Chapter 14
The mission to Mount Glenn was completed with the defense of Vale. Team RRWBY helped with the defense, but not without sacrifice. Weiss and Pyrrha have gone on a mission to obtain Kyber crystals. Rosa still floats in a bacta tank.
Weiss and Pyrrha were in the cave, far from each other, but they could still feel each other's presence. Weiss was climbing up following the call she felt. Her hand wrapped around a rock, but it came out. Weiss' hand fell to her side, bringing small rocks down the shaft she was in.
"Why does it have to be up here?" Weiss asked.
She got back to climbing until she got to the top of the cliff. She dragged herself up on the ledge. Air wasn't coming fast enough into her lungs.
"Is this what Rosa went through?" Weiss asked. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. She let the force go through her and felt the crystal's call. She rose her hand and saw in her mind's eye the image of a light shining out to her. She stepped forward and walked towards it.
"In the coming days…"
Weiss spun around, looking for the source of the voice. She didn't see anything.
"Am I hearing things now?" Weiss asked. She walked forward and saw a glass wall. She stopped and looked into it.
"You will have to choose." A mask appeared in the mirror.
"…I know I will." Weiss looked at her hand. It felt naked without Myrtenaster. It was her weapon. It was hers. It represented to her the dedication she had to be a huntress. But it was destroyed. The Sith took it from her.
The blood flashed across her mind. She killed someone. The blood covered the floor. She saw the life leave his eyes. She felt his life extinguish. And she barely reacted. No, she didn't have one. She had seen dead bodies before… but she never made one. Then she remembered Rosa. Blake saw the worst of it, but when she saw Rosa on the ground in Vale, covered in blood, and scars, she knew something horrible happened.
"But being a Jedi… that's my goal." Weiss said.
"Is it true? Wasn't it forced on you by the masters?" She heard the voice of her father. "It is disappointing how easily you are manipulated into joining an ancient cult. I thought my daughter would be better than that."
Weiss felt fear run through her gut. Her breathing became heavier. She felt her father's eyes look down on her.
"I'm not being influenced by them." Wiess said.
"Of course, you are. Don't you think that if everyone on your team became a Jedi except for you, you could handle that? No. You always leeched onto your sister. Always living in the shadow of someone else."
"And who's fault is that?" Weiss asked, anger rising in her.
"You're weak sister." Whitley's voice came out from the wall.
"You aren't here." Weiss said. She started walking away.
"Remember who told you not to trust the faunas who stabbed you?" Whitley said smugly. Weiss stopped, her hand instinctively going to the scar. Whitley's double smirked behind Weiss.
"You still never learned your lesson. That faunas you work with will fail you someday. She'll disappear just like a shadow."
"Don't talk about Blake like that!" Weiss shouted.
"And your team leader… she's going to die one day. And it will be your fault."
"Shut up!" Weiss said.
"Rosa… she'll betray you."
Weiss dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms around herself. She didn't look at the mirror. She felt arms wrap around her. She opened her eyes and saw her team in front of her, smiling. They vanished a second later. The mirror laughed.
"You're so weak you have to rely on them? How pathetic can you be?" Whitley said.
"My sister needs to be strong on her own! Like me." Winter's voice came in. Weiss felt a dark aura start to surround her. She imagined it to be a snake. She saw the faces of everyone she cared about who'd been killed. Then she saw the faces change to how they were found. She looked at the dead around her and stood up.
She needed to sing.
"Mirror
Can you hear me?
Do I reach you?
Are you even listening?
Can I get through?"
Pyrrha heard Weiss' voice. She began to sing. Pyrrha only was able to catch a few words, but she felt a good presence coming out from above her. She also felt a dark presence fleeing from above, dropping in front of her.
"You will not pass." The dark voice said.
"I will."
The dark presence began to morph into a woman's figure. She had to admit she was a bit jealous. Yellow eyes shown, but the face was covered. The presence was dressed in ancient armor. She took out a sword and began tossing it from hand to hand. She twirled the sword, hitting the top of the cave wall. Pyrrha realized that this long narrow corridor made it impossible for her to turn her sword into a spear. It would also make it hard for her to use it as a gun.
The hallway was large enough that she could make swings, but she saw so many ways for this to go bad. She didn't have the space she normally did. She wouldn't be able to use form IV. She also couldn't use some of her flashier moves. This was going back to basics.
"Challenge me if you dare." The darkness said. Pyrrha stepped forward, pointing her sword out to the dark presence. It took out the sword and touched the end of Pyrrha's sword.
It stepped backward, then sent out a force push. It knocked Pyrrha off balance, But Pyrrha brought up her shield. The dark sword bounced up, and Pyrrha went for a strike. The dark presence stepped back. Pyrrha sent out a force push and got up at the same time. The force push slammed into the dark presence. Pyrrha looked up and saw the dark presence walk off the attack. Pyrrha entered into the form III defensive form and blocked the next attack. Then more flew towards her. She gave up ground and was forced to stay on the defensive.
Her back hit the wall and she gritted her teeth. She blocked a strike and kicked the dark presence. That made it stumble, and Pyrrha smiled. She kept up with the advantage. She used her training to keep the dark presence on her feet. Her swings became faster, and she started targeting weak spots. Only too late did she realize she fell into a trap. She overextended. The Dark presence grabbed her arm and tossed Pyrrha to the ground. It put a boot on her neck and started to push down.
