The Ripple of a Stone

The Ripple of a Stone

Let’s Make Talk

“Why do you not trust us?”
“Do you really need to ask that?”
“I asked it didn’t I?” Dhm’Ni roars.
“BOY…You take that tone with me and this is that last I will speak to you.” Nala says very sternly. Dhm’Ni didn’t know what to make of her aggression but was glad she wouldn’t cry anymore. “And just how is it that I can tell your tone?” She says in a more pleasant voice. Because how could she understand him, or that other guy. Sya could speak her tongue but Dhm’Ni couldn’t and she didn’t think he could learn it this fast.
“Translator” He answers.
“Nifty.”
“I will ask again, why do you not trust us?” He asked in a better manner of voice.
“For one thing that white one didn’t help you guys in the trust department. And then you stick me in here when you should have put me on an island already. I have some unfinished business to get to before I disappear.”
“Like…”
“Now that is none of your business.” She says with a smile. Dhm’Ni just grunts at her attitude.
“And just so you know, that white one is my father.” Nala bursts out laughing. She releases her legs and goes into her earlier comfortable position, legs crossed and arm up. “What is so amusing?”
“Your father, huh? Well now, do you have a brother too? Maybe he can also beat me up? Make it a family thing!” She gets out between laughs.
“My brother is not here.”
“Shame.” After Nala stops laughing, they just stare at each other. “Seriously, I am already bored of this conversation.” But still Dhm’Ni was silent. He didn’t know what to say to her. He just came in here without planning and was caught off guard by her.
“You should not hate my father.” He says.
“Hate? Hate is such a word full of meaning. Can represent may things but hate is underrated. Sometimes it is the only thing keeping you alive. And I do not hate your father, or you, Dhm’Ni. I hate this room and I hate pink. But not you or your father.”
“That is Lord Khupiee to you.” Dhm’Ni barks.
“What?”
“His name is Lord Khupiee.” Nala squints her eyes and tilts her head.
“Why would I need to know names?” Dhm’Ni didn’t know what to say. He was told not to tell her that she is here permanently, his father wanted to tell her that. But if she figured it out on her own, what could he do?
“Just for you to know.” He answers. “And as for what he did,”
“Or didn’t do.” Dhm’Ni sighs. She was still angry about that then… “You see, in my little world you repay one another for favors. Particularly if one saved the others life.”
“Well, maybe on your world. For in my culture we…”
“Not my whole world Dhm’Ni.” Nala interrupted. “But ‘my world’, my little bubble in which I make my decisions, my code, and my honor. Now it hurts me to say this but right now…I do not give a shit about your culture.”
“Why would that hurt you?”
“That was one thing that I truly miss about my world. I used to travel everywhere to see and experience new and different cultures but after the war, they were almost all eradicated. Yours quite interesting, but I really don’t care right now.”
“Why would you not care right now?”
“I’m being held in a box, how would you feel?” Dhm’Ni raised his brow and nods in understanding. He would hate to be held like this, but he wouldn’t allow himself to be captured. No Yautja would.
“We have a lot of questions for you.”
“Guessed you would.”
“What are you?” Dhm’Ni immediately regretted saying it like that. He made it sound like she was bizarre or something was wrong with her.
“You are going to have to more elaborate on that Dhm’Ni. You know I am human. Pardon me, Ooman.”
“You are no ordinary Ooman.” Nala gives him an evil smirk. She knew what he wanted to know but she wouldn’t tell him a dam thing. “You are not like any Ooman I or any of my people have ever seen. And you being female makes you even more extraordinary.”
“What do I being female have to do with anything?” She asks irritated.
“We know of your people, Nalani.” She was taken aback when he said her full name. Before he called her Nala but now he was all formal. “We know that your females are weaker then the males. We find it strange to see the females on your world. They are subservient, submissive. It is…disturbing to see how they are treated. All we have ever seen are cruelty, abuse, rape.” Dhm’Ni drew back when Nala turned her eyes away from him when he said rape. He sighs and tilts his head towards her. “You?” She wouldn’t have acted strangely to the word unless she had it happen to her.
“What girl hasn’t been on that planet …I was lucky considering. Some girls are taken before they even know their own names.” She answered sadly. She never really saw her world, as bad as it was, until she joined the army, and that’s when it all went to hell in a hand basket. She never really saw just how horrible and evil Oomans can be…Oomans…
“That is why you are so peculiar to us. You were in power over he males in your group and your strength, no Ooman, male or female, can carry such strength. Why are you different?”
“That is for me to know and for you to find out from my cold dead body.” She says as she looks back into Dhm’Ni.
“You should not make such claims you know. Someone may just take you up on that.”
“Well, maybe next time you think I will say something stupid just cover my mouth.” Dhm’Ni nodded, Nala didn’t know if he was serious but just shrugged it off. “So who’s watching?” She asked off topic.
“Watching?”
“I can hear them. They are right behind me. Watching. Listening. Since I woke up in here they never moved. Some came and went but most stayed still. I have to say that your interrogation style is very strange. I have never been questioned like this before.”
“You are not here to be interrogated.”
“Then why am I here?” She asks harshly. With that Dhm’Ni again slides the small glass close to Nala and tells her to drink it. “Okay, you know what! NO! You do not come traipsing in here with a liquid, that I have no fucking clue as to what it is, and expect me to drink it. Do you think I am stupid or something? You think this is the first time I have been held captive and told to do things! How do you think I gained such scars huh? On the bloody merry-go-round?” She yells. ”I don’t know what it is, I didn’t see you pour it and I DO NOT TRUST YOU!” Dhm’Ni had had enough. He belts out a deafening roar and slams a fist on the table, making some of the standing glasses fall and some rattle against themselves.
“You disrespect me Ooman! I should kill you where you sit.” Both Nala and Dhm’Ni turn their heads behind her and look to the glass as they hear roars coming from behind it. Nala looks back to Dhm’Ni just in time to see him lower his head submissively.
“He, he, he… You got in trouble!” She laughs. Dhm’Ni glares at her and growls real low. “Was that you dad?”
