A Lovely Chat

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Mmmm no, you got the basic concept down," she said, an amused smile on her face. "I honestly don't care about whatever little artifacts are found, most are trinkets with little value. If a holocron pops up, then yes much more interested in that. The primary purpose of this is to weaken the Jedi, one figure at a time."

And she had already identified the first potential being she would, figuratively, throw under the airspeeder. It just so happened that she had gleaned intelligence, false for the most part, about how there were fears of Sith having infiltrated the GA command structure. While that was somewhat true, she was an example after all, she knew that none of the current big names in the GA had been Sith. No, she fully intended to warp that situation to her advantage however.

"But, I find myself needing a good outside force to manipulate Jedi into situations where they can be portrayed in the proper light," she continued. "That is where you come in, but I know you won't do this for free. So, what would you like in exchange for helping me?"

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor wanted to roll his eyes, but he didn't. A plan to start picking off Jedi within the Jedi, and it would be her leading it. How devious - but at least it was more personal and not including any of those beasts or viruses. They were so...boring when faced with an enemy.

And now it was for Connor to name a price for his participation? What did he need that only he could grant himself? Contacts? Knowledge? Power? Weapons?

He couldn't think of a desire right now for any.

"What would you have me do in particular? And payment? Well it's not much, but there is something I lack. Armour. I lack anything great to protect me, aid me or even make me seem worthy to fight. You throw in something up in the ranks of what you or the Alliance have, then you might have a deal." He said without blinking. Pursing his lips and giving a nod, Connor cupped his chin and tapped two fingers against his lips in thought. "Oh, and possibly some inside information wouldn't go amiss. And a bit of respect now and then." Connor couldn't help a little smile.

He looked away in thought and nodded about the possibilities he could help bring about.

"I want to hurt the Silver Jedi quickly. Target them. Make them suffer. Let ME hurt them. You owe me that much."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"What I would have you do is a natural evolution of what you already are doing," she replied, slowly starting to walk around the room. "Engage the Jedi is one part of it. Another part would be planting evidence or fabricating it convincingly enough that could then be discovered by my agents and used to bring down said Jedi. Learning to actually twist and turn them, actually making them into dark siders or giving into temptation in using it. Use your imagination, Connor."

His price was easy to meet, a personal set of armor for him. That could easily be arranged. The other parts... well those were more tricky.

"Crafting you an armor set would be no challenge," she continued saying, facing him again. "I would even work a little magic and alchemy into it, give it some added effects that might prove helpful to you. As for the other parts... you'll need to be more specific on what insider information you would want in exchange. And the Silvers... I'm not in a position yet to strike at them. Although, I do have it on good authority that a Master Crieff has taken a more leading role in their Order. Apparently Coci and Thurion have been spending more time elsewhere. No, this initially would be to target GA Jedi and other affiliated light side Force users."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Use his imagination? He shot her a look as she laid out her plan. He could do that and more with the right resources. But he knew deep down, and so did she, he wasn’t seen as the man he once was. He was probably laughed at more than anything.

He stayed still, beside the table, as she talked.

"So the Silvers are under new leadership? If only I was still there…I could have brought them down from the inside myself. No surprise the Heavenshields have bailed. It’s what they always did."

With a sigh, he rubbed his jaw.

”The armour sounds fine. I guess I’ll need to think who to target and how to act. But don’t think I’m going to risk my life being your lap-dog again. You want this to happen? You put the effort in. Eldaah is there for being the puppet. I’m your equal, nothing more or less. And if you want me to help with the Alliance, I need inside information on them. Their bases, key figures, resources."

He was far from her equal in strength or connections, but they had a bond and a shared desire and history, and he wasn’t going to become a lacky to serve her game playing when it would probably be more dangerous than ever.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Yes, that is a real shame that you burned the bridges with the Silvers early," she said, still smiling. "Not to deride you, but you did lack foresight when you turned at the beginning."

Externally, she continued to smile pleasantly as he spoke. Internally however... well it was a good thing he wasn't accomplished in mentalism. How could a man still regaining, slowly regaining, his strength in the Force, who had no real connections or resources, who didn't appreciate the irony of saying he wasn't a lackey when all of the Ren were lackeys to their Supreme Leader, ever be her equal? Until he truly learned how to play the game, then he was still a pawn. A valuable pawn, but still just that. But that wasn't to say she wasn't going to stroke that pride of his, it would be a subtle way of keeping him under control.

"Since when were you ever my personal kath hound?" she instead asked, an eyebrow raising. "I don't really recall ever using you for tasks or giving you orders. And as I said about the information, you will need to be more specific. I'm not about to hand over every little nugget to you."

It served her purposes for the war between the GA and the First Order to continue, to have both sides striving to end or weaken the other. However, that also meant she wasn't going to give Connor all of the information he desired. Like it or not, and she wasn't sure he fully grasped this yet, he served a master. He wasn't his own man yet, not really.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor nodded.

"I know. Everything happened at the wrong time and I'm paying the price, but I'm doing what I can as best I can."

He looked to her. Those violet eyes again drawing him in.

"Just give me a place, or a name to go on at least. Give me something to work on, and when I can, I will see what I can do."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Master Liliane Lancaster," Taeli said. "She's one of the higher ranking members of the New Jedi Order and was present on Mustafar. During that battle, I sensed a shift in her aura that spoke of her using the dark side. She would be, possibly, the easiest to gain or fabricate evidence on. Another potential target would by Master Ryan Korr, given his species has a proclivity to the dark side being a Vahla. I would start with those two to begin with, but that is just a suggestion."

She glanced down at her latest creation before looking up again.

"But I leave the choice to you," she continued. "I believe an agent should have a broad mission but the details of how they go about it are up to them. So, you may choose them or any other members of the Jedi you desire and deal with that how you wish."

 

[Connor Harrison]

The names were unknown to Connor - at least so he thought. Lancaster. Lancaster. Someone Corvus may have mentioned or a person he had come across? There was a niggle he knew of them but he couldn't be sure.

Connor ran his hand along the bench and nodded.

"I'll see what I can do, when I can. And as you only call me now for when you want something, now I've got it, I guess that's my cue to vanish until next time."

He glanced at the beast, and then at Taeli, and forced a smile.

"Play safe in the meantime. Jedi."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Well, you don't exactly call on me unless you want something yourself," she laughed. "Come now, Connor, when was the last time you called on me to actually socialize and do something that wasn't related to your position? So don't be like that, it's not like you call me up to just chat."

She walked around to stand in front of him, still smiling. The smile seemed out of place, considering the warped monster behind her.

"Would you like a lesson before you leave?" she asked. "Something more... instructive? Any topic you want to learn, I'll be happy to give you a lesson in."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Any lesson?

There was so much he thought he knew but probably didn’t. His eyes fell to the floor, thinking.

"Just make me stronger. Resilient."

He then looked up to her.

"You know me. You know my weaknesses. Where do I always fail? What stops me? And not just using the Force, I mean me as a person. What can you…do, or teach, to make me better than what I am now."

There was a hint of desperation in the voice. She would see right through him – he was desperate for more and not getting any of it.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"That all depends on what you want to be," she replied. She could sense that desperation in his voice, in his presence within the Force. Apparently she had been right in thinking the Ren had not been very instructive to him yet. Perhaps they thought since he was a former Jedi Master, he didn't need any formal instruction. Fools...

"Tell me Connor," she continued, slightly amused. "And nothing general such as I want to be a leader. To be feared. Do you want to be a warrior, slaughtering entire battalions of men with just your saber and command of the dark side? Or do you want to be a shadow, something to strike at the very heart of the Jedi and disappear as suddenly fatally as you appeared? Or perhaps do the deepest secrets of the Sith, of magics and spells, call to you?"

She knew he wasn't much for the last option, he didn't really have the temperament to be a sorcerer or alchemist. In her appraisal, he was much more likely to choose option A or B because in that way he could gain a name for himself, to strike fear into the hearts of his enemy.

 

[Connor Harrison]

He stared at the ground for a moment, listening to the options. The bravado had gone already from him, and he had little to back it up with.

"All I've known is war. Leading others into battle, and wiping out the enemy. To look in their eyes as I do, and to have them know my name."

With a scoff, Connor shook his head.

"I have no Master. No teacher. I'm literally winging my existence, and I have no direction. I fight for a cause I admire, but I need more. I'm not a foot-soldier. I am a leader. I am a warrior!" His voice became a little harder. There was so much he thought he knew but probably didn’t. His eyes fell to the floor, thinking. "I want to command the Force as I always have and strike down anyone who stands before me in the Light. I want them to know my name and fear it. Right now, I'm nothing but a memory and a broken shell of the man I was."

Connor looked up to her now, a set face and burning eyes.

"You keep promising to help me but I'm still at the bottom of the ladder. You've got to pull me out of this. Only you can! You know me better than anyone, and you always say I owe you. So let me owe you."

He didn't stop looking at her, even though he wanted to for his own shame.

"I'll give you whatever you want."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"We'll get to the price later," she said, hiding her amusement. Yes, she kept promising to help him grow stronger, but who was really at fault for his gaps of education? He was off gallivanting in the First Order, and she wasn't about to associate herself with them in any way. Eldaah was there for eyes only occasionally, but Taeli felt her time and her apprentice's time could be spent better elsewhere than dealing with someone who called himself the Supreme Leader. Honestly, that was such an ego stroking title.

"For now, I think it would be best to give you a new skill to practice for battle," she continued, walking briskly to the other side of the room. The table in the center lowered away, hiding the almost finished monster as it descended to the lower lab. It would leave the room nice and open.

"You've tapped into the dark side of the Force to fuel you, I know," she began, turning to face him again. "You've used your anger and hatred to keep yourself going in battle, your pain and such. But there is a deeper level to that, a skill that many Sith warriors try and use that is simply called Force Rage. The idea is, beyond just the normal powerful emotions you use with the dark side, that you tap into your innermost fears and pains, your lurking hatreds, and transform them into an intense but controlled rage. The goal being to increase your strength, speed, and ferocity in combat."

She took a breath then continued.

"Now, as a fair warning, the body cannot handle such intense levels of rage as the technique requires for long. You will tired out quickly, especially as you just start learning how to harness it. Continued practice will allow you to go longer before the inevitable crash."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor watched her the whole time, as she talked and walked.

He followed her away from the table. Force Rage was something he had heard about, but doubted he had seen. Sure, he had been angry and volatile in battle, but that had been a surface emotion. He didn't know how deep to go.

"Alright. Tell me. Show me."

He unclipped his crimson cloak and let it fall to the ground as he walked around to meet her face on.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"It is not something I can show, merely explain," she said. "I'm a sorceress, an alchemist. I study the darkest depths of the dark side, pushing the boundaries of our understanding of it. For you to learn it, i can teach you the steps but you'll have to do the practical."

She could tap into those deep recesses of emotions, sure, but her specialty was not in using that to increase her martial abilities.

"You must dig deep inside yourself, expose your deepest fears and hatreds and subjugate them to your will, turn them into rage. You cannot merely stop at the surface emotions that are typically used."

She gave a thought, then raised her hand.

"I shall perform a spell to bring forth those fears and hatreds, to bring out all of your deepest pains. You must crush them under your heel, transform them so they can no longer be used against you... if not, you will lose your mind. Are you ready?" She wouldn't wait for a reply, as it was not in the nature of a Sith to take be... emphatic with a student. "Lomurstims va naile"

Threads of black and purple energy sprung from her hands, wrapping around Connor's head. Each thread would psychically drive into his head, pushing past any defenses to pull out the deepest primal fears they could find and bring them before Connor's very eyes.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Fears and painful memories. Connor had stacks of them, all tucked away in the recess of his mind over many years that constantly popped up now and then, taunting and goading him and holding him back. There was something missing in his life…and to this day he did not know what it was that would help him.

Stepping forward, there was little time to question Taeli, as her tendrils of power formed out of the air and struck him.

The sensation of them burrowing through his flesh was surreal, and he didn’t try much in fighting. He just let it happen, arms extended and legs stiff from the almost electrical sensation that took over his body.

Memories came flooding back in an instant.

Everything he missed, including faces long gone he never got to say goodbyes to.

The hate of those people who pushed him away, and who destroyed his path as a Master Jedi.

The pain of being second best, and never amounting to anything, and being mocked, laughed at and ignored.

It was enough to make his anger swell inside him as he saw them all as clear as day. They left gaping wounds in his life, while they carried on regardless.

It was a sensation akin to that of drowning in emotion that near left him breathless, but the onslaught was constant.

Connor’s hands clenched and he gasped. His eyes were totally black.

"How...how can I release it….I can feel it….HELP ME!"

He wanted to stamp on them and destroy them before they killed him. To break those faces under his heel and stand atop everybody judging him and putting him aside as a failed Jedi. But the rage was bottling up, and it was starting to overwhelm him…he was holding back for fear of what would happen if he let go…

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"It's simple," she stated as he yelled. And it really was, but there it was. That last bit of hesitation, that last bit she had thought had been destroyed on Dxun. Perhaps all her efforts in him were truly going to be for naught as there was always something, some quibble, that held him back. Made him take that extra look back at what his life had been. The fear of what would happen when he reached the end of the path his feet trod upon. Stuck in the inbetween, afraid of fully grasping the dark side.

Oh he might claim he did, claim that he was fully the dark side's and the dark side his, but no. She could feel it, that fear of letting go.

"Break the bottle and control what is unleashed or lose your mind forever," she stated.

 

[Connor Harrison]

As Taeli spoke, it felt like the words were inside his head.

There was something missing….purpose….being…..

It wasn’t the Light….was it?

No. It couldn’t be!

Trembling, Connor let out a low roar and pulled everything to the front of his mind, and then bludgeoned it with everything he wanted. Strength. Power. Respect. Love.

He felt heartache again, and let out another primal roar as he turned the feeling of loss into one of strength that meant he could have anything and do anything with the Dark Side as his true incarnation.

The muscles felt hard, and his head began to clear, but his fingers tingled and his heart thumped inside his chest as his breathing tightened. For a few moments he felt like he was at the head of a Dark Side charge that was coursing inside him, ready to explode.

Pushing the tendrils out with the darkness of his own as they dragged the memories forward, Connor opened his eyes and stood, trembling slightly as if holding in a rage that wanted to break out.

He looked at the Jedi.

"I am in…control. I will not unleash this on you!"

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Go ahead," she laughed, canceling her spell. "You're just now tapping into your deeper recesses of dark side emotions. Your body won't be use to such yet, so I doubt you would get across the room before the exhaustion set in. Not, again, belittling your skills. Just stating a simple fact of physiology. Now, show me you do have it under control and trap it again."

If he could do that, then he would at least have the basic principle of the technique down. Which was fine by her, but she was curious just how much he actually had deep down. The life of a Jedi usually meant one's reserves of fears, pains, hatreds... were rather low. They didn't have the experiences in life a Sith usually did. That just had to do with the Sith generally eschewed from using children as apprentices. They preferred their acolytes to have some life experience first, to truly know the galaxy at its worst before recruitment.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Allowing himself to breath and blow out the rage, Connor felt what she was saying. It was like he had been in a fight already, but he hadn’t even moved. He was sweating a little; he could feel it on his brow and his back.

Still. He could do this. With a nod, he just looked at her and began.

He pulled the faces back. The promises. The pain of his body being ravaged. The lies. The mockery.

Then, his breathing started to quicken, his muscles tensed and his face started to contort into that of a beast ready to pounce on the visions he showed himself.

He heard the laughter of those who betrayed him. The failure at his progression. The devastating losses made and those dealt.

He took a step forward, and was fully tense, ready to explode. His arms were tight and his hands like claws ready to strike, and his brow low with dark eyes.

"I’m in control…"

It took strength to not just lash out at Taeli now for everything she had done, and hadn’t done, but he didn’t. He stayed still and felt his energy primed, but knew he would soon lose it.

But it felt…empowering to crush the lies of the past and to use them as his fuel.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]