The Lost Son

by OculiImperator

Jaune Arc wished to live his own life, a life not in the shadow of the Arc Family but a life where he could make his own choices. In order to escape that shadow, he decided to become a Huntsman. What he did not realize was that while Duty and Desire may not always share the same road they often share the same destination.

27. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

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"The disastrous performance of our Armed Forces in attacking West Brom is a testament to the outdated practices of our military. We gave them poor equipment, poor training, and poor leadership especially with the Nobleman in command of our grounds forces. These are the three key factors that led to our defeat. Though despite these glaring truths, it would seem that some of you have come to the conclusion that it was in fact the failure of our allies to give proper intelligence of a Rebel held town during winter which just so happens to be getting close to reaching its height as well as being the coldest year in the last decade and their unwillingness to abdicate their resources to our control as the reasons for our defeat. So rather than just accepting our own faults we squabble, bicker and points fingers. Gentlemen I know that to hear that we are the ones most responsible after the Rebels for this defeat is painful but I implore you to not let your pride get in the way of cooperation and victory. Our Allies are doing their best to help us even if it means sending their sons to die at our feet to save us from a traitor's dagger. Which is also why I am appalled at the things that have been said at this council these last few weeks. If we are not careful we may find ourselves fighting this war alone and if that were to occur then let me give the eulogy for our beloved Realm now as we won't get that chance later."

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Jaune was asleep when the door to his room came off its hinges with a snap. With a jolt he was on his feet with Crocea Mors drawn as he looked at the door but he lowered his sword and shield as he saw Areto entering the room. The former Praetorian was, as always, wearing her armor minus the helmet as she strode into the room.

"Pretty sure the door was unlocked." Jaune said dryly before collapsing his shield as Areto tossed him a shirt from the floor.

"First of all, why are you half naked, second, you need to bulk up more you're still a little thin, third get dressed Heim needs you at Regimental HQ, she brought the Regiment to Combat Stance 2." Areto said before leaving and Jaune scrambled to get his gear on.

"What do you mean? Is Emburacum requesting aid? Has the enemy been sited?" Jaune called out as he hopped out the door still buckling his sword belt while his chest plate was loosely hanging on him.

"I don't know the full details; I was surveying the line when the alert came down to 2nd Battalion to stand ready but I know Emburacum is still holding. I believe the problem is to our south. Remember that Brythonian noble, Durant?"

"Dunnett." Jaune corrected.

"Yea that guy, you know how he was pulling as many levy troops as he can to go south to attack a major town?"

"West Brom, I'm aware of this but he wasn't the overall commander for that."

"That's beside the point, the crux of the issue is that they lost, and now there's a concern it's opened a new gap in the lines that the Rebels are or will take advantage of. We're not sure who can plug the gap so Heim is making the suggestion that it would be prudent to prepare some of the Armored Companies and maybe a few Mechanized companies to push south but she's still working on getting the best information for you to make the final call on it." Areto said as the two of them descended down the main stairs past Lieutenant Kurrat who was assembling one of the retinue platoons in full battledress. People were scrambling to get to their assigned duty stations. Outside it was even more hectic than usual as Luguval readied itself for whatever combat situation it might find itself in.

Jaune looked up as the two of them moved down the street towards the center of town to see Brythonian crews manning their stations as well. It had taken them a while but first set of buildings that Jaune had reinforced now carried multiple crewed weapon platforms on their rooftops.

Beforehand most of the buildings used by the Loyalist forces were fixed up just enough to be livable in while the only major defense was focused on the trench line. It was intended for the combat to be centered on the line with a few buildings far out enough that it was easier to integrate them as ad hoc watch towers rather than go around. Since they were now in charge of the town, Jaune had worked to add a deeper layer of defense in the form of stripping more buildings of useful supplies or building resources then structurally enhance clusters of buildings around the town.

In theory they should be able to take a few more heavy hits, while being a little more defendable. That said they weren't perfect, a few feet of wood, concrete, bricks and even a little metal wouldn't stop a Thermal lance from puncturing it like a balloon. At the moment it seemed to be working as the air raids that they've been getting, regardless of the weather, had struck hard in several places over the last ten days. Yet no serious damage to any vital structures or major defense points had been reported.

Luckily Brythonian air power outside of the Dragoons mostly consisted of a few propeller based aircraft that Arcadia and Gaellia had sold to them. So they were a precious resource that he figured they'd start keeping close after they realize there was a significant amount of Anti-Air to stop anything short of a committed attack.

Jaune turned the corner of street after letting one of the Regiment's Sicaran Heavy Tanks go past him as it turned a corner chewing up the loose portions of the cobble street, a feat that would require them to repair over time to avoid long term impairment. Another thing Jaune was learning with his time in the Regiment was that there had been some developmental progress when it came to the Sicaran Heavy Tank series in Arcadia.

As unbeknownst to him, a new generation of Heavy Tanks has been created recently, by recent though he really meant in the last decade. The roll out however has been a bit disorganized, most Sicaran Heavy Tanks still in Arcadia have been going through refits rather than being replaced by the new generation. While crews outside the Kingdom have little chance to get replacements or even upgrades. Hopefully with his father in eastern Sanus it might allow them to be introduced to units in the field.

That said what Jaune understood was that the new Sicaran Tanks had up to an additional fourteen inches of Syn Armor, a much stronger engine though the increased armor did counteract it a little so it's still not a very fast tank but the average performance has increased. As well as a strengthened internal mechanical system, a larger but simpler tread and track system for its increased size plus a bunch of other stuff that went over his head. In the end this variant was five meters longer while being two and a half meters wider as well as a meter taller than the iteration he's seen.

As for its armament it seemed the Actaeon Tank Destroyer series still held the largest caliber gun amongst the arsenal of Arcadian tanks with the Heavy Tank Destroyer variant wielding the 152mm cannon. While adding it to the Sicaran was talked of it was decided to leave the already strong 135mm cannon in place. Rumor had it though from some of the Enginseers that the idea of moving to an energy based weapon is on the table for discussion.

Something that interested Jaune a lot, as energy based weapons was something that Arcadia lacked, to the best of his knowledge he knew that only Knight Walkers had anything resembling that sort of technology. Whereas with the high usage of Dust, the Four Kingdoms had a plethora of advanced energy based weapons at their disposal, and it could only improve as time went on. Jaune also had the feeling that Ironwood was the sort of man that would do anything to fix the image of Atlas being the strongest military in the world. Jaune also knew that it may not be fair of him to think that since he didn't actually know the man but that was beside the point, he was getting distracted again.

Turning the opposite direction the Sicaran went; Jaune crossed a small plaza before heading down some alley stairs until he saw the Regiment's Headquarters. It was a sizable bank located on the far side of a large park that had long since been turned into a camp fortification, sandbag walls and wood dugouts with concrete road barriers reinforcing various walls or the overall perimeter of the encampment.

In the courtyard of the bank was an assortment of platoons from each Battalion's 1st company or acting as representatives such as 3rd Battalion who would be on their long range patrol rotation. Soldiers saluted him as he strode past which he returned without breaking stride. While he was fine with being saluted he still had to make sure he didn't stop to think about how weird it was that he was being saluted by men and women that could be twice his age.

The noise inside the building was far less welcoming, immediately aides from Operations, Logistics, and Intelligence were coming up to him. All wanting to discuss their reports that they all felt were urgent to discuss. Areto however slammed the bottom of her poleaxe on the granite floor cracking it with ease but it got the point across of what she wanted them to do and they all stopped talking.

"I understand you all have information to share but don't forget your S.O.P, gather, analyze then report your findings to your superiors. I can't stand here listening to everything as it comes." Jaune said holding his hands up to soften the hardline approach he had instructed Areto to do on his behalf. A diplomatic practice he was starting to pick up from his father though he was still rough with the execution.

Jaune soon made his way towards the main offices in the back of the building where soldiers from 1st Company's 1st platoon stood in full battledress guarding the hallways. Areto led him down a long hallway where some doors off to either side were open with boards marking them for a number of things. Some were General staff rooms for personnel issues within the regiment or with the locals and their allies. Some were for battalion logistic staff who compiled reports of materials and after action or general mission reports. A few conjoining rooms were also occupied by vox operators coordinating previously issued orders with their unit counterparts about the Regiment coming to full alert. While some were listening to local frequencies to glimpse any information that might be omitted from the messages they receive from their allies or to monitor any open rebel frequencies or to find and decipher coded messages.

As they turned a corner into a long hallway, Jaune could see a squad of soldiers stood in front of a set of double wood doors at the far end. In front of the soldiers however was a concrete barrier with a heavy stubber set up on a tripod with a clear line of sight. Without needing to stop then verify their identity Jaune and Areto moved through the doors as the soldiers held them open before closing behind them with a soft thud.

They were now in the officer meeting area, or the former office of the bank owner, as it was the largest place to hold meetings for the regiment's senior officers. At the far end of the room were three great windows, or they were windows until Heim ordered them to be boarded up with wood before drawing their curtains leaving the room dark had it not been for the chandeliers above them. It did however make the room feel stuffy when a lot of people were crowded in for a long time such as these moments.

"Good to see you sir." Heim said in her modulated voice as she gave a crisp salute, the first to notice him as he approached a long conference table placed in the room. The officers around the long table turned to salute him as well before lowering their arms as he made his way to the head of the table next to Heim.

The assembled officers surrounding the table were Colonel Heim, Lieutenant Colonel Dylan Griffith commanding 2nd Battalion along with Captain Eifion Pryde, Captain Katja Kofoed representing 3rd Battalion, then Major Bertran of 4th Battalion along with Captain Quentin Bozonnet. Then there was Major Amberstriker from their Armored Battalion, Captain Herschlag who commanded their Artillery Company. Jaune also saw Captain Grall Epon and Lieutenant Ciane Euryale from the Huntsmen Company. Then there were the General Staff officers. Even the Squadron Leaders for the Regiment's logistical fleet were present from troop transports to Centaurs and Trojan support vehicles.

"Let's get this started." Jaune said looking over at Heim who nodded in return; with a small gesture of her hand a projector was wheeled to the far end of the room before turning on using the drawn curtains as a backdrop. The projected image was linked to Heim's data slate that showed four different map files. One was marked as Luguval, another as the 3rd Regiment's Operating Area which would include places like Emburacum. While the third was a map of the region they were in called Rhaged. The last was of the Brythonian Realm along with known locations of their allies or other Outland towns surrounding it.

"We received a message earlier this morning from Greydon about a defeat to the south of us in the territory known as Brwynedd." Heim said bringing up the map of the Brythonian Realm before using a laser pointer to circle the area in question which was south of their region. This news however drew some murmurs as it was the first definitive news of a battle outcome that they've been able to get their hands on outside of their area of operations. Whether it's due to oversight or on purpose was something Jaune or his staff couldn't say for sure.

"From what S2 however gathered is that it's worse than it sounds. The target was a town called West Brom, the objective was to retake the town from the token Rebel force that captured it at the start of the Rebellion, a combined force of Brythonians, Gaellians, Nordika and Ravenna attacked along three points to capture and secure the town about a day ago. We're still working on details but the gist of what happened is that over five thousand soldiers were routed in less than eight hours. The assumption is that the Rebels had the same idea about launching a winter assault to prepare for a heavy spring offensive; the issues that come to light however are the strength of the Rebel force that enabled them to quickly counter the Assault group's push then rout them. Speculation is either that they have a much larger force than what was thought that they could use in a short amount of time or just gross incompetence in scouting out the town, most likely both. With this defeat however it means that the forces to our south are severely depleted, if an assault occurs anytime within the next week against East Brom our estimates say it can't hold for more than a few hours before folding and that's if the attackers had equal numbers to their already low troop count." Heim said as the assembled group murmured again in a much more worried mood and Jaune couldn't help but agree as he looked up at the map.

If he was the enemy he would surely go east then swing hard north, don't hold any of the towns on the eastern push, burn them down to slow the enemy from trying to retaliate, as it would not only leave no shelter or supply points but the dead towns would also agitate the Grimm diverting forces away from the main front to deal with the eastern front. From that point focus on crushing the now isolated northern forces before they could consolidate any sizable force to both stomach a siege or launch a counter assault of their own. If the north is also taken it would then cut off quick reinforcements from Nordika or Ravenna from linking up with the Loyalist faction.

This touched on the real importance of Rhaged over even the large food or ore production, its strategic positioning. It allowed easy access for Ravenna and Nordika to travel for trade or military purposes. If Rhaged fell the only other paths were the old trails that crossed a series of mountains infested with the Creatures of Grimm that have beaten every attempt to colonize them in the last fifty years. Or taking the far eastern trade routes, safer but could add up to ten days of travel time before they reached Gaellian territory then two or three days to cross their lands to get back into Brythonia.

Which to be honest scared Jaune a little as the greatest concentration of forces in their region was designed to hold the west or even the north, the Emburacum Line. Which including his Regiment was meant to hold against an already present Rebel Army that was at least equal in overall strength to what they could field. Nor did they have any real clue about the current status of the Rebel forces to their north. With Alnerwick abandoned it marked the complete control of the Bryneich territory for the Rebel cause.

Greydon, Rhaged's capital, had a little more than nine thousand men spread across ten underequipped militia units. Most of those units however were being used to police and guard over seventy thousand people that reside in the capital city. Its actual population though was much higher with the myriad of refugees fleeing from Rebel zones or from the various communities or towns in the region when the war broke out. Jaune wanted to discuss the idea of trying to recruit a good deal of those refugees to fill out the slowly depleting Militia and Levy units. So far he had been unable to talk with anyone aside from the unit commanders in Morley and Emburacum about it.

Yet neither were they the only ones in trouble as to their south east, was the territory known as Telmet which bordered Rhaged and Brwynedd. Telmet was the only real industrial zone which manufactured most of the products that the Brythonian Realm needed. As such it needed to keep as much of its precious manpower for mining and manufacturing instead relying on the Marquesses to protect it normally or the other Territories in troubled times but this was one of the situations where they couldn't rely on their brothers for that. The next serious military force would have been in Brwynedd and Powys who were both to the south as well but pressed against the Rebel held Syluria who also was to Rhaged's south west.

"We have had contact with the Ravenna still in the town of Dunholm, since they along with the Nordika used it as their launch point for the attack of West Brom. They say they've been getting stray units from their main Assault group. Maybe one in five made it out alive as far as they can tell. We don't know the details of the Brythonians and the Gaellians who were attacking the town further south but chances are they suffered just as bad if not worse. As for the Nordika, as far as anyone knows they fought to the last man holding the rearguard for the Ravenna who took as many wounded as they could with them. This is why I've set us on Combat Stance 2, as I believe we may need to divert assets down south to Dunholm to possibly support a defensive action against a Rebel offensive."

"What makes you say that Colonel?" Jaune asked as the other officers talked amongst each other at this.

"There are two reasons for this sir; the first is that Brwynedd doesn't have the strength to hold off a major attack. As you may know they've got at most ten operational Battalions left that are stretched very thin, they should have more but we've been hearing that a lot of Battalions were transferred though we don't know where or why. That said there is a glimmer of good news; it seems elements from the 9th Brigade's 1st Infantry have been moving into the areal." This got Jaune's attention and Heim nodded at everyone's reaction as Jaune rubbed his chin in thought before Heim continued.

"It's the best strategic option we have, if the Rebels push hard north we'll be forced to divert assets anyways since Dunholm has only a few units of Ravenna guarding it with maybe some local Levy or Militia but also who knows how many wounded they're taking care of. If the town falls this might prompt the Rebels in Winwaed to launch a large scale assault on Emburacum and that'll start shutting strategic options for us."

"I suppose that makes sense, we can probably afford to push a Battalion maybe a little more to head to Dunholm." Jaune said as he took the proffered laser point to start gesturing across the screen.

"We'll link up with the units there to better gauge the situation and to see how the Rebels react. If they hold their position, digging in for the winter then we can hold there for contact with the 1st Regiment's units in the field. If not we can use the position for a counter swing either way, if they try pushing east we'll come down on their flank hard with an heavy thrust or hold them at bay until units in Brwynedd can come up on their flank instead. Of course we'll need to get word to the Army units in Brwynedd so that they can be prepared for either event." Heim nodded at that as Jaune continued.

"Amberstriker, what units do you have ready for a long range combat mission?" Jaune asked looking at his dedicated Armor commander who stood up before clearing her throat.

