Hi there. As an early Christmas present this year, I give you all a slightly longer chapter than usual.
At this point, I want to thank all those who have taken the time to Review or write me PMs to discuss the story. The constructive criticism and interest in this story are greatly appreciated and help me make this story better and more enjoyable to read.
Alright, enough of this, let's continue with the story...
"What do mean it isn't here?"
"Listen, kid, the position is correct," Captain Solo replied gruffly. "But there is no Alderaan."
"Planets don't just disappear," Luke countered. "So how is it gone?"
"Destroyed, by the Empire," Obi-Wan surmised.
Ruby was shocked as she heard this. A whole planet, destroyed? Impossible. No one had such power. "Surely the Empire doesn't have any weapon that can do such a thing?" she asked the old Jedi.
Obi-Wan looked at her as if he was evaluating her words one by one. It was slightly disconcerting and the silent scrutiny only ended when Captain Solo broke the silence.
"No one has that much firepower. The whole Imperial Fleet couldn't destroy a whole planet. The firepower needed to do that..."
An alarm went off, drawing Solo's attention away from what he was about to say, "There's another ship approaching from behind."
"Maybe they will know what happened here," Luke said.
But moments later they knew better. It was an imperial fighter. Small and fast, it eluded them even as Captain Solo began to hunt it down to hide their presence in the system.
"I don't remember that moon anywhere near Alderaan," Ruby muttered, as they followed the fighter towards a small planetoid.
"Now we are in trouble," Solo exclaimed, "There is a Star Destroyer lurking in the shadows of that moon. The fighter belongs to that ship."
"That is not a moon," Obi-Wan said slowly. "That is a space station."
"Too big," Solo retorted, "The Empire has nothing of that size or else we would know about it."
"Master Obi-Wan," Ruby began slowly, her eyes fixed on the moon like space station.
"I feel it, too, Ruby. There is something dark on that station. Like a storm of dark energy raging unchecked," Obi-Wan told her.
"Is Vader there?" Luke asked.
"Likely, but this doesn't feel like him. At least not anymore," the old Jedi said before he fell silent. Whatever there was on that station, it worried Obi-Wan, that much was obvious.
"Even without Vader lurking there, we should get out of here. Chewie, full reverse, lock in the auxiliary power," the smuggler said.
But even as the ship shuddered and shook, its course remained the same. Ruby wasn't sure what was happening exactly, but by the worried look on Obi-Wan's face and the frantic attempts of Captain Solo to get them free, she could tell that nothing good would happen once they arrive at that station.
The Star Destroyer, which had been on the far side of the station before was not in plain sight and swarms of TIE fighters began their patrols. Escape was unlikely now.
"I've got a really bad feeling about this," Luke muttered.
Ruby could only agree.
"Clear your mind, Ruby," Obi-Wan advised. "Your uncontrolled connection to the Force will draw this darkness to you as long as you allow it to."
"It is… like a whisper. But I don't understand what it is trying to tell me," Ruby said. "What is it saying?"
"The dark side is trying to lure you in."
"Is she alright," Luke asked.
Though Ruby appreciated the sentiment, she disliked the way he asked Obi-Wan, instead of her when she was literally standing next to them. "I'm fine, Luke. Just be glad that your Force connection has not yet fully awakened. Right now I just wish there was a mute button somewhere."
It only got worse the closer they got to the station. This raging storm of darkness and the incessant whispers. The cacophony of whispers in her ear. But then it was gone. All of a sudden, as if it had disappeared entirely.
"It is… gone?"
"We need to be on our guard. Whatever Vader has unleashed here, it is more dangerous than anything the Jedi have ever faced," the old Jedi said. He looked even older than he had on Tatooine, now that his face was filled with such worry. "We need to get away from here as quickly as possible. The two of you will need all the training you can get. I fear for the future, should we allow the Sith to grow any stronger."
It had stopped. The sickening sounds of rage and destruction. Weiss still stood outside of the cargo hold, together with Yang's lieutenant. The other woman seemed almost bored at the moment, as they waited for Yang to come out.
"You should try to relax. Lady Draconis means you no harm, so no need to look so frightened. She will only worry when she sees you like this," Melanie told her.
"I just watched the Empire destroy a whole planet, a planet that had been my home for almost two years and you want me to relax? Not to mention that I had to find out that a person I had considered a close friend is actually an enemy? Excuse my worry, but today has been anything but reassuring to me."
"Is she your enemy?" Melanie asked her, as her pale green eyes stared intently as Weiss' blue.
"I… don't know. It's almost like I never really knew her," the Schnee heiress admitted.
She wondered if anyone had ever known the real Yang Xiao Long. Weiss was sure that Ruby knew some part of her, but the younger girl had never even dared to think that Yang might have been the traitor. But the truth, no matter how hard it was to admit, was different. Yang had been the traitor, she had been the one who had sold out Beacon to the Empire. Weiss didn't know her reasons. But no matter what they might have been, the Yang she had gotten to know as part of Team RWBY was most certainly a well-fabricated lie.
The door of the cargo hold opened, revealing the utter destruction inside and a rather disheveled Yang. She had her helmet in her hand and her hair was a wild mess, but it didn't seem to bother her. And despite the chaos behind her, the Sith lady seemed almost… calm and serene now.
"That was cathartic," Yang said, "But not as much as a night in a club."
"I will have Miltia make a reservation in our usual club for our return to Coruscant then," Melanie replied almost automatically. "The usual crowd or a more intimate affair?"
"Make it big. After Tarkin's shitshow I need something loud and big to make me forget all of this for a while."
"Of course," Melanie agreed, "Need help with the helmet?"
"If you would," Yang sighed, "I need to find a replacement for this thing. It was all fun and games at first but it is too much of a hassle. It's not like I'm a disfigured freak like Bucket-head. People should be allowed to see me for who I am."
"And know who you are, who you have been?" Melanie asked in return.
Yang chuckled darkly, "They will find out sooner or later."
"Are you alright?" Weiss asked. She wasn't sure what else she was supposed to say. Moments before Yang had been a raging berserker, destroying everything in her way and now she was planning a party with her lieutenant. The galaxy had gone mad for sure.
"All fine and dandy," Yang assured her. "Sorry, you had to see that. But watching that bastard murder countless innocents and not being allowed to punish him for it… that just didn't sit well with me."
"This was the third time," Melanie told Yang, a pointed look following the exclamation. "The Emperor has warned you about losing control..."
"That one time on Nar Shaddaa doesn't count," Yang countered.
"You destroyed a whole casino," Melanie lamented, "Not to mention Harva's entire droid security force and two of his starships."
"That was a good day," Yang laughed. "And you shouldn't be complaining about this. Had I played nice then you and your sister would still be exotic dancers for that slimy Hutt."
"Of course," Melanie relented, "But can we finally leave this place? This station isn't exactly the best place to be in the whole Empire."
"You're right. Let's get to the Resolute and leave this nightmare behind. I need to talk to the Emperor about this and I need some rest as well. As far away from Vader as possible."
Melanie nodded before she began walking. Yang followed and so did Weiss. They hadn't said anything to her, but she was sure that she was expected to follow. But what now? What would become of her? They had treated her like a guest, not a prisoner. But at the same time, according to Yang, Vader had interrogated and nearly killed her.
What had they found out?
Weiss had no doubt that the Empire knew about her allegiances. They knew that she was part of the Rebel Alliance. But for some reason, her treatment was completely different from the way they had treated Leia. All because of Yang? Did she have that much influence?
And the princess… was she still alive? Tarkin had ordered her execution, so… No, she didn't want to think about this. Not yet. She had just seen a whole world die, with millions, if not billions of people on it. No more thoughts about death, at least for this day.
"Why so silent, Ice Queen," Yang asked her suddenly.
"What do you mean?"
Yang chuckled darkly, a rattling sound because of her mask, "I would have expected you to ask me more questions. Surely there are one or two."
"More than two, actually," Weiss admitted. "But how am I supposed to know whether or not you will answer me truthfully?"
"We used to be friends. Maybe we still are. If I can answer truthfully, I will. If not, I will tell you so."
"Fair enough, I guess."
"Alright, shoot."
Weiss took a deep breath. What to ask first. She couldn't be sure when she would get another chance, so she would have to focus on the important questions first.
"Why did you do it?"
"Do what exactly? I've done a lot of things in my life." Yang laughed again, probably about a joke only she would understand.
"Why did you join the Empire? And when?"
Yang stopped suddenly and began tapping the index finger of her robotic hand against the nose of her Grimm faced helmet. It was an unpleasant sound, metal against metal.
"When did I join… feels like ages ago," Yang mused, "but I would say about… four years ago, maybe a bit more."
"But that means that you joined the Empire almost a year before you even joined Beacon," Weiss replied, astonished by this. So she was right, the Yang she had first met was indeed just a mask.
"Pretty much. I wasn't always a Sith apprentice, though. I was recruited by Imperial Intelligence after one of their agents had watched me fight some idiots in a bar. After that… that's a story for another day. That is nothing to tell in the middle of a corridor."
Again Weiss was surprised. Yang seemed different on so many levels. She wasn't nearly as brash and foolish as she had made everyone believe.
"As for why I joined. That one is simple. To protect Remnant, to protect my family."
"By throwing them under the bus?"
"Hey! It wasn't an ideal decision. I wasn't happy with it, but someone had to make it. The alternative would have been even worse. We have been lied to. We have been used, we have been abused. The councils, the headmasters, and most of all, our most esteemed Professor Ozpin, they all have betrayed us long before the Empire even knew that Remnant exists. I only paid them back in kind."
"What are you talking about?"
Yang growled angrily behind her mask. "Later, Weiss. I will show you all the proof I have. Every last bit of it. All the data, the intercepted messages. Everything. Remnant had been a doomed world before the Empire came. By helping them I did my part in saving our people."
None of this made sense. Just what had the Imperials shown Yang to turn her against her own people? Against the kingdoms and even against men like Ozpin? The headmaster had always been an outstanding member of society, a good and just leader and a respected headmaster. His disappearance after the invasion had crippled the earliest attempts of forming a united rebel front against the imperial occupation. Many had wondered whether the Empire had had him killed, but no matter what they had tried, even the Rebel Alliance had been unable to give an answer to that. He was just… gone.
Weiss was so deep in thought, that she forgot all of her other questions. Too much was plaguing her mind already, she just couldn't focus on anything else. She had barely even registered that they had reached a hanger, where a Lambda Class shuttle was waiting for them.
"Great, just what I needed," Yang groaned.
The sudden change of her temper had caught Weiss by surprise, but when she saw the reason she couldn't even fault Yang. Vader was there, waiting at the entrance of the shuttle.
"Master, is there anything you need from me? I was about to leave for Coruscant, just as the Emperor has ordered," Yang said. Her voice sounded strained, no sign of her earlier happiness left.
"A situation has arisen. You will delay your departure for a few hours," the Sith Lord commanded. "Your servants have to leave."
Weiss shuddered as she realized what the man could possibly want from Yang. Was this the start of a disciplinary action? She had openly rebelled against her master and a Grand Moff. She looked towards Melanie and the lieutenant didn't look thrilled either. But she didn't seem worried. Was this a regular occurrence?
"Melanie, take Weiss to the Resolute. Get her settled in and wait for me. I will send a message when I need a lift," Yang replied stoically before she followed Vader out of the hangar.
"Let's go," Melanie said, as she grabbed Weiss arm and pulled her towards the shuttle.
Weiss didn't like this situation, at all.
"You really want to abandon her?"
"Abandon," the woman scoffed, as she forcefully shoved Weiss into the co-pilot seat of the shuttle. "Vader has some special mission for her, nothing we can help her with."
"So this is not a punishment?"
"For what? For disagreeing with Tarkin? Fuck him, Vader most likely laughed his ass off under that mask. Neither master nor apprentice is fond of the Grand Moff. It's only the question who will kill Tarkin first, Vader or Draconis. The moment the Emperor considers Tarkin expendable, the Grand Moff's life will be forfeit."
More infighting amongst the Imperial leadership. Just how can these people control all those systems with so many issues?
"And besides," Melanie continued, "If Vader had intended to punish her, he would have just attacked her the moment she had entered the hangar. It is a common occurrence to see those two fighting. Most common soldiers think they are training and watching their brutal matches only raises the fear and loyalty of the men."
