The Way of the Maiden Chapter 59, a Star Wars + RWBY Crossover fanfic

Chapter 59: The Mine

After Cinder and Ozpin finished their own conversations with their Atlesian friends, everyone decided that they needed some rest. And so, the rest of the night was spent with a good night's sleep.

Ironwood, however, didn't get much sleep as his allies and subordinates. In his mind, the General had too much to do in order to put his plan in motion. And surprisingly, Ironwood was able to make the necessary preparations before he fell asleep.

The next morning, Ironwood immediately put his plan into action. The first step he had decided to take was to personally debrief Clover Ebi, the commander of Task Force 99. Clover never questioned any orders before, and he had known Ironwood long enough to trust the man with his life. So he patiently listened and carried out the General's orders.

And the first order was to share everything Ironwood had told him with the rest of his team.

Clover found the rest of his squad in a room with multiple chairs and blue screens. One of the screens had a map of the Kingdom of Atlas while the others had mission boards for Huntsmen and Huntresses. Task Force 99 was a special unit, and they were able to carry on these missions as well.

But right now, all anyone wanted to do was talk about the events that happened last night.

SCAR Squadron discussed how stopping a rogue airship and ambushing a Mandalorian was easy, but they were all equally surprised by the sheer might and power Cinder carried. They had all been told about the Maidens and their power, but last night served as a lesson that none of them were prepared to face one.

Cinder was only a child, but she had bested all of them with Magic and her own cunning. Each and every soldier saw a lot of extra training in the future, if they ever wanted to beat another person like Cinder.

Namely, they would have to prepare to fight Salem.

The conversation was immediately stopped when Clover made his presence. He was wearing the same armor he had last night, but he had removed his helmet to speak with SCAR Squadron.

"Good morning, team," he said casually after the soldiers immediately stood at attention. "At ease."

Everyone immediately moved to a seat in front of the map and mission boards. They were all ready to see what mission they would be taking on today, just as they were eager to prove themselves to the General once more after the incident last night.

But Clover had some news before he could debrief his team.

"I just got finished being debriefed by General Ironwood," he said. "I've got some good news... and some bad news."

This immediately caught the attention of his team. They were familiar with both positive and negative debriefs, and both kinds made the soldiers curious about the situation. However, not everyone liked how Clover delivered news like this.

"Start with the bad," said Zuke. "Always start with the bad."

"Why do you say that every time we get news like this?" Mic asked sarcastically. "You know Clover always starts with the good."

"But everyone knows you start with the bad!"

"Here we go again," said Cav, who was sharpening one of his blades.

Clover was also familiar with the situation, which caused him to chuckle a little. "Alright, settle down," he ordered. "Mic's right, Zuke. You know the rules." He then formed a small smile. "We always start with the good."

Zuke groaned as he leaned back in his chair. "Fine," he reluctantly said. "What's the good news, boss?"

"Glad you asked. The General had a little talk with Professor Ozpin and his guests last night. Apparently, something big happened at Haven that affects us all."

"Yeah?" Mic asked. "How?"

"You know that war the Mandalorians started? Well, it's over now. We won."

Everyone was surprised by the news, with questions ranging from "What?" to "Seriously?"

"It's true," said the commander. "Apparently, Cinder beat their leader and made every Mandalorian stop fighting. As far as we're concerned, Remnant is at peace."

"I'll be damned," said Misty.

"That's fortunate," said Shrap.

"Aw!" Zuke groaned. "I didn't even get to kill one of those rust-buckets!"

"Don't bring your hopes down yet, Zuke," said Aero. "We still got a Mando here to deal with."

"You mean the guy in Mantle? I thought he was cleared. I mean, I don't trust him, but-"

"No, no. I'm talking about that 'Djarin' guy." Aero turned to Clover. "What's the story on him, sir?"

"He's clean, for the most part," said Clover. "He'll still be working with us. General's orders."

Everyone begrudgingly accepted the idea, since they didn't necessarily trust Djarin yet. However, they saw that the only threat to Atlas would be the Grimm. They could handle Grimm, and they could focus on getting Amity up and running.

But there was one thing left to wonder.

"Alright, I'll bite," said Zuke. "What's the bad news?"

Clover let out a sigh before he answered the question. Part of Ironwood's debrief had very bad news indeed, which was a result of his conversation with Ozpin last night. Ironwood chose to share it with Clover, and now he had to share it with his team.

"The war might be over, but we still have a mission," the commander began. "The Grimm's leader, Salem."

"Oh, yeah," said Zuke.

"Right, right," said Cav.

"That's not too bad," said Aero.

Clover immediately disagreed with the general consensus. "I'm afraid it is," he said. "Ozpin shared some news with General Ironwood last night. News that'll make our job... a little harder than we thought."

"Yeah?" Misty asked.

"How much harder?" Shrap inquired.

Clover didn't know how to tell his team what he learned from General Ironwood, but he knew that he had to tell them eventually. So rather than beat around the bush or sugarcoat the problem, Clover decided to be blunt.

"Apparently, Salem's invulnerable to just about everything we got. She... She can't be killed."

"What?!"

"Huh?!"

"Wha?!"

"Wait, what?!"

"Are you serious?!"

"The hell are you talking about?!"

Clover focused on the last question, which was asked by Shrap. "According to Ozpin, that's how she's been around for so long. How she's been fighting us for centuries."

"No way," said Misty. "I don't believe it."

"Sorry, Misty. You know the General wouldn't lie about something like this. I don't think Professor Ozpin would either."

"Well... what are we supposed to do?" Aero asked.

"Yeah, what's the plan?" Cav asked.

"The plan hasn't changed," Clover replied. "We're going to get Amity up and running as soon as possible. That's our number one priority."

"And after that?" Zuke asked.

"That's... up in the air, Zuke. General Ironwood is trying to make a plan. One of the ideas Ozpin had was apparently to make a joint army. Atlesian and Mandalorian."

"What?!"

"No!"

"No way!"

Clover expected a negative reaction to the news regarding Salem, but not so much as of right now. He knew that he had to restore order.

"That's enough!" he said to stop everything before it got out of hand. "I'm not happy about any of this either, but screaming our heads off isn't going to help. We're Atlas elite; now we have to act like it. No matter what's thrown our way."

"..."

"Is that clear?"

"...Yes, sir," said the forces of SCAR Squadron.

Clover nodded as he felt at ease once more. He could sense the reluctance from his team, not that he could blame them. Even Clover, someone who was always loyal to Ironwood, was having trouble processing all of this.

But everyone would have time to process it during the time they had to defend Atlas.

"Good," Clover said calmly. "Like I said, our top priority is getting Amity up and running. In order to do that, we're gonna need a few things." Clover turned to the map and zoomed in on a particular spot. "Here's the plan."

Along with SCAR Squadron, General Ironwood saw fit to invite Ozpin and everyone he brought with him to assist in today's mission.

And that mission was to secure the launch site for the Amity Communications Tower.

Given how tensions would certainly rise for everyone, based on the news of Salem's immortality, Ironwood decided to debrief Ozpin personally while Clover would debrief SCAR Squadron. But there would be plenty of time for working together on the battlefield.

And that field would soon be the launch site.

"James told me that the designated area is an abandoned Dust mine," said Ozpin. "Since its closure, the Grimm have moved in." He was currently talking to Djarin, Qrow, Obi-Wan, Revan, and Cinder. "According to reports, all of the untouched Dust is still in that mine. James has a team of scientists who'll need it for the first phase of their launch."

Cinder immediately had a question. "Why is it abandoned?" she asked. "If all that Dust is still down there?"

"James didn't say. It most likely caved in."

"So we need to clear out the Grimm?" Qrow asked.

"Indeed. Atlas Huntsmen are already hard at work clearing out the surrounding tundra. However, they identified a powerful Geist that's managed to evade destruction and take several lives."

"A Geist," said Djarin. "It's been a while since I've fought one of those."

"As have we all," said Obi-Wan. "I'm actually surprised there are still Grimm out here. My best teachers at Haven always said that the tundra was cold enough to freeze Grimm."

"Perhaps they're evolving," said Revan. "Or perhaps this is Salem's work."

"You think Atlas is gonna be her next target?" Qrow asked. "After Haven?"

"It's hard to say at the moment," said Ozpin. "But we will be vigilant. And ready."

"Right. So where's this Geist now?"

"After the attempts to kill it, the Geist was smart enough to flee into the mines. The military will handle the creatures in the tundra, while we will be working with SCAR Squadron to kill it."

Everyone understood the objective and were prepared to work with Atlas in an official capacity. Cinder was actually excited by the idea, since she still wanted to create a combined team of Atlesians and Mandalorians. Of course, she agreed with Ozpin that already having an army was a better idea. But she still hoped that a combined force would benefit all of Remnant.

And now, she was ready to prove it.

"Cinder, you should stay here."

The Fall Maiden received a rather rude awakening from her dreams and ambitions when Djarin suggested that she should stay at Atlas Academy.

"Huh?" she asked as she turned to her father. "No, I want to come. Why should I stay?"

"Remember the last time we fought a Geist together?" Djarin asked, recalling a time they spent in the woods to help a nearby village. "We needed your powers to beat that thing."

"Yeah. So?"

"If this Geist is smart as Ozpin said, it might try to build itself up with the mine's Dust. Like ours did with all those rocks."

"Indeed," said Ozpin. "And should you require to use your Maiden powers-"

"Oh," said Cinder. She understood that even a little bit of Magic, whether it was fire or any other element, could lead to a massive explosion. "Okay, yeah. I'll stay."

"If it's all the same to you, Ozpin, I think I'll stay as well," said Obi-Wan. "I'd like to check in with our prisoners."

"That's fine," said Ozpin. He remembered the promise Obi-Wan made to Bo-Katan regarding Anakin. Any sign of the promise being broken could lead to trouble that nobody could afford. "James wants me to stay as well. He has a few things he wants to speak to me about."

"Then it seems the three of us will be going to the tundra," said Revan, who gestured to Qrow and Djarin.

"Heh," Qrow chuckled. "Just like old times, eh, Mando?"

"Yeah," said Djarin. This wasn't the first mission the Mandalorian and the Huntsman had teamed up on a mission. "Just like old times."

With the decisions having been made, everyone began to take their leave. Ozpin went with Ironwood to an elevator, Obi-Wan took a separate elevator to the holding cells, and the team of three prepared to take their leave.

Before he left, Djarin made sure to say goodbye to his daughter.

"Be careful, Dad," said Cinder. "If you change your mind, I'm just a Scroll call away."

"Thanks, Cinder," the Mandalorian said. "You think you'll be okay up here on your own?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Penny's gonna be taking me to Dr. Polendina's lab to look at this." Cinder showed the Beetle latched onto her arm. "And Winter said she wanted to spar later. So I'll be pretty busy."

"And you'll be with friends." This comforted Djarin, since he was still a little wary about being in Atlas. "Just be careful with that... thing, okay?" The Mandalorian pointed at Cinder's hand. "The doctors in Vale told me that they couldn't get it off without hurting you."

"I think he just wants to look at it. But I'll tell him."

*BUZZ*

Djarin looked at his gauntlet to see a message from Qrow. "Looks like we're ready," he said. "I'll see you soon."

"Be careful, Dad," Cinder requested. "I love you."

"Love you too."

In the tundra, outside of the Schnee Dust mine, multiple uniformed Huntsmen were fighting the small Grimm that were threatening the safety of the latest military project. They were all well-trained and great in number, but they were unfortunately ill equipped to handle the Geist that had flown into the mine.

Fortunately, two Mantas overhead were prepared to handle the situation throughly and without flaw.

The team comprised of Djarin, Revan, Qrow, and the members of Task Force 99. They were all prepared to fight and kill the Grimm, and in more ways than one.

Qrow and Revan had both changed their appearance, mainly their clothes. Instead of his casual gray attire, Qrow was wearing a brown shirt that was gray at the shoulders. The design looked more formal than causal, and it was said that the fabric could withstand bullets and Grimm better. He was still wearing his red cape, which was something Qrow wasn't going to part with any time soon.

Revan's change in appearance was mostly with his robes. Instead of the black ones he wore in Vacuo, Vale, and Mistral, Revan was wearing white robes with a brown chest plate for protection. This was an appearance Revan had when he was a Jedi, as recent times allowed him to reconnect with the Jedi Master within him. That was why he refused to repair his red lightsaber, something he kept as a sign of atonement and a refusal to forget his past life.

But now, Revan felt at peace within himself. So now, all he had was his purple lightsaber.

The new clothes were a part of upgrades Dr. Polendina had made to the arsenal of Djarin's friends. Clover and Ironwood had requested that their attire and weapons would be brought up to Atlesian standards, and they were indeed. Qrow had been given an upgraded version of Harbinger, one were the scythe could change sides with the simple press of a button. Revan oversaw his upgrades, since there weren't many lightsabers in Atlas. But now, he could make his lightsaber double-bladed whenever he wanted.

Djarin chose to not upgrade anything. He preferred his weapons and armor to stay the way they were. Though he did ask for more ammo for his blaster.

When they approached the mines, the two airships split up. One ship was to land directly in front of the mine while the other moved towards a cave that would act as an entrance. Clover called the mine a labyrinth, a place with multiple tunnels and chambers that the Geist could move between. So splitting up and cornering it was the decided strategy.

Djarin was with Revan and the majority of SCAR Squadron, and they were at the mine's entrance. Given that the Manta was ordered to assist the military Huntsmen, Djarin and the others would need to jump out rather than walk out. Djarin and Revan were the first to do so, and the Mandalorian immediately used his jetpack to fly towards the ground and land on both feet.

Revan jumped out behind Djarin, and used the Force to float through the air on his way down. He landed on the ground on one knee, and the snow beneath him formed a wave before it dissipated.

The members of SCAR Squadron in the ship were Zuke, Cav, Misty, and Aero. And they were all prepared to show the Mandalorian and Jedi their landing strategies.

"This is my favorite part," said the large soldier.

"Let's do it," said Misty, who was the first to jump. As soon as he did, the brown cloak he was wearing immediately expanded. Not from the wind, but it grew to the lengths of a big cape. Misty was using his Semblance, which he called "Shroud," to expand his cloak and allow him to soar through the air and fly to the ground.

Cav was the next person to jump out, but he didn't use a Semblance. Instead, he tied wire to the end of his knives and threw them at structures that let him swing through the air. After a few swings and soars through the air, Cav landed next to Misty.

Aero was the next to exit the airship, and he too had a unique landing strategy. After he pressed a few buttons on his chest plate, where the tubes on his helmet were connected, a blue substance moved up the tubes and into the soldier's helmet. After a few seconds, Aero jumped out and his helmet opened at the mouthpiece, where he blew a blue mist across the air. The mist took the form on an ice slide, which Aero slid down to the ground. This was courtesy of the soldier's Semblance, which he dubbed "Breathe."

Zuke's landing strategy was more practical. In fact, it was a demonstration of the man's own physical strength. He jumped out and refused to do anything that would stop his fall. Instead, Zuke hit the ground with a tremendous thud that took everyone off their feet. A wave of snow much larger than Revan's formed around the soldier, and there were noticeable cracks on the ground.

"I hate it when he does that," said Misty, who dusted snow off his armor.

Djarin offered a hand to Aero, who took it and came off the ground. Revan offered his own hand to Cav, but the soldier stood up on his own.

"Looks like you won't get us killed after all," said Aero.

"Was that really necessary?" Djarin asked as he looked to the large trooper. He was able to read the room in this situation, so he knew everyone had the same idea.

"No," said Zuke, who answered calmly. "But it's always fun." He then chuckled as he walked past his allies.

"It can be helpful at times," said Misty, who turned his rifle towards the mine entrance. "It usually gets the Grimm going."

Aero and Cav also pointed their weapons towards the cave, but saw and heard nothing for a few seconds. "Looks like we're in the clear so far," said Cav. "Let's move out."

The second airship was carrying Qrow, Clover, Shrap, and Mic. When they departed, the group immediately slid down a sheer icy incline, which led them to a cliff just outside of a tunnel opening. Qrow immediately brushed off the snow he inadvertently let on his new clothes, and Clover pressed a hand to the side of his helmet.

"This is Alpha squad," he said. "LZ's clear. Proceeding on foot."

Mic pointed towards the side. "I guess Shrap and I can split here," he said.

Clover nodded before he said one more thing on the radio. "We've all got fancy new Scrolls, courtesy of Aero and Dr. Polendina. Don't forget to use 'em. Keep your eyes and ears open. I want an update if you encounter the target. Alpha out." With that, Clover removed his hand and turned to his teammates. "Do your thing, team."

"See you on the other side, sir," Shrap said as he followed Mic's lead. Qrow and Clover then walked down a tunnel of their own, where the colors of multiple Dust veins dimly lit the area.

"Gotta say, I'm still not really used to working with other Huntsmen in the field," said Qrow. He had forgotten how well a team like SCAR Squadron could be organized and carry out multiple tasks at once.

"But you were on a team before, weren't you?" Clover asked.

Qrow couldn't help but sigh at the idea. "Long time ago. I just found working alone tends to be for the best."

Clover immediately brushed off the idea. "Well, I think that's a shame." He then had an idea how to satisfy a mild curiosity of his. "You been working with that team of yours for long? With Professor Ozpin too?"

"Our group's new, more or less. I've worked with Oz a few times, but rarely in the field. Obi-Wan and Revan are kinda new additions."

"What about your Mandalorian buddy and his kid? Cinder, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. I've worked with Mando a lot in the past. He's not officially licensed, but he knows what he's doing. They both do."

Clover tapped his armor a few times. "I think I got a few dents in this to back that claim. Too bad she couldn't join us today. Would've liked to see what else she can do."

While Djarin's team and SCAR Squadron were conducting their mission and being acquainted with each other, Cinder was going about her day at Atlas Academy.

At first, the Fall Maiden decided to explore the campus. She didn't have much time for exploring last night, so she decided to look around while she had time. Cinder visited a few empty classrooms and got herself a snack from the cafeteria, but the place she spent most of her time in was the library.

Just as Winter said, the library of Atlas Academy was enormous. It had every book Beacon had, and then some. Cinder became very excited and decided to reread some of the books she was reading at Beacon, and then she looked at the ones that were new to her.

About a half hour later, Cinder was found by Penny. And together, they made their way to the laboratory Pietro had in Atlas. Along the way, Cinder couldn't help but notice a few people, mainly students, who were staring at her and Penny. She didn't know why, at first, but then she heard the whispers.

"Hey, who's that?"

"Isn't she a little young for a student?"

"I haven't seen her before."

"Probably just a tour or something. I mean, she's with the General's top project."

Penny was a little saddened to be called a "project," but she didn't let this sadness reveal itself. Things were awkward for her when she was rebuilt, given that nobody knew she was a robot. But when she proved herself as a capable and competent protector of Mantle, the tension and awkwardness mostly disappeared.

Cinder began to relax when she heard the idea of being a potential student, but she decided to pick up the pace when she heard a few more whispers.

"Wait, doesn't she look like-?"

"No, that's her! Look at her!"

"Yeah, that's the girl from the Vytal Festival! The one in the armor!"

"What's she doing here?"

One of the students turned around when he saw Cinder pass by him. "Uh, excuse me," he said to get Cinder's attention. He was also curious about Cinder's presence, and hoped to get an explanation.

But Cinder ignored him and kept walking.

"Hey, kid!" the student said a little louder. But once again, Cinder ignored him. Luckily, she and Penny had reached Pietro's lab and closed the door before anyone else could recognize her.

"What is the matter, Cinder?" Penny asked calmly.

"Oh," Cinder began as she wiped her forehead. "Sorry, I'm just... No, it's nothing." Cinder looked around the room to see multiple tools, circuitry, and projections of blueprints all over the place. "So, this is your dad's lab?"

"Affirmative!" Penny walked around the area as she explained herself. "This is not like the pharmacy you saw in Mantle. This room is specifically for my father's projects that were commissioned by the General and Atlas' top military officials. He is currently preparing on a new design for a small airship. Would you like to see it?"

"Oh, I don't want to keep your father waiting." Cinder lifted her left hand. "Especially since he said he'd look at this for me."

"There is nobody we are keeping waiting, Cinder. My father is concluding a meeting with the commander of the air fleet. He will be here shortly, so we can look around if you'd like."

"Oh." Cinder didn't know that she and Penny had arrived early, so it seemed that she had time to look around. And the blueprints did look rather interesting. "Did you say it was a new airship he was working on?"

"Yes, it is! Come and see!"

Cinder followed Penny to a specific projection that had a set of blueprints. There, Cinder could see the design for a prototype of a new airship. It looked similar to the appearance of a Manta, but it was much smaller. In fact, it looked like it could only fit one person in the cockpit. The nose and wings were about the same size as a Manta, but there was a long piece of metal at the back.

It almost looked like a small "Y" on the screen, if one looked a certain way.

"What do you think?" Penny asked.

"It's... really new," Cinder replied as she stared at the picture. She didn't really know what else to say.

Penny frowned. "You don't like it?"

"No, I do! I'm just a little curious about the thought of this." Cinder pointed to the cockpit. "It looks like it can only fit a pilot in here."

"That is correct! Did you know that when a Manta gets shot down, not many of its passengers have time to evacuate?" Penny pointed to the cockpit. "The smaller space and the ejector seat will help minimize potential casualties should the ship be attacked."

"Oh, I see." Cinder understood the logic of the design for the cockpit now. "What about the metal back here?"

"It's mostly for balance. And the size will help circumnavigate places that are too small for a Manta." Penny pointed to the tips of each wing. "And both wings have two guns at the very end for weaponry."

"Oh!" Cinder took a closer look to see that the tips did look like guns. Between this and the smaller number of people inside, the Maiden believed that Pietro Polendina had done a good job minimizing damage and maximizing potential.

There was just one more question she had.

"What's this?" Cinder asked as she pointed just behind the cockpit. It looked like a sort of cylinder, but Cinder wasn't too sure how else to describe it.

But Penny could.

"Oh, my goodness!" she screamed with delight. "I almost forgot the best part! Stay right there, I'll be right back!" Penny immediately flew into the other room, leaving Cinder in the dust.

"..."

Cinder did as she was told, but looked through other blueprints while she waited. This exploration led to the discovery of a special blueprint, one that Cinder was actually familiar with.

The armor of SCAR Squadron.

"Huh," Cinder said to herself as she looked over the design. She could see a few notes written on it, which described the purpose and details of the armor. "Looks like Dr. Polendina was trying to create something that could contend with Beskar. That must have been hard."

Cinder read how the substance called "plastoid," while still in an experimental stage, had certain advantages. The first was that the helmets could filter out smoke and the bodysuit underneath was capable of protection from dangerous hot and cold temperature. The material was incapable of melting or freezing.

There appeared to be some disadvantages, however. Cinder read that the helmet could be hard to see out of sometimes, and that the plastoid couldn't really withstand blaster fire from a Mandalorian bullet. It was capable of protection from Grimm claws and regular bullets, however, but not blaster fire.

"Well, Dad said he shared his technique with the other schools," Cinder recollected. "Looks like they're using blasters for guns to accommodate for the weakness."

Cinder was intrigued by what she was reading, but there was something she couldn't understand. At the back of her mind, Cinder believed that she had seen an armor like this before. And so, Cinder spent a decent amount of time looking at the helmet and searching her memories, hoping that she would find an answer.

This search ended, however, when Penny called to her friend.

"Cinder!" the girl said with enthusiasm. When Cinder turned around, she saw Penny standing by a doorframe and gesturing to it. "I want you to meet someone very special!"

"..."

Cinder looked at the spot Penny was gesturing towards, but she didn't see anybody. Penny looked as well, and then beckoned for someone to join her.

"Come along," she said calmly. "Come and meet my friend."

Cinder couldn't see who Penny was talking to, and she was about to ask who it was. But before Cinder could speak, a series of strange noises filled the air.

*TWEEP*

*REE*

*WOO*

"Of course you have!" said Penny. "Father is human, you know. Now you can meet another human. Come on, don't be shy."

*WHIR*

The sound of something mechanical rolling on the floor immediately caught Cinder's attention. A few seconds later, the Fall Maiden saw that Penny was talking to, and now introducing, a very unique robot.

The robot was definitely unlike the drones in Mantle and the Atlesian Knights. It seemed to move on three legs, it was partially in the shape of a cylinder, and it was very shiny. Most of the robot was painted white, but there were spots of gray on its headpiece and multiple spots of blue across its exterior. There appeared to be a lens on its "face," right above a red light and knob-like object it wore.

When its third and shortest leg disappeared into its body, the robot stood completely still while Penny gave an introduction.

"Cinder, this is a Second Generation Robotic Drone of the Series-2 line," Penny proudly introduced the droid. "But everyone calls him R2-D2."

"..."

"Go on! Say hello!"

At first, Cinder believed that Penny was talking to her. She couldn't help but remain silent as she studied the droid, the likes of which she had never seen before. It was hard for her to draw conclusions from what she was seeing, since there was so much about the droid she didn't understand. But at her friend's insistence, Cinder prepared to greet the droid Penny called "special."

But it seemed Penny was talking to R2-D2, since "he" made a series of noises at the Maiden.

*WOO*

*BEEP*

Cinder didn't know how to respond, but she did the best she could. "Um... hi," she said.

Penny smiled as she kneeled down to the droid. "Isn't he great?" she asked confidently. "He can do just about anything! He can fix circuitry when people can't and link to any computer system. Even me!" Penny immediately hugged the droid. "And we're best friends!"

*WOO*

The droid's head made a complete spin as it shook in place. It even opened a compartment on its side that extended an small arm-like appendage that patted Penny's side.

The rare display of emotion from the droid was enough to make Cinder warm up to R2-D2; it was clear that he could "feel" things like Penny could. And one look at the airship design was enough to make Cinder understand something else.

"Is that supposed to be him?" Cinder asked as she pointed to the blueprints. "In the airship?"

"That's right!" Penny said as she stood up. She moved to the blueprint with R2-D2 at her side. "R2 can be inserted right behind the pilot to provide whatever support he can. Even autopilot!"

"Wait, he can fly the ship?" Cinder became very impressed. "All by himself?"

*BEEP*

*WOO*

Penny looked down to see R2 looking at the ground. "Well, not yet," she said as she kneeled down to her friend. "R2's still learning a few things. He has the software, but he hasn't had the chance to practice flying. Like how I did not have the combat experiences I gained upon my creation."

"Oh. Well, if that's the case, then R2 shouldn't need a lot of time learning."

Cinder didn't notice that the idea had gotten the droid's attention, but she noticed that Penny was looking right at her.

"I am sure of that as well!" said Penny. "Though Father has to make a few adjustments here and there."

Cinder shrugged off the idea. "Still. Penny, whatever Dr. Polendina did to make you what you are... it's amazing. Protecting Mantle is great, and let's not forget you made it to the single rounds at the Vytal Festival." Cinder spread her arms around the area. "It's all just amazing. All of this work, everything I've seen... I know I never came to Atlas Academy that often, but being in a place like this makes me feel that the sky's the limit for anyone here." Cinder smiled at Penny. "Creator and creation alike."

"..."

Penny would be blushing if she was capable of doing so. Everything Cinder just said meant the world to her, and it wasn't something Cinder would say out of the blue. Most of her memories of Atlas were sad ones, given her time at the Glass Unicorn. But being at Atlas Academy, surrounded by so many wonderful ideas, gave Cinder a warm feeling. The sky was the limit at a place like this, for Atlesian and foreigner alike.

And hopefully, Mandalorian as well.

*WOO*

Cinder and Penny looked to see that R2 was shaking in place while spinning his head, which made Penny laugh. "He says 'Thank you,'" she said. "And I couldn't agree more."

Cinder gave the droid a friendly smile before she asked Penny another question. "So you can understand R2?" she asked. "What he's... saying?"

"That's right! Let me show you how."

Back at the mines, Clover had heard enough silence with Qrow to know that the Geist was nowhere to be found. And so, he decided to check in on his team.

Starting with Djarin's team.

"Alpha here," Clover said on the radio. "Give me an update."

Cav answered for the team. "Bravo checking in," he said. "So far, so good."

The team had indeed been making progress within the mine. They had searched the entrance high and low, but found nothing to raise any alarms.

In fact, that was exactly what Djarin was thinking.

Revan sensed the disturbance within the Mandalorian, so he moved closer to see what was going on. "What is it?" he asked.

"There's nothing here," said Djarin. "It's giving me a bad feeling."

Revan looked around the area before he drew a conclusion. "I don't sense any danger."

"That's just it." Djarin stepped to the side so nobody else could hear him. "You're right, Revan. There's no danger here. No cave-ins, no agitated Dust, and no signs of any Grimm. Which begs the question..."

Revan immediately saw why Djarin was concerned. "Why did the miners leave?"

Djarin nodded right before he noticed something that was rather odd. "There," he said as he pointed to a corner. "Do you see that?"

Revan looked towards a pile of mining tools and equipment. When he approached them, Revan kneeled down and reached out through he Force. Right by the tools was something that no normal eyes could see.

An echo in the Force.

"...The mine wasn't just abandoned," Revan said after he listened to the echo. "Someone forced everyone to leave. And in a hurry." Djarin noticed that Revan was looking in the direction of Task Force 99 after he shared the news. "Be on your guard, Djarin."

"..."

"Let's pick it up, people!"

Djarin decided to use his Semblance to transport himself and Revan close to SCAR Squadron.

"You find anything?" Cav asked.

"We thought we did," said Djarin. "But it was nothing."

"No sign of the Geist," said Revan.

"Then let's keep going," said Zuke.

Cav, Misty, and Zuke were all focused on the mission in front of them, but Aero was able to pick up that something seemed off with his new allies.

"Everything okay back there?" he asked calmly.

"Fine," said Djarin. He hoped a short answer would ease any potential suspicions, given what Revan had implied. However, Aero wasn't entirely convinced.

"No, something's going on." Despite this idea, he continued to walk. "I think I know."

"..."

"You're thinking about your kid, aren't you?"

The brief paranoia Djarin was feeling from Aero's suspicions immediately disappeared as he saw the opportunity for cover.

"Uh, yeah," he said. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Lemme guess," Aero replied confidently. "You're wondering how she's doing on her own? Mission or no mission?"

Djarin decided to tell the truth this time, since Aero's analysis was surprisingly accurate. "The thought's crossed my mind before. How'd you know?"

Aero shook his head. "I've lost count of how many times I asked myself when my daughter was on her own."

"You have one too?"

"Yep. Her name's Cassandra, but everyone calls her Cassie. I mean, other than 'Cadet Aero.'"

"She's a student at the academy?"

"Uh-huh. You might have heard her name tossed around at Vale. She went to the Vytal Festival with the other cadets."

Djarin didn't know of any "Cadet Aero," but he was all too familiar with the Vytal Festival. Namely, how poorly it ended.

"Did she survive the Fall?" Djarin asked.

"Yeah, thank the Gods," said Aero. "But things weren't really the same. She thought about quitting, but I made her stick with it. If there's another situation with the Grimm or Mandalorians again, I'd feel a lot better knowing she's ready to take those bastards next time."

"..."

"Uh, no offense."

Djarin shook his head. "I've heard worse."

"Still. You know, Clover was telling us how you and your daughter made the Mandalorians stop fighting at Haven. How'd you do that?"

"It wasn't easy. Pre Vizsla launched a surprise attack on the school. A lot of good people from all over the world died there, but we were able to stop Vizsla."

"Did your daughter do most of the heavy lifting? With those powers and all?"

Djarin understood that SCAR Squadron knew about the Maidens, so he indulged the man. "More or less. She was a late arrival, but the tide turned because of her. Now she's got the right to rule all of the Mandalorians. Even me."

"I'll be damned. Sounds like one hell of a kid."

Djarin briefly smiled under his helmet. "You have no idea."

Aero couldn't help but chuckle at the statement. "I think I got some. You and her definitely did a number on us last night. None of us were ready for a Maiden, or whatever you call them. Has she been like that for long?"

"Cinder's had the power for five years. She spent those years training with me and Ozpin. Like you said, she can do a number on just about-"

"There it is!"

*WHOOSH*

The sight of a dark shape flying by both Aero and Djarin immediately caught their attention. The shape paused for a brief moment, where it was revealed to be none other than the enemy Geist. It had stopped moving to look upon the people that entered its temporary home before it flew deeper into the mines.

"Don't let it get away!" Cav ordered as he pulled out a knife and threw it. Unfortunately, it flew through the Geist as the projectile missed its face.

"There's no Dust!" said Zuke, who pulled out a big gun. "Shoot it!" Everyone around him all pulled out their weapons and fired.

*BANG*

The blaster fire was close, but the Geist was too fast for anyone to hit. Revan tried to reach out with the Force and block its path with a rock, but the Geist moved past the object with ease.

And in its place, three worm-like Grimm came out of the ground and moved towards the team.

*BANG*

Once again, blaster fire was delivered into the mine. Revan used his lightsaber to strike at the closest worm, which he killed with ease, right before Aero spoke on his radio.

"This is Bravo! We found the target, but it fled deeper into the mine. Engaging Centinels!"

*WHOOSH*

*BANG*

Djarin had just teleported behind Aero to stop another Centinel from trapping him in its two front pinchers. Two shots in its mouth were enough to kill the beast, and let the Mandalorian focus on the other threats.

Zuke and Misty were able to hold their own rather well. When he saw that his gun was having no effect, Zuke grabbed the nearest Centinel as it spun towards him. He then proceeded to hit it against the walls before it turned to ash.

Misty focused on firing from afar, which was his specialty. He had just killed two Centinels before his weapon ran out of ammo, which left him vulnerable to an attack from a Centinel that came from behind.

Luckily, Cav was able to stick a knife in its underbelly and pull on it. This cut the beast wide open, which led to its swift demise.

Revan was swinging his lightsaber to fend off more Grimm, and now he decided to test his new secondary blade. Now, he was able to spin the weapon like a fan and slice a single Grimm apart at a much faster rate than before. After it was left defenseless, Revan threw the weapon and watched as it cut the Centinel in half before his lightsaber returned to him.

Hisses and the sound of decaying Grimm all filled the area as the team finally took their pause and wondered if their warning reached the right people.

"This is Alpha! We've engaged the target!"

*BANG*

Qrow fired multiple bullets at the Geist, but the Grimm managed to swerve and spiral past each one as it fled. Clover saw this and pressed his radio again. "All squads head toward our position!"

The leader of Task Force 99 decided to help Qrow in his efforts. After he took his his fishing rod in hand, Clover sent the hook out at the Geist, but barely missed it.

And to make matters worse, the Grimm was done running.

The Geist swooped into a giant chunk of ice with a mine cart imbedded in it and rose up to gather more ice, rocks and metal to form a brand new body. Clover was ready to face the monster head on, but Qrow didn't follow. Instead, he noticed a chunk of ice pressing against a metal support beam, one that was steadily pushing the beam off of the tunnel wall.

"Wait, stop!" Qrow warned.

Clover turned to look at Qrow, which led him to noticing the falling beam.

*CRASH*

The beam landed between Clover and the Geist, and the impact created a large cloud of dust. When the cloud settled, Clover could see that the ground beneath the Geist had collapsed. Clover frowned when he looked at the hole as Qrow ran up beside him.

"Darn it," he said before he used his radio. "Target escaped, last seen headed east." Clover then took off his helmet to wipe some sweat off of his forehead. "Thanks for the call-out. That could have been bad."

Qrow knew that he had helped, but he was never one to accept gratitude; especially when he knew why the beam had collapsed.

"I wouldn't thank me," he said with a sigh. "My Semblance brings misfortune. Sometimes I can't keep it under control."

"That so?"

Qrow looked at Clover, who was looking back at him with a slight smile. This was strange and unusual, since just about everyone who heard the idea kept themselves at a distance from Qrow. But Clover stayed right where he was as he checked his Scroll. Then, he looked up at a bent support beam next to the hole in the ground.

"Well, hey, don't beat yourself up about it," the commander advised before he cast his line. The cord wrapped around the beam and pulled it down, which led the beam and a large amount of rock to come falling down.

*CRASH*

Content with his work, which had led to a new kind of ground being formed, Clover looked at Qrow with a smile.

"My Semblance is good fortune," he said with a wink. "Lucky you, huh?"

"..."

Qrow couldn't help but be amazed by such a simple idea. All of his life, his Semblance had done nothing but bring bad luck to others and himself. And the inability to fully control it was enough to make Qrow think that there wouldn't be a reprieve to his condition.

So to hear that there was an antithesis, a complete opposite to his Semblance, was something that Qrow had been waiting all his life to hear.

Clover didn't think too much of the idea as he walked on ahead and got on his radio again. "Charlie, Bravo, you should be able to cut off the target at the heart of the mine. Qrow and I won't be far behind."

Back in Atlas, Pietro had arrived at his lab to see Cinder become acquainted with R2-D2. He was proud to see that there were people who liked his creations, and R2 was arguably the easiest to like. After all, Penny seemed quiet taken with the droid upon its creation. It was done after she was fully repaired, so Penny was able to serve as a companion and friend to the droid. And Penny being Penny, she had done the job very well.

And apparently, so was Cinder.

However, further conversation was put on hold when Cinder remembered why she had come to Pietro in the first place. The old man remembered the reason as well, since Penny told him last night. And so, the Fall Maiden was taken to a part of the laboratory with a medical chair. There, the scientist took a proper look at Cinder's hand.

"Oh, my," he said as he first looked at the Beetle. "It's just like Penny said."

"Yes, sir," said Cinder. She didn't know what Penny had told Dr. Polendina, but she was sure he knew the general idea.

