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He ran his hand
through his hair, and looked in the mirror. A few streaks of gray threaded
their way through his hairline. The man quietly studied the lines in his
face. He sighed heavily. This was
insane. No. This was
more than
insane. And yet, there was
a part of him who was truly excited about this trip. The part that craved
danger and excitement. The man gazed at his grayish-blue eyes. He nodded
slowly. Yeppers. You are
definitely a certified lunatic. Storm chasing was exciting. Lance lived for the
chase. It was in his bones.
It was something that he had been doing for over twenty years. He recalled one
spring three years ago in the
U.S. heartlands , where there had been a massive outbreak of nearly 250
tornadoes-a once in a 300-year event. Two of them had ripped through
Topeka, Kansas. Everything had been leveled. These storms were of a
ferocity that he had never seen before. Their winds were in excess of 350
miles an hour. Over a hundred dead. The shattered homes...the pulverized
flesh... They told tales of the devastating power of
nature. He remembered
the boiling mammatus
clouds, glowing an eerie
green color, lit from within by almost continuous lightning. Monstrous
green-white bolts that split open the skies. Deafening thunder that
threatened to rip out his eardrums. And the unearthly
roar of death. Death, in the form
of two massive black funnels, each over a mile wide. They were three
miles apart, but each packed savage winds. Winds that would rip asunder
metal, flesh, concrete-anything in their path. The visions of
death still shook Lance Dershan to this day. He always had a tremendous
respect for these storms, but the Topeka disaster brought home to him
fully the ultimate price people had to pay sometimes when confronted with
nature. The experience was burned into his soul
forever. And yet, Lance
continued chasing. The fear was still there. The horror of the Topeka
experience was always lurking in the background. But the thrill of the
chase-the thrill of staring Nature's dark side in the eye-kept bringing
him
back. Now however, Lance
Dershan was raising the stakes to a whole other level. A whole new level
of fear-and insanity. He was heading to
the planet Jupiter. A massive gas
giant-the largest planet in the solar system. Winds howling in excess of 500
miles an hour. A planet that was surrounded by a deadly radiation belt one
thousand times stronger than what was needed to kill a human being. A poisonous atmosphere of
hydrogen, helium, methane, and ammonia. And massive
thunderstorm systems that would dwarf continents the size of Africa many
times over. Yep. Lance Dershan
was going to capture images of some of these
thunderstorms. A very tiny handful
had attempted the journey, for obvious reasons. Even in the year 2812,
when man had basically visited every planet in the solar system, the
danger was great, and the price of ignorance sky-high. On one mission, a small meteor had struck a ship while it was passing
through Jupiter's radiation belt, en route to the planet. The special
metal shielding had been compromised, and the occupants of the ship were
killed instantly by Jupiter's deadly radiation. Another ship had gotten
too close to a Jovian thundercloud. Out of the blue, a lightning bolt tore
out of the cloud and struck the ship. Severely damaged, the ship spiraled
down into the inferno below, never to be seen again. Yeah...that
inferno. Lance knew that the
inferno below the clouds was what was driving the massive weather systems.
No unmanned probe could penetrate those depths yet, and was not likely do
so for at least another millennia. Aside from the crushing atmospheric
pressure and intense heat, there was the boiling , global ocean of liquid
hydrogen to contend with. Atmospheric pressures at the surface of this
ocean were 90,000 times that of sea level on Earth. Jupiter had been
marked off-limits by nature. But man, in his arrogance, decided to bypass
the warnings, and take his chances. Oh yeah. Lance
was most certainly
insane. He turned from the
mirror and walked over to the window. Lance gazed out at the metropolis
below and beyond him. Giant towers reached towards the salmon sky. A
great transparent dome
extended itself over the metropolis, sunlight shining through it and
bathing the city with light. He and his wife
Vicky were on Mars to meet with Matt Ivkantos. They had arrived yesterday
from Earth, and were currently staying at the Mergus Hotel in Sagan City.
