The Prometheus
Commander Rymes and his first officer, Lieutenant Commander Joe Killian, were alone on the bridge. It was past midnight, and neither could sleep. Rymes paced nervously.
“Sir, what are you so worried about? This mission can"t fail. All we have to do is launch a sneak attack and cruise back home. What could go wrong?”
“Joe…” Rymes paused. “Every mission carries the potential for failure. Not being able to imagine a failure is exactly what worries me. I haven"t had a decent night"s sleep since we left.”
“Well, if it will make you feel better, we can brainstorm about potential problems.” Killian counted on his fingers. “Okay, there"s mechanical failure…”
“Joe,” Rymes interrupted, “This isn"t a case of typical mission anxiety.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Rymes thought