Pietro reached for his workbench and continued to talk. "How did this happen?"

"Um... I'm not too sure. I was unconscious when it happened. All I know is that it was on another woman's hand while it latched on to my face." Cinder pointed to the scarring on her left eye. "After it left her, it made itself at home on my hand."

"I see." Pietro came back to Cinder with a pair of tweezers. He gently poked at the Grimm, which caused it to hiss as it moved its pinchers and legs at the tool.

"Be careful, sir. It's still a Grimm."

"Indeed."

Pietro remembered his studies with Grimm in Vale, even though it was a brief project. He remembered how to be very careful when he needed to be, so he kept his distance.

"Can you feel that?" Pietro asked as he poked the Beetle.

"No," Cinder replied.

Pietro poked a little harder in a different spot. "What about that?"

Cinder winced for a second. "A little."

"Hmm..." Pietro decided to take a calculated risk as he made the tweezers squeeze the Beetle. "And this?"

"Ah!" Cinder yelped as she grabbed her arm. "I feel it, I feel it!"

Pietro let go as quickly as he could so he could let Cinder recover. "Sorry, dear," he said sincerely. "So, you can feel when it's in pain."

"Unfortunately," Cinder replied as she let go of her arm. "I found out about that the first time I tried to remove it. But all it did was hurt me."

"I see." Pietro took another look while keeping his distance, since the Grimm was hissing at him. "Does this connection go both ways? Can it feel your pain?"

"I... I don't know." Cinder had never thought about that. "I never really tried it." This was understandable, since there was so much neither of them understood about the creature. "All I know is that it doesn't hurt me unless someone or something hits it."

"Hmm..." Pietro hummed once more. "Tell me, has it ever done anything to help you? Perhaps heal any wounds or defend you?"

"..."

Cinder remembered only one time where she could say that the Beetle actually helped her. When she was in danger in Mantle, when Zuke was attacking her, Cinder remembered how the Beetle latched on to his face in response. Fortunately, Zuke's helmet protected him from any harm.

Cinder was reluctant to share this information, since she was still in Atlas. She wouldn't know what would happen if news of this incident reached anyone of a higher station. However, she did know that the only way Pietro could help her was if she was honest and answered all of his questions.

"Well... there was this one time," Cinder began. "I was being attacked, and the... thing, it just... threw itself on whoever or whatever was attacking me. Then they backed off." The avoidance of pronouns and names was Cinder's way of telling the truth without the unnecessary details.

"Did it now?" Pietro said. "It almost sounds impossible, but it seems that there's a connection between you and the Beetle. It's almost like it's a symbiote, an organism that thrives by bonding with another."

Cinder remembered what her father had said about the bond she had with the Grimm, which only reinforced Pietro's theory.

"I'd like to run a few tests, if I may," said Pietro. "Mostly x-rays and blood tests. It would be wise to see what kind of effect, if any, this thing is having on your body."

Cinder understood the doctor's wish, and she too believed such tests would be wise. "Do you think they'll help me?" she asked. "Could the tests help you see how we can break the connection?"

Pietro removed his cap and scratched his head. "Hm, possibly," he said. "I'm not a biologist, but I know there are some connections that are rather hard to break. And depending on what effect the Grimm has on your body, removing it may be easier said than done."

"..."

"But I promise I'll help you however I can." Pietro's walking chair began to move away from Cinder. "I'll go fetch a needle and some test tubes."

Cinder was somewhat disappointed by Pietro's uncertainty, even though she understood it. She knew that she shouldn't have gotten her hopes up, but she wanted the Beetle removed immediately. Cinder knew she couldn't hide it forever, and it could even grow stronger as time went on.

In fact, it could even stay on forever. And Cinder had no idea what would happen.

"Don't worry, Cinder," said Penny. "We're here to help you too." She was immediately joined by R2, who stopped in front of Cinder and made a few noises.

*BEEP*

*WOO*

"He says he'll help too," Penny translated.

Cinder smiled. "I know," she said as she patted the droid's head before she turned to her friend. "Thanks, Penny."

"You're welcome."

Cinder sighed as she began her wait for Pietro. "Well, here's to hoping Dad's having good luck at the mine."

Djarin's luck in the mine was... questionable, to say the least.

He, Revan, and the members of SCAR Squadron weren't in any danger, but they hadn't managed to find the Geist after they lost it. They had followed Clover's advice and reached the heart of the mine, but there weren't any Grimm there.

In fact, all they could find was a vast supply of Dust. And two more members of SCAR Squadron just above them.

"Everyone use caution," Mic said over the radio. "This room is highly active with Dust energy. Triggering it could ruin the launch site."

"And vaporize us," said Shrap. "That goes double for you, Zuke."

"I may be big, but I'm not stupid, Shrap," Zuke said over the radio. "But if you're so smart, why don't you find the target?"

Shrap could see what Zuke meant by that; the room was clearly the heart of the Dust mine, but the Geist didn't appear to be anywhere within sight. Fortunately, he had an idea.

"Mic, better give this place a scan," Shrap said to his ally.

The blue-eyed soldier agreed and pressed a few buttons on his gauntlet. Then, the blue light in his visor began to expand all across the heart of the mine. It detected Dust, metal, and everyone below him.

But no Grimm.

"Nothing," he said. "I'll call Clover, ask him if-"

*RUMBLE*

The area began to shake all around the team, which caused them to look at the ground and the walls. They expected more Centinels, but no Grimm emerged from the ground.

Djarin noticed that the rumbling wasn't coming from the ground, but the ceiling instead.

The Mandalorian saw that the Grimm was now taking the form of a Petra Gigas, when a Geist created a whole body for itself out of anything it could find. And with the Dust it assimilated earlier, the Petra Gigas was clinging to a chunk of ice on the ceiling. It turned to look down at everyone, which made Djarin see purple Dust crystals embedded in its body.

"Up there!" Djarin warned his team. They all looked to see the Grimm had jumped down from the ceiling and crashed through a stone arch on its way to the ground in front of the team.

*CRASH*

*BAM*

"It added Dust to its body!" Djarin pointed out. "Our guns are useless!" He immediately turned his rifle into its staff form.

"We'll have to do this the hard way," said Cav, who took out two knives in hand. "Zuke! You're on!"

The large soldier didn't say anything to acknowledge the order. Instead, he took off running and immediately punched his hands. As he grew closer and closer to the leg of the Petra Gigas, Zuke's entire suit and body began to change into a gray color. When the color reached his legs, the sound of metal crashing onto the ground resounded each time he took a step.

The last metallic sound came when Zuke grabbed the beast's gigantic leg.

*CLANG*

Zuke's Semblance, "Ironhide," was able to keep a strong grip on the Petra Gigas and limit its movement.

Cav tied two of his knives together at their hilts before he joined Zuke with Aero. Misty, on the other hand, kept his eyes on the Grimm's arms, as well as Mic and Shrap.

"Mic, Shrap, there's a thin opening on the Grimm's left arm," he said on his radio. "Take it off while we take care of the legs."

"Copy," Shrap said as he made a plan. "Mic, I'm gonna go for a Hail Mary. Give me a path."

"On it," said Mic. He began to look at the distance between Shrap and the Petra Gigas, and he studied it closely. He didn't use his visor or his gauntlet for any calculations, since those tools were useful for computer systems and computer systems alone.

Instead, Mic relied on his Semblance, "Quick Thinking."

Mic's Semblance wasn't like Zuke's or Misty's, where it could enhance his strength or leave him with a physical advantage. Instead, the soldier's Semblance enhanced his thinking power.

It made him smarter.

Mic was able to perform the necessary calculations for the angle, force, and distance Shrap would need to throw a certain heavy weapon he had. Mic could see the mathematics and every factor his Semblance took into account. He was able to make these calculations at the drop of a hat, which would greatly aid Shrap when he found out where and how he would need to throw his weapon.

And once he was done, Mic finally created a path on his gauntlet for Shrap to see. And with the press of a button, Shrap could see it through his helmet.

"Got it!" Mic said as he pressed the button.

"Me too!" said Shrap, who pulled a small projectile from his suit. It was a weapon he created with Aero, and now he was ready to put it to use.

Unfortunately, the Petra Gigas was ready first.

*BAM*

The Grimm sent one of its fists to the support Mic and Shrap were standing on, which caused them to fall. Luckily, Revan was able to witness their descent and grab them with the Force. When the shock of floating in the air disappeared, Shrap prepared to do what he was about to do.

"Wait!" Mic warned. "You need a new pattern!"

Shrap shook his head. "I'm eyeballing it!" he said as he threw the projectile.

The object made its way towards the Petra Gigas and landed near its shoulder. It wasn't far from the spot Shrap had been aiming for, so the soldier knew that it would do what he needed it to do.

*WHOOSH*

Instead of an explosion, a small shield of Hard-Light Dust appeared and enveloped part of the Grimm's arm. Most people, like Djarin and Revan, would be confused by the sight. It didn't appear that the projectile was much of a weapon, since shields were always known for protecting whatever was behind or inside it.

But when the sound of a small explosion was heard and the sight of the shield disappearing was seen, everyone understood.

*BOOM*

The projectile was actually an explosive, and a special one at that. Shrap was the heavy weapons expert of the team, so he knew all about the kinds of damage explosives could do. He also knew that there were times when he would have to minimize the damage, in case civilians or anything else was in the way.

And so, the shield was able to contain the small explosion without setting off any of the active Dust. And as a result, the Petra Gigas lost an arm.

But it also caused a few purple Dust crystals to hurtle towards the ground.

"I got them!" Revan yelled as he reached out with the Force once more. He couldn't really fight at the moment, since his lightsaber could set off the Dust. He managed to catch many of the crystals, and SCAR Squadron was able to catch the rest.

Mic failed to get one that was out of his reach, but Clover arrived just in time to catch it before it hit the ground.

"What would you guys do without me?" the soldier asked before he tossed the crystal to Qrow with a nod. Qrow put the crystal out of harm's way before he joined Djarin again.

"Did I miss much?" Qrow asked as he took Harbinger in its scythe form.

"A lot, actually," Djarin replied as he spun his staff. "Their Semblances are... impressive."

*CRACK*

Just as Djarin concluded his statement, Zuke had finally managed to rip off the leg of the Petra Gigas. Clover and Cav then worked together to catch the crystals that had broken off the monster.

"Yeah!" Zuke yelled. "That's what I'm talking about!"

Revan also caught a crystal right before Clover could. "Your teammates have the right idea," he said. "Dismantling this Grimm before it regenerates may be the only way to stop it."

"Then let's do it," Clover agreed. "Shrap, Zuke! You two focus on the other arm and leg, and whatever other limbs it tries to make! Everyone else, aim for the chest and face!"

While Shrap and Zuke followed their orders to the letter, everyone else followed Clover's lead. They each leapt onto the Grimm so they could strike its chest and hopefully knock it down. Djarin and Qrow focused on the face, but the Petra Gigas was able to use its other arm to protect itself.

But this left an opening for Shrap to throw another one of his projectiles, which caused another controlled explosion.

*BOOM*

With only one limb left, Revan and Zuke were able to work together to make the Petra Gigas fall. While Zuke took its remaining leg and pushed it upwards, Revan pushed against the Grimm with the Force to make it fall.

*THUD*

The Grimm was now out of limbs, but it didn't leave its makeshift torso yet. Instead, it tried to make new limbs out of the metal and Dust that was nearby.

"Don't let it reassemble itself!" Djarin yelled as he struck the nearest materials away. Everyone followed his lead and used their weapons to strike at anything that moved closer to the Grimm. Clover and Cav used their fishing pole and tied knives to grab the crystals, but everyone else was able to hit the metal away.

The Geist inside the Petra Gigas finally gave up its attempts at reconstructing its body and decided to retreat. It was fast enough to avoid Harbinger and Djarin's staff, but Cav had a plan as he prepared another knife.

"Not this time," he said right before he threw the blade.

Instead of flying in a straightforward path, the knife began to duck and weave past obstacles such as Dust and metal. It even moved at an abnormal speed, one that matched the speed of the Geist.

And sure enough, the blade made contact with the Grimm's skull before it returned to Cav's hand.

"Bullseye," he said proudly.

That was the name of Cav's Semblance, an ability that took much Aura and concentration. It didn't work like Magic, however; instead, Cav needed to guide the knife where to go in order to find its target. As a result, the blade never missed its target.

Therefore, Cav never missed either.

With the Geist now dead, the torso of its former body finally gave way. More purple crystals were flown into the air, which would explode if they reached the ground at their current speed. The members of SCAR Squadron all ran reached out to catch them, but they were beaten by Djarin and his two allies. Revan had used the Force once more, Qrow turned into a bird so he could catch up to one crystal, and Djarin used his own Semblance to catch one in front of Aero.