The shuttle slowly began moving and finally left the hangar. Weiss breathed a relieved sigh, as she watched the station disappear from her immediate sight. But just as they moved away from the Deathstar, another ship was pulled in by the tractor beam. Weiss only saw it briefly, that weird pile of junk. But she had no time to ponder this much, as her shuttle approached the Star Destroyer Resolute. The ship that would take her back to Coruscant. Back to her father.
Ruby counted to one hundred. Again. For the sixth time… or was it the seventh? No matter. She had to occupy her mind, as she lay alone in her hiding spot. Only a few more minutes. A few more moments and she would get out of this place. It felt worse than getting stuffed in a locker and she was sure that her arms and legs had spent far too long bent into angles that they really shouldn't be in.
She could hear steps above her. Heavy boots, likely those of soldiers. She would have preferred to meet them in open battle. It seemed inevitable and hiding like a stowaway wasn't her idea of fun. But Master Obi-Wan had insisted. Let the enemy think the ship had been abandoned. Buy ourselves some time to escape. Good thing that Captain Solo was a smuggler and not some upstanding member of society, or else there wouldn't have been these convenient hiding spots on his ship.
Commotion could be heard nearby. A fight? There had been no shots, so most likely a sneak attack. They had started without her!
Only when the sounds had stopped once more, someone finally lifted the heavy metal plate under which she was hiding. It was Luke who had come to free her, but he looked entirely too amused when he saw her.
"That sure looks comfortable. Want to stay a bit longer? We can free the ship in the meantime," the boy joked.
"Very funny," Ruby replied moodily, "Help me up, please. Didn't have much time to get comfortable in here before Captain Solo locked me in."
"Well excuse me, highness, for saving you. Again, I might add," the smuggler ranted, as he walked past them. He dragged a Stormtrooper with him, who was either dead or unconscious.
She followed Solo and soon saw several more imperial soldiers and an officer, all stacked up in a pile.
"So what are we going to do now?" Ruby asked.
She saw Luke and Solo begin to undress the soldiers, but she couldn't see Obi-Wan anywhere. Chewbacca wasn't nearby either, but at least she could hear the Wookie's growling somewhere nearby. He was likely keeping watch near the entry of the ship.
"The old man and the droids have already left to find us a way out. But we still need to get to the command center to make sure that they won't blast us to bits the moment we make our escape. So its time to play dress up," Solo explained. "Here, try this on."
He handed her the helmet of a Stormtrooper and quickly returned to his task. Ruby only looked at the helmet with great distrust, as she considered putting it on. She really, really didn't want to.
"What? Not your size, kiddo?" Solo asked.
The man had begun to dress up in the uniform of the officer, as Luke was nearly done with his own Stormtrooper getup.
"Why do you get to be the officer?" Ruby asked.
"Because no one would be stupid enough to think that you are a ranking officer. Trust me, I have experience with these clowns, I can pull it off. Now get dressed or we leave you here," Solo told her.
She wasn't happy but complied. But the Stormtrooper armor turned out to be as much as nuisance as she had dreaded. It didn't fit right, felt clunky and the helmet made it harder to see than it should have. She felt caged in this getup but had to admit that this was the only way to move around without being seen by the enemy.
"This armor stinks," she muttered.
"Stop complaining, kiddo. It will keep you alive for a little longer," Solo shot back. "And don't even think about taking your toy along. That's not standard issue for a Stormtrooper."
"And how am I supposed to fight?"
He threw her a blaster rifle. Standard Issue. Heavy, clunky, and not at all her style. She already hated what they were about to do. Going anywhere without Crescent Rose… it made her feel exposed. Especially with enemies like Vader on this station.
"Don't worry, Ruby. It will be alright. Ben will get us out of here in no time, trust me," Luke tried to cheer her up, but had he seen the scowl on her face, he would have given up on this impossible task. But the helmet spared him this hideous sight.
"Come on, kids, let's get moving," Solo muttered, "I just hope this works or this will be a very short stroll."
Solo moved towards his Wookie friend, who had been waiting near the exit of the ship. Some arguing and angry growls from the hairy alien later, Chewbacca had his hands bound by some heavy looking handcuffs.
The soldiers outside were immediately alert when they saw the Wookie, though they relaxed somewhat when they saw the cuffs and the escort.
"Looks like we found one today," Solo exclaimed in fake joviality. "This beast was hiding in some secret cargo hold."
"Shall we take care of him, sir?" One of the Stormtroopers asked.
"No need," Solo replied, "I shall take this one down to the prison personally before I make a report to the captain." Then he glared at the Stormtroopers. "You two, guard the ship entrance. Make sure no one enters or leaves, no matter what. The rest of my team is still searching."
"Yes, sir," the soldiers replied and quickly took up their positions to the left and right of the ramp.
Ruby had to admit, Solo wasn't half bad at this. Just watching him walk around, each step filled with purpose and each look at the underlings with a measured amount of disdain, it almost seemed as if Han Solo had been an Imperial officer for all of his life. But of course, that was ridiculous. He was a smuggler through and through. An honestly dishonest soul.
They followed him, as he leads them out of the hangar and into the corridors of the station. Soldiers, mechanics and other crewmen could be seen everywhere. The whole station seemed to be even more crowded than a city.
But no one seemed suspicious of them. Most were to busy looking at Chewbacca will undisguised disdain. It angered her to see such blatant racism. But it wasn't much of a surprise. The Empire wasn't exactly a place of tolerance and freedom. Remnant hadn't been one either, she had to admit, as she remembered the treatment of the Faunus on her homeworld.
She was glad when they had finally reached the command room of the hangar. Only a low ranking officer and two crewmen were inside, together with two very familiar droids. Just how had Luke's astromech and that golden nuisance managed to get here without anyone ever wondering where they belong to?
"Hey, what are you doing here? This is a restricted area and..."
Chewbacca roared and punched the officer across half the room. The other managed to pull out his blaster before he was shot down by Solo.
"Can't he do anything quietly? He will inform the entire station of our presence," Luke complained.
"Yeah? You go tell him that," Solo said flippantly before he went to the console. "Alright, now let's see what we can do about those weapons."
"R2, can you do anything?" Luke asked his droid.
R2D2 beeped happily before he found himself an access port. A few moments and several different beeping sounds later, the astromech had succeeded.
"What do mean you found her?" the other droid, the golden menace known as C3PO, asked the smaller droid. "Princess Leia?"
"The one who sent the message to Ben?" Luke asked.
