Chapter 21
"Iron Symphony on approach. Get ready, kids!" Spirit's voice echoed from the cockpit as Remnant streaked by below them. Ruby and Weiss stood at a porthole in the cargo bay, watching their home planet go by as they peered through thick windows about as wide as Ruby's hand. Beside them, Jaune and Pyrrha watched through another window in equal wonder. No matter how much time they spent on the Infinite Sky, the concept of leaving Remnant far below them still blew Ruby's mind. As she stared down at the cloudy atmosphere, it dawned on her that no matter how out imaginative she had been staring up at the night sky, not once in a million years did she believe she'd actually be crossing the stars. As she watched, a small speck from Remnant's horizon gre very quickly, a growing shadow against the sun's light until it resolved into the somewhat spiky silhouette of the Iron Symphony.
Horst's ship was beautiful. As it floated alongside the Infinite Sky, Ruby marveled at the blockade runner and its sleek form. Despite the blocky engines and sharp contours of the rocket pods, the craft just screamed speed. From what Horst had described of his ship's abilities, the Iron Symphony was capable by design to dump a lot of ordnance on one point and blast through it, ideal for getting through blockades and conducting hit and run tactics. In this case, however, it would also prove it's worth by chasing down Fallen Skiffs.
"We've tracked the Skiffs to Forever Fall, and the leading House has already taken casualties." Horst called over the comm. "When you get there, the nastier bunch will likely have superior numbers."
Ruby and Weiss exchanged looks of trepidation as they stared across several meters of vacuum at the Iron Symphony. Exactly how were they supposed to get over to it? Space walk, or was there some kind of boarding process? Yang seemed to have wondered the same thing, as she turned and glanced toward the cockpit.
"I'm guessing the transmat system works ship to ship as well as ship to ground." It was a statement, not a question. An affirming grunt came from Horst as he settled into the weapons seat in the cockpit.
"That's correct. Have your Ghosts lock onto the Iron Symphony, and the onboard computers should handle the rest. As long as you have a good signal, my ship's transmat beacon should be more than strong enough to pull you in. Just make sure you go two at a time; she's not as open to guests as the Infinite Sky." To hear him refer to his ship with the same parental attachment that Ruby afforded Crescent Rose was endearing.
"Alright guys, pair up and get ready to be abducted!" Nora said enthusiastically, drawing out the last word and immediately grabbing Ren in a headlock. The ninja floundered in her iron grip, struggling for breath while sputtering protests. Jaune and Pyrrha looped an arm each around the other's back, and Yang threw an arm around Blake's shoulders with a bright grin, much to the Faunus' chagrin. Ruby looked at Weiss expectantly, though the heiress refused to look her in the eye.
"Weiss..." The Schnee still turned her nose up, ignoring her partner completely. And she did it for good reason; Ruby was employing the formidable puppy dog eyes.
"No. We're standing close enough as it is." Even as Weiss said that, Ren and Nora disappeared in an upward flowing cascade of white particles. Ruby shuffled a little closer, only for Weiss to take a small step further away.
"Please Weiss? We're BFF's." Ruby cajoled, inching a little bit closer while Weiss crossed her arms and turned away. Jaune and Pyrrha transmatted next, leaving team RWBY alone in the cargo hold as the slowest and most pitiful chase in history occurred, Ruby shuffling along playfully while Weiss stepped just out of her reach.
"No, Ruby. Ugh, you're so-" Weiss' complaint was cut short by her red haired team leader jumping onto her back, causing the heiress to pitch forward at the sudden weight.
"LOVE ME!" Ruby yelled, a victorious battlecry as her partner pitched this way and that, yawing dangerously close to a fall while trying to remain upright. Ruby locked her heels across Weiss' front and held on for dear life, like a five foot tall tick that refused to let go. Yang's laughter echoed through the cargo hold as the blonde held her stomach, bowled over from her little sister's antics. Even Blake was chuckling, a guilty smile on her face as she did nothing to assist Weiss in her dilemma.
"Ruby you dolt, get off of me!" Weiss growled hotly, her face red from embarassment as her 'mature' teammate rode her piggyback all over the cargo hold. In response to her protests, however, the reaper just locked in tighter, looping her arms around Weiss' neck and cinching her grip. Now, Weiss wasn't just contending with lack of balance; lack of oxygen began creeping into her peripheral vision as well.
Yang and Blake's laughter stopped abruptly as they too transferred over to the Iron Symphony, leaving Ruby and Weiss alone as they wrestled around the cargo hold. While Weiss continued trying to rid herself of her cumbersome passenger, Horst's voice came over the comm again.
"Switch will be transferring the most up to date language codex on the Fallen. It won't be enough for real time translation, but your Ghosts should be able to process their speech rather quickly. As for speaking to them, well...bullets before words, ladies and gentlemen. They may be advanced, but eight percent of the Fallen encountered by Guardians have been hostile."
Another mic keyed up, and Jaune came over the radio. "Uh, Professor? Are you and Switch the only ones that can pilot this thing, or can anyone do it?" As the faint sound of rushing air filled Ruby's ears, the response was mostly in her own head. She and Weiss de-materialized from the Infinite Sky's cargo hold just before the burdened heiress toppled to the ground.
"No one flies but the Ghosts. I'm not digging my ship out of a mountain range because you kids don't know the difference between fore and aft." There were many times when Horst was gentle and supportive in his teaching. Flying lessons were clearly not on the itinerary. As Ruby and Weiss tumbled back into existence, the grated metal deck of the Iron Symphony broke managed to break their fall. Thankfully, the new undersuits were padded enough that it was merely an uncomfortable landing, not a painful one.
"Aw man. I wanted to fly." Ruby heard Jaune mutter to her right, even as Weiss shoved her off and onto the ground with a thud. Ruby rubbed her hip – it had broken her fall – and winced, even as Weiss stood up quickly and walked away from the pile of squad leader on the floor. Ruby stood up and looked around, and was impressed with how combat oriented the ship was. Aside from a cot and what looked like a small bookshelf holding several small mementos, the entirety of the Iron Symphony was either dedicated to streamlined ammunition distribution or weapon repair.
Unfortunately for the eight students, there were only six passenger seats with restraints, the kind that could handle several G's of force. There were eight seats in all, but the two remaining were the pilot and co-pilot seats. Jaune and Ruby walked over to the two leading seats, and together they exchange a look.
"I mean, Summer can fly even if we're at the controls right? No sense in us getting thrown all over the cabin." Ruby said in a conspiratory manner. Jaune's eyes narrowed and he leaned in a little closer.
"Yeah, and it's not like we can't learn while she flies, right? Kinda like having someone else guide you through the motions. No harm in that." With their excuse justified, the two team leaders took their seats, Ruby in the co-pilot's seat on the right while Jaune took the pilot's seat on the left. The other members of their teams took up spaces in restraints on the port and starboard walls, each team taking their seats behind their leader. With JNPR on the left and RWBY on the right, the fledgling Guardians were just about ready to go.
"Alright, kids. Summer will direct my ship to follow the Skiffs. Land quickly, but don't be afraid to assess the situation first. There may be multiple landing zones." Horst's voice echoed both in their heads and over a speaker above the pilot seats. Ruby nodded as she looked down at the controls, gripping the control rod in front of her with both hands. Her exploring fingers felt three thumb switches, descending and twisting down the right side of the rod. Underneath her conjoined fingers, the reaper also felt a trigger on the far side of the controller. When she squeezed it experimentally, a red holographic message appeared on the screen in front of her: WEAPON LOCK IN PLACE.
"Don't go blowing us out of the sky, Ruby. Though I'm glad you managed to find the weapon station." Horst sounded amused, and Ruby beamed at his praise. She could figure anything out if she played with it long enough, especially weapons! "Alright, get moving you lot. We'll handle things out here until you send the Iron Symphony back. That means move quickly!" With that last chiding reminder, the Infinite Sky banked from alongside the Iron Symphony, flaring its starboard thrusters in farewell, and then boosted off toward the horizon. From the angle of its flight, Ruby estimated that Spirit was flying toward the destroyed moon.
"Alright, Summer. Get us down to Remnant and after those Fallen!" Ruby said eagerly, and her Ghost appeared on her shoulder like a hovering parent. "And see if you can show us how to fly. We'll need to know this kind of thing for later."
"Try not to kill us, Rubes! I may be nearly immortal, but dying still sucks!" Yang called from her place in between Weiss and Blake. The heiress huffed and crossed her arms over the rigid shoulder restraints that kept everyone in place.
"As if she'd be dumb enough to take control of a craft she's never flown before." Weiss muttered, though she herself did not seem so sure of that truth. Blake simply closed her eyes and tried to meditate, more to take her mind off of the debilitating drop they were about to experience than to achieve any kind of inner peace. Across the way, Ren had already done the same while Nora swung her legs in a carefree way, like she had on a roller coaster a few years prior. Pyrrha's eyes were locked onto the back of the pilot's seat, where she visualized more than actually saw Jaune looking over the controls nervously. She had done as much as she could to boost his confidence, but now it was time for him to step up.
The blonde in question gulped nervously as he grasped his controller as well, his hand instinctively grasping the throttle to his left: a handle that ran along a pair of tracks that extended almost to the full length of his arm. It seemed that his chair was meant for navigation more so than Ruby's, though a throttle on her side indicated that the roles could swap at any time. Clearly, the Guardian shipwrights knew what they were doing when they had assembled this masterpiece.
"Alright guys, let's get down there!" Jaune said, a rare glow of confidence in his voice as he rolled his fingers across the throttle in anticipation. "Professor Ozpin didn't talk us up just to let everyone down now." Ruby nodded to his right, and Jaune grinned in return. Yeah, they could do this.
With more enthusiasm than many would have expected of him, Jaune pushed the throttle forward in a quick but controlled move, the handle not moving a inch beyond what he wished. In response, a deep hum reverberated behind them in the aft of the ship as the engines roared in response. Outside of their view, the thrusters on the rear of the ship flared brightly and sent the Iron Symphony careening through space, causing the stars to spin as they catapulted toward the abyss of space. Summer exercised her control over the control rod and Jaune felt it pull back sharply, causing the ship to climb upward from their point of view, flipping around entirely until Remnant took up the entire view screen. The throttle rolled back slightly until the planet was in view, then pushed forward to send them rocketing towards their home planet. Jaune did his best to mirror Summer's movements, lagging behind slightly as he got a feel for the ship's controls.
"Jaune, there are pedals at your feet to control the pitch of the ship. You might want to use them." Summer said gently from Ruby's shoulder. Even as the crimson Ghost said so, Jaune felt something scrape his boot as the left pedal lowered slightly, correcting their entry and flattening the craft against the curvature of the planet. Once the movement was complete, Jaune settled his feet onto the pedals. Ruby did so as well, though she was still a bit miffed that Summer wouldn't unlock the weapons systems for a test run.
"The Iron Symphony has a much smaller and more aerodynamic profile than the Infinite Sky, but we will still have to enter the atmosphere at an angle." Summer instructed from her perch. On the view screen, a path of green rectangles appeared in front of them, the shapes coming towards them as if they were checkpoints. Jaune tapped the right pedal, and corrected the ship so that they were at the right angle to follow the path.
"Very good. Now follow the entry trajectory, and once we dip beneath the stratosphere, we can break away from this path. Until then, hold us on course." Ruby felt the tension in the controls, and did her best to mimic Jaune and Summer's actions as well. From behind them, Pyrrha held her hand out to summon Victory.
"Is Jaune flying the ship?" She asked somewhat discreetly, though the hum of the engines and the growing roar of the atmosphere heating the Iron Symphony's hull nearly drowned out her voice. The prancing horse shook its neck in a negative, as if it were ridding itself of a particularly bothersome fly.
"Yes and no. Summer is in direct control of the ship, but she has relinquished some basic navigational decisions to the controls in Jaune's hands. We are safe from crashing, but he does have some say in how we fly." The Ghost replied, stamping his flaming hooves on nothing even as sparks leapt from his feet. Pyrrha allowed a small smile as she watched her boyfriend fight with the controls, the Iron Symphony beginning to fight with his influence as Remnant's atmosphere burned and pushed against him. The edges of the viewscreen began to glow cherry red, and a distinct wobble began to shake the ship as the forces acting against it increased. The dull roar of Remnant's atmosphere slamming against the ship became much louder, and Yang had to shout to be heard.
"Is all this noise good or bad?" The blonde hollered, while her partner held a hand over her sensitive ears to drown out both the blonde and the cacophony of re-entry. In order to prevent a shouting match of 'What?' and 'Huh?', Spark appeared next to her, his sniper rifle absent as he lounged on her restraints. When he spoke, his words blotted out the dull roar from the inside of her head, affecting her hearing in a way Yang neither expected nor minded.
