Turning Back

Planet XI - Nomad Ground Crew
JP with Omni, Jaxx, Liltroll2, Kudzu, and Kronos

Niko strained to catch any glimpse of the outside world through the HTV’s windows as snow flew past in a furious blur. “I think Mr. Sestero he is not coming…"

Maddox, now fully in his no-nonsense marine mindset, responded firmly. “First, we need to get to safety. Then I can go out and look for Sestero and the ATV. He’s smart and resourceful...he’ll figure something out. But we have to survive too.”

"Okay, we have choice to make. Previous scans show different cave, maybe with geothermal lake, about 0.25 kilometers south. Science trailer is about 0.4 kilometers west. Which one we try, ladies and gentlemen scientists?”, said Niko.

Blaire chimed in, though the situation made him uneasy. “Not sure how useful this is right now, but my scans detected tunnels about half a kilometer from where we were taking samples.”

"Then we head back toward the site," Niko declared, shifting the HTV into gear. He drove slowly westward, the vehicle’s visibility fluctuating between 3 to 10 meters as the snowstorm thickened.

Elisabet, quiet and unsure, murmured more to herself than anyone else, “I don’t suppose we have any other choice.”

Dr. Adama, ever the practical one, glanced at their supplies. “When we find a safe spot for shelter, we should take inventory of our oxygen tanks, food, water, and power supplies.”

Niko kept driving in the direction of the trailer, carefully avoiding crevasses in the icy tundra. He tapped the display screen that monitored the HTV’s systems. O2 levels were stable, and the cabin temperature was manageable due to the vehicle’s insulation. Detaching his air supply pack, he plugged into the HTV’s O2 coupling unit. The metallic tang of the recycled air was nothing new. He’d tasted it countless times on space stations.