Saga - PT The Land Of Ice (Rebels - Sabine and Kanan - Fic Gift for Kahara)

Title: The Land Of Ice
Author: Briannakin
Timeframe: Rebels (Sometime post-season 2, it doesn’t matter when, so there’s no real spoilers for season 3)
Characters: Sabine Wren and Kanan Jarrus
Categorization: Canon
Notes: This is fic-gift is for Kahara ! I hope you like it. You are right, Sabine and Kanan don’t really spend much time together other than in a large group, so this was a bit of a challenge.

Spoiler: Request

1. Three things you would like in your fic-gift

- Some sort of alien sentient species or creature of your own invention

- Humor (doesn't have to be a mainly humor plotline, though)

- An iceberg-filled lake (Example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jökulsárlón#/media/File:Jokulsarlon_Panorama.jpg_)

2. One thing you don’t want in you fic-gift

Not a romantic pairing fic for the main characters that I listed; that would be really awkward! I'm just interested in seeing more of these two since they don't usually spend a lot of screen time together, except for with the whole Ghostcrew. I think the only time I can remember is Episode 11 from Season 2.

3. The main characters you want in your fic-gift (No more than three)

Sabine Wren and Kanan Jarrus

4. A Character you don’t want in your story

None

5. The era in which you fic-gift should take place
I guess Rebels is technically PT since it takes place before ANH?

“It’s like a blank canvas,” Sabine said with shock as she stared out the viewport of the Phantom. She was piloting the ship over a snow-covered planet. Whiteness when on for kilometres, only occasionally broken by a jagged mountain range or a large lake.

Currently, the crew of the Ghost were scattered across the galaxy. Zeb and Ezra had been sent on a mission to Kashyyyk on a recruitment mission, and Hera was on a supply run, which had left Sabine and Kanan to check out a few potential planets for future Rebel bases. It was odd for Sabine and Kanan to be paired up. Ever since Kanan had taken Ezra on as a Jedi Apprentice, whenever a job just called for a smaller group, there was rarely a reason for Kanan to chose Sabine as his pilot, now that he needed someone to pilot him around.

“Sounds about as interesting as its name: Hoth,” Kanan sighed from the co-pilot’s seat.

“No wonder the Empire has no interest out here. There’s nothing but snow and ice.”

“Good to know I’m not missing much. Any life scans?”

Sabine glanced down at the screens. “Some, but probably not enough to fill a space cruiser. No technology readings. The air is breathable, but I’ve never actually seen a temperature that low.”

“Just another reason why the Empire will never look here. Senator Bail Organa said it was going to be cold, but not completely unviable to humans - as long as we didn’t stay out in the elements too long. Set us down near the south pole. He said it should be summer there, so there will be sun, so a bit of warmth, perhaps?”

“Will do.” Sabine pulled the ship up and directed it towards the planet’s south pole. “Kanan, can I ask you a question? Why bring me on this scouting mission? Heck we both know we are both overqualified.”

“I kinda just needed a breather from it all. Ezra was getting on my nerves. I needed a break from him. I feel kinda useless on supply runs with Hera. And Zeb just smells.”

She laughed. “Well, there’s no better reason for a bit of break to a planet completely devoid of life.”

* * *

Sabine landed the craft by a large lake. She was drawn to its beauty and wanted to take a closer look. Both she and Kanan unbuckled their crash webbing and made their way into the back of the Phantom to dawn the padded tan snowsuits issued by the Rebel Alliance. Kanan pulled his hood over his head and tightened the drawstring so that only his mouth and nose were not covered. He then wrapped a dark blue scarf around that small patch of exposed skin. Sabine was mildly jealous as she simply pulled her knitted hat as far down as she could while still being able to see.

Kanan hit the controls and the back ramp lowered.

As soon as the air hit her face, Sabine froze. “The air hurts my face. You said it was summer! Why does the air HURT MY FACE?”

“Let’s just hurry up and make sure there’s nothing here that will eat us if we decide we need this place as a base.” Kanan stepped out into the wind.

“If we ever need this place as a base, I’m quitting this gig.” She stepped out and had to squint her eyes. The distant sun was high in the sky, reflecting off the white snow. “Oh stars!” she exclaimed. “The light; it’s blinding.”

