Chapter 33
Roman Torchwick is gathering his team for Ironwood's spy network. Neo is struggling with being in Atlas with the Knights around. Qrow met the Ace Ops and began theorizing where the Sith army was. Arslan Altan rejoined the Knights and is partnered with Neo.
Arslan Altan trained with the others. She ate with the others. She spoke with the others… not as much as she once had, but she still did. But there was one who she avoided. Rosa. She realized it quickly, and she knew that Rosa did too. How couldn't you when you lived across the hall from each other?
Arslan knew Rosa's backstory. Parts of it anyway. She knew she was a Jedi padawan who was brought into the Sith and returned after a time. She knew that. And Arslan thought that might be why she couldn't be around her.
How could someone fall so far? How could someone return and be accepted by everyone so quickly? How could you trust someone who still used her Sith lightsaber, and still used dark side force techniques? How could you know if someone changed?
She could rely on the words of her teammates, but they were biased. They saw the best in her. Arslan… couldn't. Not after her team. Not after Rosa sent her away right into the hands of Kaiser.
Then there was Kaiser. He didn't kill her not because he had any moral reasons against it, but because she was so weak, he didn't see it necessary to kill her. But he beat her. He left her to die. He was a cruel man. His cruelty was observable just by looking at Yang. He had been the Sith to cut her hand off. He was the reason she had that robotic hand. He was the reason that Sun was being tortured by Salem. He was the reason.
She didn't understand why the others seemed to have forgotten that. Why they seem to have forgotten that Rosa did terrible things? She tried to think through it, but she couldn't.
Bolin, Nadir, and Reese were gone.
And Rosa was here. With the others. Like nothing happened. But something did happen. She was a Sith and had hurt a lot of people. She had done terrible things. Arslan didn't know Rosa before she became a Sith. Maybe that was part of the problem. She knew that the others were good judges of character. So why did she feel like this toward Rosa?
Arslan turned off the water from her shower. She stood there for a few seconds feeling the water drop off her body. She needed answers. Maybe Yang would have them.
Yang was training with Neon. Arslan watched the sparring match and was reminded of their fight at Vytal. But this was different. Yang was leagues ahead of where she was before. She was so much faster, and she didn't get annoyed. Neon was on the move, making Yang chase her. Neon was losing this fight.
"When'd you get so fast?" Neon asked.
"I've spent the last few months basically training!" Yang said. She lunged forward and landed in front of Neon. Neon skidded to a stop and Yang held out her lightsaber.
"You gonna stop running?" Yang asked.
"You win." Neon said.
"Come on, you don't want to fight?" Yang asked.
"I thought this was just you trying to catch me." Neon said.
"No… this was a spar." Yang said.
"…and I already surrendered." Neon said.
The platforms started to go down. They were on even footing now.
"Okay, next time, we'll have to actually spar." Yang said. Neon left the arena. Yang turned to Arslan and waved at her. Arslan came down and stood next to Yang. Yang watched as Arslan entered the ring.
"Looks like something's on your mind." Yang said.
"I need answers." Arslan said. Arslan felt her lightsaber heavy against her hip.
"I think you want to do more than just talk. You want a round?" Yang asked.
"Yes." Arslan said. She stepped into the training ground. Yang watched as Arslan stopped. Yang took out her lightsaber. The purple blade hummed waiting for Arslan's teal blade to join in.
Yang and Arslan rushed at each other. Yang brought her lightsaber up in a block. Arslan brought her lightsaber down. She looked at Yang, wondering what she saw in Rosa.
"Why?" Arslan asked.
"Why what?" Yang asked. She stepped back, forcing Arslan forward.
"Why were you able to forgive her so easily?" Arslan asked.
"Rosa you mean." Yang said.
"YES!" Arslan made a wide slash at Yang. Yang jumped back and saw Jaune waiting. She sent him a message.
"Make the pillars move." Yang sent. She knew Jaune got the message. Arslan rushed forward and brought her lightsaber down. Yang spun out of the way and punched Arslan. Arslan stumbled as Yang took a step back. She quickly glanced down and made sure she was not on the edge of the pillar. It moved up and Arslan watched. She looked over at Jaune.
"Are you going?" Jaune asked. Arslan turned her attention back to Yang.
"You'll never get the answers if you don't fight for them." Yang said. More pillars started to rise. Some of them activated the gravity fields. Arslan used the force to jump to one of the smaller pillars. The pillar was spinning vertically, but not horizontally.
Arslan closed her eyes and had to rely on the force. She jumped and grabbed onto another floating pillar. Yang watched Arslan climb up to her. Arslan got on top of the pillar. She looked up to Yang and wondered what this was meant to do.
"What questions do you have about Rosa?" Yang asked.
"How could you forgive her so quickly?" Arslan asked.
"How much about her do you know?" Yang asked. Arslan got up to another pillar.
"She was raised a Jedi from the galaxy at large. She came here and joined your team at Beacon. She became a Sith after the Vytal Festival." Arslan said.
"Is that it?" Yang asked.
Arslan got up another pillar. She was in range of Yang now.
"You wanted her back. You all saw something in her. She killed Vanus and took the maiden power." Arslan said.
"You're missing a lot there." Yang said. Arslan jumped one more time and made it to the pillar Yang was on. Yang smirked and jumped. She landed on a pillar and continued to make distance between her and Arslan. Arslan continued the chase.
"Stop running."
Yang stopped and looked at Arslan.
She jumped back and landed on another pillar. It started moving.
"You're always one step behind." Yang shouted out.
Arslan continued to chase Yang. She jumped from pillar to pillar going after Yang. Yang from time to time moved closer to Arslan, a few times almost being within reach of Arslan, but she moved away at the last moment. Yang had a smile on her face, but Arslan didn't.
"Why do you keep running?" Arslan said.
"Rosa was scared. She didn't think she was able to come back to us. She thought we weren't going to be there for her." Yang said. Yang wasn't moving anymore. Arslan landed on next to Yang.
"Are you done running?" Arslan asked.
"We had to meet Rosa a few times to get her to come back to us. She asked for our help. She decided to trust us." Yang said.
"Is that why you had me chase you?" Arslan asked. Yang rose her lightsaber. She moved forward and started on the offensive. Arslan was being pushed back on the defensive. Arslan didn't know what Yang was trying to say.
"Why does she still use that red lightsaber?" Arslan asked.
"I think she's got three reasons." Yang said. She blocked a strike from above.
"Are you going to answer?" Arslan asked.
"One!" Yang swung low. Arslan jumped up and avoided the swipe. "I think it's practical for her. She's been using them both for a while now."
"Why not change it to a different color then?" Arslan brought her lightsaber around. Yang blocked the strike.
"Two," Yang pushed up and pushed Arslan back. "It reminds her of her master when he died."
"What?" Arslan asked.
"Three." Yang brought her lightsaber around, knocking Arslan's out of her hand. "It reminds her of what she's done. Of what she's trying to be better than."
Yang's lightsaber hummed as she pointed it at Arslan's chest. Arslan looked down at the blade. She lost. She watched as Yang put her lightsaber away. The pillar came down.
"Rosa's gone through a lot. She's not a bad person. Just someone who lost their way." Yang said.
"She was a Sith. Sith are bad people." Arslan said.
"I think this has more to do with other Sith than with Rosa." Yang said.
Arslan couldn't say anything.
Torchwick walked into Ironwood's office with his fourth teammate. Kyra Solari. An average-height human female. She wore a pilot suit, which was anything but standard issue. Her black air was tied back in a bun. She folded her arms across her chest.
"I'm here to report for duty, sir." Kyra gave a mocking salute to Torchwick.
"Finally out of that jumpsuit. Good. Hope you met the others." Torchwick said.
"Brick and Ghost. How'd they get the names?" Kyra asked.
"No idea. I've been asking this of all my recruits, but do you have someone you'd recommend?" Roman asked.
"All the people I'd recommend were killed." Kyra said.
"No worries. We were going to go get our next member soon. After we buy him." Roman said.
"Like a slave?" Kyra asked. She didn't like that idea, and Roman knew.
"No. We're not going to make him a slave. But if we don't work fast, he's going to be one." Torchwick said.
"Ah, black market deal gone bad." Kyra said.
"Exactly. Ironwood's going to want to meet you soon, but after that, everything should be in order." Torchwick said.
"Wait, you answer to Ironwood?" Kyra asked.
"For now. We're cleaning up the messes that are a bit too dirty." Torchwick said.
"You could have led with that." Kyra said.
"Oh. You don't have to be talked into not running from him?" Torchwick asked.
"No." Kyra said.
"Excellent." Torchwick said.
Kaiser went to the next of the troop stations. This was another underground base. It had plenty of troops there. They were all ready for the coming fight.
It was over a city that Ira had captured in secret. They had been able to convert or replace the population of the city. Ira was still here, making sure that everything was in order for the invasion.
"You've done well Kaiser. These forces around Atlas will create one of the largest armies Remnant has ever seen." Ira said to Kaiser.
"We're close to launching the first wave." Kaiser said.
"The real test of our power." Ira said.
"The city is being built as we speak in the forests. The invasion should begin soon. Atlas will fall." Kaiser said walking side by side with Ira.
"It will. Once it falls there will be nothing left standing in our way. Salem will be able to take the other relics as she pleases. Then… we shall be free." Ira said. It was the dream of the Sith. To spread across the galaxy. They had been stuck on Remnant for too long. They were going to take everything. It was their destiny.
Kaiser continued to walk beside Ira.
"Salem is pressuring me once more to create children." Kaiser admitted.
"Why are you so hesitant with that?" Ira asked.
"What if it made me weaker?" Kaiser asked. "What if somehow the biological need to protect a child takes hold in me? I can't allow any weakness in me to grow. Not like Umbra."
"It always comes back to the traitor. I don't think she's ruined you. I think she's become a powerful example. For all of us. She was weak because she still had those feelings for her former friends. You… have no such feelings. This fear of yours, will go away." Ira said.
"You've experienced it before?" Kaiser asked.
"No. But Hazel did. Oh, Vox. He doesn't like it when I call him his real name." Ira said.
"What do you mean?" Kaiser asked.
"You remember Cya? He was the child of Salem and Vox. Of course, Vox learned to eliminate a weakness like that in him." Ira said.
"I see. How did he react when Umbra killed him?" Kaiser asked.
"He didn't." Ira said.
"I see." Kaiser said.
"What about the four remaining seats, who are the main contenders?" Ira asked.
"I see Cruor being the most likely to take a seat. She's strong and has those visions. After her… I'd say people like Ferox or Sanguis would be next. They both have important skills that would make the war effort easier. Lunaris, Mortem, or Avaris would probably be able to make it if they fought for it." Kaiser said.
"I remember Lunaris. She has a semblance to alter the mind of an enemy, correct?" Ira said.
"I believe so. I haven't seen her in action." Kaiser said.
"Mortem would make a good assassin. I don't know so much about the others." Ira said.
"Mortem has good leadership skills. Not a single student of his was selected in any of the purges." Kaiser said.
"That does give him a good claim." Ira said.
"Avaris was able to do damage in Mistral before Salem called everyone back. She was able to kill three Jedi Knights that were trying to stop her." Kaiser said.
"Yes, all good qualities." Ira said. "Has she led a battle?"
"Not as large scale as Hellio, but she has if I remember correctly." Kaiser said.
"The other seven…" Ira started.
"Six. One was killed by Jedi Master Plo Koon. If Skor hadn't revealed himself too soon while we were moving troops, Plo Koon never would have found him. He almost endangered the whole operation." Kaiser said.
"Then Skor met with his proper fate. What of the other six?" Ira asked. They made it to the command center in the city.
"They'd be better used as field operatives. Just like those two who were on team RKER." Kaiser said.
"There are some who are over-ambitious I assume. It has been a while since Noctua found out why we limit our ambitions." Ira said. Noctua was a Sith Lady before Kaiser's time, but during Ira's time as a new member of the dark council who tried to manipulate Salem and was punished for it by being turned into a Grimm. Ira told Kaiser that one of his first days in training.
"Ignis is in charge of finding those like that and… well he said giving them a burn notice, but I have no idea what the hell that means with him." Kaiser said.
"Has Ignis found any traitors?" Ira asked.
"I believe he has. Not many, but we did have a group of Sith who were planning on leaving. They said someone had already done it, so they could too." Kaiser said.
"Following Umbra?" Ira asked.
"I don't know. I hope that Umbra is what inspired them, but I can't guarantee it. We've always had problems with some of the Sith running away." Kaiser said.
"They are weak Sith. Not too much of a loss." Ira said.
Roman Torchwick was at the auction. It was held in one of the shady corners of Mantle. There weren't many people there. Looks like their newest member, Elias "Fixer" Varro, wasn't well-liked. He was a Hyena faunus, the tail marking him as such.
Fixer looked at the crowd. He didn't like that there were so few. His eyes landed on Roman Torchwick. That was a shock. Almost everyone thought he was dead. Yeah, there were rumors that he was in hiding in Mistral, but they were in Atlas right now. He looked at Fixer and walked to one of the men running the show.
Roman shook his head as he talked with the man. Was Roman going to buy him? He… he really didn't know how to feel about that. Why would Roman want him anyway? They all knew he had some dealings with the White Fang but all signs showed that they were gone now. Maybe he needed someone who was good with explosives.
"Let the bidding start!" The man running the show said.
To say that Fixer was pissed was an understatement.
"I am not happy that my price was so low." Fixer said. It was a complete insult to his craftsmanship! To his skills! It was the highest level of insult anyone could have given him!
"I got a really good deal on you." Roman said. He handed Fixer some of the Lien and pocketed the rest.
"Ironwood doesn't need to know." Roman said.
"Ironwood? What does he have to do with this?" Fixer asked.
"He's my boss and I'm your boss." Roman said.
"What?" Fixer asked as they were moving toward the docks.
"We're going to do Atlas's dirty work for a while. It's got great pay and a great way to fuck over the Sith." Roman said. That got Fixer's attention. The Sith fucked him over in a deal. He didn't know they were Sith until the Sith took out her lightsaber and left a scar on his chest.
Roman knew. Somehow he knew how much he hated the Sith.
"Fine. Where do I sign up? Do I get a lab, or am I just the guy who fixes your guns when you throw them at people?" Fixer asked. Torchwick gave him a wicked smile.
"Both."
Arslan didn't understand yet. Yes she understood what Yang was trying to say about them being so close to Rosa and her constantly slipping through their fingers. She understood two of the reasons that Rosa had to use her Sith lightsaber.
But what was that about her master, Maku? How could a Jedi master fall to the point where a Sith blade fit him the most? Was it possible for a Jedi master to fall so far? Did others see it?
Arslan found someone she got to know a bit in Mistral. Jaune Arc.
Jaune was meditating, while doing work on his lightsaber. She watched as he examined the parts. She could feel his strength in the force and had experienced his Battle Meditation before. She knew that he had a deep connection to the dark side.
"Jaune." Arslan called out. Jaune looked up at her, the pieces of his lightsaber still floating in the air.
"Yes?" Jaune asked. Parts began floating and she knew that Jaune was using the force to know what pieces needed to be replaced. She took a look at the Kyber crystal. The green gem shined in the light.
"I have a question about something Yang said today." Arslan said.
"Ok. What is it?" Jaune said.
"Yang said something about Rosa's Jedi master, Maku." Arslan said. She felt his displeasure at hearing his name. He still kept the parts floating.
"What is it?" Jaune asked.
"She said something about the Sith lightsaber reflecting Maku at the end. What does she mean?" Arslan asked.
"You didn't hear about it?" Jaune asked, surprised.
"Maku… was a terrible person." Jaune said. That surprised Arslan. She had only heard him say that about Vanus, who paralyzed Pyrrha. For him to be saying that… it made her think.
"I didn't meet him. But I remember hearing good things about him." Arslan said. "I know that he was giving therapy to people at Beacon." Arslan said.
"I know. I was one of them. That's what makes it so much worse." Jaune said. He looked behind Arslan and saw Weiss. She stopped hearing Arslan talk about Maku. Arslan turned around to see Weiss there. She was about to say something, but didn't know what to say.
"Weiss." Jaune said.
"It's okay." Weiss said. She moved over to one of the chairs in the room. She sat down and let out a sigh.
"I was one of them as well." Weiss said.
"You?" Arslan asked.
"Yes. I had… not the best childhood." Weiss said.
"That's putting it lightly." Jaune said.
"That's not the point of her questions." Weiss said.
"If he did that for you all, how could you say he was terrible?" Arslan asked.
"Because he was. The Maku we knew was a lie. Maku hid his evil from all of us. He made us complicit in his evil." Weiss said.
"What did he do?" Arslan asked.
"Maku abused Rosa. We know he did it more during their early days in the apprenticeship, at least physically." Jaune said.
"But his abuse lasted until right before his death. He had stolen Rosa's memories." Weiss said.
"What?" Arslan said, taking a step back.
"Maku made her do things against her will and erased the memories." Jaune said.
"Gods… did… did he touch…" Arslan started.
"No one knows. He said he didn't, according to Rosa. But her mind is still trying to figure everything out, and we can't really trust him." Jaune said.
"How was he able to teach her? How did no one catch that?" Arslan asked.
"The masters know they failed. But Maku didn't reveal the depth of his depravity. They found out about the physical abuse. But not anything else." Weiss said. Jaune finished with his lightsaber.
"He trained me wrong on purpose. So that he could kill me." Rosa was behind Arslan.
Arslan spun around, the second time getting caught off guard by someone during this chat.
"Rosa." Arslan said. She couldn't look at her.
"He stole my ability. My potential. He planned to kill me in a surprise attack when he was dying. He isolated me from my friends." Rosa said. Arslan couldn't look at her.
"When I was eight, I was kidnapped by a rouge Sith in the galaxy at large. I fell to the dark because I was force-fed Sith Blood soup. I had to call upon the dark side not to die. Maku's best friend was killed trying to save me. Maku stole my memory and feared what I could be. And… I guess he was right." Rosa said.
"Rosa." Weiss said.
"I know that I made choices, the wrong choices, time and time again. I made them, but so did Maku. At the end he had fallen to the dark side. He had the Sith eyes. I'm guessing that's why you wonder about this lightsaber." Rosa held the Sith blade in her hand. Arslan didn't know what to say.
"You could have come to me. It's my story." Rosa said. She let out a sigh. "But you probably couldn't. I can tell you want to run. Thank you Jaune and Weiss."
"How long were you standing there?" Arslan asked.
"Almost the entire time." Rosa said. Arslan remembered that Jaune could connect to both of their minds with ease. Rosa must have been telling them what was okay to say.
"Arslan…" Rosa said.
"I…" Arslan looked at Rosa and looked away. She saw Lilith, slicing Bolin's throat open. She saw Ignis burning Reese to death. She saw Kaiser holding her by the throat, saying she was too pathetic to kill.
"Arslan." Rosa said. Arslan had to leave. She went passed Rosa, down the stairs. She heard Weiss and Jaune call out to her, but she couldn't stop. She had to leave. She had to leave.
She had to get some fresh air.
Arslan found herself outside. She was alone. She felt the cold air against her skin. She saw her breath.
"They aren't here." Arslan said to herself.
"The Sith aren't here." She said.
"They can't hurt you."
"You're stronger now. You're a Jedi knight." Arslan said. She grabbed at her necklace and rubbed her finger and thumb around each bead. She was just breathing. It was all she could do to stop the panic.
She was so helpless. Her best friends were all killed and all she could do was watch.
"It's worse than I thought." Rosa said.
"What do you mean?" Weiss asked.
"I thought she just didn't like me. But she's scared." Rosa said.
"Arslan… scared? Her?" Weiss muttered to herself.
"The Sith did this. And She can't see you as different form the Sith yet." Jaune said.
"I think it's time to go on that supply run now." Rosa said.
Roman Torchwick arrived back at the base, needing only one more teammate before they had a full squad.
"Please tell me we're getting another woman soon." Kyra said.
"I don't make promises." Roman said.
Roman looked at the mission board. There was one where the five of them could go.
"Look, we'll do a mission or two. This one is all about getting an artifact that may be Sith in nature. It's a quick in and out mission." Roman said.
"How is a getting an artifact going to take all of us?" Kyra asked.
"Because it's in a private collection in a councilman's home." Roman said.
"Shit. Do they even wonder where these artifacts come from before displaying them in their homes?" Kyra asked.
"These are politicians." Torchwick said.
"Yeah. Let's get this over with." Kyra said.
It didn't take long for them to get the mission started. Kyra got one of the aircars to get them to the house. Tech took down the security system. Brick took care of the security. Ghost got the front door open, and every door after that.
Roman knew this mission was going to be smooth. The councilman was out tonight, supposedly for a charity dinner, but only if you call her charity. They had enough dirt on this man to bury him for life. He was the kind of guy that Roman always wanted to have as a target.
"Boss, we're almost to the room with the prize." Ghost said.
"Good. I can feel that arson charge dropping now." Torchwick opened the door and found a woman there, holding onto the artifact, lightsaber in hand.
"What do we have here?" Roman said. She looked at Torchwick.
"Who the hell are you?" She asked.
"You know who I am. Just like I know you're Sith." Torchwick said.
"I'm not Sith. Not anymore. Fuck them." She said.
"My same philosophy! But what about that one there?" Roman pointed to the man on the ground. Ghost didn't even see him.
"You're creating a team for something. I want in. He's my ticket. He knows about the first attack against Atlas." She said.
"He does… You know, I never got your name." Torchwick said.
"Nisha Veylan." Nisha said.
"Well Nisha, how good are you at interrogating?" Roman asked.
"I'll make him give everything you want up." Nisha said.
"I like that. Show me." Torchwick said.
"Alright." Nisha brought the Sith forward.
It was fast. It was effective. It was brutal. It was everything they needed.
The Sith confessed that they were using an underground facility to house the Sith. He said that Salem was filling out the dark council. There was more, but they needed to bring him along so Ironwood could hear.
"Nisha, welcome aboard. Glad to have you, and not to fight you." Roman said.
"Happy to be aboard." Nisha said.
"Remind me never to get on her bad side. She's scary." Ghost said.
"Smart boy." Nisha said, patting Ghost on the cheek. She handed Torchwick the artifact and carried the Sith on her shoulders.
"Tin man's going to love this." Torchwick said. "Oh yeah, only I get to call him that."
"What? Why?" Ghost said.
"Because he can't react, or I win, and he knows that."
Ironwood read the report. A Sith deserter broke in after the Sith she captured. Roman and Ghost found them in that state. They confirmed that the artifact was Sith in origin. He had Maria come and deal with that since that was her area of expertise.
Ironwood looked over the newest recruit. He didn't like her. That was mostly because of her Sith origin. But he had to admit, the information she got for the Alliance was the best information he could have received.
Qrow looked over Ironwood's desk.
"You have to admit, she's exactly what we would want." Qrow said.
"I know. That's why I don't like it. How could the Sith allow someone like this to survive. With better information than Rosa." Ironwood said.
"We don't have much choice." Qrow said.
"I know."
Team RRWBY was on a supply run. They were watching over the supply ship keeping it safe from and Grimm that they found, or any Sith.
