Son Of The Light v Daughter Of The Dark

[Connor Harrison]

South of Voss-ka
Voss, Voss System​

The one thing Connor realised on his return to the galaxy, was that the worlds did not stop turning just because he wasn’t there to see them. Jedi and Sith didn’t stop clashing just because he wasn’t there to join them. Governments didn’t stop falling just because he wasn’t there to save them.

He had bridges to build and new alliances to make, but currently he was brushing up on everything he had missed in the months away. The problems with the Republic had come to light, and it sounded hauntingly reminiscent of the past that brought about the downfall of a once peaceful galaxy and led to the rise of a sinister force of evil.

Evil always rose from the shadows when you least expected it even if it was right under your nose; that’s when the heroes would rise to fight it.

Reaching out to his friends and allies in the Republic, his return would hopefully be a little glimmer of support he could offer. Of course, this wasn’t directly his fight, but the ripple from such a collapse would affect Sanctum space for sure, so he had to keep one eye on things. He would wait a while, and then return, but the last time he did this, he had a welcome visitor and so he suspected if she was around, she would return and give him the most recent updates.

Pacing beside the large lake of Voss-ka, the mountains in front which surrounded the Silver Temple in the far distance, it reminded him of the lake where Syala and Connor first forged their bond as Master and Apprentice. She wouldn’t even recognise him now. The stars above were out in full force, blanketing the dark sky and the lights from settlements and the town dotted around the landscape, and the glow from the Temple could be seen far ahead.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Music

War is hell. Unlike some others, Keira didn't need any reminder of that one fact, as she had experienced it time and time again with little recompense. It was nothing new to her, far from an anomaly and in fact something she considered familiar, reminiscent of an old friend. If there was one constant in her life, it would be the near constant opportunity to exercise her far more deadly talents. That didn’t, of course, mean she had to find enjoyment in it, though there was a certain revelation for it she held carefully guarded. Perhaps it was that which ultimately led to her eventual fall to the dark, not once, but twice now. That nigh intoxicating malevolent facet of the Force was something she had never been able to completely shrug from her being, and it seemed that was to never be the case. Not so long as she still drew breath, at the very least.

And maybe that was why she always found herself on the forefront of this or that conflict. Maybe there was a base need for her to sustain herself through combat that inevitably resurfaced no matter what she did to quell it. It would certainly explain a number of wrong turns she had taken at some point or another, and help rationalize her willing acceptance of being put in command of an army millions strong, one comprised entirely of clones and so eerily reminiscent to that which had ushered forth the utter downfall of democracy an era previous. There was no denying that she bore resemblance to the one that had been placed at the head of that originally corrupt military, and maybe that had been a sign of what was to come all along. Unfortunately most had forgotten the implications of what that history held for them, and were so doomed to repeat it.

It had begun just as simply as the first had, with a takeover of the Senate that hadn’t gone quite as smoothly as had been planned. Her involvement in the political side of things had been very minimal, and she had only been called to contain what insurgents had risen up. It was when the more militaristic facet shone through, more specifically the execution of the Imperials on the Republic capital, that she had come forth as nothing more than a symbol, remaining at the right hand of the Prime Minister throughout the entire ordeal. Then, as they always did, the Sith struck at the heart of that now corrupt and possibly irredeemable government, attacking Chazwa. So she had rallied with her troops, lashing out against the invaders on the front lines, refusing to back down until her adversaries did first.

Eventually the fight had ended, though she couldn't tell whether she was grateful or not to be out of the fire for the time being. On the one hand, combat helped keep her head at least marginally clear, but on the other she would have much rather not been left alone with nothing but the aftereffects of the fight to keep her company. Her armor and helmet still suffered their respective damages from the battle she had weathered, though the former was on its way to repairing itself thanks to the properties of the metal it was comprised of. Now that same shellshock that always accompanied her after any sort of prolonged clash still took its toll, and she was in some kind of semi-meditative state as she landed on Voss to reconvene with a man she had met with numerous times before. This should have been a return to what was familiar, but she knew nothing would ever be the same.

Once she arrived on-planet she had immediately honed in on his presence, drinking it in for all that it was while allowing hers to be felt in return, cautiously released a fraction of her hold on that bruised aura she possessed. Her breath shuddered slightly as she set foot on the surface, though quickly enough she was returned to that same apathy she had worn so well in previous years. She and her men had nearly brought the Republic to their knees. That was enough to instill confidence in just about anyone. Silently she walked by the lakeside, taking in that natural beauty for all that it was, only able to recall the ruins that had been made of Chazwa, the innocent lives that had been lost in vain. Then Connor came into sight and she paused, taking a few more steps forward so they were within speaking distance, uttering the single word that had bridged the gap between them during their very first meeting. "Jedi." Even for the armor and helmet she wore, he would know her just as she knew him.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SsWebgNH5E&index=19&list=RDmSQ3BJVMfAI

There was the Smuggler.

Above it; Krayt Dragon.

Turning 180, a little lower in your vision, you'd see Opal Fauna.

Connor smiled softly at the clear constellations in the stars above. He'd sit for hours on the Silver Temple balconies, watching the ships come and go at night and looking to the heavens. Such a peaceful night, and there was no change to what it looked like 10 years ago. While it looked liked the galaxy hadn't changed, Connor knew it had, and partly for the better and partly for the worse.

