4-24-06

                It was more than just a little bizarre today, waking up in a luxury hotel suite to a wake-up call from a concierge. I took a nice long hot shower (with real pre-Change shampoo and -honest to God! - those little bars of soap, still in the wrapping!!!!) and went down to the lobby to find the group. Connors was already waiting, she told me she'd gotten up early and took a workout and a massage in the gym. "There's a guy in there who looks like Alfred, maybe even more buff" "Well, don't tell Olivia, we're on a mission here" She told me they had some TV sets on in the gym and she caught most of a local newscast. They had a big story about the upcoming auction; they've got Excalibur chained up in front of his hotel like a criminal. There have been raids on some surrounding farms, and Circus Circus is willing to pay top dollar to anyone who volunteers to go defend them. "But", she said, "the commercials were the weirdest things.

                One was for a game show called 'Climbing for Dollars'. It had a contestant trying to get to the top of a climbing wall before getting shot by a sniper." There was also a series called 'Buffy the Waster Slayer', starring some pre-Change woman wrestler. She had also seen some sports highlights, and they were just scary. One guy was almost at the end of an "obstacle race" when he was killed playing "Hopscotch" - he had to hop or skip across a stretch of tiled floor. He was halfway across when he stepped on a mine! I agreed with Connors - there was no way in Hell we were going to enter one of those contests!

                We found some nice comfy chairs to wait in and watch the comings and goings in the main lobby when Dallas came strolling in. On his arm was a green Orion Slave Girl. She looked just like the one we'd sprung from the NDR in Grand Junction. But this one was free-willed and the Change was a true one. She gave Dallas a 'good-bye' kiss that was thorough enough to make Connors and I squirm. As she walked by us, we were hit by a wave of pheromones thick enough that I was -this- close to jumping her myself. Dallas saw us and came over.

                "Whoo-whee! It's a grand morning, isn't it ladies?" he said to us as he plopped into a chair. Well. I'd had only 5 hours of sleep and I felt like Hell, but Dallas, who quite obviously had less than that, looked as if he had never felt better. I leaned to Connors and said, "If it made him feel that good maybe we should go get ourselves some of that". Ooooh! The look she gave me! She figured out I was joking and said, "I'm too old for that shit."

                We were having breakfast when a Gold Elf woman came over and told us that breakfast was compliments of 'His Greatness' and asked us if we would need a town car. We said that'd be nice, and she told us that there would be a car waiting out front for us when we finished breakfast. Then she asked us if we would be able to have lunch with 'His Greatness', there was some business he wanted to discuss. "Fine", she said when we accepted, "He'll be expecting you in his suite at 1:00" She left and we all ordered more breakfast.

                The car that was waiting was a limo. The driver asked us "Where to?" The Paris, we decided. Michael had gotten the Vancomyacin out of the Scooby-Van and had it in a backpack. On the way there, traffic on the street parted for us so we (or should I say Bellagio's limo) could get thru. People wearing his colors would stop and kneel as we passed. When we arrived at the Paris, we were greeted warmly again, and, "The Overlord of the Paris extends his welcome to the Kingdom of the Outlands". I was feeling just a little too well known. On our way thru the lobby, we saw another group being escorted thru the place. They were all wearing shoulder patches with a sunrise over two sheaves of wheat. "Who are they?" Vesta asked. Olivia and I answered at the same time, "Kansas Coalition".

                The manager showed us into the Trading Office and got us all coffee. Then we got down to business; he asked what we had to trade. Michael handed him a small envelope with a few Vancomyacin tablets in it. The manager had it tested and came back to ask us how much of it we had. We kinda looked at each other, reluctant to reveal just how many we had. "A substantial amount", Michael told him. The manager said that he'd give us $300/pill. We told him. "Thanks but no thanks. We've been offered $400-$500 elsewhere. As we were getting up to leave, the phone rang, "Hold on one moment", he said. He picked up the phone and had a one way conversation with the person on the other end. "Yes sir, of course sir, I understand sir". He hung up and asked us to please be seated again. "His Greatness would rather you didn't take this item anywhere else, he will give you $700 per tablet, right here, right now for all you have."

                I could feel Connors tense as he said that, she was a thrilled as I at the thought of some oversized cat watching us. Does he watch all this guy's trading sessions or was it us he was observing? Olivia told him we had 5,000 tablets and Michael pulled the jug out of the bag he'd brought. The manager asked if one of us would like to witness the count. Connors agreed to go with him. While we were waiting, Olivia sent some chocolate to the Overlord, looking directly into the camera as she spoke to the concierge. Connors and the manager were back before long, the count was indeed 5,000 and he handed us our bag with $350,000 worth of chips in it. Connors had witnessed that count as well. We thanked him, gave him a small tip and got back in our limo to go to the Rio to get our Clerical permits. On the way we passed one of the old marriage chapels that is now a Temple of Corellon! I made a note to get back to it later.

                We got the same type of treatment at the Rio. The manager was very attentive as we filled out our papers. As she was reviewing them, she told me of the Temple and Olivia that there are two temples of Crom in town, one 'reformed' and one 'orthodox'. (I don't know why, but that just slayed me!) On our way out of her office, we saw a group being escorted in. A group of Orcs. All in suits, Italian shoes, carrying briefcases and cell phones. The Ka Corporation. I was revolted at the site of them, and the next thing I knew Alfred had put himself between them and me and was (for the lack of a better term) 'herding' me quickly to the door. Once they were out of sight, he asked me "Better now?" I just looked at him, confused. "Your eyes got all glazed over and you were about to draw that sword of yours. 'Don't want to be on TV' you know" I guess I must have gone into some kind of trance. I did feel a little disoriented like I did during some of my sword lessons when Corellon had 'taken over' to help me. I felt better once we were outside.

                Next, our driver took us to the MGM Grand. We were right across the street from the Excalibur and we could see where he was chained out. They actually had a stand set up to sell rotten fruits and vegetables for people to throw at him. Once again we were greeted warmly and escorted inside. While Olivia was getting her Magic permit, Connors gave me nudge. She jerked her head to one side and then I saw them, too. A group of big, nasty Changelings; Ogres, Half-Ogres, and some more Orcs. Alfred saw what we were looking at and moved in closer, I told him I was okay this time and thanked him for his concern. They were all armed: handguns, machine guns and the Ogres had bazookas. They were all obviously enthralled and were wearing the colors of the Dragon of Denver. Dallas saw them too,"Looks like everybody sent a delegation, eh?"

                Olivia got her permit and called me in to ask about trading some of our Magic items. The manager was very excited about the CZ's enchanted with the faerie fire and offered us $10,000 each. I had 10 of those, so there was another $100,000. Olivia had heard about something called silksteel armor and wants some, hoping that it won't interfere with her spells like the Elven stuff, so she asked him what he'd give her for enchanted Elven chain mail. He didn't have an answer for her; he hadn't seen or heard of such a thing yet. He asked her if she had it with her. "I'm wearing it of course". He asked her very politely is she would strip down to it so he could take a few photos to show his Overlord. (Did that mean this Overlord doesn't watch his trader like Paris?) He took some Polaroids and assured her that he'd "Discuss the matter with His Greatness, at the first opportunity."

                We rejoined the group, and found Connors was gone. "She followed that group from the Dragon", Carson told us, "she wanted to see what they were up to." She returned a few minutes later and told us that they had just been looking around. Their leader, ("I'm pretty sure I recognize him, he used to be a linebacker for the Broncos") had come out of a back office, rounded them up and they all got into some shiny black Hummers marked with the Dragon's insignia and left. "He wasn't thralled, he was definitely free-willed." Michael looked at his watch and said, "Time to get back to the Bellagio. Don't want to keep our host waiting."

                The Gold Elf was waiting to escort us up to his penthouse (big double doors with PRIVATE RESIDENCE written across them in letters six inches tall!), which was crawling with servants, all enthralled. We were seated at an all glass table covered with fine linen, china, silver and crystal. "Better than Jesse's", Olivia said. The first courses were served; salads made with fresh produce and tropical fruit. (I'd love to know where they're getting that from!) Then His Greatness, Bellagio Himself, came in to join us for the main course: prime rib. Fresh, juicy, BLOODY prime rib. Even after the world goes to Hell, Las Vegas has prime rib buffets! All we need now is a private show by Wayne Newton…

                As we were finishing, Bellagio asked us to join him in the next room for brandy. We got ourselves settled and he said, "Let's just cut to the chase, shall we? We have a severe shortage of medicines, as I'm sure you guessed from the price you received for that Vancomyacin you sold today." (And how did he know that? Does he have a spy at Paris?) "We want, we need, to purchase penicillin cultures, and we will pay generously for it. Now, we have resources that tell us that you have someone who has managed to produce this in great quantities." (Ah, so he has spies in the Kingdom!)

                He told us that he would be willing to provide electrical power to the Kingdom if "that someone" was willing to come to Vegas and produce the cultures they need. But, if we are interested, he has a "small matter" that he need our assistance in. "As a matter of good faith" (Wheels were spinning in my head. He wants us to provide him with someone, who we will probably never see again, and in return, he wants us to do something for him? I don't think so!) There's an agricultural community that is being raided by 'Goblins' and he wants us to take care of it for him. He went on to say that he has an Azrael (!!!), but to use it would be no fun, "No sport in it". He also wants to see us work. "Your King has done something no other person has managed to do." Michael nodded, "Yeah, humiliate an Overlord" "Exactly." He said, "That is quite a distinction." "And an onus," Michael said. "I'm glad you recognize that fact," Bellagio said, with a quick flash of teeth.

                Since Bellagio oversees all entertainment, Olivia suggested that we could wear small cameras and tape it for him, for public airing. "No, that would be unseemly". When she pressed the issue we got more teeth and "That is the end of that conversation" Connors asked when would we need to do this. "Well, that depends. Are you in town for the chattel sale tomorrow? Well, there isn't any activity plan…uh, expected to occur tomorrow. You may attend the sale and then do this job for me on the 26th." (I didn't dare look at the others to see if any of them had caught that slip) He told us that he had a helicopter that would take us in.

                When we wouldn't say "yes or no" he got a little miffed and said something rude about "understanding how it is when you send someone to do a job, and they can't handle the responsibility". Olivia refused to rise to the bait and he told us that his communications equipment would be available to us if we needed to contact "someone with the authority to actually make a decision."

                Olivia changed the subject and asked him about the silksteel armor she'd heard about. Bellagio suggested we talk to the NDR about it. The genetically engineered goats that provided the raw materials had been developed by and were being guarded by the military. But the Proving Grounds had been overrun by the NDR. "But", he said leaning forward, "if someone knew the whereabouts of a MAKER, perhaps someone might prevail on HER to MAKE some of those goats." He kept his eyes locked on Olivia, Michael, and me. Not only does he know about Rhiannon, he knows precisely who found her and who hid her. So his spy (or spies) is good, but not that good. It's a good thing we didn't take her back to the House! "Maker? What's a maker?" Michael asked, all innocence. Bellagio turned to him and gave him such a look!

                Olivia piped up; "You've given us a lot to think about. We're going to go talk about it and get back to you on that generous offer." We thanked him for lunch and rode in silence back down to the lobby and then we went outside "To get some air".

                Michael agreed with me, it's a trap. Bellagio wants us to go out to that farm for some other reason. Michael thinks that he's going to film it all himself for his TV channel. Olivia wanted to go look for some of that armor in the Market at Fremont Street, but Michael thought we should lay low until the sale tomorrow. As we were talking another limo pulled up. The driver got out and very politely informed us that the Overlord of the Luxor wished to meet us. We all looked at each other and shrugged, "why not?" So we got in and off we went. We'd gone about a block when we saw the driver paying an awful lot of attention to the rear view mirror. We looked back and saw that we were being followed by yet another limo, this one from the Casino Royale. The driver called someone on the radio and a few minutes later, a produce truck with Luxor's colors pulled into an intersection we had only just cleared and blocked Royale's limo from following.

                This time we were taken to a back entrance where we were all cordially greeted and led thru the casino. We passed a progressive slot machine and Michael, Olivia, Alfred, Connors and myself shared a mischievous grin and each pulled a $100 chip out and fed the machine. Between the 5 of us, we won $7,000! Upstairs in Luxor's penthouse office (at least this time we were spared the whole "look how nice my PRIVATE RESIDENCE is!!!" bit!) we were introduced to this His Greatness. "You've already spoken to Bellagio? I assume he's already asked you to 'help him with his little problem'? Pretty much what I expected. It's a setup you know." He told us that Bellagio thinks he's the next great movie director and he wants to do a remake of the Magnificent Seven, starring us. He hired a bunch of Orcs and Ogres and told them that they would be making a movie; he wasn't going to bother telling them that all the ammo would be live. "But don't think you're special, he's made the same offer to just about every other group in town"

                Then he laid it down for us, "I'm doing you a favor, and I want you to help me with something. You saw the spectacle they are making of Excalibur? It's all Caesar's idea. Many of us think he's gone too far." Connors asked him "So why don't you something about Caesar?" He leaned back in his chair and said, "I have no king but Caesar." I should have just kept my mouth shut, but I didn't. I finished the quote for him "Crucify him!" He gave me a very scary, very toothy smile (I suddenly remembered Larry Nivin's Ringworld books - it's not a good sign when the kzinti show teeth when they smile!) and continued, (as if I hadn't said a thing) "What I want is Excalibur to be returned to power. He's an arrogant fool, but he's learned his lesson and doesn't deserve to be sent down." He told us that our experience was greater than that of his intelligence people and asked if we knew of a place where Excalibur could go to rebuild his prestige.

                He explained that on the 1st, Excalibur will be taken to the city limits and given a canteen of water. If he refuses to go out into the desert or if he turns back, he'll be killed. If he returns to Vegas without first regaining his power, he'll be killed. "We are a family, a pride. We all grew up together, trained together. It's simply not right that he be banished for something this minor." He asked if we would wait until Excalibur is sent out into the desert, then pick him up and take him someplace - SLC, perhaps? "Why would he accept our help?" I asked. "We're the ones responsible for his disgrace."

                I received another one of those smiles, "Because I, Luxor, asked you to." He assured us that for our help, he would promise that neither he nor Excalibur would ever march on the Kingdom. We told him that we would consider his offer and let him know before the 30th. Then we asked him how would the new Overlord be chosen? It's a contest of pure physical dominance, winner take all. The top contenders so far are Bellagio's mate Sakkara, the Overlord of the Glitter Gulch and Caesar's mate, the Overlord of Binion's Horseshoe.

                We asked his advice on how to accomplish our mission: freeing as many slaves as possible. He told us to go to the Excalibur and make notes on what or whom we want to buy. Then send a gift to Caesar, and ask to see him. Make an offer to buy all the slaves, in bulk. But if we want to get all 417 that would be more that $2 million! "So give him what you've got and a promissory note for the rest. You'll have 'til the 30th to get the remainder to him. Or forfeit your freedom." Then he told us of some ways to make more cash. An automobile combat on the 29th, an obstacle race on the 28th and a Mage War starting tomorrow. The problem with all these ideas…. they're all 'to the death'.

