Author's note: Thanks to all who have reviewed and/or sent me encouragement. This chapter had been written long ago, and I simply had too many family crises going on to make time to post it- my apologies! Furthermore, I do not always write sequentially, which makes my story-writing process a more drawn-out affair. Also, I do not attend for the story itself to take place in a sequential fashion, but as a rule, each chapter will usually start off with a "present-time" moment during the mission prior to the events of the film before switching to a flashback. I hope everyone enjoys the chapter! And I hope I can post chapter three within 2 week's time or less!

Cassie walked out as quietly as she could towards the kitchen and common area. There was nothing of any significant importance that might be accomplished in the dim hours before Icarus began its morning cycle. The blinking green digital lights of the computer display in the prep area taunted her as they winked back and forth on the dark screen. Squinting in the darkness, and making no other conclusion that someone on the launch staff had falsified her vision test, Cassie fumbled for the light switch at the side of the doorway for a moment before successfully bringing the halogen lights on dim. In the light the room looked empty and forlorn, bereft of any other occupants save Cassie. She reflected that the one positive outcome of her solitary presence was at least there was no danger of spilling another plate of food on another unsuspecting victim, and in the dim light of the quiet room Cassie allowed herself a smile.

Rummaging through the pantry, Cassie selected for herself a canister of bran cereal and a packet of dried banana slices. From the heavy steel-clad refrigerator she pulled an already-opened canister of skim milk, and from the drawers next to the refrigerator, a bowl and spoon. Silently she poured the bran and the banana slices into the cereal bowl, the bran making a vague rattling echo in the empty room. Pouring the milk, Cassie watched the mixture rise to the top before she dipped in her spoon and began her breakfast.

Breakfast was not normally a solitary meal aboard Icarus II, nor was lunch or dinner. With only eight people on the massive craft, meals were generally an opportunity for camaraderie, conversation and laughter. This morning however Cassie was almost glad of the silence- she did not need anyone to distract her from her thoughts. Although her dreams were routinely consistent in their subject matter, Cassie had found more and more of them being occupied with memories of Mace, even if they were at most a fleeting and sudden presence. After six months of living and working in the same space with the man, Cassie often found herself exasperated with his presence, although Mace had done nothing to bother her. In fact, in all their time together since Icarus II had departed for the sun, Mace had been nothing but a gentleman, He was still a flirt, and still a bit of a braggadocio, but ever since Cassie had broken off the relationship, he had stopped openly pursuing her. Nothing could disguise the looks of raw hunger and desire that she often saw in his eyes, however, nor could Cassie avoid seeing a hint of sadness and regret etched on his handsome features when he thought no else was watching.

Her initial impression of Mace had been far different. Cassie could still recall the first meeting from the preliminary stages of the Icarus II project, from the conference in the District of Columbia, when the eight men and women who would become earth's last, greatest hope had made their introductions to each other….

"I know you, you know."

"You do? We've never met."

"Well, not face to face, anyway. But I've heard all about you. You're the guy who cracked the system. The one who brought down half of the computers in the Eastern Hemisphere with the Nagasaki virus."

The young man in front of Cassie offered a sheepish shrug of his shoulders. Tanaka "Trey" Koji had been until recently a name of relative infamy within the scientific communities of the world. Now staring at the face before her, Cassie found it hard to believe that someone with such round, childlike features and the cheeky lopsided grin could really have wreaked such havok across the world. Offered a plea bargain in exchange for a contracted term in the Pan-Asian Space Program, the world's foremost hacker had since become head mathematician and navigator in the new Icarus Initiative. Trey had not been the only face that Cassie had recognized; she had known Searle for years, and of course she and Harvey had shared work together at NASA over the last few months. Still, there were faces at the conference that Cassie had not recognized, faces which provoked consideration and curiosity.

A willowy Chinese woman with graceful features.

A young man about her own age with the most piercing cerulean blue eyes Cassie had ever seen.

A handsome Japanese man who radiated an almost Zen-like calm.

And lastly, the tall, broad-shouldered young man with the close-cut hair and the dark brown eyes. Even now Cassie watched him move seamlessly through the crowd, pausing only to strike up a conversation with the Japanese man.

Her curiosity got the better of her. "Trey." Cassie motioned behind the navigator. "Trey, who's that guy with the short brown hair-"

"And the biceps like tree-trunks? I met him yesterday at one of the preliminary meetings." Trey's eyes sparked with mischief. "You want me to make an introduction?"

"Oh, I don't really think-"

"Follow me." Trey cut her off and began winding around the crowd, leaving Cassie no option but to follow. Coming up behind the broad-shouldered man, Trey cleared his throat.

"Mr. Mace."

"Trey." The man turned around, offering Trey and Cassie an expectant look. "I've got someone you ought to meet, seeing as how you'll be sharing a ship for the next three years. This is Cassie." Trey motioned to her, and Cassie stepped forward.

"Hello. Mr. Mace." Cassie found herself blushing, although she had no idea why. As if sensing her embarrassment, Mace wisely chose to break the ice first. "I know you, you know," he remarked

"I was just telling the same thing to Trey. How did you-"

"I saw your bio in the press release packets this morning. Of course," Mace drawled, "you'd think when we're getting ready to save the world, our own space agency would go ahead and introduce us to our fellow crewmates before training begins next month, but, I guess they have better things to worry about. You know, fuel efficiency, prepping the booster rockets on the ship, finetuning the wiring, stuff like that."

"Then I'm guessing you're the mechanic?"

"Bingo."

Cassie grinned. She was beginning to like Mace already..

"So what's your gig going to be on this big bucket of bolts?"

"The ship needs a pilot."

Mace smirked. "So, can't you just point us towards the sun, start up the engines and let that be the end of it?"

"I could, but in the very unlikely we have to shift postions due to the solar winds, or a meteor storm or anything else, I'm sure you'd rather the pilot take control of the ship instead of the mechanic."

"So you're saying you're the best person for the job?"

Cassie straightened her shoulders. "I'm the best there ever was."

"Funny, that's what all the girls say about me." Mace flashed his wide grin again, and Cassie looked away, unable to handle such unbridled machismo. If Mace was always this saucy, training was going to be very interesting….

Thanks again for reading! I'm hoping Chapter three will focus more on Mace, and his view on the burgeoning attraction!