Amr 2 -

"Mission Control," she said quietly. "We have a first contact situation. And it’s already got one of our rovers."

The console pinged twice, then flatlined. "AMR 2, report," Captain Soren’s voice crackled through the static.

The pressure gauge was steady. Not because the rover was shielded, but because the outside pressure was holding perfectly constant. As if the deep were maintaining itself for the rover’s sake.

"AMR 2," Soren said, her voice steady. "Backtrace your path. Return to insertion shaft."

"It wants to know if we are a pattern," the rover said, "or a mistake."