The Dark Side. And the Light.

[Connor Harrison]

Sith Academy Ruins
Nar Shaddaa, Y'Toub System

​

Connor Harrison, so-called "respectful", "inspirational" and "brave" Master of the Silver Jedi Order, stood on the outskirts of the Sith Academy, now just ruins of what stood eons before on Nar Shaddaa.

The city, Ko Hentota, could be seen shimmering in the far distance with starships coming and going, people getting on with their usual life. Behind him in the distance was New Vertica. However he wasn't here for the liquor, entertainment or nightlife. He was here to think. Alone.

The Brotherhood of Darkness had created the academy to train assassins, intelligence agents and warriors of the Sith, all serving the Dark Side blinded by those above them. However, he knew of the Brotherhood - trained to use the Force as weapon rather than physical tools.

Connor sat on the lip of the small gorge that overlooked the might building, surrounded by small fires from those savaging the area and the moons above illuminating the land below. His greatcoat, ripped, burnt and ruined from battles that still haunted him covered his body with his thermal jumper and combat trousers also bearing marks that started to define him as a warrior; a servant of the Force.

However, right now, he was just Connor Harrison and he was lost in thought.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

There was really no reason for her to be on Nar Shaddaa to begin with, let alone near the remains of what once was the Sith Academy, a likely imposing building in its time. There was plenty enough work to be done on Antecedent, the capital world of the Red Ravens. But still she stood there, scrutinizing the building, still able to feel the dark side exuding from the ruins despite the edifice having long worn out its purpose. This was but a shadow of what it had been, a footnote in the long, twisting history that cumulated to become the Sith. Still, there was an archaic, intriguing beauty about it all that she couldn’t deny. It all hinted at unseen dangers lurking just beyond her sight.

Her own signature in the Force wasn’t nearly as dark or cloying, but it still emanated that faint toxicity that spoke of one aligned with the darkness, though not necessarily with the same zeal as one of the Order. It was of her own misfortune that she had fallen, but she wasn’t in any hurry to redeem herself in anyone’s eyes. This was her way of life now, etched into her countenance with the color of her eyes, once a hazel green but now tainted, smoldering amber, the only visible signs thus far of what most would have called corruption. To her it was just another change brought on by the unpredictability of life, though whether it was for better or worse remained to be seen.

After a moment she sat, cross-legged, reaching into the ether with her senses, immersing herself in what could be called peace. It was the closest she had come lately to any type of relaxation, and likely the closest she would ever get. As a member of a criminal syndicate, she wasn’t allowed to sample life’s luxuries as the inhabitants of the planet were likely doing in the cities that sprawled in the distance. Smoothing over her darker modification of the traditional Jedi wear she exhaled slowly, opening herself up to the Force and all those sensitive within the immediate area, her eyes slowly sliding shut as she, for the shortest of seconds, let her guard dissolve away into nothing.

This semblance of calm lasted only moments longer, as her senses touched on a nearby presence, one that stood out to her against the darkness that otherwise permeated her surroundings like a fog. It was light, but not so much so that she assumed them to belong to one of the peacekeeping sects at first glance. Distinct, but not necessarily in the worst of ways. Regardless, her eyes opened to regard the scene about her once more, and she couldn’t help the single word that passed through her mind. Jedi.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor leant on his elbows and closed his eyes. A dozen thoughts flowed through his mind as he was grateful to be on a world devoid of any major attention, but full of life to feed his connection to the Force and also be peaceful to enable him to focus.

I am not alone. There have been, there are, and there will be more just like me. However I can make a difference. There is no greatness in living a lie or being scared to speak about the truth you see and feel.

For a second, Connor opened his eyes and turned his head slightly to the right, someone else was around the ruins, and had found him. They were screaming out to him – a Force signature riddled with darkness. It wasn’t the Sith Lord Arcanix however – the one who had been on his mind for weeks now since his encounter with her on this very moon. What better place to return to think on one who had left more than a physical mark on him.

I feel you out there – a servant of the Dark Side.

Connor stood up and sighed; maybe this wasn’t as peaceful a place as he had hoped. Not all may be lost however. He reached out with the Force.

I am not a Jedi today. I am just me.

He glanced around slowly, looking around the rocky terrain for sign of life. They were close, but not in sight.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Not drawing back when his mind touched hers, Keira continued to study the aura that accompanied his words. It wasn’t quite so rooted in the light as those signatures that belonged to the Jedi she had encountered in other scenarios, specifically those engaged on Kashyyyk, and it harbored some understanding of the dark that most others didn’t possess. Whoever this stranger was, he certainly wasn’t the traditional warrior of the light that most expected when encountering someone similar. That spoke of some brush with the Sith a time or two ago, though the taint could have just as easily been due to his own fault. This was an interesting individual she’d come across rather accidentally.

Slowly she pushed herself to her feet, keeping attuned to the Force, anticipating some type of nearby attack, ever cautious. One could never be too careful, and her lifestyle didn’t afford her the chance to ever really adjust to any type of peace. Nine times out of ten situations such as this ended in blood, whether it was hers, her newfound adversary’s, or a combination of both. And she’d been caught by surprise enough times to know that it was always best to expect the worst before it had the chance to transpire.

Finally, after a moment of searching, she stretched her mind back across that link forged in mere seconds, touching once again on that strange presence that didn’t quite match hers. "Funny, because I’m not quite the typical darksider, either. Being a servant would imply my subservience. The Force is a tool to be manipulated by an individual, not the other way around." There was a pause, and she reminded herself that she hadn’t come to this place in order to discuss philosophy. As far as she was concerned, this man was far from friend, and would be treated as such. "What does one aligned with the light want with this place?" Well, that was a bit of a defensive statement, but she wasn’t in the mood for the most civil of discussions. This was intended to be a chance for her to get away, not be hurled into another confrontation.

One hand instinctively fell to the lightsaber always present at her side, and she flexed her free hand. She wasn’t exactly eagerly expecting any sort of engagement, but if it fell to it she intended to make the first move. "If we’re going to talk, I’d much rather do it face-to-face. This being concealed in the shadows doesn’t interest me."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

If you use the Force, you are a servant. Nothing you say will disguise that. It’s how you serve it that is most important.

Connor began to walk down the zig-zag incline of the rocky earth around him to reach the flat ground, where the old Academy stood in the distance. Even from coming down from the edge of the small crevice, the Academy was larger from below. It looked like a building that had been formed from the rock of the moon itself, rising up to prick the sky with its symbol of Dark Side authority.

Come to me.

It was time to trust his power – he was a Master, and it was time to act like one. If others couldn’t handle his power and control of the Force, they weren’t worth his time. The Dark Sider would be able to find him if they weren’t inept.

Connor stood before the ruins and looked up at the building that seemed to be formed of numerous cylindrical towers, much like a castle. However there would have been far greater buildings at the height of the Brotherhood – training grounds, catacombs and who knew what else.

A small sigh left his lips. He didn’t want company. He didn’t need it, not now. And certainly not from a Dark Sider. Dark blue eyes scanned the uneven ground around him; small cliffs, big caves and flat grassland that was more dead than alive.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

If their discussion was reminding her of anything thus far, it was exactly why she had left the Order in the first place. There wasn't any knowing what particular sect this new stranger belonged to, but enough had been gleaned from their seconds of conversing, if it could be called that, to give her an insight into how the rest of this would go. At the very least it likely wouldn't turn into a long-winded lecture on the nature of the Force and all the exact reasons not to use the Dark Side. Enough of that had been endured in what felt like another time, long before the events that led to her fall had transpired. This didn't need to turn into a reminder of a past that she didn't want or need to recall.

The final three words spoken through the link had so obviously beckoned her, though she didn't sense any malcontent behind them. That was the last thing expected from one like this. So Keira would abide by his request, navigating her way around the side of the building so that he came into sight, stopping in her progress when they were but meters from each other, remaining silent and instead studying him for a long moment. His appearance wasn’t that of your typical Jedi, then again, nor was his presence through the Force. There was something about him she could connect with, but that was just as easily countered by how firmly he was rooted in his servitude of the Order, she herself remaining unaffiliated in that regard.

The singular divide that separated them was their alignment through the Force, hers obvious in her appearance and his in the way he spoke. It wasn’t often she had a chance to interact with one essentially her polar opposite, at the very least in a non-combat scenario. If this was going to be any type of experience, it would certainly be an educational one. Whether or not it would end in violence was still questionable, but she wouldn’t instigate a conflict as long as he abided by the same albeit skewed moral policy. Her dark alignment was consequence of scenario rather than a conscious decision. She couldn’t imagine he would discriminate, however.

A slow, half-smile found its way to her lips, an edge to it that wasn’t quite all that friendly. “You never did answer my question.”

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The girl came into view and her troubled aura was evident; but Connor didn’t care for probing her with the Force right now. He was able to use his own perception of people to decide how they were. Physical stance, tone of voice, emotional tone to their voice; it all spoke so much more than people remembered when the Force was used instead of the natural animalistic sense.

She was very average – decorative beads, neutral clothing not akin to any Faction he was aware of, the hint of rebellion to her. The lightsaber hilt on her hip caught his eye first, again a tell-tale sign she was a Jedi or Sith. He leant towards Jedi. Fallen.

”That’s none of your concern. That’s my answer.”

He stepped over to her slowly, moving his burnt greatcoat to flash the saber hilt on his hip, mirroring her.

”Although, ask yourself why you are here, and maybe you will have an idea.”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

While his tone wasn't necessarily confrontational, it didn't brook any sign of mutual respect, and Keira wasn't about to return the favor. The subtle but nonetheless blatant display of the weapon at his side wasn't unnoticed, though she was unconcerned about it as a whole. Past experience told her that he wouldn't attack unless she did so first, if then. Still, she shifted her hand so that it didn't rest so close to the blade, knowing that was most probably putting him on edge, as it would any sensible person. There was no easy way to explain her paranoia, and so she left it at that.

Ignoring the feeling of his eyes on her, she instead turned her attention to the words spoken. There was no real, true purpose for her being at the Academy, as her choice for places of quiet were often the exact opposite, cantinas or something similar. The soothing effects of complete silence had been lost on her long ago, and it was nothing more than an irritance most times. Her trust of others had eroded as well, not being in its best state before all that had happened. That only made this all the more tumultuous.

"Touchy." A wry quirk of her lips accompanied that one word. "If you're looking for a good reason, I don't have one. This is a place for quiet. Peace. Meditation. Something I've found myself lacking in." Pausing for a moment, she let that lie. "It's a place to think, you know that just as well as I. With everyone trying to kill each other everywhere else, it helps to have somewhere to go to. I'd wager this is my first time to a place like this, however." Or her first time to any sort of formal academy in years. It was a sight to see, without the extra company.

"Your turn, I think." Tilting her head slightly to one side almost as if in curiosity, that same smile, though fainter, still remained on her lips. This was quite the character she'd happened upon rather accidentally.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor nodded, smacked his lips and gestured with his hands at the peaceful ruins around them both.

”There you go, you’ve just answered for me.”

He linked his hands behind his back and walked over some small rocks in a dis-jointed semi-circle around the youth, his focus on his balance and talking ever so casually. He wasn’t worried or afraid – she was strong in emotion, but nothing he hadn’t stood up to before.

”Everyone trying to better the other, everyone having more problems than the other, everyone fighting to be better than the other. Please. I’m bored of that, so coming here was a perfect place to get away from it all.”

But this place was more than just an escape for Connor, it was the start of a possible journey that would shape him to be the man he was meant to be.

”What’s your name?”

He came around to face the girl who looked eager for a fight, but also eager for company.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Maybe the two had just a bit more in common than Keira had first thought. It seemed they were both tired of a galaxy constantly in conflict, whether the battles occurring through each day were at a galactic scale or of the more personal sort. Fighting for what one believed in was certainly necessary at times, but like anything else there were always those that took things a bit too far. For the both of them this was a place of peace, but she could sense something more behind his words, lingering there unspoken.

There were two ways to answer his asking after her name: truthfully, or with an alias. She had nothing to fear from him, or at least nothing just yet, so for once in her life she would be honest with one who was nothing more than a complete stranger. “Keira Ticon. I can’t imagine you’ve heard of me, unless you’ve been paying careful attention to the criminal underworld as of late.” A pause. “How about yours?”

