Hoth

[Tiana Calthye]

"I believe that eventually I will find my true path." Tiana sighed. Her breath was fog in the Hothian air. Their ships were now free, due to the power of an insanely strong Jedi Master””who should've had no real urge to help them, rather, he should have struck them down on sight.

 

It made her question herself more.

 

Why?

 

Who?

 

How?

 

What?

 

Where?

 

When?

 

...Why? But she was sure that to face the Jedi Order ever again would be to face death on charges of... abandonment. Traitorism.

 

[I believe only in the Force I can ever find true balance. Perhaps that's not what I seek. Perhaps I just seek closure.

 

...I think you've given me that much, she told him. For a time. For a small time.]

 

She thought to herself, Because the two are quieter now.

 

Tiana raised one hand, as he turned to go. "Then, I suppose, may the Force be with you."

 

Don't turn me into the Order. I have no reason or desire to fight either side.

 

Neutrality may kill me yet. But it is... my choice. I shall keep your words in mind. If our paths ever cross, I shall speak with her. I always seek training... I always seek knowledge.

 

Her fingers touched the pendant Oblivion had given her.

 

She carried both the light and the dark side wherever she went.

 

[Don't think you're getting out of this lesson yet, Raven.]

[Onderin Starlisk]

A transmission was sent from the Rebel base to the incoming freighter. "Unidentified freighter, reduce speed until an escort arrives to take you down."

 

A moment later, four XJ-series X-wing starfighters blasted out of the hidden Alliance hangar and set an intercept course with Erek's freighter. It took them less than fifteen seconds to close the gap, and they dropped in alongside the freighter.

 

"We'll take you down," one of the pilots commed the freighter. They descended back towards the Alliance base, built into and under the ruins of a previous Jedi Temple. As they tucked themselves into the hangar, a Staff Sergeant Johnson arrived to meet the recruit as he landed. He had an armed escort--the Alliance was always ready for a Sith Lord to show up--and he stood with a rigid gaze.

[Raven Nasra]

Raven saw what was going on between her master and this unknown man. They were both staring at each other and Raven could feel the force moving in the air in which Raven breathed. She worked on what her master had taught her to do”¦

 

She breathed in and out in the cold air, the moisture in her breath freezing before it even left her mouth making it ever so hard to breath. She focused on her muscles urging the cold from them, from the tissue surrounding them, and then finally throughout her entire body. Raven looked up at her master as the man turned and with a spectacular display of the force, freed their ships. He said something to Tiana, and then swiftly walked away; disappearing into the snow filled air.

 

Raven was shocked, a Jedi showing them such kindness? This was something new to Raven. She looked back at her master”¦

 

Tiana seemed tired, and Raven continued with her training, her thoughts on the man who had helped them.

[Grimo]

Erek follwed the landing instructions and set the ship down gently. His cape swirled with the hiss of the compressors on either side of the loading ramp. Zink follwed at his side. A stern-looking Rebel sergeant stood waitng at the bottom of the ramp with a full armed escort.

 

Wound kinda tight, eh Zink? Guess you can't be too careful these days though, I suppose.

 

Erek stepped forward and bowed slightly in greetings.

 

I am Erek Zhusaan of Taris. I offer my services as an infiltration and ground combat specialist to the Rebel Alliance.

[Onderin Starlisk]

The sergeant cocked an eyebrow. "Specialist?" he asked, though it was clear that he was not seeking confirmation. "We'll see if you have what it takes to become an elite operations member in time. Right now, we need to get you signed up."

 

The sergeant started to turn, but paused and met Erek's eye. "I want you to understand something before we begin. No matter where you come from, what your talents are, who you are, and what you've been through, this war is not a game. People die in war. This is not a fantasy, and this is not a glorious revolution.

 

"We are also not the Empire. We do value the individual, and your talents will be put to use. But regardless of what they may be, you must be willing to sacrifice all on behalf of the Rebellion against the Empire."

 

Sternness did not leave the sergeant's gaze. "Am I clear?"

[Grimo]

Erek gave the sergeant a quick salute.

 

With all due respect, if I didn't know that, I wouldn't be here, sir. Ready when you are.

 

Sacrifice? Erek had hardly sacrificed in his lifetime, though expressing his beliefs publicly had landed him where he was standing now. At any rate, Erek was eager to get things moving for the sake of the galaxy.

[Tiana Calthye]

"I was a Jedi," Tiana explained to Raven in one short sentence. "I'm not sure I ever really left." As Tristan had left, so did their protection, and her effort was returned to protecting them from the torrent of snow. But their ships were now free and they could leave Hoth whenever they wanted.

 

She closed her eyes.

 

She was so cold.

 

So dark...

 

...So tired.

 

She opened one black eye to glance to Raven. Being blind, the effect was creepy. "Well? Do I have to put you in another deathtrap to get you to regulate your body temperature for me?"

[Tristin Stellar]

A robed figure stepped from the blizzard that was Hoth and stopped near the Rebel bases ground entrance. He reached up into his hood and taped the comm link hidden in his ear and send a short wave signal directly into the base.

 

This is Tristin Stellar, I was wondering if I might come in...

[Onderin Starlisk]

The sergeant's gaze was as stern as ever. "Very well, then," he said, turning away. With Erek in tow, he headed back to his office, where he quickly sat down and pulled from a drawer a datapad. "I need you to fill out some information about yourself. I'm going to perform a background check to make sure you're not a Sith or Imperial spy, and if you check out, we'll sign you up as a Lieutenant."

 

He then started to work, expecting Erek to fill out the datapad with no questions asked.

 

----------------

 

Meanwhile, a patrol officer received Tristin at the door. He noticed the Jedi's lightsaber and gave a short bow. "By all means, Master Jedi," he said. "What brings you out to Hoth?" He stepped aside to let Stellar out of the cold.

[Tristin Stellar]

I've come to lend aid.

 

They where the only words he said at first after stepping in from the cold. He pulled back his hood allowing his shoulder length of platinum blonde hair out for the first time in months. His face was cleanly shaven, yet he had a wild look to his eyes.

 

What can you tell me of current events?

[Grimo]

As Erek filled out the required paper work, he idly wondered just how difficult it would be to hide Imperial connections from these people. Word had it that the Bothans were alligning themselves with the Alliance, so it probably would be extremely hard to keep anything in the past a secret. He finished the papers and handed them back to Johnson.

 

There you go sir, all done. If you have no further need of me, I'd like to work on my ship for a few hours.

[Onderin Starlisk]

((Do you always leave quotation marks out? ))

 

The officer took a few steps inside. "A lot is going on right now. Alliance command has decided to take the war back into our hands. There is currently an assault on Mechis III underway, and we are planning to launch an attack against the Imperial forces on Naboo very soon," he said. The information he was giving out was top-secret, but he felt he could be sure that Tristin Stellar was not a Sith.

 

"Word is that the Jedi Order arranged for other attacks to take place at the same time. We're stretching Imperial forces across the galaxy so they can't defend every location at once. We're keeping their fleet--and their Sith pets--as split up as possible," he continued.

 

"If you've come to lend aid, I can certainly notify you when the attack on Naboo is beginning. I'm sure command would be more than happy to have another Jedi there."

 

EDIT: ((Dang, Grimo. You sprung a post on me there....))

 

IC:

The sergeant nodded. "That's acceptable," he said. "We'll process your application and someone will notify you when we're ready to bestow your rank."

[Grimo]

((Haha, my bad ))

 

Erek Bowed slightly.

 

Then I shall take my leave of you, sir.

 

He turned and headed for his ship. He had a few things in mind for modifications to the hull, mostly defensive changes, truth be told. Erek wasn't one for flashy combat and high-flying maneuvers. He had learned quickly while flying the Rim that outlasting your opponent was much more important than building a reputation as a hotshot pilot.

[Tristin Stellar]

Naboo... Yes please notify me when attack is beginning. For now do you have a library or some other quite place I could stay for the moment?

