I. OVERTURE ------------------------------------------------------------- "I lie awake, staring out at the bleakness of Megadon. City and sky become one, merging into a single plane, a vast sea...

ake, staring out at the bleakness of Megadon. City and sky become one, merging into a single plane, a vast sea of unbroken grey. The Twin Moons, just two pale orbs as they trace their way across the steely sky. I used to think I had a pretty good life here, just plugging into my machine for the day, then watching Templevision or reading a Temple Paper in the evening. ...cer here than under the atmospheric domes of the Outer Planets. We have had peace since 2062, when the surviving planets were banded together under the Red Star of the Solar Federation. The less fortunate gave..."And the meek shall inherit the earth." ...II. THE TEMPLES OF SYRINX ...... "The massive grey walls of the Temples rise from the heart of every Federation city. I have always been awed by them, to think that every single facet of every life is regulated and directed from within! Our books, our music, our work and play are all looked after by the benevolent wisdom of the priests..." ...We've taken care of everything ...The words you hear the songs you sing ...The pictures that give ...We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx ...reat computers fill the hallowed halls. ...We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx ...All the gifts of life are held withi...Come and join the Brotherhood of Man ...Let the banners be unfurled...Hold the Red Star proudly hi...We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx ...reat computers fill the hallowed halls. ...We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx ...All the gifts of life are held withi...loved waterfall, in the little room that was hidden beneath the cave, I found it. I brushed away the dust of the years, and picked i...y my fingers across the wires, and to turn the keys to make them sound differently. As I struck the wires with my other hand, I produced my first harmonious sounds, and soon my own music! How different it could be from the music of the Temples! I can't wait to tell the priests about it! ....The people will all see...The Priests praise my n...... "In the sudden silence as I finished playing, I looked up to a circle of grim, expressionless faces. Father Brown rose to his feet, and his somnolent voice echoed throughout the silent Temple Hall....... "Instead of the grateful joy that I expected, they were words of quiet rejection! Instead of praise, sullen dism...The Priests: ...It's just a waste of time ...The world is doing fine...The elder race of man ...It doesn't fit the plan. ...The Priests: ...Just think about the average ...The elder race of man ...It doesn't fit the plan. ...V. ORACLE: THE DREAM .... Clearly yet I see the beckoning hand of the oracle as he stood at the summit of the staircase" ... ...... "I see still the incredible beauty of the sculptured cities and the pure spirit of man revealed in the lives and works of this world. I was overwhelmed by both wonder and understanding as I saw a completely different way to life, a way that had been crushed by the Federation long ago. I saw now how meaningless life had become with the loss of all these things .....andered home though the silent streets ...pe to realms beyond the night ...m can't you show me the light? ...I see the works of gifted hands ...I see the hand of man arise ...They left the planet long ago ...The elder race still le...To claim the home where they bel...Home, to tear the Temples down... ...espair. I have only the music of the waterfall to comfort me now. I can no longer live under the control of the Federation, but there is no other place to go. My last hope is that with my death I may pass into the world of my dream, and know ...The sleep is still in m...The dream is still in m...Just think of what my life might ... spirits are low in the depths of despair ...TENTION ALL PLANETS OF THE SOLAR FEDERATION ...TENTION ALL PLANETS OF THE SOLAR FEDERATION ...TENTION ALL PLANETS OF THE SOLAR FEDERATION