A Different Corner

[Connor Harrison]

Connor looked up at the doors as they opened with an invisible touch, and he glanced at Taeli, jealous of how easy life had been once for him to do something like that. Facing back to the tomb, he looked as the red illumination came to life.

He started in, dwarfed by the structure, ears ready to listen for these...orbalisks.

One foot at a time, Connor walked in, and the passageway was straight. He moved with caution, but with purpose. Passing by two chambers, he took them both in, and passed with little hesitation. Eyes front, he kept walking, feeling something wrap around him.

Turning back, the slightest hint of uncertainty in his face, he looked to Taeli, and then back to the central chamber ahead. Further he walked, until he emerged inside the main chamber of the tomb itself.

The ex-Jedi stopped before a lengthy pool of water. Large pillars surrounded them, but his attention was drawn to the giant statue up ahead that nearly touched the ceiling. It was "guarded" by two golden warriors made out of some gleaming metal. The tomb itself, he guessed, lay beyond them.

As if possessed by some dark desire, and without checking for Taeli at all, Connor made his move forward, to step into the water and continue straight towards the tomb itself.

He felt it...it was close...something was calling him on. Something wanted to make him strong again.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

She watched from the shadows now, staying back as Connor entered the antechamber of the tomb and stepped into the pool that lay there. He didn't proceed to the actual sarcophagus as it was actually closer than he expected. The pool was all that was needed. Walking slowly around the chamber, she started muttering in the Sith language. The braziers held by the guardians erupted into blue and purple flame, dark energies wafting off of them to fill the room. One by one, the torches turned to the same blue and purple flames, forming a ring around Connor and the pool he had started to walk through.

To the visible eye now, the dark side was becoming tangible. They would appear as ripples in the very fabric of space and time, a haunting melody issuing from them even as their dangerous powers surrounded the room. She would end her circle to stand in front of Connor, not allowing him to actually exit the pool.

"This far enough," she said in Basic now. All around her, the ripples and energies spilled out. "This antechamber was designed to be a focal point, a place for his worshipers to perform rituals with the dark side. The pool acts as conduit. Do you see them? The dark side itself made tangible?"

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor didn’t hear Taeli at first, so intent on reaching the other side.

It was only the wisps of black and purple passing around that got his attention, and made him look around as he walked, but had to stop when Taeli was already before him.

Looking around, he saw light all around as if the flames in the torches were spirits, responding to Taeli herself conjuring them.

"I see them…but…how? I thought the tomb itself housed what we need, unless…”

He looked down and the pool he was in, then back to the spiritual manifestations. His heart was racing, and he didn’t know what to expect.

"What’s going to happen to me.”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"I actually am not sure what is about to happen to you," she admitted. "Exciting really. This is all theoretical, well the part about what will happen to you. The ritual is not so much theory, but it's one that is rarely used. Too late to back out now though."

With that said, she started chanting in the Sith language again, taking a kneeling position in front of him. All around them, the dark side started to sweep down into the pool, like the smoke from the braziers. Connor would feel something grabbing, trying to submerge him into the pool's depths. All the while, she kept up her chanting, tendrils of lightning erupting in a circle around her to strike each pillar and then up to the mighty guardians themselves.

If they had gone to Ruusan, all of this wouldn't have been necessary, to be fair. One only had to step into the central part of the nexus and then they would have their connection re-established. But that was also the strongest nexus in the galaxy, arguably, and was always under the watchful eye of Jedi. Here, she had to focus the energies down to suffuse Connor, to reawaken that spark within him. He wasn't going to be at his full potential, that would take actual training, but at least he would be able to touch the Force again. The power of the tomb would descend down around him, channeled down the pillars and into the pool. He would have to open himself to it, allow everything to flow through him... and then grasp it and trap it within himself. There could be no passivity in this, no hesitation. He could either accept the gift the dark side was offering... or he would be torn asunder and drowned.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Looking at her about to protest, she made it clear there was no time. It was now or never. As she knelt, Connor quickly unclipped his cloak and tossed it over the side of the pool so he was not going to be hindered by it. As Taeli began chanting, he reached out and gently teased his fingers through the side of her hair, and then took steps back and closed his eyes.

