Chapter 16

Ruby, Yang, Ren, Nora, and Qrow went to search the rumors of Sith in the ruined city of Kuroyuri, but before they reached, they found ruins of a Sith Lord, his Holocron, and Raven. Raven took the Holocron, and Darth Ira laid a trap for the Jedi in Kuroyuri.

Ruby had her lightsaber out and trained on Darth Ira, one of Salem's inner council. She tried to ignore the dozen other people blocking off the other exit to the city. She wasn't going to risk it to use both her lightsabers. The others moved out to give more room. The charred body of the Jedi fell to the ground. Yang burned the body so Ira wouldn't desecrate it anymore.

"Qrow Branwen. How good to finally meet another member of team STRQ. It's been too long since I've tested myself against a worthy opponent." Ira said.

"We won't let you out of here." One of the Mandalorians said. Ruby couldn't tell which right now. They spread out and aimed at Ira. Ruby saw one of the other force-wielders behind Ira take a step forward.

"Remember to avoid the tail." White hair, one of the other force users who had white hair, said. Ruby needed to give them some distinction, so she chose the most prominent feature.

"Ira is fast. Don't let him rush you." Green hair said.

"That won't help much with me, Jedi. Or should I say former? I remember you two. How are your masters?" Ira said with a wicked smile.

"Fuck you." White hair said.

"Oh, that's right. I killed them. Drank their blood in front of you." Ira said. Ruby felt sick. She was wondering why he had blood on his face. It wasn't from an injury. He was a cannibal.

"You're disgusting." Nora said.

"Human flesh just has this taste that you can't get anywhere else. Especially the eyes." Ira said. A wrist rocket was fired, but Ira put up his hand and stopped the missile.

"I hope you didn't think that would be enough." He flicked it back at the Mandalorians. They rolled out of the way and started firing. Ira took out his lightsaber and used the lightsaber of the Jedi he killed. His red blade and the black blade came together. Ira blocked the strikes with ease.

"You would think that Mandalorians wouldn't open with such a weak attack." Ira said. Ira finally moved from his spot, rushing passed White and Green hair, and jumping onto the chest of a Mandalorian. One of the other Mandalorians raised their wrist and fire came out. Ira jumped back, hitting a destroyed wall. He pushed the wall and rolled behind a Mandalorian. He jumped up, spinning. The Mandalorian activated their jetpack and started flying. A lightsaber took off his leg, but he escaped with his life.

Wires were fired encircling Ira's arms. White rushed forward and threw his lightsaber. He took out a shard of dust and changed it into a dagger which he threw at Ira. Ira dodged the lightsaber and smacked the dagger out of the air with his tail.

He brought his arms up, taking the Mandalorians off their feet. They quickly detached the cables and flew in the air. White used the force to jump over Ira and grab his lightsaber. He pulled out a dagger and held it in a defensive position.

"You don't learn, do you?" Ira said. Ira spun around blocking Harbinger. It was still in sword mode. Ira's tail was struggling to hold back Qrow.

"Don't lose focus." Qrow said. Ira raised his wrist and The Queen's servant hit Harbinger. Qrow stumbled and was thrown off the attack for a second. White used the distraction to jump in the air bringing his lightsaber down. Green rushed in with his lightsaber going in an upward arch. Ira blocked both strikes. He brought his lightsabers close in together and stepped back. White and Green slammed into the ground. White brought his dagger up and slashed at the black blade. The blade short-circuited the lightsaber, and it shut off.

"Cortosis dagger. Clever." Ira said. Green took out one of his own. Ira jumped up and grabbed the Mandalorian he cut the leg off of. The Mandalorian tried to get Ira off of him, but Ira's grip was too strong. Ira was avoiding the exhaust of the jetpack by bringing his legs onto it. Ira brought his wrist to the neck of the Mandalorian and sliced it. The Mandalorian crashed into a building.

"One down." Ira said. He watched as the jetpack exploded, bringing everyone's attention to it for a second. He rushed to the two orphans. He brought his tail up, but Ren pushed Nora out of the way and brought up StormFlower, and blocked the strike. Nora rolled and spun out Magnhild in grenade launcher mode. Ira jumped back to avoid the grenades and felt a shot on his back from Yang's Ember Celica. Yang

"We're still here." Yang said.

"I'm working on that." Ira said. He raised his hand and sent a massive force push at Yang. She brought up her force shield but was still thrown back. The buildings behind her were leveled. Yang stood up and her eyes changed to red. She was starting to glow.

"You aren't leaving this fight." Yang said.

"Is that anger I feel?" Ira asked.

"Determination." Yang replied.

"Let's see if the Jedi is right, or if we can actually reunite you with your precious Rosa." Ira said.

Ruby fired at Ira. He brought his lightsaber up and blocked the strike Yang rushed forward. Green jumped out from one of the buildings behind Ira and went for a slash at his head. Ira spun around and blocked the strike before kicking Green into the ground. Ira moved his head quickly to avoid a blaster bolt. Yang was on him now, opening with a strong strike. She was not wasting any energy. Ren was firing at Ira, forcing him to use one arm to defend himself against Ren, and the other against Yang. Ira jumped back from a strike and landed on a piece of wall. He pushed off it and sliced at a Mandalorian that was hiding in the shadows. Ira's lightsaber didn't kill, but it did slash the blaster in half.

Ira landed and sent out a blast of force lightning. Nora jumped in front of Yang and raised both her hands. She began to absorb the energy but was flung back. She slammed into a house. She raised her hands and created a force bubble to stop the house from crushing her.

She felt energy rushing through her muscles. Nora jumped forward and brought her lightsaber down in an overhand arch, aiming for Ira's head. He blocked the strike but wasn't able to punish her. White attacked again. Ruby fired at him. His aura took the hit.

"You are stronger than last time." Ira said. White smiled until Ira's tail entered his abdomen. White was taken off the ground. He dropped his lightsaber and dagger.

"No." White said as he slammed into the ground.

"You still weren't strong enough." Ira said. White's blood filled the street. Green rushed forward and jumped over White's body. He used the force to grab White's lightsaber and started a full-force attack. The Mandalorians rushed out of their spots and opened fire on Ira. Ira blocked the attacks from Green.

"Did you two really think you were enough for me?" Ira asked. His tail wrapped around Green's hands. Green widened his eyes. Ira dragged Green in the air to take a wrist rocket. Green let out a pained gasp. His aura was still standing. Ira slammed Green into the ground and brought him back up. He slashed at Green while using him as a human shield. Green let out screams as he was being attacked.

Ira let him go and kicked him into a building. It began to collapse. A Mandalorian fired at Ira as soon as Green was gone. Qrow rushed in, swiping at Ira as they moved along. Ruby tried to get a shot at them, but Qrow and Ira were too fast.

Qrow blocked a strike with this false lightsaber. He had to drop the weapon when Ira's Red lightsaber cut through it.

"Shit." Qrow said. He brought Harbinger down as Ira was getting close. The sword dropped down, and Ira was hit by two shotgun blasts. Ira was hit, sending him back. He brought his weapons down into the ground, listening to the metal scrape across the stone. As he stopped, he spun around and kicked a Mandalorian's helmet. The Mandalorian flew back into the arms of another Mandalorian.

"He's dead." The other said. "His neck was snapped."

"He should have had a stronger aura then." Ira said. "It really was pathetic for him to die so easily. I can see why Von was tired of you weaklings."

"Isn't that the one I killed?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, it is Ruby Rose." Ira brought his head back to look at Ruby. Ruby put away Crescent Rose and took out her lightsaber. Ira jumped at Ruby. Qrow was right behind Ira until Ira sent a blast of force lightning. It caught Qrow and he slammed into the ground. A Mandalorian flew by and grabbed Ruby.

"He wants you, so you can't die." She said. She dropped Ruby and Yang jumped in the air and grabbed her. Ruby brought up a force shield to lessen the fall. They hit the ground and Ruby left Yang's arms. She got up and saw Ren and Nora blocking a strike from Ira.

"How much longer do you think you can handle me?" Ira asked.

A Mandalorian dropped behind Ira and brought his wrist up. His arm was grabbed by Ira's tail and torn off. He dropped and screamed before Ira's tail jammed into his mouth. Another dead Mandalorian.

"I hate when they think they got the drop on us." Ira said. He brought his arms down, and broke Ren's defensive stance. Ira dropped down and swept Ren off his feet. Nora was off balance as Ira thrust his hands on the ground, kicking Nora. He spun around to block a strike from Green. Blood covered his face.

"You should have just stayed in there." Ira said.

"I won't die like a coward." Green said.

"Dead is still dead." Ira said with a smile on his face. Ira turned off the black lightsaber for a second and got it in range. Green opened his eyes wide as the blade entered his chest. He coughed up blood. Ruby was up and swung at him. Ira took the blade out of Green and spun around. When the black blade hit Ruby's blade, it started to hum at a strange frequency.

"Silver, not white." Ira said. He opened his eyes wide and tossed the second lightsaber. It exploded in the air. Ruby was back up in a second. She entered into the state of Mind Master Windu had been teaching her about. She felt his darkness. She had to control the darkness that was bubbling up to the top.

She had to enjoy the fight. Enjoy the spirit of fighting but not let that take over. She hadn't really understood what Mace had meant. She knew that she could do the moves that Mace had shown her, but that wouldn't make it Vaapad. It would make it something similar, but so different. She HAD to use the darkness of her opponent. She had to use that energy. Mace explained it before. He called it the superconductor effect or something similar.

She felt Ira's darkness radiating off of him. She was given two lightsabers to simulate what the speeds of Vaapad could match. She knew that her speed allowed her to enter into the pseudo-Vaapad states she had been able to achieve in the past.

She felt in that sparring match with Mace back in Menagerie that she was able to touch the outer limits of speed in Vaapad. But it wasn't true Vaapad. Then there was no darkness powering her. Now, she had the most dangerous energy source available to her, the darkness of Darth Ira. She felt like there was a rapid stream in front of her right now. She had to either walk back from it, and fail to enter Vaapad, using a weaker form of combat, or she had to jump and use all her strength.

She jumped in.

She thought of all that before their lightsabers met a second time. Ruby was beginning to use Vaapad. She was beginning to enter into the mindset. She felt power enter her. She felt her heartbeat begin to increase! She felt adrenaline enter her bloodstream. She had a smile on her face. She was enjoying this!

Ira blocked the strikes, but he was completely confused. Why was she smiling so much? She was keeping up with him. This shouldn't be possible. Ira blocked her strikes. Her body began moving almost too fast for him to see. What was this?

"Is that…" Ren started.

"What Master Windu had been teaching her?" Yang finished.

Ira was not able to get the advantage. He realized after a minute that he had to break off this part of the fight for now. His mind needed to focus to be able to fight whatever this was.

He jumped back. He saw Ruby slam into the ground, her fist leaving a massive mark on the ground.

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked.

"What the hell was that?" Ira asked. A Mandalorian watched in awe of the speed. He couldn't keep up with the attacks. His eyes hurt. The flashes of Silver and Red were too much for him to keep up with. He still saw the flashes when Ira was coming his way. The last thing he saw was the red flash.

The remaining Mandalorians gathered at the edge of the city.

"Now's not the time to run away." A voice called out.

"Oh…" Ira said. "Didn't I kill you?"

"You almost did." Tyra said as she slammed down into the city. She stood up. Her robotic arm and eye smiled at Ira. She was in simple battle armor, similar to what Bandits would wear in these parts of Mistral. But there were still some bits of the Sith outfit to her. She still wore the base layer of the Sith robes. She wore combat boots instead of the Sith boots though. She grabbed her lightsaber and looked at Ira. He knew she remembered their last encounter. When he ate her eye. She would always remember that. She must have been training this entire time to kill him. It was as cute as it was pathetic. Even after all this time, she was still so obsessed with that day.

He may have eaten her eye, but that was hardly worth the hate she was radiating. Maybe it was everything else he did to her. He had no idea how she survived, but he wasn't against beating the information out of her. It was something he took intense pleasure in.

"You look better now." Ira said. He smirked as he glanced at her eye. "It is always nice knowing that I can still have such a succulent meal."

"I've been training to kill you. For years. Now, here you are." Tyra said. Tyra looked up and saw the five others.

"I see they're still alive." Tyra said. "Including Qrow."

"Tyra. Haven't seen you in a while." Qrow said.

"Are we missing something here?" Yang asked.

"Raven's girl I assume. You look so much like her." Tyra said.

"Great, we're all reunited." Ira said.

"Not all of us." Tyra said. Four of Tyra's former students arrived.

"You remember these ones, right? The ones most loyal to me." Tyra said.

"I don't mind doing some spring cleaning. But… I have a better idea." Ira raised his hand and a portal was made. Kaiser stepped through.

"You called for me, master." Kaiser said.

"Where's Umbra?" Ira asked, annoyed.

"You can't call her here like that. She's Vanus's student." Kaiser said.

"Adam!" Yang yelled.

"Kaiser. You should know that." Kaiser said.

"Which ones do you want?" Ira asked.

"I'll help Umbra." Kaiser said.

"So be it." Ira turned to Tyra and her students. He smiled as Kaiser turned to Qrow and the knights.

Kaiser took out his red lightsaber and looked at the others.

"What does Umbra see in you?" Kaiser asked. Ira was off fighting the others.

"She's, our friend." Ruby said.

"I'm sure. That's why you told her that the Sith…" Kaiser started.

"Enough of that." Yang shouted. "We've heard enough of that excuse. She knows we regret that."

"She knows we're going to save her." Ruby said.

"Fools." Kaiser rushed in. Ruby wasn't feeling the same level of darkness as she was with Ira. He was more controlled with the dark. She had less to work with. Yang stepped out in front and blocked Kaiser's first strike.

"Yang. How's your hand?" Kaiser asked.

"How's your eye?" Yang bit back. Kaiser let out a slow sigh.

"Bitch." Kaiser said. His knee drove into Yang's gut. She stumbled back. Ruby jumped at Kaiser and started attacking. She was much faster than at Beacon. She was pushing him back. Kaiser took a step back and activated his force drain ability. Yang was resisting it. He looked and saw Ruby fighting it now too.

"I see. You are getting stronger." Kaiser said. He dropped the drain. It wasn't worth it right now. He needed to continue to train with it.

Ira was rushing the first of the four. They moved out to force him to attack them individually.

"I should have made sure you were dead Tyra." Ira said. He was next to one of the apprentices and brought his lightsaber down. The apprentice blocked it but left himself open. Ira's tail rushed in. The apprentice jumped back but felt the strike hit. The apprentice had a large gash in his abdomen. He let out a gasp and fell. He would suffer as he died. He turned to see the second apprentice preparing a spell on another building. Ira jumped toward the second. As soon as he landed, she released the spell. It was a fear spell. He smiled as he took her head quickly.

"You taught them nothing Tyra. Where are you now?" Ira asked. "Two are already dead."

Hands reached from below him and grabbed Ira's feet. Ira was dragged down into one of the buildings and slammed into the floor. The roof began to collapse on itself, but Ira got back up and jumped out of the house. He spun his tail around and hit an invisible opponent. That Sith slammed into a wall. Ira brought his hand up and gathered dark side energy into a ball.

"You think you're the only one who learned to use the magics?" Ira asked as he tossed the energy on the downed student. The energy began to burn the student, and it entered his body. He screamed before he felt his skin melt away.

"You are a terrible teacher. That was such a weak spell I used. But you stayed with her." Ira spun around and found the last apprentice trying to get the drop on him, but Ira just watched as the apprentice rose in the air, choking. He had been weak enough for him to break the shield like that. Ira snapped the neck of the last student.

"Come to me." Ira shouted. He felt the Mandalorians rushing him again. He smirked until they broke the wall of a house. They had become monstrous creatures. They were close to Grimm. But they still had some humanoid features. They rushed him. They had massive claws. He avoided the strikes of the monsters. She had grown stronger.

"These are my newest creations, just for you." Tyra said.

"Do they have a name?" Ira ducked under the strike of one and brought his lightsaber up. The lightsaber cut the arm off. It let out a screech.

"Why should they?" Tyra asked. Ira sliced the eyes of one of the monsters. It grabbed its eyes. Tyrian created a bolt of hatred and used it on the monster.

"You brought magic into your fighting style?" Tyra asked.

"Because of you. I should thank you." Ira said. The monster was no more. He brought his arm back and fired into the skull of another of the monsters. The bullets left the brain exposed. It brought its head back and let out a roar. Ira used the force to squish the brain. The monster fell.

"You should have kept them as Mandalorians." Ira said. He started electrocuting two of the monsters. One grabbed his tail. He looked back with wide eyes. Ira felt the monster pick him up. He tossed his lightsaber and saw it sticking out of the eye of the monster. It dropped him. Ira grabbed his lightsaber before turning back at the two, he was just shocking. They were on top of him. He had to jump back to avoid being crushed. He brought his lightsaber up and sliced through the claws of one of them. He saw one crash through the side of the house he was in and almost get him. He jumped in the air and landed on the fatty arm. He brought his lightsaber down. He raised his hand and sent out a massive force push at the monster. It was flung back into the wall. It had massive chunks of the house sticking out in it. Green blood started leaking from the monster.

The other two were still there. He turned back and gathered the force energy within himself. He let out a force repulse, which destroyed the house he was in completely, the three monsters, the houses around him, and a large section of the wall. Blood and carnage littered the ground from the monsters.

"Are you done yet, Tyra?" Ira asked. The first monster rushed him. Ira raised his hand and sent a force wave at the monster, ripping it apart.

The original twelve that were sent were dead. Tyra's apprentices were dead. Tyra stood there out in the open. She rushed Ira.

Kaiser blocked Qrow's strike. He was avoiding the strikes from the other knights, but he blocked this one. He was standing sideways when he blocked the strike. He sidestepped and spun his lightsaber down, hitting Qrow on the way down. It was sloppy, so it was only a glancing blow, but it would hurt. Qrow rolled and hung onto his wound.

"Lucky hit." Qrow said.

Ren was on him now. Ren's acrobatics were a challenge to deal with as he was trying to block the grounded Yang and Nora's strikes. Ruby went to Qrow to check on him. Kaiser blocked a jab Yang made and brought his lightsaber up to block a downward strike from Ren. Ren forced Kaiser to the ground. He landed and rolled quickly to get back to his feet. He blocked a strike from Nora, gathering the energy.

Yang jumped in the air bringing her fist down at him. He jumped back but was still able to absorb access energy. He began to glow as he brought his lightsaber around at Ruby. He released everything. Ruby was hit by the strike and flew into the wall. Her aura broke and she slammed into the wall. She coughed up blood. Qrow was on Kaiser now. Kaiser stepped back and blocked the strike. He was angry. Kaiser saw him going faster than he had before. Ren was rushing over to Ruby. Nora was getting ready for this latest bout to end. Yang sent out a massive wall of fire at him. Kaiser raised his hands and blocked some of the attack, but he was still hit. Qrow's sword turned into a scythe and slashed Kaiser. He slammed through a house, breaking one of the last ones still mostly in contact. He slammed into the wall. Yang jumped into the air after him. She slammed her lightsaber into the ground. He spun out of the way and hit her with a blast of force lightning. Yang flew into Nora's arms. Nora let Yang down and started firing at Kaiser. He got up and ran. He absorbed what he couldn't outrun. He was on the other side of Nora and released the energy. She dodged it and turned her weapon back into a hammer.

"Shit." Kaiser said. She jumped up in the air and was above Kaiser. He opened his eyes wide, and she slammed him down into the ground. Kaiser slammed into the ground and got back up. His aura broke.

Ira rushed Tyra first. She brought her lightsaber up and blocked his opening strike. She pushed off of him and spun around. He brought his lightsaber down and blocked the strike. She brought her lightsaber up and smacked him in the face. He stumbled back and brought his hand up. She blocked the force lightning he was sending. She sent the lightning back at him. He flew back and rolled on the ground. She rushed forward and jumped in the air. She slammed her lightsaber into the ground where Ira was. He spun around and kicked her in the face. She stumbled back and jumped out of the way of his overhand strike he sent her way.

Tyra landed and raised her hands. All the stone and wood from the buildings rose in the air. It hung there until she started throwing them. Ira sliced the debris in the air and rolled out of the way when he couldn't. He felt a massive rock hit him in the back. He rolled out away and got back up. He sent a massive force wave destroying all the small items coming at him. Tyra opened her eyes wide. She didn't know that Ira had gotten this strong. She gathered her hands and sent out a wave of destructive magic.

Ira jumped over the magic wave and landed on the ground. A smile covered his face. Ira brought his hands to the ground, and it started to change shape. He was using magic to alter the terrain. A massive snake came out of the ground and rushed Tyra. She sent out a massive wave of fire at the snake. It slammed into the snake, but not before it jumped. Tyra had to roll out of the way of the snake. It landed on the ground. She brought her lightsaber out and slammed it into the head of the snake. It let out a hiss before dying.

"See how easy it is to kill a creature of magic? But look at Salem. She can control the Grimm. Creatures far stronger than these." Ira said. He smiled as he took out a small dark vial and threw it at the ground near here. A Beowolf came out and rushed her. Tyra brought her lightsaber up and cut off the head of the Beowolf.

"Don't you see that Salem is simply better than you in every way? She doesn't even need to be around for her creations to attack." Ira said. Tyra held up her lightsaber and looked at Ira.

"You are no Salem." Tyra said.

"I know that. No one can compare to her." Ira said. Ira decided to end this façade.

Ira launched into his fastest moves. Tyra was on the backfoot the entire time, blocking as fast as she could. Ira stopped short of the massive hole, but Tyra didn't. She slipped into it.

"You're stronger than before." Tyra said.

"I am. Salem has taught me a few tricks since we last fought." Ira said. Ira ended a lock and slashed at her. She stepped back. He fired at her. She had to take it. Her aura dropped. He ended the lock quickly and brought his leg around and slammed Tyra into the ground. She bounced and quickly got back up, getting hit by his weapon again. She stepped back and felt her aura weakening. Ira was there in a second and brought his foot down on her face. She slammed into the ground. She got away from him and got back up while breathing heavily.

"This was never fair from the start. All of this was just a game to you." Tyra said.

"Of course it was. But seeing you again made my day." Ira said. Tyra was out of the hole.

"You ruined everything." Tyra said.

"I excelled where you would have failed." Ira said. He jumped forward and brought his knee into her face. She went backward. Ira jumped and landed on her robotic arm.

"You always looked good below my boot." Ira said. Tyra raised her lightsaber, but Ira batted it away. He went down and placed a hand around her neck. He brought her up and looked her in the eye.

"How did you survive last time?" Ira asked.

"Fuck you." Tyra said. Ira slammed Tyra into the ground.

"You wasted so much energy on those monsters. Did you really think they would be able to do anything to me?" Ira asked.

"With Qrow here…" Tyra said.

"Yes. Maybe that's why you fell in the hole." Ira said.

"Are you going to kill me?" Tyra asked.

"It would be interesting. But I have other plans for you." Ira said. He dropped Tyra. She tried to get her lightsaber, but Ira slammed her in the head. She collapsed.

"Salem would love to see you again." Ira said with a smile.

He grabbed her and walked over to the other side of the town. He saw Kaiser being slammed into the ground.

"That's enough Kaiser, go back home." Ira said, his tail holding Tyra.

"Yes… Master" He opened a portal and fell into it.

"Congratulations. You get to live another day. Lucky for you, we found a deserter." Ira lifted Tyra's body. Ira opened a portal and stepped through. He opened it in the dungeons. He saw a Sith guard standing there.

"I got you a present." Ira said. The guard opened the door to a torture cell and Ira threw her in.

"Salem will be by soon to see her." Ira said.

Ruby watched as Ira left the town. She was breathing heavily. Yang was next to her and helped her up.

"Are you badly hurt?" Yang asked.

"My back is killing me." Ruby said.

"That was a Darth." Ren said. He looked at the town and saw there were no houses left standing. He looked back at his teammates.

"Ren, are you okay?" Nora asked.

"It may be for the best that this place is destroyed." Ren said. Qrow brought his hand away from his wound.

"I hate my semblance." Qrow said. The wound was open. Ren went to Qrow as Nora brought in Yang's bike. She searched for the wrappings. Yang went to her bike and activated the comms. She called Higanbana's Alliance forces.

"We need evac from the ruins of Kuroyuri. This is Jedi Knight Yang Xaio-Long." Yang said.

"We received commander." The clone's voice rang out. Yang wasn't going to correct him on status.

"Please hurry." Yang said.

Ren finished wrapping the bandages around Qrow as the call ended.

"That actually went better than I thought it would." Qrow said.

"We survived." Yang said.

"It may have gotten bad if he didn't leave with her." Ren said.

"Let's hope they don't take too long." Ruby said.

It took some time, but a LAAT arrived in the area. Clone medic Kix exited the LAAT and looked at the two most injured.

"I can walk." Ruby said. She got up and started walking before stumbling. She was in too much pain right now.

"We'll help you." Kix said as the other clones grabbed Ruby and Qrow. Kix looked at the wound Qrow got. He went to a kit on the LAAT and opened it up. He found a Bacta shot. He used it on Qrow who felt relieved.

"That's good shit right there." Qrow said.

"Good thing we've started growing more bacta." Kix said. In Vacuo and Menagerie, the terraforming droids had been able to make farmland that was able to grow bacta on a much larger scale than before. The seeds for the plants were bought on Thyferra and were of the best quality. Not bought legally as Thyferra had a ban on it, but Kix knew a guy who knew a guy. It was one of the last things he did before going to the ship.

"And you, Knight Rose, how are you feeling now?" Kix asked.

"I probably got a massive bruise on my back." Ruby said.

"We can check it here now if you want." Kix said. Ruby shook her head. She was in her Jedi robes, and she started taking it off. She took off the outer layer and was in a black tank top similar to her pajamas. Yang looked at her back.

"Damn Ruby, that one must have hurt." Yang said. Ruby lowered her Jedi robes, and they all saw a massive mark on her back, with a few cuts too. She flinched as the gust of wind entered the LAAT and hit her back.

"You are going to need more Bacta than a shot." Kix looked at the case and saw what he was looking for.

"I got a paste that will help with this. Your Aura saved your life. An attack like that would have probably pierced your lungs with a broken rib." Kix said.

"I can put on the paste." Yang said.

"I'll give you a second one." Kix handed her a second paste tub. Yang opened the first and started applying it. Ruby felt relieved.

"That works fast." Ruby said. She laid down on the medical bed provided, her back to the air.

Ren was barely awake. He almost fell asleep, but a bit of turbulence woke him up. Nora held onto him.

"We don't need you to fall now." Nora said.

They flew to Higanbana. Ruby stood up, covering herself with her robes.

"There's a private Jedi airship that landed recently. You can see if they will take you the rest of the way to Mistral." Kix said.

"Thanks for the lift." Qrow said. Yang brought out her motorcycle. Ruby stood next to her, pain in every step. Qrow got off the ship last, feeling much better. The bleeding stopped long ago. What he would have done to have bacta sooner.

"Do you know who the Jedi is?" Ruby asked Kix.

"We didn't see them. We just saw the ship as we were leaving." Kix said.

"Any idea where they may be?" Yang asked.

"Try the alliance barracks." Kix said. Kix led them through the expanding town. They got to the alliance outpost, a large, but simple building. They stepped in and saw Mace Windu there. Ruby smiled as she entered the building. Mace turned around and smiled.

"Master, it is good to see you right now." Ruby said.

"It's good to see you too, Knight Rose. Did something happen?" Mace asked.

"We just got back from fighting one of Salem's council members." Qrow said. "He got away."

"Tell me everything." Mace said. The team explained the Sith ruins and the battle. Mace listened to every detail. After Ruby finished retelling what happened Mace closed his eyes. His hand went to his chin.

"This Darth Ira is a known Criminal? What do we know about his history?" Mace asked.

"Only that he was found, not born into the Sith. He raised hell for a few years and vanished. He reappeared every now and then, often killing someone." Qrow explained.

"You fought well Ruby." Mace said.

"It was strange. Fighting Ira was easier for me than Kaiser." Ruby said.

"There are a few things, but the main one must be that Kaiser has more control over his darkness. You were unable to fully enter the Vaapad mindset." Mace explained.

"Ira singlehandedly took down six trained force users and ten Mandalorians. He's teaching Kaiser and taught the Sith Lord Von." Ren stated.

"You escaping with your lives is a success. The Darths are far stronger than we face regularly. If I fought him, I may be able to take him down, but that isn't fully guaranteed. Were you able to figure out what style he used?" Mace asked.

"I thought form VI since he used two until he got to me, but I don't think so." Ruby said.

"It could have been Ataru." Yang said.

"I thought Ataru had more acrobatics involved." Nora said.

"There are some variants that don't." Mace corrected.

"Why was he out there? Just to get us? How could he have known where we were coming from?" Ren asked.

"All good questions. I'm afraid the answers may not be so forthcoming. I will have to investigate Mistral myself." Mace said.

"Why are you here then?" Qrow asked.

"Part of the ploy we're using is checking on the Alliance bases in Mistral." Mace said. "We're going to make it seem that we're going to create one in Mistral so we can bring Jedi and troops. We assume the Sith don't know that you were able to send out messages to us."

"You smuggle us into Mistral during a routine checkup. The Sith know you are strong so there most likely won't be any attacks on you. They also know that we are in the city. But they don't know how many Jedi there are." Qrow said.

"Exactly." Mace said.

"We can bring you to the safe house and introduce you to Oscar." Ruby said.

"Oscar?" Mace asked.

"Ozpin's new life. I believe he told you about that neat trick, didn't he?" Qrow said.

"Something of the sort. Have you been in contact with Rosa since Menagerie?" Mace asked.

"Yes. Twice now that I know of." Ruby said. She explained what happened.

"I think this may be a very educational trip." Mace said.

The next morning, they were on Mace's ship as he flew the distance to Mistral. Qrow led the knights off the ship and snuck them through the city. They made it to the Safe house. Mace was on Comm with them the entire time.

"We made it back master." Ruby said.

"Good. After the meetings I'll make my way down to you." Mace said.

They opened the door to the safe house and entered. Ruby stopped when she saw Pyrrha standing. Ren and Nora moved passed Ruby and hugged Pyrrha. Jaune joined in the hug.

"We leave for a few days and look what happens." Yang said.

"Don't act like you're not happy too." Ruby said.

After Team JNPR ended their hug, Nora asked the big question.

"You got your legs back?"

"I did. I can walk again." Pyrrha said with a smile on her face. "The Tree of Light did it."

Weiss and Blake were in the kitchen preparing lunch. Ruby took a seat and waited for everything to die down before she began to report. She waited for Oscar to sit down. Ruby reported the story once again, adding in everything from the ruins to the fight to meeting up with Mace.

"Quite a busy time." Weiss said. "And we have something to report as well. About Rosa."

"You saw her?" Ruby asked.

"Yes. On the airbus. She…" Weiss began to explain what happened.

