What is it about this place and bounty hunters…

[Corvus Raaf]

Stubborn? Corvus? Really? It’s a fine line between self-assured and inflexible – and it was a tightrope she regularly walked – and to be fair wobbled at times as she did.

As the door released, the sound of an overture gently tumbled from the interior and Corvus noted that drinks were waiting for them this time. She thanked Connor for opening the door for her. “My ship it is then.” She smiled. “You’ve never let me pilot you anywhere before, have you?” It was a mischevious grin. “I rarely crash, honestly.”

“To be honest, I have my own Jedi Shadow robes – but I never wear them. Perhaps I should? It just…I don’t know…takes the fun out of it all.” What fun there was in being stabbed with a Lightsaber was questionable – but Corvus seemed confident in her own stance on the subject. Self-assured even!

She saw him pinch his nose. “You OK?” she asked, genuine concern in her voice. “You seem…preoccupied.”

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

With a noise that was half-way between a flippant dismissal and sigh, Connor shrugged off her concern because firstly it wasn’t like her to pick up on things like that, and secondly he didn’t want to get too deep again and show his emotions that would get him in more trouble.

”I’m ok.”

He turned and tapped his hands on his knees, looking around the speeder at the soft music again and smiled.

”Just a little tired, headaches…I’ll be ok.”

Connor waved a finger at the glasses, perhaps too inviting for them to refuse. For HIM to refuse.

”Care for one more? And there’s nothing wrong being careful on the battlefield remember – I’m sure there will be some dastardly creation one day to find holes in the strongest armour, so nothing can be taken for granted.”

He pulled the top off the bottle and indicated to her.

”Even when it comes to your life. You gotta be careful. I can only patch you up so many times that you allow me to!”

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled. It was a simple question and he’d answered it twice without prompting. Which meant whatever he said wasn’t likely to be the truth. But for as much as she was a cold-fish, she knew when to press and when to allow someone some space.

“I have my Shadow robes on the ship. I can wear them for you.” She smiled. “We all individualised ours. The funny thing is…they’re black. People added a bit of colour so we could be distinguished. I had mine made white. It felt right. Except of course that they’re less useful for sneaking around in the dark.” She shrugged, “A small detail - but a constant source of amusement of course.”

And she took the glass and sipped the liquor. “So maybe you won’t have to patch me up this time. That sounds a fair compromise.”

“My sister was on Irodinia. Well both of them actually.” This was the first time Corvus had ever mentioned her younger sister to Connor. “I went there because I thought she was in danger. Turned out it was me that I should have been looking out for. She’d left some time before.” Corvus sighed and took another sip. “Funny that.” If there was humour in the statement, it wasn’t obvious.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

As if something about her aura wrapped around him, Connor felt like he wanted to breakdown in that very moment and let everything out to her…but as soon as the surge came, it soon went. Luckily he was staring at the liquor necked a glass to give him an excuse to have teary eyes, and something to blame it on.

With a cough, he smiled and exhaled, and nodded at her questions to divert the attention.

”Mm…yes, no I’d like that. Never seen you in anything other than robes. I need to repair my own wardrobe I miss my greatcoat sometimes, but this armour is getting a nice canvas to show my beatings.”

He tapped the empty glass with his fingers as the speeder swayed and Corvus mentioned her family. There was always something she would just tease every time they met to paint her in more dimensions than just the 1-dimensional Jedi Master people may think she was. He watched her for a second, wanting to know more but knowing when not to pry too much.

”Are you…alright with things, now?”

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

She appeared glassy-eyed and stared out of the window. “What if you believed 100% in the tenets of the Code. Upheld it every day, cared about it and went to bed every night knowing there was truth between your heart and the Force.”

“And what if you knew that, deep down, one day you’d have to face a Sith on a battlefield. That for the greater good, you’d have to kill them. Or walk away from the Order because that truth would have become a lie?”

“What if that Sith were your little sister. Would you be alright with things?” There was no emotion in her voice, just an even speech - someone sharing a few facts with a friend. "What if you couldn't live with yourself whichever option you chose. And what if your other sister faced the same dilemma? How would you judge her?"

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor sat and looked at her profile, facing just away looking out of the tinted window. Right now everything about the Hutt vanished into insignificance. Listening to her talk much like almost to himself, Connor rolled the glass between his fingers as he turned his body more to face Corvus.

Her predicament was disguised as another “what if” scenario, but they both knew it was a horrible moment that she had faced, or may have to face, and that the Dark Side sounded like it had now claimed two of the three Raaf sisters.

”I have no family, so I can’t answer that to the extent you want. But I do know, if it was someone like Master Heavenshield who is one of the closest things I have to a sister, if she was a Sith…I somehow know that they will do what must be done to survive, and I would fear if I did not make the killing blow, then it would be her doing it and my life would be over.”

Twisting his head, he silenced the urge to comfort her as it tore him up to see her suffer and not know how to respond.

”I would do all I could as a Jedi to help them, to talk them down, as any person would, and if there was any other way out of taking a life I would do it in a heartbeat because I will not deny the fact I am human, who feels and hurts and needs – but, I...”

His voice trailed off and he shook his head. He wasn’t helping, he was sure.

”You told me you trusted in the Force. The Force does not make you a Jedi. The Force is something that makes you a living being. Do what you have to do to survive, Corvus, because I know your sister would too even if that means…taking your life.”

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

“I’m sorry,” she said and rubbed her right eye with the heel of her hand. “It was an unfair question. It will most likely never happen and I no doubt waste my time thinking about it. For a start, what are the odds? And secondly, you’re right – I would be a Jedi first. If I denied myself that, what would I be?

“My trust in the Force should guide me, you’re right.” She smiled at him. “You see, you’ve had to patch me up and we haven’t even started.”

She looked out of the window. “Oh, we’re here.” She downed the drink and stepped out of the speeder. “Thanks again,” she offered to the driver and strode to her ship. “It’s a variation on a standard Corvette. Do you want to drive?” As she approached the ship, the ramp lowered and the figure of a droid appeared, a standard looking protocol droid. Corvus lowered her voice to a whisper. “Kana helpfully reprogrammed him. Since then he’s…well, he’s developed a bit of an attitude.”

She walked up the ramp. “Cornix, this is Connor, Connor, this is Cornix.”

The droid looked Connor up and down. “Affirmative, Master. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Do you need me as I have far more important things to do than waste my time speaking to any waifs or strays you’ve picked up. Oh, and I’ve translated all of your recent messages for you.”

Corvus smiled. Whispering to Connor as the droid walked into the ship,. “They’re all in Galactic Basic to begin with, I never know why he bothers.”

“I heard that…Master.”

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

There it was again – the moniker of a Jedi quashing any emotion as a human she may want to show. Talk about bottling up how you felt. Corvus must be ready to pop. Connor smiled and followed her out, and whistled at seeing her ship for the first time.

”Impressive craft. Such lovely lines.”

He didn’t look at Corvus as he spoke as there was no point expecting her to pick up on his little quip. Following her, it was then the introductions to the protocol droid and he smiled at her warnings. About to greet Cornix, Connor was left bemused and speechless at the protocol’s attitude.

”Wel…something tells me I should at least watch how you handle the ship, maybe I’ll have a play on the way back. Just don’t crash.”

Walking into the ship, he watched Cornix – something do devoid of life was certainly full of it.

”Good day, Cornix. Corvus and I are seeing each other, or did she omit that detail? Either way, I expect you to treat us both with the same respect we deserve as your Masters now and not waifs, or you’ll be replaced the minute we get to our destination, alright? Thank you.”

He looked to Corvus and couldn’t help stifle a laugh, and a little shrug. If he could get her to smile at least rather than look upset by her inner demons, he would do whatever it took.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus appreciated the comment about the ship, she found it perfectly adequate for her needs. Anyone entering the ship for the first time might be forgiven for thinking it was straight out of the box. There was not one addition to the décor to suggest someone had been using this ship for years. Sure, cupboards and lockers had personal effects – if you counted Jedi paraphernalia that is.

She led Connor to the cockpit. "It’s a pretty standard Corellian design, so if you’ve flown any of our ships before, you’ll have a good understanding.”

Cornix poked his head around the corner and Connor spoke to him. She smiled at his speech and wondered if the Silver Jedi realised what he’d let himself in for.

“Should I remove the last incumbent’s clothes Master?” The droid offered. “Seeing as you’ve traded down?” The droid bowed to Connor and departed.

