AN: Bam! Here we go! The next chapter of Bastion! Sorry about the delay new school year and stuff but it's back! A bit slow in the begin but it has an ending! I spent a while trying to figure out how I wanted this story to go.

Seeing as Jaune and Ruby only have a limited time in Bastion and they been there a little over a month out of three I had to think and plan out the plot lines I wanted to implement and have them work out with the rests of the plot in a time convenient manner. Besides that! Here we go! If you wanted to see some character bonding this might be the chapter for you! Until then? Enjoy...

Kage was having a good day as he laid back on his inhumanly comfortable Bastion bed. So far not only had his team despite his expectations successfully returned from their first death korps mission and were all intact and alive. Where now in good health with most of their limbs still intact.

He didn't say all because technically Ruby needed new bones in her arms and was in a tattered charred mess when he saw her. The only reason in his mind that his new leader Jaune did not lose his crap on the ground was that her mud-caked face completely obfuscated her horrific burns.

Meaning that Jaune had no idea of his partner's and if Kage was correct best friends condition. Though that word was a tentative one at best as it was obvious to Kage at least that the young girl wanted to become far more than friends with the young boy. If judging from the look she got in her eyes whenever Jaune walked into the room. In the beginning, Kage had dismissed it as mere ignorance to a woman but with the way, the metal one literally zooms in on him when he walks in? Kage was not convinced Jaunew was willfully ignoring the girls felling, that or he was just dense with her emotion.

It was a feeling that he hoped his leader would return in kind. Kage had seen far too many teams go up in flames and worse because of inter-team relationships going sour. Someone insulted somebody; somebody did not want to be in a relationship, someone ended a relationship. This caused grief, grief impaired decision making and impaired decision-making skills. Much more people had been killed by overconfidence then any bullet but if minds wracked with grief had their own category, he was sure that they would place an close second. And he hoped that his friend would make up an-

Did I say, friends? Kage thought as for being brief pause his relaxation, a rare thing as Kage despite his hard and intimidating stature absolutely loved to relax and not have people trying to kill him with long ranged weapons for once. It was an activity that was becoming ever decreasing since he joined his friends…

Even now that word sounded strange and foreign to his tongue. Friends? Where Jaune and Ruby his friends? A thought wracked the boy's mind as his jaw fell by an imperceivable degree. The answer despite everything was a resounding… Yes?

Well at first they had not been friends. His interactions with the two had been purely to encourage and foster team cooperation and make sure that his new leader didn't do anything too foolish like leading them on a charge into a nest of gun turrets and into the death, or his partner dying trying to save a bleeding enemy. Something he was nearly convinced she was more than capable of doing despite it being the pinnacle of foolishness.

In the beginning, Kage had almost shot himself rather than go on any missions with the two. It's not that he had anything personal against them but… he did. As the two both represented different equally unwanted ends of a spectrum.

One the far end of their spectrum you had Jaune… His reluctant leader teammate and friend? He was greener the Zach's damned pistols Slight, and Fell. He was clearly in over his head and out of his depth and was literally disaster waiting to happen. And despite Kage's best efforts was always two steps from death. Kage was just glad they pushed for Ruby to be on the team.

After their first mission where Kage was almost positive the blonde was going to die, but in spite of his expectations not only did he live but he managed to keep himself in one piece and ended up being nominated for a leader position of team ARKM. Something Kage was immensely grateful as he did not want to be the leader. He tried that boat and it had ended poorly for all those involved, and he had no intention of repeating such thing with this team. Keeping Mika from skiing his new remate was going to prove a challenge enough and he didn't need the added pressure of team leader to it.

Now after his promotion Kage had two main problems. One keeping Jaune alive because like hell is he leading this team. That also meant keeping him in a stable fit mental state, watching his back on mission and generally being friendly to the boy whenever possible.

Two! Making sure that the same precautions he applied to Jaune also applied to Ruby as well. If Jaune was their leader the brain of the team, then she was like the heart. The beating pulse of warmth that while grating at times gave the team life. And not the mockery of it that his partner attempted to.

