My Human

Chapter 16

I sat in a silver swivel chair next to a passed out Xan, lying on a cot in Neron's resting area.  He seemed so motionless and pale. I didn't understand anything that had happened to him and no one was explaining it to me.

I placed my hand on his and he felt cold.  Was he dying?  He wasn't like me.  What would hurt him and how would he heal? I became painfully aware of how little I knew. All I did know was that I was worried about him.  I didn't want anything bad to happen to him. 

"He's your former partner, Neron?" The woman asked from the doorway behind me.  They didn't think I could hear them or understand them. 

Neron had welcomed us as guests on his ship. The minute Xan collapsed, they took him to a cot to rest and set his ship to follow us on autopilot.  We had taken off hastily to take advantage of the small window of incapacitation for Alano and his beings. I was happy to put as much distance as possible between us and that horrifying man.

"Yes," Neron confirmed.

"But didn't you have a falling out because he so rigidly serves the Torian empire?"

Neron grunted in assertion. "We disagreed on ethics. I doubted the decisions of the empire but he followed them blindly."

"Then what is he doing with this being? Doesn't he know the Torian empire will have his head for this? They will want her turned over immediately."

An exasperated sigh escaped Neron. "I have no idea what he's doing. But we can't let her be turned over."

I turned to look at them and they just stared back at me, like I was an animal at the zoo to be looked at. What will the little human do next?

I stood up and looked at them sternly. "Tell me what's wrong with him," I demanded.

Neron arched an eyebrow. "I have no idea what she's saying," he said to the woman and she smiled uncomfortably.

They turned to walk away, but I felt the anger flow through me. Being human did not make me inferior and I would not be ignored!

I grabbed his shoulder and to his surprise, turned him around to face me.

"Then learn!" I insisted, pointing to his wristband and then his temple, trying to indicate how Xan understood me.

Neron's shock quickly turned to amusement. "I see... so Xan has downloaded your language."

I nodded. Again he chuckled. "Xan is just full of surprises these days."

I sighed. They made Xan sound like a monster, but he just didn't seem that way to me. Right now, he was all I had in this universe and he saved me. I owed him the same.

I watched impatiently as Neron brought up the frequency bar on his wristband like Xan had before. He held it towards me.

"Let's hear it, darlin'."

I scowled at him and leaned closer to the frequency bar. "You are an idiot," I said flatly as the bar fluttered.

Just like Xan had, Neron took the data and held it up to his temple, but also to the woman's temple.  Their temples lit up with the blue light for just a moment before Neron looked at me pensively.

"Did you call me an idiot?" He asked amused.

"I guess it worked," I replied with a smirk.  "Now tell me what's wrong with Xan! Is he going to be okay?"

Neron arched his eyebrow. "What's it to you, human?"

His words shocked me. That was the first time I had heard it said out loud with such disdain.  Human. So inferior I wasn't even allowed to inquire about Xan.  I felt the heat rose inside of me; the heat of shame and anger.