Epilogue
Earth, about 14 years later
*****************
2027
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Katie was excited - she was on Earth again! Even riding in the limousine seemed like an adventure. Every cycle, before her birthversary, she was allowed to travel to Earth "incognito" as Katie, not Empress Katralla II. It would be even better if she could have Daddy and Aeryn with her, but they had to remain on the Royal Planet and run it. `Too bad they can't keep on running it,' Katie thought to herself. `They do such a good job, I don't know how I can do even half as well. But I guess I'll find out in two monens, when I turn 21. OK, don't think about it-it's not a death sentence,' she told herself, even though that's exactly what it felt like to her.
Travel to Earth had gotten easier in the last ten years. At first, various Earth governments were afraid of other species - especially Sebaceans. Ironically, it was the Sebacean appearance that worked against them: some governments were afraid that Sebaceans would try to pass for human, for some nefarious purpose. The same governments could never say what EXACTLY, but had enough influence to limit alien travel to Earth for almost four years. Still, what relatively few species that traveled to Earth tended to travel to major cities such as Los Angeles or London, where the residents were too blasé to react to blue skin, tentacles, claws, or fangs.
Katie loved coming to Earth, where she could just be an out-of-town relative, visiting Aunt Jessica and Uncle Howdy in California, or Aunt Leslie and Uncle Mike in Maine, or Uncle DK and Aunt Sarah Jane in Massachusetts. It was the only time she was allowed to travel without a large entourage of attendants and security guards. Well, she did have the Secret Service detail, but they were downright invisible compared to Calcivores.
Assistant Director Watson sat across from Katie. He was promoted out of the field long ago, but always ran Katie's security detail when she came to Earth. When an Empress requests an agent by name, not even the Secret Service can say no. AD Watson asked "What's wrong, Katie? You seem a little sad."
Katie, long used to having very little privacy, thought she had hidden her emotions. "How did you know? Daddy says I have a great poker face," she said, without displaying her annoyance.
Watson smiled. "You do have a great poker face. We passed three pizzerias, two ice cream shops, and a McDonalds, and you didn't ask to stop once."
It was Katie's turn to smile. "A couple of things. Mostly, I miss Granddad. I wish he were still here. This is the first visit to Earth without Granddad," she said quietly. `The doctors on the Royal Planet did all they could, but humans only live for so long,' Katie thought to herself.
"It's only natural you'd miss your Granddad," Watson said, and they rode quietly for awhile.
"What else?" AD Watson prodded.
Katie looked at the man who had guarded her life for a monen each cycle since she first came to Earth. `If I can't trust him, who can I trust?' she asked herself. "I have less than two monens to find a genetically compatible husband. If I don't, I'll lose the throne. Not that I want it so very badly, but I'd hate to see what Ham Cintau would do to the Empire if he comes into power."
Like all good agents, Watson had studied his charge's background. "Cintau? But he's a much more distant relation to your mother's side of the family than Carzenova - wouldn't Dregon be next in line for the throne?"
"Well, that would be the case, if Cintau hadn't tacked on a last-minute amendment to some legislation Daddy and Aeryn wanted to pass Parliament. I won't bore you with all the details, but Daddy wanted to make Parliament stronger, to sort of democratize the Empire. He has a very good plan to make the monarchy a name-only one, but it has to be done in small steps. Daddy hoped it would be done by now, but there's a lot of resistance to change in the Empire. Two thousand cycles of tradition, and all that. Anyway, Prime Minister Cintau will take the throne unless I can find a husband. Which is the real reason I'm on Earth. The Royal doctors have already determined that the poison the Scarrans used on my mother effected my SEBACEAN DNA. Since I am not compatible with Sebaceans, my only hope is to find a human husband. So, I'm here where the humans are."
"Is that why you're visiting DK first? I mean, as a college professor, he'd be able to introduce you to lots of young men." Watson was trying not to laugh.
Katie felt a wave of despair hit her "Oh, goddess! It sounds so pathetic when you say it like that! Massachusetts was Daddy's idea; for some reason he doesn't want me to marry one of the pilot's on Uncle Howdy's base - he's CO of that Top Gun school, you know. And according to Aunt Chiana, I should look for a man with bright red hair, just like Howdy's-but she won't tell me why."
AD Watson laughed. "You know, my oldest son has had a crush on you since you kissed him last year on his birthday. If you could just wait twelve years for Jimmy to turn eighteen, I wouldn't object to his marrying so young."
