Chapter Thirty-One: Jupiter Station

Io dressed in her formal attire, and did everything she could to look her best. As the docking bay doors opened to Jupiter Station, she straightened her shoulders and prepared for the crowd of station residents. But, only a handful of people stood inside the arrival bay waiting to greet them.

A short, thin woman in a dark blue uniform stepped forward and introduced herself as the Station Commander. She had long, dark hair braided down her back. In a way, she reminded Io of Kate.

“It’s an honor to have The Engineer on Jupiter Station,” she said, almost bowing before Io.

Without any fanfare the commander escorted the new arrivals away from the ship. They took a short trip on a tram-like car to a small briefing room, where they were given assigned rooms and details on the station’s current layout.

Most of it was complete with living quarters, science and research areas, training rooms and even entertainment venues. One-quarter of the station was still under construction, which was slow these days. Although much of the station’s supplies were brought in from transports, some of the key minerals and elements needed were mined from the moon. These operations were located inside and outside the ring.

It really was a grand station with seemingly endless places to go. Io had only seen a couple of silver walls and doors in her short trip to the briefing room, so she was already anticipating being able to look around. But, she couldn’t help but wonder about the lack of fanfare. She never enjoyed being under the Alexander spotlight, but she was told to prepare for it when she arrived.

“Are there any ceremonies planned for our arrival?” she asked.

“There will be plenty of time for pageantry,” the commander answered, “once we’ve confirmed the Odyssey’s arrival.”

Io wasn’t certain what she meant. Why would the commander be awaiting confirmation? Was she aware that the Odyssey hadn’t been heard from?

“What do you mean by, ‘once you’ve confirmed her arrival’?”

“We can’t be certain she’ll return until she’s back in our space,” the commander answered.

“We do have the reports,” Io said hesitantly.

The commander paused and turned to look at Io. She examined her face before continuing. “We will have time to prepare for ceremony, but right now I must admit we need your help.”

“My help?”

“Yes. We’ve had problems lately with the operating systems on the station, some of which you developed,” she explained. “We could use your help repairing them.”

The commander continued to talk about all the problems the station was having with the operating systems, gravitational issues, and the mining equipment on Europa was malfunctioning. It seemed the station was in much worse shape than anyone back on Earth imagined.

After the commander finished, Io asked her if they had sent word back home about their troubles.

“We expected your arrival soon,” she said. “And, no one else is better equipped to offer assistance.”

Even if Io was the most qualified person, they should have sent word. Equipment could be needed or preparations could have been made. Something about the situation just wasn’t right.

Instead of continuing to ask questions, Io requested that she have an adjoining room with Omari.

The corners of the commander’s mouth lifted slightly. Io quickly tried to negate her assumptions by requesting that the rest of her security detail be located on the same corridor. She told the commander her team needed to be in direct contact with her at all times. It was typical protocol for the family. But, the commander didn’t look convinced.

She did care for Omari, but her request was made because there was something about the commander that she did not trust.
After her request was granted, officers were sent off to change the arrangements. The commander finished reviewing the details for their stay on the station, and eventually escorted Io and her companions to their quarters.

When they arrived, Omari followed her inside to check the room. She asked him to scan both of their quarters for cameras, listening devices, explosives, anything and everything. Then she stood patiently in the center of the room until he was finished with her quarters. Once that was deemed safe, she sat on the bed thinking about the commander.

Finally, Omari came back from his quarters. “Both rooms are clean,” he said. “I found a listening device in your quarters. And, a listening device and camera in mine, but all of them have been destroyed.”

“Thank you,” she told him.

Omari stepped inside her room, but still kept his distance. “Something isn’t right here,” he told her. “Perhaps we should depart immediately.”

“I have the same feeling,” she said. “But the ship will need at least a couple of days to refuel and restock for the journey home. Let’s see what we can found out in the meantime.”