The Jovian Conflict

Chapter 15

The Jovian Conflict

Peace and Proposals

The handshake was cut short. The airlock was again in use. Within ten seconds a fresh group appeared. This time, it wasn't harmless or friendly miners. Drab grey suits covered with bright, white lettering that spelled out "J.O.C." touched every chest of every newcomer. It was a gaggle of JOC Patrol gunners, all with their weapons drawn and their faces covered by their tinted visors. Romeo, already on edge, ripped the pistol from his belt and tried to raise it. Shelton, however, caught his wrist and forced the weapon out of sight. The two friends shared an intense glare before Romeo realized it was best to back down.

The leader of this patrol squad stepped forward and said, "Doctor Braun? Doctor Riedel? We saw your presence on the security cams. Please come with us to JOC HQ. Mister Hedrick sent us here personally and he wishes to meet with you."

"Who?" Ashley demanded, not at all interested in complying.

The leader ignored her and asked, "Where is the rest of your crew? We were told there were multiple survivors."

Shelton opened his mouth and barely got a syllable out before Romeo stomped on his foot, effectively silencing him. He forced their faces away from the patrol, just in case they were doing a facial sweep of the area. Obviously, they were out only for the two Doctors. Ashley aptly paid Romeo's antics no mind, but Riedel did give them a curious stare. Before any of the JOC Patrol could notice the trio's strange behavior, Ashley had to fib.

"They died, unfortunately. A… shootout with miners," she said. Romeo groaned aloud, surprised at how obvious it was she had just lied. Apparently, she wasn't a very good actress. There was no doubt in his mind that the squad would see right through it.

His fears were unfounded, as they bought it immediately. The leader nodded and said, "That is unfortunate. Please, come with us. We'll get you medical attention, then you'll go through debrief before we send you home."

The leader had outstretched his arm in a sign of friendship to Ashley. Bravely she stepped forward and accepted it. With the JOC Patrol now officially having her under their wing, it was Riedel's turn to march forward. He, too, had a Patrol member open their arm for him to step into. It was a weird feeling. He didn't like it. Having some strange person touch him, embrace him, almost smoother him with physical affection sent his mind scattering. Then, it blanked, just going along with the motions for the time being. He didn't even think about how they were leaving Romeo and Shelton behind.

The thought of leaving her remaining crew almost forced Ashley to stop. Yet the pushing of the rough squad leader made it impossible. For seemingly the hundredth time since they had crashed, her heart ached deeply. It was incomparable to any emotion she had ever felt before. It made her physically ill. Still, she pushed forward. Perhaps getting back to Simon would give her a chance for revenge. Not that she was one for that kind of thing.

Nah, she definitely wanted to kick that asshole in the crotch.

That was all she could think about during the entire trip back to JOC HQ. She contemplated the best angle to swing her leg, how the light gravity would affect his body's reaction, whether or not she should kick him once in the face while he gaped in pain, if it was possible to crush his throat with the heel of her boot… Each time she ran another scenario through her head, she got a little more pumped. By the time they reached the base, she was practically bouncing in her seat. Like a boxer light on their feet, she was dancing on her toes in anticipation of kickin' ol' Simon right in the junk. Preferably hard enough to end his life, if it were possible.

The vehicle ground to a halt and the door swung open. Greeted by the grey and copper coloring of the JOC HQ buildings, she was almost relieved to not find herself staring at endless ice and Jupiter for once. It didn't mean she was completely home free and she mentally reminded herself of that. She also had to laugh at the irony of it all. They had rushed out of this place in a mad dash, leaving a wake of destruction and bodies behind; they then spent hours traveling around the icy tundra, trying to get away. In the end, they were not even a full three hour journey away from the place they started. Being brought back there by the very people they were running from only made it more absurd.

Carefully, a Patrol member eased her out of the vehicle. Once her feet were touching synthetic ground again, she removed her helmet and breathed in the artificial atmosphere. To hell with going through an acclimation process, she wanted that precious air at once.

"You must be Ashley Braun!"

The excitement of the greeting caused her to roll her eyes. Here we go, she thought as she turned to face this man. Before her stood a young man, clad in a ZLI jumpsuit with JOPA and JOC logos patched on the arm and chest. The flag etched onto the shoulder was that of the Port Authority, signaling this was a man born and raised in space. There was no name tag or ID attached to his lanyard.

"I'm sorry, you are…?"

"Frankianius Hedrick. You may call me Frankie, Doctor Braun," the youngster said with a chipper tone and smile.

By this time, Riedel was out of the vehicle as well. He knew the man at first glance. "Ah, of course! JOPA's President!" he said. His hand was extended to Frankie right away.

Frankie accepted and even provided a single, deep nod that almost appeared to be a bow. "I'm pleased to see you alive, Doctor Riedel. I've been in contact with your wife since the news first broke. She's awaiting your safe return at JOPA HQ. But first, if you'd like, would you join me for a moment?"

