• Published 2nd Jan 2018
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The Maretian - Kris Overstreet



Mark Watney is stranded- the only human on Mars. But he's not alone- five astronauts from a magical kingdom are shipwrecked with him.

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Sol 521

To: Venkat Kapoor, director, Project Ares
From: Irene Shields, chief psychologist, Project Ares
Subject: Psychological evaluation of M. Watney and crew as of Sol 520

Below, based on the media interviews, emails, and other communications, is my personal evaluation of the mental fitness of Mark Watney and the five alien astronauts prior to the planned Sol 551 rendezvous with Hermes. This is a rough evaluation only and does not constitute a detailed diagnosis, as such would require personal interviews and tests in a controlled clinical setting.

SUBJECT: WATNEY, MARK

Although Mark Watney shows some signs of inner nervousness about the upcoming launch, which he masks with redirection and bad jokes, he is obviously relaxed and confident in the efforts of NASA, his crewmates on Hermes, and his crewmates with him in the Whinnybago. Despite the perfectly normal anger he exhibits towards his hostile surroundings, he appears to be as enthusiastic and optimistic towards his alien friends and contact with their civilization as he was about the Ares mission when he was first selected as prime crew for Ares III.

I note no signs of mental fatigue or deterioration, nor any artifacts of desocialization aside from his beard, which given the likely condition of his grooming equipment is understandable. I put down claims by the aliens to suppressed sexual interest in them by Watney to be a combination of friendly ribbing by crewmates and a symptom of an extended period without contact with humans of his sexual preference. His reaction to their flirtation may be a lingering remnant of his earlier juvenilization of them as part of his self-image as protector, which otherwise seems to have been demolished.

SUBJECT: BERRY, CHERRY

Cherry Berry’s self-confidence issues have faded noticeably since my first evaluation, but they are still present to a certain degree. Her temper appears to be shorter, possibly due to weeks of keeping the peace among six grown persons in a tightly confined environment during the cross-country trip to the MAV, possibly due to stress from the impending launch. She clearly exhibits powerful motivation to pilot the MAV and to personally oversee the rescue of her crew, but the latter is evidently more important to her than the former. Her interactions with Martinez and Johanssen during simulations have been totally professional, with a total absence of combativeness, defensiveness or stubborn resistance to the lessons of the simulation exercises. Although losing the chance to fly the MAV would be a severe blow to her morale, I do not believe it would be crippling to her mission effectiveness. Psychologically speaking, I see no reason at this time why she should not be certified to pilot the MAV, if all other criteria are met.

SUBJECT: GLIMMER, STARLIGHT

Starlight Glimmer’s confidence issues appear to be a fundamental part of her personality. They remain almost unchanged from my prior evaluations. I choose to see it as a good sign that she becomes less self-conscious when focusing on answers to questions exclusively focused on magic. Aside from this point, I have nothing to add to my previous analysis.

SUBJECT: SPITFIRE

Spitfire appears much more comfortable with herself than in my prior analysis. This is almost certainly due to her incredible achievement regarding the Great Black Spot storm. My guess, without any strong basis in available data, is that the current personality traits represent a reversion to the subject’s normal personality prior to her assignment to the mission that ended in the Sol 6 crash. She presents as confident but realistic in her outlook and expectations, with considerable life experience- a much healthier, more stable personality so long as it does not shade into narcissism.

SUBJECT: FIREBALL

Fireball’s insecurity issues have eased somewhat since my last evaluation. Strong antisocial traits remain evident, tempered by an obvious respect and affection for his fellow castaways. Subject is more open about himself and more relaxed, a sign of his trust of the rest of the crew. His sense of humor opens a question: was this a pre-existing trait, or is Mark Watney’s horrible humor rubbing off on him?

SUBJECT: DRAGONFLY

Subject seems to have overcorrected substantially regarding past trust issues and is now prone to over-sharing. Without a direct examination and diagnosis of her current physical condition it is impossible to determine if her doubts about her fitness are merited or a symptom of lowered self-esteem. There is a deep affection for her crew, and especially for Mark, although how far she truly wishes to take this affection is difficult to determine without a proper analysis in a controlled environment. Her erratic behavior is difficult to diagnose completely unless this observer accedes to the subject’s own claim that “lings gotta ling.”

OVERALL EVALUATION

With the possible exception of Dragonfly, the six astronauts due to fly in the Ares IV MAV on Sol 551 demonstrate marked improvement in morale, mental health, and confidence over previous evaluations. Absent additional countervailing data, it is my opinion that all six are capable of clear and quick judgment and rational thought and, therefore, may be trusted with active participation in the conduct of the MAV launch and Hermes rendezvous if necessary or desired. Further purely medical evaluation should be conducted on Cherry Berry, Spitfire and Dragonfly if possible.

On a personal note, I wish to observe that all six of these people have grown and changed markedly as a result of their experiences on Mars. Except for possible PTSD and similar conditions which may become evident after their removal from the Martian environment, it appears that Mars has changed them all for the better. Or, possibly, it could be as simple as this: these six people are just good for each other.

Irene Shields, Ph. D.
Chief psychologist
Project Ares

Author's Note:

A quick bit I wrote last night so today wouldn't be without an update. Getting ready to start packing up for the drive home.

The interviews served their purpose, but now it's time to press on.

Thirty sols remain.

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