Fitz woke far too early the next morning, unable to sleep through the jostling of entering the Oymyakon atmosphere. He slipped out of his bunk as silently as he could so he wouldn"t wake either Ritchie or Moreau, picking up his boots and carrying them with him as he crept out of the sleeper car.
The intergalactic railway train was just as he remembered it. The sounds of their car"s steward working in the little kitchenette and storage area off the main corridor echoed strangely to his ears. The pressure changes from space to atmosphere always took some time to settle out, and his ears were struggling with it at the moment. It sounded like he was underwater, but that muffling, distancing feeling just matched his mood.
He slipped on his boots, then walked as far aft along the train as he c
