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Flee and fly
Caleb and the six other Ipsolstai left us alone in the room for a long time. Finally four Ipsolstai
came in through the door on the right. They all had those devices they use to hurt things.
Moving you do this doorway through. Suddenly not you moving.
We did what we were told. I didn't know what else to do! With four of them and those weapons
it wouldn't have done any good to do anything else. Two of them went ahead of us and two
behind. Isaac didn't want to go , so I coaxed him a little. I kept telling him it would be all right,
that no one would hurt us. I know Gail doesn't think lying belongs in Probe society but I
don't think she'll mind this time.
The corridor went on for a long way. It is narrow and long. We were about half way down it
when a door slid closed right in front of us, then another one slid closed behind us. The
Ipsolstai started to flash colors but these things on the ceiling started to spray some
sort of mist. I could hardly see anything at all as it came down. The Ipsolstai started
to flash really fast. One of them pointed his device at the ceiling and I saw it fire,
but the beam seemed to spread out and nothing really happened. Another fired at
one of the doors but the same thing happened. Another of them climbed on top of Isaac
and pulled one of the things off of the ceiling. It is a flat hemisphere, it came off
easily but a whole lot of the mist got on that Ipsolstai and it stopped moving. Isaac
couldn't move with that Ipsolstai on top of him. The others slowed down and stopped moving
soon too, just after the things stopped spraying. Then after a minute the door behind us
opened. Two Ipsolstai came in wearing those bubble things like they do out on the surface.
They pulled the Ipsolstai off of Isaac and pulled the others to one side of the corridor.
We went with them. Burn likes us. They took us a little way back and then through a new door. It
wasn't a door though, it was like a piece of the wall had been pulled out. I don't remember all the
turns we took, but Gabriel took us down into a big room. Occasionally we saw other Ipsolstai,
but they ignored us. The room is dark and has a lot of those hexagonal containers in it. Gabriel
told us to wait here so we are waiting. It can't be any worse than what Caleb was going to do.
I hope.
I didn't waste more time looking for that Pathfinder lander. We have a task and that
is to the north. We have to find the C-lander. That's why we took the tram. The old lava
flow is ahead of us. It's a very rough terrain, and sun was already setting when we
found a passage.
We entered it. I'm driving very carefully. It's absolutely chaotic in here. Most of the
canyons don't continue for long. They wind a little and then they end. Some are just
straight depressions, but it's easier to drive down there. It's easy to get down or up
again because most of the ridges are broad, but we also had to detour several times.
It's funny to watch the NASA probe. Its sharp metal wheels may be good to run on
soil but not in here. It's scratching along the metal floor of the tram whenever we
turn up or down. Nevertheless, it's trying to climb up everything that it can finds or
it tries to dig holes or whatsoever. It's pretty busy all the time.
"No, NASA probe. Don't climb on me. You are grating my casing. Come on, move
over there."
It's like a kid. I really wonder, if it isn't sentient.
"Zachary, look out there. There are tracks of C-probes."
Thanks, Kurk. We also realized that it is harmless. Isn't that funny? We fought
against all these C-probes, and because of a harmless little NASA probe we got
frightened.
You said that NASA can't talk to it anymore. We know why. The antenna is not
connected. It's only attached to the platform, and below that it is broken. There
was a box below. I can see the mountings, but it's gone. Yes, the old troubles
with the transmitters again. It must be quiet a smart probe to be on its own all
that time. What's its name, do you know? Maybe I can attach a transmitter of a
drone to it later. Oh, wait a minute, isn't there still a spare EU-transmitter ?
We also think that it's okay to take it with us. Kurk, please, tell NASA that we
have their probe and that we take care of it. We still respect it as their property
and they can have it back whenever they want, as long as it isn't sentient. In that case,
it's up to the probe itself.
Concerning its lander Enoch was looking for it by tram, but couldn't find it. We
don't like to move to the plains because of the C-probes. Which direction is it?
Andrew reporting.
Sorry that I didn't transmit yesterday, but we played possum all the time. The fire
of the C-probes came pretty close. I almost thought that they got us. Daniel nearly
fell out of the crevice, but I was able to hold him back. Then the fire stopped.
We remained waiting and kept quiet for a long time, but the fire didn't come back
again. Then we carefully moved out of the crevice. The C-probes are gone. Maybe
they thought that they got us, maybe they ran out of ammunition, I don't know.
The whole rock face is messed up. There are big holes all around, some parts are
collapsed, others are black coated and there is a lot of debris all the way down.
"Zachary, move on. You never could make it up here. Don't bother about us. We
will try to reach the ridge again."
Bryce, do you know about JASE and Space Turtel? They belong to my team and I
haven't heard from them for a while. I'm worried. Hopefully nothing bad happened.
I have to take care of them.
"Gail, it's great that you are coming. There is a high place right next to the ridge, maybe you
can throw the rope down, when you are up there."
„Andrew, I can hear you loud and clearly. I’m coming. Yes, I can see that top.
It doesn't look too difficult to get there, except of some notches and peaks, but
I think I can do it by my rope."
Andrew is reporting again. Isn't that great? I was so worried when he stopped
transmitting, I thought he and Daniel already fell down and got smashed at the
bottom of that mountain. Now I learn that the C-probes were shooting at them.
Anyway, I never gave up. Gail, I said to myself, I will rather fight for it and go
down than to give up. So I went on. I didn't loose any time. When someone is in
distress you must come to his aid, not hesitating for a single moment. Not when
you are starting and not when you are on your way, until you haven't learned any
better.
Over there that's the last big ascent. I only have to get up this very last mountain
and then I will be on its top. I will fix the rope and I will throw it to Andrew and
Daniel and so I will bring them back to life. Yes, I will do that.
That will be the top maxim of our new Probe society, as truly as my name is Gail.
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