Well, I had this wacky idea after reading this other story called "The Grand Admiral" by elektroboot98 (id: 12442288). Now if you know anything about me, especially given the mass majority of crossovers in this repository, is that I am a big Star Wars fan. This pilot is no exception to that rule. So, what is this one all about? Well, what certain character in the SW universe is a Grand Admiral who's a big fan favorite? Thrawn. Ah yes, the blue skinned, red eyed Sun Tzu of the Star Wars universe *fond sigh*. You know, next to Legends Luke Skywalker, Thrawn was my next favorite character and always my absolute favorite Imperial character. His Empire of the Hand was what the Empire should have been. But enough of my fanboying over this excellent character who triumphantly re-entered canon with both the novel aptly named "Thrawn" and his appearances during season 3 of Rebels.
Given the fact that the previously named story has entered hiatus in order to revise it, I thought I could do a little thought experiment using the same initial premise but with my own take on it. So, what does that mean? Thrawn will be reborn into the world of Remnant and work his way through the ranks of the Atlesian military until he holds the rank he had during his height of the Empire. This specifically is where my story will deviate from elektroboot98's story. However, I shall hold my tongue further as it will all be further explained in this pilot without giving too much away. After all, I do have quite a few ideas and I do have Thrawn's journals as references that I can use; well, as well as his appearances in Rebels as well.
Rating: T - T+ as I am unsure where everything will exactly go in terms of violence and such.
Disclaimer: I own nothing other than my laptop and my copy of MS Word. Star Wars belongs to Disney and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth. See the foreword for the full disclaimer.
XxXxXxX
"Talking."
'Thinking.'
"Transmissions."
XxXxXxX
White Fang base, Lantis.
A dozen White Fang members sat around a single terminal watching as their carefully hidden cell was destroyed little by little, allowing them to see just how futile their resistance was against the Atlesian military. However, it wasn't the entire military after them, but a single Atlesian Airship and several support ships. Then, as sudden as it came, the attack stopped.
"We've got an incoming call," a male snake Faunus reported.
"Bring it on screen," the cell's leader ordered. A single individual's upper torso and above filled the frame of the screen. The figure wore a white uniform only reserved for those high up in the Atlesian military, specifically the Navy. "Grand Admiral Thrawn," the leader growled in greeting. "Have you come to request our surrender?"
"On the contrary, Lapis Fredrickson," Thrawn replied. "There is no escape and your forces are outnumbered. This part of your rebellion ends today. I am not accepting surrenders at this time. I want you to know failure, utter defeat, and that it was I who delivers it crashing down upon you. Now, let us proceed." The admiral's image disappeared from the screen and absolute dread filled the remaining White Fang members.
Up in his airship, Thrawn ordered, "Open fire." Every gun battery opened up with their lasers, peppering the once serene forest with laser fire reserved for capital ships. Lasers tore into the hills and ground causing detonations below ground when lasers found Dust cashes, munitions dumps, or a generator. The bombardment went on for dozens of minutes before Thrawn ordered, "Hold fire." Several lasers still left as they were primed to fire while he was speaking. The bridge crew sat there for ten minutes as the dust settled. Thrawn then asked, "Sensors?"
There were taps at consoles and a crewman replied a moment later, "None detected, sir."
Thrawn had a thin smile showing his satisfaction with the result of this operation. "Excellent. Chart a course for Beacon, we do have a schedule to keep."
"Aye, sir."
XxXxXxX
Two days later, Beacon.
The Chimera approached the docks of Beacon with a type of intimidating elegance that few could accomplish. Thrawn sat in his office aboard his airship watching the scenery pass below him. The semi-reflective nature of the impact resistant, ballistic glass allowed him to once again look at his features, something he did less and less with each passing day, but at the beginning had been a constant in his daily routine. His blue-black hair was still the same, his general facial features were the same. The one big thing that was different with him was that he no longer had the blue skin that the Chiss were known to have; instead, he had the pinkish hue of skin that all humans had but with patches of blue snake skin. His eyes retained the red color that they always had, but his irises were now slitted like a feline or lizard's were
This was one of the more interesting discoveries that he had made early in his young life. These eyes specifically belonged to the Faunus species, a sub category of humanity that evolved both similarly but slightly different to obtain animal features and traits. It was when he was five standard years old that he had come to the following conclusion: he had been reborn into another life after his death at the hand of his closest assassin. That had been the single flaw in his plan. By allowing the information that the Empire poisoned the ground of Honoghr, the Noghri turned on him. Perhaps if he tried to make amends they might not have turned on him. But that was neither here nor there.
He was born to a cat Faunus father and a wolf genus father. He himself was a snake. Fitting, as snakes were known to be cunning when hunting their prey. He grew up in Atlas, impoverished like the rest of his species due to the… xenophobia that the Atlesian humans had. When he was sixteen he enlisted in the Navy and just like before in his previous life had rocketed through the ranks until he held the position of Grand Admiral. It was hard to prevent his rise to his position due to the loyalty of his subordinates as well as his track record. In every battle he walked into, he always walked out with the minimal number of casualties possible. Like before he also took his subordinates' suggestions and concerns into consideration when creating a plan.