                "But you have a problem with Bellagio, don't you?" He sounded like a used care salesman that knows you have bad credit. "He's expecting an answer. So you have two choices: you know it's a trap, you've got an advantage, go along with it. Make him look good. Or, go back and tell him you know it's a set up and you'll have nothing to do with it." Oooooh! That's a lot of help. We'd already figured those out on our own!

                We thanked him for his courtesy and assistance and told him that we appreciated the use of his limo, but we thought we'd walk back to the Bellagio, "To stretch our legs and catch some of the local flavor." He smiled knowingly (no teeth this time), and wished us a "Good day."

                As we walked, we talked. I said, "I feel like a great big cat-toy, anyone else? There is a game being played here and I get the distinct feeling that WE are the prize." Lots of agreement to that. Alfred asked "What if this is all a trap. What if they lured us here to let Excalibur humiliate us and win back his prestige?" Then the topic of conversation turned to "Who can we trust?" Anyone at all? No one at all? We need more info but where to get it? Olivia wants to go to at least one of the temples of Crom. I feel the same way about Corellon's temple. If we are to find people who wouldn't be "in" with the Overlords, we'll find them there.

                Olivia pulled out the medallion the Overlord in Montrose gave her and took a closer look at it. On the back was a symbol for Harrah's. He's the guy overseeing power and utilities. "Maybe that's where Montrose gets its electricity?" Alfred asked. Well, Montrose has always treated us fairly, and we've done him some favors, maybe Harrah will be willing to see us.

                We found ourselves in front of the Excalibur and decided to go in and take a look around. Once again, we were recognized (that is making me more and more jittery) and welcomed, this time with very faint civility; it was obvious we were not wanted there. The slaves were on display in a large convention room. A Grey Elf 'welcomed' us and told us we were free to examine any and all the slaves but "No touching, sampling or disrobing of the merchandise". The way she said it and the way she looked at Olivia and I just pissed me off! Olivia was standing next to me and I could feel her stiffen. Alfred moved in closer to both of us and Michael quickly changed the subject and asked the woman some question I didn't even hear.

                We walked around the room and finally, reality hit. Look at all of them. Even if we do manage to buy their freedom, how are we going to get them out of Vegas? Connors voiced the question out loud and some Orcs from Ka overheard her. They got all bent out of shape and started yelling at the Grey Elf, they want to buy them all. They hadn't been told anything about buying in bulk, yada yada yada. We took the opportunity to leave and found another Hostess outside the room. She was a tiny bit less hostile, so Olivia asked her, "Didn't they use to display an Excalibur Sword somewhere?"

                The gal took us down to the basement where there was an Arthurian display with some wax figures enacting the whole 'Sword in the Stone' scene. Olivia asked her if the sword was real, the woman gestured for her to go ahead and see. Olivia drew it out of the stone and it was real in as much that it was a sword. A well made copy made of Toledo steel, but just a copy. She put it back and asked the woman what she thought we should do if we wanted to buy the entire lot of slaves. "See Caesar, he's the one in charge" The question seemed to make her crankier, so we thought it best to leave.

                Since the Aladdin was closer than the temple of Corellon, we stopped there first. Inside the temple of Crom, an executive looking guy in a suit greeted Olivia, calling her "Sister" and asked the rest of us if we were Believers. Dallas stepped forward and introduced himself. "Well, you're obviously new in town and you're all welcome here" he gestured to a back room and followed us thru the curtains. He put a finger to his lips and gestured us to be seated. As he made some small talk about where we were lodged, he reached behind a wall hanging and flipped a switch. "Okay, now its safe to talk" he said, "What can I really do for you?"

                We threw a barrage of questions at him. A lot of his answers confirmed things we already knew or suspected but some of it was new to us. He told us that Race is an important key here. "Have you met with Bellagio yet?" yeah, so? He sighed and said, "He's a Lion. Yes, he's white, but he's a Lion, so is his mate, Sakkara." He also told us that there is some truth to the whole "We're a family" patter that Luxor was giving us. It is important to them, to an extent. But one place where it really does matter is that they have a great desire to find the 'Scattered Ones'. Huh? "'Those Tricksters', as they are always called, ran a very successful breeding program here. And there are probably 200 more Overlords out there somewhere." All the cubs and youngsters that were considered 'excess' had been sold to zoos around the world, and now, the Vegas Overlords want to know where they are.

                He told us about the competition for the Excalibur, all contenders who present themselves will be put in a ring and winner takes all. But there is a considerable amount of politicking that goes on before that ever happens and it's expected that several will drop out beforehand. Caesar's mate is considered a contender, but rumor says he doesn't support her. Bellagio's mate is another a contender and she has his full support. He started to go into the details of who has offended who, etc, but Olivia told him "Yeah, great, we came here to free the slaves that Excalibur had and then get out of town. Any suggestions?" He shrugged and said, "So do it. As for the slaves, if you need more money there are basically two ways to get it: gambling and blood sports. But a warning, if you're caught cheating at gambling the penalty is crucifixion. Oh, and Mages, they get crucified after their tongues have been ripped out."

                "If you really want to do this you're going to have to befriend Caesar and McCarran, he runs the airport. He's got flights in and out of Area 51 all the time and it would be easy for him to send a plane east instead of north. If it suited him to do so"
Then we just started throwing ideas around. Those super-speed experiments we have, would Bellagio pay to get one for his mate? "Yes, he'd pay big money, but she'd want a demonstration" Maybe we could sell them to more than one contender? "They probably wouldn't buy unless you could convince them that they were getting the only one" What if we entered all the contests and win them all? "Oh yeah, that'd cheese them off. Last I heard, all the other delegations in town have entered into the obstacle course." He gave us some details. But no way in Hell! There's nothing even remotely resembling skill involved. It's nothing but a big old game of Russian Roulette, where it's not a matter of 'if' but a matter of 'when'.

                Olivia asked him what he thought about Luxor telling us all the sordid little details about the Overlords. He agreed that the whole thing seemed wrong. "Those are dirty secrets they work very hard to keep secret. What was his tail doing?" He went on to explain that the 'tail language' of the Overlords was just as or even more telling than body language in Humans. For example, is they're brooding about something or are unhappy they tuck tail, just like a dog. When angry, the tail goes straight out, but when they're happy it's up and twitching. "So why was Excalibur's tail just hanging limp?" I asked. He said that wasn't right at all. I thought to myself, "He must be drugged"
Olivia asked about Area 51. "You want to go out to Manzanar," he said. "I can tell you, there's weird stuff going on out there. Probably weirder than you think." "How so?" Olivia asked. "Well, all of Excalibur's Changeling slaves come from there. But none of them remember anything about it. If you ask them what they saw out there, all they'll say is "It was hot, and there was nothing to do."

                We asked him what he thought we might get for the china. He floored us by saying that he thought we could get all the slaves and transport for them. For just the china!

                We were even more confused. Our host told us that he was sorry and didn't mean to rush us, "but if I keep those mikes off much longer it could mean trouble." So we thanked him and as he turned the mikes back on, Olivia asked him if he knew where she might get some silksteel armor. The only set he knew of belongs to the War Priest of Khaless, and if she wants it, she'll have to fight him for it.

                So, we found ourselves back on the street, as confused as before. Michael and Vesta decided to go and see about the details and arrangements to enter the various contests, while we collect the china from the Bellagio and take it to Caesar.

