Europa Deep, page 9
“Pretty good,” she said, “for having spent three years in cryo. And nice to see you again, Ernest.”
If Javier picked up on the anger in her voice, he chose not to acknowledge it. The woman next to him had sharp, birdlike features and hair that clung to her scalp in tight curls. Harrow had mentioned two other unexpected members of the crew, so this, Cassie guessed, must be Sally Braemar: one of the two spooks.
“I’m sorry,” said Lebed, looking between Cassie and Javier. “You know each other?”
Javier looked at Cassie like he was expecting her to respond first. She waited him out.
“Back when I was in charge of the Lunar Flight Authority,” said Javier, his gaze still fixed on her, “Cassie was one of my pilots.” He gestured to Braemar and the man he’d been talking to earlier. “Cassie, this is Sally Braemar and Jeff Holland. They’re with the USNRO.”
“Evan told me there’d been other crew changes apart from myself,” said Cassie. “But this is supposed to be a civilian mission, isn’t it? Doesn’t having intelligence agents on the crew make it something else?”
“An excellent observation,” said Lebed, switching his gaze to Javier. “Especially since their being aboard the Veles means that two actual scientists of enormous value to this expedition are not.”
“Who?” Cassie asked.
“Faye Bennett and Bob Karas,” said Makwetu. “Bennett’s a microbiologist, Karas a salvage expert.”
Javier smiled stiffly. “There’s some news you won’t be aware of,” he told Cassie. “Just before we left Earth orbit, we were alerted that three ships belonging to the New Chinese Republic were likely to arrive in the Jovian system just ahead of the Veles. Sally and Jeff are here to keep an eye on them.”
Cassie did her best to look surprised, even though Ketteridge had already told her the NCR intended to send their own expedition.
“Three ships?” she asked.
“One is orbiting Europa at a higher orbit than our own,” said Lebed. “The other two are currently orbiting Ganymede, presumably gathering scientific information.”
“I think,” said Javier, “we should start with the most recent intelligence we have on the NCR’s intentions.” He looked at Holland. “Jeff?”
Holland lightly pushed himself towards a console and hooked one slippered foot through a grip. He did it with the ease of one experienced in zero gravity environments.
“Starting from right before the aerobraking manoeuvre,” Holland said, “Sally and I have been making observations of the NCR fleet. The main ship, we know, is called the Tianjin.”
Holland tapped at the console, and an image of the Tianjin appeared on its screen.
Where, from a distance, the Veles resembled a piece of fragile jewellery, much of the Tianjin’s hull remained hidden behind heavy plating. To say that it looked formidable would have been an understatement.
“Nu blet,” Lebed muttered under his breath. “It looks like some kind of warship.” He glanced at Holland. “I thought you said theirs was a scientific expedition, same as ours?”
“‘No,’” Holland corrected him. “That’s what they say it is.” He nodded at the screen. “You can draw your own conclusions from what you see here.”
He touched the console again, and two more ships appeared above and below the Tianjin. The uppermost vessel looked bulky and smooth, while the third, the smallest, was clearly a cargo transport.
“What you’re seeing here,” Holland continued, “is evidence of the New Republic’s long-range strategy for the outer solar system. We believe the Tianjin is a prototype for a new generation of deep-space craft with offensive capabilities. This other one,” he said, tapping the uppermost vessel on the screen, “is most likely a scientific exploration ship much like the Veles—hence the habitation ring for generating artificial gravity. The third is most likely carrying extra supplies and equipment. We have intelligence suggesting the NCR intends to construct refuelling depots similar to the ones they already have orbiting the Earth’s Moon. The only plausible conclusion is that they want to establish a long-term presence in the Jovian system.”
“So why does it matter?” Makwetu asked. “Nobody owns Europa. Or Jupiter. They’ve got as much right to be here as us.”
