Kiru stepped into the apartment that Qei had secured for them. May was right behind her, and the pair looked over the entry room. The foyer was set up as a sitting room, with several sofas and chairs arranged around a large screen. That screen was part of the comm terminal, but it could also be used to view news broadcasts or for entertainment. They would likely have to set it up though. It would need to be linked to their own comm IDs, and then they would have to subscribe to any streaming services that they want as well. Although they were likely going to be too busy to bother subscribing to any of those. Not to mention it would save them on credits as well.

Kiru settled into a nearby chair, and May did the same. Qei was already seated facing them. Kiru leaned forward a bit, and said “I guess first things first. We should share our experiences with today.”

With that they began to relay their own experiences. They had all had busy days, and all seen things. As such they all held different pieces of the puzzle. Not enough to form a complete picture, but together they had a more complete picture than any of the locals likely had. What with them being brainwashed and all. It was obvious that these brainwashing aliens were controlling the flow of information in the city.

When they were done relaying their days to each other. Kiru leaned back, and stretched a bit. Then she said, “Glad you followed the mother, May. That helps a bit actually, and based on what Qei said she saw we can guess those naked Neku girls serve as the couriers and agents of these Iniri.”

May nodded, “Yes we can. It’s a good thing we both tagged a courier too. We should likely tag as many as we can find, and keep an eye on the couriers at all times. It will allow us to gather more information on what the Iniri are up to.”

Qei nodded, “We do need to keep an eye on them. I think we should also keep some eyes on that clinic that Kiru visited. It seems very important.”

Kiru concurred, “Yeah my brief visit there answered a few questions but also raised others. However, I think we should be careful about future visits.”

May nodded, “Yes, you were lucky you didn’t run into more Iniri able to sense you.”

“I know, and following her around was risky in the first place. It paid off, but I don’t plan to take another risk like that soon.”

Qei shifted in her seat. “That’s probably for the best. Anyway, it’s getting late. We can spin theories and plan out our next moves in the morning.”

Kiru nodded. She wanted a look around the apartment. Glancing around at the furniture she could guess that it came with the apartment. It was of a rather neutral style. Kiru made a mental note to get better furniture at a future date.

“Yeah we can do that. I’d like to take a look around the apartment before we call it a night as well.” Even as she said that her mind was already thinking up theories. Trying to work out just exactly what these aliens the Iniri were up to. Already she had enough information that she was beginning to form a picture of these Iniri. What they did to that mother spoke of several things. She had a bit of an idea on that, but she wanted to talk it out with Megumi. The ship seemed to know a thing or two about mind control after all.

Together the group toured the apartment, while Kiru was thinking. The foyer/sitting room was designed as the main room of the apartment. Overall it was small, with a small kitchen, three modest bedrooms, and only one bathroom. Kiru found the layout reasonable.

Kiru entered her bedroom. After touring the new place they had decided who took which room. It wasn’t too hard, since the rooms were fairly similar. It was a modest bedroom, pre-furnished with a small desk, a single chair, a dresser, and a bed. There was a closet that was empty at the moment, so she stowed her bag in there. It had everything she had brought with her from the ship, which amounted to very little. A few grenades, the VR set, two changes of clothes, her datapad, and a pistol. The pistol was a common Neku Plasma pulse pistol that Megumi had ‘optimized.’ Kiru had brought it since it had a stun setting, and since it was a Neku design, it would not look too out of place. Oh yes, she had also brought some cards along.

Kiru tested the bed, and found it reasonably comfortable. She’d slept on worse in the past. Although her bunk back on the Constellation was much better. She made a mental note to get a better mattress. She probably didn’t need it with her enhanced body, but she was sure she would sleep better with a more comfortable mattress. As she slipped into the bed her mind thought of that VR set that Megumi had given her just before she left.

She sighed, and muttered, “Maybe I should at least try it?”

Kiru went to her bag, retrieved it, and slipped back into bed. She remembered what Megumi had said about how to use it. All she had to do was put it on, and from the sound of it go to bed as normal. So she slipped it on, and laid back. She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Kiru found herself being greeted by a barely dressed young woman. She was wearing a short top that barely concealed her chest, and a fairly short skirt. She smiled, “Good Morning! Glad you could make it on time for your first day!”

That was merely the beginning of this strange and rather vivid world. What followed after that was a quick tour of her ‘new school’ before being introduced to her ‘class.’ A class that turned out to be... very young. It was at that very moment that Megumi’s voice ran through her head. I’ve loaded up an accelerated schooling program on this portable VR headset, appropriate for your general level of education and ability. She hadn’t thought of it at the time, but suddenly now she realized how lacking her education was by Solean standards.

But why? Why did Megumi have to make her simulated schooling program an Elementary School!? Even worse, she was apparently in the second grade. Her first impulse was to try to end the program right then and there. Instead, she was met with a flashing box that told her that feature was currently unavailable. The moment she saw that box, she felt her legs give out under her, and she slumped to the floor. She ended up sitting through the class, where she found the subjects to be more advanced than she would have expected. Especially for the second grade. Although she only noticed when she started paying attention.

When morning came Kiru removed the set from her head, and instantly contacted Megumi. As soon as she saw Megumi’s holographic face projected into her vision she started to vent.

Megumi shook her head, and sighed, “Sorry I didn’t tell you about that. I just had a feeling that you would fail to try it if I told you how undereducated most Neku are by Solean standards. Would it help if I told you that you are in the advanced class?”

“The advanced class?”

Megumi nodded, “For talented individuals. Those kids who are ahead of their peers. Also you aren’t just in the second grade. It’s second-grade fourth year. You forgot how long Soleans live, and their schooling system reflects a longer lifespan. Each year is also more information-dense than you are probably used to as well, especially in the accelerated advanced classes.”

She sighed. Not sure what to say. She thought back to the class, and yeah those weren’t subjects she had back in elementary school. The math lesson had covered complex calculus for example, and she hadn’t even gotten into that until high school previously.

Megumi said, “Just give it a few more days. If you can’t take it as is. I can make a few changes.”

Kiru nodded. She wasn’t sure she wanted to give it a second chance, but time was wasting away, and she did have things to do for the day. They had a lot to do today. Before she could close the channel however Megumi had one last thing to say, “Oh, one more thing. I read your reports. I am going to be sending some cloaked drones down to keep an eye on that clinic.”

That reminded her of something, and she asked a question to which Megumi replied, “Hmm, wondering about that are we? I suspect that they have an easier time manipulating the minds of people when they are in direct contact with a person. It’s not all that unusual a trait among telepaths. I could tell you more if I have a specimen to examine.”

Kiru sighed, “Yeah it keeps coming to that, doesn’t it?”

“Naturally. Examining a live subject is invaluable. I could learn a great deal both from the potential interrogation and from examining Iniri physiology.”

“I’ll take your word for it. In the meantime, I need to get up. The others are likely to already be waiting for me.”

They signed off, and she got ready for her day. There was a lot they needed to do. Not only was there a lot to do in regards to gathering information on the Iniri. There was other stuff they needed to do. They were newcomers to the city, and while they now had an apartment they needed a living. Not to mention stuff to make the place more personal. Kiru saw a lot of busy days in her future.

Melia closed the book she was reading. Magic was rather complicated, it turned out. At its simplest, it was the power to bend reality to your will using your mind. Yet there was so much more to it than just that. The possibilities it presented were endless. It could take lifetimes to truly explore its depths. She had only just scratched the surface of what the Soleans knew, but already she was wondering if they even knew everything there was to know about it.

With a sigh, she leaned back and tossed the datapad she was holding onto the side table. Thanks to her link with the ship she knew that she was needed elsewhere right now. There was often something going on that needed her attention. A part of her often wished that wasn’t so. She wanted nothing more than a chance to hole up in a lab somewhere and study the endless possibilities this magic provided. Yet her duties currently prevented that.

Reluctantly she slipped out of the chair. Heading for the door. Thankfully this interruption sounded like something that wouldn’t take much time. Apparently one of her fellow Erali scientists had made a request. They wanted approval to use one of the ship’s drones for some experiment. She wasn’t sure what, but that was mainly since Megumi didn’t care to really deal with it. She merely logged the request and told her to deal with it.

JCountry

Bonus points to anyone who figures out what the Solean grade system translates to. In other news sorry about this one being a day late. I was very busy yesterday and completely forgot to post. In addition I also failed to schedule this. Sorry about that.