A/N: I first would like to apologise for my absence. It's...been a rough couple of years. Struggling with anxiety and stress, alongside with study commitments and family issues, its pretty hard to produce quality content. Speaking of quality, I would also like to apologise to those who were enjoying The Collapse of Vale. The story itself wasn't going anyway or was headed for a massive plothole(s) that couldn't be rectified. I also felt as some of my OCs weren't what I had first envisioned. I wrote without direction and have improved upon it. Now, each time I publish, I will stay ahead 2 or 3 chapters or so to ensure I can go back and patch up any issues in the plot.

Chapter One: A New Playing Field

It was the night after the Breach incident where Vale was saved from a potentially catastrophic Grimm attack. Thanks to the combined efforts of the exchange groups and Beacon's own huntsmen teams, there were no casualties and only injuries were reported. There was a large amount of damage to infrastructure and businesses but clean up and repairs had began almost as soon as the incident ended. It would probably take over a month for Vale to fully clear the streets of rubble and debris and then another month after that for businesses and roads to reopen completely. Regardless, the people of Vale had a positive outlook and were keen to return their city back to 100%.

For the students of Beacon and the exchange teams that were assisting during the Breach, a ceremony was held to commend their efforts and bravery. Unfortunately, for the gang, the special guests' speeches seemed to drag on for far too long. There were a few special guests present at the ceremony; the General of the Vale Army, Vale's Minister of Defence and one of the Supreme Council members were the most noteworthy.

General Jason Steele, the General of the Vale Army, was a hardened war veteran and his hair and facial scars certainly said so. His short pale white hair, eyepatch covering his left eye and three large scars across his entire face gave him a frightening look. He was known for his short temper and absolutely no bullshit attitude. There was an incident where he had 'dishonourably discharged' several soldiers for not having a valid reason for being late. As a result, his army consists of a relatively small number of highly skilled soldiers. They didn't have the numbers or resources of the Atlas Army but they certainly could get the job done well.

The citizens of Vale had mixed thoughts on Hades Ebony, the Minister of Defence for Vale. Half of the population seemed to praise him for his actions for maintaining peace through aggressive and strict monitoring policies in derelict suburbs and neighbouring towns. This unfortunately lead to lots of racial discrimination and unfair criminal profiling. For those who despised Minister Ebony, it felt like a witch hunt which bred paranoia and anxiety amongst those affected. It wasn't solving the problem, it was allowing the seed of chaos and anger to flourish in the right environment. Unfortunately, since his supporters come from the upper class, he remains in the Vale Government. Ozpin and Ironwood don't get along with him at all.

Finally, Supreme Council Member Flare Ember was the most powerful person present at the ceremony. The Councilwoman was apart of the Mistral Army and at one point, was their most valuable soldier. She was well known for her precision and efficiency, rivalled by only a handful of people. Eventually, she retired from the Army to pursue a seat in the Supreme Council. To this day, she still wears her Mistral Uniform, consisting of a crimson red beret, red camo tank top, combat pants and black combat boots. She wasn't particularly tall, standing in at 5 foot 6, but her achievements put her on a pedestal beyond that of a legend and everyone gave her utmost respect as she deserved it.

"I would like to apologise for the troubles and potential harmful risks created with the absence of Vale's Army force. With our low numbers and limited resources, we could only provide a handful of our soldiers. Fortunately, Vale has other defences aside from the Army. Atlas' Army and their General and good friend of mine, General James Ironwood was present to defend our great city. Thank you, James, I'm in debt to you," General Jason Steele spoke without emotion except for his very last line. James simply nodded at his praise. "Vale has another source of defence from Beacon Academy. Whilst young, their students are far from inexperienced. I'm sure we all know Beacon holds a high standard for their students, but yesterday, each student went above and beyond the call of duty to defend their city. Coincidentally, the Huntsmen and Huntresses Exchange program had commenced yesterday and I hope that doesn't tarnish their opinion towards Beacon. Also, I am grateful that they did not shy away from what was required and every exchange team had contributed to the defence of Vale. Thank you."

