The Adventure of Seventy and Morse

'Launching a Comet'
Seventy topped off the fuel tank on the rocket attached to his newest creation. He had worked for years creating devices
that allowed him to study the world around him. He even created his little helper-robot Morse, who assists in placing these devices
in nearly every conceivable location around his workshop for miles in every direction. The gadgets were strapped to the branches
of trees, some were buried in the ground, and others submerged deep under water. The roof of Seventy's workshop was piled high
with antennae and other devices to measure the attributes of the air around them. They were designed to measure temperature,
moisture, wind speed, and even the intensity of the sunlight. The device he was currently working on was sure to top them all. The
now fully fueled rocket was carrying a payload Seventy had dreamed of for quite some time, a satellite named 'The Little Comet,'
and he intended to launch it high into the sky above his home. With luck, it would find orbit and begin to transmit all sorts of new
data down to the workshop for Seventy to study.

'6..5..4..'
After a final check of the satellite's functionality and a thorough goings-over of the delivery system, Seventy was satisfied.
The weather was right, the device was working perfectly, and there was no doubt left in his mind, it was time to launch.
Morse stood next to Seventy. He was a small, but incredibly sturdy little bot. He did all sorts of tasks for his creator. His
task tonight was to act as a stabilizer and release mechanism for the rocket, before and during launch. He was made of a strong,
resilient metal and the end of his arms were clamp-like hands that were perfectly suited for this job.
Seventy took a deep breath to steady his excited anticipation and knelt down to turn the fuel knob to 'open'. He could
hear a faint hiss as the fuel began to spray into the combustion chamber. He pushed and held down the ignition switch as it clicked
a few times.. *Click, click, click…Fwoooop!* The fuel ignited and a little flame shot down through the exhaust and singed a few
bits of grass. "Are you ready Morse?" he asked. 'Beep!', he signaled in the affirmative. "Ok, then," said Seventy, "I'm going to turn
this thing full blast and then get back before my shoes catch fire! It's up to you now!" Seventy turned the fuel knob until it was
completely open, and the flame shooting out of the exhaust turned orange and then blue. The launch area immediately grew
much hotter and Seventy quickly got out of the way. Morse was awash in the glow of the flame as thick swirls of smoke obscured
his and the rockets form.

'3..2..1..'
Seventy was holding a remote control device in his hands that monitored all the data relevant to the imminent launch. It
was receiving information from the rocket, the satellite, and many of the instruments he had deployed in the area to monitor
environmental attributes like the wind, which could easily throw his rocket off course if its intensity suddenly changed. This device
would also allow him to signal to Morse precisely when he was to let go of the rocket. *Tick, tick, tick*, the remote counted down
the last seconds before launch. The rocket quivered with energy as it tried to escape Morse's grasp. Seventy intently studied the
various bits of data displayed on the controller screen and counted along in his head as the numbers passed in sequence, "Five,
four, three.." *Tick, tick… beep!*, and decisively pushed the button. Morse released his grip on the eager rocket. *Thwoosh!* It
lifted, arced skyward, and in an instant was gone, leaving only a rapidly dissipating cloud of exhaust and smoke in its place.
Seventy, followed by Morse, quickly headed back into the workshop. A heaping pile of monitors and other various
electronic gadgets was positioned along the back wall. Seventy sat down on his rolling stool and scooted his way over to the
particular device receiving a signal from his just-launched satellite. "It worked!" Seventy exclaimed. 'Beep, beep!' Morse replied.
Seventy was thrilled at the success and couldn't wait to analyze the data the satellite would soon be sending back.
Though very much wanting to watch the new information scrolling on the monitor, Seventy was suddenly now very aware
of how tired he was. He had been up since before dawn and had worked all day getting ready for the launch. He knew it would
take some time for enough data to accumulate before he could make much sense of anything anyhow. He decided to rest for the
night and get up early the next morning to go over the new data with a fresh mind.

'Up with the Sun'
Seventy got up with the sun the next morning, which was later than usual for him, as the autumn had turned to early
winter in the valley where he had made his home. He spent the entire day studying the information his new satellite was sending
back. Speed, altitude, temperature… all very interesting stuff, but it would be weeks before enough data was collected, only then
could he make any truly fascinating discoveries. Seventy finally called it quits late in the day as evening was upon him. It was a
chilly, crisp night and after dinner he decided to retire to his favorite spot atop a tower he had built amongst the antenna on his
roof to relax.
It was a clear night with endless stars and a cool breeze. Seventy was quite content being in his workshop roost; It was
peaceful and made a perfect spot for reflection on all he had accomplished during the day. The tower was covered in satellite
dishes and had just enough room for Seventy and Morse to sit at the very top. Seventy wondered about his little satellite, and how
it was performing. He was delighted by the new influx of data he was getting, figuring that would keep him busy pondering
throughout the approaching winter. He was inclined to get a little stir crazy being stuck inside during the worst of the colder
months and figured this would help pass the time.

