Chapter 10

The Battle of Menagerie has begun. The Jedi and Clones are spread out fighting back the White Fang and the Sith. The Sith placed bombs all throughout the city and caused mass damage.

Mace Windu landed on the ground and took out his lightsaber immediately. He saw two war droids and used the force to unscrew every screw and rush forward. He used the force to throw all the screws at a tank. The screws started to damage the tank before Mace jumped to the top. He slashed a hole in the top of the tank. The driver turned around.

"Where is the bomb." Mace asked.

"Die Jedi!" Mace blocked the blaster bolt and sent it back to the white fang troop. He felt through the force where the bomb was. It was underneath one of the house! He jumped out of the tank and looked around for the house he felt. He saw many of the houses were slightly above ground level. He saw many of them had air control units… but one of them was a fake.

"General Schnee, do you know which house hides the bomb?" Mace asked through his comm link.

"We're getting a lot of disturbance. It looks like the air control units are interfering with the finer scans." Winter said. Mace closed his eyes and delved deeper into the force. He felt danger. He opened his eyes and saw the shatterpoint! He rushed over to the house. It would have completely escaped his notice before. It didn't stand out at all. Mace slid under the house and saw a device there. He saw the bomb had a timed detonator.

"I found the first bomb." Mace sent the coordinates. He saw the wires and the electronics. He was no expert on bombs, but he had run into more than one before.

"Master Windu, please be careful these bombs have dust powering them. They are probably not activated yet, but that is not guaranteed." Winter said.

"I see a mass of wires. Is there a bomb squad in the area?" Mace asked.

"We're getting one to your location. Please be careful." Winter said.

"Understood." Mace said. He felt a dark presence and left the cramped space under the house. As soon as he stood, he saw a massive Grimm, one that looked like a giant Akk dog. Mace took out his lightsaber. It let out a roar. Mace covered his eyes as saliva flew at him. He rolled to the side as a giant claw came crashing down at him. Mace understood this thing had to be put down.

Mace sent a force push against the Grimm. It stumbled back. He jumped in the air. He spun around, landing on its back. The creature had a strong carapace which Mace grabbed onto. It tried to throw him off. Mace's grip on the carapace was strong, but an unexpected move made him lose hold of his lightsaber. Mace moved his robotic arm and grabbed hold of the monster. He saw that the monster had weak points all along its body, in between the strong carapaces. He saw his lightsaber hit the ground and roll. He reached out his natural hand and tried to summon the force to get his lightsaber back, but the tail of the monster came rushing at him.

Mace let go of the monster and rolled on the ground. He held his hand out and felt his lightsaber come back to him. He turned it on. The purple blade hummed. Mace brought his robotic hand forward and sent a force wave at the monster. It took the hit and moved a few feet in the air.

Mace rushed forward and spun around to take out the two left legs of the monster. It let out a cry as it fell. Its tail came rushing at Mace who spun out of the way. He brought his lightsaber up in an upward arc, cutting the tail off. He jumped onto the back of the monster and found the shatterpoint. It was a spot at the base of the head and the rest of the body. He plunged his blade into that spot killing the monster. Mace let out a sigh.

He saw the bomb squad coming. They arrived as soon as the Grimm finished vanishing.

"Under there. Be careful." Mace spun around and saw three Sith warriors.

"Take out the Jedi." One of them shouted.

"Don't worry. I can handle them." Mace said.

The clones slid under the house, fully trusting in Mace. The first of the Sith arrived a second later. The first one was Juyo specialist. His anger and lust for darkness only fueled Mace's power and attacks. She didn't realize how strong Mace was. It was a mistake Mace wouldn't allow her to learn from. He brought his lightsaber in after blocking a strike and Mace heard the cracking of bone. Her jaw was destroyed, and her neck was snapped. Mace turned his attention to the second Sith. They used the acrobatics of Ataru in his opening strike. He blocked it and sent a massive stone to the spot where he landed. The Sith was sent forward. Mace spun around quickly and blocked the sloppy Makashi strike. This Sith was no Dooku. Mace brought his lightsaber up after a second attack leaving the Sith wide open. He brought his hands down and quickly killed the Sith. He turned back and dodged the strike from the wounded second Sith.

"This is impossible! The Dark Side is stronger!" Mace didn't say anything. The Sith collapsed after a bullet pierced his heart. Mace knew Pyrrha had recovered and taken out the Sith. He knew that she was on the road to recovery. He learned that at the Oasis of healing the power behind it began to regrow her vertebrae. She began to be able to move her toes after a week in a bacta tank. It was a miracle that she was on the road to recovery. If she did, she would need a lot of therapy.

He brought his mind back to the present. One of Remnant's Jedi stepped up beside him. Mace turned to the Jedi.

"Yes?" Mace said.

"The Sith are decreasing in number. Master Rajah and the others are entering into the underground base." The Knight said.

"Good. This battle will soon be over." Mace said.

Kit Fisto landed in front of Jaune. He turned and nodded his head.

"Hey master. Good to see you." Jaune said, nearly collapsing and his arms covered in the blood of others.

"I'll be back soon Jaune. There is a bomb near here." Kit said.

"I know. I think they put it near the hospital." Jaune said. Jaune had a haunted look on his face as a blanket was put over the body of a clone. These were the Jedi and clones caught in the bomb at the pier.

"Jaune… Please come talk to me after this is all over." Kit said.

"Yeah, master." Jaune said. Kit felt the threat of the bomb. A Sith stopped him as soon as he turned the corner. Kit tried not to slow, but the Sith used a semblance to create an ice wall. Kit sighed.

"I don't have time for this." Kit said.

"Make some." Kit stopped and gripped his lightsaber tighter than before. He used the force to launch himself. The Sith didn't have time to think. Kit put away his lightsaber after slashing a hole in the ice wall and slicing off the head of the Sith. The ice wall came crashing down.

The Sith didn't even have time to realize he dropped his guard. Kit had no time to teach him the lesson. He just kept running. He used the force to speed himself up and tried to get to the hospital as fast as he could.

He saw a bomb squad at the bomb as he stopped running.

"I was beginning to worry I'd have to defuse it." Kit smiled at them. The clones worked hard. Kit jumped in the air and blocked a blaster bolt coming at the clones. He landed on top of a house and held his lightsaber out.

"You work. I'll defend you." Kit said.

The clones redoubled their efforts as Kit continued to block the incoming bolts. He was jumping and blocking the strikes so much he began to sweat. After five minutes, the clones turned around.

"We got it sir." The leader reported.

"Get the explosive out of here." Kit said. The blasts stopped firing at him. He heard a roar coming from the water. Kit smiled at that. He rushed over to the water, not too far using the force, and he saw a massive Grimm starting to stand in the shallows. Kit took off his robes and boots quickly. He jumped into the water and felt at home. He turned on his lightsaber. Two smaller Grimm started to swim his way. Kit dodged the attacks of both and slashed them.

He swam out and saw the Grimm had six smaller legs holding it steady. It spat out a ball of toxic ooze at the waterfront. Kit swam next to it and saw the scales of the creature. He slashed at the monster and cut it. It let out a roar. Kit swam away from its retaliation. He gathered the water and condensed it into a ball with the force. He sent the ball at the monster and the attack went through its chest. It let out a painful cry as it began to fade. Kit smiled before he felt his body get wrapped up. A Grimm burst out of the water holding Kit in its tail. Kit waited till it stopped ascending. He used a force repulse and left the grip of the Grimm.

Kit started falling before he grabbed onto the end of the tail. The Grimm brought its tail up, trying to shake Kit off. He let go of the tail and braced for impact on its back. He rolled, spreading the impact, then took out his lightsaber. He felt the reptilian-like scales on Grimm as he ran along its head. It tried to rise again, but Kit grabbed hold of one of its spikes. It stopped moving and Kit launched himself forward. He took out his lightsaber and used his momentum to slam it down into the head of the Grimm full force. It let out a whimper.

Kit jumped off the Grimm and dove into the water below. He used the force to break the tension and entered the water again. He looked around and saw no more major Grimm. He quickly got out of the water and found his robes.

"You killed two big Grimm in seconds. Impressive Master Fisto." Winter said.

"Thank you for that General." Kit said. Kit turned back and ran back toward Jaune. He put his boots back on and was getting his robe when he got to the tent. He went next to Jaune and put a wet hand on his shoulder.

"I'm here Jaune." Kit said.

"Good. I think I've used everything I got." Jaune said. He collapsed into Kit's arms. Kit smiled at him.

"That's all they can ask of you Jaune." Kit said.

"Master, your robes aren't on all the way. Your chest is exposed." Jaune said.

"I don't think that matters much right now." Kit said. More Jedi healers were beginning to arrive.

"Why are you wet?" Jaune asked, barely staying awake.

"Oh, I thought a quick swim would make everything better." Kit said with his biggest smile yet.

"Is it okay if I take a nap?" Jaune asked.

"Of course, Jaune. You earned it." Kit said. Jaune closed his eyes and almost immediately fell asleep. The group of healers came to the tent and saw it was just Jaune and Kit.

"Just the two of you?" One asked.

"No, just him." Kit said. Jaune was snoring now.

"He's a miracle worker." One of the clone medics said. He was rushing over to the others in the tent.

"Amazing."

Nora and Blake kicked open the door to the escape route and saw the bomb sitting there.

"That's not good." Nora said.

The bomb was at a minute.

"Get everyone out of here!" Blake yelled.

"What about…" One of the clones started.

"Everyone! We don't have time to defuse it normally!" Blake shouted. Nora took out her lightsaber and stuck it in the bomb. She made a small hole enough for her to look around.

"I can get either the dust or the other half of the explosive out, but not both." Nora said.

"What do you think you can handle more?" Blake asked.

"The regular explosives." Nora said. She used the force to detach the dust clump from the other explosives and reached her hand in to grab it. She was surprised that she didn't feel anything, and realized it wasn't activated yet.

"Thank Gods." Nora said. She tossed it to Blake who used the force to catch it without activating the dust clump. She saw one last clone and tossed it at him. She used the force to stop it from activating and to help him catch it. Blake turned around to Nora.

"Are you sure you can absorb all the energy?" Blake asked.

"Hell no, but I got to try. I know I can save the house at least." Nora said.

They watched as the clock began to tick down. Nora raised both of her hands, as did Blake. They both had some skill with Tutaminis, Nora more so.

"This is going to hurt. A lot." Nora said. The bomb ticked down to zero.

It exploded, the flames and energy rushed out. Nora stood in front, and Blake behind her. The fire encircled them and began to rush out to escape… until it stopped. Nora started gathering all the fire to her. She felt the burning heat enter her body and she began to scream. Blake felt the pressure building up in her head. She felt as if she was going to burst!

The pressure from the bomb was also absorbed into Nora. Blake took in anything Nora couldn't, but she was feeling at her limit. She let out a scream.

The explosion was absorbed. Nora stepped forward and raised her hand in the air. She sent all the absorbed energy out and up, creating a massive hole in the ground. Blake brought her hands out to either side and sent the absorbed energy outward.

Nora turned around, her heart pounding in her chest and smiled at Blake. She realized that Blake's cloak was completely burned away, and so were her sleeves. Blake's lightsaber was sitting on the ground. Blake's face turned red.

"Nora…" Blake said.

"Blake, your clothes…" Nora said.

"Nora, look down." Blake said. She did and saw she was completely naked.

"Oh. I guess my clothes weren't flame proof." Nora said before collapsing into Blake's arms.

"Oh, Gods why?" Blake saw how much of her own clothes was burned away. At least she could still walk around. She held Nora close to her and ran to the stairs. Clones began filling the escape route. They averted their eyes as Blake carried the naked Nora.

"Really? Now of all times?" Blake asked no one. She saw Pyrrha at the top of the stairs. Pyrrha looked over and saw how Nora and Blake were dressed.

"What happened?" Pyrrha said.

"Later. Can you throw down something so I can cover Nora?" Blake asked.

"I see two large blankets." Pyrrha said.

"Perfect."

Nora opened her eyes and felt Blake's arms around her.

"Blake?" Nora looked down again. "Oh, that wasn't a dream… Oh Gods that wasn't a dream." Pyrrha tossed down the blankets. As soon as they got back up, Nora ran to their room. A clone came up to Blake and held out their lightsabers.

"You dropped these." He said. Blake grabbed their lightsabers. Blake quickly ran into her team's room and got changed into a spare black set of Jedi robes that she was definitely going to change as soon as the battle was changed. She made a not to herself that her next outfit would have to be fireproof or close enough to it. She heard a rocket hitting near the entrance of the house.

"Shit." Blake stumbled as she was trying her robes together. She had to restart. She felt the enemy starting to move closer. She heard the shots getting closer. She brought the knot down and double-checked to ensure the robes would stay. She grabbed her lightsaber and rushed out the front door.

"You've got to be kidding me." Blake said as a Sith took out a red guard. Blake turned on her lightsaber and jumped into action. Nora was a few seconds behind her. Blake jumped in the air after a few strikes from the Sith. He turned around and Nora came at him. The Sith noticed at the last second and ducked back. He brought up his knee and kneed Nora in the stomach. She stumbled back, but Blake made a quick kick to his leg. The Sith's leg started to buckle. Nora brought the pommel of her lightsaber into the Sith's mouth a second later. Blake brought her leg up and kicked the Sith on the chin. He stumbled back and Nora threw a jab at his stomach. Blake grabbed his head and slammed it down on her knee. He went down and Nora punched him in the face with an uppercut. His face came back up. Blake side kicked the Sith, and he stumbled back. Blake took out her ribbons and wrapped them around the Sith. She pulled him toward her and jumped. Nora brought her lightsaber forward, killing the Sith.

Nora brought her lightsaber out of the Sith and quickly blocked the strike of a White Fang troop. Blake landed and raised her hand using the force to catch four missiles fired from a War droid. She sent the rockets back, leaving the heart of the droid exposed. Nora fired a grenade at the droid, leaving it more damaged. Blake used the force to rush forward. She sent a force push at the droid, and the innards were sent flying. Blake stepped back and took out her lightsaber to block another two bolts.

"You two work well together." Pyrrha called out from a window.

Ren and Fordo were going down into the HQ of the White Fang. Ren held his lightsaber out with one hand and held onto his hunter weapon with the other. Fordo and his men were all getting ready for any surprises.

"I don't sense anything, but that doesn't mean we won't have to face anything." Ren said.

"Understood. The enemy is sloppier this time round." Fordo said. He held his twin blasters out and continued down the way. More clones were coming in behind them. Ren raised his hand, and the clones hit the wall. They all aimed at the door. The door opened and White Fang clones ran out. The dozen clones were all easily killed.

"These clones are mockeries of us." One of Fordo's men said. Fordo didn't say anything. Ren opened the door and stepped through and saw a Sith standing there. The Sith raised his hand and force lightning came rushing out. Ren brought his lightsaber up and blocked the attack. Fordo and went through the door and opened fire at the Sith. She had to end the attack and block the incoming attacks. Ren rushed forward and slid in between her legs. He slashed at her with his hunter weapon and slashed her leg. She stumbled forward and dropped to one knee. A bolt hit her on the arm, and she dropped her lightsaber. Ren quickly brought his lightsaber into her heart killing her quick.

