I stared at the canisters in front of me, the Martian dust coating them like a burial shroud.
Fuel.
Precious. Scarce. Unstable.
The metal casings were pitted with age, corrosion eating away at their surfaces. Some had dents, others had leaks. A few had rusted so thoroughly I doubted they'd survive transport, let alone ignition.
I didn't have the luxury of trusting them blindly.
If even one of these tanks was compromised and I hooked it into my ship's systems, I'd go up in flames before I ever left the ground.
I needed a test.
I grabbed a small container, one of the less corroded ones, and carefully extracted a sample. Then, working in the shadow of my ship, I set up a controlled ignition.
A small chamber. A measured spark.
I braced myself and activated the test.
The flame flared up—blue, steady.
A good burn.
Usable.
I let out a slow breath of relief. At least some of it was viable.