Chapter 26: Battle of Mountain Glenn
Nathan scowled as he and the Third Sister began circling one another, taking his lightsaber from his belt, but not igniting it.
Meantime, the Third Sister's lightsaber was already in hand and ignited, a sinister smile crossing her face.
"I've been looking forward to this." She said, spinning her lightsaber around. "Last time was merely the appetiser. Tonight… is the main course."
Nathan scoffed. "You're saying that like you think I'll make this easy." Finally igniting his lightsaber, Nathan adopted a defensive stance. "I've had a month to get ready for you this time."
"It won't help." The Third Sister responded before charging Nathan and leaping into the air, spinning in midair and bringing her lightsaber down on him, threatening to slash him from crown to groin.
Blocking the blow, Nathan stepped a few paces back to better absorb it before pushing back, striking at the Inquisitor's neck in an attempt to behead her.
The Third Sister parried, and pivoting on her heel, drove the other towards Nathan's midsection.
Sidestepping the attack, Nathan promptly brought his lightsaber down onto the Third Sister's leg, hoping to sever it at the knee.
Seeing this, the Inquisitor took a step back, and thrust at Nathan's torso.
Parrying that blow, Nathan countered with a slash at the Third Sister's face, revealing it to be a feint as the attempt was parried, and slashed at the Third Sister's torso, slashing across the Third Sister's flank and cutting a shallow wound into the area.
The Third Sister shouted in pain and backed away, holding the small but painful wound as she glowered at Nathan with what Nathan had to imagine was pure hatred for him.
Nathan smirked. "I think that month did help, bitch." He remarked, spinning his lightsaber a few times until he took the Soresu stance commonly associated with Obi Wan Kenobi.
"Perhaps." The Third Sister said angrily, adopting a new stance. "But I doubt you realise the danger you're really in." At that, she charged once again, lunging for Nathan as a fearsome shriek of a battle cry escaped her lips.
Nathan spun his lightsaber and once more crossed blades with the Third Sister. "I think I do." He replied as they broke the blade lock, resuming what had started one month prior.
With Jason and Winter…
"Keep pushing forward!" Jason bellowed over the din of the battle as he cut down what felt like the millionth Imperial Stormtrooper that day.
"We're almost at the command centre!" Winter added as she joined Jason, using her glyphs to surge forward and stab a Stormtrooper through the torso.
Pulling her sword free, Winter and Jason took cover and assessed the situation:
They had pushed through most of the resistance they had encountered along the way, but now found themselves faced with a large portion of Imperial troops that had fortified their position, and were currently showering their attackers with heavy blaster fire.
Any soldier that dared step into the line of fire was shredded within an instant, joining a large number of troops lining the floor.
Winter sighed and looked at Jason. "We're going to get slaughtered out here." She said. "If they bring in heavy weapons, we're as good as done."
"Then let's find a spot to flank them." Jason suggested. "Take some of the pressure off here and force them to spread themselves thinner. Bound to make a breakthrough that way."
"Good thing we showed up, then."
Jason spun around to see Ilia Amitola of the White Fang stood a few feet away, with the Vale chapter of the White Fang all behind her. "Where's Kanan?" Jason asked.
"With Team RWBY." Ilia replied. "Figured he'd be of better use there. You said you were thinking of flanking these bozos?"
Jason nodded. "Mind if I join you?"
Ilia smirked. "Nah. Get Ghost over here."
Jason nodded. "Ghost; come down. I have an idea."
Within moments, the black-clad Mandalorian warrior was at Jason's side. "What's the idea, mate?" He asked.
"I want you to find me somewhere we can send the White Fang so that they can flank the Empire and take some pressure off of us." Jason replied. "Think you can find somewhere?"
"I think I saw someplace." Ghost replied. "If you want, I can lead the White Fang there now to check it out."
"Please do." Jason answered
Ghost nodded, looking to Ilia, who did the same, motioning for the White Fang to follow her and Ghost.
Jason glanced back at Winter, who nodded.
"Now let's hope they find it." Winter said.
Jason nodded agreement. He hoped Nathan was doing better than he was right now.
With Nathan…
Blue clashed against red as Nathan pushed the Third Sister back, their blades a whirlwind as they crossed again and again.
Lashing out with a Force Push, Nathan sent the Third Sister sprawling, and charged towards his foe, bringing his lightsaber up and down towards her as she got to her feet.
The Inquisitor was too quick though, and rolled to the side before thrusting at Nathan's flank.
Parrying that, Nathan countered with a slash aimed at the Third Sister's torso, hoping to bisect his opponent into two separate halves.
