A Helping Hand

[Connor Harrison]

Avalonia
Dosuun, Wild Space

Connor Harrison was running.

Not for his life, or in a tomb, or hunting a Jedi - running for fun.

Well, more of a gentle jog.

The central park of Avalonia was perfect for such an exercise. His black trousers were light, his boots tough on the ground and his black vest there to keep his body warm but let the breeze work him over.

On his third lap around, he didn't get tired of looking around the city he wanted to call home. He just had to find a place to life. The gigantic Memorial Building up ahead. The garrisons. The opera house. He smiled to himself - would [member="Ara Ren"] have room for one more? In fact...where DID she even live? Oh well. Plenty of new faces had come his way in recent days, none so much than Ara of the Ren, and her promise to meet with her Master.

Exciting times lay ahead, and Connor had never felt better. He was free of the shackles of the Jedi, and here to forge a destiny with the First Order and the Sith who supported him.

Passing by a unit of Stormtroopers, Connor loved the fact they would soon be allies and not enemies.

It was pretty much near-perfect day and just prime for him to keep himself to himself and keep active.

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

The Knight of Ren sat on a bench, enjoying the greenery of the park. With the First Order ball still fresh in her mind, Kaalia Voldaren could use a distraction. It wasn't her type of event, and did not look back fondly on that night to put it lightly. She pondered on how to get back on [member="Ara Ren"] in the meantime for dragging her along. The woman weighed her options, carefully scheming her sweet and ice cold revenge. An evil smirk was drawn across her face as she looked around for a moment. A familiar face caught her eye. His presence in the Force was one of conviction and determination. This man was seen interacting with Ara on multiple occasions, and it piqued the redhead's curiosity.

Kaalia got up and started jogging, running a bit faster than the man in order to catch up him. Her outfit was simple, wearing a grey top, black trousers and black boots, allowing her to move freely. When the two were side to side, the woman greeted him with a nod. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but didn't I see you at the ball yesterday? I think you know my friend, Ara." It was quite a sudden greeting, but perhaps he had seen her as well. "My name is Kaalia. Could I join you in your run?"

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor slowed a little, but didn’t stop. He felt a figure approaching, one he’d passed on another lap who looked vaguely familiar. He focused up ahead and didn’t change pace or react when he acquired a running buddy. The girl with Ara at the ball.

"Kaalia," he said through his rhythmic breathing. "I recognise you….too. I’m Connor."

It would be easier to stop and limber up and have a chat, but he was in a stride, and besides it would be interesting to see how eager this girl was to keep up. So he continued.

"I take it you’re….a Disciple too?"

She had a faint aura like Ara, but it didn’t seem as heavy. It seemed faint, and a little withdrawn?

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

The slight breeze was nice as Kaalia's hair fluttered behind her. Would she have known that she was going to be running the redhead would've put it in a ponytail, but it was a bit late for that now. The man who introduced himself as Connor kept on running, seemingly not wanting to break his pace. There was something about him that she couldn't place, but she decided to not bring it up. At least not just yet.

The question that was posed to her was surprising. It was clear he had learned about the Ren in some way, likely through Ara. "You've been entrusted with some sensitive knowledge, I see. Yes, I am with them." Someone trusted this Connor well enough to tell him about the Ren, and coupled with the powerful Force presence that followed him it wasn't outside of the realm of possibility he wanted to join the ranks. Interesting. "If you know that, you likely also know that it's important to not freely speak about it. What if I wasn't part of the order?"

Kaalia wanted to see what brought the man here, what the source of his interest in the Ren was. If he indeed were to become an ally, it would be good to know what made him tick.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Now, he glanced to her, wearing an expression of mild amusement as he sussed her out.

"If you weren’t, then me asking if you’re a Disciple wouldn’t matter. I could be a Disciple of the Light, or Disciple of the Dark. You being….at a First Order ball means you’ve obviously got ties with them so….it wasn’t much to ask."

He slowed down, coming to a slow halt and holding his sides, standing up and sucking in fresh air under a large tree beside their path. His hair was stuck to his brow with sweat, and he dabbed the eye wound with the back of a hand so not to aggravate it.

"And how do you know I’m not some Jedi infiltrator out to work my way in bring you down from the inside? You’d be my first target if I was now you admitted you’re a Ren."

With a chuckle, he stretched his arms out, seeing how she would react and what she would give off about herself.

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

The woman revealed a soft smile. "You have a point there, I must admit. However, unless someone else told you, there's no way of knowing where we operate from, if there even is such a place. Trying to take me down right here would end badly for you, I don't think I need to explain why." Kaalia looked around, seeing multiple stormtrooper patrols making their rounds. "Besides, if I would get on transport away from here your trail would be dead. You may never see me again."

The serious face of the redhead lightened up. There was evidence that this Connor knew what he was doing, that he was here for a reason. "It seems Ara has given you her blessing. I'd say that any information you got from her has been tremendously valuable already. I'll have to trust her on this one." The Ren sensed no immediate danger from the man, and although she wouldn't give out any big secrets, hiding everything would only create suspicion.

"If you were a Jedi infiltrator, I'd be envious of your ability to make your Force presence seem like the total opposite. I don't know everything about the light, but the presence of a light side follower is not at all unfamiliar to me." There was something about that presence that alluded to the possibility there was more to this man than it seemed on the surface, but perhaps in time Kaalia would be able to figure out what it was exactly.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Folding his arms, Connor rocked on his heels back and forth.

"No, that’s a good point. I wouldn’t do anything here at all. Maybe I’d draw you out. Target Ara instead – knowing how close you are. And then I’d have you."

He smiled at her in a wonderfully casual manner, and barked a little laugh.

"Come on," he tapped her shoulder, "take a walk."

So off he went in a casual stroll, hands tucked under his armpits as he ambled along by this new Ren.

"So what do you know of the Light? I can safely say whatever you think you know, forget it. Don’t trust it. First-hand information there from one who served it for all his current life."

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

"It seems you're quite fond of Ara yourself. What are you trying to accomplish with her, I wonder?" A grin formed on Kaalia's face, the question arising whether Connor was interested in her or just the Ren. She decided to keep that part of the conversation vague, she didn't want to ruin the fun Ara no doubt was having. The redhead heard a few things about a conversation with a man from her friend, and the evidence currently pointed towards Connor being said man. She made a mental note to ask for the full story.

The two started moving again, now in a casual pace. "It seems my history isn't too different from yours then." The woman looked straight ahead, interested by the man's willingness to tell about his past life as a lightsider. "I left that life behind for a reason. Emotions are meant to be felt, not locked away. It's what makes you alive. A sentient being." The Ren rarely talked about her past, being taught the ways of the Jedi when she grew up. She hadn't left behind all of what she learned, she wasn't as ruthless as other darksiders, she didn't kill in situations where others gladly would. Kaalia reveled in her emotions however, and wouldn't hold it back. She was often calm and collected, perhaps that was due to her past, but whenever she felt anger, happiness, sadness, or any other emotion the woman wouldn't hold it back. "Here I found people that understood."

Kaalia retraced Connor's words. "I know I just did the same thing, but you weren't afraid to throw your previous ties with the light out in the open. A lot of people here wouldn't trust you."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

So she was one with the Light before? Connor paid close attention to her, but kept the little smile there after talking about Ara.

"Ara, yes....I don't know what she may have told you after the ball, but I wasn't aware you two were lovers. And for that, you have my eternal envy but also my respect for you being a very lucky lady."

Too late to take any of that back now, and to quickly cover it he looked ahead and kept talking.

"But, let me remind you the best way to be trusted is to simply be honest, is it not? I am aware my name holds history - I've even tangled with the First Order at times - but if I am upfront about my past and my future intentions, then people can at least have something to trust about me."

He took a left on the path further into the park.

"And you said had once been with the Light? May I ask when, and how? I'd like to know."

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

There was a slight moment of confusion, until Kaalia realized what Ara had told her. She held back laughter as she responded to the man next to her. "She really is beautiful, isn't she? She pushes me to my limits as well, but it's a good thing." In reality, the two weren't lovers at all. Kaalia had come out to [member="Ara Ren"] back at the ball, and she likely got inspired by it to hang up a story of them being in a relationship to tease Connor. They were close friends though, no doubt, so the redhead would play along for now.

The topic changed quite rapidly, which was a bit odd. He likely already had some question marks set on Ara's story. "I can't say I disagree with that. I admire your attitude, honesty is a rare good nowadays." Kaalia thought about it for a moment, realizing she mostly hid her past from the other Ren. Perhaps it was time to change that. They look a left. "My parents, I don't even know who or where they are, sent me to a Jedi master when I was three years old. I grew up learning the ways of the light, but when I was sixteen I clashed with my then-master. He shunned me for embracing my emotions, the very thing that makes me alive. And so I left. I roamed the galaxy for three years, doing mercenary work to keep myself fed until I ended up here. I still have some ways to go to fully embrace the dark side, but I'm slowly moving forward." The process was indeed a slow one, and she relied on her fellow Ren to guide her in it. "So, what's your history with the light?"

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

"She is indeed.”

That was all he needed to say, and he had plenty of thinking to do and wasn't going to make things awkward for this girl.

So he listened to her story, and it was a familiar one - the Jedi letting someone down. With a sigh and shake of the head, Connor simply put his support out there for the girl.

"I'm sorry to hear that Kaalia.”

He shot one of those small, "I'm sorry" smiles.

"Me? Ex Jedi Master with the Silver Jedi Order out of Voss. I've pretty much got nobody to blame for myself, but I've lived a lie for over a decade. Well, for my entire life in the service of Jedi really. First it was the Republic, and then the Silvers. Now, I'm here. I'm no saint, or a slave to the Light. I have feelings, wants, desires and emotions that I tried to hide until they boiled over and made me someone the Jedi feared, and someone they couldn't control. It was their own grave they dug when they cast me out and betrayed me, and I now will not stop until everything they stand for is ash beneath my feet and they see what I have become on their knees, begging for mercy.”

His voice had turned, his eyes glowing during the conversation as he side-tracked his own train of thought to one of vengeance and darkness.

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

"There's no need to be sorry. Yes, I carry the burden of the light still, but it hasn't fully enslaved my emotions. I will find a way to let my past make me stronger, so I don't have to regret a thing. Only then can I make sure that not anything or anyone decides my fate but me. I will be set free." Kaalia's tone was filled with conviction, it was the only thing she had to cling onto the path she was on. The woman feared not being in control of her own life, the possibility that another decides your destiny. They could break you down until you were nothing, force you to serve, or even outright kill you. It was that fear that often fueled her passion and power.

Connor told his story, and the redhead nodded while listening. His presence became darker and darker, revealing what his intentions were."I understand. They turned their backs on you because you refused to be their emotionless puppet any longer. You realized you were alive. That you had a beating heart, that you were a person. I hoped my own master understood that about me, but he didn't. That feeling of betrayal, the feeling you had when you realized you were being shunned for what you are, that is what drives me. I sense something similar about you." Kaalia turned her head to Connor. "Those two things, my fears and the way my master tried to cull me of my emotions, are what fuel me. They grant me power."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Nodding, he pointed an index finger at Kaalia.

"Exactly.”

Connor came to a thick tree and leant his back against it to talk to her face on.

"Half of that is why I am here, to find an Order who actually values those who stand with them and expands on firm law and discipline, not the flimsy way the Jedi operate. The galaxy think they are so much more, but they are more manipulative, ruthless and nasty as the ones serving the Dark Side.”

Folding his arms, he cocked his head a little.

"So how did you come to be a Ren and not take arms with the Sith Order? Did you know Ara before it, or just something that developed recently?”

What could he say? He was interested greatly in both aspects.

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

"I'll be honest," Kaalia said, "I didn't join the First Order, or the Ren for that matter, because I long for law and order. In truth, I don't really care who rules the galaxy. However, they offered their teachings, and they gave me a place to call home. When I fight alongside the others, I don't do so because I want to please any kind of 'supreme leader', or because it creates order and stability, but because I want to defend what has been given to me." It was a vastly different drive that the redhead had compared to her fellow Ren, but that didn't change the fact she was one of them. That's all that mattered to her.

The woman's reaction to Connor's reasoning to seek out the Ren tied into the question he asked afterwards. "It's simple. They reached out to me, the Sith Order didn't. And now that I have things and people I care about here, it is where I'll stay. And about Ara..." She let out a small grin. "I'm afraid she was playing a game with you." The grin turned to a broad smile, accompanied by laughter. Kaalia couldn't hold it in anymore, and decided to spill the beans and let the poor man know. "We're just friends. Close friends, but friends. It's in her nature to tease and flirt with people she knows are interested in her, and sometimes she does things like that. When I came out to her she didn't hesitate to do the same with me. I'm fairly certain her true interests lie with the gentlemen, though."

The shift to a more lighthearted topic was a bit sudden, but it had a purpose. "Now that I have told you that, I have a small favor to ask. You see, going to the ball wasn't my idea. Ara dragged me there and made sure to make me feel as uncomfortable as possible. And I want revenge. Your help would be invaluable."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor was engrossed in working out Kaalia’s alignment. It was clear where she stood, but she wasn’t the typical sort one expected to follow the Ren after how Ara painted them to be. This one sounded like it was a more casual affair, but a faithful one also.

He had questions, but they vanished when she revealed the extent of Ara’s little joke.

"Ah. I see.”

Connor had to chuckle and shake his head. Played perfectly there. He nodded at the reasoning behind it, and to be fair it made sense. She was unlike anyone he’d ever met before, that was for sure, but it seemed Kaalia had a little score to settle also.

"Well, thank you for telling me! Of course I mean…well I’m not going to ACT on it, I was simply curious to her standing, and if she was…yeah.”

Settling back against the tree, he cast an amused and curious eye down.

"But, please, go ahead. What can I do for you then to settle this…score?”

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

"Well..." Kaalia was lost in thought for a second, not entirely sure on the full plan yet. "I need someone to get her drunk. Like, really drunk. Unfortunately if I try to get her to drink it will raise her suspicion, I don't necessarily stop her from enjoying a glass but I'm a pretty reserved person most of the time." The redhead's face was one that screamed the fact she was scheming. "I don't know if she has told you, but she's no fan of space travel. So, after she is so far gone that she either just falls asleep or won't remember what happened, we take her to a shuttle and drop her off in a cozy place on another planet, and leave a nice little message." She wasn't very experienced in the art of pranking, but at least there was a plan. "I have this jacket of hers that I sowed a 'pilot' tag on that I used for an earlier joke, we can leave the note inside one of its pockets."

The woman hadn't filled in the specifics yet, but the skeleton of a plan was there. If Connor agreed to help of course. "If you could help me with this, that would be amazing. Suggestions are also very welcome. I would be in your debt."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Listening to Kaalia, it was clear this was a friendship far beyond one he had experienced. In his years with the Jedi, he probably had…two friends that came close to this. Both vanished. Bad times.

He didn’t know what to make of this joke. It seemed outrageous and innovative and quite harrowing for one to wake up disorientated on a planet alone! Part of him didn’t want to do that to Ara, for he was still trying to gain her trust. That was key.

"Well…I mean, there’s me thinking you wanted to put glue in her shampoo or something.”

He blew out a breath.

"I mean, I like that but she would pretty much never trust me again, you know? I’m still the newbie and can’t afford to be shunned so quickly. Is there nothing you can do…sort of, base level prank wise? Blindfold her and take her up the highest viewing station and leave her there or something.”

The bemused smile was there – what a unique friendship indeed.

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

"So I take it you want some credit too, huh... I guess we'll have to do something more tame then, for you." Kaalia shrugged. She'd make do with something tamer, and keep her idea for later. She had a hunch that an all-out prank war wasn't far away. "Her waking up to a nice view will have to do for now." The redhead let out a chuckle. "Just don't put it on me when Ara decides to get back on you as well."

"Anyway," Kaalia then said, "We can discuss our plan in more detail later. And don't worry, she won't kill you." She already imagined what Ara's reaction would be, and savored the feeling. This was going to be fun. "I can't just ask that from you without giving something in return of course, so if you need my help with anything I'd be happy to help."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

She was a funny one, and he just looked at her with a curious glint in his eye but couldn't help the raised edges of his mouth.

"I can see what a beautiful friendship you have. She thinks a lot of you, that much is clear.”

A thought crossed his mind, but he decided now wasn't the time to act on it. Instead, he looked away and started walking again to help the conversation flow.

"I need as many allies as I can get right now, just people I know, so you being one would be a help. It's not going to be easy proving myself with my colourful background. A few faces who, hopefully, trust me never goes amiss in a hostile situation.”

The pair walked over a small bridge.

"So, forgive me asking, but you sound...or rather feel...conflicted. Is there anything you want to talk about or something on your mind? I'm a good listener.”

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Kaalia smiled as Connor mention the friendship between her and Ara. "When I said she pushes me to my limits, I wasn't lying. She takes me out of my comfort zone, and I appreciate that. Being outgoing isn't very appreciated by the Jedi, so it's all new to me. I'm lucky to have such a good friend."

The two started walking again. Kaalia understood what Connor meant, his past would definitely raise questions. "From one former Jedi to another, you've got an ally in me." A nod accompanied the redhead's words, understanding the fear of distrust. She rarely brought up her Jedi past with the other Ren, afraid of how they would react. Connor was more open about it, but the premise was the same. "I don't have much influence myself, but they trust me. I'll do what I can to help show your intentions are true."

As they crossed a bridge, Connor asked a question that, if she was honest, she rather avoided. Her inner conflict between light and dark was one she never expected anyone to understand, but perhaps he would understand in some capacity seeing his past. "Well, you're not wrong. My mind is a mess. A place of conflict between light and dark, stuck in a seemingly endless battle." Kaalia sighed. "I want to leave the light behind, but I can't. Every step I take towards the dark side is accompanied by the light pulling me back, screaming out to stop. I'm certain the other Ren won't understand, so I keep it to myself, but I'm stuck." She looked down. It was obvious this conflict weighed heavily on her. "I can't go back, I don't want to go back, but my past prevents me from moving on."

[member="Connor Harrison"]