UNSC Dominion, Bridge
October 12th, 0923 local time, 2552
The sound of a coilgun slug obliterating the sound barrier was always welcome in Richard's mind. Even as the battle was beginning to calm down, the occasional thunderclap of the point-defense guns sounded throughout the ship. They'd done their jobs magnificently, whatever targets they were tasked to obliterate never stood a chance against the starship-grade weaponry.
"Excalibur's lasers just ran dry, they're on their way back to the barn now for recharge and rearmament." Bradford reported. "Voodoo is approaching the end of their ammo now, but by the looks of things, they probably won't have to use their full payload."
Our Squadrons tore them apart, even more so than I was expecting. We'll have to prioritize getting them re-armed as soon as we can. Richard thought, very satisfied with their performance. A quick look at the monitor tracking the objectives of the auxiliary craft confirmed that all of them were completed. "Keep me informed, and ensure the Gun Captains know that they're coming back, we don't want any friendly fire."
"Aye Sir." Bradford confirmed, before going to relay the order.
The sound of another coilgun salvo cracked through the ship, punctuated by Lieutenant Gage making his report. "All nearby Grimm contacts down, reloading and cooling guns while we've got the chance."
"Do it and check in with the Atlesians, they might need more fire-support." Richard instructed.
"That shouldn't be necessary, Commander." Winter interjected. "Apparently the Specialists are wrapping up the last of the Grimm on the ground now."
Richard turned to her with an expression of surprise and a fair bit of doubt. "What about the enemy reinforcements? We should be ready when the next wave begins their attack."
"There is no next wave, Sir." Bradford interjected, much to Richard's surprise.
That was very far from what he expected to hear. "What do you mean? I thought that the Grimm wouldn't stop coming until the negativity subsided."
Just to be sure, he took another glance at Lieutenant Chen's station, where she was monitoring all of the press coverage and public response to recent revelations. Numerous furious debates, emerging protests, and even live coverage of a fire dotted her terminals, so it was very apparent that the people of Atlas were still taking in the news, albeit quite poorly, and that the negativity was still rampant.
I certainly hope all that anger is directed at the SDC, and not us. Richard thought, although he wasn't so optimistic. But we'll have plenty of time to make friends when this is all over...
"The Grimm do vary in their behavior, somewhat." Winter said, offering some mild explanation as to what might have happened. "But if the Grimm have truly stopped coming, well… it is possible that they have no way to make it to the source of the negativity, natural barriers, perhaps? Or maybe they are simply spread too thin to notice such a sharp rise so suddenly?" She didn't sound certain, a stark contrast to what he had come to expect from Winter when she spoke of things related to Remnant. It was sheer speculation and that fact seemed to worry the Specialist even more than him.
Richard paused, and ran the situation over in his head. Just because they didn't see the enemy coming didn't mean the Grimm had all simply vanished, it was more likely that some external factor was playing into their behavior, maybe some biological defense mechanism that they had overlooked? If they were able to see all of their allies get obliterated, perhaps they would be less willing to attack, they did apparently possess some limited degree of intelligence.
Or maybe Winter was right and the Grimm were unable to make the journey due to terrain… maybe there was a massive horde building up preparing to storm them after they made it through whatever was slowing them down.
Although I'd rather not think about that. Richard thought. "Are there any rural towns or villages that might have attracted the Grimm to them, rather than Atlas?"
"It's certainly possible, but I haven't heard anything about that over the radio. Though… if those villages have gone radio silent, that is deeply worrying." Winter answered, a fair degree of concern in her voice. "Give me just a moment, I'll double-check what's going on with the General."
As she took a step back to speak to the General, Bradford brought up a live readout of the ship's Radar systems on the holotable. "Here Commander, maybe you'll be able to spot something we didn't."
Richard stood up for a better look. Only around twenty kilometers away, and quite a fair degree lower than the Dominion, was the massive radar signature where Atlas stood. Around it in a defensive screen, smaller contacts marked Atlas's Airfleet. Smaller, notably faster contacts marked the Dominion's Squadrons, which were dotted across the map alongside their Atlesian counterparts. Although there were confirmed hostile contacts further out, the immediate area around Atlas was clear as could be.
"That's... wrong, we couldn't have beaten them back already." Richard said, deep in thought on where all the Grimm could have gone. Although the UNSC and Atlesian Military had been doing well, they had only been fighting for a handful of hours, the Grimm should have still littered the ground.
"I don't know Sir, I think that's exactly what we did." Bradford said, a hint of optimism in his voice. "We neutralized all of our targets, and the Atlesians are mopping up any stragglers now. Maybe we just overestimated them? Scary as they can be, they are just wild animals."
