Gamer4 in. I'm gonna mash a couple chapters from my original Last Contact story together for this. As I said there, an upside to writing these types of stories is the new perspective it gives me on a lot of these stories, including new appreciation for characters I may not have thought much of initially. Exhibit A, today's introduction. Let's get funky!
Episode XX
The Last Contact
The Sand Pirates
"Goodness, it really is just one disaster after another in this world, isn't it?" Ozpin mused over another drink of his coffee.
"Well, there is a little ray of sunshine coming up," Jack smirked. He whispered in Ruby's ear, and her eyes suddenly brightened. "Really?"
"See for yourself," Jack smiled, leaning back as the world continued.
The Mohaine Desert that made up the bulk of the Kingdom of Vale sometimes went by another name- the Sea of Sand, so called for the myriad ships that traveled across the sands as though it was water. Possibly the most feared ship on the sand sea was the Nidhogg, a pirate vessel commanded by the Dread Pirate Xiao Long, the red-eyed demon who took no prisoners. Where stories of her came from, then, was a question that never seemed to cross the kingdom's mind.
"Wait, I'm a pirate?" Yang blinked.
"Pirates are cool!" Nora cheered. "You're out looking for the One Piece!"
"Well, at least we know you're alive!" Ruby pointed out cheerily, before noticing that Yang didn't look overly comfortable with this revelation. "Er, are you okay?"
Yang covertly flicked her gaze towards Raven, who had a small smirk on her face, and Ruby quickly nodded her understanding.
The bridge of the Nidhogg consisted of a large platform in the center of a circular room, various crew members attending to their functions in the circle around it. On the platform was the captain's seat where the legendary pirate herself sat, her long tangles of blond hair falling down her back. She wore a brown leather jacket and a pair of matching pants, and a dark patch over a ruined right eye, but aside from this, was hardly the image that came to most people's minds when they thought of the Terror of the Sands. Her good eye was a bright azure, and she was tapping her foot to some melody only she could hear. "We be pirates who love to sail the seven seas, just a bunch of scallywags who are as free as free can be... We swim through storms and waves all because you see, grand treasure and adventure's waiting just for me!"
"Well, at least it wasn't another full musical number," Neo groaned.
"What happened to my eye?" Yang wondered.
"Well, it's recorded that some pirates kept a patch over one eye to keep it dilated, just in case," Blake suggested.
"No, there's scarring," Qrow observed. "She's definitely down an eye."
"I guess that means Jaune's dream wasn't a premonition, then," Pyrrha recalled. "She had both eyes there."
"But then... what else could it have been?" Jaune wondered aloud.
The chief navigator, a dolphin faunus with a specially-designed chair to accomodate the dorsal fin protruding from his back, turned to face her. "We've got a ship coming up on starboard, captain!"
"Lower the periscope! I'll have a look!"
A metal rod descended from the ceiling, a large pair of binoculars at the end. Captain Xiao Long looked eagerly into them, scanning the vast landscape. "Let's see, let's see... aha!" she snapped her fingers as the ship appeared at the edge of her vision. "Valean markings, and they're carrying a... a black... gear..."
"Oh! Oh! Big Sis to the rescue!" Ruby bounced up and down excitedly.
"Heh... I think you might be jumpin' the gun a little, runt," Qrow chuckled, foreseeing a different turn of events.
She leapt back from the periscope, and quickly began issuing orders. "Ecco, set a course for that ship! Tukson, increase speed!"
Finally, the first mate spoke up- a man at least a foot taller than the captain, with dark skin and a single gold-ringed eye- the left was hidden beneath a patch identical to the captain's. "Alright, Yang, what is it?"
"Whoah, hey, wasn't expectin' ta see Sage here!" Sun grinned. "And he's missin' an eye, too?"
"There's scarring, just like Yang's," Neptune observed. "I think those are... burn marks?"
"Nobody said the life of a plunderer was easy," Raven smirked. "I'm proud of you, my girl."
"Shut up," Yang snarled. "I'm sure she's nothing like you!"
"We've got a Gebler ship on our hands, Sage."
"How do you figure?"
"News from Atlas is, they're going totally berserk over Gebler snagging an experimental black gear. Look through the magical glasses, Number 1, and tell me what you see."
Sage gave a long-suffering sigh and did as he was asked. "A ship carrying a black gear," he agreed. "On the other hand-"
"No other hands!" Yang interrupted. "You think I'm gonna let Gebler drag that nice-lookin' gear back to Hill? Imagine the look on her face when they turn up in front of her, saying, 'Yeah, we had that super special gear Atlas was working on, but we lost it to the Dread Pirate Xiao Long!'"
Sage, seeing there was no dissuading her, sighed again. "Very well. Ecco, set the course. Tukson, prepare for combat."
"Rarely have I connected to someone else on such a spiritual level," Ren groaned.
"I always thought you and Sage would get along just fine," Sun grinned.
In the brig of the ship in question sat Jaune and Ren. They only had one bed between them- they were both currently sitting on it, Ren staring out their barred window as the sands moved past, Jaune staring emptily into space.
"Judging by the arc of the sun," Ren said, looking to strike up any sort of conversation, "it would seem they're carrying us to Gilead- Vale's capital. We're rather fortunate we weren't captured by Gebler, though I'd certainly rather we didn't get caught at all."
"I don't know, perhaps if it were Gebler, maybe Pyrrha could help him escape," Velvet suggested.
"A soldier who did such a thing would face severe consequences for insubordination," Winter pointed out.
"Ah, I'm sure she'd be willing to take it for Jaune-Jaune!" Nora insisted.
"I'm... not so sure," Pyrrha admitted shamefacedly. "I mean, I would, but this Pyrrha? I'm... not so certain."
"I don't believe there's any point worrying about that hypothetical," Ozpin pointed out calmly. "After all, this is not a Gebler ship, and Ms. Nikos's other cannot help him, whether she would have done so or not."
Jaune did not respond, staring at the floor without seeing it.
In his mind, he was back in that dark, stormy plain, the wind whipping around him as the man in black faced off against his father- for who else could the lion-maned man be? Aura was flowing off of both of them- a deep blue from his father, a bright gold from Bane.
Bane turned to gaze at Jaune. "Let us join together, you and I..."
"Okay, that just sounds all sorts of wrong," Yang shivered.
"I... don't think I'd like to meet him in our world," Jaune agreed, biting his lip.
"I'll not permit it," Jaune's father interrupted, glaring coldly into the shining crimson pinpricks that were Bane's eyes. "After fate finally deigned to bring us back together... even if it costs me my life, I'll not let you have him!"
"F... Father..."
"At least your father seems keen on protecting you!" Penny grinned assuringly.
"Nice one, Penny," Ruby quietly praised.
"Why, thank you!"
Ren immediately looked to him. "Jaune? Are you feeling better?"
"...A little."
Ren nodded understandingly. "I feel I must apologize- it's my own carelessness that got us into this situation. I was so fixated with evading Atlas that it didn't occur to me that Vale may have a stake in obtaining Weltall as well."
Jaune nodded to show he'd heard, but once again, didn't speak.
"You look pale. Is it that man in black's words? I know he said some things about your father..."
"Yeah, that's... that's part of it. But... it's mostly the other stuff he said. He caused everything that happened at Ansel... just to get me into Weltall's cockpit... if he'd do all that, what... what else would he...?"
"If he was willing to destroy an entire village the first time, what might he be willing to do again?" Whitley surmised.
"Yeesh, guy makes even me look a saint," Torchwick grunted.
He gulped. "Ren, I... the last three years, I had no reason to doubt myself. So much has changed in just the past couple days... I don't know who I am, or what I'm supposed to do... I never minded my missing memories before, but now..."
Ren nodded in understanding. "Well... unfortunately, there's not much we can do locked up in this cell." He glanced at the door. "Perhaps we'd be best served to rest for now."
