This planet doesn’t have a thing to offer anyone…

[Corvus Raaf]

They were exiting hyperspace. The coordinates said K-18 and the cool blue planet ahead was clearly Hoth. A desolate world covered in snow and ice – it was rarely visited for a reason – it was downright inhospitable.

Except since the Galactic Event and it falling outside of anyone’s specific oversight, there had been talk it had become a base for smugglers and pirates. And despite it being out of their jurisdiction, some of the targets of the attacks were Republic ships, and so a small expedition was sent to investigate. And then another.

When two such groups disappear without trace, Jedi tend to be called in to investigate. So Corvus accepted the mission – and was looking for her Padawan to take the lead in their time planet-side.

So as they headed towards the hangar bay of the Jedi Kenobi class Praxeum to board a shuttle, both decked in snow-gear, Corvus looked to her fellow Jedi.

“So Kaia. What would you suggest the first steps should be?” Her voice, although soft, echoed around the vast hangar bay and a few heads turned to see what the Padawan would say in response. No pressure then!

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

Struggling to keep her balance under all the snow-gear, Kaia barely kept in stride with her Master. She would have been unable to see anything at all if it weren't for her Force Sight. When the heads turned to hear her reply, she wished she couldn't see at all. Still, she puffed her chest and considered the matter. This mission was her responsibility, and she would do her best. No pressure at all.

"I think we need to find out as much as we can about the first missions, and make a thorough scan of the area. I think it's unwise to go inn blind."

The pun was absolutely intended as she tried to crack through the tension of the situation. Still, it was what she believed to be a valid first step, and based on their finds, it could drastically change the next steps.

"The more we find out, the better we can deal with the situation at hand. How did they disappear? Where did they go? Why haven't they been able to contact us? There are so many variables we need to cover."

She had to take a second to de-stress herself as she considered the many possibilities. Everything from pirates, to invasion, to an unknown species popping up on Hoth.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

As they walked up the landing ramp, onto Raven 2, they were immediately met by Corvus’ protocol droid. He was a gift from a Padawan, otherwise he may have had a memory or rather a personality wipe by now.

“Greeting Master and Padawan Vullen.”

Corvus raised an eyebrow, he was being too polite.

“I have taken the liberty of downloading all relevant data on the previous missions and also provided images of local scans at the time of the disappearances.”

Corvus’ other eyebrow joined its partner.

Cornix handed the datapad to Corvus’ Padawan. “Thank you,” she offered and wondered what the punchline was going to be and was surprised when he simply turned and went into the ship.

Corvus looked at Vaia. “A sound approach. I’ll set us on our way, you can review the data and appraise me when you’ve decided on next steps. OK?”

She smiled and strode to the cockpit, keeping a wary eye out for Cornix on the way.

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

"Thank you."

She removed one of her mittens to better work with the datapad. Her slender fingers lost far too much dexterity within the winter gear to work the buttons. She noticed the scepticism with which Corvus looked at the droid, and curious as she was, she wanted to know what it was all about. However, she didn't ask yet. First of all, she had data to review. Secondly, she didn't want to insult the droid by highlighting the situation. Perhaps when they landed, she would ask. She answered her master with a smile and nod.

"I'm on it."

She slumped down in a seat and started looking through the data, beginning with the flight trajectories. If she could narrow down the geographical area from "Hoth" to something a little more specific. Next, she brought up the images of the scans within the approximate trajectory to look for signs of settlements. She also cross-referenced with weather, in case they had simply been caught in an area of extreme weather and brought down. Which would be strange, considering how experienced these pilots usually were. Perhaps they were shot down? But she couldn't see any clear signs of settlements. They would have to be extremely well-hidden, but in that case why shoot down the ships? Assuming they were shot down, what could they have seen or done to provoke such a violent action? A Sith settlement? A large smuggler-base? She stared at the images for so long they made no sense to her at all. It was about as clear as Hoth got along the route, so it would seem weather was not the cause.

"Perhaps we'll have to follow the trajectory of the ships, but that would mean taking the risk of disappearing just like the previous expeditions."

