“Allan, are the radiation levels still rising?” Ron asked between breaths. He was leaning down with his hands on his knees in the small gym he was afforded. I pushed too hard, didn’t I? After breakfast, he’d strapped himself onto his treadmill and gone for his daily run--solar flare or not, he had to keep healthy. Europa’s weaker gravity would sap his strength if he didn't exercise it regularly.

  “Yes, they are! The flare is still rising in strength, but it has slowed considerably since it reached Europa. Director Karrid’s six-hour estimate was fairly accurate.” Despite the situation, Allan couldn’t help but stay chipper--it just wasn’t in him to be anything but. “I’d say the first flare will begin to wane in approximately fifty minutes, with a ten-minute margin of error!”

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  “Good. We need to get back to the drills and check their status--they should be just as insulated as the habitat, but you never know what could happen.”

  “Until the secondary flares weaken, you shouldn’t be traveling outside--the radiation is still enough to eat through the shielding and-”

  “Fine. I’ll wait until you start receiving response signals from them, but no longer. If they stay down for too long, the tunnels are going to seal themselves in ice, and that will delay the project by months. They aren’t so far that the rover can’t protect me for most of the way there, Allan.”

  “Orders received! I estimate approximately six hours until communication resumes with the drills, and nine hours before contact with the closest habs can be made.”

  [2] hours and [15] minutes