Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Star Wars
"NEW" AND IMPROVED CHAPTER ONE.
A.N./ This is my first fanfic, so yeah I already know it's not great, I've never been good at telling stories. I'm more of an idea maker, concept creator, and world builder.
The general concept of this story actually takes inspiration from The Silver Eye Force User by You're Normal Sheevite, so I can't say I came up with this idea entirely by myself.
I did however put in a lot of effort and time into making sure this story would be actually possible of occurring with the canon of RWBY as well as that of Star Wars Legends(because I prefer it and I am more familiar with it than the Disney canon, which sucks) to make sure I can get a better grasp of how things may go, and so I don't confuse the readers by going balls to the wall off the rails.
Pfft who am I kidding? This is Fanfiction! This shit is gonna get different. Perhaps not too different, but different nonetheless.
Without further adieu the rewritten first chapter of Rouge Apprentice.
Chapter 1: A New Variable
Remnant, the home of man born from dust, or so legend says. In the beginning man only had their meager tools and wit, but the darkness, the Grimm would give no mercy. Their hordes were infinite and unrelenting, thirsting to consume all of mankind. Not even the ancient warriors of Remnant who wielded their own souls against the Grimm could stop them. Then the unthinkable happened. Man gained the ability to truly fight the Grimm, decimating them and finally giving them room to expand. Using their newfound resources, man built great fortress cities of grandeur and weapons never before seen on Remnant to hold back the tide. The darkness receded, its ability to stamp out the light of man had been curbed, but not completely. Even now the darkness plots its return. Many ask how could man push back the darkness? The answer is simple.
Dust.
Not to be mistaken for the particles that accumulate over time. Dust allowed man to wield the forces of nature: fire, wind, water, earth, lightning, and more. With nature itself secured in their iron grip, man seemed poised to control the world, but they never achieved such a milestone. The Grimm may have been pushed back, but humanity quickly became a victim of vicious infighting.
War.
Conflict is one of man's greatest enemies, and yet it is also their closest companion. Once they had gained even a sliver of breathing room, man fell to the temptation of greed, lust, and power. They waged many wars against each other, kingdoms rising and falling in their wake. History was created and lost repeatedly over the millennia as mankind succumbed to their lust for war. However there was one war, a war that stood out amongst all others. The Great War they called it. Many of the details surrounding the time before and during the Great War have been lost, but almost all agree it was a war fought over individuality. While this is correct, it is most certainly not the whole truth, but that's a story for another time.
The Great War was the largest and most destructive war in Remnants known history leaving just under two and a half million dead. It's result? Mantle and Mistral capitulated. Legal slavery was abolished, Faunus were given a subcontinent of their own. Along with various other political, economic, and social changes.
Many optimists thought no wars would follow, believing the Great War to be so big, so destructive it made people eternally sick of war. They were proven wrong in the following decades when kingdoms began revoking the equal rights of Faunus, and trying to contain them completely on the small subcontinent of Menagerie. Despite not mainly fighting and dying for their freedom in the Great War no Faunus wanted to go back to slavery. The result was the Faunus War.
Much like those the Faunus evolved from, conflict would become their eternal companion. Though they would eventually win their war discrimination would plague their kind for a long time to come. Aside from the obvious, these wars had a dangerous consequence, Grimm. The black tide would not relent in their quest to consume mankind, and the wars of man attracted the dark hordes' attention. However each time they would attack a tiny shred of the unity man once shared against their common enemy resurfaced. Battling armies would stop trying to kill each other briefly and work together against their ancient predators, but once they had finished killing the Grimm both armies would return to their battle.
Even after the war ended the soulless monsters would continue their hunt as if nothing had changed. Any attempt by mankind to expand beyond their great walls would eventually be swallowed whole by the sea of black beasts, but every time the Grimm would reach the walls they would falter and perish.
With wars somewhat halted, and Grimm partially stopped, peace settled across Remnant.
Peace? Pfft, what a joke.
The Kingdoms of Remnant stand divided, competing over who makes better warriors, constantly having a proverbial measuring contest instead of fighting to wipe out the Grimm. Atlas holds a monopoly over military power and Dust, Vacuo is a cesspool of lawlessness, Mistral is practically run by organized crime, and Vale is filled with complacency. The Faunus, despite winning their war for equality, are still beaten, oppressed, and enslaved by humans. They are left stewing in malcontent, ready to once again lash out against Humans.
Huntsmen, lauded as heroes, the best warriors Remnant has to offer and beacons of hope. In truth they are nothing in the grand scheme of things, just a bunch of idealistic mercenaries; helpless against the infinite hordes of Grimm, and incapable of stopping dozens of villages from being wiped out daily.
The councils, despite the glaring flaws of their sole means of communication do nothing, only lying of the dangers to those they claim to care about just to keep the "peace".
The police are corrupt, turning the other cheek whenever the criminals pay enough. There is no peace!
Only the illusion of it.
The soft sound of many turning gears throughout the room was Ozpin's only company he had in his office while he read through the various reports and requests submitted to him by his staff at Beacon, various hunters, and the council. Many considered it an eccentric design choice upon seeing the gears moving like clockwork, but then again most don't know enough about him to understand the symbolism behind the design. He, an immortal Wizard who's been alive for so many years that even he has forgotten how long he's been going through this cycle, working in an office that resembles the one mechanism representing the passage of time. The irony would be almost comical if it wasn't constantly reminding him of his failure to defeat Salem.
Ah, his mind had begun drifting. It's something that's unfortunately becoming more and more common as the years pass. What was he just thinking about? Ah, that's right. One particular report he was reading spoke of increasing Grimm activity towards the south of the continent forcing his lips into a frown, a rather large group of Grimm has been amassing. Roughly five dozen Beowolves, around twenty Ursa, and at least one Deathstalker. Though this wasn't by any means a threat to Vale, there were enough Grimm to take out a large village, and if they did take out a village the negativity would attract more and more Grimm, eventually becoming a threat to Vale if not nipped in the bud.
He let out a sigh, though his long life and experiences has left him mostly numb to people dying, he could never quite be rid of his last vestiges of empathy. He has sent countless people to their deaths in his hopeless shadow war against Salem, but he could never bring himself to stop appearing to care, when in truth he no longer felt anything more than a small pang of grief from their deaths. He feared that if he stopped showing any empathy, even if it's false, the last true remnants of his humanity would disappear.
Sometimes he wished he never accepted the god of light's offer. Just so his soul might know some minuscule semblance of peace. By the gods he was tired. So very tired. Tired of the centuries of endlessly reincarnating and assimilating into others like a parasite. Tired of this damnable shadow war against Salem. Tired of seeing people die. Tired of being alive. Tired of everything.
Ozpin quickly killed his line of thought lest he fall into a downward spiral of depression. Schooling his features he brought out a scroll and quickly dialed the number of a relatively new agent of his, who just so happens to be near the nest. Two rings echoed through his office before he heard the distinct voice of one of his more recent agent's. "Whatcha need, Oz?"
"Qrow, I have a mission for you in a village far to the south of Vale named Hazen." While he spoke to Qrow, Ozpin could hear him taking a swig of alcohol from his flask before he actually replied. He couldn't fault Qrow, despite his own personal distaste for alcohol, he had to admit the man had a most unfortunate semblance. He himself had a drink as well, though of a different temperature and variation.
"What kind of mission we talkin 'bout here?" He could actually hear Qrow's raised eyebrow, or at least he thought he could. Perhaps reincarnating endlessly over the centuries has finally taken its toll. Hmmmm, food for thought at a later date.
"Oh nothing too troublesome I assure you. Just a group of Grimm getting rather large, and in need of extermination." He replied smoothly. He inhaled the lovely scent of his steaming drink, and delicately sipped his beloved hot cocoa.
"Y'know… I think I preferred you when you taught politics and ethics. At least back then you didn't send me on such pain in the ass missions. I can handle it, but like I said; it's still gonna be a pain in the ass." It's good to see Qrow's confidence in himself remained intact, but his more than skeptical tone showed his opinion on the matter. Ozpin, despite making many many many mistakes, was no fool. He knew sending Qrow alone for such a task would be unnecessarily risky, which is why he won't be sending him alone. The only question was just who he'd be sending on the mission with him, and after a moment of contemplation quite the mischievous idea crossed his mind.
"No need to worry." Slowly a smirk formed behind Ozpin's mug. Though he may no longer feel true empathy for others, he still did find amusement in stirring up some… surprises for people. It's the small things in life that make it worth living. "I'll be sending a friend of yours as backup."
"Qrow! Is that you!?" Oh no.
He let out a halfhearted sigh and mumbled "Ozpin, I hate you." to himself. He doesn't actually hate Ozpin for this, Qrow always did like her. Turning around he saw a relatively short woman with beautiful silver eyes, fair skin, neck length black hair with red highlights framing a perfect heart shaped face, wearing a modest black dress-like mid thigh length outfit, all under a white hooded cloak. A small smile formed on his lips. "Summer. It's good to see you."
"Qrow!" She shouted in joy while simultaneously tackle-hugging him. "It's good to see you again!"
"Oof. Yeah it's certainly been a while hasn't it shortstack? A few months now right?" He chuckled while patting her shoulder, earning a joking pout from her.
"I'm not that short anymore!" She half whined while playfully punching his arm.
"You're still shorter than me, shortstack." He teased earning yet another halfhearted pout from Summer. "Don't be silly Qrow, you're clearly a freakish giant of some sort."
"Oh Summer, you wound me." He placed his hand on his heart in mock hurt, before shooting her a devilish grin. She playfully rolled her eyes at him and grinned. "You're being an ass."
"Me? An ass?*gasp* I'd never!"
Rolling her eyes once again, she started towards the village gate. Putting a slight extra sway in her hips briefly as she casually strolled away. Oh if only he could see her ass past the cloak. "Whatever helps you sleep at night. Now let's go. We have a nest to exterminate."
"You're no fun." The grin never left his face even when he moved to follow the petite beauty.
"I mean sheriosly? F-four Deathshtalkerss!? Thaaat w-was bu...bullshhhite." Summer loudly complained while shambling towards her rented room. To be fair, she had every reason to complain and be drunk. Her and Qrow were sent to wipe out a decently large group of Grimm with bad intel, it was more akin to a small horde than a group. The expected numbers of Grimm weren't even half of the true numbers. So after spending several days out in the wilds gradually annihilating the Grimm they succeeded in reducing their numbers to manageable levels, and decided to celebrate with a "few" well deserved drinks.
"Agreeed ssshortsttack T'was ALL thee… uuhh bull...shit." Qrow slurred, shambling alongside her like a zombie, nodding sluggishly to whatever she said.
"Ifff I kneww *hiccup* there woullld beee Thaat many in one plllace I woulda brought a fuckin errr… fucking real bigg guun err somthin." Her slurring turned into unintelligible grumbling while she fumbled with her room key, trying and failing to get it in the lock. So it may have been more than a few drinks, and the two of them were completely wasted.
"Iii know riight? Our err wheapons don't reeeally have err much inda way of uhhh armor piercing kapa-capal-capabilities." He somehow had the coordination to both speak, albeit poorly, and take the keys to unlock the door for her. Truly the sign of an experienced drinker. But just as he began to turn and shamble away, Summer grabbed his arm.
"Where err do youuu think I-i'm gonna get a biiiiiig gunn if you leaave?" Her slurred speech barely contained the tone she was probably going for, but she was still conveying something by gazing into his eyes suggestively.
"Err I don't have a uhh gun onn mee? I think." He struggled to understand quite what she was getting at. Granted, he was so drunk it was shocking he hadn't passed out yet. If that alone isn't mind boggling enough he, in fact, did actually have a gun on him in the form of Harbinger.
"Yyesss ya dooo and yer givin it to mee innn my rooom tonight." Her voice was an odd mix of drunk slurring and sensual purring, though he'd be hard pressed to notice that fact. With Qrow being the very drunk idiot he was at the time, he didn't see a problem with his current situation which will undoubtedly cause him much grief in the future. So with a shrug he said two, more like one and a half, words that would forever change Remnant's future. "Erm okay." Unceremoniously, he was pulled into the room by Summer who jumped him, hooked her arms behind his neck and slammed her lips onto his. Not even wasting a second, the door was closed and automatically locked behind them.
He was awakened the next morning by the solar system's resident deadly laser known as the sun filling the room with light. Qrow lifted his head off the pillow and sat up partially with a wince. His hand instinctively went to grip his head, which was pounding like a jackhammer. All of this led the ex bandit to a truly startling realization. "Ugh my head. So there is such a thing as too much whiskey."
