“We must be close, then?”
“Very,” she answered as she got up, leading him to the back of the trailer, indicating for him to keep going and stand out on the roadway. “We have done a lot with a little, but we have our limitations. And it’s often the simple things like wiring or the number of fans, batteries, or airlock modules we can get hold of that hold us back.” She stopped and then chuckled, her mirth clear even through the comms channel as it sounded out in Wei’s helmet. “We had a crisis for a whole year where we only had nine suits ready for the surface, all because one piece of gear would wear out before the others.”
He laughed at that. “What piece?”
“The right-hand glove. We had more of them retired than in service, but you still need one per suit. With each glove we had to retire, we also had to mothball a whole suit until we could get a hold of more.”
He laughed at that, as he stepped back onto the roadway and looked at the space the rover and trailer sat in, as well as the chasm rising above.
The vehicle barely fit under the overhang, but it did just. Now that he looked at it in the ruddy light, he also noticed something else—a rail fitted to the rocky ceiling that ran along the space’s outer edge. Wei’s gaze followed the rail along until he came to the closest end where Ghost stood. She was reaching up for something there. And that was when he realized it was a curtain rail, and that she was about to make the whole rover and trailer disappear with something as low tech as a camouflaged curtain that he hadn’t even noticed all bundled up against the chasm wall.
He went to help her.
After they pulled it out and along, they’d managed to hide the whole vehicle in the space of minute.
He said, “That’s so simple.”
“It’s just a piece of the standard-issue camo tenting.” With a chuckle, she added, “You’ll also find you can use a different piece of it as a blanket if you get cold in Sanctuary.”
He laughed as they then walked off, taking the other fissure that had joined the main chasm. The ground was sand, something that had no doubt spent an age being blown in from above.
Ghost indicated for him to follow her. “Come, we’re nearly there.”
Wei was stunned by the landscape around him.
The fissure was narrow, but wide enough for three people to walk abreast. The space climbed straight up a hundred meters, leaving them in shade at the bottom while the sky above showed as a crooked line lit in orange as the sun rose unseen back out on the surface.
Ghost’s voice sounded in his ear, as he felt her hand reach back and take his elbow in an effort to steer him forward in the gloom. “Sometimes the sun shines down. It’s like being on a stage with a spotlight above.”
“A spotlight?” Wei chuckled, but appreciated her efforts at drawing a comparison.
She laughed too. “I was also military, but we did more than marching drills.”
He chuckled. “We gambled and drank, although they would never allow us to go beyond our rationed shots.”
“Surely you did something else?”
“What do you mean?”
“Sports?”
He shook his head, his gaze still on the heavens. “We played football a little, but the weather was often too hot or too cold.”
“Where were you trained?”
“The edge of the Gobi Desert,” he said, adding, “Ordos.”
“Yes,” she said, “I remember the dust storms well…”
“You know it?”
“Of course, but I didn’t know at the time it was part of the program, as we were stationed elsewhere. We also launched from Inner Mongolia.”
He stopped, his gaze meeting her own. “From where?”
“Saihan.”
He frowned. “I thought Ordos was for all the lava tube habitat training and associated launches, like my own?”
“It is—for the men.”
He’d realized his mistake as soon as he had spoken. He nodded and said, “Yes, for orphan boys the military took and shaped into men. Men like me. I can’t help but wonder how much of what I know is only a part of the truth.”
“They deceived all of us.”
He nodded, accepting it. “Your entire crew were women?”
“Yes, of course. They planned it that way to ease the tensions so couples couldn’t form. They thought if missions were mixed couples, pairing off would add an unpredictable component to crew dynamics that might be dangerous.”
He knew it. All of the reasoning behind it had been covered in their training. “Jealousy.”
“Yes, and spite, anger, and hate.”
He said, “Of course, it was all explained to us. Besides, we were assured we would soon earn our rewards after spending a few years building up our habitat and getting ready for the first civilian colonists.”
“Your rewards? You mean the wives they promised you?”
He blushed, thinking how strange it all sounded, now that he spoke to a woman.
But he hadn’t seen a woman for over a year…
…And the next one he had expected to see was supposed to have been his future wife.
He took a deep breath, and said, “I…well, I mean, that was the arrangement. That was how they encouraged us to get things ready, follow orders, and fulfill our mission goals. A year of hard work and tight briefs in a heavily controlled environment, but the payoff would be a wife who we could start a family with. We then would have options to work in farming, private habitat construction, or join the Party so we could assist in the administration of the growing settlements.”
PING!
An alert sounded in their helmets.
Ghost said, “Come, we must get to the shelter. It’s not big, but it will keep us alive.”
He nodded and let her lead the way. “What is the alarm for?”
She moved quickly, leading him on. “Mars Command One has an asset in the area. We need to get under cover.”
“They’re still after us?”
“Maybe. Perhaps that was their drone back there and it’s found the way into the chasm.”
He followed her, focusing on the shadowed path as he worked to dodge the few rocks in his way.
After a few minutes more, he became aware she was casting a shadow that fell back over him.
He looked up to see a lit airlock ahead. It was one of the modular units, something which made him wonder how much gear had been salvaged from the wrecked bases or pilfered from others. Such theft, of course, endangered the lives of the crews in transit, but he supposed it was already a life-or-death matter for those here.
Even if they were Renegades.
Like Ghost…
…and like him…
He could see the entrance was open, and that was why the light was spilling out. The airlock was ready and waiting.
Without hesitation, she went in and he followed.
But he was already wondering, How do they keep this sanctuary powered?
Ghost turned and checked he’d cleared the entry, and then punched a button to shut the door and get the cycle underway.
The lights dimmed for a moment, but it was only temporary as he heard the hiss of the breathable atmosphere being pumped in.
She asked, “Curious?”
“Yes, very. I have so many questions.”
“I am sure you do. Go easy on me, talking takes air and water, too.”
He wasn’t sure if she was joking.
A light went green.
She said, “Remember, this is just a rest stop for us. There’s no habitat or anything remarkable. That sort of thing is all back at our home.”
He nodded.
She punched a button and the internal door slid open.
As she stepped through, she moved to the side, making way for him. She waited for him to exit the airlock.
He followed her, but his eyes were on what had been revealed by the opening door.