8Captain Rexis cut Scott a break. When he reported to her as ordered, she did indeed lay it all out for him--a busy duty and training schedule that wouldn't leave him much time for anything else. But she also gave him six hours' rack time commencing immediately, which was just what he needed. He could have kept going, he was trained to function under conditions of extreme sleep deprivation, but the rest would work wonders on his alertness and performance.
Back at his billet, he collapsed on the lower bunk he'd been assigned and finally let himself relax. Memories of the events of the day washed over him like a warm tide, lulling him ever closer to the brink of sleep.
At some point, he left it all behind and drifted off into a state of unconsciousness. This was part of his training,
