Chapter 33: Heavy-Handed
February 13, 2683; 0531 Hours
Remnant, Orbit (Remnant-2)
Thorne watched the massive starship's four-part structure slip back into real-space. The twenty six kilometer long form of Light of Sol slid through the four separate Slipspace portals, all of the pieces pulling themselves together in the ship's combat formation. The crew of the station watched as the new flagship of the UNSC Armada slipped through, and a restrained cheer broke out as the mass of Forerunner Alloy shimmered as it paid back the time-debt it owned to the slipstream.
A few moments after the flagship, an armada of two hundred Capital Cruisers slipped in, along with three hundred sub-capital ships of varying classes.
Thorne smirked as a communication came in from the Light of Sol, the voice of the President coming over the entire Battle-net. "Remnant Orbital Defense, this is President Engel. I need ONISEC Personnel and Section One Director Thorne with me on the ground."
"Right away, Mister President." Thorne responded, smirking.
XXXXX
February 13, 2683; 1231 Hours
Remnant, Menagerie
Ivan sat in the rear of a Pelican dropship, placing his etched nameplate onto a magnetic strip on his chestplate. Winter sat next to him, working her armored gauntlet into place on her wrist. The rest of Team RWBY sat with them in the Pelican, the blue oceans of Remnant flying by. CFVY and JNPR stayed behind in Mistral to continue their work there.
"Is the fleet really necessary?" Blake asked, looking out of the nearest viewport, spotting the wing of eighteen Pelicans that were joining their own, all escorted by Broadswords.
"Direct orders from the President." Ivan answered. "From what I've heard… he's done playing nice."
Ivan grabbed a BR-85 from a rack on the nearby bulkhead, sliding a magazine into the rear of the rifle and slinging it over his back. A few minutes later, the Pelican set down with a heavy jolt and the rear door opened, allowing the tropical air of Menagerie into the aircraft. Ivan, Winter, and the four Huntresses stood and stepped out of the dropship.
As they stepped onto the dock on the edge of a large Oceanside town, they found themselves surrounded by onlookers, all of them Faunus. Palm trees surrounded the buildings of the village, along with dense tropical vegetation. Every Faunus imaginable was present at the docks, observing the UNSC arrivals with a curious eye. The eighteen other Pelicans landed on the beach, their heavy engines scorching the sands beneath them to glass as they touched down and allowed their Marine occupants out. There were murmurs among the crowd as they saw the UNSC Military land on their shores, but it stayed relatively calm.
News of the arrival of the UNSC was nothing new to Menagerie. The Covenant had landed here during the invasion almost two years ago, and it was a UNSC Marine Expeditionary Force that had pushed them off the island continent. Beyond that, the people of Menagerie had little contact with the UNSC or UEG. A few Faunus had left the island and joined the UNSC's expansive defense force on Remnant, which was almost entirely made up of locals by this point, but the UEG had no embassy here and this nation had not signed into the Sydney Accords… mostly because they were not represented.
It was quite clear that someone in the crowd recognized the black ODST-pattern armor that had stepped out of the lead Pelican, and Ivan had heard his name murmured throughout the crowd a few times. Most people here simply knew him as the SPARTAN of Vale, which is what the news sources had called him after the Invasion.
Ivan smiled as a Marine Sergeant jogged over to his position, wearing her OD-Green armor. She had a pair of wolf ears present atop her head. He recognized her as the same Faunus maid from his little trip to the Schnee estate in Vale. She asked Ivan about the UNSC's recruitment just before he left the party at the Schnee Estate, and he was more than happy to talk with her. He was quite happy when he learned that she had chosen to join the Marines. She spoke up, her voice carrying over the quiet murmurs in the crowd and silencing them. She spoke with a certain fire… a passion that Ivan was very familiar with. She had found something greater than herself to be a part of. She had gone from a timid maid to a respected officer in the Marine Corps, and she looked proud of it.
"People of Menagerie, we are the United Nations Space Command. The Military, Scientific, and Colonization arm of the United Earth Government. We are here at the request of your Chieftain, and are here to provide security for a diplomatic meeting between the UEG and Menagerie."
A large portion of the group observing the UNSC forces smiled, a few even applauded their arrival… a small portion however, remained silent.
XXXXX
February 14, 2683; 1101 Hours
Remnant, Vale (Capitol Building)
President Engel stormed through the halls of Vale's Capital, Thorne and a pair of ONISEC SPARTANs walking with him. "Six thousand dead in four hours…" The President growled, clenching his fists at his side.
"Estimates put it at two billion in damages." Thorne added, not doing much to soothe his superior's nerves.
"And that damned Faunus didn't have the guts to come himself…" The President scoffed. As he approached the door to the conference room, the pair of Marines standing guard gave a salute, both of them moving their free hands to open the large, wooden double doors. Inside, was the leadership of all four kingdoms, as well as a pair of representatives from Menagerie. The entire room was also occupied by Marine guards in their formal uniforms. Seeing their Commander in Chief walk in, all of them snapped into a crisp salute, their MA5s held in a parade attention stance.
"At ease!" Engel shouted, his voice accompanied by the shifting of boots on the floor and the soft clicking of rifles finding their place resting against the floor, their barrels gripped by their Marine wielders. "I'm sure you all know why I've made the trip out here?" Engel began, walking to take his seat at the head of the long table.
"We can imagine why you came here, Engel…" The Mistral Council Spokesman started, glaring at the President. "Why you needed such a massive fleet is beyond me."
"You've all demonstrated quite clearly that you're incapable of keeping this planet secure." Engel retorted, sitting down and locking his fingers together atop the table. "This fleet will be providing security for the duration of my stay here. And believe me, I will stay as long as it is required to secure this world."
"Is this entire meeting going to be you talking down to us?" The same Spokesman asked.
"Only if that's what it takes for you idioten to pull your heads out of your collective asses." Engel responded, glaring at the Mistral representative. "Let me get down to the first order of business. You can consider the Treaty of Mistral null and void."
"What?!" The Spokesman shouted, all of the eyes in the room trained on him. "You willingly signed that treaty!"
"And the treaty is now nonexistent." The President calmly explained. "The Senate, in a near-unanimous decision, has nullified it as of tomorrow morning."
"And where was our voice?"
"Turning a unanimous decision into a near-unanimous one." Engel answered. "You seem perfectly content to let our forces bear the brunt of an assault while yours cower behind the walls of the city. And since you seem so keen on allowing the UNSC to handle your kingdom's security, then we will do just that… on our terms. The Kingdom of Mistral is now subject to the statutes laid out in the Sydney Accords."
"So you call for peace, and then proceed to occupy our territory?"
"You don't get it, do you?" Engel asked, rhetorically. "This world is not at peace. The attacks on Vale and Mistral have proved that to the Senate and myself. Your lot are so disconnected from the people you supposedly govern, sitting in your keeps and watching the lands around you burn. When you finally come down from your high castle, then a second treaty may be signed between us. Until such a time, your kingdom will answer to the UEG in all matters concerning its defense."
"You dare call us 'disconnected' when you've just now decided to come to our world?!"
"You forget, the Military are my eyes and ears." Engel corrected. "This may be my first personal visit… but I'm well aware of the events that have unfolded here. Nothing happens on this planet without a report crossing my desk within the day. I've gotten more reports from this planet than any other in all of UEG space. This is not up for debate, I am explaining to you how our relationship is going to work for the foreseeable future."
"Now, onto the second matter at hand…" Engel began, turning his attention away from the fuming Mistral leadership and over to the Atlas delegation. General Ironwood sat at the head of that delegation, his UNSC Army General's uniform covering him. "General Ironwood, I am hereby promoting you to Field Marshall and giving you command over the defense of Remnant. You are clearly the only person here who is capable of such a task."
"Thank you, sir." Ironwood nodded.
"Now we can move onto the third and final matter at hand." Engel said, sighing. "This preliminary meeting's main objective. In light of recent events, the UEG is hereby recognizing Menagerie as a nation of Remnant, and extends an offer of membership to the UEG." Everyone present, even the Menagerie delegation, went wide-eyed.
"With all due respect, Mister President…" The Vale Spokeswoman began. "You'd recognize an antiquated chiefdom as a legitimate government?"
"Kingdoms are centuries outdated, yet we recognized you." Engel countered. "Believe it or not, it can be difficult to establish a functional government when you're handed an inhospitable island that is almost entirely desert and told to 'make do' by the other nations of the world."
"This is an… unexpected offer." The Deer Faunus of the Menagerie delegation began, awestruck. "I assume that this would carry the same responsibilities that all other members of the UEG have?"
"Indeed it would." Engel said with a nod. "There is no preferential treatment before the law of the UEG… with this, all Faunus would be granted equal rights and privileges that are carried by all citizens of the UEG."
"This will… take some time." The delegate responded. "I'm sure you understand."
"Of course." The President nodded. "Something like this would indeed take time, and I'll await word from the Chieftain." The President leaned back in his seat. "Now… is there anything else we need to discuss?"
XXXXX
February 14, 2683; 1253 Hours
Remnant, Menagerie
"So… we've got two rich girls on our team now?" Yang asked with a smirk, playfully nudging Blake with her elbow. The group was walking towards the largest building visible, a manor in comparison to the smaller shacks and houses in the main settlement of Menagerie. Everyone in Team RWBY, except Blake and Ivan, were legitimately surprised to see Blake's home, and Yang was wasting no time with her teasing.
"You make it seem like I'm royalty or something." Blake said, rolling her eyes.
"Not exactly easy to make the distinction." Weiss added, throwing Blake off as she threw in her support for Yang's teasing.
Blake rolled her eyes, walking up to the large wooden door that faced the beach. Standing on her old doorstep for the first time in years, she hesitated. Yang looked to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You alright, Blake?" She asked.
"It's just… it's been a long time." Blake answered.
"Well… you've come this far." Yang comforted, giving her shoulder a light squeeze.
Blake sucked in a breath, reaching up and pulling back the large, cast-iron knocker handle. She banged the metal against the wooden door, causing a heavy clang to reverberate from the door.
"That's… intimidating." Weiss commented.
After a few moments of waiting, the door shifted open. From behind the door, everyone could swear that an older clone of Blake had poked her head out to look. She had Blake's eyes, her hair color, and the same cat ears resting atop her head. The only difference was that there were three piercings in her ears, and she looked far more mature. She seemed to glance over the group of six before her, then settled on Blake. Seeing the huntress before her, she stepped out from behind the door, her ears perked up. "Blake…?"
Blake gave a small, somewhat uncomfortable smile. "Hi… mom."
Without even a moment of hesitation, her mother stepped out and wrapped her daughter in a hug. "My baby girl… you're home."
Blake seemed to freeze for a moment, but then returned the hug with a broad smile on her face.
Before anyone else could react, a deep voice boomed from inside the large home. "Kali… who is it?"
Everyone looked over, spotting a massively tall, muscular man with no visible Faunus features to be walking towards the door. He wore a long, purple coat with a white fur trim that gave a slight air of elegance, while also providing quite a bit of air for his mostly-bare chest. He had a steel plate near his midsection, and quite neatly-groomed set of chest hair. Much like Blake, he shared her eyes and hair color. Ivan was surprised by his height… he very nearly stood taller than the SPARTAN.
His eyes immediately moved to Blake, followed by his jaw dropping open. "Hey… dad." Blake made out, a smile on her face.
In an instant, the man's open jaw was replaced with a broad smile. "Blake… you're home. And you've brought some friends…"
"Oh…" Blake said, suddenly remembering that everyone else was with her. "Mom, dad… this is Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Winter, and Ivan."
"A pleasure to meet all of you…" The man began, smiling. "I'm Ghira Belladonna, and this is my wife, Kali." After everyone went about their greetings, Ghira motioned for everyone to come inside. "Please, come in."
Everyone walked through the large, airy space of the Belladonna home, eventually making their way into an open dining area with a table set into the ground in a bit more of an oriental style. Ghira and Kali both sat in what seemed to be their place of choice, with everyone else taking whatever space they could.
"So…" Ghira began. "Looking at the two of you, you're SPARTANs, right?" He addressed Ivan and Winter, who were both wearing their MJOLNIR armor.
Ivan nodded. "Yes sir. We're the… first of the diplomatic party, in a way."
