"This essay needs to be thrown away," Peepo dropped the padd to the side of the room into black box then move back toward the boy.

Loki bolted up from the chair then ran over toward the padd and picked up the padd.

"Peepo, that's the fifth one!"

Loki walked over toward the Manu-Droid.

"It is lazy writing," Peepo said.

"Do I need to do ten?" Loki asked.

"If you like to stay here as a cadet then ten is necessary," Peepo noted. "Each passing version of the essay is nearing to the perfect version."

"Perfect?" Loki asked.

"One in which all the members of the academy council can agree on admitting you," Peepo said. "It has to be in the best quality."

"Alright, alright," Loki said, sliding the padd aside. He rubbed his eyes. "How do I start the perfect one?"

"Everyone has different standards to writing the perfect essay," Peepo said. "You have to decide for yourself if it's perfect."

"So my first one was-"

"Negative! No! You had Tee Gar help you," Peepo said. "That was full of grammar errors. And it didn't flow right. You had a bad essay helper."

"I'll say," Loki said. "How do I make it perfect?"

"Reflect the events that lead you here and write them down as though you are looking back but also forward," Peepo said. "That will get you admitted."

"What was wrong with my other five essays?" Loki asked

"You gave a summery of the last two days with little about how you felt, you kept talking about how good the food was, you kept walking around in circles, you also wrote about having nightmares, and now you've written a essay that talks about your amnesia with vague sensory memories resurfacing at specific points in your stay," Peepo said. "if this were for a cooking academy that would have been acceptable."

"You are no fun," Loki placed his forehead on the table and sulked.

Gampu was reading the stack of padds set beside his desk reading the quizzes. He glanced up toward the time on the clock. Loki is very late. It had been a few hours since Gampu had left the child in the charge of Peepo. Someone capable of having ample reason to spend hours with the boy and best deserved to be his friend. He wasn't a superior officer in charge of the boy but a mascot none the less capable of interacting and developing relationships with the student body. Asides to conducting numerous surveys posed on newly discovered planets on his own.

There was a beep that came from his door. Ah, there he is. Gampu raised his attention off from the pad. He lowered the padd down on to the table then neatly organized the collection of padds beside his arm. Gampu leaned forward placing his clasped hands on to the table. With a simple, "come in," the door slid open letting in Loki and Peepo in a neat and orderly line. Loki came to a stop in front of the table then slid forward the padd on the commander's desk.

"Here it is," Loki said. Gampu took the padd bringing it forward toward himself. "Only after eleven rewrites."

"This is the perfect version," Peepo said.

"You still allow for admissions in this year," Loki turned toward the commander. "Right?"

Gampu tapped on the padd with a hum reading the contents then looked up toward the boy.

"Yes," Gampu said. "we do."

"I like to start today," Loki said.

"That will be determined with the academy council," Gampu said.

"Then where am I going to stay until then?"

"Wherever you wish," Gampu said. "Even whoever you wish." Loki sat down into the chair tilting his head. "For the time being, you are a young and free man with no parental connection in the galaxy or familiar connection for that matter."

"That is a lot of words," Loki said. "Just give me the short version."

"You're a orphan, Loki," Gampu said. "You need a guardian. Someone you can legally stay with."

"Don't the deal that you and the Zalons made count as legal?" Loki asked.

"That was a verbal contract," Gampu said. "To make it Federation legal, we must have a space lawyer, your signed and expressed consent, and a eyewitness. And immortalize the document afterwards. Which can be easily done." he placed his hands on to the table. "Which makes me responsible for your well being. Not just every cadet. But very invested in you."

"So . . . you will be my parent?"

"I will be your parental figure."

"So that means I will have a family here if I understand it right,"

"You are," Peepo interjected. "It will be all around you after graduating."

"Precisely," Gampu said. "Family isn't made by blood. It is made by choice."

"Do you have family?" Loki asked.

"Many people are in my family, Loki," Gampu looked off, sadly, toward Peepo. "But. . ."

"But what?"

Gampu turned his attention toward the boy.

"They are not around anymore,"

Loki tilted his head, confused, by the reply.

"You got some that are alive," Loki said. "Doesn't Peepo count?"

A weathered, old smile appeared on Gampu's face as he looked fondly toward Peepo.

"Yes," Gampu said. "He does." He turned his attention back. "But, he is a Manu-Droid. Different from organic company, Loki. Company that ages and withers away. A family isn't just a manu-droid and a old man. It's a old man, his grandchildren, his nieces, nephews, son-in-laws, daughter-in-laws, uncles, aunts, wife, and his personal pet manu droid." he looked amused off toward Peepo.

"Hey!" Peepo said. "I am not a pet!"

"Every cadet part of this academy is family," Gampu said. "We are attached to one cause. Exploration, peace, and kindness."

"So that's your version of a family of choice?" Loki asked. "You just said they are not around anymore."

"My family, Loki," Gampu said. "Not the academy's family."

"Oooh," Loki said. "I get it now. So if I get accepted, everyone will be my family. This legal matter also makes me a part of your family."

"You are a very smart young man," Gampu said. "Loki, how about you two play a game with Peepo? He is a very good player."

"I like games," Loki said. "I haven't played any since I got here."

"On the computer," Gampu said.

"I can learn," Loki said.

"Peepo, please take Loki to the arcade quarters," Gampu said. "and be patient with him."

"Oraco," Peepo said. "With me, Loki."

"You will find a lawyer, will you?" Loki asked, getting up from the chair.

"It will be done within the hour," Gampu said. "We do have lawyers who teach here."

Gampu waved Loki off leaning into the chair watching them go out the doorway then looked down upon the padd.