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Chapter Text

In three days, six astronauts would launch Camelot 1, the first manned mission to the planet Mars.

The crew members had trained together almost every day for the last two years in preparation for the dangerous and monumental endeavor they would soon begin. Hundreds of hours spent discovering the strengths and weaknesses of each teammate, honing their communication skills, and learning to read one another’s moods had bonded the individual crew members into a well-oiled unit. As a team, they were prepared to handle any eventuality. They understood one another. And they respected one another. Each member of the Camelot 1 crew would be willing to lay down their life for any of their crewmates— not simply out of duty or chivalry, but because they had come to care for one another and held each of their teammates in the highest esteem.

“Shut up, Arthur! You’re an idiot! You have no idea what you’re talking about!”

Flight surgeon, Merlin Emrys, sounded more amused than annoyed as he pronounced the foolishness of Camelot 1’s engineer and botanist, Arthur Pendragon. Before their argument started, they had been enjoying a pre-launch party with some colleagues at the home of their commander, Morgana Pendragon.

“Merlin, Merlin, Merlin.” Arthur pursed his lips and shook his head. “When will you learn? You don’t question me on early space program history. I spent my childhood building very detailed and accurate models of all the early spacecraft. One of the walls in my room was practically a visual timeline of the space race of the 1950s and 60s between the US and Russia. Another wall was lined with autographed photos of astronauts and cosmonauts including both John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. And I even had—“

“Oh big deal!” Merlin interjected. “So the spoiled little rich boy had daddy buy him a giant pile of space memorabilia! So flippin’ what!”

Arthur couldn’t help snorting out a laugh at Merlin’s sanctimonious tone and the way he tilted his head back and forth to emphasize his last words.

“Just because you consider yourself an expert on all things space-related doesn’t qualify you to judge the emotional impact of every space film ever made.” Merlin waved his beer bottle in Arthur’s face. “I don’t care if it is riddled with scientific and historical inaccuracies, if you don’t put The Right Stuff in your top ten most epic space films of all time, you, sir, are obviously heartless.”

Arthur raised his eyebrows, amused at the amount of passion Merlin had summoned for a movie he considered overly long and somewhat self-indulgent, filled with stilted dialogue and cheesy one-liners.

He shrugged. “It had a nice soundtrack, I suppose. How about I make it my first runner-up?”

Biting back a laugh at Merlin’s betrayed jaw-drop, Arthur plopped onto the couch. Their flight director, Percy Fisher, and mission pilot, Elyan Smith were nit-picking the scientific errors in Mars Awaits, the movie that had started Merlin and Arthur on their doomed conversation about epic space films.

Merlin scowled at the back of Arthur’s head for a moment before heading to the kitchen to join Lance and his fiancée, Gwen.

“Did I just hear you arguing with Arthur again?” Gwen smirked at Merlin, and he rolled his eyes in response.

“He started it.”

Gwen laughed, shaking her head. “I worry about you two. I hope you don’t cause some sort of space catastrophe by bickering about the ideal temperature for the kitchen on the Excalibur or something.”

Merlin started to defend himself, but Lance spoke up instead.

“They actually seem to follow very particular rules with their bickering. I have never once seen them act in an unprofessional manner during our training exercises.” He raised his eyebrows at Merlin. “Somehow they manage to save all their disagreements for social settings.”

Lance Du Lac was their systems operator and reactor technician, but despite his extensive background in programming, he did not fit any of the stereotypes for computer nerds. He was outgoing with a keen ability to read others’ emotions. Lance was actually the first member of the crew Merlin had formed a friendship with when they started training three years ago.

“In fact,” Lance’s eyes took on a mischievous gleam that made Merlin nervous, “I think their particular form of uh… let’s call it banter…” Gwen snorted, tossing Merlin an amused grin as Lance continued, “I think it actually improves their ability to read each other’s nonverbal cues. Sometimes I could swear they were reading each other’s minds.”

Gwen gasped. “Is that one of your powers, Merlin? Can you actually read Arthur’s mind?”

Shaking his head, Merlin explained, “No, because Arthur isn’t a sorcerer himself. Occasionally powerful sorcerers are able to communicate without speaking, but it has to be deliberate. Do you know Mordred Orkney? He’s an aerospace engineer, too, although he works on the Excalibur Simulator.”

“Oh yeah, I know Mordred,” Gwen said with a smile. “He works for Barrios, too. He’s in Building 16, but we’ve crossed paths every now and then.”

Gwen Smith was employed by a contractor for NASA in the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems group. For Camelot 1, she would be one of the engineers manning the ECLSS station in Mission Control. Basically, she was responsible for keeping the astronauts alive on their months-long journey to Mars. They all trusted her to dedicate her all to this task, partly because Gwen was brilliant and compassionate and would never give less than 100%, but also because she had a greater than average interest in bringing the team home safely, since both her fiancé, Lance, and her brother, Elyan, would be on board.

“Well,” Merlin continued, “Since Mordred is a sorcerer like me— as in, our powers manifested at a very young age—we can communicate with one another across a short distance without speech, but it’s almost like talking via radio. We sort of have to push the thought to the other person. But just like I couldn’t hear a person holding a radio unless they’re squeezing the push-to-talk button, I can’t hear Mordred’s thoughts unless he actually sends them to me.”

Gwen nodded thoughtfully. “Gotcha. What about Morgana? Can the two of you communicate nonverbally?”

“No, I wish we could! It would come in handy sometimes. Commander Pendragon is a powerful sorceress, but her powers didn’t manifest until she was an adult, and for some reason it’s only certain types of sorcerers who have that ability.”

Gwen and Lance nodded, accepting Merlin’s explanation. Over the last seven years, since the existence of magic had been exposed to the world, Merlin had happily taken the time to explain how magic worked to those who, like Gwen and Lance, were eager to learn. Of course, he had also had his fair share of run-ins with those who feared magic or thought it unnatural. Conversations with those folks were a bit more one-sided and mostly consisted of them hurling expletives at Merlin.

When the International Council of Wizards had announced that they were contemplating taking magic to the public, Merlin was excited. He knew there would be some resistance and that many in the world would not be ready to accept sorcerers or allow them to practice magic openly, but he could see all the possibilities of combining magic with science. As he trained to be a doctor, Merlin imagined being able to use the spells he knew in combination with the medical techniques he was learning to facilitate healing. He hoped that even those who initially feared magic would come to see the immense benefits of allowing sorcerers to use their magic publicly.

He had never believed the resistance and legal battles would stretch on for ten whole years, but slowly progress was being made.

“So, my original point stands,” Lance said. “You and Arthur sometimes appear to read each other’s minds because you are so much alike!”

Merlin had to laugh. “Either that or Arthur is such a simpleton, his way of thinking is just obvious.”

Gwen smiled at Merlin, but held her tongue as he pulled a soda from the fridge and left the kitchen to join Morgana and Elena Godwyn, the mission’s chemist and astrophysicist, at the dining room table. Gwen turned to her fiancé. “So we’re totally in agreement… there’s definitely gonna be a Merlin/Arthur space hook-up, right?”

Lance chuckled and pulled her into a hug. “Oh, I’m going to miss you, Gwen”

Her own laughter died in her throat as she reached her arms around Lance’s waist and tugged him close, but before any traitorous tears could form in her eyes, she shoved him away. “No sad tonight, remember? This is a celebration of all your hard work and of what you’re about to accomplish. We’re allowed to be sad tomorrow for our last night together for two years, but not tonight.”

His eyes twinkled beautifully as he gave her a mock salute and said firmly, “Yes, ma’am.”

With a satisfied nod, Gwen motioned for him to follow her back into the living room. Together, the two of them plopped onto the floor at Gwen’s brother’s feet to watch the end of whatever space movie they were griping about tonight.

“See, right there! Salt and pepper shakers!” Elyan pointed furiously at the screen. “They’re just walking off and leaving them on the table, and they are definitely not fastened down. I told you this movie paid no attention to the laws of gravity.” He jabbed Percy in the ribs.

Percy rubbed his side. “First of all, ow.” Everyone laughed. “And secondly, they’ve already established that this section of the ship has artificial gravity.”

“Yeah, but even so,” Arthur pointed out. “You never leave anything unattended if it’s not fastened down. If the artificial gravity failed, those salt and pepper shakers could become deadly projectiles. If any of us ever did that, Morgana would throw a hissy fit.”

Morgana cleared her throat from the doorway. “Excuse me?”

Arthur threw his arms out. “What? You would!”

Morgana simply stared at him, waiting for him to revise his statement.

Finally, Arthur rolled his entire head along with his eyes, groaning like an exasperated teenager. “Fine. If any of us ever did that, Commander Pendragon would throw a hissy fit.” He gave her a pointed look. “Happy?”

Morgana narrowed her eyes at her little brother. It was Arthur’s sexist language that bothered her rather than his omission of her title, but she let it slide just this once. In two days, she and Arthur and the rest of the crew would be flying to Florida to begin the final preparations for their momentous mission, and she knew every member of her team was feeling on edge, even if they were doing their best to hide their apprehension.

Her own stomach had been tied in knots night and day for the last week. Morgana knew they were prepared. Her team excelled at overcoming any obstacle. Additionally, the members of the support team at NASA were exceptionally talented and dedicated. But still… in a few days this crew would be strapping themselves into a rocket, launching into lower orbit to board Excalibur, which would then use magically enhanced nuclear power to shoot them deep into space. There they would meet up with a relatively tiny spacecraft currently floating in orbit above Mars. The six of them would climb aboard that craft, plunge through the Martian atmosphere and land on the totally unprepared rocky surface. As commander, she would be the first to step out of the safety of their vehicle, and then she, Morgana Pendragon, would become the first human being in history to walk on the surface of another planet.

Morgana savored the chills that ran down her spine at that thought and took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. She looked around the room at the faces of her crew and the support team and loved ones they would soon leave behind for months in space and on Mars.

Gwen’s eyes shone as she looked back and forth between her fiancé and her beloved older brother, her expression alternating between pride and heartache. Percy chuckled in his usual reserved manner at one of Elyan’s jokes, but his lips quickly settled back into a pinched smile, a deep crease appearing on his forehead. Before a mission, Percy had a habit of reviewing launch procedures in his head.

Merlin and Elena had followed Morgana into the living room, along with Elena’s husband, Ewan, a history teacher at a local middle school. They stood against the wall chatting animatedly, both Merlin and Elena using more hand gestures than usual to accentuate their stories. Ewan’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes as his hands never left his wife, stroking her back and her arm and sometimes even her hair.

The credits started to roll on the movie, so Morgana decided to wind the party to a close. She clinked a spoon against her glass to get everyone’s attention.

“I just wanted to say a few words of thanks to everyone for your hard work and discipline over the last few years. Training with you has been an absolute pleasure.” She cut her eyes toward Arthur who mocked zipping his lips as the others chuckled lightly. “I didn’t say every moment was pleasant, but the experience as a whole has— I think we can all agree— produced the greatest team ever to set foot on Mars.”

Everyone laughed, and the tension in the room eased. Morgana took a deep breath and gave her crew a rare smile.

“In four days we set off on a journey unlike any other. We will leave our home planet behind with the hope of being the first to touch another world.” She paused briefly. “But we six do not do this alone. We carry with us the hopes and dreams and sweat and tears of all those who made this journey possible. As we reach for the stars, we remember those on whose shoulders we stand. Every scientist. Every dreamer. Every explorer who looked out at the horizon and wondered what lay beyond.

“We begin this grand journey because we must. Carl Sagan said it best… Exploration is in our nature. We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still. We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean. We are ready at last to set sail for the stars.”

A lump formed in Morgana’s throat as she met the eyes of each member of her team individually, pride and expectation filling their gazes. She saved her brother for last, and she wasn’t surprised to find his eyes shining as he gave her an encouraging nod. She raised her glass and the others followed suit.

“To exploration,” she said simply.

And the room echoed, “To exploration.”

Houston Chronicle
Friday, June 29, 2040

Dragon X lifts off for Excalibur

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – At dusk yesterday, NASA’s transport rocket, Dragon X, launched the crew of Camelot 1 to meet up with the orbiting Excalibur, the magic-powered spacecraft which will transport the first humans to Mars. After two days of delays due to bad weather, the crew boarded the Dragon X at 5:25pm as an international audience watched via live broadcast.

The Camelot 1 mission is the culmination of years of international cooperation to put humans on another planet, but the mission would not be possible without cooperation from the magical community as well. The crew is led by Commander Morgana Pendragon, a British citizen who has lived and trained in the US for the last ten years. Commander Pendragon, a powerful sorceress, was one of the first astronauts to openly use her magic in the space program. Two other members of the crew are also British citizens: Arthur Pendragon, Commander Pendragon’s younger brother, and Merlin Emrys, mission physician and the only other member of the crew with magical powers. Crew members Lance Du Lac and Elena Godwyn both trained originally with the European Space Agency in France. The only American on the crew is the pilot, Captain Elyan Smith, a former member of the US Air Force who grew up in South Los Angeles.

In seven days, Dragon X will dock with the Excalibur and the crew will begin their four month journey to Mars.

Houston Chronicle
Wednesday, November 7, 2040

First Humans Touch Mars

“The first footprints made in this red dirt belong not to one woman, but to every person who has looked to the horizon and wondered what lies beyond.”

Echoing the sentiment of Neil Armstrong’s first words from the moon, Commander Morgana Pendragon spoke these words as she stepped from the Mars Descent Vehicle and became the first human to touch the surface of another planet.

The crew of Camelot 1 landed on Mars in a plain formerly known as Acidalia Planitia, however, in keeping with the magical nomenclature of this historic mission, the area has been renamed Avalon. In Arthurian legend, Avalon, best known as the location where King Arthur was taken to recover after the Battle at Camlann, was sometimes called The Fortunate Isle, and the crew certainly hopes the plain lives up to that reputation.

NASA’s plan to send a manned mission to Mars accelerated greatly after the revelation of magic seven years ago. Previously known as the Orion Missions, trips to Mars would have required a stopover at the Deep Space Gateway space station, built in the 2020s in a lunar orbit, but the Gateway was abandoned once the first magic-enhanced spacecraft were built.

The Camelot 1 crew is comprised of both sorcerers and non-magical experts in the fields of engineering, chemistry, botany, medicine and geology, signifying the cooperation between the fields of magic and science that has enabled this journey.

While on Mars, the crew will study the weather patterns and the geological history of the Avalonian Plain, as the topography of the area suggests there may have once been an ocean or possibly even glaciers in that location.

The crew will live in a habitat on Mars for 30 days, and the world will be watching as these six pioneers, Commander Morgana Pendragon, Lance Du Lac, Merlin Emrys, Elena Godwyn, Arthur Pendragon and Elyan Smith, explore the surface of Mars and send back to Earth reports of the first discoveries of humans living on another planet.

Houston Chronicle
Tuesday, November 13, 2040

Arthur Pendragon, Camelot 1 Astronaut, dies on Mars

Camelot 1, the long-awaited first manned mission to Mars, was cut short yesterday as a severe windstorm threatened to overturn the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV). Commander Morgana Pendragon gave the order to abort the mission, but as the astronauts walked through the storm from their habitat to the MAV, a piece of flying debris hit mission engineer and botanist, Arthur Pendragon, brother of the mission’s commander. He was knocked into a gully and his space suit was compromised. Captain Elyan Smith, the mission’s pilot, was already on board the MAV to prepare the vehicle for its flight to transport the crew to the Excalibur spacecraft floating in orbit above Mars. Captain Smith informed Commander Pendragon that, according to Arthur’s bio-sensors, he had died almost instantly after being struck by the debris, so Commander Pendragon made the difficult decision to leave behind the body of her brother in order to save the remaining members of the crew.

Arthur Pendragon, aged 33, was born in Newbury, England, the son of Uther and Igraine Pendragon. His mother died during childbirth, so he was raised by his father. As a child, Arthur was fascinated by space travel, deciding he wanted to be an astronaut at the age of six. He studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Southampton and then moved to the US to pursue a Master’s of Science degree in Plant Biology from Michigan State University. Arthur worked at the Johnson Space Center in Houston as a researcher while he trained to apply for the astronaut program. Before being accepted to the Camelot 1 mission, Arthur spent almost 26 months on the International Space Station over a total of three trips.

NASA will honor the life and achievements of Arthur Pendragon during a memorial service at 10 a.m. CST on Saturday, November 17 at the Johnson Space Center. A tree dedication ceremony at the Memorial Tree Grove will follow the ceremony.

Chapter Text

Engineer’s Log: Sol 6

Well, I’m screwed. Totally and completely screwed.

We always knew the high winds of a Martian storm might force us to cut the mission short. The only way to return to Excalibur is the MAV, and the MAV stands 40 metres tall with very little support, so it simply cannot withstand forceful winds. We knew this was a possibility, and we were prepared for it. All sorts of procedures in place. We ran many training exercises to do with shutting down the Hab and starting up the MAV on short notice. We just didn’t know how short the notice might be.

Stupid storm came out of nowhere.

Well, not nowhere. We knew it was coming, but our measurements of the wind speed were within acceptable limits. We ran the procedures of preparing the Hab for a storm, but we thought the MAV would be okay.

Until suddenly it wasn’t.

All our training couldn’t have prepared us for the severity of that storm. I need everyone to understand that. Me being left behind on Mars is no one’s fault. I know one day, NASA will send astronauts to this part of Mars again, and someday this log will be found, and I need everyone—the public, everyone at NASA, my teammates and especially Morgana—to understand that I don’t blame anyone for this.

It was a fluke accident that could not have been prevented.

Morgana, I know you. And I know you are kicking yourself for leaving me behind. I know that you’re going to feel guilty, but don’t. You were the best leader we could have had for this mission, and your decision to save everyone else by launching the MAV with me still on the surface was absolutely the right thing to do. You thought I was dead. And you had a responsibility to protect four other lives, plus your own, so don’t feel bad.

I hope you give a good speech at my memorial service. Make it a funny one, okay? Don’t be all teary-eyed and simpering. Tell some of the stories about when we were kids and we used to make spaceships out of old boxes. Or some of the crazy science experiments we did, trying to launch our stuffed animals into space. Just maybe don’t tell the one about what happened when my teddy bear ended up in old Mr. Simmons’ garden, okay? That story dies with us.

I hope everyone remembers me fondly.

*****

Arthur spent his first night alone on Mars feeling sorry for himself. He was not usually one to waste time with such nonsense. His uncharacteristic pity party might have been because he had just been left behind on another planet with no way to get home and he was certainly going to die alone here. Or it might have been the blood loss from having his side punctured by an antenna. The massive amounts of painkillers he had self-administered might also have contributed to his melancholy mood.

Whatever the cause, the events of that day kept swirling around and around in Arthur’s head as he lay in his bunk, trying to ignore the mocking silence of the Hab. The crew had completed almost half of their tasks for Sol 6 when the storm began. Dust storms were common, and there was no indication this storm would be worse than most, but just in case, Morgana had sent Elyan to the MAV to begin flight preparations. Her foresight paid off, because shortly after he climbed into the cockpit, the wind speed increased rapidly, and Morgana made the reluctant decision to cut the mission short. Within minutes the entire crew had suited up and began the treacherous walk through the swirling dust storm to the MAV.

The dust was so thick, visibility was almost nonexistent. As they walked in a line toward the launch site, at times, Arthur could see no more than a meter ahead. He followed as closely as he could behind Elena and Lance with Merlin behind him and Morgana bringing up the rear.

They had only walked about twenty meters from the Hab when a strong gust of wind hit their communications array. Satellite dishes and antennae hurtled toward them, breaking the security of the tidy line of astronauts as they hurled themselves out of the way.

Arthur remembered seeing both Lance and Elena hit the ground ahead of him just before a heavy piece of equipment crashed into him, knocking him off his feet. As he tumbled sideways, he became aware of a piercing pain in his side. The force of the blow pushed him to the edge of the steep slope of a nearby gully. He flailed for purchase in the loose dirt, but the pain in his side was so severe, his vision began to blur and his arms began to tingle. He tumbled over and over, unable to focus on anything but attempting to stop his descent. Finally his shoulder struck a rock, bringing him to an abrupt halt. He landed face down in the dirt, pain searing through both his side and his shoulder. He attempted to lift his head and promptly passed out.

Arthur didn’t know how long he was out, but when he awoke, the storm had stopped. When he tried to roll over, stars sparked in his vision and he passed out again.

