Falling Skies Chapter 4: Respiciens Retro, a rwby fanfic

Falling Skies

Chapter 4

Respiciens Retro

Michael Galster

"And that concludes today's lecture on assault from the air and sea. Your assignment for the next lesson on Monday is to write an essay comparing the two case study examples of Aegis and Atlas in regards to both. And could team CVFY remain behind momentarily. The class is dismissed." Michael watched as his class began to file out. RWBY was particularly quick to get out, though mainly because of how quick Mrs. Belladonna was. It was like she was unaware that he already knew about her former life and had been looked into due to her connection to Adam Taurus. Though Ozpin had warned him off acting against her.

That was a mistake in Michael's opinion, by all means Ozpin was well within his rights to harbour her and give her a second chance, he too sometimes gave White Fang defectors the same opportunity, however he made sure that a prerequisite to that second chance was all the information they had on the White Fang.

"You wanted to see us Prof?" Coco Adel, leader of team CFVY spoke informally as the three other members of her team flanked her. Michael had led a platoon during Sweeping Freedom where Coco's brother, Ajax Adel, had served under him, he had been one of three fatalities under his command. He wasn't sure how Coco had taken the death of her brother.

"It's Professor, and yes I did. As Ozpin has told you all second years will be having their field training after next week. While you are not supposed to know what you'll be doing just yet or who will be chaperoning you I figured this would be counterproductive. So instead I'm going to brief you on what we'll be doing. A village approximately fifty clicks west of Vale has reported an alarmingly high level of Grimm for what is usually present in the area. As you are the top second-year team you have been assigned this mission and I will be your supervisor. When you are Huntsmen in the field you will be expected to be able to plan and then execute operations," Michael reached down to his desk and pulled open a drawer. He picked up four files inside and passed them to Coco, "this here are the files on the village including the surrounding area and populace, Grimm reports and local terrain. This time next week I expect you to have planned the operation and how you will execute it. If you do this, I'll give you some extra credits toward your final grade."

"Don't worry professor," Coco emphasised the Professor, "we'll get it done in half the time." With that, she turned with a flick of her hair and strutted out followed by the rest of her team.

That was his day done. Now he had the weekend to kick back, relax and raid a White Fang compound or two.

Coco Adel

Team CFVY sat in their dorm after their long day of classes. A major downside of progressing up the academy was the ever-increasing amount of homework. It just seemed to pile up no matter how much was done. That was also all before professor Galster decided to dump them with the extra benefit of planning their own field exercise. Coco popped the bubble gum that was in her mouth and let the sheet of paper showing a topographical map of the area she was holding fall to her lap. She reached her limit for the night and was in no hurry to finish up the last of her assignment. Her brown eyes drifted to each of her teammates who were faring no better. The files Galster had provided contained so much information. History of the village, residents and their government records, standard Grimm sighted in the area, local fauna, likely views of huntsman and Kingdom forces, geography of the area and every other bit of useful and seemingly useless information possible.

Velvet's long bunny ears drooped over her face and her tired eyes went left to right as she read the file on the local Grimm, trying to memorise what they would likely be going up against. Her fingers lightly tapped her pencil against the desk to keep herself somewhat entertained through the excruciating detailed pages.

Yatsuhashi was scribbling down notes on the paper, his eyes set in a look of fierce determination to finish the work. Coco knew he liked to meditate whenever he could which was usually before he and the team settled down for the night. Unlike her and many other students at Beacon, he had the uncanny ability to get work done quickly, diligently and to a high quality. He was likely condensing the information so that he could share it later when they began to plan their operation.

And Fox… well, he was blind, and the files weren't in brail and therefore he couldn't be of much help. Instead, he was doing the homework set by Professor Port which the rest of the team could copy later.

Coco dangled her legs off the edge of her bed as she began to think about professor Galster or Lieutenant Galster as her brother had often called him. he certainly wasn't what she was expecting. Though she wasn't entirely sure what she was expecting him to be like.

"What do you all think about Galster?" Coco asked looking at each of them.

"He seems like a nice person." Velvet turned to her, seeing an escape from the planning. "He did give some decent advice on strategies and how larger military strategies could be applied to our smaller engagements."

"Yeah, but still. We've only seen this guy twice, and he has no experience as Hunter."

"True, but that's ignoring the purpose of the Military Studies course. He also must have experience fighting alongside Huntsmen. He hasn't exactly done or said anything that suggests he's a bad person either."

Coco pursed her lips and mulled over Velvet's words. The girl was sharp and usually hit the nail on the head in her assessments. Perhaps she was right with the young man.

"But what about when in the first lesson with his spiel over conflict and how humans and Faunus will never truly overcome it?"

"I believe he thinks that because of his past as a soldier," said Yatsuhashi.

"What makes you say that?" Coco quipped.

"He's old enough to have fought it the invasion of Vacuo and subsequent war with the Vacuan White Fang. If he did then it is likely he saw things and maybe even did things that made him that jaded and cynical. I believe he may have made it into the papers during Sweeping Freedom for his actions."

"Seriously?"

"What experience do we have with war? Fighting for the lives of not only yourself but those around you? What do you think you'd have experienced and seen?"

The fashionista bit her lip and looked down. It was not a trick question. If someone was in that position, their instinct is to defend themselves and their comrades. One had to fight in those situations if they had any hope of living to see another day and it was better than awaiting the fate that came for not doing so. What extents would that drive you too in order to ensure you and your friends did.

"Why bring this up though?" Yatsuhashi looked up at her.

Coco only shrugged and hopped off of her bed.

"Nothing really. Just trying to get my mind off of all this work, if he had to do anything like this I am not seeing how he managed to cope. I feel ready to bounce of the walls if I had any energy left." she answered back.

With that, the brunette made her way to the dresser by her bed and opened it. She found the attire she was looking for and entered the bathroom to change. She exited it a minute later dressed in sweatpants and a tank top that hugged her figure.

"Any of you want to hit the gym?" She asked.

"Sorry, Coco. I want to finish condensing these two files." Yatsuhashi shook his head.

Her brown eyes went to Velvet who quickly snapped back to her reading, giving her answer in doing so. She then looked to Fox who snored lightly under his book. At first, she was tempted to grab his leg and drag him to the gym but decided against it. That would only piss him off and make the workout boring.

"I'll see you all in an hour or two." She headed for the door.

"You better finish your part when you get back! I don't want you rushing it at the last second!" Velvet hollered after her.

"Whatever you say, Mom."

Coco merely dismissed her words with a wave of her hand. She opened the door and exited the room with a slight sway in her hips.

Michael Galster

Michael was on his way to the cafeteria to grab something to eat. The cafeteria for the Hunters in training was far better than anything that he had gotten in the Marines, even Aegis didn't have food as good as Beacon. Another reason that he disliked huntsmen, better pay, better food, better equipment, better intel, got all the credit, never had any budget cuts and the god damn arrogance he experienced from them in the field was unbearable.

Opening the doors to the cafeteria he made a beeline for the serving stations, ignoring the brief lap of silence as the students noticed him, a teacher, entering until they realised he wasn't interested in any of them and went back to talking. Picking up a tray he began to put the roast dinner onto his plate, after doing so he began to walk over to an empty table in the window side corner of the room. Out of his peripheral vision, he noticed team RWBY and JNPR trying to not be caught eyeing him. Keyword being trying. Sitting down he began to quickly tuck into his meal. Being in the military had taught him many skills. How to sleep anywhere in any condition, how to shovel down any food faster than thought possible and how to never leave anything lying around that could be used to prank you, that last one was learnt the hard way.

He was halfway through eating his meal when he had another reason to add why he disliked Hunters. A member of team CFVY, Velvet, had just been tripped up by the members of team CRDL who were now laughing at her expense. The leader of the team, Cardin Winchester, was now pulling on her ears, a very sensitive part of a Faunus. What really concerned him was that no other students were doing anything about it. They either sat at their tables and pretended not to notice or looked away guiltily. Sighing he stood. Once again, a Marine has to do all the work because Hunters are fucking useless.

Using his semblance, he equipped a stab proof vest under his shirt. He doubted they had their weapons on them but against combatants of any level he wasn't going to take chances. He also materialised an HK FABARM FP6 breaching shotgun with rubber buckshot. He walked past the table with teams RWBY and JNPR as he cocked the pump action weapon. As he approached Velvet and the bullies he could hear her pained cries for them to stop. Her peers still failed to act. He came up behind one of the bullies with a mohawk. Raising the shotgun up until it was level with the boys head. He pulled the trigger, a loud resounding bang echoed through the cafeteria turning all heads as Thrush fell forwards unconscious from the impact of the rubber buckshot. Luckily for Thrush and his teammates, their aura would prevent the rubber rounds from being lethal.

Cardin had let go of Velvets ears as he turned in surprise to see what had happened as did his other two cronies. Michael didn't give them time to react. He fired into Bronzewing's stomach, winding the boy before turning to fire into Lark's chest. Aura may protect them from attacks, but it didn't stop the blunt force trauma. With three of team CRDL down it left only Cardin and two cartridges were left. Cardin went to swing at him, but buckshot was faster. The rubber buckshot pelted Cardin's face. Cardin clutched his face as he yelled out in pain as he fell to the floor rolling in agony. This is so cathartic.

"That looked like it hurt a lot. Are you okay?" He asked Cardin in mock concern, all he got in response though was more screams of pain. Kneeling to Cardin's level he leaned over to the boy's ear.

"You are going to be quite as possible or else I'm going to shoot you again in a far more painful area.," Cardin's cries of pain turned into whimpers and restrained groans through gritted teeth, "good, its people like you and your buddies which is why we have the White Fang which people like me have to deal with. If I catch you harming, assaulting, bulling or even so much as looking at a Faunus with hostile intent then I will not use non-lethal rounds next time. Understood."

Turning away from Cardin he looked at Velvet who was clutching her ears that were drooped over.

"Go to the nurse's office and get your ears looked at, I know that they're sensitive to Faunus. If this little shit or anyone else is giving you trouble, then find me. I'll put them in the dirt." He said as he helped her up. She nodded meekly before heading out of the cafeteria. He then turned to address the rest of the cafeteria that was now transfixed on him.

"And as for the rest of you. You should all be ashamed to call yourselves Hunters in training. Your job is preventing things like this and if you see it you are to intervene. You will not sit on the sidelines. You are all equally responsible for movements such as the White Fang because of your inaction or apathy. It's because of people like you all and people like them," he gestured to team CRDL that was still lying on the floor, "that the White Fang exists like it does today and why despite my, Aegis's and the Coalition's efforts have been in vain. Until people stop mistreating the Faunus and ignoring their plight we'll have to keep killing each other until the other side is dead and buried."

He turned briskly and marched out of the room. Beacon had a gym, he could relieve his stress and annoyance there.

The crisp draft of Beacon's gym allowed some reprieve for those that were going hard on their scheduled workouts. It was not uncommon to see students and teacher working to maintain their fitness or push themselves to a new level. However, this night was different. The gym was almost empty, save for a lone teacher and less than half a dozen students exercising at such a late hour. Weights clanged loudly as they were set in place for the next repetition and hard footsteps echoed off of the treadmills.

