The Cold Crash

[Syan Forossa]

Red lights flashed before his eyes. It made his head spin even more than it already did. With one of his razorsharp claws, Syan cut through the seatbelts of his co-pilot seat. It surprised him that they managed to land without blowing the ship up. Well, if it could be called a landing. The two Jedi were on their way to the Christoph system to settle a dispute between the government and a rebel movement, until they got hit by may the force know what, which resulted in quite the effort to prevent their ship from crashing hard enough to blow up.

Syan glanced at his ally before he pulled himself out of his seat and moved to the small lockers located right behind the cockpit. He wasn't an expert at recognizing injuries, but he understood that as long as Alek moved, the man wasn't dead. "I don't know how we did that, but thank the force we survived.." The cathar knight opened some of the lockers with the intention to inspect the emergency equipment. It seemed to consist out of more than the usual. The things he recognized immediately were the flare gun with three flares, the two flashlights, a first aid kit and some cooking utensils.

"Perhaps we should start looking for help. I don't think we can repair the ship in it's current state." Syan didn't want to go outside, but it really seemed like their only option.

@Alek Varsan

 

[Alek Varsan]

How it all happened was a bit blurry to Alek when he was woken by his fellow Jedi, he moved showing he was still alive. The lighting dim, and the ship now in bad condition. Alek could see out the window snow was falling, Alek loved the cold and snow, but there were more important things at had they still had a mission to complete. He sat up a bit as he looked around “Wasn’t my worst landing, that’s a plus.” Alek chuckled “But once we get some what of a idea on where we are we can go on from there.” Alek looked around many things in the ship sacatterd about, his gaze goes to his left shoulder a decent cut had been made on the crash down. “Great not only the scar under my right eye and down, but now I’m going to have one here as well.” He said as he examined it but it wasn’t to bad, he then turned to his ally “Syan was it? Here help me up a moment.” He requested Although this was the first time they had met Alek knew he could trust him, with time they would come to be fond on each other. This delay was to be covercome he told himself, a Jedi doesn’t give up at the first glance of a challenge.

 

[Syan Forossa]

Syan grinned at the remark of his fellow Jedi. "Atleast the scar on your shoulder won't be visible under normal circumstances." He moved through the small ship to Alek and used his claws to careful cut through the seatbelt. After removing the seatbelt, Syan pulled Alek out of the pilot seat. With Alek now out of his seat, he pointed at the first aid kit. "I think that'll be quite helpful Mr. Scar" Somehow, he got out of the crash unharmed, although he still had a slight nausea. After opening four lockers, he finally found the coats. They were thick enough to prevent them from freezing out there, but it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience. Syan grabbed a snow visor and some good fitting snowboots out of the fourth locker as well. The second locker contained a backpack, which he would definitely make use of. After all, they didn't know what was out there.

Syan glanced at his ally, while he packed the backpack. "You don't seem like the type of Jedi who would volunteer to negotiate between the government and a group of rebels. Why did you accept the mission?" He was genuinely curious. He listened to his fellow Jedi's response, before pulling he pulled the hood of the winter coat up. Equipped and ready, Syan turned to Alek. "I'm going to take a quick look out there while you put on your equipment. Don't forget the first aid kit."

It took Syan an actual lot of effort to open the ship it's door. It was stuck because of the crash, but luckily the Cathar knight was quite muscular. Now outside, the feline man looked as far as the eye could see. Which sadly wasn't that far. He gazed upon a giant snow field, but the bone-chilling cold wind and falling snow made it hard to see further than 30 meters for now. Syan guessed that the range would only further decrease, so they either had to wait for the incoming snowstorm to pass, or move now they still had a fairly decent range of vision.

He waited until Alek climbed out of their crashed ship. "What do you think? Should we take the risk and look for help?" Syan paused. They didn't know what was out there, or how cold the planet could get. He could vaguely try to guess the planet they were on, but he had to see the wildlife and the dominant species before he could confirm it.