“And Sya.” Dhm’Ni says angrily. She instantly twists her head back around. Sya was behind there, huh? Why didn’t they send him in instead of Dhm’Ni? He was wondering the same thing. He didn’t have the patience for this Ooman. He didn’t want to be in here with her anymore. Dhm’Ni hisses to himself as he grabs the C’ntlip glass back and Nala watches as he pours it out on to the floor. He takes hold of the flask of water from his belt and fills the glass full again but doesn’t give it to Nala, he instead pours it into his mouth, drinking the entire thing. Dhm’Ni then fills it once more and slides it to Nala. And without hesitation, she grabs it and drinks it.
“Water…” Nala says displeased. But Dhm’Ni just laughs.
“It’s about Pauk-de time.” She didn’t really know what that one word meant but some how she knew what he meant. Dhm’Ni moves the chair back to its original place and starts for the door but stops when Nala doesn’t move. “I don’t want to have to hit you again to make you leave this room. Or do I need too?”
“I am allowed to leave?”
“We never said you weren’t.” Nalas mouth drops and she grunts. “The door was never locked. You could have left when you wished too.”
“And where would I have gone from there huh? And why did you keep offering me water when you could have just let me go?”
“We needed to know if you were calm enough to talk to, once you would accept it, then we would know you were. And since you have you will go talk with my father but first you need to be checked by our healer. Go get up so we can get this over with.” He orders.
“What did I say about using that tone with me?” Nala growls through her teeth. But Dhm’Ni couldn’t do anything about it. He just motions to the door with a hand.
“Please.” When Nala stood, her head started to throb again and she used the table for support. She shook her head and took in deep breaths and slowly it went away. She straightens up and as she made her way around the table she grabs Dhm’Nis knife and slides it back into her sleeve.
“Are you in pain?” Dhm’Ni asks as she walked towards him.
“What do you care?” Dhm’Ni didn’t care, he just didn’t want to send her to his father damaged. So he just walked out into the hallways but still Nala didn’t follow him.
“What now?” He groaned. He turned around to see Nala staring at the ground.
“I am not walking on that shit another time.” She points to the grates. “Those spokes killed my feet and I am not going to go through that again.”
“So what do you wish me to do about it?” He asked in a sarcastic tone.
“Got any shoes?” Dhm’Ni just shook his head ‘no’ but he had an idea…and Nala won’t like it. He walks back to her standing at the door frame and grabs her by her waist.
“WHOA! Hey, what are you doing?” She screams as Dhm’Ni throws her over his shoulder.
“Carrying you to the healers.” He answers and starts off to the lift. Nala wouldn’t have any of this. She starts thrashing around in his arms and punching his back.
“Let me go!” But Dhm’Ni doesn’t do anything. When the lift doors open he tells it to do to the healers uninterrupted. Nala just kept howling for him to let him go but when she grasped the idea that yelling wasn’t going to do anything she tugs some of his long tresses, really hard.
“C’jit!” Dhm’Ni roars. If she wants down then down she goes. He takes hold on her waist again and holds her out in front of him. “You want down, fine!” He roars and starts to place her onto the ground but Nala gasps and lifts her legs so that her feet don’t touch it.
“What are you doing?”
“You wanted down and we don’t have shoes so you either walk or I carry you.” For a moment he just held her there, her feet just above the ground.
“Fine…” She says reluctantly. Dhm’Ni grunts and places her back onto his shoulder. “This is so embarrassing.” She whispers.
“You think this is embarrassing for you?” Dhm’Ni barks.
“Would you stop listening to me whisper? It’s weird that you can hear me!”
“Then stop whispering!”
“Why don’t I just stop talking altogether then?”
“You promise?” Nala just rests her head in her folded arms against Dhm’Nis back and sighs.
“Asshole.” She whispers as low as she could go, but he still heard her and growled. A few minutes of silence later the doors open and Dhm’Ni walks down the hall towards the healers. “This place is all too familiar.”
“I thought you said you weren’t going to talk anymore?”
“And I thought you guys said you would help me!” She yells back. Dhm’Ni went silent at that. They did tell her that they would help her but wasn’t what they were going to do for her helping? She was in his clan now, apart of his world now…Wasn’t that helping?
The door swishes and he sees that Kh’Cho was already set up. They greet each other and Dhm’Ni unsympathetically pulls Nala of him and drops her on the white table.
“Thanks for the lift, you jerk.” She says as she rubs her backside. Dhm’Ni just growls and moves away so Kh’Cho could get to work.
“Welcome.” Kh’Cho says before he moves close to her. Nala looked at this oddly dressed person, like how a dog listens to a high pitched sound. He wore a light blue fabric that completely covered his top half but his bottom was covered by a lion cloth of the same color. Strangely enough, he had bits and piece of armor here and there, like over his chest and on his forearms. She didn’t know that injured Yautja can get quite violent when Kh’Cho dealt with them and has been injured a few to many times. From his face she could see that he was an off white, almost cream, with giant splotches of a light brown. “I am Kh’Cho. I am a healer and I have to see if you are sick and after that, I have a ton of questions for you.”
“Kh’Cho… Well, umm, I’m,”
“Nalani, I know.” Kh’Cho interrupts. “You have a very strange name.”
“You think I have a strange name? This coming from a guy whose name sounds like I just sneezed.” But he just looked at her unusually with a tilted head. How would he know what a sneeze sounded like? They didn’t have noses! “Never mind. And I am not sick but I stink. You guys got a shower I could use?” Dhm'Ni and Kh’Cho look oddly at one another, they couldn’t disagree with her words. “What? I am covered in blood and I reek. I smell nothing but Ooman blood and Hard Meat blood and funny enough your blood, Dhm'Ni. Tell me, how is you leg?” She starts to laugh. She dug her finger nail into his leg when they first fought and can still smell him.
“You injured your leg?” Kh’Cho asks. Dhm'Ni just grunts. It was healing just fine, along with the stab wound she gave him. “I will look at it later, for now yes I do have a way for you to clean. This way.” Nala took a quick peek at the floor and saw that it was flat and didn’t have fucking grates. But before she had the chance jumped off, Dhm'Ni walked up to her and grabbed her foot. He lifts it into the air, making Nala fall back with an ‘ump’.
“What the hell?” With her leg up Dhm'Ni uses his free hand and placed it against the palm of her foot. It was very small to him and he could see little dots from where the floor punctured her. Her foot measure from the bottom of his hand to the top joint of his index finger. “What are you doing Dhm'Ni?” With that he drops her foot and turns to leave.