Ruby was a lifeline to Jaune. If she died? Or was seriously injured then Jaune would snap. Leading to grief and as he knew that would soon lead to both of their deaths and that was something he would very much like to avoid. As despite him being a quote moody shit who had the emotional capacity of a doorknob Kage did enjoy being alive and would do all in his power to stay alive.

Now after this was decided Kage hit a roadblock as well he had to wait. Jaune was in Bastion now and he would need an trial by fire. The arena fights where perhaps the most nerve-wracking things as he knew that Jaune Would do all in his power to keep his foes breathing while he seriously doubted they would return that courtesy in kind.

Though luckily Jaune had developed quite smoothly in his brief time in Bastion. And while he did not kill his opponents if it could be avoided if he did not hold back either. Luckily he decided that if he disabled his opponent quickly enough then they would be unable to fight and the fight would end leading to his victory their life and most importantly his safety.

Kage was glad his leader had made the right decision as the boy was becoming a fine leader at least one that Kage could respect. Which was rare enough, and now somehow the boy was…. For sheer lack of a better term his friend….

Though Jaune was a friend his partner Ruby? Now that was… complicated.

Kage was worried when it came down to Ruby. For a variety of reasons. One being her age. Ruby was young, far young than him Jaune or Mika. And being young did not necessarily mean she as inexperienced, but she was. Terribly so.

She had seen fighting in her life but never death. She killed Grimm that bleed and howled but never humans. She got her first taste of death in the city where he was convinced her and Mika would come to blows over the downed faunus.

But luckily that had been narrowly avoided, and despite lingering animosity toward the two they had performed well enough together in the ensuing fight and subsequent escape. Though the Winter woman had nearly killed her and Jaune besides that minor hiccup, the escape went as planned and they were made the team.

After that? Ruby was near total collapse. She hated Bastion with a burning passion. She missed he told friend her life, her not wearing a collar that would explode the moment she stepped out of line. She was creaking under the pressure of Bastion and if she went Jaune would go too.
Kage had done his best to mitigate the damage to her mind. Always offering her a shoulder to cry on if she wanted it not that she ever took it. He was still a stranger to her an she clung to Jaune like a tick.

After her first mission where she lost her eye Kage was conceived, it was only a matter to them before she broke lost her shit either committed suicide in the team from by swallowing the barrel of her scythe or losing it during a mission and getting them all killed.

But then it happened. And a silver lining appeared that changed things. During her first arena fight, kage was sure she had snapped. Killing Braxton like that must have made the girl lose her mind as she ran off in a blur of red.

Kage demeaned Jaune to go after her in some hope of saving the situation. But had been completely and wholly mollified when the girl had returned not crying tears of sadness but ones of joy.

Ruby liked killing and this brought open a whole new can of worms. Kage knew people reacted differently to ending another's life. Some like Jaune made the best of it and treated it was nothing but a chore. One to be done well and in the most efficient way possible but one that just needed to be done.

Others panicked, some sooner some later and had a mental break. This was common and not necessarily bad if you could cope with it well. He had been expecting Jaune to have this but instead, he was remarkably neutral towards the ending of lie and mindset Kage respected.

Then there was the worst response to the killing, happiness. Ruby liked to cut, slice, tear and explode. She was a literal red reaper. She killed for fun in had a ball of a time doing it. This. Was. Bad.

Kage already had more than enough fires to put out with trying to manage Jaune's own fragile mental state and while his original response to killing was a good omen for their team's future health, Ruby's reaction nearly totally negated it and threw ARKM on the track to insanity.

Ruby loved killing, out of ever reaction it was not only the most unpredictable it was also the worst reaction that she could have a chance made all the less likely give the girls personality.

Ruby was sweet. She saw the best out of everybody and refused to see people as anything but good. Kage blamed himself. He swore that his gambit to placate the girl with cigarettes in what had seemed like a good idea that the time now appeared to have backfired terribly.

The cigarettes probably became addictive to her; this probably set up a chai reaction fo the girl to have an addictive personality! He should have seen the signs! Th way she eats cookies, milk and all sweets! The girl gets addicted like it was nothing! And he had probably just enhanced an already lousy habit.

Now, this combined with a sudden grip of endorphins from an arena fight? The girl was drinking a potent cocktail of pain and lust as an influx of about every other emotion that did the exact opposite of keeping the young girl balanced and instead made for a volatile cocktail of uncertainty and murder with a red cape.

Now despite this Ruby had not made and overt moves against the team. She never attacked him or thank Oum Mika. Who despite everything seemed to have a strange actual affection towards the girl a fact that scared Kage more than any kind of Grimm...

Kage had been alive for nineteen years by doing three things and three things well.

One. Was to not make stupid decisions. This could be droned on and expanded on for hours on end, but in the end, Kage boiled it down to a straightforward summary. Don't be a hero.

Two. Keeping his head down and his guns up. He knew for a fact that might made right and if he wanted a chance of survival I the world let alone Bastion he needed to shoot first and ask questions later.

And thirdly, was to be an emotionless and ruthless pragmatist. And one of the least pragmatic things he could do was sleeping in a room with a pre-teen girl stressed out of her mind with a destabilized personality, and a fetish for blood all mixed together with a monstrous oversized gardening tool and a possible potential heartbreak that made send her on a killing spree was not comforting. Not at all.

The girl was a ticking time bomb, and one Kage was currently desperately trying to disarm. At first, he had tried cigarettes That failed.

He had than debated taking her out to he shivered internally bond with the girl, but that was before her killing itch came. Then the cigarettes went from something to calm her down after a particularly hard day to a dam necessity to keep her stable.

The girl was smoking damn near a quarter pack of cigarettes a day! And at this rate, she was going to make him have to get more of his damned smokes before necessary! Something his supplier would not find appealing. Not at all...

Then after finding that her mental health was all but gone he had decided that keeping her safe from any more bodily harm might be good for her mental health. After all, if the girl was already down an eye he figured keeping the rest of her matches and in one piece would be a step in the right direction for her stability. That failed spectacularly during the death korps mission when Ruby took two grenades to the face and nearly lost her arms. Luckily the girl seems to have stabilized using Jaune for support. If he wasn't there, Venke shuddered to think of what his friend would do.

As the boy shuddered, there was that word again. Frind. Jaune and Ruby were his friends, and that was bothering him. It's not like Kage didn't' have friends, he did!

He just had very few. Mainly he had three. And while they were to a fault horrible, terrible, horrendous human beings they were good friends. And that was what mattered to him.

Despite his infuriating behavior and terrible attitude Zach Was correct in saying he was his best friend. Kage had known almost all of his life, and the tow was as tight as thieves. He was a liar, a thief, and a murderer. But he was loyal, and Kage respected that.

Hino was also his friend, both of them being in the military cemented their relationship and even well into Bastion, they remained close. Despite his blatant ignoring of her apparent affections toward him, they were still friends, and just that, friends and nothing more.

It's not that he found her unattractive she was drop-dead gorgeous. Beautiful tan skin near hourglass figure coupled with a more than ample chest and but? She was a beautiful young woman but still not his type.

After that came Mika who was more of an obligation than anything else. One that was immortal with an affection for him that defied comprehension and all types of common sense and could not be persuaded to leave him alone…

Either way, he was going to enjoy a day of doing what he did best. Nothing, he was going to sit on his bed stretch out his legs, lay back read a book and-

"Kage! Can we go somewhere!"

A sharp voice but not his sharp voice said as he looked up to see silver and one baleful red eye glowing at him...

"Go somewhere? Where do you want to go?" Kage asked as life tossed him yet another pitch from left field as the least likely roadblock to his day of relaxation and calm came in the from the even by his definition adorable girl Ruby Rose who was swaying back and forth in an overly cute manner with her scythe gripped behind her back.

"Where do you want to go?"

Kage asked the girl still desperately hoping that he could read his book with some semblance of peace. It was rare enough that he had a day when no one was trying to kill him and Mika was not trying to sexually harras him, and he just wanted dot read his book and relax in the inhumanly soft Bastion beds.

