The astronaut suddenly felt terribly tired after April was just April again. The last night he had slept almost nothing and the full day tore at his body. Exhausted but happy to have done the right thing with his planned cooling actions, he rolled back, collected the bowls of melted ice, put away the cool-pats, filled the ice cube containers, froze them and put the body lotion back into the package. He stuffed the empty ice cubes deep into the garbage shredder, nothing should look suspicious when the American awoke. Finally he hoisted himself up on the sofa in the living room and within minutes he had fallen asleep with the notes on the creature from space on his chest.

His dreams took Torio to supernatural worlds with creatures that carried antennae on their heads and could attach themselves to anything and everything with their suction cups. Mori's description of his species thus got a clear picture of the alien that had conquered his heart. Unknown if male or female. He only saw the dark brown curls and the deep eyes, the full lips and the delicate fingers ...

"Sweet Morika... come to me," he breathed in his sleep and kissed the soft mouth...

"Morika!" April was shocked. She could have handled anything, but another woman?! She knew he could be angry, yell at her or even send her home, but the urge to touch those sexy smiling lips while he slept was just too strong. This is what she got from it.

"Who the hell is Morika?" Torio, who drove up from his sleep startled, looked into her questioning face.

"What... Mor... April? "What happened?" he yelled overslept. The blonde wanted to know, burning with curiosity, but she was smart enough not to upset him. She would find out, sooner or later. For the time being she wanted to take on the role of victim, that was the more effective way.

"Oh God Torio, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up. But I was so cold and... do you have a hot water bottle? With chattering teeth, she showed the goose bumps on her legs and arms. This was also the reason why she could no longer sleep and the memories of the evening she had not had. Didn't she want to rest a little on the couch? The icy cold hands from her crush, ... the massage? How did she get into his bedroom? And why was she still wearing her dress? Question after question. Torio tried to sound friendly. Picking himself up and rubbing his puffy eyes.

"Why are you cold? There are enough blankets in the box. "But wait. I'll make you some tea." He sat up sluggishly and the pages with the notes fell to the floor. April immediately bent over and looked at the notes more closely. Different times, temperatures, personal descriptions and lists of various refrigerated items. She skimmed over the notes before the astronaut pulled them from her hands.

"Give it to me ... and help me into the wheelchair," he said somewhat impatiently, but immediately added somewhat more gently: "Sorry, ... you should put something on so that you don't catch a cold." He smiled tiredly and let her help him. It was obvious that she shamelessly took advantage of the situation and acted particularly clumsy just to be close to him. He had to put up with it if he wanted to continue using April as a medium. So he pulled himself together. Mori needed her.

Minutes later, he was sitting in the kitchen and Torio poured the hot water over the tea bag into the cup. It seemed a bit strange to him, cooling and then reheating the same body. But as long as the American didn't get serious health problems, this game should go on. Until Mori was born. Until then it was important to keep April happy and to always have an answer to her annoying questions. Who had just changed and wrapped in a bathrobe, came into the kitchen.

"When I woke up earlier, I thought my legs were covered in snow. Freezing cold and my dress, for God's sake... I don't know why I still had it on with those sticky stains on it. She shook herself in disgust, but then snuggled into the fluffy cloth, which probably smelled of his aftershave, and sat down at the table. "I have no idea why, why, why, why, all I know is you're really fucking me up..." She giggled exaggeratedly and the jingling with the long eyelashes started again to make beautiful eyes at the astronaut. Torio blushed at the thought of how far he still had to go. That could still be funny.

The exhausted and completely overheated Mori returned to his little mountain lake and immediately noticed the change. He glided quietly into the freezing cold water and dived under to stay even more hidden. For the people in this space station the alien was invisible, but the negative vibrations he clearly heard did not come from them.

"Damn it ... as if I didn't have enough problems already", he growled through his teeth and only when the fire in his body had completely extinguished did he dare to appear again. What did they know? Couldn't he go to Torio now? Conquer his love and finally win him over?

He did not have to wait long for the answer. Jerkily the alien was pulled down and could barely gasp for air when strong tentacles with hundreds of small suction cups snaked around his slim body. Even the supernatural powers of Mori could not help him here. Caught in the tentacles of a giant squid, he found himself in a cave where the commander of the security guard casually crouched on a rock, disdainfully looking at the monster's wriggling prey. Only when the soaking wet alien pulled himself up did he start to make fun of him:

"Oh, Mori, you little good-for-nothing... did you really think you could just disappear like that?" The little one was pushed forward and stumbled in front of the big, strongly built alien, who only smiled pitifully at him. The boy moaned angrily and secretly thought he'd rather choose the Kraken than Kazmi in uniform. Mori had never liked him and that was mutual. In all his life, neither at school nor in training, the head, as he was called, had a kind word for his offspring. It was hell for the young alien and now he wanted to mingle with his life again? Why just now? The curly head was obviously angry.

"I am the fruit of their miserable teaching and parenting methods. Did they expect anything else?" he spied towards him, but did not dare to look his father in the eye. Their relationship had always been difficult and when it turned out that the eldest of the three sons of the commander was not interested in a higher education, Mori was always the failure and outsider of the family. The black sheep, so to speak.

