The Rocket’s Deadly Gambit: A Genocide Revealed
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Sarah and the mutos find themselves captive within the Thal dome, prompting Sarah to question their purpose, which Sevrin speculates is forced labor.
A Kaled prisoner reveals the Thals are building a rocket packed with distronic explosive, intended to wipe out the Kaled people, shifting the mood into a horrified understanding of their situation.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Cautiously conflicted, oscillating between resignation and moral unease. His surface indifference masks a deep ambivalence about the Thals' weapon, the war, and his own complicity in the labor that fuels it.
Sevrin, a Muto slave laborer, stands beside Sarah, his initial caution about their captivity giving way to ambivalence as the Kaled prisoner describes the Thals' genocidal rocket. He listens intently, his deformed features tightening as the Kaled warns of the distronic toxaemia’s lethal effects. Sevrin’s dialogue—‘Perhaps we should be happy to welcome such a weapon if it ends a thousand years of war’—reveals his conflicted moral stance, torn between the suffering of his own people and the prospect of an end to the endless war. As the toxic scale monitor climbs, he remains physically present but emotionally withdrawn, his goals unclear even to himself.
- • Understand the full implications of the Thals' genocidal plan and its impact on the Mutos.
- • Avoid direct confrontation with the Thals while searching for a way to survive the toxic exposure.
- • The war between the Thals and Kaleds has caused unimaginable suffering for all involved, including the Mutos.
- • Even a weapon that could end the war is morally reprehensible if it relies on such cruelty and genocide.
Desperate yet defiant, his fear tempered by a steely resolve to ensure the Thals’ plan is not carried out without a fight. His surface urgency masks a deeper grief for his people and a quiet rage at their oppressors.
The captured Kaled prisoner, his uniform tattered and his face gaunt with exhaustion, stands among the mutos and Sarah, his voice raw with desperation as he reveals the Thals' genocidal plan. He describes the unshielded distronic explosives, the rocket’s purpose, and the certain death awaiting the slaves from radiation poisoning—‘After a few hours exposure, we’ll all be dead’—his urgency cutting through the slaves’ fatigue. His dialogue is a mix of warning, defiance, and dark humor, as he challenges Sevrin’s ambivalence about the weapon’s morality. Physically, he moves with the weariness of a man who has already accepted his fate but refuses to let others perish passively.
- • Ensure Sarah and the mutos understand the full horror of the Thals' genocidal weapon and the immediate danger of the toxic exposure.
- • Inspire the slaves to resist or sabotage the Thals' plan, even if it means certain death.
- • The Thals' weapon is an abomination that must be stopped, regardless of the cost.
- • Even in captivity, a Kaled’s duty is to protect his people and defy their enemies.
Indifferent and detached, his focus solely on ensuring the slaves continue their labor. His surface calm masks a deep commitment to the Thals' cause, unshaken by the slaves' suffering or the moral weight of their task.
The Thal Guard (1st) stands over the group of mutos and Sarah, his protective suit rendering him impervious to the distronic toxaemia that poisons the slaves. He drives the electric buggy carrying the box of unshielded cylinders, supervising as the mutos and Sarah handle the lethal cargo. His presence is authoritative and indifferent; he does not speak, but his actions—herding the slaves back to their task as the toxic scale monitor climbs—speak volumes. He is the embodiment of the Thals' ruthless efficiency, a silent enforcer of their genocidal will.
- • Ensure the distronic explosives are loaded into the rocket without delay or interference.
- • Maintain control over the slaves, preventing escape or rebellion.
- • The ends justify the means; the Thals' victory is worth any cost, including the lives of slaves.
- • The Kaleds deserve annihilation for their crimes against the Thal people.
Shifting from bewildered confusion to horrified clarity, then hardening into resolute defiance. Her surface calm masks a growing sense of urgency and moral outrage, tempered by the immediate physical threat of radiation poisoning.
Sarah Jane Smith stands among the enslaved mutos in the Thal Dome, her confusion giving way to horrified realization as the Kaled prisoner reveals the genocidal purpose of their labor. She physically handles a distronic explosive cylinder, her skin prickling as the toxic scale monitor lurches toward lethal levels. Her initial questions about their forced labor evolve into a quiet, determined resolve, her voice steadying as she acknowledges the urgency of their situation—‘We'd better think of something, hadn't we’—and later asserts her defiance—‘All right, don't push’—as the Thal guards force the slaves back to their deadly task.
- • Understand the true nature of the Thals' genocidal plan and the immediate danger it poses to the slaves.
- • Find a way to sabotage or escape the Thal Dome before the toxic exposure kills them or the rocket is launched.
- • The Thals' actions are not just oppressive but genocidal, and must be stopped if possible.
- • Survival is not enough—she must act to prevent further harm, even at personal risk.
Neutral and focused, his emotions subsumed by his duty to the Thals. He shows no signs of empathy or hesitation, treating the slaves as expendable labor.
The Thal Guard (2nd) hustles the mutos out of the dome during the rest period, his movements brisk and efficient. He later leads the slaves back to the base of the rocket, ensuring they resume their labor without delay. His role is logistical, his presence a reminder of the Thals' unrelenting control. He does not engage in dialogue, but his actions—directing the slaves with gestures and ensuring the toxic scale monitor is monitored—speak to his role as a cog in the Thals' war machine.
- • Ensure the slaves adhere to the Thals' schedule for loading the distronic explosives.
- • Prevent any disruptions or delays in the rocket's preparation.
- • The Thals' war effort is just and necessary, and the slaves' lives are a small price to pay for victory.
- • Discipline and obedience are the keys to success in the Thals' military machine.
Exhausted and fearful, their emotions a mix of resignation and quiet desperation. They move mechanically, their bodies betraying the toll of the toxic exposure, but their eyes flicker with a faint hope as the Kaled prisoner speaks of resistance.
The group of Mutos, their deformed bodies hunched with exhaustion, stand alongside Sarah and the Kaled prisoner as they handle the distronic explosive cylinders. Their movements are slow and labored, their skin prickling as the toxic scale monitor climbs toward lethal levels. They react with physical fatigue and implied fear, their silence speaking volumes about their acceptance of their fate. One Muto, off-screen, had earlier alerted the group to the approaching Thal patrol, but here, they are passive, their energy drained by the toxic exposure and the hopelessness of their situation.
- • Survive the toxic exposure long enough to find a way out of the Thal Dome.
- • Avoid drawing the attention of the Thal guards, who would not hesitate to execute them for slowing the work.
- • The Thals are their oppressors, and resistance is futile—but the Kaled prisoner’s words plant a seed of doubt.
- • Their lives are expendable to the Thals, but perhaps there is a way to fight back before it is too late.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Thal Guard's Electric Buggy is driven into the Thal Dome by the Thal Guard (1st), its humming motor a stark contrast to the slaves' labored breathing. The buggy tows a box containing sixteen unshielded distronic explosive cylinders, the lethal cargo that the mutos, Sarah, and the Kaled prisoner are forced to handle. As the buggy arrives, the toxic scale monitor lurches toward 'Toxic Level,' the cylinders' radiation seeping into the air with every movement. The buggy is not just a transport vehicle but a symbol of the Thals' ruthless efficiency, delivering death in increments to the slaves who load it.
The Box of Distronic Explosive Cylinders is unloaded from the electric buggy by the Thal Guard (1st) and distributed among the mutos, Sarah, and the Kaled prisoner. The cylinders are unshielded, their distronic toxaemia immediately affecting the slaves as they handle them. The box itself is a grim reminder of the Thals' genocidal intent: each cylinder is a step closer to the annihilation of the Kaled race and the certain death of the slaves loading them. The Kaled prisoner’s warning—*‘After a few hours exposure, we’ll all be dead’*—hangs in the air as the slaves take their cylinders, the toxic scale monitor climbing inexorably toward lethal levels.
