Asha's azure blue eyes sparkled in the darkness, feeling the rumbling and vibrations of massive cargo ships rolling through her smaller form as the youthful knight of Voin pressed herself against the nearby pillar, hiding. The huge space haulers kept coming and going from the industrial trading port where this was all going down, Masking the sound of the conversation the two criminals below her were engaged in. But that was no impediment for Asha, who merely summoned some of her hidden might, the mystic power of Voin, into her eyes, allowing her to see them more closely and clearly, and, vitally, to read their lips.
"Well, let's pick up the pace. Your credits are transferred," Said the first man, a criminal dressed as one of the hauling crew managers who worked for this port, bright yellow hard hat strapped on, orange vest draped over a round belly, and thick, hairy arms protruding from rolled up sleeves.
Perhaps he was an actual haul crew manager, or maybe just an imposter, but it did not matter to Asha, who smirked silently in her shadows, edging a little closer to the ledge which overlooked where the two men stood. As a newly graduated knight of Voin, her only concern was that evildoers be caught and punished before their reckless, selfish actions could bring harm to others, and these two were planning a lot of harm. The man across from the first whistled and rubbed his hand over the wooden crates which sat between them, all four of which rested on a hovering crate sled which warbled as it waited.
"Four crates of Tenma root powder, fresh from the ground. You have any idea what I could do with all this?" The smuggler asked, looking terribly pleased with himself and his purchase.
The other man shook his head, equal parts bemused and impatient with the smuggler's antics.
"Everyone knows what you can do with that much T-root. Now, do you expect me to haul this into your ship for you or something? Go get this away before someone notices. The Knights of Voin have been snooping around lately. Magic freaks, unstable from whatever radiation gives them their so-called powers, you know? As likely to chop you up with their swords as they are to arrest you." The crew manager said.
"Oh I know all about them." Said the smuggler, speaking just as Asha reached the ledge.
She reached down with her her small hands, seizing the blade handle at her waist, silently drawing out the dully blue metal of her Voin blade. She breathed in, opening herself to that mystic force, and allowing it to fill and strengthen her legs.
"They being around is the reason that I chose to overpay you for four crates of this stuff. I mean, don't get me wrong, you can never have enough T-root, but my real delivery hasn't quite arrived yet." Said the smuggler.
"What in the name of the dark moons is that supposed to mea-" The other began to say, face twisting in confusion at the odd statement made by the other criminal.
Did this freak WANT to get caught?! The answer came a moment later, interrupting him mid sentence as a lithe form flew up from the ledge she had been standing on above them, landing right in the center of the two of them atop the crates. The hovering hauler sled bounced a little, not even tapping the ground, but despite how light she was, Asha's entrance had the effect she wanted on at least one of them.
The criminal crew manager cried out in a sudden mix of raw shock and deepening dread as he saw and recognized the distinctive sword of a Voin knight, a black blade with a single, branching vein of color running down its length, in this case, a chilling, almost luminous blue. The other criminal however, the smug smuggler, only took a couple steps back, his expression growing in delight, his grin growing into a full smile.
"You two are under arrest for the smuggling of illegal narcotics!" She announced triumphantly, rising from her crouch like a confident predator.
Under normal circumstances, the scene would have been ridiculous. Asha, Knight though she was, barely reaching past 1.6 meters (Five Foot Five Inches), and was of the Tungine species, which trended towards being smaller and slimmer than the two humans she stood between, her species having developed on a lower gravity planet than the old earth was. Her heated orange skin was easy to see, as were the distinctive hollow horns which sprouted out from her head, and the cascade of red hair that followed, reaching all the way down to the backs of her knees.
Her kind were known for their aesthetic quality and natural grace, but not for their strength or general fighting ability. On top of that, both men appeared far better armed than the alien girl who was confronting them, with the crew manager having a thickly built slug puncher at his waist, and the smuggler boasting a sleek laser lancer in the small holster on the side of his leg, whereas Asha only had her oddly bright, black sword. The manager reached down and snatched out his firearm, holding it out towards her, blinking less than a second later, watching without understanding as his gun was shattered into pieces.
Asha had moved as quickly as any mundane man might think, whipping her sword around her and swiping the black blade through the gun the very instant it faced her, using the powers of Voin to swell her speed and strength to an unnatural level. The man cried out and clutched his hand, some of the gun fragments lodging themselves there.
"Surrender peacefully or be brought in, in pieces." She warned, standing tall on the crates and aiming her sword down towards the Crew manager, face lit up by a victorious smile.
But the terrified manager had managed to keep her attention for long enough for the smuggler to proceed to the next part of his plan. A pin on his jacket seemed to explode in a burst of steam and smoke, a wide, silver net extending out, yawning wide open as Asha turned to look. The power within her gave her warning, and with enhanced strength she kicked off from the crates, flipping back through the air as the net pursued. Asha tossed herself to the left of the wide reaching trap, and was stunned when it altered its course to follow her.