Galactic High

“Holy shit….” Jack gasped, eyes wide in sheer amazement and awe.

“Yep!” Alora grinned from next to him. “Told you that you’d be impressed!”

The colossal domed glass structures of the Aquaplex were visually stunning, looking almost like a cluster of bubbles that stood as a dazzling spectacle against the backdrop of the neon lights and tall buildings of the city around them. Even through the mostly opaque glass, Jack could see the smallest hints of the waterslides, flumes and tubes snaking around inside the structures.

Looking from side to side in amazement, he could see that the buildings encompassed most of the district, verifying Nika’s claims that the Aquaplex was at least several square miles all around.

Even better! No queues! Chiyo told them, indicating the mostly deserted courtyard in front of the entrance, with only a few groups of students hanging around, likely waiting for them.

Indeed, as Jack looked around the soft, rubbery tarmac that wouldn’t have been out of place at an outdoor playpark, he could see many neat, organised white lines and slots for temporary queue barriers that could be easily set up during peak times. He didn’t even want to think about what the wait times would be for a place like this!

“Shall we?” Alora called out to the group and the many other students who were tagging along, indicating the entrance.

“YES!” Everyone called back with a cheer.

“You ready boy?” Jack whispered to Dante, who had been happily padding alongside him ever since he had managed to unlatch himself from Luvia.

“Woof!” Dante barked back enthusiastically.

The reception to the Aquaplex was a spacious area with sleek, minimalist decor that was cosily heated, with only a few passive security robots and turrets discreetly tucked away. Several booths at the checkpoint up ahead were manned by droids, under the supervision of a friendly attendant in a green uniform who was happy to greet them, making a few gestures to some other staff droids that quickly moved away to do something.

Alora strode up to the nearest booth and gave the reception droid a winning smile.

“Hello! I’ve already booked a full Day-Cycle all-inclusive stay for myself and my companions here, under the name Glenphyranix,” Alora politely informed the droid. “And I understand that due to this I should be entitled to some referral discounts? May those be applied to the other students joining us today?”

“Calculating….” The droid informed them, as a few lights on their display blinked several times. “Confirmed. A hard limit maximum of 20 referral discounts is normally imposed, however as this is an off-peak time and you now qualify as a VIP customer, the Aquaplex is more than willing to relax this limit.”

“A VIP customer?” Alora asked curiously.

“Due to your recent purchase history, you are now considered a VIP customer!” The bot informed cheerily, and Jack could see the supervisor in the background pick up on this and hurry to give whispered orders to the service bots. “You now qualify for a VIP card that entitles you and up to 10 designated others to several benefits!”

“You doshed out a shitload of credits for our booking during a dry spell,” Sephy whispered to Alora. “No wonder they want to reward you!”

“Oh, I see!” Alora smiled. “Sounds good to me! Will it take long to register?”

“Utilising the details you used to make the booking, it shall only be a minor inconvenience,” The droid clarified in its ‘enthusiastic customer service voice. “We may also add your ‘designated others’ at any time.”

“I’ve already got a card myself!” Luvia called out. “I highly recommend it! Some of the exclusive benefits are just divine!”

“If it won’t take too long, then I’ll register myself and a few others now!” Alora smiled politely, indicating the other members of the Shadowrunner team.

“Confirmed!” The bot chirped happily. “Your VIP card is now being generated and will be provided to you upon your exit. In the interim, staff have been informed of your VIP status and will not impede you. Please make your way through the barriers and we hope you enjoy your stay!”

“Thank you!” Alora beamed as she and the rest of the household made their way through.

“So we’re VIPs now?” Sephy asked with a grin. “Fuck yeah!”

“Excellent!” The supervisor behind the reception droids walked up and greeted them with a smile as several members of staff, droid and organic alike, came out of a side alcove bearing trays packed with several fruity-looking cocktails, with one tray having glasses that looked fancier than the others. “Please enjoy a welcome cocktail, plus a little something extra for our latest VIP Customers!”

“Wow!” Jack exclaimed with a grin as a smiling attendant handed him a glass full of green liquid from the ‘posh tray’. “We’re just missing the red wine and chocolates!”

“Unfortunately wine and sweet treats are for Premium Customers only!” The manager smiled apologetically, handing him another cocktail from one of the ‘normie’ trays before turning away. This one was a yellow liquid, and Jack could smell the pungent fruity aroma.

“It’s all good, I was only joking.” Jack snorted in amusement, as he took a sip of the yellow liquid, immediately doing a double-take. “Damn that’s sweet! Thanks! I’ll be bouncing off the walls with this one!”

