Have You Packed A Coat?

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

​

Illum
Afternoon

As the gleaming hull of the LUX-YT68 breached the atmosphere of Ilum, the viewport immediately began to frost over with small shards of growing ice spider webbing its' way across the horizontal and vertical fields of view. An entire world covered in nothing but an everlasting sheet of white. Not a speck of color could be seen across the vast distance one could see from the descending ship. Even the mountains that jutted towards the sky were nothing but pillars of ivory. Few worlds resembled Ilum, and even fewer were capable of sustaining any type of living creatures. That made Ilum both unique and incredibly dangerous for a multitude of reasons.

"Welcome to Ilum." She said quietly to her student as the ship dipped beneath the foggy clouds, putting on display the full aesthetic of the winter planet. "I hope you packed warm clothes." The Twi'lek craned her neck to look upon Arlan before letting out a small laugh. "It's gonna be bone chilling on the surface, and we're gonna be here a while."

The coordinates she'd entered were roughly one kilometer from the entrance to the crystal caves. Landing too closely posed a risk to the ship as the snow and ice beneath it tended to shift during storms, storms that happened on a frequent basis. For a moment the Twi'lek reminisced about her time here, before her internal monologue became vocalized. "I came here with my own master many years ago. It was...Inspiring and terrifying. I suspect nothing will have changed. Be on your guard when we land, there are things here that call this wasteland home, and we're an unusual, delightful treat for predators." She wasn't saying it to scare the man, but to prepare him for some of the locals that nearly made a snack of her and her master, though they managed to escape relatively unscathed.

[member="Arlan Zy'rosh"]

 

[Arlan Zy'rosh]

A cold crept into Arlan's bones as he stared the viewport unto the vast tundra before him. Never before had he seen such sight, that while even in the confides of a heated ship, so utterly and thoroughly robbed the heat from his body. Arlan knew well why Serra had such reservations about coming to Illum now, and they had only just arrived. Few worlds in the Galaxy hold the ancient caverns of Lightsaber crystals in the modern age, a fitting sentiment seeing as to how Illum was unlike any world Arlan had seen before. It was here in this unforgiving land of endless winter that so many Jedi have ventured to continued their journeys, where even his Master had tread in her days as a Padawan, and now so too did Arlan walk across the surface of a world few have ever known. Arlan stood closely to Sera, pulling his coat down around him hard as if doing so would cause it to keep the cold away better. He knew it would be in vain, yet even the smallest bits of mental preparation would be a great boon before heading into such an unknown and hostile world.

"It's beautiful, but a bit terrifying." Arlan muttered as he turned away from the viewport and neared his master. "I don't think I've ever seen a place so foreboding in all my life. I can understand why Lightsaber Crystals are able to flourish on a world as this though. So few ever come to disturb the place it only makes sense. In fact." Arlan turned towards the viewport again. "I don't think I picked up any readings of civilization at all on our decent. It's like there's nothing alive at all on this rock." Arlan smirked, following suit with a chuckle. "Aside from the man eating monsters you've warned me about. Still though, I'm not sure if I'm ready for this." Arlan shook his head. "I know it's time, I know I can do it physically, but there's something about this planet that sorta scares me. Well, I suppose you are here so I have little to worry about." Arlan walked forward to the ship's hatch. "Right master?"

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The woman smiled just before lifting the small face mask from her neck to cover her chin, cheeks, and nose to keep the sharp bite of the wind from scratching her face like miniature razor blades. "No sentient life lives here. It's far too barren and unforgiving for most anything to live here. There are, however, beasts that we'd do well by avoiding." Raising one hand Sera pointed towards a massive mountain, which through the constant swirling mess of snow carried by heavy gusts one could just barely make out the mouth of a cave. "There!" She shouted, the howl of the gale nearly drowning out her voice as it was swiftly carried away. Grabbing hold of Arlan's hand she began to pull him along with her towards their destination, careful not to get separated as they trudged slowly through the deep mounds of snow.

"You'll do fine. However this is not my journey, it is yours, my Padawan. Inside, you will direct us. It will be you that finds the crystal that calls to you. You'll feel it through the Force. Just any crystal will not suffice, it must be the one. You will know when you've found it." Placing a hand on his shoulder she gave him a reassuring nod. "Don't be afraid. You've made it this far, you will succeed." Whatever words she spoke immediately following were carried away by the roar of the storm as it began to pick up pace, reducing visibility to mere feet in front of them as they walked. A white-out, while fortunate in certain aspects in respect to hiding them from predators, was dangerous because of the possibility of separating the two from one another, or worse, losing sight of their destination and ending up lost. On a world like this, getting lost could easily bring about death.

[member="Arlan Zy'rosh"]

 

[Arlan Zy'rosh]

Arlan felt the bite of the wind against his exposed flesh as the gusts blew back his hood. Sera drug him along through the sheet of whites that blocked out the horizon. However treacherous the surface of Illum had looked upon their descent, up close it was a different creature entirely. As they waded through the snow, each step seemingly sinking deeper than its predecessor, Sera tried her best to relay the course of their journey to Arlan. Most of which he heard but less audible pieces were lost upon the wind as it rushed by. In this distance a mountain stood out despite the planet's weather attempting to mask anything and everything from sight. It was there they headed, struggling against the elements the played against them. Arlan tightened his grip upon his master's hand as they pushed on knowing that to lose her in this would mean losing any hope of surviving on this frozen wasteland. She had warned him about Illum, but only now did Arlan understand truly how merciless such a place could be.

"Not much further now." Arlan mumbled to himself as continued to trek onward behind his master. Sera had told Arlan it would be his instincts that guided them through this journey, his insight into the Force. Only he could here his chosen crystal's call and only he could find his way to it. Now though Arlan could feel nothing but the cold raining down upon him, and penetrating him to his very core. Trying to concentrate on the Force in these conditions, at least for Arlan, was a futile effort entirely. The mountain offered a chance of respite for Arlan and Sera and perhaps once there things would be different, but as it was only his will pushed Arlan forward. As the visage of the mountainside made a more prominent figure through the snow Arlan smirked a bit and called out to his master. "Not too much further. Maybe we can warm up once we get out of the wind." However; as he spoke his foot sunk deep within the snow landing hard on a patch of ice. A quick slip was all it took for Arlan's hand to loosen it's grip upon Sera's.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The frosty bite of the wintry teeth upon the air caused the Twi'lek to frequently squint and avert her eyes from the course they were on. Each gust of wind felt as if a whip had been cracked across flesh and bone, sawing away at the very core of one's being. A number of incomprehensible groans and mumbles pursed through the Twi'lek's lips as she trudged through the heavy snow. Every few moments, despite her hold on Arlan, she would look back, ensuring it was still the same man she was wading through the frozen tundra with as it were only moments prior. Sure, there were other planets that allowed Force crystals to grow and flourish, though most were relatively inhospitable. Whether that environment was fire or ice meant little difference to most sentient creatures, for any extreme in thermal temperature was certain to be uncomfortable. Ilum was chosen more so as a symbolic gesture, one which she herself had tested herself through with her own master, and thus passed on to her student. Countless Jedi had come to Ilum before, and more would still come after.

"Not much further at all, it's just up ahead." The pink female said with a smile. There was refuge within the cafe, respite from the blistering gusts and dreadful windchill. Even a few degrees warmer would make a world of difference in sub arctic temperatures. "It'll be warmer inside the c-" Before she could finish speaking her words a quick and abrupt shift in the snow pattern underfoot gave way. In an instant she felt the parting of Arlan's hand from her own as he began to slip away at the grace of the patchy ice beneath them. As quickly as her arms would allow she reached forward and down, instinctively attempting to grab hold of the man who very clearly both weighed more than her and had momentum on his side. Despite that she still made some attempt at stabilizing him before he went down, even if it sacrificed her own footing. "Arlan!"