Pyrrha tried to knock the foot off, but she couldn't. She dropped her arm and used the force to grab a rock. She tossed it at the presence, forcing it to back off. She caught her breath, then tossed her shield. It bounced off the walls until it hit the dark presence in the chest. It fell backwards. She changed her sword into a gun and fired. It grabbed Pyrrha's shield and held it in her hand.
"This isn't needed." Pyrrha watched as the presence broke the shield in half. She was shocked. How strong was this thing if it could do that?
She switched her gun back into a sword. It rushed forward and slammed into Pyrrha. She felt her weapon leave her hand. She opened her eyes and saw the shadow was gone. A moment later she felt a poke against her back.
She turned around and saw the dark presence holding her weapon.
"You'll never get that crystal."
Pyrrha closed her eyes. She gathered in all the energy she could find around her. She felt it all coming into her. The light rushed into her, and she rose her hand. The light rushed out, banishing the dark presence.
Her weapon dropped to the ground. She picked it up, then turned back to her shield. It was still broken. She felt the pang of sadness rush over her, but then that feeling itself washed away.
"I wonder if they found them yet." Shaak Ti asked as she stood outside the cave entrance.
"I'd trust in them." Ozpin said.
"It's not that I don't trust them… I'm just nervous is all." Shaak Ti said.
"This shouldn't be too hard for them." Ozpin said.
"What makes you say that?" Shaak Ti asked as Ozpin started back to the ship.
Two holes in the ground opened. Weiss and Pyrrha exited the cave. Shaak Ti looked back at Ozpin and wondered how he knew they finished the task. He gave her a wink. The ship took off. The LAAT sat there, doors open.
"We're you successful?" Shaak Ti asked. Both girls nodded.
Rosa opened her eyes slowly, knowing she was back in the bacta tank. Her body was still screaming out in pain. The images flashed in her mind. The torture she endured, the things done to her, she saw them all again. She wouldn't… couldn't forget what happened on that train.
Then she remembered a massive wave of dark side energy wash over her. Shame rose up in her. She opened the top of the tank and dropped outside on the floor. The bacta covered the floor. She looked at her hands and clenched them in disgust. She wanted to puke. The door opened and Weiss walked through holding a newly crafted lightsaber. It was built from the remains of her original weapon. It was cut at the point where the dust cylinder was added. Weiss also extended the length so she could put both hands on the grip. She even put a curve, melted from the remaining blade she had for maneuverability.
"Rosa!" Weiss said. She put her lightsaber down and rushed over to Rosa. Rosa coughed up some bacta and struggled to stand up. Weiss helped her get to her feet. The bacta dripped from her hair and rolled along her back.
"Are you oaky?" Weiss asked.
"I think so." Rosa asked.
After a few minutes, Rosa began to calm down.
"You've been out for almost two weeks. Luckily for you, they pushed back the Vytal festival." Weiss said as Rosa began to change.
"I'm not entering," Rosa said. She was about to put her shirt on when Weiss stopped her.
"What do you mean you're not entering?" Weiss said.
"You should know better by now. I can't defend myself." Rosa said.
"I can't believe what I'm hearing. You are a Jedi."
"NO, I'M NOT!" Rosa shouted. Weiss stumbled backward.
"Rosa?" Weiss started.
"I'm sorry…" Rosa said. She finished getting changed. The door opened, and Quinlan Vos entered.
"Master Vos," Rosa said. She just finished getting changed when he came in.
"Padawan Reidan. I think we need to have a talk. Alone." Quinlan looked over at Weiss.
"But we were…" Weiss started.
"It's all right Weiss. We can continue catching up after this." Weiss stopped for a second, then held Rosa's hand, then finally left. When the door closed, Quinlan turned to Rosa.
"You touched the dark side on the train." Quinlan Vos got to the heart of the issue. Rosa didn't look him in the eyes and started hyperventilating. Tears started going down her cheeks. She didn't mean to, but… she couldn't help it.
"I don't blame you," Vos said. Rosa looked up at him.
"What do you mean? Why don't you blame me?" Rosa asked.
"I have experience dealing with the dark side. At first… it seems like you have to do it. It's this idea that burns in you that you need to use the dark. It gives you power. Unbelievable power. You begin to feel invincible. You just want to delve deeper into it. You want that power to stay with you." Vos looked at his own hand.
"It came so easily. I saw that Myst was attacking Blake and something just… snapped." Rosa said.
"What exactly did she do to you?" Vos asked.
Vos listened carefully. She had been through so much. IT wasn't just Myst and Roman who brutalized her. Vos knew that she would suffer from the memories. Some of the things done to her disgusted him beyond belief. She would need guidance to keep on the light. She would need his help.
"Rosa… what happened to you makes me furious." Vos barely kept the anger from taking over his voice. "Right now, you need help. I want to help you."
"What can you do to help me?" Rosa asked.
"I can be here. I can teach you what it took for me to overcome the darkness. I was once one of Dooku's dark acolytes as I'm sure you know, seeing how you tracked me in the war. I felt pull of the dark side more than almost every Jedi." Vos said. Rosa lowered her head.
"I'll try." Rosa said.
"Rosa, Yoda's words should be floating in your head." Vos said.
"You're right. I will overcome."
"Now go along. You shouldn't keep Weiss up." Vos said.
Rosa left the room. Weiss grabbed her and gathered the team together.
"You finally finished it?" Ruby asked.
"Only an hour ago," Weiss said.
"Well, let's see it," Yang said.
