The Io Encounter: Hard Science Fiction (Ice Moon Book 3)

by Brandon Q Morris

  “Ha-ha. Will our spacesuits be able to stand the heat on the surface?”

  “Io has no atmosphere, Hayato.”

  “Then I retract my question,” the Japanese astronaut said.

  “You’re going to get an answer anyway. Just don’t get too excited about summer on Io, because it is damned cold, minus 143 degrees.”

  “Significantly warmer than on Titan or Enceladus,” Hayato said, making a thumbs-up gesture. “So, what about the approach course?”

  “With a diameter of about 3,600 kilometers, Io is in fact the fourth largest moon in the solar system. This will make the approach a bit tricky. The gravity on the surface is about a fifth of the terrestrial value. But unlike on Titan, we don’t have to worry about an atmosphere. The engines of the lander module will get us down safely and also back up.”

  “I have to point out a small problem,” Hayato said. “On Titan we repaired the landing struts with the help of ice. This definitely won’t work a second time.”

  “Duly noted,” the commander said. “Do you see any other issues?”

  “It would be helpful to know what we are looking for,” Francesca replied. “And where.”

  “Yes, absolutely. Marchenko, do you think we could extract additional information from the signal?”

  “Not a chance, commander.”

  “I have an idea.” Everyone turned to look at Jiaying, surprised by her participation. Being a biologist, she seemed to have thought about alien life forms.

  “The message mentioned a birth. Francesca told me you were not sure whether this was meant literally or metaphorically. If we assume a literal meaning, and nothing speaks against this, we would have to find a location where something could be born.”

  “A hospital?”

  “Very funny, Martin. Just let Jiaying finish,” Amy said.

  “On Earth, life was born in the sea.”

  “Io is dry like a raisin,” Francesca interjected.

  “It is true there is no water, neither in liquid form nor as ice. By the way, a raisin still has a water content of almost 20 percent. But there are lakes of liquid... sulfur,” Jiaying pointed out.

  “A very attractive environment for life,” Martin retorted.

  “Perhaps not for life as we know it. By the way, sulfur melts at 115 degrees, so sulfur lakes would not be very hot. There are volcanic vents on Earth where life has found a way despite even higher temperatures. And some researchers believe there might be a liquid ocean below the surface of Io—an ocean of lava.”

  Martin could not help but make a remark. “Luckily, we left Valkyrie in the Enceladus Ocean, so we cannot dive into this one with a submarine,” he said.

  Jiaying remained calm. “I suggest we take a closer look at one of the sulfur lakes. Of course, from the shore.” She threw Martin a glance.

  “Agreed,” Amy confirmed. “But there is another problem, as Marchenko keeps telling me via the internal radio channel. So, if you please, Marchenko.”

  “The problem is Jupiter’s strong magnetic field. On the way out we crossed its orbit, but we deliberately passed far away from the planet. The radiation exposure will be considerable. The electronic systems of ILSE are hardened against radiation, so the magnetic fields won’t affect them. However, the crew should not stay too long in the relatively unshielded lander, let alone outside on the surface. Otherwise you are going to come back with a sunburn that affects your inner organs.”

  “Fried chicken, yummy,” Martin said.

  Our German astronaut is extremely sarcastic today. I am sure this has to do with Jiaying, Francesca thought.

  Amy simply ignored Martin’s remark. “How much time would you give us, Marchenko?”

  “Outside with an EMU, a total of 24 hours at most, and no more than a week in the lander.”

  “We did not stay that long on Titan, where something was trying to prevent us from leaving,” Hayato said.

  The commander nodded. “Right, that would leave us enough time for the most significant research. I still hope the entity on Enceladus will give us some clues as to what this is all about.”

  Francesca remembered the wall of living sand that had tried to cover the lander on Titan. She said, “Apart from the radiation—and the volcanoes—I suspect the greatest danger will be the phenomenon that the Enceladus entity is trying to warn us against. I’ve got to admit this worries me.”

