Chapter 25: Caradhras Part 1
Zeb Orriliouswas agitated. Why? Well, for many reasons. First of all, the Lasat had found himself stranded on a mysterious planet with no way off. Then, hemet some of the locals, two of which he despised as soon as he met them. And after that,
he was pulled into a crazy adventure where he was hunted by the bloody undead! And now, he was on yet another journey and traveling up a mountain covered in snow!
Very cold snow.
Well of course it was cold. It was supposed to be bloody cold! But the bad part was that it was making Zeb freeze to death. His feet had already gone numb, and he thought he could feel icicles forming on his beard. So yes, that's why he was grumpy. And
it was one of those days where he wanted to punch somethingor someone in the face. Too bad there weren't any stormtroopers around. He'd give anything just to punch those bucket heads.
But fornow, he had no choice but to walk through Caradhras. The snowy landscape was even worse than what it had appeared. And the Lasat could see everybody else suffering through the cold too. Except they seemed to handle it betterthan he
did. Why couldn't he not be bothered by it as much? He was a Lasat! And Lasats could survive through anything! And yethe was freezing in the cold?! Why were they even traveling through the cold in the first place?! Zeb had signed up to go to Mordor,
a land that supposedly dry and humid!
The Lasat's right foot suddenly sank into the snow, making the cold spread up to his legs. He growled frustratingly and yanked his foot out before walking forward again. He was at the rear of the Fellowship, along with Ezra and Sabine. Kanan, Hera, Rex,
and Chopper were walking in front of them. Zeb could feel his teeth chattering as it got colder and colder.
"Nobody ever said anything about cold!" he quietly grumbled.
Kanan, however, heard him and frowned, "And when we crashed here,nobody ever said anything about going to destroy rings of power." He then pointed all around them, "Yet here we are. Just keep moving and you'll feel better, Zeb."
"I've beenmoving," Zeb replied, becoming even grumpier, "I've been moving for 4 bloody hours! And I'm not feeling any better."
Kanan shrugged, "Well...then just think warm."
Ezra andSabine smirked at that remark and glanced back at Zeb. Unfortunately, the Lasat didn't find that funny in the slightest.
Ezra pointed forward and and gave him a salute, "Carry on, Captain Orrilious."
Zeb just glared at him and didn't say anything. Think warm. That was so 'funny.' Of course Kanan would say something like that. Jedi seemed to be trained to handle the cold. Zeb never liked the cold, though. Especially after being stranded on one of the
Moons of Geonosis with Agent Kallus.
To make things even worse, a breeze came across the landscape, making the Lasat feel even more cold! Not only that, but it also blew snow right into his face!He kept on shooting dirty looks at Kanan, and began muttering things under his breath.
"Karabast mountain," Zeb growled, "Karabast Kanan. Karabast planet. Karabast snow."
Suddenly, his foot made contact with something slippery. He figured it was ice. Within the next second, Zeb lost his balance and collapsed on his back onto the snow. And a whole bunch of the cold substance immediately covered him.
"Karabast!" he shireked furiously.
Ezra and Sabine saw him laying there and burst out laughing before rushing back down the hill to help him up. Rex followed after just pushed their hands aside and got up by himself, brushing the snow off him.
"Zeb," Ezra said slowly, trying to hold back his laughter, "are you alright?"
Zeb just gave him a glare and answered, "Oh I'm just fine. Can't you see the big smile on my face?" He then finished brushing the snow off himand muttered, "I'm beginning to regret coming on this journey."
Rex chuckled and placed a hand on the Lasat's shoulder, "We all have regrets in adventure. But sometimes we just got to pullourselves together and do what needs to be done. Especially for those in need."
Zeb just nodded, not really caring what anybody was saying right now. He understood what the clone was trying to say though, and regretfully decided to bare through the cold weather. At least there were no storms coming. That'd be ten times worse. Honestly,
the moons of Geonosis were evenmore terriblethan this place. That was Zeb's opinion, at least.
Gandalf, as always, was at the head of the group, and the Lasat was very glad that he was. That old man had been leading them through a lot of rough places ever since they left Rivendell. And now he was taking them through mountains of snow to who knows
where! Zeb knew going to this..'Rogan' place was out of the question. But honestly, he wouldn't have minded the 40 day walk now, specifically since there was probably warmerthan here. If he were up closer to Gandalf, Zeb knew he'd no doubt have
a couple 'words' with the wizard. Even after being in Middle Earth for so many months, the old man still gave him the creeps.
