Turbulent wind whistled around the base of a large dish pointed almost directly upward. Somewhere up there, far above the roiling atmosphere of this nearly lifeless planet, a crude docking and communications outpost stood seemingly motionless in its geosynchronous orbit. The cold silence of space seemed like paradise compared to the endless dust storm down on the surface. At least that's the way Lee felt about it.
He had been living there for only a hundred or so solar cycles, which accounted for less than two years of his life, but he had long since tired of the bleak, dusty landscape and the isolation of the terraforming research settlement where he worked as the systems engineer. Lee's coinhabitants, the only remaining animal life on the planet, consisted of 17 other people. They were mostly botanists, chemists, and other academic types. There was also a structural engineer, Kenta, who shared a habitation with Lee. While Lee was in charge of keeping electronic and mechanical systems functioning, Kenta was responsible for the immense, sprawling vegetation shelter in which they were trying to nurture a variety of hearty grasses. The hope was that a spreading plant ecosystem would stabilize the climate and make the planet more suitable for human settlement.
Although the planet was astonishingly similar to Earth, and even developed a breathable atmosphere thanks to the evolution of oxygen releasing life forms some billion years prior, it was now nearly devoid of life. Before any organisms had a chance to leave the liquid water oceans a nearby gamma ray burst drove almost all to extinction. Now with the intervention of humans it would have a chance to become green with life, though not of its own origin. When Lee was offered a position on this terraforming mission, he jumped eagerly at the opportunity. Now he was starting to regret his decision.
With a grunt, he yanked a heavy tool box from its rack on the sand rover. He slung the wide strap over his shoulder and began climbing a short ladder up to the large dish that was their link to the rest of the universe.
"I gotta get out of here." he muttered, trying vainly to shield his face from the swirling sand.