Elias looked at the hill. Who was that? His eyes hadn't adjusted, so whoever was over the hill was nothing but a blur. Winter got up. Her side was on fire. "You left me on Hoth because I was your biggest failure. You took the wrong person. You torched the place because you were scared that if I lived, you would one day find me again, and I would avenge my people. I'm not dead, I'm far from it. If you wanted to wipe me out, you should have done it 6 years ago. I still have the blaster, I could end you right now. But I need some information. What are you doing here on this asteroid? And, why is it such a big secret?" Winter spat. She hated this woman with a passion…
"Winter!" Kula took off in a sprint. She knew that Elias would defiantly catch up, but, as Elias said, Winter had saved her life. She couldn't see if Winter was in trouble, but there was an Imperial and that's all the Twi'lek needed to know.
Aquare held Estelle in a choke hold and steadily tightened her grip, without Winter noticing. "I'm glad that you're so intrigued by my work. If only everyone were like you. Soon enough, though," Aquare sighed coolly.
Estelle could feel the hold tighening… tightening. She wanted to let Winter know, but she didn't know if something would happen to her. And she knew that Winter had to make it out alive, not her. She didn't matter - she had nothing to live for. Winter, on the other hand, had Elias and everyone else on the ship. Estelle's gaze just happened to notice the young Twi'lek running towards them before Aquare tightened the hold again and Estelle lost consciousness.
Elias' vision cleared. He saw Winter on the hill, without her armor. He knew something was wrong. She was leaned to one side, and she held a blaster. He whispered, "Oh no, Winter…" and he ran as fast as he could toward that hill. Winter grip tightened on the blaster. Suddenly, Estelle went limp. She had lost consciousness. Winter held the blaster up, and without thinking, pulled the trigger. She hit Admiral Aquare in the shoulder, and she stumbled away from Estelle…
Aquare screamed and gripped her shoulder. Estelle slipped from her grasp and tumbled like a rag doll onto the asteroid's hard surface. Aquare scowled and lunged at Winter, her hands outstretched and reaching for the blaster. Suddenly something slammed into her side.
Kula tackled the Imperial and threw her into the ground. Without thinking, in one swift movement, she grabbed the blaster from Winter's hands and aimed it steadily at the Imperial's skull. She was breathing heavily. "Winter saved my life. It's time I repaid her."
Aquare only laughed, grimacing slightly from the pain in her shoulder. "And if you kill me?"
Kula was seething. "So what?"
"If you kill me," Aquare said too calmly, "your dead sister dies too. Instantly." Aquare snapped her fingers. "Just like that."
Kula's elbows instantly bent and she felt a shiver run through her veins. "Shiloh… No…" Her arms stiffened again. "You wouldn't."
"Oh, honey, try me. You, you specifically, have seen what I can do."
Images unseen by the others flashed rapid fire through Kula's mind. She softened, but her expression was still hard. "We can't… We can't kill her," she sighed to Winter.
Elias saw Kula take the blaster away from Admiral Aquare. He ran over to Winter. "Are you ok? Do you need me to carry you? Do you need me to help you? Is there anything that I can do to help you?" Winter just slowly blinked her eyes. "Elias. I'm fine. I'll walk it off…" Winter heard what Kula said. She looked away. She muttered to Elias, "Go. Free Shiloh. I can buy a few more minutes. Free Sholih before I kill this Imperial myself…" Elias turned away, hearing the pain in Winter's voice. He knew she was hurting. He knew. But, Winter hated showing weakness. He turned, but he grabbed Winter's hand, and pulled her close. He murmured into her hair, "You're hurt. Badly. I can see it as plain as day. You only get 10 minutes. Anymore, I'm coming. The wookies can free Shiloh easily enough…" He let her go and jogged back down there to the wookies. He only hoped he knew enough Sherriwook, to understand them… Winter turned sharply on her heels. "Kula, what do you mean we can't kill her yet?"
