Diver frowned deeply at Thrones, appearing as genuinely sorry as she could be. Though she clacked some notes away at her PDA, her eyes kept trained upon the Sankta as she spoke.

"I'm... [i]we're[/i] well aware of your situation, but i'm afraid the decision was not up to me. Miss Solveig insisted on utilizing the simulation. It's one of our newest technologies, and I'm certain she and others were eager to see it put to use," Diver explained, "Not to mention that it is... admittedly difficult to carry out extensive real-life examination aboard the ship. Expediency was of utmost importance as well. I'm sorry, Thrones. We will do everything we can to reduce the strain in the future."

Chariot chimed in, "So then we will be having to go back in? Or are you insinuating that we're accepted?" she asked, fixing her ponytail after stepping out of the cramped pod.

"Miss Solveig was already invested in you all before the test. This was, ultimately, just a way for us to measure you all more thoroughly regardless of your existing good impressions," Diver smiled. "So for the time being, no, you will not be going back into the simulation for awhile. I imagine there's a good number of kinks we need to work out anyways, clearly," she giggled. Chariot's expression became bright as she turned back to everyone else, silently celebrating with her smile at the news.

"As for your question, Vlad. The task was admittedly impossible to achieve. The simulation was programmed to continually ramp up difficulty, and would have surely inundated the team before you could reach your destination. It wasn't meant to be beatable, but rather to test you all, and perhaps illuminate your behavior in the face of apparent failure."

The two tech engineers paused their typing to look up at Dragoon, exhaustion in their eyes. "We've been working for three days straight," said the woman. Indeed, were she to look around, Dragoon would have noticed the remnants of coffee packets, spilled sugar, and dirty mugs about the desks off to the side.

"Two weeks of preparation, though. The tech really is new. Couple dozen other employees were helping us up until it was up to us," the man added.

"The simulation is a one-to-one where time is concerned. Your hour or so in the simulation was an hour out here," Diver explained to Strix.

"We do have plans to try and increase the in-simulation speed, though," the male technician said aside.

"With the examination concluded, you're all released from today's duties," Diver said. "Under your current employment, you have level B clearance, which will permit you to visit most facilities here, including laboratories. We ask that you exercise caution when moving about delicate locations like those, of course." Diver moved to a desk and retrieved a pile of lanyards, handing one to each of the operators. It displayed their name, a serial code, a large white 'B' and a number of other printed security features.

"Any one of the directory consoles around the ship can direct you to your dorms, if you wish to relax for the moment. Cafeterias, gyms, theaters... all are available with your badge. We also have a park towards the center of the ship, if you would like for a place to relax. The dome is, in fact, real and looks out into the sky. It is not a television panel, as much as even our own veteran employees would like to rumor.

"Tomorrow we'll have you meet with Miss Solveig, but for the time being, you've the rest of the day off."