Just then, Zeb's head suddenly snapped up and he was immediately relieved to findthat he wasn't the only one to be slipping in this snow. Poor Frodo had accidentally tripped and was rolling back down the hill the Fellowship was currently climbing
up. Fortunately, Aragorn was not that far behind him and rushed up to catch the hobbit. Gandalf and the others up ahead had stopped and turned around to see if the Ring Bearer was alright.
Frodo brushed snow off his cloak and nodded at Aragorn, both thanking him and indicating he was alright. But then Zeb saw the hobbit all of a sudden start to panic as he was searching his neck. He was about to ask what was wrong, but then realized that
the ring wasn't around Frodo's neck. For some odd reason, the Lasat panicked as well and he found his own eyes scanning the area around him for something small and made of gold.
He caught sight of it immediately.
It was up ahead, close to the others. Frodo saw it too and was about to walk back up to recover it, but then halted. Zeb stiffened when he saw Boromir bend down and pick the ring up. Everybody froze and eyed the Gondorian suspiciously (and fearfully).
Rex's eyes narrowed, as did Aragorn's. Boromir was staring at it in complete awe. From Zeb's point of view, the man looked like he was under some sort of trance. His full attention seemed to be focused on the ring.
"Boromir," Aragorn said cautiously.
The Gondorian didn't appear to hear him. Zeb could feel his stomach clench, and he had no idea why. He couldn't fully explain it, but he really didn't want Boromir to be holding the ring. Zeb then looked to his side and rose a brow when he saw Rex slowly
reachingfor his blasters. And Aragorn's hand had grasped onto the hilt of his sword.
"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt," Boromir quietly remarked. "Over so small a thing." He had a look of desire upon his face, almost similar to the one he had during the Council. Slowly, he reached out his other hand to
touch it. "Such a little thing."
"Boromir!" Aragorn shouted.
This time, the man heard him and snapped back into reality. His hand lowered from the ring and he looked over at the ranger.
Aragorn nodded his head down to the hobbit in front of him, "Give the ring to Frodo."
An awkward silence passed. Boromir just stared blankly at Aragorn for a few seconds, and then looked down at Frodo. The hobbit had a look of desperation in his eyes. Zeb could even see the little guy's hands shaking, wanting to just walk up to the Gondorian
and take the ring out of his hands. Then, after looking down at the ground for a brief second, Boromir slowly walked down the hill towards the ranger and the hobbit.
Rex's jaw clenched and he began to raise his blasters. Now Zeb too was nervous, and reached back for his bo-rifle. He was praying that this guy didn't try anything foolish.
Boromir then shakingly nodded, "As you wish. I care not."
He held the ring out to Frodo, and the hobbit immediately snatched it and put it around his neck again. Aragorn gave Boromir awarning glare, but it didn't disturb the Gondorian at all. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but instead
chuckled and ruffled Frodo's hair before walking back up the hill. Relieved, everybody released their grip on their weapons.
Aragorn looked up to Gandalf and nodded that everything was fine. The wizard frowned concerningly, but then turned around and began walking again. Everybody else followed.
Even though theyseemed to be warming up to each other, Zeb hada strange feeling that there was still some tension between all of them. He hoped, though, that this wouldn't be much of a problem. Otherwise this'd be a long trip through
the snowy mountains.
And the Lasat hated long trips.
The Crebain had finally returned to the caverns of Isengard. Word had reached Saruman the White that Gandalf had set off from Rivendell with a host of individuals. Where were they going? That still remained to be seen. All they knew was that they had
the ring with them.
The masked figure found this as a curious move on the wizard's part. No doubt, the elves had been alerted of Saruman's betrayal. Which meant they knew Sauron would be attacking on two fronts: From Mordor and Isengard. However, they didn't know the
whole truth. And the masked figure knew that none of Middle Earth would ever see them coming until it was too late.
He stood behind Saruman deep in Isengard's caverns, watching as the birds flew into a wide open area. The figure watched with complete bemusement. Even after being in league with Mordor for 4 years, he still didn't quite get how useful these Crebain were.
From what he gathered, they were only good at seeking out life forms, not attacking them. What was the point of controlling birds if they weren't capable of slaughtering their prey?
Unfortunately, they'd have to do for now. The figure watched Saruman's expression as he listened to the crowing of his spies. A slight grin came upon his face and he eventually turned around to face his ally. The figure suspected that they had brought
good news.
Saruman finally spoke, "The passage South towards the Gap of Rohan is clear."
The figure looked down irritably, "So we were wrong about the Grey wizard's route. Perfect." He began to pace, "Nowwe've got to figure out where he's taken these...travelers. Which removesmore of our time frompreparing for the war!"
Saruman shook his head, "Not necessarily." He looked past him, deep in thought, "I am almost certain that Gandalf was trying to lead them towards Rohan, but nowI suspect that he knows we're watching that path and haschanged his course."
"But we stilldon't know where," the figure replied, not feeling any better about the situation.
Saruman just looked at him and rose a brow. He knew that look. The White wizard had something in mind. Before the figure could even ask the question, however, Saruman answered it for him.
"Do we not?" the old man asked, "The path to Rohan does not have any other routes about it." He then held up a finger, "except for one. And I know Gandalf. If things became complicated, he'd take the next possible road."
The figure tilted his head, "Which is?"
Saruman let out a small chuckle and scoffed, "Caradhras."
The figure crossed his arms and frowned behind his mask, "Hmm, bold. Not the most hospitable place to take them through."
The White wizard nodded, the grin not leaving his face, "Which couldgive us an opportunity."
Without another word, he then turned and began to walk out of the cavern. The figure just stood there and watched him leave, slightly a bit confused about what was going on. Ever since he had aligned with this wizard, he had been a mystery. Whether it
was a good thing or not was yetto be seen. However, despite being there to assist with the army, the figure had orders from Sauron himself to keep a close eye on Saruman in case he attempted to double cross them.
So far, he had seen nothing from the old man that indicated treachery. But he had been trained to learn that looks could be deceiving. Even the less likely beings could be the greatest threat. Apparently Sauron saw the halflings as a threat if he sent
his deadliest servants to retrieve it. It disgusted the figure to learn that the Ringwraiths had failed. How could a simple hobbit avoid the undead?! He should've retrieved the ring himself. The figure knew he, at least, could provide results for
the Dark Lord.
And now the ring was being moved...again. Some would call it strange, but he considered it as stupidity. If they had wanted to keep it safe, they should've left it with the Elves. If Sauron had wanted, he could've attacked Rivendell in an instant and
reclaim his prize, and yet he didn't. The figure agreed that Elves were vulnerable, but they were also smart. An attack upon that city would've been a waste, for no doubt their enemies could somehow get the ring away from them. But Sauron had a bigger
picture in mind. And the figure agreed waiting for that picture was the right course of action.
In the end, the people of Rivendell would get what was coming to them. They all would. And he could hardly wait. He was thirsty for blood and death. He yearned to see the fear on all their faces as they were cut down by Mordor's overwhelming forces.
He could see the future. Should they reclaim the ring, their reward would be true power. And that was the greatest gift the figure could ever ask for.
Meanwhile, Saruman finally emerged from the underground and looked about him. The Orcs were busy constructing work towers along the great black wall of Isengard. The ground was now a dull grey color, due to the fires that had finished off the grass and
trees. The darkness of Mordor was now fully present in this once great land. And Saruman welcomed it with open arms.
His eyes then went to the North, where the Crebain had returned from. He shook his head disappointingly as he thought of his old friend. Had Gandalf learnednothing from him in all the years they had known each other? Apparently not. And it would
be his undoing.
"So Gandalf, you tried to lead them over Caradhras," Saruman mused, "And if that fails, where then will you go? If the mountain defeats you, will you risk a more dangerous road?"
Caradhras had become colder as it was getting later on in the day. Whatever complaints Zeb had about the weather earlier was gone and was instead replaced with complaints about right now. And for once, everybody, except for Gandalf, Legolas, andAragorn,
were agreeing with the Lasat. For the weather was also affecting them. Almost everysingle member of the Fellowship felt numb. The hobbits couldn't feel their feet. Gimli couldn't feel his face. Boromir couldn't feel his hands and they were slightly
shaking. Ezra felt like his whole face could become solid ice. Hera's tentacled headpiece had gone completely numb, and it was making her feel slightly lightheaded. Fortunately, Kanan was right beside her to help her along the way.
The Jedi too was freezing, but of course he was trained to handle such weather. Sabine and Rex had put their helmets on, and fortunately for them, their armor had a heating system that kind of kept them warm. Zeb was jealous of that, but there was no
point stewing about it. He looked foreword to getting out of this bloody land. Right now, he was imagining being by a nice warm fire or even in the Ghost, where he could just lay back and relax as the ship was heated. Oh how he missed being
at the ship.
