This is a half-baked idea that is the child of my ongoing attempts to star a They Are Billions crossover, me reading a few crackfic about the Battle of Beacon, and me listening to Fistful of Concrete on repeat for 3 hours. For something written in less then a day with little to no editing, I'd call it a hesitant success. Enjoy!
I don't claim to own RWBY of They Are Billions. If you have complaints about how certain character are portrayed, remember this is a crackfic, and that is the entire point.
Welcome, General.
"The Hell? What have you done?"
Now, now. There's no need for that. I just pulled you to here and now so that your army doesn't object too heavily to what I want them to do.
"And that would be?"
Nothing too concerning. Just stopping an apocalypse, and utterly ruining said apocalypse's architect day. Possibly life, if the opportunity arises.
"And what about the New Empire?"
Right. Grabbed you before you went on a new campaign. The Empire's frozen in time for now, and when I send you back, you'll get some extra tools to fight with. Deal?
"Deal. Let's get started."
The screen boots up, gradually illuminating a single structure, floating in the skies-
"Wait, floating?"
Yes. Say hello to Amity Colosseum. It shall make a fine Command Center, and one much more defensible than what you're normally used to.
Now then, back to the screen. You don't see too much of the map, and your energy network doesn't quite reach the ground. That needs to be fixed, spawn one Silent Beholder and one Lightning Spire. There's tons of Grimm-
"Grimm?"
The enemy. Technically, the enemy's pawns, but what's the difference? They need to die all the same.
Now then. Grimm. There's a minor hole in the wall, that needs to be plugged-
"Few Lucifers and Titans can handle that."
They would, but the Titans are probably needed elsewhere. Now, From what I remember, the single Airship, the big floating thing that isn't Amity, has been boarded by two people, they could do some damage early on.
"Send in Caelus."
I would do that, but in Remnant, battles are heavily skewed in favor of battlefield presence. Caelus might be good, but he's not that good. I'm sending him in with Calliope.
Now then, the ship's dealt with, the breach is partially dealt with, onto the city. Threats are relatively isolated but move quickly, it should be safe for Rangers.
"Same here."
Beacon… that's a whole other barrel of Fish. Beacon's the main target, it's getting everything thrown at it. You need to be on the move, that's why I didn't want Titans at the wall. I'm thinking Thanatos, Soldiers, and a few Executors to hold the main areas while Mutants and Titans sweep the perimeter?
"And Amity?"
What about it?
"What about the Horde of flying Grimm going right at it?"
Ah. I'll just tweak the Lightning Spire a little bit, add some lightning Dust generators here, add capacitors there… and we're good.
"And the breach."
Eh, I'll just throw a few Executors there, add in a few more Lightning Spires to connect the network, and now we're golden.
"What about the Snipers?"
You'll see why Amity is a defensible Command Center.
Time unpaused.
The Griffons were mocking him, he knew it! They could not hope to face him honorably, thus they flew in circles, hoping to delay their deaths at his hand, but it would be in vain! For he was Peter P-
And then the Griffons all smashed into an invisible wall like common birds! It must have been his manliness!
"My Word! What is this wonder?"
Bartholomew Oobleck. Truly, his curiosity did show itself at the most peculiar times, at the most peculiar things- what.
A gear was rotating around the center of the Arena, which now had a rod that the gear was attached to. Above them, a giant telescope was aimed at the skies above, before it moved along Amity's walls and out of view, presumably to view the city below with just as much detail.
"That would be the Silent Beholder."
"Yes, an appropriate name, but that does not even begin to describe the full measure of just what is here! So, what else-"
"Bartholomew."
"Yes Pete?"
"Don't you realize who you were about to start boarding with questions?"
"A relevant source of information that shall have to be-"
"A complete stranger. Someone who might not have Vale's best interest at heart."
"... That would put things in a different light. So, what are you doing here, "
"Working on the Beholder's mechanisms? Really, I'm just a worker here, you want to know something, ask one of the Mercs. All of them get radio links to the guy up top, whoever he is."
"And how would you tell who they are?"
"They have weapons?"
"And?"
"There's a good chance they're insane. At least, the Snipers are."
"Very well then. We better not find out that you've been lying to us, now. That wouldn't be very good for you, you know."
The nameless worker shrugged it off. "You're not even half as scary as the Snipers. I've got work to do."
Oobleck and Port shuffled off, intent on tracking down the source of the Event.
"Well, Neo, we've done it. We've almost managed to secure our survival. We're home free!
You wish.
Calliope blew off a door and rushed in as Caelus lobbed a grenade at Roman. Not expecting the sudden ambush, Roman gets thrown against a wall from the explosion as Calliope attempts to steal his Cane, only to be cut off by Neo.
"Well it looks like not all sleeping dogs know how to lie down. Let's teach those two a lesson, Neo."
"Funny. I was going to say the same to you."
The two pairs went at each other.
The evacuation was going relatively well, even with the high threat level. The soldiers were ensuring an orderly boarding, the Grimm were being kept away from the loading dock- and then the White Fang started releasing Grimm onto the docks. Oof. The civilians panicked, which only drew the Grimm towards them, and the soldiers moved to engage, but their guns were nowhere good enough to take down Alphas. Double oof.
"Death sentence."
What?
Two bullets put down the Alpha Beowolf, while a few others gunned down the other Grimm and the White Fang Bullheads that released them.
Ironwood glanced at the shooters. All uniformed, no insignia. Probably mercenaries. The civilians shied away, cowed by the large guns most of them carried. Ironwood considered asking their business, but if they were fighting Grimm, they could use the help.
"General Ironwood?"
And one of them just walked up to him. Great.
"State your business. I've got no time for you if you're going with the civilians."
"Not asking about our intentions?"
"That can wait. Right now, I'm taking back a boarded ship."
"Funny you mention that. We've been sent to help with that."
"What, all the mercs toting guns and scaring civilians?"
"No, those of us standing near you."
Ironwood glanced back. He spotted a dozen armored Soldiers with submachine guns.
"Denied."
"With all due respect General, we're following you no matter what. Even if it means commandeering other ships and following you."
That would be more trouble than its currently worth.
"Fine. If you're going to be that way, I'm only taking half of you. The rest can wait."
"On your orders."
"Get on then. What are you waiting for?!"
The Grimm bathed in oh so glorious fire.
"Can you feel the heat?"
None of them responded, but they were probably too busy dying to the flames. Just as it should be.
Ok, to the flames and the massive Executor turrets continuously firing into the horde, but they only softened up the tougher ones for the kill.
Then a Goliath came to test them.
The Executors did what they could, punching holes into the Goliaths that were doused in flames, but still it pushed on, until the Lucifers were forced back to the barrier of Stone Towers that stood strong against the tide, which was now able to push past the entrance to start rushing into the city.
That's when the Snipers and Wasps made their entrance known. Three dozen headshots removed the Goliath from the playing field, and the Lucifers and Wasps gradually pushed the horde back until the Lucifers once more stood against the never-ending tide, promising destruction to all that opposed them. The Goliaths were content to stay at a distance, seeing how easily these interlopers took out one of their own. Victory would not come by force of arms this day.
Up in the skies, an insidious game of cat and mouse was being played. Flying Grimm were attempting to wreck havoc on the city below, their only threat being-
The Lightning Spires.
Remember when I said that Amity would be one of the most defensible Command Centers you've ever had, General?
"Yes you did. You never mentioned that it would actually be an offensive asset, though."
Well, its scope is relatively limited. It only works against flying units, which means you'll only have coverage against wall-climbing Harpies. Still, it is quite an upgrade, right?
"That it is. So, what else is there?"
Just you wait. Remnant has tons to improve your army with, outside of Dust and Aura. Your armies will sweep across the entire Earth, and Remnant too, if you grow bored of the Infected.
"I feel this is the start to a beautiful friendship."
Me too.
Ironwood was simply taking an airship with a team to retake his flagship, when one of the Soldiers spoke up.
"Uh, General Ironwood? Are these robots supposed to have glowing red faces?"
That didn't sound right.
"Glowing red faces you say? What are you-"
That's when the rogue Knights opened fire.
"They've turned hostile! Let's get them!"
The Knights got recked. That's one obstacle out of the way. Now for the ship.
Roman and Neo, recognizing their need to preserve the bridge, pushed Calliope and Caelus away as fast as possible. Soddly, they chose to move to one of the worst possible locations, and it was coming back to bite them.
Roman and Neo nearly got crushed when the airship almost parked on top of them, and Roman did get crushed under Ironwoods weight as he just jumped out the cockpit and used Roman as a cushion. Neo got a few extra soldiers on her tail as Caelus, now free of Roman lobbed grenades at her.
"Finally, that fight took forever!"
"What, you two have been fighting them this whole time? Why didn't your squad join them?"
"Our job was not to secure the ship, General Ironwood. It was to ensure you made it here."
"Well, I'm here. Now what?"
First, you dock.
"What? Who are you?"
I'm the one that brought the nerve over here. Now, Ironwood, what do you think about helping me save Beacon?
"What about Vale?"
Taken care of. All that's left is to take care of one last threat to Beacon, and victory will be ours.
"What the plan?"
We need to bait the trap, and the ship is going to help with that.
"What?"
This might take a while.
"There's no time. Go. Get to Vale and call for help."
"Huh? What are you gonna do?"
Pyrrha just looks at the top of Beacon tower.
"No... no, Pyrrha, you can't. You saw how powerful she is! Pyrrha, I won't let you do-"
Suddenly, Pyrrha grabs Jaune and kisses him. They continue for a time, and gradually stop.
"I'm sorry."
Jaune gets shoved into a locker/rocket.
"Hey! Wait! Stop, stop! Pyrrha, please don't do this!"
The rocket launches.
Ok Soldier, I need you to relieve Jaune Arc.
"Understood."
In a poof of God, one random Soldier disappears and is replaced by one Jaune Arc.
"What the hell just happened?"
Ok Soldier, hunt down all the small flying Grimm that are staying away from the big airships, ok? The rocket can handle it.
"I will kill our enemies!"
Good. Now Jaune, I need you to do some things for me, assuming you want Pyrrha to live past this day.
"Who the hell are you? And where am I? None of this makes any sense!"
Who I am is not important, and the same applies for this place. All you need to know is that if you help me, Pyrrha has a much better chance of living, and that I am willing to help Vale. All I need is your cooperation, do I have it?
How had things gotten this bad? Sure, the mobile strike team had made sure to kill the big things, but even then, what they missed was more often than should be too much for the perimeter hunters to handle. Case in point, this Deathstalker.
Velvet had used her Arsenal to take down a few rogue Paladins and bigger than most Mechs which took down Nora, Ren didn't have anything that could handle a cautious Deathstalker. The pincer was taken off, and it wasn't taken any more chances.
It was all up to her. She just needed to pull this one thing off...
The summoning circle appeared, but it was not patterned after swords. Instead, clawed gauntlets sprung up.
"The Mutant is ready to destroy the world."
What was a Mutant?
The Deathstalker didn't take note of the new arrival. It struck at Velvet with a massive claw. It really should have noticed the Mutant.
An armored Deathstalker claw met the Mutant's own.
The Deathstalker lost, horribly.
The Deathstalker reeled back at the loss of a significant portion of its body mass. Bad move.
The Mutant flipped the Deathstalker and rapidly tore into its undercarriage, killing it swiftly.
Good job, Mutant.
More Grimm appeared. Was there ever an end? Oh wait, Mutants don't tire.
"Mutant, kill them."
"Let the Mutant destroy them!"
Kevin, the Grimm Wyvern, was annoyed. First, the interlopers shot him with bullets. They only spawned more kin, and so he let them be. Then, the small ones shot the kin while bigger ones pelted him with explosions. That still did not do much, but prevented his kin from slaughtering them all.
