Snow Globe

By Emil X. Lewis

When life is hard, aim for the stars.

Space has been Kent Everette’s passion and his only outlet during his rough upbringing. Against enormous odds and through numerous struggles along the way, he manages to achieve his dream of working in the US space industry as a scientist. After a multibillion-dollar joint venture between NASA and a major commercial space company, Kent is selected as part of mission operations. After a major equipment malfunction occurs on the icy moon of Europa, the public is outraged over the huge waste of funding. Opinion of the space industry is at an all-time low, and distrust grows as accusations run rampant. Kent is given a major life-altering choice. Little does he realize that this will lead him on an adventure of galaxy-sized proportions.

Snow Globe is a sci-fi adventure that is epic in scale while staying grounded in reality.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Aug 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9781685626631

Emil X. Lewis

Emil X. Lewis is a 20-year air force vet who has a big interest in sci-fi, technology, movies, and cars. In the air force, he did everything from maintaining aircraft to Korean translation. Whenever he is not watching a film, he is daydreaming about new plot ideas. Emil currently resides in South Korea with his wife, Seeun.

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About the Author

Emil X. Lewis is a 20-year air force vet who has a big interest in sci-fi, technology, movies, and cars. In the air force, he did everything from maintaining aircraft to Korean translation. Whenever he is not watching a film, he is daydreaming about new plot ideas. Emil currently resides in South Korea with his wife, Seeun.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to those who dream big, those who know what they want in life, and won’t give up until they succeed.

Copyright Information ©

Emil X. Lewis 2023

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Ordering Information

Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Lewis, Emil X.

Snow Globe

ISBN 9781685626624 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781685626631 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023906632

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street, 33rd Floor, Suite 3302

New York, NY 10005

USA

[e-mail]

[phone]

Acknowledgment

The amount of support I received from family, friends, and coworkers in writing this was overwhelming. So many to mention, so little space. Those of you who I was unable to mention by name, I truly am appreciative of you in helping me to achieve this.

I am thankful to the team at Austin Macauley Publishers for giving me and my novel this opportunity.

My family – Emil Sr., Napoleon Sr., Mary, Napoleon Jr, and Ryan; I cannot express how grateful I was as you cheered me on every step of the way. I am thankful for each and every one of you to be in my life.

Friends like Matthew who made me feel like my story could be actually be interesting. Jessica, who gave amazing feedback while staying positive all the while. I would especially like to thank my wife, Seeun; and my mother, Pamela. Two special women in my life that I could have never finished this novel without. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. When I doubted myself, others believed in me.

Chapter One

The End of the Journey – Part I

Kent slowly wiped the beads of sweat off his forehead and smoothed over his disheveled auburn hair – the hard part was over. Actually, that was questionable, now that he thought about it. The entire journey had been difficult. He had been anxious from the moment the Hawk 9X rocket had blasted off from Cape Canaveral – disappearing into the night sky. He had tensely watched and waited four years as the vessel had made its way across the solar system. It had maneuvered past planets, moons, and space debris – to orbit over an area no larger than his living room. He sighed softly, and then he turned back to the large monitor on the wall to his side. On the screen, he could make out a smooth icy surface. In the middle of the featureless terrain, was a large hole – its edge surrounded by ice fragments.

The vessel’s arrival to Jupiter’s smallest moon, Europa, had only worked to increase his anxiety. Upon entering orbit, the main vessel Vita, had maneuvered itself until it was aligned with its predetermined destination. Using tiny thrusters, it slowly descended through the thin atmosphere. And finally, it made a perfect landing on a billion-year-old icy surface. Its mission was to punch through the moon’s nearly 10-mile thick crust in order to answer one of science’s greatest curiosities – was there a liquid ocean within Europa, and if so, did it contain life? Up until now, it had performed flawlessly – lowering a drill bit of ridiculous proportions to the surface as it wound up to its operational RPM.

The drone had been drilling for three months now. Today, it was anticipated that it would reach the end of the crust. The Mission Control Center was busier than Kent had ever seen it. He had worked here at the Johnson Space Center for the better part of a decade now, but never had it been so alive, so full of energy. The entire staff seemed to be here. This could be the day that changed everything.

Kent walked over to Jen, one of their more junior members in the Real Time Operations team. Without being prompted, she gave him an update in her normal upbeat tone.

