All four teams bunk in the same room on the ship and we are stacked four high with barely enough room to move around inside the cocoon-like berths. They are molded against the side of the bulkhead and have a little curtain that covers the open side, so at least there's that. I'm fascinated at everything at first. The clanking sound my boots make on the grated decks, the hum of the ventilation system, the on-ship light-G fields, the stick pads that keep my feet on the deck in the free-G areas, and of course, the portholes that let me stargaze as we move through the system towards Earth. Every time I even think the word I get butterflies, that's how excited I am. Tier and I settle into our new normal, which is pretty much limited to eating our meals together. Isten, Arel, and I spend a lot of time going over field scenarios, while Rikan, Mish, and Braun do the same. Ashur, of all people, spends most evenings with me looking at Esta's translations in the notebook Lucan passed to me during our final meeting.
