Chapter 21: The Root of Fear

Professor Ozpin's office, 14:00 pm…

"You're sure it was the Empire?" Ozpin asked.

"Beyond any doubt." Jason replied.

He and Nathan were stood in Professor Ozpin's office, reporting what had just transpired nearly a full hour ago.

Well; Jason was, at least.

Nathan was sat by himself in a seat nearby, having not spoken a word since the incident.

Jason shuddered to imagine how scared Nathan probably felt in that moment.

Ozpin sighed, drawing Jason's attention: "And here I was, hoping that this day would never come." Ozpin remarked sadly. "But it appears that it has come all the same, and now my students will be in grave danger as long as this threat hangs over them."

Jason met Ozpin's gaze, seeing the worry etched in the older man's face behind his glasses. "Then we need to hit them before they get a good chance to hit us."

"What would you propose?" Ozpin inquired, tenting his fingers together.

Jason folded his arms. "Send Qrow out to find the Imperial encampment. He's skilled at snooping, so he'll probably be able to get in unnoticed and out the very same way. Then once he's found the camp; me and Winter can plan and lead an assault on the camp and take out the Empire before they attack."

Ozpin sat back in his chair and nodded. "Very well. I shall recall Qrow as soon as I can in order to assign him." Standing up and hobbling to the window, Ozpin took a deep breath. "I fear Remnant will soon be ravaged by a war the likes of which will make our Great War seem like a water balloon fight in comparison. It once again falls to us to ensure it does not result in that."

Jason nodded grimly. "We'll make sure of it, sir."

"You had best ensure Nathan is alright, too." Ozpin said, gesturing to the seat in which Nathan was sitting.

Or rather had been sitting.

Jason glanced towards the elevator and caught a glimpse of Nathan just as the elevator doors closed.

"I can't imagine how he is feeling." Ozpin remarked sadly from behind Jason.

"I can." Jason replied. "He's scared. More scared than I've ever seen him. And knowing Nathan like I do; when something scares him this much… Well; he won't be easy to find from here on out."

"You'd be surprised, young man." Ozpin said. "You aren't Nathan's only friend."


Beacon Cliffs, a short time later…

"Nathan…?"

Nathan looked up to find Blake stood a few feet away from him, flanked by the rest of his friends and teammates.

JNNPR, RWBY, Ghost, even Team CFVY was there.

He acknowledged their presence wordlessly, nodding before returning his gaze to the forest laid out before him. The sun's rays lit up his face, revealing streaks of shed tears covering his face. He closed his eyes as fresh tears joined them.

Within moments, though; Blake was at his side, snuggling up to him and laying her head on his shoulder.

Instinctively, Nathan wrapped his arm around Blake and pulled her closer.

Pyrrha soon joined them, taking Nathan's left hand in her right hand and squeezing it softly.

A pair of arms wrapped around his neck from behind him; and Nathan needed only to look at the mechanical right arm to know it was Yang.

The rest of Nathan's friends assembled around him in silence, wordless in their support of him.

Nathan took a deep breath, finally speaking for the first time since the Imperial attack had ceased over an hour ago: "I… I guess I don't need to tell any of you how scared I am right now. The Empire coming to Remnant… it's my worst fear come true. Not because I'm now in danger; but all of you are. I never wanted this to happen; but… now it has."

"If it means you're safer than you would be alone; we'll gladly stand by you." Blake declared, her head leaving his shoulder to look at him. "I promised you that should the Empire come looking; I would stand with you. No matter what happens to me. I made that promise knowing I might die keeping it; but you are worth that promise, Nathan."

"It's okay to be scared, Nathan." Pyrrha added, drawing Nathan's attention to her. "But I once swore to you I would stand by your side when the Empire came. And I never make promises I don't intend to keep."

"The Empire can send as many against us as they want." Yang went on to say. "And I'll send as many of them back as I need to."

"We're with you, Nate." Jaune said as he stepped into Nathan's field of vision. "An Arc never goes back on his word."

"Nor will me and Nora." Ren added from nearby.

"The Empire will not take you as easily as they might hope." Weiss stated. "Not whilst I draw breath. The word of a Schnee might not mean much to you; but the word of your friend Weiss might."

"Team RWBY's on your side, Nate." Ruby declared. "We all are."

"Same with us." Coco of Team CFVY said. "We may go down; but fuck it; we're Huntsmen and Huntresses. Call it an occupational hazard."

"If I could hazard a guess; Ghost is on your side, too." Yang joked, making everyone groan at the pun. "What; I'm just saying!"

