So, I'm thinking I might do a rewrite of the current chapters I have for Star Wars: Hyper Lethal Vector. Sort of switch things up in the beginning with Six's arrival into a galaxy far, far away and her sidearms.
Anyway, another two chapters before I break off from the main story and go into a few of my own chapters. Like chapter thirty, it will feature a new Grimm based on a species from another series. A species that is more dangerous than anything anyone ever encountered with a twist of Star Wars, for it is one of my all-time favorite Science Fiction series in the world.
So, onto the reviews I got for the last chapter.
Luffy L Deathwalker: I believe you are mistaken. The song 'Ignite' is the first opening to the second season of Sword Art Online, sung by Eri Aoi, not the song by Skillet. I haven't even heard of that song by Skillet. As for Sidious and her alliance with Salem, Sidious has already been helping Salem with her attack on Beacon and technology that was integrated into the Manti based Grimm. But for the moment, he's more focused on the Rebellion and finishing the construction of the Death Star. But that doesn't mean he isn't keeping a close eye on the planet, hence the Imperial Storm Commando's on the planet that have been conducting reconnaissance on the state of the planet.
42: I still need to watch the rest of Star Wars Visions so for the moment, Lop won't appear… yet or if I plan on bringing them in.
54godamora: So, Gamera isn't from Godzilla? Well, I feel sheepish. Then again, I didn't even know about that monster. But hearing you mention Natsu from Fairy Tail, that's awesome! Still, I'm trying to figure out Trigger's semblance, but the idea of it involving his Jetpack, reminds me of Strike Witches and the striker units said witches use. I'll consider that idea.
Spartan-626: I'll tell you this much, the fight at Blake's house is going to be way different than canon, especially considering it will involve something that Ghira has.
SunPhoenix90: Ilia does know what she's doing. As for Hanzo's last name, it's Hazashi. I looked it up.
Alright reviews are done, time to start the chapter.
Disclaimers are the same as always, please enjoy.
Chapter 68: Known by its Song
The poured down hard as Qrow and Faye walked into Mistral. "Alright, so you'll go speak with this MSDF Colonel you know, and I'll go looking for some Huntsmen and Huntresses to help us with our 'little job'." Qrow said for the second time the two of them made it into the city.
"That's right." Faye answered. Shortly after she took Kara as her padawan, Faye assisted a wounded Colonel Taisuke Kyoshiro of the Mistral Self Defense Force after he and his unit were ambushed by bandits and left for dead after the bandits stole their supplies. Most of his unit was killed in the following Grimm attack and the rest would have surely died had it not been for the Colonel who valiantly held off the enemy singlehandedly, allowing the survivors to escape. He would have died had Faye and Kara not found him and nursed him back to help before returning him to his men at the nearest outpost.
A man well respected for his military tactics, strategy and cunning, the colonel was one of the few people in Mistral not consumed by corruption and greed or choose to play a political game, Kyoshiro was also one of the few people in all of Remnant who didn't trust Ironwood's methods and has his own suspicions about the Fall of Beacon.
A man like that on their side, Raven would have either two choices. Fight against the ones coming for the Spring Maiden or hand her over peacefully but knowing Raven she would rather fight than surrender.
"I should be back at the hotel in several hours. I'll contact you if anything comes up." Faye said before turning the corner and headed to the MSDF base within the city. As she left, Qrow slid the door of a small restaurant open, where a man was sleeping on a table in the corner while the owner stood behind the counter, sharpening their kitchen knife on a wooder block as Qrow walked up.
"Regular? Or the Special?" the owner asked.
"I'm actually looking for someone, goes by the name of Shiro Wan. Ever heard of him? I heard he's a regular around here." Qrow told the owner, who was curious about why Qrow was looking for Shiro. "Hey, I'm not some cop if that's what you mean. I need Shiro for a gig. We go way back." Qrow assured the owner.
"So, he's a friend of yours. Well, in that case…" the owner said, his tone suddenly turning hostile as he pointed his knife at Qrow in a threatening manner. "You tell that jerk that he better not show his ugly face in here until he pays me the Lien he owes me!" That was all that Qrow needed to hear before he exited the restaurant quickly, leaning against the door before he took out his flask, took a drink from it before he pulled out his scroll and looked through the list of Huntsmen he was trying to recruit.
