Caught Between Two Blue Aliens - Celia Kyle Page 0,78

something interesting every five steps.

“Whoa!” the boy gasped as they passed a room where two Drokten were sparring with each other. Sparring was a routine part of a Drokten warrior’s life. “Can I do that?” he asked.

“That’s for Drokten,” Jenna said quickly, which made the boy somewhat crestfallen. “...we’ll talk about it,” she backpedaled noncommittally, and that seemed to give him enough hope that he had a spring in his step.

“You are very young, Noah,” Hiren said with a soft laugh. “Humans are not warrior trained from an early age as Drokten are, but I think some of our computer simulations might be suitable for you to start with, if you find yourself with a little too much energy.”

Jenna gave Hiren a look, but Sevith squeezed her hand reassuringly. Both the Drokten knew that while the simulations were harmless, they could be changed to a child setting.

Hiren glanced over to Bea. “The same goes for you, of course,” he added.

Bea, was staring into an open officers’ lounge. The Drokten inside were staring openly at their group. She looked up at him in confusion. “What?”

“Females as well as males participate in warrior training,” he explained. “And if you do not find that suitable, you of course have access to our extensive digital libraries from Drokt. You can access them from your tablet. I will give you a subscription code.”

That seemed to get her attention, but she looked back to Jenna with worry in her eyes. “Thank you, that...sounds fantastic, but I can’t read Drokten.”

“Oh, this is no problem. Every Drokten who comes into contact with humans has a universal human translation chip implanted into their brains. The quick, painless procedure allows us to speak, read and write a variety of human languages.”

“That’s how you can all speak English so well? I didn’t know that was why.”

“Yes.”

“You can speak all the languages on the planet? Even Russian?” Noah questioned.

“Even Mandarin? And French and Italian?” Bea asked, wonder in her voice.

“Yes, all of them,” Hiren answered proudly. “And if you want, we can do the same procedure for you in reverse. We can implant the Drokten language chip into your brains. That will allow you to speak, read and write Drokten. We will have the finest tutors available on Drokt to finish your education once we arrive there, but already knowing Drokt will make it easier for you to learn and to make friends with the other Drokten children,” he added.

The group got into an elevator, and Sevith directed the lift to the officers’ quarters, where all of them would be staying. But as the doors started to slide shut behind them, they turned to see a number of Drokten warriors who had stuck their heads out from the various rooms they had passed. Most of them were trying not to look too obvious, but others didn’t hide their curiosity.

Sevith chuckled once the doors were closed, but Jenna looked a little uneasy.

“They’re not upset that we’re here. Are they?” she asked.

“Not at all, my Oso,” Hiren said. “The look on those faces was envy.”

“It has been a long time since many of those warriors have seen a proper family,” Sevith said. “Seeing children is a rarity, let alone children that are not Drokten. It is a sign of pride, to be able to have what we have.”

Hiren took one of Jenna’s hands, and Sevith took the other, both of them smiling down at her. “You will all be treated in very high regard while you’re here, Jenna—and even more so when we return to Drokt and move into family quarters.”

“You will find our home much more spacious than you three are used to,” Sevith said, unable to contain his pride.

Hiren knew that Sevith had quickly warmed to the human children, and his Azi was eager to show off the surprises they’d created for their fledgling family.

“When are we moving to Drokt?” Noah asked.

“Not for some time,” Sevith answered. “Hiren and I still have our positions here in this solar system to complete. But we did both let the Drokten Council know that we’ve changed our commissions to family status and requested placement on Drokt. We do not anticipate this transfer to take affect for at least one of your Earth years. Until then, we will all live here on the battleship.”

“Oh, that actually sounds good. It gives us all time to get used to each other before we make the big move,” Jenna answered.

Warmth swelled in Hiren’s chest, knowing that their female was