"The cold weather has been a little tough but I reckon I can pull a company strength force without being too much of a strain on our Armor reserves here in case we need to deploy against an attack from the north or against Emburacum." The major said as Jaune nodded.

"Pick out a company and have them ready their supply train within the day. As for the main strength, I'll take 1st Battalion into the field along with the Retinue since Walden is on forward garrison duty." Jaune said in the corner of his eye he could see Heim look at him.

"Heim, take command of the Regiment and prepare a response force in case things escalate, no more than three of our companies at best though if you can get into contact with Morley or Greydon to deploy units as well do so but don't count on it. In any case the response force can be of whatever configuration you think would work." Jaune said before pointing towards the other town acting as the southern guard, Morley.

"In the meantime be wary of additional attacks on the line especially around Morley, I've been looking at some of the maps in the local library; there are several old roads that come up by Morley and a few that even extend towards Greydon when Syluria was colonized. They're old and the Brythonians rarely use them now aside from herdsmen with their livestock after the main highway was built near Isca. I reckon it's been overlooked and that's what's hurting our rear lines."

"What are you suggesting sir?" Major Bertran asked.

"I think the Commander means that the raids aren't actually coming through the Emburacum Line or from the north but from our southern flank." Lieutenant Colonel Griffith said he was a tall, well built, dark skinned man with short cropped blue hair. Jaune knew very little about the man other than that he was a competent officer according to his file; the only person that knew him well was Heim, who wouldn't say much about him as well.

"That's correct Lieutenant Colonel, I want to reorganize our patrol pattern, pull two companies from the northern areas and have them push south instead along the roads and railways."

"But sir, doesn't that leave us open to the possibility of getting attacked from the north or east?" Captain Kofoed asked.

"There is a chance that the enemy might notice our patrols have lessened in strength but our objective is only to destroy small enemy patrols or delaying enemy vanguards long enough for us to bring our strength around on them. In either case if they really wanted to attack us the only routes would be across the open fields, even if they go through the forest we'll see them before they get into range of Luguval. As for the east if they go that far then they could easily just bypass us to attack Greydon or destroy supply points long before we can actually do anything about it." Jaune explained before looking around.

"Captain Epon?" Jaune asked looking down the table at the seasoned Huntsman.

"Yes sir?"

"See if you can muster anywhere from two to four teams worth of Huntsman to prepare to embark as well. Since 4th Battalion isn't going I want units with the flexibility to recon in force." Epon nodded at that.

"I'll get on it as soon as I can." The man said and Jaune nodded. He needed to keep the Huntsmen contingent happy especially since Ruby, who had been his liaison with them, was out of action.

"Alright I want the combat group to be ready for departure at 0530 tomorrow. Unit commanders will be sent to me for a discussion on the route we'll be taking. Wallace, Keegan, and Captain Hopkins figure out which troop trucks, Trojans and Centaurs we'll need for the journey then get a report on ammunition and fuel stockpiles we have, plan for a long term combat mission up to ten days but no more than that, I know we're tightening the belt a little more than we may need but even if we can get into contact with 1st Regiment to establish a solid supply line it'll still take time before we see them delivered." Jaune said looking at the assembled group of officers.

"Any questions?" One of the Lieutenants from the Trojans squadrons raised his hand to which Jaune nodded at him to speak.

"Sir, I don't mean to sound, well, I guess disobedient but have we laid out an ultimatum to the Brythonians about our supply chains? I feel like they're purposely sabotaging us so that they can use us as meat shields. The winter weather is causing problems that I don't think we're going to keep ahead of for long, fuel lines are breaking, treads needed to be constantly deiced and running our engines every hour to prevent them from completely freezing is wearing down our supplies quicker than what Captain Wallace or Captain Keegan can provide or manage, no offense." The man said with the last part directed at the two Regimental staffers, First Lieutenant Faerber looked at Jaune who nodded in response before she stood up.

"This is a problem we're well aware of and have come to understand that it isn't just us. All the units in this region have been having communication failures." Faerber explained as she took the proffered laser to point at the regional map.

"From what we were able to understand, the Brythonian Army has two methods of communication, open air vox or radio transmissions and hard lines. Open air vox transmissions which even with our tech has always been only reliable only for a relatively short distance, it's part of the reason why the Four Kingdom's CCT network is so pivotal with how reliable it can be over long distance between nodes but that's beside the point. The problem we've found is that regardless of the position, in an open field or on top of a building signals start to break up at the ten mile mark even our own high powered vox casters can't go far beyond that. The second method is a series of hard line connections that they have been installing for the last ten years as a more reliable medium against natural disasters or military sabotage. At least in theory that's the case but the problem, beside the bulk of the military rebelling, however lies in the fact that they all have to be connected to a main line that's intact for the branching lines to work properly. So if the those branches are connected to a section of the main line that is damaged or destroyed then it'll either have a really poor connection at best or be completely dead. We have to assume that the main lines are damaged somewhere far south as even Greydon has poor lines of communication, this may be due to the uprising that was put down there when the Rebellion started but these hard lines need to be in perfect shape to work properly. So it's difficult to be sure but it's not something we can really expect to be useful unless the damaged sections are found and repaired. Considering how large the Realm is we would be looking for a needle in a haystack that's been buried underground." She explained and Jaune had to admit that made a lot of sense.

"So what's the reason why vox signals aren't going as far as they should?" Another officer asked.

"It's unclear exactly; I've personally inspected our vox casters and have identified no equipment issues when testing various pieces for specific instrumental failures. I believe that even the Brythonians do not understand what's going on, even their records show, well the ones that I've seen anyways, indicate that this phenomena started just before the war began." Keegan interjected.

"Is there a chance that there's interference somewhere? Maybe the Rebels started it as a part of their grand strategy to prevent the Loyalists from coordinating, instead letting multiple different chains of communication trying to overcome each other but just making it a confused mess." Jaune said.

"You're onto something sir, it's clear that if we can restore or broaden our communication range it'll help the war effort against the Rebels. So they have it in their best interest to prevent long range coordination. Keegan have you figured out the chances or at least if there is in fact some sort of jamming interference that may have missed initially?" Heim asked.

"I've already guessed that there is a high chance we missed something that isn't standard Brythonian equipment but it can take weeks maybe even months to actually track down the source or sources. Another thing to consider is that it's not really jamming signals but more accurately, as I suspect, deflecting or dispersing the signal which can be easier to hide from us as it's not acting necessarily as a dead zone. I would like to take several squads into my command to assist in trying to triangulate what or where the inference in our vox is coming from." Keegan replied.

"Alright then, put together a mission detail on how many squads and what equipment you'll need for an extended stay in the field to run your tests." Heim said looking to Jaune who nodded in return. With that the meeting was dismissed after the assembled officers were given more details on troop movements and reports shown on the maps for references. Jaune was soon left standing off to the side with Areto who hadn't said anything since the meeting had start after he excused Heim to debrief the rest of 1st Battalion's company commanders.

"So what did you think?" Jaune asked looking at the quiet woman, he couldn't see her face but he'd known her for most of his life so he looked at her posture for clues. A quick look told him nothing so he had no clue what she was thinking or feeling.

"I think you should have let Heim take command of this mission but overall I think your performance was fine, I'll see what the Colonel has to say about this though." She finally said.

"Are you okay Areto?" Jaune asked instead of taking the bait about his performance the exiled Praetorian's helmet shifted slightly in his direction.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you seem really quiet all of a sudden, there's something on your mind isn't there, you know you can tell me anything."

"In that case, have you been having sex with Pyrrha?" This brought him up short.

"I, uh, okay I don't know how to respond to that." Jaune manage to say.

"Jaune, listen to me, I saw her clothes folded at the foot of your bed. Are you two having sex because if you are then let me arrange an off the book meeting with Osment to give you both physicals and provide you two with birth control." Areto continued and Jaune stepped in front of her.

"This is not the time for that but no we're not having sex, Pyrrha just sort of, well, shares my quarters." Jaune hissed and Areto looked down at him but with her helmet on it was hard to tell what the look she was giving him was.

"Look Jaune, it's something your mother did when your sisters grew older and since she's not here it's up to me to give you the talk."

"And I appreciate it Areto but right now is not the moment to do this."

"I understand." Jaune sighed in relief at that.

"But you know what would also ruin the moment, a screaming baby." Jaune opened and closed his mouth a few times before simply walking away. The faint rattle of metal behind him letting him know that Areto was laughing on the inside of her armor.

---

Later That Night…

Jaune watched from the apartment's couch as Areto did a small tour of the place. He knew that she wanted to keep him safe but he reckoned the chances of some sort of assassin making their way to where he lived past dozens of soldiers, let alone a city full of soldiers, was low if not just plain impossible. Also she wanted to replace the door she broke earlier though Jaune had waved it off since there were three bedrooms but he supposed she just felt bad about it.

"Looks clear, I'll come back at 0400 to wake you up so it's best that you go to sleep as soon as you can." Areto finally advised and Jaune sighed.

"You know you sigh a lot." Areto pointed out but he ignored that.

"I would but I still want to go over the debriefing report from Ruby since you didn't let me see her." Areto shook her head at that.

"No need, there's some things in there that I think my knowledge will come in more use so I need to explain it to you on our way south tomorrow." Jaune nodded slowly at that and did not relish what it could be. It goes to show that learning the truth wasn't always a good thing, Jaune already felt like he would have been happier not knowing that there were creatures as bad if not worse than the Grimm waiting to kill or torture him in a horrific manner that would shatter his sanity till his actual soul was snuffed out forever.

"Whatever you say Areto, I understand." Jaune said instead realizing that he hadn't responded to her.

"I don't think you do just yet but thank you Jaune, I know you're getting anxious about all these new and fucked up things you're experiencing but have some faith in me."

"I know, you've been my mentor and my friend for a long time Areto, I trust you." Jaune said and he meant it regardless of his desire to go back to his blissful ignorance.

"Have a nice night Jaune; I'll be in the security room if you need anything." The Praetorian called out as she left the apartment.

"I better not find any cameras in the bathroom again!" Jaune called out but got no response as he sat back looking at the ceiling. Jaune was lucky that the apartment had a working fireplace as the night wind was chilly as always. Even though the windows were all boarded up then covered with tarp and rugs in part to prevent light leakage as air raids were still a thing. Yet despite all that Jaune still wished he could look out the window.

Going to the roof was out of the question for more or less the same reason; though generally speaking no one was allowed on the rooftops of populated buildings save for maintenance or actual defense. A security risk as it was explained though while he didn't argue the fact he did think it wasn't really helpful. As even a decent amount of observation could clue a person in on where the populated areas were by the amount of foot traffic in the streets.

"So, did she give you the talk as well?" Pyrrha's voice startled him and Jaune jumped up his hands reaching to pull Crocea Mors out but he was caught off guard when the sword didn't come free. Looking down he could see a faint black shroud around his weapon. He looked up to see Pyrrha holding her fist up which was covered in a similar outline.

"That's just cheating." Jaune said but a smile came to his face at seeing her as she laughed releasing her control on his weapon.

"And yes but thankfully she agreed not to have Osment give us a lecture and an examination."

"That's good but Hilda and Nora gave me that talk anyways." Pyrrha said as she hopped onto the couch as Jaune settled back down next to her.

"Yea Ren sort of gave me that as well." Pyrrha quirked an eyebrow at hearing that as she looked at him with her pretty eyes, Jaune shook his head mentally to clear it.

"What did he say?"

"Well, it wasn't really a speech or anything he just said that I shouldn't do anything he wouldn't do."

"Which means?"

"I have no idea; I guess I shouldn't break up with Nora?"

"Makes sense, the two of you would be a cute couple."

"You think? Nora's nice but I really dig her other friend, the tall girl."

"Yang?" Pyrrha asked.

"That's the one, I think it's the hair, blondes need to stick together."

"I mean it doesn't help that Yang's got some nice boobs and a killer body with how much she enjoys getting physical. I mean have you seen her abs?" Pyrrha pointed out with a grin and Jaune couldn't help but laugh despite feeling his face flush as his mind involuntarily dragged up images of Yang's doing rather interesting things. Whether or not Pyrrha knew what he was thinking wasn't clear but she was laughing as well so he figured it would probably be best not to say anything.

"While Yang's pretty in her own right, I was thinking of the other girl. You might know her. She's tall, strong, intelligent, and witty." He began as Pyrrha leaned in closer to him as he leaned in as well.

"I might know her but please tell me more about her." Pyrrha said softly.

"She's also super kind and caring about her friends with warmth that just brings whatever room she's in alive. And her striking green eyes are so captivating that I feel like I'm in a forest when she looks at me and I can feel my soul warm up in joy when she smiles at me." Jaune continued their faces inches away from each other.

"She's beautiful and graceful with lips that make me want to touch them with my own and never stop." He said with their lips almost touching.

"My, with words like those you may very well get what you wish for." Pyrrha said her breath brushing warmly against his mouth as her face got closer and closer just before her lips found his. Soon Jaune found himself getting pushed onto the couch as Pyrrha maneuvered herself over him as they started making out with the passion of two youths that found something they thoroughly enjoyed.

Unfortunately the soft but repeated booming of heavy ordnance began to echo in the distance while a low wailing noise grew ever persistent. Pyrrha broke the kiss as she stood up, calling her new weapons to her hands as Jaune got to his feet.

"That must be an air raid." Jaune noted.

"Should we get into our defense positions?"

"Well since Areto hasn't barged in freaking out on us it's a good sign and even then the town should be running dark they won't have any good targets to try and hit." They stood there listening before settling back down cognizant of the distant air raid and how it seemed to be getting closer. After a while it became clear that who or whatever was attacking them was probably not coming near their part of town. As the sound of cannon fire quickly died down to nothing leaving just the faint burble of commotion. They set their weapons back down as they sat next to each other before Pyrrha rested her head on his shoulder as he took her into his own.

"Are you excited about finally leaving Luguval?" Pyrrha asked breaking the relative silence.

"I'm been leaving Luguval regularly though." Jaune pointed out and she rolled her eyes.

"You know what I mean, we're heading south again."

"Oh did Epon pick you?"

"Yea, but I think he really just picked all the Huntsmen that regularly attach themselves to 1st Battalion plus a few others to help bring the number up to your order."

"Makes sense but honestly I kind of wish we didn't have to go. I rather just wait out the bulk of the war here in our own corner." Pyrrha nodded at that.

"I feel that, though if anything I kind of wish we could have just finished our four years of Beacon in peace."

"That too but I guess life has a way of telling us that what we want is irrelevant." Jaune remarked while staring into the fire before wiggling himself out from under Pyrrha before beginning to pull the Graphene armor off himself. Pyrrha felt her face grew hot as she watched him, when she first met Jaune his body was still more of a athletically lean build which was attractive in its own way however he had been putting on some more muscle that really worked well for his physical tone that just did wonders for Pyrrha's mental theater of him. How she wished she could run her hands all over him and feel his bare body against hers. Yet a part of her hesitated at seeing the marred portion of his shoulder where he had been injured before coming to Beacon. It reminded her of her own scar and she felt conscious of it that she brought her leg up to run her fingers along its length again.

"You're not going to go on about how you didn't want this, are you?" Pyrrha asked instead and Jaune turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

"Nope, believe it or not I think my father was right, though I wouldn't tell him to his face that. I think I'm as much if not more suited to this sort of role as being a Huntsman or at the very least I think I do actually enjoy it to a degree that I wasn't expecting. In any case I still believe Huntsmen have a valuable place in society but being where I am now I find it, I don't know, I guess comfortable? I'm not sure how I can describe it other than that. All I do know is that I'd leave the hero sort of stuff to you or Ruby." Jaune said as he rested his back against the couch. Pyrrha was a little surprised to hear that as she expected Jaune to accept that he needed to do what he could but would have kept his heart on being a Huntsman, if anything she was a little worried now. As Pyrrha found that while she was no longer chafing at the military or the military lifestyle that the Arcadians thrived in, she would still prefer being a Huntress. Yet she also knew that she would love to be with Jaune even after Beacon with the two of them continuing being partners but if Jaune was pulling away from being a Huntsman to accept his role in his father's Kingdom then what would happen to the two of them? Would they separate, were they even technically officially together? Would Jaune find another woman, and marry her even if it was a marriage of convenience? To many questions and what ifs were going on that Pyrrha needed to lock them away as that time was no doubt going to be way down the road hopefully.

