Author's note:
Guest: Thank you for leaving the comment, I will 100% keep going with this and I'm glad I was able to convey Jaune's feeling in that letter well enough
Togy: Love the WW1 AUs too, the atmosphere someone can create with it is just amazing
The whistling of Artillery could be heard once again, The explosions littered the frontlines yet none actually hitting the trench itself, Many soldiers sat there awake as they did whatever they could to keep their exhausted mind away from the thought of combat and like any other soldier, Jaune was keeping his equipment clean, it was a habit of his. Cleaning his weapon prevented jamming and rusting which meant that he would be kept alive for longer
You know... When I first started to clean my weapon, I hated it, Now look at me cleaning this like it's a holy relic Jaune thought to himself as he held up Crocea Mors, The blade gleaming in the moonlight until he felt a explosion nearby, Closer to the trenches than any others and almost knocked him off balance and onto the ground, Jaune clicked his tongue when he checked back on his beloved blade and saw it with flicks of mud and dirt
"Damn it, I just cleaned this blade" Jaune complained as he pulled out the rag he was cleaning his blade with previously and started to wipe the traces of grime off of the blade, it took him a few minutes to finish re-cleaning the blade before he sheathed it and picked up his rifle, An Vacuoan Ironbolt that he snatched in one of the previous scrimmages
"...I need to trade this in" Jaune muttered to himself as he started to clean the gun but was swiftly interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat, He quickly looked up to see a man that seemed to have been waiting there for him, He quickly propped the rifle as he stood to greet the man
"Sargent Davidson, To what do I owe the pleasure" Jaune groaned as he stood, His wound still not fully healed and his body too sore for anything else besides a long nights sleep, The sergeant nodded at him before another mortar shell forced the both of them to crouch as a wave of fire briefly washed over their trench
"Damn Moaning Minnie. Can't catch a damn break" Jaune cursed as he grabbed his rifle along with the Sargent, Both readying themselves for a push, while a night rush wasn't uncommon for them. The fact the imperials will risk so much manpower at such a unconventional time would be down right stupid. They waited but heard nothing
"Guess they aren't that stupid then, Anyways Davidson, What were you here for?" Jaune asked as he turned to the man when the familiar screech of the whistle weren't heard as the Sargent put away his own rifle before turning back to Jaune who waited patiently, His rifle still in hand as Davidson began to speak
"The new recruits from Vale just arrived, you want me to brief the greenhorns or..?" The man trailed off as Jaune thought about it, The two man ducked slightly as another shell went over their head but neither ducked when the explosion went off, They however did watch in amusement as many of those who weren't familiar threw themselves at the ground frantically
"Give me a moment to finish up and I'll brief them. Night Davidson" Jaune said as the sergeant bid his own farewells, Jaune quickly did a quick wipe of the rifle before he slung the rifle over his shoulder and went to met up with the new recruits, As he turned the corner to the rendezvous, He could pick up the excited chattering of the newbies
"Sir" A soldier saluted him as the rest turned to mimic the first, All 20 or so man and woman turning to salute him as he quickly told them to relax, He wasn't in the mood to catch a sniper round with his helmet
"Alright, A few ground rules so you don't get yourselves or anyone else killed from stupidity or being unfamiliar with the front lines, First. Don't salute your superiors because that will end up with a bullet in a head and an empty position" Jaune started off as the woman that saluted him winced, obviously realizing what she had inadvertently done
"Sorry sir" She apologized as Jaune waved it off, He can't blame them when his instructor had drilled the basic premise of saluting a superior so hard that he would be able to do it in his sleep, however he wasn't as lucky as these new recruit as the superior he saluted was quickly demoted into death and Jaune was left covered in brain matter
"Second, Don't peek over the trench and keep your heads low unless the imps are rushing or we are rushing, Peeking over is asking for death and I'd rather none of you die so soon" Jaune continued as he watched many of the recruits shift nervously with a few murmuring to each other, Obviously nervous to face real combat
"And third, We've got a new equipment from Atlas. The Atlesian Chauchat. A single operator maxim gun or what you all know as a Machine gun, it is lightweight and able to be carried onto the field" Jaune said as he grabbed the mentioned gun from the box beside him and tossed it to a new recruit who fumbled to catch it but managed to not drop it, The rest of the recruits turned to him and stared at the gun as if it's a wonder machine
Yeah if I was told the Machine gun were turned to be able to be carried and operated by one person, I'd be ogling it like it's God himself too Jaune thought in amusement as the new recruits experimented with the gun in excitement before he cleared his throat and gathered the attention once again
"Alright Alright, Settle down. Now I know the Chauchat sounds great but it's the biggest piece of shit I've seen in my entire existence as a soldier" Jaune said as many of them stared at Jaune incredulously, Jaune had to hold back a laugh as he brought out another Chauchat
"The frontline is a dirty place, there's dirt and mud everywhere and when those filth and grime get into your piece of shit Atlesian Chauchat. it jams, Not to mention the fact that if you fire it for too long, It also stops working. It has already costed two of my man's limbs so I suggest you to stay with your basic rifle" Jaune explained as he threw the rifle back into the box, Many recruits stared at the box in horror but a selected few went to get the gun anyways
"Lieutenant" The gentle and familiar voice cause Jaune to jump as he spun around to face the familiar face of Ozpin, The older man seemed to have an oddly smug aura around him despite the fact his expression was mostly neutral, Jaune quickly dismissed the new recruits as one of them went to salute only to remember rule one and stop halfway
They're learning Jaune thought in amusement as he turned back to the Major, Who watched the rest running off to their positions and getting to interact with other members in the trenches, Jaune waited for his superior to do or say something but it wasn't until a few minutes later that Ozpin actually spoke up
"How many were lost in the past month?" Ozpin asked quietly as he gazed into the open field, The once green and luscious fields that used to be the pride of Mistral replaced with craters, corpses, barbed wires, and burnt ground. Not a single sign of a living organism whether it was a tree or a patch of grass
"5,532 Soldiers were killed and another 2,871 were injured during the past week. and from what we can tell for the imperials... They suffered heavier casualties at 8,000 something dead with another 200 confirmed soldiers under our capture" Jaune reported as the two Privates that he failed to save flashed before his eyes
"...We are going to end this offensive once and for all" The major quietly muttered as Jaune snapped to him in surprise, They've been fighting on this front for months and the most progress they've made was in a reckless charge that could have costed them the entire division however the glint of happiness in the Major convinced Jaune to hear him out
"How much do you know about the resistance?" Ozpin asked the blond soldier as he rubbed his chin, his hand roaming over his stubbles as he examine the battlefield once again The Resistance...
"I know there was a uprising before the start of the war with a group called the White Fang, Mostly Faunus soldiers and people if what I heard was true" Jaune admitted, He wasn't exactly clueless on world politics but anything further than the war updates or who the new leader of his country is? then it's foreign to him
"No No, The White Fang has made attacks on both side but there's a specific resistance where we are and they are tired of the Imperial occupying their town and outsourcing their man and food" Ozpin elaborated as Jaune nodded slowly, slowly recalling the small town just past the last trench lines that the Imperials were occupying
I've been fighting on this front for so long I forgot what our original goal was Jaune lamented as he fiddled with his gun sling, if this information was true then they might just have a chance against the never ending wave of imperials
"The Resistance leader has contacted us last night through a pigeon carrier and she will be here by tonight, She will be wearing a red ribbon on the side of her arm so do keep an eye out, We'll be contacting you if she arrives. Stay safe Lieutenant" Ozpin continued as Jaune slowly piled all of the information
"remember Jaune, The Evening Crow will arrive soon and when they do, Autumn will rise" Ozpin said mysteriously as he walked away leaving a confused Jaune who stood there thinking about that sentence
...Wait... what?
"STOP, ANY FURTHER AND WE WILL OPEN FIRE" The rather loud shout woke the drowsy lieutenant who quickly grabbed his rifle out of instinct and stood to see three intruders not wearing any uniforms that were their or of the enemies, They were surrounded by both sides by his men
"What's going on here?" Jaune quickly asked, In a firm tone as any sleepiness that he had moments earlier was quickly washed away by the fear of a spy just roaming their trenches and taking out unsuspecting soldiers
"The Evening crow will soon arrive and the Autumn will rise" one of the three piped up, Jaune was about to dismiss the words as rubbish until he recalled what the Major had said just before leaving and his eyes flicked to the side of the mysterious intruder and sure enough, there were red bands tied around their arms that were dark enough to be concealed by the night
"What are you talking about? Stay still or I'll sho-" The Soldier growled menacingly as he readied his rifle to shoot and causing the rest to copy the action only for Jaune to lower the barrel, seeing their commander stopping the first soldier, the rest of them quickly followed, lowering their rifles as the mysterious group of three visibly relaxed
"I'm assuming one of you is the resistance leader?" Jaune asked as one of the members quickly pulled off their mask to reveal raven black hair and amber eyes, The other two however was much more hesitant but removed their disguises anyways to reveal an older man with black hair and another younger man with golden blond hair much like Jaune's own
"Blake Belladonna, Tukson, And Sun Wukong" The woman introduced themselves in order as Jaune nodded, quickly dismissing the other soldiers to perform their regular duties and guiding the three guests to the Major like he was instructed to do so
"Ah Ms. Belladonna, Glad you can make it" Ozpin greeted when the four entered his tent, it seemed like the Major was waiting as the three huddled around the table, the map of the trenches still present from the last time Jaune has been there but the piece has been moved ever so slightly
"So... What's the plan?" Jaune asked as he hunched over the table along with the rest only for him to be greeted with silence, When he looked up, He saw the three all looking at him in confusion. He waited but none of them started speaking. He was about to give in until Ozpin finally spoke up
"So the plan that I've gathered from the encrypted letter is that we'll be rushing the Imperials as they are resupplying." Ozpin said cautiously as Jaune's head turned toward his superior officer with such speed that he almost thought he had gotten whiplash, The hopeful eyes of the Major told Jaune everything he needed to know
"Sir you can not possibly thinking of a reckless charge again. that may have worke-" Jaune quickly started dissuading the idea of the reckless charge, hoping to change the Majors mind but he was quickly cut off by Blake, who shrugged off a pack that he didn't even notice was there
"We are not just risking people charging the Imperial lines, The imps are too smart and too well supplied for that. The plan would be in danger if I sent it and it was captured by the enemy forces so I'd rather tell it here. Sorry for the confusion." Her monotone voice quickly cutting through his as she hefted the pack up to the table
"The plan was to sneak past the enemy's line, behind towards the bridge where they get resupplied every week and blow up the bridge to cause panic. Even if you don't get control of the trenches, The imps will be inefficiently supplied until they repair the bridge and you can rush them during that time" Blake explained as Jaune slowly nodded
"Not a bad plan but how do you suggest that we get through to the rear of the enemies line? it's not like any of us here has night vision" Jaune brought up as all three of the resistance fighters turned to look at him like he was stupid
"wha-?" Jaune was again cut off and surprised when Blake revealed a pair of cat ears (that was absolutely adorable in his opinion but he will never admit due to a healthy dose of fear). Sun revealed a swinging monkey tail and Tukson extended his nails into claws. Jaune now realized how stupid he had just sounded so he replied with such a intelligent response that no one there could have ever predicted
"oh." Jaune quietly muttered as he looked away in embarrassment, he heard a few snickers coming from Sun and Tukson but it was quickly cut off from a quick clearing of the throat from Ozpin
"Now that we've established how we are going to get behind enemy lines..." Ozpin started as he glanced at Jaune with an amused expression
"...how many soldiers would you need to set up the explosive and do you need any explosives from us?" Ozpin finished as Blake thought about it before fishing out her own map and what seemed to be a improvised explosive from her pack causing both of the experienced soldier to back up
"Calm down, it's built by a expert from things we could afford to buy without suspicion" Blake explained as she unfurled her own map and laid it out, Jaune moved closer to examine the contents and was impressed by the intensive detail on the map, from patrol routes to how often soldiers stop at points along the map
"we only need an experienced soldier and for the explosive... if you can spare a few more explosives for other points we want to hit then that be much appreciated" Blake said as Ozpin quickly noted it down and quickly starting to message something on the telegram, The four waited for the Major before they continued
"Alright, I've contacted an explosive expert so they will be here shortly and for an experienced soldier..." Ozpin silently glanced at Jaune who closed his eyes and quietly raged in his head before he nodded at the older man
"Alright, The bridge is guarded by 2 Mistralian soldiers and their shift lasts from midnight to sunrise. We can eliminate them and plant the explosive with enough time to spare however the four other points are much more heavily guarded and the shift switches rather fast throughout the night" Blake explained as Jaune watched her circle three different points, two of which was the ammunition, another two being the Artillery and the final one being their main goal the bridge
"oooo we talking bout explosives? COUNT ME IN" The exuberant voice quickly cut in as Jaune felt an arm hooking his neck and pulling him down to a girl around his age, her bright smile and lively expression was a sharp contrast to the anger in her eyes as Jaune quickly looked away, Not sure what he had did to anger the girl
"Name's Nora Valkyrie, Rank Specialist and bestie of Corporal Lie Ren, I'm also your demolition expert for the night" Nora introduced herself in a way that no soldier would ever dare in front of their superior but Nora didn't seem to care and the mention of Lie Ren suddenly made her anger a lot more understandable
"So whatchu need explosives for? big? small? just the right size to blow up a castle?" Nora quickly asked as she pushed Jaune to the side with strength unbefitting of a girl her size before she started to examine the map before immediately started giving her recommendation, probably from experience if the scars say anything
"mhm mhm OK, so whatchu need are thermite for the Mortar and artillery, something packing a punch for the ammo depots and I heavily recommends some mines. It wouldn't immediately cause panic but it would destroy the ammo along with some unfortunate soul and for the bridge... Some good ol fashion TNT will do the trick"
"Well. Now that's established, Sun and I will go back to inform our own about the operation and I'll leave Tukson with you to lead you through the hostile territory, Tukson. Don't die" Blake said as she quickly turned to drag Sun out of the tent who just managed to wave a goodbye before the pair disappeared
I am so. incredibly. fucked.
