Mars welcomed them with a guttural growl.
The moment the shuttle's landing struts groaned against the cracked surface, Ethan knew the planet wasn't just dead—it was angry. Red dust whipped against the hull, an unrelenting storm birthed by ancient winds that had never learned to die.
"Pressure stable," Eve confirmed, her voice clipped, eyes scanning the external feeds. "But environmental conditions are deteriorating. We have a window of three hours before visibility drops below operational minimum."
Rina slung her pulse rifle over her shoulder with a grunt. "Plenty of time to find a cursed alien relic buried under a mountain of regrets, right?"
Aly pulled up a holographic map, projected in shaky blue light against the cargo bay wall. "The Obelisk's signal strength is fluctuating, but it's definitely beneath the Northern Ridge. However..." She hesitated.
Ethan's stomach tightened. "However what?"
