Captain Bazeel, a Nohbakim prince, sails on his sand-trireme across the Sea of Sand in the Himaat Desert. Bazeel is a mutant, like all other Nohbakim, a seemingly random mish-mash of the various races of Sinai – Half of his body resembles a red crocodile, while the other half resembles a bright green fox. He is assisted by Kinshasa – a three-headed chimera with equal parts Cervani, Savanite and Naga.

Bazeel's sand-trireme, the Mirage, travels toward the Nohbakim city of Noh, carrying Rainbow Water and other wares for trade. During the trip, a Kooshkie sled piloted by an unknown Nohbakim approaches. Bazeel has his crew fire warning shots, but the sled still doggedly bears toward the trireme, trying to get under it. A sandurchin shot takes out the sled and its driver. Bazeel, upset by having killed the driver rather than merely scaring it away, orders the ship turned about to investigate.

The driver and his kooshkie team are dead, and two bags of razorworms are found in the stranger's possession. Alas, the razorworms are let out of the bag, and go after the sandshoes of Bazeel and his party … and after the nearby sandship. Bazeel has his crew move on, assigning a "bumblecat" (apparent Zelak/Tiger-Khatta cross) to poison the razorworms with the Rainbow Water. Bazeel dumps several razorworms into Rainbow Water, killing them instantly, then munches on the flavored worms, and pondering whether they might sell as a delicacy in Noh.