Don't Forget Your Mittens

[Marcus]

Don't Forget Your Mittens
@Marcus (Marcus) @Siah (Siah Morvayne) @SoB (Felix) @Megilwen (Laelynn)​

Rhen Var
It seems the Jedi are attracted to ice and snow. While Ilum is the home for the Jedi Knights, Rhen Var seems a perfect fit for a secret base. This world could make a good base of operations for our crusade against our enemy. If the rumors are true, we will be within striking distance of our foe here.

The Nubian Star Yacht from Ilum was used to the cold. It took orbit and entered the atmosphere without much issue. They had exact coordinates for their target, but Jedi General Marcus had the pilot take them on a bit of a surface jaunt to get some extra scans in and perhaps avoid precise detection. As they arrived, and upon going down to the surface, there were no signs of enemies or pirates or anything of the sort. As with Ilum, it was an ice world - and there would be very little going on here.

The transport took them near the coordinates, a hundred meters away around a hillside. They all had hopefully prepared with full-weather gear and emergency kits - at least Marcus told them to do so.

As the ship hatch began to open, Marcus looked back. "Alright, let's make a quick jaunt for the outpost, a short bit around this mound. Keep your bodies covered, your weapons ready, and your senses keen." He paused and looked over at Laelynn. "Lael, stick with me." And with that, the group went out into the howling, freezing winds of the planet.


(OOC: If you have any questions, please PM me @Marcus. The SBZ have nicely approached about getting involved so I defer to them to jump in before any other groups, please. I will add participants to the thread as needed, and I'll correct a post order as needed. OOC Thread: http://www.thestarwarsrp.com/forum/index.php?threads/ooc-dont-forget-your-mittens.64634/)

 

[Andrewza]

Felix sat in the comfortable chair on board the yacht. He never did like how the crews kept the climate control so high no matter where they where. It was warm enough inside to walk around naked. Out side it was a fringed snow ball. As the Yacht set down Felix stood up and put his helmets face plat on. His thin suit covered his body under his armour head to toe and provided protections against the cold. Even so when the door to the out side world opened the blast of cold air was felt through the suit. The suit quickly adjusted and soon Felix was at a cool but comfortable 14 degrees.

Grabbing a small back pack with supplies has he left the ship Felix scanned the area with his eyes. There was nothing, nothing would willing come here.

 

[Lucy Lou]

Lael hurried through the ship as it touched down. She'd gotten distracted reading in her quarters and now she was worried about being late. Luckily, she was able to merge right in with the group as the ramp extended downward. Like the rest she was dressed for the weather, thick clothing with a fur lining as well as a personal heater within should it be needed. The force would also be able to help keep her warm, but she didn't want to be constantly relying on it, when simple technologies could help. Around her face, she wrapped a thick scarf as well.

She moved closer toward her Master as she listened to his instructions. She had her saber in her gloved hand, ready but not yet ignited. No use fumbling for the clasp in the cold. As she stepped out into the snowy field, Lael could feel the cold start to seep through the clothing and she pulled the scarf tighter. She always disliked the cold. Coming from a more temperate and warm climate, the girl much preferred those types of planets. However, she was aware that as a Jedi, sometimes she'd have to go places she didn't quite enjoy.

 

[Siah]

Siah Morvayne walked to the boarding ramp to disembark with the other Jedi. After a good night of deep meditation he was filled with confidence. The fact that this frigid world was a mirror image of his home gave him an added bounce in his step. He flung his waterproof coat over his shoulders, covered his youthful face in his mask and pulled his hood up. He carried all his lightsabers and a small satchel that contained medical provisions and a few rations in case something unplanned transpired. He was born for these harsh climates.

Siah could almost feel the winds whipping about as they whistled through the nooks and crannies of the ship's outer hull. He felt a certain ease and tranquillity being on this barren world. With a small nod he greeted his fellow Jedi and followed the general off of the ship into the wastes. The wind was tossing small clouds of snow into the air and carrying it off, far into the distance. Siah chose not to activate his Arkadian Shield yet, he would use the force to create the lightest barrier against the frigid onslaught. He was not exactly sure how far they would have to walk subjected to the elements and decided to err on the side of caution.

The snow beneath his feet was soft, it was not well trodden, and there could well be any number of pitfalls beneath it's fluffy façade. Siah looked to the general, "Our footing must be sure, Master Marcus. This snow could be covering anything from a razor-sharp rift to a vast crevasse."

 

[Marcus]

Marcus looked back and saw his team heading out with him. The snow and cold was undeniable, although most of them had gear to protect them. Marcus had on the basics, including some thermal wear, but that could only go so far. The pilot on the ship would stay behind and check the engines and secure the ship, although most of the group could fly if need be. Everything was set.

Famous last thoughts - as the ice beneath Marcus began to crack. "Point taken, Siah." The General looked around, knowing that even the thickest of ices still cracked and popped - some of the noises could be deafening, as was the nature of frozen water. "Another thing to be vigilant of." Hopefully his voice was making it through their secured comms, although he would speak loudly enough in between gusts of wind to have them hear naturally.

Marcus made his way around the hillside, walking a bit slower as they approached the old outpost. It was a dark metallic structure built into the other side of the hillside from where they parked. Their intel specified a fortified structure inside, ice-cave structures in many cases, and a level underneath built into the ice and rock, fortified like the outside. The only questions were if there was anyone there, or regardless, if they could get inside.

"Let's get some readouts from here," Marcus said to no one in particular.

 

[Andrewza]

Felix looked over the group, other than the Padawan all of them where skilled it meant they was no need to look after any one if a fight broke out. All though in a place like this extreme winds and freezing temperatures was the real killer. speaking allowed to him self Felix said what he truly hoped was true "I hope this "fortress has climate control, other wise being based here will not be fun"

On getting site of the fort Felix was impressed by how the Jedi even found the place, scans from deep space would not have found this place. It was built in a mountain.

{"Let's get some readouts from here," Marcus said to no one in particular.}
"Sure thing general." Pulling a Data pad and a small spherical droid out his pack Felix tapped away. "seems to be some interference from the ground, I can say behind this ice is something solid but I am struggling to pic any thing up. Hopefully it is natural"

 

[Lucy Lou]

While she hated the cold, as soon as Lael's feet hit the snowy ground, she had the urge to just roll around in the soft untouched fluff. Entirely inappropriate for a Jedi. She scolded herself, as she continued further into the icy landscape as the group headed toward the now abandoned outpost. The girl scrunched her shoulders up against the wind pulling her clothing tightly against her again as one of the other knights pulled out a data pad and a scanning droid.

"With the outpost abandoned, there's a good chance the power cells might be dead. Cold was never good for machinery. Especially when it's left to rest." Lael spoke up from behind her think scarf. "Master, why was the outpost abandoned originally?" That seemed like an important thing to consider. If there was a reason it was abandoned in the first place, then it seemed like something to be considered before moving back in as it were. Though it could have just been so much as a staffing issue. Just not enough people to cover all the outposts. She made a mental note to look up the history here later, if any existed.

However at the moment, there wasn't much for her to do as she doubted snow was able to hold any glimpses into the past. Maybe her ability would be more useful once they got to the outpost itself. There had to be things that would whisper to her in there. That maybe she could learn more about what happened, or if anyone had been into the outpost recently. She flexed her fingers with in her gloves to keep them warm and flexible.

 

[Topher Ridge]

Karking hell, what are a bunch of Jedi doing here?

The SBZ brother swore to himself as he looked down at the group of jedi. He was about 800 meters away from them lying prone atop a large snowdrift. He was positioned facing the side of the hill the group had walked around. He stayed low and flat knowing the elevation and wind around him would make him virtually invisible.

He pondered why they were here. Well probably the same reason he was, to see if this abandoned outpost was a useful location for a base. Though if the jedi were that could mean trouble for him, and more importantly the Sith. Not the man cared too much, this was just an assignment to him, given by masters he didn't want or even like that much to be honest. Essentially a slave, but if he had a job he'd do it well.

For now he would just watch the group. His weapons were already at the ready, though he'd prefer to avoid a fight with 4 trained force users. He increased the magnification on his helmets goggles and eyed the group of 4 with a more critical eye. One of the group seemed to have an utter air and walk of authority, and he believed he could see the man giving a few quick orders. Looked like they were getting readings on the building. 2 others oddly were wearing different style masks and the final jedi was a younger girl. Probably an apprentice to one of the other 3 though seemed like she was sticking closest to the leader. He returned his visor to normal planning to just keep an eye on the quartet and see what their next move would be.

 

[Siah]

Siah knelt in the drift alongside Felix. He was unable to make out much through the tumultuous winds, but he squinted into the distance as best he could. Clad in white he had little fear that he'd be spotted easily from such a far distance. Concentrating on keeping his force barrier up against the cold, he was unable to use the force to enhance his vision. He would rely on his companion's use of technology.

Hearing the young Jedi's question, Siah's curiosity was also piqued. He wondered what reason there would be for abandoning such an isolated and desolate planet. There certainly wasn't any sign of life here, yet they were far from the outpost and there could be any number of creatures within its depths.

Waiting for Felix's droid to complete its task, Siah looked immediately about him at the snow beneath his foot and knee. The snow was powdery, this indicated it was fresh. It must have snowed recently and the wind deposited the drifts all over the landscape. He wondered if these winds gusted throughout the day or if they abated at some stage. Siah looked around in an attempt to find the direction of the winds' origin. He saw them whipping off of the cliffs to the north, travelling down the contours of the valley.

 

[Marcus]

Marcus nodded as the reports came in, and with them questions. He honestly did not know the answer to the question of why it was abandoned - it was not a part of the dossier and he had not been told. But looking at what they could see, and knowing they had fairly precise coordinates to find this place, it was an important facility. Mining? Minor military outpost? Hard to say, but it was well-built from the looks of it. On the inside? That's what they needed to know.

"We need to get closer." The general cocked his head, looking around the valley a bit, taking in the sights and scene, and then focusing back on the outpost. He didn't sense any eyes on them at the moment, even if he did happen to look up at a certain cliff as his eyes scanned the area, but that didn't mean they weren't out there. "I want better scans, including power levels and any traffic here. The snow will mask tracks, but an access panel might be useful."

Marcus started to walk again. He had heard Lael's words, but he wasn't responding directly. But she had a good point about what they might find inside. Even if it was abandoned, and even if nothing wild was there, and even if they weren't being watched, and even if it was structurally sound... the damage from the cold and wind could be too much. If so, this was a wasted journey. But if there was anything to be had here, now was the time.

As the group got closer, an outcropping of the base's entryways jutted into the snow - about 30 meters from the base and about 10 meters from where they knelt down in the snow to pause again - presumably the remains of a small communications relay perhaps. "Felix, Lael, see if there is a panel and maybe if it tells us anything." He looked over at Siah. "Stay with me for a moment."

 

[Andrewza]

"On it General" Felix walked up to the sealed blast doors. Even if made from pig iron they would put up a fight. Cutting through with a lighsaber was impractical. Hopefully the interior was naturally war so that the equipment did not freeze over. Finding the control panel was not hard but it was long since ruined by the freezing winds. with some effort Felix cleared the ice built around the access port and plugged his data pad in. "heres hopping it all surface damge" the data pad screen sprang to live as the sophisticated Jedi programing began to splice it's way in before it hit a fire wall.

"Good news bad news. Good news there is some power and I know no one has been in side. Bad news is there is a military grade fire wall blocking access. I am not the computer man any body one to give it a try, or do we have to cut our way in?"

 

[Lucy Lou]

Lael followed Felix over to the control panel and watched as he plugged into the access panel. She watched in interest as his fingers flew over the buttons on the data pad while he attempted to get the doors open. To no avail though.

"I don't think cutting the way in will be necessary. Do you mind if I give it a try?" She asked with a smile, not that it was visible through her scarf. Moving her saber from her hand into a pocket of her coat, she reached up and began to pull off first the thick glove of her right hand and then the silken glove that was on underneath. As her bare skin was exposed to the freezing weather, it twinged in pain before she used the force to warm it up. She mentally berated herself. She should have done that before she removed the glove, no matter now.

Reaching her hand out, she laid her palm flat against the access panel and focused her force as she closed her eyes. Entry code. The normal rush of thousands of images all at once flooded her mind, before separating out a singular image. A gloved hand inputting in a code. Simple enough. Especially when the same process happened EVERYTIME someone came up to the access panel.

With another grin, she opened her eyes and looked at Felix. "Do you mind?" She asked as she reached over to his data pad and inputted in the code from her vision. Behind them the doors slid open with a hiss as it released air that had been confined in the building for so long. "Problem solved."

 

[Topher Ridge]

Von stayed low on the hill. He saw them move closer to what looked like the entrance. They hadn't taken notice of him which was good. The merc now took this time to consider his options. He wouldn't last long against 4 jedi. He could probably plan an ambush of some kind but that was honestly going past his mission parameters. It was then he looked to their ship, parked not far from the hill the base was built into. He zoomed in on it eyeing it critically. Von couldn't see anybody guarding from this angle as the engines where facing him. Shouldn't be too hard to get into as it seemed like a pretty standard transport. Von smiled to himself thinking it was about time to give these jedi a nasty surprise. He looked back to the group waiting to make his move till they moved inside the complex.

 

[Siah]

Siah watched as Felix and Lael approached the small communications relay. Not more than a building, Siah assumed it had been built this far from the base to avoid interference with the nearby cliffs. Siah remained at the general's side, still kneeling in the snow, as Felix electronically assaulted the door. Although the young knight had his own datapad, it was not nearly as complex as the one sported by Felix.

Siah's eyes travelled along the ground between the group and the abandoned base. He could make out a relatively flat area despite the lumpy deposits of snow. He thought that this area could easily have been a landing pad, many years ago. Surrounded by the cliffs and hills, this area seemed particularly flat. Siah moved his head from side-to-side there was a lot of open ground with no cover between the Jedi and the base. The knight decided that if there was no enlightening information received from the communications relay, he would activate his Arkadian Shield and use the force to enhance his senses. Maintaining the weak barrier between him and the extreme climate was not taxing so much as mentally encompassing. He used a lot of concentration to keep the frigid temperature at bay.

Siah's mask hid an expression of surprise as Lael gained access to the stubborn door. He was not sure how she managed to synergise her use of the force with that of electronics, but he was impressed by the padawan. Taking one last glance about the stark landscape, Siah scoured the clifftops as he rose to his feet. He was still confident that his white attire would blend in well with the snowy landscape.

 

[Marcus]

Marcus grinned as Laelynn did her thing. It didn't always work, and she had to be right there, but boy was that a neat trick. And with their former master Brax helping her hone that, she was quite keen. The doors to a small access way opened up behind her and Felix, with some dim, presumably emergency, lighting on beyond. At his side, he felt Siah charging up - it was soothing, in this new era, whenever a fellow Jedi prepared himself for the unknown. It was like a yawn, to Marcus - contagious without any explanation.

"Marcus to SY-2187," The general spoked into his commlink.

There was a scratching in return, but then a voice came through. "Transport here, sir."

"Everything ok on your side?"

"Aye, General. Cold, but we're well within operating parameters."

Marcus nodded. "We're going in, be in touch soon. Marcus out." He looked on as he caught up to Lael and Felix, moving past them towards the door. "Good work," he said as he patted them both on the shoulder in turn.

The Jedi walked over to the door and stopped, lowering his outer hood and taking off his goggles. The air from within was warmer, but that wasn't surprising in the least given the climate and the winds. He closed his eyes, reaching out with his feelings and his mind. He could almost see the insides, feel the steel and the ice barriers. He could sense the life that was there, albeit faint, perhaps bats and rats and other vermin. During his mini trance he had a couple spikes, but they were very intangible. They meant something, but it was always hard to point them out and pull out any detail, especially without time. But they both pointed at danger.

"Alright, this place isn't occupied, but let's be cautious..." Marcus nodded his head as he moved right through the doors, the emergency lighting giving them just enough to move around.


((OOC: Ok, I'll let someone else describe what it looks like inside. I can elaborate on my spidey senses later if you guys don't beat me to it.))

 

[Andrewza]

Felix was truly impressed by the girls skills and now knew why the genral brought her along. As the door opened though door seemed incorrect to something that would be at home on a warship Felix peered inside. The walkway no more than 2m wide, wide enough for one man to hold off a army. The dim lights gave room to lots of shadows to the walkway. The floor walls and roof where dirty but not damaged other than some paint that had fallen off exposing the dura steel surface. "Who ever built this place built it to last." Steping forward Felix enterd the base, his steel boots echoeing off the floor. Doors branched off the sides of the walk way as it went on for 50m till ending by a door.

"you should give a reward to who ever fond this place, it seems perfect, almost to perfect. Why does my heart tell me to ready for battle. And a heart guided by the force is never wrong"

 

[Lucy Lou]

Pulling her glove back on, she moved after Marcus and Felix into the abandoned outpost. She had a smile on her face, still young the praise of her Master always raised the girl's spirits. After everything that had happened since he'd taken over her training, Lael's near permanent smile fell from her face for a moment. The memories of that afternoon on Telos IV flashing through her mind. Before they could consumer her, she pushed them back breathing deeply. Marcus and her friend Rhonan had been instrumental in helping her find ways to cope.

The metal walkway echoed with everyone's footsteps as the group moved further into the outpost. The emergency lighting made the entire area look eerie and caused the groups shadows to elongate against the metal walls. "Perhaps there's a computer further in that we can get some kind of information from." She could always use her psychometric powers again, should that be the only way to get any information. However, like any force power, using it for an extended period of time could be exhausting.

 

[Topher Ridge]

They were entering the comples. Perfect. He waited an extra few minutes to make sure they weren't coming right back out and then made his move. He slid down the side of the snowdrift away form the complex. Von made his way around and looked one final time to make sure they were all inside. He then started making his way toward their ship. The going was a bit slow due to the nature of the ground he was walking on. The ice wasn't slick thanks to the near constant snow fall, but one could never tell when a thin patch of ice would appear.

He finally made it to the rear of the ship, now taking his time he drew one of his pistols and vibroknife and peaked around the side. He could see the pilot toward the front of the ship. The pilot was busy chipping ice off the side of the ship, which made since as it wouldn't take long for ice to begin forming on the still ship with this wind and the snowfall. He crept around the pilot's back and inched closer, holstering his pistol. Von stood right behind him and moved in an instant, grabbing the pilot's right arm and twisting it behind his back and putting the vibroknife right under the pilot's chin with his left hand.

"Hello there, now no movement or even thinking about calling your jedi friends. All I want is to get inside the ship do you understand? You do that and I don't have to leave a corpse here, I hate leaving evidence."

The pilot just grunted in affirmation and Von moved him toward the loading ramp. He hoped the forcers couldn't since what he was doing, but even if they did he figured he should have a decent amount of time before they could arrive.

 

[Siah]

Siah entered the deserted structure after the others. He felt a slight increase in warmth within the metallic structure, only marginal and probably due to the frigid winds outside. Looking at the ceilings and electrical fixtures in the walls, Siah wondered if there was any life in the electrical systems. He stood a few meters within the building and closed his eyes. Reaching out with the force, he could sense a small flicker of energy as slight ripples in the force touched his consciousness. Snapping his eyes open, he hoped that they'd be able to find some sort of means to reactivate the base's climate control.

Following the three Jedi deeper into the structure, he looked into abandoned rooms. He saw an assortment of old tools strewn about the place. It seemed to him that nothing of value remained behind. They passed what once must have been a first aid station, there were no medical supplies and only a dusty sign confirmed the bare room's previous function.

Momentarily the troupe came across a small section of passageway that had been damaged by some sort of explosion, there was charring on the walls and floor. Siah looked at the exposed piping and cabling. He noticed that the water pipes were ripped open and irreparably damaged, while the electrical cabling had melted and fused together.
"So, no water," he thought.

Continuing on, the small group came upon a junction where the path they were travelling along split three ways. A dust-obscured sign, hanging from the wall, may give some indication as to what lay upon the different routes.

 

[Marcus]

Marcus led the group through the old outpost and they all seemed to be taking in the details. He could feel their focus, in a way, which was a very good thing. "The intelligence was very keen on this, indeed," he said in reply to Felix. "We knew where to look, based on battles long past. We just didn't know what we'd find."

Marcus continued to press forward as all four of them sort of fanned out. They all noticed the disrepair and damage - this was military, and it had been damaged in some way. Perhaps that was why it was abandoned. The general made his way over to the hallway structures where Siah stood. One path had no sign - in the middle. Presumably a lift, as it would be a good guess there was another level to this place underground. The others were more clearly labeled. He pointed to one sign on the left. "Barracks and supplies. Siah and Felix, check it out."

He turned his head towards Lael. "Since you and I are trained to deal with tech, we'll go to the control room and look for that computer you hoped for."

Marcus barely waited for any replies and headed down the right-side hall, which eventually had stairs leading up into a small room. The door was open and the lock and computer panel there completely broken. Marcus went over to the console and then pointed behind him. "Check the door, see who was last here."

While Lael did her thing, he got busy on the console. Using skills from years ago, he looked over the downed machinery and checked underneath. No riggings, no damage, just no power. He reached into his belt and pulled out his datapad and survival kit. Between the pad and a backup energy cell from the kit he might just be able to tap into the system. It would take time to get everything hooked up, but they weren't rushed for time... just yet...

Back at the ship...

The pilot was scared and compliant as they entered the ship and he was forced into a small space near the cockpit. His pants would have been wet in most cases, but he kept his composure. He watched the scout - or whatever he was - do his thing. Minutes went by, and the man kept busy. What the heck he was doing, he couldn't tell from where he was being kept. But eventually, the pilot garnered enough courage to do something. But what could he do? He looked around and then suddenly remembered the commlink on his person. He barely reached it with his hand and began to hit the button to speak into it, but it dropped on the floor, clanking as it hit the metal decking. That wasn't good.