A more cynical part of Richard's mind told him that they hadn't won yet. He half expected a massive wave of Grimm to show up on Radar and outnumber the Airfleet ten to one, yet none came. Instead, Winter returned to the holotable, with a notably more chipper expression.
"The General has just given the order to stand down, I believe that we have won." Winter said. Although she was outwardly more optimistic, Richard could've sworn he caught a hint of doubt in her voice.
Experience breeds caution. Richard thought. He knew that skeptical look anywhere, although it most commonly adorned the faces of UNSC Admirals after any kind of success.
Bradford gave a nod. "Well, if the General says the Grimm are done coming, I'll take his word for it. He's fought the Grimm a lot longer than we have..."
"I'm not so certain, there should be more." Richard muttered doubtfully.
It seemed, however, that most of the Bridge crew had already begun quietly celebrating, with excited murmurs and restrained cheering sounding throughout the bridge. A quick glance around the Bridge confirmed that they looked the happiest he had seen them since they shot down the hostile Cruisers. Even Bradford was smiling, albeit in a subtle, more professional manner.
Or maybe... well, it would be nice to have a victory... Richard thought, feeling somewhat exhausted by his doubts, as well as the battle. He wasn't afraid to admit to himself that the pressure of his position was starting to get to him, and he was worried it was beginning to affect his mindset.
"Are you alright, Commander?" Bradford asked, seemingly concerned by his silence. Richard forced his mind clear and returned his attention to the situation at hand.
"I'm fine, thank you." Richard answered, before turning to the Operations Station. "Ensign, open a channel to General Ironwood, patch it directly to my earpiece."
"Aye Sir." Gillespie cheerfully reported.
Richard tried not to let the doubt on his face show as he returned to his seat. A moment later, his earpiece gave a crackle, and he could hear the General's voice.
"Congratulations Commander, I think we've beaten them, for now." General Ironwood said.
Although his words were positive in nature, Richard could hear the caution still lingering in his voice. It was surprisingly easy to read him even without seeing his body language, but in this instance, that was a good thing.
He's not convinced that the Grimm are really gone either. Richard realized. "I'm not so certain General, I was under the impression that this would be more... difficult."
"So was I." Ironwood admitted, with a hint of reluctance. "But with no Grimm on the immediate horizon, I think it would be best to order our men to stand down. Having all of our defenses raised causes concern in the public, and we don't want them worrying, especially if the Grimm come back."
Annoyingly, Richard saw the logic in his statements. Having the whole Atlesian Army deployed was no doubt causing more panic back home than there already was, so sending them back to the Walls of Mantle would help restore confidence in the people. The cynical side of his brain insisted that letting your defenses down so easily was a terrible decision, and that even with a full airfleet in the sky, and a UNSC frigate overhead, the Grimm could still pose a threat.
But reluctantly, he forced himself to go along with the more optimistic sentiment, it was quite apparent for the happy expressions on everyone's faces around him that he was alone in being doubtful. "I understand, I'll recall my strike craft and step down to condition two. If the Grimm do show up again, we'll be ready."
"That's a wise decision, Commander." Ironwood replied, a subtle hint of either respect or gratitude in his voice. "But for now, maybe we can focus on public relations. We certainly have a lot to explain to Atlas's people."
"Agreed, I'll contact you if we pick up any threats, Dominion out." Richard said, before closing the channel himself. "Lieutenant Bradford, order the ship to stand down to condition two. Keep Radar actively scanning, and get all of our birds back to the barn."
As Bradford gave the order over the intercom and the crew gave a brief round of applause at their victory, Richard considered if maybe he was just jaded to accept their success as hard-earned. He had a cynical side, he was well aware of that, but perhaps he had let it fester for too long. Maybe I'm just too used to getting my ass kicked by the Covenant...
Richard shook his head, that kind of thinking was unhelpful and unwelcome. Now was a time for him to make himself useful, there was still much to be done. "Lieutenant Chen, send an offer out to the Atlesian Medical Staff, see if our Doctors can help treat the wounded... and see if the Atlesian Press would like us to make a statement."
"Aye Sir." She happily answered, her earlier anxiety completely gone.
Another hint of doubt ran through his mind, that maybe the Grimm just wanted it to look like they were defeated, but he snuffed it out. If the Grimm did decide to return, they would be struck down by the Dominion and their allies. A full fleet stood between them and Atlas, supported by several Battalions of Atlesian Soldiers, dozens of Specialists, and a company of UNSC Marines, backed by the finest vehicles that humanity had at their disposal.