Katie laughed. "Stop at the next pizzeria, please. I'm going to need plenty of nourishment if I'm to get though this."
"Just make sure to hold the onions. And don't forget to bring one of those little bottles-there's sure to be a busboy or two to kiss, not to mention the pizza chef."
"Marry a pizza chef - now you're onto something! The Royal kitchen just can't do pizzas right!"
*****************
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Campus
Office of Dr. Daniel Knight
DK looked at the videophone in amazement. "John, you know I'd do anything for you, but that's unethical! I can't access student's medical records and screen them for DNA information."
John Crichton scowled from the Royal Planet. He was wearing the traditional white attire of the royal court, and crossed his arms on his chest.
"Well, why not? Katie can't just go around kissing strange boys! Not when I'm not there to protect her."
Aeryn Sun-Crichton came onto the view screen next to John. She wore her usual outfit of black leather pants and black tank top (she always dressed like that in their private quarters, Aeryn only wore the Royal whites when she appeared in public). "Protect her from what, boys like you?" she said with a smile. "Hello, DK. Ignore John, he's just in overprotective father mode again. He keeps forgetting that Katie can protect herself. I taught her to fight, you know."
DK unconsciously rubbed his sternum. "Yeah, I remember when Katie was practicing her pantak jabs. Look, I'll introduce Katie to some students-" DK seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, "in fact, I'm meeting with one of my advisees just before Katie should arrive, and Erik is ... but I'm not hacking into anyone's medical files. Katie will just have to kiss all the frogs until she finds her prince. And you're just going to have to accept that. She is almost 21, John."
Aeryn looked confused. Why would Katie want to kiss frogs? From what she remembered, frogs looked like miniature Hynerians. She'd have to ask John about it later.
"Yeah, but she's still my baby. Well, one of them, anyway." John smiled, then wrapped his arms around Aeryn.
"You didn't tell him yet, did you?" Aeryn asked, then kissed John.
"No, I thought I'd let you tell him the good news," John said.
"What good news?" DK asked from Earth.
"Oh, please," said a voice from off-screen. "It's been over three cycles since the last child - don't you know the pattern by now, Uncle DK?"
A knowing smile spread across DK's face. "Yeah? Congratulations! When's the baby due?"
"Just under seven monens from now," Aeryn answered, as John called for all their children to join them.
When `Little' Jack appeared on the viewscreen, DK said with amazement, "Hey, Jack! I can't believe how much you've grown since I last saw you!" The thirteen-year-old boy looked exactly like his father, except his hair was the same color as Aeryn's. Jack's younger brothers and sisters ran in behind him: Talyn, ten cycles old; Zhaan, seven cycles; and Daniel, almost four cycles. Like Jack, Talyn had dark hair, like their mother, but Zhaan and Daniel had light brown hair, like their father. As Katie had when she was younger, the younger children wore painters' overalls and t-shirts, while Jack favored the traditional attire of the court. Actually, he favored the uniforms in the Royal Defense Force, but he would have to wait five more cycles before he could join and become a Prowler pilot, just like his mom.
"Hey, Uncle DK" they all said, sometimes more than once. Zhaan, Aeryn's only daughter said rapidly "Uncle DK! Guess what? Mommy's gong to have a baby and I hope it's a girl so I can have another sister besides Katie and when are you and Aunt Sarah Jane gonna have another baby?"
*******************
MIT Campus
Hallway outside the office of Dr. Daniel Knight
Dr. Knight had left a note on his office door, asking Katie to wait inside while he taught a graduate seminar on chaos theory and astrophysics. The Secret Service agents had "swept" the office and determined that there were no threats to the Empress' safety.
Watson said, "You can go right in, Katie. I'll cover this entrance, Greenberg has the back door, and"
"And I'll comm you if anything happens!" Katie said, finishing his sentence for him. Katie entered the familiar office, and sat in DK's oversized black leather chair. While she waited, Katie took out a small compact and removed the make-up covering the death-camp tattoo on her cheek. Like her father, she had decided against having the tattoo removed. Katie wasn't ashamed of her experience there; she only hid the mark when she came to Earth and walked around in public. But here, with Uncle DK, she could be herself.
Katie heard a noise, but it wasn't coming from the door. Instead, it came from the window. Katie knew she should comm. Watson, but somehow she decided against it. Perhaps it was all the noise the young man (and she quickly determined it was a young man, and quite a good-looking one, at that) had made as he came in through the window: a real burglar would have been much quieter.
