Hello everyone, NicodemusV here with another chapter for The New World.
Been a while since the last update, huh? Left you all behind on a very interesting plot point; we'll be feeling the aftereffects of this event for a while, I'll guarantee you all that.
Some responses to reviews:
rm928 - True, we don't have enough of the Zumwalt class. An amazing piece of technology and capabilities bogged down by overbearing military requirements and cost overruns.
MOAB Menagerie - There is a clear distinction between White Fang and regular Faunus, but we'll definitely be seeing the effects of their actions in both worlds.
DYWF - Ahaha, yeah. People tend to underestimate humanity and the competency of real-world governments and militaries.
Going to cut this intro note off here, don't want it to be half the world count.
I do not own RWBY nor any assets mentioned in this story.
"Terrorism. A noun. Defined as the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. Often, groups are formed that use this method in order to pursue their goals. The White Fang and ISIS are the two foremost examples that come to mind. Yet there are clear differences between the two. One was born from the desire for equality, for equal standing in the world of Remnant. The other born from the false promises of Western powers, Western interference, and religious beliefs. Two groups both so different yet so similar in devotion to their goals. To solve the problems that these two groups face is no easy task. It takes time and it takes a mutual understanding of the other. The only solution, the righteous solution, lies with our youth. They are the new generation. Untainted with the prejudice of the old generation. Allowing them to be stained is allowing another chance at peace to be passed.
Do not let them be stained."
20 September 2016
Kingdom of Vale
Patch Island
Port of Patch
Time: 1850 (6:50 PM)
"Damn- I mean, dang it!"
"It's fine Ruby. You got most of them."
Ruby groaned, but did not pull her face away from the scope. She continued taking shots at the White Fang, who had recovered from the surprise attack and went for cover. Jaune nodded to Ren and Nora, who were waiting for their cue. Nora smiled.
"Nora, let's space them out."
"Got it, fearless leader!"
Nora got up and took aim, her weapon in it's rotary grenade launcher form. She fired three shots, aiming for the White Fang's cover behind crates.
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
The resulting explosions knocked the White Fang members away from their cover, splitting them into three distinct groups, all with some distance away from each other.
"Ren."
Ren moved forward, engaging the farthest group of Fang Faunus away from their position. Nora moved in next, followed by Ruby, then Jaune.
By the time Jaune got down, the sound of gunfire and weapons clashing was prevalent. Jaune dashed forward, running for the two American officers hiding behind the crates, unable to move with all the hectic combat around them. Their weapons were out, but they did not fire.
Just have to secure the officers and guard them until Ruby and the others finish with the Fang.
A simple enough goal. Unfortunately for Jaune, a certain Faunus was captivated by his mad dash for the Americans. She drew her daggers, stepping front of Jaune.
She smiled, flashing her teeth and blades, "Hey-y Blondie. Where are you going?"
Jaune didn't respond. He immediately went in for a downwards slash with his sword.
Whoosh
Her daggers came up in an X, effectively blocking his sword. She raised a leg and kicked him in the stomach, forcing Jaune back.
"Let's play for a bit"
Jaune stepped forward, lunging at her stomach. She expertly dodged, sidestepping the blade. Her left dagger went in for a slash on Jaune's face, but he recovered from the lunge and brought his shield up just in time for the weapon to clang on the twin crescents. Copying her move from earlier and putting some of his training to use, Jaune brought his shield away and raised his leg. He kicked her flat on the chest, knocking her down. She rolled with her fall, springing back up and back into stance.
Breathing hard a bit, she taunted Jaune, "You've got a bit of kick. But do you have a bite?"
She ran forward again, going for the young huntsmans' face. Jaune sidestepped the swipe, but her left arm caught onto his neck. Pushing as much as she could with her arm, the Faunus brought the knight down on his back. She straddled him.
"Come on, you gotta be quicker than that!"
