In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.

  -- Andy Warhol

  The van slowed as they approached the Smithsonian, and Luca's stomach did something complicated.

  He'd expected security. Maybe some press. What he hadn't expected was the full circus currently unfolding outside the National Air and Space Museum.

  "Holy shit," Ryan muttered from the back row.

  Luca couldn't have said it better himself.

  Luca saw police barricades lining the street, holding back crowds that pressed against the barriers like they were trying to witness history. Thousands of people. Actual thousands. Camera flashes went off in harsh white bursts. News crews had claimed every available corner, cameras mounted on stands with lights that could probably be seen from orbit.

  UER military vehicles flanked the entrance. Actual military vehicles that looked ready for combat operations, not a fancy party. Luca tracked the rooflines automatically and spotted at least five sniper positions. Probably more he couldn't see from this angle. Two dropships hovered overhead in a slow patrol pattern, their running lights cutting through the February darkness.

  Emily's hand found his. Luca glanced at her and found her looking out the window at the crowd, eyes wide and face pale.

  "This is insane," she said quietly.

  "Yeah." Luca squeezed her hand. "Welcome to fame."

  Karen turned from the front seat. "There's a supplier I'd like you to meet tonight. Dr. Miriam Levi from Tel Aviv. She specializes in closed-loop hydroponics systems."

  "Got it," Luca said.

  Karen's expression softened slightly. "But this is your night. Enjoy it. You've earned this."

  The van crawled forward through a security checkpoint where guards with energy rifles inspected credentials. Then they were through, following a red carpet that stretched from the street to the museum entrance.

  Exposed. That was the word for this. Completely and utterly exposed.

  Luca's hands twitched with the absence of his blaster. He'd gone into firefights with better cover than this red carpet was going to provide.

  The van stopped. Luca watched IFC security personnel forming a loose cordon around their vehicle.

  The door slid open, and the cold February air hit Luca's face like a slap. The roar of the crowd came with it, along with the mechanical whine of hovering dropships. His breath misted in front of him.

  Emily grabbed his arm before he could fully process the noise. Her fingers wrapped tight around his elbow. She looked perfect and composed and utterly out of her element in that green dress.

  Luca covered her hand with his own. "We've got this."

  "I know." Her smile was strained. "Don't go running off."

  The crowd erupted in a full-throated roaring that rolled over them in waves. People screamed their names. Someone was chanting "Triumph" over and over until the whole crowd picked it up. Camera flashes turned the night into a strobe-light nightmare.

  Luca blinked against the lights and tried to keep his expression neutral. Every instinct he had was screaming about exposure and vulnerability. He forced himself to breathe and kept walking.

  Sabine materialized at his shoulder. "Keep moving. Don't stop."

  Erik appeared on Emily's other side. More IFC security formed up around them as the rest of the crew climbed out. Luca caught a glimpse of Zoe and Danny behind him, then Ryan's distinctive sandy blonde hair.

  "Just smile and wave, boys and girls," Ryan called out.

  Luca managed a smile and raised his free hand. The crowd went ballistic. Someone threw confetti that got caught in the frigid wind and scattered across the red carpet.

  They made it ten steps before someone broke through the police line.

  Luca's hand dropped automatically to where his blaster should have been and found nothing. His heart rate spiked before he processed that the guy was just holding a tablet and looked more excited than dangerous. Security grabbed him before he got within five meters.

  "Keep walking," Sabine said. Her hand was on his shoulder. "You're fine."

  Emily's grip on his arm tightened. "This is insane."

  "Yeah," Luca agreed. His brain was still trying to catch up. "This is definitely insane."

  The museum doors opened ahead. Blessed relief hit in the form of climate control and reduced noise. The roar of the crowd faded to a muffled background rumble as they stepped inside.

  Luca took a breath and tried to reorient.

  The main floor of the Air and Space Museum had been completely transformed. Historic aircraft hung from the ceiling, the Spirit of St. Louis, a World War II fighter, the Space Shuttle Enterprise suspended in all its glory. But below them, someone had turned the museum into something out of a luxury magazine.

  Round tables covered in white tablecloths filled the floor. A dance floor occupied the center of the space, empty but clearly waiting. A full band was setting up in one corner. Servers in formal attire moved through the early arrivals with trays of champagne. The lighting had been adjusted to something warm that made the whole space feel intimate despite the massive scale.

  And the people. Luca had never seen so many important-looking people in one place.

  Tuxedos and dresses everywhere he looked, some more provocative than others. Military uniforms with rank insignia that suggested these were actual leadership. But what caught his attention was the age range.

