The Quarry

In Command - Part 15

They worked their way through the town together, stopping in at any cantina, inn, or shop they encountered to see if anyone recognized Jon, but all they received was apologies and well-wishes. Versa felt her shoulders slumping lower and lower with each "no" they received, and she sensed Din was watching her, standing closer as her tone became less and less enthusiastic. She appreciated it, but she was also inwardly scolding herself. It was foolish to think you'd find him the first day, and yet here you are being disappointed.

The sun was starting to sink low as they reached the opposite edge of the town. Versa sighed, tucking her datapad back into her pouch, the breeze tickling her hair against her cheeks. She turned back to Din, who was watching her carefully. "Well, what do you think?"

"Next village is pretty close. Could probably get there by nightfall if we get a move on."

"Alright," she nodded, popping some dried fruit and nuts from her pack into her mouth. They started walking down the dirt road quietly together, Din's heavy boots thudding next to Versa's light steps. After a few minutes, she broke the silence.

"What was he like?"

Din turned, looking at her through his visor. "Who?"

"The kid."

She saw him hesitate, and she feared she'd made a mistake. This was a part of his life that she hadn't dared delve into, and perhaps she'd misjudged where they were at in their reconnection. Versa internally worried, trying to determine the best way to backtrack before he quietly interrupted her thoughts.

"He was...special."

She smiled gently, leaning against him a bit. "Of course he was. He had you."

"He was green, huge ears, big eyes that never seemed to miss anything. The Imps wanted his blood for some sort of experiment. He was a Force-wielder that had grown up with the Jedi before the end of the Clone Wars. He'd been hiding since then."

Versa's brow furrowed with confusion. "Din...how old was this kid?"

He chuckled quietly. "Around fifty. I guess his species ages differently. Never did figure out what he was, but he was still very much a child, even though he's older than me."

She smiled to herself, and without thinking, looped her arm through his. She felt him stiffen before he crooked his elbow slightly, gently trapping her fingers. "What else?"

"He loved to eat."

"Kid after my own heart."

"No, you don't understand, he ate everything. If I had a credit for every time I yelled at him to spit something out, I'd be the wealthiest man in the galaxy." He laughed again, and she lightly squeezed his arm as she felt a warmth blossom in her chest. I missed his laugh.

Din continued. "He couldn't talk to me, but he understood me, and after a while, we figured each other out." He tapped his shoulder pauldron. "The mudhorn was our signet because when I had him with me, I had to fight one, and I almost got myself killed. And then, he did this...thing. I still can't explain it other than to chalk it up to Jedi magic, but he helped me defeat it, and that's where the signet came from. We were a clan of two."

"Must have been hard to let him go."

She could hear his breath stutter a little through the modulator at her statement. "It was. But it was the right thing to do. I couldn't have raised him the way he...the way he should have been."

Versa stepped in front of him, stopping abruptly enough to where he almost ran her over. She slid her fingers around the base of his helmet, tilting his chin up so that he had to look at her face. The setting sun reflected back at her off of his visor, but she looked straight where she hoped his eyes would be. "You did right by him, and that's fine, but don't you ever say that you couldn't have raised him, Din. You were a good father to him, and you could have continued to be. Just because you did what you thought was right doesn't make you the lesser option. I'm just sad I didn't get to see you two together. I always knew you'd make a wonderful father."