The Last One You’d Expect

[Aurora Blackwood]

Cold polar winds whipped across the surface of Hoth, racing past frozen lakes, covering deep ice filled valleys, and roaring up frigid mountains. Hoth was exactly as advertised. A frozen wasteland devoid of life. It was hard to imagine why anyone would venture here, but Hoth held lessons to be learned. The Force sung strongly without the distractions of civilization. You could hear it clearly in the blizzards. Aurora Thaylena Blackwood stood with her face to the wind. Her eyes cast out over a long whitewashed plain. For once, she looked the part of the Jedi Master. Her brown robes were wrapped tightly around her body, shielding her from the bitting wind. The hood was pulled tightly so that only her pale green eyes could be seen.

She should have been frozen solid, but the Force provided. The Lightside filled the Morellian Jedi Master. Her mental walls were down as she surfaced the waves of the Light. Her deep connection with the Force warded off the painful cold of Hoth. She pushed heat into her body. Aurora still felt the chill but in a way that kept her mind sharp. The silver hilt of her lightsaber rested in her right hand. Aurora stood on the edge of a cliff, halfway up one of Hoth’s many peaks. She looked down below where she had left Theo. She had not exactly explained their purpose for being here. Instead, Aurora had set their shuttle down at the base of the mountain, unloaded Theo, and took off farther up peak. The shuttle rested behind Aurora, waiting for both Jedi. She had left the young Pantoran with a few passing words, that she needed to meet Aurora at the shuttle.

Now, the Jedi Master reached out in the Force. She sought Theo’s mind. The young girl would not make the climb alone, but Aurora would not help her physically. She spoke into the child’s mind. “Begin the climb. Open yourself to the Force, and let the Force show you the way.” She would carefully guide Theo up the mountain. Journey before destination. @Iridescence

​

 

[Theodosia Acatia]

“I thought you meant a metaphorical climb,” Theodosia hissed through gritted teeth as the cold, wet wind buffeted against her blue skin. She felt her skin chapping as they spoke. The Pantoran was raised on Orto Plutonia, so one would think she was accustomed to the cold. She thought she was accustomed to the cold. Apparently, her six years on Pantora reawakened her senses to the arctic. Theodosia still had her heavy snowsuit though, it still fit just fine. The fur tickled her temples as she drew the hood closer. A dark gray vest was over a silvery thermal coat and pants.

Although through her mental and verbal complaining, Theodosia felt comforted by the tundra landscape. It was beautiful, and it spoke of a home she used to know, a life she used to know. Her eyes shone as she admired the snow and ice. Every breath she took burned her lungs, and the Pantoran missed that feeling in a way she never thought she could.

Of course, with her luck, a blizzard was currently whipping through the mountain range they were about to trek on. Lovely. Even if she could see the Jedi Master Aurora Blackwood, the snow was preventing it even more. Theodosia took another step, her boots crunching on the ice. She wore no goggles. She wanted to witness the snow without a polymer protecting her. But, she did see the appeal. Theodosia thought her Jedi Master was absolutely mad for not wearing a suit, but apparently the Force aids with that too.

Even through her curses, Theodosia felt the light of the Force swirling along with the blizzard. That feeling was there again, the tingling sensation pulsing through her fingertips. She scoffed in amazement, in awe of the Light. This was truly beautiful. Theo smiled, looking around. Her mind was open and the Force was percolating through every cell of her body. She paused for a moment. Her eyes were screwed tightly shut. The Pantoran looked up towards the peaks, awash in the Force. It was tugging her to the left.

“Okay! Okay, I see what you mean.” She opened her eyes and made her way left, her gloved hands feeling the frigid walls of the path.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

Aurora’s feet were firmly planted in the snow, her arms crossed against her chest. The Force was a bridge between her mind and Theo’s. While the girl was talented, it would have been an impossible task to feel the Force and communicate across a mountain. Aurora lifted one of those burdens. The link also allowed her to keep an eye on her young student. She could feel Theo’s heartbeat, hear her breathing, and carefully monitored the young Pantoran. Her goal was to teach, not discourage. There was such thing as pushing too far. It was imperative she find the right balance.

Aurora’s eyes shifted back to her student. She could feel Theo searching for the Force, trying to follow the path. She spoke into her mind. “You must allow the Force to guide you, and learn to listen.” She cast visions into the Force, Jedi meditating to allow the Force to guide them. Searching for futures unseen. “There has always been those who thought they knew the path but were wrong. Terribly wrong.” Further visions followed, visions of Jedi misreading the future. Of horrible mistakes made by thinking they were listening to the Force.

“The Force does not just give you the answer. You must work as one. It is your constant ally, if you know how and when to listen.” Aurora took a deep breath and began to work the Force. It gathered in her right hand as she stretched it out. Sorry kid. Snow lifted from the mountain. She rose it higher and pushed. The snow went tumbling down the mountain, gathering speed and more snow as it went. It hurtled right towards Theo. It wouldn’t seriously hurt her, but if she did get hit she would be sent tumbling back down the mountain and forced to start the climb over again. Aurora had never promised this would be easy. @Iridescence

 

[Theodosia Acatia]

Theodosia Acatia was never one for giving up. She knew internally that this was not the Jedi Master’s plan, but, she did resent her ever so slightly. It helped the competitive Pantoran to feel the morale of spite. The pilgrimage on Kashyyk did one very, very important thing; it gave her a purpose. She knew she wasn’t going to do much as a farmer, but it soothed the bubbling rage that ravaged her belly. The young woman never thought to try and overcome it, or, kriff, do anything good with it. Now, she did. Now she needed that more than ever.

She heard Aurora through the Force. It was a comforting voice, but it was very hard to not look around for her. Theodosia nodded to herself.

The Pantoran seen a massacre at the age of seventeen. She was normally excluded from the older kids. Therefore, it was up to her to be the weird one, the smart one, the funny one, and the kind one all at once. Usually, the funny overcame and it left her not taking too many things seriously. It wasn’t until she witnessed the communication of her Jedi Master, Theodosia seriously realized that this isn’t some whimsical journey where it’s going to be a frollic through every step. It hit her like an avalanche.

Oh, no, that was a literal avalanche. Little pieces of snow and ice began to crumble and the familiar ominous cracking echoed through the peak. Unforcely kriff. Theodosia saw the path in front of her, the Force pulling her towards the right path. She glanced up. There was no way she could dive forward and save herself, and if she stepped back, she would surely fall. If it hit her, Theodosia would be wet, cold, cranky, and have to do the climb all over again. She had to face something head on using the Force eventually.

Lightning bolted through her, starting at her spine and shooting out the crown of her head. Her eyes were closed and she knew that this would work; hoping wasn’t an option. Theodosia let out a shuddering breath and she opened her eyes. The slide of ice, rocks, and snow was lifted. Her mouth gaped open in a wide ‘O’ shape, her breath caught in her throat. Before she let herself get too excited, she concentrated and shifted it out of the way. The Pantoran shivered and smirked. With a small jump over a crack in the path, she began to continue to climb the mountain. A child born in the season of spring will not be taken down by snow and ice.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

The Force beat strongly on the mountain. Her heart timing the rhythm of the pulses of Light. Aurora’s eyes were carefully trained on Theo, waiting to see how she would react. For a moment her head tilted skyward. Was she the one? Had Aurora made the right choice? She preached to Theo of listening to the Force, not just hearing the call. Was she following her own advice? There was a confidence in her choice but the Morellian Jedi lived a life filled with confidence, and she had been wrong before. Theo was not a blank slate. There was pain in her past, a pain that drove the young Pantoran forward. It was a pain that could consume a lesser soul. Yet, here the young girl was fighting her way up a mountain, fighting to be the Light in the galaxy.

Aurora focused her gaze below. She had made the right choice. The Force did not require perfection. A good soul and strong heart would form the foundation of the Jedi Order. She was certain. The Force vibrated and shifted. Her eyes widened as she watched ripples extend from Theo. The snow lifting into the air to carry over the climbing Jedi. An impossibly wide smile spread across Aurora’s face. Her mind reached out for Theo again. “Sharpen your focus. Look within yourself, that is only the surface of what the Force can do.”

The cold winter winds continued to whip around them. Temperatures growing ever colder. “The Force can strength your mind, body, and soul.” She sent more images of Jedi performing fantastic feats across the growing bond. “Move faster, fight longer, jump higher, and brave the harshest elements….There is no obstacle the Force cannot aid you to overcome.” Aurora continued to watch. Come on girl, show me your future. @Iridescence

 

[Theodosia Acatia]

Theodosia listened to her instructor as she scanned her landscape. Before while navigating the cold lands of Orto Plutonia, she relied on her own smarts. This was before she knew she was sensitive to the Force. Sometimes she questioned if she was actually that intelligent with a great intuition, or maybe it was the Force all along. She was young; The Pantoran had no idea what the Force felt like.

Her reminiscing was cut short when her feet teetered at the edge of the path. Theodosia’s eyes snapped open. “Well, kriff,” she muttered. Cold wind whipped up from the abyss. When she looked across there was no continued path. An inclination pulled her to look upwards. There were footholds, and decent rocks for grabbing. But, it was still going to be physically and mentally difficult for a novice climber, but maybe not so much for a Force sensitive novice. “I guess you did say we were climbing a mountain.”

Theodosia, still buzzed after the first obstacle, closed her eyes and focused. She saw herself propelling herself upwards, the strength in her legs aided by the Force. Her hands, moving quickly so she didn’t fall backwards. The climb wasn’t too long until she saw another path open up. She spoke to the Force as if it was an animate object. “If I fall, so help me,” she said, feeling it wave around her as if it was replying, “Oh, please.”

