Back and forth and back and forth. Endless turns all the way up until I’m dizzy and gasping for breath. By the time I reach my room, sweat coats my forehead as if I’ve been standing in Undil’s heat for five minutes. Panting, I flop down on the bed and make a mental note to always use the elevators.

At dinnertime, I’m lying in bed and scrolling through some documents left over from Secondary. I delete a report I wrote for E.P. Structuralism and look up when someone knocks on the door. My heart races. Finally, she’s here. I jump up and flatten the wrinkles on my uniform. I’ve gone all day without seeing Glacia. At least we get to eat dinner togeth—

It’s Orcher.

Disheartened, I step aside to let him in, but he shakes his head.

“I’m meeting Lieutenant Hofhen and Officer Remmit for dinner if you’d like to join us.” He smiles warmly. “How’s that sound?”

I swallow the lump in my throat. “Sure, thanks.”

Where’s Glacia?

“So, Arman,” Victoria says after we find a table. “Tell us: how was the first day?”

“Technically it’s the second,” Officer Remmit interjects before I can answer. Victoria shoots him a look. He ignores her and cuts into a slab of Killari steak.

“It was good,” I say.

“Did Captain Crowe show you everything?” Orcher asks next.

“Yeah.” I slice a chunk of meat to stall for time. “Is he still a pilot?” I ask, remembering how Father used to name off the pilots of Orcher’s fleet.

“No, he vol-run-teered to let Mir-ran-da take over,” Officer Remmit says through a thick mouthful of food. Victoria grimaces in disgust. “Crowe was always better as a techie. He turns my ideas into realities.”

“Yet you still take all the credit,” Victoria says, rolling her eyes.

“Someone has to, Vicky. Besides, I do all the hard work.” He taps his head with two fingers. “Thinking is very hard work. Crowe builds all my designs, but without my ideas there wouldn’t be stuff to build.”

“Your throne, for starters,” Victoria mutters.

“Come again?”

“Oh, nothing Larson,” she says in a sing-song voice. She flashes him a quick smile. “Go on. Don’t let me interrupt.”

Officer Remmit wipes his mouth and waves a finger at her. “I’ll have you know—”

Orcher clears his throat loudly.

“As I was saying.”

Victoria shoots Officer Remmit a sideways glance, and he smirks back.

“Captain Blitner told me you worked well today, Arman,” Orcher informs me.

My eyes widen in surprise. “He did?”

Orcher nods. “He did.”

Well, I guess that’s good news. Hopefully Captain Blitner didn’t mention how unsociable I was.

“It was pretty easy,” I decide to say.