The next time he awoke, the sky was dark and the air had chilled so much, his extremities were starting to feel numb. Fortunately, that numbness dulled his pain enough that he could sit up to examine his injury. The antenna had broken off during his fall, but a piece of it was still lodged in the side of his lower belly. The fact that he had landed face down on top of his wound had actually saved his life. The weight of his body pressed against the wound had prevented him from bleeding out.

If the antenna had only pierced his suit and not his skin, though, he would have died. The blood that had escaped had pooled around the hole in his space suit. The water in his blood had evaporated immediately and formed a sticky mass around the hole, sealing his space suit and preventing too much air from escaping.

Once Arthur returned to the Hab, he would need to perform minor surgery on himself to remove the piece of antenna, but every member of the crew had received training for minor medical emergencies, so he knew he could give himself a shot of local anesthetic, remove the antenna and stitch himself up without a problem. He had no idea what would come next, however.

After a few moments of sitting on the dirt processing his current situation, Arthur clambered to the top of the hill, but even before he was within sight of the launch pad, he knew the MAV was gone.

He was alone on Mars.

*****

Physician's Personal Log
Mission Day 132

We’re back on the Excalibur after the mission was aborted early due to a severe dust storm. The short journey from the Hab to the MAV in the storm took its toll. I’ve treated several minor injuries from crew members. Mostly minor bruises. NASA designed our space suits well; they did their job in protecting us. In the one strong gust of wind that knocked us all down, Elena hit a rock and bruised her ribs, but she’s taking it easy and will recover soon enough. Lance stumbled trying to stay upright and twisted his ankle. Again, I recommended rest for recovery. Morgana and I managed with only minor bruises. But we lost Arthur.

*****

Merlin stared at the words on the screen. Somehow seeing it in print made it even more real. He slammed his laptop shut and shoved it across the desk as if by removing the statement from his sight, it would cease to be true, and Arthur would come strolling into the small clinic to tease Merlin about his choice of background music or his periodic table t-shirt.

It had been almost two days since they left Mars, and the mood on Excalibur was fairly dim. Everyone went about their business, performing the tasks that were required of each of them, but usually, the crewmates would joke around with each other and the ship was full of laughter and easy conversation. Since they had begun their journey home, however, the Camelot 1 crew had barely even spoken to each other. Meals were eaten in silence and team tasks were performed with only minimal verbal commands and grunted responses. Lance and Elyan retired to their respective quarters early every evening, and Morgana and Elena were often found sitting in the common area staring blankly out one of the windows. Merlin knew this behavior wasn’t healthy, and he knew the crew’s lack of communication could be damaging the team spirit they needed to keep them safe. Merlin also knew that as the mission doctor, he should take action to get his crewmates talking about what had happened so they could begin to process losing their friend and teammate, but he wasn’t ready to talk about it himself yet, and so he just left it.

Merlin closed his eyes, letting his head fall onto his folded arms on the desk. Images of Arthur toppling over the edge of the gully flooded his mind. He saw once again the antenna that pierced Arthur’s spacesuit, pushing farther and farther in with each uncontrolled rotation of his body against the dirt. Shuddering and gasping, Merlin sat up straight and clutched at his head, fingers digging painfully into his scalp. He was desperate to be free of these terrifying images, but every time he closed his eyes, he saw the whole scene again as if he were watching the dramatic climax of one of his beloved space films, only instead of swelling music and a heroic rescue, there was only howling wind and the frantic escape of the survivors. This film would have no happy ending.

Merlin wanted to shout at himself, “Do something!”

Why hadn’t he used his magic? Why hadn’t he reached for Arthur’s tumbling form with the invisible thread of his power and pulled him into his arms? Why had he just stood there watching Arthur fall?

“Aaargh!” In a fit of anger, Merlin snatched up the closest thing at hand—his water bottle that was pressed against a Velcro strip along the back of his desk—and hurled it across the room where it made a satisfying clang as it struck the door jamb.

Unfortunately, Morgana chose that moment to walk into the clinic.

She leaned down and picked up the bottle, turning it in her hand and raising her eyebrows at the deep dent that now appeared in the metal. “Well. I hope inflicting this damage on government property made you feel better.”

Merlin scoffed. “No. Nothing will.”

Morgana nodded. She carefully returned his water bottle to its place on his desk and then leaned against the exam table beside him with a heavy sigh.

“I know.”

Neither of them spoke for almost a full minute. The quiet presence of his commander sharing his grief, and the gentle, rhythmic hum of Excalibur’s engines should have helped to calm Merlin, but instead, the tranquil atmosphere agitated him even further. His own tumultuous thoughts stood out in stark contrast to his peaceful surroundings, spinning him constantly to the same conclusion. He could have saved his friend, but he hadn’t.

”It’s not your fault, you know.” As any experienced commander should be, Morgana was adept at reading the emotions of her crew. “It all happened too fast. There was nothing anyone could have done to save him.”

Merlin shook his head. “I could have. If I had been thinking clearly, I could have used my magic—“

“No, Merlin,” Morgana interrupted, reaching out to touch his arm reassuringly. “You know what happens after you experience a traumatic event. Your brain reconstructs it in slow-motion. I’ve been doing the same thing. I keep thinking of spells I could have used or if I could have warned everyone to drop to the ground when the wind hit before the equipment started to knock into us. I feel like I was paralyzed in that moment and all my training failed me.” Her voice broke and she took a deep breath before continuing, “But logically I know that it all happened in a matter of seconds. There was no time for warnings, and the moment that antenna pierced Arthur’s spacesuit, his air would have escaped and his lungs collapsed. He was dead before he hit the bottom of the ravine. I had a responsibility to save you and Elena and Lance and Elyan. I had to give the command to continue to the MAV, and I had to give the command to launch.”

Merlin closed his eyes against the tears stinging at them. He knew she was right. He was actually aware that the movie in his head of those desperate moments got longer and longer each time he replayed it, but he was afraid that letting go of his obsession with Arthur’s last moments would mean letting go of Arthur himself, and he didn’t want to do that.

He looked at Morgana who was watching him with such concern in her eyes that he felt the need to assure her that her comforting words had meant something to him. “You’re right. There wasn’t anything we could have done. It was all just an unavoidable accident.”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far.”

Morgana’s voice was suddenly harsh, and Merlin’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“It was not unavoidable. We knew the storm was coming. We knew the MAV could not withstand high winds. If we had left even five minutes earlier, we would all be returning to Earth together.” Morgana’s eyes narrowed. “But I was greedy. Shutting down the Hab meant we couldn’t return. And I wanted more days on Mars. I wasn’t ready to leave, so I delayed that command. My brother is dead because of my selfishness.”

Merlin reached for her hands with both of his. “Morgana, no.” The firmness of his voice matched the firmness of his conviction. “We weathered many a storm in our days on Mars. There was no indication that particular storm would be any worse than the others. We all wanted to stay. We had a mission to complete.” He squeezed her hands. “The instant the wind started to pick up, you gave the command to abort. Remember how Arthur tried to argue with you? He didn’t want to leave. He thought the storm would pass.”

At those words, Morgana’s face crumpled, and Merlin’s resolve threatened to break. In the two and half years since they had started training together, Merlin had never seen his commander cry. He couldn’t speak at first, so he simply sat, holding Morgana’s hands while tears rolled down her cheeks and her shoulders shook with silent sobs.

When Merlin once again trusted his voice, he reminded Morgana, “We all knew the risks when we signed up. Arthur died doing what he loved, and he wouldn’t want you blaming yourself.”

Morgana nodded and pulled her hands away, covering her face and then wiping away her tears. “I know. He’d smack me upside the head and tell me to get over myself.” They both chuckled, and Morgana looked up at Merlin, her eyes weary, but clear again. “Thanks, Merlin. I’m just tired. I haven’t slept since we left the planet. I actually came in here to see if you could give me something that might help.”

“That I can do.” Merlin stood and crossed the clinic to the medicine storage cabinet. He pulled out a packet of sleeping pills and waved his hand over them, casting a spell to give them a little something extra to ensure that Morgana’s sleep was restful and dreamless, then placed the pills in her open palm and watched as she swallowed them.

“Thank you,” Morgana said quietly.

Merlin smiled. “Those should kick in within fifteen minutes, so you go straight to your bunk and get settled in. Don’t stop by the control room first. Elyan’s on duty and he’s taking good care of us. You go rest, do you hear?”

“Yes sir!” Morgana gave a mock salute, but as she stepped out the door, she looked back and gave him a grateful smile. “He really did love this, didn’t he?”

“Every bit of it.” Merlin grinned back at her.

After she left, he ducked into his own bunk beside the clinic and cried properly for the first time since Arthur’s death and then fell asleep. Unfortunately, he did not have the benefit of either sleeping pills or a sleeping spell, so his sleep was fitful and full of painful nightmares.

*****

Engineer’s Log: Sol 8

Okay, I’ve had two good nights’ sleep and a full day to get used to my new situation. Things don’t seem quite as dire as they did at first.

I did an inventory with the mindset of keeping one person alive for as many days as possible in a habitat that was originally stocked to keep six people alive for 30 days. Although, truthfully speaking, NASA plans ahead for small emergencies, so there is some extra food, vitamins and medical supplies. There’s enough water stored to last me 6 days and I will use the water reclaimer, so theoretically, my water supply is endless. And as long as the oxygenator doesn’t malfunction, I could keep breathing forever in here. And if it does, there’s a spare that will work for a few days while I repair the main one.

We were all wearing our flight suits the day of the storm, so mine is torn beyond repair and the others are on their way back to Earth, but I still have our EVA suits. I did a short EVA yesterday to check for damage from the storm. The Hab is intact. The two rovers are miraculously clear of sand and both started up easily. The communications array was a mess. There were some pieces I couldn’t find and a few are damaged beyond repair. However, my best hope is to get in contact with NASA or the Excalibur, so fixing the radio will be my first priority. I must say, when I was young and super into nerdy things like the history of the space program and amateur radio, some of the kids in the neighbourhood mocked me relentlessly. Especially about the ham radio thing. They said everyone has a cell phone… why do you need a radio? Well, there are no cell towers on Mars, so take that Val and Cenred! Nerdiness pays off!

*****

Engineer’s Log: Sol 10

I reset the satellites and antennae outside. I fixed the tuning coil and the transmitter. The speaker is working fine as are the diodes. However, I do not have enough amplification to reach the Excalibur, much less Earth. Originally NASA planned for us to use our radio to communicate with the Excalibur which would sit in orbit above Mars. Then it would send the messages on to NASA. The logistics of getting equipment large enough for such communication to the planet’s surface were just not practical. But as long as people were on Mars, the Excalibur would be hovering above, right? So why bother? Well, fortunately, the sorcerers at NASA like to show off, and they created a magically enhanced amplifier that could send signals all the way to Earth (or even Alpha Centauri as Merlin liked to brag). This amplifier was small enough to send to the surface of Mars in one of the supply drops during the two years before we arrived.

So yay! I have a powerful amplifier. But boo. It’s broken. But yay! I am an electrical engineer with extensive knowledge of radio equipment, and I can fix anything. But boo. This particular equipment utilizes magic to work and I have no magic.

I’m not giving up, but since communication seems less likely, I need to focus on another priority… food. The original mission was supposed to be 30 days. NASA is a fan of redundancy, because sometimes weather issues extend missions (or abort them! Ha!), so there’s enough food to feed the six of us for 56 days. That means I have enough food to last me about 300 days. Or if I decrease the portion size a bit and go on an unplanned diet, I can stretch the food to about 400 days. The Camelot 2 crew are expected to arrive in about 4 years. About 3200 kilometres from here, but I’ll deal with that later. So my new challenge (Great. I’m turning into Elena. These aren’t problems! They’re exciting challenges! Go team!) is to create over a thousand more days’ worth of food.

In the food supplies, there are a few things that will grow… peas, beans, but none of those will produce enough results to meet my caloric needs for four years. But guess what? NASA is run by Americans and apparently even though only one member of our crew was actually an American, his countrymen believed he might keel over from lack of patriotism if we didn’t properly celebrate American Thanksgiving. So in addition to the usual food rations, we have whole potatoes. Potatoes being an absolute necessity to celebrating peace and freedom or whatever.

Anyway, you might be wondering… how will a dozen potatoes sustain a man on an arid planet for four years? Look up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s ARTHUR PENDRAGON! Super Botanist!

Ahem… I’m going to turn the Hab into a farm!

*****

November 19, 2040

I still can’t believe Arthur’s gone. I got to talk to Lance this morning. He said Morgana forced them each to go have a talk with Merlin, who in addition to being the mission doctor is also the mission counselor, and Lance said that helped. Although he’s concerned about Merlin himself, because he and Arthur had grown really close over the last few months while they were on the journey to Mars, and he thinks it would do Merlin good to have a counseling session himself, but since he’s the only doc on board, he doesn’t really have someone to talk to like that.

I wish I could have talked to Elyan too, but he was on duty. I sent him an email yesterday, but he hasn’t answered.

Every time I think about Arthur I feel sick to my stomach. Because he was a good guy… funny and loyal and caring… and he didn’t deserve to die like that. But mostly I feel sick because I’m just glad Lance and Elyan are okay and they’re coming home. I feel guilty for being happy for myself, because I know Morgana has got to be in hell right now. And Merlin. Lance and I joked about him and Arthur hooking up, but I actually think they would have been perfect for each other.

I’ve started going to sleep with the TV on because I can’t stop thinking about it, and I just go back and forth between being relieved and guilty and sad and numb and I just can’t settle.

Maybe I should try to talk to a counselor, too.

*****

Gwen spent the morning on duty at the ECLSS station in Mission Control. She found work comforting. She might not be able to talk to her fiancé every day, but while she was at the desk, at least she could be sure he was okay. She kept track of all the life support for the ship he was currently living in, and she could hear all the updates from whichever crew member was on duty, so she would know immediately if there was a problem. Magically enhanced communication meant there was no delay in spite of the great distance between Earth and the Excalibur.

But that afternoon, Gilly would be on the desk and she would be working back in her office, so her nerves would be more on edge. She hadn’t felt quite so nervous during Camelot 1’s journey to Mars. She probably should have, but even knowing the dangers, her fears only occasionally rose to the surface. But since the storm that cut the mission short and killed Arthur, a permanent knot resided in Gwen’s stomach.

At lunchtime, she decided to take her sandwich and walk over to Memorial Grove to eat. A new tree had been planted on Saturday in memory of Arthur. Gwen couldn’t bring herself to attend the ceremony; she wanted to visit alone. The tram tour from Space Center Houston drove past the grove of memorial trees but didn’t stop, so she thought the middle of the day on a Monday would be a peaceful time to pay her respects.

When she arrived, she found only one older man standing in the grove. Not wanting to disturb him, she stood on the outskirts of the cluster of trees-- each planted in memory of an astronaut who had died-- waiting for him to leave, but after a few moments he turned toward her and smiled.

“Come to pay your respects to the young Mr. Pendragon?”

“Oh, um, yes.” Gwen flinched inwardly at her awkwardness.

The man glanced toward the bag in her hand. “I see you brought your lunch. Well, go ahead,” he motioned toward the newest sapling. “Have a seat. These older trees will give you shade for your picnic. Although, handsome young astronaut like that, I don’t imagine you’re the only young woman who misses him. You might have to share this grove on occasion.” He chuckled lightly.

Gwen smiled at the older gentleman before she gently corrected him. “You’re right. Arthur was handsome, and he certainly had no opposition to dating within NASA, so you might run into a few teary-eyed men looking to honor him.” The man’s right eyebrow flew up, but Gwen continued, “I’m actually engaged to Lance Du Lac? He’s the systems operator for Camelot 1.”

“Oh, of course.” The man looked down, chastened. “I apologize. You’ll have to forgive an old man his outdated teasing.” He studied her face for a moment. “Engaged to Du Lac, you say? That would make you Gwen Smith. You work in Mission Control—ECLSS if I remember correctly. And your brother is also on board the Excalibur.”

Surprised, Gwen stumbled for words again. “Um… yes?”

The older man held out his hand. “I try to keep up with all the crew members of each mission. My name is Gaius Bishop. I’m retired now, but I worked in Mission Control for years. I was GNC for the early Orion missions back in the teens and twenties.”

“No kidding?” Gwen was impressed.

Those who worked on the early deep space missions were some of the pioneers of the current Camelot program. The Deep Space Gateway space station that was meant to be a launching point for future missions to Mars had been deemed obsolete once magic enabled NASA to create a rocket that could make the entire journey on its own, but without the technological advances that enabled those Orion missions to build the Gateway, creating the Excalibur would not have been possible.

“That must have been exciting!”

“Indeed.” Gaius nodded thoughtfully. “We thought we were trailblazers— setting the human race on a long-awaited course to another planet. I had only a small hope I might live to see people setting foot on Mars.” He shook his head. “We had no idea the rapid changes the future would bring.”

Gwen agreed. “Well, who could have predicted this future? Learning that magic is real? I mean, it was right out of Harry Potter!” She laughed. “No, you guys were doing amazing work. There’s no way you could have known…”

She trailed off, because Gaius was pressing his lips together and looking to the side, suddenly shifty.

“Unless…” She sighed. “You’re a sorcerer yourself, aren’t you?”

Gaius quirked one eyebrow. “Well, I’m no Dumbledore, but I have dabbled a bit in the magical arts over the years.”

“Ugh.” Gwen rolled her eyes in self-deprecation. “We really were blind to it all weren’t we? I feel terrible that you all had to hide for so long. Did you use magic when you worked in the space program? I mean, I know magic wasn’t public yet, but I’ve heard stories of sorcerers secretly helping out whenever they could.”

“Well, there were others braver than I.” Gaius looked at her with a sad smile. “I’m sorry to say that I mostly avoided using my magic. I was afraid of what might happen if I got caught. Although I did have to resort to casting a few spells to keep the capsule on target during EM-2 when one of the RTC maneuvers didn’t go exactly to plan.”

Gwen’s eyes widened. “EM-2? Wasn’t that the first Orion mission with a crew?” Gaius nodded. “So are you telling me that without your magical interference, that crew might not have made it home?”

“Oh no, my dear.” Gaius said with a hint of amusement in his voice. “I have no doubt that myself and the other engineers, along with the crew, would have scrambled around doing recalculations to correct the capsule’s course. My spells simply made that scrambling unnecessary.”

Gwen narrowed her eyes at him, not quite sure whether Gaius was just being modest and everything she had grown up believing about the unfailing power of math and science was an illusion, or whether his words were true and all that magic had done was made the jobs of doctors and scientists just a bit easier and less stressful than they had to be.

Gaius seemed oblivious to her internal struggle, though, and he motioned toward her bag. “I’m afraid my reminiscing is keeping you from your lunch and your remembrance of your friend.” He gave her a short nod. “It was nice to meet you, Gwen Smith, and please pass on my condolences to your fiancé and your brother for the loss of their crewmate. I am certain he will be sorely missed.”

He started to walk away, but Gwen called back to him. “Did you know him at all? Arthur?”

When he said he didn’t, Gwen asked, “Would you like to hear a few stories?”

Whether Gaius genuinely wanted to learn more about the fallen astronaut, or whether he was simply being kind because he heard the slight catch in her voice when she offered to talk about Arthur, Gwen neither knew nor cared. She was just happy to be able to spend her lunch hour sitting in the shade of the grove of trees talking about her friend and his team.

*****

Engineer’s Log: Sol 18

I’ve spent the last week doing back-breaking and rather disgusting work (I am choosing not to go into great detail on my soil fertilization process, but trust me, it was gross with a capital G). I have cleared out equipment and prepared and moved massive amounts of soil into one section of the Hab. I have risked my life performing dangerous (with a capital DANGER!) experiments with instantaneous creation of water by taking liquid O 2 , adding pure hydrogen extracted from the fuel cells of the MDV and… adding fire! Such a clever thing to do in an enclosed space, let me tell you. But I’ve done it. I’ve created a greenhouse, cultivated fertile soil, added plenty of water and planted my sectioned potatoes and now, I am officially growing crops on Mars!

Since the rest of the crew left, I’ve blatantly broken and repurposed much of the equipment belonging to the government who sent me here. I’ve appropriated the primary residence and everything in it, and I’m not taking orders from anyone. I have taken sole responsibility for the health and wellbeing of every person living on this entire planet. I am now the ruler of Mars.

You see where I’m going with this, right?

I’m the king of Mars.

I’m King Arthur.

