A Rover's Story

Using his computer systems, Resilience shows Fly what stars might look like, and Fly is overcome with the desire to see real stars. Resilience agrees that seeing stars is as important as avoiding dust storms, and they settle on the mission statement, “Avoid dust and see stars” (124). Resilience thinks Journey would be proud of this statement, which makes Resilience proud.

The code from Rania finally arrives, and Resilience uses it to adjust the spaceship for entry into Mars’s atmosphere. Using a phrase Fly heard from the scientists, they announce their arrival by saying, “Buckle up, we’re headed to Mars” (126).

Sophie’s grandmother wakes her up to tell her Resilience finally received the information he needed, and she’s relieved Resilience won’t crash.

The rockets detach, and Fly thanks them, even though the rockets never communicated with them. Resilience hears wind, a concept that he explains to Fly. Fly is glad that Resilience knows so much, and Resilience concludes that “there is no other drone that [he] would rather be hurtling through space with” (131).