Chapter 34
Arslan struggles with the trauma of losing her team to the Sith and struggles with working side by side with Rosa. Roman Torchwick finished assembling his team, which led to one of the Sith bases being revealed and bombed. Salem has prepared to launch the first wave of Sith troops, starting the Siege of Atlas.
A cargo ship made it to the port of Mantle. The crates were being lowered. Nix Khan and Jasper Emir, along with their clans, had finally made it to Atlas. Inside the crate that was being lowered was Jasper's ride. It wasn't… strictly speaking street legal. He didn't know how it could be after he attached the machine guns. It had been a project his dad and he worked on. Amber sometimes came and helped with it too. Then after their father died, it kept the siblings close to each other. They could work with their hands far better than they could work through emotions.
After it was finished, Amber drove it around for a while. They could have had something different. They could have driven something with a roof. But that wasn't them. Amber loved feeling the rush of excitement she felt when she drove the buggy. She loved it. But one day, she returned it. Something had changed in her. Jasper didn't know what at the time, but he knew now. She had become the Fall Maiden. She had taken on more responsibilities. She had stopped taking on as much danger as she used to.
Jasper thought she just didn't like the buggy. She was growing up, so he thought that maybe it was best to scrap it. But he couldn't. He took it driving after Amber stopped using it. After she disappeared, he used it to go everywhere. It was here where he and Nix created memories. Good and bad. It was here that he traveled most of Mistral. He had become the leader of the Emir clan after his uncle died. Some of the other Emir Mandalorians started creating buggies like his.
One of his cousins, third or fourth once removed actually suggested adding on the weapons. He liked the idea, so he did. But he put them on in a way that they could easily be put on and off when they got near settlements and cities. There was no reason to scare anyone.
He had gone through Mistral with it and decided to go to Vale next. After that, he went to Vacuo. The only reason he didn't take it to Menagerie was because he knew that Nix would have told him if Amber was there. And she didn't. So she wasn't there. He found out about the powers at some point between Vacuo and Vale. A ruined city told about the maidens. He learned that his sister was one. And how she became one.
He had made alterations over the years. He changed all the exposed metal with Beskar. He added a button that would bring rise armored panels. He gave the buggy a booster so that it could, for short periods, fly in the air. He added a few hidden guns in the buggy. He was pretty sure he added a flamethrower to it as well, by the door handle. If someone tried to open the door while the armored plating was up, they would be burned to a crisp. He was pretty sure there were a few missiles in there as well, but that might just have been one of the upgrades he wanted to add. He knew the turret was there though.
"We should introduce ourselves to Ironwood." Jasper said as his men brought the buggy out.
"I can't believe you still use that thing." Nix said.
"I could never get rid of it." Jasper said.
"So sentimental." Nix punched his arm.
"I think you should still remember what we did." Jasper said. There was no one around them, so they could speak freely.
"Those were very comfortable seats." Nix said.
Kaiser woke up. Valum was next to him, sleeping, naked, as he was. He touched her face gently.
"Valum." Kaiser said. She sat up, her hair disheveled. Of course, after everything they did last night, that wasn't a surprise.
"What is it?" Valum asked.
"We have to be ready soon." Kaiser said. Valum reached her hand up and grabbed Kaiser's face and dragged him in for a kiss.
He didn't know what they were. He didn't want this to just be a fling. He wanted more. And he saw that he could have that.
Valum was beautiful.
They had gotten up and dressed. Salem called them to her throne room. She had a smile on her face.
"Good to see you two are finally awake. Enjoy yourselves?" Salem asked.
"Yes." Kaiser said.
"Good. Now, onto business. We are preparing our forces now. Requiem should be meeting with you shortly in the base." Salem said.
"When should I meet with him?" Kaiser asked.
"Within the hour. Valum, today, I need you to go with Lilith to find those Sith who have talents in stealth and deception. Nihil will be there as well, but she will be looking for those with talents in Alchemy. Though you will be under Lilith for now, you should also search for Sith with Magical talent." Salem said.
"Yes, Lady Salem." Valum said.
"You have both pleased me. Your loyalty and your bond will bring forth a new age for the Sith. Enjoy each other as often as you can. It is a pleasure that makes us stronger." Salem said. Kaiser looked at Valum. She looked at him. He wanted whatever they had, whatever they did last night, to keep going. He wanted them to become something. He wanted… no needed a deep connection.
"If need be for you Kaiser, you can have a polygamous marriage, though I don't know why you would need to marry. But for you… that might be needed." Salem said.
"Polygamous?" Kaiser said.
"Of course. While your efforts last night were valiant, they won't be enough to spread your power to the Sith at Large. But you are one who wants connections. So, I authorize you to have as many wives as you will need. That is of course if you intend to keep your bond with Valum." Salem said.
"I do." Kaiser said. Valum reached her hand and grabbed Kaiser's hand.
"Thank you." Valum said.
"Oh, and Kaiser, soon, the children you and Rosa made will soon have their genders revealed. Just in case you wanted to know." Salem said.
A reminder of Umbra. But Salem called her Rosa. Something new.
After they left the throne room, Valum looked at Kaiser.
"Thank you for saying that." She said.
"I know she wants more. She will force me to take others… but I won't abandon you." Kaiser said. He was going to be different from everyone else in her life. He didn't know why he felt so protective over her now. Maybe it was because they both experienced much of the same.
Kaiser made one stop before going to meet with Requiem. He was in front of Sun's cell. He opened the door and looked at the Jedi.
"Please. Not today." Sun said.
"I'm not here to hurt you." Kaiser brought Sun food and water. Kaiser had gotten used to seeing Sun naked, and it no longer registered. He was sure the same was true of Sun. Kaiser freed one of Sun's hands with the force. He moved the table over to help Sun.
"Last night, a new face came in here. She didn't say anything. She just touched me." Sun said.
"I don't understand." Kaiser said.
"She examined me like I was an animal. It was like she was memorizing every detail. She touched everywhere." Sun said.
"Did she take anything from you?" Kaiser asked.
"Samples. Of everything. Hair, spit, urine, blood. You name it, she took it. Are they planning on cloning me?" Sun asked.
"I don't know." Kaiser said.
Sun started drinking the water. Kaiser placed a bucket full of water on the table, within reach of him. The food was nothing good. Kaiser was pretty sure they had ration bars in there, and nutrition cubes, but nothing that tasted good.
"Why do you do this for me? You're the reason I'm here." Sun asked. Kaiser knew what he meant. He didn't hit Sun anymore. He didn't do anything to hurt him anymore. He just made sure Sun had enough to keep going. He made sure that he wouldn't run away. He made sure he wouldn't collapse from dehydration or starvation. None of that was too good of him.
"Salem makes me eat off the floor. She chokes me and slams me against the wall and then makes me bleed so she can taste it. She threatens me all the time. She says she's going to do terrible things to me." Sun said.
"Like?" Kaiser said. He saw Sun's eyes darken.
"She threatens to… use me. She says that she'll make me…" Sun couldn't finish. Kaiser didn't want to hear what he was about to say. Salem would never do that to someone. She would never force herself on someone. That's too far.
Requiem made it to the base first. He looked at the troops. Did they know that they were going to be the first ones to attack? Did they know what that meant? Many of them were going to die.
This was one of the bases that were going to attack. This one had walkers and tanks, which Requiem hoped would be able to damage the soil enough that troops were going to be able to use them.
Kaiser stepped through the portal.
"You're here." Requiem said.
"Have you told them yet?" Kaiser asked.
"I was waiting for you. Oh, here's your armor.
Kaiser grabbed the armor. It was heavier than he thought he would have liked, but it would do the job. It was black and red. His emblem was painted on the back, and the logo of the white fang was painted on the front near his right chest. It was very flexible and wouldn't cut off his movement that much.
"The metal used is one of the strongest found on Remnant. It has a strong lightsaber resistance, so you are able to take a few hits before anything bad happens. It should also redirect the energy of blaster shots." Requiem said.
"Any special features?" Kaiser asked.
"The armor has a knife blade that mimics what the clone commandos use. It also has the ability, for a short while, to make you translucent to disorient the enemy. It has a flamethrower, and another launcher, which can use the other forms of dust to create something else. That's the right gauntlet. The left gauntlet has a small ration of antivenoms and other supplies that should be used only in emergencies. You'll have to replace them yourself. You may have noticed that there seems to be a bit sticking out over your left chest. There are ten vials of healing stimulations. They're potent, but hard to come by. You'll have to go to Nihil to get any more. Salem covered the price of the ten." Requiem said.
"No helmet." Kaiser said.
"It didn't fit your style. I made this instead." Requiem handed Kaiser almost an exact copy of his White Fang ask.
"The mask has targeting aids inside if you ever pick up a blaster. It also can quickly become a gas mask. The gas mask comes with four hours of oxygen, but the vials would need to be replaced, and it's able to filter out toxins, and Nihil's Miasmas, in case you ever have to fight alongside her." Requiem said.
"Impressive." Kaiser said. He quickly put the armor on. It felt strong.
"The gloves and boots have some additional features as well. For instance, they can stick to metal and most other materials. The boots have fire and gravity dust, allowing you to fly for short periods. If you switch out the fire or dust for other materials it could create other effects that I haven't been able to foresee." Requiem said.
"Most impressive." Kaiser said.
"This is the only free set you get." Requiem said.
Kaiser stood in front of the troops. He got their attention quickly.
"Attention everyone. Today is the day you have been waiting for! Today is the day we launch our attack on the enemy's Heartland. Today we start to siege Atlas." Kaiser said. Cheers went out.
Fordo was in Mantle, as always when he looked over the reports again. Something felt different today. He expected something since they attacked the Sith. He just finished his coffee when the first alarm started. He went to the computers and saw one of the drones had caught large-scale movement of Sith forces coming toward Atlas.
Another drone picked up another large-scale movement of Sith from the opposite direction of the first drone. Then more drones were seeing large-scale movement. The Sith were moving for war.
Fordo got his men ready. They planned for this. The enemy had them surrounded, and Mantle would be the opening battleground.
"General Ironwood, do you read me?" Fordo asked.
"I see them. The battle's begun. We've got some new allies who will help you. Two Mandalorian clans, the Khan and Emir clans." Ironwood said.
"Good." Fordo said. His men were moving to get to their stations. The civilians were being moved away from the edges of the shields.
Fordo stood on the Western edge of the shield.
"Ironwood told us to talk to you General Fordo. This is Nix Khan, and I'm with Jasper Emir. Which side of the city are you on?" Nix asked.
"The Western. Take the southern edge." Fordo said. That was where the docks were. They wanted to make sure no one was coming from the ocean.
"This is Mace Windu, at the northern edge of the shields." Mace reported in.
"This is Alliance general Winter Schnee. We have air support all over the city. I've sent Master Cyprus and Jedi Knight Karel Allusis to take over the Eastern edge." Winter reported in.
Nihil was in one of the bases that had a lot more Sith in it than usual. She had noted a few that would make good apprentices but wished she was in the battle.
This first attack was just about establishing everything. She knew that her Miasmas wouldn't help too much here. But that didn't mean that she didn't want to be with Requiem. She had to trust that douche Kaiser with his protection, and that was something that didn't satisfy her.
She wondered why they were attacking Atlas first when the outlining cities would make more sense. It was probably a test of their strength. Once they saw how Atlas defended itself, Nihil was sure they would turn their attention to the easier targets to get. She asked Salem if she wanted her to make a few miasmas to quickly take out some of the outlining cities. But Salem refused.
Salem was in a good mood today. She wasn't entirely sure, but she thought it had to do with the start of the siege. She saw Lilith and Lady Valum appear. She stopped and looked at Valum again. There was something different about her. But she couldn't focus on that.
"Nihil, have you found anyone yet?" Lilith asked.
"For me. Why were you so late?" Nihil asked.
"Running tests." Lilith said.
"More clones?" Nihil asked. Lilith was one of the people in charge of the cloning process.
"A new template that we can mix in." Lilith said. She turned to the Sith they had training. She grabbed the datapad and went down. Valum was about to follow her when Nihil made a comment.
"Something's different about you." Nihil said.
"I don't know what you mean." Valum said.
"I don't either. Maybe it's because of Kaiser." Nihil saw her stiffen.
"How did you hear about that?" Valum asked. Her face was burning. How could she have heard about her and Kaiser having sex so soon? Did Salem tell her? Why would Salem tell her about that? Did she know exactly what they did? Did Salem watch her and Kaiser? She didn't know what she thought about that.
"What do you mean? He's not here right now." Nihil said. They looked at each other for a few seconds. Valum's face brightened. She didn't know. But now she did because Valum was being paranoid. And her shit-eating grin made Valum realize that she had revealed it.
"Oh wow." Nihil said. "I didn't think anyone would get him."
"Shut up." Valum said.
"Come on, you can tell me about it." Nihil said.
"I's rather die." Valum said.
"Was he that bad? Sorry." Nihil said. Valum didn't know what came over her, but she needed to defend Kaiser.
"No, he was great."
Nihil's Grin was still there. Valum had fallen into her trap. It was so obvious she should have seen it.
"Salem must have been happy. One step closer to having that ability spread." Nihil said. Her voice was different at the end of her sentence. Like she didn't like the idea of Kaiser spreading the ability. Maybe she didn't agree with how he would do it.
The Sith forces were moving toward Atlas, large groups of Grimm in the air toward the cities. The Fifth Fleet, or the Atlas Defense fleet, started getting into defensive positions. Winter was given authority over the fifth fleet as long as she needed. Winter watched as the Grimm started to fill the air.
"Everyone! You know what to do. We're focusing on the Grimm first. Snub fighters and bombers will be able to go after any heavily armored vehicles. We're here to help the ground forces!" Winter said.
Requiem turned to Kaiser. They weren't leading the battle on the front lines. They were about to split up soon after and take different halves of the battle. The Grimm started to appear in the sky as they moved toward the city.
"We have two of the troop transports coming in by sea, correct?" Kaiser asked.
"I've sent for them."
"They will have the best chance to get inside." Kaiser said. "If we're right... we'll be one step closer."
Ruby gathered her team. This time, the fight was really here. They had four massive groups of Sith coming toward the city. Team RRWBY was going to go wherever they were needed. Team JNPOR was right behind them. Qrow found them before they left the Academy.
"Ironwood wants to keep Rosa and Oscar here in case the enemy tries to do what they did last time. They know that a Maiden is here. It's still a massive target." Qrow said.
"We should go with them." Rosa said.
"Hey, I don't like it either, but he has a point. This is the goal of the enemy. We don't know if they have people inside already." Qrow said.
"Where are we going then?" Jaune asked.
"We got four parts of the battle. You can either go off as partners and help the four sections or stay together." Qrow said.
"What's getting hit the hardest?" Ruby asked.
"Everywhere." Qrow said.
The Sith army was slowly moving forward. The large walkers and tanks were leading the charge. Sith Lords were leading many groups into battle. They were able to see the first ships of the Fourth and Fifth fleets in the air now.
The Walkers were heavily armored troop transports that were able to go over almost every terrain. The models were designed originally much smaller and meant for mining, but Memores stole and vastly improved on the designs. The biggest weakness was how slow they were, which is why the Sith still used Tanks.
The walkers were used for mining operations back in Salem's realm. The walkers were able to go deep underground, and they could climb almost any surface. It allowed them to be able to get many of the natural materials they needed, and it allowed for the arming of the army. After the civil war, the biggest reason the Sith army had been unable to attack the kingdoms was because of the lack of materials. Only in this lifetime were the Sith able to fully arm and armor the Sith army for war.
The walkers were going to be targets from bombers and snub fighters. They had massive cannons on them that were able to move up high in the air, but it would be hard to get a hit. They knew that. That is why Salem brought as many Grimm as she had.
If the Walkers were able to get to the shield, they were able to deliver dozens of Sith troops each. The tanks were meant to defend the walkers. They were smaller, lighter tanks that were able to hover. They were the same ones used at Hellio. From every direction, walkers were closing in on Atlas.
Pietro looked at the slow-moving transports with the drones. He was able to scan them and see how they moved. Maria watched over his shoulder.
"I think those are the mining walkers." Pietro said.
"I thought the plans were destroyed by Arthur Watts… who is Darth Memores. They've made some upgrades." Maria said.
"The walkers have troops inside." Pietro said.
"Clever." Maria said. Pietro grabbed his scroll.
"Penny, make a defense-wide call. Tell everyone that the walkers have troops in them. They are heavily armored. Assume they want to get them to the shields." Pietro said.
"I will send the message Father." Penny said.
"We're too old for this." Maria said.
"It's a good thing we were able to make more batches of the light missiles. I'm wondering if we're going to have to call the first and third fleets here." Pietro said. The first fleet was the fleet over Vale, led by General Erynn Locke.
"I've heard of her. She's a tough bitch." Maria said with all respect.
"Let's hope she doesn't have to come here. She'll have no mercy." Pietro said.
"What about the Second Fleet? Why not bring them here too? I heard that Branwen's people are with them now." Maria said.
"General Kaelen Rahal would probably love to be here." Pietro said. Kaelen Rahal was the General over Vacuo and had as much skill in classical warfare as he did in guerilla warfare.
"That force of nature. He'd probably break all your toys." Maria said.
The walkers started firing at the shield. Testing it out. Pietro watched the power levels on the shields. They'd hold for a while. But he didn't like they were in range to fire at them.
Winter fired light missiles at the hordes of Grimm in the sky, killing large amounts of them.
"Take out those walkers!" Winter ordered. They got Pietro's message. She didn't like seeing the stolen Atlas tech used against them.
The Grimm were still in the air, but the capital ships were directly taking on the Grimm. The capital ships were giving the bombers cover fire. They left the confines of the shields and found the first walkers they could find. Some Grimm went down at the bombers, some of them attaching on, and destroying the bombers before they could drop their load, but only a few went out like that.
The walkers were smaller targets than they liked, but they were still big enough. The first wave of bombers dropped on the first walkers. In all directions, bombs rained down around, and on, the walkers. The terrain was damaged leaving large holes in the ground. Some of the walkers blew up, causing them to buckle in on themselves – whatever was left anyway – or they collapsed on their sides. But there were still more walkers and tanks coming.
The first wave of bombers had to return to the shields. The Grimm were starting to focus on the bombers. The walkers were able to move around the destroyed walkers and move closer to the city.
General Fordo had his micro binoculars out and saw the enemy now. They were almost in range of the turrets. The turrets would have to focus on the tanks for now. It looked like they wanted to get into the city on foot and just needed to get close. He wondered if the tanks would be able to sneak into the shield. Jaune and Pyrrha made it down to him. He turned around and saw the two Jedi. He was surprised for a moment when he saw Pyrrha standing and walking. But this was probably just Jedi stuff he wouldn't understand.
"We're here General. Where do you need us?" Jaune asked.
"Do you still have that sniper you made?" Fordo asked Pyrrha. She brought the gun around and held it out.
"Take position. We have a group of snipers behind the first group of barricades. When they get closer, the snipers will move back, and the regulars will move forward. Switch to your lightsaber then." Fordo instructed Pyrrha.
"I'll use battle Meditation." Jaune said.
"Are you going to be able to handle it with this many people?" Fordo asked.
"I've gotten better at it since Menagerie. But it would help if we had a few more users here." Jaune said. He turned his head when he saw Plo Koon arrive.
"General Fordo, Commander Wolfe his men are under your command. What can I do?" Plo said. The Wolfe pack was a great help to this front.
"Right now we're stuck just waiting." Fordo said.
"I understand. We've sent a master at each of the four sectors." Plo informed Fordo and the knights.
Kit Fisto went to the southern sector with the Mandalorians and the local defense forces.
"I see we meet once more." Kit Fisto said.
"I don't think we were really introduced the first time." Nix Khan said.
"How are we doing here?" Kit asked.
"They're still coming." Jasper said. His gun was switched to the sniper mode. He saw the troops moving. It was still just a little too early for him to start firing. The buggy was out, and it had all its attachments.
The Southern sector was also in control of the docks, which had many of the naval vessels that Atlas used. Though most of the navy were docked in the other coastal cities to protect them, the naval fleet over Atlas wasn't the strongest.
Kit felt something.
"Do we have sensors in the docks?" Kit asked Penny after pulling up his scroll.
"We have Anti Grimm sensors. Why do you ask?" Penny said.
There was an explosion, and one of the naval ships in the dock exploded.
"Shit! They made it in the shields!" Nix said.
Two large troop transports burst out of the water. They fired their cannons at the ship before they surfaced. Troops started to rush out.
"We got troops inside the shield!" Kit called out. "We got troops at the docks, inside!"
Sith troops dropped and the Sith Lords in the group turned on their lightsabers. Nix and Jasper turned on lightsabers as well. Yang and Blake dropped from the sky, turning on their lightsabers as well.
"Sorry, it took us so long to get here." Blake said.
"Couldn't find a speeder I liked." Yang joked.
"What, no yellow?" Kit asked. He had a smile on his face.
Shaak Ti stood in the Eastern Sector with Clones, alliance troops, more of the Atlesian Knights, and a few dozen Jedi. Nora and Ren arrived as they watched the Sith forces advancing. The turrets started firing at the tanks moving forward.
"Master Ti, we've finally arrived." Ren said.
"How are things looking here?" Nora asked.
"We're going to have to hold the line here. We're in charge of the hovertrain." The hovertrain was a recent build from the Republic engineers that connected Mantle to Atlas. The hovertrain held many passengers and circled Atlas as it went up.
"We got this." Nora said.
"We must not let the enemy get to the hovertrains. We must keep the battle down here." Shaak Ti said.
The snipers started firing at the enemy.
Mace Windu took the Northern Section. He watched as the Sith forces started to move in. His defenders were ready to take them on. Ruby and Weiss used the Drexl summon from Weiss to fly to the Northern Section.
"Good. You're both here." Mace said.
"Wouldn't miss fighting alongside you master." Ruby said. That made Mace smirk.
"We will repel these forces today." Mace said. There was no room for debate with him. It was already done in his mind.
"Yes we will." Ruby said. She took out Cresent Rose and started firing. She took out one, then another, and another.
"I see some Sith Lords." Ruby said.
"We'll take care of them." Weiss said.
The bombers went for another round.
Kaiser watched as the alliance fought the Sith forces. He learned the two aquatic forces had made it into the city and were fighting the defenders in the southern sector, which was good because it spread their attention thin in the sector.
He thought of Valum. He didn't know how she had become someone important to him so quickly, but she did. He hoped her mission would be successful. His mission would be successful no matter what. This was just the first part of the assault. He'd probably have the troops retreat after a time so they could examine everything.
His mind flashed back to Valum. The openness they shared with each other was fresh in his mind. He had to not think of that right now. There was a battle. But he wanted her with him. He knew they didn't have a lot of time to get to know each other, and part of him was wondering if this was part of Salem's manipulations. But he wanted her. And he hoped she wanted him.
Another light missile was fired and took out another mass of Grimm. Kaiser began wondering if the Sith should start creating capital ships and snub fighters. He would have to ask Salem. Perhaps she had some ready to launch. They could use some anti-air turrets right now. He saw the defenders start firing at the men with sniper rifles. He brought down his micro binoculars.
The second wave should be launched now. He brought up his commlink and called Requiem.
"I think it's time for the speeders." Kaiser said.
"I won't argue with that." Requiem said.
The battle plan was to send in five waves. The first wave would take the heaviest hits but would expose the defenders' plans. The Second wave was the smallest but had some of the best potential. They had Sith who were going to use speeders to get to the shields quickly and make it into the city. The third wave would be the light troop transports that would try to make it to the shielding. The fourth wave would launch at the same time but stay behind and build the defensive structures that they were going to use. They were crude defenses, but better than nothing. They were partially droid. The defensive structures were able to move with a droid brain. It was crude machinery, but it did its job. The structure would see that it made it to the right destination and drill into the ground for stability. Then the droid would die. It would leave something stronger than the pillboxes of the Great War, and about twice the size. The troops would rush in and quickly set up the boxes. They might be able to survive a bomb or two. They definitely would be able to survive anything besides that.
The structures would be able to switch between the pillbox which it was, to a mortar station, to anti-air guns for whoever got to the top. They would mark where the Sith were claiming. They would be out of the range of the turrets, so only the ships would be able to take them out. If they had many of those light missiles, the boxes might prove to be worthless. They weren't Kaiser's idea. They were Memores's idea.
The fifth wave would start planting traps while trying to get everyone out. They don't need to bring the city down right now. They needed to see how Atlas would react. They needed to set up the area around Atlas.
They needed to set up the trap that the Fifth Group was now setting up. It was a test that Vox wanted to do. He wanted to see if the trap would shoot up and take out any ships that came from the North. He said it didn't matter which way, but he just needed it. The North was chosen with a coin toss.
The trap was simple. It was a seismic bomb. It would be launched by a droid that was being buried. Another simple droid. It would launch the seismic charge, and it would activate as soon as it reached the flying height that the Alliance ships flew at.
Vox had an idea of what it would do, but he had doubts about the ships' shielding. He was sure that it would take out an entire squad of fighters. Vox just wanted to see if the bombs would be effective before beginning mass production. He wanted to see how it would handle the larger ships. Vox made a few for testing.
Kaiser watched as the second wave left the bases and sped toward Atlas.
Ironwood gathered all the details from the battle. The Six AI were working overtime to dissect everything they were gathering. The Ironwood AI was focused on military strategies the enemies were using. The Winter AI was focused on the air battle. The Ghira AI was studying the tactics used by the Sith inside the city.
"If they have any Sith forces inside the city, they should be moving toward Atlas." Ghira said.
It was a thought he had. The trains were full getting civilians up into Atlas. A Sith who snuck in before could very well have found their way into Atlas.
Rosa felt the battle starting below them.
"This is bullshit. We should be down there." Rosa said. "Is this because they can't trust me?" Rosa asked.
"We trust you Rosa." Oscar said.
There was a troop transport flying to the docking bay. Rosa took out her lightsabers and so did Oscar.
"Penny, did the alliance have a ship coming to the Academy?" Oscar asked.
"There are no reports of any troops with that ship type coming to bolster Atlas." Penny said.
"Dammit! I was wrong Oscar." Rosa said. The door opened and Sith started to leave.
"I see the traitor's waiting for us." One of the Sith said.
"Maybe I should have paid attention more to you random Sith." Rosa said. There were three Sith there. Sith troops left the ship as well.
"You better leave this place." Quinlan Vos stepped forward.
"I don't think we will." The second Sith said.
"Ruptor, how many Jedi have we killed?" The first Sith said
"I've lost track, Morbus." The second Sith, Ruptor, said.
"Remember, Salem wants the traitor alive." The third Sith said.
"We'll be careful Brand." The first Sith, Morbus said.
"I'll take the big one." Brand said. Morbus rushed in at Rosa. He had a single lightsaber and brought down his lightsaber. Rosa blocked the attack.
Ruptor went after Oscar, the troops rushed into the school. Arslan, Neo, and team FNKI pushed back the first group.
"Get the hell out of our school." Flynt said.
The Jedi turned on their lightsabers.
"And get the Hell out of our kingdom." Flynt added on. Neo rolled her eyes. She signed something that only Arslan could understand.
"Language!" Arslan yelled at Neo.
The Sith were getting ready for the fight.
Kit Fisto was fighting four Sith at once. He was in his element. Nix Khan was alongside him fighting another Sith, while Jasper was fighting two. The Mandalorians were holding back the Sith forces in the city. The first walkers stopped and opened up right outside the shields. Blake turned her attention to the Sith forces moving into the shield before she had to return her attention to her fight.
"They made it in!" Blake shouted. She ducked under a strike and brought her lightsaber across. The Sith moved but was still hit, leaving a massive gash on his side. He stumbled forward.
"No." He said. A ship came down from the Fourth fleet, full of Jedi. Karel Allusis dropped and looked up at the battle. He brought his lightsaber up, killing the Sith in front of him.
Team Epsilon dropped out of another ship and moved to the edge of the shield. They started firing at the enemy coming forward.
"We got speeders coming in hot." Beat called out. The news went out to the defenders. Cross fired, taking down a Sith.
"Don't stop firing." He said. Cy fired a grenade at a group of Sith trying to get behind some cover. The Atlesian Knights that were stationed in the buildings activated and started firing at the Sith troops. One of the Sith troops threw a grenade that used electric dust, making it a makeshift droid popper, and took out a section of the knights.
Tip laid down suppressing fire at Beat ordered Cy and Cross to take to the alleyways. More and more Sith forces were starting to move inside the shield. But the defenses were still effective. One of the tanks tried to get inside the shield, but it crashed. The turrets were able to easily destroy that one. The shield was working at keeping the vehicles of the Sith army out.
"General Ironwood, we have the low-yield missiles that we can use inside the shield. Do you authorize?" Winter asked.
"How low yield?" Ironwood asked.
"About the same as a 40mm round sir." Winter said.
"That's still strong. Do we have any other option?" Ironwood asked.
"The Sith are inside the southern sector. They're close in all the others." Winter said.
"Test them out in the southern sector. If I don't like the results, then stop." Ironwood said.
"Understood General." Winter authorized the missiles to be fired. She realized that the Sith were using the main road to move their forces. They were using that to give them quick access to Mantle.
"Take out the road." Winter said.
The missile went down and took out a massive chunk of the road into the city from the southern section, killing thirty Sith troopers. There was a massive crater, but the enemy wasn't able to continue advancing.
"Sir? That missile had confirmed 30 KIA." Winter said.
"The road. You destroyed it." Ironwood said.
"They are now at a disadvantage. The road has a slight incline, which will force the soldiers to spend time out in the open climbing to get into the city." Winter said.
"Which would leave out men time to take them out before they become a threat." Ironwood said. "It's a good plan. But we shouldn't destroy the roads until we have to."
"Sir, we couldn't get anyone down there fast enough to raise the road." Winter said.
"I'm sending out the order for the other sectors." Ironwood said.
Fordo got the orders. He had a few engineers here that would be able to do it. But they had to be fast. The enemy was advancing.
"I'll cover them." Pyrrha said. Fordo turned around and nodded.
"Hurry." He said. The snipers were moving back while the Atlesian Knights were moving forward for first contact with the enemy. Fordo looked at the road they were on. Once the alarms rose, the defensive walls rose from the ground. His forces had taken advantage of them. He ordered some of his snipers to get to the roofs of the nearby buildings.
Jaune stood next to Fordo.
"What do you need me to do?" Jaune asked.
"Prepare for Sith." Fordo said.
Jaune saw the speeders coming. The turrets switched from the tanks to the speeders. He felt the Sith on them. Plo Koon turned on his lightsaber. The blue blade hummed.
"They are determined to get in the city." Plo said.
"We'll stop them, Master Plo." Jaune said.
Pyrrha and the team had made it to the controls and started the process of raising the road. A turbo laser blast slammed into the ground outside, making everything shake. They took out multiple enemy units, including a few of the speeders.
It was a strong blast from the turbo lasers and one that they couldn't expect to keep up. The shot was strong, about as strong as a few of the missiles the Fourth fleet would launch.
A Sith still on a speeder jumped up and through the shields. Then more followed them. They landed and turned on their lightsabers.
Plo and Jaune rushed in and started fighting the Sith that made it in.
In the Northern sector, Sith had made it into the shield, but when faced against the Jedi forces, especially Weiss, Ruby, and Mace Windu, they were struggling to move at all. Ruby had entered her version of Vaapad. It wasn't as strong as Mace's, but it was just as fast. Mace watched her way of fighting the Sith. She wasn't using as much of their darkness as she could, but what she was using was a collective darkness from the Sith. He was impressed by her swordsmanship.
He blocked three Sith, moving fast in this mindset. He felt the darkness of each individual Sith and was using it against them. His violet blade cut down Sith after Sith with every strike. His Vaapad was able to go nearly strike for strike against Palpatine. It was able to handle whatever these Sith were able to come up with.
Ruby was a blur. The silver lights were the only thing that Weiss could see of her. Ruby was using acrobatics almost becoming a spinning top. She had cut down two Sith with a single move. She jumped, avoiding a strike from a Sith, spinning in the air. She brought her lightsaber into the heart of the Sith. She landed and was attacked by two more Sith.
Weiss was blocking the wild strike of a Sith warrior, before quickly bringing her lightsaber down, leaving a small gash in the Sith's chest. He stumbled back, leaving Weiss with another Sith.
She noticed the Sith troops starting to get into the city. The alliance troops were fighting the Sith. Weiss saw that the Sith had a slight advantage in armor and training. But the Alliance had the position and weapon advantage.
Weiss sidestepped and thrust her lightsaber, into a Sith. They were holding the Sith back, but she felt a Jedi be surprised by a stray shot, getting hit in the arm. The Sith they were fighting quickly took advantage of that and brought her lightsaber down into the Jedi. Weiss spun around and blocked a strike from a Sith. She brought her lightsaber around in a quick, precise strike. She broke through the defense of the Sith, leaving a small burn on the Sith's arm. She created a glyph behind the Sith after jumping back. The glyph launched the Sith forward, slamming into the Sith's chest.
Weiss saw Mace take out two more Sith. They were holding back the enemy.
Shaak Ti was holding the Eastern sector down from the oncoming Sith horde with Ren and Nora. They were keeping the Sith forces back, after raising the road. The troops were facing off against the best of the hunters and alliance troops in the city. They were taking on the Sith forces quite evenly, even beginning to push them back.
But dozens of light troop transports came from the direction the walkers did. There were dozens of them everywhere all coming toward the city, in each direction. Each troop transport must have had over twenty Sith aboard. They were faster than the walkers and tanks, which now littered the outside of the city. They were moving too fast for the turrets to get a good lock on them. They were going to have to go up the incline, but with that many troops, they might be able to move into the city. Only the snub fighters were fast enough to try attacking them.
Shaak Ti brought her lightsaber down and took out a Sith.
"Where do they keep coming from?" Nora asked.
"How do they have so many?" Ren asked, blocking a strike from a Sith. He brought his leg back, taking the Sith off balance. He took a step back, and spun around, plunging his lightsaber into the body of the Sith. They hadn't gotten to the Strong Sith yet.
Oscar was fighting Ruptor, whatever that meant. Oscar stepped back, using Soresu to block some of the strikes. He saw how Ruptor was fighting Neon and Ivori. Oscar was making sure most of Ruptor's attention was on Oscar. Ivori wasn't a strong fighter. Oscar was covering for him. He knew that Ivori was training to become a Jedi seer, so most of his time training was spent studying the force. And at this point in his training, that meant he didn't keep up with his lightsaber combat.
Ruptor was a strong Shien user, using his powerful build to try to break defenses. He was able to break Ivori's defense. Oscar sent a force push his way, wanting to stop another person dying because of the Sith. Neon brought her lightsaber, getting a shallow hit on the Sith's leg. He was favoring his other leg now.
Oscar kept his lightsaber as close to him as possible. He wasn't going to allow the Sith to get in his defenses. He was hoping that Neon or Ivori would get the killing blow. He really hoped they would do it. He didn't want another death on his hands.
Rosa was glad for Kobalt and Flynt helping her. Morbus was a fast fighter. She was fast as well, but his defenses were stronger than she would like. It was good that Flynt was here. His weapon was one that helped against force users. Sound-based weapons couldn't be blocked by lightsabers. Kobalt covered Flynt when Morbus tried to use the force against him. Rosa rushed in feinting a slash. He left himself open. She jumped and kicked him in the face, knocking the mask off his face.
Rosa landed and saw the man. His face was pockmarked. His eyes turned green, and his teeth were yellowed. He was disease personified. His greasy hair was covered by his hood till he ripped it back. She felt her stomach turn. She was feeling nauseous. This was too much. She jumped back and felt better. Until the nausea overtook her again. She realized that he was doing this. Kobalt was feeling it as well. Flynt stepped back.
"You ever heard of a shower?" Flynt asked. Morbus turned to him. Flynt used his semblance, and soon the four Flynts were standing in front of the Sith.
"You feeling okay Flynt?" Kobalt asked. Rosa could feel the Nausea from him. But not from Flynt.
"Feeling amazing." Flynt said. He let out the four blasts. Morbus jumped back, but he was being chased by Flynt's attacks.
Rosa felt her stomach calm for a second before Morbus landed.
"Stop fucking doing that!" Rosa shouted, feeling the nausea again. She felt like puking from constantly being attacked by waves of nausea. She raised her hand and created a ball of fire, smaller than normal. Morbus avoided the fire and sent force lightning at Rosa. She flew backward, slamming her hand on the ground. She felt her aura take the damage that should have completely cut up her hand.
She stood next to Neo.
"You want to swap?" Rosa asked.
Neo looked at the man.
"He can't affect you." Rosa said.
Neo rushed forward. She spun around, blocking a strike from Brand. He was all muscle. She had to break off her attack from him. Quinlan stood behind him, along with Arslan.
"Traitor." Brand said.
He brought his hand back, smacking Rosa. He leaned back as Arslan went for a strike. Rosa felt the air flowing and she realized she was flying. She created a set of wings and flew as high as she could go. Brand was blocking a strike from Quinlan Vos when he noticed she was back.
Neo rushed in and brought her sword forward. Morbus ducked away from the strike but was hit by Flynt's sound attack. He stumbled back, moving over, causing Ivori to grab at his stomach. Neo pushed forward, forcing Morbus to strike at her. But when he did, her image shattered. She appeared behind him and stabbed at him. His aura took the hit. He brought his lightsaber around, but Neo avoided the strike. He brought his hand forward sending a force push at Neo. She smirked as it did nothing. She was still wearing her talisman from Roman that kept her from being attacked by the force.
"What?" Morbus said. She smirked at him as she flipped him off. He went to slash at her, but once more the image shattered. She was above him and brought her foot down on his head. He stumbled forward and was about to fall when he got hit by all four of Flynt's attacks. Kobalt stood up, feeling fatigue and nausea, but still able to fight. He swung his lightsaber. The Sith got up and blocked the strike. He sent out a blast of force lightning. Kobalt went flying back. Kobalt slammed into a railing guard. He grunted, feeling that fatigue more. Neo looked back at him.
"Catch!" Kobalt threw Neo his lightsaber. Neo caught the blue blade and turned it on. She felt the weight of the blade and put away her sword. She dropped Hush on the and tossed it to Kobalt. He grabbed it. She liked the feeling of a lightsaber in her hand. Morbus rushed forward, making a wild strike at Neo. She ducked under the strike and brought her leg around to kick Morbus. He took a step back when Flynt punched him in the face. Neo jumped and kicked Morbus again in the face. He brought his arm up to block another kick.
Morbus was hit by another of Flynt's strikes. He grabbed his stomach, feeling nauseous himself. His aura broke. Neo brought the lightsaber up, stabbing him in the heart. She took out the lightsaber and turned to Kobalt. She tossed the lightsaber, and he tossed Hush. They both grabbed it.
Brand felt Morbus die. He was sick of him and his semblance. Morbus was taking on the three Jedi, all who were quite strong. But it was obvious that the blonde girl was the weakest. But the traitor was covering her. He found that strange. They weren't teammates so he couldn't figure out why she covered for her so often.
Brand brought his elbow back, slamming into the traitor's stomach. She stumbled back. But the Master got his attention. He was the physically strongest of the three. Brand was pushed back by his use of Ataru. His style was strong. Brand brought down his lightsaber and blocked a strike. The Blonde Jedi rushed in and slashed at him. Brand broke off his fight with the master and blocked the strike.
He was hit by a wave of force lightning. He gritted his teeth as the Traitor stood up. He activated his semblance just in time. The blonde's lightsaber bounced off his stomach. His semblance hardened his aura into a near-unbreakable armor. He couldn't use it too long. It cost a lot of aura to use. And each attack he blocked still cost him Aura. But it had saved his life before. Like it had just now.
He brought his arm up and blocked a strike from the Master. Brand smirked as he was about to bring his lightsaber across the master. But something in him changed. He could feel it. He had avoided the strike and had become faster, stronger.
His movements were wider strikes, which he could have capitalized on if he wasn't so fast.
"Quinlan… when did you learn that?" The traitor asked.
"Sora Bulq taught it to me." Quinlan answered.
Brand had taken a few hits. He felt them and felt himself pushed back. He wasn't used to this while he used his semblance. Normally he'd be able to manhandle any opponent in this state. But Quinlan was different. He noticed the other two weren't fighting him. He couldn't do anything about that now though. He had to focus on her. He had to make sure he wasn't going to die.
The power of the strikes rushed down his arms. It shook him to the core. He felt the power of the strikes. They were wild. Almost like they were instinct from Quinlan. His precognition was only keeping him alive. He wasn't able to take advantage. It was like there were a dozen ways he could strike, but he didn't know which one he would take before the lightsaber chose.
The speed was getting to be too much. Brand was feeling his aura reserves depleting as more strikes made it through.
He widened his eyes as he knew there was only one outcome. He couldn't even gather the energy to create the portal to escape.
"No." Brand said.
His Semblance broke. His Aura broke. He was defenseless.
Quinlan brought the lightsaber down, decapitating Brand. His head bounced on the ground. He let out a breath.
"That was Vaapad. I thought only Master Windu and Ruby knew it." Rosa said.
"I don't like using it." Quinlan said. "I can feel the drag to the dark side."
Morbus and Brand were dead. That left just Ruptor. He was facing off against all nine now. This part of the mission was a bust. He had to get out of here. He was surrounded… but he still had one trick he could do.
He activated his semblance. He activated the electronics on the ship, including the bomb. The bomb went off and shook the docks. It gave him enough time to create the portal. He stepped through. He found himself next to Requiem. He didn't know how Requiem did it, but he intercepted the portal.
"We couldn't get into Atlas. Had to blow up the docks." Ruptor said.
"And the other two?" Requiem asked.
"Dead." Ruptor said.
Kaiser watched as the fourth wave secured the defensive structures around Atlas. They could pull back now and regroup. They had gotten all the data they wanted. They saw who was in Atlas, and how they wanted to protect the city. They saw the flaw at the docks. They saw the arrival of the Mandalorians. They could leave now. The Fifth Wave was meant to just cover their retreat. The land outside of Atlas was more to their liking now. They could leave.
Kaiser knew that Rosa was in there. Part of him wanted to fight her. To kill her. Another part wanted to bring her to Salem. But neither would happen today. He was satisfied with the success of the battle. He could wait for his revenge.
He needed to figure out a way to challenge the ships directly. The Sith didn't have the same level of tech as the Republic did. Grimm could only go so far. The bombers they had at Menagerie were outdated and easily destroyed. He needed to get something to deal with them.
But he didn't know if the Sith were even looking at an aerial navy. If they were it could make troop transport easier. They wouldn't have to deal with all the bases so far away.
Jasper put away his lightsabers. He had taken out the last of the Sith nearby. He saw Sith troops fighting with his men. Jasper grabbed the twins. Two pistols that he used. Not exactly twins, but he got them on the same day. One was a .44 magnum, and the other was a .357 magnum.
He fired at one of the Sith troops both shots went through his armor. Jasper took note of the effect. The Sith dropped dead. He saw a group of Sith troops coming, probably from that third group. He reached behind him, placing the two pistols inside the gun on his back. He swung it around and caught the gun. He pressed a button on the side of the gun, and it slowly changed. He grabbed the handles of the pistols, no longer pistols, but two submachine guns. The FH-90. They had fifty shots each. He called this ' Clan Protection.' He attached one to his belt as he moved to take on the enemy. His second in command was in the buggy and using it to keep the Sith troops back.
Nix ran with him, grabbing his second gun.
"What are you doing?" Jasper asked.
"Relax, you'll get it back." Nix said. They saw the group of Sith troops and opened fire. Nix raised her wrist and sent out a wrist rocket at the group. The blast hit, taking out a few of the troops.
"We're pushing them back." Nix said.
"This was never going to be enough to take on Atlas. What gives?" Jasper said.
Plo Koon brought his lightsaber back in an arc, cutting down one more Sith. The Road was raised. Pyrrha blocked a shot from a Sith who tried getting up.
"I'm feeling fewer now." Jaune said.
General Fordo tossed two more Sith on the ground.
"They were trying to get past me." Fordo said. Jaune was impressed by Fordo. How many Sith had he killed? He could feel some frustration with the Sith. He noticed that Fordo wasn't wearing his helmet. He also noticed some shards of clone armor in the face of one of the Sith.
"Pyrrha, remind me never to piss off General Fordo." Jaune sent.
"Will do." Pyrrha said.
"There was a single group of Sith that was able to get passed the Southern sector and stole a troop transport. Rosa and Oscar took care of it at Atlas, but the one surviving Sith blew up the ship before fleeing." Fordo reported.
"This isn't over. Far from it. Fordo, do you have men trained in stopping traps?" Jaune asked.
"What do you mean?" Fordo asked.
"I saw some of the Sith in that last wave putting down what may have been mines. I believe they're making a minefield out there." Jaune said.
"We'll check it out." Fordo said.
Yang put away her lightsaber. She had taken out the last Sith. Their forces were starting to retreat. The Grimm in the sky had massively decreased. Blake was checking the pulse of a Jedi defender. He was gone.
"The Sith weren't really this arrogant, were they?" Yang asked.
"People still died Yang." Blake said.
"I know. But this doesn't make sense. How many Sith did they send? Five thousand troops? We've got them dwarfed. It would take thousands more Sith to take down the city." Yang said.
Kit Fisto came out of the water after destroying the two landing craft. He clipped his lightsaber and looked at the scene.
"I can sense them leaving." Kit said.
"Why attack us?" Yang asked.
"I wonder… did we reveal our hand here?" Kit asked.
Shaak Ti sent out a force push, sending the Sith troops back. The alliance defenders opened fire at them. The Sith were slowing down. She had sustained a few wounds, but she could take a lot more than this. Something was strange. Why were the Sith leaving like this?
She expected more. This was probably about the same amount they had in Hellio. Rosa had revealed that the Sith army was massive. That any child who wasn't born with a connection to force could only gain power by entering the military. She reported that there should be cities worth of troops. They had enough troops that they could challenge the rest of the world, and it would be uncertain who would win.
But they only had a few thousand here. Their goal couldn't have been to take the city. So what was their goal? Ren and Nora came up to Shaak Ti. They had taken out the Sith in their parts of the city. That at least was good news.
"I know we're all thinking it. Where are all the Sith?" Nora said.
They expected this to be the big fight. They were ready for that. They weren't ready for this. Ren looked at the Sith forces fleeing back. The remains of walkers littered the ground outside Atlas. Some of the walkers and tanks had fled after dropping off the troops.
Ironwood looked over everything. He saw the battle was starting to cool down. But that shouldn't be right! The Sith should have sent in far more. The information they had said they should expect far more enemy units.
What was the point?
"I wonder… could the Sith have just been testing us?" Asha's AI said.
"What?" Ironwood asked.
"We know the enemy has far more units than they had today. We know that the enemy has been gathering. So either, the enemy launched an attack prematurely, or the enemy was testing our defenses." Asha said.
"What makes you say that?" Ironwood asked.
"It's a common technique in lightsaber combat. You test your opponent by using a form that you aren't entirely strong with. The enemy fights you with their form. You gather information, then step back. You switch to your form. The Sith were probably missing a lot of information. So they got what they needed from this fight." Asha said.
"They threw away so many lives." Ironwood said.
"The Sith don't care about the individual cost of life." Winter's AI said.
Could that be it? But why did they attack with so many walkers and tanks? They could have attacked with half and still got the same result. He was going to have to check out those walkers.
"What about the last wave of troops? They never came into the city. Why did they retreat as well?" Erynn Locke's AI said.
Jasper saw the Sith troops fleeing.
"Cowards." Jasper said. He was just getting started and they left.
"Looks like this was just a recon mission." Nix said.
"Just like at Elm's." Jasper said.
"Exactly." Nix said.
"Which means we should expect traps out there." Jasper said.
"I wonder why they reused that tactic." Nix said.
Kaiser watched as everyone returned. They had lost men and equipment today, but now they knew what the weaknesses of the Alliance were. They were a step closer to taking what was theirs. This may have been a defeat on paper, but this would battle would be the key to their success. He wished Valum was here with him. It was strange now, working alone. He wanted Valum to be with him. That was something he never would have said before.
Valum had gathered everyone who could have some talent in Sith Magic. It took all day but it was done. She found enough that she was sure that Salem would be pleased.
She turned to Lilith who had her group of apprentices. She had thirty who she would train to become Sith assassins. Lilith turned to Valum.
"We've had a good harvest this year." Lilith said. She knew that comparing them to crops would hurt their egos. Lilith opened a portal, and the thirty stepped through. She stopped and turned to Valum.
"Where are the sorcerers?" Lilith asked Valum. Valum handed her a list, and the twenty stepped forward. Lilith sent them to Salem.
"Are we done here?" Valum asked.
"Yes. Salem will be pleased with identifying those who deserve special attention. The battle should be over now. I wonder what we learned." Lilith said.
Valum opened her portal. She was back in the dark lands. She wanted sleep, or Kaiser. She knew that it was one or the other with him. She didn't think that she would have enjoyed herself so much with him, but he surprised her. She wondered how long this would last between them. She wasn't ready for this to be over. Salem wasn't ready. And she was pretty sure that Kaiser wasn't ready either. She was sure Kaiser wasn't the kind of man to use her and leave.
She had been thinking about him when she had free time. She wondered if this was Salem's doing, or if she was just that impressed by his performance. She could admit to herself that it may have been a bit of both. Her mind flashed to last night. The ecstasy. The power. The emotion. She knew that part of this was Salem. She felt rewarded for doing what Salem wanted. She knew that there was some manipulation going on, but she couldn't care. She felt power from this relationship. And through power she gained victory. And through Victory she broke her chains. So her and Kaiser were breaking their chains by having sex. She knew that was an odd interpretation. Did she really have to justify to herself why she wanted to be with Kaiser?
She was surprised how many candidates she found today. They needed to get someone on the council who had a strong connection with the dark side and used Sith Magic. She didn't know of many Sith that had that talent. She was honest when she told herself she was the best she knew. Was Salem preparing her to take a seat on the council? She was with two members of the council the entire day. But she didn't get her hopes up. She needed to be realistic about this. They had a war going on. That had to be her focus.
She felt Kaiser enter. It was her apartment that they stayed at the night before. She turned to see him. Those desires rose up. She wanted to have him now. She hoped he felt the same way. Though she knew he would never show it. He had principles. He needed to finish his mission before he could indulge. She respected that. It was the exact opposite of Mercury.
"We've got what we wanted." Kaiser said. She noticed where he was staring. Right at her lips. She smiled. She was having an effect on him.
"What did you learn?" Valum said. She wondered if she would get her desire soon.
"The shields have a weakness. We were able to get troops through the docks. That means we may be able to mine our way into the massive hole. We can get walkers to climb up into the city." Kaiser explained. She wondered why they would risk the two transports. But she saw it now.
"We'd have to keep it secret long enough." Valum said. Kaiser went over to her and held her face in his hand. The action made her pulse quicken. She wanted him. She really wanted him, but she knew how to hold back her lust.
"We also learned who is leading the defenses. They left Ozpin and the maiden at the school." Kaiser said.
"We'll have to break in at some point." Valum said, grabbing his hand and keeping it on her cheek. She felt something within him shift. She felt his desire as well.
"We'll have our revenge soon enough, dear." Kaiser said. Valum was hoping she'd get her desire fulfilled, but there was a portal that opened up behind them. Salem was summoning them. It was the first time that she cursed Salem. But they had to answer the summons.
Kaiser and Valum stood in front of Salem in her throne room. She pointed to Kaiser's seat. Kaiser took it. Valum didn't know if she should follow him or stay where she was. Thankfully, they were the first ones here.
"Go." Salem said. Valum stood behind Kaiser.
"Lady Salem. Everything has gone as planned." Kaiser said.
"I know. This was truly a victory. The enemy exposed themselves. They have revealed their power. But now, we must see how they respond to a multi-pronged attack. We will send troops against their other cities. But make no mistake, Atlas is the prize." Salem said.
"Lady Salem, if I may." Kaiser said.
"Go on." Salem said. If she was annoyed, she didn't show it.
"I was wondering if we were developing ships that could contend with the Alliance ships. The Grimm are not enough. They are too easily killed in groups. Those light missiles of theirs wipe out many Grimm." Kaiser said.
"The Grimm are a distraction to the ships in the sky, Kaiser." Salem said.
"Does that mean we're creating something?" Kaiser asked.
"Since Memores has left Atlas, he's been hard at work creating something to deal with those ships. Rest assured that we will not be at a disadvantage against them." Salem said.
"Yes, Lady Salem."
"Now, what were you planning for the next attacks?" Salem asked.
"Those shields of theirs do have a weakness. The docks may soon get defenses against our forces, but the principle is still the same. I had an idea…" Kaiser explained his idea with the walkers. Salem thought about it. The idea did have merit. They could fill the walkers with Sith Lords and elite troops. They would have their more basic units outside the shield still attacking. But once those walkers were in the city, the alliance wouldn't be able to use the ships to destroy them. It would give them the advantage.
"We know that the four alien Jedi masters are there in Atlas. They were at the front lines. That alone could give us the advantage. If we could get the walkers into the city, they wouldn't be able to stop them." Kaiser said.
"Continue to create plans. That may work. Go on, return. I stole enough time from you both. Enjoy yourselves in fulfilling all your desires." Salem said. Kaiser almost felt like Salem wanted to watch them. She probably did.
Once they got back to Valum's apartment, she wrapped her arms around him. He was surprised, but then he realized she was undressing him. He knew what she wanted. He was surprised by her forwardness, but he wasn't complaining. If she was ready, he was too.
Jasper and Nix told the Jedi what they thought was going on. Ironwood listened to the two experienced warriors. It sounded right. It matched what they thought. So what kind of information did the Sith get?
Ruby had no idea what to do with the information. She was too tired to think about strategy. She wanted to shower, drink some boba, and sleep. She used so much energy using Vaapad for as long as she had that her muscles were screaming. As she was walking to her dorm, she saw that the really nice vending machine had some boba tea, so she got some first. It was in her hands as she walked the halls. She started drinking
She took her last sip and heard a laugh from Oscar. That caught her attention. She moved forward and saw Oscar talking with Neo in one of Atlas's communal areas. She had no idea what Neo was signing. Even if she remembered the little bit from Signal, Neo was going too fast.
Oscar was keeping up with her. She couldn't listen to whatever they were talking about. She knew that she really shouldn't eavesdrop on a conversation. And she wasn't. She had no idea what they were saying. She threw away the can and just watched them.
She saw Neo's eyes flick to her. Neo knew Ruby was there. She turned back to Oscar. If she made any mention of her, she couldn't tell.
But Ruby could tell the difference in body language in Neo. Neo leaned forward. She brought her hand up and 'dusted' something from Oscar's hair.
"Oh, thanks. Guess I didn't get everything." Oscar said.
Then he went back to signing with her. He didn't know. He didn't know what she was doing with him.
She had changed how she was signing. Even Ruby could see that. It was like she was extending her words. Ruby could hear the voice in her head. She signed something.
"Oh, thanks. You were pretty strong out there today too." Oscar said. Ruby could hear in his voice that he really meant the compliment. Gods, what was she still doing there? She could just turn around and leave. She had no reason to stop Oscar from flirting with anyone.
Neo! Neo flirting.
But she couldn't leave.
Neo winked at Oscar. She pretended to get something in her eye. Oscar handed her the handkerchief that he gave her back in Argus. She didn't know why that made her mad. After she wiped her eye she handed it back. Ruby saw their fingers touch.
She could just walk away. This was none of her business. She had no reason to still be standing here.
Then Neo brought her finger to her lip like she was trying to think of what she could give Oscar for helping her. She kissed her finger and blew it at Oscar.
"Uh…" Oscar said.
"Alright, that's enough!" Ruby said. She grabbed Oscar's arm and pulled him up.
"What? Ruby?" Oscar asked.
"Time for bed Oscar. Tomorrow's a busy day." Ruby said.
"What's happening tomorrow? Wait, Ruby, I was having a conversation." Oscar said.
"Not anymore." Ruby had dragged Oscar to his dorm. She opened the door and gently pushed Oscar inside.
"Good night, Oscar." Ruby said, in a higher pitched voice than she would have liked.
"What?" Oscar asked. The door closed in his face. Ruby turned around to see Neo standing close by, smirking. Her semblance changed her face to Ruby's showing a massive blush.
"What were you playing at there?" Ruby asked. Neo winked at her and patted her cheek. She changed her face to look like Oscar's.
"Stop that." Ruby said. Neo walked into her dorm room. Ruby rushed into her dorm and found her bed. She dropped face-first onto her pillow.
Weiss was standing in the bathroom, having just finished brushing her teeth. Weiss just looked at Ruby on her bed.
"O...kay." Weiss said. She looked at her fearless leader who had just kicked off her boots while letting out some sort of moan into her pillow. Weiss stood next to Ruby and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Everything okay?" Weiss asked.
Ruby didn't bring her head up.
"I can't understand you like that." Weiss said.
"I said I'm hiding from the world!" Ruby said. She brought her head back into her pillow.
"Oh, good. That's not concerning at all." Weiss said. Ruby didn't move. "I'm not getting involved."
Ruby brought her head up. She still needed to shower. She was still covered in sweat from the day. She used her semblance to avoid hearing from Weiss.
When she was in the shower she was able to start thinking about what she did. Why had seeing Neo with Oscar annoyed her so much? Why didn't Oscar pick up on all the flirting Neo was doing? She brought her head against the shower wall. She let out a groan in the bathroom.
She should be okay with Oscar flirting. They were friends and she knew she should be happy that he was getting some attention. Maybe it was the fact that she didn't trust Neo.
Ruby imagined if Yang started flirting with him like that. She loved her sister. She had no bad feelings about her at all.
She was still upset.
Yang was her sister, and she wouldn't want to make things weird in their relationship. That was it.
So what about someone like Arslan?
No!
Ruby still didn't like the idea.
Oscar was standing in his room, so confused. One minute he was talking to Neo, and then she started acting differently. Then Ruby appeared and dragged him away. Now he was standing, not knowing what to do.
"You going to stay right by the door?" Rosa asked him.
"I have no idea what just happened." Oscar said. Rosa looked at him. She put down the datapad she was reading. She got out of bed and stood next to him, still dumbfounded by what he just said.
"Are you serious?" Rosa asked.
"Yes!" Oscar said.
"Oscar. Really?" Rosa said.
"Yes! What am I missing?" Oscar said.
"Never mind. I don't have the patience to explain basic social interactions to you right now." Rosa went back to bed.
Ozpin chuckled in Oscar's mind.
"What's so funny?" Oscar asked.
"What a time being young."
Author's Notes: Sorry this took so long. I've got to prepare for midterms. I got three big projects to do this week. This was the first battle in the Siege of Atlas Arc. The groundwork is being laid now for the final battle. The Sith know how Atlas will react when they attack.
The Siege will have many battles to it. So this battle was just the first of many. We'll be able to see some more lighthearted moments In between the war.
The ending is blatant RoseGarden material, and I will not apologize. Why have Neo be the instigator? Because she would 100% do it.
CT7567Rules has left a review, thank you for reviewing. I hope you're caught up.
The second chances of the last chapter weren't given to just the good guys. Not all the second chances were for the good side. Valum was Kaiser's second chance, and we can see it as vice versa. But most were for the good guys. Neo and Arslan, Arslan and Rosa. All three people that Torchwick recruited.
I didn't realize that ARC 170s weren't snubfighters. I just thought snubfighters were any type of small ships used in combat. If it was X-wings, I would be right, but alas, I am wrong. And I am not too proud to admit it.
I might not have explained the trains as best as I could. The trains are like the mag rails used in most parts of Coruscant. (Look at the episode in TCW where Ahsoka loses her lightsaber. That type of train.) The trains circle around Atlas.
I doubt my ability to write dogfights. That is why I don't do them often. The closest I've gotten to dog fights are characters in the air being chased by hordes of Grimm. I do need to get the Sith some ships though.
Also, here's a question that I need answered. Would a chicken Faunus eating chicken be seen as cannibalism?
May the Force be With You
-DragonZlayerx12