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Chapter 64: The Assignment

The day of the second years' second mission had arrived and Felix Xiao Long had awoken to find himself to nervous to enjoy a light breakfast alongside the rest of Team FADE despite Eagle's gentle insistence that he should probably eat something. The Lion Faunus placed a large portion of the blame for his current uneasiness on the fact that Corvid was yet to return from the mission that she had led Team CLIR on a week previously, while his sister had kept in contact as much as the mission would allow and told him that it was simply a matter of delays being caused by needing to perform maintenance and limited repairs on the Bull-Head they had taken from Atlas Academies' hangar and that they would return any day now, Felix couldn't help but see the fact that his sister was not here to wish him good luck or tease him before he departed as something of a bad omen. He attempted to clear his mind and focus as Team FADE made their way through the hallways leading from the mess hall to the ampitheatre where the available missions were being dispensed; to his left were Arctus and Diamond, inseparable as always, the Bear Faunus currently having an arm wrapped around the snipers' waist; to his right was Eagle and Sentinel, the automaton bleeping and chirping animatedly as it trundled along after its' master. Felix noted that Eagle wore an expression that was both determined and yet full of her usual enthusiasm and zest for life, jaw set with deep crimson eyes twinkling in anticipation

"You okay?" Felix asked, deciding that if he couldn't assuage his own nerves he could at least do something for hers'

"Yeah I'm great" Eagle beamed "This is our first mission since I unlocked my Semblance….I just hope I've practised enough"

"Just be careful" Felix's reply was barely above a whisper though Diamond clearly heard them talking as she chimed in

"Let me know if you're gonna try it, I'll make sure I can catch you….just in case, don't worry you'll be fine"

"Thanks guys, it means a….Hey!" Eagle trailed off only to let out an exclamation of pure happiness as a team of familiar Faunus made their way into view, evidently heading from the ampitheatre Team FADE were making their way to

"And hey yourself little canary" Hellion cooed silkily as she slipped away from the rest of Team GORE, Marauder letting out a piercing shriek before swooping from her shoulder over to Sentinel and perching on the droids' angular cranium while Eagle's bright smile became an expression of flustered shyness while a blush spread across her freckled cheeks the moment the Dragonfly Faunus wrapped her arms around her waist; Felix would freely admit that they made an adorable couple but chose not intrude on the moment that they were clearly having, instead turning to Carcharodon who merely shook his head in resigned disdain at the display of affection

"So, got your mission then?" he asked, the Shark Faunus nodded in response

"We're being sent to Freiheit, I understand it's a large city-"
"Be careful out there" Arctus warned "The settlements outside of the Hive cities are rough places even at the best of times"

"We've seen rougher and terrorised it" Onyx snorted gruffly before turning to Felix "Any word from Corvid?"

"She's been delayed" Felix answered, keeping his tone as neutral as possible though the Puma Faunus seemed to sense his concern

"Relax, she is one hell of a woman"

"Okay I want you to do me a favour and never say that out loud again" Felix grimaced "So what're they sending you out to Freiheit for?"

"They haven't told us, we're meeting our assigned Hunter there" Carcharodon explained, Felix nodded in understanding but failed to notice the looks that Team GORE shared; Raffia who had remained unusually silent thus far giving a particularly feral smile

"Come" Carcharodon rasped out "Our flight won't wait for us and I have no intention of trekking across this Kingdom" he made his way passed Team FADE with Onyx and Raffia following suit, the Puma Faunus casually slapping a meaty paw of a hand on Felix's shoulder as he passed; Hellion however lingered for a moment, reaching up to cup Eagle's cheek while silently asking for permission which was given in equal silence; Hellion pulled the slightly taller Huntress down into a slow, gentle and tender kiss

"Stay safe little canary and destroy anything which challenges you" the former raider took Eagle's hands in hers and briefly kissed her knuckles before setting off after her team, Marauder taking flight and resuming his position perched upon her shoulder

"Come on let's go" Felix shook his head and grinned at a still flustered Eagle who was staring wistfully after her girlfriend. Before much longer the four Hunters made their way into the ampitheatre of Atlas Academy, the familiar hall filled with digital screens displaying the various missions that the students would be embarking on and whose rear bore the name, rank and honours of every member of the Atlesian military who had fallen in the conflict with Salem. Team FADE made to browse the various screens lining the perimeter of the ampitheatre, however before they could do so a familiar voice called out to them and suddenly it was Felix's turn to blush; he was fully aware of the looks his friends were giving him as Team NEON approached but he paid them no mind, his attention consumed by the sight of Helios whose golden armour gleamed as though freshly polished while his biceps strained against the fabric of the sweatshirt he wore beneath the armour