Jaune looked him in the eye. "Ren... do you know anything about my father?"
Ren shook his head. "No more than you do, I was awoken one night by a banging on my door. I opened it to find a hooded, masked man delivering an unconscious young man to my doorstep. You were delirious, calling out for your father. He spoke very little, but asked me to care for you." Ren's lip quirked upward a bit. "Of course, even if I'd had misgivings, Nora would have beaten me to a pulp if I'd decided to abandon you."
"I don't know about 'beaten to a pulp,'" Nora shook her head. "But I'd have definitely had some choice words!"
"Truly a wonder for the ages," Ren sighed.
"Ah, I see," Adam crossed his arms, smirking. "The man who brought the kid to Ansel was Bane- he put him in a community where he'd form those bonds so he could come back one day and crush them."
"Well, I'm sure there are some twisted bastards in this world who would be willin' ta do somethin' like that," Qrow agreed, "but I think Black-Haired Kid might have recognized the voice, if nothing else."
"Or the mask has so many filters over it that he can't recognize it," Raven countered.
"Ultimately, there's only one way to know," Ozpin mediated.
Jaune's lips twitched upwards as well. "Yeah... she probably would." He looked up, meeting Ren's gaze. "I... I can't remember him, I can't say I miss him, but..."
He looked down. "It never weighed on me so much... those missing years... until now."
Ren had very little to say- he had his own reasons for fearing the things that were happening around him.
"'The Man in Black fled across the desert, and the Empty Child followed.' These events are said to be those that will bring about the time of Human Instrumentality."
Ren stood in a hidden chamber, the world wheeling around him, a loud, feminine voice speaking over it all. "...Instrumentality?" he repeated.
"What is that place?" Nora stared, wide-eyed. A beat passed, and she added, fire in her eyes, "And who's that talking to Renny?!"
"Well, it looks like Ozpin has the answer to at least one of those questions," Raven narrowed her eyes at the man in question.
"Only speculation," Ozpin shook his head, removing the finger from his chin. "I'll tell you later- I have no wish to cause undue strife now."
Not an overly comforting note, but they returned to the world nonetheless.
"Aeons ago, we were cast down from the heavens to live on the cold earth below. There are those that believe the Time of Instrumentaility to be our reuinification with God. The time that we will return to paradise and enjoy life everlasting."
"'Some believe?' What do you believe Instrumentality is?"
"What I believe is unimportant. The Time is at hand regardless. SEELE will see to it. Even now, they seek out God's resting place, preparing the rites that will resurrect her, and by so doing, fulfill the fate decreed for us at our genesis."
"Yeesh, sounds like he's got himself caught up in a doomsday cul- like the White Fang wasn't enough." Sun seemed oblivious to the glares this earned him from the members- former or otherwise- that were in the room.
Ren pulled himself out of his memories, looking at Jaune. Empty child... perhaps, empty of memories? Could this be the beginning of the end? Of... Instrumentality?
Before either of them could think much deeper, the world exploded around them.
"Wait, what?! What happened?!" Velvet panicked.
"YEAH-HA!" Captain Xiao Long whooped and pumped a fist in the air. "Direct hit!"
"Oh, right," Velvet remembered, a little sheepishly- though not as sheepish as Yang was under the glares of Team NPR.
"Hey, it's not like my other meant to hurt him!" she weakly defended.
"Still, you're threatening Nora's two favorite people in the world," Jaune advised, looking more amused than anything. "Careful!"
The door slid open behind her, and a plump man rushed in. He was mostly bald, except for a semi-ring of red hair around the back of his head, matching his moustache. "Young Mistress, what is all this?"
"Wait, Klein?" All three Schnee children did a double-take.
"Uh... who?" Ruby tilted her head.
"Our butler back home," Winter explained. "And you can wipe that smirk off your face," she added, narrowing her eyes at Qrow. Weiss was doing the same to Yang, leaving Whitley off the hot-seat for a change.
"But wait... if he's the Schnee's butler, what's he doing with Yang?" Neptune posed a fair question.
"Don't try to stop me, Klein!" Yang threw out a hand. "We hit on a Gebler ship, and we're sending it back to Hell where it belongs!"
Klein produced a handkerchief and dabbed at his sweaty forehead. "Young Mistress, I can't help but feel-"
"FIRE AGAIN!"
"Young Mistress, how do you expect to gather information on Gebler if everyone on the ship dies?!"
Yang froze.
"You... oaf," Weiss sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Sage pressed the advantage. "What if they have people in their brig?"
The look on Yang's face told him she'd honestly not considered the idea at all. He sighed. "Hold fire, bring us adjacent! Prepare to board!"
"Deny it all you like, you are my daughter," Raven nodded approvingly.
"Grr..." Yang growled.
"You've definitely got some of her in you," Qrow conceded. "But you've got much more of Tai where it counts."
Yang defaulted back to a small smile.
"Lean right!" Yang interjected herself. "Wind's kicking up a storm, we don't wanna be knocked off balance!" She turned towards the door. "I'm heading for Bumblebee!"
"Bumblebee?" Ruby put a finger to her chin. "But what good would a bike do in this situation, unless..." Her eyes suddenly widened and began glowing.
"Oh god, she has a gear, doesn't she?" Blake suddenly found herself shuddering.
When Jaune finally recovered from the jolt they'd experienced, he immediately took in the sand flowing freely throughout the ship. He looked to Ren. "Don't tell me..."
"I'm afraid so," Ren nodded. "Lightning sand."
"Yang, if they don't get out of this..." Nora gritted her teeth.
"I'm sure they will, I'm sure they will!" Yang quickly patted the air placatingly.
Jaune rushed to the bars. "Hey, let us out! We're stuck down here!"
"I doubt releasing their captives is high on their list of priorities," Ren fretted.
Out of desperation, Jaune summoned forth his aura, surrounding his hands with golden light as he forced the bars apart. Perhaps they had been weakened by the blast, or perhaps Jaune had more strength than he thought, but not only did the bars bend, but the entire door fell out of its frame.
"Now that's a jailbreak!" Neo nodded approvingly. "Much better than that time with the salamander-"
"Which we agreed to never bring up again," Torchwick coldly reminded her, earning a stuck-out tongue in return.
Jaune stepped back, looking at his hands in surprise. "I..."
"We can worry later," Ren interjected. "Come, we must go to Weltall. Some gears come equipped with the ability to fly- or at least hover."
"Including Weltall?" Jaune asked as he took off after Ren.
"I'm not certain, but I can hardly think of a better time to find out."
"They can fly too?!" Ruby beamed eagerly. "I have got to get me one of those!"
"Not while I'm drawing breath, you won't," Weiss stood firm.
The sand was just as Ren had described- every step Jaune took was a struggle, his leg quickly buried, only pulled back out through a great deal of force. The halls were flooding with the stuff just as fast as it would be were the ship sinking out on the ocean, causing the ship to tilt at an increasingly dangerous angle. Ren managed to leap into a new hallway with a great deal of effort before reaching back and grabbing Jaune as he was forced to leap forward- he pulled him into the new hallway and quickly slammed the door shut in an effort to stem the flow of lightning sand.
"Eh... might buy you a minute or two," Neptune shrugged.
"You're doing surprisingly well," Velvet noted. "From what I heard, I thought the idea of a sinking ship would be driving you to hysterics."
"But it's not water," Neptune pointed out. Velvet looked confused, but Sun flashed her a just go with it look. Nobody said that fears were rational, after all.
At last, they emerged onto the roof of the ship, which was in severe danger of capsizing. Their progress was reduced to a crawl as they crept across a series of beams and girders towards Weltall- for once, Jaune breathed a sigh of relief as he was able to climb into the cockpit. "It seems you and I really do share our destinies..."
