That's nice of Dorin to say. Jack disagrees, but he doesn't voice it—he only laughs a little, pleasantly ambiguous. What will make things easier, he believes, is closed evaluations. But maybe spectators are part of it; maybe Thornton is testing to see how the Explorers perform under pressure. Or derision.

"Noah," Jack repeats, considering the name. He may have seen a 'Noah' on network posts, but he's not sure. "I don't think I've met him yet." Jack turns to Dorin more fully. "Did you come out here for him?"