“Who owns what often gets decided by who has the biggest stick,” Holland replied dryly. “Plus, in the longer term, Jupiter represents a major staging point for the outer solar system. Heavy embargoes placed on the NCR following the collapse of the old regime prevent them from accessing resources beyond their borders back home, but for now, there’s nothing stopping them from going up. And they’ve never hidden their long-term intentions for space expansion.”
“You make it sound like we’re in a race with them,” said Lebed.
“We are,” Holland agreed. “Either we dominate the solar system, or they do. They built the first lunar bases, so the US, along with the European Space Agency and other partners, felt compelled to do the same. If they develop a permanent presence out here, any future expeditions will have to get past them first.”
“But we can’t actually do anything to stop them, can we?” Haunani asked. “It’s not like we’re armed for a fight or anything.”
“We observe and report,” said Javier. “Political and economic pressure can be applied back home if the Tianjin ignores UN directives. Jeff and Sally, meanwhile, are here in a purely advisory capacity. The worst that can happen is they have to negotiate directly with whoever’s in command over there.”
“On that subject, have we tried talking to them?” asked Cassie.
Holland nodded. “We tried, but unfortunately, they don’t seem inclined to talk back. Plus, the last we heard before our comms went down was that the Summer Palace had threatened retaliation if we didn’t agree to its terms.”
“They said they wanted to land first,” Javier explained to Cassie, “and us second—but only when they say we can. They claim they want to check our surface and undersea stations for evidence of biological contamination.”
Cassie crossed her arms. “Contamination from what?”
“It’s a bullshit claim,” Holland scoffed. “If you remember that far back, a lot of countries tried to veto the first expedition out of the fear that Earthbound microorganisms might contaminate an otherwise pristine alien environment.” The way he said it made it clear he thought little of this. “It was a stalling tactic, nothing more. Before the war, any number of them were planning their own expeditions.”
Lebed spoke up. “Which brings me to a related point. Are we sure the Tianjin is jamming us?”
Cassie stared at the navigator. “Jamming us, how?” She’d wondered what Holland had meant about the comms being down, and had been about to ask.
“We haven’t been able to send or receive telemetry of any kind for nearly forty-eight hours,” Javier explained. “We believe the Tianjin has some means to jam our communications and prevent us from talking to Mission Control.”
“But that’s still only conjecture,” Lebed pointed out. “For all we know, there’s a problem on our side.”
Holland tapped the image of the Tianjin displayed on the console screen. “What I can tell you for sure,” he said, “is that this baby’s crammed to the gills with signals countermeasures. See all these comms dishes clustered around the midsection? The Tianjin’s powered by a nuclear thermal drive more advanced than ours. They’ve got more than enough spare juice to override our comms all across the spectrum, from the x-band on down.”
“To add to that,” said Braemar, “there’s another piece of news. The Tianjin launched microsatellites into orbit around Europa a little over forty-eight hours ago. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. We have to assume they’re using the satellites to reinforce their jamming strategy. Unless we can figure a way around it, we’re cut off from home until they decide they want to parley.”
“Which is exactly why we need Jeff and Sally here,” said Javier. “We’re scientists, not diplomats or soldiers. They have the experience and knowledge necessary to deal with whoever’s in charge on that other ship.”
Cassie glanced around the deck, seeing nothing but appalled expressions.
“But for now?” Harrow asked. “What do we do?”
“Right now,” said Holland, “it’s all in the hands of diplomats back home who are surely negotiating with the NCR around the clock. But if the Tianjin opens communications with us, Sally and I are ready to talk to them. So we wait.”
“Wait?” Lebed stared at Holland. “What about landing on Europa—the whole reason we came here?”
“I’m sorry, Anton,” said Javier, “but for the moment, all of us are staying right here.”
The navigator’s mouth flopped open. “You’re telling me we flew a billion kilometres just to sit on our fucking asses?”
Javier regarded him with a weary expression. “I understand your frustration. Really, I do. But Jeff and Sally have assured me this will all be resolved one way or another, and soon. So let’s just take it one day at a time and see how things develop.”
