Miles' Perspective
As I woke from the most satisfying slumber in ages, I felt disoriented and groggy. My usual nights were plagued with discomfort and pain, thanks to my terrible posture. The office chair I slept in didn't help, and I often found myself seeking refuge in the bean bag.
But last night was different; it was as if the moon's gravity and the pressure of my suit had woven a cocoon by Hypnos himself to sprinkle sand into my eyes. No alarm had been set, and I hadn't the slightest clue what time it was.
A reflexive motion brought up the HUD, revealing that I had slept for nearly ten hours.
"Unbelievable," I muttered, sitting up and feeling my rear end lift off the floor momentarily before hitting back down. As I opened the visor of my helmet, I surveyed the room, realizing everyone else was already awake. Sarah and the leader of the expedition were deep in conversation while some of my team members huddled around a table. Glancing around, I noticed I wasn't where I had fallen asleep; someone must have moved me, and I hadn't even stirred.
I tried to stand up but stumbled, making a noise; several people looked at me, including Sarah.
My stomach growled like a caged beast, loud enough to make a few heads turn my way. Sarah grinned and called out, "Good morning, sleepyhead! You slept like a log!"
"Can't remember the last time I had that much sleep," I admitted, feeling my cheeks warm up from the attention. As I stood up with the help of a chair, I stretched my arms above my head, surprised by the absence of pain in my back. I walked over to my bag and grabbed a protein bar and a "bottle" of water, then joined Sarah and the expedition leader at their table.
"Fill me in on what I missed," I said between bites of the protein bar.
"Sure thing, Miles," Sarah replied, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "We had an extensive conversation with Zenthara," I mentally noted. Zentahra was the alien statue-non-statue. "They've shared some fascinating information about their civilization and technology." Sarah pointed at the table with my entire team sitting and huddled forward. Now that I was sitting in a chair, I saw a tablet on the table in between all of them.
"Interesting, but it feels like we're only scratching the surface," I mused, thinking of all the sci-fi movies I'd seen. "There must be so much more they haven't told us yet."
"Patience, young grasshopper," the Sarah chuckled. "We'll get there eventually."
I wagged my water bottle at her. "Are you really using movie references at me?" Sarah shrugged.
I nodded and turned my attention to the communications system that was now up and running. With access to my home computer and Issac, along with the rest of the computing team, I could start gathering updates on our rocket's status and progress. After making a request, I leaned back in my chair and waited for the incoming reports.
About fifteen minutes later, the reports started coming in. I quickly skimmed through them before bundling them up and sending them off to Issac and the team back at headquarters. I made sure to include a personal note for Issac, letting him know we were all okay and reminding him that I was committed to keeping his wife safe. On a more professional note, I also asked him to verify my calculations on fuel and angles.
I made my way over to the table where my team was huddling around the tablet. I started reading, upside down, in English, some general science information. Then I realized the information wasn't information I had read before, and it was claiming things only hypothesized by our theoretical scientists.
My attention was gripped, glued, and unmoving from the tablet.
Glancing at the clock, I couldn't believe I'd been sitting for hours. My back should've been screaming in protest, but it felt almost comfortable, even in this awkward chair and cumbersome suit. Even my usually stiff neck was only mildly bothersome. If only I could have an office on the moon, I mused.
