"Why is it whenever someone says "with
all due respect", they really mean "kiss
my ass"?

Ashley Williams, Mass Effect 1

Chapter 2: With All Due Respect

Kotova was a mess, but a mess that rested firmly in UNDF hands. Their South-Eastward approach from the mountains was met with an escort three kilometers outside the city perimeter. Most of the trip had been spent with the rear-hatch locked up tight, but their approach to UNDF temporary headquarters afforded them their first view of the city. Much of the skyline was shrouded in smoke, and the flicker of sparks that could be called fires danced far below them. Cars were abandoned in the street, which left the major roadways clogged, and forced the troops to either work their way around, or plow the vehicles out of the way to reach their destinations. The military had yet to mop up all the Grimm within the city-limits, but the air-space was secured.

There were still echoes of explosions from shells or missiles that resounded somewhere off in the indeterminable distance as the Chimera came in for a landing atop one of the taller buildings on the Kotova skyline. Saber Team, as well as their newfound compatriots, were for the moment, out of harm's way. They each of them knew that would not last.

A soldier rushed to meet the departing Rangers and their guests. He was not at all like Saber Team, Ruby and Weiss noted. He lacked their coats, obviously, and his gear was far more bulky; more pads and semi-metallic plates –which were all a real-time, digitally generated mesh of grays and light blues- covered his torso and limbs than the Rangers, who were sleek and nimble looking in comparison. His helmet and visor covered his head and eyes, but his lower face was visible.

"Captain, ma'am," he snapped with a rigid discipline. "This way, the Major General is waiting for you downstairs."

"Thank you, Corporal," replied Korva with the same military-brand courtesy. The Captain tagged behind their one man welcome-wagon, and the rest followed closely behind as they descended the rooftop stairs into the well upholstered and elegantly business oriented interior of the tower.

"Is Field Master Zhukov here as well," questioned Korva.

The Corporal nodded from ahead.

"He is, ma'am. He's in the command room with the General."

"Good," she muttered to herself.

The tower, which had obviously been some sort of corporate office building before the attack started, was now transformed into a make-shift UNDF military command. Desks and cubicles had been cleared, now stacked with portable computers or supply crates. Officers rushed to compare intel, re-check the status of the city, coordinate civilian defense, and in contrast, the encountered enlisted troops stood dutifully at guard, ready to repel any unforeseen threat.

For Ruby and Weiss, is was all such an alien sight. The only kingdom that maintained a ready, standing army was Atlas, and they were very, very clearly not in Atlas. On top of that, the vast majority of the Atlesian military was comprised of mass-produced mechanized infantry, supported by larger, armored walkers and their massive airships. Both of those aspects were, so far as they'd seen, absent from the UNDF repertoire of tactics.

VTOLs they had, and their small-group infantry were impressive if Saber Team were any indication. It was not a stretch to assume they had larger armored vehicles and fast-attack craft too, considering the escort they'd received on their approach, and the sounds that had been polluting the city's air as they landed. Overall, they were similar in overall structure to the Atlesians, and clearly had an applicable understanding of asymmetrical warfare, but the larger, flashier technologies were nowhere to be seen, and were replaced by a much more hands-on, human-oriented rank-and-file composition.

The other, far more concerning fact however –one that they had not even considered to investigate until just that moment, were the Huntsman and Huntresses. Rather, that they were suspiciously not present. Korva had explained on the flight to Kotova that they were in a state of emergency, that the region was experiencing a large Grimm incursion and that the facility they were in –that they had inadvertently helped destroy, if they were connecting the dots correctly, had been meant to be their warning system. It had been beyond their control, at least that was what they told themselves, but the two couldn't help but mentally take responsibility.

Even in a military power like Atlas, however, in the event of an emergency as serious as what was now happening around them, the Huntsman and Huntresses would be answering the call, fighting in the streets, coordinating with officials, helping evacuation; there was none of that in Kotova. The military had apparently been doing an admirable job of those on their own, and the Rangers had proven quite apt at the killing of Grimm, but where were their Hunters? Where were their heroes in their people's time of need?

"Right through here, ma'am. They're waiting, so go right on through," said the Corporal, snapping the girls out of their contemplations. Korva nodded to the young man as he walked off to attend to other duties.

The Captain bent down slightly, whispering to the Huntresses.

"I would advise you not to speak unless directly spoken to. The Field Master is a good man, but I've…we've dealt with the Major General before," spoke the elder Ranger, a look of distaste present at the mention of the General.

Weiss and Ruby nodded in compliance, and Korva led her team through to a conference room situated securely in the center of the building, four floors down from the roof. The conference room itself was dimmed to near total darkness, illuminated only by the glow of monitors, and a real-time holographic hexagonal-grid display of the city and the surrounding areas. For all the equipment that littered the room, its occupants only included two people.

The first was a tall, old man, completely bald, and, if he had to be summed up, physically looked as though he were falling apart at the seams. That was to say, he was so heavily scarred and battered that it seemed to Ruby that he should scarcely be alive. He wore the same brown coat as Saber Team, which led the Huntresses to the conclusion that he too was a Ranger, and was most likely Field Master Zhukov. However, "coat" was too generous a term for the ragged piece of cloth draped over his shoulder. So torn, ripped, and stitched back together was it, that one could hardly make out the always unique adornments that the Rangers were so fond of.

His face was two completely different shades of pigmentation, his left side stark white, which upon closer inspection was in fact not skin at all, but a polymer graft that had replaced a missing chunk of flesh all together. The eye of the same side was also artificial, and glowed with a dull, pulsating red hue.

The man next to him could not have been more opposite the Field Master. He was of a significantly shorter build, though not quite as short as Malik, who would still only reach about his nose. He had a full head of fiery red hair swept to one side, which descended into a scraggly, short beard. His uniform was an olive green, and pristine, medals and commendations gleaming in and reflecting the artificial light. A hat sat atop his head, the same shade as his uniform, and two stars were pinned to both it, and to each of his shoulders.

With Field Master Zhukov identified, it stood to reason that the officer was Major General Duff.

"Captain Korva," greeted Zhukov in a gravely but welcoming voice.

"Captain," said Duff, much more formally, and with a sharp chill to the word that made it seem hostile underneath the civil guise. His accent was new, different than that of Korvas, Malik's or Jay's, Ruby noted.

The Captain, as well as the rest of Saber, snapped rigid and saluted. Ruby and Weiss could not help but feel the gesture was one of grudging appeasement, rather than respect or discipline. They could see the disapproving frowns on the edges of Malik and Jay's lips.

"At ease," said Zhukov. "I trust your investigation bore fruit, Captain?"

Korva nodded. "It did, Field Master. We managed to retrieve the last readings and footage from the array before it went offline. It should give us an idea of what happened to the wall."

"What of the array itself? Did you determine what caused it to fail?" asked General Duff.

To that question, Korva hesitated.

"Yes and no, sir. I believe our guests would be able to shed at least some light on what occurred."

"Guests?"

Korva turned and waved for Weiss and Ruby to come forward. The two shuffled past Dmitry, who eyed the both of them with no small amount of concern, and came to stand to Korva's side.

Both the General and Field Master had a look of blank confusion on their faces.

"Captain," said Duff, still staring at the girls as though Korva were parading around a pair of juggling clowns through his command center. "Explanation?"

"Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose," she replied simply. "I realize, General, how unorthodox this is, but these two girls –Huntresses, were present at the facility before we were, and they are…proficient in combating the Grimm, to say the least. We brought them back in hopes that they would be able to expound further on the events that took place in the mountains, and they are searching for two missing members of their team."

Zhukov looked to be fighting off a grin as Duff leaned over the conference table and sighed. He shook his head as the Field Master's mirth only increased.

Korva looked between her two superior officers, feeling as though she were missing a joke.

"Sirs?"

Zhukov continued to nod in amusement.

"We'd been getting sporadic reports for the last three hours, since committing forces to the advance toward the wall," explained Duff. "Lead recon elements of the 3rd Assault Brigade have been closing in on the breach, working a plan to seal it. They'd been calling in reports of previously observed large concentrations of Grimm seemingly dropping dead in the field, until about twenty minutes ago."

"The last report mentioned making contact with two strangely dressed young women, who later identified themselves as Huntresses, and who, quoted from a Specialist Young, "were killing Grimm like it was an Olympic-fucking-event, and they were aiming for gold," chimed in Zhukov.

"We thought it was a joke," exclaimed the General. "Evidence to the contrary, however, seems to have been delivered to our door. Leave it to the Rangers to make my life difficult."

There was an unusual and awkward silence that hung in the room as the General recomposed himself, and Zhukov continued to smile like Christmas had come early. Duff sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'll have the data you recovered looked at, and as much as I would like to have these young ladies questioned regarding their involvement in this god-forsaken mess, and your team properly de-briefed, we've far too much on our plates at the moment. The questions can wait until this crisis is averted, and I need Saber in the field again ASAP."

