Beacon Academy

November 16th, 1103 Local Time, 2552

It had been a busy week in the time since the Grimm attack on Menagerie for the UNSC. Their training program for the new Cadets had been extended, as there just weren't enough trained Marines available to act as instructors. In more positive news, the Thunderchild had finished her upgrades, and the White Fang had been quiet all week, presumably licking their wounds after their Dust operation in Avalanche Bay had been stopped. To Richard, however, all of that was yesterday's news. At the moment, he had a far bigger problem to deal with.

He'd gotten a sinking feeling in his gut from the moment Ozpin had called him to report an urgent issue in the ongoing campaign against Salem's forces. Whatever was wrong, Ozpin was paranoid enough that he wasn't willing to disclose it over radio, even over encrypted channels. As such, Richard had no choice but to take a trip down to Beacon Academy, under the hastily-assembled guise of taking a tour of the facility.

The media on this planet must be especially busy if they fall for an excuse that flimsy. Richard mused, feeling a faint hint of nostalgia for the days where nobody gave a shit about who he was and where he traveled. Now, he couldn't even set foot in public without an entire horde of journalists trying to pull answers for their inane questions out of him.

In that regard, working with Ozpin was a pleasant relief. When he walked into the lobby of Beacon Academy, he found nobody around, not even the staff. A fact that didn't change as he made his way to the elevator up to Ozpin's office, where he found the Headmaster waiting for him. "Awfully busy day at Beacon, wouldn't you say?"

"I had the faculty take the students out on a hunting expedition. I reasoned it would be good to assess their skills, while also making sure that we have no eavesdroppers." Ozpin said. "Come, we have no time to waste."

"I don't doubt it." Richard replied. And that's what scares me…

He joined Ozpin in the elevator, and instead of pushing the button to go up to his office, Ozpin instead pressed a number of the buttons seemingly at random, in rapid succession. Once the secret code was put in, the elevator doors closed, and Richard noted that it was moving down instead of up.

"I'll admit, I wouldn't have thought to hide an entrance like that." Richard commented.

"Sometimes it is wise to hide the most important things in plain sight, where they are easily overlooked." Ozpin replied.

After what felt like an unusually long descent, the elevator doors opened, revealing a large, ornate underground chamber lit by green torches. Stepping out of the elevator, Richard felt that same unnatural horror that he had felt when Ozpin had displayed Magic to him for the first time, only this was far more muted and easier to ignore.

"...ONI had nothing like this. At least, not as far as I know." Richard said.

"This is the Vault of Beacon Academy." Ozpin said, his voice hollow yet firm. "In here, there are more secrets than I care to count. Many of them are things that I simply needed to keep safe… and others that don't deserve to ever see the light of day again."

Richard didn't ask any questions, he didn't even reply or acknowledge Ozpin's words. He could feel that there was something… wrong, about this place. It was like he was taking steps inside a dead realm, filled with horrors only his wildest imagination could glimpse. The prison of a Wizard… nothing good can be down here.

Ozpin led them straight down the hallway, where they came upon a machine that tangentially resembled two cryopods that were connected with tubes, wires, and a computer. It was obviously made by Atlas, Richard could tell by the design alone, and in one of the pods was a badly scarred woman.

Reluctantly, Richard mustered his courage and spoke. "Dare I even ask what I'm looking at?"

"This is Amber. At the moment, she is the current holder of the Fall Maiden's Powers, or at least, part of them." Ozpin explained. "She was attacked by Salem's agents several months before you arrived, and had a portion of her powers stolen through magical means. Qrow barely managed to bring her back to us, whereupon Atlas was able to construct this machine to keep her alive."

Richard nodded, so far, this all made sense, which didn't mean that he was happy to hear it. "And you're telling me all of this now?"

Ozpin's features scrunched up slightly, as though he'd been physically struck. "In my own hubris, Richard, I kept this from you in the hopes that you wouldn't have to trouble yourself with the… moral, implications of the situation."

Richard narrowed his eyes, what exactly was going on down here? He'd done terrible things in his time, everyone working for ONI inevitably did, but that didn't mean he was happy to see them happen. The only thing he hated more was being kept out of the loop when they were happening right in front of him. "Just spit it out."

"We haven't been able to find a way to undo the damage to Amber, we believe that it's terminal." Ozpin said. "The rest of the Fall Maiden powers will pass onto Salem's agent when she dies, and we cannot allow that to happen. And so, James had Atlas create this, the Aura transfer machine."

The name alone told a lot of the story, but Richard wanted to hear it from the source. "...And what would happen to Amber, if you transferred her Aura into another person?"

"She will be destroyed, completely." Ozpin said, with a disturbing amount of ease. "I bring you here now because Amber is dying, this machine cannot keep her alive for long."

Richard let out a low, stressed breath. "What do you need from me?"

"An alternative. You helped us break Salem's hold over world events, and in doing so, saved me from having to ask Miss Rose from doing something equally as unthinkable as all of this." Ozpin said, gesturing at the equipment before them.

"Miss Rose?" Richard asked, and it genuinely took him a moment to place the name and, when he did, it wasn't due to any report or vague reference to another one of Ozpin's agents. He remembered Ben talking about her after he'd gotten back from Beacon. "You mean the student who helped your Huntsmen with their ammo problem?"

"Correct. Before you and your people came to Remnant, Miss Rose was instrumental to my plan to defeat Salem. She does not know it yet, but she is uniquely qualified to fight the Grimm in a way that very few can." Ozpin explained. "In the event that Salem somehow survived, she is our greatest hope."

That's… vague. Richard noted. He would have to do some of his own research into what made her special. I suppose it can't be that bad that a teenager doesn't have to get dragged into a war between cosmic horrors.

"I've seen what your medicine can do, even cancer can't stand up to it." Ozpin continued. "If you think that your Doctors can do anything to prolong Amber's life, or even save her…"

Richard interrupted him, as an idea was already forming in his mind. "They might not need to. What if we moved Amber into a cryopod? That would keep her body in permanent stasis, whatever wounds she has wouldn't be able to kill her. From there, we can talk about whether or not she can be saved."

Ozpin looked doubtfully up at Amber. "Do you really think that would work?"

"I know it can, I've seen it work before." Richard answered truthfully. Back when Ben and the rest of Gamma Company had been receiving their augmentations on the UNSC Hopeful, Richard had bore witness to a number of Doctors literally bringing the dead back to life, after they had been preserved in cryopods to prevent decay. Preserving Amber, who was still alive, would be child's play compared to that.

"Her physical wounds aren't the only concern." Ozpin said. "We need to ensure that the Maiden Powers do not fall into enemy hands, can your device do that?"

Richard gestured at the contraption before him. "If that can do it, I see no reason why a Cryopod wouldn't do the same. Amber would still be alive, just in a state akin to sleep."

Ozpin let out a sigh of relief. "Then we'll take the chance. Thank you, Commander. I was afraid that I was going to have to do something terrible."

"Believe me, I'm happy you asked." Richard answered. "And Headmaster? The next time you run into a problem like this… call us first. We can't help you if I don't know that something's wrong."

Ozpin gave a small smile. "I shall certainly remember that, but hopefully, there will not be a next time."

"Agreed." Richard said. "Now, let's get topside again. I'll have the necessary equipment brought over from the Dominion."

And we can get the hell out of this place. Richard silently added. He'd never admit it to Ozpin, but there was a genuine fear creeping its way down his spine the longer that they stayed in the Vault, which was beginning to bear more of a resemblance to crypt than anything else.

Ozpin nodded. "Let's not waste any further time."

Alfred Wilson Planetary Headquarters, Parade Ground

November 16th, 1201 Local Time, 2552

By now, Ilia was all but convinced that Gunnery Sergeant Moerdani was in cahoots with the rain, or at least, that he had some kind of weather-related Semblance. It seemed that every time she needed to go crawling through the dirt or stand at attention in formation, there was always some rain to accompany her and make sure that she and her uniform were soaking wet. Today was the last day of the now-extended Hell Week, and as she and the 799 other Cadets stood at attention in the parade field, the rain continued to pour down.

I can't believe so many people just… gave up. Ilia thought as she looked around. Eight hundred people sounded like a lot, and it was, but it seemed so tiny when compared to the crowd of three thousand that had been present only a few days prior.

To be fair, the trials that they had endured were truly grueling, and she'd contemplated giving up at several points. Her bones and muscles ached, her eyes felt heavy from a lack of sleep, and she couldn't help but shiver in the cold and windy rain as they stood at attention. The moment that the Gunnery Sergeant spoke into his megaphone, however, she still made an effort to straighten herself up.

"Well done Cadets, I admit, I didn't expect to see so many of you left."

Does he mean present, or alive? Ilia wondered. Knowing the Gunnery Sergeant, he'd have been happy either way.

"Unfortunately, I've got some bad news." Moerdani continued. "Even if we push our budget and manpower to the limit, we can only train around half of you at a time. Now, the Executive Officer and some of my staff suggested that we hold a raffle, or that we take only the very best of you… but I had a better idea."

"Oh no." One of the Cadets beside her muttered, a sentiment that Ilia echoed strongly.

"I proposed that we should hold a great big training exercise, half of you on one team, the other half on the other." Moerdani said. "The winners get to be the first class of Marines on Remnant, while the losers will have to wait their turn."

The Cadets began to murmur amongst themselves, the idea of waiting for several months while their comrades got to continue their training was obviously unappealing.

"You shut your mouths! Did I give you permission to speak?!" Moerdani snapped, and even from a distance, Ilia could've sworn she saw the man's face go red with rage. "I tell you when to speak, when to eat, when to shit, and when to sleep! I would have thought that you all had learned that by now!"

The silence that followed was deafening, and even though she hadn't spoken, Ilia couldn't help but feel a bit downtrodden. Moerdani might have been a bastard, but he was clearly trying to roughen up the Cadets so that they would fare better in combat, and it felt wrong to let him down.

"Now, if you're all done discussing your favorite fashion trends, your goddamn careers are at stake, so listen up!" Moerdani shouted. "The objective of the exercise is very simple, one team must capture the opponent's flag, and bring it back to their base, whilst not losing their own flag in the process."

Capture the Flag? Ilia was surprised. That was an exercise that the White Fang had used to run. Why was the UNSC using the same style of program?

"You'll be using standard-issue rifles loaded with training rounds. I know a few of you are already intimately familiar with the way that our training paint functions." Moerdani said with a sick grin. "Here's hoping you don't need a reminder."

I would've never believed that paint could sting… Ilia thought, recalling her own experiences with the substance.

"You all have until tomorrow morning to rest and eat before we get started." Moerdani said, again much to her surprise. "I'll be seeing you all again once the final exercise is completed, and remember, only half of you are going to be victorious! You're dismissed."

I didn't come this far just to get sent home! Ilia thought. No matter what was coming her way, she would be ready.

Mountain Glenn Ruins

November 16th, 1630 Local Time, 2552

Shady, overgrown concrete ruins defined the landscape of Mountain Glenn, the failed attempt by the Kingdom of Vale to expand its city borders. To Ruby, it was the absolute antithesis of everything that she wanted to see in life. Here, the Grimm had been victorious, and cost too many people their lives. But she and Team RWBY weren't here to mourn the dead, they were working to make sure that something similar didn't happen again by stopping the White Fang.

After she and the rest of her team had come clean to Headmaster Ozpin about how they were hunting the White Fang behind his back, he had surprised them all by not only refusing to punish them, but by making their mission official. Of course, they were still first-year students, and that meant that they needed a Huntsman to oversee them. Fortunately, Ozpin had picked the best Huntsman that Ruby knew.

"Do you see your Uncle anywhere?" Weiss asked.

"Nope, but he's pretty sneaky…" Ruby quietly replied. Even though she didn't see him, she knew Qrow was keeping a very close eye on the White Fang camp they were monitoring, and was in a position to help if they needed him. She didn't waste much time or focus looking for him, as taking her eyes off of the White Fang would be too dangerous.

Their mission was fairly simple, to survey the White Fang's camp in Mountain Glenn, and gather intelligence for a Huntsman raid that would take place in the future. It was basically a police stakeout, or a scouting mission, which is what she assumed folks like Ben would call it. Yeah, that sounded official enough. Blake and Yang were tasked with actually mapping out the camp and the surrounding area with Qrow, while Ruby and Weiss provided overwatch from a dilapidated skyscraper.

At first she'd been excited. After all, she and her team would be going on a mission, just as if they were full-fledged Huntresses! That excitement had steadily dwindled as the boredom began to set in.

"Argh… why aren't they doing anything?" She couldn't help but complain. "They're just standing around down there!"

"That's a good thing, you dolt! We aren't supposed to get into a fight, remember?" Weiss pointed out. There was a tiny hint of snark in her voice, but for the most part, she'd gotten a lot more friendly ever since they'd started going on missions together. That didn't stop her from being Weiss and at this point, the name calling was just part of her charm.

Ruby didn't say anything back, but let out a low grumble of frustration. She knew that Weiss was right, a quiet mission was what they wanted. That was why the sound of a gunshot splitting the silence of the afternoon caught her so off guard, and immediately Ruby worried for the safety of her teammates.

Weiss grabbed one of the handheld UNSC-made radios that they'd been given and tried to reach their teammates."Yang, Blake, are you okay?! What was that?"

Ruby didn't even wait for their reply before she loaded a magazine of ARM rounds into Crescent Rose and brought the rifle to bear, facing the White Fang's camp. She expected to see her teammates and Qrow in a fight with the White Fang, but to her surprise…

"It's not us they're shooting at!" Blake's voice came back over the radio. "It's… each other?"

Ruby watched in stunned silence as the Human Gangsters who worked for Roman Torchwick fought against their now-former allies in the White Fang. As if decided all at once, they all drew their weapons and began a brutal close-quarters melee. From what she could see, it looked like the Humans were winning, but that could change at any moment.

"I don't believe it." Weiss muttered as she watched the distant conflict. "Ruby, what should we do?"

That question was already racing it's way through her head, but much to her frustration, she didn't honestly know how to respond to a situation like this. It was nothing like what she'd been taught in class or at home. Did they try to intervene? If they did, they'd be putting themselves in danger, and they were only here for a scouting mission, not to get in fights, as Weiss had reminded her moments ago.

Wait a minute, I can ask Uncle Qrow! Ruby thought, before grabbing her own radio. "Uncle Qrow, what do you think we should do?"

He came back with an answer only a moment later. "I don't know what's going on, but if they want to fight themselves, I say we let them. Then when the fighting's done, we move in and arrest who we can."

Ruby let out a sigh of relief. That had been what she would have done, but having her Uncle suggest the same thing gave her a lot more confidence in the idea. "Then that's what we'll do. Weiss and I will make our way down to you, stay hidden until we get there."

"Sounds good kiddo, we'll be waitin'." Qrow replied. "You might want to hurry up though, looks like this is going to be a quick fight."

She and Weiss hastily descended by using their Auras to hop down the broken buildings, and began to sprint towards the escalating sound of gunfire and battle.

"It doesn't make any sense. Why would the Fau- the White Fang just attack their allies like that?" Weiss asked. Ruby gave her a smile to let her know that the self-correction was appreciated.

"I don't know, but they really looked like they were trying to kill each other…" Ruby replied. It was quite a mystery, and more than a little bit disturbing as well.

As they drew nearer to the camp, Ruby was not at all surprised when Qrow fell from somewhere above them and followed along. "We'd better hurry, there's not going to be anybody left to arrest at the rate they're going."

"What if they don't surrender?" Weiss asked.

Qrow scowled. "Try to take them alive if you can, but do what you have to if you can't."

Ruby couldn't help but echo his grimace. "I really hope it doesn't come to that."

Finally, they reached the edge of the camp, where they found Blake and Yang hiding in the rubble. Through the ruins, Ruby could see the last of the fighting was dying down. All of the White Fang were either dead or dying, but the Human gangsters hadn't fared much better.

"What took you so long?" Yang whispered.

"It's a big city, give us a little credit!" Ruby protested.

"Save it for later." Qrow said. "Alright, you know the drill. Ruby, take the lead."

The five of them sprang out of hiding with their weapons drawn, catching the Gangsters by total surprise. "Freeze!"

"Hands where I can see them!" Qrow shouted.

What few Humans were left standing took one look at the veteran Huntsman and the entire team of students by his side, and promptly dropped their weapons and raised their hands. "Don't shoot! We surrender!"

Oh, thank goodness. Ruby thought, but she did not let her relief show until all of the Gangsters were tied up. Once that was done, they called for a Bullhead to pick them up.

While they waited, Qrow tried to get some information out of the gangsters. "Where's Torchwick?"

"I've got no idea." One of them answered, a number of his allies told him to stop talking but he pressed on anyway. "He and that new bodyguard of his have been in hiding for weeks now, something must've spooked 'em."

"Bodyguard?" Qrow asked.

"Yeah, brown hair, nice beard. Look, I'll tell you what you want, just please don't shoot me, I have kids…" The gangster pleaded.

Qrow rolled his eyes. "I'm not gonna shoot you. Now tell me what's up between you lot and the Fang?"

"What are you talking about? Those freaks attacked us!" The Gangster replied. "We should have known better than to trust those dirty fucking Faunus!"

So it wasn't them who started the fight. Ruby thought while Yang and Weiss tried to stop Blake from kicking the offending gangster. Racist or not, that was no way for a Huntress to treat a prisoner. But why would the White Fang attack them?

"Hey kiddo, great work." Qrow appeared from behind her and gave her a pat on the back. "What's on your mind?"

"I just don't get it." Ruby admitted. "Why would they attack each other?"

Qrow's expression shifted to one of discomfort as he scratched the back of his head. "I don't know Ruby, that's a question for Oz."

Ruby nodded, but she already had another idea for who she could go to for answers.

UNSC Dominion, Starboard Armory

November 17th, 0823 Local Time, 2552

"-So that's why I wanted to talk to you." Ruby said, completing a lengthy explanation of how her mission had gone. "I know you aren't always allowed to tell me this kind of thing, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask."

Ben let out a grunt of acknowledgment to let her know that he was still listening, but kept his focus solely on the tools that were in his hands. His Mjolnir still needed a few minor bits of work before it was back in top shape, and he wanted to get it done before he deployed again. Currently, he had taken off his helmet so that he could make some minor tweaks.

Curie sighed and took the Scroll into her own hands. "Do not mind him. He is listening, but he tends to get very focused when he works on his armor."

"Oh, I get that!" Ruby replied with a short laugh. "I'm the same way with Crescent Rose, it's important for us to treat our babies right."

"It's not a… oh nevermind." Ben protested, despite knowing there was little use. "Nice work, by the way, the five of you brought those criminals in without a single shot fired? You should be proud."

"I… uh, thank you." Ruby stammered. "I'm glad that you guys told us to ask for help, I don't know what I would've done if Uncle Qrow wasn't there."

"That is what friends are for." Curie replied with a smile. "As for why the White Fang and the gangs in Vale are fighting, I am afraid that is as much a mystery to us as it is to you."

Ruby made a groan of frustration, but nodded anyway. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure that Blake and Qrow can figure out where the rest of the White Fang are hiding, and maybe one of them will tell us. Actually, have you figured out anything that could help us with that?"

"If we had any actionable intel on the White Fang in Vale, I assure you, we would have already passed it on to Monsieur Ozpin and the Police." Curie answered. "And Ruby, please, don't take any unnecessary risks. The White Fang are extremely dangerous, they will not hesitate to kill you."

"Don't worry Curie, we're being careful. Blake told us all about them." Ruby reassured her, before something caught her eye. "Hey, Ben, what's that?"

"Hmm?" Ben looked at the tool in his hand. "It's a socket wrench from my kit, it's only really useful for maintaining Mjolnir."

"Not that. The gray thing, on the table." Ruby clarified.

He looked over to see the sword-like weapon that Set had summoned, still sitting in it's idle position. "That's an alien weapon. Set summoned it a couple of days ago."

"Set?" Ruby asked. Ben and Curie quickly brought her up to speed on who exactly he was, and what the strange things he'd been summoning. "Huh, that is weird. I guess it makes sense that an alien can cast an Aura, but I haven't heard of a Semblance like his before."

"That's a shame, I hoped you would have an answer as to what's going on." Ben said. "Do you know anybody who might?"

"Headmaster Ozpin might." Ruby suggested. "At least he's willing to help you. With what you were talking about earlier, I thought that all of the Covenant were just like the Grimm, but Set just sounds like, well, a normal guy."

"He's far from normal." Ben was quick to point out. "And keeping him as a prisoner isn't my decision to make. I spoke to the Commander about getting him released, but I don't expect that to go anywhere."

"You did?" Curie asked, seemingly far more surprised than Ben had expected her to be. "That is… admirably open-minded of you Ben, thank you. I know that cannot have been easy."

"Why not?" Ruby asked, only to quickly realize that perhaps she'd misspoke when he and Curie both gave her an awkward look. "...What's wrong?"

"Trusting Set is easier said than done. Don't forget, the Covenant have done monstrous things to us." Ben explained. "Set might be willing to help us, but he's still a war criminal."

"But… you said that you wanted him to be released." Ruby pointed out.

Ben nodded. "I'd want to keep an eye on him at any rate, but I don't see why he shouldn't be allowed to help us. He'll do nothing but rot in that cell, and that's not helping anybody."'

"It would certainly allow me to study the artifacts that he has provided with a bit more freedom." Curie added. "Not to mention that Sangheili Warriors are legendary for their combat abilities, especially one with the rank that Set holds. He would be a useful ally on any battlefield."

Ruby looked conflicted, but when she spoke, Ben was surprised by the conviction in her voice. "People can change, why not aliens? I wont act like I know how that feels but… isn't it worth a shot?"

She's not wrong, but will the Commander see it that way? Ben wondered. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Hey Curie, can you run a diagnostic on my-"

"Already done." She answered, holding up his helmet for him to put on. "It is such a shame… I like looking at your face."

For whatever reason, her entirely innocent comment made him feel… warmer, tingly even. He tried to think of what else might be causing it, but couldn't think of anything besides what Curie had said. Whatever the case, he certainly wasn't going to be putting his helmet on until it was time for him to leave.

What in the world am I meant to say to that? He desperately thought. "...Thanks?"

Curie giggled at his dilemma. "It was a compliment, Ben. You do not need to sound so uncertain."

Ruby awkwardly coughed to draw attention to herself. "So uh, it's been nice talking to you guys and all, but I really have to get going. I only got a few minutes before classes start and I promised Weiss I would sort out my clothes, and I haven't even started yet an-"

"Do not let us keep you any longer. Goodbye Ruby." Curie said.

"Bye!" She replied, before ending the call.

Curie turned and looked up at him, reaching out to hold one of his hands in her own, her expression laden with doubt. "It just does not seem right. She should not have to fight, she is only a student."

He held her hand tightly, hoping to convey some sense of reassurance. "She's smart, and she's strong, she'll be just fine."

Curie let out a long sigh. "I wish that you did not have to fight either."

"I don't mind it. I'd rather be on the frontline, doing something actually useful." Ben replied back. "The better question is, are you going to be okay while I'm gone?"

Curie nodded. "I have Penny to help me with my upgrades. Just… be careful, okay? I do not know what I would do without you."

He did his best to give her a confident smile, but it was easier said than done. "Well, now you know how I felt. Don't worry, it'll be just fine."

She gave him the smallest of smiles. "I believe you. Good luck, and say hi to the rest of the squad for me."

"I will." Ben promised. Somehow, it felt like his own smile carried more weight now.

He made doubly sure that his helmet stayed off for the rest of the day.