Chapter 5: The PR Specialist and Into the Heart of Darkness
Present Time, Main Foray, Atlas Huntsmen Academy
"The PR personnel I told you about should be here soon," Winter told Jaune, who merely nodded. It had been a few days since Jaune began laying the ground work for his PMC and future military division.
First, he managed to find a construction company that, while costing a fortune to hire, would work in the hostile Grimm lands of low to medium Grimm density. After getting the patent for the Hesco Bastian, he gave the plans to the company and they were making headway setting up the perimeter around the base. Miles of barbed wire, tank traps, and fences were also being added so that the manpower needed to defend the base wasn't horrendously high. They were also building the main HQ/command center, a few barracks, and the defenses that Jaune wanted up and running. The only one delayed was the Skyshield battery, due to the need to having to contract a company to build the 35mm autocannons.
Second, while not enough for what Jaune had in mind, Ironwood had got Jaune in contact with several of Atlas's more veteran instructors, those that shared Jaune's belief that the answer shouldn't be coming from Huntsmen. Roughly twenty-five had been convinced to join Jaune's effort, as they were sold when Jaune, despite being a Colonel (which for Remnant was generally an officer that led behind everyone else) managed to subdue three of the instructors at once. That and they also got to test the various infantry equipment, which blew them away.
Jaune was pulled out of his reverie by the sound of a Bullhead outside the Foray. He looked up and saw Winter staring at the entrance as the people walked in. Most were family and friends going to see their loves ones that were attending the Academy, some were support personnel bringing in food, electronics, and various other things the Academy need to run in top form, and some were those looking to join the Academy and getting the necessary paperwork.
However, one person was heading their way, and Jaune had to blink. White hair, yellow eyes, pale complexion, a little below average height for a woman, wearing a black suit with a purple collar. Except for the suit, Jaune had a depressing amount of déjà vu of one person that he had grown to love, only for their existence to be violently removed from him. Simply replace the black suit with a navy blue one and Jaune wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. He sighed as the woman made her way towards them.
"Why must she look so much like you Eve?" Jaune muttered underneath his breath.
This better not be a waste of my time, Lisa Lavender of the Vale News Network thought to herself. Normally, one would feel honored at the chance to discuss something with a Schnee, but years in the media had made Lisa practically indifferent to people of 'power'. Generals, Huntsmen, Councilors, it made no damned difference to her. She couldn't be swayed with bribes, favors, or threats. So her coming down to meet with Winter Schnee was similar to how a store clerk would meet the casual customer; putting on a false face of cheer while waiting to see if they would try and screw her over.
As she walked in, she saw Winter Schnee, in her usual white and grayish-blue outfit, her saber on her hip, sitting at a table with a blonde hair man in a grey uniform and wearing a black beret. On his hip was both a pistol and a similar sized weapon but with a longer magazine and a bulkier build; perhaps an SMG, Lisa thought. He appeared to be in his mid-30s and well built in her mind. She saw the man's eyes widen for a moment before blinking a couple of times, muttering something under his breath; did she remind him of someone?
"A pleasure to have you here Ms. Lavender," Winter said politely, while the man remained quiet.
"Likewise," Lisa said indifferently while taking a seat. "However, I was expected to head out to Vacuo and report on the disappearance of a bullhead of Vale college graduates. So please, do tell me why you contacted me." Winter Schnee was about to speak when the man interrupted her.
"Ms. Lavender was it?" the man said. "I do apologize for interfering with your reporting, but alas, I've a situation which requires a delicate touch." Lisa raised an eyebrow, surprised that someone would interrupt a Schnee so casually.
"Oh and your name is?" Lisa asked. The man smiled, though it wasn't like the Schnee's near condescending greeting; it felt more genuine.
"Jaune Wolfgang Maximillian von Kurten, although you can call me Jaune for the purposes of this discussion," Jaune said. Lisa nodded.
"Alright then Jaune, now what is it that you need?" Lisa asked.
"Simply put, I need a means to appeal to people who have been deluded into believing that the best way to protect Remnant is by joining the Huntsmen Academy or are thinking about joining Atlas's military and instead join the PMC that I'm going to be making," Jaune said. Lisa was about to speak before Jaune raised his hand.
"Now I understand any disdain you have for PMCs, hell I would have to admit that when I first heard the idea I was disgusted, but unfortunately the situation in Atlas is too rigid for someone trying to change the system to achieve from the inside," Jaune said. "Instead, with approval from General Ironwood, I would form a PMC before integrating it into the Atlesian military, bringing the changes that Atlas, and by extension all the other kingdoms, need."
