Previously on the Jedi and the Mandalorian...
"Is that-"
"The symbol of the Separatist Alliance?" Ezra asked, cutting her off
"That's the head of a Separatist Super Tactical Droid." Sabine said as she walked up to it
"I was approached by the SDC with the offer to work on a secret project in conjunction with the Atlas Military. I knew signing on would mean I would have to leave my family, so I refused. So they took me by force."
"I was forced to search its data banks for its primary programming. Then form my own to use for the next line of Atlesian sentry units. But the project has been kept under heavy surveillance. I've been working with a gun pointed at my back ever since I was kidnapped."
"I only know what I was told when working. The head of the SDC, the General of the Atlas Military, and probably the heiress of the SDC know more."
"Look…" she said, not sounding mad, "The day I left the Rebellion and reunited with my family, I had convinced myself I would never see you again."
Ezra's eyes widened, "Me?"
"I missed you." Sabine said
"I missed you too."
RWBY: The Jedi and the Mandalorian
Chapter 5 - The Heiress
Premise: Ezra and Sabine meet with a group huntsmen.
Days went by since a Schnee Dust Company train, carrying valuable dust in it, was destroyed. As news spread to the City of Vale, the SDC quickly framed the incident as an attack committed by the White Fang. But over the next few days, both the radical Faunus organization and the SDC was attacked by two individuals whose tactics were utterly similar and resulted in what many explained as a 'colorful explosion'. The Vale police even identified graffiti at several crime scenes, mainly of what appeared to be a bird rising above flames, almost like a phoenix.
Overtime, these people were called vigilantes, criminals, even con-artists. But none really seemed to fit their description.
While the media, social elite, police, even Beacon Academy had heads spinning, the average citizens held the two in high regard. They going after what were considered as 'legitimate evils'.
"...I don't care what my father says! I want to know the damage that's been inflicted!" Weiss Schnee exclaimed as she spoke with someone on her scroll. Her argument was beginning to annoy her teammates.
"Ugh, fine! Just notify me of any updates!" she growled before needing the call
"I assume that went quote-un-quote 'well'?" Yang Xiao-Long asked
Weiss gave her a shrugging look, "Actually it did. Normally it would end with my father scolding me for looking into the family business."
"Everything good with the train?" Ruby Rose asked from her top bunk
"Clean up is nearly complete." Weiss replied, "The Grimm paid a visit a few times though."
"Any word on the ones who blew up the train?" Ruby added
"Nothing yet." Weiss sighed, "But I'm sure something will turn up, eventually of course."
Just then Blake came through the door, holding several books, "Hey guys."
"Great! You're back!" Yang shouted, "Come on girls! Let's go!"
"Wait, where are we going exactly?" Weiss asked, skeptically
"Out, duh." Yang continued, "Team JNPR's joining us as well. Coco's invited us out for the night. Besides we haven't had a day out in the city since we fought Torchwick at the docks."
Weiss thought for a moment before sighing, "Well, it will get my mind off of what's been going on."
"Yay!" Ruby shouted before falling off her bunk, causing Weiss to roll her eyes
Sabine glared daggers at Ezra, as they sat in the Gauntlet. She frowned at him, while he did the same.
"You really wanna do this?" she growled at him, frustration in her voice
"Yeah, I do…" he retorted, silence then filled the room for what felt like minutes, but was actually seconds. Ezra then smirked before shouting something.
"Blade to cube phase 2!"
The hologram of the Mandalorian game cubikahd then displayed a red sword taking out a blue one.
"I win!" Ezra shouted in a taunting manner, followed by a mechanical cackled from Chopper.
"Urgh! Again!? How!?" Sabine growled in frustration, which quickly dissipated
"Hey, I'm a Jedi." Ezra said as he held his hands up, "I'm a fast learner."
Sabine couldn't help but roll her eyes in amusement, "You know can't say that as an excuse all the time."
Ezra just shrugged in response, to which Sabine just sighed.
"Come on." she said, "We should get ready, supply run ain't gonna complete itself."
With that, she stood up and walked out of the cockpit. Not even trying to hide the smile on her face, with Ezra doing the same.
