The cratered surface beneath the rover’s wheels gave her a bumpy, jostling ride, even if it was a predictable one. She knew the path by heart, and the previous trails leading from the colony to the landing pad demonstrated it. She clutched the oversized steering wheel for balance, dodging and ducking at crucial moments the whole way.

Finally she reached the perimeter of the pad, which wasn’t so much of a pad as a relatively flat space on the surface. She pulled the rover to a stop and sighed. Even more waiting! She fixed her gaze upon the ship and waited until a dark square opened in its surface. Then a dull-white metallic ladder fell to the surface with a dull thump, sending up a small cloud of rock dust. Daniel — he was always first — poked his helmeted head out the door and waved to her. She waved back, fidgeting in her seat. Then, as if in slow-motion, three spacesuits clambered down the ladder to the surface below, and began their loping half-bouncing, half-walking journey towards the rover.

Of course, she had also performed the usual monthly checks as required by the colony charter. The seals on the inner and outer air lock were tight; emergency generators were working; the nuclear generator checked out; all the portal seals felt fine; the recycling system and the air plants worked and looked healthy. She had run a complete diagnostic according to the manual, including the integrated computer control system. Everything was in tip-top shape, spic and span. At the end of the day, she had virtually collapsed into a dreamless sleep.

Today she had awoken feeling like she was made out of pure energy. The maintenance crew usually arrived at ten CST and stayed until right before supper. The seven chimes from the grandfather clock had roused her, which left her three hours to go over the rover and her spacesuit, and to make a final check on everything else. She held Lloyd up to her face and said, “Today’s the day!” He meowed curiously as she twirled out of bed and into the kitchen to fix breakfast and begin the tarts.