Private The Savior

[BloodHunter]

The metal of the dropship shook as it flew through the air, slicing through the sky as easily as a knife through butter. The silence was heavy, weighing down the shoulders of Vulia as her dark brown eyes searched the face of every soldier for a drop of compassion. Still they stood, silent and unforgiving. Finally, her desperate gaze turned to her master- or, what she could see of him. Facing away from her, she could only glimpse his closely cropped grey hair as his attention remained outside of the small window on the ship. A short, half-crazed laugh forced its way out of her, and she gently tugged on the large metal clamps keeping her arms locked in front of her.

"Master, you cannot be serious." Her voice chipped the silence as a smile of hopeful disbelief spread onto her lips. After getting no response, she tried again. "This is yet another training technique, correct? I know that you would surely not leave me here..."

"Quiet." Gertan's voice was a rumble of command. He stayed facing the window, eyes locked on the snowy scene beyond it. Hope grew in Vulia as she leaned forward slightly, awaiting what else he had to say. Gertan didn't bother to turn to her as he spoke again. "You should be grateful. For what you did, I should have killed you. This is a mercy. All of those soldiers who lost their lives because YOU-" His head swiveled to her, his frigid gaze freezing her to the spot. "Thought that you glimpsed someone from that village. Not only did you completely ruin the mission, you lost us troops, time, and effort."

Vulia felt her teeth clench at the brunt of his words, and a streak of anger shot through her even as her eyes dropped to the floor. "I have apologized, master. It will not happen again."

"You are correct, it won't. What a waste of time you have been, Meria." Gertan spoke softly. Vulia's head snapped up, cutting him a glare that could wither most plants. Inside of the heavy clamps, her hands attempted to ball into fists. Fury roared in her ears, igniting fire in her blood as she held her master's gaze.

"Do NOT call me by that name!" She snapped, fidgeting restlessly on her seat. Gertan only held her stare as the dropship came to a halt on the planet Hoth. A hissing began as the door slowly inched its way open, allowing freezing air and snow to circle around the ship. Instantly, the apprentice's anger was replaced by a sharp, desperate panic. Two of the soldiers turned to her, grasping her by the arms as they began hauling her down the short ramp. She scrambled back, twisting in their grip as she struggled to break free- to get back to the master that was watching the proceedings with no ounce of pity in his eyes.

"Master! Please- I am sorry! Do not leave me here! I will die!" She cried out, straining against the soldiers, but with her arms locked up she stood no chance. Her pleading fell on deaf ears as she was thrown down into stinging snow that melted against her, numbing her skin. Teeth chattering, she hastily whirled around, gazing up at the ship whose door was already beginning to close. Hot tears welled in her eyes, their warmth a stark contrast to the blizzard whipping around her. "Don't leave me..." Her broken plea was swept up by the harsh wind. The ship was already gone, and Vulia was seemingly all alone in an extremely unforgiving environment. A soft sob escaped her, and she bowed her head, feeling tears drip down her already freezing cheeks.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Hoth was colder than she'd like to admit.

Not that Alina could feel cold any more. Inhuman and ageless, she didn't even need to bundle up to walk the subzero temperatures. And walk she did. Snow crunched underfoot as she wandered through the vast, empty planes of white. Or at least seemed to wander. Her spies had been keeping an eye on potential rivals. Enemy Sith she would need to.. Deal with one day if she was to complete her goal.

One was here. Why, she didn't know. But coming out here, in the middle of nowhere no less, warranted her attention. She watched from a distance as the ship landed. People emerged. And.. They left.

Her golden eyes narrowed. They just left? What a waste of her ti- Oh? A sound caught her ear, even from the sheer distance she was away. Well, to a Sangnir it was the normal. Someone had been left behind? And was.. Sobbing? Her lips thinned as she approached that who remained. A girl? Alina inched closer, uncaring of any danger. This person seemed to be bound. Broken.

Left to die.

Ah, that's what this was. In the back of her mind she chuckled. A failed servant left to die here on Hoth? A cruel fate for any. Perhaps it was a twist of luck Alina had been here. She stopped just beside Vulia, her face devoid of emotion. Eyes studying the woman.

