Trychon sat down on a rock outcropping that looked relatively comfortable. It was nice to get off his feet for a moment, and he felt that the Bounty Hunter hoard had lost some distance on him. They were most likely trying to make sure they took the right forks in the tunnels. Regardless the reason, it was a welcome break. He took a short time to regenerate his own energy through the force, careful to keep a good hold on Haley.
Feeling the strength in his legs rejuvenated, and the distance between himself and his foes, the Sith stood up and made on his way again. He couldn't tell if he was any nearer an exit at this point, but additional time was still valuable. It wasn't going to be much longer before he had to pick a spot to start taking down his enemies though. Any spot he picked now would likely work, most of the tunnels were fairly narrow, helping to take away the advantage of superior numbers they held over him.
After making his way around yet another curving corner in the caverns, the weight in his arms began to shift. This was followed by a few short coughs, and then Haley opened her eyes. "Can we go home now?" She said as she looked up at Trychon. "I want to go home."
She had talked to him for quite a while as he meditated just hours ago. She seemed to be holding up ok, but she was obviously tired. At times it seemed as though she was reliving some of those memories for the very first time. It seemed to make her sad and relieved to talk about it at the same time. She'd certainly been through quite a bit, starting at a very young age. She wasn't really 'forced' into the government program... her parents thought it would be a great opportunity for her, and she had agreed, but looking back she wasn't so sure that her understanding of the situation was very objective. Not many two year olds really have great understanding of things. That didn't matter, and her input may not have ultimately anyway. She wasn't sure. Once she was in though, there was no way out.
The pain in her eyes now was some mixture of physical pain and emotional pain from letting herself [i]feel[/i] again. Trychon wasn't sure how much of either there was. There's no telling where she'd have ended up if the program she was in wasn't disbanded, but neither that reality or this one lived up to the dreams of the advanced wide eyed toddler who was supposedly given a great choice.
The regrets of the unknown were still washing over her, and she was dealing with it fairly well, considering. The young Sith had an interesting childhood as well, but he was sure he wouldn't trade with what she went though. At times it seemed like a part of her emotions were still stuck at a young age, unable to fully develop due to some of the implants they had given her that they claimed would make her more 'level'.
There was a lot she unloaded in that cave, but there was a lot that she left out, either because her memory was still hazy or because she just wasn't ready. It was clear though that they had damaged her, unwittingly or just because they didn't care.
Regardless, it was Trychon and his escape that was paying for it in the then and there. He stretched out for the aggressors in their wake, and decided he had a moment to talk to her. She had wrapped her arms around him and was now gripping him rather tightly.
He found another outcropping of stones that was about the right height and sat down. "Haley? How are you?"
She looked at him. "I'm ready to go. I just want to be done with this trip."
He smiled at her, hoping to give her a bit of courage and reinforcement. "Good. Do you think you can walk?"
She nodded. "But I'm not very fast. All this stuff..." She gestured to some of the protruding cybernetic enhancements. "It slows me down when it's not working. I always knew it would. That's why I never turned it off. I was afraid of what I'd be without it. I was right." She was on the edge of tears again.
"Come on now. It's not that bad... I happen to love the shiny things!" He laughed quietly, and she followed suit, forcing back the tears. "You'll do fine, I'm sure. I just need you to get a little bit ahead of me so I can slow down the friends that are following us."
Haley pulled herself up and stopped for a minute to take inventory on herself. "Ok. Let's go. I'm ready."
Trychon nodded and let her walk ahead of him. The Bounty Hunters must have heard a bit of their discussion. They were approaching rapidly with much more confidence.
"I guess it's that time, isn't it guys?" He said loudly enough so they could hear him around the bend. He ignited his blade and felt them hesitate.
He used the Force to grab a few head sized rocks, and he flung them around the corner. Their surprise was enough to make him smile.
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