For Galster, he always found a level of peace in exercising. During his days with his unit, he would be up before the crack of dawn to conduct PT and then he would do his own workout at the end of the day if he had the time. It did wonders for him since he was one of the fittest soldiers in his unit and the fittest in his squad. He was currently working on maintaining muscle strength and athletic fitness. He had already done the running portion of his workout and was currently working on his arm muscles

His neck strained, and he sucked in a breath as he lowered the large bar down and had it hover above his chest for a moment before he exhaled and pushed up. He could feel his arms shaking, but he was almost there. Just one more to go. He inhaled and brought the bar down once more and let out a grunt as he pushed it up with all of his might and racked it. He sat up and let his burning face cool off as sweat trickled down it.

"One more set. You got this!" He muttered to himself.

He rolled his shoulders and took a few deep breaths before he rested on the bench to push the bar off again, but he did not expect a shadow to loom over him. The corner of his brow rose in mild curiosity as he gazed up at the brunette. She looked familiar.

"Don't stop on my account, Professor." She smirked.

"Miss Adel, while I would usually enjoy a stunning young lady as yourself gazing upon my form but seeing as I am a teacher and you a student, I must insist you stop. " Michael answered back.

The brunette lowered her shades and peered down at him with her brown eyes. Ajax had once shown him a picture of his family including in Ajax's words, the most adorable and cutest little sister in the world, who'd he have to beat away all the boys from when she was older with the largest stick he could hold. With a quick skim of his eyes, he could tell what Ajax had said was true. She was lean, curvy, had a nice set of… assets and was very pleasant to look at. He was sure that if he were in Beacon as a Huntsmen in training he would have been pining after her. Especially when she was wearing short cut running shorts and a tank top.

"So you think I'm stunning do you?" She leaned on the bar. She made sure to lean in just far enough to give allow a look under her tank top into her cleavage but not enough to get a good look. Michael blinked and was not sure how to respond to that question. Should he play the ignorance card or play along?

"What?" He sat back up.

"You said I'm stunning. So I'm curious. How attractive do you see me as?" Her smirk grew.

Michael relaxed just a bit. He gave her a light shrug and rested back on the bench again to pump out his last set.

"Seven and a half out of ten," he said as he rested his hands on the bar. "Looks aren't everything."

"A seven and a half? Wow, you have high standards." She whistled.

"No, you just have little competition." The specialist exhaled and held the bar in place before he lowered it again. His arms began to shake more and he pushed the bar up. Nine more to go. He could feel his face turning red again as he tried to focus on the weight, but with the brunette still towering over him it was a little distracting, or rather, she was. Each rep became more and more difficult and when he came down for his last one, he could not get his arms up.

"Shit!" He wheezed out.

"Come on, push up!" The brunette squatted and rested her hands under his arms and guided him up.

The bar shot into the air and landed on the support beams with a loud crash. Blackburn shot off the bench and let out a loud breath. He was glad he finished the set, but still berated himself for needing a spotter at the end of the day. He liked being able to do it without a spotter since it gave him a gauge of how strong he was.

"Not bad," said the brunette.

She began to pull the plates off the bar and replaced them with lighter ones. When she finished getting them in place, she took a position on the bench and stretched her arms out quick. This garnered lingering looks from the other Hunters in the room that eyed her as she stretched out. She smirked lightly at the attention. They could look all they wanted but could never touch. Just as she was about to begin her set, she tilted her head to look at Michael.

"Hey, spot me for a sec," she said.

Michael got behind the bar and had his hands by her arms after she pushed the bar up. He gave a nod of approval when he caught a glimpse of the weight on the bar. One-fifty. Not bad at all for a woman. He could not help but smile inwardly when he saw her handle the bar with little difficulty. Most girls he knew could not do that, even the ones he served with. No matter how many PT tests they maxed or how many times they were in the gym, he had never seen them handle a heavy bar well, unless their semblance allowed them to or they used aura reinforcement. The girl in front of him was strong and he respected that.

"Thanks." She rested the bar on the rack. "Usually Fox is here to help me out."

"Fox?" Michael parroted.

"My partner, the Fox Faunus that sits next to me in your class."

"Ah…" Why couldn't people have normal names he lamented. He looked back at the brunette who rolled her shoulders and got ready for another round on the bar. She looked back at him expectantly and he rolled his eyes and retook his spot behind her.

"Since I need someone to push me, you're going to be my gym buddy for the night. Deal?" She smirked at him.

"Sure." He nodded back.

Once the Huntress finished her last set, she steered him over to the squat rack. Having seen what she was capable of on the bench, he was really interested in seeing her strength with the leg department. She opted to go first and set her weight on, and he gave a nod of approval. While not insanely crazy like some of those cross-fit girls he heard about back on Earth, it was still a decent amount of weight. When she looked back at him expectantly he got behind her and was ready to spot her once again. The girl pushed up and stood still briefly before squatting down in a controlled manner. He could hear the calm breath escape her as she pushed back up and repeated it again and again. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see some of the other Hunters ogling the brunette with surprise and longing gazes. He also made note of some envious looks directed at him which he brushed off. Although he was guilty of doing what the Hunters that were watching, he never made it blatantly obvious. He had self-control and was able to keep his focus. To be fair though, the girl in front of him was good looking and could easily turn the heads of those she walked by.

"I'm done, help me up!" Her voice made him snap to attention.

Michael squatted and helped her stand back up and she racked the bar. A thin sheet of sweat covered her face and the top of her shirt.

"You're up, so show me what you got."

He motioned for her to grab the Fifty-pound weight to the side while he did the same. She rose a brow after he set it on the bar.

"You sure you got this?" She challenged.

"Watch and learn." He smirked back.

He got in the rack and rolled his neck and shoulders before getting under the bar. After feeling the cool metal grace his shoulders, he took a deep breath and pushed off. Two sixty-five, ten reps, nice and easy. The heat flooded his face and he looked up towards the ceiling and gave out one last breath as he sprang up and racked the weight.

The specialist turned around and gestured to the rack for her to go again.

"Not bad," she said with a nod. "But you can do more than that."

"Can you spot me if I go down?" He gave her a serious look.

"I can handle whatever you got."

The duo continued their workout and went all around the gym. Bench press, squat rack, dumbbells exercises, legs, they hit everything. That was normally a no-no in Michael's book since it hindered his performance the next day. He was now exhausted and could feel his clothes clinging to him, drenched from sweat. His partner looked no better. Her face was flushed, and her hair was now somewhat disheveled, but the satisfied look never left her flawless face.

"I'm impressed. Didn't think you'd be able to keep up with me," she said.

"Give me some credit. I'm a teacher, so I have to walk the walk." He scoffed.

"A teacher who's a Jarhead."

"I only ate crayons once." He looked away like a small child earning a giggle from Coco.

"Well, in any case, I may have to make you my official gym partner."

Michael's brow furrowed a bit. He was not sure how to answer back to the girl's statement. Sure, he was a couple of years older than her and the others in the school, but it would more than likely be frowned upon if he was seen hanging around her outside of class and it could give the wrong impression. He had seen it happen in the news with student and teacher relationships, and even a few times with soldiers down range. Relationships in the military had to be between rank and were not allowed to impede upon their job, spending more time together than they should with their subordinates was never a good thing. It gave birth to rumours and they travelled faster than a wildfire. A toxic topic that was sadly a big issue for military personnel.

"I don't think it'd be wise for me to hang out with you outside of class that much," he answered back.

"Please." She waved it aside. "It's your job to teach and help students, right?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"But what?"

He only shook his head and looked back at her.

"It just seems unprofessional. I'm supposed to be a teacher, not a student, not to mention my position with the Aegis Corporation." he answered back.

"So, few people here outside my team are willing to go as hard and as long as I can so I need someone who can keep up with me." She explained.

"I'll consider it." He decided to say. Wasn't a yes and wasn't a no.

"Anyway, there was one thing I've been meaning to ask you?"

"What's that?" Michael asked.

"What was my brother like, in the Marines?" Fuck, that was the question he had been dreading since he had since he had learned she would be attending his class. Due to Operation Sweeping Freedom, he'd never flown back for the funeral and as such had not been present where he would have met Ajax's family, including Coco.

"Do you want to sit down and go somewhere more private or talk about it here," Michael asked.

"Can we go somewhere more private," Coco asked in a hushed voice, not sounding like the confident and flirty young woman that he had just been working out with.

"Let's go to my office."

Coco Adel

Coco sat down on the couch in her Professors dorm/office. A brief glance around the room revealed a lot about him. Everything was tidy and organised with the room being very spartan except for two framed photographs, paperwork that was a mix of homework and reports and some suits and combat gear that was either hanging up or left on the floor. Michael was currently standing in the tiny kitchen he had and was stirring a cup of tea which he had made one for himself and one for her. Walking over he set the tea down on the table in front of her. He walked over to his desk where the paperwork and two picture frames were. He picked up the larger of the two.

"Your brother…. Where do I start…." Michael began

"From the start." She joked, Michael smiled weakly.

"When he joined, I was the Lieutenant in charge of the platoon he was in. At the time we were prepping for Operation Sweeping Freedom. When we first saw him, he was somewhere between incredibly nervous and drop dead excited. We were going to war and he'd be going. As with a lot of folks fresh out of basic he was a little rigid in some areas and sloppy in others. Yet, despite any slip-ups, pranks or tough going, he always had a smile on his face that never could leave it. He always had a bad joke to tell that you would roll your eyes at and could always see the bright side. Though, I suspect that was part of his way of dealing with the fact he was going to war."

"When we were deployed outside the Vacuo border waiting to go in, he really came into his own. He took the initiative and got gear, ammunition, and jobs done before we were asked or needed to. He was always there to lend a hand with whatever you were doing. The guys loved him and he became the little brother of the unit, and we'd defend him from anyone trying to start shit. We took this photo before we got sent in, the last photo of the entire unit before the war." Michael handed the picture over to Coco and pointed on it to where her brother was. She could see her brother was kneeling next Michael with an arm around his shoulder, grinning like an idiot with her teacher. She traced her fingers over the image of her brother.

"Wait, on your left in the picture, isn't that-"

"Roman Torchwick, infamous criminal mastermind and most wanted man in Vale. Why yes, yes, yes it is."

"He served in the Marines?" Coco asked, momentarily distracted from the original purpose of the conversation.

"Yes, it was after he quit being a Huntsman but before he became a criminal. He was wounded towards the end of the war and was medically discharged from service. He and your brother got on as well as puppies and fire ants." It was her turn to smile weakly at his analogy.

"But when the cards were down they got along fine and were quite amiable when they weren't at each other's throats," She noticed Michael smile fondly, "this one time they had a prank war, constantly trying to one-up the other. Your brother switched Roman's shampoo with a bright pink dye which regulations prevented you from having so Roman had to shave all his hair off, in retaliation Roman used a flashbang on your brother while he was using the restroom." Michael said laughing softly at the memory as she smiled, imagining the criminal mastermind with his hair dyed pink then having to shave and her brother stumbling out a toilet disorientated with his pants down.

"But I assume you'd rather be hearing about his time during the war currently?" She nodded. Her parents never let her know what exactly her brother was doing nor the full extent of what he talked about in his letters once the war started. Even now they still never allowed her to see the letters. If she wanted to find out her brother's story she had to go to someone who served with him.

"Right then… I suppose the best place to start would be the day we went to war."

Ajax Adel

Ajax sat in the cramped Amphibious Combat Vehicle SuperAV, provided and produced by Aegis Defence Services as more and more of the equipment was if not all of it. This had been a steady process over the last half year. From what he heard from the grapevine his platoon leader had been the middle man between the Vale Military and Aegis Corporation for the deal. The Vale Council despite the looming war had refused to increase the military's budget, limiting its capabilities. Then in strode Michael Umberwood, or Galster, to the Marines with a solution. All the gear needed to fight on air, sea, and land for a significantly reduced cost but on the stipend of protecting Aegis's assets and trade routes. With no one else to turn to the higher-ups had accepted. It had come with many benefits, new more advanced and powerful weapons of war, faster more agile aircraft, reduced manpower needed for crewing ships and better protection and support for troops, though the transport vehicles could have comfier seats. But many of these were untested new systems until recent.

Five hours ago the opening shots of Sweeping Freedom, had been fired. The Vale Airforce had dropped laser-guided munitions on White Fang positions and infrastructure, the Navy supported these actions with cruise missiles while the Army and Marines unleashed a furious storm of artillery. Now the Vale Expeditionary Forces were rolling across the Vacuoan desert to their first objective, a small town called Ti-gris, encountering only shocked and awed White Fang conscripts. Now his convoy of two Challenger 2 tanks and a dozen SuperAV were rolling down a highway under the cover of darkness.

Ajax looked at the men he shared the troop compartment with. All had grim prepared looks on their faces, either staring off into space blankly, fiddling with their SA80 L85A3 rifles, or eyes closed trying to get some sleep. All except Lieutenant Galster who sat with a calm smile on his face as though this wasn't his first war, and everything was normal. Ajax wished he could have the Lt's quiet confidence at a time like this. Closing his eyes, he tried to clear his mind of any niggling worries and unwanted thoughts, getting worked up would not help anyone. Instead, he thought of home, his overbearing mother, hardworking father and adorable little goofball of a sister. Over the low steady rumble of the engine and the hushed whispers of the other Marines he could make out the Lt on the radio, but it was difficult to hear what he was saying.

"Okay Marines listen up, there's been a development." He heard Glaster call from his seat, the vehicle becoming silent bar the engine.

"It appears our friends in the White Fang held up in Ti-gris haven't been dissuaded by our big guns and are still holding out. Captain Luna has volunteered our company to clear out the town. Intel also suggests the Ace of Clubs is present somewhere so keep an eye out for him. We'll be setting up on hill 247 on the east side of the town, from there we'll advance on foot and push to the centre of the town. We'll have to clear each building one by one so remember to check your corners and watch for snipers. Make sure to keep an eye out for civies, we want collateral at a minimum. Keep your heads on straight and remember your training and you'll make it home. Oorah."

"OORAH!" everyone yelled back. Ajax felt like a swarm of butterflies were invading his stomach. This was it, no more training, no more waiting, no more drills. This was it, combat, fighting, war. And not a war at a distance, this was going to be up close and personal. No distant figure dropping to the floor which you or anyone else could have shot.

"Adel, it's best not to dwell on such thoughts, they'll be of no help." The Lt must have caught the look on his face.

"Sorry sir, it's just trying to process having to kill someone for real is all." Ajax admitted, "I'm not sure how I feel about it."

"You'll find it's not as difficult as it appears," Galster said with that calm expression of his.

"You've killed before sir?" He asked without really thinking about how inappropriate such a question might be. If the Lt was taken aback by such a question he didn't show it.

"I have, a few times actually." By now the rest of the guys were listening in on the conversation.

"When and who?" Asked Sergeant Roman.

"About almost a year ago now. Was the night before I enlisted. I'd been out clubbing and was leaving for the motel when a White Fang hit squad tried to kill my girlfriend. Ended up having a shootout. Killed about six of them."

"What did you feel?" Asked Ajax curiously. He remembered such an incident being reported on the news.

"Recoil," Galster said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, he could make out Roman and a few others letting out some morbid chuckles, "but in all seriousness, at the time I didn't really feel anything, it was a couple hours later when it hit. I wouldn't say I felt guilty or remorseful, more a sense of serene understanding. The classic him or me, self-defense and so on. Though everyone reacts differently. If it's any consolation the people we'll be killing are terrorists, less than animals, worse than Grimm. Grimm doesn't resort to hostages, pot-shots, and IEDs. They deserve no respect nor pity, killing them will be a service to any self-respecting sentient lifeform on this world. One less stain on its surface." He felt the Lt meant those words more than Ajax was willing to be comfortable with. But maybe it helped to think like that.

Ten minutes later, on the hill overlooking Ti-gris would have looked normal as it should and as it needed to be. But hidden under or behind whatever cover they could find. Hidden under a dabble of trees and bushes Galster's platoon. Over the town, gunships were doing battle with the AA positions on the ground, filling the air with crashes, thumps, and shrieks of rockets. A layer of dust and sand wafted through the air, a mixture of the desert wind and explosions. The vehicles had taken up position behind the crest of the hill.

Roman was stuffing his face with the last of his energy bar.

"The flyboys are putting on a hell of a firework show there. Just like in an Atlesian action flick."

A fellow Marine, Verdant, lay on his back, gloved hands cradling his head.

"What did your mother tell you? Don't talk with your mouth fall."

Ajax wasn't really paying attention, he was fiddling with his night-vision goggles which were malfunctioning. It was much a background noise as like the gunfire and White Fang propaganda that was spewing out from loudspeakers located somewhere along the outskirts of the town, some of which could be heard over the gunships.

"we shall claim back… with claws, we will strike down the human invader…" Ajax felt Galster nudge him.

"They're going to need a lot more than just claws when we ride into town."

Roman twitched, "If he doesn't shut up, I'm going to stick it right up his loudspeaker."

In front of them at the bottom of the hill, on the other side of the overpass White Fang groups were setting up machine gun posts in the upper floors of the buildings, "You see that?" Galster asked him.

"Fuck these NVG's," Ajax threw his NVG's on the ground, "Going to war with the White Fang and we're fresh out of batteries."

"Here, I always carry some spare." Ajax looked up and saw the Lt passing him the required batteries.

"Thanks' sir."

"Gun trucks coming in." Captain Luna stood up and stared in the direction Roman was pointing.

"The fuck did they come from? We're not even in an overwatch position." Galster commented. A convoy of five Atlas All-Terrain Light Utility Vehicles or ATLUVs were making an easterly approach into the city. Captain Luna slide back under the camo net where the radio was.

"Brimstone actual this is Misfit actual, we do not have target secured, say again, target not secured. Hold your position, over."

Ajax didn't need a thermometer to know Luna's temperature was rising.

"Come the fuck on, Blanc." Hearing the name Ajax and Galster exchanged looks. The 'Blanc Bunch' were rolling into town. Both loved and loathed, Lieutenant Blanc was a product of Atlas's military academy for better or worse. While a competent leader thankfully, he was known for being brash, impatient and reckless. Often interpreting orders in his own unique way. And if there was so much a whiff of glory, Blanc was chasing it like a dog after a stick. When the answer finally came, Blanc's voice was distorted and full of impatience.

"Misfit Actual, we are not stopping. So you better get your ass in position and cover our advance, over."

"This is so fucked up." Luna shook his head and got back on the radio, "All callsigns Misfit, we are mission launch, repeat we are mission launch."

The hill came alive as forty-five Marines erupted from their concealed positions and charged down towards the overpass. In Ajax's group, Galster and Roman led the way with the others not far behind, Echo brought up the rear carrying the mortar. As soon as the squad was at the overpass Luna was on the radio.

"We need illumination rounds in the air now, needed downrange now."

Before he had finished speaking the first enemy round came in. Ajax skidded in the sand as he stopped to help the men setting up the mortar, grabbing the tube and angling it. Echo had the carry case. He slid out the white round with the black markings.

"Direct lay. One round illumination. Half load. Elevation one zero niner."

"Round up!"

Irons adjusted the charges at the base of the round.

"Round up."

"Hang it."

He slid the round into the tube and held it near the rim.

"Hangin'."

"Fire!" In one fluid motion, Irons slammed the round downwards and ducked behind the muzzle. A bright flash of light illuminated their position for a split second before the round popped high above them and lit up the entire area. They found cover behind a low wall, with the overpass and a ditch between them and the apartment block. It was already slightly damaged from the artillery, the whole structure listing to one side, lumps of concrete swaying on twisted metal rods. The few trees that were still standing were shredded and leafless. They moved forward to the first wall between them and the building. A mortar swept in and one side of the wall disappeared in a cloud of debris. White Fang troops swarmed out of the destroyed structure. Ajax was the first over the remains of the wall. On the other side was a concrete sewer ditch. There was nowhere to go except down into it. He flattened himself on the other side sheltering himself from White Fang fire. Roman jumped down behind him.

"Welcome to Vacuo, please leave the facilities in the condition you found them." A flare drifted past, illuminating a machine gun post on the second floor. Ajax poured fire into it as they ran to the side of the building.

"Frag their ass, I'll cover you. Get that grenade out."

Ajax ripped out the pin, doing a split-second check he had both the ring and the pin, and lobbed the grenade. The machine gun nest dissolved in a cloud of concrete. The Atlas ATLUV column had now advanced beneath the overpass and made a left turn into the city. A wrecked truck, half buried by rouble and debris from a ruined building, blocked the way. Ajax was fifty meters away. He could see lieutenant Blanc yelling while half a dozen men tried to remove the obstruction. Two gunners gave cover from their roof-mounted machine guns. The Atlesian soldiers wore different equipment than the Vale forces. A Black bodysuit with a few pieces of white armour that barely covered anything. Hey had protection to their head, upper chest, and their arms, leaving the gut and upper legs exposed. Roman walked up behind him.

"Dickhead shouldn't have gone ahead. What's up his ass?"

Blanc spotted them.

"You, what the fuck are you looking at? Get the fuck down here and help move this wreck now!"

They started to run over to the convoy as one of the ATLUV gunners keeled over the tell-tale shot of a sniper rang out. Blanc pointed in the direction it came from.

"Suppressive fire. Now!" Roman, Irons, Echo, and Ajax fired into the building while the men moving the pickup finally cleared the road. Blanc was already back on the Radio.

"Misfit Actual this is Brimstone actual, I need back up here right now, over." They heard Luna's reply over their headsets.

"They're yours, over."

Blanc pointed at Ajax, "You, your riding shotgun with me. Climb aboard soldier. Next stop Town Hall, let's go get a piece of the Ace of Clubs." Blanc seated himself behind the wheel.

"This is Brimestone actual, we're on route to Town Hall, out."

"Brimstone Actual, this is Misfit actual, eagle eye reports personnel running in and out of the building. HVT must be secured, repeat secure, copy?"

"Rodger, good copy. Out." Blanc glanced at Ajax, "Let's go fetch."

They rolled past another set of White Fang loudspeakers, still blasting propaganda. Blanc swerved into them and laughed as they were flattened beneath the ATLUV's wheels. The without warning a car appeared from where the road narrowed right in their path. Ajax felt himself and the ATLUV lurch forward in protest to the sudden stop.

"Ambush! Back up! Back up!" An RPG whistled overhead as fresh gunfire erupted. "Everyone fall back."

The convoy shuddered to a halt. Blanc's turret gunner poured fire into the car until it was engulfed in flames, but the bullets were still coming from the window above. Precious seconds went by as each vehicle engaged reverse, while fire rained down on them, dust in the air as tracer rounds ricocheted into the night sky. The turret gunner screamed and slumped to one side, his face gone. Blanc grabbed Ajax by the shoulder.

"Get up there private, make it count." The dead man collapsed on the seat behind Blanc as Ajax assumed the now deceased gunner's place as the ATLUV began to roll backward. Blanc was shouting into the radio again as Ajax opened up on the windows and balconies where he spotted muzzle flashes. "Misfit Actual, this is Brimstone. Encountering enemy fire. Proceeding to target location."

"Brimstone Actual. Secure ground level. Alert for HVT. Birdseye 2 is three miles away, out."

They cleared the fire area. Blanc yelled up at Ajax, "Good work up there. Now let's go cut off one head of this King Taijitu."

The ATLUVs surged forward down a parallel street to the one they had been ambushed on. Ahead smoke billowed from a seven-storey building that rose above anything else in the town by a good two stories. It had a massive crater on one side where the smoke was making its exit from. Ajax spotted Birdseye Two as a UH-60L swooped in and hovered above. The rotor wash blowing and swirling the smoke around the building. Ajax thought he could see the side doors sliding open.

"Birdseye 2 on station. Package fast roping in, over." Two ropes spilled down onto the roof below the Blackhawk through the smoke. Blanc slewed the ATLUV to a stop outside the building and was out the vehicle before it had properly stopped. Ajax exited the vehicle and caught Echo, Irons, and Roman who was pointing to some cover. Joining them he took shelter behind a toppled statue.

"We're with you, Sergeant."

"Okay boys; watch for friendlies while you clear."

Most of the White Fang personnel had fled or taken cover. The lobby was strewn with a sparkling sea of broken glass and discarded files and boxes. The attempt to evacuate had failed the occupants had an for their lives instead. Some loose paper floated in the air due to the downwash of the helicopter. Above they could also hear the shouts of the men who had roped down clearing rooms as they went.

"We've got a runner on the stairs!" Ajax rushed forward as a figure exited the stairwell, hesitated and then turn to run. Blanc, distracted, missed the comment.

"Take him, Take him!" Ajax threw himself on the person and collapsed on top of him. A Binder shot out of his hands and skidded across the floor, Blanc right behind, thrust the muzzle of his MK12 rifle at the Faunus's head.

"Let me at him," Blanc ordered as he pressed a boot into the man's shoulder above his insignia.

"A Colonel? We bagged are selves a Colonel boys. Now, why don't you tell me where you were running off to in such a hurry?" Ajax left Blanc interrogating the captured White Fang officer as he walked over to where the folder the man had been carrying had ended up. Kneeling he gather it and the few pages that fell out of it together. From the sheets he picked up it appeared to be a detailed list of the White Fangs communications frequencies and callsigns.

"Sir, I think you will appreciate this." He spoke as he walked back over to Blanc and handed the Atlesian the folder. Blanc paused his interrogation for a moment to look at what he was being handed. Blanc didn't even get halfway down the first page before his eyes widened and a large smile adorned his face.

"Excellent job private, you've handed the enemy to us on a fuckin' plater. Sergeant Neige, get this back intel to command asap. As for the rest of you start ensuring this building is sweep thoroughly for any remaining White Fang and Intel."

"As you'd surely remember from the news reports after the first day of fighting, Vale forces breached the White Fang lines before the main Atlas and Mistral forces and pushed right the way to the Vacuan capital of Cassus with minimal resistance. The most common threat we faced was boiling to death the ovens that were the troop compartments in the ACVs. By the time we got to Cassus the White Fang had blown most the bridges into the city. Usually, that wouldn't be much of a problem, but White Fang AA defences prevent any aerial insertion and the cities embankments on both sides were too steep for amphibious vehicles. The few bridges that remained intact inflicted to many losses for us to take and hold them. We had to wait for backup from Atlas's Huntsmen before we attacked again." Michael finished explaining to her. She wondered how she would've handled that night her brother went through and if she had it in her to one day pull the trigger as her brother had done.

"You don't need to worry, a conflict like that between nations isn't likely to occur in the foreseeable future… although Atlas has been… it doesn't matter, the point is another operation like Sweeping Freedom isn't about to happen anytime soon. The most action you'll see if the odd Grimm attack. Not to mention I intend for Aegis to finish of the White Fang as a functioning organisation very soon." Michael said reassuringly, though he seemed to have some doubt. She remembered overhearing on the news during half term how Atlas had been pushing to be given full responsibility for the new colony on the until recently uninhabited dragon-shaped continent to the North of Snaus and West of Solitas. Atlas controlled the Northern coastline while Aegis oversaw the Southern and eastern colonies on behalf of Mistral, Vale and Vacuo, particularly over the city of New Haven where each Atlas and Aegis controlled half. It was significant as the continent had little to no Grimm.

"How did he cope with it, the killing."

"On the day itself, he was to busy to think about it like everyone else. You kind of push it to the back of your mind. For him, it hit home on the advance to Cassus where all you did was sit in the SuperAV. He felt a little guilty over it but rationalised it in the end. The brain is quite amazing like that. It can rationalize and justify any action given time and thinking." More of her professors cynical and pessimistic outlook, he seemed to see the worst in everything. Personally, she wasn't sure if it was down to experience or if he was predisposed to that outlook naturally.

"But I remember reading that the Marines took Anourach Bridge, well before any Huntsmen showed up, how come you said you were supposed to wait? I've known that much cause my brother got himself a medal." She asked as she realised what he had said earlier compared to what the VNN article had said. She knew that much as her brother had received a medal for his actions. Her parents kept it framed next to his picture over the fireplace in the living room.

"Ah yes, the Medal of Valor, For exceeding bravery in the face death. I wrote him up for that medal within the hour."

"I know the requirements for it, but what did he actually do to get it."

"Well… it went something like this…"

Michael Galster

Michael wiped the sweat from his brow that was beginning to irritate him as he walked to the CP where Captain Luna was still trying to get their busted radio working. (Despite his and Aegis's smart A.I. Catherine's best efforts trying to reinvent all the stuff he remembered from Earth was proving difficult in areas despite Catherine's ability to put any supercomputer to shame). Getting their orders from the higher-ups was sketchy at best and they'd been forced to rely on runners that had been outdated since the Great War. After the last two unsuccessful attempts to take the main bridge into Cassus Captain Luna had temporarily ceased any attempts to take the bridge.

But Michael hadn't given up just yet. He'd had Roman's squad scouting out the White Fang's positions on the other side of the river along Misfits assigned sector from a safe distance. Roman had identified two weak points and using some maps provided by both the Marines and Catherine's own digging he now believed he had developed a suitable plan to infiltrate the opposing embankment and take the bridge and allow the Vale armour to roll on into the city ending the war just two weeks after it began. Probably.

Pushing open the tent flap of the CP he was welcomed by the hustle and bustle of Captain Luna looking over some maps. Some technicians and radiomen attempting to fix the radio. To the rear of the tent, the attached Air Controller was looking bored listening in on the communications of any nearby air assets, with the company not moving he had very little to do in way of coordinating close air support.

"Captian Luna, a moment of your time?" He asked.

The Captain kept looking at his maps and didn't look up when he responded, "What is Lieutenant? Make it quick."

"Sir, I believe I've found a way of taking the bridge. I've planned it out in detail and run it by my platoon and they're more than willing to go through it." Like him, the men were getting antsy with the enemy so close and wanted to be back in the action once more.

"Lieutenant, despite the broken radio you and I both know that orders are to wait for huntsmen support before attempting anything to take the bridge."

"But we both know that it will take days before they get here. They're bogged down fighting White Fang and Grimm to the North. By the time they get here the White Fang in the city will be further entrenched and will have blown one of the few bridges capable of supporting our armoured vehicles. Not to mention the Grimm that will be attracted to all the conflict."

"You think I'm unaware of that fact Lieutenant? If it weren't for the broken radio I'd be breathing down commands neck about the necessity to take the bridge, Council be damned. But as it is we just have to deal with the cards were dealt. Oum knows how frustrating the whole thing is."

"At least hear the plan out. Even if we don't use it now we could implement it at a later date." He pleaded. Captain Luna looked conflicted for a moment before letting out a sigh of resignation. Michael could guess the man was genuine in his desire to take the bridge sooner rather than later. Misfit Company had been lucky so far, taking only one fatality and a little more than a dozen wounded with one in critical condition. The longer they stayed the higher the casualties would be.

"Fine, but make it good." Luna relented.

"Yes sir," Michael said as he moved over to Luna's maps on the plywood table.

"I had Roman and his boys scout down towards Haymaker's position where the river widens. He identified a few new machine gun positions and a potential sniper nest. He also spotted that one of the sewer pipes Iron Cover plates have corroded enough that they could be removed without much difficulty," Michael said pointing it's location on the map, "I did some digging and found the sewer maps for Cassus." Captain Luna raised an eyebrow at that, probably wondering where he'd managed to find it but didn't ask any questions yet.

"Laying the sewer maps over the street maps we have revealed that there is a manhole about a block away from Anourach bridge down an alley. A small team could use this to infiltrate behind White Fang lines. Then they can either take out White Fang positions we've already marked and allowed the rest of the company to secure the bridge or the company launches a diversionary attack then the team silences the positions. Either way, we'd end up with the bridge undamaged in our hands."

"Hypothetically when would you be able to launch such an operation?" inquired Luna

"Speaking hypothetically, tonight." Luna seemed to look back at the map going over the presented plan in his head.

"This plan seems reminiscent of something Special Forces would do. This isn't something grunts would undertake usually. And there's a few obstacles and contingencies that we'll have to go over first. But this could work."

At about nineteen hundred hours the sun was starting its descent over the horizon casting Cassus and the besieging Vale forces in an orange glow. Michael jumped down into the trench that'd been dug a few days ago. The Marines of Misfit 3-1 looked up eagerly at him.

"Well?" asked Roman, cigar in hand.

"Greenlight. We'll be moving into position at twenty-two hundred hours for mission start at twenty-three hundred hours. Make sure to bring a few extra mags. If you need to, scrounge them off the rest of the company. Misfit 3-2 and 3-3 will move in to support us before we attack the White Fang positions. The Company's mortars are going to lay down smoke down the length of the embankment to give us cover. They will lay down continues fire for fifteen minutes. During that time, we will have to cross the river and blow the iron cover plates on the sewer entrance. The sound of the mortars should cover our entry. Once inside we will proceed to the manhole cover where we wait until zero-hundred hours. After that, we exit the sewer and make our way to staging point Alpha if that route is blocked we go to staging point Bravo or Charlie. I radio Captain Luna to start the attack. The White Fang will be too distracted by his advance on the bridge to notice us sliding the knife into their backs. Finally remember, Faunus can see in the dark often better than our NVGs, the night won't provide the cover you'll think it will. Any questions?"

"How is Captain Luna explaining this to command if at all?" Ajax asked.

"The mortars will be trying to take out the sniper nest you spotted. Beyond that explaining how we either took or failed to take the bridge is going to be what it looks like. While the radio to command is broken it's unlikely that it would fly as an excuse. We are very much ignoring orders, stupid as they may be, we are supposed to wait for Huntsmen after all."

"Damn council's worried that the fuckin' huntsmen won't get any glory if we do all the work," Irons interjected.

"More like they don't want the armed forces to have a decent reason to stick around when they'd rather have Huntsmen to do the fighting." Murmurs of quiet agreement rose up. It was no secret to those in the forces that the various councils from the Kingdoms bar Atlas were switching over to rely on huntsmen and have a small reserve force. In essence, especially for the Vale military, it was their last Hoorah before they were consigned to the annals of history.

The Vale council had already passed the bill to downsize Vales total military size to ten thousand from its total of six hundred thousand. Yet still Vale was the smallest, Mistral had a far larger army, more so than Atlas due to its large size and population. It was laying off over eight hundred thousand personnel over the next three years. To put it simply large militaries weren't needed with no kingdoms to fight and Huntsmen were more effective fighting Grimm. Especially when a single Huntsmen team could take out an entire division with the right training a semblance that they often tended to have. It had always staggered Michael how the four kingdoms with their tiny populations had managed to keep such large armies around. Then again the threat of the Grimm and ever-present bandits would warrant such large standing forces.

"Then let's show those fuckers that the Marines are still the deadliest motherfuckers out there. We'll take that bridge. We'll take this city. And there isn't a damn thing any glory hound huntsmen or pencil pushing councilman can do about that."

Time Skip

The smell of the sewer seemed to waft through the shemgah Michael had wrapped around his face to keep out the worst of the stench. It was almost midnight everyone was in position on his part. In one mike, Misfit 3-1 would emerge from the sewer and converge on the bridge. The sewer lacked any light natural or otherwise and the bright beams of the standard issue flashlights were all that kept them from sure footing or a misstep from a face full of putrid sewer water. A nervous anticipation seemed to exude from the men stuck in the sewer as the seconds ticked down. He made one final look at his watch as the second hand approached the minute mark. He tapped Roman on the shoulder as he passed signaling it was time.

He grabbed hold of the railings and began to climb up and out to the manhole cover about ten metres above. After exiting the sewer shaft which was wide enough for a man to comfortable stand either side of the channel that ran down the centre the tight space he now found himself in left much to be desired. Climbing as far as he could before his helmet hit the manhole cover he stopped. Keeping both feet planted firmly on the railings, he leaned his back against the wall to ensure he didn't fall as he used both hands to gently and quietly move the manhole cover. As he did so the cracks of reflected light from the remaining half moon and few working street lights entered his vision as blinded him as his eyes adjusted to the change of light.

Looking around he could see the alley was devoid of other life. A few large bins, bits of the rouble and an emergency fire exit was all that could be seen. Unable to find any hostile presences he motioned to Roman below to start bringing the rest of the platoon up to join him. Michael took up position a metre away from the now open manhole behind a bin, rifle facing the visible street. One by one the forty-three marines below made their way topside and took up position in the alley.

When everyone was topside Michael signaled for the platoon to move out. Roman's rifle squad covered the others entrance to the street from the cover of the alley. Sergeant Starling's squad took the right side of the road adjacent to the alley while Sergeant Azure with himself covered the left. They moved quickly and quietly, keeping an eye on the windows, junctions, and alleys where White Fang could be hiding. Faunus had superior sight, smell, and hearing, things that had the mostly human unit at a disadvantage. In the distance, Michael could hear the sound of a jet engine and distant echoes of machine gun fire, likely another skirmish erupting and a swift airstrike to end it.

Within a couple of minutes, they had reached staging point Alpha. A crossroad that led to the heart of the city and Anourach bridge only twenty meters to their direct left. Each squad knew their assigned job. Roman's squad would attack from the right flank, Starling's squad would strike from the left flank while Azure's squad acted as a rear guard to make sure any enemy reinforcements could assist their forces guarding the bridge.

"Misfit Actual, this Misfit 3-1. In position and ready. Repeat, in position and ready, over."

"Copy Misfit 3-1, commencing assault now. Good luck. Misfit Actual out."

Three illumination rounds light up the darkened area. A bright flickering glow descended from three slowly falling stars. Michael and the entire city were able to hear the SAW gunners and machine gunners light up the marked White Fang positions followed by the concentrated rifle fire of the company's other two platoons. That was their signal. Twenty-nine Marines of Misfit Three-Three sprang into gear and made their way towards the bridges defences. There were three buildings that had to be cleared on each side of the road facing the river and the hastily constructed barricade at the mouth of the bridge. Both squads made their way down the sides of the street, the point men selecting their targets that had taken refuge and were firing from the barricade. The echoes of the L85A3s firing from behind them caught the White Fang soldiers off guard. Several fell before the survivors could turn to attack the Marines.

By now most of them to squads had opened up on any White Fang in the open, the 7.62mm ammunition ensuring that even if they had a small amount of aura they would still go down. Michael spotted a White Fang grunt appear on a rooftop to see what was going on. Michael quickly turned and fired off three shots before the Faunus could react, the masked man collapsing onto the roof. With the Faunus on the barricades had been dealt with it still left the ones in the buildings, where all the machine guns were located.

Michael stacked up on the door to the first building among Staling's squad. The breacher, a large Faunus Marine nicknamed 'Grizzly' from both his size and animal trait, unslung his M104 shotgun and kicked the rickety wooden door. The door offered no resistance, it barely staying attached to its hinges anyway, and swung inwards, the bottom hinge becoming unfixed and broken causing it to tilt. The Marines quickly entered the two-storey building. While Grizzly and the marine in behind him checked the room to the left, the rest of the squad moved past them, half headed through to the kitchen while the other half and Michael moved up the stairs. Two White Fang appeared from the room facing the street on first floor about the same time the lead Marine 'Domino' popped up. Unfortunately for them, the Marine was ready for them and unleashed his rifle's clip into both men.

This alerted the remaining White Fang upstairs of their intrusion as they seemed to emerge from all the rooms like a swarm of disturbed bees. Domino and Lucky cleared the room in front of the stairs while Sergeant Starling and Flint bogged down by the emerging White Fang coming out of the room the rear of the corridor. Flint unclipped an M67 frag grenade and threw it through the door frame. A loud bang and yells of pain could be heard as Starling and Flint moved to clear the room as some calls of 'clear' rang up from downstairs. That left Michael and PFC Doe to clear the street facing room where the noise of a heavy machine gun could be heard rattling off.

Taking up position in front of the door, he gave it a good kick next to the lock and the door swung in. His rifle moved as he did. From facing the wall in front of him to sweeping right towards where the machine gun was as he moved int the room, Doe coming up behind him but sweeping left. Michael fired twice, once for the machine gun operator and once for the rifleman next to him firing from the window. To the wall facing the corridor, he'd come from he noticed a rat hole large enough for a person to easily crouch through to the room Domino and Lucky were in, but not any more people.

"Clear!" He called out and heard the others doing so for their rooms. That was the first of the three buildings they had to clear on their side in order to establish a viable beachhead. Walking back out into the corridor he and Doe re-joined Domino and Lucky and made their way to Sergeant Starling and Flint as gunfire could be heard coming from their room. On the way Michael could have sworn he stepped over a bloody dismembered arm. They found Starling and flint firing through a hole in the wall that led into the second building which was ended quickly with another usage of M67 grenades. Clearing the next two houses followed a rinse and repeat of the first. Half the Marines would clear to first floor and the other would clear the ground floor, though the White Fang were more prepared for them having heard the shootout from the first house. Lucky lived up to his name when a Fang grunt opened up on him from a hole in the roof of the third building. His armoured inserts in his vest kept him safe except from one shot that went through his gut, which missed anything too vital.

With the left flank silenced half the mission objective had been accomplished, but a lone machinegun fire could still be heard coming from the right flank.

"Sergeant ensure this flank is secured. I'm going to see what's holding up Roman."

"Understood sir. Right boys you heard the Lt, let's have this place locked down for when Captain Luna gets over here." Michael left as a Corpsman tended to Lucky while Starling ordering his men about as he jogged over to the first building on the right. A cursory glance to Misfit Three-One and Two were showed they had pushed onto the bridge and were halfway across put were pinned down. He had reached the other side of the crossroad when he saw Roman and seven others coming out of the building looking worse for wear, one was being dragged out missing both his legs below the knee leaving a stream of blood.

"What the fuck happened in there," Michael asked Roman as the Corpsman began to patch up the wounded Marine.

"Huntsmen. We only managed to get to the second building. She got Baker and Ox, I didn't see what happened to Bull but I assume he's dead as well. We managed to get Robin out, fortunately"

"And Ajax?" Michael asked not being able to see him nor had Roman mentioned him among the casualties

"He's right ther-" The sound of an L85A3 firing from the first floor of the second building could be heard.

"Is he still in there!" Roman yelled.

"I thought he was right behind Gaz?"

"He should have been, he was covering us from the door when I passed him, tapped him on the shoulder and everything!" The sound of a grenade going off could be heard and some bricks and glass were sent out down onto the street below.

"Son of a Bitch! On me Marines, we're getting him out of there!" Michael said before rushing over to the entrance of the second building not waiting for the others. He could still hear Ajax firing above, but it was hard to tell what room it was coming from. He could see signs of a large bladed weapon by the damage it had done to the walls. He powered on up the stairs and spotted the bolt-hole in the side of the wall Roman's squad has used as the entry point into the second building. Passing through he found the bodies of two Faunus. He heard the sound of Ajax rifle but it was now coming from the third building, he also heard the sound of a much higher calibre round being fired as well.

He could see a section of the shared wall between the two houses had been demolished, by what he wasn't sure. As he hurried over to it he could make out a few White Fang corpses on the other side as he passed a pair of unattached legs in Marine desert MARPAT camo. Ducking under a piece of plaster that dangled from the remaining intact wall he encountered a scene of dead White Fang, spent shell casings and blood. Unlike the previous buildings he'd been in he found himself standing in a large open area with a smaller rectangular room in the far corner, likely a cupboard or toilet and a larger room to his right where the sounds of two people scuffling could be heard. The MG fire having shortly dropped off a few seconds ago after another explosion.

"Friendly coming in." He announced as he passed through the shattered door. The room looked like a bomb had gone off in it, his time in the Sandbox back on Earth had him well acquainted with such occurrences. He spotted Ajax and rushed over to him and pulled off the dead Huntress who had a KABAR jammed in her neck, her weapon being a Nodachi laying a few feet away. He turned his attention back to Ajax who was laying on the floor propped up by his assault pack. He was covered in cuts and dust with a particularly bad looking gash on his left leg. He could tell Ajax was breathing which was a small mercy after the man had soloed an MG nest guarded by a few now dead Faunus and a Huntress.

