Sorry for taking so long to put this next chapter out, I've been busy with life and such, but here we are. Chapter 2 of The Tale of the Immortal Protector.
I still own nothing from this except any Zentheran ships, those I do own.
John awoke to a knocking on his door. He checked the clock and saw that it read twelve thirty. 'It's only been an hour?' John asked himself. Another knocking on his door reminded John why he had awoken.
"Coming." John called out and removed the blankets from his bed. He stood up and opened the door. There in the doorway stood Ruby. "Ruby?" The girl made a squeak and jumped.
"I came to check up on you. Since you seemed stressed earlier." Ruby replied sheepishly.
"I'm fine now I guess, you want to come in?" Ruby nodded and John stepped aside and let the girl in. "You know I was thinking Miss Rose." Ruby's face turned a tad pink.
"What were you thinking?" She asked. John could hear the slight happiness in her voice. John sat down at a table in the cabin and motioned for Ruby to sit. She did and looked stiff.
"I was thinking of giving teams RWBY and JNPR commands in my military," John said. Ruby was at a loss for words.
"Really?" Ruby finally said. John nodded his head.
"Yes you would all become commanders after you have graduated from Beacon." John said.
"So should I call you sir then?" Ruby asked.
"John." John said. Ruby looked at John with confusion. "Please call me John. All the clones call me sir and Carter is the only one who doesn't. It would be great if you guys could."
"Okay, John." Ruby smiled and John did as well. "Tell me why did you chose us to be in your military?" Ruby asked. John sighed and shrugged.
"I don't know, I figured that my Vice Supreme Admiral would need to be a powerful individual such as your self." Ruby's face turned red and she was at a loss for words. "I will be giving you command of seventy ships. But in all actuality you will have command over three-hundred and seventy starships." Ruby's mouth hung open and her face turned a darker shade of red.
"That's a lot of ships." Ruby stated with a chipper whisper. John laughed and nodded. "Oh also team JNPR left a while ago, and the prison transport arrived on a ship apparently called the Botany Bay?" John nodded and typed on a group of keys. An image of a modified Guipellion class Astro Carrier appeared. The bottom two decks had been closed up to be used as a prison ship. On the top deck were several Danube class shuttles and Republic gunships.
"The Botany Bay is a modified carrier that acts as a prison barge. We are to escort the ship to Babylon." John stood up and gathered his uniform.
"I'll be outside." Ruby said as she left the room. John striped and put the uniform on. He left the room to see Ruby waiting outside. As he made his way to the bridge, Ruby followed.
"Wait, we need the other five." John sighed as he slammed his hand on the wall next to him.
"Sir we have located the last five wanted criminals." A clone spoke through the coms.
"That's… convenient." John pressed the com button on a com panel. "I'll be there in a few minutes, have them arrested and the proper restraints used for Salem and the others." John took his finger off the button and continued his walk to the bridge.
Once there they watched as five Runabouts took off from the Botany Bay and headed for the planet surface.
"When they get to Babylon what will you do with them?" Ruby asked. She stepped so she was a bit in front of John.
"Well, we'll lock them up for the rest of eternity." John stated.
"But wouldn't they die?" Ruby asked with innocence.
"No. Babylon exists in a place where time isn't the same. They live and go about their days, but they will never age." Ruby made an 'oh' motion with her mouth and nodded her head.
"Can they escape?" Ruby asked next. John shook his head.
"No possible way. The prison is designed to counter any and all abilities of the prisoner. In the event of a prisoner escape the entire station is sent on an irreversible self destruct. Also the guards are not human, but AI drones programed to kill any prisoner if they are close to escaping. And if they do escape they cannot use any of the prison's ships." John said.
"Why not?" Was Ruby's reply.
"None of the ships the Prison has have engines. They are just for show. The only ship the prison owns that can travel in and out of the dimension is the Botany Bay." John answered.
"And it doesn't enter the dimension unless under heavy escort!" Ruby concluded. John snapped his fingers. "That's a lot of security."
"Well when you have a prison that holds the baddest of the bad, there is no such thing as too much security." John said with a grin. Ruby nodded in agreement.
"Sir, the soldiers sent to deal with Salem are having trouble." A clone spoke out. John walked over and looked at the request.
"Ruby," The girl in question pointed to herself. "Get your team. We're going to Remnant." John stormed off the bridge, Ruby following.