He looked out. "Ren, there's not enough room in here!"
"Don't worry about me- I'll take the shoulder again!"
"Ren's a lot tougher than he looks!" Nora preened.
"God knows I have to be," Ren sighed.
Jaune wanted to argue, but they hardly had the time. He closed up the cockpit, and Weltall effortlessly broke free of its bounds. Jaune forced the gear to its feet as slowly as he dared, struggling to maintain balance and ensure he didn't lose Ren. When he'd attained his feet, he crouched down and kicked off of the ship, aiming to get as far away from this patch of sand as possible.
The leap carried the two of them far, but Jaune hadn't given as much thought to the landing- Weltall sprawled out on the desert sands, Ren flying off its shoulder and landing in a heap on the ground. At the very least, though, they seemed to have escaped the immediate danger.
"Ren, are you okay?"
"Yes... yes, I'm fi-"
CRASH!
Jaune spun around to find another gear landing not far away, as brightly yellow as the sun above. "Well, well, well, what have we here?" the voice of the pilot emerged- a young woman, from the sounds of things. "A couple of Gebler rats abandoning their friends to die? There are two things I hate in this world- cowards and traitors, and you look to be both!"
"That's what makes you different," Qrow took the chance to chime in. "You despise cowards and traitors- Raven surrounds herself with both."
"Pride doesn't put food on the table," Raven shot back. "We're survivors, nothing more, nothing less."
"It's a pathetic way to live," Qrow fired back.
"That will do, you two," Ozpin interjected. "We'll get nowhere at this rate."
The siblings glared at each other, but agreed to his terms.
"Wait!" Jaune called. "We're not with Gebler!"
"Sure, sure, that explains why you came jumping out of a Gebler ship, now, doesn't it?"
Jaune blinked, struggling to wrap his head around what he was hearing. "But... that wasn't a-"
"ENOUGH TALK!" the woman interrupted. "You want out of this so bad? Put up your fists! Come on, put 'em up! Tell ya what, I'll give you a handicap! I'll fight you with one hand behind my back! I'll fight you standing on one foot! I'll fight you with my eyes closed!"
Jaune watched, baffled, as the pilot performed each handicap she described- except for the closed eyes, of course.
"Yaaaaaaaang..." Ruby groaned.
"What? It's not really me!" Yang protested.
"We'd let you slide with that excuse if this didn't sound exactly like something you'd do," Blake shook her head.
"I don't want to fight you!" Jaune persisted.
"Oh? Then let's make this simple- drop that gear and walk away."
Jaune would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted for a moment... but no. "I... I can't do that."
"Why not? You've wanted nothing more than to get rid of it since you hopped in, why not hand it off to someone who actually wants it?" Adam interjected.
"Hmm... looks like even within a minute of meeting her, this Jaune has a better idea of what Yang's like than Adam ever will," Pyrrha mused.
"Give something capable of destroying an entire town to this meathead? Are you insane?!" Weiss agreed.
Yang wanted to defend herself, but her other was doing her no favors.
"Y'know, I was kinda hoping you'd say that."
Jaune imagined a wide, battle-hungry grin as the other gear brandished its arm- a second later, he felt a solid impact to Weltall's arms. Taking further stock of the situation, Jaune realized the yellow gear had chains wrapped around its arms- chains it was using as whips. He immediately went on the defensive, watching as she slowly approached, spinning the chains around, beating the ground threateningly.
"Wait, whips? When did I start using whips?" Yang asked, caught off guard.
"It's certainly a rare choice of weapon," Ozpin agreed. "It's been quite some time since we've had a student who specialized in them."
"What about Blake?" Ruby suggested.
"Gambol Shroud's not really a whip, as such," Blake shook her head. "It has a ribbon, but it doesn't really behave like a whip, more as just a supplement to the blade. Ilia uses a whip, but that's about all I can think of."
"Whips are for archeologists," Yang wrinkled her nose. "Give me good ol' fisticuffs any day!"
"Any time you wanna throw in the towel, I'm listening!" Yang continued her taunts.
Forced into a corner, Jaune managed to duck under her next whip swing- only to get handily whacked by the other.
Ren stepped back, not eager to get embroiled in a fight between two gears. Abruptly, something occurred to him- he looked to the sand beneath his feet, then back to the gears. "Wait, stop! You mustn't fight here!"
"Crap- lightning sand!" Sun realized.
"No, I'd already be gone if that were the case," Ren pointed out. "Rather, I would guess..."
"Yeah, you'd like me to stop beating down your friend, wouldn't you?" the yellow gear taunted.
Out of desperation, Jaune attempted a new maneuver- using what grip he could get on the sand, he forced himself up into the air and brought the full weight of his gear down on his opponent.
"Oh, no you don't!" she called, reaching up and managing to catch him, her gear falling to its knees to help cushion the blow... and putting more weight on the ground as well.
The ground began to rumble- all Ren could do was scrabble backwards across the sand as it all began to sink into a great hole beneath the two gears.
"...That," Ren sighed.
"Oh, goddammit, why would you go picking fights right on top of a sinkhole?!" the yellow gear cried as they were pulled in, leaving Ren alone on the surface.
"Do you have no sense of shame?" Pyrrha chastised, crossing her arms in frustration.
"No, Pyrrah, no she doesn't," Weiss sighed heavily.
Ren stood there for a long moment, before slowly turning to the ship that had started the whole mess in the first place- no doubt the very ship that the yellow gear had come from. It seemed he had little choice now...
"I'm sure Sage won't be too rough on him," Sun mused. "He's a pretty level-headed guy."
"Oh, oh, oh dear!" Klein Sieben fretted, repeatedly wiping his face with his handkerchief. "Dear Young Mistress, what has become of you now?!"
"Dare I ask... how has Klein been since I left?" Weiss asked tentatively.
"...Much like that... just as you suspect," Whitley answered simply.
"Calm yourself, Klein," Sage lay a gentle hand on his shoulder. "This is Yang we're talking about, and she was in her gear. She's fought her way out of worse binds than this."
"Oh, but still..."
"It's going to be fine," Sage persisted, a note of sternness entering his voice. "Now, excuse me- I have some prisoners to scare."
"Scare? Not hurt?" Ruby asked, a note of relief entering her voice.
"Yeah, Sage isn't the 'take-no-prisoners' type," Neptune concurred.
"Hey... kid... hey, kid!"
Jaune blinked as he steadily returned to consciousness. He immediately took in Weltall's cockpit, and in a groggy second, recalled everything that had led to the gear lying on its back in what looked to be the center of a dark cave.
He quickly ejected himself, hopping out onto his gear's chest, looking around for whoever had been calling for him.
"Ah, good, you are alive. That's something, at least."
Jaune finally located the speaker, and his heart almost stopped- for the briefest of moments, he could swear that Saphron Arc had returned from the dead.
"Huh- now that I think of it, Yang does kinda look like Saph," Jaune considered. "Except Saph's older... and more composed... hmmm..."
"Less of a brute?" Weiss suggested.
"Yeah, that!"
"You all suck," Yang pouted.
"Hey, you doin' alright there, kid? You still look a little out of it."
"No, I'm... I'm sorry."
No, it was clearly not Saphron. Her hair was far longer and less well-kept, she wore a brown jacket and half-skirt that Saphron wouldn't have been caught dead in, and there was a patch over her right eye indicating that it had been lost long ago.
Around her forearms were several looping leather straps, and the ensemble was concluded with a pair of brown boots.
"Hey..." she said, placing her hands on her hips and looking rather severe. "You're not with Gebler!"
Everybody facepalmed as one- except Adam, whose arm was currently pinned to his lap by a cat with the fur pattern and weight of a small calf.
Sheer exasperation finally pulled Jaune out of his momentary daze. "No... no, I'm not! If only someone had tried to tell you!"
