Guardians of Light

Watching From Afar

Clarke unbuckled her safety buckle with shaking hands, groaning at the ache that had developed throughout her whole body from the forceful landing. All electronics in the ship had died and the lights had dimmed to nothing, leaving her in virtual darkness.

Still trying to recover from the shock of the crash, she was unprepared when an explosion sounded close by on the ship, and she ducked her head in reflex when an eye burning brightness suddenly filled the ship through the now broken exit door.

A bulky figure stepped inside, barely able to stand straight in the small area, casting his gaze around before hooking his arms under her shoulders to haul her from the wreckage with the barest of grunts. There was little resistance on the blonde's part as her body instantly began to quiver at the blast of cold air that surrounded her, still somewhat dazed from the crash.

Clarke blinked rapidly against the eye watering brightness, the armoured figure pulling her upright to stand shakily on two feet. In an attempt to identify her captor, she made an effort to focus more clearly on his features but even through narrowed eyes could make out nothing through the darkened helmet that reflected the sharp sunlight.

'Get moving,' he growled, his low voice distorted by the headpiece to sound almost robotic. A second figure approached her left side, similar in appearance to the other and took a grip on her upper arm, the two proceeding to drag her roughly across the uneven terrain.Their uniform alerted Clarke to the fact that they were Republic soldiers but that did little to explain their interest in the crash landing or where they were taking her.

Having regained most of her senses, Clarke risked a quick glance over her shoulder to see where the ship had become partially embedded in a snow drift, and took a moment to consider how fortunate she had been to have avoided the icy peaks that were common on Hoth, it may have been a rather different outcome had her luck not held.

She was aware of the planets reputation for sub-zero temperatures and had acquired a thermal jacket before setting off, having traded a comparably lighter tunic which suited the buyer's interest. In all honesty, it was clear who had benefited the most from such a trade but they had not seemed bothered, possibly having no need for such heavy clothing at their destination.

Whatever the explanation for the easy buy, Clarke was just thankful that she'd had the good sense to wear it at take-off, the icy winds already beginning to send chills across her neck, though the jacket did its job and retained the majority of her body heat as promised.

Switching her attention back to the two large figures hauling her across the icy wasteland, she could tell, even after attempting resistance, that there was no breaking the grip on her arms. It seemed that she would just have to contend with wherever it was they were taking her. There was no doubting their allegiance with the Republic merely by the simple fact that she was still alive.

It was a few moments later that the trio descended down to a dip in the frozen landscape where a gathering of Republic soldiers were waiting. It appeared that they were all part of the same group, one women breaking away from the mass to meet the soldiers who pulled to a stop as she approached.

The feline features and pointed ears were easily identifiable traits of the Cathar species, this particular female having pulled her thick hair back away from her face, a few strands falling free to frame her sharp features.

'This is the one from the ship?' she inquired briskly, the only response being a light nod from the figure on Clarke's left, a mumbled confirmation barely heard through the thick helmet.

'Why are you here?' she asked the blonde woman, flicking her piercing gaze over the stranger as she spoke and Clarke could've sworn that her eyes were practically glowing, creating a rather intimidating effect. It would have been sensible at that point to be the perfect image of innocence, not allowing her usual attitude to break through and make the situation worse with a witty response. Unfortunately the blonde was known best for getting herself into the most impossible situations, though this time she decided to reign in her usual sarcasm.