Hoth: Blood and Ice

The Prince Consort stood near the entrance to the hanger, watching the storm outside. Sipping hot chocolate from a thermos, he contemplated about what may be lurking within the white billows of snow and ice. Was the fury of the blizzard enough to deter the White Maw? Was there anything willing to brave that weather for more than a few minutes?

They would probably have to travel outside the storm to hunt. With the number of people now in the base, any additional food would be a boon. There would be some risk, but it would be worth it. Galen continued to consider the options as he watched the blizzard rage on.

Tethys has a covered mug in her hand as well, a briny aroma wafting out with the greenish steam when she opens the stopper to sip. She's one of the very few human inhabitants of Echo Base on the VIP list for the stash of fermented algae broth lovingly brewed in recent weeks by Private Gildo, the cook's Mon Calamari assistant... mostly because few members of mammalian species actually enjoy the stuff. For Tethys, though, it's the perfect breakfast. Winter mornings in her childhood usually hadn't included snow, but if they had, there would have been a hot bowl of algae broth to drink while watching it, without a doubt.

Tethys approaches the translucent energy field keeping out the storm some time after Galen's arrival. She too gazes out quietly for a few long moments before eventually remarking, dryly, "Very cozy, isn't it."

"Only if you have an energy field and a cup of delicious warm liquid." he smiled at her. "Good morning, Tethys."

"But we do have those things, after all. Good morning, Prince-Consort Galen," she says with a half-smile. "A credit for your thoughts?"

"Really, I'm just enjoying the show." he shrugged. "All you can really see is different shades of white, but you can feel the energy. How many of these storms have we seen since we arrived? Even with our gear and our abilities, you and I would be in mortal danger out there. But, there are creatures who survive on this planet with none of that. Nature is a wonder."

"It is," Tethys agrees. "On most days, it isn't easy for me to find the beauty in this ecosystem. But I can't deny there's life out there." She brings her mug to her lips and sips some of the salty drink. "Like this, with the snow coming down so I can see the wind move, it's easier. I can remember it's water then."

He sipped his hot chocolate. He liked Pipka's variation, but he'd brought a lot of his own..

"It does look like waves, doesn't it? Waves that could swallow you. Hopefully this will give us a peaceful day."

"By keeping the pirates grounded, too? We can hope." Tethys half-shrugs, one shoulder rising and falling, then stares out quietly at the wailing storm for a while longer.

After a time, she snorts faintly to herself. "This is all too metaphorical, though, really. Heavy-handed." She shakes her head. Evidently, her mind may have wandered ahead through a few conversational exchanges all on its own.

"Perhaps, but it helps me keep my mind off my real concerns." he admitted. ""Watching the storm and contemplating what may be within it, helps me avoid thinking about everything beyond it."

"The other storm we can only watch from a distance, without being able to get out into it and do something of use," Tethys supplies. Yes, this must be that heavy-handed metaphor she'd groused about a moment ago.

"I'm afraid Tethys, more than I've ever been." he turned away from the storm. "Every horrible creature I ran from as a child. The wrath of Master Janus. The crimelords of Nar Shadda. Fighting Varo Kryze on a ship falling over Bankor. The Emperor choking us. None of that was more terrifying than this unknown future."

"It is frightening, yes," Tethys says, with apparent calm. "I am also afraid."

Her voice is as light and peaceful as freshly fallen snow, inviting him to go on.

"When I let myself think about it, I'm not sure what would be worse. Falling here and never knowing their fates. Or, surviving and learning they didn't. Living on without them."

"Mn." Tethys watches the snow swirl, a lone drift of steam from her mug wreathing her face for a brief moment.

"The Jedi Code says that there is no death, there's the Force. Or that there is death, and yet the Force, depending on whom you ask. Different ways of saying the same thing." She speaks in a soft, cool, conversational tone.

"What I think of, when I can't sleep, is that someone I should be protecting might be suffering. And I can do nothing, here."

"That's part of it." he nodded. "Even with all the defenses of Alderaan protecting them, I can't help but think they'd be safer if I was there. But mostly, I think it's just the thought that I might never see them again. That's why I was so willing to help Senya."

"Whatever happens, I believe you will meet your family again," Tethys says, tilting her head a little to one side to look at Galen as the two of them stand facing out toward the storm. "In the world of crude matter or as elements of light, I don't know. But no separation is forever, in the Force." She has had both hands clasped around her mug, but now one of them floats free, opens palm-up. "Whether that is any comfort to someone who isn't a Jedi, I can't guess. It's some comfort to me, anyway."

"It is." he nodded. "But, the fear remains. I'll carry it until I see them again. I believe I can bear it, but I needed someone to know. Just in case it overwhelms me."

Tethys pauses to sip her broth, flicking the stopper closed again afterward to keep the heat in. "I think I understand. You've named it now, looked at it. It can't creep up on you from the shadows and catch you unprepared." One corner of her lips quirks. "For a Paladin and a man of the world, you make a better Jedi than some I've known."

"I've learned a lot from the Jedi. I appreciate what you stand for and the basics of your philosophy." he said, savoring the sweetness of his hot chocolate for a moment. ""It was the structure and scale of the Order I've never been comfortable with. Not that I'd expect to be recruited."

"The Order doesn't usually press adult sensitives to join, no," Tethys says, her head dipping slightly in a thoughtful nod. "Anyone who has made it that far on their own, without destroying themselves or retiring from the world... either they find a path the long way around, like you. Or they become a problem, one that must be solved to protect others."

He nodded. "That's something Kat and I are trying to address with the Paladins. It's working pretty well, so far."

“Mm.” Tethys nods.

“I do not mind admitting now… I wasn’t sure about your Paladins at first. Your intentions were honorable—I mean, Katarzyna’s were, I could tell that, and I trusted she’d choose her allies intelligently. But too many sects in our history have begun because someone thought they found a better way than the Jedi, some secret third path.” She shakes her head a little, staring out into the storm. “And nearly all ended badly.”

"There are several out there." he shrugged. "Different Force traditions and beliefs sprinkled among countless cultures across the galaxy. Most of what I've encountered claimed to follow a natural order beyond Light and Dark, but I saw more Darkness in them than not. I think that's the mistake, trying to define the Force in a way that rationalizes the things you do. It doesn't work that way and we try to teach that to those who come to us."

"Yes, I've seen that these few years." She tilts her head, watching a patch of thin, diluted sunlight that seems to lighten the white-gray swirl of the storm for a few moments. "It can't be easy, teaching those ideas to people who come to you because they can't or won't give up their past life and all its personal concerns."

"It certainly can be." he nodded. "It helps to have Kat as an example. She's attached to so much now, but she's managed to balance it and stay on her path. She's not perfect. They know that, but they see her strength."