I uttered the last word out loud and with a twist. It had an effect. Everyone started laughing and cheering all at once, jumping out of their seats and dancing around the controller. I let them. I had had enough of the sudden excitement and wanted to retreat to think about how we stood. I stood up and joined the dance with them, then told Wailth I was leaving the controller and he would be the commander for a while. He signaled that he understood. When I stepped out of the door, they were celebrating a little more quietly.
I headed for my cabin. The corridors had a similar mood. I saw joyful companions everywhere. Some pilots whose aircraft had been destroyed in battle and who were already in their new bodies were telling details of the battle to those on board who had not seen anything.