"Hey Arctus, you've been on an Atlesian ship before right?" Nyanza asked, seemingly to distract himself from the antics of two of his best friends "What's it like, we're being stationed on one for this mission"

"Depends on the ship" Arctus shrugged "Don't suppose you know the model or what class it is?" the bushy tailed feline shook his head while Olivine interjected from nearby

"We've got the name if it helps, we're gonna be on the….I think it's pronounced Gerechtigkeit" the Bear Faunus's eyes widened at the name, the slight mispronunciation being far from enough to hide the identity of the famous vessel

"That's Commander Matte Skye's ship" he explained quickly "They used to be my Aunt Winter's first mate, their ship is officially second only to the flagship-"

"Officially?" Diamond asked with a raised eyebrow

"Well Aunt Winter lets Matte field test a lot of new equipment so just how much of a threat it is varies….it's basically a massive research facility that doubles as an insanely well equipped warship"

"Sweet" Nyanza grinned, clearly already devising ways to extract whatever profit he could from the mission.

"Think we should head off then?" Ether asked "If the ship's that important we probably shouldn't be late"

"Agreed" Helios replied, making to leave only to turn around and pull Felix into a tight embrace and rest his forehead against the Faunus's

"Hunt well and be safe" he murmured before planting a chaste kiss on Felix's lips

"Uh yeah, you too" Felix mumbled, tail swishing lazily behind him as he watched Team NEON depart; eventually shaking his head as if to clear it and focusing "Okay come on, let's go see what we got" refusing to be sidetracked any further they made their way to the nearest digital screen and began searching for their assignment, giving a brief nod of recognition to the Shade academy students Team SABL as they passed

"Found it" Felix informed his team, brow furrowing as he scanned the limited details provided "That's weird….looks like our mission is in two place, we're gonna be in the capital and somewhere called, if I'm saying it right, Gerat-Handlung" the Lion Faunus's pronunciation was flawless after having visited the icy Kingdom dozens of times.

"I've heard that name before" Arctus answered, needing a moment to place the name before it occurred to him "Oh yeah, it's where the SDC are building a new plant outside of the hive cities"

"This is correct" a new and slightly muffled sounding voice from behind them intoned coldly; the four students turned and collectively stared in open mouthed shock. Standing before them, her golden eyes fierce and her deep scarlet hair cut shorter than it had been during their previous encounters, Specialists uniform modified so that it incorporated more armour while leaving a cybernetic limb of the highest quality to replace to the left arm which had been severed at the elbow in New Vale on display, face partially obscured by a respirator of some form; was Specialist Kafsi Asteri

"I see that my presence has given you all some indication as to the importance of this mission" she noted, her golden eyes boring into Arctus's as she added "As such any further acts of sedition against the Kingdom of Atlas will be punished by summary execution"

Celeste Lupus liked her personal space kept dimly lit, she had been raised in the darkness; first in Lower Eisenstadt Siebte, renamed New Menagerie by a conquering Adam Taurus and then for the many years she had remained inside upon being brought to Tartarus by surviving White Fang fighters as they fled Atlas's forces; the crippled Ram Faunus had been unable to play with the other children that called the abandoned military base home, instead she had listened into adult conversations regarding philosophy and strategy while slowly gaining more of an understanding as she devoured books at a prodigious rate, her fury and bitterness at the humans and their Kingdoms festering all the while.

Much like she had spent a considerable amount of her bleak childhood doing Celeste was reading, the Ram Faunus needing several extra cushions to be anything resembling comfortable, the cybernetic augmentations to her spine still protruded from her flesh in order to integrate with her armour leaving her with a red, raw and never fully healed wound spanning the length of her back. Her current reading material was something that she knew almost by heart yet still handled with all the care one would show a priceless relic whenever she handled it; the first draft of 'Towards Peace' what would have been Adam Taurus's Magnus Opus if he survived to complete it, the book which was part biography, part thesis and part manifesto had served as a basis for many of the political and philosophical writings which Celeste had disseminated into Atlas as she solidified her power block within the White Fang before assuming total control. Her Magenta eyes narrowed at the sound of her Scroll vibrating against the leather arm of her sofa, one of few luxuries the High Commander allowed herself, glaring at the offending device she carefully set down the loosely bound collection of papers which formed Adam Taurus's writing before grabbing the Scroll to see who was trying to reach her; she frowned as she recognised one of the many untraceable numbers Ozymandias Eldritch used for his more unscrupulous dealings and decided to use one of her other luxuries, though this one could be argued to have a more practical use; a faintly glowing translucent blue image of the scientist came into view as Celeste fed the video call through and overhead projector; colours slowly bleeding into the flickering image as it stabilized.

"This is unscheduled" Celeste noted in a bored voice, keeping the menace as nothing more than an undertone; direct contact between the two of them had always required several precautions, seeing them ignored set her on edge

"My apologies High Commander" he apologised with a slight bow, an obvious attempt to pander to what he believed to be her egomania "There have been developments which may present a problem and I didn't want to risk word not reaching you in time" Celeste rose to her feet and glowered

"Then speak"

"It would appear that while they are keeping word of your exploits private the Atlesian military is indeed taking your organisation seriously"

"Human that is the exact opposite of a problem" Celeste almost purred, unable to keep a hint of smug satisfaction from her voice

"The problem is that a team of Specialists have been seconded to the protection that Poly-Tech will be provided to your target due to the importance of certain individuals presence" Ozymandias explained, voice strained as though annoyed at Celeste's calm dismissal of the matter "I will be unable to provide any additional support to your mission without exposing myself, a team of Specialists will be nothing like attacking security guards-"
"A Hunter is a Hunter….and you are more than aware of how Hunters fare against my best" Celeste replied coldly, gesturing in the direction of her armour and while the scientist may not have been able to see the suit itself the gesture was understood "The White Fang are committed Doctor Eldritch, there can be no backing out now. Provide that which you promised us or I will see to it that everything that you hold dear is burned to ashes"

"Well then I hope whoever you have leading this mission is one of your best" Ozymandias sighed, Celeste gave a fierce smile, striding closer to deliver her response

"I will be leading the attack personally"

"I see, the I leave the matter in your hands" Ozymandias did not wait to be dismissed and ended the call abruptly, Celeste supposed that it was his way of reminded her that they were, in theory at least, partners and she had no authority over him other than through crude intimidation. She paid him no mind and simply returned to her sofa and pondered to herself in peaceful silence; a turning point in Faunus history was coming and she would be at the forefront, she felt that she should have words for the occasion; something grander than the speech she planned to deliver to the soldiers that stood beside her on the eve of the attack. Silence reigned for a while longer as Celeste stared at the first draft of Adam Taurus's writing until inspiration struck her and she darted across her quarters as fast as her still fragile state would allow; retrieving the latest discarded entries into what would become her own Magnus Opus, a title for the as yet unnamed work escaping from her lips in a hushed whisper

"Peace Through Tyranny"

Harsh winds whipped around Team GORE as they stepped off of the small and uncomfortable military transport that had delivered them to the settlement of Freiheit; snow that would have cancelled a civilian flight obscuring even the superior vision of Faunus and crunching underfoot with each step forwards they took as it fell from an overcast sky

"I see our Hunter" Onyx intoned gruffly while rubbing the back of his neck, still unused to the sensation of the cold after having his matted and tangled mess of dark hair cut into something more presentable

"How can you be sure?" Carcharodon rasped, the hood of his dark cloak pulled low enough that the only clearly visible part of his face was his fanged maw

"Because there's nobody else here" Onyx answered bluntly, indicating to their supposed contact whose form none of them could yet make out the details of; however the individual seemed to notice them and made their way closer

"Team GORE?" the voice revealed the speaker to be a man who if the Faunus had to guess would have agreed was no older than thirty, perhaps younger. As he came into view he was revealed to be just under six feet tall with a stocky build and boyish, somewhat round face, his clothing which featured a thick fur lined parka jacket with armour visible both above and beneath it, boots clearly intended for the snow and something that most resembled a ski mask but clearly served a more practical function judging by its' obviously more advanced nature, a holster containing a collapsed weapon could be glimpsed inside the partially opened parka and a pair of recently polished dog-tags caught what little light was available as the Hunter sized up his charges and instinctively recognised their leader, offering out a gloved hand for Carcharodon to shake

"Name's Iskald Grey, I'll be your assigned Huntsman for this mission" he introduced himself in a voice that suggested a pleasant, well meaning individual; something at odds with Team GORE's understanding of Hunters that prowled the edges of their respective Kingdoms' territory

"I'm Carcharodon, these are Onyx, Raffia and Hellion. We weren't given much information regarding this assignment" the Shark Faunus let the statement hang in the air, the Hunter could take it as an accusation if they wished

"Yeah the Academy always did like to keep everything top secret, it's 'cos the head's from the Specialist Branch I think" Iskald shrugged apologetically "Come on let's get out the cold, I get a budget for having you working with me so I may as well pay for lunch; there's a decent place not too far from here" he indicated that Team GORE should follow him as he turned and made his way out of the small terminal which seemed insufficient for a settlement the size of Freiheit, Team GORE gave no thought to the matter and simply followed in silence, each of them silently getting the measure of their assigned Hunter; Raffia having a particularly malicious glint in his eyes that Carcharodon would be sure to question him about later. Making their way through snow covered streets the Faunus managed to get an idea of the scale of the settlement, noting that its' title of 'The Other Capital' was mere hyperbole; while it was a large and sprawling town particularly by the standards of the above ground settlements founded by Atlas since the war it was still utterly dwarfed by any of the remaining Hive Cities. The buildings in Freiheit were constructed with stone unlike the majority of Atlas and while the architecture was distinctly foreign it reminded each of Team GORE of many of the Mistrali villages their people had either traded with or laid waste to; its' snowy picturesque setting marred somewhat by the defensive perimeter and weapon emplacements visible in the distance; the sight of a building far larger and more grandiose towering above homes and businesses piqued Onyx's interested, something which Iskald noticed and happily provided an explanation for

"That" he noted with some pride "Is Legacy Stadium, apparently some of the Vytal Tournament matches are gonna be held there….hope you do well, you're obviously here to compete. Honestly it's a shame it's built, I made so much money on security detail while it was being constructed I put a deposit down on a mortgage in the first six months; anyway we're here now" their talkative companion led them into a small cafe, the kind that specialised in all days breakfasts and catered to factory and freight workers. Iskald made his way over to a woman at a counter who greeted him by name while leaving the students to secure a table, Team GORE noticed that they received a handful of decidedly unfriendly looks from men in hi-visibility jackets and work-boots; those looks vanished under the combined menace of the wordless guttural growl Onyx issued as he unslung his axe and the unsettling silence from Carcharodon as his bottomless pitch black eyes roamed over them while he bared his rows of jagged fangs. The moment passed quickly and Team GORE sat, though Carcharodon noticed that Hellion kept a hand on one of her throwing knives a while longer

"You've been glaring at the Huntsman" Carcharodon hissed at Raffia, the demand for an explanation implied

"Not your usual type either" Onyx noted with a smirk, Raffia for once chose not to rise to the bait and answered his team leader

"As if I need a reason to hate a specific Hunter" he flashed a feral smile only to see that it failed to remove any of the Shark Faunus's suspicion from him, leaning forwards he continued in a conspiratorial whisper "I have suspicions the man Onyx spoke with wanted us to retrieve dog-tags from a Hunter operating out of this settlement….look at what he has around his neck" Onyx gave a quick glance over to where Iskald was making small talk with a waitress while waiting for their order

"We're looking for stolen dog-tags, he doesn't have the minerals" the Puma Faunus asserted bluntly

"Onyx makes a fair point" Hellion agreed with a smirk

"We make sure and then proceed carefully" Carcharodon rasped "Any leeway the General gives us will not extend to attacking her Hunters"

"Then we carve his body up until it looks like the work of Grimm" Raffia countered almost casually, the ease with which he gave the answer making Carcharodon pause and wonder just how long he could restrain the Axolotl Faunus's more violent urges

"I said nothing about killing" Carcharodon whispered, his tone making it clear that his word would be final in this matter

"He's coming" Hellion warned and true enough a moment later Iskald returned carrying trays full of steaming food which caused Marauder to remove his head from under his wing where it had been tucked

"They don't allow pets in here, my fiancée's sister is the shift manager so you should get away with it today" the older Hunter noted at the sight of bird of prey whom Hellion lovingly presented a small scrap of her meal "Also I'm not sure if a recon mission is the best place to be bringing your pets-" he was cut off by a derisive snort from the Dragonfly Faunus who quickly swallowed her current mouthful of food before engaging her Semblance; her jade green eyes fading into featureless milky white while Marauder leapt from her shoulder and walked over to Iskald in a manner that didn't quite seem to fit, giving him enough information to surmise what Hellion's Semblance was and how Marauder played into it; his guesses were proven correct when Hellion's eyes returned to their natural state

"A recon mission is exactly the kind of place to bring Marauder"

"What are we Hunting?" Carcharodon demanded, eager for the specifics of what his team were being sent to face "Or who?"