Weiss entered into the opening stance she was taught, flourished the blade up, pointing in front of her face, then pressed the button. The blue blade rushed forward. Weiss smiled, as she tuned down the lightsaber, switching crystals. The second blade was a little shorter and much weaker. It was the training saber. The white color of the crystal that was once around Weiss' neck showed.
"Amazing," Ruby said.
"And you made it your own." Blake said.
Rosa looked at the lightsaber and realized what it was made from.
"Why'd you make it out of your sword?" Rosa asked. Everyone turned to her.
"A sith destroyed most of it, so I made it into a new weapon," Weiss said. Weiss turned off the lightsaber and hooked it to her belt. Rosa noticed everything that changed about Weiss, including how she dressed.
"I must have been in there a long time. When did you change your style?" Weiss was in a mix of Jedi robes and Atlesian high fashion. She wore a white capelet that connected in the front with a clasp, the same shape as the Jedi Order's symbol. Her clothes beneath the capelet were changed too. She wore a military-inspired blue shirt, with three buttons undone. The buttons rolled alongside down her left side. Rosa saw the base shirt that made up the Jedi robes. In fact, the military-style was a façade. She saw the key Jedi adornments that made it Jedi in origin. The shirt on the second inspection was a dress. The sleeves went close to her wrists but gave her room to maneuver.
"That was a long story. And I just needed a change in appearance." Weiss said, running her hand through her hair.
"You look good," Rosa said.
"I think we should have a sparring match," Yang said. Weiss turned back to her teammate and smiled.
Mace Windu stood in the council chamber looking at the stained-glass window. He closed his eyes when the door opened. Quinlan walked through, folding his arms.
"What is it? I'm not going to reconsider." Quinlan said.
"I need your help. You know that we were compromised. The HDF got weapons, the White Fang found a hidden rail system, and this city will soon be host to countless new people. For the safety of our new home, we need to find the source of this evil and stop it." Mace Windu said.
"And you want me to lead the investigation. Why can't you understand that I have a family?" Quinlan said.
"I understand that. This isn't a Jedi investigation. It is being led by the security division of the upcoming Vytal festival. They will pay you and help set your family up here for good." Mace said
"Then why are you telling me?" Quinlan asked.
"You are the only person here I trust to do the work." Mace said.
"No, I'm not. Why aren't you asking Maku?"
"Ozpin doesn't want him. He doesn't trust Maku. He learned what Maku did to Padawan Reidan." Mace said.
"What exactly did he do to her?" Quinlan asked.
"Do you know what happened ten years ago to the newest clan of younglings when they went to the planet Almak?" Mace said
"I heard something happened there, but I'm no expert." Vos said.
"Something happened there, which lead to Maku sealing Rosa's memories." Mace said.
"What do you mean sealed? Did he steal her memories? Hasn't she been through enough?" Vos said.
"I fear not." Mace said.
"This is insane. How far are you going to push that girl? Either she's going to die for you or she's going to fall. You aren't giving her any other options!" Vos yelled.
"I know." Mace said.
"What happened to you? I'll take the job, but I will never call you master again." Vos said. He left the room. Mace had to sit down. Perhaps… he still hasn't learned what he needs to.
Rosa slid back, trying to find her footing against Weiss' onslaught. She was better with the lightsaber. She was getting better with the lightsaber. Rosa rolled to the side, blocking another strike, and brought her hand up. The pebbles flew at Weiss. She jumped in the air and made a glyph. She launched off it, sliding behind Rosa. Rosa couldn't get out of the way fast enough and the practice saber slashed her across the back.
Another loss.
Rosa got up. She put her lightsaber away and nodded her head.
"That solves it. I'm not joining the Vytal festival." Rosa said. Everyone turned to her looking concerned.
"What is this all about?" Ruby asked.
"…If I join the festival, I will drag our team down. And the policy says only four members can join." Rosa said.
"I'm sure we can find a way to get you to join the festival." Yang said.
"Please stop." Rosa said. She dropped her lightsaber and became invisible. Everyone called out for her, but Rosa ran away.
"Ruby… did we do something wrong?" Weiss asked.
"I don't think so. We need to look for her." Ruby said. She sent everyone out to look for Rosa.
Rosa stopped in one of the empty classrooms. Tears began running down her face. Why was she so weak? Why? Cyan walked in the classroom with a book in hand. Rosa was still invisible. He pulled out his scroll and dialed her number. She didn't move, but he seemed to catch onto the vibration somehow. He put his scroll away and smiled.
"Rosa, I know you're in here. What I don't know is why you're hiding." Cyan said.
"I don't want to talk right now." Rosa said.
"Does this have to do with your Jedi business?" Cyan asked. Rosa became visible again.
"I don't remember telling you I was a jedi." Rosa said.
"Rosa, please I'm not stupid. I know what a lightsaber is. Why are you hiding in here?" Cyan asked. She turned away from him.
"I'm useless." Rosa said.
"You are pretty useless." Cyan said.
"Thanks." Rosa said.
"What is holding you back?" Cyan asked. Rosa couldn't even say. She just wanted to disappear, which she did.
"Rosa, how'd you do that?" Cyan asked.
Rosa didn't say anything. She just wanted Cyan to leave her. She brought her knees up to her chest. She watched as Cyan looked around for her, not realizing that she never moved. He let out a sigh.
"I know you don't want to talk about whatever this is. That's fine. But there is something that I wanted to talk to you about. During the attack, the HDF attacked. I took three of them down and found out that they have a link with the white fang. The HDF was using the same weapons used by the White Fang. The third one I attacked told me all about it." Cyan said.
Rosa reappeared where she disappeared.
"Why are you telling me this?" Rosa asked.
"I wanted to talk to a Jedi I trust. The others are either too ignorant or too involved to be of any help. Only you could start this." Cyan said.
"What's this?" Rosa asked.
"They told me that their source was a force user. They don't know which side. Someone is manipulating us. You trained under a Jedi. I've studied them and seen what you could do. Only a Jedi could uncover the source." Cyan said.
"Why are you coming to me instead of one of the masters?" Rosa asked.
"Maku is known. Your masters are too ignorant. Your teammates are too new. And the Jedi of this world may be the ones doing this." Cyan said.
"Why would the Jedi arm terrorists?" Rosa asked.
"Controlled opposition." Cyan said. "It failed the last time they used it when the Jedi started the great war. They were trying to root out the other group… Sith I think they're called. The Sith didn't take the bait, but with a single bullet, they became the leaders of the armies. It's all in the histories."
"Jedi don't want power." Rosa said.
"But they do want to kill the Sith. Which lead them to make the gamble. After the Jedi exhausted themselves in the war, the Sith struck. So we need to be careful about this." Cyan said.
"I'm going to inform Master Vos." Rosa said.
"Have you been listening? He doesn't know this place." Cyan said.
"He's already investigating this issue." Rosa said.
"Fine. I'll come with you." Cyan said.
They went to the temple and asked around for master Vos. He wasn't at the temple, but he was getting ready to start the investigation. Maku saw Rosa and waved her over.
"Padawan, how have you been healing?" Maku asked.
"Fine master. We're looking for master Vos right now." Rosa said.
"He's about to start his investigation, why do you need to find him?" Maku asked.
"We have information that will help with the investigation." Cyan said.
"What kind of information?" Maku asked.
"That's for him to know." Cyan said. Maku glanced over at Cyan, then looked back at his padawan.
"Is this really what's going on?" Maku asked.
"What else would it be?" Rosa asked. Maku sighed and looked around for some support but found none. No one else was around in the halls.
"You aren't growing a romantic attachment, are you?" Maku asked. Rosa stepped back and had a look of disgust on her face. Cyan cringed.
"Master, no I'm not. What would make you think that?" Rosa asked.
"You've been spending a lot of time with Cyan here. It would be natural for those feeling to arise, especially after a dance." Maku said. Cyan turned and started walking away without either Jedi noticing. Inwardly he smirked, knowing the divide this would cause. Soon, soon he would tell Rosa what he took, and why. But it wasn't the right time yet.
"I can't believe you would even think something like that. He's a friend that I debate with. You of all people should know I don't think like that." Rosa said.
"I'm sorry Rosa. I didn't phrase that right. But even a friendship could become something more. That is something we need to avoid to keep ourselves away from the dark." Maku said.
"You don't think for a second about the friends I've made until now. My team and team JNPR are both closer friends to me than Cyan." Rosa said.
"You're right." Maku said. "I assumed. I'm sorry, that was wrong of me."
"I'm going to offer my help to Master Vos on this mission. He's going to need it." Rosa said.
"Rosa… May the force be with you." Maku said.
"And with you master." Rosa left. After a minute, Maku looked at his amputated arm. "I trusted her then… what's wrong with me?"
Vos finished putting his stuff in the ship when Rosa and another student appeared behind him.
"Can I help you?" Vos asked.
"I think we can help you master. My friend here has information that will help you." Rosa said. Cyan told Vos the information, and he rubbed his chin.
"That does help… But do you have a gun used by the three?" Vos asked.
"I didn't think to grab it." Cyan said.
"That does make this harder… Rosa, would you help me with this?" Vos asked.
"Yes, master." Rosa said. Cyan left, and Vos turned back to Rosa.
"If the Jedi are involved in this, are you willing to take that Jedi down?" Vos asked.
"If someone in the order armed the terrorists, they have to be brought to justice." Rosa said.
"Does your team know about this?" Vos asked.
"…I haven't talked to them about this…" Rosa didn't go further into it, but Vos put his hand on her head. He saw what happened.
"Avoiding them won't help this. But I need to leave now. Fordo's waiting for me. Tell them on the ride over." Vos said.
He and Rosa entered the drop ship, and it flew toward the fallen city of Zolon. It was where the HDF was training its recent recruits, discovered by the former members of team CRDL. The video he sent out was filmed in this fallen city. The ship dropped down and Vos got out. The city was run down and would be the best target for an organization to form. As the clones walked out Vos looked for a personal belonging. He didn't care what exactly it was, he just needed something. Rosa walked behind him.
"Do you remember what I was like before I lost my memory?" Rosa asked. Vos stopped.
"I wish I did." Vos said kindly.
"Do you know what caused my amnesia?" Rosa asked.
"No, not particularly. I can only see memories. I can't change them." Vos said. They didn't say anything until they walked into a building. They saw a 'dirty magazine' on the ground. Vos sighed and grabbed it, holding onto the outside. He dropped it a second later, then destroyed it with his lightsaber.
"That confirms they were here, but we already knew that." Vos said.
"Sir, we have an unopened cache of weapons." Fordo radioed.
"Good, we'll be there in a moment." Vos said.
"They're disgusting." Rosa said.
"They're terrorists. What else did you expect? Come on, we've both seen worse." Vos said. He and Rosa continued to the weapons cache. The clones secured the area. The box cache was hidden under a crate and would have easily been forgotten in a rush. The weapons were just what Vos needed. He picked a weapon up and used the force to see the history of the person who stored these weapons. He smiled when he saw a man.
"I got the source. He's human, tall middle-aged with a slim build and slightly tanned skin. He has short black and gray hair as well as a thick mustache and eyebrows, and green eyes. He wears a grey overcoat with yellow linings, a yellow dress shirt, and a black necktie. His pants are the same color as his overcoat. His yellow-buttoned undercoat and fingerless gloves match his cordovan shoes, under which he wore yellow socks." Vos said.
"That's impressive. We got a good look at the source, but do we have a name?" Rosa asked.
"No, but he's called 'Doctor'. His echo faded, so I have to guess this man sold these weapons a while ago. Probably around the time the HDF was reorganized. He was alone. He had a pistol visible, but I couldn't sense anything else." Vos said.
"Anything else?" Fordo asked.
"I get the feeling this man is dangerous. He brought the head of the previous dealer to the current dealer and warned against trying to double-cross him."
"So, he has a thing about loyalty. Is he a Sith?" Rosa asked.
"Not that I can tell." Vos said.
"We're no closer than. Maybe we should go investigate the white fang next." Rosa said.
"They gave me the weapons we found in Vale before we got here. I saw this source then as well. Looks like someone wants to fuel a conflict between humans and faunas. But why?" Vos asked.
A report came to the datapad a clone was using. He read over it before handing it to Fordo. After a minute, he handed it to Vos.
"Well, that certainly makes this job harder. The train couldn't have held all the dust that the white fang had stolen." Vos handed the datapad to Rosa, who looked over it. He was right, even with the estimated loss of a tenth of the dust, the train couldn't have held it all. It could only hold up to half.
"Where's the rest?" Rosa asked.
"The analysis shows that even twenty-five present was destroyed between Vale and Mount Glenn, and they created dust bullets, their would still be an estimated twenty percent, very conservatively, left unaccounted for. From the analysis from Mount Glenn, we know the white fang wouldn't have lost so much dust creating weapons." The clone who read the report first said.
"Can we assume they have made bombs then?" Vos asked.
"Along with many other weapons."
"If they have bombs, then they may be trying to strike at the SDC." Rosa said.
"They have a way to move around, that much we know. The Sith joined with them and helped move the dust. But they would have more targets than just the SDC Rosa. But I can't see a world where they have bombs, stealth, and mobility where they wouldn't use it." Vos said.
"Then we should probably get some aid." Fordo said. "We have one LAAT, my squad, and you two. If the white fang are planning on bombing VIP targets, we're going to need help."
"I agree. Looks like the general gets to show off his might after all." Everyone got on the LAAT and contacted Ironwood.
In Atlas, the cold mornings were normal. What wasn't normal was the number of miners. Since the recent theft of Dust and the attack on Vale, the SDC has downsized. The manager of this section of the mine sipped his coffee and was about to radio in when an explosion went off.
"Holy Shit!" He yelled. The office he was in shook. The cameras he was using started going off one by one.
"We have an explosion! I repeat we have an explosion!" He got off.
"Terrible last words." Adam Taurus said as he entered the room. The manager turned around and was slashed across his chest. Adam looked at the remaining monitors as the chains were being broken off the Faunus. He grabbed the radio and turned it on.
"Brothers and Sisters! The SDC will fall today!" Adam cried out. "For years they have murdered us, enslaved us, raped us, and tortured us. We asked for none of this! Everyone who stands in your way to true freedom is trying to keep you in your chains. Remember these words well. Peace is a Lie, there is only Passion! Through passion, I gain strength! Through strength, I gain Victory! Through Victory, my chains are broken. The force shall set me free."
Adam turned around to where the Sith smiled at him.
"A nice touch. We have more work to do." She said. Adam followed the Sith outside. His people were taking out the guards and setting the slaves free.
"The force has truly set me free." Adam said.
"As I told you it would. Now, we need to kill more of the elites." Lady Sno said.
Jacques Schnee was holding one of the many committee meetings in the council room in his home. In the room were most of the dust imperialists.
"As everyone knows, the attack on Vale used Dust. All our profits have taken a hit." Jacques said. He gazed around the room. This was the first meeting the elusive Greene baron has showed. His is the newest empire in the industry. Created in the wake of the attacks against the SDC, the largest of the companies.
"Jacques, no one here needs this meeting to be going over the old things. We're here to discuss prices." One of the barons said. Jacques sighed.
"I was giving time for the Greene Baron to open his eyes." The barons laughed until Greene's head hit the table. Everyone got up, and Jacques went to check on him. The man was younger than most. When Jacques brought Greene back in his chair, he heard a click. The Schnee complex shook with the explosion. The guards stationed at the entrance of the building barely had time to turn around when a series of explosions rang throughout the building.
Weiss stopped mid-attack and fell to her knees. She was sparring with Pyrrha. She clutched her chest and started hyperventilating. She had felt a dark presence come over her, and she saw in her mind's eye the explosions.
"Weiss?" Pyrrha asked. She turned off her lightsaber and rushed over to Weiss. The rest of the Jedi in training there rushed over.
"My home…" Weiss said.
"What's going on?" Plo Koon asked as he moved close to Weiss.
Winter was called in for an emergency meeting with Ironwood.
"What is it General?" Winter asked. Ironwood turned to her and clenched his chair so hard it nearly broke.
