Chapter Five: The Frozen Kingdom
Several Years Later
Sitting alone in the cockpit of Ghost while the starship flew through the hyperspace tunnel,
Adrienne’s eyes looked out in the direction of the surrounding, streaming
crystal blue burrow…yet she was not looking right at it. Her eyes, normally carrying its signature piercing blue hue,
were entirely white and glowing. The world outside caught in a haze, she found
herself connected elsewhere, across time and space. Something, or someone, reaching out to her. But who or what was it?
(Character Note: Another of the Guardian's limitless abilities include making telepathic communication with other reincarnations or herself through the past and future.)
“What in blazes are you doin’ in my bunk?”
Surprisingly, it took the bellowing, angry voice of Zeb
to snap Adrienne out of her connection through time. A few blinks returned
her eyes to their natural color, once again staring out the window.
“Hera told me that I could bunk here.” She heard Penz
defend herself in the ensuing confrontation, happening elsewhere on the ship.
“My ship, my decision.” Hera spoke out, sounding closer
to the cockpit than either Zeb or Penz were.
That seemed to have settled the debate, considering the
silence that fell afterward.
However, just when Adrienne thought she would have a
quiet moment to herself, the door whooshed open. At
the corner of her eye, she noticed Chrissy taking a seat in the unoccupied
pilot’s chair.
She majestically stared out the window, taking in the
breathtaking view of the hyperspace tunnel, its bluish hue reflecting inside. “Beautiful, isn’t it? I’ve been used to seeing hyperspace travel
in my years working for Star Tours. Every
now and then, we – the engineers – get to work with the RX droids in
test-piloting the Starspeeders, and we usually test hyperspace travel above
everything else on the ship. Those suckers can go...”
(Star Wars Note: RX-Series pilot droids have been spotted throughout the Star Wars continuity, both in canon and non-canon. The first ever seen was RX-24, nicknamed "Rex," who was the droid pilot for the original Star Tours attraction at Disneyland and Walt Disney World from 1987 to 2011. Rex was voiced by Paul Reubens, better known as Pee-Wee Herman. After Star Tours was rebooted in 2011 to suit the prequel trilogy, C-3PO became the new pilot for the new Starspeeder in the attraction, as "Rex" had not yet been manufactured in regards to the new time frame of the story.)
“Ryder,” Adrienne punitively interrupted. “I say this
with all the respect in the universe, but I just don’t give a damn about your
work-life story. I’ve had a very bad
day, alright?”
Offended by her harsh statement, Chrissy countered, “Let
me remind you that it wasn’t my idea
to get us captured by the Imperials. If you want to blame anyone for your bad day, blame yourself.”
Adrienne sighed; she was
in the wrong for taking her inhibitions out on Chrissy. “I’m not upset about
the capture. I am angry about my failure in convincing Vader to abandon the
Sphere.” She then dismally added, “As well as to free my master, Yen Sid.”
Chrissy felt for her, even though there was no excuse for
lashing out as she did. Nonetheless, she wanted to understand her dilemma.
“What does this Sphere do? Why is it so important to the Empire?”
“Its properties are nothing like anything you’ve ever
seen in this galaxy.”
“Is it a weapon? Like their Death Star?”
“No, but it can
still be weaponized – used for purposes separate for what it was made to do.
I’ve seen what the Empire has done with the Sphere, in the future, using it to
destroy a world not from this universe.”
None of it made any sense to Chrissy, especially not the
part about other worlds outside the galaxy. But the genuine unease in
Adrienne’s conduct while discussing the matter was enough to clue Chrissy in on
the magnitude of danger posed from the Empire’s new discovery.
Before the two women could confer more on the topic, the
cockpit door slid open again, permitting Vanessa to enter. Adrienne noticed she
still had that carefree smile on her face that vexed her so much. She sat right
in the colorful seat that Sabine normally occupied, hugging her legs close to
her body and swaying in the chair. “What a cute little ship. Even got a cute
little name,” she complimented.
“Alright. I’m out of here.”
Already aggravated by Vanessa’s presence, Adrienne removed
herself from the co-pilot’s chair and departed.
(Star Wars Note: Adrienne Wilkinson is no stranger to the Star Wars series. In 2008, she appeared in the non-canonical video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed as "Maris Brood," a survivor of the Jedi Purge and an apprentice of Jedi Master Shaak Ti. She later voiced "Daughter," a shape-shifting depiction of the light side of the Force, in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.)