Being on the run for so long had surprisingly made Zeb almost forget about the Ghost, which was stillall the way back in Hobbiton. He wondered if anybody had spotted the ship. Well, he hoped not at least, especially if it could've been
one of those black riders. Although, even if those things had found the ship, they were as brainless with technology as anybody else on this planet. And it's not like they could've taken off in the Ghost. The ship was damaged for crying out
loud!
Zeb glanced up at Hera. The Twi'lek had kindly accepted a cloak from Aragorn and had wrapped it around herself, covering her head with the hood. Even though she hadvolunteered to help in the quest, the Lasat wondered if Hera thought about her ship
often. She had been heartbroken about having to leave it behind twice, and it was hard to tell if she was as bothered with having to go even farther away from it. She hadn't really talked about the Ghost that much, unless somebody else brought
it up. Zeb had a feeling that she was still bothered, and he felt sorry for her.
How would this end, he wondered? Even if they destroyed the ring, how would they get home? Would they all still be alive? Zeb had this feeling in the pit of his stomach that feared for the lives of his friends, including those of Middle Earth. He had
seen tons of war as a captain of the Lasat High Honor Guard, and none of it ended well. He could still remember the day when the Empire brought the ion disrupters to Lasan, and used it on his people. He could still hear the screams of his kin as they
crumpled into nothingness. And he could still feel the constant beating from the stormtroopers as they tried to do the same thing to him. Zeb remembered attacking them in the vicious way possible, and then running. Running far far away from his once
grand home.
War was the worst thing ever imagined.
All of a sudden, Gandalf stopped in his tracks and rose a hand for the Fellowship to halt. Zeb looked up confusingly. The wizard was scanning the land before him. His eyes seemed to be looking up towards the foot of the mountain before them. Were they
lost? No. Zeb knew the old man wasn't that clumsy. But Gandalf did look kind of confused and concerned. The whole entire company could see it too. Aragorn paused for a few seconds, and then walked up to the wizard.
"What is it, Gandalf?" he asked.
Gandalf just shook his head in disbelief, "These lands have...changed. This part of Caradhras looks very different than what I hadremembered." He frowned and pointed his staff towards the large rock ahead. "The snow along themountain looks
steepand unsafe. I cannot determine the safest way to travel through it."
A couple members of the Fellowship, specifically Zeb, Merry, and Pippin, groaned when they heard that. Did this mean they were going to have to stop?! In the middle of this abominable weather?! The Lasat didn't want to stop and the hobbits especially didn't
want to either. Kanan stroked his chin in thought and walked up alongside Aragorn and Gandalf. He scanned the mountain and noticed that not only was the path unpredictable, but so was whatever landwas beyond it. Inother words, it was blocking
their view. They couldn't go around it, for it would take too long. So they had no choice but to go through it.
"If I may," Kanan said to the wizard and ranger, "I suggestthat a majority of us remain here forthe time being while we send a couple others to walk ahead and scout around for the safest path."
Aragorn frowned uncertainly, "I'm not sure if that is a wise idea, Kanan. I do not wish for any of us to risk our lives searching that mountain. Not unless it is absolutely necessary."
Kanan pointed back to two members of his crew, "Rex and Zeb are capable of doing it. They are the most well trained captains in the whole galaxy. If anyone can find us a path through the mountain, it'd be them."
Rex nodded, "I agree with Kanan. If it is alright with you, sirs, me and Zeb will be more than willing to scan the area."
Zeb looked at the clone, "We will?"
Rex elbowed him in the rib, to which the Lasat slightly coughed.
"I mean, we will!" Zeb replied, forcing a smile.
Gandalf just stared at the two for a couple seconds, making Zeb feel uncomfortable as usual. That guy always gave him the bloody creeps! The wizard then looked at Kanan, who nodded saying that he could trust them.
Finally, Gandalf looked back at the captains, "Very well. Scout ahead and see if you can find a road somewhere along the mountain. And should you see anything else that's out of the ordinary,report back to us immediately."
Rex nodded understandingly, "Yes sir."
Legolas then steppedforward, "I'll come with you too. Maybe the both of youcould use an extra hand."
Zeb gave the elf an awkward stare. He kinda didn't want him to tag along, but unfortunately Rex had already accepted so they had no choice. With that being said, the Fellowship set down all their belongings and rested while the other three went up the
hill towards the foot of the mountain.
Rex was scanning every corner of the rock with his helmet, trying to estimate how deep the snow was for them to walk through. So far, he couldn't tell. Zeb had no idea why he had to come along, though. Unless he was just there to be an extra muscle or
gunman. He looked up at the mountain in dread. One way or another, the Lasat knew they were gonna have to go up there eventually. But he really didn't want to.
Legolas had more far sight unlike the other two. He could see even the tiniest bit of things along the mountain. Zeb forcefully had to listen to the elf tell Rex the places where they most definitely shouldn't go. Quite a show off that guy was. Zeb wished
he couldhave far sight. That would be most helpful in a fight. Maybe they could surprise attack the Empire, for a change.
A strong gust of wind suddenly blew their way, causing Zeb to shiver.
Legolas sighed, "It's getting colder. That's never a good sign."
Zeb huffed, "Tell me about it."
Rex used his helmet to zoom in on one part of the mountain. He then pointed to it, "Maybe we should climb up around that area. It doesn't appear as packed with snow."
Legolas looked to where the clone was pointing and examined it himself. There was indeed a small narrowpath that led upwards into the mountain. He rose an interested brow for a second and then nodded in agreement.
"Yes," he answered, "I believe you're right."
Rex began to walk towards it, but then the Elf held up a hand for him to stop.
"Maybe I should take the lead," Legolas suggested, "That way, I can determine if the snow is indeed not so steep. You both will have a better chance of surviving this cold environment with my help."
Zeb resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead clenched his fists.
Rex tilted his head, but then replied, "Very well. Lead the way."
Legolas nodded and then began to jog up towards the foot of the mountain. The other two slowly followed behind. Zeb couldn't believe that guy. It was like he didn't have any weight on him! And here they were carrying all their equipment! It didn't help
for the Lasat to see that the elf was already a good many meters ahead.
"Why dowe have todo all the work?" Zeb suddenly wondered aloud, "He's basically doing it all for us!"
Rex smiled at him, but also gave him a stern look, "Easy, big guy. The Elf's just trying to help. And by the look of things, he knows what he's doing."
Zeb just snorted and muttered, "And using it to show off."
Rex decided not to respond to that remark. He instead glanced up at the sky and frowned. The weather had indeed seemed to have gotten much colder than it was before. Could a storm be coming? Well, they'd probably have that figured out once they climbed
up the mountain to a higher view of the land.
Zeb's teeth were starting to chatter, and he was now wishing that this bloody world had cloaks that could fit him. No wonder nobody lived here. Someone could become an ice cube here! Zeb knew he needed to keep his mind off the weather. It'd probably help
just to talk.
The Lasat eyed Rex interestingly, "I saw you back there earlier. You know, when Boromir was holding the ring. You almost looked like you could'veblastedthat man."
He couldn't see the clone's expression, due to the helmet, but he did see him look down. Zeb almost pictured him having a dark look on his face.
Rex then shrugged and quietly said, "I still don't know what to make of that guy. My trust is very limited when it comes to him, especially when the ring is involved."
Zeb nodded, understanding what his friend meant. He then pointed back the way they came, "Sabine seems to have warmed up to him."
"Yeah," Rex commented, "Can't wait for that to happen to me. Because right now, I wouldn't trust my life with the likes of him."
Zeb believed him alright. He knew Rex. That clone had seen a lot of war in his day, and if he didn't trust a person, then that usually meant said person was trouble. Rex had told the Lasat a lot of his stories regarding the Clone Wars. Specifically one
where he and the 501st had been dispatched to the planet Umbara to remove the planet from Seperatist control. His general, Anakin Skywalker, had been replaced of command by Jedi Master Pong Krell. The general had basically sent Rex's troops into suicide
attacks. It was only later on that the clones learned of Krell's true identity: As a Jedi gone to the Dark Side, trying to win the planet in the Seperatist's favor and become the new apprentice of Count Dooku.
That was when Rex's trust had really taken its limit. And it only got worse when the Republic eventually transformed into the Galactic Empire and decommissioned all the clones. All that fighting, and for what? To just become worthless individuals that
die of old age? When Zeb had first met Rex and the couple clones accompanying him, that was what it almost seemed like. Good thing the rebellion wanted to recruit him though.
Zeb had to ask him another question all of a sudden, "If Boromir had tried something...unpleasant, would you have shot him?"
Rex briefly chuckled, "I wouldn't have killed him or anything. After all, I'm a clone. I wouldn't kill someone unless it was absolutely obvious that theindividual was an enemy.I would've stunned him, though."
Zeb let out another huff, "I'm glad you didn't, otherwise I would've had to carry him."
When Rex heard that, he seemed to lighten up and burst out laughing. Zeb ended up grinning and laughing too. The clone patted his comradeon the shoulder and commented that he was unbelievable sometimes.
Finally, after the too finally stopped laughing, theycontinued on and eventually caught up with Legolas. The elf was at the foot of the mountain, and examining the less steep part of the snow. He kept on looking up towards the path off and on, trying
to determine if it was wise to climb. However, by the time the Lasat and the clone were standing behind him, he apparently made up his mind.
Legolas glanced back at them, "The path looks bearable." He then beckoned them to follow, "Come on."
He then started to ascend up the steep hill. Zeb just looked at him in disbelief and aggravation.
"No rest for the weary," he grumbled.
Rex smirked and stepped back, nodding towards the hill, "After you."
Reluctantly, Zeb began to ascend as well, and was immediately followed by the clone. The mountain was very high from where they were standing. Zeb almost felt dizzy just thinking about how high they'd have to climb later on. How far were they gonna go
up right now, anyways? Until they saw everything beyond? No doubt. The clouds looked like they were building up overhead, but it also felt like they could actually be part of something bigger. The Lasat had no idea why he thought that.
They had only climbed up a couple meters, and already Zeb's legs were starting to get tired. After all, he had never been up a mountain before! And he could see Legolas once again far up ahead. And it was starting to get very old. Rex was catching his
breath every step he took. Unfortunately, he was having a harder time compared to the Lasat and Elf. Of course, he was kind of old. Zeb offered him a hand, but he firmly answered that he was fine.
The path appeared to go around the entire side of the mountain. Even though the snow wasn't as steep, it was still up to Zeb's legs. It'dprobably have to do, though. They couldn't leave the Fellowship waiting down there for too long. Zeb just wished
they wouldn't have to climb all the way back down to get them. It would've been easier to usethe comm toget ahold of Hera and Kanan, but Rex had already tried that and for some reason there was an interference.
Zeb hated interferences.
About an hour and a half had past and the three were already high up in the mountain. Zeb was finally relieved to see Legolas stop and glance down at the land ahead. He and Rex looked down as well and tried not to become light headed. Everything below
them looked so...small. And it was kind of creepy. Zeb prayed that he wasn't standing near any ice, but just in case, he backed up from the edge a bit. Rex did the same.
Now the Lasat really didn't want to go back down. What if he slipped? Kanan wasn't there to use the Force to save him. If he fell, he was dead. And Zeb didn't want to be dead. He was one of the very few survivors of his kindstill alive, after
all. He didn't want his people to be down one more Lasat. Zeb even found himself pressinghis hands back against the cold hard stone that made up the mountain.
He wanted to punch courageous of him indeed. Garezeb Orrilous, feared Lasat warrior, rebel fighter, mountain coward.
However, Zeb forgot about his fear when he, Rex, and Legolas looked up at the clouds. As the Lasat had feared, there was a source to the clouds building up. Far off in the West, the three could see monsterous black clouds coming over the land. And they
looked very threatening.
"Looks like a storm's coming," said Rex, scanning the sky, "And it's gonna be a mean one too."
Zeb groaned, "Karabast, that's the last thing we need."
Legolas didn't look too thrilled either. Elves could handle storms, but he feared everybody else in the company couldn't. And that meant they'd need to find shelter before it hit.
"Perhaps we should return to the others," he said, "I have no doubt Gandalf will want to know about this."
Rex nodded, "Agreed. Everyone just watch your step."
Now Zeb's fear returned. Slowly he began to descend back down the mountain along with the others. If his foot even made the slightest contact with something that didn't feel like snow, he immediately moved it away. There was no bloody way he was gonna
slip off the edge of this rock. But unfortunately, his foot eventually did find ice, and he would've slipped onto his back, but Rex caught him just in time.
From that point on, Zeb kept on grumbling nonsense under his breath, trying to hold back his anger. Going down the mountain didn't take as long as going up, fortunately. All three made it down to the bottom again an hour later. They then sped walked back
to the Fellowship. Everybody was sitting down on the snow, trying to keep warm, for they too felt the weather getting colder.