"You have an interesting way of entering offices. Have you come to steal the computers?" Katie asked, and sounded harsher than she intended.
The intruder stopped in his tracks. "Sorry, I didn't see you at first - your clothes blend in to the chair, like a chameleon or something." The young man laughed. "Hi, my name's Erik, who are you?" He tried to get a better look at the girl, but her face was hidden by shadows.
"I'm someone Dr. Knight invited in, you apparently are not," Katie replied, feeling an inordinate amount of annoyance with the man. The way his hair shone in the sunlight and the way his face dimpled up when he smiled. And the way his eyes twinkled when he laughed. It was very annoying. Something about him made Katie stir inside and it put her on edge. Katie stood up, stepped into the middle of the spacious office, and put her hands on her hips. "Why the frell have you broken into Dr. Knight's office?" she demanded.
Erik's smile evaporated when he saw Katie in the light. She would have been beautiful, if it weren't for the outfit, and that
tattoo, he thought. "Oh, God, you're one of those," he said with audible disgust.
Katie was stunned. She was so used to being treated with respect, if not reverence on the Royal Planet, that when she came to
Earth she always appreciated the novelty of being treated just like everyone else. But this was the first time anyone had shown outright dislike towards her. Boys and men had flirted with her, shown an interest in her; or just been friendly to her. But this -dislike was too mild--this loathing was completely new.
"One of those-what?" She asked, bewildered.
Erik shook his head. "A PK wanna-be. You wear the black leather and the boots, you use the slang, and you try to act intimidating because you think the Peacekeepers are cool. But I have never seen anyone sink to the depths that you have, with that fake tattoo. How anyone could mock all of the Sebaceans who died in the Scarran camps-"
He couldn't complete the sentence, because by this time, Katie was so angry that she gave the frelling idiot (as she now regarded the man) did a roundhouse kick, quickly followed by a mild pantak jab. Katie remembered that humans were very susceptible to them, and didn't want to knock the frelling idiot unconscious. He landed on the floor, sucking wind. Katie straddled his legs so he couldn't escape, pinned both of his hands in one of hers, and placed her other forearm against his throat.
"Now, I don't know what the frell you're talking about, but it sounds like you have dren-for-brains. I'm not a Peacekeeper, but I am Sebacean, and I didn't fake any frelling tattoo-I got it the old-fashioned way. Now tell me what you're doing in Uncle DK's office, or I'll throw your eema back out the window you came in!" As she spoke, the frelling idiot's eyes widened in recognition. When he tried to speak, he only made a gurgling noise; Katie released the pressure on his throat.
Erik lifted his head from the floor. "Did you say `Uncle DK?' Oh, God! That means you're Katie Crichton!" Erik let his head drop to the floor, with a thud.
Katie furrowed her brow. "You know who I am?" she asked as she stood up, and offered a hand to the prone Erik.
"Yeah, I wrote a paper about the first ten years of your parent's reign for my `Alien Cultures' class," he said sheepishly. "I think it's great that you abolished slavery," he sad quickly. Erik was standing now, but could only stare at the floor; he was too embarrassed to look up.
"So, why did you break into Uncle DK's office?" Katie asked.
Glad to have another topic of conversation, Erik said "Uh, well, I'm one of his grad assistants, and the closet they call my office is on the floor above, so I usually just use the fire escape when I need to talk to Dr. Knight. You see, I was going to ask him to write a recommendation because I'm applying for a Fulbright Scholarship to the Academy of Science on the Royal Planet. Well, of course you know where the Academy of Science is since you established it to honor your grandfather Jack Crichton and why am I telling you things you already know? Anyway, I just wanted to go because it's such a great program and who wouldn't want to go and they're so far ahead of MIT and I just want to see the stars. And I really wish I could shut up now but I can't seem to stop babbling. Maybe if you hit me again-what's that bottle for?"
Katie smiled. "There's a ritual on my planet that I'd like to perform with you."
*******************
DK saw the Secret Service agent in the hallway. "The Empress is waiting in your office, Dr. Knight.
"Thanks, Watson."
DK opened the door to find Katie and Erik in an embrace. When they finally came up for air, Erik asked, "Is it supposed to taste sweet like that?"
Katie smiled and answered, "Yes, exactly like that."
DK laughed and said, "Hey, Katie! I guess your Dad will be happy to know that you didn't have to kiss a lot of frogs before you found your prince.
"Why would I want to kiss frogs, Uncle DK? They look like Hynerians!"