He looked around. Nobody said anything, except for Haunani, who swore under his breath.
“I think that’s it,” said Javier, brushing his hands down his hips. He nodded to Holland and Braemar with the air of a man whose business is done for the day. “We’ll reassess in a few days. But for now, you should all get back to your jobs.”
“Wait,” said Makwetu. “What about Cassie? You still haven’t told us why she was kept on ice. Or why you took the risk of working an extra shift rather than let her out. That wasn’t just putting you in danger—as our commanding officer, it put the rest of us in danger, too. We deserve an explanation.”
Javier regarded the woman flatly. “Might I remind you,” he said tersely, “that Miss White was removed from the cryo bay without my—”
“I can tell you why,” Cassie said suddenly. “It’s because I killed Commander Javier’s husband.”
Fast way to end a conversation, thought Cassie, seeing the shocked expressions all around her. Even Javier looked nonplussed.
“Everyone knows why every last genetically optimized astronaut got kicked back to groundside, right?” Cassie said into the silence that followed. “Some of us were having blackouts and there were accidents.” She touched her fingers to her collarbone. “I was piloting a lunar hopper from Mare Imbrium base to the South Pole ice mining operation when I blacked out. Sergio Gomez—the Commander’s husband—was the only passenger. The hopper crashed and only I survived.”
The last thing she remembered, they’d been talking about Sergio and Ernest’s upcoming wedding anniversary, and about the time Sergio’s cousin, on his first visit to the moon as part of a Venezuelan investment delegation, drunkenly tried to run and crashed head-first into the ceiling of a corridor.
Even before the accident, there had been the odd moment when Cassie had unexpectedly zoned out before coming to again as quickly. But mandated regular check-ups with a base doctor had shown nothing out of the ordinary.
Later, after a board of enquiry reconstructed the circumstances of the accident, they concluded Cassie had blacked out for up to five minutes: enough time for the hopper to descend, out of control, and collide with a rock outcropping.
The next thing she remembered was waking up in a medical bay with tubes coming out of her nose, and a doctor asking her for the date of her birthday. Two days later, she found out Sergio hadn’t made it.
Makwetu stared at Cassie. “But…can it happen again?”
“There are treatments,” she said. “Drugs. They stop the blackouts. I wouldn’t have been asked to join the mission if the people in charge didn’t think I could do the job.”
“Treatments?” Braemar echoed, her voice sharp. “What treatments?”
“New ones,” said Doctor Haunani. “And highly effective ones, according to all the literature.”
“You’re administering these treatments?” Braemar asked the doctor.
Haunani nodded. “She started her regime the moment she came out of cryo.”
Cassie looked at him in surprise. “I did?”
“Of course,” said Haunani. “I gave you a shot when you woke. Remember?”
“Except these drugs can’t be tested properly,” said Javier. He was staring hard at Cassie, one hand twitching at his side. “It’s impossible—the people they’re supposed to help are all still banned from going into space. And that means there’s no practical way to be sure the treatments are remotely effective in the long term.” He breathed hard, his other hand grasping the edge of a console. “You’re awake now—fine. But your duties will be minimal. I’m not taking any risks with this ship because some pencil-pushing idiot who’s never been above the Karman Limit decided, for whatever reason, to put you in this expedition against my wishes.”
Words came tumbling up Cassie’s throat, but nothing came out. Instead, she just looked away from Javier, her jaw and throat tight.
“You’ll find a revised work roster posted to your personal terminal,” Javier added, then turned to Makwetu. “Daphne, Cassie will shadow you for a few days while she gets up to speed. She can help you in the Farm. In the meantime, we’ve all got more than enough work to do, and I know several of you have experiments you want to get on with.”
Javier pulled himself into a chair next to the console beside him, making it clear the meeting was over. People started moving, pushing themselves away from wall-grips and towards the deck entrance. The two USNRO agents, meanwhile, fell into conversation with Javier.
