In the cafeteria, Tyger stood behind a line, marching toward the food alley. He was the only big cat among the humans, but that never bothered him. What bothered him was how long it took the humans to get their food on this station. What if he received a mission before he could eat? He might be a genetically engineered hybrid, but he wasn’t a machine. Hybrids needed to consume food to stay alive too. Even if his team was on suspension, he still has the impatience of waiting to grab a meal.

Finally, he approached the food alley and grabbed his tray. On the long table in front of the open kitchen were different food combinations with the appropriate healthy nutrients for the rangers. There were plates of chicken, potatoes, and veggies. But Tyger grabbed the usual plate; a plate of four fish tacos.

Not only he enjoyed them, but his team too. The fish tacos were both nutritious and delicious.

He turned from the food alley and strolled toward the row of dining tables in the large gray chamber. The humans took most of the tables, but near the right corner, his team sat at an available table.

“Over here, Tyger!” Red shouted.

Tyger approached the table and sat down between Rila and Maya. All of them were eating fish tacos too.

“What took you so long?” Jage asked while sitting next to Red.

Tyger sighed. “The shower room was crowded. The line is long too.”

“That must be embarrassing,” said Red before he took a bite of his taco.

“That is why I never use the public showers,” said Rila.

“Where do you take your showers?” Jage asked.

Rila glared at him. “That is none of your business.”

“I bet you lick yourself in your bedroom,” said Red with a grin.

“Ewwww!”

Rila growled. “I don’t do that! I... Use the sonic shower in the ship.”

Jage shrugged. “No wonder I keep hearing the buzzing sound from the bathroom. I almost thought you were using a vibrator.”

Rila hissed.

“Calm down,” said Tyger. “We may be teenagers, but we are still star rangers. Let’s try to stay professional.”

Rila bit her taco. Her eyes still glared at Jage.

It has been sixteen years since they were born on Planet Apollo from tubes, and they were still acting like children. Many humans had mistaken them to be new adults because their bodies grew faster than normal humans. Although they were bigger, their minds were still developing through their adolescent period. Only Tyger and Maya seemed to have reached their mature state, especially Maya. To control her psionic powers, she took many psychoactive drugs to lower her emotions. It also heightens her intelligence to make her a useful support class for his team.

Tyger needed none psychoactive drugs to become mature. He was always serious, and the most disciplined with the best leadership skills. If it weren’t for him, his team wouldn’t survive on their missions.

“Easy for you to say,” said Jage. “I am tired of being treated like a kid. It isn’t fair we got suspended for failing a mission.”

“I understand,” said Tyger.

Jage slammed his fist onto the table. “Then why didn’t you fight back? You could have convinced him to let us complete a different mission.”

“Speaking against the admiral will only suspend us more. But it will not last long.”

Jage bit his fish taco and gulped his bottle of coke. “I still hate him. I miss Dr. Linda. If she was alive, she should be our leader.”

Tyger’s stomach groaned when he heard that name. They usually called her mother because she was the one who created them in her lab. He doesn’t want to remember her tragic death.

“But she was a genetic scientist,” said Red. “She wouldn’t be able to qualify to the admiral rate, silly comrade.”

Jage glared at Red. “Yeah, but she was still better than our admiral.”

“Hey everybody!” a ranger shouted. “Look through the window!”

The other rangers got up and raced toward the window, viewing the space. Tyger and his team stood behind the mob as he looked over their shoulders.

A giant blue portal appeared near Planet Bellona, and then a strange giant spacecraft hovered from it. It was big as a planet, covered in rocks like an asteroid, and drifting toward Bellona.

“What the hell is that thing?” Rila asked.

Tyger glared. “I don’t know, but we have the right to find out.”