"Your family, besides Weiss, was just assassinated." Ironwood said.
"What?" Winter asked.
"And more sites have been attacked. The White Fang wasn't stopped in Vale. They're attacking Atlas." Ironwood said.
The news hit the LAAT as soon as they got into sight of Atlas. The smoke was rising from all over. They were brought in with a squadron of ships guiding them from Ironwood.
"By the force." Rosa said.
Over thirty confirmed attacks. Over a thousand were confirmed dead. The dust mines were attacked first. Then the elites. Now even some of the towers in the lower city were being bombed. Rosa saw another bomb explode in one of the lower skyscrapers. She watched it fall. The building was filled with people.
"Why?" Rosa asked. Vos put his hand on her shoulder.
"We were too late."
"Sir, we have a communication with Ironwood." The co-pilot said.
"Bring it up." Fordo said.
"Investigator Vos, I understand you're seeing the devastation. We have reason to believe that the white fang will be going for the school next. We believe there is at least one Sith." Ironwood said.
"We understand. We'll try to stop them." Vos said. "General, I think the Sith are trying to get the Jedi out in the open."
"What makes you say that?" Ironwood asked.
"This is massive. So massive that it will drag the Jedi out in the open."
"I understand. We'll keep that in mind." Ironwood said.
The ships landed and immediately Rosa felt the massive despair. She stumbled when she stepped off the ship.
"It's that bad then." Vos said.
"Everywhere… everyone… I think I'm going to be sick." Rosa said.
"You're just feeling the effects of the attacks." Vos said. Rosa held onto Vos's arm and steadied herself.
"My team should be here." Rosa said.
"No. This is life or death now. Even worse than the train." Vos looked at the school and chuckled.
"That looks familiar." Vos said. Rosa looked at the school and smiled at it, despite herself. The five spires stood in the air. It looked like the Jedi temple.
"You're the investigation team from Vale?" A higher-up military woman stood in front of them.
"Yes. But we've been moved to defending the school." Vos said.
"Good. The white fang have air cars taking them to the island." The commander said. Four squads of atlas troops went to the landing pads, building turrets. They were based off the tech in the Venator-class Star Destroyer. It looked like they took the forward guns from an AT-RT. One of the air cars came flying towards the school, and the turrets hit it dead on. The plasma fire hit the engine, and the air car exploded.
"It seems we're going to need more of those." The commander said.
"We have more built ma'am." A troop said.
"Bring them. And activate the tenth legion of knights." The commander said. The troops saluted and rushed back into the school.
"The white fang attacked the dust mines first. Most of them have been destroyed. Not that the owners are going to be complaining any time soon." The commander said.
"What happened?" Rosa asked.
"Somehow the white fang snuck a bomb in the Schnee compound and completely destroyed it. No survivors as of yet. But we know none of the Schnee family in the building survived. This is fucked." The commander said.
"Weiss!" Rosa shouted.
"You know her?" The commander said.
"She's my teammate!" Rosa said.
"Then you have a reason to fight." The commander said. The ground started to shake.
"An aircar crashed into the mountain. It contained a bomb. The rocks crushed one of the tower's top floors." A troop reported.
"How many more of them are there?" The commander asked.
"Reports are showing that the white fang are disappearing. I don't know what that means for the scans. Most of the continued resistance is in the air cars." The troop said. An Atlas troopship landed on the docking bay.
"That better be reinforcements." The commander said. Two more ships landed. All at once the three ships opened up and outpoured White Fang troops, and Sith. Twelve Sith.
"Fuck" Rosa said. She and Vos turned on their lightsabers. The atlas troops immediately started opening fire. White fang started falling dead, but some of them were able to get to cover when the Sith used the force to tear massive metal panels down in front of them.
"Only two Jedi? Where are the rest of you?" One of the Sith said. "You know your job. Find the old woman."
"And the Jedi?" Another Sith asked.
"You deal with the girl. I take the master." He turned on his lightsaber and cast off his cloak. The man was well-built. He rushed forward, meeting Vos head-on. Vos was thrown into the academy. The Sith jumped forward and rushed passed Rosa. The last Sith sighed.
"Guess that's fine by me, but really, I get the weakling?" The Sith took off their cloak, and a feminine physique showed through. Rosa held her lightsaber tight.
"I heard you have a problem with power." The Sith stepped forward, blocking all the blaster bolts from the Atlesian troops. The white fang fired back, killing some of the troops. The commander barked another order when she was pulled off her feet with the force.
"No!" Rosa yelled as the commander flew onto the Sith's blade.
"You seemed important." The Sith said. "Now why don't we start this? I'm Lady Shommud, a Student of Lady Myst."
Rosa's scars started hurting, and she clenched her teeth. Shommud smiled.
"I killed her," Rosa said. Shommud stopped smiling.
"So I heard, but how…?" She rushed forward, and Rosa blocked the attack. Rosa was put on the back foot. She wasn't able to tell yet what style Shommud used, but she suspected it was a hybrid. She didn't even have any knowledge from her fight with Myst, since she lost before Myst started fighting.
"Fordo! Focus on the White Fang. The troops need you now!" Rosa yelled, ducking under the strike of the Sith. She was giving up more and more ground. She was inside the entranceway of the academy, and she saw bodies lying everywhere.
"This is happening because the Jedi are too scared to stop us." Rosa's back hit the wall. She knew she wasn't going to win if she was defensive. She also had the force. Rosa thrust her hand forward, slamming against Shommud's force shield. She stumbled back, then Rosa grabbed the rubble with the force and brought it towards Shommud. She was hit by some of the rocks. Rosa got away from the wall.
Then she was shocked. Rosa fell, the breath knocked out of her. She fell on the ground, rolling through some broken glass. She coughed and tried to get back up when she felt a kick to the stomach. She spat and landed on the ground.
"Dammit." She said.
"Maybe you forgot, but we're fighting. Fight."
Shommud used the force to break all the windows at the entrance that still stood. She tossed all the shards of glass at Rosa. She rolled away, but her leg was hit with a large shard. She felt the blood rolling down her leg. Rosa rose her hand, only to be thrown at a wall. She slammed into it and coughed up blood.
Rosa tried to stand, but her leg refused to. Shommud used the force to rip the shard out of her leg, sending a wave of pain to rush through her. Rosa fell to the ground where Shommud stood over her. She kicked Rosa, then kicked again. Rosa caught the third kick and pushed up on it. Shommud stumbled back. Rosa used the force to toss a stone at her head. It hit, but it left Shommud angrier. She rose her hand, and Rosa felt her airway start to condense. Her vision was slowly fading to black.
"You can live, but you need to give into the darkness." The voice said.
Rosa was in the hallway in her mind again. She saw the red lightsaber again.
"And if I don't?" Rosa asked.
"You will die. You must choose quickly. My hold on time isn't strong."
"Why are you helping me?" Rosa asked.
"You are the key to my plan."
"Life or death." Rosa said. "There is no death. There is the force."
"If you die, then who will uncover the evils committed against you when you were a child?"
Rosa looked around. Her hand trembled. Rosa grabbed the lightsaber.
"I will unblock you, for a moment."
Rosa's eyes changed. The volcanic orange erupted in them. Rosa grabbed Shommud's arm. She crushed it. Shommud dropped Rosa and screamed.
"You want to know how I killed your master?" Rosa grabbed Shommud's face. She knew she'd done this before. It felt so natural. The life from her eyes just… faded.
Rosa dropped the corpse of Shommud and walked out to the entrance. There were still white fang, so she decided to take care of that. She rose her hand, bringing all the white fang up, then she tossed them off the sides.
The power that Rosa tapped into faded, and her eyes changed back to their natural color. She collapsed. Fordo ordered two of his men to help her. He ordered the rest of the troops into the school.
They rushed inside, seeing corpses. Occasionally, one of them was a Sith. They stopped when they got to the second-floor stairs, where Vos was fighting three Sith. Two more Jedi had appeared and joined the fight six Sith were fighting three Jedi, and a number of troops. Fordo leveled his wrist and shot out the electric cable. It landed in the back of a Sith, and the shock stopped them. Two of his clones fired into the Sith's chest. The rest of his men started laying down cover fire, forcing the Sith to split their focus. One jumped down, landing in front of Fordo. He didn't hesitate and shot the Sith in the gut. The Sith must have counted on the intimidation factor. The Sith wasn't dead yet.
Vos kicked a Sith down the staircase, turning his attention to the lead Sith. He felt the Sith he kicked being shot by the clones. Fordo's men were dangerous, but they stood with the Jedi.
Fordo ducked under the sloppy chop of the Sith and shot him in the arm. The Sith let out a cry and stumbled backward. Fordo shot the knee of the Sith, bringing him to the floor. Fordo fired two quick shots to the head. He looked back up, and one of the Jedi were dead now. He and his men continued to fire at the Sith.
Vos spun around and plunged his lightsaber into the heart of the head Sith. He let out a sigh as the last of the Sith were shot by the troops. He put his lightsaber away and turned to the other Jedi.
"Thank you. What were you doing here?" Vos asked.
"Protecting the maiden." The Jedi said.
"What?" Vos asked.
"If you do not know what the maiden is, then I cannot tell you about it." The Jedi went to the one who was killed.
"You did your duty well." He grabbed the fallen knight's lightsaber.
"Fordo, status." Vos said.
"The landing pad is clear thanks to Rosa. Whatever she did left her exhausted." Fordo said.
"Good."
As Vos and Fordo left the academy carrying Rosa, they looked up and saw three giant airships appear in the sky. Any remaining White Fang resistance was quickly destroyed.
"Sir, we can say this mission was a failure," Fordo said.
"It was."
The total loss of life was thirteen thousand. Only three hundred of those were military targets. The economy was about to collapse. Many Faunus fled with the white fang. Most dust mines were partially or completely destroyed. The heads of several of the largest companies were dead. Then there was the property damage.
Ironwood looked at all the reports and wondered how he could have let this happen. Not only was he out of the kingdom, but he also had Winter and Penny with him. Cordovin and her people were safe. It seemed the white fang had only a few targets. The one that shocked Ironwood the most was the academy, where most of the military deaths occurred. Now the leaders of Atlas were giving Ironwood what he wanted from the beginning. More resources to hunt down and destroy the threat. He's also gotten put in more council chairs due to newly opened seats.
He held most of the seats now. He could push through most of his proposals through the votes. He had power that no one else held since the kings of Atlas. He needed to use his power to the best ability he could to restore faith in Atlas. His first order was to raise forces to destroy the white fang. Unanimous. He had countless volunteers. Everyone was Atlesian right now. And it was the duty of every Atlesian to defend his home and destroy evil.
"The Sith were involved." Winter said.
"Yes." Ironwood said.
"Sir, you have a visitor." A guard said. In came a Jedi. Ironwood turned to them, not recognizing them.
"Who are you, and how did you get in here?"
"I'm a Jedi master, and I'm a Jedi master." The Jedi master said.
"What is it Jedi?" Ironwood asked.
"We have seen the events of what happened today and realize that we can no longer let the world suffer. I am one Jedi master, but with me are over three hundred Jedi who have decided to come out in the open. Many more will join us after they see how much of a positive impact we have." The Jedi master said.
"I'm surprised. Outside of the few in Vale, I've been led to believe the Jedi were too afraid to come out in the open." Ironwood said.
"We are not."
Rosa woke up in her bed. She was sore, but she didn't hurt too bad.
"Rosa's awake." Blake said.
I guess I am." Rosa said.
"What happened?" Weiss asked.
"I'm guessing you know about the white fang attack. Master Vos and I were there. At the Academy." Rosa explained everything that happened, except for how she killed Shommud and the white fang.
"You beat a sith?" Yang asked.
"It was hard, but I did. It took everything out of me. And if I didn't have the force, I couldn't have won." Rosa said.
"It's good to hear that you survived." Weiss said.
"Weiss… I'm so sorry about what happened to your family." Rosa said. Everyone felt the mood worsen.
"Thank you. I doubt the Vytal festival will be going on now." Weiss said. "What's going to happen to the students here? Some of them lost everyone."
There was a knock at the door. Maku was standing there. The girls invited him in.
"I have news about Atlas." Maku said.
"What is it?" Weiss asked.
"There were Jedi hiding in Atlas when it was attacked. Ironwood has contacted them, and three hundred Jedi have agreed to join Ironwood's forces to defeat the Sith. Word is spreading all around about the Jedi and Sith. Everyone is learning about that history again. All of you will be known as Jedi soon. It seems that there may be thousands of Jedi here." Maku said.
"Thousands?" Rosa asked.
"Yes, this planet is the strongest force nexus if you recall, and Jedi here are able to reproduce, so that explains the numbers." Maku said
"Is there anything else?" Blake asked.
"We have reason to believe the White Fang are led by the Sith. And one more thing, the Vytal festival is being pushed back to the start of your second year." Maku said.
"They're still having it?" Ruby asked.
"Yes. It has become a symbol of peace, and as such, it will be seen as a time of healing. The students that are here now will be here longer." Maku said
"What now?" Rosa asked.
"You all need to train." Maku said. He bowed then left.
That night, Rosa was back in the hallway in her mind. She walked forward and opened the door where the lightsaber was. She grabbed it from her waist.
"It is a gift." The voice called out.
"I know. But I can't use it. Not like that. That power is too much for me to handle right now." Rosa said.
"You are far more powerful than you know. You just need to let the power out." Rosa looked back at the lightsaber.
"Maybe… I'll pick it up again one day." Rosa said.
"It will be here."
Rosa closed the door.
Sun sat on the roof of the dorms. He was meditating with Blake.
"You have to delve deep into your inner mind," Sun said. Blake just nodded and started calming breaths. Sun put his hand on her head and closed his eyes. He felt some of the feelings she had when remembering her past. Sun was trying to send her calming thoughts, but the memories were darker. The connection broke away, and Sun fell on his back.
"I can't." Blake said. "It's too much."
"I know I'm asking a lot of you, but remember, you aren't one of them anymore." Sun said. They tried again. Sun wanted Blake to remember her time in the White Fang and tell him if the Sith were a part of it. She wouldn't have known them as Sith, but the Sith would have left a mark on her, even a faint one. The darkness isn't something the subconscious mind forgets. The problem was bringing the subconscious thought front of the mind.
Sun put his hand back on Blake's head and started feeling what she felt. He couldn't see the memories, but he didn't have to. He just needed to find a memory that was surrounded by darkness. Digging deeper and deeper, Sun felt the memories grow darker.
"You're almost there," Sun said.
Then all at once, a dark memory came front of mind. Blake gasped and fell forward.
"Was that it?" Blake asked.
"It was the darkest memory you have." Sun said.
"I remember now. It was right before Adam and I went to attack that SDC train car when I left him. I felt a dark presence surround him. I saw a glimpse of a woman in red… Long black hair. An orange eye. I think the other was covered by her hair. She was good-looking and had sex appeal she used on the guards. With her were two people. I can't remember what they looked like. I think they were wearing masks. Like they didn't want to be remembered. I also remember something changed in Adam that day."
"I see. The White Fang joined towards the end of your time with them. That should be good enough for now." Sun said.
Cyan listened to the report and smiled. Rosa used the dark side, and this time, she hadn't run from it. She's using it. Even if she can't see it, Cyan could. She has started down the path to the dark side.
But he still needed to be careful. The Jedi couldn't detect him, but that doesn't mean he could relax. She was still watching him. He needed to do his part in bringing Rosa to the dark side.
Ozpin sat in his chair, taking off his glasses. The White Fang grew today, not shrank. The attacks won't stop here. They were going to continue until they were destroyed. Ironwood entered the room.
"Ozpin, we finally put out the last of the fires." Ironwood said.
"Today was a disaster." Ozpin said.
"We weren't fast enough to stop them." Ironwood said.
"You have nothing stopping you from focusing on the white fang now. What will you do?" Ozpin asked.
"We will take them down."
Author's Notes: Here's the next chapter. This is a massive departure from the canon RWBY, and these next few chapters will be in the added time between V2 and V3 now.
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May the Force be With You
-DragonZlayerx12