The Knight, Death, and the Devil

Chapter 12: Crawl Before You Walk

"We're here," Torin said, pointing at the flashing green dot in the center of the nav computer. "We should be right on top of it." Cracked mud stretched out endlessly in all directions, meeting the darkening heavens on an ill-defined horizon that melded land and sky. There was no outpost, no enclave, no other signs of life. Only four exhausted wanderers in a speeder that had nearly run out of fuel, and a single flask of water that was just as empty.

"Terrific!" Vathamma exclaimed from the back seat of the speeder. "It must be an invisible outpost. All we need to do is wait for the one hour a day in which it reveals itself."

They sat there in silence for a few moments, the wind howling and red dust swirling under the speeder.

"Or perhaps we need to say the magic phrase," she continued, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Torin threw up his hands in exasperation.

"I don't know what to tell you."

Nomi's brow furrowed in concern. "Could we go back to the destroyer and wait for rescue?"

The Sith chuckled. "Rescue from who, the Republic forces who shot us down? Or perhaps Lord Andar's men, come to finish the job this one started." She jerked her thumb at the Mandalorian, who watched the argument with a disinterested expression.

"It's a moot point, anyway." Torin tapped the fuel battery indicator. "Were running on fumes. We'd never make it back to the wreckage."

His Master laughed darkly and turned to the redheaded woman beside her.

"You look very calm considering you're in the same situation as the rest of us. Do you have any thoughts on this, or have you resigned yourself to death so soon?"

Maliss crossed her arms. "Here's my thoughts: I'm tired, I'm dirty, and I'm going to strangle someone if I have to listen to any more of this." She closed her eyes and leaned back, resting her head on the seat cushion. "Lets rest. These things have a way of working themselves out."

Only a sliver of sunlight was still visible on the horizon, a faint red glow that became a deep blue overhead. Already some stars were visible, white smudges of light rendered indistinct by the hazy atmosphere.

"I could use some sleep," he said with a yawn. "I'm liable to crash if I do any more driving tonight."

"Mutiny!" Vathamma shouted, looking around at her three companions who were quickly settling into sleeping positions. Relenting as she stifled a yawn of her own, she pulled a ratty gray cloak off of the floor and pulled it over herself. The bulky woman beside her spread out one leg, taking up two-thirds of the seat and wedging the Sith into a corner.

"Nomi," she hissed. "Trade seats with me."

The Mandalorian cocked one eye open and grinned devilishly at the Togruta.

"Wouldnt mind spending my last night alive with a cute girl in my lap." She wagged a finger at the alien in a come-hither motion. Nomi looked from her to the Sith and shook her head slowly from side to side, then laid down in Torin's lap.

He froze in his seat when he felt her weight settle on top of him, and the sensation immediately called to mind all of the questions he had wanted to ask her since the revelation of her betrayal. But this wasn't the time or the place. All he could do was hope that they lived long enough for him to get his answers—and that they weren't ones he didn't want to hear.

___

A violent rumble shook Torin awake. He jerked in his seat, nearly jumping out of the speeder when we saw what lay directly ahead of them. A massive land vehicle hardly any smaller than the Dominator, the dozens of treads running along the bottom kicking up dust as it came to a stop. Two hundred feet of rusted metal led upward to beige canopies that blocked out the sun and fluttered in the breeze. It was no wonder they hadn't been able to find the outpost marked on the map—they had simply arrived too early.