“Heh, it’ll keep us all awake and active after school at least!” Sephy grinned as she moved to join him. “VIP status huh? Damn, it’s good to be a Shadowrunner!”

Let’s make sure our friends get through first before we change. Chiyo smiled as another droid indicated a waiting area, with plush seats brought out for the VIPs.

“Agreed!” Nika grinned as she took a good sip of the green cocktail, looking impressed.

*****

Eventually their friends were able to get through, and Jack saw that many other students he didn’t recognise were forming a short queue behind the initial batch. He guessed that word had quickly spread that something cool was going on.

“Alright, that’s all of us through.” Alora sighed. “Finish your drinks and let’s get changed!”

“Are there lockers or something similar on the other side?” Jack asked, seeing his friends nod.

“Yep!” Sephy grinned. “Advanced biometric locks too so you don’t get your stuff stolen…not that I’ve tried to do that or anything…”

“Sure…” Jack smirked with a roll of his eyes, as he saw the hall branch out into many, many rows of private cubicles, with signs pointing towards various specialised areas that he assumed catered for the diverse species that would come here.

“Jack…” Luvia purred from behind him, reaching around with her arms and playfully holding onto him, tracing her claw lightly across his chest. “There are some specialised VIP changing rooms for couples. Perhaps you and I should indulge? I’ve wanted to blow off some steam for the past two weeks, and I can only imagine you feel similarly. The senses of a dragon do not lie…”

“Ummmm….” Jack nervously recoiled, his voice rising several octaves.

“You’re not a couple,” Nika deadpanned, grabbing Jack and pulling him away.

“As you say…” Luvia sighed, walking away to one of the other booths, swaying her hips seductively as she did so. Turning briefly, she grinned mischievously as she saw how flustered Jack was, blowing him a kiss that caused him to turn almost as red as her.

“Damn, she’s going all out!” Nika chucked as she and Jack moved to another row that was deserted. “Though I think after the two weeks of hell we just had I expect most everyone to be feeling similar in their own way.”

“Yeah,” Jack gasped, releasing the breath he didn’t know he had been holding in. He couldn’t deny that a stupid, primal part of him was tempted by Luvia’s constant flirting, but the rational side of his mind didn’t want to compromise his ‘situationship’ with the others. That was a minefield in itself…

“Good.” The Kizun grinned, before getting serious. “You good? Mate-guarding can be a little cringe but I figured you weren’t up for it and just too polite to cause a scene.”

“I’m good.” Jack smirked. “And yeah, I just didn’t know what to do! It’s just that’s not something that’s ever really happened to me before.”

“Dragons tend to be very direct with their desires, especially when they feel it’s within reach. Don’t completely hold it against her.” Nika shrugged. “Besides she’s not the only one, I reckon Vanya might make another try, especially after shopping for you. Healthy or not, you saved her life during a very traumatic time for her.”

“Yeah…” Jack sighed, before suddenly looking at her curious. “What about you? You seem very casual about this, I know Sephy and Chiyo don’t like the idea of others wanting in on the whole ‘situationship’ thing and Alora just wants to keep the peace…”

Nika laughed. “Honestly as long as there’s no hypocrisy going on and you’re cool with any of us having other partners aside from you, then it’s all fair and good. Making things more complicated than that is for when we’re all much older.”

“Fair enough.” Jack nodded, not finding himself disagreeing. “But I guess with how quickly things have been happening and what’s been going on I’m completely lost. All I know is how I feel about you and the others, and I don’t want anything to hurt you or compromise what we have.”

“Well that’s the problem with being polyamorous!” The Kizun grinned. “Of course it’s going to be complicated! At least you know where I stand on the whole thing.”

“Alright.” Jack nodded with an embarrassed chuckle. “Couple-themed changing rooms? Do I even want to know?”

“Probably close to what you think it is!” The Kizun laughed. “Heh, you sure you don’t want to go for it?” She smirked, looking at Jack jokingly, but with a slight hint of seriousness on her face. “The VIP perks are there to be used!”

“I’m not ready for that kind of stuff.” Jack sighed honestly. “In my country it wouldn’t even be legal.”

“You need a loicense for that?” Nika asked, sticking her tongue out at using the human meme often associated with his country.

“Hah!” Jack snorted. “Plenty of guys my age say they have, and some of them might not even be lying. But for me, I’m not ready. I’m happy with all of you and the good times we’ve shared, but I’m still learning how to function here, let alone actually live my life.”

