Allison sat down in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the office. Since classrooms were monitored at all times by a virtual intelligence there was no need to tell the staff why she was there. They had a report before she arrived. Allison was feeling a bit guilty. Sister Silra was one of her favorite teachers. She was mentally cursing her lack of filter when she noticed the ornate robes of the colony’s high priestess. The highest priested, who also had a PhD in Education, served as the headmistress of the high school. Allison slowly looked up at her.

“Hi, holiness.”

The high priestess was a middle-aged woman her black hair was streaked with grey. She was part of the sect in the church that shunned cybernetics and other physical enhancements. So that she may be called to the blood. She did not have any of the cosmetic surgery or hair dyes that would make her look young for her possible two-century long lifespan. Her kind brown eyes had a few laugh lines already, her brown skin still looked youthful. When she spoke, her accent indicated she grew up in India dome on Earth.

“Hi, indeed.”

The high priestess looked at her wrist.

“Twelve minutes, and thirty-three seconds. It is indeed a new record. You managed to last a week without ending up here last year, Allison. I shall have to check the Alliance-net, to see if it is a galactic record. I’m sure your parents are going to be very proud of you.”

Allison blushed.

“I’m sorry, holiness.”

The high priestess sighed and frowned.

“You always are, and I believe you truly feel bad for it. Unfortunately, we live in a universe where there are consequences to actions. Yet somehow the punishments I’m authorized to use seem to pale in comparison to System’s Alliance Basic training punishments. We shall have to be creative. You know the drill, school counselor, then my office.”

Allison stood up with her head hung low.

“Are you going to call my mother, Holiness?”

The high priestess gave a small snort laugh.

“Goodness no, I want to punish you, not kill you. Off you go try to listen to her this time, please. For my sake? If we have another incident this month I will have to call your mother, and no one wants that.”

Allison nodded and shuffled towards the counselor’s office. The headmistress shook her head and headed back into her office. Allison pressed the door panel beside the counselor’s office door and after a few seconds it slid open. The counselor was another young teacher, she was a black woman in her late twenties. She motioned to a seat in front of her desk.

“Hello again Allison, congratulations on the Academy.”

Allison slipped into the chair and had her forearms over her tablet which she clutched the edge of with her fingers. She pressed it against her abdomen and thighs.

“Hello Ms. Keelie.”

Ms. Keelie leaned forward and folded her hands. She had manicured false nails coated in a soft pink polish.

“Twelve minutes. Want to talk about it?”

Allison shrugged.

“Do I ever?”

Ms. Keelie chuckled.

“You never do. Why don’t we try something different? Let’s get this year off to a good start. Why did you go off on…”

Ms. Keelie paused to look up the name.

“Trixie.”

Allison made a face at the name.

“That’s a stripper’s name.”

Ms. Keelie frowned.

“Let’s try that again, why did you go off on, Trixie.”

Allison rolled her eyes.

“Because she’s a bitch.”

Ms. Keelie sighed.

“Language, please, you are in a school a religious school at that.”

Allison wiggled in her chair.

“Like there is another choice?”

“We’re getting off topic, why did you go off on Trixie?”

Allison pulled her hair tie out of her hair and let it slip around her wrist.

“Because she went off on me first about joining the military and how I was all that was evil in the world.”

“I doubt she said those exact words or she’d be here too.”

“It was close enough. They come here from Earth, Titan or Mars and they all act high and mighty. Then she tells me I’m a terrible person because I signed up to defend her worthless… body part? They all learn eventually I just helped speed up the process.”

Ms. Keelie rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“I don’t think you explaining that in a better, more socially acceptable way would be bad at all. The problem is you lack anything close to the word tact. Next time, could we use something like: I respect your opinion, but things are different here in the Andromeda galaxy, we need a strong defense force to protect ourselves, you included. See if you’d done that, you’d still be in class instead of here, getting lectured by me.”

Allison blinked at Ms. Keelie in disbelief.

“But I don’t respect her opinion, she’s an idiot who has no respect for our colony’s society.”

“I know, but do you think making her feel unwelcome and calling her out on that is going to integrate her better?”

Allison shrugged.

“How should I know? I’m her peer. I pressured her. The rest is up to her.”

Ms. Keelie sighed again.

“Next time you feel like pressuring a peer, please use a less insulting tone and a better choice of words. You might have more friends that way. You’ve finished all that extra work you were doing to get into the System’s Alliance Space Navy and you’re a pilot. That means most weekends are free and you only work two nights a week. You can have a social life. Don’t let high school pass you by without taking advantage of it.”

Allison shrugged.