"The Sith here are sloppy as well. She should have sensed that." Ren said.

"These Sith do tend to arrogance." Fordo said.

"I know, but this is different. We learned how to deal with that back at Beacon." Ren said. "It doesn't matter that much. We have to keep moving."

Weiss had taken Ilia to the Belladonna household. She couldn't touch Ilia herself. She couldn't bring herself to touch her again after all the pain she had brought on Weiss. The clones behind her physically carried her in. Blake saw Ilia being brought in and broke off from the outer defense. It wasn't that strong of an offense anymore. Nora was able to hold it off especially after a team of Jedi arrived after securing part of the city.

Ghira saw Ilia being taken in and stopped the clones.

"She's a threat. Why is she here?" Ghira asked.

"The White Fang betrayed her. We need to find out why." Weiss said.

"Can we put her in the escape route?" Blake asked. Weiss turned to her with a question on her face.

"No Weiss, the route is not open anymore. Nora made sure of that." Blake said. "Long story."

"Does it have any connection as to why you changed in the middle of a battle." Weiss asked.

"Everything." Blake said.

"I think there should be a room or two down there that she can be locked in safely." Ghira said. Ghira led the Jedi and the clones down to the escape route. He found the room he was thinking about and opened the door.

"This was a sort of armory until the red guard emptied it." The clones placed Ilia in there and locked the door.

"We need you clones to stay here and make sure she can't get out." Weiss said. They understood.

"Ruby and Yang are in the HQ with the assault force. Master Shaak Ti and Plo Koon are also going in with teams." The clone Waxer reported. He arrived shortly after they secured Ilia.

"Do they need us there?" Blake asked Weiss.

"Do they need us here?" Weiss asked Blake.

"I think we can make do." Ghira said. Blake and Weiss turned to him and nodded. They were soon out of the house and into the closest abandoned base, entering the HQ.

Umbra watched as Blake and Weiss entered the base. Kaiser was making the final touches to finish this battle. Many of the White Fang they recruited here had left. Almost all of the troops left in Menagerie were clones who were meant to die.

Umbra watched as the alliance forces were getting closer and closer to the heart of the base. The white fang clones were doing a fine enough job at holding back the advance too fast.

"Blake is here, Kaiser. Are you sure you don't want to say anything to her before you go?" Umbra asked.

"I'm sure." Kaiser said sending Umbra a glare that didn't work.

"Blake is making quick work of the clones. Weiss too, but Blake is mowing them down. They may get here soon. What else do you have to do?" Umbra asked.

"Double checking the work. We don't need to get sloppy here. Not when we got our goal in sight." Kaiser said. Umbra continued to watch as team RWBY, on two opposite sides of the base, were making their way to Umbra. Kaiser finished his work.

Kaiser stood up and opened a portal. He turned back to see Umbra still sitting in her chair. Kaiser spun around and looked at her.

"It's time to go." Kaiser said.

"Go on ahead. I've got a few things to say first." Umbra said. Kaiser stood over her.

"You aren't going to wait for them." Kaiser said. Umbra raised her hand and sent a force push at Kaiser, sending him through the portal. She took out her scroll and activated the team speak mode. Her scroll connected with the rest of team RWBY's.

"Hello everyone." Umbra said. She watched as they all stopped.

"Rosa?" Ruby asked.

"You're still here." Yang said. She spun her head around and took out another white fang clone.

"We're coming for you." Weiss said.

"We can still save you." Blake said.

"Save me…" Umbra said. "You couldn't save me before. No. You were powerless. Weak. You betrayed the bond we created."

"Rosa, you have to come back with us." Ruby said.

"You let me suffer. Alone. Let me tell you what Maku hid from all of you." Umbra said. Her voice was darker than when Yang heard it a few minutes ago.

"When I was eight, I was kidnapped by a rouge Sith while I was on a trip. Maku forced a bond onto me. He stole my memories and my skills. He took me as an apprentice shortly after that. He hated me. You know how he beat me. A little girl. He beat me till I bled, then he would remove that memory. He broke my bones a few times. That monster isolated me from my friends. He watched over me and any time I would start to get close to others, we would have some mission. He told me I needed to be close to him. That I was a timebomb ticking. He never had faith in me. Even now, I can't remember everything he did to me. He allowed me to go into places no child should go—especially not a little girl. He trained me wrong. He trained me so that I would lose. That I would run away. Those days of cruel endurance training were just another way that sadistic fuck found enjoyment. He wanted me to die. He trained me to die. But I killed him first." Umbra finished her monologue.

"That's right. He's dead now Rosa." Yang said. Umbra watched Weiss. She was beginning to struggle.

"Weiss, hold it together." Blake said.

"Why did he help me?" Weiss said.

"That was his mask. The mask of a good and helpful person. I saw him for who he really was." Umbra said.

"Rosa, the Sith are the wrong path. Look at what they've made you into! This isn't you." Ruby said.

"You keep saying that! You think I know who I was? Everything in my life was fake! Maku made it fake!" Rosa shouted.

"I know this darkness that surrounds you right now is not your own." Blake said.

"Of course it is." Umbra said.

"In my trial, I was given a vision of the past. I saw you, Rosa. The darkness wasn't in you. It was on you." Blake said. Umbra turned her attention to Blake. Weiss finished off another white fang clone. They were getting closer.

"That doesn't make any sense." Rosa said. Confusion filled her voice.

"I realized something Rosa. Only after Cyan gave you your necklace back did you start to lose power. It got worse the more jewelry he started to give you. It wasn't you! Someone enchanted your Jewelry!" Blake said. Rosa didn't respond back.

"No… There was darkness inside of me the whole time." Rosa said with little emotion.

"Just like all of us. Maybe you had more than we realized, but most of it isn't yours!" Blake said. "And since it's not yours that means you can get rid of it! You don't have to be a slave to the darkness!"

"Even if I could get rid of the darkness, what then? Where would I go?" Rosa asked.

"You could stay with us!" Ruby said.

"You couldn't protect me." Rosa said, no hope in her voice at all.

"Rosa… please just listen to us." Weiss said.

"There is no hope for me. Why don't you give up?" Rosa asked.

"Because there is hope. There always is hope. You should know that, Rosa." Yang said.

"Not today. I'll see you later." Umbra stood up and ended the call. She opened a portal, but before she could step through it, Mace Windu burst open the door to the floor. Mace saw Umbra.

"Rosa Reidan. You must be stopped." Mace said.

"You're too late to save me Master." She spat out the last word. Mace rushed forward, but Umbra stepped through the portal before he could get to her. It closed right behind her. Mace felt the darkness leave the room.

"There should only be stragglers now." Mace said.

Nix Khan sliced through her fourth Sith. She put her lightsaber away and grabbed one of the Sith's lightsabers. They routed the enemy. The Mandalorians had finished the enemy. The Sith were gone. Nix turned to the Jedi Sun.

"This was too easy." Nix said.

"It was." Sun said. Yatsuhashi was helping move the Paladin so they could go back to patch up the wall.

"This was never meant to be a battle they were going to win." Quinlan Vos said as he stepped next to Sun.

The battle had ended on the outer front. The battle in the city had small pockets left but was mostly complete. Quinlan looked at the battlefield.

"This is a terrible waste of life. This never should have happened." Quinlan said.

"We know they wanted to lose this battle. Maybe that means that they are done with whatever they were doing here." Sun said.

"Mace Windu has gotten to the files first. He's been transferring them to the Venator, and we're checking everything there." Beat said.

"This feels less certain than at Hellio." Sun said.

"Certain?" Quinlan asked.

"At Hellio, we took out the leader. But here, we know many of the leaders fled." Sun said.

Ruby and Yang got to the final level of the HQ. They ran into a Sith and a few clones on the way, but nothing too demanding. They got to the last level and saw Mace Windu already standing there.

"Master." Ruby said. Mace turned to Ruby.

"We've won." Mace said. Yang was a second behind Ruby. Shaak Ti opened a door and was followed in by Weiss and Blake.

"The battle is over then?" Shaak Ti asked.

"We have everything. Including some of their files. All of them point to Mistral." Mace said.

"We do have one of their leaders in our custody." Weiss said. Mace and Shaak turned to her.

"Ilia."

Ilia had a massive headache as she opened her eyes. Everything was blurry. She saw that she wasn't outside now. A second later she remembered what happened. She looked around and saw Mace Windu in the room with her. Her arms were locked onto a table.

"You are Ilia Amitola are you not?" Mace asked.

"You are Jedi Master Mace Windu." Ilia said.

"I am." She felt a calming aura come over her. She looked down and saw her aura was glowing. She looked behind her and saw Jaune Arc healing her.

"To help you remember everything." Mace said. Ilia looked around and saw the room. She was in the makeshift armory in the tunnel. There were weapon racks on the wall that were getting their weapons replaced. Two Clone troopers guarded this side of the door. She saw the helmets of two others.

"Why should I tell you anything?" Ilia asked. Mace nodded at Blake, who Ilia just realized was in the room as well. She placed her scroll in front of Ilia. Ilia looked at Blake.

"You can look. But don't think you can do anything else." Blake said. Ilia picked up the scroll and saw all the battle plans. She looked at the ID of the photos and saw that it came from her, but she never took pictures of the battle plans.

She scrolled through the batch of evidence that pointed to her sending the Alliance all the information ahead of time. She knew this type of data could theoretically be altered, but it would take time and someone who knew how to break all the shields in place to stop this from happening.

She finally understood that this was why her allies turned on her. She was an outcast again. She continued to scroll until she found a message she had written. One where she explained to Blake that there was going to be an attack… then that was deleted, and she tried to tell Blake to leave. She remembered deleting this message completely. How was this here? And the line about wanting to save the woman she once loved… Oh Gods, Blake knew. Her skin started to turn red. This wasn't right. Then there were all of her searches about Blake's career up to that point.

"Everyone who had a connection to Rosa Reidan, or as she calls herself now, Umbra, got these messages. You are known as a traitor to the White Fang. You will never be allowed back there." Mace said.

"And the other stuff…" Ilia asked.

"It seems only that letter you began to pen Knight Belladonna had any use information. The rest was meant to embarrass and shame you." Mace said. Ilia glanced over to Blake, who also had a blush. She brought her hands up to hide herself.

