The Gauntlet fighter was shaking ominously but it was holding itself together and as Stalker wrestled with it Retz, Ray, and Verde all held onto the interior of the Gauntlet fighter and as Stalker piloted the beaten up craft, he slowly made it up to a good height as he then began to push the engines towards the walled city of Vale.

Behind them was the still burning remains of the Imperial transport as they had blown it up with plenty of explosives and although they had ransacked it for all of its tech and equipment, it didn't have much to offer in the first place.

And so, as the four of them prayed to whoever was above that this thing didn't blow up or worse, Stalker coaxed it through the air towards the city as he tried to not seem panicked, even though this was one of the few moments that he could panic and it would alright.

"So... what do you think the Imperials are going to do when they react to us taking Vale?" asked Verde as he shook in his armor.

"Bring down the hammer. What else?" asked Stalker.

But as they did, suddenly Stalker got a hit from his scanners and he looked at it and then outside as he watched what looked like a Imperial TIE fighter but it was too far away to blast it with anything but it didn't stick around anyway as it soon, very soon, took off away as it fled the area.

"The Imps are scouting, that's for sure... possible big assault." said Stalker as he continued to guide his ailing and wrecked ship to Vale.

The hangar was pretty much awaiting for Stalker to land his ship and as he slowly guided it down, he looked to the others as he said, "All of you okay?"

"Nothing exploded so we're good." said Retz as the craft then jolted as it landed on the landing pad.

And as soon as it did, Rebel engineers along with local ones ran over as they began to try and repair what they can on the large fighter. Retz, Ray, Verde, and Stalker all walked from the large fighters back drop ramp.

As engineers with plasma torches and more ran by, Stalker went to go pay for the repairs with his credits when Verde saw Alexandria nearby.  She seemed to be waiting for them nearby with her mace and as Verde walked over to her, he asked her, "Is something wrong?"

"Ozpin wants to see Stalker as soon as he can come." said Alexandria as she watched the repairs begin on the Mandalorian ship.

"Ah, I'll let him know then to hurry it up." said Verde with a nod as he looked around the large hangar and looked at the assortment of spacecraft there was all around them. He saw freighters, bounty hunter ships, corvettes, fighters, and even a few transport craft and as he brought his gaze back on ground level, he saw Stalker staring at him.

"The view is behind you if you are looking for one." said Stalker in an almost dead-pan.

"Hey, I heard that!" said Alexandria from behind Verde.

"Ozpin need you when you got a minute." said Verde.

"Alright. Lets get going then. I mean, I don't know about you all but I'm tired." said Stalker with a yawn.

"I'm with you. I'm gonna go have a mini coma when I get to a bunk." said Ray as he shook his head.

" I feel like meditating for a few millennia." said Retz.

With everyone in agreement, they all followed Alexandria out of the hangar and back towards the new Rebel HQ.

Ruby watched as the Rebel troopers began their training of the new recruits in the HQ's parade grounds as Zwei was next to her, sitting like an obedient guard dog as they watched the newer people struggle with the basics. But as she did, she watched as Stalker, Alexandria, Verde, Retz, and Ray walk across the way from her place on another side of the parade grounds and as she watched them, she felt like talking to Stalker again if she could. But as she watched him, it looked like he was going to Ozpins command center and as she watched him, suddenly the whole group split up as Stalker walked alone while the rest headed off to an entrance as they seemed to be heading towards the barracks.

Suddenly, Yang said next to her, "What's up, Ruby?" and it made Ruby jump as she spun on Yang and said, "Nothing! Don't scare me like that."

"Sorry. Is Stalker back?" asked Yang as she began to watch the new recruits.

"Yeah. Looks like he's headed to Ozpins." said Ruby.

And then suddenly, Mara appeared next to them as she asked them, "Hey, do you all have a second?"

"What up?" asked Yang.

"Theo needs some helping with organizing the armory. Think you all have the time to help out?" asked Mara.

"Sure. I'll get Weiss while I'm at it as well." said Yang as she began to jog away while Ruby said, "Yeah, lead the way."

And with that, the trio split ways to help out where they can.

The command center was busy, full of rebel commanders running around two-and-fro and as Stalker walked onto the bridge leading to the holopad that Ozpin was at, Ozpin turned as he smiled and said, "You know, the Beskar'garm looks better than on you than the Stormtrooper armor."

"No argument." said Stalker as he looked around. "Now, what's this about?"

"I need your mercs on a scouting trip north of Vale. Word from spies in Atlas says the Imperials are preparing a assault force to land north of us and then sweep down against us." said Ozpin as he brought up a map.

"A Assault against a city?" Stalker looked at the map as he looked over it before he said, " it must be what that one TIE was scouting for... but that means... some big guns."

"Which is why we want you and your mercs, along with whoever else you want with you, to go and create havoc against the enemy." said Ozpin.