She spoke to no-one in particular, sometimes ideas had to be aired to make sense. She switched to the next image on file, being the trajectory of the first expedition, the next was the second. She kept flitting back and forth between them. One was longer than the other, and slightly more curved. Why? Perhaps there was a log. Or it might have gone down with the ship.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus piloted the craft out of the hangar and then set a course for their destination – albeit she planned to land only where her Padawan prescribed.

She listened to her Padawan’s musings and kept her thoughts to herself. Finally she offered, “What does your instinct tell you to do? Listen to the Force, let it guide you.”

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

Kaia stopped her musings at the interjection from Corvus. The thoughts threatened to crash back in on her, but they were brushed away by the idea of following her instinct. If the young padawan had eyes to close, then she would do so as she folded her legs up in a lotus position and took control of her breath to calm herself and listen. With an inhale, she grasped all the ifs, buts and maybes that lingered in her head and expelled them with a slow exhale. She imagined the words dissolving in her exhale, and left behind was direction. Her smile spread across her lips once more as she reached for her datapad, letting it float into her hand, and then jumped nearly all the way to the cockpit. Leaning on the entrance quite nonchalantly she swapped the images to the trajectories of the two ships.

"We'll have to follow them, they're our only good lead. I say, we land right about here"

Turning her datapad, she pointed at a portion where the two trajectories crossed paths. To Kaia, this made her think there may have been something interesting in the area. Or perhaps it was simply the safest area to fly through. In any case, it was close enough to the disappearances for them to carry on through the snow with whatever equipment they had for such a trek.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus nodded. It was a simple affirmation that she would go with the plan. There was no inference it was a good idea or the best solution. It was simply an agreement to go where Kaia suggested.

“This is not a test,” Corvus said, “In the sense that you’ll be graded or appraised at the end of it. Actually that’s not entirely true. What I meant to say was that I won’t be reviewing your decisions or actions. But I suspect you will.”

“So my only advice is to trust the Force and listen when it tells you things.”

Corvus set the ship to follow the flight-path Kaia had suggested and nothing happened that would explain any disappearances – and so they set down where had been agreed and Corvus smiled at Kaia. “OK, we’re here.”

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

Reviews, she had hardly even thought about it as she had been completely absorbed in her task. The concept of not being reviewed was equaly liberating and unsettling, as it put a lot of freedom on her hands, but also complete responsibility. Corvus was right when she suspected that Kaia would review her own course of actions and leadership throughout this mission. If she had not brought it up, it was possible that Kaia would judge herself quite harshly even. However, as always the Jedi master had sound advice.

"Listen, and trust in the Force. I got it."

Listen and trust; simple idea, but far more difficult in execution. Just like trusting ones' instinct, thoughts had a habit of intruding upon decisions. As they landed, Kaia put on the remainder of her snow-gear. Between the layers, her features nearly disappeared and her walk became something of a waddle as she made her way to the landing ramp. She had never seen this amount of snow or cold before, and was quite excited to feel what it was like. Waddling out into the frozen wasteland, crested with icy hills and pillars of ice. Kaia waded into the snow, expecting it to reach high up to her waist, but found to her surprise that it had been compacted to the point where she could walk mostly on top of it. Amazed, she jumped up and down a bit while giggling. After perhaps a minute of play, she flopped down on her back in the snow and felt the Force around her. Trust in the force.

"It should be this way, master Coruvs."

She struggled up to her feet and waddled on through the snowy landscape in her thick attire. It was not much thicker than others, but her petite stature made it a little difficult to perform certain movements. Perhaps with a bit of walking, she would break in the joints and move more freely.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus dressed for the conditions but put one or possibly two fewer layers on. She was free to walk still, rather than waddle. And she couldn’t suppress a smile as her Padawan made a snow angel under the pretence of connecting to the Force.

Corvus considered a well aimed snowball but thought better of it. Kaia did not need to be distracted.

Finally the Padawan focused on the task as opposed to the snow and pointed in the intended direction of travel. Corvus was wary. Her last time on Hoth found a hungry Wampa – and given Kaia’s flexibility, she wondered how they’d cope.

So Corvus focused primarily on their surroundings and allowed her Padawan free rein to think and decide on each step of her plan.

“I should teach you Tapas,” Corvus said as they walked. “Maybe I already should have.”

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

"It's never too late to learn."

