Ozpin locked the door as the only ones inside at the moment were Alexandria, Qrow, the other mercenaries, and Glynda as they were inside of the HQ's medical bay. Rows of bacta tanks, where bodies could be healed in, were arrayed in rows as medical bots were administering to those inside.

Stalker was inside one at the moment.

His body was a pure black, like obsidian, and his face was covered in a Grimm mask stylized like a dragons face. His body was slowly healing from the RPG, which had penetrated his Beskar'garm and his Outlander armor that was beneath that as well and as Ozpin watched the Medical droid slowly put more treaments into the tanks as it then said, "I estimate that it will take three weeks for him to fully recover. We are lucky his extra armor protected him."

As the medical droid slowly walked away, Ozpin watched as Alexandria pressed her palm against the glass of the bacta tanks as he remembered when he first met her.

Alexandria was born from a middle-class family of farmers out from Minstral, where she farmed chickens and small livestock for whatever lien they could get. When a Grimm attack had happened, her family had been completely killed and she would have to had a passing Hunter not saved her. However, the Hunter was not a kind man and forced Alexandria to work on his armor and weapons for nothing in return except for beatings and lashes from a whip. She got good at repairing all forms of armor and weapons, as well as she secretly made a few weapons she then sold to get some money to spend.

And then, one night, she suddenly broke free from the Hunter and fled from him before he could stop her. He remembered finding her in the streets of Vale as she tried to make a small living when he had recruited her. Back then, she had unlocked her Aura's semblance of Mind Reading, allowing her to see memories and even copy ones attacks as her own when she contacted them through touch. She was also very untrusting and never had a smile on her face but she quickly fit into life at Beacon as its only forger and weaponsmith. And there, she crafted her mace, Lions Hammer, as she still used it even though it now had a plasma rocket launcher instead of an RPG-7. Of course, when she had ever been in combat, she was dependent on her strength and her agility was lacking, he speed making her a bit of an easy target and having to rely on her small aura for armor also made her very easy to beat

And then came the day she met Stalker. He smiled as he remembered Stalker looking at a girl, covered in grim and metal shavings, and asked if she needed some help. At first, Alexandria refused him but then, when Stalker took off his helmet and said "I know how it feels to lose everything.. why not let me help you like you can help me?", he smiled as he remembered Alexandria looking at Stalker with tears in her eyes, before smiling and accepting his request.

And now, here that same boy was, after Project ORION, after so much had been done to him, now unconscious and trying to recover from a terrible blow.

"You better come back to us, Stalker... otherwise, Lightning is going to beat you up if you don't..." she said before walking away.

Which then brought back memories from the rest of Stalkers team.

First, there was Tank, or at least that's what he had always been called. His real name was Theodore Alcaz, a younger son of the Alcaz family that had a rich estate made from mining metal and smelting it into ingots of ore. He had come to Beacon, searching , much like Weiss, for a new way of life from the prim and proper life he had lived, even in some of the fighting academies. He had wore armor that made him look like a knight, his gravity hammer/ rocket launchers, Gea's Awakener, had been slung over his shoulder as he had walked off the ship and into his academy.

He remembered watching him meet up with Stalker and seeing the two bond immediately before tackling on a pack of Beowolves that Tank had smashed aside with his semblance of Earthquake, the waves of earth forming spikes that could pierce just about anything. Set that aside, his name was pretty spot on since he was slow in his attacks and speed but his Aura and armor could take on Grimm Ursa like any true tank could

Then there were the twin, Kyle and Lightning. Born outside of Vale, their parents had died to diseases and were forced to live with their grandparents, who tried their best to raise the two hell-raisers as best as they could but were forced to send the two to a fighting academy when the two became to violent. There, they became both skilled fighters and also the most annoying of pranksters where Lightning, with his dual energy swords named Lucy and Ciel, was the planner and Kyle, with his gunlance named Wyvern Jaeger, was the maker of the pranks.

Against all odds, they had come to Beacon and when Ozpin had sent them off on the initiation, he had watched them use their unique semblances to startling effects. Lightning used the semblance to take electrical energy and make lighting bolts from it but, Ozpin remembered, it only was possible during a lighting storm. His brother Kyle used the Semblance of Heat Lighting, which took the heat from around him and formed less powerful lighting bolts that still did some damage. They both had combined their strengths to cover up the fact that they had only their Aura to protect them.

And then there was Ragnon, the last of Stalker's team.

Ozpin remembered that Ragnon had been a fox faunus stowaway on the ships when he had come to beacon, hoping to escape the brutal Dust mines and beatings that happened there by its overseers. Ragnon had only some clothes he had stolen on his back and the only combat experience he had was when he got into a scrap in the mines.

But the thing that had surprised Ozpin was when Stalker had took him into his team, against the rules for having only 4 members per team, and had told Ozpin he would tutor Ragnon to become a warrior and to unlock his semblance. Stalker had tutored Ragnon and unlocked his aura and when Stalker had found out his aura had been Wind Manipulation, the whole team was thankful since that day they would be going out into a dessert where they would have sorely needed such a thing. Ragnon had used the katana/shotgun known as Desert Fox as he had been a balanced Hunter, with only his aura keeping him from being an especially strong hunter.

Ozpin thought of them all and wished he could bring them back but knew that to do so was forbidden and would not help them at the moment.

"I'll stay with Stalker.. you all go and keep prepping the city.." said Qrow as he motioned for them all to leave the place.

Ozpin looked to Qrow before he said, "Alright then... take care, old friend."

As Ozpin and the others slowly left the room, Qrow took out his flask when suddenly he looked at it and he sighed as he put it down and said, "I... Stalker wouldn't want me to be drinking right now... that boy... naïve.. but knew what was good for me..."

He thought back to when he had seen Stalker the first time. He had been covered in ash and burn marks were all over his armor and he had been attacking at some Beowolves with an old Hunter's Double-bladed scythe/AT-rifle, the same one he would use for his time at Beacon, along with his Burning Hate Broadsword/longbow and when Stalker had seen him, it had been obvious that he was hurting from a terrible loss and was trying to cover it up with the pride he had been as a Outlander.

It had only taken a good swift jab to knock him out and put Stalker down, who had only been 16 at the time. He remembered looking at those silver eyes and knowing that they could use him if he was calmed down and trained properly. And so, he had taken him under his wing and though it was not easy, since Stalker's temper made him especially vulnerable to goading and egging on to brashly attack anything.

But, his aura back then was strong, as had been his armor, but he wasn't particularly strong so he relied on his speed to lengthen his engagements into wars of attrition. But, slowly, he became better with his scythe, like Ruby, and as Qrow thought about it, he realized that perhaps Stalker might look at Ruby in a certain way.

Which worried him a lot.

Suddenly, there was a buzz from his holopad and he took it out as he said, "Qrow here."

"Hey Uncle Qrow!" Speak of the devil herself and Ruby popped up as she said, "Say, Uncle, where are you?"

"I'm keeping an eye on Stalker, don't worry." said Qrow.

"He's actually back? I thought that was just a rumor! Is he okay?" asked Ruby.

"He's recovering.. it'll be some time, however, before he awakens." said Qrow before he asked her, "Do you like him or something?"

"WHAT?! NO! Why did you ask?" asked Ruby.

"Making sure my youngest niece doesn't get any ideas. You are too young for boys yet." Actually, she was of age to start dating them but until he was 100% sure Stalker won't kill her if they went out for any reason. Which he doubted highly but as he looked at Stalker, he sighed. He was being so harsh when he should have some faith.

"Hey, what about you getting drunk? Where's that flask?" asked Ruby.

He showed it to her, next to him. "Right here... it's going to stay there so that if Stalker wakes up, he won't chew me out."

Ruby giggled as she said, "He cane be so harsh on you.."

"Alright, anything you really wanted to say to me?" asked Qrow as he looked down at the girl in the palm of his hands.

"Can you do me one favor?"

"Sure.. as long as its nothing to do with Stalker." said Qrow he said with a small chuckle.

"Can you tell him... we need him..."

Qrow looked down at him as she then said, "Lets give him a reason to come back to us... so that he doesn't have to be in there forever..."

And then the girl disappeared and as he looked over to where Stalker was, he said to the tank, "You heard that? You have my niece waiting for you... don't keep a lady waiting."

Stalker didn't move but he knew Stalker had heard. Stalker would never be easily brought down by some simple rocket.

Weiss was sitting, sipping what passed for the Rebels as tea, and as she put down the cup, suddenly Theodosius stopped nearby and sat down across from her as he had his armor on but his helmet was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello, Theodosius." she said. She hadn't forgotten what he had almost did but she could forgive him.

"Evening Weiss... I assume you have heard the news of Stalker by now?" asked Theodosius.

She nodded and then put her hands around the cup as she said, "I have... but... I owe you.. and him and apology..."

Theodosius looked at her as she then said, "I... know that I said he was expendable... that he was just another soldier we could use..."

"But..." she looked up at him as she then said, "After.... what he did... I think calling him a mercenary... is too simple for him... and too low for him.."

She sighed as she then readjusted her corset, which she had to replace since the other one didn't fit  before she looked back at him.

"I think.. he really does deserve the title of Alpha..." she said finally.

Theodosius smiled as he then said, "You know.. he and I have a bit of common ground..."

"How can a clone be the Chieftain of a bunch of ragtag people?" asked Weiss with an almost sarcastic tone.

"I lost my brothers in combat years ago... I was told to run and not look back.. I know how it feels for someone to lose everyone you knew to the enemies.." said Theodosius.

Weiss looked at him, since he had never talked about his past in the Clone Wars, and then she said, "Should... can I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

"Should I... maybe go see him at some point to apologize?" asked Weiss.

Theodosius looked at her before he said, "I think that is up to you to decided and follow through with."

She nodded and as she got up and left, Theodosius looked at the sugar she was using and tasted a bit of it.

"Salt?"