And new directions

After more than three hours spent frustrating his new companion by butchering their language, James gave up. He'd have to get more creative it seemed. So far, he'd only been able to pronounce their clicking sounds, and only with his tongue. Chris didn't seem okay with that.

Standing up, James found a diagram of the solar system to show him on the tablet. He took the pen and made 23 hash marks, before pointing at himself. Chris flickered white several times before taking the pen as well. He made 19 marks.

19? That's seven years younger than was supposed to be allowed. James cocked his head and pointed at the hash marks, flickering his jacket white and blue. If he understands the color system, he should have just asked why he's okay to be in the program.

When nothing but flickering was Chris's response, James repeated the gestures and followed by thrusting his palms at the room while continuing to flicker his lights. A single series of clicks was Chris's response.

"Chritiklkiktrkikka-a."

...what?