Diamond Moon

by B K Gallagher

  She had found herself agitated with him. She understood there were always going to be people who wouldn’t appreciate the significance of her work. That had been the norm for her. For some people, these discoveries were just fish, another species to add to an unfamiliar catalog of fish back home. That is all they ever would be to them. But to Mara, and many scientists like her, this was a chance for some answers. It would offer them a new way of looking at life and our place in the universe. It was a chance to learn something remarkable about the conditions required for life. To help form an idea about how ubiquitous, or not, it was in the heavens. This discovery would be a gauge for future explorations and a measurement to judge by. It would be used to justify future expeditions and fill gaps in our knowledge about the very nature of life itself.

  She thought she could blow him off as nothing more than someone that was not as well versed in the sciences, and therefore deserved no further of her attention. But she wasn’t finding it easy to let go. She was angry with herself for letting it get under her skin. She hoped she had not let him know that it had.

  She found herself asking more questions. “Why had Johan been caring for Hanson from such a young age? Why had he been away from Earth so long?”

  She turned the lights of her room down. She tried to settle in for the night. But the nagging curiosity was still there. It nudged at her and crept into her skin. There was something else, something she couldn’t place. And a sobering thought finally occurred to her… He had reminded her of herself. He had been guarded about his past. She wondered if she was ever as transparent, and she worried that she had been. The thought troubled her.

  She stood in front of her bed and tossed small belongings onto her nightstand, making room to lay herself down. She was not in the frame of mind she should be for such a historic day. It was supposed to be a day to celebrate. Her name was going to be in history books, scientific journals, and papers. She told herself that this is what she had always wanted, but she was finding that none of it mattered to her. Not anymore. All she could think about was what wasn’t right. And she couldn’t shake the feeling, not on the ordinary days, and not even on a day like today.

  She looked to her nightstand. A picture of a handsome man, smiling a toothy grin, stood on the corner near her pillow. He had light brown curly hair, a warm smile, and eyes that penetrated the room through rimless glasses. It had been about three years now, and despite the fame that would embrace her when she returned home, her life wouldn’t feel right without him.

  She was indulging in her memories when there was a soft knock on her door. She turned to see Dr. Aman standing in her doorway.

  “Mara, tonight should be a happy time for you,” he told her. “But it is clear you are dealing with a lot.”

  “It is a happy time for me,” she said, settling down on her bed, attempting to retreat.

  “Is it?” Dr. Aman asked, looking directly at her. “You have made one of the greatest scientific discoveries of all time. You could stay and enjoy the party,” he said. “Try to have some fun with this.”

  “Fun?” she said dismissively. “I’m not sure what that is.” She opened her mouth and paused, giving the appearance she wanted to say more, but her words were left unsaid.

  Like a good doctor, Aman waited for her to describe what she was feeling.

  “This isn’t fun,” she finally said. “I’m not even sure what I’m doing here,” she told him.

  Dr. Aman appeared bewildered. “Well, you are a long way from home to be asking that question,” he said.

  Mara wasn’t sure if he was trying to be funny or not. “I mean… I’m sleepwalking through this entire mission. I don’t even feel like I should be here.” She looked away from him toward a nearby wall that was covered with data readouts and pictures of her ice cores. “As a scientist… I should be enjoying this… but I can’t.”

  “Understandable, Mara,” Dr. Aman told her. “You are dealing with a lot, but it will get better.”

  Mara grew uncomfortable. The doctor was hovering over her. She could feel him observing her every expression, probing her to make a snap diagnosis. She attempted to back away, but she felt the wall right behind her.

  “I’m worried for you, Mara,” the doctor said. “I am worried about how you are treating yourself. You spent nearly the entire journey alone in your bunk. You need to be getting better sleep and eating better meals. And please do not eat them on the run. Stop and eat in the mess hall with us. Well-rounded meals, no protein bars… okay?”

  He looked at her over his glasses, a sign he was being deadly serious, as Mara had known from previous lectures.

  “Got it,” she said. “I’m going to sleep.”

  “Fine. If you won’t enjoy the party with us, then at least get some rest. I have already kept you long enough. Good night.” Dr. Aman turned and walked out the door, then looked back at her before leaving. “And… congratulations, Mara, truly,” he said.

  Mara lay down on her bed. Lights began to shut off automatically. The loud humming sounds of the machinery keeping her crew alive faded into a whisper of filtered air that entered her room. She reached for the necklace tucked into her jumpsuit. She felt the ring on the end of the chain and rubbed it between her fingers. She stared at the ceiling for a good matter of time. Then she rested her head on her pillow and let herself remember the better times — the times before the mission. It had been the only way she was getting to sleep since she had left. But it wasn’t working this time. Not tonight. Her discovery, she found, had only reminded her of what wasn’t right.

  CHAPTER 3

  Sol 8; Mission time - 06:42

  “Mara,” a voice sounded over the comm-link.

  Mara stirred under her sheets when she heard it. She lifted her head slightly and then let it drop upon the pillow again.

  “Mara, wake up,” it said again.

  “What?” she moaned.

  “You need to get up. Reese has already been up for a couple of hours. She’s waiting for you. Today is the big day.”

