The next morning saw Black, Coco, Pyrrha, Kylo, and Goodwitch on a long range aircraft. The first part of their journey would be a several hour flight, one that threatened to stay in silence. Pyrrha looked around at the people who made up this mission team. Seated next to her she saw Kylo actually sleeping. He was in the garb when they first met out in the forest, minus the mask. Running her eyes over him she saw the slight glint of the metallic tube that was burned in her mind from that day. Thinking back to the meeting in Ozpin's office she understood Goodwitch's words. Looking across the aisle she saw the rest of the team all sitting next to one another. She saw that Goodwitch looked as immaculate as she always did. She was currently busying herself with some reading at the moment. Though Pyrrha had no doubt that the Professor was aware of even the slightest movement within the compartment. Moving over to Coco, Pyrrha saw that, like Kylo, she appeared to be sleeping. The only difference Pyrrha saw was that Coco was much more tense and clutching her minigun handbag. Comparatively, there was not a single indication of tension throughout Kylo's body. Moving over she saw Blake looking over Kylo curiously. After a few moments Blake must've felt Pyrrha's study as the girls locked eyes with one another for a few seconds. The rest of the first part of the flight was spent in relatively the same manner. Kylo and Coco seemed to be completely lost to the rest of them. Light chatter occurred sporadically between the other three, but more often than not the roar of the engines filled the silence.

The first real signs of life from Kylo and Coco happened only after the aircraft had come to a complete stop and they needed to transfer to a waiting bullhead. Each individual grabbed the pack they had brought and stepped out onto the tarmac into the bustle of what appeared to be an active military base. The group of five unconsciously stood closer together as machines, transports, and platoons sped past them. Goodwitch recovered first, spotting a group of three officers heading their way. She started toward them, but a hand on her forearm prevented her from moving too far forward. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kylo shake his head. Shooting him a small glare she turned her attention back to the officers and realized they were but a few steps away.

"Professor. Students." the lead officer started, "I am Major Cavign. If you will follow me I will show you too your bullhead."

The team followed the officers across the tarmac. The bustle that surrounded them as they moved seemed to stay a couple meters around. The practiced elements at work on the tarmac recognized the importance and danger inherent of the Major, and with practiced ease steered clear of his vicinity. The walk lasted only a few minutes. Once they arrived at the bullhead everyone in their little strike team walked onto the bullhead, except for Kylo. Goodwitch watched him exchange a few words with the Major before joining them on the bullhead. She shot him a questioning glance as he stepped onto the bullhead. She barely heard Pyrrha shout to the pilot that they were ready for takeoff as her focus was on Kylo's scowl.

"No new intel." he stated simply.

The rising of the bullhead forced everyone to their seats. Kylo could feel the tension growing as they neared their destination. He quickly settled into the Force and immediately felt its calming embrace upon him. Releasing his doubts into the Force he brought himself out of his trance. As he did he realized that the bay doors were now open. Standing up he put his mask on and moved to look out the window. He could feel the alarm radiating from all of his companions. Pushing it aside he moved forward and braced himself against the open door. The bitter wind pushing against him brought back memories of the campaigns he fought in.

The screech of a nevermore pulled him from his thoughts. Scanning the horizon he searched for the source of the sound. Seeing nothing he turned to Goodwitch and nodded toward the doorway. Goodwitch understood his meaning and stood up. Grabbing her crop she stood up in the doorway that Kylo had just vacated. She turned to the rest of the students and motioned for them to stay seated. She turned to the other doorway expecting to see Kylo and didn't hide her confusion when he wasn't there. Looking around she saw that he was up at the cockpit.

Kylo was looking ahead, observing the area ahead of them. He could feel the Force start to thicken around him. There was a hint of urgency behind it. Reaching out into the Force he tried to feel what it could mean, but was pulled away from it as they crested the last hill and the dropzone was in sight. He felt a spike of panic emanating from both the pilot and Goodwitch when they saw the sea of grimm that awaited them.

He immediately turned to the pilot, "What armament does this ship have?"

"One minigun on each door area. And a frontal thirty millimeter cannon. No missiles." the pilot answered.

"How much time do we have?"

The pilot consulted the instruments, "About 15 minutes."

"Descend to minimum safe distance. Circle around with starboard side pointed downwards and activate the starboard gun."

Kylo didn't wait for the pilot's acknowledgement before turning and walking back to address everyone else. As he moved back he saw everyone getting ready to jump out. He signaled them to stop and forced them all to confer first.

"We have 15 minutes of fuel. Time to decide if we are greenlighting this."

Goodwitch looked around then sighed, "Realistically we don't have a choice."

Kylo could feel the Force backing up her words. Looking towards her he spoke again, "Before you left you said that you needed the man who you saw on the first day. I am asking you to trust that man." When he saw her nod he continued, "Coco, I need you on the starboard gun. Blake, help Coco with target acquisition and discretion. Glynda, Pyrrha protect the ship, and when you can, fire on the creatures below."

"And what are you doing?" Blake asked.

Kylo smiled beneath his mask. Grabbing both of his lightsaber hilts he combined the two creating a saberstaff. He stood away from everyone and ignited both ends. Looking at the hilt he elongated the shoto blade to a similar size as the other one. Extinguishing his blades he noted the shock that emanated through the Force from everyone. He watched as everyone got into their assigned positions. Palming the hilt in his left hand he cast one last glance towards Goodwitch who was watching him intently. Giving her a small nod he jumped out the starboard side of the aircraft.

Landing easily on the ground below he instantly dispatched the two Grimm immediately within his range. Slipping into a Juyo start he launched himself at the nearest creature. As he did so he could hear the Bullhead's gun roar to life. As he sunk deeper into combat he felt the familiar pull of the Force directing his movements. Sinking further into the Force he sense nothing other than his immediate surroundings. The hatred that poured off the Grimm battered away at his defenses. He felt the calling of the Force directing him. Sensing the sheer amount of Grimm in his vicinity he switched his stance to incorporate the essence of Soresu. Following his stance change the saberstaff danced around his body. Several Grimm continued to try and overwhelm their opponent, however, Kylo could sense a shift in the prevailing emotions.

Blake watched the melee from the circling Bullhead. She quickly realized that Coco was more than capable in the gunners seat. She studied the lone man on the field of battle. Seeing him fight now she couldn't help but compare it to their duel just days ago. Her mind brought forth the comment from Goodwitch at the end of the briefing. Focusing back on Kylo she saw the fluidity and grace in his movements here that had been absent during their duel. Each strike was meticulous, controlled, yet seemingly unrestrained. She noticed a shift in his fighting. Gone were the graceful moves forward, and the advances towards the Grimm. Instead he fought within a smaller zone, letting the Grimm advance on him. The movements still belied the graceful fury, but everything was more succinct. More controlled. She told Coco what she just observed, and watched as the older student immediately reacted to this information. Looking back she turned to the rest of the Grimm and saw that those on the fringes were actually retreating. It wasn't long before the last Grimm were either struck down or fled uncharacteristically.

As the Bullhead descended Blake saw that Kylo's guard didn't let down. It wasn't until everyone was off and he was handed his own pack that the blades extinguished. Blake observed a silent interaction between Professor Goodwitch and Kylo. The two seemed to come to some sort of agreement and Goodwitch was back in charge of the mission. She directed the group forward towards the area they had determined to be the center of activity. Blake could already feel the temperature dropping.

The rest of the day passed in a comfortable silence. Professor Goodwitch led the group with Coco right next to her. Pyrrha and Blake maintained pace just a few steps behind the lead pair. Kylo was the last person in the group. Every so often Pyrrha or Blake would look back to make sure he was still there, and everytime they did his mask was focused on the ever growing mountain range. Pyrrha considered what about the mountains was keeping his attention so, but she didn't want to break the spell of silence that enthralled them. Peace reigned the day as they continued their trek. Some small packs of Grimm tried to challenge the group but were dispatched easily. As night broke across the sky they found a place they would call home for the evening.

A light dusting of snow covered the ground as they set about creating a suitable campsite. Soon a small fire was crackling as the tried to get the weariness to leave their bodies. The crackles of the campfire was joined by light conversation. Eventually, four of them nodded off to sleep as Kylo took the first watch of the night. Kylo woke up Coco for the next watch then settled into a meditative state. Instead of succumbing to sleep he decided to commune with the Force, trying to understand the foreboding that threatened all of his senses. He chased the feeling through the Force trying to pinpoint the source but the answer continued to elude him. As dawn broke across the sky he felt the Force pulling him out of the meditative state. He looked around and saw that he was the last person to begin packing up for the morning. The silence that prevailed yesterday had carried over today. As Kylo moved around the foreboding he was chasing during his meditation threatened to overwhelm his senses. Snapping his head to scan their surroundings he reached out to the Force once again. The trepidation was there. But he did not sense or see anything that gave a hint. Bringing himself back to the present he continued to pack up his items. He realized that they were waiting for him, so he grabbed a ration bar and stood to go. He offered a small shrug at their confused expressions but they continued on their way.

The silence of the day before continued to reign as they marched forward. The light flurries of snow that they started to encounter towards the end of yesterday had turned into a more steady fall after a few hours. Kylo felt a small shiver roll through his body as the strong breeze rolled through. As the shiver completed its course through his body he noticed that the rest of his team was stopping. Instantly his hand sought out one of his lightsaber hilts as his eyes scanned the surroundings. A light hand on his forearm jerked his attention away and his eyes found the light expression of Blake. He looked around and saw that they had stopped so some warmer items could be donned. Letting his hand fall away from the hilt he felt Blake's hand leave as well. Everyone got finished donning some warmer garments, and they started moving again. Kylo caught some hints of conversation from Blake and Pyrrha, as the silence started to grate on the group. Kylo reached out with the Force to understand his surroundings, but upon sensing nothing decided to occupy himself with listening to the soft conversation that floated back to him.

As dusk rapidly approached, the group once again began to look for a place to make camp for the night. Though they were relatively unaccosted so far, the foreboding Kylo had felt continued to weigh heavily on his mind. The light flurries from earlier had increased into a steady fall. Kylo found himself relying on the Force as the visibility declined. It was the lone crack of a gunshot that pulled him away from his continual delve into the Force. He saw Pyrrha's rifle aimed into the brush. Looking there he found the body of the lone beowulf already starting to dissipate. Turning back towards Pyrrha his danger sense flared. Calling both hilts to his hands he easily cut down the two beowolves that were lunging forward. Then the howls echoed off of the land. Kylo didn't have to turn back to know that everyone was preparing themselves for a fight.

Again the howls echoed off the landscape but were met with the steady roar of Coco's minigun. He found himself diving into the calm embrace of the Force take him over. He kept both blades separate adapting his typical Juyo stance for using a Jar'Kai approach. Out of the dense foliage burst several Grimm and Kylo charged to meet them head on. The sounds of gunshots reached his ears, and he noted that none of the Grimm he was charging towards even flinched. Kylo clashed with the initial wave and found himself easily cutting down the Grimm. More Grimm poured out and charged towards the group of five. After the initial contact Kylo started to work his way back to the others. Kylo continued to move, choosing to dance among the Grimm. As he continued to work back he started to see the attacks from Glynda sporadically appearing over his shoulders. Grimm continued to fly at him in an nearly overwhelming wave. He could feel the Force direct his movements, and he found himself drifting towards Pyrrha.

After she fired the initial shot, she knew the attack would occur. Shifting her stance she put herself in a position to cover Coco's exposed flank. She heard the sounds of Coco's weapon transforming behind her. At the howls she dared to glance over to Kylo only to see he was deep into his own world. Pulling her gaze back to the area she had claimed as her own, she saw beowolves pour into her line of vision. The roar of the minigun filled her ears. Widening her stance she brought her shield to bear. The first beowolf covered the last meters in a large leap, in response she stepped forward, dropped her shield, ran her sword easily through its belly. The first melee kill started the dangerously familiar dance. Her blade weaved the intricate song that she danced too. Maintaining her sphere she continued to keep the wave of Grimm away from Coco. She saw glimpses of Blake and Glynda fighting in tandem. Of Kylo weaving his own song of death. The fight continued onwards, changing in nature with every crashing Grimm. Kylo continued to give ground as he closed ranks with the rest of them. Glynda and Blake had separated at some point, with Glynda and Coco ending up nearly back to back. Blake had started to use her natural agility, easily disrupting the Grimm. Still, sea of black continued to threaten them.

Kylo's danger sense flared. As he slashed a beowolf a massive Ursa was just behind it. The paw already swinging. Using the downward momentum of the slash Kylo rolled under the blow. Getting to his feet he cut the Grimm down. In the same moment his left side exploded in pain. He barely noticed Pyrrha come up to protect him. Using the Force he pushed the pain aside. He heard two distinct sounds of pain coming from the other three. Looking over Pyrrha's shoulder he saw both Blake and Glynda slump down.

Pyrrha didn't know what had happened. She was at Kylo's side trying to get him back up when the others went down. She saw Kylo go rigid. Energy seemed to crackle somewhere. It was only the flash of blue that made her realize that lightning was pouring out of his fingertips. It chained from one Grimm to the next. Killing everything it touched. There was a different roar in the air. The Grimm fell back. Then nothing. A deafening silence engulfed them all. Her legs automatically carried her to the two that were still lying unconscious. Kneeling next to Blake, she immediately started to check for obvious injuries. She saw Coco doing the same to Glynda. Kylo was standing off to the side, watching the two work.

Coco spoke first, "Professor has a head wound. And she is non-responsive. But she is breathing steadily."

"It looks like Blake took some blows to the chest. And possibly the back. She is in a similar state as the Professor is."
Kylo kneeled down and started rummaging through his pack. Pyrrha thought she heard a slight growl escape from him. He looked back up and she locked gaze with with the eyes of the mask.

"There was a cave about ten minutes back. We can take shelter there." Kylo said, "I'll carry the professor."

Pyrrha nodded, "I'll take Blake."

Coco frowned, "And if we are attacked?"

Kylo turned his head towards her, "Now would be a good time to start praying that we aren't."

A grimace passed over the face of Coco who quickly pushed it aside. Keeping her minigun fully extended she kept herself only a couple of paces away from the other two. Both Pyrrha and Kylo were carrying their charges bridal style as they backtracked through the snow. Coco shot a worried glance over towards Pyrrha as the snowfall started to increase. The strained smile that she received in return did little to ease her worries. Looking at Kylo she saw he was seemingly unaffected by the gashes in his side. Coco fell into step with the younger woman and received a small gracious smile in return. Their trek stretched for several long minutes. The rate of snowfall continued to increase with every step they took. Coco let a grin splay over her face when she heard Kylo announce that the saw the cave.

The entrance to the cave was small, forcing the group to enter in one at a time. Kylo entered first, taking only a few steps past the threshold of before setting Glynda down on the softest looking rock. Grabbing his shoto hilt he ignited the blade and let the green glow illuminate part of the cave. Behind him he heard the sounds of the Coco and Pyrrha entering the cave. Blake was placed next to Glynda as the other two began their own inspections of their shelter. Kylo extinguished his blade and turned to the other two.

"You two should explore the rest of the cave." He stated, hesitating for a second before holding out the shoto hilt, "Take this as well. Weapon and light source in one."

Pyrrha smiled as she took the proffered hilt, "Will do."

After giving Pyrrha a quick rundown on how the lightsaber worked he turned back to the two unconscious women. Rummaging through the packs he pulled out a couple of lightweight thermal blankets, as well as a couple of lanterns. After setting up a makeshift camp and covering up the women, he turned towards the entrance of the cave. While small, it didn't offer much cover, and there was a strong chilling wind that entered freely. Using the Force he gathered the snow and packed it in around the entrance. Once he was satisfied that the snow wouldn't easily collapse inside, he created a small vent towards at the top of the entrance. Turning back to the two unconscious women he removed his mask then moved towards Glynda first.

Looking over Glynda he saw that she only had the head wound. He felt anxiety wash over him as he looked at the head wound. It didn't have any sort of visible damage, but he knew that any damage he couldn't see could be dangerous. Reaching into the Force, he tried to look at her presence within it. As he brought himself out of the Force's embrace he let out a frustrated sigh. Taking one last look at Glynda he moved over towards inspect Blake.

Looking over Blake he saw that she had several deep gashes all over her body. The worst he noticed was three deep ones on her back. Pulling out a small knife he set about cutting away the cloth from the wounds. As he was working he heard the footsteps of the Pyrrha and Coco echo across the cave. The hilt of his saber appeared in the corner of his vision. Using the Force he clipped it to his belt as he finished cutting away the tattered cloth.

"Why is the snow covering the entrance?" Pyrrha answered.

"Snow is a fairly good insulator. And it is probably blocking the wind." Coco answered before kneeling by Kylo, "How are they?"

"Not much I can do for the Professor. Looks like an internal head wound which scares me. Blake seems to be a bit better, but I'm not a medical professional.

"Well, let's get Blake out of these clothes." Coco turned to Pyrrha, "There is that emergency heater in my pack. Can you find it for me?"

Turning back to Kylo, Coco immediately took charge of the situation. She made sure he had cut away as much cloth from her wounds before directing him to hold her still. They removed all of her outer layers. Coco took Kylos cloak and used it to cover the front of her body, leaving her back accessible to provide medical attention. At this point Pyrrha had set up the heat source between Glynda and Blake. She looked over the shoulder of Kylo as she watched him clean the wounds on Blake's black further. She began to look through all the packs for medical supplies at Kylo's request. She placed everything in a pile next to him. He looked over at it and couldn't help the frown that covered his face. It was then he spied a pack he had never seen.

"What about that one?" he pointed past Pyrrha

Pyrrha followed to where he was pointing to, "Oh. We found that in the cave. Didn't think to look through it."

She moved over to it and started to remove the contents. Kylo watched her with interest as she pulled out odds and ends. He saw her hesitate for a second as she pulled out a weapon. He spied an insignia on the weapon and froze for a moment. He thought the low levels of light were playing a trick on his eyes. Reaching out with the Force, he felt the familiar pullings resonate from the items. Opening his eyes he called the weapon to his hand. Running his finger over the insignia he felt a small smile grace his face. Coco looked up and noticed Kylo had stopped moving.

"Kylo? You alright?" Coco asked.

He held up the blaster, "This is from my galaxy."

A/N: So I didn't meet my goal. Sorry. Part of it was that the USB that had all my notes for this story was lost. While I remember the basic premises of the story, there is a lot of connecting information that I wrote down in those notes so I didn't have to remember. I have been trying to rebuild them but it is taking a lot longer than I thought it would. Just wanted to let you all know the reasons if the next update is even longer than usual.

-Shadowsnake