Melissa Lewis awoke from her bunk, wondering how the hell she had gotten to sleep. She did, however, feel rested- despite her sticky cheeks indicating she had cried during the night.

Shit.

Peeking at the other bunks, she was surprised to find the other crew members not in them. Johansen, who hated mornings, wasn't there either. Melissa looked at her watch, and headed into the eating area.

She found the members of Hermes sitting quietly. Johansen was staring blankly out the window, at the stars. Martinez and Vogel were heating up something to eat, and Beck was silent from the other end of the table. They perked up, somewhat, as Melissa entered the room.

"Morning, Commander," Rick said, coming to join his teammates.

"How can you eat at a time like this?" Beck muttered gloomily.

Lewis took a seat next to Beck, and waited for the others to join her. Rick handed her a cup of coffee, which got a slight smile of thanks.

Vogel sighed. "Where do we go from here, Commander?"

Melissa was silent for a moment. "We have to get in contact with NASA, first of all. It's not going to be an easy email to write, but this is all because of me, and because I'm in charge, I have to write the email. Let me make it clear to all of you that this wasn't your fault."

Beck cleared his throat. "It was the right decision to make, Lewis. Nobody is blaming you for anything. If they do, we have your back. If Watney was alive.. he would say the same thing."

Lewis gave a slight, but unconvincing, nod.

"I'm giving you all a day off," she said. "Do what you need to do. If you need or want to talk, my door is always open."

"The same goes for you, Commander," Rick said. "You're in charge, but you're also part of this crew."

Melissa swallowed the lump in her throat. "Thanks, Rick. Anyone else have anything they'd like to discuss?"

"This might be a load of crock," Beck said, "but I was trained a little in how to deal with something like this. Anyways, I'm obliged to tell you that it's okay to let your feelings out and that it might take some time to deal with the fact that Watney is dead. Everyone grieves in their own time and way, and there is nothing wrong about this."

Johansen rolled her eyes. "How insightful."

"Really," Vogel agreed.

Beck held up his hands in surrender. "I'm just giving the spiel I have to give. Doctor's orders."

"Okay, Beck," Lewis said. "I have to send this email off immediately, so you all are off duty as of right now."

She walked out of the room, and into the "tech lab," as Johansen affectionately called it, sighing as she pulled up her email. Where to start? How could she possibly send this email off? Half an hour later, after typing and deleting various sentences, she growled a little and slammed her hand on the desk.

"Problems?" Rick Martinez appeared at the door. He was unusually serious, which under the circumstances was understandable, although it made Lewis slightly uncomfortable.

"You know, I've known you two years, and this is the first day that you haven't made a joke."

Rick shrugged. "There's nothing to joke about today."

Melissa ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "I have no idea how to send this email off."

Vogel appeared at the door. "Can I help?" he asked. "I'm good with stating facts."

"Be my guest," she said. "Do you want to sit?"

Both men shook their head. "Okay," Lewis said. "Where should we start?"

Teddy,

There is no easy way to put this. Yesterday afternoon, the Hermes Crew encountered a severe storm and were forced to evacuate. While walking to the vessel, Mark Watney was struck by a piece of flying debris and his telemetry signals were cut off. He is presumed dead. I, Commander Lewis, had to make the decision to get the rest of the crew off Mars. We are safe, but understandably, this is a difficult time. Please be in contact with any questions you might have and I will do my best to answer them.

Thank you,

Commander Lewis, on behalf of the Hermes crew.

Lewis sighed as she hit "send," and looked at the two men standing beside her.

"Thanks, you guys," she said softly.

"Anytime, Commander," Rick said, squeezing her shoulder. "Need anything?"

"For yesterday to never have happened, that would be nice," Melissa said, her shoulders tightening.

"Ja," Vogel agreed. "We'll give you some time alone, Lewis. If you need anything we can do.."

"Danke," Lewis said, forcing a smile. The two exited.

What the hell to do next?