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Individual System

The upper decks of the Argonaut were covered by a thick glass dome which could be folded back when it was required. Making such a large glass structure move may seem like an impossible endeavor to some, but it was nothing mechashift technology couldn't handle. It was expensive, but so was everything else on the ship.

That way, whenever the ship was sailing on the sea, the glass could be folded back so the passengers could enjoy the sun at their leisure.

Just like Red and Blue were doing.

"This is great."

"You can say that again."

"This is great."

The two soldiers were relaxing on a couple of lounge chairs by the pool. Their uniforms had been discarded in favor of simple swimming trunks and sunglasses. It was a shame Jaune Arc wasn't present. He'd have finally been able to see their faces.

"You know," Red said, taking a sip from his drink, a doubtlessly expensive pink thing he didn't know the name of. "I really wish we had missions like this more often."

As Red spoke, he raised his glass toward a group of women in swimsuits who definitely liked what they saw. He and Blue may not be huntsmen, but a soldier's lifestyle had given them both well-defined muscles which women tended to appreciate.

Red grinned as the women giggled in reply.

Yep, life was good.

"I bet Specialist Schnee regrets not being here," Red went on, enjoying the sun and the breeze. "It's like a paid vacation."

"Uh-huh."

Red clicked his tongue as he turned to his partner whose eyes were already closed. "Hey, come on. Don't leave me speaking all alone."

"Like you said, it's a paid vacation, and I'm using it," Blue replied, his eyes still closed under the sunglasses. "Wake me up when we reach Argus."

"Seriously?" Red asked, his sunglasses slipping to the tip of his nose. "Don't tell me you're one of those people who only go to the beach to sleep?"

"Wouldn't know. Never gone to the beach before. It does sound awfully tempting."

"Come on, we're in the equivalent of a five-star hotel. Hell, this probably counts as a six-star hotel or something! You know that, right?"

"Yep."

"Everything here is free for us. The military is footing the bill. We can eat and drink whatever we want! I read an article about one of the chefs that works here. Did you know people usually have to wait a year to eat at one of his restaurants?"

"People are dumb."

"There are rich, hot women eyeing us. As. We. Speak!"

"Unsurprising."

"You're really just going to sleep here?"

"Sounds about right, yeah."

Red gave his partner a long look before sighing in defeat. "You're the worst wingman ever."

Over in Mistral, a blue-haired young man sneezed.

"Fine!" Red huffed and crossed his arms. "Be that way! I'll enjoy all the cool stuff in this ship by myself!"

Sure, Red could go pick up Jaune, but that didn't seem like a wise move. The last thing anyone in the ship needed was for Jaune to puke in the pool. That'd just be nasty. It was best to wait until he got used to being on a ship.

It had to happen eventually, right?

"Don't come crying to me when I become the boy toy of a hot, rich widow," Red said, rising from his seat.

That was when the explosion rocked the ship.

In an instant, all the playfulness vanished from Red's countenance. While others tripped and fell as the ship swayed, he remained steady on his feet, his gaze alert and his standard-issue Atlas handgun suddenly in his hands.

"Grimm attack?"

"Negative," Blue said. The man had already risen from his lounge chair and now stood back-to-back with him. There was not a trace of drowsiness to be found in him. "The ship's radar would have picked up Grimm approaching."

"Maybe the radar's not working?"

"The brand new radar?" Blue scoffed. "Jacques Schnee may have a reputation for lien-pinching, but he's not incompetent."

Red frowned. "Then where did the explosion come from?"

A malfunction of the ship's engine? On a ship this new, it was hard to believe. However, the alternative was worse.

A bomb.

As the two were coming to similar conclusions, screams rang through the deck. The initial shock from the explosion had faded, and panic was starting to set in among the passengers.

"Shit," Red said. "They'll attract Grimm if they're like this."

As he spoke, the security personal quickly appeared on deck. Along with the staff, they tried to get the passengers to remain calm, assuring them everything was fine and that the shield would be going up shortly.

"It could be worse," Blue pointed out. "The ship is rising already."

It was true. The Argonaut was gradually rising from the water and back into the skies. Had they remained in the water, the screaming passengers would have attracted aquatic species of Grimm for sure. Had they gotten close enough to the ship before the shield could be raised, it could have been troublesome.

Now, they just needed to wait for the glass dome to close and for the shield to go up. That would protect the ship from any Grimm attracted by the passengers. Then they could start dealing with whatever caused the explosion.

Red frowned.

"The shield's not going up."

"What?"

Even as Blue asked the question, he realized Red was right. The Hard-Light Dust barrier, which was supposed to protect the ship from all manner of attacks, was still not activated. That wasn't the only problem. The glass dome also remained open, exposing the passengers to the cold of higher altitudes.

Red growled. A passing-by waiter yelped as Red suddenly grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt.

"Sir, what's-"

"Why isn't the shield going up?" Red asked, his tone all business.

"I-I don't know, sir," the waiter said. "The shield is supposed to go up within thirty seconds of any emergency at the latest. It should already be up by now."

But it wasn't. Red and Blue shared a worried look.

"What's the backup plan?" Red asked.

"T-The backup plan?"

"You don't need to repeat what I just said," Red hissed. "Yes. The backup plan. That thing you use when the first plan doesn't work. What's the protocol? And don't you dare tell me there isn't one."

There was no way a ship of this size didn't have dozens of security protocols. Jacques Schnee wouldn't be so careless with the ship he and his rich friends were supposed to travel in.

"The ballroom!" The waiter cried out. "In case of emergency, we're supposed to take the passengers to the ballroom."

The ballroom. Red considered it for a second. They'd be a bit cramped there, but it was better than the alternative.

"You go do that," Blue said, removing the waiter from Red's grip. Even as he spoke, SDC security personnel were already guiding people to the lower decks. "But hurry. We don't have much time until-"

A screech cut through the air.

"Fuck!"

It didn't matter who said it. The sentiment was shared by all. Black shapes had appeared on the horizon.

Grimm.

People sometimes wondered how it was that Grimm always seemed to appear out of nowhere when there was an accident. There were countless accounts of one unlucky accident leading to dozens of Grimm suddenly showing up without warning. The truth was Grimm didn't show up out of nowhere.

They were always watching.

The creatures of Grimm were always out there. Waiting. Every vehicle that traveled outside the kingdoms inevitably drew the attention of Grimm. From that moment on, it was a coin flip. Would the Grimm attack or would they exercise caution?

Instinct vs. Intelligence. It always came down to that.

Contrary to the propaganda pushed by the Kingdoms, Grimm were not stupid. They knew large groups of humans were likely to have some form of defense against them, so they bided their time. As long as the people kept being happy, the Grimm will most likely not attack them, interpreting their joy as confidence in their safety.

However, once the fear started, that was it. The Grimm were like sharks drawn to blood in the water. Fear meant hesitation. Fear meant weakness.

Fear meant the humans were vulnerable.

At that moment, the Grimm stopped watching from afar and swooped in for the kill.

"Inside, now!" Shouted a member of SDC Security as the passengers lost all semblance of calm in the face of the incoming horde of monsters. Some of them tripped and were stepped on almost immediately. To their credit, SDC Security did their best to bring order to the panic.

Blue and Red did not move to go into the ship. They placed themselves between the incoming Grimm and the evacuating passengers.

As this was happening, a difference between the passengers became clear. Some of them had not been content to rely on SDC Security, and so, had brought bodyguards with them. Some of those bodyguards were huntsmen. Right now, their presence was a welcome boon. Indeed, many of the passengers were ordering their bodyguards to help SDC Security take care of the Grimm.

Many, but not all.

"Who do you think is paying you?" shouted a dark-skinned, blonde woman at a very irate-looking huntsman with short spiky brown hair. "You're supposed to protect me. Stay by my side at all times."

Blue gave him a sympathetic glance as the woman led him away. Sure, he could easily fight her off, but that'd just cause more trouble than it was worth. Besides, it wasn't exactly a bad thing to have at least one huntsman going down to guard the passengers, but well…

No one liked to be the guy stuck waiting while the rest fought.

"What the hell is taking this thing so long?" shouted another huntsman as he kept tapping his scroll. He turned to a member of SDC Security. "What's the big idea? I thought your robots were supposed to bring my weapon to me in case of an emergency?"

Blue frowned. Yet another malfunction. This didn't bode well.

The huntsman didn't bother waiting for an answer. He broke a nearby chair and held one of its legs as a cub. With his Aura-reinforcing it, it would be all the weapon he needed.

"I see a Giant Nevermore," Red said as the dark shapes became more distinct. He was right. A Giant Nevermore was flying towards them with a multitude of smaller ones all around it.

"We'll have to deal with that one first," Blue commented, sounding far calmer than he felt. All he had was his gun, which wasn't meant to be used against Grimm that big. He doubted the SDC would fare better. Their best hope was to let the few huntsmen among them deal with that one.

"Yep." Red frowned. Behind him, someone muttered a curse. "Aw, crap. Griffons."

Griffons. Smaller and weaker than a Giant Nevermore. However, they were dangerous in different ways. What they lacked in raw power, Griffons more than made up in intelligence. They were ferocious hunters who employed pack tactics to wear down their prey.

No one still on the deck was looking forward to fighting them.

"Alright then," Blue said. "Anyone want to run?"

No one moved. Not the men hired by Jacques Schnee. Not the bodyguards who had probably thought this would be an easy job.

"No one? Good."

The Giant Nevermore screeched once more as a single beat of its wings sent feathers larger than cars and tougher than steel down on them like arrows.

The fight was on.

xXx

Jacques Schnee was not having a good day.

It had started out decently enough as most days tended to. The launch of the Argonaut had gone without a hitch. With the amount of money he put into it, it was only to be expected. Still, it was always pleasing when things went according to plan. All that was left was to wait until the ship reached Argus where the party would be held.

Willow had chosen to stay home and so had Whitley. Weiss was in the ship, but she had her own cabin, and the bodyguards he had assigned to her would see to her safety, not that anyone would dare harm her in his ship.

That meant that, for the first time in over a year, Jacques Schnee had absolutely nothing to do but relax.

While everyone else had been swimming or playing, Jacques Schnee had been in his luxurious cabin drinking from a finely aged bottle of wine and watching his favorite movie. He had even traded his expensive suit for a terry cloth robe.

Then the explosion happened.

At once, his security team had entered his room to pull him out. Seeing to his safety was precisely what he paid them for, and Jacques appreciated their quick reaction time.

Still, couldn't they at least have given him time to change?

As his bodyguards took him upstairs, Jacques' mind started going over the situation. There had been enough attempts on his life for him to recognize an explosion when he felt one. However, where had it come from? Could it have been due to a malfunction?

The possibility was considered and discarded in less than a second.

He'd had his engineers check, double-check, triple-check, and even quadruple check every inch of the Argonaut to make sure it was ready for the trip. There was no way anything could have failed. What else could be the reason?

Was Ironwood's toy not as safe as he had been led to believe?

No. That was equally impossible. Ironwood would have never allowed his robot aboard if there was even the slightest chance it could malfunction.

As Jacques' brain kept coming up with and discarding possibilities, his eyes noticed something.

"Where are we going?" His security team was not taking the route to the upper decks. In fact, he was pretty sure they were taking him to the ballroom.

"There's been a change of plans, sir," one of his guards replied. "The shield won't activate, so we're taking everyone to the ballroom."

The Hard-Light Dust Barrier was not working?

"Preposterous!"

The guard shrugged haplessly.

"I only know what they tell me, boss."

It didn't make any sense. Out of all parts of the ship, the barrier should be the last one to malfunction, and if it did, there was a maintenance crew stationed in the ship that could go and fix it. Without it, the ship was far more vulnerable to attacks from Grimm.

Was that explosion a Grimm attack then?

No. Jacques frowned. That didn't sound right. If anything this whole thing felt more like…

"And the guest of honor arrives. Put your hands in the air. Now."

Sabotage.

As his men opened the door to the ballroom, they were greeted by raised weapons. The intruders' white vests and Grimm-like masks were unmistakable.

The White Fang.

In his ship.

Jacques' hands tightened into fists. Someone was going to pay dearly for this.

The staredown between his men and the White Fang lasted for less than four seconds, but it felt like much longer. In the end, it was his men who gave up. The White Fang already had their guns out, and they had numerical superiority.

"Smart," the man in charge said. He was a redheaded bull-faunus. It took Jacques a while to put a name to the face.

Adam Taurus.

As he recalled, Adam Taurus was a White Fang operative who had mostly been active in Mistral. His face had appeared on the papers a few times.

It seemed like he was moving up in the organization.

"Take their weapons," Taurus ordered. "Put them with the rest."

Two of the White Fang grunts quickly moved to follow his orders, taking his guards' weapons before leading them inside at gunpoint. Jacques' lips thinned when he saw the state of the ballroom. The place was packed, full of passengers and crew. In addition to that, there were dozens of armed White Fang members. The presence of that many guns ensured everyone knew better than to try something stupid.

"Why aren't you doing anything? What do you think I pay you for?"

"Pumpkin, please. Calm down."

Well, almost everyone.

Under less severe circumstances, Jacques would have rolled his eyes. Yet again, Peter Pumpkin's latest wife was making a scene. The woman was physically attractive. Jacques was willing to admit that much, but for the life of him, he couldn't understand what had possessed Peter to marry someone like that. High-maintenance did not begin to describe her.

"Don't tell me to calm down," she screeched. "We hired a huntsman. He should be able to handle this rabble."

She pointed to the huntsman in question, who sighed deeply.

She wasn't entirely wrong. Even one huntsman could probably handle most of the White Fang members present. If it was just a matter of winning, then the bodyguards they had hired were more than capable of fulfilling the task.

Just not without people dying.

One bullet. That was all it would take.

In a room full of so many people, it was impossible for a gunfight to start without people dying. That was why even though there were some huntsmen present in the room, they hadn't dared to fight back. If they did, the White Fang would start shooting. The ensuing death toll would be significant, and the death of some of the people here would cause shockwaves throughout Remnant.

If a fight started inside this room, it'd be a catastrophe. The huntsman clearly understood that.

"Pumpkin!"

"Don't you, 'Pumpkin,' me!"

Peter's wife clearly didn't.

"I'll not let these ani-ack!"

The woman's rant was brought to an abrupt end, not by the hands of the White Fang, but rather by her own bodyguard. A quick blow to the back of the head rendered her unconscious. The huntsman, a man with short, spiky brown hair, offered Peter an apologetic nod as he caught his wife before she fell to the floor. However, Peter looked more shocked than angry.

In fact, no one looked particularly angry at the huntsman.

Even the White Fang looked a bit grateful.

Jacques made a mental note to get the huntsman's name from Peter once this business was over. The man had made a good call just now. If the woman had continued, she'd have drawn the ire of the White Fang. One could not expect these terrorists to have any measure of restraint.

Quick thinking like that was something he could use in his service.

"The rich and powerful of Atlas now cower like rats," Adam drawled. "How fitting."

He strode into the room as he spoke. His sword holstered at his side. He didn't shout, yet his voice easily carried across the room. Glares were all he received for his insolence. None dared to sling insults at him when the odds were so heavily in his favor.

Jacques stepped up.

"What is it that you want from us?"

He may just be wearing a terry cloth robe and fuzzy slippers, but he was still Jacques Schnee. He had turned a successful Dust company into an empire. He had endured betrayals and overcome every obstacle in his way.

He was not about to cower in the face of some masked whelp!

"Should that not be obvious, human?" Taurus asked. "Each one of you is a valuable hostage. Your families, your companies, your kingdoms. How much will they be willing to pay for you?"

And with that money, the White Fang would be able to scale up their operations. Furthermore, the publicity generated by this stunt would boost the morale of their forces while the SDC would look like fools for letting it happen.

"Do you really think you can get away with this?" Jacques fired back. "As we speak, this ship is heading for Argus. There's a military base there. There are huntsmen on this very ship that are surely plotting to rescue us. Surely, you can see how ill-thought this operation is, child."

Half-bluff and half-provocation.

How would Adam Taurus react?

"You think you're pretty brave, huh, human?" It was not Taurus who rose to his provocation, but rather one of the nameless grunts. "You're not in charge here. We are. Maybe it's time you see how it's like for the faunus working in your mines."

The faunus raised his hand to grab him, but a single hand snatched his wrist before he could.

"Adam, why?!"

"Patience," Taurus said, his grip on the faunus' wrist firm. "We need him alive."

"B-but he-"

"You will not lecture me on the evils of Jacques Schnee," Adam Taurus said. "I trust I do not need to explain why."

The faunus paled and quickly shook his head.

"Good," Adam said, letting the faunus go. He turned to Jacques. "Your precious huntsmen are currently too busy dealing with the Grimm outside. I had my men turn on the Hard-Light Dust barrier, but quite a few Grimm were already inside its range by then. I think that by the time the huntsmen finish killing them, they'll be too tired to do anything worthwhile. As for the military, they won't be able to get close to the ship with the shield up."

"That won't last forever."

"It won't," Adam agreed, not looking particularly bothered. "However, it'll last long enough, and if the military somehow manages to get past the barrier..."

Adam patted his blade.

"You don't want that to happen, human. With this many hostages, it's fine if a few of you die to make a point. Considering your crimes, the world may even thank me for it."

xXx

"Up ahead!"

"I see them!"

Streaks of white and grey flashed across the hallways of the Argonaut as Weiss Schnee and Jaune Arc fell upon a pair of White Fang grunts looking for passengers. The two faunus did not even last a second under their combined assault. Even though they did not have weapons, they were still far more than ordinary terrorists could handle.

"This doesn't make any sense," Weiss said as she stared at the downed bodies of the faunus. "How did the White Fang even get here?"

After the initial shockwave, the two had started making their way to the upper decks, something that took a little longer than it should have due to an argument about where exactly they were on the ship.

That was when they had run into the White Fang.

It had been just one pair. They had probably been looking for passengers in the lower decks.

Weiss hadn't given them a chance.

The girl's face had gone from surprised to livid in under a second. She had attacked with a ferocity that surprised Jaune. In a few seconds, the terrorists were down for the count and encased in ice. Apparently, Weiss always kept a few vials on her person.

That had been how their encounter with the first pair had gone. This was the second one.

"Maybe we should have tried keeping them conscious this time?" Jaune asked while slapping one of the men's faces. He didn't even stir. Jaune grimaced.

Fighting humans was hard.

Weiss huffed and crossed her arms. "Conscious? For what? So the animals can shout death threats at us? Or perhaps so they can swallow a cyanide tablet while praising their crazy cult? You cannot talk to these people. Take it from someone whose family has been at war with them for years." Her face softened. "I must say though, you performed adequately in combat and… what are you doing?"

Jaune looked up from where he was currently taking the terrorist's belt off. "Searching for weapons and anything that might serve as a clue." He held up the man's gun. "You want one?"

Weiss' face crinkled in distaste.

"I will never lower myself to using something that has been touched by those animals. I have my own weapon."

"Your own weapon which you left in your cabin?"

"P-Perhaps?" Weiss turned her head away, her cheeks carrying a tint of red.

"Well, I'm using this," Jaune said as he checked the gun. He had received training from Red and Blue on how to use guns. It was time to put it to use. "So, do we look for a storage locker to lock these two in?"

Weiss sighed. "That would be for the best, yes."

That was when the ceiling caved.

At that exact moment, the Giant Nevermore above the ship had sent its giant feathers down like meteors. The people fighting there simply hadn't been able to stop all the feathers from landing on the ship. One had gotten past them and burrowed into the hull with lightning speed.

And now it was about to fall on Weiss.

At that moment, as Jaune saw Weiss' eyes widen, there was only one choice for him to make. No, it wasn't even a choice.

His body just acted.

Fist. On!

A crash. A powerful impact. And in the end, IXA stood protectively over Weiss Schnee, having successfully stopped the projectile from hitting her.

"So," said Jaune Arc, fully aware he had just transformed in front of the girl, "I don't suppose you'll believe I'm a robot?"

AN:

When the fic began, I wasn't planning on using Red and Blue this much. I just needed some named soldiers, and they were already there, guarding Penny. I just needed to give them names. Funny how things work out.

Anyway, I know some people expected things to jump right to the fight, but I wanted to show the perspectives of the other people in the ship first. By the way, the blonde woman who screams at her bodyguard is the one Weiss almost kills in Vol 4, and the huntsman working for her is the one RNJR finds dying in Shion village. They suited my purposes, so I decided to use them.

Also, I'm naming her husband after Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater. Well, more like his grandfather is based on that. His grandfather is also the one who created Pumpkin Pete in this universe.

This chapter marks the first time I write from Jacques' perspective. I didn't want him to come across as a coward. Dude's a dick, but he's probably gone through a lot to build his empire. He's not going to let himself be intimidated easily.

Even if he's only wearing a robe and slippers.

As for Weiss, well, as you can tell, she's pretty hostile towards the White Fang here. Like she said, her family's been at war with the White Fang for some time.

Anyway, till next time!