[Sf] Stories From Jupiter (T)

This is a story I've been working on since I was without internet for the past nine months. The style I'm trying to invoke with how chapters are presented is similar to how TV shows like Heroes bounce from one character to the next while still maintaining the overall storyline. I'm not sure if it works at all in my story I've written, but I hope you enjoy it. Here's the first part, wherein we meet two of our characters, Dex Fitzroy and Mia Carina.

Stories From Jupiter

By

Kyle Muldoon

[T] Violence, Sexual References, Coarse Language




Dex Fitzroy and Mia Carina

Orange clouds swept by below Dex Fitzroy. He looked down through the bar’s transparent floor. Clouds all the way down. Down to what, no one knew for sure. There were stories, legends told by old men who thought they were wiser than they actually were. No two stories were the same, everything from solid gold to an airless nothing. Dex wondered why they even bothered with these transparent floors. Whatever was down there, you couldn’t see it from up here. He took a sip of his drink. Milk. Chocolate. It always raised eybrows and tempers when he ordered it. The idea that people are angry, are offended, by a man’s choice of drink bewildered Dex. He set the glass on the bar, still a quarter full, and took a moment to adjust his body-length, beige trench coat. The barwoman looked up from the now dry glass she had been polishing. She noticed the hilt of a blade poking out the top of Dex’s coat. It looked oriental to her. Probably Japanese.

“Didn’t know samurai liked chocolate milk,” she said, traces of ancient Texas on her voice.
“It’s not mine,” replied Dex, keeping his eyes on his drink.
“So why have you got it?” asked the barwoman.
“Looking for someone,” said Dex.
“Who?”
“I ain’t gonna tell some nosy barmaid.,” snapped Dex, he paused, gave the woman a smile with slightest hint of sleaze. “But I might tell you in my bed.”
“You gotta work on your lines,” said the woman. “I’m colder than Europa over here.”
“I don’t want the trouble a woman brings anyway,” said Dex, tossing back the last of his milk.
“But you still want the woman,” said the barmaid. “Any woman whose clothes are tight and belt is loose, right?”
Dex looked up. The barwoman was practically sneering at him.
“No,” said Dex. “I only want one woman.”

With that, Dex got up from his stool and walked out of the bar. He stepped out on to the street. There was traffic everywhere. Pedestrians buzzed to and fro. It was pretty busy even for a backwater place like Iga City. It was not much of a city as more of a clump of bars and houses gathered around a stopover station for freight and passenger ships. Much like the railway towns of Earth. The ships that carried everything that needed to be carried only had so much fuel, so stopover stations were built every couple of thousands of kilometres. The ships were the only way to get from city to city on Jupiter. You either bought your own or paid your way. Few people owned a ship, even a small one, their cost proving prohibitive. Dex, however, owned his own ship. It was moderately sized with room for a crew of three or four. Dex looked into the sky, past the dome that kept Iga’s air in. A huge ship breezed by over head. Ganymede smiled down at it, its crescent appearing to wish the ship’s inhabitants a safe voyage. Dex sighed to himself. He would be up there shortly. Iga had revealed no clues. The next city might have more luck. He straightened his back and began making his way towards Iga City’s docking ports on the outskirts of the settlement. It was a fair distance away, but Dex chose to walk rather than pay the exorbitant prices of the local taxis. He enjoyed walking anyway. When you walk, your destination is wherever you like, how you get there is however you want to get there. You are in complete control. It was the same reason Dex had his own ship. He felt extremely lucky to even have it, Dex’s methods of acquiring it more luck than anything.

Dex stopped. Something out of the corner of his eye had caught his attention. He had stopped at the entrance of an alleyway that jutted off the street. He looked down its length. There were two figures, shapes in the shadows, close together. A man and a woman. Their movements were vigorous, deliberate. Were they making love? A quick and dirty rendezvous in an alley, two travellers or two lovers whose work brings them together so very fleetingly? It was not unheard of. A flash of reflected light changed Dex’s conclusion. Light glinted off something metal in the man’s hand. A knife or a gun, he could not be sure at this range. The woman was thrown to the ground. Dex sprang into action, his legs surging with urgent energy. They launched him down the alley, every step pushing off the ground harder and faster than the last. The man raised his weapon. He pointed it ast the woman. Dex could see it was a gun now. The woman pressed her back up against the wall in a sitting position, having scrambled up off the ground. Her eyes were devoid of tears. She simply closed them, a calm descending over her. Dex got ever nearer. He thought he heard her say ‘I’m sorry. About everything.’. It was as faint as a butterfly’s whisper but he heard it. Dex’s own voice tore through the air.
“Leave her alone!” he bellowed.
The man looked over in time to see Dex’s fist collide with his own nose. The man tumbled to the ground, a short spurt of blood erupting from his nostrils. As quick as he fell, he composed himself. Not enough to get up, but enough to raise his gun. He fired a shot. BAM! The shot was the signature of a marksman. It landed in Dex’s chest, precisely in his heart. A splatter of blood sprinkled the alley as expected. As definitely not expected, though, Dex did not die. He just smiled at the man before bringing the full force of his foot to the man’s jaw, knocking him out cold.

He turned to the woman. Dex extended his had. The woman looked him up and down, her eyes wide and jaw hanging open. The blood had long since been drained from her face, leaving a pale sheet of skin.
“You should be dead,” she breathed.
“You should be thankful,” replied Dex.
“Your heart,” she said. “You should’ve died.”
“I don’t have a heart,” said Dex. “Well, it’s not mine anyway. It’s artificial, titanium casing, bulletproof. Actually, it’s lucky the bastard shot me in the heart. Anywhere else and I could’ve been a goner.”
Dex extended a hand. The woman stared at him, still shocked by what she had just seen. Finally, she accepted his outstretched hand. Dex helped her to her feet.
“I’m Dex by the way,” he said, mockingly kissing the woman’s hand.
“Mia,” said the woman. “Mia Carina.”

“These aren’t safe alleyways for gorgeous women such as yourself,” said Dex.
“I can handle myself,” replied Mia.
“Not well enough apparently,” retorted Dex. “You live around here? Or passing through?”
“Passing through,” she said.
“Me too,” said Dex.
“Where you heading?”
“Why, you need a ride?”
“Something like that.”
“There are ships coming and going all the time.”
“I don’t exactly have any money.”
“What makes you think I’ll pay your way?”
“’Cause you’re a gentleman in the habit of helping out damsels in distress.”
“I have my own ship,” said Dex. “You could sleep in my quarters.”
Mia’s eyes narrowed. Her lips curled. Her face burned.
“Why, you sleazy, no good, scumbag,” fumed Mia.
“Hey, come on, Mia,” said Dex, a wry smile crossing his face. “I did save your life, don’t I deserve something in return?”
“I’m starting to think I was safer with Shooty McGee over there,” said Mia, anger still coursing through her.
“Fine, find your own way off this island,” said Dex.
He turned and walked back to the street. Mia folded her arms and burned her gaze into his back. Dex stopped as he got to the alley’s exit.
“Docking Port 72-A,” he called over his shoulder. “I have spare quarters. You would have full privacy.”
Dex stepped into the street and continued on his way. Mia stood in the alley, the shadows hiding the small smile on her face.

Dex sat in the chair on the right of the control centre. He tapped at the control panel in front of him. The sun was low and light stretched the shadows in Dex’s ship. A large glass window opened the control centre to the Jupiter skies. A long, leather couch stretched concavely along the breadth of the control centre, matching the curve of the large window. The lounge was set below the main level, two steps led up to the area where the working crew would sit. Its floor was level with the top of the lounge. Three seats with accompanying control panels filled out the main level, on the right, left and centre. Dex noticed a familiar face on the screen in front of him. He stood up and exited the rear of the control centre. He made his way through the main hall until he came upon a large, circular doorway on the left side of the ship. Dex pressed a button next to it and it shuddered open, splitting into separate sections and then retracting into the hull. Dex smiled as he saw Mia standing on the gantry outside.
“Mia Carina,” said Dex. “Welcome to the Darwin.”

Hey look, it's a new story from Spork! Choc-full of Sporktastic goodness! o: *gets in before the rush*

This is an excellent start to what looks like it'll be an excellent new fic, Sporky. ^_^ I love the unique setting. Your characters are very interesting... it's fun to read from the point of veiw of someone that at one moment you like, and the next minute you want to slap.

The name of the ship made me grin. Perhaps an inside look into Dex's personal philosophy about things?

And doncha just love those titanium encased hearts?

Get a new chapter up soon! I'll definately be keeping an eye on this.

Thanks very much for the comment, Belle ^_^ Now without further ado, here's the next instalment.



Reilly Turner

Reilly Turner clutched at the bullet hole in his left arm. It was bleeding bad, soaking his standard issue blue uniform. He sat at the controls of the Prison Ship, his mind racing as to what his next move was. Alarms and sirens screamed out from the displays in front of him. The ship was sinking. It would take him with it down to the depths of the planet. One particular display caught his attention. It was a radar of sorts. And there was a ship close by. He checked his fuel reserves. Checked what was still working. He could make it. Just. He tapped at the controls. The Prison Ship groaned, struggling to obey.

“C’mon,” urged Reilly. “If I’m still going, then you shouldn’t have a problem.”
Reilly was old. He felt it every day. He felt it in his knees. He felt it in the lines on his face. He felt it every day. His hair was thinning and voice was becoming frail. Reilly looked over his shoulders. Two dead bodies. The result of the shootout earlier. One wore the same uniform as himself. The other wore a prison jumpsuit. Reilly turned his attention back to the controls. He ordered the docking gantry to extend. His Prison Ship lurched over towards the other vessel, like a desperate free faller reaching out for the only handhold that could save him. Crunch! It was not pretty, but he was docked. He was saved. He sent an override to the other vessel’s outer door, opening it and ensuring someone could come to his aid. After a few minutes, the door behind him slid open. Reilly turned, saw a man and a woman. They saw the bodies before they saw Reilly.
“H…help,” said Reilly. “Prisoner…tried to esc…shot me…killed Earl…you were close…”
“So you thought you’d dock with us to get help?” said the man. “What about your comms?”
“Shot…in pieces,” replied Reilly.
“Alright,” said the man. “We’ll let you use our comms to contact police, get some medical help.”
“No…n-not, no police,” said Reilly. “Better they think I’m dead, or they’ll…they’ll make sure I am…it’s a different…different world…under President Grant.”
“Fine, we’ll get you to a hospital.”
The man lifted Reilly out of the chair. Reilly was still bleeding.
“Name’s Dex, by the way,” said the man, then to the woman, “Mia, get this ship undocked, let it sink under the clouds.”
The woman, Mia, looked at Dex in disbelief, “What about these people?” said Mia. “Their families will want us to bury them.”
“I don’t want to get involved in a police investigation,” said Dex. “I’ve got my own investigating to do and I can’t do that when I’m wrapped up in blue tape.”
“So that’s it, huh?!” exclaimed Mia. “These people don’t get the dignity, the respect, that they have a right to, just because you got errands to run?!”
“That’s it,” said Dex softly.
“How can you be so cold?”
“How can you not?”
“It’s all that keeps me alive.”
“Don’t like how I run things? Then sink on this ship. But while you’re on my ship and sucking its air, you’ll follow my orders.”
Dex turned away from Mia and continued on his way back to his own ship, still carrying Reilly.

The door creaked open as Mia looked inside. Reilly was lying on a bed, his wound bandaged. Dex had done an okay job of it too. The old man smiled as he saw Mia.
“I was worried for a moment,” he said. “You look as gorgeous as an angel, thought I might’ve crossed over as they say.”
Mia smiled, “You’ll be fine. We’ll get to a hospital soon.
“I can’t thank you enough, my dear,” said Reilly. “I was lucky that you came upon me. This planet is so big, and filled with vile creatures, that I doubt anyone would have noticed had one old man disappeared below the clouds.”
“The other two,” Mia sighed, “will anyone notice them?”
“You have, sweetheart,” said Reilly.
Mia sat on the end of the bed. She took care not to rumple the blankets. The gentle hum of the engines filled the room. It was a reassuring sound. They were still flying, treading the air, keeping their heads above the clouds. Mia listened to that sound and fell into her own thoughts. Reilly noticed the look of contemplative concentration on Mia’s face.
“What’s the matter, dear?” asked the man.
“I wonder if any one would notice if I sank,” Mia said in what was almost a whisper. “If they did, would they cry? Or would they cheer?”
“That’s no way for a beautiful young lady to talk about herself,” said Reilly.
“I would be one to cheer,” said Mia.

Before Reilly could answer, the door swung open forcefully. Dex stood in the doorway.
“I need to ask our guest some questions in private,” Dex demanded.
Mia nodded and stood, “We’ll get to a hospital soon, old timer.”
Dex stepped aside from the doorway and mockingly gestured for her to step through. After she had left the room, the door was shut and Dex remained where he stood.
“What do you want to know?”
“Where can I find the woman who wears the Dolphin Ring?” asked Dex.
“Dolphin Ring?”
“The ring has two dolphins - aquatic mammals from Earth’s past - two dolphins entwined on a gold band.”
“Why would I know someone by jewellery?”
“Because she was present at a murder scene.”
“Whose murder?”
“Mine.”

The man blinked, “I think you’d better start from the start.”
“Know her or not?”
The man paused, “I have heard of the Dolphin Ring. It’s one of a kind, from Earth, the only one like it left. Thieves spoke of it in revered whispers. It was alaywas trying to be stolen from the one who wore it. Last I heard she was in Equa.”
“Equa. That was the first place I looked. Thanks.”
“Got any other leads to follow?” said the man.
Dex sighed, “No," he paused, “One last question, how’d you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Break out of your cell and kill the two guards.”
The man smiled, “You have a keen wit. You can call me Reilly, Reilly Turner.”

o: ... O:!!

So uhm, I didn't see that twist coming. XD Nice twist there, Spork. And very clever wording... you never actually SAID he was a police officer, but you still had me buying it. *tsks at Reilly*

I'm all the time more intrigued by Mia as well. I want to know her story. o:

Excellent stuff, keep it up!

The main story is excellent, good plot, wide vocabulary, fast and pacy.
The dialogue needs a bit of work however. "Shooty McGee". Right.
The setting is well imagined, life on Jupiter is well portrayed and believable.
Great work, Keep it up!

Thanks very much for the comments. That Shooty McGee line was something I had in there when I first started this work almost a year ago and I kept taking it out and putting it back in, unsure of what the characters were going to be like at the time. But still, that's no excuse for poorly written dialogue. Looking at it now, it does seem out of place, especially as I've just been going over the later chapters. I will do my very best to tighten up the dialogue in future chapters! And speaking of future chapters, here's one:




Aurora May

The white hospital corridors blinded Aurora May. The disinfectant invaded her nostrils. For a place that was designed to make people healthy, it had a consistent habit of making her feel sick. She walked with her hands clasped nervously together, her head bowed, peering nervously through her fringe. She fidgeted with a ring on the third finger of her left hand. She needed to get to him. He was not here. She needed a ride. She needed to get to Equa. She watched a silver haired man with a bandage on his left arm come out of a room, accompanied by a man and a woman.
“They patched you up good,” said the woman.
“They certainly did, sweetheart,” said the older man. “Thank you very much for your concern. I suppose I won’t be seeing you again.”
“This is my stop,” said the woman. “It was nice to meet you though. Where are you off to now?”
“I’m not sure,” replied the man.
The younger man interjected, “I have a proposition I’d like to discuss with you,” he looked at the woman, “in private.”
“That’s my cue then?” said the woman.
“That it is,” said the man.
“Thanks for the ride, Dex,” she said. “It was interesting.”
The woman walked away from the two men and toward the exit of the hospital. The hospital’s doors opened up on to the town of Ruffin. An island synonymous with sin. Criminals and violence could be found around every corner and progress found nowhere. The local hospital, though, did a roaring trade.
Aurora listened to the two men.
“I suppose I can’t help but wonder what you want in return for not turning me in,” said the older man.
“Simple,” the one called Dex said. “Help.”
“With finding the bearer of the Dolphin Ring?”
“Yes, you must have connections, a man of your…standing. You must know someone who tried to steal it…and they would know who to steal it from.”
The older man paused, thinking, “Hmm, I suppose it is the least I can do. My connections are numerous, it is quite possible we will find who you are looking for.”
“I appreciate it.”
“I’m curious, Dex,” said the older man. “What is it you seek from this person, if I may be so bold? Is it the end of that blade you carry?”
Dex shook his head, “That isn’t it at all. The woman I’m looking for didn’t hurt me...I want to thank her.”
“Why?”
Dex hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth, “About a year ago, I died. Someone came from behind, I never saw their face, and they drove a sword through me. This sword. Right through my heart. I fell, I remember I fell face first. My attacker, ripped the sword out of me, then dropped it, high tailed it I guess. I was dying. I felt so…lonely. I didn’t want to die alone. And then. Then. Someone held my hand. It was warm. Beautiful. I couldn’t move, I was in so much pain, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see her hand in mine, I saw that ring, dolphins on it. I could make out the shape of a woman, but her hand and ring stuck in my head.
“Then as she held my hand, I died. Woke up in a hospital two weeks later with a new, artificial heart, and no clue how I survived. Docs said I was officially dead for four minutes and twenty seven seconds. She held my hand as I died. I want to thank her for that.”
“And you’ve been crawling the clouds just to thank her?” said the older man. “It certainly is romantic. But as with all things romantic, it is foolish. What of your life? Surely you can’t put it on hold forever.”
“This is my life now,” said Dex. “There’s nothing else for me. I have to see if I can find any more information in this town. I’ll meet you back at the ship.”
“Certainly,” said the older man.

Aurora’s ear’s pricked. A ship. She began following the older man as he walked out of the hospital. She kept a discreet distance. Close enough to see him but far enough for him not to notice her. She followed him through the streets of this filthy town. A town full of thieves and killers. The town she grew up in. It was a small town. The stories were very much larger though. Stories of muggings, maulings and murders were told in more civilised places in hushed voices in dark rooms. Ruffin’s stories were only exaggerated slightly. It had earned the title ‘Rough Ruffin’, but even that did not convey the dangers that lurked in every corner. There were rumours that people were not just killed, they were thrown off the island. The atmosphere would kill them rather quickly. The rumour, though, was that people were thrown off after being forced to wear a spacesuit. They would not die until they had fallen through the atmosphere to a depth where the air pressure would crush the spacesuit and them inside. Aurora had wondered if they would find a pile of bodies if they ever explored the core. From the number of times she had heard the rumour, she was surprised Ruffin was not resting on top of a mountain of cadavers.

She kept her head bowed, her eyes focused on the old man. She ignored the lecherous looks she was receiving from the locals. Men and women looked her up and down, their eyes resting on various parts of her body. It did not help that she stood out. Amongst the rustic brown of the surrounding town, she wore a white dress, with not a stain. It stopped just below her knee and was a loose fitting garment. Her bright, blonde hair drew as much attention as the dress. She kept focused on the old man. Eventually, he came to a docking port and boarded a ship. Before the doors closed behind him, Aurora slipped inside. Once inside the ship, the man entered a room, his quarters most likely. Aurora quickly found a place to hide. She sat in a storage locker in the control centre. She fidgeted with her ring.
“I’ll find you,” she whispered.

Hmm... *eyes the passage about Aurora playing with the ring* ... *considers Dex's quest* Hmmm... :3

Things are getting curiouser and curiouser. I can't wait to read the next installment, and find out what's going on with Aurora. : D I'm also wondering when and how Mia will come back into the story, as that can't possibly be all that happens with her.

By the way, you accidently called Aurora Mia in the last stanza.

Dex Fitzroy

It was not long before Dex found himself in a bar. If you wanted an answer to any question, you always went to a bar. In between the slurred speech and the blurred fists, information would often be found.
“A woman, wearing a ring, a dolphin ring, seen her pass through?” Dex asked yet another patron.
“What’re ya drinking that crap for?” said the patron. “Milk won’t put hair on your balls.”
“It’s personal,” said Dex. “Thanks for the help though.”
The patron chuckled and took a swig of his drink. Dex took a seat at the bar. A TV that hung above the barmaid showed a news bulletin. The sound could hardly be heard over the barroom’s din.
“Jovian President Piper Grant has not been seen since the incident. Our top story, again, the President of Jupiter has been accused of the murder of her Vice President and four Cabinet members. It is believed President Grant is alleged to have killed them in an explosion, allegedly disguised as a separatist attack. Capital Police are hunting for President Grant. The victims were well known for their lenient stance on the Independent Satellite Movement that advocated Jupiter's moons be recognised as a separate, self governing entity. It is not known who will take over the Presidency.”
“****, even the President’s a murderer these days,” said Dex.
Dex felt something poke into his back. He immediately knew what it was. The barrel of a shotgun. A whispered voice entered his ear.
“You got a nice ship,” came the hushed voice. “Worth a bit, but not worth your life, give me the access codes.”
“I’m waiting,” said Dex.
“For what?” said the voice, the whisper raised in volume, confused.
“For the part where I should give a ****,” said Dex.
“You have a gun to your back!” exclaimed the assailant, his voice heard only by Dex.
“So?”
“So?! You’ll die, I’ll kill you!”
“Everyone dies, why should I be worried that you’re the one who ends me?”
The gunman jammed the gun harder into Dex’s back.
“All it takes is one pull of the trigger,” said the gunman.
With unexpected swiftness, Dex spun around on his barstool, grabbed the shotgun and tore it out of his attacker’s hand. Dex dropped the gun and instead grabbed both of the gunman’s index fingers. A crack came from both as he twisted them violently. Dex spun on his stool to once again face the bar.
“Good luck pulling a trigger,” said Dex.
Dex downed the last of his chocolate milk before getting up. As he started to walk towards the bar’s exit, he noticed a commotion out of the corner of his eye. It was Mia. She was talking to someone. The conversation had obviously not been friendly as Mia’s associate or acquaintance was now sprawled on the floor.
“I guess she can handle herself,” muttered Dex.
He walked out of the bar and into the next one. It was going to be a long day.

Mia Carina

“C’mon,” pleaded Mia. “You gotta give me a job. I hitched my way from Iga.”
“No. You screwed up the last job. There ain’t no work for you here anymore.”
“That job got done!” said Mia.
“After you almost got done from what I hear.”
“The job got done,” said Mia.
“You just don’t got it no more, kid. You’re not hard enough.”
“Where am I gonna go?! How am I gonna feed myself?!"
“Plenty of honest jobs out there.”
“This is all I know,” said Mia.
“Start knowing something else.”
Mia leaned back in her chair and sighed. Her companion got up and left. She looked around the bar and saw Dex of all people. She watched as he spun in his chair and broke someone’s fingers. He was arrogant and reckless, a combination that allowed him to survive in places like Ruffin. No, survive was not the right word, Mia felt. Live. It allowed him to live in these places. In the most dangerous places, where death was as regular as the sunrise, the only way to live there, to see the next sunrise, was to not care if you made it another day. Dex was a man who could stare Death in the face, smile, and tell it to piss off. As Mia was lost in thought, someone grabbed her from behind, throwing an arm around her neck. Mia was already in motion. The attacker swung a knife in their other hand, the blade rushing towards Mia’s head. The young woman raised her leg, swiftly, in an impressive display of strength and flexibility. Her leg struck the incoming blade out of the adversary’s hand. With her opponent distracted momentarily, Mia took the opportunity to throw the top half of her body forward, keeping her feet firmly anchored on the ground. The move threw the attacker over her head, tumbling to the floor. Mia delivered a punch to the stomach of her attacker, now lying face up on the floor. She straightened her clothes and walked outside.

There was a slight chill in the air. Probably a faulty circuit in the environmental systems. Repairs were rather irregular; people willing to work in Ruffin were in rather short supply. Those who did brave the lawless island were soon gone, either scared off or dead. More disturbingly, some stayed for good, their lust for violence perpetually satisfied. Mia began walking through the city. Her mind tried to think of what to do next. There was no work here anymore. No work for her. She had no place to stay. She had no food to eat. Mia found herself under a bridge. She sighed and rested her back against the wall. Her hand traced the cool cement with familiarity. She looked to the ground. The bridge spanned a concrete drain, though it usually only contained a trickle of water. Etched into the ground were some words. They were a number of years old now, faded but still visible. They read ‘Mia was here’. Mia ran her hand over the words as she sat down.
“Looks like you’re here again, kid,” she said.
She fished a small box out of her pocket. It was plain. Brown. Cardboard. She clutched it tightly, holding it close to her. A tear slipped from her eye.
“What other choice do I have?”

Here's the next instalment in the story, haven't posted in a while due to work and travelling all about the place.

Dex Fitzroy and Mia Carina

Dex walked through the tunnel that connected the city and his ship. He grimaced, not a clue. Not even a whisper. She was out there somewhere, he knew it, but if he could just get one clue, just one, he could be moving with direction. Island hopping was getting him nowhere. At least the old man had given him something. Equa. But even that was not enough. Equa was a big place. The biggest place ever in human history. That haystack would be his next stop. Dex opened the door to his ship and stepped through. He made his way to the cockpit. He entered and stopped. On the lounge at the front of the control centre sat Mia. Dex’s mouth opened slightly, ready to say something. But no words came, instead he closed his mouth into a smile, small and barely noticeable. Mia did not turn around or say anything. Dex sat at his seat and flew his fingers over the controls. The ship responded, breaking away from the city and powering its engines, pressing on to Equa.

Mia stretched out on the control centre’s lounge. Dex grunted disapprovingly.
“Just so we’re clear,” said Dex. “I don’t want you in the control centre.”
A carefree hand lazily rose above the lounge’s backrest, from Dex’s view it looked like it was reaching up from the floor.. It rocked back and forth, a sleepy wave.
“Fine, fine,” yawned Mia, “but can’t a girl get some shuteye?”
Mia stayed where she was. Dex punched the controls. Mia sat up as she felt the ship obey.
“We’re changing course,” said Mia.
“That would suggest we had a course to begin with,” replied Dex.
“You have an idea of where you’re going then?”
“Equa.”
“…Equa. That’s a big place. Needles and haystacks.”
Equa was the largest manmade structure in human history. Stretching right around Jupiter’s equator, it was a city, the capital, spanning one hundred kilometres north to south. “Jupiter’s Second Ring” some had called it. While gleaming glass giants towered up from it, signalling peace and prosperity, the shadows that were cast by them hid and nurtured the opposite. The crimes and criminals that lived in the dark were not as extreme as those on Ruffin, but they certainly made their presence felt.
“You ever been to Equa?” asked Dex.
“Once or twice,” said Mia. “You?”
“Used to live there,” replied Dex.
“Which district?”
“Kanno.”
Mia nodded, “I’ve heard of it.”
“We were turning it around too…”
“What is it you’re looking for?”
“A woman.”
“I’d gathered that, but I must remind you that this one here won't be bunking with you.”
“Not like that. Looking for someone specific.”
“Any idea where you’re gonna start looking for this mystery woman?”
“Kanno,” said Dex. “That’s the last place I saw her.”
“You haven’t already looked?”
“A million times,” said Dex. “And I’ll look another million times.”
“Some would say you’re obsessed.”
“They’d be right.”
“Can’t you just forget about it?”
“No.”
“Your life, I suppose.”
Dex leaned back in his seat. He closed his eyes.
“You ever been consumed by something?” asked Dex. “Like something grabs a hold of you and just won’t let go?”
Mia stood up and walked up the stairs at the cockpit’s front. She folded her arms as she walked to the seat in the centre of the room. She sat on the armrest and looked at her feet.
“Yeah,” said Mia.
“What did you do about it?” asked Dex.
“Hid it, tried to lose it in a box,” said Mia. “But I couldn’t let it go, because it was…”
“Part of you?”
“…yeah.”
“What is it you can’t let go, Mia?” asked Dex.
“My life,” replied Mia.
“Vague and mysterious,” said Dex.
“And you’re not?”
“We all got cards we want to keep close.”
Dex held his hand up. Mia narrowed her eyes.
“Why don’t you just tell me to shut up?”
“Shh!” Dex kept his index finger raised as the others curled back into his palm. Dex pricked his ears. Mia’s eyes darted around the room. She shot Dex a quizzical look. Dex’s eyes looked to his right, a series of storage compartments caught his attention. His raised finger pointed to the compartments, then down to the control panel. He rammed his finger into the panel. One of the compartments sprang open. Mia gasped. Dex rolled his eyes in frustration.
“People aren’t allowed in the control centre,” said Dex.
Out of the compartment, a young girl, of about seventeen, stepped nervously out.

The first thing that came to my mind when I began reading Stories from Jupiter was, "Science fiction, with people!" I don't encounter enough of those tales in this day and age - it seems the sci-fi norm is technology, with a small helping of people on the side, xD

And neither have I been treated to a Mr Spork story in a long while! It's such a delight to finally have the pleasure of reading a new story by you, Mr Spork, ^^

Stories from Jupiter is fantastic, as ever your work is. It moves swiftly and easily, and no chapter ends without some line, some tantalizing development, to keep the suspense and reader's curiosity soaring. My favourite installment, so far, was that from Reilly Turner's POV - the concluding twist was gripping. I'm curious to see if more will come of it.

Dex's secrets were most engaging as well, and the emphasis you've placed on Aurora's ring has got me wondering... But of the present cast, Mia is my favourite character. I like her sense of self-sufficiency.

The setting is wonderful: alien without alienating the reader, comfortably background to the action and yet an intrinsic part of the story. I particularly like the ships, and the images of the clouds: watching the clouds through the glass bar room floor; falling through the clouds, wondering who will mourn you. There's something so tranquil - almost soothing - in how you depict Jupiter, something both familiar and fantastic in the islands dotting its face. It's like reading a fairy tale: a murky, fay-filled wood, close enough to touch, and yet far enough from the room in which I sit, reading, that my imagination must leap and drift to fully embrace it.

...

Have I made a thorough case for how much I love your setting, yet? xD

I had only two complaints. The first is that sometimes events happen too quickly. In Reilly Turner's POV, for instance, the sinking ship seemed too sudden. It's a monumental event, a disaster, but I almost missed it.

However, events have been more marked - more detailed – now than in earlier installments.

My second point is variety in sentence structure, which ties in to the pace of unfolding events, in its way. Your writing is very staccato, very pithy and succinct. This strategy works exceptionally well with the dialogue, but you might consider varying your sentences during narration - lengthening some, clipping others.

I'm looking forward to the next installment. ^^

Cheers!
Selah

Thanks for the comments, Selah! I have a real problem with varying sentence structure in narrative and its a problem that I keep running into everytime I sit down to write something. I think the problem is I can't think of how to lengthen or extend a scene or description without it seeming superfluous (Sometimes when reading a book I'll just be thinking 'get to the point already!', I'm such an impatient reader XD). It's something I'll definitely be putting my mind to in future instalments though, not sure if I achieved any kind of success in that regard in the following instalment though.

Aurora May


Aurora flashed her eyes at the one she knew was called Dex and at the woman. She fidgeted with the ring on her left hand. Dex looked at her.
“And what’s your story, stowaway?” asked Dex.
“I’m sorry, sir,” said the girl, her voice as soft as her skin. “Truly, I am.”
“I was looking for an explanation, not an apology,” replied Dex.
“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir,” said Aurora. “I needed a ride, I have no money, you see, so I hid, I haven’t been here long, just since the hospital.”
“Why did you need a ride?” asked Dex.
“I’m looking for my husband,” she replied.
“Little young for the marrying type, aren’t you?”
“I need to find him,” said Aurora.
“And I need fewer passengers,” said Dex. “This ain’t a place for strays.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” replied Aurora. “I can leave and find another ship.”
Dex watched the girl twirl her ring around her finger. Her eyes looked down at the piece of jewellery, her thoughts elsewhere.
“Tell me why you need to find this man of yours,” said Dex. “Maybe I can accommodate you.”

She paused, deep in thought. Then she looked up at Dex, her eyes resting on his. Timid yet bold, they commanded his attention.
“I need to find him,” said Aurora. “His family won’t let me see him. They made him go away. So he couldn’t be with me. I wonder if he’s okay where he is. I wonder if he thinks about me. I need to find him because I love him.”
Dex looked into her eyes, silent. Her gaze never faltered or wavered. Finally, Dex broke his silence.
“Okay,” he said. “Where do you need to go?”
“Equa,” she replied.
“You’re in luck,” replied Dex.

