Shada D'ukal faced her opponents. Two Twileks stood twenty feet from her at the end of the dark alley, their wary yet confident forms silhouetted by dim lights from windows and a red lamp. Coruscant's energy needs were great and this subterranean corridor with it's high ceiling was not a priority. Another light flickered on and now she could see the visages of the two beings who had decided to abscond with her purse, a purse that contained a datachip that contained enough secret data on the Republic's weaponry that could cause any enemy to win hands down.
As the two Twileks whispered to each other Shada scrutinized the surroundings instinctively and out of training and a deep knowledge of things. Since she was a young child, she had been trained to fight, the very cells of her body continually put through those motions. But fighting did not just involve jousting and parrying. It was about everything in life. She knew that there were only two Twileks in the area, that they were in good health though the older had a slight injury in her ankle from the way she danced. She knew that the tight dresses they wore would constrict their movements as they turned to their left sides, the material having a tendency to bunch and draw from design. She knew as well that their shoes were ordinary but that the straps would not break for the material was from a good source and the threading was well done. She also knew that their purses would make good shields for those purses were state-of-the-art weapons that had been bought in specialized stores only mercenaries patronized. And because they had those purses there was a good chance these two Twileks were bodyguards of some kind if not assets which raised even more questions such as whether or not those purses had danger-sensing devices within them that would call for help or chemical weapons. Apart from the purses there were no other signs of weapons on the persons of these lithe and scantily-clad creatures nor were there any signs of communication devices but stuff could be hidden in the heels of shoes or in hair accessories. And because the purses were alike there was no way of knowing which contained her datachip. She would have to abscond with both of them.
She could have speculated on many more details of those Twileks lives but instead chose to scrutinize the alley. In doing so her extensive training in materials shaped her thoughts. Talon Karde still had no idea why, when she went shopping with him, she was continually feeling, pulling, pounding, bending and in general testing material and/or looking at the list of ingredients or materials in an item. She would innocently look at him and say, "It's just habit," or "I want the best deal." He would reprimand her and tell her he knew how to bargain. She would smile sweetly and then more discreetly continue to feel and touch product. Every once in a while she would end up ripping a piece of clothing or breaking an item and then she to get Talon to pay for the item would have to make nice to the point where Talon would be very confused as to whether or not she was madly in love with him.
On her right was a garbage dumpster seemingly empty that could be used as a resting place for the Twileks or as a jumping point for flips and somersaults. It was made of unbreakable scrap metal but would make a loud noise if smacked. Next to it was a drain pipe of composite clay mixed with glass fibers which could be smashed, the resulting pieces being sharp and pointed. Near the drain pipe but behind the wall of the building would most likely be water, gas and electrical lines which would use the same avenues. A grate over a window was next on her list. That grate might be removable and useful for snagging a shoe. A box and other soft debris followed and then there was a wheel from a ground transport of some kind, the wheel being pneumatic. Behind the Twileks were two posts which had once held up a sign and which were solidly embedded in the floor of the alley. At the base of the one post was a dark grey jacket and scarf of material, probably synthetic based that could be used for strangling purposes. Behind the posts was an old cart with new articles of clothing and plastic in it left by someone who lived on the street. It wasn't necessarily the cart that was important; it was the street being who owned the cart who was likely also nearby; many of whom were deadly if aroused. On the left side of the cart was a roll-up door that would make lots of noise if hit and behind which were possibly vehicles. Next to the roll-up door was an alcove that would be good as a hiding place. In the corner of the alley was another roll-up door and a lamp. But this specific lamp whose light was infrared was no ordinary lamp emitting a dim red light. It was a recording device for the area directly below the lamp indicating a hidden door in the wall. It hung from a building of durasteel which again indicated that it was special in some way. Next to this building was another building with big windows which were dark. Around the base of each window was much moss - the building was a spa that had humidity. The mold was greater at the ends nearest to her possibly indicating a downward slope. It had an inset door as well which had no handle on the outside or apparent buzzer so one pounded on it to get attention. As her eye followed its course to the area just on her left she was delighted to see on the ground pieces of metal from a broken-down cart that could easily be used as projectiles or for stabbing. Small garbage containers covered the area against the wall so there were probably rodents nearby. She took all of this in and absorbed and retained it within a split second. She did it out of habit. She did it because she was trained to do so. She did it out of survival.