  “I really can’t be afraid of anonymous dangers,” Martin replied. “An abyss, sure that’s scary, but a birth?”

  “We really owe it to Earth to do this,” Amy said. “Come on, could we just fly by without doing anything?”

  Francesca shrugged. The commander was probably right. They really were the only ones who could take on this task. Despite this, she had the gut feeling doom was almost lurking, waiting for them on the surface of Io.

  “We still have a few weeks before we arrive in the vicinity of Jupiter,” the commander said. “Maybe we’ll see more once we get closer.”

  “Do we already have a flight plan?” asked the Japanese astronaut.

  “No, Mission Control is still working on it. They want to have something to do, too. I assume we will have to start decelerating soon.”

  Hayato wrinkled his nose, still seeming dissatisfied. “And the extra fuel we need, did they take that into account?”

  Amy shook her head. “I can’t tell you, because the plan is still unfinished.”

  “If I may add something,” Marchenko’s voice said, “we should expect the detour to extend our total travel time by at least two months. We have to decelerate to zero and then accelerate again, but not to the original velocity, as otherwise the fuel would definitely not be sufficient. We have to wait to see the plan, but you might as well start getting used to the idea of an extra two months.”

  Hayato looked at Amy for a long time, but did not say anything. Martin buried his face in his hands. Only Jiaying seemed completely unmoved by the news.

  February 24, 2047, Guantanamo

  Bailong Li was very worried about his wife. Chen Lu was sweating a great deal, even though the air conditioning was running at full blast. She sat cross-legged on the bed, in the very corner, since she had to lean against the walls to avoid falling. She never spoke. The only thing he heard from her was a soft whimpering at night, when she thought he was asleep. She did not seem to close her eyes anymore. And she refused food at almost all mealtimes. At least she still drank water or tea if he asked her to.

  He could imagine what a shock the kidnapping must have been for her. While they were called ‘guests,’ no one had asked them if they wanted to be here, and they were not allowed to leave the room. The Lis were told that, while they might be in Cuba, they were on United States territory, and their presence here was a patriotic duty instead of a captivity. He and his wife were simple people who used to make a living with honest, hard work, until eight years ago when their daughter started supporting them with monthly payments. There had never been any problems with the State or the Communist Party. Bailong knew they were here for one reason only—to put pressure on a person they loved more than themselves.

  More than once Bailong thought about killing his wife and himself. When the intelligence service officer threatened a few days ago to force to Jiaying to become a murderer, Bailong’s suicidal strategies became more specific. He could strangle his wife or suffocate her with a pillow. That would be the lesser problem, but how would he kill himself afterward? He might fashion a rope from his bedsheets, but there was no sturdy point from which to hang himself. He would have to be quick in whatever plan he chose, because he was sure they were being watched. He couldn’t expect to bleed to death by cutting both his wrists, nor did he have access to medication to take an intentional overdose.

  What if he suffocated his wife and then tried to wrest a gun from the guard running into the room? Too risky. If he failed, they would find ways to prevent him from committing suicide. What if he constructed a weapon from parts of the bed and used it
to attack a guard? The Americans probably had orders not to use lethal force.

  When Bailong’s thoughts reached a dead end, he had to be careful not to look at his wife by accident. As soon as he saw her, he ran the risk of giving up his murderous plans altogether.

  Could he really manage to kill her, to actually look her in the eye while he strangled her, or before he placed a pillow over her face? He could not talk to her about it beforehand, since they were certainly being monitored. Therefore he would never know whether she would agree with his plans or not. He believed his wife wanted to protect their daughter as much as he did, but was she ready to die for her?

  The door suddenly opened, and Bailong was startled from his grim thoughts. Their guards had not announced any visitors for today. It was that slimy Major Tang, followed by the young woman whose name he was never told. The major was a compatriot, and during their first meeting they had initially seen this as a hopeful sign. By now they realized he was someone who would be only too willing to torture them. Bailong reacted to his greeting with a stony gaze. His wife remained sitting at the corner of the bed.

