The next morning, Rareth did indeed awaken confused in the Hummingbird's hold with a dried, fruity residue on her face. Although, the effectiveness of their prank was perhaps mitigated by the fact that Ashley had been there to witness their drunken behavior. Rareth was not angered by their "prank." In fact, the only form of retaliation she made was to laugh at the others for not being able to come up with anything more inspired. Although she did not try anything for the remainder of their trip, Rareth did dedicate some thought to coming up with ways she might pull some jokes on the others in the future, should she get the opportunity. 

There were no more drunken nights for the rest of the journey back to Pax, mostly because there was no more alcohol. Since the mission was essentially over, their duties on the return trip were even more mundane, apart from the few instances where the captain called on them to clarify something in their report. The ship dropped out of FTL in a civilized system a few days into the journey in order to get a secure connection back to Pax to send their report as soon as possible, but otherwise, it was a nonstop trip. 

After a week, the Boundless Light was once again back at Pax, this time docked in orbit instead of at Concord. Unsurprisingly, Rareth's team was being called in  for a meeting to discuss the mission, though Rareth guessed that the future of this entire initiative would also be a point of discussion. They were told that they could leave whatever they needed to aboard the ship, so Rareth brought only her formal clothes and personal electronics. She guessed that meant their superiors intended for all of them to be returning to the ship, which would suggest their team was in fact sticking together. Although, they did say their belongings would be delivered to them if needed, so it was not guaranteed.

Rareth waited outside the shuttle they would be taking to Concord so she could stretch her legs while she waited for the others to arrive. Depending on how urgently they were needed, they may or may not be rushed through customs, so Rareth readied herself to be seated for a while.