Volume Three
Interlude Three – Covert
/-\ Raven Branwen /-\
I worked one of my many blades across a whetstone, yellow flakes of dust sparking in the air as they were shaved off…
It was stormy that night. Summer had already used up her One from me, which was why I had only showed up after the fact.
Another scrape across the whetstone and another flake sailed through the air.
I found blood, casings, and bullets scattered all over the clearing, but no bodies. For a moment, I assumed they were abducted; taken. But a quick scan of her aura through the link revealed her to be… fine. More than fine, she was in perfect health. The distance of the portal was… astronomical, however. I remember being genuinely impressed Summer managed to get herself into THAT big of a clusterfuck.
The scraping continued, another noise joining it, but I didn't care enough to give it much thought.
"You won't find a body, Tai," I said.
"And how do you know that? What aren't you telling us?!"
I frowned, scraping more as the memories piled up.
"Rae, if there's anything you know-"
"I've told you and Tai all I ever will, Qrow. Stop looking for her, you're wasting your time."
The blade beneath my hand snapped as I made one pass too many. I growled, pulsing my aura to stem the bleeding from the four-inch slice on the inside of my forearm. I grabbed the snapped dust blade, incinerating the thing with my Maiden powers as my wound closed up.
I tisked. "That's what I get for being distracted…" I muttered.
It had been nearly a month since I contacted Summer, and now I was beginning to wonder if it was a mistake. Part of me was happy to see my old friend after so long, but most of me was simply saddened to see the state she was in. Like with my brother, Ozpin had wormed her slimy little hands into Summer's head. The usurper was good at that – manipulation.
Letting out a sigh, I stood up, sheathing the blades I hadn't broken into the sheath at my hip. The sun was starting to dip below the horizon; if she was coming, it wouldn't be tonight. Passing by the front counter of the blacksmith, I tossed a couple Lien cards behind it, as was our usual arrangement. "Be back tomorrow!" I shouted.
The second I was out the door, I slashed open a portal. In a single step, the oppressive chill of Solitas was replaced by the warm breeze of the Emerald Forest. I unzipped my coat, tying it around my waist. "Situation, Vernal?" I asked, dropping to the bushes beside her prone form.
She hummed. "Quiet all day," she said, passing me a pair of looted binoculars.
Peering through them, the first thing I saw were, of course, the great titanium walls of Reavia. Occasionally, a white UNSC emblem would show itself, but most of the wall remained unadorned. It was clear the city was specializing in Grimm defense more than against people – the defenders would have to lean over the wall's lip and expose themselves in order to get a clear shot at anything right at their base.
The tops of the walls were not lacking in defenses, however – multiple of those big dual turrets sat atop them, plus many of the smaller ones they put in their trucks. On the far end of the wall, I could barely make out a pair of their green airships coming down from space, another turret slung between them. Around the lone gatehouse that I could see, two of their landships were dug into the earth, sandbags and spikes around the edges with a trench running between them.
"It'll be a tough nut to crack – these Spacers really know how to dig in," Vernal said.
I frowned. "I wouldn't be so sure," I said. "A full-scale raid is out of the question, but we're not doing a full-scale raid."
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know that. We simply don't have the men to take on an entire city – let alone one with that dreadnought running around Gods-know-where…" she sighed. "So, are we actually going today? Or are we just gonna sit here until one of the numbskulls back at camp figures out how that alien computer works?"
Letting out a long breath, I hummed. I observed the guards one last time – the shifts seemed… lighter than usual; a few seemed distracted. I tisked – it would only be a matter of time before she made her move; what state would the world be in then? Right now, we could still steal from convoys and pick through the Atlesian ruins with relative impunity. My decision made, I handed the binoculars back to Vernal. "You know what to do,"
In a flash, my skin morphed into a sleek sheen of black feathers; my limbs and torso shortening and morphing into my corvid form. I leaped into the air, making roundabout circles and non-obvious paths towards the city. I didn't know how much they knew about semblances, and I didn't want to chance them having the idea I was anything but a big black bird. I perched myself atop one of the turrets, earning only a few glances from the men along the walls. Funnily enough, most of them were Faunus. In other words, natives of Remnant.
Natives of Remnant who knew you can't shift into a bird with a semblance.
That was a stroke of good luck and I planned to take full advantage of it. I took off again, this time towards the military base at the heart of Reavia. It still had its dirt-filled bag walls and few defenses – mostly watchtowers. They clearly weren't expecting someone to get past the outer walls, or if they were, they hadn't gotten around to reinforcing the base very well yet. Either way, it was more good news.
Faunus still made up the majority of personnel here, but there were the odd Humans. I had to sell it that I was a bird. Swooping down towards the ground, I did the most degrading thing I could possibly do. I pecked a worm out of the ground and ate it.
I knew ravens were supposed to like worms, but apparently taste buds didn't get transformed along with the rest of my body. It was a good thing neither Humans nor Faunus could read the expression of a raven, because I made absolutely no attempt at how disgusting that was. But it sold it, and that's what mattered.
My… meal finished, I flew back upwards, landing on one of the command centers this time. The big depression that the crashed dreadnought once sat in was now occupied by many buildings, the purpose of which eluded me until now. Many of them were clustered around several large buildings, a deep ramp running underground. Occasionally, some personnel or a vehicle would enter or exit, the exception being those tiny airships that did so via a hatch in back of the large building.
Each cluster seemed to have a dedicated purpose. Two of them were host to landing pads where small craft dropping in from above would land, offload cargo, sometimes load cargo, and then ascend once more. One looked to be filled with half-cylinders, men constantly entering and exiting in formation. Another had the fires of factories burning all around it. The one in the exact center, though… held several buildings with white pillars atop them, screaming a blue exhaust into the sky. The strange 3-triangle decal on each one also gave me a tip-off that this was the important one.
If I was to find my not-so-willing assistant, it would be there.
Croaking a laugh, I once again took flight. Another roundabout route – plus more idle perching – and I was eventually at my destination. I stood on the power lines, more than acutely aware just how stupid birds were for doing this. Thankfully, I had an unlocked aura and the knowledge not to fucking ground myself. That was not a pleasant day when Qrow discovered how to cook himself on these things and I didn't intend to repeat his mistakes.
By now, I'd loitered and lollygagged enough to where the sun had finally set on this place. Of course, I couldn't just transform back to normal with all the Faunus around, but it did make it a little easier now that I didn't have to worry about the Humans. So my little corvid head started darting door to door, looking for cameras, blind spots, patrol paths, every little scrap of knowledge that could be relevant to a successful operation.
And that's when the alarms started going off.
I squawked in indignation – did they spot me? Did they know something was amiss? After only a moment, the big brute of a Beowolf charging through the compound answered every question I had. Except… it wasn't entirely a Beowolf.
It was part man, and with a red lust for blood in its eyes.
It slashed through the UNSC defenders with ease, even ripping a gun off one of their trucks and spraying gunfire everywhere as it advanced towards the same target I had. Though it seemed nearly unstoppable, the Creeps at its side were clearly not, falling quickly even as they tried to burrow into the earth. My eyes narrowed – only one person could be behind this, and it was clear they had the same goal I did.
For a moment, I considered scrubbing the mission – I wanted absolutely nothing to do with Salem's forces. The Beowolf-man attacked with claws when its gun ran out, bending the barrel of a UNSC landship into unusability, then running on all fours towards this building.
I let out a hum… my entire plan was to escape her forces…
The Thing rent the reinforced door asunder, tossing it aside as the sounds of gunfire and screaming echoed from inside.
If she gained space travel at the same time as the tribe… would I truly be able to escape? Croaking, I made my decision. It was finally time to pick a side in this eternal war between immortals.
Mine.
I jumped off the power line, wind rushing by my face as I banked through the door. The disemboweled bodies of UNSC Marines – both Human and Faunus – passed by beneath me, each one a blur of camouflage and carnage. Finding the beast was easy – I just followed the screams.
Through hallways and through rooms, I tracked it. Eventually, I caught up, seeing it tear another reinforced door off its hinges and rush inside a room. I banked in after it, entering just in time to witness it dismember the lone security guard, tossing the pistol-wielding limb away with one of its clawed hands while the other crushed his head in its grip.
Behind the guard was my… our quarry – men in labcoats, quivering in fear.
As the man hit the ground, so did my feet – my Human feet. In a flash, my sword was out, deflecting a clawed strike from the Beowolf-man. "Branwen!" it shouted. "You dare interfere in matters you have no understanding of! Leave this place and I shall spare your life!"
I hummed, donning my mask. "Tempting, but I'll pass." The second the words left my mouth, I flashed forward, fire dust blade in hand. I aimed low, and didn't make contact. The beast aimed high, but caught nothing in its powerful grasp. I feinted low, kicking high after it committed.
That blow stunned the creature just enough for me to get a pommel strike in, with a little Maiden [Burn] on top. The creature was pushed back into the wall, breaking several computers and having its shoulder hair singed and marred. I charged in for another strike, but it kicked out with-
My neck exploded in pain as a set of powerful razor-toothed Grimm jaws clamped down on it. My aura flared violently, desperately trying to keep me alive. A loud bang reached my ears and Grimmgore puffed up from the creature's back. For a single moment, the grip lessened and I slipped out, slashing upwards with my sword.
I struck, if only barely, and drew blood as I gasped for breath. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the labcoats shakily holding the security guard's pistol. But I couldn't focus on him, the creature ended him right then and there with a single swipe of its talons, severing the man at the stomach.
Another strike was aimed at me, but I ensured he missed. Outside, I could hear many boots pounding against the metal. I smirked. "Y'know, I think you've really pissed them off. They've got quite a few heavy-hitters, if you catch my drift."
It snarled, lupine ears drooping. "That they do…" In a flash, it made a grab at one of the other labcoats, but a wall of ice and spikes ensured their safety. Out of thin air, I drew many [Spikes] and hurled them at my opponent. It dodged most, but one ended up inside its shoulder. It howled in pain, growling at me. "You will burn for this!" it shouted. After one last look at the labcoats behind the ice wall, it turned tail and ran down the hallway.
I smirked, sealing the door with more ice before dispelling the one that held the scientists. The fight had barely lasted half-a-minute, but neither of us had much more time than that. Outside, I still heard multiple gunshots and screams echoing into the night.
"Y- You… saved us," one of the labcoats said. "Who are you?"
"Oh, I wouldn't say saved…" I gave a single chuckle, slicing open a portal to my side. "Now, you're all coming with me. Any lip and I'll give you the privilege of meeting your Gods face to face."
Suffice to say, the three survivors went through the portal.
/-\ Adam Taurus /-\
I smiled to myself, watching the image of the devil himself toil away with a pickaxe. Oh, how I wish I could be there right now, watching his ancient body crack and break under the strain with my own eyes – even disciplining him when he got lazy.
He looked up towards the camera, the bandages over his eye not yet removed. Couldn't have Jacques Schnee die of a lowly infection, now could we? His lone visible eye promised the fury of ten thousand suns, but I knew he'd never get out of there alive. I'd make sure of it. When his body finally gave out, then the fun could begin.
But despite his age, that was not to happen for a while yet.
Now, I had some preparations to oversee. Our dearest Cinder Fall may have ghosted us, but her boss continued supplying our cause. They even had a Faunus amongst their ranks, much to my surprise. Still, they were not to go on this latest venture, though the big man was quite helpful in preparing for the raid.
This raid… it would finally mean an end to Sienna's foolishness with the Humans. I scoffed – a non-aggression pact with them? She was practically inviting the race of slavers to have their way with us. Sure, they said they'd abolished slavery hundreds of years ago, but the Humans we were familiar with found loopholes, so why couldn't the UNSC? They were limited in number anyways – technology be damned, we could wipe them out.
If only our people were united.
Hopefully this raid would fix that. Our fence-sitting brethren would see what happened to race traitors when they found the bodies. I was under no illusion that this action would spell the end of Vale as a city, but that was never the point. Discord and dissent would do. It'd show everyone the might of the Faunus – the superiority of the Faunus. That we could accomplish all this when we put aside our differences and worked together towards a common goal. I looked back to the monitor, seeing him swinging the pickaxe at the rocks.
No Schnee would stand in our way.
/-\ Winter Schnee /-\
I sat, reclined in my chair and a remote in my flesh-and-blood hand.
The TV was just blurred colors at this point, I was flipping through channels so fast. The action flicks were painfully inaccurate, the romance ones made me want to claw my eyes out with how oblivious everyone was, and the Sci-Fi movies featured aliens. With a frown, I flexed the mechanical fingers on my right arm… the less said about aliens, the better.
Thankfully, I didn't have to dwell on my thoughts very long, as my scroll decided that now was the appropriate time to ring. Shutting off the TV, I dove for it, accepting the call as I stood up. "Schnee, here."
"Salutations, Winter!" a familiar, overly cheery voice said.
I blinked. "Penny?" I let out. "Umm… to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Oh! General Ironwood informed me of your leave and told me to invite you over!" she paused. "I… was not supposed to say that. The part about him telling me to, I mean."
Letting out a sigh, I facepalmed. "Do you want to, Penny?" I asked.
"Of course I do, you are my friend!" she said. "…I hope."
We… weren't very close, at least in my opinion. Though we occasionally worked together – as I was aware of her true nature – we had never… hung out, outside of our duties. With a shrug, I realized I really didn't have much else to do around here. It might even keep my mind from wandering towards my sister's fate, as she still had not returned.
"I am… amenable to your proposal, Penny," I said. "What time works for you?"
"Oh, splendid! I had feared that you would not accept my invitation after I had messed up! I shall prepare the tea, clothes for us to try on, and a list of appropriately cute boys to talk about!"
"That is… really not necessary," I said. "Actually, the tea sounds lovely. The other two… please do not."
"Okay, Winter my friend! I shall see you soon!" The scroll beeped twice – she'd hung up.
I sighed, shutting my scroll. She hadn't answered my question, though she implied she wanted to see me as soon as possible. She was lucky I wasn't actually doing anything of import right now and that I could accommodate her. Normally, I'd be far too busy for such things – it would have to be planned out at least two weeks in advance.
I'd have to talk to her about that today. Regardless, I stretched out my joints, walking towards my wardrobe. The loungewear that had kept me comfy on my maddeningly boring week off was stripped and hung in its proper place. In its stead, I put on my uniform. Even if I was off-duty, I liked the look… also none of my admittedly limited civilian wardrobe made it out of Atlas.
So that's why I strode out of my room dressed in a VDF Ranger's trenchcoat, albeit one with Atlesian iconography and dyed stark white. My weapon – Sundered Mirror – swung loosely at my hip with every stride, every click of my heels against the floor. There weren't many people in the dorm-turned-barracks – at least, not out in the hallways. That didn't surprise me; they were probably either sleeping or on-duty.
Regardless, the only men I met were the two guards standing outside the doors. They gave a quick salute, which I returned before continuing onwards. Only a few paces beyond the doors stood… tents – thousands of tents, arrayed in various streets and blocks where once open, grassy fields flowed. I hid my frown as best I could – these were my people, here. Atlesians. It didn't matter if you were rich, poor, or somewhere in-between; the ten-thousand disaster relief tents of Emberton would house you. That was the idea, at least. There simply was not enough room to house everyone; even with no less than six people calling each four-man tent their home, only a fifth of my people in Vale were housed here.
And they were the lucky ones. Most of the others found their homes in the many abandoned warehouses of Vale's industrial district, nothing more to their name than the clothes on their back, a sleeping bag, and maybe a suitcase full of whatever they grabbed before the Exodus. And yet, there were even less fortunate than they, for some had found nothing but a cardboard box in some dingy alleyway. At least the warehouse dwellers had food on a regular basis.
Shaking my head, I walked through the sea of white tents. The path between – what used to be green, manicured grass – was beaten into naught but dust and dirt by the heavy foot traffic. Even though their situation wasn't the best, I still saw many an Atlesian emblem displayed outside the tents, whether it be crudely dyed into the door flaps, sown in, or even flown on a flag anchored by naught but crude wood driven into the ground.
Children ran amok, though less than there realistically should've been – only a handful were grouped up further down the path. Many of their peers sat, cross legged in the dirt with clothes that looked like they hadn't been washed in weeks and stares I'd seen on many a veteran's face – some even missing limbs or horrifically scarred from grievous burns.
I sighed as I finally finished walking through Emberton. Every walk through there always left me drained; left my hatred for anything alien more and more pronounced. They did this to us, not Valerians, not Vacuoans, not even the Grimm – at least not entirely.
Speaking of Grimm, one was rolling past me now, on the main causeway. Caged up, of course, and with Professor Port and four students by his side. A couple I recognized from my own class; the survivors of Team FNKI, though the green-haired boy and shark-finned girl were unfamiliar. Peter, of course, was lecturing them; picking apart the flaws in their strategy to capture the Ursa Major that a pair of Atlesian Knights were wheeling along, though he was good-natured about it as always.
To my surprise, a little cat-eared girl walked up to the caged beast while the others weren't looking, poking a stick through the bars at the angered monster seemingly without fear. I paused, resting my flesh-and-blood arm on the hilt of my sword. Beacon's cages were secure, but it was never a good idea to do what the girl was doing.
Thankfully, Flynt noticed and stopped her before the Ursa got too unruly. I relaxed when she started walking away, swinging her stick like a sword. Though, her action did restore my hope for the next generation, somewhat – she'd make a good huntress, someday.
Someday.
If she wanted to become one, there was no longer an Atlesian huntsman academy she could go to. She'd have to study abroad. While I was never opposed to Atlesians going elsewhere for their education, it didn't sit right with me that the next generation of huntsmen would have to go elsewhere. Atlas academy didn't just prepare us for civilian huntsman duty, either – it was the premier school for military education. In fact, many military leaders regardless of nationality used to study at Atlas Academy specifically for that reason, even if they had no intentions of joining the huntsman program.
All that military tradition, all that cultural heritage… now up in smoke.
As I crossed the landing pad and boarded one of the many shuttles that ran between Beacon and Vale proper, I began to think things over. I suppose I hadn't really had the time to do that in a while – ever since The Fall, it's been one crisis after another, one more emergency, one more thing to solve, and then off to bed before doing the same exact thing the next day. I suppose that was always what being the last Atlesian Specialist had in store for me… or, failing that, whoever happened to be unlucky enough to be in my place.
Still, walking the streets of Vale gave me more time to think. The predominant thought being what if this happens again?
I looked up at the shattered moon, just peeking above the buildings. Hard to believe I'd been there, barely a few days ago. There was nothing there; no lakes, no grass, not even the snow we Atlesians are so fond of. How long would it take to set up Ironwood's colony? How many Atlesians would suffer while they waited for it?
A frown pulled at my face – he'd made… questionable decisions during The Fall, ones I openly defied him for. What's to say this wasn't one of them? Sure, his semblance allowed him to see exactly how things would play out with astonishing accuracy… if he had every single scrap of information on the subject that existed.
He clearly didn't have the full picture then – he didn't even have the full picture during the Atlesian Pride Rally last month. If we'd just followed the would-be assailant, we might have caught him and saved ourselves a lot of potential trouble.
But that was in the past. Now, it was time to look towards the future. I frowned – actually now was time to meet with Penny, I was only a block away from her apartment, after she took up residence in the Faunus Quarter, she had somehow managed to secure an apartment above a fairly well-known clothing store – as little as she'd actually use it. As I approached, I couldn't help but notice the distinctive outfit of another of my students – none other than Coco Adel herself, her three teammates looking absolutely miserable as they lugged around a mountain of clothes on their backs. I shook my head, collecting my thoughts as I walked the relatively dingy street.
Of course, it was only relatively dingy due to the red-coated soldiers actively cleaning it up. For a moment, I didn't recognize them – they looked nothing like the standard VDF Soldiers, after all. But then I saw their unit patches on their shoulders – the Forever Fall Legion. I smirked – they gave us hell back in the Vale Campaign of the Great War. I'd read stories about their red uniforms being almost impossible to spot amongst the leaves of the forest, hitting Mantlite Armies in their rears and flanks while the Vale Regulars engaged up front. I suppose they would have some extra men, now with Forever Fall having been… reduced in size after the Battle of Vale.
Regardless, I was now at Penny's door. Pausing for just a moment, I raised my hand to knock.
And that's when a train burst through the ground behind me.
(A/N) Welp, we've officially hit that phase of canon, haven't we? Funny how some things stay the same no matter how much changes. To be fair, the rest of the planet is pretty much in "Oh shit are the genocidal aliens coming back?" mode, so the Whiskey Foxtrots were somewhat able to fly beneath the radar - especially with Sienna's NAP. Speaking of her, she's gonna have a fuckin' aneurism when she reads the news.
Anyways, not too much else to say here, but here's a translation for the hexadecimal code (in order) from Interlude Two's "ES" scene:
"everything is dark"
"why cant I move?"
"whos there? whats going on? can you help me see?"
"I dont want to sleep"
"what is that light? It looks green"
"Im scared"
Creepy huh? Well, I think its at least moderately so. Regardless, time to address the reviews!
Irdchief said - "so is it really the gods domain? or just a lie and something built by ozpin of over the centuries?"
Yep - it's really the Gods' domain. Or at least their vacation home, which they've adopted since they abandoned Remnant. If Winter actually went inside the inner sanctum, she'd see Cinder's frozen ghost staring out the window.
Anonymous said - "So the brother god's AREN'T forerunners?
…
…
…
Then the next guess must be Precursors because who else would be above the ones who overthrew them?
Please answer."
Nope, they're not Forerunners nor Precursors. I personally think that trope is a little overdone for Halo x RWBY crossovers; instead, they're actual capital-G Gods as the series shows. However, because this fic predates "The Lost Fable" by so much, I do have an alternate origin planned out that I'm sticking to. In fact, another small hint was dropped by a certain birb-who-abandons-her-chicks this chapter. No that is not a typo.
ScreamingStuka said - "Well Jacques is about to recieve -5 star treatment, but when you consider how many Crimes Against Humanity hes committed (let's say Humanity is an umbrella term that includes Faunus) there's no real surprise there.
Oh man I can't WAIT to see Adam PARKS reunite With Summer, that would be wholesome AF.
I'm guessing Salem's "Blessed" is the Hound. And I am a bit confused, is Salem tyring to recruit/kidnap/brainwash UNSC personnel, or what's left of the Covenant? The Covies would definitely be easier to sway, given they already operate from a faith based system, and wouldn't be to difficult to replace a Heirach with a Matriarch. Compared to trying to influence a Unsc marine, who has fought the Covenant, watched countless worlds burn and billions die, met a catgirl who can make weapons from rose petals, fought and SURVIVED the Flood and has just fought the Grimm? "Ma'am, I'm not payed enough for this shit."
Always bugged me how manipulative Ozpin and Salem are. Their shadow war with their replaceable puppets, when they too are just puppets of the gods in weird roundabout way. Makes you want to cut some strings...
Anyway, awesome chapter, good to see you alive and well, was worried you'd been wacked with the Covid stick.
Until next time!"
Funnily enough, I did get whacked by the Covid Stick between now and Interlude One, just not too badly. Either way… Salem's "Blessed" is kinda like the Hound, just my take one it before CRWBY made their take canon. Basically a man that's in the process of turning into a Grimm. And Salem's trying to kidnap both UNSC personnel AND covvies.
Guest… idk lost count said - "Could you bring the UNSC Hornet from scattergunsniper halo: outbreak fanfic? I can already see the asskickerey remnant and the UNSC can get up to with it in the MEverse"
I'm not familiar with the fic in question, but regardless I very likely won't be doing that. I have ideas for how the UNSC will develop and adapt to this new situation.
Welp, that's it for this chapter! See y'all next century when I finally get around to updating this again. Have fun with the cliffhanger :)
Also, fun fact, for some reason FFN is racist against the Faunus. Specifically, Valkea. Y'know when you occasionally find two words conjoined when they shouldn't be (besides things I do like machinegun or labcoat), such as ithas or sameas? That's FFN fucking up. There's an average of 4-5 things like that every chapter that I have to manually fix, but with her scene alone there was 9. So in conclusion, FFN hates Faunus, call the White Fang.
