Through the triple-paned viewport of my quarters, I watched the wind scour the ice plains outside. A small display integrated into the window frame glowed with the external reading: -229°C. It made no sound, but the sight of that number was enough to raise a phantom chill on my skin, a memory of the brutal cold waiting just centimeters away.

_13:17 Pluto time,_ I reminded myself. _I have to be there by 13:17._ After that, the atmospheric pressure plummets and the killing cold sweeps in.

My rover sat in the middle of the white desert, a quiet polar bear in a deep slumber, covered in thick sheets of ice. I’d set her to defrost; twelve minutes, approximately. Enough time.

_Food,_ I thought. _Haven't eaten._

My lunch for today would be a can of tuna. I retrieved it from the small ration locker, my quarters being little more than a glorified box with this single window. My one luxury was the small hydroponic garden in the corner, a splash of defiant green grown from soil gifted by the last mission crew. I could have been on that return flight three years and seven months ago. I could have gone home many times. But what was left back home? At least I'm here for a cause.

"Shit!" I muttered.

My thumb had slipped on the can's sharp lid. A perfect red bead of blood welled up on the edge of my ring finger. _Damn it._ I instinctively brought the finger to my mouth, sucking away the blood. I wrapped a small strip of fabric around it and finished the tuna, standing by the viewport.

The rover's indicator light blinked a steady green. She was ready.

Time to go. I started with the base layer—the liquid heating garment, a thin bodysuit crisscrossed with fine tubing that began to hum with warmth as I activated its power. Next, I stepped into the main suit assembly, hoisting the hard upper torso over my shoulders and sealing the heavy gloves at the wrists with a twist and a click.

Finally, the helmet. I lifted the polycarbonate bubble over my head, lowering it until it met the neck ring on the suit. There was a solid _thump_ as it settled into place, followed by the familiar, soft hiss of the pressure seal engaging, cutting me off from the world.

I walked to the heavy inner door that led to the exit passage, its reinforced metal a necessary shield. I pulled it shut, sealing myself in the small passage. Another step, another button. The heavy outer door slid open.

A gush of freezing wind thrashed against my helmet, but inside my personal spacecraft, I felt nothing but the steady warmth from the suit and the rhythm of my own breathing.

I kept her parked just outside. No long walks in this place. I could see her green light, a promise of warmth and safety in the vast, indifferent white.