[member="Arlan Zy'rosh"]

 

[Arlan Zy'rosh]

There for a brief moment Arlan could neither understand nor fully grasp what was transpiring as he tumbled backwards down the incline of the mountain. A faint scream, the voice of Sera, slowly pulled him back to reality as he saw the slight flushes of pink cut through the sheets of white as they blew past them. She wasn't far, mere inches from him, yet Arlan could barely hear his master's screams as she reached for him. The blizzard around the two acted as a natural sensory deprivation chamber, cutting out all but the white and the wind. Panic began to flood through Arlan's body, his heart throbbing in his chest, his breath bated and strained. He knew what it meant to be separated from Sera on this world. He knew despite all his training and experience he would die, cold and alone. However; he couldn't force his body to register any movement. Arlan simply felt himself slowly drifting downward.

Then he felt it, the brush of a finger against his. Arlan's eyes snapped open and gazed up at his master's arm plunging through the veil separating them and reaching out toward him. Arlan leaned forward as much as he could, straining his muscles to close the distance between Sera and himself, but the more he strained and the farther she reached the more Arlan slid away. "Master!" Arlan called out towards Sera as he lurched forward one last time, still only feeling the tips of her fingers against his own, but he could do no more. Illum had become a foe Arlan was not near ready to face.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

There was no time to waste, no moment to hesitate. Seraphina could not see Arlan with her eyes, the thick sheet of white blinded vision all but inches from the face. Even his scream was muffled by the howl of the wind as it tore in swells across the land, leaving an echo as it trailed off in the distance away. The Twi'lek's eyes fluttered closed, her sight shifting with the help of the Force. Darkness was separated by only the aura that was given off by her student who had managed to slip a few feet away from her already. "Arlan!" She shouted once more. The girl leaped forward, her feet landing just a few inches away from the center of his body. Both hands locked on to his own tightly. "I've got you!" Though no sooner had she spoken the words did a surge of white powder collide against her back, knocking her forward and on top of the man as they were pushed violently down the incline. "Hang on!" The constant shifting of packed snow had caused a minor avalanche and was now out of their control.

It was impossible to tell how far they'd been pushed, it could have been hundreds of feet, or just twenty or so. Gravity took hold moments later and the two would find themselves falling, yet the snow continued rolling above them. They'd been pushed into a cavern or crevice beneath the surface. Choice was taken out of the equation at this point, and the female was at the mercy of whatever was at the bottom. A scream was interrupted by a thud. Arlan would hear her voice go silent. Unconsciousness crept over her the moment her head caught the side of a protruding stone, her limp body slamming into the snow once they reached the bottom.

[member="Arlan Zy'rosh"]

 

[Arlan Zy'rosh]

He couldn't see her anymore. The warm pressure on his chest was all that revealed Serra's presence to Arlan in this moment. Then they fell. Careening backwards into some abyssal tomb of white death. The sounds of the blizzard above slowly deafened on Arlan's ears, only to be replaced by and unsettling silence. The ordeal became very dreamlike, a daze with brief flashes of light jutting through in hopes of rooting Arlan in reality. Yet here his senses were lost and the notion he would never regain them became a prevalent one. Then flesh struck solid ice shooting pain and torment throughout Arlan's body, waking him from his near slumber.

Now he lay on the cavern floor. Right arm mangled, tinged of red seeping through his torn jacket. Arlan pushed himself to his feet, gripping his arms as he did so. Falling was the last thing he could remember, and his master above him. His eyes widened as that facet dawned on him. "Master!" Arlan called as he spun around in the fain light of the caves. "Sera!" He called again, his heat pumping wildly from worry of his master and the adrenaline of the fall. Arlan then stopped and ran forward. In the far corner, near the icy wall of the caverns, Serra lay there in silence. Arlan knelt beside her, placing his uninjured hand upon her chest. "Master? Master can you hear me?" He beckoned her. Faint traces of blood could be seen on the side of her face, the wound on her head mated with ice and snow. Arlan wept, his head falling to Sera's chest. He had been careless. He had caused this, and he feared without his master he wouldn't be able to get either of them out of hear.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

A soft, faint echo rang through her head as the Twi'lek laid motionless on the cavern floor, Arlan shouting for her.