The sonar depth check is complete! Looks like there is roughly two to three meters remaining, she said excitedly.

Thanks, Kent replied. She nodded slightly, leaning closer to her monitors, her light brown eyes darting rapidly, yet deliberately, through the constant, never-ending flow of data.

As Kent made his way across the floor, he was intercepted by Blake, one of his former interns – and now one of his closest friends.

Kent, he said. You going to get in on this bet? How many times will Richard Fowler go heat up his hot pocket in the next three hours?

Kent chuckled lightly at this. Blake! he muttered. Number one – this is crunch time, and number two…you can put me for four times.

Blake nodded, writing something on a small notepad, and then walked off – patting Kent on the shoulder. Kent shook his head at the audacity of his coworkers, and then walked up to the flight director station. It was on a raised platform that overlooked the entire operation.

Sitting at the station was Maven Williams – a tall, older black man. He watched a dimmed monitor for a moment, and then shifted his gaze to Kent. Kent knew exactly what the question would be. He felt blood rushing to his fingers, his bottom lip quivered slightly. He then shifted his weight, and turned to face Williams.

Well, hey there, Dr. Everette! You do know that we’re going to reach that window in less than two hours, right?

Of course.

Well, that’s good. So are we go? What’s the verdict?

Well, it’s just within the preselected parameters of the drill…and, uh…and then there’s the crust density…

Williams smirked, nodding patiently.

Kent hated when he did this to himself. He was stalling, attempting to avoid making the decision, avoiding the responsibility, and Williams knew it.

Dr. Everette, could you just answer the question?

After a long pause, and a rapid blinking of his eyes, he matched his gaze with Williams. Alright. He gestured with his left hand. We’re go for the next stage.

Williams pressed a button, speaking into his headset. He had just green-lighted the next and most crucial step of the mission – the submersible.

At that moment, Kent suddenly felt giddy. All the planning, the endless briefings, the sleepless nights…coming together at this moment, to make the seemingly impossible happen. In response to William’s go ahead, the BOX operators (the name given to their most important piece of equipment) began bringing the submersible online. They quickly, yet thoroughly, moved down hundreds of items in a thick checklist on their monitors. As the lead operator called out each item, his team members would click buttons and flip switches in such a precise manner that it was evident that they had trained on this very moment for years. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kent heard the ops confirm that everything was in working order. The tediousness of it all fascinated Kent. As a child, he imagined it would be like a sci-fi flick; a countdown, a few big red buttons were pushed, and then everything else was smooth sailing. Here at NASA though, he had learned it was quite the opposite.

After an excruciating 35-minute delay, Kent watched as they brought the drill to a stop – presumably, right on the lower edge of the ice crust. The video feed was lackluster – the view was filled entirely with ice. It looked no different from drilling in Antarctica. But behind that boring view was potentially the greatest discovery in the history of mankind.

Chapter Two

Kent Everette

Kent Everette had never really stood out in a crowd. His slight build, his height of 5'10" and his quiet, introverted demeanor had helped him to avoid attention. And this had been perfect for him, seeing that he had never thrived on attention anyway. He had been born and raised by his mother in the middle of Chicago, surrounded by high-rise apartments, endless traffic, and people. His mother, Candice Everette, who had, according to her own story ‘did what was best’ for Kent and separated from his father years before, was always in his thoughts. She had been his one supporter in life. She was short, a bit chubby and almost always full of smiles. He remembered her face being one of beauty, despite her deteriorating body. She had large, bright eyes, and a round face. Her dirty blonde hair had reached to her shoulders – pulled together in a simple ponytail. And besides her sense of humor, what Kent mostly remembered was her inner strength. While he could never define inner strength, that’s what he had seen in her: the determination to pull through and provide a roof over their head, and food on the table. A mother who had told him he could achieve all of his lofty dreams without a hint of doubt in her tone. Even when she had gotten sick – she hadn’t deviated from this. She would rub the side of his head, strands of his messy hair parting like grass through her fingers. His tears would run down to his mouth, and then to his chin – slowly dripping on to the floor, like the beginning of a downpour of rain. One day, she told him that he would have to stay with his dad. He still remembered how thin she had become as that horrid disease had slowly begun to spread through her body. In a fatigued voice that lacked the liveliness of her younger days, she had then instructed him to mind his father and to keep up with his schoolwork. Shortly after this, she died. He was 15 at the time. Right before that, Kent had moved across the city to the suburbs where his father, Daryl, resided. His dad had tried his hardest to accommodate Kent, but he never had seemed anything like a father and more like an older brother. He and Kent’s personalities had been so fundamentally different that despite Daryl’s sincerest efforts – he had never quite understood his one and only child.