'Down with the Stars'
Seventy's mind was finally beginning to settle from the day of endless thinking. He inhaled deeply and let out a long
yawn as he stretched his arms. "Ooooh… well.. I guess we'd better climb on down and get some rest," he said to Morse. "I don't
want to fall asleep up here again. It gets too cold in the night for that." He surveyed the sky one last time as he started to get up.
He paused.. somewhere out in the blackness above him, barely audible, was an out-of-place sound. It was a crackling sort of sound
much like static electricity or crinkling plastic. He stood up fully, cupped his hand behind his ear and oriented it toward the sky. The
sound grew louder and Seventy squinted his eyes as some barely discernible object came into view. It was a bright, glimmering
ball of light and it was moving in his direction as best he could tell, and it was getting bigger and louder. As it grew closer,
Seventy's curiosity was tinged with concern at this wholly unknown phenomena. It wasn't but a few seconds before the object came
into clear view. There in the sky he saw an enormous comet streaking by overhead, with a long rainbow colored tail trailing behind.
It was all at once, beautiful and frightening. Seventy had never seen such a thing in his entire life. Morse let out a string of short,
panicked exclamatory beeps. Even he, as a stoic little robot, was concerned by this sparkling thing. *Fzzzzzzsssshhh!!!!* the comet
crackled through the air. Then a quick flash appeared in the sky like the sudden pop of a light bulb burning out.
The comet careened overhead and into the distance. Seventy braced himself as his stomach sank. Morse too, grabbed
ahold of a nearby pole to steady himself, mimicking his creator. Seventy anxiously waited for some sign of impact, a boom maybe,
or a plume of smoke on the horizon.. but nothing happened… "It must have hit too far away for me to hear," he thought "Or
maybe I'm so tired, I'm starting to imagine things."
"Beep, beep!" Morse let out. "Beep, beep!" "You saw that too, huh?" Seventy said with a resigned lack of enthusiasm. "Let's get
down to the workshop. Maybe we'll see something our little satellite picked up."

'Lookout Descending"
"Hold on buddy." Seventy said to Morse as he flipped the lever that allowed a set of gears to turn. They slowly unwound a
cable attached to the platform the little bot was standing on and made a *whirrring* sound as it lowered him toward the ground.
Seventy grabbed the hand rails and backed down the ladder rungs at a steady pace, arriving at the lower roof level at nearly the
same moment the lift set down with his little robot companion. They hopped down from the roof and headed back into the
workshop. Seventy checked the dials, screens, and readouts receiving signals from all the various measuring devices he and Morse
had installed throughout the surrounding landscape. All of the instruments had registered some brief, intense event, and the data
coming through was wild and literally off-the-charts in some cases, with one very noticeable absence. The one device, whose data
Seventy was primarily interested in, was completely blank in stark contrast to the over-abundance of data from all the other
instruments.
Seventy put the little satellite's software into a reboot sequence… and nothing. He then performed a reboot on all of the
systems attached to it… and still.. nothing. The satellite was silent… completely off line… "What… The… Heck!?" Seventy
muttered as he shifted his attention back to the data he did have. All this information did little more than simply confirm that
something spectacular had indeed happened. Seventy already knew that much. He had seen it with his own eyes, so had Morse.
Beyond offering that meager confirmation, the data was inconclusive, which is to say Seventy had no idea of what was going on.
"Sometimes too much data can be just as little help as none at all," he thought. The sensors on all of his instruments had been
overwhelmed by the spectacular event, and this left Seventy with far more questions than he had answers for at present. "What's
new there!?" he thought. "Well.. Morse, it looks like we're going to go for a little stroll." "Beep, beep!," the bot responded. "Let's
see if we can find… whatever that thing in the sky was… where it landed. We need to find out what happened to my 'Little Comet'!
It was only up there for one day.. then *Poof!*"

'At the Outset'
"It's late to be wandering around in the dark." Seventy thought. Though he knew he would never be able to sleep with his
mind wondering about what he had seen. He flipped open the hatch on Morse's side and stuffed a small tent and sleeping bag
inside. The tent was just large enough for the two of them, with Morse positioned at the entrance to keep watch during the night.
Seventy grabbed his satchel and gathered a few things which he slid inside the innermost compartment. He put on his jacket,
gloves, and hat, as it was getting colder with each passing day, and he wasn't sure just how long they would be gone. He stuck a few
apples in his pockets and an assortment of calorie dense food into his pack, just in case. Seventy wrapped a scarf loosely around his
neck and attached the strap to his controller unit and slung it over his shoulder. He pushed the light switch as he walked out the
door, leaving the workshop almost entirely dark except for the light emanating from the various monitors and lighted dials. "We're
headed that way," said Seventy, as he pointed into the distance where he surmised the object had crashed. "Keep your location
scanner running so we can find our way back if we get lost." "Beep, beep!" Morse replied. Seventy pulled the door to his workshop
shut with an audible *click* and pushed the button on his flashlight. A beam of light shot out in front of them illuminating their path.
"Well, Morse.. Let's go see what we can see!" he said. "Beep, beep! Beep beep!" Morse responded. The two walked side by side
into the star lit night, and with that, began their journey into the far-off hills to investigate.

 

More to come!