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Chapter 27- Reflections

"Yeah let's do it! After this season is over we'll try to capture you." Ruby explained.

"Just like with Felix, you can act normal but know you'll have a giant bullseye on your back." Nora grinned.

"…" Pyrrha frowned, then grinned, her eyes glinting. "That sounds grand, I believe you'll pose more of a challenge than the reds and blues."

"Oh believe me, we will." Ruby smirked, "I already have a few ideas. But those can wait."

"Reflections" appeared on screen with the theme.

Blake read the theme and rubbed her chin, wondering what it could mean.

Fade in to the New Republic Headquarters. The camera pans down near an algae lake where Kimball and Tucker are seen standing side by side.

Kimball: "I like to come down here when I need to think. It's peaceful."

"When she needs to reflect." Blake realized.

Ruby nodded, "I have my own place too." Mom's grave, the cliff is really peaceful.

Tucker: "...It's really, glowy."

Kimball: "That's the algae. Don't touch it, it's radioactive."

"He fell in it last episode." Jaune winced.

"I think it is a little ironic that even though the title is called reflections. They can't see their reflection in the lake due to the algae." Ren commented.

Tucker: "Oh... tranquil."

Kimball: "Tucker, I'd like to apologize for Felix's behavior. He was out of line."

Tucker: "Yeah, he's kind of an asshole."

Kimball: "He's just worried."

Jaune nodded.

Tucker: "(sarcastic) Riiight, I could really feel his concern when he dislocated my shoulder yesterday."

Kimball: "He puts on a tough guy act, but... deep down I know he cares about you guys."

Ruby smiled, "I knew it."

"Me too." Jaune grinned.

The mercenary with a heart of gold. Blake nodded.

Tucker: "Kimball, I hate to break it to you, but the dude doesn't give a shit about any of this. He's just in it for the money."

Kimball: "It's... more complicated than that."

Tucker: "Oh... Are you banging?"

Ruby gagged. "Gross."

Kimball: "Jesus, no!"

Tucker: "Just sayin'. Guy does stuff for money…"

Kimball: "We are not banging."

Jaune and Ruby looked at each other. Then scooted away ever so slightly.

Tucker: "(sly) So you're single?"

Yang burst out laughing, "Yes!"

"No!" Ruby shouted. "That's even worse than her with Felix."

"Yeah, I have to agree on that." Jaune laughed nervously.

Kimball: "Felix may not be fighting for the same reasons we are but he has more than enough motivation to win this war."

"Ha! She just ignored him. That's the right move." Yang chuckled.

Tucker: "What do you mean?"

Kimball: "Things weren't always this bad. The tides have turned time and time again, and we've come so close to victory, only to be pushed back to the brink of defeat. But, whenever things looked their worst, Felix was there with vehicles or weapons or even just a plan of attack. I never wanted to be a soldier, Tucker. None of us did. But Felix? He chose this lifestyle, and he chose it because he's good at it."

"He is." Pyrrha nodded.

Tucker: "You know, for his boss, you really make it sound like you need him more than he needs you."

"It does sound like that." Blake frowned.

"He cares a lot more than he lets on." Yang added.

Kimball: "Well, I wasn't always his boss. He was in this fight before I was even an officer."

Tucker: "What?"

"This war must have been going on for much longer than I thought." Pyrrha realized.

Kimball: "Tucker, I am the fourth person to lead the New Republic."

"What happened to t- oh.. right." Ruby blushed.

Tucker: "And I repeat, what?"

Kimball: "Our first leader was killed in action. The second was assassinated at what we had been told would be a peace treaty, and the third was blown out of the sky while trying to leave Chorus for help."

"How can they ever trust a call for peace again after that? How can they ever call for peace themselves?" Pyrrha scowled. "That's abhorrent."

"And a clear message." Blake added.

Camera shows Tucker backed up, far away from Kimball.

Kimball: "What are you doing?"

Tucker: "Call me crazy, but I suddenly don't feel as safe around you."

Jaune, Ruby, Yang, and Blake laughed.

Kimball: "(humorous) Heh, I guess my position does have a pretty quick turnover."

Tucker: "(sly) Okay, now you're talking my language!"

Kimball: "Touch me, and you'll sink to the bottom of this lake."

Ruby grinned, "Yeah!"

"Kimball is a badass, you got lucky Rubes." Yang gave her a smile.

Tucker: "No touching!"

Kimball: "That's what I thought."

Tucker: "So Felix has been on the rebel's payroll for a long time. What makes you think he won't just up and leave whenever he's made enough money? I know I would. ...Hahahah, I mean, if I wasn't so invested in your cause."

"Smooth." Yang shook her head.

Kimball: "Like I said, Felix has more than enough motivation to win this war. The thing that keeps him fighting? It's the same thing that's kept us from victory for so long. It's what took your friends. It's Locus."

Camera zooms in on Tucker.

Tucker: "...Whaaaat?!"

"Locus, I think Felix has a grudge against him." Blake guessed.

"Ohh, that's why they hate each other so much." Ruby grinned.

"I wonder what he did to Felix." Jaune grimaced. Probably hurt someone he cared about.

Cut to a section of the New Republic caves.

Grif: "(voice only) Men! Front and center on the double!"

"Woah, Grif sounds like Sarge." Nora grinned.

"We do not need two." Weiss groaned.

Cut to Smith, Jensen, Palomo, and Bitters lining up in front of Grif.

Smith: "Is something wrong, sir?"

Grif: "Oh, you better believe something's wrong, Private Smith!"

Bitters: "Wait, I thought we were lieutenants."

Palomo: "I'm a private."

"Why did he say that so proudly?" Weiss asked. "That's a lower rank."

Grif: "Lieutenant, private, whatever! Just listen to your captain!"

Bitters: "I thought Tucker was our captain."

Cut to Palomo.

Palomo: "No, Tucker is our leader. I think Grif's still a captain."

"He is." Jaune nodded. "They're all captains, Tucker is the leader of them all though for the team. So in a way he's the only captain and the rest are privates."

"Like how I am the queen of our toon, meaning you and Ruby are not leaders." Weiss smirked.

Jaune paused and frowned. "Huh, that's true."

"What Jaune you traitor no it's not!" Ruby shouted.

Cut to Jensen.

Jensen: "Are we still lieutenants?"

Cut to Smith.

Smith: "Well I don't see why not."

Cut to Caboose.

Caboose: "Yeah, is this the line for the bathroom?"

Ruby, Pyrrha, and Nora giggled.

Grif: "(angrily) LISTEN TO YOUR CAPTAIN!"

Simmons enters

Simmons: "Okay, I'll bite. What's going on?"

Grif: "We have had a major breach of security Simmons! A major fucking breach!"

"This is red team talking so I doubt it's anything serious." Blake chuckled.

"That's why I love them so much." Nora grinned.

Simmons: "We have?"

Grif: "Someone from this squad has stolen from my very secret and very personal food stash."

Nora gasped, "The fiend!"

"How dare they!" Ruby added.

"What a surprise." Blake rolled her eyes.

Yang laughed, "This is now their top priority."

"But didn't Grif steal the food first?" Jaune asked. "He ordered his men to do it."

"That is true." Weiss facepalmed.

Simmons: "Oh, right. God help us if you only have nine meals a day."

Grif: "Oh, this wasn't just petty theft, Simmons. This was murder."

Caboose: "Uh, ah, yeah, uh. I didn't do it! Now we all agree that it was the tank's fault."

Lieutenants and Palomo turn to look at Caboose.

Caboose: "What?"

Pyrrha chuckled, "I worry about him, he was looking at a tank recently."

Grif: "A Little Debbie jelly cream pie I've been saving for emergencies is now missing and presumed eaten!"

Simmons: "(Sarcastically gasps) No! I don't believe it!"

Weiss held a hand to her mouth as she chuckled, "That was very passive aggressive."

"Simmons kills it with that tone that says 'you're an absolute idiot' sometimes almost better than Church." Yang laughed.

Grif: "Neither can I!"

Simmons: "You've knowingly had food within arm's reach and haven't eaten it yet?"

Grif: "I have been hiding it since basic training, Simmons."

"Oh.. oh no." Nora shook her head. "I've made that mistake before."

"Please do not bring up the moldy pancake incident." Ren begged.

Jaune shook his head, "I don't even want to know."

Simmons: "Wait... but that would mean it was years old?!"

Palomo: "How many years?"

Simmons: "Let's not get into specifics. Let's just say it's old."

"No get into specifics, I want a timeframe." Blake begged.

"Yeah I love timelines to stuff." Jaune added.

"I would also appreciate that." Ren nodded.

Grif: "(sadly) And still so young."

Simmons: "That's disgusting."

Grif: "Hoh I know! But we're about to find the sick son of a bitch, so don't you worry about that!"

Simmons: "Yeah, he's probably got indigestion."

Caboose: "Yeah, and even though we all blame the tank, kinda feel like Church had a little something to do with it too."

"In a ret-conned scene. Church did mess around with Sheila. Disabling her friendly fire protocols." Jaune commented.

"Caboose is the only one who knows about the ret-cons. He probably knows they're in a game too." Pyrrha chuckled.

Grif walks towards Caboose and the four recruits.

Grif: "You see, only one man in this squad knew about my food locker. He'd seen it after every training mission I gave him while he was in my squad."

"Bitters." Blake guessed.

Grif walks down the line and stops in front of Bitters.

Grif: "After every single raid on the mess hall, he reported back to me and I thought I could trust him, but it turns out I was wrong. Isn't that right... Bitters!"

Brief pause

Grif: "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?!"

Bitters: "...(burps) I think my stomach is dying…"

Nora nodded solemnly, "I know that feeling, poor Bitters."

"That is foul." Weiss gagged.

Grif: "Damn it Bitters, I thought you were cool! But it turns out you're nothing but a lazy, good-for-nothing, dirtbag!"

Matthews approaches Grif.

Matthews: "Hey, leave him alone!"

Grif: "(angrily) Shut it Simmons!"

Nora's eyes widened, "Whoa he's really turning into Sarge!"

Matthews: "(confused) Si-Simmons?"

Grif: "Oh. Wait, I-I mean-"

Simmons: "Grif, you're starting to sound like Sarge."

Grif: "(shocked) What the- de- Simmons, what is happening to me?"

Blake raised an eyebrow.

"This is.. very unexpected." Weiss frowned.

Simmons: "I think you're having a mental breakdown!"

Caboose: "Yeah, those are my favorite kind."

Blake snorted and began to chuckle uncontrollably. "That was good."

"They're Wash's favorite too." Yang quipped.

Blake looked up, "That's just wrong."

"Yeah when I said it I thought about his uh.. mental breakdown." Yang winced. "Not a fun scene."

Simmons: "(to Grif) Being thrust into a position of power must be putting too much stress on your brain! Now it's defaulting to what you subconsciously perceive to be the symbol of leadership: Sarge!"

"I like psychology." Blake smiled.

"That's a good symbol of leadership to default on to." Nora grinned.

"It absolutely is not.. oddly enough though, Tucker has become more like Church in some ways." Weiss pointed out.

"Yeah, it started when he said he hated everyone else's lives and wished they didn't have them." Ruby giggled.

"Grif becoming like Sarge is troubling, though it seems like he's not comfortable with it." Weiss added.

"That's a comfort at least." Pyrrha chuckled.

Grif: "That's not true! That's impossible! Nooooooooohohooooooo!"

"Grif yells 'no' a lot, like when they went back to Blood Gulch after they took out O'Malley- er well after the Alien did and Lopez's robot army attacked." Jaune recalled.

"Man the first five seasons were wacky." Yang exhaled.

Cut to Bitters, Palomo, Jensen, and Smith.

Palomo: "Do you guys have any idea what's going on here?"

Jensen: "Not in the slightest."

Bitters: "(uncomfortably) I-I-I think I'm gonna vomit."

Grif: "(off screen) Oh god, I'm gonna hurl."

Jensen: "Gross."

Bitters: "D-d-don't let me drown in my helmet…"

"Poor Bitters, they never got helmet waste disposal out of Beta." Nora looked down.

Cut back to Tucker and Kimball at the lake.

Tucker: "What does Locus have to do with any of this?"

Kimball: "When the Federal Army heard we had hired a mercenary to help our side, they decided to do the same. But they didn't just find any contract killer. They found Felix's oldest rival. His ex-partner: Locus."

"Ex-partner." Blake repeated.

"Woah." Jaune said simply.

Tucker: "So you're telling me Felix used to be friends with that psycho?!"

Kimball: "Not exactly."

The scene transitions to the past, depicting Felix and Locus fighting alongside each other during the Great War. Plasma blasts and explosions are seen in the background.

Kimball: "(voice over) They fought together in the Great War, and their squad saw one of the worst battles in UNSC history. Felix and Locus never got along. They fought over everything but, considering what they were up against, they banded together...and they survived."

"If they saw one of the worst battles in a war.. you'd think that would bond them right?" Jaune asked.

"It's odd, knowing that they have their own great war." Weiss frowned.

"Every couple of generations there is a great war." Blake shrugged. "But back to the point, something had to have caused a bigger rift than what was already there."

"Felix said something about everyone having their price.. maybe it has something to do with that?" Jaune suggested.

Kimball: "But, surviving isn't always enough."

Scene flash forwards to the aftermath of the Great War, where several UNSC soldiers, including Felix and Locus, are seen in a room. The soldiers gradually fade away until only Locus and Felix are left.

Kimball: "(voice over) When the war was over many soldiers had a difficult time returning to civilian life. And some of them weren't able to return at all."

"That's war, not everyone makes it back." Jaune winced.

"The price of war is high." Ren explained solemnly.

Felix turns around. Cut another flashback, where Felix is seen on Chorus fighting alongside the New Republic. Locus suddenly appears atop a hill, fighting alongside the Federal Army of Chorus.

Kimball: "(voice over) Felix and Locus were always competitive. But when Locus signed up with the Feds, I think Felix took it as a final challenge."

Tucker: "(voice over) Final challenge?"

Kimball: "(voice over) Locus knew that his mission would mean killing his former ally, but he took it anyway. Either the money was too good or Locus wanted to know, once and for all, which of them was better."

"..That's it? A pissing contest between the two." Yang laughed. "I mean I get it on some level, but they're taking it waaay too far."

"Maybe not far enough! They should lead each side!" Nora grinned.

Ren shook his head, "Their reasons are.. not what I expected."

"There's got to be more to it, I mean.. they hate each other. What started it?" Jaune asked.

"Maybe Felix is angry because Locus took the contract, Locus seems like a really bad guy. That could have caused the rift, but when Felix found out he took the Feds contract.. he might have felt betrayed?" Ruby guessed. "I don't know.. I believe Kimball though."

"Me too." Jaune frowned. "But I see your point, everyone has their price. And for a certain price.. Locus was willing to kill his former partner."

Cut back to the present.

Kimball: "We all have our reasons for fighting, Tucker. And I know that yours are your friends. Your five days are almost up, and I don't know when we're going to get another chance like this."

Tucker: "You know, I think I respond better to positive reinforcement."

Jaune nodded, "Yeah, I like positive reinforcement."

"Well too bad lazybones!" Nora shouted.

"You're not my trainer." Jaune crossed his arms.

Pyrrha smirked, "I am, and I will tell him he did great even after I mop the floor with him."

"..wow, thanks Pyrrha." Jaune sighed, yet with a small embarrassed grin.

Kimball: "I'm just saying, you should make the most out of the time you have left. Your squad may be improving slowly, but they're improving nonetheless. You just need to keep trying."