Shiro was out, so that left Blanka Griffin, Boyd Raine, Amethyst Kreiss, Ivy Altham, Aoi Rivas, Farrow Vaccaro, Harkin Lunsford and several others. Heather Shields was also out due to her injuries and something else about her injuries didn't sit right with her, especially since that it seemed that Salem's lackey, the deceased Tyrian somehow tracked her down and tried to kill her. "Great start." Qrow said with a sigh, just as the owner's knife stabbed the door cloth, barely missing Qrow's head.
Things weren't any better as Qrow continued looking for any Huntsmen and Huntresses on his list. After what seemed like an eternity of searching Qrow found himself right back where he started and stared at the Mistral Bounty mission boards.
Flann, Lucero, Azura Durham, Dove Cowan, Lali Choi, Fuschia Lin, Stark Silver, Jay Hawkins, Lucero Hawthorne, Rory Andrews, Aurora Castillo, Daisy Hughes, Mae Levine, Wyatt Forest, Orion Page, Star Rivera, Cyan Kratz, Zach Hyacinth, Inigo Nash, Caroline Teale, Midori Li, Onyx Thurmon, Viola Varga, Nova Carrillo, Venus Hale, Terra Hunt, Mauve Erdos, Maza Bashir, Cascade Rhodes, Clover Hopkins, Maple Larsen, Lotus Yu, Ash Lynch, Roux Forhan, Slate De Sena, Lali Choi, Umbra Ayress and Carmina Griffin.
Huntsmen and Huntresses that Qrow had known for a long time hadn't returned or were either dead. Something about this didn't sit right with him and the fact that so many of them were on the board, he had a bad feeling about this situation. Deciding it was what Shiro would want, Qrow returned to the restaurant and paid off Shiro's debt, which was about sixteen thousand Lien.
As the rain continued to pour, Faye arrived at the Mistral Self Defense Force base and was escorted inside by two faunus soldiers armed with battle rifles. It was understandable that she was given an escort, with the kingdom being on high alert with all the Grimm and tensions with Atlas, but what caught Faye's eyes were the large numbers of supply trucks being sent into the lower levels of the city where the black market and other illegal activities were more active.
"The Colonel is waiting for you inside." One of the soldiers said as they stood at attention, outside the building that housed the Colonel's office. Faye nodded and stepped inside, removing her hood as she came face to face with a tall man with spikey black hair and grey eyes who was in their mid to late thirties. The man sat at their desk looking through the requests of various 'respectable businessmen' who were asking for military protection, a task that greatly annoyed them.
"Colonel Kyoshiro." Faye said, getting the colonel's attention from his paperwork. When the colonel noticed the speaker, he discarded the paperwork and got up from his desk with a smile on his face.
"Master Faye. I am grateful you have come." He said with a bow. "It has been far too long. Tell me, how is young Kara's training progressing?" he asked, pulling up a chair from nearby in front of his desk before taking his seat again.
"Kara's training is progressing well, especially since she picked up a second teacher. Tell me have you heard of the Demon Lord of the Round Table?" she asked.
"You mean to tell me that the Demon Lord has returned?" Kyoshiro asked in shock. Faye nodded and the colonel snarled. "I knew that Ironwoods report about his demise were greatly exaggerated. That man has become far more trouble than has already become. If I were in charge of the security of the Vytal Festival, I wouldn't have brought any of my men to guard the city, especially his new machines."
"Ironwood said the Demon Lord was killed?" Faye inquired.
"It's more than that." The colonel began. "Ironwoods Dust Embargo has almost dwindled our Kingdoms supply to nothing. We are barely scraping by with what little resources we have. I can understand the embargo, but it appears his fear has gotten the better of him. He believes he is doing the right thing, but all he has done is made things worse. Our request for the new Sabre and Sentinel fighters has been ignored, our land and sea transport routes have been blocked off by the war factories, our navy has lost almost all of our ships and what's worse, I've received numerous reports that Huntsmen and Huntresses have taken on missions, only to have not returned." He added with a slam of his fist on the table.
"I've noticed that as well." Faye said in agreement.
"It gets worse. I've continued to make the appeal to the council to dispatch our forces away the city to deal with the increasing Grimm threat attacking the settlements, but they continue to ignore my request and send my soldiers to protect the warehouses of criminals who have continued to roam freely and make a profit off the suffering of others, even selling the weapons my men desperately need. I cannot act against the council, or they will find it as an excuse to remove me from power and replace me with someone who's more compliant with their needs! An army's purpose is to protect the entire kingdom, not just those with money!" he yelled.
