Day 7425: They had been alone
for a long time. They had thought about it before, and would likely do so
again. They trundled along, leaving tracks in the red dirt, moving easily over
the scattered rocks of an empty world.
Day 7427: They were never
meant to last this long. The mission was only supposed to be a few months, but
then it was extended, and then again, and again, until over seven thousand days
had passed. Almost seven and a half thousand days, alone. Not much longer. A
dust storm blurred the horizon, but they could see that it would pass far to
the south. Harmless.
Day 7432: Their arm struck a
rock and bounced slightly. It hadn’t worked in years, and they didn’t have
enough energy to try to keep it aloft anymore. It was hard enough to keep
moving. But in the distance, half hidden by the dusty air, they could see the
last hill. They focused on that.
Day 7433: Halfway up the hill
there was a dull, soft crunch, and they stopped moving. They tried to push on
but almost immediately stopped at the sound of whining motors. Something was
caught in their treads, though they couldn’t see what it was from their
position. Even if they could, their arm hung uselessly. They were stuck. On the
very last hill, they were stuck. If they could, they would scream.
Day 7437: A craft entered the
atmosphere and hurtled toward the ground. They watched it descend, taking as
many pictures as they could before it landed beyond the hill. The wind blew
over them, dust trying to settle in cracks in their armour. They tried again
one more time to move, but they could tell that if they did any more something
would snap and they would never move again. So they waited.
Day 7442: And watched.
Day 7446: And waited.
Day 7451: And after two weeks,
two weeks of staring ahead at nothing, something crested the hill. . A rounded
dome on an awkward body, a swaddled body not designed for the harsh environment
like they had been, walked slowly over the rise. She moved closer, taking her
time, until she drew close. They could read her name on the patch on her arm:
Commander S. Savitskaya.
“You’ve come so far, buddy.”
She broadcast, bending to carefully pry the obstruction from their gears. She
held it up for them to see—a rock. After all this time, a rock had stopped
them. “Come on. Let’s get you down to base camp.”
They gave their motors an
experimental buzz which was rewarded with a gentle forward roll. She waved them
forward and retraced her steps up the hill. She was faster than they were, but
not by much, so she waited at the top for them. They took some pictures of her
on the way, and more when they stopped beside her, then turned their camera to
the base of the hill where the rest of them waited. They took pictures of the
landing vehicle and the temporary habitation zones that had been set up, then
began to trundle down the hill.
After seven and a half
thousand days, Curiosity finally came home.
A friend asked me to write something happy, since... I don't. I think it went well!
