Nathan hesitantly raised his hand up.

“Guys, I’m not sure that you’ve thought it through,” Nori protested. “I mean--”

“Oh, what the hell.” Bulco cut her off and raised his hand as well. “Now it’s unanimous. I guess that makes you our new captain, Nori.”

The tall woman looked at him in surprise. “You’re really alright with that?”

He shrugged. “We pretty much do what you say anyway. Might as well do it officially.”

“Alright,” she said in a business-like tone. “I accept. Everyone, let’s go to the Hummer and--”

“Not so fast,” Bulco cut her off again, sounding smug. “As the captain, it's your duty to stay on the ship, right?”

She frowned at him.

He raised his hand defensively. “Hey, I don’t make the rules.”

“I’m coming and that’s final,” she said sharply. She threw a withering glance at Lana and Nathan. “Any objections?”

The young man took a step back and shook his head.

“Hey, I object.” Bulco raised his hand.

“Too bad, you’re overruled. And since we’ve just established it’s not a democracy ...” Nori pushed past him toward the cargo hold.

“Fine!” he hurried after her. “But I’m driving.”

“I’ll let you park the car when we’re back,“ she said, not bothering to look back.

The large man grumbled but took the passenger seat without further argument. Lana and Nathan obediently climbed into the back seat.

The Hummer’s doors closed with a whoosh, sealing the air inside. Nori input a series of commands on the vehicle's console and the giant cargo door lowered. The Hummer’s engine roared to life and Nori pressed the gas pedal to the floor. The giant vehicle shot out of the ship, picking up speed along with the rush of escaping air. They raced up a mound of dirt and became airborne. Lana screamed in fright. With the moon’s weak gravity, the jump took them a hundred meters, landing on the other side of a rocky, jagged field. The Hummer screeched as the Navigator turned it into a narrow channel between two hills, and then it stabilized as she maintained a steady course.

Bulco was breathing quick and shallow. “Damn, girl, you nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“Told you that you needed me to drive,” she said detachedly. She checked the monitor. “We still have some distance to cover, and by the looks of it, the terrain doesn’t get any better.”

“Maybe you can slow down just a tad?” Lana said with a squeaky voice.

Nori shook her head. “Sorry, no can do. There’s a chasm at the end of this flat expanse and we need to pick up speed to make the jump.”

“What jump?”

“This one.” Nori pointed ahead.

A vast fissure appeared at the end of the road. It was more like a rift, easily two hundred meters across.