*****

December 17, 2040

Who knew that when I went over in a mopey mood to see Arthur’s tree that I’d make a new friend! And that that friend would be a 71 year old retired engineer! Gaius and I have met for lunch several times now, and I’m meeting him again today. He is such an interesting person! I can’t believe he worked at NASA for almost 30 years and only used his magic to help out three times. He grew up in a time when people were so wary of anyone who was different that he was afraid to be who he really was. Even now that magic is known and legal, he is hesitant to use it. It’s so weird to me- especially after spending time with Merlin and Morgana, because they are happy to whip out a spell anytime, even just to reheat some tea!

I’m feeling better than I was right after the accident with Camelot 1. Being able to talk with Gaius about Arthur has helped, but what helped even more was that NASA brought in some counselors who specialize in helping people with trauma and grief. Mine is named Leon. I meet with him once a week, and it’s been a big help. He has this sweet, gentle manner and he helped me see that it’s okay to feel multiple things at once. I can be happy that Lance and Elyan survived without diminishing my sadness about losing Arthur. He says it better, but I don’t feel like writing everything out right now.

Anyway. I feel better, and I am enjoying learning more about magic from Gaius. For someone who was afraid to use magic, he sure put a lot of effort into learning all about it!

*****

“Wait, so you’re saying the Mars rovers are magic?”

Gaius smiled at Gwen over his sandwich. “Not entirely. The power source is enhanced with magic to last longer, and the outer surface is enchanted to repel dirt and debris.”

“That’s cool,” Gwen declared. “I knew about the enhancements to the communications equipment. It was crazy being able to video chat with Lance in real time even though he was 56 million kilometers away! I mean, I know the magical additions they put in to power the Excalibur were actually more impressive and required more powerful spells than the communications stuff, but I still got chills every time I got to text Lance almost like he had just run out to the store down the street. Although, I admit, even though they were less frequent, and I had to be sitting in Mission Control, I preferred the video chats, because at least the contents of those conversations weren’t recorded for posterity!”

She looked up at Gaius, unsurprised to find his attention had wandered during her ramblings, and he was now looking toward the door of the employee lounge. She followed his gaze to see a familiar young man walking toward them, a broad smile brightening his usually serious face.

“Hi Gwen!”

“Hey Mordred. How’s it going?” Gwen had met Mordred Orkney a few times— they both worked for Barrios, a private contractor with NASA— but they hadn’t shared more than polite small talk before, so she was surprised at his enthusiastic greeting.

He looked back and forth between her and Gaius, still grinning broadly. “Sorry to interrupt. I had to go see Percy to drop off the procedures from our latest sims, and he mentioned you were having lunch with Gaius Bishop.” He turned to Gaius. “I knew you still hung around here sometimes, and I’ve been hoping to meet you.”

Gaius raised his eyebrow in surprise and cast a questioning glance toward Gwen, but she could only shrug. She had no idea how Mordred even knew about Gaius.

Mordred must have noticed their confusion. “Commander Pendragon told me about you. She said you used to work guidance and navigation for the Orion missions, and that when she studied your missions, there were a few undocumented adjustments made? She wondered if you might have used unofficial methods to help out?”

Now Gwen understood his interest. Merlin had mentioned that Mordred was a powerful sorcerer. She leaned forward and lowered her voice, unsure about Gaius’s comfort level discussing his magic around others.

“Mordred has magic. In fact, from what Merlin told me, he’s quite a natural.”

“I see.”

Gaius pulled out the chair beside him, and Mordred stumbled over his own feet as he lunged toward it to sit down.

“What was it like back then? Always having to hide? I don’t know if I could do it.”

Gwen listened with interest as Gaius told Mordred about relying mostly on science and math, but occasionally slipping in a few spells on the sly, and as Mordred explained how he used his magic daily in his work with the Excalibur simulator. When her lunch hour finished, she reluctantly left the two sorcerers in the break room, still exchanging stories. Back in her office, Gwen started thinking about what Gaius had said about the rovers magically repelling sand. She wondered if, even after sitting unused for several weeks, the rovers would still be sitting beside the Hab in pristine condition.

She wasn’t sure whether the PR department had updated the website with recent photos, but because Gwen had such close ties with two members of the crew, Morgana had arranged for her to have the password to access the latest satellite images of the surface of Mars. She logged on and waited for the most recent image to load.

Slowly, the image appeared on her screen, and Gwen squinted at it in confusion. She wasn’t looking at the Hab and the exterior equipment she expected to see. She saw only red sand and rocks with a couple of large boxes sitting in the middle of the screen. She flipped to the previous image and her stomach jumped. The screen showed the MAV, but it couldn’t be there. It had been used to transport the crew back up to the Excalibur.

Gwen shook her head as the truth of the images before her sunk in. She wasn’t looking at Avalon. She was looking at the Schiaparelli Crater: the landing site for the next Mars mission, Camelot 2.

She checked the timestamp on the images. They were taken yesterday. So she scrolled back a few images until she found the most recent image of Avalon. Strange. It was taken the day before the mission was aborted. Why hadn’t they taken any photographs after the storm? Wouldn’t NASA want to examine the site and discover what might still be left there?

And then Gwen shuddered. She had been so excited to check out the magically enhanced rovers that she hadn’t even thought about what else she might see.

NASA hadn’t taken photographs of the Camelot 1 site after the storm because, as an entity largely funded by tax dollars, they were required to release to the public any satellite photos. And the PR department probably didn’t want photos of Avalon released, because they might contain images of Arthur’s dead body.

She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of that earlier. Now she was glad she hadn’t logged on to look at the rovers and been surprised by the grisly sight of her friend’s corpse.

“Hey!”

She whipped her head around to see Mordred standing in her doorway.

“I just wanted to thank you for introducing me to Gaius.” He shook his head. “He’s just as interesting as I thought he would be. And funny! I wouldn’t think an old guy like that would be so sarcastic.”

Gwen managed a slight smile, although her stomach was still rolling from the thought of what she might have seen.

Mordred must have noticed her discomfort, because he asked, “What’s the matter? You sick or something?”

So Gwen explained what she had tried to do and why she was glad it hadn’t worked. Mordred nodded along, but he was oddly quiet. When she finished, cringing in shame at her thoughtlessness, he simply looked back at her, his lips pursed and brow furrowed as if he was trying to decide how to respond.

“Well,” he started, still hesitant. “We could just look at the immediate area around the Hab and probably see the rovers without seeing the gully where Arthur fell.”

Gwen looked back at Mordred in confusion. “Uh… Not without relocating the satellites and pissing off half of NASA.”

Mordred gave her a sheepish half-smile. “I could do it magically. They’d never even have to know.”

Gwen’s jaw dropped. “No way. That would take some major power, wouldn’t it?”

“I’m pretty sure I could do it.” Mordred shrugged, and Gwen felt like he wanted her to think he was being modest, but the sparkle in his eyes and the tone of his voice oozed cockiness.

She narrowed her eyes at him. If his little magic trick didn’t work, they would get in so much trouble. But on the other hand, she had accessed the satellite images hoping to see a display of magic, and if Mordred really could magically relocate satellites and snap secret images just for them, that would certainly top seeing a couple of sand-free rovers.

Lifting her chin with a sly grin, she dared him, “Show me.”

With one firm nod, Mordred’s demeanor switched from playful to serious, and he leaned over her desk, holding his hands above the keyboard and staring at the screen. Gwen watched his face as he murmured words she didn’t understand. She always got a thrill watching someone perform magic, but she had never seen a sorcerer so focused nor heard a spell so complicated. Suddenly her heart leapt as his eyes flared gold and he backed away, drawing a sharp breath.

She looked at the screen, not sure what she expected, since transmissions from Mars were not instantaneous. “Did it work?”

“Give it a moment.”

So Gwen kept her eyes on the screen until the image there seemed to melt and a new photograph took its place. She glanced at the timestamp and gasped. Impossible! The photo was taken mere seconds ago.

“But how—? It takes at least twenty minutes to receive pictures from those satellites.”

Mordred shrugged. “Only if you have to wait for the radio waves to travel that distance to receive them. With magic, we can just reach into space and grab them. Same way you can skype with Lance on the Excalibur.”

“Crazy.” Gwen would never get used to all the astounding things magic made possible.

A slight buzz distracted Mordred and he glanced at his smart watch. “Oh, I forgot. I’ve got a meeting over in 4-S. I better head that way before I’m late.” He gestured toward the screen. “But there you go… two rovers, clean as a whistle!”

Gwen chuckled. “Thanks, Mordred. I just wanted to check it out. I’ll close this soon so you won’t get in trouble for manipulating satellites without approval.”

“Hey, you’re the one logged in. They can’t prove I did anything.” Mordred gave her an ominous glare before breaking down and snorting out a laugh. He tossed her a friendly wave as he headed out the door. “I’ll see you around!”

At last Gwen turned to the screen to see that, although sand was piled high against the walls of the Hab, the two rovers were perfectly pristine.

“That’s too cool,” Gwen muttered under her breath, leaning forward, trying to focus on the tires to see if they were also clear of sand. She couldn’t see the tires of the rover by the airlock, so she looked at the one on the opposite side of the Hab.

Wait. The opposite side of the Hab? Her heart skipped a beat. Weren’t the two rovers parked together outside the airlock?

She opened a new window, logging in once again to the image database. She brought up the photograph of Avalon taken the day before the storm. Both rovers were parked side by side next to the airlock.

It was possible the other rover had been moved during the hours between the photograph and the storm, but at the first sign of the storm, Morgana had ordered the crew to prepare the Hab for departure, and that meant parking both rovers beside the airlock.

Had someone disobeyed and neglected to move the second rover? Or had someone moved the rover during the crew’s hasty transfer to the MAV? She felt certain any departure from procedure would have been noted in the logs, and she had read every crew member’s log from that day.

Gwen flipped back and forth between the images, watching the rover jump from one side of the Hab to the other, and swallowed hard.

She was fairly certain she knew what the disparity between the images meant.

Arthur was alive.

Chapter Text

Three hours after her discovery, her stomach in knots, Gwen stood in a conference room next to Mission Control with Morgause Orcades, director of Mars missions; Mithian Nemeth, director of Media Relations; and Annis Caerleon, director of all of NASA.

“What am I looking at?” Annis stared at the photograph Mordred had acquired from the satellite for Gwen.

Morgause explained. “This was a shot taken three hours ago of our site at Avalon. Notice the two rovers on opposite sides of the Hab.”

“This,” she said, clicking to display the previous photo, “was a shot we took of the Hab a few hours after the crew abandoned it. You can see the rovers parked side by side outside the main airlock.”

Annis narrowed her eyes. “Why have I not seen this photograph before? You do know we are legally required to release every satellite image.”

Raising her eyebrows, Morgause said, “Any image taken through official channels, yes. I needed to assess the state of our equipment after the storm, so—”

Annis interrupted. “Magic?”

“Yes.” Morgause nodded firmly, completely unapologetic.

Shaking her head, only vaguely annoyed, Annis looked back at the photograph. “So sometime after the crew left Mars, the rover was moved,” she stated matter-of-factly, but then her eyes widened as realization dawned on her. “Pendragon is alive.”

No one spoke for a moment while the horrible truth sank in, and then Mithian blurted out, “What the hell, guys? How is this possible? We’ve told the whole world he died. Didn’t anyone double-check? Or was it just, ‘Oops!’” She gave an overdramatic shrug. “Arthur fell in a hole. He must be dead. Might as well ditch him and save ourselves.”

Gwen looked down at the keyboard. She knew Mithian was speaking out of shock, but her implication that the crew would behave so callously felt like a knife in Gwen’s heart. Lance and the others were filled with grief and regret, and Gwen knew any one of them would trade places with Arthur in a heartbeat.

“That’s quite enough.” Morgause snapped. “Of course we double-checked. The crew on the ground witnessed as Arthur was knocked down by the heavy equipment. Commander Pendragon saw the antenna impale him before he fell into the ravine. Any attempt to retrieve him would have meant sacrificing five additional lives. Even considering that, however, Commander Pendragon hesitated. She asked Smith to check Arthur’s bio-sensors from the MAV. She didn’t issue her command for the crew to keep walking until he confirmed that Arthur’s sensors indicated he was dead. Once the remaining crew members were safely aboard the MAV, she checked the readings herself. None of the readings from his sensors showed any sign of life.”

Mithian dipped her head, shrugging apologetically, but Morgause continued, “After the storm abated, I used my magic to take satellite photos of the site. Ninety-seven minutes after the MAV launched, Arthur’s body could be seen lying face down, partially covered with sand. It was impossible for him to have survived.”

“And yet,” Annis jabbed at the screen. “Someone has moved the rover.”

Morgause nodded. “So it seems.”

“I’m assuming since we are standing here speculating about Pendragon’s condition that we have no way of communicating with him?” Annis asked.

“The photographs I took after the storm showed severe damage to the communications array.” Morgause leaned forward, reaching for the keyboard. “Although…” She started typing. “Gwen’s image was a close-up of the area around the Hab.” She glanced Gwen’s way. “I’m guessing you didn’t want to catch a glimpse of his body?”

Gwen nodded, and Morgause gave her a sad smile.

“I don’t blame you.” She clicked a few keys and muttered the words of a spell. Backing away, she said, “I’ve zoomed out, so we should get a current view of the communications array.”

The screen shifted, and Morgause unexpectedly started chuckling. “Oh you clever, clever man.” She grinned at Annis. “He fixed it.”

“He fixed it?” Annis echoed. “Then why hasn’t he gotten in touch with us?”

“Because he doesn’t have magic," Gwen said with dismay, remembering what Gaius had told her about how the radios on Mars were power-boosted with magic.

“Exactly.” Morgause put her hand on Gwen’s shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. Then she smiled. “But I do.”

*****

Engineer’s Log: Sol 40

I’ve been tending my potato plants, and the first batch should be ready to harvest in about 6 weeks, so I’m feeling more and more optimistic. I’ve started working on a plan to get off Mars and back to civilization. If NASA’s plans have not changed, Camelot 2 should be arriving at the Schiaparelli Crater in 1,403 days- just under four years. So my mission is to find a way to get myself to that landing site. It’s only 3,200 kilometres. No problem, right?

I’ve drawn up plans to modify the rovers so they can carry what I’ve been calling The Big Three… that’s the atmosphere regulator, the oxygenator and the water reclaimer. I think it’ll work, but it’ll require a lot of alterations.

My current task, though, is figuring out a way to power the rover more efficiently, so I don’t have to stop every couple of hours to recharge, or the trip will take so long, I won’t be able to carry enough potatoes. So far, I have a vague plan involving either strapping myself into a small space with a radioactive nuclear power source or… somehow developing magical powers?

Meanwhile, I have discovered that on my own, I am actually a fairly boring person. The tasks of maintaining myself and the Hab occupy only about three hours a day. I spend about half an hour tending my crops. If I spend more than a couple of hours at a time doing calculations and figuring for my journey to Schiaparelli, I start to make mistakes. So I do my heavy thinking in the morning and early afternoon. But that leaves 8 to 10 waking hours with nothing to do but listen to my own thoughts.

And frankly, my own thoughts alternate between mind-numbingly boring and downright depressing.

I’ve read all the books and watched all the movies I brought at least twice, so I’ve raided the personal supplies of the rest of the crew.

And I’ve discovered Morgana’s deep, dark secret… she is obsessed with sitcoms from the 1990s! Stored on her tablet are all the episodes of Friends and Seinfeld! So between maintenance and strategy sessions, I’m binge-watching twenty-somethings who inexplicably spend all their time in coffee shops.

Although considering all the pressure I’m under trying to find a way off Mars and you know, keeping myself alive… sitting in a coffee shop staring at Matt Leblanc is actually looking pretty damn good to me right now.

*****

Arthur perched on the edge of a large flat rock, looking across the vast, red Martian landscape. He had completed all of the tasks he planned for this EVA. Strictly speaking, those tasks were not actually necessary today. He just felt trapped inside the Hab and had to get out. He had chosen Merlin’s EVA suit for this excursion. He wasn’t quite sure why.

He missed human contact. Thirty-four days as the only living being on an entire planet was starting to take its toll.

He missed Elena’s loud, barking laugh. He missed Elyan’s way of explaining in great detail the reasons behind NASA’s required procedures. He missed his and Lance’s heated debates about football and which international teams were best. He even missed his sister’s annoying habit of correcting everyone’s grammar.

But tonight, Arthur was especially missing Merlin. On Excalibur on the journey to Mars, they had shared many long, in-depth conversations and discovered that in spite of their tendency to bicker about random things like movie preferences, they actually had a lot in common. Arthur felt like their friendship would definitely outlast this mission. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, imagining he could still smell Merlin’s scent in the EVA suit. He pictured Merlin grinning at him and rolling his eyes, and Arthur smiled. Even when he was mocking Arthur, Merlin had the most gorgeous smile Arthur had ever seen.

Arthur sighed. Most days, he managed to stay optimistic and trust that all of his plans would succeed and he actually would make it to Schiaparelli Crater to meet up with the crew of Camelot 2. Most days he could genuinely convince himself that he would one day walk on Earth again.

Other days, however, the massive length of the list of Things That Must Go Right felt too daunting for one person to achieve, and the weight of his loneliness threatened to crush him.

Today had started well enough, but after he ran three sets of calculations of oxygen levels for his trip and got three different solutions, Arthur had given up and then spent far too many hours staring at the screen watching Morgana’s sitcoms. After that, he felt like the walls of the Hab were closing in around him, and he simply had to get outside.

Hugging his arms around himself as best as he could in the bulky EVA suit, Arthur cast his gaze once again across the expanse of rocks and sand.

Magnificent desolation.

He smiled as he remembered the words Buzz Aldrin had used to describe the lunar landscape. Like Aldrin, Arthur thought about the magnificent courage, imagination and years of human effort it had taken to get him to this exact spot. The incredible accomplishment of humanity was inspiring and still gave him chills. And yet, this landscape was completely void of humanity. Arthur saw nothing but desolation. Vast, empty deserts, untouched by even the smallest spark of life.

He started to shiver and decided it was time to return to the Hab. The night air on Mars was almost as cold as his lonely mood.

Shaking his head at that melodramatic thought, Arthur spoke aloud, “Pendragon, you are losing it.”

Back in the Hab, Arthur carefully stowed Merlin’s EVA suit and then put away Morgana’s tablet so he wouldn’t be tempted to start any more episodes. He had far too much Ross and Rachel drama for one day. After his walk outside, he felt somewhat recharged, so he sat at the desk to have another go at the oxygen levels for the rover.

Due to the ever-diminishing presence of his stash of potatoes, the oxygen requirements would change each day, but not at a consistent rate, so Arthur decided to set up a spreadsheet to keep track of all the variables. He had just opened Excel when a tone sounded and a notification popped up.

“Video chat request from Gwen Smith”

Arthur’s heart fluttered, and he stared at the words on the screen thinking surely it was some sort of glitch. The high pitched beeping continued, however, so hand shaking, Arthur clicked to open the video chat window.

“Connecting…”

The loading icon spun round and round for at least twenty seconds, and Arthur shook his head. Of course it was some sort of software glitch. There was no way for anyone at NASA even to know he was alive, much less communicate with him.

But then Gwen’s face appeared on his screen, and Arthur thought his heart would leap straight out of his chest.

“Holy crap! It’s true!” Gwen exclaimed. “You’re alive!”

Arthur gaped, speechless.

Morgause Orcades leaned over Gwen’s shoulder. “Well done fixing the communications array, Arthur. Once Gwen here discovered you might still be alive, we thought we’d have our work cut out for us finding a way to get in touch with you, but we were pleased to see you did most of the work for us.”

“Arthur,” Gwen said, her eyes wide. “How did you survive? Morgana was certain you were dead.”

And then Arthur did the most mortifying thing he had ever done in his life. He burst into tears.

Apparently he had been so starved for human contact that just a few sentences from his co-workers was all it took to break the dam holding back all his stored up pain and frustration.

“Do the others know I’m alive?” Arthur swiped the back of his hand across his face, trying to get it together before he embarrassed himself too much in front of the director of Mars missions. And did he see Annis Caerleon pacing in the background? Leave it to him to blubber uncontrollably in front of the director of NASA.

“Not yet.” Gwen’s face hardened and Morgause leaned over her shoulder again.

“Arthur, we need the rest of the crew to stay focused on the task of returning to Earth. If they knew they had abandoned you, we’re afraid they wouldn’t be able to focus.”

Gwen rolled her eyes, and Arthur couldn’t help smiling. Of course she knew her fiancé and her brother would not lose all sense of responsibility just because they found out their crewmate was still living on Mars.

“You should tell them.” Arthur spoke firmly. “Tell them I don’t blame them.” He scoffed. “Hell, let me talk to them! Surely with magic that’s possible. I’ll tell my sister she made the right choice. She had to save the others.”

