Hey all! Sorry for the long wait (though I'm sure a lot of you are used to it). I wish I had a better excuse than "life got in the way and slowed my writing down", but that's about the gist of it. Just had a lot of work the latter half of last year and I spent most of the past two months getting back on the saddle.

Anyway, this is a pretty dang big chapter by my usual standards! I didn't particularly set out to make it extra long, but I'm happy that it ended up this way. Just didn't feel right cutting it early. I hope you enjoy it!

(Content warning for aliens discussing some of the more annoying aspects of having a human body, such as the digestive system and sensory overload.)

Aja frowns, staring at the mirror in front of her. Her forehead itches, newly adorned with the arched ridge connecting her brow markings and, more importantly, signaling her as Queen-in-Waiting of the entire Akiridion race.

"This ridge is the mark of your ancestors, and proclaims you worthy of the Crown of Akiridion, that has stood for righteousness since ages past."

She sighs, recalling Varvatos' words. In a truly ideal world, she'd never had heard them for herself, content to let Krel be their parents' heir and Seklos' chosen, and live the adventurous life she's always wanted – but since that wasn't actually an option, she should've heard them from her mother.

They're stable now, she tries to remind herself. The regeneration process is going by at a trickle, with the Mothership's energy reserves reduced to emergency power, but in a few short wardons, they should come back to life and take their rightful place in leading their people. Getting the mark, while necessary to provide her the legitimacy and authority of the throne, feels too close to accepting a future without her parents – something Aja simply cannot bring herself to do. She and Krel have absolutely no business leading a whole civilization, and beyond that, she is not ready to say goodbye.

In all honesty, she doubts she ever could be – even if she had hundreds upon hundreds of keltons to prepare.

Aja looks around, trying to put her mind off that particular topic. This is what humans call a 'bathroom' – which is, according to Mother's hastily compiled codex on Terra, a place to dispose of their bodily detritus, either from natural organic processes or collected from exposure to their planet's environment. Most organics have similar technology, though she's fairly surprised to find out that their systems use water for pretty much every task associated with cleaning themselves. It seems kinda wasteful – water is far more valuable for consumption and to generate electric power across the galaxy, so most organics use some combination of sonics and heat to cleanse themselves. Judging by the view from orbit, though, she guesses that maybe this planet just has the water to spare.

"Mother, what is this protruding metal rod for?" –she asks, looking up into the small subsection separated with a plasticized cloth barrier.

"That is a shower, Queen-in-Waiting. Humans strip nude, blast water from the implement you've pointed out, and use various gels or bars of lipids, salts, chemicals, and various fragrances deemed 'pleasant' to their senses to rid their epidermis of dust, dead skin cells, and biological contaminants, among many other types of detritus." –the AI explains.

"Ooo, lively! Humans are so very interesting." –Aja says, cheery.

Mother hums. "If you say so. The King-in-Waiting complains of their primitive technology and disgusting, highly inefficient fleshy bodies. I tend to agree."

"Oh, you two should give it a rest. Organics outnumber us by a ridiculous amount, you know." -she says, crossing her upper arms while her lower pair rests at her hips. "And besides, Akiridions weren't always synthetic lifeforms! Our ancestors probably shared some of these rituals with the humans."

"I can only be thankful that you no longer do. And please, ask your new human allies not to use these facilities if possible – I do not have the power to spare to incinerate their detritus, and I would hate to contemplate the alternative."

Aja laughs, all but bounding out of the bathroom and her room.

Human houses feel a bit cramped, for the average Akiridion. There're probably much bigger ones out there, in fairness, but given that this is a typical design for the area (if a few keltons out of date), they must be fairly comfortable with narrow passageways and staircases. Akiridions prefer to have space to spare, in comparison, but then again, it would seem that they're taller and have longer limbs than humans – not to mention the extra pair on Royals, or the girth some Commoners like Varvatos and, yes, General Morando can reach.

Speaking of, the former commander of the Taylon Phalanx is currently seated in front of a metal box filled with light, projecting images in some primitive approximation of modern displays. "What are you doing, Varvatos?"

"Varvatos is enjoying the torture these tiny Terrans trapped in the light box are suffering through." –he says, quite content, nodding at it. Indeed, the humans on display appear to be going through some sort of obstacle course that is actively harming them for the amusement of a seated audience, though, in fairness, none of them appear to be seriously injured. "Varvatos must admit, the Terrans' choice of entertainment is more violent than anticipated!"

"Come on, Commander, you are not dumb enough to believe there are actually humans trapped in there."

Vex scoffs. "Do not presume to know the limits of Varvatos Vex's foolishness, Queen-in-Waiting!" –he grumbles, then smirks. "But…yes, that was merely a jest."

Aja shakes her head. "Where's Krel?"

"The King-in-Waiting stepped out of his room, looked at the hoo-man furnishings around him, and scoffed in derision. He then immediately dove into the lower decks of the Mothership." –he dutifully informs.

"Little brother is still on that, is he?" –she rolls her eyes. "I hope he's at least trying to fix her."

"He is not, Princess." –Mother says. "All available system repairs have already been performed. He has been helping me pick human forms for you in the Transduction chamber, where, incidentally, you both are now required."

She grins. "Ooo, lively! Come on, Varvatos, let's go."

The older warrior grumbles, but rises from his very comfy-looking chair – humans must spend a lot of time sitting down to have such luxurious furnishings. The pair make their way down into the bowels of the ship, passing by a few Blankbots working on cleaning the debris and repairing minor cosmetic damage from the crash. Varvatos scoffs at them – Blanks are a pretty common sight throughout Nova space, and indeed one of Akiridion-V's biggest exports, but they're typically found in wealthy areas, and thus associated with rich people, which Varvatos and his late family decidedly weren't for most of their tragically-cut-short lives.

