A warm welcome

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

OOC/ Sorry about the delay

"I don't always see eye to eye with them on their approach," Jacen admitted. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked the captive up and down once more.

"Sometimes I say things like 'your future is in your hands now.' That may or may not be true of course. Right now you're just a prisoner of war. Which means down the line you'll probably get traded back to the First Order." Jacen left out the other possibilities that might come before that. If he was considered dangerous and truly corrupted by the dark side he couldn't just be set free again in his current state.

"How did you dispense justice Connor?"

 

[Connor Harrison]

With a little nod, Connor understood. Sounded fair enough. But, why wasn’t part of him grasping at straws trying to find a way for the Order to take him back. Did he want them to?

He looked up at Jacen at his question. There was no face to save right now, so he went for the blunt truth.

"I negotiated with many systems. Brought them to our soil, and witnessed blood-shed when they lashed out like animals. I faced Thurion and Coci and laid out plans, but they never did anything. I travelled across the systems to try and soften our image, and even had half my body broken because of the hate for the Jedi was let out on me."

He chewed his cheek slightly.

"I eventually found the culprit. Brought her in. They sentenced her to life in prison. I wasn’t happy with that. So I took her to Korriban, broke her neck and left her in the city she levelled for the Sith to claim."

Saying it again didn’t bother him. It was a lifetime ago, and a small event in a much bigger story.

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Oh."

Jacen had expected to perhaps receive a hint of the truth. Maybe a story of a man losing his control. Jacen had known enough to relate to that. It was quite clear that the premeditated execution was a little more shocking than he had prepared himself for.

"Is that what drew you to the First Order? Their corporal punishment policy?" The First Order didn't hide the fact that they used executions for criminals to maintain order. Jacen decided that was a slightly glib response to a very serious answer.

"Thank you for being so honest at least. You understand I'm going to have to talk to the Silver Jedi about this?"

 

[Connor Harrison]

The remark went right over his head. He wasn't in the mood to make light of something that was as easy as breathing for him.

"Talk to them all you like. They know what I would have done, which is why they got me to take custody of her in the first place. As I said, the Heavenshields get everyone else to dirty their hands so they remain the clean cut Jedi."

He leant on the far wall.

"The First Order was...well, it wasn't my first port of call that's for sure. I didn't really expect to be taken in their ranks, but I knew a few people on Dosuun. I needed some alliance. Anyone. Because I had none, and when you have nothing, you become desperate for anything you can get your hands on. I don't suppose you know how that feels?"

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"No, I don't. It doesn't mean I can't understand. So just to be clear: you think the Silvers were aware of what was going to happen if you took her into custody? Were you so certain in your belief that life in prison wasn't enough for the crime that you had to snap a woman's neck in cold blood?"

Jacen maintain his stoic visage. He was no longer leaning against the wall casually. He stood forwards, leaning slightly in and paying full attention to what Connor had to say.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor noted the interest the Jedi took in his words.

"They knew me. They took me in over a decade ago. They’d seen my frustrations and my way of thinking – you tell me. Would you let someone as volatile as me take custody of a prisoner responsible for defaming your Order and killing thousands, and expect them to drop them off at a prison for a better life than they would have outside?"

He nodded, to confirm Jacen’s thought.

"The Heavenshields knew just what they were doing, and who they could blame. And when I came back for answers, I was struck with a Wall Of Light, reduced to nothing and even had my lightsaber stolen – the Skywalker hilt. Taken for their trophy case, and tossing me into the night."

With a little sigh, he clasped his hands together.

"Job done. Thank you Connor, but you’re just too powerful and dangerous for us. Time to strip that down and throw you to the mercy of the galaxy."

He leaned forward a little.

"You need to start thinking just WHO you can trust out there, Jacen. I’ve seen both sides, and right now even I don’t know the answer."

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

Jacen canted his head to one side. Again he hadn't expected the Ren to so candidly explain his past. Maybe no one had wanted to listen before.

"Do you think - regardless of what the Heavenshield's intentions were - that assuming they wanted you to dispose of the perpetrator helps you partition the blame? Perhaps it makes you feel like you can absolve yourself a little of what happened."

Jacen was content with the side he stood on now. He was weary of the war that never seemed to end, but that was a separate matter. If he wasn't certain of the side he was on he certainly wouldn't fight at all. But he didn't want to shift the focus of the conversation away from the prisoner yet.

 

[Connor Harrison]

He smiled, and shook his head.

"No, Jacen. I accept what I did, and I will take the blame. But that’s just it – they make everyone do the dirty work, and when the repercussions come, they wash their hands of their assets. Tools to use. I was a spent force, and easy to cast out. But, as it stands, I could not continue under the failing leadership. Once they lost Korriban, they never got it back. That was when I was out."

Connor just looked at him.

"Where is Taeli Raaf."

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

A Jedi who had lost his way was easy to work with. That wasn't quite true. The path back was long and hard, but it was well trodden. They were a long way from the start of it right now. Killing someone in cold blood wasn't something that could be overlooked, even a criminal. At least he hadn't crucified anyone. At least, he hadn't admitted to being a part of that debacle yet. Jacen didn't see it as likely.

"I don't know, would you like to talk to her?"

 

[Connor Harrison]

"That was my condition on being brought here. So yes. When she is free, of course. I'm sure she's very...busy."

He turned and started to pace again, looking at nothing.

"Do you have anything else you want to ask? Or are you done trying to figure out if there is hope for me yet. If the Heavenshields are involved, then there is none."

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"I'll make sure she's here as soon as possible," Jacen replied. It had been a curious conversation. Revealing, but also leaving him with as many questions as answers. Trying to see the world from another perspective was never a simple matter. He backed through the glasteel doors which started to slide shut.

"And I'm not done. Not yet," he added before taking the lift back to the surface.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor nodded once, and watched him back out.

He heard his statement as the doors slid shut, and he made his way to the lift up to the surface.

"Nor am I, my delluded friend."

The lava boiled around him in the cell, but Connor was comfortable and composed as he watched the Jedi leave.

"Nor am I."

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

It would be roughly half an hour before the sound of the turbolift coming down would echo through the large cavern. Taeli had taken her time coming down here, wanting to finish up her class on the history of the region first before speaking to Connor. Master Voidstalker had gotten a few things out of him, mainly about Korriban and his murder of Charzon? She honestly didn't even care to remember the name of the woman whose neck he had broken.

With a hiss, the doors opened and she stepped out into a wall of oppressive heat. She never liked coming down here, too much heat caused her hair to frizz at the ends. Still, she had been curious and was interested to hear what Connor might have to say since their last meeting on Teth. Taking a deep breath, and using the Force to chill the around her to a more acceptable level, he might be uncomfortable but that didn't mean she needed to be, and pressed the switch to open his door, grabbing a small chair and dragging it inside.

"So I see you met the Iron Protector of Abregado-Rae," she said, settling herself into the chair to face Connor.

 

[Connor Harrison]

With his tunic unbuttoned a little more at the neck and his sleeves rolled up, Connor was comfortable for the moment. Opening his eyes at the sound of the turbo-lift, he span up from his sitting position on the floor and stood to see her.

Taeli had come after all.

Standing to greet her as she came into the cell, she made herself comfortable.

"I have no idea who that is, or what he does, but whatever he is, the Alliance had an ace up their sleeve using him."

He looked around and pointed with his finger up to the ceiling.

He meant surveillance, but he hoped it would come across like he meant a dip in temperature around her.

[member="Taeli Raaf"] | [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

"Giant phrik armored droid, looks like an HK unit, and has a bigger ego than a supernova," she responded, giving a small laugh. "But yes, he and his Grey Cloaks I think they're called are quite the asset for the Alliance. They inflicted quite the number of casualties on Mustafar."

She would see him point up, and knew what he was asking about. Was the cell under surveillance? The obvious answer was of course it was, which is why she wasn't going to say anything of importance here. She would give him the subtlest nods, but to any observer it would like she was still chuckling to herself about Hk-36 and his forces.

"You wanted to see me, so here I am," she said, leaning back in her chair.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Shaking his head, he turned in understanding, but just looked as if he didn’t want to hear goading.

"I see. I see."

He looked up at the glow from a thin reinforced clear panel in the cell reminding him of how close he was to the lava.

"What does your lot want with me. There is no reason for me to be kept here. The First Order won’t deem me important to bargain over. You’ll have to move me out of here soon, or put me to trial. On what grounds? You have none. You’re wasting time."

He gave her a look. Time was something he didn’t have to waste.

[member="Taeli Raaf"] | [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Um no, we don't have to move you anytime soon," she responded. She was aiming to underscore to Connor just how precarious his position was. "The Alliance gives the New Jedi Order carte blanche in dealing with dark siders. That includes holding them indefinitely in one of these cells, to be surrounded by ysalamiri, for the rest of their lives if they do not wish to repent their ways. You might be a little fish to the Alliance and First Order, but the Grand Marshal is likely to order you to stay here for the rest of your life."

She was somewhat amused if he thought they wouldn't have grounds to put him on trial anyways. He was technically a prisoner of war, and one that HK had provided plenty in regards to his actions on Skor.

"You're just one more small cog of the machine the NJO wants out of commission, one less Force user that your Supreme Leader can order into battle against us," she continued. "Perhaps if you provided some useful information, something might be able to be worked out where you have more comfortable accommodations during your imprisonment."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Without facing her, Connor closed his eyes. It cut more than ever to be reminded how insignificant he had become. For what? He would make a wager with the great Leader himself nobody would come to his aid or fight for him.

He stayed silent for a few moments, head down.

"I will not give you anything you do not already know."

He turned to her.

"And if this Grand Marshal wants to keep me here when there are so many more important Force users out there as you say, then he must consider me a big enough deal to waste a cell and resource on keeping locked up. If not just a little fish, why contain me."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"I think you misunderstand what I meant," she sighed. "He doesn't care how many resources are spent on containing dark siders, he wants every dark sider imprisoned or destroyed regardless of their skill or importance to a hierarchy. Once I leave, and if we don't get anything useful, you'll be left to rot here. Alone."

She could always take the information the Alliance was looking for, well the information Connor had that was in line with they wanted, but she didn't want to resort to that yet.

"Do you really owe the First Order anything?" she asked. "You said it yourself, they won't even think about bargaining to get you back. Doesn't that strike you as callous of the lives of those that serve the Supreme Leader? Almost like none of you matter in the end, only that you die in his service. I mean have you even met this mysterious leader?"

 

[Connor Harrison]

The bluff was a convincing one.

"You leave me here and then you'll never find what else I've hidden away. And not just in this delicate little mind."

He stepped back and leant on the wall, folding his arms.

"And yes, I have met him. Once. He's old, corrupt, pretty powerful and decisive. I liked his style, but perhaps it's the ones below him who aren't following his leadership properly." He gave a shrug. He stayed silent for a few moments, head down. "What do I know. I'm just a little fish! So, what would this Grandmaster of yours, or Marshall, want from me?"

[member="Taeli Raaf"]