She began stabbing at Jaune's face, each blade shining white as they came straight down on Jaune, the knight frantically dodging each one. Not wanting to be in such an awkward and dangerous position, he grabbed her arm and push it to the right, causing her to fall onto his chest.
"You have to at least take me on a dat-," Jaune put his hand over her mouth, his other arm wrapping itself around her neck. He forced his way up, ignoring the frantic but weak stabs that she was inflicting on him, allowing his aura to take the brunt of the damage. Then, he leaned into her ear, speaking for the first time since engaging in their fight. His voice was like a breeze on a silent night.
"Your aura won't help you here."
He tightened his hold on her neck. She tried biting his hands, licking them even, but Jaune stayed strong. He could feel her struggles slowly dying, feel her pulse increasing rapidly in an attempt to circulate more air throughout the body.
She was suffocating.
In a desperate attempt, she brought both of her arms up and stabbed them at his hand covering her mouth.
"Agh!"
His hand released, a small dot of blood appearing from where the very tip of the blade pierced his aura. She took her blades again and stabbed them against his arm. They struck, but instead of readying another strike, she continued to push the blade into his arm. She intended to pierce his aura through brute strength.
Jaune released her, pushing her away. He grabbed his sword and shield, getting into stance quickly. He examined his arm, checking for any wounds or bleeding.
"Alright," the Faunus woman rasped out. Her breaths were ragged, but controlled - barely. "I'm done playing around. You've got bite, but now I have to bite back."
She drew up her daggers and attacked.
Before Jaune could even register that she attacked, her feet were already on his shield, the boot clanging against the alloy. Somehow, he was able to raise it before her feet struck his face. But it wasn't over.
Grabbing onto the top edge, she vaulted herself over him, her dagger dropping fast down onto his head.
Clang!
Crocea Mors came up in a quick parry. But it was sloppy. Jaune stumbled back, the Faunus stepping back into stance. She no longer smiled, but kept her blades up. Her eyes screamed rage.
"I am Lucy," was all she said before stepping again.
She reappeared inches in front of Jaune's face, both of her blades coming straight for his head. Jaune could tell every minute detail about the woman in front of him, specifically her daggers. They were held in a reverse grip, her arms cocked back as though she was gonna deliver a swift hook right to his face. But they were lower than he expected.
They were in line with his neck.
As fast as he could, Jaune dropped. It was sloppy, uncontrolled, and most importantly it was too slow.
The blades connected with his temples. Immediately, stars burst in his vision. He stumbled back, the grip on his blade and shield loosening, but not letting go. Through some miracle, Jaune was still capable of cognitive thought.
She's fast! I can't get hit like that again, I'll be down for the count for sure.
Lucy stepped forward, not letting Jaune recover fast enough. Her foot came down on his, flattening it against the ground. The sound of his ankle cracking was audible in the ambient noise of combat. Lucy smiled. She went for his other foot, the limb coming down quick, intending to crush his other ankle, rendering him immobile, incapacitated, effectively taken out of the fight, dea-.
A shot rang out.
It struck the Faunus on her shoulder, throwing her away from Jaune.
Jaune knew a chance when he saw one and he sure as hell didn't want to miss this one. He leapt up, ignoring the brutal pain in his ankle, and swiped downward on Lucy's figure. His blade struck her aura, the ancient alloys sparking against the protection of the soul. Keeping up the momentum, he struck her again on the head, dropping it savagely to the floor. But Lucy refused to be knocked out.
She kicked him, knocking him back enough for her to get up. Her head still rung from the strike that Jaune inflicted. In her eyes, her blades came up in sloppy slashes and stabs. Jaune easily dodged and parried each one before putting in a strike of his own. Too slow and too incapacitated from the blow, yet another strike to her head came, impacting her temple. Her body flew back, her head face-down on the ground.
Something changed.
It was like her body suddenly pulsed with color. It pulsed brightly, desperately, before ebbing away.