The audience hesitated to clap until General Steele had taken his seat to avoid getting on his bad side and receiving his wrath. Once the audience gave a round of applause, everyone was relieved that they can stop holding their breath and relax their muscles that were frozen during the speech.

"Does he always have to be so uptight?" Weiss complained quietly to her team.

"Coming from you, Weiss," Ruby mocked her partner. Weiss gave her a light slap on her wrist for the cheeky remark.

"Hey! I can be nice…occasionally. I just have to be in the right mood. I've never seen him happy."

"Whatever the reason, Vale owes a lot to that man. Just like Ironwood, he isn't one of those Generals who sit on their ass in a room giving out orders. They've fought on the frontlines in the past and they sometimes still do," Yang said with a respectful tone.

"Hey, where did Minister Ebony go?" Ruby asked with confusion.

"I saw someone go up to him and he had to leave. I'm assuming something more important had come up that he needed to attend to. Although, Supreme Council Member Ember wasn't particularly happy about it," Blake explained since she was paying close attention to what went down.

"Speaking of her, she's about to give her speech."

Flare Ember confidently marched to the pedestal and cleared her throat. Her blood orange hair was neatly tied in a tight braid that draped over her right shoulder and her salmon pink eyes peered across the hall giving several students a good look, one being Ruby Rose. Ruby quickly panicked and sank further into her seat, avoiding eye contact with the Council Member. Flare cracked a slight smirk and shook her head.

"Yesterday, Vale was facing a potential catastrophe however, with combined forces from Huntsmen and Huntresses from the four major academies and the Vale and Atlas armies, we have protected what matters the most to this city, the people. Everyone was able to sleep that night knowing that regardless of the damage that had been done to Vale's buildings and infrastructure, their loved ones are safe. It'll take time to repair all the damages but I believe this incident has brought the citizens closer together from what I have observed today's repair efforts," Ember spoke with pride for the students she saw in front of her. She made eye contact with Ruby once again which made Ruby more nervous than before.

"Why does she keep looking at me?" Ruby panicked quietly in her seat. She squirmed around trying to deter Flare's gaze.

"Sit up, Ruby! She's one person you want to make a good impression on! She's a Supreme Council Member," Weiss scolded with a slap on Ruby's head.

Flare watched this little scuffle undergo and couldn't help but giggle and smile.

"Finally, I would like to especially commend one group today from the bottom of my heart. A team of Huntresses had embarked on a search and destroy mission in the ruins of Mountain Glenn. What was supposed to be just a Grimm Extermination mission ended up being much more severe. They stumbled upon a secret White Fang base where they were plotting the Breach. Without their intervention, I'm sure that the damage we had suffered yesterday would be on a much larger scale. Could Team RWBY please come up to the front of the stage to receive an award."

"WHAT!" all four team members yelled in unison. An award, personally given to them by Supreme Council Member Flare Ember. This was just a dream, right? The four girls swallowed down their shock and began their shaky walk to the front of the stage. Everyone looked at them and agreed that of course Team RWBY would find trouble and somehow fix it. They were renowned for doing just that. Team RWBY stood in a line, awaiting their award. Flare handed out personalised military medals to each of the girls to commend their bravery and efforts to save Vale. She then followed up by giving four personalised envelopes with her own seal to their respective recipients.

"Thank you, Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang. I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for this city," the redhead congratulated away from the pedestal. She returned to the pedestal and began applauding, which was quickly followed by the audience's applause. 'These girls will be crucial in protecting this world. For now, we can let them rejoice in their good deeds.'

"I can't believe we got a personal thank you and letter from Supreme Council Member Flare Ember," Yang squealed in excitement as the four of them headed to their dorm.

"It's quite surprising. Normally she's the one receiving praise for her service. To receive something from such a respected and powerful figure is quite thrilling actually," Blake had to admit. She too was excited. Ruby was dumbfounded and remained silent until they got inside their dorm. Simultaneously they opened their envelopes carefully and pulled out the letter inside.

"Wait, is yours handwritten?" Weiss asked the others.

"Yeah and it's addressed to us individually," Blake added.

"Did she handwrite four different personal letters to us?" Ruby questioned.

"Seems like it. Wow we must be something special, hey? To receive such a personal award from her never happens," Yang commented. They were mumbling the contents of their letter under their breath until the final sentence.

"…I also believe you four deserve something much more than cheers and praise so I've attached a reward to the back of this letter for each of you to use where you see fit.

Each of you have the potential to reach for the stars and I look forward to working with Team RWBY in the near future.

Lots of Love, Flare Ember." Each of them had spoke out aloud at the same time. Together they turned around their letter and saw a cheque stapled to the letter. Their eyes widened in shock when they read how much they received.

"250,000 Lien!?" they all screamed and collapsed onto their beds. It was too much for their young brains to comprehend. The Great Flare Ember gave them a large amount of money and a personalised letter.

"Yang, hit me please. This is just a dream. This can't be real," Ruby asked her sister. Yang delivered a devastating blow to Ruby's head but nonetheless, this wasn't a dream. So much for that…

Ozpin stared nonchalantly outside his office window, as the sunset slowly crept into the horizon. He could get a large view of his school grounds. During the day, he would see students happily conversing during the morning and lunch breaks. Some engaging in physical activity through sports or some being committed students and training their Huntsmen skills. This time, he watched the last few people return to their dorms after the ceremony. Once everyone had cleared the courtyard, the sunset was in its full glory. That was until a few minutes later where Ozpin spotted a silhouette traversing the sunset. Even though he couldn't see the man clearly, he had a gut feeling that he knew exactly who he was.

Hmmm. Perhaps I should notify James and Fla-

DING!

What a coincidence.

The elevator doors opened and revealed six people inside. Two of them were Flare Ember, the Supreme Council Member and his good friend, James Ironwood. On his list, these two people held the top two spots for his most respected people.

Standing with Ironwood and Flare was a slender pale skinned woman. Her hair was a silky silver and was completely straightened. Her eyes were an emerald colour and had tiny white specks that looked like stars shining in a green nebula. Her attire consisted of a very sleek Atlas Specialist Uniform similar to Winter's, but was a grey colour and trimmed with a crimson red colour and gold buttons. Her hands were covered with white silk gloves and wore a silver armlet on her right arm with a snake theme to it. Some uniforms amongst the Atlas army had different coloured trimmings, which Ozpin assumed was to distinguish which branch they belonged too. Either that or this woman had good taste in fashion.

The remaining three, though, he hadn't met in person and only heard stories. The infamous Atlas team of young soldiers. Team SNST. Oh, how fitting for their leader to be returning during the sunset.

The first member he glanced at was a dark purple haired girl with gentle golden eyes. Her hair was very long and had lots of volume, just like Yang's. Except hers was far more aggressive and spikier. She wore it in a ponytail with two spikes running along down the sides of her head. She had flawless facial features apart from a frown welded on her face which donned a almost iridescent glow on the slightly tanned skin. She wore a black armoured combat suit, designed for resisting gunfire and small explosions and on her back was a blackened double edged longsword with a mechanical handle. Ozpin had seen something like this before where the blade splits down the middle and transforms into two pistols; rare and definitely deadly. Finally, along her left leg was a combat knife hidden in one of the plates and on her belt holstered a plethora of tools and a backup pistol and knife, typical amongst military personnel. She was probably similar height to the blonde brawler, maybe a little bit shorter, but her body shape was fit and curvaceous just like Yang.

Next to her was a short young boy who hid underneath a snow white sniper's cloak. Under the hood was ghost white spiky hair and ice white eyes, similar to Weiss'. He wore light plate armour painted the same colour as his cloak and wore high tech gauntlets with several displays on the wrists. His left arm however seemed to have more bulk and was more armoured than the other arm. His hips and the thighs were certainly bulkier than normal and was probably hiding something underneath. His skin was pale and quite freckled in areas, especially on the cheeks. The boy probably only stood an inch taller than Ruby and this sniper rifle probably was 6 feet in length. It was enormous and looked like it packed a serious punch, based on how big the muzzle brake was.

