Mars
Mars is John Evans’ home world. Its day is roughly thirty-nine minutes longer than an Earth day, a difference that shapes shifts, meals, irrigation, and off-world communication.
Port Alpha
John lives in Port Alpha, where air returns, water loops, tram lines, and district scrubbers give daily life its rhythm. A retired pressure door becomes a communal dining table; its inspection stamps remain visible beneath the finish.
Places in the story
- Port Alpha — John’s home and departure point.
- Ring Four — an agricultural ring where plant behaviour challenges a controller’s report.
- Sector Seven — a related root-culture incident appears in the records.
- The Valles geothermal districts — part of Paul Evans’ engineering work.
- Hellas Basin — Jennifer Evans surveys abandoned industrial sites south of the basin.
In the book
Chapters One–Three establish everyday life on Mars and the first discrepancies.