Private Sun and Moon

[Calyx Sundrift]

Their retreat twisted through snaking backstreets, thick with acrid fumes and the flicker of dying streetlamps. Calyx led the way, sticking to shadowed alleys and narrow walkways, steering them clear of the routes the Justicars tended to patrol. After a while, he spoke. Quiet, like the city might overhear. “They’ve never had much sway over Troithe.”

He didn’t look back. “Used to show up for the occasional bribe. Shook down a local boss and made a show of it. But this?” He shook his head. “This all is because of Riot.” He hesitated, glancing at Ace. “Not sure if you’ve heard of them. Riot’s been organizing the strikes in the lower-level factories. Government wants to shut ’em down, got sweet offers from Czerka Industries waving in their face.”

They reached the edge of an alleyway. Calyx held up a hand. Across the street, a trio of men wandered by, laughing, unaware. When the coast cleared, he continued.

“Factories are the last paycheck down there. Strip that away, and it’ll go the way of Coruscant’s lower levels.” He eyed Ace again. “Or Nar Shaddaa. You know what happens next. Starts with forgetting the people Poverty and crime will follow.” He exhaled, voice even lower now. “I’ve been helping Riot. Leaking Justicar movements. Intercepting bribes. Exposing corrupt officials.” A pause. “It’s risky work, but I can’t just vanish while this place is about to burn.” Then, more hesitant, he added. “You’ve got a lightsaber. Riot could use someone like that.” He let the words hang in the murky silence, watching Ace for a flicker of reaction.

The rest of their journey to Platform Six passed in silence. Calyx kept his eyes moving, every shadow a possible tail. He found it odd, it was way too quiet for this part of Troithe.

Ace was the first to actually notice. Calyx sought it out. A silhouette - tall, broad-shouldered, horns glinting in the low light. “Got lots of friends,” Calyx muttered, hand drifting to his blaster, “but he ain’t one of them.” He spun and fired in the same motion.

The Devaronian ducked. The bolt scorched past his shoulder, smashing into a traffic light that burst in a shower of sparks.

“Kriff!” Calyx fired again. Twice - each shot forcing the Devaronian back behind a vent stack. Return fire spat out in quick bursts, sizzling past their heads and lighting up the alley in angry red flashes.

“Okay, change of plan- make a break for it!” He didn’t wait for a response, just turned and bolted, skimming the edge of cover, loosing wild shots over his shoulder to keep their stalker pinned.

A blasterbolt slammed into a nearby trash bin, sending debris flying. Another scorched the wall just inches from Ace’s head. Calyx skidded around a corner. “This way!” he barked, breath ragged.

The thump of boots behind them meant the Devaronian wasn’t alone.

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Troithe - Sector 6

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27

Calyx seemed to know Troithe pretty well, Ace could tell that he was carefully following a route with minimal Justicar presence. He followed the cloaked man, trusting that he would be able to get them to the Flickerfox discreetly.

Calyx finally broke the silence after a while, giving him the rundown of Troithe's history with the Justicars. Ace listened while also keeping an eye out for anything that warranted concern. He briefly glanced at Calyx when he mentioned Riot, then returned to scoping their area.

He was right, he'd never heard of them but made the effort to really pay attention to what was being said now. Strikes, governmental intervention, Czerka involvement. Sounded like the makings of an uprising - guess the name 'Riot' made sense then.

Then Calyx revealed his hand, finally. Probably one of the first real things he'd said since they met. He revealed that he was actually working with Riot. Ace knew where this was going. It was a recruitment.

“You’ve got a lightsaber. Riot could use someone like that.”

He didn't say anything. But his eyes showed contemplation. Ace respected Riot's goal, admired it even - but he'd seen movements like this back on Bonadan. They never lasted. Then there was Ace's own personal mission, despite his leads being cold right now, he still needed to find his mother. His thoughts went back to Bonadan again, reflecting on all the failed movements and uprisings when he was growing up.

Maybe he could make a difference here. Calyx had a point, he did have a lightsaber... and wielded the Force. Maybe being Force-sensitive and knowing what to do with it was enough to tip the scales.

---

Ace hadn't expected Calyx to immediately start firing on the Devaronian. He resisted the urge to pull out his lightsaber and end this quickly but he knew Calyx was right about the weapon drawing too much attention.

Calyx managed to pin their attacker behind a vent stack, but not without blaster bolts returned their way. With the assistance of his procognitive abilities, Ace managed to avoid being hit. Before catching up to Calyx, Ace pulled out his blaster and shot at the base of the vent stack, rupturing it. A pressurized hiss released a thick cloud of white-hot steam. He could hear the Devaronian cursing amongst the hissing.

That should cover their escape, at least for a moment. Ace then broke out into a sprint behind Calyx, catching up to him fairly quickly. He could hear the sound of multiple footsteps trailing behind them now.

"This is ridiculous." he muttered to himself, jerking his head away from a passing blaster bolt, scorching a wall.

Ace banked hard as he rounded the corner after Calyx. He recognized the surroundings, they were getting close to the warehouse lot. Ace quickly reached for an hovering maintenance droid, using the Force, he swung his arm back and threw the droid at their pursuers without looking. He grinned when he heard a clang followed by a grunt.

Then, he stretched his arm toward a street light - curling his fingers, he broke off the glass encasing the light and threw his arm back once more. Sending shards at breakneck speed toward the remaining pursuers.

The warehouse lot was just ahead now - a jagged row of old freight depots and rusted landing platforms, the towers from the nearby water reclamation plant loomed in the haze, mist curling off the vents. The Flickerfox sat nestled in the shadow of the water reclamation towers, Ace pointed toward it.

"There!" He said in between breaths "She's locked down tight, gimme a sec."

As they approached, Ace raised his hand and the access ramp hissed open with a hydraulic snap. The interior lights flickered on in response, warm and ready. He didn't break stride as he motioned Calyx in first. He gave one last glance behind them, scanning the shadows, ready for a last-minute tail, before sprinting up the ramp himself.

Calyx Sundrift ​

 

[Calyx Sundrift]

Calyx caught on to Ace's frustration. "What, cause you can't use your lightsaber?" Ace was more trigger-happy then Calyx expected from somebody Jedi-trained. There weren't any like that that he'd known, not even the Bokken Jedi. But those were memories from before Kessel. He viewed the galaxy in a new light now - perhaps there'd always been Jedi like that.

"Or is it 'cause an interplanetary gang wants our hides, since someone attacked them with a lightsaber?" Whether Ugo and his men were dead or not didn’t matter - Calyx was still pissed. Ace had lit the fuse, and now they were all burning.

He glanced up as Ace stretched out a hand and yanked, hurling glass shards from nearby lighting at their pursuers. Again unethical by Jedi standards, but remarkably effective.

"I see her!" Calyx studied the outline of the ship in the distance. It was a YT-class freighter - heavily modified to resemble a racing craft. Black and red, of course. Because Ace wouldn’t be caught dead in anything less brooding. Calyx snorted. Dark and stormy, all right.

Without slowing down, Calyx ran straight at the freighter. Ace slowed his pace a little to open the ramp, letting him rush in before the ramp was even fully down.

Inside, Calyx hesitated. The cockpit wasn’t where it should’ve been. Not in a YT-model freighter like this. He only found it when Ace came sprinting by. Following right behind, Calyx burst into the cockpit.

There, he did a double take. "What's this joke, you don't have a co-pilot seat?" he asked incredulously. "In a YT-class freighter?"

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Troithe - Flickerfox

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27

Ace sprinted past Calyx, making his way toward the cockpit. He practically leaped into the pilot's chair and began to fire up the Flickerfox's startup sequence. Fingers flew across the control panel, the primary console lit up with glowing lights.

Calyx was, once again, in his ear with something else to complain about. His grip tightened on the control yoke and he gritted his teeth before finally barking back.

"The hell I need a co-pilot's seat for anyway?! Besides, it was like this when I got it!" Ace's attention returned to the control panel "Shut up and sit down somewhere!"

The sublight engines growled awake, building a deep mechanical rhythm that echoed through the hull. The cockpit lights dimmed slightly as the power routing redirected toward launch readiness. One hand on the yoke now, he brought up the navigational holo-display, plotting an immediate ascent vector out of the district's flight zone. They had about 60 seconds before the Justicars realized they've left the pad.

Ace pulled back on the flight stick, easing the ship upward and clearing the warehouse lot with a rumble of displacement. The Flickerfox surged forward, nosing toward the city's upper lanes and whatever came next.

As he began piloting the ship toward the outer atmosphere, he recalled what Calyx had said earlier. About not wanting to vanish while Troithe 'burned'. Sighing, he deliberated on what to do here - as this predicament was the fault of his growing hotheadedness.

Begrudgingly, he pondered on letting Calyx stay on the Flickerfox for a while. While thing's quited down, then take him back to Troithe when he was ready. Maybe it was the least he could do. Or maybe, he'd just want a ride somewhere and to go off on his own from there.

Plotting a course for the closest planet, Ace made the jump to hyperspace. After a moment to himself, sat in the pilot's chair, he cast a glance to the empty spot where a co-pilot's chair should be. He always travelled alone and never saw a point in it. But... if this was going to become a habit, having guests on the ship... maybe investing in installing another seat may be something to consider.

As the stars stretched into white streaks, Ace finally rose from his seat and searched for Calyx. Wouldn't be too hard, ship wasn't that big. Once he'd found him, Ace spoke first.

"Plotted a course to Catadra. It isn't much... dust, zealots, and off-grid freaks, but it's quiet. Doubt we'd find any Justicars there."

A silence would stretch between them. Ace rubbed the back of his neck, not awkwardly, but it did evoke a sense of uncomfortability. A deep sigh escaped his lips.

"I know you said you didn't wanna ditch Troithe. When things get quiet again, I can take you back."

Calyx Sundrift ​