The waters of Vergeslant, the word for Forgetful World in the native tongue, were
sparklingly pure, and kept free of bacteria by an odd alkaloid. However, the beach sands
by the ocean contained another alkaloid, which was dissolved into the stream waters as
they reached the sea. These compounds combined to form a powerful binary poison. The
oceans of Vergeslant were wondrously beautiful, but completely sterile. The natives did
not know of the outside world, or of the Blood Royale, bred to rule. They marveled at the
woman’s daring as she walked the very edge of the beach next to the sea waters, for to
touch it was certain death, and wondered at her luck that the waves seemed to bend
around her so that even her boots didn’t touch the water. But it was when she stooped
and drank deeply of the ocean from her cupped hands that they were prepared to worship
her.
It was her duty to be the fairest ruler she could. Even if the planet was primitive,
members of the Blood Royale were bred to be just rulers. To become a just ruler, Lady
Fayeth first had to observe the culture to understand the best steps in becoming a great
ruler.
Inside she knew there was no chance of rescue. She had made a blind hyperjump -
she could be millions of light-years away from any advanced civilization. Her ship was
badly damaged and the primitive world lacked the equipment to even begin to repair her
craft. It seemed that fate had handed her the Forgetful World, as primitive as it might
be.
In most aspects the natives were simple. The culture relied on simple hunting and
gathering techniques. The planet’s habitat provided a variety of game and vegetation to
sustain the people. There was no feasible way to know if there were other civilizations
existing on the planet. It seemed that the small group of natives were the only sentient
beings within miles, but there was no way to be sure.