symbolic-scar

The chapter details the catastrophic fall of a massive cable across Mars, describing its destructive path from multiple vantage points including satellite feeds and survivor reports. The event causes widespread devastation, flattening terrain and causing seismic disturbances, while the observers grapple with exhaustion and emotional numbness. The chapter ends with a grim reflection on the new physical and symbolic scar the cable leaves on the planet, likened to a black equator.