I am so sorry this is a bit rushed.
But lets assume all the children would make it through the invasion of Vale.
Mordred watched from Ozpin's office, hardened gaze focused on the Headmaster whose back is turned towards the Grand Master of the Imperial Shadows. His hammer gripped loosely in his right as a large pistol is carried in his left.
Another Atlas ship crashed into another, sending the fiery wreckage into the city.
"Tis a shame they are so…" Mordred clicked his metal tongue. "Fragile."
The city is in ruins in some parts, fire running everywhere, bullet streaks littered the night sky. Argonaut is seen launching its entire missile battery into the city, casting building and Grimm everywhere. There were bodies littering the Beacon grounds below, his First Company holding the line furiously, being led by the young Prince. Mordred almost wished he was there to guide them as well. But with the Shadow Reavers, his vanguard of six posted in the shadows of the night he is on, the building is quite safe from any retaliation.
He and Ozpin can see the fire blazing in the distant borders, signaling the retreating Fourth Company. He lost contact with most of them after the Grimm overran them, Akaia included. The two can see Hazurfurn flying in the sky, Cyres busy taking down Nevermores while the old dragon freezes the Grimm below them. Mel and her personal squad of hellish warriors stalk the further part, where the teams fail to make it and keep things under control.
He can almost taste the blood and ash on his metal tongue. Almost.
"A level nine?" He asked the white-haired man. He takes steps to stand beside the much smaller man, whose eyes are set on the city as another of the Atlas ships fell. "I'm here to help, you called me."
Mordred sheathed his pistol and placed a massive armored hand on Ozpin's shoulder. They can hear the explosions in the distance as the full power of the Shadows is unleashed.
"We knew this would happen." Mordred admitted. "Argus told me about it, we knew you and Ironwood would be deaf to our warnings and Ironwood is too prideful in the androids that are pathetic."
"Argus was right." The man sighed, leaning on his cane as Mordred looks down at him. "You were right about mankind's ignorance."
He moved away, walking to the holo-desk.
"Too prideful like Atlas." He said darkly, Ozpin turned to him, eyebrows furrowed. "They think that machines like those can survive the worst."
"What do you mean by that?" He asked and Mordred shook his helmeted head.
"Everything digitally based with a firewall of shit, means that he has been hacked long before the the Tournament." Mordred pulled a chip from his belt pouch and slid it across the table. "Even our servitors hacked into it without much ease."
Ozpin picked up the chip in his hand and inspected it. It is the size of his hand much like a computer chip.
"It's the virus used to get in the CCT and well…" He motioned to the battle raging outside. "Every broadcasting in Vale."
"Shouldn't you be able to be hacked as well?" He inquired to the construct. Mordred just let a laugh.
"I am as much as a man as much as I am a machine that's a man, Ozpin." He removed his helmet, revealing the two light blue optics and a mechanical face that replicates a human, except metal and gears. "We use machine spirit's or AI that was a man once. It's like hacking into a human brain- impossible to figure because every brain is unlike the rest."
He can see the surprise and confusion on Ozpin's face.
"My friend, understand that we, the Imperial Shadows, are not of this star system."
"Then what is your purpose here then?" He asks, standing straight in front of Mordred, even though he only reached his armored abdomen.
Mordred places his helmet back on.
"We-" Mordred started before the sounds of a portal opening interrupted him.
CIndy's vision blinked back to her, her head throbbing- along with her previous injuries as well. But only she and Emily have regained consciousness after Aruiel and Aron knocked them out swiftly with a turn of their hand.
How long were they out?
"Holy, crap, where am I?" Emily muttered to her as the girl looked around in a dazed manner. Cindy was about to reply when a low voice interrupted her.
"I'm afraid I can't risk it, I would be glad to talk sense into Ironwood, but he is bound be here soon." The large mechanical machine she presume is Mordred, leans down to the Headmaster.
"You mean well Mordred, I appreciate your honesty at times like this," Ozpin compliments before Mordred turns towards Cindy for a second.
Instead of saying anything back, he turns back towards the Headmaster and whispers something that they cannot hear, but she can make out some things.
"Should I call it?" Mordred asked, his shadowy cloak moving by itself.
"Do it." Ozpin nods at him before turning to face the windows. Mordred straightens tall, voice loud enough for them to hear.
"Let none survive." He calmly speaks to no one. "Gaheris, get your Devastators into position at once, Rio pull back into the school grounds, there are Aegis Defenders set up, Fourth Company pull back to Beacon's hill, and Cyres and Mel, retrieve Akaia."
He paused momentarily as the large titan turn towards the forest and unleash a swath of heated plasma into the forest. The trees burst into ashes as white light lit up the sky to the point it looked like a miniature sun.
"Auriel and Aron," He begins. "Do what Ironwood cannot finish and kill anyone and anything that moves except for students and civilians if possible."
"The time for war is nigh."
Mordred clasped his hand around the haft of Godfeller before opening a portal on the window.
"Time bid us adieu, Ozpin." Mordred gives a head bow before disappearing. "We'll discuss matters latter for I have to plan."
Cindy was left dumbfounded as the leader left, leaving the eight of them in the office. She looked at the still Headmaster and pushed herself to her feet, a dull throbbing in her head. She reaches behind her back out of habit, to her relief that Mourning Dawn is still there.
"What's going on? Why was he here?" Cindy asks, using the table's edge to hold herself up.
She waits for the Headmaster to say anything-
"I need you and Emily to guard the Vault interiors." He responds after what seemed like minutes of racking explosions. "Your teams need to be outside the vault to protect the maiden."
No one questions any further, the two leaders salute and go to rouse their teammates.
Cindy gives Kelly a good kick to her side, making the large girl awake the moment the pain registered, her death stares boring into Cindy's soul.
"Could've awakened me better." She grunts, pushing herself to her feet. Kelly's mask is missing, revealing the scarred jaw.
"Well, go get Jay up and I get Diane." Cindy scoffs at her before a loud voice fills the room.
"I live!" And that came from Jay as she sits up, arms in front of her like the old fashioned zombies. Kelly jumped at the sudden voice. Her face is bloody as heck and her arm looked a bit better- except it was bleeding quite a lot. She noticed her partner. "Oh, whatusp?"
Kelly growled and shoved her back down.
"Nope, you're still dead, goodbye." Kelly chuckled, pushing against Jay, while the girl fought back, latching to her arm like a sloth. Kelly's expression fell as she stood up, trying to shake her from her arm. "Jay, get off."
"No."
Cindy sighed at the display as Kelly resigned to her fate with Jay now crawling over her back. A smile crossed her lips as she turned back to Diane, who she would have to use bandages for later. She gently shakes the sniper awake and waited.
At Landing Port
Mordred and Argus ran with their Shadow Reavers, a team of eight elite warriors of the different caste of the legion- to the ports where civilians and students were to gather to evacuate. The Grimm and fragile White Fang fell before their very step as they radiate fear, warped black and silver armor and helmets that holds a romanian crest and flanked by thick horns curved to the front. Their armor is unlike the rest of the First, Fourth and Tenth companies. Instead of bulky or too thin armor, their's are perfectly balanced between them, master crafted armor with well placed vents to emit black wispy smoke as they walk. Over their shoulders are a black cloak fastened to their daemonic shaped pauldrons. Their hands grasp either swords, spears, axes or hammers, the other fitted with a wrist-mounted gun and shield.
Mordred shoved Ironwood out of the way of the giant Grimm to catch the claws with his thick pauldron as it leaves four deep claw marks on the artificer armor, making the Grand Master crumble a little under the blow. Growling, Mordred pushed off his foot, throwing the Grimm back several feet. His Honor Guard raised their weapons with Argus, they are ready to take the Grimm down with him.
Mordred raised a hand.
"No," He said calmly, standing straight and lowered his hand. The Grimm stands at least two heads over him. Argus said nothing and lowered his spear quickly.
The Reavers slowly lowered theirs as well, moving to shield the non-combative students and the civilians from the two and also create a wall of twisted metal if others were to arrive.
To their surprise and everyone around them, Mordred stabbed the legendary great hammer to the ground, leaving him free of any weapons. One can feel the vibration of Godfeller as the warhammer cracked the concrete under it.
He can feel the weapon's spirit wailing in his mind at its negligence of fight. It is displeased by his actions, but Mordred ignored it, focusing on the Grimm in front of him.
This is nothing more than the classical close-combat sessions with other members of the legion. Of course the Grimm waste no time to charge at him with astonishing speed anticipating that he is old and machines are slow as hell.
Wrong.
Mordred deftly swerved aside, hand pushing the offending claws aside to grab it with the other as quick as he dodged and with a mighty heave- brought the massive Grimm over his shoulders into the ground with enough force to shatter the concrete under it. Take no breather, Mordred quickly slide back, watching as the enraged Grimm bound at him again. He leaned back for the claw to nick the gorget of his armor, and the bony jaws lunged at his head. Bring up his arm instead for the beast to bite into the plasteridium platings.
He can hear the gasps of the students behind him when the Grimm takes a bite of his metal arm. He jerks his arm, ripping it clean from it's foul maw as his left hand trapps itself on the throat of the right leg of the Grimm twist into a odd angle with a blow from his metal shin, sending the Grimm to it's knees. Mordred quickly spins to the right- his left hand still on the throat- and wraps his entire left arm around the beast's neck fully, holding fast. His scarred right hand, now emitting sparks grips the upper jaw of the Grimm, fighting against as it tries to close its jaws.
And pulled with his strength.
The skull of the Grimm gives away in a spray of black bile, body going limp in his arms when the mechanical warrior cast the body aside, standing tall with the skull still undissolved in his iron grasp. Holding the grim trophy up for them, he clenches his fist, turning the white mask into chunky powder, letting it fall between his fingers.
"What happened to your army, Ironwood?" Mordred asks as he picks up Godfeller in his hands, Argus and the Reavers flanking him once again. "Why are your ships firing one another?"
"Someone hijacked one of them and fired upon the others." He tried to explain to the taller being. "I don't know how they got in, but they did and there's no defenses to Vale-"
"What about ground support?" Argus interrupts. The general's face falls for a moment.
"Most were destroyed on the ships that were carrying it." He points to a falling fireball. "Those unit's you see now are what's left."
"I feared so." Argus responds. "We've got other areas to attend to, I fear the students will be here shortly and we must take our leave."
Without awaiting a response, they vanished.
"Blast it all to damnation this is not going to end well!" Hanna shouts as she is backed with Rio and his larger brethren. The androids have turned on them and the White Fang have breached their positions. With nothing more than forty of the White helmet veterans and ten of Rio's own vanguard left- it's hard to keep track of what the hell is going on.
"I'll confess, Atlas is not the best of nations when it comes to a digital army." Rio mutters, spinning Vanquisher around and bifurcating a circle of White Fangs and Grimm's with ease while firing a earthshaking round that has a force of a stick of TNT.
"Don't forget us!" A voice booms overhead. Hanna hears the sounds of glass shattering from the building.
Kelly, without her mask, green fire seeping from her clenched teeth and spewing from her power fist, her coat tails fluttering behind her. A writhing form of a five headed Hydra hovering over her. Her face is furrowed into a snarl as her animalistic side takes over- the Hydra taking a more physical form as her green fire fuels it.
Jay bolts through the glass of the building above the, glass shards flying around her as her right eye glows blue like fire and her beloved chain sword shifts into it's terrifying form. A crazed grin plastered over her face.
Diane' her left eye glowing orange with her rifle in it's hybrid claymore rifle form. A shield aura made of hexagonal plates phased around her, flanking her.
Last but not least, Cindy bursts out in a plume of fire. Her avatar of war materialised above her, completed with it's fear inducing panoply of war complete with a helmet and full plate armor, inscribed with scenes of war and death. It's great double headed ax engulfed in fire, ready to tear rifts into the earth under it. Her eyes blazed with the unimaginable fury.
Hanna- too busy with the arrival of the team, failed to notice a Griffon swooping behind her. She turned when she heard the screech to find it so close to her she cannot raise her short sword in time.
BANG!
A sharp crack of a sniper rifle and the head exploding made her look to the left, following the faint smoke trail to the arches where the assassin team stands tall.
Emily, standing with Tryggr perched on her left arm, her crossbow loaded in her right. Her gray hood covered her eyes as two phantom snakes curled around her.
Brenda removed her rifle sights from her face as she stands up, a curt smile on her face when she gives a thumbs up to Hanna. Her large rifle splits in half, four energized rods pushing out the side of the barrel, the sights shifting into several smaller ones along the length of the gun.
Nicole gives her dual pistols a spin on her fingers, wearing an ammunition belt across her chest with at least six clips, four are her regular specialized ammunition. Two are known as needlepoint pelts, said to melt flesh with poison so potent that Grimms die in one accurate hit.
Ying stands next to Nicole, her longbow shifting into its hybrid bladed gunbow form, two quivers, one on her back and one on her lower back. Her lower back holds her regular dust and gunpowder laced arrows while her back holds her self-guided kraken rounds that would burst into eight separate shards upon contact with anything with the power to burst through steel.
"Sorry, we're late!" Kelly shouts over to Penelope, who stabs her dual daggers into the back of the Griffon before Kelly finishes it off with a breath of green fire in it's face. "We got a bit… curtailed by something."
"No worries." The antelope faunus grabs her dual gun daggers from the ground before kicking a Beowulf behind Diane, who is not too far from her. "We managed to hold off a lot more before you arrived."
"I see." Kelly nods quickly before her five-headed manifested dragon avatar that is the height of Beacon's dormitories; decided to tear apart whatever their long necks can reach. Each of the five heads spewed out great swaths of poisonous green flames that reduced the Grimm all but to ashes.
Diane sliced through a larger Beowulf's neck before firing off a round to propel her onto one of the Hydra's head just for it to flick her towards the arches, where EBNY has fanned out, taking down airborne and picking off the stragglers towards civilians.
Cindy enveloped the entire courtyard with Mel in cleansing fires that left the buildings untouched and unscathed- unlike Mel, who pretty much charred anything in her way. Her avatar carved ravines into the earth as she and it swings around, taking out swaths of her opponents in a blink of an eye. Meanwhile, Jay is busy carving into pretty much carving anything that is not clad in thick armor or has the R.F.P emblem.
On Board the Atlas Flagship
The ship is certainly much smaller for any man or woman the size of two meters to fit in the halls. Much less someone probably pushing random buttons as there is hissing left and right. His extra mechanicals arms hissed in his mind, telling him to be aware of his surroundings. But his footsteps remained silent while his armor hissed with the array of extra servos. His rusty red armor reflected the dimmer lights of this ship as he walked through the halls.
"This makes my job a lot easier." He chuckles to himself as his helmet shows his six eight man squads of heavily equipped warriors with the most terrifying array of support weapons from the heavy bolters, gravity gun, autocannons and the feared melta cannons.
And of course, several of his personal transport and heavy support.
They await him on Titanus, waiting for the invasion force to ready.
He pauses before the Atlas marked sliding doors, and gripped his conversion beamer combi-bolter tightly in his hand, the other on his halberd, his mechanical arms whirling to life around him. The doors slid open and he walked in.
The ice-cream colored girl in the Atlas uniform turned at him and smiles. Gaheris nods briefly to her before clearing his throat loudly to get the man's attention.
"Ah, Gaheris," Roman turns and opens his arms to the Forgemaster. "So nice to see you here. Is the invasion ready?"
Gaheris chuckles slightly before replying.
"Oh, they don't know what hit them." He stabs his halberd into the metal floors and walks over to one of the screens. Thick cables slithered from his back and inserted themselves into the mainframe. The display turned into a view of the city and it's events.
"You remember Neo, don't you." He asks, walking up next to him.
"I never forget a face Roman, you know that." Gaheris replies calmly, not taking his eyes off the screen.
Thump.
The three look at one another before Roman sighs.
"Go check it out." He waves Neo off.
"We have some company, Roman." He robotically replies, detaching himself and grabbing his halberd.
"W-wait, where are you going?" Roman scrambles after the Forgemaster.
"Stay here." He instructs. "I have some vermin to take care of."
Rumble.
They fighting parties ceased momentarily as they turned to the distance.
Rumble!
"Holy-"
"Shit." Was their response as the mountain in the distant exploded, a dragon Grimm burst into the night, causing fear to spread like wildfire among Vale to all except the Imperial Shadow, who kept a steely resolution and a sure aim.
The Grimm gives a mighty roar as it flies near Beacon, black droppings falling to the ground, creating more Grimm.
"Is that thing shitting out more Grimm?" Brenda asks as she shivers at the sight of the titanic Grimm that is the size of the Imperial Shadow's ship.
"The correct term is spawning- but yes shitting works." Ying corrects before one of the sludge lands next to her, and out crawled a large Beowulf who knocks her off the arc much faster than she can react.
"I gotcha." Diane runs by, catching the archer in her arms before bounding back to the top with her shields.
