"Umm, hello." Zac said. "Who are you?"
"If any human was to pronounce my name, it would have to tie it's tongue in two hundred and thirty-seven knots, hold their nose and stab a fork through their eye." One replied.
"Ouch." Taylor said.
"So you may call us Gib, Tuj, Kob and Bessinbetta." The alien continued, gesturing to each.
"Right... well, I'm Zac, this is Taylor, Isaac, Archangel and Rogue."
Rogue was, at this moment, transforming back to her normal self.
"Essence! Essence!" The aliens accused Rogue.
"No! No! Not Essence, Rogue. Rogue. X-men." Zac cut in, assuring them.
The aliens eyed her suspiciously.
"We're trying to defeat the Essence too." Zac added.
"Good. Allies then!" Gib insisted. "Together, we destroy evil Essence who dares to kill our people, three by three. Now, only twelve billion, eight hundred and seventy-two thousand, and forty-nine left. Very sad."
"It, it destroyed my fourteen fathers, six hundred and twenty-eight cousins, nineteen thousand, six hundred and thirty-four siblings and... and..." Bessinbetta looked very upset. "and my mummy! Only my fifteenth father and three of my siblings remain."
"And I thought our family was big." Taylor muttered to Isaac, who stifled a smile.
"Fifteen fathers?" Rogue repeated.
"Silly Bessinbetta." Tuj said. "Humans reproduce different way. They only need one male to pollinate female, not sixteen."
"Really?" Bessinbetta said incredulously. "That's weird."
"What happened to the sixteenth father?" Isaac asked. "Oh, umm sorry."
"Sixteenth father died of bad disease." Bessinbetta replied sadly.
"I'm sorry."
"Umm, all right. I'm very sorry about your loss." Zac said. "C'mon, we'll start looking for the Essence now."
"Destroy Essence! Evil, bad Essence! Must destroy!" The aliens declared with much enthusiasm.
And so, Isaac, Taylor, Zac, the two X-men and the four aliens headed into the cave.