“I’m not going to start talking like an idiot and joining a clique. They can take me as I am or not at all.”

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

“While I admire your self-confidence, you really need to tone yourself down just a smidge.”

Ms. Keelie held up her fingers and held them a centimeter apart.

“Go on, go talk to the Headmistress. I’m sure she has something appropriate planned for your punishment.”

Allison nodded and stood up. She walked to the headmistress’s office with her tablet clutched to her chest. The door panel indicated the Headmistress was busy. Allison sat down in the chair that had been placed beside it. She could hear raised voices inside.

“I will not have my daughter bullied by this colony trash. Will she be expelled? You do know we pay your salary with our taxes!”

She didn’t hear the headmistress’s side of the conversation, but Allison assumed it consisted of the woman being told that in fact the Sisterhood of the Dark Mother funded the school and paid the High Priestess her wage. And that Allison would not be expelled. At least she didn’t think so. She’d done way worse in grade nine. Eventually the woman stormed out but turned around at the last moment.

“This is not the last of this, my Trixie is not going to be bullied! I will speak to Colonial Affairs and your church!”

Allison bit her lip before she said something she’d regret. The headmistress seemed to be annoyed by the whole situation.

“Oh of course, please do, we welcome any feedback. Welcome to Eden Prime.”

Trixie’s mother stormed off in a huff. The headmistress looked down at Allison.

“Well, that happened, won’t you join me, Ms. Wanjala, I have so much to say.”

Allison swallowed hard. She felt really bad now. The headmistress slipped behind her desk and motioned to a chair.

“Sit.”

Allison sat down promptly. The headmistress smiled.

“Well, it seems you’ve kicked a bit of a kalstinger’s nest here. Trixie is the daughter of the new Colonial Minister of Public Works. I wonder how the conversation is going to go when they find out your mother is his boss.”

Allison buried her face in her hands. That was not going to end well for her at all. It would end worse for Trixie’s parents, but Allison would definitely be in serious trouble. The headmistress folded her hands.

“I spoke to the Dark Mother. She had a grand idea. Your punishment is an opportunity. You are going to learn to integrate better with our new students from Earth. In fact, you are going to be Tyler Grant’s guide to the school and the colony for the next month. You will learn about where he is from, and he will learn about the colony. It will be educational and fun. Also, you need to join a team, or club I don’t care what. You’re going to get involved in the school this semester. Otherwise when your mother calls and she asks me what happened with Trixie, I’ll show her the video.”

Allison groaned.

“Can’t you just expel me?”

The high priestess shook her head.

“No, sorry, finish grade twelve and you can do whatever you want, but until you do that, you’re stuck in this school.”

Allison still felt like negotiating.

“One month of detention… no… two months. Please?”

The headmistress shook her head once again.

“I would really appreciate it if you could find it in your heart to apologize to Trixie without insulting her at the same time. Go back to class. The welcome squad will be in touch later today to sign you up as a volunteer.”

Allison nodded and went back to her religion class, which was half over. She slid into the desk beside Tyler. Trixie had a very smug look on her face. Allison had an urge to fix that with a nice solid punch, but that would cross the line and get her flight status revoked. She started to think about the fact Trixie’s mother showed up within fifteen minutes of their verbal scuffle and then wondered how she even knew about it yet. Allison tapped the scanner app on her holo-phone via her AR HUD. She could barely believe what she saw. Trixie was wearing AR contacts and had an active holo-phone in the purse hanging off the back of her chair. Allison grinned and raised her hand. Sister Silra motioned towards Allison. Allison smiled.

“Sister, I just want to make sure all the new students are well aware of the policy regarding tech in the classroom. Could you go over it for them?”

Sister Silra’s tail started pounding the floor.

“Yes, yes of course. Though you all should have thoroughly read the digital rules pamphlet, any non-approved tech brought into the school will be confiscated and a mandatory three-day suspension issued. We take this rule very seriously.”

Allison held up her hand again. Sister Silra nodded.

“Please go ahead, Allison.”

Allison looked at Trixie then pointed.

“Sister, I thought I should let you know, Trixie is wearing AR contacts and has an active holo-phone in her purse. Rules are rules after all.”

The tip of Sister Silra’s tail started to twitch and her eyes focused on Trixie. Trixie feigned innocence.

“I have no idea what she is talking about. I read the rules I know they’re not allowed.”

Allison was feeling vindictive so she tapped her HUD and flicked her finger through the scan read outs. She aimed it towards one of the screens in the classroom. Her military grade hardware blew past the weak encryption and the scan showed up on the screen. Everyone looked at the image and gasped. Trixie sunk into her seat. Sister Silra pointed towards the door.

