John steps forward and offers out his hand before Victoria has a chance to speak.

“Hi, I’m John!”

“So you’re Mr. Mistin.” The man grins and shakes John’s hand. “It’s nice to have you join us.”

“You too, sir!”

The man laughs and looks around at the rest of us. “What? No one else wants to say hi?”

“Everyone, this is Lucas Starmile,” Victoria says. “He’ll give you a tour later this week.”

My mind grapples with his name. I’ve seen it before but can’t place where. He extends his hand but I hesitate, reluctant to let him shake my sweaty palm. After we do, I notice that he tries to conceal wiping his hand on his pant leg.

Ugh. Great start.

We walk down a ramp that leads to a waiting room similar to the one in Cornell and step into an elevator. Victoria taps an icon that reads: Sub. When the door opens again, we walk into a bright hall. A monotone voice echoes from some far off intercom, relaying departure times to destinations around the Embassy. The trains levitate above chrome rails, and the one to our left slides forward in a feathery rush of air.

“Maglev trains,” Lucas says. “Beats driving any day, trust me. Traffic’s a nightmare.”

We board a train scheduled for Crown Station. When the hatch hisses shut, Victoria stands and hangs onto a bar.

“Have you guys thought about what you want to do here?”

“I’m going to be a…” John snaps his fingers, trying to cue his brain. “Mapmaker!”

“Cartographer,” Ellin tells him.

“Yeah, that.” He taps Lucas’s shoulder. “I’d like you meet my dictionary.”

“Interstellar cartographers are in high demand,” Victoria says. “Particularly people willing to map out the Perihelid asteroid field. If you’re up to the challenge, you chose the perfect job.”

“I’ll be the mapmaker of mapmakers,” he says, proud of himself.

Victoria looks at Ellin. “And you, Miss Mistin?”

“I program computer tech.”

“Ah. Larson would love to talk to you. He works on the Ember with General Orcher.” Victoria turns to me and Glacia next. “What about you guys?”

“I’m looking into becoming a pilot,” Glacia says.

“Station or Planetary?”

“Station, if I can.”

“Good choice. Pay’s great and you’ll get to travel. What about you, Arman?”

I shrug. “Haven’t really thought about it.”

“Your father always said you like sorting through facts,” Lucas says.

“Kind of.”

“Well, we’re trying to develop a broader archive and data analysis center, if that interests you at all. I compile material for Secondary Embassy Studies. Of course, I get a little help from Captain Blitner. He works with interplanetary data on the Ember. Maybe you could give that a shot?”

“Sure.”