The Jovian Conflict

Chapter 14

The Jovian Conflict

Space Monkeys

The four survivors and the young miner arrived at the miner's rest stop within forty minutes time. It was a tiny, pod like structure, taking up no more than a hundred square feet. There was an open shower and toilet, as well as a first aid kit, plenty of rations, and a small coffee pot. A detachable tablet on the wall was used to control the atmosphere, lighting, life support, and even check on news reports.

By the time they arrived, Riedel was waking up. He was the first to take off his helmet and breathe in the artificial air of the rest stop.

Once inside the group split up. The miner placed herself as far away from everyone as possible. Riedel took down the tablet and had been transfixed on it ever since. Romeo immediately went to make a pot of coffee and dig into the rations. Ashley focused on touching up Shelton's wounds, including the fresh cut on his face. It was quiet, but the tranquility was welcomed. For once they weren't focused on how much oxygen they had or if they would ever eat again. Although not completely at ease, they were more relaxed than they had been the last few days.

The last bandage was placed on Shelton's face when Romeo presented him with a cup of sustenance. Before Shelton could offer his thanks, Romeo was handing another cup to Ashley and commenting out loud, "You know, when a toilet flushes, it sends residue out to twenty feet. I wonder how much poop spores we're breathing in right now?"

To this, Shelton had nothing to say. He could only raise a brow in confusion. Ashley, however, answered the question, "The air circulation system filters out any 'poop spores' that may be floating around."

"Oh," was Romeo's lame response. He watched as her face twisted into a scowl mighty fast. It was his turn to return the gesture and he argued, "What? How was I supposed to know that? Is it wrong I'm concerned about how much s**t I'm eating?"

"You're an engineer, Escobar. Figure it out."

Somehow, Romeo was still balancing three cups in his hands. Shelton asked, "Hey, Sarge, what's with the other drinks?"

His attention was ripped from the staring contest he and Ashley were in. "What? Oh. For the good Doctor Jupiter and the little miner girl."

"I can take them," Shelton offered.

There was no chance for Romeo to protest. The drinks were finagled out of his grasps and Shelton was several steps away by the time he said, "Suit yourself."

The first person he reached was Riedel. Situated in the very center of the room with the tablet in his lap, he didn't even register Shelton until the warm cup was forced into his hands. They made brief eye contact when Riedel said, "Thank you." Shelton only nodded in response. It didn't feel appropriate to converse with Riedel at that moment, though he wasn't sure what made him think that.

Then he was off to the stranger that rested in the corner. Sauntering over there with a lax attitude and easygoing posture, he managed to sit right next to her without a single twitch from her body. Silently, he offered the scrumptious drink which she accepted without hesitation. Together they sat and observed the others in the room. Ashley and Romeo spoke quietly amongst each other, probably purely business related; Riedel stared at the tablet, neither his eyes nor his fingers moving even the slightest.

It was the girl that broke the silence. She turned to him, took in all of his features, and then commented, "You've been injured."

He hadn't even realized his suit was still pulled down from Ashley's care just moments earlier. Soon, both pairs of eyes were staring at the discolored joint where machine met flesh. Each vein exposed, each wire threatening to poke through his skin. An old wound but one that haunted him nonetheless. Scrapes, bruises, and even burns peppered his upper body, all recent. Surviving didn't necessarily mean making it out unharmed. He had learned that when he was much younger.

Finally, he responded. "Uh, yeah. I lost my arm when I lived on Earth. Long story, really. Not that interesting."

Those quick, rapid fire sentences spoke more than enough. She wasn't going to press him for more information. Instead, her lips focused on the drink he had kindly given her. It was warm, a tad bitter but with a soft bite that eased any hunger pains she had. So far, these strangers hadn't been too harsh on her.

For a while he was perfectly content with the lack of conversation. He just wanted to enjoy his drink and rest. Yet he could feel that the girl next to him was still tense. Her entire body was rigid and she kept it curled, protecting herself from anything that might near her. Lightly, he bumped into her. He asked, "What's your name, anyway?"

"Oksana."

"Russian?"

"Jovian," she corrected. The look she gave him made it clear the "Russian" title made little sense to her. The idea that an entirely new race had been bred out in space was a foreign and fictional concept to him. Hearing it used in that context for the first time was fascinating.

Romeo watched the two get chummy with each other from the corner of his eye. Once there was a lull in Ashley's ranting, he said, "Well, he made his move."

Ashley poked her head around Romeo's shoulder to watch them. Nothing seemed particularly intimate about their interactions. She decided to ignore Romeo's comment. Instead, she said, "Now that we're here, what's our next move?"

"Get some sleep. Relax. We're worthless right now."

"How can we relax when there are obviously people chasing us?"

He let out an exasperated sigh and took a seat on the floor. "Look, I think we need to view our situation differently. Maybe we should start looking at our group as two separate ones."

"What do you mean?"

"That brickhat wants you and Riedel. If you turn yourself in, you're safe. Instead of running around this iceberg. Stick with us and you might get killed."

Ashley couldn't believe what she heard. After shaking her head in a feeble attempt of clearing her head, she questioned, "What? I'm sorry, I think you just told me to turn myself in?" Romeo didn't answer; he just let his silent stare do all the talking. She was about to throw a fit. "Are you f*****g kidding me?! Escobar, we are a team. We're sticking together!"

"And put everyone at risk?"

"Yes!"

Riedel looked up from the tablet briefly after hearing the shouting match start. Same old nonsense. His eyes went back to the article he had found. The words weren't of any interest to him. What had grabbed his attention was the photograph that accompanied it. The headline read: "Doctor Jupiter Presumed Dead." Near the top right corner was the most recent photograph of his family. Lightly, he touched the faces of his children. It ached him to think that might be the closest he would ever get to the again.

