The Mighty Hurlers of Europa

By Drew Wade, a contributing writer and author of Great Awakening

Amara Odúwa Tennyson-Hale, heir to the Mighty Hurlers of Europa, explores her family's interstellar water empire, tracing its origins from the Great Migration and Jim Crow America to its dominance in the Solar System’s most lucrative trade. Comparing work, leisure, and love across centuries, she reflects on factory labor, Martian tech pioneers, zero-G galas, and dynastic marriages, embracing her role as the next Water Baron in a universe shaped by her ancestors.

Legacy of the Ice Lords

Europa Orbit – Museum of the Water Lords

Year: 2235

A metallic chime echoed through the grand hall of the Museum of the Water Lords, its resonance whispering through the corridors lined with holographic displays of planetary maps, ice-harvesting machinery, and archival records from the first great water expeditions. The grand museum, floating in the gravity-controlled ring of Europa’s orbital station, overlooked the swirling chaos of Jupiter’s storms—an eternal reminder of the celestial forces humanity had learned to bend to its will.

Amara Odúwa Tennyson-Hale strode into the exhibit chamber, her breath momentarily taken away by the sheer scale of history laid before her. Towering before her, encased in a transparent stasis field, was the first-ever Hurler Core, the heart of the Mighty Hurlers of Europa—the monolithic, near-sentient machines that extracted and launched water to the furthest reaches of the solar system.

Her family had built this empire. They had transformed the celestial cold of Europa into an industry of unimaginable wealth, becoming Water Barons, their influence rivaling that of ancient monarchs, tech dynasties, and even Earth’s last-standing sovereign nations.

Today, she had come here not as a visitor, not as a tourist, but as the heir to it all. And she had come to learn.

A glowing interface activated as she approached the exhibit, recognizing her genetic signature.

"Welcome, Lady Amara Odúwa Tennyson-Hale," a crisp AI voice greeted. "Would you like to begin with the origin of the Water Lords?"

She nodded. The past had always fascinated her. She had grown up hearing whispers of the family’s history, how they had risen from a time of great struggle on Earth. But she wanted the truth—the raw, unfiltered history.

The exhibit flickered to life, reconstructing a 3D simulation of America in the early 20th century.

From Earth’s Struggles to Jupiter’s Bounty

The first scene played out in a reconstruction of the American South in the 1930s. Fields stretched endlessly beneath a harsh sun, where laborers—her ancestors—endured the brutality of sharecropping after the long shadow of slavery had been declared "over."

As the simulation advanced, Amara watched her forebears flee northward in the Great Migration, chasing opportunity, only to find themselves trapped in redlined districts, facing systemic barriers designed to keep them in cycles of economic subjugation.

And yet, despite it all—they built.

Her great-great-grandparents had clawed their way into business, navigating a world that had no interest in seeing them succeed. They created enterprises, pooled resources, and lifted each other when no one else would.

A hologram flickered to show a storefront—a modest financial cooperative they had founded to provide loans to other Black entrepreneurs when banks refused them.

By the time the exhibit reached the 2050s, her family had expanded into tech, space mining, and AI-driven investments—fields that others had overlooked. And then came the golden moment—when terraforming efforts on Mars and lunar colonies had turned into a full-fledged interstellar industry.

The family saw one key problem no one else had solved: water.

The one thing that all colonies, research stations, and terraforming operations would always need.

And they seized it.

They built the first Hurlers, engineered with AI, designed to extract Europa’s ice, package it into massive ejected cubes, and launch it toward planets and stations in need. The business exploded into a trillion-credit industry, and within two generations, her ancestors had become the undisputed Water Barons of the Solar System.

An Heir’s Responsibility

The holograms faded, leaving Amara standing before the first Hurler Core, its design crude but powerful, a reminder of where it had all begun.

Her mind swirled with thoughts.

