Baby It's Cold Outside!

[Darth Athora]

Alzoc III
Early Morning


Jala had just finished getting me cleaned when an urgent messaged was brought to her by a Clanker droid that was tasked with guarding the doors of her keep. "Lady Jala, a ship crashed far off in the distance. We weren't able to decipher the affiliation of the ship but we do know it's crash location. It's far off near a Talz village." the battle droid reported.

"Lady Jala, I think I should accompany you on this journey. We've yet to establish relations with the Talz and the language barrier might be a problem." I suggested to the Enso woman. She would need my help if she was going to finally speak with the inhabitants of Alzoc III. They had to know that a member of the Confederacy would represent and protect them.

"Alright, C-3PO. I will be needing your help. Especially if the Talz has their hands on any survivors of the crashed ship." Jala replied to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. We made our way to the hanger, where Lady Jala, a few Clankers, and I entered the Hornet air speeder.

"Lady Jala," a Clanker interrupted the silence. "There's a blizzard picking up. Are you sure you want to proceed?" Snowstorms on Alzoc III were pretty wild. Being stuck in one was not something anyone would want.

"Yes," Jala replied. "We have to ensure that any survivors of the crash are not harmed by the Talz." The droid nodded to her and started the speeder up. The hangar doors hummed open and the speeder ejected from the hangar.

"Let's hope we get there before the blizzard rips through the speeder." I muttered to the others going on the journey. I was beginning to grow used to how calm and joyful Jala always looked. It was somewhat eerie, yet calming at the same time.

Light snow slowly cascaded down from the clouded skies above to the pure white sheets below on the surface of Alzoc III. The Hornet air speeder roared across the surface, interrupting the light snowfall as it sped towards the origin of the smoke column in the air. The wind was slightly picking up as time passed. The blizzard coming would be a brutal one, that was for sure.

 

[Voro 'Iorosee]

" Urk-GRAH! May Inari have blessings on my soul... " Voro mumbled to himself, as he shrugged off a heavy piece of durosteel. Plumes of smoke rose up into the air, striking and contrasting with the bright blue sky. The Xanti squinted off into the distance, and saw little specks and some small buildings way off to the east. He turned back to the ruins of the ship, and looked through the remains. Voro saw his rifle, and quickly yanked it out from a hunk of wood.

" I may need to have the blessing of Erebos instead! " The soldier said to himself with a bit more energy, as he began walking through the snow. His ash covered feet stained the pure white sleet, dirtying the pristine blanket of ice. He still had his armor on, although some gadgets on his arm were sparking. Voro cringed as it singed his purple skin, and he began to pick up in pace.

[member=Jala Rekab]

 

[Darth Athora]

The speeder picked up the pace as time was of the essence.. The blizzard was approaching and they were in the hot zone, so to speak. "We're coming up on the crash site." the pilot of the speeder called out. "It looks pretty bad. Possibility of survivors looks minimal." it added. "Alright, pull up to the site and I'll check it out." Jala commanded. "C-3PO, stay here while I scout the crash site." she ordered me. I sat there and waited like I was told.

A few minutes passed and Jala returned. "Looks like someone survived it. Tracks lead east. We've got to find the survivor before the Talz do. Who knows what they would do to him if they found him." Jala stated. "Roger roger." the pilot replied in a normal droid fashion. Everyone returned to their seats and the speeder sped off in the direction the tracks were headed.

[member="Voro 'Iorosee"]

 

[Voro 'Iorosee]

Voro trudged through the thick slush, the blackened trail slowly turning to gray, until it faded into the snow. The Xanti perked his head up into the air, when he heard the distant whirr of speeders. He had recognized the sound from hunting down heretics and blasphemers on his homeworld, so the noise rang in his head causing various memories to spring up. Voro swung his rifle up, and yelled into the distance. " HALT IN THE NAME OF EREBOS!" He bellowed, echoing off into the wasteland, vibrating and bouncing between various crags and ravines.

[member="Jala Rekab"]

 

[Darth Athora]

The speeder shifted to a greater speed to catch up with the survivor before ho would get in any trouble with the Talz. Things were quiet until the pilot called out to Jala. "Uh, ma'am? We have something on the radar. Seems to be a life signal. Very faint. Possibly the survivor." the pilot emitted. Jala stood and walked towards the door. "Bring us in to the survivor's location. I must speak with him." Jala ordered.

Once the speeder drew close, it slowed down before coming to an immediate halt. Snow flew in all directions as the speeder's engines died down. The door hissed open, revealing a small ramp that dug into the snow below. A silhouette appeared in the doorway. As it walked down the ramp, it became more clear. A young woman with blonde hair and stunning blue eyes in golden and white armor. She held a hand up, palm facing the survivor. "Peace, my friend. I do not wish to bring you harm. My name is Jala. Who might you be?"

[member="Voro 'Iorosee"]

 

[Voro 'Iorosee]

Voro frowned when his loud command was met with no avail, but it quickly turned back to it's original, emotionless state when the speeder suddenly came to a halt, sending a wave of snow, slush and sleet into the air. The Xanti growled and was temporarily blinded by the snow. He growled and swung his rifle up, however after he wiped the snow off his face, he slowly lowered the weapon. " You wear the colors of the great healer, young one. Be you a reviver? " Voro asked, as the snow melted away from his sparking armor.

[member="Jala Rekab"]

 

[Darth Athora]

Jala had a look of confusion on her face at the alien's assumption. "Great Healer?" she questioned. She had absolutely no idea what he was referring to. She slowly stepped towards him, keeping her hands in the air to show she did not wish to bring him harm. "I'm sorry but I don't know what you are talking about, sir. You could be delirious from the crash. I must ask you to join me on my ship so I can get you looked at." she suggested. Jala extended her hand out to him, seeming to want to shake his as a sign of friendship.

[member="Voro 'Iorosee"]

 

[Voro 'Iorosee]

Voro narrowed his eyes at [member=Jala Rekab]'s response, as he took a step forward. " How...How have you not heard the word of the Aesir? Perhaps I should enlighten you, if you would be inclined to listen. " The Xanti's voice was tense and wrought with restraint, as he tried to prevent himself from letting his instincts take over, which would cause him to attack the woman. However, to at least show he was trying, he extended his durosteel-clad hand and shook her hand, having a firm grip. Voro craned his head around the human, and began looking at her crew, yet he found them of no particular interest and thought nothing much of them.

 

[Darth Athora]

I poked my head out of the speeder door to see how things were going. Thankfully, the survivor didn't seem hostile for now. Jala was speaking with him, hopefully convincing him back to the keep. I took a step outside of the speeder as Jala continued talking to the survivor, just in case there was a language barrier.

"Ae..sir?" Jala asked, confused at the word. "What are you talking about, stranger?" Jala raised an eyebrow, questioning this creature's demeanor. "I need to get you out of the cold. Come with me to my keep. I'll get you fixed up then we can talk, sound good?" Jala was concerned about his injuries. Though he wasn't bleeding, surviving a crash like that was sure to at least bruise something.

[member="Voro 'Iorosee"]

 

[Voro 'Iorosee]

Voro, after hearing [member=Jala Rekab]'s words, he looked down at his leg, and he noticed a shard of Durosteel sticking out of his armor. He also noticed a dull yet annoying pain from the wound. " Heh, I didn't notice that...Wait, you haven't even heard of the Aesir? " The Xanti said, as his tone was a mixture of shock and increasing anger and rage. Now, not hearing of their teachings would've irked Voro, but not even hearing of them made him a ticking time bomb. He growled menacingly, as he took a nervous step back.

 

[Darth Athora]

Jala looked down at his wound, examining it from afar. "You need to get that looked at. I don't know who or what an Aesir is. I'm not much of a traveler. I barely know of anything important outside of Confederacy territory." Jala claimed. She tried walking closer to him, but not too close, not trying to spook him. "Do you want me to take a look at you or try your luck with the Talz?" Jala asked. "It's your deicision." she started walking back towards me and the speeder. I stood there, waiting to see whether or not the alien would come along.

[member="Voro 'Iorosee"]

 

[Voro 'Iorosee]

Voro frowned, but he did realize that leaving his wound untreated wouldn't be the best for his physical health. " Fine. May I inform you on what the Aesir are? " the Xanti asked, as he walked forward to the group. He glanced back at the smoldering ship, seeing the charred and burnt remains of his transport. Since [member=Jala Rekab]'s group was the only way off the planet, he added another reason why he should go as he moved towards the speeder.

 

[Darth Athora]

Jala had returned to the ship and returned to her seat next to me. "Well?" I asked her. She strapped herself into the seat before answering me. "He's coming back to the keep to get patched up." she answered, sighing heavily. "Very well, Lady Jala. What about the Talz?" I asked. "Haven't run into any yet. We'll speak with their Chief after we get this fellow to the doctor."


The snow was picking up quickly. Winds were reaching high speeds. It was getting dangerous to be outside. Jala turned to the survivor to answer him. "Sure, why not." she sighed. "Awfully persistent so they must be important or something." I watched as the alien boarded the speeder. He was awfully large in comparison to most of us. I concluded he was a Xanti by the looks of him.

[member="Voro 'Iorosee"]

 

[Voro 'Iorosee]

Voro glared at [member=Jala Rekab], as he sported a disgusted expression. He didn't like her tone that much, finding it dismissive of the gods he had been raised to worship. He shook his head in disdain, as he hopped aboard the ship. " You should not be dismissive of the gods, they walk this galaxy among us, and will not hesitate to purge the heretics. And, neither will I. " Voro told her angrily, as he gazed out of the snow-covered window. The winds were whipping around, flurries of snow fluttering in the air. Voro softened a little bit, finding the image fascinating.

 

[Darth Athora]

The Xanti was beginning to worry me. He was seeming less like a grateful survivor and more like a zealous brute. I decided to not speak to not anger him more. Jala, on the other hand, continued. "Who are these 'gods' you speak of, friend?" she asked.

I interrupted for a moment to answer the question. "Well, my lady, if I am correct, he speaks of the gods of Moross, a rather young but popular religion in the Outer Rim." I answered. Jala turned her gaze to me for a moment then back to the Xanti.

"Is this true? You represent this Moross Crusade?" she asked him.

[member="Voro 'Iorosee"]