Outpost   Adrift Suddenly the tactile alert signal of Lucky's wrist communicator goes off. There is no visible image, but Crazy's voice sounds from the communicator. 'Sorry Luck. I think I'm in deep shit here. I managed to maneuver the Dino through the rock fields and all the way down to the stream. But when I tried to cross at the ford the Dino lost its grip on the rock and the stream rotated it over ninety degrees. Before I could regain control it had moved to the deeper waters downstream and now it is tilted over and stuck between the rocks. I think I must have hit something underwater as well, because I have lost all power. I'm running on emergency right now.' 'OK, stay calm. Any chance that you can get the Dino out of there by its own?' 'Out of the question. Even with main power on I think it would be a tough job, but with emergency power only it's impossible. I will get into my suit and leave the Dino behind while I walk back to the dome.' 'Don't be stupid. You will never make it on your own. The stream must be a foaming river by now. How do you expect to cross it on foot?' 'I don't know. But I can not stay inside the Dino for much longer. Not only will the air supply run out before the storm will be over, but also the Dino starts to tilt more and more. I don't think she will be stable for much longer and who knows what will happen if she no longer can withstand the currents. No, whatever the risk, I have to get out of here now.' Lucky bites her lip. She does not think that Crazy can make it across the stream, but it is clear that he can not stay in the Dino either. 'Margie, can you send out a rescue team to the ford to collect Crazy?' 'Negative. The current weather conditions do not allow any of the Arties to go outside the dome. The earliest time for any rescue attempt would be after the storm has subsided, which is forecasted for the end of the dark period in thirty-four hours.' 'Did you catch that, Craze? Margie says that there is no possibility to send out a rescue team before the end of the dark period. You will have to stay inside the Dino and take your chances. Maybe the storm will subside earlier than expected. But if even the Arties can't survive outside under the current conditions, then certainly you can't.' 'I don't have much choice, Luck. Staying in the Dino is not an option. I will have to get out and find my way to the dome. Switch the skin to transparent so that I can see the dome's interior lights for the right direction. Shit, the cabin just tilted a few degrees more. I really have to get out now. I will leave the com link open, so that we can stay in touch. Wish me luck.' 'Understood Crazy. Go for it. Margie, switch the skin to transparent.' And suddenly Lucky finds herself looking out into the utter darkness. The only visible part of the dome is the exo-skeleton that gives the dome its stability. Through the transparent skin she now sees the damaged sustaining leg and with the naked eye she can see the slight tremors that run through it. But her eyes drift away from the leg, only to be met by a near black nothingness filled with a curtain of windswept rain from which the dome's light reflects. Occasionally the air is torn apart by a lightning streak and she can see the stream flow about hundred meters away from the dome, some light reflecting from the foamy heads that form where the currents hit an underwater obstacle. About one kilometer down the stream is the ford, but no matter how hard she tries she can not see that far though the continuous downpour. 'Craze, how are you. Can you see the dome?' 'I can just make it out every now and then, but that should be sufficient to find the way. I have tied a line between my suit and the Dino, so that I can not drift away too far if I lose my foothold in the water. And now I am just about to leave the cabin. OK, here it goes ...' And suddenly the full strength of the storm sounds from Lucky's communicator, no longer shielded off by the cabin's isolation. There is an almost constant high-pitched whining sound of the winds striking over the rocks, which is almost disappearing in the roaring of the stream. Lucky shivers as she imagines what the stream must look like from the Dino's cabin.

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