He could hear several voices speaking quietly in the background, and Gwen looked right at him and rolled her eyes again, making clear her annoyance with all the bureaucratic hoops.

“So, what’s new with you, Gwen?” Arthur asked, smiling his first genuine smile since the storm hit. He couldn’t believe he was talking to an actual person!

She chuckled. “Well, I met a sorcerer who used to work in Mission Control, so I’ve been learning a lot about magic.” She shrugged. “Got a haircut. Bought a new couch.” She pursed her lips, looking up as if deep in thought. “Oh, and I’ve been going to therapy to help me process all of my feelings about your death. Clearly that was a giant waste of government resources!”

Arthur laughed right out loud. Same old Gwen. “Did they have a nice memorial for me?”

“It was a thing of beauty. Not a dry eye in the house,” she said, and Arthur couldn’t tell whether she was being sarcastic or not, until she smiled gently. “It was actually really nice. Just what people needed. Percy read testimonials to you from each of your crewmates.”

Arthur’s stomach flipped as he wondered what Merlin had said about him, but aloud, he said, “Oh I bet Morgana had something embarrassing to share about me!”

Morgause appeared again. “I hate to interrupt. I’m sure it’s been challenging being on your own for so long, Arthur, but we have a few logistical questions for you regarding your survival and potential rescue.”

So Arthur got to tell them about his potato farm and his plan to drive the rover to Schiaparelli Crater. He sent NASA all of the calculations he had done so far for surviving in the Hab and for his journey. Morgause promised her staff would check all his numbers and that they would work on a more comprehensive plan for his rescue.

Before they closed the call, Arthur fixed Morgause with a very serious stare. “Tell my crewmates. They’re strong enough to handle it. I promise.”

That night, Arthur slept better than he had in thirty-four nights. He finally had real hope of returning to Earth. And hope is a powerful thing.

*****

Physician’s Personal Log
Mission Day 166

I’ve been trying to figure out why Arthur’s death is affecting me so strongly. At first I thought it was guilt. I felt like I should have been able to do something to help him. Morgana and I talked a lot about that. We’re finally coming around to the realisation that magic is not all-powerful. It does not give us a quicker reaction time, nor does it enable us to turn back time. So I’m finally able to admit that there was probably nothing I could have done in the moment to save Arthur without endangering everyone else.

Of course, I know I miss Arthur because he was my friend. We’ve always had a sort of odd relationship. I think I fancied him a little when we first met. I mean, he’s gorgeous! But we worked together, so I didn’t let myself go down that road. We teased each other mercilessly, but I also really respected him and I know he respected me. On our long journey to Mars, we had the chance to spend a lot of time together, and I think we were starting to form a true and lasting friendship.

Every time I think about how I’ll never talk to him again, I get this feeling like a vice is crushing my chest.

He could have been a friend for life. And who knows… down the road, there might have been a possibility for more than friendship. But now he’s just gone. And it isn’t fair.

*****

Merlin sat with Elena and Elyan at the table on Excalibur that served as dining table and workspace for the crew. At the moment it was both. Merlin and Elena were just finishing their dinner, and Elyan had half the table covered with charts and graphs. His tablet was open before him, and he was jotting down figures on a notepad.

“Haven’t you already done those calculations and run them by NASA?” Elena asked around a mouthful of bread.

“Mmm?” Elyan barely glanced up from his work. “Sure. But I like to double and triple check. All the trajectories we originally planned had to be thrown out, because our weight is different since we didn’t collect as many samples as we thought and—” His eyes cut uneasily toward Merlin. “Well… we’re down one crew member.”

Merlin’s chest constricted, but he gave Elyan a sympathetic smile. It must be tough redoing all his calculations knowing the only reason he had to do so was that one of their teammates was no longer with them.

“Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” Elena mumbled, casting her gaze down to her plate.

The last few weeks had been rough on the Excalibur. For short moments, crew members would converse normally, even joking and laughing occasionally, but then something would happen to remind them of Arthur, and everyone went quiet. Each was grieving in their own way.

“Hey guys.” Lance entered the room and walked over to stand beside the table. “Morgana wants us in the control room. Apparently NASA has a message for us, and they want us all together.”

Elena looked up at him, cringing. “All of us together? That can’t be good.” She turned to Elyan. “Do you know what this is about?”

But Elyan just shrugged as he gathered up his papers and tablet. “I don’t. The ship is running beautifully, and we’re on track to orbit Earth and meet up with the Dragon X in 189 days as planned.”

Merlin and Elena exchanged a baffled look and put away the remainder of their food and their dishes and all four crew members walked through the Excalibur together to the bridge where they found Morgana sitting at the main control desk, her right leg jiggling up and down as she stared at the computer screen.

“What’s up, Commander?” Elena took a seat in the chair next to Morgana.

“I wish I knew.” Morgana ground her teeth together. “I got a message from CapCom to gather everyone here. They should be back in touch in a few minutes.”

“It can’t be a malfunction.” Elyan stated, his voice firm. “I ran diagnostics just this morning, and everything was fine.”

Elena tilted her head, thoughtfully. “If it was a family emergency for one of us, surely they would speak to that person individually first.” Her brow furrowed. “Unless it’s something really bad, and they thought that person would need support around them.”

She was probably thinking about her husband, Ewan, so Merlin placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I don’t think they’d want to talk to everyone at once if it was a family issue for one person.” Although he couldn’t be certain.

“Will it be a video call or just audio or text?” Elyan asked.

“I already told you everything they told me.” Morgana snapped, and Elyan threw his hands up, backing away. “Sorry,” she sighed. “I guess I’m as anxious as the rest of you to find out what’s going on.”

A heavy silence fell over the crew until Lance said quietly, “Why are we assuming it’s bad news?” All heads turned to face him, and his face softened into a gentle smile. “I know the last few weeks have been hard, and we all miss Arthur, but I was just thinking, if he were here, he’d probably be coming up with all sorts of outlandish ideas about what NASA needs to tell us. We’d probably be laughing instead of being nervous.”

As always, the thought of Arthur threatened to crush Merlin, but he knew Lance was right. Arthur would almost certainly be mocking them by now for allowing their sadness to drag them down for weeks. He’d want them to remember him fondly instead of focusing so much on the tragedy of his last moments.

Smiling to himself, Merlin said, “Maybe they want us to swing by the moon and pick up some cheese on the way home.”

A few people snickered, and Elena’s face broke into a broad grin. “They’re probably calling to tell us we may have already won ten million dollars!

“Or… or,” she continued, “I bet they’re sending us an invite to follow Director Caerleon’s online dating profile!”

Elyan and Lance simultaneously let out wolf whistles, and Elena clutched her stomach with laughter.

Morgana shook her head, biting back a grin. “No, they want to let us know they’ve confirmed what I’ve long suspected.” She paused, her eyes twinkling. “That whole magic thing is a hoax.”

With a flick of the wrist, Morgana stirred up a mini whirlwind that tossed everyone’s hair about comically. Merlin laughed along with his crewmates, and the weight on his chest felt lighter than it had since they left Mars.

Their laughter was so boisterous, Merlin almost missed the sound of the computer chime. A notification popped up on the screen stating, “Incoming video call from MCC-H, Flight Director…”

The group calmed, and Merlin and the others stared at the screen waiting for Percy’s face to appear. When the video began, however, Merlin heard several audible gasps. Instead of Percy, Annis Caerleon greeted them.

“Good evening, I trust the return journey is treating you all well.”

Everyone nodded numbly, and Morgana said, “We’re all in good health, thanks.”

Annis furrowed her brow. “I can’t actually see everyone on screen. Is every crew member present?”

“We’re all here,” Morgana said curtly, clearly anxious to discover the reason for the call.

Annis seemed to sense Morgana’s impatience, because her expression softened. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve asked you all to be present for this call. Three days ago, a couple of our staff members took it upon themselves to use magic to view current satellite images of your Hab, and they made a rather shocking discovery.”

She paused for only a moment, but Merlin was certain a hundred different scenarios flashed through his mind, covering everything from the Hab being destroyed by an earthquake (marsquake?) to actual aliens dancing across the red sand.

Nothing could have prepared him for her next words.

“Arthur Pendragon is alive.”

No one spoke for several long moments until Morgana said flatly, “That’s not funny.”

Annis shook her head. “It’s not a joke. Your brother survived the storm, stitched himself up, and has been living alone on Mars for the last thirty-seven days.”

Merlin’s mind was whirling. He heard a roaring in his ears, and he felt as if his stomach had dropped down around his knees. Surely this could not be true.

“He’s alive?” Morgana’s voice broke, and Elena reached over to grab her hand.

“He is.” Annis smiled. “And he wants to talk to you.”

Merlin almost fell over, he felt so light-headed. This wasn’t happening, was it? He was dreaming.

“We’ll be in touch more about what comes next, but for now, I’m going to connect you with the Hab on Mars.”

The screen went black briefly, and Merlin’s heart fluttered. It wasn’t real. He had imagined Annis speaking to them, and soon Percy’s face would appear telling them that some technical glitch had occurred, but that NASA was working on it.

He took a deep, shuddering breath as he stared at the screen. It flickered briefly and then Arthur’s grinning face appeared. Merlin’s knees almost crumbled, but somehow he remained standing.

“Hey guys!” Arthur waved madly. “It’s me! I’m still alive!”

His enthusiasm, however, was met with shocked silence, until Morgana breathed out, “Arthur?”

His grin disappeared and his chin quivered. He looked back at his sister, nodding as they both struggled to contain their tears.

Arthur pulled himself together enough to say, “It’s not your fault, Morgana.” Her head bobbed up and down in defiance of his words, so he reiterated, “You thought I was dead. It wouldn’t have made sense to risk everyone’s lives to retrieve my body. You did the right thing.”

Morgana still didn’t seem convinced, but as Lance had just pointed out to the crew, Arthur wasn’t one to spend too much time dwelling on circumstances he couldn’t change. Merlin couldn’t help smiling as Arthur swiftly changed the subject, telling his teammates about his plan to travel to the site where the Camelot 2 mission would land.

“But that’s four years away.” Elyan pointed out. “You’ll run out of food.”

“Nope, I’ve become a Martian farmer.”

Merlin’s heart soared as Arthur told them about his crop of potatoes, his face shining with that cocky charm Merlin adored. Merlin still felt like he was in a dream. He was certain he had the goofiest grin on his face as he listened to Arthur tell them tales of his adventures as “king of Mars.” (They all had a good laugh when he told them he had declared himself king of an entire planet!)

After Arthur had shared his stories, everyone took a turn in front of the camera to speak face to face with the friend they thought they had lost. Although Merlin was anxious to talk to Arthur, each of the others took their turn first so that when finally Merlin took a seat before the screen, Lance patted him gently on the shoulder and everyone slipped quietly out of the control room, leaving the two of them alone to talk.

“Hey.”

Arthur smiled gently at Merlin, and Merlin was glad he was now seated, because his knees finally completed their transformation into jelly.

“Arthur, I can’t even believe this. I’m so sorry we left you there.”

But Arthur shook his head. “We’ve been over that already. No guilt, remember?”

Merlin gave a half-hearted shrug. “Okay.”

“I’m serious, Merlin,” Arthur insisted. “When they found out I was still alive, the higher-ups at NASA didn’t want to tell you. They thought you guys would be so overwhelmed with guilt at leaving me behind that you wouldn’t be able to complete your mission. But I insisted. I told them my crewmates were strong.” He pursed his lips together. “But I have to admit, my insistence was purely selfish.”

Arthur looked down, a crease appearing on his forehead.

“I was going a little crazy here, Merlin.” He raised his eyes to meet Merlin’s. “Thirty-four days without talking to anyone was…” He swiped a hand over his face. “It was hard. I missed you guys.” He looked at Merlin with a hesitant smile and said quietly, “I missed you.”

Tears formed in Merlin’s eyes, but he blinked hard to prevent them from falling. “I missed you, too. When we thought you were dead, I felt like I couldn’t breathe properly.”

He pulled his arms around his chest and held his breath, hoping he hadn’t exposed his feelings too much, but Arthur nodded and said, “I’m glad we get to talk again.”

And then, before the conversation got too sappy for both of them, Arthur changed the subject with a cheeky grin. “So, let me tell you about how much fun it is working in an enclosed space cultivating soil with a bucket of your own—“

*****

The floor of the press room at NASA seemed to vibrate beneath Gwen’s feet as dozens of reporters shouted their questions at Mithian Nemeth, who had just announced that Arthur Pendragon was alive and well on Mars. Actually, Gwen wasn’t certain whether the shakiness she felt was due to the noise in the room or her own nervousness, because she knew Mithian would soon call her to the stage to explain to the press how she had discovered that Arthur was alive.

“How could this happen?”

“Did Commander Pendragon have any indication that her brother might be alive when she issued the order to leave Mars?”

“Can you describe Pendragon’s mental state after being left alone on another planet?”

None of Mithian’s anger or frustration from the other day showed; she was calm and collected as she explained to the reporters what had happened and how even Arthur agreed that Morgana made the right choice. She transitioned smoothly into discussing Arthur’s ingenuity in planning and preparing for his own rescue and cheerfully explaining that NASA was optimistic about his chances.

The reporters kept firing questions at Mithian and she answered every one until they started asking for a more detailed explanation of the rescue plan, at which point Mithian told them they could return that afternoon to talk with a panel of experts from several departments involved in Arthur’s rescue.

Gwen’s stomach twisted in knots when Mithian turned to her, motioning for Gwen to join her at the podium.

“Now I’d like to introduce to you the woman who first discovered that Arthur Pendragon was still alive.”

Gwen stepped up beside her and turned to face the press, unsure whether she was supposed to smile or not. She settled on a quick nod in the direction of the cameras.

“This is Gwen Smith, an aerospace engineer who works in Environmental Control and Life Support Systems for Mission Control. That means she is in charge of keeping our astronauts alive while they’re on the Excalibur.” Mithian flashed a bright smile to the reporters. “And we know she’s the best person for that job, because both her brother and her fiancé are on board.”

Several reporters chuckled and smiled at Gwen, which made her feel a bit more at ease. She read a prepared statement explaining how she had made the discovery about Arthur, and then she took a deep breath and steeled herself for the hard part.

“Are there any questions?”

Mithian had told Gwen that since the explanation of how Arthur had survived and the plans for his rescue involved a lot of dry, scientific details, some publications would want to soften the news with a more relatable, human interest story. Gwen was dubious, but apparently, Mithian knew the press well, because after a few questions about her discovery, some reporters started asking her details about herself.

“How long have you worked in Mission Control?”

“Four years. I’ve worked ECLSS for several of the preparatory deep space missions, and before that, for the space station.”

There were a few more questions about her background, and Gwen noticed that some reporters were starting to gather their things. She was actually relieved. She believed the focus should remain on Arthur and the rest of the crew.

But then a woman Gwen recognized from one of the local morning shows looked at Gwen with a gentle smile. “How did you and Lance Du Lac meet?”

Gwen let out a small chuckle. “Actually, Arthur introduced us.”

That tidbit piqued the interest of the reporters whose attention was starting to drift.

“Arthur and I worked on a project together when I first started at NASA. We designed a garden to be planted on the space station for the purpose of oxygen production. A couple of years later, on his first day of astronaut training, Arthur texted me and told me he had met my soul-mate. He said this guy was clever as hell, sickeningly nice to everyone, and smoldering hot. So he told me I should come meet them for lunch before someone else snatched him up, because in Arthur’s words…” She finished with air quotes. “Hot astronauts are quite a catch.”

She smirked and most of the reporters laughed as Mithian grinned and returned to the podium to relieve Gwen and close the press conference.

“You did great!” She encouraged Gwen as they walked back toward the media relations offices.

“I hope so.” Gwen shrugged. “I’d prefer the news focus on Arthur and all of his hard work to keep himself alive rather than on me.”

They reached Mithian’s office and paused at the doorway. Mithian looked back at Gwen with a wry smile. “It’s a 24 hour news cycle, hon. There might be a blip about you on the noon news, but trust me, by 5 o’clock every station in the country will have a list of at least three dozen ways that Arthur might die, and all the reporters will be itching to share every gruesome detail.”

*****

Engineer’s Log: Sol 51

So NASA has basically taken over planning for my rescue. I guess that’s good. Having multiple people with all the proper degrees and backgrounds running the calculations is probably better than just me on my own.

It’s left me with too much free time, though. Continuing our original research and maintaining the Hab fill most of my days, but now that I don’t have to make plans, my evenings are free, and if I have to watch one more episode of single people whinging in a coffee shop, I’ll blow my brains out. Merlin suggested I try writing. He said he thought people would like to read about my experiences on Mars-- more than just this log, he said, like actual stories about what’s happening to me. I’m not a writer, though. I tried. Really. I gave it my best shot. Here is a sample sentence from what I wrote…

The Martian wind howled-- though since the atmosphere is so thin, it actually sounded more like a tin whistle-- pressing against the intrepid astronauts as they marched in a line toward the vessel that would carry them to safety, but their footprints blew away the moment their feet left the sand and the air was thick with that sand, making it challenging to keep sight of the person in front of them.

I decided that sounded too overblown and also didn’t make much sense, so I rewrote it…

The wind speed increased as the astronauts walked toward the MAV.

Anyway. Not going to write my story. Putting my thoughts into this log is as creative as I get. So I told Merlin he had to come up with another way for me to entertain myself.

*****

“I’m bored.”

“Yes, you said that already.” Merlin smiled toward his computer screen as he finished distributing the week’s vitamins into each crew member’s nutrition packet. “Six times in the last ten minutes, I believe.”

“Well.” Arthur sighed. “It’s true.”

“Have you counted your potatoes yet today?”

“Shut up, Merlin.”

*****

“What is taking NASA so long? I already planned my whole trip to Schiaparelli Crater. I did all the calculations, and I know exactly how much food and water to pack and how much oxygen I’ll use. I know exactly how many solar cells I’ll need to recharge each day. Why won’t they let me start preparing the rover?”

Merlin barely glanced up from wiping the surfaces of the clinic with disinfectant. “I’m sure they’re just being thorough.”

“I’m going crazy, Merrrrlinnnnn. I’ve been analysing rock and soil samples and tracking the weather all week. I need an engineering project.”

“There’s a deck of cards in my old bunk. Why don’t you see how the lower gravity of Mars affects the building of a house of cards?”

“...”

“You want me to shut up?”

“Yeah.”

*****

“Merlin?”

Merlin immediately stopped shelving his freshly washed shirts and moved to sit in front of his computer to give Arthur his full attention. He recognized that tone.

“What is it, Arthur?”

“What if they won’t tell me their plan, because they know it won’t work?” Arthur bit his upper lip. “What if they know I’m not going to make it?”

Merlin’s heart lurched hearing Arthur voice his fears, but he spoke firmly and deliberately. “You’re going to make it, Arthur. Your plan is solid. You’ve run the numbers. Morgana has run the numbers. You know NASA. They’re a government agency. They know there’s no rush to get started, since Camelot 2 won’t be arriving for several years, and they’re probably dealing with a lot of red tape in pushing the plans through. They’ll let you know as soon as they can what you need to do next.”

A crease appeared on Arthur’s forehead, but Merlin pressed on. “You just keep doing what you’re doing. Growing those potatoes. Maintaining the Hab. Finishing everyone’s research.”

“I am.” There was a slight whinge in Arthur’s voice.

“And taking care of yourself.”

Merlin looked Arthur straight in the eyes, but Arthur looked down. “That’s the bit I’m not doing so well at.”

“I know.”

Merlin wanted more than anything to be able to reach into the computer screen and place a reassuring hand on Arthur’s arm. Or around his shoulders. Actually, Merlin wanted to pull Arthur into a hug and not let go for several days, but since none of those things were possible, he would have to settle for touching Arthur with his words alone.

“You’re a doer, Arthur. And all this waiting is hard, I know. I’ll talk to Morgana and tell her that next time she talks to Morgause, she needs to insist that they send you some updates on their progress. And they need to give you a new project to work on. The inactivity isn’t good for your mental health, and it’s starting to affect your physical health as well. You’re not sleeping much, are you?”

Arthur shook his head.

“And because you’re not as active, I suspect you’ve been cutting back on your food rations?”

Arthur sighed and gave a reluctant nod.

“Stop that. Now. You need a certain number of calories to function. And I’m going to insist that you take an EVA without a research or maintenance purpose at least once a day for the next week. Just walk around Avalon. Appreciate the beauty of Mars. Take a selfie to send to me. Something. Just get outside and move around without worrying about accomplishing something.”

