Guardians of Light

Memories of Old

Clarke's home world was once a peaceful and well-established planet that had swayed to neither the Republic nor the Empire. At first it had held great pride in remaining autonomous and for a while its inhabitants were left undisturbed. That was, until the fateful day that the Empire arrived to claim new territory. 

The ongoing war led to both factions attempting to claim loyalty from the neutral planets in the galaxy. Support was going to be key in swaying the tide of support towards a clear victor and, where the Republic were more diplomatic about their ventures into such peaceful planets, the Empire had no such reservations about taking control with force if necessary. 

When its hand was forced, the planet had reluctantly swayed towards an allegiance with the Republic, deciding that it was the most viable choice available.

The planet in question soon played a pivotal role in supplying the Republic with the agricultural products it needed in such vast quantities. Due to its location in the mid-rim, it was mistakenly overlooked by the Republic who set their forces on protecting the more populous and higher priority core worlds. It had little in the way of defence when the Empire saw a strategic opportunity for conquest and deployed troops to take the planet by force.

Clarke remembered very little of her childhood, most of which had been pushed far to the depths of her mind where such painful memories could not resurface. Her father had been an environmental engineer; one of the officers involved with overseeing the creative use of technology to ensure that the planet remained healthy and productive despite the constant labour that was ongoing at the surface. 

He had been a kind man, with a warm smile that Clarke had almost forgotten about over the many years, though by no means did that make him weak. Her father was fiercely loyal to his family and friends, but he had no time for those he considered to have unjustified actions or behaviour. 

It had always surprised people to learn that he had served for a stretch of time in the Republic Army, at which point he had met Clarke's mother, a medic on deployment. 

Her skills in medicine were highly sought after by the Army and she had saved countless lives in her time spent travelling between various warzones. It was on one such mission that she had met her future husband and, once their contracts had reached an end, they settled down on the peaceful mid-rim planet to raise their daughter in relative peace.

They were both held in high regard by any that knew of them, and had instinctively stood strong in the face of the unexpected Imperial attack to mount a final defence for their home. Their efforts had been futile, and Clarke found herself selfishly wishing that they had ran, or even surrendered, so perhaps they might be alive today. 

Clarke at the time had been away from home for the day, for what reason she could not remember, but the events that followed upon her return would forever be engraved in her memory. 

The descent of countless ships from the sky had led the girl into a hurried retreat back to the village in which her parents had settled to be close to the ongoing agricultural works that her father oversaw. It was already too late when she had returned, Imperial soldiers were already killing anyone that stood in their way, even those who ran in fear. 

There were screams echoing across the land, accompanied by the explosion of frequent blaster fire, but the only detail that Clarke could focus on was her fathers still body, lying motionless on the soft earth. His eyes were empty, void of life, a far cry from the warmth that had been present that morning as he had said goodbye before work. 

A strangled cry escaped her throat as she moved closer, barely aware of the swarming chaos that surrounded her. An Imperial soldier stepped directly into her path and lifted his weapon, pausing briefly when a small vessel drifted into the space above the village and began a swift descent to the surface.