"Well, well, well, you're in full bloom. That too. ...you have nothing and are nothing, what do you want to offer your love? Or do you hide here in this primitive human city Are you afraid?" He took a break and wanted to give his son the opportunity to defend himself, but he just snorted in anger. His father knew nothing of his life. Even at a young age, Mori was not prepared to follow the strict methods of education and that was always a thorn in the side of the powerful head of the family who was well off in society. Only performance counted, outstandingly good without flaws or faults. Hichan, his brother possessed all these qualities that the father had and Mori briefly had the thought that the younger one might have betrayed him, but he immediately rejected this idea. Hichan was a model student but also the honesty and helpfulness in person, he trusted him, after all it was him who supported him in this matter, not his father. But as it looked, he did not yet know anything about Mori's love for a human being.

"Mori, Mori, it seems you haven't even figured it out." The commander rose from his perch and stepped towards the slim alien. Almost in awe he stroked over the flowering tassels of the antennae and clicked his tongue. "So splendid and radiant... you cannot hide from it. At least show some ambition in this matter."

'Oh yes, I will ... for sure', Mori thought, but would not tell his father a word.

"If you leave her unrequited for too long, she will wither and you with her. You know that, right? ... Love cannot wait,' Kazmi added mockingly and turned away.

"Like you and mother? ... you are ridiculous, ... want to lecture me where her life's bond broke down? That oh so beautiful and perfect Lieson, with a woman you never noticed, ... never appreciated?"

"She has left me!" the elder railed, whirled around and Mori automatically flinched for fear of taking a few knocks. Beatings he had taken in his early childhood.

"I never stopped loving her," the enraged man cried almost desperately, staring at the slim alien with the glowing feelers. But suddenly his wide open eyes filled with tears and his hands clenched into fists as he moaned in a trembling voice: "There is no worse pain, no greater punishment than living alone. ...Mori, boy..." He grabbed the suspicious-looking son by the shoulders and shook him slightly. "Son, don't make the same mistake I did." The insight of the usually so stubborn and domineering leader surprised Mori.

"You are not here to take me back?" he asked cautiously. His father's sad look spoke volumes; never before had the son felt anything but cold, condescending words from him, mocking and arrogant.

"No, ... I am here to give you this one chance ... get out ... otherwise they will arrest you and you will be a lonely man for the rest of your life. It is forbidden to be within the Human Cities. You put us all in danger! Mori... what are you doing here?" He didn't even have the idea to put two and two together. The man in love could only be happy.

"I was looking for a place to think. So I wouldn't do anything wrong and end up living like you. I'll be gone in a few hours. They won't catch me."

"In a few hours! You mean minutes! You've got the whole company breathing down your neck, and you shine like a love-struck rooster. Here, take this. Mori held out his hand and his father put a ring on the palm of his hand covered with suction cups. "It will strengthen your shield and also restrain the fire within you." He looked once more at the flowering tentacles with the fine threads and shook his head. "She must be very special. I've never seen anyone in such an intense courtship mood. You lucky devil ... get going and leave this dome as soon as possible. I'm powerless. If you get caught, I can't help you. ...I wish you good luck." It didn't take a second invitation to encourage Mori to act. He enclosed the precious jewel with his fingers, bowed deeply and let himself slide into the water. Was it really supposed to be that easy? He could control April even better, with the ring it would be easy to fight the heat inside her. It was night and she would surely still be asleep so that he could slip into her one last time. At last touching was possible, kisses and caresses, even if only for a short time. That was the only thought at the moment. How he should teach Torio to decide for a life and how the actual mating would only work in the alien's own form and possibly even in ice-cold water, the love-crazed rooster simply repressed.

No sooner had Mori dived away than his youngest brother crawled out of hiding and greeted the surprised father reverently. He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes and tried to put on his all-too-familiar stern face, which was obviously difficult for him, since a sore point in his life was mentioned during the conversation with Mori.

"What are you doing here, Hichan? "You are suspected of being in cahoots with your brother. "You shouldn't expose yourself to this danger here. Even your double defensive shield could be traced."

"Don't worry, father. No one will ever know that you gave the rings to us. The red-haired alien slowly approached, still thinking about the best way to present his plan to the commanders. Now he would definitely find out what was more important to his father. His influential job or his family.

"He's not gonna make it, you know that as well as I do. His inexperience and thoughtlessness will lead him straight into your arms and there's nothing you can do about it. We'll lose Mori, he's blinded by love, knows no rules or laws. ... Father, ... we must help him, ... do it for your family, do it for mum." The youngest son hoped so much for the understanding of the head of the family.

"I have never opposed you, but... now... I choose my brother's path. If you choose against us, you will lose us both.

"You're giving me an ultimatum?" the father reigned supreme, but you could tell by the trembling voice, the bitter stubbornness wavered. "What do you want to do? I'm supposed to fool everyone? Why for the sake of the stars is Mori here on this human site? What... ..." The insight came at a frightening speed and brought the father close to an antennae infarction.

He spat out and gasped for breath.

"Yes, a human being... here on Outland." Time is pressing, your troops are ready to follow your orders. ...what will you decide?"