they ride on as the orange sky deepens to an inky black with stars twinkling overhead. after several hours, they finally make it to the other side of the mountain range, where they set up camp at the edge of a sprawling red desert. as they settle in for the night, the reunited guardians look up at the stars once more, secure in the knowledge that no matter what tomorrow brings - whether they make it to another world, or whether they stay on their home world until the very end - everything will be okay as long as they’re together.

invincible (deconstructed)

as the faint sound of familiar hoofbeats becomes audible on the horizon, the man on the white horse appears in the distance just as a transport ship appears in the sky, most likely carrying another convoy of bounty hunters hungry for payday. the man scoops his partner up onto the back of his horse, and the two take off for the safety of the mountains, wondering if the arrival of a transport ship could be a sign - maybe there is a way out for them after all? or could this mean that the hunters are finally closing in on them for good?

exo-politics (deconstructed)

on the other side of the plains, the rider's partner gazes up at the early nighttime stars, dreaming of better days and vowing to continue combing the planet until the two are reunited.

starlight (deconstructed)

the year is 2557. humanity has scattered to the stars, reaching up to grab the outstretched arm of the cosmos to accept its promise of untold wonder. the last days of the original intergalactic colony, the first martian federation, have come and gone. its once-glorious capital lies in ruin, collapsed under the weight of an entire species desperate to escape its dying home planet. the last few humans that roam its surface are mostly the self-proclaimed guardians of mars - descendants of the original colonizers moved by a sense of duty to honor the planet that first gave humanity a haven among the stars. the rest are bounty hunters sent by faraway colonies who believe the guardians to have knowledge of the planet’s secrets that could prove useful.

red sandy flatlands stretch for miles under a fading orange sky with mountains of deep purple and red towering in the distance. miles from the capital rides a lone man on a white horse. he is searching for his partner; they became separated during a raid on a small guardian camp several months ago. he can’t help but think about the last conversation they had before the attack; it was an argument about whether or not it was time to find a way off of mars for good. he turns the words over and over in his mind, ashamed of himself for berating his partner for daring to suggest the possibility that a better life for the both of them could exist somewhere other than mars. will he ever find his partner again? and even if he does, is there still a chance for them to make it off-world? or is it too late? he isn’t sure.

deconstructionist