Session export: A tale of Ice and Fang

A short hauler sat further down the landing pad, a rather worn and “well loved” looking one at that. The external dock hissed, and from out of it popped a Kessurian-Echani hybrid donning a thermal cloak and warm gear that was painted in low light camo. The blues and grays would help him blend in to tundra weeds and snow.

Severin’s hair and skin didn’t do much to help him stand out against the frost covered area— he was also in shades of grayscale. The biologist hissed against the wind, thankful he had taken the time to pull his hair back before emerging from his spacecraft.

He hauled his messenger bag over his shoulder and began his trek down the landing pad.

Silver eyes glittered with amusement when a familiar Shistavaen face came into view through the cloud of ice particles. He doubted Doon remembered him, but he remembered Doon from his time in Arcona. Addyn had made sure he had memorized everyone’s dossiers there.

“Holy kist!” The kessurian bellowed as he began to jog towards Doon. “Softpaws! The Shista mountain man!”

Sev came to a rest by Doon, extending a hand for a handshake, having to look up to meet the scarred Wolf man’s gaze because he was ridiculously tall.

“Severin Xand! Doubt you remember me, but I helped out with House Galeres for a while! I didn’t think I would see another Arconan here outside of the Armis crew!”

The young Zeltron was among the support staff, when Doon made his call. She looked toward the alert, and then her eyes glanced over the compad that currently occupied her gloved hands, signed it, and passed it to the Human that had handed it to her. She had been helping the support staff, more specifically, the medical staff, all morning. She finished up her rounds, asking all the small groups if they needed anything. Everyone seemed to be set, or really close, just doing last checks.

She moseyed over to her stuff, where her BD backpack droid waited, he whirred and beeped as she picked up her medical bag, she opted for rather than a thermal cape. She fought her anxiety of checking it to make sure she had all her supplies for the sixth time. She had everything the first six times. She had promised Remy she was going to be better, and better she will be. She shook her head, and slung the bag over her shoulders.

“Soon, Vox. Heading out shortly, meeting up with them now. Up.” She said muffled through her mask, bending down allowing the small droid to hop on her shoulder and get adjusted around the medical backpack. Vox looked rather dashing with his new paint scheme. Thankfully he was lenient to change it per mission.

She trekked over to the assigned meeting area, where Doon and another stood. Huffing through the wind gusts. She didn’t have much experience with missions as cold as these, but nevertheless, her endurance was more or less back, and she will persist. Although… she was definitely cuddling extra close to Rem tonight.

Another breeze rushed nearby, and she altered her position, standing off to the side of Doon using him as a wind block.

The landing pad was loud, but it was all just a distraction for the moment. Remy had been here for hours in preparation, the Broken Spear leaving with Carmen as its temporary captain in the small hours of the morning. Now, all she had was this… snowspeeder. She didn’t care to remember the model name nor give it a new one, even with all the modifications she had ordered. That was going to be a very unprofitable resale, but money spent for practicality was always worth it, credits were just empty ones and zeroes when sitting in a bank account.

All of her actual gear was on her, she wanted to leave what little cargo space was available to pack in more rations. Out of… boredom, she supposed, she had been trying out different stacking patterns for more efficiency, and she feared she was nearing the perfect order. If nobody else had a speeder she was going to have to be both scout and supply runner. She spied some ships landing, but their effectiveness would be dodgy without any form of proper landing pad.

Seem agitated. Enemy?

Gift had found his way back to her. The voorpak was loving the cold weather, the cold proving a boon to his thick coat. He had been wandering, though thanks to their bond and his calm disposition she wasn’t worried about losing him.

No, no enemy. Not agitated either, just impatient.

He turned his scarred eye up to her with a flat gaze, Impatient, agitated. Hide behind words.

Remy sighed and closed to small hatch, mainly just a glove compartment.

It doesn’t matter, time is almost up anyway. Come, there seems to be a gathering.

Gift hopped up to her shoulder, she had taught him that sitting on her head was undignified, and she moved to join Doon and Severin at the side of the pad.

