The boot landed heavily in the red soil. A cloud of red dust emanated from the edges of the boot like a stone hitting the surface of pond. The red dust lazily arced up to land a few inches  to the side of the boot. The next boot came down a little bit in front and to an angle to the first. Looking back the dusty footprints had etched an erratic pattern across the land leading back to the smoking wreckage burning over the hill in the distance. Looking at the pattern you could see where the occupant of the boots had travelled had fallen here and there.

The first boot lifted up, then down again. After a few seconds the boot tried again, but only managed a slight lift progressing the traveller another few inches.

“This is not good.” said the boots owner with laboured breath.

Looking up from the boot you could see a suited figure covered in the red dust. The visor had a smeared gap amongst the clinging dust where a couple of eyes could be seen looking around. The occupant lifted her hand and cleaned the visor some more.

“I need to rest.”

Looking around a rock could be seen about chair height. An unexpected solace in the landscape. She walked over to the rock, used her hands to help her sit down, and calmed her breathing.

“Hello, this is Valerie Coutard. I am located…” she paused as she read digits from her arm band navigation system…”Longitude 56.05 degrees, Latitude -10.56 degrees. I have crash landed and need immediate assistance. Please copy.”

Valerie waited listening to the static from her comm system. She did not think it was broken. The range was good, but in these mountains the physical limitations of the landscape was her enemy.

Valerie checked her oxygen supply on her wristband. Her suit could last one maybe one and a half hours if she did not exert herself and controlled her breathing. She started to practice the breathing exercises she has been taught in survival training. Slowly her breathing calmed down to a steady rhythm. The dizziness she had experienced after the crash had subsided; probably a mild concussion. Valerie took another look around. She could not see any immediate sign of civilisation. She was in a valley. Her vehicle had crashed over the hill behind her. She had perhaps travelled five hundred metres. She looked back. The smoke was a single wisp now. Her initial panic as she fled wasn’t justified. The tanks had survived and with only the oxygen in the hopper to fuel the fire had quickly gone out. Time to go back.

She stood up.

“Woah Val.”

A wave of nausea overcame her, so she sat down again. She looked at her wrist band and brought up the medical screen. Her heart rate was ok, but her blood pressure was wrong. There was also something in her boot. She moved her foot around. It felt… damp. She examined her leg and saw the tear in her suit behind the top of her calf. The suit had automatically sealed, but she must have suffered the puncture somewhere in the crash. She was bleeding in her suit.

“Damn.”

She couldn’t do much in her suit. Valerie tapped the wristband and flooded the lower leg with suit sealant. This would hopefully do something other than poison her with the sealant. The sealant made her boot and lower leg heavy and uncomfortable.

“Better than bleeding out“- Valerie thought.

Valerie scanned the horizon. She was in a valley about five hundred meters down from where she had crashed. The hopper had hit the valley side. Smoke had stopped and the explosion she had feared had not come to pass. Her best bet would be the hopper. It had a medi-kit and distress beacon. She checked her wristband on the emergency frequency. The beacon had not started, she needed to set it off manually. She played around with the controls, but could not start the beacon remotely. Nothing for it, she turned and headed back the way she had come. Her injured foot was very sluggish. Compared to the original limping escape her return was far slower. She had to drag her foot across the sand leaving a trail like a hopping snake.

After two hundred meters she collapsed to the ground, her breathing heavy. Pain shot through her leg. Valerie was sweating, not from the exertion , but from shock.

“Calm yourself girl.” Valerie said to herself.

She calmed her breathing. She did not know how much oxygen was left, but this kind of breathing would not help.

Valerie got to her hands and knees. She tried to stand up, but couldn’t, her leg totally unresponsive.

“Crawling it is then.”

Valeris scanned the ground in front of her. She did not want to tear her suit up more than necessarily, so she needed to pick her path carefully. She moved large loose stones away with her gloves, before dragging her wounded leg along. She was glad of Mars’ lower gravity for this. She had originally been born on Earth and had kept her fitness level high even in zero gee. If this had happened on Earth she would not have been able to crawl as easily.

Progress was slow. Originally she had kept looking up after every drag, but this was disheartening, so she only looked up every ten crawls or so. She was within one hundred meters (about another ten checks as she now called her glances at the hopper) when her wrist band started beeping a warning. She moved to her side as it would be easier to get back to her crawling position than sitting and checked her wristband. She had about fifteen minutes of oxygen left. The exertion had zapped her supply. Valerie started to panic, then realised this would make the oxygen situation worse, so slowed her breathing and took thirty precious seconds of time to control her breathing and give her a small rest before the last push towards the hopper.

Valerie resumed crawling. She did not bother moving the stones this time as carefully. A quick wipe across the ground per drag is all she would allow. After ten minutes she got to the base of the hopper. She looked around. She could see were the emergency airlock had blown. That was her exit point earlier. Below the airlock was s small ladder, back into the craft. She went towards it. Now she needed to stand. She would try and only use her non injured leg. She put all her push against it and managed to grab the bottom rung. She tried to lift herself to the next rung, but she did not have the strength in her arms.

“I need to jump.” She thought.

Valerie, let go of the rung and bent her legs. She would just use her uninjured leg and propel herself. She pushed up and managed to grab the second rung up. Using the small momentum, she managed to grab the next rung with her other hand. She could just about put her knee on the bottom rung. Her wristband became more urgent. Only two minutes left. She pulled herself up and managed to get her hand to the bottom of the airlock. Her foot could actually support her from the bottom rung. She pushed up again and flipped into the hopper.

The emergency lights were on. The place was a mess. Although the hopper had stayed intact, a small explosion must have occurred and blackened several of the control panels. Valerie had to try and stand. She pulled herself up to the control panel. Her leg gave way and her face hit the darkened panel, knocking her face into the glass of her helmet. Blood dripped onto the glass, blearing the panel. Lights flicked on the panel, the thump had brought the panel to life. The yellow lights on the panel started to swim around mixed with the blood on her face plate. They were so pretty and reminded her of her last Christmas back home. She remembered the Christmas vividly. Her parents and boyfriend had been decorating the tree when she had arrived back from the base. What was her boyfriend  called again? No matter. The lights were yellow with red baubles. They had left her the star for her to put on the top of the tree. She reached for the star and lifted up her arm to place it on the top. She started to feel more dreamy. I must kiss my boyfriend she thought and reached over to him dragging herself to him. His face did not look the way as expectant for the kiss she desperately needed.

“I need to tell you something. “ he said

“Not now, kiss me. Look mistletoe.” said Valerie coyly pointing at one of the Christmas decorations.

She pulled him close, but he was resistant.

“I am seeing someone else.” he said.

“Doesn’t matter.” said Valerie.

Valerie grabbed him and kissed him intently, blacking out.