Port Or’val
City Headquarters of the 27’s Gang

“Are you karking kidding me?”

Several hard thwacks were heard as the Twi’lek dropped her head onto the desk, her lekku collapsing over her shoulders and hitting the table soon after her face. The large man standing behind her, his thick hair tightly braided and tied behind his head. The black plait ending just above his tailbone. His usual easy smile was no where to be seen.

“‘Fraid not Koekie. Your Brotherhood’s after the smugglas of da Red-Eye.”

“Karking frakhammered Kikalekki biting sithspit phodoo!” the violet woman yelled into the desk as she slammed her fists against it’s surface. Hi-Tek worked hard to not start laughing at her exuberant performance. He had learned from his previous encounter with the woman that her temperament was more varied than the weather and had less of a warning to when it would change.

With an exasperated sigh, she sat up, flinging her lekku back over her shoulders. her arms slammed down on the table one last time as she looked over at Hi-Tek with a smile on her face. He finally cracked his easy smile and quirked an eyebrow.

“Ya gat sumfing?” he asked, his thick accent being less noticeable to K’tana now that she’d spent the better part of two weeks working with the man and the 27’s gang. She nodded her head at the man and inclined her hand towards the charred door to her office. Hi-Tek walked over to it and knocked, letting the young Zeltron- who stood outside waiting- know that she was wanted.

“Yes Koekie?” the fifteen year old crimson skinned girl said K’tana’s cover name like a title, her dark green eyes serious as her mouth drew a thin line.

“Koek, I need you to run and get someone for me. He should be over at the Lucky Lekku. Tell them I sent you and you’re there to get Mr.Edraven. When you see him, tell him that his favorite Twi’lek needs his help. Go.”

The Zeltron ran out of the room, but just as K’tana was standing up the girl appeared back in the door with a smirk.

“Mr. Edraven is here to see you, Koekie.” Koek was eyeing up Celevon with a raised eyebrow.

“You having fun here K’t-”

“Her name’s Koekie.” said the bigger man said, taking a step forward. Not many people made Cel look small, but Hi-Tek managed to pull it off and then some. Cel let his eyes dart over to K’tana and she nodded her head.

“Well then, Koekie, “ Cel smirked at her and gave his head a slight shake. “What are you doing here?”

“Well...uhh” K’tana ran her hand over her face and let her head fall back so she was staring at the ceiling. “Koek. Hi-Tek. Could you give us a few minutes?”

The two 27’s nodded their heads and left the room promptly.

“Cel, I think I karked up.” the Twi’lek said, her brow furrowing as she rubbed her temples.

“Calm down sweety, just tell me what’s going on.”

“Well, you know that smuggler we’re looking for?” she laughed uncomfortably and threw her arms up, pointing at herself in the process. “Yeah, so...I think I karked up.”

Celevon laughed and shook his head. He walked up behind the violet woman and put a hand on the back of her neck, giving it a comforting squeeze. He rubbed his hand against her back until her breathing leveled out.

“Cel, they’re going to banish me or whatever for this,” K’tana stated simply, her eyes glazing over as she scowled at the floor.

Cel just laughed again as he shook his head. He stepped in front of her, took her chin and lifted it until she was looking at his face.

“No. They’re not.” he smiled at her and shrugged his shoulders. “Where is the money from the drugs going?”

K’tana blanched and pulled her face from the Human’s hand as she looked back at the floor.

“I’ve spread it among the 27’s and 28’s as fair, the rest usually comes straight to me. That gets divided up to black market merchants, middlemen and...well...me.” The Twi’lek shrugged her shoulders and looked back at Celevon. “I didn’t think a rival gang would break into my karking stashes and steal my product. Let alone go rancor-spit crazy on civilians.”

“You mean you didn’t really care because it didn’t affect you directly.” Her Aedile stated flatly.

