Chapter Eight
Off the Ice Cap
Kiyoshi and Valentina were back in the rover at dawn, heading south beyond the last station. Neither had talked about where they were going; they had just said farewell to Kiyoshi’s aunt and uncle, topped off the rover’s tanks, and left.
The morning passed the same as any other, although Kiyoshi was if anything talking less than usual. Valentina felt like they were both holding their breath. Shortly after noon they had their first hint of something different in the landscape. The snow ahead of them was occasionally dancing up into the air. The wind tended to blow it around all over the ice cap, but there was something different about this particular pattern of upthrust. Kiyoshi slowed as they drew closer and Valentina began to realize she was seeing two dif