  Mara opened her eyes and looked up toward the ceiling. She was not pleased at being woke up like this.

  “I’m sorry to have to wake you up. Your bio-signatures are all over the place. You didn’t sleep well again, did you?”

  There was no answer.

  “You better wake yourself up,” the voice continued. “Neural activity is way below normal ranges… You’ll want to be in peak form today,” it said.

  “Felt like I was sleeping just fine until a minute ago,” she said sardonically.

  “Look, I didn’t get a chance to tell you last night,” the voice said. “Congratulations.”

  She sat up on her bunk.

  “Wish I could celebrate with you in person. I hate that I can’t be down there with you,” the voice continued.

  Mara tried to wake up by tossing some things aside and finding her clothes, and the voice continued to speak through the comm-link.

  “Radiation is light for your walk this morning. I’m so sorry you have to go over there with those miners. If I was there, I’d keep them out of your way,” it said to her.

  Mara began putting on her jumpsuit without responding.

  “They can’t be easy to deal with,” the voice continued. “I know their type. Real scavengers… Con artists, every one of ’em.” The voice trailed off, and she heard a heavy sigh, as if there wasn’t anything more to say about them.

  Mara finished putting on her jumpsuit and stood in front of the mirror. She turned from it without fixing a thing, other than brushing a stray train of dark curly hair back across her forehead.

  “That’s good… Bio-signatures are reading stronger at least. I hope that means you have a good day over there,” the voice said.

  “Luis, you ever think to let a lady have a little privacy once in a while,” she said sarcastically.

  �
��Sorry, Mara,” he said. “Don’t spend any more time there than you have to,” he continued. “Just watch your back and be careful,” he said.

  “Reese is coming today,” Mara told him. “We’ll look out for each other. I’m not too worried.”

  “Well, you’ll learn to be careful around those guys like I did,” he said. “I could tell you stories… Can you believe them last night?” he laughed. “They give you any more trouble and you be sure to let them know they’ll be dealing with me.”

  “Good to know, Luis,” she said.

  “The least I can do.”

  “I’m out the door, talk later.”

  “Tonight?” the voice responded.

  “If I’m not busy,” she said, and she flipped the comm-link and terminated the connection.

  Sol 8; Mission time - 06:47

  Reese had the mess hall to herself when she woke up early. She sat at the table with a good view to the outside. The frozen terrain looked perfectly still with only the morning light upon it. The silence and the barren landscape outside lent an unnerving mood to her morning. With the rest of the crew asleep she felt as though she were the only creature alive on this world.

  She thought of the life they knew they would find underneath the ice. She wondered if it would be as bountiful as they expected. She sipped her coffee anxiously as she waited for Mara. They would be lowering the sub for the first time soon.

  Reese had traded her favorite t-shirt for her standard-issue jumpsuit. She noticed it did not look as worn as her crewmates had after two-plus years in space. She realized that she had barely worn it until now.

  She wasn’t used to being up this early, but this sol was different. This would be the day that would finally have her submersible under the ice of the moon. She would finally try her invention out in its intended environment, unlike the multitudes of trials that had been conducted during the Antarctic expeditions that led up to the Copernicus mission.

  There was little else in Reese’s life other than her robotics. They had consumed her fascinations and her passions, and she had left room for hardly anything else in her schedule back home.

  She’d started designing them as a child while living with her adopted parents, and it was they who nurtured her interest in science and math. She had spent several years of understudy at various university programs, and even interned at some of the largest bio-robotics labs that had sprouted in the wake of the emerging industry.

  At twenty-three years old, she hadn’t even had a serious relationship yet, but she had been content with the trade-off. Despite the costs to her personal life, it had led her here on this mission, and today was her chance to demonstrate her work to the world. This was the culmination of her studies. Her submersible was nearly ready to be launched into the sea beneath them, and her contributions to the robotics industry and science would finally come to fruition.

  She tightened her earbuds to her head and expected to have to wait for Mara to wake up. After several cups of coffee, she gratefully spotted her coming down the hallway. She noticed that she was rubbing her eyes and trying to clear her head as she approached the room.

  “Coffee is fresh,” Reese yelled loudly over the sound of her music. She realized she may have startled Mara, who jumped slightly and didn’t seem quite awake.

  Mara went immediately to the coffee as Reese continued to bob her head to the music. The songs were giving her energy, and they matched her anxiousness to work with her sub.

  “Luis says radiation is light,” she mentioned through another sip of coffee. She noticed as Mara poured her cup that she’d already downed well more than half the pot herself.

  “That’s what he told me,” Mara responded. She took a glance out of the portal window at the image of Jupiter outside before sitting down. Reese knew it was her way of confirming that the radiation levels were indeed light, and the usual aurora at Jupiter’s poles were not as strong as normal.

  “We’re all systems go,” Reese said. “Wait ’til you see my baby in action. It’s going to be a good day. We should head over soon.”

  Mara gave a nod of her head. “How long you been up?” she asked. She yawned hard and rubbed her eyes, a subtle clue she was in no hurry to leave for the Zephyr. “You stay up for the party? It was a bit noisy out here.”

