Galactic High

“Hey Alora! We’ve got some seeds for you to add to the garden!”

Sephy threw the Eladrie a clear pack of seeds that Alora took, closing her eyes as she communed with them.

“Sephy.” Alora’s eyes opened again with a very unamused look. “Why do you think I would want to add Kush to my garden?”

“What? You don’t want to see them grow?”

“I’m less worried about that, more you getting high as a comet again!”

“Oh come on, it wasn't that bad last time!”

“You drank an entire pack of energy drinks during a run when you got bored waiting for Chiyo to finish astrally projecting and ended up somehow walking past all the active security without being noticed and falling asleep on the XcrathCorp manager’s desk, having eaten all the food in their minifridge!” Alora replied sternly. “While that was rather funny we did not appreciate having to drag you out! I dread to think what you'd be like if you ever took any actual substances!"

"Oh come on Alora! They'd be a great source of income for us!"

"At what cost? The long-term mental suffering of those we sell it to?"

Kush and Spiritmoss aren't proven to have any long-term negative effects. Chiyo added, typing out so Jack could see.

"Doesn't stop it from being a gateway to worse stuff though!" Nika added. "We don't want to cause unnecessary suffering if we can help it.”

The group was at an impasse until Jack had an idea.

"Do these drugs have any medicinal qualities?" he asked the group, as they all turned to him.

"Kush is sometimes prescribed by some doctors to relieve long-term or terminal suffering in limited cases." Nika shrugged.

Spiritmoss is sometimes essential if a gifted loses control of their powers. Chiyo added.

"Some of the harder stuff is used in first aid," Alora reluctantly added.

"Well that's our solution," Jack calmly replied. "We compromise by selling only to those that will put it to good use."

"It may take a while to find those kind of buyers," Sephy finally replied. "But that's a great idea! I wasn't suggesting we push the hard stuff into the street or anything, but I've heard that there are scientific and religious organisations out there that will pay a bounty on some of the harder stuff to either study it, get it off the street or aid diviners in their investigations."

"That's definitely worth checking out then!" Alora acknowledged with a smile. "Good idea Sephy!"

Sephy grinned at the praise. "Well that's the fate of the more controversial stuff decided. Now you might want to check through these!"

The Skritta selected several bags and dumped them in front of the others.

"Jack's idea since a lot of the good stuff got moved. Mechanical parts Nika might need, magical reagents for Alora and some banned books for Chiyo's collection!"

I like things other than books you know! Chiyo rolled her eyes as the three girls quickly glanced through their haul, with Alora in particular looking very pleased at some of the components.

"We can go through most of this stuff later when we get back," Nika finally interrupted, moving everyone back on topic. "Right now we should figure out what we will take for the trip and make sure we're all ready. I was gonna see how well Jack shoots as well before we figure out a loadout, maybe you could go buy some of the gear we’re gonna need?”

"Sounds like a plan!" Alora agreed.

“Alright then, Jack!” Nika addressed the human with a grin, downing the rest of her tea. "Let's see how you do on the range!"

*******

“Alright, we’re away from the others now,” Nika told Jack a little more seriously as they walked up to the range, which was adjacent to the back wall of their little district. “We know you’re good at fighting up close, but you mentioned earlier that you haven’t really used guns before like we do, right?”

“Yeah,” Jack replied, a little nervous. “Closest thing was aiming with air rifles with the Scouts. I wasn’t too bad. Better at archery though…”

“Well that’s not gonna fly here,” Nika bluntly warned him as she dumped the large bag on the floor, unzipping it to reveal several guns. “So I’m gonna see how you do with these. They're a bunch of shit guns I keep charging here for practice, so low power that even you couldn't cause any chaos with them!"

Jack just grinned as she fumbled through the guns. "Challenge accepted!"

"Well your first try at using a pistol was rather bad." Nika snorted. "So let's see if the second time is any better. However!" Nika dramatically added, pulling her hand with the pistol back. "Tell me what you know of firearm safety first."

"Aside from 'shoot straight, conserve your ammo and something about not making deals with dragons?’" Jack joked before reciting what he remembered on the shooting range with the Scouts. "Don't point at anything you don't want to shoot, keep your finger off the trigger and keep the safety on or gun unloaded when not in use."

"Close enough," Nika admitted with a shrug. "You’ve also got to be aware of what’s around and behind your target since our fights can get hairy. I would add 'don’t try to show off or do anything stupid' but Sephy tends to miss that one. Her sprayers are smartlinked to her cyberware though, so she can get away with it."

"Sephy has cyberware?" Jack asked curiously.

"Yep. You're probably thinking of prosthetic arms and the like but she has some internal stuff, mainly for synchronising with computer systems."

Jack just nodded. It would explain why Sephy did what she did with the electronics at the Prefects Lockup.

"And it has other uses too, hence the smartlinked guns that make it easier to aim and shoot via an integrated HUD. I don't completely understand it all so you'll have to ask her. Anyway, this is an old KoreCell Defender Laser model, can't remember which but it's old. Laser weaponry is usually the most accurate, cuz lasers, but also usually quite weak and a bitch to use against heavily shielded or armoured opponents. They're also mostly limited to single-shot pistols and rifles with a few exceptions. Usually more frail species tend to use these since they either can't physically carry better weapons or they can't handle any kind of recoil."

"So laser weaponry isn't that good then?" Jack asked.

"Never said that, I said 'usually'. There are higher strength weapons out there that'll fry your shields and then you with sustained fire like a gatling laser, or an overcharged sniper. Also, certain types of batteries can be modified to make them stronger. This is rare but possible, so don't take any chances. Even the weakest laser guns will destroy your shields quickly if you're caught in the open against a squad or a mob. So try not to let that happen!"

“Don’t get shot. Got it,” Jack replied as he took the laser pistol from Nika.

“Let’s see how you do with lasers first, but I think you’re strong enough for plasma weaponry,” Nika smirked as she watched Jack step to the shooting line without being told. “You’re probably good for some of the even stronger stuff too, but that’s rarer and we don’t have it unless you picked some up with Sephy.”

“We might have done, actually,” Jack added thoughtfully. “I picked up a few magazines of bullets of some kind in the special room. Couldn’t find a gun though, but it might be in one of the weapon bags.”

“Wait, hold up.” Nika stopped. “Kinetic rounds? Seriously?”

“Well yeah?” Jack confusedly replied at Nika’s excitement. “Probably some old relics from ages ago, maybe they’ll sell well to a collector or something. I can’t imagine that they’d stand up to laser, plasma or whatever other cool space guns shoot.”

“Jack, you’re right but I think you have the wrong idea.”

“How so?”

Nika gave a deep breath of awe. “Kinetic weapons are some of the strongest and rarest you can find in the Galaxy. This is a hell of a find. Even if we don’t find the gun for them they’d sell for a lot!”

“Why are they rare? We used them all the time back on earth!”

“For real?” Nika exclaimed in amazement. “Well they’re rare for two main reasons. Firstly is the ammunition, it’s expensive and hard to find in modern times. The second reason is why they’re never made or widely used. They’re just too damn powerful!”

“Really?”

“I’m not exaggerating at all when I say even the weakest kinetic weapon can punch through reasonably solid cover. Unfortunately, that often includes the hull of a spaceship, so even a misfire could mean certain death. Couple that with the fact that most species couldn’t handle the recoil issues means accidents happened often, so the guns stopped being mass-produced. If humans used kinetic weapons, then you should be able to handle everything else.”

“Fair enough, but I’m not a trained soldier. How do I properly use this?”

“Don’t worry! We’ll make a soldier of you yet!” The Kizun grinned, very eager to see how Jack would do. “Safety switch on the right side of the gun closer to the trigger and you should be good to go. Take a few shots at the closest targets and give me your first impressions!”

Jack did so, knowing to line up the sights on the pistol and squeezing to fire, putting several weak shots into the nearby targets, though Nika could see he looked a little off as he did so. He did, however, keep his fire reasonably accurate and near point, even going for several of the further targets.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“The trigger is super sensitive on this thing,” Jack complained. “And there’s no recoil for me which I’m subconsciously expecting. With practice I can do better.”

“I can tune down the sensitivity easily enough.” Nika shrugged. “Pretty sure Chiyo used these last and forgot to tune them back.”

“Chiyo uses guns?” Jack asked curiously.

“Hah, not even remotely.” Nika laughed. “She only practices when I ‘gently’ remind her. Same with Alora, really. I keep telling them that they rely too much on their powers or abilities and need a backup, but do they listen? NOPE!”

“Alora’s fight could have gone better had she used a gun,” Jack conceded. “Though she had something else that surprised the drow bitch.”

“She certainly did.” Nika grinned. “She’s been wanting to do that for a while, though House Mal’kar will almost certainly try to hit back, hence the large bounty they placed on you. Hurting her by aiming for you is definitely their style.”

“Any chance they’ll come and try getting me themselves?” Jack asked, remembering the gang of drow that had fled. They were assholes, but didn’t look like pushovers at all.

“Possibly, but I doubt it. Politically they want this to look ‘beneath’ them, hence getting someone else to do it. And if these patsies fail then hopefully they’ll publicly forget all about it, treating it as something completely trivial over more important things. However, if a few reputable names publicly announce their intention to come after you or fail spectacularly, then the situation might either stay warm or heat up more as people talk about it...”

“That sounds reassuring,” Jack sarcastically replied.

“I know, right?” She grinned and handed him a rifle. “Test this out standing, crouching and prone, same principle as before with the safety in the same position. Once I think you’re doing alright I’ll grab an assault rifle and pistol more suitable for you.”

“There was a handgun that I picked up in the special items room,” Jack recalled. “Could I use that one?”

“Oh? Do you know what it does?”

“No, but it looked cool!”

Nika snorted at that. “We’ll see hotshot. I’ll check it out and run it by Chiyo first just in case it’s cursed or some shit, but as far as we’re concerned, it’s yours if you want it. You stole the damned thing after all.”

“Works for me.” Jack grinned. “If I’m gonna be hunted down and end up on one of those reality TV shows I might as well look the part.”

“You’re just lacking the trailer and 8 kids!” Nika joked. “Anyway, try it out, and let’s see how you do.”

*****

Jack did much better with the rifle than he did the pistol, likely due to his previous experience with the scouts. With no perceivable recoil he was easily able to hit dead centre once he got used to it. He was having great fun, time flying by as he swapped between targets, working his way back to the furthest ones Nika must have placed up the wall. It was only when he stopped for a breather that he saw everyone sitting nearby looking at him, having apparently all finished their tasks. Chiyo broke the awkward silence by giving Jack an awkward round of applause and a smile.

“Well done Jack!” Nika spoke up as she walked over to him, hands holding something behind her back. “Now let’s see how you do with this!”

She slowly revealed the sleek green assault rifle and handed it to Jack, who gingerly handled the gun with care, noting the somewhat similar features to the laser rifle he had just been using. It was much lighter than he expected when he aimed at the nearest target through the blue dot reflex sight and switched targets without shooting.

“This is the Vulpoon X16 Assault Rifle. It’s one of the ones you liberated from the prefects which I’ve reset to factory settings, so as you take a couple of practice shots it’ll auto-adjust for recoil and sights, and hopefully stay that way,” Nika explained. “I picked it since it has similar settings to the KoreCells you’ve been using and we don’t have time to train you up on much else right now. However with the Vulpoon, since it’s a plasma weapon, you can switch between automatic and burst fire, and you can also zoom in the sights to 4x magnification. Both settings are along the left side here and here.” She guided Jack’s hand to different parts of the barrel near where the stabilising hand was. “So with practice you can aim at the same time you change settings. It’s on burst at the moment while it calibrates. I don’t think Alora would forgive us if we put you on automatic and you hit a bird or something.”

“Alright,” Jack nervously replied as he took aim at the first target. “Let’s do this.”

"Don't try to lean into it," Nika warned as Jack cycled between targets. "Let the calibration do its thing, you want it to feel natural."

Jack did so, with his shots starting out wide, but quickly starting to hit where he wanted them. Nika was impressed.

"Good. Try adjusting the sights and hit the targets furthest away."

Jack did so, his fire being less accurate overall, but good enough.

"Excellent!" Nika cheered, as the others followed suit. "That was much better than expected! Alright, try full auto until it runs out of juice."

Jack did so, not daring to spray and pray but letting loose with effective but less accurate volleys until he heard a low hiss as something fell to the ground.

"Battery auto-ejects when used up," Nika quickly spoke up. “Catch this new one and slap it in now! Quick!"

Hurrying and without thinking Jack caught the battery and swiftly slotted it in before shooting another burst.

"Good!" Nika nodded, impressed. "I wanted to see how you'd react under a little stress. You didn't even need to look or think on that reload too much because it's that easy. Stick it in back or front lengthways and you're good to go."

"He's better at this than you, Nika!" Sephy teased from behind them.

"Fine by me!" the Kizun called back with a grin. "Means someone else can pull your ass out of the fire next time you get caught slicing!"

"Perhaps it's time to try that sidearm you were so excited about?" Alora called out with a grin of her own. "We need to wrap this up and get down to planning and packing."

Jack also needs to be fitted with the equipment we got him. Chiyo added, having been laser-focused on watching Jack shoot, and totally not fantasising about it.

"Alora and I can help him out with that,” Nika distractedly replied as she pulled out the cool-looking revolver to show to Jack. "Now Jack, your instincts were right on this, and I'm jealous as hell. I had to confirm with Chiyo that it was what I thought it was and we both think I'm right. This is a Dominator Photon-Class Handgun. Forged in artisan Bassilian Steel and tungsten dipped, this is one of 10,000 to be created in the galaxy. Only a few are thought to remain in the hands of private collectors, warlords or underworld figures and most are assumed lost. How one managed to end up in the hands of the fucking Prefects is beyond me. It fires Photon rounds on three different settings and has a remote autocharge feature, meaning that it'll replenish its energy from local power sources over time. This is good, since this thing drains energy very quickly, so keep it as a backup."

"Cool!" Jack exclaimed. "I'm not gonna lie, most of that went completely over my head but a gun called a 'Dominator' sounds badass!" He reached to take the gun from Nika, but she didn't give it to him yet

"As I said, three settings," the Kizun continued, looking positively giddy as she took aim and fired while explaining. "Accurate single fire and a three-round burst best for close to mid distances. These two settings deliver some very powerful fire with a hell of a recoil, but that isn't the best part. Watch this!"

Nika took careful aim and braced herself before she called out clearly, "Overcharge!"

The gun seemed to respond to that, starting as a low hum but rising in pitch as the red glow of energy got even brighter, before Nika finally pulled the trigger, the recoil visible staggering her as a powerful shot lanced out, completely obliterating Nika’s target, and another behind that.

"That's limited to once every few minutes, and that's assuming you even have enough power." Nika grinned as she held the gun out for Jack to take. "What do you think?"

Jack gave a cocky smile. "I think people are gonna regret putting a bounty on me!”

******

“You might as well attach it to your belt now,” Alora explained to Jack as she handed him the small personal shield generator they got him. “Not really something you want to forget when going into potentially hostile territory!”

“Got it.” Jack smiled. “Anything else?”

“We also got you a hiking bag with a blanket and a few other personal essentials,” she continued before giving him an embarrassed look. “Though if it’s ok, with you we were hoping you could carry a few extra things. Everything is as lightweight as we can possibly make it, though a few comforts would be nice, mainly a canopy if we can’t find a suitable shelter or other stuff we might need as a group. Not all of us can comfortably carry much other than what we personally need.”

“No problem,” Jack replied with a nod. “It’s the least I could do after you all agreed to come with me.”

“You won’t be carrying it all.” Nika grinned. “That used to be my job, it wasn’t the most ideal even with my exoskeleton.”

“Agreed,” Alora sighed. “It wasn’t fair on you but I’m glad you did. At least we might have enough spare parts to patch together an auto-mule or something when we get back!”

“Now that would be awesome!” Nika sighed. “Only thing left is for Jack to pick out a few knives and a decent close-range weapon, then we can go join Sephy and Chiyo and see if they’ve confirmed a good path yet.”

“I’ve already got a switchblade,” Jack answered. “A Swiss army knife would be good for survival as well, but apart from that…”

“I’d take a few more just in case,” Nika interrupted. “Even if it sounds like overkill. Out of sight, out of mind, but a lifesaver if you get into a grapple.”

“Fair enough,” Jack conceded, picking a few smaller ones and mentally assigning them to pockets. He agreed that it was a bit overkill, but he understood that Nika probably knew best. “Now you mentioned a close-up weapon?”

“Yep!” Alora perked up as she indicated the nearby rack of weapons. “Knives are good but useless against things like undead or the augmented. We’ve collected a few decent weapons, so you can take your pick!”

“Hmmm…” Jack began. “Have you got any lightsabers?”

“What?” Both girls asked in confusion.

“So it’s like the hilt of a blade, but you flick a button and a neon beam of light pops up and you can cut things really well with it!”

“Um….” Nika began.

