My week off confirmed as starting April 15th (Saturday) and I'll be back writing the following Saturday (22nd) as per normal.

That means the next chapter of this will be a long way away.

This chapter may bother vegans. I do apologise, and I don't mind alternate eating styles in any sense, but obviously this is a key bit of lore here so… yeah. Sorry if it does bother you. I can definitely say no real animals were harmed in the writing of this.

Chapter 13

It was perhaps wrong to refer to a day back at Beacon training from sun-up to mid-afternoon as a "day off" but that was how it felt. They woke early, hung-over and tired and grouchy in his and Ruby's cases, while everyone else looked far too bloody satisfied with themselves. They attended morning exercises, breakfast, then more training and weapons practice throughout the day with no mention of Project Terminus or the spore outbreak at the bar. It wasn't a case of them being forgotten either because the XO was there to conduct their training as usual, so she wasn't busy either. He assumed it was a case of PT being forced to halt for the day while all their members were tested for any lingering traces of rot that might have gone unnoticed before.

Their own tests were a little harrowing when the doctor drew blood, saw his drug and alcohol levels and raised an eyebrow. The faunus woman clicked her tongue, whispered a joke to her colleague and told him he was clear. The others tested clear as well, not that they'd expected anyone not to but it didn't hurt to be safe, especially with those at ground zero.

"I told you the doctors don't care," said Ruby. "We only get in trouble if we're caught or too wasted to train."

"I can't believe the XO let us off last night to be honest."

"Yeah, me neither." Ruby laughed embarrassedly. "I mean, she had us dead to rights but I guess even someone like her can feel sorry for us after all the shit we've been through."

"I was always under the impression huntsmen were super professional."

"Really? Is that what infantry thinks?"

To be fair, infantry rarely saw huntsmen or huntress other than on television, parades, and the occasional show they held to wow the civilians and military alike and restore morale. Those often ran in tandem with air shows and army marches where everyone wore their fine regalia and military dress uniforms. Jaune could remember sitting on his sister's shoulders and crying out in joy when he spotted mom and dad among the marching soldiers. Saphron had to hold him back from rushing out to hug them. That had been three years before Saphron was declared MIA with her whole squad on a metal reclamation mission near the great wall.

In the parades, the huntsmen and huntresses had been marching in formation and dancing about gracefully as they sparred for the audience. He supposed it was the same as the military in that they were putting on their best faces, but while the allure and splendour of infantry life had faded somewhat once he'd experienced it, the mystery of the huntsmen hadn't. He imagined it would have if he'd come across them torn in half like Sun had been.

"We saw them as superhuman," said Jaune, rubbing his hair awkwardly. It was a little embarrassing to say this to a huntress, but then he was a huntsman. Technically, anyway. "I guess it was an image we held up to convince ourselves everything would be all right. There was always this superstition that if a squad got in trouble, a huntsman or huntress might swoop in to save them. It never happened of course. If your squad was hit by Grimm then you had seconds to live and it's not like Vale could respond that quickly. It was just something to keep us going."

"What do you think now?" asked Ruby.

"Now? I guess I think they're as human as anyone else – and put under more pressure. The worst part is, I still haven't seen any proper huntsmen. Other than the instructors, I mean. And they're different. They aren't out there fighting and dying."

"Hmmm." Ruby hummed in agreement. It wasn't that he didn't doubt Lieutenant-General Goodwitch couldn't kick all their asses, but she was also sticking to that professional image as an instructor and officer, so they all knew they weren't seeing the real her. "I kind of doubt we'll see all that many now if a lot of them died trying to reclaim PT material from the fall of Atlas. I heard even Qrow Branwen was killed in action. Yang always wanted to meet him."

"Really? How come?"

"Half her genetics come from his sister, or so the people working there told us. There was a lot of talk about whether Yang would be some kind of super-huntress like her genetic uncle when she grew up. Apparently, Qrow's sister was also a big deal before she fell helping people escape from Mistral."

