Chapter 18
Rosa discovered a Jedi in Haven named Desmond Duke. She talked with the other members of Team REKR asking why they joined the Sith. She has started learning Sith magic. Rosa had a mission to Beacon where she was betrayed by Darth Magis and easily defeated by Kit Fisto, barely escaping capture.
Arthur Watts, otherwise known as Darth Memores, walked into Haven Academy. He sat down with Leo Lionheart. Leo recently learned that one of the Sith teachers, Darth Magis, became too ambitious and tried to kill Umbra. She was dead now, and he was finishing with the false reports of a long-term mission. Memores sat down and waited for Leo to pour him a cup of tea. Leo did so.
"I will be filling in as your new teacher." Memores said.
"I wouldn't have suspected you of coming here." Leo said.
"My work in Atlas is on hold for now. It can't move forward too much as of now." Memores said.
"Ironwood does have a strong grasp on his people. He's always been headstrong and determined." Leo said.
"And he's surrounded himself with Jedi." Memores said.
"He's going to need to be killed if Salem's plans are to be achieved. Soon… we will be able to escape this world." Leo said.
A knock came at the door. Leo checked his scroll and saw the camera. It was Umbra.
"Let her in." Leo said. The door opened. Umbra was standing there.
"Darth Memores, Headmaster." Umbra bowed. If she was surprised to see Memores, she didn't show it.
"I've asked you here to report to Memores about your failed mission." He put extra emphasis on the word failed.
"Yes, headmaster." She bit out the word. "As you know, Darth Magis was the leader of the mission. She sent me to Beacon where we gathered intel. She didn't leave a vehicle for me to quietly take once she ordered me to leave, so I stole a Motorcycle. As the police report showed, this one was tampered with, along with many of the cars there. Magis activated the vehicle which gave me away." Umbra reported.
"Did she also alert the Jedi?" Memores asked. He took a sip of the tea and enjoyed himself.
"I don't believe so. She wouldn't have needed to. The Jedi were already on high alert, and after my… stunt, I was injured, giving them more time to find me. They found the ship at the docks. Jedi Council Master Kit Fisto destroyed the ship with a unique force ability he created during the Clone Wars. He swiftly defeated me, and I had to flee." Umbra finished her report.
"Kit Fisto. He's one of the aliens if I'm not mistaken." Memores said.
"He is." Umbra said.
"Why did Magis betray you?" Memores asked.
"I believe she was after Vanus's spot in Salem's inner circle." Umbra said.
"But the Jedi didn't kill you. And you killed her. So, in the end, justice was fulfilled, and another traitor is dead." Memores said. Leo was somewhat shocked by that statement. Memores stood up and went to Umbra. He looked down on her.
"Don't forget the lesson you learned with Magis. Since you killed her, her estate is transferred to your master. Whatever she deems you deserve you shall be able to take. Report to Vanus soon. And do remember, I am your teacher now. Don't be late to class." Memores turned back. She felt the darkness rolling off of him.
"Yes, Darth Memores." Umbra said.
"I hear you are learning the basics of Sith Magic. Come to me if you want to learn more about Sith Alchemy and Science. They are especially useful skills." Memores said. Umbra left.
"Are you sure Vanus will agree to that?" Leo asked.
"It doesn't matter much if she does." Memores said. "Salem herself agreed."
Yang looked at the reports of bandit attacks in the forests around where Raven should be. She was at the Hologram Table with Arslan, Jaune, and Sun. She was rubbing her chin trying to see how these were all connected.
"This is all the reports that could fit into Raven's group?" Yang asked.
"All the ones we got. She gets around." Sun said. There were circles all around what must have been her territory. Yang knew that Raven operated out of this area. But they still had no idea where she was.
"Why does she have to be so good at hiding?" Yang asked. Pyrrha and Ruby entered the room.
"Yo." Ruby said.
"Any luck?" Pyrrha asked. She stood next to Jaune.
"None yet. We just confirmed what her territory is. Yang, when your mother contacted you, were there any features that you could identify?" Arslan asked.
"Unfortunately, not. I've tried to meditate again to get in contact, but it's like she's blocking it. I think she's still mad that I rejected her offer." Yang said.
"Should we just go out there and investigate?" Ruby asked.
"Not all of us at once." Sun said.
"We are still going through the city finding anything else we can about the Sith's presence. Old Keal can't help too much. He's not able to leave his store too often." Arslan said.
"Any progress on training?" Yang asked Pyrrha.
"My body is getting used to fighting again. My lightsaber is feeling more natural in my hands every day." Pyrrha said.
"No need to be humble Pyrrha." Ruby said. Pyrrha began to blush. She didn't mention beating Ren in their sparring match.
They turned back to the table. They saw the outline of Raven's territory. Until they got a quick ship that could stay hidden from the Sith, they had to abandon looking for Raven for now.
Qrow came down and looked at them. He looked at the map.
"So, who's going?" Qrow asked.
"We're not right now." Yang said.
"You are being too cautious right now…" Qrow started. Oscar rushed down.
"The White Fang are attacking the city of Cheland!" Oscar said. Cheland was a city in between Argus and The Wind Path.
"Why are they attacking there?" Qrow asked.
"They have Sith with them." Oscar said. "Hunters from Mistral are all going. If we leave now, we can get there with the first wave." Oscar said.
"Dammit. I bet this is a trick from the Sith. Did they find Raven's location?" Qrow asked.
"I don't know how they could have." Yang said.
"We have to do something about the attack." Oscar said.
"I know. How bad is it?" Qrow asked.
