Yeah, you guys should stop being surprised by now. It's another pilot.
So I was doing some thinking while writing up another pilot with a similar concept, that being a bounty hunter. A while back I saw a Mandalorian in Remnant story where it was some guy during the Old Republic that gets thrown into Remnant before season 1 starts and I thought, "$10 says I can do something similar yet different," and here I am. I also saw an interesting Jedi one so maybe I'll revisit that one as well. Who knows?
But anyway, back on topic. So why did I decide on a bounty hunter? Well, it sort of seems like a job that would be readily available in Remnant considering that criminal elements, as well as Grimm, tend to have their way with society. That, and it is almost like a job that anyone with a set of balls of steel would be able to do without formal Hunter/Huntress training; not to say that any schmuck could do it, but you get my meaning. Now the second thing I'm going to do to this bounty hunter is that I'm going to make him a Mandalorian. Yeah, yeah. Get it out of your system now and groan, I'll wait. Done? Good.
The reason I'm going this route is because I can. That, and I sort of want a Mando wrecking shit up. Now all I've gotten left is to give this guy a Semblance and an eventual team. Well, the team is going to remain a mystery to you guys, but the Semblance is something that I can do now. The Force. Once more I'll wait for you to have your groan fest. Done? Good.
Now in new canon that Star Wars has done the Force can awaken an anyone. Ezra Bridger wasn't the child of two Jedi, Rey (as far as we know at this specific point) didn't have parents that were Jedi, and we don't even know who Finn's parents are so it's safe to assume his parents weren't Jedi either. What's to say that it can't awaken in this guy too? There isn't anything saying that.
Now the only thing left is to establish when in the Star Wars canon this will take place in. I was thinking post-Return of the Jedi as there's a lot of time in between RTJ and TFA. I'm thinking maybe 5 years after is when this guy is born. Still far enough away from the new canon and far away from making an impact on the Original Trilogy, it's a win-win. And without further ado, the disclaimer.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my laptop and my copy of MS Word. Star Wars belongs to Disney and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth. Only original characters and scenarios belong to me.
Rating: T–M as there will be violence, albeit I don't know how bloody, and there might be an opportunity for sex or at least romantic, amorous activity being hinted at. To what degree, I do not know exactly.
XxXxXxX
"Talking."
'Thinking.'
[ Suggested music ]
XxXxXxX
"My son, we are part of a larger galaxy," a husky, age rattled man's voice said.
"Death is a natural part of life," an ethereal wise being said.
"We Mandalorians are warriors who welcome all and respect very few. Vode an, brothers all."
"No matter what happens, we will always love you," a female's voice said sadly.
"Show them that the old traditions, the code of the warrior, is worth defending."
A pair of blue eyes snapped open and looked around the small coffins like device he laid inside of. His breath fogged the transparisteel observation window in front of him. He was freezing cold, but the little cryogenic unit was quickly heating up. There was a hiss of released air as the door containing him inside opened and equalized the pressure from inside the pod and the outside room. Whatever breath he was holding turned into hacking up fluid from his lungs, causing him to collapse on the ground to his knees. Once he caught his second wind he took a deep breath and looked around.
The air smelled stale as if the life support system had gone offline. In front of him was a collapsed form of someone in Mandalorian armor and nearby that were a set of mostly intact bones with a woman's tattered clothing covering them. On the ground between them was a single scroll. The boy picked it up and turned it back on.
When it had finally powered on there was only one item on the home screen: a video file. Hesitantly, he tapped on it and the video player launched. When it loaded the still image of his father was on the screen. "Ordo," his father greeted, "if you are watching this then both I and your mother are dead and Mountain Glen has fallen." Ordo fell back onto the ground with this revelation, the scroll clattering on the rubber coated, slip-proof floor. "We placed you inside the Cryo pod that the Schnee Dust Company developed to get you safely through the fall while you were still asleep. As per traditions my armor and weapons are now yours, as is your mother's; may they serve you well as they served us for many years. If there is anything left of our bodies, burn them. There is money hidden in the safe, this scroll will give you access. May you one day forgive us for leaving you alone.
"I don't know how long you'll be inside suspended animation and what time you'll be released if fail safes have been activated like they should have or not. Your mother and I wish you happiness in life. Fall in love, have a few kids, do whatever makes you happy, and fight for something you believe in. Remember this: even though we are dead, so long as you remember us we will live forever. Goodbye."
The video stopped and went back to the home screen. A few tears escaped his eyes as he finally came to terms with his parents being dead.
He then picked up his father's intact, discarded helmet and placed it on his head.
XxXxXxX
Seven years later. Vale. Night.
A lone, armored figure crouched on the top of a fairly tall apartment building with his helmet's targeting rangefinder lowered. Inside his T-visored helmet, he saw the holographic display showing several figures walking towards a store called 'From Dust Till Dawn', all of them carrying weapons, swords to be precise. The rangefinder zoomed in on the thuggish looking ones. The back door that he had installed in the Vale criminal database revealed them to be in the employ of one Junior. He then had the rangefinder zoomed in on the one carrying a cane and smoking a cigar. He turned around for a split second allowing the rangefinder to take a snapshot and run it through the backdoor revealing the man's true target: one Roman Torchwick. A small display appeared on the right side of the rangefinder where it showed a mugshot from a few years ago for petty larceny and money laundering. Added were a set of new charges including armed robbery, assault, assault with a deadly weapon, loitering, and six unpaid parking tickets. There was a current bounty on him for five thousand Lien, alive; zero dead.
The man smirked and said, "Why hello there, Mr. Torchwick; I found you." He tapped the side of his helmet retracting the viewfinder returning his helmet to its iconic state. "It's not like you're trying to even lay low."
He then stood up and engaged his jetpack, flying to an appropriate vantage point to ambush them on the way out. After all, the thugs had swords and pistols, extremely effective at close ranges but unreliable if not ineffective against longer ranges; well, unless you were a marksman at long ranges with small caliber pistols. He stood on top of the nearest building to the door that left a visual on the store itself and waited.
He didn't need a rangefinder to see that they were robbing the place. Strangely they were going after Dust and not money. It wasn't unusual to steal commodities as Lien was primarily digital in terms of currency and was both regulated and monitored; something that he remembered his father criticizing once over dinner and how it should have been backed up with some kind of valuable commodity like gold, similarly how the Republic Credit was, according to his father in what he told him long ago. One of the thugs walked towards the back of the store and drew his sword before he was out of his line of sight. Less than thirty seconds later the same man came crashing back towards the window. This drew the attention of one of the other thugs and he too went to investigate. Seconds later that thug flew out of the window in a black and red blur.
When the dust settled a girl a few years younger than him stood up and a very elaborate scythe unfolded. The man only knew of one scythe wielder that was widely well known and that was currently on the other side of the Kingdom right now, so who was this?
The remaining thugs and Torchwick stepped out of the store and looked on to the girl. He considered dropping down and assisting the girl, primarily as it was a five on one fight.
He could hear Torchwick comment, "Ok..." He then looked to his thugs and commanded, "Get her."