Rosa looked out at the ground.
"I get why she doesn't want anything to do with me." Rosa said.
"What do you mean?" Blake asked.
"Arslan. I get it. Her team was killed by the Sith, and until recently, I was one." Rosa said.
"She just needs time." Weiss said.
"I know." Rosa said.
"What can we do to help her?" Ruby asked.
Rosa didn't say anything. For right now, the answer might be nothing. The answer might just be giving Arslan space.
They watched as the supply transport flew. Ruby had Cresent Rose in sniper mode. She saw a single Grimm in the air flying toward them. She raised Cresent Rose and fired, taking out the Grimm.
Neo got back from some of Roman's underworld work. It was a quick thing to do. Just make sure things continue smoothly. She walked back to the stairs of the school. She saw Arslan out there.
She wanted to keep moving.
She should have kept moving.
She knew that Arslan was supposed to be the one who kept her a prisoner.
But she stopped. She stood over Arslan. She took out her scroll and began typing.
"Why are you out here?" Neo asked.
"I just… needed some air." Arslan said.
"It looks like you've been out here for a while." Neo texted.
"It doesn't matter." Arslan said.
"It would look really bad if my warden ended up dead." Neo texted. Arslan shook her head.
"I'm not a warden." Arslan said. Neo rolled her eyes. She grabbed Arslan with her can and stood her up.
"Come on." Neo said. She had no idea why she was doing this. Arslan was cold to the touch. She'd been out there longer than she should have been.
"I can walk on my own." Arslan said. Neo looked back at her and stopped.
"Idiot." Neo signed.
"I'm not an idiot." Arslan said. Neo looked back at her and realized she could read sign language.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Neo signed.
"I… I didn't want to embarrass you. I know some people were taught that using sign language was something to be… discouraged." Arslan said. Neo didn't like how close to home that hit.
"Don't assume. It makes an ass out of you and me." Neo said.
Arslan was in a warm bath. She felt her skin absorbing the heat. She had been out there for too long. She was thinking about her teammates. She looked at her hands, thinking about how she didn't stand a chance against Kaiser.
Neo kicked the side of the tub. Arslan's eyes shot open as she covered herself.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Arslan said, not knowing what else to say. Neo glared at her.
"Sorry." Arslan said.
"I tried making noise. You were lost in your head." Neo signed.
"What is it?" Arslan was still embarrassed.
"I was going what towel you wanted." Neo said.
"I can choose my own!" Arslan said. Neo rolled her eyes.
"You're acting like I've never seen boobs before." Neo said.
"I don't need you looking!" Arslan said.
"Grow up." Neo signed as she started to leave the bathroom.
"Wait! Can… can you get me the blue towel?" Arslan said. Neo tossed the towel which landed on the stool in the bathroom.
"Thank you." Arslan said.
After getting out and getting changed, Arslan didn't look at Neo.
"Sorry." Arslan said. There were a few seconds before Neo snapped. That brought Arslan's attention to Neo's hands, where they needed to be.
"Me too." Neo said.
"Thank you for helping me." Arslan said. Neo gave a thumbs up. She didn't know why she was apologizing. She didn't know why she was helping Arslan. She didn't care if she saw somebody or somebody saw her naked. That was probably the underworld part of her talking where nudity wasn't an unfamiliar sight. She didn't need to explain herself. She didn't realize she was doing it.
"Neo…" Arslan stood there. Neo realized she was signing. She got embarrassed. She hadn't done something like that before.
"I think I understand now." Arslan said.
"Well… good for you." Neo signed.
There was a Sith field agent that was hiding in the trees. He saw the supply ship flying overhead.
"Commander, I see it." He reported.
"Send the signal downward." The order came in. The field agent sent the signal to the ambush team they had.
At the end of the chain were four men with smart rockets. They fired the rockets and waited for the ship to come down.
Rosa raised her head first.
"We're under attack." Rosa said. She looked out of the ship and saw four rockets following them.
"Damn." Rosa said. She brought her head back in.
"Four of them." Rosa said.
The ship launched its flares. Two of the rockets had their lock scrambled and slammed into a flare. The other two avoided the flares and continued toward the ship.
"We're reading an enemy ship behind us." The pilot said.
"Yang, I think there was a gun or two at the back." Ruby said. "Weiss, create a flying summon."
"Got it." Weiss said. She brought her lightsaber down, not turning it on. She created a glyph and summoned a Drexl. The Drexl flew behind the ship, slamming into the two missiles. The Manticore summon appeared behind the smoke.
"Blake, Rosa, make sure everything is secure." Ruby said.
The Manticore summon gripped the ship behind them. The Manticore was on the back of the ship. It was a larger ship, not as large as the one they were on, but large. The Manticore clawed at the back of the ship and ripped off some of the metal.
Yang had finally got to the gun in the back. It wasn't the best gun, but it would have to do. She fired at the ship, hitting it.
"Weiss! Have that thing attack the wing!" Yang shouted back. She continued firing. Weiss heard her, and the Manticore jumped off the wounded back and climbed onto the wing.
"Good!" Yang shouted. The enemy ship had to focus on moving to get the summon off, but it wasn't. Yang fired again and got a good hit. It seemed like the shield protecting the most vital area was broken.
Yang fired into the enemy cockpit as soon as the Manticore tore off the wing. The enemy ship crashed into the ground.
"We got them." Yang shouted.
"Everything's secure." Blake said.
"Either those were well-equipped pirates or Sith." Rosa said.
"Sith." Everyone said in agreement.
Ironwood looked at the report team RRWBY gave him. The Sith attacked a supply ship. The ship they were using was one used by pirates and bandits, but they all knew it was the Sith. The supplies were saved. Weiss and Yang were the ones who took down the enemy ship quickly.
"They have the ability to launch ships." Ironwood said.
"Looks like it." Clover said. The Ace Ops went out to search the sight. The crew was dead, and much of the ship destroyed, but there was still enough to show that they were more well-equipped than they let on.
"We still have the air advantage." Winter said.
"We do for now. Has the information that Sith given us been useful?" Ironwood asked.
"We've been searching the cities we suspect sir." Clover said.
"I'll have the new batch of drones done tomorrow. I finally figured out the bug." Pietro said. He had a datapad that he handed to Ironwood. "The footage we got shows deep enough that we'll be able to see any enemy emplacements. The drones themselves are small enough that they will be hard to detect."
"How many are there?" Winter asked.
"I have sixty ready." Pietro said.
"Thank you. I know the projects we've been giving you have been keeping you from rebuilding Penny." Ironwood said.
"She's almost ready too. We're just missing a few things, but unfortunately, those are the hardest to get to." Pietro said.
"What do you need?" Winter asked.
"The principle comes from the Kyber crystal. There's something living that powers her. It holds the part of her I have to give. Somewhere between a Holocron matrix and a Kyber crystal. The Jedi who helped me the first time explained the principle." Pietro said.
"You met a Jedi when we built her the first time?" Ironwood asked.
"Yes, though it was only later that I found out. Maria has been helping me as much as she could with the matrix." Pietro said.
"A matrix?" Winter asked.
"At this point, it's easier to think of it as an artificial heart. That is what we have to create." Pietro said.
"Sounds difficult." Clover said.
"It's all about precision." Pietro said.
"Atlas owes you a great debt Pietro." Ironwood said.
Kaiser looked at the report. Something was off. There was a single Sith missing. Not a troop but a trained Sith. The officers here didn't know what to say when he asked where the missing Sith was.
Kaiser broke off from the useless officers. He needed to find out where that Sith went. They couldn't have any leaks.
Kaiser woke up anyone who could have any knowledge where the missing Sith went.
"My Lord, he said he was going on a patrol that you sent him on." One of the many faceless Sith officers said.
"Where! I didn't order any patrols!" Kaiser grabbed the Sith officer by the collar and dragged him closer.
"He didn't say." The officer said.