Before he joined the military, Varvatos was once a photon dredger, working the enormous photovoltaic solar plates around the blue giant their species is named after. It was a very dangerous job, as Akiridion is a fickle star, and highly prone to flaring; the job used to kill so many that when her parents took the throne, they replaced the entire workforce with robots – a move that, understandably, angered a lot of people like Varvatos. That's why they commissioned the construction of Satellite-9 – to house and employ those displaced by Blankbots such as these.

It was far from a perfect solution, but it had settled things – enough that someone like Varvatos would willingly choose to serve the throne – until the bombing of Satellite-9 just a few keltons ago threw everything into chaos. That's when Morando gained prominence as a rebel against the crown, of course. He accused the Tarrons of complacency – after all, how could foreign aliens strike at the heart of Akiridion territory, just above the homeworld? Were they not one of the most powerful species in the Nova Empire? What use were dozens of fleets and legions upon legions of deadly warriors if such tragedies could occur – and worst of all, go unpunished?

"You seem remarkably silent, Queen-in-Waiting." –Varvatos notes.

"You can keep calling me Aja, or Princess. I'm not particularly fond of my new title." –she grouses. "But…yes, I suppose I am. I can't stop thinking about what led us here."

He grunts. "Morando's treachery requires no explanation."

"I think it does." –she counters. "He was as loyal to the throne as you are, once. I would like to understand why and how he could've done what he did."

"He was hardly shy about his motivations, Queen-in-Waiting." –he says, somewhat morose. "He demanded the Royals take an active role in the protection of Akiridion-V, its people, and its allies across Nova space."

"Yes, and I happen to agree with this approach. I know you've voiced similar opinions as well." –she says, and he shifts uncomfortably. "And yet, neither of us shot Papa and Mama in the back when they refused and made it clear they wouldn't change their mind."

Vex sighs. "Morando has personally witnessed the Black Order's forays into Nova territory. He knows better than any Akiridion the sort of threat that our people and allies are under. The brazen Decimation of our cluster-neighbor Voltar and the bombing of Satellite-9 must have convinced him that House Tarron was no longer fit to rule." –he surmises, then shakes his head. "Morando fails to understand that, even if the Akiridion Empire committed every warrior and war machine to fighting such a conflict, it would not succeed as the situation stands now. Your parents knew – they know better; they understand that it will take far more power and unity than any single species in the galaxy can wield to challenge the Black Order and survive, let alone win. Your father explained as much to Varvatos."

"Is that why you stayed loyal to the throne?" –she asks.

He spares a grin for her. "That, and the opportunity of dying in glorious battle protecting you and your brother!"

Aja snorts at his usual bluster as they reach the Transduction chamber, where Krel seems to be hard at work, Luug dozing at his feet. "Ah, good, you're here!" –Krel greets them. "The Transduction chamber is operational and ready to give us squishy, smelly Terran bodies."

"You seem more excited about this than I thought you would be, little brother." –she notes.

"Oh, I'm not excited about the 'Terran body' part." –he shrugs. "But I've always wanted to try out different forms! Papa always forbid it…"

She knows this, of course – 'we were blessed with the form of Seklos for a reason', he would always say so sternly, like it was an insult to their forefathers to shed their Royal bodies, even temporarily. The Queen had no such compunctions, but since they had never been put in a situation that would require them to mimic another species, she also hadn't seen a reason to overrule their father's orders.

Aja hopes he'll understand, once he wakes up.

"You picked them out for us, right?"

"Mother did most of the research while I ensured the chamber remained operational, but yes, I had some input." –he says.

"I have evaluated your psychological and behavioral profiles and mapped them as closely as possible to Terran bodies within the confines of plausible genetic combinations, geographical location, and equivalent Akiridion-human anatomy. If you do not find these forms to your liking, please modify accordingly from the list of available physical traits."

The AI displays one model for each of them – even for Luug, who gets to be a small, fluffy Earth canine the natives call a 'corgi'. "Ooo, I like the new me." –Aja says, evaluating her soon-to-be new body. The unclothed form is thin, feminine, and tall, with very pale skin, tiny dot-like markings all over her cheeks, nose, and upper body, and long, off-white hair crowning her head. Her human eyes have the appropriate white sclera, with blue-grey irises framing black pupils. There's some features that she doesn't quite recognize, like the strange, depressed patch of twisted, taut skin roughly located in the center of her abdomen, but she figures she'll have plenty of time to figure out what those are for later.

"To better conceal your identities, Prince Krel and I have chosen three forms that the people on Earth tend to ignore. Princess Aja, the first of such invisible forms is that of a young human female."

"Girls here are invisible!?" –she asks, mockingly excited. Mother ignores her attempt at humor. Humans have apparently created a truly mind-boggling range of clothing, so she opts not to think about it too hard and picks the first couple options the AI gives her – some kind of long-sleeved top that opens with buttons on the front and sports an alternating red and black square pattern, a thick, resilient cotton article colored deep blue for her bottom half that goes down to her calves, and an odd pair of shoes with a white rubber sole, red fabric going up a bit above her ankles.

"The second, that of Prince Krel, is a young human male of the ethnic group known as 'Latino'."

"I have no idea what a La-tino is, but it sounded rather regal!" –Krel grins. His form is a bit shorter than hers, with decidedly darker skin and black hair, shorn to about shoulder length. He lacks a lot of the curves she does have, as is typical of females from sapient mammalian species, replaced instead with smoother, flatter planes – indeed, his mammary glands appear to be fully vestigial, and he lacks the wider hip structure required for live birth. He's also just…overall lankier than she is, probably to reflect his neglect of physical training. As befits a descendant of hairy apes, there are patches of very short, curly, thick hair all over his body – she has some, too, but they're barely noticeable due to their nearly colorless nature and their sparsity by comparison.

"You, Commander Vex, will be reconfigured as a 'senior citizen'."