"Teleportation," said the soldier. "Been a while since I've seen a Semblance like that."

"Same with telekinesis," said Shrap, who mistook Revan's use of the Force for a Semblance.

"I don't think I've seen something like that before," Clover said to Qrow, referring to how he turned into a bird. He took off his helmet to get a better look at the Huntsman. "Is there a good story behind that?"

Qrow was glad to see that he didn't have to hide his shapeshifting ability anymore. "Remind me to tell you it when we get outta here," he said.

"Deal," Clover said with a nod. "In my experience, the best stories are told with food."

Qrow chuckled at the idea. "If you're buying, I'm there."

"What's that now?" Zuke asked as he walked over. "You buying dinner tonight, boss?"

"I could eat," said Aero. The rest of the squad immediately agreed.

Clover laughed a little before he replied. "Let's wrap this up first," he said as he put his helmet back on. "Then we'll talk." He then got on his radio. "Atlas Control, this is Clover. Mission accomplished."

Back in Atlas, Cinder had just finished the tests Pietro was doing for her. He needed time to gather and study the results, so the Fall Maiden left the laboratory and thanked Pietro for his time.

Before she left, however, Pietro told Cinder about the upgrades he made to Qrow and Revan's weapons. Djarin had declined the opportunity for an upgrade, but Pietro wanted to know if Cinder would like one either to her weapons or her armor.

Normally, Cinder wouldn't like anyone touching her armor or weapons, but she liked the idea. She hadn't used Midnight, her twin swords, in a while, and a look at her armor wouldn't hurt either. And given that Pietro said the upgrades could probably be done sooner than the test results would come back, Cinder decided to accept the offer.

And so, Cinder took her upgrades to a place she knew she could practice throughly with: in the training room with Winter.

"There you are," said Winter, who noticed her friend's presence. "Only seven minutes late."

Cinder chuckled as she rolled her eyes. "There's late and there's fashionably late, Winter," she jokingly replied. She then put down a bag she had been carrying, which stored her Mandalorian armor.

Given her recent encounter with other students, Cinder didn't believe it would be wise to walk around in her armor.

"How about I show you why I'm fashionably late?" Cinder offered.

Winter took out her sword and patiently waited for Cinder to prepare. "Show me what you can do," she challenged.

In just two minutes, Cinder was wearing her Mandalorian armor. On the surface, it didn't appear like much had changed. It was still the same color scheme and each of the armor pieces looked just like they did in Vale. Even Midnight, her two swords, didn't look much different.

But Cinder was ready to show that there was more to her armor than meets the eye.

"Here we go," Cinder said as she took her swords in hand. The Darksaber was on her hilt, but she decided to not use it just yet.

Winter lunged forward and began to thrust her sword at Cinder's helmet. Cinder dodged the first lunge, but she defended herself with Midnight on the other strikes. She then returned thrusts of her own, but Winter was able to dodge them.

In fact, she found the strikes to be somewhat predictable.

"That armor suits you," Winter said as she clashed her sword against Cinder's. "But it slows you down."

"Maybe," said Cinder. "But I've got a few surprises to help me catch up."

"So do I."

Winter ejected her smaller sword from her larger sword and sent it towards her opponent's chest. Cinder was too late to block the strike with her other sword, but she managed to catch both of them when Winter made another attack. Then, she took the chance to show Winter one of her "surprises."

The Fall Maiden tightened the hilts of Midnight and activated her Semblance. Normally, her Semblance would simply warm anything Cinder touched, but something different was happening with Midnight.

The heat that formed at Cinder's hands began to travel up the hilts and at the edges of Midnight's blades. They became hotter and hotter, and Winter could feel that heat. She formed a Glyph at her feet to help her move back, but then she returned swiftly to strike at Cinder's swords.

*CLASH*

A multitude of sparks, more than there usual, came into existence and blinded Winter. Cinder was partially blinded as well, which proved that her trap worked a little too well.

She would have to control how much heat she created in the upgraded version of Midnight.

But since her helmet protected her face, Cinder was able to knock Winter back with a couple of strikes. Winter was able to recover quickly, which led her to making an assumption.

"Impressive," she said. "I thought I noticed a difference with those swords. Dr. Polendina, I assume?"

"You guessed it," Cinder replied with a spin of her blades. "I thought I should see what he could do. What about you?"

Winter looked at her sword, right after she put the smaller one back in its place. "Changes to the wielder rather than the tool are also an option. Let me show you." Winter stabbed her sword into the ground, which led to two Beowolves being summoned.

"Ooh, Summoning!" Cinder said. "I was wondering when you were gonna play that card!" After she ran towards the Grimm, Cinder jumped over them and turned around in the air. Before she touched the ground, Cinder formed a fist and moved it towards the creatures.

*WHIR*

Two circular blades shot out of Cinder's gauntlet and struck both Grimm in their backs. They soon turned to dust, which allowed Cinder to take her blades back.

"Beat that!" Cinder challenged as she turned back to Winter.

"As you wish," Winter replied calmly before she struck her sword into the ground again. Instead of more Beowolves, however, a large group of small Nevermores emerged from the Glyph and flew directly at Cinder.

The Mandalorian was able to protect herself with another upgrade Pietro had done. When her father first gifted Cinder her armor, there was a small shield of Hard-Light Dust in one gauntlet that she could use to protect herself.

But now, Pietro managed to increase the size of that shield. Rather than a shield on the hand, Cinder could create a "bubble" of Hard-Light Dust around herself to protect against a large or numerous foe. In this case, the bubble shield protected Cinder from the Nevermores that were starting to disappear.

When Winter saw this, she took an opportunity to sneak behind Cinder and attack her from behind.

*SCRATCH*

"Ah!" Cinder yelped as she felt the sword hit her back. Her armor protected her, but the strike came as a surprise. She was now at a distance between Winter, and decided to give credit where it was due. "An ambush. Bravo."

"I told you," said Winter. "It's good to focus on the wielder just as much as the weapon."

"Alright, then." Cinder swung her arms a couple of times. "Let's break the tie."

The training room echoed with the sounds of metal clashing against metal and Semblances being used. Cinder decided not to use her Maiden powers, just in case. So she was able to practice with her Semblance and Midnight, two things she hadn't done since she fell into her coma.

And Winter was able to show Cinder what she had learned at the academy. When she returned, Ironwood helped clear Winter's name of the attack she inflicted upon Cinder when she was possessed by the Chill. And after her surgery to replace her eye, Winter took the chance to continue her studies in the hopes of defending her Kingdom.

And those studies served the young Atlesian well.

After about five more minutes of sparring, the girls decided to end their match. They were both content with how they fought, as well as what they had learned. Winter was the first to make an analysis. "Your technique still has those maddening sloppy touches," she began.

Cinder simply shrugged off the idea. "I guess it's just the Mandalorian in me," she said. "Your technique is pretty rigid. It's easy to tell how it's organized."

Winter also shrugged off the idea. "Perhaps it's the Atlesian in me." She formed a smile. "And yet, you've learned how to make your touches work for you. You've made them your own."

Cinder smiled in return. "Right back at you. You're holding your own much better since the Vytal Festival. You're not easy to break."

"Hm. You make that sound like a compliment."

"You gave me one first."

"I never intended it that way."

"We all make mistakes, I guess."

Winter laughed as she watched Cinder remove her armor. "You've grown up a bit, haven't you?" she asked. "You were always more mature than most children, but you're not always sticking around with your father anymore. You're becoming a little more independent."

Cinder moved down to remove the armor at her legs, but that didn't stop her from talking to Winter. "Since Beacon, I haven't really had a choice," she replied. "My coma left me all on my own, to rebuild myself from the ground up. I mean, I had the help of the Maidens, but still."

Winter had been told about how Cinder met the Maidens, as well as the nature of her coma. She could definitely sympathize with her friend, but she had other feelings as well.

"Whatever the case, I am glad to see you've fully recovered," she said before she pointed to Cinder's waist. "And I'm proud to see you take such a large step in your life."

Cinder had completely removed her armor now, and she could see that Winter was pointing at the Darksaber. "Oh, you mean this?" she asked as she gently touched the sword. "Thanks, but... I don't think I'm as great as you think."

"How so?"

"I gave this speech in Mistral, how I wanted to make sure the Mandalorians would be fighting the good fight from now on. But now... it just feels like talk. I kind of got that vibe from an Atlesian at Argus."

"An Atlesian? Who?"

"Caroline Cordovin. She's the commander of-"

"Oh, her." Winter immediately understood. "I've heard of Special Operative Cordovin. She's very loyal to the Kingdom, but also... overzealous." Winter moved closer so she could lend a friendly ear. "Did she say something to upset you?"

"Yeah," Cinder replied. "Mostly that I didn't really keep my promise to have Mandalorians like me and Dad wear that symbol Obi-Wan presented to Mistral. I said I would make them wear it so they could be warriors of peace, but I'm not even wearing it." Cinder sighed. "My 'rule' right now just feels like talk. Not action."

Winter understood where Cinder was coming from. There were plenty of people she knew, her father included, that always said one thing but meant the opposite. However, Winter knew that Cinder wasn't one of those people.

Now, she had to make her friend see it.

"Cinder, progress takes time," Winter began. "And patience. I was completely useless until General Ironwood took me under his wing. Now, look at me." Cinder looked to see Winter slightly extending her arms. "It's like you said; I can hold my own better after the month I've spent training here. Change takes more time than one day after making a speech. Do you understand?"

"...Yeah," Cinder replied slowly. "Yeah, I think so."

Winter put a hand on Cinder's shoulder. "Remember what you said to me on our first days of school? If people like Cordovin don't like us at our best..."

Cinder immediately remembered. "They don't deserve us at our best."

"Exactly." Winter meant what she said, but she immediately made a request. "Just don't tell anyone I criticized a superior officer, okay?"

Cinder smirked. "Don't tell anyone what?" she asked sarcastically.

The duo shared a laugh before they finally took their leave from the training area. Cinder began to feel a little better about herself; Winter always had a way to use practical thinking to support anyone around her. Cinder always looked on the positive side of things, and now Winter had taught that back at her.

And for that, Cinder was truly grateful.

As they walked down the hall, Winter made one final note to Cinder. "I know it must be hard, having a responsibility as Mand'alor thrust upon you," she said. "But nobody has to rule alone. And if you asked, I'm sure General Ironwood would have a place for you."

Cinder smiled, but she didn't really like the idea. "I appreciate that," she said. "But I don't think I could accept."

"Really?"

"My place is still with the Mandalorians. When all of this is over, I have to find them. Let them know what kind of change is coming."

"Ah, of course."

Cinder meant what she said concerning the Mandalorian's, but she had something else on her mind. "But also... I'm not really sure Atlas, or any Kingdom, is supposed to be-"

*BUZZ*

Winter looked at her Scroll to see a message from General Ironwood. "Oh, good news," she said. "The mission at the mine was a success."

"Really?" Cinder asked, forgetting her reluctant thoughts. "They killed the Geist?"

"Yes. And the preparations for Amity are being made as we speak." Winter put away her Scroll. "General Ironwood says we can join him at the mine."

"Great! Let me just put my stuff away."

Cinder and Winter made their way to the dorm rooms that General Ironwood provided everyone. She didn't have anywhere to display her armor like she did at Beacon, so Cinder simply placed the bag by her bed. She decided to keep Midnight and the Darksaber with her, just in case there was still Grimm at the mine.

Along with her weapons, Cinder realized that she could probably bring people with her as well.

"Oh, I should probably ask Ozpin and Obi-Wan to come with us," Cinder told Winter. "They'll probably want to know about the mission."

"Professor Ozpin is going to accompany General Ironwood," Winter replied. "But feel free to invite Headmaster-" Winter suddenly remembered something else. "I mean, Professor Kenobi. I'm sorry, is he a professor now?"

Cinder shook her head. "I don't think so. He doesn't work at Haven anymore. I think you should call him 'Master Kenobi.'"

"Why's that?"

Cinder suddenly remembered that Winter didn't know anything about the Jedi or Sith. "Oh, uh... Forget it." Cinder began to take her first steps, but then remembered something else. "Wait, which way is the detention level?"

"Five floors down," Winter replied. "I'll find an airship for us."

After Cinder found the nearest elevator, she followed Winter's instructions and moved down five floors. As soon as the doors opened, Cinder immediately saw that she was in the right place. There were multiple cells with Hard-Light shields acting as walls and doors that opened from the outside. Some were occupied, but most were empty.

Cinder didn't make eye contact with any of the prisoners on her search for Obi-Wan, even though some of the prisoners were taunting her to do so. However, the Fall Maiden couldn't help but look at the prisoners who were silent. Instead of looking out the doors, they were either laying on the beds or sitting while burying their faces in their hands.