"Well, shi-" Kelly sighs before being knocked in the face by a Death Stalker's giant ass claw. "Ow."
"Yeah, we need help." Cindy lobbs the ax in it's head while it was distracted by Kelly's blunder, killing it with one blow.
BANG!
One of the veterans fell, her head melted off in a blast of blue plasma.
There is a battalion of at least forty-eight heavily armed astartes and several tanks and air crafts rolling up in the courtyard. Not to mention at least fifty Atlesian androids and ten Paladins joined them in the march. The company of the Forgemaster stormed through anything in their path, even the few civilians that unfortunately ran in front of them, only to be reduced to a molten puddle on the ground.
"Gaheris you traitor." Auriel snarls under her breath. She and Aron both glanced at each other before bringing raising their weapons to fight them with Rio, Cyres and Mel.
BNY and HLTP landed beside Cindy and the rest of her team, and they weren't the only one with second thoughts about winning.
With the roar of combat of the two sides clashing and the Grimm wrestling with the students, it left them with doing odd support roles around the courtyard.
And they were not expecting three certain renegades to appear with Gaheris' units.
"Missed us?" Jakob smiles smugly. He is covered in blood, his team as well and it looks horrifying.
"Oh, fuck, no." Jay growls at them. Jakob only grins, brandishing his double headed ax in the air, before pointing at the Cindy with a satisfied smile on his face.
"We're not leaving when traitors stand with us now." Kelly growled, Ripple Corruption shifting back into it's bayoneted form.
"Oh ho, we're not the traitors," Saruman walked forward, his gun pointed in a lax manner at the ground while his drones hovered around him. "We just follow the leader into what is right."
"And last I checked, the leaders of the R.F.P is the councils of the continents." Hana pointed at him with one of her twin gun swords.
"Well…" Jakob interjected, scrunching his face in a confused manner before narrowing his eyes.
He lunged forward, casting his ax downward on Cindy, who only managed to bring up Mourning Dawn in time to catch the bloodied ax with her own. She tried to not kneel under his strength as she forced their weapons together, not breaking eye contact. He is as much as determined to kill her as much as she wants to kill him.
"I guess that's the cue." Kelly turns around to see Saruman charging at her with his assault rifle raised to his face. "Ah, shit."
"My lord, Akaia and the Fourth Company has returned!" One of the vanguards shouted over the din of the battle.
As on cue, another flagship blinked into the sky over their heads. And a Ice dragon burst from a portal not much later, sending ice into the ground as he streaked past. Cyres, Mel and her own personal landed next to Rio.
"Sorry, we're late- we had to charge up Argonaut's volcano cannons and weapon batteries." Mel shouts as she creates a wall of fire around the entrance, reducing anything that touches it to ashes.
"And we have a bit more help on the way too." Cyres adds, bringing up her wall of ice.
And with the fire and ice walls meet- a massive explosion rocks the courtyard.
And out burst from the mist the entire one hundred and ten Fourth Company with the Third Company heavy weapon platforms with Akaia. Auriel and Aron with their companions drop from the ship,
Akaia's armor is torn in places, the left pauldron missing and a part of her breastplate cracked and broken revealing her under armour-clad robotic body. Leviathan and Behemoth were glowing brighter than any of the lightning claws around, shrouded in her seething rage that mirrored the battle crazed Khornate Berzerkers or the harrowing Banshees with her.
With a roar, her helmet's faceplate shattered across the mouth line, revealing the rows of sharpened teeth.
Rio also raises his halberd, giving a battle cry with his sister, then with Cyres and Mel, who engulfs themselves with their elemental fury that blazes brighter than the night. The Wraiths of Fire
The small army roared in unison, a battle banner raised high into the night as the army rallied around it.
The night ripped apart as a blue portal opens above them, the ancient ice wyvern bursting out into the material realm. Hazurfurn roared, the wyvern as old as the planet of Scyrus takes the skies towards the dragon Grimm, blue eyes glowing in all his glory as his icy body begins glowing in ancient Scyrian runes.
"Enok Var tsuri!" Came Mordred's thunderous voice as they joined the fray.
They charged.
As the standoff and the great betrayal would be recorded in Imperial Shadow and Beacon history alike, remembered for all eternity.
Even more than the battle that broke the moon ages ago.
In other words- everyone's screwed.