Chapter 5
With most of the cultists dead or maimed, there was no need to use the secret tunnel to exit the ruins. The group rushed straight out the front and into the forest. Something terrible was happening and they needed to leave fast. It was only a short distance to the Crimson Osprey, and they made it to the clearing in just minutes. They were not the first to arrive. A small group of well-armed soldiers, Imperial judging by their uniforms, milled about. A few were looking for a way to gain access to the Osprey while others tore through the belongings tied to Ren and Nora's speeder. An Imperial officer was talking to a woman in robes. She was short, with pink and brown hair, and a lightsaber hung at her side. She was surely a Sith.
"I can't go out there." Weiss said, hiding with the others at the edge of the forest. "They'll kill me on sight."
"I think they'd kill any of us." Blake said. "We need to take them down, all of them. The Empire can't find the map."
"You're right, no survivors." Yang agreed.
"I…I don't think I can do it." Ruby said. "Killing is wrong."
"Ruby, you always wanted to be a hero, right?" Yang asked. "Like the stories I read to you when you were little?"
"Yeah." Ruby said.
"Well, to be a hero, sometimes you have to do some less than heroic things." Yang said. "Those are evil people who will kill us if we don't kill them first. If we don't do this, they'll get their hands on the power to kill a lot more, and they won't agonize over it the way you do. You don't have to fight, just…just understand." Ruby nodded.
"So, how should we approach this?" Ren asked.
"Yang and I will take on the Sith." Blake said. "The rest of you should deal with the other soldiers. Alright, on…" Blake looked to her sides but Nora was gone. With a mad cackle Nora slammed her hammer into one of the Imperial soldiers near the speeder. "Just go!" Blake shouted, and the others charged in.
The first soldier Nora hit went tumbling through the air and landed hard some distance across the field. Another, originally standing just beside him, did not even have a chance to raise his weapon before Nora slammed her hammer down on his head, smashing him into the ground. The other soldiers turned, took aim and Nora, and fired. Weiss arrived just in time, getting in the way and deflecting their shots with her lightsaber. At the same time, Ren swept in from the flank, sinking a dagger into one soldier's neck. He immediately threw his other weapon into the chest of another nearby soldier. Blake and Yang charged out of the forest, heading directly for the Sith. Weiss charged at the soldiers, Nora close behind, deflecting shots as she went. The officer took cover behind one of the Osprey's landing legs and began shouting orders, but it was no use. The attackers had the Imperials on the back foot and caught most of them far from cover. Ren continued to roll them up from the flank as Weiss and Nora's frontal assault kept them distracted.
The Sith had seemingly disappeared. Yang and Blake arrived at her last location, deflecting the sporadic fire they received from the Imperial troops. The Sith suddenly appeared, as if out of thin air, behind the pair. Yang swung her lightsaber around and caught the Sith's, the two locking together in a test of strength. Blake stepped in to assist but with a wave of her hand, the Sith blasted Blake in the chest with a Force push that knocked her down. The Sith followed up by kicking Yang in the midsection to break their stalemate. A second kick, this time to Yang's face, knocked her to the ground as well.
With a deranged smile, the Sith stood over Yang, preparing to deliver a killing blow. In a flash Ruby arrived with inhuman speed and caught the Sith's lightsaber with her own. Going for speed over strength, Ruby spun around, attacking with the second blade of her lightsaber while the other still held the Sith's blade. The Sith acrobatically jumped over Ruby, but their sabers remained tied up. Now Blake was back in the fight and behind the Sith. She slashed at the Sith, but she dodged aside and Blake only narrowly avoided missing Ruby. The Sith had seemingly disappeared again.
Ren, Nora and Weiss had just finished off the last of the Imperial soldiers and now turned to their officer. The man looked more annoyed than afraid as he fired at them from the cover of the landing leg. "Neo, do your thing!" The officer called. Suddenly, the Sith appeared at his side. The pair backed away from the attackers, the Sith shielding the officer. Yang was having none of it. She charged at the pair, firing her blaster and her saber ready to strike. The Sith deflected the blaster shots, then she and the officer knelt down. Yang swung her lightsaber with all her might and connected, but the Sith and the officer shattered like glass.
"I've never seen a trick like that." Ruby said in astonishment.
"Where did they go?" Yang growled. Her rage was boiling.
"I can't believe they got away." Blake said. "At least we took care of the soldiers." The field was strewn with Imperial corpses, sliced and mangled by the battle.
"That should give us some time at least." Weiss said. "We should get out of here before they have a chance to regroup. Even if only two are left, I don't want them following us."
"Agreed, we should depart immediately." Ren said.
"We just got our asses kicked by a bunch of kids." Admiral Torchwick said. "Goddamn worthless soldiers." Neo, the Sith under his command, sat expressionless nearby.
"The Empire won't be happy." Adam said. Torchwick had ordered him to stay with the ship until it was clear. That order was not looking like a life saver.
"You think I don't know that?" Torchwick snapped back. "At least it's not a total loss. We can still find the map. Those punks got on their ship and left."
"Well then, shall we go?" Adam asked.
"You're awfully eager." Torchwick observed.
"The Empire promised me great rewards upon our success." Adam said. "I intend to press on in spite of your incompetence." Torchwick desperately wanted to kill Adam then and there, but he needed the Faunus. He also needed some news of success to go with word of his failure if he was to avoid execution.
Ruby pressed the headset to her ear. "The Republic fleet's in disarray." She reported to the others. "Look!" She pointed out the window at the clumps of debris that were the remains of the Republic flagship. "That must have been what we sensed in the ruins."
"This is bad." Yang said. "This could tip off the Republic that something is going on. We don't need them on our tail too."
"I'm more worried about how the Empire found us." Weiss said. "Did they track us?"
"There's a more disturbing possibility." Blake said. "They may have translated the inscriptions on Remnant. That would mean a Faunus is helping them."
"Whatever the case, we need to get out of here as soon as possible." Yang said. "Let's see where the map leads." She loaded her recording of the map into the ship's computer, and it fixed on their next destination. "Looks like we're heading to Rhen Var."
"I've never heard of it." Ruby said.
"It's frozen, just like Hoth." Nora said.
"There was a battle there in the last war." Weiss added. "The Republic won with massive losses. Now almost no one lives there. It's a wasteland."
"Frozen wasteland or not, the next part of the map is there so we have to go." Blake said.
Ruby punched in the coordinates and the ship entered Hyperspace. "It'll be a long trip." Ruby said. "We should probably get some rest."
"Speaking of which, we should probably assign bunks." Yang suggested. "I don't think our current arrangement is going to work."
"I don't plan on moving." Weiss said.
"That's fine, those quarters are large enough for two." Yang said. "You'll just share with Blake."
"Are you crazy?!" Blake shouted. "I'm not sharing a room with her."
"For once we're on the same page." Weiss said. "There's no way."
"You're sharing it, and you're going to like it." Yang said. "You two need to learn to get along if we're going to pull this off. As much as I hate to force it, I think that's what it'll take."
"Come on, maybe if you spend some time together you'll find some common ground." Ruby said. "If it doesn't work out we can always move around later."
"I'll get my things." Blake sighed. She walked out of the cockpit.
"I guess you aren't going to let this drop." Weiss said. "Fine, I'll do it until we get to Rhen Var. After that, no guarantees. I'd better go make sure she doesn't mess with any of my belongings." Weiss departed as well.
"What's their problem?" Nora asked.
"Weiss is a former Imperial Intelligence officer and the daughter of the Empire's largest arms manufacturer." Ruby explained. "Blake's species was enslaved and almost exterminated by the Empire."
"Aren't you worried they'll kill each other?" Ren asked.
"A little I guess." Yang admitted. "They're much better than they were. At least they're somewhat civil and not constantly fighting."
"So where will we stay?" Nora asked.
"I hope you don't mind sharing a room." Ruby said. "The room Blake had before had four bunks, so you could use that. Yang and I will take the other crew cabin."
