RWBY: MRRN
Volume 7, Chapter 13: The Missions Start
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.
Author's Notes: After much thought, I decided to go back and change Math and Pyrrha having sex. The changes are in Volume 5, Chapters 20, 21 and 24 and Volume 7, Chapter 10. I no longer feel comfortable about it and I had to change it.
Two days after arriving in Atlas, the group's upgrades were done. They were amazed at the additional features their weapons had received, as well as additional armor for Pyrrha, Jaune, Ruo, and Ruby. They spent two more days getting used to their upgrades before they felt they were ready to go on the missions that Ironwood had for them.
Team MRRN, Luna and Safirlas already had their mission with Team TIGR and Carnelian explained to them, so they got their weapons and armor ready while Teams JNPR, RWBY, Grayson and Qrow prepared to get their mission briefing from Clover Ebi, the leader of the Ace Operatives.
The young adults were excited to work with the most elite Huntsmen in the Atlas Military, Ruby, Jaune and Nora specifically. Very few had the privilege of working with such skilled fighters, especially on a field mission of great importance. They were ecstatic to see firsthand the skill and power of Atlas's most elite Huntsmen and Huntresses.
"Well, see you guys when we get back to Atlas," Robin spoke as the group headed for Fort Daedalus prepared to depart.
"Stay safe, you guys," Math told them. "Keep your eyes open out there."
"Same goes for you guys," Yang replied. Math and Ruo shared kisses with their beloveds before heading out to leave with the others for Fort Daedalus, led by Geom-Eun Holang-I.
The walk to the Odysseus was quiet, the silence broken at times by playful banter between the teammates and Iggy flirting with Saf, reminding her of the date he asked her. Saf tried her best to be polite and shrug off his advances, but Iggy was persistent…until Albert pulled his ear and reminded him that they were going on a mission.
"So, guys," Iggy addressed them. "How many official missions have you been on?"
"Officially?" Math asked. "One during our first year there. We were sent with Professor Alan Kura-"
"Alan Kura?" Rigel interrupted. "General Ironwood told us about him. He died at the hands of the Iron Knights. I'm sorry for what happened." He then smirked sadistically.
"All the reason to kill every last one of those monsters." Disturbed by his sadistic smile, some of the newcomers kept some distance between them and the Lion Faunus. Rigel immediately noticed this, but paid no attention to it.
"You'll have to get used to Rigel," Titus explained to everyone. "He suffers from a bad case of psychopathy." Rigel chuckled in response, his sadism replaced by humor.
"I don't consider killing Iron Knights psychopathic when they're the ones victimizing innocent people. If they want to murder those they claim to fight for, then they need to suffer the consequences."
"Spoken like a true bloodthirsty beast," Harriet spoke as she and Vine came into view, obviously having heard Rigel. The Lion's smile faded and a frown grew on his scowl as he looked over at the Ace Operative.
"Oh, look, an Ace Operative," the Lion mocked, crossing his arms and glaring daggers at Harriet. "Did you come by to condescend to us about how the new guys would better off with you?" Harriet scoffed in response.
"Rigel, Harriet," Geom addressed sternly to stop them, but they clearly didn't listen.
"They would be better off with us," Harriet claimed arrogantly. "You know why? Because we don't have a bloodthirsty psychopath on our team." Rigel chuckled in a very demeaning manner.
"No, you guys are just a bunch of rabid dogs with no free will of your own. Must be nice being blindly obedient all the while convincing yourself you're noble."
"It's a soldier's job to obey orders without question," Vine spoke up. "The reason for this is because we need to act immediately so we can fulfill our missions. Questioning our orders risks jeopardizing our tasks, so you would do well to be more obedient to your military superiors."
"Military superiors?" Titus questioned in a very dismissive tone. "You are NOT our military superiors and we do NOT take orders from you."
"That's enough," Geom spoke again, silencing the insults between the Commandos and Ace Operatives. "We have a mission to accomplish, so cut it out with the insults for now and let's get to the Odysseus."