"You were captured by Jedi knight Schnee after your allies betrayed you. It looks as if they want to set you up as the fall person so Adam Taurus or Kaiser as he is known now could keep his power." Mace said. There was a knock at the door. Mace opened it with the force. The rest of Team RWBY entered the room. Weiss stood next to Blake, trying to settle herself as she saw Ilia.

"From what we learned today master, the Sith are led by someone called Salem. This Salem wanted the White Fang to lose." Yang said.

"Salem… We'll have to look into that." Mace said.

"I don't know anything about a Salem. I know Kaiser and Umbra are Sith. I know they killed Seinna Khan and took total control of the White Fang. I know they betrayed me." Ilia said. She looked down at the table. "That's all I know."

"You will be handed over to Ghira and Kali Belladonna and the justice system of Menagerie to determine what will happen to you." Mace said. "If you remember anything else, it may help your case."

"What's going to happen to me?" Ilia asked.

"That depends on the justice of Menagerie and your own actions." Mace said.

"Did Umbra… Rosa, tell you any of her plans?" Ruby asked.

"We only talked a few times. It was mostly about you and your team." Ilia said.

Jaune returned to his room, and completely collapsed onto his bed. Nora was getting a permanent set of Jedi robes and buying some more clothes for their travels. They were going to go to Mistral soon. Everything pointed to Mistral. It was the plan at the start.

He could barely think. He was so exhausted from healing everyone. Every part of him hurt. Even if he didn't really fight, he probably used the most energy. Battle Meditation and Force Healing were both heavy taxes on the body. Pyrrha was next to him and ran her hand through his hair.

"You were amazing today Jaune." Pyrrha said.

"Thank you." Jaune said.

"You all were." Pyrrha said. Nora turned around and gave a smile and a thumbs up. Ren was checking Nora and himself for wounds. He didn't find any that needed bacta right away. He turned and shook his head.

"I think we all showed off how much stronger we have become." Ren said.

"Food…" Jaune said. "I need food."

"Ok Jaune, we'll get you something." Pyrrha said.

"We got some pizza left in the fridge." Nora said.

"I'm so tired!" Jaune complained. Pyrrha couldn't hold it back. She had never seen Jaune like this before. She started laughing. Nora and Ren couldn't hold it back either. Jaune smiled too. He tried to bring himself up, but his arms gave out.

"I don't know how much I have left in me." Jaune said.

"That's alright." Kit Fisto was at the door. They turned to him.

"Master?" Jaune asked.

"The alliance forces will be returning to alliance territory soon. I know you are off to Mistral. Pyrrha can get a session in the bacta tank before heading out. It would delay your trip a little, but it's going to be the last one you're going to get for a bit. Unless you were in Argus." Kit said.

"I see. Thank you master." Pyrrha said. Kit smiled.

"You did amazing today. Especially you Jaune. Many lives were saved because of you." Kit walked away. Phyrra could feel the joy radiating off of Jaune.

They delayed their trip to Menagerie a week for Pyrrha. In that time, Menagerie had begun to repair. Many human alliance forces came and helped the Faunus rebuild. They saw that the Faunus were not the White Fang. They were also victims of the White Fang. Blake was sitting on the roof of her house seeing everyone helping each other. She had gotten her new outfit for Mistral and her new set of Jedi robes.

She put on her new outfit. She wore a form-fitting leather-like outfit. She had her Jedi Utility belt, and another belt strapped around her shoulders where Gambol Shroud sat. There were convenient sections of the outfit covered by armor. Pauldrons, gauntlets, and leg armor were strategically added onto the suit. The gauntlets became fingerless gloves. She wore large boots and but a large white coat over her outfit. There were a few hidden compartments, including a hidden compartment for a small blaster.

Weiss found Blake on the roof. She sat next to her.

"You know, even a few months ago, I would have doubted this would have even been possible. Humans and Faunus working together like this. We've gone a far way in such a short time." Weiss said.

"If we can fix that divide, we can save Rosa." Blake said.

"We can." Weiss said. "Together. All of us. Come on, we're looking for you." Weiss held her hand out for Blake.

"Sorry, I forgot that we were playing today." Blake said. Weiss helped Blake up and got a good look at Blake's new outfit.

"How does it look?" Blake asked. She moved side to side and spun around, using her amazing footwork to stay balanced on the wooden beam.

"Great. The shirt reminds me of what Nora got in a way." Weiss said.

"I guess we went with the same base." Blake said.

"But I have to say that the jacket makes the outfit." Weiss said.

Weiss and Blake entered the household. Nora was the first one to find them, she stopped in front of her and saw her new outfit. Nora looked Blake up and down as Blake did to Nora.

Nora's outfit had no sleeves. Nora had a form-fitting shirt made from the same stuff as Blake's new outfit. Nora's had a line running down either side of her Blake knew that they were there for more air circulation and to add hidden compartments. Nora wore a few armbands with pouches on both sides. She had a hood and a thin scarf on her back, and she had a large bag tied to her back. She had a Jedi robe in her backpack. Nora wore a Jedi utility belt and a blaster holster. Nora's outfit gave her options to add or subtract depending on the weather.