  “I stayed up for the party we threw for you,” Reese answered her. “Too bad you missed it,” she said with a frown.

  Mara rolled her eyes slightly and took a sip of her coffee. “You sound like Dr. Aman,” she sighed.

  “Well, Hanson is expecting us soon,” Reese said, frankly.

  Mara barely acknowledged her. “I’ll be glad to have you over there with me. Give me a few more minutes for some coffee and we’ll go.”

  Reese inhaled a deep breath but agreed to wait a few extra minutes. “Can you believe those miners last night? Jerks…” she chuckled. She watched as Mara painfully downed her coffee sip by sip. She seemed to be taking forever. When Mara finally finished, she rose and grabbed a protein bar and worked her way near the coffeemaker for another cup.

  The anticipation for Reese was becoming maddening. She wondered why Mara wasn’t as anxious to begin their work.

  Mara sat down and tore the wrapper from the protein bar and began to eat it slowly.

  Reese leaned back in exasperation, and Dr. Aman entered just in time to see Mara biting into the protein bar. He sent her an admonishing look.

  “I thought today was the big day?” he asked her.

  Reese raised her eyebrows at him, hoping to get him to say more to her about leaving for the Zephyr.

  “Rough night,” Mara said, chewing on the protein bar. “Party kept me up.” She turned away and began reading the various reports that were scattered on the table.

  “Mara, should we be getting to work with the sub today?” he asked her. “I thought this would be important to you.”

  She swallowed her food and chased it with another sip of coffee. “I’m still waking up,” she said. “We can go when I’m ready.”

  Dr. Aman didn’t immediately respond. He went to the sink and began to prepare his morning tea. When he sat, he placed his hand on the table near Mara to get her attention. She looked up from the reports at him.

  “Mara,” he said. “You are running behind schedule for the drop. You need to go to the drill chamber and let Reese get started with the sub. This is a big day for you as well,” he said. “You do want to see what is under the ice?” he asked her.

  Mara exhaled when the doctor finished.

  “This is the work you always wanted to do, is it not?” he asked.

  She kept her focus on the reports in front of her.

  “There will be good days and bad,” he told her. “Let the work carry you. I hope it is another rewarding day,” he said.

  Mara pushed the reports away from her and sighed loudly. She stood up and placed her empty cup of coffee hard into the sink and then walked to the airlock.

  Dr. Aman turned in his seat to watch her leave, appearing a little astonished at her attitude.

  Reese stood up and followed eagerly, hoping it meant they would be leaving soon.

  Then Dr. Aman raised his voice, nearly shouting down the hallway at Mara. “Your attitude will change when you get that sub down there!”

  Just as she had for several days in a row, Reese placed herself next to Mara at the doors that led out of the Hab and onto the surface, but this time she had her bio-suit on. The doors hissed when they opened as they always did, and the two of them were on their way to the drilling outpost to begin the exploration of the subsurface of the moon.

  Reese stepped out from under the cover of the airlock and found herself immediately gazing upon the sky above them. She couldn’t remember ever seeing anything more breathtaking.

  Today’s sky featured a thin crescent of Jupiter. Io was moving between
them and the parent planet, and the continuous volcanic activity on the tiny moon was easily visible on its darkened half, the orange embers of lava were glowing against the blackened disc in the sky.

  They stood insignificantly beneath the crescent shapes of light above them. It was a remarkable sight, and she suddenly forgot how excited she was to begin working with the sub. It was as if she was looking into the wheels and gears of creation itself.

  Reese unfurled her arms to the sky and spun around joyfully under the planet and its moons. She stopped and dug her boot into the ice to test the hardness. A loose piece of ice skipped along the surface in front of Mara.

  She walked around it and to the airlock without stopping.

  Reese stared at her, disappointed that she wouldn’t enjoy the morning with her, but she kept a grin on her face. She remained a few steps behind her. Before she was finished taking in the view, she had noticed Mara was being waved in by Hanson. She worked to catch up.

  “Welcome aboard, Reese,” Hanson said with a smile. “And good morning, Mara,” he added. “Hope you two weren’t up too late celebrating,” he said.

  Mara rolled her eyes as Reese walked past them to check on her sub for the first time.

  “The submersible is in position… just need to get the go-ahead from you two,” he said, raising his voice to Reese so she could hear.

  Reese found the submersible named EUNICE suspended under the crane in the drill chamber, hanging nose down directly above the drill cavity. She walked and stood directly underneath her. EUNICE stood for Europa Underwater Navigational ICe Explorer. It was painted a bright safety orange, and it dominated the room like a God of War… Like a magnificent weapon poised to strike into the heart of the moon.

  Reese couldn’t help but admire her design. Suddenly she realized there was indeed something more impressive to her than the view from the surface of the moon. It was the sight of her creation, ready to reveal the secrets of this mysterious place. Glorious, resplendent, and majestic in design, her submersible was a magnanimous vision in an otherwise grim and industrial setting. It’s bright and shiny paint reflected a dozen lights from inside the drill chamber, separating itself from the dusty mining equipment. Here she was, finally, on the verge of taking her invention into the field.