Rigel and Titus replied positive and rejoined the group heading for Geom's flagship. The Lion gave out a low growl like a beast, snarling as his mind was filled with contempt for the Ace Ops. This opinion was shared by all members of Team TIGR, who had no respect for the Ace Ops.
To them, the Ace Ops were only military superiors because they were blindly obedient to General Ironwood. Unlike them, TIGR wasn't blind to the negative repercussions of the General's recent actions.
Tensions were rising in Mantle and Atlas, causing unrest and several riots to break out in Mantle in recent months. The General's taking of Mantle supplies for Amity Tower was understandable and they agreed with the plan for reuniting Remnant, but the choice Ironwood took made Mantle all the more bitter since he was taking supplies the city desperately needed to rebuild the breach in their wall.
Never once did the Ace Ops criticize Ironwood's decisions nor did they bring up the negative consequences of his actions. They were blindly obedient to him and would view any action he took as infallible, no matter what. They traded their consciences for blind obedience, to let their superiors alone make all decisions.
Luckily, some soldiers shared a viewpoint that Team TIGR had on Atlas Academy: the Huntsmen and the military should stay separate. With Ironwood controlling both Huntsmen and military, he had every armed warrior and soldier under his command. To many, this wouldn't be considered a bad thing, but to those who had been to Atlas Academy would understand a major flaw.
Atlas students, especially those who'd join the military, were groomed to obey the orders of their military leaders without question, without argument. This had been a major criticism of General Ironwood being both Headmaster and General since many hated the idea of him alone having control of the Huntsmen and military.
"Well, you seem like buddies with the Ace Ops," Robin chuckled. "You guys really don't like each them, do you?"
"What gave that away?" Titus asked sarcastically.
"Alright, enough," Colonel Holang-I commanded. "You and the Ace Ops can go at each other's throats when we come back. Right now, we have a fortress to recapture. Should we succeed, we'll drive the last of the Iron Knights out of Atlas territory."
"So, how do we approach this?" Safirlas asked the Colonel. "Are we taking the Odysseus all the way to Fort Daedalus?"
"Not all the way," Geom informed. "They'll pick up my flagship on radar if we get too close. You'll take a Manta the rest of the way, one that's been equipped with a cloaking device so you can sneak in closer to the fortress. Once you get there, follow Andre's lead; he'll know where the tunnel entrance is."
It wasn't much longer before the group boarded the flagship and were on their way to Fort Daedalus. As Geom stated, their success at the fort would mean driving out the last of the Iron Knights in Atlesian territory.
But there were forces there they did not expect to see…
-0-
"Alright," Clover started as he, Qrow, Ruby and Jaune were in the war room, where a projection of a mine was in the center of the table.
"As you all know, the SDC mine will be our launch site for Amity Tower. It's a very secure location and one that's easily defendable against any attackers, but there is a problem we need to take care of before we can bring the supplies safely there." Clover clicked a button, causing the projection to close in on a dome-like part of the mine.
"Grimm have infested the mine and are attracting more and more every day," Clover continued. "The General has tasked us with eliminating them so we can bring the Colosseum safely there."
"What's our plan to get rid of the Grimm?" Jaune asked, gesturing to the size of the mines. "It could take weeks to clear out every single part of the mine to destroy their breeding grounds."
"That won't be necessary," Clover replied. "We ran recon drones in the mines; strangely, but fortunately, there are no Grimm nesting areas. We searched everywhere before we were to make our move, but found nothing. Though there is something strange we found." Clover brought up an image, one that appeared like a miasma of sorts.
It was uncertain where the miasma was coming from. It didn't appear to be coming out of cracks in the ground or from the Dust crystals, so they had no way of knowing what it was or where it was coming from.
"Even Dr. Polendina has no idea what it is," Clover added. "At best, we're assuming it's a toxic gas of sorts. Our Auras protect us from poisonous gases, but we're to exercise caution around it. We don't want to lose anyone on this mission. But we have one decisive way to eliminate the Grimm presence." He returned to the holographic projection of the abandoned SDC mine.