"Fuck!" He tossed the officer back. "Find him Now!" Kaiser shouted.
"My Lord, we were able to track where he went for some time. He headed in the direction of Atlas." One of the tech specialists said.
"That cocksucker is going to get us all killed." Kaiser mumbled.
"Sir?" One of his men asked.
"Kaiser." Valum said. She was still with Kaiser. She had gone to sleep. Kaiser said he could handle things without her. But these officers have made that impossible.
"Lord Karn seemed to think he could go to Atlas alone. These officers didn't check in with me after he said I gave him permission." Kaiser turned back to them. They moved back.
"We should go." Valum said. She grabbed Kaiser, which probably saved one of the officers' lives.
"What are you doing?" Kaiser asked.
"Salem can probably track him." Valum said.
"Of course." Kaiser opened a portal to Salem's throne room. They stepped in and saw Salem, looking over the plans of attack.
"Lady Salem." Kaiser said.
"What is it?" Salem asked.
"We have a rouge Sith who the officers at the newest base let go to Atlas." Kaiser said.
"Tell me why you didn't stop him." Salem said.
"He left long before I arrived. Lord Karn used my authority against us." Kaiser said.
"I see. You didn't have any complications at the last base during your inspections?" Salem asked.
"No Lady Salem. Everything was going as scheduled." Kaiser said.
"Lord Karn. He could only have revealed one of the bases, but even one is dangerous enough." Salem stood up and stretched her hand out in the middle of the throne room. A seer Grimm floated in and showed that Lord Karn was in a cell.
"He's in Atlas after all." Salem said.
"Who will we send to clean up this mess?" Kaiser asked.
"I will send Lilith." Salem said.
"Lady Salem…" Kaiser started.
"That base that Karn was at is small. Let it burn. If there are any soldiers or Sith of value, bring them out." Salem said.
"And Valum." Salem turned to her.
"Yes, Lady Salem?" Valum said.
"Make sure those officers who let this happen stay. I want a lesson to be taught here. Not just to the troops, but to the Sith as well. If anyone causes this operation to stumble, they will die." Salem said.
Salem was annoyed. This disrupted her plans. She needed to relax. She found herself once more in Sun's cell. He looked at up at her.
"Why?" Sun said.
Salem grabbed Sun by the throat and slammed him into the wall.
"I need to… let off some steam. And I remembered my favorite plaything is here." Salem said. Sun grunted at her touch.
She let go of his throat. She decided that she needed to be more careful with her toy. She placed her hand on his chest.
"You could always be more than a prisoner. I reward my favorite toys quite well. Sun just looked at her. He was tired. She had been depriving him of sleep recently. She leaned in close to him.
"I can be what Blake never could." Salem said. Sun didn't say anything.
"You think I'll break for that? How weak do you think I am?" Sun asked.
"I know you're not weak, Sun. You've survived so much." Salem said. She wanted to see how far his training had come. His mental fortitude, his resistance, would soon break. It had to break. Maybe she would have to take... more from him.
"You'll be treated better than you ever have before. You can have more than one if you want. Imagine Blake, and Yang being yours." Salem said "I have people here far better than both of them. They will do whatever you wish them to do. And lustful desire can be fulfilled." Salem said in a practiced sultry voice, running her hands long his bare chest. She saw the effect it had, but Sun tried to fight it. It wouldn't matter. He couldn't win. Perhaps he wanted both of the women. It wasn't unheard of for a romantic bond such as that. Even less so a sexual bond. She knew it wouldn't break him, but he couldn't hide the effect she had on his body from anyone.
Salem knew that offer would never cause him to break. He was strong-willed. It did him no good here. She brought his face back to her and gave him another kiss. He couldn't fight back against her. She loved his shutters as she did it. He wanted to be anywhere else, but he was here with her. She reveled at the effect she was having.
"Are you a masochist? Do you like the pain that we've been inflicting on you?" Salem asked. She saw that Sun was getting uncomfortable.
"You look so tired, Sun. You can sleep if you want to." Salem said.
"There is no chance of me trusting you." Sun said.
"That is wise. Who knows what I'd do?" Salem said. Salem rubbed her hands up his arms, feeling what remained of his muscles. He wasn't the most muscular male she has seen, but she did enjoy where his muscles were. She knew that soon she would start focusing on breaking his trust with Blake. She would soon show Sun the illusions.
Salem brought her fingernail down his chest, causing him to bleed. She grabbed a drop of blood and licked it.
"Do you want to taste my blood? I've tasted yours so many times now. It would only be fair." Salem said.
"Why haven't you killed me yet?" Sun asked.
"Sun, I couldn't kill you. Not anymore." Salem said. She leaned in and kissed Sun again. "You are my favorite toy. I told you that."
"Favorite victim." Sun said.
"They are the same." Salem brought a knife up and cut her thumb. A near-black-red color came out of her thumb. She grabbed his face and forced him to taste her blood. She would now always be able to examine him, even when she was away.
"You will break soon." Salem said.
"You are an evil witch." Sun said.
"I can do much worse. And I will."
Salem had to remind herself that her toy was fragile now. But she would be back soon. Sun had been too tired to react properly.
Ironwood gathered a group to take out the base that the Sith came from. They sent one of the new drones around the area. Ironwood and Pietro were in the situation room, with multiple monitors, showing all the different views the drone was getting. The most important one was the underground view. The city was one that was in ruins, having been lost about the time that Ironwood joined the military.
"We're about to reach the sight." Pietro said. There were officers in the room making sure everything was working.
"Let's see if the information was good." Ironwood said.
"If it was, I think you ought to give the special team a reward for it." Pietro said. He was careful not to say anything about Torchwick's team that didn't need to be said. It was still somewhat of a secret.
He knew that Torchwick was enjoying his time off, making his Criminal empire move. He tolerated it. He knew that they could get more sources that were too important to miss. They could keep a pulse on the underworld and possibly create missions for the team.
"We're seeing the ruined city." One of the officers said. The image of the ruins filled the screen. Ironwood had them enlarge the view of the underground.
"We're looking at something, sir." The officer said.
There was an underground structure, built under many of the buildings that were still ruined. It was smaller than Ironwood thought it would be, but larger than he liked.
"We're counting many heat signatures below ground." One of the officers said.
"Defenses?" Ironwood asked.
"We're seeing turrets set up around the city, but nothing heavier than that." Another officer explained.
"They don't have anything for aerial attacks?" Ironwood asked.
"It looks like this base is still being set up General." That same officer replied.
"The Sith killed them all." Ironwood said.
"If you don't blow everything to hell and back, we might be able to look for some information." Pietro said.
Lilith had made it inside Atlas. She had to switch from their regular scrolls and switch to one of Memores's inventions. They were able to capture a single commlink from the enemy, and Memores was able to break into it and create a version of his own.
She knew how to get into the School. That wasn't the hard point. The hard point would be getting to the cells. She was going to kill Lord Karn. If he gave the information, he was a traitor. If he didn't, he was a leak. He was a fool either way.
She knew the knights were here, and they knew what she looked like. She had to keep away from them.
Lilith stayed focused on the mission. She couldn't fail Salem. She was able to get to one of the elevators. She was glad they got the information on the Atlesian military uniforms, structure, and lingo. She had learned it because she knew that she would have to use it. And finally, all the work was paying off.
She was able to make it to the elevator, but unfortunately, a soldier got on as well. He was a lower rank than her, so she didn't need to talk to him. There was a simple salute that he gave her. She gave back the proper salute for her rank and the look he would expect from a female officer. Much more relaxed than if she was a male officer. It was something that the female officers were allowed to get away with.
This soldier pressed a button for a level lower than she would have liked because it was lower than the level she was going. She was hoping that she would have had to the chance to get on top of the elevator. She knew that the elevators themselves had cameras, but they turned off before going to a new floor. She would have had to get to the top of the elevator quickly, but it was doable for an average Sith, and easy for a Sith of her caliber.
She got off and knew she had to find a way to get back on the elevator. She could feel that down here she wouldn't be able to teleport away. The rooms had too much light in them. She had to be careful as she made it to the bottom. She could always quickly move into a room and break all the lights. That might just work.
She knew some skills. She knew how to disappear. It couldn't be for long stretches, but she could disappear. She was able to sneak onto another elevator. She waited until the doors closed to use the force to open the tiny hatch on top. She jumped on and looked at the elevator shaft. There was a small gap between two elevator shafts. She knew that the prison level would be far easier to get to on that elevator.
Lord Karn sat in the cell. He knew he told everything. He was dead if they found him. He revealed the location of one of the bases. He knew that he was going to die if the Sith found him.
He was cocky. He was arrogant. He was stupid. What was he thinking going to Atlas to steal a single artifact? It didn't matter how powerful it was. He traded his life for an attempt to get it.
But that bitch got the drop on him. Then… then she tore his mind open. It wasn't the force. He could have defended against that. But she was a demon.
And then there was Roman Torchwick. He should have been dead. Ever Sith thought he was. There should have been no way that he could have survived without the Sith knowing. But now he was working for Ironwood.
His head shot up. He felt a dark presence.
"Guard." Karn said. The guard stood up and moved over to his cell.
"What is it Sith? Ready to confess more?" He asked.
"Someone's here." Karn said.
The guard shook his head.
"Impossible." He said. He was about to sit back down, but he turned and saw someone Karn couldn't see.
"Who are you?" The guard asked.
"Stand aside." Lilith said. Karn recognized her voice instantly.
"No! Please!" Karn shouted. The guard stopped and sat back down. He was entranced by her. Karn listened as Lilith took steps closer to him. His back was against the wall as she stopped in front of him.
"You are a fool." Lilith said.
"I have information! Don't kill me and you can have it!" Karn said. He felt pressure around his neck. His eyes opened wide as he grabbed at his throat. He looked up at Lilith.
"I don't care." Lilith said.
"I…" Karn tried to get out, but even that hurt. He could feel his life about to end. He couldn't do anything to stop it.
Lilith watched as she made him suffer. His eyes looked like they were almost about the burst out of his face. She watched as he reached out to her. It was a pathetic sight.
She snapped his neck.
Lilith knew it would be better to leave the way she came down. She turned to the guard.
"He had a heart attack." Lilith said.
Ironwood sent out the bombers. They were going to bomb the base first. If anything survived, then he would send in Alliance troops. They needed to destroy the enemy. They needed to be free from the Sith.
Pietro turned to leave as the bombers left.
"I'll leave now." Pietro said.
"Go." Ironwood said.
The mission was going successfully. Each group of bombers had at least two snub fighters as escort.
"General, what's going on?" General Fordo asked over his commlink.
"We've found a Sith base, and we're taking it out." Ironwood asked.
"A small amount of Grimm got through everything." Fordo said.
"Are you able to take care of them easily?" Ironwood asked.
"Of course." Fordo said.
"Keep an eye out." Ironwood said.
"The Sith will probably get bolder after this." Fordo said.
"I think so too. But this still needs to happen." Ironwood said.
"Understood." Fordo said.
The ships were off. Kaiser and Valum were watching from far off. They had taken out some of the soldiers. But there weren't many that they thought were worth saving.
"They launch the first attack. Karn is dead." Valum said.
"Good." Kaiser said. Valum looked at Kaiser.
"They will all die." Valum said.
"They deserve it." Kaiser said.
"Salem will probably punish us." Valum said.
"She's having us watch. Perhaps she thinks the officers don't fear me enough. Perhaps she doesn't like my style of leadership." Kaiser said.
"What do you think the punishment will be?" Valum asked.
"This was something small. Before, when she wanted me and Umbra to create a child, the punishments related to that." Kaiser said.
"And you'd be disgusted by the thought." Valum said. "You didn't want to be with Umbra or me. I have to ask. Are you gay?"
"No." Kaiser said. Kaiser admitted that Valum was a beautiful woman. He admitted that he fought back his natural urges the few times she had 'accidentally' exposed herself to him after she took a shower. He fought back those memories. He wasn't going to fall for the trap, whatever it was.
"Then is it that we're human?" Valum asked. "Both of us could make you see things."
"No, it's not that you're humans." Kaiser said. Some assumed that Kaiser only wanted to be with Faunus women because of his beliefs about the Faunus. But if there were humans who were on his side, he did consider them. And Valum was by his side. He felt an instinctual attraction to her. But he was a professional. He didn't allow any lusts to get in the way of the mission.
"I would have thought someone like you wouldn't think twice about it." Valum said.
"I'm not a shallow person. Salem doesn't get that." Kaiser said. They didn't. She didn't. She may have exposed herself. She may be very attractive. She may be helping his cause. But he needed something real. He didn't just want sex. He wanted a partner. Someone who he could fully trust. Someone who he could tell his secrets to. Unfortunately, Umbra was the last person he would have been okay being with. But he knew she wouldn't have. He respected her so much for standing up for her own wants. He didn't see that self respect in Valum.
"A romantic. Unfortunately, you're a Sith. We don't have that luxury." Valum said.
"It looks like you are shallow." Kaiser said.
"Excuse me?" Valum said.
"You heard me." Kaiser said.
"Fuck you." Valum said. "You don't have any idea about me."
"Did Umbra?" Kaiser asked. He looked to see her reaction. He got exactly what he wanted. But he also saw pain in her as well. He realized then that she too had been betrayed. Perhaps not to the same level as he was, but she had a right to be angry at Umbra too. She trusted her like he trusted her. When he saw that... he wished for a second he could take back what he said. He didn't want to be a cruel man to his allies.
"You are a bastard." Valum said. The words hummed in the night air. They were in his mind. He knew they were true.
They started hearing the ships coming in on the base.
"I know I am." Kaiser said.
"If Salem ordered you to sleep with as many women as possible, would you do it?" Valum asked. It was different from the question he asked her.
"She wouldn't do that." Kaiser said. He wanted to say no, but that was too dangerous.
"As far as you know." Valum said. "She wants that ability of yours. You understand she wants that ability to go out to as many Sith as she can get, right?"
"I understand that." Kaiser said.
"She's probably going to command you to make that ability spread." Valum said.
"During the siege?" Kaiser asked.
"Almost certainly." Valum said.
"And you think she'll have me start with you?" Kaiser asked.
"I don't know on that one. But probably." Valum said. She tried to hide any emotions with that but couldn't do it all the way. She was nervous and scared at the thought. Kaiser realized she was… scared of him. Her. He wanted to tell her that she didn't need to fear him, but maybe she did.
The bombs dropped, destroying much of the base. They felt death from the distance they were at. They watched as round after found of bombs were dropped on the base. It was in the middle of the night. The base was still putting up all their sensor equipment.
"She doesn't care if you're ready or not. She just expects you to follow her commands. She's commanded me to get close to you." Valum said. "She's said I should be able to seduce you. But I think she just wanted to see me struggle more."
"You were barely trying." Kaiser said. He knew it was a lie. He tried to keep his mind off the outcome they both knew was coming.
"Come on Kaiser, do you think it was an accident when you found me 'just getting out of the shower' when you did? Do you really think that me being so close to you isn't me trying to get your attention? Do you really think all those 'accidental' touches were accidents? Mercury would have killed to have even a fraction of the attention you get." Emerald said. She looked at him, and saw something. She saw that he had noticed. That she had effects on him. She knew that he had noticed her efforts, but was trying to be... respectful?
"Mercury was killed for that reason." Kaiser said.
"Salem keeps telling me that I'm failing her. That by me not getting you into bed, I'm failing the Sith." Valum said.
More bombs illuminated the night. Kaiser gave Valum a quick glance. She was scared of Salem. She was scared of what Salem would do to her. Kaiser understood that. He understood it well.
"You aren't failing the Sith. Not like Umbra." Kaiser said. "You are a powerful Sith."
Another light in the night. The base was almost completely gone. The ships moved back. Troop ships landed and they moved toward what remained of the base. There were a few Jedi in there as well.
"You know what Salem does when she doesn't get what she wants, right? She forces it. We don't have a choice." Valum said. Her voice was becoming almost desperate. Like she was afraid that Salem was going to force them to do it in front of the council. He could see her threatening that.
"She didn't force it between me and Umbra." Kaiser said.
"She thinks that's part of the problem." Valum said. "It's all she talks to me about anymore. She wants more Sith like you."
Kaiser didn't realize how different this was from Umbra. Even with Umbra, she still had him do things with her that they didn't want. He didn't realize how close Salem was to taking away all his agency. He didn't realize how close he was to having to force himself on Umbra, and the thought made him sick. There were few things that sickened him.
"I'm sorry Valum." Kaiser said. He didn't know what else to say.
"She'll be okay if you start out slow. She wants to make you want to do it. It will start with one, then she'll introduce a second candidate. And it will grow until she's satisfied." Valum said.
"She told you that?" Kaiser asked.
"Yes." Valum said. Kaiser realized that they didn't have long. He realized the risk of going to Salem together. Kaiser didn't know what to say. Salem's will was going against his own, and he knew how that would end up.
He knew that he would follow Salem's will.
He knew that he would give Salem another child.
And he knew that Valum knew it too. That was why she was trying so hard to get his attention. She wanted control. Any amount of control that could be afforded to her, which was quickly diminishing.
Kaiser knew that she was scared and didn't want to do this. Not with him. But Salem was forcing them.
"I'm sorry." Kaiser said.
"It doesn't matter anymore." Valum said.
"It does. It's your life. Your choice is being taken from you." Kaiser said.
"Thank you for caring about my choice." Valum said. Kaiser saw a tear fall. She was trying to hide it.
This wasn't right.
He brought his hand up, and she flinched at his touch. He stopped. She let out a sigh.
"Sorry." Valum said. Kaiser wiped away the tear.
"Nothing happened." Kaiser said. That made Valum turn to him.
"Kaiser?" Valum asked.
"I... I won't do anything you aren't comfortable with. I'll stop if you ask me." Kaiser said.
"So you don't find me repulsive." Valum let out a humorless laugh.
"You are a beautiful woman." Kaiser said. That caught Valum's attention.
"You... you promise everything you said?" Valum asked.
"Yes."
Rosa woke up from another dreamless night. She got out of bed, being careful not to wake up Oscar. She threw on a shirt over her tank top. She grabbed the pair of slippers that she got as a gift recently.
She had walked through the halls of the school. She needed to just not be inside. She needed some cold.
She called her sleep dreamless, but she knew that she saw something. She saw Kaiser there. Not the angry look at Argus. But the Kaiser she knew in Mistral. Not the prick who was always angry like the Menagerie days. But her friend who she betrayed.
He was there, asking her why she left. There was no anger in his voice. It was full of hurt. She didn't know how to handle seeing him like that. Hearing him holding back his emotions, but then still slipping through. She couldn't handle that.
So she found herself sitting on the balcony of the school. She looked out just feeling the cold wind hit her face. Her choices had led her here. Her choices caused five women to carry her children. Even that thought… her children. She didn't want to think about it. If she ignored them she could convince herself that they didn't really exist.
It was selfish. But it's what she had to do. Until she couldn't.
She saw a child in her dream. She saw a boy that looked so much like Kaiser… but he had her eyes. Her nose. That image haunted her. The look the child gave her, was a look of hatred. He blamed her for being born, and she couldn't argue.
She saw Maku look at the child.
"She's a murderer." Maku said.
She saw Kaiser.
"She's a traitor." Kaiser said.
The child looked at her. She felt the child start to use force drain. Both hers and Kaiser's. Then she woke up.
"I'm surrounded by ghosts." Rosa said. Rosa turned to see Arslan opening the door to the roof as well. She saw Arslan tense up.
"I'll go." Rosa said.
"No."
Rosa looked at Arslan.
"You don't have to go." Arslan said.
"Are you sure you can handle seeing me?" Rosa asked.
"I'm sorry for earlier." Arslan said.
"You don't have to be." Rosa said. Arslan didn't look at Rosa, but she was able to move closer to Rosa. Arslan grabbed the railing.
"They haunt me." Arslan said.
"Your team." Rosa said. It should have been a question, but she knew better.
"Every night. I see them being murdered. I see their blood. I see them accusing me of letting them die. I see Kaiser. He left me alive because he thought I was too pathetic to kill." Arslan said. She didn't know why she was saying anything. She hadn't told anyone this. And to say it to Rosa… She knew it had to come out now. But she couldn't stop now.
"Every detail. It keeps playing in my head on repeat. I can't stop seeing them. I keep thinking—if I'd just been stronger, if I'd been better, they wouldn't have…" Arslan couldn't say anything else. She couldn't hold it back. She tried to stop the words from leaving her mouth, but they flowed out. She tried to stop the tears that were threatening to come down.
"Yeah. I get that." Rosa said. Arslan looked over at Rosa, whose eyes were far off.
"Maku. Kaiser. The people I've…" Rosa was about to say created, but she couldn't. "Hurt."
"I'm scared." Arslan let out. Rosa caught the confession. She turned her head to Arslan.
"You?" Rosa asked.
"Yes." Arslan shook her head.
"Of what?" Rosa asked.
"Of losing more people. Of not being enough. Of Kaiser. Of what he did to me." Arslan said. Rosa had the most concerned look on her face.
"What did he do to you?" Rosa asked.
"He beat me. I don't even think I lasted five seconds against him in Mistral. He beat me, choked me, and left me to live because I was weak." Arslan said. Rosa shifted.
"Yeah. That bastard has that effect on people." Rosa said.
"You knew him." Arslan said after listening to Rosa's tone. "Not just of him, or fought beside him. You KNEW him. You were close with him."
"He was my partner." Rosa said.
Arslan didn't know what to think.
"He and I were put together by Salem in an attempt to get us to bond. Hoping that we would make a child. I hated him at the start. He was nothing but a nuisance. He was hyper-critical and just a nasty person. He would have said I was bitchy. And I was." A smile came to Rosa's face.
"Over time we did grow closer. But it was after we solved the issue with the child that we really got close." Rosa said.
"Did you… Are you…" Arslan asked.
"No. I'm not pregnant. You know IVF, right?" Rosa asked. Arslan shook her head.
"Yes." Arslan said.
"They extracted five of my cells. And there are five surrogates around the world. They must have been moved since I last learned where they were." Rosa said.
"After that… he… really became a friend. He showed me his scars from the SDC. His branding over his eye. He became someone I could be vulnerable with and who was vulnerable with me. And… I left him." Rosa admitted to Arslan.
"And now?" Arslan asked.
"Now, he wants me dead. And honestly? I don't blame him." Rosa said, letting a dry, humorless chuckle out.
"I don't know what to say." Arslan said.
"You don't have to say anything." Rosa said. She could tell all this was swimming in Arslan's head. She looked at Rosa, and her eyes began to widen. She realized the terrible truth that Rosa herself tried to ignore.
"You miss him." Arslan said.
"Yeah… even just a little." Rosa said. The confession went out. Arslan moved back immediately.
"How close were you?" Arslan asked.
"Depends on what you mean." Rosa said. There was a slight hesitation in her voice.
"You said you understood him. You said you trusted him. That he told you things he never told anyone else. So how close were you really?" Arslan asked.
"As close as two Sith can be without betraying each other." Rosa said. It took her a second to say it. That should have been enough for Arslan. But it wasn't.
"Did you ever think…" Arslan started. Rosa knew immediately what she was thinking. And put a stop to it.
"No. It was never like that. Not once. I told you. I'm asexual. I don't… I didn't…" She didn't know what to say. She knew why people thought like that. She understood it, but she didn't feel that way. She didn't know how others felt that way. She didn't even know what that way was.
"It wasn't about that." Rosa said. Arslan stopped. She looked back out at the city then looked back at Rosa.
"Then what was it about?" Arslan asked.
"We had to rely on each other—because if we didn't, we'd both die. And for a while… he was the only person I could trust" Rosa said.
Rosa turned to Arslan.
"Any questions?" Rosa asked. Arslan didn't say anything.
"How could you still care about that monster?" Arslan said. That stung.
"Arslan." Rosa said.
"How could you say that you were friends with him? How!" Arslan shouted. She looked at Rosa and saw the look in her eyes.
"I'm… I'm…" Arslan said.
"I ask myself the same thing. I don't know." Rosa said. "It doesn't make sense. How could I care for someone who made my life hell? How can I care for someone who was meant to make me a breeding farm? How could I care for someone when Salem was manipulating our emotions? Forcing us to do things we weren't comfortable with." Rosa said. "I ask myself that a lot. But each time, I remember the softer moments. I remember him asking me if we could consider each other friends. I remember him helping me and standing up for me. I can't control these emotions… and…"
Rosa was starting to cry.
"I wish I understood why I feel so much pain when I think of him. I know he's done terrible things. I've done terrible things. Maybe I could have saved him when I left." Rosa said. "Sorry. We weren't supposed to talk about my issues." Rosa said.
"I'm sorry." Arslan said.
"You don't have to be." Rosa said. She wiped away the tears.
"I… I didn't realize you've been struggling too." Arslan said.
"You're struggling more right now. I have everything and everyone. I don't deserve this."
Arslan stood there.
"It's not right for me to fear you." Arslan said.
"No. I completely understand why you do." Rosa said. Arslan grabbed her shoulders.
"We're both victims of the Sith." Arslan said. She looked Rosa in the eyes.
"Thank you." Rosa said. Arslan hugged Rosa.
"We've both been through too much pain and suffering." Arslan said. Rosa wrapped her arms around Arslan. She didn't think this would happen today.
"I'm trying to be better." Rosa said.
"I'll do my best as well." Arslan said.
Salem sat back. The first shot was fired in her invasion. A base was destroyed. It should have infuriated her more. But she couldn't find it in herself to be particularly angry.
One of her other goals was moving along better than she expected. Kaiser and Valum had gotten closer. Kaiser was reacting to her better. Valum still hadn't slept with him, but she could wait on that.
The Sith that they lost were an acceptable loss. Lilith returned to her, and she was being rewarded. Lilith got to meet Sun Wukong. She seemed rather eager to meet the Jedi. She had her rules, no killing or maiming. She had to leave him in a shape where Salem herself could come back to him shortly after that. She didn't expect much from her visit. But she wanted it. Probably because Salem herself had it.
Salem knew that she would have to launch the siege soon. But now, she believed she was ready. They needed to get revenge after all. She summoned Kaiser. She let Requiem rest for the day. Requiem was with Nihil, and she hoped that meant she would be getting a strong Sith from them soon.
Kaiser had his shirt off. She raised an eyebrow.
"Sleeping?" Salem asked.
"Trying to." Kaiser said.
"With Valum?" Salem asked. Kaiser looked away but didn't move.
"Excuse me then. We can summon her here and the two of you continue." Salem said. "But perhaps, I should just tell you what I desire."
"Whatever it is." Kaiser said.
"We will send the first wave against Atlas soon. We need revenge for their attack on our base." Salem said.
"Which base do you want to use?" Kaiser asked.
"Use the one with the city we took over. They've been there the longest." Salem said.
"It will be done." Kaiser said.
"Oh, and Kaiser, enjoy yourself with her. Treat her nicely, but also remember, she follows other's lead." Salem said. Kaiser didn't say anything as he left the throne room. Valum was waiting for him. He heard Salem's words in his mind. Valum came to him and planted a kiss.
"She knows." Valum said.
"She does. She's happy." Kaiser said. He didn't care about Salem right now. He didn't care that Salem was probably altering his mind even a little here.
Kaiser closed the bedroom door. He let out every pent-up emotion and desire he had with her. Not because Salem wanted it, but because he finally decided that he wasn't going to deny his urges anymore. And Valum has the same idea. He kissed her and moved over to the bed. She blushed at him but still looked into his eyes. Years he had denied himself any pleasure. But this was one he couldn't pass up. He didn't want to pass this up. He had an urge for her.
Valum wasn't scared anymore. Not of Kaiser. Not after coming back. He asked Valum what she thought of him. That led to a discussion between them. They began to understand each other better. Kaiser let himself be vulnerable. He said he would only do what she wanted.
And she wanted to feel like she had a choice in this. That this wasn't Salem. That this was them. And if she told herself that enough, she could begin to believe it.
Raven woke up. She was still on Patch. She woke up and smelled the coffee. She told her people to go to Vacuo and join the Alliance so they could fight the Sith. She told them that she was going to go on an important, private mission.
What she didn't say was that she was going to make amends with Tai. He was still the goofball she knew, but there was a lot more maturity that she liked. She liked the tattoo. She liked the body. She liked those eyes on her.
"Finally awake." Tai said. Raven was always a heavier sleeper.
One of her favorite parts about Tai's home was how remote it was. Because she decided that wearing pants this morning was something that she couldn't do. Tai stared, but she liked it when he did.
In all the time she'd been back with Tai, they went from almost strangers, back to friends. And from friends back to partners. She was getting her second chance. Gods she missed Tai. She tried to show him often how much she did. He still had so much vigor it impressed her.
"At some point, we're going to have to tell Yang and Ruby." Raven said.
"I know." Tai said.
"What do you think they'll say?" Raven asked.
"I can't even begin to guess." Tai let out his chuckle that drove Raven wild.
"Whatever they're doing, I'm probably going to have to help." Raven said.
"I know. They're in Atlas now." Tai said.
"Good. It's the safest place for them." Raven continued to sip her coffee.
"You ever going to put on some pants?" Tai asked.
"Why? You'd want to tear them right off." Raven said. She gave Tai a smirk. Tai stood up and wrapped her in a hug.
"I missed you, you know. I'm glad you're back." Tai said.
"Charming me so early?" Raven said.
"Sorry, can't help it sometimes." Tai said.
"We can tell them… later." Raven said. She spun around and kissed Tai. She was absorbing every detail she could of Tai. Fearing that this could all be a dream and she'd wake up back in Mistral, corrupted by the dark, without Tai, Yang, or even Qrow. This was her second chance. And she was sure as hell going to hold onto it. And him.
Author's Notes: So the chapter started out as Arslan's journey through her trauma, but I didn't want to solve it all in one chapter, so I had to add other stuff. We got Torchwick's team being completed, so we should see more of that. We got Lilith killing a Sith. We got Ironwood getting the first strike. We even got Penny's second chance at having a body hinted at.
So, this is a chapter of second chances. (Those last few may have been love and/or lust, but still) We're going to start the siege next chapter. The first battle of Atlas. Not everything between Rosa and Arslan is solved. Salem has decided that these opening days of the conflict would be perfect to show who is worthy of the position of Dark Council member.
I want to have Fordo and the Masters get some time to shine, so let's have a war. Nix and Jasper aren't far behind.
Review time. CT7567Rules, thank you for reviewing.
The car will be getting to Atlas any time now.
I don't think they'd have a train per say, They do have many flying transports, but I could see a train like we see on Coruscant being built. But the train would just be between Atlas and Mantle (Anywhere under the shields.) The other cities send ships that can fight back, and now, probably have those ships guarded by snub fighters.
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May the Force be With You
-DragonZlayerx12