Europa

     After decades of preparation, the human race at last managed to land on Europa. Many rejoiced at their success. Especially, Eva. Because she was among the first mission specialists assigned to set foot on Jupiter’s unexplored moon.

     The engineers took them a month to build the base and arrange the special accommodations to host the crew on the frozen moon. When everything was in order, Eva and her team flew to what would become their home for the next six months.

     She’d been so excited two months ago. The dream of researching a new moon had turned into reality. Now, though, frustration and disappointment replaced her happiness. Because after two months, Europa still retained all its mysteries.

     “This is crazy,” she grumbled under her breath. She walked to the window, glanced outside. Icy desolation greeted her. At first, the cold barren land had overwhelmed her senses. But as the days passed, she became used to it.

     Her gaze wandered in the distance. Deep, wide canyons broke across the surface in an asymmetrical pattern. They were testimony that once Europa had oceans. Or so Eva and the others thought. They couldn’t be certain, though, since all their electrical equipment died when they tried to take samples to analyze.

     Eva groaned, irritated, and turned away from the scene in front of her. No use to brood. Better to seek out Jenny and see if the others had any success today.

     She grabbed her jacket and headed towards the main office. Jenny stood by the coffee machine, her favorite cup in her hand.

     “Hey, Jenny girl. Anything new?”

     Jenny shook her head.

     “Damn. Why doesn’t anything work around here?” Eva whined.

     “Not everything,” her friend reminded her. “The basic equipment works fine.” She patted the coffee machine.

     And that added another oddity they couldn’t understand. The basic everyday machinery worked to perfection. In comparison, the researching equipment broke down when they tried to use it.

     “We can’t continue like this.”

     “Eva, we’ve attempted everything. Even pens stopped writing when they tried to take down notes.”

     “But we haven’t tested pencils,” Eva mused.

     Jenny frowned. “I don’t like that look on your face. What are you thinking?”

     “I want to explore the south eastern cave. Mike said it was too dark to see anything without light. I brought some candles with me. Maybe those won’t die out.”

     Her friend gave her a skeptical look. “Candles, really? Why did you bring them up here?”

     Eva shrugged. “It’s good to be prepared for anything,” she murmured embarrassed. “Anyway, I want to try my idea.”

     Jenny stared at her and then walked to her desk. “Here, take this.” She tossed her a communication pin.

     Eva snatched it and secured it to her shirt. “Thanks, girl. Wish me luck.”

     “Yeah, you’ll need it. Candles of all things. And Eva,” Jenny said as Eva turned away, “be careful.”

     “I will.”

     Back in her quarters, she filled a small backpack with everything she needed and went to the garage. There, she put on the protective gear, grabbed her snow rover and drove to the newest find.

     The entrance to the SE001, as they named it, could be reached on foot by following a very narrow, slippery ledge. One small mistake and she’d find herself tumbling down a deep canyon. Not something she wished to experience. Ever.

     Small step after small step, Eva reached the mouth of the cave. She heaved a sigh as she stepped inside. Then she fumbled in her bag for a candle and the box of matches.

     Her first attempt to light it made her curse. She held her breath and struck another match to the wick. The candle flickered, but kept burning. She sent up a silent prayer and moved forward.

     Thick ice covered the ground and walls. It was so tough they hadn’t been able to break it with their hand tools.

     Eva walked for what she estimated was a half hour. The scenery remained the same and as usual, all electronic devices had stopped working.

     She wondered what her companions would say if they knew what she was doing. Although she got along well with them, she doubted they would encourage her. Most probably, they would have laughed, called her mad. Humans relied too heavily on technology these days and scorned the old ways. She wasn’t choosy as long as the method showed results.

     A loud crunch beneath her boots froze her in place. Heart thudding, she lowered the candle to the ground. The flame illuminated a large crack in the ice. Her eyes widened. This meant only one thing. The ice here was thinner and the ice grips of her boots had penetrated it.

     Exhilaration pulsed through her veins. Here they would be able to take samples of ice and of the silicate rock buried underneath it without the need for any electrical equipment. Her little experiment had worked far better than she’d expected.

     She chewed on her bottom lip as she debated her next action. Should she retrace her steps and report to the others, or continue further?

     She chose to investigate some more. Better be confident of the results before she shared them.

     She placed one booted foot after another, wary of where she put her feet. The ice kept cracking, but the ground beneath was firm. To her delight, after a few more minutes, the ice gave way to rocks. She investigated the walls and found them ice-free as well. Eva squealed with joy. Finally, after months, she had some results.

