Galactic High

It turned out that the rocks were not, in fact, radioactive.

As far as they knew.

Powerstones, alternatively called Mana Batteries, were magical in nature, and though they were not commonly used they could be adapted as a decent power source with the right equipment.

Which they didn’t have.

“Even with the tech we found in the container, most of it is unusable.” Nika sighed as the household sat down that evening to plan their next move. “I can fix something together from one of them, but it won’t be that efficient. Enough to keep the lights on and maybe charge a few commlinks.”

“They had all these…Powerstones, but nothing to actually use them with?” Jack asked in disbelief.

“I know, right?” Nika chuckled. “Lots of spare parts though, I’m guessing it was a maintenance container that slipped through the net of whatever Megacorp originally owned it.”

“Hey, either way it was a good find,” Sephy pointed out. “And we’re still in a better spot than we were before.”

That’s true, we had set low expectations for this trip, Chiyo conceded. However, the fact remains that though we have enough money to remain mostly stable, more will allow us to become more self-sufficient and better able to support our new charges.

Alora nodded her head in agreement. “Though the Klown attack was tragic, the chaos is a fertile ground for all kinds of jobs...”

“And Runs,” Sephy added.

“And bounties.” Nika grinned.

“Yes,” Alora agreed with a sigh, clearly not appreciating the interruption. “But unless it’s worth our while, we should stick with something simple. We’ve earned some downtime, and I want to keep it that way.”

“I don’t suppose taking up a part-time job at a shop is an option?” Jack asked with a raised eyebrow as he brought over a tray of teapots and mugs.

“Bentom and I do that, but I wouldn’t recommend it even if you could find a position,” Karzen cautioned with a chuckle. “It pays like ass, especially if you’re just a student.”

“Why do you do it then?” Jack asked, curiously.

“It’s much safer and we get a workout doing it.” Bentom grinned. “We don’t actually do much work, but it keeps dad and the grandparents happy and reasonably worry-free.”

“Have had to fend off shoplifters though,” Karzen pointed out. “But the store has a policy that whoever stops them gets all their shit. That actually ends up paying more.”

“It is very difficult to get a steady, part-time job as a student even if we were to try,” Alora told Jack with a sad smile. “That’s why the most many students have to hope for is feeding into one of the Megacorporations that sponsor the school.”

“If you would allow me to conduct an interview with you and your group based on what you’ve been up to, you would be entitled to a portion of the profits,” Vanya spoke up nervously. “It’s how I make a living.”

“Would you be up for that, Vanya?” Alora asked. “We don’t know if Svaarti…”

“I know,” Vanya finished with a sad smile and a nod. “I know she’ll be alright, but if I can be honest with you…I need to do this. I need to try and pull myself back together and get things back to normal, and I’ve wanted to get the scoop on you since you got here, Jack, and the stuff you’ve been up to since is definitely noteworthy and people are gonna want to hear about it.”

“Uh…sure?” Jack asked. “Do you want to do it now, or?”

“No. Some time for all of us to prepare would be good before we do this.” Vanya nodded with a relieved, but nervous smile. “I haven’t even gotten my stuff from my apartment yet. And it’s not just you I want to interview, all of you as a group should sit down with me and we can all do it together. There’s no rush since I have some material scheduled up, but maybe if you’re given a public platform you can use it to help you out with whatever personal stuff you’re trying to fix?”

Jack made a start at that. He had been pretty tight-lipped about his mission to return home and was about to say something before Vanya raised a hand to stop him.

“Hey, I don’t know what the specifics are, but I kinda deduced that to be the reason. I am a journalist, after all, but if I can do something to help you I will. You saved my life. Just say the word and I can start inviting my audience to submit their questions and info for you!”

“Very well, Vanya.” Alora smiled. “Let us know when you’re ready and have questions for us.”

“Our GrainCoin is able to grow in the garden,” Rayle added, thinking. “Though mages will pay for that now if you need the funds, it is better to grow and use the seeds for more plants. Do you have a Cryptocurrency mining setup?”