"They've broken the walls and have entered the city. They're overwhelming the guards. Grimm are going to the area as well." Oscar said.
"We have to go." Ruby said.
"You're right." Qrow said.
Kaiser watched as the attack commenced. Vanus claimed to have found Raven and needed a distraction. This would have to do. It wasn't the city he would have chosen, but it had some history with the Jedi. He felt Jedi here. They had time enough to take the city and wait for the Alliance to show up. Raven would join them at that time and soon they would fulfill that part of the plan. Darth Ira stood next to him.
"I'll be joining Vanus soon. Don't try to hold this city. We don't need it." Ira said. He opened a portal. Kaiser took out his lightsaber and turned it on. Sith troops started arriving. They didn't hide the fact they weren't White Fang. This was a message to the Jedi. An open challenge.
Kaiser was more than capable of answering the challenge. He got to the wall of the city easily, swatting any shots fired at him. He gathered the darkness in him into his palm.
"Destroy my enemies." Kaiser chanted. He stood in front of the wall. It was made of steel and concrete. It was tall and able to withstand the Grimm. It was twenty feet thick and reached forty feet high. It was nothing compared to the power of the dark side.
"I call upon the power of the dark side. Destroy my enemies and this wall!" Kaiser slammed the dark energy into the wall. The ground began to shake as the wall exploded. Kaiser jumped back, slashing at any debris coming his way. He had not wasted his effort in the slightest.
"Sith! White Fang! Take your revenge!" Kaiser shouted. The Sith and the White Fang troops rushed into the city. Kaiser saw Sith turn on their lightsabers and join in the attack.
Ironwood ordered his forces in Argus to activate. Ships started flying and moving toward the city of Cheland. Winter called Ironwood.
"General, we've just received news about the attack. Do you need the fourth fleet?" Winter asked.
"The Third will get here sooner. Be on standby. This may turn into another Hellio." Ironwood said.
"Understood sir." Winter said. She didn't end the call.
"Is there something else General Schnee?" Ironwood asked.
"Something feels off about this." Winter said.
"Is this the force talking?" Ironwood said.
"I think it is." Winter said.
"Stay in Menagerie for now. Has that White Fang leader prisoner talked?" Ironwood asked.
"She has. This was on none of the plans she had before they betrayed her." Winter said. Ilia was on the main deck of Winter's flagship. Karel Allusis was standing next to her.
"So, this is a spur-of-the-moment thing? Has Rosa sent us anything?" Ironwood asked.
"No sir." Winter said.
"I'm receiving an encrypted call from Mistral." Ironwood said. He added the line to his call. Qrow's image appeared in the hologram.
"Jimmy, my group is getting ready to respond to the attack." Qrow said.
"You're group?" Winter asked.
"Good, Snow Queen's here too. Teams RWBY, JNPR, SSSN, and ABRN are in hiding in Mistral. We have Oz. Just figured out how to get this thing working…" Qrow said.
"You have Ozpin?" Ironwood asked.
"He's back. He's a Jedi this time round, and just a kid. Younger than Ruby." Qrow quickly explained.
"My sister's with you? Where are you?" Winter asked.
"Mistral, I just said that. Keep up. Jimmy, the Sith have taken over Mistral. Leo has joined her side and can't be trusted. They're hunting down Jedi in the city. They're looking for Spring." Qrow said.
"Dammit. Qrow, why didn't you get this to me sooner?" Ironwood asked.
"I told you this thing hasn't been exactly working right." Qrow said.
"What thing?" Ironwood asked.
"It's a hologram table, like the one you have. It was only connecting to the Jedi temple in Vale for a while there. Do you want us to go to Cheland?" Qrow asked. Ironwood closed his eyes.
"You're going to be with the first wave. Are you able to send Ozpin here?" Ironwood asked.
"We don't have a ship. We couldn't if we wanted to. Everyone's going to Cheland." Qrow said.
The Third Fleet General entered the call.
"General Ironwood, my forces are moving toward Cheland now." General Asha Kael said. The daughter of Old Kael, she wasn't force-sensitive. She was a tall, lean figure clad in an ornate Mistral military uniform with emerald and gold accents. She wore her jet-black hair tied into a high, intricate braid that flowed down her back like a whip. Her sharp amber eyes reflect her tactical mind, and her complexion is sun-kissed from years spent training under Mistral's skies.
"We're getting reports of Sith in the city!" One of the officers shouted at Ironwood and he nodded his head.
"Do you have Jedi with you General Kael?" Ironwood asked.
"Yes." Asha shook her head. Each Fleet had at least two Jedi masters with at least 100 Jedi in total. But with her recently discovered heritage, being the daughter of a Jedi master, she may have more.
"Get there. You'll have a few teams of Jedi arriving shortly." Ironwood said, looking at Qrow. He nodded and stepped away. His connection ended.
"This has to be a distraction like Qrow said." Winter said.
"Either way, we need to get to the city." Ahsa bit at Winter.
"Clam down. You focus on the City General Kael. Winter, stay in Menagerie for now. The city comes first. Then we can return our attention to Raven." Ironwood said. The two generals nodded their heads. They ended the calls.
"Why not Argus?" Ironwood asked himself.
Raven turned her attention to the entrance of the camp. She put on her mask and took out her lightsaber.
"Come now Raven Branwen. We don't need to fight. I've been looking for you for a long time." Vanus said, slowly walking into the camp. Ira walked in behind them. He was holding onto two lightsabers. The others took out their blasters and lightsabers. Vernal was next to Raven.
"You think you can just walk into here unannounced?" Vernal asked.
"Yes, I do. We're just here for a simple talk. Vanus said.
