Richard Edmonds is dead. I found out shortly after I finished thawing out and regained my consciousness this morning. I am the third member of the team to awaken from the frozen nap. Dr. Horvat and Jenifer Miller are still thawing, but according to the vitals displayed on their cryogenic freeze pods it seems like they will thaw without complications. Whatever happened to Richard's pod, it appears it was an isolated incident.
Maybe it's just that I've been frozen for the past six years but I feel numb. I've known Richard for the entirety of my professional life. Before we were teammates, we were colleagues, and before that he was a mentor to me. Now he is gone, reminding us just how dangerous this mission is.
This mission was Richard's dream as much as it was mine. Leading up to this we had done countless hours of research on Europa and the secrets she may hold beneath her icy crust. It is unfortunate that he did not live to see the surface with his own eyes.
We have alerted NASA of his passing and have been ij communication with them on the next steps. Now that we are in the orbit of Jupiter it takes an hour for them to receive our messages, making communication a slow process.
I have yet to open my mail. I am not in the mood to do so at this time. I am hoping that what is waiting for me in my mailbox is happy news, but after the news I woke up to this morning I am ready for the worst.
YOU ARE READING
Europa
Science FictionIn order to embark on a mission to discover alien life on the icy moon of Jupiter Maria must leave her life on Earth behind, including her father and her seven-year-old son Diego. She thought the hardest part of the mission would be saying goodbye...
