Mark relaxed in the pilot seat, closing his eyes. He tried to imagine sitting in a chair on Earth. He hadn't been up here that long, but it was long enough that he missed sitting down without being strapped down to something. He imagined Sean walking up behind him to slide his hands down his shoulders to hug him. He had worried that Sean would sink into a lonely depression without him to talk to regularly. It hadn't been an issue before when he could text him whenever he wanted. However, this distance between them now made that almost impossible. It had really made him feel better that his mother had lingered to watch over him. Seeing Sean smile and giggle had just taken all his fears away. Mark opened his eyes, staring at the moon and vast starry sky. Space was pretty... but it felt empty. From the hatch, Captain Orochi asked him coolly. "Everything alright?" Mark glanced over his shoulder, answering with a small smile. "Ya. Just thinking." Captain Orochi floated in to lean on the other pilot chair, saying with light concern. "Everything good at home? You didn't stick around at dinner."

Mark turned his eyes back to space, honestly telling him. "Everything is fine. I just... felt like thinking about home. I didn't want to bring down the mood." The Captain smirked a little, turning his gaze to space too before he told him seriously. "Be careful where your thoughts drift to. It's easy to lose yourself up here. It's easy to feel alone and lost. So far from everything..." Mark glanced at the Captain, asking softly. "How many times have you been up here?" The Captain huffed softly, bowing his head as he told him truthfully. "A lot. I've spent more time up here than I have on Earth. The curse of being a good pilot. So, take my word for it. I've seen good men and women lose it up here. I want everyone doing weekly check-ups with medical, understand? You start feeling detached. You talk to someone." Mark nodded to acknowledge his concern. He respected a Captain that cared enough to look for signs early on. Even if he was fine, he was thankful that the Captain had come to check on him. Eyeing the Captain, he curiously asked him. "You have family on Earth?"

The Captain shrugged, giving him a small smile as he replied lightly. "My parents and grandparents. I have a young brother going into college again for a master's degree in business. He's the one with a wife and kid. My dad is training him to take over the family business." Mark tilted his head back, gently asking. "How do they feel about you being up here?" The Captain propped his head up on a lazy hand, chuckling out. "My family is traditional Japanese. As the oldest, they expected a lot from me... I put a lot of pressure on myself to meet their expectations. Up until I realized that... They had my whole life planned out. Nothing I did was me. It was what they wanted me to be. It was on the day of my arranged marriage that I looked in the mirror and... I didn't know who I was. I felt like a ghost in the body of my young father." Mark stayed quiet as he saw a sadness cross the Captain's eyes. The look was gone after a minute though before he added more guarded. "My dad and I had a falling out after that. I guess you could say that I rebelled by getting as far from them as I possibly could... And what's farther than space, right?" The Captain laughed, causing Mark to laugh with him.

The Captain folded his arms across the back of the chair, looking out at space with powerful eyes as he stated out confidently. "I love it up here though. It's freeing. I have the space to breathe up here and be myself. Like the weathered sea captain, I look out at that horizon and feel a sense of adventure. I can never go far enough. I wanna see it all." The Captain blushed, bowing his head to bite his lip as he mumbled out. "Sorry... I didn't mean to bore you." Mark shook his head, happily informing him. "No. I'm glad you told me. To be honest, you are intimidating. Hearing that helps me see you as a person. Not just a... boss." The Captain chuckled, blushing as he said softly. "I think it's important for us all to get to know each other. We are all we got up here. Something happens... I got to know that I can count on everyone to look out for each other." Mark extended a hand out to him, grinning as he told him happily. "I couldn't agree more. I'm Mark Fischbach. Your Chief Engineer. Recently married." The Captain smirked, accepting his hand to shake it formally as he stated back. "Captain Hiroto Orochi. Feel free to call me Captain or Hiro. Pleased to meet you. How's your spouse?"

Mark bit his lip, but honestly regaled to him. "I was worried about him. He took my leaving hard... but I found out that my mother is watching over him for me. So, I feel like a weight is lifted. Seeing that he was ok was almost too much for me. I kept thinking the worse for so long..." Hiro placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly as he told him confidently. "I see. You be sure to let me know if that changes. I need you sharp. I've got to make my rounds. Get some rest. We should arrive tomorrow." Mark nodded, watching him leave before deciding to go turn in. The rest off the crew was already getting ready for bed, chatting excitedly about getting to the station. He was excited to see the station too but knew that whatever had happened to it would be no easy fix. He'd need all his energy. Strapping himself in, he forced himself to fall asleep by dreaming of what Sean might be doing right now. It had worked for a time before Mark began to toss and turn hours later, his mind just refused to settle down. Two hours before his alarm was set to go off, Mark slipped from the bed with his blanket and floated out of the bedroom.