Earth, about 14 years later
*****************
2027
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Katie was excited - she was on Earth again! Even riding in the limousine seemed like an adventure. Every cycle, before her birthversary, she was allowed to travel to Earth "incognito" as Katie, not Empress Katralla II. It would be even better if she could have Daddy and Aeryn with her, but they had to remain on the Royal Planet and run it. `Too bad they can't keep on running it,' Katie thought to herself. `They do such a good job, I don't know how I can do even half as well. But I guess I'll find out in two monens, when I turn 21. OK, don't think about it-it's not a death sentence,' she told herself, even though that's exactly what it felt like to her.
Travel to Earth had gotten easier in the last ten years. At first, various Earth governments were afraid of other species - especially Sebaceans. Ironically, it was the Sebacean appearance that worked against them: some governments were afraid that Sebaceans would try to pass for human, for some nefarious purpose. The same governments could never say what EXACTLY, but had enough influence to limit alien travel to Earth for almost four years. Still, what relatively few species that traveled to Earth tended to travel to major cities such as Los Angeles or London, where the residents were too blasé to react to blue skin, tentacles, claws, or fangs.
Katie loved coming to Earth, where she could just be an out-of-town relative, visiting Aunt Jessica and Uncle Howdy in California, or Aunt Leslie and Uncle Mike in Maine, or Uncle DK and Aunt Sarah Jane in Massachusetts. It was the only time she was allowed to travel without a large entourage of attendants and security guards. Well, she did have the Secret Service detail, but they were downright invisible compared to Calcivores.
Assistant Director Watson sat across from Katie. He was promoted out of the field long ago, but always ran Katie's security detail when she came to Earth. When an Empress requests an agent by name, not even the Secret Service can say no. AD Watson asked "What's wrong, Katie? You seem a little sad."
Katie, long used to having very little privacy, thought she had hidden her emotions. "How did you know? Daddy says I have a great poker face," she said, without displaying her annoyance.
Watson smiled. "You do have a great poker face. We passed three pizzerias, two ice cream shops, and a McDonalds, and you didn't ask to stop once."
It was Katie's turn to smile. "A couple of things. Mostly, I miss Granddad. I wish he were still here. This is the first visit to Earth without Granddad," she said quietly. `The doctors on the Royal Planet did all they could, but humans only live for so long,' Katie thought to herself.
"It's only natural you'd miss your Granddad," Watson said, and they rode quietly for awhile.
"What else?" AD Watson prodded.
Katie looked at the man who had guarded her life for a monen each cycle since she first came to Earth. `If I can't trust him, who can I trust?' she asked herself. "I have less than two monens to find a genetically compatible husband. If I don't, I'll lose the throne. Not that I want it so very badly, but I'd hate to see what Ham Cintau would do to the Empire if he comes into power."
Like all good agents, Watson had studied his charge's background. "Cintau? But he's a much more distant relation to your mother's side of the family than Carzenova - wouldn't Dregon be next in line for the throne?"
"Well, that would be the case, if Cintau hadn't tacked on a last-minute amendment to some legislation Daddy and Aeryn wanted to pass Parliament. I won't bore you with all the details, but Daddy wanted to make Parliament stronger, to sort of democratize the Empire. He has a very good plan to make the monarchy a name-only one, but it has to be done in small steps. Daddy hoped it would be done by now, but there's a lot of resistance to change in the Empire. Two thousand cycles of tradition, and all that. Anyway, Prime Minister Cintau will take the throne unless I can find a husband. Which is the real reason I'm on Earth. The Royal doctors have already determined that the poison the Scarrans used on my mother effected my SEBACEAN DNA. Since I am not compatible with Sebaceans, my only hope is to find a human husband. So, I'm here where the humans are."
"Is that why you're visiting DK first? I mean, as a college professor, he'd be able to introduce you to lots of young men." Watson was trying not to laugh.
Katie felt a wave of despair hit her "Oh, goddess! It sounds so pathetic when you say it like that! Massachusetts was Daddy's idea; for some reason he doesn't want me to marry one of the pilot's on Uncle Howdy's base - he's CO of that Top Gun school, you know. And according to Aunt Chiana, I should look for a man with bright red hair, just like Howdy's-but she won't tell me why."
AD Watson laughed. "You know, my oldest son has had a crush on you since you kissed him last year on his birthday. If you could just wait twelve years for Jimmy to turn eighteen, I wouldn't object to his marrying so young."
