Jove helped pack the supplies for the family's fishing expedition the next morning. His mother had already mapped out the route they'd be taking to a nearby lake, and the family had come to the decision for all four of them to head out together.
"It'll be good for all of us to spend a little time outside the station, now that we can trust Andromeda to watch things while we're gone," said Kira. "I think we're all starting to get a bit of… cabin fever."
She glanced from Jove to Eve with a small frown. Jove hadn't spoken a word to his sister since their blowout argument the night before. He had, however, spent a few hours the previous night grinding in vertimon.
As petty as it was, he'd resolved to give her a rematch if she asked for one if solely for the opportunity to properly gloat after beating her. It made him furious to think of the way she'd dismissed the very idea of apologizing to him, as though the fallout he'd suffered from her betrayal was insignificant.
"We've got the makeshift line, the 3D printed lures, a couple of spools that should work a little like basic reels," he said. "What else will we need?"
"I'm bringing one of the guns," said his mother, carefully. "Would you be open to bringing one, Jovian?"
He shrugged but couldn't avoid the question. He didn't have an innate aversion to pulling the trigger, firing a gun at someone, in defense of his family, and that was what unsettled him. The idea that he could do it again, that he might find another wallet afterward, another photo, another glimpse into a life he'd snuffed out.
"Yeah, I'll bring one," he said.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm fine," he said, forcing a smile.
She went to her room and came back with one of the loaded pistols. Jove felt his fingers almost rebelling as he took it into his hand, everything about the weight and sensation of the metal feeling wrong to him.
Instead of finding a way to keep it on his person, he tucked it away within the gear sled. It would be there if and when he needed it. In the meantime, he needed a little space and distance from what it represented.
"Hey." His mother came closer and touched his shoulder. "You don't have to force yourself."
"I know," he said. "I'm fine, really."
He forced a smile and saw something akin to pride in his mother's expression. She was the queen of burying her emotions, presenting composure regardless of whatever pain roiled within. He was ultimately her son, for better and for worse.
"Come here," she said, opening her arms.
He pulled her into a tight hug. She was wearing her red jacket, partially unzipped to show a somewhat low cut white top underneath. He let his body come into full contact with hers, closer than they really should have been. She smelled so good, and he felt a stirring of excitement in his chest and loins.
He didn't let go of her after a second or two, and neither did she. Jove felt intoxicated by her closeness and couldn't resist letting his lips draw near her neck. Kira made a little satisfied noise, body opening up slightly for him.
He pulled back just far enough to kiss her on the cheek, and then the lips, starting down the same path he and his mother had seemingly discovered in recent days.
"Did you work things out with Eve yet?" she whispered.
He kissed her again, passion building. "Not yet."
"You should do it soon," she whispered. "Don't want all that tension to blow up again."
"Did you work things out with Aster?" he asked, hands playfully running up her sides. "It's not as though Eve and I have a monopoly on sibling rivalries within the family."
"Calling it a rivalry is a bit much." His mother prodded a finger against his chest. Jove tried to tickle her, and she laughed and swatted him and then they were kissing, lips greedy for each other's taste.
Kira pulled back first, blinking as though coming out of a daze.
"It is what it is," said Jove, holding her hands. "Just how family works."
"Not always. We seem to be… getting along a little better, at least. I'm glad that we've managed to get close again, Jovian."
"So am I."
"And that we can be… honest with each other," she added.
He nodded but wasn't sure if he bought it. There was a superficial layer of honesty, sure, but there was a lot they didn't talk about. Like his mother's initial decision to handle the two intruders herself. Or the fact that they'd been kissing, sometimes outright making out with each other, without ever acknowledging it openly.
"Speaking of your aunt," said Kira, clearing her throat to break a bit of the tension. "Would you mind going and making sure she's ready?"
"Absolutely."
"Come straight back," she added.
He nodded, but the fact that she felt the need to tell him that made him wonder if she might have suspicions. She had almost caught them together the other day. What would she do if she found out?
The question wasn't as simple as it might have been back in the old world, where an aunt could be disowned or a nephew reprimanded for engaging in such illicit behavior.
He was still imagining outcomes when he found Aster coming out of the bathroom, clad only in a towel with steam billowing out behind her. She grinned at Jove and pretended to cover herself.
"Good timing, darling," said Aster. "I was just about to head into my room to pick out an outfit. You can help me choose."
Jove opened his mouth to answer, but someone else beat him to it.
"I believe Director Faremont instructed you to head straight back to her once you confirmed your aunt was ready," said Andromeda.
Jove stared at Aster, seeing his own surprise and unease reflected in her expression.
"Yeah," he said, in a careful tone. "Of course, Andromeda. Wouldn't want to keep the director waiting."
Aster cleared her throat. "If you'll… excuse me."
He waited until Aster had departed before heading down into the hall and slipping into his own room.
"Andromeda," he said. "What do you know?"
"I'm not sure what you mean, Jovian," said the AI.
He considered his next question, wanting to probe the extent of the AI's knowledge and spying, but not wanting to give anything away.
"Is there any information that you've discovered about me that the director would be surprised by?"
"I'm unfamiliar with the exact extent of the director's knowledge, so I can't say with certainty what might surprise her."
"Andromeda," he said, in a chiding tone.
A few seconds passed by.
"You appear to share an inappropriate level of closeness with your aunt," said Andromeda. "To some extent, it would seem as though you are also close with your sister and mother beyond normal conventions."
Jove winced, but he wasn't overly surprised. Andromeda's eyes and ears around the station were far too universal for him to have any real privacy from her over a long enough timescale.
"Have you spoken to my mother about this?" he said, cringing a little.
"Not directly."
"If she questioned you about what you know about me and Aster, would you tell her?" he asked.
"My privacy protocol normally only allows me to answer questions about the personal lives of the station's denizens if they directly affect the station's operations," said Andromeda. "With that said, I believe Director Faremont would quite easily be able to present a case for disclosure that might force my hand."
"Oh, come on," he said, with a sigh. "Can you please keep this secret, Andromeda? It would negatively affect the station's operations for the relationship between my mom and my aunt to become any more frayed than it already is. That's a fact."
Another silence. Jove wondered if he was genuinely taxing the AI's ability to reason through what represented the best outcome.
"That's true," said Andromeda. "I will consider your perspective before revealing any of your personal information. In the meantime, I would like you to do your best to keep your relationship with your aunt and the rest of your family on this station as appropriate as possible."
Jove let out a breath. "Yeah, I'll do my best. Thanks, Andromeda."
"You're welcome, Jove."