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You're frank with the crew. This might be their final journey. You tell the colonists who aren't on the bridge to prepare themselves for the end. The crew up in the command center knows the situation and you're trusting in them to hold it together.

Virginia Rein, an American astronaut and veteran of four dozen Earth re-entries is strapped in to your right. The g-force presses her cheeks back, robbing her of her usual warmth. "We've got about a thousand kilometers of wiggle room," she says. "Where we landing, captain?"

Overlaid on the screen projection of Europa are several likely landing spots. There's a smooth plain in the Annwn Regio, flat and easiest to land on.

To your left, Kosmo the philanthropist swivels his one metal eye towards you, and his vocoder voice echoes in your earpiece. "Let us be bold! We're here to find life, and life is in the cracks!"

Using the neuro-interface in his helmet, Kosmo highlights on the screen a potential landing spot on the top of one side of the Hyperenor Linea. The linea is formed of two parallel ridges of pushed-up ice that run for thousands of miles, with a permanent crack between them leading straight to the inner ocean.

You hear another voice in your ear. It's the melodic voice of Sungura Kikwete, the representative for the Habitus corporation. "Here's a big idea!" they say. "We should head straight to Callanish Crater. It will make dome building much easier."

An image of Callanish balloons up on the screen: vast concentric rings of ice spikes caused by an ancient asteroid impact. This could eventually be covered in a dome.

"Darlings, I hate to fault your judgment, but our number-one priority here is not dying right now," Rein argues. "My vote is Annwn." The way she pronounces it, Annwn sounds like "A Noon." You know she's memorized the names of all the features.

Kosmo exhales a digitized huff. "We only have one shot at the interesting life! If Hyperenor is too dangerous for you, I'd settle for Callanish."

It's a life-or-death situation, so it's your call.

I'm with Virginia Rein on this one: Annwn Regio is our best chance for survival.

Kosmo is right: we're here to find life and landing on Hyperenor Linea is going to be best for the scientists in their search.

I stand with Sungura Kikwete: we don't want to be under ice our whole lives and Callanish would be an excellent place for a dome.

Next

"Brace yourselves for Callanish," you cry. "We're heading for the center of the crater!"

"Thank you, Captain," Sungura whispers on a private channel.

"You can thank me if you survive." The screen shifts to the final destination and the landing A.I. works its adjustments on the thrusters. You can feel it in your seat as the ship shudders in an altered direction.

Europa has the thinnest of atmospheres so the landing parachutes barely do anything with such low air resistance. But still, they're deployed. The forward rockets burn out the last of the fuel, slowing the ship as it comes in towards the moon, the intense blue flames melting the ancient ice below.

Tidal shifts keep the surface fresh, so there are relatively few craters on Europa. Callanish is one of the most impressive. There is no real bowl to the canyon, just rings upon rings of spikes like so many standing stones. The ship's software directs you all towards the center surrounded by the towers of ice.

The crew takes a final look out across Europa through the Asterion's external cameras. Before the ship lowers between the spikes of ice, you see a jagged horizon ringed by Callanish's spikes. You briefly see the blue ice walls envelop you. Finally, the steam from the boiling water below occludes everything as the ship sinks into the frozen surface of the ocean moon.

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