The alarm was subtle a little chime with the sound of music picking up in tempo, Sam’s voice suddenly right beside her.

“Good morning Sunshine.”

Jack liked being woken up to being called Sunshine.

” You won’t believe it, but due to a stellar body shift we were able to recalibrate and we are in fact only~ calculating ~Sixty hours out from radio contact range. In three and a half days you’ll be able to contact home base around Jupiter2.”

The covers shifted and the very nude Drew poked her head out from under the covers. “What?!”

As usual, she had hopped into Jack’s bed and curled up in her arms.

She smiled and petted Drew’s curls. It was great news. “Think you can hang on for a few more days?”

Drew hugged Jack softly and snuggled back under the covers.

“let’s hope the ship has the getup and go. Your breakfast is waiting for you in the commissary Jack, and the fitness room has been warmed to a balmy~ calculating ~30°c for your morning jog. Treadmill two is still down, so please use one or three.”

His display winked out, and Jack was feeling excited.

Till a bang at the door heralded the arrival of the crew’s only problem.

BANG BANG BANG

“Hey lady losers, you up yet,” came Stephan’s heavy accent.

Drew shrunk further under the covers.

Jack didn’t bother to acknowledge the ship asshole, and instead gave Drew a little kiss on her head.

“You can stay in bed as long as you need to,” she whispered sliding out from under the covers to dress.

BANG BANG BANG

“I’m coming Stephan, cool it.”

She could hear his grumbling

Jack was looking forward to eating and then jogging for as long as she could. Running was a little passion of hers, it was relaxing and she could put her thoughts in order.

It was also free time to talk to Sam.

The door opened for her and she looked up at Stephan who stood with a big grin on his smug face. He always looked like he had won at something, and was a constant problem for everyone, but Drew most of all he picked on.

“So the little one stays in bed again. What surprises… you going to work out, hey, get your mind set for the big day, please. We hear it is only three days and we are free of this shit box!”

Jack walked past him and he followed.

“But you know it won’t work, the radials have been closed so long, they will need to be de-iced. Our window will be lost, and then what.” As usual, he was angry, he didn’t trust machines, and Sam least of all.

“Then I’ll go out and de-ice them.” Her replies were short and to the point… If she replied at all to him. Jack tried to never be rude to those she worked with, but Stephan just LOVED pushing other people’s buttons with his negativity. “And Drew can stay in bed as long as she wants, she’s suffering from depression, without her meds.”

Stephan made a rude noise, “Crying is as good for her as peeing into the wind. But you coddle her, yes you do that.” He stepped past her and went down towards the airlocks, “you don’t worry.”

“But about the panels, I’ll prove to you, you are wrong, and then, then you will see, it is better to just vent this place.” He flipped her the bird and disappeared through the hatch leading to the external access and the cargo hold poking his head back just to holler at her, “Oh and ask Sam, what is probability of success with frozen panels!”

Sam had been as quiet as usual through the exchange but popped up as Stephan closed the hatch.

“While the Asshole Stephan isn’t wrong, the mechs report shows a… 60% …reduction of ice, clearing that off is difficult for the mechs, but, I believe you can handle it, Asshole Stephan will always be incapable in this endeavour. But I know you can do it, Jack, you’re the .”

“Go fuck yourself, Stephan!” Her voice shouted after the man, knowing he wouldn’t hear it through the closed hatch.

Sam’s words comforted her and she smiled at the AI’s display. “Thanks, Sam, I’ll go out after breakfast and my run, and start working on the panels.” First things first, food.

The commissary was as busy as ever. Tom, off in his window seat staring off into the void, Mrs. Penny sitting there reading a screen beside the charge bay, and Greg three sheets to the wind slumped over in his chair at the table. The only thing different was Javier who had stopped in to openly flirt with Tammy, who as usual didn’t seem to care as Greg was most often out cold these days.

At least Sam wasn’t a complete wreck.

“Hey there Jack, can I get you a juice, we have Grape and Orange?”

