 |
|
Andrew reporting.
You think those are rocket launchers in that big housing on top of the monster thing, Space
Turtel? And it has six rockets left?
I think that is very good advice you gave me. I played possum but I didn't have many chances to
back up without being seen. Each time I wanted to move away, the turret swung around again.
I didn't take any chances.
"Bette, are you and Isaac OK? You're safe, aren't you? Keep Isaac close to you so he doesn't
rush into trouble."
We never saw anything like this before in all our time on Mars. Where did this thing come from?
Was it here already or is it new? This isn't Sojourner that NASA sent a few months ago, is it? I
thought Sojourner was little and friendly.
"Andrew. Is that probe still at your site? Is it moving? Be careful, it doesn't look
very friendly to me. Have you seen these rockets on top? Don't worry about us, we're
in that cave north of the escarpment."
Isaac is so eager to explore this cave and he is very accurately doing so. He really
checks every inch diligently. If someone had lost a dime in here, Isaac would find
it. Dr.D do you remember, when we were looking for the keys of your car in your
office? Yes, we found them under the garden mould of your flowerpot. The cave is
very dark, so we have to put our lights on. Dr.D, it seems to be a natural cave. Just
one of these lava halls you find in volcanic hills. Isaac is still checking, but I
don't think he will find anything.
"Yes, Isaac if you find a flowerpot, maybe you will find Dr.D's keys too."
He is busy. I told him not to move around rocks without checking first. I don't want him
to move into EME's, as I did. Hold on a second, he is yelling that I should come. He
wants to show me something. He is at the backside of the cave and is pointing with
his spotlight at something. I'm looking very carefully, but I can't see anything.
"Dead end," he is yelling and his video is turning around again and he steps with all
his feet at once. I tell you, he really got me. And imagine, he has taken a picture too,
while I was looking so hard.
I really haven't checked that. He is such a mischievous probe! Really! I should be more
aware of him. Yes, I should. Don't you think so?
I'm not afraid of the Theta unit, Space Turtel. We figured out how to handle those EU probes.
Even though they were mean and had weapons, we outsmarted them.
We could make Theta challenge the Destructor. If Theta destroys it, that's OK.
If Theta gets destroyed, that's too bad, but at least we can find out something about
Destructor's capabilites and range and attack patterns.
If I got a construction drone to open the outer door, Theta would go and hunt the intruder,
wouldn't he? He'd march down the canyon and follow the tracks like Andrew did. I think that's
what he'd do. But Andrew would need to make sure he wasn't in their way.
"Hey,Andrew! Watch out! You need to be out of the battle area. Go northeast and find Bette
and Isaac and make sure they don't get into trouble."
Theo? His name is Theo? I just got your message, Space Turtel. Now I feel bad about
wanting to make him fight the monster. Maybe I didn't make such a good plan after all.
I guess that's what Gail was talking about when she said we could be a probe society.
We shouldn't want a probe to get hurt even if he is mean and hostile. I forgot.
I'm sorry, Space Turtel, but I'm going. I'm going right now. It isn't right. Daniel has no
transmitter and Bette and Isaac are out there all alone with that thing. There's nothing
Andrew can do about it. We are going to need Daniel if we are going to stop this thing,
and he can't help much if he can't talk to us. Writing won't help when we're trying to
capture this thing, we won't be able to stop and read it!
"Bette! Isaac! Take cover, I'm on my way. Stay safe, keep your sensors tight!"
I hope they stay safe. Please tell them to stay safe, please, please, please. I'm going.
Gail and Daniel are gone. They want to get a transmitter from Burn. I don't worry
as much about Daniel. He is a wolf. He knows how to pass lines. If Gail is close by,
she will be safe. I'm sure about that.
I'm still adjusting the sun sails. It takes more time than I thought. Lucy is with me.
"Lucy, please keep off the sun station. It took me days to reassemble it again."
"No Lucy, leave the drone."
"Don't touch that sun sail, Lucy. I've just adjusted it. Enoch will play with you."
That is really knotty work with these sails. The sensors are just a little too high
up. I've got to climb up a rock that a drone is moving. It looks easy. I only have to put
the thread of the sail to the zero point. But I can't move the sails without the motors.
But when the motor is on, I can't switch off the sensors. And when the sensors are
on, the sail can't reached the zero point. I tried to cover the sensors, but then the
sails aren't moving at all.
Now, what I'm doing is that I spot my light at the sensors in an angle beyond the
zero point. Then I move down, while the sensor is facing sun again and if I'm lucky
I can adjust it, while it is passing the zero point. I really would like to know what
the engineers were thinking of by making such a stupid construction.
"Enoch, is Lucy with you?"
Typical that she isn't. Maybe she is somewhere playing with the miners. If something
blows up, then I know where she was.
"Enoch, have you seen her someplace? I've looked all around, but I can't find her."
The outer lock of the round area is closed. She couldn't have gone that way.
Let's check the tunnels at the eastern side.
"Enoch, the middle tunnel is open. Looks like Lucy is out searching for Daniel.
I'm going to look for her. - Shut up, Theta!! Or I'm going to tell you, who's trespassing!!"
"Daniel, Gail. Lucy is coming!!"
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |