Chapter 11: What Doesn't Kill You
April 31, 2682; 1835 Hours
Remnant, Beacon (Team RWBY Dorm)
Yang casually leaned back on the bed, stretching her legs out and letting out a content sigh. Blake, who was sitting next to her, rolled her eyes as she felt an arm wrap around her shoulder. "You're not gonna let me read, are you?" Blake asked, looking up from her book.
Yang had a toothy grin plastered on her face. "Nope! Still riding high after that match yesterday!"
"I got cooked alive!" Weiss complained, glaring at the blonde from her own bed.
"And we made sure you didn't get overcooked!" Yang retorted, a smile plastered on her face.
"How do you think you'd feel if someone yanked you out of a steam vent after you just got steamed like a vegetable?"
Yang scoffed. "It'd only make me stronger, Weissy." Yang let the toothy grin come back. "Remember my Semblance?"
Weiss tossed a pillow at the Blonde, which she wasn't anticipating at all. The feathery object struck her in the face, eliciting a giggle from Ruby and Weiss. Yang's mouth formed a thin line, then eventually turned into a cocked grin. "You did not just start this…"
"Maybe I did…" Weiss goaded, smiling slightly.
Yang quickly grabbed the same pillow, tossing it towards the heiress. Unsurprisingly, Weiss managed to dodge the fluffy projectile, even when Yang put her all into the throw. Yang wasn't quite expecting to be struck in the side by another pillow from Ruby. She looked up to her younger sister, grabbing her chest in mock hurt. Ruby giggled and ducked under the thrown dog pillow that her sister was quite fond of.
The room eventually devolved into an all-out brawl between partners. Ruby and Weiss formed a team against Yang and Blake. Pillows, plushy animals, and other soft objects were tossed across the room. No team managed to gain an outright advantage, but Ruby had started using her Semblance to dodge the occasional projectile directed her way. What was once a rather peaceful fight between friends and partners became utter chaos.
And that's when the door opened.
XXXXX
April 31, 2682; 1825 Hours
Remnant, Beacon (Landing Pad)
Ivan stepped off of the Pelican, walking across the landing platform at Beacon. His arm was wrapped in a sterile bandage, still slightly numb from the medical treatment. He rubbed his eyes, hoping to fight off the fatigue from the mission two nights prior. As much as he wished to go back to his dorm room, fall into his bed, and sleep until next week, he still had to debrief and write after-action reports, keeping him on-base for an extra day.
As Ivan walked, he saw the familiar Winter Schnee walking towards the Academy from her own small airship, her omnipresent guard of Atlesian Knights surrounding her. She made eye contact with him, waving off her android guards as she strode in his direction. Her Knights still followed behind, but at a further distance. "Colonel Chesnokov, a pleasure to see you again." Winter said, giving a polite smile. Ivan gave a polite nod as she greeted him. She could see the telltale signs of fatigue in his eyes, his helmet tucked under the crook of his arm. "I assume you're heading back to your dorm? I'm going to see Weiss anyways, do you mind if I follow?"
Ivan shook his head. "Not at all." Winter walked alongside him, the Atlesian Knights still following at a distance.
"You look tired." Winter commented. "I don't suppose that would have anything to do with the UNSC's recent operation against the White Fang?"
"It would." Ivan responded. "Beyond that, it's classified."
"I'd imagine." Winter reasoned. "Ironwood is grateful for the UNSC returning the Paladin."
"I'm surprised they were even able to get their hands on something like that…" Ivan mused.
"You and I both." Winter said, sighing heavily. "These savages always seem to have a trick up their sleeve somewhere." A few more moments of relative silence passed, the sound of whirring servos from the Knights filling the air with their mechanical tones. "Colonel Chesnokov, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"You can ask." Ivan responded. "Whether or not I can answer depends on the question."
"What's your mission?"
"My mission?" Ivan asked, giving Winter a sideways glance.
"Here on Remnant." Winter explained. "You're already an effective soldier, you're an accomplished commander, and you could probably retire now and live comfortably… I suppose what I'm asking is, why are you still here?"
Ivan shrugged. "Honestly… most SPARTANs join the Program with the idea of saving and protecting Humanity. We're similar to Huntsmen in that way. Humanity doesn't really need protecting up there anymore." Ivan gestured with his thumb towards the star-lit sky. "A hundred years ago, that was different. Twenty seven billion people dead in thirty years… every human had that idea when they joined the UNSC. Humanity used to hide in the shadow of giants, hoping not to get stepped on…"
"What happened?" Winter asked, somewhat familiar with the history of the UNSC.
"Humanity became the giant." Ivan responded. "We own half of the damn Orion Arm and we're extending our reach, our population's returning to our pre-war numbers, and the galaxy's in an unprecedented time of peace. What I'm trying to say is… I personally requested to be stationed here on Remnant. There's no place for me up there… not without something to fight for."
"You said you joined the UNSC to protect Humanity… is that what you're fighting for here?" Winter asked.
"Pretty much." Ivan affirmed with a nod. "This planet's been separated from the rest of Humanity for almost half a thousand years. You've been fighting off these damn Grimm for just as long. Humanity's actually threatened here… there's actually a place for me here." Ivan sighed, looking around the inactive campus of Beacon. "What about you?"
"What do you mean?" Winter asked.
"Why did you join the Atlesian Specialists? Why not just become a normal Huntress?" Ivan explained.
Winter sighed. "Honestly… I'm not sure. Your reasons for doing what you do make mine seem trivial in comparison."
"How so?"
"You compare yourself to the fallen soldiers of the UNSC from a century ago. You fight to protect the Human species as a whole, not just a nation. For me… I mostly blame my father." Winter elaborated. Ivan cocked an eyebrow. "It's just… He's incredibly overbearing. I consider myself lucky… I managed to avoid that part of the Schnee legacy for the most part. Weiss wasn't so lucky."
"What do you mean?" Ivan asked, adjusting his pack.
"Weiss was… much different when she was young." Winter explained. "I miss the youthful innocence that came with being young. When I decided to study at Atlas as opposed to taking over Schnee Dust, my father started… training Weiss in how to be a shrewd businesswoman. Essentially… he changed her fundamentally. She had a normal childhood until she was six, then she lost her childhood to her family name. She's the heiress to one of the most powerful corporations on Remnant, and our father expected her to act like it from day one."
"I can't imagine…" Ivan said. "I think that part of her still exists, though."
"Really?" Winter asked, cocking an eyebrow with a slight grin on her face. "So my father's reach wasn't absolute?"
"Apparently not. She started the first year as a bit…" Ivan paused, searching for a good word.
"Bitchy?" Winter asked, finishing Ivan's sentence for him.
"A bit brash, but it works." Ivan said, chuckling. "As the year went on and she started talking with her team, she… changed. She became less of 'Weiss the Heiress' and more 'Weiss the Teammate and Friend'."
"Really?" Winter asked, smiling broadly. "Good for her."
Ivan smiled. "I don't think I'll ever forget my time here at Beacon… Weiss went from calling almost every Faunus she saw a degenerate to standing up for Velvet." He chuckled. "I feel bad for exploding at her in Vale… she didn't deserve that."
Winter smiled, chuckling to herself. "She's a good kid… I'm glad she managed to convince Father to let her attend Beacon instead of Atlas."
"So am I." Ivan responded. "To be totally honest with you… Team RWBY would've fallen apart without its W."
Ivan moved to open the door to the dormitory, having finished the relatively short walk between the landing pads and the Year One Dorms. After sliding his Scroll across the small scanning mechanism, he pushed the door open. As he opened the door fully, he was struck in the face by a pillow. Ivan was so dumbstruck that he simply allowed the pillow to fall to the ground.
He was met by the sight of the dorm room he had come to call home completely covered in white feathers and red rose petals. He spotted the illustrious Team RWBY scattered throughout the room. Blake was taking cover on the top bunk of her and Yang's side of the room, using her brawler girlfriend as cover. Ruby was suspended from the side of her bed while Weiss was hiding behind the dangling sheets she used as a divider between her bed and the rest of the room. The sounds of gleeful laughter and the sight of flying projectiles stopped once the SPARTAN stepped inside, a humored grin on his face. "So this is what you guys do when I'm not around?" Ivan asked while stepping inside, Winter following behind him with an amused smile on her face.
"Ivan!" Ruby said, almost falling from her perch. "Where were you? You've been gone for two days!"
"Mission." Ivan responded.
"Winter!" Weiss said, poking her head out from cover. She deftly dodged a stealthy toss from Yang, glaring daggers at the laughing blonde.
"You see what I deal with?" Ivan joked, tossing his helmet into its designated nook in the closet.
Winter smiled. "Hello Weiss, care to introduce me to the rest of your team?"
"Oh!" Weiss said. "Of course!" She turned to look at Blake and Yang. "Blake, Yang; this is my older sister Winter."
"Hi!" Yang said, waving happily. Blake simply gave a small smile and nod.
"A pleasure to meet all of you." Winter said with a smile. "You all performed exceptionally well in the tournament."
"How'd that go, by the way?" Ivan asked, sitting on his bed. The furniture creaked under the weight of his armor, but it held. Thankfully, his little corner of the room was spared from the onslaught.
"We won!" Yang declared, happily. "Thanks in no small part to Weiss. She literally threw herself and one of Atlas's students into a steam vent to keep me in the game!"
"Really?" Ivan asked, leaning back against the wall. "That's awesome."
"They did exceptionally." Winter said. "Yang's performance was… exceptionally extravagant."
"The crowd paid a good chunk of Lien to watch us beat the hell out of each other." Yang said with a grin. "Might as well give them a good show."
"True enough." Winter said, sitting down in a chair next to Weiss's bed.
"So…" Ruby began, looking to the SPARTAN. "Where did you run off to?"
"Official business on-base." Ivan responded. "Admiral Bishop needed my team for an operation."
"The same one where the UNSC hit a White Fang supply depot?" Blake asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"The same one." Ivan responded. "Beyond that, I'm not at liberty to discuss it."
"I'm glad that someone's proving effective against the White Fang." Weiss said. A moment later, Weiss looked to her older sister. "Winter… how long are you going to be in Vale?"
"I'm not quite sure." Winter responded. "General Ironwood said that we might be here months after the tournament to assist against the White Fang."
"That's good to hear." Weiss said.
"Now, I'm going to head back to Ironwood's ship." Winter said. "It looks like your resident SPARTAN is about to pass out, anyways."
"Nah…" Ivan said, lying back.
Winter scoffed. "Good night, everyone." Winter said, leaving Team RWBY after waving goodbye to her sister.
"Your sister seems nice, Weiss." Blake said, still sitting behind Yang.
"She is…" Weiss said. "I just wish I could see her more."
"At least she'll be in Vale for a while." Ruby said, poking her head down to look at the Heiress.
Ivan almost had to force himself up onto his feet, grabbing a T-shirt from the closet as he headed for the dorm's small restroom to change. Before fully standing up, he keyed into his Neural Implant and activated the armor's emergency release mechanism. All of the various parts of MJOLNIR clattered to the floor as he stood, making his way for the bathroom. He emerged a few moments later, the white bandages under his shirt visible beneath the neckline. Ruby looked on in concern. "Ivan… what happened?"
Ivan looked down at his shoulder, the painkillers still keeping the pain to a dulled state. "A slight… altercation during my mission." Ivan responded. "I need to discuss something with Ozpin tomorrow morning."
"What happened?" Blake asked, noticing the bandages as well.
"On my mission… I ran into a Huntsman-trained White Fang fighter."
XXXXX
May 1, 2682; 0600 Hours
Remnant, Beacon (Team RWBY Dorm)
Ivan woke up on the next morning, dreading the Monday fatigue. He had set his internal clock to wake himself an hour early. He quickly donned his normal Beacon uniform, slipped his handgun into his waistband holster, grabbed his pack, and headed out before anyone else woke up. Weiss and Blake had been questioning Ivan for an hour the previous night, Blake seeming very interested in this White Fang Huntsman. She had asked what kind of Faunus he was, but even Ivan didn't have an answer. She seemed to have a vested interest in this, so he made a mental note.
Ivan rolled his shoulder as he walked, happy to find that his Aura had healed most of the minor damage overnight. All that was left was a dull ache, as opposed to the searing pain that he had expected. He had removed the bandage, pleasantly surprised to find only a small two-inch scar on his skin, a faint one at that.
