Starship Legacy: A Novel by Not Elon Musk

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Chapter 2, Page 25:

The rover's battery was running low when Sarah suddenly straightened up, her eyes fixed on the latest analysis Grok had produced. "Wait, Grok, go back to that temporal estimate. Did you just say..."

"That your discovery predates most of Earth's known fossil record? Indeed I did." The AI's usual playful tone had an edge of excitement. "Though I should note that dating methods for Martian biochemistry involve several theoretical assumptions that—"

"Show me the calculations," Sarah interrupted, already pulling up comparative data sets.

Luke watched as Grok and Sarah dove into a rapid exchange of numbers and hypotheses, their back-and-forth punctuated by Mark's occasional additions about environmental conditions. The implications were staggering. Not just evidence of past life on Mars, but potentially some of the oldest biological signatures ever discovered.

"Battery at 15%," Ben reported, breaking into their discussion. "We need to bring her home soon."

Luke nodded, knowing they had to be methodical despite their excitement. "Start the return sequence. Sarah, you have enough samples?"

"For preliminary analysis, yes." She was still absorbed in Grok's data. "But we'll need specialized equipment for detailed dating. And Houston..." She looked up at Luke, the weight of their discovery clear in her expression.

"Houston will want independent verification," Luke finished. "And they'll have questions. A lot of questions."

"Speaking of questions," Grok chimed in, "might I suggest preparing a certain eccentric billionaire for the news that his Mars colony just stumbled onto something that makes those 2024 chatbots look like pocket calculators? No offense to my ancestors, of course."

Luke almost smiled, but his mind was already racing ahead to the implications. This discovery would change everything – their mission, their protocols, perhaps even their basic understanding of life itself. Mars had just gotten a lot more complicated.

"Alright," he said, watching the rover's lights grow dimmer as it retraced its path. "Let's do this by the book. But first, we make absolutely sure."

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