Matt Ivkantos was the head of the Galileo Research Base on Jupiter's
largest moon, Callisto. Lance and his wife would be accompanied by fellow
meteorologists Baris West and Jose Quintero. Baris and Jose were seasoned
storm chasers. Together, the four scientists had chased many twisters on Earth. Baris and
Jose only recently had gotten involved in the field of
exo-meteorology. This would
be the first experience for Lance and Vicky, in terms of getting involved with an
extra-terrestrial climate. Weather on Earth was definitely something to
behold. But there were other worlds. Other types of weather that boggled
the mind. Venus, shrouded in
sulfuric acid clouds and massive thunderstorms. Jupiter and its Great Red
Spot, a monster hurricane large enough to swallow three planets the size
of the earth. Neptune, with ferocious winds of over fifteen hundred miles
per hour. Other worlds. Other
realms. Realms that were
forbidden to humans. But what did that matter? It's what humans did. Humans continually
challenged Nature. Sometimes succeeding, sometimes not-and failure often
came at the cost of their lives. But that didn't deter man from trying to
conquer new realms. Lance smirked
slightly at this as he gazed
beyond the protective dome surrounding Sagan City. In the distance, off to
his left rose the monstrous Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar
system. Thin, wispy ice clouds surrounded the top of the
volcano. Sagan City was named after the ancient
astronomer, Carl Sagan. It
had been constructed over two hundred years ago, and had a population of
several hundred thousand. However, the red planet was still largely
unpopulated. Terra-forming
had begun four hundred years ago, but it was a slow, tedious process, and
not without its share of problems-the biggest of all being the expense.
But with earth's population
at 11 billion people, new areas of habitation had to be found. It
was time for man to look beyond his earthly
boundaries. Lance thought about
the impending trip to Jupiter. It was something he did not take lightly.
Not even for a second. He was going to a place that was in reality part
planet, part sun. The outer shell of Jupiter, for all intensive purposes,
seemed like that of a planet. From the pictures that Lance had seen via
unmanned probes, it had a brilliant blue sky. The clouds themselves varied
from thin ammonia cirrus clouds to massive magenta cumulonimbus, the
towering anvils stabbing deep into the sapphire void. If it weren't for
the odd color of the clouds, Lance would have thought he was on Earth. But
the fact was that there was no solid surface underneath this ocean of
clouds, for at least thousands of miles. The atmosphere would just grow
denser and hotter, merging into the hellish global ocean of liquid
hydrogen that made up most of Jupiter's mass. In that sense, it was like
the Sun. Jupiter was still
cooling off slowly from its formation five billion years ago. The planet
was giving off more heat than it was getting from the Sun. Hence, the
weather on Jupiter was driven primarily by the heat radiating from the
planet's interior. Lance heard a door
open behind him. He turned around. A stunning brunette stepped into the
room, wearing blue jeans and
light green sweater. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail. She walked
over to him. "Hey." "Freshened up,
Vicky?" "Yep." Lance turned back
towards the window, gazing out of it. The brunette put an arm around
him. She gazed at his distant, thoughtful expression. Her ice-blue eyes
narrowed slightly. "What's on your
mind?" "The
trip." He looked at his
wife. "I'm wondering if
we're biting off more than we can chew here." She gazed at him
quizzically. "Second
thoughts?" Lane sighed. He
shook his head. "Second
thoughts....well, no, not really.
It's just that the reality of what the four of us are going to face
is sinking in. I don't plan on backpedaling here about this trip,
but..." He rolled his eyes
and sighed. "I was just
thinking again about the scope of Jupiter, and its storms. And the fact
that Jupiter really is, when
you think about it, a wierd hybrid of planet and
star." Vicky smirked
knowingly. "Kind of a sobering
thought." She rubbed her
husband's back. Lance turned towards her. "What time are we
meeting Baris and Jose again? 11:30, right?" "Yeah." Lance
nodded. "Hmmmm...the four
of us have a lot to talk about. The appointment with Matt Ivkantos is
tomorrow morning." Lance stretched and
yawned. He walked over to a nearby table, sitting down next to it. A large
bottle of orange juice and two glasses sat on it. Lance opened the bottle
and poured the contents into one glass. Vicky walked over to the table and
sat down across from her husband. She smirked and shook her
head. "I still can't get
over the shots Baris and Jose
took on Venus. Those thunderstorms were
massive." "Tell me about it.
