First Reply A frozen wonderland

[Aristodemus]

Aristodemus du Couteau
Location: Ilum
Tag: Open

It was far too cold for his liking, in fact Aristodemus inwardly declared to never visit such a planet. Ever. Again. If he could spare the energy to exasperate he would but Arist needed to keep himself bundled tightly as possible. He had very little warmth to spare to allow himself the release of bitterness and annoyance. His legs continued to push through the snow that reached below his knees but thankfully the structure wasn’t far ahead and it spurred him forward.

Ilum had many mine shafts created, through battles and wars these mines were often hot-spots for conflict and sabotage. In Arist’s mind the worst offender was the planet itself, large glaciers that shifted the surface and near constant snow storms. This particular structure was a partially collapsed mining entrance and Arist carefully maneuvered himself inside to escape the biting cold wind. His ears perked up as odd sounds echoed, a possible section of a mine coming under strain and simply waited for Arist to dare an attempt to find an Ilum Crystal.

Perhaps if it hadn’t been for the bitter cold that hardened his resolve to find any crystal, Arist might have translated those sounds as a warning instead of a challenge. Suitable for a lightsaber or not, the allure of simply posing one was too great. With narrowed eyes he began to explore deeper into the mine, not willing to accept defeat against the frozen planet. He did though spare a thought of possibly coming across others on this planet. It wasn't like there was some sort of blockade and who knew what assorted security systems had been left forgotten from previous wars. He began to tread even lighter on his feet.
​

 

[Phobos]

Ilum
Tags: Aristodemus

​

Phobos drifted through what seemed like endless icy caverns. She had been here for a few days now, having hitch-hiked on the ship of some smugglers hidden in their cargo hold. They had come to Ilum to steal crystals, only to wind up the meals of a pack of Asharl Panthers. It was not a pleasant scene, but it was a fate they brought upon themselves. She didn't want to linger on the thought, and echoes in the force drew the ethereal spirit woman deeper into the planet.

There were ruins here, left behind wreckage from a battle that had occurred some time ago. Ships shot down on the day the New Imperial Order invaded had since been encased in the ice, trapped forever in time. Even with no ability to feel the cold, Phobos shuddered at the sight. It was strange to see these things alongside the remnants of an old mine now collapsed, the two only now being related by being trapped in the same place. An association of the unrelated now shared in the same tomb.

The deeper she went, the more the ringing in her head grew. She had been levitating, but then she could only walk. Then only stagger forward. At some point she collapsed to her knees. A black film fell over her eyes like spilled blood and the Ashspawn fell into a trance. She was amidst a crowd, screaming and running frantically as turbolaser fire came down from on high. The visions looked like Tython, a place she somehow remembered but had never been to as far as she could recall. After a moment her gaze shifted upward as the howl of a Tie-Fighter caught her attention. It came in for a strafing run, firing off a missile and-


Phobos gasped as her vision returned, clutching at her chest. Her body revolted against its form for a moment, trying desperately to breathe despite having no lungs to do so with. Eventually she steadied herself and rose to her feet again. Whatever it was, it was a clear indication that whatever called out to her in the depths was close.

It was then that she heard it. Steps behind her, echoing from somewhere down one of the other paths in the icy cavern.

She was not alone.

 

[Aristodemus]

Aristodemus du Couteau
Location: Ilum
Tag: Phobos

His lights were barely enough to keep the path ahead lit, but something stirred in him whenever the light was turned into a different direction and darkness took its place. Arist steeled himself and walked through a partially collapsed durasteel walkway. The darkened marks near the crater of the collapse indicated an explosion of some form, to which Arist gingerly skirted along the edges. Eyes and light danced around the ground in search of any forgotten ordinances.

Old pathways diverged, broken doors and entrances that led to some sort of office or rest area for the miners that once worked here. Silhouettes danced across the wall as he scanned the area with his light before he froze and slowly stepped back and out into the main mine area again. A sight he wanted to avoid entirely, his stomach turned and quickly Arist looked for anything else. The mine continued deeper but a partial collapse had occurred, whether from battle or glacial movement Arist couldn’t know for sure.

Either way he frowned at the tight opening that was left to continue deeper, jagged edges of torn durasteel bars and plates crushed by boulders and other large icy rocks. With a mental shake from even considering looking back at the corpse filled room for another exit into a different mine, Arist prodded and analyzed the opening. While not impossible to move through, his small frame allowed a fair bit of flexibility when it came to escape hatches or rooms for his performances, his jacket was another issue.

“This is going to be majorly awful.” Arist clicked his tongue against his teeth and took off his jacket so he could stuff it into his backpack. He could afford tears on his thermals and underclothing, he just couldn’t risk tears or holes in his jacket. He thought though that at least there was no wind to contend with as he attempted his crawl through the opening in the collapse.

Arist felt a chill run up his spine but quickly moved forward and maneuvered himself through the opening left by the collapse. Careful not to get himself caught by anything sharp and not slip on the icy rocks and boulders that were his only footpaths ahead. Smaller rocks and pebbles shifted and rolled as Arist pushed himself through, his light bounced around with every movement but thankfully he reached an opening and landed with a solid thump.

Followed by another thump of his backpack and Arist nearly tore it open to grab and put on his jacket. His eyes looked at his immediate surroundings and found more signs of battle and struggle, Arist aimed his flashlight in front of him and breathed deeply as he walked deeper yet into the mine. He felt something that nearly made him too scared to take another step forward but Arist clenched his fists tightly. He walked forward, if only to get himself warm and if he needed to crawl through another small opening Arist told himself he'd consider going back.
​

 

[Phobos]

Ilum
Tags: Aristodemus

​

Strange... a presence in the Force? Jedilings came to this place to find kyber, she recalled. Their kind seemed just as drawn to this place as she had been. Maybe it was one of their Masters, given that they were alone. Someone who could point her in the right direction? Perhaps. Even so, it was the only lead she had at present. Given that, Phobos gathered up her composure and set off towards the direction she heard the echoing footsteps coming from. The path was not particularly easy to navigate. Narrow corridors filled with the wreckage of abandoned mining equipment and military munitions had made them quite maze-like. There was an innate frustration that the young woman felt as she tried to navigate her way through the mess.

Her cloak kept getting caught on little snags she kept missing. The thing was already tattered as it was, but this did little to make it better. Even so, she persisted onward until she found herself in a much more open path. It was a moment of respite she would appreciate for only a split-second before she kept moving.

Before long she saw the confirmation of another being. It was the glow of a flashlight just ahead. Something about that reassurance that there were other living beings in this place was rejuvenating, and as they rounded the corner into view Phobos resolved herself to call out to them and let them know she was present. She was so relieved that she forgot that she often was unsettling to others, given her bizarre form. Of course, it hardly mattered, as Phobos would not get to call out. There was a crack in the ice above, and a metal beam left behind from the ruin of a ship fell through. It landed directly on top of her.

Phobos' ash body all but exploded on impact, leaving a scattered pile at the foot of the beam. An emerald gemstone clattered to the ground, skipping across the ice. After a few moments of sitting idle, a green flame engulfed the stone. A pair of white eyes appeared in the flame. Now in her reduced form, Phobos looked back to where she had been standing when she had been crushed.

Her dress and cloak were positively torn to shreds. If fire was capable of crying, she very much would have liked too. She didn't know how she would replace them...

For a moment, the stranger in the cavern was forgotten.

 

[Aristodemus]

Aristodemus du Couteau
Location: Ilum
Tag: Phobos

​

​

The last thing he wanted to see were more frozen bodies, left behind by the most recent battle and forgotten by either side. It was a strange thing to witness first hand of how poorly the dead had been treated. Arist frowned as his light landed on several crates, seemingly empty and continued his walk further through the mine.​

​

Thankfully he felt much warmer with every step, those near freezing minutes of when he was without his jacket faded from his memory. Though his body betrayed him as his free hand tightened his jacket with a clenched fist to keep his fingers warm. He wanted to feel small, his eyes glanced around forgotten frozen equipment and the roof of the mine. Arist breathed evenly to steady himself as doubt crept in and climbed past what was a broken down mining vehicle.​

​

Before he could take another step he stopped as the sound of something large shifted and next was the sound of metal being torn before a final loud crash. Arist instinctually backed himself against the mine’s rocky wall and quickly looked up and around if anything else was going to fall. Ready to leap out of the way, even if it felt futile in this enclosed space.​

​

Several tense seconds later Arist breathed in and out and gingerly walked ahead where the collapse had been heard from. His light shone across some large metal beam that had probably been just under far too much stress and ready to fall. Dust and debris of ice or rock slowly settled as he looked around and hoped that was all going to fall.​

​

Arist caught a glimpse of something different though, a green light source, and he shone his flashlight in the green light’s direction. Slowly he approached, still wary of the roof deciding to redecorate the floor again, he narrowed his eyes and took a better look. Was it a crystal that he came to here to find?​

​

“Green fire?” Arist muttered his question.​

​

He wasn’t exactly sure of how Illum Kyber Crystals were supposed to appear but nothing on his dataslate said anything about flames. There were two smaller dots of white but a sound of metal shifting stopped him from further examination and he moved his flashlight across the metal beam.​

​

 

[Phobos]

Ilum
Tags: Aristodemus

​

A Jediling. Why were they alone? Phobos sat still as she was examined briefly, a bit lost for words as she looked around for any others. They usually did their trials with other Jedi children, didn't they?

Phobos then glanced up to see the shifting metal above. That was no good. The Ashspawn tried to speak, only to realized that she was incapable of doing so in her reduced state. So, with little else to do, the small green flame took flight and began to dance around the teenage Force user in the air. It wiggled frantically in a feeble attempt to try and get Arist to follow to safety. The little white dots offered some emoting, as they appeared to curve as though to emulate brows furrowed in worry. Eventually, however, Phobos simply gave up and changed her tactics.

The flame positioned itself beside him and began bumping into his shoulder to prod him into going towards a tunnel beside the beam that had fallen and crushed her ashen form. The crystal within had physical form and gave the impact gentle weight. Unusually, the fire itself did not burn. It's warmth had a rejuvenating quality, akin to the energy transferring sensation of Force Healing.

Hopefully, though, what Phobos was trying to get across was very clear. She didn't want to have this boy stand around in a daze and wait for the roof to cave in.

 

[Aristodemus]

Aristodemus du Couteau
Location: Ilum
Tag: Phobos

Arist wasn’t exactly positive the roof was going to stay steady for long but almost instantly his eyes were torn away to follow the burning green fire crystal. It floated and flew around him and this time with closer inspection he realized the two off-color dots of white in the green fire were more akin to eyes. They frowned in a way that Arist guessed was concerned perhaps? Or maybe even panic or interest.

He tilted his head slightly to the left, his own face confused. “Illum Crystals can fly?” The question sounded more absurd spoken out loud.

Another moment passed and this time his eyes shifted the sound of rocks and metal moving. With widened eyes he attempted to move but found himself stuck, unsure if he should sprint back or elsewhere for safety. He felt something warm press against his shoulder, once then twice and quickly several more times as Arist realized the burning crystal was attempting to get him to move. He agreed and moved in the direction the green flame with eyes was attempting to shove him towards.

Grateful for the decision being taken from his hands he moved through the tunnel and heard a distant crash and heavy thud from behind him. Arist slowed down and breathed heavily as he pressed his back against the tunnel’s wall and slowly slid down. The ground was far too cold and quickly with a weary sigh he placed his backpack down to sit on and shined his flashlight around him.

“So, are you a Jedi Force thing? A gem species of some sort?” Arist asked, before he blinked a few times, another thought dawned on him. “Do you understand Galactic Basic? . . . Kinda the only language I know unfortunately.”

Presently he had escaped another near death experience and Arist wanted to think anything but that for the moment. As well as the fact he was now deeper in a mine that was continuing to become more treacherous to traverse through, he also wanted to avoid thoughts of how he might be stuck in the mine. Instead he wanted to know how a gemstone of sometime could both fly and be on fire with eyes.
​

 

[Phobos]

Ilum
Tags: Aristodemus

​

Phobos tensed in the air as the portion of the cavern they had stood on collapsed behind them. The flames froze in place for a moment before they became animated again. As she tried to compose herself, the young man began to rattle off questions at her.

“So, are you a Jedi Force thing? A gem species of some sort?” Arist asked, before he blinked a few times, another thought dawned on him. “Do you understand Galactic Basic? . . . Kinda the only language I know unfortunately.”

This would be hard to answer with charades. She did her best to try and do an action that appeared like a nod when he asked if she understood basic, but it really more looked like her eyes were just bobbing up and down. After that a tiny puff of fire emmitted from the flame, almost resembling a sigh. It was really hard to communicate in such a limited form. She drifted back from Arist to try and reform herself. For a moment, ash began to swirl around the fire in a shape that resembled a humanoid. The vissage was like a ghost, little more than the translucent outline of a person.

It hardly lasted. She didn't have the energy to reconstitute herself. The ash fell away and the gemstone fell, clattering against the ice. When the green fire came back it sported a pair of pouty eyes.

She was probably going to be stuck like this for a moment.

 

[Aristodemus]

Aristodemus du Couteau
Location: Ilum
Tag: Phobos

Arist stared patiently and after a few moments of attempting to understand the floating flaming gem he realized this was going to be a lot more difficult. The eyes moved up and down, he assumed it looked a bit in the affirmative to his question of understanding basic. He braced his arms on his knees and finally his head into his gloved hands to think a bit more. He raised an eyebrow when a small spout of fire erupted over the green flame, Arist wondered if it meant that it had an idea.

The gem floated back and suddenly swirled what Arist assumed was dust formed into something vaguely human. He raised both eyebrows and suddenly the shape disappeared, whatever it was doing it ceased. The flame extinguished and the gem fell to the floor with a clatter. Arist jolted up, his worry grew as his mind raced with ideas as he tried to figure out what to do to possibly help or do anything really.

Fortunately before he even took his next step forward the green flame returned and the gem floated back up towards him with large eyes. Arist sighed happily as the stress in his shoulders slipped away, stress he hadn’t realized that had built up so suddenly. He looked back at the flame with a weary smile but wasn't sure if the gem had eyes that spoke a look of irritability.

Maybe it wanted to do more with the human shape? He wasn’t sure what the gem was attempting to point, maybe there was another person like him nearby? Or maybe it was something else entirely.

“My name is Aristodemus, but usually I go by Arist.” Arist introduced himself and bowed before the green flame.

He slung his backpack over his shoulders again after a quick pat to shake off any ice and gestured with his free hand deeper down the tunnel. Arist was going out on a limb here and assumed that this flaming gem was not an Illum kyber crystal. He still had his original reason as to why he was here, but doing so with company certainly made the journey feel quite a bit bearable.

“Want to come with?” He asked, “If there’s a computer terminal or large enough data-slate we can figure out a way to communicate too.” Arist offered as he gestured with an extended open hand.

“Plus, I’d like to figure out a way to repay you for the assist earlier.”
​

 

[Phobos]

Ilum
Tags: Aristodemus

​

Aristodemus. That was a long name. Arist would be much easier to remember, once she was finally able to properly communicate again. When the offer was given to her to travel together, the flame's eyes bobbed up and down once more in confirmation. Better to travel with someone else, she reasoned. If the Jediling was searching a kyber crystal, it was reasonable to assume that following him would lead to a place where the Force flowed stronger. Somewhere she could gather energy and reform herself. Alongside that, she now had an interest in seeing the boy safely succeed in whatever it was he was seeking to achieve in this place.

Phobos would float up and place herself in the outstretched hand of the teen, the closest thing she could get to a handshake in such a reduced form. Once more, warm energy would emanate from her, warding off the cold and bring a sensation of rejuvenation. It was only natural. Of all the things that Phobos was, she was most of all composed of light in it's purest form. A being born from the Force itself.

Now that she had done all she could to make her intention to follow known, Phobos turned her focus to the path ahead. She did what she could to begin to draw in as much energy from her surroundings as she could in hopes of reconstructing her physical form once more...

 

[Aristodemus]

Aristodemus du Couteau
Location: Ilum
Tag: Phobos

Arist smiled wide as the Flame floated and landed on his hand to accept his handshake. He walked as he looked at his hand and glanced at the green flame, it was probably futile to learn everything through yes or no questions. Warmth that essentially wiped the cold from the bone, he wasn’t sure if there was more to it or if he simply felt inspired to have someone with him in this dark and cold place. Though he did think it was strange how didn't burn anything despite the warmth it could emit.

Either way he kept walking and hoped to find more than just rubble and old battle scars in this mine with his new potential friend. The walls along their path had protruding ice that forced Arist to move to one side or another, broken mining machines and crates every other ten meters or so. But what he felt was odd were a couple of side exits that were either blocked completely from an old cave-in or deliberate use of old machinery to make it impossible to maneuver through and into. He stopped for a moment to shine his flashlight around, with a shake of his head Arist returned to walk deeper down the tunnel. Maybe if he wanted to risk destroying his clothes he could find a path through but opted for better chance of survival in the cold.

He glanced over to the green flame, unsure if he should address it every once in a while. Now that his adrenaline had subsided, he felt a bit embarrassed for his rush of questions sent at the flame. Arist mused a bit on that thought, but before he could a section of the tunnel’s wall had an opening.

“Let’s check this out.”

Arist quickly moved closer to see how it remained open, with an exception of some durasteel mesh plates on the floor wrecked across it. He stepped further inside and shined his flashlight to find more mining machines and crates, all left mostly intact. Deeper inside it appeared a group of miners had started an excavation project here with multiple spots of attempted drilling and makeshift smaller mine entrances.

“Huh,” Arist walked further to explore before his beam of light landed on a door that appeared large enough to allow vehicles through. "Probably another tunnel entrance." He muttered as he walked towards the door’s console. It was unresponsive, a big surprise there but Arist couldn’t blame himself for having hope.

He dropped his backpack and began to rummage for his portable electric heater he used to boil water. Arist searched around the console with his omni-tool to pry it open and see if he couldn’t wire it to his heater’s battery for a quick jump start.

“Is green the only colour you can emit? Not to say green isn’t a cool colour, like at all.” Arist spoke as he removed his gloves and shuddered both at his own embarrassment and his skin feeling the cold air’s touch. Steeling himself, he worked to quickly find the right wires only pausing to give looks back at his new flame acquaintance and rub his hands together for a bit of friction heat.

“I was told my grandfather’s lightsaber has a similar colour, a brilliant emerald green.” He continued, only pausing to give the Green Flame a curious stare at the gem that it was formed around. Huh.

He returned to the door panel and after a few sparks and careful handling of his heater’s battery, Arist saw the console light up. With a short laugh he quickly stood up and with a showy hand movement he pressed the open command option for the door.

“And for my next trick. . . .” Arist muttered as he smiled impishly. The large door slid open to reveal something a bit different, if not more dangerous.

The path ahead had three bridges that extended to different tunnel entrances, but what gave Arist pause was the rather large dark crevasse. He refused to shine his light down there, rather accepting of the fact that falling meant a disastrous end. The bridges themselves appeared sturdy, but Arist really wanted to return back to their old tunnel.

Arist began to breathe evenly, he closed his eyes and stretched out his sense through the Force. He was a novice at the ability but he could tell the Green Flame immediately was the most pure source of Force energy he ever sensed. Almost blindingly so but that exposure also allowed him to sense something a lot weaker, or rather a faded trace of what he assumed were kyber crystals.

“I’d rather not walk across these bridges but,” Arist sighed as he lifted his backpack and placed his gloves back on, “But I sense something down the left bridge.” With a slight grimace he began to walk down the left bridge and winced with every step across the bridge.
​

 

[Phobos]

Ilum
Tags: Aristodemus

​

“Is green the only colour you can emit? Not to say green isn’t a cool colour, like at all.”

“I was told my grandfather’s lightsaber has a similar colour, a brilliant emerald green.”

Phobos took a moment to concentrate a bit. The flame hue shifted, becoming pink for a moment before changing back to green. It was merely to indicate that she could, but her true color was green. If anything, her current state allowed her to be a diligent listener. It, of course, made it way more tense for her when the young man found himself facing a bridge. He said that he could sense something down it, and Phobos could as well. A place where she could replenish her strength perhaps?

Maybe. There was only one way to know for sure.

While Arist walked the unstable path, Phobos let more of her energy flow towards him to guide his steps. It would offer him a heightened sense of focus and awareness as he attempted his crossing. It was all she could do for him at the moment, so she would give it as much effort as she could possibly muster.

 

[Aristodemus]

Aristodemus du Couteau
Location: Ilum
Tag: Phobos

Arist took a careful step forward, his ears perked up, listening for anything unusual. Fortunately it was only his footsteps making metallic thumps as he made his way across the bridge with his emerald flame companion. He looked around the bridge and despite the ice and somewhat worn appearance, it didn’t appear to suffer any battle damage.

He raised an eyebrow as he scanned around with his flashlight, the cavern entrance ahead of him had more large mining vehicles. He approached at first slowly through the entrance, his feet finally leaving the bridge as he narrowed his eyes and scanned ahead of him. A lot more excavation had been done in this area, large drills and dirt hauling equipment everywhere. Once Arist moved further in, he stopped and reached out with the Force, there was something near but all he could see was ice and rock.

“Maybe there are crystals here, just buried deeper. Which explains all this equipment here.” Arist mused, he had no way to start up any of the machinery here, let alone the capability of using any of them. He gave the ice wall a pat with his glove hands before heading back to the center of the room.

He chuckled to himself as he slung his backpack off, he pilfered through it to pull out a small folding chair and sat down. Arist continued to rummage through, with a large bottle and heater, he quickly began to work boiling water. What he intended to do next was going to be difficult for him.

“Something tells me I should check down further below, I got climbing rope and equipment but all the same it’ll take me a bit. . . and if it’s too deep, well.” Arist explained with a shrug and a small smile to the Green Flame. He hadn't brought a lot of tools with him but depending the depth it might be enough.

When it had changed its colour to pink, Arist thought it was quite adorable and wondered what else it could do. His hands grasped the warm cup greedily as he had removed his gloves to work his little heater.

“Do you need to eat or something?” He was a bit curious on how it functions as a sort of Force entity.

He knew that the living Force flowed through everything and everyone, but as far as he was concerned he still needed to eat and drink. Though he had read something about Force Gems that were imbued with something that made them sentient. He realized that perhaps the next time he was at a library he should spend a bit more time studying.
​

 

[Phobos]

Ilum
Tags: Aristodemus

​

“Maybe there are crystals here, just buried deeper. Which explains all this equipment here.”

Explains the equipment....

Phobos felt something in the air swell now. Whatever had guided her to Ilum, whatever she needed to see, it was close. While the Jediling opened up a folding chair and began to boil himself water, the eyes of the flame wandered around the cavern as though following a trail of some kind. Something unseen by the human eye, but present in the Force. This place was full of memories. Wounds that festered below the frozen surface. Ghosts waiting to be released. As she was drawn in by it, images flooded her mind.

"I will not let you destroy my world, my children."
​

There was a surge in the Force as a great tree rumbled from the surface, its limbs bare of leaves but glittering with bright sparkling kyber crystals.

"You have brought great imbalance to this sacred place, you defenders of Light and Life."
​

A storm from a clear sky rumbled in around the tree, two glaring white eyes peered from the black clouds.

The beam of energy was coming. Straight for him. The light refracted off of the clouds in the sky, burning the air in its green splendor. They sought to destroy his world. Well, he would not let that happen. He closed his eyes, the bark creaking and groaning.

"I leave this place to you then Jedi," he said, his voice echoing in the minds of the Force-sensitive on this planet. He was unknowable, unkillable by the likes of these. He had ascended past being a Jedi Master long ago when he came to understand the truth of the Force. Even still, it would be a long, long while before he would see this place again he knew.

The Bendu Neti, once a scholar of the Jedi and crafter of lightsabers drew on the Force as he had never had before. The tree he made to attack the Jedi and the Imperials shuddered as it expanded and grew and grew. Yggdrasil who had given his word to the Jedi that he would protect Ilum as it replenished its store of kyber, Yggdrasil who promised that a thousand more generations of Jedi would be able to partake of Ilum's bounty, Yggdrasil once Jedi Master on the High Council now of the Bendu reached and channeled a tutaminis never before seen.

"Ah," he said to himself as the energy of the blast spread through his now many limbs and trunk. "I am, unknowable, unkillable by the likes of you," he said. "But my children, my children are another matter." The energy was far too great. Much greater than he'd anticipated. Maybe he would die. But that would be alright. He'd lived a hundred lifetimes, and he would live a thousand more like this one in the Force.

They dropped out of hyperspace just as the weapon fired. On the bridge Pryce watched with horror as energy coalesced and fired on the planet's surface. The place once honored and revered by Jedi, the home of their legendary weapons, was under attack by some preposterously powerful weapon. He could see the debris all around him. Had that thing been the cause of all this destruction?

He screamed. He screamed for the Jedi. He screamed for his son.

Look upon what was wrought, little flame, the voice of the Bendu spoke in her mind. The very being that guided her through darkness. Our ashes lie here in the ice for eternity. The death of a Bendu is the death of all Bendu. The life of a Bendu is the life of all Bendu. Our essence is the Force. Through it we will live a thousand lives, filled with beauty and terror. Your brother in the Force died here, and so you have died here as well. As you live, he lives with you. We take on this pain so that which is beautiful will flourish in the wake of terror. Know this truth with your spirit so you may guide those who stand in the light to that which binds all things.

The green flame grew brighter for a moment as ash began to swirl around the gemstone. As it was engulfed, a more solid humanoid shape formed around it. Rather than being spectral, this time it was solid, appearing polished like stone. Wisps of fire danced around the newly formed figure for a moment. As they peeled away, a dress made from flowing ashes was left in it's place. The head of the figure lit up with green flames, and Phobos turned back to Arist with a gentle smile.

“Do you need to eat or something?” He was a bit curious on how it functions as a sort of Force entity.

"No thank you, Arist," she spoke. "This place has provided me all the energy I need. Apologies. My previous state was... limiting. You asked me what I was earlier. I am Bendu. I'm tasked to guide. You may call me Phobos."

What she had been brought here to do was clear now. She was not anywhere near the power displayed by the vision she saw. That was okay. Aiding this Jediling was one step of thousands she was to take on a journey that would take many lifetimes. She would see that task through to the best of her abilities.

 

[Aristodemus]

Aristodemus du Couteau
Location: Ilum
Tag: Phobos

Arist quickly began to mix powder into his cup, but turned his head up to see the green flame grow brighter. Once again the floating gem had created the humanoid like shape, though unlike earlier Arist noted how more solid it appeared. He tilted his head and looked on with curious eyes and as the fires swirled and faded away his eyes were like saucers.

He sat there frozen, the only movement were his eyes blinking, the Green flame gem had transformed. Arist had spent many years being astonished by magicians, but this was something else entirely. When Phobos spoke that ultimately broke him from his stupor and Arist placed his cup down and rubbed his eyes.

“Guide. Bendu, Phobos.” Arist nodded, as if confirming those were actual words he heard.

With a swift movement he downed his drink as he mulled over what he saw and heard. Arist rubbed his head with his left hand, made sure there wasn’t a bump on his head. When he thought maybe he didn’t make it all he remembered how cold he was and realized that yes he was still alive. Phobos appeared vaguely human-like, the flames on her head would have dissuaded him of that notion entirely if it wasn’t for the gap lower between her head and body.

“Does that mean you can turn your hair pink, or any colour rather?” Arist thought outloud, a moment later he stood up.

With reddening cheeks he bowed, both to hide his embarrassment and to complete the belated introductions.

“Phobos, the honor is mine.” Arist finished his greeting as he slowly stood back up as he hoped he appeared as if his composure was regained.

“Apologies for, um. Well.” Arist wasn’t sure what to ask exactly. Was she cold? Could she feel cold? He also guessed Phobos could materialize more clothing on account of what he saw.

“Sorry again. . . I, are you,um. . . Are you a Guide here for Illum? Making sure people like me don’t get ourselves hurt?” He asked finally. Arist continued to feel embarrassed with how clumsy he was being, it was such a foreign sensation to feel so surprised.
​

 

[Phobos]

Ilum
Tags: Aristodemus

​

“Sorry again. . . I, are you,um. . . Are you a Guide here for Illum? Making sure people like me don’t get ourselves hurt?”

Phobos' smile grew more at the boy's awkwardness. It reminded her of... someone, though who was lost on her. Strange. The Ashspawn spoke in a soft tone when she responded.

"Today I am, I think," she answered, "I was brought here by others of my kind. I am young, and often they do not speak to me. But here I was able to see something very important."

The answer was a bit cryptic, but that was the truth of the matter. Phobos spent much time wandering, guided by only feelings that tugged her one way or the other. She had never met another Bendu monk in the flesh. Perhaps that was by design. Ultimately it did not matter. She took a moment to run her hand through the flames on her head. Phobos appeared mostly humanoid, though if Arist looked closer he'd see she only had four fingers as opposed to the standard five. A soft chuckle escaped her lips before she humored his previous curiosity about the appearance of the fire.

"I can change the color if I focus," Phobos noted. "But it really is green. I learned I could do so when I met another Jediling. Her colors changed with her emotions. My changes are really just mimicry..."

Zaiya Ceti . How long ago now did she meet the young girl? By now she may not even be a child anymore. the Force had not yet brought them together again. Perhaps it would some day.

From there, Phobos folded her hands before her and offered a polite smile.

"If you will allow it, I would offer my assistance," she stated. "I have a desire to see your journey conclude safely."

Maybe it wouldn't materialize into something now, but the Ashspawn had a feeling deep within her that this all would be important some day.

 

[Aristodemus]

Aristodemus du Couteau
Location: Ilum
Tag: Phobos

Arist nodded, unable to trust his voice for the moment, as he listened to Phobos explain a bit more of herself. He still wasn’t sure exactly what she meant by how others do not speak to her, nothing in his readings mentioned anything like Phobos. Arist mused that maybe he should have been a more careful reader all things considered. Though something doesn’t really add up.

His thought thankfully stayed in his head as he looked at Phobos discussing her fire’s colour and her learned ability to change. She had met other Jedi before, though he did raise an eyebrow at the title of being labeled Jediling.

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” Arist offered, it was an expression he was told often enough. He really wanted to say more but held back for the time being.

His eyes wandered a bit more on Phobos, more specifically at the space between her head and neck where Arist could look through. There was a very old magic trick that would do something similar to make people appear that they’ve been cut apart. Arist assumed this was a tad different.

“Hah, yes. We already shook hands to journey together after all.” Arist emphasized as his head slightly tilted to the side. He really attempted to keep his foot out of his mouth, so he clapped his hands together.

With a quick movement he went down to collect a few things from his bag, thankful to finally avert his eyes to keep from staring, a pair of crampons and climbing nylon rope with a few straps and clips. Originally Arist had assumed he’d need to drop down from possible large boulders or huge ice columns, but the deep crevasse that he walked over on the bridge earlier was something else entirely.

“Something cracked open the ice, so maybe there’s something there that I don’t need to drill to get.” Arist explained as he looked at himself to check if he could make himself lighter. He noted that a few of the vehicles here had a tow cable, so he could at least make a spirited attempt to climb down a bit deeper too.
​

 

[Phobos]

Ilum
Tags: Aristodemus

​

“Something cracked open the ice, so maybe there’s something there that I don’t need to drill to get.”

Phobos nodded along as Arist planned out his course of action aloud, her attention drawn to the gap he was referring to. All around there were dangling pieces of machinery and old cables that may have once housed lifts. They may have been trapped in the ice for a decade, maybe more. She wasn't sure how long ago the vision she saw occurred.

"This place has a unique way of leading people through it," Phobos noted as she took in the sounds and sights of the surrounding area. "I imagine it must call out in a different way for those like you who seek kyber."

As she spoke, Phobos floated out in a rather ghost like way to assess the gap. Her eyes squinted as she scrutinized it, wondering about the feasibility of throwing one of those old tow cables down it was while she levitated above it. After a moment she let out a breathless sigh and turned back with a shrug.

"I can't see the bottom," she admitted. "That cable may not reach far enough."

Her hair flickered in winding shapes as she pondered, rubbing her chin while she thought there.

 

[Aristodemus]

Aristodemus du Couteau
Location: Ilum
Tag: Phobos

Arist couldn’t help himself but to stare for a moment as Phobos floated away towards the crevasse, he knew she could float when nothing more than an emerald and flame. But it was something else entirely to see it accomplished in her true form and there was something else that Arist felt like he was missing about Phobos. He quickly returned to his task of equipping his crampons to his boots and a few other tools such as his ice screwdriver and hooks.

“That deep huh? You’d think the Force would call us to an easier place to reach. . . I guess the Force doesn't like laziness.” Arist had not wanted it to come to this, he could thread a hole through ice with his hand-cranked tool. But that presented its own issues as he’ll need to figure out how to climb back up.

“I can climb even deeper than the cable, with this tool I can thread and screw in a hook. With my rope though I’ll need a hook every two meters.” Arist figured with a looped rope he’ll get close to three meters before he’ll need to untie the rope and let it slip back down to him.

Arist stepped closer to the edge as he eyed both the tow cable and his own rope. He was about to risk a lot in an attempt to climb down but maybe he didn’t need to climb all the way to the bottom. Assuming there is a bottom. He closed his eyes and steeled himself, it was worth it if he could find that kyber crystal. It was too important to just give up with at least an attempt to climb down to give the area a quick look.

“I have a tool that can help you unscrew the hooks as I drop further down, if you wouldn’t mind grabbing them for me. Only brought like four.” Arist wasn’t sure how immune Phobos was to the cold, best to be safe when it came to bare skin against ice cold plasteel.

“And can’t imagine you’ll carry me down,” Arist joked with a small laugh, he shrugged at the notion and moved over to the tow cable and looked for the release hatch.

He had seen impressive Force abilities before, but to maintain the effort for the length of the entire crevasse was another question entirely. Arist wondered if there was a Master out there who could allow themselves to drop down that far deep without ending up hurt.
​

 

[Phobos]

Ilum
Tags: Aristodemus

​

“And can’t imagine you’ll carry me down,”

Phobos blinked for a moment before her mouth made an 'o' shape. Carry him down. Was that something she could even do? She looked at herself for a brief second as she contemplated before she responded.

"I... could try if you'd like?" she responded, sounding a bit unsure of herself. "I've... never quite done anything like that before though. I would be willing to give it a shot if you thought it was worth it, but..."

She shuddered as she flexed her hands for a moment.

"Well, I think if I accidentally dropped you I think I would be very upset with myself," she decided. "Perhaps... you can climb and I'll float under you. So I can catch you in an emergency. Does that sound acceptable?"

All the while, Phobos would float over to stand diligently at attention. At this point now, whatever Arist was to tell her to do would be made a top priority. Fortunately she was very good at listening. After all, she had to parse together the strange, esoteric messages she received telepathically from the Bendu all the time. At random no less. She was confident that she could take in whatever he told her and do it to the best of her abilities.