"Glorious! Varvatos should be senior to all!" –he preens. His is the strangest of the human forms; he's very short, and to be honest, he looks quite frail. There seems to be loose, saggy skin all over his body, like he's melting a little bit, while other places like his joints have skin so tight that you can see the shape of the bones underneath. His thin, snow-white hair, too, looks thin and sort of patchy, and he sports short, bristly white hairs along his upper lip and jaw. Aja's never bothered to study the specifics, but she's aware that most organics become weak and frail as they age and their cellular regeneration processes deteriorate; Varvatos must not have ever heard of that fact, because he looks extremely excited. "All three forms sound like winners!"

"I think it's safe to say we'd like to keep these ones, Mother." –Aja says, amused.

"Confirmed. Transduction initiated."

The chamber whines with power, washing over their forms and stripping them of their Akiridion forms, reduced to simple three-dimensional models – but even those get swiftly changed, as the Royal siblings lose their lower arms, Varvatos loses his enormous girth, and all three of them lose quite a bit of height to better accommodate to human standards. It's a painless process, though quite disorienting, especially once she loses her second pair of arms.

She wonders, then, if this is what it's like for Ben to step into the shoes of so many alien forms.

"Okay, now do Diamondhead!"

A flash of emerald light fills the Yamamotos' living room, and a Petrosapien stands tall in their midst. Julie hands him a plastic cup filled with frozen mango smoothie, which the shape-shifter gingerly takes between crystal fingers. He brings the cup's straw to non-existent lips and tries to suck in a sip, which immediately fails – having no lips means he can't make a vacuum effect, making the tiny straw less than useful, especially with the slush-like consistency of the ice-cold beverage. He carefully flicks off the lid, and takes a decent gulp instead.

"…so?" –she asks expectantly.

Diamondhead mulls his answer for a second. "…nothing." –he says, eventually. "Guess Petrosapiens don't have taste buds."

"I could've told you that. Hell, they don't have a functional gastrointestinal system thanks to the Galvan uplift, it's all absent or vestigial. Pretty sure you don't even have intestines right now." –Kevin drawls, reading the manual for his muscle car, presumably for some twisted idea of fun. "You could know this stuff for yourself if you bothered to check the Plumber's badge, Tennyson."

Ben sheds the form before its weight breaks the floorboards. "Now where would be the fun in that?" –he shrugs. "Half the fun of having this thing is figuring it out as I go."

"I dunno, Ben, I really do think you should at least skim some of these entries." –Gwen says, pursing her lips. "Some of your forms have glaring weaknesses that could really put you in danger if you're not aware of them."

"I mean, I already know a bunch just from fighting as them." –he argues, listing off with his fingers. "Goop can't move without its little UFO thingy, Upgrade gets debilitating headaches if they're exposed to powerful magnets, and Ripjaws can't breathe for very long or see worth a damn outside of water."

"You should ask Azmuth about that last one. Pisciss Volann usually wear an aquatic breathing apparatus on land, and the Omnitrix should supply one automatically, even if you transform underwater." –Kevin notes. "Sounds like there might be a glitch with that particular transformation."

Ben waves at Kevin. "See? I learn by doing, and I've got Kevin for the complementary alien book smarts. It's a good system, Cuz, no sense messing with it."

Gwen grabs the badge from the table. "Right, but there's so many aliens you haven't unlocked yet! Like, take this one: 'the Tarnkipyon species, from the planet Tamkeno, is deathly allergic to the chemical substance phenethylamene'." –she recites, projecting the holographic form of a humanoid life form with blue-gray skin, hairless and white-eyed, with a domino mask-like black pattern around their eyes and a black oval marking on their forehead.

Seeing Ben's blank stare, she groans. "You know where you can find phenethylamene? Chocolate! Abundantly! If you ate a single M&M as this alien you would die in seconds."

"I doubt the Omnitrix would let me die that easily. It kept me alive when SixSix shot me, after all." –Ben says, skeptical. "And besides, in those short few seconds, I could just swap to Diamondhead, or heck, even back to me, and I'd be fine."

Gwen sighs. "Director Brand literally just told you not to get cocky yesterday, Ben." –she reminds him. "But…fine. I guess you know what you're doing."

The front door opens, and Mr. Yamamoto strides in, stopping in his tracks when he sees the teens looking like they're assembled for a war room meeting. "…please tell me there isn't gonna be another alien invasion soon."

"Technically, there already was?" –Julie shrugs, and her dad pales. "The heirs to the Akiridion throne crash-landed right outside Arcadia yesterday after escaping a coup on their homeworld. They're nice, though! Well, nice-ish. This one guy really wanted to kill Ben because he thought we were secretly bounty hunters or something."

"Hoo-boy, this is really gonna take some getting used to." –he mutters weakly. "Isn't that something one of those acronym agencies should handle?"

"They couldn't get there in time. I had to turn into Power Girl and slow their spaceship down so it wouldn't flatten the suburbs." –Ben explains. "S.W.O.R.D. did arrive a few minutes later, but by then I'd already brawled with Commander Vex a little bit."

The explanation does not, unfortunately, ease Mr. Yamamoto's concern. "R-right…" –he says. "No injuries, I hope?"

"None." –Ben promises.

"Well…I guess that's okay, then." –he says, sounding remarkably unconvinced – he's really trying, though, so Ben appreciates the effort. "I'm gonna have a quick lunch, you guys want a ride back to school once I'm done?"

"Nah, it's fine, dad. Kevin parked his car around the corner – something about 'dumb kids scuffing the paint playing football', or something to that effect." –Julie says, amused. "We'll manage."

Ken offers his daughter a small, tired smile, and heads into the kitchen.

The quartet leaves not two minutes later – they still have most of their free period left, but Julie's clearly a little uncomfortable staying at home after that awkward conversation. All things considered, Julie's parents have been incredibly accommodating of their daughter's extra-curriculars; the fact that they've allowed her to continue hanging out with them at all after losing her arm and fighting off an honest-to-goodness alien invasion at fifteen, let alone armed with a military-grade Kree prosthetic and an alien pet that can turn it into a deadly weapon, is baffling to think about. Julie's kinda been walking on eggshells with them – she keeps expecting the other shoe to drop, but their chat with Abigail after the battle and seeing them all in action must've really convinced them they're capable of keeping themselves safe.

