Cold and arid, Mars is the perfect test of humanity’s mettle against the elements. After three generations, life on the Martian frontier is still raw and marginal. The lifeblood of this new world is laid down in the form of mighty rail lines. Jefferson Brodie believes extending the maglev rails south to the polar cap would alleviate most of the hardships by bringing needed water and ice to the settlers; an expansion plan that places the unregulated settlements on thin ice with authorities on Earth.