“Well obviously.” she said sticking her tongue out at the man, her face remaining placid. “I already dealt with the morons. It got bloody, but I have more manpower than they did, even all jacked up the way they were. The rest of the supply has been contained and I was planning on just giving it to my boys to juice them.”

Celevon’s eyes went wide as he raised an eyebrow: “You think that’s a good idea?”

“Only when we’re being threatened. Then they get the Red-Candy.Aside from that it can be carefully guarded.” She gave a dark look to Celevon. “I was going to sell it, Cel. To whomever. Think about it. I’ve chosen to keep it, I’m losing a frak-tonne of profits because of that, but I’m trying to keep Qel-Droma out of this as much as I can.”

The Obelisk nodded his head as he rubbed his chin. “So then why did you come looking for me? You know my position.”

“Oh kark off. Position,” she spat the word and sneered at him. “I called you here as my...oh frak...what-are-they-called? Friends? Yeah, that thing. You ass.”

“Alright, then... I see two possibilities for how we can handle this situation. The first option: You keep the red-eye for when your gang is threatened, then dose them up, gaining no profit from a stash that could possibly be stolen from again.” Celevon grinned at the Twi’lek’s snort. “The second option.. You sell your whole stash, in bulk. Let them sell it for a few days, frame them for it and... follow orders. Eliminate the people dealing the drugs at any means necessary, putting a stop to their operation. Which sounds better? First, you keep a hold of the drugs and deal with possible theft. The second option, you make money, then eliminate them for dealing the drugs.”

K’tana stood there, mouth slightly agape as she stared at her Aedile.

“Goddess damnit.” she rolled her eyes and threw her arms up. “See! That’s a much better idea!”

Celevon smirked at her as she ran her hands over her lekku and idly wiggled them back and forth in at the sides of her head.

“Ok, so. Frak.” she heaved a deep breath and lifted her chin. “HI-TEK! GET IN HERE!”

Hearing his boss yell, Hi-Tek came bolting back into the room, his large gun in hand. As he flew through the door his weapon leveled at Cel as the giant man pointed the weapon towards the Obelisk’s grin. One quick look at K’tana’s displeased scowl, Hi-Tek holstered the slugthrower and lifted his empty hands in surrender.

“Vat’s pomp Koekie?” his brown eyes went back to the Obelisk, as he lifted his chin and his easy grin came back over his face.

“We’ve got a feasible plan and I need you to get some of the gang together and start make arrangements with the kark-heads that stole from us. You will sell them the Red-Eye. I want this done as of yesterday.”

K’tana practically bounced across the room as the verbal explosion fell from her mouth; Hi-Tek’s neck began to hurt as he tried to follow her movements with his head. When she was finished speaking, Hi-Tek smirked and nodded as he went to leave the room.

“Wait!” the Twi’lek said, jumping at the giant man’s back and grabbing his long-flowing braid, jerking his head back. “I need one other thing from you. Make sure no one is caught. We must not be known to be involved in this. If you feel even an inkling that you are being followed or having any suspicions, get the frak out of there.”

Hi-tek took a step back to release tension on his braid and turned to face the ecstatic Twi’lek, a slight frown disfiguring his usually smiling face.

“You ‘specting trouble Koekie?” his low voice rumbled deep in his chest as he spoke, his brown-eyed glare locking onto her manic green eyes. They silently looked at each other and Celevon let out a little cough, breaking the discomfort between the two. K’tana released the man’s braid and grinned.

“Nah, I’m just making sure all my lil peons come home safe.”

Hi-Tek let out a clipped laugh as he turned towards the door. The Priestess stared as his back as he left the room. Turning back to Celevon she grinned at her Aedile, threw her arms up and waved her hands, ushering him out of the room after Hi-Tek.

“C’mon! Let go get into trouble for a day or two, we can go wreak havoc on the thieving frotz-chod in a couple days!” K’tana’s voice rose in pitch as she began to giggle, a sly smirk on her face as she tilted her head. “Maybe you can go get Aryn first? Yes?”

Celevon laughed as he nodded his head and they walked started off to the Lucky Lekku.

