The two weapons clashed loudly against each other.
Riah locked eyes with the worthy opponent.
Both females had taken a beating. Her pants had been split open just above the left knee and blood continued to flow freely from Riah's leg and another cut continued to bleed on the outside of the right wrist.
Aerra was not without injury. Riah had managed to land a soft blow to the Twi'lek's cheek and made a strike on her stomach and again on her upper left arm.
Although both females had learned long ago that they were evenly matched it never stopped either one from testing the other.
Sweat dripped down the back of Riah's neck and she continued to breathe hard and saw Aerra doing the same.
Riah held the weapon in a ready stance, saw Aerra twirl the coyn'skar then hold it steady in a defensive pose, ready for Riah to attack.
Staring down her opponent, Riah took a deep, slow breath and stood up straight, bowing her head to Aerra.
Recognizing the gesture, the tough opponent also nodded her head and stood up.
What Riah did was not quitting, both her and Aerra could continue for hours until neither could lift their coyn'skar.
It was more like…calling it a tie.
Both of them had duties to attend to instead of burning up time in the sparring arenas.
After replacing the weapons back on the rack, the two females nodded their good-byes and went separate ways.
When Riah returned to her small quarters she disposed of her ripped clothes and then used the refresher to clean up. She got out and dressed quickly, settling on a simple form-fitting pair of black pants and a similar long sleeved shirt then finished the outfit with a pair of high combat boots.
They were one of her favorite possessions. The boots were useful in any type of climate or weather and also left a nice imprint on someone's face after she kicked it or was forced to apply necessary pressure.
Finally she braided her long hair into an intricate bun and pinned it tight at the back of her head.
Checking her appearance in the room's mirror Riah made sure her appearance was profession and she looked her part.
"Door lock," said Riah, after walking out of the room for the second time that day.
As Riah made her way down the dormitory corridor she thought back on the first day at the Facility.
A small dust storm lifted off the ground as the transport ship neared the planet's surface.
Riah had no idea what planet the ship was setting down on. The pilot hadn't said a single word along with everyone else on the ship. Also on board was another human, a near human with feline eyes, and a Chiss with its blue skin and eerie eyes, and a small cream colored Twi'lek that Riah would come to know well.
The ship landed smoothly and the ramp lowered to reveal a feline-looking creature. If memory served her correctly, the species was Cathar.
She was dressed simply in a sleeveless blue dress that grazed the ground as the wind blew. Her mane had been shaved at the sides and the rest combed back away from her face.
On her face was a solemn expression and her ears perked up every few seconds with the changing winds, as if she were listening for something.
"Follow me," she said suddenly. "Now."
Then she turned and walked away.
Riah practically jumped up and followed while a few of the ship's other passengers cast confused looks at each other.
The Twi'lek girl exited next and the rest followed suit.
The environment was nothing like Riah had experienced before.
After spending her life on Coruscant, tall buildings and underworld wastelands were only what she knew. Seeing all the trees, plants, and even some wildland was a complete shock.
The planet was beautiful, almost like something out of a dream.
Though the area around the transport ship had been totally cleared away, the colorful plants and forest seemed to be encouraging in on the small space. Vibrant colors seemed to jump out of this place. Coruscant had been repeating shades of dull metallic. Over time the buildings blended together like a blur. On this planet everything had its own color, each with a new sense of life.
There was no time to pull everything into her senses and examine it. Riah turned ahead to find her guide far ahead, about to enter the forest.
Looking back, she saw the rest of the group awkwardly gawking at everything.
Riah quickened her pace to catch up with the guide. A small, almost undetectable path had been barely worn into the ground starting at the tree line. Anyone who didn't know it was there would have missed the path completely.
Just as Riah was about to set foot in the forest some beast roared long and loud.
Not being able to stop it, she jumped. Turning around, she noticed that the Twi'lek girl's eyes were wide, probably a mirror of her own. The Twi'lek just shrugged.
Turning her attention back to the guide, Riah saw that the feline woman was almost out of sight. She ran to catch up with her and heard different sets of footsteps quicken as the other kids did the same.
