PANIC CORD ━━━ l.skywalker ¹

13

                 

T H I R T E E N

"I can't see a damn thing," Clary complains to no one in particular as she adjusts the controls of her X-wing fighter. She's managed to enter the Dagobah system, and even arrive in the planet Dagobah, but upon entering, much to Clary's dismay, she's found herself trapped in fog. She can recall from her previous knowledge on Dagobah that it's a remote planet of swamps and forests; one of the purest places in the galaxy. For a place so pure, Clary thinks bitterly, you should be able to see something.

The longer she flies, the easier it is to navigate through the fog, she realizes. Going slow and steady, Clary glances around warily. She can barely make out the shadow of twisted trees alongside her before spotting an empty clearing. She takes a deep breath, flipping a switch as the X-wing fighter shudders to a slow halt, landing comfortably on the setting. Clary breathes out a sigh of relief, as the mist seems to shroud around her ship. Reluctantly, she turns off the landing lights of the ship. She reaches behind her, grabbing a blaster that's tucked neatly into a box compartment, before shutting the lid, hooking the blaster onto the rim of her belt. She pushes against the canopy of the X-wing's roof and it pops open with a satisfying hum. Grunting, Clary pulls herself out of the ship just in time to hear a loud splash from farther up ahead and a familiar voice call out in dismay.

"R2? R2!"

Relief washes over Clary as she quickly stumbles over a few roots growing out of the ground as she makes her way towards the sound of Luke's voice. She had been worried that she'd landed in the wrong swamp of Dagobah. She slows down once Luke's figure comes into view; he remains standing on the nose of his X-wing, leaning over the ship as he peers into the swamp. "R2, where are you?"

Clary opens her mouth to call out to Luke, but she's interrupted when a periscope pops up, breaking surface from the water. She can barely hear a beep underneath the thick murk as the periscope starts to move towards the shore.

"R2!" he scolds. "You be more careful." He jumps into the water, wading towards the shore. Clary steps back, leaning against one of the twisted dark trees, not wanting to startle neither Luke nor R2-D2, as she watches the periscope continue to make its steady approach towards the shoreline.

"Come on, R2!" Luke calls. Clary can hear another gurgled beep emit from the water, but before the little droid has time to continue forward, she notices a dark shape following close behind. Clary feels her breathing hitch as the dark shadow makes a sudden lurch, hitting against R2 with a loud thunk! The small droid lets out a pathetic electronic scream before disappearing from sight. Almost instantly Luke wields his lightsaber, the familiar hum echoing loudly throughout the swamp; it provides a blue light as Luke steps towards the murky pool.

"R2?" he calls out warily.

Clary eyes the swamp nervously. The black surface is as still as death itself—possibly even worse. The silence is so tense that Clary feels that even her breathing is too loud. Finally, though, a few bubbles begin to erupt on the surface. Clary watches as Luke aims his weapon towards the movement, only to step back in alarm as the small droid is suddenly spat out of the water, flying through the air. Clary stumbles back, letting out a shriek that echoes along with the droid's as R2-D2 nearly collides into her, landing on the patch of moss from behind them.

"R2!" Luke calls out. He rushes towards the scene, only to stumble upon both Clary and R2-D2. Clary blinks, meeting his surprised gaze. "Clary? What are you doing here?"

Clary doesn't answer as she rises to her feet. Luke puts away his lightsaber; his blue eyes watch Clary carefully as she turns towards the droid. She kneels beside him, pushing him upright. Luke stands on the droid's other side, helping to peel and wipe at the mud and roots sticking to his metal body.