“Measuring your foot so I can get shoes made for your feet. You think I want to carry you around Ooman?” Was the last thing Nala heard before Dhm'Ni vanished behind the doors. She hopped down but as she started to follow Kh’Cho she remembered that she still had Dhm’Nis’ blade, so she swiftly took it out and placed it on the white table.
“You can throw the Alsn in there.” Kh’Cho said and pointed to a hatch in the wall that led to an incinerator. Nala looked in a she went through the door way and gasped. The room was big and round and was pitch black with red furnishing. One part had an open but partitioned door that she guessed led to the shower because she couldn’t see it anywhere. But there was a really strange looking bowl thing that she hoped wasn’t the toilet but if it was she could find a way to use it. Her bladder filled hours ago. The rest of the room was bare with only a sink, some shelves with nothing on them, a thin door and a small square on the wall that Kh’Cho said was the incinerator.
“I'm sorry I didn’t catch what you said.”
“You can throw the Alsn in there, it goes to the incinerator.”
“What’s Alsn?” She asks.
“Alsn is what you are wearing. It is healing Alsn that is wrapped around the body when I have someone here that cannot wear their armor. There is also hunting Alsn that is black and casual Alsn that comes in arrange of colors but they can only be worm once and then thrown away. Now follow me.” Nala quickly trails Kh’Cho into the open door way and was right when thinking it was the shower. It was a big square and on the roof were hundreds if not thousands of tiny little holes that the water would fall from. Kh’Cho walks to one wall that had a bunch of buttons on them and ushers Nala beside him. They were all silver and had those markings on them that she couldn’t read. “This one is the cold, start with that one.” He points to one button. “Then add the hot by hitting this one. The more you hit it the more hot water is added. This one here is the soap but before you use it test it on your skin to be sure that it will not harm you. The rest you need not know of. To stop the water press and hold the cold button” Kh’Cho turns and leaves Nala there but she follows him out so she could take off this Alsn and throw it away but she had one problem.
“How do I get out of this chicken shit outfit?” She asks. She didn’t know if she should cut it or what.
“Just take it off as you would any other garment.” Kh’Cho says.
“Thank you.” Nala yells as the doors close. The room was really bright but she still couldn’t see where the light was coming from. She walks close to the wall where the hatch was and strips off the Alsn. She was joyful as she tossed it into the hatch and closed it, but nothing happened. Then she saw a small panel on the door and on it was a small little black button. For a second she didn’t know if she should press it but she was curious. A loud ‘whof’ sound came after she pushed it and guess it was gone but before she went to shower she tackled the toilet.
After a few minutes she got it down right and found that it would flush when she stood after she was done. But the shower was much easier. She pressed the soap button and when she did some yellow colored foam started to spill out of a hole just beneath it. She pulled away her hand and when she did it stopped coming out. She pressed it once more so she can get some and test it on her skin. It lathered on like any other soap as she was lucky that it didn’t hurt. When she started the cold water, she saw that the first 3 feet or so from the button wall didn’t get water and the rest did. But it splashed on the ground and onto her exposed skin, making her squeal from the cool feeling. She quickly added just the right amount of hot water and slid into the shower. When it hit her skin she noticed that it felt different. It was kind of…silky was the best word, but not slimy. She didn’t think that her water and their water would be made of the same elements but what was in it to make it feel like this?
She just shrugged it off and starts to lather herself with the yellow bubbles. The water drained to the middle of the shower in a weird picture of yellow and red. Nala first had trouble running her hands through her hair because of he dried blood but after it started to soak the water it became easier and soon it was clean. She didn’t want to use the yellow stuff in her hair because she didn’t know what it would do it, so she just used nothing. When she was done thoroughly cleaning herself, she just sat down and sighed. The felling of the water was wonderful but she made the mistake of holding up her hair to let the water fall on her neck. She instantly dropped her hair back down and seethed from the horrific pain. How was she going to deal with this when she got home? How would everyone around her deal with it? She must look so strange right now! Nala fingered her two marks on her cheek and thought of what people were going to say. But what will they say when they see her neck? She might be able to pass it off as a fire burn or something. She didn’t want to deal with this right now so she stands tall but for some reason she head started to pound again. She holds her head with her hands and moans in pain but it was too intense, she starts to wobble and shake but couldn’t hole onto anything to steady herself and she pitches back and falls backwards. Nala hits her head on the close wall and then collapses on the floor, out cold from the blow.
“How did you know?” Dhm'Ni asked Kaine after he showed him the size of Nalas foot with his hand. “How did you know that my father was going to keep her?” At first, when Kaine said that he couldn’t wait to make an Awu’asa for her, Dhm'Ni couldn’t believe it but now that he was right, he wanted to know.
“I didn’t think that Lord Khupiee would pass up having her in this clan.” Kaine answered back as he went for some building material. He would have to custom make everything and would personally do it for her. He wouldn’t want any other craftsman saying they outfitted an Ooman. He came back with a sheet of thick metal and some cutting shears. He would have to guess as to what her foot was shaped like but went off what a Yautja foot was. He cut out a proper shape and punched out three holes in front of each plate, one on either side and one in the middle. He then cut two pieces of leather rope and tied them to each shoe, making them into thong sandals. “Just be sure to bring her to me when she is ready. I want to personally take care of her. I have already done sketches of everything she would need. From her Awu’asa to her sleepwear…I can’t stop! I even made other designs for new pieces I was trying to build. Now go.” He says as he hands Dhm'Ni the sandals. “I have work to do and I need her here to measure her!” Dhm'Ni quickly dashed out of the K'daai and went for the lift. As he waited, he yawned and felt that his left mandible was still feeling weird. When he went back to Kh’Cho he would get him to look at it.
The doors open and Dhm'Ni sighs as he sees a small group of Young Bloods, with a few of them that were with him on his Chiva. He strides in the lift and calls from it to go to Kh’Cho. Some of the Yautja in the lift start to quietly laugh and look at one another to see who would be the first to ask about the Ooman. But just as Tai, a Young Blood who was with Dhm’Ni on their Chiva opened his mouth Dhm'Ni spoke first.
