Going with the Current

[Connor Harrison]

Connor laughed at a genuinely funny joke about Jedi - it was interesting how people saw them. It seemed they were just "people with swords" to these pilots. Still, this was what he was here to do. Blend in. The Sullustan indicated to Taeli, and Connor rolled his eyes and glanced over, but the smile dropped at the sight of her being harassed.

He straightened up ever so slightly, but within seconds she had neutralised him and sent him packing without even breaking a sweat. The smile returned. She really could take care of herself in the most extraordinary way.

"She's a great navigator and even stronger bare-knuckle fighter when she wants to be!”

He tried to catch her eye and mouth his concern, not that he had to, and indicated for her to join them if she wanted.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

She smiled and gave Connor a slight shake of her head that she was fine, but she would remain where she was right now. Getting the coordinates for the planet they needed was his job to do, she just had to sit there and look pretty right now. She was at least getting a wide berth right now, apparently her shutdown of the drunk had earned her a respite from idiots hitting on her.

Taking a sip of her tea, she closed her eyes again and just let the atmosphere of the cantina flow over her.

 

[Connor Harrison]

One final drink later, Connor placed a hand on the Sullustans arm as he broke away from the pair, and moved back to Taeli, still radiating calm and cool vibes with her Force aura and physical posture.

"So. I have a name - Kyrikal. It's a huge gas giant in the Unknown Regions with 4 populated moons out of Mon Calamari, so they say,” he nodded towards to pilots,"and in league with the Republic so no reports of Sith or Primes.”

He drummed his fingers on the table as he stood, looming over her.

"Never heard of it myself but they say they can escort us out there to have a look and make some informal introductions ourselves, or we can go alone. It's not dangerous and the ones they deal with are pretty creepy, their words, but seem very clever and very beautiful and know what they want and how to get it, which is why pilots can make a few easy runs for them. They both have what the other needs, so to speak.”

Connor cocked his head a little.

"You want to hit them alone and see what we find, or tag along with that bunch. They're happy either way but aren't leaving a for a while yet.”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"We should go alone, but hold on a moment," Taeli said, getting up with a stretch. Looking over at the woman and her Sullustan navigator, she went over to them and placed a cred chit on the counter. "We were never here and this should be enough to re outfit your ship and then some. Consider a thank you for the information."

Not waiting for them to reply, she smiled at Connor and took his hand before they left the bar. Once otuside, she started jumping with joy.

"Kyrikal, oh yes that is way out of nowhere," she exclaimed happily, twirling. "I've only seen it on star charts, never thought it a place of any significance. Oh how wrong I was. Oh, you are amazing ... you know that right."

Coming up, she gave him a very hard kiss and hug before breaking away for a moment.

"We have the destination, and now it's time to go see if the Fallanassi are even willing to teach us anything. I certainly hope they will be, we've been through plenty of trouble trying to get the information to find them."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor watched the pilots leave with a greater pay than they’d probably had in a while, and as Taeli took his hand to leave, he gave a solid and thankful nod to the pair. Just making their way in the universe was hard enough, but it was nice to know you could still find honest pilots doing what they did best for the love of the work.

The sunlight made him squint, and he was pulled along by a very excited Raaf and he did nothing but laugh.

"Hey, I just rolled with the punches – you had the master plan,” he welcomed the kiss, still filling him with fire, "and you are equally as great.”

Taking her hands, he walked backwards towards the ship slowly.

"Great, clever, beautiful, amazing, gifted – yes I am smitten.”

It was a wonderful, crazy and unknown ride he was on. One thing for sure, he didn’t want to get off just yet.

"I am sure if we find them, with your wealth of knowledge, they will help us. I mean, why wouldn’t they? Trust in the Force and it will be alright.”

Partly talking to himself, as well as Taeli.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"They're a very private people," Taeli responded. "As Jedi, we should be good though ... Kyrikal is going to be a bit of a hyperspace jump though. Going to need to make a few short ones so we're in position to make the final one. It's out in the spiral of this quadrant, if I remember the charts right. We're going to need something to do while we fly there."

There was something implied there as she lowered the ramp to the ship again, a casual wink. She was giddy with excitement, brimming with energy right now that the trail was discovered and they were heading for the destination.

"I do owe you a reward for getting the name of the system, now don't I?" she asked coyly.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor chuckled and let her lead the way up the ramp, giving the city they never got to see a farewell glance. The cool interior greeted them, and the light adjusted and what she said played on his mind, and his smile dropped. He peeled off his jacket and threw it on the chair, his black vest underneath.

"No you don't, you laid the path. I just followed and got lucky,” he looked to her and bit his inner cheek.

"I...look, you know my track history in being with people I care for isn't strong. It doesn't end well. It results in death. In loss. Pain. Suffering.” A shake of the head. "I can't do that.”

Wiping a sudden twitch under his nose, he looked away for a second, before collecting himself and looking back to her.

"I can't, I can't lose you like the way I've lost everything else. I've got that feeling, y'know? And...I feel I have chapters I need to close before I feel I can give you what you need. I don't want to hurt you and let you down.”

He stepped closer to her, carefully, not wanting to come across the wrong way.

"Chapters like your sister. Like the Sanctum. We're coming to the end of another year, and I want to start a new one with strength, with resolve and love. To be stronger, to be a leader and a great man. I want to be someone you can love truly. To rebuild bridges I burnt and find my place once again. But, I...” he shook his head, "sorry. Look. Take this at your own pace. Don't feel you have to be someone you're not with me or give me things you aren't yet ready to. I want to love you. I do love you. I don't want anything to destroy that. Mostly, I think I don't want to destroy it.”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"So in summary, you don't know what you're doing, but want to grow as a person, you love me, and you don't want to kark up the good thing that is in your life right now," Taeli said, smiling softly as she took his hand gently. "Come on, I want to show you your reward."

Guiding him gently by the hand, she didn't take him to the bedroom even though part of her wanted a repeat of earlier ... no, this time she led him to the cockpit as they orbited the planet. Touching one of the pads, the lights in the cockpit dimmed out so only the light of the stars and the nearby one bouncing off the planet.

"Now just watch," she whispered. She had detected it when they entered the system, so she was glad they had wrapped up things on Lianna before it happened. "You're going to see a sight I doubt you'll see again in a very long time and possibly never had if you didn't come along with me on this excursion."

As she spoke, a blast of cosmic radiation surrounded the planet, and every color imaginable could be seen arcing around the planet. It wasn't dangerous to the people below, but the light show from both the ground and orbit would be spectacular. Still holding his hand, she let the silence stretch for the full length of the cosmic rays.

"Good reward?" she asked when it ended, smiling softly again. "I'm not trying to be someone I'm not for you Connor, I'm being me ... the me that you would have gotten know on Lorrd. I love you for who you are, and I always said I would wait for you to get to a place you felt was good for you. Chapters of life are always opening and closing, and we just opened this one. Don't worry if something bad might happen in the future, live for the moment. Plus I can take care of myself, I think I've proven that."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Following, hands together, fingers teasing, they moved through the cool interior into the cockpit and he took a seat beside her, the enormous sphere of Lianna below them. Not being able to tear his eyes away, hand still in Taelis, Connor watched the planet and the blanket of stars it was framed by, and then the solar display that followed.

It was like a reaction erupted across the upper atmosphere and radiated around the planet itself. It flickered, it danced, it exploded. A whole number of colours and waves, bouncing off the light of the sun and swirling like a huge ribbon. It was one of those moments you were never prepared to see, but one that enthralled you forever.

His eyes were wide on the planet still as the display fizzled out, as tranquil as it had been before. Her voice was soft, breaking the silence gently and he listened to her but still had the visions of the display in his head.

"That was magic. Thank you – are you sure you didn’t create that on cue?”

He paused for a moment, the silence of the ship the only noise between them.

"I have to think about the future. My life has been dictated by a future I underestimated and so I can’t live without thinking about what else is in store. By doing this, I already feel there will be a painful end, and it breaks my heart. I don’t want there to be. I’m not a hero. I’m not a god. I’m a man, a weak man right now and I’m scared.”

Connor felt drained even admitting that, and turned to her.

"I don’t know where I belong anymore. I’ve lost everything.”

Taking his hand away and rubbing his eyes, he sucked back the emotions welling up inside him and just moved off the seat to kneel before her and embrace her for a hug. He needed that rock to wrap around him. He needed her far more than she needed him.

"I’ve got to make it better, but not before I finish our journey here. I’ll do anything you ask.”

