Sand. That's all Aes saw in the barren waste that was the Vytal Desert. Nothing but a lot of sand.

It was his greatest enemy in life. Bandits, the White Fang, even the creatures of Grimm; none of them seemed to attack him with such consistency and ferocity.

The stuff got everywhere: in his jumpsuits, in his boots, in his prosthetics. Aes couldn't remember a time when he couldn't feel the stinking sands grinding in his mechanical arms. He'd had them for as long as he could remember; nothing past age eleven.

That's when the knights had found him; seven years ago, lying in the desert, with only shoulder stubs for arms, and bronzed skin from the sun.

He couldn't remember anything, not even his own name. They'd named him Aes. Apparently, the word meant copper, after his burnt skin when they'd found him. Ironically, his skin had lightened up over the years, indicating that he was most likely from Vale in the east of Vytal.

He had received prosthetic arms from the Schnee Dust Company a month after he moved into the caves of the Knights. Apparently their captain had asked for them personally from Mr. Schnee himself.

Captain Schwartz was a good soul; he'd taken Aes back to the caves and treated him like a brother, taught him to fight, activated his aura. That's what Schwartz had called it. All Aes knew was that it was rare, and it came in handy when a sand saur took a swipe at you.

The Vacuo Knights were no more than mercenaries, under the payroll of the Schnees and their massive dust empire. The arrangement was simple; protect shipping lines between Vacuo and Vale from the Grimm and White Fang, and see the villagers of Vacuo get food and weapons. They didn't care much about anything else.

The Schnees spared no expense for the group of no more than 500 men. The governments wouldn't help them; the Huntsmen wouldn't help them. They were alone, until the Schnees gave them supplies: rifles, dune cars, and three air ships capable of flying over the entire desert in just a day.

Of course, fuel and ammunition were required, so the group tried to be practical and conservative with their movements, striking in critical areas where shipping lines ran, Grimm swarmed, or White Fang made their bases.

It was on one such mission that Aes found himself now.

He looked over the barren sand dunes, and considered just how many death stalkers and sand saurs were hiding under the sand.

He pushed his dark hair away from the steel mask that protected his eyes, as one of the soldiers in the raiding party walked up to him.

"Just got a scan in," the soldier said, "we count three death stalkers."

"Better count on four," Aes replied, "How much you want to bet one of 'em is sitting still to avoid the scans."

The soldier nodded and held a hand to his helmet. The Knights had been given some armament to go over their jumpsuits: helmets with visors and radios, armor for the shoulders and thighs, and the ever important rifle strapped to every man's back.

Aes only bothered with the mask for his eyes and the radio in his ear. It was pointless to try and protect metal arms, and anything else would just slow him down. Besides, he had his aura to protect him.

"Ok," said the soldier, "We're ready to do this on your mark."

"Go for it," a voice said via radio.

A huge blast of sand erupted from the charge the three dune cars had placed about fifty meters away. Aes braced himself, along with the fifty men standing behind him, rifles in hand.

Suddenly, two death stalkers flew from the sand, a flurry of legs and claws.

"Looks like we really pissed them off."

Two blades, each about a foot long, sprung from Aes' wrists over his hands. He squatted down as the soldiers opened fire with thunder dust rounds.

Three dune cars, each with chain guns, behind the soldiers, opened fire with a hailstorm of bullets. The first rounds from the soldiers weren't enough to pierce the beasts' hide, but they hurt enough to keep the stalkers in place while the chain guns tore them to shreds.

"Hold!" the commander shouted from behind the ranks. Nothing but the wind could be heard, as the stalkers, now two piles of writhing mess, withered and died.

"Yeah, we got 'em!" a soldier shouted. His victory was short-lived. A great claw snapped from the sand and pulled him under.

"Aw hell," Aes muttered, and he began to sprint towards the dune cars.

"They're underneath us!" the commander shouted, but he was cut short as the fourth stalker sprung from underneath the car, tipping it's large frame and thick tires over like a toy. It's stinger came down hard on the commander.

The stinger tipped another car over like a child's toy, and a claw stabbed into the third's engine block. As it faced the remaining soldiers, Aes was on it.

He jabbed and swung, and elegant dance of blades and force like a sharp wind in a sandstorm. He stung at the beast's eyes, and dodged as the stinger came down on top of his head. A sticky launcher opened up from Aes' right forearm, and blew the stinger off the tail. It stuck on the stalker's head and dug down from the force of the explosion.

Aes' sticky launcher was top of the line. Mr. Schnee had taken a particular interest in the Vale native, and had spared no expense on his weapons. The sticky launcher used a barrel to send explosive dust gel to any target accurately inside twenty meters, which promptly detonated on Aes' commands via his aura.

Aes spun to see the other soldiers trying to deal with the fourth and final death stalker. It was like the stalkers knew how to beat them, like they were learning. The first two had been a distraction, the third snuck up behind them, and the fourth had stayed still, knowing that it could avoid detection and take out the only real threat, the chain guns, which were now in ruin.

They hadn't counted on Aes.

He sprinted towards the last stalker, and launched a barrage of sticky ammo on the beast's head. It wouldn't do much damage, but Aes didn't need it to. He just had to get in close.

But the stalker was too fast. It brought down two claws and a stinger to crush Aes. It would have killed a normal soldier, but Aes wasn't normal. His semblance, as Schwartz called it, was creating short range force fields from his aura.

He crossed his arms and braced as the claws and stinger crashed into the force field. Confused and angry, it struck again and again. Aes couldn't hold for long, but he didn't need long. His men were already throwing charges all over the monster.

"Clear!" shouted a soldier. Aes dove away just as fire and death erupted. The death stalker was nothing but ash now.

Aes panted for air as he withdrew his blades and rested his hands on his knees. The soldiers gathered as many supplies from the fallen as they could, and started the long walk back to the caves. After a minute, Aes followed them.

Schwartz was not happy. He knew he was going to get an earful from Mr. Schnee after losing over thirty men and all three dune cars, not to mention a lot of ammo, explosives, and the chain guns.

Mr. Schnee was trying hard to keep his assets away from Ironwood and the Atlas military, which meant avoiding air and sea travel for the costly railways between Vale and Vacuo. Any supplies the Knights needed were cheap; getting it to them took time and money.

Just a few months ago, a large shipment with food and supplies had been hijacked and destroyed by Adam Taurus and one of his cronies. Not only was ammo running low for the Knights, but the punk Taurus had ensured the southern Vacuo villages would go without fresh food until the next train. That shipment was supposed to last the region at least six months; times would be tough without it. And as they grew weaker, the Grimm only got stronger.

Schwartz sighed as Aes walked up, poking at his own prosthetic arms with a screwdriver.

"Don't do that kid; those are expensive."

"Dam sand is all up in here. You know I can't fight like this."

"You can't fight without arms either. You'll damage the nerve endings."

Aes' arms were top of the line, with nerve connectivity in the shoulders for complete mental control over the mechanics. Aes had received three sets of arms over the years, each either being outgrown or damaged in combat, and each required at least a week for the nerve endings to gain complete control. Now that Aes had stopped growing, he could get comfortable with a modern, state of the art pair. What he couldn't get comfortable with was all the sand.

Schwartz sighed again and ran a weathered hand through his gray hair as Aes continued to tinker with his arms.

"I got the report from the battle," Schwartz said, "Real smooth getting ambushed like that."

"I told them there were probably four," Aes said indifferently, "These things happen out there."

Aes stopped tinkering, and lowered his voice.

"You know it's getting worse out there. Those Grimm are going to ransack more villages if we can't hold them in the desert, and now the White Fang up north and out east are stopping rail shipments from Vale. We can't keep this up."

Schwartz shook his head.

"I know what the problems are Aes, but we can't go toe to toe with the White Fang, not without the go ahead from Schnee."

Aes frowned. He didn't care one way or the other what Schnee thought, and the matter remained that they needed supplies.

"All we need is a little air reconnaissance, and a single air drop. A night raid on that northern base that we know they have, and the White Fang are out of our hair for at least a few months."

"It's not that simple boy. The White Fang are tough, and every air shipment that gets past Ironwood ends up shot down by the Fang on the northern shoreline."

