Anja shifted silently under her brown tunic. The appraisal process wasn’t supposed to be pleasant, but this one was taking much longer than usual.

The large Orinian had been coming in and out of the room all morning, wordlessly pacing the row of Anja and her fellow students. His hulking frame filled his dark sapphire suit; Anja guessed him to be seven feet or more, and at least 200 kilo. It was not Anja’s first appraisal, and she knew she was expected to remain quiet for the duration.

At present, the Orinian was next door, talking with her instructor. Anja strained to hear, but his impossibly deep voice didn’t carry. The Orinian’s angular face then peered into the room from behind the door frame.

Two large, marbled green eyes locked directly on to her.

Anja had no idea what Orion was like, but had heard it was nice. And she really had no idea what being chosen for this position meant, even though she’d studied in this program since age 12. The pit of her stomach thought she would soon find out.