The Thal Dome Toxic Scale Monitor is a wall-mounted device that tracks the rising levels of distronic toxaemia in the air. As the mutos, Sarah, and the Kaled prisoner handle the unshielded cylinders, the monitor’s marker slides from 'Safe' toward 'Toxic Level' with alarming speed. The device is a cold, clinical counterpoint to the slaves' suffering, its mechanical precision a stark reminder of the Thals' indifference to their fate. When Sarah lifts her cylinder, the marker hits lethal levels, the monitor beeping ominously as the slaves realize the immediacy of their danger. It is both a warning and a countdown, ticking toward their inevitable deaths.
The Thals' Rocket looms in the background of the Thal Dome, its nose cone being packed with the unshielded distronic explosives by the slaves. The rocket is the physical manifestation of the Thals' genocidal ambition, a weapon designed to wipe out the Kaled race in a single, apocalyptic strike. As the slaves load the cylinders, the toxic scale monitor climbs, the rocket’s completion drawing nearer with each cylinder placed. The Kaled prisoner’s warning—*‘My race, the whole of the Kaled people, will be wiped out in seconds’*—gives the rocket a monstrous, almost sentient presence, as if it is hungry for the destruction it will unleash. The slaves' labor is not just forced; it is complicit in their own doom and the doom of an entire people.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Thal Dome is a claustrophobic, radiation-saturated chamber where the slaves—mutos, Sarah, and the Kaled prisoner—are forced to load the unshielded distronic explosives into the rocket. The dome’s dim lights cast long shadows over the massive rocket silo, the air thick with the hum of machinery and the slaves' labored breathing. The toxic scale monitor on the wall tracks the rising levels of distronic toxaemia, its marker sliding toward 'Toxic Level' as the slaves handle the cylinders. The dome is not just a labor site but a death trap, its very atmosphere designed to poison the slaves as they fuel the Thals' genocidal war machine. The Kaled prisoner’s revelation of the rocket’s purpose transforms the dome from a place of forced labor into a chamber of existential dread, where every breath brings the slaves closer to death.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Thals are the ruling faction on Skaro, and their presence in the Thal Dome is felt through the actions of their guards, the design of the genocidal rocket, and the forced labor of the slaves. The Thals' genocidal plan is the driving force behind the event, as the Kaled prisoner reveals the true purpose of the rocket: the annihilation of the Kaled race in a single, apocalyptic strike. The Thals' indifference to the slaves' suffering is evident in the unshielded distronic explosives, which poison the mutos, Sarah, and the Kaled prisoner as they load the rocket. The Thal guards' protective suits and the toxic scale monitor’s relentless climb toward 'Toxic Level' are symbols of the Thals' ruthless efficiency and their willingness to sacrifice their own slaves in pursuit of victory. The organization’s power dynamics are clear: the Thals exercise absolute authority over the slaves, who are expendable cogs in their war machine.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Sarah's initial capture and forced labor (beat_66935dc9dfdbeb79) directly leads to her discovery of the Thal's plan with the Kaled prisoner (beat_183c14d9ef1bd2e5), linking her personal experience to a larger plot element."
"Sarah's realization that they must escape (beat_548aa5a5afb6e96c) directly motivates her to urge the slaves to take immediate action and propose an escape (beat_77fc942735992cee)."
"Sarah's realization that they must escape (beat_548aa5a5afb6e96c) directly motivates her to urge the slaves to take immediate action and propose an escape (beat_77fc942735992cee)."
Key Dialogue
"SEVRIN: *‘We're inside the Thal dome. We should be lucky to be alive. The Thals normally kill on sight.’*"
"KALED: *‘The Thals have built a rocket. They've used up all their manpower and resources. They're gambling that it's going to bring them victory in one blow. And if they can make the launch successfully, I don't see how they're going to fail. My race, the whole of the Kaled people, will be wiped out in seconds.’*"
"KALED: *‘To reduce weight, they're using no protective shielding. Every load we carry exposes us to distronic toxaemia. After a few hours exposure, we'll all be dead.’*"
"SARAH: *‘We'd better think of something, hadn't we.’*"