Touchstone 1 - Stray

about to lose the path to this one, despite everything we can do to lock the gates, but have been able to deploy a number of drones in the space, and they went ahead yesterday afternoon and sent Third in to make a preliminary approach, which went without a hitch. Best of all, they think the gate we’re losing is a rotational, and the rest relatively stable, so we should be able to return regularly and unpick its mysteries.”
    “What happen if just explode it?”
    “Good question. We’ve no idea. But it could be catastrophic, so we’re not going to rush anything.” He smiled, a less sad smile this time. “Now if you could be convinced to become homesick for the Pillars, wouldn’t that be an interesting development?”
    “No thanks.”
    He left then, with a little wave and no words of reassurance. I didn’t miss that he hadn’t denied any of my little paranoid theories, but I was also sorry I’d made him feel bad.
    -
    And it’s an hour or so later and my access rights have returned. Back to the way they were when I was living with the Lents. And because I appreciate the gesture I’ll keep pushing through kindergarten, and will make sure I work before I play. Maze really is a nice guy.
    When the bell rings, drool
    It’s a very odd thing to be able to record all your conversations so easily. I wonder if I’ll run out of ‘hard drive’ to store them on. But I love that I can replay my conversation with my family, which was about the only thing that made up for having barely any interface rights for so long. Even going back to having a full interface – with all the news and television and entertainments I didn’t even know existed – I replay pieces of my ‘birthday party’ over and over again. I can see all the nuances I didn’t catch the first time, can look at their faces, look at the garden Mum loves. The Aunts are watching Mum, looking relieved. Dad bites his lip. Jules is just loving the whole thing, thinking it all so cool. Mum is…Mum.
    I’m exasperated, though, about other parts of that day I keep replaying. Maybe it’s because he saved my life, or because I spent a good two hours holding his hand. I keep telling myself not to and then watching my log of the Fourth Squad captain gazing off at the stars. A stupid thing to do: he didn’t make a positive impression personality-wise, not to mention calling me a stray right in front of me. Kaoren Ruuel. Not the usual type I daydream about, but I seem to be far more excited about him in retrospect than I was when I was clutching his hand.
    Other than not having enough willpower, it’s been an eventful day. Mara came after breakfast, dressed in casual clothes instead of her uniform. We collected my belongings and she took me to my new box. Which wasn’t a box at all.
    “This is the latest expansion of the Setari living quarters, intended for Thirteenth and Fourteenth Squad,” she said, as we walked down a short, empty corridor. She stopped at the end, triggering the door. “The rest of us are on the floors below. Until the new squads are qualified, you’ll be the only person here.”
    It was a whole apartment, the same layout as Zan’s, except no decorations displayed in the public space and incredibly neutral coverings on the whitestone furniture. Mara smiled at the expression on my face and said: “The doors will open to you. I’ll take you on a tour of some of the areas you’re permitted to go, and then into the city, if there’s anything you’d like to buy. Outside KOTIS is completely off limits to you without an escort and clearance.”
    “What change their minds?”
    “Maze suggested your intelligence be re-evaluated. Before you decided to stop being obliging and cooperative.”
    They thought I was stupid. I chewed on that one for the rest of the day, but otherwise let myself enjoy the change. There was more to the KOTIS facility than I’d expected, including some actual leisure areas populated by large amounts of people my age and younger, making me realise just how many Setari they’re trying to train. But the exciting thing for me was going shopping. I’m not exactly a mall devotee, but when you’ve had everything supplied to you for weeks, simply buying a dressing gown or choosing your very own bedspread becomes a big event. Fortunately my displaced person allowance had been accruing.
    Mara was really tolerant, and answered my endless, scrambled questions as if she had nothing else she’d like to do. We had lunch