AN: Here it is! The newly released and hotly awaited chapter of Bastion! If you've been read this Fic you know what to look forward to as the two least compatible people get sent on a mission to fight for their very lives! OH! And one more thing! Just in case you where wondering I do not hate Ruby! My favorite RWBY characters are Ruby, Jaune, and Blake. In that order! I love the bastards! Unfortunately for them... I love differently and you may not want my affections. So here we go! Enjoy!

There was a whoosh! Of air as twin bullhead doors slid open as the Bastion bullhead swung open as twin figure jumped out out it.
"What did I tell you Red? This is going to be hideous." Zach said as he and Ruby leaped out of the Bullhead dorrs. Stepping out as the cold hard air of the dead lands hit them in the face.

It was like getting an icy backhand to their cheeks as the bullhead roared overhead as the familiar hellscape of the dead lands loomed overhead. It was the same as Ruby last saw it. Miles upon miles of cold dead grey earth. With a dull overcast sky, looking down gloomily on a blasted hellscape of potted artillery craters. Foxholes and long neverending lines of trenches.

As the two hit the hard ground, Ruby grimaced as she bent her knees absorb the shock fo the fall, as her legs felt like they hit stell as the ground crashed into her. As soon as they hit the ground, there was a rain of pit! pit! pit! Sounds fille her ears as Zach swore at the top of his lungs.

"Mortars! Get to cover!"

He yelled as he as Ruby began to sprint forward. Just as the next wave of student laned out of the bullhead as the initiation students spilled out, Zach and Ruby ran head first feet slimming hard against the dead ground the leaped into a line of trenches only three feet deep as the crashed into the walls.

As soon as they hit the cold dead part the first bullets began slamming into the trench line as the familiar Fit! Fit! Fit! Of bullets crashed into the trench as Ruby swore.

Instantly she popped her head up presses Crescent Rose against the trench line aiming Crescent Rose as her eye plotted firing coordinates for her.

"Fire."
Bang!

Ruby pulled the trigger as a head over half a mile away snapped back in a red puff of mist.

"Fire."
Bang!"
"Fire."
Bang!
"Fire."
Bang.

Ruby fired as soon as her eye told her too as she dropped Fang member after Fang member in perfect unison as Zach whopped.

"Damn good shooting Red! Ever for a broad, you got some aim!"

Zach said laughing racously as he placed his energy pistols against the trench line fire green radiant bolts into the advancing enemies on his left. As Ruby fired into the Fang as she placed bullet after bullet. Killing far off enemy after far off enemy there was a flash of silver in her scope. As her eye opened and-
Bang!

A weapon went off as a flash of silver shot out against the land as it crashed into the trench.

"Red?!"

Zach yelled as a sniper round found Ruby's head. Striking, her clean on her head, tossing her off the trench mouth and slamming her against the forehead snapping her neck back and sending her slamming into the back of the trench as her neck nearly snapped as her world exploded into pain.

It hurts! Ruby thought as she saw white as the sniper's bullet smacked her into the cold dead earth, that felt like she hit the hull of a bullhead as she saw her world spin.

"Aura at eighty percent."
Her eye said as a voice swore.
"Goddammit! Red! Red! You ok!?"
Zach yelled crouching over her. His black eyes filled with worry as he took time to aim his pistols filling the air with bright green bolts of death as he fired over her.

"Red! Can you hear me!? Red!"
"I'm fine! I'm fine."
Ruby said stand up wearily as Zach swore.

"This is why I didn't want to come on a mission with a woman! What use is an ally when she can't even keep her bloody head down!?"

Zach yelled as he fires into the Fang as Ruby shot him a glare as she remembered why the hell she was in this damn hell hole again with Zach of all people as the voice of Ludo entered her head.

"Ruby Rose. Please report to the office."

The Bastion public announcement said in a monotone voice as a silver eye blinked owlishly.

"Me?" Ruby asked looking up from her bed as Mika smiled at her.

"looks like someone is in ~trouble~!"

The girl teased as Ruby pouted.

"Hey! I didn't do anything!

Ruby complained as Mika giggled.

"Don't worry friend Ruby! You are probably just going to get a mission update on Jaune or Kage! Ther's no way you are in trouble!"

Mika said to reassure her friend as Ruby sighed. "Yeah, you have a point. I'll be back!"
"Take care friend!"

Mika said as Ruby nodded her head stepping off from her bed as she walked up yawing grabbing Crescent Rose checking it for ammo and left her room.

Ruby hated walking alone in Bastion. Even after over a month in the school she never felt completely comfortable in the school, it's massive stone hallways and massive corridors that seemed to spiral onward forever as Ruby made the journey down the disturbing empty halls, that always seemed to be deserted when it would always look the worse.

As she made the five-minute-long journey through the halls, up and down the spiraling stone staircases, and through the bone chill breeze that infected the halls she eventually found the headmasters office and pushed open the large wooden doors as she pulled them open to reveal Ludo, Miss Heil and-
"Zach?"
"Hey there Red! How's it going?"

The boy asked. Flashing her a calm smile as he stood in the office. He stood at rough six feet tall. With smooth black hair and pale skin. He wore a pair of jet black light combat armor that ran up and down his body with the word Major. Printed on a label on it as he cracked her a smile.

"Zach? Why are you in here?"

Ruby asked the rude boy who she did not consider her friend. As he flashed her a wry smile.
"Becuase there is a mission that requires both of your unique skills."

Ludo said the crackling fire that was always roaring behind him but yet produced no warmth for the office ever present as Ruby gulped.

"Mission? What do you mean?"
She asked as the man's silver eyes flashed as he grinned.
"You miss Rose are going to along with Zach go to the badlands together for a nail in the coffin mission."

"The Badlands? Why would we be going back there, sir? I thought we destroyed the refinery."
"Simple. I have good news! After the capture of the Kernel, we have successfully broken the Fang morale and power in the area! And there are only small remnants of the Fang there, and we can simply switch to mop up operations."

"Oh! And we captured the refinery, Miss Rose. There is a difference." Ludo said as the boy snorted.

"The hell? How are there any of the fuckers left that aren't dead or worshiping the blonde wonder as the second coming of Oum himself? Bless his sacred name."

Zach said doing the signs of Oum over his chest as Ludo sighed.

'These are splinter groups. Separated from the main forces. Ther are all and isolated and today! We will be sending some nation student on their first missions! They need a good bloodying to their lives! And you two are going to be the thing lights to them!"

"That sounds god damned brilliant! We need to show some green shoe how to shoot? Do they at least know what part of the gun the bullet comes out of? I don't want them tripping over the damned weapons and blowing their damned brains out."

"Mister S-
"Calm down Miss Heil. Zach. Our initiation students are better trained than most professional military units. If not for their locked aura they would be on of in for the most elite fighting forces on the planet. They are more than capable of handling any type of threat that the world throws at them."

The man said as Zach grimaced. "Until they get shot, that is. And they go down to one bullet or talon or acidic spray! Then it all goes to hell in a handbasket and it's up to me to fix the damned messed. Typical."

He said as Ludo sighed as he rubbed his forehead with two palms as Ruby spoke.

"Umm headmaster?"

"Yes, Miss Rose! What is it?"
"Why us? Why are you sending us on this mission?"

She asked as the man flashed him that same icy grin. That made Ruby quake as an icy hand gripped her heart and made her gulp.
"Simple! You two are some of the most popular students on campus! You, Miss Rose, are the beautiful Reaper of Bastion! Part of the strongest first-year team and one of the most prodigal fighters in the school! Who's fighting prowess is only matched by her dashing beauty!"

The man said as Ruby blushed before he turned to Zach.
"And you! Zach! One of the four heroes of the Kernel! You are an icon to the Death Korps students! A living testament to the brilliant skill of the Death Korps has to offer and the sheer tenacity of mankind!"

"You're damn straight!"

" Together you two are like a shining light! A beacon of hope! If the initiation students are led by you, they are sure to have a kick in their pants!"

"Although do not worry Miss Rose. We have not been idle in the time since we took the refinery. We have our diligent field engineers to the field and have already added miles of underground trenches to the area and! We can confirm that the enemy has no heavy artillery and are limited to small arms only."

The man said as she sighed.

"Sure? I guess we can do that."
"Not that you have a choice."
Miss Heil growled as Ruby eeped! As the man sighed. "Miss Heil. Do not scare them. Now! You two will leave post haste! The mission will take place soon, and the kids need their leaders, and you two are them!"

The man had said before sending them both off to the bullhead docks as the walked to their fate.

"I'm fine!" Ruby said kicking back up to her feet as she slammed her gun back the tranch's mouth as Zach swore.

"You better be! Your blonde boyfriend and Kage would never forgive me if you got a scratch on you! And Hino would never let me hear the end of it!"

Zach yelled firing his pistols into a fleeting wave of terrorist gunning them down as the ran away from the now swarming students.

Initiation students leaped into the trench slamming down placing assault fire and weapons platforms on the trench line. In record time as the trench was soon a bustling hive of activity and human yelling.
Ruby was impressed. It took them less than three minutes to set up several firing positions. Setting up tripod weapons mounts, fixing long barrel machine guns, rocket tubes, and even their own mortars as they began to return from on the faltering Fang units.

They were truly professional soldiers Ruby thought as she began firing on the Fang as the trench was filled with a cacophony of noise as the harsh yellow flashes of gunfire entered her ears and eyes. As the rough acrid scent of dust powder filled her nostrils as they began to fire on them.

As the guns fired the familiar Pit! Pit! Of mortars filled the air as Zach yelled and cursed. "Mortars! Take cover you lousy shits!"

He yelled as he forced Ruby and the student next to him's head down as the first of the mortar round impacted the earth. Shaking it as hor sharp rained down on the tench line as the harsh bangs!

Of mortar rounds rained down on them as Ruby grimaced being forced down by Zach the shredding of the mortar rounds stopped as they were followed by something far worse as Ruby heard the horrible shriek of artillery fire.

As the Fang started to shell them.
"I thought they didn't have any artillery!"

Ruby yelled as the first rounds hit the mouth of the trench. Coughing up mountains of dirt and clay as Zach yanked her up as she saw the tell tail some trails of smoke fill the air as he swore.

"So did I!"

He yelled as the first of the artillery rounds began to fall. As the world was filled with harsh yellow explosion and barks of flame.

"Tunnels! Back to the tunnels!"

"Tunnels?"

Ruby asked bewildered as Zach yanked her up as he pointed to his left.

"There!"

Zach yelled point to what seems like a sunken hatch in the ground as the wave of students began the sprinting to it as Ruby sighed before-

bang!

Ruby screamed as a mortar round exploded far to close to the line sending up a wall of shrapnel into her side. Making her cry out as burning shrapnel bit into her side twirling her twice as she cried.

"Aura at seventy percent."

Her eyes said as Zach cursed.

"You fucking fucks! Fight me like a man! Come on Red we need to get the hell out of here!"

He yelled helping the limping Ruby forward as they limped along as the first thumps of artillery fire filled her ears popping them and making crimson fall down her face as the round hist near them cover ing them with a deluge of dirt and rock as the students ran forward.

"Don't worry Red! We just got to make it a little more, and then we are right as rain! Trust you me! We just got to get-

Crack!
Ruby was on her back. Twin artillery shells slammed in front of them. Slamming her and Zach to the ground with the power of a semi-truck. As the round pulped the students in front of them into a beautiful red mist as a wall of shrapnel slammed her to the ground.

"My face!?"

She yelled as a burning agony filled her mind as the shrapnel bored into her aura making her scream. "Aura at fifty percent and falling."

"Up! We need to go! Now! "
Zach yelled as he and Ruby limped forward into the small blown open doors of the impromptu door. As they hobbled inside and into the bowels of the dead land.

Cold. It's cold was Ruby's first thought as she entered the claustrophobic hallway of the underground stairway. The stairs were carved out of the cold dead earth and spun down in a square pattern that seemed to go on forever into the earth itself. As the students made their way down.

It was almost pitch black in the stairwell. As the only light source came form free hanging fluorescent bulbs that looked older than Ruby herself. As they shook and went out for seconds at a time, fluttering violently as more and more artillery fire struck them the area send waves of dirt tumbling down from the walls of cold dead earth.

