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 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.
'You saw my ship crash, hardly something that I planned. There are plenty of other places I would rather be right now,' Clarke finally responded, preferably with a temperature closer to zero. The Cathar swept forwards with an unrivalled grace, a knife pressed against the blonde's throat before she had even registered the movement.
'How would a cell suit you?' she growled, clearly not in the most patient mood as she pressed the metal firmly against the woman's throat, not enough to pierce the skin but still amount some pressure.
'Depends on how much you value your life,' Clarke retorted without pause, there was no way that she would be imprisoned without a decent fight. To her surprise the Cathar stepped back, sheathing the blade once more, and a hint of amusement danced across her face.
Clarke's gaze flicked over her shoulder to where a Twi'lek was approaching, having noticed the altercation and detached from the main group. The long pair of tentacles protruding from his skull were a deep yellow, the warm brown of his eyes contradicting his serious expression.
'Is there a problem with this one Kyla?' he inquired, looking the captive over briefly as he assessed the situation. He seemed impatient to deal with the unexpected situation that Clarke had now created, clearly he had far more important matters to be attending to.
'It's nothing I can't handle Rego, she's just a little reluctant to cooperate.'
He stood slightly taller than the Cathar who he had identified as Kyla, and from his expression he clearly had far less patience. Clarke's smart comments wouldn't do any good here.
'What do you know of Zaroth?' he asked bluntly, drawing a frown from the blonde as she searched her memories for any mention of the name.
'Who?' she answered in complete honesty, not knowing what or who he was talking about. She had been expecting questions regarding the crash landing, not this Zaroth person.
'I would recommend telling us what you know, and if you lie I can promise that we will not think twice about using a little force to ensure complete honesty,' he threatened in a low tone, and it was clear that this was no idle threat.
'I don't have the faintest idea what you or your feisty friend are talking about! I've just been dragged from the remains of a wrecked ship and have no patience to be dealing with this pointless interrogation!' Clarke snapped, growing tired of the way she was being treated. She had after all done nothing to these people and would be damned if she let them talk to her in such a way.
Kyla's name was called from the group close by and the Cathar turned to gesture for the soldier to wait, it seemed they had more important issues to be dealing with then some unexpected stranger. Clarke followed her gaze to the scattered group, immediately noticing the women stood in the distance, brown braids the only feature she truly saw before her captor stepped closer and blocked her view. Even in that split second, Clarke instinctively knew from the way she held herself that they were no ordinary soldier.
'She's clearly no threat, leave her,' Kyla commanded briskly, the two guards releasing their iron grip on Clarke's arms before the four of them retraced their steps back to the main group without even a backwards glance. She faintly heard Rego inquiring whether it was the right decision to release her as they drew away, and decided that it was best to scarper before he convinced the Cathar that she would make a more useful prisoner.
Clarke cast one last glance over at the mysterious women in the distance; she was listening intently to whatever the soldier in front of her was saying, nodding every now and again to indicate her understanding. She was intrigued to say the least, but with the threat of being taken prisoner still fresh on her mind, she turned tail and broke into a run in the opposite direction, back to where her ship had hurtled down from the sky.
A FEW HOURS EARLIER
Lexa stepped down from the exit ramp of her ship onto the surface of Hoth, her boots instantly crunching into the thick layer of snow that coated the planet. A chill wrapped around her body but had little effect thanks to the thermal layers she had slipped into not an hour earlier in preparation.
With her trusted light saber concealed under her jacket, and more weapons besides stashed on the ship, she was more than prepared for anything that she might have to face on this planet. Lexa was not left waiting in the cold for long when she saw several figures approaching over the icy landscape, wrapped similarly in their own warm outfits.
The group were in formation and consisted of seven republic troopers and two other figures that were clearly not human. The troopers clustered around the non-humans in a defensive position, casting their weapons around to seek out any danger. A small smile lifted Lexa's lips when their leader's features came clearly into view, a familiar face amongst the strangers.
'Lexa, I'm glad you could make it,' the Cathar called out in greeting, the soldiers taking up position around them as she came closer to stand before the Jedi.
'Kyla, you know I could hardly refuse your request,' Lexa said warmly in response, reaching out a hand to grip her forearm in a friendlier gesture, the two of them having met many years ago, under very different circumstances.
Kyla had sent a message via mail that she was dealing with a notorious pirate named Zaroth, who the Jedi had dealt with in the past, and had requested that she visit to give her some inside knowledge into these past experiences.
'Once maybe, but with your standing you would have been well within your rights to refuse,' she replied, retracting her grip to turn and gesture for a nearby Twi'lek to approach.
'Commander, I have heard many good things about you,' he said formally, bowing as he spoke. He was slightly taller than his leader, and dressed in noticeably less layers for such a cold environment. Having a warmer body temperature certainly had its advantages on this planet.
