Galactic High

“Ah! You must be our new student!” The many armed Mrs Quipploth exclaimed as Jack and Chiyo exhaustedly made it to cooking class. “I have anticipated your arrival for many weeks but fate has conspired against us.”

“That's unfortunate Miss.” Jack nodded respectfully as he and Chiyo made it to a workstation.

“Indeed, and it is unfortunate that we meet during this time of extended education.” The teacher sighed. “But I look forward to seeing your Outsider cooking! Good afternoon to you too Miss Dhasii, I hope you've been well! Have you practised those dishes I've suggested?”

I've tried my best. Chiyo nodded. But I fear I just lack the talent.

“Ah nonsense! It's a skill that simply takes practice! You'll get there!” Mrs Quippoth smiled, her rows of fangs pearly white gleaming to match her enthusiasm.

I'll keep trying. Chiyo nodded her head.

“I'm sure you will! Don't worry, that's why I'm here and why this class exists! There's plenty of opportunity to learn!” The teacher smiled again, and Chiyo couldn't help but cringe internally at her shame in failing.

“Now Jack, I am unsure of your previous experiences in cooking, but in this class, they way it works is that we give you a list of cooking instructions for several dishes that allow you to practise various cooking techniques that vary in difficulty, but which I'll demonstrate at the start of the class so you all know what they are. From there you and your partner spend the rest of the time making the dishes, while I go around and help as much as I can! Have you done anything like that before?”

“I haven't had a class like that before, but it sounds good!” Jack nodded politely. “The most experience I had before I arrived here is helping my parents in the kitchen or doing simple dishes on my own, but since arriving I've helped out at the Temple of Hope and where I'm living now.”

“Excellent!” Mrs Quipploth exclaimed. “Then I look forward to seeing what you can do in person! Don't worry about getting everything perfect, we're all at different skill levels here, just try your best!”

“We will!” Jack smiled, as the last of the class filed in.

*****

Curses! These don't look like they're cooking properly! Chiyo exclaimed, pointing at several meat-slabs in the oven.

“It's fine, leave them!” Jack chuckled. “It”s only been about 10 minutes! If you keep opening the oven door they really won't cook properly!”

But the instructions told us to add a splash of Drakfruit Oil. What is a splash? How much are we talking? There are never any exact measurements!

“We saw how much the teacher added, and we're close enough to that I think.” Jack nodded thoughtfully. “I don't think we should add any more, we coated it enough.”

Very well. It says here that we need to prepare a batter…

“So like, flour, eggs, milk and a knob of butter?” Jack asked.

A WHAT of butter?!? Chiyo asked. Did Sephy put you up to that one?

“I- what? No!” Jack sighed. “No, a knob of butter is a way of measuring, like a pinch of salt!”

Now you're just making fun of me! Chiyo pouted.

“I'm not kidding! Those are real measurements we use!” Jack grinned.

Oh yeah? Chiyo raised her eyebrows, not looking convinced. How much is a knob of butter then?

“I…have no idea.” Jack admitted with a defeated sigh. “What does it say on the sheet?”

The ingredients are similar to what you told me, but this recipe calls for some additional flavours. Chiyo read. Including food colouring.

“What the fuck? Who are we cooking for? Gordon Ramsay?” Jack sighed. “Why does it have to be so stupidly complicated?”

“How are we getting on over here?” Mrs Quipploth asked as she made it over to them. “Very good! You've got the Pippyas in the oven, and it looks like you're about to start on the batter! Where's your glaze?”

Glaze? Chiyo asked. That's further down.

“Yes, but you need your glaze to be ready to drizzle over the meat before you take it out!” The teacher laughed. “You're doing well so far, the batter won't take too long, then you can fry the tubers and fruit with it, but you will need the glaze ready to use on the meat before they cool too much!”

It could have told us that earlier! Chiyo huffed irritably. Sorry. She then apologised to the teacher, who to her credit didn't appear offended.

