Hɪɢʜʟʏ Iɴᴛᴇʟʟɪɢᴇɴᴛ
Olu walked through the damp streets of Nar Shaddaa, her boots leaving faint tracks in the oily scum covering the permacrete. She had stepped off the public transit shuttle only twenty minutes earlier, her datapad tucked safely beneath her coat. She had come to the moon looking for funding for her research, hoping to continue her work somewhere without the bureaucratic restrictions that had disrupted her previous project.
The local authorities had objected to her cybernetic trials on living subjects, dismissing her explanation that the patients had volunteered and that, as a pure-blood Arkanian, her assessment of their utility was simply objective. Their decision had been final regardless, and they had sent her onto the next shuttle out while seizing her laboratory equipment. Losing months of research along with it had been deeply disappointing.
A light rain fell through the smog overhead, carrying the smell of sulfur and industrial runoff. Olu barely noticed the acidity. It was simply another environmental variable to account for. She turned into an alley leading toward the lower-level commercial district, but she had only taken a few steps before a heavy hand grabbed her shoulder and slammed her against the brick wall.
Four Nikto thugs closed in behind her, blocking the exit with drawn vibroblades. The lead Nikto stepped forward, rain glistening across his scaly face as he pressed his blade toward her chest. Olu's solid white eyes remained fixed on him without blinking. Instead of reacting to the weapon, she studied the misaligned cybernetic plate bolted into his jaw.
"Statement: This action is entirely illogical," Olu said.
The local authorities had objected to her cybernetic trials on living subjects, dismissing her explanation that the patients had volunteered and that, as a pure-blood Arkanian, her assessment of their utility was simply objective. Their decision had been final regardless, and they had sent her onto the next shuttle out while seizing her laboratory equipment. Losing months of research along with it had been deeply disappointing.
A light rain fell through the smog overhead, carrying the smell of sulfur and industrial runoff. Olu barely noticed the acidity. It was simply another environmental variable to account for. She turned into an alley leading toward the lower-level commercial district, but she had only taken a few steps before a heavy hand grabbed her shoulder and slammed her against the brick wall.
Four Nikto thugs closed in behind her, blocking the exit with drawn vibroblades. The lead Nikto stepped forward, rain glistening across his scaly face as he pressed his blade toward her chest. Olu's solid white eyes remained fixed on him without blinking. Instead of reacting to the weapon, she studied the misaligned cybernetic plate bolted into his jaw.
"Statement: This action is entirely illogical," Olu said.