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Changeling-Earth 2: Freehold Earth - The Manifest's Wreckage


Dawn OOC

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Rumitalitalen crouched on the edge of the clearing; clearly, she'd understood Khalid's destination request, but not his directions upon arriving. Thankfully for the gentle house, his worries about being attacked were unfounded.

The site was abandoned.

The remains of the Manifest were all that were left, a metal skeleton reaching toward the sky. The ship had been gutted, and every temporary structure that the settlers remembered from before had been removed. The grass had even recovered from the thousands of people that had stomped across it.

The Manifest was a ghost town.

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"Oh no," Rochelle whispered on seeing what was left. She staggered forward a step, then actually fell to her knees when her legs gave out. She felt dizzy and cold, and her breathing didn't seem to be working right.

"No no. Nonono..."

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Khalid walks over to the small Rochelle, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I remember them talking about two sites. They consolidated their camps is all. We need to follow their trail to the other camp site and join up with them. All we need is a few more days at most."

"Billy," he says, looking toward their outdoorsman, "can you track them out of here. Surely if they moveds a lot of equipment they must have had a road of some kind."

"All is not lost people. This is a minor setback and we will soon be home," he says with more confidence than he feels. After all, he's lost in the woods and if Billy can't find a way out, they are once and truly screwed.

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Billy picks his gear up and moves Tim on after him, "We'll go take a look. I want to see how long ago they left as well if I can figure that out. It will give us an idea as to how long we've been away as well."

Once outside they slowly head towards the wreckage, carefully examining the ground, looking for signs of where the camp was, how it was moved and how long the foliage has had to recover since it happend.

Click to reveal..

Wits+Survival ? 5dice

(22:25:46) ChatBot: (Billy) rolls 5d10 and gets 8,1,4,7,2.

1 sux (It is 8+ in NWoD stuff isn't?)

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A clanking sound came from one side of the Manifest's wreckage, followed by a hissing sound and a stream of cuss words spoken with the eloquence and vehemence that only someone that worked with their hands could ever perfect. Muttered angry English followed, along with further clanking and hissing sounds.

"...take food. Everyone thinks to take food, of course. And tools. Gut the whole damn thing and leave half what you're actually going to need to get rained on and play house to God only knows what wild- Ow! Dammit!"

The hissing had been followed by a popping and then a woman dressed in something that looked a great deal like a flight suit from the Manifest tumbled into view clutching a large fuel cell in her arms as she fell backward out of part of the ship. She was beautiful, almost inhumanly so, and as her hair splayed out on the ground as she fell back traces of color seemed to flash through the jet black strands. She lay quietly on the ground for a moment, breathing deeply with her eyes closed, obviously regaining her breath. After a moment, she set the fuel cell down next to her and rolled back up to standing position. "Alright. Now for a converter set and a control panel."

So far it seemed that she had not spotted her new audience.

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"Excuse us ... EXCUSE US! Miss. Are you from the Hilton, or part of the Manifest. We are lost. I'm Doctor Khalid Al-Jamari. Can you help us find the others ... the settlement? We've been missing for quite a while."

Only then did it occur to him that he was still wearing his mask, but considering how Rochelle, Bill, and Tim had changed ... and how Orderly looked normally, it was probably for the best.

"Can we be of some help?" he thought to add.

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Billy looks the woman over, his shotgun barrel resting on his shoulder, then calls back over his shoulder, "Hey Roach, front and centre, got some tech work for you. Despite what Rochelle looks like now Miss, she was a damn good tech before she was grabbed. Hell, I could probably help if you let us know what you are trying to do, I did maintenance on my units vehicles myself."

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She started and then stared at the newcomers as they spoke; the dark orbs had no whites and as Khalid watched her a fiery comet chased from the corner of her right eye to disappear out of sight halfway down her left eye. Her eyes roved over them, taking in their forms and just sitting in shock of someone to talk to that wasn't....nevermind. She dusted herself off unconsciously and held a hand out to Dr. Khalid.

