Rogue Wolf
Location: Somewhere in Mandalorian Space
The blaster bolt never reached its target. Blue light snapped through the smoke, catching the shot inches before it struck the young Jedi scrambling across the courtyard. Ace twisted his wrist and sent the bolt screaming harmlessly into the stone above them.
"Stop!"
Nobody listened. Of course they fucking didn't. Another Mandalorian pushed through the smoke to his right, rifle already rising. Ace thrust out his prosthetic hand and caught the weapon with the Force, wrenching its barrel toward the ground just as it fired. Stone burst beneath the warrior's boots.
"I'm not here to fight you."
A lightsaber flashed somewhere behind him. Ace turned and one of the Jedi had taken his intervention as an opportunity to charge the Mandalorian he'd just disarmed. Ace's expression tightened.
His hand snapped sideways and the Jedi's weapon arm jerked off course, the blade passing harmlessly beside the Mandalorian's helmet. Ace stepped between them before either could recover, blue lightsaber held low but ready.
For half a heartbeat, both stared at him. "Enough."
Apparently that was enough to make them reconsider. Ace didn't wait to see for how long. Smoke rolled through what had once been the enclave grounds, swallowing statues, shattered walls and burning vegetation beneath a thick grey haze. Mandalorian warriors moved through it in organized groups while pockets of Jedi resistance continued fighting from deeper inside the compound. Somewhere overhead, engines thundered through the atmosphere.
Tic clung to Ace's back as he moved through the smoke, occasionally chirping warnings whenever movement appeared beyond Ace's line of sight. Ace told him twice to stay with the ship, but when did he ever listen.
Ace had arrived late, but not accidentally. Briana's words on D'Qar had stayed with him
He didn't know if she'd meant the Empire or the Covenant, but the distinction mattered when your brother was Mand'alor. Ace could have simply called Aether, probably should have. But he'd developed a particular distaste for forming conclusions from somebody else's version of events. So he'd started looking.
HoloNet reports. Military movements. Worlds recently absorbed into Mandalorian territory. Whatever scraps of information he could pull together without advertising what he was searching for. Eventually a pattern had emerged. Then came word of Mandalorian forces moving toward a Jedi enclave. So Ace followed, expecting answers. Instead he'd dropped into the middle of a fucking battle.
A nearby explosion ripped his attention back to the present. Ace threw his arm across his face as fragments of stone scattered through the courtyard. Someone screamed and he snapped toward the sound. Three figures were huddled beside what remained of an archway. One looked old enough to be a Padawan, maybe, but the other two... kids. Or Younglings. Whatever they were called.
It didn't matter. Ace moved before thinking as another volley tore across the courtyard. His lightsaber became a blur as he intercepted the first shot, then the second. The third slipped wide. Ace planted himself between the young Jedi and the fighting, extending his free hand as another section of damaged masonry groaned above them, telekinetically catching it.
"Go!" They hesitated. "Now!"
The three disappeared through the ruined archway while Ace shoved outward, sending the collapsing stone away from them. It crashed into the courtyard with enough force to kick another cloud of dust into the air.
Ace coughed, waving it from his face. He still didn't know what had started this. The Mandalorians hadn't simply appeared over a Jedi enclave for no reason. Whatever else Ace thought of his brother, Aether wasn't stupid. He had an entire Empire to govern and wars of his own to fight. There was something here Ace wasn't seeing.
But there were Padawans fighting in these courtyards. Younglings hiding inside these buildings. And every minute this continued was another opportunity for somebody who had nothing to do with whatever started it to end up underneath the rubble.
A Mandalorian came through the haze ahead and Ace extinguished his lightsaber immediately and raised both hands.
"Su'cuy, vod."
The warrior's rifle remained trained on him. Ace glanced briefly at the weapon before looking back toward the visor.
"Acier Moonbound. Mand'alor te Beskar's vod. Ni copad at sur'haa'ir kaysh."
Another explosion thundered somewhere deeper inside the enclave. Ace looked toward it, then back.
"Where is he?"
The Mandalorian didn't answer quickly enough. Ace stepped around them and continued deeper into the compound, periodically calling through the smoke.
"Aether!"
Ace broke into a run. He didn't know whether Briana had been right, what these Jedi had done, or what his brother believed justified any of this. Right now, Ace only knew what was directly in front of him. People were getting hurt. Children were caught in the middle. And somewhere inside this mess was the one person who could tell him why.
"Stop!"
Nobody listened. Of course they fucking didn't. Another Mandalorian pushed through the smoke to his right, rifle already rising. Ace thrust out his prosthetic hand and caught the weapon with the Force, wrenching its barrel toward the ground just as it fired. Stone burst beneath the warrior's boots.
"I'm not here to fight you."
A lightsaber flashed somewhere behind him. Ace turned and one of the Jedi had taken his intervention as an opportunity to charge the Mandalorian he'd just disarmed. Ace's expression tightened.
His hand snapped sideways and the Jedi's weapon arm jerked off course, the blade passing harmlessly beside the Mandalorian's helmet. Ace stepped between them before either could recover, blue lightsaber held low but ready.
For half a heartbeat, both stared at him. "Enough."
Apparently that was enough to make them reconsider. Ace didn't wait to see for how long. Smoke rolled through what had once been the enclave grounds, swallowing statues, shattered walls and burning vegetation beneath a thick grey haze. Mandalorian warriors moved through it in organized groups while pockets of Jedi resistance continued fighting from deeper inside the compound. Somewhere overhead, engines thundered through the atmosphere.
Tic clung to Ace's back as he moved through the smoke, occasionally chirping warnings whenever movement appeared beyond Ace's line of sight. Ace told him twice to stay with the ship, but when did he ever listen.
Ace had arrived late, but not accidentally. Briana's words on D'Qar had stayed with him
He didn't know if she'd meant the Empire or the Covenant, but the distinction mattered when your brother was Mand'alor. Ace could have simply called Aether, probably should have. But he'd developed a particular distaste for forming conclusions from somebody else's version of events. So he'd started looking.
HoloNet reports. Military movements. Worlds recently absorbed into Mandalorian territory. Whatever scraps of information he could pull together without advertising what he was searching for. Eventually a pattern had emerged. Then came word of Mandalorian forces moving toward a Jedi enclave. So Ace followed, expecting answers. Instead he'd dropped into the middle of a fucking battle.
A nearby explosion ripped his attention back to the present. Ace threw his arm across his face as fragments of stone scattered through the courtyard. Someone screamed and he snapped toward the sound. Three figures were huddled beside what remained of an archway. One looked old enough to be a Padawan, maybe, but the other two... kids. Or Younglings. Whatever they were called.
It didn't matter. Ace moved before thinking as another volley tore across the courtyard. His lightsaber became a blur as he intercepted the first shot, then the second. The third slipped wide. Ace planted himself between the young Jedi and the fighting, extending his free hand as another section of damaged masonry groaned above them, telekinetically catching it.
"Go!" They hesitated. "Now!"
The three disappeared through the ruined archway while Ace shoved outward, sending the collapsing stone away from them. It crashed into the courtyard with enough force to kick another cloud of dust into the air.
Ace coughed, waving it from his face. He still didn't know what had started this. The Mandalorians hadn't simply appeared over a Jedi enclave for no reason. Whatever else Ace thought of his brother, Aether wasn't stupid. He had an entire Empire to govern and wars of his own to fight. There was something here Ace wasn't seeing.
But there were Padawans fighting in these courtyards. Younglings hiding inside these buildings. And every minute this continued was another opportunity for somebody who had nothing to do with whatever started it to end up underneath the rubble.
A Mandalorian came through the haze ahead and Ace extinguished his lightsaber immediately and raised both hands.
"Su'cuy, vod."
The warrior's rifle remained trained on him. Ace glanced briefly at the weapon before looking back toward the visor.
"Acier Moonbound. Mand'alor te Beskar's vod. Ni copad at sur'haa'ir kaysh."
Another explosion thundered somewhere deeper inside the enclave. Ace looked toward it, then back.
"Where is he?"
The Mandalorian didn't answer quickly enough. Ace stepped around them and continued deeper into the compound, periodically calling through the smoke.
"Aether!"
Ace broke into a run. He didn't know whether Briana had been right, what these Jedi had done, or what his brother believed justified any of this. Right now, Ace only knew what was directly in front of him. People were getting hurt. Children were caught in the middle. And somewhere inside this mess was the one person who could tell him why.
"AETHER!"