"Hey, you can't blame me too much!" the woman raised her hands. "You come jumpin' out of a Gebler ship, in a gear that Gebler's been chasing-"
"That wasn't a Gebler ship, either!" Jaune exclaimed. "It was owned by the Vale military!"
"...It was?"
"I worry for you, Yang," Blake groaned. "I worry a lot."
"Yes! They captured my friend and I because we have this gear!" Jaune aimed a frustrated kick at Weltall, only earning a natural stubbed toe for his troubles.
The woman crossed her arms, tilting her head in thought. "So... you do own that gear, but you're not with Gebler?"
Jaune didn't feel like explaining the exact circumstances right now. "It's a long story," he said brusquely. "Maybe Ren would be up to telling it, but- wait, Ren!" His head snapped up, and he began to panic. "Ren, where are you?!"
"If you're talking about the guy who came out of the ship with you, I think he's still topside," the woman interjected, pointing up to a large hole in the ceiling of the cavern. "My crew's probably picking him up as we speak."
Jaune's blood went cold. "Your crew... the same crew that just nearly killed us?!"
"Oh, relax," the woman shook her head. "They're not gonna eat the man. That whole 'take-no-prisoners' thing is just good PR."
"Yeah, figured as much," Qrow chuckled. "No daughter of Tai's is gonna go around killing people for a living."
"At least someone has faith in me," Yang sniffed.
"Take no... take no prisoners?" Jaune repeated, nonplussed.
The woman smirked. "Listen up, kid, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once... you're standing in the presence of the one, the only Dread Pirate Xiao Long!"
This bold proclamation didn't seem to have quite the effect she'd been looking for. "...So, a pirate then. Great... just my luck..."
"Hey, heyheyhey! Not just any pirate, the Dread Pirate Xiao Long! Accept no substitutes!"
She struck a proud pose... which slowly turned more agitated as she realized Jaune didn't seem nearly as impressed as he should be. "Terror of the Sands? Nightmare of Vale?"
Qrow chuckled again. "Maybe that's the kick in the pants Raven needs- just someone who has no idea who she is or any respect for her name."
"Don't be so quick to assume," Raven fired back. "The less they know, the more vulnerable they are."
"Any crook will tell you that," Neo agreed- Torchwick stuck to nodding.
"Well, strictly speaking, I'm not really from Vale," Jaune admitted. "My... my home village was right on the border between Vale and Atlas."
The woman narrowed her eye, but seemed to accept this as a valid excuse. "Well... alright. Just remember the name from now on- Dread Pirate Xiao Long. Yang to my friends. Butter me up enough, and I might even let you call me that one day!"
Jaune stared, gobsmacked at this woman's audacity. "...Right."
"Don't worry, Other Jaune, you'll get used to it eventually... maybe," Ruby prayed for his soul.
"Anyways, looks like we're pretty much stranded down here together," Yang observed, glancing around the cave. "Seems to me it'd be best to team up, at least until we get out of here again. Two heads are better than one, and all that."
"Do we need to bother at all?" Jaune asked, crossing his own arms. "You're the captain of a pirate crew... they'll be coming for you, won't they?"
Yang barked a laugh. "No, no, no, we're a little more... libertarian than that. I gave them specific instructions on what to do if something like this happened- wait until nightfall, then head back to the hideout. They'll assume I can get myself out of this situation just fine. To be fair, I probably can, but I'm trying to be nice here, kid."
"As any well-organized band should," Raven nodded her approval.
"Any time you want to stop calling me 'kid,'" Jaune objected, furrowing his brow. "You don't look much older than me, ma'am."
She narrowed her eyes at the slight... then broke into laughter. "Okay, okay, fair enough!" She stepped closer, extending a hand to help him off of Weltall. "So, what do you want me to call you?"
Jaune slowly uncurled his arms and accepted the hand. "Jaune. Just... just Jaune."
"Alright, 'Just Jaune,'" Yang giggled. "C'mon, let's get moving!"
"Well, this oughtta be good!" Nora leaned back, cupping her head in her hands.
"After another intermission, perhaps," Ren observed.
The soldiers who'd been taken in from the Valean ship were lined up on the Nidhogg's upper deck, where Sage marched in front of them, glaring at each in turn. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, aboard the Nidhogg, home ship of the Dread Pirate Xiao Long, who takes no prisoners!"
He was satisfied to hear a gasp or two of terror, but didn't allow it to show on his face. "Now, the lead pirate herself is out at the moment, and I happen to be in a good mood. Cooperate, and you may just get out of this alive and unspoiled."
"They must give a similar speech to everyone they capture," Velvet speculated.
"Yeah, sounds about right," Sun agreed.
"Now-"
"Sage?"
Sage blinked, looking down the line to one man who stood out from the others- he was taller, dressed not in any uniform, but an eastern-style regalia, his dark hair pulled into a ponytail behind him much longer than was regulation for Vale's army. Furthermore...
"Lie Ren... well, well, well. As I live and breathe."
"Sage Ayana," Ren greeted curtly.
Sage glanced around. "Tukson, I want to deal with this one personally. Take him away."
"Oh, Sun!" came Nora's sickly sweet voice. "I certainly hope your friend isn't planning on hurting Renny..." Her eye twitched a couple times.
"I, uh... I doubt it?" Sun gulped.
The massive puma faunus nodded his agreement, grabbing Ren and marching him off the deck, leaving Sage to deal with the remainder of the rabble.
"You might wanna doubt it a little harder!"
"Nora, that's enough, you're scaring him," Ren sighed, producing a paper bag for Sun to breathe into.
When Jaune touched down, he and Yang first took a moment to gaze around the inside of the cave they'd found themselvs in. Sand was still flowing in from the sinkhole above, forming flowing columns around the edges. Light filtered through the hole onto the sandy hill their gears had landed on- for a moment, Jaune feared that they would get buried, but the falling sand was no longer near enough for such fears to last long.
"Alright!" Yang declared with a boisterous clap of her hands. "Time to find our way out of here! Step one, find an exit!"
Jaune scanned around the massive chamber. "There's... a big pair of doors over there."
Yang followed his gaze. "Huh. Looks like solid steel- I doubt even Bumblebee could pry those puppies open, even in working order- which she's kinda not."
"Bumblebee?" Jaune arched a brow.
"Oh- that's my gear," Yang glanced back at the heap in which their gears still lay. "And you can be damn sure I'm committing this place to memory- the second we get back to the Nidhogg, we're coming back with a crane and digging these gears back out!"
"You can bet I'm not about to leave somethin' that awesome behind!" Yang nodded her agreement with her other.
"She is correct, though," Penny observed. "I believe even gears of those sizes would be incapable of forcing those gates open."
Jaune had a momentary urge to encourage her to leave Weltall behind, at least, but felt as though it would raise more questions than he was comfortable answering at the moment. "So, the doors are a no-go?"
"I dunno if I'd go that far..." Yang shook her head. "Might as well check 'em out! There might be a terminal or something that'll let us open 'em!"
There was no terminal- after a solid five minutes of walking to the large steel doors, they found no levers or cogs in place to assist them in opening them up.
"Balls," Yang muttered, raising a finger to her chin. "Hmm... but there has to be some way to open them... no idiot would put a pair of steel doors here just to leave 'em closed all the time..."
"You've clearly never been to Atlas," Qrow snorted, earning a look of ire from Winter.
Jaune scanned the steel- it was dented in several places, but no indication that they'd ever break down. His eyes roved to the ground. "What about those?"
Once more, Yang followed his gaze, and saw a set of large cables winding their way from the doors and along the cavern's edge. "Aha!" she grinned. "They must run on ether energy! Follow the cables, we'll find a way to open the doors!"
"Ether?" Neptune repeated.
"Oh- right, you weren't around for the explanation of that," Pyrrha remembered. "Ether is, in essence, these worlds' equivalent of dust."
