While investigating rumors of an espionage operation on a primitive world, Cernaq must kill a man to save Metcalfe’s life. When his telepathic mind absorbs the killer’s personality, however, Cernaq becomes a danger to everyone around him. To save him, his friends must undergo a risky procedure, linking their minds to his.

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Listen to the free podcast: Part One | Part Two | Part Three

This episode has also been novelized and is available in multiple formats, including iBooks, Nook and Kindle. Details here.

Here was the first show to carry the Arbiter Chronicles title (at least in live performance), and for which Scott Farquhar, as composer, really got to show off his skills at creating, musically, the other-worldly atmosphere inside Cernaq’s brain. It’s one of our most popular episodes, and it won the Mark Time Silver Award in 2004. It was actually the first episode we studio recorded, because I thought it was the strongest. We had a blast putting it together, especially the hour or so spent with everyone doing the big “villain rant” at the end in different voices. It was performed live at Balticon in 2001.

CAST:

Announcer – Paul Balze
Atal – Dave Keefer
Carson – Scott Farquhar
Cernaq – Renfield
Metcalfe – Steven H. Wilson
Kaya – Beatrice Kondo
Aer’La – June Swords
Faulkner – Cindy Shockey
Lydia – Cindy Woods
Webley – Andrew Bergstrom
Rhodey – Paul Balze
Danvard – Paul Balze
Mors – John Weber
Teacher – Andrew Bergstrom
Pallas – Renee Wilson
Demej – Cindy Woods

Directed by Steven H. Wilson & Scott D. Farquhar
Editing: Scott D. Farquhar
Music: Scott D. Farquhar