“There’s no atmosphere.  Well, not much of one.  Just a few trace gases.  So, no life after all?” Sebastian asked.

Maybe.  The image changed to a zoomed in picture of the planet.  They’d never be able to spot anything as small as a building, but large geological structures were visible.

“There was water there,” Buttercup stated.  “Look, see those jagged lines?  And those large depressions?”

“Rivers,” concluded Sebastian.  “And seas?  Probably not large enough to be called oceans.”  The images were eerily clear.  There was little to no interference.  There wasn’t even enough of an atmosphere to generate a dust storm.

There’s more.  The image changed again to show long lines etched through the landscape, leading away from one of the dry sea beds.  

Canals. 

Next Chapter: A Snippet from Chapter 7