  Lots of people in their twenties and thirties. Young faces mixed with the older crowd. Adventuring company members, probably. People who'd leveled up and come out the other side still alive.

  "The new world order," Karen said quietly beside him. She'd appeared at his elbow while he was processing the scene. "Most of the old guard is gone. The System's been a great equalizer. These are the people who adapted and survived."

  Luca watched a woman who couldn't have been older than twenty-five laughing with what looked like a military general. Young, old, everything in between. But there was a hardness to them. These were people who had survived and thrived.

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  "How many of them can actually fight?" Luca asked.

  Karen's smile was knowing. "Most of them. You don't get to positions of power anymore without proving you can handle yourself."

  A server appeared with a tray of champagne. Luca took a glass automatically and immediately regretted it. He didn't even like champagne. But Emily took one too, so maybe it wouldn't be a complete waste.

  "Thank you," Emily said to the server.

  Luca took a sip, hoping it might help with the nerves tightening his throat.

  The band started playing something classical that Luca didn't recognize. More servers appeared with trays of food that looked too artistic to actually eat. The gala was in full swing, and Luca was trying very hard not to catalog every exit and defensive position in the room.

  Emily's hand was still on his arm. Luca glanced at her and found her looking around with wide eyes. The green dress caught the warm lighting and made her look like she belonged in a painting. The Varnathi necklace rested just above the neckline, alien metalwork glinting.

  She was so far out of his league it was actually funny.

  "You okay?" she asked, catching him staring.

  "Yeah." Luca took another sip of champagne. "Just thinking about how everyone in this room is looking at you."

  "At us," she corrected.

  "No. Definitely you." He leaned in and dropped his voice. "That dress should be illegal."

  Emily's smile turned pleased. "Mr. Rossi. Are you trying to tell me something?"

  "Yeah," he swallowed.

  She laughed. Her laugh helped. A little. Until the band stopped playing.

  Luca's attention snapped forward as someone tapped a microphone. The crowd noise quieted as people turned toward the sound.

  A small stage had been set up near the back of the room. Nothing fancy, just raised a few feet with a podium and microphone. President Anderson stepped up, and the entire room shifted focus.

  Anderson looked tired. Even from this distance, Luca could see the weight the guy was carrying. The presidency of a fractured Earth probably didn't leave much room for rest. But his voice carried well when he spoke, clear and confident.

  "Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for coming."

  Polite applause rippled through the crowd.

  "Tonight we're here to celebrate something remarkable," Anderson continued. "Something that seemed impossible just a year ago. Seven young people—" He gestured toward where the crew was standing. "—accomplished what humanity has dreamed about for generations. The first successful interstellar survey mission in our history."

  The applause got louder. Luca felt his face getting hot. Next to him, Emily was smiling that public smile she wore when she was uncomfortable.

  "These seven officers traveled four light-years to Alpha Centauri," Anderson said. His voice had shifted to something inspirational. Presidential. "They surveyed multiple planets, cataloged alien ecosystems, and returned with data that will shape humanity's destiny among the stars. They proved that we can do this. That we can thrive out there."

  More applause. Someone in the crowd whistled.

  This was theater. Luca understood that on an intellectual level. Anderson was making this moment mean something bigger than just seven people coming home. Unity messaging. Hope for the future. All the things a struggling government needed.

  But understanding it didn't make it less weird to be standing here while the President of Earth talked about him like he was some kind of hero.

  "The Triumph of Darron represents everything we're fighting for," Anderson continued. "Exploration. Discovery. The expansion of human civilization beyond the cradle of Earth. These young officers have shown us the way forward."

  Oh no.

  Luca knew what was coming before Anderson said it.

  "I'd like to invite Captain Rossi and his crew to say a few words."

  Fuck.

  The spotlight swung toward them. The entire room turned to look. Hundreds of faces stared back. Cameras everywhere. Lights burning into his eyes.

  Luca's stomach tried to climb out through his throat.

  This sucks, he thought. Oh God. No. He didn't want to give a speech. He very specifically had not signed up for speeches when he took this job. Goddamnit.

  "We've got this." Emily's hand squeezed his arm. "Come on."

  The crew followed. Luca caught Ryan's expression as they walked and found his best friend looking about as happy as Luca felt. Danny looked pale. Zoe had that fixed smile that meant she was about to stab someone in the neck. Chris and Joey were handling it better, but even they looked uncomfortable.

  The crowd was clapping. People were smiling. A sea of faces all looking at them with expectation.

