Hoth

[Tiana Calthye]

"Hello? Ma'am, do you need assistance in any way?"

 

Blurry voice, clarified only by her connection to the Force.

 

Where the hell...? What'd I miss?

 

Tiana's reality shattered and then she was just a woman standing in the snow once more. The Force snaps off, like a light, and then she's just standing in the cold snow, a vague thread hanging out to the other, the other somewhere out there--she checks, no. No, this isn't the same person.

 

This is someone else.

 

Never thought Hoth would be a social place, she thought sarcastically. That was her own mind, she realized. Hers, not the rest. Snark. All the snark. But it was funny. Meeting Tristan and then...

 

...Leo, it's Leo, you remember Leo, he was your Master once and then he vanished or maybe it was you who vanished...

 

...Explains the insanity thing anyway...

 

Twitch.

 

...What are you talking about?

 

...The amnesia. You forgot about time periods. You know, that's a sign of insanity.

 

...What do you mean?

 

...Exactly that! Yay! Anyway, look, don't you recognize the Force signature of your old Master, silly girl?

 

...Oh.

 

Blind, she can't see anything, but she's aware that there's a man there--a man, a boy, she's not sure, it just feels male all around, and armed. She senses something there. A cockyness. He wants her to know he's armed, even if subtly. Tiana clutches her metal staff tighter with her gloved fingers.

 

No hostility.

 

...Leave open the link... deal with the now...

 

"Ma'am? That sounds awfully ancient. I'll have you know I'm not a ma'am and I'm not old. ...And I'm perfectly capable of caring for myself, thank you! It's Tiana. Not ma'am! Who are you? What are you doing out on this ice ball? Are you insane, or just a masochist?"

 

...And you, what are YOU doing on this ice ball?

 

Oh, the former. All the way.

[Arclight]

"Oh, sorry Tiana, I meant no harm I just was on my way and thought I should check if you needed assistance... more a request of my conscience... and I actually do kind of like it here... since my suit is well insulated I can enjoy the solemnity of this 'ice ball' and be perfectly snug, ... anyway I'll be on my way if you don't mind..."

 

Arclight paused, and then started away, but then forgot to tell her his name...

 

"Oh, and sorry for my rudeness, but just to let you know my name is Arclight..."

 

and with that he slowly made away towards wherever... hoping to find some life that would at least be able to get him off of this planet so he could start his crusade... and would possibly be a little more polite...

[Tiana Calthye]

"What, because I'm not a damsel in distress, you're just going to leave?" she complained at his back, though maybe it wasn't his back, it just felt like he was leaving on her.

 

Oh well. Everyone always left. If he wanted to enjoy the ice ball on his own, it was his own tough luck.

[Arclight]

mistakenly Arclight had enjoyed looping around this big ice rock and apparently coming right back to where he was before in time to here the woman say...

 

"What, because I'm not a damsel in distress, you're just going to leave?"

 

except he probably heard like half of it cause he was still a little bit away... secretly he was heightening his senses using the force and could hear about half from the distance he was standing so... he returned to her side and said...

 

"no, it is purely because I was curiously poking around to see if you had needed any help and since I got a rather rude answer I figured you could take care of yourself so far be it from me to stand in your way... but since I am here is there anything you would like to get out before I go?"

[Tiana Calthye]

"No, it is purely because I was curiously poking around to see if you had needed any help and since I got a rather rude answer I figured you could take care of yourself so far be it from me to stand in your way... but since I am here is there anything you would like to get out before I go?"

 

"What? Rude? Perhaps unpersonable." Tiana laughed. She'd picked up something from him in that process--and it explained why he took the cold so very easily.

 

Where are you, Leo...

 

She wondered if the voice she'd heard in the Force even was the long-dead Master...

 

"I dunno, a year of being locked up on a planet can do that to you... hah. I can't see you, you appeared out of nowhere, forgive my surprise. You're a Force user. Are you a Jedi? They say there's a base on this planet, for the Alliance..."

