So, is this all going on during Chapter 17? Or is Chapter 17 long after what you're doing now? (it seems that your main characters are reflecting on previous trips....but are awaiting the next one...as I haven't read the other chapters, of course, it's not as clear).
This "Chapter Seventeen" is a matter of eating dessert first.
Intended to be merely a portion of a future book, it has references and implications that would only be clear on reading the whole book, and perhaps its predecessors.
There should be enough information for it to make sense on its own, though, and there are some things in it which are only there for entertainment purposes.
It's simply a glimpse into a possible future. That's what I do.