  This is so much worse than combat, Luca thought.

  At least in a fight, he knew what to do. Point blaster at bad guys. Pull the trigger. Don't die. Simple.

  This was a nightmare.

  They climbed the steps to the stage. The lights were too bright. Luca could barely see past the first few rows. The crowd was a dark mass beyond the glare. He was aware of Emily beside him in that dress. Aware that every camera in the room was pointed at them. Aware that whatever he said next would be broadcast to probably the entire planet.

  No pressure.

  President Anderson smiled at him and held out the microphone. "Captain Rossi."

  Luca took the microphone. His hand was steady. Training kicking in, probably. The same way he could stay calm in a firefight even when everything inside him was screaming.

  He looked out at the crowd.

  Hundreds of people stared back at him.

  His mind went completely blank.

  Say something. Anything.

  "Thank you, Mr. President." The words came out steady, at least. "And thank you to everyone here tonight."

  Good start. Keep going.

  "We're honored to have been chosen for this mission." Luca glanced at his crew. They were all standing there looking uncomfortable and trying not to show it. "The United Earth Republic and the Interstellar Frontier Company gave us an opportunity most people only dream about. We got to go to the stars."

  His brain was throwing him random fragments, and he tried to string them together into something coherent.

  "What we found out there—" Luca paused. How did you explain Alpha Centauri to people who'd never seen it? "It's hard to put into words. New worlds. Alien ecosystems. Life that evolved four light-years away from everything we know. It's beautiful and terrifying and—" He stopped himself before he started rambling. "It makes you believe that humanity has a future out there. That we can do this."

  That sounded okay. Right?

  "So thank you," Luca finished. "For giving us this chance. For trusting us with this mission. And for—" He gestured vaguely at the transformed museum around them. "For this. This is incredible."

  He handed the microphone to Ryan before he could say anything else stupid.

  Ryan took it like it was a live grenade. "Uh. Yeah. What Luca said. It was an honor. Also terrifying. Mostly terrifying, actually. But we're glad we could serve."

  The crowd laughed. Ryan looked relieved and passed the mic to Danny.

  Danny kept it short. "Thank you for believing in us."

  Zoe took the microphone next. "We're proud to represent the UER and the IFC. And we're excited to go back."

  More applause. Chris and Joey each said a few words. Emily spoke last, her voice confident in a way that Luca envied. She thanked everyone, mentioned the crew's dedication, and somehow made it sound genuine.

  Then it was over. Anderson was shaking their hands. Telling them they'd done well. The crowd was applauding again.

  Luca let out a breath.

  They started moving back down the stage steps. The lights were still too bright. The crowd was still staring. But at least the speaking part was done. He'd survived. They all had.

  His shoulders finally dropped as they reached the main floor again. Servers appeared with more champagne. People were congratulating them. The music started back up.

  Luca stood at the base of the stage steps and tried to remember how to breathe normally.

  That had been absolutely awful. But it was over.

  Emily was beside him. He caught her hand and pulled her close for just a second.

  "You did fine," she said.

  "I blanked for like five seconds."

  "No one noticed."

  "I noticed."

  She smiled at him. "Well, it's over now. We survived."

  Someone approached to congratulate them. Then another person. The crowd was moving again, swarming toward them. Everyone wanted to shake with the Triumph crew.

  Luca found himself separated from Emily as people pressed in. He lost sight of her green dress in the crowd. Someone was asking him about the FTL transition. Another person wanted to know about New Dawn's atmosphere.

  He answered automatically while his brain was still trying to recover from the speech.

  This is what the whole tour is going to be like, he realized. Standing in front of crowds. Making speeches. Being on display.

  The thought made him want to find a corner and hide.

  But he smiled and nodded and shook hands because that was apparently his job now.

  The crowd shifted. Luca caught a glimpse of green fabric across the room.

  Emily.

  She was near one of the museum exhibits. The suspended Space Shuttle behind her. She was talking to someone. A small group had formed around her.

  Then the group shifted, and Luca saw who she was talking to.

  His brain supplied the name before he fully processed the face.

  Pierre.

  Emily's ex-boyfriend. The guy she'd dated for six months before they left for Alpha Centauri. Tall, dark-haired, wearing a tuxedo that seemed to fit him perfectly. The charming bastard was standing too close to her. Smiling that slick, slimy smile.

  Pierre said something. Emily laughed. It looked genuine from here, but Luca couldn't tell for sure.

  Pierre leaned in closer. Said something else. Emily's expression brightened.

  Luca's jaw tightened.

  Perfect.

  Just perfect.