He stood outside the counselor’s door for a moment longer than he probably should have—long enough to be aware of it, but not long enough to be obvious.

Mandatory psychological evaluation.

He had been through them before—after Turkana IV, after the Apollo, after the Ogawa, after the Leviathan… A litany of well-intentioned questions and carefully neutral expressions.

“This is routine, Commander.”

So was breathing. That didn’t mean he had to enjoy it.

He tapped the door chime, one sharp motion.

-Lt. Cmdr. Harel
Chief of Operations