Guardians of Light

Metamorphosis

Bellamy could barely hear a thing over the pounding of footsteps and the sound of his own ragged breathing tearing from his chest. His arms were aching from the effort of holding his friend securely as they raced through the star ship corridors towards the airlock. 

Octavia and Cal ran just ahead of him, their faster strides unhindered by the unconscious blonde. Her face was turned in towards his shoulder, one arm swinging weakly with every step although he couldn't see any sign of life let alone take the time to check if she was even breathing. 

Her life was hanging in the balance, if not already lost, and it was imperative that they returned her to the ship as soon as possible. 

Bellamy's mind was racing with thoughts of what was and what could have been. The terrifying sight of the transformed Jedi had struck the group with despair and a sorrow gripped his heart, not only for the potential loss of his friend, but also the knowledge that the revelation would certainly break Clarke's heart if she did recover. 

Banishing such thoughts from his mind, the smuggler pushed himself to greater speed as the airlock loomed before them, the final barrier between them and survival. 

There was a collective sense of relief when the trio finally boarded the Jedi's star ship, although concern for the blonde woman overshadowed the instinctive sensation. 

'The bacta tank is ready,' a faint voice directed, drifting past Bellamy's rapidly firing thoughts as he surged past the crowding crew towards the medical bay. 

The next few minutes seemed to pass by like hours as they dressed the unconscious woman in the appropriate attire for the healing process. 

Nova whirred disconcertedly when the ragged wound portrayed on the woman's abdomen was revealed, humming in concern as Bellamy winced and pulled the white, sleeveless top into place. 

Finally, the breathing mask was attached and Clarke was gently maneuvered into the cylindrical tank, completely submerged in the liquid within seconds. 

A silence fell throughout the room as Bellamy placed a hand on the glass, sending a silent prayer out across the galaxy that they had acted fast enough. He couldn't lose her now. 

Irritable voices rose in volume from the belly of the ship, drifting into the med bay until almost every uttered word could be heard with complete clarity. 

Bellamy retreated from the medical bay and left NOVA to make final adjustments as he silently condemned the crew for being so disrespectful after the hell they had just endured. 

'Hey!' he shouted with a touch of anger, his voice breaking through the cacophony of voices that filled the metal ship. 'What the hell is going on?'

He had emerged into the main ship compartment to witness Cal throwing a furious slur of words towards the cage positioned near the base of the stairs, its force projected bars containing a scowling prisoner. 

Bekk had one arm gently placed on his friends arm, quietly urging him to remain calm. 

'I demand to be released at once,' a man's voice echoed from the cage, spite twisting his words as Bellamy approached the Cathar to identify the stranger. 

'Who the hell is this?' 

'Some criminal lowlife that the Commander apprehended trying to steal her ship,' Bekk interjected, ignoring the prisoner as they attempted to regain control of the situation. 

'This murdering scum was just bad mouthing us and he picked a terrible day to do so,' Cal growled, his hackles raised in fury as the loss of his leader remained vividly at the forefront of his mind. Grief was a difficult emotion to handle and it was no surprise that the fearsome soldier was channelling his into rage. 

Bellamy sighed as the prisoner erupted once more into a fountain of profanities, they didn't have time for this. They had to get the hell out of here. 

'...the blonde won't be the only death today if you don't let me go.'

The smuggler had been fazing out the ongoing ramblings of the criminal but the one sentence was enough to recapture his attention.  His face smoothed into a calm composure as he decided exactly how best to handle this fool. 

'Hey...Hey! What are you doing?' Bekk queried, relaxing his grip on the Cathar as he recognised the decisive action taking place. 

Bellamy approached the force cage without a word and deactivated the protective bars, noting the flicker of doubt that crossed the prisoners face as he realised his mistake. 

'You heard the man, he wants to be let free so who are we to refuse.'

The smuggler reached forwards and gripped the prisoner tightly without mercy, ignoring his struggles as the smaller man found himself unable to break free of the iron grip. 

Cal regained his composure and gladly turned to punch the door controls and release the locks to allow the ramp to lower with a sharp hiss. 

A hefty push sent the unfortunate man stumbling down the metal plates only to trip and fall into the large airlock, the breath momentarily forced from his lungs at the impact. Seconds later he heard the repulsorlift engines roar into life and lifted his eyes in time to see the star ship first hover, and then soar away from the docking station. 

Rather than feel betrayed by the action, Elisan Cour, a renowned and wanted criminal, felt a surge of satisfaction at his ability to manipulate his captors into doing precisely what he wanted. 

With a smug, congratulatory smile to himself, Elisan rose to his feet and dusted his hands off as he regained his breath and cast his eyes around to locate his position. 

The smile died on his lips when his gaze fell on the iconic emblem of the Empire that adorned the walls either side of him, the blazing red sigil enough to scorch fear into even his heart. What fresh hell had he been delivered to?

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Lexa stood in the centre of the cavernous chamber, her mind swarming with darkness, shielded by the encircling tendrils that snaked through her very being. 

It intertwined with her very soul, feeding the darkness that had dwelt there unattended for her entire life. There was no longer any distinction between what was and what could be, she was finally complete. 

The world rocked back into focus around her as she stood resolutely, her eyes drawn down to the unmoving figure at her feet, the vessel now empty of life. The man who had once been her brother was no more. 

There was a chasm in her chest as she looked down upon the destruction that she had caused, aware of the cascading emotions that had recently been flowing around her like a waterfall but unable to make any sense of them.

She knew only one thing - that this power coursing through her veins was like nothing that she had ever experienced or ever could have even imagined. 

She was a creature of darkness. Nothing could stand before her. 

A sharp exhale ripped through her lips as she briefly closed her eyes and allowed herself to embrace the new sensations that coursed through her body. She welcomed the exhilarating thrum of power that was impossible to ignore, no longer fighting the transition as the darkness from the holocron unlocked parts of her that she had never known to exist. 

When her eyes opened more she was already moving across the cavernous space, her mind focused on one single intention, one singular word. 

Clarke. 

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Thanks for reading! Just a short chapter for the minute to let you know that I plan on continuing this story. 

Apologies for the long break but I'm back! 

Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought, it motivates me to continue writing more chapters for you so comment below :D