Aurora sat on her bed. Mia insisted the new passenger stay in her room, a bed hastily set up opposite her own. Aurora had been given a quick introduction to the crew; there was Dex, Mia, and an older gentleman by the name of Reilly. She too had introduced herself, the crew slightly surprised by the courtesy and politeness she displayed in her language. Mia sat on her own bed, studying the new addition to the crew. Aurora continued fidgeting with her wedding ring.
“Think about him a lot?” asked Mia.
Aurora simply nodded.
“Don’t worry,” said Mia. “We’ll find him.”
“I know,” replied Aurora. “I know where he is…I just had to find a way to get to him.”
“What’s the first thing you’re going to say to him?”
“I love you,” came the instant reply.

Aurora guided a stray strand of hair away from her face and behind her ear. She returned to twirling her ring around her finger.
"Is Mr Fitzroy...is he...safe?" asked Aurora.
"He's perfectly harmless," said Mia, "despite all of his talk."
"Good...I mean, I'm young enough to be his daughter."
"Dex has a daughter," Mia's eyes glanced quickly, almost imperceptibly, at a plain and small cardboard box on a shelf lining the wall.

Aurora stood up and walked around the room, inspecting her temporary home. The walls were reassuringly rustic; old enough to show the ship had been through a few scrapes but was still flying like the first day she crawled the clouds.
“It ain’t much, I know,” said Mia.
Aurora came to the shelf that lined one of the walls. A small cardboard box rested quietly on it. She ran her finger over it. It was the only ornament on the shelf, indeed, it was the only ornament in the room. Yet for being such a plain, unimportant object it drew her attention. Her finger glided around its surface, as if trying to coax answers from this tiny box. Mia bit her lip.
“Please don’t,” pleaded Mia. “It’s…personal.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Carina,” said Aurora as she recoiled her hand.
A knock at the door interrupted the awkward silence that followed.
“We’re in Equa, stretch your legs, find your husband, meet back here before sundown, that’s two hours,” Dex called through the door.

Reilly Turner and Dex Fitzroy

Reilly eyed Dex as they walked down one of the billions of Equa’s streets. The buildings around them were not as shiny as most of the others. The road was not as highly maintained as those just kilometres away. People tried to sell things as Reilly and Dex walked past; drugs, sex, stolen goods, anything that could be sold that you could not find in more reputable areas. Dex and Reilly paid them no heed. Reilly continued eyeing Dex.
"Your ship is called the Darwin, yes?" asked Reilly.
"Yes," replied Dex.
"Why 'Darwin'? No offence, lad, but I don't see the relevance of the name," replied Reilly.
"It's not named after the person," replied Dex. "It's named after the city. A city in northern Australia. It was destroyed and rebuilt. Twice."
"The man that was killed and brought back from obliteration names his ship after a city that shared a similar circumstance? A fitting name indeed," smiled Reilly.
"I just hope I don't have to go through it again like the city did," said Dex.
“Dex, young man,” he said. “What do you plan to do once your search is over? You said before that this is your life…but what of that life when it comes to an end, when your journey is at an end?”
“I don’t know,” said Dex.
“What did you do in your old life?” asked Reilly.
“I worked here,” said Dex.
“Here?” asked Reilly, slightly surprised.
“Actually, over there,” Dex pointed to a building that seemed to have long been forgotten. “It used to be a school. The kids here used to have a future.”
“So you were a teacher?” said Reilly. “Bringing hope where there was none…until you abandoned them.”
“I didn’t abandon them,” said Dex.
“Then what?” said Reilly.
Without a pause, Dex replied, “They were murdered.”
Reilly was smacked into silence with those words. His mouth went to open, to say something, to say anything, but there were no words.
“Strange that cold blooded murder should silence a cold blooded murderer,” said Dex.
“I have my limits, lad,” he said. “Every one I’ve killed has been bearing a weapon, facing me and had the same chance I had.”
“I didn’t realise murder was such an honourable pursuit,” said Dex.
“Honour has nothing to do with it, everyone deserves the right to a fair fight,” said Reilly.

The sun edged closer to the horizon as Dex stopped in front of the abandoned school. He looked at his feet, adjusting his stance, as if to make sure he was in the perfect spot.
“This is the exact spot I saw her last,” he said.
“Well, I doubt she’s going to just happen to be here,” said Reilly.
“There are crooks all over here,” said Dex. “We may as well ask around, ask one of those people back there who tried to sell us everything above the clouds.”

Dex and Reilly asked up and down the street. They asked every thief they could find about the dolphin ring. Many knew of it, few knew much more than that. Some had heard rumours of the bearer fleeing to far off places. One even told a legend from old Earth that said the ring had to be thrown into the fires of one of Io’s volcanoes. Nothing substantial came from their investigations. Until they heard a voice speak up. It was small, young. It came from the abandoned school.

“Is that you?“ said the voice. “Is that really you?”

Dex’s eyes went wide. A tear swelled. A lump appeared in his throat. His mouth hung open. A girl of about eight stepped out from the shadows within the abandoned building and into the light of day. She had blonde hair that was dirtied and matted. There was no joy in her eyes. There was no smile that should be across every child’s face.
“…J-Julia?” he stuttered.
“You know this young girl?” asked Reilly.
"Yeah…" said Dex. “She’s my daughter.”

A daughter appears!

I like how you've assembled the cast in your second to last chapter (as of the most recent installment); one can now anticipate the clashing of personalities and/or personal objectives.

Mysteries, mysteries, all around! Mia and her box, Aurora's ring - though it seems particularly that every time Dex opens his mouth, there comes some new twist to his character and history. How will that revelation about his school affect him in his quest, I wonder?

I liked the detail about the name of his ship, and how it ties this alien world to earth.

And I must say, I like the dialogue. Though Reilly's use of the word "obliteration " seemed a touch out of place. Though I wouldn't be one to gripe over big words, xD

Julia Fitzroy

Julia took a tentative step towards her father, eyeing him suspiciously, not believing her own eyes. It had to be a trick. He, too, took a tentative step forward, eyeing her with disbelief. It had to be a trick. Julia stopped and stood still, her mind racing with all the forgotten promises and languishing dreams that surrounded her in this place. This man in front of her could not be her father. She summed up all of the courage that she had gathered in all of her eight years, all of the courage that had been built up, torn down and built up again and she poured every ounce of it into her next word.
“Daddy?”
“Julia?”
Julia suddenly broke into a running stride towards her father. Dex knelt down and opened his arms wide. Julia threw her arms around him, she gripped tight. She wrapped her little arms around him, as far as they could reach anyway. She held on to him. She held on to him with everything she had.
“I thought…how did you…how are you alive?” Dex managed.
“I was in hospital…for a long time,” Julia started crying. “When I woke up, you were gone…where did you go, Daddy? Why did you leave me?”
“They told me,” Dex choked up, “Th-they told me…you were dead…”
“Don’t leave me again, Daddy, please,” begged Julia.
“No, I won’t ever, I promise,” cried Dex.

Julia broke off from the embrace, "Do you want to come inside? It's warmer in there."
Dex nodded slowly before Julia walked towards the abandoned school. The older man, her father's friend she presumed, was following as she looked over her shoulder, constantly checking her father was still there. He was there every time she looked, his face pale and stride ginger, but there nonetheless. Julia stood near a set of school desks huddled together to form a larger table. On the floor behind her was a makeshift bed made out of dirtied blankets and pillows that had seen better days. A gun rested besides a teddy bear. She waited as both her father and his friend entered the room.
"Welcome to my home," she said.
Her father looked shaken at the state of her situation.
She curtsied in front of the older man, "My name is Julia Fitzroy, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Her words were slow and considered, her young tongue taking its time to wrap itself around such an unusual phrase.
The older man smiled, "Oh my, such formality from such a sweet girl, I'm honoured to meet you, Julia Fitzroy. My name is Reilly Turner."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Mister Turner," replied Julia.
"You taught this young lady some real manners, Dex, my boy," said Reilly.
"Please, sit," said Julia, "I'll be back in a moment."
"No, Julia, don't go, stay here," pleaded Dex, his voice a strained whisper, desperate to keep her in his sights.
Julia smiled at her father, "Don't worry, Daddy, I'm just going into the kitchen."