"Somewhere with you! And only you!" The girl said as Jaune began to stand up before sitting back down on his bed as Mika gave her a sharp look as Kage began to sweat a bit.

"Just with me? Don't you want to talk with Jaune-

"Nope! Today I just want to talk to you and only you!" Ruby said as Kage began to truly sweat. This was bad. Very, very bad. Ruby asking Jaune out? Fine. She liked him it was obvious that she would ask him out.

Mika? Less likely. But still somewhere in the slight realm of possibility, but him?

Ruby had never asked to be alone with Kage in her entire time in Bastion, and the fact that she was doing so now was deeply concerning.

"Is there something that you need from me?"

"Yup! I need you and only you!" The girl said she began to panic. Why the hell does she need me?! Kage though s Jaune cocked him an eyebrow as his sharp blue eyes starting him s Mika slowly pulled out her hatchet.

"Is there something that only I can do?"

"Yup! You are the only one who can help me! So let's go!"

"Rub-

"Come on! Come on! Come on!" Ruby said pulling on his arm as she began to pull him like a happy child as the boy began to sweat as he allowed himself to be pulled up by the smaller girl.

He had half a mind to say that he had business to do but he knew for a fact that Ruby had the patience of an elephant and would simply wait him out until it was proven that he did, in fact, have nothing to do and would proceed to drag him away to who knows where….

"Then where are we-

"It's a surprise!"

"Ruby-

"No buts!"
"B-
'Nope!"
"Ru-
"Nope!"

"I-
"Nope! Come on no more whining Kage let's go!"

The girl said displaying a shocking display of strength as the girl pulled him off the bed as Jaune smiled.

"Keep her in one piece," Jaune said as Kage nodded.

"Sure thing boss…

"Have fun you two! Don't get married!"

Mika yelled as Kage sighed heavily as the smaller girl dragged him out of the room and slammed the door behind them.

"Well, that was unexpected…

Jaune said as he finally realized that since anytime he was left alone in a room with Mika who looked at him with a Cheshire grin as she closed her eyes and smiled.

"So Mika! What are you doing… today?" Jaune asked weakly as the girl cocked her head at him.

"Mika?"

"..."

"Is that good?"

"..."

"Well, I'm just going to shine my sword and-

"Jaune we need to talk," Mika said as she apparated from her side to Jaune's bed as he screamed…..

FWAP!

"Again."

"FESH!"

"Again."

"CH!"

"SLERP!"

"Again."

"GRR!"

"FWAM!"

"Again!"

Kage said as he beat back the girl she was sent flying backward as the boy beat her back as she crashed into the Bastion grass outside of the school as the boys sent her flying back with a side hit.

"Again," Kage repeated as the girl grimaced as her eye glared at him.

"Damn it!"

"Again."

"I am!" Ruby yelled as she disappeared in a blue or rose petals as she began to circle around Kage.

She was like a whirlwind of blood, a crimson typhoon sprinting at him in a sharp turn as the boy keep his feet balance as he raised his hands at the girl.

"Don't wast your movements. If you see a chance to attack."

Kage said light brown eyes tracking the girl as she gritted her teeth and turned into a blur of rose petals.

"Tak this!"

The girl said as she sprinted forward in a whirlwind torpedo attack as Kage smirked as he pivoted his foot striking out his hand grabbing the girls wrist before gripping the girls arm making her eep!

Before he planted his feet and slammed her into the ground with a heavy thump as the girl smacked into the grass making her groan in pain.

"Owww….

"If you see an opportunity to attack you should-

"I know attack… I just wish I could hit you."

"You can just switch it up a bit, alsowhen an enemy is telling you to attack that you should probably not do it," Kage asked as he held out a hand making the girl grimace.

To Kage's great relief the girl had invited him out not to do anything semi-intimate yet instead to train.

Ruby had been worried about her hand to hand combat abilities and seeing as how Kage was in her opinion, one of the best hand to hand combatants in Bastion she wanted him to train her in non-Crescent Rose related combat.

The last mission with the Death Korps had lead to her being injured with her arms nearly taken from the girl, and as such she realized how useless in a fight without her scythe she was and she was refusing to be a burden to her team, so she wanted to train.

