"No." Lewis shook her head. "They're a good crew; I'm lucky to have them."

"Yeah." Robert smiled. "I can hardly notice the delay. I gotta say, I wish you were coming home."

"Better than nothing," Lewis said. Floating in her quarters, she gently touched the bulkhead to stop drifting. "It's nice to see you in real-time for a change."

"Oh hey!" Robert said. "I found a great addition to our collection!"

"Huh?" Lewis said. "Oh, yeah. The ship isn't spinning right now. No centripetal gravity."

"I see," said Robert. "So how are things up on the ship? Anyone giving you shit?"

"Because we're docking with the Taiyang Shen in a few days. We can't spin while we dock with things."

"Hey, Melissa…," said Robert. "Am I getting through? Can you see me?"

"Loud and clear, babe," said Commander Lewis. "The video link is solid."

"They say I have five minutes," Robert said.

Lewis sighed. "Me, too, babe."

"Why not?"

"Don't get me wrong," Robert quickly added. "I understand why you're doing all this. Still, from a selfish point of view, I miss my wife. Hey, are you floating?"

"Oh? What'd you get?"

"1976 all the way."

WITH A final shudder, the jetliner came to a stop at the gate.

"Don't get too comfortable," Teddy said. "We still have to go through customs, and we'll probably have to fill out a bunch of forms because we're U. S. government officials… It's gonna be hours before we sleep."

"I know, right!?"

Beijing Capital International Airport's Terminal 3 echoed with the cacophony common to huge air terminals. Venkat and Teddy moved toward the long immigration line as the Chinese citizens from their flight split off to go to a simpler point-of-entry process.

"Mm," said Teddy, rubbing his eyes.

"An original-production eight-track of Abba's Greatest Hits. Still in the original packaging."

"At least we don't have to go to Jiuquan till tomorrow," Venkat moaned. "Fourteen and a half hours of flying is enough for one day."

"Wow! Good find!"

"Craaaap."

Gathering their carry-on luggage, they trudged off the plane with the rest of the weary travelers.

Lewis widened her eyes. "Seriously? A 1976 or one of the reprints?"

"Oh gods," said Venkat, massaging his neck. "That was the longest flight I've ever been on."

They turned to see a young Chinese man wearing jeans and a polo shirt. "My name is Su Bin Bao," he said in perfect English. "I am an employee of the China National Space Administration. I will be your guide and translator during your stay in the People's Republic of China."

"Excuse me, gentlemen," came a voice from beside them.

As Venkat took his place in line, Teddy filed in behind him and scanned the terminal for a convenience store. Any form of caffeine would be welcome.

"We need sleep," Venkat said immediately. "Just as soon as we get through customs, please get us to our hotel."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Su," Teddy said. "I'm Teddy Sanders, and this is Dr. Venkat Kapoor."

"I can do better than that, Dr. Kapoor." Su smiled. "You are official guests of the People's Republic of China. You have been preauthorized to bypass customs. I can take you to your hotel immediately."

"I love you," Venkat said.

"I'll pass that along." Su Bin smiled.

"Tell the People's Republic of China we said thanks," Teddy added.

"She hasn't worsened?" he asked.

"As well as can be expected," Helena said. "She has her good days and bad days. She did not recognize me on my last visit. In a way, it's a blessing. She doesn't have to worry about you like I do."

"Excellent!" Vogel said. "I hear you are at Mission Control. Was NASA unable to pipe the signal to Bremen?"

"How are our monkeys?"

"HELENA, MY LOVE," Vogel said to his wife. "I trust you are well?"

"Well played. And how is my mother?"

"The children are fine." She smiled. "Eliza has a crush on a new boy in her class, and Victor has been named goalkeeper for his high school's team."

"Yes," she said. "I'm fine. But I do miss you."

"Can't be helped." She shrugged.

"Good," he said. "I was worried I'd seen her for the last time."

"They could have," she said. "But it was easier for them to bring me to Houston. A free vacation to the United States. Who am I to turn that down?"

"No, she's about the same as when you left. The doctors are sure she'll still be here when you return."

"Sorry."

"I will, my love," Vogel promised.

Su Bin translated Guo Ming's words as Teddy took the second-best seat in the observation room. He looked through the glass to Jiuquan's Mission Control Center. It was remarkably similar to Houston's, though Teddy couldn't read any of the Chinese text on the big screens.

"As safe as we can be," he said. "The ship is in perfect condition, and after receiving the Taiyang Shen, we will have all the supplies we need for the remainder of the journey."

"Alex," Helena said, "will you be safe?"

"Yes, thank you," Teddy said. "The hospitality of your people has been wonderful. The private jet you arranged to bring us here was a nice touch."

"Be careful."

"It just goes to show," Teddy said. "Love of science is universal across all cultures."

"WELCOME TO JIUQUAN," Guo Ming said. "I hope your flight was smooth?"

"My people have enjoyed working with your advance team," Guo Ming said. "The last month has been very interesting. Attaching an American probe to a Chinese booster. I believe this is the first time it's ever been done."

"I probably don't," Beck explained. "I just need to be ready to."

Guo Ming nodded. "My people have especially commented on the work ethic of your man, Mitch Henderson. He is very dedicated."

"I am," Beck said. "Everyone has multiple roles. I'm the doctor, the biologist, and the EVA specialist. Commander Lewis is our geologist. Johanssen is the sysop and reactor tech. And so on."

"He's a pain in the ass," Teddy said.

"Why?"

"No way," Beck said. "Hermes is huge. It's not made for fine maneuvering control."

"How about that good-looking guy…Martinez?" Amy asked. "What does he do?"

"Can't you just move Hermes to dock with it?"

"Why does it have to be you?"

Guo Ming laughed. "You can say that," he said. "I cannot."

"'Cause I'm the EVA specialist."

"So explain it again," Beck's sister Amy said. "Why do you have to do an EVA?"

Su Bin paused before translating but pressed on.

"But I thought you were the doctor."

"In case the probe can't dock with us. If something goes wrong, it'll be my job to go out and grab it."

"Yeah. I'm concerned about what I ate last night. I think it had an eyeball in it."

"Engineer? Like Scotty?"

"They're a weird bunch, these Chinese nerds," Mitch said, collapsing into a chair. "But they make a good booster."

"Kind of," Beck said. "He fixes stuff."

"He pilots the MDV and MAV," Beck said. "He's also married with a kid, you lecherous homewrecker."

"It all checks out," Mitch said. "JPL followed the specs perfectly. It fits like a glove."

"Ah well. How about Watney? What did he do?"

"I'm sure there wasn't an eyeball."

"Good," Venkat said. "How's the linkage between the booster and our probe?"

"Yeah, no shit."

"I bet that's coming in handy now."

"Any concerns or reservations?" Venkat asked.

"He's our botanist and engineer. And don't talk about him in the past tense."

The chinese had arranged a small conference room for the Americans to work in. The cramped conditions were luxurious by Jiuquan standards. Venkat was working on budget spreadsheets when Mitch came in, so he was glad for the interruption.

"You volunteered to extend the mission five hundred and thirty-three days," she said, "asshole."

"The engineers here made it for me special," Mitch said.

"Fair enough. So long as the probe gets to Hermes, they can burn me in effigy for all I care."

"Why?"

"Yes, I'm pretty awesome," he agreed.

"Just think of the playground cred he'll have later in life," she said. "'My dad went to Mars. What's your dad do?'"

Marissa continued to wave David's hand at the camera. David was more interested in his other hand, which was actively engaged in picking his nose.

"We've been together since we were fifteen. I know when you're pissed."

"He's too young to know what's going on," Martinez said.

"So," Martinez said, "you're pissed."

"WAVE TO DADDY!" Marissa said, waving David's hand at the camera. "Wave to Daddy!"

"There may have been an eyeball," Venkat said. "They hate you."

"You can tell?" Marissa asked. "I tried to hide it."

"'Cause you're a dick, Mitch," Venkat said. "A total dick. To everyone."

"Yeah," Martinez said. "I figured that'd be the reason."

"Tell us about the probe itself."

"So do I," he said defensively.

"I have to wait another five hundred and thirty-three days to get laid!"

"Hermes isn't going to orbit Earth," Venkat said. "It's just passing by on its way to Mars. And its velocity is huge. We need a booster capable of not only escaping Earth's gravity but matching Hermes's current velocity. Only the Taiyang Shen has enough power to do that."

"Happy to do it," Venkat said.

"We'll get past it," he agreed.

She took a deep breath. "We'll get past it."

"Welcome to CNN's Mark Watney Report. Today, we have the director of Mars operations, Venkat Kapoor. He's speaking to us live via satellite from China. Dr. Kapoor, thank you for joining us."

"I know," Martinez said.

"Yeah," he said. "Sorry."

"I have to worry about you that whole time," she added.