'This is Rego, my second in command,' Kyla introduced, continuing once the Jedi had nodded in acknowledgement of the man. 'Now, how about we show you around?'
The three of them strode away from the ship, the soldiers falling into place around them as Kyla talked the Jedi through the current situation. It seemed that Zaroth had made it his new mission to terrorize the inhabitants on Hoth as he salvaged scraps from ships that had crashed throughout the years. The battle of Hoth, almost two years ago now, had left a scattering of fallen aircrafts over the surface which drew many pirates to the vicinity.
Lexa had run into the pirate named Zaroth once in the past and had relocated him from a distant planet, having thought he had retreated into the shadows after having been beaten with such disgrace.
The Jedi was shown a few sites where the pirates had been busy attacking anything that dared to move on the surface, fighting other gangs who attempted to take any salvage for themselves. Any visitors to the planet were quickly being driven away due to the violence that was unfolding. These visitors even including sporting enthusiasts who had arrived to enjoy the hover-skiing that was a major attraction on the planet. Not so much in the recent years due to the presence of pirates but a few still attempted the trip despite the danger.
'Any wishing to flee the carnage are being held at a civilian camp nearby where shuttles are transporting them back to the main fleet, from there they can make their own arrangements. It was once a military base but now it serves well as a temporary shelter for them,' Kyla explained, her words being cut short when one of the troopers called out from a few metres ahead and gestured to the sky with a gloved hand.
Every gaze was drawn upwards where a ship could be seen hurtling down towards Hoth, trailing black smoke as the pilot tried desperately to perform an emergency landing even with one of the engines clearly failing. The group watched as it descended even further and eventually disappeared from sight behind the distant snow drifts, a large plume of smoke billowing up from where it had smashed into the ground.
'Orders sir?' the trooper called out, Kyla hesitating only a moment before ordering two of them to investigate the crash site. The rest would be remaining here until they returned with news. They set out at a jog towards where they judged the faulty ship to have collided with the frozen surface of Hoth whilst the remaining soldiers clustered around our location, keeping their eyes sharp for any danger.
'Expecting trouble?' Lexa inquired, wondering why they were bothering to investigate the wreckage, doubting that anyone could have survived such a crash.
'Zaroth has been recruiting from all over the galaxy, if we could capture just one of these prospective pirates then we may be able to obtain some information about his operation,' she explained, turning to face Lexa as her soldiers disappeared over the nearby snow drift.
'Why not have an agent pose as one of these recruits? It could give you an inside view of the situation,' she suggested, thinking of no better way to get a clear idea of his plans.
'His recruiting scheme is highly secretive,' she replied with a shake of her head, 'there is virtually no knowledge of how he recruits these people but the second we find anything then we can act to prevent any more recruitment plans.'
They passed some more time discussing Lexa's encounter with Zaroth incase there was anything that could aid their efforts. It had been during a time when she had been climbing ranks in the Galactic Army, only being squadron leader with a handful of troops under her command to begin with. They had been part of a task force repelling an attack from the pirates on a distant planet, eventually overrunning their base of operations and forcing them to flee in disgrace.
'Enough talk of Zaroth, what adventures have you found yourself caught up in recently?' Kyla asked curiously, no doubt expecting tales of glory and excitement that would have once been inescapable.
'Very little actually, I've been keeping to myself for a change, seeing how things work out,' Lexa replied, remembering the times when there would've been no shortage of such stories. Danger was never far away with this life style and she doubted it would be long before she found herself in a situation brimming with it.
'Make the most of whilst it lasts,' Kyla advised with a smile, knowing that her friend always found herself caught up in the thick of it at some point. 'How is my brother doing?'
Her brother had only recently boarded the Jedi's ship a few weeks ago but had already made a decent first impression, proving himself to be a dedicated, hardworking member of the team.
'He's been doing a good job, clearly he takes after his big sister,' Lexa said, drawing a proud smile from the Cathar who had always been very protective of her sibling.
'I'm glad to know he's in good hands, don't be too easy on him though,' she said lightly, not that the Lexa would ever consider giving him any special treatment due to his family connections.
'I've let them off for a few days whilst I came to Hoth, they're all most likely in some cantina by now,' Lexa mused, smiling when the Cathar fell for her ploy and frowned disapprovingly. 'I'm not that lenient Kyla, I made sure to set them plenty of tasks to keep them occupied.'
One of the soldiers on watch called to the Cathar and she excused herself to go and deal with the returning troopers who had been investigating the crash site. Rego took her place a moment later, giving a more in depth introduction when Lexa inquired about his position.
He had left his home planet of Ryloth and had set out into the galaxy as a young Twi'lek, seeking out excitement and adventures. He had been recruited by the Republic and had been assigned most recently as Kyla's second in command, a post that he was honoured to hold and determined to carry out with the upmost loyalty. Lexa could only commend his dedication, not many would be so attached to a cause as Rego was.