--o--

Fire sparked from the lighter as Cel shielded his eyes. As he lit the faux cigarette and smoke coiled from the tip, he rubbed his temples with a hand, soothing his aching head. In the haze of the headache, he saw Aryn laying in fetal position on the floor, one hand over her head and the other across her stomach. The woman burped, made a disgusted face and groaned.

“I warned you.” Cel said, a slight smirk painfully crossing his lips. “Maybe next time you’ll listen to me.”

“Kark off.” the Mandalorian hissed back at him causing him to laugh. “Ugh, I blame y-”

“Good afternoon sunshines!” K’tana bounced into the apartment carrying a tray of fruits and other, usually, appealing looking edibles. “I brought you breakfast! Are you ready for an evening of relentless slaughter?!”

The Twi’lek’s bubbly laugh made the redhaired woman on the floor cringe and scowl at a the Priestess. Celevon continued smoking and waved the tray away when K’tana offered it to him. She smirked and peeled the skin of freen, then popped it into her mouth. She knelt down next to Aryn and offered her a piece.

“This will help. Good vitamins and such.” when Aryn glared harder, K’tana grinned down at her and shook her head. “I’ll get you some water. Then you both have to get up. We are expected soon.”

When she left the Mandalorian slowly rolled over and scowled at the Obelisk.

“How the hell is she this energetic after the amount of booze?” Celevon laughed at his Fade’s question.

“I told you. Two stomachs. One is specifically meant to filter out toxins.” he looked towards the door where K’tana had exited. “We did manage to get her pretty plastered though, so you should take that as an achievement.”

“Ugh. I hate you both.”

--o--

The Priestess, the Obelisk and the Fade Warrior split up to each accomplish separate tasks. Aryn put on a tracker and went to buy Red-Eye from K’tana’s rival gang, Celevon to gather a small task force to act as back-up after alerting the Quaestor of Qel-Droma of the situation. The Twi’lek went to retrieve her collection of knives and her armored dress. She then headed into enemy territory. Alone.

The Twi’lek knew that Celevon, the only person she trusted among the Brotherhood with her life, would not fail. Timing for this had to be perfect: K’tana had to show up just as Aryn had the Red-Eye in hand and had to be well enough disguised to not be recognized by any of the rival gang.

Once donning her equipment, K’tana took a deep breath and focused. The tattoos on her body faded, her teeth elongated slightly before stopping in sharp points. When her eyes opened again, the brilliant green had become a shade of violet only a few shades lighter than her skin.

The Priestess used only rooftops and back alleys to make her way towards Aryn’s tracking device. Her thick heeled boots made little noise as she leapt from each closely set roof to another. When she arrived, practically on top of the flame haired Mandalorian, she knelt down on the roof and peered over the edge.

Aryn stood at the door to the building, waiting for the Rodian male to either shoo her off or allow her to make her purchase. The grotesque smuggler finally came back to the door and grabbed Aryn by the wrist.

“You better have the cash on you girl,” the bug-faced dealer said, making rude gestures with his proboscis. Aryn simply smiled and pulled away from the male, creating a gap between them.

K’tana took her opportunity and attacked.

A violent, violet blurr was all Aryn saw as the Twi’lek seemed to fall from the sky in front of her. The sound of a knife slicing through bug flesh and a splatter of blood was all she heard. Then a scream and several angry, shouting voices.

Aryn whipped out her blaster and followed K’tana into the chaos.

No lilting laughter, no manic giggling and no threats were made by the Twi’lek. Her vibroshiv flashed and small daggers whizzed from her fingers into targets as she made her way through the entry hall. Blood splattered against the graffiti covered walls and the filth-stained carpets. Several men yelled obscenities as the shock wore off and they reacted, retrieving weapons from close by.

Unfortunately, this was no set of well organized criminals. These men and women were thugs. Petty street dealers and thieves who got their kicks from beating up teenagers and old ladies to steal their credits. Most having just left their teen years behind themselves, they were not ready to face the cold blooded murderess who was now hunting them down, in their own safe house, one-by-one.

She moved like a river, flowing from danger and driving her blade into a target then flowing away to another, and another, and another. Her blank, lavender eyes glazed over as they fell around her. A few managed to sear her flesh with grazing shots before she or Aryn cut, or shot, them down.

The building was narrow and the surprise to her foe had worn out. A few of the remaining group retreated upstairs and barricaded themselves behind a door. Others attempted to block the women’s path, thinking themselves skilled enough to take down two professionally trained killers. The Mandalorian and the Twi’lek had to try not to step their corpses on the way past.

The Twi’lek, coated in a sheen of blood and sweat lost track of time as she spun her shiv between her fingers. A boy, no older than her own Koek stood at the end of the hall. The blaster in his hands shook violently as he tried to steady his aim. He closed his eyes and fired, his shot went wide as the Priestess seemed to move before he pulled the trigger.

If any thoughts that she would falter, that he would be granted any semblance of mercy, passed through his mind; they were quickly put to rest when he looked into the Twi’lek’s cold eyes. Nothing resided behind them as she quickly closed the distance from the end to of the hallway to only a few feet from him.

She was sure he never felt a thing as the boy hit the floor.

Just as K’tana reached the door to the last room, she heard a loud crash and many footsteps. As she turned to face whoever came rushing up the stairs to meet her. It was a strategic mistake.

Aryn stood closer to the stairs. K’tana stood in front of the door where the remaining survivors had taken shelter. She had turned her back to it and never saw the door open. In her strange haze of bloodlust she never even heard the slugthrower go off. Her brain registered the pain, her eyes turned green once again as her eyes locked onto a set of silver eyes that came up the stairs.

She heard an enraged roar as the Obelisk was pushed aside by a hulking Kaleesh. Skar, flew past both women and a series of screams where heard from the room behind K’tana as she hit the ground, her body rapidly growing cold and a painful urge to vomit rose in her stomachs.

Her vision blurred as the Priestess took in agonizing, shallow, breaths and cool hands lay across her stomach and on her cheek. A wisp of red hair fell across her face as Aryn leaned over her, her face tense as she looked over at Celevon.

Then the Twi’lek saw nothing more.

--o--

“What the frak just happened?” Celevon asked Aryn as he kept pressure on the gushing wound in K’tana’s ribs. The hole he covered was the size of his entire palm and when he initially placed his hand on it, he felt her shattered bones against his skin.

“I have no idea.” Aryn’s brow furrowed as she looked at the Obelisk. “One minute we were busting through the door, the next…”

“It’s a bloodbath downstairs Jade.” Cel said, his voice level. “I’m guessing she was having fun?”

“No.” Aryn’s voice went quiet, barely above a whisper. “Something was wrong. She was quiet. She just killed them. No bouncing, no laughter, no mocking. Just killed them.”

Cel nodded as he closed his eyes and focused on the Twi’lek’s injury.

“Can you help her?” the rage powered voice of the bloody Kaleesh said, his body heaving as he barely kept himself under control. Aryn nodded for Cel and then told Shadow Gate’s leader to bring a medic as fast as possible, just in case.

--o--

Light practically blinded her when she woke up, the familiar cot of the Infirmary under her back. Bandages covered her ribs and breathing was still agonizing. as she turned to look, she gasped as a mind numbing pain washed over her. As enjoyable as the Twi’lek could find most pain, this was as overwhelmingly violent anguish.

“Ooookay! You just lay back down missy! I don’t want to see all my healing undone because you can’t hold still for the few minutes I have my back turned.”

K’tana recognized the voice, but she refused to place it and squeezed her eyes shut as she lay her head back on the stiff pillow. When she opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was a pretty blindfold and coiled, shining platinum hair. Then the famous smile of the Lady Consul registered in the Twi’leks green eyes.