They actually flew into a rainstorm. Their ship was being pelted with
sulfuric acid rain. Wicked stuff." Vicky
nodded. "I can't wait to
talk to them about
that." More silence. Vicky
grasped the bottle of orange juice and poured its contents into the other
glass. Lance raised an
eyebrow. "You know, this
Matt Ivkantos really put
us all through the ringer." Vicky frowned. She
shook her head. "You're not
kidding. But considering what we're up against, I don't blame him. He
runs the Galileo Research
Base on Callisto . He's involved in every phase of exploring the Jovian
system. It's no wonder he looked over our credentials with a fine-toothed
comb." Vicky paused, and
chuckled slightly. "Although, it
almost seemed like he didn't give a damn about our
credentials." Lance
sighed. "That whole Jace
Koralis thing has him spooked, from what I
understand." He took a pull from
the glass of juice, licking his lips. Vicky looked out the window, gazing
at the skyscrapers across from them. "I read that
dossier on Koralis." she said. "Incredibly talented scientist, storm
chaser. Cautious to the point of paranoia. Not many folks were as
qualified as he was..." "And a blast of
lightning from a Jovian thunderhead sent him and his five companions down
into the inferno." finished Lance. "The data being transferred to the
Galileo Research Base from
his ship said that the storm responsible was at least 75 miles away." Vicky turned to
Lance, raising an eyebrow. "The thunderhead
was one thousand miles in diameter. A blast of lightning just shot out of the cloud and hit
his ship." Lance lowered his
head, shaking it. "I just can't get
over that." "Well, that's
Jupiter for you. Everything on a massive scale." Lance sat back. A
small smile crossed his face. "But you've gotta
admit, it must be an incredible trip. Jesus, I saw some of the photos
taken by Ivkantos on some of his trips there. Those unmanned probes too...my
God...If it wasn't because of the fact that some of these clouds were red,
brown and magenta, you'd think you were on earth. Brilliant blue sky, and
a horizon that stretches out for hundreds of miles, still staying straight
and level." "What about the
Great Red Spot??" Lance looked at his
wife, shaking his head in amazement. "I know. I saw the
footage that unmanned probe took." "My favorite was
this giant lightning bolt that shot out under the craft. Right out of the
edge of the spot. The bolt was measured at 10,000 times more powerful than
a terrestrial bolt, and was over 200 miles in
length." Lance sat back,
shaking his head. "We are
definitely
nuts." "Yep, lover. We
are." Lance took a long
pull from his glass of juice. He gazed at his wrist
watch. "We've still got
about an hour yet before we see Baris and Jose. Let's take a quick trip
into town to pick up some odds and ends." Vicky finished her
drink. She rose to her feet. "Sounds good to me.
I'd like to see about picking up one or two shirts. Nothing major. We're
leaving now?" "Yup. Let me get my
key and wallet." Lance finished the
rest of his juice and set the glass down. He picked up a brown wallet and
jet-black key that lay nearby. He rose to his feet, putting them in his
pocket. Vicky grasped a pocket book that lay in a near-by chair. She slung
it over her shoulder, turning to her husband. "Ready when you
are." "Let's
go." Lance walked over
to the door and pressed a button behind it. They left the hotel room, the
door closing behind them. The electric bus
pulled over to the curb, in front of the massive Mergus Hotel. The door
opened. Lance and Vicky stepped out of it. The doors closed, and the bus
drove off. Vicky gazed at her watch. "Five to
eleven." "At the lobby
restaurant, right Vick?" "Yeah." The pair walked up
the winding cement pathway to the entrance of the hotel. They entered the
lobby, walking past small groups of people, and turned to their left. A
large restaurant stood before them. They entered it. Lance looked
around. "Hmmm...don't see
them-" "Lance!
