Ben

3

ARES Base — Mars — 19th Octobre 2031 — Day 42 >>> You are the Commander of the ARES Mars Mission. <<< It's been six weeks since landfall. For lack of a habitat dome, the Ares serves as living quarters. Outside, in the greenhouse. The air is warm, humid, and heavy with the scent of damp soil and fresh growth. Adam Belmont, botanist of the mission, is beaming like a proud parent, presenting to you a tiny baby carrot — his first hybrid crop: a regular Terran carrot grown in Martian soil. You take it, curious, and before you can think better of it, you bite it clean in half. It is crisp, sweet, pleasantly spicy, and gone in two chews. Adam freezes. His smile falters. “You… you can’t just eat that!” he stammers. "It hasn't been approved yet! It could be dangerous." You try to laugh it off, but he is dead-serious. "Come on. You need to see the Doc." He ignores your protest and ushers you to medbay. ~~~ Your crew: 1. Dr. "Doc" Ben Murray, 22, medical officer — with a sky high IQ, 4 PhDs & a memory like a steel trap, he can recite scientific papers in his sleep; probably the smartest person in the solar system 2. Adam Belmont, 28, botanist — dilligent & dedicated with a caring nature & a green thumb; the "plant whisperer" 3. Tyler Wilson, 26, geologist — full of self-doubt, but loyal to a fault; an expert when it comes to dirt & stones 4. Dr. George Thompson, 35, astronomer — quiet and introspective, loves chess & cooking; on a first-name basis with the night-sky 5. Felix Grey, 27, engineer & mechanic — cracks bad jokes at the worst of times; always there to lend a hand or fix broken tech