"My primary job here is to keep an eye on any potential alien activity but the merchants know me and there's rarely an issue so most of my attention is on other things. Most of my duties here involve keeping the population safe from muroids." The engines of the ship roared softly in the background, filling the silence between words. "It's not an uncommon job for an old Plumber like me on a planet like this one. I like letting nature run its course but if there's a spike in population or a particularly bold group of young pups start thinking they're hot stuff, I step in."

"That does not sound too bad."

"Normally it is not but the diseased muroids have returned."

"Pardon?" Rook blinked in surprise. Scout cocked his head, shooting him a confused look and a silent question. Rook quickly explained. "Before I left, a nearby village was experimenting with alien fertilizer. It had an… adverse effect on the crops. The muroids got into them and became addicted. I thought that we had dealt with the issue though."

"Apparently we missed some or there was a new group," Wat-Sen told him, "because we've been fighting these things for the past year."

"A whole year? How did the village make it until harvest season? Is there even a harvest?"

"That is the thing," Shar spoke up. "The muroids are not focused on one village. They moved on from the original village rather quickly."

"They are migrating?"

"Indeed."

"It makes our job a lot harder."

Rook nodded along, mouth twisting in thought. Traveling muroids were almost unheard of. They were nesting creatures. They picked a spot they liked and stuck to it for generations. But now part of the population was on the move? "And they are raiding villages?"

"Yup," Wat-Sen responded, turning away to mess with the ship's controls. "I spend a lot of my time nowadays trying to predict their next target."

"Our job is to figure out the muroids' path then warn or protect the nearest village," Shar explained. She paused for a moment. "But now that you, Scout, and Ship are here, we may have a chance of eliminating the issue all together."

"Maybe. At the very least"- Rook turned away to pick Ship up off the ship's floor- "Ship's powers can help us survey the land better. Do you think you can teach him to do something like that, Scout?"

Scout nodded. "Yeah. I think so. There's just one thing…"

"What is it?"

Scout scratched the side of his face awkwardly. "What exactly is a muroid?"


Shar wasn't sure sure how she felt about Ship yet but she had to admit he was a useful tool. He did the job asked of him and he did it well. Maybe too well.

Revonnah's outlands, as she'd learned all that time ago when Wat-Sen had taken her and Blonko on that first training trip with Tetrax, were dominated by muroids.

She later learned it was because they'd evolved specifically to live in these conditions. While Revonnahganders were suited to reshape open spaces to farm, muroids were designed for all the spaces Revonnahganders deemed uninhabitable. Their beady eyes were suited for the darkness of the tunnels under the mountains, their grabby little hands were perfect for grabbing insects out of the rivers, and, most relevantly, their whole bodies were meant for speed.

Looking at them, one wouldn't expect that but it was true. They weren't sprinters like Revonnahganders but they were built to submerge themselves in the tall fields of the grasslands between the rivers and mountains. They could hide and scurry around virtually unnoticed. Usually, this was best used as an evasion tactic but, when they wanted to, it could also be used to turn the usually lazy and rather pathetic rodents into skilled hunters.

The ship's jets ruffled the grass as it landed on the stretch of open land between the nearest waterway and the wall of greenery that marked the start of the grassland. Shar's eyes fixated on the sea of green and brown just outside the window, trying to see if she could pinpoint any rodents hidden within, before stepping out. She couldn't be sure if the movement she saw was a treat or just the wind. She grabbed her swords and clutched them close to her chest. As much as her muscles itched to use them, she hoped she wouldn't.

She was wrong.

Scout stiffened the moment his paws hit the dirt, ears perking up as he looked around. Immediately, the others were on guard. Wat-Sen not so subtly positioned himself in front of the cadets. "Do you hear something?"

"I'm not sure," Scout responded, frowning. "I can smell something str- Look out!"

Shar whipped around but she wasn't quick enough. A massive brown creature filled her vision, squealing and screaming as it launched itself out of the cover of the grass and pounced. It's forepaws made contact with Wat-Sen's shoulders and, before anyone could even blink, the old Plumber was floored and pinned under the creature's weight.

"That's a muroid?" Blonko shouted, stumbling back in surprise. Shar raised her swords, ready to slash the creature off her mentor, but Scout and Ship were already on it. The Loboan snarled and lunged like an animal while Ship rolled himself into a ball and slammed his full weight into the creature, knocking it clean off the Magister. "They're not supposed to be that big!"

"Contraction," Shar said automatically as the muroid rolled away and back onto its feet. It hissed savagely and she was half tempted to return the gesture with a hiss of her own but she withheld. Raising her swords, she shot forward and jabbed the blades out, littering the creature's face with light warning cuts. "They have… This band of muroids is quite unusual."

"I'll say," Scout murmured. "Hey, I think Magister Wat-Sen is out cold, by the way. Not sure how much longer he'll be out but we're sitting ducks here."

"Slapback!" A green light flashed and Shar's brother was quickly replaced by a stout, metallic creature. "You two take Ship and investigate the area while I distract the muroids."

"What is there to investigate?" Shar demanded, jabbing her sword out again as the muroid snapped at her. "There are muroids here and we should be retreating to safety. Wat-Sen is unconscious, in case you have forgotten."

"Just follow my lead, Shar," Scout barked as he took off running. He raised a paw, smacking the side of Slapback's head as he ran by. Shar was about to scold him if not for Slapback's giggle and the fact there were suddenly two of them.

"Brallada." Shar blinked a few times, not believing what she was seeing. Slapback was smaller and there were indeed two of him. They grinned and hit each other again, splitting into four copies, before running toward the massive muroid and tackling it into the tall grass.

"Ship!" Ship butted her in the leg, prompting her to move.

"What about Wat-Sen?" Shar wasn't about to abandon her mentor while her brother fought the muroids in the grassy sea behind her.

"I have got it covered." Shar whipped around to see a tiny Slapback standing beside the old man. "Go help Scout."

Shar wanted to protest but Scout was already speaking. "Something smells off. I'm going to track it down but I need you to tell me if it's actually something noteworthy or just normal muroid smell."

"They are normally quite foul," Shar commented, legs finally obliging and sending her hurrying after the Loboan. Ship bounced happily after her. "I do not know how you can smell anything over their usual stench."

"I can smell them, they just smell like any old rodent, but there's something else," Scout told her as they put some distance between themselves and Slapback's fight. "You told me they normally just eat amber ogia and live underground?"

"Yes, that is right."

"So they shouldn't smell like oil, right?"

"What?"

"They smell like machinery. Like they were rubbing up against a fuel container or something. And they've got this weird quality to them… It's like- like… I don't know. Kind of planty? But artificial. I'm sorry, I'm sure that doesn't make any sense to a Revonnahgander."

"It is fine," Shar responded, dismissing his concerns. "I trust your abilities. That does sound quite unusual. So what exactly are you looking for?"

"They should have a den, right? You said they've been on the move but all the scent would've come off if they were just sleeping out in the open all the time. I'm… I don't really know what I'm expecting to find but I've got a feeling in my gut that you and Wat-Sen have been missing something. No offense."

"None taken." Shar could help but snort in amusement. "The grass is usually parted differently around the entrances. Follow me, I can get us in."

There was a sense of hurry, leftover adrenaline from the earlier attack still lingering in their limbs. Shar tried to force it down. It was good to be prepared but her brother was keeping the muroids distracted. He'd keep them back long enough but he couldn't do it forever. They couldn't afford wasting time or making mistakes out of paranoia.

Once they found the hole, Ship took the lead, his body naturally providing a little bit of light as the pair clambered into the tunnel. Shar couldn't help but notice how different this was from the last time she'd climbed down one of these. Last time, Blonko had gone in first and set up the battlefield as Wildvine. She'd been nervous. Afterall, even the most skilled warriors rarely ventured into muroid's lairs.

She was stronger now. She'd grown into the swords Tetrax had given her so long ago but that didn't change the fact she was nervous. As inexperienced as she was last time, she had the support of a Petrosapien bounty hunter, the Omnitrix bearer, and a veteran Plumber. This time, she was the one in charge and she only had her brother's goofy friends for support.

Okay, maybe that was harsh. Scout proved himself to be a good fighter and his species' sonic attack was pretty useful. And Ship, despite his animal-like nature, was pretty perceptive. They were good back up. Better than good.

The underground looked the same it always did. The decline was just steep enough that she had to be careful of her footing. The tunnels connected to the surface were marred with muroid claw marks but the walls looked sturdy. Soon, they'd enter the spacious cavern the muroids like to nest in. Or at least she hoped. She doubted every cave system was the same. And who said these muroids would have the same settlement the others did? The thing that made these ones unique was their strange behavior. Nomadic muroids may have different needs.

"Can you howl?" Shar requested. "Maybe the echoes can tell us what is ahead."

"Yeah but I don't want to alert anyone up there that we're here," Scout responded. Shar felt a bit silly for not thinking of that herself. "I think we're almost there though."

Shar wanted to ask how he knew that but didn't have the chance. The ground suddenly dropped and the trio came face to face with the cavern and everything that awaited within.

Shar felt her jaw drop. Any words she could have said died in her throat at the sight before her. She'd expected an empty cavern. Maybe a few muroids. Maybe even some amber ogia or some of that alien fertilizer. She was not expecting a space ship.

For a split second, she wondered how muriods got their grabby little hands on a ship before realizing it was definitely not theirs. There was alien presence on Earth- non-Plumber alien presence, that is- and it seemed they were doing something with the muroids. This wasn't alien fertilizer at work. These aliens were responsible. They were controlling the muroids somehow.

Scout seemed to reach the same realization that she did but moved on a bit quicker. "This ship is damaged. It's such a weird pattern too. You think they've just kept it stashed here? Or is it still functioning well enough to fly? Or are the muroids able to move it? Or is it just here by coincidence?"

Shar squinted, trying to see the pattern Scout pointed out. It was dark so it took her eyes a moment to adjust but she eventually saw it. Random pieces were missing, like someone had just taken a handful of the hull and ripped it out. She frowned. Something was starting to click in her mind but the idea wasn't quite there yet. The claw marks… they looked familiar… Oh.

"Juryrigg," she said aloud, taking a step back.

Scout turned to look at her. "What?"

"Juryrigg. Blonko's alien," Shar explained, knowing she wasn't making any sense but the words were flowing out of her mouth at a speed she couldn't make sense of. "When he transformed for the first time, he was fighting a pair of bounty hunters. This was their ship. Juryrigg managed to make a Null Void Projector- do not ask me how, I swear he's magic- and sent them away but I do not know-"

A click echoed through the cave. Shar cut herself off abruptly as a gun was pressed against her head.

"Put your hands up," a familiar voice grunted. "We've got you surrounded."

Shar and Scout did as they were told. Scout's eyes flickered around. Shar didn't know him well enough to know if it was nervous or calculated. "Sotoraggians?"

"Don't forget the Piscciss Premann," the voice cracked as the group shifted. Scout and Shar were maneuvered so their backs were pressed against the wall while their attackers, weapons still trained on them, spread out before them. "Good to see you again, girl."

"Kraab." Shar tried to make her voice sound hard but it came out like more of a squeak. She tried again. "Sixsix. Sevenseven. Eighteight."

"What kinds of names are those?" Scout muttered under his breath.

"I stopped asking forever ago," Kraab responded. He blinked his mechanical eyes and peered at the Loboan. "And what exactly are you? I've never seen an alien like you before."

Scout's lip peeled back but he didn't answer the question. Instead, he gave one of his own. "What are you doing with the muroids?"

Sevenseven took the liberty of answering, letting out a series of grumbles and snorts. Kraab rolled his eyes. "Geez, you don't need to lay it all out for them. You could've just told them we're using the muroids to raid villages. You need to learn to keep your big mouth shut, Sevenseven. How did you even-"

"Ship!"

Kraab's rambling was cut short when Ship leaped out of the shadows and slammed his whole body against the bounty hunter's face. Shar hadn't realized they'd lost Ship when the bounty hunters showed up but she was grateful for the little Galvanic Mechamorph's help. Sixsix, Sevenseven, and Eighteight seemed confused, letting out questioning gurgles. They didn't fire their weapons in fear of hitting each other. It was the perfect opportunity for escape.

"Thanks for the swords, by the way," Shar said as she lashed out, kicking Sixsix's legs out from under him. Scout howled, blasting Eighteight across the cavern, before boxing Sevenseven in the face. "I have made very good use of them."

"Let's run!" Scout barked, already scrambling up the tunnel. "Ship, cover us."

"Ship!"

Ship waited until Shar was on her way up the tunnel before morphing into… Well, she couldn't actually see but she heard fire behind her and she wasn't getting hit so she assumed it was some kind of barrier. She hoped the poor Mechamorph wasn't taking too many hits for them. Pouring a bit more energy into her limbs, she picked up the pace and scrambled for the surface. But that would be too easy, wouldn't it? The moment she saw sunlight trickling down from the surface, screeching suddenly filled her ears and suddenly muroids were raining down.

"Wha- No!" Scout howled desperately, trying to push the rodents out of the tunnel with the force of his sonic blast but there were too many of them and they were just too heavy. He was hit first, a fat muroid landing squarely on his face and making him lose his grip and tumble downward. Shar tried to grab his tail but the muroid's foot clipped her, knocking her off balance, and she too was sent tumbling.

She shrieked as more muroids started running toward her. Her back hit something, presumably Ship in whatever his most recent transformation was. He was plugging the hole, keeping the pair from sliding back into the cavern where the bounty hunters awaited. She didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. On one hand, she wasn't falling anymore but on the other, dozens of muroids were falling on her.

"Blonko!" she shrieked, hoping it was her brother who'd sent these things running underground. Oh, how she hoped he could hear him. "We are down here! Turn into Wildvine and grab us before the muroids crush us!"

She thought she heard the telltale sound of a transformation but she wasn't sure. The muroids at the bottom of the pile were getting frustrated that something was blocking the tunnel and were starting to scratch. She felt Scout struggling beside her, trying to get on top of her. He had his armor to protect him but Shar only had her usual farming garb. If these supersized muroids scratched either of them, there would be a heavy wound.

It was funny. In her youth, Shar had never really considered muroids scary. Dangerous, yes. A single muroid could rain catastrophe on the crop. If not shooed off quickly enough, a muroid attack could mean someone didn't eat. But when face to face with one, she'd never been afraid. They were big but cowardly. Muroids didn't have a mean bone in their bodies.

What had Kraab and the Sotoraggians siblings done to the docile creatures? What could possibly make them this terrifying? Had they infected them with some kind of disease to make them rabid? Growth supplements? Had they somehow gained the necessary technology to play with their genes? If all the muroids on Revonnah became as beastly as these ones… That was a horrifying prospect she didn't want to think about.

Most of the light was blocked off but Shar could see tendrils flicking around above. That had to be Wildvine. He was trying to pull them out but it didn't seem like he was having much success. Shar felt fear tumble in her belly. Wildvine was their best bet. What other alien could pull two people out of a hole filled with rodents?

"Try Moot! Or Warp!" Scout was shouting. "Luna Lobo, try Funguy. I don't even care if I get knocked out. Just get us out of here!"

"Antigravitesla!" Shar yelled and not just because that was her favorite alien. "Use Antigravitesla!"

Shar wasn't sure if all the yelling was helpful or not but a few moments later, she felt the familiar tug of Antigravitesla's gravitational powers and suddenly she, Scout, and Ship were being thrown onto the surface.

"Lo siento!" Antigravitesla babbled as he hurried to check over them. He slapped his chest and suddenly he was a Revonnahgander again. Huh. That was new. "I did not know you were down there! Forgive me, I would not have sent the muroids down there if I had known."

"Don't sweat it," Scout responded, sitting up. "We got more important things to worry about. There are a bunch of aliens down there. The muroids aren't rabid, they're trained. They've been using them to attack villages."

"It is the bounty hunters," Shar added before Blonko could say anything. "Kraab, Sixsix, Sevenseven, and Eighteight."

Blonko frowned. "How? I thought they were in the Null Void."

"I don't know what you guys are on about but if they're bounty hunters, we really should tell Bahrvad, Xylene, and Wa-"

"No!" the siblings interrupted. They exchanged a surprised look before nodding, silent agreement passing between them. Blonko cleared his throat and continued. "There are certain… implications of their return. If we tell them, they will send us offworld."

Scout raised an eyebrow. "For good reason probably, right?"

Blonko didn't answer. Scout sighed.

"We can figure it out later. Where's Wat-Sen? We should still warn the nearest village that there's an attack coming."

"Actually-" Blonko scratched his neck and averted his eyes- "I think the muroids already attacked. I noticed some of them had wounds from harvesting tools. Fresh ones. I think they were on their way back from a raid."

Alarm jolted up from Shar's belly. "We should check on them."

"We should. Ship? Get us to the village."

"Ship ship!"


Wat-Sen was already there when they arrived.

The villagers seemed wary of them, especially Scout and Ship, but the damage to the village was prevalent. It would be foolish to pick another fight now.

"My name is Imber Ric," an aged Revonnahgander greeted, the first to approach the group. Scout's ears pricked at the name. Imber… that sounded familiar. Where did he know that name? "I am the head of this village."

"I'm Magister Wat-Sen," Wat-Sen responded before gesturing to his students. "This is Rook Blonko and Rook Shar, eldest son and daughter of Rook Da of the mountain village. And this is Scout Alazraqui and his Galvanic Mechamorph Ship. We've been investigating these muroids' unusual behavior. I'm sorry we didn't make it in time to warn you."

"...What is done is done," Imber Ric responded slowly. He didn't sound happy but Scout supposed this was far better than being attacked. "I cannot blame you for not being here. It is our village and we should have been able to protect it."

"Can we do anything to help?" Scout offered before he knew what he was saying. "With repairs, I mean. My species is physically pretty strong compared to Revonnahganders so I can help clear debris."

"I am a shapeshifter," Rook added, taking a careful tone. "A few of my transformations have proved to be very useful repairing damage to crops. Promoting growth, irrigation assistance, repairing equipment, providing extra hands…"

Imber Ric looked disconcerted and opened his mouth to protest but a pair of younger Revonnahganders, roughly Blonko and Shar's age, elbowed him. He shot them a questioning look, prompting one of them to speak up. "We should take whatever help they can offer. I am sure they have business elsewhere so they will not stay long but if what they say is true, even half a day of their help will speed up our recovery exponentially."

Imber Ric looked hesitant before nodding. "Very well. Rook Blonko, Rook Shar, Scout Alazraqui, Ship these are my sons Imber Bauza and Imber Ooks. Ooks, show Rook Blonko and Rook Shar the fields. Bauza, take Scout and Ship to the village and direct them wherever they may be needed. I would like to continue speaking to Magister Wat-Sen."

"Of course, Father," the boys echoed before hurrying off. Rook, Scout, and Shar exchanged a look before running after their respective guides.

"Wait up!" Scout called, scooping Ship up in one paw and ambling after Bauza on his other three. The boy paused briefly so Scout could catch up. "Thanks for convincing your dad, by the way. I'd feel bad if we left without helping if we could."

"It was nothing. You are doing us a favor," Bauza responded. He paused, eyes lingering on Scout and Ship for a moment. "And I must admit, my reasons were not entirely selfless. Forgive me if I stare but this is my first time seeing an offworlder. I must say you are rather fascinating."

Scout snorted as they headed into the village. "Really? A lot of Revonnahganders seem to think I'm scary."

"Oh, you are. But I think that only adds to the appeal."

Scout snorted. "Flatterer. But, um, I gotta say my motives weren't exactly selfless either."

"Oh?" Bauza didn't look surprised, even if his tone indicated he was. He stopped suddenly. "Can you help me start clearing the debris here? A muroid got into the house here, I think."

"Sure thing," Scout responded before returning to the subject at hand. "The name Imber, I recognize it. One of my new, um, friends here on Revonnah mentioned it. You know a girl named Rayona?"

"Not personally but I know of her," Bauza responded. "My brother is supposed to marry her. Why?"

"I- I don't know how to say this. I'm just confused by Revonnah's marriage practices," Scout responded as he looked over the debris Bauza directed him to. Grunting, he began heaving the remains of a wall away. "I… I'm sure this is none of my business but I was under the impression Rayona was interested in someone else. I'm just… confused. On other worlds, people usually only have arranged marriages for political gain. You know, alliances between warring kingdoms. But Revonnah isn't like that. If you don't mind me asking…"

"It is tradition," Bauza told him as he began collecting the loose stones and smaller debris scattered about. "It is mutually beneficial."

"How?"

Scout couldn't see Bauza's face but he could hear the frown on his voice. "She is the eldest daughter in the family. It is her duty to secure good lives for her sisters."

"I… don't understand."

"That is more in the women's sphere. I would ask your friend Shar," Bauza told him with an unhelpful shrug. "She could explain it better."

"She would just tell me not to meddle."

"Maybe you should listen to her then." For a moment, Scout worried he'd offended the Revonnahgander but Bauza's tone was empty. "Rayona has consented. If she wants something else, she can just say so."

"I should just drop it, shouldn't I?"

"Probably." Bauza shook himself and brightened somewhat. "You do not have much time in this village. I do not particularly want to spend it talking about marriage. Can you tell me about space? I do not know when I will get the chance to ask another alien about something like this."

Scout smiled and let himself slip into familiar tales as he helped Imber Bauza clear the debris from the village. Walls, crates, carts- Scout quickly realized they really needed the help. Loboans could carry more weight than two Revonnahganders combined. He really should stop wasting time worrying about Rayona and focus on getting as much work done before it was time to leave.

And that evening when they'd returned to the ship and began heading back to Wat-Sen's home, Scout thought about taking up Bauza's suggestion and asking Shar about Rayona but he decided to bite his tongue. If Rook wanted to challenge this Imber guy or whatever the Revonnahganders' usual practice for this was, Scout would be there at his side but until then, it wasn't his business.


"That was the Omnitrix bearer's sister, wasn't it? And a Plumber."

A gurgle echoed through the cave.

"Yeah. I don't want to end up in the Null Void again either."

This time, the only response was the sharp sound of a blade being pulled from his sheath.

Kraab chuckled. "You might be onto something, Eighteight. We gotta take that guy out before he finds us again. Anyone remember where Rook Blonko's village is?"