The AREV just crested the dune in the western edge of Valles Marineris when the energy meter on its control panel began to flash. She smiled at the soft green light next to the flashing red one. The red light indicated that she only had enough energy for another 5 coordinate shifts, and the green light indicated that she had a currently valid overnight-pass.
That overnight-pass was so totally worth its cost. Being able to be have her daily supply allotment brought out to her, instead of having to catch the "Night Train" back to her homestead. The "Night Train" was the moniker given to the automated retreival drones sent out by Central Trading that carried everyone without a current pass back to their homesteads each evening.
Sitting back down in at the operator's station, she guided the AREV forward, down the dunes and towards the nearest volcano. With luck she would be able to make another hundred MD before the she powered down. She laughed softly to herself as the treads of the AREV ground into the stone around the volcano and the first of her scouts deployed to look for signs of a valuable vein.
Forty minutes later she was reclining in the chair as the last of her scouts returned and docked themselves. The red light on the console winked out to indicate that she had expended her energy allotment for the twenty-four hour period. Unexpectedly her comm screen flashed with color and text began to fill the screen:
Mines running dry? Ruins already looted?Well, fear no more! Central Trading is pleased to announce to commencement of a new Martian Lottery system called - DIG FOR TREASURE.
At the end of your energy allotment each day, you, as a licensed prospector, will be given the opportunity to purchase a ticket for the lottery. Each ticket will cost 500 MD, but just look at this amazing list of prizes you could win:
100 MD
500 MD
1000 MD
2500 MD
10000 MD
Survival PackŪ overnight pass
Radar Upgrade
Gift Certificate for recovered Earth goods
Vintage Earth technology
So, if you are looking to recover from a bad day excavating or trying to make a good day better, buy your opportunity to DIG FOR TREASURE, and be a treasure finder!
She smiled ruefully as she read the news release. Stretching forth a finger she tapped the "Buy" option at the end of the announcement. A second later her comm screen lit up again with a flashing announcement, "You have found 500 MD!" She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she flicked off the control console and headed back to the berth for bed. Her last thought before sleep stole over her was, "Well, at least I broke even with it."
