Jupiter's moon · ocean under ice
Europa Deepwell
A town on the ice, a well to the ocean, and very strict rules.
Europa's cracked ice shell hides a dark ocean beneath. In 3455, Deepwell is a cluster of research towns on the surface around one carefully guarded shaft that reaches all the way down.
The rule here is simple: nothing goes into the ocean that didn't come from it. Every visitor is scrubbed, every tool is sterilised, and Zamfyr is watched very closely.
Deepwell was founded to study the ocean without harming it. Nobody is allowed to swim, fish or drop anything in. Robots go down the Well instead and come back with pictures, sounds and very careful samples.
What lives down there is still mostly a mystery. Scientists say they've heard things. They won't say what, and they don't want Zamfyr asking.
Atmosphere
Bitter cold and thin outside, with Jupiter filling half the sky. Inside: warm, clean and very quiet.
Local quirk
Shoes are sterilised. Twice. Then you're given new shoes.
Regions · proposed names, not locked canon
The Well
The borehole shaft through the ice, lit cyan, with lifts that go down for kilometres.
Lineae Towns
Settlements along the reddish cracks in the ice, where scientists live and work.
Jupiter Deck
An observation deck with the best view of Jupiter in the system. Bring a coat. Bring three.
Clean Room Row
The long line of scrub stations every visitor passes through. Twice.
Hazards
- ▲Radiation from JupiterStrong enough to fry unshielded gear. Stay indoors or shielded.
- ▲Ice quakesThe ice shell flexes and cracks with Jupiter's pull.
- ▲Contamination rulesBreak them, and you're on the next ship out.
Visitor tips
- ✦Wash. Then wash again.
- ✦Leave your snacks in the ship.
- ✦Don't touch Bubble's buttons.
Local life
- ●Research crews
- ●Whatever lives in the ocean (classified)
A day on Europa Deepwell
Europa takes three and a half Earth days to circle Jupiter, and Jupiter never moves in the sky. Its huge striped face hangs over the towns all the time, getting lighter and darker as the days pass.
Inside, scientists work quietly, drink lots of tea and listen to the ocean through headphones.
Locals & customs
Dr. Aiko Senn
Chief scientist at Deepwell. Gentle, patient and absolutely ruthless about the rules.
Bubble
A small ocean-diving robot with a big personality. It sometimes refuses to come back up.
- ◆Nothing from outside touches the ocean. Ever.
- ◆Every new arrival listens to one hour of ocean recordings before anything else.
- ◆Talking loudly on Jupiter Deck is frowned upon. Jupiter is listening, or so they say.
Legends & history
The Voice Under the Ice
Deepwell staff tell a story of a scientist who heard a voice in the ocean recordings that sounded like it was saying hello.
She said hello back. The recordings went quiet for a year. Then, one day, they said it again.
Crew log
“I was clean for an entire day. It was the hardest day of my life.”
“Very quiet. I like the ocean sounds.”
Story seed · in development
Clean Hands
Someone has smuggled an offworld organism down the Well. If it reaches the ocean, Europa's own life could be lost forever. Zamfyr must stay perfectly clean for an entire episode.
The smuggled organism turns out to be harmless on Earth but deadly here, and it's hiding inside Zamfyr's hat.
Earthward stakes
Earth's scientists treat Europa as a precious second chance to understand life, and Earth's reputation depends on protecting it.
Onobo packs
Science inspiration
Europa really does have a subsurface ocean under its ice. The towns and the Well are fiction.
NASA: Europa