The four thugs ran in with weapons drawn but to no avail as the girl took them down easily, using her scythe's secondary function as a rifle to propel her to dodge sprays of SMG rounds, slamming her scythe into the thugs knocking them all out.
The last thug landed in front of Roman and the armored man stepped off the ledge. "You were worth every cent, truly you were," Torchwick commented sarcastically. "Well red, I think we can both say that tonight has been an eventful evening," he said as he put out his cigar with his cane. "I would love to stick around and chat, but this is where we part ways," he said as he leveled his cane at the girl.
The armored man then engaged his jetpack and landed on his feet and drew a single pistol and leveled it at Torchwick's head. "Roman Torchwick," he said, his voice distorted making it sound much more menacing than it really was, "you're going to pay this month's rent."
"Ok... Who are you and why would I pay your rent?" he asked in confusion.
"I'm a bounty hunter, and the bounty on you covers my rent, hence you'll pay my rent. I would advise surrendering, you are worth nothing dead."
Without warning, Torchwick fired two Dust enhanced explosives towards both the girl and the hunter. The hunter dodged by engaging his jetpack to get out of the way and the girl leaped out of the way. Both the hunter and the girl looked around for the vanished criminal. The girl managed to spot Torchwick first and asked the shopkeeper, "You alright if I go after him?" The old man affirmed her question and she took off with impressive speed towards a ladder on the apartment building that the hunter had been on earlier.
The hunter engaged his jetpack once more and quickly landed on the rooftop of the apartment building at the same time that the girl launched herself up using her... sniper rifle? Scythe? Scythle? (1) He pulled out his TL-50 rifle and aimed the three-barreled rifle at Torchwick as 'Red' said, "Hey!"
"Persistent," Torchwick muttered.
"I sort of have to be to get paid," the hunter replied.
The hunter could feel that Torchwick was going to make some kind of remark but didn't as the sound of engines drowned out any sound as a Bullhead rose from behind the building. 'How the kriffing hell did I miss that?' the hunter asked.
After the Bullhead finished rising and the side-door opened allowing Torchwick to climb inside it. The hunter engaged his viewfinder once more and analyzed potential weak points in the Bullhead to paralyze it.
"End of the line!" Torchwick shouted over the engines right before tossing a red Dust crystal towards the two. The hunter dodged out of the way, feeling the immediate danger but the girl looked at the crystal and didn't notice Torchwick aiming his cane at the volatile crystal. The Dust crystal exploded in a wave of heat and fire as the cane's projectile connected with it. The hunter was certain that the girl was now dead, a shame really. Torchwick whooped and hollered at his kill.
When the dust cleared both the hunter and Torchwick were shocked to see a purple glyph that absorbed the explosion altogether. The rangefinder immediately identified her as Glynda Goodwitch, an instructor, and Huntress. 'Great, another person trying to weasel their way into my bounty,' the hunter thought.
She adjusted her glasses with an unimpressed humph. She then swung her riding crop and purple projectiles started to assault the Bullhead causing it to shake and lose control to an extent. Roman ran into the cockpit and a moment later the Bullhead regained control but the Huntress sent out another glyph, this time summoning a storm of razor-sharp ice shard to rain upon the Bullhead. A woman in red took Torchwick's place, strategic shadows hid her facial features, but the rangefinder still recorded them none-the-less for future reference. Her clothes glowed red right before she fired a bolt of pure fire at the Huntress, seeing her as the larger threat. Glynda summoned another glyph to protect herself.
What looked like molten metal dripped onto the ground and glowed right before a beam of pure energy flew up from the rooftop attempting to completely incinerate the Huntress. What happened next had the hunter impressed, the Huntress used the shards of asphalt rooftop and assembled them into a spear and flung it at the Bullhead. The Red Woman blasted it with more fire, but it reassembled itself and continued on its way. It hit the Bullhead taking off a significant amount of the armor plating on the roof of the vehicle. It then split up and assaulted the Bullhead on several fronts at once. The Red Woman then did something involving glyphs because a pulse wave of fire energy incinerated the asphalt into ashes, leaving nothing left for the Huntress to use as an improvised weapon.
The Bullhead turned to leave and the girl folded up her scythe and turned it into a rifle and started to fire on it. The hunter aimed his own triple-barreled rifle and started to unleashed a barrage of blaster bolts into the Bullhead, the high pitched whine creating a unique sound in the night. He watched on his HUD as the overheat meter reached the safety release and stopped firing right before charging up the secondary function and releasing a concussion blast that arced and hit one of the engines causing it to list slightly as the impact hit. The girl, on the other hand, aimed at the Woman to no avail as she blocked each of the rifle bullets. The hunter then switched from his overheated rifle to his WESTAR model pistol (2) and fired several shots towards the woman herself. She was shocked as one managed to make contact with her loose clothing flapping in the wake of the engines and burning a hole straight through it.
The Woman then summoned several circles of energy beneath all of them, causing the two to jump out of the way and the hunter to use his jetpack to launch himself backward to avoid the blasts. By the time they all recovered the door to the Bullhead had closed and it started to fly off. The hunter aimed his gauntlet armed with a tracking dart at the Bullhead, but the targeting lock was lost before he could fire it off. The hunter turned his viewfinder off with a disappointed sigh.
"You're a Huntress," Red announced to Glynda. There was an air of a pause right before the girl 'squeed' "Can I have your autograph?!"
The next thing the young bounty hunter knew he was in an interrogation room, his weapons and gauntlets confiscated, however, they did leave him with his armor. He sat in the one chair that the local authorities had set him down in and he knew that they were watching him. Around an hour passed before a man with gray hair walked in with a mug of hot chocolate in a mug, the smell was quite distinctive, and a smile that at least made him a non-immediate threat.
"Ordo Larr, you're quite an interesting puzzle," the man asked. Ordo only raised an eyebrow. "Oh, but where are my manners? I am Professor Ozpin, headmaster-."
"Of Beacon," Ordo finished.
Ozpin sat in the chair opposite him. "So you have heard of me then?"
"I know of all the major players around the globe. Schnee, Ironwood, you, and so on."
"You are quite knowledgeable for someone your age," Ozpin complemented. "The police confiscated many weapons from you."
"You have to be well armed when dealing with underworld scum and Grimm."
Ozpin then did something expected, he pulled out one of Ordo's WESTAR series blaster pistols from his coat. "This is an interesting weapon you have here. I can tell that it has been extensively modified from its original configuration." He turned it over, allowing it to sit in his hand, almost tempting Ordo to take it. "You, or someone well versed in weapons, figured out how to fuel the gun's projectiles with Dust in a gaseous state creating particle based bolts instead of bullets. I've only seen this type of weapon configuration before one other time, and that was almost thirty years ago. And you certainly aren't the person I knew that used these thirty years ago, but you do look like him."
"You knew my father?" Ordo asked in shock.
Ozpin hummed, "Oh yes. He was a great man. Honorable, had a sense of right and wrong, and a mean streak a mile wide, but his wife certainly kept that in check." He then straightened up and set the pistol on the table. "Although, I am curious. How is a teenager who should be almost forty-seven still a teenager? Have you found the Fountain of Youth?" Ozpin joked.
