"Lieutenant-Commander, flare spotted through the cloud cover, phase two of the operation is a go." Lieutenant Zu notified me as the flare round was brought into view on the big holo screen in the bridge.

"Good." I replied curtly but I had nothing else to say anyway as the shuttle pilots already knew what to do. "Is the space around us still clear?"

"All quiet, Lieutenant-Commander. Nothing new to report on that front."

I sighed through my nose and nodded at the reply, staring at the big screen the entire time. It unnerved me greatly that we couldn't get a better view of what was happening down at the planet surface, but as the cloud cover was just too thick because of the planet's nuclear winter and the lack of high powered transmission equipment now that the scout team had to move, we were pretty much blind until the moment the ground teams could claim the central compound.

"If it helps a little, Lieutenant-Commander, phase two is only slightly behind the predicted schedule." Ellie spoke to me over the intercoms.

"It doesn't." I replied, my heart beating in my throat. "I can't help but worry."

"You should probably take a break, LC. You have been awake longer than everyone here." Lieutenant McAllister spoke to me from the helm.

"I can't, our marines don't get to rest, it would be unfair to them."

"Lieutenant-Commander, Lieutenant McAllister is right, you should at least go and get something to drink. Isn't that right, Ellie? It'll help you to clear your mind." Lieutenant Zu joined in on the attempt to convince me.

"You have far-exceeded the maximum effective attention-span, Lieutenant-Commander. It would be unwise to disregard the advice of your subordinates. A fifteen minute coffee break would undoubtedly increase your focus." Ellie added. "I can prescribe you a recipe for enhanced concentration and a reduced chance of stress induced headaches."

"I would like one of those too if you decide to go and get them, Lieutenant-Commander. If it's not too much to ask." Zu requested.

If I were to be strict about the chain of command I could reprimand them for insubordination, but I knew they were right. It was getting hard to keep my mind straight, having paid close attention to screen the entire time so I really did need a break. It just felt so unfair to the boots on the ground who had no such luxury… but on the other hand, Lauren would also want me to take care of myself… "Alright, I'll be back in about half an hour then. Notify me immediately if something of note happens."

"If you stay away a bit longer that's fine too, LC. We'll keep you posted." Zu saluted me and then turned back around to look at her working station. At the same time one of the other Lieutenants took over my supervising position on the bridge.

I sighed as I walked through the mostly empty hallways towards the cafeteria. Most of the ship's remaining activity was located around the hangar bay so there was pretty much no one to talk to, at least, so I thought. As I walked around the corner into the cafeteria Lieutenant Grayson was sitting at the table drinking his coffee. It had been quite a while since I had talked to him and honestly I wasn't really in the mood to talk to him right now either, but I wasn't going to be so impolite as to ignore him in an otherwise empty room.

"Hello, Lieutenant." I nodded politely at Grayson.

"Oh, Lieutenant-Commander, I didn't expect you to be here." Grayson barely looked up from his cup of coffee. Quite a change from his boastful confident self.

I walked past him towards the food synthesiser and put in one of my holo stick's earpieces so I could quietly communicate with Ellie. "Is everything okay? You don't look so well." I looked at the synthesizer and put in the inputs that Ellie was whispering into my ear. Giving me quite different proportions than the cup that Zu had requested.

"Yeah, well, I guess it's the stress of waiting getting to me." Grayson sighed. "Much as it is affecting you I guess."

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"That's surprising." The machine puffed steam and sizzled as it was preparing the energizing concoction.

"How so?" Grayson huffed indignantly. "Do you think I don't care about the lives of the people who are currently fighting and potentially losing their lives for the progress of our species? It's not because your girlfriend is fighting that you get to be the only one here to be stressed."

"It's not-…" I banged my right hand against the wall and squeezed the bridge of my nose with the other, squeezing my eyes tight at the same moment. That stress induced headache Ellie was talking about earlier… well… it has started to arrive. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… Sorry…"

Grayson stayed quiet for a while as the synthesiser slowly grew silent as well, dripping the last drops of coffee into the ceramic cups.

"Do not drink from the left cup, Luna, that portion is meant for Lieutenant Zu." Ellie whispered into my ear. I nodded and took both cups from the machine and started to head straight back to the bridge even though my half hour hadn't even really begun yet.

"Lieutenant-Commander…" Grayson called out to me the moment I walked past him. "I'm sorry for the snarky comment about your relationship with the Commander too… Would you please come and drink your coffee with me?"

"So we can stress out together?"

"What can I say… misery likes company."

I waited a second before agreeing. "Alright, I needed a break anyway." I then set both cups of coffee on the table and cupped the right cup into my hand. I would probably need to get Zu a fresh cup the moment I was done here as hers would be cold by the time I finished my coffee. Oh well, at least the coffee is free.

Grayson pointed at the other coffee on the table. "Is it okay if I drink that one? It smells quite different from the normal cups I drink."

"Go ahead, I will get Lieutenant Zu a new one later."

Grayson nodded and took the cup, taking in the aroma before taking a careful sip. "Hmmm. That's quite nice. Is it your own recipe?"

I shook my head. "It's Ellie's recipe. She gave it to me to help me relax and focus again. Though that cup has a stronger blend than my own."

"Can't handle the strong stuff?"

"You could say that…" I replied with a somewhat nervous chuckle.

"In any case, it's really good, can I get that recipe too?"

"Ellie will send it to you." I didn't even need to ask as I had seen a message pop up on Grayson's holo stick he had laid on the table.

"Thank you." Grayson took another sip from his coffee and then stared for a while at mine, clearly waiting for me to drink too.

I obliged and took a sip of my own and was surprised at the flavor profile. "Huh, this barely tastes like coffee anymore, doesn't it?"

"It's pretty peculiar, indeed, but I do quite like it."

"Yeah." I paused before I suddenly started chuckling.

"What's up with you? Did something funny happen?"

"I don't know." I replied. "It's just that this conversation isn't going anywhere, at all."

"Does it need to? A pointless conversation is just what I need right now to keep my head off things."

"I suppose so. But don't we have anything more interesting to talk about than coffee."

"Hmmm…." Grayson scratched his beard shadowed cheek. "Not really. You and I don't really have that much in common, at least I don't think we do... Apart from the fact that we both like science."

"Then let's talk about that?"

Grayson shook his head. "No, because that's exactly what I don't want to think about now." He chuckled softly before taking another sip. "What about talking about some interesting movies or television shows you've seen recently? If you are into that."

"You actually watch those?"

"I think the image you have of me in your head is a lot more boring than my lived reality." He chuckled once more. "I do watch shows and movies, yes."

"Hmm, Lauren and I have been watching some relaxed horror comedic show… It's a bit hard to describe."

"A bit like Tuesday?"

"That's exactly it!" I perked up. "Have you seen it as well?"

"I have, I actually rewatched it last week."

"Don't spoil it yet, we've not yet made it to the end."

"If you like it, you should really watch the Tombstone Family afterwards. It's a way older series Tuesday is based on."

"Oh, I didn't know about that, I'll propose it to Lauren when she gets back."

Grayson smiled. "Do you have any series to recommend to me as well? Now that we have found a bit of commonality between us."

"I sure do." I smiled and took a big sip of Ellie's special brew. "Get something to write down because I have at least thirty minutes to spend giving recommendations."

Thanks to some help out of an unexpected corner, I enjoyed my break quite a bit. I was still tired when I returned back to the bridge with another coffee for me and one for Zu, but at least my focus had been refreshed. There was still a long wait ahead of us so I was definitely going to need it…

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