"What do you need us to do?" Korva asked.

"Re-arm and re-supply, then you and your team will be linking up with the 3rd Assault Brigade. You're going to help them seal the breach; they'll be able to give you a more detailed, step-by-step idea of what they need from you. When you're ready, head back to the roof, your Chimera VTOL will be arriving shortly for you," the General explained.

The Captain stepped forward, arms folded behind her and chin held high.

"General, request permission to bring the Huntresses."

The General stopped, and while retaining an outwardly composed posture, seemed to exude a desire to throw the conference table through the wall and out the adjacent window.

"With all due respect to you and your…companions, Captain, we have enough teenagers running around our warzone."

Captain Korva's expression hardened in response to his disregard.

"If they're anything compared to their counterparts in the reports, they could be useful in sealing the breach," noted Zhukov. "I would suggest granting the Captains request."

Duff turned to the Field Master with a scowl.

"And if this were a Ranger operation, you would be free to endanger the lives of these children in whichever far-flung corner of this Earth you saw fit, but this is a UNDF command, Zhukov. My command. You are here as a courtesy, and not one that I had wanted extended to begin with."

"With all due respect, General," replied Korva, fighting with everything she had not to growl out the words. "The two Huntresses are the only reason my team made it back from the Urals at all, and if the rest of their team is with the 3rd Assault, then it would make them far more cooperative if we brought Ms. Rose and Schnee along. They may have further intelligence on the breach that they would be more willing to divulge to us if we showed good faith."

General Duff massaged his temples, his face tinging red ever so slightly. Ruby and Weiss had not been blind to the awkward tension that had existed between the Rangers and the General, and clearly there was history that they were not privy to. Saber Team had proven to be trustworthy, and so far had held their word, and the Field Master seemed amiable. The General, however, was not giving them the best impression of the UNDF.

"Rangers," he hissed. "Put on your damn coats, hide behind your masks, and suddenly you think you can do whatever you please and not face consequences."

"I've made it no secret I don't agree with more than a few of your operational practices; your training is barbaric, your discipline is lacking, your acceptance standards are…questionable," he said, making no effort to hide the fact that he was looking at Dmitry. It was that moment, with those words, that cemented Ruby and Weiss' disdain for General Duff.

"But UNDCOM knows you're all too damn useful to risk pushing away."

The General himself was turned away, hands held behind his back. He was silent for a few moments.

"Your objective is unchanged," he warmed. "If these Huntresses of yours interfere in any way with the sealing of that wall, the lives it costs will be on your shoulders, Captain, and if the Grimm don't bury you, then I will. Are we clear?"

"Crystal, sir."

As if lives on her shoulders were anything new.

"Dismissed," he spat.


Weiss found herself staring daggers out the window as she mentally ran through all that had happened in the conference room, glaring out at the skyline as though it were the cause of her outrage. She, Ruby, and the remainder of Saber stood in the UNDF headquarters' ad-hoc armory as Captain Korva discussed something with Field Master Zhukov, who had followed them out of the conference room. She couldn't tell what they were discussing, and frankly didn't care. She was much more content to stand by and practice telepathically assaulting the unfeeling buildings across from her.

Ruby was standing some distance off with Jay and Malik, explaining some of the specifics of Crescent Rose's operations and mechanisms as the two exchanged their weapons for arms more appropriate for front-line combat. They were quite impressed upon learning that she'd built it from scratch, and Malik actually took notes, trading engineering jargon with the young leader that she couldn't hope to decipher. The only member of their troop missing from her sight was Dmitry, which was unsurprising as he was easily the quietest person she'd ever encountered with the exception of perhaps Roman Torchwick's companion, Neo.

Now that she was consciously aware of his absence however, she couldn't help but wonder where he was, amidst her passionate door-hatred.

A sudden waving hand taking up most of her view answered that question easily enough. A past, less experienced Weiss would have jumped at the surprise. As it was, she merely snapped her head to the left, seeing the deceptively youthful Ranger looking down at her with a face that she could well enough piece together as questioning her current actions.

"Don't mind me," she insisted. "It's nothing."

He stepped in front of her, arms crossed. Dmitry wasn't buying it, which she couldn't blame him for, as she was not doing a particularly good job of hiding her frustration.

She sighed. "It's just, the nerve of that General. Talking about you li –you all, like that."

