-Jared 3rd Person POV-
"I thought that class would never end." Yang remarked.
"At least we didn't get any homework," Ruby shrugged. "That's much better than what we can say for any other class."
Jared stood alongside GT and TJ. They had been waiting in Team RWBY's dorm with Team JNPR. All three teams wore their school uniforms due to just coming out of Grimm studies. The class had been uninteresting as normal, and Jared was almost excited to see why they were called to meet here. It had been Shadow who called the meeting, saying it was extremely urgent.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Jared was not surprised to see the way Teams RWBY and JNPR were handling it. Yang was goofing off with Ruby, Weiss was talking to Blake about some random school thing, Nora was messing around with Ren, and Jaune was trying to prevent it, despite Pyrrha trying to get his attention.
As per usual, Shadow was late, as he always stopped by his dorm to pick something up. Jared made a clicking noise with his tongue when he came in, signaling the others to pay attention. The room shifted to somewhat silence as Shadow came to the center.
"Thank you all for coming." Shadow greeted.
"Well, let's get it through," Jared nodded. "We gotta armor up for Goodwitch's class."
"I'll be detailed and brief," Shadow started. "Last night, I got a call from Yang's source, regarding a sale of Republic Deeces and armaments coming in tonight."
"Our friend Rezla came through?" TJ asked.
"One and the same." Shadow confirmed.
"Where does our mutual friend fit in?" Jared asked.
"He's purchasing some, as planned," Shadow explained. "According to his sources, Rezla is typically at the buy, if he doesn't send anyone of importance to take his place."
"So, Junior draws him out, and we take him down." Yang smashed her fists together with a grin, speaking in a challenging tone. "I like the sound of that."
"Why is the buy called this early?" Jared asked. "Quite last minute if you ask me."
"Most likely Rezla's way of preventing any sort of preparation to bring him down," Shadow replied. "Luckily, we can plan pretty fast."
"So we get to beat people?" Nora piped in.
"Well," Shadow looked as if he was trying to find a better answer, but did not find one. "Yeah."
"We'll break their legs!" Nora held her hands up, quite amused with the thought.
"Moving on…" Shadow continued, placing a little disk on the ground. The disk protected a holographic diagram of some location that was most likely the area where the buy was going to happen. "This warehouse where the sale is being made. Our task is to take down all opposition, secure all Republic weapons, and capture Rezla. We should have more than enough people to get the job done smoothly."
"I take it you have a plan?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah," Shadow nodded. "In order to maximize the capability of containment, we'll need to cover areas of exit. I have no idea if the deal is gonna happen outside or inside the warehouse, but I can assume the main doors will be left open. We'll be split into four teams; Sniper team, Front containment, Rear containment, and splitter."
"I take it we're on Sniper team." GT motioned to himself and TJ.
"You bet," Shadow motioned to a set of buildings. "I want you two set up here and here, across the open at equal spacing from the center. You should be parallel to each side of the entrance so you will be able to have some angle around each opposite corner. Your priority is to make sure nobody makes a run for it. Anyone slips away from the front, turn 'em back or turn 'em to ash."
"I've been waiting to drop some bodies from behind a scope." GT grinned.
"Rear containment team is team JNPR. You guys are entering through the back door of the warehouse. Most combat there will be close quarters or melee, which you guys seem to be more suited for."
"What about us?" Ruby interjected.
"Team RWBY will be front containment," Shadow said. "If you and JNPR press at the same time, you'll be able to envelope their troops."
"So then what are we doing on Splitter team?" Jared crossed his arms. "Please don't tell me it's what I think it is."
"Your guess is correct, Jared," Shadow chuckled. "Jared and I will drop down from the roof of the warehouse, basically in the middle of everything. If we get Rezla, the rest of them may surrender."
"Fairly simple plan," TJ noted. "I don't see what can go wrong."
"Perhaps we should be worried if something did go wrong." Weiss disagreed.
"If Rezla escapes, he won't come back." GT noted.
"Then we take him down tonight." Jared stated firmly. "Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora, you guys are probably the least experienced in these types of operations out of everyone in this room."
"Jared's right," Shadow nodded. "It's imperative that you stay focused throughout this mission. They are gonna be hit hard from the front, and they will be looking for a way to escape as soon as the sniper fire starts up. You don't let anyone through the back door. Got it?"
"We won't let you down." Jaune promised.
"Worse comes to worse, Sniper team can provide back up and leave their overwatch positions." Jared suggested.
"Sounds good." TJ nodded.
"Alright," Shadow looked down at his scroll. "Let's get ready for Goodwitch's class. The buy is between 20:00 and 21:00. We'll rendezvous here at 19:00 hours sharp."
"What's 19:00 again?" Ruby scratched her head.
"It's 7 o'clock." Blake answered.
"Right after dinner," Yang commented. "This ought to be fun."
"Okay, meeting dismissed." Shadow concluded. "Let's get ready for class.
-Mack 3rd Person POV-
Mack needed the answer. He needed the truth. Somehow, in spite of all the evidence against it, he had this hope, or faith that Shadow was innocent. Somehow, Mack felt certain that Tested was somehow a loose end, and he was going to tug on it until he got the truth. However, despite what his file said, one very discrediting claim was the fact that he was effectively a traitor. He admitted to shooting down Republic Troops with the intent to harm or kill. He'd also helped divert an entire Republic invasion and was complicit in the loss of fifteen thousand Republic Troops and weapons. If it weren't for the fact that Mack had a feeling Tested was telling the truth about a massive deception, he would have the same punishment that is fated for Shadow and his team; death. This had better truly been a massive deception, otherwise the only way that Sergeant would be leaving this base, is in a body bag.
Mack walked passed the one-way glass, glancing at Tested on the way to the door. While some tie downs had been removed, Tested was still restrained to the chair and table. His head was tilted down, and it was easier to see his face now that the interrogation spotlight had been turned off and the main lights were on.
The Sergeant didn't react in a hostile manner when Mack opened the door, only raising his head to see who was coming. His eyes almost fell to the desk, but he seemed to be resisting to do so, instead keeping his eye line line up with Mack's chest plate as Mack sat down.
"Still have questions?" The Sergeant asked.
"As a matter of fact, I do." Mack replied removing his helmet and placing it on the table.
"I've got nothing else to say."
"Actually you do."
The Sergeant looked up at Mack, confused.
"You see," Mack clasped his hands, leaning forward on the desk. "I've been treating you like a witness. That's my mistake. How I should be treating you, is as a soldier."
Tested turned his head a bit off center, keeping his eyes on Mack. His face was still in confusion. He didn't seem to understand where this was going.
"Sergeant, mission report?" Mack commanded.
Tested seemed taken aback. He straightened out a bit, eyes meeting Mack for moments, his mouth opening in surprise as he took a deep breath. Then he closed it, exhaling through his nose, letting his shoulders sink back. He seemed to become a bit twitchy, which meant that Mack should press on.
"Do I need to repeat myself?" Mack badgered Tested. "Are you not certain I am of correct high ranking status?"
"It's not that, sir," The Sergeant let his eye line drop. "It's just that, I'm worried about what this information will be used for, as a result of what has happened recently."
"Do you know who I am, son?" Mack shifted his position a little bit, tilting his head slightly downward, but keeping his eyes fixated on the Sergeant.
"No sir." Tested responded.
"I am General Mack, CC-174, current Director of the Shadow Black Hole Division in the Special Operations Brigade," Mack introduced himself with utmost authority. "I was the one who sent Shadow's team on their mission, and approved the addition of an ARC squad as a response of their apparent disappearance. As such, I was also the one to order Commander Appo to send your team out there as well. I am completely authorized to hear this information."
Mack leaned forward more, sliding his data pad away. Tested was looking up at him, in shock, but he could tell the Sergeant was nervous that he was disobeying orders.
"For the record," Mack continued. "Shadow was one of my best, and with the proof that has been provided, I was forced to believe he had gone rogue. If there is such a fact that would completely countermand this entire series of events that occurred, I want to hear it." Mack paused again, letting it sink in. "So I ask again, Sergeant. Mission report."
Tested took a deep sigh, some things you just couldn't break out of habit. His eyes met Mack's as he sat up straight.
"Sir, upon deployment onto the planet that the SBH and Nova Squad went missing," Tested began. "We were transported by the crystal artifact that seemed to be under the ownership of insurrectionist forces. We arrived in a world called Remnant, and landed in a forest teeming with monsters far different than we have ever seen or encountered."
Mack listened to Tested's story through the forest as he lost members of his squad. While he did pay attention, he was waiting for the encounter with the Nova Squad, which appeared to happen within the city called Atlas. That's when Mack started to really pay attention.
"Our first encounter did not go well with them, as the situation broke down into a chase," Tested explained. "We ended up having to evade the Nova Squad for a few weeks in the city."
"Elaborate on your first encounter with the three ARCs from Shash's group." Mack stopped him. "Why did a firefight occur?"
"Something didn't feel right, sir," Tested bit his lip. "It wasn't much to go off of, but they had explained that their advisor you assigned, Designer had already been killed. With previous events that have occurred between the two groups within the Military before as the they came to butting heads far more than once, I figured it wasn't just a coincidence."
"You're right Tested. That isn't much to go off, so explain the main reason."
"Well," Tested seemed embarrassed. "This is going to sound crazy, but when we were transported by the artifact, it's like the artifact showed me or told me what was going on. I was able to see what was happening and who was in the right. I know that it sounds crazy, but it seemed too convincing to pass it off as a hallucination."
"So you started the fight?" Mack crossed his arms.
"Not exactly," Tested shook his head. "Bringing up the coincidence with the Nova ARC I spoke to, they seemed to act rather suspicious. I was absolutely convinced they were going to shoot us on the spot, so we acted first."
"So, you shot first?"
"On a gut feeling, yes sir," Tested nodded. "My intuition appeared to be correct after a few weeks hiding in the city, as we picked up on street chatter that one of Shash's enemies was being held. That's where we met Shadow, and got him back to Vale."
Then the rest of the puzzle began to fall together. The loss of Tested's team, the uniting with the SBH and fighting off the Nova. What was most worrying was when Tested brought up the fact that Designer was still alive during the entire time that Shash had returned to Coruscant and explained that Designer was dead and that the world was a threat. The Republic's preemptive strike had been a lie. They had sent an entire army to burn a city down and slaughter thousands for no reason other than a lie. Tested also explained the final battle, how they did what they had to. Mack understood why, and a part of him felt grateful that General Kenobi and the Third Systems Army did not finish their transport to Remnant. That would have ended in the destruction of that entire world. Master Kenobi was one to be merciful, but not when the enemy was not willing to surrender.
"The rest is up to now," Tested finished. "I woke up here."
Mack was astonished. This entire story made sense and completely fit the bill. But Mack had trouble believing it, despite his support for Shadow. One thing was crucial.
"Tested, is there any way you can back up this story?" Mack asked.
"Only witnesses sir," Tested shook his head. "I think they would be considered biased though."
Damn. That really put Tested's story at a disadvantage. The fact that Tested also help ward off an entire invasion force by helping fifteen thousand clones go missing did not help either. If there was one person Mack trusted though, it was Shadow. Shadow was trained by him, mentored by him. Mack knew Shadow better than anyone, and he knew in his gut that he wouldn't have done the things that Shash said. If there was anything that said to Shadow's innocence here, Mack was going to pursue it.
"Thank you for your time, Sergeant," Mack stood. "I will be back for further questions."
There was really not much Mack could do with a witness like Tested. He didn't have anything to provide as hard evidence that he was right. Absolutely nothing other than his words could be used in the courts, while Shash had compiled all this video evidence and mission reports. All he could hope to do with this is stall long enough to find the truth. Hopefully, he could convince the Supreme Commander to reopen the investigation on Shadow and his apparent desertion and crimes against the Republic. Hopefully, he could also get the currently dispatched wet team to halt their mission or be recalled for further investigation on the matter. Mack prayed this would work. He prayed he could convince CC-088 to look into this further. If he didn't, those Alpha ARCs would kill everyone there.
Those ARCs were practically death on legs, and with the addition of X-21, Shadow and his SBH were as good as dead.
-Bane 3rd Person POV-
"What's our status?" Ranger entered the command room.
The team had been in a random corner store on the second floor. The bottom had been some sort of bookstore, and it had high defensible capability. They had no idea who it belonged to, just that it hadn't opened in a long time. Best part is that it was in a random street. Low patrols from the local police, and little to no visual of Atlas Military presence. On the top floor of the shop was a small little living area, most likely for the store owner. The other seven floors above the building was apartments.
"Almost set," Spade replied, sitting at a desk with two monitors set up. "Patching in our intel and current online programs now."
The three of them were on the second floor, setting it up as a makeshift command center with all tech and files. Spade had been at the computers all day, frantically typing over the keyboard. Despite their ability to learn so quickly, the technology of this world was so different to their own, and applying the same concepts didn't always work. Luckily, they had obtained some knowledge from their time with Roman, as he and the White Fang had normally supplied the intelligence on how things operated.
"How long till we are fully functional?" Ranger asked.
"We'll be completely set in an hour," Spade answered. "How is the story downstairs?"
"Ripper and I were fortifying the entrance in case we need to defend the place," Ranger stated. "Viper is arranging ordinance and Red is setting up a nest on top of the apartments above us overlooking the streets for patterns in activity," Ranger paused, as if he smiled for a bit under his helmet. "You know how much he likes to aim down the scope of his rifle."
"Am I needed?" Bane was sitting on a long desk, munching on a ration bar, overlooking files on a data pad, helmet off to the side.
"For now, you can finish your meal," Ranger waved him off. "When you're done though, check on Viper."
"Understood." Bane nodded, then looked down onto his data pad. Bane knew Viper was in another room all the way at the end of the hall, using it as a makeshift armory. It was best to keep ordinance a distance from any important areas, such as the command center of barracks. Standard military protocol.
"Knowing your enemy?" Ranger asked, walking over to Bane and seeing the files on the pad.
"Yes sir," Bane replied.
"You haven't read the briefing package already?"
"It doesn't hurt to study and analyze the information."
"There is such a thing as over analyzing though."
"With respect sir," Bane looked up at him. "They managed to stop team of ARCs, and an entire Regiment of Clone Troopers. Perhaps knowing more about them would ensure a victory. Not only knowing their battle tactics, but who they are at their core."
"Right," Ranger turned around and made his way to the door. "If you want the brief version: the Marshal Commander is mentally unstable, the Major is cocky, one twin is a brute, and the other is more calculating. That's who they are at their core."
Bane bit his lip, then looked back down at the data files on the rogue SBH. Ranger was for the most part, right in his analysis, but there was more to know. These rogues have set up their own lives here, and have even joined a school designed to train warriors. That, along with their powers was not an easy thing to overcome. This had to be careful and calculating. Shadow wasn't just an unstable person for no reason. Records show that he was mentally unstable for a clone due to his malfunctions within his growth jar. That, and his position of command demonstrated that he blamed himself for a lot of mistakes, and likes to burden himself rather than others. Jared was far more normal of the bunch, and was quite young for a Clone deployed into combat. Biologically, he was young, but at this point, with his age, he would be deployed. He did seem to be a cocky individual, but he wasn't someone who wasn't exactly exploitable. Same with the calm and collected TJ. GT on the other hand, has taken command roles many time before, but it takes a toll on him. He's a lot more loose than his brother, and more hot-headed at times. That was something to keep an eye on. On top of this information, these troops had lives, and that meant leverage, weaknesses, predictability. And they didn't know they were coming.
But how would he want to do this? For the other ARCs, this was a systematic job for them. For Bane, it was something else. He had served with the 21st Nova Squad before, and was pretty good friends with their leader, Shash, and the Shadow Troopers had slaughtered them. This wasn't a Redemption mission for Bane. This was a revenge mission, and he was going to make it personal.
These heretics would die, the same way Shash did. Painfully, and alone, with absolutely no hope of survival. That was how the fight ended for the Clone Regiment with Shash. That's how it will end for Shadow and his men.
-Yang 3rd Person POV-
Jared had called Yang down to the courtyard leading up to the airships in front of Beacon. She wasn't sure why he had called her, other than getting a scroll text saying: 'Courtyard, now'. Was this important? Yang didn't know. All she knew is that they were doing a mission in an hour or so, and this was a pretty last minute call.
Yang walked down by the fountains, seeing Jared in the distance. He was armored up, minus his helmet. The only visible weapons on him were his Katanas, so that meant he still had to go get ready for the op. Funny though, Jared stood beside something that was left under a tarp.
Curious, Yang made her way up to him. Jared flashed her a smile and wink when she arrived.
"Hey Jared." Yang greeted.
"Hey, Yang," Jared returned the gesture, with some excitement in his tone. "Glad you could come."
"What's up?"
"I wanted to give you something." Jared replied.
"A gift?" Yang asked. "You didn't have to."
"Well, I figured I should." Jared looked down at the tarp.
"So, what is it?" Yang cocked her head, trying to figure it out from the shape it made.
"Well, I tried my best to replicate the original," Jared explained as he pulled the tarp off. "But I've literally had to go off what I remembered and a few bad street camera angles, so designs should be off by an inch maximum."
"Jared…" Yang gasped as she took a moment to realize what she saw.
In front of her was an exact replica of her motorcycle, Bumblebee. It was the exact same bike model with the exact same flame designs. Glowing flames almost lit up with the sun reflecting the light. Yang felt herself smiling widely. She was in so much joy. She stepped closer, running her hand over the smooth shell. Her hand went for the grip, squeezing tight, letting more of her joy sink into her heart.
"How did you do this?" Yang asked, flabbergasted.
"I rebuilt it from your old one."
Yang turned to face him in shock.
"My old one blew up," Yang stated with concern. "It was a burning pile of metal."
"Well, some parts were salvageable," Jared shrugged. "Super pain in the ass to do though. So technically, it's still your old bike."
"I can't believe you did this!" Yang leaned into Jared, hugging him around his neck. "Thank you."
"I figured it meant a lot to you." Jared returned the gesture around her waist.
Yang let go, turning back to her bike. She still could not shake off the sensation.
"Well, gonna take her for spin?" Jared gesture.
"Do we have enough time?" Yang asked.
"You can give me a ride to our hideout," Jared winked. "Tank's full, so you can totally drive it. Besides, I need to gear up."
"You have no idea how much I've missed this," Yang climbed on and ignited the engine, revving the handle to hear the roar. "Hop on."
"Let's just not do donuts," Jared chuckled as he climbed behind Yang. "It's been awhile since you've driven.
