Sunday, 17 July 2016, 08:00am +01:00 from Richard Aiken <xxxxxx@gmail.com>:

That last - about checking back - could be a good way to end the desert drama with a climatic fight. The Bad Guys come back expecting to find dead bodies and instead the resourceful Good Guys are not only alive but quite capable of effective resistance.

Ooh, that's a good thought.  I haven't quite worked out what happens to the Duchess of Regina'a anagathics (being held for ransome)  that they're after, so will chuck that in the swirling pool of thoughts and see if it helps me flesh out a good endpoint.

Cheers

tc