"Dylan, the mail just arrived", Rommie's hologram announced, when she appeared in his office.
"Yet again?" the captain of the Andromeda asked astonished.
"Yes, the carrier drone can be found in hanger five. I just told the others."
"That's the third drone in three days. That's not normal", Dylan was amazed.
Rommie's hologram shrugged her shoulders and then disappeared. Shaking his head Dylan set out for the mentioned hanger.
When he arrived there, Rommie's avatar was just unloading the drone and giving every present crew member his small container with message discs
Trance already flipped through the many discs that were in her small box, while Harper snatched his box and left the deck in a second.
"Here you are, Dylan. That's for you", Rommie announced, when she pushed a container into the hands of the captain.
"So many messages again?" he called amazed, when he took a quick look inside.
"I call that annoyance", Tyr grumbled.
At his words, Beka looked up to him from her reading device, where she had already put in her first disc.
"What's up, Mister Anasazi?" Dylan enquired.
"For the third time I'm now getting a collection of messages from some women, who I don't know."
"Well, may I be as indiscrete as to ask, what nature these messages are?" Hunt wanted to know. "I don't think that they will be from a lot of women who want to dispose of their men once and for all."
"Far from it!" Tyr murmured with an accent of a mixture of awkwardness and pride. "They all seem to want to marry me."
"You are getting also such messages?"
"Also?" Tyr asked astonished. "Does that mean that your messages are of the same nature, Dylan?"
"Well, I don't get proposals, but a lot of invitations for dates."
"Ehm … if I may butt in", Beka piped up. "I'm also getting such weird mail. But all senders are male and some dubious offers. Can someone tell why that is so?"
"Because you are always flirting openly with every man that comes across your way", the Nietzchean deadpanned.
"I didn't mean that and you know that. Where does this weird mail come from?"
"Trance, how is it with you?" Dylan wanted to know. "Are you also getting such messages?"
"No, for me there was only the usually amount of advertisement. But I think Harper got more mail than usually.
"Harper? Where is he actually? I thought he was just here."
"Harper left the hanger six minutes and three seconds ago. With his messages", Rommie reported. "He is now located on observation deck."
"What is he doing there?"
"He … he lets his messages be displayed on the big monitor."
"What is he doing?" Dylan asked again.
"He lets his messages be displayed…"
"Then I have heard right", the captain interrupted Rommie. "I think we should speak with Mister Harper. It seems that he is the only one who is not astonished about the unusual amount of mail."
A little bit later Beka, Dylan and Tyr entered the observation deck … and stood still, when they saw a woman on the big monitor, about twenty years old. Mother Nature had endowed her well.
"Hello, unknown genius", she just started to speak. "My name is Julietta and I'm 22 years old. I'm interested in very clever and connoting men like you. When you are around Gonzafos with your ship the next time, I would really very much like to get to know you. I like going out in good restaurants. We could visit this new four-star restaurant, if you have no other plans. I'm longingly waiting for your answer."
"You can put her down as she likes to eat", Tyr said scaring Harper with his words, who was still fascinated with the picture of the dark haired woman.
"What?"
"Mister Harper, I immediately advise you not to meet this woman. She could be a real danger for your health. From her body you could get crushed and fractures, if you happen to lie under this being."
"Doesn't anyone know how to knock?" Harper complained while his face was turning red and he shut down the message.
"You got some interesting mail", Dylan said who looked like a chief judge standing between Beka and Tyr.
"Well … yes?"
"Do you happen to know why we receive also such messages?" Hunt asked.
"Some of mine are not so nice. Rather insinuating!" Beka chipped in.
"Now, Mister Harper?"
"Well … it … it could be that … ehm … that I have a little bit to do with that.", Harper hemmed and hawed while he let disappear some messages in his mail box.
"What have you done?" Tyr snarled at Harper.
"I didn't get into mischief. I just wanted to do you a favor."
"The effects of your little favor border on harassment. What have you done?" Beka demanded to know.
"Well, I've got … short time ago …when we had shore leave … and then I have … well I have … placed a few personal advertisements."
"You did what?" Beka asked again, because she thought she hadn't heard right.
"Placed a few really little absolutely harmless personal advertisements?"
"For us?" Dylan inquired who wanted to know exactly, what the engineer had done.
"Yes. For you, Beka, Tyr and myself. I thought we all could use a little diversion and companionship."
An unmistakable angry growling could be heard from Tyr.
"Your companionship alone is more than enough for me", he murmured.
With these words, the Nietzchean grabbed Harper by his Hawaiian shirt and snarled loud: „Diversion and companionship? Does that mean that you involved us into your pubertal ideas? Tell me! What did you write in these advertisements? Do I have to shake every single letter out of you?"
"Tyr, put him down! We aren't going to find out anything if you kill him", Dylan cut in.
The Nietzchean abruptly dropped Harper and the young man hit the deck with his backside.
"I only meant to do something good for you. I've even spent money for it. My personal money, I want to emphasize. And now, how about a little bit of gratitude!" the engineer murmured, when he stood up from the floor.
"Now tell us, what was written in these advertisements", Beka demanded impatiently. Tyr looked like he would like to try to shake everything out of Harper.
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you everything", Harper said and put up his hands protective. "If you want, I can even show you the advertisements."
He pulled one small disc out of a pile of message discs, put it into the reading device and flipped through to a certain page.
He explicated, "This holo newspaper is sold in all of the three galaxies. It is released twice a week with many personal advertisements where people look for lovers, marriage or one-night stands. The advertisements will show up for two weeks, so they will be printed four times. That means the first week is now over. Oh, stop! There's the first advertisement."
Harper pointed to the text that was now display on the monitor in big letters:
"I'm a young hero from earth who's wandering through the galaxies on his ship looking for a super sexy being that wants to warm my heart and bed. Although being a genius I couldn't find you until today. So I give you now the opportunity to get to know the love god himself this way. "
"You think you'll find a worthy wife with this text?" Tyr asked with doubt in his voice.
"Tyr, not everyone is as antiquated as you are and wants to marry at instance", Beka told the Nietzchean, grinning.
"Then this is some sort of joke?" Anasazi wanted to know uncomprehendingly. "In this case you'll be lucky if there is no message from a Nietzchean female. For her, this joke would certainly be an affront and she would put an end to your teenage lust for sex."
Harpers face went pale, when he heard Tyrs words.
"What … what does that mean?"
"That means that you would be lacking a body part important for propagation after such a meeting", Tyr explained relaxed.
Harper got even paler, kneeled down beside his box and hastily flipped trough his message discs. With an eased sigh, he finally sat back and murmured, "Puh, there's no Nietzchean female."
Beka had to restrain herself as to not laugh aloud at seeing Harpers facial expression. Tyr would have said that this whole situation was nothing to laugh about.
"Don't tell me, that you have also set up such an advertisement for me." The Nietzchean pointed growling at the text that was still on display. "I would be the laughing stock for half of the galaxies."
"Hey! There's only one love god and that's me", Harper called. He had recovered pretty fast from his shock. „For you I had to write a whole different text. Besides where is no name written under the advertisements. So you remain anonymous and your honor of mercenary stays intact."
Tyr answered again with a furious growling and a dark glance that caused Harper to call out, "Okay, okay. Just one second. Here it is!"
He flipped through the advertisements looking for the one he had set up for the Nietzchean.
TBC