Aes shook his head, muttering about the "dam sand" as he walked off, continuing with his tinkering. He didn't care about Faunus or the Schnee Dust Company or the White Fang. All he really cared about was those villagers. Farmers, doctors, miners, all with families, and all of them under threat, and with no warriors or Huntsmen to protect them.

Schwartz stood in the small comms room facing the view screen. Schnee didn't prefer face to face interaction, even over the communications relay. Instead, a snowflake illuminated the screen, the symbol of the Schnee dynasty.

Surprisingly, the events of the raid didn't anger Schnee as much as Schwartz thought they would. Schnee had other matters to attend to.

"I'm going to risk another air supply drop," the collected voice of Mr. Schnee crackled over the relay. "I've got an assignment for you, and some special supplies."

Schwartz could barely hide the surprise in his voice.

"But you said we couldn't risk that! Air drops are only going to get shut down by Ironwood or shot down by the White Fang-"

"Under normal circumstances, you would be correct. However, I need your help for this mission Schwartz. I need man-power, and I can't risk a stock upset by going to Ironwood for help. My daughter, Winter Schnee, has been kidnapped by the White Fang."

Schwartz frowned and shook his head. Things always change when family becomes involved.

"How did it happen, and what are we supposed to do about it?"

"Winter was on an air ship heading to Vale two days ago, but was intercepted by the White Fang. Apparently, they were being assisted by a dust user of tremendous power. We don't know where the White Fang are getting their supplies, or how they managed to find out she was aboard, and at this point, I don't have the luxury of trusting anyone else but you. I want a squad of fifty of your finest men to take three of my new air ships and rescue Winter. From the rescue, you are to head directly to Vacuo. Do not stop until you reach the city. There, my agents can get here safely back to Atlas."

"What makes you think you can trust the agents at Vacuo?"

"They're like you Schwartz. They have honor, and they need the money."

Schwartz shook his head; Aes had called it. That boy had an uncanny sense of the future. All Schnee had needed was a little push to make it happen.

"Alright, we'll go to this northern base that you somehow know about, we rough up the White Fang, and we-"

"No. Winter is your priority. Nothing else is part of this mission."

Schwartz frowned at the screen.

"As long as we're there, we might as well clear them out. This could swing the fight in our favor. We should strike while we know where they are-"

"I said no. I can't risk Winter being hurt. My own family doesn't even know she's missing, and if word gets out that she was hurt or even killed, things could turn ugly for everyone. Get her back to me safely. We can deal with the White Fang later."

Schwartz could only shrug and accept. "Anything else?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. I want to talk to Aes."

This day kept getting weirder and weirder. Schnee had never wanted to talk to Aes directly before, but hey, stranger things had happened, and just in the last hour.

"I'll get him."

Aes walked into the room a few minutes later.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes Aes, thank you for speaking to me. Has Schwartz briefed you on your next assignment?"

"He mentioned it, yeah."

"Well, I'm sending new supplies, in addition to a new prototype vehicle even Ironwood doesn't know about. It's been built with you in mind. It's the Aeon Mark IV stealth jet. I didn't mention it to Schwartz because he might try to get one of his pilots to fly it. The ship is a one-man evacuation craft built to get Huntsmen out of dicey situations. It can be used to evacuate up to two people if necessary, though the ride is cramped. I want you to fly the craft, and if necessary, evacuate my daughter personally. Do this, and the jet is yours."

Aes' eyes widened. He'd always enjoyed flying the air ships, and a stealth jet sounded awesome. What a prize. The ship would be great for reconnaissance, and could help save a lot of lives out in the back woods and wildlands by the villages.

"Alright, you got a deal. I bring your daughter back; you let me keep the jet. Anything else?"

"I've been considering the nature of your position Aes, and I have a proposition. I've been in touch with Professor Ozpin of Beacon Academy. At my expense, he has agreed to let you attend, in the hopes that you will receive your huntsman certification."

That made Aes mad. What had the Huntsmen ever done for him? He was needed out here. He didn't need to take a class to learn how to kill Grimm.

