Chapter 9 - Story Time
Beacon Academy - Library
The library was quiet as the afternoon passed on by. In one seating area, Weiss was reading a book on Atlas, trying to keep herself focused on her studies before the next class starts.
She soon heard footsteps, and to her irritation, she sees a huffing Ruby, having managed to keep Blake and Yang's "cat-and-mouse"; Blake and Yang both have bumps on their heads, but Yang's got two.
"I see it took you like 1 hour to keep them from ripping each other's heads off?" Weiss asked, not at all surprised of the antics of her teammates.
"If my sister didn't pull another pun, we wouldn't be in this situation right now," Ruby replied, sitting down before gently putting her head on the table in exhaustion with annoyance on her face, which Blake added "Makes me wonder who's the more mature sister?"
"Why can't you guys ever get a joke?" Yang asked, comically hurt by the "cold rejection".
"Because you never get tired of playing the same old jokes!" Ruby, Weiss and Blake thought in unison; red tick marks on their foreheads appeared when they got annoyed again.
"Anyway," Blake said, "I curious to seeing the Faunus Tekkadan brought in," wanting to meet the Faunus Tekkadan rescued from their battle at the West Coast of Vale.
All four members were in deep thought. But none more than Weiss, who just put her book down and began to think back to when Orga told her during the day they met at Grace's village, hearing the part about Kudelia fighting for martian independence, and even shows immense sympathy towards the martian children forced to fight as soldiers. It was something that's been always on Weiss' mind, which helped her for the better as she knows hating the Faunus just because they have a grudge with the Schnee Dust Company doesn't make her better. She's always known that not all Faunus are bad, and some like Natasha and Blake, are trying to be peaceful, but some in the White Fang, see things differently. She always wanted to change her family name back on the right path, away from her father's malicious hold.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Ruby decided to speak, "Speaking of Tekkadan… I think it's best if we include Jaune and his team what they told us," which snapped Weiss out of her train of thought, and surprised Blake and Yang.
"Are you sure, sis? Not that I'm complaining but-" Yang explained, but Ruby politely interrupted, "I understand, Yang, but they have seen Mikazuki and the others in action. Plus, we can trust them completely." Ruby's explanation give a small assurance to ease the concern of the other members of her team.
XXX
Beacon Tower
After several minutes walking, Orga, Biscuit, Fumitan and Gaelio were already waiting to go inside. They soon found the elevator and the machine lifted them up to the top of the tower, where Ozpin is expected in his office.
Once they've reached the top, the elevator door opened, revealing Ozpin and Glynda already inside, along with head of the Atlas military James Ironwood, and Qrow Branwen, biological uncle of Yang and honorary uncle of Ruby.
"Ah, Mr. Itsuka," Ozpin said after drinking his coffee, "I didn't know you'd be coming for a visit."
"Well, there's some things we'd like to talk about." Orga said, cutting to the chase.
"That depends on what you want to discuss." Ironwood said, which got their attention with Orga giving a dirty look.
"So I take it you're General Ironwood? In person, you'd seem to be somewhat in control." Orga commented, in a somewhat sarcastic manner. Biscuit and Fumitan weren't surprised compared to Ozpin and Glynda raising brows. Gaelio sighed.
Ironwood felt like it was some kind of mockery, "I don't know if you were joking or not, but if you think I'd be willing to trust children who act without restraint, I-," he was interrupted by Qrow, "Oh, give it a rest, Jimmy. Kid does have a point when you lack discrete."
"Not the time for jokes, Qrow," Glynda chided, which Qrow retorted by drinking a flask, much to her further displeasure.
"Speaking of, who are you?" Biscuit asked.
"Oh, name's Qrow. You've met my nieces, Ruby and Yang?" Qrow asked; Orga, Biscuit and Fumitan were surprised.
"Ruby and Yang's uncle!?" Orga and Biscuit's eyes were widened with shock, as Qrow chuckled.
"You bet. And although they come from the same father, both of my nieces come from two different mothers," Qrow said, which caused the four to sweat drop.
"So the father is a laddie's man…" Gaelio thought, surprised someone can marry twice, while Orga, Biscuit and Fumitan thought, "Sounds like Naze…"
Orga snapped out of his thoughts to get back to discussion, "Small talk aside… there is something I wanna ask you, and you aren't gonna like it." Orga explained.
Ozpin remained calm, as he felt like something Tekkadan's beginning to quickly realize, "Is it about the Grimm that attacked you on your mission?"
