Kreia stood there, listening to the old man explain his world to her. A world of magic, of beasts of darkness known as the Grimm, of resources known as Dust that allow Man to wield all elements that are physically known and of the Hunters, the favored warriors who defeat the creatures of Grimm and that are trained in Schools just like the one she found herself in. Beacon was a strange place, considering its student body, or at least those she had met. Before the Headmaster had told her the tale, chunks of which still felt missing(such as where the Grimm came from, who their creators are and so on), Kreia had told her own, abridged version of who she was.
With a hum and a sigh, the woman pulled her hood off and said to the Headmaster, "So, I take it we understand each-other's positions in the matter at hand," as she stared him in the eyes. The dumbfound older man nodded, surprised, before motioning to her with one hand. She nodded in reply, then said, "True, I did promise a demonstration..." before pulling out one of her lightsaber hilts.
Using the Force, she lifted it off her palm and ignited it, pointing it toward Ozpin with only her mind. The man stared, dumbfound, before the woman deactivated and let the weapon fall back into her hand. She stowed it under her clothes once more, then offered, "Is that proof enough, or should I attempt to read your mind?" jokingly. The Headmaster took a moment to register the joke.
"I think that's enough for now, lady Kreia... My thanks..." Ozpin sighed and rubbed his eyes, "We can offer accommodation at Beacon for the time being, considering your very special status as an extraplanetary arrival. We will also make sure your existence is held in utmost secrecy so that other parties may not get involved, if you so desire, however I must state that you'd be safer under Beacon's protection, perhaps as a tutor?"
"I..." Kreia hesitated. The last times she was a teacher, she certainly helped create heroes like the Exile and the Revanchist, but how long would her luck hold? No, tutelage of any student need not be held by her at this turn. She could impart wisdom without the need for a paycheque. Calmly, she told the Headmaster, "While the offer is enticing, I am afraid my teaching days lay behind me... I simply wish to see what this world has to offer."
"I see," The Headmaster hummed, "Very well... Then enjoy your stay on our world, madam," and he thumbed a button on his communication device. A blonde woman that looked like a combination of teacher and a dominatrix appeared. She bowed to Kreia, who bowed back in return as she stood up. Ozpin told her, "Miss Goodwitch will lead you to your room. We will also provide you a monthly fee for food and other supplies you may require."
"Many thanks. Your kindness is... Surprising," Kreia offered one of her usual backhanded compliments. The man hid more from her than she hid from him, so it was a ploy, a play between the two of them in this case. She hummed and stood up, then followed miss Goodwitch out after offering another curt bow to Ozpin, this time. Entering the elevator, the two women descended, whilst Kreia hummed and told Glynda, "The Headmaster hides a great deal many things, it seems..."
"How'd you-" Glynda staggered at that, ready to draw her own weapon. Kreia's hand rested on her wrist, stopping her from drawing said weapon.
"I sense more than you can possibly imagine, miss Goodwitch..." The woman offered, looking to her, both her eyes peering into Glynda's as if she was looking straight into the woman's soul. With a hum, Kreia quickly switched subjects, "I must say, your 'Aura' is interesting as an idea. A manifestation of one's being as a protection against the darkness that is the Grimm..."
"Indeed," Glynda took a wary approach to talking to her, as it seemed. She could sense the hesitation from the woman and understood it. It was better to make someone wary of her than let them think they had free reign. Even so, the Headmaster's hidden little issues intrigued her. She wondered what she could squeeze out of him given enough time, and how to adapt to it.
As they walked out of the tower, the duo of women passed by crowds of students that simply talked away, ignoring the robed lady who might have been some form of cultist. Kreia would admit they weren't wrong, for that was what both the Sith and Jedi were, two cults, two sides of a coin. Though their sole differences are their ways of acting. Sith were, for the most part, more brash and harsh, while the Jedi were too peaceful for their own good.
She noticed they passed by a massive garden area. A decent meditation spot if Kreia had ever seen one, quite honestly. Once they entered the building and Glynda had shown her to her room(a fairly spacious apartment that resembled something in the Upper-Class areas of Coruscant), Kreia had settled in and gone out to the garden. Entering the place and walking down one of the few stone paths to the center, the woman hummed.
She walked onto the grass, then knelt onto it as she channeled the Force through her body. Now that she was the sole being on this world with their magical little nightmare to bear, the young-yet-old woman began her meditation, first, by slowing her breathing and heart-rate down, then clearing her mind. She had needed a moment's respite from the simple insanity around her in order to soothe her own mind and find out just what had driven her to aiding the locals the way she did. Was it the Exile? Truly? Had she affected her this much?
A very likely possibility, considering Meetra's ability to bond with just about anyone like a wayward Hound who's found a new pack. Kreia had to admit it was one of the reasons she let Revan anywhere near the young woman. And Revan. By the Force, Revan. The sole person she could say she dearly missed as if it was her own child. It had been a dark day, Revan's departure to the Wars and to the Unknown Regions later on.
She felt a presence close by, pausing only to open her eyes. She still needed to get used to having her sight back properly, even though she could easily enhance it with the Force now. She turned as she heard the grass come underfoot of a pair of boots and caused the girl walking up to her to yelp, raising her hands defensively. She spoke, "S-Sorry! Didn't mean to scare ya, ma'am!"
A faint smile crossed Kreia's lips. She stood up and said, "All is well, miss Rose. I was simply meditating... And reminiscing," with a hint of melancholy in her voice. Ruby registered the little shift of tone and smiled.
"Oh?" She quirked a brow up at Kreia, "Mind me askin' about what?"
"My pupils," The old Jedi replied softly, "One far more recent than the other, but both remaining as proud achievements..."
"Ooh. Can I hear about'em?" The girl inquired, still wearing a smile. Kreia was positively surprised by the girl's request. Not many people would ask an old lady about those she taught, no matter if they were Jedi or not. Ruby chuckled and said, "I kinda wanna learn more about our newcomer! And, hey, considering what some of the scientists told me ya did back there, I figure it'd be nice to be friends with the lady who can shoot lightning outta her hands!"
Kreia hummed, then snorted. Oh, childlike wonder and innocence. She replied, "Very well," and she motioned toward one of the benches. The two sat down there, watching the beauty of the place. The life that ebbed from it soothed both Kreia and Ruby, as it seemed. She hummed, thinking of where to begin. She decided to start with the very beginning... "I was a Historian, once. I gathered the relics of the Jedi, a group of warriors belonging to the Light, whose powers came from what we call The Force. The Force is something that flows in all living beings where I come from. It is a power unmatched and it is not one-sided. Both light and darkness exist within, in equilibrium."
She looked to Ruby, to see the curious girl listen to her. Continuing, Kreia added, "I am a Force User. Not a wielder of Aura such as yourself or your friends, or anyone who lives in this Academy's grounds, for that matter. I have shown Headmaster Ozpin an infinitesimally small glimpse of what it can do and I may show you and your comrades its power later down the line, too, but you sought a history lesson for now."
The girl with silver eyes nodded, still beaming. Enthusiasm poured from her, a glow akin to that of Meetra's, for which Kreia simply continued with a smile, "I have given you a backstory for now, I suppose. The context for much of what you are about to hear. And we start with the final chapter this time, I am afraid. Meetra Surik. The young woman that is the reason I am here. Meetra was a prodigal warrior, an Exile from the ranks of the Jedi after the Mandalorian Wars... A conflict that ravaged much of our galaxy."
"The Mandalorians, a warrior people who came from a sector of the Galaxy named 'The Unknown Regions' began a campaign against the Republic, the galaxy-spanning nation we sought to defend as Jedi. While the Republic believed their troops could, at first, defeat the Mandalorians, it immediately became clear that the Crusade that was wrought upon its planets was more than just roving bands of raiders..." Kreia hummed, then sighed, shoulders sagging, "When they came to ask us for help, the Council deliberated and debated. However, many of our Knights took up arms. Among them, Meetra. Her tactical genius was proven in that damnable conflict..."
She gazed up at the sky next, her words heavy, "It was after she returned that she was exiled. A great tragedy she partook in ended the Mandalorian Wars... And it left her hollow... A wound. Yet she never once showed anger, neither at her Masters that had exiled her, nor toward those that had led her and so many other Jedi into the wanton slaughter of the Mandalorian Wars. She wielded strength greater than many Masters, even if she was just a Knight."
"Wow..." Ruby smiled, "She sounds awesome."
