The Negotiator and the Fire Fang

Raiders of the Sand: Pillage

Sahrea Shan stepped up to the group confidently, pulling their attention as she did. They looked at her not as any type of threat, but with curiosity as to why this brazen woman would approach them.

Their camp had clearly been thrown together quickly. Two poles deep had been stabbed deep into the sandy ground. From there they took a sun-faded tarp and attached one half to the poles and the other half to the sandstone wall of the city. Various crates and plasteel containers were sloppily piled up around the area.

The pirates resting in the shade were of varying species. Sahrea counted three Weequays, one Erunanite, a Twi'Lek, and four Moroanians, to be exact, with a Sullustan working underneath a landspeeder. His gloved hand slunk out from under the machine, grabbed a pexol drill, and disappeared it back under.

As for the Tusken Raiders, they were bound together by rope. It looped around their wrists and waists before hanging low between the three. Of course, while the pirates were lounging cool shade of the tarp, the three Sandpeople were just on the edge of it, baking in the high Tatooinian suns.

Sahrea forced herself to stand a little taller as the leader, a Karatach, stepped forward to meet her. He was a very bird like creature. Gray skin covered his frame. He had small, protruding, black eyes that blinked quickly. His tuffs of hair were slicked back to his neck. He had no nose above his abnormally wide, sharp toothed mouth. He had two sets of spindly arms, which he crossed over his chest defiantly as she came to a stop.

"You are not welcome here, human." the Karatach stated. Shan looked up and stared him directly in the eye, trying to look as menacing as she could. She wasn't sure how successful it was though, considering the Karatach was over a head taller than her and did not seem overly phased.

"I don't think those Tusken Raiders are too happy to be here either." she replied as a sand-filled breeze whipped at her legs. He narrowed his spider-like eyes at her.

"Leave." He raised his two blasters. Shan took a step closer. "Do not antagonize me, writhno." he threatened. She smirked. She has hoped he would say that.

Shan roundhouse kicked the blasters out of his hands and while she still had the element of surprise, she punched him in his creepy, sharp toothed mouth.

His head whipped back. He stumbled a few steps backwards to regain his balance. His crew stood there for a moment, unsure of how they should respond. The leader righted himself and shot a death glare at his dumb-struck crew. That look was all the directions they needed.

Shan watched as the first pirate made his way at her. It was a Twi'Lek with a wrench. She held off for just long enough before kicking the advancing pirate in the stomach.

As he stumbled backwards, another one grabbed her from behind. She wrestled herself out of his grip just enough to elbow him in the mouth, his  dull front teeth jabbing into her skin. The lackey reeled backwards.

She turned to see the Erunan gripping his face. She grabbed his blaster from his hand, flipped it so that she was holding the barrel, and downed him with one whack to the side of his head with the handle.

She turned. The hairy Moroanian was coming at her now. He too was around double her size. She was forming an attack in her head when he suddenly spasmed and twisted before collapsing to the ground.

Ender beeped to her to look behind as he pulled his shock arm back into body. She spun around. The speckled blue eyes of a surprised Rodian greeted her before being replaced by a beard and weather worn cloak.

"You're welcome." Obi-Wan said, stepping over the Rodian's unconscious form. Sahrea smirked. She hadn't even realized he followed, but wasn't overly surprised.

She lifted the blaster she still held and sent a bolt flying inches from the side of the Jedi's face, straight through the eye of the pirate about to stab him in the back. Kenobi didn't even blink.

"You're welcome." she mimicked coyly. He shook his head at her. She looked to her right, at a Moroanian looking quite peeved. Obi-Wan instinctively ducked and used his back to flip the charging Moroanian over onto the sand without even a sideways glance.

Shan picked up a nearby blaster rifle that had been propped up against a crate and jabbed it into his face. He groaned before falling still. The two looked around. All of the pirates were down.

"Well that went smoother than expected." Shan said simply. Kenobi gave her a smirk.

"Yes, because I had your back." She turned her head over her shoulder and flashed him a smile.

"You always do." she said as she headed towards the Tusken captives. Sahrea knelt down and plucked a lone knife embedded blade first in the sand without breaking stride.

The Sandpeople growled angrily at her as she approached, clearly thinking she was yet another threat. Sahrea came to a halt a few feet from them. She crossed her arms as Ender stopped beside her.

"Before I let you go, I have one question for you. Why are you this far in? You are far off your land." Shan asked. She sensed more than saw Kenobi come to her side. The Raiders urrred back at her and the Gray looked immediately to her droid. He translated that the Raiders said they would only tell her if she let them go. So she did.

"Odds are," she started as she squatted down in front of them, "you are going to run the second I undo these bindings, but we did just save your lives, so I would appreciate an answer." Shan said as the knife sawed cleanly through the ropes. She stood up.

The Tuskens began untangling themselves from their bindings as Shan stepped back. Once they were free, one immediately took off running. The middle Raider attempted to follow, but stopped when the remaining one grabbed his arm. They communicated back and forth for a long moment. The one on the right yanked his arm grumpily from his companion. They turned to her and Ender translated for them as they spoke.

"Do you have the time?" the left one inquired. Sahrea blinked at them. "The, the time?" she asked hesitantly. She looked to her droid. "Did you translate that correctly?" the droid beeped back indignantly that he did. Shan pulled out a holocomm.

"It's a little after fourteen hundred. Why?" They murmured a second before answering.

"You rescued us. The least we can do is tell you to leave." the left one said. Shan's heart seized up. She felt Kenobi's aura drop to ice.

"Leave? Are you warning us?" he asked them, his voice hesistent. The second Tusken ran off, leaving his friend alone. He wavered for a moment.

"Favor your life." He warned before he took off after his comrade. Sahrea looked to Kenobi.

"I have a bad feeling about this." she stated. Kenobi opened his mouth to respond, but stopped as they both jumped as a loud explosion echoed from the other end of Anchorhead, so intense even the sand beneath their feet shivered with fear.