Tucker: "Right, because that's been working so well."

Kimball: "Feel free to come by my office if you ever need anything, Tucker."

"I can see them getting together." Yang said.

"Ew no!" Ruby gagged, "I don't care if it's Tucker or Felix that much. I just don't want my voice to be all lovey dovey!"

"Oh man I do, in this show is probably the only chance I'll ever get to hear it." Yang laughed. "I don't count you talking to Zwei or your scythe."

Kimball leaves. Cut to Tucker approaching Simmons, Grif, and Caboose.

Caboose: "Ah, fun's over, Tucker's back."

"Caboose still hates Tucker." Pyrrha sighed, "On some level."

Grif: "(frantic) Tucker! Tucker, come here! Tell me I'm cool! Tell me I'm lazy and that I don't play by the rules!"

Tucker: "(confused) What?"

Grif: "I don't want a Southern accent!"

Caboose: "Yarr, drop and give me booty!"

"Caboose still thinks Sarge is a pirate too." Pyrrha chuckled.

"I wish we knew what a southern accent was. Southern can possibly mean half of the world." Weiss groaned.

"Well we know Sarge's accent, I guess that's what a southern accent is." Ruby shrugged.

Tucker: "..."

Simmons: "We're dealing with some issues."

Tucker: "Well hurry up and get over it. I need you guys to meet me at the bunks in ten minutes!"

Simmons: "Why? What's going on?"

Tucker: "...We're leaving."

The episode ends.

"Leaving?" Ruby frowned.

—Cinder's Crew SS— Not Canon

Cinder frowned, "What a foolish decision on the Federal Government's part. They could have used that peace treaty to force the former status quo to be reinstated. Simply lie, trick the rebels into thinking their fight is over, and show them their mistake only after they have given up everything and dared to hope."

Mercury and Emerald looked at each other.

"Whatever you say boss." Mercury shrugged. "I have to say though, Felix and Locus are fighting for the right reasons."

"Of course you would think that." Emerald rolled her eyes.

Mercury shrugged, "They want to see who's best, they picked an interesting way to do it. I like it."

"I do as well, it shows how little they care about those around them." Cinder smirked.

—Salem's Crew SS— Not Canon

Salem smiled, "An excellent decision on behalf of the Federal Government. They gave the rebels hope for peace, and sent back a cruel message while also dealing a crippling blow. If they can maintain and win against the rebels, they wouldn't dare raise their weapons again for at least two or three generations."

"Only once their defeat is forgotten." Watts nodded, "foolish youth never take their history into consideration."

"What's even more foolish is the game between Locus and Felix. To what end will it bring them?" Salem asked. "A consolation prize, knowledge that they are better."

—Ozpin's Crew SS— Not Canon

Ozpin sighed, "What a cruel way to ensure that peace talks never occur."

"Negotiation and peace became nearly impossible the moment that happened. Neither side can ever trust one another. Even in wars without false peace summits, peace is a hard topic to broach." Oobleck took a swig of his coffee."

"Pah, politics in war. What interests me is the smaller story of competition!" Port bellowed.

"Ah yes, the dick measuring contest." Goodwitch scoffed. "Qrow is our Felix and Locus is our Ironwood."

"Please Glynda, Ironwood isn't that robotic." Ozpin chuckled.

—Ironwood and his prisoner SS— Not Canon

Ironwood frowned, "Peace is always better than war. And to end any possibility of peace is foolish. The rebels likely gained a lot of support after that clear message that the Federal Government will not protect them."

"Please General this is torture, I can't stand politics." Roman moaned. "But isn't that a little hypocritical? How many animals did you send to join the White Fang after crackdowns?"

Ironwood sighed, "There is a difference."

"You just want to see who's better, you or queen beast." Roman laughed.

Ironwood rolled his eyes, "Me and the leader of the White Fang are not like Locus and Felix. I will say though, those two are prime examples of why I don't trust mercenaries."