The Eye of the Hurricane (Connor Harrison)

[Callista Gseran]

[[Following the events chronicled in On This Joyous Day...]]

Frowning, Callista had watched him go. She wasn't sure if what she had said had touched a nerve, or something else. Needless to say, she shook her head and slipped out of the main hall. Once outside in the corridor, the noise level dropped considerably, and she sighed with relief. Sure, she liked meeting new people... but this was a bit much, even for her.

Letting out a soft sigh, she made her way down the hall. After a few moments, she spotted him. Slipping into a room of fthe corridor, she sank down onto one of the heavily cushioned chairs. It was.,, large, and it felt as if the chair was going to swallow her. Stifling a giggle, she hesitantly reached out in the Force. She truly hoped she wasn't imposing, and it made her nervous. She'd already karked up once socially, and she hoped to not do so again. She wasn't sure what drew her to Connor, but something did.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Just as expected, time to himself was rare amidst the gathering, but as the bride and groom had departed, it was now down to everyone else to continue the celebrations into the early hours. But Connor wasn’t in the mood – too much on his mind and the sooner he could slip away the better.

He felt the Jedi whom he spoke to following him, something he hoped would happen to give them chance to talk and he could find out what she wanted. She her Force aura faded, Connor turned to see she had gone, but it didn’t take long to find where. He passed a couple in the hall and made his way to the door the Jedi had gone in.

With it left open, seeing her sinking into the comfy cushioned chair, Connor smiled at knocked gently with his knuckles.

”A very pretty smile you have, Miss.”

He leant on the wooden door frame and folded his arms.

”I take it you wanted to be found, right?

[member="Callista Gseran"]

 

[Callista Gseran]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

At his words, she turned towards him and smiled hesitantly again. "Thank you..." she said softly. There were a few moments of silence between them as she considered his question. "Yes, I suppose I did..." she said after a moment. Sighing, she sat p a bit in the chair and absently smoothed her robes. Felt... different to wear them now. She wasn't she were Master Windspeaker had found the fabric to replicate the robes she had been wearing when she had been found drifting all those months ago. Whether Connor would recognize it as an older style or not, she left that up to his observations.

"I... wanted to apologize for how I approached you out there. It was... rude of me." Frowning slightly, she absently brushed a few strands of hair behind her left ear. "I've always been a bit of a risk-taker.. and sometimes, what I sense about people can... lead me to do rash things." Her cheeks pinked slightly in embarrassment. "I really didn't mean to intrude, or to impose on you. I just... felt the need to share with someone who I felt would understand.." As she said this, she sighed and looked down at her hands for a moment.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Why was it people who wanted to see him of late, or were drawn to him, always found the little ripples of a tormented past and hooked onto it. Without that in him and his Dark Side aura thanks to the Sith Magic, Connor wondered just how much he’d blend into the background of everyday society.

”It’s fine, please. I understand about taking risks. I’ve taken many.”

He cocked his head slightly as she went quiet, and he couldn’t decipher what she was hinting at, as she herself didn’t seem to be disturbed by anything; something was there however.

”You can call me Connor. Is there anything I can help with, do you want me to get someone, or talk?”

[member="Callista Gseran"]

 

[Callista Gseran]

A faint frown crossed her face then as she thought about it. In all honesty, what she'd shared with him in the grand hall barely even scratched the surface of her experiences. Her lips quirked slightly in amusement as she gave him a rather searching look. As much as both of them were trying to play things close to the vest as it were, she'd become skilled at reading people over the years. From him, she sensed faint ripples of pain, and if she focused harder, she might have been able to get a clearer read.

But for now, she chose not to intrude. That wasn't why she was here. If he wanted to share, she had the feeling he would. Taking a deep breath to calm herself and the sudden butterflies in her stomach, she looked up at him after a moment. "I... should have told you before; my name is Callista. Some people call me Cally... my friends, anyways." She frowned, realizing that she didn't have too many friends here. Maybe that would change.

Again, she was silent for several seconds as she tried to piece together what to say. It was.. a delicate subject as far as she was concerned. "I'd like to just talk, if that's alright.." she said softly, gesturing him towards a chair if he chose to sit. The story she was about to share could take a while. "I am... a Jedi Master affiliated with the Levantine Sanctum. I am a Healer.... but I have other skills. I can read objects to get an impression of those which held them... and I can conceal myself in the Force if I wish to."

"My association with the Jedi of the Levantine Sanctum is more of necessity than much else, though I find that I identify with their outlook." She hesitated a moment. "And that... is because my ship was found drifting on the edge of Levantine territiory." She could feel her stomach knotting itself with nervousness as she prepared to relate the next part. "I was not always part of the Levantines...nor did I know who they were till a few months ago.." She watched, a slight smile tugging at the corner of her mouth as she watched Connor's face.

"The Jedi Order I come from... was based on a planet called Cataan. It was not the planet I grew up on, but it was the planet I called home for a great many years. At least until.... I ended up here. I still haven't quite figured out how, either. My ship was found... by [member="Masamune Tametomo"], if I recall correctly. He brought me into Levantine Space, and I've been here ever since.."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Seating himself on the sofa opposite Callista, the Silver Jedi linked his fingers and leant them on his chin as she talked. Hearing of the Levantine Sanctum, something he knew linked with Thurion, it passed him by as nothing major, nor her use of the Force. That was all well and good. There was something she was hiding behind the pretty smile and glossy eyes. She sounded lost amongst the Force she had been brought up in.

At the mention of her home world, Connor tapped his fingers and looked up out of the frosty window into the white skies.

”Cataan. Cataan. I can’t say I’ve heard of that, what system is it in? And, before you go on, you’re never really alone out there if that’s what you feel. Don’t put up a mask to try and hide yourself, because masks fall in time.”

He gave a solemn smile, wanting her to explain more.

[member="Callista Gseran"]

 

[Callista Gseran]

She smiled slightly at his light admonishment and leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees as she thought how to continue. "it's..." she frowned. "I honestly don't recall." Frowning slightly, she drew a small holoprojector from a hidden pocket of her robe and held it between them. It was the same one she'd showed Masamune months ago, it seemed. With a touch of her finger, it flared to life, and the Expansion Region swelled until the southern part of it glowed between them. On the displayed section, she drew a triangle from Moorja to Kinyen to Vandlhelm. "Cataan is here, in the middle." On her map, the marker was there, but she knew on his, it wouldn't be. "It won't be on any map you have, I know this." She looked at him intently, waiting for him to catch up mentally before she dropped the other shoe... or until he figured it out on his own.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Stephanie Swail]

_ignore_

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor edged forward and looked at the projection of the Expansion Region, and he smiled. He loved displays like this. He flicked his eyes between the projection and Callista as she spoke.

A slight frown crossed his face, looking at nothing, on the map, of a planet he hadn’t heard of. He brought his eyes to her through the projection.

”Are you saying your planet doesn’t exist or something?”

He turned away a little, curious and confused.

”What are you?”

[member="Callista Gseran"]

 

[Callista Gseran]

The seconds seemed to pass like minutes as she sat there watching him wrestling with the information she'd laid out. Force knew she was having a hard enough time with it herself. The fingers of her left hand which gripped the projector were tense, and the knuckles had whitened. She took a deep slow breath, and after several indeterminate seconds, reached out to lay her cool fingers of her other hand over his.

"Yes... no..." she frowned. "As I said, the planet of which I speak is not one which I was born on, simply that which I have called home for the last several years. At least until the past few months anyways." She sighed, and took a deep breath as she lifted her gaze and caught his with her own. "This planet does not exist here, in this galaxy... But it does.... in mine..." To his final breathless question, she merely shrugged. "I am a Jedi, much as you are. However..." And here she paused. "I am a woman not of this time period.... Or this galaxy...." There, she'd said it. With that, she sat back slightly, but left her fingers over his, if only in an attempt to offer a bit of grounding.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Not flinching at her cool touch, Connor looked through the projection as she slowly told her secret. As she it down, a small smile broke over his lips.

”You’re from another galaxy?”

He looked away, a little taken aback, still confused and puzzled. He returned to look at her.

”Well you’re not a Vong, so that’s good. What galaxy are you from, and who else kn– hang on, when you said I could understand, I don’t know if I can comprehend being from another…”

He sat back and shook his head, tapping his fingers on his chin, his other hand still under hers.

”Where are you from, and who knows about this?”

[member="Callista Gseran"]

 

[Callista Gseran]

Her eyes wide, she merely nodded for a moment. "I am, yes. Still trying to wrap my head around it as well. It's.." she frowned again. "Not something I ever expected to happen, surely. I was travelling across the galaxy in search of various centers of knowledge. Given that it was such a long journey, I had taken to going into a hibernation trance between destinations. otherwise, the travel gets rather boring."

At this, she actually grinned slightly. "Not too many know, actually. Maybe three or four people. It's not something I really want to be common knowledge." She sighed then and absently brushed a few strands of hair behind her left ear after setting down the projector. "Of course I'm not Vong..!" she protested lightly, and actually laughed - the sound light; although there was a trace of nervousness in it as well.

"As I said before, not many. As to where.....the galaxy I come from is much like this one.... the only astronomical differences I can find are a few planets from my galaxy aren't found here.... and well.." she paused. "There's the little fact that... where I come from, it's only been about 90 years since the original Battle of Yavin.... here, it's been 800 years.." At this, she paled slightly, and looked away.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Feeling a burn in the side of his temple that wasn’t anything to do with the Sith Magic, he rubbed his fingers on it and closed his eyes.

”Right, wait…so your over 800 years old…here? This is intolerable.”

He stopped and collected his thoughts, tapping his head and rubbing his face after trying to comprehend what this Jedi had said.

”So there’s a worm hole somewhere in the galaxy you’re saying that could lead to another? Where you are from? This is crazy – so you’ve adapted and you’re here now, but that means the Force is active in other galaxies than our own, right? Did you have anything like we have here?”

Like a child eager to learn more about a big secret, he sat forward and rested his hands on his knees.

”Why did you tell me? Am I from your galaxy too or something?”

That could explain…the Rhen Var blackout perhaps? Or just maybe he was letting his imagination get carried away.

[member="Callista Gseran"]

 

[Callista Gseran]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

She stayed quiet for a moment as she watched him try and assimilate what she'd just told him. Force knows it was a lot of information to try and make sense of. Personally, she was still trying to sort it out, herself. "Well, technically, I am, I suppose.." she said softly, nervously twisting her fingers into a knot in her lap for a few moments. "Though, I'm really only thirty..." she finished, blushing.

"A wormhole? Maybe. I was kind of viewing it more as a bridge. Though a wormhole would make more sense, given the jump forward in time, I suppose. I'm not really an expert on wormhole physics," she said lightly, though her cheeks were flushed with both nervousness and excitement. His next question caused her to laugh softly. The sound belied her nervousness. "Are you? I really have no way to tell, to be honest."

She paused. "I don't know why.... just a feeling I had. A sense I got from you in the Force." She looked away briefly, as if trying to compose herself. "Sometimes, my empathic senses get the better of me. A side effect of being alone for so long in my travels." She blushed again. "I suppose that perhaps I'm being a bit too... forward.." she said after a moment's consideration. "If I am, please forgive me. I did not mean to intrude upon your privacy."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Leaning into the cup formed in his hand, fingers and palm supporting his chin, Connor looked at Callista throughout her speech. She was nervous, blushing and not making eye-contact. Her aura was inward and not confident, and her hands moved more across her lap as if trying to find something to hold or touch for comfort.

Every statement ended on a near negative; a dismissal or apology, which was interesting.

”You’re not being forward, at all. It’s fine, really. Take your time.”

If anything, he needed time to wrap his head around this surreal turn of the wedding events moments after sitting and eating with a bride and groom on a planet born from ice.

”Fate works in mysterious ways, I can confirm that.”

Looking at her, the Silver Jedi tapped his fingers a little as if trying to find the right words.

”Ok – look, this is a big thing to take in and, in all due respect, there IS no evidence of this and you could be simply…fabricating things, not that I’m saying you are, ok? I’m just explaining that you shouldn’t worry too much about explaining yourself. I believe you. You’re not hiding anything that much is clear.”

He lowered his hands and laced his fingers, resting on his knees.

”Question you need to ask now, is what do you want going forward – and still, how can I help you? That bit I’m curious on how you came to me.”

[member="Callista Gseran"]

 

[Callista Gseran]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

She was quiet as he spoke, really trying to sort out the why of it. And, while she was being honest, she wasn't really being, direct, either. At that realization, she sighed softly. "I.... don't know what I want. Mostly, I'm trying to understand it myself." She frowned, and reached over to lay her fingers over his for a moment. "I... suppose what I want is to try and find out why I'm here in this galaxy... And how I can help."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Looking at her hand, Connor formed a half-smile and glanced up at her.

”Ok. You don’t need to explain yourself to me – I’ll give you my contact details if you ever want to talk again.”

He shifted over from the seat he was on to slide in beside the Jedi on the sofa she was on. Looking up at the door, his attention was distracted for a moment by more loud music and cheers from outside in the royal grounds. He chuckled.

”Seems the party is still going on out there.”

Connor looked at their hands and chewed his bottom lip in thought for a moment.

”Well – ok, your place here is as much the same as mine. It’s what you want it to be. You have the same abilities and outlooks as millions more, but yet you can make a different with your actions – I mean, I myself am with a cell of the Jedi; the Silver Jedi Order on the planet Voss. You can come there with me if you wanted to start a new, or you can continued as you are now but know you’re no different to anyone else – we are all different, which is what, pardon the cliché, makes us the same.”

He gently patted her hand with his, keeping hers between both of his.

”If you want to fight darkness, you can help. But you need to find yourself and be happy and content. Even if you don’t truly agree with the Jedi and your path lies on the other side…I understand, and you will help them instead.”

[member="Callista Gseran"]

 

[Callista Gseran]

There were several moments of silence which lingered between them as she mulled over his words. Sure, she was still nervous. Feth... who wouldn't be after laying her past - and how she came to be here down in front of someone she hardly knew. And yet, she couldn't deny that something had drawn her here... to him. She still wasn't sure exactly why, either. Maybe he was meant to help her discover something... or she to help him with something. She couldn't decipher which. At least not yet. it was strange that the Force had brought her through time, and halfway across the galaxy for this... but stranger things had happened.

"What... I want... is to make a difference. I'm a Healer by skill and training.. and I've had a few opportunities to help since I came to be here. And, from the looks of things.... I might be needed for quite some time." She frowned slightly, thinking about what she knew of the Event known as the Great Disappearance. It wasn't much. Mostly information she'd gleaned from various reports. But, the overall situation in the galaxy was.. unstable at best. "I... confess... I'm not at all well versed on the various other Jedi orders. And... I don't really see myself on the other.. side..." she reassured him softly. "I've walked in the Darkness... and it's not for me. "

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor nodded, listening, and gently patted her hand as a cheer went up again outside the room.

”You don’t sound confident in what you want to be. What do you WANT to be. Don’t tell me who you are, but tell me who you want to be known as and where you affiliation lies. That way, maybe I can help you find the way forward.”

She sounded a little more like him in his younger years with each passing moment, which could be seen as a good thing, or a dangerous thing.

[member="Callista Gseran"]

 

[Callista Gseran]

A long few moments of silence passed between them as she tried to really wrap her mind around his questions. It wasn't easy. Especially because she was still trying to sort out what her exact purpose was in this galaxy. Maybe that's what he meant. She looked down at their overlapped hands, chewing on her lower lip in thought. There was another few seconds of silence until she spoke again.

"Connor....where I come from.... we have been embroiled in an endless war with the Sith. And... they have many allies. Most notably, members of what you might know as Death Watch. They, from all appearances, had been working with the Sith for quite some time." She sighed softly. "I know... that death is a fact of life.... but it still hits hard." Frowning, she looked up at him. "I lost my husband in that war... and a very good friend of mine lost her father to a vendetta held by Death Watch from years past."

She took a moment to close her eyes as she tried to breathe out her sorrow. Even so, it rippled faintly between them. "I guess.. what I'm saying is this: Sure, I can fight... But I don't like to. Give me people to put back together, or planets to explore, and I'm set." She chuckled slightly. "That being said... I won't shy from conflict if there is a need... but it's not my focus. Really fits me in with the Levantines, I suppose.." she finished thoughtfully.

"But, I still can't explain what drew me to you, Connor. It was a feeling... a sense you might understand. I cannot explain why, I don't try to pry into others emotions. But, the Force has brought us together. For something. What that is, I still don't know." She shrugged, at a loss now.

[member="Connor Harrison"]