Hoth: Blood and Ice

[Katarzyna Panteer]

The hydroponics area was perhaps Kat's favorite area in the base to be, especially the goatery. While she wasn't a fully-fledged veterinarian like some of her Alderaanian-friends, she did have medical equipment with her that was more intended for animals than for humanoids, and it had been handy to have around for when the goat-mothers had their little kids.

Who were just so darn adorable. Even when they were escape artists, like the one she found on her way in to the area today.

With the Force on her side, the baby goat realised it liked her enough to follow her and be picked up to be carried back to its mother. "You little rascal you," she murmured to the creature with a warm smirk.


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D4 EA fluff using basic Influence for positive emotions: 2eF 2 Light Side, 1 Dark Side


Not using the Dark pips for this since it's just fluff. Second light pip allows her to do so with longer range.

[Zeno Thul]

Zeno entered the goatery to hang out with the animals. Not that he was particularly attuned to such, but his father was and they always had beasts around that he kept as 'pets'. So he had developed a childhood habit of sitting near the animals and talking at them as a form of introspection. He still did that sometimes with Ziandra's thrantas. He'd come in a few times during the past couple weeks to do that here.

But now there was a Panteer here, so he said hi to her instead. "Hey there Katarzyna. Enjoying the company in here?" he asks.

[Nudimsu]

Nudimsu begins to walk up to the pen and stares at the goats quietly. His mind was racing with thoughts as he watched the two of them enter the pen while he stayed out of there for the moment, politely nodding to Zeno as he arrived, but keeping his gaze on the small beasts as they wander around.

30 mouths to feed. Cockpit is going to smell like goats. Everything is going to smell like goats. I will be confused as a farmer when we meet clients. Constantly needing to use the refresher to get rid of the smell temporarly. Cleaning up the goat droppings. Stepping on the ones I don't see. And they will breed. Likely already have attempted it. I haven't even had the chance to breed since I got here, yet here they are, breeding away...

His eyes got lower as he stared them down with contempt, keeping quiet for the moment, as he pondered his first move about how to remove the menace from his ship humanly.

[Katarzyna Panteer]

"Hello Zeno," she said, with a touch of cheeriness to her tone as she placed the goatling back inside the pen with its family. "Mm." There was a nod. "It's... good to feel life blossom. Both the plants, and the animals. Hoth feels like such a dead world otherwise, but there's something about this that reminds me that life finds a way in the oddest of places."

For a moment she just watched the goats in silence with a serene smile. "What about you?" Noticing the Chiss there, she gave a wave to Nudimsu as well.

[Zeno Thul]

Zeno nods at that. "I like to talk with animals. Not that they talk back to me, but they are good listeners," he says with a shrug. "Have you been caring for them along with Pipka?" he asks, having seen her in the area if hydroponics a few times.

Looking to Nudimsu, he greets him with a return nod. Then he spoke in probably surprisingly well practiced Cheunh. It had been difficult to get to the level he is at, but his talent at utilizing the force to communicate allowed him to actually replicate proper pronunciation and vocalizations that most humans simply could not. It still wasn't perfect by any means, but it was likely at a level that a native speaking young teen might use in more casual conversation. "Prirnu'dim'suazzo, it has been some time since we have been able to talk. Are you doing well?"

[Nudimsu]

"Viz cart tasco ch'at tisut. He nods at Zeno. "Go strong on the emphasis of those last few syllables to notify it as yourself, rather than those around you." Nudimsu nodded and smiled. "I see you've kept to the lessons, Zeno. I'm quite impressed: I had half expected you to fall off after the first year."

He looks to the woman and sighs deeply, looking then to the goats. "Yes...Pipka is a interesting character."

[Katarzyna Panteer]

"Hm, I try to help out where I can. And I did bring some veterinary equipment, which has come in more use than I expected."

Cheun wasn't a language Kat knew, having only heard a little of it before, but she did listen with interest. "Pipka was great help in fighting off the pirates. Do you know him well, sir?" Kat asked Nudimsu.

[Zeno Thul]

Zeno only really knew basic, ur-Kittât, binary and now Cheun. Anything beyond the functional was pointless to him, but when he learned that it was unlikely he'd ever be fluent he took it as a personal challenge. "It has been an interesting journey. I've been watching holovids for Chiss children and young adults. Working my way up the mountain of understanding."

"And I found Pipka to be a good conversation partner. A lot of fun talking with him," Zeno notes his opinion about the small crew member of the Turtle.

[Nudimsu]

"He's the gunnery aboard my ship." He says with some pride. "As are these goats part of it as well." That statement, less so. "I am the captain of the Turtle, Nudimsu. Happy that you've been of help to Pipka in this matter. It seemed from the beginning he bit off more than he can chew."