As the mass of humanity raced downward desperately trying to escape the hellish barrage of enemy guns, Ruby was just glad that the Bastion students had been able to reinforce the area. As the student had dug several miles of underground trenches in the area. And the fact that they could use some to escape the artillery fire was a godsend. As Ruby and Zach followed, the sea of humanity into the earth as they ran forward spiraling ever deeper into the cold dead earth.

"Aura at thirty percent."
Her eye said as Zach looked over a blue holographic projection. As he and Ruby stood side by side in front of a makeshift table as over four dozen frightened eyes looked toward them.

"Ok listen up and listen good! I'm only going to say this once so pay attention! We are here! And they are here!"

He said sharply to the gathered initiation students. The ones that had actually survived the initial attack shuffled around him as he pointed to a hastily set up table as he took out a cigar from somewhere lighting it with a match as he puffed it heavily. Making Ruby wish she had a cigarette. A Vacuo slim would set her mind at ease at the least. She thought as she sighed.

"In case you are either blind, deaf, or just plain retarded you have noticed that our intel on the enemy not having artillery supports was less than accurate. And that they indeed do have the big guns."

Zach said pointing to a small line of red circles on the map as he smoked his cigar.

"Sir! What are we going to do? They have artillery and we don't have any support, and we have to hold out until we secure the are!"

"Simple my easily worried friend! We! Meaning me and Ruby are going to destroy the artillery for you while you lot get your own damned mortars up and running!"
He said as Ruby cocked her head to him.

"We are going to do what?"

"We, Red are going to destroy that damned artillery! They can't hit us in here, but we cant' leave in any significant numbers without gets turn into a fine mist either. So! As the enemy will utterly annihilate any major force we send through, this gives a window for a small elite force that can sneak along here!"

He said point to a part of the map where the hologram showed a tunnel leading to the surface, opped them out near the enemy gun line as he smiled.

"If we go here! Me and you can sneak up on the artillery destroy it and then! Only when I give the signal will you lot start to hit them with our own mortars ok?"
Zach asked as the initiations students nodded in affirmation as the plan was on.

Two hours...

It took Ruby and Zach a total of two cold, miserable hours to make any progress along the front as the two crawled belly down to the enemy lines.

It had been slow going as even if the enemy was concentrating fire onto their bunker the emergency exit left that Shepperd them this close to the enemy line also left them in wide open. In a perfect kill box and had the two crawling belly down for the majority of it.

As they had died the backs of their armor and cloak the color of gunmetal grey and black. To match the cold dead earth that they knew they would more than likely di eon as they crawled.

"Zach. Why did you volunteer us for this?"

Ruby asked the boy as crawled being him.
"What do you mean why Red?

"I mean this is a dangerous mission! Why risk your own life? No offense but you doesn't strike me as the self-sacrificing type."

"Ha! I'm not! Like you said this is a dangerous mission. Tha means its easy to fuck up. And I don't trust half the kids more than I can throw them! Nah red I'm not a hero! That's your boyfriend's job! Not mine, I keep my head down and my guns up."

"He's not my boyfriend!"

Ruby said her face turning a bright red as Zach chuckled.
"Sure but you want him to be. Right? You want some of the blonde knight action to your self! What is sleeping together not enough? You want the full package?"

"NO! I-

"What you want is for him to plunge his holy lance deep inside of. Stking you so deep that when he finally pulls out he can call his dick Excalibur!"

Zach asked as Ruby glared at him her face turning the shade of her cloak. Or well her cloak before the two-hour trek through the cold dead earth had colored it grey and black as they pulled themselves forward.

"Remeber Red if you want a job done right you do it yourself. Don't let others do your work for you. It makes you look weak. And that is how you get killed!"
Zach advised as the two slid forward on the cold dead earth.

Another half an hour of sliding in total silence finally led the two to their destination as the found themselves staring at the three gun emplacements that where sheeling the crap out of them back in the tunnels.

Looking at them now Ruby was even more impressed that she was somehow in one piece after taking twin indirect hits from the cannons as her eye began not analyze them.

"Smoot bore gun batteries. Eighty pounders."

Her eye said as Zach spat as more VATHUMS!