"Well, all the Grimm that were attacking the ships were killed. But as soon as we left, more Grimm just showed up out of nowhere had it not been for Gaelio's unexpected arrival." Biscuit explained, in full detail.
"I simply stumbled upon you by coincidence. My objective was to meet with the headmaster of this institution." Gaelio explained, which raised suspicions in Orga, Biscuit, Fumitan, Qrow and Ironwood, while Kimaris sarcastically chuckled; Gaelio was getting irritated, but need to keep his cool.
"After fighting an old friend, I ended up in Remnant with the only partner is my Gundam Kimaris inside my mind," which surprised Ozpin and his "cabal", but Orga, Biscuit and Fumitan knew exactly what he meant before Gaelio continued, "I walked until I ran into four people attacked by Grimm that take after large scorpions," which Biscuit added, "Deathstalkers."
Gaelio twitched before continuing, "After I killed them, I helped three of them take their injuries friend to the hospital to recover. The leader, who's name is Sun, said after his friend recovered, he wanted to come here. But he said the headmaster is ordering all huntsmen to remain in Mistral, and that's why I decided to come here to ask if you know anything."
Ozpin, Glynda, Ironwood and Qrow looked at each other in concern, having not been told of what the headmaster of Haven Academy is up too.
"Which leads us to this very thing… who are these Grimm working for, and does this relate to the Mistral situation?" Orga asked.
"Young man, I appreciate your concern, but-" Ironwood attempted to prevent Orga from getting an answer, but Ozpin raised his hand to stop his fellow compatriot.
"No, James. I think now might be a good time to tell Mr. Itsuka and the people currently beside him to know exactly they're getting themselves into." Ozpin explained.
Glynda was surprised, "Professor. Are you absolutely sure about this?"
Fumitan raised a brow, "About what?"
"You ain't gonna like what we're about to tell you." Qrow replied, drinking another sip of his flask.
"The Grimm have only one master… Salem." Ozpin said, which raised even more suspicion to Orga, Biscuit, Fumitan and Gaelio, and somewhat confused Kimaris.
"Who's Salem?" Gaelio asked.
XXX
Venator - Weightlifting Room
Sitting alone together in the weightlifting room, which is Akihiro's personal room again just like the Isaribi, the bulky teen just finished explaining to Lafter the events that have happened after she died and Tekkadan declaring war on the JTP Trust, which greatly surprised her as Akihiro just finished with him getting revenge on the bastard who was involved in the Turbines incident.
"I… I can't believe all that happened…" Lafter couldn't believe what Akihiro told her, as Akihiro exhaled.
"You have every right to be mad at us for not heeding Naze's promise. But Jasley - that son of a bitch just pissed us off we couldn't stand it. It soon became complicated when we had the only option to join McGillis' revolution only to end up getting killed," Akihiro explaining from what he's known, "but not before killing that Iok bastard for what he did to the Turbines, which in a way… was worth my life for them… and you."
Lafter began to feel a warm and fuzzy feeling inside her; the love she had for Akihiro she thought she'd pushed aside were coming back after hearing his words to avenge her death, made her feel at peace.
Akihiro lowered his head in shame, "I don't have the right to ask for your forgiveness when I should've been there to protect you. Losing not just you, but my brother and Aston, I realize that I'm nothing but-" Akihiro couldn't finish because he felt a sweet feeling on his lips out of nowhere: Lafter's lips… on HIS!
(A/N: Finally it happened!)
Completely taken by surprise, Akihiro didn't know what's happening or what to do, as Lafter put her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. Starting to freak out, Akihiro has quickly asked his Gundam partner what to do, but he's getting no response.
"Gusion!? Don't leave me hanging! I don't know what to do!" Akihiro only got a snickering in his mind, which embarrassed him in thought. "Fine! Guess I'll follow my own drum…" Deciding to make her happy, he gently returned the kiss with the left hand gently placed on the left side of her waist and the right hand around the back of her head, gently petting her strawberry blonde pigtails. The kiss, having last for at least 2 minutes, Akihiro and Lafter needed air and decided to release the kiss; both were blushing, but Lafter's face was a deep shade of scarlet as she fidgeted with her fingers.