He turned his mind away from thinking about the past and looked at the art that he had collected over his years as a career military tactician. Statues, paintings, sculptures, original book printings, and the like. There was a lot of art styles that Thrawn noticed that the galaxy that he left behind had here as well. 'Strange, there must've been several art movements that echoed each other both here and there,' he thought at one point in his early life.
He was interrupted from his thoughts when the intercom system activated. "Sir, we're on our final approach to Beacon now," a voice on the other side reported.
He reached forward and pressed the button on his desk, "Thank you, ensign. Please ensure that our final approach to the docks proceeds smoothly," Thrawn replied in his calm voice.
He looked out of the window to see the docks closing in. He stood up and straightened his uniform before leaving his office. The doors closed behind him with a hiss as it locked shut. He gestured to the two troopers stationed at the door of his office. "You two, come with me," he ordered.
They walked through the labyrinthine corridors of the airship until they reached the embarkation bay. The normally sealed wall lowered until there was a ramp that made contact with the docks. Thrawn walked off his ship as dockworkers started mooring procedures and refueling protocols, rushing around in a state of controlled chaos. Like ants in an ant colony.
The three walked through the courtyard of the school. Thrawn caught several students from the various schools staring at them; well, primarily him. You normally didn't see a Faunus in Atlesian High Command attire, primarily as Atlas was extremely biased against Faunus in general. There were a few students, primarily those in the Atlesian uniform, as they were part of Ironwood's academy, that recognized him; and how could they not? His tactics of past battles were still studied to this day. Thrawn heard footsteps behind him and didn't turn around, but greeted, "Lieutenant Commander Vanto, thank you for joining us."
The man walked up to him holding a Scroll in hand. "My apologies, Admiral. It seems as though there was a fight that broke out in the crew quarters that needed to be broken up," the strange twang of the man's voice a stark contrast to Thrawn's.
They walked into Beacon proper, primarily the main entrance hall. "And I assume that the involved parties were punished appropriately?"
"The two responsible parties are currently detained in the brig until they can be debriefed as to why the fight broke out in the first place."
"Good. See to that they are thoroughly questioned so that this is satisfactorily resolved. We cannot have dessert in our ranks this close to the upcoming trials that face Vale," Thrawn calmly stated as they entered the main elevator that would take them to the highest level of Beacon: Headmaster Ozpin's office. The ride was short and quiet except for the noises of breathing and whirring machinery on the elevator. The doors opened and the four disembarked into the short hallway that ended in a doorway and a secretary's desk.
"Ozpin is expecting you," the young woman said without looking up from her work. "You may go right in."
"Thank you," Thrawn replied. He then turned to the black armored troopers. "Please wait out here, this meeting won't take long." The speakers from the helmets came out garbled as the scramblers did their job. They stepped aside and took a position near the doors to the office standing at a relaxed attention stance with their weapons pointed towards the ground. The secretary was a bit unnerved as she had heard the 'horror stories' from the tabloids that talked about black armored Atlesian troopers that spoke was garbled voices, like zombies. There were even some rumors that explicitly claimed that they were zombies, the reanimated bodies of Atlesian soldiers that fell in battle. She tried to put her mod off of it and returned to work.
Thrawn and Vanto walked into Ozpin's office. Their movements didn't to unnoticed to either headmaster as they turned to see him. "Admiral Thrawn, what are you doing here?" General Ironwood asked (see: demanded).
"I put in a request to high command to be stationed here to reinforce you," Thrawn replied. "And it's Grand Admiral now."
"Grand Admiral?" asked Ironwood in shock.
He touched the rank insignia on his uniform lightly. "Yes, the council and high command thought that a promotion was needed after my campaign on the Faunus settlement of Manaan who were harboring White Fang members in their midst knowingly. The operation was completed with minimal casualties on all accounts."
"My belated congratulations," Ozpin said warmly, his voice contrasting Thrawn's deliberately cool and calculated way of speaking. "But I'm sure that you didn't come all this way just to reinforce the General's forces, have you," Ozpin said matter-of-factly with a wry grin.
Thrawn replied to his grin with a small line of a smile himself. "You are quite perceptive, Headmaster. No, I didn't come all the way from Atlas for just a simple reinforcement. Pieces have entered play that were once idly standing by."
"Meaning?" Ozpin encouraged him to continue.
Ironwood sneered, "Yes, enough of your riddles." Ozpin gave his old friend a stern look.
"Lieutenant Commander Vanto, if you would," Thrawn encouraged with an astride gesture.
"Yes, sir," the youngest man in the room replied with his twangy accent. He brought his Scroll up and opened it. "Headmaster, the lights, if you would?" Ozpin nodded and pressed a button on his desk. Shades lowered over his office's windows and the lights dimmed. Eli pressed a button on his military issue Scroll and it started to project a map of Vale. Another tap brought up many red dots on the map. "As you can see these are the reports of thefts involving Dust in the last few months."
"Yes, and?" Ironwood asked impatiently.
Eli swallowed a retort and pressed another button. "And these are specifically attributed to the serial thief Roman Torchwick." Only five of the well over twenty dots still remained.
"I can also see that. Why are we talking about information that everyone in this room already knows?" Ironwood blurted out of annoyance. However, Eli was unperturbed.
"Yes, we all know this information. But we must ask ourselves 'why?'," Thrawn replied.
"Why?"
"Yes," Thrawn confirmed. "First, we must ask ourselves why is Torchwick stealing Dust?"
"Because he's a thief!"