Of shells firing filled the air as he glared there.

"Red you know how to take down artillery?"

"Shoot them?'
She asked as he groaned.

"Woman. Well on the one hand yes. Shooting them is good but not with what we have. Your fifty won't do jack shit to them, and my guns are meant to kill living things so no. We have to get creative."

Zach said reaching into his side and drawing out twin silver boxes.

"What are those?"

Ruby asked as he handed one to her.

"These Red are what I like to call thermite charges. It's a bit of nasty mix of lightning dust, and some old world tech but they work just fine."

Zach said as he held up a box to Ruby. She gripped the small silver package like it was a large pie box with a thin white string leading out from it's gently wrapped outsides.

"Rember this Red. When you get to a gun, make sure you place the charge inside of the barrel and pull the string. That will activate the dust, and it will eat the barrel from the inside out and for god sakes! Close the chamber door after you put it in or it will just fall out!'

Zach said as Ruby took her thermite and nodded.

"I got it!"

"Good. Now let's kick some ass. I'm getting tired of getting shelled all the damned day. Zach said as Ruby nodded as they crept forward.

As the two crept behind the thunder of the guns made it, so there was really no need for them to sneak as the approached the enemy lines.

Hell, they could have probably started shooting them form range and been totally unnoticed! But this was a stealth op, and Zach was the expert on stealth warfare. And he said silence until it was unavoidable.

As the two crept forward, they heard and well felt the first-
VATHUM!
Of the enemy guns, as the earth shook as the guns fired again. Nearly deafening the two as they split up. The enemy had three gun emplacements of heavy ordinance. And there was as skeleton guard perimeter of grunts that Zach ordered them to split up to deal with as stealthily as possible before attacking the guns themselves.

Zach nodded to her as he cursed under his breath as he crept up behind a lone guard gun out.

The man never saw his end coming as Zach stabbed him in the back of his right kneecap making him cry out, as he fell to the ground before he could even get a word of warning to his comrades Zach slammed a bayonet to his jugular ending him in a quick clean kill. Gently placing the body on the ground without a bit of noise as he went on.

On the opposite side, Ruby made her own attack though she was far from his level of stealth. On the journey here he was like a moving shadow. A crawling body of death that stalked across the earth leading her steadily. Calling for halts, crawls and occasionally sprints as they made their way forward.

As Ruby made her way forward approaching her own guard steadily waiting for her opportunity to strike, as her eye beeped in affirmation she dove forward and though her attack was just as deadly it was far less stealthy.

As she approached him, she shot out Crescent Rose. The scythe part extended out taking the man out at the legs. Luckily for him, his aura guarded him against losing the limb right then and there.

Well, luck might be a strong word for him as instead of getting his leg sheared of he was brought back of Ruby where she took her scythe and slammed it into his chest.

Bypassing his aura and well his whole chest cavity to kill him in an instant as she gouged out a bowling ball sized hole in his chest cavity covering her with blood making her grimace once as she went to work.

She killed the next few men and one woman similarly. Sneaking up behind them as quietly as possible though she wondered why the hell she was sneaking at all when the damn guns where so loud she couldn't even hear her own breath.

Either way, she would sneak up behind a guard lashing out Crescent Rose chopping off a leg first to know them off balance, before dragging home backward and then impaling them when they fell. It was quick, brutal and efficient.

As soon she and Zach had killed all the guards around the guns perimeter a silent nod was passed between the two as with the guards silenced it was time to go in for the kill and silence the damned things.

As the two went to work Ruby hit first. She tore into the three-man crew like a hot knife through butter. The fang never had a chance to react as a whirlwind of rose petals slammed into them. Slicing and dicing them to pieces as Ruby painted the are with their blood.

In an instant, the other gun was silenced. As Zach fell on them like some type of apex predator. Falling on the slicing and slashing as he slit throat and stabbed heart ending them in less than four seconds.
As the two eye met black met more alive, and they nodded as a silent agreement was shared between them.

As Ruby and Zach level their gun at the last screen and fired.

Bang!

Fisht!

Solid rounds and green bolts bit into the fang gunners. Tearing them apart in a sea of solid shots and burling lances as they fell to pieces as one the guns were finally silenced.

