We are going to backtrack, I want you to add dialog during the outside portion when they are doing the surveying. I want the boys to deploy one of the CatchMe Cameras outside (they will deploy many, but we will only focus on one). If you can add some flavor to make this addition interesting that would be ideal. (should probably explain what they are too).

Here is where I want the addition to me made (indicated with the JSX marker)


The comms room quieted as the trio exited the base, their movements captured in fragmented frames by the cameras. The rover rolled forward, its wheels kicking up fine clouds of rust-colored regolith that dissipated in slow motion.

Aaron’s voice broke the silence. “Team Rover, your suit pressure and O2 levels remain nominal. Give me a comms check.”

“Loud and clear,” Brandon replied.

“Same here,” Ethan followed.

Max chimed in last. “We’re good on my end. Rover’s systems are green across the board.”

Leah leaned closer to the mic as Paige toggled through the views. “Remember we have fifteen major geological items of concern to survey, thirty-two minor and a eight area sweeps.”

“Copy that,” Brandon replied.

The trio drove off to the planned landing site. It was far enough out that any impactful debris kicked-up from the entry burn would not be at risk of hitting any part of the base camp. Given that Mars had such a low gravity and that there wasn't terraforming done to the landing sites, this meant that they either needed to be quite a ways out or behind a tall enough ridge. In this case, it was just out on a dried up flat and smooth lake bed.

Leah glanced at Paige, whose brow furrowed slightly as she monitored their progress. The body cams showed sweeping views of the Martian landscape—flat expanses of dust and rock punctuated by occasional jagged outcroppings.

“Invalid sample,” Paige muttered as Brandon struggled to capture a scan with his tablet. It showed he scanned a smooth stone penetrating the lake bed. Though his shadow occluded part of the stone.. She keyed the mic. “Brandon, avoid being too close to the geographic fixtures, we need a clear scan for the renderings.”

Brandon’s voice came back, a touch defensive. “Understood.”

It was still early in the day, so the shadows were quite elongated. Wrestling with the tablet was a hassle on its own right.

Leah shot Paige a sidelong glance. “They’re doing their best.”

“I know,” Paige said. “But we need good stands to make point clouds so the landing software can accurately predict the surface features. This isn't efficient, but if its not sufficient we need to rescan 'em until they are.”

Aaron chuckled, not looking up from his monitor. “You know, Paige, sometimes I think you want to replace us all with drones.”

“Not all of you,” she replied, her lips twitching into a brief smile. “Just the ones with scanners.”

Leah smirked, letting the banter ease the tension in the room.

On the monitor, Max adjusted his scanner and crouched near a flat expanse of compact regolith. “This looks promising. Scanning now.”

The readout pinged on the screen in the comms room. Paige nodded, satisfied. “Finally, a proper point map.”

“Glad to impress,” Max quipped.

Leah marked off the coordinates from the feed onto her instructions, then jotted down the next ones and handed the note to Paige. “Got it logged.”

“On to the next site,” Paige relayed over the comms.

As the team moved further from the base, the signal began to degrade slightly, introducing static to their voices. Paige frowned, tweaking the settings to compensate.

Leah leaned back in her chair, watching the tiny figures on the screen dwarfed by the vastness of the Martian horizon. This was the first time in about a year that those three had been more than a few dozen meters away from Leah. With the quarantine before launch, the space travel, and being in the basecamp, the crew had been no more than a stones through away. You really see each other more than anyone in the world. Earth to be specific. Now Brandon and Max had made a few duo trips to the rocket in the early weeks, but comparatively that landing site is relatively close. Just behind the nearest ridge.

Its kind of funny how even when most of the basecamp is completely vacant, everyone is still together. Us three in here, and Lynda in the medical nook by Raf. Even out there, the boys having access to all of Mars, yet being no more than a hop-skip and a jump from each other. People are interesting like that, I suppose.

<Mention Deploying Camera/>

“Next survey is of that same spot but from the far east side of the bed,” Aaron said, confusing Leah into thinking he was talking to the boys.

Paige nodded, her focus sharpening. “Team Rover, adjust course five degrees east and keep going until the soil transitions. You’re gonna do a wide speed scan.”

“Roger that,” Brandon replied.

Leah glanced between her colleagues, appreciating their quiet competence. Even with the cracks of frustration and exhaustion showing, they were a team—bound together by necessity and a shared goal.

The moment passed, and Leah’s attention snapped back as Paige flagged another survey. The work continued, this mission felt manageable and progressed naturally.