Ok, so my last chapter wasn't exactly one of my best chapters that I've written, but I think this chapter will make up for it. I believe that all of you are wondering what Rose, March and Arthur's stance on Galen's 'crime' is and if they actually believe that their leader is innocent. Well, I won't keep you all waiting any longer.
Before I begin though, I want to say that I have finally finished Naruto and Naruto Shippuden and just started watching Boruto and I like them, a lot. I really wished I got into that series way earlier than now. But then again, I have my high school anime crew to blame for my lack of interest in anime because they all wanted to watch Adventure Time, a show that was never anime and completely stupid in my opinion.
Really wished that Cartoon Network didn't remove the Toonami block from their programing schedule only to air it on Adult Swim on times when most people are asleep when they could have aired it at a different time at night before midnight. Seriously, the anime they showed shouldn't have aired on Adult Swim, with the exception of a few like Black Lagoon. Oh, and there's a new Gundam series out, but it hasn't been dubbed yet. I say that because I am trying to think about what Gunpla would work for Ed, Edd n' Eddy in Gundam Build Divers.
Also, Robyn's new pistols are Glock17L's.
Anyway, onto the reviews.
Monster King: Thanks
Luffy L Deathwalker: Yeah, I think I did go overboard with Ironwood's prejudice, but his anger did get the better of him. I haven't really thought all that far ahead about Jacque's dinner party, but you have given me an idea about that.
Darth Cody: Yeah, I kind of blanked on that part until you left your review. Probably should have made it so that those summonses were Geist's that used the Riot Trooper Armor as a body after the troopers died. I will say this much, you'll like this chapter.
BlindFaunusGirl: Thanks, and I'm really glad you like this story. I think I have an idea for the plane Ruby will fly. How does an F4 equipped with two heavy gun pods, short-ranged aerial suppression air-to-air missiles and two standard missiles sound for a loadout for our favorite scythe-wielder?
Jack Smith1: Yeah, Galen is going to get the hell out of Atlas considering he's a 'wanted criminal'. Trust me when I say you'll like Avengers: Infinity War, if you are a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars. There's no Deadpool in it, but there's been an appearance of the Punisher, a lot more Mandalorian material, a certain Bounty Hunter from the 2003 micro-series and of course, the Avengers but no Hulk as of yet. Now about Delta Squad, they'll be coming back soon to help the Bad Batch and the Garuda Team deal with a certain factory and the scrapheaps that it's spitting out.
SilverFox3456: Thanks for sticking up for me, I appreciate that. It means a lot, especially since there were times in Highschool and Junior High when I was bullied. Not a whole lot of people stood up for me back then and I usually got sent to detention because of some teacher playing favorites.
42: Good, cause that's what I want the readers to do. Harriet is one of those characters that never really piqued my interest. If she makes a comeback in later volumes, you want to bet that she'll blame Ruby and her friends for the destruction of Atlas along with the deaths of Ironwood, Clover, and Vine?
Spartan-626: Yeah, that's Harriet for you and I can assure you, she will get a good lecture down the road. I promise you that much.
Songs this chapter are 'Guard Pursuit' from Jak 2, 'Sewer's' and 'Incoming Blast Bots' from Jak 3.
Alright onto the story, but first the into.
(Start Rise, Tv version by Madkid)
(The camera moves fast over the frozen tundra of Solitas before it shots up to the floating city of Atlas and the city of Mantle below it. As fighter jets fly past, the title card is revealed with two lightsaber blades surrounding it.)
Remnant Unleashed
In this empty void, I found the way to light. Can't find my way in this lingering world. Searching fo the answer- the one that I can trust in. I'm just wandering around.
(The title card vanishes as a shot of Ironwood addressing his followers is shown, standing in full military gear. Among them is Galen and his team, Jaune, Nora, Ren, Lop, Faye, Kara and Zett, the students wearing new combat clothing. Behind them in the corner with their helmets off are Rex and his brothers who eye the general with suspicion.)
Yeah, still stuck in the shadow ey, But I never follow that. This pain at last soon will pass. Turn into my own unbeatable strength. This guy or that guy -dead or alive by hiding alone, can't survive. I don't want to lie to myself.
(Behind Ironwood are his Ace Ops and Winter who then dissipate into mist before being replaced by Jacque who has a devious grin on his face, while Whitley and Serra stand behind him looking at each other with worry. The scene then changes to Mantle where Boba, Robyn, Ahsoka, the Fox, Maria, Grogu, Pietro, Penny, Artoria and the Happy Huntresses look up towards Atlas, Robyn crossing her arms before looking at a picture of her, Ray, Neo, and Amber.)
Keep on the fight, get right I'll never lose and cry. Keep run up day and night. Time to rewrite. No matter what anyone say's I find my way. Never go away.
(The Grimm charge towards from the tundra as Galen, Ruby, Jaune and their teams ready for their weapons for battle only for Ruby, Jaune and their teammates to vanish into mist while soldiers appear behind Galen and his team aiming their weapons at them. Galen's eyes are shown and then narrow as he ignites his lightsabers.)
Now, nobody can stop me no way. I will make sure not to forget those precious things. Yeah, I'll take a stand, get back all that I've lost. Rise suddenly in this word. (I don't look back yeah.)