"Good job Red! Now we just got to get the hell out of here!

Zach yelled as he ran up Ruby before-
Pit! Pit! Pit!"
The sound of mortar fire came from their own trench line as he cursed at the top of his lungs.

"Fucking retards! I said wait till I gave the signal to start firing! Not while we are in the don damned kill box! What the hell are they thinking!?"
He cursed as mortar rounds from their own trench line began raining down on them.

"Zach!? What do we do!?"

Ruby asked as Zach looked back to the incoming fire as he cursed.

"The door! Back to the door! Come on Red follow me!"

He yelled as the two began to sprint as a slowly creeping carpet of death began to encroach upon them.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Why me!? Why does all the shit happen to me!? What do I ever do to deserve this!? Sur I kill people, and sure I steal shit that doesn't belong to me. And hell! I even enjoy it! But come on! I'm not that bad! I've never raped anybody! I don't kill kids! I'm not like Kage!

I don't skin people alive and turn them into suites like that green-eyed psychopath! I'm a good guy! If there' any justice in this shitty world I will not die in the middle of the fucking dead lands with a damned jailbait grim reaper wannabe with more metal than common sense a lolita complex and fetish for dismemberment! So Please! Oum! Help me!

Zach begged to Oum to spare his wretched life as they ran away from their allies attack. Luckily for them, the kill box was much easier ground to cover when they were spring head on, but unluckily for him, Ruby was being... Ruby.

Ruby refused to leave him even after he ordered her to run ahead. Her superiors speed meant she would have a much better chance of getting out alive than him and that he was just holding her back.

Unfortunately, she was just like her boyfriend and Kage. Stubborn. Once one of those three got their head on an idea, they stuck to it with a single-minded determination that would make a Grimm balk.

Now, normally that was not so bad. As while they were still out in the open and completely expose their own fire was the still thing the mortar position away from them, and Zach was no slouch! He was sprinting as fast as he could.

And the life of a master thief made sure that was damned fast. Not Ruby fast but faster than almost any other slouch as the dead lands freezing air filled his lungs with millions of tiny needles. It was looking good! The just had to keep up their pace for another two minutes and-

And Oum had a sense of humor.
Bang!

Ruby cried out as a sniper round hit her legs as whatever fang fruit still alive noticed the two hunters running free and decided to open fire on them.
PIt! Pit! Pit!

The sound of mortar fire filled the air as shells rained down on them.

As the kills zone lived up to its name as Zach found his world filled with shrapnel flams and-

"AHH!"

Ruby cried out as sniper shot took her on her left knee. Breaking through her aura shattering the bone, coating the ground with red blood taking her to her knees as she dropped her ridiculous gun scythe as she struggled to sand.

"Fuck me! Red! Come-

Zach never finished his sentence as he watched in horror as a mortar round came down. Flying in a horrifyingly perfect almost insanely immaculate arc flying from the tip of the enemy position and landing with pinpoint are right between Ruby's legs.

Her silver eye widened once as her metallic one recoiled in shock as her mouth opened in a gasp as the shell hit right between he legs and exploded. Zach gave one look of shock as Ruby Rose vanished in a wall of shrapnel, death, and flames...

An: There we go! Our two heroes are at the far end of the dead lands and one of them might have just gone out in a blaze of glory! So yeah! It looks like our favorite reaper is in a bad way! Mortar rounds are known to be less the optima for one's health! So is she ok? Did Ruby make it? Will she ever see her sister or team again!? And if she does will she still be Ruby? Find out on the next Bastion! Until then? Omake.

Hero of Remnant: Part Eight. The bloody ball.

Jaune like the simple things in life. He liked reading in his bed while his command cap hung proudly on his nightstand. He like taking long drinks of Amasec that was preferably older than him and cost more than his yearly salary would ever allow.

He liked sitting in his nice comftoarbel chair while Ren gave him tea while he read about battle reports from war zones that he would never have to set foot in let alone see again. But now? Now that simple life was gone as he watched the enemy ambassador a faunus that until recently dressed in immaculate blue robes blown in two by a bolt pistol round as the room descended into chaos.