Kreia chuckled, "She was, I suppose. But a young woman, yet with tactical acumen and an ability that was extraordinary, that to bond with any and all around her. She wielded that power unknowingly. It was why I followed her during my last outing as one living in our Galaxy, or... At least, in our part of it," she then corrected, before humming, "However, she was not alone. She followed two others, one of which was my first pupil. And my greatest success. Revan."
"Revan?" Ruby quirked a brow up at her.
"Indeed. A studious one... Revan was born just like all of us, of human parents, a mother and a father, and with ancestors paving the path before," She spoke on, her gaze fixated on a small cloud in the sky and, next, at one of the fountains ahead. She utilized the Force to stop the flow of water, surprising Ruby, who gasped and wore the brightest smile Kreia had ever seen. "The young Jedi, a prodigal knight, awoke to power and was brought into the Order during a time of relative peace."
She used the Force to make the water dance in patterns and shapes, a hint unusual for her normal behavior, "Revan had been my Padawan, what would be a student to your teachers today, though on a somewhat more personal level. That was long ago, years even," She then continued explaining, her voice filled with melancholy as memories of training the young Knight flowed through her mind, "After learning all one could from a single master, a seeker of knowledge such as the prodigal knight would learn from other masters on many other planets. Once all that knowledge was exhausted, Revan came back to me once more..."
Yet again, Kreia's voice changed almost unnoticeably, but Ruby had noticed. She spoke with more poise, more respect than before as she stated, "Revan was power. Like one would stare at the Heart of the Force. Even then, one could see the souls of the Jedi that would be slain etched into Revan's soul..." then let the water flow normally into the pool at the base of the fountain, all while the awed Rose listened on.
Her expression grew grim, "It was a decade ago that the Mandalorians brought war to the Republic. Their predations continued for many months, until the Republic would finally beg the Jedi Order to intervene... As I told you, they councilled patience, so that they may assess the Mandalorian threat," And she looked back at Ruby, to see the girl, worried. She continued, "Two Knights... Revan and Malak... They defied the Council. Met the Mandalorians with a fierceness of their own. Revan's entry into the conflict marked its true beginning and its end. It was Revan who drove the Mandalorians back into the Unknown Regions... And while that victory would be short-lived due to their Fall to the Dark Side, Revan would be redeemed. I know not the exact details, just faint images in my mind's eye, so to speak, of how the Prodigal Knight would succeed."
Ruby let out a 'woah', all while Kreia finished, "There is much more to the story of my pupils than what I have told you here, young Rose. I can tell you more if you so wish, but I'm afraid you might have classes," and laughed when she heard Ruby let out an 'Aww!" that sounded awfully disappointed. She turned to the girl fully, hands hidden behind the sleeves of her robes, before she told Ruby, "We've more time. I doubt I will be leaving Beacon any time soon, miss Rose, so, please, focus on your studies and come to me if you do have more questions about my world."
The silver-eyed warrior beamed and asked, "You don't mind?!"
"Of course not..." The woman shot back, "Teaching is as much part of preserving history as gathering dusty relics is."
And, yet again, Ruby smiled brightly. Before Kreia knew it, the young woman had utilized what she assumed was her semblance to dash forward toward her and hug her. A little snort escaped Kreia's mouth, before she patted Ruby on the back. The redhead moved back, waved and then dashed off, with the Jedi Master sighing, "Just like Revan. Hyperactive... I wonder how the Knight fares today..."
She sighed, then sat herself back down to continue her meditation, feeling the surface of the planet for any other signs of Force Sensitives...
Perhaps mistakes of the past could be righted here...
Elsewhere in Vale...
As the darkness of night fell upon Remnant, a sole soldier of the White Fang, the Faunus rights activism-turned-terrorist group, ran. His uniform was marked by wounds of blades, still fresh and shimmering on his body. It was a wonder he ran as he did, with the cauterized wounds' pain barely soothed by the Adrenaline rushing through his body. He ran, breathing heavily on one lung, all while holding close a half-broken sword. He cursed, dry-heaving as his collapsed lung hurt, the burns finally starting to be felt.
He turned a corner as the distant chunk of gunfire echoed, followed by screams and the hum of a glowing blade cutting through the air. He yelped, then coughed, blood pooling in his throat as he pushed through the darkness of the abandoned section of Vale's industrial sector. The rusting pipes and the towering smokestacks provided perfect cover for anyone who sought to do illicit work, like funding themselves or arming up.
It was an old Weapons factory as far as the word went. Decommissioned by the Vale Ministry of Defense two decades after the Faunus Rights Revolution, when weapons were considered obsolete in the hands of anyone but the Hunters. And the rare civilian seeking to keep themselves safe, maybe. But that's what they had gun stores with specialized forges for nowadays.
He pushed through, ignoring his mind going wild with thoughts of things he learned in the past. With a grunt, he jumped over a pipe that passed through between two buildings, then grunted and grabbed onto his side as the burns started to spill small trickles of blood. He screamed as he heard another of his comrades fall behind him, the thump of his two halves hitting the floor reaching him.
He ran and ran, toward the building that had become the command center. He stumbled over his own feet, before bursting through the door with his shoulder and only getting to scream out, "We're under atta-!" before he felt his heart cook within his chest. The three White Fang Lieutenants that met in the headquarters all stood to their feet, eyes wide behind their Grimm-like masks.
Piercing clean through the chest of the White Fang soldier that had run through the door was a scarlet beam of light, or plasma. The figure that had struck him through wielded two such blades, the scarlet one and one clipped to their belt, inactive. They slowly stepped forward from behind the White Fang soldier, revealing an indistinguishable figure, torso plated in ornate armor the color of bronze. The body was shielded by a black cape and hood that went from head to foot, with armored greaves. Even what looked like a 'skirt' was armored, the black boots below glimmering with the plate.
The most striking feature was the helmet. Long and thin, though not featureless, it bore scarlet in the center, gold on the cheeks and silver colors on the rest and had a narrow, opaque black visor through which the eyes of the wearer could not be made out. The black hood that covered the top fluttered as the creature, be it human or otherwise, pulled the scarlet blade out from the back of the White Fang member, letting him drop dead.
"What the fuck...?" One of the White Fang Lieutenants managed to utter, gripping the hilt of her strange blade, a machete in design, but with the added gun parts on the side. The one sat to her immediate right. This one wielded two weapons. What looked to be a pickaxe and a revolver, though not combined, unlike their first and last. The third and last Lieutenant wielded a chain-axe of some kind, with a shotgun barrel poking out of the top.
The figure stared the trio of officers down, then hummed, voice heavily distorted by the helmet they wore. The Lieutenant with the chain-axe told the others, "This thing just killed our men... I don't know why the hell you two are so scared-looking..." before he twisted the handle of the weapon and revved the saw-teeth, "I'm gonna make it pay...!" and, like the obvious idiot, he charged headlong into the fight, Axe lifted high above his head, telegraphing his strike.
The figure lifted her blade just as the weapon came down toward her. Even with the man's Aura enveloping the weapon, the heated blade of plasma cut through the weapon's teeth, its frame and then clean through, before the figure drew the second Lightsaber and ignited it against the man's chest with the speed and dexterity of a trained duelist. The weapon punctured through the chest, even through Aura, before its purple-hued blade moved upward, splitting the man in two from the sternum up.
No blood. The blades cauterized the wounds. The two other officers looked upon their supposed Prey with fear. The one with the two weapons looked to the comrade wielding the Machete-gun, before aiming her pistol panickedly toward the figure. One outstretched hand later, followed by a pull-back, and the figure had somehow managed to pull the pistol out of the woman's hand.
The other aimed her own weapon, but, in a flash, the figure had moved toward her and struck her down with a cross-slice from both blades. The wounds still bubbled, armor turning to glass as the Lieutenant collapsed. The last one whined, cowering, before dropping her weapon and raising her hands. The animal ears adorning her head drooped as she panicked, then said, "P-Please, don't kill me... I'll do whatever you want..."
The figure seemed to pause, pondering the offer. It turned toward her, then approached. One step forward and the dog-girl began to tremble. Yet another and she fell to her knees, ready to beg. The hiss of the two blades shutting off came to her. She opened her eyes, even as sweat and tears intermixed on her face. She gazed upon the figure kneeling in front of her. She stuttered, "W-What do you want...?" mentally praying.
... The reply was brief and distorted, but clear.
"Information."