“Don't worry, you have time!” She chuckled. “The batter and fry doesn't take long at all, and the glaze only takes a few minutes to prepare. Sometimes it's a good habit to have things prepped in advance. Just because you need to wait for food in the oven to cook, doesn't mean you should sit idle.”

“We won't Miss.” Jack assured the teacher with a nod.

“Very good, so far so good, the both of you!” The teacher reassured them with a smile, before moving onto the next group.

Even when things are going well I can't help stressing out in this class. Chiyo admitted.

“I think you just like to overthink things.” Jack shrugged. “It doesn't help that most of this stuff looks way too advanced for our age group.”

Do you want to do the batter? Chiyo asked. You just need to mix the ingredients together and whisk, but I think there's only a few to go around…

“Whisk?” Jack asked unsurely as he brandished his palm, when in an instant, a whisk with the clan Bharzum insignia appeared in his hand.

“God that's useful!” Jack grinned. “I hope I don't have to wash it!”

I suspect it would be better if you make a visible effort. Chiyo giggled. I have never heard of Blood-kinship ever being revoked, and I would rather you not be the first!

“Fair enough.” Jack shrugged, as he worked on the batter. “Now what do we need for the glaze?”

*****

“Just one more day left.” Jack sighed from the top of the guard tower.

Do you need to sleep? Chiyo asked him. I can do this shift by myself and wake you up if I detect anything?

“Nah, I'll stay up.” Jack yawned. “Just in case. I have enough restoration charges to keep me up until we sleep again at the Aquaplex, I'm just bored.”

As am I. The Ilithii admitted. As much as I wish to divert my consciousness to reading or research I would be doing everyone a disservice by not paying enough attention to what is going on.

“Yeah, Sephy told me things were winding down, but the companies involved needed a good excuse to claim a victory or something, right?” Jack asked.

Something like that. Chiyo nodded. Both Myrodin and Shaskasaki despise Corvin Enterprises and have had an intense rivalry with them for years. They’ve both been itching for a good excuse to unleash on them, and I suspect their greatest plays have yet to be made. Though they have publicly lost ground to Corvin, I would not be surprised if anything they lost was either going to be scrapped anyway, or a trap for Corvin to take.

“Like 4D chess or something?” Jack asked, before remembering he was talking to someone that had no idea what ‘chess’ was.

Chiyo however just shrugged.

Based on what you have told me before, I expect that expression correlates to highly strategic moves and deceptions. Yes, you are right. However neither side is run by fools, and though I strongly suspect that Shaskasaki and Myrodin have key targets in mind, Corvin Enterprises may be able to see it coming. We just don’t know for sure.

“Well, the sooner they stop dicking around the sooner the city can heal.” Jack shrugged.

Agreed. Chiyo sighed. We’ve been through enough.

“Change the subject?” Jack asked with a grin.

Change the subject. Chiyo smiled back with a nod. Goodness knows there are better things to talk about. I still need to pick your brain for everything I can think of about Earth!

“Why don’t you tell me more about you and your home instead?” Jack asked. “The others have told me some stuff, Sephy grew up at the Temple of Hope in the early years and her people are similar to Romani or Gypsies from Earth, Nika grew up on a ranch with her family until she decided to ghost them to come here, and Alora’s family are apparently snooty noble assholes too!”

What’s Romani? Chiyo asked.

“Ah, yeah it might be something that doesn’t translate well.” Jack leaned back as he gathered his thoughts. “So, on Earth we basically have traveller groups-”

So pilgrims or nomadic tribes? Chiyo tried to clarify, but Jack shook his head.

“Bit different. ‘Gypsy’ is the stereotypical common catch-all name that’s used but they don’t like it. I guess just calling them ‘Travellers’ would probably be more politically correct. Basically there are many ethnic groups around Earth that took up a nomadic travelling lifestyle, though I wouldn’t really call them a ‘tribe.’ They developed a rich culture of their own, and often historically faced a lot of persecution in the places they travelled through, though many of the communities prospered as traders or even circuses. Today there are many descendents of Traveller communities throughout the world, with many groups that still exist and things have generally been better. However there are some groups that have reinforced negative stereotypes about Travellers which doesn’t help. I remember seeing stuff on the news about modern slavery, and apparently there are some traveller groups that encourage stealing from shops, but I don’t know if that’s true. I just remember one time when a group broke their way into the local park with their caravans and I wasn’t allowed to go in for a few weeks until the police finally sorted that mess out. I guess I drew a parallel with these negative stereotypes when Sephy told me what she knew about her people.”

