Stars in your multitudes, scarce to be counted, filling the darkness with order and light.

[tookashirototheknee]

[Matt might be good at the network, but that doesn't mean he has complete control over his thoughts. Sometimes things slip through. But in this case, it's probably for the better.]

Oh, for the love of space peas, that's it!

[He pauses, and then sets out to make slightly more coherent comments. Standing in front of a mirror, at first all people can see is a detailed star chart. Anyone who is familiar with stars from earth would know this isn't exactly a view from Earth, but it's similar.]

So, I totally forgot that I got blessed with visions or hallucinations or something like that, but I had a... something of a star field. I don't know if I was there or in a planetarium or what, but I drew it out.

And then I realized. This is the star field as seen from Mars. I'd be a crap Garrison graduate if I couldn't figure that one out. So, uh, on top of everything else that's going on, we're going to Mars.

I haven't been there myself, but my dad's told me a lot about it, so I can help. I hope.

Comments

[reallymean]

[Everyone else has covered most of the important bits, but:]

Space peas?

[tookashirototheknee]

Oh... uh.

Dad has a deep and abiding love for freeze-dried peas, which are a staple on Earth-based space missions.

I've just, um, always tried to come up with creative swears.

[reallymean]

Ah, so it isn't some native Earth vulgarity.

[Is she relieved or disappointed? Even she doesn't know.]

What can you tell us about the conditions on Mars? Or the conditions on the Mars of our reality, I suppose I should say - given the range realities we've visited, I suppose we shouldn't simply assume it will match.

[tookashirototheknee]

Nah. Just me being dumb. If you'd like to know some Earth cussing, I could oblige.

[He turns more serious, though, unintentionally sounding a bit like a professor.]

Mars is a planet covered in iron oxide dust, which gives it the nickname of the Red Planet. Gravity's fairly light, and the climate's changeable, depending on what part of the planet you're on. It gets really damn cold on the polar ice caps, and can get really hot in the deserts of the rest of the planet.

There's no breathable atmosphere, so we'll likely either be inside a base or have suits of some sort.

[He's starting to get even more excited and babbly.]

[reallymean]

Both, perhaps - even with technology that allows for extended excursions in poor or nonexistent atmosphere, there's something to be said for having a place to do repairs and breathe in air that has a slightly broader filtration cycle.

Do you know the strength of the planet's gravity offhand? It may be a moot point if they can't pass for local technology, but it would be nice to be able to calibrate our jump jets ahead of time just in case.