Jovian Jellyfish

The Jovian Jellyfish

Jonno Virek didn’t mind unusual contracts — they kept him and the Peregrine Queen in fuel. But he drew the line at live cargo that could sting through reinforced gloves.

The job seemed harmless at first: deliver a consignment of genetically modified jellyfish from a floating research platform on Europa to a medical lab orbiting Jupiter. According to the paperwork, these creatures produced a compound that could help regenerate human nerve tissue.

Jonno leaned over the tank, eyeing the floating, luminous shapes. “How are they even alive in here?”
Mara Linskey, tapping the environmental readouts, smiled faintly. “The tank keeps their water at Europa temperatures. Salty, oxygenated, about minus two Celsius.”
Jonno made a face. “And if the containment fails?”
"They freeze solid.”
Jonno nodded slowly. “That’s… almost comforting.”

A day out from Jupiter orbit, their ship’s internal alarm blared.
Jonno startled. “What now?”
Mara, already moving towards the hold, checked the diagnostic. “One of the tanks is showing a pressure drop.”
They found a jagged crack in the outer shell, leaking chilled brine into the cargo bay. The inner tank had also fractured, and a handful of jellyfish had slipped through, drifting like eerie blue ghosts in the ship’s microgravity.
Jonno’s stomach sank. “They’re out.”
Mara grabbed a pair of insulated nets. “We’ll have to corral them.”

In microgravity, the jellyfish floated serenely, trailing bioluminescent tendrils. Jonno kept one eye on their movements while sweeping carefully with the net, trying to avoid a stray sting.
“Keep them from the electronics,” Mara warned, glancing at the deck circuits. “A live short would be spectacular.”
Jonno manoeuvred between crates, nudging one jellyfish gently with the net until it drifted back toward Mara, who guided it into a secondary tank.
A faint blue spark arced from a tendril, brushing his sleeve with a harmless snap.
Jonno grimaced. “They’re definitely charged.”
After several tense minutes, the last of the escapees was secured in the spare container.
Mara inspected the damaged tank. “We’ll need to seal this one before it can hold anything again.”

Together they applied emergency sealant patches over the fractures, then pumped fresh brine from reserve storage back inside. When satisfied, they carefully transferred the jellyfish from the secondary tank to their repaired home.
Jonno wiped sweat from his brow. “I’d rather wrangle cyber-goats.”
Mara gave a tired laugh. “Maybe next week.”

They arrived at the Jovian medical lab without further mishap. Technicians in gleaming lab coats rushed to collect the precious creatures, still chattering about their nerve-regrowth compound.
Jonno handed over the manifest, grateful to be rid of them. “They’re all here, in one piece.”

Back aboard the Peregrine Queen, he poured a welcome mug of tea for each of them.
He raised his cup. “To cargo that doesn’t swim.”
Mara lifted hers with a grin. “To dry deliveries.”