"And what pray tell needs to change?" Lisa asked, tapping a finger on the table while leaning back in her chair.
"Simply put, Remnant as a whole puts too much faith in the Huntsmen and in Atlas's cases a over reliance on drone warfare," Jaune said. "The changes would be in weapons, tactics, infrastructure, and training. While I can find companies to manufacture the weapons, engineers to set up bases and teach others to build them, and train officers, it will be all for naught if there are no men to fill out the ranks so to speak."
Lisa paused, realizing that Jaune wasn't trying to blow smoke up her ass or con her. However, she never saw anyone disagree with the idea of the need of the Huntsmen.
"Alright, tell me, what's wrong with the Huntsmen Association?" Lisa asked. "As far as I can tell, they are the forefront of the defenses of the kingdoms and-"
"Doesn't that strike you as wrong?" Jaune asked. Lisa raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?"
"Tell me, in what rational line of thought was it wise to give a group of highly individualistic, very well-equipped, and relatively unorganized people the power to decide the fate of the kingdoms?" Jaune asked.
"Well, the Great War-"
"If you pull the argument that the disarmament treaties of the Great War and the Huntsmen filling the void left by the downsized military I will have to bash my skull in by the idiocy of Remnant," Jaune said. "Tell me, when was the last time there was a major excursion conducted by Huntsmen with the purpose of clearing out the Grimm and allowing a new settlement to be built?"
Lisa frowned, trying to rack her head for the answer. Everyone knew the disaster of Mount Glenn, but that was over a century and a half ago, well before the Great War. She continued to try and think, before speaking.
"Well, if I recall, there was the expansion into Hohe Eis about thirty years ago," Lisa said. "Surely huntsmen-"
"Actually all of the Huntsmen Academy declined," Winter interjected. "The only reason I know that was because it was an expansion that my grandfather pushed for due to the Dust deposits in the region, and in the end the SDC appealed to the Atlesian Council, who in turned ordered the army to exterminate the Grimm in the region."
"Exactly the point that pisses me off about the Huntsmen Association," Jaune said. "They are self-serving; they say they are for the protection of the Kingdoms, and yet when things become 'too risky' or 'likely to incur high casualties' they cower away and halt any progression by the Kingdoms."
"They also led to the horrible state the militaries are in; I was able to take on three 'veteran' instructors and defeat them, all of whom had their aura unlocked and having semblances, while I don't have my aura unlocked nor do I have a semblance. In addition, the lack of sufficient weapons to counter all threats, both human and Grimm alike, along with horrible fundamentals have led to the horrible situation that leave the people, the kingdoms, having to rely on Huntsmen to protect them."
Jaune sighed, leaning over the table and looking pointedly at Lisa.
"In fact, the militias that dot Remnant are so underequipped that it's been accepted as fact that villages will disappear! Tell me that doesn't disgust you!"
Lisa saw the fire in Jaune's eye and thought over the points he brought up. It was true that Huntsmen were put on a pedestal, held in regard as the best that humanity had to offer, and yet they only maintained the status quo. But she chalked it up to how numerous and ruthless the Grimm at, that their numbers are kept at such lows due to casualties they sustain. As though reading her mind, Jaune asked a question that would alter Lisa's opinion of Huntsmen forever.
"Let me ask you this, do you know how many huntsmen, on average, die in their line of duty every year?" Jaune asked. Lisa shook her head. Jaune shook his head.
"Typical, the huntsmen don't want to publicly reveal how many they lose because it would enrage everyone else at them," Jaune said bitterly. "Based on what I could fine with help from Ironwood and Ms. Schnee, every year and across all the kingdoms, an average of twenty-five huntsmen die fighting the Grimm, compared to the averages of thirty who die acting as 'supplements for law enforcements', ten who die in 'classified operations', and a further ten who die during off-duty. Compare this to the fact that every year, around 500 huntsmen are inducted. They are having a growth in their numbers, while villages outside the Kingdoms' walls are in a sharp population decline."
"In essence, the huntsmen are thriving, taking over the role of the military and law enforcement, and they have practically no oversight. The councilors don't try and reign them in because of fear of them not protecting the kingdoms in spite!" Jaune stated. "This is why I despise how the huntsmen are organized and ran! That isn't to say I hate huntsmen; there are those that truly intend to protect the everyday citizen, but most couldn't give a damn."
"Most join for the benefits; ensure retirement after only a decade-worth of service, account deniability with regards to most laws, and practically unlimited power to do what they want," Jaune said more calmly, but the bitterness remained. "I've brought this up with General Ironwood, and he agrees this must stop; the Huntsmen need to either be reined in, or the military needs to step up its own efforts. I have the knowledge to allow the army to tackle the problems that for years the Huntsmen were the only one able to handle, and I need your expertise with the public to do it."
Lisa took a deep breath, kind of shocked to see how dedicated Jaune was. He pointed out the flaws with the Huntsmen, ones that she didn't even know about, and he was asking her for support to plug this gap.
"So you want to remove the huntsmen from power?" Lisa inquired. Jaune shook his head.
"No, even if I disapprove of them, they are well versed in fighting Grimm. No, I want to remove their influence but making the military the force it needs to be," Jaune said. "However, with all the glory if you will going to the Huntsmen, the military has been in decline; its why the Atlesian Huntsmen Academy has been forced to directly tie into the military when General Ironwood came to be the Academy's headmaster. The military needs to be shown to be competent, and while I can maintain the momentum, I need the ball to start rolling, so I need recruits."
Lisa nodded. So, this was the end goal of her trip here; promote Jaune's PMC so it can begin gaining power and, for the lack of a better word, prestige, so once it integrates into the Atlesian Military, the things he has done will begin to spread. It was brilliant but relied on getting men to join first.
"Alright, so what do you need?" Lisa asked. Jaune pulled out a file.
"I need people to know about the PMC, know what it is about, know about its goal, without pissing too many influential people off and without driving people away, while also helping to convince several companies to support the 'war effort' if you will," Jaune bluntly stated.
"Very well, do you have any docu-" Lisa stopped when Jaune lifted a large briefcase, sliding it towards her. Peeking inside, Lisa gaped at the amount of paperwork was inside. Not many Council laws had this much paper involved. Yet she could tell it was detailed, with more defined goals, figures for resources and manpower, supply of food, water, and energy, and various other things.
"Okay, well this is going to be a nightmare to trawl through, but I think I can help out," Lisa said. "However, not to sound rude or anything, but what do I get out of this arrangement?" Jaune looked at Winter, who shrugged. He sighed before looking back at Lisa.
"What do you want?" Jaune asked. Lisa pondered for a moment; there was so much she could ask for. Money, exclusive access for post mission news reporting, insider knowledge for things about to go down. But really, she was curious about the man behind this shift; Jaune Wolfgang Maximillian von Kurten. So, she asked for something rather simple.
"Two things. First, I want to have exclusive interviewing rights with you and those associated with your PMC, and second I want a dinner with you, to understand who I am getting into business with," Lisa said confidently. She saw Jaune look momentarily uncomfortable before he nodded.
"Very well, I have nothing against either request, so what time for the dinner?" Lisa pulled out her scroll.
"Well, how about next week on Friday at six at the Alderhorst in down town Atlas?" Lisa saw Winter not as subtle as she though shaking her head to Jaune not to accept, but due to him not directly looking at Winter, he nodded.
"Alright then, although I hope you forgive me to coming to dinner in my uniform; I have a previous meeting with the Stahl Arms Corporation discussing a new standardized rifle for the PMC and eventually the Atlesian military," Jaune said, not noticing Winter Schnee pinching her nose.
"No problem," Lisa said, glad she is essentially having a free meal at the most expensive restaurant in Atlas while getting to know someone she suspected will be a major player in the Kingdoms' development.
"Anyway, I must go if I am to start on the Public Relations front," Lisa said. "A pleasure doing business with you."
"Likewise," Jaune said, shaking her hand. "Now, if you will excuse me, I need to talk to some instructors about the new standard for training the recruits." He walked off, leaving Lisa to smirk at Winter, who was glaring at her.
"Oh don't be that way," Lisa said. "It's to get to know each other over a nice dinner."
"It was a move on your part to gauge how much you could exploit him for," Winter argued. Lisa was about to counter with a rational argument before a more appealing one came to mind.
"Oh, is it because you are jealous that I got a dinner date with Jaune huh?" Lisa teased, and she revealed as Winter blushed at her statement. "Oh my, I didn't know the eldest Schnee was into older men."
Lisa quietly left Winter, who was red in the face due to simultaneously blushing, getting angered, and feeling outwitted. Lisa smirked to herself; she will be having so much fun in the foreseeable future.
Somewhere in the outskirts of Vacuo
It had been a week since his capture, and Kelly was no closer to knowing where he was. They had constantly been on the move, first in that truck he spent at least three days and nights in, then he was forced onto what he thought was a bus as he could hear the grunting and crying of others in front, behind, and to his left for three more days and nights. Finally, they arrived in gods knows where only for, at least for him, to be thrown into some steel cage. All this time he was blindfolded, leaving his extremely disoriented and confused.
However, as Kelly recalled this, he heard approaching footsteps. Turning his head towards the source of the noise, Kelly tried to count the number of people based on the crunching of the dirt, but ultimately failed. He heard then heard the ratcheting of gun slides before he heard his cell door open.
Kelly blinked when his blindfold was finally removed, so unused during his week-long travel, that it took him a while. He saw the mercenary leader with that massive hand cannon with a few other mercenaries (with their belt fed machine guns), but then he saw a tall relatively pale man with dark hair flanked by two men that also had dark hair but were tanned, carrying assault rifles with banana shaped magazines.
"So good to see you Captain Kelly," the pale man said. Kelly blinked; how did the man know who he was?
"Um, ho-"
"How do I know you Captain?" the man rhetorically asked. "Well, let's just say that my series of informants and moles stretches all across Vacuo and its beginning to spread to the other kingdoms. So finding out the identity of Vacuo's rangers was no more difficult than making a simple phone call. Although I'd be more concerned with your predicament than how I know your name."
"What do you mean?" Kelly asked, slightly fearful of the man who began to grin.
"Well you see Captain Kelly, through these mercenaries I've managed to collect tons of people for various purposes," the man began to explain. "Men to do hard labor for the creation and maintenance of my bases, women to feed my soldiers, and children to raise into zealots, willingly to make the ultimate sacrifice for the cause. But soldiers, ah, well let's just say that I haven't much purpose for rebellious spirits. But then you come in, without much of a fight and didn't once try to make an escape after your capture. So you tell me, are you loyal to the Council of Vacuo, or are you…open to new paths?"
Kelly felt a sweat drop slide down his neck. Something about this man scared him, but he couldn't place it.
"I wouldn't say I'm loyal to the Council but instead to Vacuo," Kelly said, prompting the man to wave him to continue. "I've thought that the Council couldn't care for the individual villages and cities, only caring for the big cities and their seats of power. So if the Council did something that I would view as evil, I wouldn't fight for them."
"I see," the man said before smiling, though to Kelly it was one like the Dark God probably had when he created the Grimm. "Then you wouldn't mind striking a blow against the Council, especially if it was to the benefit of your family would you?"
"W-what do you mean?!" Kelly said, slightly panicked. Was his family being held hostage by this man?
"Hey, hey, don't worry for your family, after all the family of the soldiers in the Global Liberation Army are supported, especially if soldier in question carried out a task of major importance," the man said. "But for those that seek to betray their brothers, well, let's just say the fate that would befall the traitor would also fall on the family of said traitor."
Kelly felt his throat clench in fear. Here was a man who clearly was a cold-blooded killer, but he had a means of reaching his family, forcing Kelly to dance to his tune.
"What do you need of me?" Kelly choked out, causing the man to smile.
"Well due to the GLA's recent efforts, we are getting closer to making our move, one that will see Vacuo freed from the Imperialists sympathizers that make up the Council and their Atlesian and Valen overlords," the man said. "However, we need to make a powerful first move, and that requires intelligence and men."
The man paused, pulling out a map, some paper, and a pen, before handing them to Kelly.
"Now, I want you to mark on this map where the other Ranger outposts and armories are, the radio frequencies used by them, and then finally you will have one final task, one that will ensure your family's safety from retaliation by the Council-loyalists. But that is to be discussed later; for now the intel will suffice."
Kelly wanted to refuse, but he knew of the ruthlessness of mercenaries, which terrified him, but he didn't know how far this man's GLA soldiers would go against his family. He took the pen, silently prayed for forgiveness, and began marking on the map the locations that the man wanted. He cursed himself for his cowardice, but what choice did he have; they were holding his family practically at gunpoint!
After marking all of the outposts and armories that he knew of and writing down known radio frequencies, Kelly looked up at the man, who smiled.
"I see, well we'll confirm that this information is correct, but in the meantime, these men-" the man pointed at his escorts, who pointed their rifles at Kelly "-will take you to training yard, where you will be trained by those that understand the meaning behind sacrifice and will give you the tools and knowledge to complete you final mission."
The man began to walk away before stopping.
"Oh, by the way, I nearly forgot, but there is someone who wants to see you!" the man said cheerfully. Kelly was yanked up off the floor and marched out of his cage for a few feet, before someone stepped out of the shadows. Kelly blanched as he saw his daughter of only fifteen years-old standing in a similar outfit, only made for a woman, as the men that were holding him up.
"Sarah, what's going on?!" Kelly shouted, alarmed to see his daughter near men that only a week ago killed his men. Sarah, who was tanned with auburn hair, snorted at her father's question.
"What does it look like father?" Sarah asked, forcing Kelly to wince at the venom in her voice. "I've joined the GLA."
"Why?!" Kelly was then punched by his own daughter.
"Because they are the only ones who give a damn about us poor folk, the ones that aren't rich or powerful enough to live in the big cities, the ones who must suffer underneath the foreign devils, the ones who are raped by assholes from other kingdoms and get off scot free because their fathers were able to bribe the jury!" Sarah yelled. "My rape went unpunished because that damned Valen boy's father paid off the jury, the police, and the judge to have my case swept under the rugs, so when I heard about the GLA, I joined up. To hell with the appeasers of the foreign kingdoms, our time has come to rise up and overthrow these shackles! To hell with those that would sell out their own countrymen to outsiders!"
Kelly paled as he recalled that horrible day he came home to see his daughter crying and clearly violated. Yet when nothing came of it, he thought it was because, like was said at the court hearing, 'there was no evidence to the identity of the perpetrator'. But seeing his daughter in front of him, enraged as she was, something had been covered up, and he felt so horrible as a father for not doing more, for simply 'letting the justice system do its job'.
Sarah walked off, leaving the man to watch her leave before turning his attention back to Kelly.
"Well, as you see, despite the harsh measures we have, we aren't completely monstrous," the man said. "Some, myself included, could be easily said to have no purpose but to wage war, but most in the GLA have some reason to join the cause. Don't worry Captain Kelly, you will have a chance to make up for your failures as a father to your daughter with your final mission."
The man walked off while Kelly was dragged to the training yard, smiling as his plans were coming full circle. Soon, Remnant would see the righteous fury of the GLA in force.
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Unit Dossier: GLA Rebels
Description: The Rebels of the GLA are a mixed bag of various groups; some are religious zealots, other are political fundamentalists, others still soldiers for hire, and even some are in it for the sake of a war. However, regardless of their reasons to joining, the rebels are culminated and trained to accept the current path of their respective cell and fight for the GLA's cause.
Armed with assault rifles and Molotov cocktails, the GLA Rebels specialized in guerilla warfare and hit-rand-run operations. Using camouflage to get in close, the GLA Rebels hit hard and hit fast, burning out garrisons with their Molotovs and gunning down unsuspecting soldiers with their assault rifles. What they lack in staying power due to no body armor they make up for with surprise and zeal.
The goal of a GLA Rebel isn't to take on the enemy in fair fights and exchange fire over time; it is to close in, overwhelm the enemy with surprise, and get out before reinforcements arrive. As such, it isn't unusual for rebels to burn through several magazines from their assault rifles before slinking away, waiting for the next ambush. But if they can't run away, they can make use of the explosives they use to booby trap buildings in an act of martyrdom, taking the enemy out in an explosion.
Weapons: An assault rifle, typically a variant of the AK-47, a bundle of Molotov Cocktails, and several TNT charges for booby traps.
Author's Note: How was that for a technical section? If you have improvements for me tell me in a review or private message. But onto some reviews and points I wish to bring up.
-Warmach1ne32: I thank you for the offer of beta reading and someone to bounce ideas off of, but at this time I have a clear end goal in mind. Although if I get stuck I might bounce ideas to prevent the dread writer's block via PMs.
As to your question about other equipment from other nations, Jaune could conceivable, due to a event that will be shown later, know about US equipment. However, he knows the ECA's equipment, he knows how to utilize them, and so he will focus on what he really knows. Some of the US's equipment could be done, but not right now.
-Luhar1997 andDuManHeiu: The First technical section has been added, expect more in the future, and give me your feedback for improvements.
-Lisa Lavender's involvement: We see her right now as merely a partner that is aiding Jaune's efforts, but she will play a bigger role in the story. A damn shame she is underutilized both in canon and in fan-ficition, but it's understandable; news reporters aren't as exciting as huntsmen and villains. But as we will see, the power of media has the means to either bring down establishments or allow the ascension of those that wouldn't have a hope in hell's chance of getting to the top.
-The GLA in Remnant: Buwahaha, fear the GLA Remnant, as they will show the White Fang how a true uprising is down. But unlike the White Fang, who are practically shouting it, the GLA under 'the man' are not going to seemingly take over Vacuo. Instead they will be under different names, supporting those whose views support the GLA, and instead rule Vacuo from the shadows. This is simple; they don't want to attract too much attention and lose the advantage of secrecy; or at least that's the plan, they don't know about a certain someone who will know what is really going on.
And that's it for now, thank you so much for reading this, and as always, please read, review, follow, and favorite the story, and I'll catch you guys next time!