"Mother and father had a plan for me. In the case, Mountain Glenn fell I was to be placed into suspended animation while I slept. Seven years ago the power failsafe kicked in and I was released. I saw their bodies, or what was left of them. Father left a message to me on his scroll saying goodbye."
"I am sorry for your loss."
"Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la. Not gone, merely marching far away (3)," Ordo replied.
Ozpin chuckled, "I see you've learned the same language your father spoke."
"It is my heritage, I am honored to learn and speak it."
"I'm certain that he would be pleased about that. Your mother, though, I'm not entirely certain," he mused. "But certainly you didn't think I would be speaking with you just to find out your darkest secrets. I wish to recruit you."
"For?"
"Beacon, to become a Huntsman."
"And why would I do that?"
Ozpin raised an eyebrow, "Your little bounty hunting business is going well then?"
"It pays the bills," Ordo admitted. That was a slight lie as he was losing more money each month with rising costs of having to resupply after each successful 'hunt' which usually involved deadbeats not paying their debts or small time criminals. The warrior inside him craved something more worthy of his skills, but the experience that he had officially was almost nil and therefore wasn't able to get his hands on more lucrative bounties that paid more.
"Oh? Wouldn't you like something that really challenged your skillset? Something that, in the end, helps people?" Ordo didn't say anything but Ozpin slid forward a closed envelope towards Ordo and placed it under his pistol. "Why don't you take the night to sleep on it? The airship leaving for Beacon leaves at 8 am sharp. Or you could just fly there on your jetpack." Ozpin then stood up and added, "You can pick up your weapons on the way out, the officers have been told to do so."
Ozpin left the room leaving the door open behind him. Ordo stood up himself and took his pistol and holstered it in one of his empty thigh holsters. He then took a second glance at the white envelope and took a step towards the door before stopping. He didn't know why, but he walked back into the room and grabbed the envelope.
XxXxXxX
Airship en route to Beacon Academy. 8:30 am.
Ordo leaned against one of the walls of the airship checking over one of his gauntlets and the weapons on it as he observed the potential students around him. There was the Red girl from the other day standing next to a blonde bombshell, their body language suggested that they were very familiar with each other; either extended family, very good friends, or lovers. There was one boy that looked absolutely airsick and was stumbling around like a drunken monkey, thankfully there wasn't any monkey Faunus to take offense at that. Ordo made sure to make a note to stay away from him until they landed as he didn't want to clean vomit off of his armor. There was a girl with a black bow sitting rather distantly from everyone else, suggesting potential antisocial behaviors. He couldn't see anyone else of note other than a hyperactive redhead girl next to a very stoic and quiet raven haired boy in green. Wait, change that. There was ONE person of note that he caught a glimpse of Pyrrha Nikos, three-time champion. (4)
As Ordo fiddled with his gauntlet the image that was on the glass changed from a crystal clear glass pane with a local news report on Torchwick's attempted robbery to Glenda Goodwitch. He didn't really pay any real attention to the recorded message that he was sure all Beacon students got as they were flown in. He finished recalibration the wrist mounted rocket launcher to release its payload more cleanly, a timing issue that he had fixed several times in the past, right as the message ended and the image faded allowing the students to look on to the school; and Ordo had to say, it was quite the impressive structure. It was certainly a bastion of hope in a world of darkness and uncertainty. Literally, as well as it looked a bit like a lighthouse beacon.
There was a retching sound as the young man that had been wandering around woozily vomited on the shoes of the bombshell, pissing off the girl. Ordo chuckled as he managed to avoid that situation. The airship docked soon after and the students began to disembark from the craft. Ordo made sure he was one of the last off to avoid stares especially since his… ensemble was different than what other students and Huntsmen used.
When only a small handful remained he picked up the hard case that held much of his maintenance equipment and picked up a rucksack that contained spare clothing and swung that over his shoulder. Ordo walked towards the school and was surprised when there was a small explosion of fire near the Red girl and the Schnee heiress. Wicke? White? Weiss? Weiss, that was it. She went off on the younger girl. Oh yes, because she sneezed on her causing the explosion in the first place because of poor container practice. Ordo rolled his eyes at that, he had worked with Baradium before and that stuff was beyond volatile in which you could be vaporized before you noticed your mistake (5).
The girl with a bow then gave exposition that he already knew; such as the questionable labor force and business practices and partners that the Schnee Dust Company has had over the years. Weiss looked offended, well rightfully so at least in the terms of pride as that was her family's company; Ordo never thought she was right, though. Both bow-girl and Weiss walked away leaving a self-defeated Red on the ground. For whatever reason Ordo had a gut feeling to go over and help her up. It appeared that he wasn't the only one thinking that because another student dressed in white armor that had only a sword had the same idea as him.
"Hey," he greeted her, and Ordo by extension, "I'm Jaune."
"Ruby," she replied as she grabbed both of their hands as was lifted back to her feet. Seeing who Jaune was she laughed before remarking, "Aren't you the guy the threw up on the ship?"
"Yeah..."
"And I never caught your-," she said as she turned towards Ordo. "You're the guy from the other night!"
"I am Ordo Larr," Ordo greeted.
"You're a walking armory!" Jaune remarked as he looked at each of the weapons that Ordo had strapped to him; pistols, gauntlets containing dart launchers, wrist-mounted rocket launchers, flamethrowers, a carbonite thrower, and various other lethal concealed weapons. He also spotted the sole sword on his back which sat behind his jetpack.
"They are the tools of my trade," Ordo shrugged off.
They began to walk as Ruby changed the subject to Jaune getting motion sick and calling him 'vomit boy'. "All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much bigger problem than people let on," Jaune defended himself.
"I'm sorry, but vomit boy was the first thing that came to mind," Ruby apologized.
"Oh yeah, well what if I called you crater face?" Jaune shot back.
"Hey! That explosion was an accident!"
"In all fairness, it wasn't your fault," Ordo added as they approached a pond on the side of the school. "Ms. Schnee had horrible practices in the storage of a volatile substance."
"And you would have done better?"
"I would have used an airtight container that couldn't let air in or out leaving for a better shelf-life as well as preventing Dust from leaking out causing a potential disaster."
"Well, the name Jaune Arc," Jaune properly introduced himself, "it's short, sweet and rolls off the tongue. The ladies love it."
'Oh yeah, keep thinking that,' Ordo thought.
"Do they?" Ruby asked.
"They will," Jaune defended. "Well, I hope they will. I think my mom always says that- eh, nevermind."
Ruby laughed uncomfortably as she looked for a way to change the subject. She spotted one of the pistols in Ordo's holster and said, "Well, I've got this thing." She then pulled out and unfolded her scythe.
"Woah!" Jaune reeled in shock. "Is that a scythe?"
"It's also a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle," she added.
"What?"
"It's also a gun."
"Oh. That's cool."
"So what do you got?"
"Oh! Uh..." He fumbled as he unsheathed his sword. It was nothing special in design as it was your standard, double-bladed sword more than likely made of a Dust conductive metal. "I got this sword."
"Ooo," Ruby cooed.
"Yeah, I got this shield too."
"So... what do they do?" Ruby asked in reference to the transforming nature that most weapons had in transitioning from a firearm of some sort to a melee weapon.
Jaune then proceeded to fumble with his shield in a bumbling idiot-like fashion before managing to finally get a hold on it. "The shield gets smaller so when I get tired of carrying it I can just... put it away."
"But, wouldn't it weigh the same?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah, it does," Jaune replied defeatedly.
"Well, I am a bit of a dork with weapons and I guess I went a little overboard in designing it," Ruby admitted.
"Wait," Jaune said in shock, "you made that?"
"Of course! All students at Signal forge their own weapons."
"It is quite the impressive weapon," Ordo complimented. "Although the only change in style I would make is keeping a sidearm or a knife on your person, just in case."
"Thanks for the suggestion," Ruby replied. She then turned her attention to Jaune once more. "Didn't you make yours?"
"It's a hand-me-down," Jaune replied. "My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war."
"Sounds like a family heirloom to me," Ruby joked. "Well, I like it. Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days."
"Yeah... the classics."
"Don't feel too bad about it. My armor and weapons once belonged to my father," Ordo said.
"Your father made those?" Ruby asked.
"Not entirely. He modified them. Made them suit his needs. The only thing he really forged was the armor that I am now wearing with his father."
"You speak of him in the past-tense. What happened to him?" Jaune asked.
"He died," Ordo replied with no sadness, only fact. "Alongside my mother years ago."
Both of the two teens looked shocked and sad to hear that. "I'm sorry to hear that, it must have been rough growing up," Ruby apologized.
"It's no issue, I've come to terms with it. My father's people have a saying: 'Not gone, merely marching far away'."
"So tell us a bit about your weapons. Your armor is also very cool looking."
Ordo set down his hard case and rucksack. "I primarily use dual WESTAR model pistols in tandem with a sword." Ordo then drew his beskad. It was a simple enough looking blade with a single edge and a hilt that had an angled cross guard. "My gauntlets also include multiple weapons including poison dart launchers, flamethrowers, and wrist-mounted missile launchers and a few other surprises as well. I can also use several types of rifles in tandem with my jetpack."
"That's a jetpack!?" Jaune exclaimed.
"It is. It opens many opportunities for battle strategies. Not everyone you face will expect a flying enemy that can assault you from another angle quickly."
"Why use a sword and a pistol? Do they transform?" Ruby asked excitedly.
"They do not transform as I do not need them to. The less moving parts there are, the less likely you are to have a catastrophic malfunction." Ruby looked a little disappointed while Jaune looked a little happier in seeing another student using older weapon methods. "As to why this specific combination. Jaune would you be willing to assist me with a demonstration?"
"Uhh... what would you need me to do?" Jaune asked in confusion.
"Draw your sword and act as if you're going to slice me in half."
"Ok?" Jaune replied uncertainly.
Jaune drew his sword and swung slowly from his right to left. Ordo caught his sword with his own beskad and drew his pistol and placed it under Jaune's chin. "Dead," Ordo declared. He then sheathed his beskad and his pistol. "By parrying his attack and following it up immediately with my separate pistol makes using two separate weapons much more logical for my fighting style."
"I see..." Ruby replied in deep thought. Part of her thought that she had taken the wrong fighting style.
"Before you start thinking that you chose the wrong style of fighting or the wrong weapon, there is no such thing. Each person is built differently and their brain works differently in how they fight. Men have more muscle mass in their upper body, therefore, will have more brute force making my fighting style more valid for someone like me whereas someone like you who has a more petite frame and body, while also the female body type, makes more sense to have a more agile fighting style. In short, if it works for you, it works for you. Don't change what isn't broken, just be aware that there are other styles."
"That makes sense," Ruby admitted while reassured that she had made the right choice for herself. She then turned her attention to Jaune, "So why'd you two help me out back there in the courtyard?"
"Eh, why not? My mom says that strangers are friends you haven't met yet," Jaune replied.
Ordo shrugged, "My gut told me it was the right thing to do."
"Your gut?" Ruby asked.
"It's never been wrong before."
"So what's it telling you about us?" Ruby asked once more.
Ordo looked at both of them closely. "That you are the kind of person that would stand by your friends until the very end. That you're a capable fighter that still has much to learn, but would learn from experiences to better yourself. As for him? He's inexperienced but has a fighting spirit and wit. Same as you, he'd be willing to stick by his friends to the very end."
"You think I'm funny?" Jaune asked
"I said wit, not funny," Ordo clarified. "There's a difference."
"Hey, where are we going?" Ruby asked.
"I don't know, I was following you guys," Jaune admitted.
"We're in one of the courtyards on the west end of the campus," Ordo replied.
"How do you know?"
"I downloaded the map before we left the airship and I have it displayed on my HUD."
"Oh."
"So where do we need to be again?" Ruby asked innocently.
"The auditorium. Follow me," Ordo replied as he grabbed his things; the three-person group ran towards the auditorium in a haste as the ceremony was about to start.
XxXxXxX
It didn't take long for the trio to reach the auditorium with Ordo's help. As Ordo entered he removed his helmet and held it under his arm allowing both Jaune and Ruby to see his jet black hair and blue eyes. They walked through the doors themselves and almost immediately the bombshell from earlier called out to Ruby, "Ruby over here! I saved you a spot!"
"You know her?" Ordo asked.
"She's my sister," Ruby replied proudly. "I'll see you guys later," she waved as she left to join her sister.
'They must be step-siblings and share one parent because I barely see a resemblance,' Ordo thought with a shrug.
"Hey, wait!" Jaune shouted. "Oh, great. Where else am I to find a nice, quirky girl to talk to?" He asked as he walked away towards... somewhere, to which Ordo only raised an eyebrow.
Ordo found himself next to a group of students that were chatting amongst themselves. They noticed him but didn't actively speak to or address him in any way. Which to him was fine as he was sure that a speech was about to commence. He was right as there was feedback from a microphone.
"I'll keep this short," Ozpin said from the stage as he adjusted his glasses. "You have traveled here today in the search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people." A few of the students looked inspired at those words. "But I look among you and I all see is wasted energy." Well, that took a turn. "In need of purpose. Direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this. But your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."
And with that Ozpin left the stage and all Ordo could really think was, 'That was odd.' That sentiment was certainly echoed as there was dead silence in the crowd.
Glenda then approached the microphone next and continued where Ozpin left off. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight, tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready," she advised. "You're dismissed."
The next few hours went by quickly as Ordo put his armor and weapons, except his tri-bladed knife he kept in his boot, in a secure locker that used biometrics to prevent equipment tampering as the potential for death tomorrow was high even with teachers looking on from the shadows both examining and leaping into action if a student struggled; they were then subsequently expelled but they were alive. Ordo did one last check on all of his weapons and equipment to ensure they were up to his standards of perfection, cleaning his pistols and rifle just to be sure as well.
