Allow me to explain something about the reason I decided to bring in Grogu. After reading Avengers: Infinity War's, which is a combination of canon and legends along with the Avengers and Star Wars, I started to wonder, how would Galen react at seeing Grogu? So, I figured I would bring in the little guy. For those of you who are wondering how he got to Remnant, you'll get some answers this chapter.
Now, we all know what comes next after this chapter, but should I include the flashback about Ozpin and Salem, with the addition of Star Wars material, or just flat out skip it? I'm still debating on that, but if you all have a thought on that, please leave it in a review. It will help me out.
Before I start, I got my hands on Sniper Elite 3, 4 and 5 and I can't tell you how much I missed playing those games. I'm not the best at stealth games, but I love being able to snipe Axis soldiers and vehicles. So much fun. Also, I got myself and my cousin a couple of passes to Anime Boston next weekend. The first anime convention I've ever been to, and I am going to have a lot of fun. Now this chapter, is going to be taking a major swansong from canon, in terms of how Ozpin's secret will be revealed.
Alright, lets answer some reviews.
Monster King: Thank you.
Jack Smith1: Don't worry, I have a good way to bring in Able 1707, just you wait and see.
54godamora: Why I included Grogu has been explained. Also, I suggest you read Avengers: Infinity Wars. It's a hell of a story and the author is going to be bringing in the Bad Batch soon. I think.
BlindFaunusGirl: Thanks. Glad I made you smile with addition of Grogu.
Darth Cody: So, I saw your review and I can understand what you are saying, but keep in mind this is my version of Star Wars mixed with my version of RWBY. Sure, I understand what you are saying, but let us not forget there is never a bad idea for a story and we can all write what we want to write, how we want to write it and I'm making it so that Remnant is a planet in the unknown regions completely unaware of the whole galaxy. As for Galen and his team becoming like a family, I plan on having that happen when it involves a missile the size of the Chrysler building on wheels when we reach Atlas. A missile with a deadly payload.
Luffy L Deathwalker: Yes, I brought Grogu into this, I figured I would try writing him in the universe with Galen Marek. Skipping the flashback with Ozpin and Salem? Well, I could but I am still unsure about it at the moment.
Mooncake: I am also looking forward to Obi-Wan.
Silverfox3456: Din Djarin included? I'm not entirely sure about that at the moment. But, in Avengers Infinity Wars, he is included. The clones that helped Galen, they are wearing Phase 1 armor and not Phase 2. I prefer the Phase 1 armor way more than Phase 2, especially the visor on the Phase 1 helmet.
Spartan-626: Yep, it was Barriss. Trust me when I say what the Emperor has planned for Remnant isn't good. Glad you liked the train fight. Aside from being adorable, Grogu will have a part to play in this story.
Alright, reviews are done. Let's get on with the story.
Disclaimers are the same as always.
Chapter 85: Uncovered
Though the Branwen bandit tribe was the biggest tribe of bandits in Anima, there were several smaller groups of bandits that plagued travelers across the kingdom on foot or in vehicles. One such group of bandits had taken a young woman hostage as she was traveling towards Mistral.
Everything happened so fast. One minute the woman was just walking towards the city limits when she was suddenly jumped by a dozen men who subdued her and dragged her off the road before anyone could notice. Now, her wrists and elbows were crushed together by rope behind her back, her legs tied savagely tight by more rope propped up against a tree in the bandit's camp. Her mouth was covered by three rags tied tightly over her nose and mouth, preventing her from even screaming for help.
"I don't think we'll get enough Lien for this piece of meat here, boss." One of the bandits said aloud, casting a glance at the woman who turned her head away from the bandits to avoid showing them any kind of satisfaction. "I mean, she had a bit Lien on her, but we can't sell her. She's not even worth five thousand."
"Quit your complaining." The 'boss' said as he walked over to their captive. "If we can't sell her, we can always take her with us as some 'stress relief' on our way to Vacuo. Mistral's getting too hot for us to stay here, especially with the recent attack on Haven Academy." He looked to the wanted poster he picked up from the last town they passed through in the middle of the night. Emerald and Mercury were now known as responsible for participating in the attack on Haven and Vale, while Cinder was dead. Another wanted poster had the face of Adam Taurus who fled from Haven before he could be arrested. "Collecting the bounties on these bastards would make us some good lien, but we're not bounty hunters."
"Got that right, boss." Another bandit said, twirling around their revolver before holstering it. "I say we take the girl and give her a real bandit welcome. Show her a real good time." They added with a sly smirk on their face. This time the woman looked at the bandit and screamed under her gags in fear. "Aw, don't be like that. I'll be gentle, I promise."
The bandit was about to have his fun, when another bandit rushed into the camp in a panic. "Boss! Boss! We're all in big trouble!" they shouted before they hit in the back by a projectile that killed them in a second. Stepping through the clearing and into the camp was a girl of seventeen years old, with red-gold hair, emerald, green eyes, and fair skin with freckles, wearing a black sleeveless top and formfitting pants, black gloves, kneepads, armguards, a cloak, belt and boots. A small pistol was in her hand while hanging from her belt was an odd-looking cylinder.
The girl looked and saw the woman who was about to be assault and sighed. "Even on Remnant, it seems that there are always people who will turn to crime and try to force themselves onto the opposite sex. Somethings never change."
"You think you can just walk into my camp and kill one my men? Who the hell are you?" the leader of the bandits demanded, pulling out his own firearm and trained it on the girl, as did the rest of his men.
"I'm not inclined to give my name to monsters like you and your men. I only asked for directions to Mistral when one of your men had the idea to try and assault me, thinking no one would miss me considering the lack of Huntsmen and Huntresses these days." The woman said with tone in her voice that made one of the bandit's wet themselves in fear. She then eyed the bound and gagged woman. "I strongly suggest that you let that woman go and there will be no need for violence."
The bandits just laughed at the girl's request. "Let this meal ticket go? Not in your life, girly. Kill her boys!" the leader shouted and fired his weapon. The rest of his men did as well, but the girl holstered her pistol and jumped towards the bandits who kept on shooting at her. She landed in front of one of the bandits, smacked their gun away from them, swept their leg out from underneath them and dropped her elbow into their gut.
Another bandit, this one armed with a sword tried to rush her, but the girl sidestepped and pushed the bandit into a tree as she caught the fist of a third bandit and twisted their arm breaking the bones in their arm. "Who the hell is this girl?!" a fourth bandit shouted before getting hit by log right in the face and knocking a few teeth out.
The fifth and sixth bandits tried to rush her from the sides, but the girl back flipped away, and they ended up hitting each other instead. The seventh bandit tried to grab her from behind, but she spun around and landed a kick in the man's face, then grabbed it and slammed the face into the ground. "Seems like you all need a lesson in hand-to-hand combat." She teased.
Bullets flew past her, fired from the eighth and ninth bandits. She ran towards the tree, kicked off it and landed in front of the two bandits', disarming them before smacking their heads together. The tenth bandit received a hard kick to the groin, and he fell over in pain.
"Stay back!" the bandit leader shouted, pointing their weapon at the woman's head. "I'll kill the bitch! I swear to the gods, I'll do it!" the woman begged through her gags for help. "Quiet!" the leader shouted again.
"Threatening a hostage because your men were beaten by a girl? That's low, even for you. Let the woman go." The girl demanded. The bandit leader just grinned and prepared to pull the trigger of his weapon when it was pulled from his hands by unseen force. Growling, he pulled out a knife and charged the girl who pulled out a magenta bladed lightsaber from her belt and cut the bandit leader down in seconds. The surviving bandits panicked and ran from the camp as the girl deactivated her weapon and went to untie the woman. "It's alright now, you're safe."
"Thank you! Thank you!" the woman said as her bounds were cut, and her gags removed. "How can I ever repay you?"
"You don't need to repay me. Consider this my first good deed in a long time of being on the wrong side." The girl answered and checked through the bandits belongs. "For bandits, they seem to be quick to run. Have you ever used one of these before?" the girl asked the woman, handing her one of the revolvers left behind.
"Only against the Grimm. But I insist on repaying you for saving my life." The woman insisted.
The girl thought for a moment. "Well, I could use a little money and I'm looking for a certain man who wields the same weapon I do. Maybe you've heard of him? He's known as the 'Demon Lord of the Round Table.'" She asked.
"I'm sorry, I don't know where you can find the Demon Lord, but I know where you can find that information. There's a group in Mistral called Spider, they are rumored to have information on everyone in the kingdoms. They could help you, but it will cost a lot of money." The woman answered.
"I think I have enough money right here." The girl said and picked up a case of Lien that the bandit's left behind. "Go to Mistral and tell the police about this place." She then turned to walk away.
"Wait! Can I at least get your name?" the woman asked.
The girl turned back and looked to the woman. "It's Mara, Mara Jade." Mara answered and walked away from the camp in the direction of Mistral.
At the same time, back at the train wreck Ruby scoured through the wreckage picking up Dust bullets before she noticed the Relic of Knowledge slightly buried in the snow nearby, having been thrown clear from the case it was in.
"Great! This is just great! We're stranded, we lost a third of our party, and we've gained a defenseless old lady and a baby!" Yang complained, struggling to get her motorcycle out of the snow. With a final heave, she managed to extricate her bike but fell to the ground along with her motorcycle and partially covered in snow.
"My name is Maria Calavera, and I am not defenseless! I'm just a little hard of hearing. And blind without my eyes, that are in desperate need of repair." Maria countered, taping her prosthetics which opened wide and closed before they opened narrowly again. "Okay, I'm seeing your point."
"And second, the 'baby's' name is Grogu." Ahsoka countered back, holding said baby in her arms and looked at him. "I had feared you were dead along. How'd you get here?" she asked.
"So, you know the kid? I've been taking care of him for the last nineteen years, ever since he fell from the sky." Maria answered. "I can't tell you how surprised I was to find a baby in a ship. At least I think it was a ship. He's got quite the appetite for a kid his age, eats the weirdest things. Saw him eat a butterfly just the other day."
"That's Grogu for you, he's always looking for a meal." Ahsoka chuckled.
"How do you know him, Commander?" Rex asked, picking up several bullets scattered across the snow.
"I only met him once, before I left the Jedi order. I saw him training with Master Plo shortly after the funeral for the Jedi who were killed in the temple bombing. I sensed he had a strong connection with the force, so I was curious. I still can't believe he remembers me." Ahsoka answered as Grogu cooed in Ahsoka's hands.
"I met him several times when I returned to the temple with my master. His skills are strong for a toddler, despite being almost forty years old." Faye added.
"Forty years old!" Everyone shouted.
"Most species age differently. Take Master Yoda for instance, he was almost nine hundred years old before the Jedi Order was almost destroyed. Yet for Grogu, he is still a toddler in some ways." Faye added, watching as Grogu was placed down in the snow and walked towards Yang, smiling and cooed at the blonde-haired girl, but Yang as still angry.
"Knock it off, will ya? If we lose our cool now, we'll just be inviting ever more Grimm." Qrow grunted.
"Does that even matter? Apparently, we've been attracting Grimm ever since we left Haven and those that attacked the train weren't alone." Blake added, equally angry.
"Oh, and how could I forget about that? What happened to no more lies and half-truths? I told you my mom is the Spring Maiden!" Yang said sarcastically to Oscar who was inclined to agree, but Ozpin took control of Oscar, telling everyone he didn't lie to them.
"Well, you certainly didn't tell us everything about the Relic." Weiss mentioned.
"He did tell us that the Grimm were drawn to the Relic. Though it might have been more of a guess, seeing how Salem want's it and all that." Kara suggested as she and Hunter came back holding several rifle caliber bullets in their hands and started to load them up into their empty magazines.
"This isn't the time to be…" March started before Yang cut him off.
"No, we're past that! I wanna know why you're still not telling us everything!" Yang yelled to Ozpin.
"As Kara said, it is true that the Grimm are attracted to the Relics. It's faint, but undeniable. I believe it has to do with their origin, but I am not entirely sure aside from the fact that certain metals block the energy emitted by the Relics. I feared that making you all aware would only add anxiety and negativity. It seemed to be the safer option, but it seems that some of you had already figured that out." Ozpin answered.
"It feels like we're talking with Ironwood." Rex pointed out. "The entire time I met with him before Beacon fell, he rubbed me as the type of person who doesn't trust anyone but himself. Let's not forget he went behind Ozpin's back and reported his actions to the Vale Council, appointing himself as the head of security for the Vytal Festival. If a leader doesn't trust their allies, he's only creating infighting amongst their ranks, and I can already see that a lot of us are getting tired of choosing what is best for them." He added, looking in Weiss's direction.
"So, is that why Ozpin chose to lie to everyone about Lionheart?" Yang demanded.
"Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with Yang on this one. Was lying about Lionheart dying to defend his school necessary? He was the one who practically allowed Salem access to his own school so she could blow it up and provided Cinder and her cronies a way into the Vytal Festival!" Rose agreed, cleaning the snow off her pistols.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I believed the Kingdom of Mistral deserved better than the truth. And I believed Leonardo deserved to be remembered for his lifetime of service, and not for the unfortunate missteps he made in his final years." Ozpin explained.
"I would hardly call his actions as missteps." Crosshair pointed out. "He sat on the Mistral council and had access to all the jobs that huntsmen and huntresses were assigned on, and he gave it all to Salem, allowing her followers to murder them. Everyone thought they died in the line of duty, but the truth is now buried with Lionheart. Whatever Salem did to make him join her ranks; she must be very persuasive."
"What Professor Lionheart did was reprehensible. I am not here to argue differently, but does one lap in judgement truly negate all of his good? Do we not all have regrets? You may have met Professor Lionheart, but you never met the man he was before Salem found him." Ozpin argued.
"Look, we're supposed to be in this together. You can trust us! We're not gonna turn our backs on you." Yang protested.
"Do you really think Leo was the first?!" Ozpin said with a raised voice causing everyone to stop. "That he didn't say those exact same words to me? I'm sorry, but you have to understand that my behaviors are backed by experience. I'm not saying that I have reason to think you will betray me. I'm saying that I have reasons for the things I do, the secrets I keep, the reason I…" he then stopped when he noticed that the Relic was nowhere to be seen. "Where's the Relic?"
"Right here." Ruby called out and held it in her hands. "It got scattered in the crash."
"Please hand it over." Ozpin requested, reaching his hand out, but Ruby was hesitant to do so.
"So, all those times you talked about having faith in humanity, that was just for everyone else?" Ruby asked.
"That's not what I meant to suggest. Miss Rose, the Relic is a powerful item and I simply feel as though it is my burden to bear." Ozpin said with a sigh.
"But you said it couldn't do anything right now." Ruby pointed out.
"Why does it matter who carries it?" Blake asked.
"Its because there's something Ozpin doesn't want us to know." Galen said from behind them, the wind blowing past him. "There's a reason Ozpin isn't tell us everything, it's because he feels like it's his burden to bear and his alone. He doesn't want anyone else to learn about this secret, so they won't just abandon him like many other followers did before. If you're hiding something about Salem that you don't want us to know about, that's your problem." He then turned around and stared at Ozpin. "The Jedi order later learned that it was Dooku who ordered the creation of the Clone Army for the Republic, but they kept it hidden and didn't even bother to look into it. Many of them took it to their graves when Order 66 came down, along with many other secrets they didn't share with the rest of the order. Maybe if they did, the Empire wouldn't have risen to power and Anakin wouldn't have turned into Vader."
"What are you saying, Galen?" Arthur asked.
"What I'm saying is that instead of keeping everything bottled up inside you and not telling anyone about it, then tell us what you're hiding about Salem. Make us understand and stop hiding things from us. If you want us to help you beat Salem, then tell us everything. It's the only way we can protect those we care about and the rest of the world and let's not forget the Empire worked with Salem and she also has her own droid army with Darth Maul allying himself with her. The more we know, the more we can figure out on how to beat Salem!" he said, practically almost screaming at Ozpin.
"Mr. Marek…" Ozpin began before he stopped himself. "You're right. I am hiding something from the rest of you, because it's something that is entirely my fault. It's something that I felt that no one else but me should bear that burden. I've kept too many secrets from all of you, because I thought it was the best for all those who I trust to help me. Lying about Lionheart was a mistake, and the truth should have been told to the people of Mistral. One day it will, but for right now it's time that I share with you the truth."
"Oz?" Qrow asked.
"Qrow, you've trusted me for years, as did Summer Rose who I have a strong feeling is still very much alive. But I haven't trusted you with everything. I was… afraid… that you'd find out what I've been hiding, as I'm sure Raven already discovered before she left to lead her tribe." Ozpin said before he turned to Ruby. "Her name is Jinn. Say her name to summon her."
"Her name?" Ruby asked.
"Yes." Ozpin replied as the wind picked up much more gradually, blowing the snow even harder as it started to glow in Ruby's hands. The wind even blew Grogu off the hood of the Shark and would have carried him away had he not been caught by Wrecker who was dragging a couple of crates from the wreckage towards the group.
"Gotcha, little guy! Don't worry about a thing, your big brother Wrecker will keep you safe." The big clone assured the child before he noticed the glowing relic. "Woah, is that thing glowing because it's going to explode?"
"I don't think that's what's happening, Wrecker." Fordo observed.
"Jinn?" Ruby asked. All of a sudden, the snow stopped, floating in midair along with the wind. To the surprise of everyone, Ruby let go of the relic as it floated a short distance away as cyan smoke emanates from the lamp. The lamp was soon enveloped in smoke and from it, a giant, semi-nude feminine figure emerged. Her skin and hair are colored blue, decorated with golden jewelry and ornaments as she stretched and moaned, awakened once again.
"Wonderful." Jinn said before she turned to the group who except for Ozpin was staring in awe. "Tell me, what knowledge do you seek?"
At the same moment in Mistral, Mara walked through the city and looked around. Over her clothing, given to her by the woman she saved was a brown cloak that covered her clothing. She looked to the left and noticed a holographic screen showing the portraits of Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black, while the portrait of Cinder Fall was crossed out with the words 'deceased' underneath her portrait. "The perpetrators, Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black have still not been seen since the attack and are presumed to have fled the city. Cinder Fall, the main perpetrator has been killed in the attack while Hazel Rainart turned himself into the authorities. The Mistral police department is offering a reward to any citizen…" the newscaster said as Mara walked past the screen.
Her eyes focused on Emerald and Mercury who she could tell were involved more than the public knew or was being told. She closed her eyes and tried to sense their presence through the force, but she didn't sense them at all. "It appears that I will have to find another way to locate them. Perhaps, the criminal underworld of this city may have some leads I can follow, about the Demon Lord and their companions." Mara said to herself, pulling her hood up as the rain came down.
She passed by the people of city, who were carrying out their business whether it was legal or illegal as she made her way towards the place that the woman mentioned. She noticed a spiderweb with a spider etched into the wall of a restaurant. She walked into the restaurant and noticed that most of the customers were bearing tattoo's similar to symbol she noticed. She noticed a rather heavy-set middle-aged woman with light skin, short blonde hair that was kept in a bob cut. A spider tattoo was on her left shoulder while a beauty mark was underneath her right eye, and she wore purple nail polish and lip stick.
The woman's attire consisted of a white, backless dress with purple sleeves, purple beads and straps, purple corset, long pleated skirt with three layers, yellow, purple and white. She wore brown shoes with a green ribbon and was enjoying her meal. The woman was the leader of the Spiders, Lil' Miss Malachite, the mother of Melanie and Milta Malachite. "That's far enough." She said to Mara as the former Emperor's hand walked up to her table. The bodyguards beside her walked up to Mara, blocking her way. "I've got spider's all over the city, but they've never seen you before." She noted.
"Let's just say, I'm not from around here and am in need of some information." Mara said and placed a bag of Lien on the table. "Don't go thinking that this is someone's life savings, I took this from some bandits that had taken more then their fair share from other travelers."
"Okay." Lil' Miss said with a smile as Mara took a seat across from her.
"So, you're the one they call Lil' Miss Malachite?" Mara asked smugly.
"I'm Lil Miss Gon-Skin-You-Alive if you ever take that tone with me again." Lil' Miss said angrily, taking out her hand fan.
"Forgive my rudeness. I didn't mean to offend you in anyway." Mara apologized. "Now, perhaps we can get to business?"
"Smart girl, apologizing for the disrespect you showed me." Lil Miss said impressed by Mara's attitude. "So, what can I do for you?"
"I'm looking for several people. Perhaps you may have heard of them? They were involved in the defense of Haven." Mara asked.
"Well, sweetheart, if you're looking for the Demon Lord and his companions, you've come to the right place." The Spider Gang leader answered with a chuckle. "You don't seem to be jumpy like my last client. You know, I used to be afraid of Spiders. Want to know what I did about it?"
"If I had to guess, you made the spider's work for you. Something about the world needing spiders. That about, right?" Mara guessed. "I actually figured it out because practically almost everyone here has the same tattoo you have.
Lil' Miss just laughed. "You're a smart kid, aren't you? My daughters could learn a thing or two from you, if they were still living here. Give us a week, we'll find your travelers."
Mara got up from her seat and started to leave before she stopped. "Oh, one more thing. If you have any information about mysterious aircraft being seen around here, I would appreciate any help you can give me."
"I'll think about it." the gang leader responded. As Mara left, one of her bodyguards told her that they already knew where they were, since their last customer a week ago was asking about them. "I know we know, but what we don't know is who here in Mistral might be asking about them… especially considering that there are still unanswered questions about those Jedi the last guy was asking about." The gang leader answered her bodyguard.
Back in the snow, Maria adjusted her goggles to get a better look at what was in front of her and the others. "I am Jinn, a being created by the God of Light to aid Humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. I've been graced with the ability to answer three questions every one hundred years." The being introduced before looking at Ozpin/Oscar. "You're in luck, as I am still able to answer two questions this era. It's a pleasure to see you again, old man." She said to Ozpin
"It's… been a long time, Jinn." Ozpin said.
"It appears that you've also brought several Jedi with you this time. I must say, it's been sometime since I last spoke with a Jedi. The last one who spoke to me was quite an interesting sort." Jinn noticed, speaking in regard to Ahsoka, Galen, Faye, Ruby and Kara. "I believe that was… over three thousand years ago." She then noticed Grogu and floated up to the little one. "Well, aren't you an interesting little one."
"Hey! Back off! You hurt him and you'll answer to me!" Wrecker threatened.
"Oh, I would never hurt the little one." Jinn assured the muscular clone. "In fact, he reminds me of someone I once felt reaching out to me, asking a question of his own. But that was long ago. So, old man, what do you wish to ask me?"
Ozpin stepped forward and sighed. "Jinn, I want to show them what I am hiding. It's time they learn the truth." Ozpin asked the spirit. Moments later, everyone was transported to another plain of existence and behind them was a massive castle where they could hear a woman humming.
"Once upon a time, there stood a lonely tower that sheltered a lonely girl named… Salem." Jinn began, shocking everyone.
I know what you are all thinking. Why would I have Ozpin tell Ruby and the others his big secret? Well, if there is one thing I've learned, trust between anyone can easily be broken if the truth is revealed through another source. Take Code Geass for example, Lelouch kept his identity hidden because he didn't trust anyone and the Black Knights up and abandoned him when they learned he was the son of the Emperor of the Empire that took Japan from them, and that was from one of his many siblings.
Trust is a two-way street, you want people to trust you, you need to trust them with certain information, no matter how painful it may be. In the case of Ozpin, I didn't like that he just hid himself away because everyone knew about the connection with him and Salem.
In other words, Ozpin will be sticking around and not hiding away like a coward. It will help when Ironwood makes a big mistake.
Now, Mara is on Remnant and is looking for Galen and the others. Why is she looking for them? Well, that will be answered later on. I'll probably skip the flashback about Salem and Ozpin, unless you all want me to keep it, but don't think that the outcome of the revelation will be the same as canon.
If you don't like it, no matter.
Anyway, please read and review and I'll see you all next time. Stay cool everyone, it's getting hot outside.