“Very nice!” exclaimed Olympia, when she saw the private quarters provided in the penthouse suite. “Not all the bedrooms will be as fancy as this luxury version originally occupied by Rival family members, but even so, at least every JE crew member (or couple) can get a private room if they wish. And look at that cityscape vista, so impressive through these big windows...well, the part not obscured by the heavy rainfall.”
“Oh yes...hope our colleagues on Mars don't get too jealous...maybe we shouldn't even let them know,” Galileo responded, only half joking. “My captain's quarters on the starship are quite good, but not nearly as luxurious as this penthouse bedroom. You know, I'm really gonna miss these fancy amenities when I have to drive the ship...they've managed to get the Earth-Mars journey down to weeks instead of months, but even so, that can feel like a very long time out in space. Can't you come with me?”
Olympia turned serious: “Oh my, if only I could! In the old days, we could be together on those long survey missions running out from Jonson Station, covering long distances across the asteroid belt. But back then, we were both junior staff members, while Seaplane and Lilabelle actually had to continually occupy the station themselves, aided by other human and android staff. For better or worse, we're both in more responsible roles now...you as major starship captain...and me as manager of these facilities."
She paused to ponder the challenge, then continued: “However, I'm really worried about the sheer scope of our new situation. You and I worked as a team to manage Jonson Station and Jonson Outpost when Seaplane and Lilabelle were away...and indeed we could still benefit by that joint approach here at our even larger facilities on Earth. But you'll be away on starship missions, so the entire management burden may fall heavily on me alone. Plus, I need to help Sarah develop the new android lab.” Then she added on a more playful note: “And of course I'll really miss you here in this nice cozy luxury suite at night!”
Galileo couldn't resist her last comment: “Oh yes indeed...we'll definitely have to do something about that!” Then he gathered his thoughts before continuing: “Aside from our personal relationship, though, there are larger issues involved. That heavy management burden, with so much responsibility, bothers me too, a lot. It's not fair to you, and to be honest, to me either. We worked very well together, and I think it's accurate to say that the long running success of Jonson Station owed a great deal to our collaborative efforts. So...we should devise a solution that addresses all these needs together....” Olympia nodded affirmatively, and both grew silent as they pondered the situation.
Finally Galileo perked up: “OK, seems to me we might want to revisit the starship arrangement. Let's talk with Seaplane about it...there may be some ways to spread that starship burden out more evenly across JE's considerable staff resources...which would allow me to contribute more to JE work here on Earth. I'd be a lot happier both professionally and personally.” Olympia chimed in: “So would I!”
Comments