[Arclight]

"hehehehe so you noticed that huh? well no, I don't like to get involved with any sort of politics and I don't think I will really be joining either side... I mainly just use little force tricks that I learned from my parents who learned it from the jedi.... ah!, and your blind, that would of course explain the sudden apprehensiveness... if you had been able to see, it would be almost impossible not to notice me... even in the snow..."

 

"and about the Alliance base... I really don't know if I am going to call on them for help unless it only involves a fly outta here and not a... 'can you join the alliance or you can't get outta here type thing'..."

 

"however, if you would really like to get rid of me, I can go... or maybe if you would like I could spend some time with ya on your quest for whatever it is you are out here for..."

 

Arclight after his long winded speach took a breath... and since this would be a good time as any... he should probably get out some food to eat... he was kinda getting hungry...

 

so Arclight knelt to the ground and put his helmet in his sack... making sure not to unzip it all the way and grabbed a ration to munch on... yes the air was cold but... the ends justify the means.... mmm... he thought to himself...

[Tiana Calthye]

"Observant." She tapped her black eyes. "Yes, blind. Entirely blind. Except for the Force, of course. I'm not tryin' to get rid of you. Just wondered if you had a side. Generally Force users do, eventually, you know." Tiana gestured offhandedly, using the gesture to expand her bubble just a bit to include him. Not warm, per se, but it kept the wind off--now, if night hit, it might not be enough, but here and now, the Force and her garments were good enough...

 

He was a strange person.

 

Almost as strange as me...

 

Munching away on food on Hoth as if it wasn't thirty below. The air, the wind, the stinging snow...

 

Strange human.

 

"I'm not on a quest. I'm just here. I started on Hoth. Came back with my apprentice. And now it seems that Hoth is a strangely social place. I suppose you could call it a quest for enlightenment... heh..." Or enfreezingment...

[Leonardo Stovachi]

Who is Leo?

 

The name meant nothing to him. It could have been his name just as easily it could be some stranger across the galaxy. While to some a name meant everything, to him a name was nothing. For he was nothing. He was but an existence. He only existed to exist. His life held no purpose.

 

'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH"

 

Pain raced through his mind and soon took control of his body. His limbs spasmed as his nerves felt more pain course through them. Pain was the only thing he felt, the only constant, the only truth. His skin scraped against the frozen tundra as snow continuously fell against him, burying him in its depth. As pain ruled him, he felt something growing within him, a strength connected to his will. Touching the voice in his mind one more time, he used that will to speak again.

 

HELP ME!

[Arclight]

Arclight finished his ration while listening to Tiana, and then eventually put his helmet back on, then... over the frozen Tundra came a huge cry of pain... Arclight really only heard a faint cry of it but what he did hear sent a chill down his spine...

 

"whoa... did you hear that?" Arclight had almost forgotten that he was enhancing his senses subconciously... it didn't really help his head but it helped him hear her talk...

 

"it sounded like someone's in pain... not that its not likely for this tundra is very hazardous, but I mean it sounded as if whatever it was was in extreme agony..."

 

Arclight looked around and then tried to figure out from where, possibly the noise had come from fromt he place he was standing...

[Tiana Calthye]

HELP ME!

 

It throws her off.

 

Back.

 

Back to this.

 

It touched her mind, tore through her mind, and there was only pain. Agony. Everywhere.

 

The one step away from her conscious mind where it's someone else who's speaking and Tiana's just left behind in the dust, sitting there and narrating her own life as she sort of hovers and watches the other Tiana take over...

 

"I feel it too," she says. "I've been looking for him. He's here now. Maybe not for long. Come on, Archlight!" Tiana pulls her robes around tighter, pulls the Force around her, wraps it around like the cloak...

 

Sets off with the other.

 

[You must focus. Focus yourself, you've touched my mind, now leave that open so I can find you before you blank out once more...]

