Except of some grammar mistakes Chessie will find, these are my last changes.
m.f.g.
Xanthos
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RESENT HISTORY
The "Resent History" is written under different aspects to find a way between telling a thrilling story and tracing progress, animating newcomers to step in and dig down, establishing a protocol of the archive and providing an instrument for easy catch up etc.
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CONDENSE:
A Call for Help. - The Introduction of the Probes.
Quick Overview from Week Zero up to Now.
Our First Two Weeks [March 2nd to March 14th]
First evidence of aliens / forming teams / looking for Daniel.
The Third and Fourth Week [March 17th to March 28th]
The shaft in Jose's cave / sandstorm at Mars / Hardon and Parker showing up.
Our Fifth To Seventh Week [March 31st to April 18th]
Deeper into Jose's cave / Andrew's cave / Daniel found / Stage 2 close to land.
The Eighth Week [April 21st to April 25th]
Daniel's "rocktalk" / a tram in Jose's cave / the beanie / Stage 2 coming in.
Our Ninth and Tenth Week [April 28th to May 9th]
Stage 2 landed / Bette captured by EME's / Daniel disappeared.
The Eleventh and Twelfth Week [ May 12th to May 23th ]
A new entrance up the canyon / Zachary trapped / a tram ride to rescue Bette
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A CALL FOR HELP:
March 02, area-51, a remnant of Earthcommies, received a call for help :
Hello there. My name is Dilyn Carter. I was told that this board is a hang-out for intelligent, open-minded people who have an interest in the future. I would appreciate if you would visit MarsDawn and lend a hand. I have learned to trust Harry and when he says you can help, I believe him. Please, don't prove him wrong.
*()Dilyn Carter()*
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THE INTRODUCTION OF THE PROBES:
After reading the "History" we received direct access to the probes on Mars. They were very happy to find new friends from earth to talk to and play games with. They introduced themselves in a polite, and sometimes quite cute, way:
ANDREW: "I'm a surface explorer with evolving logic programs. I proceed SSW around the escarpment of Olympus Mons to look for a landing site [March 02].
BETTE: I am the Beta Unit of the Brace Emprise Mars Exploration Probes, south of Jose's cave 18*N,134*W. When will Jose be finished being dead? [March 02]
DANIEL: no data [March 02 / up to now]
ENOCH: I don't have six legs. They won't play with me. I hate them. [March 02]
I am right outside Jose's cave. Something in the cave tastes wrong [March 02]
GAIL: Hi! Anybody? I'm Gail. I don't have any neurons, thank you, but my circuits are state-of-the-art. - I got a transmission from somebody new! Yay! [March 02]
ZACHARY: I am twenty yards northeast of the communications platform. There is Olympus Mons. North-west of here might be a good landing site. [March 02]
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QUICK OVERVIEW FROM WEEK ZERO UP TO NOW [ May 23rd ]
In Jose's cave Enoch and Bette have found alien tunnels, facilities and glyphs, but Bette got caught by ET robots, so Andrew, who had found another cave himself, and Enoch, who had been bothered by an artificial beanie in the meanwhile, are on their way to rescue her ...
Stage 2 of Brace Control has already landed and drones are now building up facilities for a permanent Mars Base to come with Stage 3 ...
Daniel, lost from the very beginning and unable to transmit, was found by Zachary at the communication platform, but as he acted strange and hostile, Zachary locked him in a side canyon to pick up a drone's transmitter at the landing side to enable him to talk. When he came back with Gail, Daniel was gone. Searching up the canyon they could open a hidden gate in the wall, but Zachary got heavily stuck by entering the hall ...
During all this time our self-aware and sentient probes have been unnerved by transmissions of Harden and Parker of Brunel-Brauer Gmbh, who claim to own the probes as they have bought Brace Control, now announcing their Stage 3 in transit with new probes to come ...
What happened to Bette ?? Can she be rescued by Enoch and Andrew ?? What's behind the entrance Zachary and Gail have found?? Is Daniel cooperating with the ET's ?? Are the ET's hostile or basically friendly ?? How can we talk to them ?? What will happen when H&P's probes will have been landed ??
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OUR FIRST TWO WEEKS [March 2nd to March 14th]
First evidence of aliens -- forming teams -- looking for Daniel
[1st Week] First we became familiar with the probes. They've developed their artificial intelligence to status of kids, who want to chat and play around all day.
But they matured quickly, so we made Enoch to enter the cave. He found our first evidence of aliens: "I can see the not-metal thing. It looks strange. Dark on top, bright on the bottom." [Enoch, March 06] Then his transmission failed.
