2 Crisis At Jupiter Station (2.1)

LAURIE KINGSTON TOSSED AND TURNED, DESPERATELY trying to go back to sleep. Just over a week ago, barely a month after her thirteen birthday, something had happened that would change her life forever. Just as things always do, everything started out normal.

Laurie's parents were employees of EASA—Earth's Aeronautics and Space Administration. About six months ago her family had been transferred to assignments at Tranquility Lunar Colony, located in the Mare Tranquillitatis on the Earth's moon. Her mother, Dr. Anna Kingston, worked with a team of other scientists and doctors. They were researching how to counter the effects of the limited lunar gravity on the human body.

Laurie's father, Eli Kingston, had been assigned to a group working on experimenting with the current, lunar-based agriculture. Their studies revolved around efforts to increase the harvest potential of the lunar colonies' current crops. Because her parents' work took them away from their Tranquility City apartment, Laurie spent her time tagging along with one or the other of them as she worked on her daily compliment of schoolwork and other various projects via her palmtop computer.

A few of her parents' coworkers began to notice that Laurie had an amazing quality: she loved to tinker. If a device happened to be broken, Laurie would be found puzzling over its working parts until, she found a way to fix the problem. Laurie was soon given the privilege of working alongside some of the EASA technicians in the labs on the lunar base as they worked on the station's machines and electronic devices.

As the Kingston family went about their work with the space agency, they made many friends with fellow EASA employees including Captain Frank Mitchell and Dr. Eric Smith an Astrobiologist. Future history books might record that these were the men who started the greatest breakthrough in space exploration by doing something as mundane as planning a vacation on the lunar surface.

"Hey, Eli! What're you all planning to do over vacation?" Captain Mitchell asked, calling to Mr. Kingston over the din of the crowded hallway.

Captain Mitchell and Dr. Smith struggled to catch up with Eli as he headed down the halls that led to Apartment Complex A-42.

"Oh hey Frank, Dr. Smith," Eli replied, stopping to allow Captain Mitchell and Dr. Smith to catch up as the two friends weaved their way through the throngs of people, "We thought about going camping out on the lunar surface. We just haven't decided where yet."

"Actually," Eli added, "we also wanted to invite both of you to come along. A trip is more fun with friends," he continued with a laugh.

"Well, I'm not doing anything. How about you?" Captain Mitchell asked, turning to Dr. Smith with enthusiasm.

"I currently have nothing scheduled. A camping excursion would give me the chance to do some exploring on the lunar surface."

"I guess I won't even suggest trying to find some time to relax," Eli replied with a smile. "So, are you two coming or not?"

"Yes," Captain Mitchell and Dr. Smith replied, almost in unison.

"As a matter of fact, I know a place that would provide the perfect camping spot. It even comes with its own story!" Captain Mitchell replied, a hint of mischief in his voice.

*****

Jean stood nervously on the dimly lit main deck of the Platonian's comet shaped ship. Casting a quick glance behind her she found two of the Platonians still standing behind her, blocking her view of the exit. A large viewscreen filled the wall in front of her. Strange control stations were situated throughout the room, each manned by another Platonian. She fought to ignore the uneasy feeling still tickling the pit of her stomach.

I'm vastly outnumbered, and they haven't threatened me yet, she reasoned.

The movement of the stars on the viewscreen slowed as the Platonian ship closed in on their destination. Slowly a planet covered in different colored stripes of swirling clouds grew on the view screen. The screen magnified, bringing into view a space station resembling a stack of bicycle tires.

"That is Jupiter Station!" Jean exclaimed, recognizing the technological wonder that Earth's engineers had recently finished.

She watched as it spun lazily in Jupiter's orbit.

"There is another of those alien relics on one of this planet's moons. If the Station becomes fully operational, the humans will undoubtedly find the relic and fall into the alien trap.

"Do you have any suggestions?" The Platonian standing beside her asked.

"Well, as long as it is hard enough to find I really don't think we'll have to worry about anyone stumbling upon the relic. It could be a while before it is fully staffed. Sometimes stations like this one end up decommissioned because they don't pass their safety inspections. Private sector companies sometimes like to cut corners. A station could be deemed too dangerous to live in because some bad virus may be found lurking in the walls or the design isn't safe." Jean peeled her eyes away from the viewscreen on which Jupiter and the station delicately danced and looked hesitantly back toward her ship's airlock

"I saw a report once about a plant from one of the planets we were trying to put a station on. Somehow it had gotten inside the station and took it over. The growth rate was so fast, and we had nothing to combat it with so the station had to be abandoned." Jean said, thinking out loud.

"We appreciate your information," the third Platonian replied, cutting her off.

"You would be a great help if you came with us to our home planet where we'd have access to all of our resources," the second said.

"Definitely. No one else should be hurt by this alien species' twisted plans," Jean replied, surprised that her musings had proven helpful to these Platonians.

Jean went back to her own ship, now operating with appropriate gravitational field. The Platonian ship remained docked as they navigated back to their own system. Unfortunately, Jean repressed the small voice of warning inside her mind. As she zipped her weightless body into the sleeping bag attached to the wall in her room, she couldn't help but think over everything she had just found out. Trusting these strange aliens seemed a little risky but she would do anything to locate her parents' killers. She had to stop them. Even if the eerie, sharp-toothed grin of these Platonians haunted her sleep.

*****