"Apparently Princess Leia is here on this station in one of the holding cells," C3PO answered, "Oh… apparently, her execution has been ordered."
"Wait Princess Leia Organa is here?" Ruby asked as she couldn't believe it.
She had only met the princess briefly. Too brief to even call them acquaintances, but she knew that Weiss was on the fast track to becoming a close confidant of the Alderaanian princess. Wherever Leia went, Weiss would follow… but that also meant…
"R2D2, can you please check if there is a Weiss Schnee among the prisoners?"
She waited for what seemed like an endless amount of time before the droid replied. Weiss wasn't here. She was not listed as a prisoner. Ruby breathed a relieved sigh.
"A friend of yours?" Solo wanted to know.
"Yes. The best one. She is from my home planet."
"Wait a sec, Schnee? Is she one of those upstarts who have bought their way into Imperial high society?" Solo asked suddenly.
"She isn't like the rest of her family," Ruby laughed awkwardly. The Schnee Dust Company wasn't very well liked by most people and by extension the Schnee's were disliked as well. But she knew the real Weiss, her partner, and her friend.
"Does it matter," Luke interjected, "We need to go and save the princess."
"Listen, kid, I am not going anywhere. We are waiting here for the old man to return and then we will get the hell out of here. I'm not risking my life for some prissy noble," Solo replied.
"We can't just leave her here. They will kill her!"
"Not our problem, kid," Solo remained unyielding. "They will kill us, too, if we don't get out of here soon."
But Ruby had an idea. "You may not like her, but you do like credits!" she said, "Guess who has a lot of those! That's right, the rebels. They would be willing to pay a pretty prize to get one of their leaders back."
"Money isn't worth a thing if you are too dead to spend it."
"We can do it. I know we can. Or maybe you are too scared for the best paying job of your entire life," Ruby told him, a sly smirk on her lips. Not that anyone would have seen it. Damn helmet.
"I really don't like this… and I'm starting to think that I really don't like you either, kiddo," the smuggler muttered before he groaned in defeat.
She was here. Yang could hardly believe her own senses, but as she allowed herself to reach out with the Force, she could feel her. Here. On the Deathstar. Ruby was here, on the same station as Vader. There was no doubt about it. The same warm presence she had always felt when she was close to her on Remnant. The same light in the ever growing darkness...
"Dammit," Yang yelled, as she punched the wall next to her with her robotic fist. The Force infused hit left a deep dent in the wall and sent all nearby personal scrambling away in fear.
This was a nightmare in the making. Vader would kill her. If he hadn't sensed her yet, he would do so soon. And her master, being the monstrous butcher that he is, would not hesitate to kill Ruby. Her presence in the Force was screaming Jedi. Wild, untainted, utterly pure of any dark side corruption. Yang would have envied her sister for that, had she not tasted the sweet promise of power that the Dark Side offers. Denying herself this power… it seemed ridiculous to Yang. She would never give it up again.
But Ruby was different... Maybe she shouldn't have told the girl all those stories about the valiant heroes when they were younger. Now Ruby tries to become one herself. Only the bad guys in this story don't hesitate to kill, they don't stop for hour-long evil monologues. Ruby was in danger.
There was, of course, another Force-sensitive intruder on the station. The man Vader was hunting now. The man she was supposed to find for her master. The infamous Jedi General, Obi-Wan Kenobi. The last known survivor of the former Jedi Council.
Yang could only hope that Vader's fixation on Kenobi would blind him to Ruby's presence and that her sister would be fortunate not to run into the monster.
Only one solution seemed feasible now. She had to find Ruby first. Find her, incapacitate her and smuggle her to the Resolute. There would be hell to pay for that later, but it was preferable to the other possible outcomes.
But should Ruby somehow find out who she really is…
No, that mustn't happen. The Emperor had insisted that Ruby would only be allowed to roam free for as long as they remain apart from each other. It was the most important part of their deal and she wouldn't be the one to break it. For Ruby… and the Emperor. She wouldn't break her vows to either of them.
'I will always have your back' The words, once spoken to her sister, still echoed in her mind and her dreams. One of the promises she wouldn't break.
Now where to find her. She could feel her presence, but pinpointing her location on this giant station seemed too difficult to manage. No, she had to approach this in a different way.
Ruby had come here on the trash heap of a smuggler's ship they had pulled into one of the hangars. She was likely planning to escape the same way she had arrived, on that ship. Her sister had become far too adventurous for Yang's liking. If Vader wouldn't kill her, that ship surely would…
She growled in annoyance. Then she took some deep breaths to calm herself.
To escape the station they would need to accomplish two tasks. Disable the hangar weapons and the station's tractor beam. The Resolute wouldn't interfere. They wouldn't do anything without her orders.
Yang approached a nearby console and had a look at the layout of the station. She was closer to the stations lower levels, where the tractor beam and other important sub-functions of the station are managed. The hangar was several long elevator rides away.
"The tractor beam controls first, then," she muttered.
As swiftly as her feet would carry her, she moved through the corridors of the station. The stations engineering stations were two levels above her, closer to the core, where the Deathstar's crystal heart was humming with unimaginable power.
She had to wait for an elevator, yet as it arrived, several high ranking officers were inside. Tarkin's brown-nosing idiots. One of them was a captain, the others only lieutenants and commanders.
"Lady Draconis," the captain began sweetly. It was sickening how he leered at her.
"Out, all of you. I will not suffer your presence," she growled.
The lower ranking officers quickly pushed past her, but the captain didn't. His eyes were still roaming her form. Now she rued that she wasn't wearing her armor. Apparently wearing a helmet that looks like a grotesque monster isn't deterrent enough when your bust is bigger than average.
"I said out, you sniveling bastard," she repeated angrily, as she raised her hand to Force choke the idiot. She had no intention to kill him, merely to maim… a little at least. She wasn't allowed to maim Tarkin, so maybe his subordinates would have to suffice... But she didn't maim him. Too little time, a pity. She used the Force to throw the captain out of the elevator and against a nearby wall. Then she spared him and his underlings, not a second thought before she entered the elevator and punched the button for the engineering level.
The moment she stepped out of the lift, she could feel it. This presence in the Force. Someone was here, someone strong in the Force. It wasn't Vader, that much was assured. She would know whenever he was near. She could feel his tainted presence. No, it was someone else. Either Ruby… or the Jedi.
She continued her march to the tractor beam control. The controls themselves were situated on a small bridge that crossed the large chasm that separated the inner core of the station from the mid-rim. She would never understand just why they had built the station like this and to be honest, she didn't care enough to find out. Her interest in technology was limited to applications she could use in personal combat, not planet eating super weapons.
"Stormtroopers!" Yang barked, to get the attention of the patrol nearby. The men weren't really doing their job, instead, they were gossiping like a bunch of old women. This may be one of the most boring posts in the Empire with the least chance of ever seeing combat, but negligence while on duty was still a punishable offense.
"Lady Draconis," one of the Troopers said, as he and the rest of his patrol snapped attention. "We have nothing to report, my lady."
"I thought as much. Continue your patrol and..." she stopped. The Force user was close. She could feel the presence, as he reached out with the Force. "Leave!"
"My lady?" the Stormtrooper asked, obviously confused.
"Take the scenic route for your next round," Yang ordered.
The men saluted, as they understood what she wanted. They had to leave the area and it wasn't their damn business to know why. They were happy enough to escape one of the resident Sith without getting punished for breathing. Vader was quite feared among the troops, a fear that extended to her in her role as his apprentice. And she hadn't even murdered anyone yet. Reputation by association, what a sham.
Yang watched them leave before she crossed the bridge. She stopped briefly before she walked on. Yes, he was here. Not Ruby. The Jedi.
She unhooked the lightsabers from her belt and ignited them. The twin red sabers were buzzing with anticipation, as was she. Would she be able to take a Jedi? She had never fought one of them. According to Imperial propaganda, they were extinct. Hunted down like the traitors they are. One had obviously escaped their notice.
"Jedi filth," she growled, "Stop hiding and show yourself!"
She didn't turn around, but she heard the steps behind her and the sound of an igniting Lightsaber. This would be her moment to shine… or to die. A fight against a real Jedi. Fuck Vader and his obsession with the old man. She wouldn't let this chance to test her skills pass by.
"So you must be Darth Vader's apprentice. Never would I have believed that he would be willing to take on another student, let alone a girl. Not after what had happened to his first student," the old Jedi said.
Yang turned slowly around to face the man. What she saw didn't intimidate her nearly as much as it should have. An old man, in dirty old robes that had been mended at least once too often. He looked wary, and not at all like the holo recordings she had seen of the great General Obi-Wan Kenobi. He had been a dashing and powerful man. She would have fancied his younger self, had she lived a few decades earlier. Now he was a spent old man. The only threating thing about him was the Lightsaber in his hand. Blue… how fitting. Red against blue, Sith against Jedi. Just as she had read about in the history files.
"You've got some nerve coming here, Jedi," Yang said.
"Oh, I know when I am not wanted. In any case, I was just about to leave before you so rudely stopped me here for this chat."
Yang chuckled. Was this supposed to be his idea of humor?
"If you think that I would allow you to leave, then you have clearly not been paying attention to your studies. Or is it the old age catching up with you?" she said, as she pointed one of her Lightsabers at Kenobi.
"While I would like to stay and point out all the flaws in your stance and correct your mistakes in a fight, I fear that I do not have the luxury of time for it. That and I already have two students and no room for a third. Especially one who would be such high maintenance as a fledgling Sith apprentice."
Two students? The Emperor wouldn't like this. The Inquisitors had obviously done a piss poor job at preventing the return of the Jedi when this one already had students of his own. If there are any other Jedi left, who knows how many of them would start crawling out of their holes to terrorize the Empire… But did this mean that Ruby was one of them? He had arrived with her and Yang had no doubt that her sister would do anything to become a Jedi. She was idealistic like that.
"You damn fool," Yang growled, "So it is your fault that she is here!"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Ruby! You brought her here! You delivered her right to Vader, on a silver platter to boot!" Anger rose in Yang's chest. Dangerous anger, an uncontrollable fury.
"Such power, such raw emotion. Now I see why the Emperor has given you to Vader. You are more alike to your master than you might know."
"Shut up," Yang yelled. "Do you have any idea what you have done? If Vader finds her, all I have done will have been for naught. All the lives lost, all the sacrifices made, all the things I have suffered through. All for naught because of you!"
The Jedi looked at her with a deep frown. Or was it a thoughtful look? He was certainly not afraid of her, which was a new experience. Only Vader and the Emperor had never feared her. All others, including the few friends she had, knew to fear an angry Draconis.
She put one of her Lightsabers away before she grasped her helmet with her free hand and pulled it off. She wanted him to see her face. To see her fury. To see the fire in her eyes. Only then he would understand the sheer hatred she felt for him. For being a Jedi. For disrupting the peace of the Empire… and for endangering Ruby like this.
As he saw her without her helmet, she saw his expression change. Into pity.
"Don't you dare to pity me, Jedi filth. There is only one chance for you to leave this station alive," Yang growled. She had to make a choice, one she would pay for, without a doubt. But it was for Ruby's sake, not her own. The Jedi may be her sister's only chance to gain the power she would need to survive in this galaxy.
"Do you believe yourself my equal, young Sith?"
"In full rage, perhaps. But you shouldn't fear my blade, but Vader's. The moment we fight, he will feel the confrontation. He will be here in a heartbeat to finish you off." A gamble first. It wouldn't do for the Jedi to think that she was doing this for his sake.
"Self-sacrifice for the sake of the cause, not a trait of a true Sith," Kenobi countered. "Maybe there is still hope, even for someone like you, who has fallen so far at such a young age."
"Spare me your platitudes, Jedi," Yang spat. "I give you one chance. Only one. Leave this station. Take my sister as far away from Vader as physically possible. Only then I will let you live."
"Your sister..." Kenobi muttered, obviously surprised now. And who would fault him? Yang resembles both her parents, whereas Ruby was a clone of her own mother. They look nothing alike.
"Take her and leave," Yang replied.
"And Vader?"
"Vader is my burden," she replied, as she turned away from the Jedi. She grabbed the commlink she always carried with her an hailed her master. "Master, I have located Kenobi."
"Where is he?"
"I have spotted him on the way to the command center. I will engage him and..."
"Do not attack him. The Jedi is mine!" Vader's voice was filled with hatred, a deep growl that sent shivers down her spine. Whatever had happened between her master and the old Jedi, it had left Vader with a deep seeded hatred. She would pay dearly for letting him go. All for Ruby. Only for her.
