Harry St.Ours

Gen was angry and she knew it. Angry about her overprotective parents, angry about the way she was teased about her height, and angry about the dirt and grime that infested every corner of Mars.

But soon, she'd be on rotations. Too few went Outside on purpose anymore, just to shiver against the icy cold or feel the pressure in the slowly thickening air. But just the very idea of the Outside thrilled her deeply. And hardly anyone died on rotations anymore. Generations of smart mechs, and gobs of green Earthers, who’d do anything for a meal, did all the dangerous, dirty work. Not fresh, young citizens of the Republic of Mars.

Her Father wanted to drag it out. To keep her Inside until it was illegal to leave. He said there’d always be trains and shuttles to visit distant domes and underground habitats. But Gen knew you’d just be pretending you were Outside then. It wasn’t the same as walking on the dusty soil, eyes open, mind alive. It wasn’t tending the high firs or farming the meltwater.

But soon, an ancient prophecy of destruction would come to her in haunting visions, and it would up to Gen to warn them all - and maybe even save worlds.