  “I would like to give you the opportunity to talk to your daughter,” Major Shixin Tang announced.

  Bailong wondered whether he understood correctly, but what the man had said was crystal clear. But how was this supposed to work? Jiaying told them every message took more than an hour just to reach the spaceship. Therefore, the man standing in front of him must be lying.

  “Are you not happy, Mr. Li? What about you, Mrs. Li?”

  The major from the intelligence service received no answer.

  “I understand,” he said after a minute of awkward silence, “You do not want to talk to your daughter. What a pity. I have to ask you, though, to fulfill your patriotic duty.”

  Bailong still remained calm. This was not a strategy on his part, no, he simply did not know how to react. His head was empty. Right now he would like to have a hand grenade. He would secretly set it off in his pocket. How he would enjoy seeing the major’s surprised face when the grenade detonated and killed him as well.

  “Mr. Li, think of your daughter’s future. She needs you now. You can trust us. We know what we are doing. If you cooperate, you will be able to embrace your daughter again in a few months.”

  We come from the provinces, Bailong thought, but how naive does he think we are? This dishonorable man deserves no answer.

  “It is really important. If you are not willing to accommodate me, I will have to underline its importance by using painful measures.”

  Shixin Tang pulled a knife with a dark green handle from his pocket.

  “This is a standard People’s Liberation Army knife from the past century, introduced by the late Comrade Mao Zedong—a true collector’s item.”

  The major held the knife right in front of Bailong’s face and tested the blade with his index finger.

  “Oh! It is very sharp, do you see?”

  A drop of blood oozed from a small cut at the tip of his finger.

  “Would you like to watch while I amputate one of your wife’s fingers, Mr. Li? I would begin with a small one.”

  Bailong Li started to tremble. He would have loved to grab the knife from this repugnant man and stab him with it. Yet, he was physically inferior to the major, and there was also this mysterious woman who accompanied him. And if he died he could not protect his wife at all.

  “Well,” he said quietly, “what must I do?”

  The major’s expression brightened as he put on a seemingly friendly smile.

  “We have a camera here, Mr. Li,” He made a signal to his companion, who took a tripod out of a backpack and started to assemble it.

  “And here is the text you will kindly read to your daughter. You are welcome to add to it by stating you are spending a very nice time in the Caribbean and so forth. Of course I do not have to mention we reserve the right to edit your message afterward.”

  The major handed him a sheet printed with Chinese characters. Bailong nodded and took it. He looked at his wife who did not even seem to notice what was going on. Maybe it is better this way, he thought. How could he tell Jiaying to ignore what he was saying? Tell her she should think of her own future instead of her old parents? Convince her not to become a murderer?

  “You will read it yourself, but first I have to apologize for the bad joke I told you the last time we met. We definitely will not force your heroic daughter to become a murderer. I stupidly thought it would be obvious to you that the Party respects the conscience of each member. Later I realized you might have thought this joke to be taken seriously, given the circumstances. I apologize for this.”

  Bailong did not believe a single word coming from Major Tang’s mouth. Obviously their plan had been changed. These people did not care about his daughter’s fate.

  “Oh, well. Lining, are you ready?”

  The female officer nodded.

  Shixin turned to Bailong and said, “Sit down and speak to the camera.” Shixin pointed at a chair about a meter and a half from the camera tripod. Bailong followed his orders.

  “Recording started,” the woman said.

  Bailong turned the sheet around. There was nothing on the other side. Then he turned it back and started to read.

  “Dear daughter. Your parents are doing fine. We are guests of the American government and the Party. We know you have a difficult task ahead of you, and our presence here gives us the privilege of being able to follow each of your steps. Your fate is our fate, as it should be in a good family. By fulfilling your task you safeguard humanity’s survival, and of course your parents’ lives as well.”

