Irina and her escort boarded an official Freighter to Atlas. Said ship was something of the likes nobody in Remnant had seen before.

It had a shape that resembled the Atlesian Manta, but shared many features with lots of other types of ships from all across the planet. One particular distinction was the sleek, biomimetic design that made the ship resemble the form of a giant crow, down to the mechanical movement of the wings, which could also turn into rotors. Unlike normal ships, this one brandished a golden owl figureheard

Irina brandished an Arial Wine kind of dress, gilded with gold spread out in the pattern of the willow wreath in both the edges of the dress, as well as the waist. She also brandished elbow-long silk gloves

Gambit and their team wore an outfit which was designed for more formal missions

They all brandished formal, black, military uniforms. No ribbon-bars on the chest or service stripes. On the right arm sleeve, at shoulder level, a golden scythe was ominously present, indicating their rank. The difference was the background

Gambit, Pigmallion and Cipher all had a cross of Scythes, indicating that they were Executioners, while Crystal only had one, indicating he was a Reaper.

Aside of that distinction, they all had black shoulder caps hanging off their right arm, which for Gambit it worked perfect, as it covered their robotic arm along with the uniform and gloves they brandished.

But perhaps the greatest distinction was that only Gambit brandished a cowl over their head, while everyone else only brandished the mask on their face, nothing else

And then, there was Selestina, who basically attended in their every day labcoat simply because he wasn't exactly heading for the party

"Maelstrom One. Status?" asked the Air Traffic Control at Atlas

"All good. Clear for landing" replied the pilot back in response

They all landed in the main landing bay for the City, with the Atlesian Army prepared to receive them with full honors

Irina walked out first, being received by the spotlights, the cameras and all of Atlas' media apparatus. Gambit and the rest of the team walked out later. Selestina stayed on the ship as it took off to head to the laboratories

General Ironwood was waiting, alone. With the Ace Ops behind him

"Hmm. Don't we know those soldiers behind the General" Gambit thought to themselves

"Yes. We do. We aren't here to settle personal scores. We are here on duty. Square up and focus"

Irina shook Ironwood's hand. The General then placed his other hand over hers, but then Irina followed by placing her other remaining hand on top

"General Ironwood. Sir"

"Over here"

All around them, the reporters rushed for an exclusive

"People of Atlas. Today we walk towards a brighter future. A future far greater than what we may have envisioned. We have endured the toughest of difficulties, pulled ourselves through hardship...Sacrificed the dearest things...our closest colleagues, friends, couples and family...We have lost too much fighting the war against Salem" said Ironwood to then continue

"But today, we begin a new journey. Alongside a new ally, a new kingdom, to help us discover new, better ways to overcome new obstacles...and secure our future for those that will come after. Today, Miss Irina Jernhand, President of the Commonwealth of Maelstrom, has offered to help Atlas in this treacherous path towards recovery and, eventually, victory over Salem"

The surrounding crowd cheers as the group walks past the gates of Atlas Academy. From there, they would be escorted towards Ironwood's office. It was. Empty. It looked like it had just been repaired and pristine cleaned before the visit

"Apologies for the aspect. I'm sure you have heard about what went down during the battle, Miss Jernhand" said Ironwood

"I sure have. Nothing short of catastrophic for sure. But, I can tell...You really meant it behind the sacrifices you mentioned"

"We can discuss that more in private. First. Let me debrief your...people about the current situation"

Ironwood indicates everybody to clear the center of the room as the holographic display comes up

Said display shows 14 images of various different people

"So. I'm sure I mentioned this earlier, but 14 of my best Hunstmen defected from Atlas. 7 of them are from Vale. Star pupils from now-deceased Professor Ozpin"

Ironwood focuses on one in particular

"Silver eyed warriors..." says Gambit

"Yes. You know about the story?" asks Ironwood

"We do. Legend has it that they are the only ones capable of either fueling or erasing the creatures of Grimm, as well as the constructs of the Seraphim. Unlike both of them, they possess True Light..."

"Fascinating. Now, this girl in particular is of priority. We have identified her as the leader of what we have nicknamed the Wayward Children"

"Children?"

"Yes. Most of them became Huntsmen before reaching the age of 20. Ruby Rose, the girl in this picture, is just months shy of her 18th birthday, according to salvaged records from Beacon"

"Then they aren't children. They are as good as a full grown huntsman if they made it across the planet without even finishing their training. What about the others...Any relations?"

"Yes. The blonde one. Its her older sister. Her Semblance is...particular. It increases her kinetic energy. Would constitute as a fire hazard under certain conditions"

"So. What about the other 2?" asks Pigmallion

"One of them, the Faunus, is blondie's girlfriend" replies Elm

"The other girl is pretty much stuck around. She's the runaway kid of Jacques Schnee" intervenes Vine

"Alright. What about the Semblances of the others?"

"Well. Schnee's Semblance is hereditary. Glyph Summonings. The Faunus can make elemental replicas to dodge and..."

"The Red Girl has speed..." says Harriet, walking in closer to the table

"And its not just any kind of default hyperspeed. It's speed down to the molecular level"

"It far exceeds most speed semblances we have in our records" says Ironwood

"What about the other 3?" asks Cipher

"The other are another team from Beacon that has a close friendship with them. Team's RWBY and JNR have a particular bond"

"Anything that can explain it?"

"Yes. Originally, Team JNR had 4 members, miss Pyrrha Nikos. Sadly, she passed away at the battle of Beacon"

"So...they are all connected by the loss of their friend"

"Yeah. Although...This one, the blonde guy. We suspect he had a...closer connection to her. We cannot confirm it" says Ironwood, pointing at a blonde man in white armor

"Alright. What about the other 2 of JNR?" asks Crystal

"A couple. Simple as that" says Harriet

"Like...Couple couple or just dating couple?"

"Dating. Why do you ask?"

"I'm married. Asking for clarification"

"Oh. Alright"

"What about this one. Black hair, red eyes. Seems familiar"

"That...is one of our major concerns" says Ironwood, zooming in to that man's picture

"His name is Qrow Branwen. Former Informant for all 4 Headmasters. He killed Clover Ebi during a prisoner escort and betrayed us"

"Hmm. What about their Semblance?"

"Misfortune. Luck Semblance" immediately replies Ironwood

"Alright"

Crystal then stops to notice something

"What about the elderly?"

"One of them...is Doctor Polendina. Used to be one of our best scientists. He deserted along with Robotic Unit P.E.N.N.Y, which is in possession of the Winter Maiden's power. The other...is Maria Calavera"

Gambit, Pigmallion and Cipher all slowly turn to look at her picture. She was now...old. Smaller than what she used to be

"Oh..." says Gambit

"That tells me you may know about her"

"We do but..."

"Maybe skip her for now. We can take care of a woman like her" says Irina

"Yes. My apologies. Moving on..."

Ironwood then zooms in on the other 2

"A Canis Faunus" says Pigmallion

"Marrow Armin. Used to be one of my newer Ace Ops...but he abandoned after the Battle against the Grimm ended"

"What about the other one?" asks Cipher

"That. Is Winter Schnee. She used to be my second in command...but then..." says Ironwood, being interrupted by Harriet

"She abandoned the mission. And turned on us after the Battle"

"So. What about this last woman?"

"Miss Robyn Hill. Lost a popular election and turned herself and her followers into Vigilantes that started sabotaging Atlas' projects. We imprisoned her for conspiracy but Branwen helped her escape during the chaos that ensued during the battle, which breached our prison and let them escape" explained Ironwood, the put the office back to how it was before

"So. You want them all captured, General?" asked Gambit

"Only the Silver Eyed girl. The Rest...do with them as you feel fit" said Ironwood

"Yes. General. Your Excellence" said Gambit, looking at Irina

"You can leave..."

"Take the Ace Ops with you. They can be helpful along the way" says Ironwood, as Harriet, Elm and Vine walked towards them

All of the team slowly walked out of Ironwood's office, leaving Irina and the General to discuss in private

"Now. Would you like to tell me about Atlas, General?"

"Yes, Miss Jernhand"