In case I haven't mentioned it earlier, I'll do my best to reply to anonymous reviews at the top of each chapter. I'll try to be as thorough as I am with user reviews, but I'll also try to be brief as to not eat up too much space up here.

To the guest who mentioned the post war setting, I'm glad you like the story so far. Yeah, the setting was definitely of interest to me, despite the obvious issues that come with telling a post canon story while the show is still ongoing. That said, Volume 7 didn't end up contradicting what I have planned in any major way, adding to it if anything.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

Chapter 6

Ruby and Weiss found their way back to the rest of their group with little difficulty. Yang and Blake's fight, however well or poorly it had gone, had caused just as much damage as their own, so they had an easy trail to follow. Eventually they found their team's brawler and scout, sitting off to the side of the road.

Of course, this sight was also what told Ruby that their troubles were far from over. Neither Yang nor Blake even attempted to look at each other, and while this wasn't exactly a surprise based on the day they had been having so far, it made it pretty clear that their fight had gone poorly as well.

Blake stared at the ground in front of her, seeming a little surprised when she finally looked up and saw Ruby and Weiss standing over her. Normally, her senses meant she would have heard them coming long before they were basically on top of her, which meant she had been lost in her own head. Other than that, though, Blake didn't give off much emotion, meaning Ruby couldn't be completely sure what she was thinking about.

Yang was a bit easier to read. She grumbled under her breath as she poked at her detached prosthetic arm with a screwdriver, which seemed to be a difficult task given her handicap and the environment she had chosen to perform this maintenance in.

"You want me to take a look at that?" Ruby offered, though she was sure she knew what her sister's answer would be.

"No." Yang didn't bother to look up from what she was doing. "I'll figure it out for myself."

"What happened?" Weiss asked neither of them in particular.

"Our new friend had a few more tricks than we thought," Blake answered. "And you?"

"We had a similar experience." Weiss paused for split second, as she usually did when she was considering something. "Whoever she was, she knew who we were, and she was going for the kill. Then she got some kind of call and just left."

"That call was probably from our guy. He took off when..." Blake trailed off, almost hesitant to finish her story.

"Oh, just say her name!" Yang snapped. She still didn't look up, but she gestured at the alleyway behind her with her good arm.

Ruby followed the gesture, finding Raven Branwen talking to Taiyang in the alley's shadows. Her older sister's worsened mood suddenly made a lot more sense.

"Yang..." Ruby began, only for Yang's left hand to shoot up in response.

"Save it. If anything, I'm glad she's here. We can wrap this up quickly and go home."

"Then I'll go see what we're waiting on." Ruby knew better than to push the issue, so she walked past her teammates and into the alley.

Without hesitation, Weiss fell in step behind her, which split Ruby's attention for half a second. Part of her wanted to speak up and tell Weiss she wanted some space after their last argument, but she chose to keep those feelings to herself. Weiss had been right about one thing: a mission wasn't the time or place to unpack that baggage.

Also, the walk to their destination wasn't exactly long enough for a heart-to-heart discussion. They were no more than halfway there before they could hear the debate going on.

"Are you seriously lecturing me about being reckless?" Tai asked with genuine confusion.

"It's an objective assessment," Raven stated calmly. "We have no intel on what we're walking into."

"Hey, you're the ex-spymaster. This is right up your alley."

"Tai, they're not ready for another fight."

"Well, we don't need to fight," Ruby chimed in, not needing to guess what the two were talking about. "We just gotta open a portal, grab Dad, and get the heck out."

"And we might be able to obtain some information at the same time," Weiss added.

Raven turned to face them, her eyes locking on Ruby briefly before turning away again. "Very well."

By this point, Blake and Yang had rejoined the group, the latter keeping her prosthetic tucked under her left arm. Ruby understood Raven's concerns, and even shared them to some degree. She knew the current state of her team, but she had to believe they could recover and face whatever lay ahead.

The former Spring Maiden drew her sword, Omen, and positioned herself to activate her semblance. Moving precisely, she swung her blade at the open air in front of her, energy emitting from crackling in its wake.

Though no portal formed, with the energy instead fizzling and dissipating. For a few seconds, the entire group remained still and quiet, as though they were all waiting for something to change.

"Raven..." Tai began, only to be interrupted by the woman in question repeating her previous motion only to get the same result.

"What's wrong?" Blake was the first to ask.

"The portal's not opening," Raven answered without turning to face them.

"Yeah, b-but why?" Ruby asked nervously. Her mind flooded itself with different emotions and explanations, with one in particular recurring quite a bit. She stuffed that thought back where it came from, trying to replace it with a different idea. She wanted to be hopeful, partly for group morale, but mainly because she had no idea how she would react if Raven confirmed what her subconscious was currently dreading.

"I'm can't say for certain." Raven paused, examining her blade and the air in front of her before turning to face Ruby. "But the most likely reason is that Qrow is dead."

"Oh."

Greger finally paused his retreat, knowing that he needed to make sure he wasn't being followed. Coming to a halt on a sturdy branch of one of the forest's massive trees, he took a few seconds to survey his surroundings.

The forest was calm, and his exosuit's sensors weren't picking up anything abnormal. Greger looked directly back at the direction he had come from, the town of Holzfäller now out of sight. He had stayed on the mission's predetermined path, which had been plotted to minimize the trail that could be left behind in case of a scenario like the one he currently found himself in. Given what he was able to observe from his vantage point, he felt confident that he wasn't followed.

He was about to continue onward when his suit's motion tracker pinged something moving right towards him. Greger was immediately on guard, though he relaxed somewhat when an exosuit identical to his own came to a rest next to him. The one thing that kept him a little on edge was the person inside the suit, who turned to face him with obvious intent.

"I had them!" Hana snapped.

Greger didn't flinch. "Keep your voice down."

"Oh, I wasn't followed," she growled back, though she did so with a lower tone. "And if I was, it's because you told me to leave while they were still breathing."

"That wasn't the mission."

"I disagree."

"It's not a matter of opinion." Greger took a step forward. "Our objective was reconnaissance, which doesn't involve attacking our targets when unprovoked, or using live ammunition and explosives around innocent bystanders."

Hana crossed her arms. "None of which were hurt."

"Are you sure about that?"

Hana hesitated, which told Greger that her claim wasn't a completely accurate one. The only real question was whether she was outright lying or if she genuinely didn't know if she had hurt anyone.

"It doesn't matter now," Hana said dismissively. "We can sort it out once we're home."

She leapt away, and Greger didn't waste much time before following. They traveled in silence after that, both more interested in just reaching their destination. Eventually they emerged from the treeline, exiting at a small gorge that was hiding the Atlas airship they had acquired a couple weeks ago.

The hiding place wasn't exactly inconspicuous. While the vessel possessed cloaking technology similar to his suit, it wasn't going to fool anyone once they got close enough to it. Apparently this wasn't an issue, however, as Greger was often reminded that they wouldn't be remaining here for long whenever he voiced his concerns.

With the click of a button on his wrist, a loading ramp opened and he and Hana entered the ship. Greger wasn't particularly fond of this place, as he found the whole airship to be a cold place. Not so much temperature wise, but more in the typical Atlas fashion of being designed for functionality during wartime. The ship's crates were organized efficiently and neatly, a trait the Atlesian military refused to part with even after Atlas fell at Salem's hands.

Greger pushed these thoughts from his mind, as he didn't have time to ponder the philosophy of soldiers. He turned at the sound of heavy footsteps, knowing he had a report to make.

"Who did he send?" Hazel Rainart asked, in his usual voice that somehow managed to both calm and booming at the same time.

"Team RWBY, like you predicted," Hana answered.

"Not just them," Greger quickly added. "Taiyang Xiao Long and Raven Branwen are with them as well."

Hazel paused, considering the information he had just been given. "It's no matter. We're close enough to our endgame that they won't be able to stop us."

"It'd be less of a matter of they weren't already aware of our presence." Greger looked to Hana as he spoke, not trying to hide his accusation.

Even with her helmet, it was obvious she was glaring back at him. "They don't know any specifics. Just that someone is watching them."

"Which is still more than they would know if you hadn't revealed yourself."

"Well, sometimes that's the price of being preemptive."

"Enough!" Hazel commanded, causing them both to stand at attention. "This situation isn't ideal, but so long as we refrain from drawing more of our enemy's attention and fighting amongst ourselves, the plan will continue as scheduled. Am I being clear?"

Greger looked from Hazel to Hana, and the two exchanged a begrudging nod. Their responses came simultaneously.

"Yes, Father."

"Good," Hazel continued. "Now get some rest. We move on Ozpin in two days."

Hazel stomped off, likely to continue digging through the ship's inventory, which had become his most frequent pastime since it had come into their possession. Greger didn't linger, as he and his twin sister followed the instructions they had been given. One short walk later, they were entering the crew quarters they had appropriated for themselves.

Hana moved towards her bunk and removed her helmet, revealing her tanned skin and short brown hair. Taking off pieces of his own exosuit, it was not lost on Greger how similar they looked both in and out of armor.

The trivial thought didn't occupy his mind for long, however, as their encounter with Team RWBY and the words of his father were taking up more of his attention. Eventually, the urge to speak up won out.

