Galactic High

“Um…hey Svaartal.”

“What is it now, Dextra?” the Nirah lazily asked without looking up. It had been a long second day of watching educational videos, and though Svaartal was easily able to absorb the knowledge, he had long since mostly tuned out the monotony of what was being discussed, instead pulling out one of the books he had borrowed from the House Mal’Kars library. He knew many spells and was always seeking more, however, Svaartal had a current interest in the more obscure corners of arcane knowledge.

And knowledge was power.

“What? I didn’t say anything.” Dextra shrugged from next to him, looking up from where she was playing games on her cybernetics. “What do you want?” she asked the speaker.

Finally, Svaartal sat up politely as he saw the speaker. “Good morning, Lady Bharzum.”

Greta Bharzum gave a polite smile, though was shaking with nerves at Dextra’s harsh greeting.

“Sorry to disturb you, but I never got the chance to thank you for saving me.” The Hoduth looked at him with a shy smile. “Had it not been for you, I would have died or worse.”

“You are welcome, I hope your future parties are less eventful.” Svaartal simply nodded to the Hoduth, measuring his reply as he looked Greta in the eyes, trying not to appear rude or confrontational, and hoped that she would now go away and leave him alone.

“Is Svaarti going to get better?” Greta asked, as Dextra stared at her with raised eyebrows. “We wish to hold a memorial service soon and were hoping that you could both join us?”

“Is that where you’re gonna reward him for saving your ass?” Dextra asked disinterestedly, as she chucked a sweet into the air to try and catch it in her mouth, though Svaartal slapped it away before she could. Dextra snapped her head to the Nirah to try and say something, but thought better of it and shut up on seeing Svaartal’s expression.

“I believe Svaarti will recover and get better, though I don’t have a timeframe for her recovery,” Svaartal politely answered, turning back to Greta with a bemused expression. “She is being provided the best care House Mal’Kar can provide, and she will physically recover from the spell scarring in time. However, I have no way of knowing if or when she will wake up from her ordeal. The magic she performed that night was like nothing she had ever been able to do before, and I’d be surprised if most groups of mages performing a ritual could replicate what she was able to do.”

“I hope she recovers, she was a hero that night, as were you.” Greta smiled shyly. “We wish to pay our respects to all those that fought and fell in the battle, and honour all those that distinguished themselves. May I have your comm-code to inform you of the details when they are arranged?”

“Uh…sure,” Svaartal cautiously replied, fully aware that there were bounty hunters out there targeting him. Making a motion in the air, his commlink pinged Greta’s, and the details were exchanged.

“And…this is also for you,” Greta finished, handing Svaartal a sealed envelope before quickly moving away. “Please open it later.”

“That had better be your reward money.” Dextra snorted in amusement as they were left alone once again.

“Probably,” Svaartal lied as he felt the contents, sensing no magical triggers for any curses or detection spells, nor any credits. He dismissed it and vowed to read whatever cringe Greta Bharzum had written later, ideally without the Drow finding out.

“Oh yeah, you found any recruits you want to bring into the fold yet?” Dextra casually asked as she threw another sweet into the air, this time successfully catching it in her mouth.

“No, aside from my sister there is nobody that would be suitable.” Svaartal sighed, recalling the instructions Izadora had given all members of her inner circle. Though she had formulated big plans for House Mal’Kar to take advantage of the aftermath of the Killer Klown’s attack, the Drow Matriarch had decided to play it cautious and find out what certain others would do first before she made her move.

To that end, she had ordered them to headhunt some more talent and build up their forces.

“Really? None of your old Red Legion buddies want to follow in your footsteps?” Dextra asked in disbelief. “I’ve found some decent slicers willing to sign with us if we give them an apartment, a datenet connection and servants bringing them cooked meals.”

“They’ll be an asset.” Svaartal nodded in approval. “However, I had few associates within the Legion, and those that still live aren’t the elite that Izadora wants. Indeed, once I joined your household I cut ties with them.”