"I'm sure you meant well, Yang." Ghost said. "But you know I stand with you, Nathan. You risked your neck for mine all those years ago. Now it's my turn to repay the favour."

Nathan found himself smiling for the first time in what felt like ages, and nodded gratefully. "Thanks, guys." He said, fresh tears threatening to fall. "Thank you all so much."

"Don't mention it." Pyrrha responded warmly. "Now… we'll leave you and Blake alone. See you at dinner!" At that, Pyrrha stood up and left, followed suit by the rest of Nathan's friends.

Save for Blake.

Nathan looked at Blake warmly, smiling at his girlfriend, who smiled back at him equally as warmly. "Did you gather everyone just to do that?" He asked.

Blake chuckled. "Obviously. Kanan couldn't join us because he's having to call his mother for reinforcements, but… he told me he and the White Fang stand by you."

Nathan nodded. "Think he'll have to tell her the truth?" He asked.

Blake nodded herself. "Are… you okay with that?"

"Yeah." Nathan said. "Sienna deserves to know the mess Kanan's getting involved in. I know I would if I were one of his parents."

Blake smiled. "Will this wish to know what someone's getting involved in stretch to our future children?" She asked, taking Nathan's hand and pressing it to her belly.

Nathan nodded. "Sure will." He replied, moving so that Blake was laid in his lap, allowing him to rub her belly gently.

Blake sighed happily before saying: "Come here, Nathan." Wrapping her arms around his neck.

Nathan leaned in and his lips soon met Blake's.

Much like many of their kisses, this meant their love for each other was still strong as it had ever been.

But this kiss was a reiteration. A reiteration of promises they had made and intended to keep even if they paid for it with their lives.

The kiss broke, and Nathan moved Blake so that she was straddling him. "Have I ever told you you're the best thing that's ever happened to me since I came to Remnant?" Nathan asked softly.

Blake smiled warmly in response. "That's a first." She replied, just before leaning in to kiss Nathan again.


White Fang Encampment, shortly thereafter…

"This is troubling news." Sienna Khan declared as Kanan finished recounting the events of that day's attack. "A new enemy for the White Fang when you've been making such good progress in Vale? This doesn't bode well for us at all."

"I wouldn't say they're a new enemy for us exclusively. More a new enemy for all of Remnant." Kanan responded. "But right now; I could really use some reinforcements. They took a third of the men I currently have. We only just buried them before I called you."

Sienna nodded. "Do you have any indication as to why they're here?" She asked.

Kanan sighed. "I do… but… I'm… I'd be breaking a considerable degree of trust that's been placed in me if I do."

Sienna smirked. "I'm guessing this is to do with your new friend Nathan Phoenix being a Jedi. Or… whatever it was that your father called him during our last conversation together."

"Wha-?!" Kanan spluttered. "Dad told you? Did Nathan give dad permission or something, or-"

"Son, would your father have ever trusted me with such sensitive information if Nathan himself hadn't told your father it was okay to?" Sienna asked. "So yeah… I know about Nathan's past. Or rather… enough about it to make the solid conclusion that these soldiers and this woman in black you described are here for him."

Kanan breathed a hefty sigh of relief. "That's relieving. I never like keeping secrets from you."

"Unless it's whether you smashed some of my best dinner plates or they just… 'fell'." Sienna teased.

"I was five years old! Not my fault you placed the cookie jar so high up!" Kanan protested.

Sienna laughed. "Yes; because you kept climbing higher and higher in order to reach it!" She responded. "You'd think you were a spider monkey faunus instead of a tiger faunus with how easily you can climb things."

Kanan chuckled. "But… I'm glad you know about Nathan, mom. That's a huge weight off my shoulders."

"In a way; I am too." Sienna said. "It doesn't bring me any happiness that you're mixed up in all this; but it's better than not knowing at all. Just… be careful, okay? Burying you is something I pray I never have to do."

"I'm still here, Mom." Kanan said comfortingly.

"Yeah." Sienna replied, before wiping a tear from her eye. "Your reinforcements will be on their way by dawn tomorrow."

"Thanks mom, I really appreciate it." Kanan answered.

"Anything for my baby boy." Sienna teased, before ending the call.

Kanan shook his head. "Wow…" before standing up from his desk.

"So… you told your mom about Nathan, huh?"

Kanan jumped and looked to see Yang stood in the doorway of his tent arms folded. Her expression indicated that she was not at all happy. "Not me; it was-"

"Does Nathan know that your mom knows? Or did you just tell her because it was something she 'needed to know' without asking Nathan if he was okay with it?" Yang asked, her voice rising with every second.

"Yang; I-" Kanan made to say.

"You know what? Never mind. I can see it written all over your face." Yang said, no hiding the quite clear disgust in her voice. "How dare you? How fucking dare you break Nathan's trust in you! Do you have any idea how much Nathan had to have trusted you in order to allow you to know about his past? About what he's been through?!"

"Yang, if you'd just let me explain…" Kanan tried saying.

"Save it." Yang snapped. "I don't need to hear you trying to justify betraying Nathan. I guess you were the one person too many." At that, Yang spun on her heel and stormed off.

"Yang, wait!" Kanan said, moving to pursue her, but it was too late. Yang had already left the camp.

Sitting down with a heavy sigh, Kanan placed his head in his hands, taking a deep breath, knowing that his relationship with Yang may well be over.

He held the tide back as much as he could, but soon; he couldn't stop the tears from flowing.


Somewhere on Beacon's grounds…

"Nathan."

Nathan looked from Blake to where Jason was stood a few feet away, staring intently at him. Looking back to Blake, Nathan saw a small smile crossing Blake's face.

"I'll see you at dinner." Blake said gently, leaning in to kiss Nathan for a few moments before stepping away and walking off, leaving Nathan alone with Jason.

Nathan smiled at Blake and turned to walk over to Jason, whose gaze flitted momentarily from Nathan to the departing Blake.

"You'd better not be staring at Blake's ass." Nathan warned.

Jason chuckled. "It's a great ass. But I've already got a girl with an ass that's just as great."

"There goes my theory about not being well endowed being a Schnee family curse." Nathan muttered with a chuckle of his own, making Jason laugh a bit.

As the laughter died down, Jason took a deep breath. "Been meaning to find you because we need to talk."

"I was hoping to find you too." Nathan responded. "We do need to talk."

An uneasy silence briefly descended upon the two Jedi until finally, Jason spoke:

"With the Empire on Remnant; we can't worry about what happened three years ago; hurtful though it was for both of us." Jason folded his arms and glanced back at Nathan. "We need to stand together. It's the only way we're making it out of this mess alive."

"You mean: You, me, and everyone else." Nathan responded.

"Yeah." Jason agreed. "But… that's my piece said. What about yours?"

Nathan took his lightsaber in his hand and brushed his thumb over the activation switch. "When we fought… that dark warrior outfought me in a way I've not been outfought since I faced Dooku that one time." Nathan said. "It made me realise that… that my skills need sharpening. I need to become a better fighter. But I also need to brush up on my Force abilities." Looking back at Jason, Nathan added: "So… would you help me? It's not like I've got any other choice."

Jason nodded. "We'll start tomorrow." He declared firmly.


The Imperial Encampment, Mountain Glenn, 17:00 pm…

The Third Sister normally hated meetings such as this.

She hated standing around; listening to the commanding officers discussing anything.

However, when it came to tactics and troop emplacements, she always liked being involved. She enjoyed making her own suggestions, even when some of the commanders shut her down with reasons as to why her suggestions wouldn't work.

Before being selected as an Inquisitor, one of the Third Sister's favourite pastimes was learning about battle tactics, strategy, and the ways of war. She was good at it; which was why her presence had been suggested.

"Inquisitor; what do you propose we do to negate our patrols being attacked by these… beasts that inhabit this ruined city?"

The Third Sister looked up and eyed the speaker; one of the main commanders in the camp: A tall, broad-shouldered man in his sixties by the name of Robert Stark. Stepping forward, the Third Sister spoke: "I've learned the creatures you speak of are referred to as the Grimm, General. As for how to deal with them attacking our patrols; the most damaging attacks seem to be on the smaller, more vulnerable patrols. So we'll send out larger patrols. Increase the number of troops on these patrols until they start coming in completely intact."

"Very good, Inquisitor." Said another of the commanders, a short, stick-thin man by the name of Joffrey White. "And what about other duties that require that manpower, hmm?"

The Third Sister swallowed a pang of anger and responded: "Then perhaps you can get your hands dirty for once, Colonel. Maybe then you'd gain some muscle on that frame and the troops might start respecting you."

Laughter broke out amongst the rest of the Imperial officers, including General Stark, whilst Colonel White stood there scowling.

They were interrupted by the sudden appearance of an aide, who looked nervous by his facial expression.

"Inquisitor… I've been sent to inform you that the Baron is here. He expects your presence as soon as possible."

