Jacen had placed himself on one of Beacon's tower balconies.

Once he was sure he was alone, he began shaking and covered his face with his hands as he sank to the ground.

It was just like on Pantora when he'd heard Palpatine's declaration of a new order instituting the formation of the Galactic Empire, and Jedi were branded as traitors to be eliminated.

He'd been prepared to give into his hatred, but his master's voice had kept him from going over the edge.

This time, he came closer to it, but something in Yang's expression snapped him out of it.

He doubted that Yang would ever see him the same way ever again after this.

He was so wrapped up in his self-loathing that he almost failed to realize that Yang had found his spot and sat beside him.

"I guess dog boy went overboard," she said quietly.

When he finally turned to face her, Yang's expression wasn't one of horror, she was concerned.

"It's not the Jedi way, what I nearly did back there," he said.

"In letting ourselves be consumed by our anger, we risk falling to the Dark Side of the Force."

Yang showed a thoughtful look, "You looked like you were possessed," she said.

"You know, when you first brought up the Force, I can't help but think, it's not just a semblance, is it?"

Jacen admired Yang's sharp intuition, though he felt that this was also the time he was hoping for to explain his experience, his true story.

"Yang, I have something to confess," Jacen finally said.

Yang looked at him confused, "If you mean you're trying to explain that you were trying to teach dog boy a lesson for how rude he was toward Ruby, you don't need to-."

"It's not about that," Jacen said.

"You remember when I was explaining what group I came from?" He asked.

"The Jedi?" Yang asked, still confused.

"What if I told you that the reason you've never heard of the Jedi until you met me is because the Jedi aren't from Remnant?" Jacen asked, though he knew this wouldn't be an easy conversation.

"What do you mean not from Remnant?" Yang asked.

His eyes turned, and Skipper faithfully positioned himself between them.

"Bare with me, Yang, 'cause this is going to be an unbelievable story," with a nod, Skipper activated his holo-projector, and the space above them showed the galactic map Jacen had been so familiar with.

Yang's eyes widened with surprise, "What is this?" She asked.

"There's so much outside the scope of Remnant than anyone can imagine," Jacen answered, then motioned for Skipper to highlight areas from the Deep Core to the Outer Rim, then indicated a world in the Core.

"Though not there originally in times past, The Jedi Order came to reside on a world known as Coruscant," Jacen could see the look of disbelief in Yang's eyes.

"Wait, you mean to tell me you're actually an alien?" She asked.

She made an odd gesture, putting her index fingers above her head, "Thought you'd have antennae or something," she said.

Jacen gave a short laugh, "No, I'm human, as were most members of the Jedi Order, though the Jedi didn't place one race over the other," he explained.

"The Jedi regard themselves as equals regardless of race, species, or gender," he continued, then paused thoughtfully.

"The Faunus wouldn't receive the kind of ridicule or ostracism from the Jedi that they typically get from most humans here."

Yang seemed unable to speak for a moment, "So how exactly did you come to be part of this," her words trailed off in search of the right words.

"Order," she decided to say.

"Whenever children are born strong enough to use the Force, some families willingly gave their children to the Jedi; other times, the Jedi had Seekers that sought them out before other, less savory people got a hold of them," Jacen answered.

"Most considered it an honor, while others simply couldn't understand and were eager to be rid of them," he stopped when he noticed Yang's face had a look of apprehension.

"Which option were you?" Yang asked.

Jacen sighed, "I'm not sure myself," Jacen said.

"I don't have any memories of my parents or even what world I came from."

"I thought Draco Jedite was your father," Yang said pointedly.

"In a way, he was, even if we weren't related by blood," he replied, then motioned toward Skipper, who showed a life-size image of Draco alongside Master Kaiya, with a younger Jacen standing beside Maru, the day Jacen had become a knight.

Looking at it, Jacen reflected that he'd nearly forgotten Draco's face, and then he turned toward Yang.

"While the Jedi typically preached that attachments were forbidden, that didn't stop us from forming bonds with those we served alongside," he explained, motioning toward the image of Draco.

"This is Draco Jedite," Jacen said.

He noticed Yang studying the image of his old master, "He almost reminds me of Qrow, though without the messy clothes, and he looks like a well-rounded fighter," she said.

"Well rounded is putting it mildly; Master Draco was among some of the Order's greatest lightsaber duelists, and during the war, he demonstrated his capacity for strategic planning, even if it tended to be unorthodox," Jacen explained.

He then gestured toward the familiar figure of a female Echani Jedi standing on Draco's right side.

"The one on Draco's right side is Master Kaiya Fenni, part of the Jedi Sentinel class that specializes in intelligence gathering and covert operations," he paused to let Yang study the group.

"You look like you're all family," Yang said thoughtfully.

"In a way, we were," Jacen admitted.

"Draco was like my father, while Kaiya was probably the closest thing to a mother I had, though I think that was more true for Maru," he indicated the red-haired boy beside Jacen's younger image.

"Maru Thorne was very much like my brother, especially whenever we got into trouble," he tried, sounding excited to share this part of his story.

He actually laughed at one instance of trouble Maru and Jacen had gotten into, "There was one year where Maru and I successfully infiltrated the Bogan Collection without getting caught," he said with a slight hint of pride.

"Oh, so you actually have a rebellious streak," Yang said as she playfully patted Jacen on the back.

"What exactly was in this collection?"

"In laments terms, an archive of forbidden artifacts and knowledge," Jacen explained.

His mood seemed to change as he looked upon the image of his friend; he felt great sadness as he looked upon the image.

Of the entire group, only Jacen was still alive.

Kaiya had been butchered by Dooku's mechanized monster Grievous on Taris, and Maru was believed to have also died that day.

He'd been in forward command when the battle of Taris began.

Despite his efforts, even with those of his master, their forces were overmatched.

Jacen knew other fleets were in the area, and he'd even called for reinforcements; instead, the Council ordered his fleet to withdraw.

Jacen was adamant that they should've done more, and his anger had reached a boiling point when he read the after-report on what happened to Taris.

Ten thousand clone troopers, fourteen ARC Troopers, five Venator class destroyers, and thirteen squadrons of Starfighters.

Among the casualties on the surface were Kaiya and Maru.

The meeting held in the Council chamber hadn't elevated his ire.

There wasn't any strategic reason why the Jedi refused to send reinforcements; they were so wrapped up in their dogma about attachments that they sacrificed both.

They tried rationalizing it, claiming it was a necessary sacrifice for the greater good.

Even Draco had stated that there was a difference between a sacrifice that gained something and one that was a wasted opportunity.

Draco had even gone so far as to say they should consider every possibility of ending the war, at the risk of sounding like Dooku himself.

Jacen practically stormed out of the Council chamber, enraged that they considered Maru's death a sacrifice for the greater good when all that came out of it was another world fallen to enemy hands.

Draco eventually took him aside, and while he agreed that the situation on Taris was a horrific disaster that gained nothing, Draco reminded Jacen that whether they liked it or not, death was inevitable whether one died fighting, and one must let that go too.

Despite Draco's words, Jacen had been in command of the fleet over Taris, and he never forgave himself for what he saw as a failure that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Yang must have seen his expression change when she asked, "What exactly happened?"

Jacen, in a long, drawn-out sigh, decided that this was the time to get things straight.

"To tell you that, I'll have to start with the war that the Jedi found themselves involved in," with another nod, the images flickered, becoming a jumbled recording of events that occurred during the Clone Wars, during which he and his master were a part of.

Ground assaults as they lead their clone troopers against enemy droids, space battles above besieged worlds, and even the occasional lightsaber duel.

He saw Yang looking almost horrified, "What is this?"

"Remnant had the Great War," Jacen said.

"The war the Jedi fought is known as the Clone Wars."

As he spoke, Skipper cycled through relevant records for information.

"On one side, you had Jedi like myself fighting to defend the Republic, the government which the Jedi swore to serve," he motioned toward the images of the Jedi Temple and the Clone troopers in their armor.

"On the other side was the Confederacy of Independent Systems led by the charismatic Count Dooku," he motioned toward the images of hundreds of battle droids and the image of the aforementioned count himself.

Jacen turned to see Yang's face filled with noticeable confusion, "Clones and templates, you mean, from where you're from, you can actually grow a new person that looks like the original?" She asked.

Jacen nodded, "The technologies where I'm from are a bit more than what one might expect to find in Atlas," he said.

He noticed Yang was studying the image of Count Dooku, "So what's the story with old and grumpy here?"

"That is Count Dooku, he was once one of the order's greatest lightsaber duelists, not to mention being well-versed as a political leader," Jacen answered.

"According to my master, Dooku was always a stern master who emphasized the importance of honing one's skill, at least he was while Draco served as his padawan," Jacen explained, though there was a look of confusion on Yang's face.

"Wait, so this royal bearded grumpiness was a Jedi, too? Why would he fight against his own?" Yang asked.

"Dooku had become disillusioned with the Republic and the Jedi Order, both of which were fraught with issues, hypocrisy, and corruption," he paused to let seriousness into his voice.

"However, when Dooku fell to the Dark Side, his noble aspirations were replaced with acts of cruelty," Jacen looked out the balcony to see that Remnant's shattered moon was visible and casting a bright light within the chamber.

Jacen walked until he was near the balcony, then turned to face Yang.

"The brightest lights cast the darkest shadows," he explained as he pointed toward his extended shadow on the floor.

"If everything has a shadow to it, the Jedi's shadow was the Sith."

With a quick flick of his wrist, the hologram switched to images of crimson lightsaber blades, Force lightning, and beings with burning blood-rimmed yellow eyes.

"The Jedi were guardians of peace and Justice, while the Sith, consumed by their hatred and desire for power, waged war after war to destroy the Jedi," he explained.

"Every time they did, innocent lives were destroyed in the process," he added with melancholy.

"Most Sith were Jedi at one point, but they were seduced by the power the Dark Side gave them or rather what they thought it would give them."

Most people would have marked him off as completely insane at this point or even insisted that they stop, but Yang wasn't as dismissive as he'd thought, but she was definitely trying to wrap her mind around what she was being told.

"So this Dooku guy became a Sith and waged a war based on the concept that the Republic and Jedi were corrupt," she said thoughtfully.

"Were there more of them?" She asked.

"It had long been said, after the Sith faded into the stuff of mythology, that they only ever numbered two at any time, a master and an apprentice," Jacen answered.

Yang's eyebrow went up in question, "Only two? How many Jedi were there?" She asked.

"About a thousand," Jacen answered.

Yang practically scoffed, "Two against all those Jedi?"

"That gave them much more anonymity; with only two, it's easy to move about the masses without drawing attention when it isn't needed," he explained, his voice holding utter seriousness.

"It's effortless when the order you're trying to undermine is so overconfident in their supremacy," he added.

Yang raised an eyebrow, "If I recall, you said they were rigid to a fault," she said.

Jacen nodded, "The Jedi became too complacent and set in its misguided ways that serving a Republic in which corruption was rampant was in keeping with the will of the Force," he explained.

"They were also so set in their old ways that they weren't willing to change."

"The war simply revealed just how blind the Jedi had become," he continued.

"During the war, while Dooku was leading his armies against us, it was his master, Darth Sidious, who was pulling the strings."

Yang actually seemed alerted when Jacen mentioned that name, "That has a sinister tone to it," she said.

Jacen nodded in agreement, "Before the war began, Dooku told one of the masters, Obi-Wan Kenobi, that the Republic was already under the control of Sidious, though that was initially written off as improbable," Jacen said.

"As it happened, despite Dooku's other deceits, that part was probably the one truth he told after his fall."

"So, what happened? Did the Jedi ever find him? What about the war, which side won?" Yang had a flood of questions coming, and Jacen took another long breath before replying.

"The war was never about the Republic and the Separatists, all it was was the biggest Jedi trap in history concocted by the Sith," he explained, then winced when a familiar haunting voice cut through the silence.

"Execute Order 66," the words even made Yang shiver slightly.

"I still don't know the complete story, but apparently there was some conspiracy that the Jedi were looking to overthrow the Republic by arresting or some even say, attempted to assassinate Chancellor Palpatine, the leader of the Republic throughout the war," he explained.

"Many reports even stated that the Jedi had engineered the war to assume power over the Republic."