Mark shivered at the slight bitter chill in the air. The ship always turned down the temperature a bit in nighttime hours to conserve energy. Since they all were supposed to be under wool blankets anyway. Wrapping his blanket around his shoulders more, he went to the coffee machine. Pulling his plastic drink bag from a drawer, he inserted it into the slit of the machine and watched it suction the bag before filling it. With the bag full, he pulled it out to use the straw to take a sip. The cold liquid made him shiver again, but it helped wake him up. Since he was the only one up, he ventured into the control room and closed the hatch. Strapping himself up in the pilot seat, he propped his legs up on the dash and flipped the switch to open the coms with Ground Control. The screen built into the controls turned on and a man dressed in a suit asked him curiously. "Yes, Ceres?" Mark huddled in his blanket, asking nicely. "Hey Control, can you patch me through to my husband? I know it's late... but I can't sleep." The man checked some files, before typing on his computer and saying. "The line is clear. I can try to patch you through."

Mark thanked the man, then sipped his coffee. He felt wide awake and not just because of the coffee. He felt eager to start the day. He wasn't used to not doing anything for days on end. It was making him stir crazy. The screen turned blue as the call was put through. The screen then changed shorty after to reveal his kitchen. His mother dried her hands on a hand towel, grinning brightly as she said. "Hey, Baby! Two calls in one day. What's going on?" Mark raised an eyebrow, asking curiously. "What? It's almost... morning here." His mother chuckled, showing him the clock as she said with a smile. "You're ahead of us by a few hours. It's only dinner time here." Mark rolled his eyes, saying gruffly. "Well, that is good to know... How are you, Ma? Is everything good?" His mother chuckled again, moving to stir a pot as she told him sweetly. "We are good. Sean is precious. You don't have to worry. I keep him busy. I see why you like him. I think he worries about me though... Which is silly because I'm here for him." Mark chuckled to himself. He believed that. His mom rarely worried about him. She always had faith that he would be smart enough to handle himself.

Biting his lips nervously, he asked her curiously. "Where is he?" His mother's eyes narrowed on him with a wicked smirk, before pointing with her wooden spoon and answering smugly. "Outside. He's trying to work off my dumplings from lunch. The boy works out too much. I hope you didn't pressure him to be that thin..." Mark rolled his eyes, honestly telling her. "Of course not. He usually works out to clear his head. It's one of the ways he relaxes. Otherwise, he usually listens to music and sleeps. But since you are there... He probably thinks that's rude." His mother pointed the spoon at him, saying seriously. "It better be, Mark." Mark crossed his heart with a finger to make his mom smile. She then turned the laptop around to let him see Sean, telling him nicely. "I got to finish this before I can take you to him. Give me a minute." Mark stared at the screen with a slight blush. He could see Sean through the glass backdoor. Sean was wearing just a set of swim trunks as he stretched by the pool. Slowly Sean walked to the end of the pool, stretching his long arms over his head. He couldn't help noticing how Sean had curves in all the right places. He looked taller than he remembered, and his skin looked so smooth. Sean jumped into the pool gracefully to swim to the other end.

He rarely saw Sean swim. Swimming wasn't Sean's favorite thing to do, but it must have been hot enough outside that the pool had tempted him. At the end of the pool, Sean twisted in the water, pushing off the wall with his long legs to swim back. Reaching the end, Sean grabbed the edge and rose up out of the pool enough to arch his back. Mark shifted his legs to cross them as he watched the water rush off Sean. Sean tilted his head back to blow the water off his face and Mark swallowed to keep himself from drooling. Why couldn't Sean do stuff like that when he was around? If he had been cold before... he couldn't feel it anymore. He could practically feel the California heat through the screen as he watched Sean sink back in the water, pushing his wet bangs back off his face. Pushing off the wall, Sean resumed swimming the length of the pool. Mark lifted his hand to bite the nail of his thumb. He really hoped that Sean was wearing sunscreen. As shaded as his backyard was, it wouldn't block all the powerful sun rays. He bit his thumb harder, thankful that the neighbors couldn't see into his backyard.

The laptop began to move toward the door, his mother's voice barely audible to his sinfully clouded mind. "There. Now I can take you out to him. I hope he doesn't get the laptop wet..." Mark huffed, muffling out around his thumb. "Too late for that..." His mother slowed down a little, curiously retorting. "Did you say something, Mark?" Mark jerked his head up from his hand, clearing his throat as he said more collected. "Just agreeing with ya, Ma." His mother stopped by the edge of the pool, calling out to the other end. "Sean? Honey, Mark's on the line. I'm going to leave him out here with you." Mark rolled his eyes, chuckling to himself. She set the laptop on the edge of the pool, forcing him to get a far better view of Sean swimming through the water. He didn't think there was anyway that Sean's eyes could get any bluer... he was so wrong. Sean grabbed the edge of the pool, slowly straightening up in the water. Sean brushed his wet bangs from his eyes, revealing his shining blue eyes as he chuckled out. "Let me guess... You forgot about the hour difference? So, when you said early morning... You meant YOUR time?"