He turned to her. “Oh. What a horrible problem,” he deadpanned.

Sabine reached back into the Phantom and grabbed a pair of tinted blast goggles and placed them over her eyes. She pressed the controls to close the ramp and could finally look around. “Wow,” she couldn’t help but exclaim. To one side of her, mountains in shades of greys and white wrapped around the horizon and extended into the clear blue sky. In front of her was a plain of endless white until the ground turned into the atmosphere. And to the other side was the endless lake of deep blue water, the depths extending into pitch darkness. Floating in the lake were huge icebergs suspended in silent time. “Imagine what I could do with a low-flying ship and some cans of bio-organic paint.”

“I can only imagine, even if you actually get your hands on said materials and do it.”

“I see you have stooped to blind jokes now.”

“Well, it’s good you can see that, because I can’t see anything.”

Sabine laughed and it echoed to the distant horizon. “That was just bad.”

Suddenly, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. “Did you see that?” she asked looking towards one of the icebergs.

“Yes,” Kanan said, his hand moving towards his lightsaber.

“Wait? What?” Sabine said confused.

His shoulders dropped in defeat. “No! But I am still a Jedi. I sense something sentient.”

Listening harder, Sabine heard two hushed, accented voices, carried by the water. “They will leave soon. We just need to wait them out, then get home before your dad realizes you are gone.” The first voice was male.

“But they speak the language! Perhaps they need help,” the second voice argued. This one was female.

“Hello?” Sabine called in their direction. “We are not here to hurt anyone. We just wanted so see if this planet was safe.”

“Senator Organa gave me the impression this planet was not inhabited by any sentient society.” Kanan placed his gloved hands on his hips.

“Perhaps he didn’t know.”

“No one in the galaxy knows of us,” the second voice called from the iceberg.

“Shut up Iseult!” the first voice scolded.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Sabine heard as a figure rose from behind wall of ice on the iceberg. The being was humanoid, female, with light blue skin and long dark blue hair. White horns poked from her sleek hair. She had white markings on her face and bright violet eyes. She was clothed in brown furs with a large white cloak around her shoulders.

Beside her rose another being like her, only male and without facial markings, and a white quadrupedal creature with slender long legs, a long neck, and a elongated, almost reptilian face. The creature unfolded wings from its back and the two beings mounted the creature that then flapped it’s gossamer wings and flew over the water to land in front of Sabine and Kanan.

The two beings dismounted. The girl looked to be just a few years younger than Sabine - if these beings matured at the same rate as humans. The male looked a few years older, and fairly annoyed. “Hello!” the girl greeted them with excitement. “I’m Iseult. This is my protector, Drest.”

Sabine smiled. “I’m Sabine Wren, and this is my friend, Kanan Jarrus.”

“Why are you here?” Drest asked with narrow eyes.

“We were told this planet was uninhabited,” Kanan said. “We were hoping to use it as a potential base for our operations.”

“What kind of operations?” Iseult asked with curious eyes.

“Against tyranny,” Kanan said simply.

“We know of the Empire and the struggles against it. We might be primitive and secluded, but we are not completely ignorant. But the is no struggle with our people. The Republic never bothered with us this planet. We have nothing the Empire wants. And whatever organization sent you here to scout out this planet, we have nothing to offer.” Drest shook his head.

“But we do not own this planet,” Iseult pointed out to her companion. “No one does. It seems as though they only need land. And if we send them back with the reason they cannot use this planet being that there are inhabitants, then suddenly a whole lot more people know of us.”

“Is there some sort of governing body of your people we could talk to?” Kanan asked, even though Sabine hoped that they could just promise not to tell anyone and get out of the cold.

Drest sighed, then turned to Iseult. “You are going to get in so much trouble.”

Iseult grinned. “No, I’m not. I’ll run ahead with Hourig,” she said, mounting the winged creature, “And convene a council.”

* * *

Sabine swore she never wanted to return to this planet, even if they did broker a deal with the Zadumaeians - the race of people which Iseult and Drest belonged to. The planet got unbearably cold by the second, even though the small sun was still high in the sky. She and Kanan had learned the basics of the Zadumaeians from Drest as they walked along the shore of the lake. The people had been visited by Jedi long ago and had offered to incorporate them into the Old Republic, but the Grand Council of the King and Elders, had decided against it, preferring their private, simple way of life, though the Jedi had left a Comm-line and a HoloNet terminal.