Maintaining his breathing, he didn't open his eyes. He heard the cracks around him, and the rumbling from under his feet, but he didn't open his eyes.

Raising his arms slightly, keeping them out and hands wide, he felt it pulling him down. The darkness was emerging from the tomb with Taeli's Sith power. Maybe it was psychological, maybe it was ethereal, but while he didn't feel he would be submerged, it felt like he was going down.

He was being pulled down and his body was cold, but he didn't open his eyes at all. He just focused on his breathing and absorbed it. He didn't flinch once with the noise around him, nor did he fight it.

The body went heavy, and it felt like liquid metal was coursing through his veins and weighing him down as it washed over him; the Dark Side engulfed him, but he was strong enough to control it.

His eyes opened with a start and he resisted the urge to simply give up and drown. This was his destiny - his calling. The Dark Side was emerging, and it was time to let Connor drown and for the new Sith to emerge. There was so much to take...so much to win...

As if pulling a thousand chains form the ground up, Connor emerged upwards, or forwards, not knowing where he was or what he was surrounded in or with; he just saw a mist to emerge from. He cried out in strength as he clenched his fists and broke from the chains and felt his body ten times heavier, but almost ten times stronger.

Another crack from around him, but he couldn't see Taeli, but he couldn't see himself either, and those deinfed features that looked more alive, and the amber eyes that looked like those belonging to a true Sith.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

She couldn't see him through all the darkness in the room, but she could feel what was going on. Slowly, but surely, his presence was returning beyond that of a simmering spark. Still, time would tell if an inferno would be built. The ritual would continue, the spell running on its own now. Connor would need to break free of the pool and the darkness swirling around him. The longer he stayed enraptured within the ritual itself, the more likely his body would be overwhelmed by the dark side and be destroyed.

But... he needed to do one final thing before he would be given the chance to fight free fully. He had to allow his old self to be drawn down into the pool, to be strangled by the chains he was releasing. He had to allow everything he had been be ripped away, apart from his memories of course. Her yellow eyes watched the spectacle, studying it and studying him. This much dark side energy was both attracting and repelling the monsters that called this tomb home, moths drawn to a flame in a way.

She would wait, the patient observer, for Connor to emerge from the cocoon that had been spun around him of the dark side... or she would be retrieving whatever was left of his body if he failed. Such was the way of the dark side.

 

[Connor Harrison]

The water seemed to rush around him as the chains clung onto his muscle and his whole being as he pulled against an invisible energy wanting to submerse him.

And then it became clear what it was - it wasn't chains onto him. It was the darkness clawing at the Light. The Light was holding him back. It was time to let the Light go.

A ripple seemed to emerge across his body as Connor stopped fighting and accepted what he was and what he wanted. A bubble of darkness seemed to surround him, and he pulled it into him, and emerged from it.

As he did, his lungs burst and he felt like he had been seconds from death, and everything came flooding back. The lights around him, the sound of the dark spirits and the lightning cracking in the tomb. As Connor stumbled out of whatever he had been submerged in, he caught the edge of the pool and fell onto the stone side, rolling onto his back and caughing up water and fighting to get his breath.

There was no pain, just relief.

There was no fear, just relief.

He calmed himself, spitting out water and rolled onto his knees, inhaling and exhaling calmly, eyes closed.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Well you took your sweet time," Taeli said as he recovered from the ordeal, the ritual dying out and the flames on the braziers turning back to normal. The creatures she had been sensing were retreating, well of them were. She got the distinct impression of a mass of something heading this way... a hungry mass. Lovely... "Another minute there and I thought I was going to have to drag your body out of the pool. How do you feel?"

She curious about what he was feeling right now, with the darkness now more firmly ensconced within him. It might have pulled most of the Light out, and hopefully his old personality somewhat especially the ego, but it wouldn't have gotten all of it. Everyone, even Palpatine and Bane, had a little compassion left in them. Not much, but there were some bits and pieces that couldn't be taken out of someone or snuffed out.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Kneeling up, Connor stood, a little wobbly, and having to lean over on his thighs for a second, but he heard her. He nodded.

"I feel...different.”

Standing to full height, Connor frowned and held his head for a minute, breathing and letting the water drop from his hair, fingers, elbows. Sodden, but it wasn't bothering him.

"I...I don't remember much about who I was. I know I was a Jedi, but I don't...I don't care, I don't understand.”

Flexing his fingers, he walked over to Taeli.

"I feel the Dark Side of the Force in me, and it feels right. Healthy. Is that right?”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Interesting," she mumbled, more to herself than to Connor. Some of his memories had been taken? That was unexpected, and his apathy towards his past was intriguing. Perhaps it was only temporary? She couldn't be quite sure, having not observed a subject like this before. It would warrant closer watching of Connor in the near future at the very least, perhaps activating another asset? She would have to decide that later.

"I don't know about healthy, but if that is how you want to describe it, sure," she responded. "But as for it feeling right... you've been dancing around it long enough , so yes I imagine it would feel right for you to embrace your true alignment. However, to reach the levels of power you desire, you'll have to do it through rigorous training. I only gave you a little kickstart to get started. What you do and what philosophy you decide for yourself is ultimately up to you."

She stood at this, gazing up at the visage of Freedon Nadd that loomed over them.

"We should leave here," she added. "The ritual will have disturbed the creatures here, and we don't want to be caught here when they arrive. I shall lead the way, you're still recovering."

With that said, she would start to lead them back up the passage they had come down. Unlike before, she was on edge, her senses wide open and probing for... they were lurking, waiting for them. The next chamber, the one they had to pass through. She would stop at the edge, formulating a plan.

 

[Connor Harrison]

"I mean, I know who I stood with - the Jedi, and the faces that betrayed me, but they aren't important. There is no desire to waste my strength on them right now. I want to become stronger, and learn more, and become a true Sith Lord. A Lord who puts the Master of Connor Harrison to shame.”

Walking with her, he shrugged off the water, and flicked his hair back, feeling refreshed, but sore.

"What you did back then, thank you. It was nice to see Arcanix, for a few seconds anyway,” he said a little quietly.

It had always impressed Connor with how Taeli had acted as both Sith and Jedi, for he felt she never truly lost that darkness that captivated him. And what she had done for him was wonderful.

Taeli slowed. Connor looked ahead, and felt it.

He let out a little laugh in surprise, but only because it felt good. He could FEEL the darkness.

But there was something dangerous, and he looked at Taeli, and then back to the chamber before them.

"Animals. I can feel them. Are they manifested from the Dark Side, in the tomb...or...?”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Orbalisks, waiting for us," she stated, curtly. "As soon as we step foot in this chamber, we'll be swarmed. I shall handle this."

She had been hoping to avoid orbalisks, but she had still expected to face them. If Taeli was anything, she was pragmatic even when espousing hope. She breathed in deeply, closing her eyes as she did so. When she let the breath out, her eyes were now a golden yellow and the dark side crackled around her.

"I would stay here, for your own sake," she commanded, before stepping into the room. On the floor and above on the ceiling were the orbalisks, entire clusters of them. Her mere presence called to them, and they could not ignore the chance to feed on someone like her. Powerful in the Force. They surged towards her, dropping down... and that was their mistake. An orb of Force Lightning surrounded her, blasting back the nearest orbalisks. She floated into the air slightly, the lightning crackling around her. The one most effective weapon against orbalisks... and it was her favorite set of techniques. From all around her, lightning filled the room, striking and burning every orbalisk, chaining across to parasite to parasite. She was the center of a lightning storm, her power scorching all these annoyances.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Saying nothing, Connor mouthed agreement and stood by the edge of the entrance, leaning on the wall as Taeli ventured into the chamber.

It was then he saw the orbalisks, golden-esque beetles scurrying over on the wall, floor and ceiling towards her, but in a second or two of crackling energy, Force lightning blasted from her.

So much so, Connor had to cover his eyes and shield his vision. The blast was contained, but powerful and it filled the chamber with light and snaps of lightning that exploded around the room itself.

Somewhere in-between the lightning was the cries of the orbalisks as they turned to dust in a second from the power of Taeli's attack.

All Connor could do was try to watch in fascination, and hold back.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

Once the last parasite was nothing more than charred meat and singed chitin did she finally stop the lightning, gently touching back down on the ground. If he couldn't tell, she really didn't enjoy orbalisks or the idea of having any attached to her. It also served to show him what a master of the dark side could do once sufficiently trained up... well one who went down her path. She wasn't sure sorcery and alchemy and all that entailed was exactly his area of expertise.

"That should have sent the proper message to anything else that might come after us," she said, her eyes returning to their purple color.

 

[Connor Harrison]

As the noise and light faded, a hiss could be heard. Connor lowered his arm to see steam rising from all around Taeli, and charred obelisks on the floor - the ones that hadn't been totally disintegrated anyway.

Connor winced.

"Nice,” he mused, crunching over the mess to join her. "So now what do we do? Is the tomb safe to leave, or is there anything else we need to do to protect this place?”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Now we leave, there isn't much left in the tomb that would interest anyone besides the nexus itself," Taeli explained as they started walking again. "And I'm not worried about something like that being constrained at all. It's more powerful than anything the Jedi could affect at present."

That wasn't to say it couldn't be cleansed with something like a Wall of Light, but that would have the unfortunate side effect of lightning the world's jungles on fire, killing thousands upon thousands of species. So no, she wasn't worried about protecting the place. Once they emerged back into the outside air, she would use the Force to close the doors behind them, leaving them apparently undisturbed.

"So what is next for you?" she asked, signaling her ship remotely to come to their location, the wedge-shape lifting off in the distance.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Stepping into the outside, Connor adjusted to the light, one eye closed against it. He glanced back at the tomb, and took a moment to be thankful for what he had been part of.

"For me?”

The question caught him off guard.

So much had gone on - a number of faces had given advice and techniques in the ways of the Dark Side. Some worthy, some not. All to be retained and practised. The Sith. The First Order. Albeit his reception from the Sith had been much more frostier than expected....but then what DID he expect? A welcome banner and all his Jedi ways forgiven?

"I guess I will return to Matsu Xiangu and hope she is ready to show what she promised me, and I in turn can prove I have been using this time well. But...I don't know. I need to find a place to establish myself. To become...me. Not him.”

His eyes glanced up to the ship coming closer, not really knowing which direction to take.

"How about you?”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"If you ever you need instruction, you know how to contact me," she said, watching her ship approach. "I'm not sure who all you have contacted, but I do have resources of my own if you ever have need of them. Keep that in mind. As for myself... I will continue on with my plans and experiments. Eldaah is being dispatched to another world to test a creation of mine, a new monster. I'm sure you recall how thorough she likes to be in getting results."

Her Festerer strain of Sithspawn was the just the beginning of a series of new monsters she was creating in hidden facilities all around the galaxy. More subjects and research was needed through, much more. And her attention was being drawn to Aurora's secret project TITAN. So many moving parts.

"You know me, always busy with something," she said, smiling but not mentioning her thoughts. Not yet. He still had much to do before she could share everything about her plans with him.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Nodding, Connor nearly zoned out as he thought about the what ifs and hows, but he would do it. He would get there. He would stand beside them.

"Thank you for you help, Taeli.”

He didn't try to stop her, or touch her, or gush. He knew that wasn't what she wanted or needed. He just stayed honest.

"Thank you. I will be in touch. I will not let you down, nor myself.”

After a pause, he sheepishly looked at her. There was still SOME things he needed a helping hand with!

"I don't suppose you'd give me a ride back would you?”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"I just hope you realize what you have asked for," she said, the ship hovering in front of them, the ramp lowering. "You know I considered telling you to find your own way back to civilization, but I figure you're going to be through enough pain in the future. So yes, I'll give you a ride back to Erilnar."

She leapt lightly onto the ramp, turning to give him an amused expression but her eyes were saying while it sounded like a joke... she had been seriously considering it. He was actually a little lucky that Dxun and Onderon weren't close to have their atmospheres touching or she would have told him to do exactly that. Another week and... well he would have been getting an extended lesson on how Sith like their apprentices to prove themselves capable.