It was 1800. Eleanor checked her chronometer again as she paced around her quarters. During her lunch break she had unpacked her bags, and made sure that everything was in its rightful place, in the eventuality that they would come back to her quarters. The room was not decorated yet, but they had just boarded the ship so she was sure that was to be expected.

She had left her station at 1700, taken a quick shower, and had spent the next hour anxiously pacing around. And now, it was 1800 and she hadn’t even started to get dressed yet. It had been a long time since she had last felt this nervous, and she couldn’t figure out why. It was just a date. Like others she had been on in the past. But something in her mind really didn’t want to screw this one up.

Finally, she chose a pair of blue jeans, a pair of black Converse-like shoes and a simple light shirt with a floral pattern. She pulled her hair up in a ponytail and put on the contact lenses her brother had gifted her at the start of her previous assignment. For a moment, the full color of the world overwhelmed her, and Eleanor allowed herself a minute for her mind to adjust. Taking a small brown leather bag from her closet, she placed the contact’s box inside and placed the small satchel across her torso, just in case she needed to take them off. Carnegie was sure her brother was not going to send her a third pair if she lost this one.

Eleanor checked her chronometer for the nth time. 1825. She could feel her heart thumping inside her ribcage. Sitting down on the edge of her bed, she waited for the door chime to ring.

Eleanor