Faction Remnants [THR]

[Corazona von Ascania]

"This isn't penance." Cora gestured vaguely to their sparse surroundings.

"Penance isn't just imprisonment. It's action," she explained while placing her bag near the sink, opening it, and rifling with its contents.

"It's actively working to fix a problem that you caused. Or helped cause. Sitting in prison doesn’t count.”

It was right that he was here, now. Acier needed to prove that he wasn't a threat - that he wasn't a plant - before he'd be released into the custody of the Jedi. Maybe Tapani would carry a life sentence, who knew.

She tucked away the bit about Fatine for now. Even grim and level, she still managed to stir some emotion from the sober ex-Sith.

"If you're released, how will you serve your penance then?"

Cora turned to face Aceir, tone still carrying that conversational air.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to remove your shirt," she said, holding up a small portable scanner in one hand, and a tangle of wires in the other. "We need to monitor your heart."

Acier Moonbound

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Republic Space - [REDACTED]

Equipment:
Inmate Jumpsuit | Cybernetic Arm

A small smile tugged faintly at the corner of Ace's mouth. Valery. Kahlil. Zaiya. It was good to hear they were doing alright.

His eyes shifted back toward Aris and for the first time since the conversation began, the smile grew slightly.

"Still as bad at holding a conversation as me, huh?" The tease was dry, but genuine.

The silence that followed felt familiar somehow. Like they were briefly back in the Hidden Path again. Then Aris asked if he'd been up to anything fun.

A dry laugh escaped him before he could stop it.

"If you consider being trapped in a tiny room while constantly replaying all the horrific crimes you've committed..."

He glanced around the cell.

"...then I'm having a blast."

Aris Noble

---

The mention of Humbarine made Ace lower his gaze, brows furrowing. Because annoyingly enough, Dominique's point actually made sense. What had it cost? So much death and destruction. For what?

Her admission regarding the Imperial Confederation caught him off guard. Ace lifted his eyes to hers again, paying closer attention now than he had at any point since the conversation began.

Then came the part that lingered. She admitted that he was right. To a point. Ace folded his arms and turned away briefly, thinking. When he finally looked back, some of the certainty he'd carried into the conversation had faded.

"I see what you're getting at." The words came slowly. "The Iron Covenant wasn't wrong for acting, they just didn't care about the cost. Even the Sith... we didn't want a full-scale battle, but we didn't seem too burnt up about the death and destruction either."

Ace cast a sidelong glance, contemplating again, then continued.

"Humbarine. Coruscant. Doesn't matter. Everyone was so focused on winning that nobody stopped to care about the collateral."

A breath escaped him.

"That's exactly what happened to me." The admission was quiet. "I got so focused on the long-term that... I ignored all the damage I was doing in the process."

Ace laughed humorlessly after that, meeting Dominique's gaze once more.

"You said I was right. To a point. That's what pisses me off. Because I still don't think I was wrong about the problem."

For the first time, uncertainty entered his voice.

"Just the solution... and I still don't know what the right one is."

Dominique Vexx

---

Lorn stepped fully into view. A moment later, Ace rose from the bunk and crossed the room, standing opposite the energy barrier. He studied the older Jedi for a moment. I've come to see you, he said

"Really." A faint brow lifted. "I hadn't guessed."

The sarcasm was dry. Predictably so. Silence followed after that and Ace watched Lorn's attention drift briefly toward the glowing barrier that cut him off from the Force.

Then came the question. What had he learned. Immediately irritation flared and a part of him wanted to roll his eyes. What was this? Some elaborate version of I told you so?

But the feeling passed as quickly as it came, and a slow breath left his nose.

"I wasn't wrong." He admitted. "I just did everything else wrong."

His gaze settled somewhere beyond Lorn.

"It wasn't worth losing the people close to me. It wasn't worth the lives I took. The compromises I made. Or burying the person I was just so I could get the job done."

Silence settled between them again. Eventually Ace looked back at him, one brow raised slightly.

"You really came all this way to make this a teaching moment?"

Lorn Reingard

---

Ace found himself appreciating Colette's response more than he expected. Most people who came through these doors seemed determined to either condemn him or save him from himself. Colette was doing neither. She wasn't pretending he didn't belong here, and she wasn't trying to talk him out of the choices he'd made. That earned a little respect.

Her question, however, got an answer almost immediately.

"The Jedi have always been too passive. Always looking for the most peaceful option. The compromise. The negotiation."

