The Assassin and the Huntress

[Allu'rah Danan]

Of the various planets that Akira had been left one during her travels with Elliot, Dressel felt the most like home. Almost. The golden grasslands just weren't quite the same as the red and white turu-grass savannahs on Shili. The gravity of the world was also something she was getting used to. She just felt lighter. Everything here did. It could be entertaining at times.

Then again, most things were mysteriously entertaining at the moment.

The inn that Akira was staying at had absolutely no food services. The Togruta had been pondering for the last two days what to do about that, subsisting exclusively on water. Elliot had given her strict instructions not to be out after dark, and also not to go into a cantina. Truth be told, she didn't see much of a difference between a cantina and a restaurant anyway, except that people ate more at restaurants and drank more at cantinas. This was the case on most worlds, and it struck Akira as strange that so many different people took their food and drink at separate places, except that there was still a mild amount of mixing. People could drink at restaurants, and people could eat at cantinas, but most people seemed to almost unconsciously concede that it was not the way of things. All these aliens were terribly strange, and Humans were the strangest of the lot.

So what harm could it do? There were no restaurants near by, and she certainly wasn't going to go exploring in the dark. Just a few minutes to get some food, and then she'd come straight back to her room and go to bed, just like she was supposed to.

The food had been tasty, but left her a little thirsty. How fortunate for her then, when a kind stranger had bought a drink for her. The male had sat himself down at her table, and Akira was glad for the company. It got lonely when Elliot was away. She had learned that this male's species were called Twi'leks, for their twin lekku. The Togruta still found that to be an odd concept, to be a fully mature adult with only two lekku and no montrals, but then, Humans had nothing at all. Just their strange manes and fleshy little flaps on the sides of their heads.

Akira had finished her first drink some time ago, and the stranger had bought her a second, which was now half drunk. And everything was mysteriously entertaining. Even though her new friend's accent made him a little difficult to understand, she just smiled pleasantly and nodded. That was what Elliot had taught her. When someone says something you don't understand, just smile and agree with them. Her Twi'lek friend reached over and caressed Akira's lekku as he admired the fine silver chains and pink pearls wrapped about them, and marveled at the sharp teeth that decorated her horns. He asked her a strange question though. Go to his ship and see the thrusters? But the Togruta just smiled pleasantly and nodded.

His ship was a little messy, and a few things looked to be in bad repair. Probably the reason he was stopped in this space port at the moment. He paused and beckoned Akira through a particular doorway. She smiled and entered. It looked like this room was the Twi'lek's personal quarters, although they were messy and everything looked a little grungy here. Her bare feet stuck to a dried puddle of something on the floor, and something smelled off. The next thing the inebriated Togruta knew, he was on her like savage beast, assaulting her mouth with his own.

No! No this is not what I agreed to! I don't want this. I don't want him! she thought to herself as she realized exactly what was happening. He had her solidly pinned with his body, and pushed her shoulder forcefully back into the wall when she started to struggle.The aggressive kiss was broken as the Twi'lek trailed kisses down her neck and began shrugging off his vest. Akira did the first thing that came to mind and bit him as hard as she could, driving her long, sharp fangs into his sensitive headtail. The Twi'lek shrieked and struck her on the cheek before reeling away. Dazed, but still fearful, Akira gave herself a shake and fled through the open door.

The offended Twi'lek wasn't far behind the Togruta as she ran down the boarding ramp and across the hangar, drawing his blaster pistol. Akira sensed him behind her by the ship and dove for cover behind some durasteel crates as a bolt of plasma struck the hall behind her, sending a few super-heated sparks flying. Crouching behind the crates, Akira loosed her vibropike from the holster on her back. She fumbled clumsily and dropped it. There was something in that drink other than fruit juice, she realized, pegging her light head and lack of dexterity to this man and the cantina. If I try and fight like this, he'll kill me for sure. Clutching her weapon, Akira kicked an empty crate as hard as she could, send it tumbling a few feet. The angry Twi'lek unleashed a barrage of blaster fire at it, and when he paused, Akira dove for it, hopped to her feet and then sprang away. And promptly stumbled and fell. It was fortunate that she did, else she would had run right into blaster fire.

Please, something must stop this madman! the Togruta pleaded with the universe. Someone, help me.