     She bent down and proceeded to pick up some rocks to take back as samples. In her excitement, she forgot about the candle. The wick reached her fingers, burned the fabric of her glove. She yelped in surprise and threw it away. Her hand hit the wall, and it crumbled under her touch. A loud noise followed and then, nothing.

     Voices penetrated the haze in her head. She cracked open her eyes, blinked. Light filtered through a huge window that took up an entire wall.

     Where was she?

     The voices sounded again. She looked around and saw two persons by the foot of her bed. Eva frowned as her gaze wandered over their backs. She knew every one of her companions, but she’d never seen these two. Both were tall with short blonde hair. They were wearing a silver suit made out of a shiny material that clung to their bodies.

     She frowned. She’d never seen such clothing at the base. Who were these people?

     She turned her head left, then right. Apart from the bed she laid on, the room was bare of furniture. She glanced down at her body. A soft purple blanket covered her from neck to toe. Eva tried to raise her arms, but they felt heavy, lethargic, as though she’d slept for days.

     A slight movement caught her eye. The strangers had turned to look at her, their slanted blue eyes curious. The dazzling light from the window accentuated their pearlescent complexion. They moved to the side of her bed, their movements graceful.

     One was female, Eva realized as she came to stand at her left.

     “Who are you?” Eva croaked out from between dry lips. “Where am I?”

     She tried to sit up, but the male on her right placed his hand on her shoulder. “Stay down,” he ordered.

     She slumped back down on the bed as the room began to spin.

     “Do you know who you are?” the female asked.

     Eva frowned at her. “I asked first.”

    The male inclined his head. “I’m Almiph. She’s Nihal. We’re inhabitants of this moon.”

     They inhabited Europa? But her crew had never seen any living creature on the moon. She eyed them warily. “I’m Eva.”

     “Do you remember where you’re from? Your life?”

     “Of course I do. Why are you asking me such stupid questions?”

     “Do you recall what happened in the cave?” Almiph asked in a gentle voice.

     Her brow furrowed. “I went to explore. I remember the ice breaking and then a deafening noise. After that, nothing.”

     “The cave collapsed. Our people found you under a rock, barely breathing.”

     Eva gasped. “Collapsed? Oh, Lord!”

     “Yes,” Almiph continued, “a rock fell on your head. We had to rebuild part of your brain.”

    What was he saying? How could they rebuild a part of her brain if it was destroyed?

     She raised a trembling hand to her head, but it felt normal under her touch. The only evidence that proved he was telling the truth was the short strands under her fingers. “I feel fine.”

     “Yes, seems we’ve succeeded.”

     Succeeded in doing what? But she didn’t ask them. All she wanted, right now, was to get back to the base and inform her friends of her marvelous findings. “Then I can go back to my station.”

     Nihal shook her head. “I’m afraid not. We injected our DNA into your blood. Your looks changed slightly, and it seems you’ve lost the ability to speak in your Earth language.”

     “What are you talking about?” she asked confused. “I thought I’m talking perfectly.”

     “You are,” Almiph replied. “You’re talking really well, but in our language.”

     Her mouth dropped open. If felt so natural as though she’d always spoken it. She placed the thought of the language and of her temporary confinement at the back of her mind. She’d deal with them later. She had other questions she wanted to concentrate on at the moment. Even, though, inside she was freaking out.

     Eva took a deep breath to steady her nerves. “Where are we?”

     “A few meters under the ice,” Almiph informed her.

     “You mean you live under the ice?”

     He nodded. She looked out of the window, but couldn’t make out anything. “How do you know where I’m from?”

      "We’ve kept an eye on your colony since your arrival.”

     Suspicion crept into her mind. “Was it you who interfered with our instruments?”

     “Yes,” they said in unison confirming her thoughts.

     “But why? We meant no harm. We only wanted to study your moon.”

     Pain filled Almiph’s eyes. “Our people are dying. An infection spread among my race. It’s killing us. We don’t know what effect it has on your people, but we can’t allow you to carry it to other planets.”

     She chewed on her lip for a second as she digested his words. “Makes sense. What kind of infection is it?”

     “We don’t know, but with your help, we might be able to find a solution.”

     “Is that why you saved me?”

     “We saved you because you were a creature in need of help.”

     And now, they needed hers. Almiph didn’t say it but the implication hung in the air between them.

     Eva stared into his beautiful electric blue eyes, saw his desperation into their depths. She’d wanted to research Europa, its life forms. Almiph was giving her the opportunity to do what she loved and in addition, help the race who’d saved her life.

     Had this always been her fate? Whatever it was, she wouldn’t turn her back on them. From what they said, she was a part of these aliens now, whether she wanted it or not. She met their eyes, determination clear in her gaze. “I promise I’ll do everything in my power to help you.”

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 29.12.2014

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