Back Where It All Began

[Connor Harrison]

Connor shrugged, eating the floss for himself; it was a rare treat having something so tasty and so commercial that he savoured the dissolving sugar in his mouth greatly. Beat the usual offerings on Voss and the Voss-ka market that was for sure.

"Oh right? That sounds interesting. Just what the galaxy needs – more people and groups like yours to be the supporting rock for those who need it. Many of those without that support end up falling into trouble and they’re picked up by the wrong crowd. Good for you, Jamie Pyne."

He could imagine her as a teacher. A Jedi scribe full of lore about the history of planets and places, captivating younglings with stories and taking them for expeditions. Spending time with them; making them feel like a human, not just a Force warrior. She had the personality and the evident warmth for that.

"The galaxy needs more people like you, Jamie. I’d steal you away for the Silvers were you not watched by royal bodyguards, a rag-tag boyfriend or the Galactic Alliance. I can work on all those things and get you to Voss in no time."

He popped the floss in his mouth.

"But no sweets for you though."

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie's face beamed with pride. It was the one thing she did thus far that felt truly meaningful in the bigger picture. Helping others, even in small ways felt like a big deal to her. Giving others opportunities for happiness and a normal life felt worthwhile. It felt like instead of being an insufferable noble that looked down upon people 'beneath her' she could help raise everyone to a higher place. Her father was thankfully very supportive of her efforts, even if her mother believed it a waste of time mostly.

"Thanks!" She said finally. "It's a pretty enjoyable time. Sometimes I wonder if I have more fun than the kids do."

It was fairly evident that she had a pretty high enthusiasm for children, perhaps even that motherly instinct that folks seemed to talk so much about. But to her, it was simply being human. She had a wealth of empathy for these kids, and if she could simply snap her fingers and make their lives all perfect she would have no second thoughts of doing it.

"Better watch all those sweets though. You'll rot your teeth. Especially that junk." She winked, pointing to the cotton candy.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

With a mouthful of floss, he let a couple of pink tendrils of the sweet treat pop out of his mouth, before winking right back and cleaning up his act and finishing off the sugary snack. It had been a while since he’d been to the dentist within the Temple actually, he thought to himself, tongue running along the sugary coating on his teeth.

Smacking his lips, he brushed his hands and carried on walking.

"Honestly, there is so much focus on fighting. Good and evil. What even IS good and evil. Jedi and Sith seem to dictate where this galaxy goes and nobody else gets a look in." Here he was; Jedi Master himself voicing a controversial opinion. Nothing new for Connor H. "There are so many good people out there who wisely choose to use a pen, or a bat, or a computer or a joystick as a tool instead of a blaster or blade and they get over-looked. They do as much damage with their knowledge and passion than a Jedi could with his saber, but nobody sees it."

He side stepped an amorous couple playing tonsil tennis beneath a flaming torch, one of many starting to light to illuminate the city, but he didn’t bat an eyelid, too deep in thought.

"I’ve seen so many good people denied their chance to make a difference because they can’t control the Force or they can’t wield a weapon. You have the Force, yes, but your heart is pure and you seem nothing but willing to help others and to preserve your heritage and culture. That is so important, and like those children, they’re the ones going to grow up in the galaxy we leave behind and what they know will shape the future. So no pressure at all."

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Yeah." She said with laughter behind her words. "No pressure at all."

Jamie pointed to one of the tallest rides at the festival, illuminated with vibrant lights and a flashy sign that read 'The Meteor.' It was a pretty cut and dry ride, a maximum of 16 passengers all sat in a seat, restrained by safety harness and bar, four on each side of the ride. Riders were then slowly raised to a height of 30 meters, and then dropped at breathtaking speed before spontaneously halting for however long the operator felt like dangling helpless thrill seekers, before dropping them once more and then rocketing them back up into the air before once again slowly descending back to the ground.

"Ever been on that? It's fun; Especially if you're afraid of heights."

There was a small smirk on her face as her hand grabbed hold of his wrist to tug him along towards the line.

"I think that unlike most Jedi, or Sith, or any of those in between folks, I never grew up with an understanding of the Force, what it really was, or could do. Because of that I learned how to live without it, and because of the way I was raised, I can use the Force more as a tool than a crutch, or a sixth sense. I just hope that what I do for them makes their lives, and those they impact later, better."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He clocked the noisy, vertigo-inducing ride the same time Jamie grabbed his wrist, and while he wasn’t afraid of heights or speed, the thought of riding a fairground attraction was a little alien. He didn’t restrain, but he didn’t exactly make it easy for her to drag him along.


"That’s a good attitude to have I think," he said, eyes glancing up to the ride with each step, "and it’s something I like to think on myself. The Force is a tool to help you do your job, it’s not some…religious….look, will you stop, you go on this yourself, I’m fine, really.”

He rolled his eyes, almost like one does when they are reluctantly dragged up to dance at an event. Connor stood at the foot of the ride, the screams of joy – and part fear – heard above.

"What is this. I mean really. You’re not a kid – this is a kiddie ride. Come with me and ride a Krayt Dragon on Tatooine or navigate an asteroid field out in the Outer Rim. Now that’s a ride.”

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"A kiddie ride?! Are you crazy?!" She said, pointing as the ride went firing back up into the air. "Look at that thing!" Jamie shook her head, not dissuaded in the least by his reluctance and condescending remark about the ride. "It's fun! Come on! Nobody is too old for fair rides!" She was clearly not going to give up on the subject. "Besides, you don't want me piloting anything, let alone an asteroid field where death is actually possible. Not unless you actually want to die, that is." She directed her thumb back towards her chest. "Worst pilot in the galaxy, here."

That was hardly an exaggeration. She had nearly killed herself and a number of others on several occasions when behind the controls of a starship as well as a speeder. The girl tended to avoid piloting any kind of starship if at all possible. Hell, half of the displays and indicators she didn't even know what they were for! If one went off, the best she could do was slap it and hope it was just a glitch. She once nearly overloaded an engine's reactor by pushing it from full stop to fully engaged in a matter of a fraction of a second. That was terrifying!

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Letting out an audible groan, Connor shook his head again but walked with her in protest.

"I came here for a break, to see the city and have some peace….” he walked with her to the waiting seat for the ride, "…and what happens? I meet you and it all kicks off…” he took a seat on the edge and pulled down the arm restraints, shaking his head, "…let’s go spelunking and climbing across waterfalls and nearly drowning and now going on kid rides….” as the barrier rose on their laps.

Noting her big grin, Connor shook his head again and swallowed.

"I’ll get you back for this, Jamie Pyne.”

A klaxon sounded and the ride began to rise slowly as the hydralulics kicked in. Resting his head on the seat, Connor looked out and actually enjoyed the view. Theed got a little further away from them, legs dangling out, and the lights shone not just across the city, but as far as the eye could see form hangars, other settlements, farms.

It was akin to being on top of the Star Destroyer on Jakku in terms of a view.

"See this is nice. Have you nowhere we can sit and watch the world go by and ponder life or anJJEEEOHHHHHHHHHH GOD!”

The ride dropped. And so did Connor’s stomach as his knuckles gripped the head-rest.

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie ignored his monologue of complaining as they seated themselves on the ride. He was going to enjoy himself, he just didn't want to admit it. Surely it was simply because he was too embarrassed to acknowledge that he had a childish side that enjoyed riding scary tall towers of terror! At least she was sure in that explanation anyway. Hearing the lift kick in as the ride began to rise over the city Jamie grinned wide, her eyes peering over at Connor to see at what point the panic would begin to set in. He had done pretty well, even began to talk to her about the sights, mentioning something boring like watching life pass by when the operator of the ride decided then was the time to drop the passengers twenty or so stories towards the ground before abruptly halting the ride mid-fall.

The girl made not a single scream, but instead burst into laughter. She'd clearly been on this ride one too many times in her life.

"Don't look so pale!" She pointed towards the ground, still quite few dozen meters away. "Still a ways to go!"

Just then the ride violently tore upwards towards the sky, sending the passengers rocketing to the ceiling of the ride before immediately falling at lightning speed once more, slowing only once it got near the ground once again. This time it would creep its' way back to its' point of origin, allowing the riders the opportunity to get off so that others could board. The blonde would laugh maniacally at Connor, who looked like he had seen a ghost by the time they got free of the ride.

"See! Fun!"

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He shot Jamie a look that said it all.

"Yes. Great fun."

Connor pulled his tunic down at the belts, straightening it out and fixing his sleeves. No questioning there was a bit of a rush from the ride, but there was something very artificial about the whole thing that didn’t quite hit the spot.

"Next time you’re going up on a starship, because that’s a real ride. You ain’t seen nothing until you’ve skimmed an ocean at breakneck speed ducking and diving in between rocks and caverns. More real than this."

Walking away from the ride, he jabbed Jamie in the ribs, shaking his head at her boundless energy. He couldn’t help smile however. It seemed like this was that thing he’d heard about… fun? Relaxing? A few more yards, he stopped at a game stall and reached out to halt her with his hand.

"Here you go – humour me."

It was a Womp-Rat shoot. A mock laser pistol and automated womp-rats popping up around various objects for you to shoot and get the high-score. Connor took care of the cost for playing and tapped the pistol.

"Bet you can’t get more than 10 in the time with your eyes closed."

He raised his brow a little. The challenge was set.

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"So what you're saying is...actually almost dying." She shook her head. "If you want that rush just put me behind the controls of a speeder. If you don't have a heart attack and we don't crash you'll think that was an act of the Force." Starships were even worse. Making through lift off was more than enough of a challenge, but it hardly ended there. Once she was in space? Most people figured that was the safest part of space travel, but no, not for Jamie. Jamie had the unique talent of pushing systems beyond their means for seemingly no reason. Potentially overloading engines and reactors? That was easy for her. Taking ships blindly into asteroid fields and actually skimming one enough to do substantial damage? Another check. She was a disaster waiting to happen behind anything mechanical.

When Connor stopped her to play the Bomp-A-Womp game she was ready to win the largest prize, right up until he challenged her to do it with her eyes closed.

"What?" She said, holding the small mock blaster. "My eyes closed?" How? Something told her there was something here to do with the Force and basically cheating in some manner. Force Sight as it were, was not something she had quite learned, even though she'd heard of it in passing. Instead she'd have to rely on her ears.

The man started the game, and Jamie began to fire blindly, using only the sound of the fake rat popping up through the makeshift holes as a guide. Surprisingly enough she hit four before time expired, though nowhere near the ten that Connor had challenged her to. Before she even opened her eyes she knew she hadn't come close. She hadn't even done as well as she thought she did.

[member="Connor Harrison"]