"There is a Geist Grimm in there," Clover informed.
"That explains a lot," Jaune spoke. "Not only are Geist Grimm able to create bodies from different materials, but they can also attract Grimm as well, usually to protect their territory, right?"
"Right," Clover agreed. "How'd you know that? Ever fought one before?"
"We did once," Ruby answered. "We were in Anima travelling to Mistral when we encountered one. We needed some more money, a local village offered a reward and we took it."
"Then you know how to defeat it then," Clover assumed. "That's good to know. If we eliminate the Geist Grimm, clearing the rest of the mine will be much easier."
He then explained how they would proceed. The Ace Ops, RWBY, JNPR and other allies would divide into three groups: RWBY, Grayson, Harriet and Marrow in one, Elm, Vine and JNPR in the second, and Clover and Qrow in the third. They would divide and conquer, scouting the mine for the Geist Grimm until it was found and then close in on it to destroy it. Once that was done, they could expect the Grimm presence to decrease enough for it to be safe to bring the supplies needed to build Amity Tower.
"I'll get my team ready," Clover stated once he had finished explaining their strategy. "You should go and do the same. We leave in one hour, so make sure they have everything they need." Ruby, Jaune and Qrow walked out of the war room and made their way to their teammates, who were still in awe of their upgrades.
"I can't wait to try these out!" Yang spoke excitedly, looking at her upgraded gauntlets. "I won't be surprised if I'm able to punch through anything with these!"
"Please don't try," Weiss asked her teammate. "So, what did Clover say, Ruby?"
Ruby and Jaune then proceeded to explain what they were told about in their meeting with Clover. Their strategy for entering the mine, the target being the Geist Grimm…and the strange miasma they had seen from the recon drones. They weren't sure what it was, so they were to practice extreme caution around it under the assumption it was a toxic gas.
"Our Auras should protect us against toxic gases provided we don't get too near them or the area isn't fully flooded with it," Ren pointed out. "But we should still exercise caution."
"Weiss," Jaune addressed his girlfriend. "What do you know about this mine? Are you familiar with it?"
"I am," Weiss answered. "It's…it's not something I like to remember nowadays."
Ten years ago, the SDC mine was mostly populated with Faunus workers, all working low wage as usual with her father's leadership. They weren't sure how it happened, but one of the workers accidentally mishandled a huge shipment of Fire Dust crystals, causing an explosion in the mine and causing it to collapse. Out of the 500 Faunus workers in the mine, only 89 made it out in time because they were the closest to the entrance. Jacques Schnee covered it up, providing a reason for him not to pay compensation for the families of those who had died.
"He claimed that it wasn't an act of negligence, but of 'Faunus stupidity'," Weiss spoke with contempt. "He just didn't want to waste a single Lien for a Faunus. It's been abandoned ever since."
"But what about the other workers?" Pyrrha brought up. "Surely, some of them must've survived the collapse. Was a rescue made to try and save them?" Weiss sighed.
"Do you really think Atlas would use resources to help Faunus?" Weiss asked the redhead Amazon. "No, if they were any who survived, then they were left to die."
That must've been the mine collapse that killed Ilia's parents, if Blake remembered correctly. It was a grave reminder of the existing Faunus prejudice that still existed today, something Blake was determined to fight against.
Jacques Schnee's cruel mistreatment of the Faunus had been one of the major factors in the White Fang's turn to terrorism under Sienna Khan's leadership. The man was devoid of any empathy or sympathy for others; had he had shown even a shred of basic human decency, then the White Fang wouldn't have targeted the SDC. But it was what it was: Jacques had no decency or morality and soon, he would pay for everything he's done.
"Ilia," she whispered to herself.
"What?" Yang asked, having heard her teammate speaking.
"Nothing," Blake replied. "Just remembering something that happened in Menagerie."