"So, who gave that order? Palpatine or Sidious?" Yang asked.

"The clones were created to obey any order and answered directly to the Chancellor, my guess is that Palpatine had something in place for what he saw as a potential Jedi coup," Jacen said.

Yang's face seemed to be in deep focus before she spoke, "From what the old grumpy count said about Sidious controlling the Republic, you think Palpatine and Sidious were working together?"

"I'd been asking myself the same question for weeks afterward," Jacen answered.

He recalled how Palpatine's face had altered, while it had the look of one that had been horribly scared, Jacen recalled what he'd learned about Dark Side degradation that occurred when one delved deeply into the Dark Side.

Physical changes tended to occur often, beginning with one's eyes turning a radioactive shade of blood-rimmed yellow, followed by a loss of skin color.

The most severe cases physically transformed the user, leaving themselves with a barely human visage.

A cold feeling of realization struck him with a splash of irony, "I think Palpatine and Sidious are the same," Jacen finally said.

He saw Yang's eyes widen, "Then, that means what all you and your friends fought for, was for nothing," she said with a note of remorseful understanding.

"Me knowing about that doesn't matter; the only thing that matters is after the war, the Jedi Order was not only destroyed, but now is outlawed," Jacen said.

"Any Jedi that survived were ordered to go into hiding now that we'd been branded as traitors to be executed on sight."

He noticed that Yang was looking at him with great sadness, "Did these clone troopers kill your master when the order was given?" She asked.

Jacen nodded somberly.

"How could the entire army follow an order that would have them kill people they must have thought of as friends?" Yang asked.

Jacen pondered that question as it was one he hadn't quite figured out either.

"Toward the end of the war, there was a strange conspiracy involving something called an inhibitor chip that had been placed in the clone troopers to make them less violent and willful than their original template," Jacen explained.

Jacen nodded, "Though the presence of the inhibitor chips was to ensure they could follow orders and act as soldiers are expected to," he paused when he remembered an unpleasant memory from one of his covert missions on Coruscant.

"So, how exactly did you find out about these chips?" Yang asked.

"I was on Coruscant when my master informed me of the incidents that occurred both on Ringo Venda involving Tupp, a clone trooper serving under General Anakin Skywalker's 501st Legion, who had gone crazy and killed one of the Jedi masters that was aiding in the battle," Jacen explained.

"Then another incident occurred involving ARC Trooper Fives on Kamino, where the clones are created and trained, that was where I first heard about the chips."

Yang had adopted a look of deductive thinking mixed with puzzlement, "I'm guessing, you're master had concerns about these two incidents, and he wanted you to find out more?" She asked.

"He told me to go undercover to find out more," Jacen explained.

"Though I happened to be in the right place when I ran into, or rather when Fives ran into me."

Yang looked at him for further details.

"Fives was practically frantic as though he were running for his life after discovering something he probably wasn't supposed to," Jacen said.

"I tried to reach Fives to find out what he discovered, but he was killed."

"The official story regarding the chips was that the one in Tupp had been infected by a parasite native to Ringo Venda while the act of Fives removing his drove him crazy."

Jacen never truly understood the depths of whatever Fives had uncovered, and he still couldn't shake off the memory.

The Shock Trooper commander opening fire, which hit Fives in the chest; Rex calling out Fives's name while striking the active ray shield, then the heart-wrenching final moments where Fives died in Rex's arms, whispering something about the mission being over.

"If you don't believe what I've said, I apologize."

"After all that I've seen you do with the Force and after what happened during the Emerald Forest battle, I'd say I'm a bit more open than most," Yang said with her hands on her hips.

"Though I can understand why you didn't want to share all of this before."

"When Palpatine proclaimed that the Republic had been reorganized into an Empire, he made it abundantly clear that the Jedi would be hunted down, and while he didn't actually say it, anyone that helped the Jedi would be found just as guilty," Jacen said.

"Which is why I didn't initially want to involve you or Ruby."

Yang simply put a hand on Jacen's shoulder, "I don't believe for a second that you'd be involved with anything so underhanded, you're a good person," she did pause for a moment.

"Though, that dark power you used on Dog Boy will probably get the wrong kind of attention on you," she added.

"I can understand, dog boy was asking for it for how he was bad-mouthing your master and that he's also been giving Ruby grief, but what happens if you keep going down that hole?"

Jacen sank onto the floor, "I'm lucky I've even been able to resist the Dark Side with what I've been through, but lately, it's becoming a struggle," he said.

"I think I know something about struggling," Yang said as she sat beside him.

"You're a good person who's been through horrible things, and if possible, I want to try and help you however I can."

"It's a dangerous game, Yang," Jacen said.

Yang smirked and slammed one of her fists into the palm of her hand, "If the empire tries to come here, they'll have to deal with me first, you've done a lot for Ruby and me, let that be how I return the favor," she said.

Despite himself, Jacen admired Yang's commitment, though he hoped the empire wouldn't find its way here.

He knew that Yang was practically a brigade's worth of firepower who'd give even the most seasoned clone troopers a full fight.

If that didn't dissuade them, the presence of the Grimm might prove to be a decent repellent.

He turned toward Yang, and a slight grin crossed his lips.

"You know, the war wasn't without a few moments of peace," Jacen stood up and took Yang to the balcony, looking up into the night sky.

"I've seen all kinds of celestial phenomenon during my time as a Jedi and Remnant's moon, even though shattered still has a majesty to it," Jacen said, then looked at Skipper.

"You still have that recording from when me and Draco went to Aldhani?" Jacen asked.

In answer, Skipper's holo projector showed the outline of a large valley with an old temple in the center.

Yang stood up in amazement, "What is this?" She asked.

"This is Akti Amaugh, the Valley of Caves, a very sacred place for the Aldhani," Jacen explained.

He pointed at a stone structure in the valley's center, "Nasma Brani, a sacred temple right in the center."

On command, Skipper enhanced on the image of Draco and a young Jacen, with his padawan braid still attached, approaching someone who had the trappings of a tribal leader.

Thousands of similarly dressed individuals seemed to fill the entire valley.

"Back when I first became Draco's padawan, he insisted that we had to go beyond whatever we read about cultures within our extensive library," Jacen explained.

"He insisted that one had to experience a culture firsthand, which subsequently led us to not just the inhabited worlds of the Core, but other worlds content with their own traditions."

Yang seemed intrigued, "What exactly was on Aldhani that's so sacred?" She asked.

Jacen grinned slightly, "Have you or Ruby ever looked into the night sky and seen a shooting star?"

Yang thought momentarily, "When Ruby and I were young when Summer was still with us," she regarded Jacen's grin, "Why?"

"Every three years, the Aldhanis gather at this spot for a celestial event they call Mak-ani bray Dhani, or the Eye of Aldhani," he indicated the temple area where his younger self and Draco handed the Aldhani chief a gift of furs, then saw hundreds of similarly dressed individuals beginning to gather at the spot.

Yang looked at him, "What exactly is it about this Eye thing?" She asked.

"Imagine 50 meteor showers happening at once, but like a curtain being pulled over the sky," as he moved his hand, the holo showed the night sky during which the event was taking place.

Hologram or not, Yang looked in wonder at what she saw, "It's incredible," she stopped when she saw Jacen pointing at a particular area.

"As this curtain continues, the Eye becomes visible over the horizon," as if on cue, the eye was visible over the horizon, and Yang could only stare in awe.

The shower of crystalline particles of various colors filled the horizon until the eye was fully visible.

Yang was transfixed by the phenomenon, even if it was simply a holographic recording.

"That's exactly the expression I had when I saw it for the first time," Jacen said.

"How many times have you seen this event?" Yang asked, still in awe.

"I've seen it twice," Jacen answered.

He noticed that Yang was looking at him with a new respect, "I take it you don't want too many people knowing about where you really come from?" She asked.

"I'd prefer it to be kept between us, though Gray will definitely have a field day from all that information just now," he paused and then raised his voice.

"Did I give you enough material, Gray?" He asked.

In response, Gray climbed up onto the balcony with Rouge close behind.

Gray now looked at Jacen with a sense of awe, then looked at the paused image of the eye.

"You mean you've seen other worlds as a Jedi?" He asked with apparent enthusiasm.

"I've seen a lot," Jacen answered.

"How'd you know we were here?" Rouge asked, adjusting her hat.

"I sensed you were nearby, but I appreciate that you weren't so bold as to interrupt our conversation," Jacen answered.

Yang seemed more curious about how Gray and Rouge got there, "How'd you two even get up here?" She asked.

Rouge tapped her heels together and noticed a fading black hue on her boots, "My boots are equipped with gravity dust that I activate by tapping my heels together," she held up her hands, letting her claws elongate slightly.

"Though sometimes these help me scale walls too," she added.

Jacen couldn't help but whistle, "Impressive," he said.

Yang looked from Rouge to Jacen, "I know dog boy is a Faunus, but I didn't notice that Rouge was one, too," she said with keen interest.

Jacen looked to both Rouge and Gray, "So now that you both know, don't go blurting it out," he looked at Gray mainly.

"I don't mind you getting information about me, but with the empire out there, I don't want to risk drawing attention," he added.

Gray tilted his head slightly, "Do you think the empire would actually come here?" He asked.

Jacen thought about it for a moment, "While highly unlikely, if the empire even detects the presence of a Jedi here, not even the Grimm will be a deterrent," he said severely.

"How would the empire even know?" Yang asked.

"I heard a rumor somewhere; there was something about a tall black-suited figure that appeared on a world called Mukhana," he said with noticeable tension.

"He made use of a crimson blade," he added severely.

All three faces turned toward each other, but Yang was the first to look back at Jacen.

"Like Dooku," she said in a knowing tone.

"Even he might not yet know about me, and I hope to the Force he remains ignorant," Jacen said.

Rouge seemed to be pondering something before she spoke, "What about what happened during the duel?" She asked.

Jacen's mood went solemn, "I was angry at how Rowan was belittling Ruby," he said after a moment had passed.

"However, that's the danger that Jedi face when they let anger consume them," he added.

"Because that leads them toward the Dark Side," Gray said, reviewing his notes.

Yang looked at Jacen with concern, "Has that happened to you before?" She asked.

"It nearly happened toward the war's end," Jacen answered.

"Though it's not frequent, whenever it does happen, it feels almost primal, like I'm filled with an uncontrollable feeling," he placed his hand on his chest.

"It's intoxicating and very dangerous."

Everyone took a moment to contemplate that meaning.

"If that happens," Yang said, touching his shoulder.

"Let me know if I can help somehow," she added.

"I want to be able to repay you for the times you saved my neck and Ruby's."

Jacen was happy that he'd met Yang when he first came to Remnant.

Despite her abandonment issues and being an excessive partygoer, often drowning her troubles in booze, she'd proved to be reliable and willing to help him when he needed it.

Though the empire and whoever that dark-armored warrior was were likely out there hunting other Jedi while building the infrastructure, he'd try not to dwell on those unfounded concerns.

It was improbable that the empire had the resources even to reach this world, which was practically pressed on the border of the Unknown Regions.

Still, the matter of Rowan made him contemplate.

Rowan was undoubtedly rethinking his poor display of personality, and it would take time for him to come to terms with it eventually.

Ruby, of course, would need all the support she could get to overcome this uncertainty and become a good leader.

"For now, I think we need to come to figure out how to get our teams on track," Jacen finally said.

Gray looked skeptical, "You think Rowan will actually listen to reason?" He asked.

"Right now, he needs space to come to terms with what happened," Jacen said.

"He'll come around when he's ready."

Yang didn't seem convinced, "You really think Dog Boy is gonna become forgiving?" She asked.

"Weiss will become Ruby's best friend before Rowan becomes a better person," she added.

Weiss, Jacen thought, she definitely must be feeling a mistake was made in making Ruby the leader after her humiliating defeat in class.

As bad as his duel with Rowan was, he hoped that Weiss and Ruby wouldn't have such a confrontation.

Though he sensed that, too was inevitable given Weiss's indignation.

"I'll do what I can to build up Ruby's confidence, but eventually, Ruby will also have trials that I can't help her with," he said.

"Being a leader isn't an easy job," he added matter of factly.

"I know she will become a great huntress just like her mother, I feel that in the Force," he added confidently.

Once that was completed, everyone followed him out from the balcony tower.

END