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ground as the fuel pumps click off. The hum of the air
conditioning units falls silent. The deconstructors must have destroyed the
back-up generator.
    You kick off toward the canisters to remove them
from the pumps.
    If you are trained in Stealth , or have a Sixth Sense , turn to section 307 .
    If you do not have either of these Skills, turn to
section 48 .
     

41
    You time your footfalls to the rhythm of the door.
You reach the door and it opens right in front of you. You spin around and through
the doorway, but the door catches your shoulder heavily and sends you crashing
to the floor. You survive, but you learn that survival hurts: Lose 1 Blood and gain 1 XP .
    You run to the end of the hall and turn a corner. A door
lies there. You enter it and leave behind the mist of destruction: Gain 1 XP .
    Turn to section 223 .
     

42
    You slowly bounce from wall, ceiling, floor, and
make your way down the hall. The light from your helmet jerks around in the
darkness and picks up motes of dust. You are nearly out of air. You labor to
suck in air, but the vacuum itself rests in your chest. You know that you have
to get deeper into the station where you can breathe or you will die and become
a part of the dead station.
    There is a doorway at the end of the hallway. You
push it. The door encounters something soft but unyielding on the other side
and swings shut again.
    If you want to shove the door open, turn to section 287 .
    If you would rather turn around and try the other
side of the hallway, turn to section 305 .
     

43
    “Are you telling me that you guys actually like
working for this idiot?” you say, literally turning your nose up at the fierce
Captain. “Come on, you’re mercenaries, hired guns, you have to live by your
wits. If you wanted to have someone shout orders at you all day long and treat
you like crap, you should’ve been lawmen.”
    “Step off,” says the Captain. “My boys work for me cause they know the pay is good and the benefits are
beneficial.”
    The Captain’s revolver twitches angrily in his hand.
Still, you note that the two guards have not exactly been quick to blast you.
    If your Charisma is 4 or more, turn to
section 3 .
    If your Charisma is 3 or less, turn to
section 267 .
     

44
    No need to panic ,
you think. There’s always some kind of safety switch on these things .
    You feel around on the control panel. One section
seems slightly different. You fool around with it until it pops off, then you
grab a tiny lever and flip it. The door grinds open unnaturally. Air rushes
into the room and throws you against the far wall. You are grateful that the
other door holds tight, or else you could have been thrown even farther. You
reenter the hallway, which is still brightly lit and has gravity. You throw off
your helm and breathe.
    You wonder why the door suddenly stopped working. Is
the station slowly losing power on its own? Or is there someone - or something
- shutting down its systems?
    Because you have survived this experience, you have
grown and gained a greater understanding of the world. As you fight your way
through this situation you will earn Experience Points , which are abstract
representations of your actual experience. When you gain enough Experience
Points (or XP), you will gain additional character Levels and receive
additional Stat Points, Skills, and Blood.
    You start out this game of survival at Level 1 .
For surviving the situation just now, you gain 1 XP . Be sure to record
this. When you have at least 15 XP and make it out of the ghost station
alive , then you will gain one character level and the rewards that come
with it.
    When you are ready to continue down the hallway,
turn to section 148 .
     

45
    The Captain jerks and splatters red as your gun
barks, then crashes to the ground in a moaning, dying heap: Gain 1 XP. You may take his Old School Revolver (Handgun, bulk 2) and 3 Handgun
bullets (bulk 1) if you wish.
    You turn toward the ship. While the laborers stare
at you