He nods at Zeno in his quest to learn the language. "We'll get you to 11 year olds speaking, yet."

[Zeno Thul]

"I imagine it won't take too long. A lot of my time was spent learning to alter my voice effectively. A lot more than on vocabulary at least. But I started over from the very basics a few months after the coup and started teaching it to my girls too."

[Nudimsu]

"Well, that is something I to look forward to hearing from them if.." He stopped himself. "When we get off this planet." Nudimsu looked him down in the meantime. "Your eyes doing okay?"

[Zeno Thul]

"Yeah, they cleared up after treatment and rest. Nothing link a blindness scare to scare you blind," he says with a shake of his head. "Won't be doing that again soon. The whole ritual thing at least. I'm definitely up for some drinks and a party though."

[Nudimsu]

"I would gladly join you for that drink when this is over. No orgy though, please." His gaze shifted over to the side a little. "That is just not something I would like to do."

[Zeno Thul]

Zeno nodded at that. "Understood, no orgy. How about drinks and pazaak?"

[Katarzyna Panteer]

While the two men chat, Kat busied herself with petting the goats.

"Wait, blindness?" she suddenly take in what they've been talking about. "What happened?"

[Zeno Thul]

"Yeah, some of us who are aligned to the dark side got together for a ritual to try and find information about the threat were facing. And she was looking back. From who knows where, she choked a bunch of us and then some. My eyes lost function for a short period because of the pressure, needed medical attention to see again," Zeno explains.

"And I'm still not 100 percent on everything that is going on, but I have seen what I think is our biggest danger."

[Katarzyna Panteer]

Her first look was one of concern for Zeno's wellbeing, though she hoped that he knew better than to walk around without seeking medical aid from any of the medics or doctors on the base. Then Kat looked more reserved, considering the threat. "The Daughter of the Dragon... I have not seen her. Only... sensed her. It felt like a predator seeking a prey, except she was seeking something more... maternal."

Kat shook her head. She had felt her own child through the Force before, that sense of I want my mommy. But nothing so malevolent like that.

[Nudimsu]

"She's something to behold. Quite powerful." He nods his head. "Saw her on the second day we arrived here."

[Katarzyna Panteer]

"Really?" she sounded surprised, but then again, maybe she shouldn't be this surprised. Vaylin was already on the planet, most likely. "What... what was your impression of her?"

Most of all, Nudimsu was not Force sensitive as far as she knew, so his insight would be different. And that would be important.

[Nudimsu]

"Honestly, she scares me." Nudimsu said without changing his facial reaction. "Can tell she uses the Force stronger than most of the Force user's I have met who have used it on me. Also, her heat fluctuates rapidly."

He nods at that point.

[Katarzyna Panteer]

Kat raised an eyebrow at that, looking at the Chiss questioningly. "Her heat fluctuates rapidly? As in... mood-swings?"

[Nudimsu]

"Not...exactly. Hard to really describe." He gives it a long thought. "My species view thru the world thru the normal human spectrum, except we're able to see slightly into the thermal spectrum as well. Helps us see in the dark, also allows us to read your emotions. If you know a person well enough or have a natural talent for these things, you can tell when a person is lying too... "

He takes his eyes off of the woman and stares at Zeno for a moment. "...Which I now realize may alter our plans to play pazaak." He gives a deep sigh.

"...Sacrifices for the greater good, I suppose. But with her it's...chaos, really. Feeling a lot all at once. Really hard to just pin down a single emotion. Don't know if that has to do with why she is so powerful or if she is just a completely unstable mind. I didn't stay long to figure it out."

[Katarzyna Panteer]

"I am curious how well you are able to read emotions," she said, a touch amused in her tone. Typical of a Jedi though, Kat seemed to be someone with a very good control of her emotions.

As Nudimsu described Vaylin though, it seemed to fit more and more the third star that had been in visions. "It could be both," Kat suggested, "or... well, it seems to align with visions in the Force of three stars - one dark, one light, and one in a continual flux of a multitude of colors."

[Nudimsu]

"It was not important that I need to learn how to do it with others outside my race as a child. Since being exiled, I've had to learn very harshly how to do it with you humans and other species. Durasay helped me greatly with the interactions, naturally, but I eventually got the hang of understanding what I am seeing. Though I've had some personal motivation to improve on it since I left Alderaan five years ago. As to what the Force Chaos stuff you espouse, well, that is up to you to interpret."

He stares at her for a long moment. "Don't believe I ever got your name, by the way."

[Katarzyna Panteer]

"Oh." She had recalled first meeting Nudimsu during the attempted coup, as he had come with Riss to the Spring Palace. "Katarzyna Panteer."