Ben's phone rings as they cruise around town. It's an unknown number – in fact, it seems to be too many numbers – but he answers it anyway.

"Yeah?"

"Hi, Ben!" –Aja says, on the other end of the line. "I am pleased to report that we have acquired suitable human forms. Also, a 'cellular telephone' – apparently it requires something called a 'data plan', which we also attempted to purchase, but it seems Earth is not yet connected to the galaxy's interstellar economy. We left some Crestons according to the estimated value we owed, but the sales clerk did not seem too keen on this idea. Krel modified this primitive comms device so we wouldn't run into any more trouble."

Ben purses his lips. "…please tell me you didn't steal the phone."

"I, um…did I mention I left the clerk some Crestons?"

Guess I'm paying for a phone later, Ben thinks to himself, shaking his head. "Good thing my parents consider money a good substitute for familial love and affection." –he mutters, sarcastically. Julie and Kevin share an amused snort, while Gwen simply groans at how nonchalant he sounds. "Where are you guys at, now?"

"We appear to be in some kind of plaza lined with delightfully trimmed vegetation." –she says. "Apparently, human bodies require quite a bit of nourishment, and a helpful Terran pointed us to something called a 'taco truck'. I didn't know Earth had mobile nourishment providers!"

Ben covers the mic. "I guess they're at Stuart's. What a coincidence, huh?" –he says, and Kevin immediately starts heading that way. "Hang tight, we're on our way."

"Hmm…I suppose there is a nearby tree. This may be challenging with only two arms, but I will do my best to 'hang tight' until you arrive, my friend."

He chuckles, hanging up. "Y'know, if we're gonna commit to this Alien Force gig, we might as well get used to quirky 'fish out of water' scenarios. Something tells me this is just the first of many."

"We could prepare a welcoming package." –Gwen suggests. "I'm sure S.W.O.R.D. has one, but…I doubt it's very well-tuned for hyper teenage aliens on the run."

"Nah, nah, hang on a minute; are we seriously not gonna talk about Ben calling us the 'Alien Force'?" –Kevin says, narrowing his eyes. "When did we agree to this? I don't remember a vote, Tennyson."

Ben raises an eyebrow. "I mean Toby came up with it and it already kinda caught on. Besides, we gotta have a team name, don't we?"

"We really don't." –Kevin says, deadpan. "But even if we did, why 'Alien Force'? Half the team isn't even alien, dude – and you only count as a part-timer."

"Three out of five is enough, I think." –Ben says. "And before you complain, Ship absolutely counts as our fifth."

Kevin looks at Julie in the rearview mirror. She shrugs. "I mean, you're not gonna get me to disagree there." –she says. "Besides, my arm is Kree. So, we're more like…64% alien?"

The older teen turns to Gwen beside him. "Even you, Gwen?"

The redhead sighs. "I'm not very fond of it, to be honest, but Ben's right: we should have a team name. I just wish it was a better one – though considering it seems like we've overestimated his talent for naming things, I wouldn't expect him to come up with it."

"Everyone's a critic." –Ben says, deadpan. "Okay, how about this: all in favor of officially calling ourselves the Alien Force until someone else comes up with a better alternative, raise your hand."

Ben and Julie raise their hands, with Gwen begrudgingly joining in a moment later. Kevin scowls, and full-on groans when Ship pokes its head out of Julie's shoulder as its own vote. "Ugh. Do whatever you want, but I am not using that name." –he grouses.

Ben smirks. "You'll change your mind once we're like, a household name." –he says.

Kevin slams on the brakes, then, as a young teen runs across the street without looking and towards the plaza, which they've just about arrived at. Ben immediately sheds the carefree attitude, bringing up the Omnitrix dial. "What've we got?" –he asks, trying to see what she's running away from. "Is it bounty hunters already?"

"Don't you dare transform inside my car, Ben."

"It's, uh…not bounty hunters." –Gwen says, sounding kind of befuddled. "This is something…weirder."

Ben frowns, climbing between the front seats. The plaza seems to be in a state of barely controlled chaos; apparently, an impromptu eating contest of sorts has broken out in front of Stuart's taco truck, featuring a tall, very pale teen with platinum blonde hair, roughly Ben and Julie's age, that none of them have ever seen before.

Judging by the other two newcomers cheering her on, though – a tan skinned boy looking roughly the same age and a cantankerous old man waving a cane around – it's pretty easy to guess who the girl is.

"Not two days on Earth and the princess is already well on her way to becoming a local celebrity." –Kevin says, deadpan. "Something tells me keeping these guys safe is gonna be a doozy."

The Alien Force (patent pending) steps out of Kevin's car, jogging over to the lively scene. Aja seems to be polishing off what can only be a Diablo Maximus burrito, judging by the monstruous size of the wrapper and the eye-watering spiciness in the air – an all-but-forbidden menu item that contains every single type of pepper in the Scoville Top 5, diced, chopped, and salsa'd in there. Only one person in the entire town has ever finished one, and they seem to be the event's impromptu referee.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I cannot stress this enough: this girl cannot be human." –Toby Domzalski says, making Ben wince. "That is the second – yes, second Diablo Maximus burrito she's eaten in a single sitting. It's been five minutes! It took me a whole dang hour of absolute agony! And that's not even counting the absolute horrors I went through afterwards…"

The small crowd groans at the implication. "Hey, you guys eat a bunch of peppers with 'reaper' in the name and tell me how it goes, alright?" –he defends, then balks as Aja eats the last bite on her paper plate. "…though I guess some people are just built different, huh?"

Aja wipes her mouth on the sleeve of her red and black checkerboard flannel shirt. "Oh, most definitely! I am fairly certain you lack the necessary hard light weavers or fabricators on this planet."