"Well, when your President told me that the UNSC would be sending a small security force for the meeting, he never told me that my daughter would be a part of it." He smirked, pouring himself a cup of tea from an already-present kettle. "It truly is an honor for the Hero of Vale to be here, Ivan."
"Thank you, sir." Ivan said, nodding.
"And the rest of you are Team RWBY, I'm assuming?" Ghira looked to Ruby, Weiss, and Yang.
"Yep!" Ruby excitedly said.
"We were horrified when we heard the news… Vale certainly wasn't perfect, but it didn't deserve an attack like that. We were both so worried when we saw that your name was on the news."
Ghira gave a hearty laugh. "Oh please, I knew she'd be fine."
"That's not true in the slightest." Kali smiled. "You all should have seen him pacing."
"I'll admit, it did get a bit hairy." Ivan said, nodding. "But we all made it out. If it weren't for them, a lot more students at Beacon would've been hurt."
"And someone… got themselves hurt to make sure I'd be okay." Blake gave a regretful half-smile to Yang, who immediately pulled her into a light side-hug.
"What happened?" Kali asked, immediately noticing a slight whirring sound coming from Yang's right arm.
"Yang… lost her arm protecting me." Blake answered.
"I told you to stop worrying about it, Blake…" Yang said, hugging her just a bit tighter. "You would've done the same for me. I got my arm back, anyways."
Blake blushed slightly as her mother mouthed out "I like her…" to her daughter. She made a mental note to break that ice soon.
"So, Ivan… when is the President going to be arriving?" Ghira asked.
"Within the hour." Ivan answered. "The hearing in Vale wrapped up just as we arrived." Right on cue, a loud knock sounded off from the door. "Speak of the devil…"
Ghira glanced back over to the clock on the wall, sighing. "Darn it, I completely forgot to reschedule that meeting." To accent his frustrations, he lightly pounded the table.
"Ghira…" Kali said, lightly laying her hand atop her husband's closed fist.
"Give me a moment, everyone. I'll be right back." Ghira said, standing upright and making his way towards the door.
"Is everything alright?" Blake asked, concerned.
"Yes, dear… it's just been hard dealing with them lately. He can reschedule."
"Dealing with who?" Blake asked, voicing everyone else's question.
"The White Fang." Kali answered as if it were completely benign.
"What?!" Everyone shouted out, startling the older Cat Faunus.
Ivan quickly reached behind his back, picking up his helmet and pulling it over his head as he stood. Winter mirrored his actions, both of them pulling their Battle Rifles from their backplate. With practiced precision he racked the charging handle back and flipped the weapon over to burst-fire mode. Kali watched, stunned, as the two SPARTANs and Team RWBY jogged over to the now-open door.
"Dad!" Blake called out, causing her father to turn around and reveal two robed, hooded figures on the other side of the door. One had the tail of a Corsac Fox and the other had Fennec Fox ears. Both of them seemed surprised to see the pair of SPARTANs making their way towards the door.
"What's going on?" Ghira asked. Ghira was stunned by what happened next.
"Left!" Ivan said to Winter, keeping his visor trained on the Corsac Faunus.
"Right." Winter affirmed, storming towards the Fennec Faunus.
In a flurry of motion, Ivan brought his rifle up in a brutal strike against the Corsac Faunus' chin, a heavy crack accompanying the strike. Winter bashed the butt of her rifle into the Fennec Fox Faunus' chest. Both of them fell down in a heap as the forceful blows from the two SPARTANs connected with them. Ivan stepped on his target's chest, keeping his rifle trained on his forehead. Winter's boot was firmly planted on her target's stomach, rifle also trained for the forehead.
"What in the world is going on?!" Ghira shouted, seeing that the two Faunus that he had just greeted were now the targets of his SPARTAN guests.
"What are you doing talking with these people?" Blake asked, honestly surprised at how well Ivan and Winter had managed to down the two hooded Faunus.
"These two represent the White Fang here in Menagerie! Why are you attacking them?" Ghira asked.
"These fanatics slaughtered people in Vale and in Mistral." Ivan answered, not taking his eyes off the stunned Faunus beneath his boot.
"What are you talking about?" Ghira asked, now seeming to have calmed a bit.
"Thirty six hours ago, the White Fang assaulted UNSC Military installations all across the kingdom of Mistral using Covenant weapons." Ivan answered. "The UEG Embassy in Mistral was firebombed, and two trillion in damages was caused to the City and UNSC Assets." Ivan's training had taken over. His response was clean, to the point, and calm. Deep down, however, he was furious.
"They had told me that a splinter group was responsible for the attack in Vale…" Ghira growled. "Now I'm not so sure." He walked over to the two pinned White Fang members, glaring down at them. "Is this true?"
"Sadly… it is." The Corsac Faunus responded, still dazed.
"Don't act like you don't know!" Ivan shouted, his emotions getting the better of him. "two thousand good men and women are dead because of you!"
"That's enough, Ivan…" Ghira said. "Talk." Ghira directed his anger at the two at his feet.
"We have ample documentation from the High Council…" Corsac began, finding himself cut off by a new, heavily-accented voice.
"Frankly, I don't give a damn about your documentation." President Engel calmly stated as he ascended the stone steps to the Belladonna household, joined by ONI Section Two Director Thorne and four ONI Security Forces SPARTANs. "Likely falsified, I'll review them with the Chieftain after we vent you two into a star. SPARTAN Chesnokov and SPARTAN Schnee, you stand relieved."
"Aye, sir!" The two SPARTANs declared, stepping off of their targets and allowing the ODSTs to hoist them onto their feet. Two SPARTANs handled each of the two White Fang representatives, one of them keeping a magnum leveled against their heads.
"Goodbye, gentlemen." Engel mocked as the SPARTANs led them back towards the town. As the SPARTANs finished descending the steps, the President turned to face the group before him, a small smirk on his face. "Chieftain Belladonna, I'm sorry that this had to be our first meeting. President Manfred Engel von Lettow-Vorbeck, at your service."
"A pleasure to finally meet you, Mister President." Ghira said, shaking the notably shorter German's hand. "I wish it were under… better circumstances."
"Indeed…" Engel agreed. He turned to Team RWBY. "And it is a pleasure to see Team RWBY again. It's quite good to see you as you, Miss Belladonna."
Blake, still slightly stunned by the President's arrival and the sudden apprehension and promise of execution of the White Fang representatives, simply nodded.
Engel smirked. "Now… shall we get started?"
"Of course." Ghira agreed.
"Excellent." Engel nodded. "SPARTANs, you're dismissed. ONISEC will take over from here."
XXXXX
February 14, 2683; 1754 Hours
Remnant, Menagerie
Blake sat around the table with her mother, Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Ivan, and Winter. The latter two had long-since removed their helmets and had returned to their more… civilian personalities. Her father's study had been occupied by the President and Ghira for the better part of four hours now, with two SPARTANs standing guard by the door, both of them wearing midnight-black HELLCAT-pattern armor and wielding weapons that she had never seen before. They looked somewhat similar to that Light Rifle she had seen Ivan use on more than one occasion… but something about these rifles seemed more… human in construction.
"I'll admit…" Kali continued her thoughts. "Having two Schnees here is a bit… strange."
"The White Fang painted Weiss and her family in a bad light, honestly." Blake explained. "Her father, not so much, but her mother, brother, and sister are great people."
"I can certainly see that now." Kali agreed, smiling to Weiss and her elder sister.
"And would you believe that the two SPARTANs are dating?" Yang asked, earning a death-glare from Ivan, an amused smirk from Winter, and a broad smile from Kali.
"Seeing their faces after that comment, I can definitely see it." Kali laughed.
"You should have seen them on the trip to Earth." Yang added. "It was amazingly funny."
"You're one to talk, Blondie." Ivan taunted, taking a sip of tea. "I've heard stories."
Blake immediately blushed at the memory. "Uhh… mom?" She asked, catching Kali's attention. "About that…"
"Yes, honey?"
"Yang's… a bit more than just my friend." Blake began. "We've been dating for almost two years now."
Kali seemed surprised by this for a moment, then settled on a smile. "Well, I knew that I liked you, Yang. I'm glad that you managed to find someone that makes you happy, Blake."
"So…" Yang began, smiling. "Does that mean I have your blessing?"
Kali laughed. "Yes, you have my blessing to keep dating Blake. I doubt you'd stop anyway, even if I said no." Kali turned back to her blushing daughter. "You should tell your father, Blake."
