Galactic High

“So what about this one?” Nika asked, scrolling down on her data tablet, laid back on their sofa. “A group of researchers are looking for some muscle while they take some geographical surveys near the Zinc Fields. Doesn't pay much though but at least they're clear about what they want.”

“I think we can do something better than that.” Alora shrugged. “But if nothing else comes up we can go for it.”

The group had a fun start to the weekend at the Aquaplex, and spent the rest of the weekend just relaxing at the house. A day of school had felt like nothing in the wake of the two weeks of hell they had experienced before

“Yeah, bit of a crap mix right now.” Nika sighed as the Kizun lazily flicked through the listings Sephy had run filters on while they were at school. “Most of these are obviously involved in the current Corpo War and we agreed to avoid them if we can.”

“There's still the option to go after bounties,” Sephy pointed out. “The Redeemer’s one got increased, the Church of Siros really wants him gone.”

That's true, Chiyo agreed. But many have gone to ground or are hidden away. I would agree on getting The Redeemer before he comes for us again, but nobody seems to know where he is.

“Maybe that Regulator Order with the network of informants he used to find us the first time are running interference?” Jack speculated. “Still, I'd rather not wait for any of these guys to come to us.”

“I agree.“ Alora nodded. “We just need the right opportunity, however those seem lacking right now. Anything else, Nika?”

The Kizun frowned as she looked at another entry. “Okay this one might be doable by us but…well. A group of content creators are looking for a capable group to accompany them over the weekend for a video…”

“Hey, that doesn’t sound too bad!” Jack perked up. “Though if one of them turns out to be another cringy dickhead influencer or some breadtuber I’m probably going to smack the cunt…”

“As a general rule, attacking clients usually voids the pay…” Alora pointed out.

“Heh, that hasn’t exactly stopped us before!” Sephy grinned.

Yes, but that’s only with clients that try to screw us, Chiyo pointed out, looking to Jack as she gave him context. That happened a lot in our early days until we learned to account for that, so while we took some jobs, after that time we mostly found our own opportunities until we met you.

“What’s the catch, Nika?” Sephy asked the Kizun, who was reading the proposed job.

“‘We are a group of paranormal investigators-’”

“Oh crap…” Sephy began, already not liking the subject.

“Let’s hear what they’re asking at least!” Alora chided. “Go on Nika!”

“Alright.” The Kizun snorted in amusement. “‘We are a group of paranormal investigators known as ‘Spectral Visions’ that are seeking a team of skilled and reliable adventurers to assist and protect us during an expedition, investigation and cleansing at a confirmed haunted location. The chosen team will play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and success of our mission, capturing spine-tingling footage and uncovering the paranormal secrets of this forsaken location.’”

“FUCK THAT!” Sephy immediately dismissed. “No way! No way am I going to work with ghosts, paranormal or spooky shit of any kind!”

“Why?” Jack asked curiously, “Is it that bad?”

“Hell yeah it’s that bad!” Sephy shuddered.

It’s not that bad, Chiyo told Jack with a roll of her eyes. Sephy’s just scared.

“Am not!” The Skritta lied, fiercely shaking her head. “I told you all about that time when I went to the Bellbric Ranch when I was younger!”

“Where you thought that it would be a good idea to sneak off to a known haunted location on your own and literally rob the ghosts?” Alora asked quizzically with raised eyebrows.

“It’s not like they needed any of that stuff!” Sephy argued.

I’m pretty sure the poltergeist you encountered must have disagreed with you, Chiyo quipped with an amused smile. What was it you managed to loot in the end?

“Shut up!” Sephy huffed as the other girls chuckled.

“Why? What was it?” Jack asked, giving a wide grin at seeing Sephy’s exasperated look.

“A cooking pot and two spoons before she ran away!” Nika laughed.

“Maybe the ghosts were just hungry?” Jack asked, his grin turning into a full cheshire smile as he teased the Skritta, the others cackling with laughter as she made several gestures with her hands he guessed were the local equivalent of the middle finger.

“Well at least you wouldn’t be alone if we were to take this job!” Alora spoke up, as she got everyone back on topic. “What are the other details, Nika?”