“Oh, kark me.” the Twi’lek groaned.

“Maybe later honey, but right now you need to rest.” Atyriu smirked at K’tana and the flush of color that came over the usually brash violet woman; which lit up even the Miraluka’s sight causing her to laugh.

“Well, actually,” Atty said a small, weary smile overcoming her bronze lips, “I need to rest. That was one hell of a wound you ended up with. So, I’m going to need you to behave yourself and be still while those bandages are on. I’d hate to see my favorite Twi’lek lady with any scars on her luscious body. I’m good, but if you rupture the healing I did, I will leave you with one.”

The smile never left the Lady Consul’s face as she issued her demands and waited for the rebellious Twi’lek to voice her agreement. Even if it was just a mumbled : “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Good girl.” Lady Atyriu grinned as she gave K’tana a quick pat on the forehead and left to take a quick respite in her quarters.

Attendants kept their eye’s on K’tana throughout the night until she fell back into a pain and drug induced sleep.

--o--

When K’tana awoke next, she noticed the bandages gone and a heart shape had been sloppily penned on her skin where the wound had once been. She managed a proper, painless laugh as she shook her head and rolled to get out of the bed.

As she pulled her skirt over her hips, Aryn came in and threw her arms quickly around the Twi’lek, pulling away as fast as K’tana could react to acknowledge what had occurred. The redhead cleared her throat and a small smirk played upon both women’s lips.

“I’m glad you’ve managed to pull through that.” Aryn said with a wisp of a softer smile as she brushed her hair from her face. K’tana lifted a hand and placed it on the Mandalorian woman’s cheek and gave her a big, toothy grin.

“Of course beautiful! I’ve been through worse.” Although Aryn didn’t know, K’tana knew she really hadn’t. That was the closest call she’d ever had and she was sure as she recalled herself hitting the floor in that narrow hallway that she’d seen the light of Kika’lekki ushering her to the Goddess’ side.

Shaking the memory off, K’tana smiled again at Aryn as the other woman’s ice blue eyes went back to their sharpened state.

“Sithspit. You’re wanted in the Citadel, like, right now.” The Twi’lek obliged the woman and made her way to where she knew the Consul would be awaiting her arrival.

As she entered the room, Aryn choosing to wait outside the large room’s doors, she took note of Celevon standing next to the Quaestor and Atyriu standing to the far left, her smile lighting up the dimly lit room.

The Twi’lek smirked at her Aedile then closed her eyes and tilted her head in acknowledgement and respect; it was an unique thing for the Priestess to show respect to anyone. Yet, she finally felt that someone had earned it from her. He responded in kind as she worked her way up the few steps to stand before the Lady Consul.

“Billowy Shadow Cloak Lady,” K’tana said, her face blank and empty of the emotion that had passed as she stood before the Miraluka. “The task is done. The smugglers of Red-Eye have been dealt with. I would appreciate it if you called the dogs off the gangs downtown.”

Lady Atyriu smiled and nodded her head to Strategos who nodded his helmet at her and took off out of the room. As her opened the doors, Cel motioned to Aryn to come in.

“I take it that Port Or’Val shall have no further incidents concerning steroid hyped junkies overwhelming the streets?” the Lady Consul’s face was directed at K’tana and the Twi’lek could feel the Miraluka’s sightless gaze upon her.

“Of course Ma-”

“And! The gangs will be...” Atty interrupted and paused before continuing, her smile becoming a sly smirk, “handled with due caution?”

K’tana had to stifle a giggle and a smartass remark as she pressed her lips together and nodded vigorously, her lekku bouncing against her shoulders.

“Good. Now, I’ve think we’ve done quite enough official and formal ceremony for the day.” the Miraluka’s sly smile became a mischievous grin and the Twi’lek arched her brow and looked over at Cel who shrugged with a smirk.

“Wanna go wreak some havoc, Lady Consul?” the Twi’lek asked, a glimmer of trouble flashing in her emerald eyes.

THE END...