“Don’t.” He barked. But Tai wasn’t one to leave the subject.
“Some of the males were wondering, Dhm'Ni, if you asked for the Ooman to bunk with you. Am I safe to say that you didn’t?”
“As sure as Paya you are!” Dhm'Ni hisses and turns to face him. “My father put her with me, I did not request her! But I could recommend to him that you would move out of your quarters, so she could have her own space. But then again my father wouldn’t like her being alone.”
“Some males do find her worthy. Myself being one of them. What do you think her to taste like?” Just then the doors opened and Sya appeared behind them.
“I don’t know.” Dhm'Ni said smugly. “Ask Sya before you find out, he may want to know before you do.”
“Do what?” Say barks as he steps on the lift. He calls for the lift to take him to Kh’Chos as well, he wished to speak with Nala before she goes to Lord Khupiee.
“Tai wished to know what the Ooman tastes like!” One Young Blood in the back yells out. Sya growled at Tai, warning him to stay away from her unless he wanted his hide handed to him.
“I was just coming to see you, Dhm'Ni.” Sya said, changing his aim from a fearful Tai to Dhm'Ni. “Where is Nalani?”
“With Kh’Cho. She is cleaning before she sees father.”
“You left her alone, with Kh’Cho?”
“She was fine with him Sya. She didn’t do violence to him or anything. I too thought she would but she was fine. I left to get Kaine to make her shoes.” Dhm'Ni answers and lifts up the tiny pair of sandals into Syas view. Some of the Young Bloods start to laugh at the strange sight. They were smaller then some pup sandals.
Kh’Cho looked up as Sya and Dhm'Ni came in. He gave them a swift nod before he went back to work. He was readying the scanners and such for when he got to examine Nala. He was excited to get to work. He wanted to know about all the brakes and all the scars and how her body was healing so fast. He wants to know a lot of things but is going to have to wait until Nala is done her shower.
“Kh’Cho, I need you to look at my lower left.” Kh’Cho grabbed a hand held scanner and walked to Dhm'Ni. He knew that Dhm'Ni was talking about his mandibles and not his leg or something. Kh’Cho first does visual look and can already see some pretty bad bruises.
“She got you good!” Kh’Cho trills. He remembered that Nala hit him there and can see what came of it. “It’s not broken or sprained. All you can do it put numbing gel until the bruises go away in a few days. But as for your leg, did you at least disinfect it?” Dhm'Ni shook his head and said no and that he had another wound from her too. Kh’Cho looks at his back injury and scolds him for not doing a better job in healing it.
Sya had been walking around the room in boredom. He stepped up to the healing table and took hold of Dhm’Nis’ blade. He allowed those great memories of Dhm’Nis’ younger seasons when Sya was his teacher carry in from the sight of the knife. Sya had taught both Lord Khupiees children and silently thought that Det would not make it through his Chiva. While some Yautja would make up for a lack of natural skill in hunting with practice and fortitude, Det simply did only what was needed to get through. He placed the blade back down, turned around and leaned against the table.
“You said Nala is cleaning?” Sya asked.
“Yes, she is in the shower.”
“I did not think this DropShip had a full bathroom for you.”
“It doesn’t. No bath but a shower.” Kh’Cho left Dhm’Nis’ side and walked to his Med Panel. “I do wish for her to hurry, she has been in there since Dhm'Ni left.”
“Since I left?” Dhm'Ni barks. Kh’Cho simply nods as he looks over the scans of Dhm’Nis mandible. “That was over three quarters of an hour ago.” Now Sya was worried. She had been in there too long. He jumps from his resting spot and dashes into the bathroom.
“Nalani?” He calls out, but nothing. He could hear the shower still running and started for it. But as he rounded the corner he covered his eyes because he knew that Oomans are prudish and don’t like to be seen naked. “Nalani, why are to taking so long?” He asks nicely but still didn’t get an answer. In desperation he takes his hand away from his eyes and looks around, only to find her lying in the ground. He swiftly turns off the water and runs over to her. Sya knelled down and calls for her to wake up but she doesn’t move. He gently moves her head so she was facing him and shakes it a little to see if it would wake her but nothing worked. Sya then scoops her in his arms and darts off. When he got back into the main room Kh’Cho and Dhm’Ni instantly start moving. Kh’Cho moves to his Med Panel and retrieves his scanner while Dhm'Ni runs to the table and moves his blade and sets it on the edge on Kh’Chos Med Panel.
“What happened?” Kh’Cho barks as he runs to Nalas side.
“I entered and found her lying on the floor. I didn’t see any blood but the shower would have gotten rid of any. She wasn’t convulsing or anything like that.” Dhm'Ni had backed up as was looking at Nalas body. Sya said that she had many more stories on her that he didn’t see and he was right. He was predominantly staring at a bite mark on her buttock. The way Sya had placed her, her left leg was swung over the other and she had one hand over her chest. “Dhm'Ni, go get a towel from the bathroom.” He quickly rushes off and opens the linen closet in the bathroom but couldn’t find a towel anywhere. All he could see was Alsn. Dhm'Ni bent his knees and searched the lower shelves and found just what he was looking for.
When he came back in to the room Kh’Cho was examining the back of her head. Dhm'Ni asked why he was doing that and Kh’Cho said that the scanner showed broken blood vessels there and as he looked at it, he could tell that she hit it against something. Probably the wall of the shower.
“Could she have slipped?” Sya asked.
“Possibly, it’s not bleeding so it wasn’t too bad.” Dhm'Ni walked to the side of Sya and offered him the towel. Sya swiftly grabbed it and covered Nalas naked body. “We just need to wake her up.” Kh’Cho starts to gently smack Nalas cheek and stopped when she start to groan. “There we go. A little smack here and there never did any harm.” Kh’Cho thrills.
“What the hell man!” Nala grunts. She slowly sat up making the top of the towel fall from her breasts but she didn’t really care. She was more concerned about the pain on her face and the back of her head. Nala touches her sore face and groggily opens here eyes. To her right were Kh’Cho and to her left Dhm'Ni and one she didn’t think she’d ever seen before. But when she looked at his skin tone, she knew who it was. “Sya?” She had never seen his face before. He had his tusks at the end of mandibles engraved like Lord Khupiees but they were different, more intricate. His eyes were a dazzling brown with speck of black.
