Remnant was a planet populated by humans and Faunus, humanoids with distinct animal features, far from the reaches of alien war. Our story begins at Beacon Academy, an institute dedicated to training future generations of Hunters and Huntresses. It was the duty of a Hunter to protect the four kingdoms- Vale, Vacuo, Mistral and Atlas -from the Grimm. Grimm were creatures of darkness that persistently preyed on the humans and the Faunus, and as a result the kingdoms were barricaded to protect their inhabitants from the terrifying monstrosities.
In a 1st year dorm, team RWBY were idly keeping themselves occupied. Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, was rigidly maintaining her studies.
Blake Belladonna, the quietest member of the team, buried her nose in a novel of some kind that she appeared to be utterly immersed in. She let herself smile contently, the black bow atop her head shifting just a tad. The immersiveness, however, was tarnished once she overheard team leader Ruby Rose and her older sister Yang Xiao Long bickering.
"But I had plans! With my other friends!" Whined the blonde Huntress in training.
"What other friends? You hang out with us all the time!" Ruby argued, then pouted and looked away. She was annoyed Yang did not share her enthusiasm about spending the afternoon in Vale with the rest of the team. The young Rose intended it to be a team-bonding exercise, because, that's what teams did, right? They bonded, they became besties, they... just did stuff together. But nooo, Yang wanted none of that.
Yang teased, "Well, someone has to make sure the team leader doesn't get up to any mischief!" She swiftly trapped her younger sister in a headlock and, with a grin, gave her a noogie.
"Yaaaanng!" Ruby protested, gripping Yang's arms, half-heartedly wishing the brawler to let go. "Not in front of the others!"
"Would you two just shut up?" The siblings looked across the dorm. Weiss tossed a glare at them.
Grasp considerably loosening around Ruby, Yang remarked, "What's got the Ice-Queen all frosty?" She opened up her palm for Ruby to high-five, who instead chose to boo through cupped hands. The fifteen year old dodged a swat from Yang.
Weiss huffed, "Some of us are actually trying to get some study done," then resumed flicking through a history tome while also scribbling down notes.
Yang stomped over to where the Schnee heiress was seated. She inclined her head as she lazily ran an eye over the essay. "Not everyone can be as hardcore as you, Ice-Queen, when it comes to studying. Besides, it's the weekend. Chill, forget all this-" she paused, snatching up the paper from an indignant Weiss.
"What class is this for, anyway?"
"Professor Oobleck's. He gave us a six-page essay to write that's due for Monday. Not to mention the other assignment that Professor Port told us to carry out," explained Weiss.
"Which is?"
Blake finally spoke up. "Every team in 1st year has to capture a specific type of Grimm before the deadline. I'm sure that we have to catch a Beowolf, which most likely isn't as challenging like subdueing a Nevermore, which is what JNPR have to do."
Yang scoffed and crossed her arms, emphasising her bust with the strained fabric of her shirt. "What? What's the point of that assignment?"
"Yeah, why should we try to capture a Beowolf? We're being trained to kill Grimm, not take them alive," Ruby contributed to the conversation and plopped down on Weiss's bed.
"To quote our highbrow (and no doubt embellishing) teacher, it's 'to add to the challenge,'" Blake replied.
"Well, I know a team-building exercise when I see one. We're getting sidetracked... I was talking to Yang about spending some time in Vale. A bit of R&R never hurts anyone, after all," Ruby cheerily proposed. She jumped to her feet and a list manifested in her hands. "Here are all the activities I thought we could do together - as a team..."
The rest of team RWBY collectively buried their faces in their hands. The whole concept of group activities seemed so forced by Ruby Rose, hence the lack of enthusiasm.
If one were to turn on the news, they'd see the Vale newscaster Lisa Lavender discuss the rare occurence of two meteors entering Remnant's atmosphere. "Late last night two unpredicted meteors crashed into Vale. Scientists have been unable to locate the impact sites of these meteors so far-"
Elsewhere, a pair of Autobots stood in the War Room of their crashed vessel. The Autobots were a faction of autonomous mechanical aliens commonly referred to as Cybertronians. Rodimus was one such Cybertronian. Currently in robot mode, he listened to a report from Drift. Rodimus's red and yellow torso proudly sported a glowing insignia, and he carried goldenrod wings on his back. His frame was sleek, specifically modified for fast-paced combat and his alt-mode - his vehicle mode - mirrored those exact qualities. Triple-barrelled cannons were attached to his forearms, and Rodimus's shoulders went higher than his own head.
In contrast, Drift had a white robot-mode. Swords were sheathed at his hips, and he rivalled Rodimus in terms of slim build. Wheels were lodged in his forearms. He bore orange highlights on his shoulders, thighs, knees and chest. He too wore his Autobot badge on his chest. "Our Energon reserves, as well as our medical supplies and ammo, are dwindling. One Autobot is currently in a stasis-lock, and the Ark has been extensively damaged."
Rodimus sat forward, tenting his hands. He tried to look pensive ('cos that what leaders did, right? When they were trying to reach a decision. Plus, he had to set a good example to Drift and the others.). "How bad is it?"
"Rear thrusters are shot to hell and the engines don't have enough power to lift the ship off the ground. Not to mention the fact it split in two."
"Everybody else accounted for?"
"Yes, Captain."
"So what mudball are we stuck on this time?"
Drift read from a data-pad in his hand. "The planet's name is Remnant and its inhabited by several lifeforms, primarily bipedal organics called humans and Faunus. They live in four," Drift held up the same number of fingers, "main settlements called kingdoms. The names of the kingdoms are-"
"Pause for a sec. Is this all in our data-banks?"
"Er, no. Hate to say it, Rodimus, but we're stuck on an uncharted planet. All the information I have on Remnant was obtained through their World Wide Web."
"What about those creeps that attacked us earlier?"
"Ah, good news: I know what they're called now, at least. The natives refer to them as Grimm, and well, there are several types."
"Send me the report later. What else you got?"
"Population censuses and an overview of historical events."
"Pffft, laaame." Rodimus placed his hands behind his head and twirled in his chair. He stopped mid-spin, set his arms on the desk. "Let Prowl deal with the statistics. Primus knows he overloads with joy whenever he gets new numbers to play around with. I swear, that bot is about as exciting as a wall - an actual wall," he commented derisively while shaking his head.
Drift winced at his leader's crude choice of wording. He opened his mouth to continue, however, Rodimus spoke first. "And you know I struggle with history! So, any intel on where the 'Cons are hiding?"
"Got nothing on the whereabouts of the Decepticon warship. They must be using shields to avoid detection."
"And us? Can they detect us?"
"No, thankfully. That's been sorted by the others. Our own shields are up and running."
"Good, good." Rodimus rose from his seat and walked to the door. "Let's go see some sights, Drift. Get a feel of where we are."
"Just the two of us?"
"Nah, that'd be weird. Bring Ironhide, he's good in a fight. We're leaving in five." Rodimus's figure receded into the darkness of the corridor outside the War Room, leaving Drift alone.