The Twileks who had casually walked ahead of her sensed they were being cornered and looked at her trying to figure out what to do. Why was this woman after them? It could be many things. They had just been in close to ten different cantinas/nightclubs. They had stolen something from each establishment because stealing was what they did. The woman facing them was, for all intents and purposes, an amateur - and really drunk for the alcohol reeked from the being. Still, they knew that they couldn't assume anything. They had nothing on them that could be traced to their mercenary owner, a mafioso of great power, so this slattern was most likely after something they had stolen. The older of the two suddenly flicked a credit coin out to the hussy. The woman caught it adeptly.
Shada cursed! Gone was her cover of being an inebriated lush. She jumped high as a clay shard targeted her midriff. The Twileks came at her as a coordinated team. As she landed she found herself engaging in furious hand-to-hand combat. But muscle memory is strong and years of Twilek dance training emerged from her. The only thing missing was the music. Twilek martial arts imitated Twilek dance and within a couple of minutes of sparring she began to understand the limitations of her opponents. Nevertheless she continued with purposeful clumsiness to engage the two until she was sure that they had never been trained in Clamatica, a martial art that was mandatory to membership in the IGPG (Intergalactic Guard and Protection Guild). Once that was deduced she continued further to ascertain that they had no training either in Hishin or Shombatca. She finally was able to send the younger of the two toward one of the posts. The woman bounced off the reverberating pole and smashed into her older friend whom Shada had successfully also sent her way. Now Shada had both purses and decided to make a dramatic exit. She ran toward the dumpster, bounced up the side of it and did a spectacular somersault back over the Twileks. But the older Twilek turned to the younger who automatically offered cupped hands. Placing a practiced foot on the extended appendages, the older with a push from the younger flung herself into the air barely missing Shada's form. With a graceful flip she somersaulted herself back to the ground and her companion who was supposed to support her fall.
Her companion was on the ground. She landed and rolled away awkwardly, her lekku working hard to stabilize her. As she rose to her feet her heart sank. Kneeling next to her sister was a man who was dissecting one of her lekku while she tried to scream. It was clear that the younger Twilek was paralyzed while at the same time feeling something of pain. Her eyes were wide with fear as the man started to cut out flesh. As the man looked her way, the older Twilek rushed him. The man did something unexpected. He spit at her. The older Twilek collapsed in pain and then began entering death throes. The man then returned to his operation.
Shada knew she was not looking at an ordinary situation. This man was too cool, too collected, too evil to dismiss - and strong. If this man could so easily eviscerate a Twilek that was still alive, what else could this man do? And if his saliva was that potent, what could she do?
Nothing! So she turned to go. She was not a moral human being, a right or wrong type of woman. She made a living off of defending smugglers. Her only moral choice was to do her job or not do her job, whatever that might entail at any given moment. These Twileks were nothing to her. She had never been trained in ethics, only in survival of the fittest.
She walked quietly away but a noise from behind her caused her to turn. It was only a grunt from the man. Her anger burned though at the sight she saw. One leku was now fully cut open. The Twilek was screaming silently. "Who would do such a thing?" Shada asked herself. It was an unwritten law among the sentients of the galaxy that you only did what you needed to do to win a fight. You didn't go beyond that. Was this man, this creature not aware of that? Was he from outside of the galaxy? The Twilek was facing her, crying out to her for help.
Shada went to turn away and then remembered a time years ago when she had been in a dark alley. It had been a Twilek female who had rescued her that time. She was still in training for martial arts and her assailants had been many, all intent on a gang-rape. A Twilek had seen her distress and called for back-up, not leaving the situation until all was clear, even taking a few blows herself. She turned slightly again, judging and assessing. The man was tall, nearly two meters, and strong, wide shouldered and big. He had clothing on that was of tough material and his lack of concern for anyone approaching him with a blaster belied that he most likely had some kind of protective laser-proof layer under his clothes. She would have to take him by combat. But she needed the dark-coloured scarf and jacket at the other end of the alley to cover the her upper shoulders, arms and face.
But the Twilek had stolen her data-chip, she reminded herself, and turned to go. But another grunt from the man distracted her and she turned again. Now she could see the Twilek weeping uncontrollably, no sound coming out. The other Twilek was still twitching with death throes. Immediately, without thought of her life and her being, she swiftly and silently and stealthily turned back and going by way of the garbage dump under which she hid the two bags, she made it to the jacket and scarf, the man seemingly unaware of her. Skillfully she wrapped herself up and thanked the gods she almost always wore black. Now she wondered how she was going to get the man away from the Twilek. The five pieces of metal would have to do the trick. She crept toward the projectiles, again the man seemingly unaware of her.