"Wow." It was strange to think of them in terms of genetics when it would have been easier to refer to her as Yang's mother, but he supposed they weren't that. It was just eggs and sperm taken from donors to be grown far away from anyone. "Yang is kind of a badass so I wouldn't be surprised if it works out. She's definitely the strongest of us."

"Yep!" Ruby bounced proudly on her heels. "My sister is awesome!"

"Were your… uh… genetic donors huntsmen too?"

"Uh-huh. One huntsman and one huntress. I didn't get their names but I know my eyes came from my mother because some of the researchers thought it was a genetic defect before they double checked. They thought it might hold me back or turn into a debilitating health problem later on, but she had the same eyes and was a badass huntress so it was decided I'd be allowed to live."

That put a stop to the good mood and the conversation, not that Ruby noticed or understood. She skipped on laughing and talking about huntsmen and huntresses while Jaune struggled to find the words to her saying she'd nearly been killed at birth for her eye colour. In the end he decided he shouldn't say anything, because Ruby wasn't bothered and wouldn't understand why he was trying to offer her sympathy. She'd probably just say that she didn't die, so there was no point getting worked up about it. He couldn't believe her and Yang had come out of the clone vats as relatively normal people and not murderous psychopaths. Presumably because the "psychopaths" had all been weeded out and euthanised as children…

The cafeteria was bustling today. Utterly rammed packed to the point that there was just about no room at all for them with the others. Ruby had to sit in Yang's lap, but only after she'd demanded to know that Yang had showered after last night – and Jaune had to squeeze in between Ren and a guy to her right to the point that he was squashed up with his shoulders hunched at his neck.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked. "I've never seen the place so busy. There must be every single person in Beacon here." Lunch lasted two hours, and that was precisely so people could come and go at different times to make the most of the space and prevent situations like this. "Can't we come back later when there'll be more room?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" asked Nora. "The bet cuts will be all gone by then!"

"Cuts of what?"

"You don't know?" Ren leaned around from Nora's other side. The boy was often wearing a lazy smile, but today it was manic. He didn't think he'd ever seen Ren look so excited. "I guess no one reminded you. Today is our meat portions."

The word hit Jaune in the stomach and the mouth at once. He struggled to form words around drool. "T-Today? It's today?"

"Yeah, it is," said Yang, rubbing her hands together. "Barely any livestock in the academy but they get processed around the same time and given out to high-ranking officers, governmental officials and the other important schmucks. But because we're so important to the survival of the arcology and all that, we get a quarter of all the meat in the arcology. Real stuff, too. Not that test-tube grown synthetic meat."

Just hearing Yang talk about it had people around them moaning happily, and an excited murmur spreading up and down the tables. It was no wonder everyone had decided to squeeze in for first servings. He might have cried if he came late and found out most of the meat was gone because he hadn't realised what today was.

"Attention!" shouted a familiar voice by the doors. Lieutenant-General Goodwitch strode in with a wide smile on her face. Jaune stood to salute along with everyone else, worried at first that something might be wrong, but the hungry grins on everyone's faces had him calming down. This must have been a regular thing. "At ease. Sit."

Everyone took their seats once more. No one dared squeak out a word for fear of losing their privileges at that exact moment. It would be the worst punishment to be sent out the cafeteria and miss lunch today.

Lieutenant-General Goodwitch remained silent as men and women in cook's uniforms wheeled in metal trolleys stacked high with aluminium drums and towering cooking pots. Some were already bubbling and steaming, and the thick smell of meat was a slap to all their faces. Jaune sucked in his saliva and he heard Nora moan under her breath. No one was immune to it, and everyone's eyes followed the metal drums like Beowolves stalking their prey. They were set down at the far end of the cafeteria, and some big boxes of plates were brought in and set down as well.

None was served. Not yet.

