“It’s my son.”
“I see. And what is it about your son that you think I can help you with?”
“He’s run away, sir.”
Deitrich waited.
Tsuroak dropped the tassel, cleared his throat and continued more resolutely.
“He… we, that is… had an argument of sorts and he ran away. Took a time-jump ship somewhere. We aren’t exactly sure just where.” The man leaned forward. “But he’s only twenty-seven, sir.”
Deitrich frowned. “It’s against the law to lake a passenger on an intergalactic transport who is under legal age. Have you notified the authorities? There may still be time to intercept it.”
The man leaned back in his chair. He shook his head disconsolately.
“He left six months ago. There was a note, but we didn’t believe that he would actually do anything like that.” He gestured hopelessly. “We thought he’d be hiding some place here in the Eighteen Planets.”
Deitrich waited again.