The Stepping Stones of Growth

[Darlyn Excron]

Why it had to be Darlyn on inspection of the mines today was well and beyond him. Perhaps Kay was concerned that the area was lacking in security, and wished his professional eye to spot out any weaknesses in the structure or in security measures. Perhaps she just wanted to get back at him for being mildly antagonistic towards her pilot. Perhaps she just wanted to amuse herself by having him do tasks well and below his job. Whatever the case, he'd do it and do it well. So it was little surprise he was taking his time observing and going deeper and deeper into the mines to fulfill his list of duties.

Come some time later, he took a moment to pause and check the little map he had been given. He was extremely deep at this point, deep enough if he didn't at least report back he would get lost if something were to happen. So naturally he took out a personal holocom, and set it up to call in. After checking in with some of the staff near the entrance, he decided to place a call to [member="Lady Kay"], to check in with her. Surely she'd be quick to receive, after all she'd be well alerted to who was calling her.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was deep in one of her mystery holonovels, curled up in bed with a warm cup of tea. Her Doctor [member="Victor Tesla"] told her to average her consumption down to four cups a day, but she's been sneaking in extra on occasion. Today was one of those days.

The call itself startled her. She jumped and spilled a little on her nightgown and blanket. "Blast! Stupid holocall." She grabbed some tissue after setting her cup on her nightstand and started wiping up the mess as she picked up the call. "Yes, what is it? This is supposed to be my relaxing day." She didn't look at who was calling. She was too focused on herself.

[member="Darlyn Excron"]

 

[Darlyn Excron]

Darlyn chuckled a bit as [member="Lady Kay"]'s annoyed form appeared on the holocom. "I didn't interrupt anything did I?" He had a smile on his face as he worked his way through the little area of the mine he was in. He ended up finding a nice little rock to sit down on for a moment, letting them talk comfortably. "I thought it would be wise to call in and check on you. Not to mention I may have forgotten some of the reason I'm so far down here surrounded by people that probably dislike me."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smirked as she finished wiping herself off, plopping the tissue onto the nightstand and then grabbing her tea once more. Her eyes turned to the holoform of [member="Darlyn Excron"] then. "No....you didn't interrupt. You just startled me, that's all."

She sipped her tea. Darlyn knew that this was her day off, yet still he found it prudent to ensure that she wasn't getting into trouble. Surely trouble didn't come that easily?

"Thanks for checking in. I'm fine. What are you up to?" Scoping out an uprising, maybe? She wasn't entirely sure. With Darlyn, anything was possible.

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"Oh you know, just looking through the mines for the most part. Checking security concerns, structural integrity, making sure no one's getting bright ideas, all those fun little tasks. I figured it'd be smart to let you in on where I was personally, in case the notice hadn't been put on your desk this morning. Day off or not you're supposed to know where I am after all." He leaned against the solid rock wall a bit while he spoke.

[member="Lady Kay"]'s holoform was a very hollow representation of her, but it made the enclosed space a little easier to handle. Not to mention it also provided a certain amount of light. "I also figured if there were any personal concerns you had, I could check on them for you. Everything to ease your mind, after all."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded, then smiled sheepishly, hiding behind her tea cup as [member="Darlyn Excron"] mentioned putting a notice on her desk. She hadn't left her bedchambers all day, which was why she was still in her nightgown. All of her meals and such were brought up straight to her.

And still Darlyn was playing the psychiatrist. She wondered if [member="Victor Tesla"] told him to, or if it was just from his own accord. Or maybe [member="Veiere Arenais"] told him to. Either way, he was keeping a good eye on her. "I'm fine. No flashbacks in a while, no bad dreams. I think that my meds are helping, among other things." Delegating her stress did wonders on her psyche.

 

[Darlyn Excron]

Darlyn chuckled a little and nodded. It was good [member="Lady Kay"] was getting the chance to relax, all the work she was putting in more than made her deserving of it. Not to mention she looked much better smiling and content than angry and like she was dying on the inside. Then again anyone usually looked better like that...

"That's certainly a good thing. I've been more than a little concerned you'd push yourself too hard, the last thing I want is you to put yourself in a bad place. I'm almost growing fond of you." He chuckled a bit and glanced up as a bit of dust fell down on top of him. He brushed it aside, off his shoulder, as he continued. "The tea cabinet still full? I can swing by the markets on the way back if you need it. Might as well, running out of leaves myself."

 

[Kay-Larr]

She smirked as [member="Darlyn Excron"] said that he was almost growing fond of her. Now that was a crazy thought. Yet the two liked to poke fun at eachother, despite their need for professionalism at times.

Kay sipped her tea, raising a brow slightly as dust fell on him. What was going on just above him? Surely she didn't have to tell him to be careful..."My tea stocks aren't too bad. But if you're going to the market anyways, then it wouldn't hurt to get me some more too. Thanks....How much longer are you going to be?"