"I'm Laina Ryder. I'm th- I was the Chief Engineer of the Manifest. You're all survivors? I didn't know where anyone had gone, since they obviously didn't stick around the Manifest." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, disturbing the orbits of several small solar systems and a stray nebulae hiding behind her left ear amongst the strands. "Not that I really blame them."

She glance back at the ship, "I've been grabbing all the stuff they left behind that that's still somewhat salvageable or useful. They ditched most of the fuel cells and complex systems when they scavenged the ship. My guess is that they were more worried about the next meal than what they were going to have as a civilization by next month. Or months. I don't really know how long it's been. Everything's a bit......off."

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Khalid shakes the offered hand.

"Not all of us are survivors. Saffron here, and Orderly," he points to the two, "came with me from ... were from were ever we came from. The large mobile house overthere is the companion of one Sir Percy, who should be out any minute."

"Sir Percy!" Khalid calls out through his mask.

"Our trackers are Billy and Tim. Our engineer is Rochelle, also of the Manifest's crew. When did you get grabbed? I was taken on the third day. I have no clue as to how long we've been gone. Do you?"

"Speaking of our next meal, that's going to become a problem soon. Any plans for gathering more?"

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She took this, in her brow furrowing as she filed questions away for later. "I thought it had only been a few weeks, but from the look of this place it's been longer than that. I don't know how long. I don't think time really runs like normal here."

She laughed, a sound that might have been carefree and beautiful once but now was tinged with deep-seated fear and the madness of this world. "Then again, nothing's really normal here, is it? Rochelle? I don't remember her right off hand, but maybe a face will jog my memory. And you're not from the Manifest? Are you from the Intrepid then?"

She shook her head, "I was...taken...when we crashed. It might have been a few hours afterwards. I hit my head on the coolant tube when we impacted and don't know how long I was out." Her voice went soft and sad, "But there were still dying creatures around the ship, so it probably wasn't too long."

She put her hands on her hips and looked around the crash site. "As for dinner, there's plants around and some water that hasn't killed me yet from a spring about a five minute walk from here. We can probably make some soup or something. They picked over the food stuffs and shelters pretty thoroughly; you're welcome to look around yourselves if you want, though."

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Billy steps forward, "Chief Ryder, I was on the Manifest. Williams McInness, I doubt you'd remember me we only bumped into each other a couple of times. I was on security, running the dog teams that were to help guard the agriculturist when we landed, but as I said I used to run the maintaince on our vehicles myself so I can give you a hand with that later."

He looks around the others, "For now, I guess we need to see about some more food. Tim, can you go a head and see what you can find, I'll be along soon. Oh Chief Ryder, Timothy Granger here was on my security team, and taken about the same time as me. By the way from the cursory look around I've had so far I'd say they have been gone for months, not weeks."

Tim nods to both Billy and Chief Ryder then heads out to do what foraging and hunting he can.

Click to reveal..

Foraging is an extended action which requires 5 successes in total, one roll equals one hour.

Looks like we need to get 5 successes per person worth of rations per day! Looks like it's an all day job. Billy will join Tim when the intial talking is done.

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Roach tried to adjust as Laina came out into the open. The physical oddities aside, she did recognize her superior office from the Manifest Destiny. Laina's failure to recognize her was therefore an unpleasant feeling.

She quickly got to her feet and brushed her knees off.

"Laina, it's me, Roach," she called. "I was bigger before. A lot bigger. Well, okay, not BIG big, I was always kind of small, but you KNOW what I mean! McKendrick! Rochelle! We were on the Manifest Destiny together!"

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The Chief Engineer of the Manifest Destiny stared at Roach for several long silent moments, blinking her strange eyes at the other woman, then smiled. "I remember now!" She blushed, obviously embarrassed at having forgotten one of her engineers. "Sorry, everything is still a little hazy."

She nodded to the scavenger and murmurred, "No need to call me Chief. Until I've actually got a ship again I'm just Laina."

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Billy nods at Laina's comment, and is a little relieved that she had recognised Roach, perhaps it would help Roach come to terms with the physical changes inflicted upon her.

"How long have you been back from whoever captured you, and have you encountered any of the survivors yet?"

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Rochelle's relieved grin was a little pathetic under the circumstances. Even so, just having someone she recognized from before was like a soothing balm on a burn.

"Speaking of the ship..." She looked at the hulk and started seeing details she'd missed before when despair was blinding her.

"It looks like they scavenged the ship and went off somewhere."

Dimly she remembered Khalid saying something to her about two camps and consolidating...

"Maybe we can figure out how long it's been..."

She goes over to the skeleton of the Manifest Destiny and inspects the metal for signs of wear and exposure...hoping to get at least a general idea of how long the superstructure's been laid bare to sun, air and rain.

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"I can help with the foraging. I can find herbs, fruits and veggies suitable to eat. I'm hopeless at hunting though."

Khalid looks to Saffron and Orderly, hoping they would also speak up and volunteer their special skills here in this dire circumstance.

I am unsure of if we can impose on Rumitalitalen and Sir Percy anymore, but I feel we have come close to were we need to be. If I can recall the meeting we had, the ship was off," he points in a direction, "that way. We can still make it."

He was trying to sound upbeat and sure of himself, but some of the despair that was sown net-like over his soul kept seeping though.

Click to reveal..

Int+Composure+3 to remember map {14:49:47) (Khalid): Spending a Willpower

(14:50:12) ChatBot: (Khalid) rolls 9d10 and gets 10,1,4,9,9,3,7,3,5.

(14:50:21) ChatBot: (Khalid) rolls 1d10 and gets 3=3 successes

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Sir Percy had drifted closer at his name. He listened and then shook his head. "I would not go that way," he said. "There is a hostile force near the ocean that has been shooting at all who approaching. They are a strange, uniform people with powerful projectile weapons."

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Rochelle spun around at that, her eyes lighting.

"That's them!" she declared deliriously. "That's them! They're alive! They're alive!"

She hugged Khalid in blind joy, and ran out past the Manifest Destiny to a hillock she could climb up and get a vantage point from.

"Sir Percy, how far? Do you know?"

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Billy nods grimly at Sir Percy's news, "I'm sorry to say that is probably our people, although I can't say I blame them after all the people who seemed to have been grabbed from us."

He looks aound at the others, "Well it looks like we have our direction of travel, but I'd rather build up some stores here before we head on our way, unless anyone else has a better idea?"

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Sir Percy frowned. "You can't mean to go, still," he said. "They're dangerous, hostile beings. They are a distance away, down by the mouth of river, where it falls into the ocean. It would take Rumitalitalen less than a day, but if you walk, about three times that."

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"We couldn't ask you and Rumitalitalen to travel with us any further. You are right in that our people would very well be hostile to your wonderful moving home, and I can't bear for her to be damaged like that again. We can make the three days along the river. It's hard to get lost and we should be able to forage enough to get by. We may be hungry when we finish our journey, but there is food waiting at the other end."

Khalid wanders over to the land-ship and pats her side.

"Here we should part company. Sorry we couldn't be of more entertainment for you, Sir Percy, but maybe our tales will stand you in good stead with the next travelers you meet."

Khalid looked toward the sea, or what he hoped was the sea, and rubbed Rumitalitalen on more time. He stepped back toward the others.

"Should we camp here for the night, or get an immediate start on the last leg of our journey?"

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Billy nods at Khalids sentiments, "3 days shouldn't be a problem. We should camp here tonight, Rochelle can help Laina with getting any usefull stuff left off the ship. Khalid if you feel up to it could you do some foraging? And I'll go join Tim seeing what we can get hold of."

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Khalid nods then looks to Orderly,

"Care to come with me? I could use the protection."