It was a lesson she had picked up from a venerable Selkath by the name of Qual. He spent most of his time in the Academies, helping younglings and padawans with their learnings, and giving out the wisdom he had gathered through his service as a Jedi for many, many years. Kaia had listened to him often and enjoyed it. If one listened closely, one could hear many a strange story from his younger days. Some of which were most likely exaggerated, but still full of good lessons.

Kaia did not spend much time thinking of venerable Selkaths at this moment, however. Trudging through the snow, she watched their surroundings intently. She was not looking for the same things as Corvus, rather Kaia was looking for the easiest path through the snowy hills. Faced with a valley that snaked between two small hills, she stopped up. Something felt off, ambush? Certainly between the hills was a place to do so, if one were to believe the fiction a certain Nautolan youngling kept smuggling into the libraries. Perhaps they came of use this time?

"I think we will have the best vantage point from that hill. It may give us an overview of the situation."

Kaia waddled with renewed enthusiasm as she started to climb the slope of the hillside. It was not too steep, but the snow was softer and far less predictable. Some who were experienced with snow would advice caution, but again the Miraluka was not accustomed to snow.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus followed as Kaia led. She'd visited enough ice planets to know they were cold - but little more. Her focus was still on any unwelcome guests as she walked alongside her Padawan.

"Tell me what you're thinking," she said, "What options you're considering and which ones you've discounted - if any."

The soft snow looked beautiful and was fun to pick up - but less enjoyable to walk through as it cam up to their knees and occasionally to their hips. It meant progress was slowed - but to reach the vantage point Kaia suggested? It made perfect sense.

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

"Well, we still don't know what we are up against. It could be anything from a severe storm to a pirate hideout. I think, once we get the vantage point, we should get a good overview and see if we can locate the wreckages. They have to be somewhere right?"

Facing a rock wall which one would expect to simply go around or climb, Kaia tried to climb up on the top of the snow. The wall was not too tall to jump with a little boost of the Force, but covered in spots of ice that made it slippery and treacherous. She had found a rock buried in the white, powdery substance tall enough to give her a spot of solid ground. From said spot, she jumped and landed almost gracefully on the top ridge of the rock face. With a series of strained sounds she clambered her way through the snow and emerged on the top with her hands on her hips, positively beaming with accomplishment

"Once we find the wreckages, we can determine how they crashed. Were they shot, did they malfunction? What about the crew? Only problem is, we may be walking into occupied territory. Possibly even a trap."

There weren't many shot-down thoughts in her stream of consciousness yet, but they would come. For now, she was quite set on the gathering of intelligence. She felt it was right, in her gut.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus almost felt guilty. Once you led an expedition enough times, you had spare mental capacity to banter and the mental processes were grooved enough to be carried out subconsciously.

But here was Kaia, her first mission in charge, in treacherous circumstances and a Jedi Master in tow. But the steepness of the learning curve would only make the experience more rewarding. But she accepted that all the pressure was on her Padawan and she was offering nothing herself.

But she kept a watchful eye on their surroundings regardless. There was no point in them being blind-sided by a Wampa just to make the mission a greater challenge.

"So, what can you see?"

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

At first, Kaia was tempted to make another blind-joke, but she felt the matter at hand demanded more attention and respect than such. Normally, this would be the point where someone would take out macrobiloculars, however they were quite useless to Kaia. Instead, she was working on a technique to achieve the same effect through her Force Sight. Her hands clasped behind her back as she exhaled slowly and allowed the Force to aid her. Her field of vision narrowed, but extended as she reached out further and further from her body.

"No lifeforms in immediate sight, however I think I can see one of the ships. It appears abandoned."

She tried to extend further, to get a closer look. However her vision was growing blurry as she overextended herself. Her brow furrowed and her lips thinned.

"I can't get a closer view from here, but it looks like the valley is clear. I see no signs of life. Still, we cannot be sure."

She withdrew her sight and rubbed her forehead before looking down at her master. Under her scarf, Kaia smiled as she so often did.

"I believe we need to go investigate."

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus nodded. As it was prudent she too used Force Sight to see how far she could reach. It was a three-hundred and sixty degree image and all life forms would show clearly. She was a Master and had been using the technique for two decades now - and so had good range.

"I concur there are no life forms," Corvus said, "So I'll follow you down to the ship." There was something niggling at Corvus' mind. She had no idea what it was – but the Force was telling her something and she either wasn’t listening properly, or the something hadn’t manifested itself just yet.

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

From her vantage point, Kaia threw herself into the snow and slid down from her vantage point to meet with Corvus. She stopped herself from sliding past her master by setting her heels in the snow, and threw herself up into a standing position. She was growing quite fond of the softness of the snow, the way it cushioned her fall and how she could slide on top of it.

"Perhaps two ships really did crash on accident? Or perhaps there are life-forms we can't sense."

She had read briefly about the Force Dead Yuuzhan Vong after the disaster on Telti. If they did not exist in the Force, then Kaia could not see them. She wasn't thinking the culprits could be Vong, but it opened for the possibility that her sight could be cheated and there were beings who could probably pass under any form of detection if they so wish. Along with Corvus, Kaia waddled in the direction of the wrecked ship. Her senses kept on alert.

"Something strange is going on here."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus nodded. “Both options are possible. There is no proof the ships were downed on purpose and there could be life-forms we are not able to detect — or perhaps are hidden to us?”

“You use Force Sight of course. And you therefore sense with the Force. One trick I learned having faced Voxyn was to seek null points. All things are visible to you through the Force. Living beings share a distinct aura. But Voxyn, and those dead to the Force do not exactly show as inorganic, but rather a dead spot in the Force. So seek out anything that is a gap in your mental map.”

“I’m not saying you’ll find anything, but it’s worth a try.”

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

"A blind spot in the Force? I- Hmm."

Kaia had never considered that as a possibility, but it made perfect sense when Corvus mentioned it. If the Force was in all things, then of course that which was dead to the Force would appear as a void in her sight. To look once more, Kaia stopped her waddle. Her boots sunk deep into the snow as she drew in the cold air and allowed the Force to flow through her and bolster her natural Force Sight. Her near 360 vision expanded like a slow explosion as she once more searched. Unlike previously, she was not looking for points of light, but anomalies in the form of voids, as Corvus had advised.

"I can see... There's something in the mountain."

Her left hand gestured to one of the surrounding hills. What did she see? It appeared like a fog, a haze of sorts, as if in that place her vision was clouded from the shifting forms within the mountain. Could she be wrong?

"Some sort of haze, as if the Force is starved in that place. I'm not so sure we should go to the wreck anymore. It could be a trap. Still..."

She placed a hand on her nose, tapping the tip of it as she thought. It occurred to her that they were quite out in the open already. Had they been spotted? It was not so much fear as sudden alarm that struck the young Miralukan Padawan.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus sensed her Padawan was listening and learning. And like the best learning, it was coming from within.

At Kaia’s suggestion, Corvus too focused on the same spot. And yes, there was a place that was either cloaked or simply different. In truth they didn’t need to know right now, just follow it. But as Corvus allowed her senses to watch over the place, there was a sense of déjà vu.

“Voxyn,” she said quietly. “And if that’s the case, they may have a handler. But the creatures themselves are what she should be worried about. Their scream can shatter your ear-drums…trust me, I know from experience.”

“Lead us there. If I need to take over, I shall let you know – but for now…you’re still in charge.” To take the lead now would be counter-productive – Corvus knew that. But she would never put her Padawan in danger.

[member="Kaia Vullen"]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

Kaia nodded as her Master gave her suggestion of going there. It was what she too was leaning towards, but it felt good to have someone backing her in the decision. Especially so when the one backing her was as experienced in such matters as Corvus. It was her first time taking a role of leadership, she would need much more training and guidance and both things came with experience and patience.

"Voxxyn... Thank you Master, that is really helpful" She looked down at her datapad with disapproval. Technology could still only help her so far. "I hope it won't come to that."

She waddled in the direction of the hill, all the while keeping a look around as she plotted the route. At first she tried to use intellect and data, but seeing as it was unreliable and put her in a lot of guessing situations, she decided to put her datapad away and simply follow her feet. The Force would lead her through them, as long as she kept herself open for it. Her feet incidentally took them up a long slope which allowed them to see the mountain in question from the side. Which, in turn, made it less likely for them to be detected.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]