"Name?"
"Matt Holt."
"Welcome, Private Holt. Step inside the facility."
The new uniform felt itchy to Matt.
As the officer jotted down his name on a clipboard, he walked inside the door.
New freedom. New job. New life mission.
He would be allowed to go back home once Zarkon had lost his biggest weapons.
The Hybrids.
Matt didn't even think it was possible to cross species, but apparently Zarkon's witch had done exactly that. She created a small group of hybrids from Zarkon's own soldiers and two Guatemalan sisters.
Matt took a seat at a table across from two kids.
One was a girl with pink features and long ears. The other was a Galran boy with strange markings under his eyes.
"Do they actually allow children to fight?", Matt asked aloud. He immediately regretted it, for it drew their attention.
The boy laughed, and spoke with a feminine accented voice.
"Only children that have been trained their entire life to fight."
"Do they allow humans to fight?", the girl sneered.
"I'm sorry if I've caused any offense."
"No offense taken on my part", the boy said. He stuck out his hand and shook Matt's firmly.
"The name's Kopheline. Kipper for short. I'm here to bring down Zarkon like the rest."
The girl smiled warmly at Matt.
"My name is Vian."
"I'm Matt."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Starlin raised a slender eyebrow at her brother.
"You seem stressed", she noted dully.
"Shut up", Ferin snapped.
Starlin strode away into the crowd, her long dress trailing behind her.
"Suit yourself, dearest brother."
Ferin sighed.
Zarkon's meeting slash party was going well, except for Ferin's anxiety.
"Calm down idiot", he grumbled to himself.
"It's just a girl."
The soldier spun around and took a deep breath, centering himself.
Ferin walked into the crowd and tapped on a girl's shoulder.
She turned around and looked up at him.
They stared at each other for a few seconds.
She held his gaze in a steel blue stare. Her white hair fell in a braid over the collar of her blue dress.
Ferin cleared his throat.
"Will you dance with me, Miss?"
She blinked.
She giggled.
"For one of Zarkon's best soldiers, you seem a bit flustered. You've been staring at me for over an hour."
"My apologies", Ferin muttered.
"Lieutenant DiNicolo, right?"
"Ferin, if you will."
The girl smiled up at him.
"My name is Lizmira. And yes, I will take the dance."