Vicky!" They turned around.
Two men approached them. One was tall and blonde, wearing a blue shirt and
jeans. The other man was smaller, dark skinned, with short, curly hair. He
wore a pink shirt with blue tie and black pants. The two men smiled
warmly. Vicky ran up to the
pair, hugging the blond-haired man. "Baris!! God, it's
been ages!" Baris kissed Vicky
on the cheek. "You're not
kidding!" Lance walked up to
the three. He shook hands with both men. "Hey guys. Glad you
could make it." "Glad to be here."
said Jose. Vicky hugged
Jose. "Hey there. Long
time no see." Jose pulled back
and smiled. "Yup." "Let's go eat."
said Lance. The four friends
entered the restaurant. They walked over to a large table, and sat down. A
waitress came over to the table, bringing over four menus. She smiled
warmly. "Hi, how're you
doing?" she said sweetly. Baris
smiled. "We're fine,
thanks." The waitress handed
out the menus to the four. "Just let me know
when you're ready. I'll be right back." Vicky
nodded. "Thanks." Lance gazed at his menu for a moment. He
looked up at the two men. "So-you guys got in
late last night, eh? Eleven thirty, twelve?" Jose
frowned. "Yeah. Flight
problems. They were having trouble with one spacecraft, so we wound up on
another one. Nice flight from Earth, though. Sorry to wake you guys
up." Vicky dismissed the
comment with a wave of her hand. "Nah. Don't even
think about it. You were supposed to ring us,
remember?" Jose smiled
ruefully. "Yeah, that's
true." He turned to
Baris. "What're you
getting?" "Uhhhhh-let's see.
Tuna on rye with grapefruit juice sounds about
right." Jose grimaced
slightly. "Grapefruit juice??
Nah. Think I'll settle for a chocolate malt, with a turkey
sandwich." "Whatever rocks
your boat." Lance looked up
from his menu. "So. You guys
looking forward to going to Jupiter?" Baris and Jose
looked at each other. Baris turned to Lance and took a deep
breath. "Yep! Should be fun
getting tossed around by those winds. I could do with out the methane and
ammonia, though." Jose raised an
eyebrow. "This is going to
make our trip to Venus seem like child's play. Venus was no picnic, but we
at least weren't dealing with continent-sized storms. So, yeah-I'm a
little nervous." "I think we all
are." said Vicky. "This is no run-of-the-mill trip." Jose pointed a fork
at Lance. "Man, if it wasn't
because of your track record, I don't know if we could've pulled this off.
That Matt Ivkantos is a tough nut to crack. Do you know how many
scientists have tried to get access to the Callisto Research Base to do
what we plan to do?" "It didn't hurt
that Jack Feldon's a mutual friend." said Lance. "Yeah, but you and
I know that doesn't necessarily mean a thing. Ivkantos is
extremely picky on who
he takes on these trips. Jack Feldon may be a very popular astronomer and
Ivkantos's friend, but it took a lot more than even that to sway
Ivkantos." Lance turned to
Vicky. "You ready to
order?" Vicky nodded.
"Yeah." "What about you
two?" Both men nodded.
Lance raised a hand. "Waitress?" he
called out. The brunette came
over to the table. "You're ready
now?" Lance
nodded. "Yeah. I'll have a
burger with fries, and a coca-cola." The waitress jotted
it down. She looked up at Vicky. "Miss?" "New England clam
chowder soup. Can I have a butter on a roll with
that?" "Yes." "I'd also like an
ice tea." "Right." She wrote down the
information. The woman turned to Baris. "Sir?" "Tuna on rye with a
grapefruit juice." "And I'll have a
turkey sandwich with a chocolate malt." said Jose. The woman scribbled
down the information furiously. "Ooooooookaaaaay...turkey
sandwich...chocolate malt. Got it." The four passed
their menus to where the waitress was. She took them, and
smiled. "Thanks." She turned and
left. Vicky looked at Baris and Jose. "Guys, I can't get
over those pictures you took on Venus. They blew my mind
away!!" "Maxwell Gonzalez
did us a big favor."