Instantly Jaune was in commissar mode. As he began to eye his surroundings. First things first. He needed to restore order as soon as possible before any more deaths occurred. As already imperial nobles who had probably never drawn a gun in their lifetimes drew archaic bolt pistols and las pistols as Jaune swore.

He needed to get that singer Pye? What was her name? To safely as he turned to look for her only to find that she was gone. Vanished into thin air as a voice came into his ear.

"Commissar. It seems like we have a problem here."

Ren said phlegamtiicaly as Jaune turned to see his aide dressed in his tux but las rifle drawn. Ren had been less than happy to leave his hell pistols back in the base but seeing as how a social event was less than likely to become a warzone Jaune ordered him to leave them behind. He now regretted that decision as he swore internally.

"Ren. We need to clam these people down. Now."

"I concur commissar. Shall I shoot the ceiling? Draw their attention?"

"And have them all fire at us? I don't think so. Watch."

Jaune said as he stalked out to the center of the pandemonium drawn Crocea Mors flipping the activation rune to green as a loud throaty growl filled the air.

VRRTT!

The sound of gnashing teeth filled the air as the crowd for a moment stopped shouting and calling one another traitors! Or cowards! As Jaune stopped their bickering as all eyes turned to him.

"Quiet, please. It looks like we have a crime to look into and-

"Commissar!"

Ruby said rushing forward her bright crimson dress draped over her as she huffed over to him as Jaune rose an eyebrow at her. Fixing her with his number two glare. Making her eep!

"Commander Rose. You're late."

"Sir! Sorry, sir! It won't happen twice!"

She said with stell in her voice as he nodded.

"See to it that it does not. Now to our esteemed guest."

Jaune said turning to see a brown skinned faunus woman crying over the dead man waving a digi weapon as Jaune grimaced.

"Excuse me. Mam-

"Sirhenna! My name is Sirhenna Khan! And you filthy humans just killed my leader!"

"Filthy!?'

"Humans!?"
"This animal dare to talk to us like we are vermin!? How dare-

"Enough! This is now a crime scene under commissarial jurisdiction! All of you are to stay here while I conduct a thorough investigation! And of you attempting to leave before you are interviewed will be treated as an enemy to imperial authority and be subjected to full commissarial jurisdiction!"

Jaune said stunning the crowd before going to the tiger and whispering into her ear.

"Sirhenna. Listen and listen good. This situation is bad enough as is. Calling the people here filthy is only going to get you killed. Now can you arrange transport for you out of the base?"

Jaune asked as the panicked woamns voice calmed as she did.

"Yes. Yes, I can. But I must take the body with me!"

"Fair. Call you transport and we can go."

Jaune said as she nodded.

"Sir. Why are we helping these ... enthusiasts?"

Ren asked as he guarded the rear of the four imperials and one Fang.

As Jaune, Ruby, Ren, and Falka made their way with the faunus is tow as they raced through the empty halls of the governor's palace as they broke out to the roof of the city as Jaune swore.

"That ride better have thrusters or we are in the wrong place at the wrong time!"

Jaune yelled as she grinned.

"Just you wait and see!"

She said as the dim night sky was lit up with the roar of antigrav engines as a yellow pod-like ship flew up towards them.

"Commissar! I must be going but I will remember your help! You are a true friend of the greater good!"

Shireena said as she began to drag the body of her leader? Or whatever the hell it was as Jaune was glad to have on fire stomped out no matter how temporary it would be and-

And as always, Oum had a sense of humor. As before, she could even get to her ship a rocket slammed into it. Sign it twirling into a ball of fire as it slammed into the side of the skyscraper of the palace as the sound of weapons fire filled the air as Jaune grimaced.

"Commissar? What do we do?"

Ren asked as the sounds of shooting filled the air as Jaune grimaced.

"We do what we always do Ren. We save the day.'

Jaune said grimacing adjusting his hat as the sounds of all-out war began to form as bright plumes of smoke followed by the dull Whump! Of explosions filled the sky.

"Very good sir. Another day in the guard sir?"

"Another day in his glorious service Ren! Now come on! Oum wants us to die fighting and I have a reputation to uphold."

Jaune said as he straightened out his cap and grimaced. All he wanted was a drink...