Beacon Academy
October 15th, 1018 Local Time, 2552
It didn't take long for the news from Argus to go public on the CCTS. Classes at Beacon were cancelled for the rest of the day, and the students were warned that similar Grimm attacks might occur at Vale, which did nothing to ease their worries. Team RWBY, much like many of the other students, picked a cafeteria table to sit at as they watched the situation develop on their scrolls.
Ruby watched as dozens of images, videos, and text posts plastered everywhere on the CCTS, some of which were quickly taken down by the network admins. One particular image had been taken from the military base at Argus, and showed the massive UNSC Dominion firing down at some unseen enemy in the city.
"This is terrible…" Blake commented. Although the statement was fairly self-evident, nobody spoke up to point that out, they were too busy watching the carnage unfold.
"Is… is Winter in there somewhere?" Weiss rhetorically asked. "She won't answer any of my calls…"
"She's probably just busy kicking butt!" Yang tried to offer some reassurance, but Ruby could see the doubt in her eyes.
In all of Ruby's life, she'd never seen something like this. The only battle that she could think of that came anywhere near the same scale was the Siege of Mountain Glenn, and that had ended in disaster. She remained silent as she swiped through image after image of alien aircraft in the sky, dogfighting with Nevermores, and gigantic alien tanks that would've normally inspired excitement in her, now being used to fend off Goliaths and Deathstalkers.
Through all of it, she kept looking for Ben's familiar armor, but she couldn't find him anywhere. She had sent a message to Curie asking if they were okay, but she hadn't replied.
"Ruby?" Yang asked, her voice rich with concern.
"Yeah?" Ruby replied, trying to keep the dejection out of her voice.
"It's okay, it's going to be okay…" Yang said, in what was no doubt meant to be a reassuring manner, but it only reinforced Ruby's worries.
Ruby took a deep breath and exhaled. "I just wish we could do something, I feel so helpless!"
"Don't worry Ruby, if half of the things people are saying about the UNSC are true, they can win this battle, especially with Atlas on their side." Weiss said, her distinct confidence helping to alleviate Ruby's worries somewhat.
And yet, she couldn't help but wonder just what Argus would look like when the battle was over, and whether or not her friends would survive to see it.
Argus Airspace
October 15th, 1420 Local Time, 2552
The passenger bay shook and swayed as Fireball maneuvered around friend and foe alike. In the glow of the amber ready lights, Onyx Team made their final preparations. Ben loaded his rifle as the rest of the squad prepared their weapons for action, while Mags manipulated her cannon in a manner that apparently reloaded it. She'd insisted on coming along, arguing that it was her duty as a Huntress.
I suppose that's true, and we could use someone with a more extensive knowledge of Grimm on the team. Ben thought, noting that they were already running dangerously low on personnel.
"Thirty seconds till touchdown, lock and load Marines!" Fireball called over the radio.
Only a few seconds later, Ben heard the loud and distinct sound of multiple Anvil-II Missiles leaving their tubes from the wing-mounted launchers of Fireball's Pelican. Although he could see the carnage, it wasn't hard to imagine what a weapon like that would do to Grimm as the reverberating shockwaves of the impacts sent shudders throughout the Pelican's hull.
The dropship lurched beneath them as Fireball finished decelerating, before spinning them around and opening the rear hatch. Ben found it difficult to see much of anything outside, except the arcid black smoke that now filled the air where the Grimm had once stood.
"This is your stop gentlemen, give em' hell!" She said with a great deal of enthusiasm.
Ben leapt out of the dropship without hesitation, quickly followed the rest of Onyx Team, before Fireball sped away. The smoke rapidly dispelled from the force of Fireball's thrusters, revealing that she had all but obliterated a city park, although she had also killed every single Grimm on the premises. Even still, the squad double-checked that the area was secure before regrouping.
The park was quaint, small, and space-efficient, barely big enough to land a Pelican in. What decorations and plants were left were riddled with shrapnel, and there was no sign of any people, living or dead.
Hopefully, they evacuated safely. Ben thought, if nothing else, Remnant apparently had fairly well-made evacuation drills.
"Spread out everyone!" Jorge shouted. "Mags, Ben, take point!"
"Yes Sir!" Ben replied.
"Wouldn't dream of doing it any other way…" Mags replied as she readied Tasman. No matter how many times he had seen her wield it, it would likely never cease to surprise him.
With only a single Company of Marines available to be deployed, Clark and Jorge had elected to split up their forces on landing. Each squad would have their objectives to complete once they landed, and once those were done, they would reform into a single concentrated force at the wall, pushing the Grimm back in the process.
Onyx Team, armed with heavy weapons and well-trained personnel, was assigned the unenviable task of killing an extremely dangerous high-value target. Curie had detected a previously undiscovered type of Grimm, which her hastily-assembled briefing had described as a large, heavily-armored lizard, not dissimilar to that of the ancient Tyrannosaurus-Rex. Appropriately, Curie had given it the designation "Tyrant."
If it's anything like the last Grimm lizard we fought, this shouldn't be an issue. Ben thought. Still, if it demanded the presence of all of Onyx Team, it must've been a threat.
In a loosely-kept, wide-wedge formation, Onyx Team moved out of the park and into one of the several long, sloped streets that ran through Argus. Some sort of vehicle lay abandoned in the middle of the streets, resembling a mix between a small rail-train and some sort of old car. Up the road, gunfire and the shouting of orders could be heard, along with the uproar of Grimm.
"Where are all the people?" Nathan asked as he examined the lifeless streets.
"Hiding or evacuated, stay focused." Jorge answered. "Command is too busy with other issues to find that Tyrant, so we've got to track it down ourselves."
Ben didn't say anything, but hearing that made him somewhat uncomfortable. If all of the Command Staff were busy, they must've been getting overwhelmed as they tried to respond to everything. Still, the Dominion and her airwings flew reassuringly overhead, rapidly turning the battle in the air on its head.
Mags looked over her shoulder to speak with them. "The Atlesians might have a good idea of where to look, maybe we should link up with them?"
"That's as good a place as any to start." Jorge replied.
The squad continued to move up the road before they began to find bodies. Most of them belonged to the ruined carcasses of Atlesian Knights, but a handful of fallen civilians and the soldiers who had defended them were dotted amongst the husks of machinery. Although they were technically behind the frontline that the Atlesians had established, it wasn't unreasonable to assume that some Grimm had broken through. Ben's assumption was proven correct as he spotted the familiar outline of an Ursa in an alleyway ahead of them.
"Bears!" Ben shouted. Although the Ursas had technically been designated by Huntsmen with their own name, Ben opted to call out something that all of his squad would be familiar with.
Curiously, they were apparently moving as part of a pack, although unlike the Ursas that Ben had fought in Mantle, these were moving as part of a larger formation. There must've been half a dozen of them, and in unison, they charged towards Onyx Team.
"Weapons free!" Jorge ordered.
A stream of gunfire emerged from every Marine present, with Mags and Nathan quickly picking off the toughest looking Ursas. In only a few short seconds of fighting, the Grimm were all killed.
"Huh, I've seen Grunts survive longer than that." Nathan commented. "You think these ones were just a bit frail?"
Before anyone could respond to him, Ben heard the sounds of rapid, inhuman footsteps, and harsh, animalistic breathing. His gut churned with a sense of dread as he eyed the rooftops around them. Jorge tensed up too, his experience telling him immediately what was about to happen.
"Ambush!" Jorge shouted as Beowolves and Creeps poured out of the alleyways around them. From the neighboring rooftops, Griffons and smaller bat-like Grimm dove upon the team.
Ben and Jorge were the only ones who were able to react in time to kill any of the Grimm, and while Jorge focused on stopping what Grimm on the ground he could, Ben aimed his rifle upwards and exhausted an entire magazine into the airborne Grimm, killing a few of them, but there were simply too many. With the range between the two forces no longer a factor, as they were haphazardly mashed together, a brutal close-quarters fight ensued.
