Hoth: Blood and Ice

[Durasay Mixo]

...And my spirit was troubled...

He knew he couldn't sleep again. Not after that vision. The Pantoran stood at the edge of the hangar, looking out to the unforgiving wastes of snow. His hands were clasped behind his back as he stared out. Wisps of steam escaping from the neck connection of his armor.

He dared not close his eyes for too long, the visions of fire burned against the blackness of his eyelids. Instead, he focused, meditating quietly as he listened to the howl of the biting cold wind...

[Katarzyna Panteer]

A familiar silhouette walked the halls of the base. Not one of danger however but one of hope and steadfastness. The unyielding light of the galaxy. Or so Kat might seem to some that she had helped, and for a moment she might have appeared like this to some in this base.

Her armored footsteps were soft as she did her nightly patrol. "Oh, good evening, Durasay," whatever troubles she might have were hidden beneath the expected calm and pleasant Jedi exterior. "Up late?"

[Durasay Mixo]

"Katarzyna." He looked to her as she stepped up. "You could say that." His voice was troubled, eyes scanning the dark horizon, as if seeking answers...

"I informed the senator. I've had another vision." His voice shook slightly, "... everything we know and love is in danger."

[Katarzyna Panteer]

Her lips pressed against one another as she kept her composure. "Another vision...?" With a slow gesture, Kat raised her hand, beckoning for Durasay to elaborate.

"What did you see?" From the words of Resmi, and what she had learned from others, she had suspected a great danger was coming for them all, but she had expected Hoth to be hit first. That they'd be the first line of defense. Was it not going to be like that?

[Durasay Mixo]

"Pantora in flames." His voice dropped slightly. "An invasion with overwhelming firepower." A hand came up, pinching the bridge of his nose. Even beneath the armor, it was apparent that the hand was bandaged and wrapped. "Given everything else, I don't think it'll be a system at a time."

Shaking his head. "There's a plan to get a message out, but we don't have much time. A week maybe."

[Katarzyna Panteer]

Her own breath stopped for a brief moment. Gaul. Their daughter. The Paladins... all of Alderaan... the Jedi and the Republic. She had registered his bandaged hand, but at this moment it felt like they had greater concerns.

"... What's the plan?" Kat asked, a tad more urgent in her voice than she usually was. "What can I do to help?"

[Durasay Mixo]

"Trust in the Force. With communications down, and a surprisingly strong pirate fleet, the best hope is a small, light speed capable craft to run the blockade and get the word out." He sighed, "at least that's what I suggested to Saresh. She's with the idea, but it's still risky. Something small and fast isn't going to have much to protect itself. Maybe a couple ships go up with it to protect it's escape."

He paused again. "Fear laced my vision. The dark side clouded, hid outcomes. I'm not even sure I can trust them completely." There was then a dark chuckle.

"The Senator was surprised when I mentioned I had visions. I was surprised she was surprised."

[Katarzyna Panteer]

"Well you don't exactly advertise your status," she remarked with a touch of dry humor as well, impressive given the situation.

"... That might be the best idea, yes. A small ship with a hyperdrive might escape unnoticed. Our still functioning vessels could lead a distraction. It might cost us, but," Kat bit down on her lip for a second, not liking the thoughts of sacrificing anyone, "with so many lives at stake, we must do what we can."

[Durasay Mixo]

"Well no. But someone strong in the Force, working in the Senate, without suspicion?" He laughed a bit more. "How could that be missed?" Maybe it was just the tension of the concern leaving as he laughed, but then the Pantoran turned serious.

"We can't lose hope. We do that, everything else will fall apart."

[Katarzyna Panteer]

"I won't lose hope, Durasay. That I assure you." Hope was something like a lifeline after everything she had gone through before. "I just... feel like we have no one to lose, in the great scope of the threat before us."

Kat quirked a small smile. "There are probably Jedi that were aware of your strong connection to the Force, but that is hardly something that is shared freely with the Senate." It hadn't even been shared to her by the Jedi, as it wasn't something they notified the entire Order about.

[Durasay Mixo]

"That's fair. Not a lot of cross over." Durasay replied to the comment about the Senate. She was probably right there. "Maybe. I don't want to lose anyone, either. But this is giving me the same edge as right before the sieges of Bankor." Shaking his head, as if trying to cut away the fear from the vision.