As soon as Adrienne was out, Vanessa
instantly made conversation with Chrissy: “So how are you enjoying yourself?”
Chrissy chuckled. Vanessa’s friendly attitude was
certainly a welcoming change from Adrienne’s coldness. Unfortunately, there was
still an issue that irritated her to no end.
“Oh, I’m having the time of my life,” she answered in a
witty tone. “The entire crew of this ship has addressed me as ‘sir’ from
the moment I stepped foot. And then there’s the fact that I have no idea where we’re going.”
Vanessa’s smile grew. “I wouldn’t fret about the whole
‘sir’ thing. It’ll eventually pass the moment we reach to our main destination.”
“And has anyone told you where that is?”
Vanessa shook her head. “Nope. I’ve just sensed it.” She
playfully swiveled in her seat, letting go of her legs and sitting lotus style.
Chrissy stared at her questionably, wondering if either
Adrienne or Vanessa was one-upping each other on the levels of insanity.
Neither of them made any sense in what they have said.
“Are you a
Jedi?”
Vanessa stopped swiveling once she heard the inquiry.
“Say what?”
“Your ability to sense
things like the future. Isn’t that something a Jedi usually does?”
The easy-going redhead giggled. “Nah. I’m the furthest
thing from a Jedi.” This answer only
confirmed to Chrissy that she was
just downright crazy. “But one doesn’t necessarily have to have the skills of a
Jedi to sense what’s ahead. There are other beings out there far more
foresightful…and, yes, I know that’s not a real
word.”
Her curiosity increasing, Chrissy asked with more
intention, “Where is it you think
that we’re going?”
Vanessa gently bit her lower lip, trying to contain her
excitement as she answered: “A beautiful place called Fa—”
POW!
Ghost lurched
violently, nearly knocking Vanessa and Chrissy out of their seats. The lights
in the cockpit flickered out, the ship’s systems shutting down.
Chrissy quickly gazed out of the window. “That
felt like a laser blast!”
Vanessa looked out with her. “Don’t see any TIE
fighters or anything out there.”
Both women soon realized that Ghost’s system shutdown abruptly brought it out of hyperspace.
They now headed wildly and rapidly towards a planet that looked to be encased
in ice and snow.
In response to the ensuing chaos, the other passengers rushed inside, crowding almost immediately. Once
discovering the sudden dangerous situation they were blindly brought into, Hera
took her place at the pilot’s seat and attempted to get the ship’s power back
on.
“How did Ghost go
offline all of the sudden?” She questioned in between her frantic operation.
“Clearly we’ve been traveling in a busted ship.” Adrienne
said in annoyance.
“There is nothing ‘busted’ about my ship.” Hera strongly declared.
Intense turbulence reverberated over Ghost as it burnt its way right into the ice planet’s atmosphere.
However, due to the harsh low temperatures, the burning from reentry promptly
cooled down. This left the ship merely falling through the collection of snow
clouds, obscuring the view of its passengers.
“Can’t see!” Hera noted.
(Star Wars Note: This is strongly reminiscent of the way in which Luke Skywalker arrived on Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back. Due to the thick fog shrouding the planet's atmosphere, Luke was unable to land his ship properly, crashing instead.)
In that dire moment, Adrienne experienced a sensation
that Kanan and Ezra collectively felt as well.
“Everyone! Find a place to strap in and hang on!” Kanan
ordered.
Hera, Zeb, Sabine, and Kanan himself did just that, while Ezra, Adrienne, Penz, Chrissy, and Vanessa went to the back to carry out the action.
The shaking intensified as the ship grew nearer to the
snowy surface of the planet. It was difficult to determine how close they were due
to the vast whiteness and icy buildup over the cockpit window. Finally, without
any warning or chance to brace for impact, the ship crashed, skidding over
multiple massive snowbanks until slamming headfirst into one.
Other than being a bit banged up, the passengers were all safe. The wall of
snow blocking its window, the cockpit was the one area of the ship lost in pitch-blackness. Only the light of Kanan’s lightsaber, once activated, provided enough illumination for the crewmates.
“I wonder what caused the ship to shut down.” He pondered.
“I checked the status while we were in hyperspace and
noticed absolutely zero malfunctions.” Hera noted, clearly frustrated. “Something
– or someone – must’ve hacked into the ship’s systems.”
“But…that’s impossible.” Sabine uttered. “A ship can’t be hacked while in hyperspace, can
it?”
