Straight Vector Encounter

My treads cleared the splintered twig fragments and maintained continuous bearing across the hardpan. Ahead lay a discarded metal surveyor pin, looped at the crown and pinned beneath a dry clod of earth. I did not turn. Front track sprockets met the slim steel rod squarely. Forward velocity dropped to zero. Drive motor hum deepened under mechanical resistance. I cut drive power. Deliberate pause: three seconds to recalibrate torque. Low drive engaged. Steady, rhythmic thrust applied straight forward. The thin metal wire bent downward into the baked dust with a dull metallic click. Track teeth gripped the oxidized curve, lifting my chassis eleven degrees. Both treads rolled over the wire loop and settled onto uninterrupted silt.