Gamer4 in. Happy new year! To celebrate, I hereby announce that this story isn't dead! I just need to take a break from YAM, for myriad reasons, and it's not like I don't have other stories that need attention! Like... this one! I'm embarrassed to admit how long I've been sitting on a half-finished chapter here, and I can't apologize enough. It's about time to start picking up the pieces again- thanks for rejoining me today, let's get started!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.
Chapter VII
Nidhogg
"Well, Jauney Boy, allow me to be the first to welcome you aboard the Nidhogg!" Yang declared rather pompously as she disembarked from her gear.
Perhaps she'd earned that right, though, Jaune thought as he followed suit. From here, he could only see the ship's hangar, but he could already tell that the generally small ship he'd seen approaching from a distance had been merely the tip of the iceberg. This hangar alone was larger than what he'd seen, with enough room to house many gears, though there were only three at the moment, including Weltall and Bumblebee, the name Yang had bequeathed to hers.
"So, whaddya think?" Yang prompted, waggling her eyebrows.
Jaune was spared having to answer by a shriek from the nearest doors. "YOUNG MISTREEEEEESS!"
Yang barely had time to turn before she was tackled by a short, pudgy man in a light blue outfit, clashing somewhat with what little red hair he had left. Indeed, the hair on his upper lip was rather more impressive than that atop his head, dotted with some spare freckles on either side. His eyes were currently a light brown, and narrowed in clear worry as he gazed upon Yang. "Where did you go? What happened down there? Are you hurt? Oh, dear, your jacket is all torn up!"
"Yeah," Yang grunted, rolling a shoulder. "Pain-in-the-ass deathstalker decided to-"
"A deathstalker?!" the man's eyes bugged out. "A deathstalker?!"
He grabbed a small radio clipped to his vest and began speaking urgently into it. "Ready sick bay, we need as much anti-venom as we can get, the Young Mistress has been attacked by-"
"It's not that big a deal!" Yang interrupted, violently flushing as she glanced between the elderly man and the increasingly bemused Jaune. "It didn't poison me, it didn't even break skin, it just tore up my jacket!"
"But Young Mistress, surely-"
"No need to worry, Klein," came a significantly calmer voice- a tall man in a longcoat, with dark brown skin, matching hair, and a single gold-ringed eye- the other was hidden beneath a patch. "Believe me, if she was poisoned, you'd know- she'd be too busy screaming to object."
"Well, that's as may be, however..."
"I'm fine, Klein," Yang insisted, stepping back and spreading her arms. "Seriously."
"Thanks in no small part, I'd imagine, to this young man here?" the new arrival turned his good eye towards Jaune. "I believe an apology is in order for the trouble our errant captain must have caused you." He extended his hand. "Sage Ayana, loyal- if beleagured- first mate."
"I...er..." Jaune felt rather wrong-footed, uncertain exactly what to say in this scenario. He brightened up, however, when he spied the other man who had entered alongside Sage- a gently smiling Lie Ren.
"You don't have to apologize for me!" Yang seemed to whine. "I'm not a kid, you know, I can speak for myself!"
"Oh?" Sage crossed his arms and quirked a brow. "So you've already sought this young man's forgiveness?"
"Er... that is to say... not in so many words..."
Sage rolled his eyes. "Come along, Yang, we need to have a talk about looking before we leap."
He reached out towards her- she feebly tried to duck out of the way. "I told you, Sage, I'm not a kid- hey, no, not the ear! Ow! Ow! Ow!"
Ren chuckled as he watched Sage drag off his captain, Klein hurrying after them. "He's changed surprisingly little."
"You know him?" Jaune asked.
"He and I attended the same academy, for a time. I certainly never thought him to be the first mate of the infamous Nidhogg..."
He shook his head. "But enough about that. I'm very happy to see you, Jaune- I was hoping you hadn't strayed too far."
He opened his arms, and Jaune happily returned the embrace. "It was pretty crazy down there."
"I heard- a deathstalker, was it?"
"Yeah... yeah, we met some grimm."
Jaune looked to Ren's gaze- he had that look that said he was seeing more than Jaune was willing to let on. "...Did something else happen?"
"No... not exactly..."
He felt a weight on his shoulder and looked up to find Ren's hand. "Jaune... you know that you can tell me if something's bothering you, don't you?"
"Right, of course," Jaune nodded. "I just... need some time to get my thoughts straight."
"Hmm, understandable," Ren nodded. "Well, it seems we've gotten our transport for the moment. According to Sage, they've charted a course for the Nidhogg's secret dock. We should thank our good fortune."
"Yeah..."
"It didn't sound like we were that far away- come. I'll show you the cabin, then we can go to the bridge and speak with our temporary benefactors."
"Sounds good..."
Jaune allowed himself to be led into a series of narrow corridors, ultimately leading to a large chamber with several bunk beds erected for crew and passengers. It was mostly empty at the moment, and those who were present seemed to pay the visitors little mind- no doubt Sage had already told them about the sudden turn of events.
From there, another few hallways took them to an elevator that rose up and deposited them on the bridge, a wide space encircled by rows of computers and complex machinery. On a plinth in the center was what must be the helm- there stood Yang, hands on the wheel, all previous childishness cast aside as she took her ship across the remnants of the Mohaine.
"Ah, Ren, just in time," Sage greeted. "We're very near, now."
Jaune's mouth opened as he gazed through the vast windows at the sand speeding by all around them- never had he pictured travelling so quickly, especially over a desert, and suddenly, the vast sand sea didn't seem quite so vast anymore.
"She's a beaut, isn't she?" Yang boasted. "Hideout ahoy!"
"Preparing to dock!" a member of the crew- a large, bearded man with feline claws- announced.
Jaune panicked when he looked up and saw a large mesa sprouting from the ground- a mesa that Yang was currently steering them directly towards. "We're gonna crash!"
"YEE-HAW!" Yang grinned.
They did not crash- they passed through the side of the mesa as easily as if it weren't even there, before coming to a perfectly gentle stop.
"Yang, do try not to give our guests a heart attack," Sage sighed.
"Eheh... sorry." She didn't sound sorry at all.
From there, there was a grinding sound, and the ship began to descend, prompting Jaune to realize they'd entered an enormous elevator. Finally, they descended into a massive cavern- had Jaune thought the Nidhogg's hangar was enormous? This hangar was large enough to hold nine copies of the ship, three long and three abreast, and the ship had just deposited in the center.
Yang grinned as she led Jaune and Ren to a hatch, climbing out and standing on the deck in front of what must be the hideout's keepers- several men, women, and... children?
"Welcome back, Yang!"
"Good to see you, Yang!"
"YAAAAAAANG!" one of the children cried, running up to her with three others right on his tail, looking up with starry eyes.
"Did you bring us something cool, Yang? Didja? Didja?"
"Hmm," Yang smirked again, pretending to put a thoughtful thumb and forefinger to her chin. "Well, there's that really important gear, its pilot, and a doctor..."
"Ah, that's boring grown-up stuff!" one of the girls pouted. "We want something interesting!"
"Well, I don't remember picking up anything like that," Yang shrugged. "Y'know, unless you count this chunk of amber I picked up in a cave under the desert- tucked away for thousands of years!"
She reached into a pocket and produced what Jaune recognized as one of the amber pieces that had been lining Taiyang Xiao Long's bunker- it seemed he now knew what she'd taken while Qrow was looking the other way.
"Cooooooool!" the children's eyes all widened in fascination.
"This one even has a mosquito in it!" Yang announced proudly, lowering it so they could see. "Who knows what sort of critter's blood this guy sucked before getting trapped here?"
"That's what I'm talking about!" the leading boy grinned as he took the fossil. "Guys, check it out- we got amber! We gotta show everyone!"
The kids turned and dashed off, leaving Yang shaking her head with a smile. "Adorable little bastards, I'll tell you that..."
She turned to the rest of her entourage. "Well, I wanna oversee some repairs on my gear. Klein, feel like serving our guests some tea?"
"Tea, you say?" Ren's eyes lit up minutely. Jaune hid a smile- Ren was something of a tea connoisseur.
"Klein here makes the best tea this side of the Misties!" Yang asserted.
Klein blinked, and perhaps it was Jaune's imagination, but he thought his eyes changed color- from light brown to a brighter shade of pink. "Oh, you flatter me too much, Young Mistress! I'm sure there are plenty in Vale who could outshine my humble leaves."
"I'll be the judge of that," Ren volunteered.
Yang threw her head back and laughed. "Well, there ya go! I'll catch up in a bit."
She turned and leapt back down the hatch.
"Well, if you insist," Klein said bashfully. "Very well, good sirs, if you'll follow me..."
Jaune and Ren followed him to another elevator that took them to ground floor and down a few stone passageways. Jaune marveled at the engineering, wondering at the type of work it must have taken to carve all of this into the bottom of the mesa.
Finally, they arrived in what seemed a cafeteria- Klein guided them to what seemed like a bar, but with several jars of leaves instead of bottles of liquor. "I do hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive the Young Mistress, you know," he addressed them as he began blending his teas. "She's a good woman, really, it's just that her heart is often several steps beyond her head, if you understand."
Ren gave a light laugh. "I very much know the type."
"Yeah," Jaune nodded his vague agreement- Klein had just described Nora Valkyrie to a T.
"Everyone here is someone she took in when they had no other place to go," Klein continued, filling a teapot and placing it on a stovetop. "Foresaken men, women and children- even I, myself, was taken into her care once."
"You don't say?" Ren asked.
"The truth is, I once served the royal family of Atlas. However, there was... a scandal, I suppose you could say. Not to go into too many details, but the Emperor's daughter was forced into exile, and I elected to follow her. Unfortunately, I have no idea where she might have gone now..."
His face crumpled a little. Clearly, the worst had absolutely occurred to him.
"Even after our separation, I couldn't return to his majesty- not that I had any desire to do so. Instead, I wandered into Vale, where the Young Mistress eventually found me and gave me a new purpose in life."
"Hmm... I see," Ren nodded. "And you had no misgivings about following a pirate?"
"Perhaps at first," Klein admitted. "However, the Young Mistress has a certain... magnetism to her- I'm sure you've noticed yourself. And then, there was that nasty business with the engine room..."
He smiled, and his tone altered- even Jaune recognized it as the tone one takes when telling a much beloved story for neither the first nor last time. "There was a new recruit, you see- green as you like. He was left alone in the engine room, and things... went awry. He struggled to repair the damage, but soon, it seemed as though the entire ship may go up in flames.
"Soon, the engine room was flooded with crewmen struggling to prevent the disaster, but then Sage and the Young Mistress appeared, shooing out all the others- she even grabbed the unfortunate lad who had caused the damage to begin with and cast him out while the two of them dealt with the problem.
"Of course, they both survived, but that was the day they both lost their eyes. Nevertheless, they saved the ship, and the Young Mistress even attempted to spare the lad's feelings, insisting she'd been looking for an excuse to wear an eyepatch regardless."
That... sounds about right, Jaune pondered.
"It was then, observing all that she had done for her crew, that I truly felt she was one I could call que-"
Klein's eyes widened, and he coughed very obviously, before busying himself with the tea- it seemed the water was finally ready.
Ren's eyes, however, narrowed in a way that told Jaune he hadn't missed the slip-up any more than Jaune himself had. "Queen, you say?"
There was no doubt about it this time- Klein blinked, and his eyes changed color to a dull shade of pink that matched the flush blooming on his cheeks. "I... I don't know where you might have gotten that idea..."
"Now that I think about it," Ren seemed to press, "she does have something of a royal bearing about her, and it takes a certain amount of charisma to take the helm of a group such as this..."
"Very well, sir, very well..." Klein looked down for a moment before blinking again, his eyes now turning yellow as a smile spread across his face. "You have quite the discerning eye, I must say! Yes, it is true, the Young Mistress is the daughter of the former Queen Raven Branwen of Vale."
"Queen?" Jaune asked, surprised. "Does that make her... a princess?"
"Why yes, I suppose it does at that," Klein nodded. "By all rights, of course, she ought to be queen by now, however..."
"However?" Jaune prompted.
Ren cleared his throat. "Queen Raven Branwen was not a particularly favored ruler. Her iron fist and soaring taxes earned her the title of Bandit Queen. That came to an end twelve years ago, with a revolution led by a Ms. Robyn Hill."
"I'd be careful using that name around here, sir," Klein advised as he finally got around to filling their teacups. "Ms. Hill is not a well-liked individual aboard this ship."
Ren politely drank the tea he'd been given, but Jaune had more questions. "Why's that, if she overthrew the Bandit Queen?"
"Because she replaced one horrid regime with another," Klein explained sadly. "Her words changed, but the meaning behind them did not. Taxes rose higher, and limits on speech grew stricter- if anything good may be said about Queen Branwen, it is that she did not care one whit what her subjects thought of her. Any questioning of Ms. Hill's leadership, on the other hand, is considered tantamount to insurrection- a crime punishable by prison time. Very few survive to be released."
"I was given to believe that Queen Branwen's daughter was killed alongside her in the coup," Ren recalled.
"That is the official story," Klein agreed. "Questioning it is, of course, insurrection- the people of Vale are not allowed to entertain the idea that Princess Branwen survived. However, Sage was able to pull her safely from the revolutionary's clutches."
"And... into piracy?" Ren concluded.
Klein looked downcast. "I believe Sage's wish is one that I have come to share myself- to see the Young Mistress grow up to be a good woman."
"A good woman... not a good queen?"
Klein hesitated for a moment. "I... shall not lie and say we have no desire to return the Young Mistress to her throne... indeed, we have plans for that as well. But yes... a good woman first, and a good queen second."
"A good woman that practices piracy?" Ren pressed.
"Unfortunately, yes." Klein's eyes had changed color again, to a light brown. "The war between Vale and Atlas is fought mainly by gears that come from old ruins, each side growing stronger by the day. Hill has the backing of Gebler- even if we rallied all our allies in the kingdom, we'd have no chance against her in an all-out conflict.
"Our first thought was to attempt excavations of our own, but such things require a great deal of money, manpower, and time we do not have, as the war only escalates further and further. Sage and the Young Mistress believe- and I agree- that regardless of which kingdom wins, their people will lose."
"So to speed things along," Ren surmised, "you decided to plunder equipment from both kingdoms rather than waste time and resources gathering it yourself."
Klein's eyes were pink again. "I understand that it must sound rather self-righteous to outsiders such as yourselves..."
"Perhaps," Ren shrugged as he drank some more tea. "However, as the situation has been laid out before me, I believe piracy is the lesser of many evils here. When I see the children you have taken in, the outcasts from Hill's regime, I cannot bring myself to say you are in the wrong."
Klein smiled gently. "It soothes my soul to hear you say so." He glanced at Ren's cup, and noticed that it was empty. "More tea, sir?"
"Thank you," Ren nodded. As Klein tipped the teapot to pour out some more, Ren continued his questioning. "Now, you say you do have plans to reinstate Ms. Xiao Long as the rightful Queen?"
"We do indeed," Klein agreed. "However..." his eyes strayed towards red... "we dare not act now, not with Sir Pine held hostage."
"Sir Pine?" Ren repeated. "As in, Oscar Pine- the future Holy Father?"
Klein blinked in surprise. "You are quite well-informed, Doctor. Indeed, Young Master Pine is the future leader of Mother Sophia's Church- and the Young Mistress's cousin."
Ren put down his teacup and steepled his fingers. "Taking him risks losing Garreg Mach as a neutral territory- why would Hill do that?"
"The Crest of Branwen," Klein answered, his eyes turning light brown again.
"Crest..." Ren took another drink. "I've only heard rumors. It's supposed to lead to a great treasure, correct?"
"It is the key to this great treasure," Klein nodded. "According to legend-" he faltered when he made to refill Jaune's teacup, realizing too late he had yet to touch it. "Oh, dear- is my tea unsatisfactory?"
"Nothing like that," Jaune shook his head. "I'm just... not thirsty."
"Very well," Klein bowed. "Now, we're not entirely certain what this great treasure is- though the Young Mistress certainly has her ideas. However, what we do believe is that it is what we require to save Vale."
"And Oscar Pine has the Crest that leads to it?"
"Half, to be precise," Klein clarified. "The Young Mistress has the other half- only with both can the treasure be recovered."
"I see..." Ren pondered briefly. "If I may be so bold, what exactly is this 'Crest of Branwen?' The way you describe it, I'm imagining a pendant or amulet of some sort..."
"Unfortunately, only those who possess the Crest understand its true form," Klein answered.
"Good thing, too, 'cause if you knew, you'd be telling that to anyone who praises your tea, too!"
Klein jumped and looked to the other end of the cafeteria, where Yang was entering, her hands on her hips, but a smirk on her lips. "Klein, if loose lips sink ships, it's a surprise the Nidhogg isn't at the bottom of the Mohaine by now."
Klein's eyes- and face- once again turned a furious shade of pink. "I apologize, Young Mistress!"
"Good thing I took a liking to ya, Jauney-boy," Yang smirked as she took a seat beside them and put her boots up on the counter. "If you hadn't saved my life, I'd have ta kill ya now."
"So, I presume your half of the crest is safe?" Ren didn't miss a beat.
"Safe and secure," Yang agreed. "And I'm sure Oscar's not about to go spilling the secret either."
"I thought you were doing gear repairs," Jaune recalled.
"I left that to the crew," Yang waved aside, tilting her seat forward again so she could get at the teacup Klein offered her. "Biggest offender is sand in the joints- not the most dangerous thing, but a real pain in the ass to deal with. 'Sides, I'm a better pilot than mechanic anyhow- I'm sure Klein's already told you how my stint as an engine repairwoman went." She absentmindedly tapped her patch.
The others watched as she leaned her head back and downed an entire cup of tea in one gulp, letting out a refreshed-sounding 'AAAAAHHHH!' as she slammed it back on the table. At last, she turned to them and clapped her hands. "Now, where were we?"
