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Andrew reporting.
I still have not determined the reason for the ship's computer malfunction.
After exhaustive diagnostics, I conclude that everything is functioning normally
except for response to commands input from the console of the bridge...
...(static)...
...appear to be surrounded by an energy field which is causing interference
and disturbance in communications...
...(static)...
...would anticipate that we would have passed through it by now. The conclusion
is unescapable. Either the energy field is attached to the ship, or else it is
following us. Logically, the simpler of the two theories must be...
...(static)...
...(static)...
...although it is not a very good game. It is not a game at all. Isaac says that
he and Daniel have been in contact with an intelligence...
...(static)...
...non-corporeal and formed of pure energy, although it wasn't always that
way. And it has recently...
"Andrew! Isaac says that we aren't alone on the Guardian-of-Younger-Nestbrothers!"
...(static)...
...(static)...
...used by Delemrek scouts when transmissions needed to be concealed. It's not
the number of rocks that's critical, it's also the orientation of the piles to the
Spur, the tallest pile, and the size and shape of the rocks...
...(static)...
...repeating three, eleven, twenty seven, three, eleven, twenty seven in a straight line.
Find out if he knows the Ipsolstai color language. You can show...
...(static)...
"Zachary, we still have contact with Earth via Stage One. There is an Outbound
transmission from Orpheus there, though he does not say if he received our
message."
Gail, can you read our Inbound? We lost direct contact with you, but we can still
read your Inbound file. Please reply. How's Theresa doing? What about these glyphs
and diagrams that she can see?
"Zachary, didn't Koala tell us when Sojourner detected that microorganism in that
glowing layer that living creatures gain energy by eating other living creatures?
What about that huge living cloth that we found at the bottom of the lake?
We should tell the Amphibian about it. Maybe it can recharge energy that way."
Daniel, how many rocks to pile "living cloth", "water", "below" and "shaft"?
Please respond ASAP. It's essential.
"Enoch, that's a good idea. That way we also could ask the Amphibian to look for the vehicle."
"Daniel, what is 'bring back vehicle' in rocktalk? And what was the 'deadly insult'?"
"Gail, I'm sorry, but we can't come to your aid. We are trapped in here
too. What about Elder Brother, didn't he come yet? It takes only few hours for
him to get there."
Orpheus, JASE, Earth. Do you have any idea what happened to Elder Brother? I
am seriously worried about him. He always has been absolutely reliable. I don't
know how to explain that. Even if he really lost contact with us, he at least
would contact Gail.
Hey! There it is again.
>"Enoch, did you realize that it's now the third time that we sensed those vibrations?
It's like some big explosion. Do you think the Ipsolstai are in battle again?"
"Theresa, can you transmit a picture of the glyphs? We want to know what they
look like."
No, she can't. Her antenna is folded flat against her casing. Think, Gail, think.
If I only had some kind of lubricant, maybe I could pull her out. We must have
something that could help her.
"Zachary, is there anything in our construction equipment that we could use on
Theresa?"
"Enoch, something terrible is happening! There are stones falling from the sky
and making big craters. Make it stop, Enoch! Make it stop!"
I squeezed under the ledge where Theresa is stuck, so the stones wouldn't hit
me. They aren't very big, but they are coming fast enough to destroy a probe
if they hit one. I should be glad that Enoch and Zachary are safe inside the
cave, even if they don't have a vehicle to get out past the water and up the steep
wall. At least they are safe from falling stones.
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