Arthur looked back up at him, nodding his agreement.

“I’ll talk to Morgause myself if I have to, okay?”

Another nod. Merlin could tell Arthur was feeling emotional, because he was always reluctant to speak aloud when he was afraid his voice might break and show that he actually had feelings.

“Do you feel like you could sleep now?”

A shrug.

“Try, okay? Do the deep breathing exercises I showed you. Pull the curtains closed around your bunk to block out any light from sensors and whatnot.”

Arthur didn’t move, so Merlin tried a different tack.

“Would you like me to read you a bedtime story?” He smirked, hoping his attempt at humor would help Arthur relax.

A small smile appeared on Arthur’s face to Merlin’s relief, but he still didn’t move.

“Could we just talk for a while longer?”

Curse the thousands of kilometers separating them! Merlin was desperate to throw his arms around Arthur.

“Of course we can,” Merlin insisted, his own voice finally breaking. “We can talk about whatever you want.”

“Tell me some more stories about growing up with magic.”

*****

Gwen tapped a pen against the edge of her desk as she waited for her video call to connect with the Hab on Mars. Morgause had come to her that morning with the news that Gwen would be the one to tell Arthur that his plans to overhaul the rovers needed some adjustments.

“He won’t be happy that we found problems with his plans, but he’ll listen to you. You two are friends, and besides the issues we discovered relate to his life support, and he knows that’s your area of expertise,” Morgause had explained as she thrust a thick folder full of rover schematics into Gwen’s hands before breezing out the door without waiting for a response.

The connection finally went through, and Arthur appeared on Gwen’s screen. She hadn’t spoken with him directly since the day they first made contact with him after believing him dead for so long.

“Gwen?” Arthur sounded surprised.

“Hey Arthur, how’s it going?” She asked and immediately kicked herself for such a casual greeting.

But Arthur grinned. “I’m doing great! Merlin fixed it up so I can play video poker with Lance and Elena, and now they both owe me over $200!”

Gwen laughed. “Well, when you get back, I’ll make sure Lance pays up!”

Her heart lurched for a moment as she realized there was still a decent chance he never would make it back, but Arthur didn’t seem fazed.

“What’s up?”

Gwen decided to maintain the light tone they had established. “Arthur, do you have any idea how cold -100 C is?”

Arthur seemed thrown for a moment. “Uh… pretty damn cold?”

“Exactly,” Gwen said. “A human cannot survive in that temperature, even for just a few hours.”

Shaking his head, Arthur agreed, “No, I wouldn’t think so.” He peered at her, clearly confused.

With a sigh, Gwen pointed out, “Then why did you think you could turn off the heater in the rover just to get a bit more range before having to recharge?” She shook her head and opened the folder with the new plans. “You already had the vehicle loaded to capacity with solar panels, so you’ll need to pack more food and water. We have the plans for how to fit that in.”

She looked up at Arthur to find him looking away, almost guilty.

“Arthur?”

“I guess I forgot to mention. I went out and dug up the RTG. So I’ll have that in the rover with me, and it’ll provide all the heat I need.”

Gwen stared at Arthur. “You dug up the radioisotope thermoelectric generator? The one you were instructed to bury at least a kilometer from the Hab, because it contains dangerous levels of radiation?” He pursed his lips. “You’re telling me you just forgot to mention your plan to put a lump of radioactive material in the back seat of your car and drive across Mars with it?”

“Well,” Arthur said, faltering. “When I sent the plans, I hadn’t actually gone to retrieve the RTG yet, and as long as no one had directly ordered me not to get it, I thought it would be okay if I just made that decision on my own.”

“Quite the rebel, aren't you?”

“Well, I am the king of Mars.”

Gwen laughed. “Lance mentioned your grand Arthurian kingdom.”

“Indeed. Every person on Mars must follow my orders.” Arthur gave a firm nod and then returned to the topic at hand. “So, since I have my heat source, my plans for the rover will work, yes?”

Gwen thought for a moment, glancing through the papers Morgause had provided. “Yes, it looks like the lack of heat was the only concern from NASA’s side.”

“Good. Then I'm going to start the alterations.”

“It's still more than three years until Camelot 2 arrives,” Gwen pointed out. “What's the rush?”

“It'll take me 50 days to travel to the landing site. The modifications are fairly significant. I have to rip a hole in the roof and turn the second rover into a trailer to transport my solar panels. Anyway… I hate to say it, but with my limited caloric intake, I tire out quickly, so I figure it'll take me more than a month to complete the alterations.” He sighed. “And then I want to make a few test trips, increasing my distance from the Hab each time in order to work out all the kinks. And,” he hesitated a moment before continuing, ”I’m a bit concerned that after months of living here with lower gravity and limited food, I’ll only get weaker and weaker. I’d like to complete the modifications while I still have the strength.”

Gwen was impressed. Obviously Arthur had planned everything thoroughly. “That makes sense.” She looked at him with a smile. “Well, let us know if you run across any problems you need help solving. They've got replicas of your rovers set up at JPL, and they'll be duplicating all your modifications, so don't hesitate to ask if something doesn't work the way you thought it would.”

“They're duplicating my work, are they? They going to starve a guy and make him wear a bulky EVA suit while he works?”

“Yes. That's exactly what they're going to do.”

Arthur laughed. “Thanks, Gwen. I'll be in touch.”

*****

Physician’s Personal Log
Mission Day 207

On our journey home, NASA wanted me to perform regular physicals on my crewmates to track the effects of long term, deep space travel on the human body. I'm not sure, though, how accurate the data will be. Right after we left, when we thought Arthur was dead, everyone was showing physical signs of stress. Lots of fatigue and insomnia. And right after we found out he's alive, Morgana had a few episodes of heart palpitations. I suspect those were more anxiety induced than deep space related, though. Our bodies are finally settling into expected patterns, although during those first days, most of us were not as faithful about exercising as we should have been, so it's hard to tell what's normal at this point.

*****

Merlin had just finished entering the data from Elyan’s physical into the database when his screen lit up notifying him of an incoming call. He grinned, feeling a little silly, but even though they talked daily now, his heart leapt every time Arthur called.

As always, Arthur skipped any greetings and jumped right in as if they’d been chatting all day. “My drill broke.”

“Oh no!” Merlin said, worried until he realized Arthur was smirking. “Wait… Is that not bad news?”

“It might be bad news if I weren't such a brilliant engineer.”

“I see.” Merlin wondered if it was weird for him to be a little turned on by Arthur’s cockiness.

“I've been using it so much, drilling holes in order to remove a section of the rover’s roof. I have to drill 760 holes, you know, because we didn't have any way to cut through metal… Nice foresight, NASA! Anyway, I have to drill the holes half a centimeter apart so I'll be able to knock out the roof. And our poor little drill wasn't meant for such an intense workout, and one of the wires inside melted.”

“Sad.”

“Wasn't it though?”

Arthur’s eyes twinkled and Merlin bit back a smile. He loved hearing Arthur talk about his clever problem solving skills, but he didn't want Arthur to know that.

“Anyway, since every one of us had a laptop power adapter, and I don't need all of them myself, I reckoned I could sacrifice Morgana’s. Took that baby apart and stole the wires I needed, and voilà! A working drill!”

Arthur threw his arms out and grinned, obviously pleased with himself, and there was no way Merlin could allow that, so he responded, “Not too bad, I suppose. Although a clever engineer would probably have realized the drill was overheating before bits of it started to melt.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know you're just jealous of my mad skills.”

Well, Merlin couldn't deny that. Over the last few weeks, he had often wondered whether, if he had been the one left behind, would he have survived? He had magic, sure, but even magic had its limits. Would he have started a farm to provide sustenance for himself once the food rations were depleted? Would he have made plans for a two month journey to meet the next visitors to Mars? Or would he have resigned himself to dying alone on another planet?

“I'm glad you're making progress, Arthur. It is good to see you excited about your work again.”

“What I'm really excited about is what comes next. I'm going to take a small field trip in my tricked out rover train.” Arthur actually clapped his hands together with glee. “my first trip will be just overnight. I'll drive in a circle around the Hab. I'll never be more than walking distance away, in case something goes wrong.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Merlin agreed.

“Then I'll widen my circle, and I'll stay out for five sols, but again if a problem occurs, I’ll only be 9 km from the Hab.”

“Okay.”

“And if that’s successful, for my last trial, I'll need to test the rovers on a hill, because in order to get to the Camelot 2 site, I'll need to drive down into the Schiaparelli Crater. For that test, I'll drive out to the Kunowsky Crater. It’s not as deep, and it’s not quite 400 km away, so it should work for a trial. That time, I'll be gone for 12 sols.”

A thought suddenly occurred to Merlin. “The rover only has a short range radio, so when you're doing these trials, and later when you actually make the journey, we won't be able to talk like this, will we?” He couldn't hide his disappointment.

But once again, the twinkle appeared in Arthur’s eyes. “I'm working on that. Stay tuned.”

After their chat, Merlin went to the work space/kitchen to grab some dinner. Morgana and Elena were already there, finishing their meal.

“Exactly how often do you chat with my brother these days, Merlin?” Morgana asked with a smirk that seemed to indicate she already knew the answer.

“Leave him alone,” Elena said. “Arthur's all by himself on a whole planet. He needs some companionship. I'm sure as our mission doctor and therapist, Merlin is just looking out for Arthur's mental health.”

Merlin turned to thank Elena, but balked when he saw her mischievous grin.

“After all,” she continued. “When we all get back to Earth, he wants his boyfriend to be in good shape.”

Merlin rolled his eyes toward Elena, but as he turned to retrieve a meal box from the cabinet, he hoped she didn't notice that his ears were burning.

“Seriously though, how is Arthur doing?” Elena asked, adding, “If it were me, I'd be going nuts all alone.”

Popping his meal into the microwave, Merlin answered, “He's actually doing really well. He's keeping busy. It’s good he's been able to start his modifications to the rovers. With that kind of project, nothing ever goes smoothly on the first try, so he's had his hands full of problems to engineer his way around.”

“Nothing major, I hope.” Morgana sounded a bit worried.

“Nah.” Merlin removed his now steaming meal from the microwave and took a seat. “Nothing he can't handle.”

Morgana studied him for a long moment. “You sound like you're proud of him.”

Merlin huffed out a laugh as he realized, “I am.”

With a slight smile, Morgana nodded. “I am, too.”

*****

Engineer’s Log: Sol 112

I’m on day 3 of 12 of my 3rd rover trial. Things are going smoothly so far. I’ve averaged 40 km per day. Although the terrain I’ve covered is still just a flat plain. I drive for 8 hours and then I put on my EVA suit and pull the solar panels off the roof of rover 1 and spread them on the ground. It takes 2 hours to charge, and then I’m back on the road, so to speak. The Big Three are settled in my trailer, rover 2, and chugging along regulating my air and water.

Everything seems to be working as planned. Except there’s a rank odor developing in rover 1 and I’m afraid it’s me.

*****

“Tell Gwaine that before he leads his upcoming mission to Mars, he should insist that NASA add a shower to the rovers.”

“What?” Merlin squinted at the screen. Arthur was calling later than usual, after sunset, and the lighting in the rover was dim, making it hard for him to see Arthur’s face.

“I stink.”

Merlin snorted. “Sorry.”

“Other than that, though, I actually rather like my little caravan.” The image started shaking, and Merlin sat up straight, worried for a moment until he realized Arthur had dislodged his laptop and was attempting to give Merlin a tour of the rover. “I’ve kept the driving area clear, except the holder for my water bottle, but behind the seat, I’ve made a little sleeping area.”

In the darkness, Merlin could not make out a single thing Arthur was showing him, but he was so proud of his little habitat that Merlin let him ramble on about things like a pillow made from his water bag to the way he wrapped his blanket around the RTG during the day, because it made the rover too hot, but then at night when temperatures dropped severely, he had a handy pre-heated blanket to wrap up in!

“It’s cramped, but it should be livable for fifty sols. Although, since I have some time, I might try to see if there’s a way to attach a sort of tent to the rover for me to stretch out and relax in.”

As Arthur returned to the front of the rover with his laptop, Merlin felt his heart swell with affection for this brilliant man who had outsmarted NASA in redesigning the short-distance rovers into basically an all-terrain mini-Hab, and who was now excitedly showing Merlin where he slept like a kid who just got a new bunk bed.

“Looks cozy,” Merlin said, even though he hadn’t been able to see anything in the darkness.

“Besides a shower, the only other thing I wish I had was a microwave.” Arthur scrunched his nose at the camera. “My stomach isn’t too happy with my diet of cold potatoes.”

Hearing this, Merlin immediately switched into doctor mode. “Is it just cramping or are you having diarrhea? Because if so, you need to make sure you’re staying hydrated. How much water are you drinking per hour? Have you been nauseated at all?”

After a quick discussion of Arthur’s intake and output for the last few days, Merlin was satisfied that his health was not in immediate danger, but the awkwardness of the subject brought their easy conversation to a halt.

They both sat in silence for a minute or so until Arthur cleared his throat. “That was weird.”

Merlin let out an uncomfortable laugh. “It shouldn’t be, though.”

“No, I know,” Arthur said. “I mean, I do obviously realize that for the duration of this mission, you are my doctor, so you know, we should be able to talk about that kind of thing. But…” He looked at Merlin, his eyes full of unspoken questions.

“Yeah,” Merlin agreed. “Things are different now.” He shrugged. “Between us.” His heart fluttered as he stepped up to the line of admitting his feelings but dared not cross it yet.

Arthur took a deep breath and, although his eyes were still smiling, his face hardened as his demeanor shifted. Merlin’s stomach started doing flip flops, because he recognized that look. Arthur was working up his courage to do something difficult. Was he going to voice the feelings they had been dancing around for weeks?

Before Arthur could speak, however, Morgana stepped into the room.

“Are you talking to Arthur?”

Merlin let out a disappointed sigh and noticed that Arthur did the same. “Yep”

Morgana leaned down so she appeared on the screen beside Merlin. “Arthur, I know you’re on your way to the Kunowsky Crater to test your rovers, but we think you need to turn around. There’s a severe wind storm over Avalon right now, and our sensors are indicating that the atmosphere inside the Hab has been compromised.”

“No…” Arthur sounded devastated at this news. “What about my potatoes?”

Morgana nodded. “That was our first concern as well. You made so many structural and atmospheric changes to that section of the Hab that NASA can’t judge for certain. But if the damage is minor, there might be hope if you’re able to get back and fix it quickly.”

“I’m 123 kilometers away!” Arthur cried out.

“I know,” Morgana said, her tone deliberately calm. “But you’ve been traveling only 40 kilometers per sol, although in your specifications, you said you believed your vehicle capable of 80 k per sol.”

Arthur sighed. “That’s true.”

“So theoretically, you could make it back in one and a half sols.”

“That’s not exactly quick.”

Merlin jumped in. “But maybe if the damage is minor and it’s only causing a small leak, you’ll get there in time to fix it before it kills your crop.”

Arthur didn’t look hopeful. “If the damage was major, though, the freezing temperatures would have killed all the bacteria in the soil instantly, and that’ll be the end of my little farming on Mars experiment. No more potatoes. And right now, I only have enough stored to last me until…”

He looked aside, probably doing calculations based on the amount of potatoes he had already harvested and stored, but Morgana had already done the math, because she finished for him. “Sol 541.”

His eyes cut to Merlin’s, the horrible realization setting in. “And Gwaine and his crew won’t arrive until Sol 1,412.”

“Don’t give up hope yet, Arthur.” Merlin pushed his own fears aside in order to reassure his friend. “Your crops might still be okay.”

Merlin glanced over to Morgana who had backed away from the camera again. The tiny shake of her head didn’t fill him with much hope, but Merlin was determined to keep Arthur’s spirits up for his journey back to Avalon.

“Look, just try not to focus on the negatives tonight, Arthur. You’ve faced impossible challenges before and you just barreled your way right through them.”

He was pleased to hear Arthur’s small chuckle.

“I have every confidence that no matter what you find when you return to the Hab day after tomorrow, you’ll find a way to fix it. Just face one problem at a time, like you’ve been doing all this time, and you’ll make it.”

Arthur looked like he was biting back tears, and he kept glancing to the side where Morgana was standing just off camera, but he nodded along with Merlin, and when Merlin had finished his little speech, Arthur put his hand out as if he was trying to reach through the screen to touch Merlin. He choked out a small, “thanks,” and then the screen went blank.

Merlin didn’t sleep a wink that night.

*****

Engineer’s Log: Sol 114

So, I’m screwed. Again.

In the storm, part of a solar panel broke loose and tore through the canvas of the Hab making it lose atmospheric pressure, which let all that freezing cold Mars air in. Killing all my potato plants. And any chance of growing new ones.

I can live in the rover for the next few days and do EVAs to fix the Hab so it’s livable again, but eventually, I’m going to run out of food. I have enough potatoes to last me one year and two months, and no one else is coming to Mars for more than two years after that. So yeah. Screwed.

Chapter Text

“We have to get supplies to Arthur. The whole world has been following this story, rooting for him ever since we discovered he survived that first storm.” Mithian was nearly shouting as Morgause sat quietly, barely containing her eyerolls at Mithian’s rants. “Are you telling me we don’t currently have a ship capable of traveling to Mars?”

“Of course we do,” Morgause said, a patronizing edge to her voice. “We have the Excalibur.”

“I mean another one, obviously.”

Annis held one hand up. “She knows what you mean.” She cast a stern glare toward Morgause. “I understand that everyone is distressed by this latest development and concerned about Arthur’s fate, but I would appreciate cooler heads. We need a reasonable solution, and we don’t have much time.”

Gwen sat quietly in the back of the room, ready to take notes on the changes to Arthur’s rescue mission, but she couldn’t help feeling admiration as she watched NASA’s director efficiently rein in the hot tempers in the room and then turn to the large flat screen to address via video call the head of Mars projects for JPL, Isolde Cornwell. “Can you give me an estimated timeline for building an unmanned supply probe to send to Mars?”

Isolde shook her head solemnly. “We’ve run the numbers over and over, and the absolute minimum number of days we need is forty-eight.”

“That won’t work.” Morgause stood, straightened her shoulders and stalked toward the screen, as if she could force the engineers at JPL to work harder by sheer intimidation.

But Isolde threw back her shoulders and glared back. Gwen involuntarily sat up straighter, even though she couldn’t be seen by the camera. Isolde was possibly more intimidating than Morgause.

“I understand, but any attempt at short-cuts would make the whole probe unsafe.”

Although they had already been over the calculations numerous times, Gwen found herself jotting the numbers down in the margin of her notepad. It was currently Sol 115 on Mars and Arthur would run out of food on Sol 541. That was 426 sols which translated to almost 438 days. Earth and Mars were currently not in ideal locations for quick travel, so it would take 392 days for the probe to travel to Mars. They had already decided to forgo the inspections, allowing only three days to mount the probe to the booster rocket. This left forty-three days for JPL to build and transport the probe.

If Isolde was right and the probe could not be built in fewer than forty-eight days, Arthur would run out of food five days before the probe arrived. According to the doctors, with his already reduced caloric intake, he would likely lose consciousness after four days without food.

While Morgause and Isolde argued about whether JPL could scavenge any parts for the probe from other spacecraft, Gwen had a thought. She pulled her laptop close and opened the program NASA used to calculate trajectories. She vaguely registered Isolde shouting something about square pegs and round holes as she furiously typed numbers into the program and copied calculations onto her notepad. After several minutes of work, she gaped at her screen, heart racing.

“Um, I think I can gain us three days.” Gwen spoke up, but her voice was too quiet to be heard over the fervent shouts of the others in the room. She raised her hand, feeling a bit ridiculous, and called out, “Excuse me!”

All the eyes in the room and on the screen turned toward her, and she felt her face burning, but she gathered her courage and stood to explain her theory.

“We could use the Deep Space Gateway.” Blank stares met her, so she continued. “Instead of creating a probe that can travel all the way to Mars, we could use one of the old Orion ships to send supplies to the DSG. Then Excalibur can make a stop there to refuel and replenish their supplies and then turn around and go back to Mars to rescue Arthur.”

Gwen saw a flash of understanding light up Morgause’s face halfway through her speech, and Morgause had immediately bent over her computer to run the numbers herself.

“The position of the DSG in its orbit around the moon isn’t ideal, but Excalibur can reach the gateway on Sol 223 and then return to orbit over Mars on Sol 543. That’s still two days Arthur will be without food, but if he conserves even more during the last week or so, he can stretch those last calories.” Gwen paused. “I mean, he’ll be weak, but he should make it.”

Gwen noticed Mithian’s eyes narrow in a calculating manner. She was probably already figuring out how she would sell this to the press.

“She’s right.” Morgause snapped her head up with a grin. “This will work. Arthur is already preparing for a trip to Schiaparelli Crater, so he can use the MAV that’s already there to meet the Excalibur in orbit.” Her face fell. “That’ll mean we have to scrap the Camelot 2 mission, though.”

Percy spoke up. “Do it. I can guarantee the crew will be fine with it. They want to see Arthur come home.”

“I know you’re right, Percy, but I feel like we should get Commander Greene in on this discussion, so that when we do have to cancel his mission, at least he feels like he was consulted.” Morgause said.

Percy shrugged and muttered under his breath something that sounded like, “Hey Gwaine, you willing to let Arthur die just to save your own mission?” He opened a video chat on his laptop and soon Gwaine’s grinning face appeared on the screen.

“Hey Perce! Have you guys figured out a way to save poor potatoless Arthur, yet?”

“Possibly,” Percy said, his voice serious. “It involves sending the Excalibur back to Mars, and having Arthur--”

“Use our MAV to meet them,” Gwaine interrupted, a broad grin breaking out on his face. “Brilliant! How can I help?”

Gwen swallowed hard as a lump formed in her throat. Naturally, everyone knew every astronaut was willing to make sacrifices to help their fellow astronauts, but it was one thing to feel certain Gwaine would be willing to give up the mission he had trained so hard for, and something else entirely to see him jump in without hesitation, ready to roll his sleeves up and do whatever it took to bring Arthur home.

After a brief discussion between Morgause, Percy, and Gwaine, it was decided that Gwaine would lead a small crew on Orion 2 to the Deep Space Gateway, where they would meet the Camelot 1 crew and help them to refuel and replenish their supplies in order to return to Mars to save Arthur.

“Commander Greene, your cooperation will not be forgotten,” Annis said as they finished up the planning session.

Gwaine simply waved one hand, dismissing the director’s promise. “I'm sure I'll make it to Mars someday, but even if I don't, Arthur’s life is more important.”

*****

Merlin ground his teeth, his stomach sick with nerves as he waited for Morgana to arrive in the workroom. She had called the crew together saying she had news from NASA. When she’d called him over the intercom, Merlin couldn't read her tone. He needed to know whether NASA had come up with a plan to get more food to Arthur, or whether they had decided there was no hope and were giving up.

The others were busy debating different strategies they thought NASA might consider, but Merlin couldn't focus on what they were saying. He stared at the doorway, watching for their commander.

After what felt like several hours, Morgana finally walked in. She must have known Merlin would be on edge, because she immediately gave him a reassuring nod. Relief flooded through him, but his stomach did not completely unknot; although Morgana’s nod indicated NASA was not giving up, she wasn't smiling, so the solution they had come up with must not be without complications.

“Give us the good news!” Elena, ever the optimist, clasped her hands together. “Tell us there's a plan to help Arthur.”

“There is,” Morgana said. She still wasn’t smiling, and the others were starting to notice her hesitation as well.

“So what’s the problem?” Lance asked.

Morgana joined them at the table and took a deep breath. “They need us to go back to Mars.”

After a brief moment of silence, Elyan said firmly, “Done.”

“It will extend our time away from home by almost two years.”

“Done.” Elyan spoke even more emphatically.

Finally, Morgana smiled. “I’d like to take a vote.”

“Yes,” Elyan and Merlin both said simultaneously, and Morgana sighed, giving them a half-smile, indicating that she had already known what their votes would be.

She focused her attention, instead, on Elena and Lance, both of whom had significant others at home who might object to their loved ones being away for much longer than originally planned. “I thought you might like to talk with Ewan and Gwen before we vote.”

Elena shook her head. “Ewan would want us to save Arthur. There’s no question about it. I vote yes.”

All eyes turned to Lance, and Morgana said, “Going back will mean postponing your wedding. Talk to Gwen. I think I know what she’s going to say, but please talk to her first.”

Lance simply smiled. “I’ve already talked to her. The bigwigs wanted our commander to be the one to tell us the plan, but Gwen couldn’t help herself this morning when we talked. Us going back for Arthur was her idea. She’s completely on board. I vote yes.”

Something that might have been either a laugh or a sob bubbled up from Merlin’s throat. They were going to rescue Arthur. He wouldn’t have to wait four years to see him again.

Morgana let out a pinched, “Thank you,” and Merlin was surprised to see her openly showing emotions in front of her crew, but he knew she still felt guilty about leaving Arthur behind. Hearing everyone say they were willing to sacrifice two years of their lives to go back for him must have meant a lot to her. She pulled herself together quickly, though, and explained the plan to the group. The plan was a good one, except for one complication.

“As you know, the Deep Space Gateway orbits around the moon, and the problem is that when we arrive, it will be between the Earth and the moon. Ideally, it would be on our side, so we could shave two more days off the journey. Arthur will run out of food two days before we return, so they’ll have to cut back on his rations even more for the last week. He’ll be down to fewer than 1000 calories per day, and the NASA doctors are concerned that he may not have the strength or mental ability to make the necessary preparations to the MAV in order to launch into orbit to meet us.”

Merlin’s mind reeled at this news. By the time they returned to Mars, Arthur would have been living on 1200 calories of potatoes each day for months. He would either run out of vitamins or have to ration his vitamin consumption. A diet of mostly carbohydrates would keep him alive, but not strong. With so few calories those last days, Arthur’s already weakened body would be severely affected. He might become listless and lose his will to fight. All because the DSG wasn’t in the right position. Surely Arthur didn’t need to starve simply because of orbital timing.

“Merlin?” Morgana asked, waving a hand in front of him.

Everyone was looking at him, and he realized Morgana must have asked him a question. He responded absently, “What?” and she asked her question again. He vaguely registered that she wanted his opinion about the diagnosis from the doctors at NASA, but he still wasn’t fully listening. He was picturing in his mind the lunar orbit of the DSG and wishing he could simply grab onto the station and pull it along the orbit to a more suitable location.

“Do you think Arthur can do it?” Morgana prompted him.

“Arthur can do anything,” Merlin answered automatically, and Morgana tilted her head, looking at Merlin sadly. She suddenly seemed dubious about Merlin’s ability to be objective on matters relating to Arthur. But Merlin continued, “But he won’t have to. I can get us those two days back - maybe more. With your help, Morgana. And a little help from some sorcerers on Earth, too.

Morgana’s face lit up. “You can?”

“It’s simple.” Merlin held out one hand and gave a magical push, sending Elyan’s notebook sliding across the table. Then before it reached the edge, he switched spells in his head and pulled the notebook back until it rested just in front of Morgana. “You and I can pull the DSG along its orbit toward us at the same time as Morgause and maybe a few others push it away from Earth. Then we won’t have to go to the other side of the moon. Or we could even pull it out of its orbit and save even more days. We’ll just put it back later.”

With an exasperated scoff, Morgana said, “Sure. Or why don’t you just pull Mars closer to us and we can pick him up tomorrow.”

“It’ll work, Morgana,” Merlin insisted. “We can’t change the position of any planets or moons without affecting the people on Earth, but the DSG is a manmade object we put into space in the first place, so changing its location won’t have any effect on anyone.”

“Yes, I know that, Merlin. What I meant was, summoning an object from across the room is simple enough, but changing the position of an entire space station from hundreds of miles away without ripping it to shreds is impossible. Even with magic.”

“No, it isn’t.” Merlin was starting to get irritated with Morgana’s narrow-mindedness. “We’ve built communications equipment that uses magic to reach thousands of miles across space to grab radio waves. Why can’t we grab a space station?”

They argued for several more minutes about the spells that would be required and the safety issues they would have to consider, until Merlin finally realized the main problem Morgana seemed to have was a lack of confidence in her ability to perform such powerful magic.

“We can do it, Morgana,” Merlin almost whispered. “I know we can.”

With a heavy sigh, Morgana played her last card. “Even if we could, we wouldn’t get approval. Director Caerleon would never agree to it.”

Heart racing, Merlin said quietly, “Then we do it without asking.”

Morgana was quiet for a moment. She glanced around the table at the other crew members who each looked back at her with hopeful smiles. She pursed her lips together, and Merlin could tell she was holding back a smile herself. “Okay. This is actual mutiny, you know, but let’s give it a shot.”

Merlin’s heart exploded with affection for his now rogue commander. His face split into a huge grin as Lance clapped him on the back. Elyan reached out to shake Morgana’s hand, and Elena actually gave a cheer.

*****

“We’re coming back for you.”

“You’re doing what?”

After spending two rather depressing days convinced that he was doomed to die on Mars, Arthur was afraid he’d misheard Merlin; although he did have a glimmer of hope, since even through the computer screen, the brightness of Merlin’s smile threatened to blind him.

“We’re coming back to get you, Arthur.”

“You are?” Arthur couldn’t help laughing out loud. “How?”

Merlin explained the plan to Arthur. “So you’ll use the MAV that’s already waiting for the Camelot 2 mission to meet us in orbit above Mars.”

“But that means scrapping the next mission,” Arthur realized, his stomach dropping. “Gwaine must be crushed.”

Shaking his head, Merlin said, “Not at all. He’s leading the crew to bring supplies for us to the DSG. According to Gwen, he volunteered without a second thought.”

A lump formed in Arthur’s throat, and for a moment he couldn’t respond, thinking about so many people sacrificing so much just to rescue him. Who was he to deserve such dedication?

“Arthur.” Merlin’s voice was tender. He must have noticed Arthur’s moment of self-doubt. “This is what people do. When a tornado crashes through a neighborhood, the community show up with their toolboxes to rebuild. When a fire destroys a family’s home, neighbors dig into their closets to replace any item that was lost. During floods, every guy with a fishing boat comes in to rescue people stranded by the rising water. We take care of each other during times of crisis.”

Arthur thought about all the times he had watched on the news as a community rallied together during an emergency. He remembered a time in college when a pair of students went missing on a camping trip, and he had joined the search party to comb the woods until they were found. Professors canceled classes and local restaurants donated food and water to aid in the rescue efforts. He supposed this was no different.

“I guess it’s not really Arthur Pendragon that everyone is working so hard to save. It’s just a fellow human being,” Arthur said.

When he thought about it from that point of view, it actually made Arthur feel a little better about the amount of resources and time being poured into his rescue. But his explanation seemed to have the opposite effect on Merlin, who looked back at him, suddenly pensive.

“Of course we’d put this effort into rescuing anyone stranded on another planet, but…” Merlin glanced down, pursing his lips. “Some of us are pouring our hearts into this because it’s Arthur Pendragon we’re saving. Because we can’t imagine our life without you in it.”

When Merlin looked back at Arthur, his expression raw and open, Arthur flushed and felt his pulse quicken. They had danced around their growing feelings for one another for weeks now, but had never addressed them directly. Merlin’s wide eyes and hopeful smile, though, gave Arthur the courage to finally express what he truly felt.

“You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now.”

Merlin beamed and let out a breathy laugh, and Arthur’s palms tingled. They both looked away from the screen and started to chuckle nervously. Arthur glanced back to see Merlin still smiling but also unable to meet Arthur’s eyes for more than a second or two. Soon, however, the awkwardness passed and Merlin nodded.

“Four hundred twenty-two days.”

Arthur looked back solemnly and repeated, “Four hundred twenty-two days.”

That afternoon when Arthur did his EVA to complete his repairs to the Hab, he found himself walking with a spring in his step. Fourteen months was a long time to wait for a kiss, and Arthur still had a lot of work to do to prepare for his trip to Camelot 2’s MAV. There were still hundreds of things that could go wrong. But that morning he had been certain that he would starve to death, alone on Mars. And now his friends were coming to get him. Hope once again swelled in Arthur’s chest, giving him the strength he needed to carry on.

*****

June 9, 2041

The launch of Orion was a success! I was in Mission Control as Gwaine, Freya, and Kara launched from Florida this morning. Of course, there’s risk with every launch, but this time we had extra concerns, because the cargo space was loaded to capacity. They needed every bit of space and weight to include the supplies Lance and the others will need in order to make it to Mars and back. Usually the Orion would have a crew of four to six, but since they needed all the weight for food and supplies, they could only have three people on board. Also, Morgause insisted that two of the astronauts be sorcerers in case they ran into unexpected problems, since this mission was entirely planned and prepared in just 104 days! But everything went well, and they’re on their way to the DSG to meet the Excalibur.

Speaking of… I also got to be in the room when Morgause and Mordred worked with Merlin and Morgana to reach into space with their magic and completely reposition an entire space station! That was incredible! They had everything worked out beforehand… Gaius helped them with some of the spells, because, surprisingly, they needed some obscure, ancient spell to get the control they needed. Gaius tried to explain it to me how the ancient sorcerers used those spells to call upon the power of the stars to control the weather or something… it was a really long explanation, and I didn’t follow everything. When Gaius talks about the history of magic, it gets really long and involved!

Anyway, when they started their spells, I got chills! It was breathtaking to hear all four of them chanting in unison, and I swear I could feel the magic sparking in the air. It made the hair on my arms stand on end! I’m so glad I got to witness that!

Director Caerleon was pissed when she found out what they had done! She and Morgause had a shouting match in middle of the hallway outside Mission Control, but since it was already done, there wasn’t anything Annis could do but complain about them acting without permission. Although, I swear I saw her smiling when she walked away afterward.

I’m sort of sad that we had to postpone our wedding, but also sort of thrilled that Lance and I get to be a part of this rescue. The whole world is watching every step of the way and cheering for Arthur’s safe return! It’s going to be hard not seeing Lance again for two more years, but seeing Arthur come home will make it all worthwhile!

*****

Physician’s Personal Log
Mission Day 349

I’ve just completed all my final checks before we arrive at the DSG, and I have to say, everyone’s spirits are very high! We haven’t seen anyone but each other in eleven months, so even though we’ll only be at the space station with Gwaine, Freya, and Kara for one day, we’re all excited about that day!

So far everything is going smoothly. The Orion arrived at the DSG five days ago, and they unloaded all the supplies so everything is ready for us to load onto the Excalibur. And then, back to Mars to get Arthur!

*****

“Hey Arthur, I can’t talk long. We’re docking with the DSG in two hours!”

“I know,” Arthur said. “I’m so jealous you get to see other human beings!”

Merlin laughed distractedly as he double checked the collection of medical supplies he planned to take with him to the DSG to exchange for fresh supplies. NASA had only provided enough paracetamol for one trip to Mars, not two, and the crew had gone through more sleeping pills than expected during the time they had believed Arthur was dead.

“Are you excited to see the DSG? The robotics onboard are amazing!”

“Mmm.” Merlin wasn’t really processing what Arthur had said, because he thought for a moment he hadn’t packed the sharps container with used needles, but then he spotted it in the supply bin under the shrink-wrapped pouch of medical waste.

“Hey, you’re busy,” Arthur said. “We can talk after you get back.”

Arthur was trying to sound like he didn’t mind that Merlin was distracted, but Merlin detected a slight current of sadness in his tone, so he pushed aside the supply bin and sat down to give Arthur his full attention.

“Sorry about that. Yeah, no, I’m excited to go check out the space station. I remember reading about the robotic maintenance system that was installed, since the station would sit unmanned most of the time.” Merlin felt himself perking up as he talked about the new adventure they were about to have. “And I’m definitely excited to see the others. I don’t know Freya or Kara that well, but Gwaine is a kick. He always makes me laugh!”

Merlin grinned at Arthur, but in return, Arthur barely lifted the corners of his mouth. He responded with a vague “hmm,” and Merlin wondered what had caused his sudden mood shift. Then he realized Arthur had shut down when he complimented Gwaine, who had a reputation for hitting on anyone with a pulse. Gwaine flirted relentlessly with Morgana in the mess hall at the training center, but he had also tossed dozens of pick-up lines at both Merlin and Arthur. Merlin had even seen Gwaine flirt with Director Caerleon on more than one occasion!

“Arthur, you said you were jealous. Are you jealous of us seeing new people, or are you jealous of me hanging out with Gwaine?” Merlin tried unsuccessfully to hold back a smirk.

Arthur gave a sheepish shrug. “I’m not sure?”

So Merlin chuckled gently. “Look, if that’s what you’re worried about… don’t.” Arthur glanced up, the sparkle returning to his eyes. “He can flirt with me all he wants, but he’s just a famous astronaut with fabulous hair. How could he possibly compete with Martian Royalty?”

They both laughed, but Arthur’s face soon fell again with a heavy sigh. “I wish I didn’t have to wait ten more months to see you.”

Later when the Excalibur docked with the DSG and the crews of both spacecrafts reunited, Merlin took lots of pictures to send to Arthur, so he wouldn’t feel quite so left out. After they had transferred all the supplies, everyone sat in the dining area of the Excalibur to share a meal, and Merlin specifically photographed Gwaine sitting next to Morgana, his arm slung around her shoulders, to show Arthur that he needn’t worry, since on this day at least, Gwaine seemed only to have eyes for his sister!

*****

Engineer’s Log: Sol 440

Well, the rovers are all loaded up, and I’m almost ready to leave the Hab. I’m a little sad, actually. This old Hab’s been a great home for much longer than it was supposed to be. This tiny little habitat in the middle of the Martian desert kept me alive!

When NASA renamed Acidalia Planitia, I think that was good luck for me. Avalon means “the isle of fruit.” While my potato plants weren’t exactly fruit trees, they did keep me alive. In Arthurian legend, Avalon was an island that created all things itself; it protected King Arthur just as my Avalon protected me.

I’m not sure when NASA might send another crew to this location, and I don’t know what sort of shape the Hab will be in when they arrive, but I want to do something to leave my mark. A sort of “Arthur was here,” if you will.

*****

Arthur emailed his last log entry to NASA and then logged off. The rover had its own computer, so he was leaving this one behind. He hoped it would survive. Even though NASA already had copies of all the records of his time here on Mars, the logs saved on the computer felt the most personal. He hoped one day future astronauts would be able to read his journal from the actual computer where he sat, typing out everything from bored musings on Morgana’s taste in television programmes to his genuine fears about his own survival.

Before he suited up for his last EVA from the Hab to the rover, Arthur pulled out a Sharpie and drew a picture and wrote a short quote on the wall beside the microwave where he had cooked hundreds of potatoes.

When he awoke that morning, Arthur felt excited and full of hope, but as the time drew closer for him to leave behind the Hab that had kept him safe for more than a year, he found himself feeling more and more frightened. So many things could still go wrong. He still had to travel 3200 kilometers across the desert. His rover and trailer had to hold up across terrain that had never been traveled on before. What if he hit an unknown obstacle? What if the solar panels didn’t provide enough energy? What if there was another storm?

Even if everything went right and Arthur was able to climb into the MAV and rise from the surface of Mars, there might be trouble meeting up with the Excalibur. What if Arthur had survived for 540 sols alone on this planet only to die trying to get off of it?

With these thoughts haunting him, Arthur pulled on the heavy EVA suit and gloves. Before he put his helmet on, Arthur indulged his melancholy mood with a final stroll around the Hab. Each spot he passed flooded his mind with memories of his time on Mars: the now sealed exit to the room where his potato crop had grown, the work table where he spent so many hours making plans for his escape, his lonely bunk where he had lain, watching more sitcoms than he ever thought he would, and the empty bunks of the crewmates he hoped to rejoin soon. He paused at Merlin’s bunk, running his hand across the blanket with a smile. He was grateful for all the video chats they had shared over the last year, and he was excited to see his friend again face to face.

Arthur pulled on his helmet and clicked it into place. He walked to the airlock, ready to leave the Hab for good, but he couldn’t help turning around for one last glance at the kitchen where he had left his final mark: a simple drawing of a crown and a few words from Sir Thomas Malory, “King Arthur is not dead… here in this world, he changed his life.”

As Arthur walked across the red dirt to climb into the rover, he gave a silent plea. Avalon, I hope you live up to your name. King Arthur is ready to rise again.

*****

“I loathe cold potatoes.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

From the way Merlin chuckled, Arthur decided he didn’t fully understand the severity of Arthur’s hatred of this particular vegetable.

“For the last year, I have eaten nothing but potatoes. Ten months ago, I ran out of ketchup, so I’ve been eating them dry. Do you understand? Nothing but dry, mealy potatoes three times a day for months. And now I can’t even heat them up!”

Arthur was aware that his voice was rising, and that he had long passed whinge status and had arrived at full-on rant, but he also knew Merlin didn’t mind.

