04/29/2024
“River Ruins Ride” 2021
This was inspired by the Perseverance Rover that landed on mars in the most heavy metal fashion imaginable back in February of 2021. It was an inspiring reminder that there are still some things that work in this world. Below is a story I wrote to go with the drawing.
The Twenty Second City is no stranger to cataclysm, but the limnic eruption of Lake Michigan changed the city’s landscape in ways never before thought possible. Little is known about what caused the massive outgassing of carbon dioxide from a previously undiscovered cave system below the lake, but the effects were transformative. Within a matter of days, the lake had drained entirely. Instead of dissipating over time, the new atmosphere hung above the lake indefinitely, poisonous to humans but oddly welcoming to the various species xenoflora and xenofuana which had previously been struggling to find a home in the Chicagoland area.
In an attempt to better understand this new wilderness on their doorstep, the City of Chicago worked with JPL retrofit an unused Martian Rover (The Perseverance IX) for terrestrial exploration. While the data sent back was crucial to the City’s efforts to endure the lasting effects of the cataclysm, the Rover’s journey was always intended to be a one-way trip. After its power cells depleted, it was left as a ruin on the lakebed.
This is of course all ancient history for today’s residents of the Twenty Second City. The poisonous atmosphere of the lakebed has since been cleared, and humans can now easily traverse the plains easily on foot or bicycle. Helmets can even be removed and the air can be breathed, when conditions are right. The Perseverance IX still remains in its final resting place, overgrown by xenoflora but a popular meeting place for adventurers looking to enjoy the sprawling lakebed plains and interact with the creatures who still call it home.