"You aren't wrong," Thrawn said as he walked closer to the projection. "But why attack this many places in so short of a time? You mentioned that he's a thief, I do not argue with that assessment. But why is he stealing this much?"
"Indeed," Ozpin agreed. He pulled up a file on his own computer on his desk. "Arrest records state that before this string of armed robberies that he was a small time, petty criminal. Only short-term scams and basic thievery."
"So why is he now escalated to a more lucrative market?" Vanto asked.
"An excellent question, Commander," Thrawn complemented. "In order to understand the purpose of these thefts, we must look at the plundered goods. Commander Vanto, a list of the stolen goods, if you would." Eli tapped a few buttons and a text based log appeared on the projection. "As you can see both cut, uncut, and refined Dust was stolen. However, if you'll look closer, there is more stolen uncut Dust than any other form reported stolen. Commander, I believe you told me a while ago that you have a cousin that runs a small-scale Dust refinery?"
"Yes, my elder cousin Bethany runs her family's Dust refinery under contract from Schnee Dust Company," Eli confirmed.
"And you worked at said refinery for a time?"
"I worked there during the summer between my final year of schooling and the Naval Academy, yes."
"Tell me," Thrawn said as he looked at the map more carefully, "what can be done with Dust."
"Well, the most obvious use with refined Dust is in weaponry and circuitry. Bullets, lasers, and the like as well as the engines that propel our airships and other modes of transportation."
"And the others?"
"Well, uncut and cut Dust can be further refined into refined Dust. However, some prefer the uncut or cut Dust to then personally refine it and either enhance or decrease the elemental properties depending on the intended use. There's one other use that slipped my mind."
"Oh?" Ironwood asked.
"Both cut and uncut Dust can be used as an explosive alternative to plastic or chemical explosives," Eli finished.
"And the difference between cut and uncut Dust?" Thrawn asked.
Eli closed his eyes in thought as he touched his chin. "Well, uncut Dust is more powerful but has a more uncontrolled blast. The cut is less powerful but has a more controlled and directed blast."
Thrawn ambiguously asks, "So why is he stealing it then?"
"Oh, please. He's just going to sell it," dismisses Ironwood with a hand wave.
"Perhaps," Thrawn replies thoughtfully. "Commander, what is the current price of Dust?"
"As of the market opening earlier today," Eli replies as he looks up the numbers. "it's running at two hundred percent higher prices than what was being reported before the thefts."
"If Torchwick was selling the Dust for a profit then prices would fluctuate between normal and higher prices as the Dust supply was suddenly decreased but increased shortly later through other means like fences and pawn shops, even if they were at higher prices during their return to the marketplace. However, this is not the case. The more demand there is, the more the prices increase as there is no supply for it, causing shops to order more Dust from SDC and other companies which are also hit during their shipments," Thrawn explained. He gestured to Eli once more and the map had many yellow dots appeared on a world map. "These are attacks by the White Fang on Dust shipments confirmed by both Atlesian drone footage as well as eyewitness accounts. These attacks are too close together to be anything less than collusion."
Ironwood's jaw dropped in shock. How could he have not seen the pattern as well? "So, you're saying that Torchwick is colluding with the White Fang?" Ozpin asked.
"Yes," Thrawn replied.
"So Torchwick and his goons attack businesses causing the need for more Dust to replace the stock they lost, but the White Fang then attacks the shipments via train causing the stock to be lost," Eli revealed.
"Causing the shops to lose twice the amount of money, once for their lost inventory to their shops and once more when SDC and other companies raise the prices to compensate for their losses," Ozpin added. "Causing our Hunters and Huntresses who rely on Dust based munitions for their weapons to have to pay more for them."
"Precisely the same conclusion I came to as well," Thrawn said.
"Why would anyone want to disrupt the Dust supply to hurt our Hunters? They're the ones keeping the masses safe from the Grimm!" Ironwood exclaimed.
"The latter isn't entirely true," Thrawn replied. "Our militaries do well against the Grimm, however, I do concede that Hunters and Huntresses specialize in eliminating Grimm and Grimm specifically. Them not being able to do their jobs efficiently is detrimental to the population. It is my belief that Torchwick is not the mastermind behind this."
"What makes you think that, Admiral?" Ozpin asked with his hands folded, clearly interested.
"The patterns do not match," Thrawn said as he approached Ozpin's office's window. He looked out to the school and the city below. "Torchwick is the kind of man who commits to short term scams and easy targets that can easily claim money through insurance on said property stolen. His criminal history proves this mindset he holds. This type of planning and execution is beyond him. Someone else is pulling the strings behind this plot. I believe one of your students mentioned a woman with Torchwick the day of the robbery that brought your attention to her, Headmaster Ozpin; a Ruby Rose, if I am correct."
"Indeed, she mentioned a woman with a fire based Semblance; something that Professor Goodwitch can corroborate," Ozpin confirmed. "However, neither of them managed to see the woman's face, only what she wore."
Thrawn rubbed his chin in thought. "Yes, she seems to be more of the mastermind type; or at least higher up on the food chain."
"You think she's middle management?" Ironwood asked.
"Perhaps. It would be risky revealing yourself this early into the game. The only reason to reveal your face before any plan has been fully implemented and executed is if someone in the plan is expendable and you intend to take care of them when their part has been played out. If this were just a robbery scheme involving shop fronts I would resign that she is the mastermind. However, given the scale gravity of the outcomes that their thefts present, my thoughts are that this woman is only one or more steps higher than Torchwick in this plan."
