Log Entry #73: A Needle In A Haystack

How do you find a needle in a haystack?

Though it may seem strange, it is quite easy—simply use a very powerful electromagnet and the damn thing will fly to you.

My task was something very similar to that old conundrum; to find a stasis chamber module that was deliberately hidden on Mars almost thirteen thousand years ago, so… a piece of cake? Not even close! Which was due to the haystack being the size of an entire planet and all I had were a few tiny magnets.

A few dozen scanning probes were made and sent to comb the surface, but I realized very quickly that there was an insane amount of surface to comb through. It worked in the Mariana Trench, and that one is a big piece of real estate in its own right, yet, compared to Mars—it’s tiny. It would take me years or probably decades to find a stasis module, and Ision was constantly on my ass to hurry up. I understood his obsessive need to speed up the entire process; his son was there, and all his instincts were screaming at him to find his boy… and others, of course. Let's face it, humans are primarily driven by family ties, everything else comes second. (That holds true even if you don’t particularly like them.)

OK, what did I know for sure? First of all, the Atlanteans (both human and angel) didn’t have enough time to meticulously plan. They had roughly two weeks to prepare the stasis module and to launch it without being noticed by the approaching demon ship. The mere fact they succeeded could be considered as a major miracle, even if Mikell and his crew needed to sacrifice their lives for their feint to work.

They couldn’t use a Gravity-drive on the stasis chamber module as that would be detected by demons, so they went the primitive way and used solid-fuel rocket engines to provide the thrust.

The MI that was responsible for the mission was very literal in executing his orders. That certain kind of spark responsible for the creative side that the humans have in abundance, is severely lacking in those overrated toasters. It most likely did the very minimal, never considering better options than those that fulfilled its preset parameters.

I tried to think like a MI—and failed miserably. It is a strange feeling when you are down for not being able to think stupid enough.

As the old adage goes, where there's a will there's a way, and I remembered something my grandfather taught me when I used to forget where I misplaced my keys, or something similar. He said, “Start from the position you last remember and then retrace your steps.”

Ergo, I built half a dozen MIs, placed them in shells with chemical boosters, and programmed them exactly the same way the Atlanteans did, with the set of parameters I found recorded inside the Knowledge Vault. I think that someone back then had the same idea and wanted to give those who survived the best chance of finding their children. Then I sent them on their way to complete the identical mission to one of thirteen millennia ago.

The problem Atlanteans faced was that they didn't know that much about Mars. Oh, they had data the colony ship collected when it first arrived in the system, but that is a completely different thing than knowing which place would be good to hide something for possibly a long time. I believe that some of them had to be aware that they may not survive and that their children may be there for a considerable period… or forever. Yet, they did what was necessary anyway. Life is life, even if the entire thing was one massive gamble.

The MIs in the probes I sent were one day apart, programmed not to see one another, and they didn't have a big stasis module to carry; they just thought they did. I had no intention to make realistic replicas when I could create phantom ones with a bit of creative code. Mars changed in some ways since the one Atlantean sent got there, all those dust storms add up over time.

The first two were a total bust, failed in their mission and the hypothetical stasis chamber was left on the surface after all fuel reserves were spent. One actually managed to crash-land on the freaking planet, thanks to the stray meteorite, striking it on the approach trajectory. Those were all valid scenarios that could have happened to the cargo the Atlanteans sent, and all those sites had to be thoroughly checked, just in case. I was glad my search of those locations didn’t find any ancient debris, and I kept Ision away from those findings, not wanting to cause him any more stress than he was currently under.

Finally, the fourth one hit the jackpot. It landed close to a geological formation on the Olympus Mons; it was a perfect place to hide something. Only there was nothing to show the place was ever visited. It was not so unexpected; after all, the governing MI needed to ensure that, so it could successfully complete its mission.

Scanning of the surrounding terrain commenced and when the probe received a return signal, I immediately informed Michael. His desire was to jump in the Excalibur and go straight to Mars. I swear, he acts sometimes as a teenage boy who wants something exciting to do; luckily, he always comes to his senses pretty fast. By the scans of the terrain, it was determined that there used to be a cave on that location which the ancient MI used to conveniently lessen the time it needed to create the appropriate installation.

I already had a few construction drones in orbit, waiting for the right location to be given so they could descend and start excavation. Yes, I knew the entrance would be buried; just stop dusting your own home for a year and see what happens. Multiply that by twelve thousand nine hundred times and that same dust will bury your entire house.

As soon as those drones broke through the indigenous rock layer and hit the metal Resistanium wall, we were in business. Before everything else, I had to get Michael down here so the damn MI would agree to open the doors. Not that there was anything he could do if I simply broke in; there were no self-destruct mechanisms in this place. It was built to protect children so blowing them to smithereens would be very counterproductive.

Michael and the team came, and I gave them a short tour of Mars; no human had ever before stepped on another planet, and I liked him to be the first. There may be some second-hand thrill for me too, that is my ex-body he is wearing.

Oh, and Ision was so insistent to be there in person (in a manner of speaking), I had to place a string of signal-boosting repeaters all the way to the red planet. He was in luck that this time of year Mars was relatively close to Earth, or else I would have needed a hell of a lot more repeaters and there would still be a significant lag.

Well, they came, saw the place and the Stasis module that was hidden within, and then left for home. The only thing left now was to excavate a big opening into Olympus Mons, so the module could be carried out. That project will need some time to be completed, but I see no need to hurry; it has been there undisturbed for a very long time and a few more months will do no harm. Besides, we couldn't wake up the children immediately, there were plenty of preparations that needed to be made first.

I need to finish at least a third of the new Atlantis level, and people need to be chosen and trained to take care of Angel and Atlantean children. I will be extra careful whom to choose as those kids will be very fragile and afraid at first. The psychological profiles that are going to be done on caregivers will be so extensive, I know some of them will immediately give up. Which is good, I need solid people, not well-meaning snowflakes that can do more damage than good.

These children have their own culture, they may as well be the last of their kind, and I don’t plan to force them into accepting ours. They will in time be made familiar with all the facts and will have a choice to make on how they want to live. No rush, it is a project that will span decades.

In the end, those children will be a part of the future we are creating, and some of them may become people that make decisions in the Solarian Union.

So… handle with care.