“Master Sulvir,” she said with a bow to Doon before giving a more shallow one to the other, “Sir. I am prepared to move on command. I brought a scout vehicle with advanced sensory arrays, though I can also run supplies if necessary.”

She stood straight backed and vigilant. No matter what a relation at base, out here she was another soldier. Again.

Esen peaked her head out from behind the towering Shistavanen when she heard a familiar voice. She smiled beneath her mask, though nobody could see, and walked over to stand next to Remalia. The Echani was not as much as large as Doon was, but still Esen tried to be as unphased by the wind as she could be, as she slowly inched her way to using Remalia as a windbreak. But nonchalantly.

Remy had turned slightly when she noticed Esen surreptitiously trying to use her as a windbreak, though not turning away fully from the small group. Gift responded by shifting to her other shoulder, trying to do the same, and admittedly, he was warm against her ear.

“Sir, forgive me, but I have been lax on my studies of dossiers outside of the Knights as of late. You are Mr. Xand, a botanist and zoologist, yes? Is there anything particularly dangerous we can expect?”

A Terrapin class bulk tanker—better known, somewhat generously, as The Pink Turtle Tour Bus…. drifted through the void with all the grace of a bedazzled, square shaped trash can. It glittered as it went, a shameless smudge of tacky pink and chrome against the stars, before finally angling downward and lumbering into a descent.

Inside, the aftermath of months were evident. Empty liquor bottles clinked and rolled with each shift in gravity. Clothing, some hers and some decidedly not, was strewn across the floor in careless heaps. Somewhere among it all, a discarded wedding ring caught the dim cabin light, long since forgotten. It had been months since Syrena walked away from her post as Governor… Months since Frenek had called off the wedding, with a sterile line about “different paths.” The words still lingered, sour and unfinished, scraping at the back of her thoughts in quieter moments.

She muttered a few choice curses as the ship hit the atmosphere and shuddered violently, then slammed down onto the frozen plains of Trepus with a heavy, protesting groan. There was had been a break in her band’s tour, and for once, Syrena had nowhere to be. No stage. No spotlight. Just a mission ping and a lingering sense that maybe, just maybe, she could still do something right. That, and she had rather inconveniently, lost her second rancor during her last visit.

The hatch hissed open.Syrena stumbled out into the biting cold, white stiletto boots crunching into snow. Her armor was still intact, but everything else about her was… less so. Black eyeliner was smudged beneath silver eyes along with blue glitter, her pink hair a tangled ruffled mess..

Her gaze swept over the gathered group… some familiar faces, and others not. Syrena gave them each a friendly wave. “Doon, my dude, long time no see!” she called, stepping forward with loose grin and raising a hand for a fist bump. “How’s leadership been treating—” Her boot slipped, and down Syrena went face first into the snow.

Syrena pushed herself up just enough to gesture vaguely back at her ship. “I must confess… I’ve lost my second rancor on this planet. And I need to find him. Zephira has been grumpy as hell about it.”

As if on cue, a deep, thunderous roar echoed from the ship behind her. Heavy footsteps followed as Zephira emerged, her massive pink form unfazed by the cold.

Remys eyes slid over to the new addition, following her to the ground. This was… Syrena. One who was gifted with great power, yet wasted it on performance art. Not that that seemed to be going particularly well, based on her appearance. That, or entirely too well. The last time Remy had seen her was almost a year ago, when she was on stage at some hotel.

“I see we are abandoning any kind of subtlety, then. Are you in a state for overland travel?”

Not that Remy was planning for subtlety, she had a personal conviction to never hide again, after all. It was just… exhausting that she could dedicate so much of her life to her work, yet still be surpassed by playboys and the carefree.

She frowned inwardly. Was this… envy? The downside of accepting her flaws was acknowledging that she had flaws. No matter, so long as the job got done she shouldn’t protest.

Syrena gazed at Remy for a moment, tiling her head to the side. Something close to recognition flared in her gaze. “Ah, you! Yes. You. Were you the one that met me backstage that one time? We… indulged in glitterstim. Along with that one hot Twi'lek,” She continued slowly. Syrena paused to herself, slowly shaking her head. “Come to think of it, that’s all I remember actually, of that night.”

Instead, she reached into the side of her armor, drawing out a ruffled piece of paper. Quickly, she scrawled her name on it and tossed it towards Remy. “An autograph. From the one and only, Syrena Valkar. It may even be worth something one day,” She finally said with a wink.

Finally, she observed her surroundings with a shrug. “Overland travel? I feel absolutely… fantastic! But this is sure one ugly planet… Oh, what I would give to be back on Zeltros right now. But poor Zephira is missing her dear husband, who vanished here not too long ago.” Syrena finally continued. The cold did not phase her, not entirely… Not with the natural heat radiating from her Zeltron skin, and the alcohol that flooded through her, warming her senses.

Remy took the note, or rather, didn’t resist it being shoved in her hand. She almost corrected Syrena, but… what it do anything? She was still half convinced the entertainer was some form of high, especially given her freeness with her past addictions.

“Zeltros is not in need of a military force right now, Solyiat is. It is also unlikely a rancor would survive for long in Solyiats tundras. They are effective combatants and warriors, but there is simply not enough calories in the snow fields to support something of that size for long.”

She almost left at that.

“Oh, um… sorry, if that is distressing to hear.”

Remy shook her head, “No, Master. This model is designed specifically for frozen worlds, colloquially named the ‘Snowspeeder.’ If it would not survive, neither would we.”

She looked over at the ugly, barely armed scout vehicle and frowned.

“I spent far too much money on it for anything else.”

Severin couldn’t help the smile that came to his face. Someone recognized him? It made him giddy– Addyn would probably ask him to lay low for a while, but then again it was worth it. This is part of why he left Cadannia, part of why he risked everything.

His eyes squinted softly as Syrena appeared, letting her and Remy converse. Siv had mentioned Syrena before her amnesia incident, although Sivall’s description of the woman she had been training seemed to vastly differ from the person who stood amongst the group. The zeltron kind of reminded him of his sister, and he had to shove down the feeling of longing. He missed Couer so much, but she was safe and happy with Addyn and that was all he could ask for.

Once he was sure all parties were finished speaking, he piped up.

“Biologist and Zoologist, yup, that’s me. I work with the Collegium on Arx, too.” He adjusted his gloves, looking between the small group amassed at the landing zone.

“Good news for us is that Solyiat has some documentation in terms of the wildlife and plant life that call this place home. Odan-Urr has been on and off this planet for a while. On top of the normal hazards of traversing a tundra, we also have to look out for a handful of predators. A pack hunter or two, and a few apex predators. A cute naturally occurring feline called a "Dolly cat” which is actually really adorable and mostly docile, but I digress…“

He paused and frowned, dropping his hands.

"It’s been a little while since Odan-Urr and similar parties have been here– and nature never stops moving. There will likely be living threats we don’t know about yet that have evolved since Odan-Urr last called this planet home. I’ll help in any way I can, I’m familiar with working with minimal information and resources on vastly unexplored planets.”

“You know, come to realize it, I don’t think this is the planet where I left my rancor. Oh well, he’ll turn up eventually,” Syrena finally said to Remy with a shrug. She turned back to Zephia, gently ushering for her to head back into the massive pink metallic form of her ship. “You stay safe here, where it’s warm and toasty,” She said with a warm smile before turning back to the group.

At Doon’s question, Syrena tilted her head to the side. “I am in a perfect state to preform my duties. I am a Zeltron after all… Y'know? We can process liquor better. Plus, it even helps with the cold! Now that’s drinking with purpose, I gotta say,” The former Governor of Kaal finally said with a loose grin. “Let us venture onwards, dear friends!”

“That sounds less like a natural state of Zeltronians and more an excuse for a high-functioning alcoholic. But if Master Sulvir will not turn you away, then I will trust that you are capable of maintaining composure enough for this.”

Remy listened to Severins warning, and was satisfied with it. It wasn’t likely that wild animals could stand up to this force, but there was always the uniquely dangerous types out there. A rancor wouldn’t be making this place home, but something equally dangerous could be. Her mind was on something like a predetory plant with toxic barbs beneath the snow. This wasn’t the time for what-ifs, however.

Noting that Doons suggestion against the snowspeeder hadn’t changed, Remy sighed.

“Very well, I will tell one of the soldiers to prepare the speeder for transport. This is going to be a particularly dangerous journey if we cannot rely upon tools for it. Are we planning on extracting any bodies or simply burying them?”

Remy broke off eye contact with one of the logistics officers near the pad. She had been giving him instructions Telepathically, a fact that he seemed rather uncomfortable with. He seemed relieved to be released, and he scampered over to her now discarded Snowspeeder.

“Of course, Master. Come, Esen, there is a lot of ground to cover.”

She still had all the supplies she was carrying, everything she would need for a field mission like this, but without the coverage of the scanners and listening post the speeder provided she still felt unprepared. Regardless, she hustled to the edge of the woods and continued past Doon. She would still have to at least try to scout, it was what she had promised she would bring to the table.

Esen was slightly sad at the mention of the snowspeeder not coming with them. She had hoped for a toasty night, but Remy does make a good heater and pillow, and that’ll have to do. She was grateful she had made sure tents were packed.

She watched Doon make his call and most of everyone start moving. She cleared her throat near Sev and Syrena and tipped her head in the direction of the moving Knight Commander and Echani. She was grateful to have another Zeltron here, but wondered how they both ended up here of all places. The snow and cold climate was such a drastic change compared to the tropical warm beaches on Zeltros.

She waved the lingering thoughts away and moved to wrangle the remaining caravan who missed the signal, and double checked with the medical staff, giving them a quick thumbs up and they returned one in kind. Good. Everyone was set. Her first mission back and… her anxiety was weighing on her more than she had hoped. She had been with the medical staff all morning and knew they were fine, but yet she checked again.

Fine. Everyone is fine. She huffed a breath, before marching her way up to walk slightly behind the towering Knight Commander, taking nearly double the amount of steps he took, just to pace him. She was used to it, keeping up with him and Remalia on a daily. She knew this is where she was expected to be while Remalia scouted.

As Doon and the Knights traveled through the mountains and still far from their camp for the night, the Knight commander’s communicator started blinking and beeping. Stopping for a moment, he noticed the call was coming from Hoth command. Turning to the Knights, he instructed: “Hold here.”

Entering his command code into the com link, the channel buzzed open, and a male voice came over the radio. “Knight Commander, As per Clan and Hoth Military command stipulations, I’m calling to let you know there was a change in leadership, and effective immediately, you will report to the new Quaestor of Hoth: Edgar Drachen at Hoth’s Trepus Base on Solyiat. He is on the line now and will instruct you from here. Good luck on your expedition, and we will see you back at the barn.”

“Edgar, you may go ahead. I’ll see you in Trepus shortly! Kiast Control over and out!” Doon’s com link recycled the signal, and a new secure link was established.

“Good Evening, Knight Commander. It’s nice to make your acquaintance. I know you’re on a mission, so I’ll be brief. After your mission is over, you are to report to the Trepus transfer station, and you all will be debriefed and brought up to speed at our base here on Solyiat. I’m also sending you and your team the new secure communication codes to reach us here in case of an emergency. I’m also sorry for this abrupt and informal introduction. Things are happening fast, and all will be explained upon your return.”

“That’s fine, Knight Commander, and I do look forward to meeting you and saying hello to the rest of the team when you check in for your debriefing. There was a short pause in the communication, and then the com line chirped open once again.

“Sorry about that, but things are getting busy around here, getting the rest of the House landing clearances. Anyway, I said before, I will have teams standing by if you need any assistance. Please be safe, and May the force be with you all! Over and out!.”