(Galen and his team then charge in, now fighting a top a speeding train in the tundra against the Ace Ops while droids attack both groups. Galen slashes a droid and counters an attack from Harriet, Rose dodges Elm's massive hammer, Arthur clashes blades with his cousin, March trades fists with Marrow who looks unsure of his choices as Vine's giant hands try to swat away two human shaped machines flying alongside the train, with Clover trading blows Rex at the front of the train.)
This repetition will repeat 'till the end. And the regret that's still lingering in my head. Time to get it all back, now turn over. Rise suddenly in this world.
(The scene changes once again as Teams RWBY, JNR, Domino Squad, the Bad Batch, Fordo, Alpha, Cody, Waxer, Boil, Kara, Faye, and Able fight against the Grimm which then change into Imperial troopers as the shadows of Vader, Palpatine, Barriss, Jacque, Watts, Maul, Salem, Emerald, Mercury, and a mysterious robotic figure loom over them. Ruby's face turns to fear before her eyes shine and a silver light engulfs the screen before the title card returns.)
(Song ends)
Disclaimers are the same as always.
Chapter 108: Escape from Atlas
Three weeks on the run showed Galen how much the city had changed after the election.
SDC soldiers patrolled the streets of Mantle, rounding up any questionable citizens and asking questions about the whereabouts of the Demon Lord, Galen Marek. The citizens of Mantle refused to cooperate with the SDC soldiers or lied that they didn't know anything about the whereabouts of Galen. Those that did cooperate where the ones that allowed Galen to move from wherever he was hiding before the soldiers could locate him.
The citizens that refused, were rounded up by the SDC soldiers and taken to prison build by the soldiers to detain the 'dissidents that were disturbing the peace of Atlas'. Men, women and even children were taken from their homes, sometimes in the middle of the night and driven towards this prison despite the pleas that they knew nothing about Galen's whereabouts.
The Faunus on the other hand, were beaten badly simply because of their traits something that many of the citizens approved of because of they shared the same views on the Faunus. Those that were apposed to such treatment were held back by their 'neighbors' who felt the Faunus were their equals despite the current system that was in place.
Galen witnessed one of these 'round ups' and wanted to do something to help those people but given that the bounty on his head was five-hundred million lien, he couldn't risk open combat with the private soldiers without risking the safety of the citizens.
Thankfully, he didn't have to do anything because the people had a champion fighting for them. More than often, he witnessed Diego Vega aka The Fox attacking these so called 'prisoner transports' and freed the people despite the warrant for The Fox's arrest.
There were times when the Fox actually teamed up with Howzer, his men, Thire, Stone, Jek, Rhys and Thorn in protecting the citizens from the Grimm and SDC soldiers despite the warrant for his arrest, largely in part due to the fact that Howzer and his brothers considered the Fox to be more of a hero than a criminal considering that he never killed anyone or anything but the Grimm which were the real threat.
From within Robyn's hideout, Galen watched as a newer more armored Puma battle car passed by on a patrol. Behind him were Robyn, Onyx, Ray, Neo, May, Johanna, Fiona, Boba, Grogu, and Bella, the later of whom was accused of 'harboring a wanted criminal' and was almost assaulted during her arrest had it not been for the son of Jango Fett who had been tracking Tyrian and deviated from his search to help the planets most famous stage magician. "Seems like it wasn't just the Landstalkers that got an upgrade, but those Puma's as well." Boba noted as the patrol passed the hideout.
"Seems like Jacques forces have already established martial law and are rounding up everyone they deem as a threat to public safety. This wouldn't have happened if Robyn was on the council, typical Atlas trying to turn things in their favor, obviously Ironwood rigged the election and put one of his supporters on the council." May said with a scowl.
"That's enough, May." Robyn interjected, putting her new pistols down on the table. "Ironwood had nothing to do with the election or the massacre. Tyrian Callows killed those people, and someone made it look like Galen was the one responsible for the murders, then Jacques sent his forces into the auditorium and tried to cover up the truth by killing the survivors. We're just lucky that I didn't decide to rob Ironwoods convoys for the supplies that Mantle needs." She spoke.
"At least Wally and Whitman are able to meet your supply demands. Railroad men like them are hard to come by these days, considering that most of the new employees they hire have very little training when it comes to operating locomotives, especially considering that the newer SDC 140's are going to be run by computers." Ray said, speaking about the new engines that the SDC had developed to make a profit. "They're all controlled by the latest computer software that hasn't even been brought up to code following the virus that was removed from the CCT in Vale, not to mention the systems haven't even been tested properly. Compared to the older SD140's that have been the railroads workhorse for years, these new ones leave a lot to be desired."
"Probably be a bad time to mention that some of the SD140's scheduled for maintenance are sent out onto the main line without even getting fixed properly." Johanna said, knowing that Ray had a thing for trains. "Wally and Whitman have been pressing for more funding for repairs instead of upgrades. Those V32 piston engines and eight-stroke engines on some of those engines are showing a lot of signs of wear and tear, and if those computers can't detect the errors, it'll mean disaster."
"Computers can't make the same decisions that people can make with years of experience. Not to mention, I bet they'll be passing all the settlements that live away from the kingdom and leave them all to die." Neo pointed out.
