It was the Aurora Constellation, the harbinger of Mano’s dreaded Prophecy.

The android scooped up all twelve coins from the apron with one sweep of her silver hand. As before, the blue grid and would-be stars tumbled to the tabletop and disappeared. With an almost stately air, the android proffered the coins now neatly stacked in her outstretched hand.

Everson considered the coins with a mixture of surprise and unexpected gratitude. Having been born into royalty, it was not the money that impressed him, but the act of unsolicited generosity. It was a virtue he often associated with his mother.

“Thank you,” he murmured as he took the money, slipping it into his satchel. Before the tinkling of coins stopped, the door to a third chamber scraped upward with an ominous groan. The android gestured politely in that direction. Everson nodded and moved toward the opening—only to be stopped by a double tap on the tabletop. He turned to find his silver hostess gathering the apron and presenting it to him with a courteous bow.

“Of course. How could I forget?” Everson smiled. Apron in hand, he passed into the third chamber.

Once in the room, the door slid shut. This time, Everson wasn’t surprised. This chamber was even smaller than the previous two and was devoid of any additional accoutrement, neither pedestal nor table. Its only feature was a large inscrutable black box the size of an armoire that sat against the far wall. Its façade was covered with many tiny lights that blinked drowsily. Various luminous displays undulated with indecipherable meaning. Everson was immediately reminded of the command centers he had toured upon entering the military. This most certainly was the brain behind the old Department for Military Research.

He approached the blinking box, positive that the apron would prompt some sort of response. He spread it neatly before the device and stepped back to wait. There was nothing at first, but Everson had learned that nothing in this perplexing place was an indication of things to come. His patience was rewarded, quite literally.

A slot opened in the black box, and the machine began to rapidly spit out gold coins in great number. They piled up in a gleaming heap at the base of the box. Even though he was not entirely conversant with the currency of Mano, Everson knew that this was a small fortune. He moved forward to collect the prize and stepped directly onto the apron.

The moment his boot made contact with the cloth, the neon blue grid shot upward. It collapsed onto him like a net, instantly encasing him. Everson’s eyes widened and his heart began to pound as the lights on the machine began to blink excitedly and the displays flashed an incomprehensible, dizzying array of data. The machine began to shudder and hum like a troop transport preparing for takeoff.