The Negotiator and the Fire Fang

Raiders of the Sand: Barter

"Well time to see how our proteges will do." Sahrea Shan said from their post up on the rocks. They were perched up high, along with the Tusken warriors, waiting for the imperial brigade to pass by.

Night had fallen on Tatooine. The suns had slipped below the horizon long ago. The sky had turned a deep navy beside the countless stars that flickered overhead. Kenobi picked out the planets of Rodia and Christophsis, shining brighter than the other celestial bodies that surrounded them.

The dunes were painted in white moonlight. The wind had died long ago, leaving the chilly air stagnant against their skin. Creatures of the desert now came out of hiding, no longer at threat from the boiling suns. Small, twisting critters serpentined over the sand; Four legged lizard type animals sprinted across the terrain. One even ran across his boot, all way up here. A winged Sand Searcher flew in great arching circles in hopes of snagging a quick meal. Its shadow glided in echo over the mounds of sands.

They all sat in silence as the sounds of the imperials began to touch their ears. Obi-Wan lifted his hand, signaling for the snipers to take their places. This was all too familiar to him; Creating attack strategies, waiting for the enemy, the anticipation of the battle to come. On the one hand, it was nice to be in his element again, but at the same time, it brought up far too many painful memories.

Below them, the Empire began to march closer. Kenobi took out a pair of thermal specs as they came into view. The caravan consisted of three squadrons, an AT-ST, a few speeders, and troopers with jet packs on their backs. He passed the binoculars to Shan.

"Well someone looks like they mean business." she muttered, lowering the specs from her face. "Do you think it's possible we've angered them?" she joked.

"Well from the look of things, I would say there is a good chance of that." he replied, all jest. Sahrea suddenly took on a distant expression.

"This feels all too familiar." she murmured, crossing her arms across her chest. Kenobi's smile faltered. His heart gave a twinge as her aura dropped in a cold sadness.

"I know it does." he replied. She looked up to him, the grey in her eyes barely visible in the Tatooinian darkness. Her back was to the fading light. Only her pale hair was visible around her shadow filled face.

"How did you do this for three straight years?" she asked gently. He released a breath through his nose. He asked himself that as well. Once in a while, he would have dreams of the war. It was usually his worst memories.

There were dreams of Maul and Mandalore, the death of Satine. Dreams of Utapau. That one was of Cody giving the order for the rest of his men to fire at him as he free fell down towards the surface. Every time he hit the ground and would wake up to his body jerking in fear.

But the worst, the absolute worst, was Mustafar. Unlike the others, it was not a figmentation. Mustafar was like reliving a memory. The heat of the lava burning against his skin. Seeing Padme's limp body on the ground, Luke and his sister still in her womb. Anakin's yellow eyes, the duel, the hatred... He shut those dreams away.

"Honestly Sahrea, I don't know." he admitted. "I think back on it myself and atone it to the Jedi's teaching against attachments. To let go. To see death as a positive thing, as a being becoming one with the Force." He couldn't look at her. He merely watched the convoy as they approached. They were so close now, the thermal specs weren't even needed. The sound of clanking was louder than ever. He bit the inside of his cheek.

"However, every time I tell myself that, I see Kamino. And Geonosis. And Coruscant. And Utapau." he trailed off. Shan stepped closer to him, her small body giving off a surprising amount of warmth. She moved herself in front of him and grabbed his hands softly.