Acoustic notes drifted through the small cafe. Patrons sipped their coffee and browsed the holonet to the cheerful tunes. Leo's low baritone voice formed a pleasant counterpoint to the light song, creating a peaceful atmosphere amidst the coffee stained venusian skywood furniture. He finished up his last song for the morning just as the artificial sunlight coming off the biodome reached its crisp noonday peak. He waved to the owner of the small cafe as he carefully packed his guitar into its padded carry case. The barista gave him a wave as he headed for the door, registering the beep of his comm chip as the credits for the morning were transferred.

Striding out into the crisp air, he took a second to enjoy the view of Jupiter in it's tidally locked orbit overhead before heading towards a nearby sandwich shop. With a thought he placed his order and sent a message to his friend Paul to let him know he was on his way. He had met Paul during his four years of military service and had served alongside him as a member of the UFS 61st fighter wing. He had enjoyed his time in the military immensely, despite the strict order and tight living conditions. The sheer joy and adrenalin rush of flying was enough to make up for almost any treatment and he quickly rose to become the team leader for their Flight of twenty light fighters.

Paul was like him, a fellow adrenalin junkie, and they had both moved out to the Europan capital of Minos following their departure from the military. Although they were given the option to renew their military service contract and continue working for the UFS, they had both chosen to find their fortune elsewhere. Rounding the corner, he pushed open the door to the sandwich shop. He waved at Paul, already sitting at a table, before grabbing his sandwich from the counter.

Tearing the wrapping off his sandwich, he grabbed half of it and gestured towards Paul, "How's the search for work going? Any flying gigs yet?"

"Cargo and passenger runs. Nothing good." he rasped. Paul had been the victim of an unfortunate accident when a micrometeorite had slipped through the scanners and impacted his fighter during a training exercise. The impact cracked his helmet and exposed him to vacuum for several seconds before the automated sealant kicked in. He came away with a good story and a voice reminiscent of someone who smoked a pack a day for ten years, his sinister voice seeming totally at odds with his friendly demeanor.

"Hopefully something interesting comes up soon. Can't be getting rusty a month out of the Wing. Be glad you have that guitar to pass the time and earn a few credits."

Leo smirked through a mouthful of sandwich before giving his guitar case an affectionate pat. "What else has been going on? Don't tell me you've just been sitting on your ass all day waiting for an opportunity. You're definitely cooking something up that I'm probably going to regret helping you with."

A beep sounded from his comm chip as a file popped up. He pulled up the file to see a page advertising high speed tours of Europa's canyon wildlands, advertising expert aerobatics with low inertial dampening as a must-try tourist experience.

"I'm looking for a ship right now. I have enough saved from the UFS for the downpayment on something small and fast. I'm just waiting for something to show up that can handle the pace and the passengers. What about you?" Paul asked Leo, popping a chip in his mouth.

Leo snorted, "I expected as much. Let me know when you find a ship. Breaking into the music industry is great, but if I don't set foot in a cockpit soon I may have to turn to piracy just to get some use out of all this adrenaline that's going to waste."

Paul laughed at Leo's faux sad expression, "Have you checked out any of the virtual reality sims yet? There's a big title coming out tomorrow. Some massive companies behind it apparently."

"No, but if they're good enough to tempt you I might just have to. What's the one you're talking about?"

"A new world simulator called Contact. It uses the new quantum linked communication arrays. A big open universe with aliens and opportunities. They're claiming total realism, and I'm suspending my disbelief for now. They've got a giant AI core under the ice on Titan running the thing that makes the academy simulators from our flight school days look like some amateur's science project."

"That good? Sounds like a great way to pass some time. Find me once it goes online. It might just keep me from tearing the rest of my hair out." Leo replied sarcastically, standing as he tossed the crumpled wrapper into the recycling unit in the corner. Waving goodbye to Paul, he grabbed his guitar case and headed in the direction of his apartment.

A simple one bedroom flat with the essential furniture he had acquired over the last month living there. Setting down his guitar case next to the rack holding his two other guitars, he let out a long breath. He sat down at his desk and opened up the holonet interface, placing an order for a Contact VR pod. He then navigated to his contacts list and placed a call to his father. His parents, Ray and Victoria Weise, were chronic workaholics. They met during their time in the military science academy. His mother was a practicing psychologist for the UFS troops while his father worked in quantum physics, trying to make theory into reality while bouncing from one classified science facility to another. After Leo left for flight school, his father had been transferred to a facility on Mars. The screen flashed green as the call connected and linked to his comm chip, showing an image of a man in his early fifties with broad shoulders and a silver grey goatee.

Leo grinned at the display, "How's the weather on mars this time of year?"

An answering smile came from Ray as he replied, "Not bad, though they're still getting some of the issues with it ironed out."

Leo rolled his eyes and swore he could hear the sound of cymbals in the background.

"What about you? Any leads for work on Europa yet?"

"Music for the moment. Plenty of places to play and keep the credits rolling in. Paul is working on acquiring a ship for a tourist trap he's working on. If it works out then I'll have options as a pilot."

"Great, sounds like you have everything planned out." An odd look flashed across his face for a second before he added, "Oh, and you should check out Contact when you get the chance. It's a new virtual reality game set to hit the market soon."

"Paul mentioned it to me earlier. I put in an order for a pod right before I called you. What's so special about it?"

His father turned serious for a second, staring into the camera. "I can't say much, but it's related my work here."

This caused Leo to pause for a second. Everyone knew that mars was special. The crazy construction projects and military quarantine had conspiracy theorists frothing at the mouth for a few decades before everything settled down. It remained a topic of speculation for centuries until seven years ago, when it lit up brighter than the noonday sun over mercury and stayed that way for two years before shutting off again. If this game was somehow related to Mars, then whatever it was would certainly be interesting.

He shot his father a quizzical look, "Alright, thanks for the tip." He nodded goodbye, "Let's talk again soon."

"Sounds good!"

The connection cut out and the holoscreen faded out.