My naps don’t help. I tell myself not to take them, but I do it anyway—and regret it every time. I tell myself taking a nap will restore my energy for the evening. It does, too well. I need energy in the mornings. Coffee boosts me along, but the effect is short-lived. I resort to drinking two cups with Orcher, one cup after working with Crowe, and a fourth before lunch. Then I up it to two cups after working with Crowe, because I’ve caught myself slumping while working with Captain Blitner. And like him, I rub my eyes a lot now. Orcher notices, and offers me eye drops, but they don’t do much to relieve the pressure that swells around my eyes when I stare at my panel in the Records Room for four hours a day.

Despite all of this, Orcher finally started making my coffee slightly less white.

Chapter Nineteen

I make a timetable on my room’s hologram array, lining up the dates of June, July, and August in three separate columns. I’ll have to adjust the dates once we get back to Undil, but for now they’ll do. Right now on the Ember, it’s almost seven-thirty, but my holotab is still on Undilaen time, where it’s already quarter-to-one in the afternoon. Then I check the date according to Belvish time and discover it’s still early June.

This hurts my head.

Back to the time-table: today is day thirteen of the expedition, and will last thirty hours and thirty-six minutes. Tomorrow will last thirty hours and forty-eight minutes, and day fifteen will last exactly thirty-one hours. When I think about it, my body seems to have been adjusting well. Other than my sleeping troubles, I haven’t noticed anything wrong.

After I label the dates and length of each day, I leave my room and walk to the Bridge. Before I reach the gate, my holotab beeps once: it’s Orcher. ‘Arman, work is cancelled today. Michael finished drafting the treatise. Conference after lunch. Be there.’

Excellent timing, Orcher. I’m awake and dressed and ready to go, and you tell me work is cancelled.

I swipe my ID and walk through the gate. Captain Fallsten isn’t in Station Control, and she isn’t sitting with Orcher, either. Good. I don’t feel like dealing with her today.

“Did you get my message?” Orcher asks when I drop into my usual seat. He takes a sip of coffee, but I notice he didn’t make me one.

“Yup.”

It comes out more put-off than I meant to sound. Orcher looks concerned, but doesn’t question why I snapped. Maybe he understands.

“Coffee?”

“Please.”

He nods and pats his hand on the desk before he stands. “I’ll be right back.”