"Ben!" Nathan shouted in warning while Ben reloaded, but was too late, as a Beowolf tackled him from behind. Having not seen it coming, Ben was knocked to the ground, but reacted quickly, and grabbed the monster by the throat, dragging it with him.
His shields sputtered and cracked as the savage beast tore away at them with its claws. Ben waited for the right moment, pulled back his free hand, and punched it in the muzzle with so much strength that the creature's neck snapped with the sudden force. Another Beowolf tried to pounce on him, but Ben managed to grab its head with both arms and snap its skull in half. A third met a similar fate before Ben had finally gained a moment of relative safety.
Ben returned to a kneeling stance and saw that the rest of his squad was faring equally poorly. Only Mags seemed to be doing well, as she and Jorge used the immense mass of their heavy weapons to beat Grimm of all types to death.
With no Grimm actively attacking him, Ben was in a prime position to help his squad. Rather than wasting precious seconds reloading, he drew his plasma rifle, held it in both hands, and took aim.
His first target was a pair of the bat-like Grimm harassing Nathan, which Ben blasted out of the air with two precise shots. Next, a boarbatusk that was in a brutal melee with Kowalski. Despite its heavy armor, the Grimm's bone-like plating wasn't enough to dispel the bolts of plasma that melted through its midsection. Kerry and Peggy were each fighting off an Ursa at close-range, and with Ben's help, both of the Grimm dropped dead in a matter of moments. His newly-liberated teammates focused their efforts on keeping even more Grimm from dogpiling on them while Ben returned his focus to the fight at large.
After performing a quick headcount, Ben noticed that they were missing an ODST, Meadows. An urgent visual sweep revealed no-sign of the Helljumper, but confirmed that they were now knee-deep in more Grimm. Reluctantly, Ben focused his efforts on the Grimm trying to overrun the rest of his teammates, eliminating half a dozen more with surgical precision, before he was knocked off of his feet once again.
Ben didn't get a good look at what kind of Grimm had tackled him and was biting away at his helmet's shield, but even with no visual, he aimed the muzzle of his plasma rifle at where he best-guessed it's head was, and fired.
His shot must've hit it's mark, because the Grimm died without so much as a whimper. By now, most of the ODSTs had also swapped to their plasma weapons, apparently deciding that they were in a desperate enough situation to warrant their usage. Ben returned to his feet and kept firing alongside them, stopping anything that got too close.
"Where the hell did all of these things come from?!" Nathan asked as he fired away
"Where's the Sergeant?!" Jorge asked, apparently he had also noticed that Meadows was missing.
Ben quickly swapped to a direct channel to speak with Jorge over the din of the battle. "I lost track of him after we got mobbed. Permission to break off and have a look?"
"Denied, stay with the team!" Jorge replied, his voice thick with reluctance.
As much as Ben wanted to push his way out of the fight and try to find their missing man, Jorge was right. One of the most crucial rules of small unit tactics was to never separate from your team, no matter what. And while Meadows likely hadn't had much choice in the matter, that was not an excuse for Ben to weaken the squad even further by leaving.
I just hope he's still alive for us to help him. Ben thought, but he did not deviate his attention from the battle at hand.
Once all of the Helljumpers had recovered and re-organized, the Grimm quickly found themselves getting killed long before they could strike at Onyx Team. Jorge and Mags were invaluable, as their weapons offered exceptional suppressive capabilities. The rest of the ODSTs, as well as Ben, focused their efforts on any of the Grimm that tried to get around their fields of fire.
Once the situation became more manageable, Ben holstered his plasma rifle and returned to using his assault rifle, hoping to avoid using the alien weapon as much as he could. After around a dozen more Grimm were shredded, the rest must've recognized the impossibility of victory, and began to retreat. None of them succeeded, they were cut down in a hail of bullets and plasma.
As Onyx Team caught their breath, Ben heard someone scream from one of the alleyways that the Grimm had emerged from. Unhindered by heavy weapons and with the power of Mjolnir behind him, Ben was able to respond the quickest. He sprinted down the alleyway at speeds most that even Huntsmen would've considered impossible, rounded a corner, and spotted the silhouette of an Ursa Major. Ben blasted it apart with a long burst from his Assault Rifle with no hesitation.
As the Grimm disappeared, the form of an ODST lying on their back on the concrete was visible behind the rapidly-clearing black smoke. Judging from the pained screams the trooper was giving off, his identity was confirmed. It was Meadows. His weapons were scattered and far from his reach, likely having been knocked from his hands. The blood that Ben could see clearly showed that Meadows was injured, and judging by his panicked breathing and the quantity of the blood, he must've been hurt quite badly. Ben was at his side and digging into one of his storage pouches for a first-aid kit in the blink of an eye.
"Meadows, Meadows stay calm!" Ben instructed. Even though he was likely still panicking, Meadows was able to stay still enough for Ben to get a better look at him. Ben heard the footfalls of his squad as they followed closely behind him.
Ben examined Meadows for the wound and quickly realized what was wrong. The Ursa must've gotten a good bite in on his left leg, and he was bleeding profusely.
"Easy there, I've got it." Ben reassured the injured Helljumper as he set to work. As Ben started working on applying a tourniquet to Meadows's leg, he heard heavy footsteps behind him. It was a tricky thing, applying a tourniquet. Thirty seconds, that's all the time you had to get it done. After that, the chances of survival began to drop quickly.
You never really knew how short thirty seconds was until it was a matter of life and death. Luckily for them both, Spartan training was thorough, and he had the tourniquet on in twenty.
"What happened?" Jorge asked as he leaned in to get a look at the wound.
Meadows was in no condition to answer, so Ben spoke up instead. "I'm not sure how he got isolated, but I think he got this from an Ursa."
"What about his Aura?" Nathan asked.
"A bite from an Ursa Major could have torn his leg off, and without proper training… he's lucky to get away with what he has!" Mags replied.
Ben didn't pause to consider the possibilities of how exactly Meadows had gotten wounded, in his opinion, that didn't really matter. While his squad debated the possibilities and kept watch for any further Grimm, Ben stopped Meadow's wound from bleeding any more than it had. Still, something was wrong with the bone, which was a far more pressing matter. It didn't seem to be snapped as Nathan's had been, rather it might've been fractured. Either way, it was out of Ben's field of expertise.
"Can you walk?" Ben asked.
"Agh… I-I th… N-no.… ." Meadows answered in between pained breaths.
Ben turned to face Jorge, hoping for a bit of guidance. Jorge knelt down to Meadow's level and looked into his visor. "Hang tight Sergeant, we'll get you out of here. Ben, see if you can splint his leg, we'll have to move him."
"Yes Sir." Ben said, pulling one of the deployable splints from his first aid kit before beginning to affix it.
"Sir, I think there's a friendly unit up the street from us, some Atlesian troops." Nathan interjected. "If we could get him there, they might be able to direct us towards the nearest Triage Station."
Jorge retrieved his weapon as he looked up into the air, seemingly inspecting the tiny section of the air-battle that was visible. Sabres and Atlesian Airships alike flew formation as they carved chunks out of Grimm swarms. "It's a better idea than trying to call for a Pelican in all of that. Mags, take point. Ben, grab Meadows and his weapons."
"Aye Sir." Mags said.
"Yes Sir." Ben responded. He slung Meadow's Spartan Laser over his back and his SMG to one of the magnetic holsters on his hip, before reaching down and grabbing the wounded Helljumper in a fireman's carry.
"Just once… I'd like to get through a mission… without getting injured." Meadows complained in between breaths.
"Try not to move." Ben said in response, following behind the rest of Onyx Team as they moved out of the alleyway.
This mission's going great already… Ben thought, his optimism positively soured.
