Many significant events occurred the day that nuclear fire bloomed like a flower on the frozen surface of Europa. I'm still sad to say that Sergeant Rockchaser's death is one of them. I'm privileged to have known him and called him my partner. I put my faith in him, and he never let me down. That's what will stand out most when I look back at this day. I won't be remembering the terror of Communion, the rage at Rabi, or the helplessness before Rusteater. The memory that sticks with me won't be an icy mining outpost, or a skyhook station hanging in orbit, or an explosion that rocks a tiny moon. It'll be the thought of that perpetually grinning face, those cross-shaped pupils, and the voice that always called me 'El Tee'. It'll be the partner who was there with a joke and good advice, who had my back when shit went sideways, who saved everyone in the end, including me. That's what I choose to remember about that day.
But other important events occurred that day as well. A small company struggling to turn a profit mining iridium from Europa's ice gets a massive bailout from their insurance policy. A former cop chooses to pursue a career as a private detective. A biotech company's endeavor to plumb the depths of Europa's subsurface oceans for aquatic life is shelved due to sharply rising insurance costs. Two people in a custom-made vessel in the Jovian decide to partner together for a while. A code enforcement captain begins writing reports that he'll be dealing with for the next eighteen months. The programmer of a certain many-limbed mining mech stubs his toe so badly that he fractures it. Alright, fine, I'm just imagining that last one. But hey, Brent would have laughed. And when I tell Sparrow, she does too.
We don't stay to watch the detonation. It isn't something we want to celebrate or admire. The Chimera's engine plume is pointed at Europa as the ad-hoc tritium bomb explodes. I'm not looking at that. Neither is Sparrow. We're taking a moment together. Of course, the exonet blows up with high-rez video of the event from a million angles, so in the end we don't miss a thing. We see the brilliant, spiraling technicolor flower explode and curl like a psychedelic lily. No mushroom cloud without a real atmosphere. The plasma flows like water along the smooth ice. And we get to watch it at our leisure, when we're rested, and ready. That's the benefit of being so connected all the time, I suppose. We can enjoy anything we miss later, so we should cherish the moments we have right now.
Me and Sparrow do just that. We're entwined on the pad, under the covers together. Just sleeping, you sick puppy! I have a broken rib, a busted nose, and I'm exhausted. Get your mind out of the spam filter. There will be time for that sort of thing later, when I've healed up and emotions aren't so raw. We're curled up, just feeling each other. And maybe smelling each other; we could both use a bath. Maybe we'll take one together; that'd be a nice change of pace. And no, I won't be telling you about that part, either.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
In any event, course is set for Io. Sparrow wants to see her mom. I don't blame her. I'm a little nervous, but Sparrow says she'll love me. We have a lot of options. Don't misunderstand; we haven't given up the hunt. We're just choosing to live for ourselves. Rabi's disappeared for now. I'm not sprinting after her; it's exactly the wrong way to hunt her. She has a massive head start, and the system is busy, and she's been plotting this for months. I’d never catch her that way.
Besides, I wouldn't be alive unless she wanted me alive. She's not done with me yet; she has plans. She thinks we're gonna meet again. She'll want to introduce me to our 'daughter.' I hope she does. I won't have to hunt them both down then; I'll get my chance, and it'll go differently. I’ll be ready the next time we meet. I know my flaws, and I learn from my mistakes, Rabi. You'll see.
I do enjoy a little time to reflect. It was a busy week on Ursa Miner, and I hadn't had a lot of time to really sit down and ponder my experience. In hindsight, it’s obvious that someone was pulling my strings the whole time. It’s easy to see how few choices were my own, and how few of those even mattered. Well, in the sense that they affected the outcome. But I can’t deny this; my choice to transfer to the ass-end of nowhere mattered. My choice to trust Brent mattered. My choice to open up to Sparrow mattered, maybe the most. My choice to change, to move forward, to be better than I was; that mattered.
Communion has been stopped for now, but something far away in the heart of another galaxy is still transmitting that signal. I should tell people, but the cop part of my brain knows that's a terrible idea. "Hey, there's an alien signal that way, but don't listen to it; it'll eat your soul." Forbidden fruits tempt us the most. I'll have to give that some thought.
I really don't know what will happen next. Maybe humanity will prevail, and sail out to colonize the stars, and grind Communion into dust. Maybe not. The future isn’t promised to any of us. But today is ours. Sparrow has a ship, and I have a load of credits saved up. I have some time to look for a new job, but you know? This is the Dark District. I hear the cops aren’t that interested in what's going on out here. Bet a private detective, an independent one, an Indy, if you will, could make a good living.
It might not be pretty, and it might not be easy. I dunno, maybe it’s na?ve, thinking that gumption and spirit and hope can carry us through whatever comes. Still, I’ll roll the dice. Better sorry than safe.
Goodbye Europa, sorry about the nuke!
END OF ARC ONE
HOLY COW! I'm in disbelief. Folks! We did it! We made it, people! We got here in one month! Over 70,000 words, 35+ chapters, about 255 paperback pages! Arc One of Code Enforcement is done! It's been an incredible journey. The fact that I finally wrote and published a book, a webserial, and people liked it?!
did wonder where that tattoo went. Hah!
