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You lead the convoy along the split and cratered surface of State Highway 571, across a wasteland of bleached hills and scorched scrub. In the distance you see mountains—the twin summits of Caddo Peaks and the craggy outline of Spring Mesa—standing sharp and clear against the backdrop of a cloudless sky. By mid-afternoon the temperature has climbed to 110° Fahrenheit, and the combined effects of the heat and poor road surface begin to take their toll. Two miles inside Comanche County, the tanker is forced to halt with an overheated engine. Luckily, the breakdown occurs within sight of the Sabana River, now little more than a torpid stream, and enough water is soon collected to enable the tanker to continue. (If you wish, you can refill your Water Canteen at the river at the cost of one Medi-kit unit.)
Gradually the road turns westwards and climbs towards high plains country. Then, as you approach the outskirts of a town called Rising Star, Cutter signals to you to stop. ‘We’ve got six people down with heat exhaustion, and four more on the brink,’ he says, his face awash with sweat. ‘We’ve got to get ’em out of this travelling oven and let ’em rest awhile in the shade.’
You suggest that the convoy waits in Rising Star while you go on ahead to make sure that Cross Plains is safe to enter. By the time you have checked it out and returned, the worst of the afternoon heat will have passed and the colony will be in better shape to continue. Before you leave for Cross Plains you must take a drink or lose 3 ENDURANCE points. Unless you possess a tub of Salt, you must reduce your current ENDURANCE total by 4 points, due to excessive salt loss.
