The message went on, “I heard you have been looking for me. I had no idea when I met you that you would go to such great lengths to find me. I’m sorry, Lanie. I will tell you that you touched my heart, but how we feel isn’t important. I don’t think it would be a good idea for her to know you exist. Please cease your search for me.”
Lanie stood with her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. Who was this her he spoke of? A girlfriend, wife…their daughter? How dare he tell her to stop looking for him! She paced and mumbled for several minutes before she had an idea, dialing Ku number she waited.
“Hello?”
“Ku, listen, I just got a very disturbing message on my vid-phone, no video, just a message, can we tell where it came from?”
He sounded irritated, “I don’t know Lanie. I’m not a technician!”
“Who will know? Who should I call? It’s an emergency!”
“Has someone threatened you? Are you in danger?”
"No, Azano called me somehow and told me to stop looking for him.”
“Then do it.”
“No.”
“Lanie. If you want someone from a different species, I can hook you up.”
“Ewww. No.”
“Then let it go. You have another life now.”
“Ku, he talked about a her . I think he might mean our daughter…”
“Lanie the last thing you need right now is an ankle biter.”
“KU!”
Ku sighed heavily, “Stay by the phone I’ll have the techs call you, see if they can do anything…”
“Thank you.”
“Ya, you will owe me.”
That remark didn’t bother her and she hung up the phone. One yawned and stretched and looked sleepily at her.
“Is this my bed?”
“Yes, you picked out the color, don’t you remember?”
“Oh ya….” He snuggled down into the softness. Looking up at Lanie he said, “You okay?”
“Ya.”
“You don’t look okay, what’s going on?”
Lanie played the message for him.
“That must be Azano…”
“Yes.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’m going after him.”
“Excellent news!”
“Why, what’s in it for you?”
“Because it will just be you and me on the ship, no Kondelk…”
“I don’t know why you don’t like him, he’s my best friend!”
One put his hands on his hips and was about to say something when the phone rang.
“Hello?” Lanie answered it in one ring.
“Ku asked me to give you a call; you wanted to trace a call?”
“Yes.”
“Can’t be done from a message.”
"Ah crap, you can fly all around the universe but you can’t trace a call?”
“Not from a message.”
Lanie sighed, “Okay thanks.”
She hung up the phone and looked at One. “I’m going to Krayton.”
“Lanie, you should let it go.”
“That’s what Ku said, but I can’t.”
The phone rang again, “Hello?”
“Lanie, it’s Ku. I need you to go to Degrato tomorrow.”
“I just came back from there!”
“DuBont wants to have dinner with you. I can’t afford to piss him off!”
“Damn it, Ku! He’ll know I’m human!”
“We can fix that. Come to me first thing in the morning.”
Lanie sighed, “Okay.”
After ending the call with Ku, Lanie lay down on the floor next to One and that’s the last thing she remembered. When she woke, she was stiff from lying on the floor. She wiped the drool, from her face and looked down on the peaceful little body of One, all snuggled in his new bed. She smiled and got up quietly and headed for the shower.
Humming a little tune as the water washed over her, she had her eyes closed. In her mind’s eye came the vision of the little hybrid girl she had seen on Krayton. Musing about whether her daughter would look like that or if she even had a daughter, she felt fur brush against her ankle. Her eyes shot opened and she looked down.
“One! What the heck are you doing?”
“You are always saying I stink, so here I am, sharing your shower.”
“I don’t know…I guess it’s all right.”
“Trust me Lanie, I like you, but you aren’t my type.”
She smiled, “Oh okay, had me worried, little fella.”
“Lanie will you ever stop treating me like an idiot pet or something?”
“I’m sorry, you’re just so cute!” She said, as she petted him with her foot.
“Ugh!”
Lanie stifled a giggle and stepped out of the shower. “Hurry up One, we have to get to Ku’s.”
Lanie stood with her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. Who was this her he spoke of? A girlfriend, wife…their daughter? How dare he tell her to stop looking for him! She paced and mumbled for several minutes before she had an idea, dialing Ku number she waited.
“Hello?”
“Ku, listen, I just got a very disturbing message on my vid-phone, no video, just a message, can we tell where it came from?”
He sounded irritated, “I don’t know Lanie. I’m not a technician!”
“Who will know? Who should I call? It’s an emergency!”
“Has someone threatened you? Are you in danger?”
"No, Azano called me somehow and told me to stop looking for him.”
“Then do it.”
“No.”
“Lanie. If you want someone from a different species, I can hook you up.”
“Ewww. No.”
“Then let it go. You have another life now.”
“Ku, he talked about a her . I think he might mean our daughter…”
“Lanie the last thing you need right now is an ankle biter.”
“KU!”
Ku sighed heavily, “Stay by the phone I’ll have the techs call you, see if they can do anything…”
“Thank you.”
“Ya, you will owe me.”
That remark didn’t bother her and she hung up the phone. One yawned and stretched and looked sleepily at her.
“Is this my bed?”
“Yes, you picked out the color, don’t you remember?”
“Oh ya….” He snuggled down into the softness. Looking up at Lanie he said, “You okay?”
“Ya.”
“You don’t look okay, what’s going on?”
Lanie played the message for him.
“That must be Azano…”
“Yes.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’m going after him.”
“Excellent news!”
“Why, what’s in it for you?”
“Because it will just be you and me on the ship, no Kondelk…”
“I don’t know why you don’t like him, he’s my best friend!”
One put his hands on his hips and was about to say something when the phone rang.
“Hello?” Lanie answered it in one ring.
“Ku asked me to give you a call; you wanted to trace a call?”
“Yes.”
“Can’t be done from a message.”
"Ah crap, you can fly all around the universe but you can’t trace a call?”
“Not from a message.”
Lanie sighed, “Okay thanks.”
She hung up the phone and looked at One. “I’m going to Krayton.”
“Lanie, you should let it go.”
“That’s what Ku said, but I can’t.”
The phone rang again, “Hello?”
“Lanie, it’s Ku. I need you to go to Degrato tomorrow.”
“I just came back from there!”
“DuBont wants to have dinner with you. I can’t afford to piss him off!”
“Damn it, Ku! He’ll know I’m human!”
“We can fix that. Come to me first thing in the morning.”
Lanie sighed, “Okay.”
After ending the call with Ku, Lanie lay down on the floor next to One and that’s the last thing she remembered. When she woke, she was stiff from lying on the floor. She wiped the drool, from her face and looked down on the peaceful little body of One, all snuggled in his new bed. She smiled and got up quietly and headed for the shower.
Humming a little tune as the water washed over her, she had her eyes closed. In her mind’s eye came the vision of the little hybrid girl she had seen on Krayton. Musing about whether her daughter would look like that or if she even had a daughter, she felt fur brush against her ankle. Her eyes shot opened and she looked down.
“One! What the heck are you doing?”
“You are always saying I stink, so here I am, sharing your shower.”
“I don’t know…I guess it’s all right.”
“Trust me Lanie, I like you, but you aren’t my type.”
She smiled, “Oh okay, had me worried, little fella.”
“Lanie will you ever stop treating me like an idiot pet or something?”
“I’m sorry, you’re just so cute!” She said, as she petted him with her foot.
“Ugh!”
Lanie stifled a giggle and stepped out of the shower. “Hurry up One, we have to get to Ku’s.”