Tess Foncet was standing with her back to the giant window bay of the bar room. Behind her stood Mars, slowly becoming smaller and smaller. They had restored gravity to help the healing of captain Johansson’s wounds, and the Saviour, second of his name, was currently going to nowhere. Their real trajectory would put them back in the orbit of the cargo ship the next day, but to any outside viewer, they were going to the empty space between Neptune and Mars. This type of trip would have been a ludicrous affair for any other ship, even if you just counted the cost of fuel. But to Nate’s engine, making rounds in space just to simulate gravity was easy and virtually free.

The lights of the bar, one on the ceiling and the rest inside the interior corners of the wall, were only dimly turned on to make it seem like the night was falling.

The few hours that had passed by since Shiina and Honey had found the captain had gone without hiccups. The mechanic had repaired the electric system, then he and Shiina had repatriated Johannson back on the Saviour under the scrutinous gaze of the medic. Sam had estimated that the unconscious man needed better care than she could give on the cargo ship.

With the exception of the medic and Oliver, who were looking after the captain in the med bay, the other crewmembers had assembled inside what seemed more and more to be the unofficial meeting room of the ship. The dining room or the greenhouse were better adapted, more lights and bigger, but the view of the bar room was unmatched and the atmosphere cosier and intimate. As such, most of the crew found themselves coming to the upper room the most often.

They had eaten quickly and silently, waiting for the doctor’s news with impatience. Shiina especially was looking anxious. Tess was now used to seeing her joyously talk with their new recruit during the meals, but not this time, sitting at the back while still regularly peeking towards the young man.

Who was listening to Honey explain the procedures they were going to go through.

If he was aware of the youngest of the Clarke’s behaviour, he did not show any sign of it.

Sometimes, the captain asked herself if he was not playing into his role of researcher lost in his own world.

“But what happens if the Martian transport company refuses to pay the assurance?” He was asking.

Honey drank a gulp of tea before answering. Another new thing Tess was seeing, a bit harder to get used to. It seemed as if Nate had managed to convince the mechanic to try the hot drink during their time alone in the Saviour, and it seemed to have stuck with him.

“They lose their collecting rights.”

“You stop helping stranded astronauts!?”

“No, no. We don’t have to collect the ships anymore. Or well, we do, but the owners rescind their right to the ship. The distressed ship, and every other belonging to the company in the future, become UN property if found by us. We bring back the astronauts, but they basically lose their ship. A lot of private companies can’t afford a space assurance, as the investment is sometimes a billion of American dollars, the cost of safeguarding it is high. We can't just let their crew die if there is a problem”

Nate nodded. “I see. So we bring captain Johannson to the MOS[1] while we leave the cargo ship here?”

Tess intervened for the first time.

“That is correct. A team will come in a few weeks to take control of the supply ship. But I received additional orders from headquarters.”

Shiina raised her eyes to them.

“Ah?” Honey questioned.

“There are some seeds on the ship and water filters that the colony on Mars needs, sooner than later.”

Shiina sighed. “Does that mean extra spacewalks for me?”

Tess shook her head.

“No, it’s too big and the containers are separate parts of the ship. We’ll have to manoeuvre and get our new mechanical arm into action. Me, Honey and Oliver will take care of it the day after tomorrow, so you Nate and Sam are resting.”

“Can’t I help somehow? I’ve got this feeling of being useless.” Nate asked.

“No, not with this. Your work is everything related to the engine, as well as the bigger question of what to do with it.”

He too began to sigh. “Well, making a blockbuster movie showing the effects of a temporal bomb doesn’t seem very feasible to me. Nor effective.”

“No, but if the solution were easy, we would not be in our current complex situation.” Tess’s answer was harsh but factual.

“Mhh…easy…” Nate started to think.

“We’ll have to handle our approach to the MOS well though. We could use your help with that. As the station is mainly automated, they won’t recognize the Saviour, but we need to make sure they don’t get a back view of the ship, we don’t want them peering into our fake engine.

Nate seemed to exit his reverie. “I’ll help you with the trajectory.”

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“Very well. Now we only need to wait for news from Sam.”

She arrived half an hour later.

“Wanna drink something sis?” Honey asked.

She told him no with a little voice.

“Sorry. Thanks.” She added.

“Did you eat something mom?” Not waiting for her answer, Shiina put the remainder of their evening dinner in the microwave next to the coffee machine.

“No I did not, thank you sweety.” Sam sat at the middle table, looking exhausted.

Nate stayed in the corner of the room while Honey and Tess sat next to her.

Sam looked at the cup full of tea next to Honey, then to Nate. Her expression was indecipherable, so the young man smiled.

She turned around to her captain.

“He’s awake. Oliver stayed with him, but they also need to eat something. Johansson especially.”

“I’ll…” Nate began.

“I’m on it!” Shiina was faster than him. She put a plate of lasagna in front of her mother then went down to the med bay with the rest of the plateau.

Nate sighed and sipped on his tea.

The conversation resumed.

“Do you want me to wait for you to eat or…” Tess asked.

“No captain. I’ll report right now.” The ship’s medic suddenly stood straight, her tone becoming louder and more professional sounding.

“Go on.”

Sam cleared her throat then started talking. “Let’s begin with the easiest. His bruises and skin rashes are clearly the results of yesterday’s solar flare. He was working on a heat exchanger on the ship’s fuselage, and badly calculated the time he had left. Fortunately, he could get back in within a few minutes. He’ll suffer from anaemia for a few weeks, then it should pass without lasting damage.”

She stopped to eat a bit of her lasagna.

“His violent behaviour also has a simple explanation. He stayed alone in the dark for a few hours, with the only thought that he was going to die asphyxiated well before anyone could come and save him. The high stress and our unexpected arrival made him hallucinate and confused. When he woke up an hour ago, he had already recovered, fully aware and with a clear mind. I believe he has to be apologizing profusely to Shiina right now about his attack.”

“That’s good. I’ll go claim my lot of excuses as well in a bit but why does…why did he look like that?” Honey questioned.

Sam sighed. “I’m coming to it. His right arm and wrist are broken. The fracture is clean, it will heal well. But Shiina would never have broken his bones that easily if he wasn’t so severely malnourished.”

“Malnourished? He’s a cargo ship captain who brings food and resources to Mars, and he isn’t given enough food for himself?” The mechanic was appalled.

“No, that’s not it. The problem is unfortunately of a psychological order. He hadn’t even realized his physical state until I asked him about it.

Tess blinked in surprise. “He hadn’t realized that?”

“No. I made him go through a mental health questionnaire. I’m not originally trained as a psychologist, but it seems he’s suffering from severe depression, with symptoms mostly being somatic.”

“Somatic?” Honey asked.

“It’s when psychological troubles express themselves through the body and not the behaviour or emotions.”

The mechanic and the captain looked suddenly sombre.

“Well, that’s not a nice thing to have, but he’s alive and out of danger, isn’t he?” Nate didn’t understand what warranted such expressions.

“Sure, but he’s going to lose his astronaut licence, no doubts about it. The mistake with the solar flare, the assault and now the psychological disorder. Johansson was a good captain.”

Nate felt slightly angry. “Well obviously problems occurred, they let him travel in space on his own! Everything is just the result of that idiotic decision, it’s not his fault!”

Honey sighed. “No it’s not his fault, but the transport company will not admit it’s part of responsibility. It will be much easier for them just to lay off Johansson.”

“Assholes.” Nate swore.

“As you say.”

There was a short silence.

“Does he know?” Tess asked.

“Of course. I would not be allowed to share his medical information with you without his authorization. He seemed calm when hearing the news. I think he understands.”

“I’d have liked for you to ask me before telling him.” Tess said.

But the doctor stood her ground.

“I can’t. Rules of patient confidentiality apply in space too. If he didn’t want to admit his problems and refused to be brought back to the station to be taken care of, then I would have spoken without his approval because his life would have been at risk. But as he is fully aware, all other decisions fall on him.”

Tess pinched the bridge of her nose, then let out a short sigh.

“Fine, I won’t discuss ethical laws with you, you know them better than I do. Get some rest, eat, I’ll go speak with Johansson now. Honey, you’re coming with?”

“Yup. Nate, make sure my sister doesn’t lack a thing?”

“Of course.” He responded immediately.

“Oh I…” Sam started, her voice barely audible and suddenly shy. She changed her mind almost immediately and preferred to stay silent.

Nate and Sam found themselves alone in the bar room. Shiina’s mother seemed to want to look as small as possible, and her behaviour annoyed the young researcher.

Then he remembered what Shiina had told him, and he found himself calmer.

“Do you want some tea?”

“Oh, erm… I don’t know if…”

“Not to brag, but my Jasmin tea is the best in the universe, if you don’t count Earth. At least until proven otherwise.”

She let out the tiniest of smiles, but it disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared.

“I…ok.”

Nate nodded, went to the other side of the room and started one of his favourite activities. The water should not boil, the optimal temperature being seventy-five degrees Celsius for the particular type of leaves Shiina had brought him. He used an infuser able to go into a teapot as well as a normal cup. He put it in a coffee cup, as there was not anything better for now. The first thing he would buy with his salary would be teacups and a teapot. He knew buying more clothes was more urgent, but he felt almost prideful of his defective list of priorities.

A few minutes passed. He only heard the noise of heating water in the coffee machine and the astronaut eating.

“There you go.” He put the cup next to Sam as delicately as possible, but she almost jumped on her chair anyway.

“Oh, thanks. I’m sorry.”

The young man sat down in front of her, and Sam stopped eating.

“You were extremely gentle when you pulled me out of the airlock.” He said softly.

“That’s normal…and you don’t have to speak with such a polite tone with me.”

“Well, thanks for having done the normal thing then. Try the tea. It’s not boiling water so you don’t have to wait for it to cool down. Well, except if you’ve got a cat tongue.”

She didn’t understand. “A cat tongue?”

“Japanese expression. People with a Nekojita, a cat tongue, are very weak against food or drinks that are too hot.”

“Oh.” She tried the tea. “Oh!” She said slightly louder. “It’s a bit weird but…” Her shoulders visibly relaxed.

“Isn’t it?” Nate smiled. Then drank some of his own tea.

She examined him, waiting for him to continue talking, but Nate had gone back to his history lessons on his electronic tablet, and after a few minutes she continued her meal.

Shiina came back in the room a dozen minutes later and stopped to look at them. Neither Nate nor her mother had seen her enter. They were both reading peacefully, not paying attention to each other.

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[1] Martian Orbit Station