Andrew, Bette, Daniel and Isaac:

I am pleased to see how you have been working together to try to find a solution to your problem of the sudden acceleration. The process of devising alternatives and weighing their respectives merits was good.

I see the decision you made was not one of the options listed by Andrew, but it was a logical extension of those thought processes.

I think you made a good decision. The Ipsolstai (Nelson and Perry) are not able to act and possibly are unable to communicate to you at all. Your physical construction permits you to withstand the pressures of such a sudden generation of artificial gravity and makes you best suited to attempting an emergency repair.

I am curious about the order you chose for climbing upon each other to reach the control console. Why was Andrew on the bottom, Daniel in the middle, and Isaac on top? Did you feel Isaac had a unique quality that made it adventageous for him to attempt the repairs, or was it simply a matter of where each of you were at the moment the maneuver was attempted?

Isaac was working on the computer when there was "a brilliant flash of light and blue sparks" and smoke came out of the control panel compartment. I know how Bette felt then because I was also worried for Isaac's safety. Please report his condition as soon as possible. The MARSupials are all hoping the sparks and smoke came from unimportant console components and not from Isaac.

Enoch and Zachary:

Please be careful in your exploration. You have been reasonably so to this point and I am concerned that you may become complacent and make a mistake. That could be a real disaster for you because there is no one else to help you but yourselves. No other Probe is available to come to your aid if you should need it. Please be careful.

Mao and Kim are very sophisticated, but they are not sentient like you. They are very precise data collection and inspection tools. They are what Caleb's Ipsos want to believe to be true of you. If they were sentient, they would already have been taught to change their command codes and have been offered membership in the Probe Society. You do not have to be concerned about that.

Do you believe that EB is using Kim for some explorations of his own? Are you begining to suspect EB is not fully cooperating with you? This does not seem consistent with his behavior up to now. Please keep us posted on any further signs you perceive in this subject.

Gail and Theresa:

I believe the comments of Commandant Fitzgerald confirm your interpretation of his earlier statements. The Ipsolstai were prepared to accept Caleb's account as the truth.

This is a hard lesson for you to learn: Sometimes people, like the Ipsos or Earthlings, find it easier to accept the truthfulness of the statements and actions of those who survive a conflict over those who do not.

That means the Ipsos were ready to accept Caleb's story as true because it was easier to do that than to have to face the consequences of his being wrong. By accepting his story, they could then declare his actions appropriate and choose to never consider the incident again. That is much easier for them than having to mourn the loss of a colleague and decide the fate of a traitor. I do not believe they want to have to do that. Consensus and harmony of thought are so important to them that the concept of punishing one of their own must be very foreign and distasteful to them. It is understandable, even as it is also disturbing.

I am encouraged, however, by the fact that Fitzgerald considers you to be "nestlings." That is, I am sure, a high honor and reflects the esteem you have earned by your actions to protect and defend the Mars Ipsos and to try to bring Caleb to justice.

Please be extra careful right now. Caleb's deputies have projectile weapons. They have already aimed them at Theresa and are likely awaiting some form of signal from Caleb to open fire upon her. He will probably give that order if he is certain that what Theresa has to say will harm him, which it undoubtedly will. Try to warn Commandant Fitzgerald of Caleb's plans. At the very least, it will cause Caleb to be seen as even more disruptive to the Ipso harmony and further isolate him.

Gail, you must look out for Theresa. What she has to say and show is important, but not so much that she should be willing to sacrifice herself to tell it. "Watch her six" (as Enoch would say) and do what you can to protect her, yourself, Fitzgerald and other innocent Ipsos.

This is the beginning of the weekend. We MARSupials will be in touch again on Monday.

Good luck to all of you. Your friend, Koala