said Baris. "We wouldn't have gotten
to Venus without his
help." "Thanks for
allowing me to email some of the Venus footage to Ivkantos, by the way."
said Lance. Jose
nodded. "No problem. It
probably was one of the reasons we got the green
light." Vicky shook her
head. "The Gonzalez
family has some talented people in it. Maxwell's research is on Venus, and
his brother Xavier's doing research with Neptune." "How's Xavier
coming along with his experiments?" asked Lance. "Ummm-according to
Maxwell, pretty well." answered Baris. "Xavier's research station is
orbiting Neptune. He's just about finished with the prototype that will
allow him to become the first human to fly in Neptune's
atmosphere." "Damn...that sounds
suicidal." answered Lance in disbelief. "And I thought
we were
nuts." Jose pointed his
finger at Lance. "If there's anyone
who can accomplish this, it's Xavier. He's got the know-how. He's
always
prepared." Lance smiled
mischeviously. "Hey-at least I
won't be facing fifteen hundred mile per hour
winds." Vicky turned
towards her husband, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, like what
we're facing isn't
dangerous? A radiation belt a thousand times stronger than what's needed
to kill a human, poisonous atmosphere, hurricane-force
winds-" Lance immediately
raised his hands and laughed. "Okay,
okay. I'm joking." Vicky
smirked. "Ha-ha." "So-I take it you
spoke to Ivkantos?" asked Baris. Lance
nodded. "Yeah, I did. Over
the phone. We're scheduled to meet with him tomorrow at 0900. There's a
small conference room on the fifteenth floor of this
hotel." "Are we to bring
anything?" asked Jose. "No. Only
ourselves. Ivkantos will outline what is going to
happen." "Shooting pictures
of Jupiter's atmosphere should be pretty damn interesting, especially
considering how turbulent the atmosphere is." At that moment, the
waitress returned with a tray that contained two sandwiches, a large glass of grapefruit juice,
and a tall glass filed with a chocolate malt shake. The waitress placed
the meals and drinks in front of Jose and Baris. Jose looked up and
smiled. "Thanks." The waitress smiled
in return. She looked at Lance and Vicky. "Your meals are on
their way now." Vicky nodded in
acknowledgment. The waitress turned and left. Lance gazed out the window
at the traffic, pedestrians and motorists milling
about. "It should be some
trip." Jose
nodded. "Yeah. It should be
just as interesting to meet the man who's gonna take us out
there." "No doubt about
that." Lance continued to
gaze outside. Yes, it would be interesting to meet Matt Ivkantos. The man
who would introduce them to the planet Jupiter. Yesterday had been
an enjoyable day. The four friends had caught up on old times, and even
were able to do a little-sight seeing. They also talked some more about the mission ahead.
Lance could trust
his two friends and his wife. They had gone on countless storm
chasing missions together.
They were a well-oiled team. But now, they were about to enter the turf of
an unknown. Still, the Galileo
Research Base had developed an incredible reputation of being a
tightly-run place. The people who worked there were supposedly among the
best and brightest around. Lance hoped this would truly be the
case. He stood in the
elevator with his wife as it ascended. She spoke. "Got the
time?" "We're still about
fifteen minutes early. " Vicky nodded. "Mmmmm..." They waited a few
more moments in silence. Finally, the elevator reached its destination.
The doors opened, and the couple stepped out. They looked to their right.
They spotted Baris and Jose talking with two other gentlemen. One was in
his mid-thirties, medium build, and had short curly hair. The other man
was taller, and in his early fifties. He was bald, and wore a black suit.
His face had a stony expression on it. His eyes were a brilliant ice blue.
Lance licked his lips. He leaned towards his wife. "There he is. Matt Ivkantos. You
ready?" Vicky sighed
slightly. "Ready as I'll ever
be." The pair walked
over to the four men. They turned towards them. Baris
smiled. "Ah, there you are.
