The Old Man in the Desert

[Takai Wren]

Takai had come to Tatooine for a reason. She was sure of it. The isolated backwater world held nothing for her, true. She was broke, alone, and stuck. But she felt that there was a reason why she was there. If only she could figure out what it was.

Dust kicked up behind her swoop bike as she traveled low over the dunes. She had taken to the desert often since she had arrived on the planet, enjoying the solitude of the vast sands. Her eyes scanned the horizon as she soared overland, looking for some sort of interesting landmark. She was puzzled to see something else, what looked to be the silhouette of a person walking the dunes off in the distance.

The swoop whined as Takai let off the throttle, coming to a quick hovering halt behind the cover of a dune. Dismounting, Takai came to the top of the dune, front in the sand as her head peaked the crest of the dune. Definitely a silhouette.

Her macrobinocs revealed a man walking the dune tops with some kind of staff. Long white hair spilled in a neat braid down the back of a green robe like garment. It was while Takai scoped out the figure in the distance that the quiet sound of shifting sand caught her attention behind her.

Tschh.

 

[Takai Wren]

Takai's mind screamed of danger a split second before she heard the Tusken scream, its warbling war cry echoing off the dunes as she caught the first gaffi strike with her forearm. She twisted to face the Tusken raider on her back as he towered over her, screaming in the feared tongue of the desert.

"URRRRRhhuurrrURRRhhh!"​

Crack

The gaffi stick crashed down on her forearms again, the impact resistant bracers she wore caving with the blow. Pain lanced through her arms as the wicked sharp end of the gaffi sliced her forearms.

But then her hands were on the weapons haft. Leg lashing out to kick at the raider's shins while she tugged hard on the gaffi stick. Struggling for a grip as her hands began to slick with blood, Takai got her leg under her and used the tusken's tugging to haul herself up on the outside of the tusken's grip.

Her left elbow came across, clipping the raider on the side of the head and sending him sprawling to the dirt, weaponless. Gripping the gaffi stick with blood running down her hands, Takai looked around.

She was surrounded.