The Quarry

The Quarry - Part 25

"Alright, meeting's set with Reed for later this evening."

They had set down on Corellia a few hours ago, and Versa had immediately reached out to the broker to set up a meeting. Din had landed the ship at the port, hoping that the number of ships docked there would help conceal them from any of Gruke Trefna's crew that might be out for revenge. Now, Din sat in the cockpit fully armored again, staring out the front viewport of the ship at the dock workers and droids meandering around. He could see that the time they'd spent had helped ease Versa a little bit, but her resolve hadn't weakened and he could tell her anger was still there, bubbling just below the surface.

"Good, we can head out just before dark. Might help us blend in a little easier," he said.

"We?"

He turned to face her from his place in the pilot's seat. She was leaned up against the doorframe to the cockpit, punching away on her datapad, barely noticing his annoyance at her question.

"Yeah. We. I'm going too."

"Can't," she stated simply without looking up.

"You're not going alone, Vers."

She sighed, finally lifting her eyes from the datapad. "I can't bring just anyone in to see this guy, Din. Especially not a Mandalorian. He spooks easy. It took me forever to convince him to meet me in the first place."

Din stood, frustration knotting his stomach and drawing a scowl across his face. "What if he's tipped off Farr's men? You'll be dead before you even get through the door."

Versa rolled her eyes. "I just told you the guy spooks easy. There's no way he'd tell Farr he was in contact with me, especially since it seems like everyone that comes into contact with me these days winds up on a hit list." Her eyes flickered with remorse as she looked at him, the implication clear. "It'll be fine," she insisted.

"Dank Farrik, you're stubborn," he muttered. "I'm following you at a minimum."

"Again, you stick out like a big beskar thumb. They'll spot you before your feet hit dirt. You're going to have to trust me on this, Din."

"You think this is about trust?" Now, he was angry. "This is about you using more than three neurons at a time, Versa. This is a bad idea and you know it. I thought you had a better plan than this."

"It's the best I've got."

"Then we should wait until we do come up with something better."

"And what? Let Farr slip away? Let him harm Lai or Vee once he finds out I was there? Or should we just sit on our asses until he finds us?" Her volume was increasing to match his as they glared at each other.

"So, we're right back here again," he shouted, shrugging his arms out helplessly. "You're just going to run off, do what you want, and I'm just supposed to come along for the ride, right? That's how this always works. Those are always my only options."

Her eyes narrowed, and he could see he'd struck a nerve.

"That's really how you see that?" she asked, her voice quiet, but he could sense the tension wound tight like a tripwire, waiting for him to spring the trap. He debated internally if it would be worth it, angering her beyond where she was right now, testing the waters. Before he could come to a decision, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the cockpit, slamming the door switch as she left. The door hissed shut in his face and he was left in the deafeningly silent cockpit.

He heard things slamming around for a while in the hold as he paced the cockpit, trying to calm his anger. She always does this. Goes in half-cocked and winds up getting herself in trouble. I understand what's driving her, but I need her to think logically here. We're in dangerous territory with a lot on the line. After twenty minutes, he finally felt his breathing starting to level out and the heat in his face cooled. Suddenly, he realized how quiet it had been in the hold.