Giving himself a contented smile, he blinked a little and returned his gaze down to the calm river, hearing the ship before it landed. His blue eyes flicked up to see the small dot fly over and begin it's descent. She never let him down, that much he could count on. So, he stood and waited, watching the ripples in the blue water and drew in the Force around him to find that connection with the planet he would call home - it was time to find that symbiotic relationship with the Force once more.

Keira Ticon was on the planet, and her presence slowly took the smile from the corner of his lips. Turning his head slightly, as if she were behind him, he felt that tortured aura, but...somehow more confident and...aggressive? While she had never been gentle in her ways, she knew what she was doing - apparently - and she had survived this far. Besides, he was looking forward to seeing her again. It had been too long, and she was one who could fill him in on the nonsense with the Republic.

She came into view, and his eyebrow arched a little. Armoured and masked. It was a distinguished sight, and little out of character. Still, always one for a dramatic entrance, even with her one word greeting. The word was cold, and that wasn't like her.

"Keira."

He lowered his head and slowly took her in.

"You don't need the mask with me. You don't need to hide what you are, remember."

There was a spike in the Force, and he didn't like it.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Quieter music. Sort of.

He didn't quite trust her, and she didn't quite trust him. They were back to square one in the worst of ways, and somehow Keira couldn't make herself care exactly as much as she was supposed to, or much at all. That web of understanding was tentatively attempting to traverse the crevasse between them, but she knew in the seconds after he spoke that there was no trust there. It may have been grasped within uncertain hands, but it was quickly slipping through the cracks and fading fast. And, strangely enough, she was okay with that while at once despising it as well. This was supposed to be her one haven of belong, one island of familiarity in an ocean of unknowing. But then, after all that had happened, nothing was really familiar anymore. There was nowhere for someone like her to find sanctuary. Not within Jedi space.

"You don't need the mask with me." Didn't she, though? More to the point, even if she removed it, wouldn't there still be one underneath? After all, he wore one of his own, just as metaphorical as the second she hid beneath. There really wasn't any sense in removing the apparatus, and so she let it remain, perhaps out of defiance, perhaps because she didn't see the need. Besides, she was better now for all of this, better and yet more fractured and broken down than she had ever been, though there was a confidence burgeoning within her that hadn't seen itself fit to emerge until recently. Because now she was in control of her own power, her own ability, and what had happened within the Republic had only demonstrated that. Maybe it wasn't the right thing now, but it had been in the moment, and that was all that mattered. The moment.

"You've felt it." A statement rather than a question, an indication that something was wrong if she had ever given one. What she referred to was the alteration within her own presence, and to some degree the stirrings within the Republic as well. That much turmoil and chaos was bound to cause ripples in the ethereal that echoed out across the span of the known galaxy. It did, she knew. The conflict had been noticed by all manner of galactic inhabitants, many responding with war in turn, others simply moving on. He hadn't been one of the latter. No, if she still knew Connor at all, he had known something was deeply wrong from the beginning. And now that they were face-to-face, everything had only been confirmed. It was only a matter of time before even this simple meeting spiraled entirely out of control.

Reaching up she unclasped the necessary fasteners that sealed the helmet to her armor, pulling it off her head and shaking out her hair, allowing it to fall to the ground with a dull thud. With that came the reveal of her new allegiance in the form of amber eyes and a bruising about them beneath the skin from nothing more than that corruption. Though maybe it didn't count as such a new turn of events, given that she had been in this position once before, though arguably less deeply entrenched in this volatility. This time she had a feeling there wouldn't be such an equal opportunity given if she were to turn her back on this self-destruction. But, just as before, she didn't quite care. "You know what's happened." Her voice almost seemed quieter without the modulation afforded by the helmet. "What I've done." The damning words.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The aura was nothing but pure Ticon; angry, confident and hurting. Connor knew her well, but still didn’t really KNOW her, which was sad, because he wanted to. They had tried, but everything else had gotten in the way. Miles from here, a lifetime ago it seemed, they walked almost carefree across a field with nothing but respect – just – and interest – slightly – for each other. Now, Connor had changed, and so had she.

The mask distorted her voice, and it signalled her resignation to the darkness. She was hiding behind this mask, conveying something she knew her true face couldn’t. And of course he had felt it. The second she came to him, he knew she had been involved in the chaos surrounding the Republic. Maybe he knew all along she’d have been involved, her and that damn army foolishly under her command.

When she finally removed the cumbersome helmet and it dropped with a thud, he walked over to her with purpose but not exactly brimming with aggression. She wouldn’t hurt him. Well, she could try, but she wouldn’t kill him. He was safe.

Was he?

"I know enough, and that’s all I need."

Her face bore the marks of war – internally and externally – with the bruised flesh, sickly amber eyes. The armour she wore was also decorated with scorch marks and scrapes. She held it all rather well considering.

"Why can’t you find your place, Keira? What happened to you."

He wasn’t going to judge, and she knew he wasn’t because it had been clear from the start they understood eachother more than most would, but that wasn’t an excuse for the blurring of morals and actions. People had to define who or what they were eventually, and Connor thought he had done that himself, but Keira? He couldn’t tell. Hopefully there was still a chance to save her.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

For a moment all Keira did was look up at him, squinting her eyes in the way that signaled she was taking him in for all that he was and attempting to discern his private thoughts and motivations. It was also a gesture that meant she was considering whether or not he was to be kept as an ally, one he would find familiar from their time spent together below the Silver Temple, when she had still been confined to the cells there. This scenario wasn't too far off, as she wasn't entirely free on this planet, nor wholly welcomed by any of its inhabitants after what had happened. "You shouldn't assume. Assumptions have been the death of many good people. Sometimes knowing enough doesn't suffice." Knowledge was fickle and subject to change, as the truth was rarely ever set in stone. She was picky about things like that, though never incessantly so. After all, she wasn't the scholarly sort.

With a nod of her head she motioned for him to follow her as she began to walk in a path that would take them alongside the lake. It was to give her time to think and clear her head as much as it was to simply fill the tense silence that had burgeoned between them. There were things to explain that she wasn't quite sure how he would take, and she realized that some part of her did want his approval, if just to know she was doing the right thing. But she was aware enough to know that her recent actions had been very much the opposite of that, and so would gain no pardon. There were some things even the most morally grey individuals couldn't forgive, but maybe she was overreacting. "The Republic's in pieces. The Prime Minister attempted a takeover of the government by force, with the clone army at her back." A beat passed, and she smiled grimly. "As you can imagine, we lost."

What brief explanation she had afforded him lapsed into silence almost before it was complete, and she merely continued to walk. Not once did she avert her eyes or show any other signs of regret. While she was perfectly aware her actions were far from justifiable, she was able to rationalize them within her own twisted morality, almost to the point that what had become a familiar twinge of guilt in her stomach ceased entirely. Apathy was a funny thing, and it was something she had nearly honed perfectly, able to let that curtain fall whenever it was convenient for her. At this point it was nothing short of a natural defense mechanism, though as with all things it was beginning to wear down and fade into nothing after disregarding it for something close to a year. At one time she had been getting better. That was to be no longer.

"What do you think you know?" Suddenly she stopped, turning to stand in front of him almost challengingly, head cocked slightly to one side, almost having taken on that persona of predatory grace once more. But she stopped herself, knowing that he was, for the moment, tentatively a friend. "I know you've sensed what happened and heard even more. Everyone has. People like me are wanted dead by some and in custody by others. I imagine the Republic is looking for me right about now." They would be hard-pressed to find her, if she had any say in the matter, and her capture would be no easy feat either. She had always been good at making a difficult target. "I want you to tell me what you think you know about me, about this, about what's happened. Everything." Because you don't know near as much as you think.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor nodded in acceptance and walked with her, hands behind his back, head up, eyes down on the path they followed. The light from above and across the water reflected on the ground and lit their way, as well as the natural lighter evenings this time of year. Keira spoke, and Connor did nothing but listen. There was no point jumping in, stopping exclamation or laying down the moral code. He was beyond that – and he especially knew Keira wasn’t one to stop, accept his words and move on.

”Well, I’m sorry to hear that, for you and the Republic and everyone else involved. Governments change – the lies stay the same.”

Politics wasn’t his strong suit, and who knew what was happening behind closed doors. He had been out of the loop for a while and pieced what he could of the situation from explanations, news feeds and holo-recordings. Nothing solid enough for him to get definitive answer to the issues.

He found some comfort that neither seemed to be worried or afraid of the other, as much as others may have been fronting them, these two appeared to be the physical metaphor of both consciousness figures in their brains – Light and Dark. Good and bad. Confident and conflicted. But who was who to the other? Without one, would the other exist?

And then she was Keira again, confronting him face to face and stopping in their tracks. Connor didn’t need to avert her gaze or look away because he wasn’t intimidated or afraid of her, but mostly he wanted to show her he was one who had time for her, regardless of the aggression and the wounds and cuts on her faces and emotions.

”Keira,” he went to say one thing, but stopped. Where did he start with her question? He shook his head.

”I don’t know what is going on with the Republic. Behind the scenes, I don’t know. Do I care? Partly not because I can’t change anything, but partly so because I have friends at risk if something goes wrong. There’s nothing I can do or say about it right now that matters, because I am the least informed and not involved.”

In haled slowly, and exhaled slower, building up the void between them.

”You’ve lost your way again, Keira. It disappoints me. This, this isn’t you. You’ve done something that is beyond what you are and it doesn’t suit you. I don’t know what you want to prove with this, but to me, you’ve proven that you’re slipping further and further away. And that saddens me.”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

"Why do you even bother?" It was truly bewildering that he still cared about her, because Keira knew most people would have given up a long while ago, leaving her to whatever twisted and broken path she was to walk. That would have almost been easier, in the long run, to have him willingly shrug her off so she was able to do what needed to be done without the conscience of others weighing her down. Absently she let her mind wander for a moment to what it would be like to have the ability to accomplish any task and achieve any goal without worrying as to the consequences, but then decided that was a manner of living better suited to machine rather than man. If she was to retain any minuscule amount of her humanity, it would be through these periods of feeling the weight of all she had done wholly and purely. Suffering was required in order to survive.

Now it was him lecturing her instead of the other way around as was common, and where she would have typically lashed out had it not been Connor speaking to her she remained silent, though grudgingly so, biting her tongue to prevent from speaking out of turn. It wasn't like her to take any sort of discourse without this or that commentary on her own part, but for some reason just as unknown to her he was the exception. That was the beauty of their relationship, she realized. No matter what may have burdened them in their personal lives, they had nothing to fear from the other. Well, almost. Violent sparring matches weren't uncommon or unheard of, though in some strange manner they exemplified their way of demonstrating some of that compassion in a rather unorthodox manner. Strangely enough, it was how they learned from each other.

The fact that he was disappointed in her struck a deeper chord than she would openly let on, though such an effect was visible only in the subtle nuances of her expression. His opinion mattered, and she hated that it did, but she didn't want it any other way. They needed the other to keep tabs on just what they were doing with their ability, and to keep any shifts in alignment in check. She had confronted him months prior for much of the same reason, and now he was coming to her with many of the same concerns. This time, unlike the others before, she didn't have any clever excuses or reasons she had deluded herself with as to why she had done what she did with no real immediate remorse. Maybe there weren't anymore excuses to be had, or maybe she had just tired of maintaining that gap between others for so long.

"Do you want to know what happened? Because I'll tell you." For the briefest of seconds she paused as if to allow him to get a word in, but before long she continued, "It started with the Senate, not that I was overly involved in politics. The first real order made that I bothered following through with was presiding over the executions of Imperial prisoners on the capital." But she hadn't killed anyone then. That had to count for something. "We marched on the Jedi Enclave on Chazwa. Just like Order 66." Hauntingly so, in fact, and there were more similarities that could be drawn than she could imagine. "Then the Sith attacked, and we fought together, right alongside the Republic. Funny, that. None of them seemed to complain about the army when they were helping kill Sith on the battlefield." That had changed quickly. "Now I'm here."

His declaration of disappointment was regarded again with something of a more careful ear, and her brow furrowed slightly as if she was thinking, concentrating deeply. "And you know, I don't really give a chit." Liar. "Plenty of people have been disappointed in me lately. It's nothing new. I've heard that same story more times than I can count." The same frustration that always grew in her was rising, though she was doing her best to quell it before that storm struck relentlessly. "If you're so upset, then do something about it. I'm over being lectured and told that what I'm doing is wrong. I've figured it out by now. I've just learned not to care." But she did.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The key to Keira Ticon wasn't her war wounds. It wasn't her stance, or the steely resolve in her taught muscles, strong frame or hard jaw. No. The key to Keira Ticon was her eyes - looking into them would look into her fractures soul. Connor didn't look away when she stood before him, and the flicker in the irises was all he was looking for. Let her raise brows, smirk, disregard him or build a barrier - he was close, and he wasn't going to stop. This was as much a test for him as it was for her.

What she said troubled him. The galaxy was clear enough with good and evil, but when the lines became blurred and allies turned on allies who then turned on enemies, where did the line end? It was clear from the look in her eyes and the words she spoke that something else had been taken into account. Connor's hand started to tremble slightly, as if a great deal rested on this moment. He reached up with confidence and held her cheek, still looking at those eyes.

”You are a trigger, Keira. A trigger. You don't question the desire to wreak havoc on others in an attempt to become something you're never going to be. You think this is your answer, when it's nothing but them using you. Because you are the trigger that needs to be pulled - they think you're expendable.”

He shook his head and let his hand fall to her shoulder.

”I have seen what you want to be, and a leader of an insurrection isn't that.”

Connor stepped around and stood beside her, now facing the way they came.

”If you don't care about the disappointment people see in you Keira, why did you come here? You knew what I would say to you, how I would feel. I, more than anyone, know what you are feeling - what you are hoping to become. But it's not going to work. You've not decided your path, have you. You're still torn.”

He paused.

”I won't give up on you. If you want me to give up on you, you're going to have to kill me.”

A distant engine roared in the mountains as a trail of fire rocketed upwards from a freighter, which attracted his blue eyes upwards.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

There was a point Keira always reached, when the emotions within her built up to unbearable levels that would either collapse in on themselves or strike forcibly outwards in an attack that was just as dangerous to her as it was any nearby opponents. Restraint had never been her strong point, and she would always be one to lash out prematurely against any threat, whether perceived or true, as if some survival mechanism within her had somehow misfired. Between the two of them now lingered a strange sort of stalemate, and when he placed his hand on the side of her face - gently, always careful - and looked into her eyes, that aforementioned hardened gaze softened just a fraction in what some would call relent and fell to the ground beneath booted feet, seeming to have detected something of interest that resided anywhere other than his face.

What he said was true, and the both of them knew it. None of this was what she wanted or willed for herself, but she had learned early on to settle for what was the best or most logical choice. The clone army and her affiliation with that uprising within the Republic itself had been something she was good at; military life and the role of a soldier, a warrior, was something she was well-adapted to and at home with. It had seemed at first that this wouldn't amount to anything different, and it had been routine for a time, but that was tarnished as well once the plans were made clear. Still, she had risen to the challenge as was all too common, letting the conflict mold her into someone that was capable of not only her own survival but that of her men as well. One's own wishes were as powerful a force as any when it came to the end of things.

"Nobody's using me." That was true and false at once, a paradox if there ever was one. "I'm following the orders I need to in order to ensure those under my command live to see another day. Not all of us are going to survive this conflict, but they deserve what time they have left to simply live. War is the only thing they're ever going to know, but they have a family with each other as well, and I won't be the one to take that away from them." Funny, her acts in the name of a dangerous and misguided power were for the good of others, even if the niche they fell into was nothing more than the army she led. "They all deserve a life beyond this, and that's something they won't ever get. But I want them to be happy." There was no future for either herself or her men beyond war, or so it seemed, but they deserved survival, if that was the only thing she could help to ensure.

Eventually she looked back up at him, amber meeting cobalt unerringly. It wasn't an act of defiance but rather one indicative of the bond they shared, however frayed it was currently becoming. "You shouldn't care about me." The only warning she had ever given him and meant wholeheartedly, but she didn't imagine he would abide by it. Neither of them were really good at that sort of thing. "I'm not the kind of person you want to worry about. I'll end up hurting you." Maybe that was more of a selfish fear, or maybe she was just doing what she could to drive him away so that she wouldn't have to worry about his thoughts. "Don't you get it? None of this is going to end well for me, and I don't want to drag you down as well. That wouldn't be fair to either of us." Honesty of the brutal sort. It crossed her mind in that moment that she could really use a cigarette.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

With a narrowing of his eye and a slight twist of the head, Connor looked at Keira.

”So now you’re saying you care about the ones you lead and value the life they live to warrant doing all you’re doing?”

He knew she was telling the truth, but couldn’t understand if she was even listening to the words she was saying. Connor nodded slowly after her next outburst.

”Listen, I know that already you’ve admitted you care, which before you’d be quick to deny you do about anyone you lead into battle, claiming they are but tools of war, blah blah blah. The fact you care about them needs to transfer to the amount of care you show yourself. Because you DO care what happens to you. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t.”

Looking ahead, he nodded with his head for her to follow as he started back the way they came, the night lights leading the way beside the lake. Maybe he should push her in to cool off.

”I once thought you like, remember. Don’t care about me. I’m not worth it. I’m more pain than it’s worth,” he glanced over to her, ”but I’m still here aren’t I? Because people did care about me. They did push me. And this is what you get.”

Looking at her again, Connor took in her wounds, and her frame. She was hurting, and – he pursed his lips gently.

”If you’re quite finished here, at least let me get you looked over. You need to get yourself cleaned up and checked out.”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

"I'm not doing anything, not really. Just following orders. Because if I don't, then we all die." Her retort was fired back almost without thinking. That was the excuse everybody used to rationalize their actions, and she knew full well how petty and insubstantial it sounded. No matter how viable of a response it really was it still sounded petty to her own ears, especially so. It wasn't any way to make what she did right, and there would never be a justification for it all, but Keira couldn't ever really imagine feeling wholly bad for what she had done either. The Republic had always been weak, after all, as had the Jedi. A reform was necessary in order to ensure their survival. "I was doing what I had to so they would live, even if that might seem counterproductive." Which it was, really. But actively contributing to something felt better than simply standing by.

She shook her head. "I don't know if I'm here because I care about myself, or because I want to be better for those I lead. It feels like both and neither." Or maybe she was just going through the motions at this point, doing what had been natural in the past in order to sustain some lasting sense of normality. That wouldn't have been too unusual, as any kind of stability had been severely lacking in her life as of late. "I guess I'm here because some part of me still cares about all of this." Here she gestured about her, referencing the galaxy as a whole rather than just the planet she stood on. "I don't think I really care about myself, but I care enough about others to want to." Did that make sense? Likely not, but oftentimes your own thoughts were there solely for your own interpretation. In that light, it didn't really matter how anyone else viewed them.

"You never told me why." And she would keep pressing the issue until she received a satisfactory response. Determination was half the battle, after all. "When we first met you decided right away that I wasn't worth your time. But by the second time you'd decided to make it your own personal mission to save me. And I want to know why." His change of heart had been abrupt and unexpected, much like her switching of loyalties and alignment tended to be in return. Perhaps in that sense they were meant for each other, a tumultuous pair that never quite knew where they belonged and would always question themselves regardless of how well they fit in. Or maybe they were too alike to ever get along for an extended period of time. "You owe me that much, I think, Connor Harrison." But that wasn't really true - it was she who owed him, for quite literally saving her life.

Momentarily she considered herself and her current physical state. There was no doubt some still unresolved physical trauma courtesy of Chazwa that hadn't been resolved afterwards, though her broken arm had been mended. It wasn't as if she was in tiptop shape, but she wasn't as bad as she had been, and that was enough. Still, if he was offering medical attention she wouldn't decline. It was always better to be safe rather than regret it later. And so she followed him obediently to the medbay, this beginning to be reminiscent of their last encounter, where a violent sparring match had ensued shortly after the first words had been exchanged. The both of them had wound up needing to be bandaged after that incident, but they were better for it. Mostly.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Listening to her, Connor didn’t feel this was Keira talking – she wasn’t one to suddenly grow a conscious and care for a greater good, let alone many lives she had no emotional investment in. Degrading herself, that was more Keira, but the two emotions didn’t quite sit right for Connor.

