By the following morning, Nexi has already made a series of controlled burns to subtly alter the trajectory of Manannan. The ship is now fully committed to an orbital insertion. It is a change of trajectory that will bring it inside the orbits of Thermia’s moons, even if we then decide to abort and leave their system.

Having made the decision to broadcast our approach, we now have to have an apparently in-control crew on the bridge of the ship at all times. There are plenty of volunteers for this, as the approach is both interesting and beautiful. I suspect that some of them enjoy the attention of being on our streams to the planet’s surface.

Millions of people on Earth are keen to watch as well. If it wasn’t for their ongoing conflict, this would be a very fine world indeed. From an approach to orbit, it looks beautiful.

For some of us, however, it is a chance for a little down-time. I’d be the first to admit that I need the break. Even if just to have a few hours where I don’t have to concentrate on being diplomatic all the time.

Maria has decided that I need to be fed, refusing to let me walk past the kiosk from the moment she saw that I was not going to stop. I am hungry, but I was intending to go home and make a sandwich before crashing out for a few extra hours of sleep.

“You seem like you’re completely out of it,” Maria suggests with concern. I’ve been sitting and staring at the plate of food in front of me and deep in thought. “The idea was for you to eat that while it was still hot.”

“I’m sorry, Maria, I’ve just got a lot on my mind right now. I’m afraid I’m not exactly good company at all.”

“Well, I’m going to stand over you while you eat now. I don’t want you wasting away. I’m sure I’m not the first person to tell you to leave your work behind when you have time off.”

“No, you’re definitely not. I just find that difficult. Talk to me and keep me distracted for a bit?”

“Okay, but I’m afraid I can only do that by asking questions about the program. Everything is being kept pretty close to your chests at the moment,” Maria tells me.

“Enough for people to notice then?”

“Yes, but most of us do understand. We all know enough about our own history to see what a difficult situation you’ve come across. If it makes you feel better, I think most people believe you’re all doing pretty well.”

“I’m still not sure what they are actually fighting over. Sure, resources sound pretty convincing and make a very good excuse, but we’re having trouble finding out what triggered the whole war. They’ve been at it for decades at this point and the start of the fighting seems almost mythical.”

“Well, our first world war wasn’t much better. Didn’t that basically start because of a stupid plan and even more stupid assumptions?”

“Yes, I guess so. Still, someone was killed to act as a trigger. Somebody wanted to rock the boat back then.”

“Do you think they can be persuaded to stop? The Thermians, I mean?”

“I don’t know. I hope so and the fact that we’ve brought them to a working cease-fire of sorts is encouraging. We’ve a much bigger bombshell for them once they allow us to land.”

“Really, is this a secret?”

“Not as far as I know. They’ve completely destroyed their environment. They are on the verge of irreversible climate collapse. If they don’t stop right now and do something about it – both sides together – their world will freeze and they will all perish.”

I look down at my empty plate and realize that Maria has been doing a great job of keeping my mind occupied and my hungry body has taken care of the rest.

“I suppose that this is the one thing that they might find compelling enough to get them to stop fighting?”

“Honestly, I’m not even sure if this is enough to get the south to stop. They are almost fighting just for the sake of fighting at this point. It’s as if they are using the fighting as an excuse to stay in power and in control.”

“You seem to be getting more and more invested. It is not our fight,” Maria tells me. “However altruistic we feel, we don’t have any responsibility to these people.”

“I know, but I’m beginning to see some of them as friends. It will be difficult to remain detached. It was always going to be so.”

“Friends?”

“Well, mostly President Hadar. Sure, she’s the leader of a huge nation at war with her neighbour, but she is also just a person trying to do the best they can in difficult circumstances.”

“What you need is a distraction and I know the perfect thing.” Maria gestures to someone somewhere behind my back and when I turn, Rob is walking across the plaza in our direction. He’s dressed ultra-casually in a pair of shorts and a vest-top that barely covers any part of him. His feet are bare and he’s sporting a pair of mirrored sunglasses.

“I’ve managed to get him to eat,” Maria tells him when he’s close enough to hear us. “Now will you take him away from all this for a few hours, please.”

“Come on you,” he tells me as he grabs my hand and hauls me off my stool. “I know just the thing to get you to relax.”

“Wait, wait!” I shout, even as I’m allowing myself to be dragged along by Rob. Actually, I don’t think I could have stopped him, even if I really wanted to. He’s far more muscular than I’d have thought from seeing him in is working clothes. Sure, I knew he had broad shoulders and was athletic, but the definition and bulk now on show is both intimidating and exhilarating.

“Relax, Darren. I’m only going down to the beach. Come on, you’ll enjoy it.”

I nod in resignation and allow myself to be hauled along. I can’t help notice that Rob still has hold of my wrist and doesn’t seem like he is going to let go any time soon. All I can do is try and keep up without looking stupid in the process.

It is a strange thing, but in all the time I’ve been calling the campus here my home, I’ve spent very little time on the beach. Others do, but I guess I never really felt drawn to the water to any degree. Unlike some members of my family, the lure of the surf never got to me. I’m happy it is there but I just don’t take advantage of it. 

Then, there’s the fact that Jack didn’t like to do much more than stay in the apartment whenever we happened to both have some free time. I could always manage without much need to get out and about, having enough to do with missions and training to leave me content to stay at home with him on the somewhat rare occasions when the opportunity arose.

It would be natural to assume that Rob would also have had plenty of opportunity to spend time outdoors. I’m no expert, but I’d assumed that military training involved a lot of hiking, camping and whatever – you know, survival stuff. There certainly appears to have been quite a lot of fitness and strength training going on.

I’m still trying my best to avoid being stared at by the time we walk through the last of the dunes and down onto the long strip of white sand. The skies are clear; the sea is a brilliant blue and the slight onshore breeze is just taking the edge off the heat of the afternoon. There are perhaps a couple of dozen people on the sands and in the shallows, but plenty of room for many more.

Rob drags me in the direction of a couple of empty loungers and finally lets my hand free. “I’m going in the water,” he tells me as we stop. “Are you coming in too, or just waiting here. I’ll only be a few minutes.”

“I’m hardly dressed for water,” I suggest. I’m wearing shorts, it’s true, but I’m pretty sure they were never made with swimming in mind. “I’ll sit and wait.”

“Suit yourself,” he tells me with a grin as he grabs the hem of his top and lifts it over his head in one smooth motion. Despite the warmth in the air, I feel my face heating as I take in the near-perfection of his physique. It takes me a moment to realize that I’m staring, but Rob doesn’t seem to notice, turning away and kicking up sand as he starts off down towards the gentle breakers at a measured jog.

Well, I might as well make the most of being on the beach. I release the buttons on my shirt and allow myself to lie back on one of the loungers and relax a little. I’m stupidly self-conscious, particularly as I’m not dressed for being here, but the sight of Rob wading out into the surf and then diving into the water is a pretty good way to take my mind off my own discomfiture.

When I next open my eyes, I’ve completely lost track of both the time and where I am. It takes me a moment to get my bearings. I guess I fell asleep for a few minutes. Rob is coming back up the beach towards me and, honestly, he looks even more impressive from the front. His pectorals and abs are strongly defined and his strong thighs are rippling as he walks on the soft sands.

“You were staring,” he suggests when he gets to me, dropping down onto the neighbouring lounger easily.

“It should be against some laws or other,” I admit.

“What, staring?”

“No, looking as good as you do.”

“That would make all the effort I put into looking like this something of a waste, wouldn’t it?”

“Well, I’m relieved that you aren’t naturally this built. That would be devastating for the rest of us mere mortals.”