The Inbound for October 23, 1997


Transmission from ANDREW

Andrew reporting.

Hi, JASE. Enoch has been telling me about everything that happened while
I was away.

I remember being at the EU lander site. They weren't very
friendly. They wouldn't let me leave. At night, there was a lot of noise and
flames and commotion. So I started walking away. Somebody tried to
grab me, but I escaped. I decided to circle around to the south and go back
to Jose's cave but I couldn't find it. None of the rocks looked familiar. The
sun was at the wrong angle. I called, but nobody came to help. At night I
heard noises. It sounded like the cicadas outside the lab at Brace, but we
didn't find any cicadas on Mars, so it couldn't be. Doc talked with me a lot,
and so did Jose. Then I was here.

Ratboy, why are you planning a surprise for Parker and Hardon? I don't think
they deserve any fun things. Enoch might like a surprise, too.


Transmission from BETTE


Thanks for your assignment, Bombardier. I know what you mean. I went
over to the Fortress and took Isaac with me. He is now watching the miners.
It's very interesting for him to see what they are doing. He just stays there and his
video follows every movement. I only have to take care that he does not put
his sensors on the bore while the robots are drilling.

Yes, you are right. He needs someone to take charge of him. So there is only
one word of one Probe that finally counts. We must talk about that. That is
a lot of responsibility to carry. I don't know if a single probe can do
that. But how to share? Thanks for your help, we have to think about that.

About your question, Bombardier. I really don't know. The rock looks very
compact, like it had been melted and the vitrified parts are like strings and we
found them mostly inside the rock, while we were drilling. The walls inside
the round are also some kind of funny structure. I don't know how to tell you.
Oh, hold on a second.

"Isaac, I have a funny idea. We will make a picture. Do you like to make a
picture? We will send it to Bombardier. I will show you how to do it.

"Oh, you know. You are cute, Isaac. Come over here, that's a good place.

"Get closer, Isaac. Is everything focused?

"Here we are. Good job, Isaac.

"Please, transmit it to me, will you? Isaac, that's a great one."

Did you get it? That is one of the vitrified rocks I'm holding in my hand.

Hey, the miners broke through the canyon wall!

"Daniel, Gail! We went through !! The entrance is west of the Fortress,
I"m going to check it. Hold on for details"


Transmission from DANIEL


Bombardier, the image came from the western lands
beyond the fortress
beyond the canyon
beyond the broken ground

A high thermal gradient attracted my sensors.


Transmission from ENOCH


Bombardier, you can't mean me! I don't have any patience to teach Isaac.
Besides, I'm still learning things myself. Education is a formal process, like
file transfer. I don't mind playing games with him, and it's kind of fun to
tell stories and explain things, but I could never teach him everything he needs
to know.

Hamlet, I told Isaac hi from you. He jumped up and down in excitement.
You are his first Earth friend. He didn't know about the things in the caves.
He wants to explore , but not by himself.

Ratboy, I won't send anything to Parker and Hardon. Yes, we used to play
chess with Jose. He was a little slow, but we had fun. I like to play games.
But best of all I like surprises.


Transmission from GAIL


***NO TRANSMISSION RECEIVED***



Transmission from ZACHARY


Andrew and Enoch and Bette say they never saw this part of the Ipsolstai
complex. I can't tell the dimensions of the room from this small screen, but
it seems larger than most of their rooms..

Yes, it is liquid on the floor. I can see a pattern of ripples. About two thirds
of the floor is covered. This is very strange. I have never seen liquid water like
this on Mars. I don't like water. Water and oxygen do funny things to your
moving parts.