"Speaking of which, did you talk to Ruby?" Jaune asked but Pyrrha shook her head.

"I wanted to but when we went to see her she was being interviewed again so Nora and I helped some of the squad members that were with her pass her belongs along."

"Ah well that's good but I guess it makes sense."

"What do you mean?"

"Well I haven't read the report but from what I understand Ruby didn't fight Rebels or the Creatures of Grimm." Pyrrha frowned at that.

"I imagine I had that same expression when I heard that."

"Then who or what did she fight?"

"I'm not really sure; Areto said she'll explain it to me in detail tomorrow."

"Not sure if I want to hear it now but chances are it's going to be something that we'll hear about regardless."

"I mean it could be worse." Jaune said and she looked at him.

"How so?"

"I don't know, I just said that because I could."

"Well, I guess you're not wrong but I don't think I want to see let alone know if one of those, things, was in a hundred miles of me." Pyrrha said as she sat up straight to allow her own armor to start falling away. She had been practicing using her semblance to speed up the process and automatically take off most of her new armor; there were still some hiccups as some of the connecting points could snap off if she was too rough with them.

So she ended up having to stand up and strip the last bits off by hand as Jaune loosened his boots next to her. Though she did make sure to bend in his face as Nora suggested but she wasn't sure if he noticed as a peek past her legs showed he was intent on untying a knotted bootlace. A failure this time she reckoned but she was confident that the next time would get some good results.

What she didn't know was that Jaune had been paying close attention to her bending over at his eye level. It took all his will power to not gawk let alone reach out to touch what could be only hinted at as a glorious monument to the effort Pyrrha put in at working out. This was fortunate as he noticed her glancing around a few moments later; he would have also been in a prime spot to get a knee to the face which he didn't want to risk.

"It makes you wonder though, if the Creatures of Grimm aren't the same as Neverborn nor are they like normal animals, then what are they? I mean, I don't think even the Dragon that killed the Grimm Wyvern is like them, it's a living creature and probably has a soul." Pyrrha mused finally as tidied her armor on the coffee table next to Jaune's gear.

"I think that's been a question that's older than the Kingdoms and there are so many theories out there still. Tortured animal spirits, demons, or some may claim that they're simply the antitheses to life and thus a natural part of the cycle. And if we thought about it hard I'm sure we could have our own theories but honestly I'm not sure it matters." Jaune said as Pyrrha swung her bare legs across his lap.

"I guess that's true, in the end it doesn't really matter what they are. The only thing we need to know is that we need to keep fighting and killing them or they'll kill all of us. We'll be fighting till the day the world ends I think." She said as Jaune lightly rubbed her shin and calves.

"It's kind of sad when you think about it, especially when one considers how poorly the Four Kingdoms treated the fact that we're in a war that has been going on for as long as Human and Faunus have been alive on the world. We're not desperately losing yet but we're also not winning either yet we've ignored that fact instead living a life shielded from these truths. I mean all it took was one terrorist attack from Roman and the White Fang to push Vale into turmoil. Yet this Outland Kingdom, which most of the world doesn't even know exist, is fighting an actual war that involves tens of thousands of soldiers killing each other while also fighting off the Grimm at the same time yet it technically is enduring."

"But Arcadia is better?" Pyrrha asked quirking an eyebrow.

"I know it may have sounded like I was posturing based on like nationalistic pride, like look at us we're superior, but that isn't what I meant. Arcadia hasn't actually doing better cause if it was then things like the Invasion of Vale wouldn't seem so scary. No, the only real difference is that it accepted war as an actual state of the world and acts in what it thinks is a more appropriate manner thereby appearing at a glance to do better. I would like to think, if anything, this is a denunciation of Ozpin."

"Ozpin?"

"Yea, I mean don't you remember all those speeches and talks he gave during the first month of school. I honestly don't think he was that prepared to actually teach us the dangers of the world."

"I'm not sure, I think he did but he didn't think it was necessary to get all fixated on it. Like to him we had to remain sane before and after the fighting to have truly won. Sacrificing principals to win isn't actually wining." Pyrrha said after a moment as her mind drifted back.

"That said Ozpin's way of thinking was problematic in other ways, and sometimes I think it would have been better to never have come to Beacon in the first place after what happened." Pyrrha said a lot more softly but not so much that Jaune wouldn't have heard her. A strong but warm hand touched her shoulder and she turned her head to see Jaune looking into her eyes.

"I know what you went through was difficult Pyr, and I'm sorry for bringing it up but I'm glad you're here with us…with me." He said as he kept his eyes locked with hers and all she could do was smile before she turned her head away. Jaune, while he wouldn't say aloud, caught the faint glimpse of her blinking rapidly before she looked back at him.

"I'm glad I'm here with you as well Jaune." She said before kissing his cheek while he took her hand and kissed the top of it.

"Anyways, it's gonna be a long drive and we're probably going to arrive in the middle of a battle so we should go to bed." Pyrrha said as she yawned stretching her arms over her head and enjoying the look of concentration on Jaune's face as he both tried to stare but not stare her shirt as it was pulled taunt against her body.

"You're right, you can go on ahead, I'm gonna put away some stuff first then come inside." Jaune said as he stood up only to look back down at a grinning Pyrrha who had her arms held out.

"Carry me." She said, with that Jaune scooped her up before carrying her to their shared bedroom.

---

Elsewhere…

Yang picked up a towel that she used to mop up sweat that coated her face. A glance down and she could see her body steaming in the cool air of the training floor while around her the shouts or yelling in some cases of soldiers training was loud even during the late time.

Despite being more or less accustomed to being around people again Yang had to admit she still felt the pang of unease of being away from her solitary life at home. Things had changed while she was gone and she wasn't sure if she liked it or could even tolerate it.

For instance Beacon was unrecognizable as it had stopped being a Huntsman Academy or even a school altogether. With the death of Ozpin the Vale Council eventually forfeited the Academy to the Arcadian Army after the repeated petitions from High Lord Arc before he left. It was given under the promise that it would be returned with any additional features being removed at Vale's desire when that occurred.

From what Yang had gathered however there was never really a set date but rather a mutual agreement that whenever that needed to be done it would be considered for debate. Which she reckoned wouldn't happen for a long time unless something drastic happened.

There have been a great deal of changes in that time at Beacon during the months she was at home recovering that Yang was still trying to wrap her head around. Her school was now more or less a fortress. The original structures were technically still there, but a number of modification and additions were added.

Along the roads heading away from Beacon to the north, east, south were a series of small outposts called blockhouses built out of reinforced concrete and wood spaced out every eight to twelve miles going well into places like Forever Fall as well as the Emerald Forest. The agreement with Vale required joint approval for defensive structures being built on roads leading directly to Vale as such there were a lot less along the western roads save for major junction points that proved vulnerable to attacks. They were relatively small rectangle building with firing holes for small arms along with one type of heavy crew weapon on top. Each one had enough room to billet a platoon of infantrymen along with the necessary personnel to man the guns.

Once past that a person would soon find themselves at the outer edge of the new Beacon perimeter. A slowly increasing amount of trenches that connect with a series of bunkers which were being used to screen the more time consuming construction of a large heavily reinforced wall around Beacon. From what Yang could see of the partially completed portions near her, the wall was gonna be big, probably as big if not bigger than the walls she had seen from some of the Arcadian forts in the Hurin Valleys.

Within the walls, closer to where the original Beacon structures were located there were some more changes as well. New buildings were being added by the week or in the cases of the student dorms were all expanded upon to house the thousands of people living here. Then the cliff side docking bay was also upgraded with several new platforms spreading to either side of the old ones.

While the Main Avenue had been repaired, a relatively small wall had been completed separating the old structures from the new. Relative small in comparison to the main wall under construction as this inner wall was still ten meters high and on average six meters wide. Enough space for something like a Serpent Infantry Gun or Sabre Platform to be placed with room to walk behind it while larger bastions spaced out every hundred feet held a heavy ordnance platform.

In addition, a new air field had also been formed where the old launch pads for the Emerald Forest initiations were held, a runway capable enough for Telamon Aircraft to land or be stored. Yang did find it morbidly funny when the Arcadians learned about the launch pads. As apparently the force behind the pads was considerable especially when the battle for Beacon had damaged some of the underground safety mechanisms with no one noticing. As four pallets full of food had accidentally been launched like from a catapult. The downside the technician who was counting the contents of the pallets died as well because the search parties never found her body.

The biggest, though less architectural, change was the amount of soldiers on Sanus. Including Heider's 14th there are two Army Divisions in or around the Kingdom of Vale. Then there was the three so called Ranger Battalions though one of them is supposed to be transferred out after the beating it had endured before and during the Battle of Vale. As well as the Brigades who have been on the continent for a while. All in all to her best guess was that the Arcadians had an Army that was between sixty to eighty thousand on Sanus. Which was the best guess she could make as the actual number of Arcadians probably had to be even higher if she wanted to include noncombatants like enginseers, drivers, cooks, and medical staff.

That said Heider's Division was also undermanned after these last few months. There have been numerous follow up battles that slowly mauled the 14th Division as they gradually pushed the Creatures of Grimm out from the Kingdom's southern zones. All in order for Valean workers to retake large swathes of agricultural lands or repair factories and refineries in the Agriculture Districts.

Still last she heard the 14th Division had retaken and then gained thirty miles worth of ground along the entire southern edge of Vale. Though of those miles, only a tenth was considered as permanent additions to Vale's territory due to the back and forth nature of fighting Grimm in the long term. Yet the mere fact that Arcadia had gained that ground for Vale was astonishing at first glance but Yang however also knew that Arcadian forces had taken more than just a bloody nose from doing that.

Even with all these gains, food shortages were still in Vale's future indicated by the steady rise for prices of less common or basic food items as restocking has started slowing down in many grocery or major retail stores. So even if the Agricultural Districts have been retaken it would take more than a full season to bring them back up to optimal output. Adding onto the issue that their current crops yields for the most part had been totally lost, as well as 2,100 tons of stored goods that was spoiled or destroyed during the weeks of combat the toll it will have had yet to reach its peak on the people of Vale.

The influx of Outlanders from the east was adding onto this problem if it wasn't already a problem of its own as what seemed like thousands were coming in weekly. If she recalled what she was told in the Hurin Valleys the Grimm had decimated several or now probably more Outland towns with who knew how many smaller villages.

Another thing Yang had never thought to see in her life time was the lingering vitriol for Atlas that a lot of people had. Sure the Faunus and Faunus supporting Allies disliked Atlas but more so in the fact that the SDC used them for their own gain. This new hatred was purely for Atlas and by extension Ironwood's Military. She'd been seeing it at every level of Vale society from grocery store baggers to public speeches by prospective Council candidates.

Atlas had long since pulled it forces out from Vale which ironically was another dagger against their reputation. As despite the venom many had in Vale, a good portion of the populace felt that it should have been Atlas leading the charge in this new conflict, not Arcadia. Even the ones speaking out against Atlas were in agreement that the least Atlas could do to atone was stand by them.

Arcadians were for all intents and purposes still considered outsiders, helpful sure but not one of them despite their active presence in the Kingdom. Others were of the feeling that Arcadia was only being helpful for their own purpose of subverting the political, economic and social structure of the Kingdoms to make their own empire.

Yang for the most part was indifferent when it came to them but she knew that they weren't assholes in the way the Four Kingdoms claimed. Even still rallies were held that condemned Arcadia for bullying Atlas out of Vale politically. While also making accusations of traitors, though no one they could name, within the Vale Council that were trying to lead them into become annexed by Arcadia. Which Yang found funny because she suspected that Arcadia's secret or more likely just unnoticed diplomacy with Outlanders effectively made them the largest territorial nation currently that annexing Vale wasn't that big of an interest to them.

That aside there was a third problem with Atlas, though not one considered by the public just yet but rather something recognized by economic experts and Huntsmen alike. Atlas was completely pulling out its major civilian industry. Namely Dust but also a number of factories that supply mechanical or other civilian goods and services. Vendors and retail chains were pulling their shops or supplies away from Vale at an almost alarming rate.

While not an issue at the moment, the Vale Council was scrambling to bring as many of their quarries and mines up to optimal operation to prevent an eventual shortage in the near future. This was also to keep the price for Dust in the civilian markets from reaching a premium or becoming volatile when the bulk of the incoming Dust is finally brought in from local source operations. As while the sudden departure of a lot of competitors that stifled the local Vale market, namely the SDC, it would allow Valean businesses to finally have the breathing room to thrive even expand.

Yang however had a lot more pressing issues to deal with than the geopolitical economics of the Kingdoms as world war emerges again.

She was back at training after months of inaction, and it showed with how stiff she felt both literally and figuratively. Yet it wasn't all that bad, the stiffness was going away day by day as she worked out but not without its bumps and bruises.

Training with the Sisters under Sanian's command was interesting; as it turned out that the unit Sanian held direct control was comprised of handpicked members of the Sisterhood. All of whom had one particular trait, they had their Auras unlocked. So not only did they have the durability that Aura enhanced users had but also the training, skills and gear that the majority of the Sisterhood combat oriented forces had with the idea of not using Aura at all. Yang was thoroughly enjoying the new experience, even losing a fair number of sparring matches in the beginning before she started evening it out.

When she was in school fighting the likes of Nora and Pyrrha it was challenging even daunting but there was something lacking from the fights that she was now able to put into words.

Nora, could match even exceed her in terms of raw strength with Magnhild being a tough weapon to get around if she let the hammer wielder go nuts. While Pyrrha wasn't really stronger but skilled enough that Yang always felt like she had to give everything she had from the start just short of fighting to the death.

Unlike training with Nora or Pyrrha the Sisters were able to offer her a new experience to learn from. She never felt like she was getting overwhelmed on one front like with Nora. Who was a straight forward person much like herself almost always resulting in an endurance match between the two rather than a real test of skill. Yet Yang could also piece together in her head how the fights went down thinking about what she should or could have done in the sessions unlike with Pyrrha. As Pyrrha always made it difficult to get an accurate read of a fight, in a sense a little like Blake with the use of feints or changing the direction of an attack at a moment's notice. Pyrrha's arsenal of tricks however extended to not only herself but her opponent's weapon and the environment as well.

So even when Yang disarmed her, the Champion fighter technically still wasn't fully disarmed. Though that didn't mean she couldn't make Pyrrha sweat for the win merely that it was always difficult to really have a good match. Fighting Pyrrha was fun but Yang couldn't feel herself actually benefitting with Pyrrha as a sparring partner.

This also touched upon something she realized about this, she enjoyed about fighting. This included testing herself against any unfamiliar combat scenario she could get into. That isn't to say she enjoyed killing or even hurting save for maybe the Grimm which in either case wasn't the same thing at all. No it was the competition and delight of testing herself.

The first instance of excitement she had felt in fighting new opponents was in the Hurin Valleys. Sure what happened there was terrifying enough that it still occasionally haunted her dreams. Yet she knew she'd be lying if she said that she didn't enjoy the fighting to some extent. Then of course there was the fight with the Praetorians and High Lord Arc. That was something she had replayed again and again in her mind with such a strong desire to repeat it that she wanted to convince her team to ask for a redo.

Even the Siege of Beacon looked exciting on some level that Yang was a little sad that she missed fighting in it. However the fight against Adam Taurus was a different matter that she was still coming to grips with. Not only the utter defeat and loss of her arm but the aftermath of Blake's abandonment.

She tried not to talk about her childhood with Ruby but Blake had been the first know along with Weiss later on. Now she regretted it more than anything. To have Blake run away, despite knowing the wound her mother had left which had yet to heal wasn't something she could handle. It made her sad, lonely, but also furious.

Whether or not that was truly directed at Blake or her mother for leaving her with this festering wound Yang couldn't say. So when Sun would visit her Yang had to think about how she really felt about Blake. Her feelings in regards to Blake had being more than just a friend or at least Yang felt that to be the case which she thought that Blake reciprocated despite her closeness with Sun.

Yet unlike with her mother, Blake at least had someone to truly share her feelings with this in the form of Sun. The Vacuoan Faunus had been a buoy in the sea of emotions that threatened to drown her; it made her even sadder when he also left even if it was to bring Blake back. A part of her thought it was hilarious, when she thought back to the last time she was with Sun in her room, that the two people left behind by the Cat Faunus would get so close.