"How'd you find us?" Raven asked.
"Your men dropped these." Ira said with a smile on his face. They were the lightsabers of the men she sent to fight Ira. Raven switched her lightsaber to the black blade.
"You are strong Raven; I'll give you that. But you're not strong enough. You're no maiden. But you have her." Vanus said. Raven glanced at Vernal.
"So, she's the maiden. Your apprentice I assume?" Vanus said.
"I am." Vernal said. She took out her purple lightsaber.
"How long do you think you could last against the three of us?" Vanus asked.
"Where's the third?" Vanus asked. Vox stepped through a portal behind Raven. She jumped forward and turned to him.
"Put your weapons down." Raven commanded.
"You do have sense. Now, let's chat." Vanus said.
Qrow got everyone into a ship filled with hunters.
"We're going to face heavy resistance." The pilot said. Jaune took out an image of Cheland. It was built around a mountain range. The city was built at the top of the mountain to the lower level, like Mistral. It had ways to get into the city through the mountain ranges. They were going to get into the city that way. The rest of the first wave was going to the front lines.
"Once we get into the city, we'll be good. It shouldn't be anything worse than Hellio or Menagerie." Qrow said.
"The city hasn't fallen yet. They have a group of Jedi that have been able to hold off the old district. But the lower levels have fallen. We have multiple civilians in the city." Arslan reported.
"We're getting reports of Grimm in the area." Sage reported.
"Get ready. The city is in sight." The pilot said.
"They took over the anti-air support!" Another pilot shouted. They were under heavy fire, and rockets were getting fired at them.
"They move quick." Qrow said as he was holding on. The doors opened up.
"We're almost at the drop site." The pilot said. "Hold on!" He shouted.
The ship banked up, avoiding a rocket, but the rocket exploded. The railing Qrow was holding onto broke, and he fell out of the ship.
"Seriously?" Qrow asked himself.
"Qrow!" Jaune yelled.
"Don't worry. He'll catch up." Yang said. They were over where they wanted to land. The ship was starting to land. They were getting shot at.
"Just like Hellio." Nora remarked. She saw the landing zone and jumped out of the ship. Ren was behind her. Arslan and Bolin were next to go.
"Get out while you can!" The pilot yelled.
Pyrrha was next, with Neptune, Scarlet, and Sage jumping at the same time. Blake and Yang left the ship next. Nadir and Reese were next. More bullets started hitting the ship. Sun and Ruby jumped next. Jaune saw a bullet rip through the cockpit and kill the pilot. He and Weiss were the last ones out. The ship moved forward and crashed into the wall.
"Keep going!" Jaune yelled. The anti-air guns were firing at them, but they were able to avoid most of it. Soon, they got to the tree line.
"I hope we can hitch a ride back." Nadir said.
"You got to focus on surviving right now." Jaune said. They started running along the trail, passing through the walls after a few minutes. There was a large bend in the trail that went to the base of the mountain.
Jaune raised his head. He felt something was coming right at them. Weiss and he would have been hit by whatever was coming. He jumped forward and wrapped his arms around Weiss a second before the rocket slammed into the ground. Jaune brought Weiss into his body as they went over the edge.
Jaune realized this was going to hurt. The path to the bottom was covered in rocks and tree roots. He closed his eyes and brought his head down to protect his head.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha called out. Weiss let out a gasp. They tumbled down the mountain. A rock dug into Jaune's back the first time he hit the ground. They were spinning. He felt a tree branch smack him. What may have been a stray bullet hit him. Another rock. He was holding on to Weiss as tight as he could. Then he hit his head on a rock. He was knocked out.
Weiss felt Jaune grab her right after she got the sense that she was in danger. They had been tumbling down the mountain, Jaune taking all the damage. She was getting dizzy by how quickly they were spinning. She heard his head hit a rock and his grip started to loosen.
"Jaune!" Weiss called out. She grabbed a hold of his arms as they continued to roll. They stopped at the roof of a building. Weiss tried to stand up, but everything was spinning. She fell to the ground. She turned and saw enemy troops standing in front of her. She tried to raise her lightsaber, but she was still reeling from the fall. Despite Jaune's best efforts, she was hit on the head by a rock and could feel the blood rolling down her face. She wanted to puke.
"Two for one." The first troop said.
Weiss held her lightsaber out, not confident at all that she could block the attacks. Her head hurt so much. Two shots came out and the troops died. Weiss turned back, holding onto her head.
"Jaune! Weiss!" Pyrrha called out. She was holding onto the blaster she made. She was sliding down the mountainside. The others were doing the same.
"I feel like shit." Weiss said. A word she had never said, but it was the only one that accurately described how she was feeling.
"You did just tumble a few hundred feet." Pyrrha said. Pyrrha got to the roof and looked at Jaune.
"I'm going to lie down." Weiss said.
"You probably shouldn't. Pyrrha said. Weiss went to the edge of the roof and puked.
"He hit his head hard against a rock." Weiss said.
"Did his aura break?" Pyrrha asked.
"I don't think so." Weiss said. Ruby got to the roof and took out Cresent Rose. She scanned the roofs around them and fired at troops she saw.
"How bad is it?" Ruby asked.
"Jaune's probably concussed." Pyrrha said. She wanted to help Jaune but touching him may hurt him in the end.
"If his Aura's still there, he should be able to heal." Ruby said. She fired at another troop.
Qrow was on top of the wall, looking around for enemies. He took out Harbinger and fired it at a Sith troop that was trying to sneak up on him. He changed it to the Scythe mode and swung it around. He cut off the head of a White Fang troop.
A Sith turned on his lightsaber.
