The silence was so loud it was almost palpable.

Giovanni had a frown on his face, then a scowl, then a pout. It might have been funny if the man was not infuriating. His posture screamed defensive; crossed his arms, clenched his fists, and glared in Logan's direction.

Logan was prepared for another outburst: sarcasm, a reprimand, more floating. But Giovanni avoided all eye contact and kept to himself. Offended and grumpy, but he said nothing afterwards. What a pleasant surprise.

He simply glided over to his seat, latched its two belts over his shoulders, put his sunglasses back on and observed. Literally.

Giovanni watched them like a hawk. The two co-pilots manning the shuttle? He studied them for forty minutes straight. Blessing running an estimate on her MacBook? Giovanni gawked as if he could actually comprehend a word.

Sure, he did not understand jack about the things she was working on, but that did not stop him from staring. Logan didn't give a shit. The man was silent and seated. That was all he needed.

Borja began assigning hierarchy then. Back at the company— in the Science and Space Operations —Logan was the boss after her. His duties were clearly defined and so were his subordinates. It was different here. Therefore, it was imperative to distinguish crew hierarchy.

"Dr. Foxxman. I assign you the head of this ship," Borja announced as she stood confidently before them.

"What?"

He and the ten other passengers differed in directorates and Logan was sure he would be their superiors if they didn't, but head of the entire shuttle? Borja was also on this ship. She was his boss.

"Congratulations. You are the Commander-in-Space of this station."

"Dr. Borja, I couldn't possibly…"

Blessing nudged him in the stomach. "You totally could!" she whisper-yelled.

"Is there a problem?" Borja waited for an answer.

"No, ma'am." He cleared his throat. "It would be an honor."

By now the Inter-Galactic GG-20 was miles away from the earth's surface. The passengers could stand up now.

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One of the most remarkable features of the Inter-Galactic GG-20 was its ability to resist the force of gravity, or in this case, the lack thereof, at certain altitudes. None of the passengers would float if unlatched being this far out from the planet's atmosphere. The shuttle was truly groundbreaking.

Borja's feet were firmly planted on the floor and her arms crossed behind her as she relinquished her authority to him. Logan unstrapped and stood up as well, listening intently.

"As Commander, you will be responsible for the crew's daily safety, the safety of the space station, and the efficiency and efficacy of the scientific research taking place on board."

The cool stare she fixed Blessing with shut her up the second she started squealing in excitement.

"Sorry, ma'am."

Borja forged on. "The space shuttle commander is responsible for the vehicle and its crew on the shuttle mission. Your aim? Overall mission success, crew safety, spacecraft, and the pilot in command of spacecraft during launch, trans-lunar coast, and Earth return coast.

"You will direct the activities aboard the shuttle to ensure the flight's safety and the mission's success. As commander, you will also make the descent and landing of the Inter-Galactic GG-20 on the lunar surface, as well as the lunar ascent back to the orbiting entity. Do you understand, Dr. Foxxman?"

"Affirmative."

"You may also need to work in partnership with ground control centers." She turned to Blessing. "Oyediran. On your feet, please."

She obeyed.

"You are the Chief Technology Officer. Your responsibilities include accurate data and technical analysis, as well as the design, construction, and testing of data connections, universes, and dashboards/reports. You cannot afford to be incorrect or make an error. Ever. "Do you get what I'm saying?"

"Absolutely, ma'am."

"Good."

"The pilot astronauts' tasks are obviously to aid the commander, Foxxman, in maintaining control of the space shuttle at all times. They would serve as systems engineers, and copilots, to carry out any other mission goals such as EVAs. You are also in charge of satellite release and recovery, if necessary."

She shifted her gaze to the astronaut on her left. "The Command Module Pilot, or CM, will function as the flight engineer throughout the launch phase, while the commander has complete control of the spacecraft.

“During the trans-lunar and trans-Earth phases of flight, perform navigation and mid-course correction procedures, and command the pilot during the lunar orbit phase (when the mission commander controls the lunar module from the separation phase until the Inter-Galactic GG-20 docks back with the GSA-SM in lunar orbit)."

The Flight Engineer was also briefed on his responsibilities. "As a mission specialist, you are in charge of helping the pilot and commander. Maintain track of information from GSCOM and point out milestones."

Shortly after, Logan retreated to the back of the compartment to check on the sleeping arrangements. He was commander now after all.

There were forty-eight passengers in total in all four of the GSA space shuttles sent out on the 14th of January. Like the other AAs were most likely doing, Borja went on to assign duties and ranks to every one of the crew members.

However, Logan doubted the other AAs were going to give their authority away as well, much less to a subordinate. He wondered why Borja gave hers.

It scarcely mattered anyway. There was no time to question orders, he needed to buckle down to business.

The fate of twelve billion humans depended on it.