Bringing her attention back to the present she looked over the training floor where dozens of Battle Sisters sparred, most stripped down to the bare necessities as they fought hand to hand. At the edges of the sparring circles Sisters in training plates parried or dodged blows though a few stood their ground as others repeatedly struck them in their training armor. Apparently it was to get them used to the idea of being hit rather than that they won't get hit.

There were also some of the regular soldiers that trained there under the supervision or instruction of Battle Sisters. Most of their lessons pertained to fighting in groups against a singular but stronger opponent similar to how her team trained for larger Grimm creatures. Yang however suspected that their training was to hone their skills against Huntsmen and Huntresses considering that those Sisters had Aura while the soldiers didn't.

Yang's current partner was a Battle Sister named Chroris Olone, who she spotted giving some pointers on throwing off a grappling opponent on the ground to a squad of soldiers. She was a little short but well-built with cropped black hair though a little pale like most of the Sisters. Apparently it was common among veterans who rarely left their armor during campaigns that often stretched in months. These long stretches would then often leave a lot of Sisters on the paler side of their complexion.

Like most of the veterans here she had a fair number of scars as well. In her case they crisscrossed both of her shoulders and neck. This was where the similarities to the others ended but with Yang began. As past her elbows was a pair of gleaming black coated metal prosthetics that were fashioned like a knight's vambrace and gauntlet for her arms with a black sleeve covering her biceps.

Yang's own Atlesian made arm had a sleek and unobtrusive look if properly covered whereas she found that the Battle Sister's plate armor aesthetic prosthetics created an odd contrast with the rest of her human body. Yang suspected that it wasn't initially like that or was an upgraded version. Her clue came from the chance of close inspection of her fists when she was punching Yang in the face earlier during one of their sparring session.

"So Yang, what did you think of today's session?" Chroris asked and Yang nodded.

"It's like how I always say, it went great."

"And how's the arm? From what the others have said you haven't been using it for long." She asked and Yang looked down at her prosthetic arm.

"I think I'm getting used to it, it can still be a little weird when I put it on or take it off but it more or less feels okay now. I've been thinking about how I can use that to my advantage, especially after you got that arm throw off. Maybe if I was grappling with someone I can dislodge or put them off balance by letting it come off."

"Not a bad idea but you'll have to be careful about that, probably could find a way to tether your arm in case you do something like that for easy retrieval in a fight. Other than that I'm glad to hear you're in good spirits about this, I remember when I got injured I was terrified about being forced to retire, I still have some fight left in me that I wanna use before I transfer out to someplace like a Progena to teach novices." She said with a wink that made Yang smile.

"Is that what happens to every Sister that retires or comes off frontline duty? They become teachers?"

"Not really, the Sisterhood handles a lot of civilian programs, distributing food, getting into medicine, community or social arbitration, outreach programs for orphans, therapy and rehabilitation programs, being assistants or doing bureaucratic work as well just to name a few."

"What about relationships?"

"Relationships?"

"Yea, ya know, dating, having a partner or settling down that sort of stuff?"

"Ah, that's a weird one, it's not strictly against the rules to have relationships but it's not something many Battle Sisters do, most would rather devout themselves to their duties then find that sort of happiness. That said casual things are still permitted so long as you don't get pregnant." This caught Yang by surprise.

"Pregnant?" Chroris looked at her strangely.

"Uh, yea? You know when a man and a woman do it…" Before she could continue Yang cut her off.

"I know that, I just, well, I was sort of under the impression that well…ya know, a lot of attractive women being together for a long time that…ya know." Yang said while skirting around what she wanted to say.

"Oooh, you think we're all lesbians." The older woman said with a smile to let Yang know it wasn't a taboo topic.

"I mean sure, there are some of us that are purely attracted to women but you know how it is, people have their own particular tastes. As for myself, I like men, especially the intelligent but quiet type." She explained with a fond look on her face.

"There's one man back home that I think fancies me as well, and let me tell you, he's a quiet man in public but once those doors close words don't matter when he's got my legs over his shoulders."

"Oooookay, I'm not sure if I needed to know that but that's cool." Yang said and surprisingly she kind of meant it. A part of her was thinking that the Sisterhood was filled with a bunch of sexually repressed women unable to healthy voice their emotions while being blinded by faith to their High Lord.

"So do you know when or where we are going?" Yang asked as she tucked the last of her work out gear away while prying off her prosthetic arm.

"Wait, do you really not know?" Chroris asked and Yang shook her head.

"Oh, well, that makes two of us."

"You don't know either?"

"Not really, I'm new to the Seraphim as well; I've only been with them for about a year." It took Yang a second to remember that the unit she was technically with now was called the Seraphim. Apparently the name came about due to Sanian's winged tendencies though Yang was still unsure of that as well as what the word meant.

"But don't worry about it, I know you Huntresses are used to picking your jobs and all so it'll be hard to adjust to this but trust me it's not that bad in not knowing every single detail about where you're being sent to." Chroris said oblivious or uncaring of the look of concern that Yang had on her face.

On one hand she trusted Sanian and the Arcadians to a certain extent that they weren't going to throw her life away. On the other hand she didn't trust them enough to go out of their way to save her so long as their goal was completed. It was something she found that she sort of agreed with in regards to the sentiment people in Vale were having about Atlas essentially leaving them with Arcadia.

The Four Kingdoms may be flawed but she could fundamentally understand them and even the Outlanders to some extent were people she could stand by. But Arcadia was almost as alien to her as the Creatures of Grimm, demons, monsters or whatever weird shit they were fighting these days.

It was part of the reason why she rejected Jaune's offer though she did feel bad about being mean to him. She did like the guy all things considering that she wished she could take back what she said at least in delivery rather that intent.

In the end all she could do was train and get stronger so that she can find her sister in order to keep her safe as she swore to do after nearly getting her killed all those years ago. In order to do that she had to first avoid getting herself killed. That was better said than done as the brief flash of a red blade cutting her arm off dashed through her mind. In the end she could only take things one step at a time but so long as she kept moving forward she'd eventually be able to stop on her own terms.

She hoped.

---

A Few Hours Later…

With a towel wrapped around her shoulders Yang closed the door to her small room, it had once been part of a dorm room for a full Beacon team but that was no longer the case. While the dormitories had for the most part kept their overall structure, a lot of the interiors were changed by the Arcadian occupants by design and necessity.

Such a room had been big enough for a four person team to live in complete with four beds, dressers, desks and whatever other amenities needed. For the most part most rooms were shifted to now fit in at least a full ten person squad. That mostly pertained to combat troops there were a few areas, such as where she was living where they had been cut down to accommodate a single individual. She was just lucky that her room still had access to a bathroom, most people used the shared facilities like the old gym areas or the new commons.

Yang sighed as she finally collapsed onto her bed, the cool sheets feeling nice against her bare back.

"What am I even doing here?" She muttered aloud, everything felt so alien to her and despite having the rest of the night off she had nothing to do or anyone to talk with. As it seemed that everyone she really knew, friends, acquaintances, even teachers moved on, were missing, indisposed or dead.

Headmistress Goodwitch was trying to get a semblance of control in restarting Beacon as an Academy but she was stuck in a drawn out political fight between Vale and Arcadia. Professor Oobleck who had always been a highly energetic, to say politely, person had some mental or emotional breakdown that caused him to be put on probation both as a teacher and Huntsman. Professor Port apparently was killed in combat though while the details were apparently being withheld of the incident. Yang heard rumors that a Contubernium of Praetorian Legionaries killed him after discovering some crime.

As for the other Professors there was a mix of results like Professor Mulberry who was recovering after losing half of his face to a Cenitaur. Professor Greene had joined with one of the Arcadian Ranger Battalions that was fighting out in the east. Then there was Professor Peach who was just simply missing and no one had a clue where she was.

Most of Team BRNZ had been killed a little while after she had lost her fight to Adam to the Creatures of Grimm. Then apparently at least two of the three male Finalists were still in comas after the bombs went off in Amity but the worst part was that she couldn't remember their names. Seventy four students were also killed during the fighting in Beacon, while over six hundred civilians had been killed at the Festival grounds as well as from the Amity bombings. The amount of people she could no longer see broke her heart.

Added with the idea of whom else she may not see anymore only made it worse for her mental state. The idea of losing her friends and family left her queasy that she just wanted to cry. A knock at her door however broke her distress as she sat up straight.

"Yes?" She called out.

"It's me." Sanian's voice replied though a little muffled by the door.

"Give me a second." Yang said as she quickly threw on a shirt before unlocking her door. Sanian stood alone in a white and red Habit of the Sisterhood.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, may I enter?" She asked and Yang raised an eyebrow before nodding as she stepped aside.

"Legatine Herja says you have made a lot of progress training with the Seraphim."

"To be fair a lot of that had to do with the assistance that the Battle Sisters have given me as well as their kindness."

"Please Yang, no need to be so modest, while there's no denying their help in your recovery the fact of the matter is you had to have wanted to recover to be able to reach this point."

"While I appreciate the words you've said Sanian I can't help but get the feeling you're being a little too nice. What is this all about?" Yang asked already getting tired of the way Sanian seemed to have shifted from her cold, blunt ruthlessness that she had shown on Patch to this pleasant woman. It felt odd to think that as a bad thing but Yang didn't trust Sanian despite agreeing to her offer, there was something off about the woman.

"Fair enough, I'm cutting the training short." She said and Yang blinked.

"What?"

"You have two hours. I've already arranged a flight to transfer us to the Heavy Cruiser Aethon where we'll be departing the Vale Harbor with a Flotilla in three hours." She explained.

"Hang on, what are you talking about? Where are we going?" Yang asked and Sanian shook her head.

"You'll have to wait for that, just gather your belongs and report to the quarter master that this room will be vacant then report to me when you're ready. Don't make me come looking for you." Sanian said before leaving Yang staring after her.

"What the fuck." She said to herself as she put on her new outfit which was more or less a conservative version of what she used to wear before the Vytal Festival. Though Sanian insisted that she wore a little more armor but Yang had yet to figure out if she was willing to do that let alone how to incorporate it.

Another knock at the door would interrupt Yang as she finished zipping her suitcase. Inside of it were her spare clothes, toiletries, along with the maintenance kit for her arm and Ember Celica as well as a picture of her family along with the picture of her parent's Beacon team.

This time Yang opened it without asking and was surprised to see of all people Headmistress Goodwitch. The first thing Yang thought of when seeing bespectacled woman standing at her door was how little she resembled her former self.

Yang always found Glynda Goodwitch to be an inspiring figure. With a no nonsense attitude and will power that seemed tougher than any Aura or piece of armor. She was what Yang believed to be the epitome of not only a professional educator but a Huntress albeit one that could use a little more humor in her life.

Now Glynda Goodwitch looked tired, dark bags hung beneath her eyes with her normally pristine hair now in a frizzy bun. Her previously sharp and clean outfit was ragged at the edges or looked like they haven't been washed or pressed in a few days.

"Yang." The Headmistress greeted and Yang jerked herself into focusing before stepping aside.

"Please Professor, come on in, it's late."

"I was going to say the same thing considering you're awake Yang but considering that I also came at such a late hour I suppose I should be glad that you are awake." The older woman said and Yang was taken aback by the casual tone, let along the usage of her first name, the woman had she stepped inside.

"Still haven't unpacked?" Goodwitch asked gesturing lazily at Yang's suitcase.

"Uh, actually, I was repacking."

"Really now? I guess that's good."

"Good?"

"I was worried about your well-being Yang, I didn't think it was wise for you to stay here with the Arcadians though I understand they were helping you rehabilitate." The older woman said and Yang frowned as she looked towards her bag.

"Actually Professor, I'm repacking as I'm being deployed with the Sisterhood." Yang explained, in the corner of Yang's vision she could see the flash of emotion going cross Goodwitch's face at that.

"I see. I didn't take you as the sort to give into that sort of pressure." For some reason those words stung Yang.

"It's not what you think, I'm not trying to become a soldier, I just, have to do this." She started but Goodwitch held up a hand.

"Yang, you don't need to explain yourself to me." Goodwitch said as she sat down on the bed with a heavy sigh but Yang felt the urge to explain herself nonetheless.

"It's all coming apart." She said after a few moments more to herself than for Yang's benefit but in either case Yang didn't reply. A part of her wondered if Goodwitch had just been looking for a place to have an emotional breakdown.

"I've been a Huntress for most of my life, I did my time in the field helping those that I could but watched many more lose their homes, their lives or the lives of their loved ones to the Creatures of Grimm. It started becoming harder and harder to handle that it got to the point where there were morning when I had to convince myself to get up, to continue the fight. Then of course we didn't make it hard for the Grimm to destroy us either, skirmishes between the Four Kingdoms using Huntsmen proxies or the social conflict between Humans and Faunus. I was tired of it all, I started burning out, I wanted to retire, maybe become a school teacher like my sister in Atlas but I couldn't do it. I still felt obligated to save those that I could but I was losing myself as well. It wasn't until Ozpin recruited me that I began to see something like light in the dark. But now he's gone." Goodwitch said the note of remorse and even a hint of panic creeping into her voice that Yang had no idea what to do.

"I thought being strict and trying to prepare you all for the tough battles ahead was going to help you all. Ozpin however would chide me saying that it was better to cultivate a sense of community and the trust that teamwork could achieve which would work better in the long run. Now I can see the wisdom of his words, as my students are being turned into broken soldiers to fight a war that the Arcadians kept from us until it was breaking down our door." Goodwitch said a new note of bitterness entering her voice as she looked up at Yang who had to keep herself from recoiling at what lay within the woman's eyes.

"You can't go with them Yang, they're just using you for their own means, I've done my best to try to oust them from Beacon but the politicians are so embroiled in their upcoming election cycle that they're only concerned about their own well-being." Yang rubbed the cool metal of her arm unsure of what to make of the Headmistress. It seemed like the stress of the situation was getting at her but Yang had no real idea what to do before she finally decided to speak up.

"I don't agree with or even trust the Arcadians that much. Yet because I knew what they're playing close to their chest I can also level some understanding that it isn't feigned altruism that motivates them. A large reason was because it seemed more practical to throw themselves at the enemy alone than relying on the idea that the world would or could come together without trying to take credit, control or benefit from the wars. In a way, our inability to trust or understand them has been our greatest strength and weakness. The Creatures of Grimm already are a terrifying foe but insane cult armies and monsters beyond our worst nightmares would have made us into the worst versions of ourselves. At least with the Arcadians fighting them alone we could sort of thrive in ignorant bliss."

"And I won't disagree with that, the Arcadians probably are the only ones that could have saved us from a threat we've never had to prepare for but we can both agree that every, intended or not, favor hasn't benefited us. The secrets they continue to hold now are just threats even if they're not threats from them directly. So while I don't think they're beholden to us to must for everything that has happened but they can't expect us to work with or trust them if they can't now be open or honest about what threatens us from the shadows." There was something about that which Yang felt a pang of growing frustration at. What she said about the Arcadians was true on some level but the idea of pushing aside everything that they do know to mark them as untrustworthy was wrong. More importantly the hint of hypocrisy was rife in the air when it came to not being entirely open or honest.

"Like the Maiden?" Yang asked bringing a careful look from Goodwitch.

"What?"

"When I was bedridden, Sun Wukong would visit me on Patch before he left. During one of those visits he told me that Pyrrha nearly died trying to take down Cinder Fall who was apparently behind Roman, the White Fang and even somehow orchestrated or planned the fall of Vale and Beacon. Now I won't lie and say that I don't have pride when it comes to my fighting skills but I don't believe it to be a boast when I say that I could probably have beaten her let alone Pyrrha based on how we saw her fight in the first round of the Tournament. So what changed? As it turned out, I asked Sanian about it. What she told me was this; Cinder Fall wasn't even a student but someone who snuck onto the campus with the intent to hunt down an injured woman who had a power greater than any single semblance that I know of. This injured woman was kept hidden from everyone including the students by Headmaster Ozpin, General Ironwood, my uncle and you." A look of discomfort began to float on Goodwitch's face.

"So Professor, care to explain?"

"I don't have to explain to you for you to understand that there are dangerous things out there that no one should know."

"Like the Arcadians?"

"This is different."

"How?"

"It just is."

"Try me." A hint of exasperation touched Goodwitch's tone as she spoke.