 

[Nirvana]

This was about the same as the last time as he went to well sorta explore, but this time Koraq had been fine with it. As long as he would, well behave and not do anything to stupid. He would do as he had been told, so staying away from trouble was something that he would do. Not that he wasn’t able to handle trouble if it occurred, but that Koraq didn't know. Last time he had just been wandering around in the city, but tonight he went by the docks to well just look at the ships that was there.
This time he had a bit more then last time he went out, having both his gauntlets and armored boots on him. But this just made him look even more odd to be honest, not that he would care about it. After all, he didn't know any better. Well they who starred at him this time where mostly drunk persons that probably was going home from a bar, they wouldn’t do something do anything against him at least.
When he heard blaster fire from one of the docks, he was well kinda curious about what was going on there. Walking over to the dock where he heard the shots from he went inside, and looked around with his eyes. Until he saw a, well he didn't know what he saw. It looked human, but had something strange on it's head. From the looks of it she took cover from the man that was shooting, after the man saw Nadleeh he started to shoot at him instead. Bad move by him, because it well kinda triggered his instincts to survive. And surviving when someone was shooting at you, was to kill that person. After dodging a few bolts Nadleeh had his compartments on his arms to open up and release the knives, catching both as they was released. And started to run towards the man gaining speed fast, his intent was to kill the person.​

 

[Allu'rah Danan]

Akira noticed something pass by her, something quick, and the blaster fire was redirected. It was... a person? He was the palest she had ever seen, tall and slender. And it looked like he was heading right for the Twi'lek that was attacking her. The Togruta saw a flash of steel, and a pair of knives appeared in the Human's hands. I have to do something, or they'll kill each other.

Just what he needed, some young punk to try and be a hero. The Twi'lek fired a bolt in the man's direction, trying to scare him off. Instead it had the opposite effect, drawing him into the hangar. Humans. Always gotta meddle in everything, he thought to himself. Punk's gonna die for getting involved. The Twi'lek was a good shot, and fired off six blasts in rapid succession, aiming for the chest. Then the girl got up and started making her way back towards the ship. She had armed herself with some sort of stupid spear. So that's what that thing was. Togruta whore's got no business leading a man on that way and then attacking him in his bedroom. Unholstering a second blaster, the angry and offended alien kept shooting at both of them. His focus was on the Human. The Togruta was none too steady on her feet after those two juma juices. And besides, that guy was quick. But the blaster shots surely were quicker. There was a lot a open ground between the ship ramp and the hangar exit. It was almost certain he had landed at least one hit on this 'hero'.

 

[Nirvana]

If not his his heightened senses and reflexes he would have been killed for sure, but now that they could be compared to a jedi almost. He didn’t think now, just acted in instincts. Like always when someone got to close to him in a fight, or he to close to them. A quick side step made sure that he evaded the bolts, still there would be more to come from the man with the blaster. Firing off just six shoots wouldn’t be enough for him, another rounds came flying towards Nadleeh.
Trying to dodge them in with a side step twirl, he succeeded in dodging most of them. But one round hit him, luckily for him it only his the gauntlet. So the armor there was enough to protect him from harm this time.
When the man drew another blaster Nadleeh reacted instantly by rolling to his side, in case of him firing again towards him. But this was not the case, as he saw him firing towards another direction. After getting up on his feet again he started to do evasive maneuvers while he ran towards the man, dodging another two bolts fired by the man.​

 

[Allu'rah Danan]

Akira ducked for cover again, and loosing sight of her, the Twi'lek trained both blasters on the advancing Human. He was getting close now. Too close. Firing the blasters in sync with each other, his focus was on gunning down intrusive man. Akira used the distraction to dash under the ship as quickly as she could, and headed under the boarding ramp. She saw some sparks fly as the Human appeared to be shot, but he didn't slow down. Stepping out from under the ramp, the agile Togruta leaped to the top. The Twi'lek turned around, surprised to see her behind him, and Akira kicked one of the blasters from his hand, landing about ten meters away. He had the advantage of not being intoxicated, however.

The Twi'lek's newly freed hand grabbed the haft of Akira's pike as she swung the blunt end at his knees. He yanked in the direction she had been moving, throwing her off balance and making her release the weapon in order to catch herself. The next thing Akira saw was an incoming booted foot. The kick made her vision erupt into a vision of stars as she tumbled halfway down the ramp. The rattle to her montrals left her lying there, dazed, and unable to get up. With both her spatial awareness and vision temporarily confused, the Togruta was powerless to guess what was about to happen next, but the Twi'lek, armed with Akira's vibropike, was prepared for melee.

 

[Nirvana]

Idiot, was a single thought that would best suit the one that tried to attack the man from behind. Only to get disarmed and almost knocked out instantly, but still. During the time the person had distracted the male from him was enough for him, now he was only about two meters away from him when he did a jump kick towards him. Due to the momentum he had gained from running, the male wouldn’t be able to move his blaster away in time for it to get kicked out of his land.
The blaster landed about 10 meters from then, after having delivered the kick Nadleeh landed right in front of him. Not wanting to give him a chance to defend himself, he started to do quick and precise strikes and slashes with both his knives.​

 

[Allu'rah Danan]

The Twi'lek gasped as his lifeblood was spilled, clumsily trying to defend himself with an unfamiliar weapon. He staggered back and fell, dropping the vibropike as he raised his arms up to try and shield his face and body from the slicing blades. "Stop!" he pleaded, seeing that he was at the Human's mercy. "Stop, I yield! I yield! Please don't kill me!"

Akira felt something bump into her and she raised her head. Her vision was starting to clear, and placing a hand on her montrals managed to help still the vibrations in them. Her pike had rolled down to her after it had been dropped. The Twi'lek was down and defenseless, and it looked as though the Human was raising his blade for the killing blow. "Stop it!" Akira shouted, her voice echoing the Twi'lek's. Unarmed, she got to her feet and staggered up the ramp, and attempted to grab the man's wrist before he could finish his grim work.

 

[Nirvana]

After the man had fallen and dropped his weapon, he tried to shield his face from his slashes and strikes. Pleading for his life like all others that he had killed with his knives, this was not unfamiliar to Nadleeh. As almost all the men he had killed with his knives would try to plead for mercy when he put the blade against their throat, this one was not any different. He would most likely have killed the man if not for the, well one that took cover before grabbed his right wrist. Telling him to stop it, looking at the person that told him to stop with a questioning expression. Why did she want him to stop? Wasn't it natural for one to kill when attacked?
Nadleeh didn't try to cut the man with his other knife, he just looked at her.”Why?” a simple word from him, wanting to know why he should stop it.​

 

[Allu'rah Danan]

"Because you already win!" Akira replied in her heavily accented form of Basic. "I think he and I have a misunderstanding. He gets angry when I try to get away. But a misunderstanding is no reason to kill someone. You save me, but now that is done, and this man does not have to die for a mistake." Akira stepped around the tall Human, standing between him and the wounded Twi'lek. The look on the alien's blood-splattered face was a mixture of fear, bewilderment, and hopeful gratitude. Even though he had just tried to kill this Togruta, she was now trying to save his life.

"She's right, I won't come after you or nothin," he agreed, anything to survive the next minute. "Take the girl if you want, I don't want any more trouble."

Akira shot the Twi'lek a glare that made him recoil, but she only tightened her hold on the Human's wrist. "He cannot hurt you anymore," she said firmly as her silver eyes locked with golden ones. "That means you do not need to hurt him."

 

[Nirvana]

As she explained to him why she didn't want the man dead, he kinda understood. But still, his instincts still told him to kill this man. Why shouldn’t he do it, he attacked him. And to Nadleeh killing then one that attacked you was normal, almost everyone he had meet had attacked him. They all died after attacking him, so why shouldn’t this one.
Still looking a bit puzzled when the man said he wouldn’t come after them, and that he didn’t want any more trouble. Then why did he shoot at him? Wasn't he trying to kill him?
“Hurt me can't?” he said when she said the man couldn't hurt him anymore, did that mean that the others he had killed hadn't been able to hurt him either.”Can't hurt me, mean don't hurt them?” he asked, and just looked back at her.​

 

[Allu'rah Danan]

Akira perked up as she heard a distant shout. Someone was coming this way. "Please, come with me. We need to leave now or we get into big trouble later," she pleaded. "There is no time for fighting or killing. Only time for running. We need to go." The Togruta released the man's wrist and tried to turn him around and make him leave. She glanced down at the wounded Twi'lek. It was less than ideal, leaving him like this, bleeding everywhere. "You will be okay," she consoled. "Someone comes. They find you and you get help."

