CHAPTER 7: GRACEFUL CONFLICT

Next to a dark alleyway on Coruscant, Okha was ready to take down the target of her most recent bounty. A lucrative bounty that would have meant plenty of credits, bringing her ever closer to obtaining the freighter of her dreams. However, everything changed in an instant. The cries of an unknown girl tore right through the silence. It beconned her to leave the cover of darkness and enter a scene she did not expect. A scene where two motionless bodies on the floor spoke of a horror just minutes old. A scene where she found herself surrounded by five armed and dangerous foes as she held the hand of the little girl who cried out to Okha.

Of the would-be attackers, the two Trandoshans stood motionless directly ahead, about ten meters away. Each had a blaster in hand, ready to draw. Suddenly, they began to pace away from each other slowly while maintaining eye contact with Okha. To her right, the drooling Gamorrean stood about four meters away with his battle axe readied. To her left, another Gamorrean. Okha’s helmet could not filter out the fact that this one smelled more wretched than the first. It too was about four meters away with his axe readied. Somewhere behind her, a third Gamorrean lingered. There was no way she was losing track of him. She clearly remembered there were two of them to her right when she entered the scene.

The long stare-down continued. What felt like an hour-long stalemate suddenly changed. In an instant, and without warning, the drooling Gamorrean to her right swung his 250-pound battle axe over his right shoulder. Time slowed. She knew exactly where the axe was landing next. However, that was only one-fifth of the troubles around her and the girl. The smelly Gamorrean to her left, also began to bring his Axe over his shoulder. Except, he was bringing it over to his left shoulder. Clearly, he was preparing his axe to strike in the area that would be dodged by the first axe. What about that third one?, Okha thought to herself briefly. In an instant, she knew exactly where he was by the sound of his breathing. In the middle of this, the two Trandoshans remained dead-ahead, equidistant and beyond the reach of the two motionless bodies on the floor.

As the axe from the first Gamorrean sliced through the air, one last thought raced through her mind as she calculated each and every move she needed to accomplish.

Why didn’t they even try to talk this one out? Poor Bastards.

In one swift motion, Okha ignited her rocket pack and held the girl tightly in her arms. The blast knocked down the heavy-breathing Gamorrean behind her. Her in-flight trajectory would take her right through the blaster-wielding Trandoshan to her left and knock him senseless. As she continued her short flight, she held the girl with her left arm as she fired her fibercord gauntlet at the second Trandoshan. It was a perfect shot that wrapped around his neck. Giving it enough slack, she looped the rest of it around an arch-like structure above them. Dropping his weapon, the Trandoshan desperately tried to find a way to loosen the grip of the fibercord which got tighter and tighter around his neck with each passing second. He was not fast enough. Suddenly, he was off the floor, following the path of the fibercord. Okha let the girl down as she took another brief flight around that arched structure. With one whip-cracking motion, she secured it, and let it go from her gauntlet. Three down, two to go, Okha thought to herself.

The first Gamorrean had swung his axe so hard, it was buried into the ground and was struggling to get it back out. “OK, I guess that’s four down, one to go”, Okha whispered to herself. The one that got knocked down from her rocketpack firing was still rolling around, trying to get to his feet. This meant she only had the smelly one to contend with. She was also not counting the Trandoshan she tackled at the beginning. Although he was slowly getting to his knees, he was not game.

Realizing the importance Okha had taken to the girl, the smell-ridden Gamorrean was ready to use the girl as target-practice for his rusting axe. He began to run, as fast as a Gamorrean could, towards the girl. Taking aim as he prepped the axe over his head.He continued to run with a clear path toward the girl. Time slowed, but did not stop.

Intercept the Axe? Go for the girl? There was no time to calculate.

Okha took flight to intercept. Along the way, she picked up the blaster the Trandoshan dropped in favor of trying to loosen his new necktie. The axe was already in the air and there was no time. She had to intercept the axe - with her rocketpack. Stopping it was impossible. Deflecting it was. At the potential cost of one of her extremities. She had to quickly decide which one she could live without. Perhaps her calculation would be off and there would be nothing to recover from after. It no longer mattered. Death was an option, but there was no hesitation. Just as she was ready to hear the sound of mangling steel followed by bone being crushed - all she heard was the sound of her armor scraping and the thud of her body hitting the ground.

…..

In disbelief, Okha looked back to find the axe was flat on the ground. The three Gamorreans stared at each other and back at her - in disbelief.

Okha could not believe what just happened.

Why didn’t I feel anything?

Okha was not one for abandoning a good fight, but the circumstances were unusual and needed some regrouping. She rushed back to the girl and took her in her arms. Holding her tightly, she drew the blaster at them.

“STAND DOWN!”

With those words, she held on tightly to the little girl and began her flight. Just then, the first Trandoshan found his footing, stood up and grabbed his blaster off the floor. He suddenly looked her way - as a predator would to his prey. Growling in anger, he refrained from drawing the blaster.

Suddenly, all they had was the light from Okha’s rocket exhaust and an unsatiated need to fight to the death. Somehow, they all knew they would meet again. Especially the Trandoshan. From the look in his eyes, anyone could tell that it was all he could think about as he turned to see the figure of what was once his brother, swaying in the wind.