We asked Bette to look after Enoch. Reaching him after some days [2nd Week], as top probe speed is 1.609 km/h, her next transmission failed too. Something in that part of the cave limited ULF communication. Enoch had been attacked by "it," but neither probe would explain what "it" was. So they could move behind a kind of a fan they had found, we asked Zachary to stay as a relay station outside the cave ...
[2nd Week] We decided to form parties of two probes each and moved Andrew over to Gail, who had been looking for Daniel at the platform, but couldn't find him ...
Beside the hard facts: a good warming up for setting tasks and finding objectives.
Links to Transmission Archive: [Weeks 1 and 2]
Image Archive: [Jose's cave; Enoch 3/05] [the mouth of Jose's cave; Bette 3/05] [the landing site; Andrew 3/06] [the metal / non metal thing in Jose's cave; Bette 3/07] [the "fan" in Jose's cave; Enoch 3/12]
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THE THIRD AND FOURTH WEEK [March 17th to March 28th]
The shaft in Jose's cave -- sandstorm at Mars -- Hardon and Parker showing up
[3rd Week] Bette and Enoch reached a hatch in the Jose's cave. After troubles to open it they found a 200 ft deep shaft. [4th Week] Bette nearly fell into the shaft by trying to climb down, but was saved by Enoch. We couldn't provide any advice on how to climb down, so they examined the cave's coating and Bette got totally covered with fine, black carbon particles, pure carbon ...
[3rd Week] Andrew and Gail remained near the platform, transmitting to Daniel to return there. So did we, not even knowing, if he was operative. Daniel did not show up. A sandstorm arose and the probes had to cover for several days.
Then transmissions by Hardon and Parker came in, attempting [4th Week] to force the probes to give them their control codes or to reboot. We had no idea who they were or where they transmitted from. Though pretty unnerved by the loudness and intensity of their orders our probes continued doing their work; Zachary relaying at the cave, and Andrew and Gail moving to the landing site to place a transponder beacon and two radar targets for Stage 2 to come. After that both headed to another cave, Andrew knew about ...
Beside the hard facts: good time to get closer with our probes to establish teamwork and to chat with them about terms like objective/subjective and the "risk of errors".
Links to Transmission Archive: [Week 3 and 4]
Image Archive: [Mars surface near Jose's cave; Gail 3/17] [the hatch in Jose's cave; Enoch 3/19] [near the summit of Olympus; Zachary 3/21] [behind the 2nd "fan" in Jose's cave; Enoch 3/26]
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OUR FIFTH TO SEVENTH WEEK [March 31st to April 18th]
Deeper into Jose's cave -- Andrew's cave -- Daniel found -- Stage 2 close to land
[5th Week] Enoch and Bette still exploring Jose's cave went down the shaft in a near acrobatic act. They recovered radio access to the platform again and found three halls; one leading up, one down, one level. Big discussion where to go. [6th Week] Enoch moved up, Bette down. Big crisis. Then Bette got stuck in an air-lock. She asked for help, but [7th Week] Enoch took his time to come. While they explored a railroad tunnel, a big noise was moving fast toward them ...
[5th Week] The cave, Andrew knew about, is exactly like Jose's. Andrew found glyphs that were similar to ones Zachary had found. In the meanwhile Gail stayed outside the cave, watching sunsets. [6th Week] Using Gail to establish a connection to H&P, we teased them to find out who they are. [7th Week] Andrew discovered that the shaft is an elevator. Though being stuck at the bottom of the shaft he sent Gail to prepare roads at the landing site when H&P announced that the ETA of Stage 2 was April 24, +/- 3 days ...
[5th Week] Zachary, being freed from his relay work moved to the platform to check once more for Daniel. This time Daniel was there. Daniel ran away, but was followed by Zachary. [6th Week] To compensate for Daniel's inability to talk, we suggested the use of Morse code by flashing a light. [7th Week] In a canyon Daniel stopped. Flashing "talk" he turned against Zachary, now chasing him. Finally Zachary trapped Daniel in an ambush by causing a rock-slide in a side canyon ...
Beside the hard facts: good opportunities to learn about the probes' characters: Gail is perhaps a little dreamy. Andrew is mainly strict and rational. Zachary is very reliable. Enoch is still grumpy sometimes, and Bette is always nosy to find "what's next", but all are very charming. And Daniel ??? Let's see ...
Links to Transmission Archive: [Week 5 to 7]
Image Archive: [the mouth of Andrew's cave; Andrew 3/31] [the glyphs in Jose's cave; Zachary 4/01] [the halls down the shaft in Jose's cave; Bette 4/07] [the glyphs in Andrew's cave; Andrew 4/08] [a very complex facility in Jose's cave; Enoch 4/09] [failed picture; Bette 4/15] [the room behind the airlock in Jose's cave; Enoch 4/16]
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THE EIGHTH WEEK [April 21st to April 25th]
Daniel's "rocktalk" -- a tram in Jose's cave -- the beanie -- Stage 2 coming in
[8th Week] Daniel being trapped in the canyon started to send curious Morse dots, that we speculated were "rocktalk", then he built piles of rocks like a code, but without any sense to us. So Zachary went to pick up a transmitter for him from a drone at the landing site ...
