The Freaking Blizzards of Castameer (The Kathol Outback + open)

[Jorus Merrill]

Somewhere, about two hundred klicks to the east, a large number of ground troops, tanks, walkers and so forth had engaged the Rogue Sith fortress. The Underground was conspicuous by its absence.

It couldn't possibly have to do with the fact that one out of five Undergrounders was a compulsive tinkerer and/or ship modder and/or kleptomaniac.

Thus we find that, while the Kathol-registered transport Neutral Zoner was dodging Rogue Sith fire and a winter storm, half a dozen welds and jury-rigged components went boom. Thus we find the Neutral Zoner bellyflopped on the Castameeri tundra, way out of position for the battle. Thus we find the Neutral Zoner's central heating system a little, shall we say, under the weather. Thus we find that someone walked off with half the shiny, shiny emergency blankets.

Forward Operating Base Figurehead was located outside of the crashed ship, in the shelter of the broken-off prow and a couple of foil blankets. Around a space heater stood a handful of the Undergrounders, warming hands and taking turns with the macrobinoculars. The Rogue Sith would be here eventually. In the meantime, the goal was to avoid freezing to death.

Jorus brushed away the fresh snow from a thermometer, then shook the thing experimentally. He exchanged a grim glance with a shivering Bereth-Aku.

"I think it's broken."

[member="Ria Misrani"] [member="Lok Munin"] [member="Bryce Bantam"] @all underground folk @whomever

 

[Leos Palle]

Kytra grabbed the thermometer out of Jorus' hands and looked at it.

"No, I think it's just that cold," she said before handing it back. "Makes me wish I'd packed some spare clothes. Oh wait, I did, and someone made off with them."

She snapped her fingers and grumbled before shoving her hands back into her pockets. The cold was just ridiculous. Who in their right mind would want to spend their time somewhere so bloody frozen? Of course, it wasn't like they really had a choice. They could go for a walk, but none of them were really equipped for that sort of thing. At least they weren't now, considering half of their equipment was gone. At least they had a space heater. Things could be much worse. They could have to resort to getting naked and hugging each other for warmth. Perish the thought of the Rogue Sith coming across a huddled mass of naked people.

A pained twinge crossed her face and she reached a hand up to rub her temples. Her fingers promptly felt like they were going to fall off so she shoved them back into her pocket, deciding the pain in the head was better than losing her fingers.

"Wish I had some gloves."

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Tabigarashu Madara]

Hirou didn't really know what happened.

The Nezumi had been working in an out of the way corner of the engine room.

When we say working, we mean tinkering.

When we say tinkering, we kind of mean borrowing.

When we say-

The Nezumi had been prying a bolt out of something in an out of the way corner of the engine room. They had ended up on the ship unnoticed- which was typical really, and entirely the point. Hirou didn't know where the ship was headed, or why. That rarely mattered. What mattered was that Hirou needed things. And as long as those things weren't bolted down, or *obviously* belonged to someone, well, it was fair game. And because they hadn't run in to any one on board who can clearly stated to them that this ship (and the things holding it together) belonged to someone in particular, it was the same thing as finding something unattended.

Right? Right.

So. Hirou didn't really know what happened. One minute, they were just finishing unscrewing the bolt, and the next minute-

BOOM POW

Explosions and blackness.

Consciousness came back slowly and sneakily, like a hang-over. Hirou groaned, head shaking and ears flapping. Which was a mistake. A low ringing filled the background of their hearing, and the Nezumi sat forward slowly, cupping their head with their hands. They sat a full meter back from the place where the empty bolt hole was- the explosion must have thrown them. Lowering one paw to the deck, Hirou's right ear flicked sharply.

The ship wasn't moving any more. And not the stillness of a ship drifting in space. There was a weight to the silence that told Hirou they were on a planet somewhere. The Nezumi's whiskers twitched.

Hirou stumbled to their feet. Where the bolt had gone- well, there was probably no finding it now. And anyway, Hirou had three others in the small rucksack slung over one furry shoulder. Stumbling, the Nezumi started heading to where they'd left their ship. Time to get out of here.

Wait.

Where did Hirou leave their ship?

 

[Ria Misrani]

KAAAAAARRRRRRKKKKKK YOOOOOOOU LOK!

That was probably the last Ria remembers before being, you know, part of the snow. Her ears were ringing, her fingers were cold and she was cold, and for once. For once - she didn't pinch the clothes, no she pinched the space heater. What? Hey, @Ajira Cardei's ship's cargo hold isn't exactly the warmest place. Why is Ria living in the cargo hold? Well dear reader - Ria just likes to live in places like that, that's why. Secondly she was absolutely sure this was [member="Lok Munin"]'s fault. Mostly. Maybe it was hers, she's not entirely sure that anyone could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this was in fact, her fault. She does recall hearing space dad [member="Jorus Merrill"] saying something about turning the ship around if the two kids couldn't get along. Ria was only glad that the pillows she did pinch off of @Spencer Varanin were safely tucked away somewhere else, probably Kal'Shebbol or some other house that was like - on the other side of the map.

Next, as she managed to crawl her way out of the wreckage. She winced, "ow." Her arm hurt, and it didn't look like it should be in that position. It wasn't grotesque but she was sure her shoulder was dislocated and so her arm just sorta hung there. Fortunately, it was her left arm and not her right, "and I wish Lok hadn't been fighting me over that karkin' radio, ugh, where in the feth are we?" She asked because asking Ria to know where she is at any given moment is a bad thing. She did not realize the crash was not hers nor was it Lok's fault at all, things happened things that this time could not be helped. She listened as @Kytra Odran commented about clothes, Ria was now glad that she sorta looted through Spencer and Ajira's stuff for new clothes. Her eyes then followed [member="Tabigarashu Madara"] and blinked for a moment before looking at her clothes. Granted it was all karked up from the crash, but still. "Next question, how do we get back home?"

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

"I think it's too darn cold for anything to work properly here!" Ki yelled her sarcastic and probably not wanted remark.

Near the heat source, the young woman huddled within the fur of her tails, under the minimal protection of her combat attire. She was not prepared for temperatures like this. But her persistence would never allow her to sit out the largest battle in the Galaxy. It was just a shame she was here, on the ground, in the middle of this Force-forsaken blizzard!

They may not have been on the ground for long, but her desire for all things warm smacked her in the face,"What is the plan for getting out of this storm and into a nice warm vehicular-type device?"

[member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Bryce Bantam"] @TKO @Anyone

 

[Hylocereus]

Hylo had stayed with [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]. He felt it was his duty, after all she was in crisis. Every time Hylo flew through space he had to suppress a comment about how cold and dark it was. But on this trip he felt he was wrong. Suddenly, on this trip, there was a change of perspective. When he looked into the stars, knowing he was going towards danger, he saw a billion times a billion sets of lights. Each calling out to someone in a familial voice, come home. But Hylo had no home and the ship crashed. Great, truly great. The perfect time to reach an epiphany on life.

On the ground Hylo looked around at the white terrain. "Could use some evergreens," Hylo said biting his lip. [member="Jorus Merrill"] was there. Hylo had wanted to talked to him but found himself utterly intimidated. There was things to be discussed and plans to be made if they could survive and yet his contribution, by his own estimation, would be meager. He wasn't a survivor, not a great Jedi, or a trained soldier, and in possession of a few enough skills. Hylo just liked to grow plants and on occasion dance.

Looking around he felt in his pockets and let out a little frown. A seed, one of the few he had suitable for this climate was all he had available. With a little effort he placed the little life in the snow and started to make it grow. At the side of the ship a mighty pine festooned with green needles. The force manipulated the tree, and its branches bent and moved as root found ground. The boughs flourished and split sending smaller branches out and breaking the wind and providing a modicum of protection from the elements before mighty limbs intertwined like a woven basket. A frown on his face Hylo looked at the cold and downtrodden. This was all he could do....

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Hylocereus"] might not throw Sith Lords through walls, duel them to a standstill, or leap tall buildings in a single bound, but heck if he couldn't plant surge better than just about anyone. He was a plant himself -- you're dating a plant what the feth -- so that helped. He was Sirella Valkner's son and heir, so that helped too. Mostly he just loved plants. Enough to make a treehouse out of permafrost and a seed.

The new evergreen served as an excellent windbreak, the more so as ice and snow piled up on the branches. Mara shivered in the lees. She knew tapas, the art of controlling one's temperature, and she had a really nice warm coat that came down to her ankles. She certainly looked more bundled up than poor Noomay, the Bereth-Aku medic bustling around with a layer of ice on his claws. She was still pretty fething cold.

"Nicely done, Hylo," she said, favoring her new...associate...with a kiss on the cheek. It was a gesture of affection that didn't require her to take her hands out of her armpits. She squinted through the branches, out across the tundra. "How does it work for Sylphes? I mean, are you considered warmblooded, or you gonna have to roll around in the sun ASAP? And can you photosynthesize off a glowrod?"

A little distance away, FOB Figurehead was keeping an eye on a different approach vector. She could just barely see her dad and a crowd of others, clustered around a space heater while foil environmental blankets flapped in the wind. They'd hung two of the blankets from the ship's prow and pinned them down as makeshift walls, sheltering the heater. For now, Mara and Hylo didn't have much but the shelter of the tree.

 

[Nico Ike Qarmast]

"WOOOO" Nico had been with one of the ranger teams that were coming in, the Dala was a nice thing to be able to drive around in and she wanted to try out the cannon on the walkers or heavy vehicles of the sith open the planet. There was a lot you could learn from how their defenses were set up and going over the snow covered terrain as the boosters in the frame rocketed them up and over one of the smaller hills was a nice and impressive things. Nico's one arm had several bracelets on it over her arm. The circlet for being outside when there was something detected and she stopped with the others. Going to the window and there was nothing they would be able to see or worse well they wouldn't be able to fit more people in if they ran across another group. Nico looked at them and spoke while going to it. "GO and join Junko with your troopers, we need this there more then here. I'll find a way there." She looked at them and the looks on their faces seeing the bodysuit that she was wearing as well as the equipment. She had the bracelets that could be used with her aegis gauntlets. She had her other pieces of equipment on the white bodysuit, thanks to Joza the pair had been developing the jedi bodyglove with the synthmesh. Now it just needed field testing to improve upon the design when she was walking away with a full belt of things for the survival as the dala went away towards the battle. She would serve better as a scout moving in fast from the rear anyways... plus there might be a chance she can help.

 

[Bryce Bantam]

"Seriously you did what? Is General Merrill with you, yes I agree he was a good navigator till he met... No I can't come and get you, I crashed too, the Starr is a total loss and... Look I'll see what I can do, try contacting [member="Kira Vaal"], she and "the falcon" are still flying and may be able to help. We still got to take down Omega so don't freeze to death ok, Bantam out."

Bryce really didn't know who has signaled him but from what he could tell from the static-filled message the rest of the TKO crew looked to have crashed themselves somewhere out of the picture for now. It was quite rude of them, we have this impossible mission we need everyone's help on and the rest of the guys decide to take a little detour to north bumble kark.

Seriously Bryce was worried but at the moment there was nothing he could do, he hoped they were able to stay warm till help arrived.

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

[member="Briika Tor"] said he should always wear his armor.

He didn't always listen. But he was 'sposed to. It was part of the whole Real-sore-hair thing that Mando peoples did. It said you were 'sposed to wear the armor, speak the funny sounding stuff, and...

...and then family, which was Clan Munin, and then...

Something, something, something listen to the Mand'alor. Who was the [member="Ra Vizsla"] guy. Because he was scary. And tough.

Those two qualities seemed to go together a lot.

But, the young Mandalorian clone was happy that he'd worn the armor today because it had a thermal control unit. So he was at least marginally comfortable. Plus, it had helped when the ship had started crashing. Though, and this was serious, you never wanted to get space sick and throw up with your helmet on.

He had. It was gross.

So, his face was cold, because he needed to clean out his helmet... but all the water was frozen!

This whole Rebel Underground thing was definitely not as much fun as [member="Sor-Jan Xantha"] had made it sound...

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

The rotten smell of bile caused Ki to relocate within the group's small encampment, away from the young warrior. She felt bad for him though. He could not provide his head the necessary cover from the blistering cold.

She wandered within earshot of the camp's communications station, and upon hearing Bryce was unable to come to their aid, nearly threw a tantrum,"If he can't come save us...who can?!" she whined nonetheless.

She was acting super immature for her age, not caring if it bothered anyone.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Kytra Odran"] removed the thermometer unit from Jorus' admittedly numb fingers. His right hand, anyway: the left was metallic and couldn't get a firm grip on the thing before she took it. "Yeah, I could go for a glove too," he said, waggling the prosthesis.

[member="Ria Misrani"] and [member="Kimiko"] had good solid questions, he had to admit. "Where are we? Castameer, about two hundred klicks from the battle. How're we getting home? May have to get back to you on that. What's our plan for shelter and getting warm? Well, I talked to Beyyr, and he's got some folks trying to knock out a few crumpled hull panels so we can take out the speeder tanks." The deployment hatches were all under the snow, and popping some hull panels was just one step in getting the tanks out. And they weren't great tanks, all things considered, but they were enclosed and had heaters. And also guns, which would come in handy if and when the Sith arrived. Jorus went back to scanning the horizon with macrobinoculars.

He scanned back to a large obstruction which hadn't been there a minute ago. Forehead wrinkling painfully -- the arctic cold was drying out his skin -- he lowered the binoculars and examined the tree which [member="Hylocereus"] had made, a few dozen meters away at another watch point.

Don't know what weirds me out more, that my daughter's dating Sirella Valkner's son or that she's dating a plant. Not that Hylo's a bad kid -- yeah, he's a lot older, but he's a kid -- but feth. She's dating a plant.

A comm unit futzed and crackled as a Bereth-Aku sage named Noomay poked it forlornly. Jorus listened with half an ear as he kept watching the horizon. [member="Bryce Bantam"]'s voice came through all staticky from the massive space battle over the planet. Jorus snorted as Bryce knocked his nav skills. Nearby, a Mando-armoured child smelled of vomit. That Kimiko girl said something he didn't catch, but it sounded like whining.

"Someone'll get through," he said as calmly as he could manage, binoculars pressed to his eye sockets. "And if they don't, the hovertanks should keep us warm and, you know, mobile." He eyed the pukey Mando kid, and the Bereth-Aku sidling away. "But not too mobile."

 

[Leos Palle]

"Hmm."

She tonked a hand against the metal prosthesis. Yep. Cold. Must not have been too much fun missing a limb like that and having to replace it with a metal one. She imagined the feeling of slowly turning from a living, breathing being into a machine. Some people chose to do that of their own free will, and she never understood why that was. How did being a machine become appealing to anyone? She had trouble just being a Jedi, and that didn't require losing body parts. Though, trapped in the frigid cold she might end up losing a few of them anyway, all things considered. Probably start with her fingers and toes, too.

There were more people here that she didn't know. And who was the mandalorian kid? He smelled funny, but she still walked over to him anyway.

"Want some help with your little vomit problem? You'll have to give me your helmet for a moment, but I can help."

She smiled a little at him. If nothing else, it would keep her busy for a moment and her mind off the cold.

[member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="3X744"]

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

Mobile he was good with.

