He tasted blood. He did not know where Kad had gone and there was something wet and cool soaking into his clothes. He heard the distant roar of a fire somewhere in the space station as the emergency systems came to full life.
"You do not look like a Sith Lord, but this is where it ends." The Jedi Guardian Corbin Malthus said. He towered over Acetylene by at least thirty centimeters and topped him by at least ten kilograms, the green from his silver cross guard saber casting a sinisteremerald light upon him.
Memories came to him in fits and pulses through the static infesting his mind at the moment. Something about the light from the green saber. He couldn't move fast enough. Everything seems to weigh his limbs down. He reached for his saber on his right hip, his fingers stubbornly refusing to move at will when he caught a glimpse of that saber. He closed his eyes and hoped.
"You are an abomination to the order if things. How many people have you killed!? ANSWER ME!" Malthus demanded. He moved the tip to just under Ace's jaw but did not strike. Ace felt heat upon heat as he struggled against his own body refusing to move. That green light! That terrible green light!
Slurred, he tried to answer. "Not…nearly as many…as you have horribly…maimed" he spat out with significant trouble. He was only slightly able to articulate when his eyes were closed. "Tell me…how many good people…have you…you" the word would not come out. "Subjugated and manipulated…with your…mind tricks. How…many have you hurt because they…didn't do…as you commanded...?"
He was sweating, his eyes were screwed shut against that pulsing green saber.
"At least…I don't…Hide" his fought hard against his own mind and body as it seemed to seize. "Hide my deeds…behind a thinly veiled cloak…of…mor…morality". The concussive blow from Corbin's Saber he now recalled, underscoring the pain from the shattered tooth and cut tongue that gave reason for him to taste the sickly sweet flavor of his own blood.
He moved his head to hide from the heat of the blade and his eyes finally had relief from that terrible gleaming emerald light. He felt his body become more compliant and his mind began to clear. He opened his eyes, and saw a reflection of his face as Corbinraise his saber high above his head. He saw that same terrible visage he kept seeing time and again in every mirror and heard it say "now".
"You!? Who are without morality? Now seek to lecture me about it? How pathetic. Its time for this to end" Malthus swung downward at the fallen man, but a split second too slow. Ace rolled to the side and down the steps of the platform.
Grinding pain shot up his spine, but it let him know he was alive, as he desperately grabbed at his belt for something, anything, to shield his eyes. Glancing up he saw his reflection again, this time the eyes shining like they were covered in polarized glass. And his hand touched something cool and hard.
His Speeder helmet.
Corbin was on him like wolf chasing a rabbit. Corbin was good, perhaps too good but Ace was volatile. Ace had no tomorrow. That fact alone made him a very dangerous choice of prey.
"You rely on your rules!" Ace screamed as he spun around and landed a Cortosis shod boot into Malthus's solar plexus. The helmet strapped on tight, and sunshield down. That green light from Corbin's blade meant nothing to him now. "You, hide behind your morals. You are just like the Sith. Twisted and controlling." He snapped his heel into the side of Malthus's head. Malthus tried to block but only succeeded to rob the kick of some of its energy.
His saber came up again but Acetylene was too close. Malthus was uncomfortable staring into the black face of the helmet and felt hot desperation radiate from his foe. This wasn't fearlessness. This wasn't cowardice. He realized the man didn't want to be there but was determined to never let Corbin harm another soul again.
"You fight dirtier than a Sith" Corbin screamed trying to overpower the shorter man.
"This is how you kill giants!" Ace shouted back as his right foot came crashing down on Malthus's knee. Malthus crumpled to the ground and rolled back to a better engagement distance, allowing him to better use his massive Light Saber.
Again, Acetylene closed, terrifyingly fast. The Jedi had never seen so much energy from an unarmed man. Did he forget about his Saber? Or was he toying with Malthus?
Corbin swung hard and fast, but Acetylene dropped far beneath the horizontal strike, down to his knees and slid close enough to deliver a concussive blow to Corbin's knees again. The fire sprinklers where going full blast, allowing him to maintain momentum,giving him incredible energy behind his attacks.
A terrible one-two strike. Corbin heard something snap and pain shot up his leg to his spine and ran like a bolt of lightining into his head and exploded there. A scream emitted from his mouth and his vision dimmed.
But it didn't get worse.
"Your rules limit you. Your guidelines blind you" Acetylene said between ragged gasps "this defeat didn't happen because I am a better fighter. You lost because you limit yourself. Get up. Get out. Leave and do something better than bitch about who is good and bad" The man in black said. He walked away, and said without looking back "And don't rely on your damned saber so much, you close minded prick"
The insults he could have ignored, but the condescension drove Malthus into a fury. Concentrating, he used the force to numb his pain and he came to his feet, and his blade came to a ready position as he stalked forward.
"I am not defeated yet. You will have to kill me" He said.
"Would your death serve the people you care about" Acetylene snorted.
"Death before dishonor and my death will be for a greater cause!" Corbin's voice faultered. He was beginning to question his own beliefs.
"Such pathetic nonsense"
Corbin struck hard and fast but once again, Ace reacted with unorthodox or conventional techniques.
Bright purple light flared and the green light dimmed, and ceased its flickering. Shadows engulfed Corbins face as his hand and the hilt fell away from the arm they were once attached to. A heavy boot landed hard in this chest.
"Congratulations. You've done fuck all for your cause." There was a menace as the man stalked away. Corbin was not ready for twin sabers. He had always thought it was unfair, dishonorable.
"Kill me, finish me. You are a coward if you do not! I will hunt you down and destroy your kind! I will…" Corbin faltered. He realized what he sounded like. He could not shake the cold feeling that his words sounded just like what he had been trained and conditioned to fight against.
"You are a monster" Corbin whispered.
"Aren't we all." Ace muttered as he walked down the station's corridor.
Time lapsed and once again Ace found himself staring out at the destruction he had involved himself in. Nishika Kano's stronghold was now a hellscape with very few survivors. He sighed, watch his breath make some pattern or other on the small craft's porthole.
"Richter" Kad said from the cockpit.
"It's Acetylene, Mandalorian. Richter is dead." He sighed.
"Try not to think about it. There are people who will be happy to no longer fear this woman's wrath." Kad Odym said. "You, well we more like it, did well." Kad smacked his hand on the large case he had next to him "And we made it out of there a lot richer! Don't you understand? We have at least 8 more of these chests of Khyber Crystals!" he cheered "What ever you want, its yours. Women, or…men? No judgment."
Ace smiled. "Vengeance my dear friend. Vengeance."
"Then you will definitely need a bit more than a massive shipment of Khyber Crystals." Kad replied
'Then I shall become a force of nature"