Weiss inwardly cringed, hoping he would glance over the slip of her tongue, which to her relief he did. He gave what was frequently becoming a predictable, Dmitry shrug. She puffed out another agitated breath and leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms. Dmitry joined her, mirroring her position.

"I appreciate your team fighting to let us come," she admitted. "Ruby and I have been quite worried about our teammates. It's good to know they're alright at least, but I'm relieved to be seeing them soon."

Dmitry smiled at her, but waved casually into the air. A clear "it's nothing, don't worry about it" gesture.

"You'll like them, I think," she continued. "Blake is quiet as well, so you two will probably hit it off just fine, and Yang has never had trouble making friends with people. I think she'll appreciate your team's enthusiasm for killing Grimm."

He kept on grinning, and pressed his fist into his open palm half-playfully.

"Dmitry, if you don't mind my asking, and I don't mean to imply that your team hasn't been immensely helpful, but where are your people's Huntsman and Huntresses? Ruby and I have noticed that, for all your military might, you seem to have no Hunters about, and your General spoke as if he didn't even know what they were."

Dmitry shook his head. Weiss felt she was quite good at working out what Dmitry meant through his body-language, expressions, and various pantomiming, –a useful skill developed from a long childhood of etiquette training, and gauging her father's easily swayed and deceptive moods- but in this case, a simple shake of the head was not sufficient enough of an answer. She shot him a half-flustered look.

"Does that mean no, you don't know where they are, or no, you have none?"

The Ranger responded by holding up two fingers to clarify. Two, second answer. It wasn't that their Huntsman were not around, it was that they simply had none. If that were the case, then it would explain, partially at least, why everyone found her and Ruby so odd.

"Dmitry," she pried further. "Do you know what an aura is?"

Again, he shook his head.

"Semblance?"

He was about to shake his head a third time, but then halted, and traced a circle in the air with his finger, then shot many invisible lines out from it, before pointing to her. It took her a moment, but then she realized, it was a glyph. He was asking if glyphs were her semblance. It was either very perceptive of him, or a very lucky guess. Who could really tell with the silent Ranger?

"Yes, Dmitry, those glyphs were my semblance," she answered, quietly proud that he'd picked up on it. "Ruby's is her speed. The rest of our team has them as well. They're…well, still not common where we come from, but far more commonplace than here I would guess."

He nodded in understanding, then pointed to her again, following with a twirl of his index finger upward, which gave her the impression of searching for a location. He was asking, she grasped, where she was from.

"I was born in the Kingdom of Atlas, to the far north, but I attend school in the Kingdom of Vale with Ruby," she said, turning to look to her leader, still goofing around with Malik and Jay as Korva continued to discuss something with the Field Master.

"We've been on the same team together for over a year now. I wish I could say this was the craziest adventure we've ever been on."

She turned back to Dmitry, who had moved to a nearby table, accessing something on an unused portable computer. Confused, Weiss followed, and looked over his shoulder at what he was looking up. He pulled up a map of Kotova, and then, slowly, began scrolling back. And back. And back.

The world around her suddenly opened up before her eyes, and revealed to her a fear that had been present at the back of her mind for some time, but one she refused to acknowledge. One that she played off as sheer delusion, and impossibility. After a certain distance, the map read 'Russian Federation' in bold lettering. The nation was absolutely massive, almost as large as the whole of Vytal if she had to guess, but Dmitry continued to scroll out, bringing more of the world into view. Other names began to crop out. Kazakhstan to south, the European Union to the west, the North American Cooperative across a vast ocean, The People's Republic of China, the North African Alliance, the United Kingdom, which had a smaller but still bold label beneath that read UNDCOM.

Weiss had to struggle not to stumble back. She had assumed, rightfully so, given her circumstances, that regardless of the strange sights and people surrounding them, they were still on Remnant. This revelation shattered that preconception. Her mind raced with a thousand possible, more logical explanations, but none of them seemed probable. Was this a trick? Why? What would anyone gain from making her think she were not any longer on Remnant? Besides, who could just casually fake a warzone? Who could build a fake military, a fake city, a fake map of a fake world, and then present it all in a convincing manner? No one, was the obvious answer.

On top of that, Dmitry would not lie to her. He seemed many things to Weiss, but dishonest, deceptive, those were not words she would associate with him. They were not on Remnant anymore. For whatever reason, however it had happened, it was now a reality she, and in time, the rest of her team, would have to face.

Weiss looked to Ruby, but decided not to say anything to her. They were about to be deployed to an even more important mission, and it wouldn't do to have their team leader weighed down by the knowledge. She would talk to them about it, but after their job was complete. After they were whole again. Until then, she would bear the burden herself.

Dmitry watched her intently, trying to gauge her mood. It was clear to him that, in showing her the map, he had made her uncomfortable, and promptly closed down the computer. He stood up, stepping toward her, but she waved him off.

"I'm alright," she said. "It's just…hard to explain. I suppose I just now realized how far from home I really am."

The Ranger continued to look at her, his expression growing solemn, and mentally kicked himself. He'd not meant for his curiosity to upset her. Weiss sensed his distress.

"It's okay, Dmitry. It's not your fault; I've dealt with worse, I'll be fine. There's just a lot more my team will have to talk about when we finally get back together, and finish with this madness."

Dmitry nodded. He pointed to Weiss, then to himself, and then clasped his hands together, finishing with a thumbs up and a smile.

"We're in this together, huh?" she smirked.

He nodded again.

"Well, I suppose that's enough."


"Those two seem to be hitting it off well," noted Jay, looking over to Weiss and Dmitry, standing next to each other against the wall across from them.

Ruby was admiring the vast array of weapons and ammunition the UNDF had to offer, but still retained her place in the conversation.

"Weiss isn't good at first impressions, but she's nice if you get to know her," she explained. "Dmitry seems pretty patient. I wonder what they're talking about."

Jay snorted. "Given that it's D, probably not much."

"Lay off the kid," said Malik. "He's fine. He wouldn't be the first Ranger with an odd quirk or two."

"Hey, you know I like D just fine," she insisted. "Nice guy, and as a Ranger, he's top-notch for a rookie, I just wish he'd talk to us more than not at all. Sometimes he just stares at you, and it freaks me out a little."

Malik shrugged as he fiddled with a carbine.

"It's just the way he is, Jay. He's got our backs in the field, and he doesn't cause trouble, so he's alright in my book."

The objects of their discussion deserted their position and passed behind a rack of weapons, out of sight. With their disappearance, the conversation ebbed along a different path.

"So, I have a question," chimed in Ruby.

"We've probably got an answer," replied Malik playfully.

Ruby looked down, thinking about how best to phrase the question.

"It's just, I noticed that when I showed you Crescent Rose, back in the mountains, you said something in a different language, Malik. Then I started to think about how you, and Jay, and the Captain all talk differently, and the General talked differently too. I also noticed the writing on the walls in this building is different than the writing in that base, and the ones on everything the UNDF is carrying around. I was just wondering about all that."

"You wanna know why we all speak English, basically," summarized Jay.

Was that what they called it? In Vale it was called Vytali, the language spoken by the people from Vale and Vaccuo. Ever since the Kingdoms of Remnant united, they adopted Vytali as a sort of international language, since half the kingdoms already spoke it, and it was a popular trade-language. Atlas and Mistral had their own native tongues, but for purposes of inter-kingdom relations and cooperation, Vytali was commonly used, and in some cases, like being a Huntsman or Huntress, required.

Ruby supposed it wasn't so much of a stretch that other people used it, even if she hadn't heard of them. Remnant had its share of wanderers, nomadic tribes that chanced the unforgiving wilds, many of whom were from Vytal. They could easily have brought the language to…well, wherever exactly they were in the world. Ruby hadn't gotten a look at a large enough map –If these people even had a complete world map.

The kingdoms had "discovered" all the major land formations, but much of Remnant's actual land, especially those not housing any of the kingdoms, were largely unexplored and unmapped, save for their coasts to aid in the sailing of ship. The Grimm made it dangerous to go anywhere beyond the borders of the kingdoms, to say nothing of the supposedly uninhabited island continents. That, combined with the fact that it simply would not be cost effective to launch expeditions for seemingly no gain, and the natural world of Remnant was largely a mystery.

With that all in mind, Ruby nodded.

"Well," began Malik. "When the UNDF formed fifty-five years ago, it was decided it needed a common language, since people from all over the place would be working together. The nations that put in most of the funding, provided most of the troops, and supplied most of the logistical support all spoke English, and had sway in the UN Security Council. When the Rangers hopped aboard twenty years back, it was the same deal. We worked with the UNDF, so Rangers had to speak English. It was kind of a sore subject back in the day, but most UNDF don't care now. It's just part of the job."

"That's another thing I don't get," said Ruby. "Are Rangers and the UNDF the same thing? The General was ordering you around like you were his soldiers, but you all seem so different than the rest of them."

Malik and Jay both chuckled.

