Four years before Kebiin's acceptance into Beacon Academy
Xaelos stood at the window of one of Coruscant's great Imperial skyscrapers, overlooking the vast city below. Imperial officers and stormtroopers walked back and forth through the building, carrying out whatever business the Empire required them to do. He heard the elevator behind him open, and sensed the presence of a human officer.
"Sir, Admiral Kayana has sent me to inform you that the Star Destroyer Midnight Song has been equipped with a Trans-Galactic hyperdrive. We have gone through the old Jedi archives and discovered that there is a planet beyond our galaxy that the Jedi once knew of. The Admiral wishes to explore this world, she believes that this is where the child of former Inquisitor Azrilin has fled to. She has received permission from the Emperor to investigate."
Xaelos nodded without saying a word. The officer was confused on what to do with the lack of a response, but continued somewhat nervously.
"Umm… the Admiral has requested you accompany us along with Inquisitor Nyxona and Inquisitor Rowand. She feels that you would like the chance to confront this child, should we find him."
Xaelos finally turned his head to face the officer. The officer nearly took a small step backwards, but refrained from doing so.
"The Midnight Song is currently in orbit. I can take you to a transport shuttle if you wish it."
Xaelos nodded once again, and the officer lead him back to the elevator and pressed the buttons necessary to get them to the hanger. The temperature almost seemed to drop as Xaelos lingered in the elevator, making the officer feel more uncomfortable. He had never personally met the infamous Darth Vader, but he imagined his presence would feel similar to this seemingly mute Kaleesh.
Roughly an hour later, Xaelos was onboard the bridge of the Midnight Song. Admiral Kayana was speaking to one of the other female officers, practically pinning her against the wall, and looked like she was about to go in for a kiss. Many of the other Admirals and Moffs often questioned how she had even become an Admiral in the first place with such a lax and flirtatious attitude, but she got the job done when the Empire called for it. Kayana noticed Xaelos standing on the bridge, and broke her attention off the young officer she had been flirting with, who was blushing intensely and jogged away in embarrassment.
The Admiral was an exceptionally attractive young woman in her mid-twenties with long brown hair and relaxing light blue eyes. Her fresh and eager personality was a stark contrast from the other stiff and serious Admirals who donned the Imperial gray uniform.
"Ah, Inquisitor! I'm so glad you could make it. I had the feeling you would want to join us on our little excursion to this new frontier. Shame you had to interrupt our little moment there, though."
Xaelos once again nodded in agreement, but whatever facial expression he would have had was concealed under his skull-like mask.
"The Emperor has finally given us permission to go on this voyage. He was rather brief, and admittedly a little intimidating, but he wants us to scout this "remnant of a world" as he put it and make it an extension of the Empire. He wishes it to be a failsafe should something happen in our own galaxy, ensuring that the Empire will continue to expand and prosper as it always does. And if at all possible, conquer it by ourselves if we have a significant technological advantage over any natives we find. We will be cut off from the rest of the Empire until we establish some sort of communication system to our home galaxy, but the Midnight Song and her crew are more than capable of both effective conquest and self-defense."
Xaelos didn't respond, but he seemed to agree. Kayana looked somewhat annoyed with Xaelos's lack of verbal communication, but quickly remembered his reason as to why he was so silent these days. Kayana motioned her hand over her neck, trying to imagine what it was like to have one's throat be slashed by a lightsaber.
"We will depart within seventy two standard hours. In that time, we will be resupplied with extra forces that will bolster the Midnight Song's invasion capabilities, should we require them. Extra troops, weapons, TIEs, walkers, everything we need to subjugate a technologically inferior civilization. Now if you'll excuse me, I have important business to attend to."
Kayana trotted in the direction the female officer ran toward earlier, humming the Imperial march anthem. Before getting very far, she stopped and cocked her head back at Xaelos.
"Oh, and your fellow Inquisitors are waiting for you in the briefing room. I'm sure you know the layout of a Star Destroyer well enough to get there without an escort?"
Xaelos nodded, and headed in the direction he needed to go. Kayana continued trotting down the hallway, and resumed her humming.
Present day
Kebiin woke to the sound of a sharp whistle. Ruby stood above him holding said whistle, fully dressed along with the others. He quickly stood up, rubbing his eyes.
"Kebiin Ceibur, as the latest member of team RWBBY, you need your very own Operation: Banzai!"
"Operation what now?"
"She means that we need to get you your school supplies!" Yang said enthusiastically. "We've got a day off, so we decided to spend it on heading out into town and getting you everything you need for your stay here at Beacon. And you know what that means: Shopping!"
"But I don't actually have any money on me." Kebiin stated. "How am I supposed to-"
"Don't worry, Weiss will pay for everything." Ruby interrupted. "Won't you, Weiss?"