"Can we focus on the bigger picture right now?" Bella asked. "Galen's been framed for murder, and it seems pretty clear to me that Jacques and his army will destroy the entire city looking for him. He can't stay here any longer. He has to leave Mantle, not just for his safety but for the safety of the people of Mantle and his friends." she turned to Galen. "You know I'm right. Those soldiers will do anything and everything to try and draw you out, you've seen what they're doing and what kind of firepower they're packing."
"I know." Galen answered, clenching his fists in anger. "Someone set me up and I have a feeling Jacques is involved with this. He didn't like that I talked back to him at the mine, but it was Wrecker who tossed him around like a ragdoll and hit him so hard in the crotch, so why me? Why frame me? It would make more sense to frame Penny considering that she's Ironwood's 'newest weapon', not that I want anyone to be framed for a crime like this, but why me?"
"It's because you give the people hope." Boba answered, putting his helmet on the table. "You've become the Demon Lord of the Round Table, helped saved Mistral, Haven, Argus and have accomplished more than most people could only dream of. You've given them hope that things will change for the better, especially for the Faunus. That kind of hope is something that those in power can't allow, that's why you were framed."
"Sounds like you speak from experience." Robyn said from the sound of Boba's voice which was filled with regret.
"Not personally, but Ahsoka was in a similar position like Galen is in during the last years of the war. She was framed for a crime she didn't commit and did everything she could to prove her innocence. Even after the real culprit was capture, I couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like if it was me who was framed for a crime." Boba explained, turning to Galen. "But they are right, you can't stay in the city any longer. It's too big a risk."
"It's not like I got a safehouse I can hide in until this blows over." Galen pointed out.
"Not yet you don't." Robyn piped up. "I've got a couple of places out in the tundra where me and my girls go to train. One of them is near Rosamond which is nine hundred miles away from the main kingdom to the east. Rosamond is the largest port city on the continent and is practically dependent on both the railroad and the port. My safehouse is about a hundred miles from the city, and it's near one of those off-grid communities, so getting supplies will be easy. Speaking of which, I've loaded up your buggy with a couple of gas cans of combustion Dust for the trip ahead. You can wait out the storm there until we can get some more answers. It's out of the ways, so don't expect many visitors from the kingdom, but it is close to a very interesting off-grid settlement that you might find interesting."
"We even packed up some extra ammo for your gun, probably not going to be a lot of chances to go out into public to buy ammo, especially considering that Jacques destroyed a lot of it." Ray added, handing Galen a backpack containing said ammo. "We've got our own work to do, so we can't take you with us, but we'll do all we can to try and clear your name. It's the least we can do."
"I'll try to keep your hideout in one piece." Galen said, taking the backpack and slinging it over his back. "Look after Ruby for me while I'm gone. I know she can take care of herself, but if Tyrian plans on going after her I would at least be glad knowing that she had a few people looking out for her. I already had the Fox give her a message about what I plan on doing. Again, thank you all for everything."
"I suggest you go through the sewers to get to your vehicle. It's damp and murky, but you should be able to avoid the patrols without any problems, hopefully." Neo told Galen.
"It's better than nothing, again I ow you guys a lot." Galen thanked, opening the door to Robyn's hideout the moment another patrol passed by and leapt up to the rooftops before he started running towards the nearest sewer entrance.
However, the moment Galen left the hideout, Bella noticed they were one person short. "Hey, where's the little guy?" she asked after noticing that Grogu had vanished.
Meanwhile, up in Atlas, Rose, March, and Arthur all finished packing up the essential supplies they needed for their 'special mission'. Food and medical supplies discreetly borrowed from the storage rooms of the academy were loaded into their backpacks along with extra ammunition for their weapons. All three of them looked at each other and nodded before they ran towards the landing pad and took an airship down to the city.
As the airship lifted off, inside her team's dorm room, Ruby sat on her bunk with a piece of paper in her hands that was given to her by the Fox who snuck onto the academy grounds as quickly as he left. The paper was a letter written by Galen. 'Dear Ruby, I don't know what Ironwood's been saying about the crime I supposedly committed, but you and I both know that it was Tyrian who killed those people. Salem has to be behind this, but someone else must have been giving Tyrian his instructions. The situation is critical, so I'll have to leave the safety of the Kingdom. SDC soldiers are practically tearing down Mantle trying to find me and I'm putting every single citizen in danger, I can't stay here any longer. I don't know where I'll be going, but don't come looking for me. If Salem catches wind of you, she'll do everything in her power to either kill or capture you and your mother would never forgive me if anything happened to you. I know you'd probably want to come with me, but you still have a lot of training to do. Don't let Ironwood or Harriet treat you like a weapon, you're a person and probably the only one who can defeat Salem.'
Ruby continued to read the letter as her teammates returned to the dorm room, noticing Ruby's saddened face. 'You're the most special girl I've ever met in my life. Juno would have liked you if she was still alive. I love you with all my heart and no matter what anyone says about me, I know who I really am and won't give up that easily. No matter what happens, remember that you're not just a huntress but also a Jedi. Train with Ahsoka, Faye, Kara, Zett and Lop every chance you get and please figure out which plane would be best suited for you to fly. I don't know how long it will be before I can clear my name, but no matter what happens remember I will always love you. Love, Galen Marek.'
Ruby folded the letter back up and felt something trickle down her eyes. She was beginning to cry that she wouldn't be seeing her boyfriend for a long time, just like she did when learned that her mother was reportedly killed. The pain in her heart was immense, but she wasn't alone. Her teammates noticed her tears and sat beside her. "Don't worry, Ruby. Galen will be back; I just know it." Blake assured her team leader.
"We all thought he was dead after Beacon, but we were proven wrong. He's got to follow his own path and I know he's doing this for the right reasons. If he stays, Mantle will be burned to the ground by my fathers' forces, he will return, I know it." Weiss added.
"He won't end up breaking your heart, he loves you too much. Besides, Weiss and I will be the ones planning your wedding." Yang teased.
"Yang, we're a long way off from a wedding and I don't think now would be the right time." Ruby told her sister. "I just wish there was a way I could at least keep in touch with him." Ruby said with a sigh.
"Well, there might be a way. Just keep him in your thoughts, I'm pretty sure you can send him some kind of message with the Force. Let him know that you'll be thinking about him. It's what I would do." Blake suggested.
"Thanks, guys." Ruby said with a smile, before the team shared a hug, proving that they were more of a family then ever.
Back down in Mantle, Galen looked over the ledge of a building, waiting for a SDC patrol to pass before he jumped off the building, landed on his feet and opened the service door to the lift which took him down into the sewers. Putting his backpack down the moment the lift came to a stop, Galen opened his backpack going for the map of the sewers that Robyn gave him when to his surprise, he found Grogu had stowed away in his backpack, munching on a cookie. "What are you doing here, Grogu?" Galen asked.
Grogu didn't answer, but only burped after he finished his cookie and leapt onto Galen's shoulder. "Are you saying you want to come with me? It will be dangerous. There's no telling what kind of things are lurking down here in the sewers." Galen told the child.
Grogu only responded by backflipping into the backpack with a smile on his face. "Robyn's going to kill me if she finds out you're dead, Wrecker too. Onyx would probably rip my throat out if he lost you." He said, although reluctantly. Picking up his backpack and slinging it across his back. "You watch my back, ok? Let me know if anything ugly comes our way." He told the little guy who cooed in acknowledgement as the two made their way into the sewers.
(Start Sewer's)
The sewer exit that came out close to the eastern garage was about fifteen kilometers away and the route would take him past a few pumping stations that had seen better days, so he had a bit of a hike ahead of him. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be an easy hike to the exit as the sewers were crawling with both the Grimm and the same machines that he fought almost a month ago. Strangely, none of the sewer's alarms were tripped or the Atlas military would have been sent down into the sewers to clear them out.
A pair of robots already in their ball mode rolled towards them while a couple of new quadruped robots that ran past the balled-up robots and lunged at Galen, who leapt back and ignited his lightsabers. One of the machines was cleaved in half while Galen crushed the second one like a can with the force, throwing the crushed-up machine back several feet before it exploded. The third one managed to get in close enough and threw a punch at Galen, which he had very little time to avoid.
The balled-up machines uncurled and then opened up with their blasters while Galen staggered for a bit before he unleashed a jolt of lightning from his fingers that short-circuited the machines that were still standing, exploding or either falling down to the ground before he and his traveling companion moved on.
More of the machines were patrolling the sewers and the moment they detected a trespasser, opened up with their weapons and lunged at Galen as he and Grogu continued through the sewers. Blaster fire knocked one of the quadruped machines into the sewer water as some of the flying units rose up from one the revisors and opened up on Galen and his companion, forcing Galen to double back and take cover behind a rusted sewer pipe. "Didn't expect this much resistance." He said to himself, sheathing his lightsabers before he pulled out his gun and shifted into its rifle mode and popped out of cover, firing a few shots at the robots which were then reinforced by several Beowolves that had managed to arrive and were covered with ice. "Great, they must have heard the weapons fire." he cursed and continued to fire back at the enemy, ducking down when the enemy fired at him.
The Grimm pushed their way through the robots, some of them being destroyed by the massive claws of the Beowolves. Some of the Grimm were gunned down, but the rest of them managed to leap into the air and would have landed right on top of Galen if Grogu hadn't reached out with the Force and sent them flying backwards. "Thanks, little guy. I ow you a snack after that save." Galen told the little Jedi, holstering his gun before pulling out his lightsabers once more and started to carve up the remaining machines. "That noise probably alerted the rest of whatever else is down here. We gotta move."
Grogu smiled as Galen picked up the backpack and ran through the sewers with his gun in hand. As he predicted, the noise from the earlier firefight had attracted the other machines and Grimm that were roaming the sewers, looking for any unsuspecting wanders that made their way into their territory. Switching his weapon from rifle to its shotgun mode, Galen blasted anything that got in his path before he skidded to a stop.
Right in front of him was a large storm drain that was overflowing with dirty water that was once snow. The Grimm howled behind him, and the moving of joints caught Galen's attention, forcing him to turn around to see a large horde of hostiles approaching him. A switch from shotgun to machine gun mode, Galen pulled the trigger, causing the barrel to slowly spin up as he fixed the laser sight onto the approaching hostiles and cut lose with a volley of bullets.
One of the robots exploded when several bullets hit its power source while one of the Grimm was riddled with bullets, fell over and dissipated into mist. Another of the robots fell backwards after the damage it took, while another Grimm took a tumble and fell into the storm drain where it dissipated into mist like the rest of its brothers.