"Where will Ironwood be?" Ren asked. "Will he be coming with us?"
"Actually, I won't," the General spoke as he entered the room where everyone was. "Once Jacques learns that we're basically taking his property, he'll cause problems. Luckily, with the evidence Ms. Schnee gave me, the Council is willing to start a formal investigation when the evidence is proven legitimate."
"What?" Weiss gasped. "But Dr. Polendina already checked it, didn't he? You said it yourself, he's one of Atlas's best minds."
"He is," Ironwood confirmed. "But my relationship with the Council has been…quite strained lately. They're having other people check it first before we arrest Jacques. But I'm confident that by the end of the week, that man will be behind bars…or awaiting the death penalty."
Every time Weiss heard that, she was unsure of how to feel. It was indisputable that her father had done irredeemable things and would've continued them had she not received the evidence from Adam Taurus. He had committed atrocities towards almost anyone he came into contact with, atrocities that had stained the Schnee name that he had married into.
But she couldn't find it in herself to wish death upon him. She wanted him to pay for his crimes, but the death penalty? Unfortunately, that decision wasn't hers to make and she understood that it may come to that for Jacques. He knew that what he was doing could brand him as a terrorist and a traitor to Atlas and he did it anyway, possibly hoping he'd never get caught.
"Are you alright, Ms. Schnee?" Ironwood asked Weiss, noticing how quiet she was.
"General…is the death penalty truly necessary?" she asked him. "I mean, he's an irredeemable monster, but is there no other punishment he could have?"
"Besides life in prison? No. Terrorism and treason to Atlas are punishable by death. After the evidence is proven legitimate, it'll be up to the Council to decide his punishment. I will say that based on how condemning it is and the extent of his crimes, he may face death."
Some in the group wondered how Weiss wouldn't want her father to face the death penalty after everything he'd done. She knew firsthand how corrupt and amoral he was, willingly victimizing anyone in his way so he could achieve his own glory and wealth.
"Anyway, I'll see you all when I'm done with the meeting," Ironwood informed. "Handle yourselves out there and stay safe." He then left the room, heading to meet with the Council yet again.
"I don't get how you wouldn't want him to face the death penalty," Nora told Weiss. "I mean, you said it yourself-"
"I want my father to face justice for his crimes, but I don't want him dead," Weiss interrupted. "Now can we please drop that? I'm getting uncomfortable talking about it."
As she requested, they dropped the conversation and started getting ready to leave with the Ace Operatives. Each of them were ecstatic to work alongside Atlas's most elite Huntsmen and Huntresses, especially on such an important mission.
To Ironwood's suggestion, Oscar would stay behind with the Relic so it wouldn't be put in peril. His decision was much smarter than he realized, for he still didn't know that the Relic was a Grimm magnet. The information still omitted to him included the Dark Heralds, the Gods, Salem's immortality, and the true stakes involved in this war.
Some of the group still felt uneasy about doing so. They had condemned Ozpin for omitting important information to them, an act that had cost people their lives and virtually destroyed all trust they had in him.
What if them omitting information led to lives being lost? What if their decision caused the same consequences as Ozpin did? It'd not only be hypocrisy, but repeating Ozpin's mistakes as well, followed by the dire consequences.
On the other hand, some of them were still unsure of whether they could trust Ironwood or not. It is true that he already did quite a bit for them, but based on what they had been hearing and seeing during their time in Atlas, it was safe to assume that the General's bad tendencies may have indeed gotten worse.
No one could disagree with General Ironwood's plan to use Amity Colosseum as a new CCTS, but the way he was going about it was questionable. He was taking supplies that Mantle desperately needed to fix the breach in their wall, allowing multiple Grimm to attack when they were attracted to negativity.
His actions had also contributed to the tensions between Mantle and Atlas. The Atlesian soldiers there were mostly charged with keeping the people in line rather than fighting Grimm, but many of the Happy Huntsmen and Huntresses were actively wanting violence against the Atlas troops, even if they didn't display the usual 'Atlas arrogance' as many Mantle citizens called it.
They needed time to see if Ironwood was of a stable mind and for the Kendricks to learn more about their powers. Depending on what they'd see in the days to come, they may or may not tell the whole truth to General Ironwood. They wanted to, but if he proved that he was unstable and likely to react extremely, then they'd have to keep this information to themselves.
After an hour passed, the group was ready to meet the Ace Operatives at the hanger where the Mantas were. It was easy to find and even easier to see the Ace Ops who they'd be working with.
Clover, they had already met, wearing his weapon on his belt. The second was a muscular woman with tanned skin, black hair and a weapon that looked like a rocket launcher on her back. The third was a bald pale white man with markings on his face and beads around his neck, looking more like a monk than a soldier. The fourth was a Faunus with tanned skin, dark hair tied into a bun, a rifle on his back, and a dog tail, indicating him as a Faunus. The final member was a short woman, a bit taller than Ruby with tanned skin as well, brown and white hair shaved on the sides and devices on her back.
"Took you long enough," Harriet spoke. "We were about to leave without you."
"Harriet, please show some courtesy," Vine asked her. "Is everyone ready?"
"We are," Ruby answered. "We can't wait to try out our new upgrades."
"I'm really happy to fight alongside you guys," Elm told them. "I've heard so much about you: Beacon, Mistral, the Argus Limited, Argus…you've been quite busy against the enemy lately."
"Yeah," Yang smirked proudly. "We've been doing all that."
"Alright, let's get moving," Clover ordered. "We're taking off a bit later than the General would like us to. Let's move out." Everyone got aboard the Mantas with the teams they had been assigned. In a matter of moments, the Mantas took off and made their way towards the SDC mine.
-0-
Councilman Polaris was back in his home, where he prepared to have an online chat with Jacques Schnee concerning the evidence General Ironwood had brought up against him. He was waiting patiently as he awaited Jacques to answer the call.
If the evidence was proven legitimate, then Polaris knew that his head would follow Jacques's. For years, Polaris had secretly helped in covering Jacques's monopolies, crimes and other activities that would've landed him in prison many times before if it weren't for him. Of course, Jacques had generously repaid the Councilman's cooperation.
When he saw that Jacques was ready to answer, he immediately pressed a green button on the holographic screen, greeted by none other than Jacques Schnee himself…and a very familiar person.
"Arthur Watts!" Polaris almost gasped, seeing the man sitting next to Jacques Schnee. "I…I thought you were dead. The explosion at your lab…Project Supremacy…"
"Then my plan worked," Arthur replied with his usual arrogant smirk. "You can't arrest someone who's dead, now can you?" Polaris looked over at Jacques with immense surprise and confusion.
How was Arthur Watts still alive? They were certain that he had died when his illegal activities had been exposed and he detonated his laboratory to avoid arrest. Everyone had been certain of the brilliant doctor's demise, but clearly, they were wrong.
"I was just as surprised as you are," Jacques told Polaris. "But Arthur is here to help us."
"First, why don't you show me the evidence General Ironwood presented to the Council?" Watts requested. Polaris took out his scroll, uploaded the data to the online link and showed it to both of the evil mustached men. Arthur examined the evidence thoroughly and carefully, all the while smirking with an arrogant and condescending presence.
"Whoever got this evidence really hated you, Jacques," Watts stated. "No matter. In order for me to help, I'll need access to the Atlas Council Network."
"What do you plan to do?" Polaris questioned.
"Simple: I'll do a bit of this and bit of that and make it appear that the evidence is forged."
"But that information is strictly classified!" Polaris stated. "If it's tampered with-"
"Oh, calm down, Mr. Polaris. I know how to cover my tracks. Give me your password to the Council Network and I'll handle the rest."
Reluctantly, Polaris gave Arthur his password to the Council Network, allowing the brilliant yet egotistical doctor to get in. Polaris sat nervously in his chair, fearing that somehow, Watts would be discovered tampering with the evidence against Jacques Schnee. If they were caught…Gods above would know what punishment would be in store for them.
It felt like forever as Arthur worked on what he was doing, mostly because Polaris was anxious that they would be busted and he'd face punishment for everything he had done. Finally, Watts put his scroll away and smirked once again arrogantly.
"Done," Arthur spoke proudly. "When the evidence is checked, it'll appear forged and illegitimate. Ironwood will appear as a fraud."
"Which means that he'll soon be out of my way," Jacques added. "With him gone, getting that Council seat will be much easier."
"Why are you so determined to get rid of Ironwood, Watts?" Polaris asked the scientist.
"Because he never appreciated my genius," Watts replied, his smirk slowly growing into a frown. "I helped build Amity Colosseum. I helped revolutionize Atlas technology. I helped General Ironwood with gaining the military resources he needed to build the army the Atlas Military has become. And what did I get for it?" His hand curled into a fist, his scowl filled with spite and anger.
"He chose that stupid, fat imbecile over me! He denied me the glory and recognition I deserved for so long! Well…I'll look forward to seeing him lose everything!"
In the opinions of some people, General Ironwood had a bad habit of using people for his own agenda and then stabbing them in the back when they got in the way. He stabbed Ozpin in the back when he reported him to the Vale Council, trying to take control of the Vytal Tournament. He stabbed Jacques in the back when he established the Dust Embargo without getting approval from the Council first, which crippled the business who had helped him with his military. In Arthur's eyes, Ironwood did the same to him when he took credit for his genius and called himself a hero of Atlas.
But the plan was in motion. When the evidence is revealed to be 'forged', then Ironwood will have placed himself in very hot water. He'd have a very hard time explaining this to the Council, which would appear as an attempt to silence a political opponent.
This would severely damage the Council's already frail trust in General Ironwood and would make him appear like a possible tyrant and dictator. In short, Ironwood was finished.
"I expect you to keep quiet about this, Mr. Polaris," Watts stated. "I wouldn't want the Council to receive evidence of your wrongdoings, especially helping to cover Project Supremacy."
That alone was able to intimidate Councilman Polaris into submission. He'd remain quiet, not knowing of the chaos that was to come.
-0-
"Nice hideout," Rufus replied as Cinder's new group was in an apartment complex. To avoid pursuit, Cinder's group took refuge in the closest apartment complex they could find in Mistral. Olivia Cassidy, the member with the most money, paid for the apartment and stated that they had to lie low until the search for them was over.
"So, any idea where our targets are at?" Redd asked, tending to his weapon. "I'm dying to fight them."
"As am I," Ketseuki agreed.
"They're no doubt in Atlas," Cinder replied, looking out the window through her mask.
"In Atlas!?" Rufus gasped. "You've got to be joking. How are we supposed to get in there without raising an alarm? We do that, we'll have the entire military on our asses."
"Now, now, it's not a lost cause," Cinder replied. "I'm certain that with time, we'll have an opening. You will have the heads of those Huntsmen as promised…and I will have the heads of Ruby Rose and Pyrrha Nikos."
Cinder didn't just want their deaths, she lusted to see them die. They had beaten her at Haven when she had the opportunity to steal the Spring Maiden's power. For too long has she craved vengeance upon those who had wronged her, Ruby for maiming her body and Pyrrha for robbing her of the chance to get the Maiden powers.
But Rufus was right. If they tried to get into Atlas through the front door, they'd be hunted down in a day, maybe even less. They needed a plan that would allow them to get to their targets without the risk of being on the run from the whole Atlas military.
Cinder was broken out of her thoughts when she heard a scream, followed by an attraction to where the scream came from. When she looked, she immediately saw a shadow running across the rooftops, moving in a very familiar manner. Her eyes widened in shock as she recognized who it was.
"Tyrian," she growled, tightening her Grimm fist. "Salem's already here."