"I'll wait until he's done with the President, I wouldn't want to just barge in there." Blake said.
Kali smirked. "When I brought them more tea a minute ago, they were just chatting. It shouldn't be much longer."
XXXXX
February 14, 2683; 1934 Hours
Remnant, Menagerie
"Are you sure, Ivan?" Kali asked. "The guest house has more than enough room for all six of you."
"I'm quite sure, Missus Belladonna." Ivan affirmed. "Winter and I have something we need to see to. We should be back by tomorrow morning."
"Alright…" Kali relented. "Stay safe."
"We'll be fine." Ivan said, glancing over to Winter. "We've got each other, after all."
Kali laughed. "You two really are perfect."
Ivan chuckled. "Alright, we'll be getting out of your hair now." He pulled his helmet over his head, his VISR giving it a slight blue glow. "Don't get into any trouble, you four!" Ivan called out to Team RWBY, who were still sitting at the table.
"No promises!" Yang called back.
Ivan sighed, shaking his head. With that, he and Winter made their way out the door and towards the stone staircase leading back to the village. The shattered moon rested off in the distance, obscured slightly by the silhouette of Light of Sol.
"What do you think we'll find?" Winter asked, walking alongside Ivan.
"I don't know…" Ivan answered, honestly. "I've already alerted Thorne, and he's got support for us on-standby from orbit."
The two SPARTANs spotted their Pelican spooling up its engines on the beach, a Warthog attached to the magnetic clamp on the back. "Well, let's get going!" Winter said, smirking beneath her helmet.
XXXXX
February 14, 2683; 2041 Hours
Remnant, Menagerie
Blake stood outside of her father's study, awkwardly clutching her arm as she heard the sound of soft laughter from within. Her father and the President had finished their discussion some time ago, but the President had taken Ghira up on his offer to stay and talk.
Yang stood with Blake, arm wrapped around her waist. She had tried to get Blake to talk, but she clearly had other things on her mind. Despite this, when Yang tried to give her some space to think, the Faunus merely pulled her closer.
Blake was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even hear or see her mother approaching with a tray of tea. "You know… you can always go in and say 'hi'." Kali offered, the ceramic teapot and cups clinking slightly as she moved.
"I don't want to disturb them…" Blake offered in return.
"Nonsense… they're just talking." Kali responded. "A father's never too busy for his daughter."
Blake smirked. "Not all of my friends would agree with you on that."
Kali gave a small chuckle in return. She handed her daughter the tray, a small smirk on her face. "Here."
"What?" Blake asked, seeing her mother turn and start heading back inside. "Where are you going?"
"You've never been very talkative, and your father's been talking politics all day." Kali answered. "I think he might like to hear about the adventures of Team RWBY."
Blake rolled her eyes as she saw the small smirk on Yang's face. "I know that look, Yang."
"What?" Yang asked, innocently. "I've done nothing."
"That's your pun face." Blake bluntly stated.
Yang scoffed. "I don't know what you're talking about." Her smirk immediately removed itself when Blake cocked an eyebrow.
Blake rolled her eyes again. "C'mon…" She nodded towards the door, beckoning for Yang to help her with the sliding glass portal.
As Yang pushed the door open, they both saw Ghira and the President sitting on opposite ends of a coffee table, cups of tea in their hands as they talked. The President had removed his long coat, his mostly-grey outfit visible, along with a jagged blue and gold cross hanging around his neck by an ornate ribbon. There were some words in a completely foreign language engraved on the cross, but neither of the girls had any idea what they meant. The President sent the two a small smile as they entered.
Ghira turned his head as he heard the glass door slide open, finding his daughter and her partner to be standing by the door. "Blake!" Ghira said, happily. "Please, come sit."
Blake and Yang both walked over to the unoccupied couch that sat in between the two armchairs that Ghira and the President occupied. "I don't want to keep you with-"
"Nonsense, please… sit down." Ghira dismissed her claims of intrusion. "We've both been cooped up in here all day."
Blake nodded, placing the tray down on the long coffee table. Ghira removed four of the cups from the tray, pouring warm tea into them, and handed one to Blake, one to Yang, placed one in front of himself, and slid the last one over to the President. "Thank you." Yang said, smiling.
"Danke, mein Herr." Engel said, nodding.
"You still take sugar, right?" Ghira asked, dropping a sugar cube into Blake's cup of tea.
"Actually…" Blake tried.
"Oh, sorry!" Ghira backpedaled, slightly flustered.
"No-no-no, it's fine." Blake insisted.
"Here, take this one." Ghira offered his own, sugarless tea to Blake.
"No, really… it's no big deal." Blake insisted once again.
As the two went about the most awkward battle of insistence, Yang worked to suppress a giggle. Engel smirked to himself, watching the awkward exchange take place before him. Seeing that the two had fallen into an awkward silence, Yang did the one thing she knew how to do. She turned to the President. "So… your new ship's nice."
Engel took a moment to process that comment, and all eyes turned to Yang. Ghira and Blake were confused, but the President merely laughed. "It is a nice ship." He made out after getting his laughter under control. "And that was a nice ice-breaker."
"I do my best." Yang smirked.
Blake playfully elbowed her partner's side, earning a smile from the blonde. Her attention was then grabbed by a question from her father. "So, Blake... I never did get to ask, how was Earth?"
"It was… amazing." Blake answered. "It was so peaceful, everything there is amazing."
"First place she dragged me to was a bookstore." Yang chimed in, earning a smile from Ghira.
"Some things never do change, do they?" Ghira wondered, smiling.
Engel's attention was grabbed by the communicator in his ear beeping softly. He glanced down to his wrist, his watch showing that he was getting a call from Director Thorne. "Excuse me for a moment, I need to answer this." The President stood, and made his way outside to speak with Thorne more privately.
As Ghira was left with his daughter and Yang, he found the conversation had fallen back into an awkward silence again. Choosing the first thing that came to mind, he spoke. "Blake… is it… warm in Vale?"
"What?" Blake asked, confused.
"It's just… you don't seem to have any armor."
"I don't need armor, I can take care of myself." Blake snapped. She knew it was really about how much… skin her outfit tended to show.
Ghira seemed stunned by her response. He let out a sigh before speaking again. "I know you can… I'm sorry."
Hearing her father apologize to her so readily, so earnestly, immediately made a wave of guilt wash over Blake. Being with her father for the first time in years, and him still being the same person that she remembered, broke down her stoic exterior. "Why?" She asked.
"Hmm?" Ghira asked.
"Why would you say that?" Blake asked, her voice solemn.
Ghira moved to sit on the edge of the couch. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? What'd I say?"
Yang watched as her girlfriend's normally subdued emotions came flooding out of her next words, and it broke her heart. "How can you still love me after what I did?" Out of reflex, Yang placed her hand atop Blake's, giving it a comforting squeeze.
"Blake…" Ghira said, placing a massive hand on her shoulder. "Your mother and I will always love you."
"You were right…" Blake managed, on the edge of breaking down. "I shouted at you, yelled at you… but you were right. I called you cowards!"
"It's okay." Ghira said, giving his daughter a loving hug.
"I should've left the White Fang with you and Mom." Blake continued, growing ever closer to tears. Yang had known Blake long enough to know that when she needed to get something off of her chest, it was best to let her do just that. She didn't need comforting words, she needed to vent. "I should've listened to you, and I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
"Blake, it's alright." Ghira insisted. "We never held anything against you, and we never feared that you'd fail. The only thing I ever feared was that you'd fall down the wrong path. I'm so proud that you didn't."
"But I did!" Blake cried out, sniffling. "I was-"
"And you pulled yourself back out." Ghira interjected. "You came back. There aren't many people that have the strength to do that, much less face their demons again. Vale, Mountain Glenn, Beacon, Mistral… you confronted the White Fang time after time."
Blake seemed to calm down a bit at her father's words. She locked eyes with Yang's lilac orbs, an encouraging smile on the blonde's face. "I didn't do it alone. I had my friends…"
"And you have some amazing friends." Ghira added, smiling. "Even if two of them are Schnees."
Blake let out a small laugh. "They're nothing like their father. Winter and Weiss are… so much more than just their family name."
"I can tell." Ghira smirked, removing his hand from Blake's shoulder.
Yang immediately wrapped her partner in a bear hug, rubbing a comforting circle on her back. "And you got me through one of the worst times of my life, Blake." Yang consoled, pouring every ounce of gratitude she could muster into that hug. "I don't know where I'd be without you, but I know it isn't anywhere good. Thank you."
"You did the same thing for me, Yang." Blake returned the hug in full.
"Yang…" Ghira added. "Thank you so much for what you've done for my daughter. I'm happy that she's found such a wonderful friend."
"It…" Blake began, her face immediately breaking out in a blush. "It goes a bit further than that, Dad."
"What do you mean?" Ghira asked.
"Yang's… Yang's my girlfriend." Blake answered, earning a look of surprise from her father.
"I take it you don't mean she's your friend that happens to be a girl, do you?" Ghira asked, a smirk on his face.
Blake shook her head. "We've been together for about two years…"
Ghira nodded in understanding. "Well, I'm happy for you two." Ghira chuckled. "I had no idea that you'd be telling me you've been with another girl for two years when you first arrived."
"Honestly…" Blake began, locking her fingers with Yang's. "I had no idea that I felt this way until I met Yang…"
"The two of you make a perfect pair." Ghira smiled.
"She's practically my shadow by this point." Yang smirked, placing a kiss on Blake's cheek. "And I'm not just saying that because of her Semblance." Blake immediately swung her head around to glare at Yang, who had that stupid smirk on her face.
"I really like you, Yang." Ghira laughed.
Everyone's attention was immediately grabbed by a pained grunt from outside, followed by a heavy thud and shouting.
"Contact!" A deep, encoded voice shouted, followed by the rattle of automatic gunfire. Strangely enough, it didn't sound like a weapon that Blake or Yang was familiar with. It sounded more… subdued, quiet.
Immediately, the three occupants of the room bolted outside. They found a pair of SPARTANs in HELLCAT-pattern armor, as well as the President. The President was leaning against the wall, a small wound in his left shoulder. One of the two SPARTANs was tending to the wound with a biofoam canister, while the other had a Faunus by the neck.
The Faunus had a long ponytail, wore a black-brown outfit that kept her agile and mobile. Her mask was shattered, lying on the wooden floor. Blake recognized her immediately. "Ilia…" Blake made out, teeth clenched.
"You know her?" The SPARTAN holding her up by the neck asked.
"She's a White Fang assassin." Blake answered, glaring at Ilia, who was currently clawing at the armored gauntlet that was depriving her of oxygen.
"Only answer I need…" Engel made out between clenched teeth. "SPARTAN…"
"Understood, sir." The ONISEC SPARTAN responded. Silently, he reached down for the strange handgun at his hip, jamming the pronged barrel to her chin and pulling the trigger. Neither Blake nor Yang recognized this weapon. It bore some resemblance to the Boltshot that Ivan had shown them, but it looked… more in-line with a human hand.
A muffled sound of an energy weapon's report was heard, then a hole was burned clear through Ilia's skull, the blue bolt of energy splashing harmlessly against the wooden roof above. Ensuring the job was complete, the SPARTAN gave her neck a quick twist before dropping her corpse onto the floor.
Shaking himself out of his stupor, Ghira turned to Engel. "Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine." Engel said, standing upright and clutching the small, sealed hole in his shoulder. "Damnit, I'm getting too old for this shit…" Some blood had stained the grey fabric of his ensemble red.
"What color was she when she attacked you?" Blake asked, concern heavy in her voice.
"I didn't get a good look, I was too busy hitting the ground." Engel snarked in response.
"She might have poisoned you!" Blake declared.
"Biofoam has a universal counter-toxin." The SPARTAN that tended to his wound responded. "Any poison she used has already been neutralized."
Engel sighed, shaking his head. "Chieftain, I need you to tell me exactly where the White Fang operates here in Menagerie."
"Why, sir?" Ghira asked.
"So my men can cut them out like the cancer they are." Engel declared, his voice hardened. "Captain…" He turned to the SPARTAN whose gauntlet was sticky with Ilia's blood. "Relay an order to Light of Sol, bring the ship over Menagerie."
"Right away, sir!" The Captain responded, nodding.
"And get a Pelican here immediately, I'm going back to the ship."
