I’ve thrown myself back into my school work. For one thing, passing certain tests are a requirement for adulthood here. It’s a combination of age and ability. They’re not particularly difficult tests, apparently, but I’d hate to be permanently considered to require special care.
And I don’t see why I have to have medical tests every single damn day. First Squad are making sure I eat most of my meals with at least one of them, which strikes me as a sufficient stray health check.
Thursday, May 15
Traces of me
They chose Fourteenth Squad today. Alaz was made their Ena Manipulation specialist. Fourteenth is another exploration specialty squad, and I’ve been booked in to test with them tomorrow.
Their Captain is called Kin Lara, and I feel a little weird that he has my old room. Especially since he has four Sights (not Sight Sight) and who knows what he’ll pick up sleeping in my old bed? I’m glad I haven’t really been using that room for a while.
I hope it’s a squad I get along with. At least there’s someone I know already. Alaz wasn’t exactly friendly with me during the Rana Junction expedition, but at least she’ll be familiar.
Friday, May 16
Fourteenth Squad
A good session today.
We met in the usual test room. I went a little earlier than usual to meet up with Nils Sayate from Second, who is trying to teach me how to make illusions. Lessons are my present from him: he gave me a choice between foot rubs and lessons and I chose the lessons because I don’t really trust Nils to give me foot rubs. I mean, I think he’s in love with Zee, but sometimes I’m not altogether sure he’s just teasing when he flirts with me.
Occasionally the only thing which keeps me from flirting back is that I’m pretty sure Zee is in love with him too. But I do think about it sometimes. In a way I think a couple of nights with Nils would be good for me. It would certainly be educational.
He’s very professional about the lessons though, which have all been visualisation exercises so far. He’s got a great voice for talking through what you’re supposed to be visualising: smoky and evocative. I completely failed to make any illusions, possibly because I’m far less professional and kept thinking about foot rubs. But Nils told me that Illusion-casting is one of the hardest talents to master and that I shouldn’t give up, and he’d try talking me through every few weeks. I’m still not entirely convinced I have any kind of Illusion talent, but I don’t mind trying. It would be nice to be able to show the things I’m talking about when trying to describe Earth.
Fourteenth Squad arrived in a group, and came across to introduce themselves. Their captain, Lara, was so very relaxed he was almost unconscious, and I really liked the sleepy smile he gave me. He totally didn’t act like someone who’d only been a captain for a single day, taking his squad through the tests as if he’d been doing the same thing every day for the last year.
It was interesting working with a squad where everyone was my age or a year younger. Except for Lara, they were still tremendously correct and upright during the session, but I felt less like a pet or mascot and more of a peer. I liked them. I hope all my future test sessions are so comfortable.
Saturday, May 17
Slowly shifting back to normal
Mara stepped up my training today, and also took me on a tour of the gym facilities the Setari use. I knew they had to be doing weights training somewhere. She explained how to use the machines, but doesn’t want me to use the place without someone with me. No fear of that: although there were only a couple of people from Tenth Squad there today, the chances of me ending up alone in a gym with Fifth or Seventh Squad are too great for me to ever risk using the place without minders.
I’m due to test with Thirteenth Squad tomorrow, and my next week has been mapped out with testing with the few squads I haven’t worked with. Mara says they still don’t know if I’ll be put back on rotations or not, and surprised me by asking my preferences. I usually don’t get to have any input on these decisions, so suspect this is more catering to my psychological aspects. Since my excursion to Kalasa, everyone’s pretty much decided I’m a delicate little flower on the verge of collapse. Even Mara is more careful with me than she used to be. That’s what I get for crying on a mission log.
I said I’d prefer to go on rotation so long as it was with First Squad. It’s a more positive thing to do than fretting about nightmares, and I worry about them. They’re looking tired.
Sunday, May 18
Fifteen minutes plus
A little after "my" midnight, just as I was settling into bed for the night, Mori sent me a text channel request: "You may be interested in this."
Surprised, I opened the channel to find Mori, Glade, and Par, as well as Seeli Henaz from Eighth Squad in channel. I don’t know Henaz well, but I think she’s Mori’s particular friend and maybe Glade’s almost-girlfriend.
"Which?"
"This is an extra-length special episode," Mori said, popping up a link in channel, and I opened it to find the middle of the opening credits of The Hidden War.
"Still years behind on show," I said, though I was beginning to suspect why Mori had felt the need to call me.
"From the episode preview, we think they’ve based a character on you," Glade said.
"Inevitable, I guess," I said, making sure to sound totally unfussed about it. And I wasn’t, really. It’s nothing that wouldn’t happen on Earth. "Kind of used to people making up things about me."
"You can tell us what they’ve gotten wrong," Mori said, sounding pleased. "We comment in text, and chat during the breaks."
I thought it sweet of her to have made sure I knew about it, so stuck around even though it would mess up my sleep schedule again. Taren entertainments have two release broadcasts in different shifts which have commercials in them but are free, and then the show is available to watch for a fee (like twenty cents), without commercials. It was very common for people to watch the release in channel groups, though not necessarily to make fun of the show like Mori and Glade. I’m not sure if Par watches it because he likes it or just to keep Glade company. It’s one of the most successful entertainments on Tare at the moment, and I’ve been enjoying watching it, though I’d taken a break from it because it was full of the main character being picked on by other Kalrani competing to be selected for the next Setari squad, and I kept getting stuck on the thought of people bullying Zan. I can only guess what Zan would think of me thinking about her that way. It’s not like she’s not incredibly deadly and competent in her own right.
The special episode started with a girl walking out of nowhere onto a hill and being all astonished, staring about her. She was tallish, with brown hair, but that’s where the resemblance to me ended. This girl was much, much (much) better looking. Pointed chin, huge, dark eyes, gorgeous bones and skin and figure: a kind of Russian look, which I think is very rare here. I was totally distracted by the way she was dressed, with a vaguely correct school blazer and a white shirt, but no tie, and a micro-miniskirt with long dark blue socks that came up to mid-thigh. Seems The Hidden War isn’t above a little fan service.