Hoth: Blood and Ice

Aphr gave Galen a look.

"I'm happy to keep my toes as well thank you. The fusion lantern does sound wonderful though, could warm up my toes and every other part of me" she laughed "if you could line my entire room with them I might feel at home. You could even join as well."

"I only have the one, but it does put out a fair amount of heat." he assured her. "It's yours to use."

"Thank you" Aphr smiled "I'll take you up on that."

She looked over the animals.

"....where did all these come from anyway?"

"One of the patrols spotted them." he explained, moving over to check on the tauntaun for a moment. "A few of us went out today and brought them back. They're pretty docile and better at handling the cold than most of our vehicles."

"So someone found a wild pack of animals and tamed them to bring back. That's...surprisingly lucky" Aphr commented with a shake of the head "really lucky. Good to hear the planet only wants us mostly dead, not entirely. They'll help a lot."

"They'll make getting around a bit easier." he nodded. "I wish I had brought a thranta like Kat, though.,"

"Someone really transported a Thrantra through space to Hoth?" Aphr looked surprised "huh, how the other side live right? Seems cruel if the animal isn't used to the frozen colds of Hoth but I bet it'll be very useful here."

"It is." he assured her. "We have some artic terrain on Alderaan and there are breeds that have adapted to that climate. I didn't consider bringing one. I assumed my speeder bike would be enough."

"How artic? Hoth seems beyond artic to me."

Aphr paused, then chuckled and shook her head.

"I don't know why I'm questioning the person who knows way more about animals than me. If you believe the animal is going to be safe in these awful conditions then it's a really useful creature to bring. Maybe someone could breed them for this base in the future."

He shook his head. "You're right. It should be fine for now, but this isn't a good environment for them for longer periods of time. Seasonal change is important for most creatures. Removing that cycle can be harmful."

"I wonder how long is too long then. It's safe to assume we'll be here for at least a month, as much as my superiors would rather this been less than a week. Maybe more?" Aphr shrugged "if we're here for more than a month and there is still no heating on I want to find someone to complain to, so be ready."

"If it's more than a month, there will be a lot to explain to my wife." he chuckled.

"I'm a good peacemaker" Aphr offered with a grin "maybe i can distract her long enough for you to get a gift."

"I'd appreciate that." he smiled. "I really want you to meet her and the kids."

"Just gotta survive until then right? I'm counting on you, you're totally the risk taker of the two of us" Aphr laughed, getting up off her box and moving to give Galen a hug.

"Don't stay up too late."

"Tell that to him." he gestured towards the tauntaun before embracing Aphr in a strong hug. "Stay warm."

There was a small laugh.

"Don't let them keep you up too late then! And stay warm as well, it's a cold night."

Eventually she let him go, giving him a smile.

"Night Galen."

"Good night Aphr." He offered a parting smile before returning to the tauntaun. "See? Nothing's happening. Everything's alright."

/scene