The Third Sister felt a surge of fear rush through her body at that announcement. The Baron was the reason she and the rest of this Imperial army were here on Remnant. Having worked under him more than once, the Third Sister knew that the Baron had a certain proclivity for young women, including her. And given he'd just arrived; there was only one reason why he'd summon her.

"We'll keep you posted on what we decide, Inquisitor." General Stark said, a sympathetic look on his face. "Inform the Baron that I'll expect him to join us with you at his earliest convenience."

Nodding, the Third Sister swallowed her fear, turning on her heel and walking off in the direction offered to her by the aide.


The Baron's tent, shortly thereafter…

Judging by the sounds of the Baron grunting loudly within his tent alongside the pained, scared whimpers of what sounded like a young female, the Baron was already indulging himself.

The Third Sister tried to block out the whimpers and focus her hearing on the Baron's grunts, which would tell her how close he was to finishing. Unfortunately, so would the cries of the woman.

A few minutes passed as the Baron's grunts increased in volume and frequency, as did the whimpers and cries of the woman, until finally, a loud growl emanated from within the tent, followed by faint sobbing.

Another minute or so passed until a deep, cruel voice said: "Out. We're finished here."

Moments later, a young woman, seemingly an Imperial officer, came out of the tent, a brisk pace being set by her.

A short time passed until the Third Sister heard:

"Third Sister… I know you're outside. Thank you for… waiting for me. You may enter now."

Taking a deep, worried breath, the Third Sister stepped inside the tent, once more finding herself assailed by the musky, oppressive scent of non-consensual coitus, a smell she had experienced many times in the times she'd worked under the Baron.

As she expected; there were little to no amenities within the tent; just a bed, a desk, and a large trunk at the foot of the bed.

Sat at the desk was the Baron himself.

A tall, imposing man in his thirties standing at around six feet five inches tall, with a strong, powerfully built body, shoulder length black hair and sinister yellow eyes, the Baron would be considered a handsome man, were it not for the sheer fear and dread he inspired simply by entering a room. Or by simply being in the same room as him.

The Baron had clearly just finished getting dressed; wearing a black tunic over a black undershirt, black trousers, and a pair of black leather boots. Completing his appearance were a pair of black gloves, and a large, black cloak was hanging from the ceiling of the tent.

The Third Sister stood to attention, arms firmly clasped behind her back. "You summoned me, my lord?" She asked.

The Baron nodded, his gaze moving up and down her body predatorily before saying: "Did you encounter the Jedi?"

"I did, sir." The Third Sister responded. "We fought and I did triumph; but was prevented from finishing him by the arrival of reinforcements, including another Jedi."

"Another Jedi?" The Baron asked, a rare look of surprise on his face. But the surprised look simply morphed into a sinister smile. "This bodes very well for my plans. If I triumph here on this planet; the Emperor will have no choice but to acknowledge me as his second apprentice. And finally, I shall have the title I seek." Standing up, the Baron stepped closer to the Third Sister, caressing her cheek. "You have done well to inform me of this, Inquisitor. Two Jedi on the same planet will be the perfect reason to justify our presence here should the Emperor or Lord Vader ask us." Removing his hand from the Third Sister's cheek, the Baron stepped back and said: "Come. We will meet the commanders and then we will retire for the night. I will not have need of you to join me here."

The Third Sister tried to mask her relief as the Baron donned his cloak and set off for the command tent.

Perhaps if she kept doing well; he'd reward her by not forcing himself on her as he often did.

But all that mattered to her right now was that the Baron was the most terrifying man she had ever known.


And there is my two Dark Side villains: This 'Baron' and the Third Sister, who I will reiterate is not Reva. She is Reva's predecessor.

As for the Baron... you'll see.

Now... let's deal with some reviews, shall we?


april-551: Not the first wave... more of a probing attack; designed to see what the Empire have to contend with. As for your questions:

- Given the fact that Beacon Tower is still working; assume that yes; the Grimm Dragon was killed.

- Not here. The Empire relies more on intimidation instead of stealth.

- Possible. But there would have to be Grimm in the area for silver eyes to be able to work.

Batthan the Dark Knight: Oh, Darth Vader is coming to Remnant. But for now; I raise you the Baron.

keybladelight: Oh trust me; there will be more survivors coming to Remnant in the future. But you'll see.

M.H. Pintner: Glad I made your birthday, mate. Hope you had a good one.


All that said; thank you all so much for reading this story. If you enjoyed it; you all know what to do.

I shall see you next week with chapters 22-23, which see Nathan preparing for things to come.

T-Rock14