The chapter opens with a description of a meeting between a group of reptiles and an infantry soldier. The soldier, named irene red, is a member of a reptile battalion, which has been assigned to serve as a support trooper for a reptile division medical unit. The reptile battalion is made up of soldiers from all over the world, and the medical team is composed of "mammalians" . The soldiers of the reptile division are so impressed with the reptile medical team that they are willing to treat their own wounded soldiers.