"You help me? For your sister's sake?" Kenobi asked as he was sure that the connection to Vader had been cut.
"Make no mistake, Jedi," she spat, "Had you come here without Ruby, one of us would be dead by now. But keeping Ruby away from Vader is more important than my desire to test my skills. But never forget, should Ruby come to harm because of you, nothing in this galaxy will protect you from my wrath. The next time we meet, I will kill you."
She pushed her helmet back on her head, ignoring the long strands of golden hair that still escaped its confines. Then she walked away from the Jedi. It took all the willpower she had not to attack the man. The man who represents all the things she had been taught to hate. But she would remain steadfast. For Ruby. Everything for Ruby…
Ruby was nervous. They were in the elevator, down to the detention center, to bust out a princess and save the day. Or at least that was what she had had in mind at first. But the longer they had to walk to get to the cells, the more she began to doubt the crazy plan they had come up with.
They were really far away from the ship now. Too far for a quick getaway. And Master Obi-Wan had not returned yet. He didn't even know about their plan… This wouldn't end well…
The elevator stopped, and they entered the cell block. An officer and several troopers stood inside, all of them looking at Ruby's group will undisguised surprise and distrust.
As they stepped closer, the officer spoke up, "Where are you taking this… thing?" he asked, as he regarded Chewbacca with disgust.
"Prisoner transfer, from Cell Block 1-1 3-8," Solo replied monotonously.
The officer wasn't happy. Of course, someone would have notified him of a transfer. And of course, they should have known that he would check their claims. Still, he gestured for his troopers to take Chewbacca to a cell.
And when they tried to grab the large Wookie, all hell broke loose. In hindsight, Ruby wouldn't be able to tell who short first. But as she sprang into action, the officer was already dead and his troopers had begun to take cover and return the fire. All around her things exploded, as Captain Solo, Luke and Chewie shot at all the security systems in the entrance area of the cell block.
"Do you even know how to shoot a gun?" Solo barked at her, once the brief firefight was over.
"I… of course I do. I just..."
"Just what?"
"I just never killed another human being before… or an alien for the matter," Ruby replied. Only Grimm and robots. She had never killed anyone. Even the White Fang and all the other bad guys had ever only been knocked out. Yet now she stood in a room full of corpses and reality came crashing down around her. They wouldn't leave the station without killing more enemy soldiers. She would have to kill.
"Great. A real saint and you want to be a rebel? Fight the Empire without hurting them? What do you want to do, hug them into submission? Unbelievable," the smuggler muttered angrily. "You go with boy wonder and get your princess."
She did as she was told and hurried after Luke as Solo tried to buy them more time by talking to the alerted authorities. They would have to be quick, after that shootout, the place would be crawling with enemies soon.
But first, she would get rid of the ridiculous helmet. If she had to fight, at least she would have to see her enemies.
Just as she had reached the cell Luke had entered, Solo's voice echoed through the hallway, "Luke we're gonna have company."
"Hurry, or we will be cut off," Ruby said, as she stormed into the cell.
"You! I remember you. You've been on Alderaan. One of my father's guests," Princess Leia said, as she looked at Ruby.
"Yeah, that's me. Ruby Rose, Huntress in training, rebel in training, and now Jedi in training… I really should finish one of those sometime," she muttered awkwardly.
Shots could be heard outside and the howling warcry of the Wookie. Luke was the first out of the door, followed by Leia and Ruby. But it was too late. Solo had already been pushed away from the command console and forced to take cover in the long cell corridor. The dead-end corridor.
"That's supposed to be a rescue," Leia asked Luke scathingly. "Well done."
"Listen here, princess, we came here for you, but some sort of gratitude would be welcome," Solo shot back, as he had reached them in his escape from the increasing number of Stormtroopers.
"Do I have to do everything myself?" the princess muttered before she took the blaster rifle from Luke and began firing at the advancing enemies. "Which cell is Weiss in?"
Ruby was surprised that the princess asked this. Wasn't she aware that Weiss wasn't a prisoner?
"The Schnee girl? She wasn't listed as a prisoner," Luke told her. "In fact, she wasn't mentioned at all. Ruby already checked."
"That can't be right. She had been with Vader's apprentice before. Surely she wouldn't..." A hint of doubt had wormed its way into the princess expression.
Ruby wasn't sure what Leia was thinking at that moment, but it must have been something about Weiss and her possibly conflicting loyalties. Had Weiss betrayed them? Preposterous. Ruby wouldn't waste any time even considering this. Instead, she began firing at the enemy. The first time her shot hit a man, her eyes went wide. He stumbled and fell. He didn't get back up. She forced the nauseous feeling away and continued firing. Those Stormtroopers would show no regard for her survival, so she shouldn't worry about theirs… still, she did.
Then Leia snapped out of her thoughts. She pointed her blaster at the cover of the nearby trash shute. She blasted a whole into it, big enough for an adult to fit through before she returned the blaster to Luke and jumped into the hole.
Ruby looked at Luke, who looked back equally surprised before he followed the princess. Chewbacca roared loudly in protest, as he looked at the whole.
"I don't care how you smell afterward. Get in there," Solo yelled at the Wookie. "You, too, kiddo."
Ruby nodded, and followed the others down the chute and right into a large room filled with waste and debris. The stench was horrible and for some reason, the room was filled knee-deep with water.
"This is so disgusting," she muttered, as she made her way over to where Luke and Leia were. Near the only door out of the room.
A loud splash behind her announced the arrival of their last companion. Han Solo had stayed until the last moment before he had made his escape… though Ruby wasn't sure whether they had escaped or just trapped themselves.
Weiss watched the approaching Star Destroyer with great trepidation. This ship would take her back to Coruscant, to her father. Being near him was the last thing she would have ever wanted, but it was inevitable now.
Yet this ship, the Resolute, was also the place where would get answers. Yang had promised and Weiss trusted her friend… former friend? What was Yang to her now? She didn't know. She would have to get more answers first. Yang had promised those.
"Here were are, home sweet home," Melanie sighed. Despite them getting away from the Deathstar and Vader, the woman still looked horribly tense. "Come, I will see to it that you get a room. And maybe something better to wear. I like dressing up, but even I know that the current fashion sense of the high society leaves much to be desired in terms of comfort."
"That would be… good. Thank you," Weiss replied diplomatically.
They disembarked from the shuttle, only to be greeted by two long rows of Stormtroopers and officers. They must have expected Yang's return, Weiss realized. How odd to see the amount of respect the woman now commands. At Beacon, she had always seemed less authoritarian and more the happy-go-lucky.
"Back to your posts, Lady Draconis will join us later," Melanie announced loudly.
Most of the troops left, except for some officers, the captain among them, and some black-clad men in uniforms Weiss had never seen before. And all of them were wearing helmets that resembled the faces of Grimm. Ursa and Beowolves.
"Captain, please see to it that the ship is ready to depart as soon as Lady Draconis is on board. Whatever business she has with Lord Vader, it will hopefully be concluded soon," Melanie told the man.
The woman was lower in rank, but apparently being the left-hand-woman of a Sith did afford her more respect than others. Still, she spoke with respect to the captain, so he had no reason not to reciprocate in kind.
"The Resolute is ready to leave immediately, if necessary. I will return to the bridge then," the captain said.
He was an old man, bald with a grey beard. He looked jovial enough to stand out among the usual Imperial ship captains. Maybe it had something to do with Yang. Maybe working for her was better than one would expect. All she had heard was that officers tend to die quickly when they displease a Sith. But then again, the only Sith the people truly knew was Vader. And the man had no qualms about killing. She wouldn't be surprised to see him kill a child that annoys him.
"So what is she doing on that station?" One of the masked men asked. Another familiar voice.
"That is none of your business, acolyte," Melanie hissed.
The man chuckled, as he removed his helmet. Weiss wasn't even surprised anymore, as she saw the face of another former Beacon student.
"Cardin Winchester," Weiss muttered, "Of course Yang had to pick the worst student of our year."
"Don't be like that, Schnee," Cardin sneered, "We are all friends now. All part of this glorious Empire. All servants of our beloved Lady Draconis."
"Stop wasting our time, acolyte. Get on the shuttle and stand by for our lady's call. Whatever Lord Vader wants from her, I doubt that it will end well," Melanie ordered before she put her hand on Weiss' shoulder and told her, "Come, leave these idiots alone."
Weiss was only too happy to follow. But the implications of this. Cardin Winchester… one wouldn't have to be a genius to realize that the other three were likely the rest of his misbegotten team. All of them had been missing during and after the battle for Beacon. Had they been with Yang from the very beginning? More questions she would need to ask, once Yang is back from the Deathstar. Or maybe Melanie could help.
"Those four, Winchester and his team, are they… like Yang?"
Melanie laughed. Not mockingly or false, but a laugh of utter amusement. "Those four? Please, these idiots don't even know how to spell Sith. They are acolytes. Shock troops in Lady Draconis' employ. She teaches them some tricks and how to use a Lightsaber without cutting themselves open and that's about it."
"If they are not very strong, why keep them around then?"
"You misunderstand. They are an effective weapon, but they are no Sith. They will never be Sith. At best they are training dummies for Lady Draconis. They are useful in battle and I know that my lady enjoys training them. It's like teaching your dog a new trick."
Now it was Weiss' turn to laugh. Comparing Winchester and his team to animals, there was a certain irony to it. They always called Faunus freaks and animals, making fun of them and whatnot. Now they were the little more than animals themselves. At least in comparison to the woman they serve.
"Say, why do you always refer to Yang as Lady Draconis? You know her true identity and it's not like there is anyone around us at the moment who would even know her real name. So why stick to this awful name?"
Melanie sighed and shook her head, as she adopted a sad look, "You misunderstand. Everything. You will understand in time. The woman you once knew is gone. The Yang Xiao Long from Remnant is dead. There is only Draconis now. There will only ever be Draconis."
That was an unsettling thought. Weiss was sure that she had seen several glimpses of the woman she had come to know during their year together as Team RWBY. Yang wasn't entirely gone and Weiss was sure that given a choice, Yang would rather ditch the new existence than her old one… or would she?
Ruby ran. As quickly as her feet would carry her. She had ditched several parts of the uncomfortable Stormtrooper armor along the way. All so she could reach the ship as quickly as possible.
She had been surprised when Captain Solo had offered to create a distraction. She was the fastest of their group and henceforth chosen to hurry to the ship and prepare it for taking off. She was nervous about it. Very nervous. So much was depending on her now.
It came as a surprise to her, that Solo had asked her to take his ship. She had no experience with ships or flying at all. She wasn't even sure which button to push or which lever to pull. But he said he was confident she would find the right one… right before he pushed a comlink into her hand and told her, in very clear words, that she was to contact him the moment she had reached the ship. He would guide her then.
His own diversion had worked miraculously well. As if they had nothing better to do, every single Stormtrooper patrol she had come across were hurrying in the direction of the commotion Solo had created. None of them ever saw her… and she had no need to use the blaster, not even once.
It was a relief. She didn't like killing other human beings… or aliens. She had trained to kill monsters, only monsters. She was no fool, though. She realized that in order to defeat this evil Empire, she would need to fight and kill. It was a necessity. That didn't make it any easier to stomach, however.
She concentrated on running, to keep her mind away from those dark thoughts. She reached the hanger in record time, much to her own satisfaction.
When she separated from the others, she had feared that she might get lost and end up in the wrong hangar. Or somewhere else entirely. But somehow she knew the way. How odd…
The Millenium Falcon sat abandoned in the hanger, with no more guards or technicians nearby. It was almost too quiet, but she pushed those suspicions away. She simply took the chance she had been given.
But to her surprise, she wasn't the first to return to the ship. The droids were there, as was the old Jedi.
"Master Obi-Wan," she exclaimed, happy to see him alive and well.
"Ruby?" Obi-Wan asked as he looked at her with a strange expression. Was he evaluating her again? "Where is Luke? And the others?"
"They will be here soon. We need to start the ship, so we can escape quickly."
"I had not expected that it would take this long to deactivate the hangar defenses," Obi-Wan told her, "We mustn't underestimate the Empire again."
Ruby laughed awkwardly. Apparently saving the princess had not been on the Jedi's agenda when he had left to sabotage the tractor beam. Well, he hadn't known about Leia being held on this station so… no harm no foul?
"We had to take a detour… to the detention level," Ruby said.
"You were caught? No, you went there for someone."
"Yes. They had Princess Leia and they planned to have her killed. We couldn't just leave her behind. She is important to the rebellion, isn't she?"
"Not just to them," the Jedi answered cryptically. "But go, prepare the ship. I have much to ponder." He then sat down on the ground, in a similar pose to the one he had taught her, and he began to meditate.
Ruby moved to the cockpit and got ready to contact Captain Solo when she spotted someone outside. It wasn't Solo or Chewbacca. It wasn't Luke or Leia either. No, it was one solitary Imperial. One of the Sith. Draconis! The one who had betrayed Beacon.
"I really shouldn't..." she muttered to herself. "I have to prepare the ship… but the droid can do that as well and..." she hesitated. Arguing with herself over an issue that shouldn't even be one. She had clearly gone mad from all the worry and excitement. Or was this normal for Jedi?
"Dammit," she growled, as she ran out of the cockpit. "R2, start the ship. Enemies are inbound." She spied Crescent Rose on the table in the main room of the ship and quickly grabbed it, as she ran out. She hadn't even considered warning old Obi-Wan, who seemed undisturbed by the presence of a Sith.
Only when she was outside, face to face with Draconis, Ruby realized the folly of her plan. She was alone, an untrained Jedi-in-training, facing off against a Sith. But there was no turning back now.
"Monster!" she exclaimed. "How could you betray us all? How could you betray Beacon and Remnant? All those people who have died in the attack, have they not been your friends, your comrades?"
Crescent Rose in hand, only dressed in the black body-suit the Stormtroopers wore underneath their armor, she was in no position to force the Sith to answer. The woman stood there… and chuckled.
"You seek vengeance, come and take it!" Draconis mocked.
Ruby was taken aback by the sound of the voice. This beast was using Yang's voice. A bastardized synthetic version of her voice. She couldn't allow this mockery to continue. She attacked.
Crescent Rose's blade shone in the artificial light of the hangar, as it descended upon Draconis. At first, it seemed as if the Sith wasn't even reacting at all. But then it happened. Two flashes of bloody crimson and Ruby's beloved weapon was no more. Two parts of the ruined weapon fell to the ground, as she kept the third, the staff of the scythe, tightly gripped in her hands.
Suddenly she was jerked back by an unseen Force. It wasn't Draconis who had pushed her away. It was Master Obi-Wan, who had used the Force to pull her back towards the ship.
"I don't know what game you are playing, Sith, but you won't claim this one today," the old Jedi exclaimed.
Ruby heard Draconis laugh, but the Sith didn't approach. Was she afraid of the old Jedi? No matter, as Luke and the others arrived, the fire of their blasters seemingly kept Draconis at bay. The woman didn't attack any of them, she merely batted their fire away with her Lightsabers.
The last thing Ruby saw of the Sith, just as the ramp of the Millenium Falcon closed, was Draconis turning her back on them… with her golden hair swaying behind her...
Yang was oddly satisfied with herself. Ruby had escaped. Her sister had gotten off the Deathstar and Vader had never even realized that she had been here. Her work here was done. Finally, she would be able to breathe a bit more freely now.
And maybe she had given Ruby the push needed to improve faster. She had a master to train her, soon she would hopefully gain the means to defend herself against Vader… and her. Otherwise Ruby would stand no chance to survive the war her terrorist friends had started.
She pulled her commlink from her belt and contacted her ship, "Melanie, I'm ready for pickup. Send my shuttle to hanger bay 17."
"Right away, my lady," came the swift reply from her dutiful friend.
A feeling of dread and the fear of imminent death suddenly flooded her senses. Barely in time, she managed to ignite her Lightsabers to block the incoming strike, as red clashed against red.
She pushed her assailant away, as she got ready to unleash all of her pent-up fury. She had plenty of anger to vent.
Vader stood before her, his Lightsaber in hand, threatening to cut her down.
"You let him escape! You allowed Kenobi to elude me once again," he growled, his rage audible in every word and feelable in the Force itself. "You stole my vengeance!"
"It wasn't yours to claim. Not today," she responded before she made the next step. She charged at him. The fight was inevitable. She would pay the price for her defiance. All that mattered was Ruby and Ruby was safe now… with her Jedi master to train her..
A/N: And cut...
So the little adventure on the Deathstar has come and gone. At first, I had planned to make it longer, maybe even several chapters, but after rewatching the movie it is obvious that all the events on the station happen in a very short timeframe and drawing it out would kill the pacing.
And I really know what some might get angry about. Yang isn't already turning back to the light. Maybe she never will. She isn't so far gone that she has forgotten her morals, but she is a creature of passion and lives the Sith dogma with every breath she takes. Letting Kenobi escape was not to help the rebels or an act of clemency. All she did was for Ruby's sake. If there was one thing Yang's arc in Volume 5 has made clear then it is that Ruby is Yang's absolute focus. So even here Ruby is some kind of passion project for Yang. She knows that Ruby would never willingly turn to the Dark side and she doesn't want her to. But she wants her sister to be safe. Ruby is idealistic, so she was kind of destined to join the ranks of the Rebellion and even the Jedi. Yang does what she has to do to ensure Ruby's survival. Make her strong enough to survive, by giving her a master and a reason to improve.
So, I know that Obi-Wan faced Vader on purpose when they had been on the Deathstar. So why did I change this now? Because the situation has changed. It isn't just Luke, the new chosen one, but also Ruby he has to consider now. The whole Force ghost and gentle guidance might have worked for the farm boy, but Ruby is a wildcard. She may not be as strong as Luke in the long run, but her open connection to the Force makes her training a much greater challenge. She is affected much more directly and needs the constant monitoring of a Master. Obi-Wan saw this and decides to postpone the inevitable confrontation to prevent Ruby from falling to the dark side, which he considers a great risk. Especially after finding out that her sister is already a Sith.
And yes, I laughed at the idea to use Cardin as Yang's personal attack dog for this story. Her acolytes are more like the Inquisitors, stronger than average but nowhere near as powerful as a Sith. But every respectable Sith needs goons. And Yang has hers.
About Blake, i can only say this. She will show up after the events of 'A New Hope'. She already has found her place in the galaxy and has her people to support her. Sooner or later her paths will cross that of her friends again. Who will she join? Stick around and find out.
Okay, Coruscant and Yavin next chapter. Yang goes home and Ruby finds her real purpose in this big galaxy...