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‘Not yet, we were due to get married when this job came up, and like most I needed the money. Sam will almost be nine now.’ Brent put the photograph back and smiled, patted Sterne firmly on the back and said, ‘Come on, lighten up, we've only got another three days on this lump of rock and we'll be on our way home.’
Sterne smiled. In one way it pleased him that he wasn't the only one thinking of their family nor the anticipation of going home on the next shuffle. He turned back to the window at which point something caught his eye: ‘What?’ he exclaimed and leaning against the window he stared into the darkness beyond.
There it was again.
What appeared to be a burning lump of rock pierced the darkness descending towards the surface of the planet and upon impact, it sent debris into the air.
‘A meteor?’
Brent stared hard out of the window. ‘Where? I can't see…’ He was interrupted at the sight of another as it cut through the thin atmosphere of the planet, down towards its surface.
‘It's not often there's a meteor shower on Saros 5,’ said Sterne as they watched more meteorites fall to the ground, too numerous to count but one thing that they were both clear about, was that they appeared to be of equal size and each had a bluish glow about them as they entered the planets atmosphere.
They watched as one of the meteorites hurtled towards the planet and hit the edge of the landing platform, the impact of which shook the whole base. The can of cake fell to the floor and both Brent and Sterne had to steady themselves as they grabbed each other by the arm as an explosion ensued from the impact.
The lights in Sterne's quarters flickered as did all the lights on the base and within seconds an emergency siren sounded throughout the complex. The base was now on full alert. The sound of running could be heard passing his door as other crew members made their way to their emergency building up within him.
Brent moved to the door which slid open. He turned to look back at Sterne who continued to look out as the meteorite fall came to an end.
‘Well?’ shouted Brent, ‘What are you waiting for? Isn't this the excitement you've been waiting for?’ and with that, Brent ran out into the corridor towards the action, ducking beneath the metal beams that formed the structure of the base.
Sterne turned, and followed.
Within moments, Brent and Sterne arrived at one of the airlocks to the surface of the planet. They quickly readied themselves to embark on their exploration of the damage to the landing platform.
Brent grabbed one of several oxygen masks that were enclosed in small lockers near the airlocks and handed it to Sterne, who took it, and in turn checked that the pack that the mask was connected to via a series of tubes and wires were okay.
‘Did you see the bluish glow on those things?’ asked Sterne.
Brent was already thinking about the meteorites and was keen to investigate them than rather see what damage the platform had sustained by their impact. But he knew that the repairs were important. ‘We can check that later,’ he said and keyed in a sequence on a panel which opened the door into the airlock.
Once kitted up with their oxygen masks and various pieces of equipment needed for the repairs, they both stepped into the airlock. A red light flashed all around them, as it had done since the emergency began. As the door closed behind them, a second door opened to reveal to them the harsh, rough landscape of Saros 5.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
 here was a light drizzle in the air as the last of the clouds finally dispersed. The sodden ground was quite hazardous to maintain their balance as they made their way across the planets surface towards the platform. It was clear to them that it was easier to walk as they came across a land vehicle bogged down in the mud and which had been abandoned by other crew members when the rain fall came.
They both made their way towards the platform surface cautiously, stopping every once in a while to check their surroundings. Even though the platform was only yards away it seemed like miles as they trudged their way through the muddy landscape.
Brent looked ahead of them, and could clearly see, from the other lights that were still working that the damage wasn't as bad as they had first thought, judging by the impact. They could quite clearly see that several of the landing lights were completely gone altogether. They both climbed several steps to the platforms surface and could see exactly where the meteor had hit. Large chunks of twisted metal hung over the edge, a small fire burned amongst the debris scattered around them and sparks fizzled from the wires and electronics that the impact had revealed.
 
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