Besides, they're wild animals, and wild animals don't have grand strategies. Richard thought, satisfied with that small bit of logic. Maybe they finally got the hint that we're not going to go down so easily.
Salem's Castle
October 12th, 1650 local time, 2552
Hundreds of years of practice meant that Salem was well-versed in the art of controlling Grimm. What had originally been an inconsistent, frustrating waste of time was now something that she relished doing. Privately, she wondered just how much power that Grimm Pool had granted her, as she was still discovering new abilities every once and awhile. While at first, she hated herself for falling into that pool, she found herself regretting it less and less by the day.
Still, even with all of her practice, keeping the Grimm from pouncing on Atlas while it was down was difficult. All of the frustration and fears of the UNSC from Atlas came to head, coupled with the revelation of the SDC's more controversial acts, creating a perfect cesspool of negativity. The Grimm sensed this and wanted nothing more than to contribute to those negative emotions, but Salem held them back. She wanted to give them a false sense of security, and maybe even inspire a bit of arrogance in the process. Thankfully, the Grimm were obedient, and with one final, stern mental command, she firmly established to them that Atlas was off-limits, for the time being.
Her new pack of Lurker Grimm was proving to be especially useful as a distant set of eyes for her to look through, giving her a distant overview of what was happening in Atlas. While the Seer did the same thing, they were very hard to make, and Salem tried to make sure that the Humans didn't know too much about the true capabilities of the jellyfish-like creatures. The Lurker was far more disposable and offered her a look at some of mankind's new methods of warfare that she had previously not yet been able to see.
The UNSC offered mankind some frustratingly powerful weapons and methods. From tiny metal coffins that were launched seemingly from space, each containing a powerful warrior ready for battle, all the way to the mothership from which those tiny vehicles were launched from. It was apparent just how advanced their strange division of mankind had become, making Salem curious as to who exactly they were fighting. Mankind wouldn't just create such devastating weapons for the sake of making them... perhaps there was some merit to rumors of the alien "Covenant" that they claimed to fight.
A world with no Grimm, no Aura, no Semblances, not even Dust. It does sound interesting, and it no doubt forced them to find new ways of achieving their goals. Salem thought. No doubt that's affected their methods of thinking as well, I'll need to adjust my plans.
Thankfully, it seemed that the UNSC shared the Huntsmen and Huntresses' comical disregard for their own safety, along with a useful level of self-sacrificial glorification. That alone gave her something to plan around, that the UNSC would attempt to defend whatever the Grimm attacked. If she could bait them into a disadvantageous battle, she could deplete them for every last precious resource they had.
Lionheart had claimed their ship only carried around a thousand people, and only a fraction of those were soldiers who fought on the ground. If she could cut down their numbers, she could not only instill a bit of fear into them, but weaken them to a point where they posed less of a threat to her plans.
And once I have the Relics, nothing else matters. Salem thought, before getting snapped out of her thoughts by a familiar giggle. "What did you need, Tyrian?"
"My Lady, I have come to inform you that the Doctor has something to report in his lab." Tyrian gracefully bowed, lowering himself to the floor as he spoke. Some people would have considered Tyrian's behavior to be unnatural and disturbing, but Salem valued his loyalty and valuable skill set more than she cared for any of his personal quirks.
"It certainly took him long enough." Salem muttered to herself in an unimpressed manner. "Thank you Tyrian, I'll see what he has to say."
"Did you need anything from me, My Lady?" he asked, with a surprising degree of humility.
She thought it over for a moment, perhaps she did. "Ready your weapons and secure yourself some explosives from the armory, I may have a mission for you, should everything go well."
He cackled with excitement. "I shall see to it at once!"
With Tyrian going to equip himself, she found Watts in his laboratory, working with some kind of metal plate.
"Ah, good, my Lady, you're here." He said, as soon as he spotted her. "I'm happy to report I have some advancements that I believe may offer the Grimm a serious advantage, especially against our new enemies."
Salem walked up to join him next to what he was working on. At a glance, it looked a pair of small metal plates haphazardly welded together, but there were other materials sandwiched in-between them, adding various layers of extra thickness.
"What is this, Doctor?" Salem asked, picking up the surprisingly heavy plate of material.
"That is a new design of armor that was originally supposed to be mounted on Atlesian Mechs, originally proposed by a weapons firm in Vacuo." Watts answered. "The "Chobham" armor, as they called it, never left the theoretical stage, but I wasn't so keen to give up on the design."
Salem frowned. "I can't bolt metal plates onto Grimm, Doctor, at least not with any degree of efficiency."
"You don't need to, you only need to understand the principles that make it work." Doctor Watts explained. "I've prepared this example here to demonstrate, but in short, you mix conventional steel plates with layers of softer and harder materials, which either negate the explosive power of bombs or shatter kinetic projectiles."
Salem raised an eyebrow, that did sound very useful. "So, this will give the younger Grimm a chance to survive their earlier battles."
"That's one benefit of this, yes." Watts confirmed. "But more importantly, it will also make the Grimm more difficult to kill once they have their full bone-coating."
Salem placed the plate back onto the table. "Well, that's very good news Doctor, and I believe we'll be able to test this new development of yours sooner rather than later."
Watts nodded. "What is the new plan?"
"Cripple the UNSC's ability to get in our way, along with Atlas. We don't need to wipe them out, just knock them back, force them to rebuild themselves for a bit and buy us the time we need to deal with Ozpin and his puppets." Salem answered.
"A good strategy, but how do you plan to execute it?" Watts asked.
"We'll bait them into a battle they think they can win, and surprise them with a far larger force than they anticipated." Salem answered. "Lionheart says they don't have very many soldiers to fight with on the ground, we'll exploit that and overwhelm them."
"If your target is the UNSC, you'll want to pick something far away from Atlas." Watts suggested. "Their ship is much faster than Atlas's airships, so wherever you strike, they will get there first. Once you have the UNSC isolated, they'll be an easy target."
Salem gave it only a moment's thought, she already had a target in mind but the Doctor's words only reinforced it. "Thank you, Doctor, I believe I have a place in mind. On a related note, I'm sending Tyrian on a mission, let him know if you need anything while he's out."
"I'll make sure that I do." Watts replied. "What shall I do once I'm done with that?"
"Figure out what we can do with that alien encryption software." Salem ordered. "Even if we can't use it as a weapon, there's certainly going to be a use for something like that, we just have to find it."
"I'll see what I can do with it." Watts said.
"Make sure of it, now if you'll excuse me, I have some adjustments to make..." Salem said, leaving the laboratory for the Grimm Pools.
Beacon Academy
October 12th, 1134 local time, 2552
Ben no longer had any doubts about Ruby's gunsmithing capabilities.
Her weapon, aptly named "Crescent Rose" by its wielder, was surprisingly well put together, relative to the sheer outlandishness of the concept. The hybrid anti-material rifle and farming implement was something that no military would ever adopt, especially without the strength and extra weapon reliability offered by Aura. But Ruby wasn't a soldier, she was a Huntress, and she had demonstrated a multitude of ways that her weapon was in many ways superior to the average anti-material rifle.
But at the same time, it represented everything that made a poor weapon as well. It was too heavy, it was far too complex, there were too many moving parts, the production cost was probably more comparable to a higher-level computer system than a rifle, and from what Ruby explained, it apparently required diligent maintenance. Whereas its potential capabilities on the field were certainly impressive, it also came with massive risks. Regardless, it was very clear that she passionately loved the weapon, and that she cared for it with extreme efficiency and enthusiasm; although he would certainly not consider it a viable weapon, he did have a bit of respect for how impressive it was.
She must be much stronger than she looks if she can just throw that thing around in a fight. Ben thought, wondering just how much an Aura amplified a user's strength when exploited to its fullest extent.
He'd begun to respect Ruby as a whole, even through her rather obvious faults. She lacked discipline, and she couldn't focus to save her life, but she was clearly passionate about her work, and she possessed exemplary talent in the fields she pursued. Her optimism stood out to him as something very uncommon, most soldiers lacked a sense of levity in their lives, as they were frequently filled with tragedy.
He forced himself to disregard his expectations entirely for Huntsmen and Huntresses as a whole, as it was very clear that they were obsolete and would require a fresh assessment. It was also obvious that despite her age and lesser training, Ruby clearly knew what she was talking about when it came to fighting Grimm. At what seemed to be the drop of a hat, she could be surprisingly brutal when it came to discussing different tactics, to an extent that a squeamish person might call 'disturbing'.
Curie does the same thing, now that I think about it. Ben thought, well aware that she had a fondness for venting enemies into a vacuum during wargames, where they would rapidly suffocate.
When it came to making bullets for them to test, Ruby worked very differently than he did, working on up to three different batches of ammunition at the same time, going back and forth between the different workstations. Whereas Ben had done his best to keep the powder somewhat evenly dispersed, Ruby only seemed concerned with the actual structuring of the compound itself. Once Curie had given her a crash-course on the function and creation of smokeless powder, she adjusted her methods slightly to compensate for those age-old lessons learned by chemists hundreds of years ago.
Results matter more than how you get them, unless those methods hamper your results. Ben thought, remembering a common lesson from his own training. He thought it applied very well to Ruby specifically, and perhaps the Huntsmen Academies in general. Actually, since I have her here anyways...
