The Quarry

The Quarry - Part 11

The ship Fennec had provided them with was smaller than what Din was used to, but it would get the job done. The cockpit was a two-seater that opened up into the main hold of the ship. There were pull-down bunks along one wall, a refresher built into one corner, and storage cabinets. A rear gunner's nest complimented the forward turrets, and the engines purred at a pleasant frequency rather than screeching like the TIEs they'd encountered.

Now, they were sitting in deep space, planning their next moves. Versa leaned over the flight computer station, punching in coordinates to the different planets Jesar had named to determine which one was the closest. Din stood behind her as she worked, watching her pause a few times as she checked star maps, examining the planets when she brought them up. Finally, she sighed deeply, spinning to look at him.

"Well, where do you think we should start?" Her exasperation was obvious. He could tell she felt lost and unsure. He rested his hand on the back of her chair, spinning her back to the console as he leaned over her shoulder.

"I'd go with Corellia or Ord Mantell. I can reach out to Karga on Nevarro, so no need to go there, and he can put me in touch with contacts on either of those worlds."

"Corellia then," she said.

"Why?"

"If he went to Ord Mantell, then he's definitely dead," she said quietly. "That...that's where Farr's organization is.

Din nodded quietly. "I'll ping Karga and see what he knows." He moved away from her, heading to the cockpit to send the transmission. He tried to contact Karga directly via holo, but received no answer. Cursing quietly under his breath, Din typed out a quick message for Karga to call him as soon as he could and sent that away, resting his palms against the console. He was becoming increasingly concerned that their luck had been too good for too long and that disappointment was sure to be looming.

The sound of Versa grunting from the main hold broke his train of thought. She was shifting some of the empty storage crates that had been left in the ship out of the way, clearing a space in the center. He smirked at her as he strode towards her. "What are you doing?"

She looked up at him, sweat trickling down her forehead. "Clearing a space to work out in, what does it look like I'm doing?"

He shrugged, leaning against the hull as she struggled.

"Don't bother helping or anything," she muttered.

"You seem to have things under control," he said, chuckling as the crate finally budged, catching her off balance as she fell to the floor and it slid against the wall.

"Kriffing smartass," she muttered.

"Why the sudden need for physical exertion?" he asked.

"Got a lot of pent up nervous energy. Normally, I'd go run a few klicks, but seeing as we're sitting in dead space waiting to hear back from Karga, I figured I'd make room and do something." Suddenly, a mischievous grin slid across her face. "You wanna spar?" she asked, her eyes glittering with the challenge.

Din scoffed. "Absolutely not."

Her tongue slipped between her teeth. "What, you afraid I'll toss you square on your ass?"

"Doubtful," he said, his voice low but teasing.

"Oh come on, Din. You've got some honor to win back from when we were kids."

"You were taller than me then. I've likely got at least fifteen kilos on you now."

She stood, swaggering towards him to give him a light shove. "You scared, Mando?"