The first night on Mars creeps closer. After hours of rigourous work the power plant was beginning to take shape and look somewhat familiar. Asher had made it back and scattered seeds to cover the spare space in the crater whilst the rest of the covered the plant in time for the sandstorm.
'If we maintain this work rate, the power plant shall be up before tomorrow night, the days here are of similar length so our bodies should be able to adapt quickly. We can start planning once this coming sandstorm starts to clear as any equipment can easily be damaged out there and the visibility is low so it's easy to loose your footing. We have plenty of time to recover from this, however since the gravity is much weaker we will have to spend alot of time just exercising to maintain our muscle and bone density. Of course our safety is the main priority, we need to have everything ready and going before we can rest and recover' said Rosalind.
Niels and Albert made their way back to the rocket with Asher and Rosalind following shortly behind.
Rosalind asked Asher 'Aren't you excited? we are paving the road for future generations. Any of your problems on Earth can be forgotten, we have the choice of staying here forever or returning back after a few years. Do you know what you will do?'
' I am not sure, back on Earth I didn't have much purpose, everyday was the same but now I have a chance to change. I'm not sure why I got chosen to come here, surely there are better candidates.' replied Asher.
Asher is haunted by the feeling of being a burden to the crew and being looked down on by them. Back on Earth he he would usually pretend to ignore anyone he felt that way to but that soon made him isolated from everyone he knew. Living day by day, an endless cycle of wanting to change but drowning in negative emotions. 'How long has it been since I did something I wanted' he thought. 'Is this finally my purpose? a reason to change for good?' He believed this but soon changed his mind, 'do I really deserve it? I am better off alone, wherever I go it always ends up the same'
'Come on Asher let's catch up, we need to be back before the sandstorm' instructed Rosalind.
Asher nodded.
They hastily made it to Niels and Albert then the group steadily arrived back at the rocket.
'Close to 10 minutes and the sandstorm will reach us. Never open any of the exterior doors as any electricals can be easily damaged from it. We will just let this pass and finish the powerplant tomorrow. For now you all try and recuperate,if you don't want to then you can help me plan the schedule for after the powerplant is built. We won't have much time to rest apart from the night and when the weather is extreme so make the most of this.' said Albert. His stubborn nature caused him to work harder and longer than anyone else, however he never bragged. Once set on a goal he we do nothing but make progress and won't stop for anything that will set him back. He played a key role in planning the launch and was fascinated at getting to take a space of the crew mates.
'Alright, I'll have a 30 minute break and get to helping you. We all worked more than expected so it's a nice treat we all deserve. Currently all of the tasks are tedious but soon we will get the chance to explore the caves.' said Niels.
'We need to set up the scanners in various different places and as unlikely as it is that we will find anything, it's nice to dream.' said Albert.
Everyone went to their rooms while Albert made some final checks on the schedule.
After the storm passes, the mission will resume and progress will be made for future generations. An amazing adventure is finally ready to start.