Checkmate

[Connor Harrison]

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awgAzxysyu0

Checkmate;
a position in games of the chaturanga family in which a player's leading counter is in check (in threat of capture)
and there is no way to remove the threat.

The Ancient Abyss
Felucia, Felucia System ​

Connor Harrison wanted to be alone now more than ever, and he quite simply had nothing left to give. The streak of tears ran down his cheek, silent and pure, his emotion showing that was often so difficult for him. He stood atop a plateau looking down into the dirty Felucian abyss that was littered with toppled walkways and landing pads from the Imperial reign long since over, dozens of sink holes, the scattered bones of beasts that once stalked the planet, and the remains of a mighty sarlacc pit.

The humid air lapped at the dark cowl covering his battle scarred armor. Not talking or informing anyone present at the memorial for fallen Master Sochi Ru, Connor left silently and kept on walking until he made it to the plateau where his E-wing waited.

His dark eyes, clouded with grey and stinging with tears, burned out into the abyss – his emotion soon giving way to the Sith Magic waiting to strike.

Yet again Connor you’ve let everyone down by pretending to be something you’re not.

It began, and Connor didn’t try to stop it.

How many more will die because of your incompetence before you finally let the Dark Side empower you – to make you something mighty, and not continue this painful charade?

Hands trembling, Connor wiped away the moisture over his face and felt an immense power surge up from inside him.

Take back the life that is YOURS – they hold you back, they laugh at you and they don’t trust you!

The world before him blurred into a bleary, dark crimson stained tapestry that had voices screaming in his head – the screams of Iella E’ron, of Sochi – of Coci and Nima – they were the weak ones! Letting out a cry of anger and frustration from the depths of his stomach, Connor summoned the Force energy around him and threw it out in an uncontrollable violent wave of power than started to spit the ground up as it rolled over the earth.

An invisible power churning up the soil and rock, uprooting twisted metal and disintegrating ivory bones in its path. The cry from Connor was feral, it was raw and painful and laced with failure.

LOVE her

The tremor across the abyss stopped, and Connor seethed, stalking forward and let the Force take control – let the Sith Magic take control – as he fingers started to tingle, to burn, and sparks emitted from them. With a jolt, Connor pushed his hands forward into the air and a crack of Force lightning erupted from him. It was painful, but it felt powerful – the wild arcs of blue energy snapped across the air and singed fauna.

Eye snapped open, and they were sickly amber. Connor saw nothing but himself convulsing under the lightning unleashed by Darth Arcanix and by Sith Lord Nemene – burning his body, reducing him to nothing. He had held everything in too long – it was coming out in a horribly violent, destructive way.

”GAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

The Silver Jedi had failed to find why his Grandmaster had been killed, and he had thus failed the Order. He had systematically let down his allies, but in turn had let him down by never trusting him and always being there to keep an eye on him ever since he fell to the Taung. Not to mention Sochi…he couldn’t even save her and it was his fault she had died.

He had failed to convince Corvus how he felt about her, the one glimmer of light through his dark times, and each moment with her was torture; she believed in him, but it was probably more pity than anything else. Why did she waste her time with him when so many others were finer examples of what she stood for.

You can have it all. Embrace what lies in you. Feel it. Control it.

The Sith – he was more riddled with Sith pain than anything. The lure of the Lords and Ladies he had come crossed had slowly eaten away his confidence and his resolve, and done nothing but make him doubt himself as a Jedi, as a good person and as a warrior. And Sy, his Padawan? Words couldn’t express how he had failed her.

He swiped his arms across and the lightning swept over and stopped as he fell down to his knees, clasping his hands under his armpits to dull the burning sensation that soon gave way to a sob – a sob of not knowing who he was anymore.

Connor wanted to be sick, and he was hunched over looking at the Felucian landscape he had uprooted and the smoke from the small fires he had caused. Pulling in his arms, he had accepted his fate – he couldn’t be around them any longer. He was tired. Physically and mentally exhausted. He tilted his head back, eyes now a dull grey, face red and dirty from the soil below matted by tears and looked into the sky for something…someone…to save him. If he couldn’t have them, if he couldn’t have her, if he couldn’t have the life he wanted – then he only had one more step to take.

Pushing up on his knees, Connor let out a small cry of pain as he stumbled to the front of his E-wing. His burnt hands fell on the cold ship before his body did, breathing hard desperately trying to salvage his humanity and good, but the failure and disappointment was too strong. He had tried so hard to train everyone and help others, he had neglected to try and help himself. Now he paid the price.

”I’m so sorry…so sorry…please…I…”

He wanted everyone to hear him, but nobody ever would. Spinning to rest his back on the ship, he reached down and pulled out his comlink, reading the display through misty eyes and finding the signal he swore he would never use.

There was one person he knew would accept him for who he was, and to understand his choice to embrace the Dark Side and use it to change the galaxy for the better; [member="Darth Arcanix"].

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

Taeli, still known as Darth Arcanix even if things had changed mightily for her, was busy on Saleucami, just a short hyperspace jump from what was happening on Felucia, preparing her company for the inevitable move of operations to this sector of space. She had been so busy getting everything in order for herself and everyone that believed in her that she hadn't had much time to stop and really take in her situation.

With no other Sith around, and with her right hand man knowing she wanted privacy, Taeli was sitting in the shade of one of the massive stone structures and actually meditating on everything that had happened recently, a datapad next to her giving out soft, soothing music. She had removed the dark shell that was masking her true presence underneath, and she was simply letting the Force wash over and through her, not trying to grasp it. It was remarkable how soothing it was, to not try and be in control of something, to simply bask in its presence.

She knew it didn't have the same effect as it would when she finally went to join her sister, but it still felt amazing. Her light side had already started to change her, for the better though. She had foregone a fancy dress today, going with a simple white tunic and navy skirt. her glasses were perched delicately on her nose and her satchel of gear lay next to the datapad.

Taking a deep breath, she smiled slightly as another thought entered her head. She had been slowly, but surely, coming to terms with everything she felt towards Connor. She wasn't expecting any sort of reciprocation of course, he knew her as a Sith after all, and she okay with that. She knew it would be best to get to know him better, maybe eradicate that Sith Magic once and for all when she saw him next. She just hoped nothing bad had happened to him again, after Panatha she suspected that Sith Magic was going to be brutal if it awakened again.

To remove it, she would need to use her magics again, but she felt it was more about how one used a power, rather than the power itself, that truly made it light or dark. It came down to how and why someone used something, but she did know some powers were inherently dark and evil, or good and light.

So, she would just continue to meditate, her eyes closed and her entire body relaxed.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Not sure if it was his head swirling like a nasty vortex and being literally eaten away by the Sith Magic, or if the weather on Felucia was now turning due to the Force tremor, Connor activated the com signal and lay back on the ship. Calm breaths…nice and calm…

”Arcanix. This is Connor….”

He brought up his raw fingers, holding them away from his head as he rested his brow on the palm of his hand and waited. Inside, his body felt like it was twisting and turning over itself, his muscles sore from the electrical current he had somehow summoned; a residue of the energy he had inherited from previous attacks by the lightning no doubt.

Connor pushed the com again with a short chime; head on his palm, eyes closed.

”Arcanix!”

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

Taeli opened her eyes as the first words came across her comlink, sitting on top of the datapad. A voice she had been hoping to hear again. He really needed to learn that when a girl gives someone her comm code, she wants to actually stay in touch with them in a more regular basis than one call, six years later, then another several weeks after their last confrontation.

Letting out a slow breath, she was about to flick the comlink on to respond when. . .

"Arcanix!" he shouted, and she very nearly jumped from that. Her purple eyes looked down at her comlink, confused by him actually shouting for her.

Gently reaching out with the Force, she flicked the comlink on to be a speaker com so she didn't have to move from her meditative pose.

"No need to shout Connor, in the middle of something," she said, her eyes closed again. "You know, when a girl gives someone their comm code, they hope to hear from that individual on a more regular basis than one call six years ago, then nothing until I saw you on Panatha. So what do I owe the pleasure of your call for?"

Part of her was hoping he said to have a date, but she quieted that side of her with a shush. No time for that right now, only later once they actually knew each other better.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Blowing out his cheeks, the throbbing in his temples was getting harder and louder, and it felt like his head was going to explode – nothing like a ship decorated with flesh and brain matter to go out with a bang. Maybe that’d be best?

He listened to her, well – he heard her, he wasn’t really listening.

Palm pressed harder on his head.

”I need your help. Where are you.”

Help? He didn’t know what help he needed – he needed to eradicate this poison; to find the path ahead of him; the understand the Sith…and maybe, if he made an example of slaying Arcanix, he could sever the pain of the past and show that the Dark Side was more than just Sith Lords and Ladies?

She wouldn’t need to know her “sister” fell, would she? It would be self-defence, wouldn’t it?

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"I need your help. Where are you?" he said, and Taeli instantly knew what was happening. She had been hoping it was a social call, but alas, her wishes were dashed for today. If he was asking for her help, that could only mean something had happened and the Sith Magic was returning in full force. That also meant he was teetering on the edge of light and dark, a place she had been walking unconsciously for a while but from the other side. Now though . . . well . . .

"I'm on Saleucami," she replied. "If you want, I'll leave my transponder on so you can find me easily. It's a bit hard to find someone on this world after all."

She was concerned that the growing darkness might be clouding his thoughts and emotions already, making him think things he normally wouldn't, like asking her for help. Making sure her lightsabers were nearby, and her hidden blade, she really hoped it wouldn't come to a fight. She felt . . . an overwhelming urge to save him . . . from himself. She really had gone to the Light, if that was her primary concern right now.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Hearing the planet she was on, thankfully not too far, Connor pocketed com without even looking and opened his bleary eyes, fumbling for the small ladder to pull himself up and over into the cockpit. He fell into it with little grace, wincing as his bones burnt and his muscles ached and his mind bled darkness – the Light was battling the Dark in his very brain.

Ripping the cowl back down the side of the pilot side and pulling the strap on his neck armor to try and make him feel less claustrophobic and trying not to work himself up, the sweat was matting his hair along with the red flesh under his eyes from his swelling emotion and the streaks of dirt on him. What a state. Did he care? No.

He fingered the switches to kick the thrusters, sparking into life with a satisfying growl, and fingers clasped the yoke to take the E-wing up from the plateau and across the planet. He saw the small fire from the pyre of Sochi’s memorial as he pulled up sharply. For a second, he saw his own pyre burning alone on Anaxes.

Unknown Location
Salucami, Salucami System ​

His throat was dry and he just wanted to sleep, but was spurred on by the goal that awaited him – to be free. Hitting Salucamei didn’t take too long, and the signal from Arcanix guided Connor’s craft to a location he didn’t know or recognise – it was seemingly barren, but full of life, away from everything but a place that controlled anything.

As with the Sith, he expected this to be a sanctuary, or a private chamber or god-knows what else.

He touched down rather abruptly in the craft, opening the cockpit before even killing the engines, which he eventually did. Pulling up on the sides to help him out, Connor grunted as he did, and slid down to the dusty ground that his boots crunched down on. He moved forward towards the complex, looking up at it rather imposing but magnificently constructed. There was no immediate sign of a welcome party.

Lightsaber at his side, torn cowl over his right side, he would look like he had come from battle – which was partly true; a battle with himself.

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

Reluctantly, she had placed her dark shell back over herself for now. She sorta wanted her new presence to be a secret or surprise, but she could feel Connor getting closer and closer, the conflict and darkness pouring off of him. That was highly concerning, if he was bleeding darkness out, he was very close to falling to the dark side.

Sending a pulse of the Force out like a beacon, she would attract his attention away from the Krayt complex and towards where she was, nestled in a small oasis at the foot of one of the giant rock formations. She had equipped her lightsaber to her belt, hidden blade bracer on her arm, but she had no intention of using any of these if she could avoid it.

'I'm over here,' she thought to herself, sending out another pulse of the Force like a ping from a radar. She was somewhat apprehensive about what she was feeling coming from him, but if anything, that steeled her resolve to help him.

 

[Connor Harrison]

It took him a good few minutes to walk around the complex before he felt the call from Arcanix through the Force; she was close, and outside in the warmth. Looking around to where her aura cam from, it was over a few small hills leading to a number large rock formations that seemed to be a natural part of the planet.

Talking the time to walk away from the complex and over small bumps in the ground, he saw her sat alone at a rather tranquil oasis, a peaceful small lake with a number of plants and small trees dotted around the edge. Surrounded by darkness, it seemed to be the only place to find peace – and she was there, and he felt her presence stronger than ever.

Exhaling softly as he ambled down the small incline to the dusty ground, he crunched his eyes together tight for a few seconds and walked closer to her. She looked the same as ever – in control, in charge and radiating that genetic Raaf beauty, even for a corrupt Sith.

”Arcanix, I need your help.”

She was yet to acknowledge him, but he knew she was probably toying with him.

Go on. Let her. She’ll pay for the pain she’s caused you all.

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Well that's a bit of an understatement," Taeli replied mumbled under her breath, too quiet for him to hear her. She could feel everything pouring out from him, and while he thought she was still this dark Sith Lady, she would enjoy the look of surprise later on. This was going to cause her a headache, she knew that. Using the dark side, especially in spells, now always left her with a throbbing headache and the need to take shower, but it was going to be the only thing that could set him free.

Opening her eyes, the purple shining from behind the lens of her glasses, she smiled and asked, "And how might I help you Connor? Can I say, it's nice to see you again?"

Although, taking in his appearance, he didn't seem to be in good shape. Lightsaber in place, but his hand twitching towards it every so often. The cowl of his robes and armor torn along the right side, red circles around his eyes, tear tracks, dull gray eyes. She felt a pang of sympathy for seeing those gray eyes dulled as they were. Then, she actually took notice of his hands.

Red, charred a bit . . . he had used Force Lightning. She knew he would be able to summon, he had been on the receiving end of it after all, but seeing that he had used it . . . that wasn't good at all.

Standing up, and dusting off her navy skirt and white tunic, she stretched a little.

"Sorry, been out here meditating for a few hours, and doing a little light reading," she said, in way of explanation. Then she blushed as her music switched to a new track, and she hastily turned it off.

"Sorry! Thought I had turned that off!" she said, still blushing a bit, even if the mood wasn't conducive to that.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor watched her stand, looking like a PA rather than a Sith Lady. It didn’t surprise him with her level of knowledge about the Force and her fingers in many pies, that she was far more humane than others. She favoured knowledge and history over violence and…well, that wasn’t completely true.

As she stood, he just watched her talk – waffling on about whatever; she had no idea.

Listening to her talk, Connor’s fingers gently tapped together as he contemplated everything. Now he was here, he suddenly lost the train of thought about WHY he was here. His eyes fell to the oasis behind her.

”It’s bad enough you’re her sister, and how you left me on Nar Shaddaa, and there is…nothing left. I have…no….” his voice trailed off, and he shrugged.

His hand moved absently to his lightsaber hilt.

It fell into his palm.

His raw finger activated the blue blade with a snap-hiss.

His eyes still looked out to the oasis.

”I said you’d pay for it, and you’re the first one I’m going to kill to prove that the Sith don’t own me. I’m sorry.”

Cold eyes looked up, and he shot out his left hand with the Force in a blind attempt to grip her.

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

”It’s bad enough you’re her sister, and how you left me on Nar Shaddaa, and there is…nothing left. I have…no….” his voice trailed off, and he shrugged.

Taeli saw the hilt drop into his hand, and her heart plummeted. She didn't want to fight him at all, but here he was, igniting his lightsaber blade. The blue blade casting a strange array of light across the ground, and Taeli steeled herself for this conflict. She really really didn't want to fight him.

"I said you'd pay for it, and you're the first one I'm going to kill to prove that the Sith don't own me. I'm sorry," he said, and Taeli felt the Force radiate out from him, tinged heavily with darkness, towards her in an attempt to grip her within it. Raising her own hand, she blocked his Force Grip by using her own power in the Force, pushing against it to simply block it.

"Connor! Wait! I don't want to fight you! I actually want to help you!" she implored, knowing the anger and darkness might not let him process her words. She had to try though . . . no . . . she had to save him. As her sister had quoted on Ruusan, do or do not, there is no try. She WAS going to save him from that darkness.

Drawing her own lightsaber, she didn't ignite the handle or go into any offensive stance. She was not going to do anything more than defend herself . . . or be a punching bag if he really needed that.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Scoffing at her, but noting the ease at which she deflected his Force grip, Connor dragged his blade across the gravel beneath them, drawing a snare of spark and burnt soil as he went.

”I know you don’t want to fight me – you want to manipulate me, and Corvus, and everyone else that the Sith see as a threat. I am here to cut the strings that hold us back one by ONE!”

With that, he shouted the last word through gritted teeth, bringing his blade up and swinging hard right in what, he saw, as a perfect strike to take her head and end it as soon as it had begun. There was power to the strike, but not grace or style.

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Wait! I'm not trying to manipulate you!" she yelled, but it was too late, he was already charging at her, his blade raised for a powerful strike to take her head off. There was no time to do anything else . . . but ignite her own lightsaber. Instead of the crimson blade that had marked her as a Sith for so long, a brilliant purple erupted from her saber hilt, a sign maybe of the changes she had undergone recently.

There was still the problem of the attack heading her way, but there was no grace or style to his attack. It was aimed to end her and with as much power as he could muster. Purple met blue as she deflected his attack to her side as she pivoted away, her skirt still getting caught by the blades as she brought them down and singing it.

Using her footwork, she kept pivoting and moving away from anymore attacks, occasionally letting her purple blade catch his and redirect it. She was not going to be an aggressor in this duel.

"Connor! Just stop and think! I want to help you, but you're letting your darkness take too much control!" she said, back up a bit so there was a little space between them.

 

[Connor Harrison]

He didn’t see the purple blade for a moment, and it caught him off guard – violet like her eyes, not a burning red.

A small clash of sparks flew as he tried to take her down, but she moved; deflected; defended. There was no aggression. Suddenly, he snapped – this was not a chance to waste, and she could help him more being alive than dead.

With his breathing heavy, he killed the blade of his saber and threw it aside, and turned back to her.

”Fine – you’re right, but remember, there’s one thing I want you experience that you helped me find.”

His fingers curled inward and his eyes clouded into that muted grey, and he gasped in pain, but pushed outwards with his hands. A small arc of the corrupt Force Lightning sparked from his fingers aimed at Arcanix, and he cried in pain and frustration just as he did on Felucia. It was nothing to what she had done to him, but he wasn't doing it for a competition.

The skin burnt as he wanted to stop, but at the same time he wanted to hurt her like she hurt him. HE wanted to hurt the Sith for once.

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

Killing her lightsaber blade as he killed hers, she was cautious but slightly optimistic as he tossed it away. Had he snapped back to his senses?

”Fine – you’re right, but remember, there’s one thing I want you experience that you helped me find.” he said and she started to smile, until his last few words. His fingers curled and his palm came down to level itself at her. Tiny sparks were playing across his fingers, and she knew what was coming. There was a moment when she wanted to disrupt even that start of it, because she knew what it meant for Connor to conjure Force Lightning. He hadn't broken free from his dark thoughts . . . and she would take it.

The lightning, nowhere near as powerful as her lightning or someone who had been practicing the technique for awhile could conjure, but it was still intense. She screamed as the lightning danced across her body, leaving singed marks and burns across her clothing and skin. She had to stop him though, he was giving into the dark side now if he was using lightning to punish her.

"Connor!" she yelled, well more screamed as she fell to her knees and her lightsaber dropped to the ground from nerveless fingers. Smoke rose from his hands as he continued to char them, but the lightning kept coming. Part of her brain was thinking he needed to think of the current as a water moving along a river bed to stop the charring, but the other part of her kept taking the lightning because she knew she needed to atone for what she did to him.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor closed his eyes and fell slightly in posture, but gave up to the Sith Magic and continued to course the lightning through his fingers that were now near numb and used to the pain. Turning his head to avoid seeing what he was doing, he knew it was the right thing.

Now you are in control!

Arcanix cried out, as he had, and a smile curled on his lips, but at the same time, he fought back the tears forming again in his closed eyes. Her scream was music to his ears.

Give in to the Dark Side as you were born to do and eradicate those who have hurt you!

The amber corruption started to snake across the iris of his eyes, and he pushed harder to teach her a lesson she would never forget.

”I’m not sorry for this – this is for me!”

He arched his body and gasped as he gave himself the Dark Side and didn’t resist the Force running through him without hesitation as the lighting start to arc out of control.

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Then I'm not sorry for this!" she yelled, slowly standing even as the lightning arced across her. She was not going to let him fall! She WAS NOT! An extremely powerful Force Push, fueled by her love for her sisters, burst from her hand to send him flying backwards if it connected, even as the lightning continued to arc across her. The drawing upon such a source of light side emotions broke the shell around her, revealing the light presence that was now Taeli Raaf.

"You will not FALL TO THAT INFERNAL MAGIC!" she shouted, another powerful Light side push erupting from her hand. If she had to subdue him before removing that cursed magic from his head, she would do so.

Was she being a bit of hypocrite for saying he shouldn't fall to Sith Magic when she was technically a Sith still? No, she wasn't because she felt it wasn't a conscious choice on his part. Choice was still a big thing for Taeli, and this Sith Magic that Matsu Xiangu had placed within him had robbed him of that choice and of being on the path he had originally been on.

 

[Connor Harrison]

So she was going to fight back, and as she stood he pushed harder and aimed to now kill her. He would lose everything the moment he did, but then he’d already lost anything he cared for. He saw Arcanix move through the lightning and he was hit with a sledgehammer of a Force push that immediately killed his attack and send him backwards, leaving the ground and landing hard on his back yards from where he stood.

He was winded and gasped as his armor thudded into the floor, gravel sliding under him. Connor groaned and rolled onto his side, ready to simply try again and show he wasn’t –

Again!

A blast hit him and this time sent him sliding across and rolling over himself to land face down in a stretch of dry grass that blended with the sandy ground leading to the oasis.

The burning sensation came back to his hands, the pain, and he had to stop and catch his breath, pushing up on his hands a little shaky, and scrambling up and feeling a change in the Force around her. The Dark Side only fed from him – she was clashing; she was embracing the Light?

”Nice trick, but foolish, Sith Arcanix!”

Feeling near invincible, Connor stalked towards her, outstretched his burnt palm and called the hilt to his hand to end this show once and for all.

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

As he called his lightsaber to his hand, probably aiming to end it, she could feel the dark side surging around him, trying to tempt her to rejoin it and stop using it just to continue her ascent? into the light. Flashes of all her loved ones, even her adopted parents entered her mind, and drawing strength from that love, she opened her eyes again.

Brilliant purple shined on the corrupted eyes of Connor, she didn't summon her lightsaber to hand . . . she was done playing games. DONE letting him fall further and further down that slippery slope.

"It's not Arcanix anymore," she whispered, striding forward slowly, the Light side radiating around her. "It's Taeli Raaf."

With that simple statement, the rejection of her Sith title, she thrust her hand out and blasted him with lightning, but not the blue and purple of Sith Lightning. No, she was drawing on the love of her family, green electricity arced from her fingers and engulfed him. But its aim wasn't to harm, it was to latch onto the dark side there, and she knew this was going to hurt alot.

"Haurire tenebris magicae ex interioribus ejus! Trahere a tenebris animam eius!" she chanted, the spell activating and making her nauseous, but the dark side magic within would start to bind to the green lightning flowing across him, being literally ripped from his brain and soul.