Her family's wealth had given her a life of privilege—education on Titan, summers on Mars, access to elite circles from Luna to Ganymede. But there was a weight to the legacy, an unspoken expectation that she would carry it forward.

She turned to the museum’s AI guide. "Show me the current state of the Water Trade."

The display shifted, revealing a holographic map of the Solar System, where the Mighty Hurlers of Europa continued to launch water payloads, navigating gravity wells and planetary orbits, delivering the essence of life itself.

But alongside the successes, new threats loomed.

• Rival syndicates from the Saturnian moons were attempting to steal water payloads mid-transit.

• Corporations on Mars were lobbying to create an artificial water supply that would undermine Europa’s monopoly.

• Emerging AI factions were demanding a stake in the decision-making of the sentient Hurlers, claiming that machines, too, should have rights.

She clenched her fists. Her ancestors had fought harder battles than these.

If she was to inherit this empire, she could not merely be a passive heir. She had to lead.

Amara turned and exited the museum, stepping into her family’s orbital command station.

The Future Awaits

Far below, on the icy surface of Europa, massive AI-powered Hurlers continued their relentless work. Each colossal machine carved vast chunks of ice, lifted them into position, and sent them hurdling toward the void, caught by solar sails and gravity assists to slingshot toward distant worlds.

As Amara gazed out into space, she made her decision.

She would protect what her family had built.She would expand it beyond anything they had ever imagined.

And when the time came, she would reshape the very future of the Solar System.

Work is in the Blood

Europa Orbital Command – The Water Barons' Hub

Year: 2235

Amara's days were structured like clockwork, but her responsibilities carried the weight of an empire. The Mighty Hurlers of Europa were not just machines—they were an entire ecosystem of logistics, economics, and interstellar diplomacy. As the heir to the family dynasty, her time was split between negotiating trade deals, overseeing terraforming operations, and managing AI governance for the sentient machines that powered the Solar System’s most critical industry.

Her work schedule was relentless.

• 6 AM, Europa Standard Time (EST) – Wake-up in her luxury habitat pod, a floating residence tethered to the Europa Orbital Command station.

• 7 AM – Board her personal grav-tram to the Council Chamber, where she’d attend briefings on Martian water distribution quotas.

• 9 AM – Oversee the latest Hurler launches, monitoring trajectory calculations to ensure maximum efficiency when slingshotting ice payloads via Jupiter’s gravity.

• 11 AM – Conference calls with representatives from Venus Cloud Cities, Titanian Mining Syndicates, and Ceres Ice Brokers, all vying for contracts.

• 2 PM – AI Governance Council meeting to discuss the rights of the semi-sentient Hurlers, an increasingly controversial topic among the Water Barons.

• 5 PM – Exercise session in the Europa Dome’s artificial gravity ring, training in zero-G combat techniques—a precaution, given the rise in pirate factions targeting water shipments.

• 7 PM – Evening gala at the Jovian Palace, rubbing elbows with diplomats, financiers, and underground water smugglers, all of whom played a role in the vast and complex trade.

Her career required intellect, adaptability, and a cutthroat survival instinct. And as she sat at the helm of the most lucrative industry in human history, she often thought about what her ancestors had done for a living—what work had meant to them.

The Grind of Generations

Work in the 1930s – The Factory Floor & The Fields

Back on Earth, nearly three centuries ago, her great-great-great-grandfather had woken up before dawn to pick cotton in the fields of the American South. The work shifts were backbreaking, dictated by the relentless sun, and overseen by a boss who held unchecked power over his workers.

After escaping the South during the Great Migration, her ancestors settled in Chicago, taking factory jobs—often at steel mills, meatpacking plants, or textile factories. Their shifts were 12 to 14 hours long, and their bosses were unforgiving. Lunch was a scrap of cornbread or a tin of beans eaten in the shadow of a smokestack.

Contrast that to Amara, whose “work shift” involved managing fleets of AI-driven juggernauts hurling frozen oceans through the cosmos. Her work was demanding, but she had autonomy, power, and technology at her side—luxuries her ancestors never knew.