UNSC Dominion, Starboard Armory
October 15th, 1430 Local Time, 2552
It was hard for Fairfire to watch everyone leave without her, knowing that they were better off without her hurt her pride more than anything that had happened so far. But even while she wasn't cleared for field duty, that didn't mean that she couldn't help out in other ways. Still, being left with the job of preparing resupply packages for the men on the ground, rather than fighting alongside them, was nothing short of humiliating.
To hell with this damn Semblance, to hell with Aura, I just want to go back! She thought. Just me, my team, the Covenant, and a shotgun, that's all I needed in life!
Her thoughts were interrupted as someone that she had not expected to see walked into the Armory.
"Specialist Schnee?" Fairfire said, not understanding why she was still aboard, and not down on the ground. She was clearly already equipped and looked quite anxious.
"Grab your equipment, Corporal." Winter instructed, and as if she could read Fairfire's mind, quickly added another statement. "Don't ask questions, I'll inform you as you go, but we're needed for a special assignment."
After a moment of being stunned by such a sudden shift in events, Fairfire gave a staunch nod, and began to assemble her equipment. Her red-accented ODST armor was still there waiting for her, and she couldn't help but feel relieved as she donned the helmet once more.
If the world wants to give me another chance, I won't complain. Fairfire thought as she listened to Winter explain what was needed of her.
"The main Radar assembly outside of Argus was deliberately sabotaged, our goal is to move in and secure the site for later investigation." Winter explained. "The Grimm tend to contaminate crime sites, so we can't let that happen."
Fairfire paused. "We'll be going outside of Argus, by ourselves?"
"Most of the Grimm are being attracted to the city, we should be safe from any larger hordes." Winter said before a smug smirk emerged on her face. "I thought that ODSTs liked a good challenge?"
In an instant, any doubt vanished from Fairfire's mind, replaced with a competitive sense of pride in the title she had earned. She hastily assembled her armor, grabbed her shotgun, and a few other pieces of essential equipment, before being led out of the armory by Winter.
"Are you sure you want me to come with you?" Fairfire asked, she didn't want Winter getting into trouble. "I still haven't figured out how to control my Semblance…"
Winter didn't even turn to face her as she answered. "I am well aware of the potential risks, but this mission might just teach you a thing or two about your Semblance."
Fairfire was taken slightly aback by Winter's words, and she was quickly able to decipher her friend's intentions. "You think live combat is going to trigger my Semblance? That's a big risk!"
"Life is full of risks Corporal Fairfire, as a soldier, you should know that." Winter replied.
Her words were slightly reassuring, but Fairfire had one last doubt that continued to bother her. "What if I try to do something… dangerous?"
"Then I will disable you, nonlethally." Winter answered, with a chilling lack of emotion. "Didn't I ask you not to ask questions?"
"I uh…" Fairfire responded, but quickly realized that she had no good answer.
Winter turned to her with a look of sympathy. "Save yourself the trouble Corporal, focus on the mission."
Fairfire nodded sharply. "Right!"
The two of them boarded the sideskirts of a Hornet once they arrived in the Starboard Hangar. Transporting two people would hardly be worth using the rare and valuable Pelicans when a Hornet could do the same thing.
As the attack craft soared through the sky, Fairfire couldn't help but smile behind her visor. Despite only having a thin plate of armor, a handrail, and magnetic boots between her and a morbid watery grave, she felt better than she had in days.
Salem's Castle
October 15th, 1842 Local Time, 2552
Most Grimm couldn't act as capable eyes and ears for Salem, and as a result, she had to use those specific Grimm that could very carefully. Annoyingly, the UNSC had blown a great amount of them apart with a high-altitude bombardment that neither she nor Doctor Watts had predicted, and avoiding the watchful eyes of their ship's cannons was difficult, but not impossible.