The Third Sister leapt over Nathan's blade in an impressive somersault, turning round and striking at Nathan's torso.
Blocking the blow, Nathan led the Third Sister's blade off to the left, promptly thrusting at her belly only to flick the tip of his lightsaber up towards her neck, aiming to catch her on the chin and spear his opponent through the throat.
The Third Sister leapt back to avoid the blow, only barely, and soon rushed Nathan again, slashing at his head.
Nathan parried, and pivoting on his heel, Nathan drove his other foot hard into the face of his opponent, knocking her back a number of paces prior to him surging forward, drawing back for a thrust of his own.
The Inquisitor's hand lashed out, and Nathan found himself flying backwards, allowing his momentum to carry him into a back flip, which led to him landing on his feet a few hundred paces away from the Third Sister.
Rising to his full height, Nathan stared the Third Sister down, and vice versa. Taking a deep breath, Nathan rushed towards his foe, as did she, lightsabers raised as they prepared to meet once again.
Their blades met in a clap of thunder, the force of their blows forcing both combatants apart again, though not for long, as the Third Sister promptly thrust at Nathan's torso with a grunt of exertion.
Parrying the attack, Nathan swung his lightsaber towards the Inquisitor's shoulder, hoping to cleave her from shoulder to hip. When that was parried, Nathan spun around and went low, slashing at the Third Sister's legs.
Leaping over this attack, the Third Sister lashed out with a fierce kick, catching Nathan square in the jaw, knocking him back. Smelling blood in the water, the Third Sister brought her lightsaber down onto Nathan, sensing the time to strike was then and there.
Nathan blocked the blow, rolling backwards whilst using his feet to push the Third Sister up and over his head. Leaping to his feet, Nathan managed to block the Inquisitor's oncoming strike once more, leading to an intense blade lock.
"Impressive…" The Third Sister remarked. "Perhaps that month you spent was enough after all."
"It'll prove to be more than enough by the time I'm finished." Nathan fired back, shoving his way out of the blade lock and slashing at the Third Sister's leg.
Only for a second blade to spring out of the opposite end of the Third Sister's lightsaber, arresting his lightsaber's motion.
"You were saying?" The Third Sister responded smugly as she shoved Nathan back with her saber hilt, spinning it around before holding it behind her.
Nathan backed away a few paces, seeing the Inquisitor's lightsaber now visibly double bladed. "Fuck…" Nathan mused, adopting a defensive stance. This would make the fight so much harder now.
A gleeful laugh sprang from the Inquisitor's lips before becoming another shrill war cry as she rushed Nathan again, leaping towards him with her double bladed lightsaber held high in the air.
With Jason and Winter…
A loud explosion enveloped Jason's entire field of hearing as he cautiously peaked his head out of cover to see what had happened.
Much to his elation, he saw that the White Fang, led by Ghost, had breached the Imperial lines and flanked them.
Looking to Winter, he nodded, shouting: "Their defences are down! Attack!"
An almighty cheer escaped the Atlesian soldiers as they surged forward, laying down covering fire with every step they made.
Jason smirked and drew his lightsaber, joining the soldiers and Winter in charging the Imperial lines.
The first Stormtrooper to fall to Jason's blade was beheaded, their severed head flying a few feet into the air before joining the body it once belonged to on the floor.
The second fell from a slash to the torso, and the third was sliced in two.
A fourth raised their rifle and fired on Jason, but found their shots redirected into them by Jason's lightsaber.
The fifth soon followed, Jason slashing them from shoulder to hip, and a sixth and seventh quickly fell as well, due to Jason beheading both of them.
Seeing a squad taking up positions to fire on him, Jason hurled his lightsaber towards them, killing all four of them within seconds as his lightsaber returned to his hand.
Spinning his lightsaber, Jason felled four more stormtroopers before he eyed their quarry:
What had been the main city square of Mountain Glenn, now the main command centre of the Imperial encampment here on Remnant.
Looking to Winter, Jason shouted: "Come on!"
Winter followed him into the tent, where they found the following amenities:
A holoprojector in the middle of the tent, surrounded by various computers, chairs, desks, and a table on which several maps were spread.
Footsteps behind them drew their attention, and Jason and Winter found Ilia stood behind them.
"This looks promising." Ilia remarked.
"Yes…" Winter declared, nodding agreement. Looking to Ilia, Winter asked: "You were an accomplished scout and intelligence gatherer within the White Fang prior to your promotion and reassignment here to Vale, were you not?"
"Yeah…" Ilia responded.
"Would you be able to download every file you can obtain onto yours and my scrolls before deleting it from their servers?" Winter inquired.