Lastly, the elephant in the room, or rather, the giant Avian in the room. A towering seven foot, 350lb muscular beast of a Faunus stood out from the rest of the unique looking people in the room. His skin was very tanned, very scarred and had lots of tribal Avian tattoos. His hair was long and a vibrant orange colour, neatly braided and tied up, which complemented with fiery eagle like eyes. His wings probably had a wingspan of 9ft and his feathers shared the same colour as his hair. He wore engraved Avian armour, which was a bronzed colour. His chestplate didn't have any armour on the arms which revealed his very muscular limbs. On his back was a massive greatsword, fit for a large man like himself. Ancient Avian script and symbols were carved along the hilt and blade and the grip and pommel were very ornate. It was definitely specially crafted for a very important person from the amount of detail and work put into the blade.

"Supreme Council Member Flare Ember, Doctor Engella Valhalla and my dear friend James, welcome. Glynda has most likely gone to fetch the remaining member of this gathering," Ozpin welcomed with a stoic expression. Ironwood stepped forward after the greeting.

"Ozpin, this is the team of young specialists I've been talking about. Team SNST," Ironwood introduced with a hand gestured towards the three off to his left. The trio remained silent, afraid to disrespect their superiors currently in the room. "A troublesome bunch, I must say, but you have your own special team, do you not?" Ironwood gave Ozpin a smirk.

"Perhaps. So this is Atlas' version of Team RWBY? A…unique group I must say. I can see why you have a bit of trouble with them James. You've made a team with the daughter of the Gaia family, the Avian Prince and one of the best snipers I've seen. And let's not forget their enigma of a leader who has yet to arrive. You certainly have gone above and beyond yourself this time." Ozpin redirected his attention from Ironwood.

"While they are far from perfect, they are certainly brilliant especially for their age. Meet Terra Gaia, Vulcan Scorch and Neos Lykos." With Terra Gaia being the violet haired girl, Vulcan Scorch the Avian Prince and Neos Lykos the tiny sniper. "Now, their leader should be here any moment now."

DING!

As soon as Ironwood finished his sentence, a tall muscular soldier marched his way out of the elevator, followed by Goodwitch. He had silver spiky hair with one large spike running along the left side of his face. His eyes were a deep sky blue colour that seemed to glow brightly. His attire definitely was fitting of a soldier. He wore a silver combat suit, reinforced with light armoured plates. On his back were two daos with a recurved shape, sheathed crossways. On his hips were two military sabres with ornate guards. Along the sides of his torso were two holsters carrying a powerful pistol each. He also had an assortment of knives and tools on his lower back and in compartments in his suit. From head to toe, he was completely armed. His outfit was designed to holster the maximum amount of weaponry, ammunition and tools.

He walked with focus and purpose. He had a job to fulfil, and he wouldn't be steered off course. But it seemed like he just came back from a rough day at the office. His face was bloodied and scarred and he had bandages wrapped around several areas on his body, especially his midsection and a bandage across his right eye like a makeshift eyepatch. Behind him, in one hand, he dragged an empty power armour suit that was battered and dented, suggesting that he himself had taken out the pilot inside. Along the chest of the power armour was a symbol. It was symbolic of a sun but painted a slate black. The black sun was circled by text in an ancient script that seemed to glow around the sun. The entire thing seemed to be charred and blackened, perhaps due to fire damage.

"Ah, perfect timing, Sterling. Welcome back," Ironwood spoke with a relaxed voice. "I would like you to meet two very important people. This is Supreme Council Member Flare Ember. I'm sure you have heard about her."

The silver haired man turned to face the Councilwoman and gave a slight bow. "I've heard the stories, Supreme Council Member Ember. Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, soldier," she replied with her typical authority. The man turned to face Ozpin and locked eyes with the headmaster. It was as if both men tried to read each other from the look they gave each other but ended up cancelling each other out.

"Sterling Serpen. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Ironwood has spoken highly of you hence I had you scout out the remains of Mountain Glenn. Unfortunately, I didn't expect to see you to return in such a shape. I'm sure Engela here will take good care of you."