Mr. Ivkantos, I'd like to introduce you to my friends, Lance and Vicky
Dershan." Lance moved up to
Matt. He extended a hand towards him. "Nice to meet
you." Matt grasped his
hand and shook it. His face maintained its expression.
"Likewise." He turned to
Vicky. "Mrs.
Dershan." They shook hands as
well. Matt turned to his
companion. "This is Lawrence
Bishop. He is my personal assistant, and an exo-meteorologist as
well." Lance and Vicky
nodded in acknowledgment. Matt regarded the four meteorologists before him
for a moment, then spoke. "I suggest you all
pay close attention to what we are about to discuss. " he said in a
serious, slightly stern tone. "You may have chased the most ferocious
tornadoes on Earth. You may have endured flying through Venus's
sulfuric-acid thunderstorms. But you are about to enter a whole new
league. This will be like nothing you've ever encountered. I've allowed
you this opportunity because from my research, you are among the best at
what you do. But here, you're going to be under my
supervision. My rules. Do I make myself
clear?" The four nodded.
"Follow me."
The meteorologists
followed Matt and Lawrence through the two doors into a large conference
room. Folders were set at 4 places on the table. Near one end of the table stood a
large screen, mounted on a tripod. Sitting next to it was a digital video
player. Matt turned to the meteorologists. "Please sit down."
They did so. Matt
walked up to the screen and picked up the remote control from atop the
video player. He turned to the others. "I have been in
charge of the Galileo Research Base on Callisto for nearly 6 years. I have
been involved in the exploration of every body in the Jovian system. It
has been a difficult, dangerous, and yet rewarding job. But if there is
one thing that has been reinforced in me to an extraordinary degree, it is
the respect that we, as humans, should have for Nature.
"Jupiter and its
moons have taught me much about this. And unfortunately, some of the
lessons have been agonizingly painful. Horrific enough to leave life-long
scars. Seven people died during my six years there-and
this is despite the fact that I have taken every single precaution known.
Jace Koralis was an incredibly experienced, highly-respected
exo-meteorologist. He and his
crew of four were sent to their deaths by a Jovian lightning bolt from a
storm they felt they were far
enough away from. Then there was an old friend that I had lost, Hector
Michelton, whom was involved with the Galileo Research Base for over 10
years. He and his companion Kelly Rodriguez, another respected
exo-geologist, were killed while on a trip to Io, when one of the moon's
volcanoes violently exploded. A piece of ejecta was hurled at them at
incredible speed, and it severely damaged the ship. It crashed into Io.
"In each instance,
we thought we had taken all the necessary precautions. But the fact of the
matter is that this is an extremely hostile place, full of unpleasant
surprises. It is also among one of those most beautiful places in the
solar system, and the one where we have made the most important historical
discovery in the history of mankind. We've found life in the oceans of
Europa-the first life forms ever to have been found beyond the Earth.
Simple plants and animals. We have learned much from
them. "And that is why we
are here. To learn. Here however, the learning process involves great
risk. Those who have been picked to work at the Galileo Research Base have
had to undergo rigorous training, as well as being made to fully realize
the danger that lies within the Jovian system. We are not gods. We are
humans, and we have our weaknesses. I have gone to great lengths to tell
people just how frail we are in the face of what lies out
there. "You're only
visitors. You'll only be staying with us for a short time. But you'll get a taste of what we
face here, every day. And as for Jupiter, I guarantee you that when you
leave our facility, you will never look at Jupiter the same way
again." Matt then turned to
the video player, pointing the remote at it. He pressed a button. An image appeared on the
screen. It was a massive thunderstorm. The thunderhead was
colored different variations of brick red, magenta, and brown. The cloud
roiled fearsomely, as if something unspeakably violent was going to erupt
from its sides. It was lit from within by almost continuous lightning. The
top of it stabbed deep into the blue sky above it, flattened out by the
high-altitude winds. Lance,
Vicky, Baris and Jose stared at the storm as it pulsated with deadly
power. "Incredible..."
