The air was thin but clear. You could almost see the curvature of the planet on the horizon. The sky above was still lit by the purple and red glow of the nebula. Two of the six moons were visible. The others were either behind a ridge line or on the other side of the planet.

The cold was pervasive. He had only been outside for a few minutes and already he could not feel his toes. The metal railing under his gloved hands was covered in thick ice. His fingers were long since numb.

As severe as the weather was, he found that it had a soothing effect on him that he could not find inside, where it was warm. He wished he could meditate like the monks did. Perhaps then he could forget the cold and just revel in the beauty and the stillness.

The far side of the crater rim was visible through a thin layer of clouds. A red collision light could be seen on the top of the ridge. He watched it blinking as if it were sending a coded message into the universe like the transmitters below were.