                When we got to the Bellagio, we were welcomed back with as much simpering as before. They offered to go get what we wanted from the vehicles, but we didn't want them messing with anything so we all walked to where they told us the Scooby-van had been parked. As we rounded a corner, we saw quite a sight: 12 troop carriers and a bunch of Hummers, all painted with the Ka logo. The whole area was being guarded by Orcs. Fortunately we didn't have to actually pass them to get to our stuff. Alfred had just come out of the Scooby-van with the crate when a group of Bellagio's security came scurrying up to tell us that we shouldn't be out there, they prefer to have only Hotel staff in that area. I pointed at the Orcs, "Are they staff?" They got flustered, "Well, no. But that's an entirely different situation." Yeah, whatever!

                They changed the subject. "His Greatness is curious, have you decided to take care of the 'problem' you spoke of?" We begged off, saying that the offer was so overwhelming we really needed a bit more time. We were going to go do some more trading, but we'd get back to him after dinner. The head security wienie summoned the car for us again, and we asked to be taken to Caesar's Palace.

                As it came into sight Alfred whistled and said, "My name is Bigguth Dickuth". The driver told him, "I'm sure Caesar will find that funny, he's famous for his sense of humor." As we got out at the main entrance, we asked him to stay, we didn't think we'd be too long.

                This time the welcome was quite different. We were met by the usual groveling bellhop who tried to take the crate from Alfred and seemed insulted when Alfred insisted on carrying it himself. As we entered the actual lobby, before we could speak to anyone, a Human in an Armani suit met us. "Caesar is not interested in seeing you." were the first words out of his mouth. Olivia stopped at the desk, borrowed a note pad, wrote a short note and handed it to the guy. "I'm sure after His Greatness reads this, he will want to see us."
Well, that had no affect. In fact, two more gorillas in suits appeared and very politely herded us aside. "Your driver will be waiting for you at the service entrance." I couldn't believe it, "We're getting thrown out the back door?!?" "Really, I must insist" was all he'd say.

                When we got to the loading dock there was indeed a car waiting - an unmarked limo. "That's not our car", Olivia said. "We require your compliance in this matter", he politely moved to hold the door open for us. Olivia again, asked for an explanation. "I give you Caesar's word that you will not be harmed." Olivia looked at me and I shrugged, "I gotta' tell ya', I'm curious as Hell right now". So we all piled in and as the doors closed, we could hear the locks engage and white gas started to flow in from all around us. Before we passed out, I had enough time to look at Olivia and say, "Sorry". We're going to be buried in unmarked graves out in the desert….

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

                And then I was coming to with a hand holding a cool cloth to my head and someone waving smelling salts under my nose. My head hurt too much to do anything but slowly sit up and look around. We were all there, all in the same situation. And as far as I could tell we even had all the weapons we'd had with us when we got into the car.

                The guy in the Armani suit was there, too. He apologized for taking such drastic actions, "But we had to provide a magical decoy." He looked at his watch, "And just about now, Bellagio should be discovering that the people his goons escorted back, aren't you. Please understand, we were afraid we wouldn't be able to get you past his men any other way.

                Now, make yourselves comfortable" "Fine." I said, "Can I get something to drink?" He clapped his hands, a door opened, and a bunch of Human girls wearing togas came in and got drinks for everyone. That's when I looked around, I didn't know where we were, but the sight was awesome! We were way up high and could see Vegas spread out all around us. Armani explained that we were in the penthouse of the Stratosphere: private residence of Caesar and his mate. "I emphasize, you are in his private residence. Business is business; you're HERE because he doesn't wish what goes on between you to become business. He wishes you to feel safe."

                He paused for a moment and sad, "Please remember that, and respect it. No matter what else you have been told, or THINK you have been told, what's said here you can trust. And it's the only time they will absolutely honor both the word and spirit of any agreement you might reach."

                He clapped again and the girls moved in to remove our shoes and wash our feet. But they went too far when they started to dry them with their hair. At least the headache was gone!

                They'd just finished washing our hands with rosewater when the door opened and Caesar walked in with his mate (What do you call her? Mrs. Binion's Horseshoe?) on his arm. They greeted us very politely and Binion turned to a silver cart one of the girls wheeled in and personally served us cups of hot mint tea. While she was doing that Caesar laid out plates of flat bread and some small bowls of salt and herbed oil on the table in front of us. They each took some bread, dipped it in the oil and salt and ate it. For some reason, that seemed to make Olivia VERY happy. We did the same and thanked them. They thanked us and sat down on the other side of the table.

                Caesar started the conversation by telling us that some of his people had secured our vehicles for us. And the people who'd been sent to the Bellagio in our place had retrieved everything we'd left in our rooms there. I asked about the three little Hispanic gals from Morganville who we'd left there. He assured me they're safe, also. They were all offered paid positions on Caesar's staff. Two accepted but the third had asked to be taken to the nearest convent and had been obliged. "Gee, I wonder which one did that?" Connors said. Olivia said, "I bet the sisters at the convent are just going to love her story of being rescued by the Madonna." I was just glad they were all someplace safe. Caesar asked where the "rest of our party" was. We told him that Michael and Vesta had gone off to see about entering the competitions. Caesar nodded to Armani and he left the room. Caesar assured us that someone would be sent to find them and take them somewhere safe. "Bellagio will have his people looking for you all over town. Better to be safe than sorry." We thanked him for his concern.

                More women in togas appeared, bringing food: roast lamb, vegetables, fruits and breads. As we ate, Caesar asked us, "You have figured out that Bellagio is plotting against you. Haven't you?" I answered, "As near as we can tell, everyone we've met is plotting against us." He asked if any of us knew the meaning of the salt. Olivia said she did and explained to the rest of us that by offering us hospitality they had given a bond of peace, and that for three days afterwards, no harm would come to us - apparently it's some kind of tradition from the Middle East.

                Caesar nodded and said, "We have never invited a non-Overlord to our home before. You can see that we have no security here. We trust you and want you to trust us. We Overlords have our own set of customs and laws, and one of those is that the host will never harm, by action or inaction, anyone they invite into their homes. Frankly, it's the only time you CAN trust one of us." Olivia told him that he was the first one she's trusted so far. The rest of us nodded in agreement.

                "So what do you want here in Vegas?" he asked. Olivia explained our 'mission', and told him that we also want to know what's going on at Manzanar. When she said that, I noticed that both of their tails went stiff for a brief moment before they relaxed. Caesar quickly changed the subject, "My 'little ears' tell me that you have something for me." Alfred got up and went to the crate, opened it and brought out the linens. Caesar took them with obvious delight, stroked them and said, "Even soiled and dusty they hold a certain majesty." Olivia gave Alfred a nod and he brought the crate nearer and removed the lid. Both Caesar and Binion went thru it carefully. Caesar recognized each pattern and to whom it had belonged. When they got to the Clinton's pattern, Binion took it from him and said that she wanted that one; from the things she'd read, she thought Hillary was an admirable woman.

                When they'd finished and returned to the table, Caesar asked, "And for this great gift, all you want is Excalibur's slaves and a way to get them back to your home?" I was a little struck by the 'all you want' part of the question and said, "Plus an open invitation and a place to stay here when ever we should return." "But of course", he said. "And an opportunity to investigate the goings on out at Area 51." Olivia said. He asked us if we were aware that research was still going on out there. I said, "We've heard those rumors. What kind of research?" He told us he didn't know, but he too, was curious. That when the Overlords had been 'setting up', McCarran had originally insisted that he wanted domain over prostitution. But then he'd suddenly changed his mind and 'settled' for control over the airport. And to this day, none of the other Overlords were sure what he was getting out of it. All they were sure of was that Excalibur would place an order with McCarran and a day or two later, he would get his slaves. "Some of my own staff have come from there, you know, but even when I compel them to tell me what had gone on out there, all they say is 'It was hot, and there was nothing to do.'"

                Olivia nodded and said, "We've heard about that, too. We would also ask that in return for the gift of the china, that we be given future consideration to buy any more Changeling slaves that may appear." He agreed to that, paused and said, "There is one more thing." (Aha! I thought to myself. The other shoe is about to fall.) He continued, "The time is approaching when Excalibur will be sent down. I want him to die." He sensed our surprise and held up a hand and explained what was going on. "The Excalibur that will go out into the desert is not my friend. My friend will be spirited away before that. I have on my staff a polymorph, which can assume the likeness of anyone I choose. Right now he is posted as one of the men guarding Excalibur. He is keeping Excalibur drugged." (That explains the tail, I thought to myself) "I want you to take my friend, the real Excalibur, away from here, kill him quickly and painlessly, then bury him. My polymorph will assume Excalibur's likeness, go into the desert and when he is at a safe distance he will change appearance and return to the city. If these terms are agreeable to you, I guarantee you the slaves and their transport."

                We looked at him in stunned silence. Finally Olivia spoke up, "But why?" "Because he is too clever, too ambitious. When it was his turn to choose a domain, the most potentially lucrative one left was citizenship. He was trying to expand his territory when your King humiliated him. And afterwards, Excalibur went into a funk, withdrew into himself. And during that period, he experienced what he called his 'Great Insight'; he found a clause in our laws that would allow him to declare a war of conquest - without consulting any of the rest of us."

                Before I could stop my self, I interrupted him, "And where did he want to start?"

                "With New Ectopia. He imagined an army of Mages in his thrall. But we are having enough problems with our current population. Keeping them supplied with food, water and medicine, we have no business adding to our number until we have some solutions. I also have no desire to see the results of war here, in my home. I've seen what Ventura did to Salt Lake City. What we've built here is a type of civilization, a bit rough at some of the edges, but a civilization none the less, and most of us want to preserve that and build upon it."

                He got up and began to pace as he explained how Excalibur managed to get Bellagio and Luxor to see his 'Great Insight' as well. That was why Bellagio was pressing his mate to challenge for the Excalibur domain. He also told us that Bellagio is in cahoots with the Ka Corporation, and that his "film" scheme that he tried to lure us into was actually to give Ka a chance to kill us. "Or capture you. They would really prefer to take you back to LA for public execution. It seems they were less than happy with the way you spoiled one of their undertakings" In exchange for setting us up, Bellagio was going to get access to the stars that are still alive in LA and in the control of Ka. He was then going to use them in his films and TV shows. And he was going to use his mate's domain over citizenship to obtain more and more slaves and cement his alliance with Ka.

                "What's in it for Luxor", I asked. "He wants Excalibur dead. When he asked you to take him someplace to begin again, he never expected you to keep your word. He expected you to be as devious as he is and kill Excalibur as soon as you got the chance."
Olivia asked him, "Do you have any suggestions on how we can get out of this mess?"

                Binion spoke up for the first time. "I am willing to give up control over alcohol, as lucrative as it is, to win Excalibur and keep the peace." Olivia leaned forward, opened her mouth to speak, stopped herself, and looked at me. I had no idea what she was thinking but she looked like she was about to burst. I shrugged at her, what the Hell, what's the worst that could happen, right? Other than being eaten alive by a huge tiger? She leaned forward again and said, very quietly, "What if we were to challenge for Excalibur? Does it have to be an Overlord?"

                The room got completely quiet - the serving staff was trying to melt into the walls. Binion got up, went to a shelf and took down a book, leafed thru it, found what she was looking for and stopped to read. Her tail started to droop, soon it was tucked and her ears had flattened. The room was now as tense as it was quiet. She turned back to Caesar and said, "It's not forbidden". Olivia asked if anybody else knew that. Binion said that all the Overlords have a copy of the book. "You realize that if you had not been made guests in our home, we would never have revealed that?" Caesar said, "Our Law is that if a domain comes open, anyone who can make a claim of conquest and post the entry fee of one million chips must be allowed to battle for the domain."

                Olivia asked what rules (if any) applied to such a battle. They explained, "No weapons are allowed. No Magic, we cannot use mind powers to overpower an opponent, and we can cause no lasting physical damage to each other."

                At the same moment Olivia and I turned to each other and said, "Alfred can take one of 'em in a fight with those rules." and "Alfred would kick her ass in a bare-handed fight." Caesar asked us which one was Alfred. When Alfred gave him an pure "Alfred" wave, Caesar turned to Olivia and said, "I'm glad for the opportunity to ask, I thought all male Drow, were, well, you know……….wimpy" So Olivia explained about the two very different type of male Drow. Caesar looked Alfred up and down, (dare I say like a piece of meat?) and had to agree that if he has any fighting skills at all, he should indeed be able to defeat Sakkara. Then well fell to discussing if, no when, Alfred won, what would we do with the domain? Who would run it? I said, "What about Montrose?"

                Caesar and Binion glared at me, and bared their teeth. "I'm sorry" I said, "Obviously a bad idea." "No, actually, that's not such a bad idea. It's just that he is so…so…" "Irritating." his mate finished for him. "Do you know what name he chose for himself?" When we didn't guess he said, "Here's a clue: as he left Las Vegas his last words were 'I would rather reign in Hell than serve in Heaven'." "Lucifer? His name is Lucifer?" Olivia asked. He nodded and said, "But I doubt he'll accept; he always chaffed at his lack of authority here"

                Olivia said "Connors!" She jumped at her name and said "What?" "You could manage the domain. You have leadership training and you of all people would never start a war."

                She was silent for a few minutes, and when she spoke, what she said certainly wasn't what anyone expected, "Have any of you ever seen the movie 'Battle For The Planet Of The Apes'?" We all had, but not Caesar or Binion. So, she gave a synopsis of the movie (with some help from Alfred) and finished by saying, "Why not make a new domain, Warfare? And make that domain 'Caesar's Conscience'?" "Or" Alfred added, "make the new Domain 'Peace'?"

                Binion turned to Caesar, "Look at the good our sitting down and talking to humans has done. Perhaps we need to be more flexible regarding new things." He agreed and looked at Alfred, "You may fight for the domain of Excalibur." Connors agreed that she would manage it for us if Alfred were willing to fight; he agreed to do it, "in the name of keeping peace"

                Binion told us that there were only going to be two in the arena fighting: Sakkara and herself. She said that she would not actually fight unless it looked like Alfred was going to lose. "I will not let that female win the Excalibur." Olivia asked, "Do you have a domain that handles such things as luxury items? Or tourism? Maybe she could be talked into that instead." They thought about it for a moment then Caesar summoned Armani and asked him to set up a link with Lucifer. He then asked us to follow him to his communications room.

                The room was jammed with sophisticated communications equipment, and on a video-conferencing screen we could see Montrose (or should I call him Lucifer?). He took a look at us and asked, "Caesar, have you invited those people into your home?" Caesar shook his head and said, "Do I detect some sarcasm, Lucifer?" "Sarcasm, Caesar? Me? Perish the thought!" Caesar ignored that and continued, "Lucifer, how would you like a domain, here in Las Vegas?" Montrose seemed taken aback, and a little wary, "You're being awfully free with my name, Caesar. What did you have in mind? Wait, you're not offering me citizenship, are you?"

                "After a most interesting discussion with these people, we have decided to create two new domains: Tourism, for Sakkara, and Peace, for you." Caesar said.
"You haven't convinced me that this is either legitimate or worth my time," said Lucifer.
Caesar asked us to explain, so Connors and Alfred went thru their spiel again, telling him that not only would he have a domain of his own, but also he would be Caesar's Conscience. Now his interest was piqued! "So, you would entrust me with the armory? What's the hook and who is getting Citizenship?" Caesar smiled and said, "Not all contenders have formally declared themselves."

                "What have you gotten yourself into? Now, don't misunderstand me, I have great respect and fondness for those people. But, what have you gotten yourself into……….wait a minute! You're going to let them compete, aren't you? You didn't…you couldn't have…did you tell them about the loophole!?! Oh my dear Caesar, you are going to need me. Bellagio will kill you before he lets a domain go to one of them."

                Connors said, "He's got a good point there, so, umm, maybe we should see about taking care of Bellagio, first." Caesar's tail went straight out, "Threatening the sanctity of an Overlord's person is punishable by death. You need a good, solid, legal reason to call him out." I said, "What about his offering to sell electricity to the Kingdom? Isn't that infringing on another's domain?" He shook his head; "He's skirting the law, but is still on the clean side of it. "Okay then," I said, "what about his proposition to have us bring him someone who make penicillin for him to sell?" Another shake of the head, "As long as he paid Paris his proper tithe, legal." Things got quiet as we all tried to think of something. Lucifer broke in and said that he would prevail on Hizzoner for transportation to get him and the best of his staff to Vegas ASAP. Then he asked which casinos were still unclaimed. What about Excalibur? Olivia said, "We don't really want it. Running a hotel and casino is a little out of the ordinary for us. You could have it as long as we always have rooms at our disposal." He rubbed his hands together and said, "It's a start. I guess I can promise that a penthouse or two will always be available for such good friends." I asked him if our current arrangement in Montrose would still stand. "But of course" he said, "I'll be there for the combat. I'm really going to enjoy this. And I say this with all seriousness: find out what Bellagio is up to. He has skeletons, and not all of them are well hidden. Find something to use against him. He's devious but overreaching, and he's sloppy when it comes to the Law, always has been. Find something and kill him, but make sure you have a legal reason."

                Olivia jumped up and yelled, "That's it! Just today he invited us into his home and offered us hospitality! By your own Law, he cannot do anything to harm us while we are guests in his home! Yet he was plotting to sell us out to Ka and asking us to do something intended to get us killed!." Caesar lowered his head, "Then, by our Law, you may call him out. Go to Las Vegas Hilton and give him some money, $50,000.00 ought to do it, to get his attention. State your case, and then demand Thunderdome." Lucifer actually laughed and said. "Bellagio should be ecstatic, it'll be a ratings bonanza!" He is really living up to his name…

                Caesar ignored him and asked us who would be our champion if we do this. Everyone in the room looked at Olivia and I. Olivia said that she thought the two of us would be the best bet to withstand Bellagio's attempts at dominating us. She looked at me and I said that I thought either of us could probably do it, but the person I would want to put in there would be Dallas. The room was quiet again until Lucifer spoke up.

                "Actually that is a good idea. Having dealt with Mr. Dallas, I can say that he is quite insane. That will give him an advantage against our powers of mind control."

                We all looked at Dallas; he was okay with the idea. Olivia suggested we try a little experiment, and asked Caesar to do his thing and try to enthrall Dallas. He agreed and looked directly at Dallas, I could feel what he was attempting to do. He told Dallas to get up and walk over to him. Dallas flipped him off and said "Hell no!". So that was decided! Caesar turned back to Lucifer and thanked him for his time, and that he would see him soon. Before he switched off, Lucifer said, "I've changed my mind, tell whoever is in the Venetian to pack their bags. The Overlord of Peace will be moving in." The screen went black.

                "Oh, he is going to be insufferable" Caesar said with a big sigh. "Let's go back upstairs and put all of this to paper. And so, an agreement was struck. For the linens and china, we would receive all the slaves currently owned by Excalibur, and transport for any and all who wish to leave Vegas. The slave auction was off and any pre-sales that had been made were null and void, but all other properties would still be auctioned off. We would also receive their support in our claim for Alfred to fight for Excalibur's domain. On the day that Excalibur is to be sent down, Excalibur will be taken into his former hotel, where the polymorph will take his place. Excalibur will be kept drugged enough to last until afternoon. He will be placed into a hotel van, driven to Caesar's Palace where we and an Azrael that Caesar will borrow from McCarran will be waiting on the roof to take Excalibur away. Once we've 'done what needs to be done', the Azrael will return us to Vegas.

                Olivia asked Caesar if there was any kind of ceremony that they would like she and I to perform for Excalibur. He and his mate seemed almost embarrassed. "You will probably find this amusing. But there is some music. 'The Circle of Life', from the Lion King? That song holds a great deal of meaning to our kind." If anyone found it amusing they hid it well. Olivia and I promised that it would be done.

                As we signed the agreement he said, "Congratulations, you are now the owner of all of the slaves and employees of the Excalibur. You may make this public knowledge this evening. But I recommend that you go see Hilton, first. Take care of the Bellagio issue. Then you will be my guests at the Palace. When we moved your belongings, we had rooms made ready for you on the secure, penthouse level. I believe you'll find it quite nice, and clothing optional." Then he got very serious again, "May I please emphasize this just one more time, and then we will never speak of it again: Excalibur has been my friend. His death must be, will be, quick, painless and respectful." He directed that at Olivia and I and we both swore to him, by Crom and Corellon, that it would be so. "So," he said, "I will do my part to see that Hilton orders Bellagio to face your champion in Thunderdome"

                The phone rang, he answered it, "Oh, really?" he hung up and switched the radio on to the station we had listened to last night. The DJ was saying, "So, Brother Philip, what are you and your brethren doing here in Vegas?" "We are coming to town to establish a Mission. To do our humble best to save the lost souls that inhabit your city…." Brother Philip tried to go on but the DJ cut him off, "A mission needs three Juggernauts, including that articulated one that must be 70 feet long? Not to mention all those Hummers you've got with you."

                Olivia said, "70 feet long? That's Uber-Scooby!" Caesar picked up the phone, got the DJ on the phone and made a request "For our incoming Mormon friends" - Adam Ant's 'Goody Two-Shoes'! Armani returned and Caesar told him to make sure we went straight to the Vegas Hilton. He told us to go to the Hard Rock the night before the battle for the Excalibur to register. And in the meantime, not to tell anyone that we were going to do so. Armani escorted us down to Caesar's limo and told us that all the effort to get us here in secret had been worth it, "Just to see Bellagio, himself chasing your Juggernaut down the street."

                At the Hilton, we strolled over to the 'Justice' counter and waited patiently in line. We seemed to be attracting some attention. When it was our turn, the gal who was working the counter asked us why we were there. Olivia very calmly stated that we had a matter that we wished to see taken to Thunderdome. The gal asked what the case was regarding, and again, very calmly Olivia said, "The Kingdom of the Outlands vs. the Overlord of the Bellagio." Everything got very quiet and the gal said, "Excuse me while I ask my superior to step over." "Of course, we understand." I said, giving Olivia a wink. She came back quickly with her boss who asked the same question. This time Olivia said very loudly, "The Kingdom of the Outlands seek justice against the Overlord of the Bellagio, and we seek it in Thunderdome"

                You could have heard a pin drop onto a pile of feathers. But the guy kept his cool, "Of course. Come right this way." He showed us to an elevator that took us up to the penthouse level. "Many more of these trips, and my nose is going to start bleeding." Connors said. We passed a door that said "Private Residence" and entered thru the door marked "Hall Of Ultimate Justice". Inside was an oversized executive desk with a matching chair, no other place to sit. Hilton came in (I noticed his tail was straight out, his ears laid back, I started to nudge Olivia only to have her nudge me), sat down and turned over the hourglass that was on the desk. He looked us over and said, "You have 5 minutes. What?" Olivia stepped forward and explained what Excalibur had done to us and that we wanted justice for his deceit, and that justice had to come in Thunderdome. "Thunderdome? And which one of you will dare to meet an Overlord inside Thunderdome?" Dallas stepped forward and gave name, rank and serial number.

                "Very well." Hilton said, he picked up his phone and called Bellagio. He explained what was going on and told him, "They have accused you of plotting against them after you had offered them hospitality." There was a pause, "Don't you want to know what they want?" another pause. Bellagio said something that angered him, Hilton's ears lay down further and he bared his teeth, "Very well. Thunderdome, tonight." There was another pause, and this time his ears perked up and he smiled as he told Bellagio that his appeal for clemency was denied, that he had just spoken to Caesar and if he did not appear, on time, at Thunderdome, his domain would be held forfeit. Then he smiled even more (still not showing teeth - I guess we know now what a real smile from an Overlord looks like) and said, "Really Bellagio, think of the ratings." With that Hilton hung up. He turned back to us and asked if we had any questions about what would happen. I asked him what the rules said about Dallas taking Magic items inside, and he told us that anything that could pass the search, a physical body search, was allowed. "Perfect." I thought to myself.

                We took the elevator back down to the lobby, and it looked as if no one had moved an inch while we were gone. They were all waiting for us. And as we headed for the doors, people parted to let us thru. Then we heard a TV in the lobby announcing the "Big, special event. Live on Thunderdome tonight. The Overlord of the Bellagio vs. the Champion for the Kingdom of the Outlands" Dallas announced, in his very best, Army Ranger voice, "Yep, that's right. That big Pussy is in some big trouble now." In the car, I gave Dallas my amulet that protects me and told him to put it on. "Is this the thing that brought you back from the dead when the Wendigo killed you?" "No that was these.", and I made him put those beads on as well. Then Olivia took her necklace and showed him how to pull off one of the stones and throw it to create a fireball. Dallas pulled out a pair of spiked brass knuckles and asked Olivia if she could "Do that stuff you do and make these invisible." Olivia happily obliged him.

                At the Excalibur, the same Grey Elf who'd greeted us earlier met us. We showed her the contract from Caesar. She read it. Read it again and asked, "Is this for real?" We assured her that it most certainly was. She led us to the auditorium where the slave auction was going on. She got on the PA system and announced that the bidding was hereby closed that a single buyer had purchased all the slaves, and that the casino would be closing for a short time for a staff meeting. Security started shooing people out while some others started to unshackle the slaves.

                A guy, a big Human, broke away from the security people and charged over to us. He was yelling at us, "This is wrong! Keeping people like this is just wrong. What is wrong with you people? You just purchased almost a thousand people. We came here to free them!" As he got closer we could see he was wearing the Kansas Coalition insignia. I said, "That's why we came here, too." And Olivia said, "Why don't you come to the meeting?" Then another guy, this one an Alpha Drow, wearing the same insignia, came charging up from the other side of the hall. "Who did this? Who's responsible?" He saw Olivia and said, "Well I guess your sexual appetites are even greater than your reputation would imply!" The other Kansas guy told him to be quiet. I told both of them to follow us to the meeting we were going to have.

                They followed us into a show theatre where all the employees and slaves had gathered. Some snacks and beverages were being passed around. Everyone looked distinctly nervous. Olivia and I stepped up on stage and Olivia said, "We are representatives from the Kingdom of the Outlands, in Southwestern Colorado. We have just purchased all of you. Our purpose for doing that was to free you all. You have three choices: One, you can stay here as paid employees. Two, you can let us take you to the Kingdom and you can stay there. Three, you can let us take you to the Kingdom and then go on to anywhere you wish."

                The Human from Kansas jumped up on stage and said, "Or, four, you can come with us. We came here to free you, too! The Kansas Coalition needs people, people who are interested in abundant food, clean water and who are willing to work for it." Then he turned to us and asked if they had our permission to speak with anyone interested. I told them, "These people are free. They can do anything they want. Talk to anyone they want. Go anywhere they want. We've done what we came to do." The Drow, joined us on stage and whispered, "I want to know how the fuck you arranged this." Olivia was about to get in his face, so I said, "Why don't you two join us for a late dinner tonight, at say, the Bellagio?"

                "The Bellagio? But we heard that he…and you…" Olivia cut him off, "Well, after tonight's episode of Thunderdome, that's gonna' change."

                Then we turned back to the task at hand and explained in better detail the choices that we were offering. Then we let the guys from Kansas have their chance. They were offering to grubstake any interested people. They explained that their social structure is pretty simple. They had been a state militia Before and all the laws were the same as they had been. And if the President were still alive, they would be loyal to him.

                "But he is alive" Olivia and I said at the same time. They insisted that they'd seen his dead body. It was shown on one of the very last TV transmissions. We told him that Jesse is alive and well, if a little shorter than before, and that we'd seen him less than a month ago. I told him that we could introduce them to him. In fact, these days, Jesse was hanging out in their neck of the woods. "Yeah, there was a little incident with Cheyenne Mountain." Olivia said, "Some nutcase took it upon himself to turn the place into his very own Moria. So Jesse left in a huff." The Human said, "He must be in Omaha; if NORAD Cheyenne Mountain is disabled, SAC in Omaha would be the only place that would have the necessary communications technology." We had to agree that's where he was there the last time we talked to him.

                "I suppose you're all good friends." The Drow said, very sarcastically. I looked at Olivia, "Well, I don't know if I'd say we were friends, but I'd say he is most definitely in our debt right now." Olivia nodded and said that we'd done him some mighty big favors. I said, "Well, yeah, but let's not forget the huge debt he owes for being brought back to life after he'd been killed in Moria." Olivia shuddered, "Balrogs. I hate those things. You're right, if it weren't for you, he'd be dead." "Me?" I said, "You're the one he owes for that. It was your idea to create the Scroll of Resurrection. You're the one who read it. You're the one who brought him back from the dead."

                Alfred pointedly cleared his throat, and when we looked at him he said, "You might want to get back to the point." That's when Olivia and I noticed that the entire theatre full of people was looking at us as if we were nuts, including the Kansas guys. So Olivia summed up and told the people to meet us back here in two days to let us know their decisions. We had a quick group huddle and asked Dallas if he wanted to eat before the fight, he said that a light meal would be good. The Grey Elf recommended an Italian restaurant and said she would call ahead to have a table ready for us. Then she wished us luck in the Dome tonight and left to join the rest of the newly freed folk. We invited the two gentlemen form Kansas to join us. They were still looking a little pole-axed but agreed. They introduced themselves; the Human is Dean and the Drow is Eric.

                At the restaurant we were greeted like celebrities. The manager announced "Free drinks for the mad man." But we told Dallas he could only have one. But after the fight he could have as many as he could handle. The head chef (a Halfling cleric, who uses his powers to create 'special dishes) came out of the kitchen to present him with a real treat. A large dish of tiramisu, saying that it had taken an hour of conjuring, but it had been worth it, "Sometimes it's good to dare mighty things, whether you succeed or not," he said solemnly. We took the opportunity during dinner, to tell Dean and Eric more about the Kingdom and why we had come to Vegas. Then they told us about their organization.

