We trudged up a hill, our environmental suits glowing orange and green in the slanting light of evening, the colors contrasting starkly with the serene tans of the surface of the moon Varga. Jalaya’s boots kicked up small clouds of regolith that swelled up to calf height before settling, only to be thrown up again by me and once again by young Filip, who followed me. Inside my helmet, I heard my own strained, amplified breathing and the softest crunch of our footsteps.

The radio crackled as Filip said, “Next time I’ll walk on lead. I can’t see anything through your dust.”

Jalaya did not slow down as we reached the top of the hill and her response remained unwaveringly calm. “You will walk where they tell you, Filip, or you will stay inside the Base.”

As if his words had conjured it, below us stretched the Great Valley and, within it, the reflective black panels of the Base’s interconnected domes in the distance. As we watched, the sun sank even lower, casting the Base into a grim darkness. Lights flickered within and slowly around its perimeter, until the Base twinkled like a fairytale castle, with the telescope at its center.

My heart sank. When our rover died, we started walking back to Base, but we couldn’t risk walking that far in the dark. Which means we wouldn’t be back tonight.

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I quelled my curse. I wanted to get out of this stinky suit. I wanted to use a proper bathroom. And I wanted to eat real food that I could chew instead of the purees the suit provided. Gods, but I hated this place, this whole dead moon we had settled on.

Frowning, I looked at Filip. At 19 years old, the child was one of the first to be born here and it bothered me a lot. He thought he knew a lot. But I was his age when I boarded a ship leaving Earth, thinking the transit here would be the worst part. How wrong I had been.

The worst thing was that this work was never done. Never.

“Yes, ma’am,” Filip muttered, though he still smiled that ridiculous smile of his.

Jalaya noticed my silence. That’s why he commanded expeditions: he saw everything. “Bethany? Are you okay?”

I turned and nodded, realizing I couldn’t see through my glare protection, and sighed. “Yes. Good. Just disappointed.”

I felt his attention on my faceplate and removed my glare shield. His dark eyes searched mine, seeing into my soul. Gently, he touched my shoulder with his gloved hand, letting the weight sink until I felt a ghost of pressure. “I’m listening. We’ll be back tomorrow.” She straightened, once again all her activity. “I want you to stand guard from 03:00 until dawn, Bethany. Filip, you’ll be on guard from 22:00 until 03:00. I’ll take the first shift.”

I bowed my head. “A watch? What will it hold for us?” I indicated the emptiness around me.

Inside her illuminated helmet, Jalaya’s eyes glowed with irritation. “I will, if you don’t follow orders.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said, sounding too much like Filip for my liking. I sipped my mash, found a place to rest with my back against a rock, and closed my eyes, wishing to sleep.

My shoulder swayed. “Bethany!”

I woke up instantly to find Filip’s faceplate pressed against mine. I turned on my helmet light.

“Your watch,” he said, smiling.

I groaned and sat up, stretching. At least the bass-gram it made the pains of aging easier. “Do you see anything?” I asked, trying not to sound as sullen as I felt.

“No. Just stars.”

I stood up, walked to the ridge, and looked down at the Base, which shone like the home of 1,000 souls. Then I turned off my helmet light and looked up.