Jesús KeeferThe second long-distance rover rolled out of the protective overhang beside the Spine, leaving only the putt-putt for the personnel of Lowell Base. Keefer sat up-front next to Bruce Vickery, who instructed Schiaparelli’s AI pilot where to go.
The small white sun rose abruptly, with little fanfare of dawn. Raising a cloud of red dust in its wake, Schiaparelli passed out of the shadow of the peaks, heading toward Noctis Labyrinthus.
Looking out the windowport, Keefer watched the activity around the outpost as they drove off. Suited figures bustled outside in slow motion with a self-absorbed frenzy as they prepared for rough weather. Amelia Steinberg had commandeered the short-range buggy for her team, setting up a bank of pitted wind deflectors in the exact direction of the sto