“They want to meet first before they go into big details,” Nika cautioned. “Which is to be expected really. They don’t want anyone leaking any information about where they want to go because of stream snipers and rival groups, and the compensation we would receive is negotiable. They do also want us to submit some details to them before any meet is agreed, presumably to filter who they want.”

“That’s a bit vague,” Jack noted.

“We may be able to glean more information during the meet if we decide to go for this job.” Alora nodded thoughtfully. “And we’ll certainly be able to negotiate a decent pay from the lack of forthcoming information. Anything else?”

“Yeah they’ve specifically said they’re looking for groups with good community standing, so I’m guessing they have been burned by others before,” Nika noted. “Along with the usual good communication skills, teamwork blah blah blah…”

We can skip that part, if they want to research us they can work that out for themselves. Chiyo noted.

“They’re providing the secure transport and claim that catering will all be taken care of.” Nika shrugged, looking tempted by the job. “For a full weekend, with the possibility of multiple trips in the future, and also the possibility of future work. As far as the times go, they’re not specific as to what weekend they want to go, but I’m guessing not the weekend coming up, which was the one we’re looking for.”

“They’re probably just wanting to get themselves fully organised.” Jack shrugged. “Maybe it’s not a publicly known place and they’re not worried about others getting there first?”

“That sounds likely.” Alora nodded. “Shall I add that to the ‘maybe’ list?”

“If you must…” Sephy grouched as she popped open another canned drink. “What else have we got?”

Didn’t Luvia say she wanted us for a job a few weeks ago? Chiyo asked while she munched on some sweets, which Jack suspected was her third bag of them. He had managed to pinch one while the Ilithii wasn’t looking earlier, and was pleasantly surprised to find it tasted almost exactly like a jelly baby.

“She did, though I need to ask her more about it since she didn’t say much at the time.” Alora recalled.

“Probably just one of her ploys to get with Jack,” Sephy grunted. “Wouldn’t put it past her.”

“I don’t think it was,” Alora disagreed. “She was very vague about it when we spoke, and she knows not to cross a boundary like that.”

“Does she now?” Sephy dryly asked, clearly not believing the Eladrie.

“Regardless, if it’s legit we can text her about it.” Nika shrugged. “It didn’t seem urgent though, and since Luvia’s a friend I doubt we’ll get much of a payday from it.”

“I’ll do that anyway.” Alora nodded. “Anyway, let’s stop being lazy! Anyone who wants to come to the Sect of Esin with us for first aid training, ten minute warning!” She shouted out, so everyone in their home district could hear and get themselves ready.

*****

“Alright! Coordinates are just up ahead,” Sephy told them all, checking her commlink.

“Excellent, and we’ve made it in good time too!” Alora noted, looking around the neighbourhood they had found themselves in, having travelled in a northernish direction to get there. Though the independent districts they were visiting were clearly economically disadvantaged and had suffered majorly in recent attacks, the locals greeted them warmly, with the local militia happy to direct them to the Sect with no signs of trouble. The district seemed peaceful, with a proud, hard working community. As they walked down the streets of tenements and cart vendors, they spotted two elderly Vivren cleaning and polishing a wayshrine, which was one of several dedicated to a god along the streets, and they saw many of the locals stop by a few of them to give their brief respects before continuing with their day.

The symbol of the Sect of Esin - a green neon star on the flag up ahead - told the students that they were at the right place. The medical clinic that they had been invited to in order to learn first aid operated within the skeletal remains of a cluster of abandoned warehouses and factories, nestled in the centre of the residential district. The exterior of the makeshift medical facility bore many scars of time and neglect, with faded corporate logos and crumbling walls, but Jack could see several scrapped-together robots working around the outside to try and repair and clean it up.

“Shall we?” Jack asked. They were a bit early, but they could probably wait inside and stay out of the cold weather.

The entrance was marked by a large set of secure double doors with armed guards, with their uniforms clearly marking them as affiliated with the sect, but the guards didn’t impede them, instead just waving them in and radioing ahead.

“I guess we’re expected.” Nika shrugged as the students piled into a green foyer, before the secure doors shut behind them.

“Good afternoon everyone!” A chipper female voice called out of a PA system as the students looked around for the source. “Just need to check you all for any diseases or anything else that might be a problem for us. Just sit tight for a moment!”

It shouldn’t take long. Chiyo noted, as they heard some hums and beeps from all around them.

“Okay, you should be alright!” The voice called out once again. “However, just as a precaution, we understand that one of your number is an Outsider, so we wish to cast a small protection spell on him just in case. Would you be willing to submit to this?”

Jack looked around at the others and shrugged. “Sure, no problem!” He called out.

“Excellent!” The friendly voice replied. “Give me a moment!”

A hidden door to the side opened, as a short, purple worm-like lizard creature with two arms, two beady eyes, two buck teeth and four legs in a lab coat skittered out holding a datapad.

“Hello there!” The being smiled up at him as the door closed behind them. “Don’t worry, this spell just makes sure that you can’t spread anything around here, the entry process already makes sure nothing spreads to you, but I want to make sure we don’t get anything weird from you! Uh…no offence!”

“None taken…” Jack smiled in amusement as the creature seemed to be skittering all around him, taking notes on god knows what. As he watched, he noticed the creature, which he assumed was a woman, had no hair, with four long, thin horns poking out of the back of her head like railroad spikes. Looking satisfied, the creature spoke a few words that Jack couldn’t comprehend, before lightly touching him on the arm, giving him a weak tingly feeling that he shook off.

“Right! We’re all good!” The being grinned. “Dr Kerkeis told me he met many of you in the aftermath of the second Klown attack and I’m pleased to see so many of you here! We’re always looking to spread the Gift of Healing in Esin’s name! My name is Dr Dessim, and I work as a junior doctor under Dr Kerkeis. I’ll be the one teaching you what I can alongside a few of my apprentices. Anyway! Please come in!”

The chipper doctor quickly slithered past towards the next set of double doors, briefly bowing their head in respect to the green star above them before whispering something under her breath, causing the doors to open wide for all of them.

Upon entering, the students found themselves within a reception area, though it was far different from any hospital reception Jack had ever seen. Where he would expect a completely packed waiting room with cheap plastic seating and all the noise and cries of desperate patients, here it was quiet, with several sofas and even beds that looked like they had either been looted from abandoned properties or had fallen off the back of an IKEA truck. It looked cosy, and the atmosphere was much quieter, almost a calm that befitted a place where the sick could get better. Even the various volunteers he could see moving around up ahead looked calm, and not in any rush to move between patients. The receptionist, like many they met, looked bored, but seemed attentive as the insectoid picked up their commlink and answered several questions.

“Any news, Quikith?” Dr Dessim asked as they walked past.

“Incoming patient, Doctor, I’ll pencil them in.” Quikith nodded. “The other doctors are still operating out in the field, and won’t be back for a while.”

“Very well, I’ll take a look at them when they get here, but if it isn’t urgent I’m sure the apprentices can treat them well enough. I feel like my time to pupate is near so see if we can have someone suitable cover for me, just in case.”

“As you say, Doctor.” Quikith respectfully nodded again, as Dr Dessim beckoned the students to follow.

The building was a vast open space that had been repurposed with a patchwork of salvaged partitions and translucent curtains, creating makeshift treatment rooms that gave the patients a modicum of privacy. Looking back, Jack could see the outside of the foyer they had entered, with scraped-together metal plates that held up what now looked like a temporary structure.

The ceiling of the former warehouse was high, though it looked like work was being done to utilise the space, as catwalks were being built, though Jack didn’t know what for. For now though, the industrial lights above cast a light over the holographic displays projecting information, and even entertainment in some places, likely for the benefit of patients lying down.

As the group was led down the maze of temporary rooms along the cracked concrete floor, Jack saw that the volunteer medics had ingeniously fixed gurneys, surgical tables and other medical equipment out of scrap when they passed a closed-off section that had two volunteers with a welder working on something. The air was heavy with the scent of antiseptic and ozone, with cleaning droids zipping around, spraying their stuff all around them.

“Alright, here we are!“ Dr Dessim grinned as she led them all into a large room with a few gurneys, complete with practice dummies of different species Jack was unfamiliar with, manned by several apprentices. “So to begin, before we even think of helping someone, what do we do first?”

“Assess the situation?” Alora asked. “It could be a trap or there could be enemies nearby?”

“Excellent!” Dr Dessim nodded with a satisfied smile. “You shouldn’t put yourself at risk if you can help it. If you have to get yourself and your patient out of there, do it, but otherwise stay put if it’s safe enough, since moving an injured person can often cause more harm. You might be able to get away with that using your powers, young lady.” She indicated to Chiyo. “Now if you’re on the scene, you may not have time to clean yourself up, but you must do your best to prevent infection. Though that can be dealt with once help arrives on the scene, it can take some time. Speaking of which, if your patient is still awake you need to keep them as calm as you can. While it’s likely they’ll be freaking out, getting them on-side and cooperative is key to your success in healing them up. Any questions?”

Nobody had any, with the points raised sounding obvious to the group.

“Heh, it might sound obvious to some of you!” Dr Dessim shrugged. “But trust me, in the heat of the moment common sense goes out of the window. At least if you remember me saying it, you’ll know what to do! Anyway, split up evenly among the tables and we can go through the basic scenarios!”

Jack, Sephy and Alora took one of the nearest ones with a smiling Xarak apprentice, the reptilian quickly pointing to one of the arms of the four-armed mannequin that looked obviously broken.

“So! Broken bones!” The Doctor called out once everyone was settled. “These vary in intensity, but all need to be treated, and that starts by finding the point of fracture. With more severe injuries these are more obvious with deformities in the limb, but others may be more subtle. Firstly, in the most horrible of cases, there can be open bone fractures which you will need to dress with a cloth, keeping pressure around the wound to control any bleeding, before you bandage it up.”

As Dr Dessim was talking, the apprentices showed the practical application of this, and Jack took note as the Doctor continued.

“Sometimes the situations you find yourselves in won’t allow you the resources you need. Don’t forget that if you need a bandage, a ripped piece of clothing is a good substitute! Learn to improvise if you can, but it’s always good to carry things for an emergency, especially if you find yourself heading to risky locations. But on the topic of bandages, let’s move on to cuts and lacerations!”

Jack glanced at the doctor as she spoke. The friendly woman was clearly very passionate about her subject, so he made doubly sure he was remembering what she was saying. Though he had some experiences with first aid with the scouts, which had proven useful in the recent past, he could barely remember much of it and he didn’t want to make any mistakes.

“Ideally with cuts and lacerations, you should practise on one another to make sure you can keep a bandage firm enough to work properly, however you may require a clotting agent for certain species,” The doctor continued. “But in the case of more severe bleeding of a limb, a tourniquet may be needed. Watch closely as I demonstrate how to do it, and my apprentices will assist…”

Jack’s mind went back to the Klown attack, where he was able to save Kizzarith using a tourniquet. The Anicite had been messed up by the whole affair, and though Jack hadn’t seen his friend in a while, according to the guys he was making steady progress.

“Now some complications can arise with cybernetic enhancements and genetically enhanced tissue, though the latter is far more complicated to identify. In many cases, a binding agent is best to seal the wound rather than a bandage, but wounds in these locations can be left longer without further treatment. Chances are that if your patient is awake and active they will have a better idea of how to treat their systems. However, for burns this is much more complicated. If a cybernetic arm malfunctions for example, then the fusion of organic and artificial requires advanced treatment. Burn dressings and antiseptics can treat the symptoms in the interim, but only after cooling the burn. While running water can help with normal burns, there is often a danger with cybernetic systems, so we recommend deactivating the affected limb if you can.”

Jack nodded as he understood. Looking at his palm, he remembered the nasty burn he received during his desperate fight with Dr Grine. He shuddered. Grine was still out there…

“Excellent! Now we’re going to run through a few practical exercises and get you all experienced at using some key concepts and equipment…”

*****

“Hey, this is actually pretty fun!” Sephy grinned as she got the hang of making a sling for a broken arm, using Jack as a test subject.

