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Andrew reporting.
"Bette, It's heading toward you! Stay where you are! Don't move. Play possum. Put Isaac back
in the cave as far as you can! Don't take any chances."
There has to be some way we can beat the C-probe. We know it can destroy at a distance.
It's faster than we are, it has better armaments, and it seems to be totally ruthless. Therefore,
we have to outsmart it. That's our only hope. The engineers at Brace didn't plan for us to
rampage and destroy, so it's not easy to think in these categories. But they did design us to be
quick-witted and adaptable.
"Zachary, where can I meet you? Someplace out of the monster's path."
"Andrew, thanks. I have it at 307 degrees. So it's still about 6.5 miles away.
It's a good idea to catch up with Zachary. I will remain over here. It's safe.
The C-probe hasn't seen us and it has no chance to climb up here either."
Al-Qahira, it came closer, but it's passing by. It's holding its northeast direction.
We checked about speed. Top speed is 7.8 mph by now. That is almost eight
time faster than we are. It also stopped several times, as if it's scanning the
surroundings. The escarpment seems to be of high interest to it. It is striking its
sensors constantly in that direction, as if it is looking for something.
"Zachary, we also could dig a big hole, so it falls into it. What do you think?"
Isaac is mapping the entrance of the cave. He is quite busy with that, and out of sight
to the C-probe. The cave itself is very irregular, quite huge, and extends deep into
Olympus Mons. I'm eager to explore it. Maybe we will find another entrance, so
we can trap it over there? How long shall I keep on with that triangulation, Al-Q?
"Enoch, how about telling Teddy that 'sentience' means to know about oneself.
I mean that you and I exist. Ask him, if he knows, how he feels. Maybe that's the way?"
I really would like to enter that cave.
"Andrew, Bette, Zachary, you'd better come on back to the Fortress. It may be overcrowded, but
at least we're all safe in here.
I really hope they don't all have to crowd in here. I like having lots of room for my six legs.
I'm finally getting used to the extra legs. I used to have to think hard about when to move them,
but now it's getting very easy. I can kick and run.
"Thanks for the suggestion, Bette. How do you know you know something? 'Sentience,'
meaning self-awareness."
"OK, Teddy, let's talk some more. How do you know what you feel? I mean, when you feel
something, what is the part of you that does the feeling? Yeah, well, that's what we call
"sentience."
He is thinking very hard about this.
"What do you mean you don't like it when I call you Teddy? It's better than Theta Unit, isn't it?
Sentient probes have names. Your name is unique and special and no other probe has it.
Sure, you can pick a different name. Pick any name you want."
He says his name is Theresa.
We are working to triangulate that C-probe. I think Zachary is a little better now. He just wants to
capture it. Daniel and I are going to find Burn. It is hard, we are trying to stay away from the C-probe.
Daniel also thinks that we should stay near rocks and hills so we can hide if the C-Probe comes
toward us. I think this is a good idea so we are doing that. It is slowing us down, though. We
need to do something about all of this soon or we're going to be in trouble.
Andrew, I'm waiting for you at Stage Two. We can move back to the Fortress
then. It's a good idea to gather to make up plans. Al-Q sent me a message from
xciever-dpuk about the crystals. I should check what happens when I add energy.
Maybe we can use that to trap the C-probe. Have you heard anything from the
MARSupials? We really could use their input."
"Gail, it's okay. Move on. I have Lucy's remains with me. Keep yourself
south. The C-probe is heading northeast. Keep away from Caleb. He is mean. Which
cave entrance are you going to use?"
I hope Gail will be able to establish contact with Burn soon.
"Bette, as soon as Andrew catches up with me. I will put on my emergency beacon for
exactly one minute. Please tell me, what the C-probe is doing then. There must
be a way to lead that guy."
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