It was obvious by his stance and the way he spoke that he likely belonged to this or that splinter of the Jedi, but she wasn’t about to inquire after which. Neither of their allegiances were of any consequence, this time, though she couldn’t imagine his taking kindly to knowing that she primarily worked for a criminal syndicate, and had fought on the side of the Sith on numerous occasions.

“It’s awfully difficult not to become bored with the constant fighting. I might be a darksider, but I don’t feed off of conflict like the rest of them seem to. Fighting for a cause or what you believe in is one thing, and killing to prove a point is justified sometimes, but when it comes down to the wire not much will be solved by everyone being constantly at each other’s throats. Seeking true serenity is a just as foolish endeavor. Peace is a lie.” That was a reveal of just a bit more of her personal philosophy than she would have liked it to be, but if they were going to spend the next amount of time, however long it might have been, only talking, some amount of knowledge on the other's stance was necessary.

"I suppose you'll have something to counter that observation, Master Jedi."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor didn't reply at first, simply standing and watching her and letting her speak. Words seemed to flow from her without thinking, a few glimpses of her outlook on life evident in her tone and choice of words. Wasn't it part of the mandate to defend the galaxy from evil to now try and persuade the "Dark Sider" to come to the Light, or arrest them, or kill them?

”Connor Harrison - Master of the Silver Jedi Order. Connor will do fine.”

He really had to embrace his title one day; he didn't face death to earn it and then shrug it off.

”Forgive me but I've never heard of you, the criminal underworld is quite literally beneath me and I have more important things to do than take notice of your kind.”

Harsh, but true. He smiled and looked away.

"Harsh? Yes. True? Totally. But you speak words far wiser than a chancer working for the criminal underworld. Your Force aura is strong and wicked.”

Connor paused, and glanced to her with just his eyes, head facing away.

"You are strong with the Force, Keira, and yet you serve the Dark. Why.”

The lack of inquisition in his voice signalled this wasn't a question, more of a genuine want to know.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

That was a new one. Typically one of his title and presumed ability dismissed her as just another wayward Jedi that hadn't known any better at the time of her fall, and treated her as such for the entirety of their encounter. To have her thoughts and motives questioned was entirely new, and caught her off guard for just a moment. Her reason for turning was something better left unsaid unless it directly concerned those asking, and sometimes not even then. Revealing the specifics to even her closest of friends hadn't been an easy trial, and she wasn't in any hurry to relive the experience again. So he would get the paraphrased version, if that.

It was no secret to those close to her of what had transpired in the fringes of Unknown Space, but that was as far as the details would travel. It was with that justification that she wasn't entirely to blame for her fall, though she hadn't done much of anything to prevent it from happening either. "Because sometimes life doesn't give you a choice in the matter." Already she'd determined that arguing him on the servitude aspect would only turn their discussion in circles. "If you're expecting some elaborate story about how I was betrayed by those closest to me and that eventually drove me to this path, then I'd forget it. Although I was a Jedi once upon a time. What happened is something I'd rather not talk about." And she left it at that.

His dismissive tone when it came to 'her kind' as he'd put it, wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Most thought the same, and she couldn't exactly blame them. It took a certain kind to work in the business, and even then there were those that didn't see the sense in it but were in too deep to do much about getting out. She, however, wasn't one of those. What had started out as a way to become closer to family had turned into something entirely unexpected, and she'd forged bonds not found anywhere else.

"Since we're making observations now, I'm going to go ahead and say that there's something about your presence you don't often sense in your average Jedi. I wouldn't describe it as entirely dark, but there's a taint there. You had a brush just as close as I did, but you managed to come through still tethered to the light. I'd tell you I'm impressed, but I make a point not to lie to strangers. I don't put much stock into the so-called sides of the Force myself. It's the person that makes their ability, not the other way around." She shrugged. "It's always one side or the other, for everybody. Light or dark. Jedi or Sith. Good or evil. Question is, why not both?"