The Temple was always in view where Connor had been by the lake, and now the pair were walking to the large building with no real urgency in their steps once more. He knew that the pair now were known in the Temple together; Connor returning recently with his new look, and Keira always on his arm looking worse for wear. No trouble had ever come from the two together, so there was no need to keep them separated on Sanctum grounds.

”Well, to answer your question, I can’t explain it completely as much as I can’t explain why twin sunsets are more beautiful than single ones. They just are. Personal choice of course. With you, I always understood you, regardless of what I said, I just did. Don’t forget I was a bit of a laser brain when we first met with something to prove to the galaxy.”

They rounded the trail to walk directly up and towards the Temple now, the warm lights guiding the way and welcoming them back to some sort of normality.

”Then, I started to try and prove something to myself – that people like you, like us, were good. That we could be saved from wasting away – that we could be something of worth. We’re still here, aren’t we? We’re not dead, yet, but we are still here. So that means I am partly right.”

He took them down into the bowels of the Temple towards the medbays, neither needed to second-think where they were going after previously spending a lot of time there together.

”Listen, you half-wit, accept the fact I think a great deal of you because I think we are bound to each other in a way nobody else can be. Fathers, sisters, mothers, sons – all that blood bond stuff is fine, but there is something else between us beyond that. I don’t know what, but you feel it too, or else you still wouldn’t be here.”

Med-droids were taking over the duty for the night, with only a couple of sentient staff walking around the medicinal white corridors. Connor showed her into a vacant booth and checked in with his identification to wait for a droid. He nodded to her outfit, the militaristic helmet under her arm still, reminding him of her new status.

”Clothes off and prepare for a once over. You know the drill.”

Connor turned and looked for some gauze, some antiseptic gel, bacta strips and, discreetly, blood vials.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

"You know, most people at least buy me dinner first." The comment was almost a given, and Keira couldn't help but flash a crooked grin in response to his no-nonsense demands. But it was something she was used to, at least, having had to abide by much of the same routine in the previous occasions the duo had found themselves here. It was something done almost without thinking, and she set her helmet to the side before beginning to methodically unclasp each armored plate from the bodysuit beneath, organizing them in much the same manner she would have had these been barracks rather than the medical bay of the Silver Jedi Temple on Voss. Military life really was starting to rub off on her.

When it came to the bodysuit she zipped out of it and folded it carefully before placing it on top of the armor itself. That left her in her sports bra and underwear, displaying most every single scar visible on her form save for those still covered by her hair. Reaching up a hand she traced gently along the one he had given her that cut from the right side of her throat diagonally down towards her sternum, the once-burned flesh still rough beneath her fingertips, though the scarring wasn't quite as prominent as it had been. She took a moment to consider the various marks and contusions that war had left on her form, still able to nearly perfectly recall each fight that had left her this or that scar.

There were no injuries that would inflict permanent damage on her, so far as she could tell, though there was still quite the prominent bruising across her abdomen from the fall she had taken on Chazwa. The broken bones she had suffered were already healed, and any other major wounds had been tended to in due time. Blunt force trauma was likely another issue altogether, though she couldn't imagine the consequences amounting to anything more than a few day's rest. And she always managed to skirt by that somehow. For a short while she considered the black, blue and yellow scattered about herself, some still sore to the touch while others were in the late healing stages.

"We have a bond, I know that just as well as you do. When you left I felt it, and when you came back I did as well. I know we're connected in a way not many others can claim to be, even if I'm not sure what that means for either of us. But I know it gives us both a deeper understanding of what it means to exist as ourselves, and that makes it okay when nobody else understands us." At this point she was just rambling, unsure of what she was talking about but knowing that it made sense to the both of them, even if anyone looking in wouldn't quite grasp it. Maybe it was a good thing they only really managed to get on in such a manner with each other and nobody else.

Looking down at her bare feet for a moment, her brow furrowed slightly, and frown creased the corners of her mouth. "I care about you too, Connor, even if I'm not good at admitting it most times. I want us both to be better so we can maybe prove to everybody else that being broken doesn't mean we're entirely useless. That we can still fight for some kind of greater good while maintaining our same allegiances that are questionable to others. That being darksided doesn't mean that I and others are inherently bad people." It was a lesson every single Jedi and their ilk needed to learn. "Like I said, I do care. I'm just not good at telling you."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor smiled at her wry comment and collected the apparatus. While he was no doctor, he had treated enough wounds in his years both of his own and others – Keira also – to know some basic medicinal application. He turned to see her, and didn’t react to seeing her body. She was pretty in showing her vulnerability, and the wounds covering her skin only made her more human away from the imposing armour and snarky mouth.

It was a stark reminder to them both, and to her, that she was nothing more than flesh and blood.

”Sit back and lie down please.”

Connor stopped as the rolling droid came through, to which he explained the situation briefly and asked for a scan over her to check for internal injuries, broken bones and the usual Ticon traits. Walking to the other side of the high bed, he pulled the light down to make a start on her right side. The droid plugged itself into the terminal and began a routine scan and analysis of the patient.

”I know you care, Keira, which is why I care for you too.”

