Hoth: Blood and Ice

[Sylvain Torsin]

En Route to Boz Pity 3642...

Delmi's footsteps reverberated down the hallway as she walked briskly towards the command deck.

The doors swiped open rapidly leaving a high-pitched noise in the air that caused the commander to turn towards the entrance.

"Commander Koor. Welcome aboard." The scarred and stoic personage of Jace Malcolm greeted her first.

"General Malcolm. Havoc Squad reporting for duty... What in hell is going on sir?"

"That is just what we are attempting to figure out Commander. He turned to his command desk where beside it stood a younger man; one Delmi had not seen in some time.

"Commander Koor." Theron nodded a greeting to his old partner.

Delmi nodded her head politely and turned to the table.

"We have reports of attacks all across the galaxy. The primary enemy forces appear centered around the Core Systems. Not Empire... And this new enemy's technology appears to be superior to our own... We are on route to Boz Pity, attempting to gather a collected force of Republic and Imperial personnel to formulate a defense plan." General Malcom explained.

"We simply don't know enough about our enemy. Their tech. Their numbers. Their logistical capacity... We need more info. We're fighting in the dark as of right now." The General continued.

Delmi nodded, "Tell me where... I'll take my men. We'll hit some isolated targets. Retrieve what we can."

Theron interjected, "They have Force-users in their ranks. And automated military units beyond anything we've seen. Nearly impenetrable coding to protect their communications. You're likely to be ambushed when you think you're doin' the ambushing."

Delmi tilted her head, "Gotta start somewhere. Gotta harry the bad guys somehow while we're still getting our shit together. I got tech guys... we'll make do."

Theron shook his head, "You'll end up dead..." He inserted a long pause, "I'm going with you."

Delmi looked to the General and waited for a moment to hear what the allied commander had to say... but when nothing came... her gaze went back to his son. She nodded resolutely, "Alright... Let's do this."


-----

Tython 3641...

"You seem to becoming more comfortable Padawan Torsin... How do you feel?" Satele Shan asked the young woman standing near the entrance to the nearly empty council chamber.

"I feel... less burdened. Not so angry... But still... always so sad." She replied honestly.

"Your life has been anything but burden free padawan. You carry heavy weights... A legacy as it were. Are you sure you do not carry more than you need?" Satele asked with a gentle tone.

"My parents... were great people Master Shan. And yet... they cared so much for me. I worry that no matter what I do... it wont have been enough. Their sacrifices were for me... but wouldn't it have been better if they were still here? The war rages outside this system... The Steel Valkyrie and the greatest Imperial Minister of War could do so much good. Defend so many..."

She put her head down, "I fear I may never be worth what we lost... I cannot do anything to stop Zakuul. I'm just here... trying to not let them down."

Master Shan stood and walked towards the young woman. She gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know your parents... But... good parents don't wish for their legacies to overshadow their children... To bind them to the same kind of future. They leave this life and stand with us even after we can no longer see them. But they stand with us... not over us. They are in you padawan... their strength is yours. They gave it to you freely... without extenuating circumstances. It may not be required today... but one day... you too will choose how you share what you have with others. In that day... your legacies are joined, merged, and become something new... One within the Force."

Arymis looked up into the eyes of the Jedi master.

"It's okay to change padawan... You don't need to be attached to that which darkens your soul. Turn toward the Light... That's where your strength has always been."

The young woman nodded her head and a tear streaked down her face.

After a few more moments she looked down and nodded her head again.

The Jedi master soon left the room... allowing Arymis a moment alone within the chamber.

"It's okay to change... It's okay to change..." She said to herself as she began to feel a swelling feeling within her. The room grew chill for a moment... and then she sensed a presence.

She turned to the corner and saw him... standing there with a soft smirk on his lips and tears in his blue-translucent eyes.

He nodded his head and said kindly, "It is okay."

Arymis wept and came towards the visage, "Father..."

He waited... with open arms.


-----

Kashyyyk 3641...

"You want what?" Delmi asked with an annoyed tone as she sat with her back against a large tree within the encampment.

"I need you to get me on to one of their ships." Theron replied. "There's a signal from our strike team on Iokath. A way of hacking into their ships... potentially using them to break up the enemy fleet. If I can get close enough... We should be able to link up with the signal and disrupt this part of the Eternal Fleet's command structure."

Delmi sighed aloud.

"Don't tell me you don't think we can do it..." Theron said as Delmi shook her head in frustration.

"I mean... we can do it... But if they're wrong... Neither of us is coming back. That's it... Done-zo." She replied.

"Well... you leave anything undone?" He replied with a thoughtful look in his voice.

She looked at him for a long moment... The years they had been together seemed forever and only moment...

Delmi had never loved anyone since her father died... She had always told herself she wasn't able to love. That part of her was broken or something.

But there he was... and he left the shot open. The one she knew for a while now that she wish she had taken...

She moved in close and grabbed him just below his front collar.

She looked him in the eyes with an intense... almost aggressive posture... and then she pulled him in.

After their lips parted she opened her eyes slowly and moved her hand to his chest.

"Nothing left undone..." She said as she looked back up into his eyes.


-----

Tython... Years Later...

Youngling Jacen Shan reported to the council chambers. He was older than his peers... looked over for nearly two years now for advancement to padawan and to receive his own master to train him.

The child of two heroes of the war with the Eternal Empire... A grandmother who had led the Jedi through some of its darkest times... And a grandfather who commanded the Republic armies... And despite his prestigious pedigree he lagged behind his peers...

As he walked into the chamber he was surprised to find it occupied by only one person. He looked to his left and to his right... wondering if he had made some mistake again and in fact no one had invited him at all.

He walked pensively forward... increasingly unsure of himself with each step he took.

The woman in front of him spoke and turned to face him, "Jacen... it is a pleasure to meet you."

The woman spoke with an imperial accent... dampened by the years away from her home. But the boy quickly recognized the Jedi Master in front of him. Arymis Torsin... the hero who left the Dark and fought tirelessly to heal the wounds of a broken galaxy.

"Master Torsin... Uh... I'm sorry... Did you call for me?" He asked.

The woman smiled softly, "Yes... I've been told to relay to you your new assignment."

The boy nodded nervously, "Yes... yes master?"

She smiled again at the boy's nervous nature and then looked him up and down once closely.

"You remind me of your grandmother. You have her gait about you." She said.

"Uhh... me? Master Torsin..." He replied with a tone of unbelief.

She nodded, "It's nothing to be worried about young one. It was your grandmother that taught me that the legacies of the ones who come before us are not meant to bind us to a path... They are gifts... Endowments of strength... with no strings attached. You have her strength in you because she gave it to you freely... and all those who came before her."

The boy nodded slightly.

Master Torsin continued, "What you do now... is up to you. Will you share what you have with others? Or... will you use these gifts for yourself? Either way... you choose. No matter what it seems like... the choice is always in your hands."

She smiled warmly, "From this day forward... I will help you walk your path. I will share what I have with you freely... And help you find the answers within yourself that will help guide your path forward."

Jacen's eyes widened as he began to understand the meaning behind the meeting.

Arymis chuckled once through her nostrils, "Congratulations... Padawan Shan."