uttered Lance aloud. Matt turned to
Lance. He raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Dershan, this thunderhead is over
seven hundred miles in diameter. The lightning in this storm is over two
thousand times more powerful than lightning found on earth. The storm
stretches to 75 miles in height. Hail is around thirty feet in diameter,
at its smallest. Hailstones
in this storm have been measured to around 100 feet in
diameter." Lance shook his
head in disbelief. "My...God..." he
uttered. Matt turned back to
the thunderhead and paused a moment. He spoke again. "This would be
comparable to an average thundershower on earth. It was a storm similar to this one
that killed Jace Koralis and his crew." He pressed a couple
of buttons on the remote, and the thunderstorm disappeared. A spaceship
appeared in its place. It was rectangular in shape. Two half-circular
protrusions stuck out of either side, from its center. Located near the
corners of the ship were four circular landing pads, mounted on short legs that receded into the
ship at right angles. Four retro-rockets were located underneath, and the
principal propulsion rockets were at one end of the ship. Two wings
extended from the top of the
ship. Matt turned to the others. "This is the Asimov
Explorer. We have used these spacecraft to visit Jupiter and its other
moons. They are hardy, robust craft. They can hold up to eight people-six
passengers, and two pilots. This is the ship that we will head to Jupiter
in. They are equipped with a special titanium alloy hull that has been treated to
handle Jupiter's intense radiation when we pass through it. It also has
retractable wings." He picked up a
metal pointer from the table and walked over to the screen, placing the
tip of the pointer on the half-circular protrusions sticking out from the
center of the ship. "These are the
observation decks. You will have areas where you can mount your cameras
for observation of Jupiter's weather. You will be able to have a one
hundred eighty-degree view of your surroundings. Jupiter is a very windy place, so
expect a fair amount of turbulence. "Another thing you
should be made aware of. Thunderstorms on Jupiter develop with alarming
quickness. As you know,
intense heat from inside the planet is what is fueling all these
massive weather systems. Severe thunderstorms can develop in the space of
a half-hour, reaching 4 to 5 times the height of the storm you've just
seen. And this type of storm is the norm." "May I ask a
question?" said Lance. Matt turned to face
him. "Yes, Mr. Dershan?" "I understand that
the lightning varies in intensity from storm to storm. How great are the
differences?" Matt
nodded. "Good question.
There are thunderstorms that are easily larger that the North American
continent. The most severe storms have lightning that can reach ten
thousand times the strength of terrestrial lightning. It's like comparing
a terrestrial lightning bolt to static electricity. They are easily
capable of rendering a city such as New York or Tokyo ash with one
stroke." Lance glanced at
Jose, who had become noticeably pale. Matt gazed at Jose. He raised an
eyebrow. "Frightening, isn't
it, Mr.
Quintero?" Jose swallowed
hard. He nodded slightly. "Yes...yes it
is." Matt
nodded. "Good. That fear is
important to have. It will keep you alive. It's the same fear that kept
you alive during your storm-chasing activities on Earth. Here, everything is on a much
grander scale, and the stakes are much, much
higher." "What part of
Jupiter are we heading to?" asked Vicky. "We are heading to
the equator, specifically, an area approximately twelve thousand miles
northwest of the Great Red Spot. This is one of the more active areas for
thunderstorm development on Jupiter. We'll be there for several hours, and
then leave." "I know that
unmanned probes have been sent to the heart of the Great Red Spot for some
time. " said Baris. "What are the chances of eventually sending a human
explorer there?" Matt turned towards
him. His eyes narrowed. "None, if I have my
way. The Great Red Spot is the most dangerous meteorological event on the
planet. It is a huge mass of severe thunderstorms, even by Jupiter's
standards. The lightning here is the most powerful ever seen in the solar
system, aside from Saturn.
The bolts at their strongest range from twelve to fifteen thousand
times more powerful than terrestrial bolts. Sending a human there would be
certain suicide. We're taking huge chances already facing the
thunderstorms we normally face." "What are the wind
speeds inside the Great Red Spot?" asked Jose. "Near the top of
the Red Spot, the winds range anywhere between two hundred fifty to three
hundred miles an hour. But the winds steadily increase the deeper you go. The highest
wind speed ever recorded inside the spot was five hundred miles an hour,
shortly before the probe was destroyed." Matt's gaze moved
around the four meteorologists. "Make no mistake.