“Meh, they can always serve in the ranks.” Dextra shrugged. “We’re basically just building up until Vaetrix is able to gather information and forge some deals, so we have time. Once she gets back to us, that’s when we can let loose and have some fun…with something! Hope she hurries up so I can give my mech for a spin and kill some fuckos! Otherwise we’ll be interviewing prospects for a while. I think Kravel is having some better luck on the recruitment, not sure what Soren is up to.”

“What do you think we’ll end up doing when the time comes?” Svaartal asked.

“Who knows?” Dextra grinned, as she chucked another sweet into the air. “That’s all part of the fun!”

*****

“Alright, that’s yer hot tub finished!” The reptilian foreman grinned at Alora as his workers began packing up the equipment. “I’ve left the instruction booklet with yer Kizun friend on how to operate it, so it shouldn’t be too hard for you to work.”

“Thank you for your work, Mr Kratchit.” Alora smiled. “Here is your payment, which we’ve rounded up for you!”

“Thank you, Miss!” Kratchit grinned at the prospect of extra funds. “We…um…If you have any more work you need done, my boys and I would be happy to get to work for you if you were interested…”

“We don’t have anything immediate, I’m afraid,” Alora gently responded with a sympathetic look, knowing that they needed the work. “However, I do envision future projects once everything has stabilised.”

“Aye, you girls have a whole district to yourselves!” Kratchet responded with a pained smile, though Alora did not sense any hostility. “Well, if there’s anything me and the boys can do, anything at all!”

“Of course!” Alora smiled as she led them out of the gate.

“Don’t worry, at least they have enough pay to supply their families until things calm down.” Nika patted the Eladrie on the back once they were alone again.

“Heh, maybe they can do us a swimming pool next!” Sephy grinned.

We barely have enough water to remain stable as it is, Chiyo warned. And we have new residents staying with us too!

It was true. Five more students had approached Alora during the day to ask for shelter, which the Eladrie accepted with open arms, immediately ordering the extra bedding and supplies needed. However, their plans to use the hot tub that evening had been scuppered when the kitchen tap started sputtering, only letting out a thin stream of water.

“Okay, so it’s not a perfect hole…” Jack sighed as he tried to jimmy the end of a small piece of hose in at the top of one of the barrels, having used a knife and failing to do a perfect circle “...but some of that expanding foam stuff should help. Basically, if we do that to all these barrels we ordered by attaching the hose at the top and linking to the next one, the first one will fill up from the bottom, then it’ll fill the next one when it gets close to overfilling…unless I’ve fucked it up somehow. I think it’s pretty solid, but I guess we’ll need to wait for rain to see if it works. I just need to fix the plastic sheeting to try and funnel it all in. Obeda, would you be able to use your powers to hold it down?”

“Of course,” the feathered serpent replied simply as they floated up to the roof. Jack quickly clambered up the ladder and used some cable ties to attach the sheeting over the grotty-looking guttering, which he would bring up to Alora at some point once their temporary guests had moved on.

“Is there anything else I can do that’s useful?” Jack asked Alora once he jumped down from the roof and entered the kitchen. She was cooking a large pot of soup for them all, being assisted by Vanya and a few of the newbies while Sephy and Nika had begun to work on a Powerstone Generator, and Chiyo and the Squa’Kaar had gone to follow the pipe system that provided their water.

“Would you be able to split up the shopping for our new guests and check which rooms are habitable?” the Eladrie asked, sounding a little stressed.

“Sure.” Jack nodded, looking at the various parcels of shopping they had ordered that day. “And hey…”

Alora turned around.

“We’ve got this.” Jack patted her arm reassuringly. “It’ll be hard, but we’ll be alright.”

“I know.” Alora smiled after a few moments. “Thank you, Jack.”

“I’ll check those rooms!” Jack grinned. “Better check for any special needs first though.”

*****

So you believe that this…ranching associate of yours may have work for us? Chiyo asked Rayle, while Zayle communed with their Water Spirit who was determining the direction of the water flow.

“Yes, the Animal Sanctuary is always looking for volunteers to help with the animals or people to help with rescues!” Rayle nodded enthusiastically. “Though the Greenwardens already support and help out on the ranch, there is always more that can be done!”

We’re not looking for voluntary work right now, Chiyo warned. Though I suspect that would be something Jack, Alora and Nika would love to try sometime, we need to earn an income right now.

“Well, sometimes Bhenn hires people to help him and his crew capture dangerous animals.” Rayle shrugged. “And if he hears rumours about animals being mistreated he sends inquisitors to check it out, then mercenaries to rescue the animals and eliminate the captors.”

That could be worth doing, although animals are not usually my thing, Chiyo admitted, as they watched Zayle peer at various different points in the district wall. You should let Alora know about this!

“They don’t hire mercenaries often,” Rayle cautioned. “Most of the donations go towards the care of the animals already there, but I can ask Bhenn if he has any bigger jobs.”

“He’ll probably want to meet you if that’s the case,” Zayle spoke up after coming out of their trance and walking further along the wall as directed by their spirits. “And if he likes you he might try and persuade you to adopt one of the animals!”

Oh, deep joy… Chiyo deadpanned as Zayle followed the pipe along, before their eyes dipped down towards the ground.

“It goes underground here,” Zayle pointed out. “But my Water Spirit told me there are some blockages in the pipes. They’re working on clearing them now, then I’ll get it to explore and tell me where we can find the pipes again.”

At least removing the blockages will do something. Chiyo shrugged. I don’t think any kind of plumbing maintenance has been done in centuries!

*****

“Hey, are there any longer wires than this one in the pile?” Nika asked Sephy as she began work on fitting the alternator that would convert the arcane energy of the Powerstone to electrical power they could use, to the voltage regulator that would ensure the energy would remain at a stable level. “I can cut some up and attach them to be the right length, but that’s asking for problems later. Not too long though, otherwise it can catch on something.”

“What about this one?” Sephy asked, holding a slightly longer wire after rummaging around in the small pile they had.

“Yeah, that’ll do it!” Nika grinned, quickly grabbing the wire and carefully soldering it into place.

“So…” Sephy started, watching her friend work. “Now that the squeamish ones aren’t around, do you think we could try and get Whipping Tom? Jack and Dante would be perfect for getting him if we set up an ambush!”

“Heh, yeah, I think we could finally get that pervert!” Nika grinned. “But Alora’s already said there’s no way she’ll act as a decoy!”

“Do we really need a decoy? Couldn’t we just hide on the rooftops with a few drones and rifles and wait for him to try and spank some rando on the buttocks before jumping down and shooting him in the balls?”

“We could, but that might take too long, assuming Whipping Tom can even be found.” Nika shrugged. “He’s been reported all over the city, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it was more than one asshole doing it at this point. Definitely better if we use a lure.”

Nika then grinned mischievously. “Besides, I think you might make a better decoy, judging by how often Jack likes to catch a glimpse of your ass when he thinks nobody is looking!”

“WHAT!?”

*****

“Ouch!” Nya snarled in pain as she tried to assume the form of Devil’s Daughter, relinquishing her control as the burning sensation returned.

“You push yourself too much!” Rena scolded her, not unsympathetically. “You are still too weak to get back to work!”

“I have little choice!” Nya sighed. “Commander Cocaine is making things worse by going after the wrong people and creating even more chaos! At this rate, another attack by the Killer Klown or someone else will finish Naganai for good!”

“I doubt your appearance alone will solve everything,” Rena noted. “And if you reveal yourself before you are ready, you risk making things worse if you are seen to be vulnerable!”

“Damn…” Nya slumped into a heap on the floor after trying again. “It just feels like everything we have worked for is beginning to crumble…”

“It is simply the chaos, which is to be expected,” Rena argued. “Head Whisperer Ratai thinks that each of the greater powers are waiting for the others to make the first move before they enact their own schemes. We’ve already noticed House Mal’Kar sending out feelers for new recruits for what we assume is their inner circle. They are planning something, but after the attack on the Pallid Pit we do not yet understand what.”

