The Negotiator and the Fire Fang

Shadows of the Ancient Sith: The Blue Death

"Come on Ender." the woman urged in between labored inhales of bone dry air. Her small MSE-6 repair droid beeped back at her in response, his wheels teetering over the uneven ground of the Jundland Wastes.

After being cut off from the rest of the group, she had been forced towards the Wastes on her own. Luckily, she had noticed this path that led up the side of the canyon and took it in hopes of losing the Tusken Raiders who were tailing her. Between the heat and her utter exhaustion from days without real sleep, she felt like she was only a few steps away from collapsing.

The two kept moving, the path bumpy under her feet and Ender's wheels. The woman desperately hoped that she would not veer too far to the right with her sun filled vision and accidentally slip over the edge into the canyon. The Jundland Wastes were a death trap for the unaware.

She squinted against the bright whites and tans of the landscape as she and Ender ran along. The heat was becoming more and more suffocating. She was sweating profusely beneath her cloak.

These complaints were all drowned out by a shock of adrenaline as two Tusken Raiders hopped down from their hiding place up in a rock formation, blocking her way. She swore as she skidded to a halt, causing Ender to run into the back of her right leg. It hurt, but she did not react to it. She peered over her shoulder as the other three caught up.

They were unusual creatures, Tusken Raiders. Their heads were wrapped in a thick layer of rough cloth to protect them from the unforgiving desert sun. Small metal points stuck out on top of their skulls and their eyes were hidden behind a metal lens. Their mouths had a covering as well, presumably to prevent them from breathing in the course sand. They all wore the same pale, sun bleached robes that made it impossible for an outsider to tell them apart. Some carried spears, others carried ancient looking blaster rifles.

The one directly in front of her, the leader, made a loud warcry as he raised his Gaffi Stick into the air, a long, wooden weapon all Tusken leadership had. He lifted it above his head, the forewarning of an attack. The woman took up a defensive stance against the Sandpeople, hoping enough adrenaline was flooding her system to counteract her mind numbing exhaustion.

"Leave us alone! Can't you see we are no threat to you?" she asked breathily, too tired to put any strong emotion into her voice.

Tusken Raiders were known to be hostile people. It had come from years of being brutalized and taken advantage of by the settlers. However, unlike many other unfortunate species, the Sandpeople have been fighting back for thousands of years, forcing outsiders to respect their borders or die. They had quite a reputation around these parts.

"Please, we just want to be left alone. Do that, and we will leave the Wastes and head to Anchorhead." she told them, hoping they would barter with her. No such luck. The leader swung his weapon at her head. The woman dodged backwards, only to be grabbed by the three behind her.

"Let me go!" she shouted as she struggled weakly against them. Ender popped out his circuit melder and sent an electric shock through the raider on her left.

The woman's fingers twitched as a static pop in her arm shot through her limb from where he was restraining her. The Tusken made a pained grunt before kicking the droid into the wall with his foot.

As for the woman, she wasn't taking this without a fight. Mustering what non-existent energy she could, she lifted her foot and kicked the leader directly in the stomach. He doubled over in pain as she continued to try and wrench herself away.

She took a sharp inhale as a shot when off. The next second, her mind was encompassed with pain. One of the Sandpeople had sent a blaster bolt straight through her upper left chest, right under her collarbone.

The burning pain radiated from the wound into her arm and neck, causing a cry of pain to escape her throat. The deep rumble of the blaster was still echoing endlessly through the canyon. She went weak at the knees, but was able to catch herself before hitting the ground.

As she straightened, she noticed that her assailants had frozen completely in fear. They were all staring at something down the path. That wasn't a good sign.

One made a soft "Err-err-urrrrtttt." before they released the woman's arms. She stumbled to the side as they darted around her in panic. She tried to keep her balance, but got in the way of the leader. He shoved her roughly into into the wall.

The woman reached both arms out, causing immense pain from her chest wound. The rock was rough and uneven beneath her palms, slicing into her skin. Her entire body hit the wall and her fatigued laced being collapsed to the ground. She hit the dirt hard, knocking the wind out of her. Ender beeped worriedly as he used one of his tool extremities to right himself.

"I'm ok little friend." she muttered after a moment of regaining her bearings. Her mouse droid whirred at her. She had programmed him to understand the Tusken Raider language, although she didn't know how accurate it was. She had taken pieces of multiple ancient Tusken translations and merged them into one program.

The mouse droid told her that the Tuskens had shouted that either the Blue Breath or the Blue Death was here. Neither option sounded particularly appealing.

The woman rolled painfully onto her side, her visioned darkened by her hood. She pushed it away from her face so that she could see down the path.

A cloaked figure was coming towards her out of the sweltering heat. Had the being not scared off the Sandpeople, she would have thought that it was some kind of ghost or mirage.

It was a dark silhouette, its outline stark against the watery paleness of the Tatooinian landscape. The cloak fluttered as wind danced by, but it revealed nothing of the creature beneath. However, it did not induce fear in her. In fact, it seemed... familiar, somehow.

The woman climbed slowly to her feet. Still, those Tusken Raiders weren't stupid. If they ran from it, there must be a reason and anything named the Blue Death couldn't be friendly.

Putting pressure on her wounded shoulder, the woman tried her best to get away from the... whatever it was. Although the wound was mostly cauterized by the blaster bolt, there was still a good amount of bleeding. There was a trickle slipping down the side of her face as well, adding one more discomfort to her fast growing list.

She stumbled away as quickly as she could, the sound of the Blue Death's footsteps behind her sending a nervous tickle dancing down her back. She was immediately on edge, expecting something to grab her back at any moment.

The woman quickened her pace. There was no way she could defend herself in this condition. Just slightly moving her arm caused immense pain, not to mention that the adrenaline was wearing off and the exhaustion was returning.

She tripped into a jog. She could hear Ender's wheels bobbing over the uneven terrain. He beeped uneasily. The woman attempted to look over her shoulder to see how much distance was between her and the Blue Death, but the cloak got in the way. She didn't dare stop moving though. Her heart stopped as something wrapped around her forearm. She swung out with a fist, hitting nothing but air.

"Hey, hey, it's alright now." a male voice said soothingly. That voice. She went numb instantly from both hope and shock. Was it really possible? She turned her eyes to the face of the speaker. She couldn't believe it.

He looked older since the day she saw him last, even though it had only been three months since they had been face to face. But there was no mistaking him.

He still had the thick beard he wore during the war. His hair was longer. He still had the same charming smile, although it was missing now from worry. His wise blue eyes were concerned. His skin had tanned and lines were worn into his face.

Most of all, he was still as just handsome as she remembered him being, maybe even more so with this rugged appearance. The woman was positive that she looking into the face of the former Jedi Master and General of the Galactic Republic, Obi-Wan Kenobi.