Gandalf caught sight of the Lasat, Elf, and clone and stood up, walking over to them. The rest of the Fellowship also rose to their feet, hoping they were finally able to get moving again. Zeb hated to be the bearerof bad news.
"Well?" the wizard asked.
"Eh, gotgood news and bad news, chief," Zeb answered, rubbing his hands together to warm them up. "Good news is we found a path into the mountain. Bad news is there's a huge snowstorm coming this way."
Hera walked up beside Gandalf and crossed her arms, "How far?"
Legolas shrugged, "From what I can tell, it will not be too long before it is upon us." He then looked at the wizard, "Gandalf, I highly doubt many of the members of this company, specifically the halflings, willbe able to survive a storm this powerful."
This was not good news at all. Gandalf had hoped they could get moving, for he feared that the enemy could send other spies to Caradhras, but they couldn't travel far in a violent storm. He had to regretfully accept that. Plus, it was his number one duty
to keep the Ring Bearer safe. The Fellowship looked at the old man, each having the same expression asking what were they going to do?
Gandalf looked up to the sky and then said, "We'll have to find some sort of shelter to wait out the storm. Hopefully it shall not last long."
Boromir looked to his left then to his right and abruptly spread his arms out, "Whatshelter are you referring to? There's nothing out here!"
Zeb looked around as well and realized that the Gondorian had a point. There was nothing around there as far as the eye could see. All he could see was snow. And he was tired of snow!
Sam wrapped his cloak around himselfmore tightly and shakingly looked at Gandalf, "Maybe we could find a cave or something?"
Aragorn shook his head and sighed, "As wise of an idea as that is, Sam, I think that'll take too long. We'll have to find something closer."
"There is nothing closer, lad!" Gimli huffed, waving his axe around, "Look around! There's nothing but snow and rocks!"
Chopper, who was right next to the dwarf, suddenly grumbled something out loud and it made Gimli jump. When he recovered, he gave the droid a dirty look. All Chopper did was simply let out a mechanical laugh before rolling up alongside Hera.
The Twi'lek frowned, "Come on guys,there's gotto be something out here."
That's when the Fellowship immediately went into deep discussion. None of them had any idea what they were going to do, and the storm was getting closer by the minute. Ezra and Sabine decided to stay out of this one and just watched, already bored out
of their minds.
However, as Sabine found herself looking along the land about them, her eyes suddenly caught sight of something far out in the distance. It was kind of difficult to see. All she could make out of it was a tiny black dot. Her eyes narrowed and she tried
to make the screen on her helmet zoom closer to the object. Unfortunately, her helmet couldn't go that far out, but she could see that whatever it was, it was very small.
"Anybody else seeing this?" she asked aloud.
Everybody stopped talking and looked at her.
Aragorn then looked out to where she was looking, but then shook his head confusingly, "See what, Sabine?"
The Mandalorian pointed, "There's a small black object sitting far out by a column of rocks."
Hera walked up beside her to try and get a closer look. The rest of the Fellowship eventually came up as well. Most of them couldn't see anything, and we're kind of believing the Mandalorian was just seeing things. However, Gandalf, Hera, and Legolas
did in fact see the object Sabine was referring too. It was very faint, and almost blended in with the rocks, except it was a darker color.
Without saying a word, Hera reached into one of the bags and pulled out her binoculars. Unlike Sabine's helmet, those could go out farther.
"What do you see, Hera?" Ezra asked.
"Hold on..." the Twi'lek muttered, trying to make the binoculars focus. However, when they did, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
Kanan rose a brow, "Hera?"
Hera lowered the binoculars from her eyes and shook her head in shock, "I don't believe it."
Zeb and Ezra had become impatient and reached into the bag to pull out binoculars of their own. They then put them to their eyes and zoomed in on the dot. Immediately, like Hera, their eyes widened.
"Karabast," Zeb exclaimed.
Ezra was in complete disbelief, "Is that...what I think it is?"
What was sitting by the rocks was the last thing the Ghost crew ever thought they'd see. Laying on its side, with its hatch slightly open, was an escape pod!
So, I was originally planning to make this a long chapter, but after looking at how much a wrote, I thought it'd be a good idea to split the journey through Caradhras into a couple chapters. Plus, it's been a while since I updated and I'm sure you guys want to read more of the story. lol :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll try to get the next one up as soon as possible. :) Till next time. :)