[Arclight]

"I feel it too," she says. "I've been looking for him. He's here now. Maybe not for long. Come on, Archlight!" Tiana pulls her robes around tighter, pulls the Force around her, wraps it around like the cloak...

 

Arclight takes the cue and with haste picks up his bag and keeps up...

he doesn't necessarily know what he's going after, but with a sound like that it must have been someone in extreme pain...

 

Arclight manages to keep pace with tiana, but due to the discontinued cry and the fact that he had no idea how far away this person was... he didn't know how long it might take...

[Leonardo Stovachi]

How can I focus in this cold.

 

Reaching out with a shivering hand, the nearly frozen soul began to inch its way from the snow. Although his body screamed for a release from the pain, he knew it was the pain keeping him alive at the moment. Each movement across the ice scraped against his naked skin. Each inch moved tore his atrophied muscles to shreds. But he kept moving. His fingers began to bleed as he pushed himself further. His lips cracked and bled from the cold. The snow behind him began to flow with red.

 

But the worst pain was in his mind. He felt like his mind would explode with each thought that entered his consciousness. But with each pain that came, he felt something growing inside him. Something that gave him the strength to push through the pain. Something that allowed to keep pushing his body past the limits of pain.

 

Deciding to touch the strength inside him, the man felt an explosion of power and anger. Boiling anger erupted through his body, sending daggers of pain throughout his body. Allowing a roar to escape him, the young man rose to his knees, and clutched at his stomach. The pain was more intense than anything he had felt. But with that pain came the strength to resist it. It seemed as if the more pain he felt, the stronger he became. Confused as to how that could be, the young man rose to his feet and continued his walk.

[Arclight]

"whew... I'd never thought with all my years of excersize that I would have a problem with running...."

 

Just then... while keeping pace with Tiana, Arclight heard a roar that was fairly loud with his amplified senses... so wherever they were going they were getting closer... it may still be a great distance, because with such limited sight through his helmet - even amplified - it was almost impossible to tell... he could only hope that Tiana knew where she was going because right now he was just trying to keep up with her...

 

He would only let Tiana know if he was absolutely sure because otherwise its futile to even mention...

[Tiana Calthye]

A scream. A roar. Agony. Always the agony--but the dark side can make you endure it. It can let you step past it...

 

Tiana shivers, not from the cold--she knows it's cold, she is cold, but she's outside of that, as any user of the Force would be. The roar is enough for her to reach out and track the form with more certainty now.

 

She heads towards it, trusting her new companion to follow along. Leaving her ship behind for now. Just for now, though. Just for now...

 

Just hold on.

 

It's hard to flee towards a sound in the snow, but somehow she manages as much speed as she can--barely waiting to let her armored companion keep up--but still making sure he doesn't get lost in the snow.

 

She knew where she was going.

 

She knows.

[Leonardo Stovachi]

The snow bit into his skin as he slowly made his way across the frozen ocean. The sun had fallen from the sky and night had settled upon the vastness like like a veil. The temperatures had plunged to far below freezing and snow that had once softly fallen to the ground had become dangerous ice storms capable of shredding skin within moments. Only creatures with this enough fur(and the sense to stay indoors) could survive for long in these conditions. But he dredged on. Blood flowed freely from cuts on his arms and feet. His lips had long since frozen together and icicles hung from his hair. Frost covered his face and skin. In appearance, he was a sickly snowman.

 

But inside, pain spurred him forward. Each cut on his arm, merely a marker of pain that had existed within before the red slash had appeared. The freezing of his lips doing nothing but keeping him from making his pain known to all the the few creatures that scurried about. The damage done to his exterior was nothing compared to the pain that continued to rage within his mind. Each step brought forth more pain. It was a pain designed to destroy a mans spirit, leave him broken yet alive. A lesser man would truly have died given up amongst the frozen wasteland, allowed the pain to destroy him. But he pushed forward. He had been brought here for a reason. No pain, no harm, no weather would deter him from discovering that reason.

