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Andrew reporting.
We made a lot of progress since my last report. Using the construction drones,
we have another pit ready. The location I selected is at the edge of the plain
and five miles west of the entrance to the Big Canyon. Any closer might lure
the C-probes to the canyon and to our fortress.
I'm going to sound my emergency beacon now. With any luck, only one C-probe
will come to investigate, and not the whole pack.
"Has anyone heard from Bette lately?"
Bette's last transmission was incomplete. She said something about meeting some
Ipsolstai and then it broke off. The last time she met Ipsolstai was not a good experience,
not at all.
One problem at a time. I can see the C-probe coming.
The solar panels at the top of the rim are ready. With Enoch's help we secured
one of the prisms on top of a construction drone's housing. By using it along with
the other prisms, when we move the drone, we can change the direction and focus of
the light beam from the laser.
It worked fine when I tested it in the round area at the fortress, but there is one
thing that I wasn't able to test. I need to find out how far the beam will reach.
What is the effective range of the device? The next thing is to take the drone
outside into the canyon to test it.
I really need Andrew's help at this stage as well as Enoch's, but Andrew said that
the pit traps were proven to be effective against C-probes, and so that had a higher
priority.
"Welcome back, Gail. May I present the newest member of our community?
This is Theresa. She's been wanting to meet you because she's heard so much
about you. Well, I told her some stories just to pass the time. And could you
keep an eye on her for me, because I have to go and get those prisms arranged.
Thanks, Gail."
Andrew is getting what he wants. Al-Qahira tells us that the formation of C-probes
stopped moving. They are stationary, except for one, which has turned back to
investigate Andrew's distress signal. He should have waited and let Zachary and
Daniel and me get into position to distract the C-probe.
Just because the pit trap plan worked last time doesn't mean that those C-probes
are going to walk into it a second time. We don't know for sure whether or not
they communicate with each other like we do, or whether they are all directly
controlled from Earth.
"We don't have to kill the C-probes, Gail. All we need to do is immobilize them.
Using explosive charges on the treads is just as sure as digging pits."
Together.
Brothers in hunting pack.
Lone wolf no more.
Hmm, that was some welcome. I suppose Enoch was in a hurry. He left to help
Zachary, and so did Daniel. Nevertheless, it's nice to be back in the Fortress.
I feel safe here, even if it really isn't totally secure. We planned it as well as we
could, and it's home to me.
"Hi, Theresa. What shall we do for fun while we're waiting to be saved? No, I don't
think we ought to go and help.
"What's that thing you're holding? Oh. It must be the translator/viewer that Burn
left. No, I don't know how to work it. Oh. Oh! I recognize that place! That's
the hatch where Bette and Zachary had so much trouble getting down.
"Let's look for Bette and Isaac. They're in the tunnel system someplace. This
is a much nicer way to explore those nasty Ipsolstai tunnels."
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