                We told them that they (or their leadership) should meet with Malcolm. "You can never have too many allies." I said, "You could use one to the west and the Kingdom can use one to the east." I also told them. "All foolishness aside, the President is alive and doing his best to keep order. If you came thru SLC, you saw the damage there. That was his doing. The NDR made the mistake of taking him on, and that's the result." They still seemed skeptical, so Olivia pulled out our radio and called Jesse's senior aide. Made an appointment for Jesse to speak to a potential ally tomorrow. I think they started to believe. Then Olivia told them that if Dallas doesn't win tonight and we're all killed, they should get to the Scooby-Van. We told them where we had hidden the copies of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. "Get them and take them to the Air Force Academy. The people there will make sure that they, and you, get to Jesse." They promised they would do that for us. Then it was time to go; we asked them if they wanted to come watch. "Caesar has tickets waiting for us. I'm sure we can get two more. We're the talk of the town!"

                Thunderdome had been built in the arena at UNLV, the old Sharktank. There was a line wrapped all they way around the building. Our driver took us to the VIP entrance, and as we drove past the line, Dallas popped up out of the sunroof and yelled, "You like me, you really, really like me!" Connors grabbed him around the waist, pulled him back down and ordered him to shut up. The driver wished us luck as we left. Dallas ignored him; he was putting on his game-face. We were shown to our seats, a luxury box near those for the Overlords, and found Michael and Vesta waiting for us. "You've had a busy afternoon." they said when they saw us. Caesar entered with his mate. Both were wearing the full Illusion of Greatness, and they looked twice as big as we know they are.

                Hilton entered next with Bellagio and his mate with him. As they took their seats the announcer came out to announce the first match. "A small appetizer for all you good people. Two drunks in a street brawl." Two men were shoved in and the door slammed shut. One guy looked around, screamed, and ran for the door. His opponent grabbed an axe from one of the wall racks and split his head open. The crowd went crazy.

                While they cleaned up that mess, some vendors started making their rounds. Olivia and I bought some caramel corn. It was fresh, hot, and tasted just as good as I remembered. The 2nd match was two street hookers who'd been picked up after a knife fight over territory. It was a real battle (dare I say a catfight?) that ended when one strangled the other with her own hair. Another break to get the arena ready, and for commercials. Olivia turned to me and said, "You know, a year or so ago this would have been really disturbing. We never would have sat here and watched something like this." I didn't know what to say, except "It's been a long year."

                Hilton led Bellagio down and then summoned Dallas. Bellagio was patted down and I saw Dallas make a strange gesture with his hands, Olivia saw it too. She also saw my puzzled look; "He just put on his brass knuckles. They won't find them in a pat down." She whispered to me. The guy who patted him down said to him, "You might want to lose that jewelry" "Religious devotions." he said. He looked at Hilton, who paused to heighten the suspense. "I'll allow it," he said, and the crowd went wild!

                They were both shown into the arena, the lights came up and the announcer explained Bellagio's crime, and "By Caesar's own order the Overlord of the Bellagio must now stand against the chosen champion for the Kingdom of the Outlands." Hilton cleared his throat and the crowd was instantly silent, "This is the Law. There is no provision in the Law to press charges against an Overlord. This is the only avenue, and now, Justice will prevail. Two will enter, one will leave." He and the announcer left the arena and the door was locked. Dallas and Bellagio turned to face each other. The crowd was still completely quiet.

                Bellagio drew himself up totally straight, sent all his Power at Dallas and said, "Come here." Dallas went blank and walked slowly toward him. "Kneel before me." As Dallas began to kneel I heard Connors gasp behind me. I glanced quickly to Olivia and saw that she was wearing the same evil grin that I imagined on my own face. I whispered (mostly to my self), "Oh, he wouldn't" Olivia heard me and whispered back "Oh yeah, he would."

                Dallas went down on one knee and lowered his head. Bellagio raised an arm to do something. But before he could do anymore than that, Dallas raised his head, looked him right in the eyes and yelled, "Respect my authoritah!" With a fist clad in spiked brass knuckles he punched Bellagio right square in the nads!

                The crowd gasped in unison and started to cheer when Dallas grabbed him by the neck as he fell and proceeded to pummel his face and neck. It was all over very quickly - Bellagio collapsed with blood pouring out of what was left of his throat. Dallas stood, walked to the door and waited for the guard to open it. We started chanting "Dallas! Dallas! Dallas!" Eric and Dean joined in and then the rest of the crowd.

                Caesar stood and the crowd fell silent again, "By our Law, you have prevailed." For some reason, he sounded just like Max Von Sydow! "All that Bellagio held is now yours. All hail Dallas, Overlord of the Bellagio!" The Overlords in their boxes looked most unhappy. Luxor looked particularly uneasy. Olivia gave him a little wave as I blew a kiss to him. He turned and stormed out. I turned to Dean and Eric and said, "Dinner. Our place. Be there!" Eric demanded to know how Dallas had resisted. Olivia explained it as Dallas made his way up to us. When he'd made it, Caesar presented him with Bellagio's Seal, and then he turned and escorted his mate out.

                That's when the 'press' moved in, demanding a statement from Dallas. He looked at the cameras and said that he would continue to collect Bellagio's revenues and that all his people would still have jobs. "And as my first official act, I am ordering my security people to get all those smelly mother truckers" (OK, so that's not what he said. You figure it out.) "from Ka out. If they refuse to leave, execute them in a not-likely- to-stain-the-expensive-carpets-manner. Oh, and to a specific lady in the Guest Services area, and you know who you are, we'll be staying the night as Caesar's guests, would you please join us at the Palace?" Olivia whispered to him, "Slaves?"

                "Oh, yeah. And to all of Bellagio's former slaves, you are now free. I emancipate you. I would like you all to stay on as paid employees, but you are all free to do what you want. Just get those Orcs out of my Hotel!" As we left the building, we passed a group of Overlords gathered around Caesar. I heard him telling them, "This was a case of one of us violating our own Law of Hospitality. We are not dictators, Gods or criminals; we have Laws and that is what makes us civilized. We must always remember that none of us are above the Law."

                At Caesar's Palace, we were shown to our floor and saw that all our things were indeed there. It felt just like home. The party was just getting started when Caesar joined us - no longer looking like Ming the Merciless. He congratulated us and told us to enjoy ourselves; he would want to meet with us again sometime tomorrow, "There are many organizational details that you'll need to take care of." He started to say something else when Sakkara came charging thru the doors. She spotted Dallas, and confronted him; "You do not own me or anything that is mine!" Then she turned her wrath on Caesar, "So what is going to happen to me?" He took her by the arm and led her towards the door saying, "Come with me to my office, I have a proposition to discuss with you."

                The party ended up on the roof, with the pool and hot tubs. Dallas' little green girlfriend showed up and spirited him away. On their way out, Dallas stopped by the hot tub that Olivia, Alfred, Connors, Eric, Dean and I were sharing. He knelt down and removed the necklaces Olivia and I had given him earlier, "I sure do thank you ladies for thinking of me. But it turns out I didn't need these." I held up my two, and with a wink, said, "Are you sure you don't want to keep these? You know, just in case she hurts you?" He grinned at her, then me, and said, "That's okay, I'll take my chances." As she watched him walk away, Connors shook her head, "I thought for sure that Bellagio had done it and I was going to have to watch him die."

                Olivia said, "I never believed it" and I finished for her, "Not for a second!"

                I confess I left the party early. It has been an incredibly long couple of days, and I wanted to get down as much of what happened today as I could. I can't wait to get back to the House so we can report to Malcolm what we've done. "Well, your Majesty, we freed not one hotels worth of slaves, but two. Oh, and by the by, you are now the ipso facto Overlord of two Las Vegas casinos and their domains."

                Oh yeah, I can't wait!

                I wonder if we can get a recording of the fight to show Malcolm?

Continued...