Akira moved down the ramp and grabbed her vibropike, replacing it in the sheath strapped on her back. She glanced back up the ramp and beckoned. She probably should not have left the Human and Twi'lek together, but her judgment was not at its best at the moment.

The orange-skinned alien made for the hangar exit. Elliot would be so angry with her if he returned and found she had gotten into trouble on this planet too. She was starting to sober up a little, and for the time being she was able to run without stumbling too much. She just had to evade capture for this. She actually hadn't done much wrong, but then again, she hadn't done much wrong when Zhane stripped her of her ranks. Yes, better to escape first then to get caught and escape later.

 

[Nirvana]

When she told him that he should come with her, he took a step back. Why did she want him to come with her? Nadleeh just looked pondered as she said they would be in trouble, why would they be in trouble. As she tried to turn him around after she had released his wrist he just turned around like she wanted him to, when she started to leave he just looked at her.
Seeing how she started to run, he knew that it would be bad. He didn’t plan on getting into more trouble, so he started to run after her. Sheathing his knives as he ran, Nadleeh just ran fast enough for him to catch up to her before lowering his speed to hers. Not really knowing where she was running, he was just following her.​

 

[Allu'rah Danan]

Staying back from the main roads, Akira led the way back to the inn where she was staying. It was laid out like a motel, so no one noticed the blood-spattered Human in her company. She only stopped running once they were inside and the door was locked. The rush of adrenaline that had been sustaining her ended abruptly, and leaning against the wall, she sagged to the floor.

She wiped her sweat-glazed white and orange face on the back of her arm and stared at the Human incredulously. "Who are you?" she asked breathlessly. "And how do you move like that? All those shots, and you look unharmed. That is amazing!" She should have been thanking him, but Akira couldn't help but be fascinated. She had never seen someone that quick in her life.

The Togruta gestured for her companion to sit down so that she didn't have to stare up at him. There was a small table and a few chairs in the room, but Akira was quivering so badly now that she wasn't likely to be moving anywhere anytime soon. Despite how deadly this man was, she didn't feel threatened by him. In fact, she so rarely got to know anyone on these stops while Elliot was away, that she was almost glad for the company. Were it that they had met under better circumstances.

 

[Nirvana]

Stopping a few feet behind her, and moving out of the way when she were going to lock the door to the room that she had ran to. With an extra heart like he, this distance of running wasn't something that he would get exhausted over. Only breathing a bit faster then normal, and his breathing went back to normal not long after.”Subject Zero Nadleeh” he answered to her question about who he was, saying what he knew about his name.
When she gestured that he should sit down he took a seat in one of the chairs, and just looked towards her. How come he could move like that, he didn’t know really. He had all ways been able to move like that, as far as he knew. He just lifted his shoulders slightly to show that he didn’t know why.”Able always to” he replied to her, Nadleeh turned on his arm so that she would see where the blaster shot had hit his gauntlet armor.​

 

[Allu'rah Danan]

Akira looked at him curiously. "Subject 0? Why do you have a number? Are you a slave or an experiment or something?" Even though she doubted herself, she got to her feet and, with much support from the wall, moved to sit on the corner of her bed. "My name is Akira," she said as she sat, and smiled sheepishly as she realized her rudeness. "Nadleeh is a nice name."

Gently, Akira took the hand that he showed her, the back of which was scorched black. She slipped the gauntlet off and put it down on the table beside him. The skin underneath looked a little red from the heat, but the was no blistering or charring. A pair of pale yellow scars, one on her left leg and the other on her side, were evidence of a previous fight where Akira had not walked away unscathed. "See? You are unharmed. Just a little singed."

Releasing his hand, Akira tenderly touched her own face and wincing when she did. She was going to have some nasty bruises come morning. Pulling a lekku over her shoulder, she busied herself with straightening out the intricate akul-tooth headdress. "Thank you, Nadleeh. I live because of your actions. Without your intervention, I would be dead for sure." She gave him another sheepish look, paired with a genuine smile.

