Somethin' On Hoth

[CaptainWolfgang]

SOMETHIN' ON HOTH

11:51 AM -- Research Station Shuttle Bay --- Orbiting: Planet Hoth
Travel to a World of Smoke and Flame; The Black Earth Where Vader was thought Slain
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=OOC: The Roleplay is now closed to newcomers, but if you PM me and really want to join in, we'll work something out.=
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"Why would anyone want to set foot on Hoth?" was a question Kalo was getting used to today. Ever since a brief stop in Bespin to give a Hutt contact some valuables and square his debt, he had the sinking feeling that he was being followed. Maybe the Hutt had begun to suspect that Kalo kept a little of his heist's prize to himself. While his debt was paid in full, Hutts rarely like to be cheated out of an extra share. That's why Hutts grew so fat, and why Kalo Wolftenn had decided to board a shuttle to Hoth. If anyone was tailing him, this would reveal it. No sane person just goes to Hoth.

He entered the main hanger, which was deserted save the typical crew who run the ground-to-fleet operations in the area. Without the luxury of his own ship, the Fleet Crew had offered him a high-security locker to store any valuables-- one which could only be accessed by his own genetic print. Kalo figured it was a good idea as the blizzards on Hoth made losing things in the snow a real danger. He stuffed away some of his bags containing spare clothes and hesitantly parted ways with his datapad.

But if someone was following him, surely they'd be devious enough to open the locker? His treasure couldn't leave his sight. No matter how valuable, there was no way he was going planetside without it. Discreetly returning it to his backpack, he locked the storage unit and returned to the ship where he received a complimentary tundra-resistant outfit.

Also upon his return, Kalo noticed that he now had company. A pink haired woman a little too dangerous looking to just be a tourist, and a one-eyed man who definitely reeked of the Hutt Cartel.

He faked a smile and walked over to greet them.

 

[Bee]

Truth be told, Alba really wasn't really fazed by the idea of traipsing around on a frozen, empty rock deep in the outer rim. She'd been a soldier, once. Weather was either a small blessing or a minor inconvenience, no matter how severe, though without her gear she was somewhat apprehensive about getting caught unprepared if the climate turned out to be more punishing than she'd been led to believe. Then again, she'd managed to borrow a both gently used scarf and thermal jacket from one of the crew members, and their stay was allegedly going to be a short one - it wasn't as though they were camping out for weeks on end, or even spending so much as a single evening on the planet's snowy surface. They'd wander around for a few hours, give or take, before returning to the safety of the research station. And unless they stumbled blindly into a blizzard - or Force forbid, their shuttle broke apart in the atmosphere - Alba was convinced that they would all be just fine. Or worst case scenario, she'd be able to fall back on her training while the rest of the crew died in the cold.

Standing idle in the research center's shuttle bay, tundra coat slung over one arm, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, turning her head to watch the fair haired man amble ever closer. She didn't recognize him. Then again, she didn't recognize anyone in the bay, and with a bit of luck, none of them had any idea who she was, either. Regarding him with a slight upward nod, she didn't bother trying to smile. It would've been forced anyway, and in a lot of ways, it felt worse to pretend than it did to just look sort of neutral, if a bit standoffish.

"Hey." Unable to help herself, the corner of Alba's mouth quirked upward in a slight, lopsided smile, though it faded almost instantly. While there was no blaster on her hip, a long metal case hung from her shoulder by a strap, beat up enough to imply its contents were probably military surplus, or something similar. Nestled in her two-tone hair, a pair of tinted goggles sat waiting to be pushed down onto her face, no doubt to provide some protection from the frozen winds and glare from the too bright sun.

 

[TWD26]

Inspiration for the Post
One man practicing kindness in the wilderness is worth all the temples this world pulls.--Jack Kerovac​

A sensation of adrenaline, uncertainty, and unknowing filled the once rising Cartel bounty hunter. His mind raced through the events that had begun to transpire within the past few weeks. The events back on Naboo had filled him with courage, but also dread, as the Cartel was once more on his tail--and they wanted him dead or alive. It wasn't dying that the hunter feared, but instead the possibility of his dreams being squandered by the hands of the cartel, all for a crime that he had never committed.