It seemed both crazy and genius to stay on this cold, yet peaceful planet. She would almost feel guilty if the Rebellion ruined the one thing that these beings seemed to have going for them: solitude.

Eventually they reached an outcropping of tall, jagged rocks, and Drest slipped between two of the rocks and suddenly there was a staircase. Sabine could feel warmth hit her face as they descended into the planet. Soon they were traveling down a long, slopped hallway. The walls, ceiling and floor was constructed of blue rock. Occasionally, bolted into the wall, were torches ablaze with fire. Eventually the hit a section where the simple hallway transformed into a maze of corridors.

“We are under the lake,” Drest explained. “Our city gets a bit complicated from here on out, so please follow closely. One wrong turn and you will end up in the middle of the marketplace or in someone’s home.”

Sabine followed in amazement, occasionally peeking into doorways to see families of Zadumaeians gathered around low tables, or stables of the creature that Iseult had ridden.

“How many inhabitants are there here?” Sabine asked with curiosity.

Drest’s replies were often curt. “Enough so that our way of life is stable.”

“How do you sustain life in such a cold climate?” Kanan asked

“We sustain our lives by hunting or harvesting the plants in the lake above. We are nearly at the Hall of the King. You must bow and address this council as the Council of the King, High Priestess, and Elders.”

They entered through an elaborately carved archway into a large circular room. Below their feet was a tiled stone floor resembling a snowflake. Eight Zadumaeians sat on stone thrones. Six of them looked to be older. They wore their wisdom on their worn faces. On two larger thrones sat Zadumaeian who looked to be about middle aged with a thick black beard on his face. At his side, now wearing a long purple and white dress with a lace veil, sat Iseult, looking much more serious.

Drest announced the visitors. “Foreigners Kanan Jarrus and Sabine Wren have asked for an audience with King Hoelus, High Priestess Iseult and the Elders. They seek potential refuge here for their organization.”

“The Alliance to Restore the Republic, correct?” King Hoelus asked.

Kanan nodded as slightly bowed. Sabine followed his lead. “King Hoelus,” Kanan began. “We were under the impression that this planet was uninhabited by sentients. We have since learned this is a construction for the protection of your people’s way of life. We will respect your secretly. However we are desperate for planet for bases against the Empire.”

One of the other elders shook her head. “You have nothing to offer us that we want.” The other elders seem to murmur in agreement.

“Why should they have to offer us anything?” Iseult spoke up. “We are the only inhabitants of this planet, but does that mean we own it? They could easily set up bases in the northern hemisphere and no one would venture far enough to discover us.”

“But that’s wampa territory,” one of the elders said.

“Thus why we never go there,” Iseult said. “And why no Rebel nor Imperial agent - if their ever were to be a battle between the two here - would ever survive long enough to discover us if they wandered out in the cold,” she mused with a slight smile. “It might be cruel to send them up with the wampas, but the wampas are no worse than the cold. And he did say they were desperate.” The room was silent as she closed her eyes and hummed for a moment. “My visions foresee no harm coming to us if we allow them use of the north.”

The king seemed to consider this before nodding. “Alright, my daughter is correct and I must heed to her visions as High Priestess. You may use the northern hemisphere of this planet if you swear not to inform any being of our existence.”

“Very well,” Kanan said with a nod. “You have our sincerest greatest gratitude and our oath.”

* * *

Back inside the Phantom, Sabine sighed as she began the start up systems. “It’s going to take a couple of minutes for the engines to warm up,” she said, shivering. “I really hope we don’t get desperate enough to have to use this place as a base.”

“I agree, but I think it should be near the bottom of the list for sites for different reasons,” Kanan murmured as he felt the keyboard to make an entry on the logs.

“The Zadumaeians.”

He nodded. “They might have a very weak claim on control of the entire planet - they said pretty much that - but we should respect their desires and not drag Hoth into our struggle if we don’t need to. Though I’m sure you can give me plenty of reasons why storing ammunition and ships at sub-freezing temperatures isn’t the best idea.”