"I understand completely." Faye sympathized. "From the sounds of things, Ironwood is rejecting the aide of Master's Secura and Fisto. His trust in his army allowed the enemy to completely catch him off guard at Beacon and Vale paid the price for it. As for the council, they wish to protect only themselves and see the rest of the kingdom as little more than insects they can squash. Even if a massive Grimm threat is approaching the Kingdom, they will no doubt focus their defenses on protecting their own interests instead of the people. As a Jedi, I cannot act against the council or else I risk both of our lives, especially for you and your rank in the military. However, the missing Huntsmen and Huntresses are also concerning. I suspect that someone is leaking information about these warriors and ambushing them while on their mission. A man called Tyrian Callows attack Heather Shields not to long ago before he was killed. Thankfully, Miss Shields is alive, but there are still so many questions we do not have answers to."
"I will admit, when you told me that you were a Jedi, I found it hard to believe, but after you saved my life and the lives of my men, I trust you completely." Kyoshiro started before he caught wind of the name Faye mentioned. "Tyrian Callows? That man disappeared after his transport was attacked by the Grimm. An infamous serial killer and a sadistic one to boot. Did the Demon Lord kill him?"
"To my knowledge yes." Faye replied. "Anyway, onto the matter at hand. I've come to inform you that I've received information that Haven Academy is the next target Cinder Fall plans to attack. She plans to do destroy the CCT tower attached to the school, and I have reason to believe the White Fang will also become involved in this attack. We need the military to be on high alert, for the Grimm will no doubt be drawn in by the negative emotions from the ensuring battle. I know you can handle that matter, can you colonel?" she requested.
Kyoshiro smiled before he looked at Faye. "After everything you've done for me, I would be more than happy to oblige your request. However, I need to attend to something of importance. One of our outposts has gone silent for the last few days and all means of contacting them have failed. I am taking a detachment of soldiers to the outpost, and I would greatly appreciate the assistance of a Jedi and perhaps, one of those clones that fought with the Demon Lord." The colonel asked.
"I know of a certain ARC Trooper who would be more than happy to assist you." Faye replied.
The colonel smiled before his face turned serious. "Now, in regard to the matter about the attacks on Huntsmen and Huntresses, I may have a clue as to who is responsible." He said urgently.
As this was going on, miles away from the city of Mistral, in the Branwen Tribe camp, Yang, Weiss, Arthur, Ahsoka, Raven and March sat around a table while Vernal poured them all a cup of tea. Per their agreement, the four ARC-Troopers waited outside the tent, guarding their bikes from the bandits. "You can wait outside. Thank you." Raven said to Vernal who did as the tribe leader ordered her.
Once Vernal had left, Yang spoke to her mother. "So, what's the 'truth'?"
Raven took a sit of her tea before she told her guests that it was better to drink the tea while it's hot, to which Weiss countered by saying that Raven was obnoxious. Arthur and Ahsoka on the other hand, took a sip of their tea but kept their eyes fixated on Raven. "The truth is that 'truth' is hard to come by. A story of victory for one person is a story of defeat for someone else. By now, your uncle has surely told Ruby and her friends plenty of stories." Raven said.
"Well, he's never given me a reason to doubt him before." Yang shot back to her mother.
"That doesn't mean those reasons don't exist." Raven began as her daughter glared at her. "You know, you and your teammates might as well be the poster children for the Huntsmen Academies, same thing for your friend the Demon Lord. Your motives vary, but you all enrolled to try and make the world a better place. It's adorable." She continued.
"It's Huntsmen and Huntresses do, far more noble than what you and your tribe do." Arthur snarled.
"Not all of them." Raven interjected, ignoring Arthur's last comment about her tribe. "Your uncle and I didn't attend Beacon to become Huntsmen, we did it to learn how to kill Huntsmen." She revealed, getting an exchanging gasp from Weiss and Yang as Raven poured herself some more tea. "Daddy and Uncle left that part out, hm? Aside from the Grimm, Huntsmen were the only ones capable of ruining our raids and hunting us down. Our tribe needed a counterforce. And Qrow and I were the perfect age. The entrance exams were child's play compared to what we'd already been through. We were good. So good, that we caught the attention of Beacon's very own Headmaster, Professor Ozpin. Even after we were put on a team, I could tell he was keeping his eye on us. Back then, I thought it because he knew, but it was Team STRQ that he was interested in."
"What do you mean by that?" Yang asked her mother.
"Constant attention, extra training missions, turning a blind eye whenever we happened to break the rules and get into more trouble than we should've. Sound familiar?" Raven explained. Both members of Team RWBY and Team GARM looked to each other with another glance.