To Saffron,

"Stay with Rochelle and Laina if you would please. You know more about organizing things than I could ever know."

Then to Billy,

"Well search this side of the river between that ... cospes of tall trees to camp. We'll take about four hours and see what we can dig up."

After checking in with everyone, the two Changelings head out. They pick up some clubs for self-defense, but both are seriously hoping nothing ill befalls them.

Click to reveal..

Wits+Survival (18:43:00) ChatBot: (Khalid) rolls 3d10 and gets 9,9,4.

(18:48:01) ChatBot: (Khalid) rolls 3d10 and gets 10,7,5.

(18:48:08) ChatBot: (Khalid) rolls 1d10 and gets 1.

(18:48:19) ChatBot: (Khalid) rolls 3d10 and gets 10,9,9.

(18:48:27) ChatBot: (Khalid) rolls 1d10 and gets 5.

(18:48:38) ChatBot: (Khalid) rolls 3d10 and gets 7,8,7.

Seven successful rolls = One person and 40% of another's worth of food for the day; Orderly's efforts brings this to a second person's worth.

Orderly's Foraging: 3 sux

4d10=22, 4d10=19, 4d10=22, 4d10=27

4d10 → [2,9,5,6] = (22)

4d10 → [4,7,1,7] = (19)

4d10 → [9,2,6,5] = (22)

4d10 → [7,5,5,10] = (27)

1d10=5

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Agreeing with Khalid over the time Billy leaves most of his stuff with those at the wreak then heads off to catch up to Tim. He takes with him his weapons, a couple of water bottles and some stuff for a snack for both of them.

Click to reveal..

Wits + Survival = 4dice

4 hours = 4 rolls, need 5 success per man-days food

(17:55:58) ChatBot: (Billy) rolls 4d10 and gets 10,4,1,3.

(17:56:06) ChatBot: (Billy) rolls 1d10 and gets 6.

1 sux

(17:57:16) ChatBot: (Billy) rolls 4d10 and gets 6,3,8,6.

1 sux

(17:58:19) ChatBot: (Billy) rolls 4d10 and gets 3,5,2,5.

0sux

(18:01:12) ChatBot: (Billy) rolls 4d10 and gets 10,1,9,9.

(18:01:23) ChatBot: (Billy) rolls 1d10 and gets 1.

3 sux

Total in 4 hours = 5 sux = 1 man-day !!

Damn it's hard to feed your self with normal stats and proffesional level skill?!?

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Tim came back to camp with some tubers. Not enough, but some. "This is what I found, and these greens," he added, pulling them of his side bag. "It's not as much as I'd hoped for, to be honest."

Click to reveal..
Tim's Foraging roll: 2 sux

1d10=8, 1d10=5, 1d10=9, 1d10=7, 1d10=7

Tim's Foraging roll: 0 sux

1d10=6, 1d10=6, 1d10=3, 1d10=6, 1d10=5

Tim's Foraging roll: 4 sux

1d10=10, 1d10=10, 1d10=5, 1d10=6, 1d10=9

1d10=4, 1d10=10

1d10=5

Tim's Foraging roll (WP spent): 2 sux

1d10=9, 1d10=8, 1d10=7, 1d10=6, 1d10=4, 1d10=4, 1d10=6, 1d10=5

8 sux total: 1 day's worth of food, plus 60%

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Laina crouched was crouched over the fuel cell while Tim was out collecting food for the group. Despite a lack of tools or rags, the cell slowly began to take on it's former metallic gleam. To no one in particular she said, "We should take a few days here, gather the stuff we'll need that they left behind from the wreckage before heading down to the coast. At least what we could carry easily. There's probably some backpacks or something useful farther in we could use."

She glanced up at the people around while she worked, "Um, anyone mind me asking what actually happened to them? I mean, you all look.....changed...." She was obviously trying to be sensitive, and just as obviously awkward at such delicate interpersonal communication.