"No deal. Why should I waste my time with classes when the fight's out here?"

"Having a certified huntsman on your side could add some accreditation to your organization. Governments would take you seriously, and you would be more likely to gain long term traction in getting help to those outside the kingdoms. But I don't need to explain my reasoning to you. Remember, you are on my payroll, and you'll do as I say. You're an experienced and powerful fighter Aes, but you lack discipline. Maybe you will learn something at Beacon."

Aes sighed. Maybe Schnee was right, but either way, this was not the hill Aes wanted to die on.

"I'm curious. Why send me to Beacon and not Ironwood's academy in Atlas?"

"Ironwood is headed to Beacon for the Vytal Festival as we speak, and as you know, I'm not anxious to have all my assets controlled by the military. I've also had good dialogue with Professor Ozpin. I'm confident Beacon is the right fit for you. We'll talk again once your mission is complete. Expect air ships to arrive in the next 18 hours."

The screen went dark as Schnee hung up. Aes shrugged and left the room. He and Schwartz had a lot to talk about.

Fifty men aboard three top of the line air ships cruised at 500 feet over the hot desert, escorted by the small, black Aeon. The shattered moon reflected off the sands and glinted overhead as the strike team raced towards the newly discovered White Fang base.

The base was located on the cliffs northeast of the desert, making it an ideal hub for hiding White Fang from air surveillance while simultaneously giving them access to both northern rail lines to Vacuo and sea trade to Vale.

The Aeon cruised around the air ships. The ships were fast, but the Aeon had to hold back just to stay in formation with them. The jet's single engine irked to sprint ahead, but Aes kept it in check. The jet had two wings and two vertical fins for stability, and a cockpit over a single chain gun. The jet was built to evacuate valuable living resources rather than stay in combat long, and its sleek design made it hard to spot by enemies, whether they be human, Faunus, or Grimm.

The jet could hover like an air ship, but it belonged at high altitudes with great speed. Keeping it so low to the ground at low speeds was a struggle, but it was Schwartz' plan.

Ignoring Schnee's orders, Schwartz and Aes had decided to arrange a little "accident" for the White Fang, all made possible by the rough blueprints of the base that Schnee had managed to procure, somehow.

The three dropships would land at the cave docking bay off of the cliff, and one of the ships' crews would remain there to guard the escape.

A second team would go in to rescue Winter. They had been instructed to succeed at all cost, and leave behind any who wasn't keeping up.

A third team had brought along all the high grade explosives the Knights could spare. These would be placed at critical weight bearing columns in the base's lower levels near the water.

The Knights wanted to make sure the Fang had no home to return to after this.

Schwartz and Aes had discovered a vent shaft on the southern end of the base, farther inland, which the Aeon could actually fit in while in hover mode. Aes would sneak in to the base from there, creating general havoc and pulling the Fang in two directions during the assault, increasing the odds that at least one team would succeed in the mission.

Aes was also a good fallback, in case the mission went south and Winter needed evac from the other side of the base.

The key hitch in the plan was that the Knights didn't know where Winter was being kept. She could be anywhere in the base, but Aes hoped that by sneaking in first, he could locate Winter and update the team before the fighting started.

About an hour's fly time outside the base, Aes put the Aeon in full throttle, breaking formation. He hoped to reach the base about fifteen minutes before the strike teams, giving him ample time to provide intel and possibly distract the White Fang from the impending attack.

It didn't take long for Aes to find the ventilation shaft south of the base. Thick, thorny vegetation grew around the pit, and it looked natural enough, but the heat readings on the Aeon confirmed the vent was in use.

Aes floated the jet down the shaft, using the spotlights to search for an opening. Soon, he found one: a small natural opening into the cave, no wider than a few feet; plenty of room to sneak into the base's network of caves and rooms.

Leaving the jet to hover in the shaft, Aes looked at the scroll from his belt. Ten minutes: More than enough time to access the White Fang's private network.

Aes crept through the opening to a clearly manmade hallway. Metal doors lined all sides, and the hallway led to a fork leading left and right.

Near the fork, a panel glowed in the poor light. All Aes had to do was plug in the scroll and wait, according to Schwartz.