Kage respected that in the young girl. Anyone that wanted to improve herself was worthy of his time. And the girl was trying. She had spent the last two hours throwing herself at him in a series of a whirlwind of attacks refusing to let him have a moment's rest as she bombarded him.

Unfortunately for her, she kept charging him head on. Only recently decided to strike him from the sides and back as she began her torpedo charge against him to no avail. In the reapers defense, she did have quite the advantage in hand to hand.

One. She was fast. Ridiculously so. She moved in a blur of rose petals people off in a nigh untrackable wave of roses making it almost impossible for him to track the girl. She was fast that was good. If she kept it up and gained some technique, she could be an actual terror in hand to hand.

If she learned some real fighting style, CQC hand to hand military routines things he could teach her she would go from borderline harmless to a real threat. That and she need to gain some muscles. The girl might be a blur of speed but fi her punches or kci didn't pack any umph! Behind them then it didn't matter how good her skills even if she packed the force of hurricane it would be the equivalent of a pinprick batting against a wall.

"Good job Red you just need to work on your style," Kage said lifting the girl off of her feet as she sighed heavily.

"I know, I know. I'm terrible at this. I'm just not used to fighting without Crescent Rose!"

"That's actually not what I was going to say. I was going to say you need to learn some real technique first then you could toss a decent punch."

"You really think so?"

Ruby asked as she looked up silver eye shining as her red one widened.

"You just need to put on some muscle mass, and you will be good. You just need to hit the weights a bit."

He said as the girl tried to glare at him but being Ruby, her glare had the effectiveness of a water hose against a car window. As it rolled off of him.

"Don't worry Red you just to work at it and you'll be better," Kage said as the girl's once-angry stare become a small smile as she nodded her head to him.

"Yes!" Ruby said as she got back into her combat stance as the boy raised his hand.

"Keep your first up spread your legs. Now again."

"What do you want to talk about?" Jaune asked chuckling nervously as she slid onto Jaune's bed becoming uncomfortably close to the boy she pulled the collar of his shirt.

"You." The girl said plainly as Jaune gulped heavily.

"Me?"
"You."

"Why do you want to talk to me?" Jaune asked as the girl cocked her piercing emerald eyes to him.

"Why can't I talk to my leader? Is there something strange about it?" "No… I was just wondering why you came to my bed to do it."

Jaune said scooting back only for Mika to scoot forward until he hit the Bastion wall and gulped.

"It's comfortable."

"Every Bastion bed is comfortable. Why did you slide to mine?"

"Becuase I want to do this."

Mika said before reaching out her hands and cupping the boy's face holding it up to him as she held his eye.

She' so soft! Jaunt gulped as he felt the ring's silly of skin press against his neck and chine as the girl's delicate hands. "Jaune there's something wrong with you."

"What's that?" Jaune asked as the girl held his glare.

"You think you are a bad leader. That is not acceptable. You also believe Ruby is in danger from her self."

"I… I think Ruby is going down a dark path. She's killing people for fun-

"You are ignoring the question. What are you hiding from me? You are holin something back from the team. What's wrong?' The girl asked as ht boy held her stare as he put his sword down.

"I'm not hiding anything from you or the team."

"I though an Arc never lies?"

"We don't."

"Well you are the first, and you are good. You almost tricked Kage, but he's on to you. What are you hiding from us?"

"I… I'm not-

"You are."

Mika said interrupting Jaune as she held his face.

"You didn't-

"You were going to say that you were a bad leader. You think that you are unworthy of being a leader. This is not ok."

"Mike I'm…

"Jaune you are beyond worthy to be our leader. You are strong brave, and you have actively tried to keep me and Kage alive. I appreciate that more than you ever know."

"I'm- ''Look Jaune. I know that you have confidence problems but let me spell it out for you. You are our leader. You led us through the Cacklers on hill 76, through the Death Korps mission in the hell of the trench you were there. You never back down never ran away. You were not only strong you stayed alive and more importantly than that you kept us alive."