"What!? I never said-"
"It's decided then! C'mon, lets pick up the pace!"
Kebiin quickly got dressed into a white button-up collar shirt and jeans. He attached his lightsaber on to his belt like always, slung his pack over his shoulder, and headed out with the rest of his team. They walked down the streets checking several clothing and weapons stores. They had already ordered a new bed before leaving, so it should arrive by the time they would get back to their dorm.
"Hey, why don't we split up?" Ruby suggested. "Kebiin, you can go with Blake and Weiss to pick out some new clothes for your combat outfit while Yang and I go to the weapons shop to pick out parts so you can build a custom weapon for yourself. Sound good?"
"Shouldn't I ideally go with you and Yang?" Kebiin asked. "A weapon is a really personal thing. Shouldn't I be there to pick the parts?"
"You've got a point there, but the three of you could use some bonding time. Besides, I think I've got a few ideas of what'll suit you."
Kebiin, Weiss, and Blake all looked at eachother. "Bonding time?" what was that supposed to mean?
The three of them walked awkwardly throughout the various clothing stores without saying much, except for Weiss who occasionally complained about quality or price. Kebiin wished he was with Ruby and Yang. At least they were the ones that actually wanted him on the team. They continued their quiet walk through several stores when Blake stopped at run-down little shop and peered in at a couple boxes filled with clothes through the window. Workers were putting different articles of clothing and accessories into boxes and loading them into a truck. One of the employees of the shop who was carrying a box saw the three of them while loading his items into the truck.
"Something I can do for you?"
"I was wondering if I could possibly buy anything?" Blake asked.
"Sorry miss. Shop's been bought out by the Schnee Dust Company. They're gonna renovate this whole area."
Weiss stood up a little taller at the mention of her Father's company.
"Actually… I'm Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust company. Are you sure we can't just take a peek at what's left inside the building?"
The employee looked skeptical and squinted his eyes a little while looking at Weiss. His eyes widened when he realized she was telling the truth.
"M-miss Schnee! Right, uh, you guys pretty much own the place now so I guess you can look at what's still in the building."
"Thank you. Now carry one."
"Yes ma'am!" the employee resumed his work but seemed like he was putting more effort into it.
"So Blake, might I ask what exactly caught your attention here? it's just an old rundown building that sells spare clothes." Weiss said in an underwhelmed tone.
Blake darted in behind the window and stuffed her hand in one of the boxes, pulling out a rough-looking blue scarf.
"Mind if we take this?" Blake asked the employee.
"If you're with Miss Schnee, I don't see why not."
The scarf was simple and knitted similar to how a grandmother would knit one. It was pretty standard except for that it had an extra hood attachment and flared out on one end, creating what looked like a shoulder cape when worn.
"A scarf? we saw dozens of those on the way here. Why did you feel the need to grab this one?" Weiss asked.
"It just caught my eye." Blake replied. "I like it."
"It looks custom" Kebiin noted. "A lot of attention went into it."
Weiss looked more closely at it, but didn't find anything exceptional about it. Blake walked over to Kebiin and started to put the scarf over his neck.
"Hey, I can do it myself y'know."
"Just hold still, will you?"
She carefully wrapped it around his neck and put up the hood, patting his shoulders. Blake stepped back and assessed how it looked.
"So Weiss, what do you think?"
"I think he looks like the cutest little Huntsman in training" Weiss replied snarkily.
"Very funny, Snowflake" Kebiin shot back.
"Excuse me? What did you call me?"
Blake snickered behind her. "That's a new one."
Kebiin looked down at the scarf and put his hand over it. "I like it…" he said softly.
"The nickname?" Blake asked while leaning slightly forward to hear him better.
"I mean the scarf. I really like it. It's nice. Vor entye, Blake. Thanks."
Blake gave him a light smile, which surprised Kebiin a little. She didn't seem like a very expressive person from what he had seen of her before. He sensed her relax ever so slightly.
"Think everything's going fine with those three?" Yang asked her sister.
Ruby was browsing a couple shelves and cabinets in the back of a weapons clerk for any parts she found satisfactory. After searching around for a bit she sighed in disappointment. She had only managed to get together a bag of what she considered to be scraps. The only things she thought had any real value were a pair of lighting and fire Dust crystals Yang bought out of impulse.
"Oh, yeah they should be doing alright. Kebiin just hasn't had a chance to really bond with Weiss and Blake yet, y'know? and I don't want our little ice queen to keep the whole "we don't need the new guy" mentality."
"Yeah, I get what you mean Rubes. Well, you're the team leader so it's you're call. It's just that Blake isn't exactly the most sociable of people. And we all know how charming our little ice queen can be."
"Well they gotta learn to work with each other either way. We're all a team, and the rest of us need to treat him like part of it."
Yang leaned against the wall and smiled while rubbing her sister's hair.
"That's real mature of you, Sis! I'm proud of you!"
Ruby laughed and tried to remove Yang's hand off her head, only to be pulled in and hugged.
"Hey, cut it out!" she said playfully. "I'm already really mature!"
Yang snickered and let her go.
"Riiiight. You're practically an adult now."
Ruby placed her hand on her hips and tilted her chin up, trying to look tall.
"See? that's the kind of confidence I'm looking for in the fearless leader of team RWBBY!" she said boldly.
"Also a very humble leader" Yang said sarcastically.
"Exactly! our humble and fearless leader: Ruby the Invincible!"
They walked out of the shop carrying what they had scrounged up and laughing at each others jokes when they spotted the rest of their teammates. Ruby tried to call out to them when she noticed they were… running. They weren't running from anything behind them, but she saw Weiss point to the roof of a building. There was the figure of what looked like a monkey Faunus running across, jumping from building to building. He was carrying a small box-like object but Ruby couldn't make out what it was.
Blake, Weiss, and Kebiin eventually caught up to Ruby and Yang, but Weiss was the only one to stop when she met up with her other teammates.
"What was that all about? and why is Kebiin wearing a scarf?" Yang said curiously.
Weiss stood in front of them, holding her hand up to tell them to wait while she tried to catch her breath.
"That…" Weiss took another deep breath. "That ruffian stole a-"
"Hey! give that radio back you damn animal!"
They saw an older man trail after Blake and Kebiin to chase the monkey Faunus that was atop the roovs.
"That guy stole a radio? why a radio of all things?"
"I… *huff* don't know. I just know that the manager was pissed when that rapscallion stole that thing. We were right there when it happened so we had to help."
"Well… it looks like they've got things covered." Yang said confidently. "C'mon ladies, we can catch up with them later."
Kebiin had no problem chasing after the thief on foot. He could easily use the Force to enhance his own physical capabilities. He didn't need to worry about Blake either since her own natural physical capabilities should be on-par with the radio thief. Kebiin turned to Blake and signaled "I'm heading to the roof". Blake understood what he meant.
"Right, I'll try to cut off any escape from the ground!"
Kebiin nodded and leaped high into the air, landing on the roof behind the radio thief. The thief noticed Kebiin behind him and looked like he laughed. This ticked Kebiin of a bit. He didn't know who this guy was or why he had to steal a radio of all things in broad daylight, but now he really wanted to catch him.
The thief took a sharp turn, now running across the roofs above an alleyway. The alley itself wasn't very well maintained, reminding Kebiin of his living conditions before joining up at Beacon. As the two of them kept running, Kebiin noticed bricks and other unused construction materials laying on top of the very roofs they ran across. His target was doing a great job of avoiding tripping over anything, but that could be easily changed.
Kebiin stuck his arm out and made a swiping motion, nudging a large brick just a tad over where the thief was expecting flat ground. His foot met the brick, and he fell down in surprise. Kebiin dashed to the radio that was now out of the thief's hands, and quickly grabbed it.
"All that for a radio!?" Kebiin exclaimed.
The Faunus stood up, and Kebiin finally got a good look at him. He was around the same age as the others at Beacon, with blond hair, tanned skin, and his white shirt was buttoned open to reveal a full set of abs. His forearms were protected by red gauntlets, and his long flexible tail swayed side to side.
"Heh. I guess you caught me!" the thief said casually. Was this guy taking any of this seriously?
"Look, you should go down to the manager of that radio store you robbed and apol -"
Kebiin was cut off when the thief pulled out a pair of nunchucks which connected into a staff, using it to fling the radio out of his hands.
"Hey! give that-"
"If you want it back, you gotta get it!"
Kebiin clenched his fists but had to quickly duck when the thief swung the collapsable staff at his head. Kebiin darted in. He had handled plenty of staff-users before, all he had to do was juggle a radio while he was at it. Easy peasy.
Kebiin slid in and closed the gap between him and the thief, preventing him from swinging effectively. He grabbed the thief's arm and kicked the radio into the air and caught it as it fell. The thief backflipped away to gain the distance he needed, and started to repeatedly jab and Kebiin, trying to lodge the radio out of his hands. Realizing the radio was only adding unnecessary weight, Kebiin tossed it high into the air and deflected the staff jabs away with an outward crescent kick, following it up with a flying sidekick all in one jump. The thief quickly brought his staff up to block the kick, so Kebiin had to launch himself off of the staff. The radio started to fall back down. Kebiin tried to catch it but failed to when the thief flinged it back up and away from Kebiin with his staff, doing a back handspring and catching it once he ended up back on his feet.
"What's wrong? can't keep up?" the thief smirked.
Kebiin couldn't help but smile just a bit. Even if he was obnoxious, this guy was good.
Kebiin ran towards the thief and tried to do a jumping spinning hook kick, but the thief leaped forward and held his staff vertically, causing Kebiin to kick the top end of the staff instead of his opponent. The thief let the staff spin with the force of Kebiin's kick, and the bottom end flung up and smacked Kebiin right in the face. The sudden force of getting struck in the right between the eyes momentarily stunned Kebiin, allowing the thief to sweep him off his feet with the staff.
"Oh, c'mon, I'm sure you can do better than that!" the thief said as a swayed his tail side to side.
Kebiin stood back up. He was getting annoyed with this punk, but he did have respect for his fighting style. after all, it was certainly working. Kebiin once again ran at his opponent, and threw another jumping spinning hook kick as a distraction. The thief brought his staff up again to meet his foot, but Kebiin used the force to elevate his body over it, and grabbed the staff at the midsection once he landed on his feet. Before the thief could react, Kebiin strengthened his forearm with the Force and hit the staff, breaking it in two, then leaped backward. They each held one half of the staff.
The thief looked genuinely stunned, then impressed.
"Nice one!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I thought this thing was locked together tight but it looks like you proved me wrong!"
Kebiin grinned.
"You're not so bad yourself! you've got some pretty decent moves there."
"Thanks. I try my best."
The thief set the radio down to the side and entered a typical sword fighting stance with the half he held. Kebiin twirled his half in his hand and entered a standard Shii-Cho fighting stance, readying his "sword".
The two of them charged at the same time, meeting their staffs and clashing several times. The thief lept into the air and brought his half of the staff down to strike down at Kebiin as he spun in the air, but Kebiin stepped to the side and grabbed his opponent's free arm mid-spin, then brought his own end of the staff down upon him. The thief collapsed his staff into a pair of nunchucks, and let Kebiin strike down on the chain, wrapping it around, and kicked Kebiin in the gut to disarm him. The thief skidded back and collapsed the other end of the staff he now held into another pair of nunchucks, and entered another fighting stance.
"Guess I win" the thief said somewhat mockingly.
"Not by a longshot!" Kebiin ran toward his opponent once more but was surprised when the thief kicked up the radio, sending it flying at Kebiin. He caught it just in time to see him running away across the roof tops.
"Seeya later!"
"Hey, get back here! I'm not finished with you!"
Kebiin was about to go chase after him when he felt a hand on his shoulder stop him. It was Blake.
"C'mon. Let him go. It's not like you'll accomplish anything by chasing him even more."
"But-"
"No buts! We got the radio already and I'd rather not make it a bigger deal out of this than it already is."
Kebiin sighed. While he did agree, he felt the need to keep fighting. He couldn't remember the last time he wanted to continuously fight like this. He figured it was just his inner Mandalorian trying to do what it does best.
They met back up with the rest of their team and the old shop owner. He didn't look exactly friendly, but Kebiin hoped his mood would lighten once he handed him the stolen radio back.
"Sorry that took a while, sir. Here you go."
Kebiin tried to hand him his stolen property back, but the shop owner simply scoffed and didn't put his arm out to take it back.
"Bah! go ahead and keep the damn thing. I don't want it now that filthy Faunus trash got his hands all over it."
Kebiin was shocked to hear this, but Blake was just barely containing her fury. She clenched her fist, her body tightened up, and she was just about ready to punch this guy in the jaw. Her eyes reflected absolute loathing.
"Filthy Faunus trash!? Why you ignorant, bigoted-"
"Thanks for the radio! we appreciate it" Ruby interrupted. "C'mon team, lets go."
Kebiin had to tug on Blake's arm to get her to move. She looked at him, practically pleading to keep arguing.
"Blake, lets go. It's no use trying to talk sense into hateful people like him."
"But-"
"No buts." Kebiin glanced at Blake's bow for a brief moment and sighed. "Another time."
Blake noticed Kebiin's gaze at her hidden cat ears and her eyes widened then narrowed slightly in suspicion. She had only known him for a few days. There was no way he could possible know, right?
Blake sighed and reluctantly agreed. If she made a big deal out of it now, it might blow her cover or give hints at her identity. That was the last thing she wanted.
"Faunus protesters continue their march as the White Fang-"
Kebiin changed the channel causing momentary static on the radio.
"Vale celebrates as it prepares to host this year's Vytal Festival. Spirits reign high as-"
"Political tension grows as Atlas's latest political reform lead many to believe that they are unwilling to share their newest military tech-"
"There's nothing good on…" Ruby complained. Kebiin had been fiddling around with the radio for about twenty minutes now, and nothing had caught their attention for more than ten seconds.
"Hey, could you go back a little to the one about Atlas?"