 

Moments before he saw them, he felt them. Two travelers in the wasteland, making their way towards him. He could feel their strength. One seemed to radiate a arrogance, cockiness even, yet his strength paled in comparison to the other. While her mind seemed fragmented, her presence was a beacon. It called to him, beckoning him towards her. And for some reason he knew her. No name came to mind, no place of their contact, nothing of their past. But he knew her.

[Arclight]

The blizzard winds picked up and were accelerated to the point of damaging exposed skin, but with Arclight the repeated thuds only registered as rather annoying little dings on the side of his armor and swords... and then... out amongst the lumps of snow and blizzard rush Arclight noticed something... Arclight's enhanced senses helped him notice it, but it was the groaning in agony that really confirmed that it was what they were looking for...

 

"Hey Tiana! I think I see something moving in the snow; wait, I am absolutely sure I see something - you probably do too huh?"

 

Arclight was sure she was blind, but seeing as how she was so suspicious about the force before, and how she was out here in the snow by herself, he had assumed she had more strength then previously assumed...

 

The glowing blue armored figure of Arclight moved up to the crawling character to view it up close... "ya, its a man... - whats he doing all the way out here with barely any clothes on? Thats what I call suicide, but he appears to still be moving and in incredible pain"

 

"Well since this would probably be what you were coming out here for Tiana, I am not going to majorly interfere, but I would like to move him to some sort of cover from the harsh blizzard winds... that is if you don't mind?"

[Tiana Calthye]

...But she knows him...

 

And he knows her.

 

Snap.

 

Tiana's back.

 

She glared at Arclight through the howling wind. "Well, stop stating the obvious and....help him! I don't need eyes to see pain - thank you for considering me, and describing the visuals, however. Yes. Some sort of cover..."

 

To create too much warmth is to kill someone frozen.

 

To warm someone from frostbite, first you must begin with snow...

 

She begins...

 

...By finding her eyes...

 

And the Force.

 

And telekinesis.

 

The one challenge. How easily it had come before.

 

Before.

 

Now it wasn't so easy. It's hard to move what you can't see. And this time the wind must stop in a larger area. Shell. She must cast a shell around them to stop the bludgoning of the blizzard winds...

 

She reaches out.

 

...Bamph.

 

What would be a mere trick for an apprentice... to stay warm in the cold...

 

...What would be ease for a Knight--to rend a shield to protect others from the cold...

 

...What's merely a blink of an eye for a Master...

 

...Why am I none of the above?!

 

Find that spot.

 

Find the rage.

 

The light side cannot help you here.

 

It grows darker around them as the snow subsides, the winds, the ice, the snow, the pain - the light washed away. It's like twilight now, twilight on a planet of forever light. How the cold subsides, the headache of focus returns, because she cannot see what she is doing - but she can use the anger from not being able to see what she is doing - the Force can be eyes, but not at the same time as such a feat as this. Focus the rage, the emotion, the power, the hate... the everything pent up and use it...

 

...For good?

 

Pretend you're killing snowflakes or something, if that helps, the Sith suggests.

 

"Cover," she gasps. "You're the strong one, Arclight. So do your interferring now, please."

 

Time was, as always, of essence.

[Arclight]

"yes, quite right..."

 

Arclight hastily moved his things to be able to comfortably carry the man safely to whatever kind of cover he could find... cause it would be rather futile to save the man and have a sword poking him in his head while he was being carried... even if it was in its scabbard...

 

Arclight then looked around quickly to find some sort of snow cover just in case the roaring winds should return... and after about 3 minutes of scanning the area - which was much easier with no snow beating his at his helmet... he had found a cave about 65 meters from their position...

 

"Hey Tiana, theres a cave about 65 meters from here... lets start heading in that direction"

 

and after that comment Arclight headed off at a brisk pace in the direction of the cave in order to try and save as much time as he could before the next potential snowstorm...

