When the shuttle docked, Ning was met at the airlock by a young officer with a tablet, who checked his identification and led him through a long series of corridors toward the pilot section of the hub.
The pilots were waiting for him in a large briefing room near the hangars.
There were around twenty of them, sitting and standing around the room in loose groups, wearing flight suits and the worn, practical expressions of people who had spent years doing a difficult and dangerous job.
When Ning entered behind the officer, the conversations in the room died away, and twenty pairs of eyes turned toward him.
The skepticism in the room was immediate.
Ning could see it on almost every face. Some of the pilots looked amused, exchanging glances and smirks as they took in his age and the cadet insignia on his uniform.