"Why do you want to hear about Atlas's politics? it's not like it's they underwent a revolution or anything." Yang said.
"Because I like to hear what goes on in the world" Weiss said proudly. "It's important to keep up with current events. Besides, Atlas has been even more sketchy and militaristic than usual lately."
Kebiin changed the channel back and tried to catch up with the broadcast.
"We are here today with General Ironwood. Mr. Ironwood, what do you have to say about your critics regarding Atlas's latest technological advancements and unwillingness to share it with your fellow kingdoms?"
"These critics seem to misunderstand what we are doing here, Ms. Lavender."
The general sounded like a slightly older man, but he spoke with the confidence of a true leader. It was deep, mature, and experienced, but somehow… naive? no, that wasn't it...
"Atlas always has been more militaristic when compared to the other kingdoms, but it is everyone's goal to advance technology. Our latest upgraded fleet and weaponry is largely untested when it comes to actual combat, and we want to make sure it is safe and effective before we can distribute it amongst our fellow nations in our valiant effort against the Grimm."
"That may be true, but what of your leadership? due to your latest reform, more military leaders -and fewer people in general- now hold more power in government than four years ago. Some say it is unwise to let so few people run a whole nation."
"People are entitled to believe whatever they wish, but the reality is that these new people chosen to further lead Atlas would not have gotten the job if they weren't up to the task. Our current leaders are more than competent and talented enough to guide us to further peace and prosperity."
"Well I think that's enough politics for the day." Kebiin shut the radio off. "We're in a Huntsman academy, not a courthouse."
"Well that was really all I wanted to hear anyways" Weiss said as she folded her arms.
Kebiin jumped onto his new bed, which was pushed up against the wall. The already present bunkbeds had been pushed closer together to make room for the new one, but the room remained largely the same besides that. Blake was still upset from her encounter with the radio owner, but she still remained quiet as usual.
"Hey, Ruby, do you still have those weapons parts you went to get?"
Ruby reached under her bunk and pulled out a bag of the parts she gathered.
"Yeah, but nothing fancy." she said as she tossed Kebiin the bag.
He looked at the pieces and examined the two Dust crystals that came with them. There were a ton of various metal pieces, firearm cartridges, and a couple blades. Ruby was right. He wouldn't be making anything fancy, but his encounter with the radio thief gave him a few ideas.
"Actually, this'll work perfectly."
"Really? it's pretty much a pile of junk though."
"I don't need anything complex, just effective. And I think I know what to build…"
He picked up the bag, jumped off his bed, put on his scarf, and walked to the door.
"I'm gonna head to the workshop to build this thing. Be back in a bit."
"Have fun!" Ruby waved as he left the room.
Instead of heading to the workshop like he claimed, Kebiin headed toward the woods behind the academy. It was close enough to civilization that he wouldn't encounter any Grimm, but far enough from the prying eyes of the other students. He had peeked in on his mother taking apart and putting her lightsaber back together with the Force when he was kid, and he had wanted to give it a shot. Constructing his own custom weapon would be the perfect opportunity.
Once he had gotten out of visual range of Beacon, he sat down with his legs crossed and pulled out Revan's holocron. The familiar holographic image of Revan appeared and looked at his current surroundings.
"The woods? I thought you would've gotten accepted into the academy already."
"I did. I've gotten on a team and everything."
"Glad to hear it. Any other events I need to know about?"
Kebiin bit his lip slightly. He wanted to tell Revan about his encounter with the Grimm and the Nevermore, but decided he wanted to simply focus on constructing his weapon for now.
"Revan, could you give me the basic rundown on how you would build a lightsaber?"
Revan unfolded his arms and shifted his weight.
"A lightsaber? you can't construct your own until you've completed the necessary training. Plus, you already have one."
"I know, but I just wanted to know how the Jedi used the Force to put all the pieces together. I'm not actually building a lightsaber, but I think this will give me some experience for when I eventually do."
"I see" Revan said, crossing his arms again. "So what exactly are you making then?"
"A weapon that is native to Remnant. If I pulled out a lightsaber every time trouble showed up, it'd attract too much attention."
"And why do you think lightsaber construction techniques will work on it?"
"It would follow a similar cylindrical shape and involves some crystals. I've got all the parts I need, I just want to try putting together like the Jedi would."
Revan thought for a moment.
"Very well." Revan's holographic image was replaced by the holographic image of a lightsaber. It floated in the air as the pieces slowly came apart and drifted away from each other.
"Often, a Jedi uses the Force to construct his lightsaber. While many do build it by hand, the Force must be use at some point or another during the construction. Close your eyes and meditate. The pieces shall fall into place eventually. Begin with the crystals, and let the Force guide you from there."
Kebiin pictured how it would look and feel, and allowed his mind to float freely. For several long minutes, the only things he heard were the small clicks and kinks of metal putting themselves together.
It took several tries, but after what seemed like forever, he was finally done. Kebiin opened his eyes, and the now completed and stable weapon dropped into his hands. Currently, it was just a two foot long metal rod. He was just about to unfold it to view his handiwork when he felt his foldable tablet vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out. It was a message from Ruby.
"Hey, how's the weapon coming along? It's gonna be lights out soon so you should come back real quick."
Kebiin noticed the time. 10:46 PM. He decided to message her back.
" Alrighty, be right there. See you in a bit." His meeting with Ozpin would have to wait till tomorrow.
"Will that be all?" Revan asked.
"Actually, no. You were right."
"About the Grimm?"
Kebiin nodded. "Yes. There's no doubt about it. The Grimm are of the Darkside. But it felt so… alien.
"So it had changed just like the Light did with aura. Do they lack a binding field as well?"
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. When I meditated before I encountered the Grimm, I felt it. It wasn't exceptionally powerful, but it was there. The Force is on this world. I hadn't felt it like this until now."
Revan's readjusted posture indicated surprise. As far as he knew, Kebiin was the only being on Remnant who could use the Force. Even then, it was often limited to his own body except for short bursts of power.
"Well… that certainly is a surprise. How do you feel?"
"Same… but different. I can feel the Force flow much better than before."
"Hmm… I need time to reflect on this. If something comes up, let me know." Revan's image faded back into the holocron.
Yang was already fast asleep, scratching at her exposed belly. Blake was curled up under her sheets, reading a book. Ruby and Weiss were just about to head off to bed when Kebiin walked in, still fully clothed.
"So how'd it go? where is it? Oooohh lemme see, lemme see!"
Ruby was jumping up and down in excitement, anxious to see what Kebiin had constructed.
"Sorry chief, probably not right now. I don't want to end up slicing any beds or lamps tonight."
"Aww, you're no fun…" Ruby said, making a pout face.
"It looks like the other batton you've got" Weiss noted. "Was that intentional?"
"Yeah, kinda. It just ended up that way. Besides, it'd be easy to carry like this."
Kebiin dressed down, placed his lightsaber and new weapon on his nightstand, and closed his eyes. Tomorrow would be his first real day as a student at Beacon Academy.
Kebiin was standing inside what looked like some sort of regal traditional temple. People in robes were darting back and forth as though they were trying to evacuate. The sounds of blaster fire could be heard beyond the door of the room. Many of these robed people were escorting small children and preteens. An older man stood guard at the door, holding his hands outward without even touching it, almost as though he were barricading it. Kebiin noticed a lightsaber on his belt. He looked around, and every one of these robes people were either holding lightsabers or had them on their belts.
"What's wrong? What's happening? Are all of you Jedi?"
Kebiin's question didn't receive a response. They didn't even notice him. A young woman ran up to the man holding up the door. Something was violently trying to kick it down.
"Master, go! I can handle them!" She yelled.
"Azrilin, no! you need to take the other padawans and leave the temple now!"
Azrilin? No, it couldn't be…
The young woman drew and ignited her lightsaber. The blade was glowing a pale yellow, and the hilt was identical to the one Kebiin wore on his own belt.
"Master, please. This is what Jedi are supposed to do!"
"Padawan, this isn't the time to-"
Their argument was broken by a blue lightsaber blade being stabbed through the door, cutting it down. The door toppled, and a dark cloaked figure stood there, lightsaber drawn. Behind him, men wearing what resembled stormtrooper armor readied their weapons, pointing them at the group of young Jedi in the room.
The older master ignited his lightsaber and charged at the cloaked figure, but quickly dropped his weapon and grabbed at his throat, gasping. Kebiin stood in horror as he watched the dark figure raise his arm and twisted his wrist. The old Jedi's neck snapped, and his limp body slumped to the ground. The dark figure turned to Azrilin, noticing the color of her lightsaber.
"This one is a sentinel, exactly what we need. Kill the rest, but bring her alive."
Kebiin tried to scream to leave her alone, but no one, not even himself, could hear it. He was mute.
"I-I'll die before you harm any more of my fellow-" she was cut short when her own lightsaber was ripped from her grip through the Force, and felt like invisible hands were clamping down on her throat. she levitated into the air, and her eyes started to roll into the back of her head. Kebiin ran towards the man who was Force choking his mother, doing anything he could to inflict pain. His lightsaber wouldn't activate, the Force wouldn't obey his command, and any punches he threw phased right through the cloaked man. He could only stand by helplessly as he and his mother saw the group of young Jedi being mercilessly gunned down by the clone troopers. Azrilin finally passed out, and the dark figure released his grip. The troopers rushed in to slap restraints on her, and quickly carried her out of the room.
Kebiin fell to his knees and realized what he just bore witness to. This was the Empire's great Jedi purge. Order 66. There was nothing he could do to save the padawans or his mom, and that hurt even more. They may just be visions, but it all felt so real. He looked back at the cloaked figure, realising that this must have been the young Darth Vader.
Before stepping out the collapsed door to follow the clone troopers, the Sith Lord turned back one last time. He re-ignited his lightsaber, and slashed right across Kebiin's neck.
Kebiin woke up drenched in sweat. His neck burned and his body cramped. He was breathing heavily and it was still dark out. He felt someone shaking him to try and wake him up, but all the other girls were sound asleep.
"Oh god, are you alright?" It was Blake's voice.
Kebiin blinked several times and turned to see her yellow eyes and long dark hair.
"Yeah… yeah, I'm ok. Just a nightmare. How long have you been trying to get me up?"
"Just a second or two. I was just about to yell for the others to wake up but then you opened your eyes. You sure you're ok?"
Kebiin hesitated before answering. Truth was, he was still terrified. This had been the second time he had been helpless to save his mom. Why was he shown this vision? Was the Force just hellbent on tormenting him?
"Hey, Blake, can you hand me that right there?" Kebiin pointed to the lightsaber on his nightstand.
Blake looked a little confused and tilted her head the way a puzzled cat would, but she obliged and did so. Kebiin ran his fingers across the hilt and hugged it close for comfort.
"Are you sure there's nothing you want to tell me? I was getting really worried. You're part of the team now. We need to know if something's wrong."
"We're supposed to share everything, huh?" Kebiin said softly.
"Come again?"
"Nothing important. I think I just need some fresh air."
"The school grounds are pretty empty this time of night. Wanna go for a walk?" Blake suggested.
"Aren't we not allowed to wander around after dark?"
"Technically yes, but it's not like anyone's gonna notice two students if we're quiet enough. Besides, I've done it plenty of times before."
The two of them walked along the stone pavement just outside the academy gate, still in their pajamas. Kebiin was still a little shaken from what he had experienced in his vision, trying to make sense of what it could have meant. Although, the presence of the Force felt sharper somehow.
"Feeling any better?" Blake asked.
"Yeah, just a little" Kebiin said. He stopped and looked at the large stone sculpture just in front of the gates. Two humanoid figures standing atop a shallow cave, with a Grimm underneath them. "Hey, Blake. Can I ask you something?"
Blake looked at him curiously. "What is it?"
"Have you ever lost someone important to you?"
Blake paused for a moment, a little suspicious.
"Why do you ask?"
"Well… I know this will make me sound like a whiney little kid, but… I was dreaming about my mom."
"Your mom? you never mentioned…" Blake quickly put the dots together. "I'm sorry… you didn't say anything before…"
"How do you deal with it? how do you come to terms with something like that?"
Blake rubbed the back of her neck. They were both looking at the statue now.
"Honestly, I don't deal with it."
Kebiin looked back over at her. "What do you mean?"
"Do you really want to hear it?" Even if Blake was a little suspicious of him, it couldn't hurt to tell at least someone a little bit… if only to get if off her chest.
"If you're fine with sharing it, then yeah. I'd love to."
"Well… a while back, I was part of a group. We believed in equality, and fought against those who wanted to subjugate others. And I had a partner. He was… more than a partner really. To this day, I honestly don't know how I feel about him."
She paused and noticed Kebiin was sitting on the grass with a curious look in his eye. Blake decided to take a seat next to him.
"Did something happen between you two?" Kebiin asked. The expression on his face seemed different than it usually did. He looked younger almost. He genuinely wanted to hear what she had to say.
"I suppose you could say that" Blake continued. "Over time, our group changed. We started to become violent and relied on intimidation more than the idea of peace. We hurt a lot of people. I didn't think it was right, but this group was my whole life. I didn't know what else to do. But my partner… he believed in all of our "new methods". He didn't want to stand for justice and hope, he wanted to force people to believe in our ideology. He didn't care how many got hurt. So one day, I decided enough was enough. I left him right out of the blue, barely saying goodbye. I never told anyone I was leaving, I just left and never looked back."
Blake let out a long and relieved sigh. She felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She expected to be more paranoid about this, but even if she didn't tell him the complete truth, it still made her feel more at ease.
"Well that's my story. What do you think?" Blake looked back toward Kebiin. He looked satisfied, but there was the hint of something else. Enjoyment?
"Don't take this the wrong way, but… I liked it."
Blake stood up, surprised.
"You "liked it"? how was that in anyway-"
"No, that's not what I meant!" Kebiin interrupted. "I mean that it reminds of home."
Blake tilted her head to the side.
"Reminds you of home?"
"Just… stories under the night sky. My family always used to share our experiences like this. Even if it was sad or angry, I always loved those moments of storytelling. We grew closer because of it. And I can relate to losing something important."
"So you just like stories?"
"Well, yeah" he responded. "But sitting here, sharing our experiences, happy or sad, it's nostalgic and comforting in a way."
"You should talk to Ruby about that sometime." Blake sat back down. "What kind of a family did you have, anyway?"
Kebiin grinned. "Clan would probably be a better term. The only people I was actually related to by blood were my mom and dad. We had dozens of people with us, but like we always said, "family is more than bloodline.""
"Aliit ori'shya tal'din" Blake whispered.
"You remembered." Kebiin smiled.
"I thought it was a good saying so I made sure I would." Blake responded. "So what was your clan like?"
Kebiin tilted his head to look up at the night sky. "We had a pretty good thing going on, despite being outside civilization for the most part. We needed to be good fighters, so we trained rigorously as soon as we were old enough to, prizing honor above all else. And we were always weary of outsiders."
"Sounds rough." Blake said.
"It wasn't anything I couldn't handle" Kebiin said proudly. "Anyways, my mom actually wasn't from the original clan. She was an outsider, and she wanted to get away from her old life. She did some things she wasn't proud of. She said it took a while, but she was accepted into the family. That's where she met my dad, and now here I am. They would tell me stories of battle, sorrow, hardship, and honor. I remember always wanting to be like them. Strong, brave, and noble. To fight for the thrill of battle, revel in the honor of victory and telling tales of success, that was the life I wanted. It was the life that was expected of me."
Kebiin was smiling, but his expression quickly turned into a frown. His eyes watered up, and the air around them seemed to fall still.
"But… one day, we were attacked. I saw my whole family slaughtered, crushed under the sheer force and numbers of our enemies. My entire culture was taken from me in a single moment. My mom sacrificed herself so I could escape."
Kebiin looked back over to his teammate. She looked shocked to say the least. She figured he was at least an orphan before, but she never thought it would be anything on that sort of scale. The wind picked up as several tears streamed from Kebiin's eyes.
"I'm sorry… I shouldn't sound so dramatic. It's just that… well, we prided ourselves on being the best of the best. And there I was, unable to protect my own mom."
Blake tried to interject. "Kebiin, it wasn't-"
"Wasn't my fault?" He interrupted. "I was trained my whole life to fight, and that if I couldn't fight, I was weak. I accepted that I was just a kid, but it's still so painful to remember. I told myself I would become stronger, and I have, but those memories still terrify me."
He stood back up, wiping the tears from his face. The wind grew more and more violent.
"Sorry I went on like that. It's just nice to have someone to talk to who can relate, y'know?"
The wind kept going strong. Blake could barely hear him over the howling noises around them. Her hair and nightgown were flying in the wind, and she had to put her hand up to keep her bow on. There was a practical storm going on, but Kebiin looked strangely calm even though it looked like his scarf was about to blow away. He re-opened his eyes, and look around as if he just noticed the weather. The moment he did, the wind slowly died down.
"Kebiin, you don't have to keep apologizing. The things that happened, happened. Right now, you're here with us. We're all here for different reasons, and both of us came here to make new lives and make things better. I don't think I'm the one who can help you with your past, but I can tell you to move forward."
"Right… well, thanks Blake. I guess you're right." Kebiin paused and looked back to the academy. "Ready to head back inside? We need our rest for classes tomorrow."
Blake nodded in agreement and stood up slowly. "Oh, and… I appreciated the talk. I really do."
Kebiin smiled weakly once again. "Vor entye, Blake. Vor entye."
The pair of them arrived back at their dorm room, only to find the rest of their team scrambling about trying to pick up shards of broken glass.
"What happened here?" Blake asked as she rushed to help the others.
"There you two are!" Yang said loudly. "I knew Ruby said you guys needed your "bonding time", but I honestly didn't expect you two to sneak off together in the middle of the night just yet."
Blake froze at Yang's implication, and Kebiin was blushing violently.
"What!? No, it wasn't like that! It was just-" He was interrupted by Weiss.
"Can you two dolts just pipe down and help clean up already?"
"Right, right…" Kebiin knelt down and began putting shards into the trash, making sure not to cut himself. "What happened here anyways?"
"Did you not hear the wind out there?" Weiss moaned in a condescending tone.
"The wind knocked out our window. There wasn't even supposed to be any windstorms forecasted for the rest of the season" Ruby said. "And now we need a new window too… why do we keep having to buy all this stuff!?"
"I think you mean why do I have to keep buying us stuff" Weiss said plainly.
"Same difference." Ruby pouted.
The group finished their clean-up, shut the blinds, and did their best to keep out the cold as the night went on.