“Yes.” Sya smiled. “And just what happened to you?” He asks as he lifts the top of her towel back up. She thanks him and holds it up with her other hand.
“I don’t remember what happened…” Nala started. “I just remember washing with that weird yellow stuff and then…I was here. Fuck my head hurts.”
“I guess now is a good time as any to start.” Kh’Cho thrills.
“Start what?” Just then Kh’Cho turns around with a needle to take her blood. “Oh…That start, huh? Just what is it that you will be testing?” Nala asks.
“Everything.”
“Thanks for the information.” She responds sarcastically. Sya just bellows in laughter. Nala extended her arms for Kh’Cho and he sterilizes a spot on her arm then takes a blood sample. “So am I to sit hear naked for my time with you guys or can I get dressed?”
“We couldn’t save anything other then you pants and even those are covered in blood.”
“That’s alright. I have some tops in my backpack. Where is it anyways?”
“You were not wearing a pack of any kind when Dhm'Ni brought you here.” Kh’Cho tells her. Dhm'Ni, however, remembered her having it as he carried her on the ship. It must have fallen of between here and there.
“It’s on the ship somewhere.” Dhm'Ni says.
“Then go find it.” Sya orders.
“Why must I do things for her? Talk to her, get her shoes, now fetch her Pauk-de pack!” Sya walked away from Nala and was about to roar at Dhm'Ni for talking back to him but she started to yell at him.
“Stop talking like I’m not here Dhm'Ni. It’s rude! And YOU were the one who fucking carried me in here like a fucking rag doll so YOU should be the one to find it!”
“And just what are you going to do to make me little Ooman? Yell at me even more? That’s all you are good for, I don’t know what the hell my father is thinking!” Nala didn’t respond to him, she just lifted the towel over her face and then placed her hand over that to keep it from moving. Sya didn’t like where she was going and ducked behind Dhm'Ni. Without warning Nala started to thrash her head from side to side, whipping her hair to spray the water out and right into Dhm’Nis face. All Dhm'Ni could do was close his eyes, and cover his mouth with his mandibles. His body began to shake and shiver as his anger boiled and he closed his fists and started to breath heavily. If he didn’t leave now he was going to kill her. He felt like snapping back her head and tearing it off her body! But then his father would kill him in return.
When Nala was done, she uncovered her face to reveal a very happy smile. Dhm'Ni didn’t say a word and walks past her and out of the healers. But once outside he punches one of the walls and roars. Sya started to laugh again when he saw Nala, and heard Dhm'Ni.
“You like to play with him to much little one. Sooner or later he will not have the composure to just walk out of the room.” Nala just shrugged her shoulders, it wasn’t like she was going to be here for much longer, right?
“Let’s just get all these tests done so I can go home.” Sya and Kh’Cho give each other a quick glance.
“Do you truly wish to go home?” Sya asks.
“Of course. I have someone that needs to be punished.” Sya tilted his head and thrills in question. “There was an older man with me. And he kind of just left me on that island.” Sya stiffened and walked up closer to Nala and bent down until he was looking eye to eye with her.
“Was he a petite male with short hair and…piloting a plane thing?” Nala slowly nodded her head. “Well, you do not need to worry about him.”
“I don’t?” She asks.
“No. You remember that I was following you, along with Dhm'Ni right?”
“Yeah…”
“Well, when I witnessed that male abandon you I started to follow him and when he started to fly away from you I killed him.” Sya didn’t know what to expect from Nala. She was just staring into his eyes and hadn’t said anything yet.
“Did he suffer?” She finally gets out.
“Definitely.” Sya told her reluctantly.
“Good. Thank you.” She said with a big smile. “I probably would have made it much worse for him so he was lucky you got to him first.”
“Oh,” Sya barked in surprise. “And what would you have done to him?”
“I was leaning towards stripping off his skin but I also thought of stabbing him with really big knives so that he knew what it felt like when that Hard Meat killed Allen.”
“Allen…your mate.” Nala just nodded. “Remember him Nalani. Remember his sacrifice he made for you.”
“That guy who came in before offering me water told me to see that he died honorably.”
“Ah, that was Nder. And he was right.”
“OKAY!” Kh’Cho interrupted. “It’s my turn for questioning her.” Sya backs away from Nala and gives Kh’Cho room as he stepped to her. “Now, you are going to tell me just what is going on with your body. You don’t look like an Ooman on the inside. Your bones, granted all show signs of injury, have a much higher density then any. You survived a Hard Meat tail in the chest and shoulder, you can relatively breath our air and from what I had seen from the videos and from seeing the injury you caused Dhm'Ni I can tell that you have an abnormal amount of strength. Please tell me what is going on with you…”
“Wow, you got that all in one breath!” Nala teased. “Okay…My people discovered a way of splicing in new information into our genome, basically giving new orders. Strange that they figured out how to make the perfect soldier but never found the cure for cancer, eh?” After Nala told them everything else, like how it added more muscle fiber but no mass, Kh’Cho and Sya were silent. “Is there anything else you would like to know?”
“You have something on your brain.”
“WHAT?” Nala squealed a little alarmed with Kh’Chos statement.
“There is an electronic device at the base of your brain stem, what is it?” Kh’Cho explained.
“Oh, it’s my monitor.” Nala shifted on the table and shivered from being chilly.
“Are you cold?” Sya asks.
“Yeah, I just need something on my back.” With that Sya left to the bathroom and fetched another towel for her. Once back he wrapped it around her and she thanked him again. “The scientist who invented the enhancement used me as a willing guinea pug and when we first started, he put that there. But it doesn’t just watch my body it maintains it. Controlling the messages sent from the brain. Like…it tells my body not to grow any more hair but because the dead cells need somewhere to go my hair on my head grows like 5 inches every two weeks.”
“I did notice that you were…umm…” Sya didn’t want to make Nala uncomfortable by commenting on her body. But Nala really didn’t care.
“Bare.” Nala was confused about Syas words, it was like he was embarrassed or something. And she didn’t think that he would have noticed that she didn’t have any pubic hair. Why would he? “I didn’t think the Yautja were prudish. I mean, you guys just wear loincloths.”
“We are not. But Oomans tend to be.”