"Feel the wrath of the Titan!"
Ow. That actually hurt. Time to kill the credible threats. Kevin left his comfortable perch and flew towards the greater annoyances, ready to rip them to shreds,
"Salvo fire."
Oh, now there was something in the sky that dared challenge him? This could not stand, it would die for daring to challenge his dominance, messily, as the pieces would rain all over the settlement-
And then the Snipers fired. The Titans were obvious bait, meant to draw forth the Wyvern, but it never expected the big ship to be bait itself, and it lead the Wyvern straight to its execution, as thousands of snipers hit all over its body even as the Lightning Spires burned at its wounds and the blood that would spawn more kin if only given the chance.
This was not good. Blake's critically low on aura, and Adam is still not even winded. Too bad that means he's overconfident. And, queue Yang's entrance. She's enraged, Adam's prepping his one hit kill, and- Now Ranger!
"Straight to the heart!"
Adam cancels his attack recognizing that attacking Yang means eating a potentially lethal blow. His sword stands ready to parry both a fist and an arrow that would no doubt aim for his heart.
Too bad he was guarding the wrong heart.
You see, the aura infused arrow targeted the heart of the issue. The Ranger didn't want to kill Adam you see. She just saw how possessive he was of Blake. He could not let go of her, most likely due to his manly pride. That would have to go.
All across Beacon, males subconsciously winced at the phantom anguish felt by one of their kind.
Adam's guard dropped, just enough for Yang's fist to smash into his dumb face and bury it in the ground. Mission Accomplished.
"You are going to pay me for this, right?"
This experience is priceless. So's your payment.
The camera's off. Sniper, you know what to do.
"Just tell me what to kill."
Her name's Cinder Fall. She is your target.
"Nice target."
Whatever. Just kill her before she sinks Arkos. Here, this should make things slightly more believable for your setting. His body glows as his aura flows into the gun, before entering the bullet.
"My bullets in their head."
The rifle fires.
The bullet promptly exits the space-time continuum, bypassing the distance between its current location and its target using the Author's black box, before re-emerging in Cinder Fall's skull. Cinder's aura and magic, detecting the presence of foreign objects detrimental to her health, rush to deal with the cause of a sudden hole in Cinder's head. Cinder's aura, the I Am of Cinder's identity, and the Fall Maiden's magic, the magic that heralds endings, faced off against the aura infused bullet that puts holes in heads and the Author's ability to conveniently define objects in order to tell a story.
Well. Cinder is now a corpse, and her plan ends with her not being to trigger any other contingencies. The bullet got to put a hole in a head, and that's that.
Cinder Fall gets launched backwards as the bullet causes her brain to explode from a hole in the back of her head. Pyrrha is grateful, but confused. What kind of bullet doesn't leave an entrance wound?
Ok Soldier. Your rocket's just about had enough abuse, it's going back to Beacon. Also, Arc's had enough of your buddies up here, he's relieving you.
""That will be easy."
The battered Rocket lands on the Tower, and Jaune stumbles out, very much disoriented from the change in scenery.
"Jaune? I sent you to Vale. Why are you here?"
"Relax Pyrrha, I got help. Seems like that guy was right, he did need my help with you."
"That guy?"
That would be me.
She jumps.
"Heard him?"
Of course she heard me, I addressed her.
"Then why the hell did you drag me… there." He shivers, remembering the Author's black box.
"Because that's where Soldier was, and I told him to relieve you.
"That doesn't make things better!"
Well, this will.
Jaune gets shoved towards Pyrrha and trips over her. Despite his forward momentum, he manages to fall on her and inadvertently kisses her. The kiss continues as the two welcome the surprise.
So, General, I'd say that wraps things up. Now, what do you say to giving leave to a certain group of mercenaries?
"Normally, I'd say no. But the way these kids act, I'd be crazy not to encourage their development. You have them."
And you've got a campaign to go though. Good Luck, Commander!