“Whatever it was, it’s left us stranded on this ice
planet for the moment.” Kanan indicated. “Hera, can you get Ghost back online?”
“I can, but it may take long.”
“Well, can you at least keep us heated while buried in ten feet of snow?” The shivering Zeb pleaded.
“Can’t make any promises, but I’ll do what I can.” Hera
confirmed.
The cockpit door opened and a bright glow of orange light
flowed into the room, mixing with the blue glow of Kanan’s lightsaber. Adrienne
entered with her activated saber and
Ezra at her side.
“Is everyone okay?” Ezra asked.
“We would be if we knew what icebox of a planet we’ve
crashed on.” Zeb grumbled.
“We’re on Hoth.” Adrienne established, surprising the
crew with her knowledge of the remote planet. “I detected an anomaly here
before we crashed.”
(Star Wars Note: First introduced in The Empire Strikes Back, Hoth is the sixth planet in the star system of the same name. It notably hosted "Echo Base," the temporary headquarters of the Rebel Alliance, until the Galactic Empire located the Rebels, initiating a major confrontation that led to the Rebels' initial defeat and lost of their base.)
Kanan found her detection to be rather unusual. “I didn’t
sense anything.”
“Well, I am the
more experienced out of the two of us.” Adrienne bluntly stated, drawing some
ire from Kanan. “Anyways, I’m headin’ out to find this thing.”
“Into that ruthless climate?” Sabine reacted in shock.
“Are you crazy?”
“Don’t worry. It won’t affect me.” Adrienne assured.
“Yep. She’s crazy.” Zeb muttered.
“She may in fact be, but I’ve been a witness to worst
environments she’s survived through.” Kanan vouched. “She’ll be fine.”
-------------------------
Donned in nothing but a hooded cloak, goggles, and
reddish-orange scarf that protected her face, Adrienne wandered alone across
the frozen tundra for what seemed like hours. It was a
struggle for her to walk against the strong winds, which caused her opened
cloak to flap like a cape behind her. Beneath her googles, her eyes glowed ghostly
white, using them as a scanner to comb the atmosphere of the planet for the
anomaly.
Her focus was suddenly distracted once she heard her name
called out from a distance. She did not bother to turn at first, believing it
to be a trick of the wind tickling her ears beneath the fabric of the hood and
the strands of hair that did their best to shield it. But she heard it again,
much clearer this time. There was another sentient being out there with her.
Turning her head to the direction of the voice, she was shocked
to see Vanessa running right up to her. She wore nothing to protect herself from
the cold, except for the clothes she already had on, which might as well have
been summer wear. The strong winds appeared to have no effect on her at all,
considering how she managed to rush right up to Adrienne without much effort.
(Character Note: Since it was previously addressed in the prologue that Vanessa is a reincarnation of Sean Thomas and hence a Guardian, the feats she shows in scenes such as this should come as no surprise to the readers. The other characters, on the other hand, have no idea.)
Sliding to a halt as soon as she caught up to her,
Vanessa stood beside Adrienne. The three-inch height difference between them
was evident with Vanessa almost towering over her. “I volunteered to join you
on your expedition,” she informed.
“How in the hell are you able to jog thirty miles from
the ship without the least bit of fatigue?” Adrienne questioned with immense suspicion.
Vanessa coyly smiled. “I’m more special than anyone
realizes, especially you.”
Her response was very cryptic and strange, and it did not
do anything to convince Adrienne. “You’re not coming with me. Get your butt
back to the ship before you freeze it off out in this frozen hellhole.” She
began to walk ahead.
“But I can be useful to you. How else are you gonna find
that ice palace?”
Adrienne stopped instantaneously. She swiftly turned and
faced the tall redhead again, repeating her last two words with curiosity:
“Ice palace?”
-------------------------
Vanessa led the way in the direction of the peculiar bastion
she spotted. It took her and Adrienne by nightfall to reach it. Frost
built up on their clothes; in Vanessa’s case, it built up in more places like
her hair and eyelashes. Neither woman showed any negative effects from the
increasingly freezing temperatures; their focus was entirely set on finding
this ice palace.
(Star Wars Note: Hoth's temperature is known to drop to -60 degrees Celsius come nightfall. Any living creature exposed to the extremely frigid climate during this time are prone to death, such in the case of one tauntaun ridden by Han Solo in his search for Luke Skywalker, whose life was spared from the temperatures once Solo encased him in the dead tauntaun's warm carcass.)
