I scream, you scream, it's not fun

[Daniel Imura]

Daniel trudged through the immense cold of Hoth's surface, wearing his normal attire of a dark shirt and pants. Even though he was technically used to the cold, living on Ilum for quite some time, Hoth was a purely different type of cold. While Ilum was calm and still for the most part, Hoth was well known for its intense snowstorms. Even still, the young man put all of that in complete disregard. All he needed was his prized slug pistol, Icebreaker, and his own wits. The white pistol holstered in the small of his back, Daniel pressed onward through the snow, trying to find a decent spot to search for the crystals. He knew there had to be some here; that was only common sense. If Ilum, as cold as it was, could be so jam-packed with crystals, there was no reason Hoth shouldn't be. Eventually, he would notice a small valley over the horizon, complete with a frozen lake, trees, and plenty of nooks and crannies where the little treasures might be. Perfect. Continuing on into the valley, he kept his eyes on the constant lookout for any creatures around, and kept his mind alert through the force. Something was nearby...

[member="Rael sul B'an"]

 

[Garik Reed]

Cold. Why's it so fraking cold. Rael thought, as his tauntaun trotted through the snow. He'd been to other plants with cold climates, but this was a whole new level. He was from Kalee. The coldest it ever got where he lived was, well, still hotter than most creatures would prefer. Rael would've avoided this planet at all costs, if it weren't for the rare crystals found on the planet. Permafrost, they were called. Rael patted the tauntaun on its neck as it slowed down. He felt bad for wearing the creature this much, but, he needed its help.

Off in the distance, Rael saw a small valley. Trees, a frozen lake. At least it was something. He gave the tauntaun another reassuring pat, and it picked up the pace a little. As he got closer, he felt another presence in the force.

[member="Daniel Imura"]

 

[Daniel Imura]

As soon as he made it to the bottom of the little alcove, Daniel immediately began scanning the area. It was probably the nicest place he'd seen since staring at his small house on Ilum, if he had to be fair about it. The crystals had to be here somewhere... As he finished that thought, he remembered a vision from Morna's life. He'd literally taken a skinny dip into a bed of lava for his crystals. What if the ones Daniel wanted were at the bottom of the lake? A likely answer. However, he wouldn't get the chance to test that theory just yet. Giving his senses another run-through, he sensed the presence again. An unfamiliar entity of the light... and strong too. Hiding quickly behind a large tree, he let a little frost escape from his fingers to form three small spikes for throwing. After that, he would literally throw out his presence in challenge. Whoever was out there, they wouldn't go anywhere else without a nice fight.

[member="Rael sul B'an"]

 

[Garik Reed]

[member="Daniel Imura"]

Rael could certainly feel a presence coming from up ahead. However, he kept the tauntaun moving through the trees. Staring ahead, Rael let his senses probe around. A Jedi didn't need his eyes to see. Rael felt a nudge on his thigh, and looked down. A small varactyl head popped up from a blanket that was sitting on the front of the tauntaun. Meera had just hatched a few weeks ago, and was still just a baby. Bringing her may have been a mistake, however. Rael wanted to further the deep bond the two of them already shared, but with the coming danger Rael sensed...

As the tauntaun walked to the lake, Rael jumped down. He felt the presence a bit ways away, and knew he was safe. For now. The tauntaun sat down on the icy ground, resting. Rael knelt down by the lake, feeling the ice. He, too, suspected the crystals might be down there. As Meera crawled out of the blanket, snow started falling from the sky. Rael stood up as the tiny varactyl snapped at the flakes falling from the sky. Rael stood up, turning towards the presence. His lightsaber fell into his hand, and he ignited the purple blade with the familiar, snap-hiss. It sizzled as snow melted on it. The wind picked up, whipping at Rael's cloak. For everything Rael didn't know, he knew this;

A storm was coming.

 

[Daniel Imura]

As Daniel continued to watch, he noticed as a man mounting a taun taun entered the small area. He was definitely a lightsider, no doubt about that. To the other, Daniel's presence might have felt muddled, at best. Not Jedi, not Sith. Somewhere in between... yet more dark than light. Watching as the man stepped down to feel the ice, he realized the visitor's reason for being here was clear: He wanted a crystal too. A slow smile crept up his face as he saw the manifestation of a purple blade. Jedi. Oh' he'd get his crystal, alright. Daniel would make sure to smash him into the lake's hard frozen surface. But first, he'd have a little fun with him. The first thing he noticed upon making this decision, was that his target was a kaleesh. Perfect. He didn't know too much about the species, but he knew they were warriors. Seeing one as a Jedi... Uncommon. Reaching out with the force, he took hold of the ice below the man, and willed it to melt. Very soon, the Jedi would find himself slowly sinking in the snow. And as he realized this, Daniel would already be on his way over, chucking the three makeshift spikes in his direction. All at his chest.
[member="Rael sul B'an"]

 

[Garik Reed]

Rael had encountered a similar presence on Kalee. The semi-sith, as he now referred to her. But he'd remember her presence for the rest of his life. This was new. It wasn't Jedi, but not completely Sith. Rael took a quick glance down as he felt himself sinking. As the man rounded the corner, Meera stood up on the back of the tauntuan, her from legs off the ground. She let out a high pitched squeal at the newcomer. Certainly not fierce as she might one day be. The tauntuan itself, however, made to reaction. It simply dropped its big head in the snow, letting out a dismissive snort.

As the creature growled and slept, Rael was already moving. He brought his blade up, directly intercepting one of the spikes. It melted on the blade of his saber, dissipating into steam. The jumped up, dodging the next one. Midair, one caught him, slicing his arm. A small wound, no more than an inch long. A cut nonetheless. Rael was disappointed their encounter had started in conflict, but so be it. The Kaleesh raised his hand, and let the Force surge through him. A massive wave of energy rolled out of his arm, headed straight for Daniel. Snow flew up into the air, and Rael stepped back, taking a few breaths. For some reason, he didn't want to hurt the newcomer.

[member="Daniel Imura"]

 

[Daniel Imura]

As Daniel finished throwing the deadly shards of ice, he smirked when he saw that one landed, but also that another had been blocked by the kaleesh's saber. Even though he kept advancing, he stopped in his tracks when he saw the air ripple in front of him, sending the man flying backward a few feet. Once he dusted himself off, he smiled devilishly. This would be interesting; his first real fight with another force user. He'd do all he could to make the most of it. Advancing once more, he walked slowly as his fists began to cover themselves in thick layers of ice, spikes and sharp edges all over the outside. When the fists were completely covered, Daniel ran at the Jedi, willing the snow around him to fly up, turning to sharp arrows of ice, and flung them forward. When he made contact, he would send a fist to the man's jaw, and the other to his gut, all the while arrows falling on top of them both.

[member="Rael sul B'an"]

 

[Garik Reed]

As Daniel rushed forward, Rael brought his hands up, turning off his lightsaber. He reached deep into the Force, bringing up and invisible barrier around him. As the arrows rained down, Rael eyes where closed, and he felt each one leave a small dent in his defense. Daniel's blows would bounce harmlessly off of the shield, and as the assualt stopped, Rael brought the shield in more. He let out a small grunt, and rapidly sent the barrier outward. It was a weak push on Daniel and the snow, certainly not as powerful as his last one. As he did this, his saber came back to life, and he rushed at Daniel, his blade coming in hard at different angles towards the man.

[member="Daniel Imura"]

 

[Daniel Imura]

When his attack stopped, Daniel looked in interest as the Jedi had been holding up a barrier with the force. An interesting concept, one that had been able to withstand his attacks from all sides. As it was pushed back out, he held up his hands and pushed hard against it, piercing it with a sword that quickly formed from ice in his left hand, slicing through quickly. It pushed him a few inches back, but he was quick to make up for the lost ground by reaching for his pistol, hefting it up for a moment before noticing the saber swinging at him. Jumping back, he just missed it enough to see it slash through his shirt and cauterize a long streak across his chest. Once he was back a few more feet, Daniel pulled the pistol up and squeezed the trigger four times in succession, willing the moisture in the air to propel the rounds forward at a faster rate. All the while, he worked at cornering the kaleesh to where he had his back to the lake. Once he got him there, he was sure he'd be in control of the battle.

[member="Rael sul B'an"]

 

[Garik Reed]

Rael's hit had been exactly what he wanted. It was enough that Rael thought he could take a few hits and still be in better condition. Only time would tell the two Force sensitives, however. As Daniel fired, Rael brought his saber up to stop the first bullet. It was too fast, however, and sped past him, ripping into his right shoulder. Rael winced, dodged the next two, the third grazing his thigh. His senses told him the man was trying to corner him, and Rael had seen what he could do with ice. Something he hadn't even thought possible until that moment. Rael shut his lightsaber off, and bolted for a nearby tree, using the Force to propel him forward.

As he climbed behind the tree, Rael reached out with his mind, sending an assault on Daniel's mind with his own. He attacked it from every angle, using all his knowledge of telepathy, and more than a bit of skill to bring the man to his knees through sheer thought. "Who are you!?" Rael called to him.

[member="Daniel Imura"]