They both looked for something that couldn't burn.

"Looks like we're set for tomorrow." Nora said.

"Looks like we are. But… don't think I'm going to hold back in sabacc." Blake said.

The next day Teams RWBY and JNPR arrived at the Venator with Pyrrha healing in it. Jaune helped Pyrrha get out of the tank as they set her up to see the results of the tests they were going to do. Another x-ray after Pyrrha got dried off and changed. Gael saw her again and showed her the x-ray.

"You see, even more of the bone has healed. A few more weeks in a tank and the bone should be able to be completely back together. At this point, you should be able to start feeling everything again and should be able to move your foot." Gael said.

Pyrrha closed her eyes as she began to move her foot.

"Amazing." Jaune said. Pyrrha watched as her foot was beginning to move again.

"Now don't think that you can stand on your own now. You may cause a lot of harm if you try. The bone is still regrowing. It may be in the range that we can do surgery to fix the rest, but that would take a lot of time that you don't have." Gael said.

"Is there something we can do while we're gone in Mistral?" Jaune asked.

"Yes…" Gael spun around and found a case. She opened it and smiled. She closed the case back up and handed it to Jaune.

"This case is full of Bacta bandages. Place these over the wounded area and change them every day." Gael said. "Come back at least once a month so we can check on the progress. By then we should start seeing the first batch of bacta plants growing in Menagerie."

"May the force be with you." Pyrrha said.

"And you. You are going to need it." Gael said. Jaune and Pyrrha left the room they were in and saw everyone else.

"One more step along." Jaune said. Pyrrha had a massive smile on her face.

They boarded a LAAT. They weren't going to be able to take it all the way to Mistral. They were going to have to go back to the city and get an airbus. The one they got, the one that would take them to Mistral the fastest, would bring them back to Patch. It would stop for the day there to pick up anyone else and pick up supplies, then go onto Mistral.

"Looks like we're going to spend one night home." Yang said as she looked up from the route.

"How is going back to patch the fastest way of travel into Mistral?" Weiss asked.

"Since they don't have too strong of a clone presence, they can't accept LAATs at the time. The good thing is that we're the only ones on this route so far." Yang explained.

They left Menagerie behind. Sun and the rest of the Jedi were figuring out what exactly they were going to do. Ilia was still in custody. But Menagerie was improving.

After a few hours they landed in Patch. Tai was at the docks when they got off the bus for the day. Ruby and Yang were the first off and hugged him.

"Hey Dad." Yang said.

"We missed you." Ruby said.

"I know." Tai said. "But look at you two. It's only been two months but the two of you… You are completely different people. All of you are." Tai said. Tai brought everyone to his home. Ruby and Yang stopped before they entered the house.

"Dad…" Ruby started.

"Girls?" Tai asked, concern filling his voice.

"Is… Is mom's body buried on the cliff?" Yang asked. Tai looked confused at his daughters.

"Her grave is there." Tai said. He didn't understand what was going on.

"Her body Dad. Umbra… Rosa… told us she thinks Mom is alive." Ruby said.

"Umbra? Wait you talked with Rosa? Then where is she?" Tai asked.

"She's a Sith." Yang said. "Is mom's body buried in the mountainside?"

"Yes. Yes, her body is buried there." Tai said. His voice had become cold. Ruby hugged Tai again.

"Thank you." Ruby said. Tai held Ruby and grabbed Yang into the hug.

"You are going to be okay. Both of you." Tai said.

Qrow was walking down the road to an old friend in Mistral. He was hunting for Ozpin's reincarnation. He had been using Ozpin's cane and a trick Ozpin had taught him that allowed him to find Ozpin's soul. Ozpin didn't fully explain it, but part of it did have to do with the force.

It had taken him to a farmstead. He stepped to the gate, and immediately felt the light side of the force. Something or someone here had a strong connection to the light side. He opened the gate after ringing a bell placed out front.

"Em, It's me, Qrow." He took a few steps on the property.

"Qrow?" Em said. She was out in the garden, covered in dirt. Qrow watched as she got up. She was covered in dirt, and Qrow had to hide how much he liked her look. She stepped to the front gate and saw him. She smiled as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"How are you handsome?" Em said.

"Handsome? I haven't heard someone call me that in so long." Qrow said.

"You know I have something for that scraggly look you have." She ended the hug.

"I'm looking for Oz Em." Qrow said. Her face fell and she brought her hand to her face.

"You really are unlucky Qrow. Even for you this is terrible luck." Em said.

"What, you've seen Oz's new body?" Qrow asked.

"Yeah, and I raised him, and trained him, and sent him on his journey." Em said.

"Fuck…" Qrow leaned back and looked at the sky. "How long ago did you send him away?" Qrow asked.

"Weeks ago. He's probably halfway to Mistral by now." Em said.

"Weeks! Em you could have called!" Qrow said.

"With what number? And with what reception. If you forgot, I kind of live in the middle of nowhere." Em said.

"Fair. Sorry for bothering you." Qrow turned, but Em grabbed his hand.

"You aren't leaving just yet." Em said.

"I think it would be best if I get back on the trail." Qrow said.

"In a few hours." Em pulled Qrow back and planted a kiss on his lips.

"Gods… Fuck it, why not." Qrow smiled as they went back into the house.

Ruby was the last one to get back on the Skybus. Alice and Onyx were gone, training with the Mandalorians. She bought a small jar of honey. She hoped this could bring back the good times when she would see Rosa next. She stepped onto the Skybus and saw the entrance close. They were headed to Mistral. It would take some time before they would get there. But they wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now.

They were going to see Rosa again and save her from herself. They were going to show Rosa that there was still hope for her. That there were still people who cared for her. They were going to show her that she could come back to the light. They were going to remind her of who she was.

Ruby turned to her team. They stood there, waiting for Ruby to say something. Yang and Weiss got new outfits for the journey ahead, along with Ruby. Many of them decided to change what they were wearing. Weiss was wearing a light blue jacket with sleeves rolled up to her elbows, the jacket itself having red linings inside. She wore a dark blue suit vest, buttoned up with faux rubies, with a white shirt underneath. She wore regular jean pants with a Jedi utility belt holding them up. She wore sneakers. Ruby couldn't believe Yang talked her into changing her style so much.

Yang wore a back and yellow leather crop top jacket with an orange crop top shirt under it. Her stomach and part of her chest were exposed. The jacket was able to be zipped up. Yang added her own flair by popping the unzipped parts of her jacket. She wore comfortable pants and a pair of sneakers. The back of her jacket hung down longer than the front, and her outfit created the image of a dragon on it. She smirked.

"Found these last night. Last clothing store open." Yang said.

"Weiss you've never looked more different." Ruby said.

"Ruby how did we get you into a dress uniform?" Weiss asked. Ruby was in a dress uniform, mostly black except for the big yellow line running down the dress. The cuffs and the hem of the dress were circled by red. She wore comfortable red gloves and had both of her cuffs clipped. There were straps on her dress and a Jedi golden symbol at chest level, with a small pocket above that, lined by red fabric. The neck was held together by two golden buttons. She strapped her cape to one of the straps. She wore long red stockings with red and black shoes. She tied a red ribbon to her leg, like Yang had her purple bandana on hers.

"This is a dress uniform?" Ruby asked.

"Yes Ruby." Weiss said. "It looks good on you, but how did you not know? The website has that information on it." Weiss said.

"I kind of looked at the pictures and saw I could put my cape on. Also, dresses are great as YOU USED TO KNOW!" Ruby said. Weiss took a step back.

"I would have gotten one if that store had something that didn't make me look like my mother." Weiss said.

Ren stepped over. He was in a traditional outfit from his region. He wore a green overcoat with pink lining inside which reached to his knees. He wore white pants held up by his utility belt. He wore a black T-shirt and wore a green vest over it with traditional knot buttons. He more a lucky coin emblem with the Jedi emblem on his belt, attached to red strings.

"Once again we all change before a mission." Ren said.

"This is a big one." Jaune, he and Pyrrha were the only ones not to change their style.

"We're on our way to Mistral." Nora said.

"This is going to be difficult, but that's why we're doing this. We can do this." Ruby said.

"We also have a job to root out the darkness in Mistral. We know the white fang went to Mistral." Ruby said. Blake shook her head.

"We're probably going to have to search the nearby villages. I don't think they would be able to get a stronghold in Mistral with Professor Lionheart watching out for everyone." Blake said.

Darth Memores sat in the professor's office in Haven Academy. He poured tea for Lionheart.

"Lady Salem knows how strong you have become since you have seen the errors of your way. She would like to congratulate you on your progress. And thank you for allowing the Sith to practice here." Memores said.

"Of course, my Lord. The honor is mine." Lionheart picked up the tea.

"She has also asked that she be let known if that group of Jedi arrives. They have been a nuisance, but little more than mosquitos to our goal." Memores said.

"I understand. Oh, and here is the list of the most loyal huntsmen to Ozpin's cause." Lionheart handed Memores the list. He drank the tea he poured for himself.

"You truly do have a fine taste. Salem herself would complement this tea. Do you have a few more bags that I can take to her?" Memores asked.

"Certainly. I have the huntsmen loyal to Salem on the lookout for the troublemakers all over. If Sun Wukong comes back here, he will not make it out alive. He has been a thorn in our side for too long." Lionheart said.

"Taking the initiative, good Leo. There are other Jedi here. Not many, but some. Be careful." Memores said.

"I always am." Leo Lionheart, headmaster of Haven Academy, former ally to Ozpin, current Sith loyalist, said.

Author's Notes: So, we are off to Mistral, but we already have a threat step 1. The gang got redesigns. I used images from Shana340 on Deviant Art for Weiss, Styokun on twitter for Yang, Shana340artblog on tumblr for Ren, and takenisketch on Tumblr for Ruby.

Nora and Blake are based off of Mara Jade, Nora from her time with Talon Karrde and Blake during her days as Emperor's hand.

I couldn't find a good picture that matched what Jaune did, so he didn't get e redesign.

With the Menagerie arc over, we're going to be seeing fewer of the characters for a bit.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone

May the Force be With You

-DragonZlayerx12

PS: Nora and Blake stopping the bomb is an I, Jedi reference