“Sorry I don’t think I understand,” Alora replied apologetically. “We have plenty of swords that would look great on you though!”

“Umm…” Jack began, trying to find the words. “I mean, I’m a sucker for lightsabers, but swords in general are just….really cliche and unoriginal for my people.”

“Well you could try using a special type of sword,” Nika reasoned, before coming up with an idea. “What about a katana? Folded over a thousand times it can cut through-”

“Nah, I’m not a weeb.”

“What are you thinking then?” Nika asked as Jack paced along the weapon racks. There was a heavy flail, he spotted a mace, and then there was…

“You want to go for an axe?” Alora asked curiously.

“Good call!” Nika approved. “Plays to your strengths and has a lot of utility.”

“Damn right!” Jack acknowledged them after taking a few practice swings. “Anyone that wants to mess with us will be axing for trouble!”

“Dear goddess…” Alora sighed as she rolled her eyes.

********

Sephy and I believe we’ve found a good route. Chiyo addressed them all, with Sephy acting as a mouthpiece for Jack while she added her own comments. There are several points that could be risky, but overall we are avoiding conflict zones and where the Killer Klown’s people are believed to be.

“Yep!” Sephy chirped in. “It’s a little longer but we think we can avoid most of the trouble by getting here.” She shined a red dot around a highlighted area on the interactive map. “This area either has or had a fully operational underground metro station which links to an area here, which is near where Mr Sparrel said the oracle was.”

However, we don’t know what is there. The nearest known settlement is this cluster of districts about 7 hour’s walk from the city limits and 5 from the station. Chiyo continues, pointing at the location and smiling at Jack as Sephy translated. We will definitely want to get here to rest and get any information we can regarding the station. With luck the old underground system should be clear enough to traverse the tunnels, and it is somewhere on our underground part of the journey we are hoping to spend the night so we’re protected from the elements.

“Sounds good,” Alora steadily replied, clearly in thought. “Though we’re reliant on the tunnels being clear enough. If not we can try charting another path through the districts.”

It’s mostly forests and abandoned areas. Chiyo replied. Sephy couldn’t find any datanet rumours, but all the same we should be careful.

“Agreed,” Nika confirmed. “My main concern is getting out of the city in good time. We can stop off for a quick energising drink at the tea garden since they serve some good shit, but apart from that I don’t want us to be seen if we can help it. It’s easier to double back and find a new path through the uncharted zones when you don’t have bounty hunters actively tracking you.”

“So once we’re done here it’s off to bed for everyone,” Alora warned. “Especially you Sephy.”

I am reasonably well rested already so I will ensure you all wake on time. Chiyo added with an almost sadistic smile. No lie-ins for anyone!

“Might be worth getting food, water and everything else packed now then,” Jack added, wanting to contribute to the discussion. “And clothes prepared so we can quickly get up and go.”

“Agreed,” Alora confirmed, as Chiyo tugged on Jack’s arm to get his attention.

I bought you some walking boots that should be comfortable for your size. I left them in your room, I hope you like them! She smiled.

“Thanks Chiyo, I was prepared to do it in trainers but that isn’t the best for a long trip,” Jack awkwardly replied.

I’d probably have to carry you!

“Anyway,” Nika called everyone’s attention. “I’ve bought energy drinks and MREs along with better camping gear with our new ill-gotten gains. But…”

“But we should probably have a good meal tonight and tomorrow morning,” Alora finished with a knowing smile. “Everyone helps with the meal tonight! Let’s get started!”

*****

Jack eventually laid down in bed after dinner, trying to heed Alora’s instructions to go to sleep as much as possible, though by focusing on trying to sleep, his brain naturally fought him every step of the way. There were some challenging times ahead, and the anticipation was getting to him. Sure, playing with guns had been great fun, but that came with the expectation that he would need to use them. But could he?

In the right circumstances, he would have to.

And robbing the Prefects? Jack had been a reasonable law-abiding citizen most of his life, the worst thing he’d ever done was pirate music. What would his mother say if she knew? His sister? They’d be disappointed in him for sure, but maybe his father and brothers would understand. Survival left little room for niceties, after all. And thanks to his and Sephy’s heist they would all survive a little longer.

And the oracle? What would even happen? What would he discover? Would it be words he wanted to hear, or would it be his worst nightmare?

He guessed he would have to go find out, he thought, as he finally fell asleep.