[ Next morning ]

  While enjoying breakfast at Anisa's, Jake from General Services sent me another request. As expected, the request was somewhat urgent.

  The newly arrived Lantosian staff got through quarantine a bit faster than expected. Unfortunately that meant that the dies responsible for helping them find their quarters were one short again. Either Jake was psychic when he mentioned this to me yesterday, or it keeps happening all the time.

  While 'enjoying' my snail pace taxi ride towards Immigration, I got another message on my watch, telling me to prepare for this afternoon's mandatory introduction about human culture and stuff, just like Frilia had told me about.

  It's pnned for 1 pm, so I have all the time in the world for Jake's task where I will hopefully get a glimpse of some new aliens. Ben confirmed that there were more races here, working for the Lantosians, so who knows what I'll see? What better pce to meet them than at Immigration?

  The weather is calm and not as cold as the st few days, so I actually enjoyed taking in the fresh air before walking towards the entrance.

  The Immigration building's front side reminds me of an airport terminal, albeit a really compact one. There are many windows, but the greenery outside is equally impressive. I guess that the humans in charge want to welcome the new arrivals properly, and not show them a dreadful looking office environment.

  The text above the building clearly mentions "Immigration," so I'm definitely at the right location.The question is...will they let me inside?

  Four guards are guarding the pce, two on each side of the entrance. Two are humans and the other two are Lantosians. All of them are visibly armed to the teeth and don't look approachable to me, but I decided to try nevertheless.

  Approaching the Lantosian guards first seemed like the sensible thing to do, since I am basically one of them. "Excuse me?"

  "Yes? How can we help?" His loud male voice startled me for a moment.

  "Em...I was hoping to visit the immigration building and meet some of the new arrivals? General Services sent me here to help out." I can't tell them that my counselor is one of them, or they might think that I am insane. On the other hand...I might very well be by now. "So...can I enter?"

  "Of course, this is a public area."

  "Ooohhh....I thought you were keeping civilians out or something?"

  "Not at all. Sometimes things get a bit disorderly with the new arrivals, so we're stationed here to maintain order."

  "Ahhh, I see. Thank you for your time."

  He nodded and I simply approached the sliding doors, walking inside once they opened.

  Even the building's interior looks like an airport terminal to me. Many, many of those typical pstic airport seats are avaible, but not even a single one is in use at the moment.

  The huge dispys on the wall shows what's going on. Currently only the "arrivals" screen is active and it shows "Transport 9142, from Lantosia. Quarantine ends in 37 minutes."Well, that expins the absence of people inside....I'm a bit early.

  There are more guards inside of course, but I don't want to bother them, so I take my time and stroll around this very spacious room. When I finally spotted the doors leading to the quarantine area, I noticed three big yellow stripes on the door and 'no unauthorized access' written on it in both the English and Lantosian nguages.

  One of the guards is now definitely suspicious of my restless behavior, so I took a seat near that door, showing him that I'm only a harmless visitor.

  Surprisingly one of the Lantosian guards addresses me. And why not? They are only human, right? Uh...well, you know what I meant.

  "Here to meet family?"

  "Huh?" I focus on him, then smile, because I appreciate the conversation. "No, I'm with General Services. I'm supposed to help the new arrivals?"

  "Ah, like that. The other dies should be waiting for you inside already. I take it you haven't met them yet?"

  "No, I'm sure they'll be surprised when they see my white hair." I pointed at the white fluff on top of my head.

  "Yes, I noticed. A new fashion trend?" He doesn't really seem to be interested in discussing hair styles, only being polite.

  "Ha ha ha....no, not really. The Healer said it's a harmless condition, but it makes my hair look white. It's kinda creepy, right?"

  He smiles again. "Not at all. It's just...different."

  "Different, huh? Yeah, that's the exact word everyone uses, hahaha..."

  "May I ask you for a favor?" He asked very politely.

  "Umm....sure?" Please don't invite me for a date...please...please.

  "A human bus will......wait... do you know what a bus is?"

  "Sure. A long transport vehicle with many wheels."

  "Exactly, and I see you know your human stuff. Anyway, seven buses will be waiting outside in a few minutes to take the new arrivals to their destinations. Could you please...politely...ask the dies to coordinate with the bus drivers first? We've received numerous compints about this taking much too long.

  Would you....perhaps....be willing to help us out? It also means that we have to stay here for hours, while we're needed elsewhere."

  "Uhhhh.....I dunno. I could at least try?"

  "Even that is appreciated. May I have your name?"

  "Kaya."

  He gnced at his human companion and waited for him to nod, then he focused on me again. I guess that the transtors are working again.

  "Alright, Miss Kaya, my human colleague here has confirmed your credentials. The doors will open and you should find the others waiting there."

  "Understood. Excuse me."

  "Thanks for helping us out, ma'am!" The human soldier quickly added.

  I gave him a smile and a nod, the least I could do."Alright...thank you, gentlemen. Please excuse me...I have work to do."

  The human smiled, but the Lantosian guy frowned......probably something I said.

  I walk into the restricted area and somehow feel privileged. This pce is supposed to be off limits to most people, and yet they allowed me inside. Maybe my white hair made me appear more trustworthy? Who knows?

  Or perhaps they are ughing right now for shoving their work onto me and even making me feel appreciated. Nah...they're good guys...right?

  The corridors are mostly concrete, nothing special at all. No decorations, no nothing...only cold concrete and a few doors leading to offices. The only thing decorating the wall are more yellow stripes and arrows pointing us to the main entrance area I just left.

  "Hi there!" A female cheerful voice to my left said.

  When I look into her direction, I see a well lit room with lots of pnts and chairs. It looks inviting and is probably intended to help calm newcomers and help them not to take the next transport back home. It's a distinct contrast with the concrete corridor.

  "Good morning." I returned the greeting.

  "Are you perhaps Kaya?"

  "Yup, that's me."

  "Excellent! I just got word that you volunteered to help us out. Inda was unable to work this morning, so we're happy to have you. This one's for you, South Building, block A. The least we can do is have you join the bus with your own building as the destination."

  She then gives me a tablet-like device which apparently will show me what I need to do and what to say. They basically prepared everything for me and I only needed to follow the instructions on the screen.

  She introduced herself and the 5 other dies, all Lantosian. Seriously? Only women? Well...maybe the guys don't care much for this kind of work?'

  When I told them about the compints, they simply asked me to ignore it. "People always compin," was one of the comments I received. Well...I wasn't in the mood to start a discussion, so I simply nodded.

  "Do you think you can do this?" She asked in a friendly way.

  "Sure, if this thing can really tell me what to say, I should be fine." I pointed at the tablet in my hand.

  "Amazing, you aren't even nervous, are you?"

  "Me? Nah...it's more interesting than repairing drones."

  "You...you repair drones? As a woman?" All the women present seem surprised to hear that.

  "Sure I do. It's really easy!"

  "Incredible. How many css points do they give for that line of work?"

  "Uh...1200 if I remember correctly."

  "By the goddess! 1200?!!! We have 120!"

  "Well...I don't decide those things. And your job seems really interesting. You get to meet new people all the time, while I'm usually stuck inside." It's a lie, but it sounds polite, right?

  "Awww.....anyway, it's almost time. Come visit us anytime, okay?"

  "Sure, I'll try!" Wow, nice people!

  One of them scans my ID in my neck and then says "we will file this role with the Hierarchy, so it will show up in your record."

  "Thanks, but I'm already working for General Services?" I couldn't care any less about the points, but I didn't want to sound ungrateful.

  "It's something different entirely, trust me," she winked.

  A few moments ter we could hear loud and happy chatter approaching us, but none of the dies seemed to be doing anything. Okaaaaay.....I instantly knew that this was about to turn into one big mess. I knew I shouldn't be doing this....but as a human.... I just couldn't stand there and just wait for something bad to happen.

  Heck, some of the arrivals are getting restless already! If this is allowed to continue, the guards will need to intervene! So I take a deep breath and then raise my voice. "Hello everyone? May I have your attention please? Thank you. First of all...welcome to Earth!

  I hope you are well rested from your long journey. The seven of us will be guiding you to your quarters soon, so you can unpack and freshen up. Did they already assign you a transport?" Thankfully Lantosian gestures are pretty simir to human ones, so when most shook their heads, I knew what had to be done.

  "No? Okay, no problem. Everyone, follow me. There's a rge room just up ahead where we can talk more easily. Please stay close to us, because there are armed guards everywhere. understood?"

  "Yes, ma'am!" Quite a few Lantosians replied.

  The six attendants are blinking and don't seem to understand what I'm doing. Really? Is this their first time helping people? Sheesh...

  "Okaaaay....miss Inga, would you please check that there are no stragglers? Thank you. The other dies, please follow us." I motioned for everyone to follow me and the guards opened the doors for us.

  "Alright, we're now in the main entrance hall. Please wait here for a few minutes. There are seven Earth transport vehicles waiting for you outside. Humans call those things buses, and they are very safe, so no worries. They will bring you to your destination, but we first have to make sure that you get onto the correct bus. Alright, people who are heading for the South Building, block A, you are with me. Please move towards that door and wait there for me."

  I then point at the attendants who still show a somewhat confused expression."You dies, can you please do the same? Call for the destination, then check that everyone is going where they are supposed to go. See ya!" They nodded and for some reason were completely speechless. Well, not my problem. Only doing my job, nothing more. They don't seem very confident if you ask me, but are kind souls nonetheless.

  "Okay, everyone...any questions so far?" Nobody replied, so I assumed that everything was clear. I kept mentioning "my" group to follow me outside.

  Seriously, no less than 7 Air Force buses are waiting for us, but not a single one shows a note with the destination written on it. Sheesh....do I have to think of everything around here?

  The doors are already open so I greet the driver. "Good morning, sir. Are you heading for South Building, block A?"

  "No, North Building, block C."

  "I see. It's one of those days again, sir. Alright...time to improvise." I turned around and shouted to the attendant dies "this one's heading for North Building, block C. Who of you is going that way?"

  One of the dies meekly said "me..."

  Um....come to think of it....... these dies are probably only volunteers, helping their husbands here, and I have been treating them like real staff. Oops...my bad.

  "Okay, you stay here and start calling names. Make sure everyone is on the right bus."

  It took me five minutes to figure out who was going where, but we finally managed. Time for roll call!

  Just like the others, I started checking if everyone was accounted for. "Everyone, welcome, welcome. My name is Kaya, and I will now read aloud your names. If any of you should not be on this bus, let me know. It's not a problem at all. Alright...." It took us about 15 minutes to check that everyone was in attendance and get their luggage inside the cargo hold.

  I also confirmed the presence of Sva, my counselor, even though I wasn't able to see her face just yet.

  The bus driver gave me the all clear once the cargo hold was closed. While sitting in the bus, most Lantosians were studying the design of the vehicle, as the design was probably truly alien to them.

  "Perfect, we're almost ready to leave. Please make yourselves comfortable." I said.

  The bus driver hands me a cordless microphone, and I'm gd to receive it. Shouting the whole time made my throat hurt a bit, but nothing too bad.

  "As some of you can see, I have a tablet in my hands....or whatever it is called....and it will allow me to tell you a bit about your surroundings. Ah, driver, sir? Please, you may depart whenever you are ready."

  "Yes, ma'am." Definitely a military reply.

  I'm the only one standing, but I'm making sure to hold on firmly so I won't fall over. "Okaaay...here we go. And just for your information, I'm new here like all of you, so please let's help each other out. Anyway....this vehicle will now slowly drive us to our destination. It cannot fly, so please don't worry about that, and it's perfectly safe. These vehicles are owned by the human defense forces, and they are the people you will be working with soon. Okay...let's see what this thing says....done that.....forgot that....whatever....."I heard a few ughs, and that put another smile on my face.

  "If this thing is correct, we will now take a little detour through Downtown. Like you, I've never been there, but my instructions say that it's an area where humans and other races can meet on their own terms. Think about shops, restaurants, meeting pces....pces to exchange culture. A magical pce at night....but......please be careful if you decide to visit. While there's Security staff everywhere, you might be overwhelmed. The message is clear....we want you to stay safe and healthy. So don't go there before you've had some experience with human culture and such first, alright?" Thankfully Downtown should be accessible today, unlike yesterday's tight security in that area.

  I see many nodding people.

  "Downtown....approaching Downtown.." the driver said using his own microphone.

  "Thanks." I replied, but I doubt he heard that, because I forgot to talk into my microphone.I then repeated the same in Lantosian, not sure if they understood what the driver just said.

  Great...time to let them have a look around. And truth be told, the Downtown area looks very enticing. Colored lights are everywhere, and lots of aliens, humans...and of course drones. So this is where everyone's hanging out? Niiiice.

  At one point I almost lost my bance, but a friendly Lantosian gentleman helped me, so nothing happened. It's just that my leg muscles started to hurt a bit, but that was to be expected.

  My tablet kept updating itself, always showing the current location and instructions about what to say next. I expined a few things and then waited for the bus to finally stop at our destination...our home away from home.

  "Everyone, we have arrived at our destination. This building will be your home for a while and it was designed and built by humans, so it might appear unfamiliar at times. If you need any help, please ask me or anyone else for assistance. There are humans inside the building as well, and they will gdly assist you, so please don't be afraid to ask.

  Ah, one more thing. I'm not sure if you received your new orders already, but this afternoon at 1 pm....which is a human way to say shortly after midday.....a training session will be held about human culture and such. I'll be there as well, as it's mandatory training for most of us. So please check your messages and see if you need to attend. It's in this same building, so unlike the other arrivals, you are already at the correct pce. Anyway...you've made it this far, I promise, things will get easier real soon.

  This concludes my assistance. Thank you for your time. Now please follow me outside where you can retrieve your luggage. After that you can enter the building and leave at your own discretion."

  The driver opened the door and followed me outside, where we both helped the Lantosian arrivals with their luggage. Unfortunately I didn't get to see any other 'alien' folk.

  I wanted to shake hands with the bus driver, but he hesitated for a moment, until he shook my hands after all. A few Lantosians frowned at me for doing that, but I couldn't care any less."Thank you, for your kind help, sir. I guess this is it?"

  "Yes, ma'am. And thank you for speeding up this tour. It usually takes a few more hours."

  "Seriously? Hours? It's only a few miles from there to here?" Surprise must have been written all over my face.

  "Yes....and still it's true. Will you be joining future tours as well?"

  "Not sure, to be honest. I work for General Services now, so who knows where they'll send me next? I'm usually repairing drones for a living. This was....interesting."

  "Yes, it sure was. Anyway...I need to return to duty."

  "Of course, you're not only a bus driver, are you, soldier?"

  "No, ma'am. I'm Airman Renolds."

  I salute him, Earth style. "It's been an honor, Airman." Yup, and my dad always says that watching TV is a waste of my time.

  He returns the salute with a smile. "Likewise, ma'am."

  I nod and then let him be, while I'm heading inside.

  Another surprise waited for me inside the building when a rather angry looking Lantosian security guard told me that I had forgotten to scan everyone's IDs. Now he had to do that himself.

  I simply bowed to him and apologized, then left him with a big grin on my face. Not....my....freakin...problem!

  "Kaya!" A woman is waving at me near the building's entrance and she can't be much older than me.

  Huh? Ah, crap....my counselor! I totally forgot about her! I mean...that's her, right?

  "Sva?" I frowned, showing that I wasn't sure it was her.

  She smiles immediately, telling me that I indeed have found her. When I approach her, she bows to me, so I of course do the same.

  She then whispers to me. "Are you... clone girl?"

  "Seriously? That's how you people call me now?"

  "Um....yes? Anyway, I'm your counselor! At least for a while. I'm Sva, daughter of Skuru."I simply had to smile when her twitching cute blonde ears reminded me of my neighbor's dog back home, a golden retriever.

  "It's great to finally meet you, Sva. I have been waiting for you. I'm Kaya, daughter of Funami."

  "Yes, I already know. But yes, it's good meeting you." She then whispered "don't you want me to call you by your real name...Kiwi Woo?"

  "That's not my name, Sva." And yes, I sounded very disappointed.

  "Ahhh....so you have accepted your new name, Kaya? How respectful!"

  I closed my eyelids for a moment and took a deep breath. "Yeah....I think it's going to be very interesting together. Can I take one of your bags?"

  "Sure...this one please." She handed me a light one, but I wasn't going to compin.

  While walking towards her quarters we had an uncomfortable silence forming, so I tried some small talk.

  "So...Sva... I was born and raised on Earth, so I don't know many of your customs. Please be patient with me." Just trying to be polite.

  "Awwww......well...I'll gdly teach you! It's the least I can do, and not just because I'm your counselor."

  I may have given her a surprised expression. "Oh...okay." I have no idea what kind of message she's trying to convey, but I'm not really interested in knowing either.

  She's probably feeling a bit anxious as well. "So....did you work for the military before you....you know...?" She asked.

  "No, I worked in an office as a customer service representative, why?"

  "No special reason, only curious. During our awakening from stasis, the Healers briefed us about what would happen right after our arrival on Earth. They said that things could get....well...a bit chaotic before we would reach our quarters."

  "Ah, so that's what you meant. Well...to be fair, those attendants didn't have much experience, and they are basically volunteering. I only stepped in because I couldn't stand the..eh..chaos as you said."

  "My point exactly. You took control...fixed the mess...and got everyone here in no time. Didn't you notice the looks? People were staring at you."

  A blush instantly forms on my cheeks from feeling embarrassed. "You mean that they were staring at my hair color?"

  "No...well, that too of course, but....you know....you sounded like my instructor."

  "Ah...and is that a good thing?" A counselor who had an instructor? Sure, aliens, why the heck not?

  "It is...but we didn't expect a civilian to act like that. They were...impressed...and so was I. Tell me, do you do this all the time?"

  "No, I work for General Services now. And apparently I repair drones these days as well."

  "Apparently?" She looked confused.

  "Yes....long story. I'll expin it someday. It beats staring outside all day long, since I can't go home...can't leave this city....I'm stuck here. And yesterday they asked me to help them out with simple tasks like this one."

  "Oh...I see. But I have to say, your Lantosian is impressive."

  "How can you tell I'm speaking Lantosian? Don't you have a transtor?"

  "Sure I have, but it said that it was not transting while you were talking."

  "Yes, we've been having issues with the transtor. Anyway, yes, it seems that my nanites somehow helped me learn the nguage or something. Please, don't ask, it's difficult for me to understand. Things keep happening around here. Did you know that people tried to abduct me already?"

  "Yes, I read the briefing this morning, right after they had assigned me to you. It seems that bad luck is following you."

  "Well...maybe. But life isn't that bad around here. It's only that I miss my parents. Otherwise I think I can get used to the ears."

  "Let's talk inside about these matters." Sva said after noticing I had stopped in front of a door.

  The door slides open and Sva's eyes go wide from amazement. "By the seventh pilr of Asumi! Are these my quarters?"

  "Well....yeah? It says so right here?" I point at the name tag next to the door. I shrug and then walk into her quarters, where I put her bag on a chair. "Hey, don't just stand there!"

  Sva is still standing near the entrance, her mouth agape. When she finally enters the room, she puts her bag on the floor. "This pce is.....huuuuuge!"

  "Well, maybe they want you to counsel people here?"

  "Ah, that must be it. Of course. Speaking of...how about we talk about your situation ter today?"

  "Sure, sounds fine. But to be honest, I think I'm already getting used to things. I'm no longer freaking out." I walk towards the window and the view isn't nearly as amazing as the one in my quarters.

  "Freaking....out? I see. I think I understand."

  No idea how 'freaking out' sounds in Lantosian, since my brain somehow seems able to find a proper word for that. "Sva, will you unpack your belongings yourself, or can I help?" I'm only being polite, not really interested in helping her.

  "Em...no I'm good, thanks." Sva said. "But still.....it's kinda spacious, don't you agree?" She waits for me to nod, seeing that I'm not the least bit interested about the room, unaware that mine is even more luxurious! "Well, it's much better than barracks...four people in one room. This pce could fit at least twenty."

  "Barracks? For a counselor?" It might be my human mind overthinking things, but she doesn't strike me as a typical counselor. She sounds...inexperienced to be honest. On the other hand, she might simply be acting that way to confuse me. Yeah...I don't trust her. Not yet.

  "Yes, no, I mean...I started out in the military, but that didn't work out. But the experience gained still helped me get a role here on Earth."

  Yeah....she's definitely hiding things. She mentioned an instructor....and barracks? Quit the military? I have learned to trust my instincts, and they tell me to be careful."Ahhh, like that. Well...you'll get used to this pce. Wait...is that a weapon?"

  Sva started unpacking and probably put her gun on the table without realizing what she was doing. And the look in her eyes told me that she had made a mistake....a big one. I could tell that she was waiting for my reply. She knew...that I knew....no doubt about it.

  Sure....not suspicious at all. An armed counselor. On the other hand, that might be totally normal for them. You know, crazy patients and all?

  I think that I should py along for now, while definitely not trusting her any longer."So...tell me, why did you bring a weapon here?"

  "Ah..eh...I had special training for that recently. They asked me to keep you safe?"

  "Ohhh, like that. I feel better already." Yup, only pying along. Zero trust.I quickly changed the subject after she nodded in agreement. "Oh, and there's your den right there."

  "Seriously? Humans built a den here?" She walks over to the hole in the wall and seems impressed to find one there. "Impressive, looks really comfy." Her smile returns in full force.

  "Why is that so surprising? Don't you Lantosians usually sleep in a den?"

  "We do, but we were told that there weren't any on Earth, except for a few rare exceptions."

  "Oh, like that. Sorry, but I'm so used to it already, that I had assumed that all quarters had such a thing. There should be plenty of pillows and cushions in there, so you can find your favorite spot. I always like to sleep on the right side of that hole." I casually pointed at the hole in the wall.

  "Hole? Ha ha ha ha! It's called the entrance."

  "Whatever....it's still a hole." I shrugged.

  "Hahahahahaha....it's good to see that you have a great sense of humor. It's very healthy. So I guess most amenities are Lantosian in design?"

  "Yes, except for the chairs and lights. Otherwise it should be quite familiar to you."

  "Great. So...do you mind if I use the Washup?"

  "The... what?"

  "Ah.....um.....the thing where you can clean your body?"

  "Ohhh....humans call that thing a shower. Sorry, it's all new to me. It should be there, to your left. My room yout is a bit different. And the clothing machine should be there as well, right next to it."

  "Clothing...machine? Ahhhh.....the constructor?"

  "Whatever. If you don't mind, I need to go now. And before I forget, I need to attend a presentation about human culture after lunch."

  "Lunch....lunch....ah...midday meal, yes, I understand. I have to attend as well, so can we go together?"

  "Sure, and please enjoy your shower." Right then I decided that I would make her learn that word!