Towards the future I see

Chapter 58 Part 3

I was quickly sent to one of the rooms, which I guess was meant for guests. Or so I thought for a long while before a blue-skinned man walked in with a familiar-looking little girl. The man didn’t look happy. He probably didn’t even know I was in this room. But surely he must have heard from someone that a human, besides Vanto, was aboard the ship.

“What are you doing here?” The man asked in Sy Bisti

“I was brought to this room by Navigator Vah'nya. At least, when I passed with Eli Vanto, she said to stay here,” I answered in Sy Bisti.

“This is a sky-walker suite,” The man said.

“I don’t know what that means,” I said honestly.

“It means it is for our navigators,” He said.

“Oh,” I said and looked around. Quite a big room for a child. But then again, if they used children to navigate, then surely they had someone to look after them. But in Vah'nya's case, maybe this room was a bit too much. “Well, I apologize for the inconvenience, but this is the room I was directed to.”

“By who? Lieutenant Van'to?” The man asked. The way he said Vanto sounded a bit funny.

“Navigator Vah'nya, actually,” I said. “Lieutenant Vanto escorted me in means of language assistance.” For some reason, the girl that had come with the man walked closer to me and said something to me. I couldn’t understand what it was. The only word I did pick up was Vanto.

“What did she say?” I asked the man.

“She asks if you know Lieutenant Vanto,” The man said with a tone that I usually heard from many officers when they didn’t want to be present but knew not to be rude.

“She doesn’t understand Sy Bisti, does she?” I asked.

“No,” He said. I turned my head towards the girl and smiled at her as I nodded to her. Whether she knew Sy Bisti or not, this was the most simple way to say yes. The girl clearly understood me since she now put her arms around my waist and hugged me. I wasn’t sure what it meant, even less when the girl said something in Cheunn. The man said something in the same language. I wasn’t sure what they talked about. But the girl was now reluctant to let go of me.

“What is going on?” I asked the man.

“She now wants to stay with you,” He said with a tired tone.

“Why? Because I know Lieutenant Vanto?” I asked.

“Probably that,” He said in annoyance. “You have to tell her that you can’t stay.”

“I don’t speak your language to tell her that,” I said. “Besides, I'll leave this room only when Admiral Ar'alani allows it.”

“She knows you’re here?” The man asked in surprise.

“I came in the same shuttle with her,” I said. “Until the battle is over, or she calls for me, I will stay here. Do you have another room for… um… Her name is”

“Un’hee,” He said reluctantly. “And no, there aren’t other rooms available at the moment.”

“Then we both have to share,” I said and faced the girl again. “Un’hee can stay here if she so wishes.” The Chiss man didn’t look happy about it, but he either didn’t want to question Admiral Ar'alani's orders, or he had to be prepared for the coming battle. Whichever it was, he agreed in the end and said that he’ll come back for either me or Un'hee.

When he left us, I wondered how to communicate with the girl who didn’t speak Sy Bisti, and I didn’t speak Cheunn. It seems that none of that bothered the girl. We both sat on a nice couch, and soon she snuggled close to me and apparently fell asleep. Since there was nothing to do without waking up the girl, I too closed my eyes and slipped into the darkness.