Keller and Stovich sat in the seats of their lunar rover. The pair had just returned from a trip to a satellite station on the far side of the Stöfler crater. The Stöfler Project’s intended goal was to create a habitable zone within the crater with terraforming and biochemical engineering, a joint mission between several U.N. nations with their respective space programs. It was still in its infancy, and Keller and Stovich had been tasked with groundbreaking where key infrastructure would be developed for the radiation barrier. The task went by uneventfully. They surveyed the crater’s edge, determined the optimal location, and programmed two GB-80 model construction bots to begin the process.

When they returned, they expected to have two or three earth cycles to relax. This was the norm for the twenty astronauts at Stöfler Alpha Station. Instead, they found themselves in the midst of a crisis. It was apparent that the airlock door was damaged, bent outwards from inside. Keller turned to ask Stovich a question. The latter did not seem to hear it. Keller tapped Stovich’s shoulder. Stovich turned her attention to Keller. He motioned to his face as he asked another question. She tried to reply that she couldn’t hear him, and then it dawned on the two of them. The radios were being jammed. Their gestures were interrupted by a sudden movement from the station. They turned back and saw one of their colleagues jumping from around the station corner. The two waved, which prompted the third to pause. After a moment of recognition, they began flailing their arms frantically, before continuing to jump to the busted airlock. By the German flag on the shoulder, the pair knew it must be Achen. Achen pressed himself into a corner, laying as low as possible.

Stovich began to climb out of the rover, but Keller grabbed her arm. He pulled her back and pointed with his other hand. A GB-80 skidded around the corner where Achen had come. Grey dust billowed around the heavy frame. Keller could just make out red streaks along the forelimbs. It stopped. The hulking machine lurched on its five legs, repositioning the optic scanners to view the surroundings. Keller and Stovich crammed themselves under the dashboard of the rover. They looked at each other in the silence of the moon. The rover powered down as the battery died.