“Well that’s why we’re here.” Nika shrugged as she opened the door to one of the booths. Jack could see that there was a bench and a door on the other side, presumably leading directly to the action. “See you on the other side?”

“See you there,.” Jack confirmed.

“Woof!” Dante barked.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot you were there!” Jack grinned ruffling the dog’s fur, before looking up and realising they were on their own. “Yeah, you’re going to have to wait for us on the other side, I’m not getting changed in front of you!”

“Woof!”

“I won’t be long!”

*****

Jack was thankful that the pair of black board shorts Vanya and Hessia had gotten him were a good fit, and didn't feel like they could easily slip off down a slide or anything. Though the prospect was in reality ridiculous, he occasionally had the same irrational nightmare many humans had - somehow being caught naked in a public setting.

Though come to think of it - would it really be the worst thing he’s done here?

Hearing Dante stir from the other side of the door jolted him out of his funk, and he quickly stuffed his clothes and gear into his bag, though he kept his new bracers on.

Just in case.

Opening the door he couldn’t help but smile as he was met by the expectant Dante, who was giving him a big, wide doggy grin as they wagged their tails in anticipation, knocking against the wooden doors of the changing rooms like the beating of a drum.

“You done Jack?” Nika asked from her cubicle, stuffing her bag in much the same way as Jack did his. “Gimmie a sec!”

Jack's heart raced as the door swung open, revealing Nika. While they had often seen each other in workout clothes, today was different. Nika emerged in a tight-fitting navy blue suit that accentuated her sporty physique. The high-neck top and hipster bottoms left Jack momentarily breathless, and he couldn't help but feel a flush of embarrassment as he sensed Nika's reciprocal reaction.

His face turned crimson, and Jack struggled to regain composure. “Shit, I forgot my meds,” the Kizun finally admitted with a chuckle, breaking the tension a few seconds later.

“At least you have that excuse,” Jack responded, suppressing a nervous giggle. To distract himself, he focused on a spot on the ceiling, attempting to conceal his flustered state. “You look good, by the way!”

Nika, still blushing, retorted with a satisfied grin, “You’re making it worse! And you actually have a bit more muscle than I thought. Not too aesthetically unpleasing either! Feels strange that you lack fur, though!”

“Woof!” Dante, the dog, barked, surprising them both and prompting a burst of laughter.

“You be quiet!” Jack jokingly pleaded, petting Dante, who seemed to revel in the moment.

“Yep!” Nika grinned mischievously as she sauntered past Jack, playfully slapping him on the ass as she went.

“Alright, let’s go, boy!” Jack called after the rather bemused Dante.

“Woof!” responded Dante, adding a touch of canine enthusiasm.

Making their way down the seemingly endless rows of changing rooms, the three of them followed the signs leading to the lockers, having agreed with the others beforehand the general area they’d keep their stuff. Following a purple line leading to a cluster of decently sized lockers of the same colour, Jack and Nika quickly stowed most of their weapons and clothes, with the exception of Jack’s bracers which subtly cloaked themselves against his skin, and Nika’s collapsible staff which was magnetically clipped to her hip.

“So we’re meeting everyone at the showers, right?” Jack questioned.

“Yep!” Nika grinned. “Aquaplex rules need everyone decontaminated before they go into the pool, so we might as well…um…cool off while we wait for the others, since we agreed to all go in together, though knowing them they’ll probably be taking their sweet time.”

“You sure?” Jack asked. “Everyone’s been excited about this for weeks!”

Nika shrugged nonchalantly. “Alora’s probably doing her hair and focusing on looking pretty, Chiyo’s probably being self-conscious about her body and Sephy’s probably flicking the bean.” Nika grinned. “I imagine Luvia, Vanya and most of the others are doing all of the above.”

“Point taken.” Jack chuckled as they made their way to the showers, seeing a few of their friends already there.

“Hey you two!” Kritch grinned from a bench to the side, wrapped in a towel and likely having been the first to change and shower, sipping on another cocktail that he had acquired from somewhere. “You’re just in time! Ploo just took a huge ‘L’ and you can help him try and feel better!”

“I hate you Kritch.” Plooderoo sighed.

“What happened?” Nika asked as she, Jack and Dante took their spots underneath the showers, which automatically turned on, hazing them in lukewarm water that smelled to Jack like store-brand budget cleaning products which he took a few moments to quickly cover himself with. It was hardly a comfortable sensation, but it was not too dissimilar a rule from some water parks on Earth.

“Can’t say I blame him for trying!” Bentom grinned, the armadillo-like alien showering opposite them with her sister. “After you left, Vaal and Zook went into one of the ‘couples’ rooms, and when Ploo tried to invite Klikko into one she didn’t exactly take it well.”