"It really depends on who you ask," said Malik. "The UNDF will say yes, the Rangers will say no. Neither are right or wrong."

The answer wasn't really what Ruby was looking for, and only served to confuse her more. Jay picked up on it, and decided to clarify for her.

"Basically, with everything going to hell in a hamster-ball, the UNDF get to tell us Rangers what to do; they have jurisdiction. Normally, the Rangers are left alone and we do whatever we think we should be doing, and the UNDF stays the hell out of our way, but in emergencies we defer to their command structure, which mean, yeah, the General can order us around, and there isn't much Field Master Zhukov can do about it. The Major General technically outranks him."

"Normally rank doesn't mean much to us Rangers," added Malik. "We have a team leader, group leader than handles the deployment of certain teams, base commander to administrate everything, and a Field Master that's pretty much in charge of everyone, but other than that, we're all pretty equal. We don't have distinctions between privates and corporals and specialists, or 1st and 2nd lieutenants, things like that."

"Technically," he continued. "Even though Dmitry only joined the Rangers a few months ago, he's got the same authority as us, and we've been Rangers for a few years. The ranks come in thanks to the UNDF; they need a ranked designation for us, but since they don't want us getting ordered around by every sergeant and gunny with an errand to run, they made us 2nd lieutenants by default. Same with the Captain, she's team leader so they gave her the Captain's rank. It has a pretty good ring to it though. "

Ruby sighed and plopped down on the bench next to them, Crescent Rose laying in her lap. The talk of ranks and the UNDF brought her thoughts back to the words that had been exchanged between the Rangers and the Major General. The power dynamics of this place seemed to run deep, and long, and they made little sense in Ruby's opinion. The Rangers seemed to have a better system, similar to the Hunters, but it was muddled by the UNDF.

"I don't like him," she muttered. "The General, I mean."

"Good," said Jay. "We'd be worried if you did."

"Captain Korva said you'd dealt with him before, what did she mean by that?"

"Long story," said Malik. "It's more like a couple of times. He's been breathing down the Ranger's necks ever since he became regional commander. I'm not quite sure why he's got it out for us, but he, Korva, and Zhukov have some sort of history, and I'm not curious or suicidal enough to shake that wasp's nest."

As soon as answers came, more mysteries and questions came to take their place, it seemed. Ruby sincerely wished there was time to sit and comprehend it all, but there were a million other things to consider and focus on, and her curiosity was not one of them.


"That went better than I expected," said Zhukov, standing at the end of the hallway, outside the armory. Korva was staring out a nearby window. She knew he'd follow them out –that he'd wanted to talk. Zhukov always did love talking, almost more than being a Ranger.

"Which part of that went well to you, exactly?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the window, not particularly staring at anything. She was more looking at the glass itself, seeing Zhukov in its transparent reflection.

She saw him shrug.

"You didn't shoot each other, which is what I was expecting," he joked.

Korva found it less funny.

"He's even worse than I remember," she muttered.

"You say that every time," he pointed out.

"Because every time it's true."

Zhukov shook his head. Every time Korva and Duff met, it was the same song and dance between them. If Korva had been anyone else, Zhukov was sure by now that Duff would've already had their heads on the chopping block.

"Just seal up the wall," said Zhukov. "The sooner you get that done, the sooner he leaves."

She nodded.

Realizing the discussion regarding the Major General was now officially closed, and any attempt at re-opening it would be bad for his health, Zhukov chose the next best topic of conversation.

"Those girls, those Huntresses. You seem quite convinced they're something special. Tell me, are those report of ours accurate? I assume you've seen them in action."

For the first time since heading downstairs, Korva felt comfortable enough to turn away from the window and look directly at Zhukov.

"They're unbelievable," she said. "I'm not even sure how to describe what I saw, but they were untouchable. They killed a Blackbird by themselves, Zhukov, and apparently it wasn't an isolated incident either. Those girls kept pace with my Rangers like they'd been built from birth for this, like they'd been fighting Grimm out of the womb. If the rest of their team holds half a candle to what they can do, I almost feel sorry for those beasts."

"That's high praise, coming from a twenty-five year veteran. Can I ask your impression of them? Not their fighting ability, I mean do you think they were involved in this? This debacle we find ourselves in?" he questioned.

Korva sighed, trying to find a way to convey her mix of skepticism and suspicion.

"I think they are, but I don't think they intended to be. If you're asking if I think they sabotaged that facility, then I would have to say no. I did at first, but their actions up to now make me think otherwise; they do seem genuinely lost and confused about what's happening. I can't deny that they fit into this puzzle somewhere, but I don't think their intentions are malicious. The little red one, Ruby, is quite honest, I can see it in her eyes. Ms. Schnee seems to have latched onto Lieutenant Petrakov."

Zhukov nodded in understanding.

"That's good enough for me, then," he concluded. "Once this whole mess is cleared up, the General will likely have a lot of questions for them. I can't really spare them that, but afterwards, they're welcome back at Site-5. They've made themselves friends of the Rangers –the Rangers will be friends to them."

"I'm sure they'll appreciate that," she replied, looking to the door of the armory. "I should gear up, we need to leave soon."

"Of course. Be safe, Tasha."


Dmitry was sliding extra clips for his T-40 into his combat-vest when the Captain walked through the door. Malik and Jay glanced at her as she came in, as he did, but none of them were brave enough to stare, let alone try to investigate what she'd been talking to the Field Master about. Even Dmitry, having only been on the team a few months, was aware that their commanding officer had some nebulous past involving the Field Master and the Major General. Malik and Jay had warned him about as much before their mission-briefing on the mountain facility. It was a tender subject, and Dmitry made a note to avoid it, not that it would be difficult.

Korva silently began gathering ammunition for her own T-40, and added an under-slung shotgun attachment, collecting shells for the sub-weapon as well. The rest of Saber exchanged unsure looks.

"Will we be heading out soon?" asked Ruby, breaking the silence the Rangers were hesitant to pierce.

The Captain nodded. "If everyone is re-supplied, we'll leave now. Saber?"

The Rangers snapped to attention in an instant, Jay and Malik replying with a stern "ma'am", and Dmitry saluting. It was an unusually formal response from the Rangers. Korva could tell her team was now walking on eggshells around her, ever since her confrontation with the General. That wouldn't do, she needed to re-establish the norm.

"Dmitry, good, you've kept it light," she said, pointing out his sparse gear –only his ammo and weapons, whatever was attached to his armor by default, and maybe a few energy bars. "The saved energy will come in handy if we need you to carry Ms. Schnee off into the sunset again."

Malik, Jay and Ruby all snickered at that, but Dmitry nodded dutifully, the joke either flying over his head, or as Weiss had surmised earlier, he just took jabs well. This only made the three laugh more. Weiss, who had been sitting with her legs crossed on a bench next to Dmitry, was red, though it was hard to tell if it was from embarrassment or lividness. Korva grinned to herself –good, laughter was good.

"And you two," she continued. "Try to keep pace with the teenage girls this time. They're already one Blackbird and about a dozen Grizzlies ahead of you."

Dmitry made a silent 'O' face at the remark, and Jay grinned knowingly.

"Now them sounds like fightin' words, Captain," she chuckled.

"Save it for the Grimm, you'll have plenty of opportunities to redeem yourselves," Korva smiled back.

The Captain slid a magazine into her assault rifle.

"Come on, we've got a breach to seal, and a team of superheroes to re-unite."

Jay shook her head as she stood. "No rest for the Rangers."

Saber and the half of team RWBY began filing out of the armory, Dmitry being the last in the line. Korva stopped him at the door before he was able to step through. He looked to her, worried perhaps he'd done something wrong.

"Dmitry," she said, in a softer tone than he was used to. "Joking aside, I don't want what the General said in the conference room to get to you. Your silence is your choice."

"No matter what this says," she said, pointing to his well-maintained coat, and then pointing to his throat. "Or what this does not, you've proven your place on Saber. You belong here."

The General's words had not hurt Dmitry as much as everyone seemed to think they did. He'd grown accustomed to people being untrusting of his silence, assuming he was less capable because of it. He'd learned long ago to ignore such talk, and simply do what was required, letting opinions come later. Still, it was nice to know his friends cared about how he felt, and were willing to defend him against undue harshness.

He smiled back at her, hoping to convey his gratitude, and nodded.


The sky had grown overcast since the group had arrived in Kotova, and it was now drizzling down in the annoying gray area between actual rain and clear air. As such, there was a certain chill that had been pleasantly absent before. The Ranger's thick layers protected them from this, and while Weiss and Ruby looked as though they should have been cold, they denied a change of clothes before leaving, insisting they would be fine. Dmitry guessed it had something to do with their auras, as Weiss had expounded further upon it while he was gearing up.

It sounded fantastic, literally. If he hadn't seen them in action before-hand, he would have believed her to be telling tales, but he could not deny their strange power. A projection of the soul that protected you from harm, increased your strength, your speed, your reflexes, gave you amazing powers; if only the Rangers had such gifts! Dmitry could only scarcely imagine the training it took to master abilities such as that, let alone that they were still in training as far as she had divulged. The thought of a fully-fledged Huntress was a terrifying one.

'Ranger Team Saber, this is Viper 3-18 on approach,' cracked a voice through their ear-pieces. Weiss and Ruby looked up to the sky along with the Rangers, having been given comm equipment of their own, along with a few elbow and knee guards, just as an extra precaution.

"Copy, Viper 3-18, we're awaiting your touchdown at the landing-pad," replied Captain Korva.

The Chimera VTOL descended from the sky only a few seconds later. It reminded Ruby of a Bullhead, though it was the same drab gray and green as everything else in the UNDF, and the dust-thrusters were replaced by rotors, there instead being two fixed-point thrusters just above the tail-end stabilizer. The vehicle was also much more angular than a Bullhead, which had a rounder, rotund appearance.

'All aboard,' greeted the pilot, just barely skimming the surface of the pad, but not quite landing.

Jay hopped on first, followed by Malik, then Ruby, then Korva. Dmitry jumped up next, then turned to offer a helping hand to Weiss, only to find she'd jumped up right next to him. He immediately retracted his hand, a disappointed expression behind his mask, which he and the rest of Saber had re-donned. Weiss was aware of what he'd intended, and smiled apologetically. Normally she would have ignored such a gesture, but Dmitry was so unabashedly nice and polite about everything, she felt bad for the unintentional disregard.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "But thank you. It was gentlemanly of you to offer."

"Oh, D knows what the ladies like," commented Jay from the back of the canopy, in a mock-seductive tone.

Weiss looked as though she wanted to say something, but elected to instead take her seat across from Dmitry in silence.

"That's enough, Jay," warned Korva. "We have more important things to focus on right now. Save the jokes for the victory party."

"Ma'am," she conceded.

The Captain hit the hatch to the cockpit twice, as she'd done before when they left the mountains, and the familiar feeling of the ground falling away beneath them took hold.

"So what's the plan when we get out there?" asked Malik.

"We do as the General ordered. We link up with the 3rd Assault Brigade, and we help them close up that breach. If we're able to locate the rest of your team, Ruby, we'll collect them first before moving onto the wall. They'll be a huge help, I'm sure."

"They will be," Ruby assured them. "Yang's even stronger than me, and Blake is probably the next fastest. We'll get them to help."

The canopy hatch groaned closed as Kotova's cityscape rushed past them. They were headed back out into the fray again, re-armed, but facing more danger than before. They each could only hope that the 3rd Brigade, and the remainder of team RWBY, would be enough to turn the tide, and seal the breach. If they failed, Kotova would never be safe, and neither would the rest of the region.


Excerpt from United History (vol.3 7th Edition) by Daniel Parson and Joong Ki-yoon

The United Nations Defense Force was founded in 2023, and intended to be a new era in global-scale collective defense in response to the ever growing threat of the Grimm.

The UNDF does not make direct use of political assemblies or committees, and the only council it possess are a board of commanders responsible for leading its branches, all under the command of one Supreme Chairman. At its inception, it was funded exclusively by the permanent members of the UN Security Council –primarily the US (now NAC) and UK– but once off the ground and proving itself against the Grimm, the budget was expanded.

Members of the United Nations are not required to also be member states of the UNDF, but refusal to participate (that is, refusal to contribute to its annual budget, and agreeing to, without condition, approve its presence within your borders should the need arise), bars citizens of that nation from serving within it, as well as excludes it from UN military aid.

At the time of this writing, all G20 nations are contributing members, and many other UN member states have since joined for promise of security against the Grimm.

The organization is not without controversy or dissent. Many UN states are wary of an international military, as the UNDF is only answerable and held accountable by the permanent UN Security Council and its President, and rarely, directly to the UN Secretary General. Furthermore, the necessary fiscal contributions commonly necessitate a significant downsizing of an individual nation's own military. Countries unwilling to join, but still wary of the Grimm, instead banded together under a new trend of political-military blocs, the largest and most famous being the North African Alliance.

These blocs have a frigid relationship with the UNDF, and while a global military has banded many in the UN together more closely than ever before, it has also alienated a significant portion as well. There is a fear this tension may lead to conflict in the future, but for the moment, the UNDF is still seen by many today as the best weapon mankind has against the Grimm, and any other force which may seek to do the world harm.