Regardless, some of his fondest memories were of ice fishing with his uncle Joe, and playing baseball with a few friends at an old field behind his house. And sometimes he remembered occasionally getting bullied outside his elementary school (not his fondest). Unlike the other kids, who mostly dreamt of being an ‘influencer’, he had wanted to be an astronaut. Space simply fascinated him to the point that it had become his obsession. While other teens may have had their favorite rock bands or rappers taped up on their wall, he had a poster of a NASA space shuttle making a perfect landing at Edwards Air Force Base. And the bullies had noticed this too. The nickname ‘Bitch Lightyear’ had been tailor-made for his misery.

Years later, months after graduating, despite being unsure of his future plans, he found himself applying to MIT. It had simply just felt right at the time, and he deduced that he had always been more interested in the science of space – not working in it. He shifted his dream of becoming an ‘astronaut’ to ‘rocket scientist’, not too much of a stretch seeing that some of his classmates had gone from ‘race car driver’ to ‘live-in son’. Not only had he gotten accepted – he had received a partial scholarship.

While at the institute, he had immediately immersed himself in study. Kent had been surprised how different college life was compared to his miserable time in high school. Everyone for the most part, had been courteous and professional. They were quiet in class…because they were actually there to learn! The one thing that had remained the same, was his lack of friends. Once in a while a fellow classmate would attempt to make small talk with him, but he found it difficult to hold any good conversation. About seven months into his freshman year, he was invited to a house party and had showed up for it. He chuckled when one of his classmates, a lanky fellow by the name of Johnson, had gasped in shock when Kent walked into the room. At the party, he made a lot of firsts. Like his first beer. Everyone at that party had seemed dead set on getting him trashed. He had found beer to be way too bitter – at first that is. Shortly after his third, maybe fourth IPA, he found himself fading in and out of consciousness. The room had become a carousel of warped faces intermixed with distant laughter. He clumsily made his way over to a couch, falling into it. With his limbs splayed across the couch like a stuffed doll, he lay there, tranquil. With a huge, lopsided smile on his face, he observed the party the way an astrologer might observe distant planets. For once, nothing had been on his mind. Laying there, he saw one of the distant figures suddenly approach him. It was one of his classmates, Doreen. He had been taken by her from the first day he had seen her in class. She was absolutely stunning to him; mischievous, dark blue eyes, a thin, yet curvaceous figure. She was down-to-earth, yet assertive. He had also noticed that she had a humorous side. The same type of nerd humor that had helped him and his fellow geeks survive through the many trials of high school. But it almost didn’t seem possible. Doreen? A geek? They had chatted from time to time, but he could never really think of what to talk about. As she got closer, he struggled to think of something to say. The weather was a good topic. Last week’s homework perhaps?

Yet, her standing there with her carefree laughter, and the last IPA he had just slammed, gave him courage he had never felt before. She put her hands on her hips, smoothing her tight black dress which seemed scandalously short. Her smile kept growing as if she was trying to stop herself from exploding in laughter.

Kent!

Hey! he responded with his coolest voice possible (which had raised to the pitch of Mickey Mouse). She sat down right next to him, and then turned to face him. Despite the beer, Kent’s heart began to beat rapidly to the point that he could feel it thumping against his chest. Then she reached for a hug, her large chest squeezing softly against him. Her perfume was strong, yet enticing, enhancing her seductiveness. This sent his mind into warp drive.

He reciprocated with a healthy pat on the back, kind of like when he went home on break and saw one of his old buddies. A hard smack! on the shoulder to show your love. Doreen moved back with a controlled smile. He almost wanted to run and hide in a closet.

Nice party, right? he managed to squeak out.

It’s epic! Have you had a car bomb yet? Those car bombs are just terrific! she said enthusiastically. I didn’t really expect to see you out here, Kent. Her hand reached out purposefully and landed on his shoulder, making its way down his arm. His face began to flush red as he tried to appear calm.

