Hoth

[Jidai Geki]

*As quickly as Geki's bout of manic depressiveness hits him, it is gone again and replaced with his more typical manic glee. He leaps from his chair and begins issuing commands at once.*

 

'Get in touch with Mon Calamari and Mechis III now. Have them conscript slaves and get to work on replacement vessels. Have the rest of our fleet contacted at once. And get us to Mechis III.'

 

*Geki snaps his fingers at Darla. Beneath his partial facemask, his mouth has contorted into the perverse grin of old.*

 

'As for you, you shall be tortured until you convert to the dark side, and thus the Empire. Or until you die, it really makes no ends to me. Take her away!'

 

*Geki slams the girl's mind with an overpowering blast of gleeful insanity, perhaps enough to incapacitate her for a while. If not, she was trapped and alone on an Imperial Star Destroyer with her own men also disarmed and powerless. Troops fall on her, bind her arms and begin to march her to a torture chamber.*

 

'Have her men killed at once.'

 

*Stormtroopers burst into the quarters of the captured Rebel men and execute the unarmed men. They are completely unable to defend themselves and are cut to pieces in a storm of blaster fire. Geki ensures that Darla gets a front seat by telepathically linking the girl's mind to the minds of the stormtroopers performing the executions.

 

The Imperial vessels move into hyperspace shortly afterwards.*

[ObliviousKnight]

A thoroughly nondescript transport appeared on the edges of the Hoth system and made way for the famous asteroid belt. Once it reached the borders of the asteroid belt, it opened a set of depressurized compartments to the void of space and surged its power reactor, making itself an irresistible treat for a number of the asteroid belt's uglier pests...

[Darth Pravus]

When his small ship arrived at the Hoth system, Pravus found the force through his anger and a focus at the computer that was running his craft.

 

The agony was excruciating. Just outside his consciousness he heard outright laughter.

 

"Now now little apprentice, our lessons have only just begun," was the taunting he heard, just before another rush of incredible pain swept him into senselessness.

 

When he awoke, he was in a hangar carved out of bedrock. The room was small, dark and unlit.

 

His fighter was still sealed and beyond his ability to exit. Pravus sniffed the air delicately and realized the stench he was exuding. He swore. The reek, combined with his burned flesh was nauseating.

 

Nothing happened for days.

 

Pravus fumed, slowly losing what sanity remained to him.

[Fynn Relmis]

Cold...

 

Unyielding, unfeeling...merciless cold.

 

It permeated all thoughts on the surface of Hoth, it kept ones mind sharp on just one object...survival.

 

It was here deep beneath the surface, that Fynn had chosen to rest. The chamber that held him monitored his life signs, but it was the force that kept his body from deteriorating. His mind was free to wander the infinite, his slumber all but ignored by the world above and beyond that of Hoth.

 

He had ushered his student away, asking she seek guidance from a more stable sentinel of the force. His own thoughts had been erratic since the loss of his first student, and the disastrous attacks that he had overseen. His confidence broken, a jedi knight he remained in name only. He had needed time to heal his mind, more time then the galaxy with its many wars and nefarious conflicts would give him. So he sealed himself away, hoping that time would be enough to solidify his ever shifting thoughts.

 

The chamber alarm bleeped loudly throughout the cavernous space. It's power supply running low, it acted now to bring it's occupant back to consciousness. Fynn bated his eyes once twice and then willed himself to sit up and open the sliding chamber door. He hung there a moment, his mind flooded with senses from the outside world...the first was the force. The second, and less welcome was the cold.

 

The slow advance of age, and scars of war had taken it's toll on the once youthful Fynn. His hair was now graying, his youthful fire replaced with a deadpan glare at the world through black unyielding eyes. His robes, a hodgepodge of gear, made him look the part of a wild man, more savage then well trained and battle tested warrior. A nearby makeshift table had been frozen over, and upon it lay his deactivated light saber. Fynn extended his hand, stretching muscles that were still feeling the affects of the stasis. The force too flowed back to him in a rush, as the Ice around his weapon began to recede. Fynn excited the molecules in the air above the table warming the area slowly exposing the saber to the air for the first in what felt like years.

 

Questions filled his mind, most weren't worthy of a second thought, and in short order Fynn reminded himself of the world he had tried in vain to forget. How to reconnect, how to come back to a place that he'd essentially left?

 

Fynn stretched out with the force grasping the saber with his mind and bringing to his person deftly. The saber crackled to life, the last vestiges of ice, being incinerated by the green blade as it extended. Looking upon the blade a sense of himself returned. He was a defender of life, a seeker of justice, a fighter for truth and light...and even if he were the last of his kind he would be that until his life had run its course.

 

For now, Fynn busied himself in excavating the Templar II from it's icy prison. It was a process that would take time, but somehow Fynn felt that time...was finally his ally. His time in the cold purgatory was over, and the force beckoned onwards...

[Bad karma]

An insidious darkness slithered from within the icy tombs that had been too much for so many to endure. Like a slow to act poison, like creeping death, and all manner of things treacherous and corrupting the Crone stirred from the frozen prison.

 

No one had the power to simply imprison her and no one would be stupid enough to do it on Hoth, of all planets, instead it was a sort of self-imprisonment. Locking herself away in the cold and silence, slipping into a deep meditative trance as the force and all manner of unnatural powers sustained her body at the sub-zero temperatures.

 

A portion of the woman's face was still missing and she looked aged, though even still her eyes told of wisdom that far outstripped her years. Trudging through the snow, using her glowing weapon to keep herself from tumbling down. In the distance the wavy form of her ship could be seen breaking through the atmosphere and with a tentative touch upon the force she felt Viktor's presence

 

Imperceptible hands lifted her through the open hatch and into the chilly interior of the large ship. It felt so empty, so hollow, and in that moment she knew just what it needed.

 

Stepping into the cockpit she looked at the man in the pilot's seat as his hands moved over the controls, turning the ship towards space. He had proved to be a useful investment of her time.

[Fynn Relmis]

The engine on the old Y-Wing hummed to life as Fynn began the prepping the old war horse for launch. It had taken him several days to fire up the core, and the stabilizers had to be completely rebuilt. Thankfully the time he'd taken to prepare the ship for a long stay in subzero temperatures paid off. The hyperdrive was working, though it had the fuel for only three jumps.

 

His mind though was not on the engines though. His thoughts were peppered with questions, and curiosity. What had become of the Jedi? For that matter how fared the Sith. He wondered if his return would be met with embrace or ridicule...as Fynn had chosen to exile himself, despite the 'forgiveness' of the Jedi council leader. His decision to return now, was questionable, given his horrid track record.

 

The old Y-wing lifted off the surface slowly, its retro's firing as it did so. As it raised to the heavens aided by its loud obnoxious engines, Fynn reviewed his last solid map of the galactic menagerie. Finally deciding upon a destination the heavy fighter streaked towards yet another speck of light.

[Ary the Grey]

The Blur touched down nimbly at the hidden Alliance base, the hangar doors sealing behind it to once again retain its well camouflaged and sensor-immune status. It was cold, but not too cold. Aryian could see his breath, but the cold air simply felt...refreshing. He cocked his head, looking back over his shoulder in the direction of his new Padawan.

 

"Come on, it isn't that bad. The quarters are warmer. Besides, with the training I have in mind, you won't notice the cold. Well...much."

 

He reached out with the Force, touching Evander's mind as he continued down the ramp.

 

So...given any thought to the path you wish to take?

[Evander]

Hoth. Oh, what a *nice* place to be! Evander whined to himself as he followed after his master. The ride to Hoth had been long, but thankfully had remained uneventful on both their parts. Evan hadn't made any outburst, well, any more outbursts and Aryian seemed content to just pilot. Though, there were plenty of times Evan thought about asking a question or two, one of those very intimate ones that concerned the pasts of others. But, each time he found himself reconsidering. When the had touched down, Evan had lagged behind, content to remain at the console for several minutes longer as his master got ready or whatever he did. Evander was intent on learning as much as he could, as quickly as he could, moreso now than ever before. Even though he knew it was foolish to desire to protect everyone, he couldn't get rid of the notion to do so.

 

”œAh, you're kidding me right?”

[Ary the Grey]

Aryian stopped, not looking back but hiding a knowing smile. This was why he had chosen Evander...he had felt the warrior's spirit within him. He had the fire and mettle to be the best, all he needed to learn was to control himself and harness the Force.

 

Why not learn it today?

 

Aryian reached out, rubbing the air particles around his student against each other, creating a bit of heat for him. It was a hopeful's trick, really, and took almost no concentration for him to maintain. But something else crossed his mind, and used his energy to burst out through the base at impossible speeds, easily breaking out of eyesight to a specific room.

 

Come find me. Trust your instincts...they are more helpful than you realize.