Her father and Reilly took a seat as she made her way to a room joined at the back of the classroom. It was a small room with a stove and refrigerator and not much else. She opened the fridge and retrieved some items. Julia walked back into the classroom. She walked up to Dex and Reilly and put three objects on the table. Dex smiled, a tear welling in his eye. Reilly smiled too, but his appeared to be more bemused than anything. The items Julia had brought them were three small cartons of chocolate milk. Dex and Julia opened theirs, before 'clinking' them together.
"Cheers!" they said together.
Dex tossed his back, gulping it. Julia giggled at the sight of chocolate milk running down on her father's chin. In response, she sipped her milk slowly, her pinky finger raised prominently. Dex chuckled at the sight, causing some of his own milk to be forced out of his nose. Reilly opened his too, raising his carton, toasting the mirth in the room. Slowly the laughter died down and the milk cartons were emptied. Her father looked around the room, his eyes resting on the gun that shared a spot with her daughter's teddy bear.
"You shouldn't have that," he said.
"I need it, Daddy," came Julia's instant reply.
"Have you ever used it?" asked Dex.
"Yes," said Julia.
"You won't ever have to use it again, okay?" said her father.
Julia nodded, "I don't want to, not ever."

“Are you looking for Miss?” asked Julia.
“Huh?” said Dex.
“I heard you before, when you were asking everyone outside, you’re looking for a lady with a ring with dolphins on,” said Julia. “Miss had one of those.”
“Miss? Who’s that?” asked Dex.
“She looked after me when you left,” she said. “She tried to start the school again…she always looked sad…but she had a ring with animals on it…she called them dolphins…I learnt about them in class.”
“Where is she?” Dex asked.
“I don’t know,” said Julia. “She left too. Everyone leaves. Some people came to talk to her one day, about a month ago. She didn’t want to go, but they made her go. All she said was she was going some place far away.”

“Which is exactly where you will be going,” came an unfamiliar voice.
Dex, Julia and Reilly turned to see a woman, quite an aged woman, standing in the doorway, wearing a long trench coat, tied tight around her waist, with a gun in her hand. She had cold eyes. A gloved hand held her gun with confidence.
Reilly jumped in shock as he saw who it was, "Dex, take Julia and run."

Here's the latest chapter of Stories From Jupiter. Enjoy!

Samantha Jackson

Samantha Jackson pointed her gun at the two men and the young girl in front of her, she savoured the feeling of her prey caught in her sights. She had been searching for one of these people for quite some time. She did not expect her search would reward her with the opportunity of taking out two other thorns in her side. The little girl was frightened, though she tried everything not to show it as Samantha practically tasted the fear that hung in the silence.
"I'm not running from anyone," she heard one of them say, the one she had been looking for.
"That's right, Mister Dex Fitzroy," said Samantha. "Be brave for your little girl."
Samantha looked at the other man, old but not frail, at least, not in the mind.
"It's a pleasure as always, Mister Reilly Turner," said Samantha.
"Mrs Samantha Turner," replied Reilly.
"Jackson, old friend, it's Jackson now," she replied.
"Do you two know each other?" asked Dex.
"Oh, we do," said Samantha. "In fact, I know you as well, I know all three of you."
"Leave these people alone, Sam," pleaded Reilly.
"Not going to happen," she replied.
Samantha turned her attention to Dex, "I know what it is you seek, Mister Dex Fitzroy. And. I know where she is."
"What? Where? Tell me, tell me now!" said Dex.
Samantha waved a finger, "Uh-uh-uh, I'm not here to give you want you want, I'm here to take what I want. Though perhaps a tasty morsel won't go astray...you've already met her."
Dex appeared to consider those words, seemed to drift into a thought.
"Aurora?" he whispered.
"Don't you remember the old days?" said Reilly. "You used to do what you did for a reason, now it's just about the cash, it's about your cut, it's about you climbing out of the sewer by keeping everyone else down there."
"On the contrary, Reilly, I do partake in a few political sideshows every now and again, don't suppose you've seen the news recently?" she said.
"Wouldn't have anything to do with President Grant's crackdown on your sort would it?" scoffed Reilly.
"No one's going to miss a democratic dictator like her," said Samantha.
"Don't coat it with revolutionary rhetoric like that, Sam, I knew you, and that's not who you are now," Reilly's teeth were starting to grind.

Samantha turned her attention back to Dex, “You should be dead, Mister Dex Fitzroy. “Who are you supposed to be, anyway?” asked Dex.
Reilly turned to Dex, “Dex, this is Samantha Jackson, leader of the Sky Syndicate, the most ruthless and cold blooded organised crime outfit in history.”
“I really should get that on my business card,” smiled Samantha.
"As you may have gathered, she's also my ex-wife," Reilly glared at Samantha. "It...didn't end well."
"He still has the bullet scars," replied Samantha with pride. "But you did always slip through my fingers."


“More importantly, Mister Dex Fitzroy, I am your assassin,” said Samantha. “The last one wasn’t quite up to the task it seems. A sword through the heart just isn’t enough to kill someone these days.”
“I’ve met her too, Daddy,” said Julia as she stood up, her eyes wide with fear, her stance exactly the same as her fathers; bold and brave.
“You have?” said Dex.
Samantha stared at the frightened girl unblinkingly, “Yes, that’s right, I killed all of your schoolyard friends, all of your Daddy’s students. You were the only one who survived. There has to be one left to tell the tale.”
“Why are you doing this?” asked Dex.
“Economics,” she said. “If people have a future, if they start to have hope, our business is very bad. What we offer, the desperate and miserable crave. And while the politicians turn a blind eye and focus on killing their Cabinet, and the rest of the Jovian citizens ignore the poverty in favour of their comfortable lifestyles, and while I can ignore what I do in favour of my own comfortable lifestyle, I will keep doing what I do and continue doing it well.”
"Dammit, Sam!" yelled Reilly. "You used to be against this, you used to fight against it. You used to help the people here. Rob from the rich, give to the poor, doesn't that ring a bell?"
"A tired, outworn cliché, Reilly, my dear," said Samantha. "One that doesn't work in the real world. They just keep wanting more. The more you do for them, the more they won't do it for themselves. In the end, I got sick of it, Reilly, absolutely sick of it. We gave them hope. They didn't appreciate it. It seems it's easier to reach for a gun than to reach for the stars. So I took it away from them, I took it all away."
"How do you look yourself in the mirror?" growled Reilly.
"Are you any different? You've fallen a long way since those days, my friend. The people you killed to free yourself from that Prison Ship would have had families to go home to. What of their hope? Why is your freedom so important that it justifies taking someone's father? Someone's son?"
Reilly gritted his teeth.
"You know the answer," continued Samantha. "Survival. Because, what else is there in this world? Even old timers like us will do whatever we can to breathe for one more pathetic day. Have you ever looked yourself in the mirror, Reilly, and asked yourself if you'll ever be able to redeem yourself?"

Samantha raised her gun and pointed it at Julia. Julia raised her own gun; seemingly, she had retrieved it while Samantha was distracted with Reilly. Dex's eyes widened at the sight. Samantha could see his shock at the confidence in his daughter's grip, the coldness in her eyes.
"Reilly, I'm going to give you a chance to redeem yourself. Shoot Dex in the head and I will spare this little girl's life."
Dex lunged towards Samantha. She fired a shot into his leg and he crumpled to the floor. Samantha maintained her aim on Julia while she fished another weapon out of her pocket. She threw the weapon, a pistol, to Reilly who deftly caught it. Dex clutched at his leg, blood almost bubbling from the wound, a pained groan all that was able to escape his lips. He looked up to see the end of a pistol barrel between his eyes. The slightest of movement in his grip betrayed Reilly's attempt at a calm and collected exterior.
"Don't even think about trying to shoot me, Reilly, you're not fast enough," warned Samantha. "You still have the scars from last time."
Reilly look down at Dex. Dex's eyes begged for the bullet, begged for his daughter's life to be spared. Julia kept her aim on Samantha, kept her eyes locked on her target. Reilly's finger stroked the trigger, he began to squeeze. Dex took a deep breath. He closed his eyes.

BANG BANG.

Dex opened his eyes to see Reilly on the ground. Dead. Reilly had dropped the gun in front of Dex and leapt between Samantha and Julia. Samantha had fired. Julia had fired. Both had hit Reilly. Dex scrambled over to his daughter and held Julia tight, putting a hand over her eyes. He covered his mouth in shock with his free hand. Reilly’s lifeless body dribbled blood from the wounds in his chest and back. His eyes were open. His eyes stared into infinity. His eyes were dead.
“Reilly...you...Is that what you’re going to do to me?” said Dex. “Shoot me? Shoot my daughter?”
“Oh no, Dex,” she said. “No, no, no, upon further consideration, shooting is just too uneventful. I have something else in mind for you. Ever been skydiving?”

