G’Banrak had not been gone long before she was returned. Two guards carelessly tossed her back into her cell, where she crawled into a corner and began to cry.
An awkward silence hung about the room. Concerned for her friend, Alahandra began trying to comfort G’Banrak. With the help of Alahandra, G’Banrak slowly regained control of her emotions.
Haltingly, G’Banrak explained what had happened when she was taken.
“First, you have to know something about my home planet. My planet lies within the Dragon Empire, but is nigh but unreachable by convential means. Instead, my people have constructed a gate system to connect it to other planets. Only those native to my planet know how to operate the gates, but with the proper knowledge anyone could go anywhere within the Dragon Empire and in some cases, beyond. The ISPD would give anything for access to our gates, and for that reason they cannot possibly gain that knowledge. I know they would use it unjustly.
Colonel Antiphiphia tells me something has invaded my planet. An alien force that the ISPD has never encountered. From what she said I don’t think she plans on doing anything about them. I think she would rather watch the creatures and see what they do to my world!
But there’s hope. Antiphiphia wants me to go back to my planet with some of her technicians to my planet so that they can take more accurate readings of the menace. If you all would agree to come with me, maybe we could stop whatever these things are!”
Any chance to escape was a welcome one, although no one trusted Antiphiphia to keep her word. Eventually though, everyone had decided to help G’Banrak save her planet. Somehow though, they would have to stop the drow from learning the secrets of Thronia’s gates.
Time passed, most of it spent idly contemplating the coming venture.
And then, the githyanki Commander entered into the prison. He did a quick survey of the room before addressing the group. “The judge may be more lenient on you all if you would be willing to tell us what happened.”
“Yeah right,” Zoltan shouted. “You know that there aren’t any lawyers coming for us.”
“What do you mean?”
“Its obvious! Don’t be a fool!”
“Why do you think lawyers are coming?”
“Colonel Antiphiphia assured me that they were.”
“Antiphiphia cannot be trusted,” Orendil interjected. “She wants to see us dead. She plans on arranging an ‘accident’. Check it out.”
“Very well. I will investigate the matter. If you are lying, however, it will be to your detriment.”
The Commander turned about and left the room.
“What are you two doing?!?” shouted Milo. “We don’t want to be tried!”
“I was thinking maybe we could turn the Commander against Antiphiphia, and escape in the confusion,” Orendil offered. “We can’t trust Antiphiphia.”
“I don’t think we have much of a choice. Antiphiphia is at least willing to let us live. The Commander would have us all killed given half the chance!”
With little left to say, the group again fell into boredom. Time crawled by as the party sat within the jail cell. Debates burst forth sporadically before being shot down again.
Orendil was adamant that Antiphiphia could not be trusted and that it would be better to turn ourselves over to the Commander and escape from him later. Milo wanted to get out at all costs, even if it meant making a deal with Antiphiphia. Zoltan wanted to shoot things, or maybe he just wanted more food. Either way he wasn’t too happy. Syd, Alahandra, and Wang each had varied opinions on the group’s varied plans. None of them knew what was coming, except that it probably wouldn’t be good.
The Commander returned in a few days. Quick and too the point, he entered and admitted that his sources suggested that perhaps lawyers weren’t coming.
“If you help me out, perhaps I can help you out.”
“What do you want from us?” yelled Zoltan.
“We know you broke into this base. We know you killed several of our soldiers, who were still in training. You murdered this base’s previous Commander as well as two of its Warlocks. We know you stole a large amount of diamonds from us. If you turn the diamonds over, I will protect you from Antiphiphia.”
“We didn’t steal those diamonds! They were given to us by the previous Commander!”
“He gave them to you?” the Commander asked skeptically.
“Yeah! He hired us to help train the soldiers! The ones who failed the test died! He paid us with the diamonds!”
“I find that highly … unlikely. I know this base had a large amount of gems before you came here, and now it has much less. Where are the diamonds?”
“They’re in his bag!” Syd said. “All the diamonds we took are in Zoltan’s bags. Look and you will find them.”
Zoltan was outraged, and made that obvious while the Commander ordered two guards to search through Zoltan’s bags. Finding that they were indeed stuffed with diamonds, the bags were removed and the Commander left the room.
“What are you doing?”
“He obviously doesn’t know how many diamonds we took. If we give him some of them, maybe he won’t look for the rest. And since you were the only one who brought diamonds with you, you got to give yours up.”
Prison was definitely fraying the party’s nerves.
The next day Antiphiphia paid the party a visit.
“It’s not nice trying to turn the Commander against me. I should leave you here to be tried and executed. I assume G’Banrak has briefed you on my goals? And I assume you have all agreed to go? In a few days I will have everything prepared. I will tell the Commander I am moving you to a different prison for your trial. Instead I will move you to my ship in orbit. Do not cross me.”
Her speech delivered, Antiphiphia stormed out before any response could be uttered.
The Commander returned yet again the next day. Having recovered the base’s stolen diamonds, he was quick to ask the party for what they would have him do.
“Antiphiphia is going to move us in a few days. You should move us instead. I fear she’s going to execute us without trial,” Orendil explained.
“No! Leave us here. She won’t move us now that you know,” Milo yelled out.
“What would you have me do? I could move you by yourself if you want.”
Orendil, realizing his plan wouldn’t work without the rest of the group, declined. The Commander shrugged and left.
It was the day before Antiphiphia was set to move the party onboard to her ship. The prison doors opened and a young male human was brought in and thrown into a cell.
His name was Jhelai Lajos. He had been picked up in the area of the base and was being held by the githyanki for now. It was obvious, however, that this was another smoke screen created by Antiphiphia. He had been offered the same choice as the party, and once everyone had explained the situation to him, had reluctantly agreed.
The final day passed slowly and everyone slept fitfully the night before.
