“Such as,” answered Alex, “that he disappeared over a month ago.”

“I see,” said Edmund. “Do you suppose the so-called ‘Cyborg King’ had a hand in his disappearance?”

“Not unless he operates in Alaska too,” answered Alex.

“Alaska?” asked Edmund.

“Yes,” answered Alex. “He went to visit family in a place there called ‘Somersault’. He was supposed to be gone for only a few days – but he never returned.”

“Well,” concluded Edmund, “there is, honestly, no way to say with any certainty for now whether or not the Cyborg King has operations in Alaska.”

“It is possible,” noted Alex, “but not likely. He never mentioned any evidence of that.”

“Maybe so,” agreed Edmund, “but the appearance of the Palaron language here in Southern Appalachia is in itself quite surprising. Previously, we assumed that there was no use of the language at all except on Leraxi. We should refrain from any hasty assumptions.”

“So, what should we do?” asked Alex.

“What we must do,” answered Edmund, “is conduct a missing person query on your friend. What is his name?”

“Richard Muller,” answered Alex. “But I am fairly certain his parents have already filed a missing person report on him. Would you have the ability to check that?”

“I can check,” confirmed Edmund, “and my assumption on that matter is the same as yours. However, extraterrestrial elements are suspect in this case – and if such suspicions are correct, then it is unlikely that a missing person report filed with local authorities will accomplish much.”

“But you can call upon resources they can’t,” noted Alex.

Edmund nodded.

“And when we find him,” exclaimed Cliff, “he can tell us more about what’s going on here!”

“Oh no,” said Edmund. “Even if he possesses information relevant to our current rescue mission – for us to wait for the chance to ask him for it would involve too long a delay.”

“So basically,” said Cliff, “we now just have two rescue missions.”

“Not necessarily,” explained Edmund. “We do need to inquire what is known about Mr. Muller’s status – but even if his safety can be assured and hasn’t been already, that does not automatically mean that we are the ones in a position to see to it.”

“So if it’s out of our jurisdiction,” protested Alex, “we just let it be?”

“No,” asserted Edmund. “We do our part – and allow others to do theirs – because if we neglect our own duty in order to free ourselves to interfere with someone else’s, that blinds two mice.”

“Blinds two mice?” asked Cliff, quizzically. Alex’s face revealed that he was just as dumbfounded as the other human about this choice of words.

“Blinds two mice,” explained Edmund. “It is an expression – not one that is generally familiar to those of this world, but common among my people and several others. It reminds us that one act can cause not just one, but two missions to go awry.”

The two humans seemed to understand – but an awkward silence nonetheless ensued.

“If it is ours to do,” said Edmund, breaking the silence, “we will come to the aid of Mr. Muller. But if not, we must trust the appropriate party to do its part. Our part, for now, is to conduct the missing person query on him. Not only may this be what it takes to alert those who do bear the responsibility of his safety – but it also could potentially provide insight into the mission that is our responsibility.”

“But you said that would take too long,” reminded Cliff.

“To wait for a chance to question Mr. Muller himself would take too long,” clarified Edmund, “but deducing whatever we can from whatever is known about the circumstances of his disappearance is another matter entirely.”

“I see,” answered Cliff.

“One more thing,” said Edmund. “The operation that we are contemplating is likely to be a stressful one. Also, as we know very little about the group that we are dealing with, we cannot rule out the possibility of it being dangerous as well. If we proceed, we will have to do so in a manner that complies with the Keliabrin Security Operations Protocols – which are adhered to in several star systems, including my own – and including most nearby systems. Once again – there is the possibility of this mission being dangerous – so if either of you wishes to withdraw, now is the time for you to do so.”

“Keliabrin Security what?” asked Cliff.

“Keliabrin Security Operations Protocols,” explained Edmund. “It is the set of interstellar laws governing how operations such as this are conducted and coordinated. Without these protocols – well – we would have no authority, no moral high-ground at all in what we are about to do. We would, essentially, be vigilantes. I, for one, have no intent of having any part in such unruly activity.”

“Okay” said Alex, “so I suppose we start with the missing person query?”