 

[Nirvana]

Nadleeh didn't actually know what he was, he had been called human. That much he knew, but he didn't know what she meant what he was. He was never told what he was, only to do things and he did them without asking. He was the perfect assassin the organization had ever had, as they had ordered his creation for that purpose.
“Know I don't” he replied to what he was, what was he really. He looked like a human from what he knew, if not. Then others wouldn’t have called him human, but something else then.”Akira” he repeated to himself after she had told him her name, he kinda smiled when she said that Nadleeh was a nice name.
When she removed his right gauntlet so she could see how the skin looked under after getting hit by the blaster bolt, he just looked at his hand. Red, red is the color of blood. But blood is fluid, not solid like this. This was not blood.
When she let go of his hand he still just looked at it for a few seconds, before putting on the gauntlet again. After she said thank you he just looked at her, not understanding what she meant by that.
“Thank you?” he said with a puzzled expression on his face.”Thank you, what means?” he asked.​

 

[Allu'rah Danan]

Akira was also puzzled for a moment as she process his responses. He didn't know what he was? Why he was called by the name that he was? Probably a slave of some sort, one that sounded fairly caged. Then what was he doing here?

"I do not meet Humans whose Basic is worse than mine, until I meet you," she said with a self-deprecating laugh, and a shake of her head that made the strands of teeth looped around her montrals rattle slightly. "Thank you is an expression of gratitude. You thank someone when they do something you appreciate. Surely your parents teach you these manners? Perhaps it is just Basic you do not understand? On this, I can relate." She tried to offer him another smile, but it faded quickly. Did he just lack a sense of humour, or was she being offensive? She often overstepped her boundaries and said things she shouldn't say to people. She tucked her lekku back behind her shoulder and cast her silver eyes down to the grungy carpet. Perhaps it would still be clean if she wiped the dust and dirt from her shoeless feet before dragging it inside with her?

"Where is home for you, Nadleeh? Where is your family?" Akira asked in spite of herself. Where would a Human come from that they were not fluent in Basic? She had not met a Human yet who was not fully fluent. She had assumed that Basic was the standard because it was the language of the Humans. And yet this one was... puzzling. His speech patterns were quite different from what she was accustomed to.

 

[Nirvana]

He understood most of what she told him, that thank you was a mean to express ones gratitude towards another person. Why hadn’t he known it until now? Was it because of what he was, or was it because he only knew how to kill people. Parents? Family? Was it something that one was meant to have, or was it a term for something else. Recalling something he had heard from the trainers, something about family he understood what she had meant. But he had never had any parents, he then remembered where he grew up on Kamino. Was your home where you was born, or was it where you lived. Or was it both of them?
“Family, I not have. Parents had never.” he said. What was she anyway, she looked human like him. But still not human in appearance due things she had on her head, she looked a bit like the man that had attacked him with those things on her head. But she had more of them then the male had, where they the same?
“Home, shed. Family had never, living friend with. Took care me, he did.” he answered to her question about where his home was, and where his family where. “What you are?” Nadleeh asked her and tried to look into her eyes.​

 

[Allu'rah Danan]

Akira gave Nadleeh a quizzical look. For someone whose entire society was based around unity and family groups, it was unimaginable to her that he could not know who his own parents were. "I am a Togruta," she answered in response to his question. "Born on a planet far from here, named Shili. Shili is mother to us all, every Togruta. My family, the Ven, live there still." A bit of homesickness twisted in her stomach, but Akira was confused more than anything.

"I do not understand though. Every person has a mother and a father. A friend you have now, but as a child, who is there to raise you? There must be someone," she insisted. It just did not make sense that someone could reach adulthood and have no family. Even if they were not blood relatives, everyone had a family of a sort. At least, that's what she thought.

 

[Nirvana]

Tortuga, first time he had seen one of her kind. He had killed a lot of persons before, but never a Tortuga. As she told him about where she had come from, he tried to imagine on how the planet she was from. But all he could imagine was the water planet he was created on, Kamino.
“Why all have parents?” he questioned when she said that all had parents, even his friend had parents. They where family, parents that is. Wasn't they family.
“Raised not, trained many by.” he answered to her question on who had been there for him when he grew up, only the trainers had been there. And that was only when he wasn't in stasis, or his creators when they was gonna send him out.
“Taught handle to weapons, to kill people.” he told her, he only knew how to kill people. After all, it was what he was meant to do.”Did what they told me, not asking why.” he said, he had done what they had told him to do. And never wondered why he did it, he just did it.​