"Are you going to lay there and die, little one?"

BloodHunter

 

[BloodHunter]

Vulia's heartbroken gaze remained locked on the cloudy sky where the ship had disappeared to, still attempting to piece together how her master had just left her to perish alone. Hot tears froze on her cheeks as she took shaky breaths, shivering violently in the freezing temperature. That's when she heard the voice from right next to her.

Looking up, Vulia saw the woman standing before her, examining her with those lifeless eyes. Quickly, she scrambled to her feet, hastily wiping her tears away with her arms. Embarrassment coiled inside of her as she beheld this rather intimidating woman. Composing herself, she drew herself up to her full height and met her gaze.

"I do not plan on simply laying here, I was merely thinking of a way to get these bonds off..." The lie slipped rather easily off Vulia's tongue, though it was quite clear she had been intent on doing just that. She shuddered as another gust of wind blew right through her, studying the person before her carefully.

"Is there any way you could get them off? Perhaps then I'd stand more of a chance of not freezing to death." She held out her arms warily, prepared to jump back if the woman made any sort of hostile movement towards her. Not as though she had much of a choice to trust this stranger if she wanted to live. Suddenly remembering the little manners she possessed, Vulia cleared her throat. "Your name?"

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Are you not Sith?"

In the billowing snowy wind Alina's features were obscured by her hair. Leaving only the glowing gold of her eyes to be seen within the haze of white. Narrowed. Judging. "If your only thought is to beg for the help of a stranger, perhaps that's why your master left you behind." She was taking a lot of leaps in her assumptions, but everything made sense. Bounding the arms of a Sith Apprentice was certainly one way to ensure their death in a frigid environment. Or, perhaps, encourage them to get stronger. The Sangnir leaned over, the wind dying down enough to show the fanged smile. She reached up, touching the cold cheek of the acolyte with fingertips that seemed impossibly colder.

"Especially dangerous strangers. Are you sure you still want my help, little one?"

BloodHunter

 

[BloodHunter]

Outrage flared in Vulia's dark eyes at the words, and she jerked her head back with a gasp at the feeling of such icy fingers. Puffing her chest out, she held her head high, tilting her chin up at the woman.

"How dare you speak to me as such! I have been training for nearly ten years- I bet longer than you have! My master did not leave me here, he... he will be back for me!" She insisted, though the confidence in her tone seemed to waver. "If you are so dangerous, then I'm sure you would not object to a duel. Of course, it would be embaressing for you if it was not on equal standing... So therefore you must take these clamps off in order for us to have an even duel."

She held out her arms in request, anger still shining in her eyes as her pride was clearly damaged by the true words the woman had spoken. Of course, Vulia was quite confidant that the figure before her would accept the duel, as she had never known a Sith to turn one down, and this person most definitely did not seem like a Jedi to her.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"I don't need a duel to show you how dangerous I am, little one."

Now close, it was easy to see how young Alina seemed. Barely an adult. Such was the time she'd been changed into something more. Something.. Frozen in time. She lowered her hand, glancing to the bindings around Vulia's arms. Playing into pride was a smart idea. A fair fight to prove the other was weaker, most Sith wouldn't object. They'd be all too eager for it. But the Knight didn't care about such things.

Instead, she reached out with the Force. An aura around her spread like a void. Consuming the Force. Cutting it off. The absence, it was the only thing she could do in the Force as she was. Her curse, her gift. And she turned it towards the bound Acolyte. To try and rip her from the Force. Temporarily, of course. She had no power to make it permanent.

Yet.

Then it was gone. A flash, a glimpse into what the pale woman before the Acolyte was. The smile was gone, replaced by the hardened frown from before.

"Stop being so pathetic. Break out of your bonds. You were abandoned. Use that hurt, that hate. Break your chains, or perish here as your master intended."

BloodHunter

 

[BloodHunter]

Vulia scoffed as the figure before her claimed she didn't need to duel to show her strength. She focused as the woman became slightly clearer, and confusion flashed across her face at the young and unsettling appearance of this stranger. A cruel, scornful smirk twisted her lips and she seemed to relax slightly.

