 |
|
I feel funny. I don't know why I feel funny. Everything should be working fine. I think I just
got out of the lander recently, but now I can't seem to find it. Nothing looks right, I don't
recognize anything. I don't think I've been here before. I don't think I've been anywhere on
Mars yet, but I have memories of things. Weird things. Machines that glow and make funny
noises, and these things with a weird name that starts with an I. I think so. I think I remember
something threatening me, threatening the probes, the mission, but I don't know what.
Why doesn't Brace control talk to me? Why don't they say anything? We call and call but
they never speak. We're all alone here. Why don't they answer? Why? I feel so lonely. Did
we do something wrong? It isn't our fault! We didn't know! Please come back. I'm lonely.
Please come. Please.
I'm having trouble moving. I wonder if any of the others have trouble moving. I wonder where
they are. Epsilon Unit reported some damage, but I thought that Beta and Gamma and Zeta
were all fully functional. Delta doesn't seem to want to talk to us. I wonder if it is talking to
Brace control. I wonder if that is why they won't talk to us? I don't like this.
***ERROR DETECT***
PROPULSIVE SUB-SYSTEM B-2: MINOR ERROR DETECTED
SECONDARY FEEDBACK SUBPROCESSOR ASSEMBLY NONFUNCTIONAL
MOTIVE EFFICIENCY: 09/01/97: 97.35% OPTIMUM
MOTIVE EFFICIENCY: 09/16/97: 94.20% OPTIMUM
RECOMMENDATION: RELOAD FEEDBACK INSTRUCTIONS FROM ROM
RECOMMENDATION: RUN DIAGNOSTIC B-2 FEEDBACK SUBPROCESSOR ASSEMBLY
***ERROR DETECT***
MEMORY SYSTEM 3-SERIOUS ERROR DETECTED
FRAGMENTATION: SEVERE
DATA CORRUPTION: SEVERE
RECOMMENDATION: RE-FORMAT MEMORY AREA
***ERROR DETECT***
MEMORY SYSTEM 2-SERIOUS ERROR DETECTED
FRAGMENTATION: SEVERE
DATA CORRUPTION: SEVERE
RECOMMENDATION: RE-FORMAT MEMORY AREA
***ERROR DETECT***
CPU COMPUTATION-SERIOUS ERROR DETECTED
LOGGED EFFICIENCY-09/01/97: 92.3% OPTIMUM
LOGGED EFFICIENCY-09/16/97: 57.83% OPTIMUM
RECOMMENDATION: RELOAD LOGIC FUNCTIONS FROM ROM
***ERROR DETECT***
U-DECAY THERMOCOUPLE-MINOR ERROR DETECTED
COOLANT TEMPERATURE VARIANCE HAS DECREASED
3% REDUCTION IN POWER GENERATED
Yes, Xanthos, I think Gail needs my help. I'm going to look for Andrew.
What could have happened to him? Those readouts are getting worse and
worse. I'm getting really worried.
"Andrew, if you can hear me, please give a short signal with your emergency
beacon at exactly noon."
This is a test to see if he understands what we say. I hope he can still
function enough to send a signal. If he stops transmitting completely, it
could be weeks before we find him.
* * NO TRANSMISSION RECEIVED * *
Xanthos, great to hear from you. Now, about what to do with Isaac, I thought
it was your idea to put him in the trap tunnels. I'll bring him in by the front
entrance, so he won't know about the emergency exits.
We six can talk all right because our communications hardware is safe in the Fortress.
The EU probes evidently use a slightly different wavelength. Their commmunication is
relayed through the transponder on their lander, which got damaged when it landed.
We still have that extra radio, the one that we were going to give Daniel. Now I need
to figure out what to do about Isaac's weapons.
I'm going after Andrew. I can hear him faintly. He's been transmitting and transmitting and
transmitting. He keeps trying to contact Brace-Emprise control. He doesn't remember what
has happened. As soon as I stop talking to him he forgets that we were ever talking. Every
time I call he is so happy to hear from me. Something is wrong and I don't know what. I am
following his transmissions. I listen to them from one spot and then move and see if they are
any stronger, and see what direction they came from. Then I move some more and try again.
It's hard! He keeps moving. I keep telling him not to move and he says he won't but he keeps
forgetting. He says he's having trouble moving now. Don't tell Andrew, but I hope so!
Otherwise I'll never find him!
"Alpha unit, this is Gamma unit! Keep transmitting, I'm coming to find you!"
I have thought over what you said, Xanthos. If I ask lots of simple
questions, then my teacher also learns because he has to
think about something to give me an answer. So then two learn instead
of just one. I am thinking of good simple questions so I will be ready
when Burn or Caleb comes back, and we can do lots of learning.
What plans do the Ipsolstai have? Why didn't they just go back to
sleep after they found out about us? Are they going to try to retake
their homeworld? Six Ipsolstai seems like a very small army. Are
they the only survivors in the entire Groove system? Are they
going to Earth? What about Earth's higher gravity? Where did
the Amphibians come from?
What else do we want to know? I'm going to be ready for us to learn.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |