Chapter 24: The Mission

January 22, 2683; 1400 Hours

Remnant, Patch (UNSC Airbase: Camp Avery)

Ivan sat in a small waiting room in the Camp Avery Clinic, Blake, Ruby, and Winter all sitting on chairs around the room as well. Winter sat directly next to Ivan, while Blake and Ruby were quietly discussing something. Winter smiled contently as she rested her head against Ivan's shoulder. "That's a wonderful thing you did, Ivan." She said.

"She'd do the same for me." Ivan dismissed.

"Maybe…" Winter said. "But you went to some pretty incredible lengths and pulled some serious strings to make this happen like it did. I don't think most people would do even half of what you did." Winter leaned up, planting a quick, chaste kiss on Ivan's cheek.

Ivan smiled, wrapping an arm around Winter's shoulder. "Thanks, snow angel." He said, smiling at the almost inaudible groan from Ruby and the not-so-discrete eye roll from Winter.

"At least it wasn't a pun…" Blake commented, grinning.

"Did someone say puns?" Yang asked, stepping into the room, sporting her fancy new cyberarm prosthesis and a cheeky grin. At a cursory glance, it looked no different than an organic arm. Upon closer examination, there were visible cracks in the covering of the arm in areas around the joints, appearing as nothing more than thin, grey lines against the polymer composite covering that perfectly matched Yang's skin tone.

Ruby bolted upright, rose petals fluttering to the floor as she took off running to wrap her sister in a tight hug. Yang laughed as she mirrored the gesture, her arm whirring softly as she wrapped her sister in a hug. After a moment, Ruby pulled back to examine the arm. "It's so cool!" Ruby said, bounding excitedly.

"It is pretty awesome." Ivan said, nodding as he stepped towards the blonde.

"Don't think you're avoiding this, Chesnokov!" Yang said, wrapping Ivan in a hug. Ivan grunted softly as Yang's already impressive upper body strength was amplified by the artificial limb's synthetic muscle fibers. After a moment of crushing the air out of Ivan's lungs, Yang turned and gave Blake a small smile.

"Nope…" Blake said, shaking her head.

"Blakey…" Yang said, holding her arms open with a broad smile.

"Yang…" Blake said, giving Yang a small glare.

Yang, ignoring her girlfriend's protests, simply wrapped the Faunus in a tight hug, clutching her like her life depended on it. Blake simply relented, returning the gesture. Yang lifted the Faunus' chin with her cybernetic hand, placing her lips against Blake's for a passionate kiss. Blake melted into the gesture, allowing Yang's tongue to explore where it pleased for a few moments. Understanding where they were, Yang pulled back after a moment, leaving Blake wanting more.

Blake's cheeks blushed a bright crimson, which was only intensified by the small wink that Yang gave her. "What's the problem, Blakey?" Yang asked, her lips slowly spreading into a small smirk. "Cat's got your tongue?"

Blake glared at Yang, jokingly. "We're talking about this tonight…" Blake only blushed further as Yang gave a suggestive purr, waggling her eyebrows.

"Okaaaaaay!" Ruby said, obviously feeling rather uncomfortable. "Can we not?"

Ivan silently thanked Ruby with a knowing look, surprised to see David walk back into the room. "Sorry about taking so long…" He said, tucking a small datapad back into his coat. He looked up, seeing a blushing Blake, broadly grinning Yang, and uncomfortable pair of SPARTANs and young huntress. "Did I miss something?"

"Nope." Ivan and Ruby both said at the same time, earning a cocked eyebrow from David.

"Alright…" The engineer said, completely oblivious to the situation he just walked in on. "I just wanted to let you all know that the procedure was a complete success. Miss Xiao Long's cyberarm works far better than I could've imagined."

"It sure does." Yang said, moving her arm around, flexing the synthetic muscle.

"And we threw in a few extra additions that would suit a Huntress in the field rather well." David added, smiling. "Carbon-Nanotube muscle fibers to increase strength, direct nerve connections, and a discrete removable composite covering. Shouldn't be any side effects, other than the slim possibility of a feeling of discomfort as your body adapts to having more weight on that side again. Even that should subside after a day or two. So all-in-all… you're good to go."

"Wait…" Ivan said. "What did Yang add to it?"

"Surprisingly, she didn't have any specific modifications that she wanted, other than the enhanced synthetic muscle fiber."

"What can I say? I'm a simple girl." Yang said, shrugging.

"No kidding…" Blake muttered, earning a giggle and a side-hug from Yang.

David smiled, producing a small card with contact information from his coat. "If you ever need anything else, or encounter any problems with the arm, don't hesitate to give me a call." David shook Yang's hand. "Have a good day, everyone." With that, he turned and headed back towards the clinic itself, presumably to finish paperwork.

"Should we head back home?" Ruby asked.

"Probably a good idea." Blake agreed.

Ivan nodded, a small smile spreading across his face as he watched Yang flex the cybernetic arm's joints.

XXXXX

January 22, 2683; 1531 Hours

Remnant, Patch

Ruby unlocked the door to her and Yang's house, stepping inside. Blake, Ivan, and Winter were still with the two sisters, and followed behind the younger huntress. As they stepped inside, they were surprised to find Taiyang conversing with Qrow, who was sitting at the island in the kitchen with a small glass of liquor. More surprising yet, Team JNPR was a part of the discussion as well. Ivan gave Ruby an inquisitive look as she seemed to pale, suddenly seeming to remember something.

Pyrrha gave Ivan and Winter a polite wave and a small smile, which they both returned

"Ruby…" Taiyang said, a stern look on his face as he turned to look at his youngest daughter.

"Dad…" Ruby said, looking at her feet like they were the most interesting thing on Remnant.

"Nice arm, blondie." Qrow commented, drawing a glare from Taiyang. Yang gave a cheeky grin and a thumbs-up with her new hand.

"Do you have something you want to tell me, Ruby?" Taiyang asked, drawing a look of concern from Ivan, Winter, Blake, and Yang.

"I mean…" Ruby began, looking up to see the glare that her father was giving her. "Okay… We were going to Haven."

Ivan cocked an eyebrow, but Yang nearly shouted in surprise. "What?! Why?"

"We wanted to stop Cinder…" Ruby muttered. "Uncle Qrow said the trail led to Haven, so we wanted to start there."

Taiyang turned to glare at Qrow again, only to see a stupid smirk on Qrow's face. He simply sighed at his brother-in-law. Tai, seeing Ivan's confused expression, spoke up. "Ivan… how much do you know about what happened at Beacon?"

"Thorne filled me in on the details when I got back." Ivan responded. "I'm not quite sure how much of it I really believe, but this planet isn't exactly the most sensible place."

"So you know about the Four Maidens?" Pyrrha asked.

"I do… and that's the part that gets me." Ivan said.

"How much of the UNSC knows?" Qrow asked, his voice conveying a sense of urgency.

"The information regarding this has been restricted to high-ranking officials in ONI and those ranked Admiral and higher. I'm the exception, seeing as how I'm directly involved." Ivan explained.

Qrow sighed. "Good… The last thing we need is the public losing their collective minds."

"I can't believe Ozpin tried to rope you into that, Pyrrha…" Blake said, her words carrying a sense of understanding.

Pyrrha shrugged. "There wasn't much choice."

"At the very least, you're alright." Ivan agreed, all of JNPR nodding in agreement. Jaune interlocked his fingers with Pyrrha's, running his thumb across the back of her hand in a comforting gesture.

"It's concerning…" Blake said, musing to herself. "Why would Cinder go to lengths like that, just to get power?"

"You answered the question yourself." Ivan said, leaning against the counter. "We've all seen Cinder's Semblance in action… it's impressive. Imagine her with what I can only describe as, quite literally, magic."

"Cinder's just a pawn." Qrow said, drawing everyone's attention. "Same with Taurus." At the mention of the Bull Faunus, Yang and Ivan both visibly tensed, Yang a bit more so. Blake, while obviously uncomfortable upon the mention of his name, wrapped an arm around Yang's waist.

"If she's just the pawn, then who's the king?" Ivan asked, giving Qrow an inquisitive look.

"Now there's the million-Lien question." Qrow said, downing the rest of his glass. "And the answer looks to be in Haven."

After a few moments of contemplative silence, Yang spoke up. "We should go!" She said. "We can figure it out!"

"I don't know how I feel about that…" Taiyang began, looking around. He felt a twinge of guilt as he saw the puppy dog-eyed look that Ruby was giving him, but he pushed it aside thanks to years of living with the redhead. "Can't the UNSC or Mistral handle it?"

"Nobody knows where to look." Qrow said, shaking his head. "The only people who know about this outside the UNSC are sitting in this room."

"Doesn't Ironwood know?" Ruby asked, remembering him being a part of Ozpin's inner circle.

"Ironwood's forces were transferred to the UNSC's command." Ivan explained. "Ironwood is a UNSC General, so his hands are tied by UNSC regulations."

"It doesn't sound safe…" Taiyang added.

"It's no more dangerous than sitting around and doing nothing, letting Cinder and her puppet master get their way." Qrow retorted, earning nods of agreement all around.

Taiyang sighed. "Ivan… what kind of presence does the UEG have in Haven?"

"Not quite as much as we do in Vale, but we have enough for the entire kingdom to be secure." Ivan responded. "Six or so airbases, four forward operations bases, an embassy, et cetera."

"Alright… You can go." Taiyang relented, realizing that his worrying wouldn't stop his daughters, especially when it was something this important.

"Awesome!" Nora cheered, all of the energy she was storing away over the past five minutes of conversation bursting out instantly.

"Looks like we're back in business!" Jaune agreed, smiling.

"We're still short one…" Ruby said, her slight tone of sadness evident as she made reference to their missing Heiress.

Ivan nodded. "Her father refuses to tell Winter and I anything… other than that 'she's doing fine.'"

"We should go bust her out of Atlas!" Nora exclaimed, earning a grin from Ivan.

"I don't know how well that would work." Winter said, chuckling. "Schnee Estate is practically a fortress."

"Don't give her any ideas please." Ren said, his even voice betrayed by a small smirk as he nudged the bounding redhead.

Ivan smiled, shaking his head. "We'll discuss the details once I give Thorne a call."

"Then Operation: Find Cinder is a go!" Ruby declared, excitedly.

XXXXX

January 22, 2683; 1601 Hours

Remnant, Patch (UNSC Military Installation: Camp Avery)

"Let me get this straight…" Thorne said, speaking from the other end of a holographic communication. "You want the UNSC to sponsor an operation in Mistral so you all can find Cinder? All the while keeping it a complete secret from the public?"

"Pretty much." Yang affirmed with a nod.

"Well, you've come to the right guy…" Thorne said with a smile. "You've, quite literally, described what ONI exists to do. I'll forward Ivan and Winter all the data we have on Cinder and the White Fang's operations. I'm giving you a pretty big check for this one, Chesnokov."

"How big?"

"Blank." Thorne responded, smiling.

"Damn…" Ivan whispered.

"As of right now, you are all field operatives of the Office of Naval Intelligence." Thorne briefed. "I'm gonna pull some string, get you some more support. I'll have the mission briefing for you by tomorrow."

XXXXX

January 23, 2683; 1604 Hours

Remnant, Patch (UNSC Military Installation: Camp Avery)

Ivan pushed the door to his officer's housing on Avery Airfield, with Team RBY and JNPR following behind. Everyone looked around, unsurprised to find a rather sparsely decorated house. The entryway led into the living room, which had a single couch, pair of armchairs, and a viewscreen on the wall. The kitchen and dining room were connected to the living room, having all of the normal amenities one would expect.

"They just give these out to officers?" Jaune asked, stepping into the living room.

"Pretty much." Ivan said, nodding. "My rank, and my relationship with Winter, got the two of us a shared residence here."

"Shared, huh?" Yang commented, giving Ivan a suggestive eyebrow waggle. "You guys share the bed too or-" Yang was cut off as Ivan threw a throw pillow from the couch at the blonde, hitting her square in the head. Without missing a beat, Ivan continued on his way towards the kitchen, tossing his uniform's cap onto the counter. Yang still had a devious smirk on her face as she looked around.

"Real funny, Yang." Ivan called out, draping his uniform's jacket over the back of a chair at the kitchen table.

Winter simply chuckled as she removed her hair from its bun, letting her ivory locks fall to her shoulders. "For the record… we do share the bed." With that, Winter gave the normally confident Yang a wink, and moved to join Ivan.

Yang stood stunned for a moment, seeing Winter casually stroll over to Ivan and wrap an arm around his waist. Ivan smiled as he pulled Winter into a quick kiss. He moved back into the living room, Winter still at his side.

"Alright…" Ivan said, sitting at the couch and motioning for everyone else to sit. "I talked with Qrow, and it looks like the trail leads to Haven, over in Mistral." Everyone nodded, Pyrrha looking rather distraught. "Pyrrha, I know you're a native to Mistral, is there anything you can tell me about that Kingdom?"

Pyrrha looked thoughtful for a moment, thinking of what to say. "It's… very humid and hot. The main city, for which the kingdom is named, is about the same size as Vale. There's some small villages on the outskirts of the city, but they're mostly filled with some rather… unsavory characters."

"Define unsavory…" Blake began.

"Thugs, criminals, mercenaries, and a lot of destitute poverty." Pyrrha explained.

"Seems like a good place for someone like Cinder." Yang commented, nodding.

"It would be…" Pyrrha agreed.

"Anything you can tell me about Haven?" Ivan asked.

"It's a very strict school, from what I understand." Pyrrha explained. "Strict dress code, strict professors, and it produces some very effective Huntsmen. From what I've heard, they have some reservations about the UNSC's attempts at creating ties to the school. They're a bit like the kingdom in that regard."

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.

"Mistral hasn't been very open to the UNSC's diplomacy." Ivan explained. "Even after what happened over Vale, they're still a bit wary of us. We have a single airbase just outside the city, but it's under constant inspection from Mistral's military. The rest of our bases are on the coast or well out of the way of their villages."

"It took a fair bit of convincing to get them to sign that treaty." Winter continued. "I've heard that the President's one irritating meeting with the Kingdom's Council from claiming Eminent Domain."

"So we're not gonna get much help from the local government… great." Ivan said, sighing. "Never mind, we'll make it work." Ivan continued discussing the situation with RBY and JNPR. After an hour of discussing, they decided that they had brought up every piece of information that they could. Ivan let everyone settle in for the day.

As Ivan was descending the staircase, wearing far more casual clothes, he was surprised to find the doorbell to the house ringing. Winter stood up from her seat in an armchair and moved over to the door, Ivan a few steps behind her. Team RBY and JNPR watched from the living room, curious to see who was ringing the house at 8 P.M.

Winter opened the door, seeing a group of five standing at the door. Ivan was surprised to see Team CFVY. "Hey, everyone!" Coco greeted, a quick wave.

"'Sup, Coco!" Yang called out from the couch.

"What's up, guys?" Ivan said, smiling as he and Winter stepped aside and let them in.

"Thorne said you guys needed some support." Coco said with her normal smile. Coco hadn't changed much since Ivan saw her last. She still wore her normal intricate outfits and had her omnipresent handbag, which doubled as her weapon. "Figured we'd oblige."

"Well, I'm glad you guys are here." Ivan said, gesturing inside. "Come on in."

"Good to see you again, Ivan." Velvet said, giving the SPARTAN a smile as she stepped inside, joined by the rest of her team.

"Good to see you too, Velvet." Ivan said, leading everyone into the living room. Ivan saw that Penny had decided to let Ruby down, and was giving him a broad smile. "Hey, Fox, Yatsuhashi." Ivan said. "Long time, no see."

"Indeed." Fox said, his normal indifference still there. "Should be fun."

Ivan smiled as he stepped into the living room, where the three Huntsman teams were congregating and greeting each other. "Well… looks like we're essentially at platoon strength now. Did Thorne brief you guys?"

"He gave us all of the information we'd need." Coco confirmed, sitting in one of the armchairs. "Apparently, we're going to Mistral."

"Yep." Ivan responded, nodding. "You know our mission?"

"Find that Cinder bitch." Coco affirmed with a stiff tone.

"Alright…" Ivan said, smiling. "We're heading out tomorrow, bright and early. In the meantime, feel free to make yourselves at home."

"Oh, Coco's way ahead of you on that." Fox commented, smiling.

"Damn right." Coco smiled, holding her arms out in a beckoning gesture towards Velvet. To say that Ivan was surprised would be an understatement. He saw Velvet blush heavily as she sat herself on Coco's lap, earning an amused smile from the brunette as she planted a kiss on the Faunus' neck.

"Wait… when did this happen?" Ivan asked, looking towards Coco as he leaned against the side of the couch.

"Few months ago." Coco responded, resting her chin on Velvet's shoulder. "After Beacon got destroyed, Velvet needed a place to stay, so I let her stay at my family's place here in Vale. It just kinda went from there, to be honest."

"Was it as awkward as Ivan and Winter getting together?" Yang asked, giving an amused smile. She ignored the glare that Ivan sent her way.

"How awkward was it?" Velvet asked.

"Do you remember when Jaune hit on Weiss?" Blake responded, earning a groan from the blonde boy.

"Ouch…" Coco said, giving Ivan a wry smile.

"Lesbians, man…" Ivan muttered to himself, earning a laugh from Winter.

XXXXX

January 24, 2683; 1046 Hours

Remnant, Mistral (UNSC Military Installation: Camp Vorbeck)

Ivan jolted slightly as the Pelican dropship carrying him, Winter, Penny, Team JNPR, RBY, and CFVY set down. Ivan stood upright, everyone else following suit once the bay door opened. "Those things are awesome." Nora said, referencing the Pelican.

Once Ivan stepped into the open Mistralian air, he immediately regretted the black and grey uniform he was wearing. The humid heat hit him like a truck, causing him to let out a breath. "Good God, people live in this heat?" Ivan asked, looking back to Pyrrha.

"It's not so bad once you get used to it." Pyrrha responded, shrugging. Ivan realized why Pyrrha's normal attire left quite a bit of room for her body to breathe, and the weather he was currently experiencing was the reason.

"Whoa…" Ruby said, looking around the base. The airfield they were on was massive, about the same size as Avery Airfield. What was truly surprising was the fact that it sported a pair of drydocks, each one housing a Strident-Class Frigate. There were UNSC Falcons and Mistral Bullheads flying overhead, along with the occasional visible Broadsword fighter.

There were a few dozen UNSC Marines patrolling around the perimeter of the base, joined by the occasional Mistralian military official. The Mistral soldiers seemed to regard the UNSC soldiers with a sense of tension, but they appeared to cooperate well enough. Ivan sighed, wishing he had decided to wear something a bit less constraining. "Alright, I've got to get the details sorted out with Command, then we'll be good to go."

"Let's go!" Nora declared happily.

XXXXX

January 24, 2683; 1120 Hours

Remnant, Atlas

Weiss sighed, looking through her personal notebook and tapping her pen against the desk. She had been working on a song fit to sing at the Charity Concert next week. She had gone through all of her old songs that she had written, and none of them seemed to fit. It was only now that she had an idea she thought might work. A way to make her point not only to her father, but to herself.