[Dagon]

::The Darkwatch shuttle broke through Hoth's atmo to approach it's target, too far away from the rebel base to raise any alarms. After all, a single shuttle wasn't going to do much against a rebel base. It wasn't hard for Dagon to locate what he was looking for with a bioscan of the planet. The shuttle gunner canvassed the area with a neural scrambler, sort of an area effect stun weapon. With the targets unconscious, they were loaded on board and dunked into on board bacta tanks. The severe frostbite needed to be treated soon or they would die or lose limbs.

 

The shuttle departed for a Neogenesis medstation...::

[Jidai Geki]

*Four Imperial Star Destroyers re-enter real space over the frigid ice planet of Hoth. It is random and remote enough, Geki reasons, that the Arach'tar won't bother with it. It seemed that everywhere the Imperial Navy went, the Arach'tar were waiting. A bothersome trend.*

 

'Get a message to the Rebels. It seems this tiresome treaty will have to be re-established whilst these silly Arach'tar types are running around.'

 

*An encrypted comm is sent to the Rebels.*

[SithAcolyte]

It seemed that once again they had narrowly escaped the Arach'tar. Darla's idea of running and hiding seemed more and more appealing. The only problem was that she found herself compelled to fight and to aid others. If she had remained alone on Dagobah she would have been driven mad with guilt. If there was some good that she could do, she would have to at least try. That was her curse. All the power of the darkside, but the will of a good heart.

 

For all Geki's genuine madness, he still had a sense of self preservation. He had rushed to the ship's bridge and from what Darla could tell had saved them all from their enemy. While he followed his whims, Darla could tell that to some extent the fate of the rest of the Galaxy still mattered to him.

 

In Geki's absence Darla made her way to her guest quarters. The room was fairly spacious and comfortable. She didn't feel like a prisoner at all and perhaps she wasn't. Geki had offered his hospitality which Darla was starting to believe was genuine. Darla knew what it was like to be trapped in a cage, she knew what it was like to be held against her will. This was not it.

 

She shed her armour, she wouldn't be needing it, and stretched out her tired muscles. Underneath she wore a fitted black jumpsuit which was suitable enough and much more comfortable. She wished her lightsaber was still safely tucked away in her mechanical arm. Would it be returne to her? It didn't matter too much if she didn't get it back, it wasn't the first lightsaber she had lost, perhaps it wouldn't be the last.

 

Crystals might be harder to come by now... If the Arach'tar destroy Ilum...

 

While the crystals of Ilum played an important part in crafting the lightsabers of many Jedi, they were not the only crystals that could be used. There were others worlds on which similar crystals formed and there was even a way of synthesizing them using a pressure cooker that could reach emense heats. Sith could will them into exsistance in the heat of furnace using nothing but their hatred.

 

Darla was getting tired and still more than a little worried about her troops. There was nothing that she could do for them now so she decided to get some rest.

 

Her sleep was brief and dreamless. When she awoke she felt a familiar planetary body through the force. Cold, barren but not Ilum, Hoth. They had arrived at Hoth while she had been asleep. It had been a long time since Darla had been to the remote world.

 

As she awoke she sat up on the side of her bunk. Reaching out with her mind Darla found Geki once more.

 

You seem to be avoiding my question. What happens next? Am I your prisoner or your ally?

 

She needed an answer. Darla could no longer sit and await her fate.

[Jidai Geki]

*Geki responds telepathically to Darla's question.*

I fear we can no longer afford to play politics, my dear. Until the Arach'tar question is resolved, we will be forced to make allies of the Alliance. As such, you will be free to go as soon as we rendezvous with Starlisk.

[SithAcolyte]

Geki went straight to the point. They were now Allies. At the en of the day he till held some value for life and knew that the only way to save the lives of their Galaxy was to put political affiliations aside and band together. Darla was happy at the thought.

 

Perhaps, if we survive this the Alliance and the Empire can live in peace...

 

It was a dream, but one that she dared to hope for.

 

I guess I just wait around till we rendezvous with Admiral Starlisk.

