The Negotiator and the Fire Fang

Raiders of the Sand: Plunder

"What a fine time this is!" Obi-Wan shouted as he ducked underneath a basket of fruit. It had been sent airborne by a thermal detonator that went off thirty feet in front of them.

Juka berries, wrine melons, q'sriks, among others, peppered his back as the basket began its descent onto the sandy ground. It hit the street as Sahrea vaulted herself over a toppled stall that was laying crumpled in the middle of the road.

"You think they'll give out party favors?" Shan shouted back as they turned a corner. She immediately spun, dodging a blaster bolt that would have instantly killed a non-Force user. As she straightened out, they both came to a screeching halt.

Up ahead was a high paced battle between a clan of Tusken Raiders and the Empire in a square that was a mechanical parts trading post up until an explosion went off. All Shan saw was blaster fire and smoke before they were pressing their backs against the sandstone wall. They met each other's eyes at the same time, knowing full well what the other was thinking.

"You help the people on the other side. I'll take over here." Shan said immediately. "Ender, stay off to the side, ok?" The droid beeped in response. Kenobi gave her a reassuring smile before they split up.

Shan slunk along the wall, taking extra care not to get shot, which wasn't an easy feat with the lasers flying everywhere. At least no one was aiming for civilians.

Sahrea poked her head out into in the street and scanned the area, looking for anyone that was caught in the crossfire. Her eyes fell on a woman and her child huddling behind a blaster burned stall, looking terrified.

Sahrea paused for a moment, waiting for an opening in the laser fire. Once there was a safe lull, she somersaulted past the bolts and rolled on the burning street. She rotated upright and crouch-stepped beside them.

"Come on, follow me." she told them. The woman replied in her native tongue, hesitant about putting her child in danger.

"Trust me. You're in the crossfire here. You have to leave. I promise you both will be safe." she urged. The woman pushed her dark hair out of her upturned eyes in stress. She told Sahrea that she would follow her.

Shan waved her hand for them to follow, making sure they kept themselves low. She poked her head up. She could now see the full extent of the battle. It wasn't a pretty sight.

The fighting was taking place in the section over, just close enough for them to be in the battle without being apart of it.

The entire area was peppered with bodies, Tusken Raider, stormtrooper, and civilian alike. An Imperial station was the victim of the explosion they had heard. The sandstone building was spewing heavy black smoke into the sky and bits of stone laid among the corpses. Stalls were on fire. The tarps shading the area were either torn down or had dozens of holes burned into them.

The Tuskens were on the left side of the square. Some were on the ground, firing at the imperials, while others were perched up on top of buildings and sniping those down below. There were almost thirty of them. She couldn't see the amount of imperials.

The Sandpeople weren't known for their courage. In fact, as far as Sahrea knew, they were quite the opposite. They acted aggressive when they knew they could win, but if you challenged them, they had a tendency to run off.

Knowing this, she wondered what had happened to make a more or less cowardly group of people willingly attack an imperial settlement. Whatever it was, they must have been extremely angry.

When the bolts changed direction away from them, Sahrea ushered the child and his mother over to the nearest alleyway. She stopped as they ran behind her and through the rounded stone archway to another area of Anchorhead.