"Mika. I did what I had t.L I don't know what I'm doing! I'm just trying to keep everybody alive and-

"No, you are keeping us alive. There is no argument in my mind that you are the best choice for a leader."

"Really? Not Kage?"

"Kage is a good soldier. He is a better commander."

"Then why is he not the leader?"

"Because he doesn't want to be. And he would actively resist the role."

"You jumped into it ready or not and have mad the best out of it regardless."

"Even if he would be better?"

"It's not about who is better. It's about who will do the job. Kage would not do the job you will. And you will not back away."

"But-

"You are out leader for better or worst. And as long as you continue to keep doing it your in until I find someone better or you die."

"Thanks?'

"Don't thank me yet! If I find someone better or you fail, I will put my hatchet in the back of your skull."

" You have a real sense of humor you know?"

"I'm not joking. Keep leading us and keep us alive and I will keep you and Ruby alive."

"And if I fail?"

"You die. But hey, if you do die I'll be sure to have kage keep Ruby alive alright?"

"I'm pooped!" Ruby shouted as she laid painting her lungs out on the Bastion grass. The sun was setting low in the sky pain it a fierce and bloody orange is the girl wheezed heavily.

"You did good kid. Real good." Kage said as the girl smiled happily at him.

He meant the praise too. Ruby had gone from landing no hits to surprise him with a desperate grappling attack that had sent him spiraling back onto the grass before he wrestled control from her as she tried to kick out his legs. An offense that would have worked if she got some muscles into her.

Even now Kage was messaging Hino to see if she would take Ruby under her wing in her work out. The girl had muscle making of taut wire, and she could definitely build up the reaper.

"You did well kid. You keep it up, and you'll get up there in no time." Kage said as Ruby smiled a happy smile as her good eye closed and her augmetic one squeezed shut adorably as he helped her up. Lifting her up effortlessly as he pulled the girl up inot the setting Bastion sun.

"Come on Red, let's go home for a smoke yeah?"

Kage asked as the girl grew a bright smile as she nodded once.

"Yeah!" The girl said as they began to walk off into the gloom.

Today was going well. Jaune thought as he walked back to his bed. He and Mika talked and worked out things out with them. Kage and Ruby were on much better terms, and all of all things were just going well for team ARKM. They just need to pick out what furniture they would be getting an-

BANG! Whatever thoughts Jaune was having were interrupted as the very door of team ARKM's room exploded outward and flew at him at full speed….

Well explode is a somewhat complicated word. As it was more of the door decided that it would rather be a wall as it flew out from the side, as a slab of pure cement slammed into Jaune's face flashing his aura and striking him full body like a miniature freight train and sending him crashing into the floor.

WHAP!

The was a sickening sound of bones crunching and teeth breaking as the door smacked into Jaunes. Forcing blood out of his mouth and breath from his lungs and sending him twirling into the air. He hung in mid-air for three full seconds before Jaune hit the floor with a messy wet thump as his teeth cracked, and he spat out a wad of sickly scarlet blood the world was a blur of light and sound as aloud piercing ring entered his skull as his ears were ringing.

He felt his broken bones as he knew he had been severely injured. As he looked down he felt his heart freeze as he saw himself through the bleary pain filled vision. One leg was twisted the completely wrong direction as one arm thing loosely from his side.

As he opened his eyes now, the world was a blurry sharp ringing filled his ears as he looks at his now smoked filled room followed by gunshots! There was shooting in the ARKM dorm as Jaune heard the harsh cracks! Of Cresent Rose followed by the harsh bang of Kage's bolt pistols followed by the sharp crack of sniper fire filled his ears.

Strangely Jaune did not hear the familiar whoosh of Chamberlain followed by the familiar screams of the dying as only the harsh sound of gunfire followed by what sounded like splitting muscles filled the air.

As He wondered about Mika's safety as the sound of gunfire erupted around him as he attempted to sign.

As Jaune struggled to get up a shadow fell over him as he felt something crash into him.

Instinct alone saved his life. As he lifted his shield in the nick of time deflecting a sword strike off its top that would have taken his head from his neck before coughing up a thick layer of blood.

As the unknown, figure slammed into Jaune's shield as he gritted his teeth as the figure bored down on him. Jaune roared sliding his shield on the side causing the figure to be taking with him as it clashed its sworn dint the ground creating a wave of sparks as Jaune charged.

He jumped on the figure slamming his shield into his face shattering it as blood filled the air as bones cracked. Jaune roared at the top of his lungs as slammed his shield into the figure's throat slamming it into the ground before raising up his shield and crashing it down on its face.

FISHT!
FISHT!
FESHT!
Jaune bought down his shield three times. Each strike of the weapon spilt flesh, boke bone and pulped bones as he screamed at the top of his lung adrenaline pumping through his veins as he brought the shield down for one final strike finally squashing the face of the one male identified attacker as blood covered his body more voice entered his ears, screams guns to as more and more figures enter the smoke-filled doorway he heard Kage shout.

"It's a raid!"

Kage yelled as dark figures ran into the dorm room as corse dense smoke clogged up the air as the sound of gunfire and the sound of human screaming filled the air...

An: Well there we go! The next Bastion chapter down! It's raid night boys! So let's see where this goes! Until the next time, Jaune Torchwick is next? Or I might do some Game on. I don't know we'll see! Until next time have an Omake.

Omake. Here of Remnant!

Part one: Bad beginnings...

"Where are we going again, Ren?"

"Atlas commissar."

The quiet phlegmatic man said in his usual unflappable tone as the tall boned sighed. He had been asking his aid the same question for the past twenty minutes but to his great lack of surprise had gotten the exact same response time and time again.

He was going to Atlas. To be specific he was going to be assigned to the Atlas one hundred and eight infantry unit. A mix of two other units that had been decimated during the Vacuo blitz after the Grimm had overwhelmed the forces there causing heinous losses to the Imperium of Remnant.

"Are you sure?" Jaune asked hoping desperately that Monty for once did not have a sick sense of humor and was not going to toss him into a frozen hell hole for once in his miserable life. Jaune had been in Atlas once before. And that that ended with him running for his life while balk faced skeletal monsters chased after him firing viridian beams of death only for him to make an absolutely ludicrous jump through an ancient ancient Archaic portal and being rescued by hunters.

As much as Jauen did not trust the superhuman soldiers with anything besides blunt force tools and killing anything that refused to accept humanity s the dominant life form on the planet, he did have to admit they did have their uses. And killing skeletal old world horrors was was one of them. Jaune realized as he looked out the bullheads window.

Outside the warm interior of the craft was a messy torrent of ice and sleet as the ship was buffeted by gale force winds and extreme turbulence generated by the Atlassian mountain ranges. Though luckily Jaune felt nary a drop of it as he sipped his tea. Onboard inertia dampeners silenced all but the most severe of the turbulence as the flew through the air.

"Why are we getting assigned her again?" Jaune asked his second who stood loyally by his side as he kept a calm filling the room with an air of dignity and respect along with a pungent body odor that would have made most Grimm turn their noses and run but Jaune was long used to Ren's bounteous aroma.

"You are to go and quell the disputes between the former Atlas three hundred and first light infantry and the two hundred and fifth lancers."

"Why are they calling me in to do this? What's the reason two gutted units can't get along like reasonable adults?"

"It appears that they were both single gendered units, sir. And they are having issues playing nice with one another."

His aid said in a phlegmatic tone as Jaune rubbed his head in his palm. "Monty why me?"

"Commissar?"

"Why me Ren? Why do I have to go solve this mess? We had such a good thing going! Back in Vale! It was just us, Yang, and Fox! Even if she couldn't stop lighting crap on fire and Fox couldn't play craps for his life we had it good!"

"Good commissar? How so?"

"Well, no one was shotting at us for one." He said flippantly betting and winning that Ren's natural deference to authority merely made him shrug to an otherwise potential heretical sentence.

"We are all soldiers of his majesty. Our commands command us to fight so we fight. Is that not always the case?"

"Would you do anything that Ozpin told you?"

"Of course commissar. Without question." The man said as Jaune shrugged into his shoulder and waited for the craft to arrive.

When they did arrive at the Atlas docks Jaune was in an especially irritable mood as he fought to keep his hat on through the howling Atlas winds.

He felt a strong urge to shoot the first soldier he saw for making him have to freeze his ass off in the blistering cold of the Atlas blizzard as he walked down the loading dock where the two representatives of the one hundred and eight awaited them.

Although any summary execution thoughts were quick dismissed as he saw the absolutely adorable girl as she was far too young to be a woman. Not even a young woman waiting for him. She was short clad in silver winter camouflage flak armor fitter over hastily pulled don dress uniform. She had silver eyes and black hair as she practically beamed at him.

"Ruby Rose! Active commander of the one hundred and eight!" The girl said as Jaune grimaced.

"That phrase is missing a sir Miss Rose," Jaune said fixing her his number two glare as the girl eeped! loudly.

"I'm sorry sir! I didn't mean to!"

"Mean to?"

"Mean to sir!"

She said quaking in her boots as Jaune sighed. At first, he had thought that the regiment had simply set out a pretty face to make him like them a tactic he hated vehemently. But after talking to Ruby? Wass it the girl was far too genuine to carry an ulterior motive. And Jaune knew how to spot a disingenuousness character. Mainly because he was one himself. And a damned good one if he had to admit. But that was neither here nor there. As the young girl introduced herself Jaune turned to the breathing mountain behind her.

"And you are?" Jaune asked gesturing to the absolute mountain of a man standing a foot behind her.

Like his ally, he wore standard empire based white flak armor. Though his was admittedly much larger than hers. While Jaune doubted that they even made uniforms that small and was becoming more and more convinced it was a school uniform refitted for combat used.

Also unlike the young girl, he was a grizzled veteran, his lightly tanned face was covered in scars and wounds that spoke o years on the front line Also his entire chest was covered with medals, speaking of years of campaigning as he was somewhere near captain rank.

"Yatsuhasi Daichi. Second in command of the one hundred and eight. It is a pleasure to meet you. Sir."

The giant of a man said practically spitting out the word second. As he added the sir as more of an afterthought than a note of respect.

Instantly Jaune saw several things wrong with the two. So far despite being number one and two in their respective regiment, they had not introduced one another. And had so far refused to speak to one another. A bad sign as Jauen began to think aloud.

"Miss Rose? You are active commander correct?" Jaune asked the girl with a hand under his chin as she nodded her head.

"Yes, sir!"

"How long have you been in the military for?"

"Three!"

"Three what?"

"Months...

The girl trailed on as Jaune did a spit take.

"Only three months!? And they put you in charge of a regiment!?"

Jaune balked as the man Yatsuhasi nodded.

"That's what I've been saying."

"Why?"

Jaune aksed her as the girl blushed and looked at her feet.

"I made sergeant in my first month of training! And after that, we lost most of your command staff during the blitz...

"So did we," Yatsuhais added as Ruby glared at him. It was a pointless and ineffective look but Jaune let it slide.

"We then needed an active commander and I was the senior officer left alive so...

Jaune sighed as he put the pieces together.

"They put you in charge and even if you have almost no combat experience they made you the leader."

"Yes...

The girl admitted as Yatsuhshi growled at her.

"She hadn't even seen a Grimm until the blitz let alone commanded a full unit. Sir, she is clearly unqualified to lead us. I request you move her from command and put me in charge instead. I have both the combat skills and the experience to lead us."

"Hey! I earned my rank!"

"By being the last one alive."

"That means I am skilled!"

"It means you are lucky, or a coward."

" I am not a coward! You are ju-

BANG!

Jaune fired his pistol into the air silencing them both as he sighed heavily.

"In case you forgot I am the commissar and I will make the decision. Now stop bickering and follow me. We will discuss command reassignments if ther are any. Back in the base. Where it's warm! Now come on we have work to do."

Jaune said as the two soilder mollifed follwed him heads down as Ren trudged loyall along luggage in two. OMontyty why me? Jaune thought as they walked forward to the base and out of the blizzard...