"I am so incredibly fucked" Jaune whispered to himself as he followed slowly behind the large frame of Tukson, despite being a man larger than life, Tukson also somehow manages to be incredibly stealthy to the point that even Jaune had lost him a couple of times, The crescendoing rain did not help the fact whatsoever
"Keep moving, We'll be there soon" Tukson whispered back as the two navigated the cold and wet land as quietly and as fast as possible, Pausing every once in a while to duck into a crater to ensure that no enemy soldier catches a glimpse of them, Jaune quickly let out a sigh of relief after catching sight of the bridge
"we are suppose to meet Blake and Sun here right?" Jaune asked as Tukson nodded before he pointed towards the two guards, Both looking incredibly bored and unenthused to be out in the rain and guarding a bridge that they were sure no one would ever bother attacking, unfortunately, They were about to be in for a nasty surprise
Standing behind the guards, Tukson slowly lowered three of his digits before pulling out a dagger and stabbing it into the man's throat before pulling him under the bridge, The second man had barely any time before Jaune did the same and sank Crocea Mors into the man's jugular before muffling the dying man's scream as he dragged him into the underway of the bridge to leave him to bleed out
"Where are they?" Tukson asked with frustration in his voice, The plan was to plant the explosive on the main bridge first before sabotaging everything else but it seems there was a change in plans and they can't afford to waste any more time
"Tukson, Let's go to the ammo. Might as well get that finished" Jaune urged as Tukson growled, he waited for a few more second before giving in and quickly rushed to the ammo depot as fast as he could without attracting any attention while Jaune quickly followed after
"Plant the mines, I'll keep watch. if you hear thumping on the tent. hide" Tukson instructed Jaune as he handed over the mines, Jaune quickly grabbed the stack and snuck into the tent with the deadly weapon in his grasp. Putting them in random positions before covering them up with dirt and mud and carefully as he can
before he can finish planting the last one however, he heard three loud thumps on the edge of the tent and the telltale sound of someone quickly moving away as Jaune quickly crouched behind an box large enough to hide him from view, His heart raced as he heard the tent flaps being pushed aside as Imperial soldiers entered
"I can't believe Maria would just do that, Seriously, After all they've been through, I thought SHE would propose to Daniel" one of the soldier said as he rummaged through the ammo boxes, Unknowingly covering Jaune even more with the lid as he prayed that the two wouldn't step on a mine and take all three of them in a fiery explosion
"I told you all, Maria was suspicious and obviously had something on the side, give her some boots and she'll get on her knees" Another said in a mocking tone as the soldiers snickered in amusement while Jaune held his breath and prayed for the group to go away soon, He could hear his heart pounding in his ears
"Seriously, and I thought that Daniel wouldn't be such a pussy and make a move himself... guess not huh" The group laughed as they finished their rummage through the ammo before closing the lid and walking out of the tent still discussing something about Maria and Daniel, While Jaune allowed himself to let out a sigh of relief
He planted the final mine at the entrance before covering it up and escaping the tent, dully noting how close he was to being discovered and killed in that tent, He however put that thought on the backburner as he met up with Tukson again and the duo went back to the bridge and, thankfully, the other pair was present under the bridge
"Where the hell were you two?" Blake hissed as she slowly attached several explosive to the bottom of the bridge, Sun beside her holding the plunger as Jaune and Tukson began to help Blake with her sabotage
" you weren't here when we arrived and took out the guards so we were at the Ammo depot," Tukson quietly said to Blake who gave him a seething glare as she continued to work on the bridge silently
"alright we are finished here, We just have to wait until the attack starts and they start wheeling out the soldiers and trucks" Jaune whispered to the group as they rushed to a safe distance away from the explosives, The wire covered under the mud as the four waited for the firefight to begin
"Any moment now..." Jaune muttered anxiously and true to his words, an massive explosion could be heard from behind them along with screams of soldiers and the hissing thermite, the shrill sound of the whistles being blown quickly followed as gunshots filled the air, Another explosion followed soon after as they saw a gigantic fireball emerge from the opposite side
"The depot" Sun whispered in amazement as they all watched the fireball slowly dissipated, there were screaming of orders and panic as the gate quickly opened and the trucks began to slowly roll out of the town, Jaune went to push down the plunger but Blake forced him to wait. Jaune glanced back hesitantly but backed down as the Faunus nodded gratefully
"GRENADE" Sun screamed as Jaune's eyes snapped to the ground and threw the Mistralian grenade away from them but it was too late as the small bomb exploded in midair and blasted Jaune backwards into the ground, Blake panicked and push the plunger but much to all of their horror
The Explosives under the bridge never went off.