“Trixie, report to the office immediately. I might have been lenient since you are new, but you lied about it. Positively shameful.”

Allison released the screen and wiggled her fingers at Trixie when the new girl glared at her. Sister Silra looked towards Allison.

“Allison if you take over a screen in the classroom ever again, I will ensure you are suspended.”

Allison sunk into her seat and nodded. She realized maybe she could have handled all of that better. Sister Silra finished her lesson. As the class filed out the Sauroid tapped Allison on the shoulder. Allison stopped and turned around. She had her tablet clutched to her chest.

“Allison, you have always been a bit, how is it you humans say… rambunctious. I appreciate that school must be very mundane after your summer, but it is necessary.”

Allison blushed.

“I’m sorry Sister. I will try to be better.”

Sister Silra shook her head.

“Do not try, just be better. You have a lot in common with the Dark Mother. She often times had to fight against her nature. She believes in you.”

Allison nodded. Sister Silra motioned to the door.

“Go on, it would not do to be late for your next class.”

Allison nodded again, then hurried off. She had math next, a subject she excelled at, and thus enjoyed. Her prickly nature meant that no one wanted to sit near her. Leaving the seat beside her empty, and the only one free when Tyler arrived. He got a slight look of dread, but he sat down anyway. The class was uneventful.

Lunch came after math. Allison picked up her school provided meal and sat down in the cafeteria. The last few years she would be sitting on her own and studying for the academy and flight school. With those out of the way she was unsure what to do with herself. It had been a long time since she felt lost like this, there had always been her goal, now she had none. She was taking her second fork full of mashed potatoes when she heard a disturbance. She looked up and saw it was Ajay and his two friends Sam and Andrew crowding around Tyler who was sitting alone. She frowned. It wouldn’t bother her if Tyler and the other newcomers up and went back to Earth with their families but Ajay had hurt her so this gave her an excuse to mix it up with him and his minions.

Allison stood up and strode towards the scuffle. Ajay was accusing Tyler of trying to get her attention. Allison thought some very uncharitable thoughts about Ajay before she tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around with a sneer on his face.

“Who do… Allison what do you want?”

She motioned to Tyler.

“Leave him alone.”

Sam shoved Allison’s shoulder.

“Or what?”

Allison smiled she looked into Ajay’s eyes.

“Or Ajay and I will revisit what happened behind hanger eight.”

Sam and Andrew made ooh sounds as if she was referring to something intimate. She didn’t disagree, she always found violence intimate. Ajay held up his hands then looked at his friends.

“Let’s go, this is getting boring.”

Allison crossed her arms and watched the three retreat. She looked down at Tyler who adjusted his glasses as he looked her up and down.

“New guy, you’re such a loser, stop being an easy target.”

She walked off back to her seat, a bit disappointed the three bullies hadn’t tried to fight her. She heard the chair across from her get pulled out. She looked up and saw it was Tyler putting his tray down in front of her. He had a fresh tray and looked like someone had dumped his last one on his uniform. She sighed.

“What do you want?”

He was more soft-spoken than she’d imagined he would be.

“Can I sit with you? Everyone seems… scared of you.”

“There is a good reason for it, why aren’t you?”

“You have a kind soul.”

Allison rolled her eyes.

“Whatever, new guy, it’s a free colony do whatever. Just don’t talk to me, I’m trying to eat my lunch in peace.”

Tyler started eating his new lunch. Allison did her best to ignore him and finish her own. The lunch passed without a further word spoken between the pair. Tyler ended up reading something on his school tablet and Allison spent hers watching footage of her latest combat simulation with commentary from her training officer on where she could improve.

She received an email as she was watching the video. She responded to it immediately it was a request for a volunteer to patrol the closest star system for any signs of sentient activity. It would take up her whole evening, but she was itching to get back into her cockpit. She received an almost immediate response indicating she was assigned to the patrol. Her small cheer of victory startled Tyler. He looked at her in confusion. Knowing she was going to be back in Bit after school made Allison a little less cranky.

“Sorry, just got assigned to a patrol tonight.”

Tyler adjusted his glasses. His kind brown eyes still showed confusion.

“You are excited about having to work?”

Allison smiled.

“I get to fly, why wouldn’t I be happy?”

“Oh. I’ll stop talking now. Sorry.”

He went back to his reading. Allison shrugged and went back to her simulation review. The rest of the school day passed without further incident on Allison’s side. She sent a message to her parents letting them know she’d been assigned to a patrol and wouldn’t be home until late.