Damn. Get over it, Kit, he thought to himself. A few physical hits to the side of his head by his own fist helped bring him back. His tried to keep himself situated mentally in the present. Gotta focus on this. Callisto… how many outposts? Potential hazards? Allies? Insiders? What's the economic situation? What about the political situation? Think, think, think!

"Rrrgh!" he growled aloud. Clenching his eyes, he tried to clear his mind. Nothing seemed to work.

A news flash crossed the bottom of the tablet's screen. "Incident At ZLI HQ – One Dead." Intrigued, he tapped on the headline. A new screen opened, displaying a 3D image of the Hong Kong ZLI office building. A photograph of the deceased was below it. Looks familiar, he thought to himself. Again, his eyes became transfixed on the screen.

Eventually, they skimmed downward and landed on a name that made his heart stop. Adam Braun.

"What's got you so tense?"

He jumped. Once on his bottom, he was on his feet within a beat. The tablet that was in his hands slipped and he juggled it around before securing it in his grasps once more. Careful to ensure no one could see the screen, he hugged the device against his chest. His heart was beating again, this time quicker than he thought his stomach could handle. Sweating, he stared directly into Ashley's eyes and lied, "Nothing!"

She eyed him, aware of his fib. Tactfully, she changed the subject. "How are you feeling? Your wounds were pretty serious…"

Her voice drifted away, as though she were afraid of the truth. Gently, he reached out and touched her elbow. He assured her, "I'm fine now, I think. I just… I just need to rest. So stop scaring me." A smile was shared between the two of them, and everything felt okay in that moment.

Noise from outside caused Romeo's ears to twitch. Apparently, he was the only one to hear it, as the others continued to mingle. Ever so slightly he inched his head toward the door. The airlock that separated the two environments was in use. Damn, it was loud. How couldn't anyone else hear it? Romeo reached for the pistol he kept. What if it was JOC Patrol? He had to be ready. It only took one death to make you a killer, so who cared how many more he racked up while fleeing?

Finally, the door swished open. Multiple conversations, multiple accents, and multiple lips all ceased at once. The newcomers stared at Romeo and the others, unsure exactly how to react. An eternity seemed to pass before anyone moved or even dared to breathe again. Trigger finger itching, Romeo somehow kept his hand from snatching the pistol and blasting everyone away.

One of the newcomers broke the awkwardness with a forced, "Well. Hello, there!"

A couple of equally strained greetings called back. Movement returned as the newcomers continued their discussions. They seemed to be at ease, laughing and acting goofy as they slipped out of their suits and attempted to relax. Romeo and Shelton shared a look; if any one of these new miners tried something, they were all dead.

One of these newcomers approached them and said, "You guys got all the all stop order, too, huh? Sucks." He left them after that, focusing his attention solely on the small food station.

Romeo's eyes dashed between this man and the others. A hasty count gave him six miners – four men, two women. Based on the ranking patched onto their sleeves, the one in charge was the second woman he spotted. Indeed, it was she that approached them in a more formal manner first.

She introduced herself to Romeo, as he was the closest to the door. "I'm Marika, Mining Team… Doctor Riedel?"

It was time for another heart attack from everyone in the room. By this time, the bounty on Riedel and Braun had reached the ear of every person on Callisto. Everyone stopped once more, save a single miner that was more interested in getting some food than anything else.

It was up to Riedel to keep words alive. He said, "Uh, yes. Hi?"

The way his voice trembled and cracked cut any tension there might have been. He even offered her the drink Romeo had made for him. She thanked him and accepted it. Everyone went back to their meandering. After she took a drink from the warm cup, she asked, "What exactly are you doing here? There's people worried about you guys."

The four survivors shared a long, nervous look between each other. Did they tell their story? How could they trust these miners anymore then they could trust JOC Patrol? Fidgeting, sighing, and being unresponsive were all clues to Marika that they weren't sure what to do or say.

"I get it," she finally said. "Something happened, you can't say what. You're on the run for some reason. It's whatever. You'll see that Callisto has a lot of secrets, and so does Her people."

"What kind of secrets?" Shelton asked. When she looked at him, surprised by the question, he gave her a toothy grin befitting his brazen inquiry. She thought about whether to reply with an honest answer or some abstract line. Instead, she opted to remain silent and have another drink.

Now that their dialogue was over, the talk between miners became the only noise in the small room. "…and if we do get that far? Do you think they'll stop us?"

"Nah. All we need to do is get in there. The security is lax. Getting off Callisto will be easier that way."

"You guys are trying to leave?" Romeo asked. It startled everyone to hear his loud bark of a voice. When the two miners refused to answer, he focused his attention on Marika. Again, she simply took another swig of her drink.

When his glare got a little more intense, she offered, "I'll tell you our secret if you tell us yours."

Shelton didn't hesitate. "We were shot down by JOC Patrol. They've tried to off us a few times."

A light laugh escaped her lips and she said, "That's it? I doubt they tried to kill the Doctors. You two worthless space monkeys, maybe. But Mister Hedrick and Simon probably need the Doctors more than anyone in the solar system." She stopped speaking long enough to set her now empty cup down. A few more seconds passed as she let the silence linger, determined to prolong the drama. After folding her arms over her chest, she said, "But if you space monkeys want off this rock, I can help you."

"And why would you do that, lady?" Romeo questioned.

"It won't be free," she added.

"My husband will pay any price," Ashley assured her.

Riedel interrupted when he suddenly squeaked, a sound that he tried to physically shove back into his mouth. The miners stared, but his crew was used to his antics enough to where they paid him no mind.

Marika said, "Then a payment plan can be arranged. Welcome aboard, Doctor."

She extended her to Ashley before anyone else. So over Callisto, Ashley accepted the offer without another thought. They were going to get out of there, no matter the cost.