"Ozpin explained that the Maidens are the key that will either protect us or destroy us. So in order to keep them out of the wrong hands and to protect the people we decided to seclude them from the Kingdoms as a whole but Cinder somehow learned of their existence and tried to take the power by force. Her first attacked failed thanks to the intervention of your Uncle but we had to bring her here to help treat her but whatever Cinder did left her in a bad shape. While we were trying to figure out what to do Cinder came looking for her, found her, and then took her power thus killing her before killing Ozpin."

"Okay but how does that explain how Cinder got these, Ghourraians, as well as the White Fang to help her, why or how the Creatures of Grimm launched a coordinated full scale invasion, where that Grimm Wyvern was hiding and why there suddenly exists a Dragon that killed said Wyvern. Nor does it explain how Pyrrha is involved with this, why was she the only one to know where Cinder was or why it was important to try fighting her before alerting anyone else."

"I don't really have an answer to most of those questions that you would have happy with, only Ozpin could have truly answered them. As for Pyrrha, it was simple luck that she managed to put together what had happen though she didn't know why, you know how she is, once she realized that Cinder was in on this she went to stop her. Of course had she known about the Maiden power she wouldn't have done it alone." Goodwitch said but Yang knew she was lying. Sun had also relayed everything he knew from Pyrrha after finding her at the hospital the day Blake had run away.

"Ya know, it was probably fucked up that Arcadia never told the world that there were threats as large if not larger than the Grimm in the form of crazy cult armies, Daemons that snack on souls after brutally destroying the body said soul came from, fire breathing Dragons that could probably crush a solid cube of metal the size of a car with brute force alone and beings that resemble deities that are insanity inducing parodies of metaphorical cosmic concepts or whatever. Or maybe more accurately omissions of truth cause I doubt anyone in the Four Kingdoms who would find out about this then start saying it would be able to stay out of a loony bin for long, but I digress, because of these apparent truths Arcadia became a militarized authoritative state that makes Atlas look like a bunch of peace loving pacifists. Yet the real shocking thing about it all is how long they've been fighting alone, they've been doing this for a really, really, long time. How they've been doing it, I have no idea. Yet for all that they're not trying to hide or make us believe the problem isn't as bad or doesn't exist. Now that we know they expect us to take it as serious as they do and for what it's worth they're trying to get Vale breathing room to stand on its own as they fight on the borders expanding south and eastward. Yet the Kingdom looks down its nose on them because of how long it took for them to say anything despite no one's desire to be open or friendly with them beforehand. They never asked for help and they never expected it nor should they. Even now you condemn their secrets when it was your secrets that in fact caused the Battle of Vale and Beacon. Ozpin's got not just himself killed but tens of thousands of other people killed as well because he wanted to keep a girl with magic, not a semblance but real nature bending magical powers who was being hunted by an equally powerful shadowy group who snuck into our school, under your noses, looking for the girl in your basement. Yet the Arcadians are somehow at fault and that someone like me who got hurt in the Battle of Beacon should trust you more than them. To ignore or excuse the secrets you keep because of the loyalty you have for a dead man." Yang had to stop herself short as she was starting to get angry but also because there was a dangerous look in Goodwitch's eye near the end when Yang spoke of Ozpin. A part of Yang would later recognize that there was a level of devotion that no one really understood that Goodwitch had for Ozpin. She would even argue that it was a romantic attachment was there, most likely one sided but present and ultimately immaterial now.

"I think it's time that you left Headmistress; I have to attend to some stuff before I leave." Yang said after a moment to collect herself as Goodwitch stood.

"I agree. It's good seeing you Miss Xiao Long. Take care." Goodwitch said her tone even though Yang thought she could hear the hint of something else but there wasn't anything else she could do as Goodwitch walked out of the room. Soon all she could hear was the steady clicking of Goodwitch's heels echoing down the dark hallway though Yang did note the slight falter in the rhythmic clicking before it continued.

Yang felt suddenly tired, a fuzziness grew behind her eyes and a weight she never noticed pressed down on her shoulders. She wanted to apologize but she wasn't sure for what. After a while she grabbed her belongings and turned off the lights to the room before walking down the dark hallway alone.

---

The Next Day…

Jaune raised a pair of binoculars to his eyes, careful not to touch it in the freezing temperatures as even with Aura it would be far too painful to endure the sensation of peeling cold metal off his skin or eyes. Through them however he could see the faint flash of combat that was going on at the far south side of Dunholm.

From his position north of the town however Jaune had a good idea of what the south side might look like as he could see a wooden wall surrounding the northern approach to the town. Though it didn't look really defensible, most likely it was just to buy time for townsfolk to get clear or rally for Grimm attacks. To him that suggested that the fighting would surely have reached buildings by now meaning heavy urban combat. Along with two weak looking gates that were currently guarded by local law enforcement. Over forty police officers in riot gear were funneling civilians out into groups before sending them north most likely towards Greydon as well.

Jaune knew that was a risk, as defenseless groups were going to most likely get attacked by the Grimm, Rebels or maybe even bandits. Yet he couldn't spare the manpower to hold them or protect them on their journey. Yet he knew Greydon needed to get more supplies or manpower soon if they were going to keep their tentative handle on the refugee problem. He shook his head at that, while the state of Greydon wasn't his responsibility, keeping Dunholm in Loyalist hands was beneficial to the region in the long run.

Turning away from the town he could see most of 1st Battalion arrayed in a clearing waiting in a mixture of Chimera Armored Personnel Carriers or on foot after getting out of troop transports to be arranged in company strength. He had already deployed his Huntsmen in two groups pushing the wider flanks with the two standard formation tank platoons until they get a signal to either assist in attacking or to cover their withdrawal. Captain Dinsmore's Command Platoon was holding the rear of the battalion for the time being. Three Sicaran Heavy Tanks would be better suited to advance with the bulk of the battalion through the middle of the town. While the Tempest Fast Attack Platoon and the Tank Hunter Actaeon Tank Destroyer Platoon were situated a little up the road north watching for Grimm or maybe a wide flank Rebel attack.

"Hessel, signal whoever you can in Dunholm and inform them we're advancing on them from the north and their wider flanks." Jaune said to his personal Vox Operator before he turned to the assembled Battalion officers. In front of him was Captain Nico Grau of 2nd Company, Captain Achill Grünfeld of 3rd Company, and Captain Marcus Rosenbaum of 4th Company and Areto leading the Retinue while he had control of 1st Company. Walden's 5th Company was still in the north, though he knew she would be pissed about missing out on this battle but he couldn't be bothered with that. They stood around a small map of Dunholm that was lying across the sloped hood of a Tauros Rapid Assault Vehicle

"Alright, here's how I reckon we'll play this out. There are three main routes that we can take in the town going south through Dunholm to assist the Loyalist forces there. I'll take this center one. Captain Grau, Captain Grünfeld move your companies along these two parallel routes, I'll let you two decide who gets what but whoever takes the eastern side you'll need to break off a platoon and head towards this small bridge as that's the best route to pull the Huntsmen teams and tanks on the far east side back into town if they need to withdraw or attack the interior. The same to whoever goes on the far west road however, this line here indicates that there is a main road that cuts across the main west and central routes so you may have to break off more than a platoon to garrison the houses for cover. In addition if there are Ravenna or Brythonian units nearby use my authority to bring them under your command to bolster the flanks or main pushes south. We'll also need to maintain unit dispersion taking these side streets when we can to avoid getting whole companies stuck on the same streets until we reach around the center of town where all the roads converge. If all goes well we'll come up in time with the Huntsmen Teams and Armor to hit the attacking force at three points." Jaune explained running his finger along the map to highlight the main points of his plan.

"Sir what if the defenders break before we get into position?" Captain Rosenbaum asked.

"Then we'll reform inside the town around this square then deploy in strength to stop the enemy advance. At which point Grau and Grünfeld are to signal the flanking units to rally on them. Rosenbaum you'll bring two platoons up the center with Dinsmore's Platoon while leaving your remaining platoons to cover our supply group and to watch for any attempt to encircle us. Pull in the rest of the Armor company as well if you think they're needed." Jaune explained.

"Any questions?" He followed up.

"What's the word about heavy support? We might encounter dug in opposition or at the very least some light armor elements if the Rebels are attacking this far north so soon." Grau asked and Jaune nodded.

"I've already instructed that one Chimera and two Tauroses will move in to support each Company. That said we'll be relying on soft counters with the armor split on our three extreme flanks, I don't want to commit the tanks into the town if we can avoid it since they'll be bottlenecked if we get surprised." Grau nodded at that before Jaune looked at the others but no one brought up anything else.

"Hessel, did you get any word back?" Jaune asked looking over his shoulder.

"Yes sir, the Ravenna field commander says they're barely holding on and are insisting that we make whatever move we're planning sooner rather than later." She replied and Jaune nodded as he folded his map.

"Alright, get to your companies and prepare to move out on my word." Jaune said as the officers dispersed before he looked at Areto, Lieutenant Kurrat and First Lieutenant Runhild Kändler of 1st Company's second platoon.

"Company is ready to advance on your word sir." Kändler said and Jaune nodded.

"Thank you Lieutenant, return to your platoon we'll be advancing in a few moments." She nodded before spinning around to rejoin a group of fifty soldiers who were standing in a square formation at parade rest.

"The Retinue is also ready to advance." Areto said and Jaune nodded but didn't say anything while Kurrat just stood sort of awkward in the weird silence. The things Areto had told him during their drive south still plagued his mind but he needed to stay focus since he was about to lead soldiers into combat.

"Alright, get to your platoons as well; we'll advance on my mark." Jaune said resting his hand on the pommel of Crocea Mors as they walked away he began to tap his armored finger tips in a nervous beat as he listened to the distance battle raging before finally gripping the handle firmly. With a deep breath he turned around then walked over to the waiting first platoon of the 1st Company. As he came to a stop in front of them Jaune pulled his sword free before holding it up before them.

"Soldiers of Arcadia, advance!" He called out seeing their helmed heads tilt ever so slightly to look at him before a general chorus of affirmatives rang while Jaune also signaled Hessel to give the word. Unclipping his sheathe before shifting it into a shield Jaune jogged at the head of 1st Platoon. Even if Jaune wanted to advance as a unit with the platoon it wouldn't take long for an enemy to zero in on him as he stood out the most amongst them. So he reckoned that moving out in front of his soldiers would serve him well with the two purposes he had in mind.

The first more practical reasoning he reckoned anything short of a rocket or heavy caliber cannon wouldn't take him down quick enough. Thereby letting him buy time for the platoon to get into position to return fire. Well he hoped at least but it was a risk he had to take. As for the second but less practical reason Jaune was still trying to convey his intent to be a proper combat leader to the soldiers. That they could count on him as he was willing to take the same if not greater level of danger for their sake. It was part of the reason why he didn't make a speech; speeches like those were reserved for heroes, champions and great leaders. To steel the hearts of faltering soldiers when defeat looms over them or bring their spirits to the peak of exaltation as their victory is raised up for all to see their might.

As the companies moved into the town there Jaune began to get a better feel on how different it was compared to Luguval. It looked a lot cleaner yet livelier with little signs of combat save for what's happening to it right now but also older with brick buildings and relatively small cobble streets. However the biggest difference was the large civilian population still present. Everywhere they looked they could see people making their way north to leave town or packing up their belongings while a small portion shored up homes or businesses against the encroaching conflict.

Jaune had to start waving people away or just shout as loud as he could for them to move aside to let them through. A few of the sergeants from 1st Platoon soon moved up beside him with fireteams to help herd the crowd letting the rest of the platoon and 2nd platoon who were moving right behind them come through.

"2-Alpha to 1-Alpha, this civilian press is bogging us down, I believe if we use the Chimera to strongpoint our formation we can make better time." Kändler's voice buzzed into Jaune's ear.

"Roger that 2-Alpha. Get the Chimera to push up." Jaune replied as he touched his vox piece before gesturing to Hessel.

"Pass word along to the other companies to do what they can to bypass the civilian press, it's going to make our timing a nightmare if we don't start forcing our way through faster." Jaune said as Hessel began to relay his words while he waved at the Chimera gunner who was rumbling up. The Armored Personnel Carrier slowed down allowing Jaune to scramble up the side to get in close with the gunner.

"Take point to clear path! We'll try to keep people out of the path but ignore anything else if able!" Jaune shouted over the loud rumbling of the engine as the gunner gave a thumbs up. Jaune waved 1st platoon to the side as the tracked vehicle crunched over the cobble street, the platoon quickly taking up formation to either side or behind.

Jaune wasn't sure how far they were into the town as everywhere he looked whatever street signs that should have been there apparently had been taken down. A part of him realized that he was starting to panic and it took all his willpower to avoid stopping to pull out his map to double check. He had to trust that they were on the right path and that they would make it in time to give support to the defenders along with his flanking units. Additionally it was to keep the illusion in front of his soldiers that he was confident in what he was doing.

"1-Alpha this is 1-Charlie sounds like mortar fire ahead of us, permission to take my squad and reconnoiter the street turn up ahead." The voice of one of the platoon sergeants, a man called Richard Voit, came over the vox.

"Roger that 1-Charlie, take your squad up and see what's going on, I want to know if Rebel elements have slipped in or they're just throwing munitions too far." Jaune said though maybe it was just his inexperience but he wasn't sure how the man heard it before turning around until he saw Hessel holding the vox caster's handset up to her head before stepping forward towards him.

"Sir, the Ravenna Commander is on the line requesting to speak with you." Hessel said holding out the handset which he took.

"This is Commander Arc of 9th Brigade's 3rd Infantry Regiment, identify yourself."

"This is Capitano Tirone Ratti of the Ravenna 4th Fanteria!" The crackle and pops of fighting could be heard over the line as a voice close to panicking come over the line.

"What's the situation Capitano?" Jaune asked wincing as a particularly loud squeal of static washed over the line in time with a muffled boom in the distance.

"I estimate the remaining Rebel force to still be battalion strong with light field pieces and armored fighting vehicles! I'm down to less than fifty percent of my fighting strength with a lot of wounded!" The line cut out for a second in a squeal of white noise before the man's voice came back.

"-epeat! We will not be able to hold for more than ten minutes before needing to withdraw, what's your ETA!?"

"We're moving south towards your positions as we speak but civilian refugees are hampering our progress. Be advised I have units on the far flanks that will come around to support you as soon as they're in position."

Whatever response that Jaune might have gotten was lost as another wash of static came over before the high pitch tone of a cut line came through as a particularly loud boom rolled over them and Jaune felt a pang of concern at this. Jaune looked at Hessel who didn't need to be told to adjust the Vox set before giving him an all clear signal.

"Sol to Rolling 2. Come in Rolling 2." Jaune said as he contacted the 2nd Tank Platoon that should be on the far west side of Dunholm shadowing Captain Epon's Huntsmen strike group.

"Rolling 2 reads you loud and clear Sol."

"Be advised Rolling 2, the Ravenna unit is down to the wire on the south side of town. At this moment we're unable to get into position just yet to support them due to civilian blockage. As soon as you reach the southern point proceed into attack phase and support them."

"Roger that Sol." The reply came before Jaune looked at Hessel.

"Patch me to the Battalion net." Hessel quickly adjusted the set again.

"Net Call. Net Call. Sol to all Tower Elements. Proceed with haste to primary staging points; speed is priority right now, once in position maneuver to engage the enemy as soon as possible. Over." Jaune said addressing the Battalion before tossing the handset back to Hessel who deftly caught it even as the faint crackle of acknowledgments came through the vox caster.

Jaune gestured for Hessel to stay with the rest of 1st Platoon's as he broke into a run. He quickly created distance to catch up with Sergeant Voit's squad who were already around the far street corner.

It didn't take him long to reach Voit's squad as he saw them talking with a group of Brythonian police officers around a large smoldering crater, no doubt what Voit had heard earlier. The police officers were wearing black flak vests over bright blue jumpers armed with batons, riot shields, sidearms and shotguns. Seeing him one of the helmed Arcadians gestured towards him before looking at a particularly tall riot officer.

"What's the hold up here?" Jaune called out as he got close.

"I was just telling police sergeant here that we need them to deal with the civilians and get them into cover so we can move more freely." Voit explained and Jaune nodded.

"Good call, it sounds like the Ravenna Captain is in trouble." Jaune said before turning to the tall police officer.

"You need to move fast, we don't know if the defenders in the south part of the town have fallen back yet and I don't want the civilians to get caught up in the crossfire." Jaune explained and the officer nodded.

"I've been coordinating with other units but I think it's safe to say that the immediate south sections should be clear by now." The man said as a fresh ripple of small arms fire echoed in the distance punctuated by heavier weapons thumping away.

"But you should be advised that I think there are already Rebel elements within the town." This was rather concerning news to Jaune.

"Are you certain about that?" The officer nodded in return.

"I was patrolling in the southern sections before the Rebel bastards attacked; five explosives that I think were planted beforehand one took out the militia outpost, one destroyed the south gate, a third took out a significant portion of the wall while the last two hit the Ravenna billet and the hospital. We all assumed it was artillery fire cause that was when they launched their attack but I got a close look at the hospital before withdrawing to hear from some nurses that it was an ambulance that rammed the front door before exploding." Jaune frowned as he looked to the south before turning back to them.

"Alright you should go ahead and clear out of this area and continue helping the civilians get out of harm's way, if you can send whatever help you can afterwards it would be appreciated, especially on the west and east flanks." Jaune said and the officer nodded before getting his group moving while Jaune turned to Sergeant Voit.

"Regroup with the platoon and tell Kändler to pass the word across the Battalion that there is a small percent chance of ambush from Rebel forces that have gone to ground in the town."

"Yes sir, but what are you going to be doing?" Voit asked

"I'm going to continue on foot. In fact, I want you to relay to the companies to continue pushing, we don't have time to take it slow even with the chance for an ambush." Jaune said and Voit gestured for his squad to return to the company but Voit still stayed behind.

"Sir, I know this isn't my place but is it wise to go off on your own?" He asked and Jaune shook his head.

"I'm not doing something crazy Sergeant, I'm just going ahead to get a better picture and help where I can." Jaune explained and the man nodded ever so reluctant.

"Besides, what's the worst that can happen?"

---

Meanwhile…

Pyrrha held on tight to the side of the Predator Tank, Wrath Bringer, as it rumbled and bumped across the terrain. Biting cold air washed over her mixed with the stench of exhaust. She wasn't the only one catching a ride as well; there was three other people on there with her.

The leader of the three was a short, tanned skin, balding man in his forties called Tanner Iakhsar who wore fur lined armor plates on his thighs, arms and shoulders with a long barreled heavy pistol in hand. The second was a tall dark man called Grey Mubara who was adorned in well-tailored travelling clothes with an admittedly nice looking cloak armed with a long barreled ivory engraved single shot rifle. The third member was an average height but muscular woman with reddish brown hair and pale skin with freckles called Auburn Abram who was wearing jeans tucked into boots with belted leather jacket on top while being armed with two gauntlets with Dust infused spikes on the knuckles.

"We should be seeing them soon!" A fifth person, the Wrath Bringer's tank commander, a Faunus man with whiskers called out from the hatch in the middle of the turret. Pyrrha didn't need him to tell her that however as she could see brief flash of something exploding in the distance. Around her the tank platoon started to spread out in a loose wedge formation. Her palms were also feeling a little itchy in anticipation as her body warmed up in the cold air.

"We're gonna want to get down now! I don't reckon it'll be a good idea to be sitting on this when it fires." Iakhsar called out in his gravelly voice as he looked over his shoulder at them.

"I'll slow down to let you off before we reach the cusp of this next incline!" The tank commander called out in agreement and Pyrrha twisted her head to either side feeling a pleasant crack as she continued to mentally prepare herself. She didn't want a repeat of her episode at the fishing village. Areto had warned her that if that was to happen anymore than the discussion of taking her off a combat rotation and eventually sending her home to Mistral would be on the table. Which she of course didn't want on principal as the feeling the helplessness would surely destroy her as much as the continuous breakdowns might do to her. Plus with her taking the next steps with Jaune finally as they moved away from being just friends and teammates was not something she wished to ruin.

The tank started breaking allowing the four Huntsmen and Huntress to leap off with the motion. Before its engines roared as it sped up to keep pace with the other four advancing tanks of the platoon. Nearby other teams were also on their feet moving up to follow the Arcadian armor.

"Okay, can everyone hear me?" Iakhsar asked, his voice coming through Pyrrha's ear piece.

"I can hear ya." Mubara said in a rich but nasally voice.

"You're loud and clear boss." Abram's surprisingly melodic voice came next.

"I'm here." Pyrrha finally replied as the four of them moved up the hill mindful of the snow but since the tanks were ahead of them it had mostly been flattened as they reached the apex of the hill. Before any of them could say anything at what they saw a flurry of auto cannon rounds ripped across the ground near them spraying them in dirt and snow.

In the distance a crew served 20mm Autocannon on the back of an armored halftrack let loose another burst but it was cut off as one of the Predator Tanks fired its main gun shattering the halftrack and sending half a dozen figures to the snow.

Past that, Pyrrha could see the outskirts of the town where dozens of widely spaced out buildings stood behind a relatively small wooden wall with two openings for roads that had been blocked by concrete road barriers and burnt out trucks. The wall however was in tatters with three large sections having been filled in with torn up sandbag walls, one looking more like a huge crater with sandbags on the town side lip, that suggested the strongpoints of Loyalist defenders.

However Pyrrha was more concerned by the sight of hundreds of Rebel soldiers storming the edge of the town through a sparsely wooded area that grew thicker the further south she looked. Crewed heavy weapons and light armor moving in to back the infantry up. Inside the town Pyrrha could see some signs of firefights as a few rearguard squads were whittled down in fierce close range firefights as the defenders were slowly but surely getting overwhelmed by numbers.

"Shit." Someone said over the vox link as over a hundred rifles and several supporting weapons were turned on them before opening up in a cacophony of gunfire. Luckily the Arcadian tanks were drawing most of their attention. Yet the weight of small arms fire still directed at them was enough to be troubling as they raced to close the distance. In the corner of her eye she swore she saw a Huntress fall forward after the flash of her Aura broke with Pyrrha certain that a lot of blood had spilled suggesting her death.

Pyrrha kept it out of her mind as she ran forward, mindful of not to slip while dodging dips or bumps that were obscured from the snow. She kept her shield out in front of her as small arms fire cracked towards her, a few shots even glancing off her shield though nothing that threatened to falter her advance before she slid into a crouch. She lowered her shield enough to brace her weapon before firing three quick shots at a group of distant figures that were using a fallen tree as cover as they fired at her.

The first shot went low showering the figures in wood chips; the second clipped a man sending him spinning with a cry of pain, while the third struck a man in the face sending his kettle helmet spinning away. Several rifles turned on her as the Rebels worked the bolts of their weapons as fast as they could as they rained rounds down on her as she hunched behind her shield.

At the same time Mubara appeared in the corner of her vision with his rifle at his shoulder. There was a loud bang and he worked the level gear sending a large caliber casing to the snow. In the distance another man was snatched forcefully off his feet.

Heavy stubber fire soon raked over them from a nearby tank, called Song of Sorrow, as it rumbled nearby after destroying another armored halftrack. Pyrrha however didn't see what happened to cause it to swing around hard to engage something else as a trio of sharp booms echoed out. It had turned out that three Rebels carrying Brythonian S.A.A.T launchers, or Spring Activated Anti-Tank launchers, had hit it on the flank. Armor plates were ripped up and dented but none of them fully penetrated the hull as the tank came round to fire its coaxial and main cannon. Whatever was left of the rebels would have fit into a helmet.

Pyrrha at the same time was already sprinting towards the distant fallen tree again, along with Auburn Abrams and two other Huntsmen whose names escaped her before she reached the Rebel position. Pyrrha threw her spear at the first man she saw and the blade punctured him with the force that nearly flipped him completely as she leapt over the log.

Next to her Abram came in swinging with her spiked gauntlets at another soldier who was climbing back to his feet with his rifle aimed at Pyrrha. Pyrrha could almost see in slow motion as the Rebel's face deformed under the impact but not before the Burn Dust crystals that she had used to imbued her right gauntlet flashed with fire leaving his head a mangled burned mess.

"Keep going, we need to give time for the Ravenna to regroup with the main Arcadian forces to counter attack!" One of the two Huntresses called out to them as her battle axe somehow turned into a light machine gun before rattling off a burst of Dust rounds. Pyrrha turned away before using her semblance to pull her weapon out of the dead man before running towards the town.

However she felt a painful impact that sent her stumbling forward before she used the momentum to roll before coming up with her weapon and shield in hand. She could see that roughly forty yards away was a man with a long barreled rifle resting on a bipod with a top fed magazine aimed right at her.

Pyrrha was vaguely familiar with the S.O.E or Standard Operating Equipment dossiers that the Regiment's S2 had provided when they started digging into Luguval. So she had a suspicion that she just got hit by Stanchion Anti-Tank rifle. Especially since even with Aura along with her new armor covering her back there was a throbbing pain she didn't like one bit.

With a twist Pyrrha jumped to the side just before the rifle fired again. Now that Pyrrha was paying close attention she could hear a distinct boom before a significant chunk of the broken tree was blown away. However she didn't need to worry about the man much longer as Grall Epon appeared behind him with his weapon. A falchion sword with a thick circular crossguard, that Pyrrha reckoned carried some sort of long range weapon, struck downward cleaving the helmet and the skull beneath it in half.

Epon didn't acknowledge her, instead continuing forward towards the enemy and the town. Pyrrha did likewise as she ran past the broken bodies of Rebels and other signs of war that have torn up the land. There were even a few bodies of Creatures of Grimm leaking their dreadful miasma looking like half erased figures which suggested that they had been killed a while ago.

"Huntsmen! Get in close! We can take care of the rest of the Rebel force while you link with the Ravenna and the rest of 1st Battalion!" Someone called out over the vox channel and Pyrrha could see further out to the east another five Arcadian tanks rolling hard south on the flank of the Rebels. Pyrrha could pick out the flash of Aura breaking as Rebels died under the combined firepower of ten tanks crushing their unprepared flanks.

Small arms fire popped and cracked nearby drawing her attention once more back to the town before running towards it. Huntsmen gathered in a long, rough line as they moved towards the outskirts as rebel platoons attempted to stop them.

Four platoons of thirty men each moved to block their path into the town trying to take up the once abandoned defensive cover of the defenders. The Huntsmen and Huntresses were only a few hundred feet away however with the momentum of their charge still in their favor. If the Rebels had already been in a prepared position than Pyrrha reckoned that it might have been a challenge to dislodge them but as it was they could routed the Rebels easily in a messy storm of close combat. A small part of Pyrrha's mind noting that she ended up killing eight men but that didn't seem to bother her as much as she felt like it should. Still despite beating the larger force it wasn't as if they could come out unscathed, one Huntsman died and two more were injured with gunshot wounds that required medical treatment.

In any case the enemy was broken as some of the Huntsmen chased the fleeing Rebels. A few with powerful long range weapons held their position raining fire on Rebels further north in town or south that were trying to bypass the armor to reach the relative safety of the breach they made.

Pyrrha leapt over a sandbag wall that had dozens of corpses on or around it, some of them wearing the green metal armor of the Ravenna. Others wore the mismatched civilian outfits that suggested they were militia, yet Pyrrha knew that didn't actually tell her what their allegiance was. The heavy smell of burnt Dust powder, acrid smoke from fires, the metallic tang of blood, and the putrid smell of dead bodies filled her nose with the biting chill of the air

More importantly was the still living person amongst them. A Rebel armed with a bayoneted rifle quickly lunging up at her. Bracing her shield at an angle the long blade scrapped to her left as she tried a thrust of her own blade. He attempted to parry it in return with the butt of the rifle trying to hit her blade aside or out of her hand. With a twist of her wrist she changed the angle of the blade as it scrapped along the wood frame before pushing her weight down bring the rifle out of position before sliding it forward into his thigh. The blade caught on his thigh but didn't penetrate but she had already suspected he had his Aura unlocked.

She slammed the edge of her shield up into his chin with a solid blow causing him to stubble back while with another twist of her wrist she got her blade behind his grip before pulling back to disarm him. However he released his rifle causing her to misjudge the strength she needed allowing him to slam a fist into her cheek guard. He followed up with a series of jabs that Pyrrha ducked and weaved around before slamming her shield into the elbow of his extended arm twisting him around before jamming her blade into his side.

With a grunt of pain he slammed his elbow down on her arm just as she slammed the edge of her shield into his back. She ducked under his next wild swing before thrusting her blade into his side again. His Aura began to crack as she drew her arm back before quickly thrusting again, this time the blade broke through his Aura and fatigues as her blade sunk several inches into his side as he cried out in pain before lashing out with an elbow. Pyrrha twisted back pulling her blade with her as it shifted into its spear form again before coming around to cut through the man's elbow severing his arm into three pieces.

The man howled in pain as he clutched his stump before Pyrrha's blade slid home into his neck. Pyrrha could see the flash of rage pass through the man's face before his eyes glazed over, slumping back freeing her blade. A Dust round smashed into her chest as her blade slide free causing her to stumble back with a grunt of pain and annoyance.

At a corner ahead a few hundred feet down the street was was a group of Rebels who had gathered to fight back, trading fire with their Huntsmen group. A Huntsman stumbled as several rifle rounds seemed to hit him simultaneously that his Aura was overwhelmed before a Huntress with a bulky kite shield imposed herself in front of him tanking the incoming rifle fire. Pyrrha ran in to drag the man who was screaming obscenities about the bullet wound in his leg.

Some type of armored car rolled into view before the shoddily built square gun turret turned to face them. Punishing machine gun fire roared out at them forcing Pyrrha and the other woman to move back. Others took cover as well or were coming up from alleys to join them before either moving off on their own or traded small arms fire with the Rebels.

Heavy caliber Dust rounds cracked off the wall of the building that they took cover behind before the woman with the kite shield lowered it as it collapsed in on itself to become a compact light machine gun with a top mounted disc shaped magazine. Bracing it at her hip, she leaned out before letting loose a burst of gunfire but was quickly driven back.

"Keep them busy, I'll go around!" Pyrrha told the woman after binding the injured man's leg; she nodded in return. Another Huntsman ran up to join them holding a bullpup rifle with a long bayonet attached to it as Pyrrha reloaded her weapon.

"Tritane, go with her!" The other woman shouted to the new comer and he nodded. Before any of them started to move there was a loud explosion followed quickly by more gunfire as men could be heard screaming or yelling in anger or pain. Peering around the corner the three of them saw that the armored car had been blown up, flaming debris covering the nearby buildings. The Rebels nearby were starting to panic as several of them were down with the remaining ones unsure of what to do. Small arms fire rippled from out of sight before two more Rebels fell dead with a third tumbling back in a flash of light as his Aura broke.

The woman leaned out of cover with her weapon braced again as she sent a burst of gunfire up the street hitting one of the fleeing Rebels. While the Huntsman, Tritane, bounded out to the other side of the street as he started pushing up. Pyrrha turned back to the wounded man but he just meekly waved his hand so she turned to move after Tritane.

Up ahead coming around the corner was a Tauros Rapid Assault Vehicle armed with a light caliber autocannon gun rolled forward. To either side was several green armored Ravenna, short carbine rifles slotted in with their green shields with a fireteam of Arcadians advancing behind them. Pyrrha watched as the Ravenna knelt down as out of sight Rebels opened up on them with the Arcadians crouching down the best they can behind the shield carrying warriors.

Rifle rounds cracked off the ground or shattered against the shields, others bounced off the armored hull of the Tauros failing to penetrate the windshield or gun shield. The autocannon let off a long thumping burst of shells down the street.

The incoming fire lessened before the counter attacking infantry pushed forward. Then almost as quickly as they seemed to turn the tide into their favor Pyrrha turned at the sound of a high pitch roar. Only to see a bright streak of light from a rocket sailing past before striking the building at the far end of the street narrowly missing the Arcadian light armored vehicle while showering the attending infantry in debris knocking a handful down.

Pyrrha turned to see Huntsmen covering the Arcadian tanks who were now rolling back as explosions ripped across the ground near them. Pyrrha moved forward towards the edge of town running past the Huntress from before who carried the injured man towards their reinforcements.

Reaching the rear of the main defensive line Pyrrha knelt behind a relatively intact sandbag position as she got a better look at what was going on. Additionally she focused on her vox unit to listen for nearby vox traffic. It appeared that the Arcadian armor had stopped after the Rebels rallied and counterattacked. Which she could see that they had gotten close in destroying some of the tanks; two of the Tempest tanks had some serious hull damage with long scars along their sides as smoke leaked out as their engines struggled to stay active. While another Predator tank had taken a hit, trailing smoke as it limped back with tanks to either side keeping pace.