John grabbed a rifle and looked it over. "Can't you make one out of thin air?" Yang asked. John turned and held up the rifle.
"This rifle is specially designed to kill Salem if needed." John cocked the bolt and a hum came from it. "I hope to not use it, but if I must then I must." John powered down the weapon and slung in over his shoulder. Unlike the four girls in the room he wore armor. The armor was Phase One ARF trooper armor, with some personal modifications
"Commander." A clone said. John looked up to see a clone walk up in phase one armor. "The dropship is ready." John nodded.
"Who was that?" Ruby asked. John placed his helmet on and rolled his head around.
"That was Cesar, commander of all my ground troops. Come on, the guys are waiting." John walked out of the armory, the four girls walking behind him. When they got to the hangar a D77-TC Pelican dropship awaited them. The outside was painted matte black and the windows were replaced with metal panels. The nose gun was replaced with a much larger version of the Z-6 rotary cannon.
"That looks big and scary." Ruby said with awe causing John to laugh.
"It's a modified dropship. It has improved armor, weapons, and a cloaking device." John banged on the side of the ship.
"Cloaking device?" Ruby asked tilting her head to the side.
"Hit it!" John yelled. A warping sound filled the room as the dropship shimmered like a mirage then disappeared. The four girls gasped and looked in disbelief. John banged the side of the hull again, showing that it was still there. "The cloaking device bends light around the object you wish to hide. Come, feel it." John motioned them over and they went over. They were all nervous about touching it but eventually did.
"You're right, it's still here. Yet it's not visible." Weiss exclaimed. Yang agreed and Blake only nodded.
"All right let's get onboard people." John moved to where the back of the dropship was as it decloaked, the four girls followed.
"Sir." An ARC trooper saluted as John turned the corner, jumping over the landing leg. The ARC trooper's armor was white with black and red stripes in several areas. John saluted back and stepped to the side to show team RWBY.
"Alpha, this is team RWBY. They are from the planet below and could probably give you a run for your money." John jabbed the clone in the side, electing a chuckle from the man.
"I doubt that Supreme Commander." The clone bet.
"They have in extent superpowers; I wouldn't count on it." John joked. "Team RWBY this is Alpha one, leader of Alpha Squad." Alpha nodded and looked over the four girls.
"So, you four are warriors?" The four girls nodded. "Good. I won't have to remind you that what we are about to do is dangerous. We are going to hell, if hell spawned monsters." Alpha barked. The four girls nodded in acknowledgment. "Let's go, our TI is dangerous and our boys need our help." Alpha turned around and entered the Pelican, John and RWBY followed. Once inside the ramp closed and the dropship took off. The Pelican flew out of the Crescent Rose's hanger bay down to the planet surface.
"So Alpha what are you?" Yang asked with a semi-serious tone.
"Me and my boys are ARC troopers. Advanced Recon Commandos. We're the best of the best." Several cheers in agreement sounded from the rest of Alpha squad.
"So you're specialists?" Weiss asked. Alpha one nodded and motioned to the rest of Alpha squad.
"A-two is our demo man, A-three is our sniper, and A-four is our tech guy." Each clone gave a form of hello to the four girls. "Alpha Squad is also known as Doom Squad."
"And why is that?" Blake asked in a neutral tone.
"Because we get sent on the missions the Supreme commander deems necessary to intervene little lady." Alpha three said with a slurred voice. Blake shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
"I wouldn't try it Alpha three. Blake could kill you before you even knew she had moved." John warned the ARC trooper. Blake mouthed a thank you to John. John stood up and entered the center of the bay.
"Once we reach the surface we will move as a team to Salem's castle, here." A hologram came up of the area. A castle at the top of a mountain was highlighted with red. "We'll storm the castle and take Salem prisoner."
"And if we can't capture her, we use your special gun." Yang said lazily.
"Yes, I'll use the special gun." John said with a sigh. "But we have hand cuffs and weapons that nullify her powers. The gun is for the worst case scenario."
"In case the Grimm get to bad?" Ruby asked. John nodded and pointed to Alpha one.
"But that's what Alpha squad and you guys are for. Me, and Cesar will attempt to arrest Salem." John said. The hologram changed to an image of a woman. "This is our target, Salem."