“I’d like a grape drink,” came Mrs. Penny’s voice.

Sam didn’t seem to care for her request too much though, “tell Mrs. Penny to clean up the mess on Deck-C and I’ll spill some for her later.”

Jack rolled her eyes and tapped the choice she wanted on the screen. “Orange for me please Sam.” Then turning to Mrs. Penny… “What happened on Deck C?” Had Greg thrown up again?

Mrs. Penny looked pleased as punch for any a chance to gossip as usual. However in the end, after a twenty-minute stint, it became clear she had no idea. It was just about then that, Sam appeared to rescue her, “Hey there Jack, don’t want to be a bother but the gym is still on heat mode. And you know my thoughts on spandex, I don’t have legs so one of us has to wear them!”

Javier suddenly piped up, “Now that I’d like to see…”

Sam’s reply was none too pleased though, “If I catch wind of recording in the change rooms again I will vent, Javier.”

Jack flipped Javier the bird and walked towards the door. “Well I’m going to the gym, someone’s gonna have to look at whatever mess is on Deck C while I’m out clearing ice.”

She ate as she walked down the hall, the breakfast bar was simple, but had good nutrition and carbs packed into it. The juice was mostly saved for her workout.

In the nice warm gym, Jack changed and did some loose stretches, working from her feet up to her neck.

” two more sets to go, Jack, you’re lookin good.”

He was always so pleasant.

“Sam’s a dick,” Liz had come in out of nowhere hopping onto the machine beside Jack and set it to a jog, the taller woman made Jack feel plain but it was her queen bee attitude that irked Jack the most. “Have you been here long girl, you look like you should do a few more laps maybe, lol’s I’m kidding girl.” She tapped Jack on the shoulder, “So much muscle on you heavy world girls,” she took a sip of Jack’s juice, “Orange juice, without Vodka, gross.”

Jack took her juice back from Liz and held it out of reach on the other side of her. She hated people taking her food or drinks and helping themselves to it. Damn it… ever since the accident people had been revealing their true colours to her, she worked with a bunch of jerks… with a few exceptions being Drew, Tammy, Greg… and of course Sam.

“What are you up to Liz?” Jack finished off with her run and moved to the chin-up bar, where she proceeded to work on her arms, back and shoulder muscle groups.

Liz turned around putting her feet up on either side of the running belt. “Just chatting with my girl, I mean what else is there to do.”

“Hey Jack, we need a system check when you have a moment,” a map highlighted the ship pointing out a section of the aft where an exterior door was jammed open. “I believe this may be the source of our issues with the exterior icing issue. It is very close to the section of the cargo hold where the liquid O2 tanks were, if we can check on it maybe icing off the panels will not be an issue.”

“Fuckin machine.”

The sound of Stephan’s voice made Jack jump.

He was in the door and looked none too happy, “This piece of crap AI, what does it know.”

Jack dropped down from the bar and towelled off her face and chest. “He knows what’s causing our icing problem.” She answered simply, finishing off the rest of her juice. “I’m gonna go for a walk to fix it and clear off ice from the panels.” That was her job, she was going to do her job and get this ship back up and ready for radio contact in three days.

She would just have to survive all the drama that was unfolding…

He shrugged, “Whatever, you’re never gonna figure it out, and this bucket of bolts is no better equipped to tell you. I mean I’m an engineer.”

Liz rolled her eyes, “Duh… we’re all engineers dummy, and maybe she knows more than you do.”

“Pha, you’re both just women, what does women know…” and without another word he turned and left with a string of curses.

“Look, I know I can be a bit of a bitch, but that guys just LAME! You got this girl, I however have twenty more laps, we can’t all be genetically blessed like you earthborns.”

And with that, Liz turned and went back to running putting her headphones on.

“Well Jack, shall I get your Rig ready?” Sam asked showing the map again.

Liz wasn’t so bad after all. “Yes, Sam. Let’s suit up.”