[Evander]

Evander groaned as he watched his master become a blur of light and sound, darting from the hangar bay with impossible speed. He was left to stand there, wondering why he suddenly felt warmer and how he was to find his master. Trust his instincts, how? How would they know? Instead, he remained firmly planted to the floor of the cavernous atrium. While he waited, he debated several ideas which circled round. One of them was a simple one, ask a mechanic or soldier if there were any ”˜Jedi-ish' rooms in this base, but he had a funny feeling that the staff which manned this base wouldn't have told him anything. That, of course, made him grumble to himself. And in realizing that, he realized he'd better start moving his own body, lest the heat he now felt began to diminish.

 

”œI don't want to disappoint you master”¦”

[Ary the Grey]

The Master was sitting, meditating, eyes closed. He could feel every move his Padawan had made, could feel the Force guiding him, and like a true student with an open mind, Evander was slowly guided to him by unseen tendrils he did not even know were there. He had just now, despite that the feat was nearly insignificant, achieved the theoretically impossible. And now, at the end of the charade, it was time to begin his chapter in life. His first chapter, that is, of truly living.

 

"The Force, as Kirlocca taught, is in all things, living and nonliving. It is an invisible energy that is everywhere, and certain things or beings can be focal points of it. I am a focal point...as are you. It is how you found me easily. There is also a bond forming between us...though you cannot yet sense it, it is there, growing, tying our fates together. Right now, you have taken your first few steps to learning to use the Force, and we are about to take that and expound upon it tenfold. It is high time I taught you to see with the eyes in the back of your head.

 

"Close your eyes, clear all thoughts, all questions from your mind, and focus on one particular thing. I prefer a majestic Naboo Royal Oak tree, but you may make it anything you wish."

 

Aryian waited, the Force calmly flowing around him he patiently monitored his pupil's thoughts until he had done as instructed. He was already observing him with eyes unseen, and Evander was about to have the awakening of his life.

 

"Now...slowly let that thought, that one thing in your mind, let it dissolve away. Let it go, open your mind to a void."

 

Aryian reached out with the Force to the young man's mind, aiding him, filling him with the ancient life essence.

 

"Do you feel it? Can you see it? On the edges of your sight - no, don't open your eyes...let it come to you. Good. Now tell me...what do you see?"

[Scorp Jedi Knight]

He was not a stranger to this land. A cool gaze met the frozen wasteland that lay before him. He had come during a good time, there was no storm on the horizon”¦yet. With practiced ease he eased his ship down upon the icy landscape, knowing where to set down by searching the different patterns in the ice. To the untrained eye, it was just one ridiculous ice ball.

 

Shutting down his engines, he let loose a long sigh before leaning back in his chair. He was sure he had an extra parka around here, and it would be needed, if his apprentice had any hope of surviving what was to come.

 

I believe it is time to demonstrate the difference between using the force as a crutch and using the force when it is necessary.

 

He appeared in front his padawan with parka in hand it tossed it to him, as he donned his own. Opening the boarding hatch a sudden blast of cold air hit the both of them, as equilibrium was sought but to no avail.

 

Walking toward his cargo hold he came back with two rather large packs. He hefted one and then tossed the other at his apprentice.

 

”œWell lets go. I believe the old echo base is about a kilo off from here.”

[ObliviousKnight]

Aryian Darkfire and Scorp Ession received similar messages, though very different in tone. Such was to be expected.

 

Aryian,

 

We need to talk, it's about the Jedi. Can we meet at”¦ no, we'll meet you at Hoth, now that our errand at Dantooine is done.

 

Looooooove you.

 

And to Scorp Ession:

 

Scorp,

 

We need to speak about Jedi business. We'll meet you at Hoth.

[Ary the Grey]

Aryian realized his student might take a bit of time to do the task his master had given, so he calmly rose from his position, quietly whispering as he noiselessly moved past.

 

"Find me when this is complete...we will begin your true walk in the Force then."

 

Aryian walked back out into the base, checking his message and noting Scorp had arrived on Hoth. Very well...Force willing, some progress would be made within the Order.

[Evander]

((Words fail me... quite literally. I'm having some wicked Writer's Block right now, which is why I haven't been online or writing at all for about a week. But, I want to do this and so I'll attempt to string together something.))

 

Evander sighed as he begun to close his eyes. How on Hoth was he going to open himself to a vast nothingness? He couldn't honestly say, but at least now he felt he could trust in himself and in the Force. After all, how else could he have found his master in this large place? And so, he began his descent into a forgotten dream. Wherein the vast and rolling plains of Concord Dawn spread out before his eyes. The amber sky of the setting sun painted a tranquil picture upon the horizon as he found himself gazing into the atmosphere. Around him an endless sea filled with various vegetables and grains. The young mandalorian let himself fall backwards upon the soft grass, placing hands beneath his head and interlacing his fingers. He sighed again, a content and peaceful one.

