The Replacements- 6

"Well, I didn't think I performed well enough to deserve a salute!" She teased. A soft, breathy giggle escaped from her lips as she glanced shyly at all of us.

I couldn't help but gawk at her. We all were gawking, really. You'd think we'd never seen a girl before.

Princess, however, was extraordinary; fine, porcelain skin embellished by ruby red lips and emerald eyes. She had long, dark hair that curled slightly at the ends. Her body was perfectly toned; long, slender legs, and a tiny waist. I could swear that she glided instead of walking…every move was so graceful. Her "Swan" codename fit her perfectly.

Wow. Beautiful…and a sense of humor, too. How am I going to handle this?

Luckily, the Chief helped us find our voices.

"Princess, allow me to introduce you to the team." Anderson motioned to Tiny.

"This is Tiny, the pilot of the Phoenix. He is also known as the Owl."

Tiny stepped forward to take Princess' hand. "I'm glad to meet you, Princess. You did a bang up job out there!"

"Literally." She chuckled. "It's nice to meet you, too, Tiny."

"And this is our gunner, Jason, the Condor." Anderson continued.

Jason stood still with his hands foded over his chest and gazed at her, nodding only slightly.

I wanted to wallop him for being so rude to her.

She smiled politely and spoke to him. "It's good to meet you, too…Jason."

It appeared to me as though she could immediately see through our gunner's tough exterior.

To make up for Jason's bad manners, I stepped forward and introduced myself.

"Hi, Princess. I'm the Commark…uh, the Marker, I mean…the Commander…Mark."

I hastily took her slim hand in mine. I felt electricity course through my body. My palms were sweating. Could she tell?

Now I could feel the heat rising to my face. What's wrong with me? Commanders don't blush! Get a grip on yourself!

I stepped back in place and self-consciously stuck my hands into my pockets. Ugh! Maybe no one noticed…

She beamed as she answered me in that delicate, breathy voice of hers.

"Nice to meet you...Mark. My wish is your command…"

Jason cracked a smile. "You got that right, Princess!"

He turned to Tiny, elbowed him, and whispered, "She's got him whipped already!"

When Tiny started chuckling, she realized what she said.

"Oh did I say…" She cupped her hands over her mouth, and her face turned beet red. "I meant to say, 'Your wish is my command'…"

Jason started in again with a sly smirk. "Oh, reeeeally?"

"That's enough, you two." Anderson came to Princess' defense. He cast a stern gaze at Tiny and Jason, and then continued speaking. "I thought it might be nice for us to eat dinner together this evening. I've arranged for a meal to be prepared for us in the dining area at 7 o'clock."

Princess glanced at the Chief gratefully. "Thank you, Sir. Would it be rude for me to go and rest for a while before dinner?"

Anderson smiled. "Not at all, Princess. Go right ahead. You remember where your room is, don't you?"

"Yes, Sir." She quickly glimpsed at the rest of us. "I'll see you all at dinner, then. Good bye."

I watched her leave the observation deck. She was wearing pink and white striped bell bottoms that hugged her curves in all the right places. Man, she had a nice ass…

"Hey, Mark, are you finished watching Princess leave? I'd like to beat you at a few games of ping- pong before dinner." Jason quipped.

"That's enough, Jason. Remember what I said; you must respect your teammates." Anderson chided.

I knew that this would be only the tip of the iceberg; the teasing was about to get worse.

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In the Ready Room, Tiny lounged and watched TV while Jase and I played Ping Pong.

"So, what do you think of our new recruit, Skipper?" Jason started in on me immediately.

I slammed the ball back at him. "I told you, I hate to be called Skipper!"

A smirk spread across the Condor's face. "You're avoiding the question." He smacked the ball back to me.

"She'll be just fine, I'm sure, Jase…" I could feel the scowl on my face as I volleyed the little white ball back at him. I wanted to choke him with it.

"You think she's a fox, don't you?" He taunted.

"I refuse to dignify that question with an answer." I had to get out of this conversation. Fast.

Tiny laughed in the background. Apparently, he was listening more to us than to the TV.

"Come on, Commander, you sounded like Porky Pig, out there! You were stuttering all over the place! Th… th… th… that's all folks! Admit it, You've got the hots for her, right?"

My blood was boiling. It was like they had read my mind. I threw down my paddle.

"So I screwed up a few words! Are you guys perfect?" Ok, they were getting under my skin. I didn't want to give them the satisfaction. I had to calm down...deep breath...

I propped both hands on the ping pong table. "Look, I think we can all agree that she's cute…ok? But we're her teammates, and the Chief wants us to…"

"I know what the Chief said, but do you, young man?" Jason pointed his paddle at me in mock reprimand. "You better watch your P's and Q's, mister!"

Jason's mockery brought out uncontrollable laughter from his one man audience.

Ok, that did it. Jason was probably feeling a little bitter toward me, since I was chosen to command the team over him.

I had learned over time that he delighted in having a wit that was sharper than any of his shuriken...and he used it as a weapon when he was feeling a bit insecure. However, I was about to lose control and behave in a way that wasn't befitting a Commander.

"What's wrong with you, Jase? Now that Don is gone, you need someone else to pick on?" I huffed, and then left the room before I said something I'd regret later on.