Shores of Titan

Something that came to my mind while I was making some herbal tea... Treat it gently, it's just a brain dump... Peh.. Heheh.

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The explorer walked slowly. His power was ebbing, despair encompassing his mind.
One step... And an other step... The hill he was climbing seemed extremely steep. He dragged himself as as fast as he could - which wasn't much, with the environmental suit weighing him down. His heavy footsteps were marking the frozen landscape as far as one could see.

Slushy snow was not an easy terrain to follow.

He stumbled and fell. He was scared that the suit would rupture. The poisonous atmosphere would kill him within minutes. The pressure was far too low, the gas was far too deadly. He couldn't stand up immediately. He turned over and watched the sky for a couple of minutes, catching is breath. His air was about to run out, he should have taken it easier but he was too scared. The muddy-brown sky didn't comfort him. He missed the shiny shimmering blueness he was used to.

Slowly he forced himself to his feet, it was painful. His body hated him, it wasn't supposed to be treated like this. The exoskeleton had failed late in the exploration and he had to walk back all the way using his own legs. His communication equipment had failed too, when he fell of a cliff, tumbling down, breaking the antennae as he rolled down. His friends did not know exactly where he was but he had a good sense of direction - one of the reasons why he was chosen for the mission.

The mission was supposed to end hours ago, he was supposed to be back at the base, having a lunch with his friends, colleagues, lovers - joking, having fun. Instead he was out in the deadly, alien landscape, trying his best to survive.

He forced himself over the ridge and the lovely view made his hearts race. The lake was just in front of him, blue and beautiful. He ran down the hill, straight into the beach, and then jumped into the lake. Then he kicked his feet and swam deep below, towards his friends, his home.