Well, it seems there is some light in this world these days. I just read a story about a 6th Grader who saved two lives in a single day. What he got for a reward was a trip to Universal Studios. That kid lost his father to Covid but the bravery he showed is what his father would have done. Davyon Johnson, you are a hero in my eyes. I hope others see it like I do as well, plus it helps keep my mind of the situation developing in the Ukraine.
Anyway, time for a break in the action in the story before we return to main story again. I'm glad so many people liked my last chapter. As of now, it's the longest one I've written to date, way more than I expected, and boy was it worth it.
Now for those of you who are wondering where 'Star Wars: Hyper Lethal Vector' is, I removed that story so I could modify it here and there with changes on where Six ended up in the Star Wars galaxy, her personal sidearms and how she helps Anakin.
Alright onto the reviews.
Spiderboy2004: You may believe that Ironwood did nothing wrong, you are right about Cinder and Watts being the ones who turned his machines against him or that he didn't even know about Watts being alive, but if you haven't noticed he went behind Ozpins back. He reported to the Council about Ozpin's actions regarding the breach and if the last two volumes haven't been any indication of his character, he appointed Penny as the 'Protector of Mantle' when they had Robyn and her team, tried to save only the people of Atlas when he learned the truth about Salem and tried to arrest Team RWBY, Jaune, Nora, Ren and Oscar for not telling him the truth, which they should have done. Shot one of the councilors in the head and planned to destroy Mantle. If you think he did nothing wrong, then you remind me of what I thought about the man before Volume 7 and 8. That and he's always to the one to act first rather than gather more information. But in this story, he is going to make a choice that's going to be very, very stupid.
Monster King: Thanks.
Luffy L Deathwalker: Was I really doing that? I didn't notice it. But you never know what might happen.
SunPhoenix90: I tell you out of all the shows I hate, my top ones are Family Guy, South Park, Adventure Time and American Dad. I'm more of the Simpsons, Transformers and GI Joe kind of person, plus anime.
Spartan-626: If the Gods did leave Ozpin a weapon and didn't tell him, that is lazy indeed. I never really found Greek Mythology to be an interest, but the fact that the gods had humanity take care of their problems and found it amusing is…. Well, it's completely fucked up, in my opinion anyway. You have a problem, take care of it yourself. Now as for the Gate Characters and Starship Troopers, new armor for Neo and Ray along with the action, thanks. I think I did rather well on my last chapter.
54godamora: Thanks for the ideas about the kimonos, that really helped. As for the book of Boba Fett, I've been catching up on it lately, so I still have to come up with an answer to your question. But I might bring a certain character that has gained quite a following since his introduction in 2019 along with many theories about his survival of a certain event in galactic history.
Alright reviews are done, onto the story. I'll be taking a que from the Kingdom Hearts/RWBY story 'RWBY: Aqua's Mission', by Tpoynt, which I strongly urge you all to read when you have the chance. It's a very good read and if you are a fan of Cinder, give's her character a way better back story than the one in canon, well when it comes to being Salem's tool and all. Oh, and Genie is in it.
Disclaimers are the same as before, please enjoy.
Chapter 71: Festival
Through out it's history, Mistral along with the other towns and settlements located all throughout Anima held festivals celebrating various events There was the snow festival, summer festival, cherry blossom festival, doll festival, lantern festival and spirit festival. These festivals were filled with various games, such as tests of strength, fishing games and shooting gallery's along with traditional food and a dance.
Some people thought that the Cherry Blossom festival would be cancelled due to the recent Grimm attack that left the city devastated in the wake of battle. It had only been three weeks since the attack, but the casualties from the attack were heavy, especially amongst the ground forces.
Sixty-five percent of the ground forces were killed because they underestimated the new Grimm, many of whom died from blood loss after they literally lost a limb from the Grimm. The armored vehicles belonging to the MSDF were either badly damaged or completely destroyed by the kamikaze attacks the Grimm launched, especially for the tank crews who were burned alive when their vehicles exploded.
