Chapter 1: A new purpose
"Find him!" A voice rang out through the hallway.
Jacen huddled behind a corner as a squadron of clone troopers swept the area.
It was him and his master they were after!
"Why?" He asked himself.
The attack came without warning after that haunting voice issued the dreaded order.
Then just like that, the very troops he and his master had fought alongside during the war now wanted them both dead.
He could feel his heart pounding as he tried to find his way to the opposite hatchway.
Daro Kilaeon, his former master, had ordered them to split up and make for the escape pods where they'd regroup.
Down the hall, he heard more footsteps. He listened to the voice of Commander Shade, his master's second in command and leader of the legendary Ghost Squadron, which specialized in unique and unorthodox methods of completing a mission, issuing orders to his men.
"Take a squad to the hangar bay," Shade said, speaking through the voice of the long-dead Jango Fett.
"The rest of us will cut them off at the escape pods."
He got affirmatives, and the other troopers carried out their orders.
This had to be a nightmare, Jacen thought as he made his way up the shaft heading toward the pods.
He had to warn his master somehow that a trap was being prepared.
"Focus, my old padawan," Daro's voice resonated in Jacen's mind.
"I'll buy you time as you prepare one of the pods."
Despite Jacen's objections, he did as instructed and made it to the escape pods, but he sensed that the clones were beginning to converge on the spot where the entrance was.
He also sensed his master's hard work keeping the clones busy while Jacen prepared one of the pods.
Just then, his master entered and used his lightsaber to cut the controls to the door, slamming it shut behind him.
His usually neat black hair was in virtual disarray, and his clothes were smoldering where he'd managed to dodge blaster bolts that went through his defense.
"Shade is serious about this," he said with evident exhaustion but trying to disguise it with mild humor.
Jacen winced; how could his master find humor at a time like this?
"The pod is almost ready, master," Jacen said, checking the warm-up sequence.
Both of them turned to the door where the clones were starting to work on cracking the door open.
Daro had his lightsaber ready, "Better get the pod opened quickly."
Jacen managed to do that, only to turn toward his master before entering the pod.
"Are you coming, master?"
At first, Daro didn't answer, but it was clear he just reached a critical decision.
When Daro turned his face toward him, he showed that kind, fatherly smile Jacen remembered well.
"Your destiny lies on a different path," he finally said, handing Jacen something small.
Horror suddenly crossed Jacen's face as he understood too late what his master planned to do.
Before he could leave the pod, his master used the Force to push him into it and then closed the door behind him.
"No!" Jacen screamed with tears flowing from his eyes as he helplessly hit his fist against the pod door.
The last thing he heard from his master before the pod was launched was the customary farewell between a Jedi master and his apprentice, "May the Force be with you."
Jacen was still frantically punching at the door when he saw the escape pod main doors blow open, with Shades engaging his master in a final fight just as the pod was suddenly launched, narrowly avoiding the ship's turbo lasers.
Fear began to close in around him like a tomb, yet he held hope that his master would make it.
However, Jacen suddenly felt his heart stop instantly as he sensed his master being overwhelmed and gunned down.
"MASTER!" He continued screaming.
He finally shot upward, shouting his master's name, only to realize he wasn't in the escape pod.
He was in what appeared to be a medical room, judging from the equipment attached to his arm and the monitors used to check his pulse.
He wiped away some sweat that had gathered from his nightmare.
He looked down to see that he had been bandaged up, then the memory returned to him.
He had been fighting that monstrous alpha Grimm and must have passed out from his injury.
He vaguely remembered a white-haired man with spectacles holding a cane.
Who was that? He thought to himself as he tried to get his thoughts together.
"I see you're finally awake, Mr. Horne," a formal and mature female voice said off to the opposite end of his bed.
Jacen's eyes adjusted and saw an older woman with blonde hair kept in a tight bun, with green eyes accented with glasses.
From her appearance, she seemed to have the air of a teacher or instructor.
"Um, where am I?" He asked, still unsure of his awareness.
Slowly his sensitivity to the Force returned, and he sensed a familiar power coming from the woman.
"Right now, you've been in the Vale General Hospital after your fight with that Alpha Beowolf," she said.
He raised an eyebrow with that statement, so that Grimm is known as a Beowolf.
He gripped his head as though he were on the verge of a headache but suddenly sobered up when he realized his lightsaber was nowhere in sight.
Perhaps picking up on his distress, the woman said, "I assume this is what you're looking for, Mr. Horne?"
Jacen looked to see she was respectfully holding his lightsaber as she examined it.
"I've seen many kinds of weapons in my time as a professor, but I've never seen a weapon such as this."
Professor, Jacen thought as his initial view of the woman was correct.
"I hope I'm not in trouble for anything, am I," he stopped then continued with a question, "Professor?"
She glanced sidelong at Jacen, "No, I don't think anyone who happened to fight ten Beowolves and an Alpha by themselves, especially since they weren't in a populated area, has done anything to consider being in trouble for."
She looked straight at him and properly presented herself.
"I'm Glynda Goodwitch, a professor at Beacon Academy, one of four top huntsman and huntress academies throughout Remnant."
Jacen immediately leaped out of his bed and assumed a formal position as though he were addressing a high-ranking military official or one of the Jedi Masters on the Council.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor Goodwitch," he said, inclining his head in the Jedi bow of respect.
He saw her motion with her hand for him to raise his head.
"You've already been discharged, and there's a car waiting for you outside," Glynda said as she handed the lightsaber back to him.
He seemed suspicious about the sudden position he found himself in.
"A car?" He asked curiously.
Glynda nodded, "As soon as you finish getting dressed, meet me outside."
He watched as she made her way out of the room.
Concern and suspicion were swimming through his mind.
She didn't seem like someone bad, but something about her felt unusual.
Through the Force, he didn't sense anything that indicated this as being a trap, and he was curious to see who had gone through the trouble of picking him up after his fight with the Grimm.
How long ago had that been? He asked himself, unsure as to how long he'd been unconscious.
Not wanting to keep her waiting, he used the Force to call his clothes to his hand, and he got dressed expeditiously.
He absently noticed the empty holster at his hip and let out a sigh.
If only that beast hadn't stepped on my blaster, he thought as he made his way out and to the lower floor.
When he reached the main doors, he saw Glynda standing beside a silver vehicle with its engines on standby and its rear passenger door open.
"Please be seated," Glynda said invitingly.
Jacen entered the car and marveled at the interior.
He'd been in speeders, motorized transportation, LAAT series gun ships, Military Walkers, and his own Star Fighter, but this vehicle had its charm without being overly complex.
As he settled in, he saw Glynda getting into the driver's seat, and they made their way from the hospital.
He remembered the white-haired man and wondered if something was linking him with Glynda.
"Where exactly are we going?" He asked, trying to break the awkward tension.
Glynda adjusted her glasses before she said, "We're on our way to Beacon Academy; there's someone who's been wanting to meet you as soon as you recovered."
Jacen placed his index finger under his chin in a manner that suggested deep thought.
He'd already heard of Signal Academy from his conversation with Yang, but what set it apart from Beacon?
Perhaps it was similar to how the Jedi Temple had been the center for training generations of Jedi throughout the ages, and Glynda had stated that it was one of four.
The memory of Yang made him wince; how would she feel if she found out the guy that saved her not only had no proper place to sleep, but nearly got killed by a pack of Beowolves?
Shaking his head, he asked, "I assume you're a huntress, Professor?"
Through the rearview mirror, he saw Glynda nodding her head.
"As you've witnessed, not many people can say that they've fought a pack of Grimm and lived to tell about it," she said.
"Part of my job is to ensure that not only are Grimm that threaten people eliminated, but I also work with local law enforcement to keep the peace."
She gave another glance at him through the mirror, "You should consider yourself lucky."
Jacen slightly chuckled, "In my experience, there's no such thing as luck."
It was incredible how the Force seemed to work mysteriously.
Here he was, several million light years from the Core, and he'd found himself among a kindred group of peacekeepers.
Though his admiration quickly turned to bitter lament.
The Jedi had once been seen as peacekeepers, but the war turned them into something they were never meant to be. Now the Jedi were criminals guilty of betraying the Republic they'd once sworn to defend.
He held his lightsaber closely; it represented everything he'd been told about how the lightsaber, though a weapon, could be used to defend those in need.
"I met someone just before I passed out in the forest," Jacen said.
Glynda cut him off, "You'll have answers soon enough, Mr. Horne."
The next few hours passed in relative silence as Jacen sat in deep contemplation.
Soon enough, as he looked out the window, he saw a rising tower and what might have passed for a cathedral or castle.
"That's Beacon, I take it?" He asked with a touch of awe in his voice.
"It's where we take young aspiring students from various junior academies and mold them into proper huntsmen and huntresses," Glynda replied.
For an instant, something about Beacon seemed oddly familiar; indeed, it might have just been his mind playing tricks on him, but he thought he'd seen the vague outlines of the Jedi Temple, and for that instant, a sickening feeling crawled into his stomach.
Had he just survived the extinction of his entire order, only to potentially be drawn into another?
No, he thought inwardly; he didn't feel that he could withstand having to live through another situation like that.
"We're here, Mr. Horne," Glynda said, knocking him out of his concerns.
Quickly shaking off what he might consider paranoia, he stepped out of the car to see they had stopped in the middle of a courtyard with a giant statue depicting the image of a man and woman fighting against what must have been other kinds of Grimm.
Despite its similarities, he had to admire Beacon for its aesthetic.
He could sense the faint echoes of ages past, during which many young students had attended this prestigious academy and become great warriors.
The sound of Glynda clearing her throat broke him out of his momentary trance.
"Wait for me at the main entrance," she said as she drove the car off to park it elsewhere.
Closing his eyes momentarily, he reached through the Force to see if he could dig further into the other currents he felt throughout Beacon.
A strange energy was imitating from somewhere in Beacon, presumably some kind of generator underneath the school's main hall.
Something felt odd, as though there was something else here, something ancient and potentially powerful.
He then moved his attention from the unknown object to see if anyone else was present.
Aside from himself, he sensed Glynda at the far end having parked the car in a private lot area, and he felt the presence of someone else.
He'd have assumed it was a security guard that made sure the grounds were protected, except that the presence he felt was old, like how Master Yoda had been. Still, moreover, there was something unique about the power this person, if indeed that's what it was, possessed.
"Is it customary to read people's minds, Mr. Horne?"
Jacen paused mid-stride, having heard the voice ringing clearly through his mind.
That voice, he thought, it definitely sounded like the voice he'd heard before he'd passed out, but one thing in particular left him shocked and surprised.
Did this man feel his presence as I did?
It was inconceivable at first, but as he continued to focus on the source of the voice, he paused.
"Could it be?" He asked himself.
While it definitely had the unmistakable feeling of the Force, it still wasn't exactly like how the Jedi or even Count Dooku had used it, but there was no mistaking that it was on par with it.
"I presume you'd like answers rather than trying to ponder for them yourself," the voice continued, perhaps feeling Jacen's sudden surge of questions he had no answers to.
When Jacen spoke, he reached through the Force to communicate with this new voice, "I would like to know exactly what is going on."
"Patience, young Jacen," the voice replied.
"Glynda should be returning momentarily."
Jacen was about to reply when suddenly the connection was broken.
"Who was that?" He asked, another unanswered question that mixed with an already increasing list.
He folded his arms across his chest, trying to fight his rising irritation.
Despite what his master had tried teaching him, patience still wasn't his strongest point, as he often acted impulsively.
A trait he often shared with Anakin Skywalker, according to both Daro and Obi-wan.
On one occasion, he'd nearly lost his arm when he impulsively tried to go head to head with General Grievous; only the quick mastery of Daro's well-developed lightsaber skills kept him from having his lightsaber becoming another trophy for the fiendish cyborg.
The footsteps approaching made him turn to see Glynda walking toward him.
"Please follow me, Mr. Horne," she said, beckoning him toward the main doors.
Finally, he thought, now he'd be able to get some answers.
He followed Glynda through a wide area with a raised platform that had a microphone stand attached to it.
Must be a reception hall, he thought inwardly, continuing to follow Glynda.
They made a few more turns down a winding pair of hallways before finally coming to what looked like an elevator shaft.
Without explanation, Glynda tapped a device Jacen recognized as being similar to what Yang used to make sure Junior cooperated.
He'd wanted to get one if it had such practical use.
He followed Glynda into the elevator, and there was a long awkward silence as the elevator went up.
His hand was caressing the hilt of his lightsaber that he'd returned to his inner jacket pocket.
If there was some hidden trap waiting to spring, he needed to be prepared, but he had to admit that his paranoia had been going into overdrive since he came here.
The elevator finally reached the top, and Jacen beheld the most incredibly designed office area.
Gears and cogs lined the ceiling and the middle of the floor as though it were the elaborate mechanism for a clock.
On the far end was a large desk where sat the unmistakable features of the white-haired man Jacen had encountered in the forest.
He sat with his hands clasped under his chin with a mug that had the clear emblem of twin axes on it which rested on the desk.
"Please have a seat," he said, indicating the chair in front of the desk.
Jacen did as he was told, and he finally got a clear look at the man.
His clothing consisted of various shades of black with noticeable green mixed in, particularly with his glasses.
"You were the one I saw in the forest that night?" Jacen asked.
The man nodded, "I apologize that we couldn't have a more formal greeting Mr. Horne."
He gestured to himself, "Allow me to introduce myself; I'm Professor Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon."
Jacen whistled inwardly; the way he spoke gave him the impression of a highly placed individual.
Inwardly, he had a sudden impression that reminded him of the ancient Master Yoda.
"If you don't mind my asking Professor Ozpin," he began.
"How long was I in that hospital?"
Ozpin adjusted his glasses before answering, "You've been unconscious for nearly a week," he said.
"The wound you received needed to be treated quickly as you'd lost quite a bit of blood during your fight with the Alpha Beowolf."
Instinctively, Jacen touched his back and felt the unmistakable signs of scars.
Suspicion crept into Jacen's voice when he asked his next question, "Were you watching me?"
Ozpin seemed to take the question in stride, "I was curious to see how you would fight against something you've never encountered before."
Jacen bristled at the remark, "I nearly died!" He shouted with considerable anger in his voice.
"Please calm yourself, Mr. Horne; I intended no harm," Ozpin said, gesturing for Jacen to settle down.
With great effort, Jacen closed his eyes, calling on the Force to calm his mind and give him clarity.
If Ozpin had wanted to, he could have left Jacen for dead, but instead, he took it upon himself to ensure Jacen received the medical attention he needed.
"I suppose a thank you is long overdue, Professor," It was said as a statement, not so much a question, but Ozpin felt compelled to answer.
"I appreciate that, Mr. Horne, though one thing continues to perplex me," he said.
"During your stay in the hospital, I happened to attempt to see if your name appeared anywhere else, yet I found no mention of you, and there was not even a record of your birth anywhere."
Jacen raised an eyebrow, "Is that a problem, Professor?"
Ozpin shrugged, "It is rather interesting how you seem not to even been born here, yet here you are."
Ozpin took a sip from his mug, allowing Jacen to reply.
"You're not wrong about me not appearing in any source material," he admitted, though reluctantly.
Ozpin set his mug down, "Of course, but then again, I doubt that the term Jedi wouldn't turn anything up either."