“First I had to cook 1692 potatoes, which took several days! Then I tossed them outside and froze them before I packed them into the rover. So for the next ninety-five sols, I have nothing to eat but cold, hard potatoes. If I ever get back to earth, I will never eat another potato again,” Arthur declared. “In fact, I never want to see another potato for as long as I live.”

“Complete potato famine at Arthur’s house. Got it.”

“That is correct, sir.” Arthur grinned at Merlin, grateful to have a friend who was always willing to listen to even his most mundane frustrations.

“So, other than your perfectly reasonable hatred of cold potatoes, how are things going?”

“Fine, I guess.” Arthur sighed. “Every day is pretty much the same. I get up. Fold up my tent. Stack the solar cells onto the trailer and drive for four hours. Then I stop, drag out the solar panels again, set up my tent, check all the equipment and wait to do it all again.”

Merlin gave him a sympathetic smile.

“Oh, but tomorrow’s an Air Day,” Arthur said with fake enthusiasm. “So instead of packing everything up in the morning, I’ll set up the oxygenator and let it clean up my air so I don’t suffocate in the next five days. I’ll be stuck sitting in the tent all day, but, at least I don’t have to mess with the solar panels, since they’ll still be set up from today. Oh, and I’ll have Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer to keep me company.”

“Well, you better treat all your equipment gently or you know what will happen.”

Merlin was smirking, but Arthur had no idea what he was getting at. “Uh, what?”

“No soup for you!”

Arthur snorted. “That doesn’t even make sense, Merlin.”

Laughing, Merlin said, “What do you want from me? I’ve never seen the show. That’s the only quote I know.”

“A better reference would have been to ask if, with all this downtime, I’m still master of my domain.”

“What does that mean?”

“Never mind,” Arthur said, biting back a smile. “I better get to sleep. I’ve got a long day of sitting around ahead of me.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in ninety-five days.”

“Ninety-five days.”

Just as Arthur was falling asleep that night, his computer beeped with a message from Merlin.

“I just asked Morgana about that quote. Arthur! How dare you make me have that conversation with my commander!”

*****

“So, as it turns out, Air Days are my favorite days.”

Merlin laughed. “Why’s that?”

“Well, because I have nothing to do. There are no pressing concerns for me to take care of, but I don’t feel like I’m wasting my time, because Air Day is a necessity. The oxygenator is just doing all the work for me.”

“I see.”

Merlin’s tone indicated he thought Arthur was being sarcastic, but Arthur genuinely meant what he said, so he explained: “Today I did an EVA just for the fun of it. Yesterday I entered Mawrth Vallis, but I had to get the solar cells set up and put up my tent and get the oxygenator ready, so I didn’t have time to look around much, but today I did, and Merlin, it’s spectacular!”

They exchanged grins as Arthur waxed poetic about the cliffs surrounding the valley which were layered like a cake. The rocks and clay in Mawrth Vallis were rich with minerals that created a larger variety of color than they had seen in Avalon.

“Since we weren’t supposed to be here in Mawrth Vallis, I didn’t have a specific research mission, so I got to explore and investigate on my own. In a place where no human has ever been! I was dying to collect rock samples to take back to Earth to study, but I can’t add extra weight to the rover or I’d have to recharge more often.” Arthur gave a frustrated sigh before he continued, “Now, remember, this whole valley was formed by an ancient flood, and some geologists believe these clays originated from the interaction of volcanic ash with water, so I dug around a bit and took some photos, and I wrote down notes on everything I saw. Maybe the geologists at NASA will find my observations somewhat useful.” He shrugged. “Of course, since we know there was water in this location, I was on the lookout for any hint of preserved biosignatures that might--”

Arthur stopped mid sentence, because Merlin had raised his hand to cover his mouth, and his eyes were dancing with barely contained merriment.

“What?”

“You are such a nerd.”

“Shut up, Merlin.”

*****

“Well, apparently, I’m an idiot.”

Merlin gave Arthur an indulgent smile. “You’re just now realizing this?”

“I’m going to pretend you just said, ‘Of course you’re not an idiot, Arthur! You’re surviving on minimal calories, and you’re sleep deprived, and you’ve spent several hours a day for the last year and a half doing intense calculations in order to keep yourself alive, and those things are surely affecting your ability to think clearly. In fact, I consider you to be the smartest man I know. And the most handsome.’”

“Oh, you’re right,” Merlin said, waving one hand dismissively. “Smartest, handsomest… sure.”

“That’s better,” Arthur responded with a satisfied nod. “Anyway, I had a realization today. I actually can collect rock and soil samples, because every day the rover is carrying fewer potatoes. So I collected samples today that equal the weight of all my meals so far.”

Merlin actually looked impressed. “That makes sense.”

“Although it will likely still be a waste of effort, because I’m guessing I won’t be allowed to bring them with me. Since the MAV is only designed to get to orbit, in order to reach the Excalibur it’ll have to hit escape velocity, so I reckon NASA will tell me I have to leave all my samples behind.”

“And possibly a few body parts as well.” Merlin laughed.

Arthur joined him in laughter until he realized Merlin’s chuckle was more wry than amused. “Merlin? What do you know? Has NASA sent the plans for alterations to the MAV?”

“No, not yet.” Merlin shook his head. “But Elyan and Morgana have been speculating, and we think the alterations will have to be pretty dramatic.”

Sighing heavily, Arthur closed his eyes. He was far too tired to think about all the work he still had ahead of him when he reached Schiaparelli Crater. “Well, I’ll do whatever has to be done, I suppose.”

“I know you will.”

Arthur opened his eyes to see that Merlin had leaned forward and was gazing at him almost reverently. Arthur’s throat went dry, and he felt a fluttering in his chest.

“I wasn’t lying.” Merlin spoke quietly, and Arthur thought he could see a flush rising in his cheeks. “You really are the smartest person I know.”

Arthur shook his head, unwilling to accept such a genuine compliment, but Merlin insisted, “No, I’m serious, Arthur. I don’t think I could have done everything you’ve done to keep yourself alive and get to this point.”

Embarrassed by Merlin’s admiration, Arthur scoffed. “Of course you would, Merlin. You have actual magical powers.”

Merlin persisted in his denial. “Magic can’t create food. I wouldn’t have known how to start a potato farm on Mars. It probably wouldn’t even have occurred to me! And all the engineering work you’ve done to prepare for this journey? No way could I have done all those calculations! Just hearing you talk about them gave me a headache.”

“No, you would have figured out some way to--”

“Oh, for the love of God,” Merlin interrupted. “Would you just take the compliment, you stupid clotpole!”

Arthur burst out laughing. Leave it to Merlin to insult Arthur’s intelligence in the middle of insisting that Arthur take a compliment about his intelligence.

“Ah, there’s the Merlin I know and love.”

Arthur spoke without really thinking, but Merlin’s eyes widened, and Arthur realized what he had said. He flushed and briefly considered blowing it off, but he knew that wouldn’t be honest. He did love Merlin. So he smiled and gave a half-shrug, silently asking for Merlin to accept his admission, however accidentally it was offered. Fortunately, Merlin responded in kind. He pursed his lips and nodded firmly.

“Only eighty-two more days.”

“Eighty-two more days.”

*****

Engineer’s Log: Sol 466

I keep thinking about where I’d be without magic. A few days ago, I entered a dust storm, and if it weren’t for magic, I would have been navigating by the stars and moons, and that dust storm would have thrown me seriously off course. But Merlin and Morgana did some tracking spell and have kept me on course.

And without magic, I wouldn’t even be able to communicate with the Excalibur or NASA. Actually, I might have figured out some way to communicate, but it would have been slow. And definitely without the ability to exchange photographs.

So without magic, I might be 100 km off course and not even know it yet!

Although, if you’re being picky… without magic, I’d probably be in Houston at JSC. Or maybe on one of the space stations. I definitely wouldn’t be on Mars. No one would.

Not yet.

*****

Engineer’s Log: Sol 489

So it turns out my little rover train isn’t quite as good at off-roading as I thought. I started into Schiaparelli Crater today, and everything was going as planned at first. There’s a smaller unnamed crater on the edge of Schiaparelli that provides a sort of entrance ramp that slopes gently into the main crater. I’ve officially named this crater “Entrance Crater” because I’m the king of Mars, and I can do that sort of thing.

Anyway, even though the slope of Entrance Crater is only a two degree grade, which really is nothing, the surface of the slope is not smooth. What with it not being paved and all. So I was halfway down this slope when my rover hit a dip and lost traction and started to slide. Sideways. I was terrified that it would roll. Seriously, my heart was pounding so hard, it could probably be heard from the moons.

But somehow, the rovers didn’t roll. Rover 1 and my trailer slid, bumping over rocks and slipping back and forth on loose dirt until we finally hit a larger rock that stopped us.

After my heart rate returned to somewhat close to normal, I realized… the magical protections on the rovers that keep them clear of dust and debris must have also prevented them from rolling.

Once again, magic saved my butt!

I’m off the edge of the entrance ramp, though, and the slope is too steep here to drive either up or down. So tomorrow I’ll have to dig a lateral cut across the slope so I can rejoin the ramp. And then I’ll drive slower. Cutting back from 25 km/hr to 5 km/hr so I’ll have more control and this won’t happen again. The magical protections kept me from rolling once, but I can’t depend on them completely.

*****

Engineer’s Log: Sol 495

5 km/hr is miserably slow. Seriously, it was like being stuck in Houston traffic at rush hour, creeping along at a snail’s pace. Except without all the other cars, honking and weaving in front of you all the time. But I finally made it! I’m here in the middle of Schiaparelli Crater, and I can see the MAV! I haven’t gone to check it out yet, but NASA has it broadcasting a homing signal, so I know it’s got power at least.

Hopefully tonight Morgana will finally give me the plans NASA has come up with for any alterations I’ll need to make to get the MAV going fast enough to meet up with the Excalibur.

*****

“Uh… Say that again?”

“NASA wants you to remove all extra equipment from the MAV, including five of the seats, the life support tanks, pumps, heaters, air lines, the insulation, three of the five batteries, three redundant thrusters, the secondary comm system, and the windows, panel nineteen, and the nose airlock. I know it sounds dramatic, Arthur, but in order to reach escape velocity, you have to remove over 5,000 kilograms from the MAV.”

Arthur thought Morgana must have been joking when she read him the list the first time, but apparently NASA was serious. They were going to launch him from the surface of Mars in a tin can without the lid.

“They want me to fly into space with a giant hole in the front of my ship?”

Morgana looked down for a moment, her eyes scanning the document NASA had sent. “No, actually, they want you to cover it with Hab canvas.”

Barking out a laugh, Arthur raised a hand to his head. “Oh that’s much better. I’ll be the first to travel through space under a tarp.”

As she scanned the document, Morgana raised her eyebrows. “Oh, and you’ll also need to electrolyze your water to make fuel.”

“Sure,” Arthur said, no longer surprised by anything NASA wanted him to do. “I guess I’ll just drink air.”

“You have five hundred and fifty liters, and you only need fifty liters for the time you have left. And even that, you’ll only need to borrow for a while.” She looked up at him with a smirk.

It only took Arthur a moment to realize what she meant. “Ah. My ship will be fueled by my own piss. Lovely.”

“No, Arthur,” Morgana said in her most superior, big sister voice. She was enjoying this a little too much. “The MAV creates its own fuel from the Martian atmosphere. It just needs a bit more hydrogen. So your ship won’t be fueled by your urine, just the hydrogen from it.”

Arthur rolled his eyes, starting to lose his patience. “Yes, I realize that, thanks.”

Morgana leaned forward and switched to a more tender tone. “I know it’s overwhelming. You’ve come this far, and now you have to completely overhaul the MAV. It’s a lot of work, and it sounds scary, but this,” She raised her tablet with the instructions on it, “is the result of thousands of hours of work and testing and creative thinking by the staff of JPL. They want to bring you home. Everybody’s pulling for you. Their plan will work. They’ve tested everything. And we all have faith in you to follow through.”

As she spoke, Arthur felt his shoulders relaxing and his heart rate calming. As annoying as it sometimes was having to follow commands from his big sister, she really was the best person for the job. She instinctively knew when to be firm and when to be gentle with her crew. Yes, the plan for overhauling the MAV sounded insane, but she was right. Dozens of people had spent the last few months poring over every detail, and Arthur trusted them.

“Thanks, Morgana.”

She smiled. “You’re welcome.” And her voice shifted immediately to her command tone. “I’ve sent you the instructions from NASA, so you need to get to work on the MAV. Four hours per day of EVA time isn’t much, and you’ve only got forty-five days left.”

“Aye, Commander.” Arthur saluted. His tone was mocking, but he gave one last appreciative nod before he closed the video chat and opened the NASA document so he could get to work.

*****

“Elyan hasn’t killed you once in the last twenty-four days.”

“Good to know,” Arthur said, confused at Merlin’s random declaration. “Explain, please.”

Merlin laughed. “He’s been running simulations so he’ll be prepared for anything when he remote pilots the MAV tomorrow. Lance came up with all sorts of scenarios and problems that might occur. Most of the time, Elyan handled everything beautifully, but he did kill you a few times early on.”

Warm affection for his crewmates filled Arthur. Everyone had been working so hard these last few months to prepare for his rescue, and he knew what a perfectionist Elyan was. He could imagine Elyan lying awake the nights after a sim didn’t go well, replaying every detail in his mind until he knew exactly what to do the next time.

“But he hasn’t killed me for almost a month now?”

“Nope. And the last time was a tricky one. Lance gave him a malfunctioning altitude readout and made Engine Three cut out too early. That’s a highly unlikely combination.”

Arthur chuckled. Lance really put Elyan through the wringer. “But I bet he knows how to handle that now!”

“Oh, yes.” Merlin nodded. “That and hundreds of other unlikely malfunctions and surprises. He’s ready for anything. We all are.”

They sat silently for a moment, and Arthur mentally debated how he should respond. There were several serious and deeply emotional things he wanted to say to Merlin, but here on his last night, he was already so anxious about the launch tomorrow that he was unlikely to sleep restfully. If he spent his last video chat with Merlin making amorous declarations in case things went wrong, he was certain to replay the conversation in his mind all night, and then he wouldn’t sleep at all. So he decided to keep things light.

“Well, I’m ready, too. I’ve put all the rock and soil samples I collected in a container in case NASA sends another crew to this location. I’ve converted all my piss into rocket fuel. I ripped apart a three billion dollar space ship. And I never have to eat another potato for as long as I live.”

“Hurrah!” Merlin cheered, laughing. “Well, we’ve got your favorite food packs waiting for you, so tomorrow, you can eat fish curry, pears and chocolate pudding if you want. Although as your doctor, I would highly recommend you start with some milder dishes the first few days until your stomach readjusts to normal food.”

Arthur’s stomach gurgled at the thought of real food, but Merlin was probably right about easing back into his old diet. So tomorrow, he’d probably be better off with chicken soup. Tomorrow. Even after all the preparations and counting down days, Arthur could hardly believe he would be leaving Mars tomorrow.

Merlin must have caught the unintentional shift in Arthur’s mood. “You do realize that when I see you tomorrow, I’m going to hug you so tight, I might break your ribs. And I’m never letting go, either. We’ll just have to spend the rest of our journey holding hands in the Excalibur like those annoying high school couples who block traffic in the hallways showing off their new love.”

A rush of adoration threatened to overwhelm Arthur. Of course Merlin would find a way to make the amorous declarations Arthur both desired and feared, while still keeping the mood light on his last night. They both knew the dangers involved in both the launch and the rendezvous with the Excalibur. They both knew there was a strong possibility they would never actually get to pursue this relationship. But they also both knew there was no point in dwelling on those negative thoughts. So they kept their focus on hope. The hope that they would be together again soon.

So they said their goodnights as they had for the last year.

“One more day.”

Arthur felt like Merlin’s grin on the screen lit up the entire rover.

“One more day.”

*****

Gwen awoke early on the morning Arthur was supposed to leave Mars. Since she couldn't sleep anyway, she decided to head to JSC. She wasn't working Mission Control, but Morgause had told her she could be in the room, so she would get the updates in real time.

When she walked in, the room was quiet. At six in the morning, she expected to find only the typical overnight skeleton crew, but she wasn't surprised to find Percy already sitting at the Flight Director’s desk and Morgause sitting next to him. They waved Gwen over to join them.

“Is there anything I could be doing to help prepare for later?” Gwen asked.

“Not a thing.” Morgause sighed. “That's what's so frustrating about this operation. There's nothing we can do from here.”

“She's not accustomed to being useless.” Percy glanced sidelong at Gwen. “So in spite of her insistence that we can't do anything from here, she keeps asking me to run simulations.”

“Excuse me? You were already here running simulations on your own when I arrived at 5:15.”

Clearly, Gwen wasn’t the only one feeling frightened and agitated. She tuned out the arguments of Percy and Morgause and looked up at the screens on the front wall. One screen showed the position of Excalibur in space. The ship was due to arrive at the intercept point above Mars in six hours, fourteen minutes, and thirty seconds. The MAV launch would be forty-two minutes before that. Forty-two minutes. It didn’t seem possible that the entire rescue mission would take place in such a short amount of time.

Gwen thought about the vast number of man-hours over the last few months that had gone into preparing for those forty-two minutes. Scientists, technicians and astronauts at both NASA and JPL had poured their hearts into making sure the Excalibur was well-stocked and ready for its return to Mars, completely redesigning the MAV so it would be able to launch Arthur farther into space than the MAV was ever designed to fly, and running endless simulations of every step of the entire process so the crew was prepared to deal with problems that might arise during the intercept.

So many people had shared their talents, willingly working hours overtime; the US government had dedicated millions of dollars; the Camelot 2 crew had sacrificed their own mission; and the crew of Camelot 1 had given up two years of their lives, all to bring Arthur home.

And in just over six hours, the world would be watching as they discovered whether their efforts had paid off. Gwen closed her eyes and offered a silent prayer that everything would go smoothly and that, by this afternoon, she would be able to video chat with Arthur and his crewmates together on the Excalibur as they finally began their journey home.

*****

Engineer’s Log: Sol 540

Here we go. My last log entry from Mars. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared to death.

If something does go wrong, I hope it’s quick. I’d much rather explode in a blaze of glory than miss the Excalibur and just float away until I run out of air. I saw that happen to someone in a movie once, and it haunted me for weeks. No, thank you.

I can’t believe I’m about to leave Mars. This desolate planet has been my home for a year and a half. I was only supposed to be here for a month. And I was supposed to have five crewmates with me. That first night when I woke up after the storm and found that I was all alone, I was ready to die here. But I fought back. I had the strength to find a way to survive. And to face multiple setbacks. I guess the human will to live is a pretty powerful thing.

I will always remember my time on Mars as long days of routine and boredom, broken up by moments of sheer terror. And I will look back on these days with pride. I am proud of all I accomplished here. Everything I did to survive all alone on this harsh planet.

But I have to say, I’m more than ready to look back on these days and this planet. I’m ready to go home.

King Arthur happily relinquishes his throne.

*****

Arthur sat in his acceleration seat aboard the MAV, looking up at the Hab canvas that now covered the nose section. The control panel that would have been in front of him was gone. It felt weird not to have anything to do as the rest of his crewmates prepared for his launch.

He was shaking with nerves. Was it the lack of control making him so anxious? Or the fact that he would soon be flying faster than any human ever had? Or that there were at least a hundred different ways he might die in the next hour?

“Three more minutes, Arthur,” Morgana reminded him through his headset. “Are you ready?”

“More than ready,” Arthur answered, his voice wavering.

“Elyan’s got you, Arthur.” Morgana spoke gently, reassuringly. “And remember, you’ll be pulling a lot of g’s, so you’ll probably pass out. That’s okay.”

Arthur drew a deep, shaky breath and tried to lift his head to look out the window for one last look at Mars. He could not express how ready he was to leave this planet, but still, he knew he would never be returning, so he was feeling a bit nostalgic. Although he was strapped down and couldn’t move much, he was able to catch a glimpse of the red cliffs along the horizon. So long, Mars. It’s been quite an adventure.

Closing his eyes, Arthur waited. He thought about seeing Merlin and feeling his arms pull him in for his promised hug. He felt his nerves calm as he pictured Merlin’s smiling face.

“T-minus ten.” Lance’s voice was jarring over the headset, and Arthur started shaking again. “Nine… eight…”

“Main engines start,” said Elyan.

“...seven… six… five… Mooring clamps released.” Tears poured down Arthur’s cheeks, and he clenched his teeth against his sobs.

“About five seconds, Arthur.” His sister’s voice helped to ground him. “Hang on.”

