What would he try to do with a new one?

Unsure what else to say, Naomi changed the subject, asking Evan how he was. He gave a terse “fine,” but she teased it out of him. He was isolated, though to a lesser extent, of course. Unable to tell anyone what he was up to, the secret eating him up. She knew how he felt, but her pity was limited. At least he could go grab fast food—what she wouldn’t give for a hamburger—if he wanted, or go for a hike to clear his head.

The long hours were gruelling, and only the beginning before his second, secret shift started. In a little over a month, he’d be done. The Atalanta would be through the warp ring, ideally speeding towards Cavendish, unable to reach him for weeks, months. Would he be relieved?

Naomi didn’t even know if Evan wanted to board one of the earlier ships or wait for the last one out. Early, she’d guess. Think of the hiking trails on Cavendish, just waiting to be explored. He’d be able to take deep lungfuls of air.

Naomi’s hands floated over the keys. For a moment so intense it hurt, like looking into a bright light, she wanted to set the secret down before him. She typed it out: I’m pregnant. Stared at the words. Pressed backspace, deleting one letter at a time, until the cursor blinked on a blank screen.

The crew deserved to hear it from her, directly, not by accident if they scrolled through the chat logs. That was what she told herself, in any case, before she said her goodbyes to Evan, knowing he’d be yearning for sleep.

She stood, stretching, leaving the VR console and heading back to her lab. After she had finished the last of her work for the day, she leaned her right temple against the glass of one of the thin tubes. She closed her eyes but still felt the almost warm glow of purple against her skin. She breathed in and out, long and slow. For the first time in days, she felt almost at peace.

Time to take the others out of the dark.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

92 Days After Launch

34 Days to Mars

157 Days to Cavendish

The rest of the crew rarely entered Valerie’s quarters. Her room was large enough for a desk and a couple of screens, but she still stole the observation room when she could. Couldn’t beat the view.

Naomi knocked, waited.

“Come in,” Valerie called.

One screen showed blue lines criss-crossing black—a skeleton of the base buildings seen from above. On another, Valerie had zoomed in on one of the heating systems, touch-screen calculations scrawled in the margins.