| abstract | - Hidden away in the shadows of a large cliff, near the top of a mesa rising from the desert floor, is the village of Mesa Verde. It is the home of the Ciphers, a.k.a. the Painted People, thanks to their extensive use of body paint. They're one of the smallest tribes in the area, but their hard-to-reach village on the mesa enables them to hold out against superior numbers of aggressors. The Ciphers are unusual tribals because they're skilled in mathematics and electronics, as illustrated by the extensive schematics on the walls of their village. They don't realize it, but they have the schematic for a chip necessary to release the remaining rocket at Bloomfield from its docking clamps. If the clamps aren't released, the rocket goes nowhere and will most likely explode on the launchpad.
|