-Blake 3rd Person POV-
Blake walked along the streets briskly. She looked up at the sky beginning to darken and checked her scroll. She had to be back at the dorm in about half an hour. Still, that was not her current heading. She had gotten a message from Shadow, asking her to meet him at the coffee shop they like to go to. Blake found Shadow sitting near the window when she entered. He seemed to notice her right away as she came through the door. She strolled over and took a seat at his table.
"You called me?" Blake asked.
"Here, have some," Shadow offered one of the mugs in his hand. "It's tea."
He slid it across the table slowly. Blake watched him as he took a sip casually. She followed suit, taking a sip of her tea, swallowing the warm contents refreshingly.
"What is wrong?" Blake continued her question.
"Nothing," Shadow raised an eyebrow, looking confused. "Should something be wrong?"
"I figured you called me for a reason."
Shadow scoffed, smiling as he shook his head.
"I didn't think I needed a reason to have some time with my girlfriend." He chuckled.
Blake was slightly taken aback by the sentence. She felt slightly guilty for implying that message.
"Well," She blushed. "It's just that we have to be at the dorms in like-"
"Yes, I know," Shadow nodded. "Which is why we have about nine more minutes before we are off. I figured that we use this time."
"What do you mean?" Blake tilted her head. "We aren't going anywhere."
"We are heading out into combat."
Blake tensed a little when she realized what Shadow meant. She looked directly at his eyes in concern.
"Shadow, we are all gonna make it back," Blake stated. "This is not supposed to be something as difficult as before."
"I know," Shadow sighed. "It's just with Tested not coming back from a mission… well… old habits, I guess."
"Has something been bothering you? Are you having bad dreams?"
"No, nothing is wrong," Shadow waved her off. "I promise."
"I thought you were a better liar than that." Blake became more stern.
She knew something was up. Shadow acted like this before, when he had been secretly sneaking out to track down surviving Clone troopers. She could recognize the patterns now.
"I know something isn't right with you," Blake pressed on. "Why won't you tell me?"
Shadow clenched his jaw and took a look outside the window.
"Look," Shadow sighed. "I know that I do keep people in the dark, and I'm trying to change that, but I am not ready to share. Okay?"
Blake looked at Shadow square in the eyes. What could she do at this point? She can't just force him to share something he is not ready to. She knew how that felt. She wasn't much different. If anything, the bow that she wore on top of her head was the same thing.
"Okay." She responded, then continued to sip her tea.
-GT 3rd Person POV-
"GT, how much ammunition do you need?" TJ frowned at his brother.
GT was all armored up, minus his helmet, wearing his combat webbing and stocking extra ammunition on it. The two had been at the SBH hideout set up in the city. All lethal weapons were kept there, and due to this being a lethal operation, they were gonna need their actual weapons.
"You never know," GT shrugged. "We may be the sniper team, but I think you and I both know to be prepared for a mission."
"I don't think we're gonna need explosives." TJ continued his comments as GT slipped three anti armor grenades for his grenade launcher into three sockets on his right thigh.
"Hey, I'll worry about my load out, you worry about yours." GT held his hands out.
"Right," TJ sighed. "Just making sure they didn't shave a few brain cells off when they cut that mohawk."
"Very funny," GT shot him a glare. "What are you packing?"
"Sword, DC-17M with sniper and assault attachments: three clips for assault and eight for sniper, two thermal grenades, a sidearm, and my wrist blades." TJ listed. "You?"
"Well, sword, DC-17M with all attachments and extra clips for the sniper, three thermal grenades, and this beauty." GT held his beskar dagger he had acquired from the late Sio.
"You still use that?" TJ raised an eyebrow.
"It's a nice knife," GT shrugged. "Besides, you're using Detta's assassin wrist blades."
"Touché."
"Boy have I missed this," GT snapped the sniper attachment on his Deece, flicking the scope on and aiming down the sights. He frowned when he realized how off the sights were after so long not using it.
"Just make sure you shoot straight." TJ stated.
"Oh I will," GT smirked as he adjusted the scope to his liking. He would have to make more adjustments on the field, but it pained him to keep them that out of line. "I most certainly will."
"You spoke to Shadow about the Atlas mission?" TJ asked. "We're leaving in like, three days for that."
"Right…" GT placed his hand on his forehead. "I'll tell him after this. Professor Port has a good way for making you forget important things."
"As long as we don't delay." TJ hefted his sword, finishing his packing by sheathing it on his back. "You about ready?"
"Yeah," GT replied, slinging his Deece against his chest. He secured the holster for his beskar dagger on his left shoulder plate and slid the blade in. "Anything else we need?"
"Rappel gear." TJ looked up, remembering. "Two lines and grips. I'll grab them."
"Are Shadow and Jared gonna use them?" GT asked.
"Well apparently they want to use their 'landing strategies'," TJ held both hands up with his index and ring fingers arched over.
"Maybe we should do that." GT suggested.
"And what, take off our aura before we enter the fight?" TJ scoffed. "I'd rather not jump off a nine story building because I want to practice a landing strategy."
"Team RWBY does it all the time," GT pointed out. "Apparently Ozpin threw them off a cliff on their first day."
"Well, we are training to be Huntsmen, right? That means we should probably start acting like it."
"I'll train to be a Huntsman in my spare time," TJ said. "For tonight, I'm a highly trained and experienced operator."
"Fair enough." GT nodded, then grabbed his helmet. "Let's drop some bodies tonight."
-Mack 3rd Person POV-
"General Mack," CC-088 greeted as Mack entered the office. "I did not expect to see you. The next high command meeting is tomorrow."
Mack saluted on the way in, in which the Supreme Commander waved him off. He removed his helmet, keeping it to his side as he made his way to the desk. The office was a bit more crowded than before, carrying much more paperwork than usual.
"Well, sir, I figured I wanted to speak to you immediately." Mack responded.
"So what brings you by?" CC-088 took a few more seconds of glancing at his computer screen before completely giving his attention. "I assure you, if this is regarding tactical strategy, your squad's redeployment, or administrative requests, it can wait until the meeting."
CC-088 looked tired. He didn't even try to hide it. His eyes were slightly droopy, despite showing interest. Bags hung under them, indicating a sleep deprivation, and his mouth was flat, and sinking, as if it just wanted to fall off his face.
"Actually sir," Mack placed his helmet on the ground beside his chair as he took a seat. "This is about something else."
"Well, I'm currently all tied up in logistics work," CC-088 sighed. "Procurement was bombed several days ago, and we've decided to move civilians from the area. That, along with insurrectionist forces managing to rebuild older CIS Droid Factories has led to oversight on funding."
I assure you sir, it is important." Mack insisted.
"Right well," CC-088 clasped his hands on the desk. "What is it?"
"As you already know of the classified black ops wet team sent to eliminate Marshal Commander Shadow and his group of SBH," Mack began. "Are you aware that the team had managed to bring back a surviving trooper?"
"Yes, I am aware," CC-088 said slightly irritated. "Captain Maze has been keeping me informed."
"Well, it turns out that the circumstances regarding his identity are quite odd."
"In what ways?"
"ARC Trooper A-43 reported that they had found him wearing the armor of a Shadow Trooper that had originally been on Shadow's team," Mack explained. "As for his identity, he is a Sergeant from the 501st, his last assignment being part of a rescue team to investigate the disappearance of the 21st Nova Squad and the SBH squad five months ago."
"And this is important, how?"
"I think it's odd that he had been located at this point in time. Something doesn't add up."
"I'm not following. Elaborate."
"Check this," Mack handed CC-088 his data pad. "Three months ago, the Sergeant had been declared KIA officially along with his entire team with information from Commander Shashank. He had also obtained SBH trooper Titus's armor, in which Titus had been reported killed by Shash. Mission reports indicate that the Sergeant would have been dead weeks before that. It's also odd on how he initially reacted to the ARCs, reported being hostile."
"What are you getting at?" CC-088 studied the data pad. "Are you calling Shashank a liar?"
"I'm saying that the story he told does not appear to be completely true." Mack replied.
"What else do you have to back up this theory?"
"A witness, sir. During a debrief, the Sergeant needed to be restrained. As he was uncooperative with his initial speakers, I had interrogated him personally, and had been provided reports that do not line up with Commander Shash's story."
"What was his side of the story?"
"He reported that Commander Shashank had deviated from orders and had made an attempt to eliminate Shadow and his team, coming to terms with deceiving us into sending an army there to help him," Mack continued. "He had also reported that Shash had tried to take out any witnesses who found the truth, including the 501st team and their attached advisor, Tech Officer Designer. "
"And what can he support this massive claim with?"
"Nothing sir," Mack shook his head. "All he could give me were words."
"Then you should be aware that Commander Shashank had been able to provide evidence to support his story," CC-088's jaw thickened. "This Sergeant comes back wearing SBH armor that had belonged to a member of Shadow's team, claims that Shashank had been the traitor this whole time, and cannot prove it with anything but his memory. Did it occur to you that this Sergeant had gone rogue as well, and had been sided with our enemies?"
"Yes, in fact it did," Mack bit his lip. "I did come to that conclusion at a point. He even admits to working with Shadow's group, and also admits that he had been complicit in the disappearance of the entire Regiment sent to Remnant. Despite this, he also claims that these actions had been in self defense and because they had been betrayed."
"Claims or not, if he had been part of those tragedies, why haven't you dealt with him?" CC-088 slid the data pad back to Mack across the desk. "With no evidence to back his story, how can he expect to believe him when Shashank had been able to provide detailed mission reports along with video evidence? This is a rather simple matter."
"All due respect sir," Mack said patiently, slightly annoyed. "Despite Shash being capable of providing proof to back his story, these inconsistencies are something that should be looked at."
"What are you suggesting, Mack?" CC-088 tilted his head.
"I'm suggesting reopening the investigation on the Remnant incident," Mack requested with absolute confirmation. "I believe these inconsistencies are ample evidence to have another look at what really happened, and call a halt on the wet team until we truly figure out what is going on."
"General Mack, we had already closed this investigation three months ago," CC-088 sighed. "As you may notice, we do have more pressing matters at hand."
"Yes sir, but I believe it would be a waste of resources to eliminate innocent troops sir," Mack pointed out. "Special Forces aren't in big supply these days."
"What makes you think that Shadow and his group are innocent?"
"The anomalies I had just mentioned, sir."
"Do you think that perhaps your judgement may be clouded on this matter, General?" CC-088 leaned forward in his chair.
"My judgement is clear, sir." Mack responded, still maintaining his patience.
"Listen, Mack. I am aware of your past history with Shadow, as you did take him under your wing for the majority of his time entering the Special Operations Brigade, and that you would think that you know him and who he is, but you have to look at the facts-"
"Sir," Mack almost smashed the desk, letting his hand impact lightly with his palm. "I am looking at the facts, and inconsistencies with provided facts and evidence lead me to believe that we have been lead astray and that Shadow and his team are in fact innocent-"
"-Innocent?" CC-088 stood from his chair, obviously annoyed with Mack's interruption. "If the term innocent is what you use to describe the rogue SBH, then I'm afraid that your judgement is indeed clouded. The facts state that these SBH diverted an entire Republic Operation, and that due to them, more than fifteen thousand Republic Troops, weapons, and personnel have been destroyed or captured. This is a massive blow to the Grand Army of the Republic, and is an act of treason at best."
"Sir, I'm sorry I've upset you," Mack took a moment to try and calm the air. "But this is breaking protocol? Hunting our own men-"
"Don't talk to me about protocol, General," CC-088 snarled. "I'm the Supreme Commander here."
"And I understand that the job comes with a lot of trouble," Mack clenched his jaw. "And I'm sorry to bring you more, but if you are uninterested in opening up the investigation once more, I would be happy to handle it."
"No," CC-088 shook his head. "I will not authorize a wild bantha chase."
"Sir, I can handle this investigation," Mack began to lose his patience. "I could deal with every last detail."
"It would be a waste of resources to approve this, Mack."
"But-"
"In fact, I don't want you to look into this any longer," CC-088 stated clearly. "I will restrict access to files if necessary to impede your task."
"Sir!" Mack bounced right out of his chair and onto his feet like a freight train that was meant to tackle the Supreme Commander, but ceased as soon as he stood up straight. "That's fucking outrageous!"
"Excuse me?" CC-088 growled back.
"You are gonna stop me from trying to prove one of my men innocent? Going to far as to restrict files from me? Out of all people, me? One of the heads of the Special Operations Brigade, dealing with both internal and external intelligence, having the ability to clearance for all files? Me? For what?"
"If you are not going to watch your tone," CC-088's voice became low and menacing. "Then at least mind your words, General."