“Four… three… two… one.”

The MAV rumbled beneath Arthur, and then suddenly, it launched with extraordinary force. Arthur was pressed into his seat so hard, he could feel the metal structure beneath its cushions. He could barely draw a breath. The Hab canvas directly above him flapped violently. As the acceleration increased and his vision started to blur, Arthur couldn’t seem to remember why he should care about flapping canvas.

And then everything went black.

*****

Merlin stood in his space suit in airlock 2 with Elena, ready to intercept Arthur in forty minutes. Arthur had stopped responding over their headsets, so he had most likely passed out -- twelve g’s would make anyone pass out -- but Merlin wouldn’t be able to breathe easy until he heard Arthur’s voice again.

He stared down at the planet below them as if he could catch a glimpse of the MAV as it sped through the Mars atmosphere. Elena reached over and grasped his arm, nodding reassuringly. They didn’t speak, because they didn’t want to distract the others as Elyan flew the MAV and Lance and Morgana kept an eye on the readouts.

“Velocity seven hundred and forty-one meters per second,” Lance said. “Altitude thirteen hundred and fifty meters.”

“Copy,” Elyan responded.

“That’s too low.” Morgana sounded worried, and Merlin’s heart dropped.

“I know,” Elyan said. “It’s not responding like it should. I’m not getting enough power.”

Elena’s grip on Merlin’s arm tightened.

“Velocity eight hundred and fifty, altitude eighteen hundred and forty-three,” Lance reported.

“That’s still too low.” Morgana’s voice was urgent.

“I’m doing the best I can!” Elyan insisted. “It’s sluggish, like I’m trying to fly an elephant.”

“Might be drag?” Morgana wondered. “Hopefully it’ll improve when he gets out of the atmosphere.”

Merlin kept his eyes trained on Mars, his magic tingling beneath the surface of his skin, itching to help, but at this point, there was nothing he could do.

“It’s getting smoother now. More responsive.” Elyan sounded cautiously relieved. “Main engine cutoff in fifteen seconds.”

“He’s well below target altitude, but his velocity’s good,” Lance said.

“How far below the target is he?” Morgana asked.

Lance said something about using radar pings to work out Arthur’s final orbit, and Elyan counted down the engine shutdown, but Merlin was having trouble focusing on the specific details. Something had gone wrong. His fingers twitched as if they wanted to reach into space and pull Arthur into the correct orbit.

“I’ve got it,” Lance began. “Intercept velocity will be eleven meters per second, and distance will be... “ he faltered. “Oh… we’ll be sixty-eight kilometers apart.”

The radio was silent as this news sunk in. Elena and Merlin looked at one another, eyes wide. She mouthed, “Kilometers?”

“Damn it.” Elyan was the first to speak.

But their commander quickly took over. “All right. Let’s focus. We have thirty-nine minutes until intercept. The MAV has no more power, so we have to get to him. Elena, how far can we deflect in thirty-nine minutes with the ion engines?”

Elena closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating, and then answered, “Maybe five kilometers?”

“That isn’t enough,” Morgana said. “Elyan, could we use the altitude thrusters?”

But Merlin had a better idea. “Hang on.” He pressed his hand to the side of the airlock, focused on the connections to the ion engines, and pushed a burst of magical power into them. The Excalibur leapt forward, accelerating just enough to hopefully push them into Arthur’s orbit. “Lance, check the readings now.”

“Intercept range is zero,” he said. “Nice work, Merlin. Oh--”

Merlin didn’t like the sound of that oh. “What is it?”

“The range is zero, but the intercept velocity is now forty-two meters per second. Can you use magic to slow us down when we get there?”

Running through spells in his head, Merlin answered hesitantly, “I think so?”

“Do you think you can, or are you certain?” Morgana pressed him. “If you’re not certain, we need a backup plan.”

Merlin sighed. He wasn’t certain. Before he could respond, Morgana insisted, “Let’s hope Merlin’s magic can slow us down enough, but in the meantime, we have thirty-nine minutes to come up with another way.”

For the next few minutes, Merlin focused on selecting a spell to decellerate a spaceship that was hurtling through space with him on it. If he were on another ship or even on the surface of the planet below, he thought he could do it. But the fact that he was moving at the same velocity as the object he wanted to slow down took away some of his control.

He was considering a spell to reach out to Mars and push against the surface when he vaguely registered that Morgana was asking Elena if she could make a bomb with ingredients they had on board.

“Hold up, Morgana,” Merlin said. “Why do you need a bomb?”

“We need to blow the outer door off the vehicular airlock, so we can use the thrust created by the escaping air to slow us down.”

Merlin took a moment to process the physics of what Morgana described. He thought he saw where she was going, but, “Why do you need a bomb to open the outer door?”

“Because we can’t open both doors at the same time remotely, and we can’t have someone manually override it, because they’ll be sucked into space.”

“Uh… Morgana?” She must be so focused on her plan B as a complete alternative to Merlin’s magic as plan A that she was forgetting something.

“Oh, damn it!” There it was. “Elena, forget the bomb. I can just magic the door off.”

Merlin wished he could test his theory of magically pushing against the planet to slow them down, but he couldn’t do it too soon, or they wouldn’t reach Arthur in time. As he tried to work out the details of his spell and the others worked out the logistics of their plan, Morgana periodically checked in with Arthur to see whether he had awoken.

Finally, one of her calls got a mumbled response. “I’m here. I mean, copy.”

“Arthur!” Morgana sounded as relieved as Merlin felt. “How are you?”

“I’m okay.” Arthur grunted. “My chest hurts. I might have broken a rib or two. Is Merlin there?”

“I’m here!” Merlin shouted, and Elena flinched, raising her hand to her helmet to remind him it was a bad idea to shout over the radio. He mouthed a sorry to her, and repeated more quietly, “I’m right here, Arthur.”

Arthur drew a shuddering breath. “Can you fix broken ribs? Is there some sort of healing spell for that?”

“I can’t fix them instantly,” Merlin said, “but I can speed the healing process along.” He wondered if Arthur was still groggy from passing out; he usually preferred to act like his injuries didn’t bother him at all.

“Okay, then.” Arthur’s tone changed to his more familiar bravado. “You’ll just have to restrain yourself when you see me. I know you’ve been desperate for a hug, but it might have to wait.”

Merlin let out an easy laugh. If Arthur was joking around with him, his injuries must not be so bad.

“If you two can hold off on your flirting for a minute, we do have more pressing concerns to deal with.” Morgana was also back to her usual assertive self.

“What concerns?” Arthur asked.

“You didn’t reach the altitude we were hoping for.”

Arthur didn’t seem surprised by this news. “The canvas came loose and flapped around quite a bit during the launch. That would have slowed me down.”

Morgana agreed with his assessment and then explained how they had adjusted their course but then discovered a new problem. “When we meet up with you, our intercept velocity will be forty-two meters per second.”

“I see,” Arthur said. “I guess I’ll wave at you as you fly by.”

“We’re working on two possible solutions, Arthur.” Morgana started explaining the basics of their two plans and as she spoke, Merlin realized how ridiculous his plan to push off the planet sounded. Surely there was a better way. Magic wasn’t usually that complicated.

Morgana assured Arthur, “We’ll be ready by the time we--”

“Oh!” A flash of inspiration hit Merlin all of a sudden. “What the hell was I thinking?” Honestly, he couldn’t believe he was making this so complicated. “Morgana, I’ve been so focused on counteracting the laws of physics, but I forgot. Magic doesn’t have to obey the laws of physics. I’ll just tell the ship to slow down- Slæccan min geofonhús . That should work.”

“But what about momentum? It’s the first law of motion. There’s no counter force to--”

“That’s my point! Magic doesn’t obey those laws.” Merlin was almost bouncing up and down with the excitement of his realization. “This will work, Morgana. I know it will.”

The others had been silent during Merlin and Morgana’s discussion of magic versus physics, but Elyan finally spoke up.

“It took you this long to remember that magic doesn’t follow the laws of physics? What did you think was happening when you levitate objects, Merlin?”

Merlin couldn’t answer. He should have remembered sooner. Fortunately, Elena stepped in to defend him. “Leave him alone, Elyan. He was worried about his boyfriend.”

Ignoring the heat rising in his cheeks, Merlin redirected the conversation to the MAV interception. “We still have a small problem. Magic doesn’t follow the laws of physics or mathematics.”

“Riiight…?” Elyan said, bewildered. “We’ve just established that’s the thing that’s going to save us.”

“It is,” Merlin explained. “Except, when I use magic to slow us down, I can’t control the exact rate of deceleration. And we can’t measure our speed until I’ve completed the spell. If I do the spell too soon, we won’t reach Arthur’s orbit in time, and we’ll miss him. If I do the spell too late, we’ll be going too fast when we reach Arthur’s orbit, and we’ll miss him.”

Thankfully, Morgana had a solution. “Do the spell now, Merlin. Lance will measure the deceleration. Then you’ll speed us back up again, and in the next twenty-eight minutes before the intercept, we’ll do the calculations to decide when you need to slow us down again.”

They proceeded with Morgana’s plan, and all went well until Merlin did the slow-down spell a second time.

“The deceleration rate is different than it was before!” Lance announced as he frantically ran calculations. “Our velocity is good- twelve meters per second relative to the MAV, but we’ll still be forty-eight meters away. The tether is only thirty meters long.”

Arthur offered a solution. “I’ll just push off from the MAV and fly out to meet Merlin.”

Merlin opened his mouth to protest, but Morgana beat him to it. “That is a very generous offer, Arthur, but you’re forgetting a few things. First off, the MAV won’t be stationary, so pushing off won’t do any good and might send you shooting off in the wrong direction. And second, though your actions over the last year and a half have been mightily impressive, you are not actually a superhero.”

“I really think I could do it, Morgana.”

“Oh, and there was a third thing… what was that? Oh yes, I’m your commander, and I say no.”

Merlin heard several snorts over the headset, and he could imagine Arthur’s adorable pout at being denied the chance to fly untethered through space, so he hoped Arthur would be pleased with Merlin’s solution.

“You can still be a superhero, Arthur. I’ll come out as far as the tether will allow, and then I can pull you in with magic.”

“Sweet,” Arthur said, his excitement evident in his voice. “Does that meet with your approval, oh mighty Commander?”

Morgana sighed. “Lance, take over my controls. I’m heading out to Airlock 2. If some lovesick sorcerer’s going to send my brother flying through space, I’m going to be there to make sure he doesn’t mess it up.”

Within two minutes, Morgana had suited up and was standing beside Merlin and Elena in the airlock. MAV intercept would occur in four minutes. Merlin wore a Manned Maneuvering Unit with a tether connected to the Excalibur. In one minute, he would exit the airlock, and from outside, he should be able to see the MAV and Arthur.

A year and a half ago, he had been standing in the Excalibur, flying above Mars and believing Arthur was dead. He remembered exiting their MAV into the vehicular airlock, entering the ship and numbly pulling off his spacesuit. He had walked straight to the clinic without speaking to anyone, and then he’d stood, staring out the window at the planet below, feeling empty and cold. Now Merlin felt like his entire body was vibrating.

“It’s time.” Morgana placed her hand on his shoulder. “Go get our boy.”

So Merlin moved to the rear of the airlock, hopped up to brace his feet against the wall, bent his knees and then pushed hard, launching himself forward. The moment he cleared the walls of the airlock, he looked to the right, and his heart leapt.

“I have visual!” He couldn’t help shouting. “I can see the MAV!”

He fired the thrusters on the MMU, and then Lance informed him his relative velocity was five point two meters per second and he was thirty five meters from his target.

“Arthur, unstrap yourself and float out the front of the MAV, but keep hold of the canvas until Merlin tells you to let go,” Morgana said.

With Lance calling out his distance and relative velocity every few seconds, Merlin maneuvered ever closer to Arthur until he felt the tether pull taut behind him. It jerked him back a bit, but he soon stabilized. The only thing left to do was summon Arthur from the MAV.

He was close enough now to see Arthur’s face smiling up at him through his helmet. Merlin allowed himself one moment of sheer joy to return Arthur’s grin, and then he reached forward, already tugging with his magic.

“Okay, Arthur. I’ve got you. Let go.”

The moment Arthur released his hold on the canvas, he started to float up and away from the MAV. Unfortunately, he was drifting away from Merlin. Panicking, Merlin flung his arm out in an attempt to redirect his magic to draw Arthur in, but that movement shifted Merlin off course. He felt his chest tightening as Arthur drifted farther away, but then he heard Morgana’s calm voice.

I’ve got him.

It took Merlin a few seconds to realize that he had heard Morgana speaking, not through his headset, but inside his head. They had never been able to communicate telepathically before, but in that moment of terror, their magical cooperation must have connected their minds.

Merlin focused all his magical energy on pulling Arthur toward him, and let Morgana handle the navigation. Moments later, Arthur was within reach. He extended his arms and Merlin did the same until they were touching. Bumping fingertips at first, then grabbing each other’s wrists and clasping at arms and shoulders until Merlin was able to pull Arthur’s body as close to him as the spacesuits would allow.

Their eyes met, and Merlin let out a half sob. He could hardly believe it. After all this time, he had Arthur back again. Merlin tilted his head forward, bumping their helmets together as he tried to press his forehead as close to Arthur’s as he could.

“Thanks for coming back for me,” Arthur choked out through his tears.

“I’m never letting you go again.” Merlin tightened his grip on Arthur’s shoulders. He felt a tug on his back as Morgana and Elena reeled in the tether, pulling him and Arthur back into the ship.

Minutes later, they were standing inside. The airlock door hissed and clicked shut behind them, and Merlin tugged off his helmet. He helped Arthur do the same. He dropped the helmet to the floor and reached up with both hands to stroke Arthur’s cheeks, eager to feel the warmth of his skin just to prove to himself this was real.

As if from a great distance, he heard Morgana reporting back to NASA that they had six crew safely aboard, and there were whoops and cheers in the background. He knew Lance and Elyan were rushing through the ship to the airlock to meet them. Elena stood behind Arthur, her face shining with glee.

But all of those things paled in comparison to the glorious man standing before him. Arthur was definitely thinner, and his face was pale and unshaven, but to Merlin he was beautiful.

“I believe you promised me a kiss.” Arthur’s eyes danced as he gazed at Merlin and raised one hand to pull gently at Merlin’s hip.

Merlin brushed his thumb across Arthur’s bottom lip before leaning in for their long-awaited first kiss. He pressed his lips to Arthur’s and breathed in Arthur’s warmth. His hand slipped into Arthur’s hair, and he pulled back slightly to make eye contact again.

“Hmm,” he hummed sweetly, before he crinkled his nose and smirked. “You need a shower.”

Nevertheless, Merlin leaned in for one more quick kiss before Lance and Elyan burst through the door and the six members of the Camelot 1 crew finally reunited with whoops and cheers of their own.

*****

Four years later…

“Get in here, Merlin!” Arthur called to his husband from the living room of their home in Clear Lake, Texas. “It’s t-minus thirty seconds!”

“Liar!” Merlin shouted from the kitchen. “There’s still four minutes.”

Merlin must be watching on his phone. Cheater. Arthur could not tear his eyes from the screen where the camera focused on the Dragon X, sitting on its launchpad in Florida, ready to carry the six astronauts of the Camelot 2 crew into orbit to board the Excalibur.

Arthur’s lengthy and expensive rescue had altered NASA’s plans for their next several missions. After much discussion, Director Caerleon had decided to continue the original plans for the Camelot 2 and 3 missions, but just to push them back by two years each.

So Camelot 2 would land at Schiaparelli Crater as planned. Over the last few years, unmanned spaceships had delivered a new MAV and a Hab to the spot where Arthur had spent his last days on Mars. Commander Gwaine Green and his second in command, Elyan Smith, were leading the mission that would hopefully go smoother than the last one.

“Here you go.” Merlin handed Arthur a cold glass of soda as he joined him on the couch.

They watched the countdown and listened to the news commenters rehash the details of all the problems with Camelot 1, as every news station had done constantly since the announcement of this mission.

Arthur squeezed Merlin’s arm. “Do you miss it?”

After the Camelot 1 crew finally returned to Earth, both Merlin and Arthur had quit the astronaut program, although they still worked at JSC. Merlin had moved into medical research and had pioneered the creation of a new life-support system for the Hab enhanced by magic. Arthur was now teaching in the astronaut training program. He enjoyed leading his students in simulations where they had to use creative problem solving to survive the ever more challenging scenarios he threw at them.

Merlin leaned his head onto Arthur’s shoulder. “No. I can honestly say that I do not miss being in space. What about you?” He motioned toward the screen where the main thrusters of Dragon X were firing. “Wish you were on board?”

Arthur chuckled. “Absolutely not. I have had more than enough Mars for one lifetime.”

The countdown reached zero, and they both reached for each other’s hands, squeezing tightly and holding their breath as the rocket cleared the launch tower and began rising through the clouds. They didn’t breathe easy again until the first and second stage separations were complete and the capsule was speeding safely out of camera range.

Merlin stroked his hand up and down Arthur’s arm as the view on screen switched to the camera mounted on the hull of Dragon X. “You know, I was thinking that with all the progress we’ve made recently with combining science and magic, NASA might soon set its sights beyond Mars.”

“Hmm.” Arthur nodded thoughtfully. “You’re probably right.”

“Exactly.”

Arthur recognized the teasing tone of Merlin’s voice, and he held back a smile, deliberately keeping his gaze on the screen. But his husband was patient, and finally Arthur gave in and looked at Merlin whose eyes were dancing.

“Beyond Mars, huh?”

Merlin grinned. “Yes. I think it’s entirely possible that someday, one of our kids will have to start a potato farm on Jupiter!”

Arthur tried to glare at Merlin, but he couldn’t help joining him in laughter. Merlin never tired of potato jokes, but that was okay, because Arthur never tired of Merlin.

The End

Chapter Text

Avalon: a plain on Mars with geological features that suggest it may once have been underwater or under a glacier- formerly called Acidalia Planitia, it was renamed Avalon when magic enabled the first mission to Mars to land here

Camelot Missions: NASA's five planned missions to explore different parts of Mars, named from Arthurian legends due to the magic that enabled the missions

Deep Space Gateway (DSG): a space station in orbit around the moon meant to serve as a stopping point for deep space missions- became obsolete with the introduction of magic to power space vehicles

Dragon X: rocket that transports the crew from the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida to the Excalibur, in orbit above the Earth

ECLSS: Environmental Control and Life Support System- controls atmospheric pressure, fire detection and suppression, oxygen levels, waste management and water supply for astronauts aboard any space craft or space station- Gwen works ECLSS (pronounced EEcliss) in Mission Control

ESA: European Space Agency- an intergovernmental organization of 22 member states dedicated to the exploration of space

EVA: Extra-Vehicular Activity- the astronauts wear EVA suits to explore the area outside the Hab

Excalibur: the space craft that transports the crew from Earth to Mars- it was assembled piece by piece in space, so it moves from an Earth orbit to a Mars orbit. Excalibur is powered by magically enhanced nuclear energy. The center section spins to create artificial gravity so the astronauts can move around easier and aren't affected as much by long-term weightlessness.

GNC: guidance, navigation, and control- Gaius worked GNC in Mission Control for the early Orion missions

The Hab: an environmentally controlled habitat on Mars where the astronauts can work and rest without wearing space suits

Johnson Space Center: NASA's manned spacecraft center south of Houston, Texas where training, research and flight control take place

JPL: the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California- the center that builds robots, space craft and instruments for NASA

MAV: Mars Ascent Vehicle- the craft used to transport the astronauts from the Mars surface to the Excalibur in orbit above Mars

MDV: Mars Descent Vehicle- the craft used to transport the astronauts from the Excalibur to the surface of Mars

Mission Control: a facility at the Johnson Space Center that manages space flights from launch to landing

NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration- an agency of the US government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.

Orion: space craft created to transport astronauts to deep space- became obsolete after the revelation of magic enabled stronger powered craft

Oxygenator: a piece of life support equipment that converts carbon dioxide to oxygen using heat, pressure and electrolysis to break up the bonds between oxygen and carbon atoms

Rovers: vehicles sent in unmanned, supply missions to be used by astronauts to drive around the surface of Mars

RTG: Radioisotope Thermonuclear Generator- an electrical generator that converts heat released by the decay of a suitable radioactive material

Sol: a Solar Day on Mars- 24 hours, 39 minutes

Water reclaimer: a piece of life support equipment that uses a series of filters and filaments to remove any bacteria and toxic compounds in used water to make clean water for drinking