"S-Sorry… but I couldn't help it… and, well…" Lafter couldn't think of the right words to say. Akihiro was in a similar boat as he was trying to process why he returned it. Gusion soon laughed hard inside his mind, "Oh, Akihiro - you sure made her the happiest woman in your world!" A red tick mark appeared on Akihiro's forehead and quickly his head to the back of the wall, "Now you say something?! You could've given me some advice!"
"I would, but this was to lovely to interrupt." Gusion said, which got Akihiro comically angrier, but had to let that go to say something to Lafter, "Thanks… And… I love you," the confession he said greatly gave Lafter a more blushing face, which made her extremely happy.
Unbeknownst to them, they were being spied on by a shocked Shino, Ride and Aston.
XXX
Venator - Cafeteria
In the cafeteria hall, the teenage Faunus were simply wolfing down their food non-stop, despite promising to share with their new "family", as the Tekkadan members simply sighed.
"They must really be hungry, eh?" One Tekkadan member, around likely age 16, asked.
"Cut'em some slack, man. They have been through a lot." Another Tekkadan member, likely the same age, reminding his comrade of the situation the Faunus teens were in hadn't Tekkadan saved them.
"Still, this is all we have. Atra's cooking always brings a smile to everyone's faces." The first Tekkadan member explained, which those around him at the table he was sitting at all sighed, starting to miss the members they left behind back home.
Soon, Mikazuki arrived in the cafeteria to check on everyone, smiling, then decided to leave, which confused the others, "What was that about?"
XXX
New Tekkadan Base/Venator
Outside the Venator were Team RWBY, who also brought along Team NEGL after they captured Roman Torchwick and his accomplices (after they managed to get away from Team RWBY a day ago), and Team JNPR.
The afternoon was still on, but the sun is about to set in a few hours before nighttime.
Jaune was getting nervous, "So why did you guys bring my team here?"
"Because we all thought it'd be best to let the four of you know about Tekkadan." Ruby replied, which Natasha nodded in agreement.
"Rose is right. If you guys are gonna be friends with them, there has to be common ground," Elizabeth explained as she twirled her hair, "so this is a good time to learn about them."
Weiss and Blake were nervous about meeting the new Faunus members of Tekkadan, considering the dark history between the SDC and the White Fang, and both fear things may not end well, but both are determined as the two girls on the path to make things right, standing firm.
"Who's gonna knock on the door?" Ren asked, trying his best to keep Nora under control.
Liam was about to do something, but Gideon stopped him that irritated the swordsman, "The hell you think you're doing?"
"How 'bout we knock the normal way instead of using Arondight to hack n' slash the door down? Don't wanna remember the last time…" Gideon explained, shuttering about that one time Liam was so mad he slashed the door to his team's room. Liam grumbled as everyone laughed sheepishly.
Ruby exhaled before knocking on the ship's side, hoping anyone could hear. A few seconds of silence, before someone answered, "Hello?"
Everyone became surprised as they recognized the origin of the voice.
"Masahiro?" Team RWBY, NEGL and JNPR asked in unison, surprised to hear the voice that should be recovering right now.
"Oh, hey guys," Masahiro's voice, still a little weak despite his nearly-recovered condition, "Had a feeling you'd be here."
"What are you doing up? You're still recovering." Yang asked out of concern, a feeling she shares with Akihiro when it comes to their younger siblings.
"Just took a nap. Anyway, you guys want in?" Masahiro asked.
"Yes. And we'd like for you to get everyone assembled." Natasha replied.
"Sure. I'll get right on that. Come in." Masahiro said as he opened the hangar doors to the side.
XXX
Five minutes later…
Everyone assembled at the cafeteria (which was large enough to fit everyone inside), including Akihiro and Lafter, along with a beaten up Shino who Akihiro found out he was spying on them during their kiss, and not after he spared Ride and Aston, but gave them a stern warning. The Faunus were ordered to be polite to their Remnant friends, even if that means tolerating Weiss and Blake since a few have a history with the SDC or the White Fang (for those who didn't agree with the ways of the organization).
"Everyone's here. So are you sure Team JNPR wants to know about us?" Akihiro asked.
"They are." Ruby replied, which Pyrrha added "My team and I are apart of you guys, so please… let us hear your story."
All the Tekkadan members (now including Lafter) sighed and decided to tell anyway. Each and every person gathered around Mikazuki, Akihiro, Masahiro, Aston, Pedro, Shino, Elgar, Ride, Hush and Lafter, either sitting or standing. Barbatos, Gusion and Flauros were also listening, and willing to share what they know to their respective pilots through some kind of memory sharing.