"What's your point?" Yang demanded from her mother.
"How much do you know about Professor Ozpin? About his past?" Raven asked her guests. At first, Weiss told her what everybody already knew about Ozpin. That he was a prodigy and one of the youngest headmasters ever appointed to a school before Raven continued. "Because that's how he planned it. Because the man you know as Ozpin designed those schools and his followers inside every academy on Remnant that are loyal to him and no one else."
"Pretty sure Ironwood is off that list now, after what he pulled at Beacon when the Grimm invaded the streets and the Empire attacked." Ahsoka surmised, taking another sip of her tea.
"First time I actually met a Jedi that didn't try to kill me." Raven scoffed.
"How do you know about the Jedi?" March questioned.
"Because I killed a Jedi shortly after Yang was born." She explained. "That damn fool Tai, he forgot to use a condom when we had sex and I ended up giving birth to Yang. I didn't want to raise a child, the tribe demanded me, so I left her with her father and Summer." She started, getting an angry look from Yang who wanted nothing more to beat her mother to a pulp. "As for the Jedi, they said they were on the run from this Empire you spoke of when they came across me and my tribe after a successful raid. They approached upon noticing that one idiot in the tribe decided to take a local girl as a slave and demanded we release her. Naturally, the idiot who took the girl fired first and tried to kill them, but they defeated him easily, but not without getting a wound or two. I stepped in, fought and killed the Jedi, even taking their lightsaber as a trophy before that damned Demon Lord took it from me the moment he arrived on Remnant."
"You… killed a Jedi?" Ahsoka gasped in shock.
"I did. But back to the matter at hand." Raven answered, turning back to her daughter who was confused about how Ozpin could have planned on becoming the headmaster of Beacon. "Because old man Oz has a great and terrible secret. One that could spread fear across the world. One that he eventually entrusted to our team, and once I knew, there was no going back. I needed to know more, but with every new discovery I made, the more horrifying the world became."
"Okay, then tell us. What's the big secret? What's so crazy that the rest of us don't know?" Yang demanded angrily.
"The Creatures of Grimm… have a master named Salem. She can't be stopped, she can't be reasoned with, and she will not rest until Humanity crumbles at her feet." She answered, all five teens' eyes widening more and more.
"What?" Weiss questioned.
"You pulling my ears?" March said in equal shock.
"You know, you three haven't even touched your tea." Raven said to Yang, Weiss and March, the first of whom stood up, demanding why they should believe her. "Now you're catching on. So far, you've done nothing but accept what others tell you, but you need to question everything. Just like your Jedi friend should have when you fought in that war of yours. What was it again? Oh right, 'The Clone War'." The group continued to stare at Raven as she stood up and turned around. "Otherwise, you'll end up just as blind as Qrow, your fool of a father and your master." She finished.
The mention of Anakin hit Ahsoka hard as shot from Ember Celica destroyed the table, shattering the empty teacup which clattered across the floor, stopping at Raven's boot. A faint smile appeared on Raven's face as Yang's eyes turned read and Ahsoka glared at Raven. "Don't you dare talk about my family like that!" she shouted.
"And you don't know Anakin. Not like I did." Ahsoka snapped back.
As the two spoke, Weiss stared up at Yang and Ahsoka wide-eyed and flinches when she the two of them speak, as Vernal entered the tent her weapon drawn and pointed at Yang. "You need to calm down." The bandit told Yang, only for the bandit to fine four blasters being pointed at her.
"And you need to lower that weapon." Hevy told Vernal.
"Yang, please." Weiss said to her teammate, holding her hand.
"Listen to your friend, Yang. Your teammates never let you down before." Raven said to her daughter.
"You don't know the first thing about teammates! About me! You were never there! You left us! Why?! Because your damned tribe was more important to you!?" Yang shouted, her eyes turning back to normal before she hung her head in sadness.
"I know more than you realize. Not just about you, and not just what I've been told, but things I've seen with my own eyes. I know the Grimm have a leader, I know people who can come back from the dead, I know that magic is real, I know there is life outside of Remnant and I can prove it." Raven addressed her daughter as Weiss, Ahsoka, March and Arthur stood up.
"You said Tai told you about my Semblance? Well, I doubt he ever told you about what Oz did to me and my brother." Raven said before she exited the tent while Vernal lowered her weapon, as did the four ARC Troopers who exchanged confused looks with the kids.
"Go see for yourself." Vernal told them, exiting the tent from behind them as the five teens and four clones exited the rear of the tent but saw no sign of Raven. Weiss relented as Yang get on looking for her mother, still unsure about what Raven told them about Ozpin and the Grimm.
