Acier Moonbound
Wandering Wolf
Location: Coruscant - Level 111
The man hit the wall harder the second time. Not because Ace needed to, but because he hadn't answered. Durasteel rang out through the narrow corridor, the sound swallowed quickly by the weight of the lower levels. No one came running. No one ever did, not down here.
Ace kept one hand fisted in the front of the man's jacket, holding him upright more than anything else. The other hovered just off-center, close enough to strike again, but still. The man coughed, something wet catching in his throat. Blood, probably. His hands clawed weakly at Ace's wrist, not really trying to break free. Just reacting.
"You're done." Ace said, voice level.
The man shook his head quickly. Too quickly. "I--I didn't--"
Ace's metallic knuckles connected with his jaw. Less force this time. More… emphasis.
"Quiet."
Ace's grip tightened slightly, lifting him just enough that his boots scraped against the floor.
"You've been shaking down the same block for weeks." He continued, tone unchanged. "Old workers. Vendors. People who can't afford to lose anything else."
His dark eyes didn't leave the man's face. They were reading, measuring, the same way he always did. Then, his head tilted slightly.
"Next part matters. So think about it before you say it."
The man swallowed hard, panic finally cutting through the bravado that had probably carried him this far.
"I--I'll stop--"
"Yeah." Ace cut in. "You will. You're also going to give back what you took. Or enough of it that people stop looking over their shoulder every time you walk past. And then you're going to disappear."
The man blinked, confused. "Dis--?"
Ace leaned in slightly. Not aggressive. Not rushed. Just close enough that the words didn't have to travel far.
"If I see you again…" He said quietly. "It won't be a conversation."
There was no anger or threat in his tone. Which made it worse. The man nodded fast and Ace held him there a second longer. Then he let go. The man dropped, stumbling as his boots hit properly, nearly folding before catching himself. He didn't run at first, just backed up, eyes wide, like he was still waiting for permission. Ace didn't give him any.
The man bolted and footsteps faded quickly into the layered noise of the Underlevels. Silence settled back in and Ace exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulder once as if the whole thing had been… routine. Because it had. More and more, it had.
His gaze shifted, scanning the alley without turning his head fully.
"You're late." He said after a moment, voice carrying just enough to reach without forcing it.
He didn't react outwardly but his attention had shifted. Locked onto a presence he hadn't acknowledged until now, one he'd felt it before he saw her. He didn't turn right away, or rush to face her. Just stood there a second longer, letting the moment settle into place.
"What is it this time?"
Not what do you need. Not what's the mission. Just that. Because lately? There was always something, and it was never small.
Last edited: