Guardians of Light

Infiltration

Nar Shaddaa was not a stranger to violence and the inhabitants were remarkably well adapted to turning a blind eye when required. This was one such moment as the captured prisoners were trooped back across the city to the spaceport in which Lexa's ship was being held. 

The Jedi summoned the force and used it to propel her weakened limbs onwards, the result of many an unnecessary electrical jolt from her captives. They were right to be wary of her, she was powerful and there was no denying it, but she had done nothing to provoke each malicious shock. 

Clarke and Bellamy walked towards the rear of the cohort, their words lost in the long distance that separated them from the captured Jedi. 

'This isn't exactly how I pictured our reunion,' the dark haired man said, lifting a hand to push the ragged dark hair away from his face. The thought of reuniting with his friends had kept him going on many a dark day, but this situation was not ideal. 

'An I'm not dead  message would've been nice,' Clarke offered, looking ahead at the mass of black clad figures that were escorting the prisoners through the city. 

'Are you mad at me?' Bellamy asked quickly, sensing the lingering tension between them ever since he had revealed his identity. 'I thought you would be pleased to know I'm alive?'

'Of course I'm glad you're alive, but, as for everything else, yes I'm mad,' Clarke admitted. 'You apprehended the Jedi who was helping me to take out the bounty and jeopardized my mission in the process.' 

They were close to the shipping docks now. Fewer people were present in this area and it was nice to walk without the weight of many curious gazes following their progression.

Bellamy considered her words for a few seconds. 

'I'll help you with the bounty, both of us will be leaving here victorious.'

Clarke bit her tongue to stop from saying anything that would attract suspicion. The smuggler could not know of her plans to free the Jedi. 

Everyone would be emerging victorious, all except the Jedi and her crew who's lives would be destroyed by their selfish attitudes. Not that Bellamy cared, he was only thinking of his sister and anything that came between him and that goal was expendable. 

'Who are these people to you anyway?' Bellamy continued, oblivious to his friends internal conflict. 'You're the last person I'd ever expect to find in the presence of a noble Jedi, no offence.'

None was taken. Clarke would have thought the same thing a few weeks ago. Now, however, she couldn't have felt more fortunate. The Jedi had asked her many times why she cared what the crew thought of her but the blonde had no answer to give. Now she did. 

They were good people. Their lives revolved around doing what was right for other people and if they thought badly of someone then it was a true judgement of character. Clarke didn't want to be seen as anything less than what she knew she could be. Kind, compassionate, honest and just. All things that she was capable of. Life had led her down some stray paths recently but she wanted to be better than that, better than this. 

Seeing Bellamy again only reinforced this and she was now even more determined in her plan to save both the Jedi and crew. It was the right thing to do. 

'Our paths crossed on Hoth,' Clarke explained, feeling as if it had been an age since that first meeting. 'I almost shot her to be honest, but from there we worked together on a mutual interest and here we are.'

She couldn't help but smile at the bizarre turn of events that had brought them together. They had been fighting Imperials on Hoth as strangers and had since been working together as allies to clear her debt to the crime lord. It was a tale that couldn't have been made up.