Scouting on Hoth

[Fredrick]

It had been hours since they had first set foot upon the cold, barren surface of the ice world, scouting both with their minds and eyes the seemingly boundless horizon of the damned planet, the Force having artfully leaded them past the same route for the fourth time now, with its distinctive crystalline mountain that stretched out into a rather tortuous valley throughout its core… sometimes it wondered if even it had a sense of humor.

Humor or not he did not enjoy this feeling of being played for a fool, although this situation, as well as this first assignment as a Sith Lord were most certainly things that had been carefully calculated by his sire, Nefarius… although Sith politics were often subject of many controversies; one could never truly know who pulled the strings behind the tumultuous, and constant, machinations of fate that were played over the Throne.

Whatever the motive, he found it strange that such small duty had been assigned not only to him, but another Sith Lord with whom he had now shared days of company without exchanging a word and that its secrecy had been most emphasized indeed… The assignment itself had been kept off official records of the Sith, military or otherwise.

Passing once again through a familiar tunnel, he mechanically took out one of the viciously sharp blades at his belt before interrupting his march and fiercely slash at the corridor’s membrane of ice and stone in a single swing that carried out deadly accuracy without so much of a glance from the Assassin’s part, completing the complex design of an ancient Jedi symbol for silence he had entertained himself completing after having observed similar objects throughout the cave’s walls.

Although outwardly it may have seemed as such, the symbol itself was a reminder to both himself and his partner to fail from falling to their frustration and that focusing on shrouding their presence within the shadows and the Force would not only benefit them both, but that it was required if either of them expected to survive long enough to send back a message to Coruscant if indeed there was a gathering of Jedi here.

And a cold memento of what happened to those who failed to please their so called ‘Lord’…

 

[Scurge]

*He stood in the cave dressed warmly. He stared upon the symbol of the Jedi. A small anger rose within him. Though he surpressed it. For he knew that he had tostay quiet on this mission. To use his guile,skill and stealth to hide from the Jedi scum. Though hiding and lurking are things he exceptionally good with.

He thought about his mission that he was given and he knew that remaining hidden was exceptionally important for if they took on the entire Jedi Order at this vary place. They would most likely parish unless they ran for it. Which he was not entirely willing to do unless he needed to. For this mission is a preset to an invasion of Hoth to purge the galaxy of dogmatic and static beliefs that they have held so true for thousands of years.

Oh could they be so wrong. They do not use there emotions. Cause if emotions were wrong then why do we have them he thought. He did'nt want to get analytical at the moment anymore. So he looked over at his new surperior. The newly made Sith Lord. His first mission they both knew he better perform well on this one. Though not all eyes are him him. He knew he better do so as well. For the punishment for failure would surely be worse than death.*

 

[Cailst]

Gisi flew above the icy wasteland of Hoth looking for some jedi enclave. Reportedly, some sith were also looking and he would want to help his sith allies. He had infrared sensors up so he could see the any mammalian species which would allow him to either see the sith or the the jedi if the jedi weren't careful about it.

His space ship was fairly large being a small freighter for the X-Corperation as well as a mandalorian fighter/bomber. It was somewhat old having been around for about fifty years but it still worked fairly decently, in fact, some changes had been made for the better over the years like adding most of the weaponry.

Then Gisi saw two red dots out on the horizon, it was likely that they were the sith so he started going that direction.

 

[Cailst]

Hearing a sudden radio transmission from Mandalore, Gisi flew up into the clouds and off the planet to find another thing to do in the vast emptyness of space.

 

[Fredrick]

He silently cursed the Mandalorian’s presence before even the ear-shattering boom of the ship’s engines reverberated past the horizon and into the cave’s echo where it pierced as an incessant dissonance. It could be heard across the Force light-years away he dared himself to believe for an instant before the loud hum steadily vanished away back into the atmosphere, and finally brought the shadows back to silence.

Even though his confused senses could not confirm it, he was certain that if the Jedi were being cautious before, they would be fully alert now that an enemy presence had wandered into their territory with their own minds sweeping the entire surface of the planet for any trace of another hostile existence; them.

If they were themselves being cautious before to remain undetected, now they had to be cautious about evading the Jedi’s methodical search. Luckily, the cave’s Force impression could serve them as a small defense against the mental assaults while the ship’s passing sparked a thought through the Sith’s mind.

“Come” He gestured at his subordinate in the silence of a simple hand-code as he jumped up to a higher alcove near the cave’s ceiling, shrouded entirely within the shadows into which no human eye could see past, before resting his back against the cold granite wall…

And waiting…

 

[Scurge]

*He turned his head towards the fleeing ship and felt as if they might get caught. Though his overconfidence overroad that. Made him think "I will not get caught." Though the Jedi being in hiding will be highly alert towards alarms. Even if it is an animal. They never know what it might be. For in the past. Sith Masters have been known to master beasts.

The Jedi fear any incursions and rightfully so. They have been hunted by the Bendu,The Sith and many others in the galaxy. They are hated for there beliefs because they are liars and restrictive ignorant, arrogant fools Primus thought. He looked back over at his superior and walked towards him for they were going to hide in the cave. To hide there force signatures from the remants of the Jedi Order.*

 

[Ser Gregor]

Nexus had been trailing the Sith Lord for some time, being charged with examining his progress and intent.

It had been quite some time since he had landed on the planet. Ghosting the other Sith Lord, Nexus was sure to conceal himself as much as possible from the force. No easy task.

They had traveled for awhile on the surface, before descending into a cave of sorts.

Mandalorian. Nexus cursed, even more so when he heard the engaging of the engines.

Knowing that soon the Jedi would be scouring the planet for the invaders, Nexus threw caution to the wind, and ran to meet with Aper.

Running into the cave, Nexus jumped up onto the ledge, easily twenty feet off the ground, where the other Sith Lord was hidden.

"Aper, you know as well as I that the Jedi will soon discover us. Right now, we need a plan of action. To my knowledge, we are to only locate the Jedi, not engage in combat. A sound idea." Nexus said threw the link in the force he had made with Aper, "But it seems combat is inevitable. Attack to imobalize, not to kill." Nexus added hastily.

Sensing footsteps coming from below, Nexus spun around and readied himself, lightsaber in hand, he waited, not wanting to have to ignite it. He may be a Sith, but he knew the value of restraint.

(((Sorry, Scurge, was posting when you did.)))

 

[Fredrick]

Aper remained in a relaxed posture even as the Sith Lord made his entrance only a few feet away from him, barely even moving his head as a sign to have acknowledge his new ally’s presence…Or that he simply showed no surprise at Nexus’s arrival. Quite truthfully, the Assassin wondered why he had not been tailed any sooner by one of the Dark Lord’s agents even before he had been promoted as a Lord himself after showing his blatant superiority over the countless teachers that had all tried to show him something he didn’t knew about the Sith or the Force in vain. The fact that another had been sent to chase after him actually did evoke a small notion of esteem from the Assassin’s point of view towards Nefarius, as it did confirm that the Emperor had still not befallen to his madness… At the very least, not completely.

But then again nothing told him that it hadn’t been in fact his apprentice that had taken this careful decision, although it mattered little… he was more intent upon focusing on his companion’s as well as his own stealth, for he had sensed the intent Focus of his fellow Lord upon him ever since he had set foot upon the planet and through its unforgiving blizzard…

…Until he came between the claustrophobic walls of the crystalline cavern.

At Nexus’s last words, the Sith came with unsuspecting speed to grab the other’s arm, and although his grip was firm it didn’t held any feeling of hostility, in fact, it held no feeling at all and simply soothed away the thoughts of combat in its silent oppression, pulling back the Lord to the shadows of the hidden ledge unhurriedly, although it simply was to conserve the heavy silence that had befallen between the three.

“There will be no need; both of you, silence your thoughts… silence your breath, and erase your link to this world.” He whispered through their minds in such a way that it seemed that the low growl of the outside winds was where the voice itself originated from, echoing in their thoughts as it would have over the frozen walls of the cave. “Come to the shadows and let yourselves die… the force is vibrant here, and so they will no find us with their eyes nor their senses. Our Lord’s orders were clear; we are not to engage the Jedi and I will do everything so that his wishes be granted.” He added at length in a tone so callous that the sudden silence of the raging storm made it seem as if the environment itself shivered in fear from the Assassin’s response, as casual an answer it may have seemed… Although the opaque shadow over Aper’s eyes helped little for one to understand the Sith’s true nature or intent.

A pause came between the small group before the Assassin carried on with his words as he ceremoniously removed two short blades from underneath his heavy cloth.

“Although if there are Jedi, then I shall lead them here so that I may confirm their existence with my own eyes… Now go to the shadows and drown yourselves in their darkness…” He continued as he gestured both of them to get as close as possible to the walls of the cave to immerse themselves within the obscurity.

Although, he suspended his words there rather quickly, as if interrupting his own self in mid-phrase until he leveled his gaze with theirs to reveal the two shining, opalescent orbs of blue crystal that were his eyes… Immediately throwing them at the image of both their deaths as the two blades would pierce their throats and leave them to die, breathless and prey to the planet’s merciless cold.

As swiftly as the image had presented itself though, it quickly vanished as the Sith broke their connected haze and turned around to observe down his perch towards the heavy steps that came closer with every moments.

“I will kill you if I hear your heart race at their approach, and I will kill you if you move a single muscle; don’t breath, don’t think… Disappear.” He concluded in a final whisper, which he spoke aloud, and although it had lost its haunting echo so low was the strength behind each words, it had lost none of its sinister resonance.

Silence fell again like a hammer… and moments passed, until the ice wendigo below appeared within the Assassin’s sight as it ended its long march and looked up in fear into the sapphire eyes of the killer before letting out a final roar that reverberated itself throughout the Force across the entire planet, so intense was the pain of the animal in the final moment of its existence before his body snapped in impossible angles and exploded the instant after as the oxygen escaped its boiling blood and tainted the caves walls with its crimson color. The Force bearing as the only witness to this atrocity, and screaming the animal’s pain in a deafening echo that shrilled the barren surface of the planet…

“The Jedi will come…”

 

[Ser Gregor]

Nexus mentally laughed at the image that appeared in his head, "You may be the leader of this mission. But do not forget, I am your superior otherwise." He linked, before shrouding himself in manifested darkness.

"You should know that using so much of the force, no matter what is dampening it, will be felt by masters of the Jedi." Nexus added, not in a chastising way, but simply as a warning.

Seconds later, Nexus was separating himself from the force, a skill that he was granted with during his time with the spirit Darth.

He was now virtually invisible, none could feel him through the force, none could see him with there eyes. He was, in almost every aspect of the word, dead.

 

[Fredrick]

A rare grin flashed under the Sith’s mask at Nexus’s attempt to make his authority compel him to moderate his ways of working for this mission; indeed the Sith Lord was his superior, if only by little in the Sith’s hierarchy, although it mattered little, if not at all to him.

In all the world of the Sith, there was no more important word than station. It is the calling of their religion, the incessant pulling of hungering heartstrings. Ambition overrides good sense and compassion is thrown away in its face, all in the name of the Emperor or their perverse teachings of the Dark Side. Ascension to power is a simple process of assassination, the strong must govern the weak, as says their code, and the Sith do not look with ill favor upon ambitious individuals wielding poisoned daggers.

Station is the way of the Sith, and the paradox of their world, it is gained through treachery and invited treachery against those who gained it. The most powerful on Korriban spent their days watching over their shoulders, defending against the daggers that would find their backs…

Their death usually came from the front.

“Exactly…” He chuckled in response to his so-called ‘superior’s’ words. Obviously even one who proclaimed himself superior to him had failed to see the simple reasoning behind his calculative actions; the Mandalorian’s ship had made him realize it, that while the Jedi remained hidden, they would most likely never be found, as it would be them that would let their guard down as they would focus their intent upon searching for their hideout while if he forced the Jedi out of their sanctuary, and consequently put them under full alert, not only would their echoes be felt across the entirety of the Force, but the more physical proofs of their existence, such as simple transmissions from their communications array, to every single being across their base that would help in the defense of the station after such a strong disturbance in the Force.

He remembered having dropped the tools that would have allowed him to scan such transmissions near the cave, as it would have proven useless within the confined, isolating walls of the cavern. After the many hours in the blizzard, doubtless that it was well hidden from unwanted attention, he focused one last time past the crystal walls and to the small mechanism for the instant needed for him to activate it; a single second of energy which he unleashed within the echo that still bounced its way over the surface of the planet to alert the Jedi, rendering it invisible before himself, jumping to the stalactite roof and with an agility that equaled that of the greatest of acrobats, held himself face down towards the earth by inserting the two razors within the cold gray stone… Soon becoming indistinguishable from the other falling crystals as he meld himself to the shadows and waited for his prey’s coming.