This morning took the same shape as nearly every morning for Rowe since he’d completed his recovery. Up at 0430, stretched, lacrosse-ball roll out, to the gym for his morning workout… today was upper body and back then two miles on the treadmill, simple breakfast, and shower. Now he was seated in his quarters’ lone chair, feet propped on the edge of the viewport looking out at the alien stars with a book loaded on the PADD in his lap.

The quarters were standard as far as junior officer housing went aboard the Athena, but even in his short time aboard Rowe had made the spartan space his own. The bed was neatly made, but the linens were shades of teal instead of standard white. On the small desk behind where he currently sat were an assortment of PADDs organized neatly into stacks based on their contents. Along one wall there was a yoga mat with a foam roller and lacrosse ball sitting atop of too neatly folded workout clothing. There was a lone picture on his desk. Rowe’s parents, when they were young… long before they had him, but it had always been his favorite because he could see how genuinely happy they were. The only thing that appeared out of place was the lone tumbler on his nightstand with the remnants of an orange peel and a cherry stim from last night’s Old Fashioned.

This morning would be different than every other morning as the ship’s counselor was due to visit any moment, though Rowe had been lost in the stars outside and lost track of time.

• Rowe