Ning and Jason left their room a short while after dropping off their bags and followed the signs posted along the corridor walls toward the station's cafeteria.
It was smaller than the one at the academy and considerably quieter, with only a few dozen tables arranged beneath low ceilings. The food was simple, mostly reconstituted grains and a thick, salty stew.
Once they had finished eating, they wandered into a communal area farther down the same corridor, a wide room furnished with low couches, a few tables, and a large display screen showing information about the station and the planet outside.
A handful of other cadets had already settled there, talking quietly in small groups or simply sprawling on the couches with their eyes half-closed, and Ning and Jason found a pair of seats near one of the walls.
They stayed there for a while.