"Fifteen years ago," began the XO, "High General Alabaster Duke declared that in recognition of their grand sacrifice, and the dangerous work they do, the huntsmen and huntresses of the Vale Arcology would be rewarded for their service. They would receive their own bunks, their own academy, their own individual training and the highest standards of life available to citizens of Vale. And with good reason! The mortality rates of our profession are the highest on Remnant, our lives short, and many of you who sit here today will not be with us in two years' time. This is a cruel fact of life. Today, Vale thanks its brave heroes and heroines with a gift. Today, you dine as the kings and queens of old might have. What say you all?"

"THANK YOU!" chanted the students. Jaune caught on and joined in for the last word.

"Indeed," said Lieutenant-General Goodwitch. "And Vale thanks you for your service." She pointed. "Greene, Simmons, Almond-" She snapped off a few names and the people stood. They were all at the ends of the tables closest to the food. "Collect bowls and cutlery and distribute them up and down the tables. I expect order and discipline from each and every one of you here. Do not think I will accept petty fights over food." Her stern demeanour faded a little. "There is enough here to see you full to bursting. Do not sour the moment."

The cadets tasked with setting the tables came up and down handing out bowls and knives and forks, and no one dared cause them any trouble. Jaune looked down at his eagerly, and Ruby and Yang had two set between them side by side. Ruby was bouncing in her sister's lap, or maybe Yang was bouncing her, or maybe they were both doing it – they looked excited enough. Once the bowls were all laid out, the cooks came and went depositing thick cuts of meat into the bowls. It was a wide mix: beef, chicken, turkey, duck, pork – all just laid side by side glistening with fat. Jaune looked to the others for instruction but they weren't reaching for it yet despite clearly wanting to. The reason why came on the next pass, where thick, rich gravy was spooned generously out over the meat. It even had bits of meat floating in it.

There were vegetables that came after, and put-on groans from everyone as they were dropped into the gravy. It wasn't that they didn't like it when it was what they ate most of the time, but when you had a choice between what you had every day and what you'd been looking forward to, well, it wouldn't surprise him if he wasn't the only one pushing them aside.

"Enough of that," chided Goodwitch, though not without a chuckle. "Greens are good for you all – and you'll feel sick if you gorge yourself on just meat." Bread came after, several thick and crusty slices, and then – to Jaune's shock – wine. Actual alcohol poured out by Beacon's instructors without a care in the world. Goodwitch had her own glass as well and raised it high. "A toast. To Vale, to Remnant, to Beacon. Remnant Invicta!"

"REMNANT INVICTA!" they chorused and drank.

The moment Goodwitch was finished, she smiled, nodded, and said, "Dig in."

The cafeteria had never been louder. The clash of fork and knife, the rattle of wooden tables, the moans and groans of men and women louder than the sex Ruby and he had been forced to try and sleep through the night before. Lustier, too. Nora was moaning much louder than she had with Ren, and the same for Yang. No one seemed to care, though. He certainly didn't. Caring about those things would have distracted from the absolute feast in front of him.

Tender, juicy, soft, the meat flaked apart in his mouth and carried with it a gravy so thick it glooped back down off his spoon, and that tasted of heavy beef. Tears ran down his cheeks and he worried for a moment that his reaction was too extreme and that he'd be teased for it, but then he saw no one else was any better and let such thoughts disappear.

He couldn't imagine a world in which people could eat like this as a matter of daily life. It had existed of course, back before Salem truly put Remnant on the clock, a time when people could go out and buy product and even have other people cook fine food for them. He'd read about it in history books and watched the propaganda movies talking about the beauty of the past and how they'd reclaim it when Salem was defeated. He'd watched actors and actresses act out a scene of a restaurant, but he'd never really believed something like that could happen or be real.

History was often embellished. Idealised. Restaurants, supermarkets, farm fairs and plentiful food. He couldn't imagine it had ever been that easy, or as readily available, but this was the closest they would ever come to that fantastical ideal. And all they had to offer to have it was their lives. Their lives and futures for one good meal a month.