 

Darla left her quarters and made her way to the one of ship's mess halls. She ignored the looks that she got as she walked the ships corridors. Some of the Imperials looked at her questioningly, wonder who she she was and other looked at her with contempt, knowing exactly who she was.

 

She sat alone in silence eating her breakfast and drinking her coffee. Darla gathered her thoughts as she prepared for the day ahead.

[Jidai Geki]

*Geki comms Darla.*

 

'Sorry my dear, but even though we've just been involved in a battle with the Rebels and captured you and your men, apparently we don't warrant a response from Gala. Perhaps if we sent them a comm of you screaming in pain and begging for your life they'd respond?'

[SithAcolyte]

"You might be able to mke me scream, but you'll never hear me beg." Darla spoke matter of factly into the comm unit.

 

She wasn't sure if she should be worried or not. After all she was being held by a madman. He'd been polite and well mannered, but he had threatened her before. Darla knew that he was capable of horrible things.

 

"Perhaps I could come uo to the bridge and try to contact the admiral myself. I knew the proper frequencies that he can be reached on."

 

Darla was keeping her cool, but Geki's threat had put her on edge. Adrenaline prepared to flush her system. Her muscles tensed as she waited for Geki's response.

[Jidai Geki]

*Geki slumps into his chair, dejected at the Rebel response.*

 

'What's the point? I could torture our Rebel guest but honestly, all it would be is an amusing diversion. The Rebels are lost at Ilum. Those bloody Arach'tar have stolen MY victory. They'll pay for this.'

[SithAcolyte]

Darla had finished eating, a little on edge as she waited for Geki's response. Her comm unit remained silent, which worried her a little but she supposed that it was better than being treatened. Deciding to find out what the situation was Darla made her way towards Geki.

 

His presence was strong in the force and as long as he wasn't concentrating on masking it she could use it to guide her to him.

 

Before long Darla found herself standing outside a door, she knew that Geki was in the next room. Reaching out wityh her mind she touched his once more. It felt a littie uncomfortable this time, knowing that he had treatened to torture her to death.

 

What's happening? Let me inside. The words were simple nd to the point.

 

She wanted to talk to him in person, not just hear his voice from afar.

[Jidai Geki]

*Geki allows the Jedi onto the bridge, not moving from his slumped position in the chair. He is, for once, at a total loss. The Arach'tar are decimating the galaxy which is rightfully his to decimate, and there seems to be no way of stopping them.*

 

'Yes? Can I help you?'

[SithAcolyte]

Darla walked onto the bridge tentatively.

 

"So I take it that the Alliance isn't responding to you? Do we even know if Starlisk escaped Ilum?"

 

It was a worrying thought for Darla, but she tried not to dwell on it.

 

"I could be that whoever's left on Gala in his absence doesn't trust you or perhaps thinks that you have something to do with him not coming back. I can take you to Gala, speak to whoever's there and arrange some kind of meeting. The only way that any of us have a chance in defeating the Arach'tar is by standing together."

 

She walked closer to Geki.

 

"I know that you've treated me well but I'm sure I'm nothing more than a curiosity to you, a plaything. I could be an ally."

[Darth Furion]

An encrypted comm arrives for Geki.

 

--Comm--

 

Dear Geki,

 

I trust you're alive and well. We haven't spoken since I left Ilum in ruin, but I'm sure the rebs didn't give you too much trouble. The Arach'tar, however, seemed to have messed things up. In time we should address the matter, but right now I have something a little more pressing on my plate.

 

I'm currently in a business deal with Zara Nargal. She's a rather shrewd business woman and is trying to draw ever credit out of me before she's satisfied.

 

Should negotiations head south, I was wondering if you'd be interested in..."enforcing Imperial Law". I'd not call you unless it absolutely needed to be done, but I'd like to know if you're up to the task. If not, it's fine. I'm sure you're a busy man, and I can probably handle this myself. Just thought I'd bring you in on a little more fun.

 

-J

 

--End Comm--