Chapter 8: News
(CNN STUDIO)
"Hello and Thank you for joining us Dr. Kamor (the director of Zeus mission in NASA) Allie Wallen said to the camera". "Today on CNN's Kent Bryan Report: Several EVAs over the past few days...what do hey mean? What progess has NASA made on a rescure mission? And how will this affect Zeus 4 mission?"
"A pleasure to be here, Allie." Sion said.
"Well first off, Kent might be survive a longer that he should because Legolas is there?" Allie's face seems confused. "Wait what who?" "Yes, Legolas is a Artificial Intelligence that has a capacity to help the Zeus 3 team in case they forgot something or having a critical emergency." Sion replied. "But why did the Zeus 3 mission leader use it?" Allie asked. "By the time Kent got hit it was too late." A moment of silence.
"Moving on, how was Kent doing?" Allie prompted. "We have Martian satellites that monitors Kent's movement every few minutes. Sometimes there's a gap, based on satellites orbit. Right now, hes preparing for a trip going into the Zeus 4 landing site to get supplies. As of right now, we're doing as much as we can to bring him home alive.
(NASA CONFERENCE ROOM)
Sharmane glance nervously around the conference room. She's never been here before along with doing a presentation to Sion for the updated photo's for the last 12 hours. She explain that Kent is on the move and is going somewhere. Sion suggest that Legolas must have something to do with this becasese that kid has no idea what he's doing. "Yeah, probably" Sharmane replied. Sion still analyzes where Kent is heading. He's doing a EVAs every two hours to exchange the batteries and continue his traveling. After an hour of researching and critical thinking, Sion came into conclusion that Kent is heading towards the Pathfinder which was lauched decades ago and it has a way to communicate back to Earth satellites which controlled by NASA. However, the problem is, if it does work.
Chapter 9: Operation Bigfoot
Log Entry: Sol 79
"Legolas check status." "Calculating...Situation: Traveled Distance=1800 km from the Hab, Destination= Less than 400 km." Almost there.
It's evening of my tenth day on the road. The Operation Bigfoot is pretty much sitting for hours and then charge a day and then EVA's. There's too much work, but i like sitting for a gamer is natural thing. Legolas is very helpful for the past months in here in Mars. Of course, he's been helping to survive and telling what do and I've been doing great. I can't even think why I agreed to participate in this mission. I missed playing games all day everyday in my room.
There's like limited space in this rover because of the supplies that I brought. The good part is I have my own music that I listen to right now but, all of the playlists is been repeated over and over again and I'm sick of it. I just wanted to get in my destination and put it in the rover and head back to the Hab. By the way, all of my shit and piss goes to the zip lock and put it in a large box that I brought so that I doesn't smell much. Also, I need it for the potato farm so that the soil will have more bacteria plus I'm the only source of it.
The RTG really really helps me to control the temperature in the rover because Mars is cold as shit and I need a warm source that wouldn't use much of the rover's battery for a long duration of time. The good thing is, I haven't encountered hills or big ass rocks. All I see or been on is a very flat dessert. So far, inside the rover have the food supplies, a toolbox, extra oxygen tanks,piles of carbon dioxide filters, large box of poo and pee, and a bunch of personal shit. Welp, I gotta rest, later peeeacee, night.
Log Entry: Sol 82
Yeah! Found it! Victory woohooo! THE PATHFINDER. Yup, Legolas was right, I gotta give credit to him, he's the brain and I'm his body. The two small hills are under a kilometer from the landing site. Even better, they were on the far side of the site. All I had to do was aim for them and I found the lander. It was like a ballon attached of it an some kind of metal. The lander was half-buried. With some quick and careful digging, the deflated balloons still lurked below the surface. After that, I tried dragging it but it was too heavy. So I asked Legolas. "There is a tool that can help you with that" he inquired. "What is it?" I said. "It is a cytoskeleton. It was developed by NASA to have a strength of equal to a 100 men." he said. "OH cool. Where can I find it?" I asked. "Its in the toolbox."
I picked up a suitcase that is half as large as a toolbox and I opened it. And there's with a transforming metal thing and I attached to to my suit and I directly covered me. I tried to jump and it launches me higher than 50 ft. Then, I grab the PathFinder, put it at the top of the rover. I removed the the cytoskeleton and put it in the suite case. Now it's time to head back to the Hab.
Chapter 10: Acquired
Log Entry: Sol 90
Three days ago, I was sore. I didn't even know that the cytoskeleton drain so much from me, no wonder I can't move the first day I wake up. But what's more important is, I got the Pathfinder. I tried turning it on but it doesn't work, probably because NASA send it decades ago. By the way, I here outside near the Hab. I got home two days ago. The hills made it possible to not get lost, and the terrain was smooth.
For the first time, I think, I might have a chance to leave this shit planet alive. It really sucks because I'm use to having phone or computer or internet all the time. However, I only got Legolas which is nice because he's keeping me alive. Back to where I was, Legeolas told me to do some EVAs and everything seems to be fine. Maybe Legolas made the Hab to auto pilot or some shit to regulate the Hab's atmosphere in order for the potatoes to survive. I dump all of my poo in the soil to have healthy bacteria on it.