Katie laughed. "Stop at the next pizzeria, please. I'm going to need plenty of nourishment if I'm to get though this."
"Just make sure to hold the onions. And don't forget to bring one of those little bottles-there's sure to be a busboy or two to kiss, not to mention the pizza chef."
"Marry a pizza chef - now you're onto something! The Royal kitchen just can't do pizzas right!"
*****************
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Campus
Office of Dr. Daniel Knight
DK looked at the videophone in amazement. "John, you know I'd do anything for you, but that's unethical! I can't access student's medical records and screen them for DNA information."
John Crichton scowled from the Royal Planet. He was wearing the traditional white attire of the royal court, and crossed his arms on his chest.
"Well, why not? Katie can't just go around kissing strange boys! Not when I'm not there to protect her."
Aeryn Sun-Crichton came onto the view screen next to John. She wore her usual outfit of black leather pants and black tank top (she always dressed like that in their private quarters, Aeryn only wore the Royal whites when she appeared in public). "Protect her from what, boys like you?" she said with a smile. "Hello, DK. Ignore John, he's just in overprotective father mode again. He keeps forgetting that Katie can protect herself. I taught her to fight, you know."
DK unconsciously rubbed his sternum. "Yeah, I remember when Katie was practicing her pantak jabs. Look, I'll introduce Katie to some students-" DK seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, "in fact, I'm meeting with one of my advisees just before Katie should arrive, and Erik is ... but I'm not hacking into anyone's medical files. Katie will just have to kiss all the frogs until she finds her prince. And you're just going to have to accept that. She is almost 21, John."
Aeryn looked confused. Why would Katie want to kiss frogs? From what she remembered, frogs looked like miniature Hynerians. She'd have to ask John about it later.
"Yeah, but she's still my baby. Well, one of them, anyway." John smiled, then wrapped his arms around Aeryn.
"You didn't tell him yet, did you?" Aeryn asked, then kissed John.
"No, I thought I'd let you tell him the good news," John said.
"What good news?" DK asked from Earth.
"Oh, please," said a voice from off-screen. "It's been over three cycles since the last child - don't you know the pattern by now, Uncle DK?"
A knowing smile spread across DK's face. "Yeah? Congratulations! When's the baby due?"
"Just under seven monens from now," Aeryn answered, as John called for all their children to join them.
When `Little' Jack appeared on the viewscreen, DK said with amazement, "Hey, Jack! I can't believe how much you've grown since I last saw you!" The thirteen-year-old boy looked exactly like his father, except his hair was the same color as Aeryn's. Jack's younger brothers and sisters ran in behind him: Talyn, ten cycles old; Zhaan, seven cycles; and Daniel, almost four cycles. Like Jack, Talyn had dark hair, like their mother, but Zhaan and Daniel had light brown hair, like their father. As Katie had when she was younger, the younger children wore painters' overalls and t-shirts, while Jack favored the traditional attire of the court. Actually, he favored the uniforms in the Royal Defense Force, but he would have to wait five more cycles before he could join and become a Prowler pilot, just like his mom.
"Hey, Uncle DK" they all said, sometimes more than once. Zhaan, Aeryn's only daughter said rapidly "Uncle DK! Guess what? Mommy's gong to have a baby and I hope it's a girl so I can have another sister besides Katie and when are you and Aunt Sarah Jane gonna have another baby?"
*******************
MIT Campus
Hallway outside the office of Dr. Daniel Knight
Dr. Knight had left a note on his office door, asking Katie to wait inside while he taught a graduate seminar on chaos theory and astrophysics. The Secret Service agents had "swept" the office and determined that there were no threats to the Empress' safety.
Watson said, "You can go right in, Katie. I'll cover this entrance, Greenberg has the back door, and"
"And I'll comm you if anything happens!" Katie said, finishing his sentence for him. Katie entered the familiar office, and sat in DK's oversized black leather chair. While she waited, Katie took out a small compact and removed the make-up covering the death-camp tattoo on her cheek. Like her father, she had decided against having the tattoo removed. Katie wasn't ashamed of her experience there; she only hid the mark when she came to Earth and walked around in public. But here, with Uncle DK, she could be herself.
Katie heard a noise, but it wasn't coming from the door. Instead, it came from the window. Katie knew she should comm. Watson, but somehow she decided against it. Perhaps it was all the noise the young man (and she quickly determined it was a young man, and quite a good-looking one, at that) had made as he came in through the window: a real burglar would have been much quieter.
"You have an interesting way of entering offices. Have you come to steal the computers?" Katie asked, and sounded harsher than she intended.
The intruder stopped in his tracks. "Sorry, I didn't see you at first - your clothes blend in to the chair, like a chameleon or something." The young man laughed. "Hi, my name's Erik, who are you?" He tried to get a better look at the girl, but her face was hidden by shadows.
"I'm someone Dr. Knight invited in, you apparently are not," Katie replied, feeling an inordinate amount of annoyance with the man. The way his hair shone in the sunlight and the way his face dimpled up when he smiled. And the way his eyes twinkled when he laughed. It was very annoying. Something about him made Katie stir inside and it put her on edge. Katie stood up, stepped into the middle of the spacious office, and put her hands on her hips. "Why the frell have you broken into Dr. Knight's office?" she demanded.
Erik's smile evaporated when he saw Katie in the light. She would have been beautiful, if it weren't for the outfit, and that
tattoo, he thought. "Oh, God, you're one of those," he said with audible disgust.
Katie was stunned. She was so used to being treated with respect, if not reverence on the Royal Planet, that when she came to
Earth she always appreciated the novelty of being treated just like everyone else. But this was the first time anyone had shown outright dislike towards her. Boys and men had flirted with her, shown an interest in her; or just been friendly to her. But this -dislike was too mild--this loathing was completely new.
"One of those-what?" She asked, bewildered.
Erik shook his head. "A PK wanna-be. You wear the black leather and the boots, you use the slang, and you try to act intimidating because you think the Peacekeepers are cool. But I have never seen anyone sink to the depths that you have, with that fake tattoo. How anyone could mock all of the Sebaceans who died in the Scarran camps-"
He couldn't complete the sentence, because by this time, Katie was so angry that she gave the frelling idiot (as she now regarded the man) did a roundhouse kick, quickly followed by a mild pantak jab. Katie remembered that humans were very susceptible to them, and didn't want to knock the frelling idiot unconscious. He landed on the floor, sucking wind. Katie straddled his legs so he couldn't escape, pinned both of his hands in one of hers, and placed her other forearm against his throat.
"Now, I don't know what the frell you're talking about, but it sounds like you have dren-for-brains. I'm not a Peacekeeper, but I am Sebacean, and I didn't fake any frelling tattoo-I got it the old-fashioned way. Now tell me what you're doing in Uncle DK's office, or I'll throw your eema back out the window you came in!" As she spoke, the frelling idiot's eyes widened in recognition. When he tried to speak, he only made a gurgling noise; Katie released the pressure on his throat.
Erik lifted his head from the floor. "Did you say `Uncle DK?' Oh, God! That means you're Katie Crichton!" Erik let his head drop to the floor, with a thud.
Katie furrowed her brow. "You know who I am?" she asked as she stood up, and offered a hand to the prone Erik.
"Yeah, I wrote a paper about the first ten years of your parent's reign for my `Alien Cultures' class," he said sheepishly. "I think it's great that you abolished slavery," he sad quickly. Erik was standing now, but could only stare at the floor; he was too embarrassed to look up.
"So, why did you break into Uncle DK's office?" Katie asked.
Glad to have another topic of conversation, Erik said "Uh, well, I'm one of his grad assistants, and the closet they call my office is on the floor above, so I usually just use the fire escape when I need to talk to Dr. Knight. You see, I was going to ask him to write a recommendation because I'm applying for a Fulbright Scholarship to the Academy of Science on the Royal Planet. Well, of course you know where the Academy of Science is since you established it to honor your grandfather Jack Crichton and why am I telling you things you already know? Anyway, I just wanted to go because it's such a great program and who wouldn't want to go and they're so far ahead of MIT and I just want to see the stars. And I really wish I could shut up now but I can't seem to stop babbling. Maybe if you hit me again-what's that bottle for?"
Katie smiled. "There's a ritual on my planet that I'd like to perform with you."
*******************
DK saw the Secret Service agent in the hallway. "The Empress is waiting in your office, Dr. Knight.
"Thanks, Watson."
DK opened the door to find Katie and Erik in an embrace. When they finally came up for air, Erik asked, "Is it supposed to taste sweet like that?"
Katie smiled and answered, "Yes, exactly like that."
DK laughed and said, "Hey, Katie! I guess your Dad will be happy to know that you didn't have to kiss a lot of frogs before you found your prince.
"Why would I want to kiss frogs, Uncle DK? They look like Hynerians!"