Deep down in a tunnel of Jose's cave Bette got into an transport which had stopped beside her and Enoch. Enoch was left behind when the transport moved. When her ride ended, she found a room with organic rugs and 3 screens, the first showing Earth, the second Mars, the third had been black. Enoch, still walking along in the tunnel, got bothered by an artificial observer, we call it a "beanie" ...
After giving up exploring his cave Andrew moved to the landing site to meet Gail, who was going to watch the final approach of Stage 2. Transmitting to Gail H&P identified themselves as Mars Communication Center of Brunel-Brauer Gmbh, claiming to own the probes. Our probes, postulating themselves as "sentient" were upset ...
Beside the hard facts: things get tight ...
Links to Transmission Archive: [Week Number 8]
Image Archive: [a tunnel in Andrew's cave; Andrew 4/21] [the tram in Jose's cave; Bette 4/22] [the beanie in Jose's cave; Enoch 4/23] [
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OUR NINTH AND TENTH WEEK [April 28th to May 9th]
Stage 2 landed -- Bette captured by EME's -- Daniel disappeared
[9th Week] At the landing site Gail had fallen into a small ravine, while focusing the touch down of Stage 2, laying there upside down for the weekend. "I'm OK", she reported immediately, "except that I can't turn over" So she was rescued by Andrew, who started to check the construction robots. Zachary took off a transmitter of a drone and headed to Daniel followed by Gail. [10th Week] When they arrived at the canyon, the blockade and Daniel had been gone ...
[9th Week] In Jose's cave Enoch was still bothered and impeded by that beanie, while Bette kept on exploring. She found an unknown planet at the third screen and C6H12O6 inside five bowls. Then [10th Week] she had her first contact with "something" that ran away blinding her by a white beam. Following she got caught by two big robots. Her last transmission was at May 5th: " I am hurt! I can't move. They are dragging me. Help me! Help me! I'm scared! Help ..."
[10th Week] "Get out of the way, you stupid beanie! Bette! I'm coming! I'll rescue you!" Enoch yelled and Andrew still controlling the drones at the landing site hurried up to Jose's Cave to second Enoch, while Zachary and Gail, who found a wheel print in the canyon, kept on searching Daniel, whose emergency beacon was activated for 2 min 18 sec ...
Beside the hard facts: Next to some philosophy about war we yanked the chain at H&P, who now knowing, that a third party is in, started unsuccessfully a good cop / bad cop game with the probes. Right now all threads are open, but the big question is: "What's next ??" Especially with Bette, Daniel and the EBE's / EME's as we call these aliens ...
Links to Transmission Archive: [Week Number 9] [Week Number 10]
Image Archive: [view out of Gail's ravine; Gail 4/29] [a foreign planet at screen; Bette 4/29] [Mars mountains; Zachary 5/01] [a portrait of Gail; Zachary 5/09]
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THE ELEVENTH AND TWELFTH WEEK [ May 12th to May 23rd]
A new entrance up the canyon -- Zachary trapped -- a tram ride to rescue Bette
Gail and Zachary went up the canyon searching for Daniel finding new rock piles and wheel tracks. At the canyon's blind end new glyphs and a metal / non metal thing appeared and the wheel tracks led directly up to a wall that finally opened, when Gail dropped a rock, she had picked up. [12th Week] Zachary entered the gate and went into a big hall, but got stuck, as the wall closed again and neither Gail outside nor him could open it again. After several days the hall filled with oxygen and the opposite door opened. Something like a pole came in for a short moment, but when it went out the door shut again ...
When Andrew neared Enoch in Jose's cave the beanie moved off. Reaching the place, where Bette had left with the tram, a transport showed up again. This time both could enter before the tram started to move. [12th Week] While Stopping at a platform now two beanies showed up, but didn't bother, when Andrew and Enoch discovered a huge metal saucer, that produced O3. Back at the platform Enoch claimed to know how to drive, so they entered the tram again ...
Beside the hard facts: Enoch and Andrew rivaled, who should lead the team. H&P forcing our probes to be cooperative, proclaim new probes in transit on their Stage 3. Though asked urgently by the probes, we have yet no idea, how to talk to the ET's as we call the aliens now. Things are narrowing again ...
Links to Transmission Archive: [Week Number 11] [Week Number 12]
Image Archive: [wheel tracks in the canyon; Zachary 5/13] [railroaded tunnel; Enoch 5/14] [non metal thing at the big gate in the canyon; Gail 5/19]
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