 

He finally looked the officer in the eyes. His eyes... a bright crystal blue, seemed as if they were looking straight through the man in front of him.

[Onderin Starlisk]

The officer looked thoughtful. "We don't have a library, per se, but I'm sure you can find a briefing room that's empty. The forces stationed here on Hoth aren't participating in the attack on Naboo, so they should be uniformly quiet."

[Grimo]

After wandering the halls for an hour or so, Erek reached the ramp to the Eye. Never had any captain been so in love with such a mediocre ship. A standard YT-2000 freigther with a banged up hull and factory-shipped components, the Eye of Sorrow was by no means a combat vessel. Erek had plans to change that, of course, but for the moment he just stood and took in the beauty of the only thing in the galaxy that was truly "his". He smiled and boarded the ship. Zink was going to be excited to start adding the new hull plating to the Eye...

 

After several hours of grimy work, the Eye was good as new. The hull plating that Erek and Zink had added was a darker and thicker version of the plating found on the Corellian gunships running the Imperial blockades. Strong enough to take many hits, but eventually it would wear away. Better than the weak and paper-thin plating that came standard on the YT-2000s though. Erek took a quick shower on board and laid down in his bunk for a long nap...

[Tristin Stellar]

Yes, that will do. Thank you.

 

He walked down the hallway slowly looking for an access point, he found one at an intersection and tapped his ear. The device there quietly came to live and started scanning frequencies until it detected the terminal in front of him.

 

It would be easy to just rip the information from the machine but it would be sloppy and would probably trigger an alarm so instead he sent a electronic burst with his credentials attached and asked for a map. He wasn't in a hurry so waiting was acceptable.

 

After a few moments he turned and walked on. There was a empty briefing room up ahead.

[Grimo]

Erek woke rested and ready for action. Unfortunately, it seemed that all of the people who could help him were busy at the moment, so he helped himself to a tour of the base, being careful to avoid the restricted areas, of course. After a while, Erek stopped by the sergeant's office and knocked lightly on the doorframe.

 

Excuse me, sir. I hope I'm not interrupting here. I was simpl wonderning if my paperwork was done, and if not, if there was anything I could do, on or off-planet, in the meantime.

[Onderin Starlisk]

The sergeant looked up at the recruit and nodded. "Very well. Lieutenant, you've been given an assignment from the top. There is a General Sikaot that is about to launch an attack on the Imperial forces on Naboo. You are going to observe his actions and he'll teach you a few things in person," he said. "Personally, I think it's a great assignment--you're a lucky one.

 

"Anyway, you're to head to Gala. If you get there before the strike force leaves, you're to find the flagship and meet General Sikaot aboard. If they leave first, you'll just have to sit tight until they return--I don't want you running into the battle after him," the sergeant explained.

 

"Dismissed."

 

-------------

 

Meanwhile, an officer stepped into the nearly-empty briefing room in which the Jedi Tristin Stellar sat. "Master Jedi," he said, "we've just received word that the attack on Naboo has been ordered underway."

[Grimo]

Erek saluted and headed for his ship. He stopped by the depot on his way to pick up supplies for the trip. A few extra blaster clips, grenades, armor, mines, a typical soldier shopping spree. Zink prepped the ship for take off and was ready to blow once Erek arrived. The freighter blasted out of the hangar with a roar and was quickly out of sight.

[Tristin Stellar]

Finally,

 

He stood up and walked from the sergeant's sight and disappeared down the corridor. He moved quickly with a purposeful stride until he reached one of the out door exit hatches. To his left was the switch and as he walked toward the hatch he made a slight motion with his left wrist before walking out into the winter wonderland of Hoth.

 

Miles away in a hidden cave a blur of motion raced in there was a small freighter tucked away but it soon started whirling to life as the blur danced around the hiding place picking up and moving things around before boarding the ship. Moments later the ship main thrusters kicked on and it leaped out into the sky and swiftly left orbit before becoming a blur as it's master had done to enter hyperspace.