The group went about three kilometers into the forest, passing all different species of plant though the guide never turned around once to talk about any of them.
Silent treatment didn't sit well with Riah. Not having details or being told what was going on made nervousness and suspicion creep into her consciousness.
Finally, after what seemed like hours the guide suddenly stopped walking.
Then she turned left and started walking deeper into the forest. Riah was forced to keep her hands up the whole time to stop branches and the different fungus from hitting her in the face. It was near to impossible with the thick vegetation.
A short while later the trees opened up to a small clearing. The Catharian woman continued to walk.
Riah stepped to the side to see what was ahead and saw a small building. It barely appeared big enough to hold most simple living essentials.
Who was in there? Riah wondered.
The guide walked right up to it.
The small building was constructed out of some sort of reinforced steel, like the Coruscant high rise buildings but looked to be thicker.
This planet just continued to get more strange.
Just a few feet before a massive door, the Catharian stopped walking and held still.
Riah and the others did the same.
The guide turned around to face the kids.
"If you do not wish to go any further you may turn back to the transport," said the Catharian, then added, "if you can find your way back."
It wasn't a joke and she did not crack a smile. It was obvious the Catharian wouldn't be holding anyone's hand and leading them back to the ship.
When Riah heard no one behind her make a move the woman said, "Good," and turned around.
A few seconds later the massive black doors slid open, revealing a walkway that led below ground.
The woman didn't hesitate as she walked down the steps.
The five street kids followed, but at a cautious pace. None of them knew what was coming next.
Riah was shocked when she saw where the walkway led to, and shocked barely described it.
It was hard to keep her mouth from dropping as she took in the sight before her.
As Riah reached the bottom of the stairs and found herself met with a giant opening.
The floors were made out of ferroncrete, thick and durable. Riah had seen it on a few of the more popular walkways on Coruscant.
What was the most surprising were the walls. By Riah's best judgement they were made of Mandalorian iron, the strongest material in the known galaxy. It was extremely rare and even more expensive. These people either had the money, or killed the right people to get it.
Only once before had Riah seen Mandalorian iron. At eleven standard years old she had snuck into the Senate building and saw a demonstration of the iron presented to the Senators of the wealthiest planets. It had easily stopped blaster fire and astounded everyone who was watching.
Riah wondered why this place would need it.
"Pay attention," the guide commanded suddenly.
All of the kids turned to face her, though still distracted by the new surroundings.
The Catharian had small objects in her hand, where they came from was a mystery. Then she threw one at each of the children.
The other human and the Chiss both dropped theirs. Riah caught the small object with ease, practiced reflexes from surviving on the Coruscant streets.
"Point it at the wall and push the bottom. It will project the location of your temporary room. If you don't find it you will be processed out," said the guide.
With that she walked away from the small group, leaving them scared and confused.
Riah looked at each of the kids. They were just like her though some were younger some older they all wanted the same thing: a better life.
Then Riah broke away from the group, towards one of the sections of wall.
Whatever was ahead of her, Riah was ready and waiting for it.
The others followed her example.
The only one Riah would ever see again was the Twi'lek, Aerra.
Now, six years later, here she was.
Thousands of hours had been dedicated to her training.
It was evident from the very beginning that what they taught her was a rare trade that few would ever be able to grasp.
Every instructor had taught her well.
They had all taught her how to kill.
Over the years Riah had been molded into a weapon: cold, hard, and precise.
The naïve, scared street kid had been stripped away and replaced with a weapon that could eliminate a target from a kilometer's distance or be only a breath away.
She had become one of the best at what she did, able to stand out or blend in, all the while still remaining unknown.
Assignments had ranged from dozens at a time to only one. Each had been completed with success. The faces of those that had died by her hand had faded away with time. It was all just a job now.
In her reminiscing Riah had made her way to the Assignment Room where she had gone many time before, just like the others in her profession.
It was nothing special, the double set of doors appeared as if they belonged to a utility closet rather than anything else.
Riah stood patiently before them, knowing that dozens of scanners within the doors were performing their functions, making sure that the person standing before the microscopic cameras was who she truly appeared to be.
Seconds passed and then the doors slid open, having completed the job.