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"I don't mind," Rochelle answers from where she's getting a fire started to cook the food. "But I don't really have much in the way of answers either."

She sighs and blows on the tiny fire, fanning it to something more useful.

"I was in some kind of...machine, I guess," the engineer reports, glancing at the others for confirmation. "Inside, I was having vivid and bizarre dreams, which the machine showed to people. It was all being done for money, at some kind of open air marketplace."

"When I came out of the machine, I looked like this."

Rochelle looks at her tiny hands and flexes her fingers. "I feel normal. It feels to me like everything else got really big, not the other way around."

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She blinked at that, then looked down at the cell in her hands and back over to Rochelle. "I guess we drew the short sticks on the planetary lotto, huh? I was all geared up for weird animals and the inevitable strange winter bug everyone would catch. This is....I don't know. Insane."

She fiddled again for a while, ducking in and out of the wreckage to add to her pile of 'useful and salvageable'. As the others were returning she asked, "A marketplace? What did it look like? I mean, that seems to suggest that there's some sort of social structure and trade between....them. Something more than just....." She sighed as she trailed off. "We need a xenopologist or whatever they're called. Someone who's trained to study people that aren't human. Think we had one of those on the ship somewhere?"

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"Bugs and other such creepy crawlies were supposed to be my bailiwick, remember," Khalid jokes as he comes in.

"As for them ... there are two kinds of them. There are the ones like us, who follow laws we can understand, are driven my motives we can wrap our minds around and can otherwise be dealt with in a reasonable fashion. As long as you respect their customs and oaths, they are very agreeable in my experiences."

"Then you have the Gentry. I only really knew mine ... my Lord and Master. He was unknowable by my reckoning. I never knew what really motivated him, or if even him was a him. He was never cruel or generous yet there was always an aura of fear concerning the Gentry and the others."

"I ran away because I wanted to be free, but also because I wanted to not stop being me - to lose myself. I think that is one of our greatest fears that these Gentry can devour who we are as people. Maybe it is our individuality that attracts them to us. I just don't know.

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Roach feels a shiver run down her spine at Khalid's tale.

"I never knew the...the one who put me in that machine. There was someone running it, someone controlling the dreams, but I think she was just another slave. One higher up. I managed to break her concentration by making her think the 'gentry' had come back. I don't have any memory of anything that happened before though. One second I was in the riot at the Manifest Destiny...then I was in the dreams."

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Billy returned with his meagre findings as Khalid finished his comments and added them to the pile.

Squatting in a clear space he uses a knife with a large flat blade to dig out a couple of feet dia of turf, and after ringing it with stones proceeds to light a fire. While he does so he joins in the conversation, pointing to people as he talks with the knife, or a stick, whatever happens to be in his hand at the time.

"We think I was taken the 2nd night, and Tim either the 3rd or 4th. Anyway I was on perimeter patrol around the camp when I was jumped by several somethings out of the trees. I vaguely remember getting a couple of shots off, but I don't know if they did any good. Heh, may be they did and that's why I ended up as I am. Regardless, I don't remember a lot after that for an unknown amount of time, it's just a blur of impressions and some emotions. Running, hunting, the thrill of the chase. Sleepingi n a pile to keep warm."

He shakes his head at the memories, "It was only due to chance and Fingers there, that we ever came to our senses and got out. She acquired some goods and we were part of the pack sent out after her. However, some of the goods were our things from the Manifest, taken from us when we were captured, and the scent of them, especially the spent gunpowder smell on my shotgun helped me remember who I was and brought me back to my senses. I managed to help Tim, who I recognised snap out of it as well, but we ended up having to fight off the rest of the pack. From there the three of us headed to the Market where we meet the others."

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"There was a riot here?" Laina frowned. "I hope the camp is doing okay, then. We certainly don't need to run into some Lord of Flies scenario once we get there." She stopped what she was doing - that mysterious process of making things shiny and better looking as she took them from the ship - and bit her lip as she thought.