“Yeah, I can think of a couple,” she mused. “So… Iseult. Was she a Force user?”

“Probably. The Force can have differing effects on different species. Visions from the Force are rare for Jedi, but she would be relatively untrained. The future is always in motion. But I do hope she was right. If the Rebellion does need the planet, I hope the Zadumaeians can remain hidden.”

“But if we do, no one but us will ever know about the risk in their kindness. Especially Iseult. If the Empire ever finds her…” Sabine didn’t finish her sentence. She knew she didn’t have to with Kanan.

“Well, let’s try to find a couple more potential bases so we can make Hoth look even less desirable.”

Sabine let a grin cross her face. “Kanan, I know you might be sensitive about this, but I was the one to see the planet.”

He scowled at her. “You’re not allowed to make blind jokes.”

“Why not? You’ve been wisecracking about it all day.”

“If I make blind jokes, I’m just self-deprecating. You make blind jokes and you are just a horrible person.”

 

This was awesome. I loved the way that Kanan and Sabine interacted - as allies and as friends. The running gag of the blind man jokes is so in character with them. Interestingly, each uses their talents in a way that complements the other - Sabine's artist's eye of the environment helps to orient them, and of course Kanan's use of the Force helps them to understand the Zadumaeians.

Speaking of, what an imaginative world you created for these people. I love the idea that they allowed the Alliance to use the northern hemisphere because "that's wampa territory" and nobody in their right mind would live there. It's a good compromise; anyone would think that the wampas lived throughout Hoth and would never consider investigating the southern hemispnere, where the Zadumaeians have their home. This also cleverly answers the eternal question "what do tauntauns eat?" They live off the vegetation in the lakes. Why not?

And leave it to a Canadian to add the detail of it being so cold your face hurts. This was a very creative and interesting response to some really challenging gift requests!

 

First of all, Briannakin - I am sorry for my blooper from the other day. I have no idea how that happened, a text message popped up while I was reading the story, I responded to it and it turned out that I posted it in this thread. Could've been...funny.

I agree with Findswoman - this is definitely a cool story. You've got some hoth stuff here. I loved the Zadumaeians and I would definitely love that *cough* *cough* fanon post *cough* *cough* whenever you feel like it.

The whole concept with the Rebellion having to make an agreement with some folks who want to remain undiscovered reminds me of the Carl Barks Duck Universe series about Xanadu. And since Xanadu is too an utopia of sorts located underneath a mountain and the concept of the lake is explored there as well, I was kind of giddy when I realised that part. Of course, here you took it up to eleven, because it happens on a whole ice planet that is otherwise seemingly deserted. Like a Raffaello praline, sort of. And of course, while in this case the lake is above the settlement, it's the other way round in those Barks stories, though there are situations in the second one, when the Ducks wander through the mazes, when the lake with the maelstrom is above them.

Paging the resident duck fan Raissa Baiard to see if she sees what I see.

The blind jokes here are legendary - but knowing that they, just like the cold, came from something that is a personal experience with a family member, at least subconsciously, they made me shiver at first. That said, they were immensely fun. And they make the whole story a bit more personal, in a way.

Iseult is a great character. I can totally see her as a Kida of sorts. But she also has this...this Princess Cassandra vibe to her. I love the different ways to explore the concept of Force-sensitivity, and not all the Force-sensitives have to be Jedi or Sith. Would definitely want to see her again.

 

Pardon me while I jump around and SQUEE! This is absolutely perfect and everything that I could have wanted from the prompt.

Aww. Poor Zeb. I will not sing the Smelly Cat song. I will not sing the Smelly Cat song. I will not sing the Smelly Cat song... (What are they feeding him though? It's not his fault.) But really, it'd be so easy to get at least temporarily irritated with the people that you share such a teeny tiny living space with, so I can sympathize with Kanan's reasoning here.

Yep, I knew it was going to be good re: the frozen wastes as soon as I saw the title and author. As a resident of a place where you can boil in your skin if you stand outside a little too long (most of the year, anyway), I know this sort of thing from the other way around. Poor Sabine, though, the antarctic cold is entirely new to her! She's like those puppies who don't understand snow at first.

Well, not here exactly.

Love how Kanan is just relentless throughout. He's got a theme and he's sticking with it! As Findswoman mentioned, it's got to be difficult for him to be adjusting after he was blinded at the end of S2. Still not gonna stop him from taking every last opportunity to torment his space kids/space siblings/whatever with every possible blind joke though. (Haven't seen S3 yet, but this is now going to be my headcanon. Kanan is so exactly the kind of guy who would do that. )

Stunning description of the scenery -- and of course Sabine is eyeing the graffitti potential of all that floating ice! Like divapilot mentioned, setting this on Hoth and thus giving a known planet a little more variety was a great choice.

Well, now they know. Iseult reminds me of another princess type, here and later on in the story. I think those two would get along quite well. Liked how it's not the usual kind of meeting with an unknown species; these people are neither aggressive nor formal nor hiding especially well -- they're just being people who stumbled across something weird (though probably not by accident, given Iseult's powers of foresight). And you can tell that Drest just wants to be done with all of this, not to mention probably being worried about outside threats.

Nifty description of the Zadumaeians, and their tauntaun-pegasus (well, that's what I'm picturing Hourig as anyway) sounds really cool! The background on them sounds really intriguing, and it makes a lot of sense that some people in the Galaxy really just don't want to be found. Considering all the wars and piracy and other nonsense, it seems pretty sensible for a smallish settlement to want to stay off the radar.

The city under the lake sounds gorgeous with the blue stone, torches and twisting corridors! The layout reminds me a bit of the old underground cities in Turkey and other places. The lake vegetation is a neat detail; I like the idea that there's a garden of sorts growing under the surface of that cold-looking lake. Yum, seaweed stew. Seaweed wraps. Seaweed pie. Seaweed casserole...

Also liked the scene with the Council; though they have technology, the Zadumaeians definitely go with the classics when it comes to formal meetings. (And why not? It makes for an impressive display.) Their council arrangement and garb has a medieval flavor to it; reminds me a bit of Maz Kanata and her castle, come to think of it!

Oh my. The Rebels got a free pass to settle on the Snake Island of Hoth, didn't they? (Or maybe the Churchill, though the polar bears are apparently more chill than wampas most of the time. ) But I like how Iseult managed to talk everyone around to letting them have permission to build a base in the area that they don't go to anyway. Still fairly dangerous for the Zadumaeians, as Kanan and Sabine discuss later. (I do hope that the probe droids never noticed them!)

Sabine, Kanan... one of you is the worst, and I'm not even gonna assign who at this point.

Thanks so much for writing this, Bri! I love it!

 

It seems to me that I have some long replies to do, so I'm going to start now!

Oh, puns are great. Thanks so much. And yeah, I drew a lot from my personal surroundings and experiences for this (including putting up with a wimpy roommate from the south ). I've always found the landscape of Hoth so pretty (the painted backgrounds for the Battle of Hoth are just amazing), I wanted to add life to it.

I know, I know, I have a bunch of stuff I have to do fandom posts for (REMIND ME NEXT TIME I'M COMPLAINING ABOUT MY MUSE BEING A BUTT). The Zadumaeians started out as kinda a re-purposed species I created for my first fic ever, but grew into their own little unique society.

That Kanan and Hera as disappointed parents thing is hilarious and so very accurate! I tried to have Kanan as more of a father, but I'm not sure I see Kanan and Hera quite as parents - at least to Sabine. It seems to me that they have more of an older sibling presence in her life. I mean, there is only a 8 year difference between Sabine and Hera. But yeah, the two characters I was given was interesting, because I actually went through a bunch of episodes and, with the odd short scene here and there, they don't really interact.

As for the blind humor, that too came from personal experience. I thought most people knew this, but my father went blind when I was young, so I was hearing and making blind wisecracks before I could walk (PROBABLY because my dad made cripple wisecracks). Plus I have several blind friends now, all with great senses of humor.

Thank you. I had to get a bit creative with the Sabine and Kanan relationship since there isn't much of one on-screen in Rebels.

I had to get a way to keep this story canon, but also have a society on Hoth, so I used wampas!

And of course I had to add in some Canadian humour.

