The wind carried a briny hush through the harbor at dawn. Mist clung to the tangle of boats moored at the quay, and the first pale light of morning skated across the water's ripples. On the deck of a small relief vessel bound for remote islands, Celeste Su knelt beside a seasick child whose fever had spiked overnight.
“Just a little more," she murmured, placing a cool compress on his forehead. His eyelids fluttered, relief washing into his pale cheeks. She offered him a sip of water; his lips curved in a grateful smile.
“Thank you, Nurse Sun," he whispered.
She returned his smile. “You're doing wonderfully, Marco. Keep resting."
Behind her, the sea rolled on—an endless expanse that once had been the setting for her greatest trials. Now, it carried her toward new missions, each anchored
