Yet Another Xenoverse

by gamer4

Twin worlds built on the backs of titans, dying worlds rent apart by endless war, and epic odysseys through space for mankind's future... all this and more as Teams RWBY, JNPR, and even others react to the cult classic Xeno series! Spin-off from Yet Another Multiverse, taking place after chapter 58. Cover art by EmiDaWeird. No non-Xeno requests, please!

22. TLC: Jaune's Choice

Gamer4 in! There's more Gears today, because Nora... well, you'll see. I hope you can forgive me for this change of plans- I just wanted to preserve my kneecaps. With that goal in mind, let us begin!

Episode XXI

The Last Contact

Jaune's Choice

"Well, that's been quite a bit of progress here," Jack commented. "So, say we move along for now to-"

"Wait, you want to move on?!" Nora interrupted.

"Well, yes, we have other worlds to-"

"Without showing us if Renny's okay?!"

"I'm sure he is!" Neptune quickly spoke up, attempting to pat the air placatingly. "Sage isn't the type of guy to-"

"We do NOT move on until I know that Renny's okay!" Nora crossed her arms, looking remarkably vicious for someone usually so bubbly.

"May as well concede- she never does when she's like this," Ren groaned.

"Er... okay," Jack finally nodded. "More Last Contact it is..."

"Well, Jauney Boy, allow me to be the first to welcome you aboard the Nidhogg!" Yang declared rather pompously as she disembarked from her gear.

Perhaps she'd earned that right, though, Jaune thought as he followed suit. From here, he could only see the ship's hangar, but he could already tell that the generally small ship he'd seen approaching from a distance had been merely the tip of the iceberg. This hangar alone was larger than what he'd seen, with enough room to house many gears, though there were only three at the moment, including Weltall and Bumblebee, the name Yang had bequeathed to hers.

"So, whaddya think?" Yang prompted, waggling her eyebrows.

"This Yang is almost more insufferable than ours," Weiss sighed.

"You had enough of roasting me yet?" Yang crossed her arms. "We only spent the last hour doing that!"

Jaune was spared having to answer by a shriek from the nearest doors. "YOUNG MISTREEEEEESS!"

Yang barely had time to turn before she was tackled by a short, pudgy man in a light blue outfit, clashing somewhat with what little red hair he had left. Indeed, the hair on his upper lip was rather more impressive than that atop his head, dotted with some spare freckles on either side. His eyes were currently a light brown, and narrowed in clear worry as he gazed upon Yang. "Where did you go? What happened down there? Are you hurt? Oh, dear, your jacket is all torn up!"

"That is certainly Klein." Winter tried to sound aggravated, but a tiny smile played on her lips. "The smallest scratch, and he'd come running."

"I wish he wouldn't fuss quite as much," Weiss agreed, also failing to hide her own small smile.

"...He's okay," was all Whitley had to say, pointedly looking away.

"Yeah," Yang grunted, rolling a shoulder. "Pain-in-the-ass deathstalker decided to-"

"A deathstalker?!" the man's eyes bugged out. "A deathstalker?!"

He grabbed a small radio clipped to his vest and began speaking urgently into it. "Ready sick bay, we need as much anti-venom as we can get, the Young Mistress has been attacked by-"

"Oh, come on!" Yang threw up her hands. "Do I look like it got me?"

"Heheh... now you know how I feel," Ruby giggled.

"It's not that big a deal!" Yang interrupted, violently flushing as she glanced between the elderly man and the increasingly bemused Jaune. "It didn't poison me, it didn't even break skin, it just tore up my jacket!"

"But Young Mistress, surely-"

"No need to worry, Klein," came a significantly calmer voice- a tall man in a longcoat, with dark brown skin, matching hair, and a single gold-ringed eye- the other was hidden beneath a patch. "Believe me, if she was poisoned, you'd know- she'd be too busy screaming to object."

"That is true," Ozpin nodded. "Deathstalker venom is notoriously painful to those it infects."

"Brrr... Pyrrha and I almost got stung by one of those..." Jaune remembered.

"Well, that's as may be, however..."

"I'm fine, Klein," Yang insisted, stepping back and spreading her arms. "Seriously."

"Thanks in no small part, I'd imagine, to this young man here?" the new arrival turned his good eye towards Jaune. "I believe an apology is in order for the trouble our errant captain must have caused you." He extended his hand. "Sage Ayana, loyal- if beleagured- first mate."

"Ah, there's my soul brother," Ren nodded.

"Save that until we know he didn't hurt you!" Nora ordered.

"I...er..." Jaune felt rather wrong-footed, uncertain exactly what to say in this scenario. He brightened up, however, when he spied the other man who had entered alongside Sage- a gently smiling Lie Ren.

"Okay, now you can talk about your soul brother!" Nora decided, sitting back down, happy as a clam.

"So... are we gonna move on?" Qrow asked. "She's confirmed her boy-toy's safety."

"Yeah... but we just started here, it would feel kinda weird to dive out already," Jack decided. "Let's go further."

"You don't have to apologize for me!" Yang seemed to whine. "I'm not a kid, you know, I can speak for myself!"

"Oh?" Sage crossed his arms and quirked a brow. "So you've already sought this young man's forgiveness?"

"Er... that is to say... not in so many words..."

Sage rolled his eyes. "Come along, Yang, we need to have a talk about looking before we leap."

He reached out towards her- she feebly tried to duck out of the way. "I told you, Sage, I'm not a kid- hey, no, not the ear! Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"Heheh... Yang being the younger sister? I like this world!" Ruby giggled again.

"You are getting so many noogies after this," Yang huffed.

Ren chuckled as he watched Sage drag off his captain, Klein hurrying after them. "He's changed surprisingly little."

"You know him?" Jaune asked.

"He and I attended the same academy, for a time. I certainly never thought him to be the first mate of the infamous Nidhogg..."

"He seems to have really been your soul brother!" Penny analyzed cheerfully.

"Huh... wonder if he knows Nep and me, then," Sun considered.

He shook his head. "But enough about that. I'm very happy to see you, Jaune- I was hoping you hadn't strayed too far."

He opened his arms, and Jaune happily returned the embrace. "It was pretty crazy down there."

"I heard- a deathstalker, was it?"

"Yeah... yeah, we met some grimm."

Jaune looked to Ren's gaze- he had that look that said he was seeing more than Jaune was willing to let on. "...Did something else happen?"

"No... not exactly..."

He felt a weight on his shoulder and looked up to find Ren's hand. "Jaune... you know that you can tell me if something's bothering you, don't you?"

"Right, of course," Jaune nodded. "I just... need some time to get my thoughts straight."

"As we've all learned, trying to keep secrets from Ren is an exercise in futility," Pyrrha sighed against a smile.

"He's the man with the x-ray eyes!" Nora beamed.

"NOOOOOOO!" Ruby wailed, covering her ears. "I never watched that movie, I never heard of that-"

Yang smirked evilly, leaning over and whispering in her ear, "I can still see!"

"AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH!" Ruby cried as she practically leapt through the ceiling.

"If we're done with the sideshow, can we get back to the stupid universe?" Torchwick rolled his eyes.

"Hmm, understandable," Ren nodded. "Well, it seems we've gotten our transport for the moment. According to Sage, they've charted a course for the Nidhogg's secret dock. We should thank our good fortune."

"Yeah..."

"It didn't sound like we were that far away- come. I'll show you the cabin, then we can go to the bridge and speak with our temporary benefactors."

"Sounds good..."

"Time to cross the desert in style!" Sun grunned. "Head up on deck, get a nice tanning chair and sunglasses, just lean back with a cool drink, it'll be just like going on a cruise!"

"Except for sand kicking up instead of water," Neptune pointed out.

"Why you gotta try and kill my buzz?"

"What makes you think that was supposed to be a negative?"

Jaune allowed himself to be led into a series of narrow corridors, ultimately leading to a large chamber with several bunk beds erected for crew and passengers. It was mostly empty at the moment, and those who were present seemed to pay the visitors little mind- no doubt Sage had already told them about the sudden turn of events.

From there, another few hallways took them to an elevator that rose up and deposited them on the bridge, a wide space encircled by rows of computers and complex machinery. On a plinth in the center was what must be the helm- there stood Yang, hands on the wheel, all previous childishness cast aside as she took her ship across the remnants of the Mohaine.

"Ah, Ren, just in time," Sage greeted. "We're very near, now."

Jaune's mouth opened as he gazed through the vast windows at the sand speeding by all around them- never had he pictured travelling so quickly, especially over a desert, and suddenly, the vast sand sea didn't seem quite so vast anymore.

"I wish I had my camera..." Velvet drooled at the beautiful scenery.

"Oh, this ain't nothin'!" Nora put her fists on her hips. "You should see the worlds of titans outside of a dumb ol' warship, those have some amazing sights!"

"...She's not wrong," Ren agreed.

"She's a beaut, isn't she?" Yang boasted. "Hideout ahoy!"

"Preparing to dock!" a member of the crew- a large, bearded man with feline claws- announced.

Jaune panicked when he looked up and saw a large mesa sprouting from the ground- a mesa that Yang was currently steering them directly towards. "We're gonna crash!"

"YEE-HAW!" Yang grinned.

They did not crash- they passed through the side of the mesa as easily as if it weren't even there, before coming to a perfectly gentle stop.

"Yang, do try not to give our guests a heart attack," Sage sighed.

"Eheh... sorry." She didn't sound sorry at all.

"A hideout protected by a holographic rock?" Yang grinned. "I'm Batman!"

"No, no you are not!" Weiss protested. "You are most certainly not Batmant!"

"You know about Batman, Weiss?" Velvet asked, surprised.

"Er... I... that is to say..."

"C'mon, Weiss, we all know it," Ruby giggled.

"There is no shame in it, he is a fine example," Winter nodded.

"Well... if you say so, Winter," Weiss decided uncertainly.

"So cold!" Ruby cried.

From there, there was a grinding sound, and the ship began to descend, prompting Jaune to realize they'd entered an enormous elevator. Finally, they descended into a massive cavern- had Jaune thought the Nidhogg's hangar was enormous? This hangar was large enough to hold nine copies of the ship, three long and three abreast, and the ship had just deposited in the center.

"I think we've moved past 'hideout' and straight into 'secret base' territory," Neo observed.

"Makes the Branwen Bandits hideout look like even more of a slum," Qrow chuckled.

"Well, of course, she was born into money," Raven hissed.

"And seemingly cut off from it, if most of Vale thinks she's dead," Ozpin felt the need to point out.

Yang grinned as she led Jaune and Ren to a hatch, climbing out and standing on the deck in front of what must be the hideout's keepers- several men, women, and... children?

"Welcome back, Yang!"

"Good to see you, Yang!"

"YAAAAAAANG!" one of the children cried, running up to her with three others right on his tail, looking up with starry eyes.

"Did you bring us something cool, Yang? Didja? Didja?"

"Hmm," Yang smirked again, pretending to put a thoughtful thumb and forefinger to her chin. "Well, there's that really important gear, its pilot, and a doctor..."

"Ah, that's boring grown-up stuff!" one of the girls pouted. "We want something interesting!"

"Well, I don't remember picking up anything like that," Yang shrugged. "Y'know, unless you count this chunk of amber I picked up in a cave under the desert- tucked away for thousands of years!"

She reached into a pocket and produced what Jaune recognized as one of the amber pieces that had been lining Taiyang Xiao Long's bunker- it seemed he now knew what she'd taken while Qrow was looking the other way.

"Cooooooool!" the children's eyes all widened in fascination.

"This one even has a mosquito in it!" Yang announced proudly, lowering it so they could see. "Who knows what sort of critter's blood this guy sucked before getting trapped here?"

"That's what I'm talking about!" the leading boy grinned as he took the fossil. "Guys, check it out- we got amber! We gotta show everyone!"

The kids turned and dashed off, leaving Yang shaking her head with a smile. "Adorable little bastards, I'll tell you that..."

"Well, there's another difference between you and your mother," Qrow pointed out. "She'd have kicked those 'adorable little bastards' to the curb, first chance she got."

"Little parasites," Raven agreed through narrowed eyes.

"Okay... I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought, taking the amber from your father's hideout," Blake decided, smiling at the beaming kids' faces.

"He probably would have let you, if he were there!" Ruby agreed happily.

"What have I told you, Rubes? Questions we already know the answer to, we don't need to ask!"

Ruby shuddered. "No... that's gotten us into way too much trouble over the years for me to side with it over this."

"Amen," Weiss agreed, pinching her nose.

She turned to the rest of her entourage. "Well, I wanna oversee some repairs on my gear. Klein, feel like serving our guests some tea?"

"Tea, you say?" Ren's eyes lit up minutely. Jaune hid a smile- Ren was something of a tea connoisseur.

"You had him at 'tea!'" Nora eagerly agreed. "Heck, he could be an actual hostage and be cool with it if they give him some tea!"

Ren looked pointedly away. "A momentary lapse of judgement, that's all it was..."

"Klein here makes the best tea this side of the Misties!" Yang asserted.

Klein blinked, and perhaps it was Jaune's imagination, but he thought his eyes changed color- from light brown to a brighter shade of pink. "Oh, you flatter me too much, Young Mistress! I'm sure there are plenty in Vale who could outshine my humble leaves."

"I'll be the judge of that," Ren volunteered.

Yang threw her head back and laughed. "Well, there ya go! I'll catch up in a bit."

She turned and leapt back down the hatch.

"His eyes changed color," Penny observed.

"Yes, he does that," Weiss agreed. "We never quite figured out if it is his semblance or simply something he can do."

"He tends to switch personae as well, I've observed," Whitley pitched in.

"Yes... I certainly can't imagine what it might be other than a semblance, though certainly a unique one," Winter pondered.

"Well, if you insist," Klein said bashfully. "Very well, good sirs, if you'll follow me..."

Jaune and Ren followed him to another elevator that took them to ground floor and down a few stone passageways. Jaune marveled at the engineering, wondering at the type of work it must have taken to carve all of this into the bottom of the mesa.

Finally, they arrived in what seemed a cafeteria- Klein guided them to what seemed like a bar, but with several jars of leaves instead of bottles of liquor. "I do hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive the Young Mistress, you know," he addressed them as he began blending his teas. "She's a good woman, really, it's just that her heart is often several steps beyond her head, if you understand."

Ren gave a light laugh. "I very much know the type."

"I most certainly do," Ren agreed wholeheartedly.

"Guilty as charged!" Nora giggled gleefully.

"Everyone here is someone she took in when they had no other place to go," Klein continued, filling a teapot and placing it on a stovetop. "Foresaken men, women and children- even I, myself, was taken into her care once."

"You don't say?" Ren asked.

"The truth is, I once served the royal family of Atlas. However, there was... a scandal, I suppose you could say. Not to go into too many details, but the Emperor's daughter was forced into exile, and I elected to follow her. Unfortunately, I have no idea where she might have gone now..."

His face crumpled a little. Clearly, the worst had absolutely occurred to him.

"Emperor's daughter?" Weiss gulped. "Followed... by Klein?"

"There are only two people here that could apply to," Qrow agreed.

"Forced... into exile?"

"Which, I suppose, would leave me alone," Whitley considered. He maintained a stony expression, but Ruby, being closest, noticed his knuckles whitening as they tightened on his arms. "Just... just as I'd want..."

"Even after our separation, I couldn't return to his majesty- not that I had any desire to do so. Instead, I wandered into Vale, where the Young Mistress eventually found me and gave me a new purpose in life."

"I... suppose I owe you my thanks, then, Yang," Weiss decided slowly. "I... certainly wouldn't want Klein to be left alone."

"Er... anytime?" Yang shrugged awkwardly.

"Hmm... I see," Ren nodded. "And you had no misgivings about following a pirate?"

"Perhaps at first," Klein admitted. "However, the Young Mistress has a certain... magnetism to her- I'm sure you've noticed yourself. And then, there was that nasty business with the engine room..."

He smiled, and his tone altered- even Jaune recognized it as the tone one takes when telling a much beloved story for neither the first nor last time. "There was a new recruit, you see- green as you like. He was left alone in the engine room, and things... went awry. He struggled to repair the damage, but soon, it seemed as though the entire ship may go up in flames."

"Sounds like she's getting recruits from the same place I am," Torchwick grumbled.

"Soon, the engine room was flooded with crewmen struggling to prevent the disaster, but then Sage and the Young Mistress appeared, shooing out all the others- she even grabbed the unfortunate lad who had caused the damage to begin with and cast him out while the two of them dealt with the problem.

"Of course, they both survived, but that was the day they each lost an eye. Nevertheless, they saved the ship, and the Young Mistress even attempted to spare the lad's feelings, insisting she'd been looking for an excuse to wear an eyepatch regardless."

That... sounds about right, Jaune pondered.

"Yeah... yeah it does," Ruby smiled. "Then again... I don't think she was trying to spare his feelings. I'm guessing she was just saying how she actually felt."

"What can I say? Eyepatches are badass," Yang shrugged. "Huh... I was kinda hoping for a cooler story behind the patch... lost it in a fight, maybe..."

"I prefer this version," Ozpin admtted with a smile. "It does my heart good to know my students have such potential in them."

"Potential to get themselves killed," Raven snorted.

"It is something you cannot understand as you are now, Raven," Ozpin shook his head. "But... perhaps one day..."

"Never."

"It was then, observing all that she had done for her crew, that I truly felt she was one I could call que-"

Klein's eyes widened, and he coughed very obviously, before busying himself with the tea- it seemed the water was finally ready.

Ren's eyes, however, narrowed in a way that told Jaune he hadn't missed the slip-up any more than Jaune himself had. "Queen, you say?"

"'Queen?'" Nora's eyes widened.

"Nora, we already put that together two hours ago," Ren reminded her.

"C'mon, keep up, the rest of the class is on page twenty-one," Qrow snapped his fingers, channeling his inner teacher.

There was no doubt about it this time- Klein blinked, and his eyes changed color to a dull shade of pink that matched the flush blooming on his cheeks. "I... I don't know where you might have gotten that idea..."

"Now that I think about it," Ren seemed to press, "she does have something of a royal bearing about her, and it takes a certain amount of charisma to take the helm of a group such as this..."

"Very well, sir, very well..." Klein looked down for a moment before blinking again, his eyes now turning yellow as a smile spread across his face. "You have quite the discerning eye, I must say! Yes, it is true, the Young Mistress is the daughter of the former Queen Raven Branwen of Vale."

"Queen?" Jaune asked, surprised. "Does that make her... a princess?"

"Why yes, I suppose it does at that," Klein nodded. "By all rights, of course, she ought to be queen by now, however..."

"However?" Jaune prompted.

"Time to finally learn what that whole 'Revolution' thing was about," Neptune assessed.

Ren cleared his throat. "Queen Raven Branwen was not a particularly favored ruler. Her iron fist and soaring taxes earned her the title of Bandit Queen."

"Should have seen that coming," Qrow groaned. "Privilege or no, a bandit's a bandit's a bandit."

"I like to think I'd be a fairer leader than that," Raven argued.

"Yes... so says everyone until they actually attain power..." Ozpin mused.

"That's why I hate politicians," Torchwick rolled his eyes, finally giving in and taking a bottle of beer.

" That came to an end twelve years ago, with a revolution led by a Ms. Robyn Hill."

"I'd be careful using that name around here, sir," Klein advised as he finally got around to filling their teacups. "Ms. Hill is not a well-liked individual aboard this ship."

Ren politely drank the tea he'd been given, but Jaune had more questions. "Why's that, if she overthrew the Bandit Queen?"

"Because she replaced one horrid regime with another," Klein explained sadly. "Her words changed, but the meaning behind them did not. Taxes rose higher, and limits on speech grew stricter- if anything good may be said about Queen Branwen, it is that she did not care one whit what her subjects thought of her. Any questioning of Ms. Hill's leadership, on the other hand, is considered tantamount to insurrection- a crime punishable by prison time. Very few survive to be released."

"I recall someone once saying that a revolution, after all, is to turn a full 360 degrees," Winter mused.

"More poetically, 'he who fights monsters should see to it that he does not become a monster himself,'" Ren quoted. "A story I'm sure more than a few of us are familiar with."

"I certainly am..." Blake side-eyed Adam, who pointedly looked away.

"I'm just gonna go ahead and say again that I hate politicians," Torchwick sighed.

"Yes, we're aware," Neo nodded, with a slight eyeroll.

"I was given to believe that Queen Branwen's daughter was killed alongside her in the coup," Ren recalled.

"That is the official story," Klein agreed. "Questioning it is, of course, considered treason- the people of Vale are not allowed to entertain the idea that Princess Branwen survived. However, Sage was able to pull her safely from the revolutionary's clutches."

"And... into piracy?" Ren concluded.

Klein looked downcast. "I believe Sage's wish is one that I have come to share myself- to see the Young Mistress grow up to be a good woman."

"A good woman... not a good queen?"

Klein hesitated for a moment. "I... shall not lie and say we have no desire to return the Young Mistress to her throne... indeed, we have plans for that as well. But yes... a good woman first, and a good queen second."

"Perfectly understandable, lest we risk the whole tragedy repeating once more," Ozpin agreed.

"Eh, I've never really been the princess-y type to begin with," Yang shrugged.

"Godforbid," Weiss agreed.

"A good woman that practices piracy?" Ren pressed.

"Unfortunately, yes." Klein's eyes had changed color again, to a light brown. "The war between Vale and Atlas is fought mainly by gears that come from old ruins, each side growing stronger by the day. Hill has the backing of Gebler- even if we rallied all our allies in the kingdom, we'd have no chance against her in an all-out conflict.

"Our first thought was to attempt excavations of our own, but such things require a great deal of money, manpower, and time we do not have, as the war only escalates further and further. Sage and the Young Mistress believe- and I agree- that regardless of which kingdom wins, their people will lose."

"So to speed things along," Ren surmised, "you decided to plunder equipment from both kingdoms rather than waste time and resources gathering it yourself."

"Nice way to dress up your piracy... but it's still piracy," Neo smirked.

"I... don't really know how to feel about it, either," Ruby admitted. "I mean, she's trying to stop a war, but..."

"It boils down to whether you think a lesser evil is tolerable when stopping a greater one," Qrow summed up. "I'm sure we've all got our own ideas about that... but she's already made up her own mind, clearly, and our feelings on that aren't gonna change it."

"I suppose you can be wise, when you feel like it," Winter sniffed.

"I try."

Klein's eyes were pink again. "I understand that it must sound rather self-righteous to outsiders such as yourselves..."

"Perhaps," Ren shrugged as he drank some more tea. "However, as the situation has been laid out before me, I believe piracy is the lesser of many evils here. When I see the children you have taken in, the outcasts from Hill's regime, I cannot bring myself to say you are in the wrong."

"Taken in to ease her own guilty conscience," Adam suggested with a scowl.

"No..." Blake shook her head.

"What was that, darling?" Adam asked dangerously.

"I said no. Yang isn't like you- if she's taking them in, it's because she genuinely wants to care for them."

"Blake..." Yang momentarily teared up at Blake's faith in her.

Klein smiled gently. "It soothes my soul to hear you say so." He glanced at Ren's cup, and noticed that it was empty. "More tea, sir?"

"Thank you," Ren nodded. As Klein tipped the teapot to pour out some more, Ren continued his questioning. "Now, you say you do have plans to reinstate Ms. Xiao Long as the rightful Queen?"

"We do indeed," Klein agreed. "However..." his eyes strayed towards red... "we dare not act now, not with Sir Pine held hostage."

"Sir Pine?" Ren repeated. "As in, Oscar Pine- the future Holy Father?"

Klein blinked in surprise. "You are quite well-informed, Doctor. Indeed, Young Master Pine is the future leader of Mother Sophia's Church- and the Young Mistress's cousin."

"Um... we don't have a cousin by that name," Ruby pointed out.

"He's not your cousin in your world," Jack supplied. "Actually, he's..." he paused, glancing meaningfully at Qrow and Ozpin. "He's a distant relative of Ozpin's."

"Ah... I see." Ozpin slowly took a drink- only Qrow noticed the shock in his eyes.

"So, this bitch kidnaps a relative of mine to try and keep me under control... and it's not Ruby?" Yang tilted her head.

"Well, it's starting to seem like you're an only child in this world," Velvet speculated.

"That or Little Red bit it back during the revolution," Torchwick suggested.

"You'd best not joke about things like that if you like your balls where they are," Yang glared.

"Still... if he's related to Yang, I'm sure she's already planning on saving him!" Ruby stated confidently.

Ren put down his teacup and steepled his fingers. "Taking him risks losing Garreg Mach as a neutral territory- why would Hill do that?"

"The Crest of Branwen," Klein answered, his eyes turning light brown again.

"Crest..." Ren took another drink. "I've only heard rumors. It's supposed to lead to a great treasure, correct?"

"It is the key to this great treasure," Klein nodded. "According to legend-" he faltered when he made to refill Jaune's teacup, realizing too late he had yet to touch it. "Oh, dear- is my tea unsatisfactory?"

"Nothing like that," Jaune shook his head. "I'm just... not thirsty."

"I can hear him overthinking from here," Nora rolled her eyes.

"It is quite a bit to be springing on him all of a sudden," Pyrrha pointed out.

"Very well," Klein bowed. "Now, we're not entirely certain what this great treasure is- though the Young Mistress certainly has her ideas. However, what we do believe is that it is what we require to save Vale."

"And Oscar Pine has the Crest that leads to it?"

"Half, to be precise," Klein clarified. "The Young Mistress has the other half- only with both can the treasure be recovered."

"What a cliche setup," Torchwick scoffed."Let me guess, you have to add the power of friendship, too?"

"Perhaps the Branwen Twins can shed some light on this mystery?" Winter turned to the siblings.

"Don't call us that," they both said at once.

"But no, I've never heard of any 'Crest of Branwen,'" Qrow shook his head.

"If I had, I guarantee I'd have that treasure already," Raven declared haughtily.

"Yes... I suppose you would, at that," Winter wrinkled her nose.

"I see..." Ren pondered briefly. "If I may be so bold, what exactly is this 'Crest of Branwen?' The way you describe it, I'm imagining a pendant or amulet of some sort..."

"Unfortunately, only those who possess the Crest understand its true form," Klein answered.

"Good thing, 'cause if you knew, you'd be telling that to anyone who praises your tea, too!"

Klein jumped and looked to the other end of the cafeteria, where Yang was entering, her hands on her hips, but a smirk on her lips. "Klein, if loose lips sink ships, it's a surprise the Nidhogg isn't at the bottom of the Mohaine by now."

"Hmmm... I wonder what secrets of Atlas he might be able to-" Adam mused, but was cut off by a cold glare from three sets of eyes.

"Don't-"

"-even-"

"-think about it."

Stunning as it was, he actually fell silent.

Klein's eyes- and face- once again turned a furious shade of pink. "I apologize, Young Mistress!"

"Good thing I took a liking to ya, Jauney-boy," Yang smirked as she took a seat beside them and shamelessly put her boots up on the counter. "If you hadn't saved my life, I'd have ta kill ya now."

"The future Queen of Vale, everyone," Weiss sighed.

"I'm moving back to Menagerie," Blake shuddered.

"So, I presume your half of the crest is safe?" Ren didn't miss a beat.

"Safe and secure," Yang agreed. "And I'm sure Oscar's not about to go spilling the secret either."

"Perhaps," Neo mused. "Of course, you people always like to say you'd never sell out your allies, but there's no accounting for what a few minutes of proper torture can wheedle out of someone."

"Not cool, sis... not cool," Sun half-glared at her- he was busy stroking a shivering Velvet's ears comfortingly.

"I thought you were doing gear repairs," Jaune recalled.

"I left that to the crew," Yang waved aside, tilting her seat forward again so she could get at the teacup Klein offered her. "Biggest offender is sand in the joints- not the most dangerous thing, but a real pain in the ass to deal with. 'Sides, I'm a better pilot than mechanic anyhow- I'm sure Klein's already told you about my stint as an engine repairwoman." She absentmindedly tapped her patch.

"Better than in my dream," Jaune recalled with a shudder.

"Wait- maybe that's it! Maybe the dream was all symbolic!" Nora realized. "Yang dying in that engine room in the dream was a flashback to her accident in the engine room in reality!"

"Hmm... it seems a bit of a stretch, but I suppose it is a possibility," Ren considered. "I'd like a bit more evidence first, however."

"Nope! I'm confident I cracked the code!" Nora declared with her hands on her hips. "Now... to figure out what the rest of it meant!"

"Yeah... have fun with that," Torchwick rolled his eyes.

The others watched as she leaned her head back and downed an entire cup of tea in one gulp, letting out a refreshed-sounding 'AAAAAHHHH!' as she slammed it back on the table. At last, she turned to them and clapped her hands. "Now, where were we?"

"Have you no acumen?!" Winter gaped.

"Of course! I've got acumen coming outta my ears!" Yang objected.

"I suppose that should serve as an answer," Whitley groaned.

"The Crest of Branwen and the treasure it's supposed to lead to," Ren summarized.

"Right, that!" Yang snapped her fingers. "Well, Sage trusts ya, so I may as well let you in- it's a gear. The great treasure is definitely a gear."

"A... gear?" Jaune asked quietly, memories of their conversation with Qrow tickling at the back of his mind.

Yang seemed to recognize it, because she smirked as she rose to her feet. "Follow me." She made her way back towards the hallway- Ren and Klein followed immediately. Jaune hesitated, but ultimately rose to his feet and followed along at the rear.

"She thinks she's onto the Xenogear?!" Ruby perked up quickly.

"Perhaps she was trying to downplay its existence before because she hadn't fully decided to trust Jaune yet," Ozpin speculated.

Just down the hallway was a vast chamber full of whirring machinery, none of which Jaune recognized, but the mechanics seemed to understand it just fine, looking into various screens and pressing buttons corresponding to the letters of the alphabet. Jaune believed these machines were called 'computers,' though he'd never seen any back in Ansel.

"Ansel is kinda in the boonies compared to most of Vale," Jaune admitted.

"Over here!" Yang called, going down a couple steps into a clear area where several screens were built into the floor. "Careful not to cover up the monitor!"

Jaune obediently joined the other three at the edge of the... monitor, she'd said?

"Fascinating technology," Ren praised quietly. "I wouldn't be surprised if Hill herself had no access to such things."

"Yeah, it's pretty awesome." Yang seemed to revel in the praise. "We have Sage to thank for this room."

"Way to go, Sage!" Sun pumped a fist.

"How did he gain access to such technology?" Penny wondered.

"Maybe from that academy he and Ren went to?" Neptune speculated. "Or from whatever kingdom it belongs to?"

She looked to the mechanics above. "Alright, ladies and gents, bring up file 2401!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

The screens built into the floor beneath them lit up, all uniting like a mosaic to show what seemed like a work of art, depicting a gigantic gear, the size of a castle assuming the image was to scale, brandishing a sword large enough to destroy its enemy with a single swing.

"Waaaaaaant..." Ruby started drooling again.

"Is she... always like this?" Whitley asked.

"Oh, you haven't seen her get really excited yet," Weiss sighed.

"My esteemed guests," Yang grinned, "I present you with the Branwen's secret treasure- a scroll dating back to before Second Impact! Depicted, you will see 'King Branwen the First, body cloaked in flames, forming a fiery covenant with the giants!'" She used her boot to indicate ancient text beneath the image. "'With the power of the giants, he founded the Kingdom of Vale.'"

"Damn, from a tribe of backwater bandits to founders of Vale," Qrow whistled. "Well... according to legend, at least."

"It certainly seems authentic," Ozpin analyzed. "I see no reason to doubt the story it tells for the moment."

"A fascinating relic." Ren sounded calm, but Jaune could see the light in his eyes. "Only a scan of the original, I presume?"

"Of course," Yang nodded. "Sad to say, Hill's got the original locked up tight at Vale Castle."

"I'm surprised the Ethos never seized it," Ren pondered. "I would have thought information like this would be their primary concern."

"Oh, they've tried, for sure," Yang agreed. "But my mom, Bitch-Queen that she was, guarded some of these relics a little too jealously for even them to get their hands on." She raised her voice. "Next!"

"She... doesn't seem close to her mother, either," Velvet noticed.

"Vel, once you get to know us better, you'll be wondeirng why you ever expected anything different," Yang patted her on the shoulder.

The image shifted, now depicting the iron giant upon a great throne. More text ran beneath it, and once again, Yang translated.

"'After founding the kingdom, King Branwen forced the giants into slumber, ready and waiting should the kingdom need their power once more.' So, you see? This giant is the Treasure of Branwen!"

"Perhaps that's how we can get you to focus on your studies," Weiss suggested. "Hide codes leading to giant machines in your homework."

"I've already tried- it didn't work," Blake shook her head.

"And the Crest?" Ren asked again.

Yang laughed. "You're not getting that out of me, pal. You oughtta stop being so nosy- don't want me thinkin' you're one of Hill's spies!"

"Cry pardon," Ren chuckled. "Call it an intellectual curiosity."

"But yeah, the Crest is what Hill's after," Yang nodded. "Her and Gebler."

"What an alarming state of affairs," Ren mused. "Indeed, it seems the best course of action currently is to rescue Mr. Pine posthaste."

"I wasn't exactly plannin' on letting Bitch Queen II keep hold of my little cous anyway," Yang pointed out. "So... I'm guessing you know what I'm going to ask now."

"She wants us to help her?" Jaune guessed.

"She wants you to help her," Pyrrha nodded.

She looked from Ren to Jaune- his breath had hitched, his hands clenching into fists. Once again, he saw Weltall standing like a beast over the ruins of Ansel, hands red with the blood of the innocent. That was already far more power than any one person should possess, and here was Yang proposing a mission to unearth something even stronger?

"Get in the damn robot, you little whelp," Raven sneered.

"Not to toot my own horn, but we did kinda save you from Gebler," Yang reminded them. "Even if that wasn't actually a Gebler ship, it was sure as hell about to deliver you into Gebler custody. In return... may I ask for your help?"

"Our help... in saving Mr. Pine?" Ren clarified.

"Yup!" Yang clapped her hands. "Sage tells me you unlucky boys have targets on you from Atlas and Vale- wouldn't hurt to have someone on your side. What do you say? You scratch our backs, we scratch yours?"

Jaune's breath grew more ragged.

"I quite understand your hesitation... but I believe this is the best course of action available to you right now," Ozpin surmised.

"Yeah, but... I get why he doesn't want to," Velvet trembled.

Ren seemed not to notice. "Very well- please, consider it my payment for your hospitality-"

"No," Jaune interrupted.

Yang glanced over at him. "Pardon?"

"I said, no!" Jaune repeated. "Why is everyone trying to get me back in that godforsaken gear?!"

Yang blinked, clearly caught off guard. "You okay there, buddy?"

"Of course I'm not!" Jaune burst out. "I don't want to fight, especially not in that thing! I hate fighting and gears! I'm not getting back in that thing, especially not when Bane or someone else might show up and push me back over the edge!"

"Bane?" Yang repeated blankly.

"Oh- she doesn't know what happened to him!" Penny realized. "She doesn't understand why he would be hesitating!"

"That's... that's right, Penny," Ruby nodded unsteadily.

But Jaune was too worked up. "If you want Weltall, take it- God knows it's brought me nothing but suffering! As for me, just drop me off wherever- I'll go back to Ansel and rebuild on my own if I have to! It's... it's the only way..."

It seemed like there was a great deal more he wanted to say, but he had no idea how to express it. He turned and charged out of the room- if the doors weren't automatic, it seemed he'd have slammed it shut behind him.

"Weak," Raven sneered.

"Not everyone is eager to bloody their hands as much as possible," Winter crossed her arms. "Still, that was hardly the most mature way to handle the situation."

"Well... there's a bit more to it than that," Ren recalled. "I'm sure my other will explain..."

Yang stared after him a moment. "Huh... didn't take him for a hair-trigger temper type of guy..."

Ren breathed deeply. "He's not. I'm sorry, things have been moving so quickly lately... he hasn't had time to take everything in yet. I should have realized the toll this is all taking on him. Please try not to judge him too harshly."

"Yes... he only has three years' worth of memories," Pyrrha realized. "Little wonder he doesn't quite understand how to handle stressful situations."

"An extreme amount of power, but not much in the way of emotional stability? Yeah, starting to see how things went pear-shaped last time," Qrow nodded.