"Oscar, what did you mean you had something to ask her?" Ruby asked.

"That is something I can't report yet in case any of you get captured. But please, have faith in me that we will be able to defeat Vanus." Oscar, with Ozpin's voice, said.

"What about Ira? Or the other two?" Ruby asked.

"Darth Vox, Hazel, is a fierce opponent like Ira. The fourth Darth still escapes notice. We've been hunting him for years now." Oscar said.

"We still have to find Raven and keep her away from the Sith." Yang said.

"And we need to figure out how to get Rosa back on our side." Weiss said.

"We should also spend some time training. We may have beaten Kaiser this time, but he's just going to train even harder now." Ruby said.

"Speaking of Kaiser, we need to figure out what he's been doing this entire time in Mistral. And why the White Fang are here." Blake said.

"We have many things we have to do, but right now we just need to rest. We need to be at full strength when we start unraveling the Sith's plans." Oscar said.

A few hours later a knock came at the door. Ruby opened it for Mace, and brought him in. After showing him around, and showing him to the Hologram Table, Mace asked Ruby to stop. Sun got the table running.

"How'd the meeting go?" Sun asked as the Jedi temple in Vale answered, and Shaak Ti stood there.

"The Council is split about the proposal to bring Alliance troops into the city. Leo Lionheart was for it." Mace explained.

"Why would he be for it?" Ruby asked.

"I believe to look to be like he's still on our side." Mace said.

"Did you feel the dark side in them?" Shaak Ti asked.

"Almost all of them. It seems the Sith have been getting more forces on their side." Mace said.

"Do they know that we've been in contact?" Sun asked.

"I don't think so. Leo asked if I knew where you were. I lied to him. I could sense his frustration, but he did not get to the truth." Mace said.

"I may be intruding…" Oscar said. "But I hope to be of any assistance."

"Oscar, it's good to see you here." Ruby said.

"This is Ozpin's new vessel?" Mace asked.

"Yes." Oscar said.

"This world is strange." Shaak Ti said.

"I'll be returning to Vale soon. We cannot afford to miss any one of us for too long right now." Mace said.

"How bad is it still?" Ruby asked.

"The Grimm are being held off, but the situation is very fragile. The White Fang still have an active presence in Vale and have been more violent recently." Mace said.

"And the random Sith attacks are spreading us thin." Shaak Ti said.

"What about Atlas and Vacuo?" Sun asked.

"Atlas is rebuilding. Vacuo is the only kingdom that is in a good spot right now. The Jedi and clones out there have been a major help" Shaak Ti reported.

"And Menagerie is recovering still." Sun said.

"So, we have our eyes on here." Ruby said.

"Yes." Mace said.

Oscar was still awake long after everyone else. He couldn't sleep right now. He was just lying in bed. He decided just sitting in bed wouldn't help him, so he got up. He left his room and walked down the stairs to the living room.

"Meditating may help." Ozpin said.

"No. I don't need that right now." Oscar said.

"Meditation is always useful Oscar." Ozpin said.

"I just… I need to think a little." Oscar said.

"I'll listen." Ozpin said.

"It's about this idea you have. You are keeping it a secret from me. Why?" Oscar asked.

"Oscar, what I have planned will help everyone. I need you to trust me. But right now, knowledge can be a weapon for the enemy. If they knew what I planned, it wouldn't work." Ozpin said.

"I understand that, but I am you." Oscar said. "So, shouldn't I get the right to know your plan?"

"I paid with my life the ability to kill Vanus when we next meet. I swear to you Oscar my plan will work. Vanus will die as she needs to." Ozpin said. Oscar's face changed.

"You want me to kill her?" Oscar asked.

"No, but you will enable her to be killed. Once she does, the maiden power leaves the Sith." Ozpin said.

"I don't want to kill Ozpin." Oscar said.

"I'm sorry. But you are going to have to." Ozpin said in a harsher tone than he meant.

"Why? I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be a Jedi, or to be your next life. I just wanted to be a farmer and live a simple life. I don't want adventures. I don't want to be in daily near-death situations. I don't want to worry about my friends whenever they leave this stupid house. I don't want to be thinking if I don't hear from someone in an hour that they're dead in some alleyway with the Sith tossing their bodies in a dumpster." Oscar said. Ozpin was quiet. Oscar just looked at his hands.

"It's not fair, you know. No one ever asked me what I wanted. I was fine being on a farm. I don't like it here. I don't like cities. I feel too many things here. It's overwhelming. With plants, things are simple. There's no hate and darkness in plants." Oscar said in the dark.

"I just want a stable life. After Mom and Dad… died… I had nothing. Then I had Aunt Em. Her husband died a year before my parents. We were all we needed. I didn't have to worry about Sith Lords who could level whole cities coming after me." Oscar said.

"Why can't I just have had a simple life?" Oscar asked.

"Oscar." Weiss said.

Oscar turned around and saw Weiss standing by the stairs.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Oscar said.

"You didn't." Weiss said. Weiss moved over to a chair.

"I'm not the best at this but it seems like you need someone to talk to." Weiss said.

"How much did you hear?" Oscar asked.

"The first thing I heard was you talking about not wanting to kill." Weiss said.

"So, most of it. I'm sorry…" Oscar started.

"No, no, it's fine. You need to let those emotions out." Weiss said. She was remembering the therapy sessions… Maku did. She learned the principles of it from him after she asked.

"I know that not a lot of people can be Jedi and that I should be grateful for it…" Oscar started.

"Why?" Weiss asked.

"What?" Oscar asked.

"Why should you be grateful for having Jedi powers?" Weiss asked.

"Because not everyone does." Oscar said.

"No. That's not why. Not everyone has deafness, but you don't think you would be lucky to have that." Weiss said.

"The Force and deafness aren't the same." Oscar said.

"I know. Your powers, they seem like they were thrust on you, right?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah. I didn't ask for them." Oscar said.

"I know. But you do have them. Despite what you want or not. I thought I wanted to be the head of the SDC when I started at Beacon. But I really didn't. I was letting my father's expectations become mine." Weiss said.

"The SDC is gone now." Oscar said.

"And part of that hurts. Like part of your powers. Rosa had that same power of feeling emotions. She was able to handle it, most of the time, I think. That power is overly sensitive in you." Weiss said.

"I haven't had a moment just to myself since Ozpin came to me. I don't want to sound spoiled…" Oscar started.

"Trust me, if you did, I would tell you. So would my team." Weiss said. Oscar smiled at that.

"I suppose so." Oscar said. "I know I can help more people now. I know that I can do so much more than I used to be able to. I know that I have a duty to help those around me."

"You do, but you also have a duty to yourself. Don't forget that." Weiss said.

"I don't want to kill people. But I know that being a Jedi means that I will have to eventually. I didn't have that expectation. I was expected to learn how plants grow, how to take care of them, and I was expected to find a wife and make a family to keep the farm." Oscar said.

"We have all killed people Oscar. We've had to do it to protect life itself. To protect each other. But it isn't easy on us. I hope you know that. None of us kill mindlessly. We do it because we have to. In some ways Oscar, you bear light burdens." Weiss started. Oscar looked at her confused.

"But in other ways, you burden yourself far more than is healthy. You have a natural ability, a body able to complete the training, and a mind that helps you do everything you can. But you put too much focus on others. Your selflessness can become dangerous. You need to limit yourself more. You crashed recently. But you have yet to slow down." Weiss said.

"I can't slow down." Oscar said.

"Yes, you can. Ask Blake and Yang about that." Weiss said.

"I'm not ready for this." Oscar said.

"You never will be. You have to be okay with that." Weiss said. "You can only do your best. You can't do someone else's best. You can look at them to help you, but don't compare yourself to any of us. You are you, Oscar."

"Thanks, Weiss. You are a lot better at this than you give yourself credit for." Oscar said.

"Maku… taught me some of his techniques." Weiss said.

"What's going on down here?" Ruby asked, walking down the steps half asleep. She flicked on the lights. Oscar and Weiss tried to cover their eyes, but they couldn't.

"Hey! I've never seen just the two of you talk." Ruby said. She went to the fridge and grabbed a water bottle.

"I was trying to help him, Ruby." Weiss said.

"Sure, whatever." Ruby said. She started chugging the water bottle. "I love 3 AM water. Wish water was always this good."

Ruby went to the couch and sat down next to Oscar.

"Can't get to sleep?" Ruby asked.

"It seems like you can't wake up." Oscar said.

"You should drink some herbal tea." Ruby said. "Always hits the spot when I can't sleep."

"We're not brewing tea at three in the morning Ruby." Weiss said.

"Fine. Do you want to see the massive bruise on my back?" Ruby asked.

"What? Ruby, what are you doing? Please don't take off your shirt here." Oscar had a massive blush on his face.

"Gotcha." Ruby said.

"What?" Weiss asked.

"You were being all sad and stuff, so I wanted to change that." Ruby had a mischievous smile.

"Sometimes I don't get you." Weiss said. Oscar saw the start of the bruise and felt the pain in her back.

"It does look painful." Oscar said.

"It was." Ruby said. She lifted her shirt a little so they could see.

"Is that when you were slammed into the wall?" Weiss asked.

"Yep. Now I can't sleep on my back or lay down for a few more days." Ruby said.

"Can't Jaune help you?" Oscar asked.

"It's not bad enough." Ruby said.

Oscar shook his head.

"I'm sorry this isn't what you planned, Oscar. I just hope this is what you need. People around you who need you and who will help you. These are good people like you are."

Author's Notes: Another Double day. Don't get used to these. As I said in the last chapter, this was meant to be one chapter, but since I split it, I was able to focus more on the Sith Ruins and the Fight. Five Thousand words for the fight.

One of the problems RWBY has is the cast. They don't interact a lot. I don't think Weiss and Oscar have a single moment where it's just the two of them. I hope I gave Oscar and Weiss good character moments. Next chapter we're going to see Rosa and the Sith.

I hope I can work on a lot of the problems the series proper has. RWBY has so much potential but it's the people in charge that have no idea what they are doing, we've found out before V9 came out. I don't think Viz is going to keep the series as it was. I think the most recent RWBY projects have been last ditch efforts to save RT, but since they have closed, the fate of RWBY is once more up in the air.

It is the fans who are keeping RWBY alive. It is the fanart, fanfiction, and fan animations that keep people here. It isn't the writing. It may seem a bit conceived of me to say this. But I am not the only one to say these sort of things.

No reviews since last time.

Please leave a review, and everything else.

May the Force be With You

-DragonZlayerx12