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

A small smile broke, and then a slight chuckle. It certainly was refreshing hearing the opinion and view of another being in the galaxy that wasn’t trying to coax him, manipulate him, dissuade him or patronise him.

When Keira spoke, she was skirting around points either out of being afraid or ashamed to admit them, which just made Connor find it all the more amusing as to why she wasn’t being open. He wasn’t here to judge, but granted they had been together minutes and either one could be a wonderfully brutal killer and behead the other in the flick of a wrist.

”Everyone has a choice, how pathetic.” A mere whisper, and maybe she could hear it, maybe not. Hopefully, she would.

Leaning forward, Connor picked up a couple of rocks and juggled them between his hands as she spoke again, and he listened to her psycho-analysis of him. It was interesting to hear because he had never been subjected to one before, even after everything he had been through. It was always people trying to bull him up and make him feel like he hadn’t made mistakes or fallen or been weak; he had, and he knew it, but no-one ever told him.

”Good question. Good question. And exactly why I am here – to try and answer that. Why not both indeed.”

He threw the rocks up and over at the Academy ruin, losing them both with a clunk of rock as they fell to the ground below.

”So you’re probing around my head are you? That’s a little forward of you considering we’ve just met,” he turned to her and pushed a finger to his temple. ”Go on. Look deeper. What else do you see. Be careful where you go in there, something is waiting to bite.”

It felt good to talk without caring who was scared by truth.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

The corners of her mouth tightened ever so slightly at the first sentence spoken, but she didn’t make any other indication of having been bothered by it. “Perhaps I should rephrase that. I found myself not caring enough to reverse it all. It’s a bit hard to fall when there’s nothing to fall to, wouldn’t you agree? Assuming we’re still operating on the basis that light and dark are indeed two sides of the same coin. I wouldn’t want to get too presumptuous, that would just be rude of me. Since the both of us are so concerned with common courtesy.” That last comment was made entirely in irony and dry humor.

Her fingers twitched nearly imperceptibly, and five small pebbles levitated from the ground, circling around her right hand slowly, their movement carefully calculated. This continued for a few moments, until she let them fall, regarding him calmly once more. His tone had become bolder, even mocking in a way, and it wasn’t hard to tell that whatever had transpire had affected him in the worst of ways. That was something she could entirely empathize with, though she didn’t do so actively. Feeling bad for him likely wouldn’t come at all, and it didn’t seem as if he was about to return any kindness. For better or worse they were using the other as an object to reflect their own thoughts and perceptions off of.

“I think you overestimate my own amount of care as to just what happened to you. What I told you I sensed. I’ve not been searching through your mind just yet. The best I can tell is that you had an encounter with this or that Sith that left you changed not just through the Force, but up here.” She tapped the side of her head as if to prove a point. “Believe it or not, I think we might have something in common in that regard. It turns out I’m not the most well-balanced either, but I don’t think either of us are in the position to split hairs.”

A shrug. “As for why it can’t be both, people are too stuck in their old ways of thinking. Nobody’s moved on from the old dogmatic ways of the Orders, and that goes for the Jedi and Sith. Those that have were either killed or exiled for thinking differently.” She smiled faintly. “Case in point, the Silver Jedi. It’s us holding ourselves back, nothing more, nothing less. All we have to do is see that to move on.”

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor walked around a little more and leaned back on a large boulder, one of a small collection that had come from the surrounding hills and settled at the base of the Academy over many years of erosion and war. The girl was far smarter than he gave credit for; sensible and reflective, rather than rash and naïve.

”You speak truth. I see the Force as a tool, and it can be used for one purpose; good. However, what is good? Like you said; a two-sided coin. On one side it’s Light and the other it’s Dark. But where does the line blur to give way to one or the other? Why do so many people try to dictate what side of the line we should stand on to dictate how we use the Force.”

The Jedi returned the little show with more pebbles, floating around his arm as he looked at her.

”And I use the Force; I don’t serve it. I trust in it, however, but trust in the path is takes me. And yes, I have had a few encounters in my time with the Sith that have left a few dents in my pride, but I consider it all education.”

He dropped the stones and paused for a moment.

”Still, I’m not here to see which of us has the most dramatic story or reason to be here. I couldn’t care less what you were here for, but again I trust the Force that has brought you to me for a reason. Do you ever wish you could turn back the clock and make the choices you’ve made again, but different?”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

“Everyone has those. If they say they don’t, they’re lying straight to your face. But yes, to answer your question, I can think of more than a few.” There were a number of things that Keira wished she could reverse in her life, and it was something she’d grown accustomed to. Most of them had to do with all that had caused her to turn, because, although she’d only encountered that side of herself a chance few times, there was a part of her that still sought out the light and regretted her fall. Of course, it measured up to just that, a small piece. A larger facet didn’t see anything wrong with the entirety of it all, and was content.

This was all becoming more of a lesson than she’d intended it to, but as a whole it wasn’t entirely as boring as all she’d had to sit through back in her time as a Jedi. This was more of a reflection of all she held inside of her rather than a gaining of new information. “You contradict yourself with that statement. Earlier you made it clear that any and all who use the Force serve it. And I would argue that the Force in and of itself doesn’t have any purpose. It discriminates against a sensitive just as much as it does one not attuned to it. it’s an energy field, not a conscious being. I’d say that it couldn’t care less what purpose we use it for. It just is.” To go deeper into such a thing was to delve into a sense of religiosity that she didn’t care for.

Taking a breath she slowly sat once more, legs crossed and hands resting in her lap, amber gaze still trained on the man in front of her. “It’s all an opinion, when you think about it. Everyone says that this thing is good but the other one is bad, and anyone that doesn’t think like them is wrong and some kind of evil. That goes for the Jedi, the Sith and everyone in between. I’m not claiming to be exempt from it, I’m just stating facts. No one’s really on the side of good, as you put it. We all just think we are. The same goes for you Jedi.” The narrow thinking she spoke of was one of the primary reasons she’d abandoned them.

“I’ve already told you my thoughts, so how is it you view me?” It was something she’d been vaguely curious about after hearing his retort, though it seemed that he agreed with some of what she had to say here and there. “You can’t cheat and sift through my thoughts, because I didn’t do that to you. I think you’d be able to tell if I did. Mentalist Force abilities aren’t my focus.”

Her head tilted slightly. “I think you’re smart enough to give it a shot.”

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

With a slight tut, he recoiled his back; contradiction was a horrible thing.

”Ok, well - yes we SERVE the Force as it gives us what we control, but we don't SERVE SERVE it in the way it should then dictate how we use it and why. I'm sounding like a psychotic, I know. I mean there is no clear way defined how to serve the Force, and so while I serve it, I do not serve it.”

Looking away for a second, wincing one eye, he frowned.

”Hm. Sounded better in my head. And I certainly do not defend that the Jedi are all good - I know some who are, they are less humane for it, which is a shame. There is a sacrifice people make to prove they are good, whatever good is, and in some ways that's not living; that's existing."

He looked back to Keira and smiled, tapping his fingers on his arms in relation to her last question.

”Now. Judging from you as you present yourself and not going into that spiders web of a brain, I can tell you've been tainted by the Dark Side and live by it. Your eyes, sickly amber, are not your own natural colour. You wear a lightsaber and wear a robe of the Jedi, so you're holding onto the past and not letting go, which means you're walking this path uncertain and alone. And your arm," he pointed, ”that's not your own either. A cybernetic replacement so you've certainly seen the horror of war."

Connor pursed his lips and waited.

”Am I close?"

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

"So we serve the Force, but we don't serve it. Yes, that makes perfect sense." A wry smile accompanied that remark, and Keira listened further to his explanation of the Jedi as a whole. Where most became defensive about the Order they called home he easily admitted their faults, the same ones she'd discovered herself and subsequently left them for. To have another willingly recognize them, especially given his standing in relation to her and what side he fought for, was something else entirely. "In contrast, the same goes for all of us that follow a darker path. There are those that do evil for nothing more than evil's sake, but you have those that are more balanced in the acts they commit." There was a better term for it, but she wasn't going to bother with semantics just yet.

Soon thereafter he continued with his assessment of her personality given nothing more than her appearance, something she waited patiently through with no visible emotion betraying her thoughts on all that he put forth. There were few points he was wrong on, especially given his pointing out about her walking this road alone. Certainly she had close friends that were there for her, but none of them quite understood it all, though she didn’t expect them to. Everyone experienced things differently, and all that she’d gone through was no exception. The fact that it was so easily visible, however, was another matter. “You certainly aren’t wrong about the majority of it. But I’m not sure how much I’m holding on to the past in some senses. Leaving the Jedi was a conscious choice, but turning was…another matter.” Pausing for a moment, she gathered her thoughts before continuing. “I’ve witnessed war firsthand, but that isn’t how I lost my arm. It’s a story for another time, but it’s safe to say that I can hold my own against a Gen’Dai.” To say the least.

Those amber eyes in question fell briefly to the ground in front of her as she quietly processed his accuracy on how all that had happened affected her. Time had passed since then, and a large amount at that, but still her memory refused to let go of these memories and instead stubbornly held fast. The psychological detriments weren’t easy to move past, but with time they gradually subsided until they were nothing more than background noise most days. There wasn’t much more she could ask for at this point, and it was preferable to living every moment reminded of it. Eventually it all became too much to think about, which was why she didn’t devote much time to it, if any at all. There were more important things to concern herself with than this.

“I left the Jedi because they were too passive, but my turn to the dark isn’t quite so easily explained. I’m sure if you dug deep enough,” She reached up to tap the side of her head with a finger, “You’d find something. But just like you said, there are some things locked away that I don’t think you want to witness.”

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

With a tiresome shrug, Connor brushed off what he was wrong about. He did hate being wrong, but even more when it was obvious.

”Well you’re complicated, I can see that, and I’m not going to waste my time prying in your mixed up little head to find answers I don’t really care for.”

He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, still looking at the girl in front of him.

”I’m here for reasons far greater than yours, and I’m not wasting any more of my time kicking around the scraps of why you turned from one side of the Force to the other, you don’t convince me you’re happy with your choices.”

He rubbed his hands together slowly and licked his bottom lip. Safe to say her attitude was more fiery than he expected, and if he would be cursed if his path on the Dark Side had ever brought him to a place like she was in now.

Turning his body as he pushed off the boulder, he stood face on, and allowed his greatcoat to fall beside him. Connor looked over at her.

”I tell you this – if I dug inside that head of yours, you’d wish I hadn’t. Not all Jedi are as passive as what you know, and it’s a shame that threw you off the path you may have flourished on.”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Returning his look with one just as level despite the dark clouds always surging behind her eyes, Keira pushed herself to her feet leisurely, unable to stop a small smile at his subtle but nonetheless present threat. The passivity of the Order wasn’t quite the only reason, but delving into the specifics of things once was enough for the moment. Attempting to suss out the exact details wasn’t in either of their interests, though a part of her was just a bit morbidly curious as to what would happen if this one was pushed too far. It wasn’t a goal she would strive for, but it proved to be a point of consideration.

Briefly her gaze strayed to the Temple behind him, once more beholding the ancient architecture before she once again turned her attention to the man. “’Far greater reasons’, and yet all you’ve done is talk to me the entire time. You say that this is a waste of your precious time, but you still haven’t walked away, and believe me, you’ve had plenty of chances. If I didn’t know better I’d say that maybe you’re not quite done with our discussion just yet.” She shrugged. “But I’ll let you be on your way, Master Jedi,” That title was uttered with just a bit of condescending, “It’s not my place to keep you, after all.”

A slow, nearly teasing half-smile crept across her face. “And really, I wouldn’t bother pretending to be all high and mighty. I think we both know that we could just as easily be in each other’s shoes. You’re one misstep away from falling, and I’m one step in the right direction from turning back to the light, or at least some semblance of it. I might not be the most well put together, but rest assured, neither are you. We’re on more of an equal footing than you’d like to admit, whether you’ll see it or not. Try to at least pretend to take that into consideration, and maybe you’ll finally see that we aren’t so different.” This observation was at least partly true, from all that she’d seen or otherwise sensed.

“And don’t try to act like you’re happy with your choice, either.”

[member="Connor Harrison"]