"I see it," Siri's voice crackled over the intercom.
"Excellent," Obi-Wan grunted. The thin nylon line was wrapped tight around his arm and he gripped it even though numbness was raging through his fingers from the cut off circulation. His boots had sliced a swath into the snow pack where he had slid. The heels were dug in and with the aid of the Force he was anchored only a meter from the edge.
She had not allowed him time to prepare and the sudden tug on the nylon line nearly pulled him over the icy ledge. Breaths came quick and short as he stretched out, his free hand straining as he reached back, digging gloved fingers into the solid ice. "It would be nice if you hurried," he managed between gritted teeth.
"Whine, whine, whine!"
"Next time you hold the rope." Suddenly, the pull suddenly let up sending the Jedi tumbling backward. "Warning, please!" he barked into the comm just before hitting the ground.
"Sorry."
In the cramped cockpit of the small black Kuat Eezor-Class runner Tantamount, Garen Muln leaned forward in the pilot's seat. He pressed rough hands to his weary face. Feeling the stubble prickling his fingers, he absently noted that he needed to shave.
If nothing else on this long and winding mission, he wanted to be able to see his face. No beards, nothing to obscure his reflection. It was a strange thought he occasionally admitted to himself, but surrounded by the trappings of Maka Koth and his band of pirates and cutthroats it was all he had to remind himself of the Jedi he was.
Being a Jedi is truly a state of mind and he knew it was weakness to cling to the physical but every little bit helped. Leaning back in the seat, he felt the hard shape of his lightsaber hilt pressing into the small of his back. It was comforting to know the weapon was still there, always there in case he needed it. Besides, the weapon was safest on his person. The damage that could be done if Koth or one of his cronies got a hold of it gave him chills. He wanted to rob this man of his Jedi artifacts, not aid him in his mad quest.
His ruse as an expert in Jedi antiquities was running too long now. He had been at it for far too many months and feared that soon Koth or one of his men would figure it out.
Pressing his feet into the floor, he unsuccessfully tried to straighten his long legs. Eezor-Class ships were not made for tall humans. The leather he wore, clung and pulled in places he would rather it not. He missed the loose fitting comfort of his Jedi clothes.
Soon—hopefully—he would possess the H'Aasarii Pyramid. He still needed to work with Koth to retrieve it. The man was cruel beyond exception but he could acquire anything he wanted. This warlord, Talaken, according to Quim would soon as destroy the holocron than allow it to fall into Jedi or Republic hands. He could be tempted into selling it to Koth though, for a price.
"Meditating, young one?" Quim's gruff voice broke into the silence as the large beast pushed the cockpit door open and lumbered into the tight confines before settling at the navigator's station.
"Something like that."
"Better places in back to find your center than cramped up in here." Quim's silver scales reflected the many different colored lights on the console.
Garen's deep blue eyes briefly reflected alarm before falling behind an emotionless mask. Quim was a strange creature. He had never seen an Ulamar Draigon in the flesh, fur and scales but he had heard about them. This being was far different than anything he could have imagined. One moment he is threatening to dismember someone who had done him wrong to the next speaking about philosophical ideals. Quim had a lot in common with many of the Jedi Masters he had known in his life, except they were neither vicious nor violent like the Draigon.
Then there were times like these, where questions that brushed too close to the truth made him wary. Quim was testing him.
"It is quite noisy back by the engines. I cannot even sleep let alone dream of meditating back there."
"Then you do not know how to properly meditate for you are blocking your center," the great beast said with a snort.