"It's definitely a what" Iskald assured him through a mouthful of his own meal "I'm just not sure exactly what we're looking at"

"A brilliant start" Onyx snorted with a rumbling chuckle

"A few trucks bringing goods in on night runs have been hit" Iskald explained with a sigh "And I mean physically hit and flipped over, nothing stolen and a few concussed drivers' think they saw red eyes-"

"So Grimm then" Carcharodon guessed

"It's a safe assumption" the older man nodded "And we don't have any tracks to work with but its' also a safe assumption that we're looking for a single Grimm….a single very large Grimm that can apparently throw trucks around"

"We've killed bigger" Onyx grunted, profoundly unimpressed with the threat a single Grimm could pose

"That's the spirit kid" Iskald laughed before glancing at Raffia whom despite his chatty somewhat bumbling persona he had been more than alert enough to notice staring at him "You okay there?"

"Just looking at those tags" the Axolotl Faunus answered quickly "Ex-Military?"

"Nah" he shook his head with a grin "Scraped my way through the academy and went freelance….these were my old mans' he fought in the battle of Menagerie; a tank driver. The Scavenger Guild actually expected me to pay for them as well" Team GORE collectively fought to contain the shock and glee, Raffia's suspicions had been proven correct and Onyx's forays into the seediest parts of Atlas's cities had paid off; they now had a clear path to the upper management of the Scavenger Guild and the retribution that they intended to inflict.

Team NEON had been taken to a military base where they had been given a briefing from a drill instructor regarding how to act aboard an Atlesian military vessel, followed by a frankly obscene amount of paperwork and non-disclosure agreements before they had finally boarded a transport, something clearly related to the Atlesian Bull-Head models but far bulkier and more heavily armed. The scent of cold metal and motor oil assaulted their nostrils as the students finally stepped into the primary hangar of the warship they would be calling home for the duration of their mission; the Gerechtigkeit. Their arrival had clearly been noticed and anticipated as many of the various engineers and crewmembers attending to other craft in the hangar ceased working and gave Team NEON a cursory once over before someone who spoke with an air of authority bellowed out

"Commander on deck!" his words were followed by the sound of approaching footsteps clanging on the metal of the walkway; Matte Skye stepped into view flanked by a pair of soldiers whose faces were masked by the visors of their helmets and a quartet of Atlesian Knights, a far newer model than those that Atlesian students routinely tore through by the score in training simulations. Matte and the students regarded each other for a few moments, the commander of the ship wore a uniform of primarily navy blue and black, with silver and gunmetal embellishments and colour provided in the form of several medals adorning their breast, over the uniform was a pristine white tailcoat which hid twin holsters holding exceptionally well crafted and personalised handguns; a gift from Winter Schnee. A customary red neckerchief adorned Matte's neck and their brown skin and whiskey coloured eyes were complemented by a crew cut that had been to grow a little longer and messier than regulation would strictly allow.

"Don't put on a show for the new people" Matte ordered, earning a few chuckles from crew mates who quickly resumed working while the commander sized up the students Winter had sent for the upcoming mission; silently promising that nothing would befall them while serving on their ship. Helios saw that he was under scrutiny and returned the favour, he did not bow or salute to anyone other than a head of a state or another Tribe as was his prerogative as first son of the Nikosi; instead he stood stiffly to attention and studied the Commander for any sign of weakness, he found none

"I take it I don't need to have any protocols aboard this ship explained to you?" Matte asked with a knowing smile

"Gunnery Sargent Harvest explained how things work in detail" Helios growled, if the veteran had referred to a member of Team NEON one more time during their briefing it would have cost him his tongue, something Helios had made sure the man understood. Matte's grin only widened

"Yeah that sounds like the Sarge….think yourself lucky, he was Combat Instructor at Atlas when I attended. Does he still use the word maggot like a comma?"

"Oh yeah" Ether drawled from beside Helios; Matte gave a sympathetic look before continuing

"In that case I can forgo that part of this briefing and get straight to explaining the mission you'll be assisting my crew with; as you may or may not know the Gerechtigkeit is the testing grounds for a lot of the Atlesian Military's latest equipment; for example I believe you're familiar with the 'Baba-Jaeger' fighters?" she allowed the Team, especially the short girl with the afro and the penchant for heavy weapons; Olivine if her files were accurate to take in the sight of the remote piloted, transforming fighters which had provided aid to the transport that carried them to Atlas from New Vale. Next she gestured to the collection of heavily armed and armoured drop-ships

"Those are the Sturm-Kralle, the Raubvogel Bull-Head variant we typically use is fast but this has the same speed with a little more muscle" Matte took a moment to thoroughly enjoy the impressed looks on the teens faces before returning to business and directing their attention towards a cylindrical container of a matte black material with several power supplies and control panels visible around its' exterior

"This is Project Snare, a Grimm containment unit. This is what you'll be helping field test"

"Grimm containment?" Helios raised an eyebrow

"So that they can be studied and then dealt with more efficiently; if this testing is successful then the results could save hundreds of soldiers lives every year" the armoured Hunter seemed to accept this explanation without issue, as did his team-mates if the way Olivine was visibly restraining herself from making her way over to the experimental device and examining were anything to go by. The Feline Faunus who had yet to speak was the one to raise an obvious question

"So where're we testing it?" he glanced at Project Snare again and added "Looks a bit small to dangle out the back of the ship and scoop up a Nevermore with?" Matte allowed their self a small chuckle at the mental image, this one had a way with words apparently

"Testing Project Snare coincides with our investigation of several Grimm attacks on shipping runs off the east coast" they answered "And some odd radar readings that suggest a small island appearing and disappearing sporadically"

"A disappearing island?" Helios seemed genuinely curious at this "Have you heard of something like this before?"

"Not precisely but I have records, suspicions and a gut instinct. The Gerechtigkeit is prepared as are its' crew" Matte assured him; that seemed to be good enough as he nodded before giving them a determined look

"When should Team NEON expect to be sent into combat?" Matte saw the hard expression on his scarred face and decided she would be reading the files she had received on Helios Nikos, they wanted to know exactly what kind of upbringing had produced such a hardened soldier so young.

"At ease" Matte replied soothingly "It could be days until we get a lead we can follow; until then I'll have you shown around the ship, our mess hall is better than the Academy and you can tell General Schnee I said that. You'll have individual quarters but you're more than welcome to share" the Captain cast a knowing glance at Olivine and Ether "Until your mission begins I expect you to take part in maintenance of the ship and I'll have a training regimen set for you, I'll also personally assess your capabilities before I allow you to be deployed"

"Training?" Nyanza sighed "So what you're saying is we're basically still as the academy, it's just a change of scenery" Matte had expect a complain of this nature and merely stepped a little closer

"The academy doesn't have a bar for students, my ship does….just drink responsibly; showing up to any mission, training or otherwise will lead to a court marshal" waiting for a moment "Also the Academy won't make you drop and give me a thousand for having an attitude, I most certainly will" upon hearing that Nyanza's mouth closed with an audible clack.

Felix had suspected that this mission was going to be unpleasant the moment he recognised Special Operative Kafsi Asteri as the same undercover agent investigating the kidnapping of Eagle's mother during Team FADE's first year; his suspicions had only been confirmed when Kafsi had told him in no uncertain terms that for their mission they would be using the transports provided and that he would be leaving the Killer Bee at Atlas Academy for the duration. They were still none the wiser about the nature of their mission as the specialist had remained tight lipped for the duration of their flight, saying only that would be given information on a need to no basis and choosing instead to fill the silence with harsh glares and the laboured and admittedly painful sound of her own breath as her respirator supplied oxygen to lungs that had never fully healed from the injuries dealt to her by Onyx Ursabane.

Following their flight from the Academy to a military that Arctus seemed to recognise guessing by the glances he cast around they had been met by a burly and taciturn driver in nondescript clothing who had gestured towards a seven seat SUV with tinted windows and a black paint job; the kind of vehicle that could easily have belonged to an upper middle class mother or an up and coming rapper. They had been driven into the Capital City, an industrial yet upper class area of Eisenstadt Dritte that Felix didn't recognise but Eagle and Arctus assured him they did as it was home to the head offices of both of their mothers' companies; they had gleaned little from Kafsi though Diamond had overheard something about them meeting 'others' at their destination.

"Wait, I know where we are!" Arctus gasped, a wide smile on his face as comprehension dawned on him "We're going to the SDC!"

"Your powers of observation are remarkable" Kafsi noted tonelessly from the passengers' side of the SUV, her words dripping with sarcasm though before either Felix or Diamond could react the Bear Faunus gestured for them not to do so. A moment later their transport came to a smooth stop and Kafsi disembarked, prompting Team FADE to do the same which gave Felix and Arctus their first looks at the Schnee Dust Companies official base of operations; a truly gargantuan building covered almost entirely in a pristine white, minimalist cladding with chrome lettering above the main entrance proudly proclaiming the name and founding year of the company. A fountain set in the small courtyard in front of the main premises featured a larger than life statue of Nicholas Schnee, Arctus's maternal Great-Grandfather

"I think the Poly-Tech head office might actually be a little bigger" Eagle noted, sticking her tongue out at Arctus teasingly

"Inside" Kafsi stated bluntly, cutting through the moment and leading the students through the main entrance and into a security checkpoint where a pair of guards carrying metal detecting wands and plastic trays approached, a pre-prepared speech about placing all valuables in the tray before being searched being brought to a premature close as Kafsi spoke, her muffled voice impatient

"I am Special Operative Asteri, you were informed of my arrival. Due to the nature of our business here neither myself or my associates will be searched today" she quickly produced some form of identification which evidently proved her claims as the security guards stepped back

"Conference room on the third floor, second door of the left" one of them offered, Kafsi set off without another word though Felix Arctus murmured his thanks as he passed them. Following the guards' directions brought them to a corridor with bright lights and a thick carpet while several group photos of smiling employees lined the walls, making it apparent that this was where guests who were only permitted to see the public face of the company and not its' inner workings were brought; entering the specified room Team FADE saw perhaps a dozen men and women in the highly personalised but still distinctly military uniforms of the Atlesian Specialists; while his team-mates silently gawked at the unique and experimental weaponry on display Arctus surreptitiously looked for anyone he might recognise from his fathers' crew, his hopes for the mission improving slightly at the sight of Donner and her distinctive electric blue Mohawk and hover-board formed from a pair of curved swords

"Playing in the big leagues again kid?" she noted with a wink

"You know it" Arctus puffed up his chest with pride, arm sliding around Diamond's waist "These are-"
"Introductions aren't important right now" Kafsi interrupted as she activated an overhead projector and brought a map of the continent of Solitas into view "It's time for your mission briefing"

"Finally" Felix breathed out, taking a seat and slouching whilst paying no mind to the looks he was getting, ranging from annoyed at the uppity foreign Faunus to stifled laughter at someone finally calling Kafsi out on her legendary attitude problem. Kafsi herself continued without acknowledging the comment

"Our destination is the as yet uncompleted SDC facility in Gerat-Handlung; we will be accompanying the companies' delegation to talks regarding workers rights, conditions and so forth with the Coalition due to the increased activity of certain insurgent groups" she let the statement hang in the air for a moment and Team FADE studied the Specialists' reactions, searching for a sign that any of their number were harbouring bigoted opinions of Faunus "Six of you will be aboard the truck transporting a shipment of security robots supplied by Poly-Tech to the site, the remainder will be split between the transports carrying the delegation and several decoys-"

"Why not just take a Bull-Head?" one of the Hunters interrupted

"Too easy to shoot down….not hard to pick up a rocket launcher if you know who to ask" another answered calmly

"Fair point" the first nodded before returning their focus to Kafsi whilst gesturing at Team FADE "What about the kids, they got experience?" Team FADE collectively bristled, Arctus being the first to answer

"Served with ex-freelancers and completed every mission we've been given, fought in the breach of New Vale and qualified for the Vytal Tournament….I've also served aboard the Gespenst" the last detail was cause for several curious glances in the Bear Faunus's direction

"Oh so you're the Commanders' boy" someone called in understanding

"Wait you're the one who took a shot at…." another trailed off as they caught sight of Kafsi silently seething "Oh this is gonna be awkward as all hell" the comment somehow being exactly what was needed to dispel any tension in the room

"Team FADE will be assisting you with security patrols, also you will be training them to assess an existing security system and adequately report findings, including probable points of attack, strategic weak points and corrective measures to be taken"

"Sounds like it's gonna be fun" Donner snorted from the back of the room "We're basically a sub-contracted security firm with some apprentices for this job and on top of that we get to babysit a bunch of bigwigs" a murmur of agreement passed through the room, the idea of dealing with old money snobs distinctly unappealing to the veteran soldiers; before Kafsi could demand their silence and compliance the door to the conference room was flung open; revealing a tall man in his thirties with a full but immaculately styled beard and easily recognisable blue eyes, clad in an obviously tailored business suit and a needlessly flamboyant tie

"Afternoon ladies and gents, I heard my favourite nephew had landed a job on my security detail so I had to come and pay him a visit" the arrival of Whitley Schnee visibly changed the atmosphere in the room, one could not live in the Kingdom of Atlas and remain unaware of his antics; the idea of being part of the billionaire playboys' security detail promised to be equal parts entertaining and challenging

"Hey uncle Whit" with a weak grin was all Arctus could manage

"Okay troops, let's get this rolling party started shall we" Whitley beamed as he produced a ludicrously expensive bottle of liquor "Come on it's a long drive and I don't want to remember most of it"

"We might just survive a week with Kafsi after all" Diamond muttered as she nudged her partner

"No our chances were just halved" Arctus chuckled "But it's gonna be fun though"

Authors Notes:

So, the build up to the finale of Vol.5 begins; expect antics of all varieties.
I know quite a few of my readers are American but I'm not sure where exactly you're all from, that being said if you're anywhere near that Hurricane please stay safe.
Also expect next weeks chapter to be a little delayed; I'm gonna be celebrating my friends' business lasting for a year straight after work.
THIS STORY NOW HAS OVER 100K VIEWS ONN FF NET!

Anyway let's summarise:
The Xiao Long sibling dynamic is great.
I'm just imagining Team FADE having a bad-ass slow motion entrance walk down the corridor that always gets interrupted (If you read the IDW Transformers comics, think of the Wreckers entrances).
Cyberpet and their respective Disney animal/robot sidekicks are adorable.
I imagine that Team GORE hearing that somewhere is "Pretty rough" gets a laugh every time.
Also I'm slowly seeing more and more appeal of my Corvid x Onyx crack-ship.
Seriously there is no way Arctus isn't full of random titbits of useless military information.
Have another adorable Battle-cat moment.
Only mentioned Team SABL in passing to remind myself that they exist, Felix sparred with their team leader and they'll be turning up in the tournament.
I think it makes sense that Eagle and Felix can pronounce words in old Atlesian/Mantle pretty well.
I actually had to go back and change the name of the settlement the SDC place is being built last chapter; I said Freiheit but I can't have Team FADE and GORE's missions happening too close to each other….because reasons.
Bet you weren't expecting to see this bitch again.
You think darkness is your ally? Celeste was born in it, moulded by it…..
Huh, it just occurred to me that in some ways Celeste could be seen as an Anti-Blake; born into the fang, idolised Adam Taurus, avid reader….she's what Blake could have ended up becoming if she'd stayed with Adam.
Another IDW Transformers reference, Megatron's original manifesto/thesis (Ironically written when he was still a pacifist) was called "Towards Peace" while "Peace through Tyranny" was a slogan he adopted later….and to feed into the anti-Blake notion, I'm sure Blake has had some political writings published in this timeline; I'm also sure any fans of Transformers can make an educated guess what the title of her work will be.
Also a little insight into how Celeste built up her power.
"That is the exact opposite of a problem" admit it, as much as you hate her Celeste is bad-ass
So we all knew that Team FADE and the New White Fang were going to face off in the finale.
Surely you knew exactly how this was gonna play out when I mentioned the dog-tags.
Vytal Tournament hype continues.
Racism and the self imposed isolation of a lot of factory towns is alive and well in Atlas.
Seriously Onyx is just massive and Carcharodon is genuinely unsettling to look at, even to other Faunus; staring them out won't work, you'll look away first.
Yeah Raffia is Bi, I think I've mentioned it notes before; it hasn't become a plot point because he makes himself pretty unlikeable to the people around him.
It's been too long since we saw Hellion's Semblance; it's called "Warg" if you've forgotten.
Poor Iskald, he has no idea what he's gotten himself into.
Matte Skye just looks like a bad-ass.
I just imagined the Anima Tribes as the Wildlings from Game of Thrones, with Helios delivering Mance Rayder's "We do not bow" line.
Gunnery Sargent Harvest….you know exactly what it's a reference to.
The Baba-Jaegers are back.
Sturm-Kralle, or Storm Talon; imagine something like the Warhammer 40k Space Marine Storm-Talon/Storm-Raven.
A disappearing island….oh you're gonna love this one, trust me.
No Killer-Bee means no trunk mounted laser battery….one heavy weapon against the New White Fang down already.
Oh yeah Kafsi is gonna be a bitch the whole time, she hasn't forgotten being shot at.
Kafsi doesn't actually have seniority or rank over the other Specialists; she's been given the role of commander for this mission and that's all; she also has an amazing record….but that doesn't mean that any of the other Specialists have to like her.
Meeting the Atlas branch of the Coalition is going to involve bringing back some characters from The Downward Spiral.
Seriously, the news about Commander Slate's kid shooting a plasma gun at Specialist Asteri must have done the rounds among the other Specialists.
I'm imagining older Whitley as the unholy union of Tony Stark and Jeff Goldblum.

Thank you to SumoSnipe, iSassenach, Funlander, FleetOfWarships and ShadowAlex2000 for their reviews on the last chapter.
Oh Whitley will definitely use the teasing ammunition ruthlessly.
I have plans for Coral; you'll hate some of it and love some of it….I'll say no more than that.
"Honestly given your descriptions of them I'd let any and every member of the Cult of Taurus raw me" - That is going to be your epitaph, I hope you're proud.
We will see a Team CLIR mission, just not this one.
If Merc didn't kill Cinnabar then Arctus is fine.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.