"Are you sure you're ready for this? You don't have to get out of the ship if you don't want. You could always stick with me. I think you'd make a damn good bounty hunter."
"...No. Thank you but no. I need to do this."
"I understand. Don't be afraid to call. I better be hearing from you once in awhile, kid."
"Of course, Tetrax. And thank you. For everything."
"No problem. Good luck out there."
Blonko slid out of the bay into the hangar, not allowing himself to look back at Tetrax's ship. Looking back would mean… He couldn't think about that. There was no back. Only forward.
There were plenty of other aliens undocking in the hangar. Blonko was the only one with his own ride. He hoped they wouldn't think him strange because of it. Who got their own ship on their way to the Plumber Academy? The wealthy, probably. Brallada, he didn't want his peers to think he was some elite snob.
There were a dozen or two ranked Plumbers standing around the edges of the hangar, greeting the oncoming students. A few held signs in various languages to find a particular student but Blonko didn't need a sign. He knew exactly who he was looking for. "Xylene! Bahrvad!"
"Welcome, little Revonnahgander," Bahrvad rumbled in greeting. He looked pleased to see Blonko. Blonko, surprisingly, had to say he felt the same. It was nice seeing the Tetramand after all this time. "I'm glad to see you here."
"I am glad to be here," Blonko responded, no matter how true or untrue that statement was. He wanted it to be true. Afterall, this had been his dream for so long.
"You're of special interest to the Magistrata," Xylene told him. She tilted her head, prompting them to start walking. "Bahrvad and I have already spent a considerable amount of time studying and caring for the Omnitrix. You could say it's our specialty. We're not going to stop now."
"So you are going to stay on the base with me?"
"Not with you," Xylene corrected, "but close. We'll be keeping an eye on you. And, when it doesn't interrupt your studies, tutor you on the abilities, biologies, and cultures of the aliens in your Omnitrix."
Blonko nodded, trying to keep his eyes on Xylene rather than the other figures in the hall they were walking down. He could hear commotion up ahead. "Tetrax started on that. I enjoyed it."
"No offense to your friend, but he's a lowlife," Bahrvad responded, crossing two of his arms. "We're Plumbers. We've got access to all kind of information and resources he doesn't."
"Now, Bahrvad," Xylene chided, "just because Tetrax isn't a Plumber didn't mean he did a bad job. I'm sure he learned plenty about Blonko's aliens firsthand. I'd bet he knows things about them that even we don't."
Bahrvad grumbled in response, not seeming to want to continue the conversation. Blonko took the chance to speak up. "Will I be distracting you from your duties? Surely you have better things to do."
"Kid, we've spent decades devoted to this thing," Bahrvad replied, jabbing a finger in the Omnitrix's direction. "A couple years is barely a scratch on that and a couple years grounded are more than welcome."
"We will have to leave from time to time. Not for awhile, not until you're settled, but it will be something we'll eventually talk about. That means you should keep a low profile regarding your abilities," Xylene told him. She paused, eyeing the Omnitrix. "Though I see you've already taken care of it."
Blonko felt a flash of embarrassment and subconsciously fingered the colored tape covering the symbol on his watch. He'd asked Tetrax to cover it on the way here. He wasn't ready to say goodbye but he wasn't really ready to deal with it either. Besides, he wanted to join the Plumber Academy as Blonko, not Bloxx or Tidetail Wave. "It has the Plumber's mark on it. I thought… Well, I'm not even a cadet yet."
If either alien smelled the lie, they didn't show it. And they were nearing the end of the hall anyway so they didn't have much of the chance to say anything if they wanted to. "Well, we're here. Enjoy your orientation, Blonko."
Bahrvad pushed the hallway doors open and Blonko stepped into the sea of noise, color, and aliens. It was overwhelming for a moment, so many people all in one place. The fact they were all different species didn't help his panic much either. He glanced back at his overseers. Bahrvad gave him a nod while Xylene offered an encouraging smile. Blonko took a deep breath and waded into the auditorium.
It was bizarre being among such diversity. There were a lot of little grey aliens running around, so many that he needed to watch his feet. The black and white ones were big enough that he didn't have any trouble avoiding them but he still kept an eye out for them. He saw a few other cat-like aliens and a couple species that looked like they were made of plants.
He recognized a few aliens. He saw at least a few members of XLR8's species and a couple Petrosapiens. No one looked like Antigravitesla or Archfiend or Bloxx, which was kind of surprising. Tetrax had mentioned they lived far from Revonnah but he'd somehow been expecting to see them here. They seemed like they'd make good Plumbers. But he saw more than a few Tetramands. They were, mostly, the ones he was drawn to. They were easy to spot with their muscular limbs and bright red skin. None of them quite looked like Four Arms, more variations in body type between them but it was enough for Blonko to feel a connection.
"Hello," Blonko greeted, approaching a Tetramand. It seemed to be what the others were doing, walking up to each other and engaging in friendly conversation. Blonko wasn't the social type but he knew he had to make some friends today or it would be a rough couple years.
The Tetramand turned and raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you?"
"Pardon?"
"What are you? A Citrakayah?" the Tetramand asked. Blonko opened his mouth to respond but an arm was coming at him before he could easily blink. "Dodge this."
Blonko ducked and managed to avoid it but not because he was particularly fast. The Tetramand didn't really seem intent on hurting him. Still, it was troublesome. "What was that for?"
"Not fast. Not a Citrakayah," the Tetramand mused. Blonko didn't know what he meant. Was Citrakayah a species of alien? Maybe a rank?
"Leave him alone," another Tetramand said, coming over. He looked down at Blonko. "Not everyone here is a warrior. What are you, a merchant's kid?"
Blonko shook his head. "A farmer."
If this second Tetramand looked nice, it quickly became clear he certainly wasn't. He threw his head back in a deep laugh, slapping his belly in the process. "A farmer? Did you guys hear this? A farmer!"
Blonko hadn't realized how many Tetramands were nearby but the eruption of laughter certainly told him. A flash of sadness washed over him and he ducked away from them, trying to put as much distance between himself and the Tetramand group as possible. He didn't think they'd be so unkind. What was wrong with being a farmer?
His eyes went to the Omnitrix, not for the first time. How easy would it be to just rip the tape off and turn into Four Arms? He'd fit right in with them. They wouldn't even question it. But, he'd decided he wanted to do this as Blonko so he'd just have to try again.
If picking a species in the Omnitrix was no good, maybe picking a species similar to his own would work better. He'd spotted a number of feline species around. He pinpointed one, an orange furred creature with stripes a bit like his own, and put his most friendly smile on. "Hello!"
The feline alien didn't respond nearly as well as he hoped. "You trying to start something, furball?!"
Eyeing the alien's long teeth and flying spit, he made the executive decision to turn around and get away from the tiger as quickly as possible.
"Watch it!" a voice from below snapped as Blonko hurried away. Blonko looked down and realized he nearly stepped on one of the little grey aliens.
"Forgive me," Blonko apologized quickly. "I did not see-"
"You still talking to me, dummy?" the tiny alien interrupted. "Don't you know Galvans are the most superior species here? I can't be seen talking to you. Scram!"
Blonko was so startled he ended up running to the edge of the auditorium. He leaned against the wall, suddenly realizing his heart was pounding against his chest. Apparently the encounters had shaken him up more than he thought.
He glanced at the gathering almost sadly. There were so many aliens here and yet none of them wanted to talk to him. Everyone was grouping up with their own species. Such diversity and everyone wanted more of the same? He hadn't expected the Plumber Academy to be like that.
Maybe it was just him. He spotted a blue insect-like alien that seemed to be the only one of his species here. He seemed to have no problem fitting in with the others. In fact, the others seemed fascinated by him. Blonko felt a beat of jealousy. What did that guy have that he didn't? Wings? Terrorsaur had wings. So did all those little fairy aliens fluttering around. Wings weren't that special.
Blonko's eyes searched the crowd, hoping to find anyone that looked friendly, when his eyes met another pair watching from the sidelines.
He was a canine which wasn't Blonko's first choice. His fur was a deep gray, a color rarely seen among Revonnahganders. His tail was as bushy as a bi'nthaks. His snout looked kind of mean though. His eyes, at least, seemed nice. Blonko could see unease and uncertainty in them and maybe even a little bit of fear. It was like they were reflecting his own feelings.
The canine started forward then hesitated. Blonko blinked but didn't let his eyes leave the figure. The canine put a claw to his muzzle, pondering, before starting forward again. "Um, hi."
"Hello," Blonko greeted and offered a hand. It was a greeting he had learned on the way here. He hoped this canine knew it as well or he would look silly. Luckily, the alien seemed to know what to do and shook it. In fact, he looked relieved.
"I, uh, noticed you were having a hard time meeting others. I am too," the canine admitted. He scratched one of his pointy ears and looked away. "I'm a Loboan. From the Anur System, if you've never heard of us. You probably haven't. We're kind of isolated. The rest of the universe doesn't like us much. I'm probably the first of my species in ages to leave home which is why… Well, um, I'm Scout, by the way. Scout Alazraqui."
Blonko smiled. Scout's nervousness was a comfort and even a bit endearing. "I am Rook Blonko. I am from the planet Revonnah. It is a farming planet that does not take well to outsiders. I suspect that is why the others here are so…"
Blonko trailed off but he didn't have to finish his thought. The look on Scout's face told him he understood. "It's nice to meet you, Rook."
Blonko opened his mouth to correct him but he decided against it. This was a step forward. His chosen name was still near and dear to his heart but maybe it was time for some change. Brallada, he knew he needed one.
"It is nice to meet you as well, Scout," Rook replied with a smile. Scout's tail began wagging. "I believe we will be good friends.
