Rachnera's assimilation into Blue Base proved somewhat rougher than when each of the others had become residents. This was in part because she hadn't yet decided whether she would be considered an Interspecies Exchange Student or a Political Refugee by Caboose's lights, which made paperwork headaches for Agent Smith. Another part of this was how rapidly the Freckle unit assigned to her adapted in terms of personality, as it was tying the other Freckle units and their Lieutenants up within five hours of being assigned.

However, the biggest obstacle had to do with how she related to Miia and Cerea. Miia had immediately gotten hostile with Rachnera, treating her as yet another rival for Caboose's affections. Rachnera had countered by tying her up and laughing about it. Miia had attempted to complain to Caboose about it, but…

"Oh yeah, Rachnera tied me up too!" Caboose responded happily. "That's just how she shows she loves you. Isn't it great? It's like being wrapped up in the snuggliest blanket that she just made for you!"

Rachnera had done her best to hide her blush even as she laughed smugly at the expression on Miia's face.

Cerea proved to be more of a problem, despite - or perhaps because of - her continued insistence of total acceptance. However, even as she proclaimed she was perfectly content with Rachnera's presence, she stayed especially close to Caboose whenever Rachnera was in the room. Rachnera had attempted to counter this by actively trying to get Caboose alone to seduce him, though without success.

This culminated in when Rachnera managed to slip into Caboose's room at night with everyone else elsewhere, only for Cerea to cut down the door. Before either of them could say anything else, Caboose had acted by grabbing both their hands and yanking them onto the bed to either side of him.

"This is not how you solve problems!" he stated firmly. "All this does is make you both upset. Now none of us are moving from this spot until you talk to each other." He turned to Cerea. "Let's start with how you really feel about Rachnera."

"Master, I-" Cerea began.

"Be honest," Caboose interrupted firmly.

Cerea tensed at the order and chiding implicit in the sentence. "I...I hate her!" Cerea finally cried out. "I hate the way she behaves with you when you're my Master, and hate that she's more likely to get to be with you over me! And...and the way she looks freaks me out when she looks at you like prey, and I hate myself for thinking like that when you told us all to make her feel welcome, since we've all been judged by our appearances before!"

Caboose nodded acceptingly. "Rachnera, how does that make you feel?" he asked calmly.

"Honestly?" Rachnera asked playfully. "Relieved. She finally spoke her mind." She shifted to look straight at Cerea. "You hate me? Fine. Go ahead and hate me. I'm used to being hated. But don't pretend nothing's wrong when something is, that's far worse. I'd normally be happy accepting you hating me as part of the competition, but…" She gestured to Caboose. "Pretty sure the Captain here wants us all to try and get along...and the first step of that is getting everything out in the open. So if you have a problem with me...say so."

"And...you'll work to address it?" Cerea asked hopefully.

"H-" Rachnera paused, glancing around to make sure Suu wasn't anywhere near. "Hell no!" she continued. "I'll just know what buttons to push to drive you wild!"

"She's like a female Tucker!" Caboose declared happily. "Except she's pretty and likeable in her first appearance!"

"I'm going to remember that one for when I meet him," Rachnera purred happily, writing the statement down for future reference.

Cerea blinked for a time. "Wait...you're deliberately going out of your way to make everyone else uncomfortable around you?" she asked in surprise.

"Of course!" Rachnera purred. "Others are going to be uncomfortable around me either way, so I might as well push and find out how they act as a result. Besides, it's fun watching them squirm."

Cerea lifted her head disdainfully. "Well, as a noble centaur, I shall not allow your antics to get to me anymore! I will not let you make me squirm!"

Rachnera turned to smile at Caboose. "I believe the phrase is...Bow-Chicka-Bow-Wow?"

"Yay!" Caboose cried out happily. "We're all getting along! Super-big-bed mega-cuddle time!"

The night ended with everyone cuddled up on Caboose's now much larger bed with him, Mero hanging half off the bed in a tub filled with water, and Suu reaching out to hold Caboose and Papi's hands from her drum.

Some days later, Caboose was going over the floor plans for the expanded base while waiting for the girls to get back from a physical check up. Due to Rachnera's indeterminate status, she was being treated as both an Interspecies Exchange Student and a foreign dignitary, and thus was also getting a physical. "Let's see…" Caboose murmured to himself. "First floor is the bathroom, the bathroom, the bathroom, the bathroom...wow, that's a lot of bathrooms...Mero's room, Cerea's room, the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen. Second floor is everyone else's bedrooms, more bathrooms, and a connecting bridge to a secondary building? I'll have to check that one out…"

He moved on to the unfamiliar portions of the floor plan. "Third floor is more bedrooms, more bathrooms...one of the bedrooms goes up into the fourth floor? Oh, that must be Tio's guest room...a crypt? Is that for Bina?" He shifted to the next floor. "Fourth floor has...an aviary? Is that for Papi? Fifth floor...a forest? There's a forest in the base? Why is there a forest in the base? Wait, what's this note…'not important for seven more chapters'? Okay, I'll think about it then...basements are...Engy Room? Oh, is that for playing Team Fortress?"

[The rest of Blue Team has returned,] Freckle intoned.

"The girls are back?" Caboose gasped out excitedly. "Yay! How did it go?"

[Lieutenants Miia, Cerea, and Mero have increased unacceptably in body mass index,] Freckle reported after conversing with the other Freckle units. [Increased exercise regime recommended.]

"Oh, we can hit Polt's gym!" Caboose crowed excitedly. "What's the fastest way there?"

[Second floor connecting bridge. Fitness Center is in same housing block that has been converted into Blue Base Embassy.]

"Convenient!" Caboose declared happily.