Mark stuck his tongue out, but it turned out far more sexual than he had intended it to be. Sean didn't notice as he sank down to his collarbone in the water, chuckling out. "Mark, what am I going to do with you?" The words slipped from Mark's mouth before he could stop them. "I can think of a few things..." Sean's cheeks burned a bright pink and he looked away to mumble out with a mix of worried embarrassment. "Mark... Don't..." Sean sank in the water up to his cheeks like he was trying to hide. Mark rested his cheek against his hand, coolly telling him. "I'm sorry... but I can't help being attracted to you. How many times have I tried to get you in that pool... and here you are... sneaking in time without me? I'd be offended if I hadn't seen you just now." Sean shook his head, a smile creeping over his face. Mark grinned wickedly, biting his lip to try and get a handle on himself. It was hard to shut off his dirty thoughts once they were set loose. Sean cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to change the subject as he asked curiously. "So... It's cold up there?" Mark flashed him a devilish grin, stating out. "It was." Sean blushed so much that he covered his face for a minute and chuckled lightly to himself.

Lowering his hand, Sean mumbled out to him with a burning smile. "You're the worst... Your mother is going to think my face is red from sunburn." Mark tilted his head back against the seat, asking him in a breathless tone. "You are wearing sunscreen, aren't you?" Sean rolled his eyes, answering softly. "Yes." Mark licked his dry lips, telling him casually. "You could make a drowning man crave water." Sean lifted his head to playfully spray some water from his mouth toward the laptop, but the water never passed the pool's edge. Mark grinned, blissfully regaling to him. "I miss your sass... Are you really ok? Mom says you've been working out a lot." Sean held the edge of the pool, resting his chin on the backs of his hands as he told him truthfully. "The first two days were the hardest. I didn't have the energy to get out of bed... but I've been getting my thoughts out in this video journal I'm saving to your computer. It helped. Working out just... gives me something to do. I'm coming around. Chica sleeps on your side of the bed and that helps too. I tried to record a video... but my heart just wasn't in it. So, I'm taking more time off of Youtube... I'm thinking about going to this place tomorrow to look at getting a job building computers. Something I can do at home and that can... replace Youtube as my job... but I don't know yet."

Mark gave him a warm smile, reassuring him with his support as he told him. "Take your time. I'm making enough to support us for a while. Don't rush into anything. Focus on getting emotionally back on your feet before you start stressing yourself out. What did my mother say about it?" Sean let out a heavy sigh, before replying. "She doesn't think I'm ready. I just don't know what to do with my time..." Mark nodded, saying lightly. "Ya, I know the feeling. We are reaching the station today and I'm itching to get to work. You know me... I'm not one to sit around either. Just don't overdue anything. Give yourself some time to adjust and breathe." Sean smiled warmly back at him, cooing out. "Oh, Mark... I love you. I hope you come home soon." Mark touched the screen, lovingly saying. "I'll be home as soon as I can. Just stay strong for me, ok?" Sean looked like he was about to say something, when an alarm started going off in the shuttle. Mark dropped his feet from the control panel, looking over all the blinking screens. Over the video, Sean's screen glitched as he asked distortedly. "Mark? What's going on?"

Mark slipped from his blanket and let his drink float away as he said in a rushed but slightly calm tone. "I don't know. Sean, I love you!" He didn't know if his words had made it through the coms, because the call was abruptly disconnected. Hiro rushed through the hatch, asking in a worried voice. "What's happening?!" Mark shrugged, pointing to all the blinking screens. Hiro soared into the room, holding the pilot chair for support as he pressed a few blinking buttons. Hiro then asked the coms aloud as the alarm turned off. "Ground Control? This is the Ceres. What's going on?" They waited eagerly for a reply in the sudden silence. Then over the speakers a rush of static came through. Mark flipped a few switches for the coms, saying completely confused. "What the hell? Control said coms were clear. There shouldn't be anything interfering with the radio waves..." Mark flicked the switch back on hoping that being turned off for a few seconds had fixed the problem. Just as the coms came back, over the speakers of the shuttle a strange sound broke out.

It almost sounded like something was letting out a deep purring sound and breathing heavily through their nose. For a minute, Mark and Hiro just looked at each other confused before a deep voice began to say something in a language Mark had never heard. The voice sounded tired and shaky. Was the person injured? Beside him, Hiro softly uttered out. "The distress call... it's still playing?" Mark stiffened, asking anxiously. "You've heard this before?" Hiro nodded, then pointed to the window as he said stiffly. "Look. There is the station." Mark looked out the window and could see the space station in the distance. It looked completely intact and was still flying on course as far as he could tell. Hiro checked a few systems before telling him with concerned confusion. "The proximity alarm was triggered... but we didn't hit anything, and nothing is showing up on the radar for miles... What the fuck?" Hiro slipped into the pilot seat, strapping himself in as he told Mark seriously. "Wake the crew. We might be flying blind if the systems are glitched... We need to prepare for a possible manual docking."

Mark snatched his stuff and quickly floated through the hatch. Tossing the stuff in his bedroom, he joined the rest of the crew that were now wide awake from the alarm and looking for answers. Filling them in the best he could, they all made their way over to different windows on the shuttle to look for anything that might have set off the alarm. Mark didn't see anything. Then the lights on the shuttle began to flicker and Miles glanced around to look at everyone, upon saying softly. "That can't be good." To Be Continued...