A Dark Alliance

[Connor Harrison]

Connor joined the girl as she walked, and he didn't slow down as he shook water from his sleeves and shook his hair dry with his hands.

"Listen, you do what you want. I was perfectly happy minding my own business before you turned up and probably was followed by those goons to make sure none of us got away from here. You kill me, they kill you, nobody knows any better."

He trudged along the canyon floor, looking up at the waterfall they had come over and the stone walkways above they crossed from one side to another, with the Jedi temple far opposite.

"I know you're not telling me the truth." He glanced at her as he began walking again towards the foot of the large rock-face. "Now, I'm going up. It'll take a while, so either come along and talk or go the other way and take your own chance. Bear in mind I saved your life just then. Twice."

A know-it-all smile was flashed as he clocked her lightsaber.

"That won't work unless you made it with a special crystal, by the way."

[member="Lassiter"]

 

[Lassiter]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

He was quite insistent that he had saved her life without really knowing fully what she was capable of, which either meant he underestimated her or knew something that she did not. Though considering her already rather long chain of failures she was willing to be it was the former. And to insinuate they had followed her was rather absurd, at least to Sena. She would have noticed them, if anything it was most likely a case of bad timing on her behalf.

That was the story she wanted to believe in anyway.

“Well, truth or not it is more than I tend to give most people.” Sena said as she continued to fluff her hair up. “It’s not so much that I actually wanted to kill you as much as I needed the money, but at this point it’s just not worth it anymore.”

That was as good of an excuse as she could muster. As close to an excuse as she had ever gotten as well, probably.

“Considering my people have an enclave somewhere on this forsaken planet, and with the temple being my biggest chance at finding myself a ride there…” She smirked to mirror his know-it-all smile. “I guess you are stuck with me.”

“Just, you know…” She shrugged. “As long as you don’t feth me over, I can make sure to return the favor.”

 

[Connor Harrison]

With a raise of the brow, Connor shrugged and started off up the loping incline which would traverse the length of the cliff-face up to where they had been minutes before. The waterfall would stay on one side of them, while the perilous drop faced them on the other. The sun was baking down.

"So what’s your story then. I mean, you’re not exactly a bounty hunter are you." He leaped up and over a small overhang. "And you’ve still not given me a straight answer. I think you should."

He crouched a little and extended his hand to help pull her up.

"Because if you don’t and I don’t see the worth having you here after trying to kill me, I’ll just let you fall all the way back down and leave you for the beasts to pick apart. Your choice."

He gave her a smile, beckoning her with his hand.

"Don’t forget, someone who you trusted wants you dead. So right now I’m the only person you CAN trust."

[member="Lassiter"]

 

[Lassiter]

High ground. Mightier people than her had succumbed to it, and right now that was in the hands of Connor. A quite literal upper hand stretching down to help her up when she could by all means leap up for herself. Though that meant exposing herself to air time, which meant nothing to stop him from pushing her down the steep cliff again. Begrudgingly she sighed and grabbed his hand.

“... ‘Darth’ Drethi.” She grunted as she pulled herself up with the man’s help. “Not my choice. Though I vaguely like the parallels that could almost be drawn from it. Present company being an exception.”

Drethi. Some kind of beast that killed Jedi. She wasn’t all that well-read on beasts. If it lunged at her she would lunge back and cut it down. That was about as far as her ‘respect’ for the wilderness went. Unless it was one of those huge animals in which case the better option was to run, and fast.

The Hounds had taught her that lesson quite well.

“And I don’t trust anyone willing to pass out a contract.” She shrugged. “For all I know they’ve passed out a few on my head as well. It’s merely a convenient way to make money.”

“So, Connor Harrison, I am known as ‘Darth Drethi’ and despite the animal behind the name you are one of the few jedi I have actually pursued.” She eyed him up and down. “Of your caliber anyway.”

“Always more trouble than you’re worth, it’s never as simple as finding you and just getting it over with. Always a chase, always some kind of monologue or debate…”

“Not fun. So, if it matters any to you, I consider this contract too annoying to follow and I won’t try to take your life.” She shook her head. “Now, the reinforcements from those mercs that found you though, I can’t say much for them.”

“Like I said, it was a lot of money.”

[member="Connor Harrison"]