The rebel and clone soldiers suffered losses as well but based on a sighting from the ARF troopers Razor and Stak, the Grimm mostly seemed to focus their efforts on the MSDF soldiers rather than the forces from Vale, something that was most concerning to Aayla as she and her forces returned to Vale, save for a Shark that Ray and Neo asked for along with Baker and his squad. Apparently, one of the Vale Council members, particularly Cardin's father had ordered an all-out assault on Vale to retake Beacon, despite recent reports of increased droid activity and the new Grimm.
The air forces suffered at most, minimal casualties despite the training the MSDF pilots received from the Silber Team. Had it not been for the arrival of the Galm and Garuda Teams, casualties would have been much higher, especially when the Grimm managed to break through the defensive lines.
As for the school, the only damage it took was from when the Grimm managed to get inside the school by a still unknown means. It could have been much worse if Neo and Ray hadn't engaged the Grimm inside the school. Though he may not have said it, Ray caught a glimpse of Lionheart from inside the main building and had a strong suspicion about the headmaster but decided to keep his and Neo's identities a secret, for the time being, especially considering he sensed something dark and sinister coming from inside the school.
Despite all that happened, the Cherry Blossom festival was just about ready to begin and would include a special event to honor those who had fallen in the defense of the city.
At the current moment, Ruby was dashing all around Ray and Neo, fascinated by their new armor. "Oh my gosh, this is so cool. It's just like the armor in the Combat Evolved games, just like your weapons. I can't believe you both actually had these crafted to your tastes, it's so awesome. I want to wear it!" she squealed.
"Sorry, Ruby. But this armor is keyed to our unique biometric signature so no one else can replicate it, especially since Beskar belongs to us Mandalorian's or those who have earned the respect of the Mandalorian people." Ray admitted, much to Ruby's dismay while he glanced towards Ahsoka.
"Either way, that's one awesome piece of hardware!" Wrecker exclaimed with a playful punch to Ray's shoulder. "You were like a one-man army."
"That's right! You all like, 'Bang, bang, bang!' and the Grimm were all like 'roar!' You two were unstoppable!" Ruby added.
"Training with Bo-Katan has it's perks." Neo said, her armor having shifted into a chest piece much like the weapons of Remnant. "Neither of us thought we were Mandalorian's or even Jedi. Looking back now, I find it rather surprising that our lives have taken a different turn and for the better." She added.
"Well, your armor is pretty cool and I'm kind of jealous of your weapons." Kara admitted. "I mean, my dad…"
"…Was one of the best weapons makers in all of Remnant. We know, Kara. Well, at least I know. I can't tell you how many times that Roman saw his weapons in some stores and wanted to get a few of them for our own use. I still can't believe that he was murdered by the White Fang on orders from Chang." Neo interrupted.
"It's always hard to accept the fact that someone you loved has passed on, but as long as you never forget them, they are never truly gone." Ray added, speaking from personal experience. He then placed a hand on Kara's shoulder. "I'm not sure if you are as good as your father when it comes to weapons, but if you could help Neo and I with our weapons, I would be most grateful."
"I'll see what I can do." Kara responded, getting Faye to smile.
As this was going on, Ren, Jaune, Yang and Weiss were standing inside Nora's hospital room while the bubbly orange-haired girl herself was laying on a hospital bed. The wounds she got from the Grimm weren't as severe as the doctors originally thought, but they ordered her to stay in the hospital for a few days, meaning she was going to miss the festival. "Can't believe you almost got killed during the battle." Jaune admitted.
"Yeah well, those Grimm were something else. I mean, another Grimm made from alien bugs. Never saw that coming." Nora admitted in her usual carefree attitude.
"This isn't something to joke about, Nora. You could have died out there. Don't you have any regard for your own life?!" Ren exclaimed.
"Oh, don't worry, Ren. I didn't die because you were there to save me. That promise we made all those years ago seems to have still stuck with you." She brushed off. "Besides, it will take a lot more than this to kill me." She added.
"I don't know whether you're crazy, insane or all of the above." Weiss stated, equally concerned for Nora's wellbeing. "But it looks like you'll be missing the festival." She added.
"Yeah, that sucks. I know you were really looking forward to it. You said that you've been to one before you and Ren attended Beacon, right?" Yang asked.
"Yeah, we attended a festival in Shion before it was wrecked, but it's nothing compared to the one held in Mistral. I know Ren is going to have a fun time though." Nora piped up. She didn't notice the look of concern in Ren's eyes.
Meanwhile, Ray found Ahsoka standing on the balcony of the hotel room that Ruby and her friends were staying. In his hands was a bag he purchased just a half-hour ago from one of the shops in Mistral. "Hey." He said, walking to Ahsoka.
"So, you and Neo came back because of the Grimm, right?" Ahsoka asked.
"Yeah, well after Bo told us about the Arachnids and what they could do, I had a feeling that the Grimm version of them would be just as much trouble as the real thing." Ray said before he sighed. "I fought Vader on Mandalore."
"You fought…" Ahsoka began in shock.
"I survived the fight, but he told me that you didn't mean anything to him anymore. I have a feeling I just made the top of his hit list after that fight. To him, I'm probably a link to his old life and if he kills me, he'll draw you out and then either kill or capture you." Ray answered.
"Even if he didn't tell you, he already made it clear to me when I fought him that I meant nothing to him anymore. Anakin, he saw me as more than a Padawan, I think I was like a sister to him. So you can imagine my reaction when I learned that my 'brother' was killed or when I learned the truth." Ahsoka admitted, tears flowing from her eyes.
"Hey…" Ray answered and pulled Ahsoka into an embrace. "If you believe there is still good inside of him, then hope that one day someone will awaken that goodness and bring back your old master. Remember, I'll always have your back." He assured her. "Tomorrow's festival will be something to enjoy, so why don't we just forget about Vader and enjoy ourselves."
"You mean it?" Ahsoka questioned.
"Ni'll ratiin cuyir ogir par gar, ner kar'taylir darasuum." Ray said in Mandalorian.
"You know Mandalorian?" Ahsoka asked.
"I am Mandalorian." Ray answered.
"I always knew there was more to you than meets the eye." Ahsoka said with a smile and kissed Ray on the lips. The kiss was short when both of them heard Neo giggle and looked to each other, slightly embarrassed.
At the same time, Rex, Cody and Oscar were discussing the new Grimm with Ozpin in control of Oscar's body. "This still doesn't make any sense. First Salem got her hands on a droid army, then she created a Grimm based on the Manti, which she infused with droid machinery and now she created another Grimm based on the Arachnids. Someone must be helping her." Cody theorized.
"It would seem that Salem had made contact with someone from your galaxy long before she formed an alliance with the Empire. Someone who knew about these species and had access to records. This does not bold well for us." Ozpin stated.
"Some those clanker's she's using predate the clone wars. I think some of those ships probably suffered a malfunction to their hyperdrives which caused them to crash on the planet, possibly within Salem's reach. They are old, but they can easily overwhelm us if we underestimate them." Rex added before he remembered something else. "The Holocron that Galen got from Beacon, the one that Doctor Oobleck gave him, maybe there's a clue to Salem on it or a way to defeat her. Maybe something that's related to Ruby's eyes."
"Let's hope that's the case, Captain." Ozpin answered, unsure about Salem's other 'ability'. "The MSDF will be continuing to patrol the city outskirts for anymore Grimm, but I suggest that you and your brothers patrol the festival grounds, just to be on the safe side."
"We were already planning on that." Cody told the headmaster.
"Perhaps we should also keep our eye on something else." Faye said as she walked in. "Trigger reported seeing a type of imperial fighter during the battle, so we should assume that the Empire hasn't fully left Remnant. It could be only a recon battalion, but we should remain on guard, in the event the Empire plans on returning to the planet."
"Fair point, commander. We may have given them a black eye, but they will come back with more firepower than before. I'm sure of it." Rex agreed.
The following day, the festival was abuzz with activity. Paper lanterns hung from above the various stalls and booths that were set up for the festival. Paper lanterns hung above the festival grounds as men, women and children both Human and Faunus walked about the festival, conversing with friends and family. Even Heather, her husband and daughter were about enjoying the festivities.
"Wow. I never knew the festivals in Mistral to be so lively." Neo said in awe. Instead of her old attire, she was wearing a white Kimono with pink flower and leaf design, brown sash tied in chocho knot and a pink flower kanzashi in her hair, along with black sandals with pink straps.
"I'm guessing this is your first time in Mistral?" Kara asked as she walked behind Neo. Like the former associate of Roman Torchwick, she was wearing a kimono but hers had pink hearts, a red sash with a white string and a pair of sandals.
"That obvious? Roman never took me to many festivals considering he was a wanted criminal, and I was officially considered dead. Still, I have to admit I look good in a kimono, just like you." Neo complimented.
Kara smiled as the rest of the group joined them, the girls also wearing kimonos of their own, except for Joan who was on security detail.
Faye wore a lush green and blue kimono with water patterns, along with a yellow sash and a of black sandals with red straps, a reminder of her time on the planet Keelia shortly after the purge.
Ahsoka wore an orange kimono with white and blue markings similar to her head crest, which according to Ray cost him quiet a bit of money, which he saved over many years. Completing her outfit was a pair of blue sandals with silver straps.
Yang's kimono was an orange color with an inner blue layer, golden dragons on the sleeves and bottom area, blue obi and a pink lotus in her hair, along with a pair of golden sandals.
Weiss wore a snow-white Kimono with blue outlines and a red interior, blue and white snow pattern, blue and white obi, blue sandals and in her hair was a white hair band, while her hair was let down from its usual ponytail style.
As for Ruby, she wore a black kimono with a red inner lining, red rose patterns with scattering petals on the sleeves and legs, a red obi tied around her waist with rose patterns on it and a silver rose hair clip in her hair, along with a pair of black sandals. Completing her outfit was her cape. "Wow." Ruby said in awe as she looked around the festival grounds. "I bet if the Vytal Festival was held in Mistral instead of Vale, it'd be just like this."
"Maybe, but then what happened in Vale would have happened here." Galen reminded his girlfriend who looked a little saddened at the thought, which Galen noticed. "Still, you have to admit, it is impressive. I've never seen anything like this myself." He said, getting Ruby to smile.
"Well, let's go an enjoy ourselves. I'm going for some tea! See you all later!" March said and zipped away leaving the others far behind.
"Not how I would have put it, but I do agree with March, let's go and enjoy ourselves." Arthur agreed before he turned to Weiss and offered her his hand. "My I escort the lady?" he offered.
"I would be honored." Weiss said, taking Arthurs's hand before the two of them walked into the festival.
"You kids go and enjoy yourself. I'm going to go and talk to Heather. Something about her attack still doesn't feel right with me." Qrow told the kids before he walked to the fishing game stall where Heather and her family were standing in front of.
"I'm going to go see if I can win something for Pyrrha." Jaune told the group before he whispered into Galen's ear. "I'll give it to her she gets back to Remnant."
"Just be mindful of your surroundings. We don't know who is working for Salem and who isn't." Galen warned the young knight who nodded and walked into the festival with Neo by his side, to in her words 'make sure that the idiot didn't get into trouble.' Which she said jokingly.
"Guess the rest of us are a group." Ruby said to remaining six made their way into the festival grounds.
As the festivities were underway, Lionheart made his way into the secret chamber underneath his office where the Seer Grimm was floating, and Salem's face was seen inside the black crystal ball like body. "Your Grace, a-are you there?" Lionheart asked nervously.
"I am here, Leonardo. Is there something you'd like to say to me?" the queen of the Grimm inquired.
"I-I… I'm afraid to report that many of the Mistral council that were imbedded with the various criminal groups in Mistral have been arrested. I know that doesn't mean anything to you, but with them in prison it will be harder to undermine the defense of the city, especially with the recent Grimm attack." The cowardly headmaster reported. "I was not aware of the new the Grimm or the attack you had planned on the capital."
"Is that so?" Salem questioned. "The Grimm attack was a test of the new Grimm that I have created, with the help of Maul. His knowledge of the various alien species once native to his galaxy have proven to be most useful. I sure you haven't heard, but these new Grimm have wreaked havoc on Ironwoods soldiers." This revelation shocked Lionheart. "As to why you were not privileged to this information, I could not risk having it fall into the hands of Qrow and the children. Especially since the Demon Lord is in Mistral."
"There is something else." Lionheart said, clearing his throat. "T-two new individuals arrived during the battle. I don't know who they are, but their armor is unlike anything I have ever seen, it's almost like the armor from that game, Combat Evolved that many of the students play." He added.
"Beskar. It appears that a few Mandalorian's have used that ridiculous armor idea for their armor. A pity, that none of them have had the decency to die near my citadel. That armor would have been of great use to me." Salem said disappointed.
"It's wise not to underestimate them." Maul said, walking into the crystal ball's view. "Mandalorian's are the most fearsome warriors in the galaxy and have a grudge against the Jedi. The recent alliance between a few of them and this Rebellion my old master is concerned with is most troubling, especially since the Republic was intent occupying the planet during the war." Maul stated.
"Then we should try to…" Lionheart began before he felt something hit the back of his head. Looking down, he saw it was a toothpick.
"I wouldn't worry about those two Mando's if I were you, old man. My sources tell me that they are just a couple of children playing warrior. They don't know what the real world is like. I've killed so many rogue Mandalorian's over the years, once you know how to kill them, the rest are easy." Cad Bane said as he walked down the steps towards his clients. "If there gonna be here when you make your move, I'll deal with them, all three of them." He added.
"I take it that everything has been arranged for the trap?" Salem asked the Duros bounty hunter.
"That it is, ma'am. That Branwen women will play her part, so will the little lady and her team. But what about you Maul, aren't you gonna come here and take care of your own business?" he asked Maul.
"I am about to leave right now bounty hunter. The time for siting on the sidelines has passed, it is time that our enemies know who it is that has pledged their loyalty to Salem. I will be arriving within a few days, so Lionheart…" Maul began before he reached out and lifted the elderly headmaster by the force, strangling him. "I would advise you not to do anything foolish that would reveal our plans to the enemy. Remember, your life belongs to Salem." He reminded the elderly headmaster who gasped for breath the moment he was released.
Back at the festival, Weiss and Arthur had sat down at a café and were enjoying the local cuisine when Arthur asked Weiss something he had been meaning to ask for some time. "How long have you known your father wasn't the man you thought he was?" the knight asked.
"Ever since I was ten. That's when my father finally admitted to my mother that he only married her for the family name. He never loved her, and he said it on my birthday." Weiss said with a sigh. "He missed the big dinner, she got mad, and he finally snapped, but I think she already knew, and I think I did as well. But hearing him say it finally pushed her over the edge."
"Another reason to despise the man who has caused so much suffering all for money." Arthur snarled.
"You don't know the half of it. First it was separate lunches and dinners, opposite balconies at my recitals, a glass of wine here, a glass of wine there. Then it was no dinners, no recitals, a bottle of wine here and… well, you get the idea." Weiss added. "Honestly, I can't understand why no one has stopped my father."
"It's because of his connections. As the head of the largest distributor of Dust, your father has some powerful friends, both in the political world and business world. I've heard about the arranged marriages your father tried to put you in from your brother and Klein. I find it disgusting, using his own daughter for his own gain." Arthur snarled in disgust. "If I am being honest, I will admit that when I first saw you, I thought you were your father in a different gender."
"You really…" Weiss began before Arthur finished.
"However, after getting to know you, I can honestly say without a doubt that you are nothing like your snake of a father. His grip extends from the military all the way to sea routes and railways of Atlas and beyond, all for the sake of money. You on the other hand, want to carve your own destiny and want to be the person you want to be, not the daughter your father wants you to be. The Schnee name belongs to you and your family, not your father."