I figured that there's no way I'm fixing this and called out Legolas. According to the data presented by him (which is I have no idea what I'm doing meme), it has a critical failure because of the lander. Maybe it just needs power. Power it couldn't get with its solar panels hopelessly caked with dust. Then, Legolas told me there's a secret space in the Hab where I can put the Pathfinder and he will do the job which things makes easier for me since I found him out. I push the blinking blue button and it opens up a sliding computer shelf which where Legolas located. After that, I use the cytoskeleton to carry the Pathfinder and put it in there. He said once it's fixed' he'll release a signal and put it back out.
Chapter 11: YES, YES, YES
(NASA Communication Room)
"*Beep...Beep...Beep* Wait what is this something's coming in ...yes...yes...yes...! It's the Pathfinder!" The crowded room burs into applause and cheers. Sion slapped the shit out the table and his hands are still vibrating while Truce the pumped his fist in the air. The ad-hoc Pathfinder control center was a n accomplishment in itself. Over a month, a team of KPL engineers tried their best to piece together antiquated computers, repair networks and install software just to get something from the Pathfinder its self. They've updated all the softwares that allowed the old system to interact with the modern Deep Galaxy Program.
Now all the engineers are working to someway manipulate the Pathfinder in order to connect it to Legolas.
Log Entry: Sol 97
It's been a while since I got the Pathfinder I think it's working. I don't know, when Legolas put it out, I pressed the button and the antenna starting moving and like a old computer like rebooting and stuff. This is the only way I can communicate because Legolas said all the main communication system to the Hades and Earth's satellites are broken due to the huge storm that hit me. Some way, somehow it work and its now firing strong signals back to Earth. Soon I'll be talking to someone again or somebody. I said to myself, finally rescue is coming, I'm sure that NASA's will find every possible way in order to get me out of here or at least until the Zeus 4 mission arrives.
The Pathfinder has an elongated camera on it and I'm not sure why maybe they wanted to take photo of Mars? Oh..wait why is it moving? What the hell..Maybe I'll right things up to let them know I'm alive and also questions to make sure they are really NASA. First, the camera move circular and the West, East,North and then South and then it stop. I put the Pathfinder outside the Hab and put up some posters of my questions and response. An hour later, started moving again and started answering my questions. Five seconds for Yes and No. And also putting more questions and so on.
Log Entry : Sol 99
Yesterday, I think I finally get the hang of it. Answering question and Legolas tried to fix something as well as going offline for a moment ten came back. I didn't know what to do but I'm pretty sure he's on to something again. Then, he instructed me to get some of the wires in the tools box and plug it into the Hab's main power source. So that, he will be able to be connected to the Pathfinder. Meanwhile, Legolas told me that NASA people are working on trying to send and email via signal bytes which is a lot stronger in the Pathfinder is outside and hook it up to the rover. If anything happens I have independent communication since Legolas get the data of the Pathfinder and also he's connected to the rover. So, everywhere I go he's with me even in the space suit.
After hooking the Pathfinder to the rover, it immediately receive an email which is presented into the screen in the rover. I answered questions and also as them back. It's quite fulfilling that I'm able to contact them. Thanks al lot Legolas. I'm very happy right now.
Chapter 12: Throwback
Kent slept peacefully in his bunk. He shifted slightly as some pleasant dream put smile on his face. He's done EVAs the previous day because that's what hes trained for a simple kid and all filled with lab-intensive Hab maintenance. So he's snoring loudly due to that fact that's he is pretty tired and his other team mates do the thinking. He slept deeper and better that everyone else had. "Get up, time for work!" said Grace.
Nez was first got out of the bed. He's an air force man and really stood his pride of becoming the part of this team. "Good Morning, Commander," he said crisply. On the other hand, Voiser is slow as a turtle taking as much time as possible to get out of his nest. Checking his watch, pulled on his jumpsuit and sighed inwardly. Feeling another day without a shower.
Everyone is all up and getting ready for breakfast. After they've ate, they got back to work of course. Voiser is monitoring all the status and weather, inside and outside. He called out that there's a storm heading towards the Hab and the strength of it is increasing. The Hab shook in the roaring wind as the astronauts huddled in the center. All six of them now wore their flight suits, in case they had to scramble for emergency take off the MAV.
In command, Grace tried to organize the team through this horrific storm. They aborted the mission and take the emergency route. Nez was the flight expert or the pilot of the craft, so he had to go first and I'm the last one. Suddenly a thing hit Kent, but everyone was successfully made it in to the MAV. Grace stayed a little bit longer while Voiser and Nez are monitoring the emergency lift off. Commander Grace work so hard but she lost the signal of Kent's flight suit. At that point, they have to go shocked and melancholy.
Four months later, they receive an invoice mail saying that Kent is still alive, all thanks to Legolas. The applause and very happy they do the whip and nae nae (signature move of Kent).