Chapter 1: Darrow: Castaway

Summary

• The chapter revolves around a central character named Darrow who is marooned on a trash moon called Marcher-1632 with fellow castaways.
• The debris of past terraforming projects by humans had been forged into trash moons, now orbiting and slowly descending into the sun.
• Darrow and the others are repairing a damaged corvette named the Archimedes, which is their only hope for escape.
• He is filled with anger and thoughts of revenge against Cassius, a former comrade who left him stranded and stole the only functional relic capable of flight.
• Darrow reflects on the ongoing war whose progress he is unaware of, worrying about his family and friends, and his home on Mars.
• He is fighting feelings of despair and desolation as he continues the monotonous activities of repair, unable to forget about the losses suffered.
• There's an acknowledgment of his own destructive nature and lost honor, recognizing his anger is no longer as potent as it once was.
• Darrow considers the wisdom he found in a book left by Aurae, a Pink who had escaped with Cassius, reflecting on the metaphors about the journey of life.
• Their efforts to repair the corvette are presented as a metaphorical and literal step towards going home, dependent on Cassius's return with helium for the reactor.
• Darrow is eventually interrupted by Thraxa on the comms, warning of the imminent sunrise which could expose them to dangerous levels of radiation.
• He grudgingly agrees to end the work shift early, ensuring all his crew return safely to the base before sunrise.
• Upon entering the airlock, Darrow finally allows himself a moment to appreciate the harsh beauty of his surroundings, including the dust tail forming behind the trash moon.
• In a moment of reflection, Darrow thinks of home, the sounds and memories of Mars, visualizing a return, but his reverie is interrupted by the intense sunlight as the moon rotates toward the sun, prompting him to retreat into the base.