A program began to run on the scroll, and Aes leaned against a wall, vigilant, but unconcerned. It looked like the hallway hadn't been in use much, except for maintenance probably. Or better yet, maybe no one was home.

At just five minutes to arrival, the scroll activated a detailed map of the base. Immediately, a glowing red dot began to flash on the lower levels of the base. Aes turned on his radio.

"She's on the lower levels, in a small loading area on the north side. You'll land above her and fight to the lower levels. Demo team, make sure not to get in the evac team's way. Priority-"

Static filled his ear. Aes cursed and threw the ear piece to the ground. They knew he was here. The strike team was still four minutes out. Time to cause some trouble.

Aes unplugged the scroll and turned left on the hallway, sprinting. He had enough explosive gel that he could at least grab some attention, and then escape the way he came.

He turned another corner and nearly plowed straight into a crowd of Faunus. Each carried a rifle, and Grimm armor covered their faces and bodies.

Aes didn't wait for permission. He swung his blades down, hard, on the first Faunus. Punching, swinging, kicking, he didn't feel like giving the Faunus a chance to fire their weapons.

Three Faunus went down with blows to the head, and a fourth took a kick to the nose before the others started running. Aes managed to trip a fifth with is force field as the others ran off. He grabbed the Faunus by the neck and punched him hard in the stomach. The tough prosthetics would leave the soldier out of the action for a while.

Aes walked over a fallen soldier and continued down the hall. They knew he was here, but now the strike team was two minutes out-

A tremor shook the base. They had gotten here early, and no doubt they were firing on the docking bay to clear out the Faunus guarding it.

Aes smiled. Once they landed, the White Fang wouldn't be able to stop them. Aes paused and drew his blades as he heard the hiss of a door open from his right.

He dove as shots rained down where he had stood. Dam Faunus must not have been as out of it as he thought. He turned, only to see Adam Taurus blocking the way out.

He'd heard enough about Taurus to recognize him on sight. The wild red hair, the intricate mask, and of course Adam's chosen weapons, Wilt and Blush. Honestly, Aes didn't think Taurus would be here. His lucky day.

"Looks like you've got a flair for the theatrics kid, charging into my base like this." Taurus laughed.

"Says the drama queen with the wild getup," Aes replied, "If you're finished playing Grimm dress up, I've got work to do."

Taurus frowned.

"Ok kid, let's get to work."

Taurus opened fire with more rounds, and Aes quickly deflected them with his blades. The hardened metal had been specifically prepared by Schnee's science division, and Aes' speed was quick enough to strike down a few shots.

It was a short term solution, and Aes knew he was outmatched. He should have tried to keep him talking, but he was no good at that. He had to keep Taurus busy so his team could get Winter out.

Aes dove for the wall, his boots meeting metal as he used his aura to sprint along it. Taurus drew his sword to deflect the incoming attack, but he didn't expect a force field.

Aes' force field slammed into Taurus, driving him against the doorframe where he stood. Taurus sheathed his blade, only to fire it into Aes' face. The stinging pain nearly blinded Aes, as the hilt nailed his metal mask, sending it flying.

The blade spun in midair before Taurus caught it, bringing it down on the still staggering Aes.

Aes pushed back on his heels, barely missing the swing. Taurus didn't let up, and the only thing that saved Aes from the blinding speed was the narrow hallway's walls restricting their movements.

Aes needed to fall back, draw Taurus south to the Aeon to buy more time. He managed to gain some footing, deflecting Wilt's agile blows with his blades.

Soon, he found his rhythm. Years of sparing with soldiers and fighting Grimm came into play as Aes swung and parried Taurus' attacks.

Taurus soon became frustrated with the increasingly difficult prey. The dance became more and more intricate with each step the two took down the hall towards the ventilation shaft. They increased in speed, and Aes found his aura failing him, his force fields losing more and more power, despite being all the more needed.

Taurus began unloading rounds from Blush as they moved down the hallway. Thankfully, the narrow walls prevented Taurus from aiming properly, and Taurus knew that. He must be getting desperate to join the real fight in the north end of the base.

