these, he knew that there were fates that they would find far worse than death. He would have to look out for an opportunity to deliver them into such a fate.

His thoughts were interrupted by a cry of "Look!" from Astra 3. His eyes were less keen than hers, but before long he could see that five columns of men were heading in their direction, with a further man on his own in front. From their formation, they were clearly some sort of disciplined military force.

There was something strange about the way that the moonlight reflected off them, though, as well as the way that they moved, and the party's initial delight at the prospect of imminent rescue began to turn into unease. As they drew closer it became apparent that they were not human, indeed not even living creatures. Instead they appeared to be golems made out of metal. Perhaps they were kin to the strange metal birds? Whatever they were, they seemed able to move quite quickly, and it was clear that - though they carried no obvious weapons - an attempt to flee would be hopeless.

The group could now see that there were an awful lot of them: close to five hundred Fred 1 estimated. They were bulky and only vaguely man-like in form, and were made of a metal resembling bronze. The one at their head was rather different. He - or it - had a body that was rather smaller and more finely detailed. It was made of a silvery metal. When it was about twenty feet away, it spoke, in an emotionless monotone: "Surround inferior lifeforms." Obediently, the other automata fanned out, until the party was at the centre of a ring of the creatures.

The leader spoke again: "Scanning lifeforms to determine threat level."

"What is all this?" Astra 1 asked. "How can we possibly be any threat to you? We are lost in this desert, and are in urgent need of assistance."

The leader did not reply, but her little speech had evidently focussed his attention on her. Beams of light came from its eyes and enveloped her. Then she had the unnerving experience of being lifted three or four feet into the air.

"Hey, put me down at once!" she said, thrashing about to no avail.

The beams of light abruptly vanished, though not as a result of her protest, and she fell to the ground. "You are not a threat," the leader informed her.

The others were all scanned in turn.

1. None of them were found to constitute a threat.
2. Fred 2 (the Thoabath) was pronounced to be a threat.
3. Exotica was said to be a threat.
4. Astra 2 was identified as a threat.
5. But first of all, who are all these people and what are they doing here?

Add New Option

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree