Leaving Common Isolation

[Connor Harrison]

The sound of the fire filled the silence for a while. The storm was more a diegetic noise than anything, and the light was slowly starting to dim. While still light, it was clear the evening was teasing the skies. The sun was low and the cool breeze was fresh.

"Oh, the Hutts? I have no idea I have to say. Though I would love to find out."

South-East of Commenor was the main hive of the Hutts and their cartel. But the power they had? Little, if Connor was realistic. Crime lords and gangsters were rife, but were simply a bug to be wiped away.

"I'm surprised they've not been forced out of their holes and others taken their glory."

Connor wiped his hands and folded them across his legs, looking into the fire.

"What's your view on them? Or is a case of neutral is as neutral does?"

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Connor Harrison"] was a man that travelled a lot lately. So perhaps she just gave him another place to go to. Gives him something to do, at any rate.

Kay shrugged her shoulders a little to his comment on them being taken from their glory. Honestly she has hardly ever ventured to that point in space, nor had she heard much about them as of late. It was why she had asked him about it.

She scratched at an imaginary itch on the back of her neck; an old habit of hers from back in her slave-freeing days. "My view depends on the individual and what they do. If they aren't slavers, druglords and the like, then I don't mind them. But if they are the criminals that those that I know tend to be, then I don't like them. I'm just not in a position to go after them myself. However...that doesn't mean that I couldn't....hire out anonymously." Now there was in idea. She used to hire mercs for it before. Maybe it was something that she could do again.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Was the Queen hinting at something? Once a slaver, always a slaver. He glance across to her, the fire-light dancing over everything around it as the light waned.

"Well. They are primed to the South and could easily infect systems. Who knows. Slavery. Gun running. Trafficking."

Some, not all. But they were a dangerous and volatile species, and it was who the Hutts knew and paid that would be the main problem. Anyone would do anything for the right price.

"You say the word, and I will investigate just what reach they have at the moment. The Silver Jedi are only a few klicks North of their empire too."

There was a desire inside Connor that never died - a desire to hunt, to be the one taking the risks, to lead a movement and be the one to take the brunt of forging balance out of chaos.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

"Well, it is wild space out there. Old Cartel territory. It sort of makes me glad that Sempra and Flannigan have retired, for if they were still around, it'd be a lot worse out there."

Kay picked up another log and placed it onto the fire. Lit ash rose into the sky as the embers grew brighter momentarily. She raised a brow as [member="Connor Harrison"] pretty much volunteered to go snoop around in and around Hutt space. Well it wasn't as though he was at her beck and call, but he sure made himself available. Maybe he was looking into working for her again. "Alright. See what you can find out. If the Silvers are close, then maybe going after the Hutts is something that they'd like to do. Not that I'd go and ask them, but perhaps some could be hired out. Although I'm sure that I could get some Mandalorian mercs to help if need be."

It was getting a little cooler as the sun was getting lower, but the fire helped. Already Commenor's two moons were becoming bright in the sky.

 

[Connor Harrison]

A little spark of the old Kay came through in her desire to put pressure on the Hutts - and proof to Connor that if needed, she could make a decision that wasn't all neutral at all to gain information.

"I will see what I can do, of course. They have always come across like they are untouchable and sit behind a veil of their own law. Well, not for much longer. I think the Hutts need to play the game and see where they stand in the greater scheme of things."

Connor noticed Kay look up into the sky, and he followed her gaze to see twin moons. There was nothing blotting the sky except them, and it looked very peaceful.

"A beautiful sight. Are they inhabited moons? If so, I wonder how many are camping out and looking down on us."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Play the game and see where they stand in the grand scheme of things. Yeah, Kay has heard that from people before, although it was directed towards herself and her government. It made her wonder how the Hutts felt about it.

[member="Connor Harrison"] was watching her. She could tell by how he was commenting on what she was looking at. The very idea of others camping out and looking to Commenor as it rose above them was an interesting thought, as well as an idea. Perhaps that was something that she'd have to try out some day.

Kay pointed to the moon on the left. "That one's Folor. There's no atmosphere, so no one really lives there. We just use it for starship training." She then pointed to the next moon which was more colourful than the last. "That's Brelor, which does have an atmosphere. There's animals there, plenty of life, but no one lives there. It used to be a vacation home for some Imperial officer before he died a very long time ago." Maybe she could use it to house Veiere. Leave him a small house there woth no way off world, and have him guarded. That could work.

 

[Connor Harrison]

As the Queen explained the two moons, Connor lost himself in a myriad of thought and wonder. When one took the time to look up through the stars, it was mind-blowing to think what was really out there. What dangers lurked? Who was watching those watching others? What new band of heroes was waiting to emerge?

"Wonderful. A perfect operation."

Of all the trillions of beings in the galaxy, so much seemed to rest on the shoulders of a few, but who really was of importance when it came to making a difference like he wanted to do?

"You’ll have to give me a tour one day – see if we can find some trouble makers to rustle up. Show that you’re not taking any nonsense lying down." He shot her a smile. "So much out there, even in your system, that you don’t know about. You could explore so much."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

A perfect operation? She wasn't quite sure. It had it's faults to be sure. But it was comfortable for her.

A brow was raised as [member="Connor Harrison"] suggested that she give him a tour. At first she thought that he had meant of the moons, but then as he continued, she understood what he had meant. Just the thought of exploring piqued her interest. When was the last time that she had done that? It seemed like forever. Most of her travelling consisted of diplomatic meetings and business contracts, with little room for exploring.

Maybe she needed to change that.

"I think that would be a great idea. I haven't been to every planet, nor every moon. Of course precautions will still have to be taken, but...it could be fun." She smiled as she thought about it. Going on an adventure. Hopefully she was up for the task.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Sometimes, the rules had to be broken. Connor reached for his stick and stoked the fire, moving some of the crackling logs and getting air to the base of the flame.

"No precaution." He smiled to himself. "You've been dictated by code, convention, rules and protocol. When you go exploring, you do it as Kay. Not as the Queen."

He sat back and felt the warmth of the fire reach them, feeling proud with himself.

"Deal? You can lay down a rule for me if you wish to make it fair."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay blinked. Here was [member="Connor Harrison"] telling her to throw caution to the wind and just go on her own. There would be many that would object to that. Mostly her security detail, advisors, Ministers, family....

Trouble had a habit of finding her, whether she took precautions or not. So did it really matter if she went on this journey? She didn't really know. But she needed something to take her focus away from her circumstances. Kay didn't want to become someone that others would loathe being around.

This could help with that.

She raised a brow as Connor asked her to find some kind of rule for him. Whatever it was it would have to be balanced and just as difficult. It just took a moment for her to figure something out. "Alright, you've got a deal. But that's only if you are a gentleman and that means...no peeking when I change. Deal?" Kay smirked a little, knowing that from an earlier comment, the fact that he wasn't allowed to peek could be difficult for him to manage.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Her comment made him fight a smile that was forming. This was the second time that elusive peeking had been mentioned – the Queen she was, but something told him that she was also learning how to be a tease again. A human, one who looked beyond duty to remember she was human.

"A gentleman?" He shook his head a little and winced. "You know I don’t think I ever have been one of those." He looked back into the fire, the heat warming his face. "But I will try."

After a few more seconds, Connor looked up to the moons again.

"Falls on you to arrange the location. Just tell me where and when, and I’ll be there. It’ll do you good seeing what’s out there and not looking through them with the eyes of just a Queen."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay once again smirked as [member="Connor Harrison"] gave a hint that he'd still be peeking. She studied his face as the firelight caused the shadows to dance upon it. Was that a twinkle in his eye? Or was it just the added moisture caused from the smoke? More than likely it was an amused twinkle.

His gaze shifted then to the sky. That was a bit of a relief for her as his gaze could be quite intense at times. She took a breath as she thought of where to go. Not everywhere was safe for humans due to the toxic air. From the top of her head, she couldn't quite place the entire map. The moons above them would probably be too close. More than likely Connor would tease her on not straying far from home.

"I'll have a think on it and get back to you. There's plenty to choose from."

A lightning strike in the distance remibded her of a task needing to be done. Kay got to her feet. "Let's set up the rods before we forget."

 

[Connor Harrison]

The rods. Connor nodded and stoked the fire one more time, leaving the wooden stick in to burn, and he stood.

"I'll head out. Keep the fire burning and don't wander off."

He smiled and walked around the Queen to the rear of the main tent, where the sled was covered with tarp. He saw a couple of her aids setting up their smaller tent, and they nodded to him. So, he nodded back and unfurled the tarp to find the lightning rods. That was all he needed, and so he moved to sit inside the drivers seat, started the single engine and drove away with a slow rumble.

Checking over his shoulder, Connor made a good semi-circle around the perimeter of the camp with four rods. There was no desire to surround themselves with rods and create a rather dangerous conductor. With soft ground and a heavy mallet, Connor embedded the rods in well, timing it so not to risk any adverse lightning coming from a rumble of thunder in the heaven's above.

There was damp in the air. A very fine mist of rain could be felt - not enough to steadily drench the man, but enough to know the sun was certainly waning and the cooler night was starting to lurk. In about 15 minutes, he was done and drove back across the field to the site.

"Perfect. Thank you."

Connor found one aid still busying himself with their tent, and he left him to it to find the Queen. Either she was drinking tea, or had fallen asleep. And would their fire still be burning or just a pile of ash?

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay blinked in surprise. Did [member="Connor Harrison"] just tell her to sit and wait while he did all the work. Did he not hear her earlier when she said that she'd help? It wasn't as though she didn't know how to do it on her own.

Instead of protesting however, she just gave him a mock salute. "Yes, sir!" Perhaps this was Connor's attempt at being a gentleman. She wasn't entirely sure.

Once he left, Kay mumbled under her breath; "Don't wander off...ha!" That was like telling her to stay out of trouble. As she toyed with the fire she wondered if Connor was giving her orders as a Queen or just as herself? Probably the former.

The air was getting thicker, as were the clouds. It made her glad that they had a tent to stay in. The last thing that she needed was to be drenched to the bone and catch a cold.

Connor hadn't been gone long. In fact he had made great time. Still, she had to poke fun at him, regardless. "What took you so long? Did you stop to smell the flowers or enjoy the view?" The fire was still going, although the little logs looked like glowing charcoal now. "We should head in soon."

 

[Connor Harrison]

There was a little tone to her voice. One he hadn’t heard often. It was more natural and carefree of the Queen, thinking on the spur of the moment rather than what she “should” say or “should” suggest. Connor wiped his hands, amassing some of the grease and water from the sled, and walked back under the external canopy by the fire.

”You want a job done, do it right first time. And the flowers smelt wonderful."

He looked out to see a couple of the rods in the distance and he pointed to the perimeter.

”They’re in now, some I’ve kept back just in case, but it’ll create a little barrier between whatever comes our way and the base tent so, yeah, all good." At her request, he indicated for her to go in. ”Give me a second."

Connor went back to the fire and aggravated some of the ashen wood, breaking it down and pulling over some fresh cuttings to keep it steady and provide not just some light, but also warmth to slowly funnel into the tent. Once done, he ducked inside and removed his satchel from the first bed and set it down.

”Ok, fire’s going, storm rods up. I guess you’ll be putting the tea on, and then it’s just a case of keeping ourselves company and putting the world to rights."

He wasn’t going to venture out again this evening. He reached down and pulled off his brown boots, setting them by the side.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Another smirk was given to [member="Connor Harrison"] . Done right, huh? It wasn't as though she was incapable of doing it herself. Kay had set up the lightning rods before. This was her home planet, afterall.

"Not too bad of a job, if I do say so myself." She pointed out to a couple of the rods in the distance. "I might have put those two further apart, but that's just me." Kay smiled as she teased him a little further, giving him a bit of payback for telling her to stay behind.

And then she went inside their tent, glad that there were no guards or others inside to prepare everything for her. She wanted to do more than just sit there, especially if she was supposed to be on a little vacation and attempting to be herself. How ironic it was that she was made to do even less while on this trip.

Kay slipped off her boots and put on her slippers, then wrapped her shawl around her shoulders. "Yes, I'll fix up the tea. But put the world to rights? That's not exactly possible for just two people to accomplish." However she had done it on her own, as soon as she was elected President. But Kay would never take all of the credit for that.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor lolled his head from side to side, thinking on what she said.

”Maybe not two. Maybe it only takes one. The right one." He held his head a little higher. ”Or maybe the right two. You never know. Just keep doing what you're doing. Keep surviving. Keep fighting. Keep living. You do that, then you're the right person to keep the galaxy turning for the right reasons."

He had no idea what that statement meant, but it sounded good in his head when he spoke aloud. He knew what he meant, anyway. Watching her make the tea, he took a dive.

”If you have caf, I'll take one. Sweet, and milk, if possible."

A nice warm fire, the sound of thunder, a hot drink - it was almost as if Connor was feeling...comfortable in doing little.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay just stood there fixing up her tea with her back turned to [member="Connor Harrison"] while he spoke on what it is that she should keep doing. Surviving. That's what she felt like she was doing the most. Her decisions were rash at times and that tended to cause people to get hurt or killed. She had made mistakes and serving her people was the best way to make up for them.

"I've always strived to maintain a balance. Even within my government. It's why I won't turn people away simply because of what alignment they fall under." Sith, Imperials, Jedi and Dark Jedi; all were welcome to apply. And that method had done her well so far.

She looked over her shoulder as Connor requested a caf. "Sure thing." Tea wasn't the only drink that she knew how to prepare. Yet this was the first time that he had ever asked her for it. Maybe he was getting to be a bit more trusting of her. Or maybe he was just giving her something to do. Regardless, she prepared his caf, sweet and with milk. When it was ready, she carried both drinks with her as she walked over to him. "Here." Kay held the mug out to him and felt a little strange with the normality of it all. Such a simple act and yet she couldn't help but think that there was some kind of meaning behind it. Once Connor took it, she sipped her tea and headed over to the bed that she had chosen and sat down, successfully giving herself some personal space.

"It's been a long time since I've tried to fall asleep during a thunderstorm. I hope that I can manage it."

 

[Connor Harrison]

There it was – balance. The one thing that made sense in a galaxy vying for it.

Connor reached out and took the warm cup, blew gently across the surface and sipped gently. It was hot enough to just sting his lips, but cast a satisfying taste when he swallowed and savoured it. The thunder rumbled in the distance.

”You’ll be fine. The rods will do their job and if you’re relaxed enough, or if my company bores you enough, you’ll find yourself asleep in no time."

He smiled and took another sip.

”Remember at one time I scoffed at your neutrality, your longing for balance? How ironic that now I champion it. While neutrality may still be a dicey thing to proclaim, the fact you are seeing both sides of the war and how you can almost be in control of them as they want your support is good. It’s control of the balance that is key.”

Giving a slow nod, afraid to go into more politics, Connor sipped again. A little longer this time and pressed his lips together after he swallowed.

”This is nice, isn’t it."

There was a peace around their auras. A calm. A normalcy almost he had missed.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay laughed a little as [member="Connor Harrison"] suggested that he would bore her to sleep. Hardly. If she was to fall asleep while he was talking, then more than likely it would be because his voiced lulled her into sleep. Connor's voice had a nice quality to it and if he softened it just a little, it might even be soothing.

She carefully slid herself back on the bed so that she was propped up against the pillows, with her legs stretched out, feet crossed at the ankles. She cradled her mug of tea in both hands, resting them on her lap. A distant crack of thunder followed by a rumble let them know that the storm was getting closer. The tent seemed sturdy enough, which was good.

"I see both sides of the war, yes, and mostly see how stupid it all is and how stupid and petty the others are being. I've pointed it out before, but I may as well just be whispering for they never listen to me. I don't have any control over them outside of their access to all of the trade routes in my region. I can't exactly hold that over them though. They could easily go elsewhere for routes." It wasn't as though her space carried the only trade routes in the Galaxy. It was just one of the safest.

As Connor sipped his caf, she sipped her own tea, nodding to affirm his statement. "It is. I think that today holds the record for the longest time that we've spent without arguing." Kay grinned and then gave a little chuckle.