Guardians of Light

Time Will Tell

Lexa found the blonde waiting outside the illuminated cantina, seated on one of the many benches lining the street. She let a stumbling humanoid pass her before making her way over, not wanting the drunken fool to stumble into her and start an unnecessary fight. 

Clarke looked up when the Jedi approached, flashing a smile small as she scooted over to create a space next to her. 

'That went better than expected,' the Jedi began, taking a seat on the bench. It was hardly located in the most scenic of places and the faint stench of alcohol did nothing to improve the ambiance. 

'I still have to track down a known criminal and retrieve a shipment of goods from the other side of the galaxy within a month,' Clarke trailed off, almost talking to herself as she began to see all the things that could possibly go wrong within that time. 

There wasn't any guarantee that Janos would keep his word even if they did manage to locate the escapee and expensive goods in time. 

Lexa looked out over the quiet street, sensing the woman's spirit slowly plummeting at the prospect. 

'It could be worse,' she finally said, the blonde glancing sideways at her in the pause that followed. 'You could be dead.'

Clarke chuckled and lent back against the bench, kicking her legs out and crossing them at the ankles. 

'You're right, I could be dead. Once this is done at least I can finally rid myself of that scumbag for good.'

Janos Karr was not one let his victims escape so easily, but the Jedi decided that now wasn't the best time to voice such concerns. 

'We should return to the ship soon and let the crew know that we're bound for Nar Shaddaa.'

Clarke glanced at the Jedi in surprise, the inclusive use of we had been unexpected. 

'Don't you mean I should be getting myself a ride to Nar Shaddaa and finally leave you in peace,' she countered, more than grateful for everything the Jedi had already done for her. There was a Sith Holocron to be contending with which was far more important than chasing ghosts around a crime riddled planet for a stranger she had only recently met. 

'You fought by my side on Hoth against the Empire and, after wrongly imprisoning you, the least I can do is help you with this.'

The Jedi had grown to enjoy the blondes company over the last few days, not that she would say as much. Clarke had spirit, a good sense of humour and was defiant in the face of danger. It was refreshing to meet someone with such an intriguing personality. 

Besides, she did owe her as much after all of the unfounded accusations that had been thrown around since their first meeting. It was strange to think that the first glimpse of blonde hair she had witnessed on the planet Hoth would lead to such events. 

'True, you did try to out me as an Imperial spy,' Clarke recounted in a teasing manner, shaking her head at just how far they had come in such a short time. 'We'd best be getting back, your crew will be getting concerned. Can't have them thinking I've assassinated you.'

They retraced their steps back to the upper levels of Coruscant, using the speeder to return to the private docking platform in good time. 

The crew were relieved when their captain finally returned, gathering on the lower deck when they saw the two distinct figures approaching the HellDiver. 

'Commander, did everything go as planned?' Cal inquired as the two woman stepped into the ship. His question was intentionally vague and he briefly glanced sideways at the blonde, not yet knowing that she had been cleared by the Jedi.