The spray was applied to her scabbed cuts, and the gauze plied with bacta to cover them to avoid any infection. With injuries like this cropping up, it would be a vicious cycle that would never heal unless he made a start.

”If you didn’t want to be part of the greater good, then you wouldn’t be here. That’s why I know you’re worth my time, because we both know how the other ticks,” he rubbed the gel on her arm, ”and that is what makes our bond special.”

He shifted to get a better grip on her arm.

”Ok you may feel a little prick.”

With that, he slipped the needle into the fleshy spot on her inner elbow to extract a small amount of crimson blood into vial. Glancing at her, she reacted, but as usual, seemed to hold it all in. When he was done, Connor side-lined the blood and patched her up. He looked at the droid as it beeped and whirred, and he nodded. Turning his head, he took his finger and gently ran it down her nasty looking scar that he had given her the last time they had met.

”At least you’ll never forget me. Willingly, anyway,” he said, smiling softly.

The droid beeped again, turning it’s readout on the display for the two, who turned their head at the fuss. Connor was about to explain what was going on, but he didn’t need to with the evidence right there in blue and white before their eyes.

”I was hoping I was imagining things, but I guess not.”

With a sigh, the Silver Jedi looked at Keira’s stomach, and then at the screen again. The two small heartbeats flickered for all to see inside her.

”Someone is going to be a mother.”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

For a moment Keira didn't react, merely studying the two lives pulsating on the monitor that seemed to defiantly declare their existence to the galaxy. Almost hesitantly she reached up a hand to rest it over where she now sensed those two heartbeats to reside within her, seeming to cradle the both of them carefully in that moment, willing them to be safe and remain so. A slow, peaceful smile spread across her lips, and she looked to Connor with a newfound blanket of peace having rooted itself somewhere inside her, a feeling that communicated that everything might just be okay and work out in the end after all. Because now she had something more to live for, two lives to preserve that were far more important than her own.

"I probably should have guessed." While she hadn't felt anything particularly different emerging recently, there were little signs to look back on that she now recognized for what they were. But no matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't make the word 'mother' synonymous with herself as an individual. There were a number of labels that had been attributed to her over the years, but that was one she couldn't rationalize. It encompassed more of a nurturing spirit than she had ever personally possessed, speaking to a maternal instinct that she had never once recognized within herself. But maybe this was the catalyst necessary to bring about that change.

Managing a quiet laugh she kept her gaze on the monitor, it cutting sideways to Connor momentarily. "I think you've seen me in just about every state I've been in at this point. Dark, grey, dark again, and now pregnant as well. That makes us closer than I've been to anyone in a long while." She could count the number of people she had let in past her walls on one hand and still have a reasonable amount of room left over. "Sometimes it seems all we need to do in order to make each other tick is hold a conversation." The statement was delivered wryly, but as always held some truth to it as well. "At least, that's how it's been in the past. It's how you got your ribs broken, and how I got this scar."

It seemed to dawn on her in that moment that this meant a restriction of her responsibilities in leading a military as well. "Means no more wars, I guess. No more fighting, killing, death." To one who found combat so intrinsically woven into her existence it was as if she had lost something vital to her being. "I don't want that for my kids. I don't want them to have to lead the life I have, always looking over their shoulder in fear of who might be attacking next, always having to worry about whether or not they'll survive the next battle. They deserve better than what I've had, and I'm just not sure I'll be able to give them that." As tough of an act as she put on, there were very real fears she held within her.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The droid was oblivious to everything between the two, and continued doing what droids did best – tinkering, beeping and moving around not getting in the way. Connor rubbed his fingers together slowly, arms folded, looking between both monitor and expectant mother. He noted a warmth to Keira’s face that he hadn’t seen in…a long time, maybe…ever?

She was convincing him she was incapable of loving or caring for anything, but now that shell had two cracks in it, and her real drive was starting to show.

”Let me be the first to say, regardless of how you may feel, congratulations.”

He had an urge to speak before thinking, but, thinking wasn’t always a good idea for Connor because it often watered down genuine good thoughts and ideas. He frowned slightly.

”I’m here to help, don’t worry, we can sort this and get all the help you need and we’ll see how far gone you are. What of the father?”

Now he expected one of two things – either he had been killed in conflict as she would go for the rough and ready type, or he was a face in the crowd and she didn’t know him from the next passer-by she seduced on a night of debauchery.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

"He's...around." That was the best way to describe the tumultuous relationship that never seemed to add up to much of anything other than a few sporadic meetups here and there. The two had never been consistently within each other's company for any extended period of time save one occasion, and even that hadn't lasted, as the man had left just as soon as it seemed to suit his needs. Only recently had they reconvened again, but that hadn't lasted long either. At the end of things they were just two broken people doing what they could to get by in the world. Funny that they would end up bringing their own children into the galaxy along the way as well. It would prove a test for them both.

For a moment she looked down at her lap, uncertain of how wise it would be to reveal just who the father was. But she had never shied away from much of anything in her life, and didn't fancy starting now. "His name's Slade Zambrano. One of Vornskr's - Kaine's - sons." She let those words hang in the air for a few seconds, as if waiting for his reaction. "Remember that gathering on Ziost, the guy I walked off to talk to after Kezeroth arrived? That's him. And that night wasn't the first time we've met, either. I've known him for a few years." Though she couldn't say for sure just how much she knew of him, as he was often just as guarded about himself as she had proven to be.

"We first met when the Ravens were still around. By that time we had made enemies with the Sith, and he came to me with information on his father that he wanted to sell. Second time was a lot of the same, except he decided to overdose on drugs and nearly kill himself. He ended up living with me for a few months after that, and I hadn't heard from him until that night on Ziost. I guess this makes all of that official, at this point." Not that she was really on the lookout for any relationship that even remotely fell under that sort of label. Things always had a way of finding her, however, and she would let this new wind of life carry her wherever it pleased, as she always did.

Something about this entire ordeal struck a wrong chord with her, and she knew it was due to how peaceful and at ease everyone seemed to be despite all that had happened. "You know, most people would already have me in a cell or at the very least a blade at my throat, pregnant or not. There are people in the Republic that want to see me on trial for what I've done. And even though I don't really regret any of it, I don't understand why you keep treating me as if nothing's happened. Anyone else would have had me halfway back to the Republic at this point. What makes you so different?" It was almost as if she was asking for some kind of punishment, though really she couldn't have cared less.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

There wasn’t a chance to offer some sympathetic frown, or look, or smile – when she spoke the name of the father, it resonated through Connor like a frag grenade. Vornskr. Kaine. The Jedi’s skin crawled, the raw flesh on his scar tingling with the jolt of nerves and adrenalin starting to pump through him.

He leaned his head back a little, looking up and away from Keira as she spoke, and he kept his jaw firm and eyes focused on the L.E.D lights above.

The man who had murdered his beloved Grandmaster, Iella E'ron and the man who had beaten, abused and tortured her daughter, Abaigeal. Now his vile seed had spread it’s talons through to Keira Ticon, someone he at least cared for and valued despite everything else. Connor’s heart started to beat harder as the thought of that bloodline continued turned his stomach. A monster who butchered Iella and ripped apart that girl’s mind had a son who now would have off-spring.

His blue eyes were hard as he brought his head to look at Keira, and it suddenly fell into place – the cocky man at the party on Ziost that she was rubbing up to while he spent time talking up to some hulking Sith chump. And she was still talking, and now she was asking again why he cared.

”I can take you to the Republic in chains if you want, or I knock the crap out of you for letting the son of…that beast get you pregnant. What do you want from me?”

He perched on the end of her bed, the monitor faded now with the scan gone.

”I don’t care what you did with the Republic, let them judge you for that. You came here for help and I gave it you. I’ve made a lot of mistakes but people have turned an eye to them to help me so I’m doing that for you. Nobody will look out for you except me it seems when you want me to.”

Connor shook his head and hit the bed with a fist.

”Dammit Kiera, why did you lay on your back for him? And two children? You do know he will not let you hide away or keep them from the darkness out there. He will get them one way or the other. His father will get them.”

He pursed his lips, fighting the urge not to snap at her.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

A lecture of this sort wasn't far from what Keira had been expecting, and so she sat through it with a grudging sort of silence, amber gaze steel to match his own. Things would have gone perhaps a touch more smoothly had he not known exactly what to say in order to get under her skin in the worst of ways. As it was she had to restrain herself from an immediately violent outburst. If looks could kill, however... "Shut your karking mouth. Just shut up." That was best for both of their safety. No other words were put forth, and she looked down at her hands for a moment, the cuts and scrapes there a reminder of who and what she fought for above all else. Now she had an impromptu family to add to that list as well.

"You know, it's funny, Connor. You're always talking about how you can't judge someone just by looking at them, but you go and condemn somebody just because of their last name. I guess what they say about the hypocrisy of the Jedi is true." That last sentence was a dig meant to get at him just as his words had done to her, no more and no less. Retaliation in its purest form, abiding by her philosophy that resembled an eye-for-an-eye point of view. It was only what was fair and just in her mind. "He's nothing like his father. I think you know me enough to be aware that he wouldn't have been worth my time if he was. He despises Kaine just as much, if not more than anyone."

Pushing herself up into a sitting position she swung her legs over the side of the examination table, reaching over to pick up the helmet that rested next to her, running a hand across its battle-scarred surface. That had been her sole identity for months, but now it seemed that had changed once again. Setting it back down she ran both hands through her hair, smoothing it down to a more manageable state. She was still sore, but it was nothing she hadn't dealt with before. "I'd like to see you try and lay a hand on me. Guess you could use a few more broken ribs." Another jab, just as potent as the one before it, her threats just as real as they had ever been. If he made a move she wouldn't be too far behind in returning the favor.

"Could you stop talking to me like I'm some puhin that pulls something this every time your back's turned? I know it might be hard for you to believe, but I am capable of loving another. Stop acting so surprised." No, she most certainly wasn't as callous and cold as seemed to be her common classification. Keeping every movement slow and methodical she stood, unfolding the bodysuit that went beneath her armor and stepping into it, pulling it on and zipping it up. Next came the individual plating that she strapped and clipped on where it belonged, and she laced up her boots, finally pulling on the lightly plated and jointed gloves, sealing them to the rest of the ensemble. With two turns of her head she cracked her neck, looking to him with a raised eyebrow. "Go on. Do your worst."

[member="Connor Harrison"]