“The Drow are hardly the greatest of powers in the city itself,” Nya added with a shrug. “But they are certainly one of the most problematic factions when it comes to stirring trouble.”

“However, as of this moment, they are not our primary concern,” Grandmaster Ilvella spoke up from the door, causing both girls to turn around to look, seeing an anxious-looking Head Whisperer Ratai behind him.

“Master, what has happened?” Rena asked, worried.

“7 minutes ago, corporate forces on the GenoSys-Dynamix border opened fire on each other when both sides simultaneously received an order from an unknown source to attack the other,” the Head Whisperer told them with a frantic whisper. “My informants don’t know who gave the order and both MegaCorps think the other instigated it. A third party almost definitely instigated the fight, and though I have no evidence, I also have no doubt who was behind it…”

“Regardless…” Grandmaster Ilvella spoke grimly.

“The city is about to tear itself apart.”

*****

“So we know that the pipes come up about…was it here?” Rayle pointed to a spot on the interactive city map, which Sephy was manipulating.

It was there, and Zayle’s Water Spirit informed them that the pipes passed through some larger areas with many pipes, perhaps a cistern? Chiyo added. Perhaps if we were able to find a way down there we could find our extra sources of water? If we were able to syphon more water from the Gloom Paths rather than on the surface, I don’t think we would get any problems from utility companies finding out.

“Sephy, do you know of any ways down?” Alora asked.

“Hmmm, nothing nearby I don’t think.” The Skritta shook her head apologetically. “I do have a map of possible locations that I hear from Datanet chatter, but if there was a Gloom Paths entrance near us I’d probably know from memory.”

“Zayle, could your Earth Spirit find where the entrances are…somehow?” Jack asked, slightly embarrassed that he didn’t know enough about what his friends could actually do.

“Sorry Jack, but Earth Spirits can only move through natural rock and soil, not metal tunnels.” Zayle scratched their head awkwardly.

“Jack might be onto something though.” Nika shrugged. “Could it be possible to magic a survey drone down there and map it out? Maybe there’s treasure too!”

“Possibly,” Alora allowed, “but it might be better to offer money for information on any entrances. After all, we need a reliable supply of water much more than we need credits.”

“Sure, I can send out some feelers.” Sephy shrugged. “I can have a few aerial drones on standby during the day, and if we get any potential hits tomorrow, I can just send them in for some aerial shots to verify or we can check them out ourselves.”

“Good idea.” Alora smiled. “Now, the next thing we need to do is find a job or a bounty to-”

She was suddenly interrupted as they were all suddenly plunged into darkness, as all the lights in the house went out and the interactive map turned off as the power completely went.

Several screams could be heard all throughout the house, and Jack quickly scrambled to put on his shades to give him night vision.

“Is everyone alright?” Jack called out into the dark house, hoping the screams weren’t anything more than a few girls getting startled and overreacting.

Alora whispered a few words and summoned a warm light that danced above them. “Chiyo?”

I detect no intrusion, however several of our newer guests are unfamiliar with the house and don’t know what is going on.

“Pretty sure we don’t know what’s going on either,” Sephy pointed out.

“I’ll go to them,” Jack volunteered.

“Same,” Nika added, reaching into a pocket and pulling out a microlight as Sephy got up to assist too. Even Dante hopped up to help, using the glowing marks on their body as a guiding beacon.

“Let’s try and get everybody down here in one place so we can wait this out,” Alora suggested. “We knew we were pushing it with the power anyway, so we can divide up some candles.”

“Uh, Alora?” Nika called to the Eladrie unsurely. “I don’t see any lights outside. Mind if I go to the wall to check it out?”

I can go, it’s less dangerous for me to levitate and see. You go find the others, Chiyo said.

It didn’t take too long for the group to find their new housemates and guide them to the living room, where Alora maintained the comfortable lights.

