Previously on the Jedi and the Mandalorian...
"1-4-0-9. 1-4-0-9."
"Any luck?" Hera asked him
"I can sense them both." he said, " They're very far away, almost like a faint candle burning in a dark room. Their bond however is stronger, more focused, intertwined in a way. But conflicted at the same time."
"Well…" Zeb muttered as he rubbed the back of his head, "At least we know they're still alive. Anything else?"
"I sense they've gained new allies as well."
"I'm Ruby, that's Weiss, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren."
"I'm still skeptical of our new friends." she said to him, "Schnee especially."
"Those two are hiding something." she declared with a frown on her face
"Well we just met them." Jaune said while looking out the ship's canopy, "Can't expect full trust at first."
"I have a feeling I know..." said Yang, her face holding a sly smirk, "...And I can smell it in the air."
"It...looks like some type of Grimm…" Pyrrha muttered
"None I've ever seen." Weiss added
What did you say?" the man demanded
"Uh, 1-4-0-9?" Ruby repeated
The man looked down slightly in thought, "I haven't heard those digits in...Well that is my birth number!"
"Birth number?" Pyrrha muttered
"My name's Echo." he introduced himself, "This is Omega. Come with us, this area is known to be filled with Grimm quite often."
"This is Hunter, Tech, Wrecker, and Crosshair, the rest of our squad. Fellas, this huntsmen Teams RWBY and JNPR. Their friends here are Sabine Wren, and Ezra Bridger."
The squad all looked at one another before speaking.
"Wait, you mean, Mira and Ephraim's son?" Hunter asked
"The little kid?" Wrecker added
"In the flesh." Echo answered
"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."
"Then we'll find out, together."
"Together."
RWBY: The Jedi and the Mandalorian
Chapter 7 - The Nightingale
Premise: The rebels and huntsmen team up with the Bad Batch to stop a dangerous Grimm.
Ezra and Sabine sat in the cockpit of the clones' shuttle the Havoc Marauder with Hunter, Echo, Tech, and Crosshair. Wrecker and Omega were still outside with RWBY and JNPR showing off and doing target practice.
"...I've seen clones before but you guys seem different." Ezra muttered
"That's because we are, kid." Hunter replied, "We're Clone Force 99, the Bad Batch."
"The Heroes of Anaxes…" Sabine muttered, "Of course."
"Well, I wouldn't say heroes." said Tech, "Afterall, Anaxes is now a barren asteroid field."
"Yeah we've been there." Ezra muttered, "It's not the place you'd wanna be."
"So how do you know about our involvement on Anaxes?" Echo then asked
"You guys don't happen to know Captain Rex by any chance?"
"Rex?" Echo muttered with a knowing tone, "We do. I served with Rex in the 501st during the Clone Wars, before I joined this squad."
"Then you must've known Ahsoka Tano as well." Ezra guessed
Echo chuckled a bit, "I did, she was a great Jedi. How is she by the way?"
Ezra and Sabine looked at one another and frowned, "She's gone. Ahsoka fought Vader on the planet Malachor, she never made it out. It hit Rex hard."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Echo replied
"So how did you end up with the Bad Batch?" Sabine asked
"Echo was on a mission to rescue Jedi Master Even Piell from a Separatist-controlled prison called the Citadel." Tech explained, "During the mission Echo was caught in an explosion and presumed dead until he was recovered by the Separatist and given over to the Techno Union. He was experimented on and used to counter Republic battle plans until Rex and ourselves rescued him from Scako Minor. The experiments cost him his legs, arm, and prevented his inhibitor chip from activating."
"Oh you mean the chip that made all the clones turn on the Jedi." Ezra said to him, "You removed yours."
"We all did." Hunter replied, "But how do you know about them?"
"Rex told us." Ezra answered as he reached for something on his belt, "But that's not all…"
Ezra then held up his lightsaber for them to see, surprising them all, save for Echo who saw it already.
"You're a Jedi." Hunter muttered, "Who's your Master?"
"Kanan Jarrus." Ezra replied, "Ever met him?"
"No, can't say I have." the clone shrugged, "Well who was his master?"
"Uh, Depa Billaba." Ezra answered
"Depa Billaba?" Tech muttered, "Wait, the Jedi on Kaller. Her padawan, Hunter, you-"
"Let him escape." Hunter said, "Ezra, we do know your master. It was at the end of the war, we fought alongside him during the Battle of Kaller. But then Order 66 was declared, we saw the Reg kill his master. He was scared at the time and fled thinking we turned as well. I caught up to him and let him go. His name was different though, what was it? Caleb?"
"Caleb Dume." Tech answered him, "Your master must've changed his name to hide his identity."
"How come your chips didn't work?" Sabine then asked
"Our genetic mutations rendered our inhibitor chips useless, unless provoked forcefully." Tech explained, "Echo however was once a Reg, but his experimentation by the hands of the Separatists rendered his useless as well. He's more of a machine now than man."
"Not...all of us were useless however…" Echo added while lightly glaring at the ever so silent Crosshair, who simply looked down.
"Crosshair was the only one affected by Order 66." Hunter explained, "Even worked with the Empire briefly until we got a hold of him and removed his chip."
"Wait, I just realized something." Ezra said to them, "If you knew Rex, fought in the Clone Wars, and witnessed Order 66. Then how come you aren't...well...you know…"
"Older?" Tech guessed
"Yeah." Ezra muttered as he rubbed the back of his head, "Rex told us all clones had accelerated aging."
"We did." Tech replied, "But we got our hands on some Kaminoian tech and managed to slow down our aging process. Omega however is an unaltered clone, she is the last clone to have pure DNA of the original donor, Jango Fett. She ages at a slower rate than us, maybe even slower than you two."
"So how do you know my parents?" Ezra then asked
"We were on Lothal sometime after the war was over." Hunter explained, "We got into some trouble with the local Imperial forces before your parents offered a place to stay for the night. You were about a month or so old I'd say. Apparently there was something wrong with my face when you saw me."
Sabine couldn't help but smirk at the comment.
"They also broadcasted underground broadcasts speaking out against the Empire." Hunter continued, "Moving words if you ask me. We also heard your broadcast you transmitted a few years back. I'm guessing your parents helped you with that."
"Actually that was all Ezra." Sabine replied, "We hacked into an Imperial Communications tower."
"Oh, then how are you parents anyway?" Hunter asked
Ezra frowned, "They're gone."
Hunter's eyes widened, "Oh, sorry to hear that. What happened?"
"They were arrested when I was seven." Ezra answered, "I lived on the street until Kanan took me in. They heard my message and were inspired to start a prison escape. They were seperated and died in the chaos."
"Sorry to hear that, son." the clone said with sadness in his voice, "Your parents were very brave."
Crosshair, for the first time, finally spoke. His voice was similar to his brothers, but sounded like a coiled snake ready to strike, "What exactly is a Jedi and a Mandalorian doing this far out in the galaxy?"
"Yeah." Echo added curiously, "You respective people don't have the best history if I remember."
"We're trying something new." Ezra jokingly answered, "But to answer your question, we came here by mistake."
"We're part of the Rebellion against the Empire." Sabine continued, "But our base was attacked by Imperial forces. During the evacuation our ship's hyperdrive was damaged and we ended up here."
"And now I presume you're trying to fix it?" Tech guessed
"Yes and no." Ezra replied, "We've come across several...anomalies with this place."
"Separatists?" Hunter asked, surprising the two teens
"Yes!" said Sabine, "You know?"
"We came to Remnant to stay hidden from the Empire." Hunter explained, "We made quite the name for ourselves until we were approached by a man named James Ironwood. If I'm correct, he's the head of the Atlas Military. Ironwood offered us a job in the military with a decent pay. Now, Ironwood is different from the officers during the Republic or even an Imperial. He's arrogant, blunt, and unstable. Any news given to him, can alter him in any form. He became suspicious of our weaponry and requested some to look at for replication, but we refused. So he ordered for our arrest."
"But you escaped, obviously." Ezra muttered
"Atlas…" Sabine began, "They're working with the Schnee Dust Company, they've recovered Separatist droids that are on the planet."
"But Remnant has no knowledge of the wider galaxy." Ezra added, "So how did they get here?"
"That is something we are unfamiliar with." Tech replied, "However if my suspicions are correct, I theorize that the Separatists arrived here during the end of the Clone Wars to set up a secret base. However, as the droids were deployed across the planet, the war ended, and the entire Droid Army was shut down, same for them."
"We discovered that the Atlesians were trying to reverse engineer what droids they discovered." Hunter continued, "Even managed to steal a few from them. Tech here came up with a plan to locate the old Separatist base and destroy it, but we've run into a problem."
"What kind of problem?" Sabine asked
"That Grimm you fought." Echo replied, "We call it a Nightingale, it has the ability to absorb the power of any piece of technology and use it to its advantage."
"That explains why the Nightingale had a ray shield." Ezra muttered, "It must've stolen one, presumably from a Separatist ship."
"Exactly." Tech agreed, "Look, I know that we just met, but we also could use your help in stopping that creature, if it gets its hands on anything else, things could get ugly."
Ezra and Sabine looked at one another before replying, "We're in."
"Yeah, we don't want anyone using this tech." Sabine added, "Its safe out of this planet's reach."
Hunter smiled, "Well, looks like we have a deal."
"Uh, there's one more thing we should discuss."
"And that is?"
"The huntsmen." Echo replied, "You're gonna have to tell them about 'you know what' eventually."
Ezra nodded, "Yeah, I just don't know how they're gonna take it."
"They already fight monsters." Crosshair muttered, "What's the worst that could happen?"
Echo called RWBY and JNPR over to the entrance of the Havoc Marauder, where Ezra, Sabine and the rest of the Bad Batch were waiting.
"Why did you call us over?" Wrecker practically whined, "I was about to go at it with Nora!"
"Yeah!" the young girl added, "I was gonna kick his ass!"
"You can spar later." Echo said to them both, "Right now, we have a mission."
"What mission?" Weiss asked in a demanding tone, "What are you vagabonds up too?"
"Careful, princess." Crosshair shot back, "Easy with the big girl words."
Weiss glared at him, "Keep your voice down, old man."
"My voice might be the last one you ever hear." Crosshair threatened as he stared her down
"We're all on the same side, so cut the chatter!" Hunter barked at them
"He's right." Ezra added, "Chopper, bring up a map of the terrain."
Chopper grumbled before displaying an image of Remnant.
"The Bad Batch have been tracking all SDC shipments containing the robots they've discovered." Sabine announced, "Tech here managed to create an algorithm that might be able to pinpoint the location of where the robots came from."
"But we have hit a snag." Tech continued before shifting the hologram to that of the surrounding area, "Most of our equipment was stolen by that Grimm you fought off earlier. We call it a Nightingale, it has the ability to absorb the power of any piece of technology. We've tracked its nest a klick to the north."
"So let me guess: we go there, kill the Grimm, and get the tech back?" Weiss asked
"Not bad, for a Schnee." Crosshair, "But that's one of our objectives."
Echo then spoke, "We did some scouting and discovered an area of the island that the Grimm refuse to go near. It's nearby so we can regroup at the nest. Hunter, Omega, and Ezra will investigate the area. Who is willing to go with them?"
"I'll go." Ruby volunteered while raising her hand. Ezra looked at her and nodded in approval.
"Me too." Blake added
"Alright then, the rest of us will press on to the nest." Hunter announced, "We get our equipment back, we find out where Atlas has been salvaging the droids. Watch your backs, there's bound to be Grimm all over the forest."
Echo led his respective group into the forest. Tech followed closely as he was doing most of the tracking.
"Just a little further." the cybernetic reg announced, "Keep your eyes peeled. We don't know what else that Grimm stole."
Wrecker, who was bringing up the rear of the group then spoke, "So uh, why does Nora get to hold the clanka head?"
"Technically she isn't supposed to." Tech replied, "I asked Nora for the head to keep it safe. But she refused."
"So...why is she holding it like a baby?" Wrecker added
"Some things are best left unanswered." Jaune said to him
Crosshair then looked at Ren, "Is that you people answer things."
"Most of the time."
Yang then glanced at Sabine, who was walking in front of her. The girl hadn't said a word since they ventured off while Ezra, Hunter, Omega, Hunter, Blake, and Ruby went off towards their objective. A smirk grew on the blonde's face as she nudged at Weiss's shoulder. The heiress knew what she was going to do and gave her a glare that read 'no'. But Yang didn't listen.
"So Sabine…" Yang began, "What's going on with Ezra?"
"What do you mean?" Sabine asked confused
"Well...how long have you known him?"
Sabine sighed a bit, "A little over 3 years now, if I'm correct."
Weiss raised an eyebrow, "Only 3? It almost seems like you two have known each other longer than that."
"You're right it does." Sabine chuckled a bit, "Feels more like a lifetime."
"Well what is he to you?" Yang asked
"He's…" Sabine trailed off as she stopped in her tracks. Warmness pulled at her yet again, but now it felt more embarrassing, even with her helmet on.
"He's what?" Pyrrha asked
Sabine sighed before moving on, "It's complicated…"
Weiss scoffed, "Of course it is."
Sabine once again stopped walking and turned around to face the heiress, same for everyone, even the Bad Batch. It was clear something was about to go down, "What does that mean?"
"Ladies, might I suggest we put this topic on hold until after we find the Nightingale's nest?" Tech asked politely
"Quiet you." Weiss hissed before looking back at Sabine, "Things seem to be very complicated for you huh Wren? Ray shields, these old geezers who just happen to know Bridger's parents, Mandalorians…"
Sabine tensed up a bit at that last one.
"Apparently it's what you are." Weiss continued, "Shoulders over there blurted it out at their camp. What's so complicated? What are you hiding?"
Sabine then took off her helmet, her eyes seemed sharper than usual as she glared daggers at Weiss, "The only thing you need to know is that we know somethings you may not understand, and that we'll tell you when we feel as if we're ready. That is all you need to know."
Weiss grit her teeth in anger as the rebuke.
"Guys, please, now's not the time." Jaune said trying to diffuse the situation
"And to answer your question: Ezra and I are friends, we have each other's backs. But we're only friends." with that she turned back, redonning her helmet, and continued onward
"So...he's single?" Yang muttered while waving her eyelashes
Crosshair sighed from the back, "Do we really have to hear this?"
"Pfft, you looking to date Bridger?" Weiss scoffed, "He seems more like a child from the streets."
"UGH!"
Sabine finally snapped as she whirled back around with a fist and decked Weiss right in the face. The heiress stumbled back at the impact as everyone raised their weapons at the Mando.
"Everyone, break it up!" Echo shouted before looking at Weiss, "If you have nothing good to say at all, then I suggest you don't say anything."
"Don't you dare insult my best friend." Sabine threatened her with a pointed blaster before turning to Yang, "And you, stay away from him."
With that said Sabine walked off, leaving a shaken Weiss who quickly sneered in anger, ready to retaliate before she felt Crosshair put a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't bother." he said to her, "She's not worth it."
"Yeah, you don't want to pick a fight with a Mando." Wrecker added
"What exactly makes a Mando so dangerous?" Jaune asked curiously
"Mandalorians are powerful warriors." Tech answered, "Some are known to fight violently, and not leave their victims alive."
Everyone then followed after Sabine, keeping quiet but diligent once again.
Ezra, Hunter, Omega, Ruby, and Blake walked through the thick, pine forest of Vytal. While the rest of the group was heading to the north, they were heading northwest. There weren't as many Grimm as they suspected.
"How much further?" Blake asked
"Not too far." Hunter replied through his helmet, "Just a little further, kid."
Ruby looked around as they made their way deeper into the forest, Crescent Rose was firmly in her grasp in its sniper configuration. Ezra heard the weapon shift in her hands as she looked around. He and Sabine had only briefly looked at the huntsmen's weapons, and to say they were impressed would be an understatement.
As Ruby looked around, her eyes eventually fell upon the sword hilt on his belt. He hadn't left it in his room after she found it. She was still curious about the blade, how it worked, and why he had it. Ezra on the other hand, felt her presence through the force. He knew she was staring at his lightsaber with a curious face. He gently brushed his fingers across the hilt, wanting to feel a sense of normalcy. He hadn't used the blade since recruiting RWBY and JNPR. This action however caused Ruby to look away.
It was then that Ezra held up his hand, telling everyone to stop.
"What is it?" Omega asked
Ezra felt something through the force. An echo calling out to him, one that was close.
"Do you hear that?" he asked
"Hear what?" Blake muttered, "I don't hear anything."
"Neither do I." Hunter added, "You alright their kid?"
Ezra looked around, still hearing the echo. He then looked in one direction sensing that's where they needed to go.
"This way!" Ezra shouted before darting deeper into the forest
"Ezra, wait up!" Ruby said as she ran after him, followed closely by Hunter and Omega. They followed as fast as they could, but Ezra seemed to have a boost of strength that helped him stay on his feet. Eventually he stopped, in a clearing that was as big as Beacon in Ruby's eyes. Within were what appeared to be the ruins of a castle. Stone grey bricks led up to a small large grey complex lying over the larger ruins. Vines and nature were slowly taking over the building.
"Woah…" Ruby muttered
"I've never seen this before." Omega said as she took off her helmet
"Neither have I." Hunter added while doing the same
Blake looked at the ruins before setting her sights back on Ezra, "What is this place?"
Ezra knelt down and scraped what dust and foliage off a pillar and noticed a familiar symbol.
"I don't believe it…" he muttered in shock
"What?" Blake asked, "What is it?"