"Sharing's fine!" Nora declared. "Let's go check it out!" She grabbed Ren by the arm and dragged him away.
"They are…quite the pair." Yang said.
"So are Weiss and Blake." Ruby said. "I think they have more in common than they realize."
"Maybe they do." Yang said. She laughed. "If they don't kill each other first they might even figure that out themselves."
"It doesn't make sense." General Ironwood said. The Republic had tasked him with investigating the disastrous space battle that had taken place above Agamar. "Why would the Empire attack a small agricultural world with barely any Republic presence and no strategic value? Why wouldn't they bring a larger fleet to do so? Granted, if our fleet hadn't been there to resupply they would have been unopposed, but the Empire has always used excessive force."
"Perhaps there's something about Agamar we don't know about." Jedi Master Ozpin suggested. He was on the council of one of the Jedi's many academies and was a long-time friend of Ironwood's. "If I'm not mistaken, there are ruins there that the Jedi are forbidden to enter. The dark side is strong in that place."
Ironwood respected the military prowess of the Jedi, but had no interest in their teachings or quasi-religion. "Are some old ruins worth the effort?" Ironwood asked. "The Sith love their dark temples but they've got plenty on worlds under their control. Agamar's just got a pile of bricks with some evil energy."
"Perhaps you're missing the point." Ozpin suggested. "We've not explored the ruins. Something inside may be of great value. Do you have any other leads?"
"Just one, and it's pretty tenuous." Ironwood admitted. "A smuggling ship arrived just before the battle, landed somewhere on the planet, and departed just afterward. The timing might just be a coincidence but it was strange that it did not land at the spaceport."
"There are no coincidences." Ozpin said. "You should investigate that ship."
"I'll assemble a fleet and go after it." Ironwood said. "I'll send a team to look into the ruins as well."
"Perhaps instead of a fleet, you should send a scout." Ozpin recommended. "A single smuggler's craft could easily slip away from a clumsy fleet, but a nimble reconnaissance could keep closer watch."
Ironwood hated to admit it, but overwhelming force was probably not the best option, just as Ozpin suggested. It also helped that he had just the scout in mind. "Well old friend, I shouldn't take any more of your time." Ironwood said. "You've given me some good ideas, so thank you."
"It's been a pleasure as always." Ozpin said. "May the Force be with you."
As bad as things had gone on Agamar, they got worse for Admiral Torchwick. After reporting in, he had been ordered to return to Dromund Kaas before proceeding to Rhen Var. He had been assured he would not be executed, since his mission had technically been a success. His losses however were a great concern and it was decided that a new commander should be appointed above him. Worse, it would be a Sith Lord.
Working with Neo was one thing. Torchwick was technically in charge and Neo was not like other Sith. Most Sith went on and on about the dark side. Neo said nothing. Most Sith would make constant death threat over the most minor, petty things. Neo made no threats, she simply killed if it was called for. Working with a proper Sith Lord was painful. They looked down on everyone, treated non-Sith like garbage and were prone to bouts of indiscriminate killing.
Torchwick waited in the hangar with his ship, Neo standing beside him. The Sith was late. They usually were. If he was ever late to a meeting with a Sith, he could count on losing his head. It just made him more annoyed. Finally, the Lord arrived with an apprentice in tow. "My Lord." Torchwick said with a bow. "I relinquish my command to you."
The Sith Lord was a woman, and Torchwick had to admit, quite attractive. She carefully sized up Torchwick while her apprentice, another female, stood a few steps back. "You're angry about your demotion." The Sith finally said. "That's good. Let that anger give you strength. I am Lord Cinder Fall. This is my apprentice, Emerald Sustrai." Her apprentice looked uninterested in the small talk. Torchwick could already tell that spending any time with her would be intolerable.
"I was told reinforcements would be added to the expedition." Torchwick said.
"We are the only reinforcement you will need." Cinder said. "Now, you don't mind serving as pilot, do you?"
"Of course not." Torchwick replied. The question was a formality. Refusal would be death. "It would be an honor to be your pilot."
"Now, where is our Faunus associate?" Cinder asked.
"He is already aboard." Torchwick answered. "He seems quite motivated."
"He would be." Cinder laughed. It was unnerving. "He has been promised that if successful, the Faunus will be freed and he will be made their king. He would take his place as a proud ally of the Empire."
"Does the Empire intend to follow through?" Torchwick asked. He was disgusted at the thought that a sub-human like Adam would be given any authority, even over other mongrels.
"What do you think?" Cinder asked with a smile. "Emerald, verify that the ship conforms to my standards." She said without waiting for Torchwick to reply. Emerald nodded and began examining the ship. Cinder walked past Torchwick and Neo and boarded without another word.
"I assure you, everything is in order." Torchwick said to Emerald.
"I think you'll find the Sith have a very different definition of 'in order.'" Emerald said. "Keep your opinions to yourself unless they are requested." Just as Torchwick had suspected, she was insufferable. Neo was hard to read but even she seemed to regard Emerald and Cinder with distaste. Rivalries were rife amongst the Sith.
Emerald opened a panel on the outside of the ship and examined the wires and pipes inside. "That's high-voltage." Torchwick warned. "It would be a shame if such a mighty Sith was brought down by a little shock." His sarcasm was obvious. Emerald glared at him for a moment before returning to work.
Weiss and Blake got no rest. Neither was willing to let her guard down while the other was present. Additionally, the captain's quarters they occupied had only one bed, and sharing was out of the question. Blake set up on a couch and sat there, never letting Weiss out of her sight. Weiss did the same to Blake from her seat on the edge of the bed. The standoff lasted hours with neither saying a word.
Finally the silence and tension was too much. "Why did you save me in the ruins?" Blake demanded. "You know I wouldn't do the same for you. I'd rather kill you myself."
"Why do you even care?" Weiss asked.
"I have to know." Blake said. "Is it some kind of trick? Maybe you want to kill me yourself. Tell me."
"I know you hate me, and given the problems your actions have caused me, I'm not very fond of you either." Weiss said. "That said, we are working toward the same goal. We might have different reasons, but at the core we both want to stop the Empire and the Republic from getting their hands on this thing, whatever it is. That makes you an ally. Why wouldn't I help an ally?"
"You think I'm your ally?" Blake laughed. "After what the Empire did to my people, do you think I could ever be your ally?"
"I would hope you can look past where and to whom I was born, and see who I am." Weiss said. "Truth be told, I'm not a big supporter of the Empire and I never have been. I only entered Imperial Intelligence because my father made me. He thought it would instill some patriotism in me. He didn't care how I felt or why I felt that way. Order and prosperity are fine, and those are benefits the Empire brings some of its people, but the cost has always bothered me. Why the need for cruelty? Why the need for domination? Why all the anger and hate? The Republic can bring those things too, without the terrible costs, at least when they're not being corrupt and hypocritical. Why can't the Empire?"
"Do you really expect me to believe you?" Blake challenged. "Do you really expect me to believe than an Imperial Intelligence officer who happens to be the heir of the Empire's wealthiest family doesn't even support the Empire?"
"I don't care what you believe." Weiss said. "It's the truth. The normal Imperial and Sith educational systems may be all propaganda with no dissent, but I wasn't brought up with that. I was trained by a Jedi. A fallen Jedi who rejected the Republic and the Order, but a Jedi nonetheless. He showed me the evils of the Empire and the Republic, the Sith and the Jedi."
"Give me a break." Blake said.
"Look, go on hating me if you want." Weiss sighed. "After what the Empire did to the Faunus I wouldn't blame you if you did. Just know that I truly am sorry for the terrible things the Empire has done, to your people and others. I find it disgraceful that my family would support such a thing, even in the slightest way. It may be impossible to make things right, but I'm going to try until it kills me. Now, I'm going to sleep. I would like to wake up without a lightsaber in my chest but I'm going to go ahead and leave that up to you." True to her word, Weiss went to sleep leaving Blake alone with her thoughts. She had a lot to think about.
