If there was one flaw that was most annoying among the airships of the Atlas fleet, it was their horrendously slow speed. Of course, it was because of their sizeable shape. That was a requirement in order to transport the assets of the Kingdom's military. In this case, the ship B-17 made it's through the lonely Emerald Forest with a deadly batch of new prototype weapons stored inside it. They were entrusted in the care of the ship's important passenger; Leon Türkis.
But Ensign Mara wasn't particularly invested in this mission that posed no challenges. There were meant to deliver the cargo to a post at Sanus, along with the Specialist. That was all. Mara and the rest of the crew, however, were intrigued by Leon. He was certainly the type to attract attention.
"We'll be passing quietly through Vale," The bookworm Ensign Eli remarked near her at one of the several workstations, "Just like they said. M-must be important cargo."
Yet Mara wasn't really listening. She passed the time by staring at the main computer at first, but now she looked over the woods.
"You seem to be lost in thought, Ensign," A voice from behind awoke her, "But this isn't a cruise."
"Y-yes, sir," She hastily turn and snapped into a quick salute, "I'm sorry, Lieutenant."
Mara never saw any Specialists before, but she didn't think they wore the uniform of a standard military officer like Türkis did. In contrast to the usual white, his was pure red with a saber hanging off his hip. The most striking feature was his headgear. He wore a polished silver helmet, with a raised ridge that ran from between the eyes to the back of his head. It fit around his head to show his face, yet his eyes were covered by a visor that hid the eyes with featureless and white trapezium shapes. She could not see the expression in his eyes, but only what seemed like a coy smile. Although, some of his lengthy auburn hair was visible, strands of it just tipped his shoulders.
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't glad to be out of Commander Cordovin's reach, but it seems I have another mission coming up at Vacuo."
B-17 was in dock at Argus as usual before Commander Caroline Cordovin had picked the ship full of younger enlisted personnel on an irregular transport mission of the Lieutenant and the weapons. While traveling, their communications would be disabled. There were not meant to ask any questions and leave immediately once they dropped off the load at Vacuo, but Mara had assumed the cargo to be another model of Knights, which wasn't surprising. As for Cordovin, she truly was not the most hospitable kind of person, unlike the Lieutenant. There was a running joke among the older officer staff that the old and short woman was placed at Argus so that no one at the capital would have to deal with her.
"If I may ask, sir," She spoke bashfully, "Because we're keeping a low profile, why was this ship picked for the task ?"
"Are you against it ?"
"N-no, it's just that I assumed the Specialists had their own way of doing things …"
"I don't believe that being a part of the Special Operatives gives me privileges," He spoke firmly, "Like you, I am a part of our military. Besides, you were the only ship and crew ready to be deployed."
The Lieutenant imposed himself, silently watching over the crew members. Mara could somehow tell that he was lost in thought himself now.
"I've had this unusual feeling, like a premonition," The masked man suddenly said, "Maybe this is an effect of this forest, and the Grimm."
"Come to think of it, we're not that far from Beacon," Ensign Eli adjusted his glasses and remarked, "I heard they do the initiations here. Isn't that dangerous ?"
"Certainly, considering that the trainees are young, but it helps to root out the ones not fit enough to be trained for the life of a Huntsman."
The lieutenant's words made Mara ponder if he and the other Specialists had to go through similar trials back in Atlas' Academy. They seemed like impressive people, but to her, the presence of Huntsmen and Huntresses didn't seem to make a substantial change in the world. She wanted to ask him about his training, but got distracted by some sort of buzzing sound that came from outside the ship. Concerned, she tried to focus on it, but the others reacted alongside her as an alarm blurred out from one of the workstations.
"Unidentified object approaching," A crewman reported, "It's fast-
Without warning, the ship violently rocked to the side, as if something had struck it. Mara almost lost her balance, but the Lieutenant secured by intercepting her small frame by the shoulders.
"What's going on ?"
"O-one of the engines is destroyed," Eli reported through a panic tone, "The object's circling around us ! It's-
Eli stopped, agape, staring at the view port. The rest of the bridge followed suit, giving their attention the identified object. It was no Grimm, but what seemed like another airship that was comparable to the Atlasian gunship in size. It hovered around with remarkable flexibility, confronting the bridge head on. From this position, it was possible to make out the ship's rusty, dark hull. It was covered with splashes of decaying crimson. Its strange shape made it appear as less than a ship, but a mechanized beast.
"W-what is that ?" Mara whispered.
"I've never seen a ship like that … " Eli continued.
"Evasive actions, now !" The Lieutenant commanded, pulling the crew out of their shock. In haste, the bridge crew tried to pull B-17 out of the hostile ship's way, but it couldn't hope to match its speed, especially as an engine was trashed.
"They're picking off the laser batteries !"
A light erupted out of the monstrous ship's face. Mara was blinded, but felt a reflex to duck. A swarm of noises invaded the command bridge – Broken glass, followed by sparks and ending with screams. She slowly pulled herself up through the smoke that amassed in the bridge. Its right side was blown apart, leaving a hole leading to the outside sky. She saw bodies of fellow crewmen, most of them burned.
"H-hey, Mara," Eli, "Get it together, come on !"
The fuzzy brown-haired young man pulled his fellow wide-eyed Ensign out of her sheer shock. In the distance, the enemy ship disappeared. They saw that the Lieutenant was unscathed, leaning next to a body of a passed crewman by the door. Another figure rushed into the bridge, the gunnery sergeant Burton. The helmetless man in the infantry armor with the yellow marks was clearly looking for Türkis.
"Türkis," The man with the heavy facial hair yelled in urgency, "They're trying to get in from behind !"
"How ?"
"They're about to slice open the damn walls, that's how," He looked over the carnage for a moment, "They're not far from the cargo hold, can't we-
"Even if they're here for the 290s, protecting the crew comes first."
The Lieutenant looked over the few trembling remaining bridge crew members, including Eli and Mara, "I suppose this won't be a low profile mission anymore. You should arm yourselves."
…
Leon's first thought was that this was not supposed to happen under these circumstances. No one should've been aware of where B-17 was going, much less being able to catch it on the rather long and irregular route that was chosen specifically for that reason. The destination of the mission was communicated to only the crew of B-17, but the only one aboard who knew why they were heading off to Vacuo was Leon himself.
He considered that perhaps something had occurred on Argus to allow this situation to transpire, but it seemed unlikely. It didn't matter right now, since they had unwanted visitors.
"The new toys you brought onboard better be worth it," He heard Burton's gruff voice, "Or I'm not getting paid enough for this. The Fang sure don't know when to give up."
"I don't believe it's the White Fang," Leon hypothesized due to his own strange feeling, "That ship isn't normal, nor is it any model I recognize."
"We'll ask 'em about it later." He pulled out his pump shotgun with high-velocity Dust shells. The rest of the few dozen troopers faced the emergency hatch with crates as cover, firearms ready. The bridge crew members were farther behind. He made a head count; twenty, which should be enough. Behind him, Leon felt the shuddering presence of Ensign Mara. He readied his own high-powered flintlock.
Burton had said that the attackers tried to slam open the hatch before with multiple unsuccessful attempts. Now, the tense silence dragged on, but then a high-pitched sound came. The intruders were cutting through the sealed hatch with some kind of tool. A horizontal burnt mark was slowly forming, which would cut it in two.
"As soon as they come through, let 'em have it." Burton commanded. The cutting stopped, bringing back the silence. The entrance cracked ever so slight, and through the crack, Leon noticed another smaller, yet still shining green light forming. He knew what would happen; he saw what happened at the bridge. Burton called out for a smoke grenade to be thrown in front the hatch.
Leon yelled for everyone to get back as the smoke formed, but a sort of whump brought with it a destructive blast that smashed the entrance and sent some of its pieces straight into two men who didn't get out of the way. The attackers continued their momentum by firing first. A hail of intense colorful fire barraged the area. The pinned down Atlasians returned fire. Leon rushed behind a crate. With horror, he watched three men decimated by blue and green fire. They were not hit by solid objects, as it burned through their armor with ease.
From the smoke, Leon could finally see a figure emerge. He couldn't have imagined this sort of sight. The five feet tall creature with dark grey coarse skin walked on its three-toed feet with the aid of its oversized forearms with an exotic, small firearm in hand. It wore light crimson armor on its chest, along with what he could only describe as a backpack.
The creature faced him. A sort of gas mask covered its mouth. It hissed at him, ready to burn him as well, but Leon was ready. The powerful bullet pierced the small enemy's head as it out a whimper. Its bright blue blood splashed on the floor.
"You bastards !"
Gunnery sergeant Burton jumped out of his cover, followed by two of his comrades. The blast of his shotgun blew open the chest of another masked creature. Their triumphant charge wouldn't last, as the man to Burton's right side would have his head blown apart by a pinkish, needle-like shot. The other man soldier followed suit, the needles piercing his shells before exploding on impact.
Leon rushed the last man who continued to fire his shotgun. He grunted as a needle pierced his shoulder, but he continued to fire into the smoke with his other arm. Leon dashed, pushing Burton behind a crate.
"Lieutenant !"
Mara crawled to them through the fire, rushing to Burton. Leon knew that their numbers were dropping fast, but a line of defense still kept returning fire. Leon felt something, feeling the urge to look over. He heard a raging roar, like that of a mad animal, and that seemed exactly what the other creature was.
It rushed out of the smoke, swigging a mighty intricate and oversized hammer. The stocky, grey-furred giant rushed towards a group of three troopers whose fire wasn't enough to stop the monster's advance. The hammer's sheer weight was enough, smashing them to pieces. The last man jammed his knife into the furry monster, yet it broke against its armor. The animal grabbed the screaming man, crushing his chest with its thick claws.
Leon jumped at the opportunity and unloaded his flintlock. The three rounds managed to damage the enemy's chest armor, turning its attention to the Specialist. Dropping the victim's limp body, it charged towards him.
The Lieutenant anticipated the strike, pulling out his double-edged saber. With grace, he flew over the hit that would've crushed his body and sent him flying. He caught a glimpse of its ugly face and sharp teeth. He made his strike, slashing his blade across its face, letting purplish-red splatter. He landed on his feet while his target screamed in pain and rage.
Leon wouldn't be given time to attack again. His body suddenly jerked, as if gravity was acting on its own. His body was violently pushed aside by another assailant. He flew head first into a pack of crates. He didn't feel like he could move, he was loosing track of what was happening, but it seemed as though the firing began to stop. The smoke had long since cleared. He thought he could see Ensign Mara, still alive.
…
The sky burns with a hellish red hue. The world on which she lived was crumbling to pieces, destroyed by invaders. People ran for their lives, while she lost in the crowd alone. She remembered how the little girl cried for her mother, her father. She kept crying, until a purging, blinding white is brought down from the sky.
"No !"
Claire awoke from the regular nightmare while realizing out that single word, rising up in a cold sweat. She heard a high-pitched yelp, realizing that the girl known as Ruby Rose had been sitting next to her while she was asleep. It was dark now.
"W-what," The drooling girl in red was alarmed, "O-oh, you're awake …"
Claire felt lost. She didn't know how long she was sleeping for, but she assumed it was for a few hours. Her memory was fuzzy.
"Are you feeling alright ?"
She slowly nodded as an affirmative. Troy must've given her the Smoother, she remembered. Speaking of which, she realized they were nowhere to be seen as she looked around.
"Yeah, so," She hesitated, "Sergey got into a fight with the guy you punched. You know, that was kinda scary, but you did help Velvet. Troy's gonna be here soon, though."
She visibly shrugged at the revelation of Sergey's fight. She didn't remember that guy she let out her rage at the dining hall, but she did vaguely recall the Velvet girl and her rabbit ears. All of a sudden, her stomach growled. She tried to not pay attention to it, but Ruby wouldn't.
"Oh, right !" She exclaimed, "I got you this. You must be hungry."
She pulled out a neat, perfectly made and delectable looking sandwich. She was surprised. Usually, she only ate as per protocol, when it was allowed, and it was usually uneventful. It was simply a part of her life. She slowly accepted it, taking a bite.
"You know," Ruby continued, yet sheepishly, "I thought that maybe if you're feeling good tomorrow too, I can take out to show you around. I thought it'd be boring to stay in your room every day."
Ruby Rose kept surprising Claire. She stared at this girl for a moment, unsure of what to do. Hanging out with someone ? How could she really do that ? However, she decided to remove any constraints for this time. She nodded as a yes.
"Well, that's good," Rose smiled, "Well, I guess I should go. Anything you need ?"
"… Thank you."
Ruby didn't expect her to talk after all this time, but she gave the girl in bed another smile.
"No problem."
For Leon's helmet, think of Char Aznable.