What We Are Meant To Find

By: submission | June 25, 2026

Author: Miranda Held

Lucy Goldman attained the role of right hand and impromptu partner to her close friend Captain Gabel on the mission Salacia 8, the 3rd manned exploration of the oceans of Europa. The Salacia 6 mission used a series of drones to start building a laboratory base under the ice, and the astronauts of Salacia 7 finished the construction. Salacia 3 confirmed life on the planet, and Gabel’s crew would be the first to physically see the creatures that grew within the underwater world’s depths.

Goldman piloted the submarine while Gabel took samples. They’d collected water full of microbes and plankton, but nothing yet of a visible size for humans.

A mass covered the navigation camera. Goldman maneuvered the sub around to find the mysterious block, but everywhere she turned, the screen showed more blackness. She checked her lights, but the diagnostic showed no issues.

The Captain okayed an EVA when Lucy reported the issue, so long as she stayed near the submarine. Goldman squirmed into the EVA suit—designed to face the undersea pressure—and activated the compression chamber. This would be humanity’s first hands-on experience of Europa’s oceans. She wondered if she needed something profound to say, but only Gabel would hear. She would just edit the words before anyone back home heard them.

Darkness enveloped the submarine, and the headlight glow faded within a foot. Goldman reached her gloved hand through the light but felt nothing. Releasing her grip on the sub, she floated out until her hand found a squishy substance, which beat like a heart. She startled back, and globs of oily black came with her.

The creature lit up into swirling tentacles with bright, undulating aquamarine. Bioluminescence was an unlikely find considering the ocean waters looked pitch black, so the animals here likely navigated by means other than eyes. For what purpose did this splendor serve?

The lights mesmerized, appearing as if looking into a wormhole to the secrets of the universe, and Goldman’s eyes locked onto the colors, like a child to a TV screen, unable to escape its pull, to ignore all the new information.

Water broke the dam in her brain, and Goldman’s mind became one with the swirling sea. She felt hundreds of heartbeats from creatures on the other side of the moon as if they were her own.

She unlatched her tether and floated toward the creature. This was her calling, the apex of existence. She’d never be alone, never feel pain that could not be healed with ease. This was where she belonged.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

April 18th, 2086

“On April 17th, astronaut Lucy Goldman tragically drowned during a mission on Jupiter’s moon Europa, which was confirmed to have extraterrestrial life two years ago. The whole Earth mourns this great loss, while many question what this means for the future of the Salacia missions.

“Captain Gabel states, ‘I don’t know what went wrong. The suit showed no damage nor did Lucy express any distress. One minute she’s there, the next complete disconnection. I couldn’t find a sign of her anywhere.’

“People are in uproar over the mystery of Goldman’s death. One user on X writes, ‘we can’t send any more missions to that death trap until we know what happened to Lucy Goldman.’

“Gabel says, ‘Lucy was my dearest friend. I’ll mourn her death for the rest of my existence, but I do not believe we should let this prevent new discoveries. We have tons of new data about Europa, and there’s so much more to discover.'”