"It may be more we have to be prepared that we are the ones to make those choices to sacrifice ourselves to save everyone else."

[Katarzyna Panteer]

Kat nodded, as she could understand the feelings. She didn't deny that she had those herself now. Yet... she was at peace with sacrificing herself; it was the way of the Jedi.

She just didn't want others to have to bear the burden if she could take it on for them.

"I'm prepared, but I don't know if everyone else is. And... I hate to say it, but the Dark Side isn't exactly something that makes people want to sacrifice themselves for others."

[Durasay Mixo]

"No." He said succinctly, though he didn't continue any talk about the Dark side. "And it's not something that we can ask others on this mission to do, either. Bankor was different. We were on a military mission to a besieged world. This was a consular mission for diplomacy that is about to explode unexpectedly."

He closed his eyes finally, trying to push through the vision of flames and suffering.

"Do you know what I considered my personal mission objectives back then, Kat, may I call you Kat?" He opened them again, looking to the Jedi master.

"No victory was acceptable if it meant we lost resources... and by resources, I mean people, needlessly. Sometimes we would lose people. But if logistics, and at the operational level, we could prevent as much loss as possible. But that was with proper planning..." he shook his head.

"We're on our back foot here."

[Katarzyna Panteer]

She acquised with a nod. "Kat's fine. It's what most call me." A lot of folks found her full name to be a mouthful, she knew.

Her expression was serious as she listened, and found herself agreeing. "We certainly have an accord there. And yes, while information is trickling in, we are as you say, on the backfoot." However, a thought did occur to her.

"I might have an idea... to get the word out. Something that I don't think has been tried before, but maybe it could work." Kat brought her hand up to her chin. "If all the Jedi here, as well as you, Garth, and Galen... if we were able to somehow work together through the Force to send a warning to the Order..."

[Durasay Mixo]

"I'm in." He said without hesitation. "Doubling our odds." For Durasay, while preventing widespread destruction and loss was a priority.

He was most concerned with Verash, with Lucrezia and Cesare. His home, and their extended families.

But benefitting the whole would benefit them.

"What the worst that could happen from the attempt." The sly grin returned, finding the thinking and resourcefulness of her royal highness quite endearing.

[Katarzyna Panteer]

Kat winced slightly at that, grimacing briefly before she chuckled dryly. "Some would say you're taunting the universe with words like that."

Like him, she was concerned for her own family, and her students back on Alderaan, but she suspected an attempt like this would work better if trying to contact someone like Satele Shan who was much more in tune with the Force than anyone else on Alderaan.

"... the Sith should also be made aware, and hopefully try to contact their own. There are billions of innocents there, and they'll be victims as much as we will be to this invasion."

---

EDIT: Taunting, not tanning! Gawd, stupid phone autocorrect!

[Durasay Mixo]

"It's a joint effort for survival. All information shared, right?" He pursed his lips. "What good would it do us to withhold this information, and then when the attack comes, we're split in half here."

He pondered if they would listen. With their growing mysticism, they likely would trust in visions of the Force.

"No need to risk fighting a war on two fronts."

[Katarzyna Panteer]

"We'll need everyone to stand against this danger. It's not something Empire or Republic alone can face I think."

With a frown she took out her communicator. There weren't a whole lot of Sith here she knew... Luth? Little did Kat know that there would be no reaching Luth tonight. "Do you know who to best approach among them?"

[Durasay Mixo]

"No." He shook his head. "Well. Maybe. It depends if they would take my call at all anymore." The Pantoran shook his head. "I can only hope that Senator Saresh contacted the head of the Sith expedition. It's what I would do in her shoes."

"My contacts there may have dried up."

[Katarzyna Panteer]

"Mm," she nodded thoughtfully, and not knowing the situation, Kat wasn't going to push the matter. The Sith were complicated people to deal with. "... Yes, and Duke-Consort Thul might be able to speak with some of them too. At least I don't think he has bad relations with some of his former peers." Again, it was hard to tell with Sith. When you had a dogma that relied on exploiting others and treachery, it was hard to know who to trust.

Would probably explain why Sith Empires had rarely lasted long in any shape of form, while the Republic had endured for several millenia. The Dark side didn't exactly foster stability, rather the opposite.

"We'll have work cut out for us for the time being, doing what we can."