53

The black Thrix tumbles onward through the yellow gases of its planet, glistening with condensation and reflective particles of dust. You pass the scattered remains of one of its species and you feel the hurt in the mind of the Thrix whom you are following, whose name translates as Carborundum. The grief of the loss of a two thousand-year friendship almost cripples you, but you steel yourself to hold on to your own identity, almost sobbing as you do so. The dead Thrix has been shorn in half by a terrible weapon. There are cavities within its crystal in which still smaller crystal trees grow. You communicate your surprise to Carborundum and he thinks his reaction to you. It seems that he finds your soft bendiness repulsive. 'You should see me without my suit,' you think. As you plod through the heavy gravity there is a slight movement in the heavy air and the fog lifts slightly to reveal the most enormous mechanical contraption, shaped like a long armadillo. Dust rises from its form and it rumbles slowly across the surface of the planet towards you on caterpillar tracks. Its body is composed of overlapping segments of metal like a woodlouse, which glow dully in the weak rays of the Thrixian sun, which barely penetrates the thick atmosphere. Thrix is cold.

Carborundum leads you down into a natural cavern which opens out below the gaping mouth of the mining droid. Two smaller excavation droids are clearing slag from a great conveyor belt which leads back into the belly of the armadillo- like droid. They do not react to you and you notice that their effectiveness is severely impaired by the corrosive gas of this world. They will soon break down completely. As you move towards the conveyor belt you notice another shattered Thrix nearby. Then a hovering wardroid with twin laser cannon sights you. Carborundum begins a high-pitched whining as you blast the wardroid to smithereens. You jump into the mining droid and Carborundum rolls up behind you. Inside the droid is a huge refining plant and in its belly you come to the central processor which controls it. Will you: