As the Martian ship gets closer, the Martians still seem to be ready to attack but then suddenly they stand down. They're still at the ready but no one's aiming any weapons at you.

It soon becomes apparent that they plan on pulling alongside. This is not a bad thing since that would expose them to your guns but not necessarily theirs.

As the Martian ship pulls alongside, though not close enough that a boarding action could be attempt, one of the Martians steps up to the rail of his ship and calls out.

"Hey-oh!" he shouts across the gap. You can tell by his look that he seems to be suitably impressed by your ship.

"Krakas sends his regards! We were sent to escort you to the meeting place!"

Maybe the closest thing to a marksman they had, Felicity did her best to keep out of sight yet in position to bring her rifle to bear on the 'enemy' ship... if that's what it turned out to be.

When the other ship didn't attack but made contact, she was a bit concerned. How the hell did they know we were coming? For that matter, how the hell did they know that's what we were here for?

She wasn't disappointed that there wasn't going to be any fighting... not yet, anyway. Sure, she liked shooting at targets... stationary, moving... but never like shooting people. Sometimes it couldn't be helped. And she only shot animals when she was hunting; she always ate what she killed... animals, of course, not people.

If anyone glanced in her direction, she just gave a wan grin and shrugged her shoulders. She always knew what was going on out west, but back in the eastern cities it was always confusing to her what was going on and how she should react to it. It was clearly that way here on Mars, too.

It was almost like the Wild West with the Injuns... just different in a strange way.

Grimsby carefully eyes the Martians as they draw closer, trying to determine their species and nation (e.g.Oenetrian or not). Hearing the Martian hail (I suppose it was in Martian --if it is in English that is interesting in itself), he says "It seems they want us to follow them --I don't know where. I suppose they must have been expecting some other Earthfolk. I wonder if they take us for gunrunners or other smugglers --not that it's legally smuggling outside the European colonies. I think we might as well follow them and find out what their scheme is  -- so long as they don't try to lead us into a krag or a hostile city." Unless someone in the party objects, he will call back in formal Martian "Our kind regards to Kratas. We will follow you."

"It makes perfect sense to me," Aubrey suggested.

"If as the Colonel said Krakas is at odds with the rest of the Oenotrian Empire, it follows that the ship wouldn't have been flying Krakas's flag in case it was spotted by an Oenotrian ship, which would have attacked."

"Remember, too, we're being sent to meet with Krakas at his request, so he'd be expecting someone."

"While we may not be the only ship in the area or flying in his direction, let's face it--there's no other ship like this on Mars. Well, that we know of. Since were coming from Syrtis, it seems like a logical deduction that we would be the envoy being sent to meet him."

"I could be blowing smoke out of my... ears, but it makes me have a bit of respect for Krakas. He's clearly a smart cookie."

Grimsby says, "I believe Aubrey has the right of it. I was not giving Kratas enough credit for the brains a Martian in his position should have."

Catherine sighed in relief. "Travelling on Mars is rather stressful. Now I feel a little silly for worrying... why, this seems downright kind of Kratas."

It soon becomes clear that the other ship had been flying high so it could spot any ship approaching because it doesn't fly back up to that height but instead heads straight for the mountains. It doesn't try to fly too close to the ground or the mountainsides but cuts through a pass before heading south and descending to the floor of the plain beyond.

It isn't until you round a jutting crag that your destination comes into view.

The Ruins of Bordobaar come into view, rising up out of the Martians sands like a grasping skeletal hand. The ancient palace is enormous and foreboding and bears the scars of battles long
past. As you land beside the other ship at the edge of the ruins, skulls and skeletons are clearly visible littering the deserted streets. You get an unshakable feeling of being watched from the dark, gaping holes in broken towers is unnerving.

From out of one of those dark holes at ground level a male Martian steps forward. He appears to be a Steppe Martian, standing about 6' tall, golden skin, auburn hair on his head that blends into brown elsewhere. He has the fanned pointed ears of the High Martians but a more elongated face than what you've seen so far.

He's dressed in reddish-gray silks that would blend in with the sands, though he isn't wearing any shoes or boots. And he's armed to the teeth--a bandolier across his chest with a dagger tucked into it, two more daggers on his belt, a saber on his belt, and a holster with a revolver in it.

He holds up his hands, palm outward to show he's not holding a weapon.

"Who speaks for the Skylords?" he asks in perfect English.

Grimby glances around at the others and raises his eyebrows, as if silently asking whether he is authorized to speak for the party.

Catherine stares wide-eyed at the ruins, fascinated, and at the steppe Martian; she's never seen one before. She looks to her guardian, nodding slightly to indicate he can of course speak for her at least.

OOC:

      I thought we were transporting somebody here -- a "Speaker for the Skylords" kinda somebody...?  Ain't that who Colonel Rupert Smythe-Whittington is?

OOC: My memory may be wrong, too, but you are transporting the archaeologist James Cochrane who had been investigating the edge of these ruins.

But Colonel Rupert Smythe-Wittington had asked Grimsby to go speak with Kratas.

In reply to GM SteamRoller (msg # 302):

I have not gone back to reread the earlier posts, but my memory matches the GM's.

In reply to Grimsby H. Baskerville (msg # 303):

OOC:  Cool!  Then it's all on you, Grimsby!!

     Would you like a Blindfold?  Last cigarette, perhaps...?

     ^_^

In reply to Joseph Rudyard Hunnisett (msg # 304):

OOC: Grimsby will face his fate without flinching, but he would not mind a cigar once the negotiation is over, if he survives.

Grimsby responds to the question "I speak for the Skylords. We come in peace, seeking only knowledge of the Ancients. If you will aid us, we will gladly share what we learn."

Grimsby finally realizes that Kratas uses the term 'skylords' to refer to anyone not from Mars--though mainly the British.

"That is as I expected," Kratas replies. "Please. Follow me to where we may speak in private."

He leads you back into the dark hole he came out of which you now realize is a large doorway. A short dimly lit hall leads to a large room. There appear to be several stones set around the center of the room apparently for sitting as a throne-like seat sits on one side of the circle.

Kratas takes the throne and gestures to the stones.

When everyone is seated, he speaks again.

"I do not agree with the Oenotrians. Yes, we have fought each other for a thousand cycles. Some of us have grown tired of it. Peace, however, eludes us. I think it can be achieved with the aid of you, the Skylords."

"Great treasures still lie deep within the ancient vaults of Bordobaar. They can be used to sway some of the Oenotrians over to our side and to fund your efforts for peace."

"I cannot get my men to enter the ruins because of the curse. Do not scoff--it is real. Foul creatures attack if we enter the ancient streets."

"You have mighty weapons that can stop the beasts and the curse. When you do that, Bordobaar will become the seat of my domain. It will impress the Oenotrians and grant you great prestige and credence in the peace negotiations."

Grimsby answer cautiously, "Your proposal is very promising. In principle, I believe that the Skylords would be willing to aid you in gaining this treasure if you would guarantee to use it to buy the support of enough Oenetrian leaders to restore peace between Oenetria and the British protectorate. Before we undertook this venture, we would need to know more about the danger involved. Can you describe the creatures that haunt the ruins in more detail? How big are they? Do they have fangs, claws, even weapons?"

In reply to Grimsby H. Baskerville (msg # 308):

OOC: they were speaking in English, right?

     Joseph opens his mouth to ask a question -- but he suddenly remembers some of the formal protocol training from his school days...

     Joseph turns to face Grimsby and assumes a reasonable facsimile of 'snapping to attention' (although, obviously, not in the British manner).

     "Sir." Joseph says to Grimsby, giving him a s slight bow, "Any information regarding possible locations within the ruined city where such -- resources -- might be found would be helpful.  Maps, would be better, but even just a half-remembered location of where the city's central palace is to be found would help us select a landing site, from abouve."

     Joseph then turns to the seated Martian and bows to him even deeper than he'd bowed to Grimsby,

     "Apologies, Excellency, for my intrusion into your discussion."

Grimsby smiles slightly at Joseph's military pose and says, "No doubt such a map would be very useful once we know enough about the dangers to decide whether we will actually undertake this commission."

Catherine hovers between excitement and fear at the talk of cursed cities, strange creatures and treasure.

"The creatures are Martians," Kratas explains, "but not any more. Once within the ruins, the Madness grabs hold of them, twists them until they are barely recognizable."

"Their faces grow longer and rows of vicious teeth appear. They grow larger and develop equally dangerous claws."

"They attack relentlessly if you get too near. They show no mercy. And while they display an evil cunning, they do not leave the ruins. They cannot be drawn out."

"And any who go in never come out again."

"I have no map of the palace or the ruins. Nor do I know of any significant locations within the palace where you might find the resources you are looking for. It has been over a hundred cycles since anyone was last in there and nothing survives in the memory of my people."

"This madness, can it affect humans?" Catherine asked. On the one hand, she was pretty sure she couldn't grow claws. On the other hand, the Martians did look rather like humans themselves. It was about the only thing that might make the mad horrors even more frightful.

"It sounds like rabies," the archaeologist answers.

"And, no, it has never been known to cross species. But then, so few Humans have ever entered the ruins, one can't really make that as an absolute claim. It's always possible that if you stay too long, a different incubation period eventually sets in."

"Alas, I am foolish enough to risk it--the wonders we could find!"

"Who knows how intricately the Martian history might be linked to Earth's going back thousands of years!"

In reply to James Cochrane (msg # 314):

Grimsby responds with scholarly interest "Indeed, there are many myths and legends on earth about visits by strange people from the sky, who might have been Martians in the great days of Martian civilization."

Catherine looked thoughtful, thinking back through her history studies and trying to imagine what the Martians might have influenced.