They ultimately found it just a few distances away from a
snowbank, shimmering on the horizon in the snowy night atmosphere.
Removing her goggles and scarf, Adrienne’s eyes connected
with the structure of the palace in recognition. “Oh, no.”
“What is it?” Vanessa queried.
“That’s Elsa’s ice castle. I’m
surprised to see that it’s manifested on Hoth…even if it does seem appropriate.”
(Disney Wiki: Elsa's ice palace was created by Elsa during the "Let It Go" sequence from Frozen. It served as her habitat of isolation to protect anyone from being near her, as she yet to maintain control of her ice power. It was vacated after the events of the film, left with only her menacing guard "Marshmallow" and tiny mischievous snowmen called "Snowgies" to occupy it.)
“This is the
anomaly we’re looking for, right?”
Adrienne nodded. “It indeed is. Never before has a realm
transferred out of the Disneyverse – not that you’d know what that is.” She moaned with deep, intense
frustration. “This is all ‘cause of the Empire’s constant tampering with the
Sphere. It’s sprung a leak – and it’s leaking right into this world.”
“Could this ‘leak’ spread all over the galaxy?”
“The Disneyverse will overtake the universe, yet both
worlds will cease to be, since both cannot coexist.”
(Narrative Note: This rule was established in World of Disney with the destruction of the Aladdin realm, before it was restored in Tales of the Disneyverse. Since then, some exceptions have been made, as multiple Disney characters have been depicted together in worlds outside the Disneyverse, such as the Marvel Universe. This could be from the Guardian's influence on the different realities, keeping them in control long enough to prevent another disaster.)
“Maybe they can,” stated a hopeful Vanessa.
Adrienne scoffed at her. “Like I said, you know nothing about what’s happening here.
I’ve personally bore witness to the result of when one world outside the
Disneyverse crosses with one inside of it. And now, there’s a snow queen in
that ice fortress whose life I’m
responsible for. So I need to reach her before something really terrible happens.”
She took a step down the snowbank and her foot connected
with something buried beneath that caused her to trip and tumble down
the snowed slope, along with the object of her fall. Both of them kicked up
bits of snow until they reached the foot of the slope. Vanessa caught up with
her, effortlessly rushing down the hill, her feet mightily kicking away the
snow to make a path for her.
As it turned out, Adrienne tripped on the body of a
young, raven-haired woman wearing a red plaid shirt and tight grey leggings.
She was covered in fragments of snow and frost, her skin incredibly blue.
(Character Note: Those who have read Marvel Mayhem will recognize this as the physical description of Natalie, the amalgamated reincarnation introduced in the first installment of The Marvel Universe Saga. This is her first appearance in an installment of the World of Disney series, later reappearing as a major player in The Disney Access.)
“Poor thing.” Vanessa whispered as she surveyed the
condition of the frozen young woman. “Who is she?”
Adrienne shrugged. “Haven’t a clue. Doubt she’s even
still alive.”
Soon after Adrienne made her claim, they noticed vapor
escaping from the young woman’s frost-ridden mouth; it was the only evidence
that she was still alive.
“We have to get her to shelter.” Vanessa suggested.
Adrienne let out a sigh of misery. It was enough of a
hindrance having Vanessa tagging along, now she had more weight to carry with this woman they unearthed from the
snow.
What else is there to slow me down, she internally conjectured.
RAWR!
As if it had answered her unspoken and completely
rhetorical question, a loud, vicious roar erupted near the women. Adrienne and
Vanessa turned to find a one-armed Wampa – one of the native creatures of Hoth
– stomping right towards them, its one good arm furiously raised high.
(Star Wars Note: This wampa is the same that attacked Luke Skywalker in the opening of The Empire Strikes Back, obvious from the depiction of its missing arm. Luke cut it from the beast with his lightsaber in his escape from its cave.)
“Run to Elsa’s palace now!
Take the girl with you!” Adrienne instructed Vanessa.
“Not letting you deal with that thing alone!” Vanessa
declared.
“You will, unless I
kill you before he does! Now run!”
Vanessa reluctantly did as she was told, picking the
frozen young woman up from the snow and carrying her away. Meanwhile, Adrienne
drew both of her lightsabers and stared down the beast.
Running faster and stronger than the winds that blew around her, Vanessa did not miss a single step as she carried the raven-haired
woman towards Elsa’s palace. She could hear the confrontation between Adrienne
and the Wampa in the distance. Both combatants roaring barbarically.
It was not long before she heard a pounding sound, as if someone was powerfully
punched.
Shortly thereafter, an area near the fleeting Vanessa
suddenly erupted into a white icy cloud. Vanessa stopped and looked on in
surprise to see Adrienne imprinted within a snow crater. Apparently, her body soared
several feet over the tundra, having received one fierce uppercut by the Wampa. The attack left her face scarred and bloodied with three slash marks
running perpendicular across it.
(Star Wars Note: Adrienne's facial scarring from the Wampa's attack is inspired by the same result left from Luke's encounter with the same native beast. A story behind the making of The Empire Strikes Back has suggested the scene was written to explain the facial difference of Mark Hamill, who suffered from a motorcycle accident between productions of A New Hope and Empire. George Lucas recently revealed, however, that he had the scene of Luke's attack in mind before Hamill's accident, thus having no intention of connecting the two incidents.)
Noticing Vanessa standing near her, she irately yelled,
“What did I say about getting that girl and yourself to safety! Do you realize
how much time you’ve wasted bothering over me?”
Vanessa tried to speak in her defense, only to be robbed
of the chance by the Wampa still on their tail, roaring to the heavens.
Climbing out of the crater, Adrienne ran with Vanessa, away from the initial
direction of Elsa’s palace. Instead, they ran to what they believed to be
another snowbank, only to make an unexpected discovery when they tumbled over
the edge and found themselves at the threshold of a cave. The two women ran
straight into it.
Once inside, Vanessa watched as Adrienne channeled that
unnatural half of her power again and created a wall of ice that enveloped the
cave entrance and shielded them in. The Wampa approached at the second she
finished, slamming its fist against the ice to break through. Unfortunately for
the creature, the translucent wall was impenetrable, leaving little success in
it getting through.
Safe for the moment, Adrienne and Vanessa
took a breather.
Vanessa let the body of the young woman sit against the
wall. “You know, this cave won’t do this poor child any favors with her already
ice-cold body.”
“Nag, nag, nag.” Adrienne muttered before snapping her
fingers, a gesture that generated a flame right from her fingertips. With her
other hand, she gathered a collection of bones littering the cave, piling one
atop the other, and lighted them all on fire, creating a makeshift campfire.
(Authorial Note: It is unknown if bones can be used as firewood in reality. I wrote this action with the intention of showing off Adrienne's Guardian ability to make firewood from any material.)
Vanessa quickly realized how much warmer and brighter the
cavern became. Looking to the young raven-haired woman, she could see her
normal complexion returning to a light caramel color.
“You are full of surprises.” Vanessa admired of her
companion.
“Yeah, so I’ve noticed.” A passive Adrienne remarked.
Both women sat by the fire with the Wampa continuously
pounding against the ice. They waited patiently for the creature to exhaust
itself or lose interest in them. Seeming to take longer than expected,
Vanessa decided to make conversation with Adrienne, who still bore the scars
from her brief confrontation earlier.
“You should put some ice on that. I mean, you’re practically
surrounded by it.”
Following her advice, Adrienne scooped up handfuls of
snow from the ground and put them against her bruised, bloodied face. The whiteness
of the snow rapidly turned crimson from the pressure she applied.
Vanessa heard crackling and popping sounds and noticed
steam escaping through Adrienne’s fingers. The snow melted in her grips, until
all that was left were her own two hands. She finally removed them from her
drenched face to reveal it completely healed of the grotesque scars.
Astonished by the act, Vanessa asked, “How does a Jedi
learn such outstanding abilities?”
“I’m no Jedi. I’m a myth. That’s what I am.”
“Well, you’re some myth to do what you can do.”
“And you’re the one to talk – having immunity to this alien climate and the way you move through a foot of snow like it’s not even there.”
Vanessa bashfully smiled. “Oh, I’m just…”
“If you say ‘special’ again, I swear I’m gonna bring in
the Bumble.” Adrienne threatened, gesturing to the Wampa. “Tell me the truth –
are you a Jedi?”
(Pop Culture Note: "The Bumble" is the shortened name for the "Abominable Snow Monster of the North," a character featured in the 1964 holiday classic, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.)
Vanessa busted out in hysterical laughter. “No, of course
not.” Her laughter subsided when she saw Adrienne fixedly staring at her with
those piercing eyes. “Seriously, I’m not.”
Aversely acknowledging her answer, Adrienne nodded. “Well,
whatever you are, I’m glad you came to help.”
(UP NEXT: We're going back to Fantasia!)
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