“We actually don’t,” Sephy answered, perking up at the idea. “We considered it too much of a drain on power and focused more on self-charging sentries and the odd droid. If we’re able to go fully self-sufficient we could make a start?”

“Is your animal friend able to help with the power issue?” Obeda spoke up after some time just listening in, and being quiet. “They seem to possess some kind of affinity with electricity.”

“Honestly, I have no idea,” Jack unsurely replied as he looked at the ‘dog’ on the sofa that had promptly fallen asleep again the moment they returned. “I think Dante did something to help during the attack that drained him pretty badly, so I don’t want to risk it.”

“What kind of jobs do you wish to do? And can we help?” Zayle asked, with several others nodding their heads.

“Only in a supporting role if we do anything dangerous or risky,” Nika immediately answered. “But honestly, I’m game for anything that pays well and won’t be too complicated. We’ll need to keep an eye out.”

“I’ll keep going through the cyber data we have.” Sephy shrugged. “Finding a spot with loot to ‘liberate’ would solve so many problems for us. Great fun too!”

I do wish we could find a forgotten tomb, ancient dungeon or a lost city one of these days, Chiyo lamented. They’re definitely out there. I’ve found references in old books and online that look promising, though it would require a lot of time and effort for no guarantee of a payoff. But imagine the forgotten history we could discover!

“Would we be the only people to potentially know of these places?” Jack asked after a moment of silence, when nobody replied to Chiyo. “If that’s the case, then we can do the prep and then just go when the time is right.”

“We do get breaks from school every other month,” Alora pointed out. “I’ve said before, Chiyo, we can turn one of your leads into a holiday - it’s just getting the opportunity that’s the only problem.”

I know, and I understand, it’s just one of those things I’ve always wanted to do. The Ilithii shrugged before turning to Jack to explain. Usually something comes up around that time that scuttles those plans and we go on a Run to pay the bills for the next month or two. Hopefully, if we eliminate the need to pay the bills, that can be a step closer to that goal.

“Well honestly, exploring somewhere historical sounds much more appealing than going through an abandoned metro network or visiting a district with batshit crazy cultists.” Jack grinned. “Maybe I can help you with the research when we get the time?”

“Something I can do is make a public page for our group that people can use to contact us specifically, though I’ll need your help for that, Sephy,” Nika offered. “Usually we contact clients through a third party for Runs and stuff, but after the Pallid Pit and the Klown attack, there’s gonna be people who will want to seek us out.”

“Make sure you can screen anyone that contacts us.” Alora cautioned. “We’ve had clients try to double-cross us before.”

“In the meantime, we can take a look at the bounties,” Sephy added. “I know you’re not a fan of wetwork, Alora, but there are ones that request that the target be taken alive.”

“I am not against killing targets that truly deserve it,” Alora corrected the Skritta. “The gratitude we received for killing the Skinsaw Slashers is not something I’m ever going to forget. But someone that wants their neighbour dead for making a bit of noise when they leave for work early in the morning? Hell no!”

“Capture-bounties have fewer competitors chasing them, and some of them can pay more, though not all,” Nika pointed out. “Though we don’t go for ones that might involve slavery or other shady shit.”

Usually it’s shoplifters or vandals that have those types of bounties, and they’re not exactly violent, Chiyo told Jack. Simple to chase, but finding them is usually the hard part. Sephy usually slices into the local camera network or we set up a sting. Once we catch them, the client identifies them and usually makes them work the debt off.

“Yeah, we can go for something better than that.” Sephy grinned, looking to Alora with a teasing smirk. “Whipping Tom was apparently active again over the weekend.”

“Oh no…” Alora groaned.

Perhaps a different target, Sephy? Chiyo asked, unamused with the suggestion.

“Fine, we can always go for the Pooping Bandit?” Sephy shrugged with a wide smile as everyone apart from Jack recoiled at that suggestion.

“NO!” they all yelled as Sephy chucked to herself.

“I’m guessing you have some context for that?” Jack asked with an amused smile.

“On that note, I’m going to get an early night.” Zayle quickly got up as the others began laughing, with several of the newcomers joining them.

“Yeah, we’d better get our bedding sorted out.” Bentom grinned. “Thanks for having us guys, if we find something we can just send it to any one of you, yeah?”

“Yup!” Nika grinned, waving the newcomers and the Squa’Kaar goodnight. A few minutes later, Vanya made her excuses and departed for the night too.

“Let’s just say that both of those two bounties, though infamous and worth a lot of credits, aren’t the types we’re comfortable chasing,” Alora diplomatically told Jack.

“Heh, I’ll tell you about them later!” Sephy grinned, before shrugging to the rest of the inner circle. “No other decent bounties from what I can immediately see. I’ll run a wider search program overnight and see what we get in the morning.”

Good idea, Chiyo opined.

“Jack, did you want to tell us about what you and Mr Sparrel were talking about earlier?” Alora asked, prompting Jack to nod and pull out his commlink.

“Yeah, Mr Sparrel told me he had a friend that might be able to help,” Jack began, pouring himself a fresh cup of tea. “One of his Starseeker colleagues is apparently some kind of detective that might…”

“Holy shit!” Sephy exclaimed, as she quickly downloaded and checked the data from Jack’s commlink while he had been talking. She quickly looked to the others to explain “He’s talking about Sable Krynn! She wants to meet Jack!”

“Woah!” Alora gasped. “That…is not what I expected.”

“I take it you know her?” Jack asked his friends with a raised eyebrow.

We don’t know her, but we know of her, Chiyo clarified. She’s a famous Starseeker hero! One of the best private detectives on the Ring!

“Yeah, she busted a child prostitution ring two months ago! And did a bunch of other cool shit before that!” Nika added. “She’s legit.”

If she wishes to meet Jack, it will be because she has something she thinks we want or can use, Chiyo pondered. However, she will not part with this service for free. Money is something she has plenty of, so I think she will ask for information in return, or a service we can provide ourselves.

“Mr Sparrel told me that there’s no rush,” Jack added. “So I’m guessing that we should probably be as prepared as we can be.”

“So we save that for when we’ve recovered both physically and mentally, and we get some more cash flow.” Alora nodded.

“And I get my shield and flamethrower from Clan Bharzum once they’ve fixed it.” Jack grinned. “Shame I didn’t have those at my old school!”

*****

I see Mr Sparrel gave you some more reading material! Chiyo smiled as she scooted up next to Jack on the sofa. The others had gone to sleep, but Jack wasn’t tired and had taken the opportunity to start looking at what the history teacher had given him.

“Yeah, but it’s a little difficult to understand,” Jack admitted with an embarrassed shrug. “There’s references to ‘Devas’, ‘Jannis’, ‘Azatas’ and a bunch of other things I’m not familiar with.”

Even I am not familiar with those terms, Chiyo admitted as she adjusted her glasses in thought as she peered over to look for herself.

“I think Mr Sparrel knew that, he’s added annotations for what I think might be library references.” Jack indicated at the page margins. “I’m guessing because he doesn’t know everything about the nature of my arrival he wants me to connect the dots myself.”

Some of these may not be at the school library, Chiyo pointed out. The Etheria Grand Library is where I was going to suggest for our date you still owe me!

“Hah, I haven’t forgotten!” Jack smiled, allowing Chiyo to guide his arm around her while he gave her some raised eyebrows. “But a library as a date idea? You sure?”

Chiyo rolled her eyes. It’s not just a place that deals in texts! It’s massive! It’s several districts controlled by the Curators that also has a vast museum and menagerie! You could spend weeks or months on end within their walls!

“I’ll take your word for it!” Jack chuckled, seeing how passionate Chiyo was about the place. “And if it’s that gigantic, then there’s a good chance it has the answers somewhere inside.”

Assuming we can find them. Chiyo smiled. Even if we narrow it down, it may be like finding a sugar cube in a snowstorm.

“You guys have weird expressions.” Jack grinned, before he decided to change the topic. “By the way, I was meaning to ask - what was up with the Orb you picked up in the Pallid Pit? That cane Clan Ashtail gave you looked interesting as well, but I have no idea what they do.”

I apologise for the way I reacted when I saw the orb, Chiyo began. However, it was potentially dangerous for you if you were to handle it incorrectly.

“Oh?” Jack asked with a raised eyebrow. “Sounds fun, whatever it is!”

Chiyo rolled her eyes. When astral forces collide and react, either naturally or unnaturally, they can create an Essence of whatever Plane the reaction occurred on, though it usually dissipates back into its natural environment over time, not unlike the Water Cycle in Geography. However, travel between Planes can naturally occur, though it is very rare. When it does occur, however, the essence remains in its natural state until it returns to its Home Plane. This particular Essence is from the Elemental Plane of Water, and I’ve been meditating with it to enhance my own natural powers.

“So that’s what happened when we ambushed the Laird’s Militia,” Jack reasoned.

Yes. I unleashed a volley of kinetic blasts, pulling the water from the swamp for a heavier strike, but I hope to be able to use it in other ways.

“That’s pretty cool, could anyone else use it?”

The Squa’Kaar, possibly, but they already draw on elemental power in a different way to me. Everyone else is incompatible, though I guess Nika might try and turn it into a bomb.

“What about the stick?”

It’s a cane, not a stick! Chiyo playfully poked Jack in the side while shaking her head. It is a Focus that will allow me to convert some of my power into casting select spells I would not normally be able to cast, though I would need to expend more energy than a mage normally would.

“Sounds useful! What spells?”

I don’t know all of them yet, but these are usually built for utility and versatility. I believe this one was created with long-distance travel and exploration in mind, since one of the spells relieves itching and chafing, and another will allow me to create a bubble of breathable air.

“Well let’s hope we never need to use that particular one.” Jack shuddered, imagining the possibilities. “In the meantime, I just have a shield and a flamethrower, and it isn’t even with me right now!”

What about the Ring of Lesser Restoration you and Sephy picked up?

“We haven’t decided who keeps it yet.” Jack shrugged. “Both of us could use it, but it’s not a game changer, know what I mean?”

I understand, though with it having 3 charges per day, I don’t think it will matter. Chiyo smiled. Your haul unfortunately wasn’t the best.

“Yeah, Sephy told me.” Jack nodded, shaking out the last of the tea in the pot to half-fill both of their mugs. “Haul was still alright, but not as good as she hoped. At least we were able to fully arm our new housemates with the weapons, though she thinks she can find other lockups and goodies in the data she pulled from their server.”

She likely will. Chiyo smiled. A pause lasted for a few moments. Jack, you are aware that the two of us are alone, right?

“You…have a good point!” Jack admitted, as he awkwardly put his other hand around Chiyo and brought her in close…

*****

“Alright! Looks like the workers should be finished with the hot tub by the end of tonight!” Alora confirmed over breakfast the next day.

“Those workers are definitely going slow on purpose!” Sephy pointed out between mouthfuls of cereal.

Most likely to extend their paychecks with their employer before they’re either let go or furloughed, Chiyo reasoned. Can’t say I blame them if they have families to feed.

“How long does this kind of upheaval normally last?” Jack asked as he sipped his tea.

“It can last a while,” Nika cautioned. “Things usually cool down over a few months or maybe a year or two after an incident like this as the city rebuilds and moves on, but that’s assuming nothing else makes it worse. Either way, I’m worried about the assholes that are gonna take advantage of the chaos. There’s other nasty things out there that some would argue are worse than the Killer Klown.”

“Then perhaps we can find some jobs that will also allow us to help people,” Alora added. “Did your scan get us anything interesting, Sephy?”

“Well…” the Skritta began. “The problem is the scan picked up way too many jobs even with your fussy criteria! I need to filter the results some more, but I can do that while we’re at school and hopefully have one we can hit tonight.”

Though if the hot tub gets finished tonight… Chiyo hinted.

“Fair point.” Nika shrugged. “There’s no rush for a job today then. I guess we can start on the home improvements until the tub is done, but we better still have enough water to fill it though!”

“It should be okay!” Zayle spoke up from the other side of the room. “My water spirit has started filling the barrels like you asked!”

“There should be enough groundwater to fill the barrels this morning without causing major damage to the garden, but I would recommend not doing that often!” Rayle cautioned. “It would be better to collect rainwater when it falls, since much of it evaporates before it has a chance to be absorbed into the ground!”

“Yeah I know how to do that.” Jack grinned. “I don’t know how to use the online marketplaces you use, but surely some plastic sheeting, buckets, poles and stuff won’t be too expensive?”

“I still need to show you how to use it,” Sephy answered, “but buying those and having them delivered for when we get back won’t be a problem. I’ll go through it with you on the way to school.”

Collecting rainwater should only be a temporary solution, Chiyo cautioned. If Zayle is able to use their water spirit to follow the flow we get, we may be able to find a method of syphoning more.

“Then I guess most of us have our tasks for the evening, since Sephy and I will be working on fixing up a Powerstone generator.” Nika grinned. “Anyone that doesn’t have a job can help anyone that does. Only then do you get to try out the tub!”

The group excitedly chattered amongst themselves as they made their way to school. Though Jack expected the online marketplaces to be similar to Amazon, he was a little surprised that there wasn’t a single dominating webstore that sold everything, but rather there were several different ones that focused on various niche industries that tried to compete with one another. Several sites were even quite slow to access while others were down altogether, with Sephy explaining that hack attacks by rivals and high levels of traffic often caused that to happen. To Jack, it reminded him of when he and a friend of his had dared to browse the deep web back on earth, with many pages taking an age to load, and many others that just looked like scams.

“Yeah, it’s a pain to find these places even if they’re local,” Sephy added. “People usually get them from word of mouth or from the public forums like I do.”

“So no search engines?” Jack asked, curiously.

“I know the concept you mean, but the competing networks across areas make it impossible unless the search engine is local, which you can get in the more densely populated areas where networks can come to an agreement. I can run scans through multiple networks, but that can take a while - usually people trade their lists on the various network forums as a simple solution, though information on rarer, more exclusive sites can set you back some credits.”

“Speaking of…” Jack lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Anything good from the lockup data?”

“Heh!” Sephy grinned. “I’m trying to narrow it down to something local we can use! It’s insane where the school’s ended up sending stuff! I found references to a set of coordinates that are hundreds of miles away, so I did a little check for what’s there and nobody really knows!”

“Why would the school send stuff that far away?” Jack asked.

“Hell if I know!” Sephy shrugged, equally as bewildered. “It probably made sense at the time or something, though from the looks of the accounting records they keep, the school has several financial and logistical programs that do a lot of this stuff automatically. I’m trying to find a staging area they use for sending stuff far away from here, but I haven’t had much luck yet. I know it’s a bit tricky for someone from another realm to comprehend, but what I was able to get and backup was huge!”

“Kinda wish I could help.” Jack shrugged. “But I don’t know the first thing about computer systems here apart from the one class we had with Nika and Vanya.”

“You’ve adapted pretty well so far,” Sephy pointed out. “Hell, we’ve already gone on two Runs with you and most of our friends think you’re an outright hero for what you did when the Klowns attacked, so picking up a few new basic skills should be a cakewalk for you - especially when the rest of us are keen to teach you!”

“Thanks, Sephy, I hope so.” Jack smiled weakly as the group of students passed the district checkpoint and made their way to school.