The caw of a nearby bird caught their attention when it suddenly descended towards the group, flying and weaving between the trees before it shapeshifted into Raven herself, who landed on back on the ground on her feet, leaving the nine of them shocked. "How… did you do that?" Yang asked.
"Well, I could explain it to you…" she started, drawing her sword, slashing behind her and created a portal with her semblance. "… or you could ask your uncle." She finished, much to their surprise.
"You're letting us go?" Yang questioned.
"I'm giving you a choice." Raven clarified, sheathing her sword. "Stay here, with me, and I'll answer all your questions and more. Or… you can go back to Qrow and join Ozpin's impossible war against Salem and meet the same fate as so many others. But can you really go back to trusting someone that's kept so much from you?"
Yang just glared at her mother. "All I care about is making sure my sister is safe and what makes you think that I would want to stay with you after you said I was a mistake?" Yang clarified back, clearly not the answer that Raven was looking for.
By the time they brought their bikes to the back of the tent, they were about to enter the portal when Raven warned Yang that if she sided with Qrow, she would become their enemy. Yang just told her that she was already their enemy before the group drove into the portal as it closed.
Back in Mistral, Qrow was leaning against a stone railing sighing about the information he had gathered. "This isn't right. I get one or two of them, but… all of them?" he said to Cody who had his helmet in his hand. "Did anything like this ever happen to you during the war, commander?"
"The Chancellor may have given information to the enemy, but this is something else. Someone's taking out Huntsmen and Huntresses one-by-one and it seems they know where they are. I don't like it, so I called for Waxer and Boil. They should be here by tomorrow." The Commander told Qrow. Just then the sound of Raven's portal came from behind them but to their surprise it wasn't Raven.
As this was going on, back in the house Team RNJR was staying at, each member of the team was helping to prepare dinner. Ruby and Ren were cooking on the stove, Jaune and Joan were setting the table while Nora and Kara were cutting carrots, with Nora occasionally eating a slice. "Alright, the first batch is just about done." Ren told Ruby.
"Awesome! Now we just need Qrow and we'll be all set." Ruby agreed.
"Do you really think he's gonna bring that many people? This is a lot of food." Nora asked while eating some carrot slices.
"Uh, I don't know, but it sounds like we could use all the help we can get." Ruby answered.
"We'll have plenty if Nora doesn't keep eating all the food." Kara pointed out just as Qrow announced he was back and asked for Ruby. "Sounds like your uncle wants you. Wonder what it's about?" Kara wondered as smoke started to rise from the pan Ruby was using and gave it to Ren.
With a tea tray in her hands, Ruby headed into the living room before she looked up and gasped, dropping the tea tray and its contents which shattered on the floor. Staring in disbelief as standing in front of her was not just Qrow, but her sister, Weiss, March, Arthur, Echo, Kix, Hevy and Hardcase. "Yang, I… I'm so sorry! I- should've stayed, and I should talked to you more! I'd—I just…" Ruby started to say with a cracked voice as tears fell from her eyes. "I wasn't sure if you wanted me around and—" she continued before Yang pulled her into a strong hug, causing Ruby's lips to quiver.
"I love you." Yang said to her little sister as tears started to stream from her eyes.
"I love you too." Ruby told her older sister as the others walked into the room, smiling at the sight of the three members of Team RWBY embracing each other.
But while this occurred, deep within the deserts of Anima, a massive creature with a large mandible, side mandibles and a set of four forelegs, two of which were longer than the front two emerged from the sands with a screech, followed dozens of similar creatures each of which bore the same black and bone white armor as the standard creatures of Grimm, followed by larger six-legged creature with a very durable shell and thick exoskeleton. These creatures turned towards the direction of Mistral and began their march towards the city.
Alright, so I am still not entirely sure how Galen and the rest of his team are going to take to Ozpin's relation with Salem and all that, but I'm not going to have him lose all trust in Ozpin when the big secret is revealed.
Anyway, chapter is done and most of it is the same as canon, but Raven also revealed that she didn't want Yang and something big is heading towards Mistral.
As for the Mistral Self Defense Force Colonel, his appearance is basically the same as Todoh from Code Geass and for the sake of the story, he'll be voiced by the same guy, Steve Blum a veteran Voice Actor who has done numerous roles in Transformers and other series, like Digimon and such.
Until next time, read and review. Oh and stay warm, it's really cold. Oh and I got my hands on Red Dead Revolver.