The Negotiator and the Fire Fang

Broken Spirits Pt. 3

"Here I was expecting one Jedi, but instead I found three."

Obi-Wan tightened his grip on his saber as his mood instantly darkened. Shan took a step forward, her white night dress billowing in the dry breeze that blew past. Her hair was unbound and blowing around her face.

Kenobi was reminded, as he was the first time they had met, of an ancient Echani come back to life. Her expression was strong and determined, her stance defiant. Watching her in that moment reminded him of why he fell in love with her in the first place. Obi-Wan turned back to their uninvited guest.

It was an Inquisitor. Tight black armor traced up her legs and arms. Her face was covered by a metal plate that glinted in the moonlight. A modified Imperial TIE was parked a few hundred feet away, casting an eerie shadow across the dunes. Her lightsaber hilt was unlike any Kenobi had ever seen a Jedi or Sith wield. It was a double bladed hilt with a circular piece of mechanics surrounding it. One half of it was currently lit and being held at his son's throat.

"Let him go. Your issue is with us." Obi-Wan growled. He flourished his saber, reaching it above his head while his left hand reached out with his index and middle fingers up in a V. Anakin was gripping onto the Inquisitor's arm for dear life. His face was terrified.

"I'm so sorry, I heard a noise and I thought it was a Jawa..." he trailed off. Obi-Wan could tell he was holding back his terror. The Inquisitor tightened her grip on their son.

"Don't apologize." Sahrea stated. Her silver blade glowed bright in the darkness of the night. Her aura was almost as cold as the Inquisitor's. She was in a dangerous mood. A deadly mood. Their son's captor laughed.

"How quaint. I hadn't picked you for a family man, Obi-Wan." That voice. There was something familiar about it. Her aura too. It was like taking something you knew and twisting it into something different. He lowered his saber and grabbed it with both hands.

"Who are you?" he asked as he edged closer. He snuck a peek at Sahrea. He could practically see a plan formulating in her mind. He slipped his eyes back to the Jedi hunter. She pressed a button as the face plate of her mask split apart.

"I am the First Sister." she said. Kenobi's mood darkened as a familiar face was revealed. She had aged since he saw her last, but there was no mistaking the First Sister's identity.

"Hello Barriss." Barriss Offee, Luminara's fallen apprentice who bombed the Jedi Temple and framed Ahsoka. She had been thrown in a Coruscant jail for the crime. Both clones and mechanics had been killed in the explosion and Ahsoka had left the Order because of it. The loss of his padawan broke Anakin in ways he never let Obi-Wan see and there was no doubt that Tano's leaving was just another tipping point for him to become Darth Vader. It was infuriating to see how one person's actions affected so many. Offee cocked her head to the side. She gave a cruel chuckle.

"I have not been called that in a long time." she replied. "You have aged since we last met, Obi-Wan. I hope time and family haven't dulled your skills." His jaw tightened. The Inquisitor turned her focus to Sahrea.

"Ahh a Shan. You look just like your traitorous sister." The Gray's eyes turned yellow-red, which Kenobi knew to take as a warning. She gave her silver blade a twirl.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" she growled. Offee did not respond. She just forced Anakin closer to them. The boy kicked the First Sister in the leg and attempted to get away, but Barriss recovered quickly enough to grab him.

"Enough with the games." she snapped, wrenching Anakin back to her. "My apprentice, the Seventh Sister, is already on her way. By the time she gets here, there will already be three dead Jedi." Offee pulled her saber out to stab their son. Sahrea was already moving.