Ilia scoffed. "You're acting like I've never done that shit before. Hand me the scroll, Ice Queen. I'll get you those files."
Jason snorted at Winter's expression, which resembled her expression the first time Jason had dared cracked a joke at her expense. Turning behind him, Jason shouted: "GHOST!"
The Mandalorian warrior joined them soon after. "What do you need?" He asked.
"Plant bombs all over the place." Jason responded. "Set them for thirty minutes. Should be all we need to get out of here before the place goes sky high."
Ghost nodded and got to work, as did Ilia.
Jason turned to Winter, who was still stunned, and pecked her on the cheek. "Come on, gorgeous. Let's get our men into defensive positions so that Ilia and Ghost can do their job." Stepping outside, Jason shouted: "REGROUP!"
With that, all the White Fang and Atlesian soldiers joined him and Winter.
"We got Ilia Amitola and my good buddy Ghost gathering intelligence and planting explosives to blow this joint. What we're going to do in the meantime is fortify our position so that we can defend them while they get that done. Everyone got that?"
"Sir, yes sir!" The Atlesian soldiers all shouted in unison.
The White Fang nodded their acknowledgement before they set out to do just that.
Jason looked to Winter, taking her hand in his. "Would I be jinxing us if I said things were going better than I thought?" He asked.
"Probably." Winter responded. "But I think we can afford to think a little positively." Leaning in, she pecked him on the cheek.
Jason smiled and pulled Winter close, taking a deep breath.
His thoughts turned to Teams RWBY and JNNPR, wondering how each of them were doing.
Mostly how Team JNNPR was doing.
With Kanan and Team RWBY…
"All done!" Ruby declared as she dropped down from the top of the TIE Fighter she had just planted explosives on.
Kanan nodded as he looked around the area.
They had already destroyed the AT-STs earlier on, and had found the TIE Fighter 'airfield' not too long ago. Motioning for Ruby to join him, Weiss, Blake and Yang, Kanan pulled Yang close, handing her the detonator. "Care to do the honours?" He asked.
Yang smirked. "Do I get to kiss you whilst an explosion rages in the background?"
"Why do you think I have you in my arms?" Kanan asked with a smirk of his own.
"Well… Time to send these things off with a Yang." Yang remarked, earning groans from the rest of Team RWBY before pressing the detonator.
As expected, all the nearby TIE Fighters promptly exploded in an almighty conflagration, sending debris everywhere.
With that, Yang wrapped her arms around Kanan's neck, and brought him in for a passionate kiss.
Kanan pulled Yang closer to him, returning the kiss with as much love and passion as he could, until he finally broke the kiss, smiling at her.
Yang smiled back, before looking past him. "Aww, looks like Rubes is learning a thing or two!"
Kanan turned to see Ruby and Weiss break apart, both blushing madly, having clearly been sharing a kiss of their own to mirror Yang and Kanan.
"Looks like we had a pair of copycats, Yang." Kanan joked, making Yang laugh.
"I am stood right here, you know."
Everyone turned to see Blake stood a few feet away, looking slightly annoyed.
"Uh… yeah!" Ruby said. "Well; let's rejoin the others and get out of here!"
"Won't have to look very far." A voice said as JNPR rounded the corner.
"Hey guys!" Yang said cheerfully as the two teams reunited, sharing a few hugs. "Where have you guys been?"
"Freeing prisoners and trying to find you guys." Jaune answered as he looked at the rest of Team RWBY.
It was then that Kanan noticed something: One of JNNPR's number was missing.
"Where's Nathan?" Blake suddenly asked, looking at Jaune.
"Prison block." Pyrrha answered. "We were in the process of freeing prisoners when the Third Sister arrived. Nathan sent us on. I imagine he wished to face the Third Sister by himself."
Blake's eyes widened, and Kanan could see the fear in her eyes before she suddenly asked:
"Where's the prison block?!"
"Uh… that way." Nora responded, gesturing somewhere behind herself and the rest of her teammates, at which Blake sprinted off in that direction.
"Blake, wait!" Kanan shouted after her, but it was too late.
Blake had already vanished into the night in search of Nathan.
"Perhaps informing Blake that Nathan was engaging the Third Sister was not the best move." Ren said to Pyrrha.
"She was being honest, Ren." Weiss responded. "And Blake has every right to be worried. The last time Nathan faced the Third Sister, he was defeated."
"Look, this isn't gonna help." Jaune said, stepping between the two teams. "Let's just focus on rejoining Jason, Winter, and the military. From there, we can figure out a course of action."
"I agree with Jaune." Kanan responded. "Come on, ladies and gentlemen… let's move!"
With Ghost and Ilia…
"Well, that's all done." Ilia said triumphantly, holding up her and Winter's scrolls.
"Good job, mate." Ghost commented, fist-bumping Ilia. "Mind helping me set the explosives?"
"Sure." Ilia replied as she took some explosives from Ghost.
Several minutes later, the bombs were planted, and the timer was set.
"Right; I'll kick this off when we're moving out." Ghost stated. "Should leave us and the others time to regroup and get out of here before Mountain Glenn becomes Mountain Blown to Crap."
Ilia raised an eyebrow. "You've spent way too much time around Yang." She remarked.
"And yet I recall you confessing you liked her." Ghost fired back.
Ilia pouted, trying her best to hide a very visible blush. "Touché, asshole." She responded, flipping Ghost the bird.
"Well; you could always try for a threesome." Ghost suggested.
This only served to make Ilia blush even more madly, and she made to say something, but shook her head.
Ghost chuckled, just as the sound of blasterfire outside drew their attention.
Glancing at one another, they rushed outside and were forced into cover as a blistering bombarding barrage of blaster fire came their way.
"Empire must have sent a QRF down from the Star Destroyer in orbit!" Jason bellowed as he joined them. "Two full companies!"
"Bugger!" Ghost spat as he drew his blaster pistol. "This is gonna be fun."
Jason grimly nodded. "Wherever our friends are; I hope they aren't too far away!"
"Amen to that!" Ilia shouted over the din of battle.
With Nathan…
CRACK!
The kick struck Nathan square in the face, dead centre on the nose, which promptly broke under the sheer force of the blow.
Thankfully, the pain only struck him hard and fast, as if his nose had just momentarily been touched by a white hot rod. Then, it was more of a dull ache as he fell backwards, blood already streaming down his face from his nose.
Black spots danced in Nathan's fields of vision, and he fought with the cobwebs in his head, struggling to clear them by shaking his head.
By some miracle, Nathan was able to clear them just in time to see the Third Sister diving at him, lightsaber held at the ready.
Eyes widening, Nathan rolled out of the way and back to his feet, parrying the Third Sister's slash at him using the other end of her lightsaber and backing away, raising his lightsaber and bringing it down towards the hilt, hoping to split his foe's weapon in two.
The Third Sister deftly moved so that the higher end of her lightsaber stopped his lightsaber from striking the intended blow, before suddenly, her lightsaber blades spun like a rotor, shoving Nathan's lightsaber off to the right.
THWACK!
The left hook caught Nathan square in the jaw, sending him staggering back, shaking his head to clear it of the cobwebs as he held his lightsaber out in front of him, preparing to defend himself.
The Third Sister followed him, lightsaber spinning like a rotor behind her as she pressed her attack, thrusting towards him with a hard lunge.
Sidestepping and parrying the attack, Nathan slashed towards the Third Sister's head, hoping to either cleave it in two or catch her mask.
The Inquisitor leapt back to avoid the blow, deftly stepping forward and slashing at Nathan with both ends of her lightsaber, activating its rotor-like motion once again to knock Nathan's lightsaber off to the side, following this up by driving her lightsaber hilt into Nathan's chest with both hands, sending him sprawling, hitting the wall behind him.
Grunting with the sudden impact, Nathan quickly checked his aura levels, and his heart sank.
He was deep in the red, meaning any upcoming hits he allowed the Third Sister to catch him with could break his aura, leaving him just as vulnerable as she was in this moment.
A sinister giggle from the Third Sister drew Nathan's attention, and he scowled at her.
"Looks like you're in deep trouble now, Natey-baby." She said in a creepily sweet voice.
Nathan's eyes widened at that remark. No fucking way, he thought to himself. There was only one person who had ever called him that. His eyes narrowed as he felt a brief surge of rage envelop him. Taking his lightsaber in hand, Nathan rushed to his feet and charged the Third Sister, cutting and slashing at her until finally, he saw an opening and seized it, lashing out with his signature spinning back kick he favoured so much, and hearing a satisfying crack as he felt the helmet give under the force of his kick.
The Third Sister yelped as she leapt back, hand covering what appeared to be the affected part.
Nathan held his ground, saying: "No use hiding under that mask now… take it off."
The Third Sister's hand came away from the area of her mask that Nathan had broken with his kick, revealing a single yellow eye surrounded by black make-up which glared at Nathan with nothing short of hatred.
Slowly but surely, her hand came to her helmet, and she removed it, looking at Nathan once again.
Nathan sighed.