On the outside, Jaune saw two children- faunus, from the looks of things- skipping along onto the elevator. "Time to service the gears, the gears, the gears!" they sang tunelessly. "We're off to service the gears with Uncle Tukson!"

"Raising new bandits from their youth..." Raven pointed out.

"Protecting them," Qrow corrected. "Let's see her actually make them fight before you go dragging her down."

Jaune frowned at the idea of children performing military work. "Room for one more?" he asked, stepping onto the elevator with them.

"Oh, you're Ms. Xiao Long's special guest, right?" the boy, with a lion-like mane of hair broken through by a pair of cat ears, beamed.

"I was hoping to talk to this Uncle Tukson of yours."

"Well, I think he's busy right now," the girl tilted her head- on second thought, he didn't see any animal traits on her. "But I guess we can at least take you to him!"

"Tukson... Tukson... something about that is familiar..." Blake mused.

"He was setting up to open a bookshop in downtown Vale," Ozpin recalled. "He went missing some time ago- I believe the police are still looking into it as we speak."

"That... doesn't sound good," Ruby squirmed uncomfortably.

"I know he was a member of the White Fang once," Adam put in, to everyone's surprise. "Haven't heard from him in years- he left even before Blake did."

"Oh- the man with the bear claws?" Blake realized.

"I believe they were... more like a puma," Adam corrected.

The elevator descended into the massive hangar containing the Nidhogg- Weltall and Bumblebee had already been offloaded.

"Uncle Tukson! Uncle Tukson!" The kids ran over to Bumblebee's foot, where the large, burly faunus with the puma claws was standing. "Yang's guest wants to talk to you!"

"Does he, now?" Tukson crossed his arms and turned to greet Jaune with a smile. "Alright, well, in the meantime, why don't you climb up and get started on those joints?"

"Yes, that's him!" Blake nodded fiercely. "We used to talk about books every now and again! I wonder... what happened to him?"

"Yes, sir!" they both saluted before climbing a set of steps nearby that wound their way up and around the massive gear.

Tukson turned his full attention to Jaune. "So, how can I help you?"

"You're having kids work on gears, too?" Jaune accused without preamble.

"Heh," Tukson chuckled. "You try keeping them away- they've wanted to be mechanics since they were old enough to hold a wrench. Anything to help Yang."

"You don't think... that's a little messed up?"

"Not really- how many kids grow up wantin' ta be hunters or mechanics like their parents?" Sun pointed out. "Maybe things are different in Vale, but in Vacuo, you see kids pickin' up skills like that all the time- kinda have to, with the desert the way it is."

"Not at all," Tukson denied. "I keep them away from the truly dangerous jobs- believe it or not, there's plenty of gear maintenance even a kid can do without putting themselves into much danger." He looked up. "They want to do everything they can to help Yang in her fight against Hill."

"Why should they have to worry about that, though?" Jaune challenged. "Why not let them be kids?"

Tukson looked back at him. "I'm sure Yang would have liked nothing more. Unfortunately, Hill took that chance away from them."

Jaune blinked. "She did?"

"They were arrested for spreading treasonous ideals- by which I mean, speaking out against her policy regarding faunus."

"She's against faunus?" Jaune asked, surprised- that didn't mesh at all with what he'd heard before.

"Oh, no, quite the opposite," Tukson sighed. "She built her policy on counteracting Atlas and their anti-faunus discrimination. But some of the policies she enacted... pushed things rather far in the opposite direction, seizing money and land owned by humans and transferring them to faunus without so much as a day at trial."

"She sounds like a member of the White Fang," Blake considered.

"I presume she's a faunus as well?" Adam crossed his arms.

"I can say the one in our world isn't," Winter denied. "Obviously, I can't speak to this one."

"A human putting that much effort into Fang ideals?" Adam tilted his head.

"And for real, not just bullshitting like Cinder and the brats?" Torchwick sounded equally confused.

"It's... more common than you think." Everyone was surprised to hear Whitley chip in on the conversation in such a way- even himself, it seemed, as he turned red and immediately turned to look out the window.

"Those kids... their mother was my sister, but their father was a human. When he was arrested on charges of exploitating his wife, she spoke up against it- and she was arrested, too. Neither of them saw a day in court before they were thrown into prison. Neither of them ever saw the sun again."

Tukson met his gaze. "Captain Xiao Long and I are the closest things to parents they've ever known."

"That's... monstrous..." Velvet stared, eyes wide.

"I don't think even Sienna's gone that far..." Blake agreed, aghast.

"I... I see..." Jaune stammered. He'd hardly expected such a story. "So... you're helping them get revenge?"

"No... that's not how they see it," Tukson denied. "They want to prevent any future families from going through what they had to. To that end, they want to do any work they can- anything that will help us retake our kingdom."

"They help her so she won't have to fight?" Penny attempted to sum up.

"I believe that is the gist of what he's saying, yes," Winter concurred.

Jaune nodded slowly. "I see... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed."

"Well, you know what they say about assumptions," Tukson smiled. "On which subject... I heard Captain Xiao Long intends on recruiting you. I wouldn't like to assume that-"

"No," Jaune shook his head. "I get where you're coming from, but fighting's not for me. I hate it."

"Well, that's your choice," Tukson bowed his head. "I'm sure arrangements can be made to return you to your hometown."

What hometown? Jaune couldn't help thinking. "I... I think I need to lay down for a bit," he mumbled.

"You could... get in the gear and make sure no more hometowns get destroyed!" Nora grinned.

"A reasonable way of thinking, but I think he needs some more time to reach that conclusion himself," Ren considered.

"Well, I believe the ship is still open if you'd like to go back to the cabin," Tukson provided.

"Yeah... I'll do that. Thanks..."

It was a longer walk than he'd expected to get atop the Nidhogg once again, but just as he was about to enter, the hatch opened and Yang came climbing out. She blinked in surprise when she saw him already standing on the deck. "Oh, Jaune! There ya are, I was just lookin' for ya!"

"Yang, don't pester him about joining the crew, he needs some time!" Ruby pleaded.

Jaune said nothing as she finished pulling herself up, closing the hatch behind her. Her usual smile was nowhere to be found. "So..." she finally broke the silence, "Doc Ren filled me in on what happened before you picked me up. I don't suppose you... wanna talk about it?"

"Oh, good..." Weiss took a deep breath. "She's entered her 'big sister' state of mind. She's finally in a position to handle this matter with the delicacy it deserves."

"Yeah... he needs Big Sis Yang right now, not Burning Down the House Yang," Ruby agreed.

"'Burning Down the House?'" Blake asked.

"Her name, not mine."

Jaune flinched. "No... not particularly."

Yang nodded as if this was what she'd expected. "I getcha... on one hand, I kinda wish you'd told me, but on the other..." She shook her head. "Sounds rough, bud."

"Putting it mildly, yes..." Velvet agreed somberly.

She turned and climbed a couple steps, leaning on the steering wheel. "Listen... sorry I've been... a bit of a bitch. Just... forgive me, will ya?"

"May as well take it, kid, that's the closest to an apology you're gonna get," Qrow chuckled.

"Hey, maybe I'd apologize more often if I was ever wrong!" Yang smirked- which quickly vanished when Weiss opened a certain file on her scroll.

"Let's see... even passing over the shoehorn-"

"GIVE ME THAAAAAAT!" Yang yelped, snatching the scroll from her hand.

Jaune turned away. Yang responded by hopping over the railing back down to his level. "I get it if you don't want to. Listen, about what I said-"

"I already said no," Jaune finally spoke. "Are you not hearing me? I don't like fighting the way you do! All the times I've been in that gear, it's only because my hand was forced. I want nothing to do with it! You want it, it's yours, but I'm not going to pilot it for you."

Yang's brow furrowed. "Hold on, what was that?"

"I just said, I won't pilot the-"

"Not about the gear!" Yang cut him off. "'I don't like fighting the way you do...' So, what, you think I like fighting for the sake of fighting?"

Everyone who knew Yang did a spit take- this unfortunately did not include her mother. "Do you not?!" Pyrrha stared.

"No, I get what she means," Yang shook her head. "I like fighting for the sport of it- he's talking about fighting in wars."

"I suppose that makes some sense," Blake admitted. "But don't think we've forgotten how eager you are to jump into fights agaisnt grimm or on the streets, either."

"That's fighting evil! It's different! Look it up!"

"Good grief, we're gonna be here a while," Qrow grumbled around another drink of whiskey.

Jaune crossed his arms as he turned to face her. "Do you not? From where I'm standing, it looks like the only thing you enjoy!"

"Well, I can't let that slide," Yang grunted. "You best take that back before I make you walk the plank, mister! I only fight because I have to- I wouldn't expect you to understand my reasons."

"Maybe not," Jaune agreed. "But you still have reasons. I don't. I don't want to fight, and I have no reason to. I just want to live in peace and quiet. Then that gear came crashing into my life, and ever since, it's just been one person after another telling me to climb in and start killing!"

"Y'see? I only fight to the death with grimm!" Yang pressed her earlier point. "Even at my worst, I'm not out to kill people!"

"What about that time Cardin accidentally cut your-" Velvet started, but Yang quickly cut her off.

"That was different!"

Yang looked at him, sighed, and moved to the railing next to him. "...If you ever tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you, I'll bury you, understand?"

