Hello! I am sure you all are surprised by such a quick follow-up to the chapter I posted yesterday. I had half of this chapter finished and decided to complete it since I had a break during work. Maybe this makes up for the long hiatus that occurred between the 5th and 6th chapters?

We have A'chide's point of view today AND interaction between A'chide and a new vocally implanted Camilla! I am just dropping loads of goodness today.

Read & Review!

They had landed on the training base several hours after departing the home planet.

A'chide remained in his room, preferring to eat alone rather than suffer through the chaos of the mess hall. He would be forced to dine with the others during the duration of their training, so for the moment he would savor the privacy. The simple meal laid out for him was a luxury compared to what would consist of meals in the future. The room he had been given was spacious, but plain; the furlough was only for several days to fully stock the training ship. He would gladly enjoy the comforts the training base offered.

Across the room, on a pallet, Camilla slumbered. Every now and then, the Ooman would whisper something in her sleep, turning over to find a new position. The Yautja observed her while he chewed. Her heart rate had finally slowed. She had fought fearlessly before the implantation. To be quite honest, he had never seen her in such a state. It made him wonder what else she was capable of. Though he was loath to admit it, Gur'rung had been correct in saying that it was best for Camilla to receive the implant. However, the look of betrayal that had flashed across the woman's face before the sedative had been administered.

There would be more moments like this, no doubt.

He probably should have discussed the implant with his charge first. It was difficult now that they were surrounded by others. There needed to be a way to balance his perceived authority with the respect he normally afforded Camilla. A part of him wondered if it had been wrong of him to bring her along. She would only complicate the hunt. His first priority would be protecting and training in the unblooded. Having Camilla along on their journey would tear his focus away. Then, A'chide thought of the handful of other Oomans that would be accompanying them. There were the medics' assistants; perhaps, his Ooman could find camaraderie with them. Rarely were there casualties during training, but Camilla had no prior experience with a hunt. She could not possibly know what to expect.

The implant would give her an advantage.

He finished his meal before setting aside a helping for his charge. As he cleared away his plates, he caught the woman stirring on her pallet. She sat up groggily rubbing her face. The mass of thin Ooman fur was matted to her head and her cheeks were bright pink. A'chide remained silent as the woman warily noted her surroundings; her gaze avoiding his. Her hand went suddenly to the back of her neck and she let out a discontented groan. That was probably the implant; the soreness would ebb within the next day, or two. He forgot how sensitive Oomans were to pain.

Camilla stood, her legs wobbling like a shaky pup. Her brows were creased in an expression he had grown to know as anger. Moving slowly towards the table, his charge was growling in her odd manner, muttering decidedly under her breath. She finally directed her attention to him, "What was that? What did you do to me?"

A thrill came out of him, his way of laughing. He couldn't help it. The Ooman had spoken like a Yautja. Her words had come out in the complicated clicks and shrills that the Yautja used for communication; however, her speech was a highly simplified version. The implant rearranged vocal cues, mixing sounds native to the Ooman tongue into understable Yautja speech. No longer would Camilla rely on that utility band for understanding. The implant was much better than that trash, more efficient. In a hunt, equipment was easily expandable. He didn't need the Ooman stranded with no modes for communication. She would also be able to hold herself around the unblooded. They were an excitable breed; he didn't need Camilla falling into any precarious positions.

The woman continued barking, "What did you do to me? I would've have said yes to whatever procedure that was, you did not need to force me down on the table like some animal! Why didn't you ask-"

She stopped mid-tirade, realizing how she sounded. A'chide continued to thrill as the woman's hands came to her throat and mouth. She seemed to be studying herself, touching her lips. It probably felt foreign, the Yautja language on her pallet. Her eyes widened and she shot him a glare.

"Why didn't you ask me?"

"I do not need your permission, Camilla," he spoke in amusement.

The girl seemed to stumble in place, knocked back by her understanding of the Yautja in front of her. He went over to her, rounding the table. She took several wary steps back, clinging to a chair. A'chide could smell her fear. He motioned for her to turn around. He needed to make sure the implant had taken to her skin; there were times when the body rejected the foreign object.

Camilla refused, her back pressed up against the chair, her mouth pulling at a snarl. A'chide chuffed, "Turn around."

"No," she responded in a hiss.

There had been times, when she had been a petulant pup, that she would disobey in this manner. He remembered her running away and hiding, slamming things to emphasize her point whenever she disagreed with him. A'chide understood her reason to be angry, but her health was a priority. His trophy would not die because of a failed implantation.

The Yautja came forward, invading the woman's space.

"Your implant may be infected. Turn around."

For a moment, he thought she would hold her ground; but, she deflated at his tone. The Ooman, for the most part, was loyal and well-trained. These bouts of self-assuredness were something that he enjoyed. She was decidedly more Y/autja whenever she was stubborn. Her fatigue was evident in the dark circles around her eyes and her sluggish movement. Rest would be mandatory for the few days they remained on the base.

Slowly, Camilla presented her neck. The implant was at the base of her neck near the conjunction where the spine and skull met. It was a faint silver chip that blinked red every other minute. There was a tracker attached to the chip, so A'chide would be able to find Camilla if they were separated. It was the same type of technology used to track prey on the hunt. However, the translator had been developed for Oomans living on the Yautja planet. The skin surrounding the implant was red, but there was no signs of swelling. He would monitor it to make sure it remained clean.

"Is it okay?" she huffed.

He grunted and let her move towards the food he had saved for her. Cautiously, she picked up the scraps. The female was watching him as if he would attack her all of a sudden. She began to eat as he studied some figures on a tablet. There were endless columns of numbers involving stock for the training vessel and the amount of prey available on the planet where they would conduct the training. It was post-breeding season for the Xenomorphs. They would be in abundance with the queen finishing her reproductive cycle. There would be plenty of prey for the unblooded to practice with. Yet, even as newborns, the Xenomorphs were deadly. Double the Xenomorphs meant double the chance for something to go awry.

They were joined a moment later by Gur'rung. The younger Yautja nodded at A'chide as he entered the living space. He caught sight of Camilla at the table and chuffed, "The little pet is awake. Are her claws still out?"

Camilla shot the other Yautja a look, "I can understand what you are saying."

"Then you will know in the future to remain quiet when others are speaking," Gu'rung added, a menacing tone to his words. A'chide knew his second-in-command did not like Oomans. He had been present, a newly blooded warrior back then, when Camilla had come into A'chide's life. The Ooman seemed to have an equal dislike for his second-in-command. This would be entertaining.

The female went to object, but A'chide cut her off, "Camilla, you will remain here while Gu'rung and I go to speak to the unblooded. Rest, you will need it for the hunt."

His trophy grumbled, but remained silent and chose to focus on her meal.