Her aura broke. And it seems she realized it too.
For Jaune, something changed as well. His irises glowed a cold cyan color, filled with determination and strength. In Jaune's eyes, he suddenly saw a multitude of figures, all of him, made of a transparent blue material. Like a hologram of sorts. They were all seen around Lucy, all striking her in various ways.
Ways that would kill.
One stuck out in particular.
It was Jaune, Crocea Mors in hand and shield back into sheath form, standing over Lucy. He had both of his hands on the grip, the sword held tightly, aimed downwards on Lucy's head.
It came down on her. Swift. Brutal. Cold. Jaune blinked, trying to rid the sights from his vision.
He blinked again.
And suddenly he was standing over Lucy, Crocea Mors gripped tightly in his hands. Unregisterable to him, they were shaking.
A hand touched Jaune on the shoulder. The knight cried out, swiping with his sword, but his "assailant" jumped out of the way quickly before yelling out at him.
"Jaune!"
It was Ruby. She slowly walked forward, speaking to him softly.
"Jaune, it's ok. The fight's over. We got the Americans."
All throughout the time she was walking, Jaune was seeing hallucinations. Holograms of him surrounding Ruby, his sword drawn in combat. All of them depicting him attacking Ruby in various ways, sometimes brutally, sometimes quickly, and all the times deadly. He blinked. He felt a hand on his shoulder. It lightly shook him.
"Jaune, we're ok."
It took a second for him to realize that Ruby's hand had forced down Crocea Mors and that it was keeping his hand pinned against his side. He relaxed, loosening his grip on the blade. Ruby didn't let go.
The visions disappeared.
"Y-yeah," he shakily replied. "We got it. I-is everyone ok?"
Ruby kept her voice soft, "Everyone's alright. The Americans are with Ren and Nora."
Jaune looked back behind her. Standing together with the American officers were Ren and Nora, their weapons stowed away. But what was that behind them? Jaune squinted his eyes, trying to get a better look. A voice pierced the silence.
"Die human scum!"
Two shots rang out before the Faunus was suddenly silenced. Ren had drawn one of his machine-pistols and had shot the Faunus on the head. He collapsed instantly.
But so did Admiral Carter.
20 September 2016
Kingdom of Vale
Patch Island
Port of Patch
Time: 1910 (7:05 PM)
Thump thump thump thump thump
The blades of the Seahawk were deafening as they propelled the nimble craft through the skies. Below the aircraft lied the town of Patch, it's people and nightlife in full swing. They looked up upon hearing the blades whooshing, not used to the craft being so close to the city rooftops. Three Seahawks flew over, it's cargo of marines and corpsmen on the way to where the Zumwalt was docked.
Most of the marines were apprehensive. The last group sent to secure the Zumwalt got annihilated by an aura user in the opposing force. She supposedly charged forward, ignoring their bullets, and ruptured the marines' defensive line in melee combat. That was all it took for the rest of the Fang to rush the line and kill them all. This time, they were more prepared. Along with their standard equipment, at least one marine in each Seahawk had .50 caliber M2SM (Soft Mount) Browning MG. They weren't taking any chances this time.
"Looks like you boys are in luck," the pilot voiced to the marines in his hold, "the fight's over down there. Seems like some Huntsmen came and cleaned 'em up for you."
True to the pilot's word, the fight was indeed over. The dead bodies of both the White Fang and their fallen brothers and sisters in arms lied still on the concrete. Four hunters, noted by their brightly colored clothes, were at the scene, along with two American officers in their NWUs.
One was down.
"You're up corpsman," a voice and a push came from someone behind him.
Charlie Wickerson leaped off the Seahawk as soon as it was safe for him to do so. His M4A1 was held in a deathgrip against his chest, his mind wary of a hostile aura-user still in the field. But his mind returned right back to it's training once he saw the Admiral down on the ground.
"Corpsman, over here!" The other officer shouted for him, waving his hand. Charlie sprinted over, sliding to a stop on his knee. Instantly, he had his kit out, checking over the admiral and being careful not to aggravate any wounds.
"What happened to him?" Charlie queried while checking the older man. He flipped him around and felt around his back, his fingers reaching a wet spot. Looking down, he spotted the cause. Two gunshots to the left of the lower back, right on his left flank. Flipping him carefully around again, he ripped open the man's shirt and searched for any exit wound. There were none.
"He was shot by a Fang member we thought we had knocked out," the man with the pink stripe in his hair explained. "We were preparing to run him to the nearest hospital."
"Alright," Charlie took out a wrap of sterile dressing and bandages. Covering the two openings with the dressing and wrapping his abdomen with the bandages, he gestured for their help in lifting the man up. "Help me out here. Need to get him to the heli for immediate MEDEVAC."
Slinging the man's arm over his shoulders, Charlie and the other officer carried the admiral to the waiting helicopter, it's blades still running. Laying the man down gently, he was about to tell the pilot to step on it before a voice stopped him. It was high pitched and feminine, very familiar in tone.
"Wait!" Ruby and another guy came sprinting towards the heli, jumping onboard before the craft could lift off.
"What are you guys doing here?" Charlie half-yelled at the two. By then, the Seawhawk was already in the air, it's body turning in the direction of the Enterprise.
"I appreciate your help, but you've done your part," the American officer interjected. Charlie quickly read his rank and name tag. Captain James A. Kirk. "Let us deal with the next part." He tried to smile, but with his face marked with soot and sweat, it was unconvincing.
"But we're here to-" Jaune interrupted Ruby, declaring firmly, "We're here as a safety net. In case he doesn't make it," he gestured to Admiral Carter.
Jaune's words made Charlie kneel down and check over the admiral again, trying to look for any changes in his condition. He found one. Charlie looked up at Jaune.
"His pulse is slowing down. Fast." He turned over to the pilot and yelled, "How much longer 'til we get to the Enterprise?!"
"Fifteen minutes, goin' as fast as I can 'ere."
Captain Kirk stared out the open side-door, his face marked with a knowing look. Even the cockpit was silent, the radio traffic a muffled noise in comparison to the events in the cabin right now.
"Shit," Charlie cursed quietly to himself, before taking more items out of his kit in an attempt to stabilize the man. His pulse continued to slow down, his bleeding doing the exact opposite. Unwrapping the medical blanket covering the man, Charlie took out the dressing and replaced it, making sure to disinfect the area before covering it again. The man's breathing was shallow, his eyes closed and mind unconscious. Feeling his pulse again, Charlie almost died himself when he felt it even weaker than before, with a rate higher than ever. Peeking into the bandages, his fears were confirmed.
"He has internal bleeding."
Turning to the pilot again, Charlie made another request.
"Route us to the nearest ship!"
The Seahawk didn't change course. Almost thirty seconds later, the Captain got up and yelled towards the pilot.
"That's an order, pilot!"
The Seahawk tilted to the right, it's occupants grabbing onto the handrails to keep steady. Charlie sat back, face deep in thinking. He sighed. The Captain returned to staring out the side-door. The look on his face couldn't be seen against the shine of the moon.
Ruby and Jaune simply sat there, taking it all in. Both of the teens were having an internal dilemma, being so unused to being completely useless in such a dire situation.
"You two," the Captain's voice brought them out of their thoughts. "You said you were here as a safety net. What did you mean by that?"
It looked as though Jaune was going to answer, but he stopped himself before he could, mind still trying to come to terms with what he would do. Ruby picked it up for him.
"We were going to unlock his Aura if he didn't- if there was no time." Ruby stopped herself from saying the grim possibility.
"His Aura? What will that do for him?"
"It'll probably calm down his body enough so that you can get him to the nearest ship."
James turned back towards the inside of the cabin, his face deep in thought. After a moment or two, he made his decision.
"Do it."
Ruby looked confused. "Do what-"
"Unlock his aura, of course!" James yelled at the girl before realizing what he said. He apologized softly afterwards.
"But we don't even know if he has aura? Besides that, if something goes wrong-"
"Then it's a chance we'll have to take," the Captain declared. Ruby looked at him exasperatedly before turning to Jaune.
"Jaune, you have the larger aura reserves between us," she dragged him down to the Admiral's level before sitting back in her seat, "You do it."
The blonde knight looked nervous. "I don't even know the phrases though."
"Then just make one up," Ruby quickly deferred back to him. Then, as if to reassure Jaune on what he was about to do, "It'll come naturally."
"Three minutes out, hold on back there."
Jaune turned back to the Admiral, gently laying his right hand down on the man's chest. Closing his eyes, he tried to remember what Pyrrah said when she unlocked his aura back during Initiation.
What did she say... It started like "For when we pass, we achieve immortality..." No, that's not it.
Opening his eyes, Jaune growled in frustration, annoyed that he couldn't remember the words of possibly the most significant event in his life. He was about to retry the process until the man suddenly started convulsing, his body shaking fiercely. The Admiral's eyes were open, staring right up at the ceiling, his breathing fast and shallow.
"He's having a seizure!" Charlie shouted out, the young corpsman getting up to attend to the Admiral. But at the same time, Jaune was seemingly forced back into the activation process, his eyes closed and his breathing calm despite the violent movements the older man beneath him was making.
Resting his right hand on the man's chest again, Jaune thought he felt another person's hand on his own.
Pyrrah.
And the rest came naturally.
"For it is in passing..."
"That we achieve immortality..."
"Through this, we become a pinnacle..."
"Of righteousness and honor..."
"Eternal in distance..."
"And unbound by annihilation..."
"I liberate your soul..."
"And by my bearing..."
Jaune's eyes opened, his irises a glowing cerulean.
"Defend thee."
. . .
The Admiral's seizure had ceased, his breathing a calm inhale-exhale process; much like one would when sleeping. His body was outlined in a soft but radiant tinge of dark blue, the light slowly growing brighter as the moments passed before it reached it's apex. Then suddenly, it disappeared. Charlie knelt down and roved over the man once again, checking his pulse and the open gunshot wounds.
"His pulse is slowing down... a lot stronger than before now... no discolorations, internal bleeding must've stopped... damn," Charlie looked up at Jaune, the young knight leaning back in his seat, "He's alright for now. We still need to get him to a proper medical facility to treat his wounds and run an ultrasound for any possible organs rupturing..." The young corpsman began muttering to himself what would be needed to bring the Admiral back to health, speaking on operations and procedures much higher than a Navy corpsman would need to know.
Captain Kirk took off his cover, wiping the slight sheen of sweat off his forehead. "Lord have mercy..." He turned to the two hunters-in-training, "Good work you two. I'll see to it that you're on the next flight out of here, back to wherever you two live."
The two teens silently nodded, looking out the side-door to the port below. Down at sea-level, several US Navy destroyers and cruisers were docked, the Enterprise and a few of her escorts surrounding her not too far away from the port central. CSG 5 floated near her newer sister, the airspace around the two a flurry of activity.
The Seahawk slowed down around a docked Arleigh-Burke class destroyer. Near the helipad, a contingent of corpsmen and medical staff were standing at the ready, a stretcher between two of them. As soon as the helicopter touched down, the stretcher bearers sprinted forward - Charlie and the Captain lifted the Admiral onto the stretcher before sending the corpsmen back into the ship's insides.
"Charlie-"
"What?" the man sounded slightly annoyed.
"His aura's been unlocked, so he should be ok. Don't worry if stuff starts randomly regenerating or something like that."
Charlie took this into consideration following the other staff back inside the ship. "Thanks Ruby."
"No problem."