"So, Dr. Kapoor, tell us about the Taiyang Shen. Why go to China to launch a probe? Why not launch it from the US?"

"Your son will be in kindergarten when you get back. He won't have any memories of you."

"The Ares 3 pilot, Major Rick Martinez. As the probe approaches Hermes, he'll take over and guide it to the docking port."

"And that's enough to fly to Hermes?"

"And what if there's a problem?"

"It was a rush job," Venkat said. "JPL only had thirty days to put it together. They had to be as safe and efficient as they could. It's basically a shell full of food and other supplies. It has a standard satellite thruster package for maneuvering, but that's it."

"The Taiyang Shen will send it to Hermes. The thrusters are for fine control and docking. And JPL didn't have time to make a guidance system. So it'll be remote-controlled by a human pilot."

"You want unscientific?" Venkat smiled. "If the probe can't attach to the docking port for some reason, Beck will open the probe and carry its contents to the airlock."

"Hermes will have their EVA specialist, Dr. Chris Beck, suited up and ready the whole time. If necessary, he will literally grab the probe with his hands and drag it to the docking port."

"Sounds kind of unscientific." Cathy laughed.

"Who will be controlling it?" Cathy asked.

"Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions," Cathy said.

"Sounds like you're covering all your bases." Cathy smiled.

"What if the probe doesn't get to you?" he asked.

"We have to," Venkat said. "If they don't get those supplies…Well, they need those supplies."

"Exactly like that," Venkat said. "And we estimate it would take four trips back and forth. But that's all an edge case. We don't anticipate any problems with the docking process."

"She can't eat, she can't sleep, she feels sick all the time. I'm not much better. How can they make you do this?"

"They're not 'making' me do it, Dad. I volunteered."

Johanessen's father fidgeted in the chair, unsure what to say. After a moment, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and mopped sweat from his balding head.

"Try not to think about that," Johanssen said.

"Why would you do that to your mother?" he demanded.

"Your mother is so worried she couldn't even come."

"I'm sorry," Johanssen mumbled, looking down.

"Like bringing in the groceries?" Cathy asked.

"Always a pleasure, Cathy."

Johanssen shrugged.

"What good will that do?" he said. "She's going to be tied up in knots until you're back home."

"You were always scientifically minded," he said. "It was great! Straight-A student. Hanging around nerdy guys too scared to try anything. No wild side at all. You were every father's dream daughter."

"I won't die. I really won't. Even if everything goes wrong."

"Oh, much better!"

"I know," Johanssen mumbled. "But…"

"Sorry," Johanssen mumbled. "Watney's my crewmate. I can't just let him die."

"Thanks, Dad, I --"

"Technically," she corrected, "the booster only took me into orbit. It was the nuclear-powered ion engine that took me to Mars."

He sighed. "I wish we'd raised you to be more selfish."

"How did I end up in this situation? I'm the district sales manager of a napkin factory. Why is my daughter in space?"

She chuckled quietly.

"But then you got on a giant bomb that blasted you to Mars. And I mean that literally."

"Dad, I'll be all right. Tell Mom I'll be all right."

"What? But what?"

"What do you mean?"

"How? I don't understand."

"Look," he said, leaning toward the camera, "I've always respected your privacy and independence. I never tried to pry into your life, never tried to control you. I've been really good about that, right?"

"I don't want to get into the how," Johanssen said.

"Yeah."

"What plan?"

"Who?"

"They always have a plan," she said. "They work out everything in advance."

She fell silent for several seconds. Finally, she said, "They have a plan."

"So in exchange for a lifetime of staying out of your business, let me nose in just this once. What are you not telling me?"

Johanssen furrowed her brow. "Just tell Mom I won't die."

"They picked me to survive. I'm youngest. I have the skills necessary to get home alive. And I'm the smallest and need the least food."

"Everyone would die but me," she said. "They'd all take pills and die. They'll do it right away so they don't use up any food. Commander Lewis picked me to be the survivor. She told me about it yesterday. I don't think NASA knows about it."

"What happens if the probe fails, Beth?" her father asked.

Venkat looked at Zhu Tao sideways. "You don't seem too happy."

"And hey, you guys get a seat on Ares 5. Everyone wins."

"The supplies wouldn't be the only source of food," she said.

"Perfect launch," Venkat exclaimed.

The main screen showed Taiyang Shen's contrail wafting in the chilly Gobi sky. The ship, no longer visible to the naked eye, pressed onward toward orbit. Its deafening roar dwindled to a distant rumbling thunder.

American and Chinese engineers cheered together at Jiuquan Mission Control.

"No," she said. "We have enough food left to feed six people for a month. If I was the only one, it would last six months. With a reduced diet I could stretch it to nine. But it'll be seventeen months before I get back."

"You guys really came through for us," Venkat said. "And we're grateful!"

"So how would you survive?"

"And the supplies would last until you got back to Earth?"

He widened his eyes. "Oh…oh my god…"

"Just tell Mom the supplies would last, okay?"

"Of course," said Zhu Tao.

"Mmm."

"Naturally."

He turned to Venkat. "It could have been a lasting legacy of scientific research. Now it's a delivery run. We'll get a Chinese astronaut on Mars, but what science will he bring back that some other astronaut couldn't have? This operation is a net loss for mankind's knowledge."

"Mmm," Zhu Tao said.

"In the end, we built a beautiful probe. The largest, sturdiest unmanned probe in history. And now it's sitting in a warehouse. It'll never fly. The State Council won't fund another booster like that."

"I spent four years working on Taiyang Shen," he said. "So did countless other researchers, scientists, and engineers. Everyone poured their souls into construction while I waged a constant political battle to maintain funding.

"Well," Venkat said cautiously, "it's a net gain for Mark Watney."

"Distance 61 meters, velocity 2.3 meters per second," Johanssen said.

"No problem," Martinez said, his eyes glued to his screens. One showed the camera feed from Docking Port A, the other a constant feed of the probe's telemetry.

"Probe is well within manual recovery range," Beck reported.

"Slight rotation in the probe," Johanssen said. "Relative rotational velocity is 0.05 revolutions per second."

"Vogel," Lewis said into her headset. "You in position?"

"Aye, Commander."

"Distance 43 meters, velocity 2.3 meters per second," Johanssen called out.

Vogel stood in the still-pressurized Airlock 2, suited up save his helmet. "Ja, in position and ready," he replied. He was the emergency EVA if Beck needed rescue.

"Copy," Lewis said.

Beck's voice came over the radio. "Visual contact." He stood in Airlock 3 (via magnetic boots), fully suited up with the outer door open. The bulky SAFER unit on his back would allow him free motion in space should the need arise. An attached tether led to a spool on the wall.

"All stats nominal," Martinez reported.

"Anything under 0.3 is fine," Martinez said. "The capture system can deal with it."

"All right, Martinez," Lewis said. "Bring it in."

Lewis floated behind Johanssen's and Martinez's stations.

"Roger that, Commander," Beck said. "Closing airlock."

"Range?" Martinez asked.

"Seal is tight," Johanssen said.

"Angle?"

"Twelve meters," Johanssen replied. "Velocity steady at 0.9 meters per second."

The probe drifted gently to the docking port. Its capture boom, a long metal triangle, entered the port's funnel, scraping slightly along the edge. Once it reached the port's retractor mechanism, the automated system clamped on to the boom and pulled it in, aligning and orienting the probe automatically. After several loud clanks echoed through the ship, the computer reported success.

"Slowing her down a little," Martinez said, sending instructions to the probe.

"Docking complete," Martinez said.

"Angle is good."

"Velocity 1.8…1.3…," Johanssen reported. "0.9…stable at 0.9 meters per second."

"Then we're in line for auto-capture," Martinez said. "Come to Papa."

"Distance 22 meters, velocity 2.3 meters per second," Johanssen said. "Angle is good."

"Beck," Lewis said, "your services won't be needed."

"You're not funny."

She glared at him.

"Airlock pressure to one hundred percent," Beck reported. "Reentering ship… I'm back in."

She shook her head and accelerated down the hall.

"So," he said, "who would you have eaten first?"

Taking off her headset, she turned to Martinez and Johanssen. "Unload the probe and stow the supplies. I'm going to help Beck and Vogel de-suit."

"I'm free-range, you know. Corn-fed."

"Not listening," she called back.

"Also inside," Vogel said.

"Roger, Jiuquan," Lewis said.

Mitch's voice came over the comm. "Glad to hear it, Hermes. Report status of all supplies once you get them aboard and inspected."

Martinez and Johanssen floated down the hall toward Docking Port A.

"Copy, Commander," he said.

"Come on! I thought you liked Mexican!"

"'Cause I think I'd be tastiest," he continued, flexing his arm. "Look at that. Good solid muscle there."

Lewis pressed a button on her headset. "Houst -- er…Jiuquan, probe docking complete. No complications."

"Vogel, return to interior," she ordered.