The Return

[Connor Harrison]

Secret Facility
Baxel Sector, Wild Space

Questions would be asked. Doubt would be presented.

These things and more were expected, and in time they would be answered when he was ready.

Connor Harrison was a changed man in all sorts of ways. His physical appearance; gone was the facial hair and the crimson and blue attire. The black and silver combat suit moulded to him as it had in the past, before he tried to be someone he wasn’t. When he found his place, he would then become who he was meant to be.

From the events on Maena that had broken everything apart in his world, the Dark Side had stitched him back together, and in the place of where the former Jedi Master stood was now a servant of the Dark Side of the Force who had one goal – serve the darkness within.

The Jedi would come and go, and the Light would fade. He had no plots for revenge, no blind view on those who had let him down. Jedi Harrison once had, as he had failed to become what he was destined to be, but that man was dead. The peace he had made was all but buried, along with his hope of redemption, on Maena thanks to the trust of [member="Matsu Xiangu"] - the Sith Sorceress who had unearthed him finally.

Now, his eyes glazed with the Dark Side corruption fed into him from the dark world, Connor stood waiting on the landing pad for Taeli Raaf. Jedi Master Raaf, though she was more than what she seemed on the surface, and Connor felt her strength and was not going to waste it like his old self had.

There was much to do on his return to civilisation. He had to inform the First Order of their failing – more specifically, the cracks he had seen in the Ren and the misguided youth serving in it. And, more importantly, with those who mattered like [member="Samka Derith"], stand by his actions and accept whatever came his way. At least, to a point. After all, it wasn't the man standing here today who comitted those acts - it had been a weak, mis-guided and desperate former-Jedi Master.

Connor had tapped into the Dark Side far more on Maena in recovery and his re-birth, and understood it a little better. His power was returning, his connection to the Force back after the shackles of Light had been…burnt away along with his mind that had been broken.

He was a changed man in all sorts of ways.

For now, however, he stood and waited for her. There was much to be done and many to convince.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

It would probably be slightly awkward for Connor to learn that Taeli had not been at that facility when he arrived, she had been in transit from overseeing a new project to Teth when she received a transmission that he had arrived at the secret facility there. Behind him on the landing pad, her ship would appear through the clouds and land, steam hissing as the boarding ramp lowered. Even from where she sat, she could sense his growing power in the dark side... and something else. She had wondered where he gone off to once he escaped the transfer from GA to Silver custody.

From the steam, she emerged, black cloak swirling around her from the wind of the landing pad. Slow clinking footsteps would bring her closer to the man standing in front of her, a curious tilt to her head as she wondered what exactly he had been doing.

"I have to admit some surprise that you came here to Teth, instead of Erilnar, to wait for me," she said, stopping a few paces from him. "So, tell me, what have you been up to after your escape?"

 

[Connor Harrison]

After what felt like a good ten to fifteen minutes, the ship coming in behind the facility caught his attention, and he turned to watch and let it land. He stayed still as it touched down, the steam and exhaust vents depressed as [member="Taeli Raaf"] exited onto the pad looking as dark and powerful as ever.

Connor didn't smile, didn't bow, didn't feel annoyed or smart. She was strong in the darkness, and he respected it more than ever.

"I came to the closest of your facilities, I hope you don't mind," he said. His voice was a little deeper, monotone and still somehow soft. "And we can discuss what happened to me later. All you need to know is the man you knew died on Maena. There is nothing of him left."

His eyes burnt softly, and he turned to walk with her.

"The time has come for us to join forces, for you to make me everything you need to strike at the Jedi, the Light and everything we stand against. I understand it all now, Lady Raaf. I understand so much more."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"I mind a little as the whole point of a secret facility is to keep it secret, and thus, to control who comes and goes to it," she said, slowly walking down the pathway with him. "But, as it is you, I won't be too worried about it. After all, what is one facility?"

A few more slow steps. She made note that his voice had changed slightly, and not just that had changed. His eyes were now amber, and she wondered if that was now a permanent transformation. What had he been up to to make so awash with the Dark Side now? She also made note of the word Maena as it wasn't one she was familiar with. Clearly it was a world, and if she was guessing right, it was one he had visited before as it sounded like it was a familiar word on his tongue.

"You'll have to forgive some skepticism on my part as I have heard that before," she continued saying, slow steps accompanying her words. "I distinctly recalled we drowned that bit of you in a dark nexus on Dxun before, but it cropped up again. So, what has changed where you have decided to accept my offer to train you?"

 

[Connor Harrison]

All doubts and comments he expected. Matsu had been right in what he could piece together before it happened - he had been boring and a waste of time, so why would anyone want him now?

He stayed on side with Taeli in the slow walk, carefully choosing his words..

"The Jedi died but the conflict remained. The Light was gone, but he didn’t let go. He didn’t want to, even with the help you gave. The coward was too scared to let himself detatch. Only one person could force him to let go."

Connor looked at her.

"Me. In death he now rests. At peace. There is nothing of that Jedi that remains. Physically and mentally, he is gone. I will explain one day of my journey here, but all you need to know is I am far more focused than he was, and the memories held are now dead with him."

He stopped walking.

”It’s time for me to take this shell and make it what was always burning inside." The eyes glowed at hers. "There is nothing else that matters, Taeli Raaf."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"I see," she stated simply, walking a few more steps when he stopped. She didn't turn around, lost in her own thoughts. She had heard rumors of such experiences happening, where one part of a Force user's psyche or spirit would move on, while another stubbornly clung to the material world and would continue to inhabit the body. It was an intriguing event that she would have like to document at some point, perhaps she would need to force it on some test subjects? An experiment for another time then.

"Personally, I would have kept the old memories to draw upon, use as a source of information," she said, finally turning to face him. "A new... entity such as yourself would likely benefit from such knowledge, depending on what you want to accomplish."

It wasn't the same man she had known, that much was clear to her. Whatever had occurred to cause such a final tear had left something... much more interesting to her plans than the previous occupant of the body.

"But then, perhaps you were wary of allowing any influences from the other side to remain, wary of that... conflict resurfacing."

 

[Connor Harrison]

He nodded, looking out over the dense jungle around the facility.

"I know the names. The places. The way they plagued his thoughts, but I care not for them. They are memories.Ghosts. Shackles of the weak."

Connor turned.

"I know you, and came back here didn’t I. It took a while for the fire to take over the body, but when it did it cleansed everything. There are no chains to break now. They are," he paused and smiled, "broken."

He looked at Taeli, knowing he was still being evaluated and judged.

"We will do this together, or not at all. You’ll get all I’ve taken from him in return for your teachings."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"And what, pray tell, did you take from him that you could offer me?" she asked, a cold amusement settling on her features now. She didn't feel the need to remind this new Connor that his old self had not built himself a strong foundation, constantly moving from one thing to another. She had tried to impress upon him before that he needed to build up a power base, to form connections and such, if he ever wanted to be taken seriously by any of the more powerful Sith. She was no exception to that, even if she did and still had a willingness to work with him and train him to be a proper wielder of the dark side.

"Give me an example of what you have and you have an accord that I shall teach you," she said. "If not, well I'll get worth out of this encounter regardless."

There was, as the new Connor likely expected from her, an underlying threat there. Dealing with Sith meant one should expect such things, especially when it came to bargaining and one side was not the equal to the other. A first lesson for this new Connor. But, he would need to keep some things in reserve, information on resources or individuals or places that might interest her, just so he could hold more cards during this... negotiation so to speak.

 

[Connor Harrison]

The urge to walk away, to turn his back or sigh, come back with a weak threat as the old self would do was not there. He knew where he stood.

"From weakness has grown strength. You never had that with him. With me, you do."

He looked at her violet eyes and spoke with clear, cunning words.

"He trained under the Jedi and served the First Order. Names, places, connections. All here." He tapped his head."He was too weak to use them or too blind to see them for what they were. I am not."

It was nothing to shout about, but the sincerity was there. His head lowered a little, eyes not wavering.

"Don’t waste what I can be now to you and your plans. Trust me. Not him. Me."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"As a Sith, I'm sure you know that I don't give my trust out... well ever," she said, that cold amusement still on her face. It was no secret that Sith had a tendency to plot against one another, but then that was just part of the dark side itself. Strife helped fuel it, to cull out the weak and undeserving. "But... it would seem we have much to discuss, as you have information and I need to get a sense on what you actually want out of an education from me."

She would gesture that they should continue walking, entering the facility and going to the office she kept at the structure, passing geneticists and Dark Side adepts as they did so. Once they reached her office, she would take her seat at her desk and indicate she should take the seat across from her. The office wasn't as ornate or expansive as the one she had on Erilnar, but it did contain several pieces of art that depicted famous battles from legend between the Sith and Jedi, all obtained at great expense.

"What is it you want to learn from me?" she asked.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor followed silently. He knew his place. Nothing distracted him walking through the facility, not the experiments nor the on-lookers; he just followed Taeli into the office, but instead of sitting, stood and walked slowly to look at the pieces around the room.

He could hear the cries of battle and the burning of the blaster bolts and lightsabers. It was glorious.

"I want to learn it all," he said nonchalantly. "The limit is what you give me. I hope you will learn to let me in, and to let me stand with you in your battle. Lady Arcanix deserves all she gets."

Glancing at the last piece, he then walked to the seat opposite her desk, and sat.

”You showed him what he could have, once, and he didn’t take it. I want that for myself now."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"We all only deserve what we take, or what we earn through our actions," she replied. "If you want what I once offered... well the other you, you'll have some proving to do. I'm not interested in training you if you only wish to be some rogue Dark Jedi. That's beneath my time, no matter what information you have in your head."

She wasn't asking him to join any of the myriad factions in the galaxy, but what she was essentially asking was if he was ready to swear himself to the Sith, more specifically her. Oh yes, he would be quite helpful to her's and Carach's plans for the Alliance and the First Order, if he actually swore loyalty to her. He had walked away so many times in the past, she was half tempted to perform another specific experiment on him to ensure his loyalty, but she wouldn't... not yet.

"Let's start our little initial exchange of information, tell all you know about the First Order and specifically the Knights of Ren you were allied with."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor looked at her. The old Jedi would try to throw a spanner in the works, or make an excuse, or come up with how she needed to watch her step. The manifestation of the darkness in him nodded.

”The Dark Jedi are as much of an embarrassment to the Dark Side as the Knights of Ren. There is light and darkness, and there is a balance many have yet to find. A Dark Jedi is not what I am. Him, maybe, but not me. I am here to serve the Dark Side of the Force and for you to finish what he started."

He flexed his fingers.

”You have my word for all it matters. I think you will grow to like me."

With a shift in position, he got more comfortable. He then proceeded to discuss the Knights of Ren and their set-up; how they worked, who they followed; strengths and weaknesses, fighting styles and the sort of blind warriors who followed the Leader.

”One thing I can vouch for, is they are not a threat under the First Order. They are misguided, falling apart and populated by beings who think they know the Dark Side. They know nothing of it."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Yes, I would have to agree with that assessment," she laughed, a derisive edge in there. "In all my encounters thus far with these Knights of Ren, they've done little to impress me. A truly sloppy education on the Force, a blind and borderline fanatic belief in their Supreme Leader, possibly even more unbalanced than some Sith, and a, forgive me for this, laughable tradition of running away."

She didn't feel the need to bring up some of the stories she had heard from others during the conflict between the Alliance and the First Order, although she still got a chuckle from the story she heard about the Knight of Ren who threw themselves off the roof of Vader's Castle on Mustafar.

"Bespin only reinforced that impression for me, considering I left both of my opponents for dead. One was that girl who was with you on Mustafar, she took a lightsaber through the chest. The other, a younger man, lost an arm, both legs, then blew himself up with an incendiary grenade, all in a display of fanatic loyalty to this Sieger Ren. I must admit I don't understand for a minute your decision to associate yourself with them in your, I guess a good description would be, former life."

It was something that had always confused her.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor looked away, a part of him trying not to admit the embarrassment he felt.

"Nor do I," he said quietly. "Desperate men do desperate things, that much is clear. Obviously he saw no other way. No acceptance, no Order to serve. No purpose to live."

He smiled.

"In the end it worked out fine."

With that, he returned to look at Taeli.

"I know about the girl. I congratulate you on her death, but I know others will be out for revenge, blah blah blah, driven by what you did. Not that I care enough to warn you because it’s clear you can take care of yourself."

Connor had fallen for Ara Ren, and made it quite clear in his journal she was the only thing holding him to the Ren. Wonderful how it all panned out for them. What a weak man indeed.

"They will come for you."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Forgive me this for sounding overconfident... but I'm not too worried about anything they can send my way," Taeli laughed. As far as she was aware, from Connor had said and what Eldaah reported, the Ren had two, maybe three, Force users that were of master rank, not counting the Zambranos. Plus, from everything she had gathered thus far, they were easy to manipulate and their education had woefully made them unprepared for fighting against their enemies.

"Recite for me the Sith Code and what your interpretation of each part means to you," she said, suddenly switching subjects to something more educational. She was curious what this new Connor thought when he considered the words, and whether or not it was different than his former self.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor looked at her, understanding how much of a mentor and teacher she could have been to him. He raised his brow and nodded. He wasn’t sure what this was going to be useful for – but he knew he had to chance perception of the old shell he stood in.

"Very well."

He didn’t move from his seat, nor look away from her as he began to go over the Code that he recited as easy as breathing, and this time with the view the inner darkness saw rather than the outer conflicted one.

"Peace is a lie. There is only passion. Peace is something unable to be achieved by anyone of this galaxy so instead your desire for peace must be used for passion in your ability, not wasted on some dream. Through passion I gain strength. Passion in your want to serve the Dark Side of the Force, passion that drives you and gives you that strength both physically and mental. Through strength I gain power, and that is clear – strong beings take power, weak ones lose it. Through power I gain victory. Be it power you wield in your hand, through a weapon on in your allies, the power you have amassed will secure your victory each day at a time, be it small or big, a victory is a victory regardless. Through victory my chains are broken. Victory grants you the right to be free from the shackles that have held you back since your desire in finding passion. The Force shall free me. There is nothing greater to serve than the Force, and for the Force to serve you, to free you from all you thought held you down."

He offered her a small smile. If he felt the old Connor could have recited something as clear as that, he would want to hear it.

"Well?"

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"An interesting interpretation," she said, intrigued on the differences between his answer and what she remembered Connor previously believing. His stance on certain things, such as what he believed he had to serve, was probably the largest difference. To believe that the highest calling was to serve the Force and dark side... well one wouldn't hear a Sith saying that and actually believing it. A symbiotic relationship, yes. One that Sith dreamed would one day end with their mastery over the Force. But to serve it, to let it guide your path as it were... a true Sith might call that an invisible chain. Still, one had to start somewhere.

"What would you say are your greatest fears?" she asked, once again switching subjects.

 

[Connor Harrison]

He looked at her to one side.She really WAS a teacher. Always asking questions. Pushing and prodding for answers. For internal thought.

"I do not have fear."

It was as simple as that. Then, his eyes diverted for a second, and he tapped his finger on his chin for a moment.

"If I have to say a fear, then it's a fear of ending up like him. Weak, alone and a failure. Failure of what? I don't know. But that not knowing is bad enough. Not knowing why you failed and being able to right it. I fear becoming that weak."

With a sigh, he shook his head to rid the thought.

"Should that ever happen, kill me." Connor sat back, and linked his fingers. "Next?"

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"A warrior without fear is a foolish warrior," she replied. "Even for beings as powerful as we Sith, there is always a fear that we keep hidden deep down. It keeps us grounded, conscious of the dangers of the games we play, cautious in whatever endeavors we launch to see our goals come to fruition. To fear failure, that is quite an interesting fear to hold. We are built by our successes and our failures, no matter how big or small. But you must be wondering why I ask you this?"

It was a rhetorical question as she answered it right away.

"For the relationship between a Master and apprentice in the Sith, it is necessary for the Master to understand everything about their student," she continued saying. "Tell me what you regard as your greatest strength, so I know how best to undermine you; tell me of your greatest fears, so I know which I must force you to face; tell me what you cherish most, so I will know what I must take from you; tell me what you crave, so that I know what I must deny you."

She turned her attention to look at one of the paintings on the wall.

"Every challenge overcome, every lesson taught, molds you into the apex predator that only a true Sith master is."