Float object on resin surface without drifting

I’m stumped right now on figuring out the best way to do this.

I’m making dragon ball.
I pour the lower half of the ball first, and place the stars on the surface to yet it set before pouring the second half over it.

But as the resin heats it begins to slowly flow around, causing the stars to drift around. And it’s a royal pain to keep them in place before it sets enough.
Nearly impossible to keep more than 4 in the same position I want.

Is there any tricks I can do to hold them in place without poking holes in the stars or making some overly complicated rig?