 

A base had been established, allowing his mind to rise from the dream. Now would come the hard part. Where he would need to let go to the world around him, and himself. A tall tale for anyone, but moreso for someone who was curious about things foreign and unknown to him. Yet, still he tried. Minutes passed with agonizing slowness, as he tried to ease away from conscious action and inaction. But, nothing seemed to be working. Every time he felt as if he was on the verge of being completely open minded, his mind would suddenly dart towards some new, different thought. One that would soon grab his mind and hold it hostage. The young Padawan lacked the concentration to focus on something this abstract and because of it, found himself growing frustrated. Why couldn't he do this? It wasn't so hard! That wasn't what he needed, and he knew it. The last thing which would aid him is if he allowed himself to lose his temper and his emotions to best him. So, he began anew.

 

Once more he focused upon that tranquil day, where he'd done nothing but gaze into the sky, thinking silly thoughts of grandeur and glory. Soon enough, he was there again. Everything he could sense, hear, see and smell. It calmed him beyond belief. And slowly, he began to attempt to once more free himself from his shackles. Once more, he tried to empty his mind. This time, he focused on an old technique his grandfather had taught him. One which the veteran warrior had used countless times during his prime. His grandfather had always said it helped him focus and gave him clarity; two things which he desperately needed. So why not? and so, he began to only concentrate of his breathing. Only allowing it to rule his mind. Each time a thought would try to penetrate his barrier he would repeat simple words, simple phrases. Breathe in. Breathe out.

 

Eventually, he found himself slipping away, found that he was neither here nor there, but everywhere at once. A strange feeling to say the least, but he did not allow himself to dwell upon his small victory, instead he continued to free his mind, allowing what he assumed to be the Force to flow through him. To work within him for the betterment of all. Finally, he found his mouth working, moving of its own independent accord.

 

"Its strange... I see nothingness. Just black, yet then I can see colors stream every which way, giving birth to light. And from there, shapes form. But... they seem to form a web or something. Its as if everything is connected to one another. You. Me. That door. Everything. Its amazing. I feel so alive. I can sense everything... I think. ...Wait, its changing. Its like a psychedelic kaleidoscope or something. The colors are blurring together, blending and merging. ...Its beautiful."

 

The independent action ceased, leaving Evander to feel wholly beside himself as he felt exposed to the cosmos. Was this what it felt like to touch the Force and be aware of it? If so, it was amazing! And he wished to never be separated from it.

[Ary the Grey]

Aryian made it no further down the hallway than his Padawan had a revelation. Aryian reached out with the Force, brushing his thoughts.

 

"Good. Very good. Remember this state...it will take some practice to achieve it effortlessly. Trust the Force. It is your greatest ally. Now come, we have business to attend to."

 

Meanwhile, a command was sent to his ship to activate the Forge at the base, creating several new lightsabers via the crystals he still had onboard. They would be ready in a bit. Until then...all Aryian could do was wait.

[Skarr]

Nevan felt the warmth of the winter overcome him as the shuttle doors peeled open. He spent no time to heave the difficult pack onto his shoulders which were now covered in a milk-white parka. He tried to keep his face from the show of expression that he felt inside, and that was that it was too cold for him to even dare think on what reason he was here for. The expression was disbelief. He felt for his first step off of the ramp and then took it. A powerful wave of cold wind snapped at him as the metal walls of the ship no longer applied. He almost fell, but he kept his composure and lowered his eyelids to shelter themselves better from the bitter weather conditions.

 

”œIf you don't mind me asking, what're we doing here Master”

[Evander]

Evander nodded, leaping from his cross-legged position to find his joints stiff with inactivity. They groaned like rusted doors which had remained shut for a century without use. The sensation sent a wave of negative energy down his body and up again, which made him cringe. Oh, I need to stretch more. Ow. With that, he turned around and began to follow after his master, letting what little Force perception he had guide him until he reached his side. This, of course, didn't take long since the man hadn't gotten far. All the while, the sounds of his heavy soled boots against the hard floor greeted his ears and anyone's within range. A rampaging rancor would have been stealthier.

 

”œMaster, what's up? Where are we going?”

