“Now that you have registered, you will be issued your temporary pass. The council needs time to confirm your employment, so you will receive your official pass in two to three weeks via your authorized Nany Cam once it has been processed. If you are separated from your Nany Cam, you can request to receive your pass at any authorized A Point located on any planet that you are traversing through,” the Nany Cam explained, showing me a sample of the Official Pass and a sample of what an A Point looked like.

A Point, or Apprentice Point, seemed to be a cylindrical pole about 10 inches in diameter that was located in very strange places. One was on the edge of a volcano, one was in the middle of a jungle, and one seemed to be at the bottom of the ocean.

A simulation showed a stick figure walking up to the A Point in the jungle. A pass appeared in the stick figure’s hand, and he used it to tap a random part of the pole. The stick figure immediately disappears, and the scene changes, and we find ourselves at what looks to be a council-run outpost, where stick figure guards scan the stick figure, and then the stick figure approaches another stick figure at a counter, where the stick figure handed over the pass in hand, and after a few moments, was handed back another pass, this one, however, was metallic and shiny. 

“Different planets have different types of Outposts attached to A Points, so please listen to or read the instructions provided in order to use the facilities without interruptions. All apprentices are allowed to use all facilities free of charge, and these will also be where you can collect any unclaimed allowance or receive re-embedments for food or drinks that you paid for in regards to work-related activities,” The Nany Cam explained, showing samples of toilets, sleeping pods, and pantries, as well as receipt samples in references to re-embedments.

The screen cleared again, and the sound of the Nany Cam whirling up started, then stopped.

“Are you going to sign in like that?” The Nany Cam suddenly said.

I felt taken aback.

“What do you mean? I’m in my gear, is there something wrong with how I look?” I asked.

The screen shifted to the side, and a mirror slid in across the room. Before I stood a 5 foot 2, pale-skinned girl dressed in a skin-tight black suit that covered her from neck to ankle. Over the suit, she wore a bulletproof vest and a jacket, as well as black kaki pants and socks that were inserted into heavy-duty black boots. In my mind, I was looking good, but now, upon observations, I was filthy. Cobwebs and dirt from the sewers clung to my hair, causing it to stand on end, and there was dried blood and dirt splattered all over my clothes, probably from when I shot the guard back at Blue’s place. I winced as I realized that there was dried blood on my face, too. I had cuts all over my face as well from branches smacking me left and right, and there was definitely a spider roaming around on my shoulder, probably really disoriented from being flowed from the forested area into this desert habitat.

I brushed off the spider and sighed. Looking down at my body, I saw that what wasn’t being held together by mud and sweat was hanging in tatters, pieces of my jacket and my suit were peeling away from me and my skin, and even some of the bulletproof vests were soiled and dirty. 

 I suddenly felt really bad meeting Crystal looking like this, but I guess Crystal was used to seeing her sister look this beat up all the time. However, was this really how I was going to start my apprenticeship, looking like I had just rolled out from a street brawl?

“If you walk into the next chamber, you will find a shower and a change of clothes. As an apprentice, you are also not allowed to possess weapons that the company does not issue. Please surrender all personal belongings for them to be incinerated and disposed of in the red container by the door,” The Nany Cam explained as a door to my right opened up, revealing a separate attached chamber. 

“Awe, but I like my throwing daggers and my harp; they are my only possessions!” I pouted, crossing my arms angrily. “Also, didn’t I already have a shower when I walked in? I was covered in water or something.

“No. Alaina. You were given an air pressure blow dry to remove the sand on your body; however, because you were certified to be above the hazardous bacteria levels, you were doused in sanitizer. You may choose not to proceed with the bath however bathing now means that you will avoid facing your Reporting Officer in a disgraceful manner,” The Nany Cam explained, and I felt my face go red at the words “Disgraceful manner.”

“Fine, I’ll go have a bath. Sorry,” I said, walking into the adjacent chamber. The door closed behind me as I did, and inside was revealed to have a wet and dry space, where a separate glassed chamber stood with a shower head and soap provided in soap dispensers. Outside the dry area was the sink, toilet, and a built-in wall shelf, with towels and toothbrushes aside from other amenities such as pads and a hair dryer.

I stripped, dumped everything I had in the red basket next to the door, and showered. The shower was hot and easy to adjust, and after I stepped out, I wrapped a towel around my body, brushed my teeth, and blow-dried my hair. There was a mirror above the sink, and as I brushed my teeth, I could see the cuts on my face faintly, which was great as it meant that they would heal without scarring. 

After blow-drying my hair, I pushed open the door and went into the next room, kicking the red basket along in front of me as I felt annoyed that I was handing over all of my gear just like that. 

“Your co-operation is much appreciated. Now, if you proceed to the next chamber, I have arranged a set of clothing for you similar to your current clothes, except for things like a bulletproof vest, as those are classified under knight class and will only be issued to you if you are granted a knight’s position” Nany Cam explained as to my left, a door opened up, revealing a small changing room chamber. 

I groaned and dragged my feet into the chamber. Not only was I losing my knives, but now my vest; how was I expected to survive in the wild?

I slammed the door shut obstinate and looked around. A full-length mirror flanked one wall, and on the other were hooks with various clothes, and on the floor were boots of various sizes. The nice thing was that there was a stool in the corner, which I could sit on to put on my boots of choice. 

The underwear provided was all activewear, which I was very grateful. A sports bra was a better fit out there than some lacy underwire cursed object. I chose a black set and then pulled over a turtle-neck slim-fit black long-sleeved shirt and stretchy but form-fitting khaki pants. The pants were black and had several pockets, which I felt would be handy while running around the forest.

Now I had the option to wear a simple black jacket, which didn’t have any pockets on the inner lining, or a fitted pinstripe black vest, which seemed to have quite a few pockets on the inner lining. I looked at both, sighed, and decided to go with the vest, as maybe in the future if I could get my hands on a dagger, it would be useful to have a place to conceal it. 

I found a pair of black socks, and I chose a pair of boots in my size and sat down to pull them on as I grumbled to myself over the loss of my old gear. I looked around and found hanging on a hook a small bag that looked like a travel kit, and sure enough, there was some bug spray, a small comb, a tub of hair gel, some antiseptic cream, and a few hair ties along with a tiny sewing kit and a pair of nail clippers. 

I removed a hair tie, tied my hair in a neat bun, and then slipped the zipped-up kit into one of the pant leg pockets. The kit was no bigger than my palm, and when I zipped up my pocket, I barely noticed a difference in my movement as it was so lightweight. 

As I was lacing up my boots, I noticed that there was a black box directly underneath my stool. I hadn’t noticed it before, but after I laced up my boots, I dragged it out from under my chair and opened it. Inside were 12 of my 36 daggers! 

I looked towards the door and then back at the daggers. Without giving it another thought, I slipped the daggers into various pockets  and into my boots. Right underneath all these items was that strange mess tin that Sam had given me, which I had completely forgotten about. I slipped that into a back pocket and sighed in relief, feeling a bit more prepared to face the outside world.