It was a shame, yet Dag knew that he would one day have to stop running from past, his friends, and his enemies. But, with his money and supplies running low, the hunter couldn't face his challenges, not yet. After pulling several strings with several Chiss bureaucrats, he was able to get himself smuggled away from Hutt space for the time being, and onto a team of scientific researchers bound for the frozen planet of Hoth.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

The sound of footsteps clanking down the metal hallways could be heard clearly through the small quarters. Dag shifted through the sheets on the bunk and out of his slumber--glancing towards his datapad with a sense of urgency. Today is the day...Let's see how this is going to play out. He hopped down from his bunk and quickly began the enduring task of dressing himself in the various layers of protective clothing he had been issued. He grumbled to himself as he pulled at his uniform's collar, wishing for cool air.

He was unaware for how long this mission was going to take or what they were going to even be doing down on the frozen wasteland, but it didn't matter much, he was being payed. He opened his company locker and began to remove his blaster pistol--placing it in his holster. He paused as he eyed his employee badge, which shimmered Skye Tanson, he smirked for a moment at the thought of now having a second identity. He clipped the badge onto his vest and made his way towards the shuttle.

 

[CaptainWolfgang]

As Dag entered the hanger, Kalo greeted him with a quick wave. Mistaking him for another member of the crew, Kalo didn't prolong any introduction. Three more crew members arrived in the hanger, and the first entered the shuttle. The passengers would recognize him as Arnol Furli, the crewmember who had extended them arctic protection gear and private lockers. Arnol was small and walked with a slight hunch, and always looked like his thoughts were elsewhere.

The two other crew members, Gerry and Shik, joked with each other. They weren't like Arnol Furli, who seemed entirely interested in his task. These two were clearly twin brothers in good physical shape who had grown so bored of shipping people onto the surface of Hoth that they no longer even attempted to make it look professional. They stood off to the side and jabbed each other occasionally, making fun of the pilot and making horrible Tauntaun jokes. As people arrived they briefly stopped with each voyager to inform them of the Protected Species Regulations safeguarding the Tauntaun and Wampa populations of Hoth from poaching, and offered body-cameras. Should a passenger agree to wear the body camera, they would stream a video feed with a two-hour delay back to the fleet. In compensation for their assistance in studying the surface, they would be awarded with a small finders fee of 700 Credits.

Kalo took a camera. Money is money, after all. And the camera could be turned off easily if need be.

"We'll be taking off in a few minutes. If everyone would please board the shuttle, you can introduce yourselves while I uhm, perform routine pre-flight maintenance. Thank you. Thanks." Arnol's voice stuttered over a loudspeaker. There was slight feedback from the microphone, then the shuttle's bay opened, and lights began clicking on.


"And here I thought I'd be going planetside by myself. I'm glad to have been wrong." Kalo said to Alba as he started toward the ship. He had a thick orange winter jacket on over a few more layers, and it was clear he didn't like the cold. "So are you a scientist? Or just a fellow adventurer, trying to drink in the mysteries of the galaxy wherever they may be?"

 

[Bee]

The body camera deal, honestly, seemed a little too good to be true. But credits were credits - turning down easy money seemed like a foolish thing to do, and despite all her other shortcomings, Alba didn't consider herself to be especially foolish. While she didn't really notice Dag, she caught a glimpse of Arnol as he wandered past, and the chatty brothers registered vaguely on her peripheral vision. None of them stood out as being especially shady or dangerous, but perhaps her definition of the word was somewhat skewed. They weren't wearing lightsabers, nor were they blabbering on about being a part of some rebellion, so the soldier in her found it easy to relegate the lot of them to background noise. Looking slightly criminal was permissible - Alba wasn't sure she looked completely legitimate herself - and if nothing else, kind of expected. At the meek man's announcement, Alba let out a bit of a sigh and unfolded the coat that'd been draped over her arm, pulling it onto her body as though it was far heavier than it had any right to be. It just looked kind of stupid. She found it hard to take herself seriously while wearing it.

Affixing the body camera over her chest, she moved along side Kalo at a steady pace, attention split between the man and the shuttle on the opposite end of the bay. "A little bit of both, I guess." There was a bit of hesitation in her tone, as though she wasn't quite sure either way. "I'm supposed to bring back mold samples. Lichen. Something like that." It wasn't the most prestigious job out there, but life as a freelancer was rough. If some weirdo wanted to pay her a thousand credits to bring back a bunch of fungus, who was she to say no? It wasn't as though she had anything better to do.

With her coat buttoned up and camera attached, she offered a gloved hand to shake. "Alba. Who're you again?" It was entirely possible they'd already been introduced, but she wasn't the greatest with faces and names. Numbers, callsigns, sure - but boring stuff like birth names just didn't tend to stick. Not when she was certain the meeting would be a one-off. As instructed, she boarded the shuttle without hesitation, plopping down in one of the seats and moving the case hanging from her shoulder to a spot beneath her chair.

 

[Count Sam]

Hoth, well that was going to be a horrible trip. Keel has always chased after cash, but hunting a target that was hiding at Hoth was not a good idea really. It was true that Keel lived for the cash, but he surely would have been much happier if he was hunting his target and Zeltros rather than Hoth. At least he would get to spend some of his time gambling, drinking, and hooking up. However; Hoth was too cold for his own taste and well just too boring as well.

Keel had his gears and tools packed in his pack since he could not clearly walk around with guns around. He also made sure to pay one of the security guards a good some of money to let him in with all that metal, and that actually made Keel even more pissed. He also had company with him, and he was not sure what to think about them. One of them seemed to be a smuggler who was simply seeking adventures, and the other was a pink haired chick who Keel was not sure what type of buisiness she had on Hoth. However; he did not care, his mission was clear and simply. And he only had to get this mission done, and then he would leave that hell hole he was going to.

As the smuggler greeted Keel, he refused to answer him back as he muttered a few words under his breath, and they clearly did sound like he was cursing someone. Keel then turned around and looked off the window as he made it clear that he was not interested in the chit chat that was going on.

"Kill the target and then I am done with this aye?"He muttered to himself as he waited for the ship to fly off.

 

[TWD26]

Dag stepped into the hangar bay, glancing about as a few of the shuttle patrons had already made their way into the hangar. A man who he had never seen shot him a slight greeting, shooting him a bit of a nod, the hunter turned security contractor made his way towards the department locker. He paused as he took a look back at the group and then towards the locker. He quickly typed in a series of codes and opened the locker--removing his company issued blaster rifle.

"You sure you're goin' to be needin' that," Shik said approaching from behind with a slight mischievous grin. Dag slung the rifle over his shoulder and glanced towards the ground, "Lightin' up lad, I was simply jokin'," the man grabbed a hold of Dag's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, "Yer' security right, ain't goin' to have to worry there, you'll most likely not even have to step off the ship--say now you got a name for yourself?"

Dag's green eyes shifted up towards the man, "Skye...Thanson," his voice trailed away as he slammed the locker shut, "Excuse me...I got to prepare."

Shik chuckled a bit as he stepped aside, "Skye? Seem like a man of business, I like that, take care now."

Dag nodded and sighed as he stopped outside the shuttle ramp. His eyes trailing over the shuttle. We're only going to be doing this for a little while longer. Just hang in there. He sighed and made his way onto the shuttle. His eyes trailed over the guests and then towards a seat beside the ramp. He took a seat, sliding his rifle onto his lap. His head leaned back resting against the cushion of the seat--he closed his eyes and gripped his rifle, simply waiting for the shuttle to dispatch.

 

[CaptainWolfgang]

Kalo fell into the spot next to Alba with absolutely no grace, the bulky jackets throwing him off a bit. After moving the hair out of his eyes he took her hand and shook. "I'm Kalo, but you can call me 'Captain.' If you want. No one else does, but you can't deny that it'd sound cool. Captain Kalo." he joked, furrowing his brow to appear daring. "Lichen then? There's a neat job. I'm honestly just out to see the universe. Stuck in the Outer-Rim though with the war going on and whatnot. Galaxy just isn't as safe as it should be."
Kalo was genuinely in a good mood and had to remind himself that he was technically on Hoth to make sure he wasn't being tailed. She didn't need to know that though. He really didn't think Alba was sent to kill him, but it wouldn't surprise him. He'd seen assassins in the Hutt palaces, and they ranged from Rancor-ugly to, well, Alba beautiful.

Kalo subconsciously gripped his backpack tighter, his treasure hidden safe inside.

---

As Keel found his spot in the shuttle, Kalo did what he could to avoid eye contact. Keel was definitely going to Hoth to kill something. He had DANGER written all over him. Whether Keel's target was him, some other poor unfortuante soul, or just poaching a Wampa, Kalo did not know. Gerry the crewman however, gave Keel a nod. He had let Keel sneak weapons onto the ship, for a price, and seemed to be comfortable with the rules. He had explained that people go down to Hoth all the time to try and kill Wampas for their pelts or horns, so they were a Protected Species. Gerry had then discreetly mentioned that should they be attacked however, he would buy any Wampa materials. "You sure you don't want the body camera? Again, if you've got enough footage recorded on it from Hoth's surface, we'll give you 700 credits."

---

Kylo then turned his attention to Dag. By the look of his uniform and rifle, he was probably security. "So, you have to deal with trouble often on Hoth? Or are you just insurance in case something nasty does pop up?"

Dag's disguise had gotten him past most of the discussions against poaching. Shik and Gerry probably assumed that he already knew that they were involved in the trade of Wampa furs and horns, but they didn't say anything about it out loud if they did. Also, due to his "employment" there, they had given him a camera that didn't record anything, even when it appeared to be on.

---

When the maintenance had been completed, Arnol reminded everyone to buckle themselves in as the shuttle took to the air. Gerry and Shik cheered and gestured at the pilot as the shuttle turned around and exited the bay-- descending toward Hoth.

What few conversations onboard the shuttle continued as they flew through space and into Hoth's upper atmosphere. Two view screens on top of the shuttle bay's passenger area showed camera footage from the wings of the vessel, since the only windows were located in the cockpit. Still, the experienced traveler could feel the shake of the ship as it entered the atmosphere and descended.

The door to the cockpit was locked shut, but anyone close to the door could hear some slight panic. Arnol seemed to be repeating something into his communicator. After a bit of fumbling his voice came on the loudspeaker for an instant.

"HOLD O-"

-KRZZZZ-​

​

Arnol's voice was cut off by a loud explosion. The sound was remniscent of turret fire, and seemed to have hit the cockpit. The line had gone dead, and the passengers could feel the ship begin to descend extremely rapidly. Kalo grabbed on to the emergency supports around his seat and shouted at everyone aboard to do the same. The shuttle rocked back and forth before dipping into a wild spin and crashing into the ground, gliding across the snow and sliding for what felt like forever.

​

When the vessel finally stopped, Kalo coughed and looked up. The power in the ship seemed to be offline.

"Alba? You uh, dangerous guys?... Anyone else still ticking?"

 

[Bee]

Luckily for the charming rogue, his instincts were correct: Alba hadn't been sent to kill anyone, much less someone like Kalo, nor was she really the type to take that kind of job in the first place. Sure, she'd injured people in the line of duty and ended more than her fair share of lives, but soldiers and contract killers were two very different breeds. She'd killed for the Empire because she believed in the ideals it tried to uphold. And when it failed to be something worth fighting for, she refused to carry on hurting people for a cause - and Empire - she didn't believe in. She was a principled woman in theory, but in practice she could be persuaded with money like almost anyone else, including the money that shady-as-frack tradesmen who wanted snow fungus for whatever kind of business they were running had to offer.

With a grin, she rolled her eyes at Kalo's self-appointed title, letting out a quiet chuckle. "Yeah, it does sound cool." Pausing for a beat, she offered a sarcastic followup that was more playful than cruel, that wry smile ever present as she spoke. "Must be why it doesn't suit you." Maybe she should've waited until they reached the planet's surface. Getting burned was a hell of a way to stay warm. Rather pleased with herself, she pulled her goggles down over her face and double checked her seatbelt, leaning her head back against the hull as the shuttle rattled and roared to life. If Kalo wanted to socialize, maybe she could catch the briefest of cat naps. There was certainly no harm in trying, anyway.

But it wasn't meant to be. The first jolt was enough to cause her eyes to snap open, and the panicked whispers were enough to convince her that the slight turbulence wasn't exactly run of the mill. When the crew was scared, then something was really wrong. And it seemed as though they wouldn't have to wait long to figure out whether or not they'd arrive on Hoth in one piece, or twenty. For an instant, everything went black. And when the world came rushing back into view, ears ringing and head swimming, Alba couldn't help but see the ruined surface of Naboo before her. It was a split-second flashback, a ghostly image that had no place among the ice and snow of Hoth, but it shook her to her core more than any shuttle explosion ever could.

It was Kalo's voice that cut through the panic, and it wasn't long before she managed to unbuckle herself and get upright. "Yeah, I -- I think I'm fine." Her head felt cold. Her face was wet? Touching two fingers to her cheek, her white gloves came back stained. She was bleeding. Weird.

 

[TWD26]

So, you have to deal with trouble often on Hoth? Or are you just insurance in case something nasty does pop up? Dag's eyes shot open as he glanced up to see the smuggler speaking to him. Straightening up in his seat his eyes narrowed as he studied the man, "You can call me an insurance policy," his accent was thick and reeked of the Outer Rim, "You got nothing to worry about," sending a small smile that quickly faded, his eyes averting back towards the cockpit. While he didn't fancy himself a flyboy, the hunter found himself agitated and slightly nervous at the thought of someone else controlling their every move--it left him feeling vulnerable.

Though knowing there was nothing he could do about the situation, he turned his attention towards watching the shuttle's patrons. They were a peculiar bunch, not many chose to come to Hoth, but those that did came with a purpose. The one eyed man had caught his attention the most, not knowing if it was the menacing eye patch or the rather harsh manner in which the man carried himself, left the hunter hoping that the man would not turn out to be trouble. Though the man was surely menacing, Dag's attention was turned towards matters far more important.

Starting as only a faint muffled whisper, the pilots of the shuttle could be heard through the shut doors. Slowly the whispers began to grow into a louder and more frantic pace, Dag gripped his seat tightly, his green eyes shifting towards the passengers. He tried to speak up, but his voice cracked as a jolt could be felt throughout the ship, followed by a loud thunderous boom--they had hit heavy turbulence. The hunter clenched his teeth and his eyes winced shut as his stomach dropped along with the ship, then everything went black.

 

[CaptainWolfgang]

It took Kalo Wolftenn three tries before he could escape from his seatbelt. The other two men seemed to be unconscious, but at least Alba was speaking. He briefly considered that this cleared them of suspicion, but it was always possible that all of these people were here to kill him and someone else did it first. Not likely, but possible. It was definitely a blaster that had knocked the ship out of the sky though. As he attempted to stand up a sharp jolt of pain shot through his body from his leg. Realizing his ankle must have hit something in the crash, he fell onto the ground. He reassured Alba as he crawled along the floor of the shuttle, not sure if she even heard him. Once he found the cockpit doors, he tried to open them. They didn't budge, but it must have triggered something. The red emergency power lights clicked on, and a small heater began to work again. Kalo glanced around the now dimly lit room.

"Alba? Yeah uh, I'm gonna stay here. Nothin' big, but my foot's a little banged up. The security guy, *cough*, could you see if you could wake him up? And maybe not wake up the scary eyepatch guy? I'm not trying to play favorites but I really hope the security guy isn't dead." he said, realizing that he must have had the wind knocked out of him too.


The only sound came from the low hum of emergency power, and the wild wind outside the walls.

 

[Bee]

OOC: Sorry for the delay. Um, Sam and TWD didn't actually describe what happened to their characters after the crash (which made coming up with a reply really really hard) so I'm kind of just winging it.

---

Kalo was what they called the 'walking wounded': even if he wasn't up and moving around, he was awake and alert, in possession of all his limbs and mental faculties, and immediately became the lowest priority on the triage totem pole. The other two, clearly knocked unconscious by the impact, were in a far worse state. Though he'd no doubt intended to be helpful, the blonde's words didn't elicit much of a response other than an absent nod as she crawled out of what remained of her belt and harness. First aid was something every soldier knew. Regardless of rank or regiment, the basics were universal: figure out who needed the most help, tend to them first, and then work your way up from there.

Climbing over the wreckage, she happened upon the allegedly creepy guy with the eyepatch, laid out flat on his back as though he'd just received the universe's biggest haymaker to the jaw. Sitting beside him, she touched her index and middle fingers to the man's throat, searching for a pulse as she leaned in, head turned slightly to the side. He was breathing - that was good. Better yet, his breaths were neither too fast nor too slow, and the snow around him wasn't stained with the telltale crimson bloom that signified a major injury. Sure, it was possible he'd been internally wounded, but his pulse was strong and his skin looked healthy. After checking that his airway was clear, she moved on to the 'security guy', performing the same routine she'd gone through on the first guy. As far as she could tell, they were both fine: clear airways, strong pulses, and steady breathing. If they didn't wake up in a minute or two, then they'd definitely have some problems. All there was to do was wait.

Turning to Kalo, she seemed to process what he said in that moment, a minute or two too late. "Does it hurt?" There was an almost scary intensity in her eyes, the mark of someone who had perhaps been in similar situations before with more than a handful of men to look after. "If you're not screaming in pain, it isn't broken."

 

[CaptainWolfgang]

((OOC: Bringing this back up to speed! I haven't heard from Sam in awhile, but TWD will be here soon I'm sure. We will assume Sam is unconscious but stable until he returns.))



"Let me check." Kalo said, lifting his leg up. The searing pain was subsiding. "I think I just have a long cut, it didn't get the bone." he said as he pulled up his pantleg. A thin cut started at his ankle and ran up the side of his calf, ending before the knee. "I'll patch this up. But we need to get into the cockpit. If we can't raise a signal, we'll be stuck down here for two hours before our video cameras are detected." he explained, walking over to his seat with a slight limp. He retrieved a med-kit and disinfected his wound, bandaging his leg and glancing around at the passengers.

Kalo rechecked the camera strapped to his chest. The light was green-- it was broadcasting. Alba's camera and 'The Security Guy's' seemed to be green as well. The signal of the crash should have already been picked up, but maybe the location was obscured by the blizzard. Maybe they were under the snow. Maybe the rescue crew was still deploying. The lack of windows in the back cabin was making it exceptionally hard to tell what was going on, but maybe the cockpit would hold more answers.


The cockpit door was whirring with power, but not moving. Occasionally a grinding noise could be heard coming from the motors. It would seem the door was trying to open, and perhaps had gotten jammed in the crash.

 

[TWD26]

OOC: please excuse my rather delayed response and for the lack of details of my characters injuries bee. That was my mistake.

---

A buzzing groan roared through the temple of the security guard. His eyes flickered between utter darkness and light for a few short moments. Everything flashed into the light and his emerald eyes shot open. He took a deep breath as he gazed out towards the rest of the shuttle. Everything was blurred and his head was racing, he felt a pain in his lower leg when he moved it--which was a sign that he wasn't paralyzed.

Through the buzzing of his ears he heard a faint commotion. He swiveled his neck with some pain and saw that two of the passengers were up and moving, while the one eyed man still lay dormant in his seat. Good, he thought as he struggled to open his harness. He felt that the man meant danger, and quite possibly doom for the rest of the survivors.

"The saft...." he spat from his seat, "The safety box... it's up there," his fingers pointed towards a small compartment stowed away near the cockpit, "Can you get it....for me?"

 

[CaptainWolfgang]

"I'm on it." Kalo replied, walking over to the compartment and retrieving the safety box, handing it over. "Good to see you're back in the land of the living. Other than our one-eyed friend here, we're all okay. Personally, I'm concerned about how we're going to get rescued in a storm this big." Behind the compartment was a yellow square around a big red button reading "COCKPIT RELEASE". Kalo pressed it without hesitation, and the front doors slid open.

The concern about the blizzard was warranted. As soon as the cockpit doors opened, a cold, howling wind rushed into the ship. The front window was completely shattered, and the mangled corpse of Arnol the Pilot lay limp in the snow, several meters ahead of the crash site. It was definitely daytime, but the exact time couldn't be determined by the sun's location. The sky was pure white with snow, and other than Arnol's bloodied body, was nearly indistinguishable from the ground.