Staring back at him was a beautiful young woman about his age with long, luscious blonde hair pulled tightly back and Sith-yellow eyes that he remembered being the most gorgeous shade of emerald green ever.
"Narcissa." Nathan said plainly.
The Third Sister scowled. "I told you we would meet again someday." She snarled.
"Yeah… but like this?" Nathan asked. "Fuck the Force, Narcissa…"
"You made me like this, Nathan!" the Inquisitor yelled angrily. "If you'd just realised what we could have been, we wouldn't be on opposite sides! We'd be…"
"Narcissa…" Nathan interrupted. "I told you time after time after time that I only saw you as a friend. Nothing more. And even if I saw you as more, how long would we have lasted? How long until we ended it because we barely saw each other? How long-"
"We would have made it work!" Narcissa shrieked. "I loved you, Nathan! But all you did was get me kicked out of the Order."
"You tied me to my bed and tried to rape me!" Nathan shouted. "You got yourself kicked out of the Jedi Order!"
"LIAR!" The Third Sister screamed as she rushed towards Nathan.
Only for something black and white to swing into view, kicking her square in the face and sending her flying.
Nathan immediately raised his lightsaber in preparation to defend himself, but lowered his lightsaber as he recognised Blake walking towards him. "Blake?!" He asked as his beautiful girlfriend joined him.
"Mind if I join you in kicking this bitch's ass?" Blake asked.
Nathan smirked. "The more the merrier, Blake." He replied, pecking Blake on the cheek just as Narcissa got to her feet, the sight of which made him raise his lightsaber, whilst Blake drew Gambol Shroud.
The Third Sister glared between Blake and Nathan with increasing fury and hatred, saying: "Am I nothing to you, Nathan?! I give you my heart and all you do is keep ripping it to shreds!"
"You were something to him once." Blake fired back. "Just not what you wanted. And from where I'm standing… that's starting to look like a good thing."
With that, Narcissa let out a scream of fury, and charged towards Nathan and Blake, her double bladed lightsaber once more spinning like a rotor blade as she closed with them.
Taking a moment to glance at one another, Nathan and Blake charged the Third Sister as well, prepared to fight to the end together.
With Kanan, Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Team JNPR…
"Well this isn't good." Kanan remarked as he took cover behind an abandoned house.
They were currently close to his men, Jason, Winter, and their Atlesian Military contingent in the city centre.
Which was currently being bludgeoned by a large Imperial force numbering somewhere between two and three hundred men.
"We have to help them!" Ruby said. "I can provide sniper support from the top of this building!" At that, she made to head up to the top of the building, only to be dragged down by Weiss.
"Hold on, you dolt!" Weiss chided her girlfriend.
"I think I might have an idea." Jaune declared.
"We're all ears, Jaune." Pyrrha stated.
"If you and Ruby head up top and provide sniper support, the six of us can move up and flank the Imperials." Jaune suggested.
"How are six of us gonna make a dent in nearly three hundred troops?" Nora inquired, earning her a few nods from others in the gang as if to say she had a point.
"Because we'll be taking pressure off of our guys in the city centre." Jaune answered, grinning confidently. "Meaning they can move up."
"Jaune's right, guys." Kanan said. "Lead the way, buddy."
Jaune nodded confidently and led the others off, but not before taking a moment to share a kiss with Pyrrha.
"Be safe, Jaune." Pyrrha said.
"Why wouldn't I be when I have you to come back to?" Jaune asked softly.
Pyrrha smiled and kissed him again before heading off with Ruby.
Jaune sighed happily as he led Kanan, Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Nora and Ren off to attempt to flank the Imperials and relieve their beleaguered friends in the city centre.
With Jason and Winter…
"Winter, I think now might be the time to use one of your summons!" Jason said.
"I'm inclined to agree." Winter replied. "Would you mind covering me?"
"Of course, dear." Jason responded playfully, stepping into view and allowing Winter to get behind him.
At the mere sight of a Jedi, oncoming fire intensified exponentially, directed mainly at him.
Thankfully, Jason was proficient in Soresu, the third form of lightsaber combat, which worked wonders when defending against oncoming blaster fire.
Behind him, Winter dropped to a knee, stabbing her sword into the ground, at which a large glyph appeared in front of Jason.
Jason watched with amazement as slowly but surely, a ghostly coloured creature of Grimm emerged from the glyph, appearing to have the body and head of a lion, the wings of a predatory bird, and the tail of a scorpion.
"A Manticore…" He murmured as suddenly, Winter emerged from behind him and leapt onto the creature's back, looking at Jason.
"Come on!" Winter shouted.
Jason promptly jumped onto the back of the summon, which soon surged forwards towards the Imperial lines.
Oncoming fire ceased as the Empire saw this creature headed their way, and moved to retreat.
Suddenly, the Empire was getting cut down from oncoming fire coming from behind Jason and Winter.
Jason and Winter came to a stop and grinned as they saw Ghost and Ilia leading the White Fang and Atlesian military out of their defensive positions and charging towards the Imperial lines.
Jason was quick to spot a pair of glinting lights coming from a large building close to their former defensive positions, followed by the familiar crackle of oncoming sniper fire. He grinned as he guessed who was up there, before suddenly, an explosion from the Imperial lines drew his attention.
A loud cry erupted from behind the Imperials as several turned to engage something behind them. Or someone.
Jason found a grin crossing his face as he saw Kanan, Weiss, Yang, Jaune, Nora and Ren fighting their way to them. Dismounting Winter's summoned Manticore, Jason rushed into the fray, cutting his way through Stormtrooper after Stormtrooper until he reached the others. "You're a sight for sore eyes, boys and girls!" Jason said as he gripped Kanan's arm.
"Thank Jaune for the idea." Kanan replied. "Guy's born to be a leader."
Jason smiled as he looked to see Winter and Weiss sharing a tight hug of their own.
It wasn't long after this that the Empire was soon routed, and the White Fang and Atlesian forces reached Jason, Winter, Kanan, Weiss, Yang, Jaune, Nora and Ren, followed soon after by Ruby and Pyrrha.
"I'd call that a tie, Ruby." Pyrrha said playfully as they joined the others.
"Pfft, in your dreams." Ruby fired back as she rushed to Weiss, hugging her girlfriend.
Jason smiled at the scenes before him, looking to Ghost. "Charges set?" He asked.
Ghost nodded. "Want me to start the timer?" He asked.
"By all means." Jason replied, before looking amongst the gang. "Where's Nathan and Blake?" He asked.
"We encountered the Third Sister at the prison block." Jaune explained. "Nathan sent me and the rest of the team onward whilst he handled her. When we linked back up with Team RWBY, we told them, and Blake got worried, so she headed in that same direction."
"Ah, kriff." Ghost spat.
Jason sighed. "Okay, here's the plan. Ghost… start the timer. Winter, get everyone back to the ships and make ready for exfil. I'll go find Nathan and Blake."
"Mind if I join you?" Ghost inquired.
"More the merrier, Ghost." Jason replied with a grin, fist-bumping the Mandalorian before looking to Winter.
The former heiress to the Schnee Dust Company frowned at Jason, lips pursed together in a near pout, a telltale sign she was really worried.
"I'm giving you fifteen minutes, Jason." Winter said. "The moment those fifteen minutes are up, I'm coming in after you."
"I'd expect nothing less, snow angel." Jason responded, pulling Winter into a kiss.
The kiss only lasted for the smallest of moments before it was broken, and Winter sighed.
"Be safe, Jason. A reward might be forthcoming upon your return." Winter said with a grin, taking one of Jason's hands and moving it to her buttocks, gasping as he squeezed it.
"Seeing your beautiful face is all the reward I could ever ask for, Winter." Jason replied, kissing Winter once more before heading off with Ghost.
As he did, Jason spotted Ghost looking pensive. "Something on your mind, Ghost?" He asked.
"Aye… just wishing I had a woman like that, Jason." Ghost declared.
Jason smiled and patted Ghost on the shoulder gently before they continued on their search for Nathan and Blake, hoping the two lovers were alright.
With Nathan and Blake…
Even outnumbered, Narcissa was proving to be an annoying opponent.
Her agility coupled with her Force enhanced abilities and skill with her lightsaber allowed her to keep whoever she needed to keep at bay whilst she focused on one singular opponent.
And right now, her target was Nathan, as she hacked, slashed and stabbed at him in an attempt to injure him to a point where she could then focus entirely on Blake, so she could make Nathan watch as she killed her.
Lashing out with a Force Push, Nathan shoved Narcissa back, allowing Blake to close with her quickly whilst he did the same.
Together, the two of them attacked the Third Sister, who fended their attacks off like a cornered Grimm before using the Force to try and hurl Blake back.
Using her momentum, Blake flipped back a few times before getting to her feet, turning Gambol Shroud into its pistol form and snapping off a few shots as she drew close.
This forced Narcissa to disengage from Nathan so she could deflect the oncoming shots from Blake.
"You are really starting to annoy me!" Narcissa snarled, reaching out with the Force and making a pincer of her fingers.
Blake gasped and started grabbing at her throat, feeling her airway becoming increasingly constricted.
"BLAKE!" Nathan shouted as he rushed to assist Blake.
Narcissa spun to engage him, blocking his inaugural strike and spinning out of the blade lock, stabbing at him before engaging the rotor on her lightsaber and sending the opposite end slashing towards Nathan.
Parrying both blows, Nathan lashed out with a harsh elbow to Narcissa's jaw, sending her back a few paces and allowing him to counter with a crosscut towards her throat.
The Third Sister blocked the blow, leading to one more blade lock. "Once I beat you… I'll make you watch as I kill that whore over there." Narcissa vowed. "And then I'll claim your life as well. Perhaps your final moments will see you realise what could have been."
"I'd sooner have sex with a blender." Nathan replied, before driving his lightsaber hilt into Narcissa's face, using the opening to rear back and lunge forward, hoping to strike a decisive blow.
Only for Narcissa to parry, smack Nathan in the face with her lightsaber hilt, and then slash Nathan from shoulder to hip, followed by another quick slash across Nathan's leg, just above the knee.
This final strike finally met its mark, and Nathan cried out in pain and fell to one knee.
Narcissa smirked triumphantly, before looking around. "Now where's that whore…?"
"I'm right here."
Narcissa spun around and saw Nathan's woman stood a few feet behind her, her pathetic little pistol in her hand. "Good… Now I can make Nathan watch as I kill you… Blake, wasn't it?"
If Blake was scared by Narcissa, she wasn't showing it. "Gonna have to beat me, first!" She snapped, opening fire.
Switching to her single blade, Narcissa deftly dodged and blocked the oncoming shots from Blake's pistol, steadily moving up on her opponent, getting closer and closer before eventually leaping towards Blake with a fearsome shriek, slashing down and cleaving Blake from shoulder to hip.
Only for Blake to suddenly shimmer and vanish as her blade passed through.
"What?!" Narcissa spluttered as she backed away from where Blake used to be.
"It's called a semblance, bitch." Blake said.
Immediately spinning around, Narcissa grunted in pain as she felt Blake kick her firmly in the torso, sending her flying back into a wall behind her.
Getting to her feet, Narcissa quickly realised she was in one of the cells in the prison block, and dashed forward to get out.
Only to find herself met with a shimmering transparent wall of red.
Backing away, it soon occurred to Narcissa what was happening. "No… no, no, no, NO, NO, NO!" She shrieked, pounding against the energy shield currently holding her within the cell.
She was so close! So close to achieving her ultimate goal of getting her revenge on the man she had once loved, and so close to making him suffer for what he had done to her!
But now, all she could do was watch as the bitch who tricked her walked over to Nathan and helped him up, exchanging a few words with him before their lips soon met.
This sight made the rage within the Third Sister surge, and she began screaming at both of them, drawing her lightsaber and slashing against the energy shield barring her from attacking them, killing them, butchering their dead bodies, rending every single part of their corpses into the smallest pieces she could muster.
But it was all for naught. The energy shield held, and all Narcissa could do was watch as Blake made off with her Nathan, out of sight.
Seeing this made Narcissa sink back into her cell, and realisation soon set in:
She had failed. The Baron had entrusted her with looking after the Imperial Camp and she had failed. Her anger was replaced with fear, and soon, she started crying, dreading what would happen to her when the Baron returned.
With Jason and Ghost…
"Nathan!" Jason called out as he rushed over to a limping Nathan, who was being supported by Blake, followed suit by Ghost.
"Jason…" Nathan said as he stumbled forward into Jason's waiting arms. "You look like hammered shit."
Jason chuckled. "Says the guy who's limping. Where's the Third Sister?"
"She'll be locked up for a long time." Blake responded. "Probably for the best, anyway. Bitch makes asylum inmates look sane."
"It was Narcissa." Nathan said to Jason.
Jason blinked like he'd just been slapped. "Narcissa? As in that crazy girl you used to be friends with that fell obsessively in love with you and tried to rape you when you rejected her?"
Nathan nodded.
"Damn…" Jason remarked. "That's rough, man."
"Yeah…" Nathan responded sadly. "Come on. We gotta get to the ships." With that, Nathan limped onwards.
Jason sighed sadly. He could sense a multitude of emotions bubbling within Nathan in that moment that made him sad to sense Nathan feeling.
"Will he be okay?" Blake asked Jason. "And… what was all that? Nathan never…"
"It's best you talk to him personally about it." Jason replied softly. "It's neither my place nor my right to be talking about Narcissa, since it primarily affected Nathan. All I'll say is that when we get back… just… just let him talk."
Blake frowned, then nodded, before saying: "I'll join him." At which she quickened her pace so that she could be at Nathan's side.
Jason watched the two, smiling as Blake once more started supporting Nathan.
"Nathan is a lucky man to have someone like Blake in his life." Ghost remarked.
"Too right." Jason responded. "And Ghost?"
"Aye?" Ghost asked.
"About what you said earlier, about wishing you had a woman like Winter… be patient. You'll find that woman one day. And when you do… me, you and Nathan can chill somewhere with a nice cold drink and laugh about all this." Jason replied. "You're a handsome guy under that helmet. Take it off more often and maybe more ladies will take notice."
Ghost nodded. "Thanks, Jason. I'll… keep that in mind."
Jason smiled and patted Ghost on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's get back to the ships and get out of here before it all goes sky-high."
"Yeah. By my reckoning, we have five minutes before Winter comes out after you." Ghost declared.
Jason laughed as the two of them followed Nathan and Blake, eager to leave Mountain Glenn and savour their hard-fought victory.
Shortly thereafter…
Nathan knew Jason was in trouble the moment he spotted Winter glaring daggers at his old friend.
"You were cutting that ridiculously close, Jason Stone!" Winter called out as she marched from the ships and towards Jason, Ghost, Blake and Nathan.
"What can I say? Had to make you sweat, somehow." Jason responded coyly.
Winter rolled her eyes and pulled Jason into a deep, passionate kiss.
"Save the fucking for when we're safely back at Beacon, lovebirds." Nathan said as he and Blake got on the ship with Teams RWBY and JNNPR, immediately finding himself hugged by Pyrrha.
"Hello again." Pyrrha greeted gently.
"Hey." Nathan responded, hugging his best friend back before sitting down, hand on his wounded leg, which Pyrrha noticed.
"Nathan, you're hurt!" Pyrrha shouted, standing up to call for a medic.
"I'll be fine, Pyrrha." Nathan said. "Just a scratch."
"Call that a scratch?!" Kanan said as he looked. "Looks like someone took a sword and heated it up so it was white hot, then cut you across the leg. You sure you'll be okay?"
"Kanan, I once took four lightsabers to the chest at the same time." Nathan responded. "I think I'll be okay."
"HOW MANY LIGHTSABERS?!" Ruby asked before being shushed by Weiss.
"I think Nate's gonna be fine." Jaune said confidently. "Aura will fix the damage within a week, at most."
Nathan nodded appreciatively, fist-bumping Jaune.
"Besides… we did it." Yang pointed out. "We kicked Imperial ass tonight!"
"Damn right!" Nora added, before gasping in horror. "Ren, we didn't break anyone's legs!" She shouted, before deflating and collapsing into Ren's arms as her boyfriend began lightly stroking Nora's hair comfortingly.
Nathan allowed himself a small smile at this. Neither of them were wrong. They had just beaten the Empire and struck a major blow against any major effort the Empire might make to attack and subjugate Remnant.
He was so deep in thought he didn't realise the ships had lifted off and were moving off, taking a moment to circle the entirety of Mountain Glenn.
The Imperial Encampment soon became visible, in the form of several almighty explosions that encased the ruined city surrounding it in a fiery conflagration that would soon take hold, burning away what little evidence remained of whatever had come before it.
Smirking, Nathan looked to his friends and teammates. "Back during the Clone Wars… we had a rule." He said. "Never leave until you see the explosions."
The entire gang all chuckled as they watched the explosions die down, at which their ships veered off and headed straight for Beacon. For home.
Nathan allowed himself to lean back in his seat and relax with a contented sigh. The Empire had been defeated.
His biggest fear had been confronted and defeated. The one thing still giving him nightmares at night would no longer bother him.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Nathan felt well and truly safe.
That was fun.
Not gonna lie... almost forgot to upload this chapter. Blame God of War: Ragnarok for that. It's not my fault it's a bloody good game!
Enough chatter; time to answer reviews...
Guest: There's a little excerpt in the previous chapter that might answer your question. That being that the Emperor didn't exactly sanction the invasion on Remnant. Besides, the Baron's the kind of villain who likes a good fight. Orbital bombardment is boring to him.
keybladelight: So it has.
Rider126: The 107th will make an appearance, my friend. Just not yet.
Spiderdeku25: Nope. Also; while Hondo would be awesome (And hilarious), I'm trying to keep guest appearances to a minimum.
All that said; thank you all so much for reading this chapter. If you liked it... you all know what to do.
I shall see you all tomorrow with Chapter 27; which sees some of the fallout from the Battle of Mountain Glenn.
T-Rock14