As a whole, her plan to lure the UNSC into a large battle had gone excellently. As Watts had predicted, their starship was far faster than any airship, and so they had arrived before any other reinforcements. And just like she had hoped, they had committed effectively all of their known forces into a battle where they were outnumbered, all in the effort to save Argus. Salem was now in a perfect place to cripple their capabilities, and deliver Atlas a harsh blow as well.
Once these pawns are out of my way, I can focus on the real threat to my plans, Ozpin. She thought, watching with no small amount of irritation as the UNSC's starfighters performed another attack upon her forces. Their speed is certainly impressive, I will have to develop something else to even think about killing those.
Doctor Watts stood beside her, watching the battle through the eyes of half a dozen Seers, which were positioned in such a manner that killing all of them would be very difficult. Although the Doctor lacked the same "connection" that she had to the Grimm, he could still keep a close eye on developments through the orbs of the Seers.
"When do you suppose we spring the trap?" Watts finally asked, breaking the long silence.
"Only once they have committed to a counterattack." Salem simply answered. "Right now, we will let them believe this is all we have in store for them."
Watts raised an eyebrow as he focused his attention on the defenders. "With so few men? They would have to be suicidal to attempt that! Surely they would be smart enough to wait for reinforcements!"
"Perhaps." Salem replied. "Or perhaps… they are used to another kind of war."
Watts sighed with disapproval. "Is this about what that cowardly moron has been telling you?"
I can't say I entirely disagree with his sentiment. Salem thought, but was still annoyed with how flagrantly Watts doubted her capabilities. "He has something that you don't, Doctor. Whereas you're left with guesswork, he has the UNSC convinced that he's a loyal lapdog, and they're happy to share some tactical details with him."
Watts sneered at her words. "They're going to find him out eventually. If they could find out the Schnees' dirty laundry so quickly, they could do it again."
"Oh, I don't doubt that." Salem said. "But until that time comes, we will wring Lionheart for all that he is worth."
Watts snickered, before returning his attention to the battle, and adopting a look of curiosity. "Don't mistake my asking for concern, but where is Tyrian in all of this?"
"He should be dealing with the last of Argus's loose ends." Salem cryptically answered.
Watts knew better than to press for a proper answer from her. "Well then, I suppose I'll keep an eye out for the next large explosion."
Salem returned her attention to the battle and was annoyed at how quickly the UNSC and Atlesians were re-organizing their forces. She could have completely overrun them, and perhaps taken down a few dozen Huntsmen in the process. But the UNSC had arrived even sooner than Watts had estimated them to, and had managed to stop the situation from getting any worse.
The civilians who had fled to the shoreline were not helping, their pungent fear was interfering with Salem's ability to effectively control the Grimm, a common problem that she had previously encountered. Normally, her lack of control was so grand that she simply didn't bother with using Grimm to accomplish any of her goals in areas where large settlements were concerned, humans and other pawns tended to work better for that purpose. While not a colossal city, Argus had a sizable population, and it was interfering with her ability to command the Grimm.
Reflecting on her strategy, it was perhaps not as flawless as she had thought. The UNSC's warship was even more of a menace than she had expected, ruthlessly striking down dozens of Grimm every second. With everything unfolding the way that it was, she was starting to understand that there was a serious risk that she would fail to accomplish her goal.
But even without everything in her favor, Salem was not about to give up. Nothing, not Gods, not Aliens, not even Ozpin, would stop her from getting what she wanted. She had time on her side, she could always make more Grimm, and she could do it far faster than it would take for the UNSC to recover.
Argus, Forward Command Center
October 15th, 1448 Local Time, 2552
It took longer than expected to link up with friendly forces, but eventually, Onyx Team found themselves amongst a far-larger friendly Atlesian force close to the frontline. Squads of Marines, Atlesian Knights, and soldiers alike milled about, with the odd Huntsmen or Specialist using the relative-safety of the Command Center to catch their breath.
"I've never seen them move like this!" Ben heard one of the Huntresses say as a medic wrapped a bandage around their head. "What's the point of having a defensive line if they can just sneak through it?!"
Sounds like Remnant is getting a harsh lesson in modern warfare. Ben thought, but the Huntress's words chilled him more than he expected. Although the Grimm don't use tactics, so maybe they're just finding the path of least resistance in their defenses?
"Ben." Meadows said, shifting slightly in his arms to look at him better. "Do you have any painkillers?"
"Nothing I can give you." Ben reluctantly replied. Anything that Ben had in his first-aid kit was either designed with a Spartan's bloodstream in mind or was designed to euthanize a terminally injured soldier in the field. "Hang tight, one of the Atlesian Doctors might have something for you."
Meadows let out a weary sigh. "I appreciate the positivity."
I'm amazed he's conscious. Ben thought. He'd seen his fellow recruits receive similar injuries during his Spartan training and they'd been rendered totally unconscious.
"Ben, over here." Nathan called out to him. Looking around, he saw that Nathan had found a triage station, which was already occupied by multiple friendly soldiers and civilians. When Ben walked over with Meadows in hand, he was confronted by an Atlesian medic who seemed to be slightly intimidated, either by Ben or Meadows' wound.
"Lay him down here, I can have a look at him." The medic instructed. Ben carefully complied, setting Meadows down as gently as he could. "Does he have any sort of… differences that we should know about?"
It took Ben a moment to put together exactly what the Doctor was asking. "He's a normal, healthy human, no unusual attributes that you need to worry about."
Nathan softly, grimly chuckled. "Well, he's got a peanut allergy…" Ben gave Nathan a light whack on the back of the helmet. "Err, yeah… right, sorry."
"Well, in that case, do me a favor and get out of my way. If we're going to save your friend's leg, I'm going to need to get to work right away." The medic replied. If Meadows heard what the medic had said, he did not show it.
"Come along Private, let's link up with the squad." Ben said to Nathan, who responded with a curt nod, before turning to face Meadows one last time. "Stay safe, Meadows."
"Sure thing Ben, don't worry about me." Meadows replied as Ben and Nathan left the triage center.
It didn't take long to spot Jorge and the rest of the squad, who were talking with a short woman who appeared to be some sort of Atlesian Officer. As they approached, Ben could start to make out a conversation between them amid the sounds of battle around them.
"...I'm afraid I don't have much information to add in regards to your target, Lieutenant." The woman said. "But the Tyrant should still be near the Wall, along with most of the larger Grimm."
"Thank you, Commander." Jorge said. "Is there any chance we could destroy it with fire from the Dominion?"
Cordovin shook her head. "Until we can confirm that every civilian has evacuated safely, I cannot in good conscience authorize an airstrike on the wall."
Jorge nodded. "Do you know anywhere in the city that we could use to gain a good vantage point, somewhere with a clear line of sight to the wall?"
Cordovin let out a sigh of sadness. "I would have said the old clocktower if the Grimm hadn't already brought that down… Otherwise, your best chance is the apartment building on Matsu Street."
The building she pointed to was a large, seven-storey tall building that was very close to the Wall. It had clearly suffered severe damage from attacks by the Grimm, and there was a large fire on the upper storeys. Ben felt an intense dread in his stomach but disregarded it as fear, something that he was well-trained to ignore.
Ben could practically feel the reluctance from Jorge as he replied. "We'll make our way there, if you receive any updates on that Tyrant, keep us posted."
"I'll do what I can." Cordovin vaguely promised, before one of her subordinates yelled for her attention. "Good hunting, Lieutenant."
As Cordovin walked away and Onyx Team gathered around Jorge, Ben's feeling of dread intensified immensely. Deciding to take a quick glance around, he spotted nothing out of the ordinary, until he spotted a cloaked figure swiftly walking in the same direction as Cordovin. He was about to dismiss his hunch as nothing more than paranoia, when the figure's cloak brushed aside from the rear, revealing the stinger of a scorpion poised to strike at Cordovin.
"Commander!" Ben shouted in warning as he reached for his rifle, but he was only moments too slow.
