Tundra en Arkania

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The Skaltura Mountains
Arkania

It was a warm winter. Snow capped mountains and jagged black terrain as far as the eye could see. Winter gear was necessary even if the temperature wasn't exactly lethal. It was warmer this afternoon than on most days but the altitude was still imposing. No doubt lesser races would get the sickness up here easily. The wind blew large tuffs of snow around the sharp valleys and the blue birds fluttered about with ease. Even with her sunglasses on, Sam Jhovna knew a great view when she saw one.

"Yo! Jedi gal. We've got a satellite uplink on the Echo. Just came through. Better come take a look."

"Coming!"

There was a bright orange and white ATV bus parked nearby. It was the headquarters for the rescue operation that the local Jedi Service Corps was running today. Filled with computers and servers, this large vehicle would serve as the base for today's activities. It had been helicoptered in only just that morning and driven up to the summit.

Sam approached the side door where the young man had only just yelled to her. She looked back out across the white jagged tundra and wondered. Hm? Wasn't there supposed to be more Jedi coming to help?

[member="Nico Minuro Ike"]

 

[Nico Ike Qarmast]

[member="Sam Jhovna"]

Nico looked at the snow as she ran, the temple here was small out of the way and secluded. Not crowded like Ossus, not ah whatever Tython was now when word and rumors that you needed to be a master to go there came through. She had decided to simply go to Arkania and lose herself to the ebb and flow of the world. She let out a breath in the snow seeing the line of steam and her hands went to her knee's. This was more relaxing and the shallow breathes she gulped in brought her attention to the blinking comlink. She hadn't heard it chirping with the hood on and moved to an area where she wasn't exposed to the snow and brought it out. "Yes"

The people telling her a jedi knight had arrived for some work. Nico gave a nod to herself more then the one speaking while she took in a breath and started running back to the temple to meet this jedi. Her body flowing with the force and allowing the muscles to be infused to keep going faster and faster until she was at the steps of the temple leading into the mountains. Taking them down two at a time and gaining a large amount of momentum until she was nearly barreling into the temple hallway and going to her room to change. A small smile coming when she got to the door and closed it changing and making sure she was properly strapped down everywhere she needed gathering her two saber gauntlets.

She started out to meet the jedi knight Sam standing there in her robe and putting her hair in a tight ponytail that bounced while the medical droid found her getting her her injections while she spoke. "Knight Jhovna, I am Nico Ike."

 

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[member="Nico Minuro Ike"]

The blue hologram gave a smile.

~ Hello there Nico Ike. You are looking well today. Might I ask what you have on your agenda for the afternoon? Well. I seem to require a few extra hands up in the mountains today. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind taking the Airstream up here and meeting me? Hehe. It shouldn't be more than half an hour from the Temple site. ~

The summit of the Skalturan Peaks was a remote area and required only a small investment in continental travel. Oh, and snow boots too.

 

[Nico Ike Qarmast]

[member="Sam Jhovna"]

Nico listened to the message once and then again to make sure she had all the information while the injections finished. Small band-aids and some rub to prevent infections while she moved to get to the air stream and dressed so she could go outside again and head up the mountains. Letting a line of steam come from her mouth while she held her hands together with the aegis gauntlets on. Fully charged and extra power cells for use with the shields and sabers. SHe was ready to head up and stood there looking at the others as she started to head up to meet Sam.

 

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[member="Nico Minuro Ike"]

Sam busied herself about the bus and awaited Padawan Ike's arrival. The tech's were mapping an Active Feed off the Topography but the signal strength was weaker than expected. It would take a few minutes to render the whole region in Real Time in preparation for the Rescue Operation.

Sam rubbed her fuzzy mittens together and grabbed a coffee while she waited. All the other men and women aboard the bus were not Force Adepts but specialists in their trade. Mostly humans too. Which was surprising given the planet. She shrugged and watched the monitors filter in and out.

She could her the wind outside the bus but there were no windows in the back. Only the driver could see the approaching Ike as she neared the summit.

 

[Nico Ike Qarmast]

[member="Sam Jhovna"]

Once she had reached the area and gotten out... the chill came to her face, her bones and every exposed part of her body. Oh this was not and was exactly what she expected moving quickly and with purpose along the path. Reaching and slipping inside while she was too chilled to try and remove her jacket... more just rubbed her chest to let it warm her arms. "Oh that is cold." Her eyes came up and flicked about to try and find Knight Sam while she moved forward and hoped the power cells of her sabers didn't freeze. "Masters."

 

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[member="Nico Minuro Ike"]

Sam was drinking coffee at the back of the bus. Watching the techs work their magic on the monitors.

"Ah. Padawan Ike. Excellent timing. The techs have just finished their first sweep of the operation zone. Everything looks quite clear. I do hope you came prepared for a little hike through the mountains today. Hehe."

Her eyes returned to the monitor and she nodded to the seated male,

"Transfer it to my com and tell Jerry I'm ready when he is. It's about time we got moving."

 

[Nico Ike Qarmast]

[member="Sam Jhovna"]

Nico gave a nod to that, as much as she disliked the cold she was prepared for another trek through the mountains. Her nod came while she rolled her shoulders stretching with a smirk on her face. "I am, always fun to be outside. I love it." No no she didn't but she had learned to pretend to like things and relish it, helped make the days better. It was how you endured. She was ready to get moving and put her hood up with a cover over her mouth. "Alright lets get going." Nico get ready to move and with a quick plop plop the shields activated and then the duel snap hisses as the sabers came. Going away quickly but testing them.

 

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[member="Nico Minuro Ike"]

"Excellent. Here's the brief. Yesterday a Jedi Interceptor crashed unexpectedly into this mountain range. The vessel pierced the mountain and appears to have disappeared inside. Likely uncovering a cave or cavern complex deep within the mountainside. Either way, the aircraft is still transmitting a rescue beacon but the signal is lost amid the terrain. We'll need a closer look if we are to find it."

She stepped to the door and pulled on her fluffy white coat.

"Jerry will be our guide into the Mountains. He's a human male but local to these parts. We'll need to keep him safe as we search the crash site. The Arkanian's report that there are Shron Bears in these hills. Larger and faster than any man. ...But? With luck. They will be frightened of us and stay away. Hm."

She nodded and stepped out into the cold.

"Did you have any questions before we got underway?"

 

[Nico Ike Qarmast]

[member="Sam Jhovna"]

Nico listened to it and her eyes were wider, MOE style as the pupils dilated to take in all the information. A nod coming to her head as she gave a nod. "No no questions master, we should head up and be careful in case a storm comes in. Don't want to be stranded in the mountains with a storm.... Might end up very dangerous." She was ready to go and looked towards the one who would be leading them as triple checking her jacket and suit to make sure she would be plenty warm. Didn't want to freeze. "I am prepared to go master, though are you ready for Arkania? If can be a dangerous plane when you don't pay attention."

 

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[member="Nico Minuro Ike"]

"Jerry is a wonderful guide. I'm sure he'll take good care of us. Isn't that right Jerry?" Sam smiled as the human male approached. He was tall and thin with a short black beard.

"Yes ma'am. We'll just be going for a quiet hike in the mountains today. Nothing too dangerous. Especially for magical Jedi. Heh. Come on then. No need to trudge in. We'll take the half-track down to the Palmer Ridge. Climb aboard ladies."

An ATV half-track awaited them just down the hill. It was a meaty looking snowmobile with space for many passengers. Sam climbed aboard and they were off. Jerry was driving so Jhovna took the time to reset her sunglasses to a darker shade. The weirdest thing about white snow is that it reflected sunlight so well. Turning a perfectly good day into a blinding one. Ugh.

"So Padawan Ike? How long have you been on Arkania? Like it here?"

 

[Nico Ike Qarmast]

[member="Sam Jhovna"]

Nico followed and looked at the guide and ship they were using as Sam spoke. Many things went through her mind but she hadn't been on Arkania that long.... mostly really just spending a couple week at the different temples they had to train until she had a new master or just group classes. "Not long maybe three weeks this time. I just drift with some of the other students from temple to temple for classes and study until I get a new master." She gave a shrug it just seemed normal with the majority seeming to turn to the darkside when fighting the sith now numbers were less and less.

 

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[member="Nico Minuro Ike"]

They rolled along at a brisk pace. Clean air and chill breeze. Open skies, white snow, and black cliffs. Jerry didn't talk much so Sam continued,

"What's your favorite thing about the planet thus far? Anything interesting I should see before I go?"

She smiled and pretended she was more tourist than Jedi. Which, surprisingly, was often the case.

 

[Nico Ike Qarmast]

[member="Sam Jhovna"]

What part of a frozen world that made every inch of her want to go and curl up in front of a fire for a week.... Well that was a lie there were plenty of things that were good about places. "I like the temple grounds in the mountains, it is peaceful to run and think to yourself while getting some exercise and the old library grounds are interesting to explore. Nothing left but it was vast at one point in time."

 

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[member="Nico Minuro Ike"]

"I see." Sam nodded. Losing interest in the conversation quickly, she returned to watching the road ahead. Jerry made a sudden turn uphill and parked their small vehicle on the edge of a black and foreboding cliff. Then he set the parking brake and dismounted. Pulling out his viewfinders to take a better look at a blotch in the distance.

Sam dismounted and followed the tall human to his side. The wind was stronger up here.

"And?"

"Well. Yes ma'am. There's your hole in the mountain, right there." He passed Sam the goggles. "No smoke at the crash. But there are still some embers burning nearer the fault and the skid marks against the dead grass are plain to see."

"Ah. And... That looks like ice around the crater."

"Something like that, yeah. The bad news is? Where there is that specific kind of ice, there is also critters."

Sam dropped the goggles to her chest and seemed mighty surprised,

"Critters?"

"Yep. Mean little dinosaurs too. About waist high and run in packs of three to four. They're blind. But the nose makes up for it. ...Mostly underground creatures. Don't see them very often up here in the heights."

"So it's not a cave formation after all? It's a den."

"Can't say for sure. But that blue ice around the crater is not a good sign."

Jerry turned to look at Nico,

"Hope you know how to use those swords missy. Might find trouble where we be going..."

Sam stared off into the distance and could only frown.

 

[Nico Ike Qarmast]

[member="Sam Jhovna"]

Nico listened and looked towards where they were pointing, her eyes squinting while she heard Sam over the wind. She did know how to use them and clenched her fists more in testing the reflexes before speaking. "Yeah I do master." With a look more and hearing about the creatures coming as a possibility she had to wonder if an ambush would be sensed, pack creatures had habits and like wampa's sometimes they might be able to disguise themselves in the snow. "We should be careful i is never this easy."

 

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[member="Nico Minuro Ike"]

Sam and Jerry nodded. It was time to go.

"Shall we go about that ridgeline there? Or a bit lower?"

"Higher is better. We can leave the track here. A little jog never hurt. Besides, the weather is perfect for a climb."

Sam smiled and let the older man lead. He was their guide after all. The Knightess turned to NIco and nodded,

"Just how much training with those swords have you had? They seem quite familiar to you."

Jerry gave a wave and Sam followed in his footsteps. They'd go along the black ridge for now. Strong and hearty stone.

 

[Nico Ike Qarmast]

[member="Sam Jhovna"]

She thought about how to answer that, they were very familiar hell she had used them to fight for years but... not as a jedi, that was before and now standing there for a heartbeat she spoke in her best confident tone. "I am pretty good, I built them with my master." Not a lie just a stretched truth. "and have been using them since I was an initiate." Nico moved though and a climb would be great. "Always a good time for a climb." She looked at Jerry and gave a grin.