"Ruby, do you mind if I ask a few questions about your organization?" Ben asked, clearly taking her by surprise somewhat, as she flinched from the shock. "Uh, sorry."
"Not a problem! You've just been pretty quiet, I wasn't expecting it." Ruby happily answered. "But I uh... don't really understand what you mean."
Ben cocked his helmet at her in confusion, he thought it was fairly self-evident. "I was referring to the Huntsmen Academies."
"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed, as the realization dawned on her. "I mean, I guess it's technically an organization... but I've never heard anyone refer to Huntsmen like that."
Are they really that decentralized? Ben thought, somewhat surprised. Although he was aware they were decentralized to some extent, he had assumed they would at least have some sort of organizational structure. "Well, what would you call it?"
"Well... Huntresses are a lot more... independent, I guess." Ruby answered, although it took her a moment to find the right word to describe the concept. "Once we graduate, we just kind of do our own thing on a mission-to-mission basis."
"With no command structure?" Ben asked, suddenly more concerned than ever. "Surely there's something in place to keep everyone focused."
"There is, actually, at least in some instances." Curie interjected, displaying her hologram using her chip, which Ben had simply opted to leave on the table next to what he was working on.
Theoretically, anyone could make a grab for it, but he would break their arm long before they reached her. She also enjoyed talking with her hologram displayed, and Ben didn't really see a reason not to oblige.
"Some Huntsmen and Huntresses opt to operate in specific nations or areas, and others entirely align themselves with specific nations." Curie explained. "Most of the other Huntsmen tend to operate either alongside law enforcement or as independent operatives."
"Like Atlas's Specialists... ugh..." Ruby added, with a hint of disgust in her voice.
Well, that's a new take for certain. Ben thought, somewhat surprised. "What's so bad about the Specialists?"
Ruby gave an unimpressed pout. "They aren't really Huntsmen, they just kinda act like them. Huntresses should be about helping everyone, not just Atlas!"
Ah, mixed loyalties, that is a problem. Ben thought, now understanding her concerns. "I can certainly empathize with helping everyone. Where we come from, the UNSC is the overarching military body of all of the United Earth Government. No matter where a person lives, we're responsible for their safety."
"You have one big government? Like, not even different Kingdoms?" Ruby asked, seemingly surprised.
"Well... kind of." Ben said, suddenly regretting bringing up the topic. For one thing, he was never really taught about politics in class, it wasn't very important in the grand scale of fighting the Covenant, so his Instructors brushed it off. It was also difficult to explain how there technically wasn't a civilian government anymore, after Martial Law was declared when the war with the Covenant started.
The most important thing he really understood about politics is that they tended to obstruct otherwise perfectly functional military operations, as his superiors would commonly complain about them.
"It's a multi-leveled organizational structure, like you have with individual regions within cities." Curie added, thankfully answering Ruby's question for him. "There are individual nation-states on a planet, and then the planet gets individual representatives in one larger assembly that represents the whole of the UEG."
"Uhhh..." Ruby awkwardly replied, clearly not knowing what to say.
Yeah, I can relate. Ben thought. "Curie, I'm not sure if you can explain the organizational structure of an entire government in one brief statement."
"Oh?" Curie snappily replied, her voice rich with snark. "If you simpletons have the brainpower to put together ammunition, you should certainly have enough left over to know who you're shooting it at!"
Ben and Ruby both looked at Curie, both surprised by her slight outburst. She suddenly looked a lot less frustrated and a lot more sheepish, as well as surprised with herself. "I uh... sorry."
"Simpleton, that's a new one." Ben noted, somewhat amused with her dialect, although he was also somewhat concerned that maybe he'd struck a nerve. "It's not a problem Curie, we all get a bit grumpy at times."
"Yeah, don't worry about it Curie. Some of my teammates can be a bit shouty sometimes too, but they're still good people." Ruby added
"Thank you, Miss Rose." Curie replied. "I did not know you had a team."
Ben gave a slight grin of amusement behind his helmet, he recognized the curiosity and Curie's voice, and the unknown didn't stay that way for long when Curie was around.
"Wait a moment..." Curie suddenly added, in an uncomfortably familiar tone of voice. It was the same one that Curie would use to point out a landmine that he was about to step on.
"What's wrong?" Ben asked, immediately pausing his work.
Curie turned her digital head to look at Ruby with some obvious reluctance. "One of your teammates wouldn't happen to be named Weiss, would they?"
Where have I heard that name before? Ben thought, although his memory failed him, he had probably only ever heard it in passing conversation anyway.
