Grace of An Elder

Chapter 58

"Sir, Doctor Ronaldi is on site!"

"Keep it controlled, don't let it take any more lives." The one in a suit paced just a few feet away. "Use more sedatives." Another dart pierced O'kaor's hide and forced a thick liquid into his bloodstream. His muscles felt as if flames were overtaking him. His threatening roars and growls seemed to fall onto deaf ears up to this point. Another dart, and he could force his eyelids open no longer.

O'kaor wasn't sure how much time had passed, but a new voice filled the room. This voice was different. It held a strange sense of calm in its tone. He could feel a small warmth on his skin near the spikes on his chest; warm air gently wafted over him as the voice spoke. The heat was somewhat relaxing as his body felt uncomfortably chilled without his armor or thermal netting. The only thing left protecting him from the brisk environment seemed to be his bio-mask.

"You sedated it?" The new voice asked. The one in the suit answered the newcomer shortly after.

"Yes, but it took four times the normal dosage, and that's after being hit with the tranquilizer darts. It's been under for about seventy two minutes."

"Where was it found?"

"It's ship crashed in the woods just outside the city." The one in the suit was really beginning to grate on O'kaor's nerves. Just the sound of his voice was enough to infuriate the male. "That explains the gashes in its abdomen and bicep..." The annoying one hummed in agreement as the newcomer dropped something gently to the floor. "James, hand me a bloodkit and disinfectant." A few seconds passed and the warmth moved from near his head and neck to his abdominal area as the newcomer moved around him. "Specimen appears to be male...approximately seven feet and three inches in height, and the industrial scale shows three hundred-forty pounds in weight. Specimen appears to have excessive muscle mass, humanoid build with thick, leathery hide much like that of a reptile. It's skin is a cream color with dark brown freckle-like spots covering various areas of its body: chest, biceps, flanks, thighs..." Another heavy pause. "Specimen is dressed in a metal breastplate that spans to cover its left shoulder, as well as a metal loin cloth, boots, and what appears to be some kind of mask." The warmth was near his feet now. "Specimen has four fingers and an opposable thumb on each hand as a human, but with black claws instead of fingernails. Subject only has four toes on each foot, and again we see claws instead of nails."

"Are you able to remove the mask, Miss Ronaldi?" There was that irritating voice again. O'kaor could feel a light tugging sensation as something pulled at the cords of his bio-mask before giving a slight twist which released a burst of air with a sharp hiss. "Brielle..!" The cord hung freely before another twisting sensation nagged at the edge of his face and the second cord was released as well. A moment later, two small, warm hands were careful to remove the silver mask, and a moment later a heavy clank echoed through the room as the device was placed somewhere to the side. How dare these squishy creatures have the gall to touch him let alone his equipment! He couldn't wait to get his hands on the fool who would be so idiotic!

"The subject seems to have a small mouth with two rows of sharp teeth, with four tusk-like mandibles covering it from the innermost portion of the cheeks...it does not appear to have a nose or gills, so it would be reasonable to assume the subject is a mouth breather." A strange snorting noise filled the room now before promptly falling away. "The subject does not appear to have any form of body hair, although it does have long, black tendril-like appendages protruding from its skull that are decorated with silver beads much like dreadlocks would be. The subject also has numerous small, dull spikes that seem to grow from its face near the temple and outer cheek bone. Specimen's eye sockets seem to be dark and sunken in, and the color of the iris seems to be..." the warm hands gently pulled O'kaor's eyelids open, and he was shocked to be looking into Dhadtoudi's grey eyes. The Ooman female visibly jumped at the sudden stare down.

"What are you doing here, soft meat?!" She didn't respond to the angry remark, but instead turned her focus to one of the other squishies.

"Subject's iris appears to be a golden amber color on each side. James, hand me the disenfectant, bloodkit, and grab a bottle of morphine."

"Miss Ronaldi, what is the purpose of the morphine?" The suit squishy would be skinned the moment O'kaor was free of these shackles; he swore it.

"Mr. Brooks, I intend to stitch the subject's wounds as well as draw it's blood for the tests required by the association. And taking into consideration that all of the tranquilizers already used are only keeping it in a state of paralysis and not unconscious, given its size I would much prefer to keep the subject comfortable through the process to avoid irritating it further." The one known as Brooks seemed to remember his place among the female and didn't question her methods further. At least these short-lived beings had some sort of common sense. On O'kaor's planet, to argue with a female was to wish death upon yourself. They were typically smaller and leaner than males, but they were just as ferocious and twice as temperamental.

It was then that they decided to refer to the Yautja as "Project Ghost" due to the effect of his cloaking shield, and O'kaor was thoroughly disappointed with their lack of creativity. He began to block out everything that they said, but his thoughts kept wandering back to how and why Dhadtoudi would be on this planet, let alone living and working alongside the very creatures that she claimed to hate so intensely.