Jove and Eve reached the crevasse without too much trouble. The danger it had posed on the way out was not mirrored by their experience on the way back. It was far more visible, at least from their chosen angle of approach.
He was relieved and conflicted by this fact. It allowed them safe passage home, assuming they were smart in picking a place to cross, but it also reduced the impact of the crevasse as a factor for others who might want to reach them.
He shook the thought off, knowing that he and Eve still had to make it home before they could start worrying about unrelated concerns. They slowly followed along the crevasse, not right at its edge, but within view.
After traveling a few miles east, they found the spot where it came to an end that they'd used to go around it previously. The journey from that point on felt like the home stretch, though they still went slow and watched the terrain with judicious caution.
When Termina Station finally came into view, Jove felt an anvil's worth of tension melt from his shoulders. They brought both snowmobiles to a stop near the entrance, knowing they'd have to come back out to handle the fuel tank, at the very least, and headed inside.
"High five," said Eve.
He slapped her hand, their gloves lending the gesture a clumsy quality.
"That was wild," said Jove.
"From start to finish," said Eve. "But we made it back. Mission accomplished."
They stripped off their outer layers and left the entrance chamber. The base's interior was still near-freezing cold on the other side, which surprised Jove. His mother and aunt were both bundled up in warm clothing in the hallway, clearly having been alerted to their arrival.
"You're back!"
Aster wrapped Jove into a hug, surprising him. Kira did the same with Eve. Aster felt cold in Jove's arms, and he realized as she finally pulled back from the embrace that she was crying.
"What?" he said, daring to wipe a tear away for her. "Did you think we weren't coming back?"
The silence that followed his question seemed to confirm it.
"We were… concerned," said his mother, who came over to hug him next. "Between the weather and the delay in your return, our morale was somewhat shaken."
"I wanted to go after the two of you but my sister objected to the point of threatening me with a curfew," said Aster, stiffly.
"You were drunk, Aster!" snapped Kira. "You would have gotten yourself killed!"
"Your solution was to sit here and do nothing for your own fucking children!" hissed Aster.
"Easy…" said Jove. He touched both his mom and Aster's shoulders. "We made it home safe. Everything is fine."
"It is, and I'm so relieved," said his mother.
He could tell just from their body language that the hatchet had yet to be buried, but he didn't care. Everyone was safe, and moreover, they'd been successful in their outing.
"We have the fuel tank outside," said Jove, rubbing his hands together. "How about we focus on getting it hooked up?"
"That sounds like an excellent idea, Jovian," said Andromeda. "Shall I walk you all through the refilling protocol?"
"I haven't done this alone before," admitted Kira. "Normally there's a technician from Port Sirius who handles it."
"With my assistance, you should have no trouble," said Andromeda.
"I think I need to get some rest, if that's okay?" said Eve.
She shifted her weight from one leg to another, and only then did Jove remember her knee. She'd barely mentioned it throughout their journey.
"That's fine, Eve," said Kira. "Jove? Can you help?"
"Yeah, of course," he said. "I should have kept my jacket and boots on."
His eyes lingered on Aster, who was staring right back at him. She smiled and gave an odd shrug which he had zero clue how to interpret. It made the atmosphere between them feel loaded, and he was hyper aware of her presence even as he walked away.
With Andromeda's help, it took only a few minutes to refill the station's fuel reserves. Jove parked both snowmobiles in the shed and hitched them up to the block heaters. He and his mother dragged the gear sled into the station and finally, he felt like he could rest.
"Thank you, Jovian," she said, with a sigh. "I'm proud of you."
He paused midway through unzipping his jacket, surprised by how her words landed on him. "Thanks."
"I mean it." She stepped in close and pulled him into another tight hug. "You've grown into a strong and reliable young man."
"Thank you for noticing."
"I'm lifting your curfew."
"I kind of thought that went without saying," he said, with a chuckle.
He was aware of her as she slowly pulled back from him, face pale with flushed cheeks from the cold, the way her snow gear hugged her curves.
"Was there anyone left in Port Sirius?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said. "We should talk about that."
He relayed every detail of his and Eve's foray into the port. His mother frowned through most of it.
"Were there any children there?" she asked.
"I didn't see any," he said. "In fact, I don't think I even saw anyone my age or younger."
"It's not your average family tourist destination, given the extreme cold," she said. "It's a relief, but it also complicates the issue of how we'll decide who to bring into the station."
Jove furrowed his brow. "You want to… bring some of the people from Port Sirius into the station?"
"We have to," said Kira. "From what you described to me, all of them will freeze to death as soon as they run out of things to burn."
"Did you miss the part where Eve and I had to escape at gun point?" he snapped. "Victor Vasquez seemed intent on capturing us and making us earn our keep."
"People often act out of character or make rash decisions in survival situations when they're under pressure," said Kira. "I wish I'd gone with the two of you and had a chance to discuss cooperation in more serious terms."
Jove shook his head. He wasn't opposed to potentially helping some of the people in Port Sirius, possibly the few remaining tourists or the employees lower down on the rung who didn't have as much loyalty to their billionaire leader. It was a question of trust, and the amount of it needed to bring someone into what amounted to their home now was a high bar to clear.
"Look, Mom," said Jove. "You weren't there. You don't understand what we experienced. He even made some comments about you that were… suspect."
"He's a billionaire blowhard," said Kira. "Which is all the more reason to take your impression of him with a grain of salt. He just spouts off without thinking. He doesn't speak for everyone in that settlement."
"No, he doesn't, but we also couldn't feed everyone within that settlement," said Jove, letting his annoyance leak into his voice. "Do we even have enough to feed ourselves indefinitely right now?"
"They likely have plenty of food stored in Port Sirius. You didn't think to ask them about that, did you? I know it's hard for you to acknowledge this at your age, Jovian, but I know what I'm doing. And moreover, within this station my judgment is final."
He shook his head slowly, feeling oddly reminded of his conversation with the delusional billionaire. "Your judgment is going to bite us in the ass if you don't listen to what I'm saying."
He stomped off down the hallway without looking back.