Constellations

A rescue mission

It has been an hour since the comms system went down. You are brainstorming with Jay, Ivan, Kelsey and Richard. Your biggest worry is the fact that they would have to leave the habitat area to get the oxygen left from the rocket and the only way they can do that is if they had a rover. You start impatiently tapping on the desk. You wish the storm would have waited till the engineering team could finish storm-proofing the Mahia base.

"Kels would we be able to remotely pilot the rover?" You ask. The idea has clearly caught the others by surprise.

"No, we would lose it if we did," He flat out denies it. You need to think of something and fast.

"The nav charts?" Richard remarks. It sounds like a better plan than the one that you suggested.

"I could take the rover out and use the nav charts," He outlines his plan. It is risky but it is the best thing that has been suggested.

"Yes but I would be worried about disorientation," Ivan retorts. He brings up a good point. You have had enough time to debate the issue. Unless anyone else can think of anything that is the plan you are going with. Hopefully, the others understand.

"Richard lets go before I change my mind," You remark. Kelsey shoots you a concerned glance.

"You know you are crazy," Ivan has basically given up. Three minutes later you are in the rover. You double-check Richard's inputs. There is nothing wrong with them. You get going. Richard is tense. You know that the tense nature of this rescue mission could ruin it.

"Richard I think I should take over," You suggest. You decide that it would be best not to order him.

"Not yet," He responds. Five minutes later you are growing restless. You are worried about the effect that this is having on Richard. You are however impressed at his ability to pilot blind with only the nav charts. You feel like you are going to find out a lot more during this rescue mission.

"Ok you can take over now," Richard says as he slumps back into his seat. He has given up.You quickly take control. Six minutes later you have made it to the base of the rocket and you are helping Richard get the supplies. You are finding it hard to see because the dust has settled on your visor. You grunt as you trip on a hidden rock. At least you didn't hit the ground like Roman did on the day the SpaceX team arrived.

"Lilly are you ok?" Richard asks.

"I'm good," You keep it short. Five minutes later You have gotten everything you need. A minute later you are trying to establish communication with Colombo base.

"Fifi to Colombo are you receiving me?" You grow more concerned the more you try. You are about to give up but the comms system crackles to life.

"This is Colombo. What can we do for you Fifi?" it is very distorted but you can hear it. It is good to hear the sound of Roman's voice.

"We have a much-needed delivery," You announce. You can hear a distorted cheer. It is a weird sound but it makes you feel better for helping.  Another minute later you have arrived. You and Richard get to work on distributing the oxygen. The others are relieved that part one of the problem is solved. Now for part two. That is going to be the hard part.

"So umm...what are we going to do about the generators?" One of the Mahia engineers speaks up. You haven't thought that far ahead. At least you know you have the tools to fix it. Everyone glances at you. You are starting to wish that you had thought that far ahead.

"How close can we get the rover to the generators?" You decide that it would be good if you could at least get the generators up and running again.

"Three centimetres in good circumstances but I wouldn't risk the generators or the rover," Roman has done some quick maths.

"If it saves the Colombo base that is a risk I am willing to take," You confirm. Another minute later you have made it to the generators. You are careful to pilot the rover in a way that doesn't mess with the other equipment. Twenty seconds later you have finished with the maneuvering. You get to work on cleaning some of the worst effect parts. You know it may be a hopeless endeavour but you know it may work. You struggle to think about how you can fix it in a way that will make sure it would work. After five minutes of getting it to work, you hear the telltale hum. You manage to get to the rover before your vision is completely blocked. Two minutes later you have managed to navigate back to the Colombo base. It was a challenge but you are glad you were able to get it done.

"Thank you so much, Lilly," Richard remarks. You can tell that he is relieved that the emergency is somewhat over. You get the feeling that there may be a lot of favours owed. Five minutes later you are on your way back to base. You have left Richard behind so he can help his team but Roman has decided to come back with you.

"Fifi to Armstrong base do you receive me?" Roman is trying to get the comms system to work. He is steadily getting frustrated. You are too focused on the nav charts.

"Armstrong base what can I...," The audio from Kelsey starts off strong but it soon cuts out. You hear a loud thud. Roman has just smashed one of the non-essential displays.

"I'm sorry Lilly," Roman remarks. You can tell that he is genuinely sorry about the damage he caused.

"Don't worry about it. We can fix it later," You respond. You understand the frustration of not being able to talk to anyone. Four minutes later you have just about made it to the base when you hear the familiar clunk of the axels jamming. Roman mutters something in Russian underneath his breath. It has to be when you are only fifty meters from the base according to the nav charts.

"Roman, do you think you can walk the last fifty meters?" You ask even though you know that he is going to say no. He shakes his head which means you are right. The problem is that the dust storm won't blow over any time soon.

"I'll try the comms again," Roman starts tapping at the communication panel again.

"Fifi rover to Armstrong base,"

"This is Armstrong base. What can I do for you?" Kelsey's reply is clearer this time. It makes sense since you are closer to the base.

"The axels have jammed again and we need a way to clean them for long enough to get back," You respond. You hope that you won't have to climb underneath the rover. Visibility would be a nightmare. Roman starts tapping on the edge of the control panel.

"Hey, Kelsey do you think I could walk with the pulley cable and attract it to one of the anchor spots on the base so we could come back?" You say. It is something that you are willing to risk. Roman has stopped tapping.

"If you are willing to risk getting lost," Kelsey confirms. You end the transmission and you slump back into the chair.

"Lilly if it makes you feel better I could do it," Roman says as he gets up from his chair.

"Well, there is no stopping you," You respond. Roman leaves the rover which causes your anxiety to build. You decide to get ready in case Roman needs help. You can only see a silhouette of Roman in the dust. He is bending down to get the pulley hock. The comms system crackles to life.

"Roman to Fifi. Do you receive me?"

"Loud and clear," You respond. At least you have the comms in case anything happens.

"I'm ready to go," Roman's silhouette disappears.

"Good luck Roman," You still don't feel any better. Seven minutes later your thoughts about the Mars mission are interrupted by the comms. It's Roman.

"Lilly I made it," Roman remarks.

"You are good to go," Seven painful minutes later you have made it to the base. You are relieved that you were able to get back safely. You decide to get some food. You are stopped by Kelsey. He also looks really happy. It makes sense because you did something risky. You collapse into his arms.