"Welp. What was that you said about keeping them safe?" –Ben elbows Kevin. "I'll provide a distraction. You get everyone away from here."

Ben runs behind a nearby tree and slams the Omnitrix dial, XLR8 standing where he did a moment ago. "Look, everyone!" –Kevin says, doing his best 1920s newsboy impression. "It's that alien vigilante everyone's talking about!"

Everyone turns and gasps as XLR8 waves. "If any of you catch me, I'll take a selfie with you!"

The crowd, mostly made up of teens and college-age young adults, immediately take their phones out and chase after the shape-shifted Kineceleran, who does some tiny zig-zag sprints taunting and getting everyone away from the plaza. Toby starts to follow, too, but Kevin holds him back. "Dude, you can take a selfie with him whenever. It's just Ben, remember?" –he reminds the older teen.

"Riiight. Sorry, mob mentality." –he says. "Anyway, what's up, Alien Force?"

Kevin grumbles. "Them, actually." –Gwen says, nodding at Aja, who keeps looking back and forth between them. "We're their, um…chaperones, while they're in town, if you catch my meaning." –she says. She points her thumb up at the sky, for good measure, which has Kevin facepalming a little bit.

"Ohhh…so you really aren't human, then, huh?" –Toby realizes. "That's totally awesome-sauce! Kinda feel better about my Diablo Maximus challenge now – do you guys even have taste buds? She scarfed those things down like Claire with a bowl of guac and tortilla chips after a long day of Trollhunting."

"Of course we have a sense of taste. I included all the amenities in our new bodies – I just got rid of some of your silly human defects." –Krel claims. "I mean, Seklos and Gaylen, what kind of novice gene editor wires capsaicin receptors to the pre-frontal cortex? That'd shoot a brain's pain response into overdrive for no good reason! And don't even get me started on how inefficient your digestive systems are – so much waste! Seriously, humans are just absurd."

Kevin snorts. "Don't let a religious type hear you say that." –he says.

A blue, black, and white blur circles them once and stops next to Julie with a flash of red. "Distraction accomplished." –Ben reports, waving his hands a bit to keep himself steady after the sudden stop. "We should probably book it, though. Those guys really wanted a picture."

"Actually, we should head back to school." –Gwen reminds them. "Free period's done in ten minutes."

"You guys head back." –Ben suggests. "I'll stick with the Royals. Not exactly safe for them to explore on their own." –he says, pointedly, turning to Julie. "Cover for me?"

Julie shrugs. "Sure. Doubt Señor Uhl will believe anything I come up with, though, so…expect a phone call from a very annoyed German expat."

"Wait a whole dang minute, Benji…" –Stuart balks. "Are you telling me the Royal family of Akiridion-V is masquerading as these fine customers of mine!?"

"Only half of it, I'm afraid." –Aja says, crestfallen.

The short, elderly man beside Aja points an accusatory finger at Stuart. "Why does a random hoo-man know of the Royals? Varvatos Vex suspects this purveyor of intestinally challenging foodstuffs may be working for the enemy!" –he bellows, raising his cane above his head.

Kevin easily stops the swing. Ben sighs. "He really isn't." –he sighs. "Stuart's an alien, like you guys – a Durio from, well, Durio. He's also my boss, so please don't bash his head in, or shoot him, or run him through with that light spear you love so much."

"Maybe don't give them any ideas, Benji?" –Stuart nervously suggests.

Varvatos' demeanor seems to change on a dime, though. "A measly Durio holds sway over the Omnitrix's holder? You, sir, must be the most powerful of your gelatinous kind!"

"Oh, well, I don't mean to brag, but I do own multiple small businesses." –he preens. "Ben's mastery of the Omnitrix is all his own, though. All I do is pay him to make and sell cups of fruit and ice slush a couple hours a day."

Varvatos grumbles. "Hmm. Disappointing. Varvatos is interested in these fruit and ice slush cups you mention, however..."

"They're called smoothies, big man." –Ben says. "And that sounds like a plan to me. Let's start the proper tour of Arcadia there, huh?"

The tour settles into something of a cycle pretty quickly; Aja flitting about and looking at every new human thing she sees like a butterfly on Red Bull, Krel poorly disguising his distaste at how primitive he considers Earth and humanity to be, and Varvatos permanently being two seconds away from accusing everything from old men playing chess in the park to a malfunctioning traffic light of working for the enemy and beating them to death with his walking stick.

Still, the people of Arcadia are used to weird stuff by now. And not just because of the invasion, the scars of it still fresh all over the small town – there's still a couple of Damage Control collection centers for the odd piece of alien detritus that might've escaped S.H.I.E.L.D.'s sweeps of Arcadia, and several trucks and construction crews emblazoned with the Maria Stark Foundation logo dot the town, still hard at work repairing what didn't need to be demolished. Arcadia's always been a hotspot for cryptid activity and reports, which they now know is likely because of the magical civilization leaving underneath them.

"Arcadia's inhabitants must be remarkably resilient." –Aja comments. They're both sitting on a bench, Luug dozing by Aja's feet, waiting on Krel and Varvatos, who've gone inside a tiny record store he didn't even know existed. He should be keeping a keen eye on the Akiridions, but instead he's looking at a crew that's working on safely bringing down a three-story building that one of Vilgax's larger mechs fell through when defeated. "The Conqueror's invasion is so recent, yet everyone seems to walk around as if it never came at all."

"I don't think there's anything particularly special about Arcadians." –he shrugs. "Life just kinda…goes on, even after a tragedy."

"Does it?" -Aja tilts her head, bringing her legs up and crossing her arms around them. Ben idly wonders if such gestures are universal across intelligent species – those with the right number of limbs, anyway. "When Mama and Papa were killed, I felt like my entire world had shattered. They're not even permanently dead and I still feel like I'm holding in one final breath before falling into the void."

Ben smirks, a little sad. "Are you sure you aren't? I'm guessing you aren't used to our atmosphere yet."