[Ary the Grey]

"First, to the ship. My order should be done in a bit. Then, perhaps some training while we wait for the others to show up. There will be another council of Jedi. And my wife wants me on it."

 

Aryian sighed, walking back towards the hangar. The lightsabers would be done by now, his traditional twin interlocking blades, as well as an extra set for his Padawan. More were slotted, but these would be the first ones done.

 

"Again."

 

They reached the ship in little time, where a droid rolled up, presenting Aryian with a box. The Master deftly opened it, revealing four identical hilts, made out of a dullish silver metal. Quickly Aryian used the Force to survey them, looking for imperfections, a common flaw among machine made lightsabers, but in this batch he found none. Besides...they'd be easy to correct.

 

He took two for his own, clipping them to his belt, and presented Evander with the other two. The silver blades would serve him well until it was time to make his own.

 

"There are several styles of saber you can work on, but I will give you three of the...easier and less obscure to learn. The twin sabers can interlock at the base of their hilts, forming a staff saber, a powerful yet slower style. There is the twin sabers, focusing on rapid light hits and defenses rather than brute force, and of course...the traditional single saber, with a multitude of variants."

 

((Ok...I'm done.))

[Evander]

As they walked, Evander listened to his master speak. To him, it seemed as if the man had led a colorful life, one filled with mysteries and dangers. Yet, what he spoke of left the young Padawan with the distinct feeling that everything Aryian had ever done was in the past. Things which he had put behind him, things left buried beneath new memories. So, he was slightly surprised when his master uttered the words ”˜again.' Did he mean that he was going to be apart of the council or Jedi? Though Evander had yet to ask, there was something very different about his master compared to others. And while he wished for more than anything for them to get to know each other, he had enough sense to let such a thing occur naturally. It was difficult to do to say the least.

 

So many times during the way, he imagined all his opportunities to get to know his master. To learn more about him, his past, his exploits and who he was. But each time he found that he could not bring himself to ask. That he was more comfortable with focusing on the task ahead of him, then stopping for meaningful conversation. After all, wouldn't he have plenty of time to get to know Aryian Darkfire? In his musings, he'd lost track of his surroundings. He had fallen so far within himself, which he did not resurface until they had reached the Blur, where he slowed to a crawl as he watched the droid approach his master. Evan slowed because a large part of him did not want to board the ship, because of some silly feeling that they would be leaving the planet soon. With everything that had happened, somewhere along the way Hoth hadn't become as bad as he had first complained.

 

Yet every one of his doubts were dispelled when he watched his master open the box, revealing within it four lightsabers, two sets each. Evander's mouth fell open with the seemingly simple gesture made from his master. Never before had he seen a real lightsaber, let alone touched one. And to think he wouldn't only be getting one, but two. He felt extremely giddy and proud.

 

”œThank you, master!”

[Ary the Grey]

Aryian was worried for a moment.

 

"These are to be treated with utmost respect. A Jedi never uses his lightsaber unless he needs to. It is a tool, meant to be used in hostile situations. The blade itself is also weightless, so it is very easy to cut yourself when first learning the art. After the council meeting is over, we would do well to focus on your lightsabers."

[Evander]

”œYes, master.”

[Ary the Grey]

"Well. Use them in their full capacity. Yours are attuned to a lighter setting. They can't harm someone drastically, the blades will pass through the flesh, but will leave a sting and a bruise. I made yours that way specifically because we're about to...well...train ourselves on others. There are two other Jedi here, a Master and his apprentice. We will ambush them, test their skills. Get your clothes on, we leave now. Only fight to subdue your opponent. And if I say stop, stop."

 

Aryian gestured to two speeder bikes nearby, geared up with typical survival gear for the harsh environments of Hoth, and modified to be resilient to the colder weather. This would indeed be a fun test of their skills...and of that of Scorp and his opponent.

 

The Master saddled up, waiting for Evander.

[Scorp Jedi Knight]

He paused in the snow a moment and half turned, making a point of trying to smile in the frozen winds.

 

”œWho ever said the life of a Jedi was glamorous. You want to be cold, Or do you want to try this in a sewer? ”œ

 

He paused for a moment reflecting back on a single mission where he had oddly enough been required to crawl through a sewer. No the life of a Jedi wasn't very glamorous and he could tell that better than any one.

 

He didn't really wait for a response, instead turning back around and continuing forward. He was pretty sure, that the physical stress that Hoth would put on his apprentice after a while would be come quite apparent. However, it was far better to have a place to return back to, then to go out into the wilderness. Especially here, and especially when night fell.