Mack realized he had crossed a line. He hadn't been this angry before, nor had he gone this far with the Supreme Commander. This was borderline insubordination. He was certainly out of line this time. He took a deep breath, letting himself cool before speaking again.
"Sir, please," He spoke. "I beg you to reconsider-"
"No," CC-088 shook his head, his voice still low. "We will not continue this discussion, and you will not go near this matter at all. Your clearance on the files will be revoked until the situation has been dealt with."
Mack could feel it now. CC-088 wasn't demoting him, but he might as well should have done so. Mack was at the point where he could access any secret the Republic had. That was an honor and a privilege for him. Now, he had just lost it.
"Furthermore," CC-088 continued. "You will no longer be able to monitor progress of the ARC team under the command of A-87 and access any of their mission related files. You are to prepare your squad for immediate redeployment and will be confined to the Arca Company Barracks until tomorrow's meeting."
CC-088 paused, making sure he had Mack's attention.
"Am I clear?" He asked.
"Sir," Mack responded behind gritted teeth. "Yes, sir."
"Very well then, dismissed."
Mack made a quick salute, waiting for it to be returned by the Supreme Commander before replacing his helmet and leaving the room. He was honestly defeated at this point. Now he had no way to slow things down. If Shadow was innocent, Mack had a very limited amount of time to help him. Should he help him? Mack didn't know. Could he help him? That was a different question entirely. There was only one thing he could do, but it was crazy. Very crazy.
-Bane 3rd Person POV-
In through the nostrils, out through the mouth.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Bane may have been a soldier, rather than a Jedi, but as this was taught to him over and over again, he still had to meditate. To meditate was to quiet one's mind, attune one's senses, and clear any sort of stress on the conscience. Bane, however, meditated for only one purpose: sharpening his connection to the force. A Jedi's skill or mastery of the force depended on their focus and clearness of their mind, body, and soul. Bane doubted he had anything to create some sort of stress to hinder his ability, but the force was different. Like any tool, it had to be sharpened, and to do so, was to meditate.
Breathe in, breathe out.
While he could admit, that meditation was quite peaceful, and allowed him to see the world differently and more clearly, Bane honestly thought it was a waste of time. To meditate was to sit in one place and essentially do nothing. No progress on your task. No accomplishments being made. No sort of extra benefits are given. Bane hated sitting around while there was something to do. Even sitting around, he couldn't plan because he had to keep his mind clear. So, because he disliked it so much, he treated it as a standardized task. It was a task no simpler than he sharpening a blade or cleaning a blaster. He was strengthening, or sharpening if you will, his connection to the force. He was ensuring that every part of him was fit for combat.
"Come in." Bane said aloud, sensing a presence outside his quarters.
"Bane, Ranger is calling us up."
It was Viper. Bane didn't need to open his eyes to know. Regardless, he did, seeing the ARC trooper standing in full armor. Bane didn't notice till now that Viper had much more bulk, carrying many more holsters for ammunition and weapons. He even had a slot on his back for a rocket launcher.
"I see you haven't gotten around to redecorating," Viper commented. "Not that you had much to work with in the first place."
Bane knew what Viper meant. The room had been quite old, with multiple cracks and holes in the white plaster. Green substance lay on the corners, and a little bit on the ceiling. A noticeable hole in part of the frame told Bane that there were mice here. The floor was the best part, despite the fact that a few wooden planks were missing and scrapes were everywhere. It was also a little damp in one corner, probably meaning a pipe leak. Still, Viper had been referring to Bane's gear. He didn't need to live in a five star resort, but Bane had not yet set his gear up, leaving his rifle, communications gear, helmet, and multiple tools everywhere. He hadn't even placed his kama and pauldron nicely when taking them off to meditate. He would get onto that task soon. First things first.
"I had other things going on." Bane stood up.
Bane could sense Viper's expression behind his helmet. So the disturbed tone was not surprising when he said, "I never took you as one to be a spook."
"What do you mean?"
"Well," He shrugged. "It's just that Jedi normally meditate, and despite you being able to use… it… I didn't expect-"
"I do what I need to," Bane ended the discussion. He knew that other clones got weirded out when talking about the force. Seeing and believing were two different things. "What is Ranger calling us for?"
"64 is back from recon," Viper explained. "We might mobilize tonight. He's gonna brief us."
"Understood," Bane nodded. "I'll be right there."
Viper nodded and departed down the hall. Bane reached to grab his pauldron, slipping it over his head and securing it. He clipped his kama and sidearm holsters on, then slipped on his helmet. Bane double checked his belt, feeling for the hilt, then strolled out to the Command Center. The team was waiting for him: Ranger stood on one side of the rectangular table, with Viper, Spade, Ripper and Red on the other, all lined up parallel to the Captain. A-64 stood on a side closer to Ranger. Bane approached and joined the majority.
"Gentlemen, let's get started," Ranger announced. "A-64, you can tell them what you told me."
"Good news and bad news," A-64 started as he placed his data tablet on the table for everyone to see, tapping a button for the holographic feature. "Starting with the bad news, I was unable to provide a proper Reece of the area. I was only able to get the surroundings. The position was too heavily fortified to sneak into the campus with a denser and above average population of students and increased Atlesian Military patrol units."
"When has a denser crowd stopped you?" Viper asked.
"The locals student population is much higher than before and will continue to rise as more arrive," A-64 explained. "Some sort of large, world wide festival is to happen in a month or so. Either way, the best entry point is through the main doors," He pointed at a highlighted area. "With so many aerial patrols and sentries, trying the walls is useless."
"So you were unable to find our targets or at least get a layout of the campus?" Ripper asked. "Well, then what good news is there?"
"The good news is that I located one Shadow Trooper," A-64 said. "I found him in the courtyard. FOF tag lit him up as the Major. He appeared to be with a female acquaintance."
"Off topic," Red stopped the brief with slight humor in his tone. "Was she hot?"
"People appear to dress more freely and explicitly around here, as it's their culture to express themselves," A-64 didn't give Red the answer that he wanted. "I believe we would call her, skimpy, or more politically correct, outgoing."
"Somebody's been doing their reading on local culture," Ranger sounded pleased. "Continue."
"Wait, hold up," Bane interjected. "You had a shot on one of our targets and did not take it?"
"Like I said," A-64 replied patiently. "With multiple sentries, increased aerial patrols, and tightened security, I wouldn't have been able to sneak out of that. Besides, I'd be in a courtyard full of young adults training to be warriors."
"Didn't Spade kill like, seven hundred of the monsters that these warriors are training to fight?" Viper cocked his head.
"It was a good call," Ranger nodded, flashing a glare at Viper. "Better to take them all by surprise than one by one. Taking out the Major right there could have alerted them to being targets, and raise security around themselves, making the job harder."
"That still doesn't give us any sort of Intel other than confirmation of where our targets are staying."
"But the fact that he was armored up, is," A-64 pointed out, waiting for Viper to be intrigued before continuing. "Only reason I got the FOF tag was because of his armor. Now, he and his girlfriend were taking transport to the city. I know they are training to be warriors, but I am pretty sure anyone would find it odd to go into a civilian zone wearing full armor."
"You're suggesting that there was a reason he was armored up?" Bane asked.
"On the hunch, I decided to ask Spade to see if there is anything in particular going on tonight in the city," A-64 continued. "Considering we still had previous information from Torchwick about his operations, we know that our mutual friend with the white mask is selling weapons. Large opening for crime lords and gangs to come by, with lots of Deeces and Republic issue ordinance. Given that Captain Ranger and Ripper engaged at least one of our targets during our grab at the weapons cache from the island-"
"It would stand to reason that our targets will be trying to stop this weapons deal going on tonight," Bane concluded. "Good thinking."
"Assuming these guys like teamwork as much as the rest of us, all our targets should be in the same place." Spade added.
"Emuurir gi o'r a caratr." Ranger nodded.
"What's the play?" Ripper asked.
"Spade, when is that weapons deal happening?" Ranger looked at the ARC.
"An hour, maybe less." Spade looked down, as if he was trying to remember.
"Get me a layout of the place and how long it will take to get there," Ranger ordered. "A-64, contact Torchwick. Tell him that our mutual friend is about to have company. Maybe he can back out. Everyone else, grab whatever you need from the armory and lock and load. We're hunting tonight."
"Oya!" The ARCs cheered, then went to do their tasks.
"Sir, may I ask you something?" Bane stopped Ranger as the others cleared out.
Ranger paused, turning towards Bane in a slightly annoyed fashion. He tilted his head in acknowledgement that he was listening.
"Permission to focus on a single target, sir?" Bane asked.
"I don't see the need, considering we have four." Ranger shrugged.
"I want the Marshal."
Ranger looked as if he was scanning Bane. No, he was scanning Bane. Bane could sense the ARC Captain deciding whether to agree.
"We don't call dibs on our targets, Bane," Ranger stated firmly. "I know you haven't worked with me before, but on my team, this is a team effort."
"All due respect sir," Bane didn't back down. "He killed my friends."
"This is a mission, not a personal vendetta."
"Actually, it is, sir," Bane pointed out. "If you analyze the mission parameters, it is a vengeance op."
"It's not our vengeance."
"Sir, please." Bane lowered his tone, trying to convey he was begging for this.
Ranger stared at him through the visor for ten whole seconds before speaking.
"You don't get tunnel visioned," Ranger ordered intently, prodding him in the chest. "If I call you, you come. You don't compromise the mission and the safety of this team. Understood?"
"Yes sir." Bane changed his voice, making sure he was sounding grateful.
Ranger pushed once more with his finger, making sure he made his point before leaving to do his task. Bane didn't take it personally. What he took personally was his long time friends in the Special Operations Brigade being slaughtered by a team of rogue SBH troopers. Tonight they will pay. In full.
-Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Jared, Shadow, GT and TJ Collective 3rd Person POV-
Ruby edged up on the side of the street. She and the rest of her team remained relatively hidden. The warehouse was basically in the open, with a massive pavement square at the main doors. The doors were left open, revealing the low lit interior. Ruby was unable to see much inside, but she did see many armed guards on the perimeter of the foundation. The closer it was to the main doors, the denser the population was. A lot of prospective buyers had shown up, and they had brought their own guards, their dust rifles glistening against the moonlight.
"Do you see anything, Blake?" Ruby asked her Faunus teammate.
She looked back at Blake, seeing her yellow cat-like eyes zeroing in on her targets. Blake had the best eyesight out of all of them, despite her having to squint.
"I see lots of people," Blake responded. "From this angle, I see eight that we will have to deal with."
"Eight?" Yang scoffed in laughter. "That's really nothing."
"I said that's all I saw from this angle." Blake repeated. "There could be a lot more inside."
"We can take down the eight guards first, then move in." Ruby stated, then pulled out her scroll, switching to the link that the SBH and Team JNPR were on. "Team RWBY is in position." She announced.
"So is Team JNPR." Jaune responded over the link.
Jaune was on the other side of the property, only the crossing of a road from the back door. Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora were right behind him. Pyrrha had her shield in her left hand, her right hand on her rifle, letting the barrel rest on the opening of her shield, sweeping the area for danger.
"No guards on our entry point," Jaune reported. "We're ready to go."
"And anxious!" Nora groaned, only to be silenced by Ren.
"Sniper team, what's your status?" Shadow called over the comms.
"Just finishing set up." GT replied.
"As am I." TJ added.
GT was atop one of the tallest buildings across the property and street, further to the right facing the door, while his brother was in a similar setup, except towards the left. He had just secured his rappel line, drilling his anchor into the cement roof, and was currently readying himself to sniper position. He laid flat on his back, reconfiguring his Deece into its sniper mode, snapping on the required attachment into place. Making sure all the firing settings were calibrated correctly, he rolled onto his belly, spreading his legs in a wide V to steady himself. He propped up the barrel on his duffel bag as a support. In this range, a bipod would have been too stiff, but he still had to be steady with his shots.
GT hit a switch and the scope propped up, the holographic scope lining up with his Heads Up Display. That's when he began to calibrate the sights.
"TJ, have you got wind and range yet?" GT asked over the comms.
"You're slow at setting up," TJ teased in reply. "Range is four hundred meters. Wind shouldn't matter, unless you're trying to hit fleas."
"Copy that." GT acknowledged as adjusted the scope properly. "Give us some targets RWBY."
"We can take out the eight guards on the perimeter," Ruby stated. "Are there anymore near the sides of the main doors?"
"Yep," TJ answered. "Two sharpshooters, one on each side of the entrance. Two more inside on the upper catwalks. At this angle, we can only hit their feet."
"We'll cover you from any unexpected surprises from the tangos inside," GT added. "I think we'll leave the upper catwalks to Splitter team."
"Understood," Shadow agreed over the commlink. "Splitter team in position."
Shadow and Jared had taken the long way around, circling the place until they found and opening to sneak through. Due to there being so many hostiles, it had been nearly impossible to do so. The moonlight didn't help them at all, as it made two dark armored figures slightly easier to see against the urban environment. It took five minutes to reach the base of the building. The hard part was firing the grapple line to the roof without being seen or heard within the few seconds they had before a patrol man came by. Twenty minutes had gone by for the operation and they hadn't killed anyone until they reached the unavoidable encounter on the roof.
When Shadow had heard the Sniper team get in position, he had just killed one of the two guards on the roof. Shadow still had the body in his hands, grabbing the user's rifle before it hit the ground. He laid it slowly to the roof. The man's face was still in shock, eyes and mouth wide open, maintaining the same expression that he had when Shadow had jammed his wrist mounted kyber crystal blade up his throat and into his skull. If one looked closer, they would see the smoke rising from the man's mouth, as a result of the seared flesh in his throat.
Shadow heard Jared cuss over something on his flank. Shadow whirled around, hand on his Deece to investigate.
"What's wrong?" Shadow demanded.
"Made a fucking mess," Jared sighed. "May have gone a bit overboard with the cut."
Shadow looked down at Jared's lap. The body of the other guard was there alright, but his throat had been cut all the way through, slitting open all the major blood vessels. Blood was all over Jared's hand, completely covering the vibroblade. His lap, from the mid thigh down, was dripping and oozing with the dark red substance, staining the black plastoid.
"Just go for the jawline and jab upwards next time," Shadow chuckled quietly. "Don't bother slitting the throat."
"Well, it's been awhile since I've had to slit someone's throat," Jared replied in defence. "It's not like you stopped."
"Just get ready to drop." Shadow waved him off with his whisper.
Another problem that Shadow had discovered right now with the hood was that he couldn't communicate without risk of being heard. Having a helmet was to be safe in another world, especially when you turn off your helmet speakers and seal it. You could scream at someone as loud as you can behind a sealed helmet, and they wouldn't hear you. Great for stealth operations, but the downside was possible insubordination. Shadow imagined how many times a Clone Trooper replying to their officer with "Copy that," could have been something else entirely different behind the bucket. Still, his communicative device was his earpiece.
"Sounds like all teams are in position," Jared stated as he stood to the edge of the roof at the front of the building. "Shall we shake up their party?"
Shadow flipped his thermal imaging filter on his HUD. Looking down below. Place was packed, and he couldn't even identify how many were armed. He also couldn't locate their target.
"Anyone got eyes on Rezla?" He asked over the comms. "Sniper team, you have the best angle of sight inside."
"Negative." TJ replied.
"Nothing on my scope." GT also replied.
"We'll probably see him once we thin the crowd." Jared suggested.
"Alright," Shadow sighed, edging up to Jared's jump spot, keeping his commlink on. "Commence the operation. All teams, move in."
"Let's go!" Ruby motioned her team, springing forward, firing a shot from Crescent Rose to launch her.
With her combined momentum and speed, she covered the ground before the closest guard could raise his rifle, leaving rose petals in her wake. She swung Crescent Rose around her left and smashed her opponent away. She looped around, hooking her Scythe under her next opponent, sending him up and into the pavement.
Weiss lunged as well, coming up on Ruby's flank, combining her glyphs and dust with her attack. She struck in the general area of two more gunmen, the dust and energy discharging in one shockwave, throwing the hostiles meters away. She sent a glyph behind her, right below Blake.
Blake used the glyph left for her, letting it provide a launching platform. Gambol Shroud came from its sheath in her hands, forming into its kusarigama form. Blake arched herself in mid air, directing her body at two attackers. They had already levelled their rifles, firing away. They only hit the empty copy Blake had bounced off. She landed completely at their blind sides, sending Gambol Shroud forward. It wrapped around one of the gunmen's rifles. Blake lept and pulled the ribbon attached, sending herself into the gunman. Blake was about to maneuver around to avoid the shots from the last man, until Yang came behind him, slamming blows up his back. Yang reached around and grabbed him by the chest, throwing him down to the pavement.
The team whirled around to face the last two, only to see two blue streaks go through each of their heads, followed by two cracks. The Twins were excellent snipers. Team RWBY moved towards the warehouse, still hearing the cracks of the sniper rifles providing cover fire as they got closer and closer.
Shadow and Jared jumped down, using their aura to negate damage taken. Immediately, their eyes were on the shooters on the catwalks, placing careful, three round bursts into the four rifleman. Their rifles came level with the crowd in front, as every gangster, criminal, and thief shifted in response.
"Gentlemen, don't try anything!" Jared announced. "It's been awhile since I've shot something and I'm really looking forward to juicing my trigger fetish."
"Hands up!" Shadow barked. "We're here for Rezla!"
Two bursts and body falls to his right told him that Jared had taken down two stupid heroes.
"Anyone else want to be stupid?" He taunted.
The cluster of men did not move, but Shadow's instincts still picked up their desire to draw a weapon and fire. His HUD started filing through every facial profile he could, running it against the Vale person database. Of course, the majority of them were lower class criminals, or even petty thieves. Most of them were there to act as muscle.
"I won't ask again!" Shadow warned. "Where is Rezla?"
All of a sudden, a loud screeching filled the air for a few moments. Shadow recognized it as microphone feedback, but it wasn't his earpiece, nor was it on anyone's comm feed. Shadow cringed lightly as the noise passed through his ear drums, threatening to rip them apart. When it finally stopped, everyone in the warehouse was on their knees, clutching the sides of their heads. Shadow quickly raised his rifle, scanning the source. It was the PA system built into the warehouse. Directly after the feedback, a familiar voice took its place.
"Rezla isn't here," The voice boomed. "But we are."
Shadow's stomach dropped when he heard the voice, and it wasn't because the voice was unbelievably loud; it was because he knew that Concord Dawn accent from anywhere.
"What the hell was that?" Jared muttered, sounding as if his teeth were gritted.
"Shadow, what's going on down there?" GT asked over the comms. "We heard that from here."
"It's a trap!" Shadow announced. "Abort! Everybody, Abort now!"
That was all he could say before a wave of heat sent he and Jared flying.
