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S I X T E E N

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S I X T E E N

The moment Clary leaves the Dagobah system, she steers in the direction of Lando Calrissian's home. Although she hasn't felt any dire need to head to his cloud city, he's the first person she can think of who can help her with her worries about Han. Without knowing where her brother is, Clary's thoughts immediately travel to Lando: she trusts him, not as much as she should, but she can recall in the past how he's helped aid her and Han in their dangerous missions, and how he had taken care of her when Han had to go on a dangerous shipment of spices, nearly entangling him with Imperial affairs; thankfully, he had managed to talk his way out of that situation, but Clary knows his charisma will have a faulting point soon.

She breathes in deeply, and her thoughts suddenly divert to Luke still training on Dagobah. She wonders what he's doing, what other tasks Yoda might be putting him through, and if he's thinking of her. Clary feels her cheeks warm immediately at the sudden selfish thought, and ashamed, bites the inside of her cheek as she slowly nears the planet Bespin. She quickly flips a switch and her ship steers in the direction of the desolate planet. She can't help but think back to Luke, again, and her cheeks continue to burn.

She remembers feeling sad when she had looked at Luke, and finally realizing why that had frightened her. But now, she discerns, she feels everything looking at him. It's overwhelming and it makes her head reel, but it's a feeling that's not entirely uncomfortable. She's used to her mind racing, and Luke just seems to intensify that.

She's brought out of her distracting thoughts when the console beeps, warning her of her approach to Tibanna gaseous conditions. She silences the alarm and turns left, travelling until she finally spots the small gas mining colony of Cloud City; the moment she sees the station, familiarity rushes through her. She quickens the speed of her ship, pulse pounding in her ears as she hopes for Han's safety and that Lando can help ease her worries.

Clary squints from her lack of sight from the huge billowing clouds surrounding her destination. Before she even has the chance to glance down at her controls, a cloud car appears to her right, moving towards her small ship, letting out two sharp lasers that barely graze the sides. Exclaiming in surprise, Clary manages to steady her ship as she looks around fervently. She can spy the small colony growing larger as she continues to dodge the fire being aimed at her.

"I don't have a landing permit, but please connect me to Lando Calrissian," Clary says into the transmitter attached to her helmet. She adjusts it as sharply turns the ship, avoiding another flak burst that could have taken her out for good.

"What business do you have with Calrissian?" replies the intercom voice. Clary refrains from cursing as the cloud ship continues to flank her, still attempting to aim her out of her course.

"Maybe if you stop shooting at me I can explain myself!" she snaps, flipping another switch as her ship rocks dangerously. She tries to turn to the left to avoid the one cloud car gaining speed but she's nearly thrown over as she runs into another cloud car, a twin-pod to the other, appears on her left side, the gaseous like clouds billowing around it, preventing Clary from even seeing it in the first place.

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