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"Not much longer, just checking these last stretch of tunnels for safety and security concerns before making my way back. Most of the tunnels are rather deep and not much further down than I am already and it becomes redundant to bother with checking. Miners past this point are observed by staff anyways. Maybe just a few more minutes down here then an hour or two back. I shouldn't be much longer than tha-" He stopped and quickly looked around, including up above him. He'd heard something, he'd definitely heard something. And..

The sound of supports breaking and rocks tumbling began to become very, very audible even over the holocom. And rather than waste time being polite, Darlyn closed his hand over the device, causing his image to disappear despite the sounds still going through clearly, as he ran down the tunnel. Of course he was no match for gravity's speed, and soon had to focus on not getting crushed by rocks falling down on him.

After the noises settled down, Darlyn came to realize he had no idea where he was on the map, and most of the tunnels he had gone through had been caved in. Of course they weren't the only tunnels down to this section, that would be poor design. But.. it did mean he couldn't backtrack. For once, Darlyn began to feel, afraid.

Who knows how far underground he was at this point? If he didn't, certainly no one could. He looked down at his holocom, which had turned off in his mad dash through the mines, and fumbled with it as he turned it on. It should provide a beacon for anyone trying to locate him. After some more fumbling, he managed to call Kay again, this time her blue holo form on the personal holocom providing the only light he could see. It cast a faint blue glow over the surrounding area... somehow more eerie than the darkness.

Darlyn swallowed a bit when [member="Lady Kay"] picked up, and offered a half hearted smile for her. "I uhm, I may be later than I thought."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded. She knew the vast network of tunnels in the mines and underneath Chasin City. They served dual purposes. It was quite easy to get lost and any miner could do so on purpose, especially if they were trying to escape. But that's what the guards were for. And footprints in the dirt were easy to follow.

The sounds caught her attention immediately. Her eyes were glued to [member="Darlyn Excron"] 's image as he looked around. Then he ran. She lost his vidual, but the commotion was still heard. And then it was gone. The call was disconnected. "No..." He was the most trusted member of her staff. She couldn't lose him! Kay tried reconnect the call but it wouldn't go through. Seconds turned to minutes, a cold sweat went through her like a wave. Her commlink went off yet before she could answer it, Darlyn's call came through. "Are you okay?!! Are you trapped?!! Just hang on! I'll send a team down!" The words fell out of her like a waterful, fast and loud.

Kay picked up her commlink, already aware of what it was about. "I know about the cave in! Get the rescue teams down there immediately!"

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"I think the technical term is lost, I hardly expect there to be a single entry this far in. I could probably find my way out if I had any idea where I was exactly." He glanced at the broken map data pad he'd been given, and sighed lightly, not that having any idea the route he took would help without something to guide him out. "But I'm sure I'll be.. fine." He flinched as some pebbles shifted behind him, and he glanced back at the wall of rocks freshly fallen behind him.

Somewhat uncharacteristically for him, he made little effort to hide his concern for his situation as he setup the holocom to light up the area around him, and sat back against the more stable wall to his right. "But just to be safe I think I'll stay here, I sent my position out so hopefully they'll figure it out soon enough. Just have to avoid breathing too much dust for now." He forced a chuckle, for his sake or [member="Lady Kay"]'s he couldn't tell.

There were a few moments of silence before Darlyn spoke again. "Kay, have I ever told you much about what I used to do before I was a bounty hunter?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay's eyes were full of concern as she watched [member="Darlyn Excron"] 's holoimage return. At least theur connection was okay. It meant that an electrical and radio current were still passing through his area of the mines. A good sign indeed.

"No, no you haven't told me about your past, but before you begin....do me a favour and step away from the cave in at least fifty feet. We don't know how stable it is and I'd rather not risk having you completely trapped down there. Help is on the way..." How quickly that help would come, she didn't know yet.

 

[Darlyn Excron]

Darlyn gave [member="Lady Kay"] a small nod, moving further into the mine about that far, before sitting down again and closing his eyes. "Commenor is much different than I'm used to. A lot more arid lands, more greens. It's not something I'm used to really. My old job for you on Bespin was something more familiar for me, you know, durasteel and metal. I used to be a sith." He laughed a little and peeked out an eye at the holocom. "What a twist am I right?"

This wasn't exactly too far back in history, trusting enough that he might feel a small weight lifted. There were two or three people, counting Kay, that he might trust with this much information. Granted, he really knew about two or three people that weren't subordinates and he trusted at all, but that being said... well. He shrugged his thoughts away and looked back at the blue form of Kay. "Then again, given my fondness for lightning I guess that's not too strange is it?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was glad that [member="Darlyn Excron"] moved to an area that could be safer. She hoped that it was anyways. Only time would tell.

But to Darlyn's 'revelation, she smirked, his lightheartedness putting her at a bit of ease. "I didn't figure you for a Jedi. And who else would go on some treasure hunt to get a very special lightsaber of a Sith Lord? Do you have it on you, by the way? Just in case you needed to cut your way through a cave in." As far as she could tell, he could still make his way around somewhere. But whether or not that led him further in or out was another question. He was right to stay put for the time being.

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"Plenty of Jedi. They'd hardly keep it, but they'd go looking for it. Think they'd say something along the lines of 'collecting it to destroy it' or to 'prevent its spread of corruption'. Bunch of religious zealots they are, and of course I have it. I don't leave the palace without both my sabers, though I doubt I'd be able to cut my way through a pile of boulders." He glanced back at the mess and sighed. No matter where he went he just made more messes for [member="Lady Kay"] to deal with it seemed. Suited him fine enough, but this one was quite the downer. Not to mention it was already a little difficult to breathe, what with the dust lingering in the air.

"Almost a shame, sometimes, that I had my failed 'mission' back when I was a sith. I loved hunting down jedi, no more dangerous a prey for a darksider. Every hunt was different, sometimes I had to draw them out, other times I had to deal with them and soldiers. It was dangerous, and so very thrilling." He had a little smile on his face as he spoke, before it faded slowly. "Course I do love my job here, don't get me wrong. I haven't slept so well in all my memories as I have in the room you gave me."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded a little. It wouldn't be that far fetched of an idea for Jedi to hunt down Sith artifacts to hide or destroy them. Better than risking others in finding them. She's never really needed to do so herself, nor did she plan on it. There was enough going on in her life as is, and she couldn't stick out her neck too much. People depended on her.

"I used to be hunted a lot. Of course it wasn't for being a Force user, nor was I hunted by Sith, but I was hunted for the bounties that the Hutt Cartel would put on me. I freed hundreds of their slaves, messed up their auctions, and so there were many that tried to catch me. Most failed, or if they did catch me, they couldn't keep me for long. In a way I kind of miss those days. I had less responsibilities then, and only had myself to look after."

[member="Darlyn Excron"]

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"Did they at least have decent room service? Gotta treat the valuable bounties well you know." He chuckled lightly, glancing off to the side just about every time he even thought he heard dust shifting. The last thing he needed was for the cave in to get worse before anyone got there. The darkness here was bad enough, further in and he might not be able to actually use the holocom for its faint blue light. "Oh it can't be all that bad now. You've got me to keep you company and more than enough wine to forget the rest of your staff if you wished. Whatever you want to make yourself a little happier, no?"

".. I miss the old days too, a bit. I might not miss the public transit, but I adored the chance to go out hunting, to visit new places and old haunts and make some credits doing so. It was fun, even if it was a lot more dangerous. I do like the bed though, and even the company."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smirked. "No room service. They wouldn't give me anything to eat or drink. I asked, but...they refused." Another smirked followed [member="Darlyn Excron"] 's comment about wine. She hardly touched the stuff. She preferred her tea, as always.

He looked a little worried, and she saw that. But he seemed to be trying to be optimistic. "Well, I'll tell you what...After you get out of there and rest up, you and I can do a bit of a hunting game in the canyons. You'll get a chance to brush up on those skills, while I can try to make sure that I don't get captured so easily anymore. Sound good?"

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"Well, it'll certainly help if you get into trouble without me I suppose." He offered a smile, as he sat back in the dusty corridor. Cave ins were horrid, the stones still shifted slightly, enough to cause dust kick up in the air. It was possible she could see it, likely in the form of the image being fuzzy, that was how much dust was in the air.

Darlyn coughed a few times, covering his mouth as he did so. "... Kay, you wouldn't mind telling me something about you, would you? Consider it a game... you tell me a little story and I'll tell you one." He smiled at [member="Lady Kay"]'s form, bringing the conversation to a topic that would help keep him distracted, and her for that matter. It wasn't strange for the two to speak friendly, hell in many ways she was a friend...

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smirked as [member="Darlyn Excron"] figured that she couldn't possibly get into trouble without him being there to get her out of it. How funny. The dust and his coughing did give her a cause for concern, however. Hopefully the rescue teams would get there soon.

She readjusted her seating position, cradling her holopad in her hands instead of her tea. "Something about me? Umm....I haven't gotten all of my memories back, so some parts of me are still missing. But did you know that I found my Father? He's in the First Order and he hates Force Users. He considers them to be weak and lesser beings. It was why him and my mother abandoned me. After I found him when I was mistakingly arrested, he once again let me know how unwanted I was. He let me go, but only so that others wouldn't discover that I was his child. Kind of sad really, but I lived this long without him. I suppose the rest of my life won't matter. And I'm still trying to decide if it would be a waste to send him an invite to the wedding, whenever that will be..."