  Bailong had to stop for a moment because sweat kept dripping into his eyes. He wiped his face with the back of his hand.

  “Once the lander is on the way to Io, you will start for Enceladus on board ILSE. On your way there, you and Watson are going to produce a virus. Once back on Enceladus, you will take Valkyrie into the depths of the ocean and inject the virus. Afterward you will return to Io, pick up your friends, and return to Earth. We will declare the voyage to Enceladus a malfunction of the Watson AI, so, to your friends, you will look completely innocent.”

  Bailong lowered the sheet and glanced at the major. “And it is going to work this way?”

  Shixin Tang gave him a stern look, as if Bailong was a disobedient student. “Of course, if it says so. Now read the rest.”

  “The Chinese people will be eternally grateful to you for doing your duty. You will be a great hero of the people, remembered a thousand years from now. And you will make your parents proud as can be.”

  Oh, Jiaying, Bailong thought, I hope you know how proud your parents are of you. How proud we were of you, even before you joined the army. How proud we were when our little girl came running toward us with open arms.

  “We will see you after you land on Earth and are already looking forward to it. Your parents.”

  Bailong dropped the sheet of paper as if it had suddenly become very hot. The text he just read was so full of lies he felt disgusted. Yet he had given voice to it. Would it have made a difference to refuse?

  The woman arose and picked up the sheet of paper. She checked the last sentences, probably to see whether he had read everything. Then she went to the camera and pushed a button.

  “Recording finished,” she said.

  “Please check the entire recording,” the major demanded. “I do not want to have to come back here.”

  Silence reigned for ten minutes.

  “Image and sound are very good,” the woman said.

  “Okay, then pack up the equipment and we shall go. This crowded place depresses me.” Shixin Tang started to walk up and down the small room. After a minute he stopped in front of the old man.

  “I am saying farewell. I hope we will not meet again, for my sake… and yours.”

  For the first time today, Bailong agreed with the major.

  Five minutes later, Tang and his assistant were gone. Bai
long sat down on the bed next to his wife. He caressed her cheek.

  “They are gone.”

  Chen Lu did not react, and Bailong sighed. What should he think of the promise contained in the message to his daughter? How realistic was it to believe she would return to Earth unscathed? He knew too little about space travel to make a judgment. If he had only shown more interest in it! And what would happen if Jiaying successfully implemented the plan? The text mentioned a virus she was supposed to place on Enceladus. A virus that would be dangerous to the creature there? Were they still trying to turn his daughter into a murderer? He could only hope she would make the right decision.

  February 28, 2047, ILSE

  It’s always the same, Martin thought. Someone gets tools from the toolbox and doesn’t put them back. Is that such a hard thing to do?

  He looked around the workshop. Was the pipe wrench in a different compartment, or had someone simply slipped it behind one of the fastening straps? He opened the metal covers of the storage module in front of him, one after the other. Of course he found a pipe wrench in the lowest cabinet. However, it was not the one that belonged in the toolbox. Marchenko must have brought this wrench, as Martin saw Cyrillic letters on it. What difference would that make? With a well-aimed throw he landed it in the toolbox, making it complete. At least that was his intention.

  Since yesterday, ILSE had been moving in free fall again. The habitat ring was turning once more and had created artificial gravity in the cabins, but here at the rotational axis there was zero gravity. So the wrench, instead of staying in the toolbox, bounced off and moved in a different direction. Even the toolbox started to move. Martin grabbed things quickly while everything was still within reach and closed the toolbox. He was annoyed. Earlier, he had hit his head on the bulkhead of the habitat ring because he had not adjusted quickly enough to the zero gravity.

  The commander had ordered him to get the lander module ready for use. First he would systematically check the entire interior. They really did not want to experience any more unexpected incidents. He and Hayato would take care of the landing struts. So far, he had no clue how to replace the makeshift construction used on Titan with a more durable alternative, but they would have to come up with something. After his shift ended he would meet with the Japanese astronaut.