The other two looked at each other, and then toward Albe in agreement. Because of the way the beds were installed around the mast, they were tucked around it from all sides with an open void in the middle. Perfect for storage. The area around the mast was some of the thickest wood on the ship which provided great cover. On the floor was an emergency scuttle which led to the deck below.

Bunks on the vessel were stacked three high with an arm's length between each level. A little cramped, but it was meant to accommodate as many soldiers as possible. The decks were less than a man and a half high. The tallest of the soldiers had to dodge the lower hanging beams on occasion. The three of them were just the right height for this bunkset to be ideal.

Argentis’ military formation hierarchy encouraged team solidarity. Six men were needed to man each main gun. Fire teams would swap sides, and not every canon would be operated in unison. This meant two bunksets, each with three men, were constructed between each cannon emplacement. The center column of the ship, which was not being used for lifting cargo, had extra bunkspace. This is where the three of them were stationed.

Each bunk, unlike the compartments on the campus, had large lockers attached to the bed frame for each bunk level. They had almost three times the interior space than the trunk she was accustomed to, but it was all from depth. A smaller adult could probably fit inside it entirely. She contemplated momentarily if she could fit her superior Serra into the locker, and deemed it likely.

Temora put her rucksack deep into the locker and locked it with its provided simple latch; operable by anyone. This prevented its shutter from being opened by sudden changes in the direction of gravity. She was proud to have found a way to secure her gemin in the rucksack without it spilling into the inside of her bag.

During the rest of the evening, they made themselves at home in the bunk area, as less fortunate soldiers were running out of places to shack into. On these military aeros, there were just more than enough beds to hold everyone. Not every person would be paired with crewmates they knew or would be comfortable with. Further signifying the importance of being first to a site. It gave you the appearance of being coordinated, and thus dependable.

Every member of the crew had to assist in bringing the sails up through the grates with hoists from the leapover deck. This had to happen anytime a ship would be parked in port for more than a few nights. Rarely would the Port Authority be satisfied with the sails being lowered when a ship was parked at home. The risk of wind knocking the ship into the aeroina was too great.

Thankfully, the large sails were folded on top of floatskids. Lifting them through the decks was painless. Taking less time than it took to polish off the bowl of stir-fried rice they were inconveniently served just before. There were 24 sails in total. Getting them back into place on the mast was a more laborious task, and would take all night.

Albe, Cocole, and Temora went to the top deck where the sails were being hoisted into place. Temora knew the mechanics of operating the rigging for these sails, but had never done so in practice. She had never tied off lines, nor manipulated the position of any sail. Fresh to the skies, she still had to learn the ropes.

Albe sailed with his father across the skyways prior to his settlement in Argentis. Cole had voyaged with his parents as a young boy, but had further experience doing dock work for spare karats. Of the three, Cocole was by far the most practiced in the jobs needed on an aeroship. It was his time to teach the others a thing or two; for once.

It was not long after they went up to the top deck when the sirens sounded. As this happened, one at a time everyone hunkered to sit on the deck floor. Albe and Temora were confused, with Cocole pulling them by the hand toward the floorboards. “They’ll turn the lanterns on for us.” He projected clearly. “See.”

His index finger followed a group of men running between predetermined positions lighting oil lanterns. These lanterns had large lenses to focus the light that they produced. Columnated beams crossed the deck in the direction that they were pointed.

After a moment, the area around them flashed into darkness. For half a step, pedestrians on the docks also paused walking to prevent getting startled by the change. "Having us sit is a safety thing." Cole clarified to the unaired people on deck. That part wasn't in the training, but Temora had seen them do so before; most people had. She knew she was supposed to, but it did not come to her mind when the sirens sounded.

Now that the source was dark, she could barely see the pedestrians on the streets. Only those next to the windows of the shops and restaurants were visible. The ritzier establishments had gem lighting, which bled out to illuminate the street. The Port Authority's officers had lanterns on them as well, which were now alight.

Artificial and analog lighting weren't the only sources that she could see. Many of the higher-ranking military and government personnel possessed gemin which all passively radiated colored light, making them difficult to conceal. Most prominently, adherents of the daynist religion had necklaces that contained wire-wrapped white gemin stones. These were the brightest light-emitting objects that she could see. Temora made a mental note to try to get one herself.

A few of the crewmates also had these necklaces. Enough, that they were an entire secondary set of mobile lights. Given Argentis' vast military resources, they could probably get a white gemin into the hands of every soldier. However, a number of them were being snapped up by the growing daynist religion. Not to mention, also for the white gemin's magical properties; which could treat and mend wounds. They had better places to be than as a source of light.

"It's easier to see up here than I thought it would be." Temora, smiling, glanced over to Cole who was helping up Albe from his squatted position.

"I thought so too." Cocole the jinx of cosmic coincidence spoke, just as a large contraption was opened behind him; on top of the stern deck, above the grand cabin. This contraption was three mirrored parabolic dishes, each with a white gem at its center. The parabolic dishes were covered with mirrored blinds which when opened, bathed the entire deck with blinding gemlight.

Long shadows streamed across the deck floor, as soldiers eclipsed the standing floodlight. In the far distance, another could be seen coming to life, and then a third. In total, the six ships that would make up their fleet could be seen across the disk-shaped platforms of the aeroina. Their gemlight made them shining beacons in the night. In the sky, even the twinklers became a little harder to see.

Almost everyone on board was surprised by this. Such a device would have cost the military more than a deck full of cannons. This was a device that they had not heard of, nor had considered. Nobody was trained to use it, other than the captain of the ship who was standing directly behind the device. Its blinding light gave her an appropriate silhouette.

She turned to about-face in a single step, signing off with a salute. Not a word came from her. No other communication than the implied acknowledgment they should be thankful for the improved conditions. Good thing for the captain, the crew was so grateful they heckled her playfully as she returned to her quarters.