While not an avid drinker, he is still familiar with alcohol as a frequent/occasional companion. So this was an unpleasant learning experience for him.
"Mmm Qrow it's too early to get up, go back to sleep." His head turned slowly to the source, a feminine form hugging his waist beneath the covers, which is odd 'cause he didn't remember taking… well, anyone to his room. The strange familiarity of her voice made this all the more concerning. So with furrowed brows and narrow eyes he tentatively lifted the blanket covering the woman. He gaped, and his skin turned whiter than the sheets when he saw under the blanket was Summer. "Oh shit."
Just as he finished the last syllable she let out a yawn and looked up at him with half lidded eyes. Moving to sit up caused the blanket to slide off her toned and curvy form as she let out a drawn out yawn. "What's wrong Qrow? I said… go back… to… sleep." Her eyes slowly widened as realization dawned upon her. "Oh." She also proved to be a master of words as the full scope of what had happened became apparent.
For a while the two simply stared at each other in stunned silence until the both of them let out a short but loud "AHHH!" Whilst Summer simultaneously covered her naked form with the blanket, Qrow tumbled out of the bed backwards, landing with a loud *thunk*. After a few seconds passed Summer, in her half panicked state, tried to have a civil conversation with Qrow to figure out how this came to be. The keyword is tried because she failed horribly.
"Why are you in my room!?" Summer screeched at him, briefly forgetting her own hangover. A mistake which would cause both her and Qrow to wince at the shrill sound.
"Judging from the rather intense headache we both have. I think we both found out there's such a thing as too much whiskey."
"O-oh… oh… OH!" She once again spoke perhaps a bit too loudly yielding yet another wince from the both of them. "Wait!" She exclaimed, catching his attention. "If we were both drunk… and both woke up in the same bed nak- OH MY OUM! We had sex didn't we!?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"You… uhhh… you sure about that?"
She gave him a look. One of those disbelieving looks, all but asking him if he was an idiot, as she gestured around the room. "Qrow. I can still feel it."
He needed a few moments before his brain could wrap itself around what she just said, and realize his pelvis is feeling a tad sore. "Oh." A reasonable response considering the situation, didn't stop his face from contorting in shock. Mouth slightly agape and everything. "Well this is uhm… certainly unexpected."
"Unexpected? Is that all you can say in this situation?" Her incredulity was apparent from the tone of her voice.
"What do you want me to say!?"
"I don't know! I'm panicking!" Summer half yelled before asking the big question. "Qrow... what if I got pregnant?"
Qrow looked half panicked himself. "Maybe… we should take a breather and preferably get dressed." It was at this moment Summer realised they were both still naked and turned red as a tomato before she quickly got dressed, as did Qrow. After getting dressed the both of them simply sat in silence for the next few minutes trying to calm down with some success until Summer broke the silence. "Hey?"
"Yeah?"
"Let's try to keep this between us for now."
"You sure? I mean this is a pretty big deal." He asked brows furrowing in concern. He had long since acknowledged the fact he had a thing for his dark haired teammate, but he was unsure of how she felt about him. That very lack of knowledge is what made this event, however unexpected it was, both a blessing and a curse. On one hand he finally was "with" the woman who held his heart since Beacon, on the other it was all the result of a drunken stupor, and probably not honest feelings for him. In fact, this whole fiasco could irreparably damage his relationship with her.
"I-I don't know. I just…" She took a deep breath. Unwilling to look him in the eye. "It's just nothing is set in stone Y'know? I'm emotional, and we don't even know if anything will come of this. So I just want to wait and see if anything happens."
"That… that's fair." However disheartening it may have been, it wasn't an outright rejection, and he respected her far too much to say otherwise. "So… now what?"
"I honestly don't know."
"Nonono, I'm telling you! This new ale is the best!"
Qrow rolled his eyes. He'd come into his favorite bar in downtown Vale to unwind after a particularly harsh day of dealing with his semblance. Lady Luck is a cruel bitch. It seems Gem Brewery has come out with a new beer-sorry new ale, and it's rather popular. The guy sitting next to him has been trying to convince him of this new brew's superiority for a few minutes. "And I'm telling you, nothing will ever be better than a glass of Mr. Molasses apple whiskey."
The man raised his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright. I can't really argue with you there, but when it comes to lighter alcohols the new Speckled Bull is the new king!"
He didn't even get the chance to respond before a bottle was slid to a stop in front of him. "Just give it a shot to shut the lad up Qrow."
He looked to the left and saw the old bartender polishing a glass. His face still had his signature blank look, which he may add, is quite impressive considering the massive scar carved out of his left cheek. If he recalled correctly, it was from a burn Dust bomb going boom a little too close. He snorted at the old veteran. Hector was always the best bartender. "Alright fine"
He grabbed the bottle and took a swig.
...
...
...
"Ok I'll admit it, you might be onto something." Chuckles broke out around the bar followed shortly by good natured jeers. Amidst the jokes and laughs he felt his scroll vibrate. Taking a quick peek at who could be calling him, he was mildly surprised to see it was Summer. It's been a few months since he last spoke with her, which is understandable considering the circumstances. "Sorry guys. Gotta take this."
He was met with a few groans and annoyed grumbles. Shaking his head at the group of scoundrels, he answered his scroll and took another swig of his Speckled Bull. "Wassup."
"Qrow, you may want to sit down." She sounded nervous, which probably wasn't good. One doesn't simply start a conversation with those words unless there's a good reason. Which makes it fortunate that he's already sitting. Didn't stop him from tensing in anticipation.
"Summer what's wrong?"
"It's not that something is wrong per say." Well that's… good to hear, but she didn't sound entirely confident in her answer.
"C'mon, how bad could it be? Trust me Summer I can handle whatever you throw at me."
She took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."
Glass shattered on the floor from a dropped bottle, and any noise in the bar ceased immediately as all eyes turned to Qrow. "Y-you're pregnant? Y-you don't mean…"
"It's your child." Though he may have been sitting on a bar stool, he still needed to grab the edge of the counter to stop himself from collapsing. She might as well have slapped him in the face with how stunned she had made him. Honestly? He might've preferred being slapped. He possibly took advantage of his drunk team leader and got her pregnant. Fuck. Yeah he loved her, but that feeling might not be mutual. Which would be a problem. "I'm gonna be a father?"
"Yes!" She sounded excited. Almost happy.
"I-I don't know what to say." Oh Oum he was gonna be a father.
"You could try being happy!"
He blinked owlishly. "You're not mad at me?"
"Why would I be mad?! I'm gonna be a mother!" What? B-but isn't she-WHAT? She's not mad? Wait! She's not mad! Miracles do exist! "B-but what about how it happened? Isn't that enough to warrant your anger?"
"U-uhm, the thing is Qrow I uh." She paused. Whether it was from embarrassment or something else was anybody's guess. "My memory of that night has… cleared up a bit in the months since, and I uhh… It's kinda my fault."
Again, WHAT?! "I-w-what?"
"We'lltalklatergottagobye!" There was a click signifying she'd hung up. Her fault? How could it be-
It clicked in his head. The damn alcohol must've made her horny or something, or maybe she already was and the alcohol just made her less picky. With drunken...ness? Whatever. So, in retrospect, it's no surprise this happened. Did she like him? If so, this is literally the best day of his life. The woman he loves is returning his feelings, and he's gonna have a family with her. A dopey grin worked itself onto his face. Misfortune? Hah not even his semblance could possibly ruin this. "Soooo…"
His head whipped to the left, a smiling Hector greeted him. Which was only mildly unsettling. "A father huh?"
Horror dawned on him. "I'm certain you mishe-."
"Ya hear dat laddies? Qrow 'ere is gon' be a father!" The bar erupted into cheers. Some even slapped him on the back in congrats.
"Guys, I-" He tried to speak out.
"Oh shut up lad, an 'ave some drinks on da house." A glass of whiskey slid to a stop right in front of him. Hector grinned at him, though he looked a tad more frightening than he probably intended. However he couldn't help the grin that worked its way onto his face.
"Thanks guys." He took a swig of his whiskey and more cheers broke out.
They may have been scoundrels, but they were alright in his book.
"How about Corvus?" Qrow suggested, Summer gave him a withering look. "No Qrow, we are not naming him after a bird."
"What's wrong with being named after a bird!? And it's a genus of birds, not just one."
With a roll of her eyes she decided to placate him a little, after all, hurting his pride too much would just be cruel. "It's not that there's a problem being named after a bird. It's more that he's already getting your last name, so I was thinking something a little more... my style."
He nodded, it was a fair and understandable reason. "What do you think we should name him?"
She hummed in thought for a moment before her eyes lit up in silent glee. "Rouge."
"Rogue? Decided to name him after my roguish good looks?" His question was met with an eye roll and a small happy smile.
"No, not rogue like your admittedly roguish good looks. His name should be Rouge like the color red, just pronounced a little differently." Qrow didn't even complain, he had no reason to. She called him good looking after all. A small thing to some, but to him it was a massive boost to his ego. "Rouge huh… I like it."
She beamed down at Rouge, a beautiful smile gracing her lips, full of a warmth only mother's can give. The sight stunned him into silence, it fully reminded him why he loved her. He was a bandit disguised as a Huntsman-in-training, and yet, even when she found out about his past she showed him nothing but kindness and acceptance. It captured his heart. How could it not? A bandit tribe wasn't a kind place to grow up, especially with its chief being a real bastard, so her show of caring and love was world shattering to him. She was smart, kind, loving, beautiful, and she was the most amazing woman in the world.
She looked down into her son's shining almost crystalline red eyes. Eyes oh so very similar to his aunt's. "Welcome to the world of Remnant Rouge Branwen."
In a galaxy far far away...
Upon the bridge of the monolithic Imperial-class star destroyer Exactor, the dark lord of the Sith, Darth Vader gazed out at the stars. The last of the separatist holdouts were finally eradicated. The galaxy was finally brought together in a safe, stable, and secure society. Peace. It seemed so unlikely only a few years ago, before he had become Vader, when he could still hold the woman he loved in his arms. A massive tremor in the Force caused his head to instinctively whip to the left, as if he were trying to locate the tremor with his eyes."There's been a disturbance in the force."
"My lord, is something wrong?" The Captain of the Exactor asked with clear concern, not necessarily for Vader, in his voice. As quickly as the tremor appeared it disappeared, but he could certainly feel where it came from. After a moment of silence he answered the officer. "Captain, take us to the Bastion system."
"Yes my lord." The Captain replied before turning to the helmsman. "Helm take us to the Bastion system." Receiving a firm "yes sir!" from the helmsman he turned back to the dark lord. "Milord, it will be a few hours until we arrive at our destination."
"Good. Alert me when we have arrived in the system." Vader turned from the nervous captain, and walked to the turbolift, which opened when he neared. Stepping inside he keyed in the numbers for his chambers, and without ceremony the lift descended. One often doesn't notice just how useful turbolifts are, without them the time it would take to traverse large vessels like the Imperial-class would most certainly triple. He never really cared about any of that though. Unless of course the lift wasn't functioning right, which meant incompetence on his ship, and he does not tolerate incompetence.
Any thoughts about purging his crew were halted by the lift's door sliding open. Not wasting even a single moment the dark lord stepped from the lift and moved towards his chambers. With swift and purposeful steps he moved unimpeded through the halls of his flagship. Officers, droids, stormtroopers, and crew alike swiftly moved out of his way, lest they draw the ire of the Emperor's enforcer. It wasn't long before Vader reached his quarters, perhaps a minute or two, and upon arrival he immediately set his eyes upon his meditation pod. To anyone but Vader the pod would have looked extremely odd with its gem-like shape split across the middle in a "jagged" alternating pattern.
Sitting down, the chamber activated. The top half descended, sealing the chamber with pneumatic hiss. The chamber injected atmospheric gasses and oxygen into the sealed chamber from underfloor channels with a quiet low pitched hiss. The exact composition of the gasses didn't really matter to him, only that it allowed the Sith Lord to survive for extended periods without the helmet and mask of his suit. Something normally impossible due to his ruined lungs. A robotic arm extended from the ceiling and removed his helmet and mask. With a deep inhale he could feel the cool air enter his trachea and spread throughout his lungs. He reveled in the feeling of being able to breathe under his own power for what felt like hours. Slowly though, he refocused his mind onto more important matters. Vader's meditation allowed him to contemplate how someone or something could be so powerful in the force for him to feel their arrival from several systems away. Could it be a Jedi?... no it would be impossible for them to hide in the Bastion system… it couldn't be another sith or the Emperor would have known about them and dispatched his agents to kill them long ago. Maybe it's a wound in the force… no that's not right it hadn't felt like a wound, but it definitely felt powerful.