“I don’t know what I did wrong!” The hulking, tentacled coral-saur lamented. “It worked for Vaal! Everything was going so well too!”

“Alcohol tends to be a good cure for these things.” Jack grinned, patting Ploo on the shoulder. “Don’t dwell on it too much!”

“Easy for you to say.” Plooderoo harrumphed. “Klikko walked away and I have no idea where she is. I hope I haven’t fucked everything up…”

“Maybe you just caught her off guard?” Nika shrugged. “I’d just give it time for things to calm down. And speaking of alcohol…”

“Would our honoured guests enjoy a fresh beverage?” A passing staff droid chirped as it travelled along a rail along the ceiling, with several glasses holstered securely in trays that it dangled down to offer to the bemused students.

“Sure, thanks!” Jack grinned, scanning his palm on the pay pad and taking one of the glasses, quickly having a sip of a very sweet, syrupy sparkling drink that reminded him of a sprite mixed with a hell of a lot of grenadine. “No alcohol on this one but it’s really good! Damn I could get used to this!”

“Yeah I like that one!” Kritch grinned. “Really gets you moving!”

“Well it’s working!” Nika chuckled, before yelling out “Hurry up you lot!”

*****

“Oh, hey there, Chiyo!” Nika called over about five minutes later as students gradually made their way to the showers, preparing for their aquatic adventure. Some of the tag-alongs headed straight through to the pools, and Jack noted that even more students were showing up at the front. However, he knew that the majority would only be staying for a few hours.

Hello… Chiyo nervously spoke up as she approached them. Jack couldn't help but gulp at the sight of her in an orange high-waist tankini that accentuated her curves, leaving her stomach exposed. The Ilithii’s blue skin immediately turned purple the moment she noticed Jack looking her way, yet she still joined them as she quickly took her pre-shower. The others were just finishing up behind me.

“I should damn well hope so!” Nika snorted. “We’re waiting on them to shift their arses!”

They’re not missing the wave pool for anything; they won’t be long. Chiyo smiled shyly, her eyes lingering slightly on Jack. Although she had seen the human nude in their shared mindscape weeks ago, seeing him in the flesh was an entirely different experience. As Jack’s eyes turned to her, the Ilithii quickly checked his aura, causing her skin to turn a much deeper shade of purple as she sensed the sheer lust he was trying to suppress. Did I miss drinks? she asked, swiftly attempting to change the subject and divert her thoughts.

“The bot comes around every ten minutes or so, so it shouldn’t be long before it shows up again,” Kritch shrugged, remaining relaxed in his seat. “If Vaal and Zook don’t finish up by the time I finish my next drink, I’m just going to go on ahead without them.

“That’s a fair rule,” Jack proposed.

“I wouldn’t worry about that!” A cheerful voice called out as Sephy quickly bounded up to them, efficiently completing the bare minimum pre-shower routine before snagging Jack’s towel to dry herself off. Alora and a few others followed closely behind.

“You took your sweet time!” Jack jokingly told them.

“Woof!” Dante agreed.

“Well, to be fair, I have some cyber which I don’t want to get wet!” Sephy grinned. “Like what you see?” She winked, spinning around in her bright green tight-fitting shorts and crop top, giving Jack a cheeky pose as the human blushed at the Skritta’s playfulness.

Isn’t your cyber all internal and impervious to water, Sephy? Chiyo asked the Skritta with raised eyebrows, placing her hands on her hips as Sephy looked momentarily nervous before deciding to just shrug it off and not bother with a retort.

“I’m pretty sure this is most of us!” Alora spoke up, taking care not to mess up her hair while taking her shower, looking elegant in her pink skirted one piece. “Did Luvia, Vanya or the Squa’Kaar come by?”

“We haven’t seen them.” Nika confirmed. “Kritch?”

“Nope.” Kritch shook his head. “I was the first out.”

Suddenly a strange alarm sounded out as a series of peculiar and melodic tones that echoed through the corridor leading to the pools. Jack looked around in alarm and settled into a stance before Sephy put a reassuring arm around him.

“Hey, don’t worry!” The Skritta grinned. “That’s just the ten-minute warning for the wave pool! And like hell I’m waiting up for Luvia to miss that! We should ditch her ass!”

“I heard that!” The voice of Luvia bellowed from somewhere in the distance.

“We’re coming!” They heard the panicked voice of Vanya add to that.

“Well you had better hurry up everyone!” Alora called out. “It’s time to make a splash!”