I'm so glad you enjoyed it so much!

LOL! And here I thought Chopper was the cat of the Ghost family.

Doesn't everyone get mildly irritated with family/friends/roommates if you are forced to spend too much time with them?

Am I really that predictable ? The whole "new to the cold" thing was inspired by my roommate. It was dipping into the -25C to -30C range when I was writing this.

Shhhh, don't tell Luke there's a place he could have gone to avoid being eaten!

You wanted humour, so I REALLY just wanted to unleash all my blind jokes my dad used to make about himself. And of course Kanan would love Blind-Dad jokes.

Thank you. That image you sent along really inspired me.

You know what? I think you are right about those two princess types. And Drest was just so fun to write (basically the Sokka of the Zadumaeians - If you are an Avatar fan).

Thank you for all the comments! The Zadumaeians were a lot of fun to create and set in such a seemingly blank world.

Yeah. I always wondered how desperate the Rebels were to make a base on Hoth.

[/QUOTE]
That exchange has been made several times in my own life.

You are welcome! I had so much fun with your requests, it was a joy to write.

 

A very cool dynamic between Kanan and Sabine as they discover more to Hoth than just its inhospitable environment that would ultimately lead to its choice as a Rebel base in the future. I am sure that the Rebels thought that with the planet being so cold that the Empire would never find them there.

A great introduction with the Zadumaeians, as they conclude that they can offer the Rebels the North seeing as they never go there anyway.

 

What a fun story!

I know this feeling well! It made my face hurt in sympathy.



I loved Sabine's description of Hoth as a blank canvas and how she could use it that way! I think she could do something pretty amazing with all of that fresh snow.

I really like how Sabine doesn't try and bite back her words, "did you see that?" "Oh it's blinding", she doesn't seem to see Kanan any differently and treats him just the same as she would have before. I don't know how long it's been since Kanan went blind, but I think that shows a lot about who she is as a character. His humor is great and really made me chuckle. I just really enjoyed their interactions and the familiarity between the two of them.

I also really enjoyed the Zadumaeians! This look into them was really interesting, I'd love to learn more about them!

Great job!!

 

I haven't watched Rebels yet, but the amazing fics posted on these boards really make me want to get started, and this one is no exception! The dialogue between Kanan and Sabine in the opening section really pulled me in ("Zeb just smells" ) and I had such a good laugh with all the blind jokes. Nice OCs too and nice fanon species you have here -- I second the request for a cough-fanon post-cough, I loved how you described their settlement, and of course how you had them discuss the concept of "ownership" of the planet and their interaction (or lack thereof) with the rest of galactic society.

The very last section was interesting too in how it showed the contrast between Kanan and Sabine. Kanan really thinks as a Jedi first, even after all this time in hiding. A shame they didn't think of checking out the wampa territory though

 

I got so absorbed in reading this story that I nearly burned dinner.... (don't tell Mr. Baiard!)

for Rebels fic! As others have noted, Sabine and Kanan aren't usually paired together, but they make a dynamic duo here. I love how Sabine sees Hoth first and foremost as an artist. I bet she really could do some awesome art (though that's really not conducive to keeping a hidden base, you know, hidden). Kanan's blind jokes seem perfectly in character, both for his overall sense of humor and for someone learning to cope with a disability (I remember making a lot of morbid heart jokes when I was on the list for a transplant.) And overall, in their banter and the way Kanan and Sabine work together, you've really captured the sense of family that makes Rebels so enjoyable.

The idea of an indigenous race on Hoth is intriguing. Sadly, I'm only familiar with the Carl Barks story Ewok Poet references through its adaptation on Duck Tales but I am reminded of another literary/pop culture reference: the icy palace of Boreas, god of the North Wind, in Rick Riordan's The Lost Hero (which, if I'm remembering correctly, was atop the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec), complete with ice princess and winged steeds, though Iseult is kinder than the villainous Khione, and the heroes' negotiations go much smoother here. Is King Hoelus a play on Aeolus, god of the four winds?

I hope Sabine doesn't decided to leave the Rebellion when they return to Hoth. I was totally using her line "WHY DOES MY FACE HURT" yesterday when I was out in the cold.

Great, fun story! I really enjoyed it