Icy Clouds

Icy clouds raced over the horizon. It wasn't a good day to have to go outside. Even back on Earth, a day that looked like this would have been a call to curl up in front of a fireplace with a blanket and a book. Here, it meant that elements that had no business precipitating would be falling down on the compound like snow.

Of course, today was Jack's maintenance shift.

They had the hardware to survive it, but that didn't mean it would be comfortable. Jack strapped on his boots, tightening the clamps and securing the second layer over the seam. All in all, the suit weighed about fifty pounds. And that was on top of dealing with the 1.3g gravity here.

As Jack climbed the ladder to the roof hatch, he wondered why he did this to himself. There were easier jobs out there. Something safe. Something warm.

He wouldn't get another reminder until the next set of medical bills came in.