Work in the 2050s – Tech & Space Expansion

By the mid-21st century, her ancestors had moved into tech. They had escaped the factory grind, founded startups in AI-driven financial services, and invested in early space expansion. Her great-grandmother had been one of the first Black terraforming engineers on Mars, helping design the atmospheric processors that made the planet more habitable.

Now, Amara was at the pinnacle of that legacy, commanding not just planetary industries, but interstellar economies. The contrast between backbreaking labor, data-driven enterprises, and the new aristocracy of space was striking.

The Evolution of Play

If work had evolved, so had leisure.

Amara’s idea of fun was unlike anything her ancestors could have imagined, but the core elements—music, socializing, and romance—remained timeless.

Parties in the 1930s – The Juke Joints & Kitchen Gatherings

Her ancestors had gathered in hidden juke joints, where blues musicians played raw, soul-stirring guitar riffs. The party was a sweaty, joyous affair—dancing in dim-lit rooms with wooden floors worn smooth by endless shuffling feet.

The food was whatever was affordable—fried catfish, black-eyed peas, cornbread, collard greens—and whiskey was smuggled in under coats.

Dating? It was a whispered invitation to a slow dance, a stolen moment in a world where survival was more urgent than romance.

Parties in the 2050s – Virtual Clubs & Martian Jazz Bars

By the 2050s, her ancestors were hacking into VR clubs, dancing to holographic DJs spinning Afrofuturist synth beats. They sipped synthesized cocktails at bars on the Martian underground scene, where AI played jazz and robotic bartenders served microgravity-infused drinks.

Parties in 2235 – Galactic Social Elite & Anti-Gravity Soirées

Now, Amara found herself at extravagant zero-G galas on Ganymede, where guests floated in elaborate attire, their clothing embedded with interactive light displays.

Instead of whiskey, people drank nebula-infused elixirs.Instead of jazz, gravity-altering orchestras played symphonies that made the listeners feel as if they were falling through stars.

And yet, at the core of it, it was all still the same. The desire to unwind, to celebrate, to escape the burdens of work and power.

Love Across the Centuries

The Dating Scene – Then vs. Now

Love in the 1930s – Church & Letters

Her great-great-grandparents had met in a church social, exchanged letters written in careful cursive, and courted with walks under streetlamps.

Marriage was about survival, about finding someone who could weather the hardships of life together.

Love in the 2050s – Mars Love & VR Romance

By the 2050s, romance had become digital. People met in virtual reality pods, dated in Martian bio-domes, and matched through AI algorithms that predicted a 98.7% compatibility score.

Love had become more calculated, more curated—but no less intense.

Love in 2235 – Galactic Dynasties & Power Unions

For Amara, dating wasn’t just about romance—it was about legacy.

Her family’s wealth meant any romantic decision impacted entire economies.She was expected to marry not just for love, but for alliance.

Her suitors included:

• A Martian mining heir, whose family controlled precious minerals.

• A Venusian diplomat, who promised her access to rare atmospheric resources.

• A rebellious space pirate, who laughed at the idea of dynasties and simply wanted adventure.

And so, her ancestors had searched for love in church pews, on factory floors, in tech startups, and even in the depths of Martian cities.

And here she was—searching for it among the stars.

The Weight of It All

As Amara stood in the Europa Orbital Command, staring out at Jupiter’s storms, she felt the weight of her legacy.

She was the product of generations of struggle, innovation, and ambition.

Her ancestors had worked in fields, factories, labs, and space stations.They had danced in juke joints, Mars bars, and anti-gravity halls. They had fallen in love across centuries, across worlds, across time itself.

And now, she would carry their story forward.

Because the Mighty Hurlers of Europa did not stop.And neither would she.

Copyright ©️ 2025 The Sir Roy G. Biv Foundation Trust