A Truce At Bakura?

[Connor Harrison]

Following on from 'Sanctuary' ...

Je'daii Order Sanctuary
Bakura, Wild Space

Kyra and Connor took leave from the Sanctuary and walked a little way away from the site. Out of ear-shot, away from glances.

It had been months since they last saw each other. Kyra laid out on a medical bunk after the incapacitating attack of the Sith Ignus. Connor ready to go hunting for his head in an act of revenge.

Both lost contact. Both found their way.

Both found very different paths that brought them here, around the company of the Je'daii. Kyra had her allies, and Connor had...none.

It was warm but cool at the same time, and the ocean beside them stretched for miles, just like the green around them.

Such a peaceful world. Hopefully the discussion would be the same?

"Whatever they did to you, they worked wonders," he smiled.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

The Temple of Akar Kesh, nestled into a cliffside on Bakura, was truly a beauty to behold. Serene, humble, little more than a collection of stones with a small bunker hidden beneath that could barely house half a dozen Je'daii. It was, of course, her first time visiting. She had not been with the Order for very long, her interest was more geared toward her sister than the tenets she followed, but there seemed to be a sincerity behind it all that she admired.

Never in a million years had she expected to find him here, in the company of young Asha nonetheless.

By her side Connor Harrison walked, no words had been uttered between them since they left the company of the others, and instead they tread away from the stone circle to the very edge of the cliff. It reminded her of first meeting Steph, a memory which chilled her to the core. Things could have gone so much worse, she could only hope the scales would not tip in the other direction this time.

Finally, once both had halted in place to admire the unhindered view of the ocean, his voice rang out to break the silence. She turned her head to find him watching her, admiring the neat scarring she still carried and the lack of any other reminders. Aside from her arm of course.

"It isn't perfect" she said, with a shrug, "But who am I trying to impress?" Kyra did not care how her face looked, the only one she did care about was at her side. And she knew she'd never win him over anyway. She lifted the mechanical arm to pull a few strands of hair from her face, before sighing. It had taken her weeks to perfect the mechanisms inside her cybernetic arm, and the outershell had cost her quite a few credits. For whatever reason she did not wish to use scavenged materials for that, it didn't feel proper.

There was an elephant in the room they were both avoiding, an uncomfortable raincloud floating overhead. For the first time ever she did not feel entirely comfortable in his presence, yet she was also lacking her usual anxieties, her worries and fears. It was as if all her burdens were gone, and he was just another person she had met in her past rather than someone she was usually ditsy around. Her heart ached though. If she had not had a chance before, what hope did she have now?

"Where have you been?" she finally asked, though she knew the answer already. She had felt it through the Force, they had a bond that neither could sever, one forged by the Force itself, his topple into darkness had pained her so.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

They seemed to come to a stop on the cliff. As if the words and questions weighted them down that they couldn't work further without getting them out.

He glanced sideways to look at her, and looked over her cybernetic arm which was a decent looking fix. Her face too, was scarred from the eyebrow into her scalp. But she was the same Kyra, just...touched by the world and it's experiences.

"Where have I been. Wow, there's a question." He tried to chuckle, but it didn't come. "I found Ignus, and hurt him. I had help. I never looked back."

It was hard to piece together the journey that brought him here, and maybe he just had to say it.

"The Silver Jedi cast me out, took my saber and my power, and left me for dead when I proved myself too strong for them to control. I am now serving the First Order and their fight against the Jedi."

Saying out loud, to her, made him feel...sick.

He looked for her reaction, knowing full well things had changed in that instant forever.

"Come with me," he whispered.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

She listened, for a moment, in silence. He was, she knew, trying to brush it off, make it seem as though it was nothing, but the corruption which now laced his soul was so thick it was tangible in the air, and it made her feel sick to be so close to him. No move was made to step away though, and somehow she managed to reject the allure of the darkness which tried to toy with her mind, which tried to drag her in.

Stupidly she had forgotten Aela's warning, and it was only in this moment that she knew it to be so. Do not go after him alone, she said. Do not face him without support. But she didn't need it, she realized. She could do this, she could resist it herself. So much had changed, she had grown in strength whereas he?

"You offend me," she said, without looking to him, her gaze now set out to the horizon beyond. "I followed you willingly across the Galaxy, to its furthest corners, for love, I joined your blind crusade with the Silvers, and now..." She shook her head, finally looking to him, "Now you want me by your side? You are not the man you were, Connor Harrison. I will not follow you into this pit you have wormed yourself into. The Darkside is not powerful, it does not inspire awe, it cannot be used in aid of the Galaxy. You are a weak coward, hiding behind corruption, using it to strengthen yourself. It is a crutch, and soon enough you will be so enveloped by it that it controls you. And there'll be no backing away from it when that happens."

Her jaw set, and she narrowed her eyes into what was almost a glare. For the first time in her life she looked upon him with mild vehemence, disgust. And then she inhaled a very small breath of air, and looked back to the waters. She found her peace, the stupid Balance her sister was always waffling on about. She was right, it did come easier here on Bakura.

"The day you decide to stop this pathetic attempt at making a name for yourself, you let me know. Until then, do not belittle me with such suggestions. You may have forsaken your destiny, but I'm the one left behind to keep it in tact."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Kyra’s reaction was not what Connor expected. He had never seen her like this, bar that time facing the Sith when she showed a fire and resilience inside her that even he had to try to control. But it hurt to hear the words from someone he had known all his life.

Hurtful, honest words that embarrassed him and his ego.

Connor didn’t know where to look or what to do. Part of him wanted to lash out and hit her, to strangle her and make her see the severity of the situation he was in. Part of him wanted to say sorry, and try to make her understand with his words.

"Your words hurt me, Kyra. You are not thinking. You’re not listening to me. I have never lied to you. Ever. You have known my path with the Silver Jedi was always at risk the more they overlooked me and cast me to the side when I become too powerful. Now, it’s happened and this is the place I feel I can serve the galaxy for the greater good."

His gaze averted from her burning one and he looked to the sea; peaceful and endless and calm.

"I am not…I am not trying to make a name for myself, how nasty do you want to be?" Now he looked at her, frustration bubbling up. "I have done everything you ever ask and more in service of the Light, and the Jedi. I took you with me and I risked my life to save you numerous times and because of YOU I lost everything."

Now his face was as stern as hers.

"You never let go. Always there trying to prove yourself. And then Ignus cut you up and it was down to me to make him pay. And I did. And it felt GOOD. He hurt you, so I hurt him. That is was justice means. Those with power must use it."

It was hard to turn away again, for they were getting personal now.

"How dare you talk to me like that. How dare you."

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"Seriously?" she spat, her eyes ablaze at the audacity, "You're trying to claim you did this for me? I told you not to, Connor! I told you that you were simply feeding into his plan, and look at you... Like a mouse to the cheese, you went straight for it. Lashed within the trap he forged for you. And you think that I'm being ungrateful? You think I owe you, what? Some sort of debt? No. This is on you. I tried to do everything you wanted, Connor, I changed my entire life for you, made it revolve around the Jedi you served, and you disgraced them. You turned your back on them. Talking of damn power. They didn't cast you out because you were powerful, they cast you out because you were a disgrace, look at you, swathed in darkness. They were your friends, Connor, they were your brethren, and you forsake them. You fell out of love with their Order, that can't be placed on them, and it most definitely cannot be placed on me. It is no excuse for you to go gallivanting off with Bogan."

She took a step away from him, shaking her head.

"Just look at you, even now you cannot open your eyes and see where the true blame lies. You're still blind to your own faults. Always looking for someone to blame. It's always been someone else's fault, hasn't it? The Jedi, Ignus, Me. Blame, blame, blame. Why don't you look inward for once, Connor? Why don't you admit that this is secretly what you wanted all along, to rid yourself of the chains of the Jedi. Why don't you admit that you always flirted with the darkness, even when you tried to eradicate it. To become the hunter you can't remain the prey can you? You can't remain innocent and free of their darkness."

A slight scoff, and yet another step back, put some serious ground between them.

"I ignored it before, love blinded me. But you've been headed toward this path for a long time. You didn't deserve the Order who gave you everything. Go on, tell me I'm wrong, lash out at me if you must, I see the muscles tightening, I can feel how you urge to do so. Become him, Connor, turn into Ignus like he wished you would, and prove him right. Lose that last speck of humanity."

By now her breathing was somewhat heavy, that peace she had sought to keep hold of floundering between them. Aela had expected the wrong result, she had thought Kyra too weak to stand before him and not buckle. Perhaps she ought to have urged caution of the tongue, who knew what might happen now all this was out in the air. Connor most definitely did not seem happy with her.

"Stop this madness, old friend. It is not too late to turn back. But if you reject the offer for help, if you turn your back on redemption as you have the light, as you have on the Jedi, on the betterment of the Galaxy, then know that nothing will ever truly bring you back from the cusp. You're flirting with a power you don't even truly understand, Connor, the darkside is corruptive, it is unquenching in its thirst. It will keep feeding from you until you're just a shriveled old husk which relies on it for even the most basic tasks. Until you are no longer human at all, but beast."

Her expression crumbled, and she turned her gaze downward. Her eyes watered, a few tears falling at the mere prospect of it.

"I love you, Connor Harrison, I have loved you since the day we met. I have stood by you through thick and thin. But this? This I cannot do. It goes against every sense of morality I have in my body."

She looked up to him again, all of the disgust, all of the anger, gone from her expression, left only with hope.

"Come with me, Connor. We can make this right, together. We don't even have to return to the Jedi. We don't have to worry about the Galaxy, and its stupid wars, we can go back to Sark', we can go anywhere but here. We can do anything but this. You're breaking my heart..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oextk-If8HQ​

 

[Connor Harrison]

Each word struck like a balled fist. A knife, stabbing into him. A force pushing down he could not move from.

Connor placed a hand over his eyes and rubbed the sides of his head, the frustration rising and the swirl of desperation dragging him under. Kyra had become a Master without even knowing it - sound of heart, true of mind and faithful to the Light. Her guidance and leadership and faith would drive others she stood beside, and her resilience against the darkness would be exemplary.

"We can not make this RIGHT!”

That was all he knew....no matter the outcome she wanted, that they both wanted, he was too far gone to find a way back. He sucked in air and then looked at her.

As much as he was a shell to her, she was almost alien to him - stronger, wiser, not the girl asking what a fish was anymore.

"There is NOTHING that can change what I've done, or why I've done it, or what I have to do next. You have so much potential. So much to give...and without me you won't be able to find your way. You have to stay with me. You have to! I can't...I can't lose you too.”

He sighed, refraining from coming closer or closing the gap that was widening.

"If this is how far we come together, then I know I will never see you again with the same eyes as I do now. I have done all I can for you, but I will do so much more if you stick with me. If you go to the Jedi, after all I've tried to help you with, then you haven't listened at all. Come on, Kyra. You trust me, don't you? I would never lie to you or hurt you, but it's clear you still don't understand.”

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"Then all is lost."

She looked from him to the waters beyond as he began to speak, to try and justify why he couldn't foresee ending it all, this madness he had caught himself up in. Part of her wanted to leave, how could she remain in the presence of someone happy to condemn themselves to darkness? But she knew that running from problems was what had brought him to this point, and she wouldn't risk the same.

"I am not coming with you, Connor. I will not tread the darkness. View me how you wish, nothing I say will stop that if it's truly how you feel."

It amused her somewhat that he thought she would venture of to the Jedi now, as if that wasn't his plan for her in the first place. How presumptuous of him. She didn't bother to correct him.

"I understand more than you could possibly know, old friend. If this is where we must part ways, then so be it. It is not a matter of trust, it's a matter of what is right and what is wrong. I won't expose myself to corruption. Not for you, not for anyone."

She turned, forsaking a beautiful view of the ocean to look upon him. She could feel tears welling within her eyes, though she forbid them to fall. Standing her ground.

"Lets not make this any harder than it already is."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

This was nothing but his own doing, and he could not see a way back. To claw at the bank he was sliding under, tugging and pulling him down and down. So much had been done, said and acted upon. The man who was Connor Harrison was already dead – he just had to accept it.

Accept he had failed.

Failed her.

Connor swallowed and nodded at her when she turned.

There was nothing to say that wouldn’t reduce the two to arguing and saying something they would regret the next day. If this was the last time they saw each other, then Connor did not want it to be any worse than it was.

He nodded again accepting her view and in agreement, and walked to her and closed the gap.

With gentle hands, he reached up and held both sides of her head, pulling her head down slowly and kissed her forehead. Then, he turned his cheek and rested it upon her brow, eyes closed as he took all their memories and held them tight.

The laughter, the anger, the adventures – holding hands in fear, hugging in joy, exploring new worlds and planning their future. All gone.

"I’m so proud of you, Kyra,” he said quietly. "I will be with you always. Always.”

He hugged as tight as he could for a few more seconds. Then he let go and was gone. He walked past her straight for the cliff-face that would lead him back to the sanctuary of the Je’daii, and where he could get off the planet. There was nothing for him here, and he had done his part for young Asha.

The Je’daii would go far in time. If Kyra Sol was with them, she would lead them to greatness and be a Jedi far greater than he had ever been.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

It felt as though her chest was being torn apart, while a hand grasped at her heart and squeezed as tightly as was humanly possible. For a moment she thought she might be overcome by the sensation, drop to her knees or better yet sprawled on the ground as death finally took her. But no such reprieve came, instead the chasm between them merely grew.

He stepped closer, and though it was against her better judgement she held her ground even when his hands rose to cup her cheeks. His lips touched upon her forehead, the straw which broke the camels back. She could feel her willpower breaking down, as tears streaked her cheeks and her heart slammed against her chest to remind her of all they'd had. All they could have had.

She did not move. She settled against his chest as he held her close, and sobbed as silently as she could into his shoulder as he spoke. A true farewell.

And then... He was gone. Walking past her with such haste that she felt shaken.

"There'll never be a day that I won't think of you, [member='Connor Harrison...']"

Fin​

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfTgCPUJwRk​