Introduction

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SYNOPSIS.

People such as Ava have managed throughout decades to survive above the surface of the ice, in one of Jupiter’s moons, Europa. On this new and mostly undiscovered world. Here Ava develop an unlikely friendship with an alien creature called Nio.

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THE POSSIBILITY OF ALIEN LIFE.

Europa had been studied throughout the years long before mankind thought of the possibility of going there themselves, to prove every theory they had come up with. Knowing that science was improving at the fastest pace ever seen by mankind (Moore’s Law came into play), theories and new images and videos were caught of Europa’s surface. It was known that its orbit is almost completely round and that the gravitational pull created by the immense mass of Jupiter creates the tide on the satellite. Since its discovery, many authors and directors had tried to make their own stories about this mysterious moon. Not long after knowing the presence of seas under the ice, people started claiming about the possibility of living creatures bigger and more complex than ourselves. Others claimed that if they existed, they couldn’t be as advanced as the ones on earth, going back to the wrong thought about being unique creatures in the universe.

However, decades after those studies and theories appeared, the reality was seen by some researchers that traveled to the surface of Europa, risking their lives in the process. Unfortunately, after living on the surface for almost a year, they died due to the lack of experience in such harsh environment. In that moment, scientist started to study the possibility of species living under the thick ice that covered the surface of Europa.

Knowing that it was possible to live in there if the correct measures were provided, scientists across Earth started to study the possibility and probability for a longer stay. Every data received by the first settlement was studied thoroughly, with immense panels of the most renowned physicist, biologist, engineers, and even psychologist, in order to have enough support to face the public opinion once the final decision were made to send even more humans to Europa.

Nothing stopped them; not even the critics, the mad scientists, or the new-age religious people, that assured hell for anyone who dared to face God’s universe. And as humans were not afraid of losing their lives in the sake of science, not even with those silly accusations and threats, the second manned ship traveled, and settled.

As a result of researchers’ activity throughout the years, almost two million species had been discovered in Europa. There were theories that claimed that there were millions more waiting to be known, as the places that humankind had reached were about ten percent of the complete territory that could be explored.

AVA.

Some would say that the sky was bright and full of color. Others would claim that it was dull, without anything to stare at; Ava, on the other hand, paid no mind to the sky but dreamed of the world below.

Ava was born three years after the first settlement on Europa war established, from the womb of a mother that wanted to know how a world without idiotic threatening selfish people would be. Her father was an engineer, who knew almost every aspect of the journey, and that was full of new ideas for the city that would be built in the same place where the first settlers lived. He ended up constructing almost a third of the city, and her mother, one of Earth’s most famous biologists (among the people of science; the popular opinion often ignored biologists, even Charles Darwin), started studying the species that were found there.

For their surprise, above the Ice nothing was seen but barren places, but under the thick layer of Ice that they later bit with their drills, there was a world full of new species to study and to be amazed with. Ava, soon grew up to become the greatest Astro-Biologist seen by the people of Europa.

Ava loved to be underwater, where new species could be found, and where she could be herself without the constant criticism of the people she had with which she had to work. Ava was a girl full of dreams and goals, but, being underwater, she didn’t need to focus on them; it was certainly like listening to music, whilst being a musician. You would learn new things, and you would be, under some points of view, working. But you wouldn’t feel like you’re doing so; you would be immersed in what you love.

Nio.

Ava was on her way to meet her only friend in Europa. She thought that if that friend were to be a human, she wouldn’t have accepted him as fast as she had done. The only thing she could see around, besides her specialized flashlights, were the bioluminescent lights coming from the plant-like #life that lived under the water.

Her friend Nio, was intelligent, perhaps even more than her, but in the end, he was a part of that species of that she had started studying ever since she started working as an astrobiologist.

Ava would go two or three times a day to see him. It didn’t matter if she was busy or if people on the city wanted something of her. She would go down through the ice using huge elevators that were put in there a few years later after the Settlement was established. Those elevators were used by the vast majority of people, as the population was conformed almost solely by scientists. Of course, not everyone knew how to study another #life or how to catalog it, but scientific curiosity wouldn’t ever disappear from the population’s mind. Ava, however, used them constantly. She would go down with her exoskeleton, which allowed her to swim as fast as any machine, which she would use to get to difficult zones in which she knew existed many species still non-catalogued. As she was one of Europa’s renowned astrobiologists (she was not alone in that field), she had every kind of permission possible that allowed her to work in her profession freely.

Being in darkness never amused her, but never killed her motivation either. She spent almost thirty minutes finding Nio, her friend of a different species, that waited for her. Ava couldn’t communicate with him being above the ice, but once she was in the same environment, something in her suit made her feel his echolocation, and so his localization had never been a problem for her.

Ava found Nio whilst he, sitting and looking up to the sky, noticed that #life had more issues that one would expect after being born. Philosophical statements were not common in creatures like him, and that’s why Ava liked him. Nio, being the part of the only intelligent species and where the size of a an average dog, and the intelligence of an average human person. In fact, Nio could think about deeper thoughts, being a capability that Ava studied since day one.

Nio could communicate used a mixture of bioluminescent lights and echolocation that came from all over his body; Ava soon found out the patterns, and how to study them in order to respond with an equally efficient kind of language. She modified her exoskeleton in a way that the places where the lights came from were alike from the ones of Nio.

Arriving at the place where Nio was staying, he looked at her, and with his collection of bioluminescent lights, said: “Sometimes, being here is as depressing as knowing that the home of your parents is being destroyed."

Ava looked at him, and said: “It's being destroyed by my own species, and as my parents didn’t want to be among them anymore, they came here, to Europa.” She looked up to the sky, where the thick layer was. “Well, there; above the ice, they are starting a new chapter in mankind's story.”

Ava sat with him as she used to do every day. As she worked hard and scientific breakthroughs in her field were mostly done by her, she had sufficient time to spend with Nio; and, as he wanted to be a part of something, she would spend most of her day with him, usually in time-spans of an hour and a half.

MISSING.

But, in the moment in which she started talking about how the Settlement started studying the environment around it, she received a message. (Her exoskeleton had a communication system installed by the engineers that built it). At first, she said that it was not necessary, as she didn’t need the help of anyone that wasn’t her own abilities, but then she realized that above ice communication would allow her to send information that couldn’t wait to be measured. That time, though, was different.

The message read: “Ava, I’m sorry to inform you that your parents are missing. You left this morning, and since then we’ve been looking for them. Your house is empty, their house is too. I can’t tell you anything, Ava, but to come here. Fast.” She thought it was a joke. Her parents are as adventurous as her, and so they could be somewhere near, without any communication equipment. It was not common, but it was a possibility. She looked at Nio, and said: “I’m going up. I need to look for my parents. Apparently, they’re missing, and if they don’t find them soon I’ll be worried.” The combination of bioluminescent lights enchanted her, as when Nio answered, the ground seemed to live: “Okay; I’ll go with you.”
Ava: “You can’t come.”
Nio: “Why not?
Ava: "I’ve not seen that you can go above the surface.
Nio. "But If I stay here, I will be bored to death.”
Ava: “You obviously won't die."
Nio: “You don’t either, but you can walk freely.”
Ava thought it for a second...
Ava: “Okay, come with me, I've got an idea.”

Another message was received, this time, it read: “Ava, this is serious. Their gear was found outside the Settlement. We don’t know what could have happened to them. Come quickly!”

Ava, holding Nio’s limb, swum as fast as she could towards the elevator....

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