Andrew: After he finds Bette, do we still need him to monitor the screens? We don't expect company for three weeks. Maybe he could join Bette and return to the surface. Or would that make Enoch jealous?
Bette: Whether she has something physically wrong or not, she seems to be in denial. I hope someone will dedicate themselves to helping her work through this. Could she have deliberately damaged those files to avoid remembering being taken apart? Her picture of the ETs didn't transmit properly, so maybe there is something about the part of the tunnels she's in that is preventing the compressed signal from getting through.
Daniel: I'm not sure that I agree with Ratboy's theory that Daniel's personality has been suppressed to make him a better translator. Perhaps the ETs don't realize that the probes have AI capabilities and are supposed to have personalities. Perhaps they thought that was a malfunction and "fixed" it. I agree with Psiclops' impression that Daniel's original personality is still there under the surface. Someone should ask him if he remembers Brace Emprise and the original mission of the probes.
Gail: Should we have her explore and look for resources useful for anti-EU-probe defenses? Maybe a more defensible position? I think that she should also continue talking to Bette about the time that has passed, and she should talk to Daniel too. Maybe she can help explain "friends" to him.
Enoch: I agree that he should stay with the ETs a while longer, but resist modification until, through Daniel, we can explain that the probes are more than just tools or mouthpieces and determine if there's a way to install the ET antenna without damaging the AI programming and the probes' memories.
Zachary: He should be very cautious and not let the Ipsolstia alter him yet. Also, I think that someone, and perhaps Zachary is the best candidate, should explain to the I-people that the probes "speak" with binary data transmitted via radio and ULF, and humans use sound. Zachary should also continue conversing with Daniel about what happened in the canyon and ask what the piles of rock meant.
Ipsolstia: Well, now we have a name for them. But I'm wondering: If they use color for communication, how did they translate their name into letters?
joule