She sighed and shook her head after a moment, picking up another bit of metal and turning it over in her hands before tossing it in the rubbish pile. "That's....different....from what happened to me, " she said, returning to their earlier topic. "We...hmn, maybe we shouldn't do the salvage first. Maybe we should get to the settlement as quickly as possible. We need to know who's left and what kind of resources we have to work with." More softly she added to herself, "I need to find out who's in charge now."

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It may have been the campfire, but the Chief Engineer's complexion was several shades redder now than when they'd first spotted her. She picked up yet another salvage piece, turning it over nervously in her hands as she thought and then spoke.

"I...I remember a house. And...and I think there were other people there. I don't...don't know." She took a breath, the color in her cheeks still strong but her composure returning. "I remember Garrett, though." She glanced up at Khalid, "He'd be one of your 'gentry', I'm pretty sure. He seemed...perfect? And terrifying." She shivered and looked away from them, shaking her head. "He didn't put me in a machine or turn me into an animal, though. He just seemed....curious. About us, where we came from, how we got here. That sort of thing. He was....he was....I don't know. Indescribable, I guess."

Her words were soft and still a little confused, though from the fog everyone's memory seemed to have that wouldn't be all that surprising. More it was the way she spoke about this Garrett that struck an strange chord; she seemed more confused and fascinated by her kidnapper than afraid of him. A hush from the woods seemed to follow her own silence, eventually she place the scrap metal in her hands into the trash heap and looked back to her former crew mates. "That's-that's about all I remember. It seemed like I was there only a day or two, but it looks like it's been months out here. Like I said, this whole world seems like some horror story remake of Alice In Wonderland."

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With some grit in his voice, Khalid spoke.

"They transformed us. This world changed all of us. They stole us away from our people and stole our time which was precious to the survivors. Doctors, Engineeers, Gamesmen - we were all needed, and they stole a lot of us."

"We have to find our way home and find a way to explain to our people that we are not the creatures born of this world, we are not monsters, and we have been victimized just as they have. The victimization has to stop here, with us. If they lock us away, or kill us, they are losing out on the valuable knowledge this world has also provides us."

"We have some tricks and we should be prepared to use them - to survive."

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"They'll listen, Roche. It may take some dodging at first, but they'll listen. They need our help too." Laina made her way over to the fire as she spoke, smiling encouragingly at the diminutive woman. "We just have to be convincing enough. Everyone knows this world is...insane. If we're careful and don't make ourselves appear to be a threat, hopefully they'll remember how to be civilized enough to listen to our stories." She pointed over to the small pile of salvaged parts, "And remember why we were on the Manifest in the first place. They need our skills."

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Roach shrugged unhappily. "I'm just not sure they'll see it that way. How will they know they can trust us? I've seen what these aliens can do. One of them was literally turning engineers inside out without even touching them."

She pauses and shivers at the violence of the memory.

"If they can do that, who's to say they haven't turned us loose on purpose? Maybe we've been programmed somehow, to betray them, or spy on them? And even if we haven't, how can we prove it?"

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"How they treat us is probably dependent on how bad off they are. The more they need what we provide, the more likely any of us are accepted. The more they accept one of us, the more likely they are to accept all of us."

"If they have the resources, they could imprison us, but at least we will be out of the elements and fed. That state of affairs can't last though. More of us are bound to make the journey home. They will have to accept us, or drive us out. I don't think they've resorted to barbarism already ... I hope."

"As for one of us being spies - yes we could be. The Gentry are that powerful. I would point out they are also powerful enough to invade the dreams of others so what is to say they can't invade the dreams of those who remained? More to the point, spying would imply some reasoning of the Gentry we could understand. I'm not there yet, Roach. Are you?"

"If not, you are depressing yourself for not good reason. We must try to be positive because just getting to the settlement will be tough enough."

"Anybody ready take a good night's sleep, say good-bye to Sir Percy in the morning, and head out, spirits and heads held high?"

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