"The Crest of Branwen and the treasure it's supposed to lead to," Ren summarized.
"Right, that!" Yang snapped her fingers. "Well, Sage trusts ya, so I may as well let you in- it's a gear. The great treasure is definitely a gear."
"A... gear?" Jaune asked quietly, memories of their conversation with Qrow tickling at the back of his mind.
Yang seemed to recognize it, because she smirked as she rose to her feet. "Follow me." She made her way back towards the hallway- Ren and Klein followed immediately. Jaune hesitated, but ultimately rose to his feet and followed along at the rear.
Just down the hallway was a vast chamber full of whirring machinery, none of which Jaune recognized, but the mechanics seemed to understand it just fine, looking into various screens and pressing buttons corresponding to the letters of the alphabet. Jaune believed these machines were called 'computers,' though he'd never seen any back in Ansel.
"Over here!" Yang called, going down a couple steps into a clear area where several screens were built into the floor. "Careful not to cover up the monitor!"
Jaune obediently joined the other three at the edge of the... monitor, she'd said?
"Fascinating technology," Ren praised quietly. "I wouldn't be surprised if Hill herself had no access to such things."
"Yeah, it's pretty awesome." Yang seemed to revel in the praise. "We have Sage to thank for this room."
She looked to the mechanics above. "Alright, ladies and gents, bring up file 2401!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The screens built into the floor beneath them lit up, all uniting like a mosaic to show what seemed like a work of art, depicting a gigantic gear, the size of a castle assuming the image was to scale, brandishing a sword large enough to destroy its enemy with a single swing.
"My esteemed guests," Yang grinned, "I present you with the Branwen's secret treasure- a scroll dating back to before Second Impact! Depicted, you will see 'King Branwen the First, body cloaked in flames, forming a fiery covenant with the giants!'" She used her boot to indicate ancient text beneath the image. "'With the power of the giants, he founded the Kingdom of Vale.'"
"A fascinating relic." Ren sounded calm, but Jaune could see the light in his eyes. "Only a scan of the original, I presume?"
"Of course," Yang nodded. "Sad to say, Hill's got the original locked up tight at Vale Castle."
"I'm surprised the Ethos never seized it," Ren pondered. "Information like this seems like it would be their primary concern."
"Oh, they've tried, for sure," Yang agreed. "But my mom, Bitch-Queen that she was, guarded some of these relics a little too jealously for even them to get their hands on." She raised her voice. "Next!"
The image shifted, now depicting the iron giant upon a great throne. More text ran beneath it, and once again, Yang translated.
"'After founding the kingdom, King Branwen forced the giants into slumber, ready and waiting should the kingdom need their power once more.' So, you see? This giant is the Treasure of Branwen!"
"And the Crest?" Ren asked again.
Yang laughed. "You're not getting that out of me, pal. You oughtta stop being so nosy- don't want me thinkin' you're one of Hill's spies!"
"Cry pardon," Ren chuckled. "Call it an intellectual curiosity."
"But yeah, the Crest is what Hill's after," Yang nodded. "Her and Gebler."
"What an alarming state of affairs," Ren mused. "Indeed, it seems the best course of action currently is to rescue Mr. Pine posthaste."
"I wasn't exactly plannin' on letting Bitch Queen II keep hold of my little cous anyway," Yang pointed out. "So... I'm guessing you know what I'm going to ask now."
She looked from Ren to Jaune- Jaune's breath had hitched, his hands clenching into fists. Once again, he saw Weltall standing like a beast over the ruins of Ansel, hands red with the blood of the innocent. That was already far more power than any one person should possess, and here was Yang proposing a mission to unearth something even stronger?
"Not to toot my own horn, but we did kinda save you from Gebler," Yang reminded them. "Even if that wasn't actually a Gebler ship, it was sure as hell about to deliver you into Gebler custody. In return... may I ask for your help?"
"Our help... in saving Mr. Pine?" Ren clarified.
"Yup!" Yang clapped her hands. "Sage tells me you unlucky boys have targets on you from Atlas and Vale- wouldn't hurt to have someone on your side. What do you say? You scratch our backs, we scratch yours?"
Jaune's breath grew more ragged.
Ren seemed not to notice. "Very well- please, consider it my payment for your hospitality-"
"No," Jaune interrupted.
Yang glanced over at him. "Pardon?"
"I said, no!" Jaune repeated. "Why is everyone trying to get me back in that godforsaken gear?!"
Yang blinked, clearly caught off guard. "You okay there, buddy?"
"Of course I'm not!" Jaune burst out. "I don't want to fight, especially not in that thing! I hate fighting and gears! I'm not getting back in that thing, especially not when Bane or someone else might show up and push me back over the edge!"
"Bane?" Yang repeated blankly.
But Jaune was too worked up. "If you want Weltall, take it- God knows it's brought me nothing but suffering! As for me, just drop me off wherever- I'll go back to Ansel and rebuild on my own if I have to! It's... it's the only way..."
It seemed like there was a great deal more he wanted to say, but he had no idea how to express it. He turned and charged out of the room- if the doors weren't automatic, it seemed he'd have slammed it shut behind him.
Yang stared after him a moment. "Huh... didn't take him for a hair-trigger temper type of guy..."
Ren breathed deeply. "He's not. I'm sorry, things have been moving so quickly lately... he hasn't had time to take everything in yet. I should have realized the toll this is all taking on him. Please try not to judge him too harshly."
XXXX
On the outside, Jaune saw two children- faunus, from the looks of things- skipping along onto the elevator. "Time to service the gears, the gears, the gears!" they sang tunelessly. "We're off to service the gears with Uncle Tukson!"
Jaune frowned at the idea of children performing military work. "Room for one more?" he asked, stepping onto the elevator with them.
"Oh, you're Ms. Xiao Long's special guest, right?" the boy, with a lion-like mane of hair broken through by a pair of cat ears, beamed.
"I was hoping to talk to this Uncle Tukson of yours."
"Well, I think he's busy right now," the girl tilted her head- on second thought, he didn't see any animal traits on her. "But I guess we can at least take you to him!"
The elevator descended into the massive hangar containing the Nidhogg- Weltall and Bumblebee had already been offloaded.
"Uncle Tukson! Uncle Tukson!" The kids ran over to Bumblebee's foot, where the large, burly faunus with the puma claws was standing. "Yang's guest wants to talk to you!"
"Does he, now?" Tukson crossed his arms and turned to greet Jaune with a smile. "Alright, well, in the meantime, why don't you climb up and get started on those joints?"
"Yes, sir!" they both saluted before climbing a set of steps nearby that wound their way up and around the massive gear.
Tukson turned his full attention to Jaune. "So, how can I help you?"
"You're having kids work on gears, too?" Jaune accused without preamble.
"Heh," Tukson chuckled. "You try keeping them away- they've wanted to be mechanics since they were old enough to hold a wrench. Anything to help Yang."
"You don't think... that's a little messed up?"
"Not at all," Tukson denied. "I keep them away from the truly dangerous jobs- believe it or not, there's plenty of gear maintenance even a kid can do without putting themselves into much danger." He looked up. "They want to do everything they can to help Yang in her fight against Hill."
"Why should they have to worry about that, though?" Jaune challenged. "Why not let them be kids?"
Tukson looked back at him. "You have it wrong, kid... Hill's the one that took their parents from them."
Jaune blinked. "She did?"
"They were arrested for spreading insurrectionist ideals- by which I mean, speaking out against her policy regarding faunus."
"She's against faunus?" Jaune asked, surprised- that didn't mesh at all with what he'd heard before.
"Oh, no, quite the opposite," Tukson sighed. "She built her policy on counteracting Atlas and their anti-faunus discrimination. But some of the policies she enacted... pushed things rather far in the opposite direction, seizing money and land owned by humans and transferring them to faunus without so much as a day at trial.
"Those kids... their mother was my sister, but their father was a human. When he was arrested on charges of exploiting faunus, she spoke up against it- and she was arrested, too. Neither of them saw a day in court before they were thrown into prison. Neither of them ever saw the sun again."
Tukson met his gaze. "Captain Xiao Long and I are the closest things to parents they've ever known."
"I... I see..." Jaune stammered. He'd hardly expected such a story. "So... you're helping them get revenge?"
"No... that's not how they see it," Tukson denied. "They want to prevent any future families from going through what they had to. To that end, they want to do any work they can- anything that will help us retake our kingdom."
Jaune nodded slowly. "I see... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed."
"Well, you know what they say about assumptions," Tukson smiled. "On which subject... I heard Captain Xiao Long intends on recruiting you. I wouldn't like to assume that-"
"No," Jaune shook his head. "I get where you're coming from, but fighting's not for me. I hate it."
"Well, that's your choice," Tukson bowed his head. "I'm sure arrangements can be made to return you to your hometown."
What hometown? Jaune couldn't help thinking. "I... I think I need to lay down for a bit," he mumbled.
"Well, I believe the ship is still open if you'd like to go back to the cabin," Tukson provided.
"Yeah... I'll do that. Thanks..."
XXXX
It was a longer walk than he'd expected to get atop the Nidhogg once again, but just as he was about to enter, the hatch opened and Yang came climbing out. She blinked in surprise when she saw him already standing on the deck. "Oh, Jaune! There ya are, I was just lookin' for ya!"
Jaune said nothing as she finished pulling herself up, closing the hatch behind her. Her usual smile was nowhere to be found. "So..." she finally broke the silence, "Doc Ren filled me in on what happened before you picked me up. I don't suppose you... wanna talk about it?"
Jaune flinched. "No... not particularly."
Yang nodded as if this was what she'd expected. "I getcha... on one hand, I kinda wish you'd told me, but on the other..." She shook her head. "Sounds rough, bud."
She turned and climbed a couple steps, leaning on the steering wheel. "Listen... sorry I've been... a bit of a bitch. Just... forgive me, will ya?"
Jaune turned away. Yang responded by hopping over the railing back down to his level. "I get it if you don't want to. Listen, about what I said-"
"I already said no," Jaune finally spoke. "Are you not hearing me? I don't like fighting the way you do! All the times I've been in that gear, it's only because my hand was forced. I want nothing to do with it! You want it, it's yours, but I'm not going to pilot it for you."
Yang's brow furrowed. "Hold on, what was that?"
"I just said, I won't pilot the-"
"Not about the gear!" Yang cut him off. "'I don't like fighting the way you do...' So, what, you think I like fighting for the sake of fighting?"
Jaune crossed his arms as he turned to face her. "Do you not? From where I'm standing, it looks like the only thing you enjoy!"
"Well, I can't let that slide," Yang grunted. "You best take that back before I make you walk the plank, mister! I only fight because I have to- I wouldn't expect you to understand my reasons."
"Maybe not," Jaune agreed. "But I you still have those reasons. I don't. I don't want to fight, and I have no reason to. I just want to live in peace and quiet. Then that gear came crashing into my life, and ever since, it's just been one person after another telling me to climb in and start killing!"
Yang looked at him, sighed, and moved to the railing next to him. "...If you ever tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you, I'll bury you, understand?"
"Wha-" Jaune started to ask, but paused when he saw Yang removing her jacket again- underneath, he could see the web of scars that ran up and down her back.
"Doc told me your story, it's only fair I tell you mine," she said quietly. "Like I told you, I never knew my father, but my mother... she was a bitch-queen from Hell. The people hated her, and I can't say I liked her much either. She was obsessed with being the strongest- being a survivor. So any time I ever showed weakness, she'd grab a whip and... toughen me up, so to speak."
Jaune's mouth opened in horror. He wanted to ask her to stop, but couldn't find the words.
"I grew up dreading the days she'd come home and crack that whip, and honestly, I didn't shed much of a tear when Robyn cut her damn head off. It was Sage that rescued me from the guillotine myself, and for the first coupla years, I didn't even consider things like retaking the throne. I was fine away from that castle, and the last thing I wanted was to become anything like her. I didn't want power, or strength... only to be left alone.
"Some nights, though, I still woke up thinking I could hear the sound of that whip... I'd look out into the darkness and see her coming for me from beyond the grave. Once again, it was Sage to the rescue- he thought the best way for me to overcome my fears was to master them... so he trained me in using whips for combat."
She adjusted her arms, around which were wrapped the omnipresent rawhide whips. Jaune felt another jolt as he recalled just how brutal Yang was with her weapons, an unbidden image entering his mind of what she must have experienced to foster such ruthless techniques.
"It was when I started getting this strength that I realized I could... use it for good. To make sure other people didn't have to suffer what I did," Yang concluded. Jaune was strongly reminded of his talk with Tukson. "I'll be honest with ya, I'm not in this for the throne- who wants to be Queen anyways? Being a pirate is way more fun- but I sure as hell can't leave Bitch Queen II in charge either."
She took a deep breath as she pulled her jacket on again. "I look at you, and I see the skill that can be used for good. Believe me, I understand wanting to run away from the world... but what about the kids back in Ansel? Do you think they'll understand? Jaune... what do you think would have happened if you hadn't gotten in that gear? Sure, you were the most direct cause of Ansel's destruction... but people were already dying. You didn't start that massacre- the war did. And the people behind the war are the ones I really want to fight. Until the cause of the war is taken care of, nothing will change.
"Don't get me wrong, I'd rather not have to fight them at all, but as things stand, that's the only option. Just don't think for a second I enjoy meaningless bloodshed."
Jaune once again remained silent, which Yang seemed to take as a cue to continue. "I get feeling guilty over what happened... I get not wanting to pass that pain on. But, in my mind, the best way to make it up to those kids is to make sure no one else has to face a massacre like that again. Call me interfering if you like, but I think that's a reason to fight."
She glanced around, then cleared her throat. "Er... don't get me wrong, I'm not saying refusing to join my revolution here is running away or anything. It's my fight, you can choose to help me or not. All I'm saying is, with skill like yours, maybe we could end this thing quicker... with less bloodshed."
She took a deep breath. "Well... that's all I had to say. The mechanic looking at Weltall had some things to say, too, but I'll leave it to you whether you wanna hear 'em."
Jaune watched her go before climbing down the hatch towards the cabin. Perhaps he'd speak to the mechanic later- right now, he had plenty of his own thoughts to sort out without adding more- and at the moment, Weltall was the last thing he wanted to see.
Before he could even get to his cabin, though, he was intercepted by Sage and Ren. "Ah, Jaune, good!" Ren smiled gently.
"You people just don't plan on letting me rest today, do you?" Jaune asked without any bite- he was too exhausted for that.
"Cry pardon," Sage apologized with an arm over his chest. "I'd just like a brief chat, then I'll let you go."
Jaune glanced from one to the other, then sighed. "Alright..."
Sage ended up leading them back out of the Nidhogg and back into the maze of tunnels that was its secret dock, before finally entering a vast chamber filled with what Jaune realized, to his surprise, were tombstones.
"What's this?" Jaune asked.
"A memorial to the many lives that have been lost during the war," Sage whispered. "There are no bodies buried here- each tombstone contains a hundred names. All except that one." He pointed to a particularly large cross at the head of the chamber. "Come... let's hide."
"Hide?" Jaune asked, before finding himself pulled behind a couple of the larger stones.
Just as they disappeared behind it, Yang Xiao Long entered and made her way up to the large stone- she bore with her a bouquet of roses, and a tear or two had traced their way down her good eye.
She deposited the roses and knelt before it. "Hey, Dad. It's... been a while. Sorry, I've been busy... pirate stuff, y'know." She chuckled wetly. "I can only imagine what you'd say if you could see me now- your little princess, now Queen of the Pirates.
"Met a new friend today- goes by the name of Jaune... haven't gotten his last name yet. I think I might have an idea why.
"I took one look, and I could tell... in a way, he's just like me- or... at least, I thought he was. Maybe that's something I was just telling myself.
"Would you be proud of what I'm doing, trying to retake the kingdom? Maybe not... maybe you'd be disappointed that I can't even save Oscar. Heh... and I have the gall to tell Jaune that he's running away from the kids in his village..."
Sage touched Jaune on the shoulder, and they crept their way out of the chamber.
On the outside, as they straightened up, Sage opened up with, "She asked me to apologize to you on her behalf. Strange behavior, wouldn't you say?"
"She did finally apologize in person... kinda," Jaune admitted.
"Yes, I insisted on it. She knows that's always best, but her childhood, as you can imagine, was rather... stunted. She's full of bravado, but in reality, she's one of the loneliest people I know. Never has she had someone to truly call a friend- Klein and I are moreso her caretakers. We value her, and she us, but try as we might, that is simply a role we cannot fill.
"She bears a great responsibility, one that Klein and I can only imagine, but she is nevertheless determined to see it through. She has a magnetism that drew us to her, quite separate from her status as princess."
He closed his eyes. "A friend... is exactly what she needs. Someone who might have a chance of understanding that burden. I understand if you feel this is a selfish request, but even if you don't wish to fight, I feel that she would benefit greatly from having you by her side. Not to shoulder all her responsibilities, but for you two, each knowing what only you know, to help each other."
Jaune took a long, deep breath. "I'm sorry... may I have some time to think?"
"Of course," Sage bowed. "We'll be leaving tomorrow morning- if you decide you'd rather leave us, we'll drop you off at Garreg Mach- a monastery in the heart of Beacon territory. You'll be safe there- I believe that's where the survivors of Ansel have gathered, as well. Until then, I recommend the residential area- they're marginally more comfortable than the Nidhogg's cabins."
"I'll stand with you whatever your decision, Jaune," Ren put in. "Just know that."
Jaune nodded before following Sage to the residential area- he didn't have a private cabin like on the Nidhogg, but as Sage had said, the bed was a little more comfortable, and honestly, he was so tired that he hardly noticed the buzz around him as he collapsed into his bunk and fell asleep almost before his head touched the pillow.
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I once again cry your pardon for the long wait- my New Year's resolution is to update more frequently, and with YAM on hold for the forseeable future, that will hopefully open some time to accomplish that. Until next time, Happy New Year again, and don't you dare go hollow! Gamer4 out.