He glanced over to see how his leader was faring, deciding to hurry things along and strode over the snow to where Kyla was had her back to them and was in the process of questioning the women being held by the two soldiers. She was partially obscured by the Cathar's form but even from this distance Lexa could see the blonde hair that fell loosely over her shoulders, framing a fierce expression as she responded to whatever Kyla had said.
Rego approached the small group and the Jedi's attention was pulled away when a republic soldier made his presence known, striking up a conversation about Lexa's previous achievements that he had heard so much about from Kyla. It was not a topic that she was keen to speak of but engaged politely with him, giving only the minimal response as she graciously accepted his compliments.
Feeling uncomfortable at the attention, she willed her friend to return and glanced away from the soldier to see the Cathar approaching with the two soldiers and Rego at her side. Lexa cast her gaze out further, focusing on the landscape behind them and caught the briefest glimpse of the captured women disappearing over a mound of snow.
Kyla informed her that the blonde had no knowledge of Zaroth and had been released, though Lexa would have thought she would join the small party now that her ship was wrecked but clearly she had other plans. Kyla continued where she had left off, telling her all about Zaroth's latest schemes and his most recent attacks.
The Jedi pushed thoughts of the women from her mind and focused on what the Cathar was saying, she had not come all this way to be distracted by a stranger. They continued on the tour and a few hours later Lexa was escorted back to her ship, leaving Kyla with some parting advice on how to deal with the pirates before they parted ways, she would have matters covered well enough without any further help.
Lexa wished them all well and trudged up the ramp of her ship as the soldiers journeyed back to their main base to make preparations. It had not been a wasted journey, Kyla now had far more knowledge of the pirate than she had previously and Lexa would contact her soon to see how things were faring, though she doubted the assignment would be a long one, Kyla had always been efficient at dealing with any troublesome criminal that drew the Republics attention.
The main door slid shut behind the Jedi with a hiss, sealing her into the peaceful retreat that was offered by the welcoming ship. The crew had been dispersed to gather supplies whilst she had visited the freezing planet, only the protocol droid remaining on board and he was no trouble unless you made the mistake of getting stuck with his endless wittering during long flights.
As welcome as the reunion with her old friend had been, Lexa could have done without the attention from the impressed soldiers who had heard of her earlier battles from Kyla. They had once trained together in the military, a long time ago now. She would rather go about her business without having to listen to the retelling of her own history. It held memories that she would rather not dwell on.
The ships interior was no warmer than the planet surface had been so she didn't bother removing her jacket, pulling her hands from the fur lined pockets as she ascended the metal stairs that lined the left wall of the ship. The protocol droid greeted her cheerfully from the doorway she had just entered, his tone never failing to sound anything other than joyously happy to see you. Passing the holoprojector on the top floor of the ship, Lexa moved along the walkway, that was situated over the engine room, to where the main controls were and sunk into the sturdy black chair in front of the unit with a sigh.
It was about time Lexa went to pick her crew up, they had probably done a tour of all the cantina's on Coruscant by now she thought with a shake of her head. It wouldn't have taken them long to locate the components that she had tasked them with finding for the ship. Skilfully flicking her fingers over the collection of buttons and switches, she drew up the galaxy map which shimmered a light fluorescent blue as she toggled between the star systems to locate the capital planet.
Lexa's wrist band flashed unexpectedly as her finger hovered over the hyper drive controls, the pulsing red light never having led to anything good. With only a slight hesitation she flipped open the monitor cover and keyed a few pads to see what the device had detected. An energy surge had been picked up on the planet's surface, conveniently taking place right before she was about to leave.
Rising from the chair, Lexa retraced her steps back through the walkway to where the holoprojector was placed centrally on the grated metal floor and with a few taps on the controls, a holographic image popped up, similar to that of the galaxy map, though this was far larger and gave a clear view of where the energy pulse had originated from.
The Jedi was surprised to see that the old military base, now being used as a civilian shelter, was the object of her focus. There was no indication of what had caused the energy surge and, as tempting as it was to ignore the incident and set out for Coruscant, she could not bring herself to leave until she had at least investigated the event.
She zoomed the holographic view back and mapped a path to the large structure from her ship, memorising the route and saving the path to her wrist band, aware of how difficult it could be to get your bearings on a planet where there were very few landmarks.
Switching off the projector, Lexa grabbed a bag from one of the vacant black chairs and threw some items inside before slinging the material over her shoulder, she had no idea what she was walking into and had learnt from experience that it never hurt to be prepared.
She descended the narrow flight of stairs down to bottom floor, once more ignoring the chirpy voice of the protocol droid as the door slid open and the ramp lowered with a crunch. The icy wind blew sharply against her body and as she emerged out onto the surface once more she knew that it would have to be quick trip, or otherwise risk being exposed to the extreme temperatures that fell at night on Hoth. That was certainly something that Lexa did not want to experience and set off at a jog, intent on reaching the base before darkness fell.