Chapter 6: Before the Storm

January 26; 2681; 1600 Hours

Remnant, Beacon Academy (Classroom 203)

Ivan walked alongside the rest of Team RWBY as they left Goodwitch's class. He had personally watched Pyrrha absolutely crush the entirety of Team CRDL. It wasn't long after that when one of the exchange students from Haven offered to fight Pyrrha, then quickly threw the match when he realized just how truly out of his league he was. Something seemed off about the last match, though. Almost like he was holding back. He would have to be sure to keep an eye on that Mercury kid.

As he stepped into the fresh air of Remnant, he spotted the distant image of the Atlesian Navy in a holding pattern around Beacon. Why the Atlas Headmaster had brought a fleet with him earlier in the month was well and truly beyond the SPARTAN. If he had to make a wager, his army would be providing security for the Vytal Festival in a few months. Naturally, the FOB had started making use of far more extensive security measures. The last thing they needed was for a military to learn about them.

Ivan's attention drifted over to Blake, who had started to lag behind the rest of the group. She was so consumed in her personal notebook that she had fallen out of step with the rest of Team RWBY. It was only Sun's shouting of her name that finally pulled her out of the trance. Ivan only caught the last bit of their conversation, thanks in no small part to the crowd of students that were making their way back to the dorms. "I don't have time for a stupid dance, Sun." Blake said, starting to storm away from the monkey Faunus. "I thought you of all people would understand that."

Ivan exchanged glances with Yang, Weiss, and Ruby. In a moment of silent communication, they all knew what they had to do.

XXXXX

January 26, 2681; 1642 Hours

Remnant, Beacon Academy (Team RWBY Dorm)

"What?" Blake deadpanned, looking to the four other members of her team incredulously.

"Blake… we want you to go to the dance." Ruby explained again.

"That's ridiculous." Blake shrugged the suggestion off.

"Blake, we're all worried about you." Ivan said from his position on his footlocker. "This investigation has started to take its toll on you."

"You can't sleep, you hardly eat; and to be honest, your grades have been suffering." Weiss added.

"You think I care about grades?" Blake asked, gesturing with her arms to make her point known. "People's lives are at stake."

"We know…" Yang placated, taking a hold of Blake's hand and bringing it back down to her lap. "But thanks to you and Sun, we know that they're operating somewhere outside of Southeast Vale."

"And Vale's been the primary target for Dust robberies over the past few months." Ivan added. "Not even mentioning Atlas' missing military tech."

"There's still unanswered questions!" Blake defended.

"Blake, you won't be able to find anything if you can't even keep your eyes open!" Ruby spoke up.

"All we're saying is that there's a time and a place for this kind of dedication, but you shouldn't be killing yourself over it." Ivan added. "The candle that burns twice as bright lasts half as long. Burning twice as bright as all well and good if it's something small, but for this…"

"All we're asking is that you take it easy for one day, Blake." Yang added. "It'll be fun! Weiss and I are planning the whole thing. We can make sure you have the perfect night!"

"And once it's all over, we can get back to our mission." Ivan offered.

"What do you think?" Ruby asked, leaning forward a bit.

Blake seemed thoughtful for a moment before speaking. "I think this is a colossal waste of time." She said, standing up and heading for the door. Before she left, she turned to say something. "I'll be in the library."

As the door clicked shut, Yang let out a heavy sigh. "Great…"

"She has to know that she can't keep going like this." Ivan sighed as well. Try as he might, he couldn't tell if this was still an act or not. Deep down, he couldn't help but fear that he was forming an attachment to these four girls. If there was one thing that didn't mesh well with being a SPARTAN, much less an ONI SPARTAN, it was attachment.

"It's gonna get her killed if she can't rest before our mission on Monday." Yang threw up her hands

Ruby sighed. "We'll talk with her again in the morning…" She looked around to the remaining members of her team. "You guys want to go get something from the cafeteria?"

Weiss shrugged. "Sure."

Yang shook her head. "No thanks, Rubes…"

"I'm good." Ivan shrugged. "Still pretty full from lunch." That wasn't necessarily a lie. His pancreatic implant allowed him to absorb far more nutrients from the food he ate. Theoretically, he could eat once a week and be okay.

"Okay…" Ruby said, standing up and heading for the door with Weiss.

As the door clicked shut behind the two, Ivan set about to removing his uniform's jacket, tossing it onto the bedpost. He heard a light ping from his neural implant, signaling that he had received a message from FLEETCOM. As Yang stepped into the bathroom to shower, he produced his Datapad from one of the drawers in his nightstand, activating it and reading over the message post-haste.

Major Chesnokov,

After extensively reviewing your report on the racial unrest on Remnant's surface, FLEETCOM has officially cleared you to begin reconnaissance operations against this "White Fang" group. As the agent presiding over your operation, I am giving you clearance to use whatever methods you deem fit. This is up to and including the use of your armor. If required, and if you truly do believe that those four girls your reports have mentioned can be trusted, you are permitted to enlighten them to the situation at hand.