As Ivan was running through his explanation to Ozpin in his mind, he was so lost in thought that he lightly bumped into someone as they rounded the corner. The person he bumped into wore a black and white Haven uniform, had black hair covering one of her eyes, and had bright, almost burning amber irises. This was the same woman that had stared at him for a few moments just the week before. As she regarded him, he could see an image of irritation behind her eyes, but they shifted to a more indifferent look when she looked him in the eye. "Sorry." Ivan said, standing up and offering the woman his hand. "Lost in my own head."
"It's no problem." The woman said, accepting the SPARTAN's offer of assistance. As she stood up, she stood just slightly shorter than Ivan. He had about two inches on her.
"I'm afraid that I don't know your name, Miss…" Ivan began, hoping she would fill him in.
"Cinder." The woman responded, smirking slightly. "Cinder Fall."
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Fall." Ivan said. "Ivan Chesnokov."
"I'm quite familiar with who you are, Ivan." Cinder said, smiling slightly. "And it's just Cinder."
"Alright, Cinder." Ivan said, nodding. "I'm surprised that anyone else is up at six in the morning."
"Just looking to clear my head before class." Cinder explained. "I needed some time to think. I'm surprised that you're awake right now. I remember seeing you getting back last night fairly late."
Ivan shrugged. "As much as I'd enjoy more sleep, I need to talk with Ozpin."
"Ah." Cinder said, nodding. "Well, don't let me keep you." She gave Ivan a small, yet friendly smile. "It was a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I'd like to talk with you more."
"The feeling's mutual." Ivan said, returning the smile. "Now, I should be going."
"I'll see you in the Combat Training Class. I should go make sure my teammates are behaving before classes start." Cinder said, striding away on her glass heels.
Ivan dusted himself off, continuing on his way. After a few short minutes of walking, he found himself at the base of Beacon Tower. He stepped into the elevator and pressed a few keys, signaling it to head to Ozpin's office. The short elevator ride revealed Ozpin's office, the gears still working in their clockwork manner on the ceiling and floor. Ozpin was typing something on his computer terminal, while Qrow sat across from the older Huntsman. "Mister Chesnokov, please come in." Ozpin said, not even looking up from his terminal.
Qrow turned around, not expecting anyone to walk in. "Oh, SPARTAN." Qrow said, looking Ivan up and down. "What're you doing here?"
"Discussing something with professor Ozpin." Ivan said, stepping over. "It's a matter of… sensitive nature."
"Does this have something to do with the UNSC attacking a White Fang depot?" Ozpin asked, looking up from his computer. His expression wasn't accusatory, it was simply indifferent. "Sit down."
"It does." Ivan said, sitting in the second chair upon Ozpin's request. "I'm sure that you're well aware that Roman Torchwick was trained as a Huntsman prior to his… change in allegiance." Ivan said, pulling a small chip out from the base of his neck, sending a slight chill down his spine as the Neural Implant reset to an inert state.
"I am aware." Ozpin responded, leaning back in his seat, taking a sip from his omnipresent mug.
"I figured that you need to see this." Ivan said, handing the chip over. "That's video footage from my helmet's optical sensors. ONI's cleared me to share this data with you."
Ozpin slotted the chip into a port on his terminal, watching the footage from Ivan's perspective. He saw the relatively quick gunfight, as well as the SPARTANs clearing the area. He leaned forward when he saw the images of Ivan engaging the lone sword-wielding White Fang fighter. Ozpin cocked an eyebrow as he saw the fight wind to a close, with a combat knife embedded in the throat of a Faunus. The footage abruptly cut after Ivan had his wound tended to.
Ozpin looked up from the computer again as Ivan spoke. "There's only two kinds of person that can fight a SPARTAN that well, that'd be another SPARTAN or a Huntsman."
"I know…" Ozpin said, pushing his spectacles further up his nose. "I knew that some Faunus Huntsmen would have some sentiment towards the White Fang, and I fully expected them to ally themselves with the organization to a degree. It's rather sad to actually see it."
"You know who's behind this Oz." Qrow said, sighing. "Our asset can't work in the shadows much longer."
"I know…" Ozpin said, taking another sip of coffee. He turned back to Ivan, who had an inquisitive expression on his face. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Colonel." Ozpin said, using Ivan's rank for the first time since his return as he handed the chip back. "I believe you have classes to attend?" Ozpin's words seemed more like a command, rather than a question.
Ivan took the hint, nodding. "Of course." He stood up, straightening out his clothes. "If you ever decide that the UNSC can help… please don't hesitate." Ivan turned to leave, stepping into the elevator. Ivan rode the elevator back down and began making his way back to his room. He let out a heavy sigh as he stepped inside, preparing for another day of classes.
XXXXX
May 6, 2682; 1110 Hours
Remnant, Vytal Festival Arena
Ivan sat in the stands of the Vytal Festival Tournament once again. He watched the fight between Weiss and a student from Vacuo. The Vacuo huntsman seemed to be able to play to Weiss's weaknesses almost perfectly. The Heiress seemed to be having more than a little trouble against her opponent. Ruby was wholeheartedly cheering her partner on from the stands as she landed a successful strike against her opponent, knocking his Aura down. Their auras were almost perfectly even, with Weiss's being two points lower. Ivan even saw Winter cheering her younger sister on.
Ivan saw Weiss use the terrain, being icy tundra, to her advantage. She used her Semblance to create glyphs, hoping to trap her opponent in a ring of glyphs. The Vacuo Huntsman ducked under a stream of Ice Dust, tossing a Fire Dust spell in Weiss's direction. The glyphs collapsed as Weiss was forced to redirect her attention towards the stream of pure fire coming her way. Ivan was surprised to find that four of the Glyphs that Weiss was creating on the ground around her began spinning rapidly. He had never seen her Glyphs do anything like this before. What truly amazed him, and the rest of Team RWBY, was what came next.
Four tendrils of the same… stuff that comprised Weiss's Glyphs began seeping out of the center of each Glyph. The white tendrils of light began to quickly intertwine. Eventually, they formed into a humanoid shape, appearing to look rather similar to a suit of plate armor. Everyone around him was surprised to find that the humanoid apparition started moving, drawing a large blade from its back. It stood at just over nine feet tall, dwarfing Weiss by four feet. The Vacuo Huntsman was forced on the offensive by the flurry of quick strikes from Weiss and the heavy, bone-shattering strikes from the Glyph Apparition.
Ivan watched in amazement as the massive suit of armor began slamming its giant Claymore down against the Vacuo Huntsman's weapon. The Huntsman's defense eventually started collapsing against the onslaught of attacks from Weiss and her Summon. A final blow from a vial of Blast Dust, which was infused with the Summon's blade, sent the Vacuo Huntsman out of the arena, slamming into the energy shields. The entire arena exploded into applause at the stunning display of combat prowess.
Ivan cheered along with the rest of Team RWBY as Weiss sheathed Myrtenaster. As she seemed to relax, the Apparition dissipated slowly, fading back into the four glyphs, which disappeared soon after. Ruby pulled the rest of the team along, including Winter, to the base of the Arena. As Team RWBY ran over to rejoin their W, Ruby almost exploded as she squealed happily. "Weiss!" Ruby said. "That was amazing! How did you do that?!"
Weiss cracked a small, almost tired smile. "That's a part of my Semblance." Weiss explained. "I just never really mastered it quite like Winter until now. That's why I was always in the training room late at night, it was trying to get that down."
"It certainly was impressive." Winter said, smiling.
"Weiss!" Ruby said, excitedly. "We're going to the final round!"
"We're gonna kick the other team's ass!" Yang said, pumping her fist. "Who're we fighting?"
Ivan glanced up to one of the holographic screens in the hallways, seeing the two teams going against one another. It was Sun and Neptune's team against Cinder's team. Ivan had yet to see the fourth member of Cinder's team in action. She was a short girl with black pigtails and a black dress. She seemed almost giddy as she pummeled the tattooed member of Sun's team. Cinder had a look of passive indifference on her face as she tossed Neptune aside like a ragdoll, knocking him out of the fight with two quick strikes. Emerald and Mercury quickly finished off Sun and the final member of their team, winning the match for Cinder's team from Haven. "And that's who were going up against…" Ivan said.
"Looks like we get to make good on our promise!" Yang said, smiling wildly. "One more win, and we're the champions!"