She offers him a small smile. "I admit, it is somewhat strange to have an invisible force constantly caressing this skin – there isn't really any wind in our homeworld." –she notes, rubbing her cheeks. Once again, Ben can't help but be impressed by Akiridion hard light engineering's ability to simulate physical objects – you could count all the freckles on her face, and the peach fuzz along her cheeks and jaw is so real that it almost freaks him out a little.

"How's the human body treating you, by the way?" –he asks, curious.

Aja taps her chin with her index finger. "It has been something of a learning curve; the form factor is very similar, of course, but…I really miss my second pair of arms." –she admits. "I keep trying to give myself things to hold with them and just dropping things into empty air. It's also been a bit strange getting used to these proportions; it's not just the fact that I'm nowhere near as tall as I was – human limbs just seem to be slightly shorter than ours, proportionally, so everything feels like it's just slightly out of reach. Oh, and I seem to be excreting some kind of saline solution through tiny holes on my skin, too – which is quite gross, but I appreciate the cooling effect upon contact with Earth's highly energetic atmosphere, I suppose. These things are…strange, but manageable…" –she says, growing increasingly exasperated, poking at her chest. "…but then there's these!"

Ben hadn't looked down, but he realizes now that she's very clearly not wearing a bra, instantly looking away with a blush. She huffs in annoyance. "I do not understand how your females fight with such handicaps. Mine are not even very large compared to some I've seen on other humans, and yet they shift and bounce so uncomfortably! How am I supposed to fend off murderous bounty hunters when my own chest seems to be attacking me!?"

He tries his best not to be embarrassed and think of it like he would in biology class – it's simply another part of the human body, and all things considered, it's a harmless consequence of Aja's new form. He'd assumed she'd be familiar with the experience, considering her Akiridion form did have something of a swell to her chest, but now that he thinks about his own brief experience as Lionize – he's coming around to it, sue him – he does recall that his chest didn't feel any different in the Akiridion form, when it definitely was noticeably different as his Kryptonian form. It must just be an aesthetic choice for Akiridions, rather than an anatomical feature – maybe they were something akin to mammals in ancient times, before becoming synthetic creatures, or they just pattern themselves on similarly humanoid species.

"Right. You should probably wear a bra." –he says. At Aja's quizzical look, he quickly looks it up on his phone – and shoots a quick text to Julie saying 'brb explaining bras to an alien', to which she responds with multiple laughing emoticons. He taps on the first picture of a sports bra he finds. "These things! They hold, uh, everything in place. I can vouch for 'em thanks to Power Girl, hah."

Aja closely examines the phone. "What a strange garment. It seems quite restrictive, but I suppose that is the point. May I borrow one? Somehow, I doubt anyone who sells these will take our Crestons either…"

"Oh, sorry. The Omnitrix just…materializes clothes on me. I don't own any myself." –he says, apologetic. "I'll ask Julie if she can lend you a couple, though."

He does, but his girlfriend just sends a face rolling its eyes with the message 'Sweet of you not to have your eyes glued to her boobs, I guess, but Aja's like twice my size, LOL'. He winces. "Uh…we'll figure something out."

Aja scowls. "If you say so…" –she trails off. "I just feel like I'd be enjoying how weird this experience is a lot more if I didn't need to think about fighting for my life at a moment's notice. I don't think I can afford to fight with such a sensitive body for more than a few seconds."

Ben raises an eyebrow. "Is it really that bad?" –he wonders.

"Mm. Not everything, I suppose. This world is such a shock of color, coming from a planet mostly steeped in shades of blue. I've enjoyed your food tremendously, and there are so many pleasant and interesting scents in Arcadia. But that's part of the problem – I don't know how you do not suffer from constant sensory overload." –she admits. "Your ancestors must've needed to be very alert all the time."

"Earth does have its share of dangers." –Ben says.

They sit in silence for a moment, looking on as the workers hammer away at the crumbling walls. Aja rests her chin on her knees. "I wonder what my parents would make of this world. Hear Papa berate me for taking a human form. Tell Mama of your triumph over Vilgax." –she says. "I just…wish I could talk to them. Every step I take since their murder, I feel like I do so blindfolded."

Ben hums, thinking of her earlier comments, too. "I understand what you mean. When I thought Grandpa Max had died, I just…didn't know what to do for days. I don't think I was even really that sad, just…numb. Staring off into the distance, barely a thought in my head."

"How did you push past it?" –Aja asks.

"I didn't. Just found out he wasn't actually dead, and then I put on the watch and there wasn't really time to think about it anymore." –he admits, holding up the Omnitrix. "But if I'd had to, I guess I would've tried to think about what he'd want me to do. Grandpa wouldn't want me to mourn very long; he'd want me to go out and experience life to the fullest, the same way he did, and just like he tried to teach us to every summer."

Aja hums. "I know what Mama and Papa would want me and Krel to do. They'd want us to grow into the Royals we're meant to be, and lead our people in their absence. But…" –she sighs. "I don't want to lead anyone. I've never wanted the throne."

"Couldn't you, like…abdicate? Or heck, just pass the crown to your brother? He sure seems like the type of person who'd want minions at his beck and call." –he says, sarcastically.

Aja chuckles. "As much as I've dreamed that I could, that is not how it works." –she says, mournfully. "Upon the Akiridion throne, always two there must sit – it can be brother and sister, husband and wife, the allied Heads of two Houses, and so on. One of them is to represent their fellow Royals, and the other must voice the will of the Commoners; unfortunately, my parents have made it very clear that there are no suitable candidates to continue their work other than us."

"Sounds a bit self-centered." –Ben blurts out, narrowing his eyes. Seeing her raised eyebrow, he cringes. "Oh, sorry. Shouldn't speak ill of the, uh…yeah, sorry."

"There is no need to apologize; I suppose it must seem that way to you, but I assure you, that is not the case – our rulers are chosen by Seklos' own core. No Akiridion in history has ever cared more for her people than she did, and so we all trust that those picked by her very soul are the best our species has to offer." –she says, bitterly. "Even if – Seklos forgive me – I truly believe she made a mistake in choosing me."