I do not see lights for a considerable distance all around us, Chiyo warned. This blackout isn’t just affecting us.

“Could it be another attack?” Jack asked, to some frightened whispers from the others.

“We can find out,” Sephy answered. “My commlink still works, one sec.”

The Skritta pressed some buttons on a device on her wrist, before shining a projection onto the far wall, turning up the volume.

“If you’re just joining us, we have breaking news!” the newscaster frantically reported, as behind him there was a top-down view of sheer carnage. It was obvious to Jack that the reporter was in a helicopter or something that was circling the scene. “Forces have engaged in an all-out brawl for territory all around the city! It’s absolute mayhem! Please, if you are out there, stay in your homes and barricade yourselves in…”

“Well, it was only a matter of time,” Nika grimaced.

“Damn…” Vanya gasped in shock at seeing the firefights caught on camera. “Glad I’m staying with you guys…”

“Doesn’t seem to be anything happening near us right now,” Sephy confirmed after quickly checking the local online message boards.

“Do we need to set up some kind of watch or alarm?” Jack asked.

“Yes.” Alora nodded. “At least two people on the gate at all times until the conflict stops. We’re more remote and we have security, but that might not stop anyone from trying to attack us.”

“I’ll go,” Nika immediately volunteered. “Jack, you cool coming with me?”

“Of course.” Jack nodded, getting up. “I’ll just grab my stuff.”

This will likely mean more people wanting sanctuary, Chiyo noted to Alora as Jack and Nika set about getting ready to take watch.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Alora nodded with a smile. “But I am not naive. It’ll be a struggle, but we can do our part as long as we’re smart.”

I know we can, and we will be! Chiyo nodded. But even with our current ‘population’, it will be difficult. I would suggest we ration our food supplies and stock up from the school cafeteria as much as we can.

“Yeah,” Sephy whispered after quickly checking something on her commlink, while being careful not to move her projection too much. “There’s chatter online about how Corvin Enterprises almost tripled their prices the moment the first fights started, how several distribution centres are current battlegrounds, and there are massive riots near competing stores as people are trying to loot what they can!”

“Who needs the Klowns when we are all too willing to destroy ourselves?” Alora sighed, closing her eyes with a pained expression.

But before Chiyo could give her words of comfort, they were all suddenly broken out of their thoughts by a loud gasp coming from the broadcast.

“I’m sorry Larrex, but we have to bring you back to the studio!” the news anchor interrupted in a panic. “Armed troops have just entered the building and have threatened to kill everybody unless we give them air time! Please, don’t hurt us! It’s all yours! Just look into the camera there!”

A large, tan-skinned, bare-chested figure stomped into view. As they grabbed the camera with a powerful, meaty fist and brought it to their stern face, Jack could see that it was an Ogar, with a beard that almost reminded him of Gerard Butler’s Leonidas.

Staring into the camera for several silent moments, as if broadcasting his sheet hatred, the Ogar finally spoke once the whimpers in the background quietened down.

“My King. It has been a long time.” He spoke in a calm, rumbling tone. “I have remained in seclusion, and meditation. Thinking. Healing. Preparing. I have heard the cries for salvation, and so I return.”

The camera spun around to take in everybody around the studio. Several armed soldiers in strange medieval-like body armour had secured the hostages.

“I come back to a sick, broken land!” the Ogar suddenly roared angrily. “You sinners DARE to stand in the way of me and my hot wife, and I shall crush you for your defiance!”

He took a deep breath and calmed himself.

“My King has sent me to purge the foulness from this city. The Devils, The Masters, The Serpents, and The Outsiders too! And I shall redeem them all!”

“And as for the one that calls himself ‘The Killer Klown’. I know you are watching. Your attempt to murder me has failed! I shall smash your cult to pieces, and drag you screaming from the shadows into the light of my righteous fury! Your reign of sin is ogre!”

The Ogar stopped, and stared into the camera with angry, piercing eyes.

“This is the word of The Redeemer.”