“Well I am not. I am an army brat Sya. Nudity doesn’t make me uncomfortable. My whole life I was exposed to naked people! Simple words won’t offend me.” She laughs.
“What else does it do?” Kh’Cho continued.
“Well, I don’t really know. It was only put in me about two months ago and the scientist and I didn’t really know what would come of it. I mean…I haven’t had my period since I got it!”
“A what?” Kh’Cho asks.
“Just an Ooman female thing. Don’t worry about it.” But Kh’Cho would need to know about it. Maybe not now but later. After she talks with Lord Khupiee and finds that she is now in this clan he would get all the information he would need. “But I really don’t know what else it does. I don’t even think it does more. But I am still getting used to the side effects of the new enhancement and the monitor”
“Well, I think I should complete my tests and then send you on your way.” Nala found it odd that Kh’Cho suddenly didn’t have anymore questions for her. Before he seemed so excited about asking her things but that couldn’t have been all. “Lay on you back and breathe normally. I am going to do a thorough scan of you body.” Nala complied and laid down with her hands behind her head. Sya walked with Kh’Cho behind the Med Panel and watched as a machine came from the wall. “Stay as still as possible.”
Nala took a quick glance down and saw a black box that looked like a two by four plank of wood coming towards her. Just as it reached the bottom on the table, a thin red scanning light line appeared and it slowly stared to travel up. Nala yawned as it leisurely made its way up her body. She hadn’t slept in a very long time. But because of how her body changed, she didn’t really know what it needed. She would stay awake for 2 or three days at a time without ever feeling tired and then all the sudden barely keep herself up from exhaustion. Her sleeping patters were way off, including a lot of other things too.
“All done.” Kh’Cho barked. He then grabs a couple of small packages that held individual fabric swabs as walks to Nala. Kh’Cho opened his mouth wide and opens one of the packages. Nala got the message and opened her mouth. He simply swiped the fabric along the inside of her mouth and that was it. He opened another one and pointed to his eyes. She didn’t know what he meant by that but when Kh’Cho took hold of her face and pulled down her bottom eyes lid she knew that he was just getting a sample. Nala had to blink her eye a few times to rewet it but soon it was just fine. “Now for the physical.”
“I beg you pardon! What physical?” Nala cried.
“A complete physical of course. I need to know if there is anything wrong with you before you go out and…” Kh’Cho paused because he had to think of the right thing to say. He couldn’t tell her that he didn’t want to be sick when she starts to live among those on the ship. “Speak with Lord Khupiee. If he falls from an Ooman sickness, that wouldn’t be very good.”
“All right.” Nala says disinclined. “But I had one just last month, I swear to you that I am fine.”
“I need to be sure of that. Your blood is being examined for anything but now I must do an internal exam.”
“Internal exam?” She repeats in a low tone. “Why would you need to exam me that much?”
“I need to be 100 percent sure that you are free of sickness and healthy. In all ways. But this ship has only males, so I do not have the correct table for you. We will have to make do.” Nala sighs halfheartedly and scotches down the table. Kh’Cho had gotten out a metal box that carried the examination tools he would need. All ships needed to have equipment to cater to each sex but Kh’Cho was worried if he could you them on her. Sya moved to the other end of the room to give her some privacy, even if she said she was comfortable, seeing all of her might be too much. But Nala started to laugh at seeing him move.
“’We are not. But Oomans tend to be.’” Nala repeated his words in a mocking tone. “Lighten up Sya. We are all grown ups here.” But as she was teasing Sya, she didn’t see Kh’Cho take out a cylindrical metal object that even she could have told him wouldn’t fit.
“Are you ready?” Kh’Cho said and Nala lifted and opened her legs. When Kh’Cho caught her scent he stepped back and closed his eyes to collect himself, it was… stimulating to say the least. He was thankful that the towel Nala had over her knees kept her from seeing him but Sya did. He swiftly made his way next to Nala and faked a cough to snap Kh’Cho out of it and to distract Nala until he was better.
“I really thought that all Oomans were straitlaced when it came to nudity.” Sya said as he looked down to Nala. She was about say something back when Kh’Cho started to insert the large round item.
“OW!” She screams. Kh’Cho instantly withdraws the item and apologizes.
“I am truly sorry. You have a very small vaginal vault.” He said bluntly.
“Um… Thank you?” She didn’t really know what to say to that.
“You see little one,” Sya inserted. “While our species may be very similar, we are still very different. Equipment is the same, but the dimensions aren’t.”
“Yeah, I can tell.” Nala says as she shifts a little. For a split second Nala wondered, if the females needed to be ‘big’ then that would mean the males were…big. But she made herself lose the thought. She shouldn’t be thinking about anything like that.
Syas eyes wide as he too smelt her, he shouldn’t have moved closer to her. He twists his head to Kh’Cho and tightly closes his mouth to keep the scent from staying with him. Kh’Cho gives him a look of ‘you see what I mean’ when he raised a single brow and tilted his head.
“We will make do.” Kh’Cho says to Nala. Sya looked back down to her and starts to make a weird face. He had a strange inkling that Lord Khupiees little rule about no mating might not hold up. The only reason the he and Kh’Cho could hold back their own arousal musk was because of their age. They could control it but as for the rest of the ship…that was a whole other thing.
“What do you even need from me?” Nala asks.
“I just need a few swabs to check if you have any illness. But from a visual aspect, I think you are just fine.” He answers back to her. Kh’Cho opens up a small package and from it takes a long wooden stick with fabric at the end. He just needed a sample from inside of her and that would be fine. He quickly inserts it and then places it into an air tight container. He makes a note to himself to burn it afterwards. He wouldn’t want to have her scent staying in the healers when other males come in. “All done.”
“All done as is ‘we are finished’ or all done as in ‘on to the next test’? Nala jests as she sits up. She makes as attempt to recover herself but she just couldn’t get it to go around so she hops of the table and wraps it around herself properly.
“All done as in ‘we are finished’.” Kh’Cho answers. Nala claps her hands in joy. She always hated going to the doctors. Se hops back onto the table but lets her legs dangle off the edge.
“Sya can I ask you a question?” She speaks out. Kh’Cho had gone behind his Med Panel to go to work, leaving them to talk.
“Sure.”
“Well, before you said that Dhm'Ni was young and that you were older but how old is Dhm’Ni?”
“In our seasons or your years?”
“Both.”
“Well…” Sya had to think for a minute. He would have to use Dhm’Nis age for when he went through his Chiva, which was 25 seasons for all Yautja. But in her years, he would have to remember what her years were. “He is only twenty-five to us but to you he is… sixty-two.” Nalas mouth drops and then she starts to do some math. So if their 25 equals my 62 then for every one season to them is…two and a half years for me. So I would multiply, no divide my age, 24, by 2.5 to get his seasons so I would be…
“I am only nine and a half seasons old!” Nala laughs hard. Sya didn’t want to correct her in saying that after being declared a Young Blood, like she has been, you restart counting your age from zero. So Dhm'Ni didn’t have a number to him and neither did Nala. But he would explain all his in her lessons. “Oh, that’s weird.”
“Not really. Considering all in all I am one hundred and six seasons old and therefore I would be two hundred and sixty five years old.” Nala had to hold onto the edge of the table to keep from falling over.
“Two hundred and sixty five years old… You geezer!” She jokes.
“Hey…I am not even the oldest on the ship!” Sya exclaims and they both laugh. Lord Khupiee was older then him but a few cycles. But the Elders of the clan are way, way older the either of them. Nala shivered once again. Her wet hair was keeping her cold and she couldn’t stand it any longer.
“Can you do a favor and cut my hair?” She asks Sya. It was grown all the way to the small of her back and it was so annoying.
“Why would you want to cut your hair?” He asks.
“It’s too long. I usually keep it shorter but I grew it out for a little while.” She didn’t want to say that she was growing it for her wedding. It was just too hard. “Just one quick slice and that’s it, please!” She begs. Sya nods and walks behind her. Nala combs her wet hair with her hands then bundles it and shows Sya right where to cut. He grunts as he remembers he wasn’t wearing his armor and didn’t have a blade. He looks around for Dhm’Nis knife and sees it on the Med Panel. He swiftly grabs it and goes back to Nala. With one swipe she cut her hair just at the bottom of her shoulder blades. With the cut hair in hand Sya walks to the bathroom and throws it in the incinerator. “Thank you.”
“Your welcome.” Sya says back as he walks back into the room.
Dhm'Ni couldn’t find the stupid pack anywhere. He looked everywhere he could think of. He’d done all but ask the servants if they took it and if they did, it was probably burnt. She would have to go one with out it until Kaine gives her cloths. But just when Dhm'Ni was about to tell the lift to take him to Kh’Chos he remembered that in the hunters bay he felt the pack. And then she went for his father and then he didn’t feel it.
“Hunters’ bay.” It took only a minute for Dhm'Ni to get to the deck that the hunters’ bay was on. When he exited the lift all of the Yautja in the halls quickly glance at him but then go back to what ever they were doing. They saw and smelt that Dhm’Ni was in one of his moods and didn’t want to talk with anyone. He made it into the bay without interruptions and there on the floor was her dammed pack.
Once back in the lift Dhm’Ni tried to calm himself but was doing a bad job. Every time he tried to think of something that would make him feel better he just kept hearing Nalas words in his head, ‘Stop talking like I’m not here Dhm'Ni. It’s rude! And YOU were the one who fucking carried me in here like a fucking rag doll so YOU should be the one to find it!’. He didn’t carry her like rag doll. He didn’t carry her like anything, he just carried her! She is so ungrateful. Look at everything he has done for her and everything his father is going to do for her and she is still rude. Then again she doesn’t know what’s going on but that still doesn’t give her reason to be so impolite. Right then and there Dhm’Ni decided that if she was rude and mean to him, he would be the same to her.
So when he entered the healers and Nala glared at him, he glared right back.
“It’s about time.” Sya jests. Dhm’Ni gave the small pack to him and then walked to a far end of the room, keeping as much distance from her as possible. But something was tugging at him, he wanted to know what was in the pack. And when Nala took it from Sya and started to take a few items out Dhm’Ni couldn’t hold back his curiosity and walked to the other side of the table where Nala was going through her bag. The first thing she took out was her music player. It was the size of a CD but it held digital music. It was that big because it had a giant speaker to play the music. The next thing she took out was her zip up sweater and she placed it to one side. She then took out a bundle of knifes, her med kit and a small bag that held her woman stuff. Lastly she grabbed her sports bra and left the rest in it. In there was her wallet that held pictures of her and Allen and a small book that she started to read on the way to the island.
Dhm’Ni picked up the small bag but growled when Nala ripped it from his hands. She didn’t want him looking in her private things so she handed him her music player.
“Play with this.” She said to him. Dhm’Ni eagerly took it and started to inspect it. A black fabric covered the player and Dhm’Ni was quick to open it and take the player out. “Hmm…That’s not mine. It’s Maurine’s.” Nalas player was white, this one was pink. She picks up her sports bra and finds it to be hers as well. It was a size small and Nala wouldn’t be able to fit in it. Add to that she didn’t have any underwear. “Well this is bunk. Guys, do you think I can use some of that Alsn. I don’t have any underwear and my girls need support.” Sya didn’t know what she meant at first but soon guided her back into the bath room to get some from the closet. She grabbed what she thought she would need and started out.
Dhm’Ni was pressing all the little button on the top of the player but nothing was happening, that is…until he pressed the big one in the middle.
‘And my heart with go on and oooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn’
It was hurting Dhm’Nis ears! Even more so then Nalas screams! He had to do something but he didn’t want to have to push those Pauk-de buttons so he simply smashed the small thing in his hand. Instantly Dhm’Ni looked down to the broken bits and pieces in his hand and then slowly raises his eyes to look at Nala. The look Dhm’Ni had in Nalas head was one of a child who just got caught sneaking cookies. But she didn’t mind that he destroyed it.
“It’s alright. That was Celine Dion, I would have done that same thing.” She says with a smile. Dhm’Ni loosened up because he really didn’t want her to be even angrier with him. “You said you still had my pants, right Kh’Cho?” He nods and grabs them from a shelf. Nala opened the folded pants and sees that they are stained beyond help and that she should just cut them off at the pocket. “You still got Dhm’Nis’ knife, Sya?” Sya quickly hands it to her, wondering what she was doing. Nala lays the pants onto the table and flattens them out. She starts to cut them one leg at a time and as she did so some of her newly cut hair falls from her back.