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Ruby answered, seemingly oblivious to the gravity in Curie's voice.
"...Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company?" Curie cautiously added.
All of the terrible things he'd seen flashed before his eyes,
"Yes... what's the problem?" Ruby asked, before a thought must've connected in her mind and the realization clicked. "Wait... didn't you guys have some sort of issue with them?"
Wow, I figured the news would've been all over that. Then again, Vale's been a lot less... xenophobic. Ben thought. "Ruby, the Schnee Dust Company provoked us into an armed conflict, where we later uncovered them running a slaving operation. We're currently at war with them."
Ruby looked like she was immediately about to respond, but the real impact of his words dawned on her before she could speak. Whatever she was going to say was apparently knocked completely off course, as the only thing that came out of her mouth was a single hoarse word. "...What?"
"I am afraid Ben is entirely correct, we have both witnessed their crimes against humanity on several occasions." Curie reluctantly added. "If what I am reading is true, your teammate may have been involved with that."
Ben pinged his status light green, a silent way of confirming that he was on the same train of thought as her. She pinged hers back as green, a signal to follow her lead.
"What, no!" Ruby protested. "Weiss wouldn't do that, she's a bit crabby, and a bit mean, but she'd never enslave anyone! She's a good friend and a good person!"
Would Beacon really allow someone with a criminal history in, especially one as violent and extensive as a slaver? Ben thought, quickly realizing that their suspicions were probably unjustified. "That may be true, but I hope you understand that we cannot take your word for it, due to your personal experiences with her."
Ruby's expression stonified, suddenly becoming much more serious. Subtly she shifted her posture to a fighting stance, but wisely did not reach for her weapon.
She's willing to fight on behalf of her friend, that's admirable, especially given the fact she probably can't win. Although I'm surprised she thinks we'd just jump right to fighting. Ben thought, somewhat unimpressed. "Relax, I'm not about to go shoot her, we're not barbarians."
Ruby let out a breath of relief. "That's good... I didn't want to have to fight you."
"Believe me, a fight is the last thing we want." Ben honestly replied.
"So... what is it you want with Weiss?" Ruby asked.
"Well, that all depends on how the Commander responds to my message... ok nevermind, he already has." Curie answered. "Ben, we've been ordered to go interrogate her."
"What?!" Ruby asked, clearly having a very definition of the word than they did.
"We'd like to ask her a few questions, that is all." Curie quickly added, which seemed to calm her down a bit.
Ruby let out another sigh of relief. "Oh, I uh, thought you meant... something else."
Does she really think I'm going to walk up to a foreign special forces academy and just kidnap someone? Ben thought, taken off guard by her hasty assumption. "We're allies Ruby, we don't just kidnap one another when we don't even know whether or not they're actually supporting the enemy."
Ruby awkwardly scratched the back of her head as she thought over his words. "Yeah, that uh... makes sense, sorry."
We really need to do a PR campaign if even our allies think we're a bunch of warmongering sociopaths. Ben thought, more than a little pessimistic. Or maybe they just really can't get their heads around who we really are?
"Do not worry Miss Rose, I am also confident that your friend is innocent, but she may also have valuable information on our enemy." Curie explained. "Even the most seemingly innocuous information might help us bring down the slavers."
Ruby's expression returned to its normal excited state. "Well why didn't you just say so, I'm sure she'd be happy to help! Team RWBY is always happy to bring down some bad guys!"
Ben raised an eyebrow behind his visor as he retrieved Curie's chip. "Team RWBY?"
"It's our team name, they're all based on colors, and our initials spell out RWBY, but we just pronounce it like Ruby." she explained.
"Ah... I understand." Ben said, even though he didn't whatsoever. "I take it you'd like to come with us?"
"Absolutely!" Ruby said. "I'll lead the way!"
Beacon Academy, Dorms
From the first words that came out of Weiss Schnee's mouth, Ben knew exactly what this conversation was going to consist of. She wasn't the kind of person to have a passionate debate, she was the kind of person to have a passionate argument, complete with what seemed to be an unhealthy amount of arrogance.
He'd completely droned out the verbal artillery exchange that had erupted between Weiss and Ruby. The claims she labeled against the UNSC included them being "extraterrestrial invaders, terrorists, and inhuman monsters", while Ruby tried to counter her arguments as the voice of reason.
Strong language from someone with such an... impractical, appearance. Ben thought, noticing that she wore the same high-heels he'd seen the day prior. And those "Bunk Beds" are just a trip to the Infirmary waiting to happen.
It seemed that he'd underestimated how much false information Weiss had been digesting, likely courtesy of her Father, if her mentioning of the man had anything to say about it. So far, he had yet to interject, as he figured that Ruby probably had the best chance of calming her down and reducing the argument into a calmer debate, but that was quickly becoming less feasible. The expression on Ruby's face did give off the impression that she had probably expected this, although that did not justify Weiss's attitude. Ruby herself had apparently been fairly out of the loop regarding the conflict between the UNSC and the SDC, so it gave some impression as to how Weiss's views had become so skewed.
"If she is so convinced that we are hostile, why doesn't she attack us?" Curie privately asked him, seemingly more curious than insulted.
"Angry people don't think straight, they make errors, or otherwise avoidable mistakes. Either that, or maybe she's not as convinced as she believes she is." Ben replied, double-checking that his microphone was off, as that comment probably would've riled her up even more. "Does the Commander really think she has any valuable intel? Because this seems like a waste of our time. She's a child, even if she is the daughter of public enemy number one, I doubt her intel is any good."
"I could not say, although if her conduct is any indication, her own intelligence is clearly out of date." Curie replied, somewhat cheekily, to which he couldn't help but grin. "Still, our orders stand, we should try to see if we can get her to cooperate."
Even through his private conversation with Curie, Weiss kept going, redoubling her efforts every time that Ben thought she was about to stop. Being a Spartan, he was no stranger to verbal abuse, but this was something entirely different. Weiss didn't yell or scream, instead, she talked relatively calmly, bolstered by an unjustified confidence.
I suppose it's better than throwing a tantrum, although not by much. Ben thought, deeply unimpressed with what Beacon apparently had to offer with some of its other students. Although Ruby would have made an excellent recruit, Weiss's attitude would've earned her months worth of latrine duty. She's toxic, and whatever other merits she may have, they do not justify behaving like this, and that goes double for a soldier!
"Ma'am." Ben calmly said, gathering the attention of both of them.
"I will deal with you later!" Weiss snapped, before quickly returning her attention to Ruby. "But you, I thought you were starting to shape up as a leader!"
"And I thought you were starting to be less bossy!" Ruby retorted, seemingly fed up with Weiss's rampant stubbornness.
"Ma'am... Ruby?" Ben tried to secure their attention, but to no avail.
Whatever I did to deserve this mission, I've learned my lesson... The exasperated Supersoldier thought, as he stood in between a pair of bickering teenagers. "Alright, we tried the nice way. Curie, get me some feedback."
"How loud?" Curie asked. He could sense a hint of doubt in her voice, alluding to some possible sympathy for the two Young Huntresses.
"Just enough to shut them up." Ben answered.
Engaging his microphone, Ben let Curie take the lead, and manipulate the sensitive instrument to create a deafening cacophony using an audio loop and some heavily distorted audio. Both Ruby and Weiss immediately quit their bickering and covered their ears as they both started yelling at him. Once they were both focused solely on him, Curie killed the feedback loop.
"What is wrong with you?!" Weiss demanded.
"Why would you do that?!" Ruby added, still instinctively covering her ears.
Their Auras would have blocked any long term damage, even if it was loud enough to cause it. Ben thought, as he replied. "I could not secure your attention by conventional means, so I altered my strategy."
"What was that?" Ruby asked, a hint of interest in her anger.
"A feedback loop, but in this case, I mainly just used it to break up that pointless debate." Ben said.
"Pointless?!" Weiss demanded. "I'll have you know-"
"No, you won't." Ben stated, shutting off her defiance with a crude interruption. "You, Ruby, Curie and I are going to have a responsible, productive conversation about the actions of your Father and his Company."
Weiss huffed with annoyance, but apparently she wasn't entirely amiss to a calmer debate, as she complied. "What's there to say? Whatever petty crimes my Father may have committed in the past, they don't compare to the murder of dozens of people!"
"Your Father's Company has actually done that exact thing." Ben immediately countered. "After a disastrous first contact where we were provoked into a conflict, we discovered a slaving operation under the direct command of your father."
"Do you honestly expect me to believe that, just because you said it?" She snarkily asked.
"No, I don't." Ben answered. "You have a scroll, right?"
"That's not-" She began, but was interrupted by Curie.
"She does." Curie interjected, doing her best to keep her voice neutral. Weiss was very surprised to hear a second voice from Ben's armor, which caused Ruby to snicker in amusement.
Good, that'll make this easier. Ben thought. "Copy over all declassified and incriminating captured intelligence over to her scroll, use my helmet's transmitter if you need a better signal."
Curie gave an exasperated sigh. "I can't fit that much information onto a scroll, Ben. But I'll copy over the most important ones."
Weiss raised a hand. "Hold on, you can't just hack my scroll!"
"Why not?" Ben asked, seemingly catching her off guard. "I could very easily convey this evidence in a more inconvenient manner, but I fail to see how that helps either of us."
"Do not worry Miss Schnee, I already have access to your entire family's personal network. I don't need to hack it again." Curie offered. Although she may have been trying to calm down the Heiress, it had the opposite effect. "There, I believe I have copied over all of the most important pieces of evidence that we have collected so far."
Weiss's scroll buzzed in her pocket, which she withdrew and opened, opening one of the thousands of downloads she had just received. While she silently read, Ruby stood forward and awkwardly scratched the back of her head. "So... you can just, do that?"
"My infiltration suite is capable of perforating any firewall that your planet can conjure, Miss Rose." Curie nonchalantly answered. "Please keep in mind, I was expressly outfitted to infiltrate an Alien Communications Network under the stresses of combat, I know what I am doing."
"That's... creepy, but also kinda cool... I guess." Ruby replied. Ben couldn't really see why she thought that, and did not find it relevant enough to their current topic to ask.
"This..." Weiss whispered, hating what she saw even as she read on. "This is wrong! T-there's no way he'd do something like this, let alone with so many people... how would he not get caught?"
"He did." Ben pointed out. "Even if we never showed up, Atlas would've put things together at some point. Like it or not, we're doing your job for you."
"Ben... you said they're enslaving people... has anyone, you know-" Ruby awkwardly prompted. Although she had trouble saying it, it was very apparent what she wanted to ask.
"Yes Ruby, people have died." Ben bluntly answered. There was no point in sugarcoating it, especially to another soldier. "And a lot of them were Faunus Civilians, who we weren't able to save."
"I... see, well, thanks, I guess..." Ruby said, clearly emotionally drained.
"Believe me Miss Rose, there is nothing that we would like more than to tell you that everyone made it out alive, but that would not be honest." Curie said, offering a more gentle approach to breaking the news.
Weiss continued to read through page after page of captured intelligence, before finally coming upon her first image. She closed her scroll in utter disgust, and seemingly, a small amount of fear. When she spoke, she sounded utterly defeated. "How... how could they do something like that?"
"If you can't understand the actions of your enemy, think clinically and disregard morality." Ben instructed, quoting another one of his lessons. "In this case, the answer is fairly simple, it's cheaper to imprison slaves than it is to pay workers."
Weiss's face went completely pale, whatever sense of denial she had was gone. Apparently what Ben had said must've clicked with some kind of personal memory or piece of information, because Weiss's reaction was explosive. "That... that wretched bastard!"
"We're sorry to be the bearers of bad news, Miss Schnee." Curie said, her voice rich with regret. "For what it's worth, the rest of your family is safe, and apparently uninvolved. Your sister is even helping us as a military advisor from Atlas."
Every ounce of anger that Weiss had gathered was gone just as quickly as it had arrived. "...Winter?"
"Wait, you have a sister?!" Ruby asked, suddenly excited.
"Ruby, no offense, but we can discuss this another time." Weiss ignored her friend's question as she massaged her temples. "You... what did you just say about my sister?"
Now we're getting somewhere. Ben thought, although he elected to let Curie explain the situation, as she would certainly do it much better than him.
"She is currently aboard the UNSC Dominion, acting as a strategic advisor on behalf of the Atlesian Military. The information that she has given us has been invaluable." Curie answered, seemingly happy to have some good news to deliver.
"...My sister is... in space?" Weiss asked, blinking with disbelief.
Ben could tell she was starting to get slightly overwhelmed by the revelations, but it was a thousand times better than her hostile ranting.
"Well, technically I'm not supposed to tell you where the Dominion is, but I can safely tell you that she has been to space on multiple occasions." Curie said.
Weiss took a slow, deep breath, and let it out equally slowly. "Can I... just get a moment, to think about all this, please?"
"Absolutely. Right Ben?" Ruby said, although her tone made it very clear that she would not take no for an answer.
Fine, it's not like she'll be able to think clearly right now anyway. Ben thought. "Absolutely. But Weiss, I need you to come speak to us whenever you're ready. I have some critical questions I need you to answer."
"I can do that." Weiss said, with an exhausted nod.
Ruby silently but insistently led him out of the room, and the two of them began to walk their way back to the Dust Lab. "You know, you could have broken that a bit more gently!"
"That wouldn't have made the fact that her dad's a war criminal any less true." Ben calmly argued.
"Well... maybe lead into it a bit more, next time." Ruby awkwardly replied.
"Hopefully there is no next time." Ben said, to which Ruby gave a silent nod of agreement.