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Log Entry: Station Commander Lily Riggs
Log Date: 6485.06


Vega is mercifully close, which means the trip on the cramped transport
Command put me on was rather short. That was the only mercy of the trip. I
tried to read through the rest of the mission brief on the trip (yes, I
could've read it yesterday, but packing is hard), but I was squished in
between two broad-shouldered men. I had barely any space to myself, and of
course they were loudly talking across me the whole time. I offered to change
seats with them, but they were apparently sticklers for rules who refused to
budge from their assigned seats. The journey to Vega was short enough that I
wasn't given my own room, or I would've retreated there. So I put on my
headphones and tried to drown out their conversation--it would've worked, if
they weren't speaking so loudly the whole time. Like I said before, though, it
was over quickly enough.

My heart sank when we got to the station. The docking ports aren't finished
yet, so I had to do an EVA to get into the station. I hate EVAs. I get
*horribly* spacesick. Up is down and down is up and left and right have no
meaning and aaaahhhhhh! I knew about this, it was in the mission brief. Still,
seeing it in the imagery in the mission brief with the big red "TBD"s on the
docking ports didn't prepare me for seeing the station with my own eyes. I
knew I'd need to do an EVA, so I brought my pills with me. It was still
miserable, though, and while I didn't lose my meager lunch, I was quite
relieved to be on solid ground past the airlock. The air smelled like a
chemistry experiment, and was vaguely damp. The lead engineer, a young man
named Andrew, told me that the air recycling system still needs some
calibration. I asked him about mold and other things, and he assured me it's
safe. The senior doctor, Elsabeth, told me the same thing. My incredulous
glance made her laugh, and I joined in. Better to laugh than worry, right?

One pleasant surprise: none of the corridors lead to empty space! The dead
ends are clearly marked, as is everything else. Some delightfully
detail-oriented folks had labeled everything, and the chief of operations,
whose name I regret not getting, provided me a map on my tablet. They told me
it polls the station computer system for updates, so it'll be updated as work
continues. I have to admit, that's pretty handy! Most of the rest of my time
on duty was spent meeting the rest of the staff and setting up my account in
the station computer. I was exhausted after that, so I stumbled to my
quarters.

I found my bags waiting for me, and I have to say that these are the nicest
quarters I've ever had! I'm used to a bedroom and a small sitting area, but
these! I have the biggest bedroom I've ever had, multiple rooms to put my
stuff. I guess it makes sense that quarters will be larger on a permanent
installation. Permanent: not changing; lasting indefinitely. This is home now,
I guess. I unpacked a few things: toiletries, clothes for tomorrow, a ration.
Dinner was exactly what I've come to expect from rations, and I guess that
predictability is the point. Either way, I was tired and full, and sleep soon
claimed me.