Kula lowered the blaster, tears in her eyes. She hadn't seen Elias leave. "She'll… kill… Shiloh."
Aquare slyly pressed a button in her com link. It flashed green twice, then stopped.
The smirk that played across her face made Kula fear for the worst. "What did you just do?" Kula asked quickly, raising the blaster again.
No one beside Winter saw Elias leave. He was like a fleeting shadow. He had taken the wookies to break down the door to get to Shiloh. Winter sighed. "I got 10 minutes to kill…" she thought. Time for a distraction. She looked at Admiral Aquare. "What was that green button for? Please do tell. Since we can't kill you, I guess you'll just have to talk… Please do tell. We're all ears…" Winter whispered. Leaning in, she made sure to grow cold, so the air froze around her palm as she touched Admiral Aquare's face. "I can play this game of torture. I played it by myself for 6 years… I think I can outlast anyone in it. So please spill everything you know before, well you know, I get icy… Because it won't be pleasant, for you…" Elias had arrived at the door. He tried his best to tell the wookies what they had to do. They seemed to understand, and they started breaking down the door…
(Lavender, Essar is still on the hill. Jic… ;)
"I've dealt with things more horrifying than a little girl desperate for revenge," Aquare seethed. The cold prickled on her skin and dripped through her veins. "You would know. Wouldn't you, Kula?"
Kula shut her eyes tightly and reopened them. Her fingers were shaking dangerously close to the trigger. "Get out of my head," she demanded, but her voice shook.
Aquare smirked. "You're weak. It's a wonder you lasted so long. Longer than Bryllis…"
Kula squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "No…"
"And Aviline…"
Kula bit back a sob.
"And… What was his name? Ja- Jav-?"
"You don't deserve to remember his name!" Kula spit out.
"Javile?"
Kula opened her eyes. She couldn't see anything but pain.
(Yeeeeaaaahhhh… Where precisely is everyone else?)
(Elias is at the gate to the main fortress, Estelle, Kula, Winter, and Admiral Aquare are all somewhere a little while away from Elias… And Shiloh is still inside.)
Winter was horrified. She gently took the blaster from Kula. She looked shell shocked. Winter snarled at Admiral Aquare. "You did the same thing to Kula, as you did to my family… I was at my family's execution. Their crimson blood stained the snow. It made me die a little bit inside, everyday… I will never be myself again… I had to stifle my cries, or you would have found me. You made me, a little girl, grow up too fast. It's what happens when everything they love, was taken. I will never find joy in the snow again. It the part of me that I can't escape. I chose to embrace it. The cold. It numbs, and it burns. Your choice. I chose the numb. For you, I give the cold fire. You can't burn long enough…" Winter pressed her hand harder to Admiral Aquare's face harder, rendering her unable to move, but she could still speak. "Come now, Aquare. Are you cold? Let's see if your still smirking when your blood is slush in your veins…" Winter smiled. Elias was helping the wookies tear down that heavy metal door. They were one push away from the door collapsing in. Elias stopped them. He yelled in Sherriwook, "Let's free the Shiloh! Be prepared for a fight you wookies!!!" They broke through the doors, and plunged into the battle that lay before them…
(Essar is still on the hill watching all the drama unfold… He's the smart one…)
(oooohhhh… Essar is breaking his morals… lol)
(Okee)
Essar had lost contact with the others. His comlink was jammed. He sprinted down the ridge and snuck into the barracks. None of his team were there. He turned a corner and ducked into another corridor.
Elias ran over to the control center after he had blasted a few Imperials sky high… He let the wookies take their revenge. He let them break whatever they wanted. He jammed the communication towers on the asteroid. He then located Shiloh in detention block 113A… He proceeded to go free her with Revion the wookie at his side…
No one is here. That was odd. He sprinted out of the building and toward the control center, where the sound of blasters was still echoing. If that's anyone, it's my team.
