Morale on the Platform

    They'd felt the heat as they approached the platform, but when they stepped out onto the deck for the first time, it felt worse than walking on an active volcano. Because it was worse. A lot worse.

    That's why they could only work in ten-minute shifts. Ten minutes out, seventy minutes in, rotating between the members of the crew for eight hours straight. Afterwards which the crew would spend whatever time necessary to ensure everyone had fully recovered from the work "day."

    The bio scanner would scan each member to ensure their physiological and psychological status, mental clarity, and nutrition were adequate. Operations were not permitted to resume until all members met the appropriate conditions.

    Those ten minutes outside were harrowing. And motivating themselves took much effort. They'd spent an equal amount in psychological training as they did technical for this job and endured torturous physical pain for months in preparation. That was a cake walk in retrospect.

    As the crew placed each solarium block, the platform grew in area, and their ten-minute shifts grew less efficient. Slowly they each began to despair at the pace. The heat no longer subsided during their time off. They barely slept, and thus their mental faculties began to degrade.

    Hope was dwindling fast for the Solar Sixteen crew, and they were close to calling back home to abort mission. It took so much effort to even have that discussion though, but with a roomful of tired nods, Keith, the crew captain, reached for the emergency line.Just as he went to dial, Desmond returned from his shift with a smile.

No one had smiled for many "days" now, and the sight of one was almost as alien as their platform.

    "Guys" Desmond said "Do you feel that?"

    "The heat? Yeah, we feel it, Desmond. We've been feeling it, and we're done feeling it. We're calling home." Miranda replied.

    "No, he's right!" April said. "The temperature stopped increasing. The blocks are working!"

    "It's block one hundred. That's when they said things would stabilize. I just placed it and realized it was a corner. Guys we can do this."

    And for the first time since they began their approach, the entire crew smiled and even laughed. Morale improved quickly from there. Bio signs kept up, and they continued on their way to block 400. The block when they'd begin increasing their crew size.