The Bad Penny

[Connor Harrison]

COMMENOR
Rachuk Sector

Lady Kay of Commenor. Queen. Highness. Nobility. Smuggler. Traitor. Sith?

Many things were noted around her that Connor Harrison was curious about, and now it was time to see the Queen for his own eyes - fresh, un-corrupted eyes that bled a dark amber - on a world surrounded in mystery.

He looked far different to the last time the ex-Jedi had come here, and it was obvious the man was wanted for his crimes, whatever they were. Taking his ship to the capital, Connor didn't radio in or state his reason for being here. He just got down to the city, fast, and killed the engines and got out.

It was a huge city, mixing old and new technologies and archtecture. The royal grounds took a while to get to, and he passed various establishments that seemed to strike him as familiar; the First Order embassy for one.

Various others, but nothing that plagued him.

How he would get to see her with this identity was a tricky one. He would see her, however, one way or another.

He would see her.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Commenor had plenty of traffic coming in and out of it. It's shielding system wasn't that of a way of blocking ships, but more so of keeping an eye out. They were filled with various sensors. Yet a cunning pilot in a small ship could pass right alongside one of the larger vessels. Commenor had no enemies, so it had no reason to be on the alert for them.

The moment that the figure of [member="Connor Harrison"] was seen heading near the Palace, the guards standing outside focused on him. No weapons were drawn yet, but the gait in which he walked seemed filled with purpose. As he neared and they caught a glimpse of his eyes, one guard moved to stand in front of him and block his path.

"State your name and business here, sir." He wouldn't be the first Sith to come, nor would he be the last. This was neutral ground. But it didn't make him feel at ease. There was a natural fear there. Protocol however kept him from drawing his weapon.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor slowed a little on the path towards the palace, noting the high domes, spires and arches reaching across the city. He glanced around and looked to the guards who came forward. Armed, but not dangerous.

"I am here from the Silver Jedi Order to see Queen Kay. On behalf of the Heavenshields."

He said it with little conviction, and he had already plotted how each would die in the next few seconds if they tried anything.

He was going to see Kay, one way or another.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

One guard radioed it through, checking with security to see if the information was correct. Commenor had an Embassy with the Silver Jedi Order, although their relationship was a bit rocky. The Heavenshields were also close friends of the King. It wasn't exactly something that just anyone would know. He nodded to the other guard, giving the all clear.

"Right this way, sir. We'll notify the Queen of your arrival." He led [member="Connor Harrison"] into the Palace to one of the meeting rooms, the same of which he'd been in before. The guard then took his post just outside the door.

As Connor was brought in, word of a representative of the Silver Jedi arriving for a meeting made it's way to Kay. She was already dressed so it didn't take her long to get to the meeting room. She brought a datapad with her and some tea, hoping that this meeting would prove to be more successful than the last. The Silvers just didn't understand Commenor's neutrality and it's way of treating everyone equally. Maybe on a more personal level it'll go more smoothly.

Kay soon stepped into the meeting room, not yet seeing the face of her visitor. "Sorry to have kept you waiting. I hope that everything is alright. Shall I get you anything to drink before we start?" She couldn't be drinking in front of her guest afterall.

 

[Connor Harrison]

The man didn't expect to be questioned, and so he stood and waited for confirmation to come through. The Jedi were desperate for alliances and Commenor was hot on Connor's list to work with the First Order.

He followed the guards into the royal grounds and didn't bother looking around as if in awe or wonder. It was a building; material. The real focus was inside, and he kept his focus through the twisting corridor and grand stairwell to where the Queen would see him.

Connor walked in across the room, past a large table, seeing a winding staircase leading up to what appeared to be a library. Windows let the light flood in. He turned to the door and waited, still standing.

Soon enough, they opened, and the Queen came in. She looked regal, pretty in royal terms and busying herself with talking rather than greeting her guest.

"No. Thank you." He said with an icy cold natural tone to his voice. "Queen Kay. You may recall the name, but not quite the man you see before you."

He took a step forward, ready to move to stop her over-reacting or bringing in "back-up".

"Such a pleasure to meet you again."

The tiniest smile crept over his thin lips.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay set her tea down as her request was denied. That was okay. Some people didn't trust others enough to touch anything that could be ingested.

His voice caught her attention, and it caused her breath to catch in her throat. [member="Connor Harrison"] . He was here, but he was acting and looking very strangely. Kay's jaw clenched a little as she stood there unmoving, trying to come up with different reasons as to why he was acting in this way, especially after their last encounter. It made her wonder if others felt the same way after she came back from her abduction. Was he replaced by a clone? The Darkness eminating from him suggested otherwise.

Something was very wrong.

"Connor...What are you doing here?" For the moment she didn't make a move, but she wasn't entirely unarmed and she had plenty of guards within her home. "Other governments are hunting you down. I can't harbour you here."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Threats didn’t work on this man anymore – especially ones hinted at by others.

"If they were hunting him down then they would have found me by now. I highly doubt he was of concern to the First Order or the Jedi after they left him to die as a prisoner. Job well done."

He looked her up and down.

"Don’t make any rash decisions, your Highness. I have come here to find out just what state this galaxy is in since I returned to it, and what Connor did in it to instil such fear and doubt."

He walked past the window, ignoring the view outside.

"Why didn’t you let him help you develop your Force power. Why didn’t you take the chance to become powerful and rule this world as you should have?"

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay furrowed her brows. Hunting 'him' down? Talking about himself in third person. Who was he? What had happened? All questions that she needed answers to.

She was about to ask her questions and to give him a brief overview of the state of things elsewhere when he asked her about training. She had lessons from Connor, but they weren't Force related. They were about trust and motives.

But right now she didn't want to talk about that. She needed to know just who or what she was dealing with. "Make any rash decisions? I'm supposed to have you arrested for attacking me at my Embassy." He also drew out a Darkness in her husband that she had never seen before, nor did she want to see it again. "Who are you?....What are you?" A thought came to her then. Did Connor allow some Force spirit to attach itself to him? That wouldn't be good.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor shook his head slowly.

"If I attacked you, you would be dead. He attacked you, and failed in his goal. He was weak, blind and arrogant. He knew not of his power nor his true calling to the Force. What he did is not my concern."

He moved closer, no sign of aggression, but a full face of intimidation.

"I am the Dark Side that was within him all this time. The true self of the one you knew as Connor Harrison; serving the Force, and serving the Dark Side to bring balance back to the galaxy and cut away the dead flesh of the Jedi. I know what he did, and who he did it to - and I am her to understand just what he was after, and what I can now carry on and make real. Starting with you, our alliance, your understanding of the Force....and your daughter."

A knowing smile formed.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Connor intimidated her. He always had ever since their first encounter and she didn't know why. This new [member="Connor Harrison"] wasn't any different. He had a way of getting under her skin, their reasonings behind what they do were always conflicting with eachother.

As he stepped closer, Kay wanted to avert her gaze but didn't, for doing so would lessen any upper hand that she had. It didn't help that he was taller than her either, his voice lacking any emotion but coldness. It was almost artificial in sound which sent a chill down her spine. There was always a small part of Connor that always held back when they fought or argued. Would this new Connor do the same? Her gut instinct told her no.

Connor had gotten the power that he had wanted, yet in doing so he had lost himself. Constant torture and fear caused her to become a shell of her former self for a time. Yet she was saved by the love of her husband and some of her closest friends. As far as she was aware, Connor had no one.

A wealth of emotions graced her features as she listened to him speak. He couldn't kill all the Jedi. That wouldn't bring balance to the Galaxy. Surely he knew that? But maybe he was blind to that reality. She knew little of what the old Connor was after, only of his desire for power, which he now got, and how he wanted to bed her, of which she refused. The mere mention of her daughter caused her to do a double-take. "Did he find her? I've already sent out others to look, so you don't have to bother if he hadn't. As for what he really wanted, I can't answer that. And what does it matter with regards to my understanding of the Force? He wanted me to be open about it to everyone, but I won't. It's selfish and could ruin what I've built so far."

She clenched her jaw for a moment as she stared into his eyes. "Why don't you ask him what he was after? Is he still in there somewhere? Or did you kill him?" If the old Connor was in there somewhere, then that gave her some hope that there was a chance that he could be reasoned with.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor looked into her eyes as she did his, noting her physical movements too as well as the fear creeping up inside her.

"I didn’t kill him. He killed himself, or rather, he succumbed to the fact he could be nothing else but a slave to his own emotion and failure. Once his physical and mental state was broken, the Light in him died along with the desire to survive. The Dark Side that was there took over, and now it fuels me to lead his future once more as it should be."

He stepped forward, one foot over the other slowly.

"He didn’t get to your daughter, no. But I will finish what he started, mark my words. You failed in serving the Sith because you were weak and let emotion rule your head. Guarantee, your Highness, I will not make that mistake again like he did."

Connor stopped.

"Now. Will you give me what I want or am I going to have pull it from you? All I want to know is where the girl is, where your standing is with the Jedi and why you failed to serve the darkness in you."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

His phyical and mental state was broken. In some way, [member="Connor Harrison"] went through what she did. What the situation was surrounding it, she wasn't entirely sure. He was just in prison by someone. There was still a slight chance that some small part of him survived like she did.

Kay furrowed her brows as he stepped closer. She couldn't let him get within reach, so she walked around to keep the table between them, setting her datapad down on it and eyeing her cup of tea briefly. She spoke quietly,"I didn't fail them. They failed me." And those that truly cared for her didn't abandon her. Her former Master had lied. They didn't try to strip her of her position. Instead they helped her with it. What Prazutis had claimed to be was all an outright lie to justify his cruelty.

He stopped moving then, and as he spoke of pulling knowledge from her mind, her fingers went to her wedding rings that donned her left had. They were to help protect her from such attacks, as she had lost precious memories due to attacks of that kind by her former Master. Kay narrowed her eyes slightly as he asked about the whereabouts of her daughter. "I don't know where she is. Why else do you think that I have people looking? But you needn't worry about that. I'm not going to pay the price that he wanted." She didn't tell him that she married a Jedi. Kay just moved onto his last question. "I serve my people. My world has thrived because I stopped being afraid and selfish. It would've failed otherwise."

She had to deflect attention away from herself again, to stall him while she tried to figure out what to do. At least help wasn't far away. But she didn't want to risk calling Veiere yet. His anger and need for vengeance wasn't something that she wanted to fuel in him. "Connor's reasons for wanting to be near me were purely physical and out of jealousy. Jealous over what happened to me and the position that I had received afterwards. His views on it were misconstrued. There's nothing for you to gain here."

 

[Connor Harrison]

With a sigh, the one called Connor shook his head, looking at the Queen toying with her rings.

"Kay, your world is dying because of your inability to do what is right. You’re taking the easy way out, the cowardly way, like he did. Hiding behind titles and emotions and...others."

He followed her with his look, not moving.

"I know he came to you for an alliance, and he failed. I now seek such a thing. Your resources, your support and your trust. This planet is neutral, is it not? Or do you secretly align with Jedi or Sith - whoever turns a blind eye and gives you most profit?"

She was obviously confused and taken aback.

"I can help find your daughter for whatever reason you have. Whatever issues Connor had with you, they do not fester in me. You need someone you can have on your side. You know what you need to do."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Again Kay furrowed her brows as [member="Connor Harrison"] spoke of her world dying. He was wrong. It was prospering. But he was partly right. Maybe she did hide behind her title sometimes. Yet at other times it was a burden. It gave her certain restrictions.

He wanted an alliance, baiting her into it with her stance on neutrality. She couldn't risk choosing sides without consequences. "Trust won't be so easy to gain, and I can't blindly support you either without some details." She shook her head a bit as he insinuated that she was only after profit like some shady businesswoman.

Kay picked up her tea and had a sip. It was her crutch, especially when she was getting uncomfortable. She tried to have Connor on her side, but he needed space to do other things that were important to him. That was fine. But he had stayed away. Now here he was, or some form of him anyways. She stood there silently, going over his words in her mind. Yes she needed more support and more help, but what price would she have to pay for that? And what did he mean by her knowing what she had to do? What was he implying? To touch on the Darkside again? She had no reason to do so. Maybe if Commenor was attacked...but it had no enemies, so there was no need for it. "And what is that? What do you think that I need to do?" She didn't want to become a shell of herself again. It was too cold and lonely.

 

[Connor Harrison]

With her words, he broke into a soft smile. An almost caring, compassionate smile.

"Why, you need...me."

He moved around the table a little closer, and indicated to the tea set on the side.

"May I?"

Connor of old never wanted tea. This man helped himself, whistling gently as he poured a cup. He set down the pot and took his cup and sipped it.

"Mm." A pleasant smile grew on his lips and he looked up at her. "This is good. He didn't know what he was missing."

Setting down the cup, he continued.

"I have no allegiance to the Jedi or the Sith. Not yet, anyway. The Dark Side is beyond any of those, but I know which side is strongest. The Sith. However," he held up a finger, "they are blind. Most of them anyway. I simply want to take some for myself and see that people in power, like you, rule with the power they should. I will help you, and you will help me. Rather simple, don't you think?"

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay blinked as [member="Connor Harrison"] said that she needed him. Did she really? It was a strange situation to be in. With each passing minute, she realizes that the old Connor wasn't there. Most especially as he poured himself some tea, sipped it and...enjoyed it. Connor always went for water. Always.

She sipped her tea as he spoke, listening to him talk about what he wanted. Darkside, Lightside; Kay didn't know which was stronger. She just knew that the Darker part of herself would never leave, and that it was like little hungry beasts waiting to be fed. For the moment though, she's hidden them away, just as she's hidden her abilities. They were a secret afterall. "Simple...maybe. To an outsider. My situation isn't a simple one. The game of politics is as dangerous as war, and just as deadly."

Kay had another sip of her tea and sat herself down. She was less on edge now. This new Conner was calmer. That in itself was a good thing.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor took another, longer sip and let the warmth savour inside him for a moment.

"Well, why don't you do yourself a favour and stop saving face. What game are you playing. You can't play alone, and no marriage or alliance with Jedi will help you in the long run."

He took a single step to the side and sat down, pushing his greatcoat to the side, and was opposite the Queen.

"Time to talk, Queen Kay. Talk, and I will listen. You want help? Then give me the tools to help you with."

With a single, gentle nod, he urged her to continue.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Again [member="Connor Harrison"] touched on her marriage, just like the old one did. It seemed as though they both had the same feelings towards it, as though it was something other than what it truly was.

Yet he wondered what she was up to as well, her plans, her goals, all of which she hadn't talked about with anyone. And why would she? It wasn't as though she had some major overall plan in the works. At least, not anymore. Still, what was happening with Commenor was still going down that road anyways.

He soon joined her at the table, right across from her so that he could easily bore into her eyes. "My marriage isn't going to die, not unless one of us dies. Our bond is too strong." Kay cradled her tea cup in her hands, feeling it's warmth. She wanted to keep it that way as a reminder for herself. "Neutrality dies as soon as I change sides, and with that goes Commenor's safety. We're not big enough or strong enough to face war. Not yet."

Kay let that hang in the air for a moment before she continued. "We're getting stronger. Soon to be building up a Senate so that there's more control over what happens in and around our borders without being an oppressive force. That way saves lives and doesn't deplete our resources. Instead it grows them." She deflected enough to keep the focus away from herself. Kay was quite certain that Connor was going to ask questions that she couldn't answer in words, or didn't want to answer at all.

"It's going well so far."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor rolled his eyes, a little infuriated.

”Please be aware I care not for your marriage or whatever personal life you life here."

He made that very clear with his tone.

”Neutrality never stays neutral for long, your Highness. One day, the Jedi or the Sith will need your planet and your resources for their own and you will be forced to choose. That is of course unless the various rebellions, dark magic sects or Mandalorian warriors don’t invade first. And then let me tell you, it will not be blood on the Jedi or Sith hands who don’t want to get involved in a fight not of their own. It will be yours."

He let that hang, sitting back in his chair.

”So. Again. Are you really going to lie to yourself for much longer about the state of your world, or will you give me what I want with resources and your alliance if and when the Jedi come to take over what you have built up."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay clenched her jaw a little. [member="Connor Harrison"] brought up her marriage and that was why she spoke up about it, especially given their history. But now she realized what he had meant. In his view, being married to a Jedi didn't mean protecting Commenor from them or anyone.

Yet in her mind he was wrong. She was stubborn and used to politics, not pointless wars. Kay sipped her tea before speaking quietly; "The Jedi aren't a threat to me..." It was almost as though she was thinking out loud as she tried to imagine the possibilities. "The Mandalorians, some Sith and others, they all have vested interests here. Why would they try to ruin that? You said that they would want my resources, yet that's what you tell me that you want." It seemed as though he wanted to use her like some of the others did. She knew that that was some of her allies did. But as far as she could tell, the Jedi-her husband's Order, wasn't a part of that.

"I'm not ready to lose my neutrality. I'm not prepared. We haven't finished building yet..." There was still much that she wanted to build. The Senate, for one.