Beyond - Legends Of Virtue and Violence: Hunt for the Lionheart - (AU-ish) - experimental update 7/15

~Title~ Of Virtue and Violence: Hunt for the Lionheart
~Author~ BroodingLion
~Timeframe~ see Notes
~Characters~ all OC?s - see Summary
~Genre~ AU (sorta), action/adventure, drama
~Summary~ A tough-as-nails Mandalorian warrior, and a good-natured, homeworld-less jack of all trades. A philosophizing Jedi Padawan, and a Master who swings like a pendulum between Nurturing Parent and Harsh Taskmaster. A quest the pairs share without knowing, for an artifact variously said to be priceless, rumored to harbor unimaginable power, and feared to herald doom ? but not known for sure to be any of these things. And a case of ?wrong place, wrong time? to bring them cautiously together, in a galaxy full of wonders and dangers in equal measure.
~Notes~ This doesn?t take place during any specified time period, or even in the canon timeline. I figured it should go in Beyond the Saga partly because it?s entirely OC?s, and partly because it?s just that: beyond the restrictions of decades of continuity and backstory, even geography and cosmology if I see fit. So ignore what you know (or what you don?t). I?ll use whatever comes to mind as useful for the story, no matter the source ? anything from Noghri to E-wings to ?there is no dark side? ? but the only continuity here is my continuity. No Exar Kun, no Skywalker dynasty, and so on.

The point of this is so I can just craft what I hope will be an engaging series (Of Virtue and Violence) of drama-laced adventures with the stock SW elements we all know and love, without being bogged down by what?s gone before, because frankly, I don?t know a lot of it.

All that said, I hope to preserve the spirit of the universe and the main players. The Jedi, the Mandalorians as characterized by Karen Traviss, the Sith, the Republic ? they?re all here. But no lightsabers, partly to rein in the Force-adepts, and partly to make them more fantasy-flavored. I hope you?ll be satisfied with my alternatives.

If you?re okay with all of that, then enjoy!

**********


PROLOGUE

?Aer, let?s go!? Sefu Tau shouted, firing a few shots at his Mandalorian comrade?s pursuers?sleek battle droids of recent design and manufacture?as said comrade hustled down the ravine. They looked like they were gaining, but without warning a boulder from the top of the ravine came hurtling through the air to crash down in their midst. At that, Aer whirled, took one look at the struggling droids, and lobbed a concussion grenade at them before coming casually the rest of the way toward Sefu and the outcropping behind which he hid. Sefu shook his head and smiled wryly as shrapnel showered Aer but bounced harmlessly from that seemingly impervious armor.

Jedi, Mandalorians, all the same. No finesse. Still. Handy timing on the mystic?s part.

?You?re welcome,? Vega, the Cathar Jedi Master kneeling at Sefu?s shoulder, said to Aer, who shrugged silently and crouched behind another outcropping across the gorge from them. ?And where is Kyros?? Sefu thought she sounded unduly calm for someone whose apprentice was being pursued by the same deadly droids, not too far behind Aer but also not here yet. Then again, they could apparently sense each other?s presence and well-being.

He cleared his throat and pointed the way Aer had just come. Leaping backward through the ravine, batting away blaster bolts with a shining sword upon which danced arcs of silvery energy, came the lean Padawan. He was pretty good, Sefu acknowledged, but not good enough to catch all the bolts, even though only three droids could stand abreast in the narrow ravine. Fortunately he wore light, Noghri-crafted armor on his torso that absorbed enough of the energy from shots that got through for the Jedi to keep going. Nonetheless, he was tired from hours of running and fighting just as they were, getting sloppier with his blade work before their eyes, and on his next backwards jump, crashed at an angle into the side of the ra

 

My only innocent bump, I swear; I'll try to limit these...

 

This is off to a great start! Please PM with updates!

 

Will do, and thanks for stopping by! Glad you like it.

 

Warning: experimental, perhaps odd chapter formatting below. I probably won't continue with this style, but I had a mental image of movies cutting back and forth between two interweaving scenes, and I thought it might work.


ONE

~A few weeks ago?~
-------------------------------------

Jedi Temple, Alderaan

Held in comparison to those of her fellow Jedi, Master Vega?s quarters could be called ostentatious, but this was not out of any particular desire for luxury. There were tapestries of rich fabric hanging on the walls, there was a soft carpet on the floor, masterfully crafted statues stood in the corners, and shelves all around bore smaller works of art from a dozen worlds, but Vega?s sleeping pallet remained plain, as did the few other pieces of furniture in the room.

Further inspection would reveal that not one of the artworks in the room was Alderaanian, Corellian, Kuati, or from any other wealthy Core planet. Fully half of them weren?t even from member worlds of the Republic. Some might suspect an anti-human bias, as Vega was a Cathar, but her own world was only represented by a small statuette on a nightstand. Furthermore, this tapestry was recognizably Echani, that statue Korunnai?there was even an ancient Mandalorian kama hanging on the wall. No, there was no speciesism here.

Vega was something of a rarity among the Jedi, a scholar of peoples and societies across the galaxy. She was not merely a culturally sensitive, walking databank as many Jedi were encouraged to be for the purposes of utility and diplomacy; Vega loved archaeology and ethnography for their own sakes. And that, apparently, was why the Council had selected her for this.

?The Lionheart?? she breathed. ?You know where it is??

?Not quite,? Master Darius, senior member of the High Council, said with an apologetic shrug. ?But we believe we have a lead. By the look on your face I?m sure you understand why we?ve approached you about this. Its historical significance to dozens of cultures, the unity it might forge or strengthen between them??

~~~

Last Stand Cliffs, Mandalore

Near her modest summertime dwelling on one of the most forbidding mountains in the known galaxy, Aeron Brava polished her scarlet-hued armor with a tenderness many reserved for stroking their pets and calming their children. Sitting on a precarious ledge, with an equally precarious drop into a gaping crevice, its edges bordered by towering evergreens with barbed, rock-hard branches and often inhabited by small but irritable panthers, she felt entirely at home.

Despite imminent danger, possible death by any number of causes, the sky was clear, the sun was setting, and a breeze was drifting over her. Birds of prey glided both above and below her, occasionally keening in clear, haunting notes. Around and behind her was a jumble of rough but majestic rock formations, many jagged-edged, over which she had moments ago heard a familiar scrambling. Now, through a familiar panting, she was hearing a familiar eagerness. A familiar, self-important eagerness, as Sefu Tau, self-titled adventurer extraordinaire, whom she?d been expecting this past day, declared his latest discovery.

?The Lionheart,? she repeated. ?Never heard of it.?

Sefu sighed theatrically. ?Of course not. What use would a violence-prone creature like you have for a priceless work of art??

~~~

?I know it?s said to be priceless,? Vega interrupted Master Darius in his explanation of the Council?s enthusiasm, for this enthusiasm was dwarfed by her own. ?But the legends, Darius!?

The taller Jedi cocked an eyebrow. ?I must admit I?m that we aren?t familiar with these legends?another reason we thought of you, of course; you know more than any Jedi about this sort of thing?apart from a few stories referring to ?the wrath of gods? in certain great wars. But, I?ve never taken you for one interested in such power.?

Vega shook her head. ?Not for its own sake, of course, but if it?s as some of the stories say i

 

You've got very well done characters here. I'm really enjoying this!


?And,? Sefu added as if proud of himself, ?it?s him.?

Aeron?s stare drilled into him, and his grin faded the slightest bit as he registered her ire. ?Um? Aer?" He forced a laugh. "Okay, maybe I shouldn?t have mentioned??

?You?d better get some rest, Sefu.? She stood and went toward her bedroom. ?We?re leaving first thing tomorrow.?

As she closed the door, she barely heard Sefu chuckle to himself:

"Now it's on."

And I can't wait!

 

Hey, thanks; almost missed this reply altogether. Will be cobbling the next installment together soon...