The ones who were doing this appeared to be wearing civilian clothing, which greatly disturbed Cinder.

"So that's it? That's why he called you 'Master?'"

"I'm afraid so. He was a former pupil of mine, before he turned to evil. The details behind are..."

"Right. 'Complicated.'"

When Cinder heard familiar voices, she followed them to find Obi-Wan standing on the other side of a particular cell. Inside that cell was an armor-less Bo-Katan Kryze, who was having a private conversation with the former Headmaster. The cell she was taken to was isolated, for the most part. So when Obi-Wan went to see her, in order to prove that their agreement was still active, Bo-Katan demanded answers about Anakin.

Obi-Wan was always reluctant to talk about Anakin, especially to someone who wasn't a Jedi or who worked with Ozpin. But when Bo-Katan said that it would help the woman they both loved, Obi-Wan's guilt prevented him from keeping his past a secret anymore.

And so, Obi-Wan told Bo-Katan how he trained Anakin, and how he turned to the dark side.

How he turned to Salem.

Bo-Katan was left greatly disturbed by the story. Not because she wasn't used to violence, but because she had inadvertently followed in Anakin's footsteps. She now understood that anyone who helped Salem would help bring about the end of the world, which was the last thing the Mandalorian wanted.

"So... we're not the only ones," she said. "My people aren't the only ones Salem lied to."

"...No," Obi-Wan replied calmly. "And I doubt the Mandalorians will be the last."

"What about Anakin? Did you know about him?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "I can't deny that the signs were present. But I thought I could help him. Guide him back on the right path." He then shook his head. "I was wrong."

"And this is the same one that destroyed your home? Killed all your friends?"

"...Yes."

Bo-Katan was grateful for the information Obi-Wan had given her, since she wished to understand her enemy. She understood he was a former Jedi, someone who kept the peace before he turned to Salem. She was angry, however, that the signs of his change had mostly gone unnoticed by the people around him.

"You should have killed him when you had the chance," Bo-Katan firmly said.

"It's not that simple, Bo-Katan," Obi-Wan replied.

"Seems simple enough to me." Bo-Katan moved closer and gently touched the Hard-Light Dust for a moment. "And if it means that Salem will have one less ally, I'm going to kill him when I have the chance."

Obi-Wan could sense the anger, and his next step was to try and reason with Bo-Katan. "I understand, but it wouldn't be easy for-"

"Just answer me something." Bo-Katan moved away from the door and gestured towards the walls of her cell. "I'm not stupid, I know I'm not gonna be out of here on a whim. So if it's you that finds him first... can I trust you to finish what you started? Like I trusted you on the way here?"

"..."

This was a difficult, but good, question to ask. Bo-Katan trusted Obi-Wan to keep his word all the way to Atlas, just like she trusted him to do it while she was in a cell. So it would make sense that she would wonder how far that trust could go.

Especially now that Bo-Katan was locked away.

Obi-Wan had asked himself a similar question in the past. He wondered if he could finish what he started with Anakin that night on Coruscant, despite the fact that he said he would do what he had to do.

There was no denying that Satine's death was tempting him to carry out the deed of finishing Anakin. But Obi-Wan knew he couldn't fall to the dark side; not while there was so much at risk.

But this question would have an answer another time, since Obi-Wan was able to sense a familiar presence. When he turned to face the presence, the Jedi was greeted by the sight of the Fall Maiden.

"Ah, Cinder!" Obi-Wan addressed his ally. Bo-Katan also looked at Cinder, but said nothing at first.

"I'm sorry," Cinder said as she walked closer. "Was I interrupting?"

"Yes," said Bo-Katan. Obi-Wan turned to look at her, but she resumed her silence; she understood that the conversation would have to wait.

"No, I think we're done for now," Obi-Wan insisted. He then reached to his waist, where the Relic of Knowledge was resting. "Did you wish to hold the Relic again?"

"Oh, no, I just wanted to tell you that the mission at the mine is done," Cinder replied honestly. "We're going to see Dad and everyone else down there. I was coming to invite you too."

"Oh, of course." Obi-Wan looked to Bo-Katan first. "We'll talk later." The Mandalorian simply nodded, which allowed Obi-Wan to join Cinder.

"Any trouble down here?" Cinder asked calmly.

"Not from Bo-Katan, no. Hazel, however-"

*BAM*

"Gah!" Cinder yelled when she saw something hit the cell she was standing next to. Inside, she could see Hazel Rainart giving Cinder a deadly glare while curling his fists.

"Became hostile as soon as he woke up," Obi-Wan finished.

Hazel growled at the Jedi and Maiden. "You're going to regret this!" he promised. "When she comes, you're all going to die!"

Obi-Wan sighed once more. "Unfortunately, he seems loyal to Salem. I don't think the events of Haven will change that."

Cinder looked at Obi-Wan in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Jinn told the truth to everyone there!"

"Yes, but Hazel must have left before you arrived. Convincing him will be... difficult."

"Difficult?" Hazel asked as he backed away from the door. "Try impossible."

Cinder was disappointed by this revelation, since she had done such a good job showing the Mandalorians the truth. She hoped Hazel would understand it as well and try to help them, but that seemed impossible now.

However, it was true that Hazel had served his purpose. He was to be detained in Atlas, where he couldn't hurt anyone anymore. So it seemed that part of the plan had worked. So Cinder didn't have much to worry about Hazel at the moment.

Now she just had to focus on her father.

"Alright," she said as she began to walk away. "Winter should be getting us a ship."

"Lead the way," Obi-Wan politely replied.

With the mine and tundra now clear of the Geist and other Grimm, the preparations for Amity finally began. Multiple military trucks and airships came to the mine with enough supplies for construction, mining, and security for the project to begin.

And when Amity Colosseum finally arrived and rested over the tundra, everyone was ready to start.

Djarin, Qrow, Revan, and SCAR Squadron all exited the mine proudly and looked upon the supplies in content. They knew that there would be much work ahead of them in the foreseeable future, but they made the project a possibility with the cleanse of the mine.

And they did it together.

"Good work, team," said Clover, who took off his helmet once again. The rest of his squad either nodded or patted themselves on the back in content before Clover looked to Djarin. "Good work on your part too. You brought us a really good thing, Mando. Mind if I call you Mando?"

"Everyone does," Djarin replied with a simple shrug. "Ask Qrow."

"Yeah, it's true," Qrow replied with a about laugh. "Oh, yeah, nice job back there. You all make quite the team, huh?"

"Well, Task Force 99 was hand-picked to perfectly compliment one another. So we can focus on our assets and leave our liabilities behind."

"Yeah," said Zuke. "I mean, look at Shrap here." The heavy soldier slapped Shrap's back. "Poor guy didn't even get a chance to use his Semblance."

Shrap rolled his eyes while some of his team members snickered. "If you wanna blow up sometime, Zuke, I'll be there," he ordered. "Hell, you don't even have to ask. I'll just do it."

As the team laughed, Revan moved forward to talk to Clover. "His Semblance?" he asked for clarification.

"Let's just say Shrap can make a big bang," the leader replied.

Djarin stepped in as he focused more on what Clover said prior to Zuke and Shrap's banter. "Perfect complementary teamwork," he began. "My daughter and I are kind of like that."

"It's too bad she couldn't join us today," Clover said as he nodded. "Would've loved to see what else she could do." With that, Clover began to walk towards an airship that was landing.

"Oh, yeah," said Cav. "Forgot about that."

"I see a lot of training in our future," said Mic.

"Yeah," said Zuke. "I can feel it in my gut."

With that, everyone began to walk away with Clover. Djarin knew that they were referring to how Cinder used her Maiden powers to beat the entire team, which was apparently something they weren't proud of. But Djarin was glad to see that bygones were bygones, that nobody was holding anything against him or Cinder for beating Atlas' best.

He felt even more glad when Aero patted his shoulder.

"She's definitely someone to learn from," he complimented. "Maybe it'll help teach my daughter a few things." Djarin nodded right before Aero joined his team.

"Make a new friend, Mando?" Qrow asked when he, Djarin, and Revan were alone.

"I could ask you the same," said Djarin. "You seemed to get along with their leader."

"I sensed that too," said Revan. "You've adapted to working with Atlas rather fast, Qrow."

"You know something?" Qrow asked after he took a moment to think about what Djarin and Revan said. "I actually did." He then chuckled as he began to walk away. "Guess coming here has perks, huh?"

"Seems that way," said Djarin. Between new allies and a new plan to combat Salem, coming to Atlas did have its perks for the Mandalorian and his friends.

However, it also had its downsides.

"Can we speak to everyone over here?"

Djarin, Revan, and Qrow turned to see that General Ironwood had arrived at the scene. Clover was with him, talking about new orders he needed to carry out. Ozpin was with him, who looked upon everyone seriously.

The request to talk to everyone came from Ironwood, so Djarin and his friends started to comply with the request. While doing so, they saw Ironwood talk to Clover.

"I need you on the ground, but be subtle," he said. "If people see too many Huntsmen milling around, they'll get nervous."

Clover saluted and nodded at General Ironwood before he prepared to leave.

"And Clover?"

The man turned around to see Ironwood give him one more order. "You'd better take Misty," the General suggested.

Clover turned around to see that Misty was diligently cleaning his rifle. Clover knew that taking Misty would be good for his mission, since the soldier's Semblance could allow him to blend in with any surroundings in addition to making him soar in the air.

And so, Clover smiled at Ironwood and began to carry out his new orders. Orders that were about to be shared with Djarin, Qrow, and Revan.

"Good to see you, Oz," Qrow said as he reunited with the Headmaster of Beacon. "But let me guess; new problems?" He had known Ozpin long enough to know what all of his facial expressions meant.

But now, Qrow was only half right.

"Actually, James has been sharing some problems he's been facing before we arrived," Ozpin calmly replied. "And it's only gotten worse."

"Indeed," said Ironwood, who took out his Scroll to show everyone two pictures. On the left side of the projected screen, there was a mugshot of a man with brown hair tried at the back.

But on the right side of the screen was a dead body. And the body had the same kind of hair as the man in the mugshot.

"Someone in Mantle is taking out public leaders who speak out against Atlas," Ironwood explained. "Specifically, people who speak out against me. It didn't look like a pattern at first. But this is the third murder of its kind in the last week."

Revan took a closer look at the man's face. "I know him," he said after a few seconds of studying the picture. "He was on the airship we nearly got sent on." Revan turned back to Qrow. "When SCAR Squadron came for us."

Qrow looked back at the image and searched his memories of the incident. He remembered being detained and put onto a ship, and he indeed remembered someone else outside his group of allies being on that ship.

That man was definitely the same one in the picture.

"Wait, that's right," Qrow finally said. "That's him."

"We know," said Ozpin. "I too recognized him when the report came to James. After I told him, we came to meet you here and plan appropriately."

"Your opposition in Mantle dropping dead isn't exactly a good look for you, is it?" Djarin asked confidently.

Ironwood turned off the projected screen and put away his Scroll. "Not really worried about my public image, but it is causing unrest," he said. "I think someone's trying to frame me and, by extension, Atlas. And it's working."

"Obi-Wan and I told you that we sensed much unrest in Mantle," Revan reminded the General. "Many people wish to see things change. Specifically, you."

"..."

If Ironwood didn't know any better, he would say that Revan was challenging him. Everyone else thought the same thing, and Revan didn't seem to back down from his stance. He was correct that many people were unhappy with the way things were going in Mantle; in turn, this left them with too many suspects and factors to consider.

But challenging Ironwood wasn't how Ozpin wanted to go about things.

"Now, Revan," the Headmaster began. "I sensed the same things you did, but there's no need to-"

"No, you're right," Ironwood said. He couldn't help but pinch his nose out of exhaustion and slight annoyance, since this wasn't the first time he heard about problems in the city below Atlas. "Things in Mantle have been... hard to manage lately. I'm not blind to its issues. In fact, that's what I want to talk to you about."

"..."

Ironwood proudly looked up to the sky, where Amity Colosseum was floating and ready for its new upgrade to come. Ironwood was very happy to see that the plan was moving forward, and he expected good things to follow.

Some of them, he hoped, would come in the form of Djarin and his allies.

"With the launch of this mobile communications tower and tensions down in Mantle, I think there's a lot of good you can do here," Ironwood declared. "All of you."

It was a short declaration, but everyone believed that it would have a tremendous impact. Ironwood believed that having three Headmasters, skilled Huntsmen from abroad, and two Mandalorians would definitely make things better and safer for Atlas. The Kingdom would be prepared for just about anything, before and after the fight was over.

The impact Djarin was thinking, however, wasn't as great as Ironwood was thinking. He had no intention of abandoning Atlas, but he didn't have any intention of abandoning Remnant either. He knew Vale and Mistral would need help getting back on their feet, and he believed he could help with that.

And also, Djarin knew that the Mandalorians needed Cinder. A true Mand'alor was needed to guide them on the right path, a path where war and conquest would be a thing of the past. And Cinder couldn't do that while staying in Atlas. She had to reunite the clans, and maybe even combine forces with Atlas itself.

Unfortunately, Ironwood would have a hard time agreeing to this. He saw that enforcing more and more security for the Kingdom was the best course of action. No one in, and no one out.

But not everyone saw it that way.

*BEEP*

A soft beep in his ear made Ironwood gently press against a communication device he had in his ear. His security team had just reported in with news of an arrival.

"What?" Ironwood asked. "Already? Here? No, it's fine. Let her land. I'll deal with her myself." Ironwood lowered his hand as he braced himself for what came next.

"More Mantle problems?" Qrow assumed.

Ironwood denied the idea as he turned to the sky. "No. This one's an Atlas problem."

Everyone looked up into the sky to see an airship flying towards a landing pad. It wasn't a military ship, it didn't have any weapons or soldiers onboard. Instead, it was an private civilian airship, one that was transporting an irate passenger.

Ironwood was the first to arrive at the landing pad, his allies were close behind him. The first thing he saw on the airship was a large snowflake, the symbol of the Schnee Dust Company. The symbol disappeared as a door opened and a ramp descended, which revealed Willow Schnee herself.

And she was mad.

"So let me get this straight, James," she began as she descended down the ramp. "In addition to this embargo of yours crippling the Kingdom's economy, you've also decided you have the authority to commandeer private property?!"

"..."

Ironwood didn't say a word, and neither did anyone behind him. Though when he laid eyes on Willow, Djarin moved closer to the landing pad to join Ironwood.

Willow had stopped in front of Ironwood, who was remaining completely calm despite the fact that Willow was giving the man a piece of her mind.

"When the Council hears about this, you will never-"

"Actually, I've already informed them," Ironwood said to shut Willow down. "As this is now the site of a classified military operation, it didn't even require a vote."

"Didn't require a vote?!" Willow asked in astonishment.

Ironwood knew he had won the argument, but he went a step further. "I thought your friend would have reminded you of Council law, Willow. He might want to brush up on it, if he hopes to win this election."

Willow was aware of her defeat, and also aware of who Ironwood was referring to. And she was more than willing to defend herself. "Oh, he knows more than you do," Willow assured the General. "He also knows that actions have consequences, which is something you've lately been avoiding. I'm warning you, the next time you steal from me, you'll be lucky if-!"

"Willow!"

The sound of a familiar voice was enough to make Willow forget about being angry. When she looked behind Ironwood, the businesswoman couldn't help but feel surprised when she saw Djarin walking up to the landing pad to meet her.

"What the-?" Willow asked as she walked away from Ironwood. "Djarin? You're back?" She would have been happy to see her friend after their last encounter, but she was confused by his presence. "Wh... What are you doing here?"

Djarin pointed back towards the mine. "I... I was helping with the Geist in there," he said. "We all were."

"We?"

Djarin was joined by Ozpin and everyone else, including the remaining members of SCAR Squadron. "Ms. Schnee," Ozpin said politely. "Good afternoon, ma'am."

"..."

Willow was very surprised to see that Huntsmen from Vale were in Atlas. And she was more surprised to see that Djarin, her friend and accomplice in Dust smuggling, was among them.

And to hear that he was working with Ironwood was the biggest surprise of them all.

"You..." Willow said as she turned around. "You roped my friends into these schemes of yours too?! How long have they been working for you?! Were they involved in that 'evacuation' of yours?!"

Ironwood didn't dignify Willow's accusations with a response, since they were becoming nonsensical to him. But for Djarin, he was growing more concerned by the second.

"Whoa, wait a minute," Djarin calmly said as he walked forward. "Willow, what's going on here?"

"You tell me, Djarin!" Willow snapped. "I thought we were friends! How could you help James steal one of my most important Dust mines?!"

The Mandalorian was slightly hurt by the accusation, but he was more confused than ever. "Steal? I don't know what you're... No, the mine was abandoned when we got here."

"..."

"Right?"

Under normal circumstances, Willow would see that Djarin's innocence was without question. That he was just as surprised as she was. However, the month being trapped in Atlas under Ironwood's thumb had been stressful and frustrating for the businesswoman, especially since her company was trying to weather hard times.

So all Willow could feel and convey was anger.

"Well, it's abandoned now!" Willow insisted before she turned around again. "You had no right to kick my mining team out like that! You said it was just for clearing out the Grimm, not a hostile takeover!"

"Neither of us wanted to come to that, Willow," said Ironwood. "But we need all the Dust we can get for this operation. I'm sorry."

Djarin felt a tap on his shoulder, which made him look to see Revan by his side. "The mining equipment," he reminded the Mandalorian. Both warriors remembered what they found in the mine, as well as how the owners of the equipment were escorted out very thoroughly.

The mine hadn't been abandoned. It was taken.

"Now. I've allowed you to land here once as a courtesy," said Ironwood. "The next time, it won't be a friendly reception."

Willow sighed as she began to take her leave. "You'll regret this," she warned the General before she turned back to Djarin. "You all will."

Djarin was once again hurt by the misunderstanding, and he wished to rectify it immediately. He tried to call out to Willow and ask her to wait, but Ironwood put a hand in front of the Mandalorian to make him stay.

Djarin could see there was nothing he could do regarding Willow. But there was much he could do with Ironwood.

"What the hell was that?" the Mandalorian asked Ironwood. "You told us everyone abandoned the mine!"

Ironwood shook his head. "I said the mine is abandoned," he corrected. "In order to get the Dust we needed for Amity, I had to take control over the biggest mine I could find effective immediately."

Djarin couldn't believe what he was hearing. "And you're choosing now to tell us?!"

"That wasn't within your control, Djarin. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

"..."

As soon as Willow's airship left, another military truck came towards the spot it once rested on. The truck was carrying Winter, Obi-Wan, and Cinder, who had just jumped out of the car to see her father.

"Hi, Dad!" the Maiden said as soon as she saw Djarin. "I heard the mission was done!" She looked upon the site with satisfaction, but turned to her father with pride. "Looks like it was a success, huh?"

Despite the fact that Ironwood was close by, Djarin told Cinder how he was currently feeling. "It could have gone a little better," he said while turning an eye to the sky.

Cinder immediately stopped smiling. "Why, what happened?" She then noticed that both Djarin and Winter were looking up towards the sky, at the airship that had just left.

She also noticed that Winter was looking at the ship with a scowl.

"You okay, Winter?" Cinder asked calmly.

Winter stopped giving away her emotions. "Yes, I'm fine," she replied calmly.

"We all are," said General Ironwood, who stepped forwards. "With Amity here, we can finally begin the work to install our satellite array." Ironwood looked up at the sky. "Without interruption, I'm sure." He then turned to the group of non-Atlesians. "I hope you're all up to the task."

Djarin and his allies were all taken aback by what they had seen and heard. Djarin was mostly feeling guilty that Willow thought he had betrayed her trust, while Qrow was starting to feel angry by the revelation.

"Hey, wait a sec, James," Qrow insisted. "What was that all-?"

"We will, James."

Everyone turned to Ozpin in surprise, who seemed to be the only one keeping a straight face through the occasion. They were all upset by what they had seen, and they were expecting the Headmaster of Beacon to once again voice his displeasure with Ironwood's mannerisms.

But now he seemed oddly compliant.

"Oz?" Qrow asked in disbelief.

"Good," said Ironwood, whose voice captured the attention of everyone. "Then let's get started." He then looked to Winter. "Schnee, I believe Dr. Polendina had an update for me."

"Yes, sir," Winter replied as she took out her Scroll. "It's all right here for you."

Cinder watched the Atlesians walk away and discuss the future plans for Amity, which were highly essential. She then watched all of her allies take their leave as well, who were following Ironwood. Many of them had mixed feelings about the brief conflict of interest, but they moved forward nonetheless.

Which seemed so unlike Ozpin.

"Dad?" Cinder asked as she moved to Djarin. "What's going on? Did I miss something back there?"

Djarin took one look at the sky before he looked to Ironwood's back. "...I think we all did," he replied.

With the mission at an end and the launch site for Amity secured, there wasn't much left for the Huntsmen and Huntresses to do. General Ironwood had set up a perimeter around the site and the mine, so now the only work that had to be done was the construction of the new communications tower.

SCAR Squadron, save for Clover and Misty, were all dismissed for the rest of the evening, as were Djarin and his allies. This was rather fortunate for them, since they weren't exactly ready for more work concerning Amity.

When they returned to their room, Djarin told Cinder about his encounter with Willow Schnee. And just like Djarin was, Cinder was surprised to hear about the truth behind the "abandoned" mine. She was even more surprised to hear that it wasn't illegal, that it was more akin to bending the rules.

But that didn't make it right.

Given what Willow had done for her, Cinder had been hoping to thank her upon meeting. But now, she believed an apology was warranted, so the misunderstanding could be cleared up.

Djarin had no objections about Cinder going to the Schnee mansion, but he didn't think his presence would do any good at the moment. Willow sounded like she needed space, but a visit from Cinder was bound to have some affect.

Before she left, Cinder was about to talk to Ozpin and see what his thoughts were on the situation. This plan, however, was stopped by Qrow. He told Cinder that Ozpin had been acting "kind of weird" ever since he arrived at the mine. The only person who would have a clue as to why would be Ironwood, since they spent most of the day together.

Qrow even mentioned that if he didn't know any better, he would say that Ozpin seemed nervous.

And so, Cinder decided to give Ozpin some space and travel to the Schnee manor alone. Instead of an airship, Cinder decided to call a taxi. Though the driver was a little surprised with Cinder's destination, he acquiesced to her request and drove her through the city of Atlas.

Cinder couldn't help but stare out the window and see the city at night. There were so many lights, so many exquisite buildings, and so many people that made the advanced city feel so alive. Cinder had thoughts like these, before she woke up to reality, when she was brought to the Glass Unicorn so many years ago.

Cinder never learned what happened to that hotel after she left, since she never went back to find out. It was a different part of her life, one that she definitely wasn't proud of. She once believed that hotel opened her eyes to the reality that was Atlas, that all of its glitters weren't gold.

However, her friendship with Winter changed this idea for the better.

Cinder remembered the first time she had been to the Schnee manor, so many years ago. After she and her father settled in at Beacon, Djarin received an unexpected call from Willow Schnee herself. When she had learned about Satine's party, and how Djarin saved Winter's life, Willow asked the Councilwoman for the Mandalorian's contact information so she could thank him.

The call Djarin received was also an invitation for him and Cinder to come and meet her personally. Willow was also familiar with how her eldest daughter made friends with Cinder, since that was the only thing Winter would talk about upon her return home.

Winter was somewhat traumatized from the events of the party, as well as her father's role in them. She was mostly withdrawn, spending a lot of time in her room and away from her family. So it was easy for Willow to believe that a visit from a friend would make Winter feel better.

And she was right.

As soon as Winter laid eyes on Cinder, she smiled for the first time in weeks. Cinder was also happy to see Winter, to see that their friendship had never been broken. And so, the children spent the day playing throughout the house while Djarin and Willow got to know each other over tea. Though she was somewhat caught off guard with the Mandalorian's mannerisms, like only partly taking off his helmet to drink, Willow was still grateful for what he had done. And she was glad to see that Winter and Cinder were the best of friends.

That visit made a lot of people happy. And now, Cinder hoped that her visit could do the same thing.

When Cinder rang the doorbell, she was greeted by Klein Sieben. Klein had been the butler of the house for years, and he was always around when Cinder would come to visit. He too had heard of Cinder's condition, so he was delighted to see that she was alive and well.

He was also happy to escort Cinder to Willow's study, where she was drinking a glass of wine while looking over certain documents.

"Pardon me, ma'am," the butler said after he opened the door. "It seems you have company."

Willow stood up from the table and put down the papers. "Oh, good," she said. "Did you show him in?"

Klein suddenly remembered that Willow was expecting company, but not in the form of Cinder. So, he had to correct his mistake. "Um, I'm afraid our expected guest isn't here just yet. Our present company is actually a visitor."

Willow immediately frowned with a sigh. "Klein, you know I'm too busy for visitors. Why did you let them in?"

Klein simply smiled. "I think you'll like to hear what she has to say, ma'am." With that, he opened the door and allowed Cinder to reveal her presence.

"...Hello," she meekly said with a small smile and wave.

"..."

*CRASH*

The sight of Cinder, an alive and well Cinder, was enough to make Willow freeze in shock. She couldn't help but let go of her glass, since her mind came to a halt as well. But when she processed what she was seeing, surprise turned to joy for the tired businesswoman. Cinder's presence wasn't just a relief, but a godsend for Willow.

"Cinder..." she whispered as she moved away from the desk. "Oh... Oh, my goodness!" Willow immediately moved towards the door and gave Cinder a hug, one that the Fall Maiden reciprocated.

She too was happy to see Willow.

"I can't believe it!" Willow said as she got a good look at Cinder. "You're alive! I heard all about the coma, and I saw your father today, I-!" Willow began to calm down when she remembered the events from earlier. "Wait, what are you doing here? How did you get here?"

Cinder immediately recalled the purpose she had in coming to the Schnee manor. She knew she couldn't tell everything about Salem or her purpose in Atlas, but she could talk about the mine.

"Coming here... is kind of a long story," she began. "But I came to apologize. About the mine. Dad told me what happened."

Winter took a moment to think about what was happening. She remembered being so angry with Djarin and everyone else, so angry that she hardly gave him a chance to speak. But Willow was calm now, and she knew that Cinder wouldn't lie about coming to apologize.

Unless...

"Wait, did James send you here?" Willow asked. "Did he put you up to this?"

"No, nothing like that!" Cinder quickly insisted. "The only thing General Ironwood did was tell us that the mine had been abandoned. That's why my dad was there."

"..."

Willow began to relax once more. Given her recent experiences with Ironwood, it became clear that saying such a thing, which was technically true, was characteristic of him.

She had placed false blame on Djarin.

"Oh, dear," Willow said as she lamented on her mistake. She then recognized the opportunity before her, so she placed a hand on Cinder's shoulder while she gestured towards the study. "Please, come in."

Cinder happily obeyed and had a seat. Klein would normally offer to bring some water or tea, but he saw a pressing matter at hand.

"Shall I tidy up, ma'am?" he asked politely.

"Excuse me?" Willow asked out of confusion. However, she understood what Klein meant when he pointed to the glass that she had accidentally dropped. "Oh! Um, yes, please. Thank you, Klein."

"My pleasure. Let me go get a broom."

As soon as Klein left to get what he needed, Willow looked back to Cinder. Right now, there were a few things on her mind regarding the situation. The first of which, was to clear up the misunderstanding.

"Cinder, please tell your father I said I was sorry," Willow implored. "Gods, I must have looked like a complete lunatic down there."

"Uh, he didn't say anything like that," Cinder insisted. "Just that you were mad about the mine. He felt really bad, we all did."

Willow nodded in understanding. "Where is he?"

"At the academy. He wanted to come, but he thought you could use some space." Cinder began to feel awkward about sharing her situation with Ironwood, fearing that it would make her apology insincere. "We're, uh... kind of staying there."

Willow was indeed surprised to hear that, but she wasn't doubting the sincerity of Cinder's feelings. However, she did feel that an explanation was warranted.

"Why?" Willow asked. "Cinder, what are you doing with the General? I mean, what are you doing in Atlas?"

"Well, we came here last night to share some news," Cinder explained. "To General Ironwood."

"What news?"

"The war is over. The Mandalorians surrendered at Haven."

Willow gasped. "They did? Wait, you mean the ones that started the war?"

"That's right. We won."

Willow put a hand to her chest as she gasped once more. "My word... That's the best news I've heard in weeks." Willow suddenly had an idea. "Cinder, do you have proof of this?"

"Uh, yeah." Cinder took out her Scroll. "There was a big celebration in Mistral. I got the video on my Scroll. Do you wanna see it?"

"I'll watch it later, if you wouldn't mind sending it to me."

Cinder pressed a few buttons on her Scroll. "Done."

Willow took her Scroll out of her pocket to see the message Cinder had shared. Just then, Klein stepped into the room with a broom and dustpan. Willow knew that she had to share the news to anyone she could, so she told Klein what Cinder told her.

"Why, that's marvelous!" Klein replied. His eyes had turned from a light blue to a soft yellow as he said this, which was easy to notice. "Absolutely marvelous!" Suddenly, as he moved to the door, Klein's eyes turned into a blood red color. "If that doesn't get that pompous idiot to open the borders, nothing will!" He then took his leave to throw away the broken glass.

Cinder looked back to Willow. "Was he talking about General Ironwood?" she asked.

"That's all we've had to talk about these days," Willow replied with a sigh. "It's always one thing after another with him."

"What do you mean? Has it been that bad?"

"...May I confide in you, Cinder?"

Cinder leaned a little out of her seat. "Yeah. Yeah, of course."

Willow was grateful for this permission. She had a lot going on, and the incident with the mine was just an extra layer of problems. Right now, she needed someone to vent to.

And because of Cinder, Willow was able to let out all of her frustrations and problems.

"It's been awful," the businesswoman insisted. "I thought I could handle the borders closing and the embargo, but James started going even further! He's sticking his nose in just about everything and everyone in Atlas! He's got those blasted Knights on every street, in every building, he's got the whole Kingdom on lockdown!"

Cinder cleared her throat before she spoke again. "I saw the drones and soldiers in Mantle," she confessed. "One of them took a picture of me without saying anything."

Willow shook her head. "Mantle, Atlas, it's everywhere! He's even started pushing them in my shops, my offices, and now he cleared out a whole mine! Do you know how many jobs he took when he gave the order?! I can't just stick them all at another mine, you know!"

"..."

Cinder didn't know what to say. It was clear that Ironwood was testing Willow's resolve and patience, just like the people down in Mantle. She couldn't say she knew how Willow felt, but Cinder greatly pitied the woman. She wished she could help, but she just didn't know what to do.

"...Sorry," Willow apologized. "It's just... been a lot to handle."

"No, it's okay," Cinder said after she found her voice. "I just... didn't know it was that much."

"Well, you haven't been here for long. Consider yourself lucky." Willow suddenly had another idea. "I could use your help, Cinder. If you know anything about why James had my largest mine cleared out, I'd be grateful."

"..."

To say that Cinder was stuck between a rock and a hard place would be an understatement. On one hand, she wanted to help Willow. She knew that Willow wouldn't lie about something like Ironwood going too far, about having the whole Kingdom on lockdown. Even though she hadn't seen too much of this, Cinder only needed Willow's word that it was true.

Because of that, Cinder knew such a thing had to stop before it got out of hand.

However, Cinder knew that talking about Amity was a bad idea. Ironwood had made it perfectly clear that he wanted the project to be classified, regardless of allegiance. And since Ironwood had a great plan against Salem, revealing anything about it would be unwise.

It would also be unwise to get on Ironwood's bad side.

"Um... I think you should talk to Winter about it," Cinder said to dodge the question. "I wasn't at the mine when you were there. Winter might know more than me."

Willow sighed once more. "I would if I could, Cinder," she said. "I would if I could."

Cinder became puzzled once more. "What do you mean?"

"I haven't talked to Winter since she went back to the academy. After her surgery, I tried to make her stay with me. To recover and get away from all the chaos." Willow shook her head. "But she said no. That Atlas needed her. So she left."

Cinder once again felt bad for Willow, but this idea was easier to shrug off. "I mean, she's always been passionate about this kind of thing. You know, being a Huntress."

"Passion is one thing, Cinder. But this is different." Willow leaned off her seat. "Winter's been ignoring all my calls, my texts, she won't even come home during the weekends! The only times I've ever seen her are when she's with James!" Willow shook her head again. "Cinder, something's going on. And I know James has something to do with it. He's taken my daughter from me."

Cinder didn't believe what she was hearing. "But... she seemed fine," she said. "I was with Winter all day today. She seemed completely normal, she..." Cinder leaned back in her seat again. "Why would she be ignoring you?"

Willow sighed. "I wish I knew. I really do."

"..."

Cinder saw a long talk with Winter in her future. She remembered what she had done to Djarin, despite the fact that he felt there was nothing to be sorry for. To see Winter doing something similar was heartbreaking, and also very concerning.

Everything about this was concerning.

*DING*

*DONG*

Cinder turned towards the door to Willow's study when she heard the doorbell. "Were you expecting someone?" she asked. Cinder remembered what Willow had said about Ironwood expanding into every corner of Atlas, so she became nervous.

But after Willow looked at the time, she became elated.

"Oh, yes!" she said. "I was, actually." Willow smiled at Cinder. "In fact, it's great that you're here! I'd like you to meet him."

"Me?" Cinder suddenly began to feel that she had overstayed her welcome, that it was time to leave. "No, I don't want to impose." She began to stand up. "If it's that important, I can-"

"No, no, stay!" Willow gently held Cinder's shoulder. "There's actually something I forgot to mention. I know I've gone off on how bad things have gotten in Atlas, but I think there's a way I can help. That we can help."

Cinder still didn't want to impose, but she became curious as to whatever help she could provide the people of Atlas. "Um... what can I do?"

"You said that the war was over, right? News like this, and proof like the video you shared with me, is just what our cause needs."

Cinder was even more curious, but also confused. "Your... cause?"

"That's right. Atlas will be having an election for Council in the coming weeks. You might have heard about the seat that recently opened."

"Oh, yeah!" Cinder remembered what she had heard from Pietro. "I heard that Robyn Hill was running, and I think I saw a news article about someone else." She suddenly had an idea. "Wait... Ms. Schnee, are you running?"

"Me?" Willow couldn't help but laugh at the idea. "Oh, no! I could never handle that kind of responsibility. No, I'm using my money to support the campaign for one of the candidates."

"You are? Who?"

"He's actually an old friend of the Schnees. Not only does he have the experience that makes him perfect for the job, but he also has a plan for helping Atlas. For all of Remnant."

The first thing Cinder noted was how ambitious the idea sounded. She too wanted to help all of Remnant, especially after the war with the Mandalorians. It was clear that Ironwood wanted to help too, but his ideas were more... questionable.

So to hear that someone else wanted to do the same thing, and that Willow trusted him to do it, was something Cinder was very interested in.

She had no idea what the idea was, but Cinder knew she wanted to meet this potential Councilman.

The door to the study opened to reveal Klein, who had answers the door and escorted Willow's guest through the manor. He would have immediately let the man in, but Klein didn't know if Willow was ready just yet. Cinder's visit was very welcome, but it did throw off the schedule for tonight's other visitor.

"Are you ready, Ms. Schnee?" Klein asked calmly.

"Yes, Klein," Willow said with a smile. "We both are."

With that, Klein stepped aside to let Willow's friend and guest into the study. He was a man of tan complexion, one with black hair and a thin black beard. Along with a polite smile on his face, the man wore mostly blue clothing that had silver trims. He definitely wore the appropriate clothing for Atlas, and with Willow's introduction, definitely for a man of his position.

"Cinder, this is the former Mayor of Atlas, Bail Organa."

Author's notes: hi everyone, Happy New Year! I hope you're doing well, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I think I mentioned this before, but this is part of the last arc I have planned. It pains me to say that the ending is coming soon, but I'm really excited to show it to you.

In other news, we're officially getting a Mandalorian movie! I'm pretty excited to see what we get, since we haven't gotten a Star Wars movie in so long. And let's not forget we're also getting Ahsoka season 2! I'm pretty excited!

To GojiraFan455516, sorry you didn't get more of Thrawn in this chapter. But don't worry, he'll play a big role in this arc. And I'm afraid you're mistaken about the Bad Batch. SCAR Squadron is a group of soldiers that appear in the 2015 Star Wars Marvel comic. Hope that clears things up. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the chapter.

To The Avenging Titan, you're correct about butting heads here, like Volume 7. I can't say too much as to how the rest of the volumes are incorporated in this story, but you'll see soon enough. Also, as I told GojiraFan455516, SCAR Squadron is a Disney canon group of soldiers from a Star Wars comic. Check them out, they're a cool team. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the chapter.

To Cinderfall20412, the rest of the Ace-Ops aren't here. SCAR Squadron is a substitute for them at the moment, but you'll see them in the future. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the chapter.

To Don Cheeto, I'm so glad you enjoyed SCAR Squadron, and I hope you enjoyed them here. You may be on to something about Kreel, but I won't say too much. As for Palpatine, I urge patience. You'll see what's going on. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

To Servos New Head, those are some good ideas for Salem you got there. Glad you liked seeing Thrawn again, hope you enjoyed SCAR Squadron. And yes, they do have their Semblances unlocked, I hope you enjoyed their descriptions here. You'll see more of Thrawn later, don't worry. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

To Proximiu5, ask and you shall receive. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

I think that's all I have for now. Once again, thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to leave a comment on your way out, it really means a lot to hear what you have to say.

The Court of Talons is adjourned. See you next time!