Not too long ago, near a Huntsman Academy in Vale…

GALACTIC CONQUEST: REMNANT

EPISODE 0: THE CONVENTION MENACE

IT IS A TIME OF EXCITEMENT FOR THE COSPLAYERS, COLLECTORS, AND FAKE NERD GIRLS OF REMNANT. THE ANNUAL GALACTIC CONQUEST CONVENTION HAS OPENED FOR THE FANS OF THE SCI-FI THRILLER CLASSIC, AND HUNDREDS HAVE COME TO MEET THEIR COMRADES IN ARMS AND THE ACTORS WHO PLAYED THE ICONIC ROLES OF THEIR BELOVED CHARACTERS.

WITH ENOUGH FUNDS TO FINALLY AFFORD TICKETS, THE NOODLE KNIGHT KNOWN AS JAUNE ARC HAS COME TO THE CONVENTION IN HOPES OF MEETING THE MAN RESPONSIBLE FOR PORTRAYING HIS FAVORITE CHARACTER, COLONEL BANESAW.

NOT ALONE IN HIS QUEST, HE HAS BROUGHT HIS GIRLFRIEND, PYRRHA NIKOS, ALONG WITH FELLOW FAN YANG XIAO LONG AND A FAIRLY RELUCTANT ADAM TAURUS TO JOIN HIM IN THE FIGHT AGAINST LINES OF SUPER FANS TO SPEND EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF LIEN ON ACTION FIGURES AND TRINKETS…

"This is it!"

Stepping out of the crowded taxi, Jaune Arc grinned upon laying his eyes of the Vale Convention Center and the huge banner reading Galactic Conquest in shimmering gold letters upon it. A pair of cosplayers in full Tempest Trooper armor walked by and saluted him with the official grand Kingdom pose. As he responded with his own in turn, he had nearly forgotten that he hadn't come in the taxi alone.

"That's an… interesting pose, Jaune," Pyrrha said, stepping out of the vehicle. She was soon followed by Yang in a long robe, and then Adam who emerged from the front passenger seat. The Faunus received a nasty look from the driver as he paid the cab fare before driving off.

"I am fairly certain that driver did not like us very much," Taurus said, watching their ride speed away, "Perhaps I was too intimidating."

Yang rolled her eyes at his obliviousness. "Or maybe you shouldn't have played with his radio the whole time. Not many people like a stranger reaching over them to check the speedometer while their driving, either."

"Gray told me it was unsafe for certain vehicles to go over 60 miles per hour. I had to make sure."

"I swear, we should have just left the man child back at the gas station," Yang muttered to Pyrrha and Jaune, "I don't care if Gray said he needs some time outside after his break-up, because I'm starting to understand why Miltia left him."

Sighing, Pyrrha looked over Xiao Long's shoulder at the former White Fang member. "A break up is a difficult thing to go through. It might not look like it, but Adam could really use company right now. Just one day with him will not be the death of us. We survived 30 of them with him, remember?"

"I'd define it more as tolerating him than surviving."

"Come on, let's not argue guys," Jaune said encouragingly, striding forward, "We're here to have fun. And I want to get in there before the autograph lines get too long. I say we meet right here once we're ready to leave. Sound good?"

"Works for me," Yang nodded as she started to slide out of her robe.

Now, in Galactic Conquest Episode 6, there was a particular scene in which Heiress Lei was captured by the notorious space gangster Bubbus the Hunnus. Instead of killing her, however, he decided to humiliate her by dressing her up in a revealing slave outfit for the pleasure of his court. The act of indecency went down as the fetish for sci-fi fans across Remnant, and became a very popular cosplay subject.

So of course Yang had to wear it.

"Yang Xiao Long," Jaune gaped, seeing the blonde's revealing gold and purple bikini outfit, "You are a bold one."

Not very fond of his excessive staring, Nikos pushed her finger into his side. "Don't drool too much, Jaune."

"Ow! Okay, okay… It's just a really well done costume, that's all."

"I got Cinder to make it for me," Yang replied, doing a little twirl, "It's the perfect outfit for attracting guys, too. Hopefully there's someone that looks like Van Zolo."

The thought of hunting down significant others attracted Adam's attention. "It is settled. I shall be your wingman, then."

"Nothing is settled here, Adam," Yang groaned, "This is a one-girl mission…" She saw Pyrrha give her a look saying not to leave him out of the activities. Yes, Nikos wanted Taurus to enjoy himself, but it was better he tagged along with Xiao Long than with her and Jaune. "…Fine. You can tag along with me. Just don't ruin my chances, got it?"

"Understood," Adam nodded, unbuttoning his shirt for some reason. He was confused as his comrades gave him an odd glare. "What? Should I not be as scantily clad as Yang is?"

It was at this moment Yang knew today was going to be much more grating than she wanted it to be.

Jaune's plan at first had been to make a straight beeline to the back room where the meet and greets were taking place, and then turn back around to the dealer's room in search of the action figures on his buy list. Simple enough, right?

Apparently not.

Upon setting foot in the building, Arc's eyes were glued to the tables upon tables of collectors selling their merch. Vintage, modern, customs; every possible kind of figure was before Jaune, and the temptation was too much.

"Hold up, Jaune!" Pyrrha reached out for her beau, but it was too late. The blonde had disappeared in the sea of people, pushing his way through as the hunt for plastic began. Pyrrha looked around her and realized she was completely out of her element. While she had watched the Galactic Conquest films, she could only name a few characters, and the little green guy on the shirt Jaune gave her to wear was not one of them. If anyone tried to strike up conversation with her, it would definitely end awkwardly. She would have to stick to Jaune like glue. "Jaune! Where did you go?"

"Down here!"

She saw a hand wave above the dozens of heads. About a minute of struggling around people later, and Pyrrha saw Arc handing over a wad of lien to a dealer, two full plastic bags at his feet. "I see you've already found something you wanted."

"Check it out!" Jaune pulled out one of the carded figures, "They actually had a 2003 Saga Collection MISP Shadow Strike Tempest Trooper Elite figure! This thing is awesome!"

"It certainly is," Pyrrha smiled and nodded, having no clue what Jaune was talking about. She felt like she was going to be doing that a lot today, but she didn't mind. Just seeing Jaune this excited over his passion was worth it to her. "Are you ready to-

"Oh. My. God…"

Frozen in shock for a few seconds, Jaune lifted his arm and pointed at something on another table where a lone action figure box sat. He approached slowly, in disbelief that he was laying his eyes upon his Holy Grail collectible. Of course, Pyrrha was unsure of what was happening. "Are you alright?"

"I can't believe it," Jaune breathed, standing over the action figure, "The 30th Anniversary Platinum Chase Variant Colonel Banesaw with light-up Laser Cutlass, once exclusive to Galactic Conquest Con 1987 with only 50 ever produced… I've dreamed of this moment for so long!"

He reached out for the figure in a state of collector's euphoria, already feeling the pride of placing it upon his shelf back home. This was easily one of the greatest moments of his life so far, perhaps even number one… Okay, maybe kissing Pyrrha was higher up. And being born, too. This was definitely a top five at the least.

Well, at least until another hand grabbed the figure as he did.

"Huh?" Jaune looked to his left, where someone in a suit of Koba Sett armor stood, the bounty hunter cosplayer holding onto his coveted Colonel. Standoffs like this were rare occurrences at conventions, and heads started to turn towards the two collectors as tension began to rise. "Sorry, man. I had the figure first."

The cosplayer shook his helmeted head, laughing. "Nope. I did. This figure will make a fine addition to my collection."

"I think you mean my collection."

A circle of enthused fans began to form around the standoff like it was some sort of rap battle. Pyrrha wasn't sure whether to intervene, call security, or just let… whatever this was play out.

"I think there's only one way to settle this," Jaune grinned, tightening his grip on the figure, "And that's figuring out who is the more educated fan."

"Trivia, huh?" the cosplayer said with confidence. Clearing his throat, Jaune's opponent spat out a question with lightning speed. "What was the squadron rank of Link Cloudwalker in Episode 5!?"

"Red 5, of course!" Arc didn't waste any time in retaliating, "Name the Tempest Trooper Commander of General Torca from comic issue #67!"

"Commander Groze! Who was his sergeant!?"

"Lichenhurt! Too easy!"

With the crowd around her cheering the two on, Pyrrha sighed and pinched her brow. "I've got a bad feeling about this…"

After the amount of time she had spent so far in the food court, Yang was expecting to have at least a few boys sitting at her table trying to win her over. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. In addition to the lack of attractive guys around, those who were on her radar already had someone at their side. The last thing Yang wanted to be was a homewrecker or anything of that sort. So here she was, sitting with a basket of cheesy nachos and a shitty wingman of a Faunus, wondering if Pyrrha and Jaune were enjoying themselves more than her right now.

"Are you sure you don't want any?" Adam asked, his mouth stuffed with melted cheddar and tortilla chips.

"Nope…" Yang sighed, flicking a folded up straw wrapper across the table. She pulled her scroll out of her gold lingerie to check the time, hoping that she would look up afterwards to see some cutie standing over her. That did not turn out to be the case, much to her disappointment. It was still just Taurus, now looking around and taking in his surroundings. He hadn't done too well in the searching department either, for he seemed to give up on finding a girl a while ago.

"You look disappointed. Was speaking with that one person not enough?"

"He was here with his mother and stared at my chest the whole time. Not really prime boyfriend material."

"But isn't the point of the costume to get them to stare at your breasts?"

"It's only to catch their attention. The goal is to get them to have a conversation and get to know me as a person and not as a sex object."

"I think being half-nude is counterintuitive to your goal."

She was about to make a snarky comment about him knowing such large words, but Yang realized Adam made too much sense there. It seemed she hadn't really thought this whole plan through. Things just didn't make sense. She knew she looked good, a solid 9/10 if she was being modest. Why then could she never find herself a boyfriend? Lots of guys back at Beacon were smitten with her, but none of them dared approach her one-on-one or attempt to even speak to her in a group. It wasn't like she was a mean person. She knew she was kind, supportive, a powerful Huntress…

"Adam," Yang said, clenching her fist, "Do you think I'm scary?"

"Yes. But not in a way that makes me fear for my life. More like a 'She would probably break my spine with a hug' kind of way. Why do you ask?"

"Needed something cleared up, that's all," she draped her robe over her shoulders, tying it at the waist, "I'm… I'm gonna go step outside."

"I will join you, then."

"As in alone."

"Are you not enjoying yourself here?"

"What does it look like?" Yang snapped in response, "Sure, I enjoy these movies and all, but I'd like someone to watch them with for crying out loud!"

"You have your teammates."

"Not that kind of someone… Blake's got Sun, Pyrrha's got Jaune, Ren and Nora are a thing, Cinder and Emerald are inseparable, I can't even believe Merc and Velvet somehow hooked up, and I'm pretty sure Weiss has the hots for my sister right now! Do you see what I'm getting at?"

"…Schnee is a lesbian?"

"Not that! Everyone has someone they can say they love except me! I'm always the one who sits and watches others be happy with one another because I'm too intimidating for guys to try and say hello to! You even said so yourself! If I can't even find someone decent by putting myself in this costume then how the hell am I going to find someone?!"

"This is not like you to say things like this. It's strange." Adam noticed her eyes beginning to turn a light shade of pink, and knew what would come if they became fully colored. "Sit down. Talk."

Panting, Yang sat back down in her seat. She ran her fingers through her hair, biting her lip in frustration. "Valentine's Day made me really start to think. I said before I was fine helping and watching others find each other, but I guess deep down I was kind of projecting myself onto them. It… It didn't feel fair, that's all. Especially when I remembered you managed to find someone else after the Blake situation. No offense."

"I shall take none of it," Adam said, "I know you do not think too highly of me, but I do feel sympathy with you."

"Didn't think you were capable of that."

"Love isn't a fair concept, as I have recently discovered… Gray didn't tell any of you exactly why my relationship with Miltia ended, did he?" Yang shook her head no, deciding not to say she had once assumed Miltia cut the cord with him when she realized how big of a mistake she had made. "I thought not. I had gone to the club she works at on Valentine's Day, and saw her dancing with another guy. It was… very erotic dancing."

"She… she cheated on you?"

"You could say that, I suppose. She seemed earnest in her apology, but I was not going to accept it. Letting go was my only option. The old me would have done something much worse in that situation."

"I didn't know that it… I'm sorry to hear that, Adam."

"Hurting inside is something I've learned to cope with. When Blake was gone, and when it was clear she loved another, I had to deal with that concealment. You though… You seemed to have been holding it in for much longer."

"Got that right," Yang sighed, taking a nacho chip and crushing it in her hand, "How do you cope with it?"

"Persistence, hope, dedication… Having been part of a revolutionary group, those attributes have gotten quite strong in times where things seem pointless."

"And when you lose that hope? What happens then?"

"Nothing. I never lose it. If I did that, then there would be no reason to wake up the next day."

"…You're really good with words when you need to be."

"I lack knowledge of social norms, not linguistic ability."

"Coming from the guy who didn't know what philanthropist meant!" Yang laughed, remembering that story Gray had told her about his first date with Miltia.

"That was not my fault. Mercury said the word strangely."

"Whatever you say," she jokingly rolled her eyes, and noticed Adam's eyes for the first time as she did. They were yellow, a striking shade of it, just like her hair. Animalistic with a hint of humanity: a trait she hadn't really seen in him until today. The Faunus had hurt others once before because of misunderstanding his own pain and problems, and yet had brought himself to change for the sake of others and himself. And then there was her, keeping her aching feelings inside for so long and not even trying to cope with them.

Goddammit. This idiot was actually being helpful.

"Hey," Yang untied her robe, revealing her costume once more, "Let's go back out there, okay? No more searching for guys, no more you being a wingman. Let's just enjoy ourselves. As friends should."

Adam wasn't sure he had heard that right. "I'm… you're friend?"

"Hey, with everything we just discussed we need all the friends we can get. So, how about it?"

"Can I finish these chips first?"

Before Yang could say anything, there was a click then a flash. The two turned to see a person in a completely chrome and gold Tempest Trooper costume, holding a camera and giving them a thumbs up. "Well, wasn't that sweet? Didn't think you had it in you to open up to him of all people, blondie."

"Who're you calling blondie you…" Yang froze midsentence. She recognized the voice behind that helmet all too well. "Wait a minute! Mercury?!"

Removing his helmet, the 5-Star Man was smirking as always. He brushed his hair back, the usual spikiness flattened by the golden helmet. "Been a while, hasn't it? I see you're getting into the exhibitionist lifestyle with that outfit."

"Ha-ha," Yang punched him lightly on the arm, "And you look like you're letting your geek side show with that cosplay."

"Nah, not at all. You'd be surprised how much mothers will pay to have their kids get a photo with one of these costumed guys. Already got myself at least 100 lien so far today. So much easier makin' a living this way than assassinating people."

"Can't say you're wrong about that one. So, you want to tag along with us? We're just about finished here with lunch."

"Thanks, but no thanks. What I'm doing here isn't exactly in league with the convention rules. Just say hi to Velvet for me when you get back to that school of yours. You two enjoy your date or whatever this is."

"We're on a date?" Adam asked a triggered Yang.

"We're just friends, Merc."

"Ah, so it's a pity date."

"…I forgot how much of an asshole you are, Merc. What does Velvet see in you?"

"The heart of a certified Golden God, blondie."

"You're a worthy opponent, Mr. Sett."

"As are you, my boy."

Having already lasted for ten minutes, Jaune's mind was still not wavering in its ability to recall Galactic Conquest trivia. He and his costumed adversary had seemingly gone through a hundred questions or more, neither one giving the slightest hint of doubt in their answers. Truly, they were equal in knowledge of insignificant details.

"I figured as such…" Jaune sighed, looking at a box under the figure dealer's table. It was time to kick things up a notch. "It is obvious that this contest cannot be decided by our knowledge of the films… but by our skills with a Laser Cutlass."

"Very well," the cosplayer nodded. He gestured to a sideliner to grab them both a prop weapon. Once they were both armed, the two collectors locked eyes once more. Overconfidence was surrounding Jaune, feeling that his training with Pyrrha would let him soundly best this bounty hunter in seconds. "This is where the fun begins."

Jaune activated his illuminating prop with a satisfying hissing sound, slowly bringing the collectable towards the table. "On three, we set the figure down and begin. I have to say, I find your lack of taste in blade color disturbing."

The cosplayer chuckled, holding his puce colored blade in an offensive stance. "Surely you realize you are doomed."

"You fool. I was trained in the Kedi arts by Pyrrha Nikos herself."

"Then prepare to…Wait, you mean the Pumpkin Pete's girl?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. My girlfriend. She's right over there." Jaune went to point at her in the crowd, but Pyrrha was absent from her spot. "Well, she was right there."

"Dang, I thought I recognized her!" the cosplayer saluted Nikos, "Her cereal is delicious, by the way. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you, my boy."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Jaune said, taking his battle stance, "Now, on the count of three… two… one-

"Jaune!" a returning Nikos happily called, holding something behind her back, "I think I've found something you'd quite enjoy!"

"Pyrrha!" Arc spun around, holding up a hand to pause the countdown, "Kinda in the middle of starting a duel here."

"Oh, sorry! Is this still about the action figure?"

"Of course! I don't think you realize how big of a deal this figure is!"

"He's right," the Sett cosplayer added from aside, "Very. Very rare."

Sighing, Pyrrha accepted the extreme measures being made over a toy. "I see. Though I think you'd like to see what I have for you here."

"Okay, I'll look at it, but this duel has to start… soon…" His voice trailed off as Pyrrha presented her gift to him, holding it out in her hands. The shiny hilt sat in a shiny red box, held in place by soft black felt and labeled with a small gold tag. Jaune's mouth fell agape upon seeing the signature on the chromed prop, instantly recognizing the autograph of the man responsible for creating Galactic Conquest itself. "Oh… Oh my God."

"I didn't think I would actually win this," Pyrrha was blushing at his wondrous expression, "I went just over there and put my name on a raffle ticket a bit ago, and they pulled mine out of hundreds!"

Jaune delicately took the prize from his girlfriend's hands. "This is… This is George Luna's autograph… I've only ever dreamed of owning something like this… And now I'm holding it."

Seeing his eyes begin to well with tears, Pyrrha had to wipe her own as she went to kiss him on the cheek. A collective 'aww' from the people standing around reminded them they had an audience. "I'll hold this if you want to resume your duel now."

"I'm not putting this down," Jaune grinned, turning to the Sett cosplayer, "The figure's yours. If I got that today too, I'd have a heart attack."

"Thanks man," his opponent asked, "Though I wouldn't mind dueling you for that hilt there."

"Yeah, I don't know about that one buddy. You enjoy that figure, and may the Schworz be with you."

"And the same to you, my friend."

The sun was setting after a long day of spending and conversing with fellow fans. In addition to the one-of-a-kind prize, Jaune was leaving the convention building with six bags of merchandise in tow. They sat on the ground beside him as he and Pyrrha waited on a bench outside for Yang and Adam to meet them. Soon enough, the two came into sight as they exited the building.

"Over here!" Jaune waved at the two to catch their attention, "How did you guy's day go?"

"Not bad," Yang replied, her eyes shifting to Adam for the briefest of moments, "Took pictures with some fans, and got myself a guy's number. Pretty fun, all in all."

"I too received a phone number," Adam followed right after, "Though I can't say who's."

A quick elbow from Yang made him stop talking. "Not that it would matter. Because they're a stranger. They wouldn't know them anyways… But anyways, we actually ran into an old friend today."

"Really? Pyrrha said, "Who?"

Suddenly, there was shouting coming from a few yards back. One of the angry voices came from a figure dressed in a shiny gold suit of armor as two security guards tossed him onto the sidewalk. The 5-Star Man flipped off the men who found out about his rule-breaking money scheme. "Bastards! At least give me back my goddamn money!"

Smirking at Black's misery, Yang jerked a thumb towards him. "Ah, just that Golden God over there."