It was a fair trade.

/-/

They had the afternoon off – Jaune was surprised by that, but realised it was inevitable because one punch in the stomach even two hours after lunch would have had him spewing up over his opponent. They had gorged without discipline, without care, and the instructors had known that would happen. They'd seen it all before and had probably seen just how poorly mandatory training went after these events. Hell, maybe they were pigging out as well. They'd also get their meat rations, and they probably didn't want to waste it either. He laughed at the thought of the Lieutenant-General professionally walking out the cafeteria, breaking into a sprint, locking herself in her quarters and going at her own meal like a Beowolf on a downed trooper.

Phoenix Squadron were laid out on the grass training fields like they'd been torn apart by an airstrike, just limply strewn around with no rhyme or reason, groaning in contented discomfort and burping every now and then. If the infantry could see them now, that image of professionalism would have flown right out the window.

"This is the best day ever," said Jaune.

"Mmmmmmmm…" agreed Yang.

"I was so upset to be sent here at first. I thought it was a death sentence – and it is – but I could die for this. I will die for this."

"Mmmmmmmm…"

"And this happens every month?"

"Hmhmmmmmm…"

"Can you form words?"

"Nnhnnnnn…"

"Fair enough."

Jaune sank back down and gave up on chat. It wasn't like anyone was offering it. The sun beat down on them comfortingly, the grass pushed up against their backs, and the weight of their stomachs kept them languid. Nora had already fallen asleep, and Ren looked like he was nodding off beside her.

"Phoenix Squadron. You have a new mission assignment."

Jaune blinked his eyes open, surprised to find the sky just a little dimmer. He'd fallen asleep. It looked to be a few hours on and his face felt tingly from the beginnings of sunburn from being out so long. He looked up to see Lieutenant-General Goodwitch stood above them, and heard Yang's groan and mumbled complaint of, "Not now. Come on. We're stuffed."

"The assignment is tomorrow. Worry not. I'm simply giving you your marching orders today. I'm afraid they are somewhat serious."

They all sat up, worried by her heavy tone. "Is it related to Project Terminus?" asked Yang.

"Yes. The testing has been completed and the scientists are working up a delivery system. It is… more extreme than any of us realised. Simply put, the weapon cannot be fixed to a vehicle and wheeled into combat, and we can't station it on the arcology because its target will not come anywhere close. It needs to be mobile. Airborne."

"It's going to be an airship!?" asked Ruby, surprised. "But the Grimm pretty much have superiority over the air."

"They'll definitely have it over their queen," added Ren. "If we're to bring this thing to her then we'll face numbers we've never seen before. The sky will be blotted out by Nevermore, Gryphons and anything else that can take wing. The ground, too."

"We are aware of that. It's our expectation that every Grimm on Remnant will be present." That was terrifying. "That is why we have reached out to Vacuo. Come the time, come the moment, they will mobilise their huntsmen and military to assist us. All of Remnant – what little is left of it – will fight in that final battle."

"Holy-"

"But there won't be a final battle unless this weapon can be brought to bear. And it isn't going to be an aircraft, Cadet Ren." The XO sighed. "It is going to be a satellite."

Jaune stared. He wasn't the only one.

"No one has ever made it into space," said Ruby. "I read about that. There were old rocket programs before the collapse but they were shut down when Salem attacked."

"There were a few other attempts you wouldn't have been taught, Cadet. There was a plan at one point to evacuate people from Remnant and the Grimm in search of a new planet to inhabit."

Jaune gawked. "They were going to run away!?"

"In a word, yes. And not everyone. A selection of our people would leave while everyone else would be left to die. Naturally, it was shut down – not only because of the cowardice, but because we're not sure there are any habitable planets, or where we might find them or how long it would take us to get there. The point is that rocket technology did continue after the collapse in secret. We have theory of how to penetrate the atmosphere, but that won't matter here. The researchers are aiming to keep Project Terminus within our atmosphere, but near the very edge. In what is known as the thermosphere."

Ren pursed his lips. "That's the second to last layer, isn't it?"

"Yes. Still within Remnant's atmosphere and still containing oxygen, though it's doubtful anyone could survive in it. The temperatures are much too hot."

"Too hot for Grimm as well," said Nora. "Salem wouldn't be able to stop it."

"That is the idea." Goodwitch nodded once. "By mounting the weapon on a station, we keep it far out of her reach while also allowing it to pass overhead and fire down on Salem. Any layer of defence she tries to set up with Grimm won't matter when that much destructive power is brought to bear. The problem… well, the problems are myriad, but most of those are being dealt with between research and engineering divisions. The engineers are confident they could build something capable of both launching it into the upper atmosphere and keeping a crew safe, but they're less certain of many other things – where to get enough material from, for one."

"I assume you're not talking about the metal we reclaimed from those homes," said Yang.

"I'm not. Mostly we're concerned about electronic equipment – we can't very well demolish our air fleet to equip this thing or we'll be overrun. But the biggest missing component is fuel. Dust."

"You'd need an absurd amount of it to propel a heavy object into the atmosphere," said Ruby. "Hundreds of tonnes probably. And we couldn't get that even if we shut down every machine in the arcology, could we?"

"You see the problem," said the XO. "Vale needs the old mines back under our operation – and perhaps even more than just ours. Atlas, Mistral, Vale, they all have dust mining outposts and facilities that had to be abandoned when the Great Wall fell, and when those kingdoms fell. We need a lot of dust, as Cadet Rose says, so we can't very well bring one or two online and hope that provides us enough. It would take years to do that. No. We need to reclaim the mines across multiple kingdoms and drain them dry, and transport that dust back to Vale so we can launch Project Terminus."

Jaune licked his lips. "And that's our job?"

Lieutenant-General Goodwitch snorted. "That's all our jobs, Cadet. Beacon is going to be turned out. All of Beacon. Every cadet, ready or not, is going to be given marching orders. The infantry is preparing, tank divisions and aircraft are being refuelled. Labourers in their hundreds are being recruited. We are going to have to make a push for them all simultaneously or Salem will realise what we are doing and fill every mine to the brim with her creatures. The reason I am telling your team specifically is because of your awareness as to the nature of Project Terminus. There are going to be a lot of people who don't know, and for good reason. General Ozpin has suggested we make use of the teams that do know in command roles."

Yang's jaw dropped. "Wait, what? We're in command? We're not trained for that!"

"You won't be making all the shots or organising the efforts. Don't worry. Engineers will be in charge of mining the dust, logistical support in charge of transporting it back to the arcology, and various officers on the ground will be in charge of their divisions and everything involved. You won't have to give many orders."

The blonde sagged in relief. He didn't blame her, because when the XO said "they" were in command, what it really meant was "Yang" was in command. That much pressure on her shoulders was a little too much.

"Okay. That's not so bad. What are we commanding, then?"

"Essentially, you'll be in command if things go wrong. As huntsmen and huntresses-"

"We're cadets," said Nora.

"For this operation that title is being waived. Any going on this mission will have the rank of huntsman as if you had fully graduated. That will instantly put you above anyone else there in a situation where Grimm are present."

"Why?" asked Yang. "What about the real huntsmen?"

The Lieutenant-General glanced around and then answered in a quiet voice. "This is confidential for obvious reasons but… well, the reason we've been involving you and other teams in Project Terminus at all is due to a lack of manpower. We played down the situation so as not to cause a panic, but the truth of the matter is that getting the research teams out of Atlas was costly. Recovering the data was even more so. We lost more than just Cadet Wukong. Our huntsmen forces have been decimated by over 95%. You ask why we are not sending huntsmen. It is because there are no more huntsmen to send. The cadet population of Beacon outnumbers our remaining huntsmen by a factor of over two hundred to one."

Jaune couldn't believe it. He couldn't comprehend it. Yang collapsed on her back, arms splayed out, eyes on the sky. "I feel sick," she complained. "I… You can't… You're lying. Teach, you've got to be lying. Two hundred to one? There aren't exactly thousands of students here! You can't be saying-"

"We have less than ten huntsmen or huntresses remaining. Half of them are teaching here in Beacon." The XO closed her eyes. How she kept her shoulders straight, he didn't know. How she maintained a straight face in front of the student body, he didn't know. "Vale is dying, Phoenix Squadron. That is the reason you and your peers have been utilised of late. We are running out of time. If we do not kill Salem now, we won't survive to have another chance. For the sake of all morale, for the sake of any hope of preventing panic, you all have to be seen as active huntsmen and huntresses. You have to be in command, because we have to at least hold to the illusion that the situation is under control."

"I thought the meat portion today was more generous than usual," whimpered Ruby. "There was twice as much…"

"The food did not have to stretch as far as it normally would," the instructor admitted. "We have enough leftover for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow, and we'll send some off with you as rations." That decision, which would normally have prompted joy, only served to drive home just how fewer mouths there were to feed. "Vale – no, Remnant – needs this dust. We need those mines operational, and we need the dust bringing back to the arcology. In brutal honesty, we need the dust bringing back more than we need every man and woman sent to those mines. That is why we need someone in the know of Project Terminus overlooking the operation. Every mine will have at least one team made aware of Terminus in command, who will be ready to make the decisions that Vale needs, rather than the decisions the soldiers there might want."

"What about you, ma'am?" asked Ren. "What will you and the other instructors be doing? You're one of the last real huntresses around. What will you be doing?"

"I have my own mission to reclaim electronics from a computer system on the Grand Wall itself that will form the central CPU for Project Terminus. It used to control the wall and all its weapon systems. I'm to locate, store and then fire the components off in a non-explosive missile that will be aimed back at Vale for collection."

"The Grand Wall!?" hissed Ruby. "You can't! Are they insane? That's completely overrun. The last crusade to reclaim it was a massacre! You'll never make it in and out alive."

Lieutenant-General Glynda Goodwitch chuckled. "It is not expected that I will, cadet. This is a one-way mission at best. I expect that this will be the last time you will see me." The stern woman snapped a picture-perfect salute. "If that proves to be the case then I want you all to know I am proud of you. You have been model students, though you, Cadet Xiao-Long, have also been a model pain in my ass. Even so, I have complete faith in your ability to not only complete this mission but return to Vale alive. The world will need someone to help bring the weapon to the Grimm Queen, and I will entrust that to you. I know you will do Beacon proud. Remnant Invicta."

Yang burst out laughing. It was a bitter, painful laugh, but one all the same. They scrambled to their feet and saluted with empty feelings in their full stomachs. The woman nodded, brought her hand down, and turned on her heel to march away, with no doubt, fear, or uncertainty in her step. It was her mission after all, as was theirs to bring back the dust for Project Terminus. Nothing else mattered.

"Remnant Invicta," whispered Jaune, watching their instructor go.

He knew it would be the last time they ever saw her.

Life is cheaper than cuts of meat.

But I didn't want to go so overly grimdark as to have human-processed meat being a staple here like in some settings. They're trying to maintain some sense of civilisation here, and to reclaim their glorious past, so they kind of want to not give up and embrace extreme new measures unless they have to. I think that in WH40k for instance where corpse starch is a thing, that implies you're telling everyone to accept the new way of life and the new needs, whereas Remnant here wants to go back to the old ways, so accepting something like that would feel like giving up to them. Or accepting that things will never be how they used to be, at which point many people's reasons for fighting begin to collapse.

Next Chapter: 2nd May (Three Weeks)

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