As the day dawned, no one could have guessed what was coming.
An awkward silence hung about the room. Concerned for her friend, Alahandra began trying to comfort G’Banrak. With the help of Alahandra, G’Banrak slowly regained control of her emotions.
Haltingly, G’Banrak explained what had happened when she was taken.
“First, you have to know something about my home planet. My planet lies within the Dragon Empire, but is nigh but unreachable by convential means. Instead, my people have constructed a gate system to connect it to other planets. Only those native to my planet know how to operate the gates, but with the proper knowledge anyone could go anywhere within the Dragon Empire and in some cases, beyond. The ISPD would give anything for access to our gates, and for that reason they cannot possibly gain that knowledge. I know they would use it unjustly.
Colonel Antiphiphia tells me something has invaded my planet. An alien force that the ISPD has never encountered. From what she said I don’t think she plans on doing anything about them. I think she would rather watch the creatures and see what they do to my world!
But there’s hope. Antiphiphia wants me to go back to my planet with some of her technicians to my planet so that they can take more accurate readings of the menace. If you all would agree to come with me, maybe we could stop whatever these things are!”
Any chance to escape was a welcome one, although no one trusted Antiphiphia to keep her word. Eventually though, everyone had decided to help G’Banrak save her planet. Somehow though, they would have to stop the drow from learning the secrets of Thronia’s gates.
Time passed, most of it spent idly contemplating the coming venture.
And then, the githyanki Commander entered into the prison. He did a quick survey of the room before addressing the group. “The judge may be more lenient on you all if you would be willing to tell us what happened.”
“Yeah right,” Zoltan shouted. “You know that there aren’t any lawyers coming for us.”
“What do you mean?”
“Its obvious! Don’t be a fool!”
“Why do you think lawyers are coming?”
“Colonel Antiphiphia assured me that they were.”
“Antiphiphia cannot be trusted,” Orendil interjected. “She wants to see us dead. She plans on arranging an ‘accident’. Check it out.”
“Very well. I will investigate the matter. If you are lying, however, it will be to your detriment.”
The Commander turned about and left the room.
“What are you two doing?!?” shouted Milo. “We don’t want to be tried!”
“I was thinking maybe we could turn the Commander against Antiphiphia, and escape in the confusion,” Orendil offered. “We can’t trust Antiphiphia.”
“I don’t think we have much of a choice. Antiphiphia is at least willing to let us live. The Commander would have us all killed given half the chance!”
With little left to say, the group again fell into boredom. Time crawled by as the party sat within the jail cell. Debates burst forth sporadically before being shot down again.
Orendil was adamant that Antiphiphia could not be trusted and that it would be better to turn ourselves over to the Commander and escape from him later. Milo wanted to get out at all costs, even if it meant making a deal with Antiphiphia. Zoltan wanted to shoot things, or maybe he just wanted more food. Either way he wasn’t too happy. Syd, Alahandra, and Wang each had varied opinions on the group’s varied plans. None of them knew what was coming, except that it probably wouldn’t be good.
The Commander returned in a few days. Quick and too the point, he entered and admitted that his sources suggested that perhaps lawyers weren’t coming.
“If you help me out, perhaps I can help you out.”
“What do you want from us?” yelled Zoltan.
“We know you broke into this base. We know you killed several of our soldiers, who were still in training. You murdered this base’s previous Commander as well as two of its Warlocks. We know you stole a large amount of diamonds from us. If you turn the diamonds over, I will protect you from Antiphiphia.”
“We didn’t steal those diamonds! They were given to us by the previous Commander!”
“He gave them to you?” the Commander asked skeptically.
“Yeah! He hired us to help train the soldiers! The ones who failed the test died! He paid us with the diamonds!”
“I find that highly … unlikely. I know this base had a large amount of gems before you came here, and now it has much less. Where are the diamonds?”
“They’re in his bag!” Syd said. “All the diamonds we took are in Zoltan’s bags. Look and you will find them.”
Zoltan was outraged, and made that obvious while the Commander ordered two guards to search through Zoltan’s bags. Finding that they were indeed stuffed with diamonds, the bags were removed and the Commander left the room.
“What are you doing?”
“He obviously doesn’t know how many diamonds we took. If we give him some of them, maybe he won’t look for the rest. And since you were the only one who brought diamonds with you, you got to give yours up.”
Prison was definitely fraying the party’s nerves.
The next day Antiphiphia paid the party a visit.
“It’s not nice trying to turn the Commander against me. I should leave you here to be tried and executed. I assume G’Banrak has briefed you on my goals? And I assume you have all agreed to go? In a few days I will have everything prepared. I will tell the Commander I am moving you to a different prison for your trial. Instead I will move you to my ship in orbit. Do not cross me.”
Her speech delivered, Antiphiphia stormed out before any response could be uttered.
The Commander returned yet again the next day. Having recovered the base’s stolen diamonds, he was quick to ask the party for what they would have him do.
“Antiphiphia is going to move us in a few days. You should move us instead. I fear she’s going to execute us without trial,” Orendil explained.
“No! Leave us here. She won’t move us now that you know,” Milo yelled out.
“What would you have me do? I could move you by yourself if you want.”
Orendil, realizing his plan wouldn’t work without the rest of the group, declined. The Commander shrugged and left.
It was the day before Antiphiphia was set to move the party onboard to her ship. The prison doors opened and a young male human was brought in and thrown into a cell.
His name was Jhelai Lajos. He had been picked up in the area of the base and was being held by the githyanki for now. It was obvious, however, that this was another smoke screen created by Antiphiphia. He had been offered the same choice as the party, and once everyone had explained the situation to him, had reluctantly agreed.
The final day passed slowly and everyone slept fitfully the night before.
As the day dawned, no one could have guessed what was coming.
