Atlas had three problems selling paladins to Vale. The first was an ocean, the second was a continent of wilderness, and the third was Grimm. The military had answers to all of these. So it was that two Atlessian marines found each other's side on a long trip to Vale. Their conversation began on the boat.
"You from Atlas proper?"
"No. I grew up in a Schnee colony."
"A dust mine?"
"Kolyma."
"Oh. I... Hope you didn't lose anyone."
"Well I'm not a Faunus, so..."
"Oh. Right."
They shared a nervous laugh, shook hands, and exchanged names.
"Cobalt."
"Steele."
They hailed from Atlas' snowy plains. When the boat docked, they stepped into the Forest of Forever Falls, where trees and vines blocked all vision. A gunship whirred overhead. Beside rumbled a tank. The motorized units all belched exhaust and reeked of fresh oil. Underfoot, the soft crunch of crimson leaves felt alien.
Steele unbuttoned his uniform.
"Fuck. Cobalt, it's not just me right?"
Cobalt unbuttoned his uniform. "No, it's hot."
Steele chugged from his canteen. His sweat felt like a coat of slime.
The marines had been told this was a routine caravan. A quick glance at their cargo spoiled that lie. No amount of tarp could cover the prototype mech suits. Paladins were the newest weapon in the fight against Grimm. Now mere men could go steel-to-claw with monsters. Or murder faunus by the thousands.
They'd heard rumors of a Force Specialist traveling with the caravan. Maybe one hundred existed in total. And Atlas had decided that one was needed here. Their worries only increased.
But that was just a rumor. They were discussing it when a soldier in a black uniform dismounted a truck ahead of them. They fell silent. Atlas' marines wore white. Only the Special Retinue Service wore black. And only the Agents of the Retinue wore greatcoats and visor caps.
Steele and Cobalt shared alert glances. The brush around the caravan grew denser, and the canopy thickened, darkening the mood. They'd have combat badges before they reached Vale.
The Retinue Agent shirked her great coat and tossed it up to a soldier on the truck. The back of her armor vest read "HIKARI." Her armband depicted a snowflake.
Cobalt nudged Steele and whispered, "Winter's Soldiers."
Steele nodded. "So there really is a Specialist here. That's the experimental unit, right? They're merging the Retinue into the military?
Cobalt's head was elsewhere. "Steele, we've got a Specialist, The Retinue, at least three gunships, like five tanks, and two-hundred marines here. What are we expecting to happen?"
"I dunno. I saw SDC logos on the Paladins. Maybe our corporate overlords just want to be certain about this shipment. Dude, look at that spec ops shit. Is that an aura scope?"
They watched the Retinue agent, taking stock of her armor plates and thigh hoppers, gathering brand names and exchanging knowledge on equipment.
An hour later, Steele's curiosity beat his fear. He said, "Alright it was nice knowing you, Cobalt. I just gotta ask about that armor mod."
He jogged forward, and Cobalt hissed, "Wait! Steele! Fuck!"
Steele tapped the Agent's shoulder and asked, "Hey. Uh. Don't you guys have an XO who gets on you about that stuff?"
He gestured to the Agent's side, where she had removed a ceramic plate and welded an ammo feeder.
He couldn't read her expression through her combat helmet.
She pointed ahead, to Force Specialist Winter Schnee, side-saddle atop a spectral horse.
She was immaculate, silver hair tied high in a bun, uniform white and pristine, posture erect. She turned her head, scanning the forest, eyes shimmering with aura. Leaves and branches wafted under the force of her gaze. She found nothing of interest, and looked ahead.
Steele looked down at his uniform: He was a mess from marching. He looked at Winter: She was immaculate. He looked at The Retinue Agent. Her faceplate reflected a scared kid right back at him. Steele steeled his face and consciously dropped his voice an octave.
"So… That's your XO?"
Hikari smirked. "That's my XO."
"And she's cool with you modding your armor?"
Hikari nodded sideways, not finding a short answer.
"I told Winter about this ship in The War. SDC Hindenburg went down with its magazines still full. I won't."
"Whoa," Steele acknowledged.
Cobalt hustled forward to join them, pointing at the ammo hopper on Hikari's side.
"Your cartridges are cut at thirty degrees. Standard burn carts are twenty-five. That's not standard."
He turned his point and frown into an open hand and a question.
Hikari shrugged. "Sure, it's standard. Merlot standard."
She held out her rifle, trigger finger pointing to the maker's mark along the receiver. Cobalt gawked.
"Those haven't been in production for, like...?"
He gestured to Steele, who finished, "Merlot Industries died at Mountain Glenn."
"Their patents didn't," Hikari answered.
Steele and Cobalt traded glances that said, "Does she mean...?"
Cobalt stuttered, "D-d- hang on. Do you mean... You've got the hookup? Like, that's not an antique?"
"The Retinue won't rely on Atlas for arms. Merlot's a local producer."
Cobalt perked up, offended. "But we're the same nation."
"No. We aren't. You're loyal to the headmaster of Atlas Leadership Academy. We're loyal to the Crown of Mantle."
Cobalt pointed, "But… That's the same person."
Steele cringed, "General Ironwood… Is both Regent and Headmaster."
"For now," Hikari grunted.
Steele didn't want to argue.
Cobalt was dumb enough to ask, "Isn't the retinue merging with the military?"
Hikari didn't answer.
Steele subtly shook his head at Cobalt, glaring for him to stop.
Cobalt pressed on. "Aren't you guys the unit… That's doing that?"
Hikari frowned at him, lips tight.
Cobalt chuckled, "How'd you draw the short straw?"
She answered, "So there was this fortune teller. A lion faunus. She told me I was an old soul. My natural enemies are islands to my south, and my natural ally is Winter. She said my old soul was a subject of the Snow Queen. I had to seek her on the North Mountain."
Cobalt interrupted, "Hang on. This is bullshit, right?"
"So I scaled Blue Balls, and found an SRS outpost. Recruiter was there. Pure coincidence. They took me in, and about twenty years later I see there's a new specialist named Winter, and she needs a retinue. Gypsy did me right the first time. I figured, 'why not?'"
Cobalt did the math on his fingers. "But, wait… You're like, our age. You can't have been a soldier for twenty years. That would make you forty?"
"I'm eighty. Wonders of modern medicine, boys. The real mystery is Winter's age."
Hikari gestured forward, to Winter and her transparent horse.
Steele could forgive tall tales about age and fortune tellers. The spectral horse bothered him.
He asked, "Was that horse on the boat?"
"Nope," Hikari grunted.
Cobalt asked, "Does Vale have wild… Transparent… Horses?"
"It's her semblance," Hikari explained.
"Uh…" Cobalt objected.
Steele shook his head. "Hold on. I thought semblances were, like, running super fast, or turning invisible."
Hikari hummed, "Well, Winter summons the souls of the dead."
Cobalt narrowed his eyes.
Steele was wise enough to say, "Okay, but, That's bullshit, right?"
Hikari looked at him. With her eyes covered and her mouth a flat line, he didn't know what she meant. Eventually, she said, "It's a transparent horse. Bullshit is what's for dinner, kid."
"Spooky bullshit," Cobalt agreed.
They walked for another hour in silence. Winter's posture never relaxed. Occasionally, she turned her gaze out to the forest. Her sharp cheeks belonged on a tank. She lived up to the myths they'd heard about Huntresses, about Specialists.
After that hour of watching, they grew more bored than afraid.
Steele asked, "What do you think she's thinking about?"
"She's daydreaming for sure," Cobalt nodded.
"About a guy or a girl?"
Cobalt keened his eyes, evaluating her sexuality. "Definitely a guy. Another specialist, for sure."
Steele shook his head. "No, no, no. A wild man. Rugged and untamed."
Cobalt whispered in a romancer's voice, "He's a lover, not a fighter. But he's also a fighter."
Steele adopted a spicy whisper. "See how her eyes search but never find him, only a hint of his memory, whisping throughout everything she sees."
Cobalt covered his chest. "Her heart aches, always yearning."
Steele brought the conversation back to reality. "But seriously." He turned to Hikari. "She single?"
Hikari didn't answer. Her gaze remained on Winter as she walked.
"Uh… Agent?"
Steele felt an elbow in his ribs. Cobalt held a finger up for silence. With his eyes, he linked the Agent and the object of her attention.
"Oh," Steele realized.
Hikari grunted, "Huh?"
Steele shook his head.
Cobalt, being a true friend, asked, "He was wondering if she's single."
"Classified," Hikari snapped.
They walked for another hour.
Steele wondered, "What's it like to work with a Specialist?"
Hikari shrugged. "When you're working with Winter, you've gotta-"
Hikari stopped walking. A cargo truck passed her, the newest of Atlas' Paladins sitting inert on its bed. She was staring at Steele, her mouth an angry line. He checked himself and thought through the last few seconds. Had he pissed her off? Then he realized, she was looking past him, just over his shoulder.
She finished, "Find cover."