Jupiter is a savage place. Humans were never meant to evolve there, much
less go there. Every trip there is at great risk to our lives. That
said...you must decide what price you are willing to pay to learn about
the unknown." Matt then walked up
to the table. "Before each of you is a folder, detailing
some of the missions made out to Jupiter to study its meteorology. I expect you to study it well. In it
are notes written by other exo-meteorologists on their
travels." He straightened
himself, and gazed at the four. "Any other
questions?" No response. Matt
nodded. "Very well. Our
flight will be leaving at 2100 hours from the Sagan Space Port-Gate 716.
I'll be seeing you then. If you'll excuse me, I have some personal matters
to attend to." The four
meteorologists rose to their feet. Lance spoke. "Thank you once
again Mr. Ivkantos for giving
us this opportunity." "You're welcome. It
should be an interesting learning experience for all of
you." Matt aimed his
remote at the video player and screen, shutting both of them off. He turned to his
assistant. "Lawrence, I'll
meet you in the lobby in
about twenty minutes." The man
nodded. "Yes, Mr.
Ivkantos." Matt turned and
left the conference room. Lawrence walked over to the screen. He unplugged
the cables from the back of it, and began to take the screen down. Lance
walked over to him. "How long have you
worked at the Galileo
Research Base, Mr.
Bishop?" He turned to Lance
and smiled. "You can call me
Larry. I've worked there for about four years." "How many times
have you been to Jupiter?" "Quite a few times.
Each trip has been incredible." Vicky walked up to
the two men. "What's it like,
flying in Jupiter's skies?" she asked. Lawrence paused a
moment. His eyes filled with wonder. "There truly is
nothing like it. If it weren't for the fact that the clouds were different
shades of red and brown, you'd think you were on the earth. The sky is a
brilliant blue, even more brilliant than the earth's. The thunderstorms
themselves are something to behold. The storm that you just saw? I
recorded that storm." Baris and Jose
joined the others. Jose shook his head in amazement. "Wow... that must
have been incredible." Lawrence smiled,
nodding. "It was. I'll tell
you this, I've never once been bored here. There's always something new to
discover. But it is a dangerous job. It's not something to be taken
lightly. As Mr. Ivkantos has indicated, anything can go wrong. Jupiter is
a very unpredictable place." Lawrence glanced at
his watch. "Anyway, I've got
to pack all this up. I'll see you on the flight to Callisto. There's a
good chance I'll be accompanying you to Jupiter. We'll have more of a
chance to talk later." Lance nodded,
smiling. "Fine. Sorry to
hold you up." "Don't worry about
it. See you guys later." Lawrence went back
to disassembling the video equipment. The others left the conference
room. Lance turned to the others. "Vicky and I have
to head downtown now to pick up some items. Let's get together later to go
over what's in these folders." Baris and Jose
nodded. "Fine. We'll meet
back in my room. How much time do you need?" asked
Baris. "Ummmmm-about an
hour." answered Vicky. "Sounds good to
me." said Jose. "Baris, wanna go downstairs to get some coffee?"
"Yeah. I'm dying
for one. I like the hazelnut they make here." "Cool. I could use
a cappuccino myself." Vicky turned to
Lance. "Let's head back up
to our room. I gotta hit the bathroom, and I'd like to drop off these
folders." Lance
nodded. "Fine." He looked at Baris
and Jose. "Anyway, we'll see
you later." "Later." The two men walked
down to the elevator. One of them pressed a button. The doors opened, and
the two men entered it. The doors closed behind
them. Vicky turned to
Lance. "Well, what do ya
think about this trip now?" Lance raised his
eyebrows to their full height. "Yep. We are,
without a doubt, insane." Vicky
smirked. "Save a
straight-jacket for me as well, lover. C'mon." She grasped his
hand, and the couple walked towards the elevator.
Part 2 |