"I suppose it would stand to reason that any gate of that size would run on it, then," Winter nodded. "...Rendering her statement rather redundant, I should think."
"Meet Yang," Weiss rolled her eyes.
Jaune wasn't so certain- Yang had already shown that she didn't hesitate to jump to conclusions. Still, it was the only real lead they had, so he raised no objections as they followed the cables along the chamber's edge, until they took an abrupt right turn into a dark tunnel.
"Hmm..." Yang smirked. "You afraid of the dark, Jauney-boy?"
"Not particularly," Jaune denied.
"Well, fear no more!" Yang declared, causing Jaune to wonder, for neither the first nor last time, if she was actually listening to him at all. "Hotter than the sun in the middle of July, I burn!"
She smashed her fists together, summoning a blazing golden aura, looking eagerly for the expression of awe on Jaune's face. It was present, but not quite for the reason she'd expected.
"You have aura?!"
"Wait, you know about aura?" Yang blinked in surprise. "Huh. I guess someone other than me n' Sage had to, but I didn't count on some guy from the boonies knowing."
"What, is aura a rare thing here?" Sun tilted his head.
"It certainly seems to be a lost art, of sorts," Ren nodded. "Not the kind of thing even elite soldiers are aware of."
"Ren- the friend I was with- he taught me how to use it," Jaune explained. He willed his aura to appear, a bright gold not at all dissimilar from Yang's.
"Well, I'll be damned," Yang pondered, putting her hands on her hips. "Well, that's more light for us! C'mon, let's get going."
With their auras for light, the two entered the tunnel.
Whenever Jaune pictured a tunnel, he'd usually imagined a narrow space, through which only one, maybe two people could walk abreast. The tunnels down here, however, were surprisingly spacious, and they'd only been moving for another couple minutes before it emptied out into a large cavern.
"These are pretty big tunnels to be lurking under the desert," Blake observed.
"Indeed... I believe these tunnels are man-made," Ozpin suggested. "Something about them doesn't feel quite natural."
"But who? And why?" Whitley allowed himself to wonder.
Yang suddenly thrust out a hand, bringing him to a halt. She knelt down, and Jaune saw why- they were standing on a narrow walkway above a massive pit.
Darkness, he could handle, especially with his aura. Heights, on the other hand...
"You scared of heights, VB?" Yang crossed her arms, a dangerous smirk crossing her face.
"Of course not!... I'm afraid of falling."
"Any idea how... how deep that is?" Jaune asked, struggling to keep his voice steady.
"Only one way to find out."
Yang reached into a pocket and produced a large coin that she danced across her fingers a couple times before flipping it into the pit. They both listened as hard as they could- it was a solid minute before they heard a distant splash.
"To use a technical term... pretty damn far," Yang surmised. Jaune was hard-pressed to disagree. "Best move with caution."
"Um... do I want to know how deep that actually is?"
Ozpin ran some quick calculations through his head. "Hmm... no. No you don't."
"Moving with caution" proved to be easier said than done- the pathways were narrow and slick with sand. They fell silent, putting all their concentration into making their way across the caverns safely.
At last, they found their way into another wide tunnel, where it didn't take long to relocate the cable, guiding them to another large cavern filled with basalt pillars.
Yang let out a low whistle. "Man... I'd rather we were still topside, but at least we landed in a-"
She suddenly fell silent, her eyes wide. Jaune had no need to ask why- there was a glowing object hovering in the darkness ahead, a full twelve feet above the nearest pillars. A truly absurd thought passed through Jaune's head- he had no idea why it occurred to him, and he didn't dare even say it out loud for fear of his only current ally thinking him either foolish or insane: That's not a relic.
Jaune winced. "I remember saying that... that's what I said when Pyrrha and I stumbled on-"
Yang focused, extending the light cast by her golden aura, and they made out the figure of a great black-and-white scorpion, its tail ending in the anglerfish-like lure that they'd seen. Beneath it were countless smaller, but still quite dangerous grimm.
"Deathstalker!" Yang snarled.
"...Yeah," Jaune closed his eyes in resignation.
"Wait, but if that is one of your memories, how could this Jaune hearken back to it?" Penny asked.
"Penny, that's..." Ruby's eyes widened. "A really good point, actually!"
A great deal of the audience turned to Jack, who quickly swallowed a mouthful of curry. "Don't ask me, I'm no expert on this world."
Jaune's aura flared up almost as brightly as hers as he raised his fists in preparation for battle.
"It is strange to see Jaune using his fists," Ren noted. "I assume Yang will be-"
As the nearest grimm approached, Yang lashed out and Jaune heard a deafening crack before the nearest beowolf howled in pain, recoiling away. It took him a second to realize what had happened- what he had initially taken for leather straps on her forearms had unfurled to reveal a pair of long rawhide whips that she was now using to tear into their assailants.
"Hmm... never mind."
"I really don't get my other's fascination with whips," Yang repeated, scratching her head.
Her snarl had vanished, making way for a wide smirk as she used both whips as if they were extensions of herself. Before Jaune's eyes, she wrapped the end of one around a nearby beowolf and dragged it within range of her fists, finishing it off with her bare hands. He was so taken aback that it took a narrow dodge from a smaller creature for him to recall that he was part of this fight as well.
"Hmm, she's not bad with 'em, though," Torchwick commented.
"Brr... she's enjoying this..." Ruby shuddered.
"Doesn't she... always..." Weiss trailed off. "No, you're right... she's going beyond this brute's idea of enjoying combat- she's really getting into the brutality of it all."
"I... don't like the look in her eyes," Blake whispered, shivering a little.
Yet, even as he allowed himself to sink into the same haze that had overtaken him when protecting Pyrrha in the woods, Jaune couldn't stop his eyes from straying to his temporary partner. Her eye seemed to have burst into flame as she fought with a ferocity that almost caused him to wonder if she had some grimm blood in her.
After taking down several grimm of his own, Jaune glanced over to check on Yang and saw the great scorpion bearing down on her. "Yang, duck!" he called. To his great relief, she reacted without question, ducking down and narrowly avoiding a swing from the deathstalker's tail- very narrowly. Jaune's heart skipped a beat when he heard the sound of something tearing, but as Yang straightened up again, he saw that it was only her jacket, rather than her flesh.
"Just be glad it wasn't her hair," Nora trembled at a long-locked away memory. "Things could have gotten so much worse..."
"Alright, you bastard, you asked for it!" she narrowed her good eye at the beast.
"Its tail!" Jaune called. "We need to take out its tail!"
A vision flashed through Jaune's mind- the sharp, dangerous end of the beast's tail plunging into the deathstalker's skull, slaying the beast with its own greatest weapon.
"That is how we beat the one in the Emerald Forest," Pyrrha recalled.
"And again, how would he remember such a thing?" Whitley repeated.
"Well, no one says he's remembering this," Sun pointed out. "Could be he's just envisioning how it would play out."
"Yeah... yeah, that's probably it," Jaune agreed, though something in his voice indicated he didn't entirely believe so.
But... he didn't see how they could accomplish such a feat. Neither of them had weapons suitable for severing its tail.
Before he could fret, the cavern was filled with light from several florescent sources. It was harsh enough on Yang and Jaune's eyes, which had dilated in response to the heavy darkness, but to the grimm that had known nothing but blackness, quite possibly for their entire lives, it had to be nothing short of torture. They screeched and writhed as they fought to pull away from the blinding light.
"Yeah, get out of here, filthy beasts!"
It was a low, gruff voice- clearly neither Jaune's nor Yang's. A man had appeared, a weapon flashing as he carved his way through the crowd of grimm, moving so quickly they couldn't actually see what it was. As the deathstalker flailed, the man leapt in the air and swung his weapon one final time, following through with Jaune's plan almost exactly, severing the tip of the tail and allowing gravity to bring it down into the beast's skull. It roared and flailed a little longer before collapsing to the ground, motionless.