Cassie, still seething, nearly collided with a flying monkey hovering just outside the entrance. Pushing it out of the way with a muttered curse, she had the oddest feeling the thing had been watching her.
But that was ridiculous.
CHAPTER 7
FARM LIFE
Makwetu waited for Cassie a short distance up the spine. “Not the welcome you imagined,” she said when Cassie brought herself to a halt next to her.
Cassie laughed weakly. “You have no idea.”
“That accident you talked about…” Makwetu shook her head in sympathy. “I knew an Opt who had a hard time adjusting when they told him he couldn’t go back into space. He…” A flash of remembered pain crossed her features. “He died of a drug overdose.”
Cassie nodded. “Some of us had modifications that made it hard for us to stay on the ground. Like a compulsion, but it’s built in.”
Makwetu’s brows lifted. “You, too?” She blanched. “I’m sorry, that’s too personal. I shouldn’t—”
“It’s fine,” Cassie reassured her. She studied the other woman’s face and guessed what her next question would be: she’d been asked it a thousand times. “Some gene labs were willing to do off-the-book custom work for parents who paid enough. Like a tweak that gives you a powerful dopamine rush while in low gravity. The more you experience it, the more you want it.”
Makwetu looked appalled. “You make it sound…addictive?”
“I don’t talk to my parents anymore,” she said. “Put it that way.” Fortunately, they hadn’t given her brother Chris the same tweak. “That’s why your friend died. He was trying to get that feeling back.”
“Cassie?” Haunani drifted over to join them. “I’d like to make some more checks.”
“Any particular reason?”
“It’s standard this soon after coming out of the tank,” he explained. “But I want to be sure the extra time you spent in cryo isn’t having any adverse effects. Can you come to the med bay?”
Braemar and Holland made their way past, and when Cassie glanced back toward the command deck, she saw Javier was still inside.
“Sure,” Cassie said to the doctor. “But give me five.”
Javier glanced up briefly when Cassie re-entered the command deck, catching a handgrip next to where he worked.
“I think we should talk,” she said. Might as well cut to the chase. “I didn’t know you were in charge of this expedition, and what happened to Sergio was an accident. You said the same thing yourself at the time.”
Javier paused, fingers still resting on the touchscreen, his shoulders rising and falling as he drew in a deep breath.
“That was before the inquest,” he replied. “I didn’t know you’d had blackouts before, but failed to report them.” His features twisted into an ugly sneer. “Why—because you were afraid of losing your job?”
Warmth crept up Cassie’s neck. “I… I didn’t think it was anything serious,” she said, hating how weak her explanation sounded. “That’s the only reason I didn’t—”
“I buried my husband a long time ago, Cassie.” Fury glinted deep in Javier’s gaze. “Are you looking for forgiveness?” He shrugged. “Fine. I forgive you. Now tell me what the hell you’re doing on board my ship.”
“What?” Cassie stared back at him, startled.
“I personally selected Arkady Kernov for this mission. He was pulled from the roster without explanation almost literally hours before we launched, and now you’re here in his place.”
He pushed himself closer to her, and Cassie flinched backwards despite herself. “Why the hell do you get to be here, Cassie, when there are thousands of qualified astronauts back home who don’t have genetic defects and who wouldn’t present an active risk to everyone on board this ship?”
“They… I was told they needed someone expert with behemoth suits. They said I was one of the best. And I am,” she added with a touch of defiance.
“Sure,” said Javier. “And you know what? So was Kernov. I still don’t get why you’re here—unless there’s something I don’t know?”
She found it hard to meet his gaze, afraid he might see the truth that, yes, she was lying to him. She managed it, but not without enormous effort.
“I was asked to join the expedition a week before launch. They said once I agreed, I had to go straight into cryo. It wasn’t like they gave me a lot of time to decide.”