Bullets ripped through the hostiles as Galen kept his finger on the trigger, spraying the horde with weapon fire with his back turned to the storm drain. The last ten rounds from the machine gun magazine killed a Creep as the magazine ejected from the weapon, forcing Galen to load a new magazine into his weapon, which allowed the robots to get in close and fire at him. One of the robots managed to hit Galen in the left leg, causing him a bit of pain. "I need a way out of here." He said to himself.
He looked back towards the other side of the storm drain and knew that the only way across was to jump. "Hang on, Grogu. We're going for a ride." He said to the little alien who had tucked himself into the backpack before he took several steps back before he took off in a running start and then leapt over the storm drain. Using the force to assist his jump, he grabbed onto a low hanging pipe, spun on it before he leapt over and landed on the other side of the storm drain. Shifting his weapon into its missile mode, he turned around, charged up the weapon and fired a shot. His target was a canister of combustible Dust that was carried into the tunnel behind him by the previous flood waters. The shot hit the canister dead center, exploded, and caused part of the sewer to collapse on the Grimm and robots. "That should keep the heat off us." He said, shifting his weapon into rifle mode before he continued towards the service lift.
(End song)
Above ground, a patrol of SDC soldiers were looking into the possible locations where Galen could be hiding when they felt the ground shake beneath them. Their commander confirmed reports of an underground explosion in the sewers beneath them and the sensors in the sewers were tripped, indicating someone was traversing the sewers for some reason. The security cameras in the sewers were disabled, all thanks to Tech who did so to cover Galen's escape, but the SDC commander knew that if someone was traveling underground, it would be their target and there was only one place they would be going to, the garage where his vehicle was stored. "Command, we got a possible lead on The Demon Lord's location, requesting authorization to use the Blast Bots to flush him out."
At that very moment, the service door to the sewers opened up and Galen peaked around the corner, checking to make sure that the coast was clear. His senses confirmed no one was nearby and he made a mad dash for the door to the garage.
Steam hissed as the massive doors to the garage opened revealing his buggy was fully loaded with the provisions Robyn provided him. "I've come far since I came to this planet, I've made friends and found someone to love. I hate the idea of leaving them all behind, but it's for the best." Galen said to himself.
"Yeah, sorry that's not going to happen." A voice said. Galen turned around and saw that standing behind him was his team. "You're not leaving any time soon." Rose said, her rifle on her shoulder.
"We're you just planning on leaving without saying goodbye to either of us, I thought we were a team?" March said with a smirk.
"Perhaps he believed he was doing us a favor by not telling us his plans, hoping to keep up safe from the enemy." Arthur theorized.
"What are you guys doing here?" Galen demanded, ready to draw his lightsabers.
"We figured you'd be coming here. After all, your wheels are stored here, and I don't think anyone would like it if you smuggled yourself onto a freight train or bullhead." Rose answered.
"I don't want to hurt you guys. Just walk away and let me do this, it's too dangerous if I stay in the city." Galen implored to his team.
"We know." Arthur started. "That's why we're going with you."
"What?" Galen asked in surprise.
"Did you really think we came all the way here to try and stop you from leaving or bring you in? Not exactly the kind of thing a family would do." March pointed out.
"Family?" Galen asked again.
"We've been a team for about two years, despite all the shit that Salem, Cinder, and their cronies put us through. Not to mention the Empire. We've come together more as a family then just friends. Besides, we already talked about this long before. We said if one of us was framed for a crime we didn't commit, the rest of us would stick by them no matter what." Rose explained.
"How can we be a family? We're not even related by blood." Galen countered.
"Just because we do not share the same blood doesn't mean we're not a family. You said it yourself, a family is stronger than an army, no matter how advanced it's technology or training is." Arthur countered back.
"Archie and Arthur here have cousins and a sister, so they have a lot more knowhow about that sort of thing. Me, I see you as the brother I never had and always wanted." Rose added. "I mean, haven't you ever thought about what it would be like to have a brother or sister? You told us that you've lived most of your life as Vader's apprentice and knew only his harsh training regiment and whatever other hell he put you through. Here, you've made bonds that will last the rest of your life, a new life that you've created with your new family and if you think we're going to let you just throw it all away because someone set you up and say's it for our safety, then you've got another thing coming. After all, a family that battles together, stays together."
His mind was dead set on leaving everyone behind for his own safety, but after hearing everything that his teammates had just said, Galen almost felt like his heart had just stopped and was then revitalized. "Heh, you guys make a compelling argument. I thought that if left all of you alone, you wouldn't dragged down with me. But after hearing what you guys just said, I realize I was about to make a stupid mistake. Like you said, I never had a real family after Vader murdered my father, but you guys, you're my family, same with the others." He then turned to the buggies. "Get your stuff loaded onto the buggies. Rose rides with me. March, Arthur, take the second shark. We move out once we're ready."
His teammates smiled, but before they could even toss their gear into the second Shark, the doors to the garage were blown open, kicking up a cloud of dust. "I think we might have a fight on our hands." Rose said as SDC soldiers moved through the door and started shooting at Team GARM. "Oh great, the ruthless soldiers from the SDC." Rose said with annoyance.
"By order of Councilmen Jacques Schnee, head of the Schnee Dust Company, savior of the Kingdom of Atlas, anyone associated with Galen Marek is to be arrested to the full extent of the law. Surrender and die!" the commander announced as his soldiers moved into the garage and surrounded Team GARM.
Team GARM looked at each other and all nodded. "Hey! Gun for hire! It's surrender or die and we're not surrendering!" Rose shouted, only to be fired on by the soldiers who didn't seem to care whether or not they were fighting back. "Figures! It's always shoot first and ask questions never with these bastards!" Rose snarled.
"So, what's the plan, Galen?" March asked.
"What else, we fight. They're just guns for hire who would kill anyone no matter if they were planning a rebellion or not. Take them down!" Galen answered, igniting his lightsabers, and dashed towards the enemy with a burst of speed and slashed at several of the SDC soldiers.
(Start Blast Bots)
The front most soldiers fell to the ground just as the SDC soldiers opened fire at Team GARM. "Engage the enemy, don't hold back!" Galen shouted, throwing his lightsabers at several SDC soldiers, killing them. He then reached out with the force, lifted one of them up and electrocuted them with a blast of lightning, then threw the charged-up body towards the other soldiers.
"Kill them all!" the SDC Commander shouted, only to be taken down by a headshot from one of March's pistols.
"Anyone ever tell you guys that numbers don't decide the outcome of a battle?" the Rabbit Faunus spat, firing off more shots from his pistols, downing three SDC soldiers before he combined his pistols into their sword mode and used his semblance to cut down multiple soldiers in a blur before he began to engage the enemy in sword combat.
One soldier was slashed across the chest before March pivoted his feet and slashed another across the chest, breaking his sword back into separate pistols and began to fire at the SDC soldiers once more. As he reloaded, his rabbit ears heard something massive approaching their position. He looked up and saw the same four-legged machines that Galen encountered weeks ago. "Crap! We got blast bots!" he shouted.
The others heard him and watched as one of the so called 'blast bots' rounded the corner onto the street, it's optical eye homing in on the designated targets as it maneuvered down the street, its laser locking onto March and Galen who were dealing with the brunt of the enemy assault.
They were soon joined by Arthur who fired a salvo of whistling birds, killing several of the hired guns before he drew his Excalibur in its sword mode, cutting down one soldier, disarmed another, maimed a third and then stabbed a fourth one. Extending both his wrists, he unleashed a stream of fire from his flamethrowers, burning several soldiers to a crisp while creating a wall of fire that blocked the enemy's advance. "That machine is getting closer! Rose, can you take it out?" he shouted as his whistling bird launcher loaded a new salvo.
Rose, who had set up her rifle on a table she pushed over for cover took aim at the blast bots' optical sensor and fired her first bullet right through the fire. The bullet slammed into the bot's optic, but the machine kept on marching forward towards the garage. More bullets slammed into the machine's body, but it continued to march towards the garage. "My rifle isn't doing jack; I need something bigger." Rose called out, running for Galen's Shark, powered it up and move it into a firing position directly facing the blown-out wall. "Get down boys! Automatic fire coming your way!"
The others ducked as the machine guns from the shark ripped through the SDC soldiers and slammed into body of the blast bot, causing massive damage before the machine exploded in big ball of fire, shattering several windows on the nearby buildings. Thankfully, no one was inside the buildings, but three more of the blast bots were approaching the garage. "Now would be a very good time to leave!" she shouted.
"Got it!" Galen shouted and lifted up several slabs of wall and placed them in front of the hole before he leapt back into the driver's seat of his vehicle while March and Arthur powered up the second Shark. "Shoot the door controls!"
Rose didn't waste time in pulling out one of her pistols and fired a round at the controls for the vehicle bay doors, destroying the console which caused the vehicle bay doors to open. "Punch it!" the gunslinger shouted.
Shifting their vehicles into full gear, the two vehicles sped out of the garage and out into the tundra just as the SDC soldiers and their blast bots blew away the makeshift barrier and moved in, only to find their targets had escaped.
(End song)
"Sir, the target has escaped, and he was accompanied by his teammates. We lost one of the blast bots and suffered casualties." One of the surviving soldiers reported to Jacques. "They're heading out into the tundra, requesting that Puma's are deployed to pursue them."
"Just make sure you kill them, Lieutenant." Jacques growled over the radio.
The two sharks kicked up a cloud of snow as Team GARM drove through the tundra. "So, where are we going?" Rose asked as Galen drove.
"Robyn said she's got a safehouse near Rosamond, a place where she and her huntresses go to train. It's pretty far away from Atlas, so we won't need to worry about anyone finding us, she even mentioned something about an interesting off-grid settlement that I might find interesting. There's not a chance in hell that Jacques forces or the newly elected councilmen himself would go looking for a wanted criminal. I use that term lightly cause I'm not a criminal." Galen answered.
"Well, it's not the first time I've gone camping out in the snow. But if her safehouse is on the other side of the mountains, we better move quickly. There's a snowstorm coming, and we won't be able to see jack through all that powder." Rose answered. "By the way, why'd you bring Grogu with you?"
"He sort of snuck into my backpack when Robyn, the others and myself weren't looking. I thought he liked Wrecker and March more; guess I was wrong." Galen replied, looking at the said child who had a bit of snow on his head. Grogu just smiled as Galen looked at him. "Take over the controls for me, would you Rose? I'm feeling a bit cold, so I'd better grab that jacket Ray gave me."
Rose took control of the buggy, allowing Galen to grab the leather jacket he was given in the backpack, which he quickly put on his body. Only a second later, a column of snow exploded to the right of the buggies. "Watch out!" Galen shouted into the commlink as the two vehicles swerved side-to-side as more snow erupted from the ground around them. "Don't tell me Jacques bought some Maulers for his forces?"
"Not unless those Maulers are supercharged!" March exclaimed over the commlink. Galen caught a glance at his teammate who was standing in his seat with his ski mask covering his head and his pistols out. "We're not done fighting yet. We got Puma's bearing down on us and we're right in their line of fire!"
No less than two dozen armored cars bearing the snowflake symbol of the SDC roared behind them, their main cannons being reloaded as they got closer and closer to the two off-road vehicles, followed by several snowmobiles with riders on the back. "They're going to try and box us in. Machine guns won't do much against their armor, but we can at least deal with the snow mobiles. Rose, March, take them down but don't engage the Puma's. Arthur let's keep our feet on the pedals and don't stop for anything. We've got to lose them." Galen instructed.
"There's a tunnel up ahead for the railroad. If we go through that, we should be able to lose them." Rose remembered.
"Uh, what about the trains? I don't want to play chicken with a train." March asked.
"The tunnels double tracked, but one of them is being repaired. We should be fine." Rose assured, though she wasn't sure herself. "Either way, let's get out of here."
"Hang on tight!" Galen shouted as he pressed his foot on the accelerator and increased his speed, followed by Arthur and March.
(Guard Pursuit starts)
"Targets sighted! Engage at will!" one of the soldiers shouted as the engine of his snow mobile roared, moving up closer to the two off-road vehicles only to be nailed by a bullet right in the chest from Rose's rifle.
"Horse or vehicle, I can hit a target easily with my semblance." She praised, aiming her rifle at another snow mobile and fired another shot, this time at the machine itself which exploded when the bullet hit the fuel tank. "Wow, now what I had planned, but I'm not complaining." She shrugged.
Weapons fire from their pursuers zipped past her head from the other snow mobiles and the machine guns from the pursuing Puma's, forcing her to duck down. "Great! These guys are packing automatic weapons! Guess it's true what they say, Jacques private army is well funded and well equipped, what's next, his own air force?" she said aloud.
"Just keep them off us!" Galen shouted to his passenger who quickly returned fire at the SDC soldiers once they were in range. Thanks to her semblance, she managed to hit her targets while the pursuers missed her by inches. Two enemy soldiers fell to her weapon and another snow mobile exploded after taking a hit in the fuel tank, but some of the snow mobiles managed to flank them and got in front of them, only to be downed by the shark's powerful machine guns. "I wonder if Jacques thinks his men as expendable?" he asked aloud.
"Focus on the road." Arthur shouted into the commlink as cannon rounds from behind them landed directly ahead of the two vehicles. "But it appears that those Puma's are faster than we thought." He observed.
"Yeah, no kidding! Looks like mustache face reduced the amount of armor they have in favor of speed and firepower. Does that mean we can blast them to pieces now?" March asked as one of the 'improved' Puma's quickly caught up with them, it's cannon maneuvering into firing position. "Heads up, we got one on our ass!"
The Puma slammed into the back of the vehicle, jostling the two occupants before it slammed into them again, almost sending March off of the vehicle, but the Faunus grabbed a part of the frame quickly but couldn't stop one of the grenades he had taken with him from falling onto the enemy vehicle, landing in the gap between the turret and rest of the vehicle, primed and ready to explode. "Hey, you better punch it before we end up being turned into burritos!" he shouted.
Arthur flipped a switch and engaged the boosters, gaining some distance from the vehicle before the grenade exploded and destroyed the vehicle and its crew. "Not my fault, the grenade slipped off my belt because of the bump it gave us!" March said in his defense.
"At least we know that we can destroy the vehicles." Arthur mused to himself as the tunnel Rose mentioned came into distance. Unfortunately, the tunnel was guarded by multiple Landstalkers that stood directly on the tracks. Arthur snarled before he noticed the frozen lake nearby. "We've got a roadblock ahead of us, cut across the lake!" he shouted into the commlink, turning his vehicle into said direction, followed by Galen and by their pursuers.
The twin machine guns on the Landstalkers pinged off their vehicles frames as they turned while the Puma's broke off their pursuit and drove along the shore of the lake. The snow mobiles however drove across the frozen lake as the ice began to crack beneath them. "The ice is starting to crack! We've got to move!" March shouted, downing a pair of snow mobiles with his pistols.
"That Shark also has repulsorlift technology added to it's systems, switch to repulsors, that should keep us from falling through the ice!" Galen shouted to his teammates through the commlink, switching his vehicle to its secondary mode which hovered above the ice. Arthur and March's vehicle switched modes as well, just as the ice beneath them gave way from the weight. "Good thing I had that vehicle modified before all of this happened."
"Seems like you planned ahead." Rose said with an impressed smirk.
"Let's just say, that I wanted to have a second vehicle ready for off world action." Galen answered as the shore came into view. "We got an opening, hit the boosters and don't stop no matter what's in our way!"
His teammates in the second vehicle hit the boosters the second Galen hit his boosters, both vehicles rocketed towards the shore as the enemy Puma's were about to block their escape route. Hitting the shore of the lake, the two vehicles soared overhead to the surprise of the Puma drivers before they landed on the ground with a thud, switching back to their wheeled mode. "Talk about some airtime, but we still got a tail on us!" March exclaimed.
"Anyone know of another way to get out of here?" Galen asked.
"Starkiller, this is Kalani. I have completed a topographical scan of your surroundings. There is a mountain pass fifteen kilometers ahead of you. It is your only logical choice to escape your pursuers. Additionally, there is a massive build up of snow above the pass, any sort of explosion would result in an avalanche, but there is no risk to civilians." Kalani said over the commlink, much to the surprise of Team GARM.
"Are you suggesting we cause an avalanche?" Rose asked.
"It will take your pursuers a great deal of time to catch up to you all, it is the only logical choice." Kalani answered before the transmission was terminated.
"Guess that means we've got to take out a couple of Puma's to cause an avalanche." March surmised.
"Ok then, let the Puma's get in front of us the moment we enter the pass. They'll try and take us out with those cannons of theirs, that should cause an avalanche, or the noise of our engines will cause the avalanche." Galen told his team.
His teammates agreed to the plan and pressed on towards the mountain pass, the enemy Puma's still pursuing them and firing at them. Galen and Arthur zig-zagged between each other, avoiding the powerful cannons as the pass came into view just as SDC Manta's approached, each of them carrying a Blast Bot underneath their hull. "I think we might have found something else that can trigger an avalanche." Rose mused as the vehicles entered the pass.
Machinegun fire from the Puma's echoed around them, but not enough to trigger an avalanche. Turning sharply the vehicles of Team GARM narrowly avoided slamming into the wall, as the enemy Puma's continued the chase. Sharp turns littered the pass as the chase continued. The two Sharks were able to take the turns with ease, but most of the Puma's weren't able to make the turn and ended up crashing into the wall.
The snow mobiles had broken off their chase, prompting March and Rose to sit back down in their seats, since their weapons couldn't damage the enemy vehicles. "Probably be a bad time to mention that I have my mortar launcher with me and don't plan on using it." March said over the commlink.
"We won't need it." Galen assured his teammate as ahead of them lay the blast bots that were waiting for them. "Brakes! Now!" Galen shouted and slammed on the breaks, forcing Rose into the back of her seat with Grogu in her hands. Arthur and March also braked hard, allowing two of the Puma's to move directly into their sights. "FIRE!"
Machinegun fire from the two sharks riddled the Puma's as their cannons started to maneuver into position, ready for the kill shot. Both enemy vehicles soon exploded into flaming balls of fire, which rolled into two Blast Bots which exploded, starting a chain reaction that caused the rest of the Blast Bots to explode. The noise was so loud that it triggered the avalanche that Kalani told suggested they cause. "BOOSTERS! NOW!" Galen shouted.
The twin boosters on both vehicles roared to life as they sped like bats out of hell just as the snow began to fall into the pass. The pursuing enemies were quick to turn around and headed back for the entrance, only to be caught in the avalanche while the two Sharks drove fast to keep ahead of the avalanche.
The exit of the pass laid ahead as avalanche started to catch up to Team GARM and swept them up like a wave. Incredibly, the two vehicles weren't buried and soared through the air before they landed and then came to a stop.
(End song)
Team GARM looked back at the blocked pass and sighed with relief. "That should keep us from being followed anytime soon." Rose said.
"By then we'll be long gone and well out of their jurisdiction. That will give us enough time to clear your name, Galen." Arthur added.
"Good thing I left my Top Hat behind, I didn't want to lose it during that chase. Sis would kill me." March agreed. He then took a look at the sky. "That storm's going to be here in a few hours. We'll need to find a cave or something to wait out the storm."
"We'll go as far as we can until we find a place to wait out the storm, then move out once it passes." Galen said to his team, starting up his buggy then turned to his team. "You realize there might be no turning back after what just happened. By now, Jacques is probably claiming that all of you are just as responsible for the murders in the city as I am."
"And it's just like we told you. We're sticking with you no matter what because that's what family does." March said with a smile. Galen smiled as well before the two vehicles started up and drove off to the east.
And done.
I'm hoping that you all liked that I had Galen's team stick with you. Thanks go out to Darth Cody for the suggestion. I honestly almost forgot that after everything they've been through, Team RWBY had become more like a family then just a team.
So, the Blast Bots are basically the ones that appear in Jak 2 and 3, while the quadruped ones are the Robo-Guards, the basic ones and hover ones are the Robo-Guards and Hover-Guards, and the floating transports are transport ships. As for units like the fighters, security tanks, spyroids and sentinels, not quite sure yet.
I will say that we've got three exciting chapters coming up in the future before we return to the main story. One chapter will deal with the factory producing those robots, another will deal with a plan that Watt's has to ruin Ironwood's reputation involving an old bomb, hazardous, flammable, and poisonous materials, steel rails and my favorite locomotive of all time, and a very special chapter I think you'll all like.
Until then, please read and review. Also, a moment of silence for Kevin Conroy, the man who voiced Batman for three decades who passed several days ago. He will be missed.