Why’s that? he said in his best ‘cool’ tone. You thought I would be over at a D&D meetup?

You’re funny, she said simply. Her lips parted slightly – bringing her to a new level of beauty that he had never seen before. She had closed the gap between them, and suddenly, without warning, she was leaning right against him, her face mere inches away from his.

He began to say something and then he felt Doreen’s finger go across his lips as if to say, Shut up. Without thought, he moved in closer, and she met him with a kiss. She exhaled passionately as they embraced, her tongue fighting his. Kent moved back, expecting her to laugh, but her eyes were wide, her lips quivering with excitement. They then made out again – the other partygoers watching in amazement. She moved back for a moment, gazing at him as if considering something. He felt her hand locked in his, and then she slid over to his ear – speaking so close that he could feel the warmth of her moist breath.

Hey…it’s kind of loud here…wanna go hang out at my place?

For once, Kent didn’t overanalyze. He nodded his head, and they walked hand in hand toward the door.

***

They had sex on her small bed, which creaked and groaned from the stresses put on it. As Kent moved intensively, instinctively – he half expected to wake up from a dream at any moment.

They moved as one, surrendering to one another. In an exhausted, yet pleasurable gasp, they collapsed onto the bed. They lay there limp, unable to move. He turned his head to see that Doreen was watching him. Strands of her brown hair fell over her face, giving her a look of innocence. He took his hand and touched her cheek.

You’re so cute, she said softly.

Why? Kent asked, trying hard not to sound defensive.

Doreen adjusted a bit, exposing her left breast.

You’re just…different…I dunno.

Kent blinked. Can we hang out tomorrow too?

Of course, sweetheart.

Dating Doreen had been a lot different than he could have ever imagined. She was almost the person he had imagined her to be, but a bit more stubborn. Three months into the relationship, he had started to change. The few friends he had dwindled, and he had traded his tutoring sessions for dinner and movie dates.

A short time later – their grades had taken a nosedive. He had just about begged Doreen to study with him, but she always had other plans. Those days, he longed for the Doreen he had fantasized about in his mind. The Doreen that had sat next to him in psychology – months before they had gotten serious. She had been a mystery to him – each flirtatious smile or glance playing into an impossible fantasy – a woman who would solve all his problems. But the woman he now dated in a sense, was even more of a mystery.

Overall, despite her stubbornness, which could come across as nearly condescending – he was happy. But all good things must come to an end, and their relationship had ended abruptly, after a year. It was like she had set a timer and when it had hit the last second, she had exited. Not from school, nor from his class – but from his life completely.

That period in his life had been one of his darkest. The immense void Doreen had created had nearly consumed him whole. From the moment he woke up, he thought of her. Reliving every special moment. Analyzing every conversation he could recall. He had found himself constantly checking his phone, almost willing it to produce a text message from her. One time, in the middle of Multivariable Calculus, he thought she had finally contacted him. He had gotten so excited that he had leaped out of his chair, knocking over the drink of the guy sitting at the desk next to him, spilling soda all over his report. He ran out of the class only to find that it was a message telling him that his monthly phone bill was due.

He would often see Doreen at lunchtime, in the company of friends, looking more beautiful than ever. But she would avoid him. When he spotted her after class, he would trail behind her like a dog following its master on a walk, but she would simply glance over her shoulder and walk even faster. Her unwillingness to even acknowledge him did more than hurt – it stung – like she had plunged a sword of ice right through his soul. Doreen! he exclaimed once while following her. She kept walking as if oblivious to his call. This time Kent stopped where he was, his face ashen, his eyes tearing up.

Dory, what did I do? he asked in a pathetic whimper.

Doreen continued to walk, but then she slowed to a stop. She turned around to face him.

As if on cue, a few drops of rain fell and landed on Kent’s glasses. Then the heavens opened up, and the rain began to pour relentlessly. A cold wind accompanied the downpour – clawing in-between buildings and trees, pulling at the leaves on low hanging branches. Doreen walked back toward Kent and stopped about a foot away from him. She pushed wet hair away from her eyes and stared at him with an expression of pity, breaking character for a moment.

Kent… she moved her mouth silently as if choosing her words carefully. We can’t do this anymore…it’s that…I just…

Just what? You ‘just’ met another guy?

