Location: D04 - Terrial Minor
Tags: MANTIS, spying, exploration
AG: Lots of new friends by David FNJ, on Flickr
Double D's log 10:
After acquiring the ultramafic lava sample for my new weapon - the Flamiusâ„¢ - (found a name!) on Mynderis, I was sent to Terrial Minor to prepare for the first military wave of Kawashitan forces. Right now most of what is here are small scientific research labs, comminication stations, and Bio-Tar extraction devices (not yet a Kawashitan Trademark yet...they'd better move fast!).
Although this part of the planet looks very lush, it is not. The soil is a very dry. However, the air is very humid because of the steam that constantly bubbles out from the tar-like pits (that I will just call tar pits, even though the science guys would correct me that they are not tar pits because the black substance is not actually tar...but I digress). So the soil is very dry, the atmosphere is very hot, and the air is very humid....I guess the humidity explains why plants are able to grow and how the aliens and creatures here can survive. The plants and the inhabitants here must get moisture from the air. All that is needed here now is some air conditioning and dehumidifying technology!
Anyway, I was finally able to bring Wheelie (also found a name for the little guy!) with me because the guys at the computer lab finished upgrading him. I didn't like Wheelie in black, so I painted only a small portion lime green.
My mission was simple, find out what the Bio-Tar devices do, and to make them . Wheelie proved to be especially useful in this area as he was able to open one up in a way that only a robot with the right tools could. Thus, we were not detected...but Kawashita will soon notice that a bunch of their Bio-Tar devices are starting to breakdown. Just place a small bomb that will damage a small function-critical component inside the Bio-Tar device, and then when we want to, set off the bomb, and then let the tar to its work on the Bio-Tar device (basically clog up the entire device).
We found out that the tar contains high-quality biomass molecules that can be extracted if processed right. Small amounts of these biomass molecules perform four times as much as what large containers of more common biomass molecules do. Unfortunately, extraction techniques are still quite primitive, so research here is critical if a more effective way to extract these biomass molecules is to be found. My job - make sure Kawashita doesn't get the breakthrough first.
The last but perhaps the most exciting observation from my mission on Terrial Minor were these flying creatures that I call gubbies. They flap their wings really fast, and they are the most curious creatures on this planet. Gubbies are very friendly, and they explore with their mouths, so if exploring, be sure to bring some food with you! It turns out they are easily persuaded with food. I've befriended several gubbies, and I hope to keep one...or two...or....nevermind. Too bad they don't like to chew on those metal Bio-Tar devices...Yes, I tried.
You know you want one.
~ DD out
---------------------------------------------------------
I had a blast with the colors on this one, and of course the gubbies are just adorable. I was fiddling around with the dinosaur head of the Dilophosaurus and then noticed that from the top it looked like a little flying thing. I stuck an eye on it, and voila - it was instantly adorable. Opening its mouth made it look even cuter. I found it while trying to figure out what to go with the pink areas of the landscape, and the lime green seemed to go well (plus I had gotten a lot of it from the P-A-B wall), so I gave it a go, and was very pleased with the result!
