[Tayrey doesn't know if the Skeksis are responsible for the heat. If this were a naturally habitable planet, she'd disbelieve it entirely, but she knows all about terraforming and climate control, and who's to say that bubble universes don't have their own equivalents? It's certainly possible.

Of course, she takes this as a very good reason not to let it affect her at all. That would just be letting them win! So no matter how hot and uncomfortable she's getting, she doesn't complain to anyone. Her only basis for comparison is the time she spent two weeks on a raft on the open sea with a man named Peter Smith. It became absolutely miserable, and every exposed inch of skin got burned - but the two of them had held up alright, not really having any other choice. She does not have good associations with the heat. Give her an ice planet any day!

Nonetheless, she's determined not to show any weakness. Find her on her regular area patrols, wearing her regular uniform despite how unsuited to the weather it is. Her one concession is carrying water with her. That should be enough to hold off heatstroke, right? She'll be fine.]

[That Ari Tayrey is a very cautious young woman in some respects is very evident in her behavior when a hole opens in the wall. She does not go through. She waits for the more eager members of the community to do so, and to report back. It's several days before she even thinks about what she wants to do - and her answer is of course the rational one. Make money.

Not, however, at the expense of her dignity. The idea of being forcibly dressed in a skimpy outfit is truly abhorrent to her. It's true that she enjoys swimming, and that she's worn a fairly modest swimsuit before, when she's felt comfortable to do so. Not having the choice, though? That's a flashing double red warning light.

She's nothing if not resourceful, though. Just leaning through the hole doesn't do any harm. Others only seem to go through the transformation when they step on the sand. So here's young Lieutenant Tayrey, laying down planks of wood to get across the beach without touching anything. Stand on one, lay the other in front, move forward, and repeat. This gets her over into the shade of the forest, where she can begin looking for those valuable little beetles - uniform and dignity intact!]

It worked! Have you found many beetles yet?