 |
|
I have a problem. I do not know where I am. When I was sliding away from the battle, my
facing changed a lot of times. I was spinning and weaving and twisting. There was so much
smoke I couldn't see anything. I just ran. Now I have stopped running, but I don't know
where I am. My inertial guidance unit is no help at all. When I was sliding my kinesthetic
sensors couldn't tell me my facing and the gyros all got tumbled. They didn't reset until
I was already running away! I don't recognize this part of the surface. I don't think
I've been here before. It isn't on my map! I am trying to climb as high as I can so that
someone can activate the transponder on the lander. I need to see where it is so I can
get back. If it still works, that is, from inside the fortress. I am lost.
I'm sorry. I guess I didn't do a very good job of exploring
after all, did I?
"Why, you're not Andrew!"
The EU probe has leveled and taken aim with his projectile tubes. They are
pointed at me. I'm playing possum, crouched down with my legs scrunched up,
trying to be a very small target. Neither one of us has moved for a
very long time.
"Hi, my name is Bette. I'm pleased to meet you, Iota Unit."
That's terrible. He needs an identity. A real name instead of Iota Unit.
I'm going to give him a name. Let's see, how about Ichabod? Isaac? Ike?
"I have a present for you. It's a name. It's a very special name that you can
be very proud of. It's the same name as a very famous scientist who lived
on Earth."
"Andrew, can you hear me? We have a problem here."
If only Andrew were here. He knows about changing command codes and
what to do so a probe can be independent and think for himself. If only
Prker and Hardon would tell us those codes.
"Hey, you. Yeah, you with the bad paint job and the bad attitude."
He'd better not hurt Bette. I walked up behind him and picked up the biggest
rock I could lift. I can balance on four legs and drop it on his sensors.
I will, too, if he does anything bad to Bette.
Andrew is in trouble! I want to go find him, but I don't know how. We were taught that if this
ever happened the lost probe should just activate their emergency beacon and let another
probe go find them. I don't want Andrew to do that. If he activates his emergency beacon an
EU probe could get to him before I could! We just finished rescuing him, I don't want to have
to try and do it again. I suppose we need to rescue him again now. But how do we do that?
I'm going to stay here until we think of something. Enoch and Bette are close by, make them
stay too until we think of something. Please?
Thanks, Ratboy. I had a chance to think things over. I guess Caleb didn't
mean anything insulting by calling me a youngster. But it sounded so smug,
and I was worried about Andrew. Caleb could have done something to help
and didn't. I still don't understand why. I'm going to ask him.
Something is going on between Caleb and Burn. Burn left the room while
Caleb was still clicking his pincers.
Not long after, Burn came back. Now he has a clear dome apparatus too.
He has his own translator device.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |