Galactic High

The first rays of light easily shot through the musty blinds of his room, stirring Jack from his dreams. Taking a few seconds to moan and groan, he quickly mustered the discipline to roll out of bed and begin stretching, his limbs giving a few satisfying ‘pops’ before he hit the deck and did his pushups. It has been his morning ritual ever since he arrived, since he knew if he didn’t get fit he was dead. Initially it hurt to do and he wasn’t that good at them despite the lower gravity. His chest and stomach hurt like hell the first few days, though it eventually went away the more he did it. He stopped at 73, a new record for the total he could do in one sitting. It wasn’t anywhere close to the hundred plus his older brother could do, but it was much better than the 11 he started off with. He then turned onto his back to do as many sit-ups as he could before his stomach wouldn’t let him do any more, before jumping up to do squats, hoping he hadn’t messed up the form again.

His body was always sore after his morning routine, but ever since he had arrived he had constantly pushed himself to do better, and he wasn’t done yet. Woken up by the activity Jack quietly crept downstairs. He had no real way of telling the time, but the fact that nobody else seemed to be up and about led Jack to assume he had time to do the rest of his workout. Either that or the girls had gone to school without him.

His prior internet research into fitness advice back on earth often felt as if each article was specifically contradictory to one other, however maintaining a good warmup routine, pushing the limits gradually and eating well seemed to be the points the articles could all agree on, so he kept that up as best as he could. He would have to ask Nika later if she had any weights he could lift, but pushups and shadowboxing would do for now. Walking out the front door he surveyed the perimeter of the sector with anticipation. He had started running before his arrival at Hive Station Bastilla, and saw no reason to stop, though doing so at the temple had been a little problematic when he got lost amongst the corridors. He still loved doing it though, as it gave him time to be with his own thoughts.

Walking to the far wall to work out he set off at a gentle pace, increasing his speed to a steady jog as he reached the first pillar on the perimeter, not really knowing what was on the other side. Surely it wouldn’t be impossible to just climb the thing? He would have to talk to the others about it at some point, Sephy especially seemed to be into urban exploration and it would be a good opportunity to get to know her better.

Yeah....those girls were a wild bunch, especially Sephy. It was quite intimidating for him as an introverted guy, but being around them yesterday evening had gradually made him slightly more comfortable. He did admit to himself that he found them all pretty attractive in their own way, but that did raise the question in Jack’s mind. Should he go there? Sephy and Nika seemed to be hinting at their interest a lot, but they could just be joking around with him. Jack had seen friends of his get burned by girls in his class that did exactly that. What would even be the implications of getting close to an alien girl? He just didn’t know…

“I’ll just have to see what happens and go with the flow,” Jack whispered to himself.

“What do you mean?” A panting voice came from behind.

Jack nearly shat himself as his head shot back to see Nika jogging up beside him, using her tail to push herself forward until she was right next to him.

“Morning Nika!” Jack greeted, a touch louder than strictly necessary. Silently he hoped she dropped the awkward question.

“Hey!” she grinned. “Didn’t know you were an early riser like me, you could have come to my room!”

“I...erm…” Jack started before he realised what she meant. “Yeah I didn’t want to wake you, though I wouldn’t mind using the punching bag at some point."

"That's fine, I'm always awake around this time. You don't have a commlink yet, right? I think Sephy's gonna fix up one of her spares for you if she wakes up in time."

"I was going to ask, how long do we have? I figured I must have woken up earlier than everyone else, or much later and you guys headed on without me."

Nika looked almost incredulous that Jack thought they may have left him behind but decided not to comment on it just yet. "About 1.5 local hours until we go, enough time to finish up here, get ready and poke anyone sleeping through their alarm. We usually leave early just in case so we can take the scenic route if it's quiet."

"Sure," Jack nodded as he started to pick up his pace, noting that Nika was ahead ever so slightly.

"Oh no you don't!" The Kizun laughed as she dashed forward using her tail as the human bolted after her. Curiously though, Jack was able to keep up, so Nika gave it her all as they raced around the sector.

Jack’s muscles were burning, but he could keep up with Nika. He had noticed when he first arrived that he seemed...fitter than usual after he arrived. The chaos he had left in his wake before the Paladins had found him was proof of that. Apparently ‘standard gravity’ here was much lighter than he was used to on Earth, though he wouldn’t float off if he jumped too high. The two didn't speak as they dashed another lap, Nika with a look of determination as she used all four limbs to try to gallop ahead, using her tail to swing around poles and push herself further ahead.

“One more lap decides it!” Nika grinned as she increased her lead, sure of her victory.

Jack felt the rush of adrenaline as his brisk run turned into a full-on sprint. Nika’s eyes went wide as the human caught up to her with hard, sharp breaths, slowly gaining a lead as the Kizun gave everything she had to close the gap between them. Her muscles screamed as she felt her body hurt from the exertion, and almost gasped in relief as they both crossed the finishing line.

“Ha!” she finally panted, as she leant against the house wall. “Not bad Jack, but I won that one!”

No you didn’t.

Nika looked up to see Chiyo sitting cross-legged in the air, who was smiling at Jack, giving him a soft clap.

“Maybe next time!” Jack breathed heavily as he started to cool down from the exercise. “You didn’t want to join us for a run, Chiyo?” He asked the psychic.

Chiyo just smiled again and shook her head.

"Well I think we'll leave out sparring practice for today," Nika panted, trying her best to keep a confident smile. "You look tired Jack, we should hit the showers." She turned and walked to her bathroom without sticking around, only collapsing in a heap on the ground once she locked the door and was sure nobody could hear. How in the name of the pantheon was he able to keep up with her?

Nika had been training in athletics and martial arts since she was young, and was proud of what she could do, having few rivals that could match her, but she had never been pushed this hard before and would need to train better. As Nika ran the water for a bath she felt a...sensation in the back of her mind. Recognising what it was she tried to clear her mind until it stopped. Nika was always aware of her usual heat-cycle but was able to use a combination of meditation and pills to calm her down, usually easy enough to do without the presence of eligible males. However sometimes Kizuns, and indeed many other species, experienced a sudden heat trigger - a more intense sensation that came about in...obvious circumstances.

Nika reminded herself to buy more pills for it when she could, but it was probably a good idea to talk to Alora about it too at some point before it became a problem.

****

You worry too much!

Chiyo’s written message did little to comfort Jack, who had quickly showered and joined her in the living room, downing some scrambled eggs of questionable origin in the process. She was finding it a little difficult to communicate with him when he was pacing around.

“Sorry.” Jack stopped, slumping back on the sofa next to her. “The whole ‘alien high school with regular shootings’ thing is still pretty new to me, and I’m not even American!”

You just need time to get used to it! It’s not as bad as you make out! Chiyo had no idea what an ‘American’ was, but that was beside the point.

“Get used to what, getting shot?” Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Not unless you blast them first!” Sephy vaulted the sofa to sit next to Jack, not-so-subtly throwing her arm over him with a wink. “Works every time!”

Despite himself Jack laughed at the ridiculousness of that even as Chiyo gave the Skritta an exasperated look.

“Seriously it’s not that bad.” She continued with a confident smile at Jack. “Besides, you’ll be with one of us most of the day and we can show you the ropes”

“Fair enough,” Jack conceded. He was still worried, but felt a little better. The rational part of his mind told him that if the girls could get by, so could he. He just needed to man up, keep his head screwed on, and stay strong.

“Oh yeah! I got you a present!” Sephy gleefully added, showing Jack a thin, wiry device which she helped fit on his head. The material then disappeared, and a HUD appeared in Jack’s vision.

“What’s this?” Jack asked curiously. He had heard of Google Glass and other augmented reality concepts before, but this was in a league of its own.

“Commlink!” Sephy replied, a little confused. She thought everyone knew what a commlink was. “Visual overlay and voice communication, works primarily by thought. We can work on apps later, I’ve slaved it to mine so you don’t need to worry about masking it. Added my commcode to the main display so you can shoot me a message any time you like!”

You should test it out and send me a message! Chiyo typed to Jack while in her mind she asked Sephy to send Jack’s details over to the rest of them. It took a little while for the commlink to calibrate for Jack’s use, but he managed to send a quick ‘Hi’ text after a few minutes, Chiyo’s pocket device buzzing in response.

"I'm hurt Chiyo, you didn't think I calibrated it properly?" Sephy asked in mock indignation.

Did I think you would 'accidentally' add the wrong numbers to get prime access to the cute human boy? Chiyo gave a coy smile to the Skritta as she telepathically spoke to her, Jack completely unaware. After what you were up to last night I wouldn't put it past you!

Sephy's eyes widened in embarrassed shock as Jack looked at her in confusion, not knowing what was going on.

Time for you to have a cold shower? Chiyo asked Sephy, keeping up the attack.

Sephy smiled at Jack. "Sorry, Chiyo's being a little mean, I didn't mean to interrupt your alone time! I need a shower anyway." She gave a knowing look at Chiyo, who for her part had raised eyebrows and her 'you're getting yeeted' expression.

Sephy continued as Jack was trying not to laugh at the banter between the two. "Don't worry Jack, Chiyo gets a little grumpy in the mornings bu-"

That's it

Sephy was interrupted as she was flung backwards off the sofa towards the showers as Jack laughed, quickly joined by the silent giggles of Chiyo.

I can sense Alora's awake too, once we're all ready we'll go. May I work on attuning with your mind in the meantime?

Chiyo had an almost pleading look as she showed Jack the message.

"Of course you can! Do I need to do anything?"

Try to relax your mind and close your eyes. Don't be afraid of any strange sensations, I will do my best to make it as comfortable as possible for you.

Chiyo floated down and snuggled up close to Jack, taking both of his hands in hers. Jack just assumed it was necessary and went along with it, leaning back into the soft sofa and closing his eyes. He had tried meditation before and started with that, slowly closing off outside sensations, leaving himself alone with his thoughts until he was no longer alone.

It was hard to describe for Jack. One moment he was listening to the random thoughts passing through his mind, the next it was like he just noticed the strange mound of yellow grass beneath his feet, then the purple sky, and then Chiyo stood staring at him wide-eyed.

Um…

Jack took a few seconds to look around, and looked down.

"Ah!"

The moment he realised he wasn’t wearing any clothes, they appeared on him before he could even think to cover himself; dark jeans and a black hoodie - his usual attire from earth.

“Woops!” Jack laughed it off as Chiyo seemed to snap out of her funk.

Sorry!

“That’s alright….wait you’re talking to me now?”

Jack barely noticed it, but her voice was light and almost song-like in his mind.

We are in the deepest subconscious of our minds. Words, emotions, sensations...all of it blurs and merges here. In our ancient past, we Ilithii used this place to map the thoughts of other species in order to communicate. While I talk with you, the rest of my focus is on discovering your mindscape and bridging a psychic link between us. Once that is done, it’ll be worked and deciphered by my people as a collective.

“Not sure if I completely understand, basically you copy my thoughts to your psychic hive-mind and they help you decipher it?” Jack asked, trying to be respectful as he could with his blunt question, though quite disturbed at the thought of his mind being scanned by the psychic girl.

Yes. Your thoughts and secrets won’t be shared, I will do my best to make sure of that. Just your sensations and associations. I shall need to do this a few more times but it’s good we’ve made a start now.

Chiyo paused for a moment, as a look of genuine concern came across her face

I read your aura the moment I saw you. I have never seen so much sadness and grief in a person before, yet you seem calm and normal; what in the name of the gods happened to you?

Jack’s face fell. He still had nightmares of his first emergence in this galaxy, yet he knew he couldn’t avoid the details for long. He had trusted Chiyo thus far, he could tell her the details.

“There isn’t much to say. I don’t belong here, and I don’t know how I came to be here. No magical portal, no mysterious voice, no truck running me over. I fell asleep one night in my room and woke up stark naked in the middle of a district one of the priests called ‘The Pallid Pit’ fighting for my life.”

Chiyo’s eyes widened at that. The Pallid Pit was home to the Ravagers, some of the worst scum known to this part of the station that worshipped The Destroyer. She remembered hearing something about a massive fight over there that left many dead. Was that Jack’s doing? She would have to check the datanet.

“I’m still surprised the Church of Astara didn’t strike me down when they found me caked in blood and gore, but apparently they were there for me. High Priestess Cornelia received some kind of message from her god and they took it seriously, so lucky me. So yeah I’m pretty sad. I miss my life, I miss my family, but as a lone guy in a dangerous galaxy I have to stay strong and work within my situation as best I can.”

I’m so sorry Jack, I didn’t know.

“It’s ok, don’t worry about it.”

But you’re wrong about one thing.

“What’s that?”

Chiyo put her arm on Jack’s shoulder as she could feel the presence of the others outside their minds. You're not alone.

And with that Jack felt his conscious mind being yanked until he opened his eyes to see the others

“Chiyo you hussy! What are you doing with Jack?” Nika grinned as Alora giggled next to her.

Jack had no idea what Chiyo’s reply was to the pair of them as the expressions on their faces became more serious. He would probably have to do this again until Chiyo could talk to him normally. It wasn’t really fair otherwise, and despite the lack of communication, he did like her. He was already through most of the large book she gave him. ‘Modern Society, and How to Persevere’ which was a primer on how many species, through magic and divine intervention, managed to come together. Unfortunately, the sheer diversity and lack of a common purpose fragmented them until stable anarchy became the norm. He got to the chapter on leading and influential factions that kept the peace without having the monopoly of power to lead, but he had gotten too tired by then and went to bed.

“Well we’re ready and freshened up!” Alora said. “Shall we go?”

*****

The route they took to get to school was slightly different than the one before, which gave Jack time to buy some casual clothes that suited his preferred look rather than the ones lent to him by the Temple of Hope. He was getting low on cash, but he’d cross that bridge when he got there.

The districts were ever-shifting and strange. One even looked to be the site of a recent battle, which, according to Alora, it apparently was. Gangs were always looking to claim more territory, and sure enough Jack was bombarded with recruiters looking to sign him up for their gang or militia. He politely declined, saying he would consider their offer as the girls did their best to drag him along. Certainly if he was running out of money he would need to get more somehow.

He would definitely need an extensive tour of the area at some point, probably over the weekend. Sephy excitedly pointed out the Cinaplex and the entertainment district but decried the lack of funds, subtly hinting that the ‘Prefect’s Lockup’ would be a great place to liberate items confiscated over millennia and just left there. Alora and the others denounced it, but Jack would be lying if he said he wasn’t tempted.

Before long they found themselves before the great pyramids of Hive Station Bastilla School. Jack could see many strange creatures filing in, like the gargantuan giants that towered over all of them to various bird people flying above to the highest levels. As he took all of this in, all of his fears and worries about his first day at school were pushed to one side as a smile began to form.

This would be interesting.