Jove wandered the outpost for a while, though there was only one direction that took him away from both the dormitories and his mother's office. The sauna also apparently included a hot tub, which was currently empty. He guessed that water, while abundant enough in the form of snow and ice, probably had a high energy cost to melt and use or possibly recycle.
He went to the gym, instead, which was across from the sauna. He wasn't sure if Andromeda had mentioned it when she'd listed off the rest of Termina's features, which surprised him. It was reasonably well equipped, with a weight bench, a treadmill, a padded area for stretching or yoga, and plenty of wall screens to keep exercisers entertained as they broke a sweat.
He eventually meandered toward the cafeteria, lacking direction and motivation to do much else. It held a long table that could easily have been plucked from a high school somewhere, replete with attached benches and faux wood finish. The kitchen was in the back of the cafeteria, and he wandered into it to discover the most surreal chef he'd ever seen.
A mechanical set of arms and shoulders attached to a long pole standing atop a circular movement platform slid between cooking stations, moving with precision, if a little less speed and dexterity than a human. The robot was currently chopping carrots and potatoes with rhythmic cadence, the knife in its hand catching the gleam of the overhead lights during each pause.
"I usually start preparing dinner slightly later in the evening, but Director Faremont instructed me to make something special tonight."
Andromeda's voice caught him off guard and he flinched with surprise.
"Uh, is it a stew of some kind?" he asked.
"Close. Steak with roasted potatoes and carrots. The vegetables were grown here, in the station's proof of concept hydroponics laboratory."
"Nice," he said. "I'll be able to judge Antarctic cuisine for itself."
Andromeda didn't say anything. He was curious about the AI, as much in the role she played there in the base as what she could tell him about his mother's time there.
AI was a common facet of life — he technically had several he could call up at any time on his phone. Most AI was heavily specialized and regulated, useful but only in narrow contexts. It was a reaction to several high-profile incidents in the late 2020s that'd soured the discourse. House AI like Andromeda were general purpose but usually only good at turning on lights and TVs and monitoring security cameras.
"I like your family," said Andromeda.
"I'm not sure I do," said Jove. "That was a joke. Mostly."
"I got it. Mostly."
The robot had finished cutting the carrots and potatoes and arrayed them across baking sheets. It began working a saltshaker and a pepper grinder with delicate movements, hopefully seasoning the veggies to perfection.
"What do you do when you have to taste the food?" asked Jove.
"I usually ask Director Faremont or Ryan to taste it and give me their opinion," said Andromeda. "I'm not a bad cook. I can assure you of that. I enjoy it. There is an aspect to cooking that is entwined with the human experience in a fascinating way."
"Yeah, I'd agree with that," said Jove. "Cooking is culture, in most places. It's also one of the few times when, traditionally, people would come together. Sharing a meal around the table."
He frowned, again feeling frustrated and exhausted by his family's dynamic.
"I don't feel emotions in the same way humans do, but if I did, I don't think I'd feel lonely," said Andromeda.
"Um, that's good to know."
"I'm present for every meal here in Termina, despite never eating."
Jove nodded, a bit unsure of what to say. "Anything I can do to help?"
"If you would like to set the table, I'd find that quite helpful! Please don't take offense if I adjust the placements of the utensils afterward. It's part of my official routine drafted by Director Faremont."
"Sure, I can do that."
He spent the next few minutes setting the table. The cafeteria held another large wall screen that he turned on. It'd begun snowing and the view across the Antarctic landscape was eerily calming, full of a sense of indifference and permanence.
He was so far away from his life, his friends, his future. He tried to fit his mother's choices and perspective in against that sense of distance. She'd been here for two years, seeing this view and knowing that her family was a world away.
He knew she took her work seriously. She'd always been passionate about science, career driven and curious by nature. Her choices made a certain amount of sense. It wasn't as though she'd run off to Antarctica when he and Eve had still been living at home.
It hadn't been until after his father died, and thinking about it now, they hadn't really grieved his father's death as a family. Maybe Antarctica was her way of processing that loss, secluding herself in a place completely within her control, emotional walls as much as ice and snow.
Of course, the obvious hole in that theory was that the project had been in the works for years before she'd actually arrived in Termina. Perhaps she'd originally planned to be more of a part timer. Perhaps he was just thinking too much, trying to make sense of a woman who he'd never be able to truly understand, at least not viewing her from a son's perspective.
"Good job!" said Andromeda as the arm-bot came over to inspect his placement work. "Let me just shift this to here… and that over there… fork on the left."
The rest of the family arrived slowly. Eve was first, which made the wait a test of endurance. They looked at each other but didn't say anything, lounging uncomfortably in another awkward silence.