 

Should have brought a walking stick, search for pitfalls in the ice”¦

 

His thoughts were interrupted as a messaged came in for him. Trying to hear the little buzz would have been impossible in his current state. Only the feeling that his hip was vibrating alerted him to the fact he got a comm.

 

He held up a hand, motioning for his apprentice to stop. Refusing to remove a glove he fumbled for a bit at getting off his potable comm. Unit before reviewing the message.

 

Well gee, I wonder what she needs to talk to me about. More importantly I wonder what she means be we”¦ guess I better sit back and wait.

 

”œHmm to continue our lovely hike through the wilderness or brace ourselves for the coming moments?”

[Evander]

Evander's brow cocked when his master announced their mission. It seemed that his master did not like wasting time in the least. And while, the news that he would be ambushing trained Jedi with unfamiliar tools did not comfort him, the knowledge that this was a test of his own ability and natural talent did. If he could prove himself more capable of becoming a Guardian now, then the coming years would prove to fly by smoother. ”¦He hoped. With his mind made up, he nodded and moved towards the speeder bike in question. For a second, maybe longer, he stared at the contraption trying to figure out what his master had meant by ”˜get your clothes on'. Clarity struck him when he realized that one of the saddlebags upon the sides of the speeder bike must contain the clothes he was to wear. And so, he wasted little time unzipping the saddlebags to find his gear.

 

Luckily for him, the winter camouflaged, durable and heavy overcoat, jumpsuit, boots and long johns were neatly folded within and would take but a few moments to put on. He then hesitated for a second as he tried to decide whether to strip there or go someplace private to change. In the end, he chose to drop trou for expediency and efficiency, quickly realizing that his plan wasn't the most sound. As, even with the aid of his master's Force, he was still frightfully cold in his skivvies. With the fact that the cold bit him terribly in mind, he quickly donned as much of the proffered clothes as he could as quickly as he could, careful to make sure that everything fit and worked as it should once the jumpsuit was on. He then donned the heavy parka, clipping the two lightsabers onto the belt of his jumpsuit once he was done.

 

Straddling the speeder bike, he took a moment to familiarize himself with the make, model and controls of the craft, before realizing that he was somehow intimately aware of its capabilities and what he could do with them. It was as if he had been riding one of them for a lifetime with the knowledge that he'd never straddled this particular model. And finally, when he was ready, he kick started the bike, fidgeted within the saddle to make himself more comfortable and then turned towards his master. A fleeting thought of how long he must have took passed through his mind, but did not linger. For already was it solely becoming focused on the trials ahead of him.

[Ary the Grey]

Aryian shifted on the bike, having put on his white robes while Evander got dressed into his cold weather gear. The frigid temperatures wouldn't bug the Master much, he had been here many times before, knew the Force would drain the pain from his body and chase the cold from his limbs. He was as comfortable as sitting in front of a warm fire.

 

"Alright then. We ride."

 

Aryian kicked his own bike on, and revved the gas, shooting out of the hangar into the frozen wasteland ahead. The Force shone before him like a beacon, yet at the same time he used it to mask their presence, allowing a minor element of surprise, if any. Scorp would eventually be able to sense them coming, but not until it was too late.

 

And before Aryian knew it, they were merely a thousand meters away. The Master whipped his bike around, shooting at them from the side, making sure when he leapt off his bike and activated the deadman's switch, the bike rode to a halt safely away from the group, leaving Aryian free and clear to press the assault. Twin blades of platinum ignited in his somersault, and when he touched down immediately he ran towards the senior skilled of the two, relying on his training in Makashi and Vapaad more than his Soresu to initially press the assault. As he entered striking distance, one thought snapped through Scorp's mind, obviously from his attacker.

 

Defend yourself, Knight of the Order.

[Evander]

A smirk crossed his lips as he pressed on the gas and felt the bike lurch forward, following the master. For a long time they darted over the tundra, Evander careful to stay within range of his master, but lagging somewhat behind for various reasons. The controls of his speeder bike were different than he thought, and gave him initial troubles, but he quickly overcame that. It was in truth the thought of battling two trained Jedi that gave him concern. Hell, he hadn't really ever held a sword except to play fight. And that was back in his childhood. If he wasn't careful, things could go bad. Really quickly.

 

All around him, the sights or lack thereof in Hoth whipped path. Mountainous peaks, low ravines and flat, snow flecked plains for as far as they eye could see. Above them the sky was devoid of clouds, the distant sun shining from the heavens temporarily warming the planet. If only slightly. As they approached their target, the natural apprehension that Evander felt slowly began to ebb away. What remained was steely determination. He could not falter. Could not bend before this challenge. He would find some way to rise above. He had to.

 

Ahead of him, the Force swirling around so much, with such precedence that even Evander could feel its touch without conscious effort watched as his master perfectly executed an attack run before leaping off his bike, while igniting his blades and charging at their foes. A moment passed where his hand slipped from the throttle, slowing his bike as he simply watched his master in action. Watched a true Jedi work. It was awe inspiring and captivating. Yet, he was quickly able to shake himself from his stupor and gunned his throttle, charging directly towards the opponent's companion. As he did so, he depressed the switch which sent arcing blaster shots towards the distorted figure.

 

When the tiny speeder bike neared the young man who would be his opponent, Evander bent low, so that he could ”˜melt' into the bike, thereby becoming it. In that instant, he gunned the throttle yet again, hoping that is opponent would evade the bum-rush. In the next moment Evander toggled his own deadman's switch and back flipped off his bike. As he landed, his back towards the man, he grabbed one of his new lightsabers and clumsily fumbled with the ignition switch. There was no way he would be foolish enough to try and fight with two of these weightless weapons.

 

He then quickly turned his hip inward to face his opponent, taking several practice swings as he did so before he leapt at him. A roar emanated from his body as the muscled farmer stampeded towards the Jedi Knight's Padawan. Evander was no fool, he knew his form was sloppy, knew he didn't have the first clue of what he was doing with a lightsaber, but he also knew he wouldn't give up. As he neared his opponent, he made ready to strike at the man's chest, becoming intimately aware at the difficulty it was to hold something with no weight save for its hilt. Perception was off, as was depth. But, it would have to do; this first strike was a crucial one!

[Scorp Jedi Knight]

Some people claimed to have a sixth sense. They claimed they could feel danger or detect things before they came about. It was a rare skill to have, the ability to be in tune with all five of your senses to such a degree, that you become convinced of a sixth. Yet even with that on his side, Scorp had the force and a powerful ally it was.

 

There was not thought just action as his body moved. Perhaps if the moment had been played in slow motion an observer could have seen the movement. The blur of an arm, as a hand grips the saber, ignoring all around it as the blade activated on one end, a bright blue cyan blade burning its way through the air. Yet to the untrained eye, that would have been impossible to see. No the only thing discernable was the fact that the lightsaber was there, and activated where a mere moment before it there had been nothing but wind.

 

Arcing blaster bolts were batted away, as Scorp took a dove to swat the speeder powered bolts into the icy landscape in front of him. Two large chunks of debris were broken loose from the Icy plains.

 

He hit the ground hard, shoulder first and came up in a roll, minus his rather heavy pack. The sound of a lightsaber magnified itself in his ears, alerting him over the wind of the roar towards the true danger that lay before him.

 

Cleared of his padawan, who he had leapt in front of to bat away the laser blasts, he caught a glimpse of movement before platinum blades seemed to extend themselves into existence. A single thought crossed his mind.

 

Defend yourself, Knight of the Order.

 

He reached out with the force, and he knew, that the layer of padding that had allowed his fall to be cushioned, would make him to slow to stop the initial assault, so he leapt out of the striking distance of his would be attacker. He found it far more easer to choose to retreat then to meet him blade to blade.

 

Hoth had been the first place he had learned just how unglamorous a Jedi life could be. It was the place he learned how dangerous a Jedi's life could be. His first true look at his own mortality had been given to him here. He may have been from a jungle, but this icy hell was his first step on the path of being a Jedi. Very un gala like in his opinion and far more, like how the galaxy could be during the dark times.

 

He wasted no time as he flew through the air, where he had been, two chunks of ice were there, flying to meet his attacker. Landing with the grace of an attacking feline, his armed raised up and he launched a dart at his attacker, in an effort to disguised the little projectile as just a small piece of loose ice, from the large chunks that had been thrown.

 

”œGUARD UP PADAWAN!”

[Ary the Grey]

The Force flowed. Not like before, barely a trickling stream, but with the full force a true Master could summon, the torrenting tidal waves crashing invisibly around the two as they rushed to meet each other in heated battle. To Aryian, time crept by in his perspective as he sped up with impossible speed, his haste quickly matching the scene unfolding before him, allowing him to react at an easier pace.

