Wilderness

[Caran Malo]

A cool wisp of snow drifted along the tundra fields, causing a fog of snow to swirl through the air and against the rough face of Caran Malo. It had been months since the incident on Kuat, since his abandonment of the Republica and everything they stood for. Everything had been a flash since then, constant slipping through spaceports, hitching rides with transport drivers and various seedy individuals--hopping one planet to the next, until he ended up on this tundra like planet far off the beaten path, away from everything and everyone.

He really didn't have an idea of where he was, but it seemed that this planet had escaped the reaches of the Empire and the galaxy's politics. Life was rough here, nothing was given or handed out. It was about living off the land, finding fire, food, and keeping yourself warm through the cold nights. The space had warped him, and left him rugged and rough around the edges.

His once neatly trimmed blond hair had grown uneven and long, while a scrubby beard had begun to form around his face, his clothing was heavy and rugged, he looked and felt like the part of a galactic pioneer. With his vibro-axe in hand, he moved towards a line of trees, he needed to get a fuel supply ready before night fell.

 

[Gervais Duval]

Not too many hours ago, Gervais had arrived at the planet after a rather long journey. He was looking for resources and assumed that the tundra covered planet might be rich on natural gases or minerals. If not, he could always move on to the next one, or perhaps even head back towards the core. The current location seemed to be the optimal for any such finds, at least that's what Gervais concluded before he set down on the planet's surface.

The freighter was protected in a secluded forest clearing a few kilometers away where a few soil samples were being processed and the hyperdrive was cooling down. Despite the relative cover provided by the trees, the cold winds were still quite noticeable. But unlike the cold and harsh climate on this planet, strong winds weren't uncommon around his home on Dantooine.

Not satisfied with what was found around the ship, Gervais had ventured northwards until he found a calm stream running along the edge of the forest, just by the tree line. Relaxed, Gervais sat on a fallen tree by the stream, holding a self made fishing rod. Seeing some movement and the occasional splatter, he knew that it was only a matter of time until he'd catch some fish. The rod was quite the simple construction consisting of nothing more than a line bound to a branch on the one side, and a hook on the other.

Eventually, he heard something approaching from a distance. With a sigh, he gently stuck his fishing rod between a couple of rocks which neatly held it in place. Gervais was in no rush and acted rather slowly as he hadn't seen anything indicating any too dangerous wildlife before setting down. Grabbing the barrel of his rifle with his left hand, he supported himself on it as if it was a crutch, as he rose to his feet. Once standing he turned towards the direction from which the sound came from, holding the rifle with both hands until he could see that the creature approaching was most likely humanoid. Gervais let the barrel of the rifle point to the ground as he raised his left hand and with a waving motion he hollered "Hello!" with a friendly tone.

 

[Caran Malo]

The snowfall from the night before had been more than the former Imperial expected, the snow drifts at times went up towards his waist, causing the dirty man to trudge slowly through its thick white substance. This planet had been an oddity, with it's varying shades shades of red and purple leaved pines, the orange rocky mountains that painted the backdrop of his daily view. The snow never seemed to end here, maybe for a few weeks out of the year if they were lucky. The former officer was on his way towards the Rugged River, as he had dubbed it.

It was a rapid river, a few hundred meters wide, but the speed of it's teal substances was quick and violent for most of its passage, but the part he was making his way too opened up into a slower expanse. There had been several reports of the local villagers going missing in this area, most of them never to be found, but there were a few cases of their bodies being found in the water. The backwater species of this planet assumed that their fellow brothers and sisters had drowned, but the maggots and larva that Caran had encountered on their bodies, pointed towards them dying on land. Something or someone had been dumping the bodies into the water, all things pointed towards the various sounds he could hear deep in the woods at night. Something was out here praying on the individual.

His eyes were low, as he kept his eyes on the frozen ground, watching the path, that was when he heard a voice call out to him in basic. He would raise his head to see an aging human calling out to him with a rifle in hand. Caran's face was clearly visible to the man, his once uniform and short hair had become a clumpy long mess, a patchy, but thick beard growing along the jawline of his face, while dirt covered most of his face. A series of burns across the left side of his face was prominent, and couldn't be hidden. He probably looked like some sort of snow monster. Could be an Imperial Hitman..He thought to himself.

"What are you doing out here alone?" Was all Caran responded with.

tag: @Pyrenees

 

[Gervais Duval]

Gervais looked at the rugged man for both one and two seconds, particularly taking interest in the vibro-axe where his eyes lingered the longest. Assuming the worst of people was never something Gervais was very fond of, but the grip he held of his rifle was tightening as the man approached. Seeing the bad weather and the strangers current condition made him doubt how stable the man was. Still, the guy had formed an intelligible sentence and had not made anything to cause real concern yet. Wanting to establish some kind of trust, he let the barrel of his rifle drop further down towards the ground, he opened his mouth to respond. "Camping! But my partner couldn't make it. The flu." he said with raised eyebrows, shrugging his shoulders lightly. Naturally he lied, not being too keen on sharing his true intentions on the planet. It was rather clear that he lacked the Imperial accent associated with the Empire as his speech had the characteristic sound of someone coming from the outer rim, far removed from the core worlds.

The man approaching him certainly looked like he was down on his luck. By contrast, Gervais was quite well kept with a thick jacket along with a good hat to keep him warm. He did, however, stand out amidst the snow-filled landscape since the colours of his clothes were better suited for the autumn fields of Dantooine than the snowy tundra that dominated the current planet. Gervais had no idea what this scabrous stranger could be doing out here, in what he deemed as the middle of nowhere. "What'cha doing out here yourself?" he asked unassumingly. A smirk formed on his lips as he eyed the axe again, "Looking for some firewood?" he asked while pointing at the tool with his free hand.

 

[Caran Malo]

Caran's hand went towards the brim of his worn and beat up Imperial officer's cap as the wind came sweeping through the valley, his hand pulling it down his forehead to prevent it from flying off in the wind. "Camping in this area?" he responded in a gruff Imperial accent--it was clear he was from the core worlds.

It was clear that his words were directed towards the man in a neutral and questioning tone, "This isn't known for a camping spot," he responded as he raised a brow, "six people have gone missing within a span of 3 years, this exact spot." He paused as his eyes focused in on the man, "I'm a Thu'kari, it means one who walks among the cursed lands. I'm a ranger, my scars denote my status among these beings...Something or someone is out here causing people to simply vanish without a trace."

tag: @Pyrenees

 

[Gervais Duval]

Gervais' eyebrows raised slightly as he heard the Imperial accent, not expecting it all the way out here from someone in the condition of the man in front of him. His pointing finger dropped as the interest in responding his question seemed rather low. He was looking the man in the eyes for a few seconds as he considered his response to the questions regarding his activities, not feeling particularly rushed. Gervais took a deep breath, taking in the fresh air and then responded with a plain "Yes" but soon continued "I'm fishing, over there if you'd care to join me." shifting his hand towards the spot at which he sat by the stream.

Upon hearing about the disappearances, Gervais didn't show much of a facial reaction as he thought of how superstitious the locals were. Not feeling particularly interested in offending the man, he shrugged "There haven't been anything out of ordinary happening while I've been here." He took a step back, as if inviting the man into the better relative cover the trees provided from the cold winds.