He'd rode on a basilisk droid during the Battle of Kashyyyk like it was a roller coaster. And been squealing Oya! the whole time like it had been a roller coaster as well.

Crashing was not the same as being mobile. Crashing was crashing. And, in a ship, was often akin to being in the dryer on the spin cycle. He always got space sick when he crashed, and flying with Sor-Jan Xantha, he crashed a lot.

A lady with dark hair walked over and asked if she could help. The boy wasn't about to turn away the assistance. "Yes, please, ma'am," the child chirped brightly, holding the helmet up.

[member="Jorus Merrill"] | [member="Kytra Odran"]​

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

Everyone was a critic.

So maybe it hadn't been a good idea to use mesh tape to hold that quantum inverter in place.

Or maybe it hadn't been a good idea to substitute a J-type flange for a K-type, and to use chewing gum to fill the seal.

And perhaps the choice of using Force Telekinesis to marry some of the joints together, rather than taking the time to properly weld or rivet them, was not the smartest decision he'd ever made.

He was Corellian. This was how they did engineering. You ask a Corellian to work on your space cadillac? This is what you got.

Feth's sake, people, did you ever stop to ask why every major starship manufacturer, including the Corellian Engineering Corporation, put into the fine print that use of a Corellian mechanic automatically voided the warranty?

To be fair though, the missing thermal blankets well... he could explain. You see, there'd been a Sabaac game. He'd been up thirty, then down sixty, and then there'd been this sure-fire Tatooine Hold-Em game that he needed some extra collateral for...

Besides, it wasn't his fault. That herglic had a cheater up his fin.

So now, here they were, and the small Jedi wasn't sure just how [member="Jorus Merrill"]'s insurance rating was going to survive this one. And, to make matters worse, that poor excuse for a Boba Fett clone boy was puking it up like he'd never crashed before.

They'd crashed just this last Taungsday!

...which, reminded him, he still needed to order a new hyperdrive motivator for the Queen if and or when they got themselves out of this mess.

And judging by the look of some of these people, that might be a long when.

 

[Nico Ike Qarmast]

[member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]

Nico could hear some people there when she was walking up and spoke softly. "Well that is a voice I know, I take it this wasn't one of the grand space advantures. More the everyone stay quiet adventures?" Nico said it but she had a tactical spoon from Suravi for her tactical can of soup. The self warming can steaming in her hands as she had several in the pouches of the seat. That was what they were designed after all for using the idea of Rave's gunbelt based on a jedi belt with so many compartments. This was just easier to say before she saw one of the masters from the Silver jedi and bowed her head looking at him while offering. "Soup master Xantha?" Another grin and she was glad for the sewn in circlet. "I thought maybe I could help if it wasn't a ship full of sith." Nico remained there looking over all of the other people more casual.

 

[Teagan Stoirm]

So what did you do when you were a Mandalorian and your Alor was currently engaged in combat on the planet's surface with most of your clan's forces? For Teagan the answer was simple, find something to karking fix. He needed to be doing something productive since he wasn't taken along for the battle. He had gone over the few ships taken with them to protect their main transport just in case they came under attack several times by now. Every minor part that could be swapped out for a better one had been. He had buffed out the rust and shined them all up twice. What all of that meant was that he was completely out of busy work for right now. He didn't like being idle, and so it was a windfall when a ship was reported to have gone down on the surface. They didn't know who it belonged to, but it hadn't been hostile. So here was his chance to get down there and do something!

Teagan quickly got his Raxi'gam, his ammo-belt, and "Ms. Medica" on. He holstered his 35 and slipped a plasmatorch into the slot where vibroblades normally would go. He filled his pouches full of spare bacta and power cells. He was ready to get down there and help some people! But now he just needed to actually get down there.....oh right, starfighters were all over the hangar he was stationed in. Thankfully there was several starfighters currently unmanned right now because the pilots were needed for the dropship. So he was just going to borrow one of them and if anything happened to it he could just fix it up later.

