Summary: Scout and Sophia join they unit's that they plan to serve in the war in...

Hard and Soft Landings

May 2099

It wasn't like Scout Tracy hated her time with the WAAF, when she spent a year with them getting the extra training she needed so she could effectively take over the role of Thunderbird One, but it wasn't exactly one of the most enjoyable time periods of her life.

It was on going family joke, that even the most solitary Tracy's didn't like being away from family for an extended period of time, and also considering that her father had died the year before she joined, as well as fact the family was also reeling from the fallout of Kevin and Shane's kidnapping, Scout at the time wanted to delay her departure but had been shoved out the door, by her mother and Uncle Alan.

"The best thing you can do at the moment, for Kevin and the rest of the family," Alan had told her at the time. "Is keep doing, what you're meant to be doing, there is no point to you staying here and hovering over Kevin, what has happened, has happened, and it would be better for you and him in the long run if you complete your training."

So, Scout had begrudgingly left, and while she appreciated her time there, she would have willingly admitted that she happier when she returned home to the island.

Now she was back at WAAF, not by choice, she would rather be with her family, if she was being honest with herself, Harriet especially was at an age where things developmental milestones came thick and fast, and Scout was already homesick for the Island.

It wasn't helped by the fact that most of the people that she served with had moved on into other military organisations, Scout barely knew anyone, and word had already gotten out that she was a Tracy, so some people were acting like they thought that she was some sort of pampered princess, not the commander of Thunderbird One or the mother of two very active children.

It almost made her wish that she could confirm Shane's theory about Mahogany, so she could put in for a transfer to Spectrum.

Scout fought down the urge to start laughing hysterically, as she sat down on her bed, in the quarters she was assigned in, with another female pilot, ten years her junior, if her husband, mother and uncle's could hear her thoughts now…

They would completely lose their shit if knew that she was playing with the possibility of joining Spectrum for the duration of the war, but she couldn't shake the feeling that, regardless of Kallen been Mahogany or not, a organisation like Spectrum would have been a better fit for someone with her unique skill set.

At least until Turquoise's family found out that Daniel had managed to father a couple of children with Sophia and that the only reason nothing was said earlier was because of the communication blackout between IR and Spectrum, that was.

Scout sighed and shook her head, no it probably wasn't a good idea that she try and join Spectrum.

No, she would be better off sticking it out with the WAAF, things would were bound to get better once she settled into a rhythm…

Wouldn't they?

0o0o0

If it wasn't for the fact that Sophia had to leave her children with her family on the safety of Tracy Island, she wouldn't have had any problems coming back to WASP.

And she honestly wouldn't of have, if it hadn't been for the fact that she had job, that she wanted to do, lined up for her with International Rescue, she probably would have actually stayed in WASP and made it her career, actually connecting with the Mer DNA that ran through the veins of Lucille Tracy's descendants, which most of them didn't even realise they had…

As luck would have it Sophia was able to return to the unit she worked with, when she trained with WASP initially…

Captain Musa Anderson-Sheridan, was Colonel Melody Anderson's daughter, and one of Sophia's friends from childhood, was one the people who had mentored her, with her then boyfriend, now husband, Captain Sebastian (Seb) Sheridan, in the couple of years that she had previously served.

Seb, one the sons of WASP legends, Captain George Lee "Phones" Sheridan and Marina, the Mer princess from the Pacifica colony, like most half breeds born to Mer mothers, he was more Mer than human, with the ability to breath underwater and his muteness.

Sophia was disappointed to hear that her other mentor, Bradley Holden, had moved on to other waters, after having a fall out with the WASP command, after getting injured in the field.

This had happened before Melody had taken over command of WASP after the missile strike, that had killed Daniel, had also killed the former command team of WASP as well.

While that missile strike had been a disaster for most of the world's military and security organisations, with Spectrum being the obvious exception, it had been a blessing in disguise for WASP.

Not that Sophia, or anyone else in WASP for that matter, would had wished death on the former commander of the organisation, but it was clear that the political arse kisser, that had been appointed against the recommendation of the former Commander, Troy Tempest, who had recommended Melody to take his place, had not been the right choice for the job.

Brad, according to Musa, had not been the only casualty of the previous commanders incompetence, WASP lost several good officers under this guy's leadership, as well nearly started a war with the Mer people - something that took a herculean effort on the parts of Melody, her husband, Nereus, and Seb's parents to prevent happening.

The relationship between Mer's and humans was still rocky even now…

When Melody was given command of WASP, she tried her hardest to bring some of the officers that left back, but many of them, including Brad, had found their place in other organisations, refused Melody's offer.

Sophia had also heard that Melody was also pretty salty at the loss of a promising young communications officer, Seymour Griffiths, and Sophia understood where her 'Aunt' was coming from - great communication officers were worth their weight in gold, and could mean the difference between life and death in the field…

Sophia sighed softly, as she sat down in her quarters, thinking about the new member of the team she was assigned to.

Ensign Ralph Dawson, was an eager young man, fresh out the academy, and determined to prove himself…

But some of that determination was clashing with Sophia and the other members of her team, especially Seb in regards to communicating with each other.

Mer's only had two forms of communication that humans could understand, sign language, which was compulsory for every WASP officer to learn, and a singing language known as Ocean Song.

While it was understandable that Dawson would have had a hard time understanding Ocean Song, considering that only humans that have Mer DNA in their genetic makeup, could actually speak the language, he didn't seem to have a strong grasp of sign language, and he also had a tendency to forget that just because Seb couldn't talk like a human, didn't mean that he couldn't understand the English language.

Dawson would also get angry with all of them as well, when they would all start a singing conversation, growling that he was being left out, to which both Sophia and Musa had both offered to teach him to understand the language, to which he had growled forget it.

Sophia honestly didn't think it would be long before the kid asked for a transfer himself, to be honest, she knew Seb had reported that the young man was not fitting in with their team.

Bradley Holden this kid wasn't…

Notes: Stingray, unlike Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet, does not have a rebooted series to draw upon, but if it did, I would have set it around 2056-2059.

Because of this, I put Troy's Phone's, and Marina's age's as 10 or so years older than Scott and Paul.

Meaning that Troy could have very realistically retired and someone else take his place, well before the Missile Strike that wiped out most of the world's security leaders.

And because that I am basing this on a Stingray reboot that doesn't exist, my version of the Mer's may be a little different…

As in Mer's can't talk, because they have gills where their normal human vocal cords would be, but they can sing and click like whales.