Jacen's eyes widened at the mention of the word Jedi.
"Where did you hear that?" His tone was a mix of shock and suspicion.
Ozpin raised his hand, "There was a story from a long time ago, though I doubt anyone would be able to find the source of this story as it was never written and might well be superstition," he said.
"Someone had mysteriously appeared on Remnant in the past; I believe he was referred to as either a pirate or a smuggler."
Jacen grimaced to himself as Ozpin continued.
"He told a wanderer about a group of warriors that wielded a strange power known as the Force and that they wielded unique energy weapons known as lightsabers."
By this time, Jacen stood up with his lightsaber in his hand, but he didn't ignite the blade.
Ozpin didn't seem so much concerned as he was curious.
"From what I witnessed during your fight, those stories seem more than just legends," he said.
"You demonstrated what I'd heard Jedi could do from the legends."
There was little point in hiding it, he'd demonstrated his skill with a lightsaber, and this man had a marginal understanding of what a Jedi was.
Despite his concern, he felt that he could trust Ozpin.
Taking a deep breath, Jacen said, "Yes, I'm a Jedi."
"A Jedi Knight, to be more specific." He finished.
Ozpin seemed impressed, "Is it true that the Jedi are guardians of peace and justice?" He asked.
A frown suddenly crossed his lips, "we were once," he said with bitter regret.
Ozpin seemed to pick up on Jacen's sudden disheartened mood, "Were, Mr. Horne?"
With great effort, he seemed to make a difficult choice; once he revealed this to Ozpin, there was no going back.
"The Jedi were caught in the middle of a war which tarnished the people's perceptions of us," he said.
"At first, we thought we were doing what we felt was necessary to defend the lives of people that suffered during the war, but in the end, it was all for nothing."
Ozpin noticed that Jacen was becoming even more bitter as he spoke.
"The war was never about the Republic against the Separatists, nor was it a war in which the Jedi had any hope of winning," he continued.
"The entire war was nothing but the biggest Jedi trap laid out by our enemies, The Sith."
Ozpin's eyes narrowed at the word Sith, "I've heard that spoken in the legend too; from what I understand, the Sith are the dark counterparts to the Jedi," he said.
Finally sitting down, he placed his lightsaber into the holster where his blaster had been.
"Regardless of that, the Jedi are now virtually extinct; as far as I know, I'm the last of my kind," Jacen said as sadness overtook him.
Ozpin seemed genuinely sympathetic to Jacen's situation.
"My condolences Mr. Horne," he said kindly.
Jacen was wiping away tears when Glynda handed him a tissue.
"In other words," Ozpin said.
"The war robbed you of who you were as a Jedi, and now you feel disheartened."
Jacen nodded, "I don't know what I should do anymore," he said.
For a moment, Ozpin adopted a deep-thinking posture before he spoke.
"Have you ever considered becoming a huntsman?" He asked.
Stunned, Jacen looked at Ozpin. Was he serious?
"I haven't given it much thought, Professor," he admitted.
Though it had crossed his mind ever since his first meeting with Yang.
Even Ruby's mentioning of helping others wasn't uncongenial from how the Jedi were supposed to be.
However, he still had reservations; for starters, he wanted to know how exactly Ozpin was able to not only communicate with him in his mind but also sense that Jacen was using the Force to gather incite.
"What exactly are you, Professor?" He asked pointedly.
Ozpin showed him a thin smile, "perhaps I might tell you if you were to attend this school to become a huntsman," he said.
Jacen's eyes narrowed a bit, Ozpin was hiding something, but he couldn't discern what it was.
Was it possible that Ozpin had mastery over a power that rivaled even the Force itself?
Despite Jacen's suspicions, he felt that Ozpin was not only giving him a chance to start over but to be able to reclaim what it truly meant to be a Jedi.
For that instant, he looked at Ozpin with a sense of respect, almost gratitude, but there were always logistical problems that indeed would occur.
"How exactly would I apply?" Jacen asked pointedly.
"I don't even have any documentation."
Ozpin showed a clever grin, "Leave that part to me; though the traditional criteria require aspiring huntsmen and huntresses to attend one of the other academies before joining one of the main academies, it isn't unheard of for students to get in through special recommendation."
Jacen still looked confused, "You'd recommend me for it?" He asked.
"Though there's one thing that we need to work on," Ozpin said as he raised a finger, stopping Jacen.
"First, familiarize yourself with huntsmen, huntresses, semblances, types of Grimm, and how to bring out your aura."
Now one of the biggest questions he had thought about had finally been brought up.
"What precisely is aura?" Jacen asked.
"I believe," Ozpin started to say.
"You've already seen it in action."
Jacen paused momentarily as he tried thinking back to when he witnessed it, and then realization hit.
He remembered during Yang's fight with Junior's henchmen that, their weapons never came close to touching her skin.
So it was like a natural defensive shield a huntsman or huntress could use to protect them from damage.
He found the possibilities endless with how it worked.
Whole armored clone troopers had taken hits from blasters wielded by the Separatists' Droid Army and never got back up.
It would act as secondary armor for anyone already wearing armor.
He shook his head to try and refocus.
"How exactly do I go about learning?" Jacen asked.
"I feel like that would take a considerable amount of time."
"Of course," Ozpin agreed.
"That's part of why I left relevant information in your friend's hands."
Belatedly Jacen paused for an instant, "My friend Professor?"
A loud squeal and beeping noise behind him turned his attention toward the elevator shaft.
There maneuvering itself on three treaded wheels was a sight Jacen feared he'd never see again.
It was R5-7K, or Skipper as he'd become known, his personalized astromech droid that he'd built back when he was still a padawan.
The little droid had the lower appearance of an R2 unit, but its head had a slightly flat design while retaining many of the frontal features of the R2 unit.
Its body was a bluish-black color, with the various panels that served as its cover for the multiple tools it possessed a shade of dark purple.
As the little droid focused its photo receptors on Jacen, it whistled and beeped again as though overtaken with what passed for joy in droids.
"Skipper?" Jacen said, momentarily surprised as a flood of joy overtook him.
Glynda seemed perplexed, "You can understand it?" She asked.
Jacen nodded, "it's easy once you learn the language of binary code."
Skipper whistled again, which translated to, "Where have you been?" It had a distinctly scolding tone.
"Where've I been?" He asked, repeating the question.
"How about where have you been? I thought you were lost when the ship crashed."
"It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been so reckless again." Skipper intoned in an admonishing way.
He waved sardonically, "What, would you rather the Empire capture you and use you for spare parts?"
A concerned noise came from Skipper, and he let the matter drop.
The sound of Ozpin clearing his throat drew Jacen's attention.
"I gave him a list of the necessary files you'll need to go over before the term begins, which reminds me," Ozpin motioned to Skipper who opened one of his access panels wherein a claw had in it what looked like currency.
"It's not much, Mr. Horne, but I suggest you use that lien wisely," Ozpin said.
Jacen took the lien and noticed five five-thousand lien with two one thousand lien and five one hundred lien.
"27,500 lien?" Jacen sounded perplexed.
"This is way too generous."
Ozpin waved in dismissal, "I insist the first item you get is a scroll," he said, holding up the device, which could be handheld or opened to a broader landscape display.
Jacen couldn't argue the point, "definitely better than having to carry an oversized datapad."
Ozpin finally rose, using his cane as he did so to come to his full height, and walked toward Jacen, extending his hand.
"Once you've gone over the necessary steps, notify me via your new scroll, and I'll send a letter of recommendation to you afterward."
Jacen shook Ozpin's hand, and in that instant he sensed something tumultuous as if Ozpin had a tremendous burden he was keeping under wraps.
There was another thing that Jacen saw as he continued to shake Ozpin's hand, only a name, Salem.
Rather than pursue what might well be something Ozpin would eventually tell him, he logged the name away and said aloud.
"I look forward to attending Beacon Professor," he said, finishing the handshake.
"I have a feeling it will be a most interesting year," Ozpin said, returning his hand to the top of his cane.
"Professor Goodwitch will ensure that you are given proper lodgings while you begin your studies in Vale."
Jacen was reluctant to accept such hospitality, but he knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Never mind, the last time he'd turned that down, he'd nearly gotten eaten.
He turned toward Ozpin and gave him a respectful bow.
"Until our next meeting Professor," he said, then added.
"May the Force be with you."
It was a customary blessing and a phrase Jedi used when they parted ways.
Ozpin bowed, "Then may it be with you as well, Mr. Horne."
With that done, Jacen motioned for Skipper to follow him and Glynda into the lift.
As it closed, Ozpin's smile seemed to fade.
Inwardly, he wondered if there were other things the Jedi could do that he had yet to witness.
He undoubtedly sensed the power of Jacen's mind as it connected with his.
However, he felt he had unintentionally added a Jedi to his network.
He rubbed his right temple, knowing what might happen, but perhaps it might change something.
His scroll rang and when he opened it, there was a message from someone identified by a big 'Q' in the icon.
Leave it to Qrow Branwein to be able to do his part while teaching students at Signal.
Belatedly, he remembered still having to review the applications of students graduating from Signal this year. He turned back toward his desk, hoping his coffee was still at a decent temperature while he began his work.
In downtown Vale, Jacen had finally settled into the new single apartment that Ozpin had generously provided him.
Glynda had to be creative in moving Skipper using her semblance, which Jacen suspected was some form of telekinesis.
After having bid them good night, she left.
Jacen's mind was still spinning with anticipation at what he was about to dive into.
That lessons were necessary to build up a baseline for his learning didn't bother him; he was always a quick learner.
Still, one thing continued to buzz in his head, that name that he saw while shaking hands with Ozpin.
Salem, something about it sent a cold shiver going down his spine.
Could it be a type of Grimm?
Come to think of it; it hadn't occurred to him just how much a Grimm could evolve through learning and experience.
Was it possible for Grimm to evolve to the point where they actually had sentience to them or even began to take on the form of a human?
If so, that type of Grimm would be even more dangerous.
Looking over at Skipper, he mentally decided that the first topic he would learn about was the Grimm.
As if reading his thought, Skipper moved closer toward his bed.
Jacen gently rubbed the top of his droid's head.
"It's a new start for us Skipper," he said.
"Guess I might be able to rediscover what it truly means to be a Jedi."
Skipper's tone sounded doubtful, but it quickly became encouraging.
"First thing's first, Skipper," he said.
"Going to need to know more about what these huntsmen and huntress fight against, if only so I don't end up like last time."
He was rubbing his back again, feeling the scars across it.
"Might not hurt to learn how to use aura too," he added as an afterthought.
A thought occurred to him with that topic, "I think Yang might be able to help us learn more about Aura than observing lectures."
It was one thing to learn about it and another to practice using it.
Without wasting a moment, the droid turned on its projector, and a life-sized holo image of Professor Ozpin stood in the middle of the room.
"Good day, I'm Professor Ozpin, and I will be taking you through the basics of what it means to be a huntsman or huntress," the record began.
"Every hunter must be familiar with the prey they hunt, to huntsmen and huntresses; no creature is as fearsome or tenacious as the Grimm."
Several images of different types of Grimm suddenly appeared on the far wall beside Ozpin.
"In these lessons, we will be going over the many categories and subcategories for the Grimm to arm you with the knowledge you need to face them," Ozpin's face looked like that of a proper instructor.
Jacen folded his hands together, letting out a yawn while stretching.
"Well, Yang," he said thoughtfully.
"I feel we're gonna see each other sooner than expected."
He kept his focus intently as the holographic Ozpin began his lecture.
End