"Who are you supposed to be?" The Sith asked. Qrow put Harbinger back and took out his lightsaber. He raised his hand and sent out a blast of force lightning. The Sith brought his lightsaber up but wasn't ready for Qrow's speed.
"What?" he asked as Qrow cut him in half.
Rosa was back at Haven when she heard the news about Cheland. She knew her teammates couldn't resist. They were there. Classes were canceled for the rest of the day until the emergency was dealt with. She was about to leave campus when Memores stopped her.
"Umbra, where are you going?" Memores asked.
"I…" Umbra started.
"I hope you didn't think about going to disrupt Cheland." Memores said.
"I was going to see if Kaiser needed any help." Umbra said.
"He does not. Now would be a perfect time for you to join me for a special training session." Memores said. She knew it wasn't an invitation, but an order.
"Yes, Darth Memores." Umbra said.
Raven and Vernal sat down with Vanus. Vox and Ira watched over the Branwen clan.
"What's this offer you were talking about?" Raven asked.
"Good to see you're interested now. It's a simple offer. We need the relic underneath Haven. We need the spring maiden to open it. In exchange for this minuscule task, Salem has offered that the Sith will stop their attacks on your people." Vanus said. Raven clenched her fist.
"That's really all you need?" Raven asked.
"Nothing more." Vanus said.
Oscar grabbed a med pack from his backpack and started working on Jaune. He was trying to ignore all the bloodshed around him. He was starting to get overwhelmed by the pain. He was feeling it all. His body burned.
"Oscar." Pyrrha put a hand on his shoulder. Oscar's hands were shaking.
"I'm trying…" Oscar said. He grabbed the bacta patch and placed it on Jaune's head. He was starting to breathe heavily. Ozpin appeared before Oscar.
"Let me take over." Ozpin said.
"Please!" Oscar asked.
Oscar's eyes glowed. He could still feel the pain, but it was barely there now.
"We need to figure out a way for him to put a block on that." Ozpin said.
"On what?" Pyrrha asked.
"His ability… he's been feeling the pain everyone had. It was a mistake to come here." Ozpin finished his work on Jaune and moved over to Weiss. He grabbed a cloth and wet it with water dust. He cleaned her face and looked at the wound.
"It should heal quickly. Just a single scrape." Ozpin opened the Bacta paste and put some of it on Weiss's head.
"Thank you." Weiss said.
"With Jaune down, you can't rely on Battle Meditation. You all have to be extremely careful." Ozpin said.
"We're going to move toward the Jedi front." Arslan said.
"Take Team SSSN with you." Ozpin said.
"What about us?" Ruby asked.
"We still need those anti-air guns destroyed." Ozpin said.
"Understood." Ruby said.
Kaiser went to the Jedi archives. The Jedi were so concerned with the battle they never thought someone would sneak in here. He walked down the halls of the archive. There were books everywhere. But he wasn't interested in books. No, he was interested in Holocrons. This archive held both Jedi and Sith Holocrons. He would have his choice. The Jedi and Sith were fighting over land. They were pathetic. They had so much knowledge at their fingertips, but they didn't even use it.
Kaiser stopped at a door. He could feel the Holocrons were on the other side of this. He knocked on the door. He took out his lightsaber and slashed it. The door didn't melt. It was finer metal. He brought his hand out in front of him.
"Give me the power of Darkness to destroy this door." A greenish-yellow colored ball of dark side energy appeared in his hand. He clutched his hand and felt the energy rolling through his body, going all the way up to his lightsaber. He spun around and cleanly cut through the door. He brought his lightsaber back to make a hole large enough for him to go through.
He kicked the door and felt the energy fade. He saw the walls were covered in Holocrons. Both Sith and Jedi. He grabbed the bag from his shoulders and used the force to start pulling the Holocrons to him. He carefully placed them in the bag and went for more.
He had filled the bag after a short time. He hefted the bag up and used the force to grab two more Holocrons. He opened a portal and left the battle. He was in his weapons depot, with multiple Holocrons of knowledge. The Jedi were unwise to leave the collection unguarded.
He pulled out his scroll and called Umbra. It took her a bit to pick up.
"What is it?" Umbra asked.
"When you are free, I have something to show you." Kaiser said.
"That's a first." Umbra said.
"It will be worth it." Kaiser said.
"What about the battle?" Umbra asked.
"I only brought suicide bomber White Fang with me. Soon, Cheland will be no more." Kaiser said.
"We weren't planning on keeping it?" Umbra asked.
"No." He ended the call. He had to remember to thank Ira for the information and Salem for the bombs.
"That sounds interesting, don't you think? What could Kaiser have that he wants to show you?" Memores said. Umbra shook her head.
"I have no idea." Umbra said.
"It was something more important than the battle." Memores said.
"I still have no idea." Umbra said.
"Ira did hear a rumor about there being a Jedi Archive with Holocrons in it." Memores said.
"Do you think he found it?" Umbra said.
"Almost certainly. Go, check it out." Memores said.
Arslan and her team finally made it to the Jedi. They were in the heat of the combat. Arslan took out her teal lightsaber and ran along a building. She landed in front of a Sith and quickly brought her lightsaber up, killing him.
"We've got another team coming this way." Arslan said. Bolin dropped down and brought his staff up. He blocked the Sith strike.
"Don't lose focus Arslan." Bolin said. Reese was moving with her hoverboard, going to the backlines where the Sith troops were. Nadir was right alongside her, firing as he went along.
"Don't forget about us!" Sun shouted as he landed and found himself fighting three Sith at once.