"At least I'm not the kind of person who hires assassins to eliminate business rivals and other threats to his operations." Weiss added.
"I thought those were rumors?" Arthur inquired.
"They aren't. I can't recall the number of times I've seen someone discuss a matter with my father in his office. Those people leave one day and return another day, leaving with a large amount of money. Except for one individual." Weiss answered.
"One person refused your father's money. Who?" Arthur asked.
"I don't know. All I know is that the last time I met them, they looked like they weren't from Atlas. Probably Vacuo. They weren't Faunus, but a human. The only thing I remembered is that they wore a red glove on their right hand, like it was covering a scar. I never knew his name, but it looked like they were almost related to Rose." Weiss answered.
"Whoever this mysterious man is, I hope that if our paths cross, we won't try to kill each other." Arthur said with concern.
In another part of the festival, Jaune looked around the various stalls for something he could give to Pyrrha when next they meet. As he looked through several wooden dolls, he spotted something that caught his eyes. It was a picture of him and the rest of his team, during the Vytal Festival. Knowing that her friends meant a great deal to her, Jaune purchased the picture along with an envelope which he placed the picture inside and wrote 'To Pyrrha, From Jaune.'
"Present for your girlfriend?" Neo pipped up, startling Jaune who almost dropped the envelope.
"You really know how to sneak up on people, don't you Neo?" Jaune asked with a sigh. "We can't talk about her here." He whispered and pulled Neo to the side of a stand. "If Salem or Cinder know that Pyrrha's still alive, she'll be in great danger. Do you want her to get killed?"
"Relax, Jaune." Neo assured him. "As far as everyone knows, Pyrrha is recovering from her injuries at Beacon. No one knows that she's off fighting against a dictatorship in another galaxy." She whispered, quickly putting her arms around Jaune as if they were embracing each other when several people passed by and looked at them before breaking the embrace. "That was close. Don't get me wrong, Jaune. You're a good-looking guy and all that, but you're not my type. Besides, you're already spoken for." She added.
"I know." Jaune said as the two of them walked out from between stands and joined the crowd. "I… I just miss her every day. It's hard not being able to see her or even talk to her. I really wish she didn't have to leave." Jaune admitted. "She told me once, she and her family came to Mistral for a festival like this when she was little. I might have even met her when my family came here and didn't even know it."
"Well, maybe when she comes back you two can attend one of these festivals together. Just make sure you that you her have protecting if you two have a little fun in the…" Neo began causing Jaune's face to turn red like a tomato before she laughed. "Relax, I'm just teasing you. Pyrrha's not ready for that sort of thing, just like you. For now, just enjoy yourself and have fun." Jaune smiled at Neo before he went back to the festival while Neo took a look to the shatter moon of their planet.
As this was going on, Ahsoka, Faye and Galen watched as Kara, Ray and Ruby competed in a shooting contest. All three of them held a rifle in their hands, that was just a basic prop of an old-style firearm loaded with caps and waited for the stall manager to tell them to start. "Ready, go!" the manager shouted and the three of them fired at their targets, trying for the biggest prize they could get their hands on.
"Three in a row." Kara stated.
"I've got four… wait make that five!" Ray stated back before his next shot missed. "Damn it! I missed that one!"
Ruby fired a series of shots that downed twelve targets, making her the winner of the match. "I won!" she cheered before she choose her prize, a large magazine attachment for her trusty scythe. "It was pretty close, but you guys never stood a chance." She beamed with pride.
Kara and Ray just looked at Ruby before they both laughed in amusement enjoying themselves. "Guess I've been a little bit more focused on my training then I thought I was. Too bad I couldn't use my own gun, I could have won and riddled all the prizes with bullets." Kara admitted.
"Nobody wants a prize turned into mincemeat." Ray joked in agreement. "But in all seriousness, I'm just glad I got to play a game like this again, before I leave." He added.
"You and Neo are leaving soon?" Ahsoka asked.
