Book 2, Chapter 3

Counter Strike

She was aware that the old wizard had been out to kill Ruby, but to think he would go as far as to send a hit man on her island? To say she was livid might as well have been an understatement. Despite the constant tension, neither she or the rest of the Student Council, or even the President of New Saunders has ever directly lashed out at Ozpin's organization. Mercenaries did not storm into Beacon unless under the orders of an employer, and she expected the same courtesy in turn from Ozpin.

Now, looking through the glass of the surgery room at the unconscious pariah who lay tattered, bloody and deformed on the table, all she could think was that Ozpin had just declared war on her. He had broken an unspoken rule, and that infuriated her.

"Alecdora." She called to her brother, who turned his gaze to look at her. She didn't look up at him, merely crossing her arms and maintaining the stony look on her face. "I want security around the island quadrupled. Tell the rest of the council to prepare for war with Ozpin's organization, but keep it discreet."

"It will be as you wish... what of the spies Alison's people have ID'd?"

"We've allowed them to live and have fed them only the most useless information... but they are valued by Ozpin. They're some of his best spies, according to her reports, yes?"

"That is correct, yes."

"Bring them all in alive. I want Ozpin to watch them die." She ordered firmly, not budging an inch as her hulking brother took his leave. "Kamina. How are the squads looking?"

"After this cowardly attack? Captains are reporting they're having a hard time restraining their bloodlust across all squads." He answered, drawing a sinister smirk out of the girl.

"Good. Tell them to get their Veterans ready. Their standing orders are to do anything and everything they see fit to hurt Ozpin's operations come nightfall. Restraint level Zero." Her declaration drew a sadistic grin out of the towering merc, who laughed darkly at the proclamation.

"I'm sure they'll be thrilled, but what about the newer mercs?"

"They're to bolster security forces across the islands. They'll get their chance to strike, I assure you." She affirmed, turning her head back to the operating room as she took a moment to think. After about a minute, she knew her next move. "Alison, I want the Intelligence Committee to provide assistance to the Veteran Mercenaries, no matter what kind of operations they undertake. Send the alert to all captains that your people are at their disposal."

"It will be done, ma'am... what would you have my brother do?"

"Ozpin's infiltrators in the Academy. I want them found and brought to me with the spies in the city."

"Of course, I'll see to it that his orders are delivered to him." Alison confirmed, before running away with laptop in hand. Alicia, they could all tell, was extremely pissed. Usually, she was very upbeat, very cordial... however, that side of her was currently nowhere to be seen. Right now she was curt, serious, and in no mood for joking around.

"Ozpin. You hurt one of my students without proper provocation. Mark my words, I will make you feel this pain a hundredfold..." She growled, before looking to Garret, who seemed to have a very concerned looking expression on his face. "Relay the message to all Veterans going afield: Beacon students barring Weiss Schnee are priority targets. 50,000 lien per head."

"I will put the message out immediately, Mi'lady." He gave her the New Saunders salute with a fist to his heart, before dashing away, typing away at his scroll as he left.

"Damnatio... I have no current standing orders for you... but we have a football game against Beacon's away team in Vacuo tonight, correct?" She asked the last other Student Council member aside from her Secretary that was present in the room.

"That is correct. Do you wish for me to use this event to rile them up?"

"Yes. I want Beacon's team utterly destroyed. 100-0, you hear me? Humiliate them completely and utterly."

"Of course, I'll see to it that our team is ready to completely obliterate all their foes." He agreed politely, before taking his leave, leaving just the President and her Secretary...

"Melissa."

"Alicia... this event has certainly riled you up. It's unlike you to act so... boldly." She commented, stepping up beside the girl.

"Unlike Ozpin, I don't view my students as mere tools. Saunders Academy is more than just a school, it's one big family to me. He crossed the line with this attack today, and he must pay dearly for that." She declared with absolute finality, before spinning on her heel and stomping away, her confidant trailing just behind. "I don't care what it takes, and I don't care about the monetary costs. Make sure everyone's goal has plenty of funding. Ozpin must... no, he will pay..."

"Of course, Alicia... of course..." she muttered, stopping dead in her tracks at the sensing of a sudden presence. She scoffed at the feeble attempt, waving her hand nonchalantly and dispelling the semblance active with her own. "Did you fools really think you could decapitate the Student Council so easily?"

"Depends. You haven't made yourselves difficult to get to." One of the seemingly rematerializing assassins taunted, receiving no response from either the President nor her Secretary. "What, not surprised? Don't you know we're his top assassination unit?"

"Hardly. I'm more offended than anything. It didn't even take me using my semblance or anything above grade schooler level aura sense to sense you." Melissa snapped back. "Illusion on top of optical camouflage and sense deception, and I still picked you five out. I don't see why he'd bother with amateurs parading themselves as professionals."

"You'll find we're well aware of what we're-" he cut himself off as he saw the student council President turn to him. Immediately, sweat shot down from his brow as he saw into those spectral pools as a chill ran down his spine. "Those eyes... wait... crap, we need to retreat!"

He leapt back, alongside the rest of his squad as five separate portals opened behind each of them. However, before they could leap a second time into each portal, her eyes glowed brightly, a serious, livid expression playing across her features as she glared at them.

Immediately, they halted in place, grunting loudly as they tried to move but couldn't. It felt like they were at the bottom of the ocean, with all the pressure weighing down on them and no feasibly way to resist...

"Kneel." Her voice boomed, tearing through their minds in a vicious telekinetic assault and forcing their bodies to bend to her will. "You dare stand before me upon my own island? I will not abide by this!"

"Urgh..! W-what... How?!..."

"Fall." The order ripped through their minds, driving them face-first all into the ground as the pressure felt like it increased tenfold. She stepped forward, her heels clicking menacingly with every step as she approached his downed form. "My Dominion is absolute. That you dare challenge me in my own home is an insult I will not forgive. You will die for your impertinence... by your own hands."

"B-bitch! You can't win!" He roared, seizing the opportunity as she momentarily lifted the effects of her semblance to grab his weapon and lunge for her with the rest of his squad...

Only to gasp in horror as his sword stopped a mere inch from her neck, much the same as the rest of the squads' as her eyes flashed once more, freezing them all in place as a truly terrifying smirk spread across her face. "I told you already, didn't I? My Dominion is absolute, and you will die by your own hands. Now..." their weapons retracted from their position hear her, instead dropping back into a ready stance and stepping away from her...

"Kill Yourselves." He only managed to choke out a whimper in defiance, his body acting on her orders his hands took his blade in an underhanded grip, arms extended outwards, aligning the blade with his abdomen, before drawing in and forcing him to impale himself on his own sword.

Falling to his knees with a look of sheer terror playing across his face, he took one last look at his teammates, despair finally setting in as he watched first his little sister press her own handgun to her temple and pull the trigger, painting the wall with her brains. The second was his last remaining teammate from his days at Beacon, whom he watched slit their own throat and fall to the floor. Third was his long-time childhood friend, who he could do nothing for except watch as he spun his rifle around, put the barrel in his mouth, point the weapon up, and pulled the trigger.

Finally, he cast his eyes to his last squad mate, his lover... finally managing to scream out in true despair as he watched her sling her wire back, and decapitate herself as she lashed it forward.

"CAROLINE!" He exclaimed, watching his lover's lifeless body drop to the floor, her head rolling to and stopping just at his knees. Tears immediately rushed down as the Student Council President relinquished her hold on him, allowing him to cradle his lover's severed head as he wallowed in despair, dying in a pool of his own blood.

"Accept your just sentence. Melissa, be a dear and call a team to see to the clean up, would you?" She said in a nonchalant manner, stepping over a body on her way out.

"Of course, ma'am... what about the one still alive?"

"He'll bleed to death shortly. Let him die knowing he failed all those he loved." She dismissed, before walking out the door, and leaving him to his fate...

The assault on his operations and his students were both so sudden, and he couldn't help but shudder at the scale and ferocity of the attack. It wasn't so much like an invasion, but all over the Emerald Forest where many of his students often practiced battle with the Grimm, there were reports of whole squads of warriors in battle armor firing upon them. Initially, he simply thought the White Fang has gotten themselves some more military hardware and were operating in the Forests at the time, and dismissed the reports, citing that the students could handle members of the White Fang without too much trouble.

But then more reports started coming in, reports of casualties, of whole teams getting cut down, of ambushes from the brush. It only took a moment to learn that all cameras in the forest were unresponsive, and that he was totally blind there. His blood went cold when he learned that not only were his students under attack and he was blind in the Emerald Forest, but so too was the situation in Forever Fall Forest, and almost all VDF outposts were either totally unresponsive, or were reporting armored warriors attacking them.

"This is Ozpin to Hunter Outpost 19 Delta, come in! Are you there!?" He scrambled, raising one of the several Hunter outposts in the region in hopes of getting some professionals on the field.

"Bad timing, Oz, Really bad timing!" The sound of blaster and gunfire was almost more prominent than the woman responding's own voice was, making Ozpin gulp with a nervous glint in his eye.

"What is your situation? Can you reach out or assist any other units in your area?"

"We're pinned down and unable to even get out of the outpost! We've sustained heavy casualties, teams VALR and RCKT are all dead, the rest of us have sustained either one or two losses or are all injured! I'm sorry, but unless you're diverting forces to assist us, we can't do a damn thing!" He was afraid that would be the response. He didn't need anyone to say who was attacking, and he knew the White Fang wouldn't be capable of something of this scale. They didn't have the numbers, and their forces weren't high enough quality fighters to force his own into corners like this. Still, he didn't wanna jump the gun, and calling who he thought they were without any visuals or vocal confirmation would be a bad idea.

"Can you identify the attackers? Who are we dealing with?"

"We aren't sure, but whoever they are, they are not White- dammit, O'Connor! Hold that left flank! Hold the line! Hold- ACK!" The line suddenly cut out, leaving him with only static. Wiping the nervous sweat from his brow, he moved to the window and looked out at the forests, both at least somewhat visible from where he stood. Military assets were all tied up fighting their own battles, and allegedly whoever was attacking them had grounded all significant air fields, bring a total halt any hope of immediate air support.

"This is bad... Glynda, do we have any assets that aren't tied up at this moment?" He called over to his Vice headmistress, his concern only growing as she shook her head to say no.

"None that would be of any help... I've sent the standing orders to all units, but only three have reported no contact, and those units are the furthest from the fighting. Apparently soldiers in the city are also facing battle right now..."

A distant, yet still close sounding explosion reached their ears, and they immediately switched to trying to view academy cameras...

"Dammit! We don't even have visual within the Academy! That's it!" Ozpin snapped, pulling up his mic for an announcement. "This is Headmaster Ozpin to all students and faculty members of Beacon Academy! We are under attack! I repeat, we are under attack! Arm yourselves immediately and fight off these attackers!"

He turned away from the microphone, turning instead to the woman in the room with him. "Get down there, find out who's attacking us! I'll stay up here and continue attempts to coordinate a defense!" He ordered, with the stern blonde swiftly nodding and darting out of the room...

"Blast, Glaive, cover the entrance. Tac, Brute, Lancer, spread out, secure the area. Lash, Voma, on the elevator. Viking, cover the stairwell. Everyone else on me." One of the Veteran Mercenaries ordered as they entered the base of the tower, having easily killed the soldiers and students that had been around to defend it. "This is Slasher to Intel, Intel what have you got for us?"

"Your objective is three levels down in the sub levels. The data vault doors are guarded by four Tier X Wardroids from the Great War. Be careful, those things were made with killing Hunters in mind." The Intelligence committee member assigned to their op informed him, making him chuckle slightly.

"Well, wouldn't be no fun if they didn't make us work for our payout. Alright, Gladius squad, reinforce this area. Metal, Havoc, and Gamma, on me, we're going down to Sub level three." In response, fifteen of the veteran Mercenaries rallied behind him, all weapons at ready.

"Work quickly, your window of time is only fifteen minutes. Anywhere after that you risk being overrun, and we can't supportany operations in Vale any more than twenty. If you're not at one of the extraction points by then-"

"We know the stakes Intel, but thanks for the heads up. Alright fireteam, move out, we have fifteen minutes to be down and out!" They didn't waste time with any further words, boarding the elevators without any hesitation and descending down...

The Wardroids put up a fair fight, but were no match. They might've been a threat to hunters, but everyone present was using gear that had long since rendered these machines obsolete. The four burning wrecks only served to nail this point home, that while these automatons represented the pinnacle of mechanized warfare for their time, they were no match for the weaponry of the future in the hands of today's Mercenaries. The battle against these droids had only taken them about thirty seconds.

"Charges set, clear the blast zone!" Slashed ordered, with all fifteen mercenaries rushing to cover behind the droids they'd destroyed. Not a moment too soon as the last man vaulted over and behind a leg, the charges detonated, effortlessly disintegrating the vault doors. "Move in and get to work Mercenaries! Metal, cover the Elevators!"

They didn't need any more directions, as they all knew exactly what they needed to do. Rushing into the data vault, they set down their satchels and started plugging in system scanners and hard drives into the large data repositories. They worked quickly and quietly, copying any and all data they could find and sabotaging whatever systems they could before their timers for ten minutes were up...

"That's enough! Pack it up everyone, we're leaving now!" Slasher ordered, with all Mercenaries having already packed up everything and being in the process of regrouping when he announced it. After doing a quick accountability check, he nodded in satisfaction as he counted all present, and led them out, collecting Metal Squad on their way out...

Stepping out of the elevator, he noted that the area had gotten markedly hotter, operationally speaking. All his Mercenaries were still standing, some with obvious injuries but all still fighting. There were dozens of soldiers in the area outside the tower, with a few teams of students assisting them, though wisely not closing the distance or stepping into the open...

"Slasher, we've got an unexpected... "VIP" we need to exfiltrate with us." Voma reported, gesturing to the surprisingly unconscious Headmistress that was tied up and hefted over her shoulder. "She dropped in on us out of nowhere, and injured almost all of us, but we managed to knock her out with an electro-net. Intel ID'd her as the Vice Headmistress, wants us to bring her in alive."

"Good work. Alright everyone, pack it up, we're headed for the extraction point!" He announced after praising his fellow professional. Once more, they needed nothing more to kick them all into gear, making a swift fighting retreat to the back of the tower and blowing it open with a demolition charge.

Stepping out first, he drew his blaster pistol and shot one of the students thrown to the ground in the face twice, the first shot breaking his weakened aura and the second killing him, before holstering his pistol. Placing his hand back under the barrel of his blaster rifle, he began firing away as he jogged out with the rest of his fellow Mercenaries, fighting through heavy incoming fire and clearing a way to the extraction point...

"This is Alison Raskolnikov to all fireteams, make your way to extraction points now. You have five minutes before all transports take off." The announcement had come, just in time as the defenders had started to regain the upper hand. Their assault wasn't meant to be a long one anyways, and in terms of their given objectives, all teams seemed to be reporting resounding success across the board.

The aim was a barrage of quick surgical strikes against key targets across the region. Destabilization across the Kingdom, in effect. To this end, they were incredibly successful, and as all teams reported in, with only a few individuals from each force limping or being carried, it was clear that the operation was nothing short a decisive victory. Under the cover of night, it was no challenge for all units to exfiltrate the Kingdom, what with the VDF reeling and Beacon on its knees, there really wasn't anything standing in their way, in any case.

"Casualty report, people, what are we looking at?" Kamina asked through the terminal on his Osprey, having personally attended the attack if only to help coordinate his people.

"This is Slasher, sir. Injuries across the board, seventeen serious injuries, twelve unconscious. As of yet, no lives lost." One of his best reported, bringing a smirk out of the grizzled Guildmaster.

"Good work everyone. This op was a total success... now, let's go home, so we can patch up the wounded and get proper care for those that need it." He ordered after a brief compliment, before plopping down in his seat and reading each carnage report as they came in.

It was with total confidence that he could say he didn't believe Ozpin foresaw such a brutal retaliation. Though it would not take long for him to piece together what had happened, by the time he had anything beyond a good guess, they'd already be long gone.

He idly mused about the ranking systems comparatively, tapping his foot quietly as he folded his hands behind his head and lounged back, at least as well as he could with the given seat. "Our regular Mercenaries are at the minimum equivalent of these Kingdom Academy students, with the best among them able to hold their own against a fully certified Hunter. Veteran Mercenaries hold the bar above that, being able to go toe-to-toe with Hunters and everything above that, from there it mostly falls down to Star rating and Grade to determine what they can and cannot reliably take on, though..." he looked to his terminal, seeing that all fireteams reported 100 percent accountability. "Against a bunch of students and a few outposts of hunters unaware of a coming assault? For such a short operation even I'm left to wonder if it was overkill... no matter, I suppose."

With all said and done for the night on his end, he decided to shut his eyes for awhile. After all, with the President's retaliatory mood following what happened to Devil, who knew when he'd get proper sleep hours again?