Turpentine and Ice

[Christie Daae]

[member="Darth Pyrrhus"]

A moan left the young togruta's lips. Blue-eyes finally pushed back the curtain of blackness to open. There was a sharp sensation along her torso. Lekkus twitched and with a start, realization began to crash into her like the crashed ship she was currently in.

She and a Bothan had escaped being sold into slavery. They'd stolen a ship and taken off from the Cove. Only, they ran into trouble. She couldn't remember from who. Akeema just remembered the horrified look on Kenyaa's face as they were hit and started going down toward the unforgiving white landscape of Hoth's surface.

Horned-head turned sharply to the side, her breath coming out in white puffs. "Kenyaa," she managed to croak. The Bothan woman lay motionless and hanging in the seat beside her. The woman's head looked dented and she remained listless.

"Kenyaa," the teen whispered again even though, she knew she was already dead.

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

[member="Akeema"]​

​

The cruiser carried on cruising across Hoth’s cold, snow-covered surface, crying for cover. Smoke was rising from various points of the hull. The entire thing trembled as another volley of laserfire from their pursuer hammered into them. They were gonna go down, that was for sure. Yet the Alliance frigate in pursuit was not in a much better shape. Even as the cruiser started giving in, descending rapidly towards the surface, the survival of the Alliance vessel was still hotly contested. The last enemy ship might have been sunk, but this battle was not over.

What had started as a fleet engagement in a neighbouring system had carried on to Hoth. The ship Darth Pyrrhus had been aboard had attempted to flee as the battle was lost, but found three Alliance ship hot on their tails. Back then they still had had more to fight back with than the cruiser, but now this was all that remained. The cruiser would surely plummet towards the ground, dooming anyone aboard. Pyrrhus, however, was not there. He and a small crew had boarded the Alliance frigate. It was the will of the Force that this engagement was not a short-lived one, for the vessel was commanded by Jedi.

“Kala!” Jedi Master Cynan shouted, seeing his Padawan pierced with the lava-red blade of the Togruta Sith. Finally she had over-committed and exposed an opening that Pyrrhus could exploit. This had already gone on for far too long. Wasting no more time, and taking advantage of the pause granted by his Jedi adversary, Pyrrhus launched a barrage of lightning against the bridge’s many consoles, frying the occasional pilot and technician in the effort. The vessel shook, and both Jedi and Sith took to their knees and fell to the side. The timing was convenient. While Pyrrhus wreaked havoc from within, a few starfighters that had belonged to the now out-of-the-picture cruiser barraged the Alliance frigate one final time. There was little doubt about this now. They too were going down.

An imposing spear of flame and smoke broke into Hoth’s atmosphere. It was inevitable that it would impact with the ground, and hard. When it did, it dug deep into the frozen soil and sending a shockwave of snow to mark its arrival. It looked like the frigate had found its final resting place. Smoke rose from the horizon, marking where the cruiser had gone down as well. That vessel had been less fortunate, exploding debris scattering the area. At least the frigate was mostly intact, although far from being ready to take to the skies again.

Sapphire and a lava-red collided once more. The duel had moved on from the broken bridge and onto the snow-coated field of Hoth. Both Jedi and Sith had survived it seemed, taking a break from their fighting to ensure their survival and perhaps prevent the total destruction of the ship as it came down. Once it did, however, the truce was over. For what felt like an hour the two battled in the snow, both bloodied and bruised before finally the Jedi Master fell to Pyrrhus’ feint and follow-up strike. He was dead. Near death himself, the red blade gave out and the Togruta collapsed onto the snow, eyes growing heavy.

 

[Christie Daae]

[member="Darth Pyrrhus"]

Cold digits fumbled with the crash webbing, prying them off. Limbs and body collapsed to the already frozen deck. There was a boom and rumble in the distance. Horned-head snapped up.

Shivering, she found a blanket and wrapped it around herself. It wouldn't do much. Grimacing, she pulled Kenyaa's boots of her lifeless body and shoved her frozen feet inside. Grabbing her satchel, she limped to a broken part of the ship and peeked her head out.

Smoke billowed in the distance and she could see it belonged to a substantial frigate. The girl looked around her small transport one last time. They had no other winter gear or food and she knew nothing about ship repair. She hated ships and flying and this experience only fueled that dislike.

Gritting her teeth, her poorly dressed orange form dropped onto the white landscape and began making her way toward the frigate in the distance, hunched over and shivering from the freezing temperatures and wondering if she'd survive long enough to make it.

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

[member="Akeema"]

He was surrounded by blaster fire, bombs, smoke, and the screams of the dying. For as long as the eye could see there was battle and war. Cold snows turned red as men and women bearing the sigil of the Galactic Alliance came thundering down upon the frozen world of Hoth. The First Order stood ready to meet them, in a scene of unforeseen slugfest brutality. Pyrrhus turned in an instance, his lightsaber flaring to life. He knew the Alliance would want him dead, that was not the source of his surprise. It was the First Order who had unleashed a volley towards him. He deflected an array of rounds, scattering it back to the snow and the skies. But then one more came, and even before impact he knew he would not be able to avoid contact. Just as the bolt hit the Togruta lord straight in the face... He woke up.

The only scene of battle around him was the frigate he had crashed with. A little further down there was the corpse of the Jedi, face down into the snow. Other than that... All was as he had left it, only the two combatants lay covered in more snow than before. How long had he been out? Minutes? Hours? Days? No, not days. Even hours out cold here could kill him. Unless the Force had protected him... Perhaps it was the Force that had seen to it that he had awoken. He thought little more of the dream, and stumbled to his feet. It felt as if every joint in his body ached. Cold. Worn. Tired.

He raised a rust-red hand to cover for his eyes as he looked off into the distance. There was someone else there. Someone close. He did not know them. This was a First Order world, but his dream had left him wary of approaching even them with his guard lowered. Darth Pyrrhus took a step in their direction, hand on his lightsaber still tucked away into his belt... Only to find that his knees gave out under him, and the imposing man went tumbling face first into the snow.

 

[Christie Daae]

[member="Darth Pyrrhus"]

The teen's teeth were chattering so loudly, it was hard to hear her wobbly footsteps crunching in the snow. Body ached as it shivered. She couldn't remember not being cold and her thoughts were beginning to turn sluggish. She didn't have much time.

Still, as she drew closer and saw the rather large togruta move toward her, she shied for a moment. But she couldn't afford to be cautious now. Blue eyes like the glaciers on the landscape shifted and saw a woman. Dead from the crash maybe?

She had to focus.

Gaze snapped back to the man.

Lekkus shivered along her back as she trudged forward. Hopefully this man knew something about fixing ships because that downed frigate seemed to be her only option off this ice stand. "Can you hear me?" The teen hesitated but a trembling hand reached forward regardless, and rested on the stranger's shoulder.

"If you want to survive. We have to get into the frigate. Mmaake she-lter," she couldn't stop the chattering and wondered how long she had before falling asleep forever.

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

[member="Akeema"]

Pyrrhus felt as if he was dancing on the edge of consciousness. The cold weighed down on him, making it feel so tempting, so easy, to simply let go and rest, sleep. The mere thought seemed to lure him with a false sense of warmth and comfort. But he knew it to be a lie. Comfort was not the way of the Sith, and it was possible it was only the fire of the Dark Side that kept him awake and subsequently alive.

His body ached, the muscles strained after the duel with the Jedi Master that had gone on for way too long, not to mention the exertion from enduring the ship's rapid descent through the atmosphere and following crash on the frozen planet's surface. The ground was cold, and it had been far from a warm welcome.

Can you hear me

The voice sounded as if it was not of this world. But in his mind he knew that it was. It spoke of survival. It was the way of the Sith. Harsh terrain, exhaustion and whathaveyou be damned. Mustering what strength he had, the Togruta rose up to one knee, and pushed onwards until he was standing. Huh. She was a Togruta too. What were the odds? Two frozen Togrutas on Hoth, far from home.

"Survive" he managed to grunt through gritted teeth, putting voice to his determination and giving her his answer. Talking was hard, and his jaw felt nearly frozen shut. That one word would have to do. He did not know her, but she did not seem to be part of either ally or enemy faction. He did not know her, clearly, but her presence peaked his curiosity. First and foremost they would survive, she could prove useful in this. But further than that... Well, ever the Sith Order loyalist and enthusiast, he was a walking recruitment centre.

He seemed to have taken her hand on his shoulder as an invitation, as he now took the opportunity to lean on hers. The few moments before all this had proved the risk of walking on his own. Sure, falling down and getting up was a simple task normally, but that last time had felt like a battle. He could tell she was in peril as well. So with that in mind, he opted to swallow his pride to allow for the two to use each other for support as they made their way back to the frigate, the closest source of shelter.

 

[Christie Daae]

[member="Darth Pyrrhus"]

She shouldered his weight, his body as much as a shock against her thin clothes as holding a piece of ice. She couldn't think about the body back in the snow. And after her experience with strangers, she wasn't about to naively trust this one - even if he was a fellow togruta. But right now? They needed each other.

The pair shuffled their way to the downed frigate. With a bang of her frozen fist, the door up the ramp opened. Puffs of cold air left her chattering mouth as they stumbled further inside. There. Was it warmer? Yes. The ship's internal systems were still working. With another push of her palm, the door to the harsh outside sealed shut behind them.

Body was still shaking like a leaf and the lights in the ship flickered, threatening to go out. But for now, they held. Moving with an icy-determination, the ship's narrow corridors finally opened up into a lounge with acceleration couches. She stumbled and began to collapse down into one, threatening to take the larger male with her. But at that point, she was too exhausted to care.

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

Once more he was back within the frigate.

This time is was colder, broken. He was responsible for that, at least partially. Now it would provide him with shelter. What supplies it held that had not been destroyed in the battle or subsequent crash was now theirs. Even if something had happened to the storage he imagined he would be fine.

A Sith Lord did not simply succumb to cold and hunger.

Through the Force anything became possible. He would survive this. And her? Time would show what would become of her. He would consult the Force, but in his mind the decision was ultimately his own.

"Why are you here? You were not part of this crew." the male Togruta managed to ask, through great effort and cluttering teeth. He had not yet gained a foothold against the cold. Getting inside had been the priority, the rest would come easier now.

He nearly fell when she stumbled. His right knee bent, and he knew it would be a taxing process just to push himself back up to a standing position under the current circumstances. Instead he held her in a hard grip, so as to keep her from falling as well. He was acting on reflex. With a push the two rose again.

Once assured that she would not stumble again the moment he let her go, he did so and took a step away from her towards a long table, but turning to not leave his back exposed too long. Waiting for her answer he sat down on it, eyes carefully examining her. Once inside the frigate her position was more secure, she could decide to turn on him in this mom-the table broke upon impact with the Sith Lord's buttocks, and the man fell crashing through it.

Karkdamnit.

[member="Akeema"]

 

[Christie Daae]

[member="Darth Pyrrhus"]

He was strong.

Foggy-mind registered that as more warmth seeped into her body and he held her close. Upright. Until her legs stabilized. The frigate wasn't exactly a heat box but it was 90 times better than what they'd just come from outside.

Wary eyes of ice-blue watched his movements as she sunk down onto one of the couches. The trembling in her body was lessening. Fingers still felt stiff. But the teen became more aware of something hard that nudged against the small of her back, tucked just beneath the loop of her pants. The stolen blaster.

Fingers drifted behind her on the couch, slowly, as the togruta turned at the table.

"I crashed. With a friend," shivering voice replied vaguely. "Just trying to get home now. People are expecting me back," she quickly added. It was a subtle warning. He didn't need to know she was alone now, that she'd barely managed to escape slavery from a bunch of pirates. If she ever made it back home her Ithorian parents would never believe all she'd been through in the short span of a few weeks.

With a loud-crash, his body disappeared from view.

Hand fumbled behind her back and she pulled out the blaster, holding it with slightly numb and wobbly arms. With a grunt of effort, she stood and pointed the tip of the blaster over his downed-form. "I saw that body out there! I don't know who you are," head shook, lekkus shifting along her shoulders. And she sensed something peculiar from him, something she often sensed around the animals she worked with, dark and untamed.

"But don't move. Just...can you fix this ship and get us outta here? That's all I want. And don't...try anything. Got it?"

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

A friend. Where was that friend now, he wondered? Judging by the state of her when he found her, the friend couldn't be much better off. Perhaps waiting somewhere warm. Perhaps this Togruta had wandered too far in search of supplies. Or perhaps this was friend. Or better yet, pure fiction.

He had heard it before. The one-man shows shouting 'you are surrounded'. 'Give up.' You won't get away with it.' 'Reinforcements are on their way.'

Even so, he chose not to underestimate her or rule anything out. He'd keep his senses alert for company. Or it was on the priority list, right after not dying.

He feigned a grunt of pain, a hand reaching to rub over a sore leg as he remained on the ground, ontop of broken pieces of table. This situation had taken an unexpected turn, and he cursed himself for thinking her harmless. He had let his guard down for a moment, thinking the mentality was something akin to 'we're in this together, for survival'. Served him right to have a blaster pointed his way.

"Yes." he confirmed in a calm tone, a voice that did not give away any hints of concern in regards to her weapon. It was probably not a good sign that being threatened by guns wasn't something new and scary. "That was a Jedi Master. He fought well. But I killed him." he said matter-of-factly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to do. In the same casual tone, he followed up with: "I am a Sith"

There she had the answer as to who he was. If she was familiar with the Sith, had heard story, most likely the group was referred to with fear or anger, presented like cold-blooded killers. Yet he had given it up without a care, even when he did not have to, even with a gun pointed at his face. He had said 'Sith' like it wasn't something inherently bad. He might as well have said he was a plumber.

"Where is home?" he asked casually in an effort to waste time. Did she stay on Hoth? He wouldn't have guessed from the sight of her, but why else would she be here? It would likely not be lost on her that he had avoided that whole 'can you fix the ship' question.

Meanwhile he gathered the Force to him, playing the role of injured, near frozen to death man on top of the remains of a table. This was no time to be slacking however, so in reality he called upon the Dark Side to flow through him, purge his system of cold and weariness, draw sustenance from his hatred and cover up his wounds and exhaustion. It was a form a mental procrastination almost, putting off dealing with his basic physical needs until a time when he would be more able.

[member="Akeema"]

 

[Christie Daae]

[member="Darth Pyrrhus"]

Heart hammered in her chest. She'd never actually held a blaster at someone. With the pirates, she'd thrown...what had she had? She'd thrown a hydrospanner at them. Lot of good that did. Harumph.

Hand trembled on the blaster and she tried to ignore it. Right lekku tightened around her right shoulder. "Sith," she breathed. Curiosity and interest flickered across her brightly colored face. She'd never met a jedi or sith. She'd heard some stories but not many. Blue-eyes focused back on his face at his question.

Stranger danger.

"Hey. I'm asking the questions here!" She stammered, trying to keep the tremble from her tired voice. She had to stay in control. Remain in charge. Right? With a start, she realized if he did repair this ship and got them on their way, he'd find out where she lived anyway. Maybe she'd just lie and go with any populated world. If that time ever came.

Brows scrunched up as she felt something akin to a buzz in the air - like the building of ion before a lightning strike. She'd felt a sensation like that before - whenever she came across the beasts of the wild. Of course, the teen didn't know it was the force. "Stop that," she breathed, taking a hesitant step back. "What are you....," she felt the build of the darkside and her finger jammed down on the trigger almost involuntarily as a yelp of fear and surprise left her throat, sending a stun-bolt toward his right leg. Unfortunately for the teen togruta, it went a hair wide.

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

Curiosity. Interest. But not fear, anger, or other children of hatred. There was hope for this one yet.

"Are you?" the male Togruta returned in a matter-of-factly and amused tone. It wasn't that he couldn't see her taking charge or pull that trigger, but whatever he could do to plant little seeds for her thoughts to begin undermining herself, the better.

She was Force sensitive indeed, and there was an untapped strength within her, that if accessed properly could be a well to great power. Did she even know? To him her connection to the Force seemed lacking in control, it was nearly as if her presence, her inner powers, were leaking out to her surroundings.

Perhaps that had left her extra susceptible to the seductive yet undeniably sinister pull of the Dark Side. Perhaps it was the Dark Side itself that had in a twist of fates, fuelled by a childish glee, pulled her finger down onto the trigger.

Deal with it, big Sith man. Dance for me

The gun fired. Instantly, as if he had sensed it even before it had happened, his body had begun to twist to the side and outside of reach. The yelp suggested even she hadn't intended it. Lucky for him, probably. Had she truly been prepared to fire upon him she likely would have hit. Not so lucky for him, in his effort to roll away his back dug into shards of broken table pointing up at him. The table claimed some of his blood in vengeance. A small consolation prize, perhaps, but better than nothing.

Even if she hadn't meant to shoot him, the tension had broken into an air of conflict now. She was no longer in control. By firing, she could not be sure if he knew it was an accident or not. She could not be sure that he would simply lay still and defuse the situation. Besides, he was already on the move. The safest bet would be to fire again. And he knew that. So the safest bet for him also was to act out against her.

Pyrrhus did not draw his weapon, or even get up from the ground. Instead he shot out his own consciousness, as it were, attacking her mind through the Force. There was little time for subtlety and probing, he sought to incapacitate her and trap her within her own mind, washing over her with dark tendrils of his mind, seeking to overwhelm her mental defences and seep down into her consciousness. Down there, there would not really be much limit to what he could do. Up top on the priority list would be to get her to point that blaster elsewhere and get a moment to take a breather and pick splinters out of his back.

| [member="Akeema"] | ​

 

[Christie Daae]

[member="Darth Pyrrhus"]

Warmth had returned almost fully to her limbs. Still, she stumbled back. Colorful-jaw set as he taunted her. Wasn't she in control? Barely. Eyes the color of pure-blue icicles widened as he moved.

So fast.

"I didn't mean," she stammered even though her legs continued to retreat, stumbling backwards. Like a crack of lightning, hot, burning, and sudden, her eyes squeezed closed and she fell to her knees in agony. Lekkus twitched and curled tightly around her neck and shoulders - in protective mode. His 'voice' was booming a name she never uttered inside a place where he did not have permission to be. It was foreign and familiar at the same time. She'd forged mental connections like this before. With tauntauns and nexus.

Her form remained tensed and curled up on the floor, arms tightly wrapped around herself. Blaster fallen at her feet but still just a hand's grip away. Jaw set and teeth grit. Mind reached forward and pushed back, finding that familiar tread she used with the beasts. But oh, his mind was so different. So much stronger. Darker. Wilder. She felt as though she were a single shell on the shore, half buried within the sand but still no match for the sucking and pulling tide. If she wasn't careful, she'd be swept into this sith lord's mind fully and never return.

Her mind squirmed within his grasp. He'd get past what little defenses she'd put up and perhaps get glimpses of the pirates that had taken her during her first footfalls away from home and her escape with her 'friend.' Glimpses of a cold and icy crash and her time protecting the animals in the wild and the cargo - before the pirates came.

At the same time, she pushed her thoughts forward, determined not to be weak and helpless, determined to capture something of her own from him.