"You still with me buddy. Ajax, how are you feeling."

"Lt?"

"Yeah, buddy it's me."

"Did I get her?"

"The Huntress? Yeah, you got her." Roman and his surviving squad burst into the room.

"The fuck took you so long," Michael asked.

"Wasn't really expecting you to go charging off into a Huntress infested building. Took a second to sink in." Roman answered sheepishly, "How's Ajax."

"Just killed a Huntress sir, I think I'm doing fine." Ajax said with his trademark smile, though Michael could tell from his grimace that 'fine' was really the correct term.

"Roman secure the building and make sure we're ready for the rest of the company."

"Roger sir. Ajax, stay alive long enough to by you some beers back in Vale ya hear." Roman said in his usual carefree tone.

"Yes, sir."

"Roman, don't forget to get a Corpsman here stat." Roman gave him an affirmative nod before exiting the room.

"Sir?" he heard Ajax say a little strained.

"What?" He asked turning back to face him.

"I think she nicked me." Michael looked down at Ajax and noticed he was clutching his side, soaking his Oakley pilot gloves, under-armour shirt and plate carrier vest a dark red.

"Corpsman!"

"He was fortunate that that Huntress didn't hit anything critical and the blade didn't cut to deep. He spent two weeks recovering in a field hospital before he was back out there for the last weeks of his deployment… not that he ever was able to finish it…" So that's how her brother got the medal, nearly dying but taking out an enemy position and Huntress while covering his squads retreat to take a bridge, "After that it took a couple days of clearing street by street, house to house from the South East to the North West of the city, costliest bit of the war for us. We got away with the whole thing because everyone up in command bar the Council was unhappy about waiting for Huntsmen support before going in. It was about that time Roman took a bad hit to the chest, had to be flown back to Vale for treatment."

"What were his injuries?" Michael assumed she was referring to her brother rather than to Roman.

"Minor concussion. Multiple cuts and grazes. A stab wound to the gut and upper left leg and plenty of bruises. Nothing too serious in the end, always seemed to be more concerned about us than himself. Visited him a few times, each time he'd seem to be writing to you. How he was able to write so much in each letter I don't know. He'd often talk to us about what you and your parents were doing, he was very proud and happy to hear you made it into Signal Academy, seemed he'd never shut up about how his little sister was going to be an amazing Huntress. He would be proud of seeing the huntress your growing up to be from the teacher reports I've read." Coco smiled a little at that. Not because how much her brother would be proud of her now, she already knew that much. But at how he'd been more concerned over others than himself. It was one of the things that had inspired her to become a Huntress, she was happy to hear that his time fighting hadn't changed that.

"But how did he… you know…." She didn't trust herself to finish that question.

Her professor let out a sigh, "I suppose this little tale was inevitable sooner or later. As you know the White Fang hadn't realised they had been beaten or chose to ignore that fact. So two months later we were still in Vacuo…"

It was a hundred and four degrees Fahrenheit inside the Stryker and the smell wasn't getting any better. The shift had just stretched into its thirty-second hour, which would do nothing to improve the personal hygiene of the inmates in full kit: Kevlar helmets, bullet-resistant glasses, heat-resistant gloves, body armour, knee pads, elbow pads, 240 rounds of ammunition for their L85A3s in pouches attached to the body armour. It was like being in an armour-plated coffin, but not so spacious. Up until a few weeks ago, they'd been leaving the body kits at the base. But things had changed.

Michael reached up and lifted one of the hatches, then another. It didn't produce much of a breeze, however, as they were keeping to a steady 25 miles an hour. In the early days, they used to go full pelt, until it became clear that they stood a better chance of avoiding trouble if they saw it before they drove into it. He put his head out and squinted at the sun-bleached landscape around them. It had been a month since outright war had devastated Cassus but the damage remained despite the massive clean-up operation. None of the billions of Lien spent on reconstruction had made a difference, or if it had the myriad layers of middlemen and subcontractors had got there first. The sheer number of them made your head spin. They all creamed off their cut, producing paperwork for men who were never hired, buildings that were never built. True, a few roads had been resurfaced, sewers re-laid, but after a few months, they all sank back into the same state of decrepitude as before.

Any unrest and the first casualty after the local population was the infrastructure. They passed the remains of a freshly-shelled gas depot, whole sections of concrete hanging by the rusting steel reinforcement rods. Two small children in nothing but T-shirts were throwing small rocks at nothing in particular from the top of a mound of rubble. Half a dozen goats looked on, grazing in the carcase of the depot.

Irons was mid-story. "... And I'm, like, on station ready for deployment, and she says, 'Honey do you have any protection?' so I say, 'Baby I left my rifle home, but if you wanna see it I'll go get it ...'"

No one responded. They'd all heard it at least twice before.

Ajax reverted to his favourite refrain.

"I mean, who even wants to be here? TV says soldiers want to be here. Where they get that from? Make folks feel better? Maybe if you wanting to get your star, make some rank. All we want is get the fuck outta here, right LT? Heck, even the civvies back home don't want us here!"

Michael shrugged, not because he didn't have an answer: he just didn't want to have this conversation right now. He was thinking about the email home he would write tonight. Dear Indigo, Today was 115 F. That's the hottest we've had. He spent another ten minutes trying to come up with the next line. Three positives. That was his rule. The school they built just by the base has opened. He'd leave out the fact that no kids had turned up, that the deputy head had become the head because the original head had been shot in front of his family. He couldn't think of two more positives right now. He abandoned that and considered writing to Indigo. Perhaps she'd take it the wrong way, think he was in doubt. Then again she had stopped writing to him a while ago. Whether it was down to the anti-war sentiment (that was beginning to resemble the Vietnam war's own) or because she had opted to not wait for him to get back, he wasn't really looking forward to the end of deployment.

He had been counting the days to when they were due to go home, crossing off the days on a grid he had drawn in the back of his log. Since last week he'd stopped. Home didn't seem to be getting any closer. His radio squawked: Captain Luna.

"Misfit 1-3 this is Misfit actual. Listen up. We lost contact with Starling's squad in grid eight zero, ten klicks west. You're the only element I got to send. Last known position the Old Meat Market. Bad freaking part of town. You're the closest people we've got. Go find 'em, got that?"

"1-3. Copy that."

Starling was out of contact. That could only mean something bad.

Michael looked at the crew. They'd all heard the order on their headsets. No one spoke for a few seconds, as if they were conserving every last grain of energy.

"So, anyone else don't get what we're doing here?" Emerald was off on her high school debating society riff again. She had replaced Grizzly when he had his leg blown off by an IED. Michael wished she would shut up and just do her job. He was tired, and this was making him feel more tired.

"Quit being a fucking hippie, Em." Ajax ripped the wrapper off a stick of gum and folded it into his mouth.

Emerald loosened her grip on her weapon.

"All I'm saying is we're here to keep a lid on things, not start a fucking war with Menagerie."

"The White Fang's not Menagerie."

"Man, we have been over this a hunnert times." Irons put his hands over his face.

Michael continued. "They're in Menagerie though, because that's where they're coming from. And Menagerie is Faunus nation. Invading there will start a shit storm even the Schnee lawyers won't fix"

"You got that now, Em, you fucking tree hugger? We want your opinion, we'll give it to you. All right?"

Michael hoped this wasn't going to evolve into something full-blown and personal between Ajax and Emerald. Debating the relative merits of twin cheerleaders or a one-on-one with the new Mistrali princess was a pleasantly pointless diversion. Questioning their entire purpose in this hellhole could develop into a discipline problem.

The whole place was sinking back into chaos. Then again that wouldn't be too different from the Vacuo before the war.

Most of them had now served in the same platoon for eighteen months and for three of them they had been to war. They were family. But the terms of engagement had changed. They'd gone in thinking they'd be the only deployment in the area, and Ajax wasn't the only one whose patience was running out. The whole place was sinking back into chaos. Emerald was becoming the target for his frustration, and Michael didn't blame her. Privately, he knew she had a point. Starling's Stryker had gone silent and they had no choice but to go look for it. It's what you did. What you didn't do was sit in a 104-degree sardine can discussing it like a bunch of liberals on Question Time.

He raised his voice a notch.

"Look at me. Em, This is our job."

"Yeah, baby."

"I hear that."

Michael raised a hand.

"And to finish the job, we gotta deal with the White Fang. And to do that, sooner or later we may have to go cross the border."

Ajax opened his mouth to speak, but Micahel silenced him with a look.

They dismounted from the Stryker and fanned out. The Old Meat Market was an old cloistered building with a gallery on the upper level. A week ago, it had been swarming with activity. Today it was deserted: not a good sign. Ajax tapped Michael on the shoulder. "Check this out."

A freshly-painted mural of Eimlaq Khan, the local White Fang leader. A good likeness, Micahel thought: someone had taken their time.

"They're sainting him here. He's their man, now." Emerald was next to them. The artist had given the White Fang General a fierce glare of certainty. "Dude looks like he means business."

"Jerkoff. It's just a painting. He's gotta be as old as your granny. They just left out the wheelchair."

"Ever ask yourself how this part of the world got so fucked up all the time?"

"Hey, I just work here, Emerald. Other people work that shit out."

Emerald persisted. "How long before we rolling ourselves into Menagerie?"

Micahel waved them forward. "That's way above my pay grade. Let's go find this patrol."

"But you would know though sir. Your in contact with the heads of every Kingdom's military with all your arms sales." Michael chose to ignore her questions for now.

Ten minutes later they were questioning the locals for anything they'd seen. An old man was squatting in a doorway. Emerald was crouched down, talking, her weapon pushed behind her shoulder, out of the way. He held up ten fingers, made fists, then another ten, and then another ten, then mimed using a machine gun. To give him his due, he was trying to be useful.

"He's saying there were thirty, all armed. Came through half an hour ago." She turned back to the old man. "Thank you, Sir."

"Thanks, I'll take it from here."

Micahel leaned down, continued in the old Vacuoian tongue.

"Were they White Fang?"

The old man shrugged.

"Local boys?"

He shook his head, although it could have been more of a tremor, and pointed at the westward gate of the market.

"Well, let's go the way the man says."

The gate led into a narrow street of three-storey buildings. Micahel heard a couple of shutters close and a baby crying. A pick-up truck lay sideways across the street, the front fender torn away as if it had been swiped by a much heavier vehicle and in a hurry.

Micahel signaled to the others to hug the walls. "Big cross street here, exposed."

They all heard the rumble at the same time. Tracked vehicle. Micahel flattened himself against the corner wall and peered round. He saw the vehicle nose out of a gateway, a block up the cross street, and turn left, moving away at patrol speed.

Black got on the radio.

"APC, no markings, headed north, taking its time like it owns the place."

"That's some serious metal."

"Flag him down, ask what side he's on."

"Shut up Em. Take a right up that street, where he just came from."

They crossed the road in twos.

"Keep it moving!"

"So quiet it's like they got the whole place on lockdown."

"Or the Pied Piper's just been through."

"I don't like this shit."

"OK, that's a Combat Indicator. Take it slowly guys."

The side street the APC came from was narrow, a chasm of tall buildings with overhanging upper storeys, throwing it into dark shadow. At the other end, it opened into a small plaza. A group of women were huddled down behind wicker baskets in a deep doorway near the plaza entrance. They were waving them forward, pointing upwards.

"OK, let's not do what the lady says just yet. Get visual on the rooftops."

They froze, scanning the rooftops and every shuttered window. Michael saw the silhouetted figure first, just as the masonry beside him shattered. "Sniper! Cover, cover!"

Michael wheeled round just in time to see Ajax's shoulder explode. "Man down. Smoke cover. Now!"

Irons tossed a white phosphorous grenade to block the sniper while Michael and Emerald grabbed Ajax and pulled him into a doorway, but he didn't want to go, wrestling them with his dissipating strength. "Get me back up. I can still shoot. Let me at him, the fucker."

"Easy soldier."

Irons was screaming down the radio.

"Fucking smoke. I had visuals on three more!"

The wound was bloody and deep. Michael had to stop Ajax getting to his feet. He swayed, then grinned. "I'm fucked up but I'm not down. Let me at 'em." Michael didn't agree, he saw a lot of blood, more than a simple entry should have.

Through the smoke, ahead, Emerald loosed off a mag at the rooftop where Ajax's sniper had been. Paused, waited.

As the smoke cleared, Michael saw the sniper fold upon himself and drop like a bad guy in a Western. The body thumped into the street ten feet from Irons, who stood in a doorway. But he didn't react. He was static, staring ahead into the plaza. Something about his stance, weapon down, told Michael that Irons had seen something he was going to have trouble forgetting. Without altering his gaze he beckoned to Michael.

"Think we've found what we came for."

"Em, get a CASEVAC for Ajax. It's bad and he needs to get to a hospital. Stay with him and make sure to keep the pressure on his wound, the bullet must have hit something important with the amount of blood he's losing." He ordered as he went to see what Irons had found.

Two dead marines were sprawled at the gates to the plaza. One, helmet gone, face half off, looked like he'd been closest to an RPG. The other, a wide red crater in his chest, had a pensive look in his eyes, which were fixed on the blazing sky. Michael leaned down, took the tags off one, then the other, and pushed them into his top pocket. "Fuck this day."

"LT, look up!"

Irons was first into the plaza. Bodies and body parts had been thrown in all directions. The Stryker was on its side, its ramp down and its tyres on fire, with all eight wheels, twisted at different angles. Close by was the chassis of what might have been a small truck or bus, the bodywork vaporised by the IED it had been carrying. A low, rhythmic groaning was coming from inside the Stryker.

Irons was already on the radio ordering a second CASEVAC, trying to keep his rage under control as the voice on the other end pressed him for more detail, eventually exploding. "Just get the fuck here yesterday, okay?"

Michael could already hear the rhythmic sound of a helicopter, hopefully, the CASEVAC for Ajax. The profile of the HH-60L Blackhawk MEDEVAC chopper. It moved in to hover over the plaza, there not being enough room to land, its rotors whipping up a storm of sand and dust. Michael saw a rope being dropped down and two men slide down to ground level. Pararescue by the looks of it.

"Where's the patient!?" asked one of them of the roar of the engine.

"I've got a man back there in critical condition and bleeding out and possibly some more in the Stryker."

"We've got enough fuel to pick up one man, we'll take your man."

"This way."

"From what I understand the bullet went through his subclavian artery, bled out in minutes and died in transit." Michael eyed Coco's reaction. Solemn face and quiet, not really looking at anything, gazing towards the floor. She had to deal with her brother's premature death once before, now she had learned of how. While he appreciated and valued what snipers did it seemed an unfitting way for such a promising marine to go out after surviving a Huntress. There was no last stand, no struggle against overwhelming odds. Instead, a cowardly terrorist sniper had nicked him. Michael couldn't attest for caring about a lot of things, but he cared for those he served within the forces, especially those under his command. It was one of his more obvious weaknesses.

He glanced at his watch, it was later than he expected, midnight. Shit, he thought, he had half an hour before he had to meet up with Ozpin and his cronies. As much as Coco likely wanted to, she would not be able to stay and question him any further tonight if he wished to make it to Ozpin's meeting.

"Thank you, Professor, you've told me more than my own family. If you wouldn't mind… would I be allowed to continue to talk about him…? Like… similar times like tonight but… later this week…?"

"Not a problem, I'm usually free between twenty-two hundred hours and twenty-three hundred hours. Does that work for you?"

"Yeah, once again, thanks," she stood up and stretched while letting out a yawn, "My teams probably wondering where I am, don't want to let them get too worried. Or start any rumours." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, back to her old persona.

"No, we wouldn't want that, would we. Goodnight miss Adel." Michael said, opening the door for her.

"Good night, professor. And you can call me Coco." Michael shook his head at her antics.

"Oh, before you go," he said, causing her to turn around with a curious look on her face, "Here. Your brother would've probably liked you to have them."

As he said that he materialised her brother's dog-tags in his hand. She took them gingerly and held them in one open hand as the other traced over the top like they were the most delicate thing in the world.

"These were his." She stated more than asked.

"Yeah, I carry more of them than I like too." His mind flicked back to all the times he'd taken dog-tags off a dead serviceman. It's why he emphasised designs that prioritised survivability above all else. From trophy systems to remote operated vehicles and aircraft. It was a similar mentality to Atlas that was switching over to a large drone air, sea and land forces, thousands of mass producible robots that already outnumbered their own frontline organic troops. Michael had toyed with the idea but unlike Atlas had gone down the path of using robots and A.I. automation in more support roles than combat.

He was shaken from his thoughts by Coco wrapping him in a brief but strong hug, "Thank you, professor."

A little overwhelmed he tentatively returned the hug.

"You can call me Michael when were alone." He relented, if they were going to have these conversations it was going to be a tad weird her calling him professor all the time.

"Only if you call me Coco." She said breaking the hug.

"Only when we're alone."

"Right. See ya… Michael." As he watched her go, he realised that Ozpin would likely be chewing him out for the manner he dealt with team CRDL at dinner. He was not looking forward to that.

'Democracy protest broken up by troops, Hundreds feared dead.' – The Drachen Times.

According to reports coming out of Drachen Colonies, a pro-democracy demonstration on the Atlas controlled side of New Haven was savagely broken up by Atlas Soldiers, and Huntsmen, who had taken over when police, and border guards had failed to disperse the crowd.

Eyewitness reports from South New Haven police officers, and personnel of the Aegis Corporation forces in South New Haven, report that the utmost violence was employed, including the use of firearms against unarmed demonstrators, hundreds of whom were said to have been killed.

The three Aegis infantry brigades stationed in South New Haven have been put on full alert, all police leave in the Southern sector has been canceled, and hospitals have been prepared to receive casualties.

So far there has been no comment from the Atlas Council, or Atlas Colonial Authority.

Aegis Codex Entry

UH-60 Blackhawk: The UH-60 comes in many variants, and many different modifications. The variants can be fitted with the stub wings to carry additional fuel tanks or weapons. Variants may have different capabilities and equipment to fulfill different roles. Utility variants:

UH-60C Black Hawk: Modified version for Command and control (C2) missions.

UH-60L Black Hawk: UH-60A with upgraded T700-GE-701C engines, improved durability gearbox, and updated flight control system. UH-60Ls are also equipped with the GE T700-GE-701D engine. They carry a crew of four and up to 11 equipped troops.

UH-60V Black Hawk: Upgraded version of the UH-60L with the electronic displays (glass cockpit) of the UH-60M. Upgrades feature a centralized processor with a partitioned, modular operational flight program enabling capabilities to be added as software-only modifications.

UH-60M Black Hawk: Improved design wide chord rotor blades, T700-GE-701D engines (max 2,000 shp or 1,500 kW each), improved durability gearbox, Integrated Vehicle Health Management System (IVHMS) computer, and a new glass cockpit.

Special purpose:

EH-60A Black Hawk: UH-60L with modified electrical system and stations for two electronic systems mission operators. All examples of type have been converted back to standard UH-60A configuration.

YEH-60B Black Hawk: UH-60L modified for special radar and avionics installations, prototype for stand-off target acquisition system.

EUH-60L: UH-60L modified with additional mission electronic equipment for Army Airborne C2.

EH-60L Black Hawk: EH-60A with a major mission equipment upgrade.

UH-60Q Black Hawk: UH-60A modified for medical evacuation. The UH-60Q is named DUSTOFF for "dedicated unhesitating service to our fighting forces".

HH-60L (no official name assigned): UH-60L extensively modified with medical mission equipment. Components include an external rescue hoist, integrated patient configuration system, environmental control system, on-board oxygen system (OBOGS), and crashworthy ambulatory seats.

HH-60M Black Hawk: UH-60M with medical mission equipment (medevac version).

HH-60U: UH-60M version modified with an electro-optical sensor and rescue hoist. Three in use by Air Force pilots and special mission aviators. Has 85% commonality with HH-60W.

HH-60W: Modified version of the UH-60M for a Combat Rescue Helicopter to replace HH-60G Pave Hawks with greater fuel capacity and more internal cabin space, dubbed the "60-Whiskey". Deliveries to begin in 2019.

Aeromedical configuration:

MH-60K Black Hawk: Special operations modification first ordered for use by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment ("Night Stalkers"). Equipped with the in-flight refueling probe, and T700-GE-701C engines. More advanced than MH-60L, the K-model also includes an integrated avionics system (glass cockpit), AN/APQ-174B terrain-following radar, color weather map, improved weapons capability, and various defensive systems.

MH-60L Black Hawk: Special operations modification, used by the U.S. Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment ("Night Stalkers"), based on the UH-60L with T700-701C engines. It was developed as an interim version pending fielding of the MH-60K. Equipped with many of the systems used on MH-60K, including FLIR, colour weather map, auxiliary fuel system, and laser rangefinder/designator. A total of 37 MH-60Ls were built and some 10 had received an in-flight refueling probe.

MH-60L DAP: The Direct Action Penetrator (DAP) is a special operations modification of the baseline MH-60L, operated by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. The DAP is configured as a gunship, with no troop-carrying capacity. The DAP is equipped with ESSS or ETS stub wings, each capable of carrying configurations of the M230 Chain Gun 30 mm automatic cannon, 19-shot Hydra 70 rocket pod, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missiles, GAU-19 gun pods, and M134 minigun pods M134D miniguns are used as door guns.

MH-60M Black Hawk: Special operations version of UH-60M. Features the Rockwell Collins Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) glass cockpit and more powerful YT706-GE-700 engines. All special operations Black Hawks to be modernized to MH-60M standard.

MH-60 Black Hawk stealth helicopter: Reports state that the Black Hawk destroyed was a previously unconfirmed, but rumoured, modification of the design with reduced noise signature and stealth technology. The modifications are said to add several hundred pounds to the base helicopter including edge alignment panels, special coatings and anti-radar treatments for the windshields.

OPBH: The first flight demonstration of their Optionally Piloted Black Hawk (OPBH), a milestone part of the company's Manned/Unmanned Resupply Aerial Lifter (MURAL) program to provide autonomous cargo delivery. The helicopter used the company's Matrix technology (software to improve features of autonomous, optionally-piloted VTOL aircraft) to perform autonomous hover and flight operations under the control of an operator using a man-portable Ground Control Station (GCS). The purpose of creating an optionally-manned Black Hawk is to make the aircraft autonomously carry out resupply missions and expeditionary operations, while increasing sorties and maintaining crew rest requirements and leaving pilots to focus more on sensitive operations.

Iveco SuperAV; ACV-A1 (Personnel): This is the most common AV, as it carries a turret equipped with an M2HB .50 calibre heavy machine gun, and a Mk19 40mm automatic grenade launcher. It carries four crew radios as well as the AN/VIC-2 intercom system. It is capable of carrying 12 combat-equipped Marines in addition to the crew of 1.

ACVC-A1 (Command): This vehicle does not have a turret, and much of the cargo space of the vehicle is occupied by communications equipment. This version only has two crew radios, and in addition to the VIC-2, it also carries two VRC-92s, a VRC-89, a PRC-103 UHF radio, an MRC-83 HF radio and the MSQ internetworking system used to control the various radios. This AV has a crew of 3, and additionally carries 5 radio operators, three staff members, and two commanding officers. Recently, the C7 has been upgraded to use Harris Falcon II class radios, specifically the PRC-117 for VHF/UHF/SATCOM, and the PRC-150 for HF.

ACVR-A1 (Recovery): This vehicle also does not have a turret. The R7 is considered the "wrecker", as it has a crane as well as most tools and equipment needed for field repairs. It is by far the heaviest of the three and sits considerably lower in the water. Crew of three, not including the repairmen.

L85A3:The MK 17 Mod 0 SCAR-H is a 7.62mm x 51mm carbine / assault / sniper rifle. The MK 17 comes in 3 flavours - the Standard, with a 16-inch barrel, the CQC with a 13-inch barrel and the LB with a 20-inch barrel. The barrels are designed to be easily exchanged to alter the weapon's role ie from sniper rifle, to battle rifle, to CQB weapon. The MK 17 features 4 Picatinny rails (top, sides and bottom) which can mount any MIL-STD-1913-compatible accessories such as optics, foregrips and a MK 13 40mm grenade launcher. The MK 17 Mod 0 is complemented by the MK 16 Mod 0 of similar design, chambered in 5.56mmx45mm.

Stryker: The Stryker chassis' modular design supports a wide range of variants. The main chassis is the Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV). The Stryker vehicles have the following configurations:

M1126 Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV): Armoured personnel carrier version that provides protected transport for 2 crew and a 9-man infantry squad and can support dismounted infantry. Weighs 19 tons, communications include text and a map network between vehicles. It can be armed with 0.50 inch (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun, 40 mm Mk 19 grenade launcher or 7.62 mm M240 machine gun.

M1126 Infantry Carrier Vehicle DVH-Scout (ICVV-S): Reconnaissance version of the ICV fitted with an internally mounted Long Range Advance Scout (LRAS) surveillance system and the double v-hull.

M1127 Reconnaissance Vehicle (RV): used by RSTA Squadrons and battalion scouts, moving throughout the battlefield to gather and transmit real-time intelligence/surveillance for situational awareness. The RV's purpose is to anticipate and avert threats, improving the brigade's decisiveness and freedom of manoeuvre.

M1128 Mobile Gun System (MGS): Version armed with a 105 mm M68A1 rifled cannon (M68A1E4) (a lightweight version of the gun system used on the original M1 Abrams main battle tanks and the M60 Patton main battle tank), a 7.62 mm M240 machine gun mounted coaxially, an M2 0.50 calibre commander's machine gun and two M6 smoke grenade launchers. The M68A1E4 also features a muzzle brake to assist with recoil and an autoloader, a rare feature on US tank guns. The main gun provides direct fire in support of infantry, engaging stationary and mobile enemy targets, such as bunkers to create a combined arms effect of overmatched firepower that improves survivability of the combat team. It has a rate of fire of six rounds per minute and carries 400 rounds of 0.50 calibre and 3,400 rounds of 7.62 mm, and the same C4ISR communications and driver's vision as the ICV. The MGS vehicle is a strengthened variant of the LAV III compared to the standard variant other Stryker vehicles are based on but retains commonality across all vehicles in the family.

M1129 Mortar Carrier (MC): armed with Soltam 120 mm Recoil Mortar System (RMS) provides in-direct fire support to fellow infantry with screening obscurants, suppressive forces and on-call supporting fires (HE, illumination, IR illumination, smoke, precision guided, and DPICM cluster bombs). Precision Guided Mortar Munition (PGMM) attacks point targets at extended ranges with GPS guidance. Organic mortars provide responsive fire support to the manoeuvre commander and are an ideal system for indirect fire in complex terrain. Vehicles at battalion level also carry the 81 mm mortar for dismounted use, while company mortar vehicles carry the 60mm mortar.

M1130 Commander's Vehicle (CV): provides commanders with communication, data, and control functions to analyse and prepare information for combat missions; can also link to aircraft antenna/power for planning missions while en route aboard aircraft. Situational awareness helps commanders to coordinate widely dispersed mobile units against decisive enemy points. Deployed as 3 vehicles per brigade HQ, 2 per battalion HQ and 2 per infantry company.

M1131 Fire Support Vehicle (FSV): is organic to manoeuvre companies and provides surveillance and communications (4 secure combat radio nets), with target acquisition/identification/tracking/designation being transmitted automatically to the shooting units.

M1132 Engineer Squad Vehicle (ESV): provides mobility and limited counter mobility support. Integrated into the ESV are obstacle neutralization and lane marking systems and mine detection devices. The ESV with its attachments provides a partial solution to the obstacle clearance role, primarily for clearance of hastily emplaced mines on hard surfaces and rubble, plus will enable the Engineer squad to control future robotic based systems.

M1133 Medical Evacuation Vehicle (MEV): is the en route care platform for brigade units, part of the battalion aid station, providing treatment for serious injury and advanced trauma as an integrated part of the internetted combat forward formation. attendant's seat that will allow the attendant to change position and visually monitor all patients while the vehicle is in motion. Medical personnel must be seated for safety while the vehicle is in motion, but able to visually monitor patients. Geneva Convention markings can be masked/removed as required.

M1134 Anti-Tank Guided Missile Vehicle (ATGM): is a missile vehicle armed with the TOW missile to reinforce the brigade's infantry and reconnaissance, providing long-range anti-tank fires against armor beyond tank gun effective range. The separate anti-tank company can also be used to shape the battlefield, reinforce the infantry battalions and reconnaissance squadron (e.g. counter-reconnaissance), serve as a reserve, and of course, may counterattack. Vehicle commander independently locates secondary targets while gunner is engaging the primary. After ready rounds are fired, crewman will need to rearm the launcher. A vehicle commander, gunner, loader, and driver operate the ATGM in a tactical environment and to carry equipment if the missile launcher is used in a dismounted mode.

M1135 Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, Reconnaissance Vehicle (NBC RV): automatically integrates contamination information from detectors with input from navigation and meteorological systems and transmits digital NBC warning messages to warn follow-on forces. The core of the NBC RV is its onboard integrated NBC sensor suite and integrated meteorological system. An NBC positive overpressure system that minimizes cross-contamination of samples and detection instruments, provides crew protection, and allows extended operations at MOPP 0.

Challenger 2 MBT: The Challenger 2 the Main Battle Tank of the Aegis Defence Services. The tank's drive system provides a 550 km range, with a maximum road speed of 59 km/h. The Challenger 2 is equipped with a 120-millimetre (4.7 in) 55-calibre long L30A1 tank gun, the successor to the L11 gun. The L30A1 is rifled, because the Aegis army continues to place a premium on the use of High-explosive squash head (HESH) rounds in addition to armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding-sabot rounds. The Challenger 2 is also armed with a L94A1 EX-34 7.62 mm chain gun and a 7.62 mm L37A2 (GPMG) machine gun. Fifty main armament rounds and 4,200 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition are carried.

The Challenger 2 has a four-man crew. The turret and hull are protected with second generation Chobham armour (also known as Dorchester). Explosive reactive armour package was replaced with a Dorchester block and the steel underbelly lined with armour as part of the 'Streetfighter' upgrade.

The Challenger II Life Extension Programme (LEP) is designed to replace obsolete equipment, enhance protection, increase range and provide improved lethality of the tank. A Newsletter dated stated that the LEP includes managing to curb obsolescence in several turret systems – including TI sights, the Fire Control Computer (FCC) and electronic architecture in turret. Improved technology will be integrated as a new system on the platform, which will deliver more accurate engagements at range and improved FCC power, meaning that CR2 will remain a "battle-winning" asset out to the extended out of service date. Parallel work strands will provide extensions to virtual training systems, deliver improved Live Fire Monitoring Equipment (LFME) and work is ongoing to develop improved 120mm ammunition. The full scope of the LEP is indicated as being broken down into four areas:

Surveillance and Target Acquisition: Updated Commanders Primary Sight, Updated Gunners Primary Sight, Replacement Thermal Observation and Gunnery Sights (TOGS) and, 3rd Generation Thermal Imaging (TI).

Weapon Control System: Fire Control Computer (FCC), Fire Control Panel (FCP) and, Gun Processing Unit (GPU)

Mobility (Through In-Service Efficiencies): 3rd Generation (Horstman) Hydrogas Suspension, Improved Air Filtration, CV-12 Common Rail Fuel Injection, Transmission and, Cooling.

Electronic Architecture (Modernised Electronics): Gunners Control Handles, Video Distribution Architecture, Generic Vehicle Architecture (GVA) Compliant Interfaces, Increased On-board Processing and, Improved Human Machine Interface (HMI).

A recent Aegis department of defence document also identified a "soft kill defensive aid system", the MUSS, for the Challenger 2. Active Protection Systems (APS) for armoured vehicles in the Aegis armed forces (including the Challenger 2) are being assessed by the UC Defence Science and Technical Laboratory (DSTL) as part of the MEDUSA Technical Assessment Programme, this includes the MUSS System. The Challenger 2 was also fitted with a Rheinmetall ROSY rapid obscurant system including parts from the Aegis Military Industries (IMI) Iron Fist Hard-Kill APS for development and assessment by the DSTL.

Atlas Codex Entry

MK12: The standard issue Atlas Assault Rifle. Capable of firing all manner of dust infused 5.56mm rounds and handling all manner of environments it covers all of Atlas's small arms means.

ATLUV: The All-Terrain Light Utility Vehicle is Atlas's prime ground vehicle. Capable of performing a wide range of roles with a jack of all trades approach to its design. With a good speed, firepower and armour ratio. While smaller and faster than Aegis's JLTV it sacrifices armour protection particularly against IEDs and some small arms fire is capable of penetrating its walls. The gunner of it's weapons systems is also far more exposed.