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He ran his hand through his hair, and looked in the mirror. A few streaks of gray threaded their waythrough 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 3012, 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 & 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 |