It had been a few days since their mission on the SDC train. The night afterwards had become almost a recorded video on repeat, going off in both of their minds. After the hug, which was the first time they ever had 'physical contact with another, aside from grabbing one's hand or helping each other up if shot by a blaster. The two spent the night telling one another about their adventures after Sabine left to rejoin her family. She admitted that Ezra's time on Attollon sounded more enjoyable. Apparently he had to sneak onto Thrawn's Star Destroyer as a bounty hunter in order to help Kallus-who was still a spy-escape to the Rebellion. In the end, Kallus managed to frame another officer and opted to remain as a spy for a bit longer. He then told her when he flew with Gold Squadron and assisted Mon Mothma in getting to Dantooine. The mission involved him flying through a nebula and taking out a prototype TIE Defender. Then there was admission when Chopper got hacked, and Sabine couldn't help but laugh when Ezra said the grumpy droid was acting 'nicer than usual'. They managed to fix Chopper, and Hera got revenge on the Imperials who hacked her droid by sending an overload of data. Sabine said that such an act could make one's mind explode. Then Ezra told her of when he defied Hera's orders and left Attollon to look for Obi-Wan Kenobi. He found the Jedi Master on Tatooine, but opted to stop after he convinced him to return to the Rebellion. Before leaving, Maul had arrived, but Ezra left without saying a word. He then stole Maul's ship, the Gauntlet and made it his own. He returned to Atollon, and was reunited with his family, all while knowing Maul was no longer a threat to him or anyone else ever again.
For Sabine, it was rather boring for her. She spent most of her time on Krownest, training, providing logistic support, even training with the Darksaber a bit more thanks to a recording both Ezra and Kanan made for her. While it was nice to be home, she began to feel cabin fever, and she knew why. Her mother wanted her home and with her and her brother, she'd been away from them for too long. First off as a bounty hunter, then a rebel, now a warrior wanting to rid the galaxy of the Empire. It wasn't always boring though, she and Tristan sparred together, she beat him most of the time, and she still got to see her family again.
They apparently lost track of time as they spoke of their time apart and ended up falling asleep on Sabine's bunk...and in each other's arms. To say the next morning was awkward would be an understatement.
Flashback, several days ago…
Ezra felt the brightness of the Gauntlet's artificial light activate in his room. Wait, did he even return to his room for the night? He slowly opened his eyes as looked at his surroundings, the walls were covered in colorful works of art. Did Sabine paint in my room?
Wait...no way…
It was then he felt the weight on his left side, as his face turned red. Ezra nervously looked to his left and saw the colorful Mandalorian sitting next him, her head resting on his shoulder, and her hand intertwined with his. She was seemingly fast asleep, but Ezra also knew that she was known to be a rather light sleeper. He carefully removed his hand from hers, but she stirred nonetheless. Ezra quickly feigned sleep as Sabine woke up. She took in her surroundings faster then he did, and blushed as her eyes widened in surprise at cuddling with the young Jedi.
...Yeah...it was awkward.
It included, but not limited to, stuttering of words, blushing of faces, and utter silence for the next hour. They both apologized later on, and ended up laughing over it. Since then, he felt something in their bond through the Force. It felt stronger, more focused, almost like they were...closer. They took on minor jobs for Junior, either stopping Grimm hordes, or raiding the White Fang on their own accord. Sending the supplies back to the town in the Forever Fall. Unfortunately, they still couldn't get the hyperdrive on the Gauntlet fixed. The one thing they needed to leave Remnant was beyond repair. However all was not lost, the discovery of the Separatist Tactical Droid head and the box full of beskar was a sign: they weren't the only ones on Remnant from the wider galaxy.
But Ezra knew there was more on the table. A more personal issue was forming for the young Jedi. A certain Mandalorian's presence in the Force to be precise…
He honestly felt a little ashamed of feeling whatever emotion radiated off of Sabine. But he was a Jedi, thus he was Force-sensitive, and he could feel any being's emotions and feelings. However, as time went on after their conversation in her room, he began to feel the same warmth and happiness, not just on Sabine…
"Ezra!" she shouted, pulling him from his thoughts as he left to help her with prep their speeder bikes for departure. They were in need of supplies, and they both were itching to go back into Vale, not as rebels, but as normal civilians. They opted to stay in their usual attire, as neither the huntsman or the police could identify them.
Ezra then went down to the ship's cargo hold and found Sabine prepping two speeder bikes. Both Imperial in design, but sporting new paint jobs courtesy of the Mandalorian artist. Ezra's had a dark green color scheme with orange outlines and starbird symbol, while Sabine's was pink with grey outlines and starbird symbol.
"You ready?" she asked before donning her helmet
"Let's go." Ezra replied while hopping onto his speeder. He opted not to take his Scout Trooper helmet with him, he never really needed it in battle and only used it to conceal his identity. But since this was a simple supply run, donning it would be unnecessary.
"Race ya!" Sabine then shouted before driving off at full speed on her speeder. Ezra couldn't help but smirk at her before following her off towards Vale.
"CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! YES!"
A small crowd of huntsmen and civilians gather around, as Nora Valkyrie chugged down a giant glass of what had to be iced tea. She panted heavily before being helped over to a nearby table where most of Team RWBY were, along with Team JNPR.
"You good Nora?" Jaune Arc asked as he looked at her
"N-Never better!" she slurred, "I'm gonna need a minute in the bathroom…"
With that said, Nora left for the bathroom. Leaving the seven teens to laugh in amusement.
"I can't believe you let her do that, Ren." Yang said as she laughed
"I told her not to." Lie Ren replied as he shook his head, "But when does Nora ever listen?"
"At my count: never." Pyrrha Niko said with a chuckle, "I think I'll go see if she's alright."
Pyrrha then stood up and walked over to the bathroom. It was then that a new figure joined them. A girl with fair skin, short dark-brown hair, and dark-brown eyes. She had wavy locks on one side of her face, dyed with a gradient that starts as dark brown and transitions to caramel. Her clothes consisted of a long, cocoa-colored shirt with an upturned layered frill collar with a black single strapped waist cincher. She wore tight black leather trousers that had golden lining around the pocket and ribbons attached to the back of a golden zipper seam around her knees. A black golden studded belt hidden by a large cocoa-colored belt with gun cartridges on the left side and a large golden crosshair buckle. A large piece of black fabric was attached to her belt hanging down on her right side. She wore a pair of dark black, high-heeled leather calf-high boots with golden buckles. She also seemed to have a number of accessories, such as a bracelet with black roses as decoration; these were accompanied by black gloves and three beaded necklaces alongside a black scarf tied around her collar. Lastly, she wore a black beret with a cocoa brown trim and a pair of black, wire-rimmed aviator sunglasses.
"Looks like you ladies...and gentlemen are having fun." she said
"We are." Weiss replied politely, "Though I must admit the establishment you chose is rather...rowdy."
"It's better than a place I know in the shady part of Vale." Yang added, "I'd say you chose wisely."
"Thanks, Blondie." Coco replied, "How 'bout you Ruby? Enjoy yourself?"
"Just a bit too loud, but fun nonetheless." Ruby answered as she picked up her drink, only for Yang to take it from her.
"You're had enough." she insisted
"What!? That's still my first!"
Weiss simply rolled her eyes at the siblings' antics, while everyone else simply laughed in amusement
Coco then looked at Blake, "Blake? Enjoying yourself?"
Blake however didn't answer, instead her eyes were glued to whatever was on her scroll. Her face seemed to analyze it with curiosity.
"Yo! Blake!" Yang said to her, snapping her finger in her face, "You in there?"
"Huh? Yeah!" she muttered as she looked up from her scroll, "Something up?"
"Whatcha looking at?" Yang asked with great interest before snatching the scroll from her partner's hands.
"Hey!" Blake shouted as Yang revealed what was on her scroll:
LIST OF REBEL ATTACKS ON SDC & WHITE FANG:
- VALE
- FOREVER FALL
- SDC VALE FACILITY
"Ah, the mysterious hunters who've been at large." Coco muttered, "Taken an interest I see?"
Blake couldn't help but glare at them all, "How could you all act careless about this? These people are out there fighting. Fighting a battle that we should be fighting ourselves! The White Fang's raids have been decreasing, and dust shipments have halted."
"What's your opinion on this Ice Queen?" Coco then asked Weiss, who glared at the use of her unlucky nickname.
"Well, obviously these people need to be apprehended." she began, "They're attacking my family's company. Like Blake said, we can't ship dust into Vale. Because of them we cower in fear. They deserve to be arrested and tried for their crimes."
"Alright let's not jump to any conclusions ladies." Yang announced, cutting Weiss off from her rant
"Everyone has motivation." Jaune spoke up, "Something has to fuel their 'duty'."
"Jaune's right." Ren added, "Weiss, what do we know about these guys anyway."
"Not much." Weiss replied, "Every attack they commit has the same symbol at the crime scene.
She took out her scroll and a hologram of gold-colored graffiti painted onto the side of a damaged WF truck.
"Some symbol." Jaune muttered, "What is it?"
"What's what?" Nora asked as she and Pyrrha rejoined their friends
"The symbol of those hunters who've been attacking the White Fang and SDC." Blake said to her, "They leave it whenever they attack."
"Kinda looks like that?" Nora muttered while pointing over to a nearby table
All heads turned to see two individuals at a nearby table. Rather than sit at it, they both leaned against the wall, appearing to talk to one another…
CLAP
"Alright, that's the last of the supplies." Ezra announced as he loaded the last crate onto his speeder before turning to face Sabine, who just attached what crates she had onto her speeder.
"Good." she said, "I'll contact Chopper and tell him where we left the speeders."
"What? Whh?" Ezra asked, "Shouldn't we just go to him? We got what we needed."
"True." Sabine explained, "But the day is still young. I'd say scout the city for fun. Maybe grab a drink as well."
"Who are you, and what have you done with Sabine Wren?" Ezra jokingly asked, earning a rolling of eyes from her, "But seriously, you wanna go out?"
The Mando simply shrugged, "Why not? No one knows who we are, and the huntsmen can't identify us. We've spent the last few days getting money, and stopping both the SDC and White Fang. How about some time off."
Ezra simply sighed, "Alright, but this is on you ok?"
"Deal, but you have to pay."
With that said they returned to Vale, telling Chopper of where they hid their supplies for pickup. They walked through the city's village district where they found a bar that was known to be inhabited by huntsmen-in-training. They made their way over to a stall, and instead of sitting down, they leaned against the wall facing each other.
The place itself wasn't all that crowded. There was a crowd of people surrounding a ginger who was chugging a large drink before being dragged off to the refresher by her friend. A group of seven at a table, and other customers were hanging out.
"Alright, we're here." Ezra said, "Now what?"
Sabine looked at him funny, "What do you mean?"
"Come on, I know that look on your face." he said to her, "You wanna talk about something. Let me guess: that Separatist Tactical Droid head."
"Alright, you got me." Sabine sighed in defeat, "What else did you think?"
"Well, half the time we talk, it's either about missions against the Empire, making fun of Chopper and Zeb, and trying to make one of us laugh."
"There's nothing really else we talk about." Sabine muttered, "I mean we literally spoke about our time away."
"Yeah, I remember that." Ezra chuckled, which resulted in them turning slightly pink, "Alright, I have a topic: your family."
Sabine looked at him seriously, "What about them?"
"Well you already know about my folks." he began, "I already had the pleasure of meeting your brother, and honestly terrifying mother. I don't know much about your father. What's he like?"
"Well first, you're right about my mother being scary." Sabine laughed
"Ah! I gotcha to laugh!" Ezra shouted in amusement
"Shut up." she retorted, "My father's different from other Mandalorians."
"How so?" Ezra asked her curiously
"He's not that much of a fighter." Sabine explained, "He's an artist, scholar, architect. Whereas most Mandalorians fight with a blaster or any form of weapon. My father fights with his art, his designs and inspirations. He even made pieces of art that symbolized Imperial rule over Mandalore. Still though, he traditionally wears armor, from time-to-time, and operates a jetpack. Even though he supported some of their methods."
"Now I see where you get your creative side." Ezra muttered, "Except that last part though, you hate the Empire."
"Right." Sabine replied before sighing
"When was the last time you spoke with him?" Ezra then asked
"It was the day I left the academy." she said, "I just spoke out against the Empire. I could see the fear in his eyes. Fear of the Empire. Of the unknown. I told we could leave together, all of us. But that fear took over, he chose the Empire. After that I escaped with Ketsu, and we left Mandalore."
"Now he's a prisoner." Ezra sighed, "Still on Mandalore."
"In all but name." Sabine added
Ezra then thought of something else, "What was the war like on Mandalore? Before I showed up looking for help."
"Uh, pretty boring to be honest." Sabine explained, "There was just sporadic fighting here and there. Most of the Empire and Clan Saxon's forces are stationed on Mandalore. The rest of Mandalorian-controlled space is somewhat mixed. Obviously Krownest and Concord Dawn are under our control. Then there's the star systems of Ordo, Zanbar, Vorpa'ya, Jakeila, Gargon, and many more. Some are ruled by other clans, or indirect Imperial rule."
"Like Gar Saxon." Ezra muttered, "Who leads the Imperial Mandalorians now anyway?"
"Gar's brother, Tiber Saxon." she added, "He's much worse than Gar however. Tiber's willing to sacrifice all of Mandalore's culture in order to keep the Empire on the planet. Rumors have even spread of him no longer wearing beskar armor. Instead he's donned Imperial plastoid armor."
"Hmm, guess that makes him easy to kill." Ezra chuckled
"Yeah, I guess." Sabine couldn't help but smile sadly, which Ezra took notice of
"You still miss them?" Ezra asked her, despite knowing the answer already
"Of course I do." she said, "Why wouldn't I? I just know that they're worried sick. Kanan and Hera too."
"Yeah, I can sense Kanan through the Force." Ezra added, "He's worried for both of us."
"Hey! Back off Cardin!"
The two rebels then turned curiously.
"What was that?"
"Well well, if it isn't the loser's table!" Cardin announced as he accosted RWBY and JNPR's table
"Hey! Back off Cardin!" Blake hissed at him before looking at Coco, "You didn't seriously invite him, did you?"
"More like, he invited himself." Coco sighed in frustration
"And I thank myself for the invitation." Cardin boasted, "Now, hand over the table you runts."
Weiss glared at the bully, whose smug only increased, "Get. Lost. Winchester."
"Oh, and are you gonna do throw-"
PEW!
"OW! WHAT THE-!" Cardin screamed as he felt a shock flow through his body, starting from his shoulder. Furious he turned around in the direction of whatever hit him.
"Who did that!?" he demanded
"You gonna add on that comment? Or shut up?"
All eyes turned to the two figures RWBY and JNPR noticed before Cardin showed. Both held what appeared to be handguns pointed at Cardin. The first was a boy around their age with a light olive skin tone, short black hair that was borderline dark blue, electric blue eyes, and two small scars on his left cheek. He wore an orange uniform with tan shoulder paddings, brown fingerless gloves, tan collar, and light brown pants with dark brown armor pad on the lower legs and knees. A holster hangs on his belt, along with what appeared to be a sword hilt or some kind.
Only one word could describe his companion: colorful. She was decked out in a black and grey tactical body suit that had armor plating on her chest, lower legs, feet, hands, forearms, and shoulders. The colors of the armor were mainly composed of pink, purple, and to some extent orange. One of the shoulder plates had a picture of a bird, while the other had a black and white checkered pattern with an orange circle and the number five. Her chestplate bore the same symbol found at the crime scene all over Vale. Her head and face were covered by a helmet with a 't' shaped visor, two symmetrical eye symbols were imprinted just above the visor, and sporting the same colors as the rest of her armor; an antenna shot up from the right side as well. Beyond the armor, she had two holsters on her hips that presumably held her respective weapons, two pouches that presumably held something were just above the holsters, grey gauntlets on her forearms appeared to hold more advanced weaponry, and a jetpack was attached to her back colored in a shade of bright purple with more symbols on it.
"Heh, and what are you two supposed to be?" Cardin sneered at them
"Ones who stand up for others." the girl retorted
"We don't need help." Weiss said to them with a glare
"Well, you're getting it." the boy insisted, smiling, "It's what we do."
Cardin scoffed, "You seriously standing up for the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company?"
The two suddenly lowered their guard a bit. While the girl's face was unreadable thanks to her helmet, the boy's face was one of surprise.
"Thanks for the advice." the boy retorted, "But we'll take our chances."
This made Cardin growl even more, "Now listen here you runt. Take your bitch and get out of-"
PEW!
The girl fired a blue projectile from her sidearm that engulfed Cardin before dispersing. The boy then fell to the ground with a thud. All eyes in the room then turned to see what was happening.
"Alright! Break it up!" the bartender shouted
"Don't worry, we'll take our business elsewhere." the girl replied before pulling several Lien and tossed it towards him, "Drinks on the house!"