"What makes you say that?"
"The fact that the White Fang is also working with him would have to mean they are doing it begrudgingly. The White Fang of old was, of course, a civil rights group who peacefully protested the treatment given to Faunus. At that time, they also welcomed human supporters. Now, this group is now extremely anti-human and it would take something that both saw as an enemy to bring them together to work on a plan such as this."
"The governments of Vale and Atlas?" Ozpin suggested.
"Huntsmen and Huntresses?" Ironwood suggested.
"Yes," Thrawn replied. He turned to them, "The White Fang are fighting on ripping apart the governments that oversee both human and Faunus alike, the thieves are stealing indirectly from the Huntsmen and Huntresses that protect those citizens. It is a two-pronged attack."
"I see," Eli said as he too came to the same conclusion. "While Huntsmen are semi-autonomous units who can work alone for a long period of time, they still need to receive orders in order to effectively direct their attack. Without the governments to give real-time information on targets, they will be in disarray and ineffective towards larger threats that we normally would see ahead of time."
"Precisely," Thrawn agreed. "It is also my belief that they will try and cripple our communications array."
"They would try and destroy the CCT?" Ironwood asked in shock.
"It wouldn't be the first time a CCT node went down for suspicious reasons. Didn't one of the secondary CCT relay towers go down on the westernmost coast of Mistral not too long ago?"
"Professor Lionheart expressed worry as well, however, he did say that the relay went up no more than a week later. Apparently, he stated that there were technical difficulties," Ozpin replied.
"That's what's worrying," Thrawn stated. "Were they able to discover the origin of the problem specifically?"
"Some kind of technical glitch, according to his most recent communication on the issue he said it was some kind of technical glitch."
"Interesting," Thrawn murmured. "It is my belief that the secondary CCT relay was a test."
"A test?" Ironwood asked in shock.
"Yes," Thrawn simply replied. "This prodding attack would allow the perpetrators to test our cyber defenses before refining their attack further until they're ready to strike. Given the increase in attacks both direct and indirect leads me to believe that it will be soon. Vytal Festival soon."
"The Vytal Festival? They would be mighty confident to attack an event where many Hunters and Huntresses both in training and those who are experienced are going to gather to watch and participate in the festivities. Especially now that the Atlesian military is here with two decorated officers who have led successful operations," Ozpin prodded.
"I believe there is a much bigger motive in play. They had many years to attack other Vytal Festivals held in other kingdoms, what makes this one special?" Thrawn rhetorically asked. "It's a special target that only presents itself here and nowhere else."
"And what target do you believe that is?" Ironwood asked carefully, seeing the slight glint in Ozpin's eye.
"Does the name… Amber mean anything to you?"
There was a deafening silence. "Where did you hear that name?" Ozpin asked calmly.
"There were unsecured reports from a computer that one of my special task squads recovered from a White Fang base. One such report included the name Amber inside it as a 'viable candidate'. All other data was lost concerning that though. Then I started digging deeper, after all the White Fang doesn't take interest in anyone for no reason," Thrawn said as he paced slowly, making sure to keep eye contact with both Ironwood and Ozpin. "I found out that a little over a year ago a Huntress was sent out on a mission, but never returned. Her family kept filing Missing Person reports, but they kept getting shuffled to the bottom of the stack each time. That Huntress's name? Amber. Once more I further investigated and found an eyewitness report that a young woman with tanned, brown skin and brown hair had been attacked by three individuals and was left for dead. Shortly thereafter a man appeared to take her seemingly lifeless body away. The eyewitness didn't need a sketch artist to tell him who the rescuer was, Headmaster Ozpin. Because it was you."
Once again, the office was silent. "What do you gain from presenting this information?" Ozpin asked as he stood up, his hands on his cane.
"Nothing in the vein of what you're currently thinking," Thrawn replied, his voice portraying confidence and the type of coolness that only he could project in spoken word. "I merely wish to know why such a girl was targeted. Her family has no military or political connections that could be exploited with either her capture or death, meaning she was targeted for another reason, a reason that you know."
There was a long silence. The silence unaffected Thrawn, but Eli and Ironwood definitely felt the tension in the room. "What do you know about fairy tales?" Ozpin asked carefully.
"Enough to know that there is always a bit of truth in legends."
"I assume you know the tale of the Four Maidens, then?"
Ironwood whipped around to face his old friend. "Oz, you can't seriously be thinking of telling him this," Ironwood asked in shock.
"You don't trust the Grand Admiral?" Ozpin asked.
"Not him," he sputtered out, "his aide!"
Eli immediately shot up and was about to speak out when Thrawn replied, "Commander Vanto has served by my side for many years both as a loyal officer in the Atlesian navy, but also as my friend. He wouldn't betray the secret that you keep and intend to reveal. He has had many opportunities over the years to commit espionage but has never taken them. I vouch for his trustworthiness."
There was once again an uncomfortable silence, primarily between the three Atlesians. Finally, Ozpin broke the silence, "Very well, if you vouch for him."
"You're going to trust him with a secret like this, just like that? It took me years of gaining your trust for you to reveal the same to me!" Ironwood indignantly shouted.