"She looks nice, but I don't know about the veins." Alpha four said to Alpha three.
"To bad we have to arrest her." Alpha three said back.
"Oh also Alpha three and four, her skin is white and her eyes are red and black." John informed the two, to try and stop their fantasies.
"That doesn't stop me sir." Alpha four stated. John sighed and turned off the hologram.
"Alright let's get ready men!" John yelled out. The ARC troopers stood up and grabbed their weapons. John slammed the button on ramp door and it began to open. The sound of rushing wind filled the cabin. Bellow the surface looked like a hellscape. Massive purple crystals protruded from the ground, and the grey earth was bathed in an unnatural purplish glow.
"Look's like hell sir!" Cesar yelled over the wind. John looked over and nodded his head.
"It'll be hell!" John yelled back. "The Grimm will spawn in pools! Kill them before they have a chance to spawn completely!" John ordered. Cesar nodded and relayed the orders to Alpha squad. "Also, have drones on stand-by if needed!"
"Those things haven't been tested sir!" Cesar protested. John looked over at the clone.
"They're ready!" John yelled. Cesar sighed and ordered for the drones to be ready. The Pelican made a wide turn and landed on the rocky ground. The group of soldiers and huntresses jumped out of the Pelican. Once they had left the Pelican took off, leaving them alone.
"This place gives me the creeps." Alpha-two said. The four-man team stood close together and aimed their weapons around the area. Team RWBY armed their weapons and got into a combat stance. John held out his left arm and a holographic screen appeared around his arm.
"Salem's fortress is this way." John took out what looked like an AR-15, but shoots bolts of energy that instantly disintegrate biological matter. He began walking in a direction. Cesar followed, pulling out a DC-15A. Alpha followed next, with team RWBY last.
After several minutes of walking they came across a hill overlooking a valley. At the top of the hill was a large castle. Around them mutilated corpses of the clones sent to capture Salem were thrown around. The gunships they took were torn to shreds, sparks and fire coming from the broken vehicles.
"What happened here?" Cesar asked with disgust. RWBY wasn't fairing any better. The bloody scene around them made Weiss gag, Yang lose her balance, Blake turn green, and tears started to well up in Ruby's eyes.
"Shit! Get ready." John switched from his rifle to an SMG. He aimed it towards empty space.
"I see them! Multiple contacts approaching on sensors!" Alpha-four said. The rest of Alpha squad and Cesar formed a circle with John. Team RWBY took their own defensive strategy and waited. The sound of snarling and growling floated through the air. Then a Beowolf appeared over the side of the hill. A rain of blue bolts hit the beast killing it. Then more came over, and the fire fight began. Grimm after Grimm were slaughtered by the group, and there seemed to be no end in sight.
"Sir I suggest we use those drones to cover us while we get the TI!" Alpha-one yelled over the sounds of battle. John nodded and placed his fingers to his helmet.
"This is John; Oblivion Protocol is in effect." John said. Ruby was confused by what he meant, but then a screeching sound grabbed everyone including the Grimm's attention. An odd looking vehicle screamed across the sky and ten round objects fell from the ship. They stopped then began to make their way towards the group. As they came closer, Ruby could make out more detail on the objects. They had four cannons on each side of their body, it's 'face' had a red eye in the top right corner. Numbers were placed in the center of the drone's face, 100-110.
The drone's stopped above them and formed a circle, then they dropped down to be at their height. White scanning beams came from the front of the drones. The drone that Ruby had remembered having one-hundred painted on the front gave a sound of disapproval, then an alarm spread through the ten drones. The area's their guns were pushed out and they began to open fire on the Grimm. The volume of all forty guns firing at around the same time was defining.
They stopped as soon as they started, then they began to push outwards except for one-hundred. It turned around and scanned John and the others. It gave a sound of approval before joining the rest of the drones.
"Not even Atlas has that kind of fire-power." Weiss said meekly. John turned to face Weiss, making her stiffen.
"That's not even the tip of the ice berg. These are only Enforcement and Defense Drones, or EDDs for short." John spoke pridefully. "They could take care of more Grimm than General Ironwood could ever hope to kill with his Atlesian Knights." Weiss scoffed then looked around at the hundreds of disappearing Grimm bodies. "Let's go, Salem is waiting."
All ships and other lore can be found on my tumblr at: johnathanhardwell