Inside, it was like… he was submitting to her. The only light he had, and he would do anything to keep it burning. Anything at all. If this were the vision of Arcanix had had once fallen for, he would be surrendering himself to the darkness for good, but all it took was a shift in the balance of the Force to keep him now in the Light; wherever Taeli sat.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"You haven't lost everything," she said gently, holding him close to her. "You might think that, but you haven't. You have me ... you have your friends in the Silvers ... you might think you've done horrible things pushed everyone away ... but everyone is still there."

She could see he was submitting to her ... he would follow her anywhere now, she was almost certain. It was sort of scary to know that she had such influence over someone's life like that.

"You're getting better Connor, even you can't deny you've grown so much in just the short time we've been traveling ... and there are so many other places to go still ... so many sights and people."

 

[Connor Harrison]

"Thank you,” came a quiet reply.

Staying close to her for a second, his eyes were looking sideways, head against her chest, looking out to the stars and the edge of the planet. What lay out there for them now? Both on the same side, serving different Orders, fighting for a unified goal but now with more than just duty to serve and protect. He was eager to find out.

He slowly broke away and slinked back to his seat next to her and gave her a sheepish smile.

"I should pay you for my counselling sessions,” he grinned, "but right now, I will make good on my word. Let's find what you seek.”

Exhaling, he gathered himself and looked over the controls, knowing he didn't have a clue how to pilot this huge ship. His eyes danced over the controls, and then swiftly back to Taeli.

"I'll let you punch it.”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"As your new significant other ... counseling is free," Taeli quipped with a smile as her hand floated over the hyperdrive activation lever. "And we have got to get you trained up on how to pilot this ship."

With that, she engaged the hyperdrive and the familiar stars elongating effect began and they were in the blue tunnel. Typing in the sequence of jumps they would need to do into her autopilot system, she leaned back in her chair and gently took Connor's hand.

"I don't think this is all about what I seek, you're seeking stuff on this trip too ... just not exotic Force skill knowledge unless you want to learn it," she said. "Speaking of which, I promised to show you cryokinesis if I remember right."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Watching the ship make the jump, the vortex before them never getting old and filling the cockpit with a warm blue glow, he reclined and took her hand, so they were connected even in their separate chairs. It felt good. Looking over, he smiled and nodded.

"I know. But I'm finding the answers I seek. Who I am. Can I be somebody. Am I worth redeeming. These, and more, are all helping me. What you show me is just a bonus that enriches my knowledge and thirst to know more.”

He stroked her skin with his thumb, looking dreamily at her for a second.

"And I would love to learn that. But, is there anything I can do for you? Anything. Name it. Let me help or give you anything, in anyway you can. My...significant other.”

Connor chuckled. "That's two names away from being a fiancee.”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Teach me something you know?" she asked, smiling as she got up to grab a glowrod. "I'm sure you some things that I don't, and this trip is all about learning. But first, let's start you off on cryokinesis and you can think about what I might be interested in learning you might know."

Activating the glowrod, she placed it in his hand with a wider smile.

"So cryokinesis involves interacting with the molecules around us and slowing their motion," she explained. "The hotter an object, the more active its molecules and the harder it will be to slow them down. If you slow them down enough, ice will start to form. Water molecules are easiest to manipulate, but you can manipulate all molecules around you ... even the molecules in a being. But, we're not going to be doing that. I want you to ice over the glowrod in your hand. Take as long as you need."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Snapping himself out of the deluded stupor he was falling in, again probably part of the “process”, Connor shook his head, sat up and gave her his full attention. Watching her get the glowrod, he took it in his hand, activated by her and radiating brightly.

Sizing up the object, which he knew wasn’t really important in terms of Force manipulation, but still. She made it sound simple enough, so he nodded and settled himself on the edge of the seat to try. Slowing down molecules wasn’t TOO hard, was it? He could master speeding up tissue and muscle cells inside life-forms to heal wounds, so this was just the opposite.

Centring himself and looking at the glowrod, Connor worked with the Force around him, the natural life-force, to find the molecules blistering from the glowrod and pulled at them. Reaching them with the Force at his control and reining them in, slowing their erratic nature to form a solid.

Nothing was happening, and he shifted, pulling harder to slow and bind them. The glowrod shook in his hand gently and he found it started to coat with a thin layer of frost. Pushing more, he closed his eyes and took himself out of the situation and focus on nothing but the molecules around him to slow, bind and freeze together to coat the glowrod.

He didn’t dare look down until he thought he had accomplished it – the layer of frost was thicker, and while not totally formed, some of the molecules has frozen. A smile crossed his face as he looked up at her.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"That is a great start," she said, smiling and radiating pride towards Connor. It was a tricky technique to learn, especially since nature would fight someone using it unless they had a ton of practice and knew all the tricks to it. He was picking it up quite well, but it was only a glowrod. The challenges to learning it would only increase as he went.

"Now, as I said, the hotter the thing you are trying to freeze, the harder it will be ... much harder than a glowrod," she continued. Sitting on the arm of his chair, she held her hand up and a gently spinning cone of snowflakes appeared above it. "Water is easy to manipulate so once you finish freezing the glowrod completely ... I want you to interact with the water molecules around you and make some snow and ice."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Looking at the glowrod, Connor nodded and didn’t let her sitting on the arm of his chair distract him. He wasn’t a giddy school student anymore. He had to be in control, and show her that. The incidents upon his arrival came to his memory as she spoke.

"I can do that…I remember the hold, and you plucking snow from the air. I understood that. Manipulate the elements and the water molecules around us to form the snow.”

Setting the glowrod between two levers on the control panel of the cockpit, he turned slightly and held out his palm and looked at it, concentrating. While he felt more like a Padawan, he wanted to get everything right whilst he had the time so he could continue to display his prowess upon returning to the Silver Sanctum. Taeli was his teacher now.

He reached out with the Force and found the water; microscopic particles in the air around his body and hers. The concentration remained as he pulled them together, a swirl of energy to join and freeze them together like a chain reaction through manipulation.

The white snow began to drop across his palm and freeze, forcing him to smile and flick a little off towards where Taeli sat beside him.

”I feel this. I understand – and I see what you did with those miners, remember? Freezing them inside out. The water inside the human body is a ticking time bomb for a power like this to manipulate.”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Yeah, it's not the most pleasant way to go ... and my sister might frown at it ... quite a lot actually, but one has to use what is at their disposal in such a situation," Taeli said, brushing the snow off that he had flicked at her. "Water is everywhere, in almost every organism, and that gives you a weapon against an opponent if they have no way to counter the technique. I tried it on vonduun crab armor but that Force Dead-ness wouldn't let me reach the molecules inside to freeze so that idea is out."

"Still," she said, getting up and going to rummage for another test, "it is quite valuable to learn and one other beginning test I give those I teach it to is this."

Pulling out a space heater, she set it up and turned it on. A warmth filled the cockpit, the heating coils within the machine making it nice and toasty.

"Freeze the space heater," she instructed. There was a trick to it that she was hopeful Connor would pick up on to make the process easier for him instead of battling the heat outright.

 

[Connor Harrison]

He smiled softly, imagining how Corvus would lecture about using such ability. Very different Raaf sisters indeed. Watching Taeli set up the heater, his eyes flicked back to the cockpit, the hypnotic swirl of hyperspace rolling around them as they careered across the stars.

Returning back to the heater, now glowing and emanating heat, Connor chewed his lip for a second working out how to freeze such an object.

He went to object, but nothing came out. He was mentally blocking himself from seeing the obvious; overthinking things as always.

”I don’t know…”

Sizing up the object, he focused his attention on the water in the air, forming the frost and snow briefly before he lost it due to the heat. Shifting in his seat, getting a little warm under the pressure of trying to do something before an audience, Connor twisted his body slightly and tried again.

Trying to freeze the object from the ground up, enveloping it in hard ice and frost from the floor, he saw it creep up the heater and battle the heat coming from it, again not amounting to much.

”Shatterpoint.”

With a frustrated grunt, he looked up to her.

”When we land I’ll see if I can remember Shatterpoint and show you that if you don’t know it already.”

He frowned at the heater. ”Can’t I find anything internally to freeze from the inside out? It’s too hot externally.”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"]

"Shatterpoint!" Taeli exclaimed, her eyes going wide. "You know shatterpoint?! Yes please, I will learn that any day of the week on any planet and I'm rambling a little. Sorry!"

Shaking off her surprise and excitement for right now, she took pity on Connor with a small smile. She couldn't hand him the answer because then he wouldn't learn, but she would point him in the right direction.

"Think the problem through, what is causing the heat from the space heater?" she said. "The inner machinery ... specifically what part of the machine is fighting you and then ask yourself, how can I beat that?"