"It's a good thing. If we were going in too steep, it would be a lot louder and a lot hotter in here. Like an oven bouncing down a hill. If he brings us in too shallow, we'll never land in time, and the Fallen will get away." Her Ghost advised, and Flake appeared next to him in a cascade of snow-like particles.
"Spark is correct. Once we get past the first few layers of the atmosphere, the friction on the hull will lessen as the Iron Symphony slows down. However, we need to be as swift as possible to catch the Fallen. Those pirates are up to no good, I'm sure of it." Flake added his two cents, and Spark scratched his chin in thought.
"The chambermaid has a point. It's too much of a coincidence for the Fallen to show up so soon after we did. And you saw what they did; even in the middle of a space battle, both Houses sent dropships down to the planet as soon as they had the time. The Fallen don't waste resources on hunches and routine missions. If they spend troops and technology looking for something, it's probably there." Flake narrowed his eye at Spark in distaste, but ultimately ignored the 'chambermaid' comment.
"Quite. Whatever could have drawn them to Remnant wasn't us, since they have shown no interest in the ten greatest sources of Light on the planet. Whatever they are searching for, it is likely to be valuable. And best kept out of their hands." Yang looked between the two Ghosts, cocking an eyebrow as they theorized in front of her while the hull burned around them. She tried focusing on the conversation, but something tickled the back of her mind. All around her, she could feel the heat as Remnant's atmosphere pushing againsted the hardened plating of the Iron Symphony. She could feel the heat, not in an uncomfortable way, but rather like she did when she activated her Semblance.
Whenever the blonde activated her abilities and reflected the damage her enemies dealt to her back upon them, the very common side effect of flames always accompanied her. She felt them like a shadow or a piece of clothing; always following her movements, a consequence to her rage and serving her will as she burned down everything that opposed her. But she always had to 'go off' before she could feel the fire around her. Now, she was keenly aware of the heat that engulfed the ship even as they broke through the stratosphere. The flames existed just out of her reach, like an arm that had fallen asleep and refused to obey her commands.
What is this? She wondered idly, even as Jaune pushed the throttle forward and pulled back on the control rod. The whole team felt their stomachs try to fill their toes as the Iron Symphony decelerated sharply, pulling up and escaping the dive that had brought them into Remnant's breathable zone. Once gravity and friction ceased their holds on the ship, the flames disappeared. But Yang couldn't simply forget the feeling that she had noticed. The fire had been...hungry. She'd definitely discuss this with Blake and Horst when they were done chasing Fallen.
Summer leveled the craft out, refining Jaune's clumsy attempts as she placed a nav point on the screen in front of him. With a destination in mind, and Remnant below them, Jaune took the team through the air as he pushed forward on the throttle again, easing the controls to roughly seventy five percent and breaking the sound barrier as the Iron Symphony took off through the air. Below them forests, rivers, and mountains streaked underneath in a multicolored blur, a landscape traversed to quickly to recognize even as they took it all in from a vantage point only the most ambitious airship could dream of.
"We've got three minutes until we reach the projected path the Skiffs were following. Our instruments are good, but telemetry and holographics get confused when you get lower to the ground. Radar signatures may provide use, but the Fallen have proven elusive to that in the past." Summer advised. "When you reach the next marker, slow down and we'll perform a more active scan." Jaune and Ruby nodded in affirmation, their movements in synch as they pantomimed Summer's instructions. With the Iron Symphony streaking through the air, Summer relinquished more and more control to the two squad leaders as they felt out the ship's responses. She was fully ready to reassume control should any problems arise, but the two were doing fairly well, especially for their first flight. Ruby and Jaune were learning at equal pace, though she could almost say that the blonde leader was outmatching Ruby in the piloting department. Of course, the ship had received more commands from Jaune than Ruby anyway, so right now he simply had more experience than Ruby did. They would both be proficient pilots in short time, though it would take more than one flight to reinforce their instincts for flying.
The nav marker ticked down the distance until it reached the single digits, measured in kilometers. Jaune felt Summer throttle back gradually, and quickly carried out the rest of the action until he stopped it at approximately thirty five percent. The streaking landscape below them quickly resolved into a much more recognizable vista, and one that they had seen on their first day at Beacon: Emerald Forest, as seen from on high. The non piloting members of JNPR and RWBY craned their necks to see outside, and were each just as shocked to see two Fallen ships hovering over the last place they expected the pirates to be interested in: Beacon Academy. All eight students stared in shock, even Blake after she had recovered from the auditory torture of the engines.
"Why are they circling the school? What could be there that the Fallen could want?" Ren's question echoed what everyone was thinking. And if the Skiffs had been content to merely look at the academy, they would have had time to debate. However, smoke rising from th forest floor beneath the plateau and Arc bolts flying between the two remaining dropships demanded action instead of words.
"It looks like a few of them crashed into the forest." Blake pointed out, the pall of smoke not yet high in the air. Whatever had crashed there, be it one Skiff or many, it had not been on the ground long.
"Looks like Professor Horst was right. We'll need to split up here." Ruby said solemnly. She looked over at Jaune, who appeared to be ready for suggestions. "Jaune, if you guys can handle the ones on the ground, we'll follow the dropships. We'll either find out what they want or shoot them down, whichever comes first."
Jaune nodded and pushed upward on his restraints, Bastion unlocking them the second his hands met metal.
"You got it, Ruby. I don't know what they want with the school, but we need to find out and protect whatever it is. These guys aren't going to turn Remnant into another ruin." Jaune waved his hand over his hip and Crocea Mors appeared, the sheath shield taking its rightful place on his hip while his sword found a way to his hand. "Let's go, team. We've got some aliens to hunt down."
Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren removed their own restraints and summoned their weapons as well, all three pumped and ready for action. This would be their first mission without a professor guiding them. Team RWBY had gone on several solo (and barely sanctioned) missions in the first semester, but JNPR was still new to the unsupervised kick. Still, they were willing and able to get the job done.
"Ruby, get us as close to the crash site as you can, then get clear. The sooner you guys land, the sooner Professor Horst can have his ship back." Jaune called, and together team JNPR stood back to back in the center of the cabin. Yang offered Ren a cheesy thumbs up since he was facing their way, and the ninja just grinned wryly before all four were transmatted out of the cabin, their Ghosts providing better transmat coordinates without the added hassle of moving from one ship to another. As soon as they were gone, Ruby aimed the Iron Symphony toward the fighting Skiffs and pushed on the throttle, sending the ship and its occupants hurtling toward the plateau as they hunted down the remaining Fallen ships. Down on the ground, JNPR phased into existence in the calm forest, surrounded by the same ancient trees that had greeted them during initiation so many months ago. Jaune and Pyrrha stepped outward immediately, shields raised to block any incoming threats while Ren and Nora scanned the area, ready to counter attack should any foes stand to meet them.
Only a quiet forest met their gaze.
"Alright guys, let's head towards the crash site. Watch out for Grimm; they're probably going to be drawn to greedy little pirates." Jaune said quietly, and together the four moved out in a loose formation. Jaune and Pyrrha took the lead, their shields raised should any unsuspected attackers appear from the brush, while Nora and Ren lagged behind at a decent distance. If something came along that did require their attention, Nora would need space to swing her hammer, and Ren preferred to stay a medium distance away from his foes.
It was in this formation that the team found the first sign of Fallen activity: a massive crater in the ground, littered with debris and Fallen corpses. When in working condition, a Fallen Skiff appeared as such: a bulbous head sat at the fore of the ship, bristling with red lenses and rods that likely picked up radio signals. Twin gun turrets descended from beneath this head, and a linear body flowed backward from there. Six hatches from within the Skiff could open, discharging the crew inside to raid and pillage as necessary. Multiple circular pods sat at each corner of the craft, capable of dropping bouncing shock mines Horst had cursed about on several occassions when Fallen weaponry came up.
That was how a Skiff was SUPPOSED to look like. Right now, team JNPR was staring at a pile of rent metal and cloaked bodies. In some cases, the bodies were not even whole. Already, several Beowulfs and a Creep had discovered the crash site, and the wolves had decided to fight over the corpse of a Fallen Vandal. The two Grimm tugged viciously on the cloaked body, succeeding in tearing an arm free and giving both wolves their own prize to feast on. The lone Creep was digging its armored nose deeper into the wreckage, where a blood splatter indicated the presence of another Fallen body.
JNPR moved down into the crater quietly, their padded boots providing excellent support as the pulverized dirt slid like sand. The growls and the snarls of the feasting Beowulfs masked what little noise they did make, and Jaune and Pyrrha snuck up behind the two wolves while Ren drew close to their reptilian counterpart. As the Beowulf feasting on the corpse pulled its head back to swallow the latest morsel pulled from the body, Jaune drove the tip of Crocea Mors clean through the Grimm's throat. The wolf yelped in surprise, and could only gargle in a daze as Jaune pulled his blade free. A powerful, two-handed swipe removed its head a moment later. As Jaune handled the first wolf, Pyrrha drove Akouo into the base of the second wolf's neck, paralyzing it and easily allowing her to run Milo into the same spot.
The surprise assault on the Beowulfs attracted the attention of the Creep, picking its armored nose out of the wreckage at the sound of its comrades' demise. When it turned to investigate, however, the blades of Ren's Storm Flower found their homes in the Creep's eyes. The Creep howled in pain, but was quickly silenced when Ren pulled both of his weapons downward with a savage jerk. The Creep plowed into the ground for the last time, its body smouldering even as the other Grimm had already begun to dissolve. They had been dispatched quietly, but there was no telling when more Grimm would come looking for food. JNPR had to move quickly.
Jaune knelt over the torn body of the Vandal, grimacing at the remains that the Beowulf had desecrated. The wounds bled slowly, which meant that the Vandal had already been killed before the Grimm had found him. Or did it? Jaune knew next to nothing about Fallen biology. Their blood could coagulate quickly, and that would simply mean that the Grimm or the crash had taken him out. Focus, Jaune. He berated himself. Don't worry about what you don't know; focus on what you do know. With that in mind, the blonde rolled the body over and examined the head, and winced when he saw a blackened hole in the right temple. His earlier assumption had been correct; the Vandal had survived the crash, and was already dead by the time the Grimm had found him. Another Fallen had been the one to put him down.
"Jaune, what do you have?" Ren asked quietly. The blonde looked over the corpse one last time – mechanical lower arms destroyed, ribs exposed through chest wound – before he stood up, holding out his hand for Bastion to appear. When she did, he gestured toward the body.
"Bastion, see if you can figure out which House this one is from. At the least, we need to know who the victims are." Jaune said somberly. Bastion nodded and flew over to the corpse, her blue light sweeping over the body as the rest of JNPR kept a careful watch for any interruptions. It was foolish to turn their backs on the forest, and a crash such as this was bound to attract more attention. Once she was done scanning the body, Bastion floated over to the wreckage and allowed her blue cone of light to sweep over the majority of the debris. A few moments and the processing tittering of Bastion passed before the Ghost finished her examination, and flew back up to eye level with Jaune.
"This Vandal is of middling rank with the House of Scars. His arms were docked recently, the fact that he is a Vandal again means that their rank structure is either very ambitious, or this particular Fallen was very tenacious." Bastion paused. "However, further scans indicate that while this Vandal belonged to the House of Scars, this particular Skiff bears the markings of the House of Giants." Jaune and Pyrrha blinked and exchanged looks, before Jaune stepped toward the outer ring of the crater to widen their guard. With Jaune on the perimeter, Pyrrha furthered the investigation.
"What can you tell us of these two Houses?" She asked gently, her eyes scanning the area for any incoming Grimm. To the west, near the edge of the plateau, another column of smoke began rising into the air. Another crash site, she presumed. But right now, they had to glean whatever they could from this wreck. Only then would they proceed onward.
"The House of Scars has some middling record from the House of Judgment database." Bastion reported. "A minor House, numbering far less than the Devils and Wolves. Without suffcient forces, the House of Scars has been documented several times conducting hit and run attacks on minor settlements of Awoken, never lingering for very long. Skolas himself put an order out for their removal, but their Kell proved too cunning for Skolas' lieutenants." Bastion examined further information downloaded from the information packets Cayde had provided them shortly before placing the freed Ghosts into that infernal box.
"The only information on the House of Giants is an ancient list, a roster of Houses considered 'regal' before the Whirlwind. The Giants are ranked eighth on the list, though the significance of such a list is pure speculation. Clearly they are superior in combat, at least in this instance." Pyrrha looked down at the Vandal on the ground. The Scars had managed to down a Giant ship, and were still defeated after the crash. Considering the evidence on hand, the champion could not help but agree with Bastion's hypothesis. The Ghost scanned the area once more, and then she focused on trampled ground near the western portion of the crater. Bastion examined the turned up soil, and her gaze slowly panned upward as she gazed further into the forest.