"Don't worry, Oz, I've already familiarised myself with Sterling Serpen. I've becofme more his personal doctor rather than Head of Medical Operations and Bioengineering. Regardless, I'll patch him up after this meeting," the silver haired woman finally spoke up. She had a kind hearted voice with a Germanic accent. Engela Valhalla was the best medic and bioengineer at Atlas and has been the main researcher for some of Atlas' greatest innovations, especially within the realm of Biotech and Bioengineering.

"So Sterling, do you have anything to report?" Ozpin asked, already knowing Sterling sure does have something to report. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dragged that power armour all the way to his office and dirtying his pristine floor. I hope it doesn't leave a permanent mark.

"As one of your teams was trying to stop the train, I scouted out the White Fang as they were packing up operations. However, they weren't the only party there. There were several heavily armoured soldiers engaged in combat with the fleeing White Fang. I couldn't get a vantage point to see where they were headed, and when I tried to tail them, I got spotted by their assailants. I took him out, but before I managed to ask him questions, his body burned up in black flames. The rest retreated through a portal of some sort." Sterling reported with a lack of emotion in his voice.

"Black flames, you say?" Engela asked with a lot of concern.

"Yes, black flames. I've asked a source of mine if they've encountered this group. They didn't know much about them and they haven't appeared on the map very much."

"Yeah. I have done several autopsies on partially combusted bodies and done my research on the case. A PMC that goes by the name of the Obsidian Sun. There's not much else known about them either. Especially what their motives are. Hopefully its for the better."

"This is quite unsettling. Our enemy, whoever they may be, has shifted their focus. It started from small crimes, like robbing small dust shops. This eventually escalated into the Breach and thus involving more powerful foes or allies." Flare spoke swiftly and with utmost concern.

"So what shall we do?" Engela spoke with a voice of action.

"Team SNST."

"Yes!" all four member simultaneously replied.

"We'll be needing your assistance in the future within Vale. Unfortunately, Vale seems to be their first target. Prevention is key to stop any disease so we must keep them contained within Vale. I will sort out accommodation for you four."

"Actually, that will not be necessary, Supreme Council Member Ember. Because Team SNST has already made themselves known amongst the enemy within the past few months, just like how Team RWBY has done, we cannot let them be without any protection or supervision. Whilst I am aware of how good they may be, they are still young and have a lot to learn," Ozpin rebutted with a slight smile on his face. Let's see how James reacts to this.

"So what are you suggesting, Headmaster?" Flare asked with genuine curiosity.

"I say enrol them at Beacon for the time being. Use it as an alibi."

"Absolutely not. I am not just going to loan you my best te-" Ironwood argued before being cut off.

"I think it's a splendid idea!" Flare interrupted with surprising joy. The entire room was in shock to see the Councilwoman in such a girly state. But nobody dared to spoil her mood. She was still the most superior figure in the room and arguably the strongest member there. Arguably because nobody has had the guts to challenge her. Ozpin may stand a chance against her, but what would be the purpose of such a match.

"But I need them fo-"

"Do you really? I'm sure your precious Elysian-7 can pick up the pace? Your team of specialists? What about Specialist Schnee?" Her smirk was rather frightening and Ironwood's iron will had buckled underneath her authority.

"You win this time, Ozpin. At least this gives me a chance to show them off up close and personal," Ironwood retaliated with mockery.

"Oh, don't you worry, James. I'll be sure to grade them as hard as I can," Glynda spoke up.

"That settles it, Team SNST, is unofficially a Beacon team," Ozpin spoke cheerfully. Ironwood began to head for the elevator, with Flare and Engela following close behind.

"I hope they won't cause too much trouble, Oz. They've already gotten a mouthful from Jacques," Ironwood warned as he was leaving.

Terra, Vulcan and Neos remained unphased from the criticism. To be fair, Sterling knew damn well they deserved it. Regardless, Sterling paced towards Ironwood to get his attention.

"General Ironwood, may I talk to you in private?" Sterling asked politely. Since the meeting was coming to an end, Ironwood and Sterling took the first elevator down by themselves whilst the others were waiting in Ozpin's office.

"So what is it you wanted to talk about?" Ironwood asked.

"I'm under the suspicion that the Elysian-7 has been compromised," Sterling spoke with utmost seriousness.

"Surely not? Those seven soldiers are some of my most trusted men."

The Elysian-7 were Atlas' seven most skilled soldiers and for good reason too. Each member has mastered every aspect of battlefield combat from marksmanship to stealth to rescue work. They are capable of defeating small armies solo and can last for weeks out in the field without having to rest. People believe that if the Elysian-7 were to fight united as one, they would be unstoppable. It is thanks to them that Atlas can sleep at night knowing that their loved ones will stay safe. But their operations span across the entire planet, not just Solitas.

"Let's not jump to conclusions just yet. We have nothing but speculation to go off though I've seen their names around during the past few infiltration missions I've been on. They are the three that keep on getting mentioned but not the other four. Seemed a bit odd for those three and not the others, especially considering the power that the other four possess."

DING!

"Keep an eye out for Jet Meisterjaeger, Angelo Gaia and Loki Ebony," Sterling whispered close to Ironwood's ear as they parted their ways, with Sterling exiting the elevator. Ironwood gave a deadpan look at his soldier.

'Who do I trust?' Ironwood thought to jammed his foot in between the elevator doors as they were closing. "Sterling. Go get yourself cleaned up." Sterling looked down and realised he had been covered head to toe in injuries and bandages. "Engela didn't look too happy. You know how she can be sometimes."

"Will do, General. Have a good night."

After everyone had left, only Ozpin and Glynda remained as it typically was during the night. Paperwork, bookkeeping and other management always piled up if they got lazy just for a second and the night was always the best time to finish off any remaining work they didn't get to during the day. However…

"More damage bills…another complaint…damage bill…warning from Minister Ebony…they do not know when to stop, do they?" Glynda groaned as she hastily sifted through the paperwork, using her telekinesis semblance to her advantage.

"Just redirect them to the Council. Flare will work there for the next few days so I'm sure she can pull a few strings just like how she always does," Ozpin spoke as if dumping the workload onto another poor soul was nothing to bat an eye about.

"Beacon's living up to it's reputation. Ever since Team STRQ, we've been causing trouble and just slap the "We're Huntsmen and Huntresses" excuse on top."

"I do recall that you were in the same year as Team STRQ. You always have had quite the temper and with a semblance like yours, young Glynda certainly was no saint when it came to collateral damage. Especially the famed Food Fight." Ozpin had the most mocking smirk on his face as he brought up embarrassing memories of Glynda's time as a Beacon student.

"Tai started it! He's the one who pitched that damn watermelon at Qrow, who proceeded to hit it with his food tray!"

"Luckily, Team SNST doesn't cause that kind of trouble. Terra is far too disciplined, Vulcan is of Avian royalty, Neos seems to shy away from social scenarios and Sterling…well…we've yet to discover who he is. The thing I'm most worried about is the trouble they are going to cause with the enemy. At least I hope that is the case."

"They still children though so they very well could act like children."

"Coming from you? I thought you wanted to scold Team RWBY and JNPR for acting so childish?"

"Ozpin, I will stop bringing you coffee if you utter another word."

Ozpin kept his mouth shut for the rest of the evening. Ozpin couldn't take the risk. Not with his coffee at stake.

-END-

A/N: This section next is inspired by Mojo1586's Team AMBR series by giving my OCs a real life voice actor in case readers are familiar with the voices from other anime or TV shows. It's not the only thing that I have been inspired by so those who are familiar with the series will see similarities here and there. I highly recommend you check his masterpiece out if you haven't already.

-OC Voice Cast Introduced-

General Jason Steele - Fred Tastasciore

Supreme Councillor Flare Ember - Colleen Clinkenbeard

Sterling Serpen - Robert McCollum

Doctor Engela Valhalla - Lucie Pohl