The rest of the bar's customers all cheered in excitement as the boy dragged an unconscious Cardin over to a nearby pew and sat him in a seat. He then looked at RWBY and JNPR, who stared at them.
"Relax, that was a stun shot." the girl assured them before looking at her friend and nudged her head, she then left the scene.
The boy then looked at RWBY and JNPR before smiling, "We'll be out back. Find us when you're ready to talk."
He then walked away to join his friend, leaving the huntsmen to discuss what to do.
RWBY and JNPR walked out the back door of the bar that led into an alleyway. Coco had opted to remain inside entertaining her guests. As the eight walked through the alley they heard the sound of spray paint being shaken before being used. They turned a corner and noticed the two who knocked out Cardin. The boy leaned against the brick while watching the girl paint what appeared to be a mural of herself shooting Cardin. The image looked rather comedic and cartoonish in nature.
"Are you done?" the boy asked her
"What do you think?" she asked as she turned around
He nodded slightly, "Good, but why's my hair bright blue?"
"It's what I had on me." she retorted before looking up at the huntsmen, "And we have guests."
"What is that?" Weiss questioned while looking at the graffiti
"Um, it's called art." the girl retorted, "What else would it be?"
"Graffiti." Blake added, "Which last time I heard is illegal...unless someone allows it to be painted."
The girl put a hand on her hip "Hmm, sounds like a stupid rule. I simply took a boring wall and gave it a little color."
Jaune slowly reached for the hilt of his sword. But was noticed almost instantly.
"Uh, there's no need for that buddy, we've already had our fair share of fighting.." the boy said, raising his hand at him, "Can we all just have a chat? Specifically, with...Schnee? Sorry didn't get the first name."
Weiss scoffed as if offended, "You seriously don't know my first name? Where have you two been living?"
"That's another story, for another time." the girl retorted as she put her airbrush away
Weiss then glared at the girl's colorful armor, analyzing it from head-to-toe before looking at the symbol on her chestplate, "Obviously you're from Atlas. Your armor seems suited for military use. The color I highly dislike however."
"Atlas?" the girl snorted, "Never in my entire life. I forged this armor in my family's name. Obtained my Nite Owls from a warrior I refuse to speak about. I wear this armor with pride and honor, and I made it my own."
"Family?" Ren muttered, "Not something you would hear often these days."
"Who are you people?" Ruby asked
The girl then reached up and removed her helmet. She had slightly tanned skin and sharp hazel eyes. Her hair, much like her armor, was colorful. It was cut short with it longer on the right side of her face and was dyed white with bright purple tips. She looked no older than they were.
The boy then stepped forward slightly, "Look, my name's Ezra, and that's Sabine."
Ruby the stepped foward, "I'm Ruby, that's Weiss, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren."
"We're...the two who've been attacking the White Fang, and the SDC, unfortunately." Sabine replied
Both teams looked surprised at the announcement made. Weiss however remained unfazed and simply glared.
"You two?" Jaune muttered
"Surprised?" Sabine asked them
"But, you're just kids…" said Yang
"So are you." Ezra retorted, "You're training to become huntsmen obviously. Look, we don't want trouble, we just have a question. Specifically for Weiss, then we'll be on our way, that's all."
Weiss simply glared at him, "I think you're lying. You know there's a bounty on my head bigger than a Goliath's tusk. Maybe you're just trying to kidnap me for a ransom."
"We don't do that." Sabine retorted, her honesty sounded crystal clear, "Never. It's not our way."
Weiss only frowned even more, "What makes you think I can trust you?"
"I trust you all." Ezra answered, "I can sense your emotions, your conflict, and your suspicions of us. I know you all mean well."
"First answer our question." Blake announced rather bluntly, "Why do you fight? Why the White Fang? The Schnee Dust Company? Why now? Are you after something? Fame? Power?"
"And give us a decent answer." Weiss added sharply, "If we don't approve, then we'll hand you over to the police ourselves."
"Uh, by we she means herself." Yang whispered loudly
"Quiet!" Weiss hissed before looking back at the two, "Go."
Ezra and Sabine looked at one another before the latter spoke, "We've been called many names before. Criminals, bandits, thieves, terrorists, even anarchists. BUt we aren't any of those. We're rebels, we fight for others who can't. The White Fang, the SDC, they're subjugating Remnant. Both are evil in their ways. If we don't fight back, who else will?"
"The huntsmen can." Weiss retorted, "That's what we train to do. Fight the Grimm, stop criminals and bandits, and protect the people."
"Then how come you aren't?" Ezra asked, "Learning is one thing, but experience is another. Sabine and I have been fighting for over three years. The White Fang won't just sit and wait for kids fresh out of the academy to come after them."
"But your tactics." Blake added, "You're still injuring Faunus. Misguided individuals who are scared into thinking of supremacy."
"Look, I know the Faunus are misguided." Ezra continued, "But look at the bigger picture: how we choose to fight, is more important than what we fight for. Freedom, hope, peace. That's what my mentor taught me."
"We show the world that there's hope." Sabine added, "That evil can be stopped. It's what my art represents."
"Your art?" Nora muttered
Sabine then gestured to the symbol on her chestplate, "The starbird, a mythological creature. Legend has it that a starbird can never die, and if it does, it's reborn into the heart of a nova. It represents hope, rising above darkness. Darkness both the White Fang, and your father are enforcing."
Weiss thought for a moment before speaking, "Alright, you've peaked my interest. You have all but to ask..."
It was early morning at Beacon, the sun had yet to rise over the academy's tower. Morning fog hung low on the ground leaving the air cool and cripes. Team RWBY quietly made their way to the bullhead docks with JNPR in tow. Everyone carried bags for long-term trips in their hands or slumped over their shoulders. They boarded a bullhead bound for the Vale before making their way to the Forever Fall via another bullhead. They arrived in a village within the thick red-leaf forest. A red and black craft was parked just on the other side of town.
"This must be it." Ruby muttered as they made their way towards the village
"This has to be the craziest idea we've ever had." Jaune said out loud
"Are you backing out Vomit Boy?" Yang asked while smirking at him
"Me? Never." he replied
"What will Ozpin think?" Weiss then asked her friends, "You think we're ready."
"Will never be ready if we just stand around." Blake retorted, "Our enemies won't just stand around waiting for graduation."
The eight huntsmen made their way to the otherside of the town before approaching the red and black ship. They noticed Sabine standing outside inspecting her weapons before noticing them all.
"You're just in time." she greeted them, "Last chance to stay behind."
"We made our choice." Pyrrha stated, "We help you find what the SDC is looking for."
"Then welcome aboard." Sabine replied while gesturing towards the ship's ramp. They all entered the ship and noticed Ezra standing in the cargo hold, he stood up and greeted them.
"Nice to see you showed up." he said, "Come on, I'll give you a tour of the Gauntlet."
"The Gauntlet?" Yang snorted, "Where'd the name come from?"
Ezra shrugged as he led them through the ship, "It just kinda fit I guess. Now, there's the refresher, the engine room, mess room, req room, living quarters, and this…"
The automatic doors opened to reveal the cockpit of the ship, holding four seats. Two at the ship's controls, and two behind presumably for passengers.
"...Is the cockpit." Ezra finished
Just then, a short odd-looking robot emerged from behind one of the seats. It was mainly grey with an orange dome head, with a small white radar dish on top. It also had two legs though it seemed to be different from the other. It also looked like it had been left in a dumpster, as it seemed to be filthy.
The robot turned its head in the direction of Ezra and the others. Then in a panicked fashion, two robotic arms retracted from both sides of his head and flailed around, all while making grunts and beeps.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Calm down Chop." Ezra said to it, "They're guests."
The robot calmed down and retracted its arms, before grumbling. Ezra and Sabine glared at him sharply.
"Hey. That's enough. Watch the language." Sabine hissed
"What's with the garbage can?" Nora asked
Ezra snickered slightly before snorting, trying to suppress a laugh. The robot grumbled as if it were offended, while Sabine rolled her eyes in amusement.
"What is that thing?" Weiss muttered in disgust
"This is Chopper." Ezra chuckled, "He's our droid, and friend."
Chopper then grumbled something at him in an annoyed tone.
"He also has quite the personality, if you ask me." Ezra added
"You can understand him?" Blake questioned in disbelief
"Be careful." said Sabine, "He can understand you. So watch what you say about him."
"I think he's cute." Ruby practically cooed, as she petted Chopper on the head. Which earned her a mechanical purr from the droid.
"Yeah, wait till you get to know him." Sabine muttered under his breath
Jaune then spoke up, "Uh, should we address the obvious?"
Ezra straightened himself before speaking, "Right. Chopper, bring the head."
Chopper then left the room before returning with something in his arm. He handed the object to Ezra who showed it to everyone.
"Ok, this was recovered from the SDC train we sabotaged a few days back." he explained, "It has no origins we can think of. Weiss?"
"The Atlas Military obtained it and gave it to my company for evaluation." Weiss continued, "But something's off about it. It doesn't run on dust at all. We managed to power it up, but all we got were numbers."
"Numbers?" Pyrrha muttered
Sabine then looked at Chopper, "Chop, plug this in, see if we can give it power."
Chopper grumbled before Ezra handed him the head. He plugged it into a power terminal nearby, and the eyes of the robot head lit up.
Static was heard grumbling low at first until in a robotic voice, the head spoke.
"1-4-0-9. 1-4-0-9. 1-4-0-9."
And it kept repeating over and over again.
"1409?" Ruby muttered, "What does that mean?"
"Some kind of beacon." Sabine muttered, "Chop, see if you can scan for any signals similar to this."
Chopper then plugged into a nearby terminal before grumbling something. A hologram then appeared in the room, showing the northern section of the Kingdom of Vale. A highlighted area appeared on a large island.
"There." Ezra announced, "That's where the signal is coming from."
"That's the island of Vytal." Blake stated, "It's where the Great War ended."
"Then that's our destination." Sabine announced, "Chopper will show you all to the barracks. Hope you guys don't mind doubling up. There aren't many rooms on board."
"That's alright." Yang replied, "The dorms at Beacon are unisex anyway."
"Wait, seriously?" Ezra asked
"Seriously." Weiss responded with a groan, "I have to put up with them."
"Before you go, there are some ground rules." Ezra announced, "First, don't mess with the ship's systems at all, same for the armory.
"Also for my room." Sabine added, "I'll keep it locked anyway."
With that said, Chopper led the huntsmen to the barracks, leaving Ezra and Sabine in the cockpit. The Mando then glared lightly at her Jedi friend.
"I'm still skeptical of our new friends." she said to him, "Schnee especially."
"Look, I know this was all sudden." Ezra explained, "But I can sense they mean well. The force is calling me to them. I can sense the good within them all."
"But what if they find out where we're from?" Sabine retorted worryingly
"They'll find out sooner or later." Ezra replied, "We'll break it down for them over time. Now I'm punching in the coordinates for Vytal."
As Ezra started up the Gauntlet's engines, he heard Sabine say one more thing.
"Has anyone told you you've become a bit reckless, Ezra?" she said to him
"No, not that I know of." he replied turning to face her, "I know I was reckless on the mission to Recklam Station. But I stopped that a while ago. Why do you ask?"
Sabine then bit her bottom lip, an act Ezra knew she did when nervous. Then he felt that sense of warmth surround her again as she held her arm.
"You've just seem a bit 'take action' all of a sudden." she explained, "And I know the last time you did this, almost got you killed. I just...don't want you being too reckless...I can't imagine…"
Ezra stood up and approached her, "Imagine what?"
Sabine huffed in annoyance, she seemed conflicted before seeking, "You know I'm not good when it comes to feelings...I can say how I feel."
"Neither can I." he replied, "I'm terrible too, I'm a Jedi. I have a code to follow."
Sabine chuckled lightly, "There's one thing Jedi and Mandalorians have in common."
Ezra then decided to make a move, and he gently pulled Sabine into a hug. The act surprised the Mando, but she wasn't complaining one bit as she returned the embrace.
"Then we'll find out, together." he said
Those words echoed through her ears as she smiled, "Together."
They then pulled themselves from each other's embrace before Sabine left to help RWBY and JNPR in setting up in the barracks. Ezra then felt the warmth and serenity that surrounded Sabine only increased. He felt confused as she had left the room. Why did he still feel it? Was it their bond? Then it hit him, he remembered sensing the same presence before on something else, and now it was happening again. The answer hit him as a surge of warmth pulled at him.
It was coming from him.
Next on the Jedi and the Mandalorian...
Chapter 6 - The Bad Batch