Fascinating. Chiyo nodded. Though it sounds like there is a cycle of distrust that is difficult to break.

“More ‘Earth Knowledge’ for you!” Jack chuckled. “You taking notes?”

I can recall it well enough. The Ilithii giggled. So, you want to know about my situation? Even after learning a bit about Nika, Sephy and Alora’s?

“Um…you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, I wasn’t insisting!” Jack hastily apologised. “If it’s not a good subject then I understand, I-”

I was joking! Chiyo giggled again. I am allowed to do that once in a while! Don’t worry about it!

Jack’s expression must have clearly shown his sudden trepidation, because Chiyo pressed on.

I am the only child of two parents that I’m happily in contact with, who currently live on the Ilithii Homeworld of Illudra.

“Oh…” Jack began, hit by the anticlimactic nature of what Chiyo just told him. “Um…You said they’re on another world?”

Yes! Chiyo smiled. I stay in contact with them through the Psionic Webway, though the distance makes sending and receiving messages take a lot of time. What? Were you expecting something worse? She giggled again as she poured herself a drink.

“I don’t know.” Jack chuckled. “The desire to know you more conflicted with my desire not to anger you with any difficult topics.”

I understand, though you need not worry. Chiyo shrugged as she poured a drink for Jack and handed it to him. It’s only natural for friends and….significant ones to talk about this. You shouldn’t be so worried about offending us. Goodness knows Vanya and Luvia don’t worry about those inhibitions!

“Fair enough.” Jack grinned. “But why are you over here when they’re over there?”

It is traditional for many of my species to leave the homeworld and spend some time away the moment they are considered to have become of age. Chiyo explained. In going out into the galaxy and spreading our wings, we serve our people by experiencing new things, meeting new people, that sort of thing. It all becomes part of our psychic network! Everything we learn or experience out in the stars becomes part of our collective knowledge for future generations. It’s a great honour!

“So it’s like a pilgrimage or something?” Jack asked, and Chiyo nodded excitedly.

Yes! That’s right! I knew I wanted to do it ever since I could comprehend the concept, so my parents supported me and made sure I was prepared for the journey and had a plan for when I finally became ‘of age’.

“Wow! Sounds like they’re very supportive!” Jack smiled.

They are, and I am very thankful for them! Though they often worry about me they still had the courage to let me go. I know it wasn’t easy for them.

“They sound like good people.” Jack patted Chiyo on the shoulder when she sighed sadly. “And it’s okay to miss them.”

Thanks. Chiyo smiled as she scooted closer to him, with Dante barely moving his head to watch them before he went to sleep. I think you would like them, they’d certainly be fascinated with you!

“That’s understandable, I’m basically a walking curiosity at this point.” Jack laughed. “Weird as always, but I’m getting used to it.”

That’s not what I meant, they both work as Heralds for my people! They would love to meet someone from an uncontacted race!

“Heralds? That sounds pretty cool!” Jack grinned. “Does that mean they’re ambassadors or something?”

In a way, yes! But they have various additional duties on top of that that involve interacting with other species and foreign powers, and general working outside of Ilithii space, so they were able to prepare me well!

“And then you made your way here…” Jack began. “I know most of the story of how you guys came together. From what I understand, Alora was coerced into exile and claimed this district by bypassing the wards, who later approached Sephy and Nika about a Run, but I think you were already around then…”

Chiyo chuckled. I certainly was! My parents gave me several leads for me to follow when I arrived to get myself settled. They had previously interacted with the Eladrie Territories and had learned about Alora’s exile after being witness to her departure, and when they spoke to the Eladrie Representatives there, the subject was brushed off and ties to tradition were cited. My parents were not satisfied with those answers, so one of the leads I was given was to seek Alora out, as they discovered she would be where I had planned to go myself.