“And quite useful, considering our line of work,” Alora agreed. “Though I have healing magics, it isn’t a total solution for everything.”

“Yeah, it makes sense to be as self-sufficient as we can,” Jack agreed as he wiggled his fingers before undoing the sling to practise on Alora. “Especially if we’re thinking of heading outside the city.”

“Excellent!” The apprentice told them once Jack completed the sling. “You three are doing very well, and we do offer advanced classes for those that are willing. We operate a few that you may find useful if you’re of the adventurous sort.”

“That’s very kind of you!” Alora smiled. “Thanks!”

“It is merely our duty, no inconvenience!” The apprentice reassured her. “In the name of Esin, we heal those that need it to the best of our ability, and we are more than glad to spread the Great Art, especially among such willing students! I understand you may be somewhat ignorant of Esin, Outsider?”

“I’ll admit I don’t know much.” Jack tentatively replied, not wanting to be rude. “I know she’s a goddess of healing, that’s about all I know, sorry.”

The apprentice smiled. “There is nothing to apologise for, Outsider. Though there are many who consider Esin to be female, there are also those that consider Esin male. It is not something that matters to Esin - Esin considers themselves beyond such concepts, though does not disapprove of their clergy using such terminology. All that matters to Esin is that we cherish and preserve life no matter the form it takes, and spread the art of healing wherever we can.”

“Yeah, but that includes bad guys too, right?” Sephy asked, as Alora gave the Skritta an unamused look, but the apprentice didn’t seem to mind.

“If resources are limited, then it is up to the healer to best determine how they are used.” Dr Dessim smiled as she approached their table. “But we are duty-bound to help all we can without rendering judgement.”

“There’s a guy from my people’s ancient history you’d like!” Jack grinned. “His name was Hippocrates, and he was way ahead of his time in advancing medicine when most of us were primitive. Though a lot is lost to history, he’s most well known for the Hippocratic Oath. ‘Do no harm’ and all that. It was basically a code of medical ethics that many doctors even today swear by!”

“I am sure that Esin smiles upon your people, Outsider!” Dr Dessim nodded politely as everyone stopped and gathered around. “However for today, we are done. We offer medical supplies for sale, and will be most thankful for any charitable donations too.”

“Thank you Dr Dessim, thank you everybody!” Alora diplomatically gave a nod of her head in a short bow. “I think we shall do exactly that!”

*****

Nika? Have you seen something interesting? Chiyo asked the distracted Kizun, who was looking studiously at her datapad.

“Might have found us our job for the weekend,” Nika finally spoke up, unsurely. “It looks interesting too…”

“What does it say?” Jack asked.

“They’re being very stingy on the actual details, but it’s a Recon Mission,” Nika began. “But it has a few caveats that will only be explained to us during the meet. They’ve also marked it as urgent, with multiple sub-objectives, so we might be able to negotiate ourselves a decent payday out of this one!”

“Oooh! What else does it say?” Sephy asked with a grin.

“Not much at all.” Nika sighed. “Except that they’ve confirmed this is a job for outside the city.”

How far away? Chiyo asked curiously. Are you sure it’s a weekend job?

“That’s what they’re saying.” Nika shrugged. “Though we can check these details during the meet if we go for it. What do you say?”

“Let’s express interest in a meet and see where we go from here.” Alora nodded. “We all agreed to at least hear them out?”

Nods from the group all gave their accent.

“Alright!” Nika grinned. “Let’s see where this goes…”

They received a reply less than twenty seconds later.

“Uh…” Jack began. “Is it normally that quick?”

No, Chiyo confirmed. Not even for AI filtering.This isn’t a good sign. Nika?

“Holy shit. They want to see us as soon as possible.” The Kizun spoke slowly, her look of concern plain for all of them.

“That could mean they’re desperate…” Sephy began.

Or another threat, Chiyo warned.

“We won’t find out until we check.” Alora nodded grimly. “What’s the location, Nika?”

“Um…” the Kizun gulped.

“It’s Corvin Enterprises...”