Teams of suited astronauts were scattered across the planet.
The project itself was not unusual. Ever since space travel beyond the Solar System became possible, these forays from Earth, out onto other planets, were carried out as part of an ongoing search for any signs of life. Several ships would land, each one sending out a group of half-a-dozen scientific researchers to scour their allotted location. These exploratory phases of a planet’s surface were slow and time-consuming, with teams working relentlessly for several months at a time. Quite often teams would spread out and overlap with others. This had been the case when he, B5, working as a biological analyst for his team, met her, C3, the chemical specialist for her team. They had worked their way along their assigned grids to be close enough to chat for short periods over a number of days. It is fair to say that many of those employed in this kind of work found it boring, to say the least. These two were no different.
They met again. After a few pleasantries, he asked, “I guess we’re all pining for home in one way or another. What do you miss most, being out here?”
She fell silent for a beat or two. With a yearning in her voice, she said, “I really miss mother nature and all its beauty; the hills and valleys, the verdant pastures, the brightly coloured flowers and the sheer variety of shrubs and trees, the amazing contrast of weather systems and the oceans, with their…”
She went on like this for some time, describing it all in great detail, when she noticed through his helmet’s visor the top half of his head was shaking slowly from side to side.
She stopped talking and said, “What? You don’t agree?” She flapped her arms out. “Tell me. What do you miss?”
She could see his eyes squint a little, as he said, “Beef, cheese and bacon pies.”