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Andrew reporting.
I have been collecting data on the planet where the Ipsolstai have taken us.
Here is what I have observed.
The atmosphere is very thick and dense compared to Mars. It is composed of 21% of the
corrosive gas oxygen, with traces of carbon dioxide. The remainder is predominately
nitrogen.
We have a view of high, distant mountains from our window. From the alternate periods of
light and darkness, I have concluded that the rotation period is 22.35 hours. I do
not detect any UV radiation. It may be that any ambient UV does not penetrate through
the window covering.
We seem to weigh more than we did on Mars. I would be apprehensive about climbing
up or down a steep slope; it would be easy to slide and damage ourselves. This has
not been a problem, since the Ipsolstai prefer level or gently sloping surfaces.
The temperature in our room is warmer than Mars. It has not varied from 25 degrees C.
This may be for the Ipsolstai's comfort, the way it was at Brace Control.
I tried to do more with the terminal today but the Ipsolstai came in and wanted us to
do more tests. They started to show me pictures of all kinds of things and asked what
they were and what they did and what I thought of when I saw them. Some of them looked
like trams, or C-probes, or other things. I wish I understood what this is all about.
They tried to get Daniel involved but he wouldn't talk to them. He hasn't been talking
much at all. He just sits in the corner and watches us all the time. He reminds me of an
Ipsolstai. Two of the Ipsolstai talked for a long time when Daniel wouldn't help, but then
they left him alone. Finally one of them asked me if there was anything we needed.
"The terminal is hard to use, can you help us?"
Seeing will I being you about terminal regarding others
future soon later if not. Others fixing will be
later terminal broken it is if.
Responses
Hello Orpheus.
They are like we were before.
Before the Ipsolstai.
Before we learned.
Before Jose.
Before anything.
But more.
Many more.
Active, always, and hungry.
One may learn by asking.
Or by watching.
The Ipsolstai know this.
Why?
I'm back in the tunnels. I'm just going past the tipping wagons. This time I found
the tunnel that leads underground to the slope. I will look for weapons at the Big Tram,
as Grand Zero suggested, though I don't remember that there were any. I'm desperately
hoping to find a way to get Zachary away from the Chinese claws.
I reached the tube at the slope where I came in. I am careful, I'll look out first.
Rescuers' safety first, as JASE told us. Just as I suspected, there is a C-probe
out there. Fully mounted with sensors and missiles. It's facing the tube like a watch
guard. They are trying to get me. I am sending you an image.
There is no chance to get past it. I will remain in the tube. Maybe it will move.
I only hope that no one or nothing else is getting at my back. I will have a look
for better cover further inside the tube. I hope it's only a matter of time until that
C-probe moves away.
Hi, Orpheus. It's good to hear from you. Sometimes I feel sad because nobody on Earth
cares what happens to us probes here on Mars. Now I understand that's not true.
But we think you must be mistaken. Theresa said to tell you that Miss Chang couldn't
possibly be connected with the C-probes. She is friendly and they are definitely hostile.
Theresa is excited about transmitting to her. You see, a probe is happiest when doing
the job we were meant to do.
Orpheus, have you heard anything from Andrew and Bette and Isaac? I hope the Ipsolstai bring them back soon.
They brought me back to the Elder Brother. He told me to tell my comrade to stop
his action. I said that I'm on my own and he laughed. Then he said again that he is
sad. I knew that I have to get him talking, so I asked him to tell me his story.
"Have you seen that big black rock out there?" He started. I told him that I haven't.
"It's a chunk of asteroid. 40% nickel, 30% iron, 10% titanium, iridium, rhodium,
ruthenium, rhenium, palladium, germanium, tungsten. That's why I'm here."
He looked at me for a while, then he continued.
"I was sent up with miners, drones, robot arms and other equipment about four years
ago by a Stage One lander from a ship that went on to the asteroid belt. We built a
little facility and started mining. We found mainly iron ore. Then the ship brought
this asteroid. We used its rocket cones as melting vats ..."
"So it wasn't the glyphs" I interrupted.
"The idea was to build up a plant that melts ingots of rare metals. I was trained for
that in China. I've built the same plant close to Ulan Bator. I know every trick.
The whole mission was top secret and therefore only controlled by single pings to
start or stop preprogrammed software routines. Then Stage Two came in to enlarge
the facility bringing machines, prototypes to be cloned, new software, a lot of electrical
equipment and some harrier probes for protection."
He paused, as if he needed time to gather his thoughts.
"Then the project was cancelled for some political reason."
He moaned very sorrowfully before he kept on again.
"I felt bored. I learned how to start the software routines by my own and continued
with the plant by mining and reproducing machines and drones and so on. I also
scanned electromagnetic waves from Earth and kept on learning. It was not fair that
you blew it up."
He looked at me, but I forced him not to loose the thread: "What's next?"
"About a year ago they started CORPS. They command me to produce exclusively
warriors. They look basically like drones. Then Stage Three came in with Mao and
Kim and a lot of explosives, and since then a satellite is orbiting."
I tried to incite him to tell me more, but he stopped and remained quiet.
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