She found a hand hold and brought herself up, grunting as her weight was lifted off the snowy path. Through her gloves, she felt the chill seeping through her phalanges. With an exhale, she felt the Force sparking through her feet and her thighs, and at the bend of the knee. Theodosia jumped upwards, catching herself by her hands snagging a cleft in the rock wall. She felt her arms weaken as she dangled her legs, but, the Force and her determination gave her the strength to pull herself up so her feet could find a suitable hold.

Climbing away, the path reached out from her right. With another sprawling leap, she tugged her body upwards. For a moment, she let her face lay on the frigid stone of the trail, resting.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

Aurora practically beamed with pride as she watched Theo embrace the Force. The young Pantoran was demonstrating everything she could have imagined. It was no easy feat to let the Force guide your hand or understand the role the Force played in the galaxy. The Sith, and some Jedi, saw the Force as a tool. A means to an end. They could never truly understand that the Force was their single greatest ally. Sith bent the Force to their will, the Jedi worked in tandem with the Light. Theo was beginning to understand that relationship, and Aurora could not have been happier.

There was nothing else she wanted to see from her young Padawan as the girl continued her climb. This was the an almost unbelievable beginning. Aurora gathered the Force in her own body, preparing to make the jump to her student. A roar split the cold air. Her eyes immediately shifted to a mountain of snow rumbling between Jedi Master and Padawan. Not snow. The entrance to an ice cave was revealed, hidden by the thick layers of frost. Another roar. A massive icicle covered Wampa stormed from the cave, the creature about half way between Aurora and Theo.

She lost her composure. The mental link between Teacher and Student snapped. Aurora flung words haphazardly at Theo’s mind. “Not. Part. Of. The. Test. White hot fear for Theo threatened to overcome Aurora’s mind. Decades of training took command. The Force flooded her body, her heart stilled, and her mind calmed. One thought crystalized in her mind. Protect your Padawan. In one fluid motion she jumped. As Aurora sailed through the air the silver tube of her Lightsaber sprung into her hand. The Force filled every cell of her body.

She landed in the snow with a heavy thud, sending white powder flying. As she landed, the brilliant orange blade of her Saber sprung to life. She was close to the Wampa. Close enough to smell the stench of its fetid breath. Her face was a hardened mask. “Come on then.” The Wampa roared and changed. Aurora set her feet, twirled the saber, and rushed to meet it. @Iridescence

 

[Theodosia Acatia]

Triumph. Pride. Self-Assurance. Confidence. All of these emotions had Theodosia swimming in the Force and frankly, her own little world. And all of them crashed into her when she heard the scream of the Wampa. The Pantoran felt her eyes roll into the back into her head, out of disbelief that she had just climbed a mountain and here was a carnivorous fur-pile.

“Why do creatures always tend to pop up with you?” Theodosia wondered aloud, reaching for her blaster rifle. As quickly as the Pantoran could rock and load, she watched a glowing forge meet the Wampa. It cried out in anguish but it fell to one side, slumping. As the foe was quickly handled, Theo shook off the gears turning as she processed what had just happened. She hurriedly approached the Jedi Master, her boots almost slipping on the icy path.

Normally she would have been concerned about the person that just engaged with a Wampa, but that took a backseat to whatever that glow-stick was. “What was that?” She half exclaimed, half whispered. Her eyes were wide. Another thought intruded, with and where can I get one? Do I get one? Theodosia forgot about the Force connection, her excitement beaming forward.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

Aurora’s determination did not waiver. Her feet pounded the snow as she charged forward. The Force roared through the Morellian Jedi Master. Peace, calm, tranquility, and the Light. For a few moments, Aurora was every inch the Jedi she was meant to be. The Wampa continued its death march forward. It was no contest. As they drew close the Wampa took a long swipe. Aurora ducked under the one claw and slashed out with her saber. The bright orange blade sliced through the chest of the Wampa. A long low death howl escaped the creature. The Force darkened as the creature died. She said a small prayer, death served no one.

A few small breaths steadied her heart. Her Lightsaber cracked off, and she clipped the hilt to her belt. Aurora smiled softly. “I believe you are the bad luck child.” She nodded at the silver tube on her belt. “All in due time, when you are ready.” Aurora turned and started to stalk back towards the shuttle. “You have taken the very first steps. The step every Padawan must take, to learn to head the call of the Force and allow it to work through you.” Their time on Hoth was over. It was time for the next phase of the journey.

“The saber will come in time. The Force will show us the way.” She turned to smile at Theo as they neared her ship. “But I am deeply proud of you, my young Padawan. You have proven you are meant for this path.” A small laugh burst forth. “Now, you can annoy me for an eternity.” This part of their training was over and an incredible success. She was really impressed with Theo and what she had accomplished so far. @Iridescence

OOC: End Thread