nature of the mutes' fear becomes apparent when a brutish man springs from around the corner and viciously clubs Lowry unconscious. Koenig and Bergman have hiked miles down their corridor without seeing a soul. They are suddenly blinded by the light of hand-torches, held by two Darians fully encased in silver radiation suits. As Koenig and Bergman lower their weapons, the Darians raise their own and gun down the two Alphans. During this, Morrow and Carter encounter increasing damage as they proceed. Eventually, the corridor is completely obstructed, forcing them to turn back. Returning to the airlock, they find the area deserted...until discovering the terrified male mute hiding in the Eagle. Finding the open hatch of the third corridor, the Alphan men convince the dwarf to show them where the others went. Up ahead, a tribe of savages drag Helena, Lowry and the female mute to their camp, a settlement on the edge of a vast, overgrown arboretum. These Darians resemble futuristic cave-people—filthy, with unkempt hair and rotten teeth, wearing garments of homespun mixed with synthetic fabrics and adorned with accessories fashioned from technological items. There are no elderly or infirm members in the group. The brutish man is their chief, Hadin, who orders the prisoners secured in what was once a laboratory module. In another area of the ship, Koenig awakens in a tastefully appointed rest chamber to find himself under the scrutiny of a strikingly beautiful woman. She apologises for the assault, but Koenig and Bergman were intruding. Introducing herself as Kara, the vessel's Director of Reconstruction, she tells him the plight of her people. The distress signal was triggered 900 years ago, when all but one of their nuclear reactors exploded. Most of the vessel was heavily damaged. Thousands survived the explosions, but fell victim to the radiation. Out of 50,000 Darians, only the fourteen in the command area were shielded from the catastrophe. As Koenig boggles over the magnitude of the disaster, Kara states this chance encounter could be vital to their survival. In the settlement, the prisoners are brought before a shrine, dominated by a wall-painting of a male god. The tribe, who call themselves 'The Survivors', gathers in a circle and Hadin thrusts the female mute into the centre. There, the high priest benevolently examines her—then proclaims, 'Mutant!' The pitiful wretch is dragged to a cubicle recessed in the wall and sealed in by