Raw Deal

[Connor Harrison]

Watching the girl as she held the gun awkwardly and had no strength in her arms, the shot rang out and he didn’t need to look to see she had missed and took a small chunk out of the concrete floor. Trasker chuckled and shook his head.

”Give me strength.”

He walked over to her and started to mould her body – he lifted the pistol so it was level with her eyes, and forced her arms to be a little more tense, but still loose at the elbows.

”First, look where you’re shooting. Don’t pull the trigger like it’s a wild beast – this weapon is your life. Squeeze the trigger; keep the target in your sight over the barrel of the gun itself. See where you want the shot to connect as you pull back.”

He looked at the container and pointed to a sandy coloured streak in the crimson paint from where it had been scraped over time.

”Hit that patch there.”

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

Shooting a blaster was definitely not the easiest thing in the universe, but Lilin felt like she even liked it to a certain degree. No, she was not a psychopath, but she still felt like she would choose a firearm before a lightsaber in such a battle. She felt like the signature weapon of a Force-user was not destined to be used in personal life.

With the tips she got from the man, she gave shooting another try. She held the weapon at about the height of her eyes and held it tighter in her little hands. She really wanted to hit that patch.

She took a deep breath in and pulled the trigger.

The shot ended up on the container this time, but just a little bit away from her target. She was either successful or completely untalented. She didn't know, which.

[ [member="Ben Trasker"] ]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Trasker walked forward to inspect the hole; the blast has torn through the metal and left twisted spikes steaming from the heat. Totally away from where he asked, but at least she had hit it. Running his hand past the hole, he nodded.

”Not bad,” he turned, ”for a girl.”

He walked up beside her.

”Try again, and don’t loosen your grip or your arms as you’re about to fire. Keep tight, and I said see your target ahead of you but don’t look down the gun all the time – look ahead, and feel the shot itself hitting where you want it.”

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

Another try... That moment she felt like using a lightsaber was a whole lot easier than shooting precisely with a blaster. A lot of that came from the fact that she had never used a blaster before, but had learned to use a lightsaber, although she also believed melee weapons were more her thing than firearms were.

A new deep breath in, followed by her eyes locking to the target and hands holding the blaster even tighter than before. She had no idea if shots like these were able to be controlled with the Force any other way than Tutaminis, but she truly hoped there was a way to change their movement.

Then she pulled the trigger.

Her shot was not as bad this time, she guessed, ending up at the edge of the patch she was supposed to hit. At least she was doing progress, right?

[ [member="Ben Trasker"] ]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Watching the container, the girl cracked out another blast of energy that tore into the metal, closer this time.

”See, you can do it.”

Looking back at her, he evaluated her stance and frame.

”You had combat training before? You’re holding yourself like you’ve been in a fight, but not with a blaster.”

He took the gun from her hand and checked the sights, before holstering it in the waistband of his belt by his torso.

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

Lilin gladly handed the weapon back to the man before replying simply.

"Yes. But with a lightsaber. Never with a blaster."

She smiled, part of it because she was glad she was able to progress so fast, part of it because she was thankful the man had taught her a bit.

"I'm Lilin, by the way," the girl handed the man her hand for a handshake, thinking it was time the two formally introduced each other.

After that, she would look at the container again. Three blasts, only one of them actually hitting the target. She expected her skills to get better if she had the chance to train. Perhaps she should buy herself a blaster somewhere?

[ [member="Ben Trasker"] ]

 

[Connor Harrison]

At the mention of a lightsaber, Trasker’s eye narrowed. A Jedi, or Sith – one and the same pretty much and the cause of everything that pulled apart what he fought to keep. Making sure the blaster was firmly in his belt, he reached out to take her hand, face devoid of emotion.

”Trasker.”

He then pointed a finger at her.

”So, what are you? Jedi? Sith? I’m not a fan of your kind. You’re good at taking the talk, but fail to see what you leave behind.”

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

"Neither. I am no static Jedi or malevolent Sith," Lilin spoke. "I will do whatever needed to destroy the dark and bring peace to the galaxy."

She sighed.

"Unlike the Jedi who do nothing to help the galaxy and who are so corrupt that it's a miracle they still exist. Unlike Sith who talk about making everything better, yet just grab control over planets and make people their slaves."

Her eyes flickered at the man and the view behind him.

[ [member="Ben Trasker"] ]

 

[Connor Harrison]

”So you don’t want to make things right by following any one practice? You just do what you think is right to get rid of what you think is wrong?”

He nodded and pursed his lips a little.

”I think you’re a little over-zealous, but I admire your guts.”

Trasker began walking back along the stretch of dockland slowly, beside the water, motioning for Lilin to follow.

”I used to work for the Republic – the GIA. Before that, I was CSF. As soon as the heat started to turn up, and the Jedi and Sith came to blows and each planet they were on suffered whilst they moved onto the next battleground, the Republic folded and the GIA collapsed and I was cast out,” he snapped his fingers, ”as quick as that. Over. No lifeline and no second chance – they got scared, they screwed me over.”

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

"Sad. But life is cruel. Some survive, others don't. Not everybody has it..." Lilin said with a slightly mocking tone to it. She took the man's speech seriously, though. Finally she understood why he was so grumpy, so obsessed, so... cruel.

"All governments do stupid things sometimes. They're all weak." She sounded a bit like a Sith, truth to be told. Her inherited darkness really seemed to take effect on her. She should have started practising more meditation during her free time to get rid of the corruption.

"So now you're just alone in this galaxy?"

[ [member="Ben Trasker"] ]

 

[Connor Harrison]

With a tight smile to himself, he nodded.

”Just me, myself and I. To be honest, what do I know. I could go make something of myself back with the Republic, but I’d only get screwed over. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not out to take control of a city, but there’s a lot of scum out there that goes un-touched. Maybe I can be one to clean it up a little.”

Trasker looked at Lilin.

”Without questions and without a badge of course – less room for corruption, lightsaber or not. You ever killed someone?.”

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

Lilin looked down at her feet. She was not a Sith, after all. The truth hurt her. The feeling was painful.

"Yes, I have. Slavers. I had no other way."

She sighed.

"I don't admire the fact that I did it. I managed to do a good deed for the galaxy, but at what cost? Of a person's death?" She turned her head towards the man, seeking for some comfort, for something that could tell her it was OK.

"Killing leaves a mark in a person. I feel that," she continued. "Have you ever killed anybody?"

[ [member="Ben Trasker"] ]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He nodded; partly understanding her, and partly answering her question.

”I have, many times. Sometimes they were hiding behind a mask or helmet, other times I saw their life drain away. But you have to remember, the most crucial thing about facing an enemy – it’s either them or you.”

He turned as they walked and looked down to her.

”All your prophecies and rules and codes don’t apply when you have to take a life, because your enemy doesn’t want to die that day but they’ll happily see you dead. I’ve seen Jedi kill and they don’t bat an eyelid because it’s for the greater good. Sith kill for the greater good. Who’s right? No-one. But if you have to live or die, you have to respect yourself and choose to live. End of.”

Trasker began looking out to the docks.


”So you have a boyfriend? Girlfriend? Any family?”

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

Lilin sighed. It was the horrible truth -- the fact that to ensure one's own safety, you had to take somebody else's life. She'd done that before, once; and it felt horrible. But doing it continuously, in battles all the time. Could she really do that for the rest of her life? Could she be destroying others like they were just objects which didn't matter at all? All life was important in Lilin's eyes.

Thankfully, the man changed topic.

"I have a family. Father, brother, half-brother. But I feel like I don't belong with them anymore. I know you may not like force-user problems, but... I don't feel good around them anymore -- they embrace the Dark Side. My father is a Jedi, now in exile. And he treats the Dark Side like it was a natural thing. However, I f i g h t not to fall into the dark."

She looked at the docks like Trasker did.

"I don't quite feel like I have a family anymore."

[ [member="Ben Trasker"] ]

 

[Connor Harrison]

”Everyone has a choice. You don’t have to fight to choose not falling to the Dark Side. Just choose not to. Simple. You fight to survive those wanting to enforce their own morals on you by violence.”

He was starting to feel sorry for the girl now, and didn’t know what to do. He had seen many youths like Lilin come and go in his time, a product of the confusing times they were brought up in and forced to pick a side to stand with. Only back with the GIA once they left, it wasn’t his problem. Now he was seeing how they turned out.

”What are you doing here alone? Going somewhere or looking for someone?”

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

"Would be a lot easier if my mother wasn't a Sith Lord," Lilin muttered as a response.

She looked at the man again, hearing what he had to add. And then there came the question.

"No, I travel a lot. I go to worlds with no reason. I am an explorer, others may call me a wanderer. Or a loner."

There were many people in the galaxy who were just like her -- aimlessly adventuring, having nothing in mind, but not having the power to do anything about it. Their stories were often rather sad, they had no goals.

"Am I wrong when I assume you're just like me in that case?"

[ [member="Ben Trasker"] ]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Trasker laughed a little, surprised by the admission.

”A Sith Lord? Well you’ve got some big boots to fill it seems. And I’m not really a wanderer – well, I am at present I guess. Trying to find a place to work from, because I’m not operating as one of those who drifts around planet to planet leaving a trail behind no-one can follow. I’ve nothing to hide. I just need to settle.”

He led Lilin across the lower route of where they came, taking a longer walk around the docks.

”Do you not have purpose then, if you’re just wandering? You can’t fight anything if you don’t settle down, right?”

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

"I have a purpose. It doesn't restrict me to one place, though," Lilin said, looking at her feet when walking. She did not quite actually care which way and how they got back or even if they were going back to the same place.

"There is this group of people who try to do everything to destroy the Dark Side and prevent it from spreading. Well, most of them are not actually like me in the matter -- I travel around everywhere to prevent the One Sith from gaining more planets under their control. Most other people of the group, they do their own things and plan new organised attacks."

She looked at Trasker.
"I have a home, a safe sanctuary, I would say. But... traveling around gives me something a home doesn't let me have. It gives me time to think."

She had no idea whether what she was going to say was an universal thing or something only she thought.

"When I walk and explore, my thoughts travel more freely and I am able to think about things easier than if I just sat in one place and thought about them."

[ [member="Ben Trasker"] ]

 

[Connor Harrison]

”Don’t think too hard or you’ll forget who you are and what you’re doing,” he smirked.

The two came to a fork, leading across towards the other side of the dock and out to the centre, or back on themselves to the park and outskirts.

”So kid, what you going to do now? Stay here and sit for a while, or want to tag a long to the city and see if we can find somebody to show not to mess with or type – law makers.”

He looked at her and gave no emotional cue as to what she should do.

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

"I'd rather come with you. Might as well see what this city has to offer," she said with confidence. Her personality was rather active, and although she did like spending some time alone and doing nothing, she really wanted to do something active as well. And if that included dealing with criminals, even better.

Her eyes turned to the sky. What a wonderful time it was, she had to admit. She'd met somebody new, now she was going to hang around with him for a while. Life really seemed to have some lemons to offer and what else to do with them than to make lemonade?

She looked at Trasker again.

"You think we could find me some more practice on what you just taught me?"

[ [member="Ben Trasker"] ]