@Alejandrø77

 

[Alek Varsan]

Alek thanked his new friend “Thank you this will help, and your right it won’t show later on.” He then heard him ask why he had gone on the mission “My parents were rebel leaders on my home world to its dictator, they died for what they believed in. That how I came to join the Jedi at age 15, so guess I’m here to help others not see what I’ve seen.” He paused not wanting to go back to the horrible day he saw his parents die so he switched topics as he changed and patched himself. He then stood near Syan “Oh forgot to say Alek is my name.” he then looks outside, not much to see, the ship was badly damaged and would not help them in anyway than salvage. “Think we best grab what we can and move, try and find a settlement of some sort this ship can’t do much for us trust me not my first time on a snow planet. Beside nothing out here two Jedi can’t handle, what do you think, Wanna head out?” He looked at Syan as he stood there waiting for a response as a cold wind blew over him. Then looking through anything else he could use while he waited.

 

[Syan Forossa]

"Nothing out here two Jedi can't handle, I'll remember that one." Syan highly doubted it. They didn't know where they are, what was out there and how long they could survive with the rations of their ship. "There is not much left to salvage, I think I've got most of what we'll need." Reassured, he tapped on his backpack. He had emptied the lockers, putting nearly everything that would fit in his backpack. Who knew what might be useful later on? The harsh environment of the planet would certainly not spare them if they begged for it. Their equipment needed to be reliable, but so did their choices. Syan weighed their options, before responding to Alek his question. "I do not think we have a choice. We will have to head out there." With that said, the knights left their ship behind.

The two Jedi knights walked at a steady pace for what seemed like half an hour, although Syan wasn't sure. Everything looked the same, because there was nothing to look at. Their field of vision had decreased to the point where a rancor could dance in front of him and he wouldn't even notice it. He made sure not to lose Alek in this snow storm. If they lost each other here, the chances were high that one of them would not get off this planet alive. "We have to find a place to hide from this storm!" He shouted. If they continued walking in this storm, they would easily get lost. And getting lost would certainly to starvation. If they didn't freeze to death first.

@Alejandrø77

 

[Alek Varsan]

The cold wind blew over them like daggers, cutting into them with their cold bite. They had been walking for some time, staying together. Alek heard his companion say they needed to find shelter from this storm “I agree! But you can barely see, hard to say if we’re just on a flat, or were actually near something!” He yelled over the wind and snow. They kept going in hopes to find shelter. All the while Alek thought what else could go wrong other than the crash, and now this.

 

[Syan Forossa]

After a long and cold walk, Syan spotted a large opening in the ice. He didn't care whether it was a cave or not, it would grant them enough shelter to hide. Determined, Syan moved towards the opening. All that mattered, was that they found a place where they could wait for the storm to pass and Syan would not let this opportunity slide. He pointed in the direction of the opening, hoping that his fellow Jedi would understand the gesture.

 

[Alek Varsan]

Alek understood the gesture and followed his partner to where he wanted to lead him. Trusting he knew what he was doing.

 

[Syan Forossa]

The large opening in the ice was much more than simple cover. The distance between them and the crack in the ice was now less than two meters. The crack was broad, but not high. They would have to crawl inside, if they wanted to hide from the snowstorm.

Syan crouched to inspect the opening. It was not a natural entrance, that much he could tell. "Perhaps the force can grant us some answers." He shouted over the storm to his fellow Jedi. Syan didn't trust it and yet, it was their only option. He closed his eyes and opened himself to the living force. The bone-chilling cold made it hard to concentrate on the phenommenon in front of him. But even with his currently limited abilities, he could sense the stench of the dark side. "We are walking straight into the lion's den..." he mumbled. If the Dark Side was truly present, it was their task to purify it. Perhaps the Force had made them crash on this planet for a reason.

"I've got a bad feeling about this!" He shouted to his fellow Jedi, before he pulled himself into the entrance.

The unnatural passage was tight. He wasn't claustrophobic, but he certainly didn't enjoy it. Syan protracted his claws. His claws gave him a grip on the ice, allowing him to move forward without too much effort. As the moved further away from the entrance, the sound of the wind slamming against the ice structure died away. However, so did the light.

"Alek, are you still there?" He repeated that sentence now and then, to make sure that his fellow Jedi was still right behind him. Now their sight became more and more limited, they'd have to rely more on their other senses.

"Is it just me, or are we slowly going down?" The last few minutes, it had become harder to keep his grip. If he let go, he slowly slided forward. "I'm going to try and let go now. There must be something at the end of this slope." He retracted his claws and felt how his body slowly slided downwards, gaining more speed over time.

 

[Alek Varsan]

Alek could sense it to, no mistake, somthing wasn’t right about the cave. As he heard his fellow Jedi talk, he said nothing as they entered the cave crawling. It was quite now, but dark Alek did not care for small spaces but he was ok for now. He closed his eyes as he went the force giving him a sense of direction. He heard his partner ask if he was still near him “Yes I’m here, and yes we are starting to go down I can fee....” Alek wasn’t paying attention and had slipped along near his friend, then passing him as the cave widens, you could not see him but you could hear him curse his way as he slid further down, Where was the bottom? He would soon find out along with his fellow Jedi.

 

[Syan Forossa]

Syan landed next to his fellow Jedi, trying to protect his face with his arms. It was the right call, for there was no layer of snow here to soften his fall. Instead, all that awaited him were rocks and stones. The bruised Cathar stood up. Oddly enough, the cave was well-lit by the blueish glow of the ice above them. He could not figure out why the ice illuminated the cave, but it certainly wasn't natural. His senses were clouded by the Dark Side. At a loss, he turned to Alek. "So what do we do now?"

 

[Alek Varsan]

As they reached the bottom Alek stood up, he looked at his surroundings “something feels off about this place, what is doing it I don’t know. But we will soon find out come on this way” Alek moved further down using one oh his sabers yellow in color in his left hand to light their way better. Not knowing what was to come but ready to face it at a moments notice.

 

[Syan Forossa]

Syan nodded to the remark of his fellow Jedi, following right behind him. "It reeks of the Dark Side, although there is nothing unnatural about this. Excep the light, of course." Syan made sure to keep his hand on the flare gun. In the cave, the flare gun would be a great weapon if they had to get away from large animals.

 

[Alek Varsan]

As they walked it seemed more and more to Alek that they were being watched, he stopped and could hear somthing piter patting on the floor but couldn’t find the source of it. Somthing was in here and it was mobile “Do you hear that?” Alek whispered, as he kept looking for anything that was a threat.

 

[Syan Forossa]

"I hear it too..." Syan held his breath and pricked up his ears. His senses were clouded; he didn't trust his eyes and his nose was still hurting from the extreme cold outside. All he could rely on right now, was what he could hear. As a response to the possibly incoming enemy, he placed his hand on his lightsaber. But when he expected the hidden foe to be in their range, the footsteps died away.

"Either the cave is playing with us through illusions, or this is a kriffing good enemy we are facing." With that remark, the amber-yellow blade came to life, it's humming sound joining that of Alek's saber.

 

[Alek Varsan]

Alek knew this had to be some sort of mind game, but what was going on, and why here. Alek then sees a figure he turns now having his yellow saber in his left hand and, his blue in his right stands ready “Who are you!” He says and what comes next chills him to the bone. His father stands there a smile on his face, he says nothing and stands there. Then from behind steps his mother. Her long hair, sweet smile, and caring eyes now beside his father. Alek lowers his guard stunned “Wha.... what is this? Mom? Dad? I....I don’t understand, this can’t be real, I know it’s not real. I was there when you both died. The pain, suffering, blood, all that was real!” He reaches out for them with a hand but they fade away. “Yes indeed they are gone, such a shame that you were not strong to save them.” Aleks looks to see another figure, “Who are you?” The figure steps closer and it is Alek but not at the same time with dark robes and stained glowing eyes “Why I’m you of course and your me, I am the manifestation of all your hate, pain, suffering. I am the dark side of your very core of being!” Alek was sceptical “Syan he is just a figment of the imagination he’s not real, remember that.” Just then a hand grasped his neck and lifted him. “Oh I’m quite real, you may hide me but I’ve always been within trapped, waiting to be unleashed! Why do you fight it we are capable of so much!” Alek grasped for air, not believing what was happening, and unable to move or do anything. This was somthing he had never seen, how could this dark side of him manifest into a physical form? He had little time to think as he hoped Syan would do somthing to help.

 

[Syan Forossa]

Syan blinked once. Twice. The scenario unfolding right before him was too strange to be part of reality. He heard his fellow Jedi next to him shout at what he believed to be his father and mother. For Syan however, the entity had taken a different form. Instead of parents, he found himself facing his sister. The sister, the one abducted by the Sith so many years ago. Her face was not how he remembered it to be. Especially the eyes. Her natural amber-colored eyes had deformed into pure and hateful yellow, with a hint of fear and guilt. He kept staring at her, he knew she wasn't real, she couldn't be here and yet, he knew he had to face her some day in his life. It was the sole reason why he became a Jedi knight after all.

Alek's remark brought him back from his own thoughts. She wasn't real. Just when he opened his mouth, ready to talk with the dark-side corrupted form of his abducted sister, Alek started grasping for air. Whatever the man saw now, it was trying to choke him through use of the force. Something Syan would not allow. He reached for the flare gun. He had strapped it to his belt before they left, and now it came in handy. If that entity could choke Alek, there was little he could do with the force to stop it. But he could distract the being to give Alek an opportunity to get out of the being it's mental grip. He aimed it right at the being and pulled the trigger. The exploding flare would hopefully break the focus of the being in front of him.

 

[Alek Varsan]

Alek was then released from his other selves grip, gasping for air on his knees “ Like I said... weak! You are the reason not only your parents died but you will be your own undoing!” Alek now on one knee reply’s “What ever game you play at will not work” He then looked up to see a sight so horrible to relive. His parents dying again right in front of them slowly, painfully, the blood, the screams of suffering, it was to real and all to familiar. Alek stood and was once again traumatized by the sight since that day as a 15 year old boy. “Stop...Stop it!” He tried to end it but it would not then, seeing so clearly the mandalorian that had done it all the years ago move tward him again raising his vibro blade to strike him. Alek had been saved by a force push then, but he was no longer a scared boy but a man that was a Jedi Knight. “Stay back I won’t warn again” the blade came down as he tried to move but it felt as though it hit like it did in the past to give the scar it had. He touched, he felt blood, angered by having gone through it all again. “You will not bother me any more” he tried to use a five push but in his anger did what he had for the first time instead use force lightning. A volly of electricity coming from his hands to strike his enemy long since hated. But then he could not hold the power for long letting go exhausted hitting the floor. Later being held up by his fellow Jedi a look of concern and somewhat nervous “Thank you Alek you’ve done well and let me out now let us see what we can stir up next we meet hahaha.” A voice in his head said as he looked as the static on his hands faded away. “Thank you friend for helping me, I’m sorry for my actions I hope I did not harm you in any way, but if you saw what I saw I won’t hold anything back if you have questions of that of my past.” Alek said just needing to feel as though he had informed his fellow Jedi on what he needs to know. Then touching his scar no blood, nothing was changed it was just to real to be a vision to him. This cave was not just a cave it was in a way alive and Alek wanted to leave as soon as possible.

 

[Syan Forossa]

The flare had hit the entity and released Alek from it's grip. But at the exact moment the flare had hit the entity, it changed it's appearance again. As the light died away, Syan spotted not one or two, but four figures in front of him. Instead of just his fallen sister, he now found himself facing all of them. His brother and his three sisters. His heart jumped at the sight of his family, but the entity wasn't done yet. They smiled at him, but the scenery changed as well. Syan could vaguely hear Alek shout next to him, but it only empowered the entity. "Calm down! It's feeding on your emotions!" he called out to Alek, but his fellow Jedi was unable to hear him.

When he turned back to the entity, he found the exact opposite of what Alek was seeing. Not a scene from the past, but from the future. The entity had grown larger and was now able to show Syan more than just figures. Instead, he saw an entire scene play before his eyes. His fallen sister, entering a villa. Killing their brother and sisters. He watched how they, one by one, found their end at the crimson red blade of the cloaked female Cathar. His pride turned to anger at that very moment, but the hole left by the anger quickly filled itself with grief. Syan closed his eyes, refusing to let the scene play before him again. He would not accept this fate. What he saw had not happened yet. He could still prevent it from happening.

However, when Syan opened his amber-yellow eyes again, now filled with the calmth befitting of a knight, instead of rage, he saw what Alek was doing. His fellow Jedi had called upon the Dark Side, which Syan now felt growing inside the cave. He glanced over to the entity, which fell apart to form a cloud of black smoke, dissapating not too long after. Concerned and somewhat angry because of Alek's action, he supported the man who had trouble staying on his feet.

Syan completely ignored what Alek said to him. "Do you have any idea what you've just done? Did it tell you anything relevant enough to share?" he angrily snapped at Alek. "I doubt we've seen the last of it. It fed on our rage and grief, that much I can confirm." Slowly did he begin to understand their current situation. The cave was alive, and strong in the Dark Side of the Force. If they planned to get out of it, they'd have to do so fast, before it would throw another stream of illusions at them.