The ring of the comms in his chamber shook him out of his meditation. He pressed some buttons on his chair allowing the captain's voice to reverberate through his chambers. "Milord, we have arrived in the system, and are awaiting your command."
"Good, take us to the edge of the system at heading three seven, and await my arrival." the dark lord commanded as he stood up and began making his way towards the bridge.
"Yes my lord." The Captain responded curtly just before he cut the transmission.
The trip from his chambers was short, which is good for the maintenance crew, but his arrival on the bridge was overshadowed by the sight of every bridge officer staring out of the bridge's transparisteel viewport in stunned silence. Vader himself nearly failed to hide a slight recoil upon seeing his normally composed and disciplined command staff struck dumb at something beyond his view. Frowning, not that anyone could see it, he strode towards the viewport, and failed to hide the slight wonder in his voice. "What am I looking at Captain?"
The dark lords' deep voice shook the crew out of their stupor and prompted them to return to their duties. The captain cleared his throat and began reading a report off a datapad. "My lord, initially the sensors misidentified the anomaly as a black hole, but suddenly recalibrated and classified it as a wormhole. I believe the sensors were briefly tricked by the lack of a "return" signal, but when the signal did "return" the onboard computer rapidly readjusted. However…"
Vader barely listened to the captain, his gaze was captivated by the wormhole. It was like a swirling maelstrom in space, filled with the primordial power of the universe, but tempered by an ethereal beauty incomprehensible to those who have not gazed upon it. He briefly noted the captain had stopped speaking, but it hardly mattered to him as he stared intently at the swirling rip in space-time. Never breaking his gaze he stood there in contemplation for what seemed like hours with only the sound of his mechanical breathing, and the eyes of the crew focused on him for company until he turned his head to the Captain and spoke. "Move the ship through the wormhole, Captain."
"Are you sure that's wise milord? Something coul-"
"Do not make me repeat myself Captain." The threatening reply from the dark lord cut off the Captain before he could finish his objection.
The Captain swiftly stopped talking, understanding the "subtle" threat in Vaders' words and quickly nodded his head in acknowledgment. "Of course my lord." Turning to the helmsman he gave the command. "Helm move us through the wormhole."
"Yes sir!"
The Exactor shook slightly as it moved through the wormhole, but no one seemed to really notice being too focused on the rip in space-time. Him? As soon as the ship entered the wormhole his senses were assaulted by the infinite power of the Force permeating the anomaly. He recoiled slightly, a few seconds ago he couldn't feel a thing from the wormhole. Now it's like he could feel everything, all the power that has existed and ever will exist whether it's from this universe or another, the sheer amount of power felt like it would crush his very existence. Snuff it out like a breeze would a candle. As soon as it began it had ended, the ship had passed through the wormhole, and he had to stop himself from staggering at the sudden disappearance of power. How? How could something so incomprehensibly powerful be near invisible in the Force? It doesn't make any sense! Once through, the bridge crew had their attention caught by another cosmic wonder… a world with a shattered moon. Some of the bridge crew openly gaped at the sight, and other members of the bridge crew including the Captain turned to Lord Vader dutifully awaiting their next orders. "Captain, I want an orbital outpost set up to study this anomaly, but set it up behind the moon to hide it from view of whatever lives on the surface of the planet."
"Yes my lord."
Wait. He could feel a powerful presence on the planet now. Why couldn't he feel it from the Bastion system? The wormhole must've acted like a curtain, obscuring his senses from those on the other side.
"And notify the hangar crew to prepare my fighter, I want to investigate something planetside." Vader commanded as he turned to head towards the hangar.
"Of course my lord."
He walked through seemingly endless halls and doors. Occasionally passing stormtroopers, security, officers, pilots, etc. He passed all quickly. Only the sound of boots hitting the floor and Vader's mechanical breathing occupied the ship. His mind swam with many different thoughts. A wormhole plus a world with a shattered moon? Where did the wormhole come from? What shattered this planet's moon? Such things aren't found so close to each other even in the most extraordinary of circumstances. The whole situation couldn't possibly be natural, someone or something did this.
Vader continued his dissection of recent events, plotting contingency after contingency should something go wrong. Even his arrival in the hangar didn't stop his planning, but eventually he forced such thoughts to the back of his mind when he reached his black Eta-2 Actis-class interceptor. However, he was stopped by a stormtrooper captain before he could enter.
"Lord Vader!" He turned to look at the captain, and despite the Fett clone being taller than many of the bridge crew, Vader still had to look down at him. He was wearing the new stormtrooper armor with an orange pauldron, but he still had the blue markings of the 501st legion and he held an older clone blaster. A DC-15S if he recalled correctly. Apparently the troops are not fond of the new E-11, something about excessive recoil or something along those lines. The new armor though is better in almost every way compared to the older phase two armor, albeit a bit thinner and lighter. However despite these improvements, many of the troopers express a dislike of the new armor. Especially the helmet. "Speak quickly, captain."
The trooper gave a brief nod. "Sir, I have two fully loaded gunships ready to provide support on your incursion to the unknown planet." Vader looked behind the captain, and sure enough there were two imperial Low Altitude Assault Transports loaded up with stormtroopers. The dropships no longer were sporting the red, white, and green color scheme. Instead the red and green had been replaced by a dark bluish grey, and black imperial sigils were painted on the side. "And I also have three more platoons waiting on standby should their assistance be required sir."
Briefly Vader felt mildly impressed by the stormtrooper captain. Precious few have the courage to take initiative anymore. It has unfortunately become difficult to find competent officers since the rise of the Empire. If the captain performs well, and survives, he is due for a promotion. "Very good captain. Your initiative and foresight pleases me. Return to your men and be prepared for immediate departure."
"Yes sir!" Without wasting a single moment more the captain turned on his heel and jogged back to his troops. Not paying the stormtroopers any more attention, Vader climbed aboard his starfighter, and started his preflight checks. Years of experience in the Clone Wars had reduced the inane action to almost pure "muscle" memory. Fuel? Check. Thruster functionality? Check. Directional manipulators in good condition? Check. Astromech unit? Check. Everything on the starfighter from blasters to s-foils checked out good, though tedious the process was necessary for pilots. If one doesn't understand the condition of their craft the pilot wouldn't know how far they could push it. Back on track, not long after finishing his preflight checks his comms crackled to life. "Lord Vader. All preflight checks complete. You are clear for takeoff." Suppressing his annoyance with being told the obvious, he flew out of the hangar followed closely by the two gunships. "Transports, I want you to form up on my wing. All weapons hot, If anything on that planet proves hostile. Kill it."
"Yes sir!" Immediately he saw the two gunships move into formation on both his flanks and slightly behind him. In front of him the planet grew ever closer, more specifically, the south of the largest continent grew closer.
It wasn't long until Darth Vader could no longer see the whole planet, it had been replaced by vast lush green forests dotted sparsely with lights. "Interesting…"
It seems there is some form of civilization on this planet, though how advanced, or primitive, the civilization may be is anyone's guess. "Pilots, there's a clearing five kilometers ahead. Circle the clearing once at half speed. If there's anything in that forest I want to know about it. After circling, set down and deploy."
"Yes sir!"
"Roger."
The doors on the gunships opened up, revealing all the stormtroopers within. Briefly he saw the same Captain from before gesturing as if he were shouting orders. There was a collective nod from the troops in both transports, and then five troops sat down on both sides of both gunships, legs dangling over the edge and blasters raised and scanning the forest. Behind them were the rest of the troopers, also scanning the forest with their blasters.
It was honestly refreshing to be working with troops who actually knew what they were doing again. Those new flash clones starting to fill the ranks are a headache at best. Half the time they don't even know what they're doing, and don't even get him started on their combat effectiveness. Still, at least they looked good when they marched or stood there doing nothing.
Following his orders the gunships circled once at a relatively slow speed. From the lack of weapons discharge it's safe to assume they didn't see anything. Before long the gunships had landed, deploying a full platoon of stormtroopers, who wasted zero time in setting up a perimeter and E-Webs. In a matter of seconds a defensive position had been established. They even left the perfect amount of space in the center for him to land. How thoughtful of them.
Gently his starfighter landed between the two gunships. The top of his black actis popped open, allowing him to stand at his full height. He looked around, once more appreciating the efficiency of proper soldiers. Jumping down from the top of the craft, and landing on the cold dirt the dark lord started walking towards the tree line. "Hold this position till I return Captain."
"Yes my lord!"
Vader didn't even move to acknowledge the stormtrooper. He just kept on walking. It didn't take very long for him to notice that despite there being some form of sentient life present, the planet was unnaturally quiet. No sounds of insects or small animals, just the sound of a slight breeze. It gave a certain feeling of wrongness. Not something particularly bad, more like something was off. Which was only extrapolated by the sudden intrusion of distant sounding blaster fire. "Captain, report."
There was a brief crackle of static before weapons discharge and roars blared through his commlink. "Large swarm of hostile wildlife! Most are moving past us towards your position! We'll hold until you return sir!"
"Acknowledged Captain." He had no way of knowing the "hostile wildlife" was being attracted to the massive amount of negative emotions literally pouring from him like a beacon. A beacon attracting dozens, and soon to be hundreds, of black creatures.
After traveling about two or three kilometers from the gunships he saw a relatively small wall. It was easily five, maybe even six meters tall, and it surrounded a primitive looking village. The best part? It was almost completely unguarded, save a few sentries.
His entrance into the village had been rather unremarkable, no need to make a spectacle or intimidate the locals. Such acts would only serve to impede his progress. A simple Force jump served his purpose quite well. Feeling through the force brought him close towards the center of the village, more specifically a primitive medical facility of some form. It didn't take long, maybe a couple of minutes, for Vader to reach the room that drew him from across time and space. To his immense surprise it was filled with newborn babies. Opening the door with a flick of his hand, he strode in and walked past several sleeping babies, only stopping when he arrived in front of the infant leaking power like a faulty reactor.
"Interesting… such power from one so young." He gazed at the baby for a moment before reaching for it. However much to his annoyance he sensed someone entering the room before he could grab the infant. It's odd, he should have been able to sense them long before whoever it was reached the door. Turning around he saw a short woman in her late twenties wearing some form of medical garbs step into the room while looking at some flimsy in her left hand whilst holding a mug of what looks like caf in her right hand.
"Alright next is to check and se-" She stopped mumbling to herself to gape at the imposing figure of Vader looming over her. "Wha-" Was all she could say before he grasped her throat with telekinesis, forcing her to drop what was in her hands in favor of trying to free her throat from the invisible "hand" clutching it.
"Tell me, what is the name of this child?"
"R-rouge Branwen." The poor nurse barely managed to choke out the words between strangled attempts at breathing.
"Rogue Branwen." He parroted as he clenched his outstretched fist snapping the nurse's neck. With her death he noticed he didn't feel anything. Not emotionally speaking, he no longer felt for those he killed. It was surprising he didn't notice it before. Aside from the baby in his arms, the inhabitants of this planet possessed almost no presence within the Force. He's never encountered anything like this before. A people naturally able to avoid detection in the Force. There have been some animals with similar Force resistance abilities but nothing quite like this. Force abilities and such still affect them, but they're remarkably difficult to sense. That fact alone makes the infant in his arms all the more special. Focusing on one of the other babies, he found that he could indeed feel it, but he needed to be actively looking for the weak presence. It was like squinting your eyes to see something better, but with the Force instead of eyes.
On his way out of the facility sirens started to wail throughout the village. Stepping outside he was greeted by black creatures possessing glowing crimson eyes with what looked like bone masks swarming the walls and sky. This must be the hostile wildlife the trooper captain was talking about. Interestingly enough the black creatures were being fought off by some form of warriors exhibiting strange powers. He'll have to have this be further investigated.
Vader, not caring about the lives of the defenders, focused the Force into his body and leaped over the walls. Landing gently just outside the wall, he began his walk back to the ship. He never noticed one of the larger airborne creatures crashing down onto the medical facility, crushing it and killing all inside. When the infant instinctively grabbed at his chest something inside the dark lord softened, and he briefly wondered if this was what it would have been like to hold his own child. Though his current situation was far more twisted in comparison to what might've been.
He stopped when a twig snapped to his right. Suddenly a massive black creature covered in strange bone-like protrusions was leaping at him with a thunderous roar. Its arms were reaching forwards in preparation to tackle him, and its maw was wide open, ready to clamp down on his shoulder. His right hand snapped to his lightsaber, he swung it upwards as it activated neatly bisecting the creature from shoulder to hip. The carcass flew past him and tumbled a bit. Examining his attacker he noted not only did this creature also lack a noticeable presence in the force, the corpse's eyes had noticeably dimmed, lacking the glow he'd noticed on others of its kind. Then the body started dissolving into a black smoke-like substance right before his eyes. "Fascinating…"
It seems this planet had many curiosities surrounding and on it. His decision to place an observation post is becoming more and more justified with each passing second. Dismissing the corpse he made his way back to the landing zone.
"Ah, lord Vader!" It seemed the trooper captain survived. "Good news. The perimeter remains unbroken with only a few minor injuries."
Oh? Perhaps the good captain was more competent than he anticipated. He regarded the captain with a critical eye, his armor was a bit scratched up, but intact, and the end of his blaster's barrel was blackened from constant use. "If I may ask my lord, what is that you're holding?"
"No questions asked, Captain."
He nodded. "Of course my lord." Competent and obedient, how pleasing.
"Pack up, we're leaving." He nodded and moved to carry out his orders. "One last thing Captain."
He stopped and turned to face him. "Yes my lord?"
"Congratulations on your new rank, Commander." He brushed past the newly promoted stormtrooper, and climbed into his starfighter. The canopy closed, and he fired up the engines. "Welcome to the Empire my new Apprentice."
Qrow was honestly still a little sore from defending the village last night. It was a really strange Grimm attack in all aspects. One moment it seemed like an infinite amount of Grimm were falling upon them, the next they were picking off stragglers. Most of the Grimm retreated to somewhere else. Which is an Ill omen, normally only ancient Grimm have the intellect to even consider retreat. A whole horde doing it? That's bad. Nonetheless, he walked to the local clinic with a slight smile on his face. He was looking forward to seeing his son again, Summer was already at the clinic, being far too excited to wait for him to get ready. However as he approached the clinic he saw that it didn't escape the battle intact. His face turned from an enthusiastic grin to a terrified gape. He broke into a full sprint towards what remained of the clinic, praying to whatever gods were out there that his son was alright.
He ran like a man possessed. The clinic should be visible from anywhere in the village being the only building reaching three stories tall, and yet he couldn't see it anymore. Rounding the corner he reached the small courtyard in front of where the clinic is supposed to be, and saw the courtyard was intact, but the clinic was nothing more than a pile of rubble. Frantically, he looked around only to see Summer sitting on a bench away from all the wounded with a blank expression and dead look in her eyes. Walking up to her caused a pit to form in his stomach. She didn't even seem to register his presence until he'd wrapped his arms around her, and as soon as she noticed it was indeed Qrow that was hugging her, she latched onto him and started sobbing uncontrollably into his shirt.
"Q-Qrow… *sniffle* t-they said… *sniffle* there were n-no survivors." As Summer tried to choke out words between the sobbing, Qrow just silently hugged her with tears of his own gliding down his cheeks. He should've known better than trying to have a family, misfortune was a cruel semblance, and he wondered what he had done to deserve such cruelty.
Summer was currently on a "vacation", well it's less of a vacation, and more of her just aimlessly walking around Vale looking for something to do. It had been a little over a month after Rouge's death. The loss of their son had been too much for either Qrow or Summer to handle, and the two drifted apart because of it. Qrow began only accepting solo missions and picked up drinking heavily to try and drown at least some of his sorrow, believing it was his fault, more specifically his semblance's fault, that their son had died. As she walked her gaze kept drifting to the happy families all around her, mothers and fathers holding hands with their children, just being able to enjoy each other's presence. The sight caused an unpleasant feeling to well up in her chest. Envy was a very dangerous emotion. Probably the most dangerous actually. Yet, she couldn't help the envy growing in her heart. Why did the world take her son away?! Had she not dedicated herself to all that was good? So then why? Why did she wish it had been them instead of her?
She shook her head, banishing such horrid thoughts from her mind. A flash of red in her right peripheral caught her attention. Turning to look, she saw someone she was actually glad to see. Though her smile ended up being a tad strained. "Raven! It's good to see you."
The pale, black haired beauty gave a small smile. "Summer, it's good to see you as well." Her face shifted into a more neutral look. "I've been needing to talk with you."
She knew from Raven's tone that whatever was going on with her was important, and as such required a serious composure, but experience with Raven led to her remaining casual. Being tense and serious would only work up Raven's nerves, however staying casual would help ease her and make her more comfortable to talk. "Sure, I know just the place."
It didn't take long to reach the place, but it certainly felt like a long time with the suffocatingly awkward silence. Though when they had actually arrived Raven looked at her with a curious brow raised. "Muffled Munch?"
She nodded her head. "It's a karaoke cafe whose selling point is soundproof rooms to enjoy privacy while you sing or drink coffee and snack."
Raven raised an eyebrow, and hummed in appreciation. "That's perfect, but how did you…"
She chuckled. Understanding Raven is something she's unquestionably the best at. Being her bestie and all. "No offense Rae, but you're not exactly subtle when you want privacy."
Raven gave an amused snort, some of the tension leaving her form. "That's something I'll have to work on."
"Good luck Rae, Qrow and Tai might be a bit daft at times when it comes to figuring you out, but I'll always be able to understand my bestie." Even as they talked the two never stopped moving and were shortly at the entrance. "Room for two please."
The hostess waiting by the door smiled, and gestured for them to follow. "Right this way."
The interior was just as she remembered it. A mixture of the pillars Valean architecture is so fond of, and the smooth and elegant curves of Atlesian architecture. The overall design is accented by soft white and blue colors, giving is a more serene look. Some would say it's impossible to fit those architecture styles in something as small as a cafe, and they'd be partially correct. While the cafe is not small per say, it's most certainly not big. The building itself has three floors, but it's not any "wider" than the average street-side store. So through some clever engineering the hallways are able to allow two people to walk side by side-
"Here you go, enjoy your desserts." Wait, already?! Had she seriously been lost in thought on architecture of all things?! Wait, why is there a cookie cake in front of her? Why is she even sitting? Had she ordered unconsciously?! Holy shit she needs a hobby.
She managed to gather herself and smile. "Thank you very much." The waitress smiled back and left the room, closing the door with a soft click.
"Right, what did you need to talk about?" Whatever it is, it's certainly important enough to Raven for her to want privacy. Especially important if she went straight to her instead of Tai. Mmmm… this cookie cake is heavenly. Hmm, could she learn to make this?
"I'm leaving Tai and Yang."
Her fork slipped from her grasp and clattered on her plate. She gaped at Raven with wide uncomprehending eyes. "...what?"
Raven sighed. "I know what I'm asking is cruel-"
"Cruel?!" She snapped in fury. "You're abandoning Tai. You're abandoning your own daughter! How could you even think of this!?" She couldn't fucking believe this! Raven has everything Summer couldn't, and she just wants to throw it away?! It's inconceivable to her. The loss of her son, along with her and Qrows relationship collapsing devastated her, and Raven wants to just abandon Tai and Yang?! Un-fucking-acceptable!
"Summer, I-"
"Don't "Summer" me!" She was shouting, though she didn't even notice the extra strain on her vocal cords. "You have a family! A husband who loves you! A daughter barely a week old! They will be devastated if you abandon them!"
"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT?!" Raven roared, slamming her fist on the table. "YOU THINK I WANT TO DO THIS?!"
"THEN WHY ARE YOU?!" She roared right back at Raven, slamming her hands on the table and standing in challenge.
"TO PROTECT THEM!"
"...what?"
Raven explosively sighed and collapsed into her chair with her head in her hands. "Three days ago I was at the tribe to check on them. Make sure they weren't kicking up a rapier wasp's nest in Mistral." She paused, working her mouth in a way that looked like she didn't quite know what to say. "There was… someone new at the camp. The Spring Maiden." Summer let out a slight gasp. "She was young, not a small child, but still quite young. She was practically in tears, shaking in fear. The girl was saying how she overheard Lionheart say someone in the tribe knew about the shadow war, aka me, and she came to the camp hoping to find a way out. Not wanting any part in our secret war."
"I'm sensing a "but" here…"
"But she didn't want Ozpin protection. She figured if he hadn't already won then she thought he never would. So if he would never win, then she thought she should join the one who would."
She gaped at Raven. "S-she wanted to join Salem?!"
Raven nodded. "And who best to get her to Salem than a bunch of pillage hungry murder machines who are aware of the "war". After all, who in their right mind would think bandits would work with Ozpin, or vise versa?"
"So what happened? Is she still at the camp?"
"I killed her."
"Y-you what?" She gasped out the words in shock. Not over the fact that Raven killed someone. It's not exactly a secret she has a ruthless side, but to kill a Maiden? That would be a surprise no matter who said it.
"She was near hysterical and wasn't going to change her mind. I couldn't let Salem get her hands on the maidens powers. So I killed her, which made me the Spring Maiden."
All of a sudden everything made sense. Why Raven was leaving everything behind. "You're distancing yourself so they don't become targets."
She nodded. "I can't let anybody suspect I still care for them, it would only put them in more danger. I'll permanently return to the tribe, and convince everyone I'm some cold hearted bitch. Play up the persona so much that I might even convince myself."
"And you want me to give her a mother figure, because you can't." Raven didn't speak. Only giving a sad nod. Summer slumped back into her seat. She thought back to her own failed "attempt" at starting a family, and the jealousy she felt towards those who succeeded. Could she do it? Could she fill the hole in her heart left by the death of her son with Yang? The idea of replacing her dead son was wrong, but she couldn't help thinking that's exactly what she was doing. Her gut twisted as her emotions clashed with her sense of right and wrong. "Alright Rae, I'll do it. I'll look after Yang for you."
Raven slumped in relief, not happy, but reassured. Summer however, felt like she had just swallowed something particularly foul. "Your request doesn't entirely explain this though. With your new maiden powers and Ozpin's protection you could protect them."
Raven didn't speak for what seemed like hours, her face set in a scowl. "I… I've learned some things since becoming a maiden. I can't protect them from her, nor can Ozpin."
"What do you mean?"
"I… can't explain. I'm sorry," Her eyes narrowed at the taller woman, scrutinizing every inch of her face. She saw nothing but fear, and… shame? Her eyes softened. Whatever Raven learned had shattered her. She was no longer that brave, bullheaded huntress. She was a woman too terrified to even raise her own daughter. She wouldn't push any further on the topic, but she would do something worthwhile. "...hey Rae?"
"Yeah?" And what's more worthwhile...
"You think anybody's done it in one of these rooms?"
...than telling a joke?
Raven gaped at her, eyes practically bugged out of her skull. Too stunned in disbelief in what she just heard to say anything, then she burst into uncontrollable laughter. It was a laughter so full of joy that Summer couldn't help the chuckle escape from her mouth.
"Bwahaha. Y-yeah… probably. Hehehe. Have you ever thought about how the term "staff member" is sexual?"
"No… why?"
"Because both of those words mean penis." Summer couldn't help but to burst into laughter as well. Both of them continued to crack horrid sex jokes and laugh. Temporarily forgetting their troubles.
"Laddie."
No response.
"Listen, if ya don' answer me I gon' take yer booze."
"What do you want Hector?" He let out a sigh. He doesn't know what happened to Qrow, but whatever happened was real bad. Like the very light of his life was snuffed out. "What happin' to ya lad? A wee couple months ago ye were a bright soul bout to be a father, but ye been drinkin yer brains out for da past week. So, what happen'?"
"The Grimm happened."
He didn't say anything, just nodded in response. Reaching under the bar he pulled out a bottle of Mr. Molasses Apple Whiskey, and slid it to the poor lad. "What the...?"
"I know what yer goin through, I lost much to da war, and to da Grimm, yah will need da booze." He emphasized his point by pointing at the missing chunk of his cheek, and went back to cleaning a glass, never once looking at Qrow. "So trust meh when ay say it'll get bettah. Fer now though, just take er slow. Yah will thank meh in da mornin'."
"Thanks Hector…" The poor lad mumbled out.
He smiled. "Shut it lad, I said tuh thank meh in da mornin'."
A.N./ And that's the end of the revised first chapter! The original chapter was garbage and took me roughly a week to make even though the majority of it was typed in one day. As you can see this update took over two years of on and off editing to make. Quite the difference I must say.
Don't expect regular or often updates for this story as I have trouble focusing on one task for long periods of time unless I am really into it. This story will NOT die without notice unless I die without notice. Even if it does get dropped by me I WILL post the outline so someone can pick it up, and continue my wish of a well written kickass Star Wars and RWBY crossover.
For reference this chapter takes place roughly around 17 BBY on the Star Wars calendar so if you spot any inconsistencies that I missed please point them out.
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!
Peace muh dudes!
Posted on 7/24/2020
Edit 07/02/2022: Fixed some punctuation, wording, and grammatical issues throughout this monster of a chapter.