"They will track us here eventually," Greger stated.

"Giving them an awful lot of credit, aren't you?" Hana replied, not hiding her disinterest in the conversation. Rather than look at him, she moved over to the collection of weapons she liked to keep in their quarters, brushing her fingers against them once she got close enough.

Greger crossed his arms. "Or maybe you're not taking the threat they pose seriously?"

"Father knows what he's doing. If he's not worried, then we shouldn't be either."

"And if you're both wrong?"

"Then we'll deal with them like the last huntsman who found us."

With her last statement, Hana attempted to pick up Harbinger, the latest addition to her collection. The size and weight of Qrow Branwen's weapon meant she was barely able to hold it upright, and Greger was not instilled with any confidence by its presence. It had taken their entire family to defeat the weapon's owner, and having to face six others of similar reputation seemed a difficult task at best.

"I doubt it will be that simple," Greger summarized.

"Suit yourself," Hana replied with a shrug. She put Harbinger down and started to leave the room. "I'm going to see if Father needs any help with his work. You can do whatever it is you do to prepare."

Greger let her go without saying another word. His sister was set in her ways, so he knew better than to try and change her mind. Still, his own thoughts hadn't been put at ease. He left the space as well, with the mindset that he might be able to clear his head as he roamed the airship.

Unfortunately, he didn't manage to get very far before he heard a crashing sound coming from the captain's quarters. He moved to the room his parents had taken up residence in, finding his mother standing over a broken glass.

Phaela Rainart barely regarded him as he entered the room, seeming to be more interested in cleaning up her mess. Greger was tempted to just walk away and let her sort things out herself, but pushed the notion away. She was his mother, and thus he had a duty to check on her.

"Are you alright?" Greger asked, not needing her to clarify what had happened. She had obviously been going through the room's contents, and found the previous owners liquor cabinet.

"Are you?" Phaela responded once she turned to face him. She was weary, as evidenced by her pale skin and frayed blonde hair. Coupled with her small size, she seemed almost fragile, though Greger knew better than to actually think of her as such.

Greger tried to remain composed. "I'm fine."

"Whatever..." Phaela waved her arm at him. "Don't say I didn't ask."

She always knew when he was lying, an ability outsiders would likely assume was "mother's intuition." In reality, it was her semblance. While she couldn't read minds, she was a powerful empath, able to read how a person was feeling. What was not part of her semblance was the ability to manipulate people based on those emotions. That was a skill she had honed on her own.

"It's nothing," Greger admitted. "I just have concerns about the mission."

"Such as?" Phaela probed.

"Everyone seems bent on sacrificing caution and logic to get to our goal."

Phaela snorted. "Well, contrary to what he believes, your father isn't exactly a logical person. Any line of thought that gets between him and revenge for your poor Aunt Gretchen is a useless one. He seems like he forgets that I was her partner at Beacon. That I actually had to watch her die. Can't let little things like facts get in the way of his crusade."

Greger had heard everything his mother was telling him before, to the point where he was numb to its effects.

"So what should we do?"

Phaela sat down in a chair by the liquor cabinet. "Just wait for this plan to succeed or fail. It's really all we can do."

Greger turned to walk away. "Well, that's not very helpful."

"Look, if you really need something to do, you can bring some food down to our guest. I was going to do it myself, but I got a little..." She looked over at the pile of glass she had almost succeeded in cleaning up. "...sidetracked."

Greger didn't reply, deciding to simply do as he was asked. He went straight to the mess hall to put together something resembling a meal, all the while in deep thought about what was to come in the days ahead.

Even assuming Team RWBY remained the disorganized mess it had been in their last fight, there were some glaring holes in his father's plan. Despite the resources available on the airship, they were still only four people, and Greger had serious doubts about them being enough to breach Beacon's defenses and get to Ozpin. Something needed to change if they were to survive, and he was starting to worry that he would have to take matters into his own hands.

His line of thought brought him all the way to the brig, at which point he decided to clear his mind. Despite the prisoner having his hands shackled on top of being locked in his holding cell, Greger didn't want to give him an opportunity to take advantage of.

"Grub duty again, kid?" the prisoner asked.

"Just luck of the draw, I guess," Greger answered, trying not to pay the man much mind.

"Yeah..." He laughed under his breath. "I know a thing or two about bad luck."

Author's Note:

So I haven't exactly been consistent with updates since I started this story, which was about a year ago at this point. No apologies from me, as that's just how life shakes out sometimes. I also won't make any empty promises about that changing any time soon. Though I will say that, from the beginning, this chapter was always the hurdle to get over, the one I had to get through to get to the parts I started this story to write. We'll see what happens, I guess.