Scene: Mick's base, lounge

Jill sat on the sofa with a cup of soda. Mick came down the nearby stairwell, entered the lounge from the hallway, and walked up to her. He caught a slight scent of her drink. "Is that cherry ginger? Good choice." Mick continued on. "Listen, Jill. You've been here for three days. I don't think you've won a fight yet but you're trying."

"Are you sending me back?" Jill worried that the soda in her hand might be her last.

Mick chuckled. "No, no. I want to take you in for registration tomorrow. That's if you want to keep fighting. If you want to give up, I can send you back."

Jill was determined to succeed. "I'm not going to give up."

Mick smiled. "Good! Good. I knew I made the right decision getting you."

Scene: Mick's base, second floor, southern bedroom

Celestia lounged on the upper bunk, still wearing her full armor, reading a report on a holographic display.

Mick peeked in through the hallway. "Hey Tia, come on upstairs. I'd like to talk a few things over with you." He left as quickly as he had came.

Celestia lifted herself up out of her bed with a floating spell, floated away from the bunk, and lowered herself to the ground, turning to land on her feet.

Scene: Mick's base, third floor, observation room

Mick sat at the table with a cup of lime-flavored water, waiting for Celestia to arrive. He smiled as she walked into the room. "Hey, Tia. Glad to have you here. You've been very useful, helping out with the training and all. Can I get you a drink?”

Celestia accepted the offer. "I would take cup of orange tea."

Mick nodded and disappeared into his quarters to use his own personal drinkmaker. Celestia could see his rumpled unmade bed though the open door. Mick returned with a warm cup and placed it on the table. Celestia pulled the cup toward her and took a seat.

Mick sat across from her, put a hand around his own drink, and began talking. "I've decided to take Jill in for registration tomorrow morning. If Corporate has any problem with her nanites, I want to find out about it before we spend any more time on training. I'd like to bring you along since she seems to like you and trust you and it'll make her feel comfortable."

Celestia nodded.

Mick handed a holodisplay to Celestia. "Also, I've been making a list of potential recruits since we have two more slots to fill and we need someone to fill them. I would like you to help out with the selection and the retrievals. With your powers and Alex, and Jill if we can get her to agree to it, I think we can get some of the more dangerous ones. I want you to look over the situations and give your OK before we head out. Also, I think you'd be a good judge of character. You can read over their stories and tell us who you think might be willing to fight for us and who won't."

Scene: Mick's base, second floor, southern bedroom

Later that afternoon, Celestia returned to the bedroom to find Jill there, smiling and happy. Jill greeted her with the good news that she had just learned from Mick. "Tia! Mick said he was going to take me in to registration tomorrow. That's a good thing, right?"

"Yes," Celestia said. "They will test you to see whether or not you qualify to participate in the tournament."

"What do you need to do to qualify?" Jill asked, curious about the requirements.

Celestia answered simply and honestly. "I do not know."

Jill was surprised that Celestia would not know. "But didn't you... not qualify?"

There was a distinction. "I was disqualified. That is different."

Jill wondered. "What's the difference? Is it because you damaged the arena?"

Celestia confirmed this. "Yes. Because I could evade their safeguards, it is not safe for me to participate in the fighting."

Jill had been told this before but was still sad to heard it. "That's too bad." She tried to console Celestia. "I saw what you did to Alex in there, and you can fight in different ways with your sword and your magic. You would probably be great in the tournament."

Celestia could only imagine it. "That is what Mick tells me."

"I hope you won't be jealous if I make it and you don't."

Celestia could not help herself from holding some jealousy, but admitting to it or letting it bother her would be a serious mistake. Instead she told Jill, "I would be proud to help you succeed."

Jill smiled. "Thank you." Trying to make conversation, she added "I guess you and Alex will be practicing or doing whatever you do while Mick is taking me wherever he is taking me."

"Actually," Celestia said, "Mick intends that I go with you. He thought you may be more comfortable with another companion."

Jill was pleased to hear that "Oh. Thanks. Please don't get jealous." Then she had a thought and walked to the closet. "You know, since you're not going to be fighting, do you think this is a good opportunity to wear..." Jill pulled Celestia's new dress out of the closet. "... this?"

Celestia hesitated. The logic was inarguable, but she did not feel comfortable outside of her armor. "Perhaps another time."

Scene: Mick's base, Lounge

The next morning, while the others were preparing for their trip, Alex was lounging in the lounge in her sports bra and shorts. Mick called out to her from the hallway. "Alex, since we're legally not allowed to bring you into the core worlds, you'll be guarding the base while we're out. Don't let that beer out of your sight."

Alex smiled and raised her cup to salute Mick.