Read The Curse of Europa for Free Online Page A

have located our drilling location and are en-route back to base for the night, ETA 5 minutes.”
     
When they pull to where Eagle-2 is perched, they see that Hicks and Fedoseev are already back, as their rover is parked out front, with the solar panels extended to recharge the batteries. Turk pulls their rover beside the other and also extends their solar panels, so it will have a good charge for the next day. They climb into the air-lock chamber, close the hatch and wait for 90 seconds for the pressure to equalize to the interior cabin.
     
     

Chapter 6: Relationship?

     
A fter Turk and Juliana change out of their bio-suits, they are required to do a workout. Even though they had been outside moving around for nearly seven hours, the light gravity doesn’t work their muscles enough. After their required workout time, they are talking in the sleeping cabin, where they finally have a little privacy; if they keep their voices low.
“Wow, that was mind boggling today, surreal, I really don’t know how to describe it,” Juliana says in a soft voice, looking at Turk with a smile; a look of complete satisfaction on her face that is still flushed from the workout.
Turk returns her stare with a smile of his own and responds, “Yeah, that was great! Better than I expected really. The way she whipped around with all the tires spinning… ah that was fun!”
Juliana cocks her head sideways looking at Turk, “I’m not talking about your stupid doughnut on the rover!” Then she gently smacks him on his chest with the back of her hand.
“You’re not?” Turk sarcastically replies in a long drawn out fashion, and smiles. “Oh… that was classic though!”
Juliana just giggles and shakes her head. Then she sits down with a plop, on a built-in bench connected to the wall and continues, “I’m talking about just being out there, on Europa, on the surface of a moon orbiting Jupiter. All the ice, the ice mountains glimmering in the glow of the Sun and of Jupiter. Seeing the long reflection of Jupiter on the ice during our trip back home, back here.” She leans back and crosses her legs, wondering what smartass response he is going to come back with next.
“Yes, yes,” Turk says being more serious now and sits down beside her, “it was awesome, wasn’t it?”
Juliana grabs Turk’s hand, pleased that he is being more serious now. “Do you know what the best part was Patrick? And DON’T say the doughnut!”
Turks smiles big at that, but refrains from making a follow-up joke and just places his other hand on-top of hers and asks, “What?”
She locks her eyes to his and says, “The way you took my hand when we were walking to the payload pods. Although I longed for our hands to be flesh to flesh, like they are now, it was very sweet and very romantic. We’ve never taken a walk outside before, and for our first real walk outside to be on Europa, was very special.”
“I was thinking the same thing actually!” Turk responds then continues with much inflection in his voice, “I was thinking… how many guys can say they’ve taken their girl for a walk on a moon? Nobody! Forget Paris, we’ll always have Europa! ”
Juliana giggles at that and then says, “Yeah, well you just better not take off without me though!”
“I’d Never!” he retorts, snapping his head back as if surprised she’d even suggest such a thing. “I’ve never seen that old movie but actually… I think it is the girl that leaves the guy behind anyhow.”
“Well, jeez, I don’t plan on doing that,” Juliana says along with a squeeze of his hand. “As special as our little moon walk was today, I still long for the day where we can take a moonlight stroll back on Earth.”
Turk smiles as he pictures that scene and describes it to Juliana. “Yes, me too. I can picture it right now. You and me walking hand-in-hand back on the old Jersey Shore Boardwalk near my home. After a nice dinner at Martells’, they have the best shrimp around , we