They refueled the ship at the Red Horizon.
"Captain, we will depart in fifteen minutes," Josh said to Rose.
After exactly fifteen minutes, the engines roared back to life. The ship turned its course toward TRAPPIST-1e.
A few hours passed since their departure. The ship was running on autopilot. The crew gathered in the main hub for their daily health check-up, conducted by Jane. It was her duty to monitor the crew's condition and report it back to NASA headquarters in Lamerica. She conducted the tests every night before the crew went to bed.
"Captain, can you give me your hand for a moment?" Jane asked.
Rose stretched out her hand. Jane pricked her finger and collected a drop of blood.
"So, Donald, tell us about yourself," Josh said, breaking the silence.
Donald gave a small grunt. "Hmm, I'm just an ordinary old man."
"An old man who won a Nobel Prize," Josh cut in quickly.
Everyone chuckled.
"So, what hobbies do you have?" Josh pressed further.
"I like to play baseball," Donald said.
"Oh, I love baseball too!" Edward joined the conversation.
"What about the ladies? Any hobbies?" Josh asked, turning to Jane and Rose.
"I like to ride horses and play golf," Rose answered.
"I like reading books," Jane replied softly.
"Well," Josh smirked, "we won't be doing those hobbies anytime soon, will we?"
The group sighed together.
"Josh, can you give me your hand," Jane said, trying to stay professional.
"Yes, Jane, I agree," Josh replied, teasing her with a grin.
At first, Jane didn't understand. But as soon as she drew his blood, she realized what he meant.
"N-No! I didn't mean it like that—it was just for the check-up!" she blurted out, blushing furiously.
"Okay, okay, we know…" Josh laughed.
The day ended, and the journey's countdown shortened by a single day. Only 355 days remained until their arrival at TRAPPIST-1e.