"Its...its a Jedi Temple…" Ezra said out loud
Before either Blake or Ruby could say anything, the sound og gunfire was heard off in the distance.
"Come on! Hunter shouted, "The others might be in trouble!"
BLAM!
A beowulf fell to the ground as Crosshair shot one through the head. Its bone armor providing no protection whatsoever.
"Lousy creatures!" Wrecker shouted, "Good target practice though."
"Could've saved some for the rest of us." Yang said to him
"You gotta keep up then, kid." Wrecker replied, "Come on! Put those gauntlets of yours to good use!"
"Perhaps Yang can put them to good use right now." Tech announced, "Look."
Everyone looked around to see massive piles of robots and other forms of tech. What stood out the most were the piles of Separatist battle droids. Mainly B1s, Super Battle Droids, Commando Droids, and a few Destroyers. There were also several piles of Atlesian Knights.
"Whoa…" Jaune muttered, "I'm guessing this is the nest."
"All of this, on top of the cave entrance just in front of us, I agree." Echo added, "And it looks like the Nightingale's been scavenging as well."
"There's our stuff." Tech said as he pointed to a nearby pile, "And looks unharmed."
"Let's grab it and go then." Weiss said with a hint of annoyance, "I'm tired of running around his forest anyway."
Sabine shook her head at Weiss' attitude, but before she could say anything, a loud screech entered everyone's ears. They all winced at the sound-braking noise as the Nightingale touched down in the area. Using its wing, the creature swung at them all, managing to knock over Ren, Nora, Wrecker, and Crosshair. The tactical droid head, which Nora still had with her, was thrown out of her hands and onto the ground in front of the creature.
"Nobody. Move. A muscle." Echo whispered as they all readied their weapons. The Nightingale simply stood there before sending an electrical current from its body, and down to the droid head. The head then flew towards the creature, latching on to its beak. Its pink robotic eyes then came to life.
'S-system online. All units activate.'
"All units?" Weiss muttered
Sabine looked around to realize what the droid head meant, "Oh no."
Suddenly, the deactivated Separatist droids all burst to life. Standing up for the first time in who knows how long. Several had lost limbs, arms, legs, even blasters. But they were still dangerous nonetheless.
"That bugger!" Echo shouted, "The head activated all the clankas!"
"Should we be worried?" Nora asked innocently
As if on cue, the battle droids opened fire on the group, forcing them to take cover behind the trees. Sabine, and the Bad Batch quickly returned fire before joining everyone else.
"What just happened!?" Weiss shouted
"The droid must've connected with the Nightingale!" Sabine shot back while firing at the incoming droids, "Now the Grimm has an army to fight with!"
"We need a plan of attack!" Echo announced, "Those clankas are tuff, but not invincible. Which one of you can thin out the herd!?"
"I can!" said Weiss before pulling out her rapier. Closing her eyes, the young heiress formed a glyph under her feet before speeding out of cover. Several white streaks covered a squad of battle droids before disappearing, the droids then fell to the ground in various pieces.
Weiss then returned to her hiding spot, "How was that?"
"Not bad! Ya thinned out the herd!" Echo shouted as he returned fire, "Any other suggestions?"
"I have one." Tech replied before grabbing several explosives, "Droid poppers. Crosshair!"
"Bring it on." the grumpy sharpshooter replied as he readied his weapon. Tech threw a droid popper at the squad of incoming Super Battle Droids before Crosshair shot it. The explosive then sent a shock through the enemy droids, causing them to collapse.
"ONWARD TO VICTORY!" Nora cried before charging from behind cover, hammer at the ready.
"Oh yeah! Now we're talking!" Wrecker shouted as he followed suit, with both smashing several droids until two Destroyer rolled into the fray, shields active. One of them managed to land a shot onto them both.
"Nora!" Ren cried until a flurry of rose petals suddenly picked them both up and brought them back behind cover. The flower petals turned out to be Ruby, who also brought Blake, Hunter, and Omega."
"Are you guys alright?" Omega asked
"We're fine." Nora muttered as she got on her feet, "But the Grimm now has an evil robot army."
"Do we have any droid poppers?" Hunter asked
"I only had one." Tech replied, "We just used it, and I didn't think we'd need it."
"Great."
Sabine then noticed something odd, "Wait, where's Ezra?"
"He told me to drop him off little ways." Ruby replied, "Said he had an idea."
"What kind of idea?" Pyrrha questioned
Suddenly, the sound of incoming blaster fire stopped. Everyone peeked out of cover to see what was going on. To their surprise, all of the activated droids were floating up in the air.
"Uh, what's happening?" a battle droid muttered
Then a figure emerged from the forest with his hand up in the air and eyes closed in a calm manner. Ezra walked quietly into the middle of the clearing as the Nightingale growled at his appearance as Ezra opened his eyes and glared back at it before pushing his hands outwards, sending the droids flying and crashing into the trees.
The Nightingale roared in anger before Ezra used the force to pull its head down. He performed an impressive jump in the air as the creature made contact with ground. While in the air, Ezra reached for his lightsaber, igniting it's emerald green blade and stabbed the creature in the head. The Grimm roared in pain before sleeping to the ground in a weakened state, the tactical droid head then disconnected from its beak and rolled onto the ground, not before Ezra used the force to call it to his hand.
Wrecker gawked a bit, "Ah! He's-he's-is he what I think he is?"
"Yes Wrecker, he is." Hunter replied
"He's a Jedi." Wrecker muttered, "Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"You weren't the only one who wasn't told." Echo added
A little while later, both RWBY and JNPR sat in the cockpit of the Gauntlet as Jaune piloted it through the night sky.
"Well today was...eventful." Ruby muttered while spinning in her seat
Just then, Hunter entered the cockpit, catching everyone's attention.
"Sorry to interrupt, but Ezra and Sabine want to speak with you all." he announced
The huntsmen all looked at one another, "About what exactly?"
"Everything." the clone replied before leading them to the back of the Gauntlet. As they passed the barracks, they noticed Sabine's room was now unlocked. The walls of her room were decorated in various styles of art, including a mural of several people, two of which appeared to be non-human, and maybe faunus.
As the door to the req room opened, RWBY and JNPR noticed several things. First were the members of the Bad Batch with no helmets standing around. Second was Ezra and Sabine standing separate from the Batch, the look on both their faces were ones of conflict. Surrounding them was a hologram being emitted by Chopper of what oddly looked like planets.
"Have a seat guys, we have a lot to discuss." Ezra said to them before they all sat down
"What are you looking at?" Weiss asked curiously about the hologram
"A starmap." Sabine answered rather cooly
"Starmap…?" Jaune muttered in confusion
"Like mapping of the stars?" Pyrrha questioned, "Constellations?"
"In a way, yes." Sabine replied, "But it also maps out a star system and its planets within it."
Ruby raised an eyebrow, "Planets...As in planets in outer space."
Ezra and Sabine looked at one another, mentally agreeing with one another. They didn't tell them one thing…
They told them everything.
The galaxy. The Jedi. The Empire. The Rebellion. The Mandalorians. All they knew about life beyond Remnant. While the eight teens listened to their secret with interest, there was of course one that had to interrupt and practically shout her disprovement.
"You expect us to believe such a preposterous-" Weiss scoffed at such a revelation but was cut off
"If I may." Tech interrupted her, "We have evidence to back up what we know is the truth."
Ruby then spoke up, "So these Jedi...they were peacekeepers...and they could use magic?"
"The Force isn't exactly magic." Ezra explained, "My master said it's more of an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together. Those who possess a deep connection to it can wield its power. That being the Jedi."
"And your people were wiped out…" Blake muttered in shock, "Like...like genocide?"
Ezra nodded sadly, "They were, by the Empire, though they weren't even my people yet. I was just born when the Republic fell."
"That's right." said Omega, "You were born on Empire Day."
"And yet none of you use dust." Weiss added, "Just to clarify."
"Right, we don't use dust." Sabine answered, "At all."
The heiress scoffed, "Well then what does Bridger's laser sword use? Space magic?"
Ezra rolled his eyes at Weiss' extremely thick skull before unclipping his lightsaber.
"This is a lightsaber." he explained, "The traditional weapon of the Jedi, and no space magic required. Except for the crystal, it's considered a living being. With feelings and everything. A Jedi, or any force-sensitive individual is then called to it through the Force."
"And then they use it to construct a lightsaber?" Ruby asked
"Exactly." Ezra replied before activating its emerald green blade
"Can it cut through everything?" Nora asked with a more excited tone
"Not exactly." Ezra said as he deactivated his weapon and holstered it, "From what I heard, there are several alloys that can block a lightsaber. Uh, one of them is beskar."
Sabine then snorted a chuckle as she lightly punched his shoulder, "Yeah, and you found that out recently. And for your information, beskar is what my armor is made of. We even have a crate full of beskar plates we obtained from the SDC train."
"So Mandalorians…" Ren began, "You're warriors, honorable warriors...who fought the Jedi?"
"To say that the relationship between the Jedi Order, and the Mandalorians is unique. Would be considered an understatement." Tech stated
Weiss raised an eyebrow, "Well what would you consider it?"
"Legendary, ma'am." he answered before continuing, "The Jedi and Mandalorians are legendary rivals. Former enemies to be exact. They've fought countless wars against one another, the biggest was known as the Mandalorian Crusades, a series of conflicts where the Jedi nearly wiped out all of the clans. A Jedi Knight even killed their leader, Mand'alor the Ultimate."
Ezra then looked at Sabine, "You never said the Jedi killed your leader."
"You never asked." Sabine retorted with smirk
"I can't imagine if a Mandalorian became a Jedi, or vice versa." Yang muttered
"Actually, you're not off on that." Sabine said having heard her, "There was a Mandalorian who became a Jedi."
"Seriously?" Yang muttered, "That's probably the coolest mashup ever. Who was it?"
"Tarre Vizsla was his name." Sabine replied, "He was the first and only Mandalorian to be inducted into the Jedi Order. He became leader of all of Mandalore, even constructed a one-of-a-kind lightsaber as his own."
"That is correct." Tech continued, "Tarre created a weapon that has come to be known as the Darksaber. A unique lightsaber that had black blade. After Tarre's passing, the Jedi put the lightsaber in their temple on the planet Coruscant as a trophy and symbol of Tarre's power as both a Jedi and Mandalorian. However during the fall of the Old Republic, members of Tarre's clan, House Vizsla, infiltrated the temple as it was being sacked and took the weapon back. They then went on to use the weapon to unify the clans and strike down anyone who would dare oppose them. Eventually they ruled all of Mandalore wielding the blade. Unfortunately, the Darksaber was lost during the Clone Wars, and hasn't been seen in over 20 years."
"You're wrong." Sabine announced, "The Darksaber isn't lost, it's been found. By me."
Sabine then held the Darksaber up to them all before activating it, revealing its black blade.
Ruby drooled at the sight, with starry eyes. Sabine then deactivated the blade which made the young girl frown and pout slightly.
"Does that make you the de facto ruler of your people?" Jaune asked curiously
"Technically yes." Sabine responded, "But I don't consider myself that. I'm not Mandalore's leader, but I'll find the person who is."
"But that's hard, because your people are divided." Blake spoke up, "Divided by the people who you and the Jedi see as a common enemy."
"The Empire." Hunter muttered darkly, sending a chill down several of the huntsmen's spines
"So let me get this straight." Weiss said, "This Empire, nearly wiped out the Jedi in mass genocide, using your brothers or clones to perform the act. Took over the Republic and puppeted Mandalore?"
Ezra frowned and shook his head, "Its not just that."
"The Empire subjugates everyone." Sabine continued, "Countless worlds have been occupied by them. They force species into slavery, declare several of them to be non-sentient, and execute those who question their actions!"
"Just like my father…" Weiss muttered
"And you don't just fight the Empire because of your respective people?" Blake asked
Ezra frowned, "Our people may have been enemies and rivals, but that was thousands of years ago. Sabine and I are more than just friends, we're family. Part of a crew that fights to end Imperial rule."
"I thought you two weren't related?" Ruby questioned
"We aren't." Sabine answered, "Like Ezra said, the crew we're apart of is like our new family."
"So happened to your real ones?" Yang asked
The two rebels looked down in sadness, as memories flooded their minds. It was Ezra who would answer first.
"The Empire." he answered, "My parents used to broadcast illegal transmissions speaking out against the Imperial rule on my home planet Lothal. They said they did so that I could have a better life in the future, free from the Empire. They had the support of Lothal's governor, Ryder Azadi, and several others. But as time went on, the occupation got worse, and the Empire arrested them all. I lived on the streets for seven years, stealing what I could, and selling Imperial weapons on the black market. Until I met Sabine and the rebels. After working with them for some time, we broadcasted our own message. Somehow, it got out into the deepest darkest of Imperial prisons, my parents heard it and were inspired. They started a riot to escape along with a large group of Rebel sympathizers, but they got separated and died in the chaos."
The huntsmen felt sympathy, losing one's parents was indeed sad. However Ruby and Yang knew too well.
"...and what about you?" Blake asked Sabine
The Mando looked down slightly, "I'd rather not say. The topic is painful for me. But it does involve family."
Weiss wanted to say something, but Ruby surprisingly put her hand on her shoulder. She shook her head lightly to tell no.
"If you're part of some rebellion, then why are you here?" Jaune asked, this was a question that they all wanted to know.
"Our base was attacked." Ezra explained, "An Imperial fleet ambushed us as we prepared for an attack on Lothal. We barely made it out alive. But the Gauntlet was damaged by enemy fighters prior to meeting up with the survivors, we dropped out of hyperspace in your system."
"What about this Empire?" Weiss questioned, "Maybe they followed you. Maybe Remnant will become part of their territory. All because you led them here."
"Weiss." Yang hissed, glaring at her with Blake doing the same
"If the Empire followed us." Ezra retorted, "There would have been big changes already."
"We don't have a way to leave the system." Sabine continued, "But we do know where to find one."
"Where?" Ruby asked
"Atlas and the SDC have been salvaging old robots from an unknown source." Sabine explained, "Those robots are actually old Separatist battle droids."
"We suspect from what Atlas has salvaged, that the droids constructed a base somewhere on Remnant." Tech continued, "However as various units spread across the planet, the Clone Wars ended and they were all deactivated."
"That base is bound to have ships of all kinds." Ezra added, "Ships that are built for hyperspace travel. If we can find that base, we repair the Gauntlet's damaged hyperdrive and go home."
"So we're just a loose end to you, right?" Weiss scoffed at them
"No. You're not. None of you are." Ezra answered firmly, "Once we find the base and fix the Gauntlet, we're gonna destroy it. We all know what could happen if the Atlas, the SDC, or even by pure luck the WHite Fang would do if they found it."
Blake frowned in agreement, knowing full well, "Chaos will spread."
"Exactly." said Sabine, "And we've been on Remnant long enough to know their motives."
"There's more to it now." Ezra added, catching everyone's attention, even Sabine's, "In the forest, Hunter, Omega, Ruby, Blake, and I all discovered a Jedi Temple in the middle of the forest. I think its whats been keep the Grimm away from that area on the island."
"What does that mean?" Pyrrha asked
"It means that the Jedi have a connection to Remnant." Ezra explained, "Or even something else, and felt it. There's something big going on, with people working against one another."
"What about Atlas?" Weiss questioned, "They want to protect Remnant, wouldn't it be beneficial to them?"
"That's where you're wrong, kid." Hunter said to her, "My squad has worked with Atlas before. General Ironwood? He's unstable, any major news can make him go over the edge. Imagine what would happen if he discovered the greater galaxy, or even contacted the Empire."
"Anyone, linked to Atlas, the SDC, or even huntsmen academies, cannot be trusted." Echo declared
"Well what makes you think we won't sell you right here and now?" Weiss questioned
"We won't allow that." Wrecker replied while pumping his fists, but Omega put a hand on his shoulder
"And we won't be allowing that either." she added
"Which is why we're giving you all a choice." Ezra said to the huntsmen, "If you want out of this, we'll drop off in Vale, and we can pretend we've never met. But if you want to stop a potential threat that anyone can use, you can stay and see the job done. The decision is yours."
Ruby looked at her friends. One-by-one, from Jaune to Ren, from Yang to Blake, they all nodded in agreement. Ruby understood what they were thinking before looking at Weiss, the heiress frowned and looked down slightly before sighing. She looked up and gave her a small smile before nodding.
Ruby then looked back at Ezra and Sabine confident in their decision.
"We're not going anywhere."
"We have to find that Separatist base before anyone else does." Weiss added, "I'm proud of being a Schnee, and I won't let my father ruin it one bit."
"Yeah! Plus you have to tell us more about the galaxy!" Yang shouted in excitement
Ezra smiled same as Sabine, both glad that they were staying.
"Then I guess we're all in agreement." Sabine chuckled
"Until then, we'll stay at our camp for now." Hunter said to them, "We'll pinpoint the location of the Separatist base, while you all keep the droid unit out of anyone's hands. Omega, care to stay with them."
"Sure!" the young female clone replied, "Got a spare room by any chance?"
"Plenty of room." Sabine answered
Ezra felt happy now, he and Sabine now had a crew. A crew who meant well and wanted to do good. The idea of having a crew of their own now brought a thought of the rest of the Ghost crew. He reached out through the Force, trying to sense anyone. He felt Kanan, Hera, Zeb, Rex, even Kallus. He felt relieved they were ok, and hummed in satisfaction before addressing everyone.
"May the Force be with us."
Next on the Jedi and the Mandalorian...
Chapter 8 - The Bond