Whiteout

[Mid Samekh]

Ziost/Middle of a snow storm​

12:10 local time​

Korriban was lost. The Mind Breakers have taken it and with it the population of Purebloods. Mid had no idea whether or not his people were still alive, but judging from the lack of overwhelming loss in the Dark Side he had reason to hope. But if he was indeed mistaken, then he might be part of a species threatening endangerment.

The loss of Korriban also had another problem. Every Sith on there lost their contact to the ancient knowledge held both by the academy as well as the various tribes dotting the desert's landscape. So now Mid and his another acolyte were forced to look elsewhere to learn the ancient art of Sith Alchemy. Luckily Korriban wasn't the only planet with a Pureblood population. Long ago there was a migration where several of his people colonised Ziost. And what a poor choice they made.

The landscape was a frozen wasteland. Mid couldn't fathom why they stuck around and even thrived in this wasteland. To make matters worse there were reports that they even brought Tu'kata along with them. He hoped that was sorely mistaken. but in case it wasn't a mistake he brought several vials of antivenom with him as well as his own hound, Varpa. His standard heavy armour had been drastically modified to keep him warm in these winter conditions. He could use the Force, but he didn't want to drain his reserves through the whole journey. All his other gear were still the same and modified for the low temperatures.

He stood on the bridge of his ship, watching the pilots enter the atmosphere. They barely made it through the atmosphere when the ship shuddered and rocked with winds bombarding it all over. The pilot couldn't keep them on course and was forced to land a couple miles from their intended landing site. Mid sighed with irritation and made his way to the hangar where two C-13 Redjacket's were waiting. Hopefully they didn't freeze up in these conditions. He really didn't want to traverse these lands on foot. Him and his crew moved the speeders to the loading ramp and opened up to howling winds and a face full of snow. "This is not going to be a fun mission." he grumbled. "Alright, you bunch. You stay put and keep an eye out. As soon as this storm clears up I want you to get to the landing site." he ordered his men then moved to a speeder to start loading his items in.

"You ready to go?" he asked his companion, practically shouting to be heard over the storm.

@Algarus

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

Kalanda was rather enthused to have been selected for this assignment. She hadn't been to Ziost before, but she certainly didn't imagine the world to be a snow blown hellhole. Still, compared to Korriban this was a paradise; especially with the lack of Mind Breakers. She had stumbled upon ancient Sith Power before, but that was little more than some sort of torture chamber to test one's mind. This though? This would be a gateway to a far greater treasure, and she was being asked to help discover it. The temperature was cold, far too cold for her liking. Being a rather new acolyte, she wasn't exactly given dibs on the heated combat suits. So, here she was, dressed head to toe in snow gear, praying that it would have been enough to spare her the horror of the cold. It wasn't.

She joined her companion in the hanger bay, a hulking figure of a pureblood. She was a tad intimidated by his size, as he easily towered over her smaller frame. All she had was a standard winter combat suit with several layed winter clothes over it, and yet here he was in heavy combat armor, probably had his own personal heater within it as well; which if he did, she envied him greatly. She did her best to modify her equipment for the snow storm they would be wandering into, but even technology had its limits. She watched as the man barked orders to his subordinates, as the acolyte could only stand and marvel at the potential future where that could be her in charge one day. As the man turned towards her, she nodded, she was more than ready to get underway; there was power to be found after all. "I am ready when you are." She said calmly, knowing she was in the presence of a superior who could most likely kill her without a qualm.

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

Mid nodded at her response. Dropping his backpack into a compartment he gestured to the other speeder. "Alright, let's go. Make sure you keep an open line. Anything can go wrong in these storms." he instructed, holding his cockpit open for Varpa to jump in. Once the hound was in he climbed in himself and closed the speeder up. The machine took some time to start up, but finally it shook off the cold and came to life.

Out in the cold Mid plotted a course towards the village they need to reach. The speeders were taking a hammering in this blizzard but they were holding out. "Scanners are going nuts in this weather. Can't get a lock on anything. Even the navigation system is barely working. Why my people decided to live here is beyond me." he spoke into the commlink for Kalanda to hear.

The route was surprisingly open, But Mid could feel something was off. This was way too easy, for some reason. His suspicions proved correct but he was too late as something wandered in front of his speeder and he hit it at full speed. Blood splattered across his windshield and the speeder rolled at a frightening speed across the snow. Mid held on as best he could but him and his hound shook around vigorously inside the cockpit. Finally it came to a halt and Mid let out a loud groan. "What the kark was that?" he asked weakly, trying to figure out where what is. After a few seconds he looked for the release and blew the cockpit open. The wind howled as he stumbled out of the wreckage along with Varpa. He hissed as a sharp pain shot through his right arm.

@Algarus

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

Kalanda nodded, listening to what her superior said, as she climbed into the speeder. She hadn't been piloting in the snow before, if anything she was going to hope for the best; even though she didn't know what half this nonsense was.

Indeed she had a hard time with the drive in, if not for her force senses, she might have actually gotten lost; which in this sort of weather was a very real possibility of death. She could hear Mid coming over her comms, though it was very garbled. "I'm having the same issues on my end as well." She muttered, growing annoyed at her helpless situation. Kalanda could hardly see anything beyond her vision, let along her superior up ahead. She narrowly avoided collision with his speeder however, being forced to steer away from him and nearly going off the route. With her heart pounding in her chest, the young acolyte soon felt something was amiss, as she popped open her cockpit and submitted to the horrible cold to encase itself around her. She stumbled into knee deep snow, as her hand fumbled for her lightsaber. Then, she felt something shift behind her, like the wind changing direction. Her lightsaber flared to life as she turned around, only to feel a sharp pain cut across her chin, knocking her into the snow, as her blood began to meld and melt the snow. The numbing cold threatened to overtake the sensation of pain, as the acolyte was thrown for a loop. What the hell hit her?

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

He heard her speeder getting close, but with everything going on he didn't have a clue where she was coming from. Thankfully she missed him as she raced past and stopped not too far. He could see her form through the snow, as well as her lightsaber coming to life. But when she suddenly fell back he knew something was wrong. He could sense that something was close, but he wasn't sure what.

With a struggle he reached her. "Come on, we have to get moving!" he called out, standing by her. Varpa was next to him, but with no fur he wasn't faring too good at all. But even the Tuk'ata's senses were blowing away in the storm.

Suddenly Mid felt something moving behind him, using the snow for cover. He spun around just in time to see another Tuk'ata pounce and tackle him to the ground. The beast differed from Varpa, though. Instead of tough, black hide it had a dark grey layer of fur. He managed to get his vambrace into its mouth before it could bite down on his neck, but when the animal's tail joined in he started to worry. He pressed his right fist against its throat and fired his Lanvarok right through. The creature slumped down and Mid scrammed to get back on his feet. "Tuk'atas!" he shouted over the storm.

Moving to stand back to back with Kalanda, he drew a lightsaber as well along with a pistol. "Don't let their tails hit you." he said to her over his shoulder.

@Algarus

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

Kalanda was making her way back to her feet, fury stemming from the blow she had received, as Mid shouted for her to get up. Just as she was righting herself, the Pureblood struck out at something in the snow, something that howled in pain before being silenced by his lanvarok. She knew all too well what a Tuk'ata was, she killed her fair share at the academy, but in this snowstorm they'd be damn hard to keep track of. Igniting her lightsaber, she went back to back with the Sith, reaching out with the force to sense the Tuk'ata's. She could feel four of them, three of them were circling around, one seemed to be the pack leader as it was farther away. "I sense four of them!" She shouted, blood still pouring from a cut to her upper left brow.

She had hardly gotten those words out before she felt one of the beasts lunge at her, to which she thrust her blade out, meeting it head on as the beast impaled itself on her crimson weapon, nearly bisecting itself, before it's smoldering body slumped into the snow. Well, now there were only three. It really shouldn't be too hard to kill these things, they were Sith after all, if they had trouble with Tuk'ata's they didn't deserve to be Sith.

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

Standing back to back, Mid closed his eyes and instead used his force sight. It was a handy trick, especially in moments where visibility were practically impossible. Moments like this. He could see them through the force. One of them was far stronger than the rest, clearly the pack's alpha. He saw the hound coming for Kalanda but she dispatched it easily enough. That'll make things easier. Thankfully these creatures were manageable, and not some crazy spawn like a Rancor.

One came for him but he didn't react. Instead the beast was tackled to the ground and mauled by Varpa, who was waiting for the hound to attack. Another one circled around to go for Kalanda while Mid was staring down the alpha. It charged at him and lunged, but Mid drew the force into his hands and sent the beast flying back. He quickly drew a blaster and opened fire at the beast, though sadly it managed to dodge the shots. Waiting again, he swung as the beast jumped again and cleaved through it.

Finally with the threat dealt with, Mid sighed and holstered his weapons. Varpa was standing beside him once more as he turned to look at Kalanda. "Let's see what we can salvage. We go out unprepared, we're dead." he explained over the storm to her and led the way back to their speeders. At their speeders he rummaged through the storage compartment for his bag and slung it around his shoulder. He sparked up a force light in his hand and tried to look the damage over. "Speeder's totalled! Must have hit one of the hounds!" he shouted as the wind howled. "What about yours?!" he asked her.

@Algarus

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

Kalanda felt a good degree better about herself having slain one of the creatures, though the warmth of the blood on her face was starting to cool now, as her fingers and face were practically numb. She felt one of the creatures die from Mid's side, which left her facing off with a remaining creature. She shut her saber off, knowing this was well in hand, as she stowed the weapon away; only to be interrupted as the Tuk'ata lunged at her, but she wasn't concerned. With a wave of her hand, she lifted the beast up in the air, before slamming it against a rock several times, reducing the once mighty creature into a mountain of flesh and shattered bone.

Having finished that, her hand went to her face, inspecting the wound, as she found it wasn't nearly as bad as she feared, though the cut was rather long. She put the pain aside, letting it fuel her for now, they needed to get back on their trial anyhow. Mid's speeder was apparently totaled, which meant they would have to share hers. Wonderful. At least they didn't have to share supplies. "My speeder is fine, we need to get going before the cold locks up the engine." Unless Mid had some objections, Kalanda would allow him in the speeder, though with the addition of his pet, it was extremely crowded. "Same heading as before?" She asked, wincing as she was forced to be closer to the man than she would have wanted.

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

She quickly joined up with him at the speeder, though he noticed as she felt around her chin. Immediately he got concerned and took hold of her cheek, angling it to inspect the wound. "Hold still, let me see." he ordered sternly, checking the wound. With no way to know whether it was a tail wound or not made him worry for her part. He dug around in his backpack and pulled out a small syringe with a clear liquid inside it. "use this. Tuk'ata anti-venom. Can't have you falling over dead on the way there. Just keep the wound clean, doesn't seem too bad." he explained and instructed, moving back to her speeder to look it over.

Her's was indeed still functional, though he wasn't impressed over what she was hinting towards. "You think you, me and Varpa will fit in that? The two of us won't even fit." he shouted over the storm. For curiosity's sake he tried to start her speeder back up but nothing happened. It didn't start, it didn't even prime. Nothing. "Well at least I won't be walking alone." he joked as he walked away from the speeder. He focused for a few seconds until he finally found a heading. He felt a pull, dark and powerful, straight ahead of them. "This way!" he called out and started to soldier through the snow.

The cold was awful. He was well insulated but despite this he still felt it, though he didn't show it. He kept a steady pace, but it was still slow to make sure Kalanda and Varpa didn't fall behind. She was a lot weaker than him after all, and he doubted she grew up in a wasteland of a planet.

@Algarus

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

Kalanda winced as Mid called attention to her wound, mentally kicking herself for her weakness, but to her surprise the pureblood treated her wound rather than belittle her for her failing. She stared at him in disbelief as he offered her an anti toxin, which she took, muttering a small bit of thanks under her breath. As Mid inspected her speeder, she would do what little she could to mend her wound. It wasn't much, but she was at least able to give herself some of the anti toxin.

Mid asked if her speeder was going to fit them in there, and frankly she didn't know. They were going to have to try, because the alternative wasn't much better. Then, unfortunately, it turned out they were too slow, as her speeder had stalled out. She mentally moaned, feeling rather irritated at this unfortunate turn of fate. "Blast it all..." She cursed, before falling in line with Mid. She had no chance of making it out here on her own. Needless to say, Mid received no argument from her, as Kalanda did her best to keep up, but the thick snow was giving her some issues. She did her best however, not wanting to appear weaker than she already did, though she was quickly losing sensation in her legs and arms. This blasted cold was going to be the death of her it seemed. Hopefully they would reach shelter soon.

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

Mid led the way, guiding them towards the camp. He was managing just fine, but he could feel Kalanda getting weaker. He had to admire that she was trying her hardest to not appear weak. It was an admirable trait. But He couldn't afford to have her die out here. Not yet at least.

"Get behind me! Follow my steps!" he called out. He knew it would make her life a bit easier but not by much. And even using the force to warm one's self out here proved useless. If her condition worsened, he would wrap an arm around her to try and give her some of his warmth. "We're almost there! I can feel it!" he shouted over the snow. He could feel the presence getting stronger and stronger. Eventually they reached...something. In the distance Mid saw a silhouette watching them. "There's something up ahead! Be on guard!" he shouted over his shoulder and pressed on.

The being ahead of them started to make its way towards them. Mid could finally figure out it was humanoid, and then he figured out it was another Pureblood dressed in thick furs. The figure came to a halt in front of them with a Lanvarok at the ready. "We felt your arrival on the planet." the stranger said coldly with a thick Sith accent, eyeing them both. "Why do you come here?" he continued. Mid stared the Pureblood down for a second before speaking up, "We wish to speak with your chief." he stated. The Pureblood stood in place as he decided whether to help them or not before finally nodding. "Follow me." he instructed.

A few minutes later they arrived at the village. The snow wasn't as deep, thankfully, and they were lead to the chief's tent which was quite pleasantly warm. Inside they were seated across from him with two warriors standing behind them with Sith blades. "Welcome. We felt your arrival. Now tell us, what brought you to our village?" the old chief asked. He was ancient. Probably centuries old. "We've come here in search of knowledge. Ancient knowledge." Mid explained calmly after he removed his helmet. "And what knowledge will that be?" the chief asked with a chuckle. "Sith Alchemy." Mid stated simply, clearly not in the mood to beat around the bush. It was way too cold for that.

@Algarus

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

It was cold. Bitterly, terribly, unforgivably cold. It was a level of cold that made it feel like one would never know warmth again, never know what a world without frostbite would be like. To her surprise, Mid seemed to be unwilling to leave her behind, as the snow began to slow her progress to a crawl, but his assertion that they were close gave her enough strength to carry on. Finally, went it felt like she was going to freeze solid, they arrived at a cave, but she sensed they were not alone; as she would soon find. Her hand were frozen solid, but she at least made the attempt to guard herself as Mid called attention to the danger.

As the new pureblood arrived, the Sith couldn't cease her shivering enough to muster forth any words, but it seemed Mid was okay doing the talking for the both of them. Thank the force it didn't come to the three trading blows, because Kalanda wasn't sure she had the strength to be of much help. As the Sith turned to lead them on, she glanced to her superior, feeling the cold starting to lose it's grip on her. "A-Are they part of the Sith?" She asked, her teeth chattering as she was shivering down to the bone. But, seeing as how this was the reason they were here, she would follow behind Mid as they were brought into the Pureblood village, and presented before the apparent leader of the village. She reminded quiet, knowing that a slip of the tongue might spell her death at the hands of her master, or the Sith sitting before her. Still, as Mid spoke of Sith Alchemy, the young acolyte rose an eyebrow in curiosity. She had heard of such a thing during her time in the academy...did it originate here?

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

Mid didn't say anything to answer Kalanda's question. He merely nodded and wrapped an arm around her to try and thaw her out. But at least the tents were warm and soon enough she'll have recovered. For the rest of the talk she remained quiet, probably the best given how temperamental Purebloods can get. Even now Mid could tell one misstep could prove very problematic.

The chief laughed along with a few other Purebloods then eyed Mid and Kalanda. "Now why would you come here, child? With a weakling like her, no less." he asked Mid, his golden eyes drilling right through Kalanda. Mid raised a hand to keep Kalanda quiet, in case she said something out of place. Though he himself was insulted by being called a child. "She's stronger than she looks. And she fulfills her purpose." Mid explained curtly. "As for why we're here, that's our reason. All I ask is if you're willing to teach me." he went on, working to speak in a calmer tone.

An evil smirk formed across the chief's face. "I can teach you, yes. But first you will have to do something in return." he started, but waved another Pureblood over and whispered something to him in Sith. "But it can wait until tomorrow. You're no good to me dead. He will show you to a place where you can rest. We shall continue this talk tomorrow." he instructed, then waited for the two Sith to leave.

Mid slid his helmet back on and guided Kalanda out back into the cold. They were led to another tent where they were left alone. It was thankfully warm and vacant, clearly meant for them to rest in private. Though 'private' was a bit of a stretch since they essentially had to share a bed. Mid undressed until his armour was beside the bed on the floor and he was dressed in a tank top with simple trousers. "Get some rest." he instructed Kalanda calmly as he sat down on the bed. "I have a feeling we'll need it." he continued. He looked her gear over. "The snow storm did its own damage but your gear is way too light for this weather." he commented.

Varpa found a comfy spot in front of the bed and almost immediately fell asleep.

@Algarus

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

Kalanda felt at odds with her Sith superior, as he seemed to be more concerned with her well being than she was used to, trying to keep her warm against the raging storm around them. As they were brought before the chief, she nearly snapped back at the Sith Chieftain for insulting her, only Mid’s swift reaction halted her from making a critical mistake. Mid’s comment alleviated some of her anger, though it more or less bubbled beneath the surface of her mind. She made a note to revisit this pureblood in the future, maybe she could show him just how ‘weak’ she was.

As the two purebloods exchanged words, Kalanda only kept an angry gaze at the chief, just hoping to be giving permission to attack, but that never came. Some deal was made between the two, what the nature of that was she had no idea. Facing the cold once more, she thankfully wasn’t exposed for long this time around, as they found shelter in the quarters they were assigned; which were surprisingly warm. As Varpa moved to sleep in front of the bed, the young acolyte seemed a tad apprehensive, as she looked to her superior, then to the bed, then back to her superior. Was there really only one bed? Did they have to share? A concerned expression crossed her face, as she noticed Mid was undressing before her. She wasn’t exactly shy but…this was not a situation she had encountered before. “Forgive me my lord but-” She stopped herself, knowing that the Sith would not want to repeat himself. It was just a bed. They weren’t going to be doing anything other than sleeping after all. No need to make it weird. “Never mind.”

With that, she sat on the bed, removing the pieces of armor that were practically frozen onto her, as she went from five layers of clothing down to only two. The warmth of the tent certainly made up for it, though she still kept her robes and a pair of winter wear over her. Mid would no doubt sense his acolyte seemed uncomfortable with their current situation, but Kalanda forced herself to lie down on the bedding after some mental coaxing. So far this mission was a disaster, their transportation was totaled, and her winter gear was ineffective against the cold, with no real alternative in sight. “If I may ask my lord, what is our plan going forward?” She asked, turning towards him, keeping her eyes fixated on his, as to not remind her of their current situation. Hopefully future missions wouldn’t be so awkward.

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

Mid certainly sensed the tenseness coming from her. He himself wasn't too uncomfortable, it wasn't the first time he had to share a bed. At least this time nothing's happening in the bed. With a chuckle he spoke up. "Don't be so nervous, Acolyte." he said casually. "You're not red enough for my taste." he quipped with a laugh. Of course that was a lie, Mid really wasn't that picky. But she didn't need to know that.

She lied down beside him and asked another question as she turned to look at him. He cast a quick glance before closing his eyes again. "going forward? We listen to what the chief says, do what he asks and get what we came for, then we get out of here." he explained calmly. "I don't want to be here any longer than is necessary. I have a bad feeling about this place." he continued.

He looked at Kalanda again and smirked. "Get some rest. I think you'll need it more than I do." he quipped then rolled over to get some sleep. Sleep they will need for what's to come...

/End Thread

@Algarus