“You cut your hair!” Dhm’Ni barks but Nala just looks up for a second then goes back to cutting. Once she had each leg done she sets them aside to be thrown away when she was done dressing. Nala unrolls the Alsn and takes off her towel. Dhm’Ni inadvertently flicked his eyes up from pocking the innards of the player and stares at her naked breasts. They weren’t like their females. Hers were giggly. Soon though Nala wrapped then tightly with the Alsn and even wrapped a few inches down her stomach for more support. She quickly made a set of underwear then slipped on her shorts. Nala knew that the zip up sweater was hers because she was wearing it just before they were dropped. The warmth she got with the sweater was excellent. She sighs as she places everything, except for the player, back into her pack and starts to gather the little parts of the player from the table and puts them on the cut legs of her pants.
“The player can go to the incinerator right?” Nala asks and gets a ‘yes’ from Sya. She picks up the bundle of pants and metal and holds it out for Dhm’Ni to places the rest of the player in, which he does hesitantly. He was having fun looking at the little pieces. She turns and walks into the bathroom, careful not to spill over any parts.
“I saw that.” Sya says in a whisper. He saw Dhm’Ni look at Nalas breasts and thought it was funny.
“I was just looking. They are different from our females.” Dhm’Ni answers back in defense. But Sya just grunts.
“Where to now?” Nala asks as she walked to the side of Sya.
“Now you go to speak with Lord Khupiee.”
“Ah yes…” Nala crosses her arms and heads for the door but quickly stops. “I need my shoes…I’ve got shoes right?” Dhm’Ni then picks up the sandals from the ground and throws then at her feet. “Watch it Dhm’Ni!” She yelps. They were made of metal and it wouldn’t have been a pretty sight if they hit her feet. “So…Am I to find where ever it is I am supposed to go or do I have a guide?” Nala teases.
Both Dhm’Ni and Sya will take her to the conference room so together they led her to the lift. It didn’t take more then a minute or it to come and Sya told it to go to deck 1, where the Bridge and conference room were. But on the way the lift stopped and opened to a group of about three Yautja. Nala didn’t like this and backed up a little until she was right up against Sya. The three just stared at Nala, not really sure of what to make of her.
“Hi.” She says allowed and one of the Yautja actually says ‘hi’ back but they didn’t go in because Sya held up his hand and shook his head to them, telling them to wait for the next one. And as the door close Nala was quick to say ‘bye’. “That was surprising. I really don’t like the way that all of you guys look at me.”
“Don’t worry. Soon it will be OK.” Sya said to reassure her. He even placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. And it did, she even moved back to her original spot. A few moments later the door opened, but something was wrong. Instead of Nala backing into Sya, he swiftly pulled her to him as a very large group of Yautja was huddled by the door.
“I told you they would bring her here!” Someone in the back yelled.
“Close doors.” Sya barked and then they swiftly shut.
“What was that about?” Nala questions.
“They are simply inquisitive about you, nothing more.” Sya answers.
“Where do we take her now?” Dhm’Ni spoke. The conference hall was blocked.
“I can only think of The Ka’rik’na Hall, we know that no one else is on the deck.”
“I guess so.” Dhm’Ni sighs. “One of us will need to use the COM in Kh’Chos to tell him to go there instead of the conference room.” Nala wasn’t really listening. She was a little shaken up by the big group of Yautja. Why would they want to know about her? She was just here for a little while. Why they should care? Sya did notice that she was still worried from before and allowed her to stay close to him. He didn’t really mind, this way he could protect her. Even if it was just on the lift.
“I will COM him, he will be less angry with me for the location change.”
The doors opened again and Dhm’Ni silently led her to the Hall while Sya went to COM his father. Nala didn’t like the silence between her and Dhm’Ni. Maybe he thought she was actually mad at him for breaking the player?
“Dhm’Ni, I really didn’t care that you broke the player, I’m not angry with you.” She says calmly.
“I don’t care about your stupid player.” Dhm’Ni barked back. They made it to the door to The Ka’rik’na Hall and Dhm’Ni pushed in the password on the panel.
“Then why the hell are you so quiet?” Nala yells but when her question was echoed back to her, she didn’t care for an answer. Her eyes fell back onto the five level pyramid with the four long piece of fabric and the chair. It was still as beautiful as the first time she saw it. She would have never been able to tell that not to long ago it was packed with almost everyone soul on the ship.
“You will wait here.” Dhm’Ni orders coldly, and moves over to the side of the door to wait for Sya. About 5 minutes later he walked through the door and says Lord Khupiee should be here in a little bit. He was going to deal with all the Yautja that crowded around the conference room. Now with time to waste, Nala decides that she needs to sit down so she walks to the other side of the pyramid and lays on the ramp. Dhm’Ni and Say follow her and Dhm’Ni was mad that she would walk in the ramp again.
“You should not sit there!” He barks but Nala just flips him the bird. “What does that mean?”
“It means ‘fuck you’.” She tells him. Dhm’Ni roars but Sya tells him to calm down and he too goes and sits next to Nala. For a while there was just silence, any annoying silence. So to kill the invisible cloud of tension, Nala starts to whistle. She was choosing which song for a while but soon fell on the theme to ‘The Godfather”. She thought it was befitting. Dhm’Ni listened to the odd sound and actually considered it pleasant. He had never heard anyone whistle like that before. Sya also found it odd but pleasing.
After she was done, she put her hands behind her head and yawned.
“I think I am going to fall asleep.” She said and closed her eyes.
“You mustn’t fall asleep Nalani. He will be here soon.” Ten minutes later Lord Khupiee finally strolled in. He had more then a few people to punish for interfering with him talking with Nalani. The three stand tall and Lord Khupiee walks to them. He nods to Sya and Dhm’Ni who both start to walk away. Nala didn’t want Sya to go. But all she could do was watch his back as he left.
“You know…It is rude to keep a guest waiting.” Nala says calming to Lord Khupiee as he walks past her and up the ramp to his chair.
“True.” He says as he sits down into his chair that he turned to face her. “If one were a guest.”
“…”
Pronunciations (Previous on chapters 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11 & 12.)
Tai Tie