Aes knew he probably had a radio in his ear, and no doubt the Knights' best were making a mess of the White Fang's foot soldiers.

"I've had enough of this." Taurus grunted, and a heavy boot shoved Aes in the chest.

Aes lost his footing and came down hard on the concrete floor. He managed a glimpse behind him before he fell; he was only about thirty feet from the entrance to the vent.

Aes heard the whistle of the blade before he saw it. Taurus brought Wilt down for a killing blow on Aes' chest, but the prosthetics were faster.

Aes grabbed the blade with a bare metal hand. Scratching and grinding from his palm echoed through the hall.

"Not good enough," Taurus said as he brought Blush to bear. The barrel of the rifle pointed straight at Aes' face.

But Aes had more tricks up his sleeve, literally.

While the right forearm housed the sticky explosive launcher, the left kept a grapple gun. Aes didn't use it that often, mostly for tying cargo down, but now it was going to save him.

"Let's call it a tie," Aes smiled as he stretched his left arm over his head towards the vent. A bang and a whistle preceded a metallic clang as the grapple reached the wall of the vent. The tow cable pulled on Aes' body and he quickly dragged along the floor.

Aes tugged at Wilt, causing Taurus to stagger, and, thankfully, Blush missed his shot at Aes' chest by inches.

The grapple was designed to pull over 200 kilograms. Aes, being significantly less, flew over the chasm and slammed into the stone wall before plummeting down.

Again, Aes thanked his lucky stars. Aeon was waiting beneath. The impact was hard, but a few meters was better than a few hundred.

Aes clambered into the cockpit, and increased in altitude.

Surprisingly, Taurus was still standing there, weapons in hand, and frowning at the jet. No doubt, he had expected to watch Aes fall to his death. He was disappointed.

He was more disappointed by Aeon's chain gun. Aes wasted no time in opening fire, showering the opening with bullets and smoke.

Taurus leapt clear of the devastation, landing gracefully on Aeon's top side.

In a smooth ark, Taurus brought Wilt crashing through the cockpit windshield. Again, Aes grabbed the blade. He yanked hard, then shoved the blade up, the hilt hitting Taurus square in the temple.

"See how you like it!" Aes shouted before pushing the cockpit hatch open.

Taurus was still on uneasy footing, and the hatch's corner caught his shoulder. He fell back onto Aeon, trying desperately to scramble to his feet.

Aes was on him, punching and kicking. He had withdrawn his blades to operate Aeon, and as he drew his fist back to again unsheathe them, Taurus took a wild swing.

Wilt cut straight through the prosthetic right arm, severing it at the shoulder.

It didn't really hurt; it wouldn't until they opened the nerve endings to install a new arm. But Aes had bigger problems at the moment.

Taurus found his footing and swung again. Aes barely had time to block the blow with his left arm. Metal screeched as Wilt sparked against the prosthetic.

Aeon rocked as the two exchanged blows on top of the hovering jet. Taurus overextended himself to reach Aes, and he took the opportunity to dive at his opponent.

Aes swung at Taurus' face, his blade now inside the defenses, scratching the detailed mask. The blade caught a crack in the mask, and it flew off or Taurus' face into the abyss.

Aes could see the reckless anger and now fiery rage in Taurus' eyes. He slammed a boot into Aes' chest, and he fell back into the cockpit.

Taurus again brought Wilt to bear for a killing blow on the sprawled out Aes, but he had forgotten they were still on a jet.

Aes punched a panel with his remaining hand. Aeon immediately buckled, dropping altitude and swinging wildly. Taurus stumbled, and lost his footing.

Aes didn't hang around to see if Taurus survived the fall. He rolled around to a sitting position, and punched the accelerator. The radio on Aeon now buzzed.

"Strike team has secured Winter Schnee, outbound now. All forces, fall back. Detonation imminent in thirty seconds."

Aeon raced from the vent as the countdown came to zero. The vent belched flames and debris as Aes circled overhead. Though panting heavily, Aes breathed a sigh of relief.

His victory was short lived however; he looked down only to see the small speck of Adam Taurus climbing free of the ruin.