James' face perked up at the mention of her name, realizing that he hadn't introduced himself or the identity of his saviors.
"I'm sorry," he began, gaining the attention of the two. "I haven't properly introduced myself. Captain James A. Kirk, of the US Navy."
"Jaune Arc."
"Ruby Rose."
James looked towards Ruby, some recognition evident on his face.
"Ruby Rose... Admiral Carter mentioned you while we were talking."
"Really?! What did he say?"
James smiled to himself, "We-ell, I won't say too much. Except that you had some really tall tale that he couldn't believe."
"What?!"
"Yeah, that you were the daughter of some woman from our planet and that you needed to meet with her somehow. That he was considering it-"
"He is?!"
"-and dropping the whole thing without a word. Better things to worry about, I suppose..."
"Oh..."
James noticed her crestfallen look and felt some amount of guilt for her. They did save our lives...
"Alright kid, look. Maybe the Admiral said he was dropping it, but at the same time that could just be him talking. Clearly," he gestured around him, "there's some more pressing matters at hand."
Ruby pouted.
"Bu-ut, since you saved our lives, it might earn you some favor with the Admiral. Now, I'm just a Captain and I don't really hold a lot of sway, but if the Admiral realizes what you two did for him, then, if what I hear about him is right, he'll do what he can do to get you to meet your mom."
"Seriously?! Oh, thank you, thank you-" Ruby went in for a hug, something that was becoming more instinctual nowadays, but the Captain stopped her with an arm.
"That's a big if, young lady," James reminded her firmly, "There's a lot that he needs to bypass if you want to see your mother within even a year. Government red tape, foreign relations, medical quarantine policies - all that stuff the Admiral has to jump over."
Ruby wasn't discouraged by this. She heard about enough politics and government thingamajigs from Weiss to know what she was asking.
"That's alright. I just like the reassurance that I can see my mom soon."
James scoffed, "You're not the only one, girl."
Then his tone and posture suddenly changed, some better optimism coming from him. "Even if he doesn't get you special access, you'll still be able to see your mom. If our government gets off their asses and your own Council works out a deal, then you can see her in, maybe, two years tops. You just gotta wait for our borders to open up to each other and then you can see her whenever you want."
Although this terrorist attack is gonna make things a thousand times harder...
Ruby stayed silent, taking in the information and making guesses at the future. James looked towards the blonde, his sword sheathed and his eyes quietly observing the activities of the ship around him. Taking out his watch, James noted the time - 7:45 PM.
"Alright, it's getting late. I'm sure you two teens have someplace to be at this time, something to do or complete some hunter business."
"We can walk from here, I think."
"Alright," James motioned for them to follow him, "I'll take you two down off the ship. I can get a marine to escort you in the direction of the city."
As the Captain lead the pair to an off ramp, Ruby's mind was a flurry of thoughts about the future.
Soon, mom, soon.
21 September 2016
United States of America
White House Situation Room (John F. Kennedy Conference Room)
Time: 0845 (8:45 AM)
All was quiet in the White House Situation Room. The occupants of the room were waiting for their president to arrive in order to begin things. That did not mean they were unprepared for the following discussion. Papers lay in front of their respective owners, detailing numerous things. Yet the subject was unanimous in all of them - the situation currently going on in the South China Sea (not including the numerous territory disputes).
Click
As soon as the door opened, everyone that was already seated stood up from their seats, waiting until the President sat down before seating themselves again.
"Alright," Michael started, "Let's start guys."
Secretary of Defense Theodore Colburn started, "Carrier Strike Group Eleven is already underway out of, uh, Remnant. We expect them to arrive at Yokosuka by 10:30 in the morning today. Carrier Strike Group Five will remain in Remnant, although it is clear now that our commitment of forces are not well received..."
"China has been very vocal about the number of naval assets we have in the South China Sea," Secretary of State Pamela Connors sighed, "I've spoken with their Foreign Minister twice already. He's told me that if we don't reduce the number of naval assets that we currently have in the South China Sea, then the Chinese would continue expanding and militarizing their islands."
Though there was progress in getting China to stop their island building, the deployment of military assets and search parties to the area had certainly derailed that progress. Although they were sympathetic and allowed the search parties, they certainly didn't like the presence of yet another carrier strike group.
"Reiterate to them that our operations there serve simply to investigate the cause of the disappearance of our sailors as well as this meteorological anomaly occurring in the area; anything more from them will have to be dealt with next time."
Pamela looked apprehensive, yet serious. As the Secretary of State, she spoke a lot with the foreign ministers and secretaries of other nations. Thus, she would be a bit more exposed to the intentions of other nations. And if intuition served correct...
"Sir," she pressed on, "I am certain the Chinese know. Actually, I am certain that any nation with access to satellite imagery know."
"Know of what, Miss Connors?" Michael looked at her with his serious face, though he had a guess as to what she was talking about.
"That a good portion of the world - including the Chinese - know of the existence of Remnant. I don't have much solid proof, but I have received numerous calls from many nations, mostly our allies, requesting a meeting to discuss the events that happened in the South China Sea. The way they spoke to me during these calls had this tone that hinted of ulterior motives. And each conversation was very short, much shorter than any I've ever had," she paused, "I suggest discussing this as soon as possible with our allies, better the United Nations actually."
The President took this into consideration, wondering how they would tackle revealing the existence of Remnant to the rest of the world. So far, Remnant has only been in contact with the United States, they haven't stepped into Earth nor have any other Earth nations initiate contact with them. Then there was the location of the "entrance" to Remnant, as well as the significant military presence in the area.
Michael looked up, stepping out of thought, and addressed the room, making sure Pamela heard him. "We'll request a United Nations meeting within the year to discuss Remnant... among other things. Pamela, I want you to stress to China and maybe Russia's foreign ministers that they attend this meeting. Tell Natalie to be ready to represent us in the meeting."
"Understood, sir," Pamela noted in her tablet.
"Then there's the matter of the Zumwalt..." Theodore mentioned.
A momentary pause.
Michael turned to his Secretary of Defense, "Are salvage teams on the way?"
"We have a ship en route to pick up the hull and teams are with them to assist in the lifting process. The Kingdom of... Atlas has also extended their assistance in lifting the vessel, they say they have some equipment that would be of great use. I've denied it, of course."
Theodore handed him the packet regarding the equipment that would be used, the number of men on-site, etc. However, Michael already had a firm answer. He wasn't about to let this "Kingdom of Atlas" get their hands on one of their most advanced warship's technology, even if half of it was under the water.
"Tell them that we appreciate the concern but we can handle our own affairs; that is a statement from me, tell them that." Michael made his answer as politically neutral as possible, "Once the salvage teams finish their job, I want CSG 5 to retreat back to the portal on our side - that is, Earth-side - and maintain the quarantine zone around the portal."
While having a whole new world to explore and exploit was tempting, asset security was more important in Michael's point of view. He kept it as the same priority during The Westernization and Stabilization of The Middle East program - number one.
"Sir, I'd like to return to Pamela's point earlier on nations possibly knowing the existence of, err, Remnant except on the domestic side; photos of the area have shown the mass disappearance of CSG 5 when they crossed the portal to Remnant," Director of National Intelligence Jacob Blair displayed a few photos from various sites. Images from sites like 4Chan, Reddit, Imgur, and more flashed across the screen.
"I presume that you've taken no measures yet?"
Jacob was silent. Again, Michael asked his Director.
"We have not deleted the images, but we are tracking where they pop up and dispersing suspicion by running a few bots to pass off the disappearance as a graphical error or satellite glitch," he blurted, "That is the only measure we've taken so far."
"Good," Michael nodded, "Better to keep the public guessing than ignorant."
Jacob moved on, "Our agents in other nations also report similar discussions regarding the South China Sea occurring. They are on guard, that's what I can tell you."
"All the more reason to push this UN meeting as soon as possible."
"Although CSG 11 is still underway towards Yokosuka, Admiral Carter was able to give us a quick, unofficial debrief on what happened while they were away," Theodore laid down the next order of business, "I'll skip the particulars of first contact for what I think is more important: this Kingdom of Atlas."
The original photo that the sailor from the Enterprise took on his phone was displayed, along with video feed from the OPTICS of the sailors a part of the Vale detachment.
"Based on these photos and personal invoice from Admiral Carter himself, Atlas is technologically on par with us, maybe even superior."
"Now, now Theodore," Michael started, "That isn't a hundred percent true."
The other occupants of the room agreed, few as they were.
"Here," he pointed out the photo of an Atlesian airship's bow peaking from behind a cloud, "That is something we could never hope to achieve with today's technology. That's a full functioning, heavily armored, heavily armed, metal airship."
"With a rigid body..." an Admiral noted.
"Supposedly, these airships are capable of transporting hundreds of troops and vehicles as well as aircraft..." Theodore paused, trying to find a phrase to describe it's range, "Between kingdoms without the need for mid-air refueling. From what sailors of CSG 11 observed during "The Battle of Beacon," they're armored enough to resist attacks from these "Nevermores," attacks that absolutely penetrated the hull of our destroyers. Not to mention the firepower that these things carry-"
"Alright, alright, that's enough, Theo," Michael stopped his SoD before the tone of the room changed for the worse. "So they have airships that are the equivalent of a light carrier here. What else?"
Theodore focused the room's attention on the mech, the Paladin-290. "They have this mech that supports ground troops. I'm not sure on it's full capabilities, but this video feed should show things clearly."
A shaky video feed from a sailor's OPTICS played on the TV, displaying the Paladin-290's capabilities in full. Chain-guns, energy cannons, and backpack rockets fired at the US sailors, destroying buildings and throwing up asphalt everywhere.
"Energy guns..."
"Rockets..."
The video ended with an F/A-18 Super Hornet unloading four AGM-65 Mavericks on the mech, bringing it to the floor and the sailors into a cheer.
"As you can see here, this mech has Directed Energy Weapon capabilities, surface-to-surface missiles, and mobility unseen on this Earth. Of course, we all know the mantra that comes with mechs..."
Technology that makes mechs possible can be better implemented on a tank.
"But it does set a precedent," Michael finished. "What are those smaller robots earlier? Robotic infantry?"
"Right on the dot, but they were easily dispatched. It was this mech that gave our boys the most trouble."
A pause.
Pamela sighed, "Guys, I think that we overestimating Atlas a little. Now, I'm not a military woman, but I've seen enough of our arsenal to know that it's extensive; certainly we have a weapon to deal with all these mechs and airships?"
The military men in the room gave her words some thought. A few projects came to mind.
"She's right," they collectively agreed, "Our conventional weaponry should be enough for anything on the ground we encounter."
"It's just the airships that truly pose a problem..." was the consensus.
"Another problem for another time guys," Michael interrupted, "From what I hear, there's more than one race on Remnant. The... Faunus, is it?"
A scientist stood up from his spot on the table, "That's right, sir. Based on what we know, we're more on the consensus that they're not a new race, but more a sub-species of human.
As the man continued to explain the particulars of their reasoning, Michael knew that they would be in this room for quite some time.
Hey everyone, been a while since the last chapter huh?
Sorry for being gone, but I decided to take a break from writing until the school year was over. So from April to June, I focused on simply getting through the final weeks of school.
Now that I'm on summer break (almost halfway, actually) The New World is officially back on track with a new chapter!
The first half of this chapter was actually done before I went on my self-imposed break, but school was almost over so I wanted to struggle just a little more before writing once more.
Until next time!