"Pyrrha!?" A familiar voice called out not over the vox net as she turned to see the white armored form of Jaune leading a few dozen Ravenna soldiers who quickly spread out behind the sandbag wall as they started firing at distant figures who were trying to get close. Dust rounds began to crack at them, some passing overhead or smashing into their defensive position. The aftereffects of the tiny individual payloads within most of the Dust rounds started glowing red or blue from their intended effects, tiny charred holes or frost covered holes started sprouting sporadically around them.

"What are you doing here?! Where is the rest of the battalion?" Pyrrha called out to him as he slid into position next to her. Behind him was a tall figure in green segmented armor with a green enclosed helmet and a red plume on top denoting his position as some sort of officer.

"Civilian traffic was slowing us down, figured I could move faster to get a better idea of the situation if I could actually see it. Though it seems you guys were able to break their thrust into town." Jaune explained.

"I wouldn't say for how long, I think the Armor push is spent and the Rebels look to be getting into position for their own counter attack." Pyrrha said looking over the sandbag. Despite listening to every bit of information that she could get, Pyrrha still felt like an amateur at large scale battles like this.

"I see it." Jaune said as he looked up as well along with the Ravenna officer who had unhinged the eye section of their helmet as they looked with a monocular.

"This still isn't the spot I'd want to coordinate our forces but I reckon stretching out the armor with your Ravenna accompanying them as infantry support will prevent the enemy from pushing on us long enough for my battalion to get into place. What are your thoughts Capitano Ratti?

"I agree, but you should have your Huntsmen continue pushing out to keep the pressure on them rather than let them start pressuring us."

"Fair enough." Jaune said as he touched his vox unit.

"Sol to Rolling 2." A few moments seemed to pass before he got a response.

"Rolling 2 here, we read you 3 by 5 Sol, sustained damage is drawing power away from the vox unit." Jaune could have guessed that as there was an odd buzzing behind the words like a radio that was sort of out of tune.

"Rolling 2 spread out and hold position on the outskirt of the town, reinforcements will join soon." Jaune said as he turned to see some of the advance units from 1st Battalion moving out with their Chimeras and Tauroses. The battalion would be stretched out at this point; any units that could move quickly would be here first. This however would mean that instead of a solid wall of reinforcements it was now an unsteady stream of units.

"Epon, you hear me?" Jaune called out looking at his vox unit adjusting it.

"I hear you, are you here with the battalion yet?"

"Negative, but don't worry about that. I need you to rally the Huntsmen and support the Armor. Keep the Rebels from focusing their thrust long enough that we can fully repel them from the town."

"Had one job kid, but fine I'll do it." The line went dead after that and Jaune realized that the man must have shut the link down. In any other cases he might have gotten annoyed at that but right now it didn't matter so much to him." There was a soft thrill of the vox unit alerting him to an incoming direct link that he pressed the activation button to switch to.

"Tower 2-1 to Sol 1, we're three minutes out." This was rather good news to hear and Jaune turned to Pyrrha who had been firing with her weapon at distant figures. Whether or not she was actually hitting or killing anyone wasn't something he could say. In the corner of his eye he spotted something before lunging forward to wrap himself around her with his shield raised as light machine gun fire raked their position.

Two of the Ravenna went down hard, their green armor punctured in several places. A third groaning for help as six of the Ravenna and a nearby Arcadian fireteam opened up at the new enemy.

Behind them about one hundred meters back was a four story building that Jaune reckoned to be some sort of municipal or garrison building as the Brythonian symbol was built into the wall facing them. Signs that serious fighting having taken place around or in it were obvious as it was peppered with thousands of pocket marks and several large gaping holes with black smoke leaking out from an unseen fire.

"We need to get in there!" Pyrrha said finally breaking out from his embrace and he followed her just as the Rebels fired launchers again. However most of them weren't targeting the infantry but the rears of the tanks. There were a lot of misses showering the armor in snowy dirt but two hit the back of a Predator tearing the rear up in a shower of flames and twisted metal. Crew members began to bail from the front as fire quickly spread throughout the inside till the tank became a flaming wreck that set off the remaining tanks rounds. A cloud of shrapnel peppering tanks to either side, one even killing a Huntress as a twisted foot long sheet of metal speared her into her skull.

The few aimed at the infantry had mixed but still devastating effects. The first round landed near a fireteam of Arcadians and Jaune was fairly sure that at least three of them came apart in a flash of gore. The second round struck near Pyrrha and him but neither of them so much as flinched as they ran across the ground as small arms fire opened up at them as they raised their shields.

Within seconds though they were at the building, Jaune taking point as he braced with his larger shield before slamming into the mangled front doors like a battering ram. They came apart in shower of wood as he fell through it, cursing as he barely managed to roll to his feet while Pyrrha came in already ready to fight. That was good for him as five men had rifles aimed at Jaune as he came up. Pyrrha acted first however with her weapon in its rifle form, booming in the relatively close quarters taking the first two men on their right off their feet.

Moving quick Jaune lunged forward towards the nearest man as he tried to figure what he should do with the two of them now. The blade of Crocea Mors knocking aside his frantic last second attempt of a block with his rifle before Jaune's backswing slashed across his exposed neck. As he turned around Pyrrha had already dispatched the others. Jaune could see her shield embedded in the fourth man's chest while she pulled her spear free from the last man.

"Oh come on." Jaune said and Pyrrha grinned at him. A part of him noticed that there was a new sort of glint in Pyrrha's eyes. If Jaune had to describe it, it was almost like she had a manic look of keenness. Like Nora when she started sucking down the sap from their Forever Fall field trip or Yang when her self-control lost to her internal adrenaline junky rage monster. He worried that at some point Pyrrha's reluctance or fear of fighting in life or death situations had broken something in her. At the moment however he had to accept it being better than her nerves coming apart from trauma.

"And here I thought guys preferred coming in last." She said, flicking blood off her shield and sword as Jaune felt his flush. Seconds later they heard someone calling out from nearby, both teens turning to see another Rebel coming down a set of stairs at the far end of the room.

Jaune was the nearest to him, without a word he lunged towards the man as he stumbled back in surprise at seeing the two of them. Crocea Mors came down in an overhead strike, Jaune hoping that the long blade didn't get accidentally caught on the ceiling. His concern was unwarranted however as the sword cleaved into the man's left shoulder before he could even shout or raise a weapon.

There was an almost sickening sensation of resistance as flesh and bone gave way to the blow of his sword as it came to a stop a foot into the man's torso. With a grunt of effort Jaune used his foot to pull the blade free. The man's body would flop to the floor with a faint but wet plop of dead meat.

"Come on." Jaune called back to Pyrrha as the two of them ran up the stairs. The door to the second floor was busted open with smoke wafting out that Jaune reckoned that no one would be in as a glance showed nothing but multiple small fires inside with several clearly dead bodies. So they continued to the third floor where the sound of shooting was the loudest they could hear so far. This time the door was closed; Pyrrha placed her hand on the door knob before willing her semblance to check the door before looking at Jaune.

"They have locked it, we should see if we can get them to open it first." She said and Jaune nodded at that.

"Can't you unlock it with your semblance? Take them by surprise?"

"I could but I want them to lower their guard, if I force the lock and one of them notices they'll open fire before we even get into the room."

"Fair enough, I think I've got an idea, follow my lead." He said before they took up position to either side of the door before Jaune turned his sword around. Grasping the blade of Crocea Mors Jaune began to lightly thump the door with the pommel. They could hear a few voices inside calling out despite the sound of combat. Dull but constant thumps shook the building a little that made Jaune wonder if an autocannon was being used against the building while they were in it.

"Connor, are you out there?" A voice called out. Jaune signaled Pyrrha to stand back as he let out a soft groan as if he was injured before thumping the pommel of his sword down on the ground then slumped against the door as if he was sliding down it, He then gingerly corrected his grip on his sword as whoever that called out started unlocking the door only to stare in shock as he saw the two of them.

He never had the chance to shout an alarm as Pyrrha's blade crunched into his neck before she kicked the body backward as she charged into the room. Jaune in the meantime stormed in behind her with his shield held out in front. In what used to be some sort of open floor office space were a few dozen men armed with rifles, along with a few S.A.A.T launchers and two Holek Light Machine Guns.

Jaune charged the first man he saw as he turned in confusion just as Jaune rammed his blade into the man's chest before kicking him away without a second thought. He then brought his shield up as the nearest man reacted a little quicker by turning and firing his rifle from the hip though his shot went wide as Jaune closed in. He pulled his shield before upper cutting the man in the jaw with its edge. As the man collapsed to the side with a shattered jaw, Pyrrha was chopping her way through the other side of the room leaving several men fatality bleeding out or already dead.

Jaune stepped forward with a backhand slash that came up into the left forearm of the next man before stabbing downward into his gut. At the same time another rebel began unloading his sidearm at him, painful impacts hit his arm and side before Jaune raised his shield to protect himself.

Pulling his sword free, he jumped to the side then charged the man with his shield up. He slammed into the man, hard, sending the Rebel backwards into an overturned desk with a loud crack as his neck hit the edge. Hearing running behind him Jaune then turned in a low crouch swinging his sword to knock aside a bayonet that had been aimed for his back.

Swinging low again he took the man in his forward knee causing him to scream in pain as he fell to the ground cradling his leg as blood sloshed over the floor. Jaune stood up and slashed the edge of his blade across his neck to silence him.

Looking up Jaune could see Pyrrha on the other side of the room fighting three men at the same time. She cut one man's throat while she protected her head from a rifle round then spinning around to parry another man's dagger. Lashing out with a quick kick she broke the dagger wielder's knee as she quickly turned back to the man with the rifle. She blocked a slash from his bayonet before stabbing him in the heart. Then with a spin she flung her shield into the third man's face as he tried to aim a pistol at her, the shield edging caving his skull in.

Jaune blocked an erratic slash from a dagger that nearly grazed his cheek with his shield then slammed his shoulder into the Rebel causing him to fall back. Another Rebel fired a pistol, this time nearly causing Jaune to fall backwards when it struck his chest, the brief kinetic pressure going out like an extremely unpleasant wave through his torso.

With a snarl he drove his sword into the second man's belly. The man screamed in pain as he tried to grab the blade but only succeeded into nearly having his fingers sawn off. Jaune released his grip on the sword, leaving the man crying in pain and fear in his final moments as the man with the dagger came for him. Knocking aside the overhead stab of the dagger Jaune would counter by slamming his fist into the man's mouth.

Jaune's armored fist splitting the man's lips and breaking two of his front teeth. The man fell back as Jaune continued to rain blows into his face, again and again. By the time Jaune did stop, the man's face would be nothing but a broken bloody mess. Quickly grabbing his sword from the now dead man Jaune charged into the fray as several more soldiers came in from the door they used.

---

Later…

Pyrrha blinked as she suddenly seemed to focus again, the rattle, crack and booming of combat could be still heard as she took in her surroundings. She was still with Jaune, who was moving back and forth from the broken glass walls. He was talking into his vox unit while holding onto a standard issue monocular as he got a better look of the battle from a higher advantage.

A part of her wondered if she got hurt during the fight but looking at the bodies on the floor she realized that she must have zoned out as her body worked on instincts. Nor was she even in the same room the more she looked around. They were both in what used to be a well furbished office, a broken desk in the center. As well as a dozen dead Rebels armed with rifles and three Stanchion Anti-Tank Rifles.

It wasn't an unheard of thing; she remembered something she heard as a young girl when she was competing in minor tournaments. At a certain point of experience some fights just seem so inconsequential that the mind glossed over it like pressing fast forward on a video player. A part of her was worried what it meant to find killing people to be such a trivial thing that her consciousness ignored it.

"It looks like they're starting to pull back; I want 1st Company and the Retinue platoons to keep the pressure on them with the Armor. In the meantime bring the platoons on our flanks out to see if they can get a better eye on whether or not the Rebels try a last ditch flank attack. Also signal the rear guard that they can move in with the Logi group, I doubt we'll need to worry about our north. The local forces can deal with any Grimm that might come that way while we strengthen our position here for the time being." Jaune was saying as he knelt down by the south facing window. Pyrrha moved to join him as she knelt down to look outside; snow was falling as hundreds of soldiers moved across the ground between sheds or over the tattered walls. Smoking craters peppered the ground while some soldiers checked the bodies on the ground to help their wounded or to put the wounded enemy out of their misery.

"What do you think?" Jaune asked glancing at her.

"Think about what?" She replied quirking an eyebrow at him as a small frown touched his face.

"How this turned out? I feel like there was something I could have done better, maybe push Dinsmore Platoon forward to help break the center when we pressed their flanks or would that have simply just put them at risk? But considering how we held them with the arrival of the light armor pieces and vanguard squads it might have saved more of the Ravenna and Brythonian militia. Then again the Sicaran Tanks would have stilled arrived late considering that they might have gotten stuck or slowed down by the tight spacing of the streets." He said and Pyrrha put a hand on his left pauldron.

"Don't sweat it Jaune, you're just overanalyzing it, trust me I do that as well after a fight." She said a nugget of sympathy in her voice.

"You're right but did your fights get people killed?"

"No but it almost did." Pyrrha said evenly and Jaune didn't respond before she sighed.

"Look, I know it's not easy for you but allow me to at least give you some different perspective on what you're feeling right now."

"I'm always open to what you have to say Pyr." Jaune said to which Pyrrha nodded her head.

"Well Jaune, I've learned that there's a difference between reviewing and regretting what I could have or didn't do. Hindsight, as Yang would say, is a bitch." She said and Jaune laughed as he shook his head.

"I guess that's fair, I know at least that asking Heim or Areto about this wouldn't be a good idea. Areto would turn this into a lecture about surety of purpose and to be more like my parents while Heim would just question my temperament to continue being the overall commander of the Regiment."

"See, you're learning, that's a good boy." Pyrrha said as she smiled at him and an odd expression came onto his face as he looked at her

"Did you just call me a good boy?"

"Uh, yea, something wrong?" Jaune's ability to speak seemed to break at that as he stammered so Pyrrha just laughed though she didn't know why he was suddenly so flustered. She reached out to ruffle his hair as he finally stopped trying to talk as his face turned red from embarrassment. She balked a little when she removed her hand only to see that she left a smear of blood in his blonde hair. She opted not to tell him as he finally smiled at her before the two of started to laugh for what reason neither of them were really sure of.

They would continue to laugh even as the sounds of gunfire rattled in the distance.

---

An Hour Later…

Jaune stood on the roof of the garrison building watching for the past thirty minutes as 1st Battalion organized itself after their pursing elements had returned from hunting the last of the Rebel rear positions, taking out several mortar teams along with capturing several full resupply trucks. In that time Jaune was able to piece together what was left of the initial Loyalist force. There were about two hundred Brythonian Militia members left and a little more than a hundred police officers out of a combined force of five hundred. Though most of them would be leaving north to catch up with their families fleeing to Greydon. As for the Ravenna there were only eighty soldiers left standing with nearly five times that many wounded from either this battle or from the failed attack on West Brom.

As for his own force, one tank crew had been completely lost along with their tank, another tank would only be salvable if they could somehow replace the entire engine system which functional made it a giant hunk of scrap metal. While two other tanks needed some serious repairs to their armor, while the rest had some damage but nothing that immediately jeopardized them. Infantry wise he had over twenty dead soldiers and another thirty wounded but none of them in serious condition. As a whole it was a price that he could grudgingly accept.

As for the state of the town, Dunholm as a whole was fine with sporadic damage but a fair few sections in the south were beyond just damaged. The walls were more or less gone with over a dozen buildings that had suffered some serious damage, several more looking like they'll collapse at any moment. Another three were going to be lost as fires had spread to far to be put that the best Jaune could do was detail a few squads to keep an eye for any chance of the fires spreading.

The walls were the biggest problem, at least on paper, being as they were unusable; the Loyalists had been able to hold on long enough to erect a long improvised defensive line to fight from. Which of course didn't last long, portions were lined with random furniture that was reduced to splinters or battered sandbag positions.

Now though as Jaune stood on the same building that he had helped Pyrrha secure, he was certain that holding Dunholm wasn't a viable long term idea. Had their enemy only been the Creatures of Grimm he would be open to the idea of holding it with 1st Battalion. However that wasn't the case as there were some clear issues that would make it difficult to hold.

For comparison Luguval was mostly surrounded by grass or farmlands with the town being on a relatively elevated position that gave them a commanding long range position. From which they could punish anything short of a full regiment or a large Grimm horde. Dunholm had none of that; hills dotted the west, south and eastern approaches. With a large stretch of forest on the south and north side that was close enough that an enemy could get well within small arms range before being seen. In fact that was pretty much what happened now to the defenders.

Despite all of that there was an unexpected bright side to being here at Dunholm; Capitano Ratti had informed him that an Arcadian aerial unit was currently inbound towards the town. Apparently whoever was commanding the southern Arcadian force had anticipated that some sort of force was going to come down and wanted to link up with them or perhaps they were coming to find them in case no one had spread word about their movement. So Jaune was grateful as he now had a legitimate reason to possibly quit Dunholm.

His opinion that losing Dunholm would be bad for the Loyalist cause in the long run was still warranted however. Yet he imagined that a well-supported battalion in terms of additional armor or more infantry units would be needed to hold it safely. That was an amount that he couldn't provide, since he needed to hold Luguval to support the Emburacum line.

His musings were more or less over as he turned to see Hessel coming towards him with his officers except for Dinsmore who was patrolling with his armored command platoon. There were also the three non-Arcadian officers as well, Captain Epon, Capitano Ratti, and a Brythonian Lieutenant called Charles Pheffire.

"Commander, vox contact has been made with Arcadians approaching fast from the south east. Call sign is Singer 6." Hessel said holding up her handset as Jaune took it.

"This is Sol to Singer 6, how copy."

"Singer 6 reads you five by five Sol, we're approaching Dunholm. Time of approach is five mikes. Is the A.O. secure?" A light, melodic voice came over the vox mixed with the steady chop of what Jaune assumed was a Valkyrie engine at full throttle.

"Acknowledged, the A.O. is currently locked down. Rebels have been pushed south for the time being but unknown whether or not they have long range Anti-Air capacity. Would advise adjusting course north by time of five then come in straight east."

"Copy that, Singer 6 out." The link went quiet before Jaune handed the handset back to Hessel.

"Is there a type of landing or air field here in Dunholm?" Jaune asked looking to Pheffire who nodded. He was a skinny man though Jaune wasn't sure if the term man really applied as he looked to be almost as young as Ruby.

"There's a small area to the north east of here where bulk cargo transports deposit their goods since we aren't near any of the rail lines but your comrades will already know that so you don't have to worry about directing them in."

"That settles it; continue the evacuation of Dunholm Lieutenant Pheffire. 1st Battalion will be returning north as soon as we're able."

"Commander? With you here, I can convince Greydon Command to deploy maybe a few companies or a battalion of their own to support and we can hold Dunholm. " The younger man said but Jaune shook his head which clearly confused him.

"Do as he says, even if we had the time and the actual manpower to spare it'd be a steep price to hold Dunholm as it were. Even worse the Rebels exceeded our expectations by attacking so soon after taking West Brom and I would wager that the force that attacked us was probably a small punishment force or even a vanguard for a larger one. They were never meant to hold Dunholm just hurt us while assessing the town before withdrawing, the fact they nearly broke it just gave them the confidence to reach deeper than they probably planned." Capitano Ratti said and Jaune nodded his thanks to the man.

"As the esteemed Capitano said, this battle had an odd note to it. I have no idea what the Rebels are playing at, they had West Brom and they could have used this manpower they just wasted here to help fortify it. Instead they lost hundreds men and a few dozen heavy weapons and armored vehicles for no good reason or at least no reason we'd understand. So it's best to play it safe and pull out for now." Jaune said and Pheffire pursed his lips clearly not happy with that but he didn't argue before leaving.

"The same goes for us; I don't think we need the entire Battalion here anymore. Dinsmore will continue on rearguard with his Fast Attack and Tank Hunter platoon with the 4th, 1st and the Retinue supporting. 2nd and 3rd Companies along with the Huntsmen and the 2nd and 3rd tank platoons will leave with our wounded within the next, say, hour to an hour and a half. That'll give us time to see what these other Arcadians have to say then we'll withdraw as well." Jaune said before looking towards Ratti.

"You're free to join either group Capitano though I understand you have to deal with a lot of wounded so it might be best if you split from us once you get near Greydon to reach medical facilities rather than enduring the rest of the march towards Luguval." Ratti nodded at that.

"That's what I was going to say as well, as much as I would prefer to stick with your forces, I have to take care of the wounded first." The man said before holding out his hand which Jaune took.

"I suppose one may consider it a pleasure to see you again Commander Arc."

"I agree Capitano but I would prefer our next meeting to be someplace safe for once." Jaune said with a grin that the man returned before walking away before Jaune turned to the rest of them.

"Square away your companies, if you have any concerns or questions I'll be here." Jaune said dismissing them, soon only Areto, Epon and Hessel remained.

"Captain Epon is there something you'd like to discuss?" Jaune asked after a while. The man didn't say anything before leaving with a simple nod and Jaune turned around.

"What a weirdo." Hessel said as soon as Epon had disappeared.

"Hessel." Areto said reproachfully and the Vox Operator looked over at the Praetorian though with her helmet on none of them could see her face. Despite that Hessel cleared her throat then mimicked zipping her lips.

"Is there something you want to discuss Areto? I thought you'd go and square away the Retinue?"

"Kurrat can handle that, I'm sticking with you for the time being again."

"Areto I don't believe I need a bodyguard at the moment."

"I agree." She replied and Jaune looked at her quizzically but he couldn't read her as they waited. Jaune watched as most of the battalion organized itself by platoon then began marching back into the town. He felt a small frown touch his face at the waste of time and resources this had turned out to be. While he didn't voice it at that moment or think he'd ever voice it aloud but he was starting to think that victory in this Civil War was becoming more costly than it might be worth.

"Sir, I believe we should head out now to meet Singer 6." Hessel said as she stepped up to his shoulder.

"You're right." Jaune said as he stooped down to pick up Crocea Mors as he had never hooked it back onto his belt, instead carrying it in his offhand the entire time.

Areto arranged four of the remaining Tauroses to wait for them as they climbed aboard one. Hessel was driving, Jaune in the passenger seat and Areto sitting on top though unable to get in the gun seat due to her armor. The other three Tauroses took up positions around them. Two were in the front and the last one behind them as they began driving through the town.

There was a certain level of apprehension as the rumor of Rebel insurgents had caused them to scour the nearby buildings for anyone hiding. Nor was the town wholly deserted, as Jaune was certain that there were still civilians hiding either at the far end or in safety rooms underground. Of course the chance for looting was something that the more morally loose types would partake in and he of course had the duty to make sure that was at least kept to a minimum.

It wasn't long however until they reached a new area in the eastern quarter, they found themselves in an open concrete area with markings and stations denoting loading or unloading zones for bulk cargo. A key feature he noticed as he looked around was how big and accessible the area was. It probably had a route that lead to every major section or entrance to the town. No doubt it allowed for a streamlined delivery of resources or easy paths to travel back out of the town.

As for its overall state there was some light damage from stray munitions, but nothing to make it unusable if the need arose. Jaune had to keep in mind, especially of the chance that the Rebels moved in after them. If anything he may order strategic demolitions to be used on the roads, deny the enemy an easy organizational area to dig into the town.

Pulling to a stop, Areto jumped off before gesturing for Jaune and Hessel to stay in their vehicle as she directed the other three armored vehicles to take up positions around them. Their top mounted guns panning the nearby buildings with orders to open fire on any person, an order that Jaune was tempted to rescind it. Yet at this point, anyone or hasn't left or shown themselves beforehand was probably stupid, a looter or a rebel.

"They should be here." Hessel said and as if on cue Jaune could hear the ever increasing drum of rotary aircraft. Over the eastern wall Jaune could see the several black dots growing in size and it didn't take long for them to reach them as Hessel guided them in over the vox unit. Four of the aircraft were Valkyries that immediately began to descend while the other three were Vulture Gunships that moved in slow circles above them.

Jaune hopped out of the Tauros before moving behind Areto who glanced at him but didn't say anything as the Valkyries opened their doors. Jaune could see the subtle motion of Areto's hand changing position along her poleaxe in case she needed to move without it getting in the way. Fire teams moved out from the Valkyries before setting up position to scan the surrounding.

Yet the most eye catching sight was the lone figure walking down the nearest ramp. A Praetorian wearing black armor, their pauldrons trimmed with gold and a red surcoat with his family's crest on it. It was a Praetorian Legionary from one of the Frontline Cohorts; they also had a red strip running along the top of their helmet denoting their rank as Optio or the equal to a Company level Lieutenant.

"What's a Legionary doing here?" Jaune muttered, Areto didn't answer however as the Legionary moved to stand before him.

"Apologies for not showing proper deference Commander but I do not wish to paint anymore of a target on you with you being so out in the open with no protection." A husky male voice growled out through the helmet's vox speaker and for some reason there was something rather brisk about his words.

"It's not an issue, Optio?" Jaune asked.

"My name is Amulius Lartius; I am with the 10th Cohort's 5th Centuria. I've been sent by 9th Brigade Command to deliver new orders for you and your Regiment."

"I stand ready to receive Optio."

"The 9th Brigade's 3rd Line Infantry Regiment is to quit Luguval and move south immediately to link up with 9th Brigade's 1st Heavy Infantry Regiment led by Colonel Zora Bain."

"Really? Brythonian Command has stripped a lot of their forces from Luguval during the time we've been stationed there; I couldn't pull my Regiment out without some sort of unit to replace us."

"You don't have to worry about that sir but for what it's worth from what I understand a replacement force has already been put together for your Regiment. In either case this comes direct from Brigadier General Karsidottir." He added and Jaune nodded at that.

"Alright, I'll return with my men and organize our withdrawal, what's the time frame and route we'll be taking since the Rebels secured West Brom?"

"Orders will be supplied shortly about the route in which your Regiment is to take but I have a second objective that I must complete." The last half of his statement he turned his helmed gaze on Areto.

"You've been ordered to return south with me as well, choose your entourage but make it no more than five people including the Penitent." Jaune blinked at that.

"Wait what? Why?" The other Praetorian sighed.

"To be put it simply Commander, its politics. I've got a number of briefing packets about the 9th Brigades time before and during your time here that we suspect you were unable to appreciate." He said.

"Give me a moment then Optio while I ponder about this."

"As you wish my Lord but be aware that we have less than ten minutes before the Valkyries will have to depart with their current fuel load."

"I understand, thank you." Jaune said as he took a few steps before he began to pace.

"Jaune we have to go, you know this." Areto said and Jaune waved her away.

"No, no, I get that and quite frankly I think Heim would appreciate unadulterated command of the Regiment for the time."

"Credit to where it's due Jaune but I think Heim is satisfied with your command so far."

"Regardless, I'll take you and Hessel for sure. The other three is a little hard to decide, I would prefer to take Ruby but since she's not here it's a tie between Captain Epon and Lieutenant Euryale."

"I suggest Euryale, Captain Epon might say something we may regret in the wrong company. Euryale might be a dead weight but it's one that won't fight you."

"Okay, then I thinking I will take Kurrat as additional security, the rest of the Retinue will form under Captain Grau's command as most senior officer." Jaune mused then paused as he thought about it for a moment before relenting.

"Then lastly I'll take Pyrrha Nikos." He said and in the corner of his eye he could see Areto lean on her poleaxe.

"What?" He asked defensively.

"Jaune I'm happy for the two of you but please remember to be professional."

"I don't know what you mean Areto, Pyrrha's my partner and as the Optio pointed out there is some politics in play and I would prefer her by my side to help me navigate it."

"You say that but I don't believe being a Tournament Champion is the best qualifier in being a politician."

"Maybe but with Weiss not being here Pyrrha's the next best choice, besides there aren't a lot of options. I don't want to take an officer out of the field for something like this."

"Fair enough, I'll have Hessel pass your word along, anything else?"

"Actually yea, go ahead and inform the Battalion about what's going on and tell them that they should stay here while relaying word to the elements that have already left that they can turn around. Ignore moving as one whole unit, Amberstriker's Armored Battalion and Captain Herschlag's Artillery Company can probably leave first to get here." Jaune listed as Areto moved to talk with Hessel. In the meantime Jaune turned towards the Optio who had turned his back to them but Jaune suspected that he was well aware of the distance between them as he walked up to him.

"Have you picked your Retinue?"

"Yes, the ones that aren't already here will be arriving here soon."

"Well very, would you like to wait aboard the Valkyrie?"

"No, I actually need to ask you a few things."

"What can I help you with Commander?"

"How come you're here Optio? The main section of the Legion rarely deploys outside of Arcadia. Vale was the first deployment that I was aware of in a long time, and while this war is serious I would have figured that the Umbra would be tasked with handling this.

"You would be right in most cases but the situation here got complicated fast."

"What do you mean?"

"We were already here when the Civil War broke out. The Legate issued orders for us to break some of the Rebel sieges in the area before withdrawing as we didn't have the numbers to be useful for more than a few major battles but the High Lord ordered us to stay with word of reinforcements on route and support the 9th Brigade after it became apparent that we'd be supporting the Loyalists."

"Interesting, why were you here in the first place though?"

"It isn't my place to answer that question Commander, in either case; it seems your choices are here."

"Well that was quick." Jaune muttered as he turned to see a Chimera appeared before coming to a halt around back came out Lieutenant Euryale, Lieutenant Kurrat and of course Pyrrha. Areto and Hessel led the three of them towards Jaune.

"Sir, reporting as ordered." Kurrat said standing straight though not saluting while Euryale looked at Jaune with an amused but cautious look on her face.

"Commander Arc, I must say that I'm surprised to be here, I figured it would be more appropriate for Captain Epon to be here."

"If you'd like Lieutenant we can wait here while you switch places with the Captain." Jaune said but Euryale shook her head.

"No, no, it's fine; I was just wondering what prompted you to pick me."

"You're both competent leaders and fighters so it could have gone either way but I figured you'd be the better pick." The faintest sign of a smile touched her face before she locked it down.

"I understand Commander Arc, I'll try not to disappoint." She said with a grin as she walked past him towards the waiting Valkyrie. Jaune watched as she left with a small note of concern in him. While he wasn't really lying to her, he also knew that the Lieutenant had issues like Epon. Her issues however were simpler to understand, namely the chafing of the individualistic nature of a Huntress with a structured militaristic organization.

Jaune gave a short wave to Kurrat as he and Hessel walked past with rucksacks on their backs. Areto and Pyrrha came to stand next to him while the Optio walked away gesturing towards the fireteams that had disgorged from the other Valkyries to return.

"Did he tell you anything?" Areto was the first to speak but Jaune shook his head.

"Not much really, Legion elements happened to be here when the war broke out and were ordered to assist with the 9th Brigade as they deployed on the Loyalist side."

"But what did he say about why you're being pulled south ahead of the Regiment?" Pyrrha followed up.

"Nothing really outside of it being political, what sort of political he either doesn't know or won't say, in either case we'll find out soon enough." Jaune said as Pyrrha shrugged before walking onto the Valkyrie with him soon following. After a while the rear ramped began to close as the aircraft rose up while Jaune watched as his soldiers grew tinier and tinier as they gained height. He felt the aircraft shift as it the tilt rotors faced forward before it began to move back south. Around them the other Valkyries and Vultures took up formation as the town of Dunholm quickly shrank away.

Yet despite the excitement that Jaune felt a nugget of concern was rattling around in his head. Being a Huntsman, a soldier, even a Commander while stressful was comparatively easy to the ordeal that he suspected he was getting into. He could fight and take hits on the battlefield but to spar with words or ideals was something that he knew that he wasn't prepared for. A smile touched his face at that thought; he was seriously lamenting the idea of having to talk politics with people more than getting shot at.

Yet unlike war, from his simple mindset, it was passionate but ultimately indifferent to whom it affected with clear lines of whom or what to trust and what would probably try to kill you. The world of politics was a land of grey with unmarked mines and daggers hidden behind indistinguishable uniforms with even more hidden agendas.

His hotheaded sister Mina always joked that the only thing deadlier to a solider than a person with a gun was a politician with ideas.