"Uncle Qroooooooow!" Ruby grinned.
"I suppose I can admit to being glad to see him... this once," Weiss decided.
"He's certainly chosen worse times to appear," Winter crossed her arms tightly.
"Listen, Ice Queen, I told you that was an accident!" Qrow objected.
The man finally paused long enough for them to get a good look at the scythe that was his weapon- but then, there was the the grinding of gears and the clank of metal as it shifted and became a broadsword that he stowed in a sheath slung over his back. He turned to smirk at them. "Really kicked up the hornet's nest, you know that?"
Jaune blinked, still struggling to adjust to the sudden light. As he did, he started second-guessing just how bright it actually was- it was no brighter than the lights in his own room back in Ansel. It was only the time in the darkness that had made them seem so blinding. The lights were erected all around the cavern, allowing complete visibility- including of the entrance to what seemed like a small hut carved into the stone edge.
"A troglodyte, how fitting," Winter sniffed.
"I doubt I've been living down there, princess," Qrow shook his head. "Not nearly pale enough for that."
The man was tall, with piercing red eyes, unkempt black hair and some scruff where other men might have a beard. He wore a cross, lopsided against his chest, and a smug smile as he gazed at the youths he'd just saved.
"I'm assuming you're the ones raisin' all this hell. Feel free to correct me if that isn't exactly the case."
"No, we... it was us," Jaune said tremulously.
The man looked them over. His eyes lingered on Yang. "...You're Taiyang's little girl, aintcha?"
"You know Pops?" Yang asked, clearly caught off guard.
"I don't know him?" Yang noticed.
"Well, we both seem to know your old man, at least," Qrow took a drink.
The man grinned. "Oh, I know everybody, to some extent." He glanced around. "Maybe we ought to continue this little meet-and-greet indoors. I don't know how much longer those lights are gonna last, and while I can see you can handle yourselves, I don't like the idea of being interrupted every other line by more of these freaks." He kicked a beowolf with the tip of his boot.
He turned and led them towards the small hut. Yang picked up her jacket, looking it over with a grimace. "Just got it tailored, too... Sage's gonna give me an earful..."
"Huh... he really is your Ren in this world," Nora pondered.
"I pity him, truly I do," Ren monotoned.
Jaune, however, was looking at her back- he hadn't noticed it in the heat of battle, but now that things had died down, it was impossible not to notice.
Etched into her back was a mass of scar tissue, interlocking so tightly it was nigh impossible to see the actual skin beneath. Countless straight lines running at all angles, shoulder to shoulder, all the way down to her waist.
She seemed to sense his gaze- her remaining eye widened, and she quickly donned her torn jacket- it didn't offer much cover, but it was more than before. "Just... pretend you didn't see that, okay?"
Jaune quickly looked in the opposite direction until they had entered the hut.
"My god!" Blake's jaw dropped to the ground.
Qrow nearly broke his flask, his hand was suddenly clenched so tight. "Who did that to her...?"
"Nobody who's gonna be breathing long, I can tell you that much," Ruby snarled.
"Certainly no one I'd get along with," agreed Neo, to everyone's surprise. "What? I'm a lady thief, I have standards!"
Torchwick wiped a tear from his eye. "That's my girl."
Indeed, the part that resembled a hut was only the entrance to what seemed like a large underground bunker, with tables, chairs, a refrigerator and a furnace connecting to cables very much like the ones they'd been following.
"You live here?" Jaune asked, surprised that anyone would live beneath the sands of the Mohaine Desert.
The man snorted. "Nah... Taiyang Xiao Long works here every now and again, but that's it. Only reason I'm here is to pick up some things he left behind... but he knows where to get the good stuff, so I can't complain too much." He opened the fridge and produced three glass bottles full of murky brown liquid. "Name's Qrow. And, as long as I'm playin' the host, I may as well offer you a drink."
"Heh, and Tai complains about his teaching job," Qrow chuckled.
"So your father is the one who carved out these tunnels?" Weiss guessed.
"Hmmm... unlikely," Ozpin shook his head. "That bunker seems to be the work of one man, but it would take an entire team to carve out tunnels of that size and scope. More likely, he's investigating tunnels that were already there."
Jaune raised a hand to decline, only for Yang to accept both offered bottles and forcefully press one into that very hand. He sighed, popping the top and taking a drink.
"Lucky other," Yang pouted.
"Qrow, huh?" Yang asked.
Qrow chuckled. "I take it your old man mentioned me?"
"Once or twice," Yang shrugged. "Where is he?"
"He's fine," Qrow assured, somewhat evasively, Jaune couldn't help thinking.
"He's your dad?" Jaune asked. "This... Tai?"
Yang shook her head. "I never knew my real father, but Pops... he's the closest thing to a real parent I ever had."
"Wait- we established that Raven's still her mom- such as she is-" (Qrow earned a middle finger from his sister) "-but if Tai ain't her blood father, who the hell is?"
"Some other guy who never learned never to stick it in a bitch, I guess," Yang shrugged. "Sounds like Pops is still my real Dad, though. As it should be."
"He's safe," Qrow repeated. "Just busy, so, as usual, I get stuck playing errand boy." He took a long drink from his bottle, draining the heavy liquor as though it was water. "Ahh... that's the good stuff. So, how did you two end up down here?"
"We were fighting gears in the desert," Jaune explained succinctly.
"Were ya now?" Qrow asked, directing a look at Yang.
To Jaune's surprise, Yang pouted. "Hey, what're you looking at me for? He could have started it!" It was such a petulant response from a woman who'd looked more like a demon not ten minutes before that Jaune couldn't repress a laugh.
"Yup, Yang can be... surprisingly childish at times," Ruby giggled.
Yang produced a cookie. "Hey, Ruby, want this?"
"Ohmygosh, yesyesyesyes! Cookie, cookie, cookie!" Ruby began begging. Yang tossed it up in the air, where Ruby jumped up to devour it in a single bite. She didn't seem to notice Yang reclining with her arms crossed in an I rest my case sort of way.
Qrow's lips twitched upwards themselves. "Yeah, but I know Tai, and any daughter of his is gonna be throwing the first punches."
Yang hesitated. "...He jumped off a Gebler ship-"
"Valean ship," Jaune corrected quietly.
"And... well, his gear looked real nice..." Yang trailed off as she seemed to realize how ridiculous her argument sounded.
"Uh-huh," Qrow nodded sarcastically. "And I'm sure getting stranded down here was absolutely worth it."
"I must admit, I'm enjoying his company," Velvet giggled quietly.
"Anyone who enjoys his company simply doesn't know him well enough yet," Winter rolled her eyes.
Yang looked around, seemingly for a change of subject. "What was Pops doing down here anyways?"
"I don't know if you ever noticed, little lady, but your 'Pops' is a bit of a collector- at least, that's what he likes to call himself. I prefer the term 'packrat' myself. Though, I will admit there are plenty of interesting things to dig up in caverns like these..."
"Like this stuff?" Yang asked, heading to a nearby shelf filled with what looked to Jaune like stone statuettes.
"Yeah, that's be one of his interests," Qrow nodded. "He fancies himself an archeologist. You should hear some of the crackpot theories he comes up with."
Qrow and Jaune drew closer to the shelf- Jaune couldn't help noticing Yang quickly reaching out and grabbing one of the artifacts and stowing it away in a pocket. If Qrow noticed, he didn't bother commenting.
"No shame... no shame at all," Blake sighed.
"I'm sorry, Pot, my name's Kettle," Yang fired back.
"What?"
"You think I don't know where my... toys went?"
"Heheh... she still plays with toys," Ruby giggled.
Yang flushed, seemingly realizing that she and Blake were far from alone, and the adults in the room were flashing her some remarkably interested looks. "Er... Yes, Ruby, a nice train set. Can't show it to you, Blake stole it."
"A can of tuna on my nightstand every night for the next week," Blake quietly whispered her demands as Yang locked her gaze on the screen, refusing to look at anyone else.
"Ancient machines, fossils, specimens caught in amber..."
"What kind of theories are you talking about?" Yang interrupted.
Qrow sighed. "Well, here's a hint- everything on this shelf goes from oldest on the left to newest on the right."
Yang and Jaune both examined the shelf closely. Finally, Yang shrugged. "I got nothin'. Jaune?"
Jaune looked as closely as he could. "Er... there are plant fossils all the way, but at this point... there are no signs of human life...?"
He felt stupid even saying it, but Qrow was nodding. "According to your old man's research, there was no trace of humanity on this planet until about ten thousand years ago... and then, they seem to have just started appearing."
"Um... what?" Ruby tilted her head.
"He said that it would seem humanity did not start existing on their planet until ten thousand years prior to-" Penny started.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard what he said!" Ruby flapped her arms. "But what does it mean?"
Nobody else answered- Ozpin in particular was suddenly leaning forward with great interest.
"Wait," Yang shook her head. "What about evolution?"
Qrow gave a half-nod, half-shrug. "The theory of evolution, as taught by the Ethos... yeah, that's the most prominent explanation nowadays. But... your old man and I don't quite believe that. The Ethos has their own agenda for basically everything they say. No, we set a little more stock in the stories of the old people."
"The... old people?" Jaune asked tentatively.
"You don't know the story?" Qrow asked, arching a brow. "I figured most people knew it, even if they don't believe."
Jaune glanced at Yang, who smiled and shrugged. "May as well tell him, old man."
Qrow sighed. "The story goes that, countless ages ago, humans lived together with God in paradise- what they called 'Pleroma.' It was the very definition of paradise- no fear of death, famine, war, or plague- even natural disasters were entirely unknown. Mankind's only restriction was a great tree in Pleroma's center, upon which was a fruit mankind was forbidden to eat.
"One day, a false shepherd appeared among the people, whispering lies about the power God was keeping from them, encouraging them to eat of the fruit and gain the wisdom to see the world the way God did. In their arrogance, they consumed the fruit and used the wisdom they gained to build giants and wage war against their creator- the first gears.
"The war was fierce, ending in failure on both sides. God cast us down to Remnant from Pleroma, forcing us to live these crude, short, suffering lives. But God did not escape unharmed, either- grievously wounded, he retreated into the depths of the sea, into a healing sleep until he was ready to rise once again.
"Or that's the way I heard it, at least."
The ending was so abrupt Jaune had to fight off an insane urge to laugh. "That's, um... quite the story."
"Indeed it is," Weiss agreed. "Is it just me, or does that sound a great deal like the creation myth told to us in The Road to Shambhala?"
"It is remarkably similar," Ren agreed.
"Differences..." Blake was thumbing through her notebook. "The Architect forgave humanity and sent the titans to save them- there's no record of this God doing the same. I also haven't noticed any Yggdrasil equivalent in this world, that would lend some credence to the myth."
"We have some similar stories in our own world," Qrow pointed out. "A great kingdom that lost grace in the eyes of the twin brothers, wiped out and forced to start again."
"Hmm... I hardly care for such capricious gods," Ozpin drummed his fingers on the arm of the couch.
"But if your father's theory is correct... is it possible the story has at least some truth to it?" Pyrrha wondered.
"What, you think I know?" Yang shrugged. "I'm the meathead, remember?"
"Leave philosophy to the philosophers, runts," Torchwick suggested. "You'll live longer."
"Innit?" Qrow nodded as he took another swig of his beer. "But... I'm guessing a Sunday School lecture is the last thing you actually want from me right now."
"Yeah," Yang agreed. "We were actually kind of hoping to find a way out of here."
"Well, wouldn't we all?" Qrow crossed his arms. "The alarms had themselves a little panic attack when they detected the sand flow, and forced the doors to shut. This little bunker isn't too far from one of the exits, but good luck getting out with them sealed like they are."
"So, what, there's no way out now?" Jaune asked hopelessly.
"I didn't say that!" Qrow objected, raising a hand with four ringed fingers. "Actually, I'd like to make a deal with you. I'll give you a map of these caves, and you can go out and find those alarms- should be easy to deactivate them, just push the big red button. While you're busy, I'll go take a look at your gears, see if I can't fix them up a bit. The doors ought to open up once the alarms are deactivated, and we can all get the hell out of here- next time Tai wants something done, he can come down here and do it himself."
"Sounds like a plan," Yang crossed her arms and nodded. "C'mon, Jauney boy!"
"A mechanic, are we?" Winter arched a brow.
"I taught kids to make their own weapons," Qrow reminded her. "Learning mechanics was something of a prereq."
Jaune nodded, taking the map Qrow offered him and following Yang out.
"Oh, and- it probably goes without saying- watch out for grimm!"
Jaune remained silent aside from a few mumbled directions as they made their way through the caverns to the first alarm, which Yang managed to disarm brightly. "Yup, big red button, simple as that!" She turned to Jaune. "You doing alright there, Jauney boy? You haven't really talked much since we left Qrow's place."
Jaune hesitated. "I... well..."
He slowly reached for his right sleeve and rolled it up. "I saw yours, it's only fair you see mine."
Yang blinked, clearly not understanding- until she saw the scars etched into his forearm- the thin white lines that spelled out that enigmatic word: HABIT.
"Yeesh, someone did a number on Jauney, too," Sun observed.
"But who?" Velvet fretted.
"I don't recall us having received any particularly damning evidence," Ren shook his head.
"Someone else who's gonna lose their kneecaps," Nora grinned darkly.
She hesitated a moment before asking her single question. "Did... you do that yourself?"
"Wha- oh!" It hadn't even occurred to Jaune what the markings might look like. "No, no, of course not!" A half-truth- he didn't think he'd done it, but not remembering the origin of the scars himself, he could hardly say for certain.
"Hmm... would you take his kneecaps if he did do it to himself?" Ren asked.
"No! I'd pull him into the biggest hug I could give him!"
"And kill me anyways," Jaune groaned at the thought.
Yang nodded, following as Jaune took the lead towards the next alarm. "Right... of course not."
They turned and pressed on through the darkness. It was a while before Yang spoke again. "But that wasn't it, was it? You're still thinking about the old fart's story."
"...Yes," Jaune admitted.
"Can't stop thinking about it myself," Yang agreed. "I've heard versions of it before. Who doesn't like the idea of a gear powerful enough to fight a god? Every story calls it something different... the God Gear... the Omnigear... the Xenogear... oh, if I could get my hands on that baby..."
"NO." The entirety of Team RWB said it at once.
"Oh, come on, give me the benefit of-"
"I refuse," Weiss shook her head.
"I'd rather not," Ruby agreed with her partner.
"No way in Hell, Yang," Blake crossed her arms.
A question occurred to Jaune, one that he felt foolish for thinking of and even more so for actually putting into speech. "Say... you don't think that gear could... actually exist, could you? What if... what if there's someone out there now, fighting in the war between Atlas and Vale, piloting that Xenogear and not even realizing it?"
Yang seemed to contemplate it at first. "Yeah... what if..." Then she broke down laughing. "Oh, Jauney Boy, you have a vivid imagination! But no. The answer is no. The gears being used in this war are pulled out of ruins a couple hundred years old on average- the Xenogear would have to be thousands. Besides, with that kind of power, we'd know, alright- ten to one, the war would already be over." She turned and focused ahead of her for a moment. "No, if it's real, it's still out there, buried so deep beneath the ground nobody's found it yet. But still... a girl can dream, can't she?"
Jaune offered a vague nod as he chastised himself internally. Of course Weltall wasn't the Xenogear- Ren had said himself it was an experimental model from Atlas, and as much as Jaune privately feared its power, it wasn't nearly at the level the story had described. He shook his head and pressed on.
"Yeesh, I'd hate to imagine how much the kid would have destroyed if that gear had gone berserk," Torchwick wrinkled his nose. "Might've wiped out the entire seaboard."
They found the second alarm with little trouble and disarmed it with even less before turning back towards Qrow's bunker.
They came back to find him looking strangely somber, his arms crossed as he looked at them.
"Well, we got the alarms taken care of," Yang announced cheerfully.
"I noticed," Qrow nodded. "I already took care of opening the doors, and I did everything for your gears that I could. I think it's about time we parted ways."
Yang and Jaune exchanged looks of surprise at his sudden abruptness. "Something happen while we were looking the other way, old man?" Yang asked.
"No, no, of course not," Qrow denied. "I think it's just best we all move on."
"O...kay..."
There was clearly something wrong, but he didn't seem keen on divulging exactly what it was, so they turned towards the tunnel they'd entered through and moved to take their leave.
"He was just fine when they left," Whitley observed. "Something he saw afterwards unsettled him."
"But... the only thing he would have seen was their gears," Jaune pointed out.
"Oh! Oh! Maybe Weltall is the Xenogear after all!" Nora bounced up and down excitedly.
"Nora... didn't we just finish explaining why that can't be the case?" Ren reminded her. She slowed a bit, her eyes drifting downard.
"Yes..."
"Maybe he recognized it as a gear that Atlas will be coming for?" Velvet suggested. "Maybe he has a better idea of what it actually is?"
"If so, I wish he'd tell us," Yang muttered.
"Oh, Squirt!" Qrow called out after them- he was looking particularly at Yang. "I've got a goddaughter out there- a cat faunus by the name of Blake Belladonna. If you see her out there..." He hesitated. "...See how she's doing, would ya?"
Blake blinked in surprise. "God...father?"
"A guy your parents trust you to in case they buy the farm," Yang answered helpfully.
Blake rolled her eyes. "I know what a godfather is, Yang. But... him? Do you know my parents?"
"Eh, not that I remember," Qrow scratched at the side of his head. "Haven't been down to Menagerie that often."
"I wouldn't mind meeting your parents," Sun grinned.
"Maybe not, but I would," Blake immediately went on the defensive.
"Nice try, Sun," Neptune patted him on the back.
Yang blinked, nonplussed. "Er... sure. I'll do that," she nodded, before turning and heading back through the tunnels with Jaune, using their auras for light and moving carefully to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
Jaune hadn't thought he could be so glad to see Weltall in working order, but he was even gladder to see the door on the other side of the vast cavern wide open. "Alright, according to this," Yang noted, glancing at the map, "there's a bit more tunnel and cavern to go through after this, but with our gears back together, it should be a smooth ride out of here!"
"Aaaaaand you jinxed it," Ruby rolled her eyes.
It took them less than a minute to climb up into their gears' respective cockpits, whereupon Yang turned to him with a smirk he could only see in his head. "Unless you want to finish our fight now?"
"...No," Jaune said simply, turning and proceeding through the opened doors.
Again, he imagined Yang giving that petulant pout, so different from when she was in the middle of a fight. "You're no fun..."
"And you are incorrigible," Weiss facepalmed.
The caverns certainly seemed smaller than before as they piloted their gears through them, and the grimm presenting a threat suddenly seemed laughable- even the deathstalker would be no problem when behind the controls of these metal men.
However, as they descended into a particularly vast chamber, Jaune's eyes widened when he heard a roar from the distance, echoing off the stone walls and nearly driving him to cover his ears.
"Damn- what the hell is that?" Yang called- even at the top of her voice, Jaune had to strain his ears to hear her.
He looked up and saw a giant robot coming down on them. It wasn't a gear- there was no room for a cockpit- but it seemed to have all the strength of one, two massive silos on its back opening up to fire missiles down upon them.
"Hmmm... is this why people say never to keep your chickens in a row before they hatch?" Penny asked.
"...You almost got that right," Ruby winced.
"SHIT!" Yang cried, using her gear's whips to deflect the missiles, but by so doing, she left herself open to the strength of the machine itself.
"WATCH OUT!" Jaune called, as he once more found himself giving in to that battle haze. Weltall's arm raised into the air, a golden light pooling around it- just as Yang was turning to see the robot rushing at her from the missiles, Welltall's fist plunged into its side, crunching the metal beneath as though it was an aluminum can. There was a massive crunch and grinding of metal, and then... the robot exploded.
A long silence. Predictably broken by Nora. "That... was... awesome!" She threw several air-punches. "ONE PAAAWWWNCH!"
"It looked like he channeled his aura through the gear, amplifying it," Pyrrha assessed. "Creating a strike greater than it ever could have on its own."
"All that power..." Raven narrowed her eyes.
"Heh... wouldn't mind going a round with that, long as I was in a gear of my own," Yang smirked.
"Yang, no, you're going to get yourself killed one day," Blake groaned.
"You're already thinking about how to recruit him, aren't you?" Qrow sideeyed Winter.
"...No," she denied unconvincingly.
"He certainly has great capabilities... once he learns to control that power," Ozpin assessed. "Experience and guidance, that's what he needs."
Jaune, for his part, remained silent, stunned by the power his other seemed to wield.
For a long minute, both he and Yang were silent. Finally, she broke the silence. "What... was that?"
"I..." Jaune stammered hesitantly, recalling what had happened the last time he'd thoughtlessly used such power.
Yang broke into laughter- Jaune's imagination yielded the picture of her throwing back her head. "Well, damn good thing you didn't do that against me!"
"I... I don't know how I did that..." Jaune mumbled half-heartedly. "I... I was just acting on instinct..."
"I know a few people who'd kill for that kind of instinct, friend!" Yang chortled jovially. "Oh, that gives me an idea! I do have a ship, you know- what say we take you and your friend where you're going? Maybe you could lend us a hand, we'll lend you a hand, you know?"
"I..." Jaune's words remained caught in his throat.
"After everything that's happened, I doubt he'll ever want to climb in a gear again after this," Velvet speculated sadly.
"I gotcha," Yang raised her hands. "You probably wanna talk things over with that friend of yours before making any big decisions. Well, he's probably with Sage and Klein- c'mon, let's get outta here."
From that chamber, the ensuing tunnel sloped heavily upwards, finally allowing them to spill out into the open sun. Jaune was actually surprised the sun was still out, albeit definitely moving towards the horizon, turning the eastern skies a deep crimson.
Yang looked around, and her eye glowed when she spied her ship not too far away. "Alright, Jauney, stand back!"
She raised a fist to the sky, and from a barrel at its wrist fired a great flare- less than a minute later, the ship quite obviously turned, making its way to their destination. Jaune sighed in relief- if Yang was telling the truth (and odd though she was, he didn't think she was deceiving him) Ren would be safe on that ship, and he desperately hoped he could offer some clarity to the whirling thoughts in his head.
"No need to worry about that, Yang doesn't have the brains to lie," Weiss assured him.
"Yeah- hey!"
"C'mon," Yang said brightly as she began moving across the sand towards her ship. "Come meet the rest of the crew!"
XXXX
I didn't really expect this to turn into Yang bulli-ing, the episode, but these things happen sometimes. As ever, I hope you enjoyed- can't tell if you liked the last episode, nobody told me one way or the other. Next time, we're going to dip over to either Voyage Home/Xenosaga or Chronicles of the Crescent Blade/Xenoblade 1, I haven't decided yet. If you've got any thoughts on... anything, feel free to drop 'em in a review, and until next time, don't you dare go hollow- Gamer4 out!