"It is clear that the Fallen underneath the wreckage did not kill this Scar, so the Fallen that survived the crash is presumably still alive from this data. There is a trail here leading deeper into the forest, toward the second crash site." Bastion extended her scan and half formed footprints, too narrow and too few toes to be human, lead into the wood away from the crater. Ren followed the prints intently, noting the slight parting in the brush and a few torn scraps of fabric. As he recalled from the missions Spirit and Horst had shown them, many Fallen wore long cloaks that matched the material hanging from the bushes.
"We're not going to find anything else here." The ninja said evenly, and inclined his head toward the path. "Whether we follow the survivor or go to the other crash, it's the same direction. We should get moving." The threat of approaching Grimm went unmentioned, but Jaune was wary nonetheless.
"Ren's right. Let's get moving." The blonde said, and motioned with his sword toward the path their crash survivor had taken. Pyrrha and Nora took point, leaving Ren and Jaune to pick up the rear as they moved single file through the trees. In these woods, there was underbrush and bushes all underneath the trees, clamoring for the delicious sunlight that their taller brothers enjoyed relentlessly. With so many bristles and thorns littering the forest floor, scraps of cloth and dabs of blue, murky blood were easy to follow. As such, Pyrrha moved at clipped pace, Nora close behind as the two female members of JNPR lead the way. Ren and Jaune had no trouble keeping up, but it was not the slow creep Jaune had been expecting for a track.
The hunt was on.
While JNPR handled things at the first crash site, Ruby pushed the Iron Symphony through the skies as they continued their pursuit. The two Skiffs must have noticed their tail, and had taken their mid flight brawl around the far side of the plateau. Ruby was keen enough to circle around the side cautiously, the Iron Symhpony's holographic display showing the two dancing dropships in red outline on the other side of the cliff. On her screen, one of the Skiffs skirted away before it came dangerously close to one of Beacon's smaller towers. As such, the other Skiff continued to fire at it in total disregard for the fact that their missed shots were hitting the school's central courtyard, one such blast actually hitting the large monument in front of the landing pad.
Ruby decided she really didn't like the second Skiff. And when you're flying an intergalactic spacecraft designed to blow up or outrun anything that gets in its way, personal grievance was handled in a very not-so-subtle way. Ruby waved to Summer as the Ghost took control of the flight systems, and another clue to Summer's actions flashed across the display in blocky green letters: weapons lock disengaged. A circled crosshair appeared on the screen as Summer banked the Iron Symphony around the cliffside, keeping the bow pointed toward the dueling Skiffs as they came around the bend. Ruby moved the control stick around, the crosshair responding appropriately, and smirked in triumph when the target landed on the Skiff that was still firing away at its opponent. Just before the red outlined ships became visible, the Giants Skiff stopped and hovered below the plateau, pointed directly at the cliff wall as if it were looking for something. This moment's pause unfortunately left it vulnerable for the other Skiff, and two direct hits from the shock cannons sent the last Giants Skiff plummeting to the ground, whole but injured and dropping quickly. That being said, the Scars Skiff was not prepared when Summer brought the Iron Symphony around the cliffside, and the twin autocannons on either side of the cockpit tore through the Skiff's armor like a hot knife through butter. Ruby squeezed the trigger with a savage grin, eager to see exactly what this ship could do.
BamBamBamBamBamBam!
The alternating fire of high caliber cannons rocked the ship, firing from one cannon at a time to preserve stability. Either in orbit or atmosphere, it was vital to prevent any last second changes in momentum. That being said, the cannons were still strong enough to absolutely shred the Skiff, the top half of its bulbous form and its shock cannons disintegrating in the wake of Ruby's fire. Ruby put two more salvos into the dying craft even as its propulsion failed, scattering its tail and causing the wreckage to slam into the cliffside. A great explosion shook the Iron Symphony, and Yang and Weiss cheered from behind Ruby as she released the trigger.
"Yeah, way to go Rubes!" Her sister crowed from the rear, fighting her growing concern as the feeling from before returned, albeit much more stronger this time. Watching the flames lick the sky from the destroyed Scars ship made her feel...hungry. While Yang wrestled with these new sensations, Weiss tossed a fist in the air as well.
"Good shooting, Ruby! Show those Fallen who's boss." The heiress said with a smug look of satisfaction. While the other two continued cheering on their team leader, Blake simply groaned in pain as her senstive ears reeled from that assault. The concussive force of the cannons alone, explosions and impacts with the cliff notwithstanding, was more than enough for a dull ache to permeate her head. The sensory overload threatened one hell of a migraine for the poor Faunus.
"Alright, let's hit the dirt so Professor Horst can have his ship back. Are you guys ready?" Ruby said as she pushed her restraints up, drawing Cresent Rose from behind her back as she stood from the co-pilot's seat. Yang was out of her harness first, almost dancing to the center of the cabin as Summer hovered above the forest, the other two craft having already crashed to the ground. Weiss and Blake followed soon after, though Blake's slouch and eyes clenched together made for a less than reassuring team line up.
"Alright Summer, beam us down to the planet!" Ruby said obliviously, racking the bolt on Crescent Rose in its rifle form. Yang snickered at that even as Weiss and Blake groaned, albeit for different reasons.
"Alright, who's wearing a red-" Yang's comment was cut off as the transmat erased them from existence, collecting their blueprints before rearranging the atoms that made up their bodies and weapons several hundred feet below the Iron Symphony. In less than two seconds, the team had been transported from the cabin of the ship to the lush grass covered floor of the Emerald Forest. It had happened in so little time, Yang didn't even notice the change as they landed on their feet. "-shirt?"
When the four landed, they each faced a different direction, weapons at the ready in case of any Grimm that might have been have been drawn to the two most recent crashes. In the wake of the autocannons and the explosions, the soft whisper of wind through the trees was eerily quiet. However, no Grimm presented itself, and they were losing time. Ruby looked up at the black silhouette in the sky that was the Iron Symphony, just in time to see its thrusters flare and the ship tore through the sky, becoming a rapidly shrinking dot as it rushed back into orbit to join its master. Speaking of which...
"Professor Horst." Ruby uttered out loud, Summer already patching them into the comms of the Infinite Sky. "We've made it to the forest. There are no Fallen ships in the air, and we're checking out the crash sites. Jaune and the others are already clearing one now."A crackling noise and some feedback was her response, along with the distance echo of cannon fire. Not the repeated thuds of an autocannon like the ones they had used, but rather a single resounding boom that echoed into the comm.
"Well done, Ruby. Clean up the Fallen, and keep an eye out for whatever they had been searching for. If those ships didn't simply fight, one or both crews are here to find something. Argh!" Horst snarled over the mic even as RWBY moved into the forest, following the sound of crackling fire and a rising column of smoke. "Whatever you do, remember that your first duty is to protect the people and protect each other. Everything else comes second." With that, the line closed, and they could no longer hear the space battle above them through his channel. Ruby nodded and took the lead, guiding her team toward the downed Skiffs quickly and quietly.
As crashes and explosions are wont to do, a ragged clearing of flattened trees, ugly craters, and debris met their gaze roughly a minute later. The first Skiff to go down rested on a copse of smaller saplings, its fall broken by their young trunks. The ship that Ruby had shot down was conveniently everywhere, with rods, plates, cones, and the occassional charred body part littering the area.
Since it was the more likely of the two to have any survivors, Ruby motioned for the group to focus on the intact Skiff first, though they did keep an eye out for Grimm and any survivors that might have jumped free from the other ship. Weiss and Ruby approached the Skiff from the front, wary of the shock cannons that were permanently locked forward due to the impact. The barrels were pointed upwards, but they weren't sure whether or not the cannons could still pivot in their current condition. Yang and Blake circled around, focused on the deployment hatches that they had seen Fallen descend from in Horst's videos. Unfortunately, while the hatches were indeed open upon Yang's cautious inspection, the crew rods that the Fallen would hold onto had bent across their respective hatches. The obstacles barred entry and exit, and offered no alternative for the team to find a way inside.
"Do you think they're still alive?" Weiss whispered, Myrtenaster at the ready in case the aliens decided to show themselves aggressively. A ruse such as that was not above the Fallen, according to Spirit. Ruby remained on guard as well, and the two each chose a side next to the bulbous cockpit. Several of the protruding rods and sensors were dug deep into the ground, others broken and hanging feeble by the crash. The glowing lights that had been on the bow of the ship earlier had disappeared, giving every appearance of a dead and empty Skiff. Unless the crew had escaped in just a few seconds however, there was no way RWBY had missed them.
"Hey guys, I found a way in!" Yang called from above, and Ruby looked up to see her sister standing on top of the wreckage, a small hatch door torn from its place by the brawler. The blonde tossed the hatch away carelessly and peered down into the dropship, Spark appearing at her shoulder to provide a bright beam of light. Weiss and Blake hopped up as well, while Ruby remained by the cockpit. The metal hull groaned and clanked in protest to the girls' landing, but Ruby could have sworn she heard something else. Even after the Guardians stopped moving, she could faintly hear scrabbling and thumping inside...
A loud snap was all the warning Ruby needed as she pulled away from the cockpit, just in time to avoid the large bulbous plate that burst from the bow of Skiff, revealing the viewport of the cockpit to be an escape hatch as well. Had the reaper been leaning forward for a second longer, she would have likely lost her head from the force of the blast. As the escape hatch blasted away from the cockpit, two cloaked shadows dove – or maybe crashed enthusiastically – out into the crater's coarse dirt. One of them landed much more solidly than the other, and once Ruby had recovered from the shock of nearly losing her head, the remaining crew members of the Giants Skiff rolled out into the sunlight.
The Vandals were just like they had seen in Horst's memories – four arms, tattered cloak, angular head covered by a helmet – however, subtle differences suggested that this House was different from the others. The greatest difference was the fact that unlike many in the Fallen heirarchy, these two Vandals still retained all four of their original limbs. Unfortunately, multiple other wounds indicated that these two Fallen weren't going anywhere.
As the two aliens struggled to retain their footing, Blake jumped down from the Skiff and cut them off from the forest. The two Vandals looked up at her landing, their eyes following Gambol Shroud as she held the blade to her side. Yang ran up behind them a second later, effectively surrounding the two wounded Fallen. The healthier of the two covered its fallen brother with its two right arms, the left grasping the hilt of a saber at its hip. The weaker Vandal took several rattling breaths as it struggled to stand. Even from Ruby's vantage point, the blood dripping down the Fallen's side did not bode well for its health.
"Don't do anything yet!" Ruby cautioned. "The Skiff they came out of wasn't attacking the school. And they still haven't attacked us. Maybe we can talk to them." Blake and Weiss exchanged a wary look, but the two stepped back cautiously as the Vandals watched them. The weaker Fallen muttered something to its partner in their guttural, indecipherable language. Whatever he had said, the stronger Vandal relaxed its grip on its saber, but did not remove the hand that gripped the blade entirely. It seemed both parties were willing to parlay, a fact that again went against almost everything Horst had said about the Fallen.
"Flake, see if you can translate their language." Weiss whispered, even as the white Ghost appeared above her head. When he did show his form, both Vandals jerked their heads in his direction. As Flake listened closely to them, the two Fallen's excited muttering increased tenfold as they looked at him. The weaker of the two Vandals stood to its feet shakily, causing Blake and Yang to tense up in response. The Vandal ignored them, however, its eyes focused upon Weiss' Ghost as it took a single step forward. Weiss gripped Myrtenaster a little tighter, until Flake began translating their strange leanguage.
"They are excited about...me?" Flake's tone was one of confusion. "They keep talking about the Light. The Light of the Great Machine. The dialect is not one our database recognises. I must focus on the base words and... yes, they are thrilled at the sight of a 'Light-Servitor'." Ruby and Yang walked closer to the pair of aliens, ignored almost completely by the Vandals as they crept closer to Weiss and her Ghost. The heiress winced apprehensively, taking a step back and raising her rapier defensively. The movement caused the two Fallen to cease their approach.
"Do you think they mean the Traveler?" Blake asked quietly, her ears twitching as she picked up more noises coming from the dropship. Even as the two Fallen continued to chitter away, Blake inclined her head toward the downed Skiff. "Yang... there's something else in there."
The blonde nodded and turned her back on the Vandals, bringing her gauntlets up in a cautionary guard as she inched toward the ship. More falling metal in the ship attracted Weiss and Ruby's attention as well, and together all four placed themselves between the Skiff and its injured owners. The Vandals stopped chittering and looked around, the stronger of the two supporting its weaker partner as they scanned the area. Even the Fallen knew that something wasn't right.
"Yang, check it out. I'm right behind you." Ruby uttered, the scope of Crescent Rose popping up and giving her the perfect view into the darkened Skiff. Her sister edged forward, slow methodical steps allowing her to move quickly out of the way should anything appear from the wreckage. As Yang crept closer to the sparking, damaged craft, the surrounding forest seemed to quiet, as if the trees themselves waited with bated breath to discover the contents of the dropship. Weiss stood nearby the two Vandals, Flake disappearing as the possibility of combat deemed him unnecessary. Yang came within a meter of the ship before her guard loosened, the blonde leaning forward to peer deeply into the ship.
The tension in the air was palpable as the team waited for something to happen. Blake advanced a little closer as well, ready to support Yang just in case more than one enemy made itself known. So focused were they upon the Skiff and its possible intruders, the hum of a blade passing through the air went entirely unnoticed to them. Weiss didn't even notice the movement next to her until a splash of warm fluid danced across her cheek. The heiress blinked in surprise, not quite sure what the strange fluid was as she brought a hand to her cheek. Just as she wiped the sticky substance from her cheek, examining the purple ichor in confusion, the body behind her finally hit the ground.
All four Guardians turned immediately, just in time for the healthy (formerly) Vandal's cloak to settle onto the ground. The body twitched and spasmed as its nerve endings fired, the head removed completely as it rolled across the ground. The weakened Vandal was nowhere to be found, but a larger set of footprints leading away from the clearing indicated that there had been a third party with them.
Once Weiss realized that it was blood now smeared on her face, a horrified shriek escaped the heiress as she wiped at her cheek with much more fervor, doing everything possible to separate her own face from the grimy substance. Ruby stepped between Weiss and the body on instinct, not that the corpse would stand up and attack. Blake and Yang approached as well, their eyes searching the surrounding forest for any sign of the intruder or the missing Vandal. Nothing but trees swaying gently in the breeze met their eyes.
"Ugh, that's disgusting. I can't believe I missed that!" Weiss protested hotly, rubbing at the place where the blood had been even though she had removed it completely from her cheek. Ruby normally would be laughing at her reserved partner's frenzied actions, but the current predicament worried her on several levels.
"I didn't even hear it approach." Blake murmured, her golden eyes wide with disbelief as she knelt down to look at the body. The blade had passed cleanly through cloak, flesh, bone, and muscle, leaving a cross section of Fallen anatomy to spurt blood all over the ground as the corpse continued to spasm. The tremors and spurts of blood came in shorter, less frequent bursts, but the rapidly cooling body mystified the gathered Guardians.
Something had distracted them, taken the weaker Fallen, killed its partner, and vanished without any of them noticing.
"I think we're in trouble." Ruby whispered, and the others couldn't help but nod. Still, the tracks and small flecks of blood, either from the killer's blade or the weakened Vandal, lead further into the forest toward the second crash site. With no other alternative, team RWBY set out into the woods, wary of the silent assassin that stalked their land.
It had been awhile since Horst had viewed a battle from the Infinite Sky's gunner seat. Seated in front of Spirit as she piloted the flying brick that was her beloved ship in a low orbit dance between the two Ketches, Horst was having a hard time finding enough targets for the considerable armaments at his disposal. In the courtyard a few days ago, Professor Oobleck had been restricted to the nose mounted cannon to prevent collateral damage. Out here in the vacuum of space, surrounded by enough lunar debris to catch any carelessly fired shots, Horst was thoroughly enjoying himself.
"Contact coming in high, two o'clock!" Spirit reminded urgently, pulling hard on the controls to bank in time as another Skiff offered its protest to their actions with its Arc cannons. As the Infinite Sky rolled its bulk in avoidance, Horst cycled control to the missile pods. On either side of the cockpit, two banks of pods were exposed as their covers retracted, and the guidance systems shone red on Horst's control screen. A few screen taps later, and the Skiff that had attempted to cut them down suddenly had a few explosive friends wanting to play. Three short range missiles burst from their homes with little more than a hiss, and a rapid series of beeps chimed from the control panel. While the explosives hunted their prey, two more Skiffs crossed in front of the Infinite Sky, and felt the wrath of her nose mounted cannon. Just as the other two exploded in debris and a cloud of dancing Arc energy, the rapid beeping ended with a triumphant chime, indicating that the first Skiff had been downed as well.
"Are both teams playing against us, or is it just the shabby ones?" Horst asked as another Skiff dove from the Scars Ketch toward them. So far, the House of Giants had neglected the Guardians and their dropship, focusing the entirety of their efforts on protecting their Ketch from the Scars and any debris that drifted too close to their mothership. Two Skiffs at least had paid the price for their Ketch, but Horst's efforts in removing the Scars had done wonders in preserving the rest of the Giants' forces.
"I don't know if they want to kill us, but that other Ketch has been playing defensively so far." Spirit wasn't quite convinced yet, however. "It could just be like the Kings on Earth; more worried about House matters than dealing with a few nosy Guardians." Horst snorted from the seat in front of her, causing the Hunter to raise her eyebrow even as they barrel rolled out of the way of a salvo of shock cannons, a much larger battery fired from one Ketch to another as the two large ships dueled their way through the debris field. Spirit kept the Infinite Sky low and between the two ships, providing Horst with the best possible position to fire on either ship if he needed to.
"They haven't even fired upon us accidentally, sweetheart. Any time a Skiff has come within salvo range of us, they have ignored it. When the enemy is purposefully not shooting at you, something is up." Spirit 'humm'ed at his comment, but was too focused ducking underneath a particularly large chunk of moon to respond.
The Infinite Sky went low, going so close to Remnant's horizon that Spirit could feel the planet's gravity faintly pulling at the controls. As the Ketches cleared the debris field, the rate of fire between the two great ships escalated quickly. The House of Scars unloaded its full arsenal, a mighty salvo that brought every active gun to bear. In comparison, the House of Giants answered with roughly half of its cannons, choosing instead to roll to port and create the smallest target possible. The tactic was successful, but only just: as Horst and Spirit watched, seven of the thirty blasts from the Lesson Learned impacted along the hull of the Giants' flagship and tore sizable chunks out of its armor. In two places, one along the bow and the other near the cargo hatch, the armor withstood the blows. In the other five, most greviously near the bridge, the armor buckled under the strain and fire gouted from the wounds.
"Well, that fight ended quickly." Spirit muttered dryly. The Giants' rounds did further damage to the Lesson Learned, but theirs was the ship that listed away in retreat. Just as the Ketches separated, allowing the Lesson Learned to focus its fire on Spirit and Horst, a small blip appeared on the scanners. Horst looked down toward the planet's surface, and was pleased to see the Iron Symphony climbing into orbit like a white lance as the atmosphere struggled to keep the ship under control.
"Might want to bring that blockade breaker around quickly, Horst." Spirit said in warning. "That Ketch may be roughed up, but its going to take the two of us to handle it." Horst nodded and stood from the gunner seat, patting Spirit on the knee as he exited the cockpit. As he walked through the crew cabin, the Titan secured his helmet, making doubly certain that the seals were on tight. As capable as Switch was in resurrection, explosive decompression was an end he'd like to avoid if possible. Once his armor was taken care of, Horst exited the crew cabin and entered the cargo bay.
"Make sure to take the airlock, Horst. I don't want all of my toys orbiting Remnant for the next six months." Spirit cracked from the cockpit, her voice echoing over speakers at the corners of the room. Instead of responding, Horst simply chuckled and turned toward the work bench. To the right of the bench, in the center of the bulkhead was a hatch that was only slightly taller than Horst, and wide enough for him to walk in with one arm held outward. Once inside, the hatch slide closed behind him. In front of him, a thick glass portal was the only thing separating Horst from the frigid vacuum of space. To his left, a small panel the size of his hand slid downward, revealing a handle that pulled downward.
Once the airlock opens, I won't have much time to get in position. Horst reminded himself. The Titan took a deep breath to steady himself, mentally counting to five. Once the countdown was finished, Horst reahed out and grasped the handle solidly, then pulled down. The mechanism went smoothly, locking in place and allowing him to remove his hand once the hatch began to open. As the air in the small room rushed out of the airlock, the rushing wind took Horst's ears as he held onto a bar near the hatch he had walked in through. As the windowed airlock fully opened, Horst released his grip and kicked off of the hatch, flinging his body out into space just as Spirit rolled away from the first salvo fired at the Infinite Sky. The resulting force of both her maneuver and his push sent Horst catapulting through space, far away from Spirit's ship and the cannon fire that followed it. All sound left Horst as the atmosphere around him thinned and then disappeared entirely.
Flashes of light passed his vision as the Titan hurtled through low orbit, watching the Infinite Sky peel away and approach the flank of the Lesson Learned. While he hurtled through space, Horst could see his ship approaching fast.
"Switch, make sure you transmat me BEFORE the Iron Symphony paints me across the stratosphere!" Horst felt the need to remind his Ghost. The ship angled toward him, and Horst now felt the rare thrill of fear as he stared down the bow of his own ship, even at a distance. Odd to be on the receiving end of that intimidating ship.
"I won't mess up now, as funny as it would be to see parts of you crash to Remnant like a charcoal mannequin." Switch retorted, and Horst could already feel the his atoms rearranging. A flash of light passed his vision again, and the next thing Horst knew he was sitting in the pilot seat of the Iron Symphony, his hand already on the control stick as beeping became the first thing that greeted his ears. Horst looked up at the viewscreen just in time to yank the control stick hard right, pulling up and pushing the throttle forward in a drastic u-turn. Had he not, the Iron Symhpony would have been painted across the biggest piece of the moon.
Now confident in his control over his own fate once more, Horst shifted in his seat...and then moved again. Hmm. The Titan readjusted a third time, but something just didn't sit right with him. With nothing terribly close to obliterating his ship, Horst took the time to look down at the pilot seat. What he saw nearly infuriated him to the point of combustion.
"WHO THE FUCK ADJUSTED MY SEAT?!"
Baron Chaviks stalked ahead of the younglings, more than confident that his little display would slow their pace. When he had escaped the second crash, the Baron had not expected to find that the defenders of this tiny little world would be little more than children. Still, beheading one Vandal would likely provide more of a tactical advantage than slaughtering one of the children would have. Fear would make their steps cautious, reluctant. Had he taken one of them, the other would have followed with a vengeance. The Baron's scare tactic had provided the time he needed to wipe out the rest of the Giants.
The weakened survivor of the Skiff crash struggled against the Baron's mechanical grasp. Unlike the House of Scars, very few of the House of Giants bore the docked limbs of punishment. To some, it would indicate a well run crew, with no need for discipline. But the Baron saw it as weakness; a Kell that refused to punish his crew was a weak leader indeed. It was a miracle that the House of Giants had survived for as long as it hand with such feeble leadership at the helm.
Chaviks took to the trees, taking the high road to avoid being seen from afar by his pursuers. His bloodied captive rasped in protest, but the Baron paid him no heed. The second crash site was close. None of the other Scars were responding to his hails, and it was safe to assume that he was the last of his crew. No matter.
The Giants may have gotten luck with the interference of this planet's defenders, but they would not escape the Baron. His prey were few in number already, and once the Giants were out of the way, the House of Scars would lay claim to this world, far from the influences of the Devils and Winters. The Sol system had proven too tedious and cumbersome for the Scars to subvert, and the rival Houses there had provided more of a challenge than their Kell had first assumed. Here on Remnant, there was no such danger of another House vying for supremacy. According to the Archon, this planet's technology was not as advanced as the weapons the House of Scars carried. They would be easy prey.
Upon reaching the second crash site, Chaviks stopped his traversal of the wooded canopy. Down below, the Scars' Skiff had collided with one hell of a boulder, pulverizing the rock with the detonation of its core. A long trail had been dug into the ground, showing that the Skiff had slid to a halt instead of just impacting into the dirt. Unfortunately, Chaviks could see three members of the House of Giants picking over the wreckage, their gold and silver cloaks flapping in a gentle breeze as they searched for survivors and usable technology. The sight of trespassers picking over that which belonged to him enraged the Baron, and he knew right then what his next move would be.
With a roar of defiance, the Baron dropped down to the ground, his larger size offering a much larger thump than could be accomplished by a Vandal or Dreg. The three surviving Giants turned to face him, though only one pulled a saber. The other two were unarmed, it seemed. Excellent. After he stood to his full height, Baron Chaviks lifted his prisoner above his head, both right hands gripping the head while the left hands grasped the legs. With an exertion of monstrous strength and a feral cry, Chaviks tore his prey in two, covering himself and the ground around him in blue-black blood. The Giants balked at such a vicious display, and the Baron grinned savagely beneath his mask.
There was more work to be done yet.
It's heating up. I foresee a boss fight in RWBY and JNPR's future. As for the space battle, you guys remember games like Star Fox and Rogue Squadron, right? I'm drawing inspiration from that.