That's kinda wild, Ben thinks. He only knows the broad strokes about Seklos and Gaylen's story – they were invoked too often for him not to ask – but from what he understands, Seklos is kinda like a patron saint for the entire species, practically a goddess in the eyes of her people. Unlike a great many monarchs in human history, Aja can claim to have some divine mandate and has the evidence to back it up.

"I'm guessing General what's-his-name isn't too keen on your magical choosing system?"

"Morando. And he used to be, actually." –Aja admits. "But my parents' choices…disappointed him in recent years. They disappointed a lot of people, myself included."

Ben's about to comment that disappointment alone's not exactly enough to cause a coup d'état, when Krel and Varvatos exit the store. The youngest Akiridion is holding a Papa Skull record, looking more excited than Ben's ever seen him. "Found something you like?" –Ben asks.

"Much to my surprise, there is something on this planet worth the many, many warp jumps." –he says. "To think, this primitive audio format almost kept me from discovering your species' greatest treasure!"

Vex nods sagely. "Varvatos must agree; for such a fragile, feeble species, hoo-mans produce very pleasantly aggressive music."

The door to the store slams open. A very annoyed looking woman in her twenties with short, pink hair, electric blue eyes, and heavy eye make-up bursts out. "Hey! You gotta pay for that, dude!" –she barks, in that supremely annoyed tone only someone with a lot of experience in customer service can truly achieve.

Here we go again, Ben laments internally. "It's my bad, I forgot to give him the cash, and he's, uh…not used to paying by himself? No worries! I'll, uh…pay for it." –he pipes up, reaching for his wallet.

The young woman crosses her arms, then raises an eyebrow. "Well, you don't look like you have thirty bucks on you, but I'll take it." –she drawls, extending her hand. She frowns once she gives him a second look, though. "Wait, aren't you Gwen's cousin?"

"If it's a good thing, then yeah. Otherwise…"

She snorts. "It's fine." –she says, nodding at Krel, who very protectively hunches over the vinyl. "Just this once, he can keep the record. On the house. Tell your cousin I'm going extra hard on her tonight, though."

Ben groans, blushing. "Jesus, man. TMI."

"Relax, kid. I ain't into your cousin – and besides, I'm kinda taken." –she drawls. "This is about her and that charm around her neck she wants to get rid of so badly."

Ah, Ben realizes, she must be one of those wizards she's training under. "Got'cha."

The girl nods at Krel. "Enjoy the vinyl kid. And try to bring some cash next time, yeah?"

Krel has already moved on, keenly reading the track list on the back. Ben rises from the chair. "Welp. Where do you guys wanna go next?"

"The closest arena or colosseum available! Varvatos wishes to test this body's combat capabilities!" –the elderly man bellows.

"Home." –Krel says, deadpan.

"Oh, oh! I saw some slightly older humans in some kind of lively obstacle course riding hoverboards that did not hover! I would like to try and see if my skills translate!"

"Gonna have to wait till after school, kid."

They all turn, and Ben cringes – it's Detective Scott, walking up to them. What he's doing patrolling like a common cop, he has no idea – maybe they're short-handed since he keeps doing their job for them. To make matters worse he's not alone – Señor Uhl, the school's acting director in Mr. Strickler's absence (and his Spanish teacher, a subject he is quite terrible at), is marching close behind. Guess Julie really didn't fool him, he thinks.

Krel rolls his eyes. "We do not go to that which you call "school", Terran. We learn via thermogenic cosmesis – a vastly superior method of imparting knowledge to your strange cellulose compendiums, I assure you."

The detective scoffs. "Maybe that's how you do things wherever you're from, but I don't care about whatever 'thermobaric cosmetics' you're talkin' about, kid. In this town, children your age go to school, and people like me get to drive you back there, and yell at you on the way whenever you feel like playin' hooky."

Ben frowns. "Wait…you know they're…?"

"…refugees from Sokovia, yes. Their case's handler, Frau Brand, let me know in advance." –Señor Uhl says, giving him a pointed look. He then turns to the man with the badge. "I'll take it from here, Detective."

Detective Scott frowns. "If you say so." –he says. "I better not catch you three outside of class again. Especially you, Tennyson." –he says, shaking his head. "These guys have an excuse, but you? What would your mama say, huh?"

The man walks off towards his car. Ben tries not to get too annoyed – Sandra Tennyson is a local celebrity, after all, but he knows for a fact that she couldn't care less if he goes to school or not, unless it impacts her image. "I realize responsibility is hardly your strongest suit, Benjamin." –Uhl says. "But letting our guests roam more or less free was decidedly foolhardy."

"You're in the know. Somehow." –Ben muses.

"Ja. About the Akiridion Royals, about your friends'…enhancements…and, of course, about that rather unique watch of yours." –he says. "Thank you, by the way. You and your friends saved all our lives."

"Just doing our job." –Ben crosses his arms, suitably impressed. "And I guess you did your homework. Are you their S.W.O.R.D. handler, then?"

He hums. "Something like that, though I am S.H.I.E.L.D., not S.W.O.R.D. – and retired, at that. A nasty incident in Bahrain a few years ago that forced me to put down the badge rather earlier than I'd hoped." –he explains, a faraway look to his face. "Agent Hill asked me to keep an eye on you all as a favor, and Director Brand chose to shoot two birds with one stone and filled me in on the details."

"Mm. Got'cha. Not sure how I feel about someone else giving up my secret identity, but it can't be helped, I guess."

The former agent chuckles. "Like I said, your watch is quite unique – and it's not like you can take it off. Eventually, people will put two and two together." –he warns him. "Now come. I did not bluff with the officer – you three are headed for school."

"Halcon."

"Zeron."

Alpha doesn't turn as he stares at planet Earth from atop the lunar ridge overlooking the Guild outpost, letting the newly arrived bounty hunter approach from behind – a gesture of respect or trust, for some, but merely one of contempt in this case.

She's no threat to him, and they both know it.

"Come to enjoy the view?" –he asks, mockingly.

"Hardly." –she retorts, derisively. "This world is so primitive, I doubt I'll hunt another target here in my lifetime. Even the most pragmatic quarries desire some modern creature comforts."

The much more experienced and prolific Alpha knows that this is not always the case. Most quarries might act the way she describes, but his most dogged pursuits have taken him to desolate, post-apocalyptic worlds, empty asteroids in the middle of nowhere, the deepest, most crushing oceans in the galaxy, and even the innards of an active volcano. In order to survive, some people are willing to renounce every part of their lives – to barely be alive, hoping against hope that they'll escape his and his siblings' notice.

To this date, they never have.

"So pessimistic." –he jeers.

"You disagree."

"Did I not establish an outpost?" –he asks, rhetorically. "This planet and its champions offer a greater challenge than most of you youngbloods realize. The Hunter's Guild will have more business here eventually."

Halcon scoffs. "If you say so, Zeron."

She stares at the back of his head for a few moments. "Something else on your mind?" –he asks, annoyed.

"You ceded the right of First Blood to me." –she says, a statement that desperately wants to be a question.

"Don't think yourself special. You were merely the first to answer the summons." –he shrugs.

"But why cede it at all?" –she wonders.

Alpha affixes her with a wicked look. "If you have to ask that question, you're not ready for the answer."

"Don't patronize me." –she bristles. "…you're using me to probe the Royals and their defenses. Banking on them defeating me so you can swoop in and take the bounty for yourself."

He chuckles. "So, this bird does have a brain. Fascinating."

"You won't be so eager to mock me when I claim the highest bounty in Guild history." –she leers at him. "And gambling away such an important opportunity? Hah! After the Omnitrix fiasco with SixSix and Krabb, you Zerons will be lucky if you only get knocked off the top rankings."

"It's a poor hunter who dreams of the feast before taking the shot." –he drawls. "Make no mistake; I fully expect you to die by the Akiridions' hands. So, do try to get me some decent intel beforehand, will you? Or, at the very least, put on a good show." –he says, morbidly amused. He turns, walking back towards the outpost, and past the puffed up avian of indeterminate species – looking every bit like she wants to murder him – but, again, they both know she's simply unable to. "Look on the bright side, Halcon; if you do kill the Royals, you'll be so filthy rich you might even be able to put a bounty on me."

I really enjoyed writing this one! Got to do quite a bit of worldbuilding, and the interactions just felt so natural to me. I guess the only part of this chapter that I don't like is that for nearly 9K words, not a lot actually happens? I'm okay with it, though. Sometimes, the story goes where it goes, y'know?

Some trivia for y'all:
-Hard light can be produced from any light source, but the most durable and realistic hard light constructs are made of photons taken straight from stars - the blue giant Akiridion first and foremost. There are enormous photovoltaic panels that capture and store a tiny portion of the star's light, which is then transported to processing centers on the Akiridion homeworld and shipped out to fabricators all over the galaxy. Hard light constructs can also be molded by hand, by specialists called light weavers. Varvatos was once a photon dredger, a laborer in charge of maintaining the surface of the photovoltaic panels and ensuring the captured photons are evenly distributed. Despite their enormous size, the panels are only visible from Akiridion-V through telescopes.
-It's not just Aja that's going commando - all three of them aren't wearing underwear because none of them bothered to really pick their clothes or read how humans typically layer clothing. Akiridions don't really wear clothes; like Gems, their "jumpsuits" are part of their bodies (though unlike Gems, they can't customize them at will, but must modify them at customization terminals). The only garments they actually wear are armor pieces and ornate accesories, like capes and crowns.
-In a similar vein, Aja wouldn't understand why Ben's a little embarrassed to discuss her body like that. Ben's assumption is correct - Akiridions aren't mammals and have no sexual organs, most of them just pattern their appearance after the most populous humanoids in the galaxy. There are some exceptions, of course - Varvatos and Morando incorporate more elements from the original Akiridions' bodies and even some ancient predators of the species into their own bodies.
-Halcon, like the Zerons, comes from the Terminus Systems, and her species is unknown. She could be the survivor of some cataclysm, a runaway criminal from some backwater world that's yet to join the galactic community, the victim of a portal mishap, a mutated or artificial lifeform...you never know, when it comes to Wild Space, and she ain't telling.
-If you didn't guess, the Tarnkipyon species from planet Tamkeno is my name for Ultimos' race - an anagram for "Kryptonian", which the species is clearly based on, and for "Tom Kane", who voiced Ultimos in the OS, respectively. Obviously, this does mean the Omnitrix contains that DNA sample, though don't expect to see that transformation anytime soon.
-If you're concerned about me trying to introduce some love triangle angle with Ben, Julie, and Aja, don't be. I don't really care for relationship drama, and I specifically wrote Ben and Julie as the kind of couple who's so secure in their relationship that it wouldn't even cross either of their minds that the other would cheat on them. They're forever, baby!
-Zoé, the pink-haired record store clerk, is the same hedge-witch from Wizards and 3Below. Claire put her and Douxie in touch with Gwen so she could learn how to reconnect with her human side and make herself a human form so she doesn't have to wear the glamour charm that hides her Anodite body. I intend to write a Vantage one-shot about it!
-Señor Uhl being a former SHIELD agent is not actually my idea, but rather something I saw on a tumblr post or short fic ages ago that I unfortunately can't find (thank you, Internet stranger). I did come up with the reason for his retirement, though, which I'm sure some of you will have identified (hint: it's a very important events on Agents of SHIELD).

That's it from me! I hope you enjoyed this larger-than-average chapter :D if you have any questions or comments, please leave them here or reach out through my tumblr (darthkvznblogs), the ask box is open to all! Until next time!