Anders walked along the perimeter of the base, his boots crunching over gravel. It was 7 p.m., and the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon. A cigarette dangled from his lips, its smoke curling up lazily into the evening air. He took a long drag, then blew out into the evening air.

Anders had finished his duties for the day as there were no urgent matters. The rare downtime left him with nothing to do, and he hated that feeling.