"Then besides my mercs, I want the Hunters from RWBY , the clone, Mara, and the jedi. I can't currently use JNPR but maybe one day I will..." said Stalker.

"And... let me guess, you rushed the repair on your ship, right?" asked Ozpin.

"I'll do that soon enough. How long do I have before I need to go?" asked Stalker.

"The sooner, the better." said Ozpin as he then watched Stalker bolt away like he was on fire.

Lilly took up her small White Fang mask as she put it on and as she looked over to Leon and Xenon as they both were meditating in the middle of the floor. As she watched them, she took out her kunai and threw them at both of them and watched as both of them caught the throwing weapons with the Force.

"Control the force around you... do not feel anger... or hate... for that is the way of the Dark side..." said Xenon.

Leon felt the Force around him as he controlled it and as he slowly took her kunai from the air as he levitated them back to her pockets and placed them into the pockets as he kept his focus.

"Now... are you ready to take on the enemy once again?"

"Yes, brother..." said Leon as he looked at his brother now with his eyes.

"Good, then gather your stuff. We're gonna go follow the Rebels and see if we can kill this Stalker." said Xenon as he slowly got up from his position.

But as he walked towards the nearby wall, he stopped as he looked back at Leon and then asked, "Do we even know anything about this Stalker?"

"He's a renown mercenary that used to be a Hunter...  but we don't know where he is more specifically besides the HQ right now." said Lilly.

"I think the Rebels will be sending him out to deal with the Imperial assault coming to the city." said Xenon. "So we will then follow the ship they will certainly send out."

Lilly and Leon both nodded as they began to gather their stuff for the ride ahead.

As soon as stalker had finished securing his groups ride for the operation, he made his way back to the HQ and as he walked the corridors full of troopers going to-and-fro, he managed to make his way to the barracks of the building as he entered it and tried to find a room he could bunk in to gain some much needed sleep.

But as he walked along, suddenly he bumped into someone and he then looked to see Weiss as she looked up at him and before he could say a word, she said, "Move aside, Outlander."

Stalker grimaced as he moved aside but as she did so, he managed to mutter quietly, "Sleezy Schnee."

She continued past him as he managed to not throw her some other things as he continued past and as he came to an open room, he looked inside and saw the other mercs all sleeping on separate bunks and as Stalker entered, he closed the door behind him as he took off all but his helmet and as he laid it down nearby, he then saw something on the bunk next to him.

It was a cybernetic-enhanced dog and as he looked at it, it was curled up next to him.

"Oh, there you are, Zwei!" said Ruby from the doorway and Stalker looked up as she took the small dog and then looked back at him.

"Sorry about that Stalker. Looks like Zwei took your bunk for his own." said Ruby apologetically.

"Its fine. As long as he kept his business to himself, I'm fine." said Stalker as he went to lay across the bed.

But just as Ruby began to leave, she stopped as she said, "Hey, by the way, do you know where Weiss went?"

"Down the hall in front of you, the way I came. That's about it."

Ruby nodded as she walked away with Zwei in her arms and as Stalker laid back on his cot and slowly closed his eyes.

The rain was coming down hard as he looked around the ruins of the city and as he slowly slumped tot he ground, having become exhausted from the sudden Turning, he looked down at the remains of Ragnon, the fox faunas boy all shredded from his claws and jaw, and could only scream his pain and mourning to the sky...

Stalker jolted as he threw himself from the bed and hit the ground hard and Retz, Ray, and Verde all were jumped awake form the noise as Ray slowly sat up on his bottom cot beneath Verde as he said to Stalker, "You're having them again, aren't you?"

"Yeah," rasped Stalker as he slowly made it back onto the cot below Retz, he slowly laid back across it as he said, "But... maybe, I can find something that can banish them away."

"Maybe.... Maybe going out with one of the girls will do it." said Ray as he and the others began to try and go back to sleep.

"I doubt it." said Stalker before he slowly managed to fall asleep.

Ruby found Weiss in a bunk room with Yang sleeping on top a bunk with Alexandria in another across the way, reading a book, and as Ruby put Zwei down on the ground, she looked to Weiss as she asked her, "Say, do you know something about the Outlanders?"

"Why?" asked Weiss as she looked up at Ruby.

"Well, I remember you saying something about them when Stalker first arrived." said Ruby as she sat across from Weiss.

Weiss shifted on the cot as she said, "My... family hasn't seen eye-to-eye with Stalker's people..."

"You've had disagreements with them?"

"No. We've had wars. Full on, bloody wars for many reasons... some of them making more sense than others." said Weiss as she looked down.

"Wars? I thought Humanity-" began Ruby when Weiss said, "Do you think that the Schnee company and the Outlanders wanted people to know? Most people think the Outlanders are a myth!"

Ruby was quiet as she then said, "Does this mean you hate him?"

"Absolutely." said Weiss as she gave Hmmph! and looked away from Ruby.