Jove didn't rush, knowing that any rustling noises overheard from the hallway might give their tryst away to his mother. He slowly pulled his boxers and sweatpants up as he answered his mother.
"I'm in here," he said. "Aster and I were just…"
His brain was still too dazed from the best blowjob of his entire life to make longer sentences happen.
"Looking for an email," Aster finished. "An old script that I wanted to reread."
She opened the door, and Jove did his best to seem casual in how he was sitting on his aunt's bed. His mother had changed into a proper outfit for the day and seemed to instantly note the fact that Aster had not, instead still wearing a somewhat lurid satin kimono.
"I see," said Kira. She glanced between them, not quite seeming outright suspicious. "What was it for?"
"It doesn't matter," said Aster, waving a hand. "An old project."
"None of my business, I suppose," said Kira.
"Your words, not mine."
"Right." Kira nodded slowly. "Jove, can you help me with something, or does your aunt still need you to explain basic technology?"
"I will always need my nephew in spirit," said Aster, ruffling his hair. "But he's already helped me enough for the time being."
She smiled at him, and he felt a rise of heat that almost made him want to find an excuse to stick around for a little longer. He shook it off and stood up, stepping toward the door.
"What's up, Mom?" he asked.
She waited until they were in the hallway before answering. "I'm working on dinner, and options are getting a bit limited. Would you prefer spaghetti with kale and tomato sauce, or some kind of veggie wrap?"
"Spaghetti and meatballs?"
Kira shook her head, frowning. "We're just about out of meat."
"Ah. Right." He saw the shift in his mother's expression and did his best to reassure her. "No big deal. I bet it will still be tasty."
"Do you think Eve would have a preference one way or the other?" she asked.
"Probably the wraps," said Jove. "She's not huge on tomato sauce. Might want to check with her first, though."
He spent the next hour or so reading a fantasy novel he'd liberated from the base's collection of paperbacks. Kira called the family to dinner, and Jove did his best to stay positive as he took in the state of the veggie wraps.
The thin tortillas composing the outer layer of each one were visibly dry and cracking in places. Kira had set the bag out on the table, only one wrapper remaining within it, as though to emphasize that they didn't really have many options with what remained of their food.
"Interesting," said Eve, glancing at Jove for his reaction.
"We're working with what we have left." Kira sighed and tried to fold hers closed a little more, exacerbating the situation of the dry and crumbly wrap. "I made these myself. Andromeda isn't good with anything that requires folding or wrapping, not that these really want to do either."
"Hey, food is food," said Jove.
In truth, there was a heavy implication hanging over the meal that was hard to escape. They were surviving — it was easy to forget that at times, given Termina Station's creature comforts. There was no escaping the fact that food was a limited resource they would eventually run out of.
"We'll have to find another source of meat," said Kira. "It's still possible that we might come to an agreement with Port Sirius. Or perhaps journey to one of the other Antarctic settlements to see if we might trade with another group."
"I doubt Port Sirius would welcome us with open arms after…" Eve trailed off, glancing at Jove.
He felt like he owned the silence that followed, like it was his fault, and maybe it was. Protecting his family had been the only thing on his mind when he'd pulled that trigger, but actions had consequences.
"I have a suggestion, if you would be open to hearing it, Director Faremont," said Andromeda.
"Of course, Andi," said Kira.
"I discovered an entire network of rivers and lakes underneath the ice in this region of the Antarctic," said the AI. "There are several places where it would be feasible to drill through and set up an ice fishing operation."
"Ice fishing?" said Aster. "In Antarctica? Are there even fish here? There can't be, can there? It must be far too cold."
"It's a common misconception that Antarctica is universally inhospitable to all species," said Andromeda. "There are many varieties of fish living underneath the ice. I cannot vouch for their taste or nutritional value, but they are a protein resource which I would advise you to consider exploring."
"Jove, you used to go fishing with Dad all the time, didn't you?" said Eve.
"Yeah. A couple times every summer, at the very least." He nodded slowly, a wealth of memories rising to the fore. "Even when I was little. He always insisted that I do everything myself. Tying the knots. Baiting the hook. Said it would be good for me to know how to do everything on my own. I guess he was right."
"That sounds like Turner." Kira smiled, and her eyes took on a distant quality, happy but sad. "God. I've been having… dreams about him these past few nights. I know it's pointless, but I really do wish he was still here, now more than ever."
She looked across the table at Jove. He reached out and touched her hand.
"Andromeda, what do we have that might work for makeshift fishing supplies?" he asked.
"We have several hundred meters of monofilament-based rope which could be disassembled into a substitute for fishing line," said the AI. "My 3D printer could be used to create convincing fishing lures, though fresh bait would be preferable once bycatch becomes available."
"We'll also need a drill that can get through the ice."
"We can bring the ice drone we have here in the station with us," said Kira. "Andromeda helped me repair the snowmobile that was out of commission yesterday, so we have four now. One for each of us."
"It just might work," said Jove.
"Certainly beats starving to death," muttered Eve.
He took another bite of his veggie wrap. The taste was starting to grow on him.