Teagan grabbed some emergency kits, roughly 4 of them which was all he could fit in his arms, and rushed over to one of the Colonial Interceptors that the Clan had salvaged from the old Free Colonies. He dumped the kits into the cockpit so they weren't in the way and then hoped on in. He began to flip the switches and press the buttons he needed to and got the ship prepped for take off. He informed the officer on duty of his departure and reason for leaving the ship then got headed down towards the snowy planet. He couldn't see signs of battle below because of the distance the crash was from the battlefield, but he knew his clansmen were out there fighting for their lives somewhere.

As he got close to surface and the sight of the crash, Teagan whistled. The ship was somehow still in some state of being intact, but that wasn't the reason for his reaction. No the fact the ship had seen so many modifications and patchworks yet made it this far and in this good of shape surprised him. He wasn't sure if the ones who it belonged to were highly skilled or stupid lucky. Perhaps it was both. He had seen worse ships than that one fly off into space on Doldur using the barest of salvaged parts, so why not a big old ship belonging to some faction out in the galaxy?

Teagan found a spot near the wreck that was clear enough for him to land, and made for it. He hoped they weren't that aggressive down there or he might need to use all of these bacta needles on himself instead of on them. He slowed his ship down and came to a virtual stop over the spot he wanted to touch down at, and was a little shocked it managed to make it onto the ground as half smoothly as it had. He was a little proud of himself for that one, but it would need to wait! For now he just turned his ship off and popped the cockpit open so he could begin to get out with the emergency kits in both arms.

[member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Sor-Jan Xantha"] [member="3X744"] [member="Kytra Odran"] [member="Kimiko"] [member="Bryce Bantam"] [member="Nico Minuro Ike"] [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] [member="Hylocereus"] [member="Ria Misrani"] [member="Tabigarashu Madara"]

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

High above [member="Jorus Merrill"] and his crew, in the flashing lights of a burgeoning space battle, the tremendous bulk of Ayden Cater's Spirit of Druckenwell moved ponderously forward. Bristling with turbolasers and missile launchers, it was more than just a warship - it was also a testing ground, an armory in space, and a research and development lab. It's crew compliment was so large Sarge often tried not to think about it, because it was easy to become lost in the vastness of space when you realized you were in a floating city.

The underside of the massive vessel flashed with light, and a new meteor journeyed across the frozen sky and past starfighters and anti-air batteries churning fire it's way. It didn't arc, as most things do, rather, it punched straight down, a fireball that promised to shake the earth with it's violence.

As it grew larger to the eye, it would no doubt attract attention from below, and by that point it was likely clear it was heading straight for the makeshift camp - or at least close enough it was hard to tell. Screeching through the harsh winds, it impacted at an angle, embedding itself in the snow, it seemed almost to right itself. Vaguely tear drop in shape, the base was square, widened, and it stood nearly as tall as a shuttle with the width of a tank.

Steam billowed from it's rapidly cooling metal surface, and the immediate vicinity of the landing zone had turned to slush. Several loud clangs were heard before hydraulics hissed, and the drop pod sent it's three hatches slamming into the ground. Inside stood a squat, bipedal walker, the left arm ending in a four fingered fist, a hissing flamethrower hanging from the underside. It's right arm was a box ended by a six barreled rotary blaster cannon, and it whirred ominously as it gave a test spool.

Colored in the gunmetal grey that was associated with little, the only indication of it's allegiance, rather ironically, was a dark grey flaming Omega emblazoned on the left side of the hull. At six meters tall, the walker was the size of a small building, and it took a ponderous step from within the confines of it's entry vehicle. <Jorus.> A mechanical voice booms, loud like an artillery piece going off next to the ear. <Who the hell taught you to fly.>

As if completely unperturbed by the idea someone might start shooting at it, it just took another step towards the camp, shaking the ground with every forward step of it's squat, four toed feet. It paused, however, as it realized the new ship arrival wasn't with the original group, and it adopted a wide legged stance with it's weapons facing the ship... and whatever was inside.

[member="Kytra Odran"] [member="Hylocereus"] [member="Ria Misrani"] [member="Tabigarashu Madara"] [member="3X744"] [member="Sor-Jan Xantha"] [member="Teagan Stoirm"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

No sign of the Sith forces yet, though they had to be getting close. He squinted up at the top of the hull, where Underground commandos were setting up pintle guns for overwatch beside sloped airlocks. A Silver Jedi scout vehicle dropped in; [member="Nico Minuro Ike"] began distributing hot food to those in need. She clearly knew Sor-Jan, as if she wasn't already in Jorus' good books for the soup. Another vehicle, this one an interceptor Jorus didn't recognize, touched down shortly thereafter. The single-seat fighter disgorged a young man with an awful lot of medpacks. Underground field medics and the turtle Noomay moved to meet him, letting him know who might be hurt and where the supplies might be needed. Far as Jorus was concerned, that fighter was just as useful a gift. Even a little bit of aerial fire support would go a long way toward slowing the eventual rogue Sith advance.

Then a third vehicle touched down, in the loosest possible terms. A gigantic drop pod slammed into the tundra not far away, and from it stepped a six-metre battlewalker with a grand old crest, an insignia Jorus had worn for years. Macrobinoculars dangling on his chest, he put up his hood and left the dubious shelter of FOB Figurehead, slogging through ankle-deep snow toward [member="Sarge Potteiger"].

"That'd be the dragons," Jorus shouted past his grin. "Hotdogging thrillriders the lot of'em." The walker trained its guns on the interceptor, and Jorus waved his hands. "It's a friendly. Just some kid with medpacks." He stomped to a halt in the walker's shadow and lee; one massive leg broke the wind and kept the driving snow off his face.

"Good fething timing," he called up. "From what we saw before we, uh, landed, it looked like the Sith had some pretty serious assets coming this way. We're a little short on titanic battlewalkers."

 

[Hylocereus]

Boots, yes heavy boots with multiple layers of socks. These were important things to keep in mind if you wanted to keep warm. Snow was horrible, worse in that it could turn to water. Water could get into place and make you colder, so it was important to have your pant legs overlap the boots and then tie them down to prevent water from migrating into your boots. Afterall you'd get a headcold if your feet got wet in winter....

Suddenly Hylo was brought back to reality after hearing Mara and feeling her lips on his cheek. He beamed with pleasure as she complimented his tree shelter. It was a simple enough thing and yet it would keep them warm, break the wind, and eventually provide for a decent shelter as pine needles and branches finished filling it. "Yes, we're technically compatible with humans," Hylo was too cold to blush his customary green when [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] began asking him about his biology. "The cold bothers me, but I think not so much as you humans." A frown formed on his face as he stepped forward against the branches of the tree and peaked through a hole trying to emulate Mara. What would she ask about next? Pollination! "If we stay here too long I might have to brave the cold, take my clothes off and roll in the snow." He quirked an eyebrow at Mara and smiled.

"Is there something I should be doing?" Reaching into his pocket he took out the remainder of his seeds. " I only got a few more seeds," Hylo said. "Brylark and Concordian Ceder and some thorn bushes." he frowned. "Not a ton, but I can grow a plant past maturity to produce more if we're in for the long haul. I've made barricades before... but would it be appropriate? And where? I'm not well versed in these things." He looked back at [member="Jorus Merrill"] and frowned. What would he do? The frown finished forming as he considered what he'd come here to do and found himself inching closer to Mara. "Depending on how long we have I could maybe make enough shelter for everyone. Two days of work," A generous estimation, but Hylo could do it if he worked around the close to the point of exhaustion, and he would because he was trying to impress. "but if we're sheltering in place...." he shrugged.