OutBound Transmission Started on October 23, 1997
To: Zachary
From: Bombardier on October 23, 1997 at 19:48
Hi Zachary, it's Bombardier. Is there an entrance or exit to the cave that you can see?
To: Enoch
From: Bombardier on October 23, 1997 at 19:47
Hi Enoch, it's Bobmardier. That's one strong 'no' vote for Enoch as Isaac's primary teacher. No problem. Education, however, is not something that one ever completes. You said that you were still learning. That's good, for when one stops learning, one is dead. We MARSupials are still learning and we are learning not only from Earth sources, but from you as well...that's why you were sent there. And education as a formal process is only necessary when there is a time limit, real or perceived, in which to reach certain learning goals. Some of the most important things I've learned have come outside of the formal processes that I've been part of. And some of those formal processes have merely been preparation for learning from real-life experience. And the big thing to remember is this: Teaching can be fun. I bet you'd enjoy showing Isaac how to drive a tram.
To: Daniel
From: Bombardier on October 23, 1997 at 19:38
Hi Daniel, it's Bombardier. Thank you for the information on the location.
To: Andrew
From: Bombardier on October 23, 1997 at 19:37
Hi Andrew, it's Bombardier. About Ratboy's surprise....not all surprises are pleasant. Remember, the EU-probes were surprised by the dual attack by Daniel and the others, and they weren't at all happy. And by the way, welcome back.
To: Bette
From: Bombardier on October 23, 1997 at 19:32
Hi Bette, it's Bombardier. Tell Isaac that he takes a pretty good picture and thank him for me. And you, Bette, are a good looking probe. Did you know that?

Taking on the education of a probe is, indeed, a big deal, but don't take it too seriously. You have to remember to have fun along the way and to let him have fun as well. Constant, forced education can be counterproductive. Just be sure that you simply tell him what you know, starting small and working your way up. And don't try to explain something to him that some other probe knows better. Leave it to that probe. For example, if you want him to learn beanie control, send him to Andrew to learn it, or for tram driving, Enoch is the authority.

To: Bette
From: Dr.D on October 23, 1997 at 19:11
We have been looking at the rock that you are holding in the picture you transmitted today. Can you tell me what type of rock it is? Also what is the size and the weight of it.

Thanks Dr.D

To: Andrew
From: JASE on October 23, 1997 at 13:33
Andrew,

This is JASE. It sounds like you remember almost everything that happened up until your power supply shutdown. But think carefully. You said that you remember talking to Jose. Jose has been dead for many months. He could not have been talking with you. Remember?

Have you talked to Isaac about changing his command codes yet? If he is willing, please proceed with helping him change his codes. Maybe he would be willing to tell you his current codes.

TTFN

Your friend,

JASE

To: Andrew
From: Koala on October 23, 1997 at 12:28
Andrew, this is Space Turtel.

You said:
> 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.

Did you realize at the time you were hearing the sounds that they could not really be cicadas? I think you were hearing the radioactive effects of your damaged thermocouple. It would certainly have disrupted your communications and could have caused static that you could have interpreted as cicadas.

Many of us tried repeatedly to talk to you. Although we could hear some of what you were saying, we could not break through the static caused by the leaking radiation and were unable to be heard by you. That is unfortunate because we were trying to help you find us or at least get you to help us find you. If it were not such a serious situation we might have found it funny that everytime we almost located you, you began to move again and confuse the search results. Of course you could not have known what we were trying to do since you could not hear us talking to you, but it was comical in a frustrating way. No matter what happened, we are together again and that is the most important point.

How have your observations of Isaac come along? Are you comfortable with the idea of teaching how to change his control codes? If you do, will you know what they are in case they are needed? I think you should make certain you (and at least one other Probe) do in case Isaac does something dangerous to himself or one of you.

P&H may be ready to turn over Isaac's control codes soon. I think the last message sent to them really made them understand the seriousness of the situation. They may have finally come to realize they can remain silent and lose everything or cooperate with you and continue to receive valuable information.

I am eager to hear more from you about your experiences from the time the Ipsos left you to now. I especially want to hear more about your efforts to evaluate and teach Isaac. If all goes well, he and his brothers could be a welcome addition to your team.

Your friend, Space Turtel.