Corvus just ignored him as she usually did. Turning to Connor she said, “He was a gift from a Padawan and when I need him he can be useful, and sometimes, on long journeys, he’s company. Better than a boring option I guess?”

“I heard that – and you’re not my type, so don’t get any ideas…Master.”

She rolled her eyes. “So we’re an item are we now? That was sudden.” Her voice was neutral but Connor knew her well enough to know when she was teasing. “I don’t even remember any flowers?”

She turned and punched a few codes into the ship’s navicomputer and they took off and within a short time were approaching the outer atmosphere. “I’ve set a course for the planet, you can be more precise when we get there.”

“So, one thing I need to know.” She looked him in the eyes, her face suddenly serious. “Which side of the bed do you sleep on?” It was then she burst out laughing.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Turning with wide eyes in the cockpit, all Connor could do was point after Cornix. That droid was going to go far, and it would be brilliant to see how much he kept Corvus on her toes giving responses as good as that.

”Ouch,” he muttered.

Looking around the cockpit, he chewed his inner cheek as it wasn’t like anything he’d flown before. A bigger craft with more complicated controls, he had only managed smaller ships and even then wasn’t the most gentle with handling. Standing behind Corvus, he listened to her as he tried to take in what she was doing with the controls.

”Flowers. I knew there was something I forgot, but then I thought you’d just think I was giving you a gift for the Jedi Academy garden.”

The thing was, he was never good at receiving as much wit back as he did from Corvus, so it always threw him because he didn’t half under-estimate her. Sometimes he felt this whole Jedi duty was something of a ruse to deter others from knowing the REAL Corvus Raaf.

Jumping slightly when she turned, a serious look in her face, he smiled sheepishly when she fired another back and laughed at him; bright eyes and bright smile was a hard combination NOT to respond to.

”Well,” he sighed, ” you’ll just have to find that part out yourself.”

Giving a quick wink and spinning on his heel, Connor sauntered out of the cockpit to have a nosy around the main hold of the ship, stifling that grin again breaking on his lips.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus remained in the cockpit until they’d entered hyperspace. Then she went to see where Connor had gone.

She always referred to it as a smaller version of a Corvette but it was a decent sized ship. It even had its own medbay and meditation chamber – which came in handy when she was practicing Battle Meditation.

Cornix was conspicuous by his absence – he tended to do that if he’d overstepped the mark – so she sought out Connor. He was in the diplomatic suite. “Good, you’ve found your quarters then. The Wookiee toenail clippings are not mine.”

“It’s not bad is it? I tend to use it more than my fighter as it’s more practical – you know carrying passengers and such like. So…do you have a plan for when we get there or can I just wing it?”

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Hands behind his back, Connor gently peeked his head around various quarters. Spacious, yet compact and suitable to do the job they were intended for on long journeys. The med-bay looked well stocked. A peaceful meditation chamber. A spacious cargo hold.

Running his hands along the seating as he gazed around a home from home, to him anyway, he acknowledged Corvus as she came in.

”I found plenty of quarters, yes thank you. And I don't have any plan. When do we ever have a plan Corvy, really. I say we wing it. Well, I mean, I'm sure it won't take long throwing the right names about for them to find us, or vice versa."

He crouched down and admired shelf of, what looked liked, Jedi trinkets and bits and bobs from an era he couldn't place.

"Don't you think we better keep up appearances for Corvix's sake, and just share a quarter?"

He pointed to Cornix loitering to the rear of his ship. Wincing gently, he blew out a small breath and blinked, his head starting to throb. What was he saying? He turned to her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean anything...sorry Corvus. Just being daft."

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled as Connor made himself at home. "You should get yourself a ship like this. It's a better way of spending time in hyperspace - I can study, practice, meditate, all sorts really."

"And winging it works for me - you know me by now..." She too was distracted by Cornix, who had suddenly taken to loitering. "For Cornix' sake we should no such thing," but her voice was still gentle, "Or anyone else's sake either. Daft is fine by the way...it's better than both of us being serious. I think I do enough of that on my own."

"Have I shown you this before?" She took a small earpiece from a drawer and attached it. "Corvus Raaf, requiring access to the Great Holocron." Before them a holographic image of the Gatekeeper appeared. "Neat, huh?" she said to Connor. "I have access to them all, and through the Jedi Academy Network, we've allowed access to all Jedi who require knowledge. I get a daily report of access, so can stop it if anyone tries to abuse the situation. You only have to ask and you can have one of these."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor stood and turned away, wiping his brow before feigning a look something...anything, wishing he wasn't here right now.

”It's nice - I'll bear it in mind, and you're not serious Corvus; you're just perfect," came his his reply, absent and quiet.

Returning to face her, leaning back on the hold wall, he watched her pull out an earpiece and was taken aback by the holographic image. It was enough to let him focus on something, to distract the mind getting ever more fragile by the day. He smiled and walked around the image, twisting his head and looking at the Jedi who had summoned it as simple as just a voice command.

”Amazing - it's like, having everything you need to know at your command," a thought crossed his mind. ”Maybe one day I'll earn it, but you just make sure to keep it safe. That's a valuable tool you have there."

Walking past her, he leant his hands on the frame of the quarters that were small enough and sparse enough to warrant them being spare, and so perfect for him. The trip wouldn't take too long, but it would take long enough for him to make it uncomfortable for them both when she didn't deserve it. They didn't deserve it.

”I'm gonna turn in for a while, I just feel a little tired. No good to us half asleep am I. Hey, if I'm not back out in a while wake me up before we land."

With a small nod, he slipped inside the quarters and turned to sit on the bunk and leant forward, pushing against his temples with his hands.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus laughed. “Flattery and all that…I may not be perfect but I have decent enough hearing.”

“And rest up, I’ll probably go and meditate until we exit Hyperspace – and if you’re still asleep, I’ll send Cornix along to gently rouse you from your slumber.”

Corvus headed for the chamber, as she was sure she’d managed to perform heji tal satisfactorily and wanted to see if she could repeat the process. She sat cross-legged and sank into a meditative state – surrounding herself completely in the Force, establishing inner peace, granting knowledge and brining about serenity. The technique required her to use the skills of control, sense and alter in the right combination and in doing so she was able to bring about a state of restful clarity.

"You’re not even going to let me-," Cornix said as Corvus’ eyes snapped open and she walked past him to the bridge.

“You’re right as always,” she said, smiling to herself.

"-Finish the sentence, are you? We’ve exited hyperspace…Master." He said to an empty meditation chamber. "It’s so annoying when she does that."

“I heard that,” Corvus called to the droid. “Now please go and wake Master Harrison…gently.”

And so Cornix headed to the spare quarters and rapped loudly on the door. “FIRE, FIRE…just kidding Master. You have arrived at your destination and my Master requires your company in the cockpit.” He turned away from the door, “Heaven knows why?”

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

As always, sleep for Connor felt like it hadn’t lasted long, but in reality it had been way over 30 minutes and that was enough. However, the wakeup call was less than welcome as Cornix came banging and shouting around.

It took a few seconds for Connor to come to once he bolted up on his elbows, and sighed loudly and rubbed his eyes and head, swinging over the bunk and glancing up at the tin can, shaking his head as he stood.

”Do that again. Go on. I’ll cut your damn head off."

Stretching his arms and cracking his back, Connor felt rough – more than usual, and needed a good sleep sometime rather than cat-napping. Walking out of the quarters and left towards the cockpit on request, Connor quietly slipped down into the co-pilot’s seat beside Corvus, fresh-faced and taking the ship over out of hyperspace.

Connor closed his eyes and rested his head in one hand, fingers splayed over his brow.

”Can I stay here and sleep while you go save the Hutt please."

The ship shuddered slightly, and Connor couldn’t help peek through his fingers. He didn’t want to be IN a ship when it crashed.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus laughed when Connor joined her. “Do you need a longer nap? You should learn to meditate better. I could teach you Serenity for example. It replenishes your energy and connection to the Force and only takes a short while to perform.”

“And take your hand down – I have no intention of crashing this time. Not that I had last time…or the time before…but you know what I mean.” But she was smiling at what she took to be good-natured banter.

Then they entered the atmosphere of the planet. She followed the coordinates that pointed them to Wortan – a major city built on the Aro River – that offered Ferronconcrete buildings and a natural canyon wall that housed a series of natural and artificial tunnels – many of which were connected to the exterior buildings by bridges. In particular the location she was aiming for Banol’s Maze – a labyrinth of collapsed tunnels and destroyed stores that survived the Mandalorian Wars and was primarily inhabited by criminals, swoop gangs and Jedi sympathisers. This is where the data said they would find their Hutt.

So she followed the flow of the river Aro to navigate the Aro-voa canyon. She knew the city was at a much wider spot and as she approached it she was not surprised by the fact it was very wide here - maybe two kilometres across. Because this is where she had fought the Sith Lord Vrag.

The city was effectively in three parts. The most visible were the new Ferronconcrete buildings - but these were in the centre of the city and only numbered a few blocks and were adjacent to the south wall of the canyon. The largest inhabited part of the city was built into the canyon itself - but neither of these was of concern to them. The coordinates were precise and she landed close to the part of the city that appeared to be little more than rubble.

“Please refrain from opening the overhead locker until we have come to a complete standstill,” she said as the ship gently nuzzled the concrete below. Stillness indicated they had finally come to rest. “You can unfasten your seatbelt now, but sorry, I don’t do duty-free.”

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Watching the planet race towards them, Connor’s free hand gripped the hand rest and he pushed himself down in the chair. While there was a thrill about flying he had recently come to appreciate, being the passenger wasn’t something he enjoyed. Coupled with the fact the pilot had come to Connor’s attention years ago by crash landing on Voss, being sat beside her was good fun…but certainly cleared the head from feeling tired.

A nod here and there to acknowledge here was all he could do to, looking out at the cities below as they came closer to landing. Iridonia was a planet he’d never been to before, so this would be a new experience for sure.

And…gently…slowly…the ship touched down and a confident Corvus couldn’t help smile. A thankful Connor couldn’t help smile too.

”Much better than Voss."

Standing up, he stretched.

”I’d appreciate that Serenity. I feel I need to develop myself more, yes, as a Jedi and as a person. I’ve neglected that, and it would probably do me good."

Walking back through, all his belongings on his person, he waited for Corvus to get the access ramp down and stepped out with a frown, looking around the city – if you could call it that – and the skies above.

”What a desolate place this is."

With datapad in hand, he brought it up and glanced over it.

”Sorry Corvy, I feel I didn’t plan this very well thinking about it. We have no name, we have no ID. We are the ones in the middle of nowhere. This could be one heck of a trap we’re standing in the middle of. You’ve not recently annoyed any Sith Lords have you?"

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus suppressed a laugh but could do nothing to keep the smile from her face. “What is wrong with you?” she offered to her passenger. “Every crash I have ever had has been due to systems malfunctions. If I wasn’t such a decent pilot, I’d have been dead by now. So please don’t squeeze the hand rests so tight.”

“And the reason the landing was better was because I had a whole ship to land with. So…if you’re good to me, I can teach you Serenity on the return trip, OK?”

As they made their way off the ship, Corvus suddnely stopped.“You wait at the ramp, I’ll be with you in a minute.” And with that, Corvus dashed to her room and changed into her white Shadow robes, albeit she left the mask behind. “Remember thes?,” she said as the met Connor at the exit to the ship. “I wore them on Prakith. Actually useful for stealth when it’s snowing.”

“And yes, it is desolate – but I have some intel if you’re interested. Nothing happens around here without the swoop gangs knowing about it. Find one and I’m sure they’ll let you know what’s going in.”

“And who told you about the Sith Lord?”

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Waiting at the ramp, Connor toyed with his lips with his teeth as he squinted up and around their surroundings, glancing back into the ship now and then. Her voice signalled she was back, and dare say looking ready for action in her Shadow attire. Connor smiled and nodded.

”Of course I remember, and so they are the Shadow robes? Very nice."

He guested to his body and half-shrugged.

”Bar two of these armour suits and my good old greatcoat and assorted thermal combats, I don’t have much else to my name that I choose to wear. Probably need to update the wardrobe."

Stepping out from the shadow of the ship, he listened and scratched the back of his head, a little puzzled still.

”Swoops gangs, of course. Whatever you know, just share and I’ll find the lead."

Moving on a little over the rubble, the curious side to Connor picked up on the fact there WAS a Sith Lord that Corvus mentioned, even when he was simply being flippant.

”Who told me? You did, just now. So tell me what I need to know, and I mean everything. Is that how you were injured? Your feet and things I mean? Why didn’t you call for help? I always told you to do that!"

Questions questions questons. Or, maybe, he just cared.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]