“So you must have found her rather quickly then. How did it go?” Jack asked.

My parents took the liberty of writing a letter of introduction to the school, which easily got me and Alora placed in the same freshman class. At the time I thought my parents saw a way to strengthen ties with the Eladrie with another girl my age also on a pilgrimage like me, but I obviously learned that wasn’t the case when I spoke to her for the first time, and we quickly became friends. It’s clear to me now that my parents were just trying to help someone who needed it, who they believed would be good for me too.

“Good for them!” Jack exclaimed, suddenly gaining a lot of respect for Chiyo’s parents.

Yep! Moved in with Alora soon after once my contract with a local hotel expired, but when I moved in it was soon apparent that everything in the district was too much for Alora to handle, and she was just getting by with healing others. Eventually we decided to try and find better work but couldn’t, until Alora came up with the insane idea of Shadowrunning after overhearing Sephy and Nika talking about it in class. They were always around and we were always on good enough terms, so Alora approached them about it and the rest is history!

“I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that it was Alora that suggested you become Shadowrunners in the first place.” Jack chuckled. “But I think Sephy’s right. There’s a certain ‘rush’ to it, so I can see why you kept going once you started.”

We usually stuck to relatively simple milkruns before you and Dante joined us. Chiyo confirmed. And though I think that while we all enjoy the ‘rush’ as you put it, especially Sephy and Nika, we also enjoy trying to do some good where we can too.

“Sounds good to me!” Jack grinned. “And everyone’s saying we’re due another Run soon so hopefully we’ll get to do that. Sephy also mentioned you were interested in…other adventures. You want to delve a dungeon like in the video games?”

Sephy talks too much. Chiyo tittered, before turning more serious for a moment. But yes, it’s true. I came here to learn and discover new things after all! Who knows what treasures are out there!

“She also said you keep much of what you’ve been looking at to yourself.” Jack pointed out with raised eyebrows. “I get not somehow clueing in hostile parties to what you’re looking for since that’s basically the plotline for every Tomb Raider and Uncharted game ever, but like you told me when I wanted to go solo to see the Oracle, you can’t go alone.”

A local expert now are we? Chiyo asked amusedly, playfully sticking out her tongue at him. You’re not wrong. Of course I’ll tell you all if I find something worth looking at! It’s just that while I’ve found some possible locations where there may be former settlements or points of interest around, I’ve not been able to confirm anything for sure, and we have many other things to prioritise with the limited free time we have. At least with a Run or something in the city we have a guaranteed payout that will keep us afloat for a few months, unless we want to make any big purchases of course!

“Well, maybe we should make some plans to go to one of these places?” Jack suggested. “I know Sephy’s interested, as am I.”

I don’t know… Chiyo began. Once I find a place I like to check the libraries for as much information as I can find on a place. The last thing I want is to waste everyone’s time, so I want to be sure we’re going to find something before I bring it up.

“I understand trying to make sure a place exists in the first place and checking for possible dangers and all that, but surely there comes a point where you’re wasting much more time researching from here than actually going to an area and checking it out in person, no?” Jack smiled sympathetically, allowing Chiyo time to answer.

You sound like Nika. The Ilithii snorted with amusement. And I suppose you’re both right. I guess I just have a fear of taking risks without knowing as much as I can going in. You’re very much like that sometimes as well, especially with the more dangerous side of things we do.

“You’re not wrong.” Jack acknowledged. “I guess when it’s our lives on the line it’s trickier. But there’s still a point where it’s best to take the plunge.”

Well, I guess I have many of those same worries of bringing us into a dangerous situation. Chiyo sighed, looking at him with her silvery blue eyes with a pained expression. I guess ‘taking the plunge’ as you put it may be a good idea.

“We can still do our due diligence.” Jack pointed out. “If you have a general area we can all start looking at the best ways to get there and any threats in the area.”

Some of these places are quite far away. Chiyo warned. So they would not be viable to visit right now. However once we get a shuttle we may be able to visit a place to the west I’ve found a few references to.

“What would that be?” Jack asked, excited.

Well. Chiyo began with a smile. You know of the Regulators do you not?

“I do now.” Jack nodded.”Kritch and our friends in the Red Legion told me about them. They’re paramilitary organisations that originated from Red Legion territory right?”

You’re not far off. Chiyo nodded. The Regulators are a collection of Orders that enforce their own brand of law, though what they focus on vastly depends on the Order in question.

“Yeah Kritch mentioned that there are a bunch of them out there that don’t always get along, like an Order that uses slavery and another that opposes it for example, right?”

Yes. Chiyo smiled, happy to see that Jack was starting to pick things up since arriving. There are many Orders that have sprung into existence over the centuries, that in turn have spawned new Orders themselves. Chiyo explained. Multiply this over a lengthy period of time, add in a few bandit crews, mercenaries and adventurers that falsely claim they’re a long-lost Order, and you eventually get to where we are today.

“Yeah, didn’t one of the news reports a few weeks ago say that the Redeemer was backed by a Regulator Order?” Jack asked, not having forgotten about the Ogar that tried to kill them. The group had tried to keep tabs on the asshole, and though their activities had been erratic, they hadn’t since come after them again.

Yes, that would be the Order of the Infernal Harmony. Chiyo explained. They specialise in eliminating individuals that are perceived ‘threats’ to stability, and unfortunately as an Outsider, you’re one of them. They only number about 50 Regulators, however their strength lies in their network of informants. I suspect that’s how the Redeemer found us the first time.

“Right.” Jack nodded in understanding. “Anyway, putting that to one side, what do the Regulator Orders have to do with your research?”

Not in the plural sense, but a specific Order. The Order of the Dread Vigil was based many miles away from the city, and they first came to my attention over a year ago when I read an obituary on a former Regulator that had died of old age after living for centuries, thereby making the Order extinct as she chose not to revive it. Apparently the Order specialised in eliminating wild bands of undead to the west of here and keeping things safe, though now that area has been uninhabited since then as far as I can tell. I did a little bit of digging and found out that much of the Order died eliminating a threat in that area, and the handful of survivors quickly fragmented and went their own separate ways.

“But…” Jack began, realising what Chiyo’s plan was. “If the area is abandoned, did they leave anything behind? An outpost, headquarters or something?”

That’s the thing, we don’t know. Chiyo smiled conspiratorially. Was everything reclaimed when the original Regulators left, has everything left behind since been plundered by a third party, or has it all been reclaimed by nature?

“Or is there something interesting there?” Jack grinned. “Nice work Chiyo!”

Thank you! But things are much more complicated than just going there. Outside the city there is danger as you well know. Such a journey would need to be planned meticulously, and as I’ve said, it’s not a priority.

“Survival and income, I know.” Jack nodded in agreement. “And Alora would probably add ‘downtime’ to that list, but come on! An old ruin with loot just waiting to be plundered? That’s straight out of a tabletop or video game, how can I say no?”

Jack! We don’t even know what’s there! Chiyo pointed out, trying to curb the excited human’s expectations. It could be anything, it could be nothing. I’d be much more comfortable checking the area out if we had enough time to do so too. Don’t forget about school!

“Yuck, don’t remind me!” Jack chuckled. “Though at least we have History tomorrow. I’ll need to speak to Mr Sparrel about setting up a meeting with his Starseeker friend.

Yep, and History will be a great way to end the last day of school! Chiyo smiled. We’re at the finishing line, then we go to the Aquaplex.

“Yep.” Jack nodded. “Come here to drop our crap off and pick up Dante then head over to wherever we’re heading, likely with a few drinks on the way!”

Even I think that sounds better than heading to the middle of nowhere to look for stuff. Chiyo quipped.

“Couldn’t agree more!” Jack sighed as he sipped his drink, the two of them staring out over the glow of the city, awaiting what tomorrow would bring.