"Well, the food smells good, at least," said Aster, as she made her entrance. "Wow. It's really starting to come down out there."
She gestured to the view screen, which showed the snow falling in fat flakes at a decent rate.
"The snowmobiles won't mind," said Kira, coming in behind her. "Don't worry, Aster. Barring an unexpected blizzard, you'll be able to get back to Port Sirius within a few days, if not tomorrow."
Aster gave her sister a thin smile but didn't escalate their earlier tension.
"Is Ryan still out there towing in the snowmobile I flipped?" asked Jove.
"He'll be back in an hour or two," said Kira. "I'm sure he won't mind us sitting down to eat without him. It's the first family meal we've had in… a while."
Since before his father had died, thought Jove. He took a seat next to Aster, with his mother and older sister sitting directly across from them. Andromeda's arm-bot began bringing out the food, a platter of nicely cooked steaks, roasted carrots and potatoes, and a kale salad.
"I forgot to ask about any dietary changes," said Kira, with a wince. "You haven't gone vegan again, have you, Eve?"
"I have not, Mother," said Eve. "It was too challenging to get enough protein that I found palatable back when I was training for Nordenskioldsloppet."
"Which one was that, again, darling?" asked Aster.
"Sweden, north of the Arctic Circle." Eve smiled dreamily as she pulled a steak onto her plate. "It's the longest ski race in the world right now, though there's talk of a new route being developed. I finished seventh."
"Congratulations!" said Aster. "How did I not hear about this?"
"Seventh is bad for me," said Eve. "Well, was bad. Before my knee injury."
"Oh." Aster began serving herself, looking unsure of what to say.
"You should still be proud of that, Eve," said Kira. "I'm proud of you."
"I know," said Eve. "Thanks."
Mother and daughter shared a moment, smiling and even reaching over to touch each other's hands. Jove felt an inexplicable and unwanted rise of anger as he thought about his own life, how little he'd done that was even worthy of comparison. The fact that Eve was so dismissive of her own achievements was like salt on an open wound, somehow.
"How are your friends doing, Jove?" asked Aster. "Remember how I used to babysit for all of you? God, that feels like a lifetime ago."
She laughed and he felt her leg playfully bump his under the table. It was a good memory, but not a good question.
"Bad, for the most part," said Jove, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "Kev moved to Idaho looking for work, or possibly Iowa, I don't remember. Andre is still in jail."
They'd both been there on that day, exploring the vacation home and, yes, stealing a few things from within it, unused possessions from a multimillionaire who only visited once every other year. The sound of police sirens echoed through his head again.
"It was years ago," said Eve, defensively. "The charges weren't that severe. If Andre is still in jail, that's because of other factors."
"Well, see, he's black, and he couldn't afford a lawyer beyond an overworked public defender," said Jove, through gritted teeth. "The legal system fucked him twice over."
"He should still be out by now," said Eve.
"He got in a fight or something with another prisoner," said Jove. "It doesn't matter. He never would have gone to prison to begin with if you hadn't—"
"Oh, please," said Eve, talking over him. "You and your friends broke the law, Jove! You can't blame me for your own decisions. And, by the way, your friend Andre grabbed my ass once when he was hanging out at our place while you were picking up takeout."
The revelation took a bit of the wind out of his sail, but did nothing for his anger. "Well then! I guess it all evens out, doesn't it, Eve?"
"We both know your grudge is barely even about your criminal record, or your friends," said Eve. "You're just pissed that I had the drive to go after something in life and you never did. It's easier to tie all your failings in life into a neat little bundle if you blame me for everything."
"Fuck you," said Jove.
Eve flipped him off. Jove balled his hands into fists, so mad that he was ready to leave the table.
"Enough!" snapped Kira. "I did not raise the two of you to hold knives to each other's throats at the dinner table. This was supposed to be… I wanted this to be… A new start for us."
"You can't play that card after admitting it was Eve's idea," muttered Jove.
"Darling," said Aster, touching his shoulder. "I do see your side of things, but that's a bit of an empty point, now that we're here."
Jove noticed the way his mother's eyes narrowed at Aster, seemingly irritated even by her efforts at making peace.
"Whatever," he said.
Nobody said anything for a few seconds.
"I made blueberry cobbler for dessert," said Andromeda.
"Fresh or frozen?" asked Kira.
"One of the frozen ones. Is that a problem?"
"No, just keeping track of the fresh blueberries," muttered Kira.
Nobody said anything else for the duration of the meal. Jove was disappointed as much with himself as he was his sister or mother. He wanted to have the perfect family dinner with civility and laughter and love, even. But wanting something and getting it were rarely one and the same.