"Not yet." Ray answered and turned in the direction of Haven Academy as the group walked away from the shooting gallery. "Somethings been on my mind ever since. Lionheart's supposed to be a well-respected Headmaster, but something about the events you've told us about has got my brain running like a runaway train. That and there's something else I've sensed coming from Haven." He added.
"I sensed it the moment we first met him. He's been acting like he's hiding something and like Ozpin said, he's ignoring certain instructions. Not to mention he said that he would need several days to get the Mistral Council to authorize a mission, given their former state of corruption." Galen agreed.
"You really think Lionheart is not the man he says he is?" Kara asked, having not met the Headmaster before.
"I have to agree with Ray and Galen on this one. I've been sensing something emanating from Haven and just recently, I sensed a familiar presence. One I haven't felt since… the Clone War. It's difficult to make out who it is, but I can say that they aren't an ally." Ahsoka also agreed.
"I've heard many things about Lionheart, on how he's one of the very few Faunus to ever become Headmaster of an academy or even council due to the racism and bigotry the Faunus have faced for generations. He's a man a student could trust, but after everything that's happened recently, I don't seem to trust him myself. He holds a great many secrets." Faye agreed.
"That's why it's best that we keep him in the dark as much as possible. Lionheart only knows about Hunter and his squad, Boba, Rex, Fordo, Alpha, Cody, Ruby, Jaune, Nora, Ren, Qrow and me. If he is compromised our worse working with Salem, we need an advantage that he doesn't know about." Galen stated. "Something else has been bothering me about what Qrow told me the night before Faye returned, about all those huntsmen and huntresses that never returned from a mission. I think I have a theory on how they are all dead." He added.
"Why don't we enjoy the festival? Talking about what happened is so boring!" Ruby groaned, grabbing Galen's arm and pulled him to another stall, much to his surprise. The others laughed at the sight, Kara being the loudest.
But while the others were having fun, Yang was looking at the moon thinking about the teammate of hers that wasn't with them. "I hope you're better off on your own, Blake. After all, you made your choice. You could've been here and with us, but instead you just ran off when things went from bad to worse, coward." Yang scoffed in annoyance.
"Maybe she left because of another reason." Commander Cody said as he approached Yang from behind, helmet in his hand. "Rex told me about someone he met on Saleucami, Cut Lawquane. He was a brother of ours. A brother who left the army and decided to live away from the war, with his family." the clone marshal said to the blonde brawler, handing her a drink.
"Wait, you guys can have families? I thought that all clones were loyal to the republic. You mean you guys could leave the army whenever you wanted to?" Yang asked, taking the drink from Cody's hands.
"That's what a lot of the general public believed, but each of my brothers are unique in their own way." Cody explained. "But to answer your question, Cut actually became the adoptive father of a pair of Twi'lek children. It happened shortly after the first Battle of Geonosis, the troop transport he was on got caught between a pair of droid gunships and shot it down. The droids then began to pick through the wreckage, killing everyone they could find. As for Cut, he ran to avoid being killed and made his way to Saleucami, marrying a Twi'lek women named Suu."
"So, he was a soldier who ran away instead of fighting?" Yang questioned.
"Not entirely true. Yes, he did flee the crash site, but that was because he knew he would be killed if he fought against more than he could handle. For a time, he lived with his family in peace as a farmer before the war reached Saleucami. We were hunting for a high-value enemy target when Rex was injured by a droid sniper. Jesse, Kix and Hardcase brought him to Suu's farm for the night and that's when Rex met Cut. Rex called him a coward and a deserter but Cut proved him wrong when an escape pod of droids attacked his farm and took them down, with Rex's help."
"But he was defending his family, Blake just ran away from her friends after everything that happened at Vale. I don't care where she is, I hope that coward never comes back!" Yang exclaimed, clenching her fist and shattering the cup.
"No, you don't." Cody stated and looked at Yang. "I can see it in your eyes. You want her to come back, you care about her like family and that's important, whether you're a soldier or a Huntress. You seem to forget that Blake's old partner, Adam Taurus was at Beacon and leading the White Fang. If I'm right, then Adam promised her that she would watch as everyone she cared about would be killed in front of her. If I'm right, she'd probably take his words seriously and want to distance herself from others and think about her next move, clear her head of her fear." He reminded Yang, who tensed up at the mention of Adam. "Sooner or later, you'll have to forgive her and when you do, I'm sure she'll understand why."
"Like that will ever happen." Yang scoffed.
"It will happen. You just need to ready yourself for when it happens." Cody said and walked away from Yang.
Meanwhile, March was enjoying some cotton candy which he was lucky enough to find and had taken another bite when he looked up into the sky. "I hope you're giving it to the Empire, sis." He said to himself before he walked to another stall and spotted a pendant with a black gem on it. He bought it and planned to give it to one of the members of the Galm or Garuda Team before they left Remnant. As he walked from the stall, he spotted something high in the air and pulled out his Scroll and accessed his camera.
"What is that?" he questioned to himself and zoomed in on the object, which was still too far away from him to get a clearer image of it, but from what he could make out it looked to be similar to a TIE fighter, the same type that Ray said he spotted during the battle before it fled the battle. "Was that an imperial fighter or one salvaged by Atlas and rebuilt?" he said to no one in particular before he continued to enjoy the festival.
Back in the hospital, Nora continued to stare at the ceiling of her room, bored out of her mind with nothing to do and all alone. She wasn't alone for much longer as Ren came into the room. "I thought you went to the festival with the others?" she asked.
"I wanted to, but I decided that I'd stay here with you." Ren began before he took a seat by Nora's bed and held Nora's hand. "Nora. I was afraid that I was going to lose you, like I lost my parents. I almost thought that I was going to act the same way I did when we fought that Grimm, fighting recklessly and almost getting myself killed. Ever since that day, we made a promise to protect one another and I almost broke that promise." Ren admitted.
"Ren, it wasn't your fault. I didn't notice that Grimm and was focused on competing with March. I didn't ask to be…" Nora began.
"No, Nora. It was my fault. I wasn't paying attention to you and let my guard down. You got hurt because of me, I can't let that happen again. I can't…" Ren interrupted but was then slapped across the face by Nora.
"Stop blaming yourself, Ren. Things like this happen and they are beyond our control. What happened to your parents wasn't your fault. What happened to me wasn't your fault. Sure, you didn't watch my back, but you can learn from this and become stronger." She chastised, putting her hands around Ren's neck. "Besides, you're still the same guy I love." She added, pulling Ren in for a kiss.
Ren was taken aback but relaxed before Nora broke the kiss. "I… I love you too, Nora." He said with a smile. Nora smiled back Ren as well, finally being able to get the boy she loved to admit his feelings for her.
The festival continued on for several more hours before it ended, but there was one last part of the festival that was important. All those in attendance held a paper lantern with a burning flame inside it, setting it down on the river that ran through the city before the lanterns floated down river. Many of those who placed the lanterns in the river had enclosed messages for their loved ones who had moved onto the next life. MSDF soldiers who lost comrades in the battle also sent their fallen comrades off, firing a seven-volley salute.
As the festival ended, Qrow felt his Scroll ring and he checked it. "Hey, kids. You might want to come see this." He called to the students and Oscar. "Looks like Lionheart came through, he finally managed to convince the council to help us. He want's us to meet him at Haven in three days."
"I sense a trap." Galen said before he spotted Cody walking towards them. "Commander, I have a mission for you and your brothers."
"What do you have in mind?" the commander asked.
And I'll end it there. Now, before anyone thinks I'm going to move right onto the Battle of Haven, we still have the fight in Menagerie to see, so that will be the next chapter.
But let's review what has happened. Nora and Ren have finally admitted their love for each other, but Maul is now on his way to Mistral. Things are going to be hectic with the battle. But Galen has a plan in mind for Lionhearts plan, what could he be planning?
You'll have to wait and see what happens. Until then, please read and review. See you all next time.
Translation: I will always be there for you, my love.