[ WP ] In search of life on Mars , NASA 's newest rover has stumbled upon a badly eroded monument . The almost unintelligible inscription reads : `` What you are , I once was ; what I am , you will become '' .

At approximately 2:37 AM Earth time, the Freedom rover crested a Martian ridge which collapsed under the treads. The weight of the rover caused a sort of landslide that partially buried it near the bottom of the crevice. The optical sensors rested above the loose soil, but the tracks seized underneath, effectively crippling the product of years of research, development, and millions of dollars. 
 
 It had been days since the last image from Freedom. The latest Mars mission was designed to last a minimum of 4 years on the red planet, sending data transmissions daily. It lasted 6 months before its spectacular death. You see, before the Freedom rover ceased communications, it transmitted an image that created a hurricane of speculation, fear, and uneasiness all around planet Earth. 
 
 The image depicted a strange, yet intentional shape looming in the draping shadows of the crevice. It was chiseled out of the rock face, a dull red harbinger of fate. The landslide had evidently broken this crude monument, as several crumbled pieces of rock lay grimly at the crevice floor. It was as if the monument itself had perished terribly, bleeding out onto the fissure. 
 
 One piece in particular drew the attention of concerned Earthlings. There was a particular tablet of that wretched burgundy shrine engraved with the all too familiar symbols of the Phoenician alphabet. The message was meant to be seen; the exposed letters shined with the familiar glint of polished metal. Even with several letters missing because of shadows and dust, the message was clear: 
 
 `` What you are, I once was; what I am, you will become.''
