Chapter 37

(A/N: Just so you all know: Elim Rawne himself from the hit Warhammer 40,000 franchise doesn't actually make an appearance. In fact, weapons appear, but not the characters. For the record: I grew up reading the first two omnibi of Gaunt's Ghosts. Dan Abnett was my entrance into Military Science Fiction with his Iron Snakes book about the Iron Snakes Space Marine chapter)

Salem stood in front of the shrine that she had made personally for her long-dead daughters. Various destroyed toys, bracelets were arranged neatly along with flowers that she had picked from various gardens around the world that she felt her daughters would've loved. She sighed. No one was currently around in this area of the castle.

"This never should've happened," She whispered.

"If your Grandpa had stayed, we would be together and we would've been a great family." She said to her long-dead daughters.

"If he had stayed, your father wouldn't have died and I would've been mortal still." She said, looking at her ashen-pale hands.

"And we would've had a very happy ending." She said, smiling.

"But, he didn't stay and your father died and everyone else did after that except for me." She said, sighing.

"I thought I would never see him again until your father reincarnated and came back to me," she said, smiling.

"The years we spent together before that-" Her eyes closed.

"-were happy. We finally started having a life like we planned." She smiled.

"Of course, I figured we might as well start advancing ourselves as back in the days before all of this, we weren't that great all things considered in terms of magic." She said.

"And this generation of humanity couldn't do magic, but they did have semblances and auras, which was..." She made an iffy gesture. She said.

She sighed. Why was she talking to the dead? Why? Just why? This was so stupid and foolish! Why?!

"I did everything so that I could make our family great," She said.

"That, and I guess it's because of your other grandfather." She said.

"I never told you this, but my father was a real putz," She confessed.

"He locked me in a tower when I was a little girl for one reason or antoher, can't remember now." She rolled her eyes.

"I swear, some days I think I get senile or..." she paused.

"What was that one disease Adam spoke of?" She wondered. She sighed angrily as she said his name.

"Never mind, my point is: your grandfather was a cruel bastard and your father's father was a dead-beat shithead." She spat. What was the point of not swearing when your children were dead, your family was torn apart and your more... 'biological' members were on your ex-husband's side in this family feud? Every last Sym after Adam had come after her on Ozma's word alone and tried to kill her for her actions, because they thought that she killed her own daughters and the absurd belief in what they thought she would do to them?! She shuddered and growled angrily as she heard the accusations of the most unsavory conduct she was accused of.

"I was in a tower for a long time and the only way that I could be saved was by a brave warrior/mage or whatever." She sighed, rolling her eyes.

"It sucked being in that tower, honestly. Sucked worse than Hans shitting on the rug in the Palace." She said, smiling at the shrine. She wanted the ghosts to chuckle at the memories of the long-dead and troublesome dog that bore the unofficial titles of 'Rug-stainer, 'shit-stainer' and 'baddest dog in the Empire'. The last one was the child-friendly version of the term that Adam had used around the girls. She sighed.

"Well, Hans always did leave a mess. Sorry about what happened to him and me lying to you about it." She apologized.

"It kind of..." She rolled her hands as she spoke.

"Happened," She said as she recalled kicking the dog out of the Palace after it shat on the good rug that they used for royal entrances. The last good rug they had that wasn't shat or pissed on. And what happened afterwards was her literally kicking the dog out of the house literally. She called for it later on for it to return and it didn't answer. She did so again and went out.

It turned out that the dog had landed on its neck when she kicked it out about a half-mile away and it died on impact. She had been horrified... but strangely and sadistically pleased. That was one problem taken care of. Now, to hide the crime. Of course, Ozma found out and she, for once, told the truth about what happened. Ozma was horrified and then they both lied and said the dog got killed by Grimm... for which about half the Empire's Grimm all got killed in about one day as he summoned them in one place. And killed them only the Gods themselves knew. She knew they all died as she felt their pain, anger, and more importantly: their fear as they died. It was like, he had killed them all at once. As if he had used the Force to kill every last one of them at the same time.

"I assure you I never intended Hans to die, I just wanted him to stop shitting on everything." She confessed.

"I hope he's keeping you all happy as he did in life," She said, smiling a small smile as she imagined her dead children playing with the dog in the afterlife.

"I know how much Grandpa meant to you, four." She said.

"And if he's listening..." She then became serious in her expression.

"I want you to tell him how he made Mommy very angry and sad at what he did and what he didn't do for us." She said.

"He missed a few of your birthdays and festivals we established... for what?" She asked, snarling.

"To go adventuring? To go do something away from his own family?" She speculated angrily.

"Nevertheless, I hope you like meeting your cousins, my sweets." She said, her fires alight with anger as the windows cracked.

"For I don't like meeting them at all."

XXX

He sensed anger in the distance. He smiled as he took a sip of his whiskey. He felt the alcohol's bite, but his mind was unfettered by the bonds of alcohol.

Obviously, he couldn't get drunk anymore as he wasn't exactly.. human. Before his world ended, he and others of his world could get drunk and get high and all kinds of other crazy things. But after the world ended and the bargain their leaders made (without their charges' consent, mind you), people changed. The few survivors were altered in a way that they couldn't exactly die the usual ways like diseases, vacuum of space, et cetera. Now, you could die from a lightsaber in his case... or by getting sucked into a black hole, but there was also one material not known to many that could kill them.

He sighed. He had been waiting for this period of Remnant's history for a long time, a very long time. So long that he had practically seen the births of each one of his descendants that came after him save for a few. Like his namesake, he was the first of a new race of beings, having been the first one to literally take the plunge. And like his namesake, he also had his own sins that passed down to his own descendants. Sins that they paid for, though he wished they never had to. He took out a cigarette and lit it.

He then felt something buzz in his pocket and brought it out as his scroll blew up.

E: Report in ASAP. We need to talk. We haven't heard from you in a while and we'd like to know what's going on.

He sighed and dipped his head as he puffed a smoke from his newly-lit cigarette. He felt a disturbance in the Force. It had been easy for someone as old as him to hide his own Force-sensitivity as he was technically one of the first Jedi from both his homeworld and the Order.

There would've been others like himself in the Order but the Force Wars happened. His face fell as he thought about it. He recalled the devastating war and its effects as well as the betrayal that he faced. He was no stranger to war. If anything, he and War would be considered old friends. However, he had his reasons for war, namely: the preservation of his family and race. As well as that of other worlds that he fought for.

"How's it going, old man?" He asked, giving the newcomer a salute. He felt the familiar presence come next to him and sit down in the bar.

His familiar and (to him) repugnant resonant voice spoke in a foreign tongue to keep up the cover of his agent.

"Tá súil agam go bhfuil do chuid pleananna ag dul go maith?" 'I trust your plans are going well, First of your kind?'

The man smiled as he looked at his 'handler'. He looked largely the same save the business suit he now wore.

"Díreach faoi," He answered. 'Just about.'

"Chomh fada is nach mbainfidh tú na bardaí amach mar is gnách." He added, pointing at the man as he spoke. 'So long as you bastards don't mess things up as usual.'

The only other patron this time of night was a regular as well as familiar to both of them in another time and place: a dusty-haired man that was in his early-forties drinking his life away (as usual). His weapon was holstered on his back and his cape flowed behind him as he wore a white collared shirt that was untucked with a necklace that had a slanted cross as well as long dress pants and dress shoes. He was too lost in his drinking woes to care.

"I have come to tell you something:" The old one. said, still speaking the language.

"If it's one of your 'tasks'-" He started to say to the older 'man' with a glare.

"Actually, I was informing that there's an event that you may or may not want to intervene." The old man corrected him. The first one of his kind tilted his head in interest. What was it?

"There's a lot of events I have interest in intervening or have had intervened," He reminded his handler, coolly as he took out a cigarette and started smoking. He had fought a lot of wars in his time and saw a lot of devastation. There were several others he wanted to intervene in now. He was getting older now, he figured.

"One involving a Duchess, two Dathomiri Nightbrothers and a combined army of renegade warriors and gangsters?" The handler reminded him.

He looked at him as he leaned on the counter as his other hand reached for a few lien to pay for his whiskey.

"It's happening now?" He asked, flatly.

"Within the next hour, yes." The handler affirmed.

"No," The employee said in Vytalian.

"Not happening, not now." The employee told him flatly back in the foreign tongue. The emolo

"I've been working on something for a long time right now: a very long time." He said, leaning forward.

"I've got members of the family that are in on it searching for alternate ways to stop what's coming and what may happen." He added, counting with his fingers.

"You wouldn't believe the complete shite they've had to go through and as it is: that whole tradition you started? It's not helping. Not one bit." The employee said, leaning forward.

"You do realize the new kid knows his Da's around here somewhere and his wife is up and down cursing his name for what he's done, right?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he spoke irritated.

"Of course, I tried to tell her that it wasn't exactly always like this, but she didn't listen and she wanted to come back here, which we did."

"At the very least, we allowed Aogust's sons to arrive back home before their time." The employer said. The drunkard looked up at the mention of 'Aogust'. The employee sighed and then looked at the drunkard, whom looked back at him with groggy eyes.

"'Ey, I coulda' swern I herd ya' say sometin' abou' Aogust?" He asked in his slurred speech. The employee sighed.

"I've yet to see a reality where that guy isn't drunk for one reason or another," He groaned. He looked at his old handler whom nodded and then proceeded to walk up to the drunk forty-year-old man.

"'Ey, aren't you one of my niece's schoo-" he started to say right as his face was blasted by a fist so hard that he crashed to the floor, passed out with a bleeding nose. He then propped the man up on a booth and made sure his broken nose's blood wasn't obstructing his oxygen pathways. Wouldn't want asphyxiation to happen to young Rose's Uncle, now would they?

He smiled as he patted the knocked out huntsman. Just then, his phone buzzed again. He grunted in anger and then stopped and sighed.

"You'll be rid of your curse someday," He told the not-hearing man, smiling as though he were a good friend.

He then brought up his scroll and called a cab for him to be taken home. Then, he had the worst thought: Where did Qrow Branwen live? He looked at his old employer who told him the answer with a formal tone.

"Thanks," The man said in Vytalian.

"Well, we do owe you much for what has happened and your family has served us well." The handler said in the foreign language. The first of his kind looked back at him with an angry expression that showed untold years worth of suffering and hate.

"You owe us a hell of a lot more than that and you owe what's left of my entire race for what you put us millions' of years' worth of counseling!" The first one said, angrily in Gaelic as he slammed the table, his fist making a massive crack in the bar.

"Hey! You break it, you-" The man interrupted the bartender by giving him a huge bag to which he opened it, discovering a huge bag of lien that looked like it had probably tens of thousands of the currency. He gasped in surprise and looked up.

"Just make sure that the guy over there gets into his cab and pay about half of that to him to make sure he gets into his house safe and sound, ya' hear?" The First One told him in Vytalian.

"He's a good friend of mine and he's suffered a lot," He said, looking at the passed-out huntsman. The bartender looked at him as he adjusted his glasses.

"Oh, and the rest is on my tab and for the next-like fifty patrons, by my reckoning." The First One said, smiling. The employer looked at him with a small smile as he looked from the bartender to his oldest 'employee' and sighed as he shook his head.

"Anyway, I've got a meeting to get to." The First one said in Vytalian, jerking his thumb at the door.

"Also: if you have any of my family do your 'favors' again," He warned as he smiled cheerfully. The smile became evil as he looked at his employer.

"I still have the Winchesters' Godkiller gun," At this, the older man smiled back and then snapped his fingers.

His 'employee' disappeared in a flash of light.

"Impudent, insolent, arrogant child," He said in an ancient language as his face became unamused. The bartender stood in shock. He then snapped his fingers and the man had a blank expression.

"Qrow Branwen broke the bar counter by smashing his head on it. The payment's from a friend and you never heard the name 'Aogust' or the previous conversation." The elder one said. The bartender blinked and then repeated the instructions and the old man disappeared.

Said bartender then looked at the gold with a smile, the crack in his bar with a frown and the passed out drunk Qrow Branwen was awoken by a loud 'DAMMIT QROW! LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO MY COUNTER!'

XXX

Emerald sighed as she checked her scroll for the umpteenth time. The fourth member of their so-called 'team' was supposed arrive. Cinder was away and the people she was stuck with were Mercury (annoying as hell), Roman (a slick bastard that would sell his own mom to get out of prison), and Neo. Neo, she felt was alright, she guessed, though she wondered just why she couldn't talk. She never 'talked' about it. Must've been real bad. Not only that, but she and Torchwick were close so it was possible that they could be knocking boots (great blackmail material) or possibly brother and sister or something or other. One wasn't sure about those two.

Nothing new from Cinder save that she was still in the middle of some kind of training which she would also pass on to the rest of the team and Neo as well if she was interested. Torchwick was a bit of a 'no' as Neo was a better ally than that sleazebag.

She wondered what kind of training Cinder was doing and would pass on to them? She then thought about the last member of their group. He was the oldest man that she knew: about sixty- past old man Watts, the arrogant dickhead. Unlike Watts, the guy actually treated the others in the team with respect or something like it. He had a strange semblance: Shapeshifting. He could change forms into usually a male something like say a faunus or a human, but always male.

What she loved about him were his outlandish stories of wars that he had been in that she never heard of and things that he did that quite frankly she called 'bullshit'. Still, they were entertaining. But, the one thing that he never really liked talking about was where he was from.

Cinder found her first and then Mercury. After that, he found Cinder. She didn't know how and no one knew why, but he wanted to join her group or 'Salem's Witch Club'. as the old man called it. It seemed strange, someone actively seeking it out. It almost made her think he was on Ozpin's side.

She felt the wind shift and she looked up as Mercury was reading a comic book that he found. The workers all stopped and listened for something. They looked around, tense. She looked around the wide open area, the smell of dust particles in the air as well as the faint smell of feces, urine, and leftover food wrappers lying around was in the air.

Just then, Merc flung his book at something in the darkness with something being thrown on the ground right in the middle of them. She froze with fear at what it was.

"Grena-" She started to say when it exploded. Her eyesight was blinded by the white light and ringing filled her ears like after a bombing. She blinked and rubbed her eyes as she staggered. She put her hands on her weapons to take out the threat as the ringing subsided. Fear gripped her heart. How were they seen?! Why hadn't Neo dealt with them?! She was capable of teleporting around. Not only that, but if she wasn't wearing pink-whtie-and brown colored clothing, she would've made an excellent scout. Still, Neo was Neo, but that wasn't the point right now!

She was blind as she tried to listen for anything, anything to indicate what was going on. Her first instinct was to open fire on anything and everything, but she didn't want to cause a big dispute with the extremist Faunus group over killing some of their members during a raid by their enemies. She rubbed her eyes, using her knuckles as she drew her weapons as the ringing subsided and her vision turned back to normal. She blinked as she saw a very unusual sight. Mercury was on the ground, grunting in pain as he was belly-down on the floor as his right hand was held in a very uncomfortable position above and behind his head. Both of his prosthetic legs were stepped on and he was unable to move thanks to the feet that were on him.

To the average on-looker, the old-timer looked like an old-school rock fan with his black long-sleeved shirt that held the numbers '42' and jeans that fit him. His muscles were still good despite him pushing past sixty or so he looked. His hair was short and gray with his greenish-blue eyes looking down on the younger man with the gaze of a teacher and an elder. A Broodnix cap sat on his head.

"Seriously, Merc? You weren't even listening when I pulled the pin on that flashbang." The old man lectured in his strange lilt. He twisted it a little further and Mercury grunted in pain.

"You were too damned busy reading that fething comic book to notice when I started walking. Hell, those faunus over there heard me before you did." The old man scolded, jerking his head over to the faunus who stood in shock.

"Uncle! Uncle!" Merc yelled. Emerald smiled a small smile as the man let the youngster go and stepped off of his legs. He looked at her as he crossed his arms. His height was that of an average man: 5'8 if one went by a certain measurement. He sighed as he had heavy bags under his eyes. His clothes had dirt on them for some reason and his sneakers were caked in mud.

"How's it going, Em?" The man said, looking at Emerald like that of a father as he smiled. She found it strange and yet... reassuring like he truly cared about how she was. She then became serious.

The faunus stood in shock initially but then muttered to eachother angrily as they realized that the newcomer was one of their 'allies'. They went back to work.

"You haven't reported in a month-and-a-half. What the hell?" She asked, crossing her arms. He sighed as he looked away. His voice was older and deeper than hers.

"Look, I had to make sure that they didn't suspect anything, alright?" he said, raising his hands in self-defense.

"Do you realize how odd it would be for a guy like me," He then cleared his throat and his voice became much younger like that of a young man.

"talking to someone on his scroll like that of an old coot?" He asked, leaning forward. His voice changed back to normal. Mercury had by now gotten back up and rubbed his wrist.

"Old bastard," he muttered. The elder man sighed and shook his head.

"You're young, Merc. You've got potential to be something, honestly." The old man said, crossing his arms.

"But, you need to work on your awareness. And I'm not just talking about your surroundings." He lectured.

"Oh?" Mercury asked, crossing his arms as well. The old man had a serious look, the kind he gave during lessons and serious matters.

"You're not going to believe what I'm going to tell you." He said, gesturing them to come near.

"So, I infiltrated the school as planned, right? Made myself a name after someone I knew from back in Armagh: Tyler Doyle." He said.

"Great guy, was a fighter during the Civil War we had, right up until he left to start a family, parted on good terms."

"Now's not the time for-" Emerald started to say.

"Right, right. Sorry, old man memories, sorry." The old man said, defensively.

"So, I got paired up with a fox faunus named Yi Shen. My teammates are also Rebecca Winden, whom by the way, is a granddaughter of the school doctor." Their fourth 'teammate' said.

"Huh, must be awkward being around a much younger woman?" Emerald said, smiling wickedly. Merc chuckled.

"My wife died a long time ago and I've got no interest in girls young enough to be my grandkids, thank you very much." The old man said, angrily. She had to admit it, the old man had standards... but could he back them up? She planned on a wicked challenge when the rest of the team infiltrated Beacon under the guise of students from Haven over in Mystral. It was going to be funny watching the old man get embarrassed if things turned out to be different than what he said.

"So, you want the info I have or not?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"Also, did you tell that guy that got arrested about me? The punk-arse-bitch who calls himself a 'mastermind'?" He said the last phrase a little loud. Both Merc and Emerald grimaced as Neo appeared right behind him with an angry look like she was about to kill him. The man grinned wickedly as his eyes went to the left as he turned. For a moment, Emerald felt a bit unnerved by that grin, like he was about to do something bad... really bad.

"And who might you be, young lass?" He asked with a smile. She crossed her arms in response and didn't respond as she looked at Emerald with a questioning and skeptical look.

"Neo, this is Elim Rawne, he's one of our people." Emerald explained.

"Formerly of the Tanith-First-And-Only." Elim said, bowing with his left hand extended as he looked up at her with his sickening grin. She glared at him in response as she gritted her teeth.

"Well, this is surprising: you didn't tell me there were more in your little clique." Roman's voice said.

"And you might be?" Elim asked, raising an eyebrow as Roman walked out of the shadows from hjs resting spot.

"Roman Torchwick, the 'punk-arse-bitch' you just talked shit about." Roman answered lighting his cigar.

"Tell me, Torch." Elim asked, hands in his pocket as he walked up to Roman.

"What kind of a little bitch wears white in the middle of the fething night?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"I like the style of it,"

"Oh, so every cop in Vale can shoot yer sorry arse and swiss cheese it?" Elim taunted. Roman gritted his teeth.

"Mate, let me tell you something." Elim began.

"I've done a lot of infiltration and recon work back in the First-And-Only, back home in Armagh." The old man said, jerking his thumb back.

"'Armagh'?" Roman asked, raising an eyebrow. Elim nodded.

"It's an island, would've been considered a kind of continent itself if the War hadn't happened." Elim said, bitterly.

"War? There hasn't been a war in a hundred years, pal." Roman said, skeptically.

"The war that you people knew that ended." Elim scoffed at Roman, his spittle going into Roman's face.

"Ours ended with our homeland being destroyed and our people scattered." He said, angrily. His fists clenched as his eyes darted back and forth as his eyes closed in painful memory.

"Y'see, I sought Cinder's group out to see if I can get help for my people." Elim said.

"And if it means I have to infiltrate a school full of kids? Sure." Elim nodded. Roman blinked.

"You infiltrated Beacon Academy," He said in disbelief. Elim's face then changed from old and wrinkly with white hair to that of a younger man with firmer skin and leaner muscles.

"That's right," The now-younger-man said. Torchwick blinked and Neo's jaw dropped in response.

"I can shapeshift, that's my semblance." He said, smiling.

"It's how I was able to do my job back then," He said, jerking a thumb behind his back.

"Suppose we believe you are whom you say you are," Roman said, looking at him suspiciously.

"What kind of info could you bring?"

"The biggest one of all: The guy that took you down like a little bitch." Elim said, looking at him.

"Kid's name is Artyr Sym," Elim began, gesturing for everyone to listen in.

"And he's something called a 'Jedi Knight," He began. They all listened with a few comments as Elim talked about how Artyr's order were guardians of an interstellar constitutional republic that consisted of hundreds to thousands or maybe even tens of thousands of star systems, each system holding a particular race of beings that were completely alien. Strangely, there were humans as well.

"Wait... there are humans in outer space... but they're not from Remant?" Torchwick asked.

"Artyr's proof of that, obviously. What do you think that sword he wielded was? A dust-saber? Nah," He said, dismissively. He then spoke about the Jedi and the Sith, the two rival orders that had differing views.

"So, there's this thing called the 'Force' that both orders use,"

"Used," Elim corrected her.

"What?"

"Used... The Sith almost all got destroyed a thousand years ago on their homeworld. Only one survived, a guy named 'Bane' and he founded a new order that only comprised of a master and an apprentice. And guess what happens to the Master when the Apprentice becomes powerful enough?"

"He surpasses said master?" Merc guessed. Elim shook his head.

"He kills his master and becomes the new one. Then, he takes a new apprentice so that the order will survive even though the Master wants to keep his power and the apprentice wants to gain it." Merc frowned and Emerald rubbed the back of her head, trying to calm down.

"Okay, say that we believe that..." Torchwick said, a bit weirded out.

"Suppose that we believe this whole thing... how come we never heard of this 'Republic', hell why haven't the Jedi or Sith shown up in the past?"

"Oh, they did alright: Except it wasn't a particular Jedi, so much as a family of them." Elim said, cryptically.

"'Family'? Jedi have kids? You said they're an order, orders don't usually let their members have kids be born to them if I'm not mistaken," Roman said, skeptical.

"A whole family of Jedi came to Remnant all at once?" Emerald asked in disbelief.

"No," Elim said, shaking his head.

'The first of that family was also one of the first Jedi whom ever lived, a refugee from a world now-long destroyed and forgotten by time." He said.

"Their people, like mine, decided to leave their world. This guy's considered a legend in the Order, though the records about him are few, according to young Art." Elim said.

"How do you know all this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Elim grinned. Emerald and Merc looked at him as did Neo and Torchwick.

Then, they all realized it.

" ou're on his team! You're on the Jedi's team!" Emerald exclaiming, pointing at him. Mercury laughed out loud as Roman shook in fear.

"Oh... shit," He muttered in fear, hiding his look of fear.

"Ah, relax, Torch. I'd never rat you out." Elim said, dismissively. Torchwick looked at him suspiciously right when Elim said the magic words.

"Unless you're involved in human trafficking." There was dead silence at this as Emerald and Merc stood silent at Elim's sentence. He looked at Roman who sweated. Neo glared at the old man who stared accusingly at Roman.

"Uh," The master burglar said, rubbing the back of his head. Elim laughed.

"Just kidding!" He said, putting an arm around Torchwick.

"I know enough about you to know that you'd never do that kind of thing," He said before whispering in Roman's ear. Roman looked at Elim with a very scared look. Elim calmly grinned.

"Yep. It's happened before, trust me on that one." The old recon soldier admitted, nodding. Neo's face paled as she wondered just who in the hell this guy was.

"Also: if you threaten those two kids over there?" Elim said, jerking his thumb over at Mercury and Emerald. His face became serious as it dipped and his tone became threatening.

"I will feth you up worse than that kid ever did, you feel me?" Merc blinked.

"Well, least he's showing loyalty," Emerald whispered.

"Yeah, but Cinder still kind of doesn't trust him after that stunt he pulled." Merc whispered back.

"Heard that! But, I'll disregard it." Elim said, pointing at them.

"Anyhoo, where was I?" Elim said, thinking. He then remembered and then started talking about how the Sym family had come to Remnant since Adam came at the dawn of this world. There had been a lot of Syms over the years that came. Usually there was just one male, but sometimes there were twins. But, strangely, after they appeared, they disappeared. With no explanation of where they went or why.

"I know about Aogust Sym, he was a legendary huntsman in his day, about twenty-five years ago. He hung out with Team STRQ, if I'm remembering things right." Roman said, jerking a thumb back.

"Qrow," Emerald whispered under her breath.

"Yeah, I heard a lot of stories about him... bad ones: like what happened to those that got on his bad side: chopped off limbs, crushed into balls of flesh and bone, that sort of thing." Roman said.

"I saw him fight several times when I was a huntsman, but I never saw him again for the longest time." Roman said.

"Kind of makes you wonder what's making them all disappear like that. Maybe they've got an enemy we could use." Roman said, thinking aloud.

"I wouldn't be so sure," He said.

"Sith Lords are some of the most powerful beings in the galaxy, according to Artyr. There were cases where they drained entire planets chock full of people, plants, and animals of life itself." Elim said with a straight face. All four of his confederates looked at him.

"You're joking, right?"

"Nope,"

"Also: our school doctor's an ex-Sith Lady whose granddaughter just happens to be on my team. Though, I would advise against using that against the grandmother as she's a mean old witch who can kill you as so much as look at you." Elim said, casually like he was talking at a bar. Their reactions said it all: pure and complete confusion and terror.

"Y'know," Emerald said aloud after licking her lips and laughing nervously.

"I'll admit it: we're calling Cinder. We're calling her now." She said, bringing out her scroll.

"Because: I really think we're over our heads here." She said.

"Also, I forgot some things about what Force-users can do and what lightsabers can cut." Elim said, before explaining to the horrified conspirators what they were up against. Needless to say: no one was happy. Neo disappeared in a flash, Roman slumped in his chair and rubbed his chin about what to do. Mercury went off to think about how to counter Jedi/Sith fighting styles and Emerald was left to ponder just what the hell she had gotten herself into now.