"Wha-" Jaune started to ask, but paused when he saw Yang removing her jacket again- underneath, he could see the web of scars that ran up and down her back.

"Doc told me your story, it's only fair I tell you mine," she said quietly. "Like I told you, I never knew my father, but my mother... she was a bitch-queen from Hell. The people hated her, and I can't say I liked her much either. She was obsessed with being the strongest- being a survivor. So any time I ever showed weakness, she'd grab a whip and... toughen me up, so to speak."

"Wait, what?" Qrow turned an angry glare towards his sister- even she looked as though these words caught her off guard.

Jaune's mouth opened in horror. He wanted to ask her to stop, but couldn't find the words.

"I grew up dreading the days she'd come home and crack that whip, and honestly, I didn't shed much of a tear when Robyn cut her damn head off. It was Sage that rescued me from the guillotine, and for the first coupla years, I didn't even consider things like retaking the throne. I was fine away from that castle, and the last thing I wanted was to become anything like her. I didn't want power, or strength... only to be left alone."

"Yang, I... I can't imagine something like that..." Blake admitted.

"...That's probably for the best," Yang almost whispered. "Hell, knowing this... maybe it's for the best she ran out on me in this world."

"I would never-" Raven objected, before falling silent- the truth was, some part of her wasn't entirely sure her objections would ring true.

"You'd best be glad Tai isn't here to hear this," Qrow crossed his arms. "Anyone who lays a finger on his little girl..."

"What, he'd even kill his own wife?" Torchwick snorted.

"No... but you'd be surprised what you can live through," Qrow declared ominously.

"Some nights, though, I still woke up thinking I could hear the sound of that whip... I'd look out into the darkness and see her coming for me from beyond the grave. Once again, it was Sage to the rescue- he thought the best way for me to overcome my fears was to master them... so he trained me in using whips for combat."

She adjusted her arms, around which were wrapped the omnipresent rawhide whips. Jaune felt another jolt as he recalled just how brutal Yang was with her weapons, an unbidden image entering his mind of what she must have experienced to foster such ruthless techniques.

"I'd... rather not," Ruby squeaked, clinging onto her sister with all her strength.

"It was when I started getting this strength that I realized I could... use it for good. To make sure other people didn't have to suffer what I did," Yang concluded. Jaune was strongly reminded of his talk with Tukson. "I'll be honest with ya, I'm not in this for the throne- who wants to be Queen anyways? Being a pirate is way more fun- but I sure as hell can't leave Bitch Queen II in charge either."

She took a deep breath as she pulled her jacket on again. "I look at you, and I see the skill that can be used for good. Believe me, I understand wanting to run away from the world... but what about the kids back in Ansel? Do you think they'll understand? Jaune... what do you think would have happened if you hadn't gotten in that gear? Sure, you were the most direct cause of Ansel's destruction... but people were already dying. You didn't start that massacre- the war did. And the people behind the war are the ones I really want to fight. Until the cause of the war is taken care of, nothing will change."

"At last... Yang proves that even a stuck clock is right twice a day," Blake smiled.

"Damn right!" Yang flashed a peace sign. "...That's a compliment, isn't it?"

"Don't get me wrong, I'd rather not have to fight at all, but as things stand, that's the only option. Just don't think for a second I enjoy meaningless bloodshed."

Jaune once again remained silent, which Yang seemed to take as a cue to continue. "I get feeling guilty over what happened... I get not wanting to pass that pain on. But, in my mind, the best way to make it up to those kids is to make sure no one else has to face a massacre like that again. Call me interfering if you like, but I think that's a reason to fight."

She glanced around, then cleared her throat. "Er... don't get me wrong, I'm not saying refusing to join my revolution here is running away or anything. It's my fight, you can choose to help me or not. All I'm saying is, with skill like yours, maybe we could end this thing quicker... with less bloodshed."

"Not to twist your arm or anything," Torchwick scoffed.

She took a deep breath. "Well... that's all I had to say. The mechanic looking at Weltall had some things to say, too, but I'll leave it to you whether you wanna hear 'em."

Jaune watched her go before climbing down the hatch towards the cabin. Perhaps he'd speak to the mechanic later- right now, he had plenty of his own thoughts to sort out without adding more- and at the moment, Weltall was the last thing he wanted to see.

Before he could even get to his cabin, though, he was intercepted by Sage and Ren. "Ah, Jaune, good!" Ren smiled gently.

"You people just don't plan on letting me rest today, do you?" Jaune asked without any bite- he was too exhausted for that.

"I feel your pain, Jaune- believe me, I do," Ren sighed.

"Oh, you'd sleep all day if we let you!" Nora rolled her eyes.

"And savor every last bit of it."

"Cry pardon," Sage apologized with an arm over his chest. "I'd just like a brief chat, then I'll let you go."

"Man, he really does sound just like Renny," Nora crossed her arms and tilted her head.

"I know, right!" Sun beamed.

Jaune glanced from one to the other, then sighed. "Alright..."

Sage ended up leading them back out of the Nidhogg and back into the maze of tunnels that was its secret dock, before finally entering a vast chamber filled with what Jaune realized, to his surprise, were tombstones.

"What's this?" Jaune asked.

"A memorial to the many lives that have been lost during the war," Sage whispered. "There are no bodies buried here- each tombstone contains a hundred names. All except that one." He pointed to a particularly large cross at the head of the chamber. "Come... let's hide."

"Hide?" Jaune asked, before finding himself pulled behind a couple of the larger stones.

Just as they disappeared behind it, Yang Xiao Long entered and made her way up to the large stone- she bore with her a bouquet of roses, and a tear or two had traced their way down her good eye.

"Aw, crap... a chill just went up my spine," Yang muttered.

She deposited the roses and knelt before it. "Hey, Dad. It's... been a while. Sorry, I've been busy... pirate stuff, y'know." She chuckled wetly. "I can only imagine what you'd say if you could see me now- your little princess, now Queen of the Pirates."

"I thought she said she didn't know her father," Whitley pointed out.

"He must have died when she was very young," Pyrrha guessed. "Any memories she has are... hazy. Half-formed."

"Either him dying pushed Raven over the edge, or she's the one who killed him," Qrow muttered. "Decent 50/50 chance, if you ask me."

"Nobody did," Raven glared at him.

"Met a new friend today- goes by the name of Jaune... haven't gotten his last name yet. I think I might have an idea why.

"I took one look, and I could tell... in a way, he's just like me- or... at least, I thought he was. Maybe that's something I was just telling myself.

"Would you be proud of what I'm doing, trying to retake the kingdom? Maybe not... maybe you'd be disappointed that I can't even save Oscar. Heh... and I have the gall to tell Jaune that he's running away..."

Sage touched Jaune on the shoulder, and they crept their way out of the chamber.

"You done with the guilt trip?" Neo smirked at Ren.

"This would seem to be Sage's idea," Ren pointed out. "Though... I'd be lying if I said I didn't have my own preferences about where this should go."

On the outside, as they straightened up, Sage opened up with, "She asked me to apologize to you on her behalf. Strange behavior, wouldn't you say?"

"She did finally apologize in person... kinda," Jaune admitted.

"Yes, I insisted on it. She knows that's always best, but her childhood, as you can imagine, was rather... stunted. She's full of bravado, but in reality, she's one of the loneliest people I know. Never has she had someone to truly call a friend- Klein and I are moreso her caretakers. We value her, and she us, but try as we might, we cannot stand as her equals."

"What, I'm just lookin' down on them?" Yang asked indignantly.

"Not like that," Weiss shook her head. "But yes, that dynamic would always be in the back of your minds. Whether any of you like it or not, you're not on the even footing necessary for real friendship."

"You sound like you get that a lot," Ruby whispered.

Weiss glanced away. "Well... Klein was something like my father, as well..."

"She bears a great responsibility, one that Klein and I can only imagine, but she is nevertheless determined to see it through. She has a magnetism that drew us to her, quite separate from her status as princess."

He closed his eyes. "A friend... is exactly what she needs. Someone who might have a chance of understanding that burden. I understand if you feel this is a selfish request, but even if you don't wish to fight, I feel that she would benefit greatly from having you by her side. Not to shoulder all her responsibilities, but for you two, each knowing what only you know, to help each other."

Jaune took a long, deep breath. "I'm sorry... may I have some time to think?"

"Of course," Sage bowed. "We'll be leaving tomorrow morning- if you decide you'd rather leave us, we'll drop you off at Garreg Mach- a monastery in the heart of Vytal territory. You'll be safe there- I believe that's where the survivors of Ansel have gathered, as well. Until then, I recommend the residential area- the bunks there are marginally more comfortable than the Nidhogg's cabins."

"I'll stand with you whatever your decision, Jaune," Ren put in. "Just know that."

"So you say now, until he decides against and you have another couple dozen talks with him," Torchwick scoffed.

"...Apologies if it feels as though my other was strong-arming you, Jaune," Ren decided.

"Well... it's not like you're the one who'd need to apologize," Jaune pointed out.

Jaune nodded before following Sage to the residential area- he didn't have a private cabin like on the Nidhogg, but as Sage had said, the bed was a little more comfortable, and honestly, he was so tired that he hardly noticed the buzz around him as he collapsed into his bunk and fell asleep almost before his head touched the pillow.

"Well, it's not like we need to wonder what he'll choose," Nora declared. "Of course he's gonna do the right thing!"

"Well, if you wanna find out for sure, we can go ahead a little longer," Jack suggested.

Night fell swiftly across the desert, for all that it mattered to the residents of Yang's hideout, where neither sun, moon nor star shone. The hideout's idea of night was to dim all the lights, and for anyone still at work at such late hours to move gently and quietly in consideration for those at rest.

"Just like the spaceships!" Ruby beamed. "But... not actually in space, so it's not as cool."

Certainly, the vast hangar was empty when a flame pierced through the hatch above, carving a large hole and allowing the excess metal to clatter to the ground.

"Huh... maybe we should have set up shop in space after all," Yang mused.

One by one, five gears dropped down through the hole left behind, each of varying size, builds, and color.

"Huh- thought their security might be a little tighter," pondered a voice from a tall green gear- its pilot was a man by the name of Clover Ebi.

"Clover?!" Qrow did a double-take.

"Someone you know?" Ruby asked.

"He and I go way back- he was there when you two were born! Hasn't really been by since, though. I did not expect to see him here!"

"Your luck at work again, perhaps?" speculated the pilot of a taller, white gear- Vine Zeki.

"Or they could be a bunch of dimwits," speculated a shorter, brown one, guided by the hand of Harriet Bree.

"Who cares, we have a mission!" chastised Elm Ederne, the pilot of the smallest, bulkiest gear, a matching shade of brown.

"Nice place, for a bunch of surface-dwelling lambs," commented the final pilot, Marrow Amin- his gear was the only bestial one, taking the form of a great, black wolf.

"Huh... can't say I know any of those others, though," Qrow shrugged, returning to his drink.

"Probably an old fort from the reign of King Branwen IV," assessed Vine.

"Enough chit-chat- we need to find those gears!" Elm interrupted again.

"Over here!" called the Clover from the far corner of the massive chamber.

"Ah- those are Deurmods- standard pirate gears," Vine shook his head. "Those aren't our primary concern."

"Wait... you think they're looking for Weltall?" Jaune realised.

"That's what it sounds like," Pyrrha nodded slowly.

"So... they must be members of Gebler," Blake concluded.

"But not worthless," pointed out Marrow. "These alone would be worth the trip."

After a moment, Harriet declared, "Explosives at the ready- 3... 2... 1... NOW!"

"Oh... that explosion will certainly wake up the pirates!" Penny surmised.

"I believe you're right," Winter agreed.

Jaune's sleep that night was mercifully dreamless and restful... which made it sting all the more when he was jolted from it by flashing lights and blaring klaxons. "INTRUDERS!" cried a loud voice over the loudspeakers. "INTRUDERS IN THE HANGAR! WE HAVE BEEN COMPROMISED, REPEAT, WE HAVE BEEN COMPROMISED! FIVE GEBLER SPECIAL UNITS, ALL IN GEARS! THEY ARE ATTEMPTING TO BREAK INTO THE NIDHOGG! ALL PILOTS TO THE HANGAR- ALL PILOTS TO THE HANGAR! NONCOMBATANTS TO THE SHELTER!"

Jaune was on his feet in a second, his sleepiness forgotten. The men and women around him were already bustling around, grabbing their things and rushing to the door- on the outside, he could hear the children hurrying along. "I'm scared, I'm scared!"

He entered the hallway himself, watching as the large, freight-size elevator filled with combatants and non-combatants alike. He saw the panic, but felt disconnected from it, almost as though he was moving through a dream.

"Well, that's a good way to get yourself killed," Neo scoffed.

"JAUNE!"

He slowly turned to see Ren making his way through the crowd, raising his voice to be heard over the din. "Jaune, quick, get to Weltall!"

"So much for not pressuring him," Torchwick took his turn to scoff.

"Perhaps you didn't notice, but the situation has drastically changed," Winter pointed out. "There is an imminent threat- they need everyone who can fight!"

Just as slowly, Jaune turned away.

"Jaune, Sage and the others are already fighting! You can't intend to leave them-"

Then Yang was there, struggling just as much as Ren to make her way to the elevator. "That'll do, Doc!" she called. "It has to be his choice! Jaune, can you hear me?"

Jaune turned to meet her single azure eye, looking far more serious than ever he'd seen it. "You get to that gear, or get to the shelter, your call. Just make it quick, because I don't plan on letting you die today!"

"Well, she's at least standing by her word," Weiss nodded approvingly. "But they are both correct in that he has no more time to mull things over- now is the time to choose."

Jaune watched as Yang pulled Ren the rest of the way to the elevator, currently being operated by Tukson- in a second, it was going down with its first load.

Yet still, Jaune did not move. He looked down at his hands- the hands that had both saved life, and taken it. "What... am I?"

He was the man who'd destroyed Ansel.

He was the man who'd saved Yang's life.

He was the man with more power than he wanted or needed.

But he had it nevertheless.

"I..."

"Move it or lose it, kid!" Qrow emphasized. "'It' in this case being your damn life!"

The Nidhogg was hardly short on gear pilots, but none that had the training of elite Gebler soldiers.

"Weak- they're all so weak!" called Elm from her short, bulky gear.

She moved to bring her fists down on another nearby gear when a large chain came out of the darkness, wrapping around her arm and forcefully dragging her back.

Yang smirked as she advanced in her bright yellow gear. "Happy to pick on the small 'uns, huh? How about I show you how the big girls play, huh?"

She pulled Elm into range and delivered a sharp punch that sent her soaring backwards.

"She's in her element." For the first time, this was bringing a smile to Blake's lips.

"Yeah, take 'em out, sis!" Ruby cheered.

She paused to catch her breath. She was putting on her usual bravado, but this really didn't look good- the five ringleaders of this attack were just the tip of the iceberg- the hole they'd blown into the side of the mesa had permitted an army of smaller, unmanned drones to pour into her lair. On their own, remarkably weak, and nothing even the greenest gear pilot should have trouble with, but their sheer numbers...

Elm turned around and cracked her knuckles as she began steering her gear towards this newest rival. "You think you're funny, don't you."

"I think I'm adorable!" Yang kept up the bravado- fake it til you make it, that was her motto.

On the hangar's other end, Ren was climbing up a set of stairs towards a gear Tukson had declared as pilotless. He ducked in and pressed a button- in an instant, the gear roared into life, illuminating the various levers, buttons and switches. "Let us see... I hope I remember how to do this..."

"YES!" Nora jumped up and down. "Time for Renny to show you what he can do!"

"My pleasure." Ren's soft smile was roughly the equivalent of Nora's insane cackling.

He looked across the hangar towards where Yang was still grappling with Elm- as Marrow in his black wolf approached from behind.

"You dirty rats!" Yang snarled as she noticed the new threat. "Afraid of a one-on-one scrap, are ya?!"

"Yang!" came Ren's cry as he leapt before the wolf and grabbed its gnashing jaws with his gear's outstretched hands.

"That... that voice!" It was Clover, drawn over to where the fight was growing more intense. "You- it can't be-"

"No one of consequence," Ren interrupted. He knelt and used as much leverage as he could get to lift Marrow from the ground and toss him into Clover.

"That's interesting... sounds like Clover knows the kid," Qrow caught.

"Why would one of our family friends be fighting on Gebler's side?" Ruby asked confusedly.

"The same reason Pyrrha is?" Jaune shrugged. "Different world, different rules."

"Nice one, Doc!" Yang beamed as she cracked her chains at Elm. "How's the gear handling?!"

"It's quite the stallion. Don't worry, I'll be fine- it just needs some breaking in!"

"Yup, he knows how to break things in, alright!" Nora declared happily, fists on her hips.

"Nora, perhaps you should sit down before you say too much... again," Ren pleaded.

"Roger that!" Yang barked back as she jumped over a swing from Elm, forming a crater on the ground when she landed. "Where's Sage?"

"Handling the small fries!"

Indeed, both Sage and Tukson had taken up the defensive on the other end of the chamber, fighting their way through hoards of unmanned drones.

"You keeping up, old man?" Sage asked.

"Heh- keep your eyes open, kid, and you might even learn a thing or two!" Tukson taunted back.

"I always enjoy some back-and-forth cameraderie," Pyrrha smiled.

Elm grabbed on to Bumblebee's shoulders and attempted to climb up onto Yang's gear- only for Ren to force her off with a well-placed punch. "ARGH! That hurt, you bastard!"

Though she couldn't see it, these words brought a glower to Ren's face. "One such as you... during an attack like this... has no cause to cry out in pain!"

"Oh, she done messed up!" Nora raised a hand to her mouth. "Renny's a natural pacifist- you make him mad, you've really messed up!"

"I have very little patience for those that cry out in pain as they strike others," Ren readily admitted.

"Let's smack 'em down, Doc!" Yang agreed eagerly. She managed to wrap her chains around Elm again, giving Ren ample time to duck under a leaping Marrow and drive his fist into Elm's gear once more.

However, it didn't seem to do much good- no sooner had the hit landed than Elm, with a loud roar, managed to break free from the chains and unleash a flurry of punches on Ren, forcing him back.

Ren's mind went into overdrive. Admittedly, I may not be as strong as I once was, but that blow should have stunned her at the very least... they're far too unflappable. There's only one explanation!

"Yang!" he called. "They're using drive!"

Yang dodged a swing from Clover before answering. "The hell is drive?!"

"We've heard of drive before!" Blake realized. "In The Voyage Home- a drug made out of realian tissue- Cardin was addicted to the stuff!"

"He... he ate-" Velvet stammered, eyes widening in horror, but this time, Jack intervened.

"There are no realians in this world- it's the same name, but a different thing."

"Still doesn't sound all that good to me," Sun crossed his arms.

"Battle enhancement drugs- normal attacks aren't going to work on them!"

"Well, ain't that a kick in the clit?" Yang grumbled.

"So they're using steroids?" Yang summed up.

"Essentially, yes."

"...I have nothing to add."

Sage and Tukson were having their own troubles. "I think... I can handle things here, old man," Sage panted. "You oughtta go... watch the kids..."

"You're too... out of breath... to convince me, kiddo," Tukson chuckled dispiritedly.

Their attention was caught by a cry from the nearby catwalks. "Sis!"

"Kids?" Tukson eyes widened. It was the twins Jaune had met earlier, hurrying along the catwalks, hand-in-hand, eyes wide and frightened at the battle going on below.

"What are you two doing out here?!" Whitley yelped, his eyes widening. "Go back, you fools, go back!"

"It's nice to see you care!" Ruby grinned at him.

"I... I, well..." He once again flushed and looked quickly out of the window.

Tukson turned and started towards them, only to be cut off by the tall, white gear piloted by Vine. "I'm afraid I can't permit you to intervene. Nothing personal, just the mission, you understand."

"Shame these pirates had to resort to kidnapping," came a voice from a nearby gear- it was Harriet, leaping towards the kids in question. "What happens here is on them, not on-"

"GET AWAY FROM THEM!" came a loud, furious voice, and Harriet found her arm in the hold of a large, black steel hand.

"Weltall?" Tukson's eyes widened.

"Jaune!" Sage grunted.

Weltall's hand had a vice grip on Harriet's wrist- she couldn't pull it away, no matter how much she struggled.

"Those children are innocent!" came Jaune's snarling voice. "Imagine what they must be going through- imagine if these were your children!"

"Jaune!" Pyrrha cried, her eyes glistening.

"YES!" Nora cheered. "I knew he'd come back! I told all of you!"

"So you did, Nora... so you did," Ren chuckled, gently pulling her back down.

"The hell... are you on... about?" Harriet choked out, just before, with a horrific sound of grinding steel, the arm of her gear was torn clean off- in the next second, Jaune had taken the arm and plunged it through the visor of Vine's gear just as he turned to render assistance.

"Damn!" Tukson grunted, his eyes wide. "For someone who doesn't want to fight, that kid doesn't screw around!"

"He... he's a monster!" Harriet gasped as she pulled away.

"Two gears down in about ten seconds," Yang chuckled. "Glad he took my side!"

"Retreat, Harriet- our gears are compromised!" Vine urged. "I'm sure the others can finish things here!"

"Damn!" Harriet sounded anything but happy about it, but she complied nevertheless- the two retreated through the large hole created by the explosion.

"Where's Yang?" Jaune asked immediately- Sage and Tukson pointed to the opposite end of the hangar. They had children to take care of at the moment, after all.

Jaune was able to cross the hangar in seconds, where he found Yang and Ren struggling against the remaining three invaders.

Yang brightened immediately when she spied him. "Hoho! Jauney-boy to the rescue!"

"She never doubted he'd come," Velvet smiled. "She knew... he'd do the right thing."

"Yang can be surprisingly perceptive at times," Weiss admitted.

"You could have left out the 'surprisingly,' you know," Yang huffed.

"The black gear!" Clover gasped.

"Your luck again!" Marrow called.

"Why are you doing this?!" Jaune challenged as he, Yang and Ren stood, ready to fight. "What do you get out of this fighting?! What if this was your hometown?!"

"Enough babbling, kid, let's fight!" Elm growled.

"No!" Clover interrupted. "Things have changed- Elm, we need to report back to base!"

"Crap," Qrow cursed. "I'd say hold 'em back, but two of 'em already got away. Now Gebler will know where the gear is."

"Clover-" Elm started to object.

"He's right," Marrow interjected. "We've finally located the black gear- this changes everything!"

Elm growled, but followed as the other two turned and dashed for the hole.

"Oh, no you don't!" Yang shouted, taking off in hot pursuit, Ren and Jaune hot on her heels.

No sooner had they exited into the desert beneath its blanket of stars than one final great machine descended from the top of the mesa- it was cone-shaped, like a drill, with long, tentacle-like appendages that almost made it resemble a spider.

"That is a rather unpleasant machine," Penny recoiled slightly.

"Yeah... I don't like it either," Ruby agreed, wincing.

"BASTARDS!" Yang swore as she ducked out of the way of one of the swinging legs.

"Yang- the legs!" Jaune called. "Your whips- the legs!"

Yang's snarl suddenly became a grin. "Gotcha!"

She lashed out with both arms, spreading her chains as wide as she could, and managed to capture three of the four legs- two with her right whip, one with the other. She groaned as she pulled, forcing the great behemoth to the ground.

"Ren!"

"Right!"

The two joined together and tore into the machine, ripping everything apart until they were certain it could move no more.

"Heh, score one for the boys back home!" Yang preened.

"The gears- where did they go?" Jaune asked quickly.

Ren looked across the desert. "...Beyond our reach."

"DAMMIT!" Yang swore loudly.

"Let them go."

It was Sage, his gear standing in the hole the invaders had blown into the mesa. "They're too far for us to catch now. Come, the Nidhogg needs her captain."

Yang was far from happy about it, but for the moment, conceded the point, turning and guiding her gear back towards her ship's hangar.

"Maybe they can catch up in the Nidhogg?" Penny suggested.

"Not if they knew what they were doing," Winter shook her head. "If they're any sort of organized force, they'll have had a designated extraction point, and will be long gone by the time they can even get the ship started."

"Th... th... th... thanks, Jaune."

Yang, Jaune, Ren, Sage, and Klein had all gathered together in the Nidhogg's hangar- Klein was fussing over Yang, looking for any injuries or signs that she was in any way not well-off, but she was ignoring him in favor of forcing out a 'thank-you' to her guest.

Jaune crossed his arms. "Those people... I couldn't just let them have their way."

"We thank you anyways," Sage agreed, raising an arm to his chest. "Two lives, at the very least, would now be lost if not for you, and who knows how many more?"

He fired a glance nearby. When the battle had ended, Tukson had approached his niece and nephew and walloped them around the heads for putting themselves in such danger, shortly before pulling them into a bone-breaking bear hug. Even now, in the safety of the Nidhogg, he refused to let them out of his sight.

"Reminds me of when Qrow brought us home after nearly getting killed by grimm," Yang remembered- it was difficult to tell if it was fondly or with terror. "I don't think my left buttock's been the same since."

"Nobody wants to hear about your buttocks, Yang," Weiss pleaded.

"Apparently, they thought they could provide mid-battle gear maintenance," Sage sighed. "A childish idea... perhaps it's our own fault for forgetting they are, in fact, children."

"I'm just... glad they're okay," Jaune smiled wanly. After so much time beating himself up for the destruction he'd wrought with his power, it was strange to finally have saved someone.

"You saved half of Ansel," Velvet remembered.

"Saved someone without killing anyone else, I'm guessing," Jaune pointed out.

He turned to Yang. "Yang... you were right."

Yang blinked. "Well, I'm not exactly one to complain, but... right about what?"

"I was just running away. There was no path laid out before me, and I was using that as an excuse. But now I see you, forging out your own path, blazing your own trail... that's what I should be doing, right, Ren?"

Ren gave a small smile, but said nothing.

Jaune looked to Yang and Sage. "I want to join your fight to retake Vale- to end this pointless war. If... that is, if you'll still have me."

Yang broke into a grin. "'If I'll still have you?' Buddy, after the crap you pulled in that fight, I should be begging you to join us!" She thumped him on the back. "Welcome to the crew!"

Jaune's smile grew more sincere. "I think, by following you... I'll find my own path, too." The smile disappeared. "And I can't just stand by while people like that run around ruining peoples' lives."

"Damn right, we can't!" Yang thumped him on the back again. "And Ren told me about that Bane bastard that's followin' you around! One good turn deserves another- an enemy of yours is an enemy of mine!"

The smile returned. "Thank you, Yang."

"So, Yang..." Sage asked gently. "What's our next step?"

"Logically, there's only one thing left to do..." Ren considered.

Yang glanced between him, Ren, and Jaune. "Well, we've got two new gear pilots, and now that we've been compromised, there's really nothing else for it..."

She cleared her throat. "As of tomorrow, it's time we rode on in to Vale and got my cousin back!"

XXXX

In case you want a real-life reason for me going ahead with more Gears regardless, it's because after this, I have exhausted all my material from my stand-alone Gears story, meaning the rest of Last Contact will be from scratch! Also, I just... kinda decided this was a better stopping point than last time. That said, I've decided that next episode will be a continuation of Chronicles of the Crescent Blade- AKA, Xenoblade 1! Hope you're all looking forward to it! In the meantime, feel free to drop a review, and don't you dare go hollow- Gamer4 out!