Here's yet another instalment of Stories From Jupiter. We're rapidly approaching the thrilling conclusion!

Aurora May and Mia Carina

Aurora and Mia wound their way through a more upmarket part of this stretch of civilisation. Aurora twirled her ring around her finger as Mia looked at her surroundings in disbelief. They really were in a much more upmarket part of town. Green gardens with gurgling water fountains dotted the landscape amid the shining towers of glass. Not one blade of grass encroached on to the provided footpaths and not one person encroached on the grass either. Certainly it would seem that if you were to take your shoes off and enjoy the sensation of grass between your toes, you would receive a severe frowning from these well-to-do citizens. Aurora frowned as she walked by a phalanx of TV screens behind a shop window, all showing the latest update on the President Grant situation.
“You know your way around?” asked Mia.
Aurora nodded, “He used to live here.”
“Had to sneak in his window?” smiled Mia. “Young love. So impulsive. One day you’ll fall in love for real. Not just get caught up in your hormones.”
“I feel what I feel,” said Aurora, not breaking her stride, “I can’t make a comparative judgement on what I may or may not feel in the future. I love him. I love him now. I will love him tomorrow. I know I love him. Just because I’m young doesn’t mean I don’t know what it is I feel.”
“No need to lecture me with philosophy,” said Mia. “I barely managed to stay awake in school learning about Jim Davis and Bill Watterson.”
“I never went to school,” said Aurora. “I studied with whatever I could find, not because I was made to go but because I wanted to learn.”
“How did you two hook up any way?” asked Mia.
“His mother is a somewhat…important person in the political fold,” said Aurora. “She toured the backwater islands, promising everything to everyone on one of her hollow jaunts designed for these people who live here, who live in the glass, to see her on TV, to make them feel less guilty about their own indulgence if they voted for her.”
“And you bumped into her son?” said Mia. “And ‘bumped into him’ quite a few more times, if being a teenager is anything like it was when I was that age.”
“We certainly did not,” said Aurora, in her sternest voice, which still came off as soft and timid.
“Wedding night get interrupted?” smirked Mia.
Aurora hesitated, “You could say that…we’re almost there.”
"How'd you get back and forth between here and Ruffin anyway? You don't have a ship," said Mia.
"I stowed away on other people's ships...and...I may have borrowed some transport from time to time," said Aurora. "You don't spend three years in jail for nothing."
"A jailbird to boot?" said Mia, a little surprised such a revelation came from such a timid thing. "I can see why ol' Mum wasn't impressed with you."
They turned a corner and Aurora made a line straight for a most curious place. Mia looked around in confusion as they both entered through a pair of open but intimidating gates, the imposing glass towers seemed to have taken a respectful step back from this particular place.
“But this is…” Mia trailed off.
Finally, Aurora stopped in front of a rather immaculate object. Its surface was as sleek as glass and as dark as night. Words were etched into the object in an elaborate gold font. Flowers surrounded it. It was a headstone. They were in a cemetery. Mia stood still as Aurora fell to her knees. She ran her hand down the cold cement.
“I love you,” she said.
Mia did not know what to do. She stood awkwardly a few metres back.
Aurora spoke, not taking her eyes away from the grave, “He was in hospital, the one on Ruffin, they couldn't put him in one on Equa, they wanted to hide him where I couldn't be seen by the voting public...he didn’t have much time left, so we got married…not officially, I guess, but we made vows and gave each other a ring…official enough to us…he died that night. I held his hand as he died. His family didn’t want me at the funeral, didn’t want anything to do with me, afraid it would be politically embarrassing…huh, then his Mum goes and kills the Cabinet. They left me on that island with the hospital. Just left me there. I didn't know where to go. I just lived in the hospital corridors for a few days. I needed to come here. I couldn't think clearly. I was in a daze. I just needed to get here. Then you came along.”
Mia knelt next to Aurora and put her arm around her. She stroked her shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” said Mia. “It would be an understatement to say that it sucks when you lose someone close to you.”
“Have you lost someone close?” asked Aurora.
Mia nodded, “Many times.”

Footsteps crunched on the gravel path behind the two women. Mia turned to see a face she had seen on thousands of TV screens and on hundreds of newspapers.
“Madame President?” she spluttered in confusion.
Aurora did not turn around, “What do you want?”
“Your help,” replied President Piper Grant.
“You really think you’re going to get it?” said Aurora.
“I can give you anything in the world,” said President Grant.
“I want Bori back,” said Aurora.
“So do I,” replied President Grant. “I need your help. I need your ship. I have to get to a broadcast station, I can’t go to the police and I can’t use any other ship because they’ll turn me in for the reward straight away. I know who set me up. I know who framed me.”
“Why should I care?” said Aurora. “You’re a horrible woman. You didn’t even want me at my husband’s funeral. Your son’s grave is the first place they’ve probably bugged. They’re probably about to arrest you right now and I hope you rot in the asteroid mines for the rest of your very short life.”
President Grant stiffened at that, a scowl came across her face, "I just want to be free. Free of these charges and free of this stinking world, don't you get it?"
"I get it," said Aurora. "You tried to climb out of this world and into a place where you had power, a place where you could ignore the misery around you, a place where you didn't have to see the consequences of your actions. You don't like what you've seen in your life on the run, the way people think of you, you don't like feeling helpless and powerless. You don't like the fact that in this world not even the supreme authority of the largest civilisation in human history has any power. When the only power people rely on is the one that will let them breathe another day, they rarely ever turn to a politician. I don't know if you were framed or not, I don't care, I like that you've discovered you are a mere husk of who you thought you were."

President Grant stiffened at that. She grabbed the back of Aurora’s head and slammed it into her son’s headstone. Aurora screamed as her head made contact.
“You will help me,” seethed President Grant, grabbing hold of Aurora’s hair and pulling hard. "I order you to!"
But Mia was already in action. She delivered a swift kick to the President’s arm, breaking the hold on Aurora. Next Mia grabbed the President’s head and pulled it downward into the path of an incoming knee. Crunch! The President toppled backwards, blood trickling from her nose. As Mia was about to haul Aurora to her feet, the President let out a sweeping kick and knocked Mia’s feet out from under her. Mia landed on her back and immediately did a backwards roll and stood to her feet. The President had already leapt to her feet. She let out a volley of punches. Mia defended and deflected the attacks. She created an opening and zoomed a fist into the President’s throat. The President coughed and spluttered. Mia took Aurora’s hand and they immediately began running for the ship. Something beeped in Mia’s pocket. She pulled it out as her legs carried her as fast as possible. It was a comms device that Dex had given her just in case anything happened. She accepted the incoming transmission. It was full of static but it was Dex’s voice on the other end.
“Help…zzzz….to the ship…zzz…I’m at…zzz…cking port 42-C…illed Reilly…zzz…oh Go…zzz…not like this…zzz,” the transmission stopped abruptly, then, it started again, this time, a different, female voice, free of static, “I’m afraid Mister Dex Fitzroy is temporarily unavailable, if you’d like to leave a name and number I’m sure he’ll find you in the next life.”

We get ever closer to the conclusion.

Dex Fitzroy and Julia Fitzroy

Dex sat slumped against the wall of Docking Port 42-C, a bullet wound in each of his legs. He could not move and his sword had been thrown out of reach, utterly helpless as the scene unfolded before his terrified eyes. Samantha Jackson was fitting a child-size spacesuit on to a rather uncooperative Julia Fitzroy.
“Leave me alone!” she screamed. “Get this off me! What are you doing?”
Samantha straightened the helmet and knelt down. She looked through the visor into Julia’s eyes.
“Miss Julia Fitzroy, I am going to kill you,” she nodded to Dex. “And I’m going to make your Daddy watch.”
“Why?” Julia began crying.
“Because business is very bad when people have hope,” she said. “You see, I sell all kinds of things to people. Maybe you’re too young to understand, but then again, a lot of people your age understand first hand what I’m talking about. Your Daddy has to understand that this is what happens if he ever tries to give people a future that doesn’t involve me.”
Julia tried to punch Samantha but her attack was easily caught. Samantha turned to Dex who was groaning in pain as tears streamed down his face.
“Losing her the first time must’ve been tough, huh?” said Samantha. “The second time is going to be utterly unbearable.”
Samantha stood up and opened the air lock. There was no ship at this docking port. She pushed Julia into the small chamber. It sealed shut. Dex desperately looked for a way to save her but there was nothing he could do.
“I’m sorry, I'm sorry,” he said in between fits of tears.
Samantha’s hand hovered over the manual controls, ready to open the outer door. She looked into Julia’s eyes.
“Well...goodbye,” she pushed the controls.
The outer door opened. The air rushed out into Jupiter. Julia was sucked out with it. Her arms and legs flailed helplessly as she tumbled through the air, gaining speed and disappearing out of view. Dex screamed. It came from deep within, it was primal, it was frightening. It was the sound of the world being torn from Dex’s arms. It was the sound of all hope being lost.

Mia Carina and Aurora May

Mia jumped in the pilot seat of the Darwin. She punched the controls with confidence and urgency. She knew her way around a control centre it seemed. Aurora sat in the centre seat, she did not press any controls, nor did she know what to press if she had to, but she felt that the situation meant sitting on the lounge would be a bit inappropriate. The ship broke off from its dock. Mia did not waste time with procedure, she literally ripped the ship from the city, chunks of the docking port crumbling as she did so. She opened up the ship’s engines to full throttle. It was a mere matter of seconds before they were about to come upon Docking Port 42-C. Mia pointed out the front window.
“What’s that?!” she screamed.
A figure. A tiny figure in a spacesuit. Tumbling through the air. Tumbling straight down. Mia immediately sent the ship into a steep dive, its nose pointed to the clouds below. Its bow pierced the air, slicing its way downward. Mia silently urged more from the engines. The ship sped towards the clouds. The angle of the dive brought the ship under the spacesuited stranger. Mia kept the ship rocketing downwards as she brought the ship level. She looked at various readouts on the controls in front of her.
“Nearly there…” she said.
The ship matched speed with the tiny and helpless person above them. Mia eased the ship upwards.
“Aurora, go!” she shouted.
Aurora nodded before heading in to the ship’s hallway, heading for the dorsal hatch. Mia hit a button on the panel in front of her and closed the control centre door, sealing it shut. Aurora put on a spacesuit as quickly as possible, which was still an agonizing minute. She quickly glanced down at her ring before she put the spacesuit's gloves on. It was a boring and bland ring. A band of the cheapest gold Bori could find. He hadn't wanted to use his mother's resources to find something with more aristocratic allusions, he wanted to give her something from himself. No markings, no decorations, no inscriptions, no nothing, but it was the most beautiful ring Aurora could have ever hoped for. It gave her strength and she was going to need all of it for what she was about to do.

The ship and the person zoomed through the atmosphere.
“Jesus,” said Mia as she looked at the atmospheric pressure. “C’mon Aurora.”
Aurora climbed a ladder giving access to the dorsal hatch. She opened the hatch. KASHOOM! The air in the hall blasted out of the small opening. Aurora held tight on to the hatch’s handle as she too was blasted out of the ship. Her legs flailed upwards as she could feel the air constricting her spacesuit. She looked around and saw the tiny figure tumbling helplessly just out of reach above her own legs. It was a child. A chill ran down her spine as the urban legends flashed through her mind
“****,” she looked around for an option.
Nothing.
She futilely tried to grab the child with her free hand but she was out of reach. Her legs weren’t long enough to grab a hold either. The ship began to slow a little more. The child came closer. The ship slowed a little bit more. The child came even closer. Still out of reach. If they continued much longer they would both be crushed to death. Aurora made a decision. She breathed a deep breath and prayed a silent prayer. She pushed herself away upward, away from the hatch, and let go. She flew away from the ship. But she was in reach of the child now. She grabbed the child and threw the young victim down towards the ship’s hatch. The child caught the hatch and climbed inside. She looked up at her rescuer, waiting for her to arrive before closing the hatch. It was getting dangerously close to lethal conditions. Air needed to be pumped into that hallway as soon as possible to save the child. Aurora knew that. She could feel her lungs being squeezed tight. The ship slowed more, a tad more dramatic than last time. Mia was desperate to get Aurora inside, having been nervously watching the readouts in the control centre. It was a panicked move. The ship came too fast. Aurora hit the hull hard, bounced off at an angle over the hatch. She extended a hand. She grabbed the hatch. She could climb inside. She didn’t. She threw it shut. The automatic systems immediately injected human-safe atmosphere into the hallway. Aurora tumbled away. She could hardly breathe. She looked down at the clouds.
“I wonder what’s down there anyway,” she said to herself.
Her ribs broke. Her lungs ceased working. Every inch of her body was under intense pressure. Her eyes stayed open as the life was crushed out of her. Her body went limp. She was dead.

Here's the final part of Stories From Jupiter.

Dex Fitzroy and Mia Carina

Dex tried to breathe. No, he didn't want to breathe. He wanted throw himself out of the airlock that his daughter had just been torn from. The bullet wounds in his leg prevented him. Samantha stood with a disturbing sense of pride, a smile on her face.
"Unbearable, Dex," said Samantha. "Just unbearable...well, I can't stay and chat, I hear there's a President with a very large reward on her head running around these parts. If you somehow manage to survive your injuries, please don't return to your old tricks. Please remember that in this world, I have everything and I take everything."
Samantha casually walked away, exiting the docking port. Dex sat by himself, his wounds causing him to grow wearier by the second, blood staining his clothes.
"Didn't take everything..." Dex stared vacantly into nowhere.
A familiar ship zoomed straight down outside the clear airlock.
Dex smiled, "Didn't take everything..."
As the minutes wore on, Dex's eyes grew heavier and heavier. He could feel his life drifting away with every breath. He fixed his gaze on the airlock door. His eyelids tried to force their way down. Dex wouldn't let them. He kept his gaze fixed on the airlock door. The world started to blur. A distinct shape, blurry as it was, rose into view. It attached to the airlock door. He ordered his eyes to focus. The Darwin. The side hatch opened. Standing in the doorway, clad in a spacesuit, was a child sized figure. Julia. She came sprinting out, quickly overcoming the obstacle of the airlock. She ran straight to her father. Dex opened his arms. Julia crashed into them. They held each other tight. Dex's embrace was growing weaker as the seconds went by. Mia stepped out of the airlock and walked over to father and daughter and sat beside them. Dex struggled to speak.
"I never...n-never got to find her..." said Dex. "S-she...girl with the Dolphin Ring...I needed t-to...thank her...d-d-do you think she knows...what it meant to me...?"
A tear slipped from Mia's eye, she leant in and placed a kiss on Dex's forehead. His eyelids could no longer stay up, they could no longer put up a fight. Dex's chest rose and fell, rose and fell, then no longer rose. His body went limp.
"She knew, Dex, she knew."
Julia lifted her head to look at her rescuer. She was quite puzzled to see who it was.
"Miss?"

***

Mia stood in her room aboard The Darwin. The bed that had once been used by Aurora May was now covered in soft toys and pink blankets. Tucked snugly under those blankets was Julia.

Mia picked up the plain, brown cardboard box from off the shelf.

She opened it to reveal a ring with an intricate design. The design featured aquatic mammals from Ancient Earth. Dolphins.

"She knew, Dex."

Mia Carina

One Year Ago

Mia Carina walked down one of the many streets of the Kanno District in one of the more seedier parts of Equa. She ignored the unwanted commercial and sexual advances from those around her and kept on her way She noticed a man wearing a long trench-coat ahead of her. She got nearer. He didn't notice her in the slightest. She felt queasy. She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to be doing this. She sucked in a gutful of air as she came even closer. As quick as lightning, she drew a sword she was carrying and drove it into the man's back, piercing his heart. She was quick, it was silent and no one looked twice as she caught him and gently lowered him to the ground. Most would have surmised that the man was merely feeling the effects of whatever he had bought in the area. Mia went to leave but something in her mind made her stop. She looked at the man, drawing his last breath. She looked at the ring on her finger, a trinket to reward a job well done on the previous hit. Is this what life was worth in this world?

She knelt down next to the man and placed her hand in his. For a moment, the most defining of moments, she pretended that life mattered to someone on this cloud of gas spinning in the coldness of space. Mia gently let go as the warmth slipped from his hand. She used a mobile telephone to alert paramedics before slipping away into the uncaring crowd; another pathetic story from Jupiter ended so her own could avoid sinking beneath the clouds.

The End