Choler was standing next to Tyff, and he raised a hand to slap it over his face, shaking his head. Tyff was struck completely dumb, even though most of the humans were laughing softly. There were twelve of them—six men and six women. Tyff realized he hadn’t even known what the selection criteria was and a detail like that should not have slipped by him.
“Welcome.” He stepped forward, hand out to shake. It took a few minutes, but he made sure he shook every hand and smiled at each person, trying to imprint them on to his memory. He forgot their names almost immediately but didn’t let that slow him down.
“I’m pleased all of you have agreed to work with us. The voice you can hear is Penelope, our AI. She can help you with anything you need if you just ask her.”
“Almost anything,” she said, shortly. “I mean, I’m not a maid…”
“Thank you, Penelope,” Tyff said quickly. “Are there any questions before we begin?”
All of them raised their hands. Tyff almost sighed but hid it with a smile.
“Yes?”
“Will we receive training on the computer systems? I’ve only worked with military computers.”
“Are the beds hard?”
“What’s the food like?”
“Do we have to train with the troops?”
“Will we be claimed as mates straight away?”
“Is there a strict code of conduct? What are the punishments?”
Tyff didn’t even know where to begin. Luckily, Choler stepped up to save his ass.
“Susan, you will receive training, most likely from Penelope herself with assistance from us. Darryl, the beds can be soft or hard as you like. We have choices. Jeff, the food is excellent. We can make anything you want. Julia, we don’t know. It’s not up to us where or when the Knowing will manifest. Luke, you don’t have to train with the troops, but you can if you like. Nancy, there is a code of conduct, a new one being written especially for us working together. You can help with that, and punishments will be decided upon by both humans and Preor.”
Tyff looked over at him in amazement. How the hell did he remember all of their names so quickly?
“So,” Susan grinned, looking around, “is there an induction, an orientation, or…”
“Yes,” shrieked Penelope. Before anyone could move, she swiftly teleported them to the main training room.
Tyff swore under his breath and Choler cursed. The humans milled uncertainly, suddenly surrounded by masses of sweaty, flexing Preor warriors. Nancy blushed hard and bit her lip as she looked at the floor.
“The training room,” Penelope announced, with a great flourish. “You most likely won’t need to come here. My bad. Let’s take another look.”
Lights streaked around them as they were all teleported to the command deck. It was manned by only two Preor who were responsible for making sure the ship stayed on course. They looked up curiously.
“This is the bridge,” Penelope announced. “Actually, I’m guessing most of you won’t need to be here, either. Wait, let me—”
Tyff made to shout at her but she teleported them swiftly. Before he could speak, they were materialized in the dining area.
“Where are my manners,” Penelope admonished herself. “You guys are probably hungry. Now—”
“Penelope,” Tyff snapped.
“Yes?”
“Stop. Please.”
“Yes, dear god.” Jeff leaned over, holding his guts. “I’m totally going to barf.”
“Jeez.” Penelope sounded like she was wincing in sympathy. “I’m sorry. I just got so excited. I want everything to go well.”
“So do we,” Tyff murmured, wishing again that Renay was by his side. This was it—the moment that it all changed. Humans were a part of his world now and he couldn’t change that. The only way to preserve their culture was in an appreciation of history and cultural memory.
The Preor would never again be what they were, and neither would humanity. Maybe, that was a very good thing.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Renay was worried about being bored all day, but Yazen brought her a few books of Preor poetry from his own collection. She was utterly fascinated by the imagery and turn of phrase, becoming immersed in the worship of Syh and the aspects of the new language.
After only a little guidance from Yazen, she found she understood the language perfectly. They had always come easy for her, but Preor felt almost as if it had been written on her bones before she was born. The hours passed swiftly, and before long it was time for dinner.
She felt Tyff before she saw him. She knew he was walking up the halls, so she put down the books, eagerly sitting up and fixing her eyes on the door. Even though she was expecting him, seeing him was still a surprise.
He was wearing the leather cross straps, but instead of the katoth pants, he was wearing a soft pair of blue trousers almost the same color as his scales. His sandy hair caught the light, glinting with dark lowlights. She tried to gasp but her chest was too tight with excitement. He looked unsure as he came through the door, almost nervous. She picked up on his emotion immediately.
He wanted to make her happy, but he was utterly sure he was going to screw it up. She knew that for a Preor male, confidence was everything. Tyff had finally met a situation he wasn’t sure about, and the feeling of unease upset him just as much as the idea he might actually disappoint his mate.
“Tyff,” she exclaimed, reaching out for him. The motion hurt her ribs, but not as much as it would have days before. Just looking into his sea-green eyes eased her hurts. She knew he could never disappoint her. She was going to be happy for the rest of her life. She just had to make him see that.
“Renay.” He stepped up to the bed and took her hand, folding her into a hug. She pressed her cheek against his chest and felt his heart beating and speeding up by the second. It pained her. If only he could see that the more worried he became, the more his heart blocked the Knowing!
“How was your day, dear,” she joked. His face brightened as he went into a thorough blow-by-blow description and she had to hold in her giggles. There was no point in telling him it was an Earth joke. If he didn’t get it, it wasn’t at all funny.
“Choler may have the makings of a primary warrior,” he said enthusiastically. “I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to see him come into his own. Guys like him usually aren’t serious enough to be effective at training others, but he applies a subtle force while making the men feel at ease. He has talent as well as skill.”
“I can’t wait to meet everyone,” she said, excitedly. “It will be so great to get out of this hospital and out on your rounds with you.”
Tyff scowled, a sudden cloud of darkness on his eager face.
“What?”
“Well, I’ll be coming with you, of course,” she gushed. “I’m your mate. I’ll be involved in everything.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but his eyes slid to the pile of books on the edge of the bed. His eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“You’re reading Krenaynka? She’s one of our ancient poets. You can understand these?”
“Yes. Well. It took me a few hours to fully get it. But it’s beautiful poetry.”