The first projectile was flung at the man's ear but before she knew it she was catching its return. The man was quick, as quick as she was and though the light was dim she and he both had fast reflexes that worked efficiently. She flung the piece of metal back and thus ensued a minute of catching and throwing as all five pieces of metal were soon in the air at various stages. She was not unaware that while she used two hands, he used one. He went back to his surgical procedures while she tucked the five pieces of metal into her boots and pondered what to do next. A noise from the metal bin made her make her next decision. Someone or something was in the bin - and her purses were underneath!
She hopped, skipped and flung her body over the man to get to the bin. The man with ease shot up into the air and grabbed her by an arm. Instinctively, she used his momentum to flip and land kicks and punches into him. The man shot punches into her while she tried to rain blows on him. And then he slammed her to the ground. She lay stunned and breathless. Two things were very obvious in what had just happened. The man had no pressure points or seemed to feel pain at all which meant that many martial arts techniques would be useless. And secondly, the man was strong to the point where he seemed only to need to box which was something he did well. But how she hated boxing.
A glance at the man's dark eyes made her shiver in fear and then she could hear the Twilek weakly scraping the alley floor with a fingernail trying to scramble in her paralyzed state away from the man. The despair of the Twilek filled her and revived her. Suddenly she was on her feet and drawing the man away from the Twilek, skillfully evading the man's grasps but never getting too far away from the man. She drew him to the posts and started to to use the posts as props for a series of turns and kicks. He ripped the posts out of the alley floor. She caught one of the posts mid-air and now had a spear of sorts. He started using the other post skillfully to jab at her but there was something wrong with the pole. He was certainly good at using poles but this one was dissatisfying in some way she could not understand. She discovered that she could gain advantage if she went wide but he eventually threw the post to the ground. She used her own post as a pole vault and threw herself in the direction of the garbage bin. He just as quickly followed her.
She turned in grim determination at her assailant. It would be easier to deal with sentients than this opponent who seemed to have no limits. She needed to get him involved with the environment around her, especially the composite pipe behind her so she teased the man with a couple punches and then ducked. Her assailant's punches shattered the pipe, causing a slight hesitation from the man who now cursed in his language. She couldn't stop to analyze languages however and jumped up and ducked again. This time one of his fists went right into the brickwork behind. Over and over again she diverted his energy at the wall and then it happened. He hit one of the electrical conduits behind the wall and received a shock that sent him flying.
Shada stood up wearily. The man was not overcome by any means but she might be able to handle the situation a bit better. It had been a long time since she had had to combat a foe as powerful as this one, one who was very strong, very fast and had endurance over and above what she had developed over the years. As well, she sensed he was unaware of gender or gender differences. She saw him shake his head again as he tried to focus and immediately was on top of him, her legs wrapped around his neck and her hands grabbing at his skin. The problem though was that the feel of the skin was of a membrane. Then she saw his hands and realized that the skin had burnt off and was exposing a claw. She tried desperately to grab or pull at the membrane but it was tough. But it had a feel she had felt before.
The man threw her off, her wrestling skills doing nothing to save her. She rolled on the ground before hitting the wall behind her. Her assailant was already at her side and picked her up. She clawed the ground and only picked up shards but with one of these she swiped his face. He dropped her. She was hearing a sound again from the garbage bin nearby and came close to her foe who grabbed her and went to throw her at the bin. To his surprise, she managed to trip him and use his momentum to spin him into the bin's side. It did little to stun him but it did awaken the inhabitant of the bin who most likely owned the cart on the other side of the alley. There was a rustle inside the bin and a drunk ranat emerged angrily. It leaned over the edge of the bin and took a bite out of the membrane covering the assailant's head and immediately spat the material out of its mouth and fell back in the cage. The outer fake skin of the creature was now ripped on the forehead. Her foe angrily banged on the bin and the ranat growled menacingly. The man shoved the bin nearly tipping it over in the process.