"That's enough, James," Ozpin replied calmly. "It took me years because I was still unsure if your interests would only involve Atlas alone instead of the entirety of Remnant. We all know how Atlas has… exploited certain people for their own benefit and gain. I wanted to ensure you didn't share the same… aspirations." He then shrugged. "Besides, if we can trust a certain Specialist with events and information that could be considered conflicts of interest and a certain drunkard crow, we can trust these two all the more," Ozpin said with a smirk.
"I am honored to receive such a privilege, Headmaster," Thrawn humbly said. Eli could have sworn he heard Ironwood say 'Kiss ass' under his breath.
"As I mentioned before, you both know the tale of the Four Maidens, yes?"
"I don't know anyone who hasn't heard the tale growing up, Headmaster," Eli replied.
Ozpin nodded. "As the Grand Admiral said before, there is a bit of truth in legends. The same could be said for this tale as well. Millennia ago a wizard gave four young women incredible powers. Over the generations, this power would be passed to the person they thought of in their dying breaths. Most times it was a family member, but it was always a girl who the power went to."
"And eventually one of the Maiden's power was passed to young Amber," Thrawn finished. "I now see why she was particularly targeted. However, it feels as though you're leaving something out. Something important," he noted.
"Yeah," Eli spoke up, "if they killed her wouldn't it just go to another person? That would make killing her a moot point and a waste of time."
"Indeed," Thrawn agreed.
"I too thought the same at the time. After further reflection, it appears that our unknown entity has learned how to siphon the powers of a Maiden from them unwillingly to another host of their choosing. How they do this, I do not know. However, I did arrive in time that they were spooked off and were only able to finish half of the transfer," Ozpin replied.
"What would happen if all four women who currently hold these abilities are… siphoned, if you will?"
Ozpin shook his head, unsure of the truth himself. "I do not know. But all I do know is that this world will enter a time of darkness never seen before, especially those who intend to use those powers for less than decent reasons."
"And Amber herself, where is she being kept?" Eli asked. "You yourself said that they only managed to finish half of the transfer."
"She is being kept safe under medical observation, close enough to defend at a moment's notice."
"Do you know the identities of the other three?" Thrawn asked. "If we know who they are they can be put either in protective custody or have an escort ready to assist with assailants."
"At this time, we only know of one other. However, we do not know which of the remaining she possesses. She is currently under the watch of an… associate," Ozpin cryptically replied.
"That's one way of speaking about her," Ironwood muttered.
"But regardless she is safe," Ozpin reassured the Atlesian military men. "But enough about dourer things. Admiral, as you are here now quite unexpectedly, would you care to guest lecture in one or more of the classes here?"
Thrawn thought on his options for a moment. He could scout out students here from Haven, Atlas, and Beacon to evaluate whether they would be threats or not. After all, the Vytal Festival combined with the earlier revealed information would make infiltration a viable threat. The CCT relay was installed directly on campus and would be a target for the opportunity driven assailant or spy. "I would be honored to impart the knowledge I've learned over the years to your students. At the same time, it would allow me to… evaluate the contenders for the Festival's tournament," Thrawn replied. "You, of course, are welcome to sit in and listen as well."
Ozpin smiled, "I just might take you up on that offer."
XxXxXxX
That afternoon.
When teams JNPR and RWBY walked into their class with Professor Goodwitch, they immediately heard the murmuring of the other members of Beacon as well as their guests who were sitting in on their host's classes to compare what they had learned to them. They saw Sun and Neptune and sat down next to the duo.
"What's with all the muttering?" Yang asked the two.
"I don't know," Sun replied. "Rumor is that your class is going to get a guest speaker."
Ruby's eyes widened in an almost comical fashion. "Oooh, I wonder who it is!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Maybe it's the Mighty Mogar!"
"Isn't Mogar one of your comic book characters?" Blake asked in an almost deadpan.
Ruby seemed to deflate, "I can hope, can't I?"
The bell to begin class rang and the still incoming students quickly found a seat in the desked stands either with friends or randomly with other people. A few seconds later Professor Goodwitch stood up from her desk and approached her students. "Good afternoon, class. Today we will be taking a slight break for today-." Cheers broke out. "-however, my students at have their homework due for today to hand in as well as tomorrow's assignment which will be sent to your Scrolls." The expected groans broke out in place of the cheers. "As you all may have heard from some of the previous classes, we have a guest lecturer today." Murmurs once again broke out, but hushed to almost a whisper. They heard footsteps coming from the side of the desks, but still in the shadows. Those that looked closely could see a pair of glowing red eyes that unnerved them. "Future Huntsmen and Huntresses, may I introduce Grand Admiral Thrawn of the Atlas Navy," she said with a welcoming, outstretched arm.
Out of the shadows, dressed in pure white naval officer's uniform, Thrawn walked towards the center of the classroom. The first that they all noticed was the borderline glowing red eyes. However, for some it was the Faunus features that he had, primarily his eyes and patches of dark blue snake-like scaly skin that was only visible on his face as the officer's uniform covered the arms and legs making it look very constrictive but somehow was loose enough to fight in if needed. Though for Blake, her reaction was completely different. For her all she felt was dread. She had heard of the mythical Faunus admiral who WILLINGLY worked for Atlas; his brutal efficiency and the pure tactical genius that he employed against the now terror group.
Behind them and out of sight, Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald had the same reaction of surprise. They had heard the rumors floating around of an Atlas big wig stopping by, but not a grand admiral, and a Faunus one at that! Cinder looked at the door that would have led to the professor's office and saw a human wearing another Atlesian naval officer's uniform standing by the door to it.
Thrawn's eyes raked over the class, looking at each of them with an analytical eye. He then turned to Professor Goodwitch and said with a slight now, "Thank you, professor, for the introduction." He then turned to the students, "Headmaster Ozpin has given me the prestigious opportunity to share my knowledge with his students." He looked to the professor and asked, "You teach combat training in this class, yes?"
"Indeed, I do," Glenda replied with a hint of pride.
"Very good then." He turned to the class once more. "Many of those skilled in technological warfare believe that physical training and discipline are unnecessary with lasers, airships, and armor plating and the mental resources to direct them muscular strength and agility are thought to be merely concedes. They are wrong. The mind and body are linked together in a meshwork of oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and neuron health. Physical exercise drives that meshwork, exercising the brain, and freeing one's intellect. Simulated combat has the additional virtue of training the eye to spot small errors and exploit them. A change in focus can also allow the subconscious mind to focus on unresolved questions. Simulated combat often ends with the warrior discovering one or more of those questions has been unexpectedly been solved. And occasionally, such exercise can serve other purposes."
The class was entirely silent as they pondered the words of the Admiral. Many of them thought back to times where they had gone to a gym with an issue that they didn't know how to solve, but afterward thought up a solution for their problem. Thrawn spotted a singular blonde boy in the audience who looked uncomfortable, almost out of place. Thrawn could have sworn that the boy didn't belong there.
He continued, "No one is immune from failure, all have tasted the bitterness of defeat and disappointment. A warrior must not dwell on that failure but must learn from it and carry on. But not all learn from their errors, that is something that those who dominate others know very well and know how to exploit. If an opponent has failed once at a logic problem, his enemy will try the same type of problem hoping that the failure will be repeated. What the manipulator sometimes forgets, and what a warrior must always remember, is that no two sets of circumstances are alike. One challenge is not like another. The would-be victim may have learned from the earlier mistake. Or, there may have been an unanticipated or unknown crossing of life paths."
The blonde-haired boy seemed to take that monologue to heart. Obviously, he had failed many times in the past, perhaps now he would be able to look back at his previous shortcomings to learn from them and improve himself. Thrawn had already looked at the class roster and knew that the blonde boy was named Jaune Arc and that he led a team. In fact, he knew the names of those who were team leaders. The surprising thing that was revealed to him was that the Schnee heiress was not named a team leader, unlike her elder sister who had been in Atlas' academy, but a silver-eyed girl by the name of Ruby Rose. She shared many physical similarities to the long since MIA Summer Rose and assumed dead, a name and face that he had seen many years ago on missing posters and on news reports asking for information from anyone who had seen her. Therefore, it was logical to say that the two were mother and daughter in terms of relation. However, in all of the student audience, there was only one team that caught his eye. That being a black haired young woman from Haven, if the uniform was correct, and her two companions that stuck close to her.
"There are many stories and myths about the Chiss." This got the immediate looks from both the black-haired woman as well as the more buxom blonde sitting near Ruby Rose. There also seemed to be a sign of realization from the black-haired girl sitting next to the blonde girl who was only barely keeping her heritage a secret with the bow on her head. "Some are accurate, others have been eroded by the twin forces of distance and time. But one fact has remained constant. The Chiss must be approached from a position of strength and respect. One must have strength, for the Chiss will only deal with those who are capable of keeping their promises. One must have respect, for the Chiss must believe that the promises will be kept. There will be many cultural differences and a warrior dealing with the Chiss must be wary of them. But never make the mistake of believing forbearance equates to acceptance, or that all positions are equally valid. There are things in the universe that are simply and purely evil. A warrior does not seek to understand them, or to compromise with them. He seeks only to obliterate them."
Glenda was unsure where exactly where this last little monologue was going as it seemed to derail from sparring entirely. The first made sense as it pertained that physical training was still valid even in an age where technology was forever evolving. The second suggested that even in failure you can learn from your mistakes and that those that had won should be wary as the previous victim may have learned from their mistakes. But the third? That came completely out of left field. Why talk about these… Chiss? That made no sense at all.
"Grand Admiral, who exactly are the Chiss?" Glenda asked.
"The Chiss are a very elusive, secretive society of Faunus. They keep to themselves and out of affairs that do not directly involve them," Thrawn replied. The one black-haired woman perked up at first but immediately lost interest as soon as he revealed that they keep to themselves. "I am Chiss," he revealed.
The Schnee heir's hand shot into the air. Thrawn nodded towards her. "Why are you a part of the Atlesian Navy then?" she asked with a slightly haughty tone, a tone that Thrawn had been long since used to dealing with when he talked with humans that were less than happy with his position.
"All beings begin their lives with hopes and aspirations. Among these aspirations is the desire that there will be a straight path towards those goals. It is seldom so, perhaps never. Sometimes the turns are of one's own volition as one's thoughts and goals change over time. But more often the turns are mandated by outside forces. It was so with me. A life path may change because of important decisions or events. Those are what drove my current path."
The students looked beyond confused, even Glenda was confused. Thrawn had just answered with a non-answer that brought up more questions than answers.
'He was forced to join?' thought one. 'He joined of his own volition?' thought another. There was so much to unpackage there before they even began to understand what it meant. Yet another thought, 'He lives up to his reputation, ambiguity and a type of mysticism that few can understand.'
Glenda looked at the clock and saw that the time set aside for lectures was coming to an end before sparring between volunteers would take place. "Our time set aside for lectures is coming to an end. Are there any questions for the Grand Admiral before we continue on with volunteer sparring?" Glenda asked her class (and the visiting schools' attendees).
The first arm that shot up as that of Ruby Rose. "Ooh, ooh, pick me!" she said with gusto and excitement. Thrawn gestured to her to continue. She put her hand down and asked, "Is the military exciting?"
Thrawn let out a slight chuckle. "It is believed by many that the military life is one of adventure and excitement. In truth that life more often consists of long periods of routine, even boredom, with brief intervals of challenge and danger. Enemies seldom seek out their opponents. Therefore, the warrior must become a hunter, searching and stalking with craft and patience. Successes are often achieved by a confluence of small things: stray facts, unwary or overheard conversations, logistical vectors. If the hunter is persistent the pattern will become visible and the enemy will be found. Only then will the routine be broken by combat. It is not surprising, therefore, that those seeking excitement sometimes weary of long and arduous pursuits they are relieved when the enemy appears of their own accord, standing firm and issuing a challenge. But the wise warrior is especially wary of those times, he knows there are few things more dangerous than a skilled enemy on his carefully chosen ground."
Thrawn made sure to give an especially uncomfortable glance at the audience of students. A few were unsettled, mainly by the glance. However, he did see one person who looked more scared than ever, and it wasn't the disguised Faunus in the room. In fact, that young woman took his words to heart by the looks of things. She was obviously searching for someone or something. No, it was the woman in the trio of students sitting near the top of the gallery. Her expression was more of fright. 'But fright of what?' Thrawn asked himself. 'Was she in on this conspiracy?'
He was broken from his thoughts as Glenda said, "Thank you, Grand Admiral, for your wise words."
"It was my pleasure," Thrawn purred as he kissed the professor's hand in a chivalrous manner. His voice still maintained its cold demeanor that sent a few shivers down spines of those that overheard it. "If you wish, I can stay behind and offer commentary and suggestions for students that wish for some more insight after their spars."
Glenda took her hand back and replied, "No, thank you. But I do appreciate the gesture." She then addressed her class, "Those who wish to challenge each other for matches may start as of now."
Thrawn chose that moment to walk out of the classroom cum arena. Eli met up with him as they exited into the stands and out of the room entirely. In the stands, the students began to talk amongst themselves as two students from Atlas decided to take the first set of fights.
It was Ren who spoke up first. "Blake, what do you know about the Chiss?"
She stiffened before relaxing once more, but still looked uncomfortable. "What makes you think I know anything about them?" she asked in turn in an attempt to deflect the question.
"You really tensed up there when the name was said," Nora said in a hyperactive whisper. "It wasn't hard to see." She then looked over to Yang, "You too, Yang."
"I've only heard some stories mom used to tell about them," Yang revealed. "Apparently she met a member of this Chiss Ascendancy years ago on a solo mission. She only told me that they were highly militarized to deal with Grimm threats and that they kept to themselves as a whole."
"Blake?" Ren prodded.
She tried to think of another excuse or non-answer, but couldn't. "Pretty much the same as what Yang said. They're a highly secretive community of Faunus of unknown size. They're highly militaristic and prize family and honor amongst their prized traits. There are even rumors that say that they're all super geniuses in one way, shape, or form. The scariest thing though is that no one knows if they're nomadic or have a hidden home on one of the so-called uninhabited continents," Blake replied.
"They don't sound that bad," Ruby stated.
"They inherently aren't and apparently if the stories my mother told was true, she even dealt with them a time or two in the early days of the White Fang before it became what it is now," Blake replied. "But this Thrawn person, I've heard of him."
"Oh?" Weiss asked with interest. After all, there weren't any Faunus in the Atlesian military other than Thrawn.
"From what I've heard in certain circles, he's wiped out White Fang cells with extreme prejudice. There are stories from Fang members that outright deserted because of what they witnessed that he would either send in a black armored unit with radio scramblers using an encryption method so complex that by the time it was deciphered, it was too late and the ones being attacked were killed quickly and efficiently. Other times Fang strongholds outside civilian populations are subjected to aerial bombardment from ships he commands or air strikes from crafts under his command. There are even rumors that suggest that he can form entire strategies from just looking at the art of the place a person is from."
"How come it seems that you know more than you're letting on?" Pyrrha asked carefully. She wanted to know the truth as well, but not at the cost of a friend.
"There are rumors about him personally. Some as to why he joined Atlas, others as to his true reason he isn't with the Chiss anymore. He hasn't confirmed or denied any of these claims making him seem more of a mythical person in reality. There's another rumor about the Chiss and that's that all of them have glowing red eyes, or at least they look like they glow." The two teams (and Sun and Neptune) thought about that for a moment. An entire Faunus civilization that had glowing red eyes, eyes that were eerily reminiscent of Grimm's eyes?
'Creepy,' they all thought with a borderline comedic shiver.
Any further discussion was cut off as team CRDL challenged Pyrrha to a spar.
Meanwhile with Thrawn and Eli. They walked out of the classroom to see Ozpin waiting for them. "That was an interesting lecture," he commented.
"Indeed, it was," Thrawn replied as they continued to walk and Ozpin joined them. "Hopefully they will take some of my advice to heart."
"Advice?"
"Yes," Thrawn said simply. "One shouldn't downplay physical training, one should learn from failure, there are things that are evil that can't be understood as to why they are evil and therefore need to be destroyed, your life path may change with differing circumstances, and one must think like a hunter to find an enemy and be wary when they show themselves to you of their own volition." They passed some students who were passing between classes. Upper classmen if Thrawn was to make a guess. "I believe young Blake Belladonna took the latter to heart. And young Jaune Arc the one about learning from one's mistakes."
"Indeed. She is having an issue with her past at the moment," Ozpin replied.
"You mean her ties with the White Fang?" Thrawn neutrally asked.
Ozpin was shocked. "You know?"
"Yes. There are few who have heard about the Chiss, let alone that they exist. The only ones who have are higher up members of the White Fang, primarily those who were around in the early years, those who have been told the tales from those who have encountered them, and certain Headmasters. It appears a few have heard the tales if reactions are anything to go off of. You need not worry about me going after her, Headmaster."
"What do you mean?" Ozpin asked for clarification.
"She has distanced herself from her former comrades. I believe they had a difference of opinion and decided to part ways. Therefore, I have no reason to go after her for her previous crimes as it seems they have been pardoned. I would, however, appreciate any information that she has shared about the White Fang be forwarded to me."
"Of course," replied Ozpin, now relaxed that his student was safe.
"Mr. Arc doesn't belong here, does he?" Thrawn asked.
"What makes you say that?"
"A lack of confidence, perhaps. Or it is that he feels extremely uncomfortable in this setting. A fact that you already know." Ozpin tensed once more. "However, there is something that you see in him, isn't there?"
"You wouldn't think that I would allow an unqualified person to enter Beacon when there were other more qualified potential students?"
"I think that you have the absolute final say in who does and doesn't come here, much like General Ironwood. However, you were never one to be outside the know. Especially considering more… recent information," Thrawn replied.
"And you do not have an issue with that?" Ozpin asked with a raised eyebrow.
Thrawn shrugged, "It is your school, your rules. You may conduct yourself however you may choose."
There was silence as they reached the main entrance to Beacon. "There was something else in the student audience that you saw, wasn't there?"
"Yes."
"Do you wish to elaborate?"
"I need more information before I can be certain. Going off half-cocked may cause a false conclusion to be established. Request a detailed student dossier for students that arrived for the Vytal Tournament as well as those who came in support for their classmates from both Shade and Haven and forward it to me."
"You suspect one or more of the students?"
"Yes," Thrawn replied. "Logically from an infiltration perspective, it makes sense."
"Indeed," Eli agreed. "Students would have an easier time coming in for the tournament with weapons and not be questioned about it. Adults, on the other hand, would."
Ozpin thought it over for a few minutes. "I do not like it. Suspecting students of espionage." He then relented, "However, I do see the logic in it. I will request the Headmasters of Shade and Haven to forward the required information."
"And I will do the same for Atlas," Thrawn added with a nod. "Together we can figure out the conspiracy before the trap can be sprung."
Back inside Beacon, Cinder excused herself to go to the ladies' room. She checked the bathroom for occupants before closing and locking the door to it. She pulled out her scroll and dialed a specific number. She waited for the voice on the other end.
"This better be an emergency," the female on the other end threatened.
"It is," Cinder replied, "we may have an unforeseen kink in the plan."
To be continued…?
XxXxXxX
And there we go, another pilot down. That was certainly an interesting one, wasn't it?
This time there aren't any real numbered notes, but there are some things that I will clarify. First, Lt. Commander Eli Vanto is a canon character that was established in the novel "Thrawn". Second, the Thrawn that is described dying is the Thrawn that is seen in Legends. Third, I am borrowing a lot from the canon novel in terms of some of Thrawn's speeches that he gives to the class as they're all from the prologues of some of the chapters from the book. Fourth, I am making the Chiss in Remnant a secretive Faunus society that acts a lot like the Chiss from canon. They're mysterious as we haven't seen anything of them in canon outside of Thrawn in his novel and Rebels. By making them mysterious allows me to take them in whatever direction I choose.
Ok, so what do I want to do with this fic in particular?
Well, first of all, there isn't going to be any pairing with Thrawn. That chivalrous kiss he gave Glenda's hand? It was nothing more than a gesture, nothing more. Thrawn will play a key role in the eventual attack on Beacon during the Vytal Festival. Now whether he'll be able to stop certain deaths I am unsure of as this is, of course, a pilot. I really want to portray Thrawn's tactical genius and the implementation of certain Star Wars tech like TIE Strikers (as they are atmospheric variants of the TIE family) as well as the Death Troopers which I briefly showed earlier in the pilot.
But that's all I really have for now. Do you have any suggestions for this fic? Write them down in the reviews or PM them to me (or both).
Also, to the guy who keeps posting really great guest reviews: please get an account and PM me, I really want to pick your brain on a few things.
Anyway, that's all for now and hopefully, I'll see you in whatever I post next.
