Page 43 of Proslo

“Are we going to see Aunt Lou?” Akoni asked.

“No,” Betty replied, a secretive smile playing around her lips.

“We’re all dresseded up,” Maui said. “I bets we goin’ to dinner on another ship. Mikey went to eat on another ship and nohlies.”

”Nohlies?” Kaia asked. “What’s that?”

“The sketti and zahnya place there has them. They gots cream inside!”

“I think he means cannoli,” Betty said, her own look of confusion clearing. “And yes, we’re going to eat but not to another ship.” She looked at me.

“There’s something we need to see first,” I hedged. “Did any of you happen to recognize our pilot?”

All of the children’s heads swiveled to look. He turned around his chair, giving them a quick wave.

“It’s Space Santa!” Mo-mo squealed. “Why he not dressed in his Santa clothes?”

“I didn’t wear it today,” Polmar, our pilot replied, “because I’m not on official Santa business exactly seeing as it’s not Christmas.”

“Oh, okay,” Mo-mo replied, looking disappointed.

“Now, I usually only deliver things and don’t fly people, but today, your father has a special something to show you, so Commander Gundar asked me if I’d deliver you to the present your father has worked so hard to give.”

“Deliver us to a present?” Kaia asked, looking puzzled.

“Yes, while we waited for Kaia’s new heart to grow, your father spoke to the Commander, who spoke to the ambassador, who spoke to the previous ambassador, Ambassador Tellan,” Betty explained.

“I’ve heard of him,” Akoni interjected. “He’s the Mylos that negotiated the treaty between Earth and the Mylos.”

“That’s right, bringing the gift of education and access to some more advanced tech,” she confirmed. “And from that, came all the rest - which brought us you.”

“And brought you to us,” Maui added, not to be outdone. “Is that why we gets a present?”

“This present is because of you, and is not only for you, but all of Earth,” Betty explained.

Polmar smiled. “There it is.” He activated a viewscreen.

“It’s a ship,” Akoni replied, puzzled. “You got a ship for humans to go explore on their own in?”

“It’s two ships actually,” Polmar said, panning the view so they could see the second ship.”

“And no, the ship isn’t for humans to fly. Do you know what the greatest gift to humanity has always been?”

The children shook their heads.

“It’s hope, and I’m sure it’s true for every species in the universe.”

“Hope?” Mo-mo asked, her face screwed up in confusion.

“That ship is called Kaia’s Hope and the other one is Kaia’s Gift. They’re hospital ships. To be more precise, Hope is for children and Gift is for grown ups who need transplants or have deadly illnesses only advanced tech we have access to can cure. Rich or poor, it’s available to those in need.”

“But won’t millions of people need help?”

“More ships are on their way, but we know we can’t help everyone. We will help the neediest, free of charge. At first, we will work with those who have been waiting far too long for a suitable transplant to become available and those refused because they were deemed to not have suitable support for recovery.”

The children stared open-mouthed.

“Daddy and Space Santa are making it so no more kids die like Kaia was going to?”