Shada could see her two purses on the ground and knew her time was dear. She drew near to her raging foe and using hand-to-hand combat for the first time with success started drawing the man back to the wall. There were more wires there and more electricity. Suddenly she was on top of him and with a strong push with her legs jumped off the man. The creature was thrown into the wall exactly where the hole was and inadvertently touched the wire again. Again, an electric shock threw the creature back on the ground.
Shada knew, for some reason, that the membrane of skin also covered the eyes but she knew she had to get to the eyes with one of her zenji needles because if the skin on the now exposed hand-claw was indicative of the man's real membrane there was no area of the body she could penetrate easily with a zenji needle. She grabbed a shard close to her and straddling his neck she viciously started scratching the face. It was no surprise to her that he started spitting like crazy. She rotated herself around his neck and covered his mouth with her abdomen, thanking the gods and RIP International Corp. for the very durable dancing ensemble she was wearing, and ripped the shard across his eyes, his arms furiously trying to pull her off. An unearthly scream from him told her she had succeeded in exposing an eye but found herself flung away.
The man staggered up while uttering horrible sounds and tried to locate Shada but Shada was clinging to a window sill high above the creature's head. The Ranat's growls momentarily distracted the her foe and now Shada threw herself like a torpedo at him somersaulting at the last moment and landing her feet at the base of the neck. The movement unbalanced the creature who fell forward. Now Shada was on the assailant's back and reaching around with on the metal pieces from her boot. The man grabbed the piece and threw it away and so she brought out another piece. She had to be extremely careful of the never-ending spit. Finally she took off her scarf in desperation and wrapped it around the man's mouth all the while fighting to keep his arms off her. She swayed toward the electrical source again and when he stumbled in that direction she yanked herself free of him and with a strong push from her legs propelled him into the hole in the wall where again he was electrocuted. He was thrown back and now more of the skin of his face was exposed including both eyes.
Shada was on to his fallen form and furiously fighting his strong pounding fists. She did not want him to get the scarf off his mouth. She also was using her feet to keep his legs from getting vertical. She grabbed a zenji needle and with inhuman strength drove the needle into the left eye. The change was apparent but not as fast as she hoped. Zenji needles were expensive but she pulled her other one out and this time drove the needle through the scarf material into the mouth. Then she stood up and with vicious kicks drove both needles further in. The creature died after an inhuman death throe such as she had never seen.
She breathed heavily as she wearily picked up both purses. She had never felt so female, so petite, so fragile, so different from men. But that thought renewed her focus because she did not even know if she were fighting a man. She needed to find out.
When she turned wearily in the dark, dank alley toward her foe she realized she was not alone. At the side of the dead being, trembling and whispering ominously, two Hespars, two Kluuzots and an Ewok, all using long tools of one sort or another to keep a distance, were prodding and poking the creature. But as Shada looked over their shoulder she realized that the insects coming out of the creature from within it were spreading an acid that would quickly dissolve all genetic memory of this assailant. She sensed great fear in the five who communicated through language and expressive gestures with each other over their united enemy. She understood that they had followed this creature over long distances and wondered what their stories were like. She could not make out their strong accents in Galactic Basic but they kept repeating a phrase that sounded like "yugon vong". She wondered briefly if there were millions more of these yugon vongs around but the thought was so awful she had to stop it. She was exhausted, hungry and angry that the two Twileks who were both very dead had had to die. She was not a moral woman. She only did what she did to survive. But it would have been nice to possibly meet those two creatures in another setting and maybe have a nice chat with the girls.
As she turned to go, leaving the trembling beings whispering anxiously, she suddenly let go of the struggle and the tension that had built up in her taut body and sat against the wall of a building and started weeping uncontrollably. She was a woman but not a feminine type of being. She was not motherly. She was not soft and cuddly. Children and babies exhausted her. She had been born a warrior and would always be one. Her mean percentage body fat would always be under five percent, a dangerous level for a woman which is why she avoided doctors. But the crying of the younger and now dead Twilek, the death of the other one and the ominous tremblings of the haggard group of sentients coupled with the near fatal blows she had just endured broke her and she wailed and cursed at the losses in the dark, dank alley. And now she was remembering: it was in the Crispen Asteroid belt on the edge of the galaxy that she had felt that material, in a local market on an asteroid where a human-habitable city had been built. It was in that local market selling local goods that she had felt that material, a human membrane that a non-human could wear to look human. This being had come from there or near there or – from outside of the galaxy itself.