A consensus had been formed aboard the Destiny: Jadekith Malin was driving everyone crazy. He got into everything he wasn't supposed to, both while unwitting backs were turned and by barging into the middle of things he had no business interrupting. Security locks and guards kept him away from the labs and their delicate life-creating machinery, of course, but it seemed absolutely anything open to the general populace of the ship had borne the brunt of the child's attention at least once.

The crossbreed dragon child moved things, knocked things over, broke things, left things scattered across the floor when he got bored and moved on. If someone could manage to pin him down with a game or a lesson or some other activity to keep him occupied, he would be attentive and quickly learn what he was being shown, but it only lasted as long as it took for him to squeeze out every last bit of new knowledge from it. Once the game had been won, the lesson grasped, the homework mastered, or the last page of the book read, the boy was off and running, finding ways to put his new knowledge to use -- and never to anyone's benefit.

The crew was used to the antics of young children, but their patience could only go so far, and Jadekith was proving remarkably immune to discipline. Locking him into his room for time-outs only meant that his room would be in shambles by the time someone came to let him out, and they couldn't very well keep him cooped up in a featureless cell for the rest of his life! It was obvious to all involved that the child needed something to occupy his sharp little mind and ward off his endless boredom, but what?

Doctor Schroeder had an idea, though most of the crew was leery of it. Entrust the child with another living being? He'd grow bored and start neglecting it within the first few days! Wouldn't he? Surely he would!

But Schroeder was the boss and he wanted to give it a try...