"Hah! You're younger than I." Vulia stated. This gloating was short lived, as Vulia, immediately after saying that, felt her force powers suddenly ripped from deep within her being. A gasp tore from the young apprentice, shock and horror coursing through her as she dropped to her knees before the stranger. She felt... Nothing. No pull of the bond that connected her to nature, no power that fueled her rage, just a vast and unfeeling emptiness.

After a few moments, the force rushed back into her and she sucked in deep, grateful breaths, slowly standing back up. She heard the person's words, but did not register them, as she was still trembling from not only the cold but the feeling of what had just happened to her.

"W-what did you do to me for that moment?! How did you..." She took a slight step back from the woman, her mouth open in shock. "I have never felt anything like that. How did you simply... break my connection to the force? Like it was nothing?" If the Knight looked closely, she would see a hint of genuine fear in the apprentice's eyes.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Sith all have their own powers. Some more.. Unique than others." Alina stepped back. Into the blizzard, into the snow. Letting her figure once more get obscured to leave only the glowing gold of her spiteful eyes to glare down at the Acolyte. "Use what you do have to break free, or die. I'm no longer going to entertain you. But you break those bonds, and I'll take you off this retched planet." Well, the Sith had every intention of bringing the other along regardless.

But what was a Sith without a challenge? She stepped further away, letting herself disappear entirely into the storm. Patiently waiting just to see if this Acolyte even had the desire to live.

BloodHunter

 

[BloodHunter]

"You're just going to leave?!" Vulia snapped, shocked. There was absolutely no way she was letting herself die here. As the woman's figure completely disappeared, an all too familiar feeling of anger reared its head. This would be the second time Vulia believed she had been abandoned in a day. Gritting her teeth and shuddering from the cold, she glared down at the cuffs on her hands, straining against them with all her might. Still, the cold metal did not budge.

A shriek of fury escaped her, and she paused in her efforts for a moment, panting heavily as she tried to see through the red coating her vision. There, on the edge of one of the cuffs, was a tiny crack. Taking a deep breath, Vulia let out a wild scream that sliced through the blizzard circling her. Focusing all of her efforts on the crack, she closed her eyes and yanked at her force powers, willing them to shatter her restraints. A loud snapping sound echoed, and Vulia felt the weight lift from her wrists. Opening her eyes, she saw the restraints broken and lying on the ground- already half covered by falling snow. She gasped, rubbing her chafed wrists and searching the snow around her for a hint of the woman.

"I did it! Now get me out of here!" She called into the icy wilderness, desperately hoping the woman hadn't just left.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Alina emerged from the snow behind the Acolyte, peering over her shoulder with her cold gaze. Looking over the restraints. She hadn't gone far, just enough to stay out of view. And now, well. It seemed the girl wasn't as hopeless as her former master made her out to be. "Fine. Come along. Don't fall behind." Then the Sangnir turned to walk back towards her ship. Where it was landed, some.. Distance away.

Unable to feel cold or be affected by it, the walk wasn't ever going to be an issue for Alina. Not so much the poor girl who'd just asked to be saved.

"I hope you've learned how to keep yourself warm. If not, well. I hope you're angry enough not to die."

BloodHunter

 

[BloodHunter]

Relief flooded Vulia's gaze as she saw the woman come into view, and she stumbled towards her through the thick snow. Her teeth chattered as she wrapped her arms around herself, following behind her as best she could. The icy wind seemed to blow right through her, causing her to shiver harder and frown at the back of the person she was following.

"Do you not have another cloak I can wear?" She questioned rather unhappily, hugging herself tighter as a particularly chilly gust slammed into her. Her steps faltered slightly, and she had to quicken her pace to catch up with the stranger.

"You have yet to tell me your name!" Vulia called to the woman as she stubbornly followed behind.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"The cold never bothered me, so why would I bother with a cloak?" Not completely true, but not a lie either. Ever since the change to what she was now, Alina never needed to worry about temperatures. Well, asides from fire. But that was less about overheating and more about being burned. She kept her gaze forward, head high even as the icy wind caused her hair to billow around her.

She truly didn't seem to care.

"Focus on surviving first, Acolyte. I won't pick you up if you fall. Make it to my ship and perhaps I'll tell you my name."

BloodHunter