 

An invisible wall rippled outward from his fingers as he felt rather than saw the three projectiles coming at him, knocking the large ice chunks away with a well timed Force blast as he turned into a spin, narrowly dodging the dart as it passed by his abdomen, ripping his robing slightly but not enough in the right places to hinder his movements in any fashion. It was the lightsaber swings that he was worried about, easily catching the blue blade on his left saber, bringing his right saber to bear to block the swipe at his legs in close.

 

He had Scorp right where he wanted him: Soresu's optimal range was right next to your opponent. His left arm lashed out in an uppercut to his unguarded kidney, and without waiting to even feel if he managed to connect, he drew back, spinning low in a leg drop below the saber he batted away, blasting the ground below both of them, primarily under the Master himself. This served two purposes for him, to severely knock the other Jedi off balance, and to allow Aryian to harness his own generated kinetic energy to fling himself into the air, where he reached out with the Force again, pulling on an object with invisible energy from behind him to rocket forwards at his opponent, the larger of the two ice chunks that was hurled at him not moments ago.

 

A fraction of a second later Aryian touched down in the snow again, dropping to a low guard and summoning a Force barrier around himself, the unique universal defensive style of the versatile steel wall Soresu offered its keenest practitioners. His opponent clearly had his work cut out for him.

[Scorp Jedi Knight]

A small gasp escaped him as he felt an uppercut to his kidneys. It had been a light blow, the delivery of the low, more focused on escaping entrapment then making sure of true damage. Yet it was more than enough of a distraction for what followed.

 

With an unnatural speed the senior Jedi dropped low before blasting the ground out from under him. Pushing the pain of the kidneys aside, he found himself off thrown off balance. Instead of attempting to recover it in the usual manner, he instead simply threw himself to the ground.

 

With a single handed grip on his saber, he used his free arm to spring himself up in a grace full dive. His system became active as he use the motion to allow him to to simply touch upon it with the force. The force warned him and he moved, no thought required to flip over to of the incoming projectile.

 

Arcing through the air, his free hand reached into his belt, as the ice chuck seemed to narrowly avoid his head. A blur of movement and a strange goo found itself on the projectile before it continue flying in the direction it had been sent.

 

Landing with the grace befit of a man in his physique he out stretched his arm yet again this time concentration on the very item that had nearly clipped him a moment earlier. The force flowed through him, powerful and swift. He could feel this distortions in the ice. The dips and the clips, the broken chips and the scars this battle was creating in the landscape.

 

The force made him aware and it made him powerful. The impromptu attack and follow up guard of Aryian would prove to be the beginning of a costly mistake. Soresu was a powerful defensive form. Some said it could even make the user invincible. Yet there was a slight problem. For it to truly be effective it had to not only provide a stellar defense, but it had to weaken the enemy by having him become exhausted in attacking. Should one never come in range the Jedi using the defense would find his own range of motion limited while still only being half as effective as he could be.

 

His saber switched hands as he reached out with the force. The move was far faster than it was believed to be, since as soon as he landed, his hand was out stretched. His target wasn't the projectile itself, but the goo he had placed upon it. He expected that Aryian would realize he was in line of the projectile, as he had simply gone up and back. He knew the typical jedi response for this, and he was ready.

 

A single force push was all that was needed to begin. With a fascinating explosion the ice fractured and split into multiple fragments sending a wave of projectiles towards the guarding Jedi. The force was there, flowing all around him, using him as a conduit as it flowed through him. He became nothing more than just another expression of the force. His speed was remarkable as he crossed the short distance between the two, yet instead of attacking, he leapt over the ice and over Aryian's head.

 

It was a quick movement a short kick to the spine, yet even that had its effectiveness for Scorp. As the force seemed to transform his very environment, making that which would seem unyielding, into a spring board for him. Still the scene of a boot impact on a person, the force of the kick dislodging snow and ice and knocking dust loose, was enough to be a freeze frame moment.

 

Using the momentum of his kick into Aryian's back to go flying away, he double tapped his palm, and with a pressurized force goo exploded forth with the intent to cover Aryian from head to toe.

 

A bit less precise than he though the use of the goo would be, but something that could be fine tuned a little later. There was nothing like combat to test the flaws of your equipment. Though he was parallel to the ground, he chin tucked and forced himself into a flip. The sudden throb reminded him of the shot to his kidney as he landed on his feet with a skid on the ice. Increasing the distance between them, he preformed another flip, switching hands with his saber again.

 

Anticipating a rush by the senor Jedi, he covered the ground between him and the jedi in a slick substance, before coming up in a double handed single bladed guard, meant to batter away both sabers should they come a knocking on his door.