Jaune was barely able to get his breath back before he saw a figure rushing past him with the plunger in hand, His protective instincts quickly screamed at him to follow the figure as he forced himself to get up and grab his rifle, He was up just barely in time as he saw Sun getting hit by a bullet, His heart froze when the blond fell to the ground unmoving
"SUN" Blake and Tukson screamed out in worry as Jaune rushed by the duo, his mind scrambled and panicked. He wasn't going to let another man die under his watch, especially a fellow blonde that was brave and stupid enough to charge into enemy territory under gunfire
"SUN. SUN. SAY SOMETHING ARE YOU ALIVE? WHERE ARE YOU HIT?" Jaune asked as he slid to Sun's side, Panic and worry evident in his voice as the other blond groaned in pain before he grabbed his thigh, Jaune looked down to see red slowly seeping through the wound as Sun moaned in pain
"Fuck... This hurts... Why did it have to be my thigh man" Sun groaned out in pain and Jaune let out a breath of relief, if the man had enough energy to complain then he'll live, he would have been worried if there weren't any sass
"At least you weren't hit in the ass" Jaune remarked as Blake slide in next to him, an unusual look of concern marred her face as she looked at Sun's condition, She was about to say something when Jaune shoved his rifle into Blake's arm
"Cover me, I'm not going to let this idiot's sacrifice go in vain" Jaune said as he pulled out Crocea Mors again, he picked up the wire that was frayed from the shrapnel of the grenade before he started cutting off the damaged part, Bullets whizzing past him as he heard Blake firing back accompanied by the scream of pain or death from the opposing side
"...Spare wire... in my left pocket" Sun grinded out as Jaune quickly pulled out the mentioned wire and started repairing the wires but much to his surprise and frustration, another grenade landed around them and without a second thought, Jaune quickly shielded both Blake and Sun with his larger frame as the grenade exploded, Showering them in dirt and mud
"Damn potato mashers" Jaune groaned out as he continued to repair the wire, never noticing the look of awe on Sun's face nor the look of surprise on Blake's, However after a few grueling moment, He finally managed to repair the connection and set off the glorious explosion that he thought they would have been forced to give up on
"Alright Soldier, We'll treat your wound when we are safe, Don't drool on me now" Jaune joked as Sun gave him a pained grin before Jaune hefted his fellow blonde onto his back and started the run back to Tukson, Blake covering their retreat with well placed shots at the stragglers who manage to survive the blast and new imperials who just arrived
"MOVE MOVE MOVE" Jaune screamed as he rushed under the firefight and dodging the stray bullets headed his way, he was barely able to catch a glimpse of Tukson waving at them inside a small house before a bullet grazed his thigh and almost caused him to collapse under the weight and pain but he stayed steady and limped over to the house still miraculously standing as Tukson dragged them in with Blake following behind, Yanking the door close as more bullets impacted the wooden door instead of her
"everyone safe?" Jaune asked with ragged breath as the group nodded, Sun still needed treatment but they could do it in cover now and it's much safer here than out there where it was raining bullets however Jaune didn't manage to catch much of what came after as the adrenaline rush quickly came to a end and the injury he sustain finally took over
As everything went black.