Ace stopped, and a faint frown crossed his face. He'd heard himself say things like this before. To Sibylla and Lorn. To Arris. Back when he'd still been convinced he was right. For a moment, he considered leaving it there.

Instead, he decided to continue. "The New Jedi Order got hit so hard on Coruscant it collapsed." He shrugged lightly. "And from what I've seen, the current Order hasn't really done much about the Sith either."

His gaze drifted toward the floor.

"The Covenant's running the Core. The dark side has more influence over the galaxy now than it has in a long time."

There wasn't any accusation in his voice. Just observation. Then he sighed.

"But maybe that's the problem." His brow furrowed slightly. "I kept looking at everything like it was some equation that needed solving."

War. Corruption. Greed. A thousand different problems.

"I thought if I got enough power, acted decisively enough, then maybe all of it could be fixed."

For a moment he stared at the energy barrier between them. Then his eyes returned to hers.

"You asked what the Light couldn't fix." He paused. "People. People are always gonna be people. Doesn't matter how many Sith you kill, how many laws you pass, or how many Jedi you train."

His shoulders rose and fell.

"You can help them. Guide them. Protect them. But you can't fix them."

Colette

---

Cora's argument lingered longer than Ace wanted it to. Penance wasn't imprisonment, it was action. Fixing the damage you'd caused. At first he'd wanted to dismiss it outright. Another Jedi answer. Another idealistic solution.

Except she wasn't wrong. Annoyingly so. A part of him even wanted to agree with her. Wanting to do something, to fix things? That impulse had always been there. It was woven into who he was.

The problem was that some things couldn't be fixed. Ace wasn't entirely sure whether he was thinking about himself or the state of the galaxy. Maybe both.

His gaze followed Cora as she rummaged through her bag. Then came the question, and a dry huff escaped him.

"I don't know." He admitted honestly. "I'm not expecting to be released." His eyes drifted toward the floor. "A life sentence or firing squad seems more appropriate."

There wasn't any self-pity in the statement. Just practicality. Then Cora held up the scanner and Ace blinked. The shift in conversation was abrupt enough to catch him off guard.

A minute ago they were discussing penance and redemption. Now she wanted to monitor his heart. For a moment he considered arguing, but then he looked at the scanner. Then at Cora. She didn't appear interested in debating the matter.

A quiet sigh escaped him.

"Okay."

Reaching up, Ace unzipped the upper half of the inmate jumpsuit and pushed it down around his waist rather than removing it entirely. The white undershirt followed a moment later.

Nearly two years of conflict had left their mark. Scars crossed his torso in thin pale lines. Some old. Some newer. One stretched across his upper chest. Others marked his ribs and abdomen. The kind of injuries accumulated by someone who had spent far too much of his life getting shot, stabbed, burned, or thrown through things.

He folded the shirt once and set it aside.

"This really necessary?"

Corazona von Ascania ​

 

[Colette]

Acier Moonbound
He wasn't wrong about any of it. Jedi passiveness had given way to complacency and while Colette liked to think she wasn't the cause of it, she had been on the council long enough that she could have made a change if she'd just put the work in. Her brows rose to acknowledge that much as her gaze fell to the floor.

"I always like to say that people can only fix themselves." Colette admitted as her eyes wandered up to meet Acier's again. "That every road to redemption, or health, or acceptance is just a matter of whether or not you are able to be happy with yourself or at least sleep well at the end of the day."

"I told my apprentice this when I tried to force her to become something she wasn't." She admitted, her eyes closed for a moment before she looked back at Acier again. "Instead I ended up losing her and had to learn the hard way that you can think you're doing the right thing for the right reasons, but that it still doesn't make you right."

"Now I'm starting to think the Jedi have been doing the same outside of the Core, and we've been doing it for a while now. Standing by, trying not to rock the boat, only to end up in a bigger pile of chit that we'll never truly be ready to face unless we simply… Do."

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Tags: Acier Moonbound​

A low grunt escaped the Jedi as he listened to the kid's defensive deflection. "Hmph." The pride was still there, masked behind dry sarcasm and a defensive assumption that this was a lecture. It most certainly wasn't. Raising a hand toward the corridor, Lorn flicked his wrist and used the Force to temporarily blind the security cameras monitoring the hallway.

"No," Lorn stated simply, dropping his arm back to his side. "Just curiosity."

The glowing blue hue of the dampening field cast harsh lines across the veteran's scarred face. He needed to know if the kid truly understood the depth of the cage he had built for himself long before the Republic locked him in this one.

"I want to know what you learned about yourself," Lorn asked, keeping his voice steady. "Did it open your eyes to who they were? Do you recognize them as friends now?"

It was an open question, offering no judgment.

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Republic Prison
Outfit: Jedi Attire
Equipment: Arwr Da, Hydrangea Moonblade (concealed)
Tag: Acier Moonbound

"And who are the people like you, Acier?" Lily asked as she could tell there was exasperation and frustration with the way that she was approaching things but Lily needed to understand more of why he was doing all this, who he was. "I have attempted to talk with many Sith over the years of being a Jedi, whether it was through words like this. Or through the language of combat." Lily leaned back in the seat, "almost all of them have never shown me a sign of regretting the actions they are taking. The lives that it cost to achieve their power."

Lily continued to study him, seeing what he was saying and doing with his movements. "Why not? What makes you irredeemable? This isn't me saying that you are redeemable, by the way. It is merely me wishing to understand you more, Acier." Lily stated, her tone was firm, calculated but there was still a warmth there, a desire to see him for who he is.

"Unfortunately failure can lead to many people dying, even as a Jedi that can happen, Acier. It is important in how we handle that, how we move forward and what we take away from those lessons." Lily mentioned as she breathed in deeply, "I have failed in protecting people, costing a squad of fellow Jedi but also failing to keep planets from becoming Sith oppressed worlds. I fail every day in my mind since the Sith are still active and still harming people."

Nodding her head, "I can understand that. I was part of the Galactic Alliance, the Hidden Path and I have worked with some other smaller Jedi groups, it can be demoralising trying to organise them and help them fight the evils in the galaxy. Only to see things get worse, and watch as people you trusted leave." Lily mentioned, many Jedi were once prolific within the community had left. Retired or sought something else.

"Is hiding away in the prison really the best solution now?"

 

[Michael Angellus]

​

EPISODE – Entry # 10
Location: – Naboo, Can’t really say where.
Assigned Craft: My X-wing or My Other One Astromech Partner: BRED (BB-30)
Current Mood: Bothered.
Background Noise: Machinery.

An eyebrow?

When Acier had asked about Connel having sent him, he shrugged. Did you expect me to lie? This wasn’t his normal d-bag attitude, this was something else. It was as if he was confirming the obvious.

The dude was following in Daddy’s “Sith” footsteps.

Of course, he expected everything. The stoicism, the aloof non-committal response to everything. It was all him and it was ridiculously annoying, but it was all Acier. He couldn’t sense anything, so Michael didn’t know if any of this was an act. He didn’t see the guy on Tython or anywhere so Michael didn’t know the details. Why don’t you let ME decide what I would be better off doing

TAG: Acier Moonbound

CUTTO SCENE - This is where he is speaking in a different setting, as if recapping what he had just seen on a holovid
Wooo-beep

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"This really necessary?"

"It is," Cora answered. The portable heart monitor was now resting on the counter as she tapped away on her datapad. She flipped the screen around so Acier could see the mundane checklist.

"It won't take too long," she informed him as she went about applying the leads to his chest and abdomen. It was a little tricky to avoid all of the scar tissue he had, lest they get a poor reading.

From their first meeting, it was evident that Acier had a difficult life. Seeing the healed wounds of various size, method, and depth, though?

"Lay back," she instructed. "This is called an electrocardiogram - it reads the rhythm of your heart. You shouldn't feel anything."

And then, silence. Cora fixed her attention squarely to the monitor's output. After several minutes, she motioned for Ace to sit up.

"Nothing abnormal," she declared. There was a pause during which she weighed whether or not to voice the thought that had lingered on in her mind ever since she'd heard the news.

"Have you heard from him?"

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Republic Space - [REDACTED]

Equipment:
Inmate Jumpsuit | Cybernetic Arm

Colette was right. Somewhere along the way he'd already known it too - people could only fix themselves. He'd just lost sight of it.​

​

At some point, wanting to protect the people he cared about had become believing he knew what was best for everyone. That he could fix the galaxy if he was willing to make the hard choices nobody else would. It was arrogant. He still wasn't sure if it was him, the dark side, or both.​

​

Her story about her apprentice struck close to home, because of how painfully familiar it was. The same trap he'd fallen into with Sibylla Abrantes and Lorn. Now he was pretty sure he'd lost both because of it.​

​

His expression softened slightly at her admission regarding the Jedi.​

​

"Yeah."​

​

For a moment he stared at the floor before looking back at her.​

​

"What..." He hesitated. "What do you think should be done about it?" His brow furrowed. "What's even the best option?"​

​

Colette ​

​

---

​

"Curiosity." Ace repeated the word back to him.​

​

When Lorn clarified what he meant, Ace's gaze lowered briefly before lifting again.​

​

"I already knew who they were, Lorn." His voice was quieter now. "I just thought I could change things from the inside. Eventually."​

​

His hand moved to the back of his neck, the old nervous habit hadn't disappeared.​

​

"Friends..." ​

​

The word lingered. As though he was trying it on for size. Then his thoughts drifted... to Lysander von Ascania , Varin Mortifer , Isobel Serraris , Lily Rhodes , and Calyx Sundrift . Begrudgingly, even Arris Windrun .​

​

A strange collection of people. Some he respected, some he related to, and some he genuinely liked. Only one or two really felt like friends. At least in the traditional sense.​

​

"I don't know." Ace shrugged lightly. "Some maybe."​

​

His eyes drifted away before returning to Lorn.​

​

"There's a few in there that I think... that I don't think are fully gone. Or are just on the wrong path. Lost... like I was."​

​

Silence lingered after that. Then he added:​

​

"Maybe it's wishful thinking..." Ace's brow raised. "Why?"​

​

Lorn Reingard ​

​

---

​

Lily's experiences with Sith she'd faced wasn't comforting. If it even was that.​

​

"I'm a murderer. A war criminal. And a crime lord."​

​

His answer came flat. What made him irredeemable. Ace leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees. His head hung low, white locs falling across part of his face as Lily spoke about failure. When she finished, he shook his head.​

​

"People dying under your watch? Not being able to protect someone? That's different." Finally he looked up. "Those were things you couldn't avoid. The lives I'm talking about were caused by my actions. Whether it was somebody dying by my lightsaber or me standing by while something happened because it benefited what I was trying to accomplish."​

​

There was no anger in his statement. Only certainty.​

​

"They aren't the same."​

​

Then, after a moment, he went on:​

​

"On that note... good for you that you haven't lost your way."​

​

It sounded sarcastic, but it wasn't. The compliment was genuine.​

​

Lily's final question though: Was prison really the answer? Ace didn't have an immediate response. His conversation with Cora quickly surfaced in his mind.​

​

Similar question and the same uncomfortable uncertainty. Eventually he looked away.​

​

"I don't know."​

​

Lily Decoria ​

​

---

​

Ace shook his head slightly. "No, I didn't. Just... didn't expect that."​

​

The admission came easier than he'd expected. Truthfully, he hadn't expected much of anything from Connel.​

​

He didn't need the Force to tell him Michael wasn't acting like himself. The usual awkward, good natured energy wasn't there. He seemed frustrated, a little hostile, and... maybe disappointed. Maybe all three. So when Michael told him to let him decide what he should be doing, Ace simply raised his hands in surrender.​

​

"Alright." A faint nod followed. "Fair enough."​

​

Silence settled briefly between them. Ace glanced away, then clicked his tongue against the inside of his cheek before looking back.​

​

"There anything you actually wanna talk about, or...?"​

​

The sentence trailed off there. He'd almost added something else, something sarcastic, but Instead he left the question hanging. He'd go at Michael's pace.​

​

Michael Angellus​

​

---

​

Ace simply averted his gaze as Cora began attaching the leads. This was awkward. Far more awkward than being interrogated by Jedi, politicians, or former friends. At least those conversations made sense. Being shirtless while your ex's older sister attached wires to your chest was a different kind of suffering entirely.​

​

When she instructed him to lie back, he complied without complaint. An electrocardiogram. Heart rhythm. Seemed simple enough from her explanation.​

​

The silence stretched as Cora focused on the monitor, and Ace stared up at the ceiling. Letting her work.​

​

Eventually she spoke. Nothing abnormal. A small exhale left his lips.​

​

"Told you."​

​

Then came the question. Had he heard from him. Immediately Ace knew who she meant.​

​

"He sent me some credits." His eyes remained fixed on the ceiling. "For food. I'm trying to send them back."​

​

The statement earned a faint shake of his head. After a long silence, his expression softened slightly.​

​

"He's a good man. Just..."​

​

Lost.​

​

Ace turned his head and looked toward her. Dark eyes met blue eyes.​

​

"Have you tried to...?"​

​

The sentence died before it could fully form. He didn't need to finish it. The implication was obvious enough.​

​

Have you tried to bring him back?​

​

Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Tags: Acier Moonbound​

"Hmph," a second grunt escaped Lorn, a rare sign of agreement. The kid's insight wasn't entirely wrong; those people were drifting in the deep dark, just as Acier had been. Reaching out, the Jedi tapped the glowing blue barrier with a calloused index finger. A sharp spark of plasma zapped his skin, but his expression didn't change.

"When I was your age, maybe a bit younger, the woman I loved most in this galaxy was lost to the Dark," Lorn said, his rough voice dropping an octave. "Years went by, and I always held out hope that she would come back. That she would change her mind."

The memory brought a familiar ache, but a quiet relief counteracted the pain. Acier was standing here of his own free will, willing to write his wrongs. It meant one less tragedy to carry, one less soul to grieve.

"Do you think you'll be able to stand across from these friends and fight them?" Lorn asked, locking his eyes onto the former Sith. "Do you have it in you to get back up now?"

 

[Dominique Vexx]

Acier's movements and looked were studied carefully. What he said was listened to attentively. Everything she'd said and would say would be nothing but the truth. And it required commitment. In that moment, where she stood, it required hearing where Acier stood and what had led him there.

The Chancellor nodded slightly. "That is precisely the problem, Acier. There is no solution. Groups like the Sith -- and you could argue even the Jedi -- offer a philosophy, a belief, or simply an idea presented as a singular means of righting all the galaxy's wrongs and ensuring a prosperous, fulfilling lifestyle."

"Nothing is that simple. Certainly not a galaxy full of quadrillions of people."

Dominique turned her palms up for a moment. "There is no singular problem to be solved, but many smaller problems requiring many different solutions. Even peace is not easily won. Satisfy those that seek to wage war and you risk ostracizing those that find war morally reprehensible."

"Which is why the Sith Creed is so enticing. Why they have little problem ensnaring people to their cause. 'Through Passion, I gain Strength.' Not deliberation. Contemplation. Strategic planning. Most people don't know where to start with those. The galaxy is a large place; so much bigger than any one of us. But strength through passion? Victory besides? That people find within their reach."

"Passion can be easy. And it can give strength. So long as you don't look too hard at the face of victory."

Her hands folded, clasped together at her front. "What the Republic needs, Acier -- ironically enough," the Chancellor acknowledged with a tip of her head, "-- are people that are passionate about others. To do what is necessary to keep the short-sighted from assuming control. To help the citizens see there are no easy choices; no convenient roads to all dreams. But, there are dreams well within our reach. A hard task. A long road. But with the right people, we'll manage."

A focus on the long-term was never wrong, but it did require people to pay attention to the near-term as well. To travel a road of a thousand miles you must lay the first brick. Dominique hoped he did see what she was saying. She wasn't there to hear the sound of her own voice. Though simply letting him walk free without repercussion wouldn't be feasible, there were alternatives. Ones that didn't necessitate a public execution.

Acier Moonbound​

 

[Isley the Younger]

UNSPECIFIED PLANET
[-| THE SLAMMER|-]
TAG: Acier Moonbound
___________________________
_______​

The block was empty when Isley arrived.

That was by design. Credits were nearly as powerful as the Force these days. With but a wave of a credstick, folk would turn a blind eye to the most heinous of offenses. However, the only offense taking place tonight was sating the Senator's curiosity.

Despite his namesake, Isley had been largely disconnected from family affairs - save for keeping up with the family group chat. You couldn't pay him to miss that shitshow. It was in part due to recent buzz from his grandfather in said chat that drew him to the cells this evening.

Ever dressed in his tailored suit, Isley descended upon his uncle's cell. And when his eyes found the young man, his eyebrow raised.

"For all the hell the old coot's raising, I thought you'd be taller unc." he began. A chuckle fell from his lips as he removed his hat in greeting.

"Just one question...You do know what you're doing, yeah? This ain't some..." Isley's hat moved in a small circle in his grasp, as if trying to conjure the right words. "...half-baked thing?"

 

[Isobel Serraris]

REMNANTS​

LOCATION — Somewhere within Republic Space. . .
TAGS — Acier Moonbound

Glimpses of the future had tainted her sight each time her eyes pressed shut, the ceaseless struggle between Light and Dark that tormented her rogueish friend. Struggles, appeals, the ever-blossoming horizon that drew nearer with each breath taken. Isobel knew her time with him on Coruscant had been brief, and yet his debating burned brightly within her thoughtscape, ravaging through all sense akin to a tornado.

Still, one can only prepare themselves so much for what dreams longed to tell her. . . His absence was an anomaly, but another fracture within her acheing heart. Still, it lay soothed by a balm of acknowledgement, for he Light had not forsaken him.

Had that been her, she would not have hesitated twice about making his choice.

Through familial ties within the High Republic, a taller man had been permitted to approach Ace's cell. He was clad in a dark doublet embroidered with countless golden roses, his skin tan like Isobel's, with dark brown hair and brown eyes that carried far more composure than his sister had ever managed to wear. In his hand rested a scroll, which--upon the guard's close inspection--was handed to the prisoner.

The noble's eyes shadowed the letter's every move as they settled into the stranger's hand, his expression unreadable beyond the mild suspicion. "I know not what business my sister has with you," he began, "but she begged that I bring you this. And I would not have denied her even if I wished to."

Elegant aurebesh marked the paper:

Rogue.

I had not hoped for our paths to be on opposite sides once again, and though the fates had determined it to be as such. . . I cannot deny it saddens me, the temple feels emptier and whispers run rampant in its halls, preaching a Sith Knight's 'desertion'.

It is not so, I know that to be true, your path led you back to the Light, and you did not flee from it. If only my blind peers could fathom such a truth, rather than twist every word I speak in your defense. . .

All I must beg of you is to remain there, because I know how cruel Ashla can be with her gift.

Treasure those near you, for one cannot know what comes next.

Acier. Ace. Stay true to yourself.

Signed,
Flowers.

Beside the letter, one might note the drawing of a flower with bell-shaped blossoms. Beneath it, a small line of text read: "Lily of the valley; the return of happiness."

 

[Colette]

Acier Moonbound

Yeah, what was even the right choice?

"Kill all jedi, kill all Sith, burn all idols, and hope the galaxy forgets?" Colette offered a half-jest. "I think that at this point we're damned if we do or don't. Stuck in a war none of us started, yet forced to uphold because that's somehow expected of us, as if the Light and Dark is really just a choice between two outdated religions that should have died with the Gulag Plague."

Colette leaned back in her seat, stared at the ceiling with a groan. This thought had plagued her from the start of her journey among the Jedi. Endless war, a galaxy torn apart several times over for millenia without any other reason than 'my religion said so' in response to both the bereaving and the healing.

"I suppose for me it's just a matter of keeping as many alive as I can." Her head shook. "Recently there's been talk of a crusade."

"Can't imagine that'll go as they wish given our numbers. And don't worry, me telling you this isn't exactly controversial or a secret. Crusades tend to be a lot more open than something like a guerilla war is, you know?"

 

[Michael Angellus]

​

EPISODE – Entry # 10
Location: – Naboo, Can’t really say where.
Assigned Craft: My X-wing or My Other One Astromech Partner: BRED (BB-30)
Current Mood: Bothered.
Background Noise: Machinery.

One thing was clear.

This was not the Acier he knew. What happened to him out there? What did he go through? What did he have to do? Why? Why did he keep doing any of it? Did he care? Of course Connel had a lot of questions. Okay. That is why he wouldn’t do anything. Did he owe Acier any privacy? Any compassion? Any understanding. Not at all. .

What if Michael needed it? He wouldn’t get it if he acted like that..

What do YOU want to talk about? His pace is moving at Acier’s.

TAG: Acier Moonbound

CUTTO SCENE - This is where he is speaking in a different setting, as if recapping what he had just seen on a holovid
Wooo-beep

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora fell quiet the wake of her question, suddenly realizing that asking after her brother was particularly selfish when Ace had only just turned himself over. She peeled the leads from his torso in silence, one corner of her lips lifting at the mention of credits.

Something in her expression softened. Not all the way. "I know that it's not in your nature, but I think you should keep them," she insisted. "That's him trying to maintain your bond."

And then, she fell into a more pensive sort of silence. The rift between them hadn't been entirely Lysander's fault, after all. He’d still made the effort to reach out, even when she didn't know what to do with that sort of attention.

"You can put your shirt back on," she murmured, winding the wires around her knuckles. "We need to do a biometric scan next, but you can keep your clothes on."

Somehow, the magnetism of Ace's question drew her eyes up from their hiding place behind the datapad.

Cora looked uncomfortable for a moment, then sighed.

"Not as much or as hard as I should have," she glanced to the grey hues of the room's nearest corner. "After what happened on the Prosperity, I'm not certain that I can."

Her voice was small, quiet, and guilty. Cora didn't have it in her to hide her troubled expression, not from someone as perceptive as Ace. He would've read the subtle twitches of restrained angst for what they were.

Acier Moonbound

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Republic Space - [REDACTED]

Equipment:
Inmate Jumpsuit | Cybernetic Arm

Ace's eyes immediately tracked toward Lorn's hand as it touched the barrier. Why'd he do that? The sharp crackle of energy answered the question before Ace could ask it.

Lorn spoke of a woman he loved, who was lost to the dark side. Something in Ace's expression softened.

"Sorry." The word came quietly.

He wondered, briefly, if she had something to do with Mirater. The thought passed as quickly as it arrived.

Then came the question: Could he stand against them? Could he get back up and fight?

Ace hesitated, thoughts drifting to the Trinity. Remembering how he crossed blades with Lorn because he believed what he was doing was right. Even then, with the dark side clouding him, fighting people he cared about felt very different from fighting enemies. And he hated it.

A long breath escaped him. "What's to stop me from messing it up again, Lorn?"

For the first time since the conversation began, uncertainty sat plainly in his voice.

"If I walk out of this cell..." His gaze drifted toward the glowing barrier. "If I feel the Force again, then I'll feel the dark side too. It'll call to me..."

His jaw tightened and the rest remained unsaid. After spending so long immersed in it, he wasn't sure how difficult resisting it would be. Or whether he'd be strong enough to do so.

Lorn Reingard

---

Dominique's explanation made an uncomfortable amount of sense. With hindsight, it seemed obvious. The galaxy wasn't one great problem waiting to be solved. It was thousands of smaller problems, each demanding their own solution.

His attention returned as she spoke about the Sith. The Code. Passion. Strength. When she finished, Ace slowly shook his head.

"I never really cared about the Sith Code. The Dark Side. The Covenant. It was all a means to an end for me." A faint frown crossed his face. "But I get what you're saying." His eyes lowered briefly. "I think."

A humorless huff escaped him.

"Passion by itself is dangerous."

His thoughts drifted to Humbarine. To Balmorra. Then Coruscant and Tapani. To all the decisions he'd justified because he felt strongly enough about them.

Then his attention returned to the Chancellor. She spoke of the Republic needed the right people. That phrase lingered, especially after the conversations he'd been having lately. About making things right. Doing something instead of rotting in a cell.

His eyes narrowed slightly, brow lifting. "And who exactly are these 'right people'? This some slow-burn pitch into getting me to do community service for my crimes 'cause my heart was in the right place?" A lace of dry sarcasm in his tone.

Dominique Vexx

---

Ace had already read Isobel Serraris 's letter three times. Probably more. The words sat folded beside him on the bunk. The handwriting, her optimism, and her stubborn refusal to give up on him.

Unfortunately, it had forced him to confront something he didn't particularly want to think about. If he stayed here forever, people like Isobel still needed help. So did Lily. Calyx. Lysander.

The thought was interrupted by a voice. Ace looked up to see a well-dressed man standing outside the cell calling him "unc." His brow immediately rose. The man looked old enough to be his uncle.

Then he noticed the resemblance, and the pieces clicked together. One of his siblings' children. Which somehow made this stranger his nephew. The entire concept felt ridiculous.

Ace stood. "Don't call me that. Ace is fine."

The height comment was ignored completely. He'd heard worse.

"I know exactly what I'm doing. Don't worry about it." The answer came without hesitation. Then he tilted his head slightly. "Got a name?"

Isley the Younger

---

A faint snicker escaped Ace before he could stop it. The image of somebody solving the Jedi-Sith conflict by simply wiping both sides off the board was absurd enough to earn that much.

Still, Colette's overall stance was interesting. The longer she talked, the more it sounded like she didn't particularly believe either side held all the answers. Maybe neither of them did.

Then she mentioned keeping as many people alive as possible. That seemed simple enough, difficult, but simple.

The knowledge of a crusade made Ace's brow furrow immediately.

"Crusade?" The word sounded strange coming from a Jedi. "That doesn't seem very Jedi-like. What's the consensus on that?"

His hand moved to his chin. Thoughtful. Something more important entered his head.

"What you said a second ago. I know you were joking, but... you called the Sith and Jedi outdated. If you feel like that, why are you still here? With the Jedi. I mean."

The question was genuine.

Colette

---

Ace leaned back slightly and scratched at his temple with his index finger. What did he want to talk about? That was new. Most people who came down here already had an agenda. Questions they wanted answered. Things they wanted explained. Michael had just handed the conversation back to him.

After a few moments, Ace realized he didn't actually know what to say.

Eventually his eyes found Michael's. "I haven't seen you since before Atrisia..."

He was pretty sure that the last time they saw each other, Ace still had both arms.

"...Before the Path went..."

He followed that up with a gesture, then spread his hands apart in a small poof motion.

"I guess I wanna know what you've been up to since then."

The question came easier than expected. Then his expression softened slightly.

"Are you alright?"

Michael Angellus

---

Ace remained still as Cora removed the leads from his chest. Her comment about Lysander's credits lingered longer than he expected.

Maintaining the bond. huh. He hadn't thought about it that way. Judging by the look that briefly crossed his face, that realization had landed harder than he'd intended.

The silence that followed felt different. More thoughtful. When Cora informed him he could put his shirt back on, Ace nodded quietly, pulling the undershirt over his head before zipping the jumpsuit back into place.

Under normal circumstance, the conversation would have ended there. Instead, it became something else. Her admission regarding the Prosperity caught him off guard. More than that, he noticed the discomfort behind it.

The guilt and the uncertainty.

Ace watched her for a moment before speaking up.

"I wasn't there." His voice was quiet. "And Lysander wouldn't talk about it."

His eyes remained fixed on hers. Unmoving.

"...What happened between you two?"

Corazona von Ascania ​

 

[Isley the Younger]

UNSPECIFIED PLANET
[-| THE SLAMMER |-]
TAG: Acier Moonbound
___________________________
_______​

"Ace it is, then."

Isley gave his uncle a nod, listening to his words. They rattled forth in the blink of an eye - and the Senator couldn't tell if that was confidence or frustration. In either case, Isley placed his hat upon his chest, making an exaggerated sigh of relief.

"That's good to hear. If you were pulling this out of your backside, we'd have some issues." He gave a mirthless chuckle before continuing. "So far our kinfolk haven't overreacted since you're in here. But just know..."

His tone became severe for a moment and the Senator took a step closer to the cell.

"If you get hurt? Millions die. If they kill you? Billions. You're not a nobody in the Galaxy, Ace." Isley took a step back and his confident smirk wormed its way on his face.

"I'll trust your word, though, and keep our more enthusiastic family in check. However you end up playing this? I'll make sure they fall in line, aight?"

Isley then winked and backed up a step.

"The name's Isley. Great to put a face to the name, Ace. Take care of yourself."

 

[Colette]

Acier Moonbound

Consensus on the Crusade?

"Let's just say the Order is split on what to do."

His second question got her to laugh back. Not to mock him but because just like him she had no good answer. Why would he infiltrate the Sith instead of trying to build something better? Why would Colette do the same?

"You're not the only one who's held delusions, Moonbound." She admitted with a smile that quickly turned into a frown. "The Jedi provides a clear sense of purpose for me. I wake up, I make sure that we have everything to keep going for another year, and I go to bed. Repeat."

"I guess, the real answer to your question is because I see good in those who are here and I want to help steer them in a better direction. I mean, this idea that we're right because of the light is weird, isn't it?" Rhetorical. She knew it was. "Light and dark are strange words to use in how they kind of imply the existence of the other. And yet they try to consume each other. Constantly. Forever."

"The light can't die, just like the dark can't either. Every time that someone has gotten close, their candles burn out, or they get blinded by the smallest of sparks." Her shoulders rolled at that. "Jedi and Sith are ideas. You can't destroy ideas. The harder you try the more impossible it gets. Like eating soup with chopsticks."

Her eyes wandered around the cell and the amenities it offered. Spartanic, sterile, just a little too small in size to offer comfort and yet large enough to recognize you were at someone else's mercy.

A quiet, slightly amused exhale burst through her lips.

"Sorry, I didn't come here to talk about Jedi and Sith. I can only imagine how boring that is given the people who's bound to have swung by since you put yourself in here." Her shoulders rose, her head tilted. "How are you doing in there?" Her voice light, genuinely curious. "Have the people been as insufferable as I imagine?"