-Agent Thorne, ONI Section II

XXXXX

January 27, 2682; 1637 Hours

Remnant, Beacon Academy (Classroom 207)

"… If Roman Torchwick walked through that door right now, what would you do?" Yang asked, her fiery red eyes glaring into Blake's own. She had just shared her story with the Faunus girl, confided it in her in the hopes that she would understand that she can't let this search control her, and she was still so damn stubborn. Yang had tried her best not to be angry with Blake, but it had evidently failed.

"I'd fight him!" Blake defended.

Yang's teeth grinded together at that, and she couldn't help but clench her fists at her side. "You'd lose!" She retorted, pushing Blake back against the teacher's desk.

"I can stop him!" Blake tried to push back, but the blonde didn't budge.

"You can't even stop me!" Yang pushed again, putting Blake back against the desk.

As Blake put herself back on her feet, she was about to push back. Her plans changed when she suddenly found herself wrapped in a hug from Yang. She felt her Aura shift away from fiery anger to pleasant warmth, more like she was used to. The hug felt absolutely genuine, and Blake froze up.

"I'm not asking you to stop…" Yang said, squeezing down on Blake. She pulled back, her now-lilac eyes looking into Blake's amber ones. "Just please… get some rest. Not just for you, but for the people you care about."

Blake suddenly realized just how completely, unbelievably, and supremely wrong she was. As much as she hated to admit it, Yang was completely right. She was burning herself out, and it was showing. All of the fatigue from the past few days had caught up with her, and she wanted nothing more than to rest. Something deep down was preventing her from doing it, and she knew what it was.

She knew that she had chosen Yang as a partner for a very good reason, and that reason had just shown itself. Yang cared. Genuinely and unconditionally. She had gone out of her way to get her out of this self-destructive rut she was in. She had put up with Yang calling her ears 'cute', she had put up with her new nickname of 'Blakey', and she had even put up with the blonde's seemingly endless need for physical contact. She had even come to enjoy the frequent hugs and closeness that Yang had been so fond of… all before her obsession had taken root, of course. She wasn't sure what drove her to make her next move, but she did it nonetheless.

"And if you feel like coming out tomorrow, I'll save you a da-" Yang found herself cut off as Blake leaned forward, pressing her lips against Yang's. Yang was stunned, and stood there as such for a moment before she finally realized what was going on, and returned. Her hands took hold of Blake's shoulders, and pulled her just a bit closer.

It was Blake who broke the contact. As much as she wanted it to continue, she needed to breathe, and Yang was not making that easy for her. As her lips pulled away from Yang's, she saw that the blonde's eyes had grown heavy and lidded. It was about now when the realization hit her. She had just kissed her partner. She was a bit taken aback by the toothy grin from Yang.

"So, uhh…" Yang said. "Took my whole 'coming out' line a bit literally, huh?" She asked.

Blake simply stared at her partner for a moment, mouth agape. She broke into a fit of giggles, finding herself needing Yang's shoulder for support. Yang joined in on the laughter too.

XXXXX

January 28, 2682; 1700 Hours

Remnant, Beacon Academy (Ballroom)

Ivan stepped into the ballroom, clad in a black three-piece suit that he had rented from a shop down in Vale. It felt a bit alien to him, almost like a dress uniform, but he managed. "Glad to see you made it, Ivan." Yang smirked from behind a podium. Apparently, she was serving as a greeter for the first few minutes of the dance. Her hair was in its familiar unruly state, but she was wearing a simple white dress and a pair of heels to match.

"C'mon." Ivan smirked. "If you're putting on the party, how could I miss it? Don't suppose you managed to get Blake to come?"

"Oh… she'll be here." Yang smirked. Ivan recognized that smile. That was a patented 'Yang smirk'. She had something big to tell everyone.

"Well, glad to see that whatever you did wound up working." Ivan returned the smile.

"Oh, way better than I thought it would." Yang responded, earning a cocked eyebrow from Ivan. "You'll see."

"Alright, alright…" Ivan held his hands out. "I'll take your word for it."

Behind him, he heard the distinctive sound of someone stumbling on high heels. Before her could turn to look, he heard Yang squeal. "You look beautiful!" She declared.

With that, Ivan already knew who had just walked in. He turned, and saw Ruby struggling to remain upright on a pair of black heels. She wore a red dress with a mesh neckline, the slightest hint of makeup on her face as well. "Can we have a serious talk about how Weiss fights in these?" Ruby asked, making her way over. Ivan chuckled at that.

"It's not my fault you can't wear heels, Ruby." Weiss' voice rang out over the light murmuring of conversation as she approached. "Glad to see you made it, Ivan."

"I wouldn't miss this for anything." Ivan smiled back. "After all, Yang apparently has something to share with the rest of us."

"Really…?" Weiss looked to her blonde teammate, eyebrow cocked.

"You'll see." Yang smirked. There it was again.

After a short conversation, everyone went their separate ways for a time. Ruby wandered off with Weiss one way, and Ivan headed off towards Ozpin. It seemed the headmaster sensed his approached, and he turned to face the SPARTAN. "Ah, Mister Chesnokov… enjoying the dance?"

"So far." Ivan nodded.

"You're fitting in quite well, by the way." Ozpin smirked, eyes momentarily glancing down to Ivan's side. "Almost impossible to tell you're carrying a weapon."

"Good eye." Ivan complimented.

"I'll admit, I'm curious." Ozpin looked over. He knew that the students were too busy mingling to pay any mind to his conversation. He was safely tucked away against the wall with the SPARTAN. "You mentioned that you were here to reestablish contact with us… how long until more of you come?"

"I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you." Ivan responded. "If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say soon."

Ozpin hummed in understanding. "I certainly hope this won't involve… conquest?"

Ivan chuckled. "I see even Remnant has its fair share of fiction about aliens. It'll be peaceful. You have my word."

"That's certainly good to hear." Ozpin nodded.

"So…" Ivan began, crossing his arms. "You still haven't told me what you know about us."

Ozpin chuckled. "It's pitifully little, sadly. Only references to the name from legend. That, and the occasional archeological find."

"Like?" Ivan asked.

"Pieces of metal with the acronym stamped into it." Ozpin answered. "Beyond that, nothing. It took quite a bit of digging, both figuratively and literally, to learn as much as I have over the years. Much of that old history has been lost."

"And I take it what little is left isn't widely shared?" Ivan asked, already knowing the answer. He just wanted to hear it from Ozpin.

"No…" Ozpin shook his head. "Panic isn't conducive to a long life here on Remnant."

"Fair enough." Ivan nodded. "Speaking of which, missions are on Monday, and I'd like to ask a favor." At the headmaster's cocked eyebrow, he continued. "Are there any missions that would take a team just outside Southeast Vale?"

"There's one, but it's not open to first-year students." Ozpin answered. "I'm sure you and your team want to take it?"

"Yes." Ivan nodded. "Everything we've found points to Torchwick's operation being based somewhere in that sector. If you let Team RWBY take it, I'd like to lead the mission."

"You wish to lead it?" Ozpin asked, confused.

"Having a professional Huntsman attached to Team RWBY would mean I wouldn't be able to make free use of the tools available to me." Ivan answered. "I'd prefer to use my armor for a mission like this."

"Your armor?" Ozpin asked.

"I can trust the girls." Ivan responded with a shrug. "I've received clearance."

Ozpin hummed in thought for a moment before responding. "Very well… I'll make the necessary arrangements."

"Thank you." Ivan nodded. "I'll leave you be." As he turned to leave, he stopped for a moment. "And by the way…" He caught Ozpin's attention one last time. "Ironwood's air patrols are getting a bit close for comfort."

Ozpin chuckled. "I'll see what I can do."

Ivan gave a knowing, polite smile as he turned to leave. He spotted Ruby and Weiss standing on the other side of the room, and decided to join them. As he approached, he shot a glance over to the door. He spotted Blake walk into the ballroom, adorned in a black and violet dress. He allowed himself a smile as he walked over to Ruby and Weiss. "Check it out." He nodded towards the door, seeing Blake smile as she approached Yang.

A smile spread across Ruby's face. "Mission accomplished."

"Well, whatever she did, it worked." Weiss had the faintest hint of a smile on her face as well.

They all watched as Yang called someone over to cover for her at the podium, and pulled Blake towards the dance floor. Ivan, Ruby, and Weiss watched as she and Blake swayed with the light ballroom music, Yang's hand on Blake's hip. As their dance came to a close, the three spectating members of the team were well and truly surprised by what Yang chose to end the dance with. She pulled Blake close, and pressed their lips together.

Ivan stood there for a moment, slack-jawed, before turning to Ruby and Weiss. Both of them had similar looks on their faces. "You-You all saw that too, right?" Ivan asked, leaning over. It looked like there were a few other onlookers as well.

"I… think so." Ruby was the first to answer.

"Huh…" Weiss managed.

All three of them stared as Blake and Yang made their way over, hand-in-hand. "Well, there it is." Yang smirked. Blake had a rosy tint to her cheeks, but she certainly didn't seem to mind the hand-holding.

"Not bad, Blondie." Ivan chuckled. "Not bad."

XXXXX

January 27, 2682; 1953 Hours

Remnant, Beacon Academy (CCT Tower)

Ivan rushed over, seeing General Ironwood directing a small detachment of his forces. He noted that there was a single Atlesian Soldier lying on the cobblestone path, his neck twisted around in an unnatural position. Ruby was sitting on one of the steps leading up to the tower. Here he was hoping that Jaune in a dress would be the most interesting thing to happen tonight.

He kept his weapon in its holster, and jogged over to check on Ruby. As she explained what happened, he knew very well that there was something going on behind the scenes. There was a plan in motion, and they had been caught in the middle of it.