With this, Doreen’s large eyes shifted downward for a moment. She then looked back up at him, her eyes moist. A single tear fell from her eyes, blending into the rain.

I – I’ve already met…I mean, knew him. She glanced away for a moment, took a deep breath and turned back to him – her expression shameful. We had been dating on and off…I liked you, because you were different…

You love him? His strong tone stopped her in mid-sentence. Her lips were pursed, giving him his answer. Kent shook, his eyes flooded with tears behind his fogged glasses. He seemed to struggle for air to ask his next question. How many times did you screw him anyway?

At this, Doreen slowly lifted her head, eyeing Kent in anger now.

What the hell do you want from me! she shouted. Kent had no response – the rain ran through his messy hair like river channels, gathering at his forehead and spilling over like a small waterfall at his chin. Holding eye contact until the last possible moment – she turned back around and began to walk away.

The thing is, he said dryly. I honestly never cared about you anyways. I just needed something cheap and easy to do. The background of rain enhanced his ill-conceived words, adding to their harshness. Doreen spun around to face him – she appeared to be in disbelief at what he had just said.

I – I… Kent stammered. He was immediately disgusted by what he said. This was the final blow to their relationship. If he had any hopes of changing her mind, this small outburst had sealed his fate. He stood there, watching as Doreen shook in anger. She suddenly looked fragile, and her hair had fallen back over her face in a messy tangle. She almost looked like she had been reverted to a helpless child. Without a word, she turned away, walking away in quick steps – her hand lifted to her eyes as if she could actually stop the rain.

One night, months later – he saw her again. While walking back from a store, Kent saw Doreen across the street standing not far from her dormitory. She spoke excitedly with an older looking Asian man. He was tall, handsome – right off the cover of a fashion magazine. Kent knew at once that this was her ex. Doreen suddenly burst out in laughter and fell against the man’s shoulder. The man had then slowly but aggressively caressed her body, causing her to kiss him in return. Kent, through narrowed eyes, had observed her face. He knew the expression. She wanted to screw him. As if confirming this, Doreen grabbed the man by his hand and led him toward her dorm. Kent decided that he would never trust anyone again.

The next three years were a blur. He buried himself in schoolwork. As he began to recover from the relationship, he began to rediscover himself and the reason he was doing all of this. As the homework, essays and reports began to pile up, he spent more and more of his time in his room.

A stack of pizza boxes had formed into an untidy tower next to his mini fridge which only contained diet coke and stale bread. At one point, he was pretty sure that he didn’t see the light of day for a week. This, he told himself, was the path to success. A few more months of suffering, and then, he would have his foot in the door of his dream job. And then finally, after four years of hell, at the age of 22, he had walked across the stage, diploma in hand.

Chapter Three

The End of the Journey – Part II

Kent’s heart rate had finally started to slow a bit since the drill had reached its target depth. He was still excited of course, but he was more focused; quietly contemplating what their next moves should be. Regardless – the final decision wasn’t up to him, but his suggestion did carry a lot of weight. Right now, he sat in small room with the other scientists – going over various courses of action based off the incoming data. There were periods of excited chatter, sometimes heated debate, followed by furious scribbling on the papers in front of them. Blake, sitting next to Kent, raised his head and cleared his throat. One of the scientists stopped in the middle of writing, his eyes narrowing, wary of what the young genius was about to say.

So in the case we detect biological life forms… he started slowly. Half of the group began chuckling. One scientist, an older, heavy-set man, laughed heartily and then coughed. Listen son, he said with an unblinking gaze at Blake. That is neither our job, nor our concern at this moment. Blake began to argue. Sir – when he was suddenly cut off.

Hold on for a minute, Langston, The scientist continued. "I know that you, like a lot of the other young people here, are wrapped up in a fantasy that we’re going to cut through this ice and make friends with the…the snorks, and have these wonderful sea adventures with them! Wake up son!"

At this, the entire room burst into laughter. The scientist chuckled, glancing around the room. At this ribbing, Blake’s expression dropped into a frown. What’s a snork? Blake asked bitterly.

***

Preparation for this mission, nicknamed Ice Fisher, had started about 20 years before Kent was born. It took over 40 years from its conceptualization, for the technology to catch up with the ambitious plan. At that time, Kent had graduated about two years earlier and had been lucky