"For those of you who don't know who we are… we aren't from Remnant." Mikazuki explained, which shocked Team JNPR and the Faunus Tekkadan members.
"Woah, woah, WOAH! Not from Remnant!? That's crazy!" Jaune and Nora exclaimed in unison.
"It's not impossible as you may think. The universe is larger than any of us can understand." Hush explained, which calmed them down a bit.
"You see, where those in Tekkadan came from another world not entirely unlike yours. A planet called… Mars," which surprised Team JNPR and the Faunus members, "But everything started on a planet known as… Earth." Akihiro explained.
"Like Remnant, humans and wild animals exist there, but there are no Faunus," Lafter started.
"What?! How can there be another planet with no humans, but no Faunus on it. What, did they fill them all?!" Blake asked, in rage. The Tekkadan Faunus members and Natasha were also angry.
"Easy, Ms. Blake. Faunus don't exist on Earth to start. Only humans have ever existed. On the plus side, no Grimm exist on Earth either; which allowed humanity to live across the planet rather than just four kingdoms and random villages." Aston explained.
"No Grimm? Sounds like a dream come true to me." Gideon commented.
"Not exactly," Shino correcting Yang, Flauros acting as his guide to speak properly, "Humanity have progressed over time that even machines were created to travel beyond Earth. They managed to reach their Moon, that used to be fully intact unlike Remnant's."
"Wait, used to be?" Ruby asked, which Ren added, "What do you mean?"
"Well, once they reached the moon first, and then over time, went beyond. However, according to Barbatos, humanity are quite familiar… with war. Different sides took their stances and created powerful weapons… Mobile Armors. These weapons were large, unnamed machines designed for destruction; they seek out and destroy life. Their creators hoped these weapons would destroy their enemies… but they've made a grave mistake with their creation." Mikazuki explained, using what Barbatos explained to him that he could try and say in his words.
"What do you mean?" Weiss asked, growing concerned.
"The humans found themselves incapable of controlling the Mobile Armors, and they spread death and destruction all over Earth; taking hundreds of thousands of lives without mercy." Akihiro explained, which horrified Team JNPR, the Faunus Tekkadan members and even Masahiro and Pedro, as everyone else who already know still unnerved.
"Are they that stupid?! How could they create such things that ended up killing innocent people?!" A male teenage tiger Faunus shrieked, in anger.
"It's that very reason why most humans couldn't learn about the consequences." Gusion said, who knew about that folly all too well.
"To counter these monstrosities, humanity banded together to create new weapons to face them: large, humanoid weapons called… Mobile Suits. Unlike the Mobile Armors, Mobile Suits are used smaller to be smaller and required a pilot, with a cockpit in their torsos. 72 of these were created in the beginning, known as… Gundams." Lafter explained, shifting a little closer to Akihiro without him noticing.
"Gundams?" Pyrrha asked, which Lafter answered "Yeah. Mikazuki, Shino and Akihiro here pilot them."
"Quick stop! I wanted to ask… who are you?" Nora asked, wanting to know about the Hyakuri pilot, much to everyone's irritation.
"Oh! Sorry, I never got to mention my name earlier. My name's Lafter Frankland." Lafter introduced.
"Are you a member?" Jaune asked.
"Just recently. I'm still a member of the Turbines," Lafter explained, "it's a subsidiary of Teiwaz, Jupiter's biggest conglomerate of the Outer Sphere. Naze's the leader of the Turbines."
"Not to mention one of his many wives…" Shino muttered, which was loud enough to shock the huntsmen-in-training students, the Faunus Tekkadan members, Pedro and Masahiro.
"No way…" A female squirrel preteen Faunus said in disbelief, which a preteen Tekkadan member whispered "I know, right?"
"Well, Ms. Lafter's Mr. Akihiro's-" Ride attempting to say about his captain and mentor's relationship was shot down by a deadly glare from the former, but not before Yang immediately picked up and said, "his girlfriend!"
This surprised most of the members, which Akihiro and Lafter blushed heavily. "That explains why Mr. Shino got beaten up before…" Elizabeth commented, having a sweat drop on her forehead.
"Back on topic!" Lafter exclaimed to cover up her embarrassment, "The Mobile Suits are larger and older. They worked by connecting the pilot's nerves to the suit systems through a special system called the Alaya-Vijnana System. It was a surgery that implanted nano-machines directly into the pilot's spine. This system granted the pilot a heightened sense of special awareness, as well as the ability of the brain to directly process the mobile suit data. This allowed them to move the mobile suits like they were their own bodies. Because the mobile armors were named after angels from our world, the Gundams were named after their enemies, devils. The 72 demon dukes of Hell of the Ars Goetia." Lafter explained.
"A guy Chocolate Man mentioned was one of the pilots who created both Mobile Armors and Mobile Suits, piloting the first named Gundam Bael, and created a peacekeeping force called Gjallahorn. The war between the Mobile Suits and Mobile Armors resulted in a 300 year conflict known as the Calamity War," Mikazuki explained, with Barbatos being silently remembering the conflict he won't ever forget.
"Things took a turn for the worse after that…" Aston said.
"What do you mean?" Masahiro asked, still processing what he learned from his comrades.
"In time, Gjallahorn became corrupted, commanded by seven ruling families, who began to use their power and influence for their own interests." Lafter explained, which Team JNPR, Masahiro, Pedro and the Faunus Tekkadan members became surprised.
"That wasn't all. Our planet Mars, where we came from, became colonized and humans lived there alongside martians. But corruption took hold of our home; while the economic elite thrived, the innocent suffered in poverty, slavery, war and death. To ensure that the Alaya-Vijnana wasn't used against them, Gjallahorn condemned it, making anyone who had the surgery out to be monsters; animals or anything less human. Children had the most difficult lives if they had the surgery." Hush explained.
"Wait, what do you mean children? Didn't adults have the surgery as well?" Weiss asked.
"Only children could have the surgery at that time because they were still growing. Another thing that the surgery itself was risky. It didn't always succeed. For those that it failed on, they lost the ability to walk, or worse… they die." Ride explained, in a sad manner as Team JNPR and the Faunus Tekkadan members were shocked.
Mikazuki decided to turn around, take off his jacket and undershirt, revealing the three "Whiskers" on his back, which horrified Teams RWBY, NEGL and JNPR and the Faunus Tekkadan members.
"Mikazuki… your back…" Yang said, cover her mouth with her hands in horror. The Faunus gathered realized the harsh reality Tekkadan had endured. Mikazuki then put his jacket and undershirt back on.
"Many of us on Mars couldn't get a proper education, such as learning how to read and write, and had to work just to survive. Those who had the surgery often found work as child soldiers. Some of the children like me, my brother, Aston and Pedro were sold as Human Debris, which were basically slaves sold for cheap, to be expendable. Life was incredibly hard for us, just like the Faunus gathered here." Akihiro explained, as Lafter put a comforting hand on his shoulder. The Faunus here lowered their heads in sadness.
"We would do anything to survive, even risking our lives on the line of battle. Even worse that Mars was under the control of the four economic blocs from Earth. But that's when… things changed for the better at the time." Shino explained.
"That's where you guys come in." Liam said, which confused Team JNPR and the Faunus Tekkadan members.
"Our group, Tekkadan, also known as 'Iron Flower' as the plant that never wilts and Neve dies. We used to be part of another organization called CGS. The adults there treated us like expendable human shields and trash. One day, we had enough and our leader, Orga Itsuka, staged a revolt and took over. Around that time, we were hired to serve as an escort for Kudelia Aina Bernstein, who happens to be an important member of our "family". Unlike most elites on Mars, she wanted to change things and create a better life for people like us. A world where children don't have to fight. We escorted her to Earth to meet with Togonosuke Makanai, the leader of the Arbrau economic bloc in hopes of gaining a better future. Gjallahorn tried to stop us if Kudelia succeeded in her quest, it would ruin everything. We had several advantages, Mr. Mikazuki included." Ride explained.
"You, Mr. Mikazuki?" Pedro asked, which Mikazuki nodded.
"I pilot one of the 72 Gundams, Barbatos," which Barbatos chuckled in acknowledgement, "While most of us had the Alaya-Vijnana once, I had it three times and succeeded - each of my own free will." Mikazuki explained, as everyone who were listening were astonished.
"This granted Mr. Mikazuki a high comparability with Barbatos. We eventually made it to Earth, and with the help of a high-ranking member in Gjallahorn named McGillis Fareed, who wanted to rid Gjallahorn of its corruption, and we completed our mission after all the hardships we endured." Elgar explained.
"Thins began looking up for us and the people of Mars. What's more, Gjallahorn's corruption was exposed to the world, making them lose much of their power and position." Lafter explained.
"So, were things going better for you guys?" Jaune asked, sounding hopeful.
"Well… sort of. 2 years have passed, Gjallahorn was no longer in power, but there were still personal interests involved in the higher ranks. One of our new competitors was one of the leaders named Rustal Elion. McGillis sought to become more powerful and forged an alliance with us, who also became more powerful. He enacted a coup d'état with our help, which he acquired Bael thanks to him getting the Alaya-Vijnana surgery even though he was an adult." Shino explained.
"But things didn't go our way and McGillis' plan fell short as our combined forces were much smaller than Rustal's. We suffered heavy losses and fled to Mars for one final stand. To get our people to Earth and be freed." Ride explained.
"During that battle, so many of us were killed: McGillis, Shino, Akihiro, Ms. Lafter, Elgar, Hush… even… me and Orga." Mikazuki explained, which horrified Team JNPR, Masahiro, Pedro and the Faunus Tekkadan members.
"But moments before I died… Barbatos saved me after revealing he's a sentient being that lives inside my mind." Mikazuki explained, surprising Team JNPR, Masahiro, Pedro and the Faunus Tekkadan members, which Shino smirked, "And Biscuit thought I was crazy when I was talking to my Ryusei-Go."
"Ryusei-Go?" Team JNPR, Masahiro, Pedro and the Faunus Tekkadan members asked in unison, which Ride replied with a deadpanned face, "the stupid nickname he gave to Flauros."
"Hey!" Shino exclaimed.
"After Barbatos saved me, I came here… reuniting with everyone before meeting all of you." Mikazuki explained.
Everyone in the room began to have a whirlwind of emotions they couldn't contain after hearing a tale such as that.
"I… had no idea…" Pyrrha said.
"Even after all that, we fought to prove we were human. To live." Akihiro explained.
"To prove you guys were more human than the hypocrisy of Gjallahorn." Blake commented.
The Tekkadan members nodded.
"Besides, I know our friends back home are gonna be okay," Shino explained before grinning at Mikazuki, "especially since his son's coming out."
The word "son" took the Beacon students, Masahiro, Pedro and the Faunus Tekkadan members by surprise, as did Lafter, Hush, Ride, Aston, Elgar and those who didn't hear the conversation back at Grace's village. Akihiro facepalmed himself to remind himself to smack Shino later.
Mikazuki didn't care and decided to say it anyway, "While we're not sure if it worked or not, my friend Atra and I have a child."
Three seconds of silence until…
"WWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!?"
Everyone who didn't know about Mikazuki and Atra's attempt to conceive a child were bug-eyed shocked.
"If that child is your's and this Atra person's, then does that mean that the two of you…t-that the t-two of y-you did…" Weiss stuttered as her face turned crimson.
Nora was bubbling with excitement and wanted to ask Mikazuki questions, but Pyrrha and Ren are doing their best to keep the hammer user under control.
Blake, Jaune and Elizabeth collapsed to the ground out of shock with blushing faces.
Liam scoffed with his head turned to the side, as Ride and Hush glared at Mikazuki.
"I knew there was something wrong with you two when I saw her and Ms. Kudelia kissed you." Ride said.
"As expected of you, but still…" Hush was a mixture of amazement and slight disgust at his mentor and Atra hooking up.
Coming out of her shock, Ruby asked Yang, "Hey, that reminds me. Yang, this is like that one question I asked you a long time ago about where babies come from. You never told me then, and kept avoiding the question. Where do babies come from exactly?"
Yang goes wide-eyed and quickly turns away, "I told you, I'm not telling until you're older." Yang replies.
"Aw, come on, that was two years ago! How long do I have to wait?" Ruby pouts.
"Until I decide that you're old enough to know, and you still aren't at this point." Yang retorts, which Ruby pouted.
Masahiro wanted to ask his brother the same question, but Akihiro immediately said the same thing Yang did to her sister.
"And that's why Mikazuki is the best pilot I could ever ask for!" Barbatos bragged, which Gusion and Flauros groaned in irritation.
"Never thought I hear the day for those two to be together?" Lafter thought, coming out her shock with a sweat drop on her forehead.
XXX
Back in Ozpin's office, the headmaster himself finished explaining everything about Salem, which left Orga, Biscuit, Fumitan and Gaelio shocked.
"So, this whole time, there had been a much greater threat to Remnant…and you and your brotherhood kept it secret from the people." Orga explained, an edge in his voice.
"If they knew, it would cause panic, and that would not bode well for anyone. We did this to protect them." Ozpin countered.
"And sending your students into a war they don't even know they're fighting is alright?" Biscuit asked, with some anger behind his tone.
"We understand this is a lot to take in, but you don't understand-" Ironwood was about to explain his case, but Gaelio countered, "Understand what?! That sending people into a battle they don't know about?! These people deserve better!"
"Gaelio! That's enough!" Kimaris ordered his pilot to be silent, but Gaelio refused to listen to his Gundam part and continued, "I know what secrets do to people when they get out! I've seen it first hand when someone I once trusted betrayed me and forced me to live a life of vengeance!"
"This is something the students shouldn't get involved with at all. If they do…" Glynda explained.
"… That there's no coming back, huh? Ms. Kudelia never wanted children involved in fighting, but she couldn't help herself to get involved to protecting others. Even when she's faced with harsh truths she couldn't fathom." Fumitan explained, having some understanding of what Kudelia went through.
"Our people and these students have every right to know what's going on. Our trust with you has to be earned, not bought!" Biscuit hollered.
"Well, life's never a happy tale, kid. There are people who would exploit those for their own gain and throw the world into chaos. That's why people like us are trying to take them out without involving the people close to us." Qrow explained.
"Does that give you the excuse to use my family and these students as your pawns?" Orga asked, feeling like Tekkadan's being used for another person's benefit all over again.
"They are all training to be warriors. That kind of life comes with many great risks. And for the record, I have never seen my students as pawns." Ozpin countered.
"I don't wanna hear that excuse! I've seen people fight, and die, back on my world, but at least they knew what they were getting into. You're sending your students into a battle, virtually blind, and that will cost more lives than you think. I understand that success requires sacrifice, but that does not mean that the sacrifice has to be higher than it should be!" Gaelio's anger rose as he grew more enraged over the secrecy Ozpin and his group kept.
"That's enough out of you!" Ironwood hollered, which Gaelio countered, "Make me!"
Kimaris couldn't stand Gaelio's attitude, "I thought I told you that's ENOUGH!" Kimaris' shouting put a stop to Gaelio's enraged tone, which made Gaelio turn his attention to his partner, "And you and the other Gundam Frames knew about this?! That's why you dragged me here?!"
"I've told you everything, you idiot! Don't get mad because you couldn't understand McGillis as I couldn't!" Kimaris grew irritated over his partner's stubbornness.
Gaelio was about to rant again, but Orga said his own case, "In a way, I understand secrecy all too well," everyone focused their attention on the Tekkadan boss, "I once tried to cut a deal with Rustal Elion to handing over McGillis and getting Tekkadan off the list of scapegoats. But he refused and declared his attention to kill us to restore Gjallahorn's tarnished reputation."
His words caused silence to everyone present. "I swore to keep my family safe ever since coming here. But if this Salem now wants us dead, then we have no choice but to fight." Orga explained.
"But, Orga-" Biscuit tried to reason with his best friend, but Orga said something else, "However… Tekkadan will be fighting her on our terms, whether you like it or not," Orga's tone became a mix of reasoning and threatening.
"Why you little…" Ironwood didn't take that well, but Qrow chuckled.
"I think I'm starting to like your style, kid." Qrow commented, which Orga scoffed before turning around.
"As much as I am angry with you for keeping your students and my people in the dark like that, Ozpin… fighting amongst each other will only play right into the Grimm's hands." Orga explained.
"You are right. But I doubt there will be any forgiveness after what I told you." Ozpin said, which Orga smirked from behind.
"You said there's a Maiden currently under the vault of your school, right?" Biscuit asked, deciding to change the subject a bit.
"Yes, the Fall Maiden, Amber. We don't know how long she'll last, but we must find a solution before it's too late. Her assailant is still out there, and they still have a part of her powers. There's always the chance that…when…she dies, the other half of her powers will go to them. We can't allow that to happen." Ozpin explained.
"What about the other Maidens?" Gaelio asked, now having calmed down after listening to Orga.
"We know they're alive and in much better condition than young Amber. But we don't know where the other three are." Glynda explained.
"I've been looking for them while scouting out our enemies, which I'm gonna get back to doing right now." Qrow explained, before turning into his crow form and leaving through the ceiling, which opened.
Orga hummed to himself, "For now then, it's best if we find the person responsible for attacking Amber. Is it possible that if that person were to die, would the powers they stole return to Amber? If what you said is true about them returning to each other, then shouldn't the opposite effect be possible?"
Ozpin puts his chin in his right hand, "It may be possible, but I can't say for certain. After all, this is a delicate situation. Nothing like this has ever happened before, so we can't really plan ahead for what's to come when we don't know what will happen next. I just don't know." Ozpin replies.
XXX
Now outside the tower and walking back to Tekkadan's headquarters, Orga, Biscuit, Fumitan and Gaelio were thinking long and hard about what Ozpin told them.
"So, all the pieces of the puzzle are coming together. Our arrival here; Gundams are sentient; Grimm attacking us; Mistral under lockdown." Gaelio explained.
"Only us Gundams have the ability to transport our pilots and anyone who died or have a close bond with to Remnant. I honestly doubt Gjallahorn has any Gundams to follow us." Kimaris thought, knowing that the only Gjallahorn Gundam Frame was Kimaris before coming to Remnant and now teaming up with Tekkadan.
"This is all part of some plan to take down Salem. And Ozpin didn't know about our Gundams pilots." Fumitan explained.
"We might consider figuring out where the assailant who attacked Amber is hiding. And with any luck, get them back to the rightful owner before they fall into Salem's hands." Biscuit explained.
"The worst part is… who should we tell this to?" Orga asked, which made Gaelio, Fumitan and Biscuit conflicted.
XXX
City of Vale - Abandoned Warehouse
Inside an old warehouse in the City of Vale, one of Salem's elite minions, Cinder Fall, just received an urgent message from Salem herself, which concerns Tekkadan.
"So, Salem wants us to kill these "space rats"?" Emerald Sustrai asked.
"I doubt these guys are any real threat compared to the setbacks we've been having." Mercury Black said, in a mocking manner.
"Quiet! Our plan went downhill ever since these rats showed up. Dust robberies being stopped, and Torchwick getting locked up earlier than planned thanks to Team NEGL. On top of that, the White Fang suffered heavy losses since their Vacuo branch was wiped out." Cinder explained.
"What has the White Fang said about our plans, Emerald?" Cinder asked as she turned her attention to her second subordinate.
"Only that a lot of them are beginning to question whether or not to continue listening to us. Adam is trying to keep them inline, but even he is having problems, and is honestly starting to question us as well. You think we need to threaten them again?" Emerald asked.
"Perhaps, but for now, we need to move. Have whatever White Fang members are still listening to us move this shipment to our hideout in the southeast. As for us, we need to get ready for phase two of our plan. As long as they don't find out who we are, then we can still salvage this operation." Cinder replied.
XXX
Unaware that while Cinder is talking with Mercury and Emerald about their plans, they are being watched from the outside by McGillis and Isurugi, using some form of speaker tech to listen to the conversation.
"Well, well. Looks like your hunch was right, Bael." McGillis said.
"Yes. Now we'll have to wait for them to leave so we can strike and capture the woman who stole the Maiden powers." Bael explained.
McGillis smirked before turning his attention to Isurugi, "What does the machine say their leave time?"
"According to the recorder, they'll have to leave around 2:16 tomorrow." Isurugi replied.
"Trying to wait until the best moment to run, eh? In that case…" McGillis explained, coming up with a plan as he turned to his most trusted subordinate.
"You keep an eye on them and inform me if any changes happen." McGillis ordered, which Isurugi saluted and asked, "What will you do?"
"Deliver a message to some old friends if they are after the same thing we are." McGillis explained, transforming into his Bael form and taking to the skies, with intentions that will soon enough bring conflict between Tekkadan and Cinder's faction.
This took longer than I thought! But the best parts of this chapter being Orga, Biscuit, Fumitan and Gaelio having a small fallout with Ozpin and his brotherhood (Glynda, Ironwood and Qrow) before all agreeing to stop Salem on different terms and hunt down Cinder to take back the powers of the Fall Maiden, Akihiro and Lafter finally, FINALLY having a relationship together, Tekkadan explained their story to Team JNPR and the Tekkadan Faunus members, with the Faunus now understanding Tekkadan's situation of being abused and trying to fight to live, everyone now knows about Mikazuki and Atra conniving a child, and now McGillis and Isuguri (who you've all been dying to see since Chapter 4-5) are preparing to strike Cinder as well before the coming afternoon, which McGillis' plan to do that will be revealed soon. What will happen next?!