The stinger of what was revealed to be a Faunus Man stabbed Cordovin in the back of the head, seemingly ignoring her Aura completely and causing her to fall to the ground. Ben was firing off a steady stream of automatic gunfire even as everyone else in the Command Center was still reacting to the sudden, brutal attack, but the assassin seemingly predicted his actions and deflected much of his fire with a pair of bladed gauntlets. Purple light shimmered and cracked where Ben's bullets struck true, but they weren't numerous enough to bring down the assassin.
"Too slow, tin can!" The man shouted with a cackle rich with lunacy. He reached for something on his belt, a grenade of some sort, before dropping it at his feet. All of Fireteam Onyx, the Atlesian soldiers, the Knight Drones, and even some Huntsmen opened fire on the man as a massive smokescreen formed around him. Before long, Ben was firing blindly, and the man was no longer visible.
Ben enabled his thermal vision, but no figure was visible amidst the heated smoke. Unsure of whether to pursue the attacker or check on Cordovin's condition, he looked to Jorge for guidance. "Sir, orders?"
"Check on the Commander!" Jorge commanded. Some of the Huntsmen and Huntresses around them broke off in pursuit of the attacker while Ben complied with Jorge's orders and rushed to where Cordovin lay. Blood was already pooling around her head, and she was completely still.
As Ben came to a stop beside Commander Cordovin, he reached for his first-aid kit, only to realize just how deep her head wound truly was. He checked her pulse just to make certain but found no heartbeat. She had been killed instantaneously.
"Anything?" Jorge asked from behind him, some Atlesian soldiers, specifically medics, had also gathered around, while the Knights and some of the Huntsmen pursued the assassin.
"Negative, she's dead." Ben answered, placing his first-aid kit back in its pouch. Atlesian medics rushed forward to take his place, as if they didn't believe what he had told them.
Jorge responded in a way that nobody around them but Ben would've understood. Spartans didn't flinch, at least not visibly, but they would sometimes move their helmet in such a way that conveyed the same feeling.
"Who the hell was that scorpion guy?!" Nathan asked. He looked down the scope of his sniper rifle in the direction that the man had run, but he must've found nothing, as he lowered his rifle after only a short survey.
"What do we do now, Sir?" Ben asked. He was hoping to keep them distracted, even with Cordovin gone, the Tyrant was still on the loose, and Cordovin's intel would become dated before too long.
Jorge recovered quickly from his shock. "Our objective is the same as before, we're going after that Tyrant. I'll let the Commander and General Ironwood know what happened, hold on a moment."
While Jorge made his report, Ben stood up and looked down at Cordovin once more. Who would be insane enough to assassinate a military commander in a situation where Atlas was barely holding their ground against the Grimm? What had to happen to someone to drive them to such a desperate, disastrous act?
"What the hell happened to her Aura?" Nathan quietly asked, looking down at Cordovin's lifeless body. "Did he just… break all of it in one go?"
"I don't know." Ben replied. "Maybe her Aura was… deficient, somehow?"
"I bet it was his Semblance." Mags suggested, a murderous look in her eyes. "It's rare, but some people can disrupt small parts of their opponent's Aura."
"That's… scary." Nathan replied. "We need to take him out if we run into him again."
Ben didn't feel a need to voice his agreement. While the UNSC forces were used to fighting without Auras and could reliably operate without them, the assassin would pose a deadly threat to Huntsmen and the soldiers from Remnant. They wouldn't be aware of their enemies Semblance, and he would be able to surprise them with a lethal strike.
"Or capture him, maybe figure out why he did it." Ben proposed.
Jorge must've finished his conversation with the Commander, because he got off of his radio and held his weapon in a more steady stance. "Cut the chatter, we're moving out."
"Right behind you Sir." Ben said, offering a subtle nod of reassurance to Jorge, who did not show any signs of receiving it.
First Meadows gets wounded, then Commander Cordovin gets assassinated… Can this get much worse? Ben asked himself, but he already knew the answer to that question.