By the time he was done he was the only person left in the locker room for new students. He removed each piece of armor with a kind of reverence that one would have with some kind of 'holy relic' in a religion and stripped out of the flight suit under his armor and changed into nightwear consisting of an old t-shirt and sweatpants that he had purchased a few months ago. After seeing that his equipment was secure in the locker near the middle of the locker room he left for the ballroom that the new students were all bunking in for the night.
As he walked in he already observed that there were sleeping bags arranged in a grid pattern with no distinction of who was to sleep where probably for those who wanted to sleep next to friends could and those who wanted to make new friends were also able to as well. Ordo walked near a window that had a balcony and walked out on it. Something pulled his attention towards the forest that they were going to be taking their initiation test tomorrow.
[ John Williams – Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Padme's Ruminations. 0:00 – 1:36 (6) ]
Ordo stared out, standing completely still at the forest in the distance. There was something... off about it. Like it was calling to him. But why? He felt a presence in his mind that just said 'come find me.' It was strange, yet he had felt like he had heard it once before many years ago. The forest itself felt like a dark place, but there was something else out there. Something-.
"Hey," a voice said from behind him. "Are you alright?"
Ordo turned to see one Pyrrha Nikos standing just an arm's breadth away about to shake his shoulder. "I'm fine," Ordo replied in an attempt to alleviate her concern for him.
She looked unconvinced as she crossed her arms. "Are you sure? You were sort of standing there are creepy-like staring out into the forest for quite a while," she commented.
Ordo waved her off. "I'm sure, I just... had something on my mind."
"If you're sure you're ok..." she trailed. She then stuck out her hand, "I'm Pyrrha."
"Ordo."
"That's an interesting name."
"My father wanted me to be named after one of the strongest Mand'alor in history, Canderous Ordo who was also known by the moniker Mand'alor the Preserver."
"The Preserver? What did he preserve?"
As they started to walk back inside the ballroom where a small catfight between Ruby and her sister was just winding down. "Allow me to tell you the tale of Canderous Ordo, friend and ally of Revan, and organizer of the Mandalorians once more to become one of the most powerful warrior races to exist in history."
XxXxXxX
That previous night Ordo had made a new friend in Pyrrah, even if the likelihood of them being on the same team was slim to none, it was still worth getting valuable allies and friends on your side. He woke up early the next morning going through his normal routine that he had started each morning for the last seven years. The first of which was activating a small holoprojector that he had hanging on a chain around his neck in a solitary place and reciting, "Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum" followed by his parents' names (7).
Once he had done that he ate breakfast in the main hall where it was oddly empty except for the new Beacon students, probably because the exam would be starting well before the students already enrolled would arrive to eat as well. He then made his way down to the locker room where he started putting on his armor starting with the flight suit and ending with each piece of beskar plate. He armed himself and checked the power packs and Dust 'gas' that his father originally developed to replace Tibanna that was not on this world and holstered his pistols in their thigh holsters. His beskad was sheathed behind his jetpack after checking the charge in the ultrasonic vibration generator was full. His jetpack was next after loading a single Baradium tipped missile into it. Finally were his gauntlets which ended with a line connected to his jetpack for his flamethrower and arming his wrist rockets, also Baradium tipped, though at a much smaller yield. Once he was satisfied with his weapons he placed his helmet on and grabbed the heavy blaster rifle leaning against the locker and carried it at parade rest.
As Ordo finished closing his locker door there was an announcement over the speakers, "Would all first-year students please report to Beacon cliff for initiation. Again, first-year students report to Beacon cliff immediately."
He walked towards the exit and was treated with the sight of Jaune stuck to a wall with a spear that just so happened to belong to Pyrrha. "Sorry!" she genuinely apologized to Jaune as her spear leaped from the wall into her hand. "It was nice meeting you."
'Interesting,' Ordo thought.
Ruby and her sister walked over to Jaune and Ruby's sister asked, "Having some trouble there, Lady Killer?"
As Ruby helped him up and he replied, "I don't get it. My dad said all women look for is confidence. Where did I go wrong?"
"Snow angel probably wasn't the best start."
"She's not wrong," Ordo commented as he started to walk past them. "There's a fine line between confidence and being cocky. You were being the latter."
"Come on, Jaune, let's get going," Ruby said as she helped Jaune along.
It was quite a long walk to the cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest, the watched training ground that Beacon kept the Grimm inside at a manageable level for new students to go inside of and not die immediately like they probably would in places outside the walls of Vale. It was at least a full mile at least to the cliff edge. When they had all arrived they were told to stand on platforms that had the Beacon logo of two crossed axes in front of a wreath while Ozpin and Goodwitch waited for them all to arrive.
Ozpin then began his speech, "For years you have trained to become warriors and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
"I'm sure you've heard rumors about the assignment of teams," Goodwitch jumped in. "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today." Ruby groaned.
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interests to be paired with someone with whom you can work well with. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
"What!?" Ruby shouted as it felt like her whole world was just shattered. Ordo could have sworn he could have heard glass shattering.
"See? I told you!" another student said to her friend.
"Once you have partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You WILL meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy anything in your path, or you will die," Ozpin continued. Next, to Ordo, Jaune only gulped. "You will be monitored and graded during your duration of your initiation but our instructors will not intervene."
'Read: unless you're about to die, you're on your own,' Ordo gained from that last statement.
"You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and will grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"
"Yeah, um, sir?" Jaune asked.
"Good. Now, take your positions." On his command, each student, except Jaune, took a stance that one would be comfortable being launched with.
"Um, sir? I've got a question." A few students were already starting to be launched into the forest. "So this landing strategy thing, what is it? Are you going to be dropping us off or something?"
"No, you will be falling."
"Oh, I see." More students were launched. "Did you hand out parachutes for us?"
Yet more students were launched. "No, you will be using your own landing strategy."
"Ah. So what exactly is a landing strateGYYYY?!" Jaune trailed as he was flung unexpectedly.
"Di'kut (8)," Ordo shook his head before he was launched as well with the rest of the students. Right as Ordo passed Ozpin he caught a glance of him drinking from his mug as if there was nothing wrong with the world.
To Ordo, flying was a kind of liberating experience that few had the pleasure of experiencing. The absolute freedom that it gave the flyer was something that couldn't be entirely described because it was different for everyone that did experience it. Where it was freedom to Ordo, it was absolute terror to Jaune who had been flung without seeing it coming was complete terror. Ordo angled his body towards the temple and activated his jetpack and hovered in the air to get his bearings before deactivating the pack, dropping like a sack of stones. When he was about to hit the ground he activated it once more and landed with a small impact that he didn't even feel.
Ordo activated his sensory equipment which included a motion tracker that would mark anything larger than a human teenager, as that was whom he expected to come across, to be marked as a red dot with a size corresponding to its real life equivalent. He raised his heavy blaster and kept it aimed in front of him.
He kept walking and kept his head on a swivel. A few minutes after starting his journey he heard bushes rustling and checked his sensors to see that it was the size of a Beowulf. He aimed at the bushes and waited for whatever was inside to emerge. It didn't take long before a Beowulf sprang out of the brush and charged him. He unleashed a storm of bolts into the Grimm which all found a home in the Grimm's face. The Dust bolts punched through the bone mask and punched through whatever counted as the Grimm's brain, no one knew what was inside them as they tended to disintegrate after death.
Ordo looked at his HUD which told him he had around four hundred and seventy-five more bolts before the Dust had to be reloaded and another seventy-five before the power cell had to be. Once more he pushed on for a while. He heard gunfire and approached quickly as it was the sound of one weapon, not two, meaning another single student.
He entered a clearing where a female classmate was fighting two Ursa on her own. She wielded a katana that was bulkier on the blade and hilt as to accommodate the weapon's secondary function. She wore what he wouldn't consider to expect to be armor as it appeared to be only jeans and a shirt that she wore. She had brown hair, but Ordo managed to catch something as she dodged a swipe from one of the Ursa: wolf ears. She must've activated her Semblance as she channeled lightning into her sword and cleaved one Ursa in half vertically. The other Ursa was going to swipe at her with its oversized claw ridden paw, but it didn't get the chance as Ordo drew his beskad and activated his jetpack to cross the clearing in a split second and activated the ultrasonic generator right before he sliced the head of the Ursa off.
"I didn't need any help," she growled.
Ordo kicked the Grimm's body as if it was going to come back to life. "Just helping out a fellow student I came across along the way. Plus, out here you need someone to watch your back," Ordo replied. "As we have met eyes it now seems as though we're partners now." He stuck out his hand in a friendly handshake gesture, "Ordo."
She took a moment to look at his hand before replying, "Rose," without taking his hand in turn. "And what is that high pitched tone?"
Ordo sheathed his beskad, "My apologies, the ultrasonic vibration generator tends to make faunus that have high levels of hearing... uncomfortable."
"What?"
"We should probably move on before more Grimm get here," Ordo changed the subject.
They started to walk at a brisk pace towards the forest temple leaving the now disintegrating corpses of the two Ursa behind. They got a good quarter mile before Rose asked, "So what's with all the weapons? Have enough?"
"I have a feeling by the end of today I'll have used all of them," Ordo replied cryptically.
"Ok... that's not foreboding at all."
The rest of the trip through the forest to the temple was uneventful as only a few low leveled Grimm that both partners managed to dispatch with little issue. Before they knew it they were at the temple. There were only two sets of pieces missing, the king had already been taken.
"How about the queen?" Ordo suggested.
"I guess," Rose replied as she took one of the two queens that remained.
As Ordo reached for the piece he froze in place right as his fingers touched it. There was... something that was calling out to him once more. It was the same calling that he felt the other night on the balcony. He quickly pocketed the queen and walked over to the center of the temple and just stared at it.
"Hey, are you al-?" Rose trailed as Ordo drew his beskad once more and stabbed it into the center of the circle of the center of the temple and twisted it in a combination-like pattern. After he did, the temple rumbled as what looked like a spiral staircase lowered around the center leaving the pedestals that the rest of the pieces sat on top of intact. "Ordo! What the hell?!" However, Ordo wasn't listening; to Rose, it was though he was in a trance. Sword in hand he started to descend into the temple itself. "Where are you going?!" she shouted in vain. Taking a short moment to decide her next move she said, "Damn it!" before following him into the void.
Down the two went into the abyss. Rose had no idea where Ordo was going, after all, once they got their artifacts they were supposed to head back towards the cliff. She looked up to see that they had gone down and that the light above was the size of a coin. Strange torches lit up as they approached them but went out well after they had passed them. After many minutes of defending stairs, they entered a hallway that ended in a solid metal door. Ordo stood in front of it, still as if he was in a trance.
Rose grabbed his shoulder. "Listen, we've been down here long enough and it's a dead end. Let's jet get the hell out of here," she pleaded as she wasn't the biggest fan of being underground.
Ordo said nothing but raised a splayed hand towards the door. Rose felt… something as he did whatever he was doing. It was hard to describe. Rose was about to chastise her teammate once more but before she could there was what sounded like a lock being undone that came from the metal wall. Before she could process exactly what it was, the metal door split in half vertically and opened with a hiss.
"What the-?" she questioned but Ordo went on through the winding, unnatural corridors of this… structure, for the lack of a better term. After several corridors later they found themselves in a medium sized room with only a single pedestal with a blue cube on it with what looked like a silver tube alongside it. Ordo raised his hand once more and the cube flew towards him but stopped right before contacting his hand, hovering in the air.
The cube seemed to glow with an inner light that shouldn't have been possible given the fact that there were no seen wiring or circuits. There was a small, almost inaudible click as the corners of the cube twisted and floated outward a good three to four inches away from the center of the cube. "What is that?" Rose asked in bewilderment.
"What's what?" Ordo asked in confusion as he started to come back to reality. He looked in front of him and exclaimed, "What the hell? What the kriff is going on?"
"How should I know?!" Rose exclaimed in return. "You're the one that decided to open a mysterious spiral staircase in the temple and a metal door at the end of it!"
"I didn't do that!"
"Yes, you did! Then you led me on a wild goose chase through this… place! Then you held out your hand like you're still doing and that blue floaty cube flew over to you and is now doing that!" Rose explained.
Ordo looked to her, then to the cube, then back to her once more. "It's impossible, I didn't do it."
"IMPOSSIBLE!?" she shouted. "I just saw you do it so it's safe to say that it's not impossible!"
"I mean it's impossible because the only people who can open these things are a bunch of warrior-monks called the Jedi. The only way to open these things is to be one." Ordo looked back to the cube. "I think the question we should be asking, is why I was drawn here?"
"I believe I can answer that," an ethereal voice said, both students could tell it was coming from the cube. On the top of the cube, a man in a robe appeared in a blue-hued hologram. "Greetings."
"Who are you?" Ordo asked.
"I was once known by many names during my life such as the Commander and the Outlander. I am the gatekeeper of my own Holocron."
"Holocron?" a confused Rose asked.
"Repositories of knowledge, philosophy, or whatever the creator wished to impart on future viewers and students."
"I don't get it, I'm not a Jedi and it opened for me," Ordo asked.
The gatekeeper turned to look at Ordo. "It's been a long time since I felt a presence in the Force as strong as yours on this planet. The last time someone was able to access my Holocron was when I trained those four sisters, but that was a long, long time ago," he reminisced. "For whatever reason, the Force called out to you."
"And why in the Seven Corellian Hells would it do that?"
"There must be a great disturbance that would require the use of this Holocron."
"What do you mean by 'disturbance'?" Rose asked.
"Significant calamity caused by events more than likely already set in motion. As for what they are, I could not tell you as I am only the imprint of the memory of the man I once was; I have no connection to the Force to even hint at what it may be," the gatekeeper replied.
"Why me, though?" Ordo asked.
"I know not. The Force works in mysterious ways and none know truly why it does the things it does. All I know is there is much potential in you, young Mandalorian."
"Why would you say that?"
"I intentionally designed a test into my Holocron which only allows those with a strong enough Force potential to open it."
Ordo was still skeptical. "And how would I be strong in the Force?"
"Haven't you ever felt something was watching you, but wished you no harm? A time when you listened to some little voice in the back of your head to do something that you may not have done normally? A time where you saw things before they happened? Had dreams so realistic you could have been there?"
"There have been times when I've had strong gut feelings before, like when I befriended that Ruby girl," Ordo replied.
"The Force led you to interact with this girl. She perhaps plays a greater role in things to come than she realizes. Anything else?"
"There have been times when I've dodged attacks that should have either killed or injured me greatly, but something in the back of my head told me to move one way or the other."
The gatekeeper stroked his beard. "Battle precognition, a very valuable skill beneficial to any Force-sensitive, Jedi or not. When honed can assist in keeping yourself ahead of your opponents three or moves ahead." The ground rumbled as what sounded like gunshots rang out from above ground. "It seems as though time is running short. Take my lightsaber and Holocron with you." Ordo nodded in affirmation. "Good. May my weapon serve you well, young Mandalorian. Trust in the Force and let it guide you. May the Force be with you. Always." The hologram disappeared and the Holocron's corners triangular corners came back and attached themselves back to the main part of the device, but instead of going back to the way it was, the corners were twisted slightly. Ordo placed the Holocron in a bag attached to his jetpack and walked towards the lightsaber still on the pedestal.
"That was… something," Rose admitted, unsure of exactly what she saw.
Ordo picked up the saber and turned it on, the piercing blue blade activating with a snap-hiss. "Would you look at that, almost three thousand years later and it still works," Ordo commented right before deactivating it.
"Three thousand-?" Rose asked before getting cut off.
"Helping classmates now, story time later," Ordo replied as he clipped the lightsaber to his belt. She gave him a look of 'you're not getting out of this' before nodding in agreement.
They climbed the stairs as fast as they could and reached the top of the staircases, and the main area of the temple, in time to see Ruby attempt to attack a Deathstalker, a fairly large Deathstalker, and get knocked back by the massively oversized pincers.
"Don't worry, I'm totally fine," Ruby yelled from across the field. It was then she noticed her mistake as she turned to face the Deathstalker. She fired a round from her rifle at the Grimm, which did nothing but agitate it more, and started to run in the opposite direction with the Deathstalker closely behind her. A massive Nevermore that had been circling above them had moved into a position to attack and let loose a barrage of feathers that slammed into the ground, pinning Ruby's cape into the ground, keeping her from running any further. Yang, who had been running in the opposite direction to her sister, had been cut off as Nevermore feathers impacted in front of her.
The Deathstalker prepared to strike, everyone assumed that this was the end of young Ruby, but something happened that even Ordo didn't see coming. Weiss Schnee ran forward, with the assistance of her glyphs, and summoned an ice wall just in time to stop the Deathstalker's stinger from reaching Ruby at all. In other words, it was frozen in place.
"You are so childish!" Weiss said.
"Weiss?" Ruby asked in confusion, and rightfully so.
"And dimwitted, and hyperactive, and don't get me started on your fighting style. And I suppose that I can be a bit... difficult, but if we are going to do this we're going to have to do this together. So if you quit trying to show off, I'll be... nicer."
"I'm not showing off, I'm trying to show you I can do this."
"You're fine," Weiss replied as she walked off.
Ruby looked at the currently stuck Deathstalker. Yang ran over and hugged her sister and said, "I'm so glad you're ok."
Ordo used his jetpack to close the distance quickly from the temple to where Ruby and Yang were. "I'd hate to break up this family reunion, but we should probably get far away from the oversized killer bug first," Ordo said with his rifle readied and aimed towards the Deathstalker. They nodded and quickly moved towards the rest of the group with Ordo right behind them.
As they got back Jaune declared, "Guys, that thing's circling back. What are we going to do?"
"Look, there's no need to dilly dally. The objective is right in front of us," Weiss replied.
"She's right, our objective is to grab an artifact and make it back to the cliffs. There's no point in fighting these things," Ruby added.
"Unless you want bragging rights," Ordo quipped. That got him a look. "What?"
"Run and live, that is an idea I can get behind," said Jaune.
"Then I recommend you move quickly, that ice won't hold forever."
The remaining students who didn't already grab an artifact ran and grabbed one themselves. Once they got back and stashed their own artifacts the ice keeping the Deathstalker in place started to crack. "Time to go," Ren stated the obvious.
The students ran through the forest as the Nevermore flew overhead, Ordo knew that it was waiting for them to reemerge from the forest for a clear shot. They came across the ruins of a tower that was connected on three sides in the middle of a chasm. And would you look at that? The Nevermore decided to take up a perch right on the tower.
"Well that's great," Yang stated, speaking for everyone.
Ordo picked it up before it happened, but not a moment later the Deathstalker that Weiss had frozen in place crashed through the forest and looked like it wanted Beacon students on the menu.
"Oh man, run!" Jaune shouted.
Everyone ran towards the tower ruin and Ren commanded, "Nora distract it!"
Nora ran out of cover and dodged Nevermore feathers, some of them barely missing her, and used her weapon to fire grenades at the Nevermore, the explosive causing it to reel back and fly off. The Deathstalker attempted to kill her from behind, but Ren and Blake attacked it while Weiss pulled Nora away.
Ordo engaged his jetpack and his holographic rangefinder and fired several bursts from his rifle at the Deathstalker, charring the white mask and making potholes in other places. 'This was definitely one strong Grimm,' Ordo thought. He kept his distance while still keeping an eye on his sensors for the Nevermore that was still flying around. Ordo maneuvered out of the way as the Nevermore tried to take out the bridge that the students were crossing, dividing the students into two groups.
Seeing as the group had it mostly under control, 'mostly' being a subjective term, Ordo saw another ping on his sensors, on one of the two remaining bridges leading out of the ruin there were numerous Beowolves and Ursa crossing it. "Rose! Incoming!" Ordo shouted while pointing towards the incoming Grimm.
She looked at him and asked, "Give me a lift?"
Ordo swooped down and picked her up before flying her over to the other bridge. Ordo dropped her near the center of the tower on the bridge and flew up high up enough to get and angle on the bridge and approaching Grimm and fired two wrist rockets at the group. They impacted the bridge causing two larger than expected explosions that threw multiple Beowolves off the side of the bridge while also causing it lose a large chunk of the bridge causing Grimm that had intended to cross it to be stuck on the other side similarly to how Ordo and Rose's fellow students had been.
Ordo lifted his rifle and flanked the group while spraying bolts into the Grimm horde that had still made it across. He charged up the secondary function and fired the concussion blast into a group of them sending them flying off the edge as well. Seeing as time was of the essence Ordo put his rifle away and drew his dual WESTAR pistols and began to fire into the crowd near the back while Rose took care of those that got close to the center of the ruins, cutting them down with relative ease.
What seemed to be a larger and much more feral Ursa jumped the gap with ease and started to charge through its fellow Grimm which knocked them off the edge. Ordo landed on the tower and braced himself as he locked onto the Ursa and launched the missile loaded into his jetpack.
"Clear the blast zone!" Ordo shouted to Rose.
The missile hit the Ursa dead center and detonated. Rose jumped back just in time to avoid getting caught in the blast which vaporized everything in a fifty-meter radius which included not only the Ursa but a dozen Beowolves as well.
"What the hell was that thing made of!?" Rose shouted at Ordo.
"Later!" he replied as he landed next to her. "There's still a lot more Grimm where that came from!"
Ordo and Rose both heard the screeching of the Nevermore as it managed to not get hit by the combined firepower from Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Blake. It then slammed into the tower's lower section causing it to collapse and for the four to make their way back to solid ruins before they plummeted to their deaths.
In the time that Ordo and Rose looked away to see that spectacle, the many Beowolves had made their way closer to them. Without thinking Ordo immediately activated his flamethrower and launched a stream of fire Dust enhanced flames towards the approaching Grimm which stuck to them causing them to burn to death thanks to the formula that his father had developed long ago.
Ordo drew his beskad and newly acquired lightsaber and began to cut his way through the Grimm, feeling the adrenaline rush as his heart pounded in borderline glee as his enemies, the Grimm, were cut down one by one letting out laughter that bordered on maniacal. Rose joined him with her own sword drawn as she too cut down many Beowolves, using her Semblance to freeze many in place as one would do to a human or faunus with a taser.
'Let the Force guide your actions,' Ordo heard in the back of his head.
Ordo then did something he had never done before: he extended one arm, the one that held the lightsaber, and unleashed a telekinetic blast that launched forward with the impact of a cannonball which launched dozens of Beowolves off the side of the bridge leaving a clear bridge with only Grimm corpses remaining.
"What was that?" Rose asked in confusion.
Ordo could only look at this hand which held the lightsaber in confusion as well. "I have no idea," he admitted in shock.
There were explosions in the distance, Ordo and Rose turned to see the Deathstalker that had been chasing them not too long ago falling off the cliff, its stinger stuck in its head. Nora, Pyrrha, Ren, and Jaune all looked winded but alive.
More gunshots went off and Yang had been firing at the Nevermore, she managed a lucky hit and did something that Ordo considered ballsy: she jumped into its beak and fired several more times directly into its gullet. She then jumped off as the Nevermore flew into the cliffside unceremoniously. Weiss switched up with Yang charging the Nevermore and created an ice wall that trapped the tail feathers in ice keeping it from moving. Ordo could already see that there was a plan in action. Blake fired her weapon over to Yang who had been hanging on to a pillar opposite her and strung the ribbon between them. Ruby launched herself at the ribbon and Weiss used her glyphs to hold Ruby in place, and to create tension on the line.
They said something to each other that he couldn't quite catch even with his rangefinder. Weiss then released her glyphs and Ruby fired her scythe propelling her towards the Nevermore. The crook of the scythe caught the Nevermore and pinned it to the cliffside. Weiss sent more glyphs Ruby's way and placed them on the cliffside allowing Ruby to run up them. She then ran up the cliff, using her sniper's bullets to rocket herself AND the Nevermore up the cliffside. She reached the top and rounded on the Nevermore and decapitated it in an impressive feat of strength.
Ruby then walked to the edge of the cliff and everyone was silent in an impressed silence before Ordo yelled while laughing, "Jate tengaanar! Good show! (9)"
XxXxXxX
Beacon. Hours later.
There was applause as the members of those that collected the white king pieces were announced left the stage. Next were the four the picked the white queen. Ordo, Rose, and two others stood on stage still wearing their armor and weapons, albeit put away; Ordo had his helmet held under his right arm.
"Rose Wulfhammer, Lapis Regalia, Ordo Larr, and Daffodil Maize (10). The four of you collected the white queen pieces. From this day forward you will be known as team ORDL (Ordinal) (11) led by Ordo Larr," Ozpin announced.
They left the stage and stood together on the side as the next set of students were called up. That being Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark forming Team CRDL (Cardinal). To be honest, Ordo didn't care about them; and Cardin had a look about him that gave him one of those elite glances, that and the disgust that he gave towards Rose.
The next group was called up, "Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, and Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward you will work together and Team JNPR (Juniper) led by Jaune Arc." Everyone that had an interaction with him thus far looked at him in surprise, especially since everyone expected it to be Pyrrah to be the leader. Ozpin congratulated Jaune and Pyrrha gave Jaune a playful punch in the shoulder that floored him.
'I'm going to have to take a look at his records,' Ordo thought. 'He's not much of a fighter, but he seems to be a decent strategist.'
"And finally, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. This day forward you will work as Team RWBY (Ruby) led by Ruby Rose."
Once more many looked at her in shock, primarily due to her age, but even Ordo saw her planning and commands that she used definitely gave her a good running for team leader, and Ozpin and the other instructors must have seen it.
Yang quickly moved over to her sister and hugged her in joy. Ozpin then stated, probably in full realization that his microphone was still active, "Looks like things are shaping up to be an... interesting year."
To be continued...?
XxXxXxX
And there we go, another pilot done. That was quite a beast as that covered episodes 1-8 of Volume 1. Let's be honest, it ended there more naturally than anywhere else. And now, notes!
1. A reference to the "knifle" shirt on the RT Store.
2. I never specified what kind of WESTAR model, only that it was of the series; so it makes that iconic sound that the Mandalorian WESTAR rifles and pistols make.
3. It's exactly as I said there, I immediately translated it there.
4. I watched the episode once more and it was never specifically shown where the others were, only Jaune, Ruby, and Yang were specifically shown. The only person that we know for certain that wasn't on that airship was Weiss.
5. Baradium is the main explosive element that is in Thermal Detonators. In Legends it's OP, but in Legends, it's only mentioned as being an ingredient in most explosives in the SW universe in canon.
6. (YouTube) watch?v=zcmThZNTUhw
7. Daily remembrance of those passed on *I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal.* Followed by repetition of loved ones' names.
8. Idiot.
9. See note #3, the same thing.
10. These are all original characters. Only two have been declared for their sex and features, that being Ordo and Rose; the other two are only named.
11. If you know numbering systems Ordinal numbering starts with 0 and Cardinal starts with 1, even though we know that their name is meant to be color coordinated.
Ok, that's all I have for notes this time around. And only one YouTube link? That's a new one for me. So I'm going to touch on why this is being kept from being a full series like my other stories. 1) I'm not quite sure on the other two members and what their designs, races, sexes, weapons, and Semblances are going to be. 2) How Ordo and his presence in the world of RWBY will impact the rest of the story. Will he be able to prevent certain events that happen at the end of Volume 3? I have no idea; that's why this is only a pilot at this time until I decide otherwise.
Next are some things that I would really like to explore should I continue this.
1. Ordo kicking Cardin's ass in combat class.
2. Romance possibilities.
3. The impact of Jedi training from the Outlander's Holocron.
4. If I make it to the end of Volume 3 possibly getting assistance from clan allies from back on Mandalore to retake both Beacon/Vale as well as taking out Cinder and other baddies.
I can't really think of any hypothetical Q&A stuff so I'm going to leave it here.
Should I continue this one? Let me know.
See you guys all next time!