"Or maybe you can. Just for a second." Sun joked. The first Sith rushed in. He brought his lightsaber up in an overhead strike when his arms were tied up by Scarlet. Sage rushed in and slashed at the Sith, instantly breaking his aura. He brought his sword up and blocked two strikes. Neptune tossed Tri-Hard in trident mode into the back of the first Sith. He realized he was weaponless shortly after and rushed in. He grabbed his weapon and switched it back to its normal gun mode.
"Did I just kill a Sith?" Neptune had to ask.
"Don't let it get to your head." Scarlet said as rushed in, blocking another Sith.
"These are just the fodder Sith." Sun said.
"Who are you calling fodder?" The second Sith asked.
"You." Sun said. He rushed in for another strike. Sun pulled out half of Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang and quickly shot the Sith.
"How are there still so many of you weak Sith left?" Sage asked as he blocked.
"I think it has something to do with a breeding program." Scarlet said.
"What? Where'd you hear that?" Sage asked. Sage brought his sword up and slashed at the Sith. The Sith went flying.
"I hacked into some phones." Scarlet said. He raised his pistol and fired it at a Sith troop.
The ground started to shake.
"What the hell was that?" A Jedi asked.
"The suicide bombs." A Dying Sith said with a smile on his face. "All the White Fang here have them."
More bombs started to go off.
Sun felt a few of them go off in one of the taller buildings in the city. It began to fall.
"No! We hadn't evacuated that section!" one of the Jedi on guard said. The building collapsed and Sun could feel the lives being wiped out.
"We got to go." Sun said.
Arslan looked over at Sun and his team. She was struggling. She wasn't as strong as all the others yet. She gritted her teeth as she blocked the strike of a Sith. A few White Fang were rushing to the Jedi position.
"Death to the Jedi!" They shouted. They were clones. Arslan recognized that from Hellio and Vale. They were expendable.
Reese landed next to Arslan and fired at the White Fang. Arslan saw the moment she was looking for and dropped to one knee. The Sith was thrown off balance, and she brought her lightsaber up, into his chest. He let out a groan and dropped.
"The Third Fleet just arrived." Reese said. She fired at another White Fang troop, but when he dropped, the bomb still went off.
Arslan was thrown back and heard ringing in her ear. She looked over and saw Reese. She crawled over and grabbed Reese. Arslan stood up, but another bomb went off. Once again, she was thrown from her feet.
She opened her eyes and saw Nadir rushing toward them. He was shouting something, but she couldn't hear him. She felt more explosions around them. They weren't up the stairs yet. Nadir grabbed Arslan and helped her up. Arslan shook her head and looked at Reese. She grabbed Reese, throwing her over her shoulders.
She saw a Jedi being flung backward, slamming into the wall of the building they were defending. She felt Reese breathing but knew something had gone wrong. That first bomb was too close to them. A Sith stood in front of Nadir and was using the force to choke him. Arslan rushed in and blocked his lightsaber.
Bolin came from behind and hit him with his staff. The Sith turned around and brought his lightsaber down at Bolin. Bolin held his staff up, but the staff broke. Arslan opened her eyes wide as the lightsaber went down Bolin's chest. Bolin hit the ground. Arslan rushed in and drove her lightsaber into the head of the Sith. She went to Bolin's side. Bolin was holding onto his wound. He would live. Nadir dropped and started choking. There was another bomb nearby. Arslan held her hand out and stopped the bomb from affecting them. Nadir turned to Arslan.
"We need to leave." Nadir said.
"Agreed." Reese said. Arslan realized she was getting her hearing back.
"Are you able to walk Reese?" Arslan asked.
"Yeah." Arslan realized what happened. Reese lost her weapon too. It saved her life as it blocked shrapnel.
Pyrrha got to the last of the Anti-air guns and slashed it. She ran out of the room and the gun exploded. The Third Fleet fired anti-Grimm rockets at a hoard that was coming. She looked toward Jaune.
"Please don't do that again." Pyrrha said. She started to move back toward Jaune when the suicide bombs started going off. Pyrrha watched the building collapse. Yang ran out of the defensive wall and saw the building collapse.
"What's going on out there?" Nora yelled. Yang grabbed her head. Pyrrha grabbed Yang. She started sweating and grunting. Nora went outside and saw the massive dust cloud. More bombs were going off all throughout the city. The others made their way to the walls. The Sith were crazy.
"Those are suicide bombers." Ren reported. He lowered his commlink.
"Raven… was… found by… the Sith." Yang said. Ruby grabbed hold of Yang.
"What's going on?" Ruby asked.
"Raven is showing me… the Sith found her!" Yang said.
The ships from the third fleet started to touch down in the city and troops started to fight the White Fang troops.
Weiss turned to Jaune as he began to stir. He shot up and grabbed his head.
"Jaune, you need not to do that." Ozpin said. Ozpin looked at his back and saw how ripped-up his clothes were. He could see the damage his back took. The ground had an almost dried puddle of blood. Jaune's aura had recovered and so had he.
"We're in the city, right?" Jaune asked.
"Yes, Jaune. You missed most of the fight." Weiss said. She was still holding her head.
"Are you okay?" Jaune asked.
"Besides the massive migraine, yes." Weiss said.
"What's going on now?" Jaune asked.
"The White Fang are using suicide bombers. The Sith have almost completely disappeared." Ozpin reported.
"What happened to Oscar?" Jaune asked. Ozpin explained everything.
"So… this battle should be wrapping up?" Jaune said.
"It was a distraction." Yang said as she jumped back onto the roof. The rest of teams JNPR and RWBY were making their way to the roof. They weren't as important to the battle as they thought.
"You all ought to go help survivors down in the lower levels.
Arslan and her team were fighting their way through the streets. After a few minutes, she realized all the Sith were gone. It was only White Fang left.
"Dammit! The Sith got to the Archives!" Arslan heard over the Jedi comms.
"They've stolen many Jedi and Sith Holocrons." Another Jedi called out. Arslan stopped. The rest of her team stopped as well. Bolin held onto his new scar and a blaster he picked up from a dead troop.
"What is it?" Nadir asked.
"This attack was just a diversion. Dammit." Arslan said.
"They did a great job at it then." Reese said, holding onto two pistols tossed to her by defenders. Nadir turned around and fired at a White Fang troop. Only some of them had dead man switches on them.
"We have to check on Old Kael when we get back." Arslan said.
"We need to get out of here first." Bolin said. He quickly took out another White Fang member. He had an active dead man switch, and there was another explosion.
Sun was the first one to get to the scene from his team. He held his hand up and used the force to clear the dust around them. He saw a half-crushed person. His eyes opened up wide. He turned around to his teammates.
"This is going to be bloody. You have to be okay with seeing gore." Sun said. Sage nodded his head first he stood next to Sun and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"We're able to do this together." Sage said. Neptune put on his goggles and shook his head.
"We have to do this." Neptune said.
"We've got to help." Scarlet said.
Troops from the Third Fleet started arriving on the scene. The White Fang were almost entirely gone. The Jedi started to help with search and rescue. The battle was so much shorter than before.
A drop ship left the flagship and flew to the most damaged area, where Ruby and the rest were. Oscar had taken back control. He was able to handle the emotions now that there was less death. He was lifting a rock when his strength began to give out. Nora rushed over and grabbed the boulder.
"You got to be careful, Oscar." Nora said.
"Thanks…" Oscar said. He was ignoring everything that was happening around them. Weiss stepped over to help Oscar when she noticed a woman walking toward their group. Qrow was using the force to help a civilian out who was trapped. A huntsmen rushed in and grabbed them.
"Qrow Branwen, Ironwood told me you'd still be here." Asha Kael stopped in front of him. Weiss turned and saw Asha. Asha shot a glance in her direction. Weiss recognized the glare Asha had.
"I'm a bit busy right now." Qrow said.
"I understand that. I'd just like to talk to you about the Sith issue you told Ironwood about in our meeting. I need to know what information there is on my home." She said.
"Not here. Do you have somewhere private for us to talk? Oh, and can you get the kids back to Mistral?" Qrow asked.
"That would be simple enough, but why are you sending them back there?" Asha asked.
"They're needed there." Qrow said.
"I understand. I hope you will be able to tell me more aboard the ship." Asha said.
Weiss watched Asha step up to them.
"Get everyone that came here with you that are still alive and board that ship in thirty minutes." General Kael said. Ruby Rose stepped forward and wiped the dust off on her dress.
"I'm the team leader here." Ruby said, holding out her hand. Asha turned to her.
"As I said to Miss Schnee here, that is the ship that will be taking you back. We thank you for your efforts." General Kael left them.
Umbra went into Kaiser's hidden armory. She felt the power radiating from the building. She walked to the back where Kaiser was last time they met.
"Umbra, the battle was a ruse. We had two real objectives. This was one of them." Kaiser stepped back and revealed dozens of Holocrons. He was able to go back with another of Ira's apprentices staying behind. He had stolen all of the Holocrons from the Jedi archives. After stealing the last of the Holocrons, Kaiser slew the apprentice.
"There are so many here." Umbra said. She grabbed two of them. Kaiser smiled at her.
"The Jedi thought they could keep the Holocrons safe from us. They thought that their hidden archive was safe. They didn't even protect it once the bombs started going off." Kaiser said.
"Good, my apprentice. Good." Ira stepped through a portal with Vanus behind him. Kaiser and Umbra knelt.
"It is unfortunate Thero was so weak that the Jedi killed him, but his life was such little price to pay to have this knowledge returned to us," Ira said, grabbing a Sith Holocron.
"The Jedi's arrogance led to this massive victory." Vanus said.
"We shall keep the Jedi Holocrons as well. You have done well Kaiser. Salem will be most pleased." Ira said.
Umbra looked down at the two Holocrons she grabbed. A Jedi and a Sith Holocron. Vanus looked at them.
"There are some legends that talk about the power of combining Sith and Jedi Holocrons. Kaiser, would you miss those two?" Vanus asked.
"No. I wouldn't." Kaiser said. Umbra nodded. She put away the two Holocrons.
"Now, return to Memores. We have business elsewhere. This final stages of our plan are coming together, and soon, your old friends will be dead." Vanus said. Umbra hide her emotions. Vanus and Ira left. Umbra turned to Kaiser.
"What was done here today is the destruction of an entire chapter of the Jedi, hidden away in a little-known city. They thought they could hide, but Salem has eyes and ears everywhere." Kaiser said.
"Not everywhere." Umbra said.
"What do you mean?" Kaiser asked.
"She has no idea where they are hiding." Umbra said.
"I see." Kaiser said. Umbra turned away from Kaiser. She grabbed her arm.
"Why did you become a Sith?" Umbra asked.
"You're asking me that?" Kaiser asked. "You should already know."
"I need to hear you say it." Umbra said. Kaiser leaned against a wall. He just looked at her.
"You already know what the SDC did to me, and countless others." Kaiser took off his mask. Umbra turned around and looked at the scar. She looked at his good eye. There was a fire burning behind those eyes.
"I decided long before I became a Sith that I would no longer be a Slave. It was the first time I ever killed someone. The overseer. A cruel man who would find no end of amusement in our torment. This branding was his hand. He took my eye. My face. I've had to hide it ever since. He beat us constantly. We were afraid of him. He would hide and wait for us to not meet his standards. He would come out and beat us. But he had become weak, and I became strong." Kaiser started.
"How could those slave-like conditions exist?" Umbra asked. Kaiser turned to her and gave her an almost sweet smile.
"I wish I could have lived a life where I could think to ask that question." Kaiser said. Umbra looked away. He grabbed her hand and guided it to the branding. She looked back at it.
"Imagine the searing hot pain. Imagine my screams as the overseer forced others to hold me down, as a ten-year-old boy. Imagine all the hatred that built up inside of me for all those years. Sienna Khan and her sister found what I did to the overseer." Kaiser said.
"What did you do?" Umbra asked. His hand was long gone, but hers still lingered on the scar.
"He took my eye. I took his. He was trying to beat me one day, and I refused to be beaten. We fought. We were near an edge. The dark side guided my hand that day. I threw him over a railing and watched him land on a flagpole below. It was used to raise the SDC symbol over us to make sure we would never forget who we belonged to. The flag was meant to be white. But it was stained red that day. Sienna learned how we were being treated and rushed to 'free' us. With the overseer dead, and her band arriving, the site was destroyed quickly. The others were freed, and many joined the White Fang. Others went to Menagerie to hide. Others couldn't handle the depravity they witnessed and ended themselves. I alone have risen to become this." Kaiser said. Umbra brought her hand back.
"Blake was there the first time you met the Sith. It was Vanus." Umbra said.
"Vanus was the one to tell me everything. She told me about the Sith, the Jedi, and the injustice done to all of us. The Jedi did nothing. I had to free myself. Alone. The Jedi COULD have stopped what that overseer did. But they allowed, and all but approved of what was going on. The Jedi were no friends to the Faunus, despite what they say in Menagerie. I am proof that they don't deserve the power they hold. By keeping the order of things, they allow for slavery to exist." Kaiser said.
"But what about the Sith?" Umbra asked. Kaiser looked down on her.
"The Sith have taught me everything I need to never be a slave again. The Sith have given me the resources that I need to bring my justice and freedom to the world. The Sith philosophy powers my moves. I am a Sith because that is what I need to be to bring about change. Never again will I allow the Faunus people to suffer under the conditions they had for centuries. Never again will I allow the weak and rich to rule over the strong and poor. The strong are meant to rule. That is nature itself. The strong must shape the weak. The weak have proven time and time again that they cannot shape themselves." Kaiser said.
"Who decides who are the strong and who are the weak?" Umbra asked.
"Life itself my dear. You are strong. I am strong. And we are becoming stronger. Those children will be strong. Salem is strong. We are able to change the fate of the world Umbra. We will." Kaiser rested his hand on Umbra's shoulder.
"And the Jedi? They have strength. We have many weak Sith." Umbra said.
"The weak Sith are dying off quickly. Salem knows that there are many weak Sith, and she has been destroying them. We're becoming more powerful; I know you feel that. The dark side was being diluted. She needed a wide pool to reveal who was strong and who was weak. Now she's culling the weak. And we're taking on the Jedi at the same time. They do have some strong members, but we will overcome them." Kaiser said. He honestly believed it.
"Are you sure that will be true?" Umbra asked.
"As sure as I can be." Kaiser said.
"And once they are gone. Then what?" Umbra asked.
"Then Umbra, we can truly begin our work in earnest. We will rebuild Remnant. Salem will take many of her forces and go out to the galaxy at large, but I will stay here and rebuild the world. That is why she has named me Kaiser. She is calling me to be the King of this world. To guide it into a new golden age." Kaiser said.
"I think I understand you better now." Umbra said.
"I hope you do." Kaiser said. He took out a datapad and handed it to Umbra.
"What is this?" Umbra asked.
"Salem has ordered me to take the five women and find safe locations for them. I've spread them out to the kingdoms and Menagerie. This datapad has the location of all of them. They've all been advancing in their pregnancies. This is one of three datapads that have the location. They have the status of the women. You deserve to have one." Kaiser said.
"I can't believe that Salem would want you to give this to me." Umbra said.
"This is a sign of trust. I trust you Umbra. I've had to trust you before, but I am choosing to trust you now. With everything." Kaiser said. Umbra shook her head. She had never seen this side of Kaiser.
"What side of yourself did you show Blake?" Umbra asked. Kaiser stood straight.
"I showed her only what needed to be shown. I've shown you more. We've been through more." Kaiser said. Umbra's mouth slightly dropped open.
"What do you mean?" Umbra asked.
"There is no one else who understands our position. You are the only person I can turn to with stuff like this." Kaiser tapped the datapad. "You have shown me your moments of weakness. I… I like to think we can be… confidants."
"You mean friends?" Umbra asked.
"What does a world like that mean to us?" Kaiser said. Umbra nodded her head.
Rosa was walking through the streets. She didn't know what to think anymore. She felt the two Holocrons in her jacket. She was going to have to choose soon. She needed to hear from the others. She needed to see if team JNPR would accept her back. She sighed. She was no closer to finding where they were hiding than when she started.
She found a restaurant that she'd passed a few times. She decided to finally check it out. Maybe it would help her start thinking straight. Maybe she would find the solution to her dilemma.
She opened the doors and saw a man at the bar section. She saw a sign saying to seat herself at the bar when it was late at night. It was, so she decided to get a seat. Something felt off about this place. She couldn't figure out what it was exactly. Maybe the atmosphere was different here than the other places she'd been to. She made her way to the bar and took a stool. The man next to her was slurping a bowl of ramen. She was starting to get annoyed. She turned to tell him to shut up when she saw Roman Torchwick there.
Her eyes opened wide. The last time she had seen him was on… the train with Myst. He saw everything that happened. He did try to defend her, but it didn't work. Everyone thought he was dead. Even the Sith. He put his bowl down and turned his head.
"What do you…" He started. "Shit."
"Wait!" Rosa shouted. He stopped what he was doing.
"Why should I?" Roman asked.
"I'm not here with the Sith. I was just hungry." Rosa said.
"And I should believe that because…?" Roman asked. Rosa raised her hands.
"Everyone thinks you're dead." Rosa said.
"Of course they do. It is me we're talking about. I've faked my death a few times." Roman said.
"I'm just as shocked to see you as you are to see me." Rosa said. Roman started to relax.
"Let's say I believe you. Why are you here?" Roman asked.
"It was for food. But… since you are already here… I have something to ask you." Rosa said.
"Why would I help you?" Roman asked.
"Because of what you put me through on the train." Rosa said.
"If you remember correctly, I did nothing and tried to stop it." Roman said.
"Because I can tell people where you are." Rosa said.
"I'll be gone long before you'd ever find me again." Roman said.
"Because… because if you don't…" Rosa went to grab for her lightsaber, and a sword rested on her neck. She looked up and saw Neo standing there. Neo smiled at Umbra, challenging her to do something.
"Because you are the only one who can. I need your help. And I'll give you something worth more Lien than you could ever use." Rosa held her hands out as she used the force to grab both of the Holocrons. Roman looked at them.
"I see. Let's see what the favor is, and we'll see how much it will cost you." Roman said. Neo put away her sword. She stood in front of Rosa and gave her a bow.
"First… I need to ask how you have hidden from my force senses." Rosa asked.
"Costly question." Roman said. He pulled out a talisman from underneath his jacket. Neo pulled a similar one out. "We have another one so your force abilities can't touch us."
"Thank you for that. Second, how have you hidden for so long?" Rosa asked.
"Please Rosa, you should know us better. If the Sith can't see or feel us, they can't catch us. But we are also always on the move. Only reason we stayed so long in Vale was because we were making so much cash, we were able to build our outposts everywhere else. The Sith will never catch us. We're ten steps ahead. Except for tonight." Roman said.
"Third… I need to tell you something, and I need it to be kept between us." Rosa said.
"Yes, customer confidentiality is a key to our lifestyle." Roman said.
Qrow stood on the deck of the Flagship. Ironwood's Hologram was there.
"It is good to see you Qrow. I've got reports from the Jedi that the Sith have completely stolen all the Holocrons in the Jedi archive in Cheland. I might not know exactly what those are, but I know you do. How big of a threat is that?" Ironwood asked.
"Massive. Hundreds of years of knowledge are going to be lost." Qrow said.
"And the Sith Holocrons being kept in the Archive have returned to the Sith." Asha Kael said.
"I have more bad news Jimmy. They have the Spring Maiden." Qrow said. "Yang told me that the Sith have arrived at Raven's base camp. We're not in a good spot here."
"Then they have everything they need to open the vault." Ironwood said.
"Sir, I'm not following." Asha said.
"The Sith are one step closer to their grand plan." Qrow said.
"I got that. But what about everything else you're talking about?" Asha said.
"I think it is time to inform the others." Ironwood said.
"Oz is the one who decides that, Jimmy." Qrow said.
"And we have him. Or you do. Keep an eye on Mistral. The Sith have a goal there. We have to stop them." Ironwood said.
The group arrived back in Mistral. They made their way back to the safehouse. Oscar was staying behind them all. Jaune stopped and stayed next to him.
"What is it, Oscar?" Jaune asked.
"We're going to have a visit tonight. The choice is almost upon us." Oscar said.
"What?" Jaune asked.
"I've seen a vision. The seers were right. There will be a choice that will change everything. And that choice will be tonight." Oscar said.
"What do you mean?" Jaune asked. The others were out of sight. Oscar turned his head and saw Rosa standing there. Jaune turned his head and saw Rosa too. He got on the defensive. She raised her hands.
"I've waited here for you for a bit. We have to talk." Rosa said.
"What do you want?" Jaune asked. Rosa held her hand out, and there was a Jedi Holocron.
"Your choice is the one we've been waiting for Rosa. Who are you really?" Oscar asked.
Author's Notes: A battle where we don't go into a two-parter! Not possible! Except for this one. Rosa's choice is coming soon. The Sith have tons of Holocrons. What did Rosa and Torchwick talk about?
I've been planning for Torchwick to come back into the story for quite a while. If you remember, he survived the flagship destruction in Vale. I love writing for him, but I kept forgetting him in SGW. He's probably my favorite character to write for just because of his personality.
We're moving toward the end of their time in Mistral. It's been a few months now.
Originally, I was going to kill Bolin here but decided to not kill him. So, for everyone who read the second RWBY book and liked Bolin don't have to get mad.
We've been focusing on Holocrons and Sith Magic recently. Sith Magic and Alchemy really need more stuff written about them. Star Wars needs some more mysticism in it. I would love it if we got more people to write about Sith magic and Alchemy and how the Jedi prepare to stand against it.
We move to the end of 2024 and look to the start of 2025. Now comes the time to reflect once more. It's time to look back and see our achievements from this year. We make goals. Let's hope everyone has a good year next year. Make plans and follow through on what we promise ourselves.
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-DragonZlayerx12