He gestured openly toward JOC Patrol HQ, which was just a few doors down. It was impossible to turn down the offer, as he came off very personable and charming. Ashley accepted without a word. She made it a few steps before Frankie was on her heel, stepping close enough to her that she could practically feel his breathing tickle her ear.

"Where is the rest of your crew? Don't tell me you're the only survivors?" he asked. There was genuine concern in his voice. It sounded almost like a nanny speaking to its children.

"We're all that's left," Ashley answered.

It struck Frankie as odd that she said it so matter-of-fact, but it chalked it up to being some sort of defense mechanism. Having reached the door, the trio stopped there as Frankie stepped in the way. He placed one hand on the computer to prevent the door from opening while his other touched his heart in a dramatic gesture.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Doctor Braun! At least you two beautiful survivors are here to grace my presence!" he crooned. A playful wink was sent to Riedel. Ashley scowled at the action but remained quiet. If Frankie could read her annoyance, he didn't let it show.

The door was opened. This time, he didn't escort them as he had earlier. A few large steps took him several paces ahead of the two Doctors. He ended up in the middle of the large room, this time not causing as big of a ruckus as he heard when he first arrived. Once at the huge table map, he turned to face them, leaning comfortably and relaxing against it. Legs crossed, arms over his chest, he eyed the two for a few beats, not saying a word.

It was then that Ashley saw Simon in the corner of the room. His face still displayed the mad beating he had received. Riedel, having been high out of his mind on painkillers the first time they were there, couldn't remember anything about JOC HQ so he had his eyes roaming everywhere. There were hardware and software developments he had never seen before, maps of trade routes that had yet to be forged, and designs for weapons and engines yet to be built. It was a fascinating place to be.

Frankie's voice brought him back to focus. "First, I think this asshole behind me owes you an apology. We'll get to that later. I have a proposal for you, if you're interested in such a thing. Something that will put your names forever in the history books."

"Well, Kit's name already is synonymous with Jupiter. It's impossible to beat that," Ashley countered.

He narrowed his eyes at her. It was clear from her tone that she wasn't necessarily against the idea of doing something revolutionary. She was a scientist at heart, after all. Exploration, discovery, and invention were the three driving forces behind her life and Frankie knew that well. Not because he knew her well, but because he was one in the same. All three of them were more alike than any had realized.

His arms were unfolded, a sign he was going to be more open. He said, "I can think of three things that'll beat that. Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune."

There was a strained, shocked silence that entered the room for a heartbeat before it was gone. "What exactly are you planning?" she questioned. Her voice was open, curious, but also with a harsh bite that made her captainship famous.

Frankie didn't answer. For a moment he hesitated. Even eye contact was broken as he focused on his own fingers tapping against the tabletop. He nibbled on the inside of his cheek, trying to formulate the best way of explaining himself. After a sigh he said, "I'm planning on creating new avenues of economy for us. And by 'us' I mean Jovians. The people of space. Maybe, finding a way to cut ties with Earth."

"For good?" that was Riedel.

"For good."

Ashley wasn't sure what to say. It was her turn to dig deep for the correct words. For the first time she sounded unsure when she tried to explain, "I'm sorry, Mister Hedrick. But we are from Earth. Why would I support this project?"

"Because you're not doing this for Earth, or for Jovians. You're doing it for the entire human race. Earth is completely out of resources. Really, it's nothing more than a floating rock in space where a dying breed of life struggles to find purpose. For the first time in decades life expectancy in space is almost twice as high as that on Earth. It's become a cemetery. A resting place for civilizations that are long dead. It is imperative that we move forward and we must do it quickly. The bureaucrats of Earth don't see this and the ignorant of mankind don't see it either. But it's clear. If we don't move the center of human society and civilization off of Earth it is possible that we could lose it all within a few generations. We must move forward."

Once he finished he felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. He had gotten carried away. Regardless, he struck a chord with the two before him. He continued, his voice more pleading than before, "You're both scientists. As scientists, everything you do is for the betterment of mankind. Not for yourselves or just those you care about. For every single member of our race. If we lose Earth before we've shifted the center of society to a safe place, we could possibly lose everything. There is no structure out here, no driving force, no guides to point us in the right direction… Space is directionless without the human hand. And that hand remains firmly planted in the soil of Earth until we brave reaching into the dark of the universe and grabbing hold of whatever is out there. "

Ashley shrugged and blinked away her misgivings. "My family is on Earth. I want to go back there. It's been my home. But I guess your words have touched me. Show me your plan. Let's see what we can do."

Frankie's entire posture shifted. It went from rigid, almost politician like, to loose. He clapped once, very loudly, and let a grin cover his entire face. His eyes danced from Ashley to Riedel; the latter had no choice but to force his own smile in response. Then Frankie twisted on his heel, facing Simon. He gave the JOC Patrol commander a wink. Simon tried not to smirk at the gesture.