Bloody rollercoaster! It was a somewhat stereotypical but still, to Cobb’s mind, eminently fitting description of life in the ARU. Some days were all about the climb, the perpetual accretion of nausea as one dedicated all of their strength to ignoring the plunge at their side. Others balanced at the summit, a momentary respite where achievement and anxiety became convivial bedfellows, each positioning themselves on the scales of existence in roughly equivalent measure. And then there were the days that brought the plummet - that recurring sensation of absolute terror as reality gave way to the void.

In that moment, as he sipped at his coffee, Zachariah Cobb had no notion of which day was about to break upon him. With an exhale he drained his mug then slammed his commbadge with an open palm.

=^= Lt Cmdr Raauhl, please report to my ready room =^= he intoned flatly, not yet ready to select the appropriate emotion for whichever day lay ahead.

• Captain Zachariah Cobb