[Tiana Calthye]

There was...

 

...A cry in the Force...

 

Tiana stumbled, clutching her head and her hold on her protection was gone. Cold washed over her once more. It was only with an extreme amount of focus that she was able to regain her atmospheric command.

 

Jedi Knight Tiana took over...

 

She didn't know what had happened. "Carry on with your lesson," she ordered nervously, balancing herself once more.

 

...Something dark.

 

Not so safe here anymore, are you?

 

...Am I?

 

And then she was back, for a moment... she shivered in the cold.

[Fynn Relmis]

Fynn observed the arrival of others to Hoth with weighted trepidation. It meant more then just the end of the isolation he had sought, it meant that other places in the galaxy were much less safe then he'd supposed. The bitter cold of this world was a deterrent to all but the most hardy. Yet now he could feel the nearness of several who the force had marked as special, with varying powers and presence.

 

He returned to his student silently, and observed her practicing the routines patiently. He waited for her to finish a particularly hard movement and then approached.

 

"We appear to have visitors...though I don't remember inviting anyone over for tea." He said the last bit with a smirk, "Why don't we retire from the physical training for a bit." He said as he indicated a direction of travel.

[Guest]

Grey almost jumped when she saw her master.

 

"Yeah, OK, sure." She said, shrugging. She acted as if she didn't care one way or the other, but she was very happy to be done with the pyshical exersizes. She was sure that she was going to have the routine stuck in her head all day.

[Leonardo Stovachi]

Who am I?

 

Only you can determine that. You can be who you were. Or you can be born anew.

 

A flash of white light spread across the eyes of the young man. Within moments, he watched as darkness emerged from the center of the light. It seemed as if the two forces were fighting for who got to control him. The light wished to send him back clear and brand new. To begin a new life. To once again choose his own path. The darkness wished for him to return to his past. To continue along the path previously chosen. But who would win.

 

Ice. Snow. Freezing. Those were the only things he recognized around him. He knew things about the galaxy. He knew galactic politics. Knew about the Jedi, the Sith, and their never ending war. He knew where he was. He knew everything there was to know. But he had no clue who he was. Nothing about his past lingered in his mind.

 

”œWho am I?

[Tiana Calthye]

"...Carry on with your lesson..."

 

Effort flits back to keeping herself warm.

 

...Someone's woken up...

 

...Remember?

 

She grunts and wraps her robe around herself.

 

...Remember?

 

It was a long time ago now...

 

Free.

 

They could leave the planet.

 

Instead, Tiana leaves Raven with the ships... ((OOC: Raven, if you ever return to RP, just find me and I'll drag you along with me or something.)) Leaves her because she senses something familiar enough to leave the shelter of her X-wing...

 

...Convenient, isn't it? Sith laughs. Too convenient. It's probably a Jedi trap.

 

Jedi rolls her eyes. Better Jedi than Sith trap...

 

...at least they won't torture you...

 

...tear out your eyes...

 

Tiana grits her teeth and heads out. Sends out a call because this is a mind she remembers... (What, like you remembered Jedi Tristan?)

 

[Hello! Can you hear me?]

 

Oh yeah.

 

Like that's going to help...

[Leonardo Stovachi]

[Hello! Can you hear me?]

 

The word erupted through his brain and pain raced through him. His back arched and his hands clutched at his temples. His muscles cracked as he used his body for the first time. Every nerve in his body screamed as the cold once again inflicted its damage upon him. Opening his eyes he watched as two powerful sets of legs carried tauntans swiftly across the snow. Concentrating on the voice in his head, he wondered who could be speaking to him.

 

Who are you?

[Arclight]

The mystery mercenary Arclight traversed through the snow despite the roar of the blizzard beside him... a gleaming blue light on the horizon, and a symbol of faith to his cause whatever that was...

 

He wished to find an area devoid of politics where he could solemly meditate to find a purpose... surely he wished not to get involved with the turmoil of the surrounding opposing politics because he would end up being the odd one out... and what better place to go then in the middle of a snowy wasteland...

