Explorer 0613 initiating Status Report. Day fourteen.

I have excellent news to convey.

The Scientist has been speaking to me at great lengths these last few days, arriving to my cell before the sun even clears the horizon and staying into the late night hours. It always seems quite eager to take in what I have to say about our race and home, and I indulged in its curiosity by supplying it with great misinformation and fabrications. I have been encouraging the creature to give me its full trust with subtle telepathic manipulation, and this has been paying off exponentially.

Sharing the politics and sciences of our world, the Human returned this with its own knowledge, telling me what it knew of humanity's technological accomplishments, military prowess, and political situations. I listened to this with great intent, alert for and detecting no signs of deception within the Human's reciprocation, and I have recently taken a copious amount of notes regarding the subject matter. These will be sent at the end of this report.

Along with this valuable data, the Human shared how it knew of my presence here. It is an astronomer who had taken notice of my capsule as it approached Earth. Alarmed that I might have been an asteroid, the Human quickly came to notice the intricate metallic structure of my pod and deduced that my vessel was not of natural origin. Using its limited capabilities, it had calculated my landing and the date of my arrival, upon which it had rushed to meet with me.

It states that it had not informed others within its community of my coming, wishing for itself and its Student to be the first Humans to officially make this 'discovery'. However, it tells me that we will soon leave this place and travel back to its observatory, where it hopes to formally introduce me to its colleagues and later to other Humans of higher power.

But before we depart, it had one request of me. It had inquired if I could give it a detailed tour of my capsule. This is what I have been waiting for and I agreed so long as the Human will assist in my studies. The creature was willing to oblige, -saying how we can learn much from each other-, and left my cell to make arrangements.

I was idle for approximately one hour before the Scientist returned. With great haste fueled by its excitement, it released me from my prison, gathered up my stolen devices, and insisted I follow it out. I allowed the creature to escort me passed the armed guards and Lead Human. Although they were obviously in protest to this action, they can do nothing to stop us.

As I was preparing myself for another long and arduous journey back to my capsule, I instead beheld a strange looking vehicle parked outside the prison. Restrained to the front of this alien device were two large quadrupedal beasts, reined by the Student. At the bottom of what appeared to be the occupational chamber was something of keen interest to me. Instead of legs, this mechanism is supported by large circular frames. These would no doubt be rotated along the ground with movement, reducing friction and alleviating the burden of the occupational chamber. When I made clear my bewilderment towards this unusual trait, the Human informed me that it was called a 'wheel', something that has served their race well since they 'discovered' the structure millennia ago.

A 'wheel'. Never in all my explorations have I seen such a method of transport. It was peculiar, foreign, and… horribly flawed and inefficient. Within seconds of my scrutiny, I already deduced so many limitations with the arrangement and I made this much known to the Scientist. It took this with startled amusement.

Opening the occupational chamber, the Human invited me in. It was a struggle, heaving my bulk up into the chamber and both the Scientist and the Student assisted me in the process. Upon entering the vehicle, I noticed two soft platforms in which to settle on both sides of the chamber; I make no attempt to perch on these platforms, as they were too small and narrow to comfortably support my body. I instead allowed my tentacles to explore the interior, gripping any anchor on which I can secure myself.

The chamber was a snug fit, my bulk taking much of the room. Due to this, the Scientist sat with the Student, shutting me within the chamber. Not long after, I felt movement and braced myself yet more with my tentacles. It was not a pleasant experience, the vehicle moving nowhere near as smoothly as our own. I distracted myself by observing the landscape outside the window, although this proved futile after a time when the terrain got rougher the deeper into the forest we travelled.

Finally, the vehicle stopped and the Scientist opened the door to free me. As I slid out onto the ground, the Human told me that the carriage has gone as far as it could and that we must move the rest of the way on our own. Such is one of the flaws of these 'wheels'. A flaw we can potentially take advantage of.

Sending the Student back to the settlement, both the Scientist and I continued on. With the reduced distance, it wasn't as protracted or tedious as my last trek through these lands. Before long, we came upon a familiar sight: One of my Heat Rays, rendered offline by noticeable damage to its structure. It is of no further use to me, and so I made note to remove these weapons when I regained access to my Handling Machine.

Arriving at the lip of my crater, my eyes, for the first time, scanned over the destruction caused by the explosion. A large portion of my capsule was noticeably damaged, much of the hull blown asunder.

Beside me, the Scientist asked if this capsule was my way back home. I told it that I was not intended to return home, that our resources for interplanetary travel was running dangerously low, and this was to be my last mission. If Earth was a worthy alternative to Mars and if our two races can co-exist, our society would migrate here; if not, an escape pod will not be sent for me as such resources must be reserved for a potential colonization of Venus. I told it my only hope to return home should Earth prove less than ideal would be if I can amass enough suitable material here to build my own escape pod.

I gave the Human no time to express its sympathies for me, and I moved to my capsule as swiftly as my cumbersome body would allow, the Scientist following. Examining the interior, I began noting the damages. The medical device is completely destroyed, its remains unusable, leaving me unable to properly treat my wound. I will have to rely on the Human's primitive instruments to repair my body, and cope with the pain until I heal completely.

My communication device has sustained significant damage and was running low on its reserve power, but it was able to be repaired for my current use. My Handling Machine has been spared substantial damage, and I gathered the needed tools to bring it back to its optimal condition, and I have managed to salvage enough to repair several of my other equipment.

The Human stayed clear of my work for the most part, at first observing my actions with keen interest and eventually busying itself with the exploration of the capsule. Occasionally, it would interrupt my repairs asking for the purpose of whatever machine or tool it had found. I humored it, albeit lacing my explanations with untruths, and it would leave me in peace once more.

When my work was done, I gave the Human its desired formal tour of my capsule, continuing to mislead it about minor details, before I informed the Human that I wished to begin some studies and tests of its Biology. At this point, night has fallen and I was aware of the creature's diurnal habits. I wished to study its state of vulnerability. The Human seemed intrigued that our race did not partake in the routine torpor, -apparently, it is a mandatory state of rest for the majority of Earth's life-, but it was willing to indulge my curiosity.

Having it lay where it will to be comfortable, I attached the brainwave device onto its head, as well as several other instruments to its chest to measure its vitals. It took some time for the Human to settle, but I was patient as I left it in peace. As it slipped from consciousness, I activated the machines to begin recording its body's activity during this state, which I will analyze when it stirs.

As I waited, I preoccupied myself with other studies. The Human has brought provisions with it, and I have taken several small samples of these to evaluate their nutritional value. This data, I shall send shortly, as well as my recommended formulas when the process is complete.

I have also made a brief visit to the containment that held the Red Weed. In my absence, it has grown extraordinarily well in this environment, better even than it would have on Mars. There is some slight discoloration; several areas have begun to whiten slightly. This I attribute to the lack of proper care it has received during my imprisonment.

The sun will begin to rise soon and the increased activity in brainwaves show the Human will be close to stirring from its suspended animation. I shall continue my work and studies with whatever tools I have available. Come noon, we will leave my capsule once more to meet with the Scientist's peers, and I shall continue manipulating these animals into an ideally vulnerable state that is ripe for conquering.

Report Sent Successfully

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Notes Sent Successfully