Some of the Sim-Troopers, as well as Wash, have taken off their helmets during the trip. When the door opens, I can tell by their faces that what they see is not what they had expected.
"You weren't kidding when you said they were kids" Tucker remarks.
He's right. Most of the people waiting to greet us are between ten and fifteen years old. A few look like they could be adults, but it's clear that Nick and I are the oldest ones here. At least, we were until the reds and blues arrived.
"Silver!" Three little kids run up and latch onto my legs.
"Franc, Lico, Rubi" I say each name as I detach the corresponding child from my legs. "Why don't you go help Nick unload the pelican while I show our new friends around?"
"Are these really them?" Rubi asks, looking at the Sim-Troopers in awe.
"Yep, it's them."
The three kids walk toward the Sim-Troopers slowly, eyes wide. Suddenly, Lico rushes forward and snatches Tucker's sword off his belt. "This is that alien sword! The one that only works for him!" He says excitedly, showing it to the other two.
"Hey!" Tucker shouts, trying to take the sword away. Lico dodges and runs behind him, still trying to turn the sword on. "That's mine!" Tucker turns around and begins to chase the blue-haired child.
"Silicon" I say in a no-nonsense warning tone. "Give it back."
The boy looks at the sword for a second. He then turns and hands it to Tucker, his head drooping dramatically. "Sorry" Lico mumbles quietly.
"It's fine" Tucker says good-naturedly. "Maybe later I can show you guys how it works. Okay?"
Lico smiles up at him and his mouth splits vertically down the center. Tucker looks surprised for a second, but quickly covers it up. I wave the kids away and they run off to help Nick.
"He's part Sangheli?" Tucker asks once the kids are gone.
I nod my head. "All three of them are."
I expect Tucker to say something more about it, but he just smiles and turns to watch the kids.
"He has a kid who's a Sangheli" Simmons explains while handing me my helmet. "You dropped this back when all the shooting started. I thought you'd want it back."
I thank him as I grab the helmet. I want to ask more about the apparent cross-species child he just mentioned, but decide it's not the best time. There are other things we need to talk about.
"Okay, before we get too settled in, we need to-" I start to talk, but am cut off by a girl a little younger than myself stepping into our group.
"Oh. My. God!" The girl exclaims, looking at Donut. "I love your lightish red armor!"
"Thanks!" Donut says.
"Donut, this is Platinum" I say, gesturing toward the super-model-perfect woman. "We usually call her Tinu. Tinu, this is Private Donut."
"It matches your eyes so well!" Tinu continues as though I hadn't even spoken, which is normal for her when she starts talking about fashion. "You know what it needs, though?" She asks.
"Lace" Tinu and Donut say together.
"Oh, I think I have just the thing!" Tinu says, grabbing Donut's hand and leading him away.
Tucker watches the whole scene unfold before commenting. "If talking about fashion can get a girl like that, then I need to learn more about clothes."
"You interested in Tinu?" I ask, looking sideways at him.
"She's like a model" he says. "The only girls I ever meet act like they want to tear my head off. She's perfect."
"You haven't seen her smile yet" I say matter-of-factly. Before Tucker has a chance to ask what this means, I call out "Hey, Tinu!" She turns and faces me from where she's walked down the hall. "Your hair looks nice" I compliment.
"Thank you!" Tinu says, smiling broadly to reveal an impossibly large mouth filled with razor-like teeth.
She turns to go while I look back at Tucker. He's gone pale and looks a little scared. "You should see your face" I remark.
Grif, who had also seen Tinu, asks "what is she?"
"If I remember correctly" I say, tapping a finger on my chin while thinking, "she is part crocodile, shark, and grizzly bear."
Grif looks around at some of the other slightly-off looking people in the base. "You have the weirdest family ever."
"I read your file, as well as your sister's" I tell him. "I don't think you have any room to talk." Grif doesn't have an answer to that.
I notice Rhodi talking to Doc and tune into their conversation.
"Most of us have developed very unusual allergies, due to our unique genetics. It's always a struggle to find medications and treatments that won't kill us" Rhodi explains.
"I know a lot about holistic and alternative medicine" Doc says excitedly. "I can show you, if you want." Rhodi agrees and they start walking toward the small medical bay nearby.
At the same time, Caboose starts dragging Grif and Simmons away. "Where are you three going?" I ask.
"I don't know" Simmons says, trying to pull his wrist out of Caboose's grip. "He said he wanted to show us something."
"I want them to see Mango and Peppermint" Caboose says excitedly.
I laugh slightly as I recognize the names. "Okay, but be careful" I tell him.
"This is gonna be so much fun!" Caboose says as he continues to drag the two red soldiers away.
"And remember, do not pet them!" I call after him as they disappear around a corner.
"Who are Mango and Peppermint?" Wash asks.
"They're the spiky cats" I answer.
"Wait, those were a real thing?" Sarge asks.
I nod. "Dr. Han made them to test a gene splicing technique. It worked, and ever since then we've had two cat porcupine things that tend to wander around the labs." There's a shout from down the hall where Caboose had disappeared. "Carbon never could figure out that he shouldn't pet them, though."
"Tucker, could you-?" Wash starts to ask.
"I'll go make sure he doesn't hurt himself too much" Tucker says, nodding. He sprints off down the hall.
I look at Sarge and Wash. I had planned on talking to all of the Sim-Troopers, but I guess the two leaders will work too. It might even be better to talk to them alone before discussing things with the rest of their teams. "Follow me" I say. I turn and lead them down a hall and further into the base.
This might be my last chapter until after Christmas. I've had some family come to visit, and I want to dedicate some time to hanging out with them before they leave. Still, I'll do my best to have the next chapter ready as soon as possible. As always, let me know what you think, and thank you for the support and encouragement.
-J