 

The more he traversed in the snow he began to question his purpose in this universe... surely one man can't stop the universe from fighting; its just not possible...

 

Meanwhile, Arclight wasn't bothered by the snow roaring around him, for his sack was water proof and his armor was very well insulated...

 

All of a sudden Arclight stopped, for he had remembered that his parents had taught him how to enhance his senses using the force... it wasn't a very demanding feat, but he hadn't used it for years... and maybe that would help him think...

 

Spotting a rather large mountainous platform, Arclight strenuously climbed to the top and after setting his things aside sat down and delved into his thoughts...

 

Going back through years and years of abuse he began to envision his friends again - the good days when he had not a care in the world... where were they now? ... it had been fifteen years since he had seen his family and friends, but he didn't even get to see them again... when he went back home everyone was gone... why?

 

well he had to dismiss that now... he journeyed further in his mind, and this time cleared his thoughts... he appeared as if he was in a large clear room and had to sort out his destiny here and now... what else did he have to do?

 

"I suppose I could... No"

 

"Maybe, ... no"

 

"No, no ... No!"

 

Then the avatar of himself in his mind tore off his helmet and screamed... "what am I going to dooo!?"

 

Then the little avatar calmed down and said simply to himself, "Let's start with what I believe in and lets go from there..."

 

"well, I believe that good and bad are rather subjective concepts, but that they are really the only medium in which we can judge the actions of others... but if this is the case then why do people go to war? war is bad, so therefore the rebellion is futile, but what the empire does is horrible so they are terrible too... the only way to justify protection of the people is to halt the war... to stop it by any means possible, and to make sure nothing arises to provoke it again..."

 

"That's it! - one person! one person can't stop the fighting of the universe, but if you gain a following..." The Avatar in Arclight's head leaps up with a light bulb over his head, and Arclight's point of view swooshes right from the inner sanctum of his head to the snowy wastes of Hoth...

 

Arclight's armor burst with a flash of light and then went straight back to its regular glow as if it was responsive to his actions... but he managed not to notice...

 

Now discovering a purpose he continued on his journey through the snowy wastes... now all he needed was an actual direction to go... "ugh now I am starting to regret this decision" Arclight mumbled to himself...

[Tiana Calthye]

[Who are you?] streams back through the agony. An agony of cold. This is what Hoth does: it eats away at your very nerves, your muscles, your focus until there is nothing left except light because the planet is still made of...

 

...Snow.

 

...An icy jewel in the sky...

 

It's not her agony, she reminds herself. She has the control. The winds cease around her and the snow slows to a mere flutter when she stretches out her hand. It's not hers, because she isn't dying yet...

 

She is just blind.

 

She really hates that question, too. Who are you? Who--

 

You could answer him, the Jedi suggests.

 

Tiana responds.

 

[Who am I? I suppose you want a name, and not a history...

 

...Not an explanation...

 

Just a name, yes?

 

...Tiana. My name is Tiana. Focus yourself, the cold is--]

 

Only a weakness which you can overcome, it's like being blind, as long as you have the Force, it will go away--it's a weakness! A weakness! Don't let it--

 

Two voices, two different notions on the same intent, screaming all at once...

 

Tiana finds herself once more.

 

[Focus beyond the cold. Tell me who you are and where you are. I can help you.]

[Arclight]

Arclight further's his jorney in the snowy wastes with rather futility, because he has no idea where any bases might be... he has no reason to give up hope though... he is plenty warm in his armor... and does have a great deal of food with him... then...

 

in the snow, Arclight noticed a stoic figure in the ice... he didn't necessarily have anything to offer in the way of warmth, but he supposed he should go check it out cause he could at least try and help them out...

 

as he approached... it appeared to be a woman...

 

"hello? ma'am, do you need asistance in any way?"

 

of course his ruffled voice in the snow might have been hard to discern, but he thought she would be able to see the glow of blue light that was his armor, and see that if she needed any help, that he was obviously well armed...