Serendipity (Book 1 of the Dana Halliday series)

THE COMMONS. NIGHT TAR. THE BETTER PART OF VALOR.

"You will need to report to the Medical Center tomorrow morning. Then you're free to go wherever you want."

Brigitta took me back to Serendipity. Adrian and Flynt were assisting several Earthers, carrying boxes and long metal bars and what looked like five tons of lumber out of the main cargo hold. They were all taking turns kicking a tennis ball for Billie. She saw me and wagged her way over, skillfully weaving in and out of feet and legs and almost tripping someone only once.

"Done with her?" Adrian called to Brigitta, who nodded and went over to him. 

She whispered something in his ear, which made him burst out laughing, and disappeared into the rabbit warren.

"Can I help?" I asked.

"We're just about done. Tell you what, a couple of these guys were going down to the Commons."  He was smiling as he threw the ball again.  "Take your irritating dog and go hang out for a bit. It's nice to be on the ground for a while, huh?" 

The two men with whom Adrian sent me, who appeared to be brothers, did not speak English. It sounded like some form of Arabic to me, confirmed when they introduced themselves as Khalid and Ali. Our various Earwigs translated flawlessly, although it took some getting used to. It can only deal with one person's speech at a time, so conversation between three people is a little stilted. They seemed like nice enough guys, quite a bit younger than I, and didn't seem to mind either my unfamiliarity with the Earwig or the fact that I had no idea about what to converse with them. I wished Jennifer could be there. She can talk to anyone about anything for the ten to twenty minutes an appointment usually lasts.

The Commons turned out to be a huge, circular area at the center of five or six of the tunnels, so the whole thing was like a spoked wheel. It was filled with vegetation: flowering shrubs, vines, fruit trees, and everywhere patches of vegetables and greens, all soaking up the rays from UV lights. The high dome of the transparent ceiling was dominated by Jupiter, the Great Red Spot glaring down at us.

The air was moist and rich with Earthy odors, and warmer than I would have expected. I stopped short and inhaled. I was immediately sucked back in time. Cornfields at dusk—a muggy Midwest late summer dusk—the humid, still air coating my skin with sweat and pollen. I never would have thought I'd welcome that sensation. All that was missing were fireflies and mosquitoes.

Khalid and Ali grinned at me, but I noticed they were drinking in the atmosphere too. "Man. I've only been out here a few days, and I didn't realize how much I was missing this."

"Everyone misses this," said Ali via the Earwig. "Most colonies and stations have at least a small greenpark. You should see the one on—"

"Greenhouses would serve just as well to grow food," Khalid interjected dismissively. "Less wasted space."

"You have no soul, man!"

I laughed. I was in a freaking biodome under the watchful eye of Jupiter. It doesn't get much better for the soul than that. "How is all this powered?"

"Nuclear."

Well, it wouldn't be hydroelectric, would it? "And what would happen if Earth sent a probe this way or something?"

They both chuckled. Ali said, "People on Earth talk about conspiracies, right? To hide evidence of UFO's and stuff?"

"Well, sure."

Khalid employed a conspiratorial whisper. "It's all true."

"Oh." It seemed like too much to get into via Earwig. I would have to ask Adrian, or maybe Patricia, about it.