Chapter 9: The Kingdom
"General Ironwood, I'm sorry to interrupt your meeting, but we're getting an unidentified object on radar."
Looking up from his computer, General Ironwood and Winter Schnee faced the soldier who walked into his office.
"Private, we are meeting with the council at this moment. I'm sure the fleet can handle the flying Grimm out there." Winter replied.
"With all due respect ma'am, this isn't a Grimm. We're seeing what looks like a gray airship. They made contact with us. They said they have Weiss Schnee and something for the General." the private said.
Winter turned to Ironwood, who was just as shocked as he was.
"General Ironwood?" a woman on the computer screen asked impatiently.
"Yes, Councilwoman Camilla, one moment." the General turned to Winter and nodded. Leaving the room, Winter followed the private to a terminal with a screen and a radio. Seeing a gray ship on the screen, Winter activated the radio. "Attention unidentified vessel, this is Specialist Winter Schnee of the Atlesian military. I don't know how you managed to avoid the closed borders, but you are trespassing. Identify yourself."
"Um…call me 'Mando'." a low voice replied. "I apologize for alarming you, but I told your men earlier that I'm carrying a Huntsman and a team of students, including Weiss Schnee. She gave me this contact frequency and needs to speak to you about an urgent matter."
"…Put her on." Winter said with skepticism.
"Winter?" a familiar voice asked. "Winter, is that you?"
"Weiss?" Winter said with a gasp. "How did you leave Atlas? What are you doing on that ship? Who's flying-?"
"Winter, we'll explain everything. But we need you to let us land, we have to talk to General Ironwood."
Winter let out a sigh. "Alright. 'Mando', you're clear to land at Atlas Academy. I'm sending coordinates to a landing pad now. Once you arrive, prepare to be boarded."
"Understood. Thank you." the low voice returned.
Flying towards the academy, everyone got a good look at Atlas. While the scenery was beautiful, they were more concerned about the ENTIRE Atlas fleet in attack formation.
"I knew General Ironwood called back the fleet, but…" Weiss said.
"They're set up like they're expecting an attack." Qrow observed.
"This isn't right." Yang said.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Blake included.
Seeing the landing pad, the Mandalorian noticed a group of soldiers with weapons at the ready. When he landed, he turned to everyone else.
"Okay." he said. "Looks like they're going to be giving us an escort. When we get out, don't touch ANY of your weapons. We don't want anybody getting the wrong idea." He then looked towards the Child. "I'm gonna leave you here for a little while. I don't know what kind of reaction Atlas will have when they see you. So, don't touch ANYTHING. I'll be back."
Opening the door, everyone walked out with their hands up. Still pointing their weapons at them, one of the soldiers put his hand on his radio. "We have them accounted for sir. We count eleven total." He then walked up with a set of magnetic bolas.
"Don't worry boys, we'll take it from here." a voice called out.
Looking to the right, everyone saw five soldiers walk towards them. One was a brown-haired man with a white shirt cut off at the sleeves, wearing a green pin on it. A pale man with a shaved head stood at his right with a younger girl with buzz cut brown hair that had a blonde streak in the middle. To the left was a tall woman with sandals carrying a hammer, and a younger man with longer black hair in a white jacket. "Yes sir, Clover. They're all yours."
Walking up to the Mandalorian, Clover got a good look at him. "This your ship?" he asked.
"Yes." he replied. "You're going to take us to the General?"
"That's right." Clover said. "I'm Clover Ebi, leader of the Ace Ops." he said while extending his hand.
"Call me 'Mando'." Djarin replied, taking his hand and shaking.
"While we're taking you to the General, we need to take a look at your ship, make sure there's nothing dangerous there. You got anything we should know about?"
While he didn't want anyone poking around in the Razor Crest, the Mandalorian knew a wrong move would get them all in trouble. "I have a wall of about seven blasters, and a child in there."
"A kid? You were gonna leave a kid in there?"
"He's…not like most kids. Your men might be surprised, but he's friendly. He won't hurt anyone, so be careful with him."
"You heard the man." Clover turned to two soldiers. "If you see something that looks like a kid, don't hurt it. Come on, we'll take you to the General."
As they began to walk, the younger man turned to the Mandalorian. "So, why do you have so many guns in your ship?"
"I'm a Mandalorian." he replied. "Weapons are part of my religion."
"Wow. Not gonna lie, that's pretty badass."
"Shut up, Marrow." the smaller woman told him.
While searching the ship, one soldier found the weapons the Mandalorian described and the other found the Child. Uncomfortable at the sight, the soldier closed the smaller door.
"Control, we searched the ship." the second soldier called on his radio. "Other than the wall of guns, there wasn't anything else that looked suspicious. Permission requested to leave the ship."
"Uh, that's a negative. We're gonna need you two to watch it while the General talks to our new friends." a voice on the radio said.
"Standing by." the newly appointed guard said.
"So, what do you think the deal is with all this?" the first one asked.
"I don't know, maybe those kids wanna give the General a present, I don't ask questions." he replied.
"…Did you get a good look at the kid he described?"
"Yeah, but I'm not sure 'kid' is the right word. It was…weird. But that armored guy seemed worried and pissing him off would be a mistake." Hearing a cooing noise from inside, he made sure the smaller door was closed and ignored it.
"…Can I see it?" his partner asked.
"Did you not just hear what I said? I don't want to piss off the big scary guy in armor. I get the point of his armor. Do you get the point?"
"Yes, I get the point."
"Okay, then. Stop asking."
After a few minutes, the first guard took out a candy bar and started to eat it. The second guard went back on his radio. "Any update yet?"
"Affirmative, but it'll be a while. The students and the Huntsman left, but we just found out the armored guy was with a known fugitive. They're talking with the General now."
The guard sighed in annoyance. "Thank you. Standing by still." he said before turning off the radio. Looking back, he saw his partner was gone. Rushing inside, he saw the other guard looking at the Child.
"Okay, you got a good look. Are you happy now?" he asked.
"Man, what is it?" the first guard asked, poking the Child on the forehead.
"I don't know, it's a pet or something. Leave it alone." the second guard replied.
"A pet?" the first guard asked, turning around. "Remnant doesn't have pets like- HEY!" he yelled as the Child took his candy bar and ate the rest in one bite. "Shoot. That was my last candy bar."
"Serves you right."
Exiting an elevator, the Ace-Ops, the Mandalorian, Neo, and Ruby's group came face to face with General Ironwood and Winter Schnee. "Winter…" Weiss said, walking up to the Mandalorian. Winter had a look of surprise on her face.
"Thank you, Clover." General Ironwood said. Turning to the group, he opened the door to his office. "Please, come in."
After everyone walked into the office, Ironwood went to his desk with Winter at his side. "It is so good to see all of you." Turning to the Mandalorian and Neo, his eyes locked on them. "And you are?"
"I'm a Mandalorian. Call me 'Mando'." he replied.
"You look a lot like a certain Huntress I know." he said with a frown.
"Yes, I heard Atlas has a Huntress wearing Mandalorian armor. That's one of the reasons I'm here. The other…" he turned to Neo, "is to give you this."
Walking slowly to his desk, Neo gently placed the Relic of Knowledge on his desk. "A fugitive giving me the Relic of Knowledge. I can't wait to hear about this." he said with a chuckle.
Neo looked to the floor. Then, she walked back to the Mandalorian. "I was expecting you would be the one holding the Relic, Qrow." Ironwood continued.
"Uh…maybe we should talk more about this in private?" he said looking at Winter and the Ace-Ops.
"Why, so you can talk more about the Relics?" Clover asked.
"Or perhaps the Winter Maiden?" Winter continued.
"You…told them?" Qrow asked.
Nodding, Ironwood replied "I'm still surprised you weren't holding onto this. Being Oz's field agent and all."
"Well, we were at first." Weiss said. "But we had some trouble getting to Atlas. Neo and the Mandalorian were trying to stop us from…stealing an Atlas airship."
"You stole an Atlas airship?" Winter asked. "What were you thinking?!" She suddenly started marching towards Weiss. "You might have been shot down! How unbelievably irresponsible-!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Everyone suddenly turned to Ruby. "It was my fault! Don't blame Weiss, she was just doing what I thought was best." She then walked to the corner of the room.
Weiss then hugged Winter. "I'm sorry I worried you. But we did what we had to do."
"The base's leader wouldn't let them pass." The Mandalorian continued. "She knew they had the Relic, but she turned them down. After their ship was destroyed, I brought them here."
Winter returned Weiss' hug. "I suppose I understand. But I cannot believe that you allowed this to happen, Qrow!"
"You try stopping these kids when they have their minds set on something." he replied.
"Did you really think you were the only one who got to work on a new plan?" Everyone turned to General Ironwood with the Relic. "With Ozpin gone, I needed my own team of people I could trust. Which is why I'm so glad you're here…with this. Until now, I believed it was impossible to truly turn the tide against Salem. Oz has pushed her back, has kept victory out of her claws, but she will keep returning stronger and stronger…unless we destroy her." Neo and the Mandalorian looked to each other hearing this.
"But, what about the Atlas Relic?" Blake asked.
"You mean the Staff of Creation? It's safe in the Vault." Ironwood replied.
"And the Winter Maiden?" Qrow asked.
"She is secure and in stable condition." Winter answered.
"Stable condition?" Yang asked. "What does that-?"
"She's, uh, not exactly a spring chicken." Qrow replied.
Ironwood spoke next. "I know how this all looks. Recalling my military? The embargo? I probably don't seem the most trustworthy right now."
"Then why continue it?" Blake asked.
"I needed to ensure Salem couldn't infiltrate Atlas. And I wanted my military here, protecting my people." Ironwood went on to explain his plan: using Amity Colosseum, he was going to build a new communications satellite and launch it into the atmosphere. Where he would reunite the world. Where he would tell Remnant about Salem.
Qrow spoke up. "Oz spent his whole life, many lives, keeping this secret."
"I know." Ironwood replied. "But since Beacon, things have changed. Without him here to guide us, all I can do is use my best judgement."
Oscar shifted uncomfortably. Sensing something wrong, Ironwood looked back at him. "What is it?" he asked.
"Actually, Oz isn't completely gone." he replied.
"Uh, Oscar here is…is the next Ozpin." Qrow finished for him.
"Oz?" Smiling, Ironwood quickly approached Oscar, who looked nervous. "I'm so glad you're here. I didn't think you-"
"Not quite." Oscar interrupted. "He's kind of, um, gone…at the moment."
Ironwood's smile faded and he lowered his head. "That's not normal." He looked back up and asked "How did he-?"
"General." Everyone turned to the Mandalorian. "Neo and I can explain the rest."
"You?" Ironwood and Qrow asked at the same time.
"With all due respect Qrow, he needs to know what we're up against."
"What is he talking about?" Ironwood asked Qrow.
"General, I think you should hear this alone. Let them take a breather." the Mandalorian requested.
"Of course. They're all welcome to stay at the dorms." Before they left, Ironwood turned back. "Qrow." Qrow turned around. "I meant it when I said it was good to see you again."
"Uh, yeah, you too." Qrow replied.
As Ironwood hugged Qrow, Blake went up to the Mandalorian. "What are you doing?"
"Trust me, he needs to know." he replied.
After everyone left, Ironwood turned to the Mandalorian and Neo. "What did you want to tell me?"
Neo took out her Scroll and handed it to the General. He went to his desk and played the video of Oscar she made earlier. Once it finished, he dropped the Scroll.
"She…can't be killed. Jinn told them this?" he asked.
"Apparently, your friend 'Oz' was hiding something." the Mandalorian replied. "They asked the lamp, and it told them…that."
"Why?" he asked, but not to the people in his office. "Why would Oz keep this from us? From the people who trusted him?"
Neo took back her Scroll and typed. Handing him the screen, Ironwood read "We're sorry you had to find out like this. And I'm sorry for my involvement with Beacon. But Mando thinks he can help you, even after all of this. And if he's staying, I'm staying too."
Looking up at the Mandalorian, he asked "You have a plan?"
"I'm working on it." the Mandalorian replied. "But I need three things; Neo's freedom, more knowledge about Atlas and Remnant, and I get to ask the lamp the final question."
Ironwood took a moment to think about this. "Alright. I need Ruby's help with the Amity project, so we can talk while they're away. But you're really willing to let Neo go free?"
Looking at Neo, the Mandalorian replied "She's the only one who's earned my trust." Neo smiled.
"Very well. But one more thing; you can ask the lamp your question after you help us. And tell me more about you and your ship."
"…Deal."
Reaching the dorms, Team RWBY and JNPR went into their own dorms while Qrow went somewhere else with the Ace-Ops. However, Ruby went straight to an empty dorm alone.
"Ruby, where are you-?" Weiss didn't get to finish as Ruby closed the door in her face.
Walking into a dorm with Blake and Yang, Weiss told them "Guys, I'm really worried about Ruby."
"I am too." Blake said. "Other than her yelling, she's acting a lot like how I was at Beacon." Turing to Yang, she asked "Has she ever acted like this before?"
"No, never." Yang replied. "She doesn't seem to care that Mando was the one responsible for what happened to the ship. She's always been one to carry the world's problems on her shoulders, but this is different."
"Speaking of which, can we talk about him?" Blake asked. "I want to know what you guys think of him."
"Well, he did ruin our plans to get to Atlas." Weiss said. "But he could have brought us anywhere in the world. And rather than taking us to Salem, he took us to Atlas. And his demands were reasonable."
"I don't know." Yang argued. "I mean, he's working with Neo of all people. And he trusts her? She almost killed me!"
"She could have killed Ruby as well." Weiss included. "But he talked her out of it. Something about revenge not being 'the Way'. Whatever that means."
"I guess." Yang replied. "But what do you think he wanted to talk about with Ironwood?"
"Most likely what Oscar told Neo. That may have been the right choice, actually. The General seems to trust us right now. Imagine what would have happened if we hid that from him. All that trust would be broken."
"Also, Mando said he wants to help us." Weiss continued. "He had the Relic, he could have asked where these 'Jedi' are and left us back in Argus."
"Well, you have a point there." Yang replied. "But he destroyed Crescent Rose and broke Ruby's heart. It's gonna take a lot more for me to trust him."
Ruby was sitting on her bed, lost in thought. Other than blaming herself for Maria's death and her plan almost getting everyone killed, she couldn't stop thinking about how she almost got HERSELF killed. Her Silver Eyes worked, but they weren't strong enough to stop the Leviathan. If it wasn't for Mando, she would have been killed AND be responsible for the destruction of Argus. She couldn't do this anymore. Her team and her friends would be better off without her.
Hearing a knock, she left these thoughts and turned to the door. "Not now, Yang. I just want to be left alone."
"Ruby?" a familiar voice called out. Jumping of her bed, Ruby ran to the door and opened it. On the other side was a girl with long red hair wearing a green and white dress. On her face was a big smile.
"PENNY?!"
"RUBY!' Penny yelled as she picked up her friend and hugged her with all her strength. "It is such as pleasure to see you again!"
"Penny…can you…let me…down?" Ruby asked between breaths. Letting her down, Ruby got a good look at her. "Penny…I thought you-"
"Died?" an old man in a walking robotic chair walked up to Penny. "I guess in a manner of speaking, she did." Extending a hand, he introduced himself. "I'm Pietro, Penny's father."
"I'm Ruby." she took his hand and shook. "But, how did you rebuild her?"
"We were able to recover her core from Amity Arena. It took me some time but-"
"I'm as good as new! Better even!" Penny finished for him. "And now I'm the official protector of Mantle!"
"That's my girl!" Pietro replied. "We're not going to let a little 'ripping to shreds' stop us, are we?" he asked, coughing a little after saying this.
"No sir!" Penny replied as she banged her head, making a metallic noise.
"But what are you doing here?" Ruby asked.
"Well, the man in armor told me about what happened to your weapon." Pietro answered. "I'm in the process of making upgrades for your friends, and I wanted to see if I should make you one as well."
"Oh." Ruby replied, her joy at seeing Penny replaced with her previous doubts. "I don't know."
Penny noticed something was wrong. Knowing Ruby, she would have jumped at the chance to see new weapons being built. "Ruby, are you okay?"
"No. No, I'm not." Ruby said, a tear falling from her face.
Seeing this, Penny took her hand. "Come with us. We can talk more on the way to my father's workshop."
Author's notes: thanks for reading and your reviews. I have some ideas for what Ruby's new weapon is going to have. It's going to be like Crescent Rose, but an additional scythe is going to unfold from the top (Crescent Rose's blade unfolded from the bottom). So, Ruby can twirl the blade over and over, making it like a saw for larger Grimm. She can also throw it like Marrow's weapon so both blades will cut multiple Grimm down. The Mandalorian will describe some features of his weapons to Pietro, in an attempt to make up for his involvement with Crescent Rose. These features will include using Dust and Amban rounds for the sniper rifle. I call it…Rosenrot (German for 'Rose-red'). What do you think?
I see a lot of questions and comments about my story, so I'm going to address them now. (See the note to an unknown guest)
To GhostCXR, your continued approval and support is appreciated. Thank you for always having nice things to say.
To GojiraFan455515, I'm so glad you're enjoying this. Hope you enjoy this one.
To NeoConVAL, everything you mentioned is going to be in the next chapter, so you won't have to wait very long.
To an unknown guest, I see you have a good question. First off, I have to inform you that Maria is dead. Yes, I killed her off because I personally don't see why she's still involved in RWBY. All she did was give Ruby ONE lesson about Silver Eyes and now Ruby can use them at will. Also, she's basically RWBY's Uber driver, flying the team anywhere they have to go. The Mandalorian can fill this role easily.
Now, onto your question about the galaxy and Remnant. I was going to explain this in my story, but I can see that's no longer an option. So here it is: Long ago, when the Empire first conquered multiple systems, they DID have their eyes on Remnant. However, to avoid detection, they landed outside major kingdoms and cities. Which led to the Grimm destroying multiple exploration teams. At one point, they managed to covertly enter a small city and learn about Dust and Aura. However, when they tried to bring Dust off Remnant and unlock their own Auras, they failed. The Dust lost its power as soon as they left Remnant (which is covered in a World of Remnant episode) and since they were not born on Remnant and had no blessing from the Gods (which was mentioned in "The Lost Fable"), attempts to unlock Aura failed. Seeing that Remnant served no great purpose for the Emperor, and not knowing about Remnant's ancient history, all further attempts at claiming Remnant were abandoned and the planet eventually forgotten. Long lost files were kept of their discoveries, and some of these files were found by Ben Vizla, which he reported to some of his fellow Mandalorians. Having enough of constant battle and the Empire, he fled to the one place he knew nobody would look for him. However, as I mentioned, if the Empire found out about Beskar there, they would come take the armor for themselves. So, a Mandalorian hiding in one place for a long time isn't the best idea. The Mystic was able to know about Remnant and the Gods through the Force. And the legend of the Four Relics was a story he told his people, so it is a very old story like he described. I hope that answers your question.
Anyways, that's all I have. I hope I answered some questions and I hope you liked this chapter. See you next time.