Master...........Master.............

A loud groan would follow as green eyes flickered open, seeing the world reappear from the icy cold ground. Teeth gnashed, her hands pushing her slowly up from the floor beneath her, before one traveled to her head to inspect the spot where she'd taken a blow during the fall. She winced, pulling away out of reflex, catching the red blotches of blood on the tips of her fingers. The woman sat, her back against the cavern wall, eyes closing for another moment. Everything was still spinning, and she now had one hell of a migraine. The bleeding wasn't terrible, but it was hardly pleasant. Though in comparison they had far more pressing matters to tend to now.

"Your arm." She said softly, her eyes finally opening again to check on her student. "That's no good." She pointed to the ground next to her. "Sit. We need to fix that right now." While hardly in condition to do much in the way of healing injuries, if she didn't they were going to be a bit stuck. Looking up it was about a thirty foot climb with little in the way of footing. Arlan needed the use of that arm. "We're not going anywhere with you like that." Mending the bone and muscle would exhaust her under typical circumstances. She was hardly a healer by right, so to say she wasn't nervous about performing it under these circumstances would be a lie. But it had to be done.

[member="Arlan Zy'rosh"]

 

[Arlan Zy'rosh]

Arlan gave a soft nod before kneeling next to Sera. She was conscious, so they had a chance. That one thought alone gave hope to the man as he bade his master's instructions. It was plain to see though that Sera had been weakened by the fall. Her voice wafted along as she spoke. Her hands trembled a bit. Knowing that she was already not the best of healers there was a worry digging into Arlan's mind as he looked upon her again. Just how much damage would Sera suffer after exhausting herself to heal him. There had to be another way, a way that did not put his master back in harm's way. Reaching towards Sera Arlan rested his good hand upon her shoulder.

"You should rest master. You just woke up, I'd hate for you to waste all of your energy healing my arm if it means you passing back out." He said calmly as he looked up towards the opening of the cavern above. "I can treat this when we get back to the ship anyway right? So why don't we focus on that. first." Though he spoke bravely the pain had slowly began creeping deep into the tattered muscle of Arlan's arm. He had most certainly had worse injuries and lived, there was not doubt about that. Still, he never had learned to tolerate the pain. In some ways he liked that he hurt. It was a constant tinge of reminder that he was still Human despite all he had done. Being unhurt was of course preferable, but if he had to put up with a little pain for a while Arlan would. For as long as he could at least.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

She simply shook her head quietly. "You're not going to climb out of here with one hand." She pointed above them to the snow capped ceiling, trailing her finger down the frost covered walls of the cave. "And I can't carry you." Sera shook her head slowly. "There's no other way. We're surrounded by solid rock and ice. Up is the only way out." If they waited until she was rested they'd freeze to death. Sub-arctic temperatures were not her friend in any stretch of the word. "I'll be fine." She assured Arlan, though whether or not she truly believed that was hard to tell. She knew that by mending his injuries that she would be far more exhausted than she was now, but it was simply out of her hands.

"Sit still." Her pink hands hovered mere inches above his arm in two places, the upper bicep and lower forearm. Green eyes closed, her mind falling back into a meditative trance. A moment later there was a soft blue glow that fell between Arlan's arm and her hands. It would feel warm, and likely a bit awkward as muscle and bone began to shift and regrow cells at rapid pace. There was a few times where it seemed like she had paused, drawing in deep, slow breaths before continuing. After some time her hands began to slowly shake, and she released the suspended aura between the two, leaning her head back against the cool wall, her face dotted with beads of sweat.

For a long minute she remained quiet, allowing the ice to cool her neck and attempt to regain some measure of energy.

Her eyes remained shut, yet she sought to see how her student was doing. "How do you feel?"

[member="Arlan Zy'rosh"]