The Negotiator and the Fire Fang

Shadows of the Ancient Sith: The Final Resting Place of Naga Sadow

Kenobi and Shan toed carefully through the broken foundations of the neglected tomb. The floor was in uneven pieces, even cracked to nothing in some places.

The ceiling was falling apart, leaving large chunks of stone as tripping hazards. Some areas of the tomb were completely blocked. Following the path Sahrea took before, they navigated through the pitch black by the light of the sabers. They were quiet as possible. The entire tomb was unstable. The last thing they needed was for it to come crashing down on top of them.

"This is it. The resting place of Naga Sadow." Shan whispered. She touched an ancient lighting fixture and the light flickered weakly to life. The tomb was circular.

In the center was a sarcophagus etched with Sith symbols and writing foreign to Kenobi. Chests and pots long robbed of their contents laid abandoned. Some had even been smashed. Dust hung in the thick, damp air. The two braced themselves as a thump echoed off the walls. The air coldened. The lights dimmed. Kenobi looked to Sahrea. Her face was steeled.

"You dare return to my defiled tomb, trespasser?" a deep, disembodied voice shouted, making stones tumble from the ceiling. Both Kenobi and Shan hunkered down as dust and debris rained around them.

"And you bring this Jedi with you? Have you not insulted me enough?" the voice cried, laced with anger. Obi-Wan stared as a shadowy fog slipped through the crack of the lid of the sarcophagus and poured down the sides. It pooled in front of the coffin. He stepped closer to Sahrea, putting a hand on her wrist. Was this what she saw every single night?

As the dark mist finally stopped flowing out of the coffin, it sat at the base for a moment, shifting and rolling over itself, before it pulled sharply upwards. It twisted and morphed until it was an indistinct, humanoid figure.

"No more." the spirit of Naga Sadow stated. He stretched out his hand. The mist extended out, molding and hardening until a long sword etched itself from the darkness. This wasn't going to go well. Obi-Wan stepped forward.

"Please, Lord Sadow. We just want to-" Kenobi cut his sentence short as Sadow swung his sword at him. Well so much for negotiating.

He bent backwards, the blade narrowly missing his nose. Shan ignited her sabers immediately and leapt at the shadow. Her sabers cut straight through him, although Kenobi knew that the action was only to gain Sadow's attention

Sadow turned to face her. He lifted his sword up high and pulled it down on her lightsabers. Shan crossed them in an X and they caught. Sadow used his strength to push down on the fatigued Gray. She stayed up, but Kenobi could see if took a lot of strength on her part.

Obi-Wan struck out. The ancient Sith flung his other arm out. A second sword appeared and it blocked his strike. The Jedi and Gray stepped back to re-evaluate before attacking again.

The ghost dueled both of them expertly. Apparently time had not affected his skills. Obi-Wan hoped so anyway, because if this is Sadow in his weakened form, he would have hated to duel him when he was alive. Obi-Wan watched as Sahrea's blows became slower and sloppier, which was very unlike her usual precise style.

Sadow dove in deep towards Obi-Wan, swiping his misty hand across the former Jedi's eyes. Kenobi stumbled back, blinded by the Sith. He heard Shan's sabers hum and whirr as she attempted to fight off Sadow on her own.

Obi-Wan swiped at his eyes, trying to clear his vision as quickly as possible. In her state, she wouldn't last long against him. He blinked his eyes open and closed, open and closed. Everything was blurry, just shifting blobs. It was an improvement at least.

He watched orange and silver dive through a charcoal mass. He blinked his eyes again. Everything came a little more in focus. Shan's sabers crossed as she defended herself. Sadow dipped his sword. Sahrea gave a sharp shout as she dropped her silver saber to the floor. Red appeared on her wrist.

Kenobi reached out with the Force and attempted to Force shove the Sith away, but nothing happened. Sadow grabbed Shan's armed hand and wrenched it outwards. She released her other saber. He shoved her against the wall, putting the point of his sword to her throat. Obi-Wan reached out to them, heart pounding.

"We want to make a deal!" he shouted. His breathing elevated with his fear, creating spots in front of his eyes. Sadow turned his head, keeping the tip of blade at Sahrea's throat. She looked at Kenobi. His vision was still slightly off, but he could still see the terror on her face. Naga Sadow thought on this a moment.

"I don't make deals with Jedi." he spat. He turned back to the Gray.

"I'm not a Jedi though!" Shan added abruptly. The ancient Sith paused. His leaned his smoky face towards hers, getting extremely close. He stared into her eyes for a long few seconds, sword still raised.

"So you're not." he stated. He pulled his face away. "Alright. What is your offer?" he asked. He dropped his sword, but Shan was still in easy stabbing distance. Kenobi blinked as his vision fully returned.

"We will find what was stolen from your tomb and return it." Shan stated instantly. Naga gave a deep laugh.

"So you plan on returning what you stole from me? How convenient." he chuckled, although it sounded maniacal rather than amused.

"She didn't steal from you." Kenobi said. Sadow gave a deep laugh and looked to him.

"Oh you Jedi." he said, a light tone to his voice. He clearly found him funny for some reason or another. "You preach humility and tranquility, yet you lie for the sake of peace." Sadow cooed.

"You act high and mighty, yet you are the ones who can not be trusted." Kenobi had every muscle primed, ready to act if Sadow did decide to kill Sahrea.

"Me though? Me you can trust. You can trust that I am not to be trusted. I will betray you. I will end you. I will succeed you. This is a truth every Sith knows. But a Jedi? You never know when they will stab you in the back." Sadow lifted his blade to Shan again, touching the point to her chin.

"Now you interest me, Heir of Revan." the Sith stated. "Not a Jedi, but a not a Sith. Light, yet Dark. Hero and villain. Savior and conqueror. You understand." he said. Kenobi could see the pulse throbbing in Sahrea's thin neck.

"You are like him, like Revan. Light, Dark, and somewhere in between." Sadow cocked his head at the Gray. He lowered his sword.

"Return what has been taken from me and drive the intruders from the planet. Do this and I will lift my curse." Kenobi relaxed for the first time since they entered the tomb.

"We need a disguise though." Shan told him. "We can not be seen by the Empire." Sadow flicked a hand.

A cloud of darkness swirled on the lid of his coffin. It dissipated, leaving behind two sets of armor like the ones they used thousands of years ago. A Sith Marauder's uniform was for him. A Sith Assassin's armor was for Shan. Lightsabers were also provided. Sadow then dissipated into nothing, his part finished for now, but his warning rang out from the beyond, clear and threatening.

"Do not fail me, Heir of Revan."